Richard Del Connor Philosopher Poet: Recent Episodes
Richard Del Connor
Richard Del CONNOR is the Philosopher Poet performing his poetry and original solo flute songs. Richard enjoys inspiring people with European and Asian philosophy expressed and explained with his unique sense of humor and comedic poetry that always rhymes. Richard is the founder of Shaolin Communications that publishes his novels, self-help books, audiobooks and photography.
Richard Del Connor the Philosopher Poet reads his poem, “Hideaway Bar & Grille” from the PAPERBACK book, Philosopher Poet in a Field of Dreams. This book was written and published while Richard was homeless in North Hollywood, California. This poem led him to the “5 Souls Theory of Richard Del Connor” as he performed with jazz and blues musicians on his flute.
https://www.amazon.com/Philosopher-Poet-Field-Dreams-Studying/dp/1575513617/
Richard talks about how he devised the “5 Souls Theory of Richard Del Connor” and that he is a MUSICIAN soul. He says the “5 Souls” are:
- WORKER soul
- WOMAN soul
- WARRIOR soul
- MANAGER soul
- MUSICIAN soul
He say that most “musicians” are workers being paid to play music, but they are not “MUSICIAN” souls.
He explains a little bit each of the 5 Souls. He says that most soldiers are WORKER souls being paid to be “warriors,” but they are not a WARRIOR soul.
Richard Del Connor also explains the three books he’s written about the “5 Souls Theory.”
Richard explains his evolution from “Richard O’Connor,” to “The Hippy Coyote" in 1984, to “Kung Fu Cowboy" in 2012.
“Get the LEVEL 1 = Peace Of Mind album by American Zen,” Richard instructs the listener. “Support an artist…”
Opening Song: “Peace Of Mind #2” by American Zen from the album LEVEL 1 = Peace Of Mind produced by Richard Del Connor.
https://www.shaolinrecords.com/RecordStore-R/americanZenLevel1-R.html
Outro Song: “In The Darkness” by American Zen from the album LEVEL 1 = Peace Of Mind produced by Richard Del Connor.
https://www.shaolinrecords.com/RecordStore-R/americanZenLevel1-R.html
American Zen Official website:
https://www.AmericanZen.org
American Zen FACEBOOK page:
https://www.Facebook.com/americanzenband
Produced by Richard Del Connor for Shaolin Records.
https://www.ShaolinRecords.com
Copyright 1984-2021 Shaolin Communications
https://www.ShaolinCommunications.comhttps://www.ShaolinCOM.com
Music used by permission of Shaolin Records and licensed by Shaolin Music. ASCAP
https://www.ShaolinMusic.com
Richard Del Connor the Philosopher Poet reads his poem, “Family Tools,” from the PAPERBACK book, Philosopher Poet in a Field of Dreams. This book was written and published while Richard was homeless in North Hollywood, California.
Richard talks about the founding of the folk rock group, American Zen, “America’s First Buddhist Rock Band™” in 1991 when he became a Mr. Mom to raise his daughter, Caitlin. He talks about the love and friendship he had with his daughter and how the first four years of his marriage were incredibly romantic and filled with love.Then Richard explains cuckolding and how Jesus was the result of Joseph being cuckolded by God. He mentions the Vedic Scriptures of 4,000 years ago stating that only the wife knows who the father of the children are. He also briefly tells the story of a Catholic friend of his whose daughter was fathered by his wife’s previous boyfriend…. "Family Tools" is about fathers being used. Richard says he enjoyed being a Mr. Mom and that for 10 years after his children left him he still thought of them as his first priority every morning when he woke up until he moved into the North Hollywood Homeless Shelter, which broke that programming.
After all these dark stories of family life, and men being “Family Tools,” he ends the podcast with a song he recorded in 1974 titled, “What Do We Have Now?” This is a story during the Holocaust with two lovers eating from a “rusted can of pork and beans” as soldiers march over the bridge above them and other Jews are being executed nearby. Richard says this song was inspired by an Ingrid Bergman movie about the holocaust in WW II. After Richard’s bleak view of marriage this song is about love conquering all adversity.
Richard Del Connor explains his 8-LEVEL Buddhist journey depicted through the rock operas of the eight albums by American Zen that he produced for Shaolin Records. “Go out and buy the LEVEL 1 = Peace of Mind album by American Zen,” he insists. He says that this album was written while love was at a peak in his life with a loving marriage and wonderful daughter who he says was his best friend of his entire life. Most of American Zen's fans have stated that this first album, LEVEL 1 = Peace Of Mind, is their favorite of the series, despite it being recorded on a 4-track recorder. Perhaps it is the love and hope embedded in the songs and lyrics that inspire people.
The song “What Do We Have Now?” is from the Bonita album by The Rich recorded in 1974 at Bonita Studio. The short-lived band was called, “Lotus,” comprised of various studio musicians. They never performed a live gig, so they are also referred to as the first version of THE RICH who were different musicians performing in 1976.
https://www.shaolinrecords.com/RecordStore-R/AmZen_Lotus-R.html
American Zen Official website:
https://www.AmericanZen.org
American Zen FACEBOOK page:
https://www.Facebook.com/americanzenband
Produced by Richard Del Connor for Shaolin Records.
https://www.ShaolinRecords.com
Copyright 1984-2021 Shaolin Communications
https://www.ShaolinCommunications.comhttps://www.ShaolinCOM.com
Music used by permission of Shaolin Records and licensed by Shaolin Music. ASCAP
https://www.ShaolinMusic.com
Richard Del Connor the Philosopher Poet reads his poem, "Hell is not a Place."
