28 October 2005
27 October 2005
an old tree
W. S. Merwin spent the winter of 1969 in Santa Fe. he lived & wrote in a John Gaw Meem house within walking distance of where I now live & write.
so last nite he began his reading with a poem from that winter. & he read chronologically thru to his most recent work (including "Blueberries After Dark"). nearing 80 this poet/translator/ecologist is a dapper steady man rootd in literary history. he has an abundance of white hair stands straight reads without artifice.
some of his recent poems I'd read in The New Yorker. they seemd slick. but his reading of them forces me to reread.
so last nite he began his reading with a poem from that winter. & he read chronologically thru to his most recent work (including "Blueberries After Dark"). nearing 80 this poet/translator/ecologist is a dapper steady man rootd in literary history. he has an abundance of white hair stands straight reads without artifice.
some of his recent poems I'd read in The New Yorker. they seemd slick. but his reading of them forces me to reread.
26 October 2005
this vigil
waiting for Rove to be indictd has become as long & frustrating as waiting for Shrub to act on Katrina.
it's overdue for this house of cards to collapse. we've been conditiond to believe that hubris must be punishd. this administration isn't strong in much but in the hubris department it's spilling over. if Rove somehow escapes indictment & Cheney evades punishment now surely they must reckon the ledger eventually.
it's overdue for this house of cards to collapse. we've been conditiond to believe that hubris must be punishd. this administration isn't strong in much but in the hubris department it's spilling over. if Rove somehow escapes indictment & Cheney evades punishment now surely they must reckon the ledger eventually.
25 October 2005
2 jars
.
jar # 1
paper label:
peach spread
Hotel Limpia
Fort Davis TX
contents:
geodesic dome souvenir pin Expo 67 Montreal
1967
prop bullet from “92 in the Shade” from Linda Lyke
1974
turkey wishbone given to Dimitri by my mother after dinner on his first visit to Elyria
1987
Hotel Grande Bretagne soap Athens
1992
pack of Juicy Fruit purchasd at Wrigley’s El Rancho Escondido on Catalina Island
2001
jar # 2
paper label:
Pumpkin Butter
Kudzu Bakery
Georgetown SC
contents:
Eugene McCarthy presidential campaign button
1968
Tom & Mary’s Bar key ring Columbus
1975
Tony Awards souvenir program light
1983
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame I.D. bracelet Cleveland
1997
chocolate Easter egg with word “talus” on an attachd tag from my first Santa Fe reading
2001
,
24 October 2005
celebrating Monette
earlier this month Paul Monette wd've turnd 60.
to honor him UCLA -- where his papers are -- mountd a major exhibition "One Person's Truth: The Life & Work of Paul Monette" & did a weekend conference. curator Dan Luckenbill has done a superb job of posting a sort of online catalog of the exhibition.
I only wrote Monette once. it's an honor to have my letter
quotd in the text.
to honor him UCLA -- where his papers are -- mountd a major exhibition "One Person's Truth: The Life & Work of Paul Monette" & did a weekend conference. curator Dan Luckenbill has done a superb job of posting a sort of online catalog of the exhibition.
I only wrote Monette once. it's an honor to have my letter
quotd in the text.
23 October 2005
isn't it romantic?
it's been eons since I've read Byron. my library includes a batterd copy of the 1825 Philadelphia printing of selectd correspondence. one letter begins with a line Frank O'Hara cd've written: "Lisboa is the Portguese word, consequently the very best."
today it seems his life is better known than his writing. it certainly has fascinatd me over the decades. altho my few stage appearances are long behind me I've always wantd to play the Byron that Tenneesee Williams brought to "Camino Real."
last nite I took a gander at BBC's "Byron." that it seemd a bit tedious may have been not the fault of the filmmakers but of a wretchd channel calld BBC America. not only do they constantly interrupt the production but they run the same commercials over & over. not only will I never buy their products I shan't be watching BBC America again.
the program -- already 2 years old -- features Jonny Lee Miller as the bard. I'd rememberd him as a cute blond so it was a shock to see him with long brown hair. at first he wasn't Byron to me but as the program developd I found him acceptable. of course much must be droppd for purproses of storytelling. but I wonder why the program begins with an acknowledgment of the poet's bisexuality which then goes nowhere. the first we see of him he's recumbent with a handsome lad who he kisses. but then the complete focus shifts to Byron's affair with his sister.
again I must say that it's difficult to judge this program because of the disgraceful way it was presentd. but it probably will have me returning to the page today to survey some of what Byron wrote & that's a good thing.
today it seems his life is better known than his writing. it certainly has fascinatd me over the decades. altho my few stage appearances are long behind me I've always wantd to play the Byron that Tenneesee Williams brought to "Camino Real."
last nite I took a gander at BBC's "Byron." that it seemd a bit tedious may have been not the fault of the filmmakers but of a wretchd channel calld BBC America. not only do they constantly interrupt the production but they run the same commercials over & over. not only will I never buy their products I shan't be watching BBC America again.
the program -- already 2 years old -- features Jonny Lee Miller as the bard. I'd rememberd him as a cute blond so it was a shock to see him with long brown hair. at first he wasn't Byron to me but as the program developd I found him acceptable. of course much must be droppd for purproses of storytelling. but I wonder why the program begins with an acknowledgment of the poet's bisexuality which then goes nowhere. the first we see of him he's recumbent with a handsome lad who he kisses. but then the complete focus shifts to Byron's affair with his sister.
again I must say that it's difficult to judge this program because of the disgraceful way it was presentd. but it probably will have me returning to the page today to survey some of what Byron wrote & that's a good thing.
22 October 2005
an evening out
I like dance but haven't kept up. so I was happy to go to town last nite for a dance concert. altho there were a few spiritd moments on stage soaring wasn't on the program.
for me the best part of the evening was running into Nathaniel Tarn & Janet Rodney in the lobby before the performance. I hadn't seen them in a year & a half. we chattd abt libraries & writing & travel. Nathaniel mentiond that he's been keeping diaries since he was a boy. his earliest entries are a list of blitzes in London.
for me the best part of the evening was running into Nathaniel Tarn & Janet Rodney in the lobby before the performance. I hadn't seen them in a year & a half. we chattd abt libraries & writing & travel. Nathaniel mentiond that he's been keeping diaries since he was a boy. his earliest entries are a list of blitzes in London.
21 October 2005
thx Mark
the best way to start a day is to discover someone's written a poem for you. so my day has begun with hoots & hollers because Mark Young sent me a gift.
it's been eons since I've seen "We're No Angels" but I appreciate his mention of its stars. Bogart is Bogart. not much one can add to discussion of this icon. as for Sir Peter I first remember him menacing me in "Quo Vadis." & of course he cast Terence Stamp as "Billy Budd" -- for which he deserves eternal thx.
then there's Aldo Ray. I think I've mentiond this famous '50s shot of him which Daniel Blum publishd:
/
I can't tell you how many gay men of my generation remember it fondly. sort of like an earlier generation's adoration of Betty Grable's over-the-shoulder pose.
Ray was a gruff hunk with a heart of gold who cd handle comedy as deftly as drama. his career fell apart & by the end he was working in cheapies thrown together in a week.
I saw him once walking down Hollywood Blvd. his beefcake days behind him he still had appeal. that was a couple of decades ago before the revitalization of the street. I felt like I was in a film noir. I wantd to follow him into a bar listen to him order generic booze dare to tell him that picture was imprintd on my soul. but I let him walk on to whatever business was on his mind. I knew he'd always be there. I cd open Blum's book or flip on a classic movie channel.
it's been eons since I've seen "We're No Angels" but I appreciate his mention of its stars. Bogart is Bogart. not much one can add to discussion of this icon. as for Sir Peter I first remember him menacing me in "Quo Vadis." & of course he cast Terence Stamp as "Billy Budd" -- for which he deserves eternal thx.
then there's Aldo Ray. I think I've mentiond this famous '50s shot of him which Daniel Blum publishd:
/
I can't tell you how many gay men of my generation remember it fondly. sort of like an earlier generation's adoration of Betty Grable's over-the-shoulder pose.
Ray was a gruff hunk with a heart of gold who cd handle comedy as deftly as drama. his career fell apart & by the end he was working in cheapies thrown together in a week.
I saw him once walking down Hollywood Blvd. his beefcake days behind him he still had appeal. that was a couple of decades ago before the revitalization of the street. I felt like I was in a film noir. I wantd to follow him into a bar listen to him order generic booze dare to tell him that picture was imprintd on my soul. but I let him walk on to whatever business was on his mind. I knew he'd always be there. I cd open Blum's book or flip on a classic movie channel.
20 October 2005
a bit of majesty
over the bridge across the arroyo. along the bike path. look up. a hawl perchd on a fence. we stare at each other. feels like my heart stops. hawk blinks & jets off. such beauty I can't move.
19 October 2005
"I still exist"
movie begins with Ray Anthony playing trumpet on the soundtrack. then we see a boat. we hear Grant Williams' voice & finally there he is -- all blond & tan & in a swimsuit. soon the camera focuses on his crotch. & then the mist arrives covering his chest with glitter.
strong black & white images for me sitting beside best friend T.R. Queen a month before my 14th birthday to see Jack Arnold's "The Incredible Shrinking Man."
it's the story of a man who is "different." so he becomes "alone." & of course he begins to write a book. it's also a journey tale & a survival story. & as cinema it offers some powerful moments esp when the tiny Williams lights a giant match.
some of that film has remaind with me all these years. & when I saw it again last nite I was particularly taken with Williams. this is one of the grand performances of the genre. a heroic performance which deserves its cult acclaim.
it was the 7th of 17 films in the 16-year movie career of Grant Williams. his only other memorable role was a brief one of the stud in Douglas Sirk's "Written on the Wind." but that was a small part. however I'd like to see one of his other starring roles in a picture calld "The Couch."
the "lifelong bachelor" was an acting teacher in West Hollywood when he died at 53 or 54 (his publishd birth date varies) 20 years ago. it wasn't a major career but his shining moment as the Odysseus of Universal-International earns him movie immortality.
strong black & white images for me sitting beside best friend T.R. Queen a month before my 14th birthday to see Jack Arnold's "The Incredible Shrinking Man."
it's the story of a man who is "different." so he becomes "alone." & of course he begins to write a book. it's also a journey tale & a survival story. & as cinema it offers some powerful moments esp when the tiny Williams lights a giant match.
some of that film has remaind with me all these years. & when I saw it again last nite I was particularly taken with Williams. this is one of the grand performances of the genre. a heroic performance which deserves its cult acclaim.
it was the 7th of 17 films in the 16-year movie career of Grant Williams. his only other memorable role was a brief one of the stud in Douglas Sirk's "Written on the Wind." but that was a small part. however I'd like to see one of his other starring roles in a picture calld "The Couch."
the "lifelong bachelor" was an acting teacher in West Hollywood when he died at 53 or 54 (his publishd birth date varies) 20 years ago. it wasn't a major career but his shining moment as the Odysseus of Universal-International earns him movie immortality.
