The Kamikaze Online Mind

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The Kamikaze Online Mind - Posted at 9:40 AM on 20/5/2006 by The Kamikaze Online Mind

Welcome to The Kamikaze Online Mind project based on the new book The Kamikaze Mind by Richard James Allen (Brandl & Schlesinger, Blackheath, 2006). 

 

This page invites you to:

 

Share your thoughts in a review of The Kamikaze Mind by writing and posting your responses to the book here.

 

Or do a Kamikaze Mind Remix.  By modelling your contribution on the 'dictionary' structure of the book, you can define your own Kamikaze mind:

 

  • add your own definition to the online Mind
  • select a word, a line or an idea from the book - and write your own story or poem inspired by it
  • follow the multidirectional threads of ideas in the book - and create a story or poem by reordering existing lines

Expand the "Mind" click on "post comment" to publish your version of the Kamikaze Online Mind

 

 

There are some "Terms and Conditions" involved in adding an entry to the Kamikaze Onine Mind.  These are here because we actually think that if you've come to this page you are probably a pretty interesting person and you are probably going to write some pretty interesting things.  If you send them in on this page, then we might be able to someday do something like publish a volume of remixes or quote you or your reviews.  If you send them in with your name on them then we will definitely attribute them to you, but even if you don't it would be nice to be able to expand the 'Mind' by being able to re-publish your thoughts.  So, posting your reviews and remixes here means that you agree to the following:

 

The Physical TV Company Pty Ltd shall be the sole and exclusive owner of all the results and proceeds of your contribution including without limitation all copyright and you hereby assign any and all rights of any kind including moral rights in all results and proceeds absolutely.  Further you grant The Physical TV Company the irrevocable non-exclusive right and licence to use and publish your name and likeness (if you send an image). Further you hereby irrevocably indemnify and will keep indemnified The Physical TV Company and its assignees from and against all actions, claims, proceedings, claims and demands for damages, loss of profit, loss, costs, expense, interest, injunctive relief or other remedies arising from the use of your contribution in accordance with this Agreement by the Production Company or by any third party with the permission of the The Physical TV Company. You hereby irrevocably agree that nothing in this Agreement obliges The Physical TV Company to use your contribution nor prevents The Physical TV Company from using contributions other than yours.

 

You hereby agree that The Physical TV Company may assign the benefit of this Agreement as it sees fit in whole or in part.  This agreement and release is given for the benefit of all assignees and licensees of the Production Company (and any subsequent assignees and licensees) and that the rights and benefits granted, licensed or waived herein shall be unconditionally enforceable by such assignees and licensees. 

This agreement shall be constructed under and governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. All disputes arising out of this agreement shall be submitted to mediation in accordance with the rules of the Arts Law Centre Mediation Service, a program of the Arts Law Centre of Australia, prior to having recourse to arbitration or litigation.

 

By submitting your work you agree to these terms. Thank you for being part of The Kamikaze Mind Online Project.
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hmm! Wow! Book. Wow! Richards latest book! - Posted at 3:36 PM on 26/5/2006 by Kathy
Mind blowing read! The death of the over active mind is liberating. Surrender the chit chat and be! These are a couple of thoughts inspired by Richards unexpected work. Unexpected in that you open it up and you think \"hmm, this is like no other book I\'ve ever seen.\" Then I thought of Richard and laughed because he is completely unique. Wonderfully so.
<br>As a yoga student he always takes you beyond what you think is capable. Beyond fears, beyond thought, to a wonderful and joyful place full of exploration and openess to possibilities. So it is with his book which is more like a can-opener to your brain. Each word and meaning in the Kamikaze Mind slows you down to deliberate and ponder. Thankfully it is a short tale or else it would take me years to finish. Thankyou for your inspiration Richard and showing us how to write in somersaults..
<br>
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Bernard Lane's Preview of The Kamikaze Mind Book Launch in The Australian - 10 May 2006 - Posted at 12:01 PM on 28/5/2006 by kamikazemind

Chancellor awards kamikaze thesis

"MY thesis is on the relationship between angels and TV." That's a line from Richard James Allen's new book, not his thesis, but the two are connected in unusual and interesting ways.

