As one of the first wave of non-careerist creative achievers I have made few footprints on the jello of contemporary societal awareness. Instead I have compiled a George Plimpton or Zelig-like CV, with recognizable achievements in multiple fields which accrue no value transfer to other fields. Under the radar and quite wide. This is a brief outline by decade.

  60s  

1964-70: Teen years; musical father and extended family: excelled at music, guitar lessons from Mitch Greenhill, Elvin Bishop. Made steady money in 'copy' band called "The Legynd" (pre-feminist word accident), not in blues band. At 16 was the only white person in a nightclub in Roxbury for the sensational Bobby Bland Revue.

1970-77: Twenties; Blues guitar abruptly stops second year at Pomona and conceptual art beckons, he hears a spinetingling recitation of Hopi prophecy by Thomas Banyacya. Helene Winer hooks him up with Barbara Reise in London, who introduces him to David Askevold and Baldessari, who connect him to Dan Graham in New York, Welling, Mullican at CalArts and Martha Wilson et al at NSCAD. after graduating returns to Cambridge, launches alternative alternative space on no budget, shows many of the best artists of the day and future all unknown then, consults on MIT show, secretly saves Massart while on the College Council 73-75. moves to NYC to be assistant director to Helene Winer at Artists Space, 75-77. Last 'real' professional-type job. In his art he was one of those who charted a course beyond conceptualism, returning visuality aka beauty to art without jettisoning the 'smart.' The origins of this putative movement were ambitiously revisited in THE PICTURES GENERATION 1974-1984, at the Metropolitan Museum.

McMahon's original ambition in life was to be a musician, and his eventual choice of a career in art was triggered by a twist of fate, attributable to the political ferment of the era...during his second year at Pomona, his musical ambitions were quashed when the jazz historian Stanley Crouch informed him that white people did not have the life experience of being black and therefore could not authentically play the blues. McMahon -who had always worshipped black culture and secretly considered himself black- put away his guitar for the next seven years. At that point McMahon's art professor, the sculptor Mowry Baden, suggested that he major in art.

from THE PICTURES GENERATION 1974-1984 by Douglas Eklund, Asst. Curator of Photographs, Metropolitan Museum. Yale Press 2009

Whether we constituted an artistic alliance, I'm not really sure. But the galvanizing member of this unusual club was someone who hadn't gone to CalArts, and that was Paul McMahon...I keep coming back to the same point: Pictures was all really ephemeral, it was never meant to last and didn't last, not really. The key intelligence here was always Paul McMahon, and the keynote of Paul McMahon, as an art critic, was humor. He was essentially a postmodern comedian.

-DAVID SALLE, excerpted from 5000 ARTISTS RETURN TO ARTISTS SPACE:25 YEARS, 1998

27 (1977): BIG CHANGES LATER KNOWN AS SATURN RETURN Job ends. Marriage ends. Apartment/studio ends. Performance art begins, including joke and songwriting and first 45, ARE YOU FEARLESS/MAYBE YOU DIDN'T NOTICE both under a minute long. Conflict between music and art 'selves,' Punk Rock shakes everything loose -joined Daily Life with Glenn Branca, Barbara Ess. Mysticism intensifies. Gallivanting around the countryside picking up unemployment checks far and wide. Relationship with Nancy Chunn spawns multiple parties and a sense of a community central gathering ethic, expressed in Battle of the Bands parties, the Party Club at the Franklin Furnace and annual Thanksgiving and January first (College Football Watching) parties, among others. Formation of A Band, Lowly Worm 45, Nancy Records, first in 1979 best of year independent 45s show by Alison WPIX-FM NY. Also unreleased recording by Mark Bingham & Co.

1980s: Thirties; TOTAL ECLECTIC AMBITION EXPLOSION! BURGEONING SONGWRITING AND RECORDING, PERFORMANCE ART, VIDEO, JOKE-WRITING, CRITICISM, VISUAL ART and more.

Second Party Club at Franklin Furnace, US-Canada tour of SONG PAINTINGS and the ROCK'N'ROLL PSYCHIATRIST, changed to ROCK'N'ROLL THERAPIST by NBC lawyers re: regular appearances on KTV, kids show on CNBC 1988-89. Mike's Talent Show, with Mike Smith, Cinemax, 1989. MILD STYLE comic short video playsoften on WNET TV NY, 1985. POTATO JOKES (Pocketbooks 1984), PAGE-A-DAY joke calendars for Workman 1985-6, Muppet Magazine, Art in America and Reallife publications, Wild History, helped found the Knitting Factory, dueled one-liners with Soupy Sales on National TV, 1985 (I'm the Potato), photographed by Robert Mapplethorpe for sleeve of HOW I LOVE YOUR PAINTINGS 45, produced by Barbara Jakobson 1982, released eponymous LP on Neutral thanks to Eric Fischl and Mark Valenza, 1986, which won Print Annual Regional Design Award. White Columns show of visual art reviewed by Carlo McCormick in Artforum.

Nine years in the mailroom at Jim Henson Company (then called HA!). THE SONG OF THE STATUES 1988, multi-media semi-operatic art performance reviewed by Jon Pareles in NYT. soundtrack album with cabaret band on Akashic Cassettes. Mystical experiences and Gnosis following father's death, 1988, later called Uranus Opposition. Move to Brooklyn 1988, first time living alone. Work becomes animistic, visionary. Darshan and meditation training from Sri Hariharananda-giri, 1988-9. NEA award, New Genres 1989. ADULT CHILD, Akashic Cassette, 1989, with extremely eclectic band. Interviewed Wayne Newton for INTERVIEW.

1990s: Forties: Spiritual Quest begins in earnest January 1st, 1990, with near-death experience followed by the Goddess touching me in sweat lodge that eve. Dedicated myself to the Goddess. She spoke in my head in late 1993 and said I was King of the Universe. Studied with shamans, rainmakers, yogis and spiritual people of other traditions, ordained Interfaith minister at the Center for the Living Earth, 1996. Learned of the efficacy of prayer. Taught at SFAI spring 1991. Visited Hopi reservation twice. Cultivated vegetable garden, learned a little auto mechanics. MR. PAUL MCMAHON 1990, WALKING IN THE DAYS OF THE PROPHECIES 1993, Akashic Cassette albums. Formed band THE RAIN, 1991. DOGS ON PATROL, Woodstock cable access show in collaboration with Magnolia Santibanez, 199

Three simultaneous art shows in Soho reviewed by Roberta Smith in NYT, 1993. MYLAR MAN, project shot by MTV 1994. Winner 1992 Singer-songwriter Contest, Towne Crier, Pawling, NY. Played at 25th anniversary Woodstock concert, Saugerties, NY. Filmed for Japanese TV.

Initiated into Sufism 1996, adopted Lakota 1999, follower of Bhagavan Das since 1993.

TECHNICALLY WE DON'T EXIST. ONLY YOU ARE HERE.

HAUNTED BY CLARITY, PAUL MCMAHON CARRIES THE CIRCLE AND HIS VOICE CARRIES THE SEED SOUND
-Joseph 'Beautiful Painted Arrow' Rael

Artist in Residence Wittenberg Center 1990-93. Moved into the hamlet of Woodstock 1993.

  00s