18 October 2005
drinks from the well
the traditional way to read Alex in Movieland is chronologically. but in the kama sutra of my imagination I see it having an index so that everyone cd make his/her own poems out of it.
for example were you to look up a certain bookseller you'd find this poem:
JIM LOWELL: selections from Alex in Movieland
1963
apr
purchases his first Jargon Books imprint from Jim Lowell at Asphodel Book Shop in The Arcade in Cleveland
1967
feb
joins R. L. Carothers & Jacob Leed to drive to Western Reserve University to read at a Levy-Lowell Defense Fund benefit with Russell Atkins Grace Butcher Kent Taylor & Robert Wallace
may
hears Allen Ginsberg & the Fugs at a Levy-Lowell Defense Fund benefit at Case Institute of Technology
1969
nov
attends a campus reading by Gary Snyder with an audience that includes Jim Lowell & Kent Taylor
1970
dec
lunches at Stag Bar with Dean Keller & Jim Lowell
1971
jul
gossips with Bill Berger at the annual 4th party at Twin Lakes with guests including Pat & Dean Keller Tessa & Jim Lowell Julia Waida
nov
edits the d.a. levy issue of The Serif with Jim Lowell’s checklist & contributions by Gary Snyder & Charles Bukowski
1974
jan
dines at Pat & Dean Keller's with Eric Mottram & Tessa & Jim Lowell
1976
apr
visits Jim Lowell & r.j.s. with Paul Metcalf & David Meredith
1989
jan
receives a call from Jim Lowell who tells him the facts of B. P. Nichols’ death
1990
feb
visits Jim Lowell's Asphodel Book Shop with Bradley Westbrook
1991
sep
attends Barbara & Bradley Westbrook’s dinner party for John Taggart with Maggie Anderson Tom Beckett Dean Keller & Jim Lowell
1993
jun
visits Jim Lowell in Burton
2004
jun
returns home to e-mails from Matthew Wascovich & Tom Beckett informing him of the death of Jim Lowell
for example were you to look up a certain bookseller you'd find this poem:
JIM LOWELL: selections from Alex in Movieland
1963
apr
purchases his first Jargon Books imprint from Jim Lowell at Asphodel Book Shop in The Arcade in Cleveland
1967
feb
joins R. L. Carothers & Jacob Leed to drive to Western Reserve University to read at a Levy-Lowell Defense Fund benefit with Russell Atkins Grace Butcher Kent Taylor & Robert Wallace
may
hears Allen Ginsberg & the Fugs at a Levy-Lowell Defense Fund benefit at Case Institute of Technology
1969
nov
attends a campus reading by Gary Snyder with an audience that includes Jim Lowell & Kent Taylor
1970
dec
lunches at Stag Bar with Dean Keller & Jim Lowell
1971
jul
gossips with Bill Berger at the annual 4th party at Twin Lakes with guests including Pat & Dean Keller Tessa & Jim Lowell Julia Waida
nov
edits the d.a. levy issue of The Serif with Jim Lowell’s checklist & contributions by Gary Snyder & Charles Bukowski
1974
jan
dines at Pat & Dean Keller's with Eric Mottram & Tessa & Jim Lowell
1976
apr
visits Jim Lowell & r.j.s. with Paul Metcalf & David Meredith
1989
jan
receives a call from Jim Lowell who tells him the facts of B. P. Nichols’ death
1990
feb
visits Jim Lowell's Asphodel Book Shop with Bradley Westbrook
1991
sep
attends Barbara & Bradley Westbrook’s dinner party for John Taggart with Maggie Anderson Tom Beckett Dean Keller & Jim Lowell
1993
jun
visits Jim Lowell in Burton
2004
jun
returns home to e-mails from Matthew Wascovich & Tom Beckett informing him of the death of Jim Lowell
17 October 2005
the big one
at dinner at Ray's the other nite. somewhere between Gerty's chili & apple dumpling a la mode. Tom Beckett presentd me with a parcel of questions abt Alex in Movieland. I've been working on it for more than 9 years now. & I guess I talk more than a little abt it being my master work a source of great joy a reward for lasting so long.
Tom's questions promptd me to write abt it here. there have been a few examples out there over the years. but it's the longest thing I've ever written & largely unknown. since I'll be working on it till my last gasp the whole thing won't see print till I'm dead. but I'm ready for selections to make their way into publication.
Alex is Movieland began as a list of every movie I'd ever seen. as much as I love lists & movies even I quickly became bored with that. I no longer remember when the work told me that it shd be my autobiography. but I startd adding "stuff" to it. yes it's a long list. but it's also a movie of my life. early on I entertaind the notion that each line was a frame & that enough frames fast enough wd produce the motion of my life.
I suspect its thrust comes more from conceptual art than from literature. but then I haven't been in a classroom for a long time. & as I remember that's a conversation for that venue.
whatever it is I work on it daily. here's a month I pluckd from it for Tom 'cause he wdn't order dessert the other nite:
1975
apr
introduces Gerald Mast who discusses the Marx Brothers prior to a campus screening of "Horsefeathers"
sees "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
flies to New York City
greets underwear-clad Peter Burnell in his dressing room at Morosco Theatre following a performance in which he plays the son of Rex Harrison & Julie Harris
introduces Burnell to Antony Ponzini during dinner at Charlie’s
sees John Wood & Clive Revill on Broadway
observes Walter Matthau film a scene for "The Sunshine Boys"
sees Maggie Smith & John Standing in a Noel Coward play
hears Barbara Cook at Reno Sweeney
chats with Carolyn Jones during intermission of a Broadway play featuring Geraldine Page & Sandy Dennis
observes Peter Shaffer walking down West 44th Street engagd in deep conversation with Peter Firth
introduces Gerald Mast to James Kirkwood Jr. at the playwright’s opening nite before an audience that includes Frederic Combs & Constance Ford
joins Mary Ann Begland to hear Michael Moriarty at Michael's Pub
sees Rita Moreno & Stephen Collins under direction of Robert Drivas
is cruisd by Andrew Crispo while viewing the dealer’s Richard Anuszkiewicz show
drinks at Brothers & Sisters with Begland
sees Diana Rigg & Nicholas Clay in a Moliere play
sees Harry Chapin in his own musical opposite Mercedes Ellington & Lynne Thigpen
sits beside Charles Gordone at the bar at Charlie’s
returns to Kent
sees Boston Tea Party (formerly The Proposition) on campus with an audience that includes David Prittie
dines on chicken at Stag Bar with James Bridges
sees Chip Norwood & David Prittie in a Kent Acting & Touring Company musical
lunches at Peter’s Waikiki with Wendy Ma & Julia Waida
celebrates his 32nd birthday by attending Ken Nevadomi's Akron opening with Al Elkins Linda Lyke & Michael McCafferty then attending Pete Omlar’s Cleveland opening with Robert Swick Lilian & Brinsley Tyrrell
lunches at Peking with his parents & aunts Mary Gerhart & Ann Nolan
sees "Two Mules for Sister Sarah"
hears Barney Childs in Jacob Leed's poetry class
receives a call from Nancy Holt abt the condition of “Partially Buried Woodshed”
prepares beef stew for Marjorie & Don Harvey Michael McCafferty John Sokol & Robert Swick after which he reads at the Kove before an audience that includes Richard Grossinger & Linda Lyke
hears Mort Krahling read “Dear Alex”
sees "Shampoo"
listens to Michael McCafferty mention him after reading “To List” on Tom Maze’s radio program
Tom's questions promptd me to write abt it here. there have been a few examples out there over the years. but it's the longest thing I've ever written & largely unknown. since I'll be working on it till my last gasp the whole thing won't see print till I'm dead. but I'm ready for selections to make their way into publication.
Alex is Movieland began as a list of every movie I'd ever seen. as much as I love lists & movies even I quickly became bored with that. I no longer remember when the work told me that it shd be my autobiography. but I startd adding "stuff" to it. yes it's a long list. but it's also a movie of my life. early on I entertaind the notion that each line was a frame & that enough frames fast enough wd produce the motion of my life.
