The Shanty Credo

Good Monday Shanty Folk,

I wanted to take this opportunity to call attention to the recent buzz of activity on The Shanty as of late. I think it's great. Admittedly, I have been pretty absent for the better part of this year, if not more. I'm not proud of that. But I have been more than grateful to find that the Shanty has welcomed me back with open arms and avid feedback. I know others have more or less carried the Shanty on their back for like ever, and others have recently started contributing with greater frequency.

The resurge has called to mind a lesson from The Dude concerning life's complex and mysterious ways. When asked by The Stranger how he was doing, The Dude uttered,

"Oh, you know, strikes and gutters, ups and downs,"

...and in so uttering, aligned himself with the very fabric of the cosmos. Like The Dude, the Shanty has had some strikes and gutters, and some ups and downs. But I like to think that through it all, the Shanty has taken it easy. After all, there's a beverage here.

With great warmth for all, I want to thank everyone for making the Shanty what it is today. Let's celebrate of string of strikes with a couple of cold ones, eh Jackie? In closing, I just also want to leave you with what may be the only thing that might serve as a credo for the Shanty, until something better comes along.

"I figured a really great premise to work from would be a digital "shanty," much like the masterpiece of a bathroom you may remember from Swanson '07-'08. Remember checking new music? Remember showing it off? Remember the cig breaks? These weren't your normal "Quick, it's fucking cold out here" cig breaks. These were something holier. They had to be. No electric light. This was sacred ground, drip candle country. And the small talk was actually very big. The idea is to develop content (opinions, stories, sound, images) from a very "shanty" frame of mind. If it's not shanty, try to keep it off. We make this. Let's make it something to be proud of."

-some dolt from history