Tomorrow, writer Judith Beverage launches his book, The Kamikaze Mind, a poetic take on what wisdom the universe might spit out after a black hole has gobbled an astronaut. "You don't know exactly if he was pushed or if he jumped," Allen says.
Nor would anybody quite know what to do with the cosmic afterthoughts of an astronaut; why not plonk them in alphabetical order?

Under P: "I didn't lose the plot, I varied it." Yesterday, Allen's creative arts thesis, Out of the Labrynth of the Mind, earned him the Chancellor's Award at the University of Technology, Sydney.

"It's an examination of a body of work and the ideas behind it," the writer says.

Body of work is apt in another way. Allen is a dancer as well as a writer and film-maker.

His thesis follows a guiding spirit as it moves through his poetry book (Thursday's Fictions, also a film), dance drama film (Rubberman Accepts the Nobel Prize) or the poetic fiction of The Kamikaze Mind.

"It was a great time to step back, to really look deeply. There was so much that I had never articulated about my artwork," Allen says.

He's well aware such a project may seem narcissistic but says UTS demanded the necessary rigour.

It is certainly an unusual way to bring together what is not often joined: theory and art practice that leaps from word to movement and image.

You could say he had a neglected childhood; nobody thought to teach him the old enmity between mind and body.

With his journalist-mother he did yoga; he and his writer-father practised judo and went ice-dancing and swimming.

Writing and film-making seemed natural preoccupations. Travel was in the blood, too.

After a spell with the avant-garde Kiss International Theatre Group in The Netherlands he went to New York, where he met dancer Karen Pearlman. "When Karen and I came together, that was when I really started to bring together my writing and my dance," Allen says.

"Dance had reached a point where it was very dry, it was almost content-free, almost dance for dance's sake. We were always interested in meaning."

Even on mobile phones. Pearlman's idea was to sell thoughtlets from The Kamikaze Mind as wallpaper or animated screen savers.

For $4.40 you can have this dancing slogan: "I want you to buy reality from me, but I don't want it back."

www.thekamikazemind.com


Bernard Lane (c) 2006 The Australian
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Untitled Comment - Posted at 9:00 AM on 5/6/2006 by Anonymous

Hey guys

Congratulations once again on your launch. It really was fabulous. I took the book along to my writing class today and everyone browsed through it and
immediately wrote the title and author down as a must to buy. I knew you were on a winning thing. The teacher even made a point of asking if she
could borrow it to read out a few of the words/meanings as a final parting inspiration to us all!

Success is eminent.

I thought of an entry for Kamikaze Mind for the 2nd edition which should be happening soon ...

Kamikaze Mind: thinking too much will be the death of me, but it's too late the journey has begun.

(that's a freebie)

Cheers

Colleen Crockett xxx

PS I gave a copy of your book to my neice who graduated from Uni last week and she loved it. So far everyone I've showed it to thinks its fab! Good work.
Excited to see all your developments. You two are truly gifted.