I suspect its thrust comes more from conceptual art than from literature. but then I haven't been in a classroom for a long time. & as I remember that's a conversation for that venue.
whatever it is I work on it daily. here's a month I pluckd from it for Tom 'cause he wdn't order dessert the other nite:
1975
apr
introduces Gerald Mast who discusses the Marx Brothers prior to a campus screening of "Horsefeathers"
sees "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
flies to New York City
greets underwear-clad Peter Burnell in his dressing room at Morosco Theatre following a performance in which he plays the son of Rex Harrison & Julie Harris
introduces Burnell to Antony Ponzini during dinner at Charlie’s
sees John Wood & Clive Revill on Broadway
observes Walter Matthau film a scene for "The Sunshine Boys"
sees Maggie Smith & John Standing in a Noel Coward play
hears Barbara Cook at Reno Sweeney
chats with Carolyn Jones during intermission of a Broadway play featuring Geraldine Page & Sandy Dennis
observes Peter Shaffer walking down West 44th Street engagd in deep conversation with Peter Firth
introduces Gerald Mast to James Kirkwood Jr. at the playwright’s opening nite before an audience that includes Frederic Combs & Constance Ford
joins Mary Ann Begland to hear Michael Moriarty at Michael's Pub
sees Rita Moreno & Stephen Collins under direction of Robert Drivas
is cruisd by Andrew Crispo while viewing the dealer’s Richard Anuszkiewicz show
drinks at Brothers & Sisters with Begland
sees Diana Rigg & Nicholas Clay in a Moliere play
sees Harry Chapin in his own musical opposite Mercedes Ellington & Lynne Thigpen
sits beside Charles Gordone at the bar at Charlie’s
returns to Kent
sees Boston Tea Party (formerly The Proposition) on campus with an audience that includes David Prittie
dines on chicken at Stag Bar with James Bridges
sees Chip Norwood & David Prittie in a Kent Acting & Touring Company musical
lunches at Peter’s Waikiki with Wendy Ma & Julia Waida
celebrates his 32nd birthday by attending Ken Nevadomi's Akron opening with Al Elkins Linda Lyke & Michael McCafferty then attending Pete Omlar’s Cleveland opening with Robert Swick Lilian & Brinsley Tyrrell
lunches at Peking with his parents & aunts Mary Gerhart & Ann Nolan
sees "Two Mules for Sister Sarah"
hears Barney Childs in Jacob Leed's poetry class
receives a call from Nancy Holt abt the condition of “Partially Buried Woodshed”
prepares beef stew for Marjorie & Don Harvey Michael McCafferty John Sokol & Robert Swick after which he reads at the Kove before an audience that includes Richard Grossinger & Linda Lyke
hears Mort Krahling read “Dear Alex”
sees "Shampoo"
listens to Michael McCafferty mention him after reading “To List” on Tom Maze’s radio program
16 October 2005
Tom Beckett
calls himself "a notorious curmudgeon." but I find him a hoot. we always laugh together. & the other nite was no exception.
& as I workd my way thru my mail tonite I discoverd that the issue of Mi Poesias which Tom editd went online while I was away.
my thx to Tom for putting me in such excellent company & to Didi Menendez for designing such a beautiful issue.
this post is short 'cause I need to go back & start reading.
& as I workd my way thru my mail tonite I discoverd that the issue of Mi Poesias which Tom editd went online while I was away.
my thx to Tom for putting me in such excellent company & to Didi Menendez for designing such a beautiful issue.
this post is short 'cause I need to go back & start reading.
just got home
spent a day in Kent reseaching at the library. didn't tell many folks I was in town so kept the socializing to a minimum. Tom Beckett bloggd abt our dinner together. & just before leaving I did have coffee with Maggie Anderson:
.
then my Kent host David Meredith drove me to Elyria for lunch with my parents. after he left I spent a couple of hectic days doing this & that.
here's a picture from my folks' backyard that I find at once forlorn & humorous:
,
.
then my Kent host David Meredith drove me to Elyria for lunch with my parents. after he left I spent a couple of hectic days doing this & that.
here's a picture from my folks' backyard that I find at once forlorn & humorous:
,
11 October 2005
prepare yr sunglasses
I'm taking the mysterious reappearance of my photo as a sign to continue. as Jim Cory told me it's important as a record.
however I'm heading to the airport. returning to Ohio for my final visit of the year with my folks.
so there'll be a break. let's hope that when I come back a new brilliance will be brought here a dazzle which will prompt commentary from far & wide.
however I'm heading to the airport. returning to Ohio for my final visit of the year with my folks.
so there'll be a break. let's hope that when I come back a new brilliance will be brought here a dazzle which will prompt commentary from far & wide.
10 October 2005
time to fold?
no comments for a week.
& this morning I find my new photo has been replacd by a red x.
& this morning I find my new photo has been replacd by a red x.
09 October 2005
30 years pass in a puff
spent the morning working on 1975 in Alex in Movieland. mostly a painful year. so not the most pleasant work. but it was good to revisit old friends.
& in the process so many names of people who seem to have disappeard: Ken Nevadomi Tom Oldendick Kate Downing Todd Rafferty Robert Swick.
& in the process so many names of people who seem to have disappeard: Ken Nevadomi Tom Oldendick Kate Downing Todd Rafferty Robert Swick.
08 October 2005
07 October 2005
delving the depths of waiting
cold wakes me. thermostat reveals furnace shd be on but isn't. barefoot in dark I stumble toward the mechanical closet. pilot off. I'm unable to light it. all my tries produce is a tower of burnt matches. must wait for light to call my electrical man. he doesn't know when he can come but he'll call.
I've done this before. there is an uneasiness abt waiting. the mind fails to concentrate. I do a bit of cleaning. I attack my coin jar. I read how beautiful the young Hawthorne was. I don't got to the gym. I don't turn on the computer because the electrical man mite call. I don't go to the store (so I eat eggs for lunch).
the day soon disappears & my stomach tightens. I've done nothing but wait. I hate to wait. I picture myself on my deathbed demanding this day back. the more I think abt it the greater my agitation. I hear my chest scream but the cat doesn't move so I know that the scream isn't real. dinner can't be far away. but can I eat with my stomach in wait mode? will the spinach in my salad slide down my throat? & if the salad doesn't satisfy will I be able to sleep as the house cools down again? will my mind be defining string theory as I attempt to force my eyelids to close?
then he appears. it's 5:30 & I haven't startd to slice the garlic for my salad. he gets the pilot to go on but it won't stay on. he thinks it's a thermocouple. he isn't sure if he'll come back tonite or tomorrow morning.
the wait continues. but I feel all right now. I see the possibility of a conclusion. I can go into the kitchen & prepare the salad.
I've done this before. there is an uneasiness abt waiting. the mind fails to concentrate. I do a bit of cleaning. I attack my coin jar. I read how beautiful the young Hawthorne was. I don't got to the gym. I don't turn on the computer because the electrical man mite call. I don't go to the store (so I eat eggs for lunch).
the day soon disappears & my stomach tightens. I've done nothing but wait. I hate to wait. I picture myself on my deathbed demanding this day back. the more I think abt it the greater my agitation. I hear my chest scream but the cat doesn't move so I know that the scream isn't real. dinner can't be far away. but can I eat with my stomach in wait mode? will the spinach in my salad slide down my throat? & if the salad doesn't satisfy will I be able to sleep as the house cools down again? will my mind be defining string theory as I attempt to force my eyelids to close?
then he appears. it's 5:30 & I haven't startd to slice the garlic for my salad. he gets the pilot to go on but it won't stay on. he thinks it's a thermocouple. he isn't sure if he'll come back tonite or tomorrow morning.
the wait continues. but I feel all right now. I see the possibility of a conclusion. I can go into the kitchen & prepare the salad.
06 October 2005
hearing Rushdie
I must confess. I haven't read Salman Rushdie. but he was appearing in town last nite. & I feel an obligation to support any artist who is the target of religious loonies.
because I haven't read Rushdie I wasn't prepard for the reservoirs of humor that inhabit the man. I was expecting gravitas. he read selections from Shalimar the Clown which he calls "a tragedy disguised as a comedy." so there were equal parts of light & dark.
he is a superb reader. & so comfortable that he interrupts himself to add background or a comic aside that seems to have just poppd into his head. I was enthralld to hear him quote lines from movies ("Roger Rabbit" & "The Wizard of Oz"). & to call his grandmother "a ballsy woman." & to mention the name of Tennessee Williams.
after such a satisfying introduction I must pick up one of his novels.
because I haven't read Rushdie I wasn't prepard for the reservoirs of humor that inhabit the man. I was expecting gravitas. he read selections from Shalimar the Clown which he calls "a tragedy disguised as a comedy." so there were equal parts of light & dark.
he is a superb reader. & so comfortable that he interrupts himself to add background or a comic aside that seems to have just poppd into his head. I was enthralld to hear him quote lines from movies ("Roger Rabbit" & "The Wizard of Oz"). & to call his grandmother "a ballsy woman." & to mention the name of Tennessee Williams.
after such a satisfying introduction I must pick up one of his novels.
05 October 2005
the undead
with the Dean anniversary behind us & the O'Hara ahead someone remind'd me that yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the death of Janis Joplin.
I correspond with poets who hadn't been born when she died. yet she seems as alive to me now as ever. same with Dean & O'Hara. of course it's because they were all great artists who left us their art. & that keeps them alive.
I correspond with poets who hadn't been born when she died. yet she seems as alive to me now as ever. same with Dean & O'Hara. of course it's because they were all great artists who left us their art. & that keeps them alive.
04 October 2005
drivers
last weekend's 50th anniversary of James Dean's death turnd Donald Turnupseed into a search engine fave. he drove his car into Dean's Porsche becoming a footnote in history.
in some ways Frank O'Hara was a literary parallel to James Dean. so these past few days I've been wondering what happend to Kenneth Ruzicka who ran his jeep into O'Hara.
Turnupseed & Ruzicka were both 23 when the accidents happend. Turnupseed was a successful businessman & grandfather when he died 40 years after that crash. next summer will be 40 years since O'Hara's death. Brad Gooch interviewd Ruzicka in 1989 but I don't know any particulars of his life in the in-between.
in some ways Frank O'Hara was a literary parallel to James Dean. so these past few days I've been wondering what happend to Kenneth Ruzicka who ran his jeep into O'Hara.
Turnupseed & Ruzicka were both 23 when the accidents happend. Turnupseed was a successful businessman & grandfather when he died 40 years after that crash. next summer will be 40 years since O'Hara's death. Brad Gooch interviewd Ruzicka in 1989 but I don't know any particulars of his life in the in-between.
03 October 2005
the dark days persist
the only thing I know abt Harriet Miers is that she thinks Shrub is "the most brilliant man I've ever met." that alone makes her suspicious.
02 October 2005
morning reverie
it's that in-between time. cool morning but the house isn't quite cold enough for the furnace to kick in. I'm in a turtleneck & shorts wondering if I shd expend the energy to put on long pants.
don't know where the sun is. it's usually brilliant by now. yesterday the sky was an alomost unreal blue. today it's patchy with clouds.
didn't brew coffee today 'cause I'm going out to brunch in a while. it wd've been the perfect java morning.
don't know where the sun is. it's usually brilliant by now. yesterday the sky was an alomost unreal blue. today it's patchy with clouds.
didn't brew coffee today 'cause I'm going out to brunch in a while. it wd've been the perfect java morning.
