make a birthday card for Beth

photographer Rick Castro runs the celebrated Antebellum Gallery in Hollywood. he has several annual events. coming up in a month is the Elizabeth Short birthday party. here's his invitation:

HALLO ARTISTS & BLACK DAHLIA DEVOTEES.

HOW ARE YOU?

THIS YEAR FOR ANTEBELLUM'S ANNUAL~ BLACK DAHLIA BIRTHDAY SALON WE ARE REQUESTING  BIRTHDAY CARDS FOR ELIZABETH SHORT.

PLEASE BRING IN YOUR CREATED , FOUND OR PURCHASED BIRTHDAY CARD GREETING FOR ELIZABETH SHORT- AKA~ THE BLACK DAHLIA ON JULY 29TH~
5PM TILL 8PM.

TEA & BIRTHDAY CAKE WILL BE SERVED ALONG WITH POETRY READINGS AND LIVE PERFORMANCES.

$5 COVER

BRING IN A  BIRTHDAY CARD FOR THE BLACK DAHLIA AND GET IN FREE!

SINCERELY,

RICK CASTRO




you may recall when this tradition began I gave a reading from my chapbook Beth. this year I'll return for what wd've been her 90th birthday.  I'll read some poems. I hope you can come.  if you can't you can send yr birthday card to Rick at the gallery (1643 N. Las Palmas / Hollywood 90028).

pride parades

same pink shirt & Elyria cap:

Weho 2009

Santa Fe today

"Borrowd Poses"

in mid nov 1999 I wrote this:

these things come together in nov 99:

1) I purchase a webcam at Office Max across the arroyo
2) R. B. Sprague delivers 6 plastic bags full of old art magazines
3) I assist Sprague in his purchase of the same webcam at the same store
4) Sprague records a pair of short films with his new purchase & e-mails them to me
5) I rip & clip images from his magazines   deciding on a sunny sunday to borrow some poses for my 1st films

this was long ago.  I saved the 3 short films on small floppy disks which I still have. but I can't convert them to anything I can see. does anyone out there have the technology to do so?

Rusty Nail

just learnd that this popular Twin Lakes restaurant has closed.

the story of the place is long. when I moved to TL it was housed in a lovely old building (across the street from where artists Algesa & Joseph O'Sickey lived).  we went often & took visitors there when we wantd a special meal. in Liszt & Other Lists the opening piece is "Eat." its second second is a list of some of the people with whom I dined there.

I'm not sure of the details of its history but at some point Don Bentley who ownd the place built a larger -- & quite ugly -- building behind it & moved his operations there. the original structure became known at Pheasant's Roost. that structure burnd down in 2008.

so the Rusty Nail that just shutterd wasn't the same physical building that I remember. but its fate still brings back fond memories of great conversations many years ago.

a flowery summer

"Life at the Marmont"

happy to see this book is back in print.  it includes my stories of John Belushi & Robert DeNiro.

I stayd at Chateau Marmont for years & have many pleasant memories. here I am beside the famous pool:

& one of the best-known portraits of me was taken there by Stathis Orphanos:

downtown Kent (1982)

the quality of this short student film isn't very good.  but anyone who remembers what Kent lookd like then will enjoy the memories.

my favorite tree

when I was a lad my favorite tree was the willow at the edge of the front yard. it was on the lot line which separated us from the Nasipaks.  I'd climb that tree to write poems.  Dad had to cut it down when its roots reachd over to our brick house.

but now I'm lucky to have another special tree in my life. this is the larger of the 2 remaining apricots which were a housewarming gift from my architect Richard Martinez.  he grew them from pits.

