Tuesday, November 11, 2014

NY Times Sunday Book Review Features Bob Odenkirk on Paul Williams Das Energi

Bob Odenkirk: By The Book

The actor and author of “A Load of Hooey” keeps a volume of “hippie philosophizing” on his shelves as a counterbalance to his “angry, skeptical, scowling mind.”


Which books might we be surprised to find on your shelves? 
A book of hippie philosophizing entitled “Das Energi,” by Paul Williams (not the singer-songwriter). It’s a counterbalance to my angry, skeptical, scowling mind, but you can only stand a page or two at a time — unless you’re a hippie, then you’d probably wolf the whole thing down.






3 comments:

  1. I have a funny story about Das Energi; I was at the Rainbow Bar in Hollywood w a girlfriend, we were both underage and the manager of the famous bar asked us over to his house a few blocks away, for his 2 hour break. I was young and dumb and we went. He asked if we wanted to sleep with him as a threesome, I said no. He said, "okay while I spend time w your friend you can read this great book." He handed me Das Energi by some guy I would meet in my future, Paul Williams... I didn't read the book

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    1. Deleted previous post because it was the only way I could edit!

      An inspired little book. I don't agree that it's "hippie philosophy" per se. It is philosophy, period. And, good advice IMO. Some of my favorite passages:

      The way to build self-confidence ...
      ... is to start doing things you're not sure you can do.
      Once you start, keep at it. Never give up. Push harder when you have to, relax when you can. If you don't keep going until you're satisfied, you will never know how much you can do. You can do anything.
      Your strength is equal to your need.

      Don't do anything you don't have to do.

      Hard work is relaxing,
      It's a pleasure to make full use of one's body.
      It's a pleasure to make full use of one's mind.
      Hard work is often a drag to anticipate.
      Don't anticipate, don't do what you don't need to do, and you will never feel lazy.
      It is a pleasure to be part of the energy flow.
      A body or mind that is seldom in full motion is a body or mind that can seldom fully rest.


      Open yourself...
      ... to absolutely anything that gets thrown at you
      Don't worry about picking out the important stuff
      just let it all get thrown at you
      and the importnat stuff
      will be what hits you

      All you have to do is not shut anything out.


      It is never difficult to feel what's right.
      Sometimes, perhaps, there seems to be a conflict between two things to do that both feel right.
      When this happens to you, accept it as a message that you are not in tune with your self. Do not try to make a decision. Relax, and allow your feelings to take over.
      You are a precision instrument, and you can always feel what's right. Don't fight it.
      Relax.
      Do it.


      Okay, seriously.
      Get to reality
      get to your own reality
      become yourself, become incredibly high and real and influence everyone around you with your vibrations, no matter how difficult it is, drop everything else and start doing the most fantastic, real things you can think of—become yourself,
      get to your own reality.

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