01 October 2005
30 September 2005
29 September 2005
progress?
one of the many miseries of getting old is that each time I visit a favorite city some landmark is gone. sometimes I know in advance but other times I head to a favorite place & finding it vanishd is a sit-on-the-curb-&-weep shock. like the time I was walking down Hollywood Blvd with the intention of savoring a hot fudge sundae at C.C. Brown's & it was no longer there.
this is on my mind because of recent news of some changes on the horizon. in Chicago the flagship Marshall Field store that has been on State St for 130 years will become another Macy's. the only good news here is that the building already has landmark status. so one presumes the Tiffany mosaic ceiling is safe.
however in NYC there are plans underfoot for half a block of West 45th to be wreckd to make way for a Disney hotel. among the spots on this block which will disappear are a pair of Broadway hangouts full of personal memories.
the last time I was in Manhattan (2 years ago) I had lunches at both restaurants. I met David McDaniel at Sam's. I first knew the place back in my drinking days. it was calld Charlie's then. I met James Robert Parish at the bar there 29 years ago. I shared meals there with friends now dead including Peter Burnell & Dennis Hrlic.
next door is Barrymore's. on that last visit I had cheeseburgers there with Ira Joel Haber. one Thxgiving I had turkey dinner there. I shared meals there with friends now dead including Gerald Mast & Richard Martin.
other theater haunts of my past -- Backstage & Jimmy Ray's -- are long gone. when the Disney folk dismantle the restaurants of West 45th the only spot left in that district with history will be Joe Allen. I hope I'm dead when Joe Allen closes.
this is on my mind because of recent news of some changes on the horizon. in Chicago the flagship Marshall Field store that has been on State St for 130 years will become another Macy's. the only good news here is that the building already has landmark status. so one presumes the Tiffany mosaic ceiling is safe.
however in NYC there are plans underfoot for half a block of West 45th to be wreckd to make way for a Disney hotel. among the spots on this block which will disappear are a pair of Broadway hangouts full of personal memories.
the last time I was in Manhattan (2 years ago) I had lunches at both restaurants. I met David McDaniel at Sam's. I first knew the place back in my drinking days. it was calld Charlie's then. I met James Robert Parish at the bar there 29 years ago. I shared meals there with friends now dead including Peter Burnell & Dennis Hrlic.
next door is Barrymore's. on that last visit I had cheeseburgers there with Ira Joel Haber. one Thxgiving I had turkey dinner there. I shared meals there with friends now dead including Gerald Mast & Richard Martin.
other theater haunts of my past -- Backstage & Jimmy Ray's -- are long gone. when the Disney folk dismantle the restaurants of West 45th the only spot left in that district with history will be Joe Allen. I hope I'm dead when Joe Allen closes.
28 September 2005
"you're doing a great job Brownie"
my initial reaction to Michael Brown's arrogant self-defense was disgust. but the more I saw the clips of his tumescent ego the more I realizd he is the perfect spokesman for this greedy & morally-bankrupt administration. like the president he came to office without qualifications & has performd ineptly. unfortunately under his watch people died who shd not have died. but he seems to share with his boss a pertinacious inability to view his performance with a critical eye.
Bush Cheney Rumsfeld Rice Chertoff Brown: has there ever been such a concentration of arrogance in government? each is a servant of the people. but listen to the condescension with which they treat us in speech & press conference. & as they pillage our trust they spread their gloat across the globe. surely our nation has never been so friendless. I bet in secret that even Tony Blair rues his association with Shrub.
it's too late for the dead of New Orleans & Baghdad but some day history will wipe the sneer from this regime.
Bush Cheney Rumsfeld Rice Chertoff Brown: has there ever been such a concentration of arrogance in government? each is a servant of the people. but listen to the condescension with which they treat us in speech & press conference. & as they pillage our trust they spread their gloat across the globe. surely our nation has never been so friendless. I bet in secret that even Tony Blair rues his association with Shrub.
it's too late for the dead of New Orleans & Baghdad but some day history will wipe the sneer from this regime.
27 September 2005
watching the tube
when I was a kid there were 3 channels on tv. so watching was more a communal activity then than now. for instance I rememeber EVERYBODY tallking abt "I Love Lucy" the next morning.
today we have the option of 300 or more channels. so the commununity of watchers is less. that happens only with certain shows like the Oscars or with news coverage of events such as 9/11 or Katrina.
perhaps it's only with folks in my age group but I'm feeling some of that community this morning following the first half of Martin Scorsese's Bob Dylan doc. in fact I startd getting e's from eastcoasters last nite.
for my generation Dylan was a major voice & Scorsese a leading director. bringing them together is historic in itself.
Dylan is 2 years older than I am so the archival footage was resonating all over the place. the parades in his hometown were like the parades in my hometown. & what memories of the Greenwich Village of my youth. I cd taste the rum & coke at the Dugout.
it'll be interesting to see where the doc goes tonite as it covers the period in which so many found disappointment in Dylan's seeming conversion to the kind of religion that embraces a narrow world view.
today we have the option of 300 or more channels. so the commununity of watchers is less. that happens only with certain shows like the Oscars or with news coverage of events such as 9/11 or Katrina.
perhaps it's only with folks in my age group but I'm feeling some of that community this morning following the first half of Martin Scorsese's Bob Dylan doc. in fact I startd getting e's from eastcoasters last nite.
for my generation Dylan was a major voice & Scorsese a leading director. bringing them together is historic in itself.
Dylan is 2 years older than I am so the archival footage was resonating all over the place. the parades in his hometown were like the parades in my hometown. & what memories of the Greenwich Village of my youth. I cd taste the rum & coke at the Dugout.
it'll be interesting to see where the doc goes tonite as it covers the period in which so many found disappointment in Dylan's seeming conversion to the kind of religion that embraces a narrow world view.
26 September 2005
aloud again
for most of my 30-plus years in Kent there was a lively poetry scene. which means poets of every shade came & went. today is the birthday of one of those poets -- Jacob Leed -- who went. it's also a day in which I read the blog of another of those poets -- Tom Beckett -- who continues to reside in Tree City.
one of the poets to pass thru was Ralph LaCharity. a swaggering presence LaCharity is probably best rememberd in town for organizing the "Aloud Allowed" events. for a couple of springs in the late '80s he gatherd up local poets as well as compatriots from other states to read at venues around town for a weekend. headquarters was Captain Brady's a venerable coffeeshop where writers & rockers gatherd over the decades. (it's now a Starbuck's.)
memories of those april events returnd as I found LaCharity's current rant online.Notes Toward a Poetics of the Local is vintage Ralph. if you've ever heard him his voice is unmistakable in a line like "These sizzling oaken tambourine transmissions."
one of the poets to pass thru was Ralph LaCharity. a swaggering presence LaCharity is probably best rememberd in town for organizing the "Aloud Allowed" events. for a couple of springs in the late '80s he gatherd up local poets as well as compatriots from other states to read at venues around town for a weekend. headquarters was Captain Brady's a venerable coffeeshop where writers & rockers gatherd over the decades. (it's now a Starbuck's.)
memories of those april events returnd as I found LaCharity's current rant online.Notes Toward a Poetics of the Local is vintage Ralph. if you've ever heard him his voice is unmistakable in a line like "These sizzling oaken tambourine transmissions."
25 September 2005
Tobias Schneebaum (1921-2005)
"This was a wonderful period for meeting people who were invited to Norman [Mailer]’s parties. James Jones, or Jonesy, as his friends called him, was at one of those parties. He had been told by Adele that I was a good painter. "Can I see some of your work now?" he asked. I opened the window and we climbed out onto the fire escape, then into my apartment. He seemed to be enamored of a small painting of three figures in a landscape. "The price is too high," he said, "at $200." Then, he put his hand to his mouth, took out hs false teeth and placed them on the table. "There! Will you take that as a down payment?" "
24 September 2005
Baraka on the Ellipse
flashback to when we all had hair:
a poet reciting a lowku against the president.
a poet reciting a lowku against the president.
seemings
so morning comes. & it seems I'm better. just as it seems that Rita was less destructive than the last bitch.
however I felt sad sipping java from my Cafe Du Monde mug & watching New Orleans flood again.
I hope major news coverage of the hurricane doesn't obliterate attention to the anti-war march. it's time for this country to wake up & piss on the entire administration that sells our blood to make profits for its cronies.
however I felt sad sipping java from my Cafe Du Monde mug & watching New Orleans flood again.
I hope major news coverage of the hurricane doesn't obliterate attention to the anti-war march. it's time for this country to wake up & piss on the entire administration that sells our blood to make profits for its cronies.
23 September 2005
"under the weather"
feeling -- as they say -- punk. partly allergies which make me congestd & therefore cranky. partly skin rippd off my heel which has producd a temporary limp. partly worry abt Rita. & then that continuing malaise that the world is being run by idiots. no need to say anything more abt the president. now I'm pissd at the rodent pope & his forthcoming ban on gay priests.
but one must persevere. eventually there'll be a frost which will stop the pollen-producers. the hole in my heel will heal. we'll rebuild after Rita. hopefully Shrub will be impeachd. & if papal inanities bring the church closer to ruin how appropriate.
but one must persevere. eventually there'll be a frost which will stop the pollen-producers. the hole in my heel will heal. we'll rebuild after Rita. hopefully Shrub will be impeachd. & if papal inanities bring the church closer to ruin how appropriate.