I'm just in from watering. I find words weak to describe my joy in watching the sun splash thru the water I aim at the topmost branches of this beauty. it's a transcendent experience which gets me higher than booze ever did. it's a moment to feel at one with nature.

the notion of royalty

in the 21st century seems so antiquarian to me. but some countries hold on to the idea in some form. of course the Brits have turnd it into a major industry.

in Spain the old king recently abdicated. & yesterday his son Felipe became the new king. this dashing Olympian certainly looks the role. here is a picture I took of him on the plaza nearly 5 years ago: 

& with him was his lovely wife Letizia who is now the world's newest & probably most glamorous queen.

mi casa

student activism -- "Mad Men" style

Gerry Simon postd this stunning photo he took in 1966 on Facebook. it shows me with other students during the first known sit-in in the office of the president of Kent State University (then Robert White).

the student newspaper had publishd a lit mag calld Collage. Bill Bierman was editor & Tony Walsh literary editor. it included 2 of my poems (item C50 in my biblio) as well as photographs by Michael Chikiris. the wingnut head of the journalism department took issue with the anti-war sentiment of the publication & attemptd to block it.

altho the names of some of those in the picture have faded from my memory I do recognize Julie Thomas & Rich Heilman.

Al Gildzen (1918-2008)

new broadside

my thx to Christopher Byck for once more including me in his annual series.

this poem will appear in the Kent section of Ohio Triangle.

"Death Comes to Hollywood"

for Rick Castro

Lou Tellegen plungd scissors
into his heart
Clara Blandick slid a plastic bag
over her head

Florence Lawrence   ant paste
Pete Duel   gun
John Belushi   speedball

& the fliers
Irene from Knickerbocker Hotel
Peg Entwistle from Hollywood sign

wannabes & hasbeens
all took death
into their own hands
while other hands
gave death as a gift
to William Desmond Taylor & Elizabeth Short
Ramon Novarro & Sal Mineo

& in her quiet room
Carla Laemmle watchd it all go by
finally slipping into sleep at 104

Carla Laemmle (1909-2014)

death comes in threes & here is today's third.

I took this picture of Laemmle at the Hollywood Roosevelt in 2007.

Robert Peters (1924-2014)

probably my favorite memory of Robert is when I transformd by dining room on Morris rd into a stage for him to perform his Ludwig piece.

Jimmy Scott (1925-2014)

tonite

"Big Joy" plays the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Blvd.

I won't be there but hope some of my LA friends are.

here's a picture Bill E. Berger took of me in the famous theater's forecourt a few years ago:

art in the desert

after our 2-hour hike we drove back into town where it was 107.  we went to 2 shows. the gallery at the Bellagio was exhibiting "Painting Women."  all the work was on loan from Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.

the painting that captivatd me was this 1885 self portrait by Ellen Day Hale (1855-1940). 

I confess I didn't know this haunting work. it's the one piece I came back to for a final long look before we ventured back to the heat of the Strip.

our next stop was the new Polaroid Museum. their inaugural exhibition is "Capturing Celebrity."  it's a collection of Andy Warhol's polaroids -- most of which are well-known.

when I went to the opening of Warhol's landmark show at the Whitney in 1971 I didn't have a camera. so I don't have a photo with him. now I sorta do.

aging

it's so not fun.

I just returnd from a weekend in Las Vegas. temps there were between 105 & 108 every day. there was a time when that wdn't bother me. but this time I found walking from my resort to the Strip totally exhausting.

so what was the highlight of the quick tip? my buddy Gary & I did a 5 mile hike. why wd anyone do that in such heat. well the hike was on Mount Charleston.  so when we began it was a pleasant 79.

Fletcher Canyon Trail

happy 100 Shep

for years I've been fascinatd by the career of Shep Houghton. he's a name that crops up in credits but I cdn't pick him out of a line-up.

however he's an important part of Hollywood history & unless his death has gone unnoticed he's still with us.

part of my fascination with Houghton is that at one time he was listd as a member of the casts of both "Gone With the Wind" & "The Wizard of Oz." if that were true I believe he's the only male performer with such a distinction. however in recent years his name had been removed from the "Oz" credit. I have no idea what that is all abt.

if anyone out there has a picture of Houghton pls share.

"Big Joy" is

releasd on DVD today. which also means it's now available on Netflix.  

today's hike

Jemez Falls