"Pictures of Home" is a song from the last American Zen album, LEVEL 8 = Memorial Day Album. This entire album was written on Memorial Day 2014 when Richard woke up with a bunch of soldiers wanting to tell their stories.
So Richard obliged them and wrote this entire album in a matter of hours. Then he let them commandeer his voice to sing the songs. They weren't the best singers but when Richard tried to rerecord the voices a few days later after recording the guitar, slide guitar and bass tracks... he couldn't. So those strangely ominous voices are still the final vocals on the songs.
"Pictures of Home" was written by a soldier in the Middle East who was each day manning a checkpoint where a women spit on him and cursed at him. With only 7 days to go before leaving the Middle East to return to the United States... it appears he didn't make it. Richard was given images of his wife and home and cat and garage...
The song is unfinished from that Memorial Day of 2014. Hopefully it will be completed before the next Memorial Day of 2022 with the other songs on that very emotional album.
The song “Pictures of Home” is from the LEVEL 8 = Memorial Day Album album by American Zen to be released Memorial Day 2022 by Shaolin Records.
https://www.shaolinrecords.com/RecordStore-R/americanZen8LEVELS-R.html
American Zen Official website:
https://www.AmericanZen.org
American Zen FACEBOOK page:
https://www.Facebook.com/americanzenband
Produced by Richard Del Connor for Shaolin Records.
https://www.ShaolinRecords.com
Copyright 1984-2021 Shaolin Communications
https://www.ShaolinCommunications.comhttps://www.ShaolinCOM.com
Music used by permission of Shaolin Records and licensed by Shaolin Music. ASCAP
https://www.ShaolinMusic.com
I begin reading my book PHILOSOPHER POET IN A FIELD OF DREAMS that I wrote and published in 2019 while I was homeless. I explain how and when I wrote some of the poems while being hospitalized for five months at Martin Luther King Hospital in South Central Los Angeles. Other poems were written while spending a year at the North Hollywood Homeless Shelter before I bailed out and chose to be homeless again in my car with my cat, Bear.
This book will be inspirational as you follow my mental and spiritual journey and publish this book using the computers at the North Hollywood Library, which only allow 2-hours of use each day. The poetry book is handwritten on the right side pages and typeset on the left side pages.
I tell the story about handwriting the entire book on one rainy day in December when I thought it was Jim Morrison's birthday. Jim has always been an inspiration for me since I started performing his songs in 1967 as a rock and roll guitarist in San Diego, California. I was only 13 years old but a full-fledge hippie of which I reluctantly provide some details.
These poems led to my enlightenment of the "5 Souls of God" books I wrote after this.
I didn't mention this in the podcast, but all the poems I wrote about my neighbors in the NoHo Homeless Shelter will be published in a poetry book titled, COYOTE IN A GRAVEYARD NOHO. These are sometimes very amusing poems.
Copyright 2021 Shaolin Communications. All rights reserved.
The end song, "Peace Of Mind #2" is from the American Zen album: LEVEL 1 = Peace of Mind released by Shaolin Records.
https://www.shaolinrecords.com/RecordStore-R/americanZenLevel1-R.html
I've turned 67. I've been enjoying short hair for the past few years... but I was a hippie, one of the ORIGINAL HIPPIES from 1967 to 1970.
I think I'm going to grow my hair again.
This podcast includes the song, "Peace Of Mind #2" from the American Zen album: LEVEL 1 = Peace Of Mind.
The album is at iTunes... and Shaolin Records website: www.ShaolinRecords.com
Check out my new rock 'n' roll at COYOTE RADIO TV
www.CoyoteRadio.TV
Richard Del Connor reads from his book, Philosopher Poet in a Field of Dreams. The poem, Hope for the Devil, was written while he was utilizing Lyft drivers to take him back-and-forth to the doctor’s office while he was hospitalized in Compton. The poem is a discussion with his Lyft driver. This song, Great Salt Lake is performed solo by Richard. This is a song from the second album by American Zen: LEVEL 2 = Christ Killer. Richard explains how he hand wrote the entire poetry book, Philosopher Poet in a Field of Dreams, on Jim Morrison‘s birthday. He said that thinking of Jim Morrison and following his legacy and being inspired by Jim made the book a little better.
Richard includes an open letter to Oprah Winfrey before reciting his poem written to her about her newest book Path Made Clear. Richard’s poem is titled, “Oprah Made Clear.” Richard hopes he doesn’t alienate himself from her with some criticisms about the people in her book. Richard recites the poem “Field Of Dreams” from his book Philosopher Poet in a Field of Dreams. For his philosophy lesson today, Richard discusses an excerpt from the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Marcus refers to anyone who is angry or fearful as being a “runaway slave.” He basically says that an unhappy person is running away from something. No matter how much they complain they are still enslaved to what they run from. Richard promotes the website www.americanzen.org which has evolved since 1999 as the American Zen folk rock band recorded their albums this century. Richard then promoted the album, Live in Venice by The Rich. This album was recorded in 1979.
Richard reads from his book, the recently released paperback, Philosopher Poet in a Field of Dreams, published by Shaolin Communications and available at Amazon.com. Richard then performs solo on his flute. He wrote this song, “Starting Over Again,” for his upcoming Kung Fu Cowboy album Scorpion Resurrection on www.ShaolinRecords.com
Richard Del Connor launches his brand new podcast, Philosopher Poet in a Field of Dreams. Richard has been performing night clubs as the Philosopher Poet reciting his poetry and performing solo flute songs of his own composition. Richard will expand his audience beyond the local night clubs of Los Angeles to share his poetry and Jethro Tull style flute.