22 September 2005
21 September 2005
Berlin for Governor
exactly 30 years ago I observd Peter Berlin posing on Polk St. for those who either aren't gay or of a certain age let me say that Peter Berlin had one of the iconic looks of the '70s. his signature haircut a body resembling sculpture an outrageous fashion flair which includ'd the tightest pants in history. once seen that image lingers.
last nite I saw the fascinating documentary "That Man: Peter Berlin." it's the work of writer Jim Tushinski whose first foray into filmmaking was the amusing short "Jan-Michael Vincent is My Muse." Tushinski interviews Armistead Maupin & John Waters -- among others -- abt one of San Francisco's most celebratd citizens. but the real surprise is to see the elusive Berlin as he looks in his 60s.
this morning the news programs were abuzz with the posssibility of Warren Beatty challenging Arnold for the governorship of California. Beatty may have been a beauty decades ago but he turnd into a mediocre director whose career no longer means much to me. I suppose he's as qualified as anyone to challenge the bodybuilder-turnd-pol. but why not Peter Berlin? like Arnold he's a self-made man an immigrant a man who used his body to become famous in the gay community. at least Berlin continues to speak truthfully abt his past & to offer his world views in a take-it-or-leave-it manner.
how hard is it to be governor of California? this is the state who gave the nation Nixon & Reagan. (thankfully the Constitution can't be "fixd" in time to allow the Terminator to run for president.)
so my friends to the west of me don't look to Warren Beatty whose ideas are as tired as that face. vote for Peter Berlin & put politics back into the streets.
last nite I saw the fascinating documentary "That Man: Peter Berlin." it's the work of writer Jim Tushinski whose first foray into filmmaking was the amusing short "Jan-Michael Vincent is My Muse." Tushinski interviews Armistead Maupin & John Waters -- among others -- abt one of San Francisco's most celebratd citizens. but the real surprise is to see the elusive Berlin as he looks in his 60s.
this morning the news programs were abuzz with the posssibility of Warren Beatty challenging Arnold for the governorship of California. Beatty may have been a beauty decades ago but he turnd into a mediocre director whose career no longer means much to me. I suppose he's as qualified as anyone to challenge the bodybuilder-turnd-pol. but why not Peter Berlin? like Arnold he's a self-made man an immigrant a man who used his body to become famous in the gay community. at least Berlin continues to speak truthfully abt his past & to offer his world views in a take-it-or-leave-it manner.
how hard is it to be governor of California? this is the state who gave the nation Nixon & Reagan. (thankfully the Constitution can't be "fixd" in time to allow the Terminator to run for president.)
so my friends to the west of me don't look to Warren Beatty whose ideas are as tired as that face. vote for Peter Berlin & put politics back into the streets.
20 September 2005
slap that Holstein
I've never been in a Carl Jr. & presume I can safely journey thru the remainder of my life without entering one. however I must applaud their parent organization for hiring a creative ad agency.
their commercial "Cow Shake" is hypnotic. it's the perfect blend of sound (Sean Paul singing "shake that thing") & image (a hot young man "dancing" with a cow). if the latter seems preverse that's no doubt part of the commercial's allure. the look on his face combines with the moves under his jeans for a bit of magic.
& if anyone can identify the actor let me know. not since Ben Curtis did the Dell promos have I been so captivatd by someone in a commercial. this guy has an offbeat sexuality that's most appealing.
their commercial "Cow Shake" is hypnotic. it's the perfect blend of sound (Sean Paul singing "shake that thing") & image (a hot young man "dancing" with a cow). if the latter seems preverse that's no doubt part of the commercial's allure. the look on his face combines with the moves under his jeans for a bit of magic.
& if anyone can identify the actor let me know. not since Ben Curtis did the Dell promos have I been so captivatd by someone in a commercial. this guy has an offbeat sexuality that's most appealing.
19 September 2005
I give my name to crime fiction
while I was the special collections curator at Kent State University Libraries we began receiving the true crime collection of Albert Borowitz.
Al is a collector & writer & former lawyer who lives in Shaker Heights. I was reading one of his crime novels & discoverd that there were characters with the surnames Keller & Tolliver -- the same names of 2 library officials of higher rank than mine. the next time I saw Al I feignd being miffd that I was too lowly a staff member not to have my name given to one of his characters. he lookd surprisd & claimd that the use of those names was completely coincidental & that he'd employ Gildzen in the novel at which he was working. some time later he told me that novel hadn't yet been publishd.
so it was quite a surprise to learn that my literary namesake is now available online. the Law in Popular Culture Collection at University of Texas in Austin is making available e-texts. & one of them is Borowitz's The Beautiful Red Danube (1990).
however Al still has the last laugh. the character Roland Gildzen is "an enormously fat man with an uncanny resemblance to Sydney Greenstreet but at least two more chins."
I think I'll wear my Borowitz True Crime Collection t-shirt to the gym this morning.
Al is a collector & writer & former lawyer who lives in Shaker Heights. I was reading one of his crime novels & discoverd that there were characters with the surnames Keller & Tolliver -- the same names of 2 library officials of higher rank than mine. the next time I saw Al I feignd being miffd that I was too lowly a staff member not to have my name given to one of his characters. he lookd surprisd & claimd that the use of those names was completely coincidental & that he'd employ Gildzen in the novel at which he was working. some time later he told me that novel hadn't yet been publishd.
so it was quite a surprise to learn that my literary namesake is now available online. the Law in Popular Culture Collection at University of Texas in Austin is making available e-texts. & one of them is Borowitz's The Beautiful Red Danube (1990).
however Al still has the last laugh. the character Roland Gildzen is "an enormously fat man with an uncanny resemblance to Sydney Greenstreet but at least two more chins."
I think I'll wear my Borowitz True Crime Collection t-shirt to the gym this morning.
18 September 2005
word verification
I get so few comments I really get pissd when they're spam. so I'm reluctantly adding word verification. it hasn't hurt Beckett or Young so I'm joining the crowd.
17 September 2005
silly musings (partly because serious ones are getting me down)
Bob my Fort Worth pen pal & I have an off & on discourse abt Martha Stewart. he's a devotee. I find her lacking as a human being.
however this morning I broke down & bought a product stampd with her name. I was in need of a new mattress pad for the bed in the guest room. & I found that she had an Egyptian cotton one on sale. so I brought it home.
it boasts a 200-thread-count. I realize I'm in peril of forfeiting my gay card but I have no knowledge of thread counts. so I don't know how good (or bad?) that mite be. & I wonder if the pad is under a sheet why its thread count matters.
however this morning I broke down & bought a product stampd with her name. I was in need of a new mattress pad for the bed in the guest room. & I found that she had an Egyptian cotton one on sale. so I brought it home.
it boasts a 200-thread-count. I realize I'm in peril of forfeiting my gay card but I have no knowledge of thread counts. so I don't know how good (or bad?) that mite be. & I wonder if the pad is under a sheet why its thread count matters.
16 September 2005
15 September 2005
a little brings back so much
last nite on satellite I saw "The Fighting Temptations." not much of a movie. but what a thrill to see Melba Moore. of course I'd quibble with those who made the movie for relegating such a fierce talent to such a do-little role. however there were a couple of quick moments when her voice soard. & that sent me back some 35 years when she was the toast of Broadway. her portrayal of Lutiebelle in the musical "Purlie" was the talk of the season. when she unleashd "I Got Love" it was one of those electrifying moments in the theater that one carries to the grave.
we've heard that Moore has had as many ups & downs in her personal as in her professional life in the time between that triumph & now. but seeing those looks last nite producd nothing but reservoirs of joy. I wish some producer out there wd gift her with a role worthy of her talents.
we've heard that Moore has had as many ups & downs in her personal as in her professional life in the time between that triumph & now. but seeing those looks last nite producd nothing but reservoirs of joy. I wish some producer out there wd gift her with a role worthy of her talents.
14 September 2005
13 September 2005
Our Lady of the Dark
I'm at the Globe Theater
in West Hollywood
to see “Merry Wives of Windsor”
for one reason only:
Gloria Grahame
is playing Mistress Page
I’m early
in the small lobby
when suddenly
she appears
Gloria Grahame
wearing blue jean cutoffs
& high heels
as if she were still playing
John Heard’s mother
our eyes meet
quickly
I’m too in awe
to speak
she toddles
into the ladies room
our only moment
a glance
that takes less time
than scalding coffee
to cross a room
her eyes a portal
thru which I slip
into the black & white world
projectd onto
the screen at the Rivoli
a world
of cheap hotel rooms
with lampshades
coffee cup rings on mahogany
mirrors & window blinds
cum stains on carpet
in these shadows
Marie Windsor is bad
Ann Savage badder but
Gloria Grahame
best of all
she cd snuff
a cigaret in yr eyeball
or slide her novacaine lips
all the way down yr body
& if she took
a bullet to the breast
you’d imagine
her ascension
in a throne
of cigaret smoke
above garbage cans
in a rain-slick alley
Gloria Grahame
is heading to heaven
so the angels
better beware
yeah
I keep making crowns
for these movie dames
one glance & I’ve got
Gloria Grahame
a furlong ahead of the saints
after all in 1979
she’s merely
a rude mechanical
playing Shakespeare
to pay the rent
but I can’t imagine
Gloria Grahame
paying the rent
she’s better
than all the saints
she deserves
to have something
named for her
certainly not a church or school
shit no
maybe a bar
Gloria’s Café Noir
where the drinks
wd curl the hair
on Aldo Ray’s chest
it’s been a while
since I saw
Gloria Grahame
at the Globe
she died
2 years later
but as long
as I see
her movies
she’ll never die
& maybe
when the big heat
licks at my remains
my eyes
will still
be seeing hers
in West Hollywood
to see “Merry Wives of Windsor”
for one reason only:
Gloria Grahame
is playing Mistress Page
I’m early
in the small lobby
when suddenly
she appears
Gloria Grahame
wearing blue jean cutoffs
& high heels
as if she were still playing
John Heard’s mother
our eyes meet
quickly
I’m too in awe
to speak
she toddles
into the ladies room
our only moment
a glance
that takes less time
than scalding coffee
to cross a room
her eyes a portal
thru which I slip
into the black & white world
projectd onto
the screen at the Rivoli
a world
of cheap hotel rooms
with lampshades
coffee cup rings on mahogany
mirrors & window blinds
cum stains on carpet
in these shadows
Marie Windsor is bad
Ann Savage badder but
Gloria Grahame
best of all
she cd snuff
a cigaret in yr eyeball
or slide her novacaine lips
all the way down yr body
& if she took
a bullet to the breast
you’d imagine
her ascension
in a throne
of cigaret smoke
above garbage cans
in a rain-slick alley
Gloria Grahame
is heading to heaven
so the angels
better beware
yeah
I keep making crowns
for these movie dames
one glance & I’ve got
Gloria Grahame
a furlong ahead of the saints
after all in 1979
she’s merely
a rude mechanical
playing Shakespeare
to pay the rent
but I can’t imagine
Gloria Grahame
paying the rent
she’s better
than all the saints
she deserves
to have something
named for her
certainly not a church or school
shit no
maybe a bar
Gloria’s Café Noir
where the drinks
wd curl the hair
on Aldo Ray’s chest
it’s been a while
since I saw
Gloria Grahame
at the Globe
she died
2 years later
but as long
as I see
her movies
she’ll never die
& maybe
when the big heat
licks at my remains
my eyes
will still
be seeing hers
12 September 2005
"developing story"
as soon as I heard there were major power outages in LA I calld my friend Billy in Culver City. he sd his just came back on. after yesterday's threat from the Islamic loonies Angelenos are on edge.
of course it cd just be more crap from the president's business pals who were responsible for the last rolling brownouts on the west coast.
of course it cd just be more crap from the president's business pals who were responsible for the last rolling brownouts on the west coast.
