happy Halloween

this was taken 4 years ago in my room at Blue Moon in Las Vegas.  that's my Wanderbuch with the ms of a new poem underneath.  & the decoration was one of several my father got me at a garage sale years ago. I just took it out of storage & opend it beside my computer as I write this.

Lee Kearse

this is a high school yearbook picture of Lee & I:

I haven't seen my classmate in 15 years but he was in town today:

Marrahwanna Quarterly

here's the issue I'm in:

& this bibliography of the entire run.

Lou Reed (1942-2013)

while listening to those unforgetable songs from "Tranformers" & "Berlin" on the original vinyl I startd a search for the newspaper ad I have for the Plastic Exploding Inevitable at Cleveland's Masonic Hall nearly 47 years ago.

altho I can't find it an online search reminded me of the Velvet Underground interview d.a. levy publishd in 1967. unable to locate my copy but I think that's the issue with my poem "A Flower for Hui-Neng."

remembering John Kendrick

I knew him as co-owner of the legendary Inn Exile where I took this picture of him some 6 years ago making a pizza for me:

& here's a wonderful tribute I just found:

yes Virginia there is a Santa Fe River

does anything work?

Republicans shut down the government costing taxpayers millions.  do they apologize? no. instead they mount this silly ass committee attacking the Obamacare roll out.

then there is our judicial system.  some sorry judge just gave the pepper spray cop a small fortune. & the Kennedy cousin's conviction gets thrown out.

no wonder I like spending evenings alone watching William Haines movies while eating brownies.

I've had people tell me

"life is not a movie."

& I respond

"well maybe yrs isn't."

rarely

do I think abt baseball. but Tony Trigilio & I were just back&forthing abt baseball poems & I recalld what I believe is the only one I ever wrote.

I rememberd that it appeard in that 1971 issue of Io which became a collector's item because it was one of the earliest appearances of a young writer by the name of Stephen King.

I cdn't find a copy of that issue but then I suddenly rememberd that the poem appeard in my book The Origin of Oregano which also was publishd in 1971. Steve Saylor took my prose poems & made illstrations for them. it came out in a regular edition of 100 copies on silver paper with an additional 50 copies on white paper which Steve & I gave to friends.

looking back after all these years on this forgotten piece I see it's less abt baseball than abt poetry.  & it's much less abt Al Rosen (who I met once when I was a kid) & more abt Marianne Moore who I visitd when she lived next door to my friend Jean-Claude van Itallie.

"died"

(culld from 3 months of obits in Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier)

passed away
went to heaven
completed her journey into the light
entered into eternal rest
left this world to join her father in heaven
went home to be with the Lord
became Our Gift to God
entered the gates of heaven
lost her life to cancer
returned to the Lord
rejoined family and friends
finished his pilgrimage on this planet
surrendered his life
claimed the promise of resurrection
left us to begin his journey
fell asleep in the Lord
kicked off

poetry & underwear

the postman deliverd 2 boxes today. in one was my copies of Cleveland. in the other my newest selection of undies.

I'm delightd by both.  the only thing missing is chocolate.  so I took a brownie from the freezer.

Garden of Allah model

the first time I stayd at Chateau Marmont I made that dangerous cross of Sunset. I walkd into the bank that was built in the space once occupied by Nazimova's apartment complex. the reason was I knew there was a scale model of the buildings on display.  from time to time I poppd in to see it on following visits.  & then is disappeard.

this article reveals what happend to the model. & it adds yet another layer for me.  the current owner is David Meyer who I met many years ago thru our mutual friend Jay Parsell. I even got my hair styled by David once.

Sandia mountains hike

Gregory Ghent took this of me:

& I took this of him:

Ed Lauter (1938-2013)

saw him in "The Great White Hope" on Broadway in 1969

&

from Alex in Movieland :

passes Natalie Wood & Robert Wagner on red carpet to attend premiere of "Atlantic City" at Grauman's Chinese Theater with audience that includes Ed Lauter & Richard Masur

"Birds"

a bit of dazzle

at Canyon Club

the dance of turbulence

I went to Palm Springs for a few days to relax before what may be some difficulties on the horizon. the flight in was so turbulent the attendant was beltd in the whole way. as I steppd from the plane it began to rain. that nite the streets flooded. & it was cold.

for some 15 years I stayd at Inn Exile when I came to Palm Springs. new owners have made it a place I no longer know. so this was my first time in new digs. change (climate & so many other kinds) seems to aggravate me as I age but I try to adapt. there is no other option.

my plans did not include seeing friends but I ended up happening on a few familiar faces. & I learnd that someone I knew killd himself. I tried to deal with cold & loss. I tried to stretch the definition of relaxation.

on my first flight  this morning there was a man who had one arm shorter than the other. if I wrote fiction I'd work that. but I don't. & sometimes it's cold in Palm Springs. & sometimes people you know kill themselves.  & sometimes "turbulence" rimes with "dance."

Verdi (1813-1901)

happy 200 Giuseppi

old hotels

one thing I love abt antique films is location shots.

in the past few days I've been catching up on a batch of DVDs of forgotten films of the 30s. last nite I saw a quick shot of the late Astor Hotel on one coast.  tonite it was the Knickerbocker on the other coast.

sometimes a film which can be deemd minor at best yields little historic treasures.  so I keep going to those companies who sell DVDs of movies I don't know. & nite after nite I see moments of the past that thrill me.

Blogger sucks

this is day 2 of my attempting to add Cleveland to my list of book links here.  every time I try nothing happens when I click on "save."

Point B

John Burroughs publishd Elyria when he lived in Elyria. so when he moved to Cleveland it seemd natural for him to publish Cleveland:

you can order the book here.

do what you do well

just found this delicious commentary from actor Leslie Jordan:

"I just got back from New Orleans. I am in Episode 4 and 5 of American Horror Story. I spent 14 hours on the set with only myself, Jessica Lange, Francis Conroy and Robin Bartlett the last day of my shooting. Honey, get ready. There was Emmy award-winning acting coming at me from all sides. But I held my own. Yes Ma’am, this old sitcom queen dug in and gave it my all. It reminded me of a movie that I had a small part in a few years ago with Miss Helen Mirren. It was called Love Ranch and was directed by her brilliant husband, Taylor Hackford. The movie was about the first legal brothel in the state of Nevada and my part was the traveling ‘butt plug salesman.’ I ain’t kidding. That is the way I was listed in the script. 
Mr. Hackford insisted that I sell those butt plugs as if they were the finest china. He came over once hemming and hawing. What he wanted was for me to ‘butch it up a bit.’ The butt plug salesman was too nelley!!! Miss Helen jumped immediately to my defense. ‘Oh for God’s sake, Taylor, let him do what he does so well!’ Best compliment I’ve ever had. And she played The Queen!!!”

Jay Robinson (1930-2013)

as a kid I was fond of his performance in "The Robe."  later he had trouble with drugs. altho married twice he was the subject of gay rumors. & then there was all that "born again" press which he apparently disavowd.  a complicated man.  never became the star he shd have.

Ruth Maleczech as "Bag Lady"

photos by Regina Yando