The Raging Sea

A new song demo I composed this summer.
It's about contradictions and duality, and looking deeply into the essence of all things...
It's also about anything you want it to be.

The Raging Sea
Music and Lyrics Copyright 2010 by Larry Knox



Coming into focus
a struggle to be free
the beauty and the anger
that is the raging sea

Walking on the water
a vision comes to me
She's dressed in silk and linen
I fall down to my knees

She hands to me a pearl
She says it holds the key
To the beauty and the anger
That lives inside of me

"Ah, you have to look deep
my son
past the swirling madness
of a milion suns"

"Ah, you have to look deep
my child
for the grain of kindness
that's in everyone..."

She leaves upon a lotus
swallowed by debris
from a thousand ships all lost
to the raging sea

The Pirates of Prestwick~Part II

More co-workers portrayed as pirates for Prestwick House, Inc.'s upcoming, in-house class photo of 2010. Note that clicking on the photo will open a larger version of the image.

Kathy K., Customer Service Representative– portrayed as the venomous
Katherine the Serpent.

Doug G.–Writer requested a flamin' skull and I was happy to oblige.
The croc is a reference to another famous pirate and his relentless nemesis.

Paul M., Senior Editor–Paul's request was perhaps the strangest. He learned to tie a hangman's noose in grade school and wanted to fashion one out of the rope we provided for the Treasure Island book cover photo shoot–insisting he wanted to be portrayed as a pirate who at long last meets his doom!
I injected a little humor into the morbid scenario by depicting his soul at peace and content when finally released from his mortal coil...
The Albatross, known as the harbinger of death among many superstitious mariner does a low flyby to seal his fate.

The Pirates of Prestwick House!

Samantha C, Warehouse Manager. Insistent on not being portrayed as a helpless wench. Arming her to the teeth–literally–and giving her a minor flesh wound makes her pretty bad ass in my book...

Prestwick House publishers started a fun tradition of few years ago when after an impromptu gathering it was decided to take a quick group photo to mark the occasion. Not content with having everyone standing in a warehouse surrounding by boxes of books, I opted to Photoshop in a background (the iconic Sgt. Pepper's album cover with all of us taking the place of the crowd behind the Fab Four). Strictly for in-house use–it quickly became a fun activity for all involved to look forward to every year. The entire staff has been portrayed as senior citizens (from the 1930's), a 1950's 5th grade class, and included in a ficticious WWII recruitment poster.

The challenge has been to find a group theme to base the photo on. This year, on a suggestion from CEO, Jason Scott, it was decided, after setting up an in-house tropical island set to shoot the Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island book cover, to portray everyone as pirates!

Gathering as many props as possible we photographed 30 employees over the course of a few weeks in all sorts of poses from the serious– to the macabre–even the hilarious –whatever they wanted (within reason), was at least attempted, including our Senior Editor wanting to be "hanged" as pirate who's past had finally caught up to him–and yes, we pulled it off!) Everyone bought into the spirit of the shoot and we had a great time coming up with the different scenarios and photographing them. Of course we knew a lot of the magic was going to take place in our imaginations and eventually realized in Photoshop.

Again, these are for in-house use, only with no absolute deadline (in-between revenue producing projects). In the last 2 months we've begun to enhance each of the portraits with no rules, except one– to have fun! The portal was created by fellow in-house designer, Jen Mendoza.

Once all the portraits have been completed the plan is to assemble them over a nautical background with headline text proclaiming the arrival of "The Pirates of Prestwick!"

I'll be posting more as I finish them along with the final image–hopefully sometime in the fall of 2010.

Dan R, Staff Writer, was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist for the U.S. Air Force before joining the equally dangerous field of writing for the high school English Grammar and Literature markets.

Chrissy M, Customer Service Manager, runs a tight ship but I've never, ever seen her look this bad ass (she is always upbeat and positive–quick with a laugh) so I thought the Golden Mask was fitting...(oh god, not another pun!)


Jason S., It was Jason's idea for the Pirate theme for this year's "Class Picture"
He loves french cuisine and Froot Loops...

Mandee W, Warehouse Specialist, looking waaay too comfortable holding onto her pirate arsenal...and two Sugar Gliders thrown in for good measure.