Franz von Stuck, Wild Chase, 1889

Bruce Springsteen, Radio Nowhere

Happiness by Raymond Carver

So early it's still almost dark out.
I'm near the window with coffee,
and the usual early morning stuff
that passes for thought.
When I see the boy and his friend
walking up the road
to deliver the newspaper.
They wear caps and sweaters,
and one boy has a bag over his shoulder.
They are so happy
they aren't saying anything, these boys.
I think if they could, they would take 
each other's arm.
It's early in the morning,
and they are doing this thing together.
They come on, slowly.
The sky is taking on light,
though the moon still hangs pale over the water.
Such beauty that for a minute
death and ambition, even love,
doesn't enter into this.
Happiness. It comes on
unexpectedly. And goes beyond, really,
any early morning talk about it.

William S. Burroughs, ...The Chair of Death is Absurdly Uncomfortable, 1993

Peder Balke, The Tempest, 1862

Currently being exhibited at Tate Modern

Robert Rauschenberg, Untitled

Died this day

The arabic words say "He who took drugs, the intoxication of death made this truth appear". They are a play on The Holy Quran, Surat Qaf, Chapter 50, Verse/Ayah 19 which actually says: "And the intoxication of death will bring the truth; that is what you were trying to avoid". By suppressing the last words and adding the "drugs"-prefix, Falero reverses the meaning from announcing death into an ecstatic narcotic-induced apparition.

Luis Ricardo Falero, The Enchantress, 1878

José Clemente Orozco, Gods Of The Modern World - The Epic Of American Civilisation, 1932 - 1934

Austin Osman Spare, Ascension of the Ego from Ecstasy to Ecstasy, 1913

Salvator Rosa, Witches at their Incantations, c 1646

René Magritte, Not to be Reproduced, 1937

Died this day

Francis Picabia, Craccae, 1928

František Kupka, Le Disque Blanc, 1946

Nancy Sinatra, Bang Bang

Born this day

William Blake, Satan, c1789

Waking From Drunkenness on a Spring Day By Li Po / Li Bai

Life is a dream. No need to stir.
Remembering this I’m drunk all day.
Lying helpless beside the porch,
Waking to see the deep garden.
One bird calls among the flowers.
Ask myself what’s the season?
Song of the oriole in Spring breezes,
Voice of beauty sadly moves me.
Is there wine? Ah, fill the cup.
Sing and watch the white moon rise,
until song’s end and sense is gone.

Mountain Drinking Song by Li Po / Li Bai

To drown the ancient sorrows, 
we drank a hundred jugs of wine
there in beautiful moonlight. We couldn’t
go to bed with the moon so bright.
Then finally the wine overcame us
and we lay down on the empty mountain:
earth for a pillow 
and a blanket made of heaven.

Paul Klee, Two Men Meet, Each Believing the Other to Be of Higher Rank, 1903

Anton Corbijn, Poison Ivy and Lux Interior, 1980

Carl Perkins, Dixie Fried

On the outskirts of town, there's a little night spot
Dan dropped in around five o'clock
Took off his coat, said "The night is short"
He reached in his pocket and he flashed a quarter

He hollered, "Rave on, children I'm with ya,
Rave on cats, " he cried
"It's almost dawn, the cops is gone
Let's all get Dixie fried"

Well, Dan got happy and he started raving
He jerked out a razor but he wasn't shaving
And all the cats knew to jump and hop
'Cause he was born and raised in a butcher shop

He hollered, "Rave on, children, I'm with ya
Rave on, cats, " he cried
"It's almost dawn, the cops is gone
Let's all get Dixie fried, fried, fried, yeah"

The cops heard Dan when he started to shout
They all ran in to see what it was about
And I heard him holler as they led him away
He turned his head and this is what he had to say

He hollered, "Rave on, children, I'm with ya
Rave on, cats, " he cried
"It's almost dawn, the cops is gone
Let's all get Dixie fried, fried, fried?

Now, Dan was the bravest man that we ever saw
And he let us all know he wasn't scared of the law
Through the black crossed bars he tossed a note to his dear
"It ain't my fault, sugar, I'm in here"

For hollering, "Rave on, children, I'm with you
Rave on, cats, " he cried
"It's almost dawn, the cops ain't gone
And I've been Dixie fried"