Col xxx

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the book - Posted at 6:54 PM on 5/6/2006 by Anonymous
it is an amazing,fantastical and interesting/funny read.
Open to anything but dullness. straight from the heart.
And I'm sure a lot of work.
Experiment, try it for yourself!
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a few more lines... - Posted at 1:22 PM on 4/7/2006 by Rebecca Mar Young
Best:
<br>After the best day you\'ve ever EVER had, you still must turn within for replenishment.
<br>
<br>Captivity:
<br>The problem with captivity is when you\'re finally free, you\'re not.
<br>
<br>Chatter:
<br>No body told her they also were constantly filled with throughts chattering...bubbling...spewing... over and over and over. She thought it was only her.
<br>
<br>Cleaning:
<br>This time I\'ll clean it so well it never has to be cleaned again, she said.
<br>
<br>Divine:
<br>She found it on a Hong Kong cab window. Many drops of brilliance shining with Hong Kong colours after a down pour. Her thoughts stopped... for a moment.
<br>
<br>Enlightenment:
<br>Before enlightenment, clean house. After enlightenment, clean house.
<br>
<br>Fight:
<br>Last night I fought with my mind. Today my eyes are heavy with defeat and my ideas are no longer peppermint.
<br>
<br>Hair:
<br>She turned 13. She felt an intense need to remove the hair from her legs. She turned 30. She felt an intense need to do whatever she liked.
<br>
<br>Hiding:
<br>She heard them say \"God has returned. God\'s hiding in your heart... in all your hearts.\" She knew they were right. She could feel it.
<br>
<br>Landscape:
<br>Typically painted vertically by the Chinese. Typically painted horizontally by the Europeans. Same same but different.
<br>
<br>Print:
<br>How deep is your fingerprint?
<br>
<br>Red:
<br>Every other colour except red is really red.
<br>
<br>Sausage:
<br>He couldn\'t contain his excitement. He ran on all fours from room to room to room... not even aware of where he was going... once he was freed from his little section of house.
<br>
<br>Shit:
<br>One chicken shits on the other which shits on the other which shits on the other. They don\'t have a choice, living in a cage their whole life. One, on top of the next, on top of the next, on top of the next. Who would choose such a life?
<br>
<br>Thoughts:
<br>So clear when you want to sleep. Coming at you like peppermint granades. Piercing your desire for deep sleep. STOP... please stop.
<br>
<br>Time:
<br>Slow when you want it fast and fast when you want is slow.
<br>
<br>Transgender:
<br>Body grows one way. Brain grows the other. Painful for all concerned they said... initially.
<br>
<br>Wind:
<br>Be as steady as the roots that support you in the earth but as flexible as the wind blowing your branches.
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wonders - Posted at 4:22 PM on 6/8/2006 by Anonymous
Wonders: little people who lose their teeth
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Laugh, ponder and cringe all at the same time - Posted at 5:31 PM on 27/8/2006 by Rod Bland
The Kamikaze Mind is a kind of off-beat diary of The Human Experience. It manages to be inspirational, dark, erotic, and laugh-out-loud funny all on the same page. A good read not to be breezed through.
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Quizzical - Posted at 10:02 PM on 29/8/2006 by Kathy
Saucy: Richard\'s book is Astronaughty.
<br>Scramble: d egg brain - must read The Kamikaze Mind again.
<br>What? - Huh?
<br>Yep that\'s what I thought too.....
<br>T\'was a great read & look forward to perusing it again, one word at a time...
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Just - Posted at 9:15 PM on 5/10/2006 by Janet
I was sitting evenly on both sit bones without a yoga mat by the river, wondering if that was my corpse that just floated by... or just my sit bones...
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Flying through the Kamikaze Mind - Posted at 11:05 AM on 13/10/2006 by Anonymous

Hello Richard,

Hope you are doing well.

Today I have been flying to Philadelphia in USA...On the flight I was sitting besides a very interesting old English gentleman of nearly 90 years. We discussed a lot and then suddenly he asked me if he could take a look at the book I was reading which was The Kamikaze Mind. He found the book so interesting so you will now have a new buyer of your book.

Have a nice day.

May Kjoelle
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Kamikaze Mind reading at Live Poets Society - Posted at 11:05 AM on 26/10/2006 by Anonymous

Hey Richard,

Nice to see you at your reading last night.

Gotta say, I DO love your work. And what a journey... your walking-stick joke re the publication of your first book back in 1986 felt so pertinent: 1986 still feels like yesterday to me! That Was (a) Fast 20 years!

I've had many books come and go through my hands over that time, a lot interesting for a while, but passed on as things change. But yours I still keep, in their entire set, as their perpetual relevance unfolds: their contemplative wit, intelligence, humour, etc, insert adjective, seems as fresh today as when I first encountered them.

thanks!

Kyle Powderly
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Untitled Comment - Posted at 1:05 PM on 5/11/2006 by Evelyn Murray
Richard
<br>Thank you for introducing me to the book. I keep it by the bed to open it up when my day is done and I have the freedom to read it and think about the thoughts it brings to my mind.
<br>Evelyn
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reactions... - Posted at 4:54 PM on 13/12/2006 by Anonymous
I first started reading The Kamikaze Mind from cover to cover, but soon learnt that it is much more fun reading it randomly - late at night, in front of the terrible reality TV I watch or on my way to work. I\'m sure I keep reading the same bits over and over again whilst I\'m missing out on fabulous new things as well, but it really doesn\'t seem to matter.
<br>
<br>One day I came to work, and leaving it on my desk found that when my colleagues came to talk to me, they would pick it up and quote random words - which lead to, well, all sorts of things! Now I leave it on my desk permanently, and look forward the breaks in the day when a thought or poem is read out - and even more, I love the reaction it brings!
<br>
<br>- Penelope Feros
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The Kamikaze Mind - Posted at 8:43 PM on 18/2/2007 by Anonymous

The Kamikaze Mind is a fascinating read. I find many of the quotes absolutely nail some of the thoughts, experiences and wisdoms that I have contemplated. I find myself thinking “I must remember that”, forgetting it, and returning to search for that quote again. Some of the quotes are a bit more cryptic, but I’m sure that they are very profound to the person that can relate to the idea. The Kamikaze Mind pushes all the right buttons to provoke an emotional response, through clever humour, profound wisdom or just the plain sad truth.