11 September 2005
an evening out
for the first time since Melina got sick I went to town last nite. neighbor Phil & I took Rita to dinner for her birthday. afterward we walkd to our new gellato place. there I ran into Jesse Wood one of my favorite young artists.
for several years now I've been enjoying this painting of his:
"Joyce's Chickens" (1998)
if you want to see more walk over to Canyon Rd & pop into Munson Gallery. I'm sure you'll want to leave with at least one of his paintings.
for several years now I've been enjoying this painting of his:
"Joyce's Chickens" (1998)
if you want to see more walk over to Canyon Rd & pop into Munson Gallery. I'm sure you'll want to leave with at least one of his paintings.
10 September 2005
having fun with the Grand Old Party
what's wrong with Republicans? as if the president's failure isn't heartbreaking enough every day a representative of the GOP misspeaks. Barbara "Read My Hips" Bush already has presentd the lead quote for her obit.
now criminal Tom DeLay joins the toxic stew. he was touring evacuees in his state & stopped to talk with three young boys on cots. he askd them "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?"
now criminal Tom DeLay joins the toxic stew. he was touring evacuees in his state & stopped to talk with three young boys on cots. he askd them "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?"
09 September 2005
still depressd
my anger & frustration at the failure of this administration had to go somewhere. so I channeld it here. however my attempt at political commentary has been met with yawns. so to lighten up the mood here & to try to shove me in a direction other than dejection I tried returning to poetry & film all day.
it's nearly time for bed. my cat seems to be making better progress at returning to normalcy than I am. I still ache. the ubiquitous smirk of our president continues to make me seethe. Chertoff's arrogance today had me cursing at the tv. & Frist's smug face needs a proper slap.
I did hear something abt the newest polls. it seems I'm not the only one who can't shake depression because of the destruction of nature & government. like many others I'm trying to work my way out of this. I'll try to cease the harangues & think before I blog. that may be tough. what gives blogs their power is spontaniety. there are things I've postd that I later regret. but I leave them here. my only deletions have been spam left in the comments area (inc one left here immediately after I postd).
since I don't have the slightest idea of where this is going it seems best that I hit the pillows.
it's nearly time for bed. my cat seems to be making better progress at returning to normalcy than I am. I still ache. the ubiquitous smirk of our president continues to make me seethe. Chertoff's arrogance today had me cursing at the tv. & Frist's smug face needs a proper slap.
I did hear something abt the newest polls. it seems I'm not the only one who can't shake depression because of the destruction of nature & government. like many others I'm trying to work my way out of this. I'll try to cease the harangues & think before I blog. that may be tough. what gives blogs their power is spontaniety. there are things I've postd that I later regret. but I leave them here. my only deletions have been spam left in the comments area (inc one left here immediately after I postd).
since I don't have the slightest idea of where this is going it seems best that I hit the pillows.
08 September 2005
back where she belongs
a thousand trampld to death on a bridge in Baghdad. who knows how many thousand killd by Katrina. in perspective it may seem self-indulgent to expend so much worry on one cat.
but Melina has been my loving companion for 15 years. that's longer than either of my partners. she's both beautiful & intelligent. we "converse" so often that we truly do communicate.
befitting a lady of quality -- as well of a certain age -- it's best I provide no details of her health crisis. however she is back home. she had her first tentative bite of food this ayem. now her fretful nurse simply waits for a full recovery.
thinner for the ordeal but nonetheless pretty
but Melina has been my loving companion for 15 years. that's longer than either of my partners. she's both beautiful & intelligent. we "converse" so often that we truly do communicate.
befitting a lady of quality -- as well of a certain age -- it's best I provide no details of her health crisis. however she is back home. she had her first tentative bite of food this ayem. now her fretful nurse simply waits for a full recovery.
thinner for the ordeal but nonetheless pretty
good tv?
I don't watch reality tv. but I'd love to see "Survivor: New Orleans." put the Bush family in a 9th ward house half underwater. no electricity. no working toilets. no running water. & of course no staff.
07 September 2005
corpses corpses everywhere
the same administration that prevents the news media from photographing flag-drapd coffins of our young men being blown up in Iraq now has a ban against showing corpses being collectd in New Orleans.
sounds like a dictatorship to me.
sounds like a dictatorship to me.
alone
last nite was the first time in my 11 years in this house without Melina. if her recovery goes well she may be able to return later today.
06 September 2005
"the rich aren't like you & I"
we all know & dispise Daddy Bush & his inept son.
but all it takes is a national tragedy to bring out the true colors of Barbara Bush who commentd on the large number of mostly black refugees: "what I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is that they all want to stay in Texas."
but all it takes is a national tragedy to bring out the true colors of Barbara Bush who commentd on the large number of mostly black refugees: "what I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is that they all want to stay in Texas."
the crap gets higher
while Melina undergoes surgery I turnd on the news. o boy. the man they call our president is appointing his cohort Cheney to go south to "oversee" progress. I'm certain his first act will be to announce that the government is awarding Halliburton the contract for rebuilding New Orleans.
05 September 2005
I'm back
my rage at the president persists. he can come on tv immediately to announce his conservative choice for chief justice but he wasn't able to comfort the nation when we needed it.
however my cat is having a health crisis so I'm putting my energy there for the moment.
however my cat is having a health crisis so I'm putting my energy there for the moment.
02 September 2005
give me a break
before the malversation of the regime despoiling the White House turns me into a bitter old fart I'm taking a few days off from blogging.
while I'm breathing deeply here's a list poem from 2000:
NEW ORLEANS
chicken & shrimp yaya Old Coffee Pot
beignets & cafe au lait Cafe du Monde
crab & orzo salad Bacco
poachd eggs on crabcakes Cafe Sbisa
salmon caesar salad La Madeleine (Jackson Square)
crabmeat cheesecake & potato pie Palace Cafe
glazd duck Emeril’s
filet mignon & mango lime pie NOLA
buffet Court of Two Sisters
muffaletta Napoleon House
while I'm breathing deeply here's a list poem from 2000:
NEW ORLEANS
chicken & shrimp yaya Old Coffee Pot
beignets & cafe au lait Cafe du Monde
crab & orzo salad Bacco
poachd eggs on crabcakes Cafe Sbisa
salmon caesar salad La Madeleine (Jackson Square)
crabmeat cheesecake & potato pie Palace Cafe
glazd duck Emeril’s
filet mignon & mango lime pie NOLA
buffet Court of Two Sisters
muffaletta Napoleon House
01 September 2005
Congress stinks too
a friend just e'd me this:
How come Congress can convene from vacation on a Sunday night to figure out what to do about one person's feeding tube - but can't decide whether to come in on a Friday to discuss the death of thousands?
after we impeach Shrub let's vote out every incumbent & start all over.
it's heartbreaking to see people still pleading for help. & apparently our government is so confusd we're not even accepting offers of foreign aid.
How come Congress can convene from vacation on a Sunday night to figure out what to do about one person's feeding tube - but can't decide whether to come in on a Friday to discuss the death of thousands?
after we impeach Shrub let's vote out every incumbent & start all over.
it's heartbreaking to see people still pleading for help. & apparently our government is so confusd we're not even accepting offers of foreign aid.
our true national disaster is Bush
I just read that his administration cut New Orleans flood control by 44% to help pay for the Iraq war.
his approval rating is now 40% which means more Americans are finally waking up to his incompetence.
his "compassion" on tv is so phony I can't believe even the blindest Republican believes him.
his approval rating is now 40% which means more Americans are finally waking up to his incompetence.
his "compassion" on tv is so phony I can't believe even the blindest Republican believes him.
31 August 2005
more disgust
some believe global warming is causd by man's greed & that global warming causd Katrina. so when this administration finally actd today what's the first thing they do: relax environmental protection standards. will Shrub never stop playing to his base?
speaking of his base some whacko Christian group in Philadelphia is blaming Katrina on gays saying it's God's way to punish New Orleans for Southern Decadence.
my depression is getting worse by the hour.
speaking of his base some whacko Christian group in Philadelphia is blaming Katrina on gays saying it's God's way to punish New Orleans for Southern Decadence.
my depression is getting worse by the hour.
blues for a nation without a leader
so where is he?
at least Clinton wd've pulld up his pants & gone on tv immediately. he wd've been out there leading the mobilization of relief. but our current chief executive is AWOL yet again. surely he has no soul.
the nation's first business is to deal with the tragedy in Louisiana & Mississippi. then let's impeach this son fo abitch for dereliction of duty.
at least Clinton wd've pulld up his pants & gone on tv immediately. he wd've been out there leading the mobilization of relief. but our current chief executive is AWOL yet again. surely he has no soul.
the nation's first business is to deal with the tragedy in Louisiana & Mississippi. then let's impeach this son fo abitch for dereliction of duty.
blues for the Big Easy
there are now estimations that before dark arrives tonite
the entire city will be underwater.
the entire city will be underwater.
