THE CLOSER I AM TO DYING / THE CLOSER I AM TO LIVING

There are moments in life where you realize, that the universe is on your side. Meeting Alain Robert, the French Spiderman, was so improbable that it must have been woven by the goddess of fate. He had just been released from prison in Manila, and I somehow ended up having brunch next to his champagne soaked celebration. I had just left Bali where I had been living for months, and arrived in Manila. I was completely disoriented, as I had been living in a jungle paradise to arrive in a super charged metropolis with over 26 million people and a current of electricity and chaos that I had forgotten about in my months living only with large blue geckos. The first night I was in Manila, the family who was living outside my window in a homemade apt that seemed to be made using only sheets of metal, duct tape, and sheer determination decided to slaughter a very large and very vocal pig. I was awoken by sounds of screaming so startling I thought I was still in a nightmare. Have you ever heard a pig die? ITS FUCKING TERRIBLE. Don't eat them, they have many many feelings and are very very smart. Anyway the next day I was working at the bar of my hotel, drinking a glass of overpriced white wine when the most curious man walked through the door. This man, was wearing, the coolest outfit I have ever seen. It was almost completely snakeskin, his belt, cowboy boots, pants and vest ALL SNAKE in different colors, one of which was a metallic silver. He rocked up to the restaurant with a huge entourage and they started bringing him bottles of Moet and I thought to myself, yep, this guy and I are destined to be fast friends. So I somehow tricked him into letting me bring out my microphones and while we eat pasta dripping in cream and mushrooms and fresh French bread he let me interrogate him about who he was and why of all the bars in Makati, he had wandered into mine. Who he is, is possibly the most inspiring man I have met. A man whose story brought me to tears and refilled my trampled heart with a kind of hope I forgot existed. I love you Alain. Thank you for being you. Music: Spiderman theme song 1962 Laidback remix SoulClap - Bakerman www.zoenightingale.com CHECK OUT ALAIN www.alainrobert.com