Responses to

Nice to learn a little more about my friend Bison from an honest seeker of truth. Thanks Jessie. The first time I went to Dance Spree, I walked out thinkin' - not my scene. Now I've been going for 10 years! I'm
glad you stuck with Bison long enough to uncover deeper layers, and real questions about the nature of reality and being human. We all have pieces in us that are the saint and the cynic, the shaman and the sham-man, the lover and the womanizer/manizer/humanizer. Keep dancin' your dance Jessie! Keep healing the world with your dreams Bison!

Mark Z.
6/17/05

This Story has a heart very strong story line. Have you thought about a Movie??????????

Tammy Johnson
1/2/05

Dear Jessie Friedman, I found Your Story on Bison extremely can I say "penetrating" (Smile). I too am An African Native European American Man who lives in the area and I know Bison also. I appreciate your ability to seek the Authenticity of the individual beyond the Rumors and hear-say that Beautiful Black Red White Maleness can stir up. I get similar stories and rumors floating about me because I like Bison am very flirtatious and enjoy the energetic flow of my women friends and would be friends but I like Bison am also dedicated to seeing clearly another human beings 'position" and needs for being safe in the world.
At this time in this culture women are much easier to get close to. We all want and need closeness and human intimacy. Sometimes it's great when that intimacy is sexual too. I know some of the Women Bison shares his nights with. The ones I know respect him and continue to share what seems to be pleasant time with him. It is because there is so much violence inherent in this present "American culture" that people who even honestly pursue meaningful sexual or otherwise intimate contact are percieved as dangerous. I am very saddened by the truth that women are not as safe as I and many wish they were (and work for them to be) in this culture. I often enjoy my male friends too, however the history of male competition (which sometimes includes racism in a big way)often causes unwitting jealousy and invulnerability to keep us at arms(?) length. We are in very interesting times my friend and your good thinking makes me happy for the posibbilities of an intelligent re-newal after this ugly storm of "dead skin" passes us by. Hold on at the eye of the Storm (your deep authentic perceptions and seeking of truth), We're gonna see a brighter day. Love Gopi Krishna

Gopi Krishna
4/8/04

I really enjoyed the realness of this segment.

Cierra
12/10/03

Surreal. I have come across many people pitching very out there points of view, and know the feeling of thinking wow, that makes sense, who'd expect that on a street corner or from this random book or in a club. Then, you think you're being duped, what is this person trying to sell me or get out of me. And the realization a few minutes later that, yeah, you actually could think of it that way, but then if you did believe that, you'd end up a drifter or a mystic, because your current life of career advancement or even academics wouldn't make any sense. You surely couldn't stay a professor or businessman... saying things like that to people would get you fired. Then you start trying to classify who's got a sane point of view and who's insane. Is this person insane for believing these things? Would I be rejected by others as insane if I thought like this? You've thought some of those things yourself, before talking to this person, what does this mean? Are you! on the same wavelength? Are you nuts, but since you're nuts in the same way maybe you hit on something? If you've read the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the author is a tech writer, who takes a month's vacation every year, to basically drift around on his motorcycle and think mystical thoughts. Maybe it's just a need we have, like sex. Who knows? ask bison, whatever you think of the validity his ideas, he's probably on of the few who have thought about that already, and thought it through to some kind of conclusion.

Robert
12/3/03

Always interesting to hear mentionings of the right use of will books and how they have impacted people.

Curt in Portland OR
9/19/03

I've always been fascinated by street-people. Jessie Friedman's story was unsentimental yet sympathetic. The extensive research and clear prose have given us a precise portrait of a human being. Wonderful.

Robert Anasi
7/13/03

Add your response!

Read Bison's Story.