30 August 2005
shame on you Mr. President
yesterday things didn't look so bad. but now we're seeing the severity of Katrina. it's times like these when the nation needs a strong & compassionate chief executive.
so what did our leader do today? he performd "business as usual" giving another "this war is good speech" before a hand-pickd audience & comparing himself to FDR.
perhaps his wheelchair wd've kept that president from surveying the damage but I cd just see Eleanor inspecting firsthand on a flyover. this president continues to diminish his already shaky place in history to embarrass the nation before the world to insult those very people who electd him.
what a pity that Karl Rove is making him cut his vacation 2 days short because of some hurricane. already in his presidency he's spent an entire year on vacation on the farm. he shames the office.
so what did our leader do today? he performd "business as usual" giving another "this war is good speech" before a hand-pickd audience & comparing himself to FDR.
perhaps his wheelchair wd've kept that president from surveying the damage but I cd just see Eleanor inspecting firsthand on a flyover. this president continues to diminish his already shaky place in history to embarrass the nation before the world to insult those very people who electd him.
what a pity that Karl Rove is making him cut his vacation 2 days short because of some hurricane. already in his presidency he's spent an entire year on vacation on the farm. he shames the office.
hang on New Orleans
what seemd not so bad at this hour yesterday has turnd scary. apparently more levees are overflowing & the great French Quarter of literature & jazz & food & play is being flood'd.
29 August 2005
laissez les bons temps rouler
I need to stop watching tv news. last nite there were predictions of the demise of New Orleans of "a disaster of biblical proportions." one "expert" even suggestd the death toll will exceed that of the Asian tsunami.
the very thought of no NO preventd sleep. & I got up at 5 to watch the hurricane approach the city. when it lookd like looters will do more damage than Mother Nature I took off for the gym.
the very thought of no NO preventd sleep. & I got up at 5 to watch the hurricane approach the city. when it lookd like looters will do more damage than Mother Nature I took off for the gym.
28 August 2005
so many stories
yesterday I took in part of Santa Fe's inaugural short story festival. an all-day outdoor reading was too much for steady concentration. however 2 writers caught my ear: Demetria Martinez who makes irreverence an art & Cyrus Samii who turns the history of Iran into "a sad fairy tale."
in the evening actors took to the Lensic stage to read. best were the Brits: elegant Rosemary Harris reading Katharine Mansfield energetic Henry Goodman tackling D. H. Lawrence sexy Simon Templeman making merry with P. G. Wodehouse. & sitting near me were a couple of writers who have had luck with the short story . Edna O'Brien & Joyce Carol Oates.
after such a spoken fiction glut I'm willing to wander my high desert storyless for a while.
Cyrus Samii reads as well as he looks.
in the evening actors took to the Lensic stage to read. best were the Brits: elegant Rosemary Harris reading Katharine Mansfield energetic Henry Goodman tackling D. H. Lawrence sexy Simon Templeman making merry with P. G. Wodehouse. & sitting near me were a couple of writers who have had luck with the short story . Edna O'Brien & Joyce Carol Oates.
after such a spoken fiction glut I'm willing to wander my high desert storyless for a while.
Cyrus Samii reads as well as he looks.
27 August 2005
today
I'm a movie star
moving toward my key light
maybe not a star
maybe just a character actor
just?
is Percy Helton less
a universe
than Cary Grant?
some days
I'm only Bess Flowers
you see
the back of my head
in a party scene
but others
I'm a porn star
zoom on caribou
gliding to globe
today
I'm a movie star
you can't
tell me I'm not
I'm a movie star
moving toward my key light
maybe not a star
maybe just a character actor
just?
is Percy Helton less
a universe
than Cary Grant?
some days
I'm only Bess Flowers
you see
the back of my head
in a party scene
but others
I'm a porn star
zoom on caribou
gliding to globe
today
I'm a movie star
you can't
tell me I'm not
26 August 2005
his beauty shall be seen
.
lives intersect
coasts collide
at raincoat today
San Francisco friend Jeff Wietor
finds inspiration from
NYC friend John Fischer
& I cdn't be happier
25 August 2005
a couple of painters
altho my name appears in the acknowledgments I bet I'm the last one on the block to read Ron Padgett's Joe. I'm only a third of the way thru this sparkling memoir but I don't want to do anything else but read it.
& did you see that Levi Straus is coming out with a Warhol Factory X line of clothes? Andy's jeans will cost $250. that's more than I paid for his "Marilyn" back in 1969.
& did you see that Levi Straus is coming out with a Warhol Factory X line of clothes? Andy's jeans will cost $250. that's more than I paid for his "Marilyn" back in 1969.
24 August 2005
discovering Cory
blogging has benefits. some time ago I wrote that after reading a few Karl Tierney poems I wantd more. a reader put me in touch with his literary executor Jim Cory who sent me more. it was a lovely & shocking discovery of work.
but that wasn't the end of my good luck. in writing to Jim I began to appreciate his talent as a poet. individual lines of his stick around long after first reading. for instance: "some jungles just have more jaguars than hummingbirds."
& then there are tasty poems one needs to return to again & again. "Feet" is an erotic marvel which concludes powerfully:
Think of the lifetime of steps
these walked
to get here
so my experiment in blogging already has paid off. what a lucky guy I am.
but that wasn't the end of my good luck. in writing to Jim I began to appreciate his talent as a poet. individual lines of his stick around long after first reading. for instance: "some jungles just have more jaguars than hummingbirds."
& then there are tasty poems one needs to return to again & again. "Feet" is an erotic marvel which concludes powerfully:
Think of the lifetime of steps
these walked
to get here
so my experiment in blogging already has paid off. what a lucky guy I am.
23 August 2005
looking at pictures
Edward Field is putting together a website. altho it's still in progress do drop in to gaze at his galleries. they're refreshingly casual. sort of like looking at a friend's scrapbooks.
22 August 2005
reading awaits
in 2 days I rec'd 3 snail mail parcels containing 8 books of poetry.
the smallest (in size) was toothless shuffling in slippers through the French Quarter. it's part of a series of collaborative texts from members of the Rock Paper Scissors collective. the cover is an original collage. it has the feel of the work coming out of Cleveland in the late '60s.
the smallest (in size) was toothless shuffling in slippers through the French Quarter. it's part of a series of collaborative texts from members of the Rock Paper Scissors collective. the cover is an original collage. it has the feel of the work coming out of Cleveland in the late '60s.
21 August 2005
20 August 2005
Craig Eadie
he arr'd yesterday bringing the sweetest house gift: the new DVD of "The High and the Mighty." we did a quick tour of town & Canyon Rd openings before an evening of Lorca.
this morning we were off early to farmers market. how lovely to see novelist Stanley Crawford back -- selling garlic again.
this morning we were off early to farmers market. how lovely to see novelist Stanley Crawford back -- selling garlic again.
19 August 2005
Michael Chikiris (1941-2003)
40 years ago my roommate in the garret at 334 South Willow St in Kent was Michael Chikiris. altho I followd his career over the years we weren't personally in touch. I only learnd of his too-early death yesterday.
Mike was an intense young man. already a fine photographer. shortly after he mov'd in I went to a long exhilirating lecture by Buckminster Fuller. when I returnd I was completely engrossd in writing a poem in an attempt to capture the experience. Mike pickd up his omnipresent camera & shot a series of me writing. I believe one appeard in the university yearbook Chestnut Burr.
the only Chikiris photograph in my art collection is this portrait of our friend Cynthia Mayer:
,
after graduation Mike became a staff photographer on the Pittsburgh Press. in the early '70s he shot 3D images of the Pittsburgh Steelers (inc Kent State's Jack Lambert) for View Master. at the same time he became a friend of & driver for Stan Brakhage while the filmmaker shot his Pittsburgh trilogy. Mike appears in some late Brakhage films & fatefully died the day after the filmmaker.
Mike remains well-known for his portraits of writers as various as Ginsberg & Updike & of experimental filmmakers such as Hollis Frampton & Jonas Mekas. however his nudes & other work have been increasingly collectable & are available online via several galleries.
Mike was an intense young man. already a fine photographer. shortly after he mov'd in I went to a long exhilirating lecture by Buckminster Fuller. when I returnd I was completely engrossd in writing a poem in an attempt to capture the experience. Mike pickd up his omnipresent camera & shot a series of me writing. I believe one appeard in the university yearbook Chestnut Burr.
the only Chikiris photograph in my art collection is this portrait of our friend Cynthia Mayer:
,
after graduation Mike became a staff photographer on the Pittsburgh Press. in the early '70s he shot 3D images of the Pittsburgh Steelers (inc Kent State's Jack Lambert) for View Master. at the same time he became a friend of & driver for Stan Brakhage while the filmmaker shot his Pittsburgh trilogy. Mike appears in some late Brakhage films & fatefully died the day after the filmmaker.
Mike remains well-known for his portraits of writers as various as Ginsberg & Updike & of experimental filmmakers such as Hollis Frampton & Jonas Mekas. however his nudes & other work have been increasingly collectable & are available online via several galleries.
18 August 2005
Marilyn forever
I knew the film reference books of James Robert Parish long before I accidentally met him in NYC in the fall of 1976.
Jim is generous to his friends. he sends me packets of clippings from time to time. the one that arrivd last week includ'd a chapter of the fascinating new bio of gay agent Henry Willson.
he also e's me online articles every morning. & 2 of today's center on Marilyn Monroe. one was the obit of her first husband James Dougherty. the other was abt the current exhibition of Marilyn-inspird photographs of Mary Ann Lynch.
like her '50s male counterpart James Dean Marilyn seems to be ubiquitous. hardly a week goes by without their images appearing or their names being utterd.
Jim is generous to his friends. he sends me packets of clippings from time to time. the one that arrivd last week includ'd a chapter of the fascinating new bio of gay agent Henry Willson.
he also e's me online articles every morning. & 2 of today's center on Marilyn Monroe. one was the obit of her first husband James Dougherty. the other was abt the current exhibition of Marilyn-inspird photographs of Mary Ann Lynch.
like her '50s male counterpart James Dean Marilyn seems to be ubiquitous. hardly a week goes by without their images appearing or their names being utterd.
