thx

to Richard Lopez

Chestnut Burr

in the transition from Ohio to New Mexico I lost my university yearbooks. so I was delightd to find them now online. here is a page from the 1965 book:

the picture on the upper right is me writing a poem. it was taken by my then roommate Michael Chikiris.

lovely also to discover shots of Duane Hartzell & Craig Stephens & Salvatore LaRosa & Ann Gibson.

Spitz clock

the problem

with Martha Raye is that she was two distinct performers. the comedienne was too broad for my taste. however the singer cd be superb. no less a jazz great than Anita O'Day claimd Raye was the biggest influence on her style.

I just saw a silly 1937 picture calld "Waikiki Wedding." in Raye's one musical number we see her dilemma at work. the song begins seriously & we hear the skill of which she was capable. then Paramount makes her revert to schtick & she mugs her way thru.

here's a picture I took of MR in Beverly Hills in 1988.

years later

I took this picture of Ronnie Gilbert -- the lone female in the Weavers -- at Jean-Claude van Itallie's 50th birthday party. after the group broke up Ronnie had a second career as an actress. she appeard in Jean-Claude's "America Hurrah."

the best part of the hurricane

is the resurgence of interest in the Weavers' recording of "Goodnight Irene."



this was one of the earliest hit records I can remember from boyhood. & the main reason was that it was a favorite of my father. I still remember him singing it. so with this video all over the internet in the past 24 hours I keep hearing Dad & that's a lovely memory.

thx Bree

Drivvin is the latest anthology from Green Panda Press. includes work by poets who don't drive. my stuff shares space with poems by others including Tom Kryss & the late Scott Wannberg.

welcome back

earlier this year Daniel Okulitch was in a serious car accident which left him in a neck brace for 3 months. so it was wonderful to see & hear him in "The Last Savage" last nite.

have I

ever been to Mountain View?

lobby cards

my friend Lois Wilson featurd on several on this site

"my arroyo now a river"

last nite I was heading to dinner at Tune-Up Cafe when the storm hit Santa Fe hard. back in the neighborhood Phil Andrews took this of Arroyo Chamisa. once again -- for a short time -- we ownd riverfront property.

official announcement

my gratitude to Mark Young

Indian Market

been wanting a Pat Pruitt bracelet for some time. finally got one this morning. the black part is deerskin.

Leslie Brooks (1922-2011)

she began her modest career playing one of the Ziegfeld girls in "Ziegfeld Girl." but her claim to fame was the lead in "Blonde Ice." this film noir (available on You Tube) has attractd a cult following in recent years.

proof copy arr'd

stung

on the way to the gym I stoppd for traffic. I felt something on my leg & startd to swat it away when I felt an immediate & intense pain. I didn't see the insect so I don't know if it was a bee or wasp.

but going to the gym was good. my workout kept my mind off the pain & by the time I was walking home the worst seemd over.

sometimes

a movie lives in its own memory world. one such was Martin Ritt's "The Sound and the Fury" which I saw with my best friend Tom -- a Faulkner fan -- when we were 16.

TCM ran the film last nite. it's a mess. but still it was fun to see Stuart Whitman looking so hot. Margaret Leighton -- best rememberd for her stage work -- invests her clichd role with a haunting tenderness. & legendary Ethel Waters has one quick moment in which she transcends the art of acting & simply is her character with an entire life on display in one simple look.

preview of the new book

my next book

in the final stages:

forthcoming from Otoliths

at the ro-gay-o

rarely rains

but I did an outdoor concert (Derek Trucks) so of course we got wet.

in town

Sean Shepherd

for premiere of his "Quartet for Oboe & Strings"

a lovely piece

happy hundred Henry

it's no secret. I have great affection for character actors. one of the best was Henry Kulky (1911-1965).

probably my favorites of his many memorable performances were as Cuddles in "A Star is Born" & the iceman in "The Girl Can't Help It."

I've lost interest

in Wisconsin. if those people keep electing Republicans backd by the Koch brothers they deserve to get screwd.

wantd to celebrate

Lucy's centennial but didn't consider Jamestown because a major guest was Joan Rivers who I loathe. instead I went to Palm Springs & spent some time at her statue.

happy hundred Lucy

from the archives

this was the first of 3 times I saw the great Spanish dancer perform

so

attendance is looking dismal for the whacko gov of Texas' saturday prayer meeting. don't those people know it's Lucy's 100th birthday. even in Texas everyone's gonna party.

finishd

watching "Moby Dick." I'm upset with myself for being unable to identify why I dislike Hurt's Ahab. the performance was off for me. it's not as if my critical vocabulary were lacking but my ability to evaluate seems compromisd. this is not the Ahab I've met.

but Cox's Ishmael has a fullness     a richness. in his scenes with Hurt he appears more real.

not sure

what to make of William Hurt's Ahab so far but I am intrigued by Charlie Cox's Ishmael.