Paul O’Brien (One of Richard's yoga students)
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The Kamikaze Mind - Posted at 12:18 PM on 21/2/2007 by Matthew Mylne
Kamikaze: from the moment of our conception, we are all like kamikaze fighters, hurtling towards ultimate physical oblivion.

Richard Allen searches in novel places, perhaps more vigorously than many, for the parts of us which may survive the crash. Given the difficulty of this quest, he also takes a gut-wrenching whiff of the myriad flowers, decaying and fresh, noxious and sweet, which are strewn across our path to the enemy ship.

The mission objectives seem to change constantly, from the sublime to the terrifyingly mundane, to the bluntly human. Without shield or weapon, Richard charts a darting course through human experience, but his trajectory is nevertheless unswerving in its honesty.

Read if you dare!
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new definitions - Posted at 8:47 AM on 23/2/2007 by Rod Bland
Hi Richard

All the best in Adelaide. BTW you need to resize the image of your book cover to something less than 400kb. It will be awfully slow for people with modems.

Enjoy these additional definitions:
-------------------

Technology: Each day his blog screamed out for another post, a Siren for his own self-importance.

Tomorrow: With sobriety came the horrid realisation that he had gone to bed with the wrong woman.

Taste: "I don't like your taste in music", she said. It was doomed from the start.

Tactile: He enjoyed holding hands, but she wasn't really into tactile experiences.
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lobster - Posted at 9:32 AM on 23/2/2007 by Jennifer Compton
it hides in the tank behind its litter mates
it screams in the pot as if it knows how ugly it is
you can throw it or you can eat it - whatever
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teetering on the brink - Posted at 1:31 PM on 23/2/2007 by Anonymous
Technology: tastes good for a short while..
<br>Tomorrow: well, there was always yesterday.
<br>Tactile: The Cockatoo, with a look of proud accomplishment bit the wire.
<br>Taste: Tasty and slightly chewy.
<br>
<br>Kathy
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Tomorrow - Posted at 9:59 AM on 24/2/2007 by Madeleine
The day when he will be a better man if he could only get there.
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Untitled Comment - Posted at 7:34 AM on 25/2/2007 by carol dilley
I have read through this book in bits. I read it in order cover to cover and next time I think I will read it only for the story of God or the story of sorrow or the story of her. In any case, I will keep picking up this book again an again in search of a disturbance or reassurance or just the reminder that living is an infinitely complex event.
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the site - Posted at 7:37 AM on 25/2/2007 by Anonymous
The website is as interesting as the book but I would never have found it had I not been told it was there. The book does not lead the reader here.
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tomorrow - Posted at 10:59 AM on 25/2/2007 by cassandra treadwell
the shadow that imprisons our ability to live in the present
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T definitions - Posted at 11:48 AM on 25/2/2007 by Simba7
Tomorrow: Definitely, probably, possibly... I guess not.

Taste: A 21st century pissing competition.

Technology: A cunning short cut that takes you back to where you started. Faster!

Tactile: Better than technology, any day.
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Tomorrow - Posted at 1:02 PM on 25/2/2007 by Benito Di Fonzo
Tomorrow: Why not put off till tomorrow what you didn't get around to yesterday?
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Tactile - Posted at 9:01 AM on 26/2/2007 by Luke
When he accidentally brushed past her he had no idea that he would stick.
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The \"T\'s\" - Posted at 12:06 PM on 2/3/2007 by Lynette Washington
<br>Technology: I think I would have been scared of the wheel.
<br>
<br>Tomorrow: \"Taxi!\" \"I can come back for you today, tomorrow, yesterday.\"
<br>
<br>Taste: Does my taste in dinnerware define my taste in food?
<br>
<br>Tactile: Does red velvet feel different to blue velvet?
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Tomorrow - Posted at 12:10 PM on 2/3/2007 by Madeleine Huxtable
Tomorrow: The day when I will be a better person, if only I could get there.
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What tomorrow tastes like as technology goes Tick Tock.. - Posted at 12:22 PM on 2/3/2007 by Louise McBride
Technology: My mind-a computer, always on screen saver.

Tomorrow: Siren sounds but still no response.

Taste: Dull and indifferent to the poison. Tastes like loneliness.
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Hope, tomorrow? - Posted at 12:35 PM on 2/3/2007 by Jeff Harris
Technology: We transfer our thoughts and capacity to technology. The meek will inherit the earth.

Tomorrow: I have the rest of my life in the future.

Taste: The sensation of knowing what you like.

Tactile: The feeling of feeling that we feel. That which can be felt as carpet underlay.
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Faith - Posted at 12:38 PM on 2/3/2007 by Jeff Harris
Faith: I believe we can live better without belief
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T definitions - Posted at 12:49 PM on 2/3/2007 by Jago Van den Akker
Technology: I would dread the loss of a limb and have it replaced with with some alien thing. It ruins my holistic world view!

Tomorrow: Is the sole reason to procrastinate. I hate change and motion. I think status quo is just fine!

Taste: Taste, like smell is boring. They can't be fooled or tricked into illusion.

Tactile: Are you touching me? You're clicking me, you say?
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I think taste is... - Posted at 12:54 PM on 2/3/2007 by Troy B

The result of being told, or the result of trying to tell.

And Tactile?

Tactile: The act of touch and the context of touch combined.
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Its just T - Posted at 12:57 PM on 2/3/2007 by Nicholis Fourikis
Technology: empowers you to reach your full potential.

Tomorrow: There is no tomorrow.

Taste: ...the wind and be free.
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Traversing the T - Posted at 1:02 PM on 2/3/2007 by Jonathon Stone
Technology: Its often just snake oil.

Tomorrow: Hope so.

Taste: Rare.

Tactile: When tacking don't hit the isle.
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more definitions of T - Posted at 1:11 PM on 2/3/2007 by Natasha Phillips
Technology: I can pronounce it but that doesn't mean I understand it.

Tomorrow: I don't know what to make of it, just like today and yesterday.

Taste: I hope it never becomes like an Ikea store.

Tactile: Can I touch you now?
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On technology... - Posted at 1:14 PM on 2/3/2007 by Michael Dywer
Yeast is very clever too, it might be cleverer..
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seeing on the seas of thought - Posted at 11:16 AM on 5/3/2007 by Kathy
Sailing: Ebb & flow, ebb & flow. Turning, tilting, leaning, tipping. Anchored, floating, anchored, floating. Watch, listen, wait; there it is! She found her way.
Steady: Ebb & flow, ebb & flow, breathing in, beathing out, mind calm, heart soft.
Storm: Adrift, disturbed. Doom in the shadows. Gloom in the mists. She was only thinking. She opened her eyes, it was a sunny day. The Cockatoo bit first and asked questions later.Thinking wasn't on its menu today.
Star: An angel brought her a Star. He kissed her cheek. Heavenly! They sparkled together until she remembered she was was a star too.


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Untitled Comment - Posted at 2:07 PM on 19/3/2007 by Casuarina
Life: "That hasn't been proven to exist!"
"You mean Extraterrestrial?"
"Existential."
"What's the difference?"
"What's the question?"
"Exactly!"
Life: The Lollipop reminded him of something. Its sweet, sometimes sickly, pretty good at the time and too much of it at once rots your body.
Life: Mistaken identity. He mistook himself as being somebody. The self mistook itself for being eternal. The Eternal Self laughed and lived happily ever after.
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KAMIKAZE MIND: REVIEW - Posted at 3:17 PM on 23/7/2007 by Anonymous
The Kamikaze Mind is a flying leap into the rabbit hole. Into the text/context we fall/float, and the juxtapositions jangle inside, reverberating, creating ripples in our deep waters, reflecting the lightness and the darkness (and the grey matter in between).

Richard is a truly open spirit, full of joy and creativity. I find him and his work (literary, film or physical) always meaningful and thoughtful.

Thankyou for sharing with us Richard

Sarah Folwell
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