17 August 2005
16 August 2005
15 August 2005
my houseguest
John Grimes grew up in Key West where he was Tennessee Williams' paperboy. many years later I heard him in the orchestra of Lake George Opera for a performance of "Summer and Smoke."
John is a world-class musician currently with Boston Baroque. we've been catching up on synchronicities. which also means dealing with ghosts which is a juggle of sad & happy.
with prickly pear cactus juice at Rancho de Chimayo
John is a world-class musician currently with Boston Baroque. we've been catching up on synchronicities. which also means dealing with ghosts which is a juggle of sad & happy.
with prickly pear cactus juice at Rancho de Chimayo
14 August 2005
John Grimes
I met the tympanist 32 summers ago after he'd performd George Crumb's setting of Lorca poems on the Kent State campus. he'll be arriving in a few hours for what I believe is his first Santa Fe visit. & strangely it's the Lorca summer here. with the new opera & city-wide events abt the Spaniard.
13 August 2005
a nite at the opera
Barbara & Todd Moore came up from Albuquerque yesterday. after a pleasant repast at Zia Diner we went to the opera for a lecture in which Peter Sellars again spoke of opera as a collaborative art.
for me in that art form composer is auteur. if the music isn't there there's no life for the work.
Santa Fe Opera's premiere of "Aindamar" seems overproducd to me. Gronk's busy "set" (really just another mural)makes it difficult to focus on the performers. at only 75 minutes this one-act seems more a chamber piece to me & if I ever see it again I'd hope for fewer production values & more concentration on the music.
for me in that art form composer is auteur. if the music isn't there there's no life for the work.
Santa Fe Opera's premiere of "Aindamar" seems overproducd to me. Gronk's busy "set" (really just another mural)makes it difficult to focus on the performers. at only 75 minutes this one-act seems more a chamber piece to me & if I ever see it again I'd hope for fewer production values & more concentration on the music.
12 August 2005
Larry Smith just sent this to me
Attention Small Publishers,
Book Artists, Zinesters
During the month of October-November an Exhibit of
Modern Micro-Publishing will Hang Out at Mac's Backs
Books on Coventry
as part of
the 2005 Celebration
'Poet d.a. levy and the Late 1960's
Cleveland Cultural Scene'
If You Want Your "little magazine" To Be Included in the Exhibit,
Please Send to Mac's Backs c/o Bree, 1820 Coventry Road,
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Books/Chapbooks/Broadsides/Zines/Bag-o-zines May Remark Upon d.a. levy, Cleveland, Then or Now, the Culture of Publishing, or May By Any Contemporary, Published Work. All Works will be Held at Mac's After the Exhibit for the Publisher to Retrieve.
Send Now! all books must arrive no later than September 20th.
Book Artists, Zinesters
During the month of October-November an Exhibit of
Modern Micro-Publishing will Hang Out at Mac's Backs
Books on Coventry
as part of
the 2005 Celebration
'Poet d.a. levy and the Late 1960's
Cleveland Cultural Scene'
If You Want Your "little magazine" To Be Included in the Exhibit,
Please Send to Mac's Backs c/o Bree, 1820 Coventry Road,
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Books/Chapbooks/Broadsides/Zines/Bag-o-zines May Remark Upon d.a. levy, Cleveland, Then or Now, the Culture of Publishing, or May By Any Contemporary, Published Work. All Works will be Held at Mac's After the Exhibit for the Publisher to Retrieve.
Send Now! all books must arrive no later than September 20th.
11 August 2005
stuff
I had to delete comments on the Bel Geddes entry because some asshole postd spam there.
for something more gratifying: Kimberly Nichols is seeking xerox'd self-protraits for a grid project to be exhibitd next year. e-mail her (knichols@dc.rr.com) a 300 resolution image in jpg format.
for something more gratifying: Kimberly Nichols is seeking xerox'd self-protraits for a grid project to be exhibitd next year. e-mail her (knichols@dc.rr.com) a 300 resolution image in jpg format.
10 August 2005
& Mr. Como too
in some ways William Como was the successor to Daniel Blum. he didn't produce books but his magazines were as vital in their day.
as a young man Como studied dance & tried his hand at Hollywood. in the late '40s he became an office boy at Dance Magazine working his way up to editor. in the late '60s he began After Dark which was calld "a national magazine of entertainment." like Blum before him Como rarely found a picture of a young man wearing very little that he didn't like. this may have been the first mainstream magazine aimd at a gay audience. I first subscribd in early 1969. thruout the following decade all my friends read it. when poems of mine appeard in its pages in 1976 I had more response than I did from any of the little mags I'd been in.
1978
as a young man Como studied dance & tried his hand at Hollywood. in the late '40s he became an office boy at Dance Magazine working his way up to editor. in the late '60s he began After Dark which was calld "a national magazine of entertainment." like Blum before him Como rarely found a picture of a young man wearing very little that he didn't like. this may have been the first mainstream magazine aimd at a gay audience. I first subscribd in early 1969. thruout the following decade all my friends read it. when poems of mine appeard in its pages in 1976 I had more response than I did from any of the little mags I'd been in.
1978
09 August 2005
thx again Mr. Blum
when I was 15 I wrote to Daniel Blum thanking him for his books. I'd discoverd them at Elyria Public Library & they opend up the histories of theater & film for me.
today Blum's books get short shrift from academics because they were heavier on illustration than text. but that's probably why so many fans of stage & screen found them irresistible.
& to my generation of gay men his books had a special significance. Blum had an eye for hot men. the less the costume the better the chances for an actor to be featurd in his pages. in A Pictorial History of the Silent Screen we're treatd to Doug Fairbanks' bare butt Valentino's bulge George O'Brien's chest. that book was pubishd when I was 10. 5 years later came A Pictorial History of the Talkies with its famous photos of John Payne in boxing trunks & Aldo Ray in a bathing suit.
lest one think Blum satisfies only my prurience allow me to note that his annuals -- Theater World & Screen World -- continue to be among my most-consultd reference works.
Blum has been dead for 42 years. I hope he got many letters like the one I wrote.
08 August 2005
07 August 2005
aahhhhhhhhhhh
I rarely read poetry criticism. it's hard enough to try to keep up with poetry. but I found a line I like from Roger Pao :
"Nick Carbo's Her Ahs and Ohs is like chocolate cheesecake."
"Nick Carbo's Her Ahs and Ohs is like chocolate cheesecake."
06 August 2005
seeing double
Riva Yares Gallery is probably the best in town. its shows consistently are of quality. the current one "Milton Avery: Connections Over Time" is museum-worthy.
it consists of 48 pieces from 1920-1963. & it's strikingly hung. all the works are in pairs. for instance "Still Life with Spoon" (c. 1929) is next to "Still Life with Bottles" (1944) which is a reworking of the earlier painting. not every pairing is that precise but each at least shares subject matter.
the paintings from the '50s & '60s are so sublime I wantd to sit on the gallery floor & simply feast. which is what I did a few years ago when Dennis Yares -- who runs the Santa Fe gallery -- mountd his Morris Louis show.
if you can't get here in the next 9 days to see this remarkable show it will travel a bit. in dec it'll be in Miami for Art Basel & then in feb it goes to Riva's Scottsdale gallery.
"Trees by Southern Sea" (1959)
it consists of 48 pieces from 1920-1963. & it's strikingly hung. all the works are in pairs. for instance "Still Life with Spoon" (c. 1929) is next to "Still Life with Bottles" (1944) which is a reworking of the earlier painting. not every pairing is that precise but each at least shares subject matter.
the paintings from the '50s & '60s are so sublime I wantd to sit on the gallery floor & simply feast. which is what I did a few years ago when Dennis Yares -- who runs the Santa Fe gallery -- mountd his Morris Louis show.
if you can't get here in the next 9 days to see this remarkable show it will travel a bit. in dec it'll be in Miami for Art Basel & then in feb it goes to Riva's Scottsdale gallery.
"Trees by Southern Sea" (1959)
05 August 2005
"Restoring Pasolini"
on his blog Doug Ireland posts a fuller version of his LA Weekly article on the murder of Pier Paolo Pasolini.
must reading.
04 August 2005
I miss Howard P. Vincent
perhaps because Jack & I mentiond him Howard showd up in my dreams last nite.
I've already written abt the Melville scholar & one of my best teachers.
often I miss the dead. today I'm esp missing Howard.
I've already written abt the Melville scholar & one of my best teachers.
often I miss the dead. today I'm esp missing Howard.
03 August 2005
Jack's back
/
it's been many a year since the readings at The Cellar on the Kent State campus. but pleasant memories of them came rushing back when Jack Ramey stoppd by for lunch with his lovely wife Nancy Rodgers.
fresh from his triumph reading Whitman at NYPL Jack was paying his first visit to Santa Fe. as things seem to happen with folks of a certain age the coversation often turnd to the past.
Jack's memory is much clearer than mine. The Cellar -- long gone -- was a black-box theater that opend in the bowels of the Music & Speech Building in 1964. the theater department used it most frequently & it was here that Dennis Deal producd his early musicals. monthly open readings were held there emcee'd by either Jake Leed or Mac Hassler. in 1965 d.a. levy joind us for a reading & the campus memorial to him was held there in late 1968.
it was endearing to share Jack's recollections of some of the readers at this nearly legendary venue:
Spud Boy (whose poems were often abt -- yup -- potatoes)
Patrick Cullie (who got great fun on playing a practical joke on the serious Howie Emmer)
Michael Glaser (who had a series of poems abt toilet paper he'd collectd on a trip to Europe)
02 August 2005
01 August 2005
& some came naked
for the opening of its exhibition "The Naked Truth" Vienna's Leopold Museum gave free admission to those coming without habiliments.
can you imagine the uproar the biblebangers wd cause were such to happen here?
can you imagine the uproar the biblebangers wd cause were such to happen here?
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