Peter Hasson is a musician disguised as an artist, or maybe it’s the other way around. However you look at it, his eclectic show, “Life is a Sacred Joke, Laugh Loudly” is a creative fusion of music, art and storytelling.

Drawing on his own life, Hasson weaves a multi-media tale of transformation. He begins in the muddy waters of ethnic and religious confusion, navigates the turbulent life of drug addiction and surfaces, embracing life con gusto.

Response to the multifarious show has been wildly positive he said.

“People get it: that life is bigger than being busy, busy, busy; holding grudges; being afraid,” he said, touching on some of the show’s themes.

He started writing songs “five decades ago,” and learned to  sing on the street. So when the idea came to him to share his story, music was the obvious medium. Hasson pairs his tunes, accompanied by his friend Paul Burback on guitar, with colorful images projected on a screen.

After decades of being drug-free, Hasson was teaching at a nature school in Maine. In a dream state, a black stallion came to him, followed by a raven who looked at him and said, “Life is a sacred joke, laugh loudly.”

It wasn’t until years later, after a life-threatening illness that the idea for the show evolved. Hasson pulls snippets of his life story, creating vignettes that are, in turns humorous, poignant, sad and joyous. After fine-tuning the presentation at a few house shows, he unveiled it last July at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy.