Charles Lloyd
old beat daddy
flauting & saxing
trunk asway legs akick
drum battle
Zakir Hussain & Eric Harland
worlds collide & meld
13 November 2005
12 November 2005
11 November 2005
Gerard Malanga
is a month older than I am. we met during that tumultuous summer of 1963 when I was in Kenneth Koch's poetry class at Wagner College. I've only seen him a few times in the intervening years. he's in Santa Fe this weekend for a series of events.
I know how unkind time can be. & I wasn't expecting the beauty who did the whip dance & appeard naked in the pages of After Dark. but I hadn't seen a recent photo of him so when Malanga enterd the theater for a Q & A following a pair of Warhol films I nearly gaspd. he's overweight & uses a cane. it was most unsettling. we spoke briefly at the reception.
/
I know how unkind time can be. & I wasn't expecting the beauty who did the whip dance & appeard naked in the pages of After Dark. but I hadn't seen a recent photo of him so when Malanga enterd the theater for a Q & A following a pair of Warhol films I nearly gaspd. he's overweight & uses a cane. it was most unsettling. we spoke briefly at the reception.
/
10 November 2005
break out the caviar
I startd this adventure a year ago.
recently a friend sent me an article on blogs which includes a list of rules for a successful one. it's not surprising to me that I break most of them. that's probably why my audience is small. but then my audience has always been small. I remember reading an online description that calld me "semi-legendary." I laughd for days.
so what do I think of this adventure? if I weren't enjoying it I'd have stoppd. o sure there are frustrating times. if I work hard on something I think important (like "2 jars")& it elicits silence I become vexd. esp when something I toss off strikes a nerve & gets comments. but anyone who's been at this writing business for as long as I have learns to just keep going. & the blogosphere has introducd me to new friends. for that I'm grateful.
so if you've read this far down thx for stopping by. & pass the crackers.
recently a friend sent me an article on blogs which includes a list of rules for a successful one. it's not surprising to me that I break most of them. that's probably why my audience is small. but then my audience has always been small. I remember reading an online description that calld me "semi-legendary." I laughd for days.
so what do I think of this adventure? if I weren't enjoying it I'd have stoppd. o sure there are frustrating times. if I work hard on something I think important (like "2 jars")& it elicits silence I become vexd. esp when something I toss off strikes a nerve & gets comments. but anyone who's been at this writing business for as long as I have learns to just keep going. & the blogosphere has introducd me to new friends. for that I'm grateful.
so if you've read this far down thx for stopping by. & pass the crackers.
09 November 2005
08 November 2005
he finds Dennis Morgan divine
I'm not a regular traveler to the country of Amazon.com. so until Shanna Compton tippd me off in her blog I had no idea Kevin Killian has producd nearly a thousand reviews there. I suspect some day they'll be a book. but until then you can dip into them anytime.
& what a dip. here's a sample line: "And what were all those handjobs under the sheets in Cleveland?" I know I know: it's not fair to isolate one line from KK's zillions. & probably not the single best line. but it's one I adore & so it's here.
Killian covers everything from books on crafts to political biographies. he must read all the time. for me his film reviews are esp fun. in a few sentences he seems able to distill the essence of Barbara Stanwyck or Sylvia Sidney.
& what a dip. here's a sample line: "And what were all those handjobs under the sheets in Cleveland?" I know I know: it's not fair to isolate one line from KK's zillions. & probably not the single best line. but it's one I adore & so it's here.
Killian covers everything from books on crafts to political biographies. he must read all the time. for me his film reviews are esp fun. in a few sentences he seems able to distill the essence of Barbara Stanwyck or Sylvia Sidney.
07 November 2005
black borders
over the weekend I went to the dedication of a city park which bears the names of 2 brothers. both gay. both murderd (in separate crimes). I was on a board with one of them Herman Rodgriquez. on Dia de Los Muertos I'd been walking in Rosario Cemetery where the brothers are buried.
perhaps that was still with me last nite in my dreams. suddenly there was my best friend from boyhood. I embracd him & sd "Tom it's so good to see you." he lookd deep into my eyes & sd "I'm dead... & you're next." that may be a bad movie line but it startld me awake in the middle of the nite. between tossing there were moments asleep but all with dark imagery.
when I finally got out of bed exhaustd I turnd on the computer. the 1st thing I do is check my mail & then the obits. I was shockd to find Sheree North whose movies Tom & I both liked as boys. she grew from sexpot to accomplishd actress.
I dashd to the gym to try to exorcise my anxiety. when I returnd there was an e-mail from a friend telling me of the death of John Fowles. at one time Fowles was Tom's favorite author. he's give me his copies of the novels after he read them.
I'm almost afraid to go outside to the mailbox.
perhaps that was still with me last nite in my dreams. suddenly there was my best friend from boyhood. I embracd him & sd "Tom it's so good to see you." he lookd deep into my eyes & sd "I'm dead... & you're next." that may be a bad movie line but it startld me awake in the middle of the nite. between tossing there were moments asleep but all with dark imagery.
when I finally got out of bed exhaustd I turnd on the computer. the 1st thing I do is check my mail & then the obits. I was shockd to find Sheree North whose movies Tom & I both liked as boys. she grew from sexpot to accomplishd actress.
I dashd to the gym to try to exorcise my anxiety. when I returnd there was an e-mail from a friend telling me of the death of John Fowles. at one time Fowles was Tom's favorite author. he's give me his copies of the novels after he read them.
I'm almost afraid to go outside to the mailbox.
what I read
I may have been reading Dickinson at 12 but my taste in fiction then was centerd on authors who wrote for children. I was 10 when I wrote my first fan letter to an author to Lois Lenski. by 12 I had a regular correspondence with Jean Bothwell. at abt that time I was also writing to Pearl S. Buck & Robert Lawson.
altho we all read comics as well I was never addictd to them. my favorite was Classic Illustrated. of the action heroes I was most fond of Wonder Woman. & there was a comic which featurd fashion designs that children sent in.
but my favorite reading material as a child was movie magazines. Photoplay Modern Screen Screen Stories. usually in the front were the gossip columns of Hedda & Louella Mike Connolly & Sidney Skolsky. then came the stories many by sister team Reba & Bonnie Churchill. & all those glorious photos. George Nader in the tightest jeans ever made. Denise Darcel & Tab Hunter on a date. Robert Francis playing golf in Palm Springs.
I clippd these magazines & preservd my favorite images & stories in a series of scrapbooks. I've already written abt this in a series of poems which appeard in the inaugural issue of Court Green.
& my first publication (not counting an early drawing which appeard in a booklet of the Elyria schools) was a brief letter to the editor in the june 1957 issue of Screen Stories.
I miss the old movie magazines. today we still have celebrity publications but they lack the look & feel of the magazines of my childhood with those beautiful movie ads & studio portraits of Ava Gardner & candids of Rock Hudson getting a massage at Finlandia Baths & stories abt the men in Mamie Van Doren's life.
altho we all read comics as well I was never addictd to them. my favorite was Classic Illustrated. of the action heroes I was most fond of Wonder Woman. & there was a comic which featurd fashion designs that children sent in.
but my favorite reading material as a child was movie magazines. Photoplay Modern Screen Screen Stories. usually in the front were the gossip columns of Hedda & Louella Mike Connolly & Sidney Skolsky. then came the stories many by sister team Reba & Bonnie Churchill. & all those glorious photos. George Nader in the tightest jeans ever made. Denise Darcel & Tab Hunter on a date. Robert Francis playing golf in Palm Springs.
I clippd these magazines & preservd my favorite images & stories in a series of scrapbooks. I've already written abt this in a series of poems which appeard in the inaugural issue of Court Green.
& my first publication (not counting an early drawing which appeard in a booklet of the Elyria schools) was a brief letter to the editor in the june 1957 issue of Screen Stories.
I miss the old movie magazines. today we still have celebrity publications but they lack the look & feel of the magazines of my childhood with those beautiful movie ads & studio portraits of Ava Gardner & candids of Rock Hudson getting a massage at Finlandia Baths & stories abt the men in Mamie Van Doren's life.
06 November 2005
little Alex receives his 1st rejection slip
yesterday's entry brought back the memory of my submission to Weekly Reader. it was early 1954 & what I sent wasn't publishd.
first some background. my Aunt Sophie my godmother was a woman of such complexity it'd take a book to capture her. but for the sake of this story let me just say that she was fond of jokes esp offcolor ones. here's the only one I remember her telling me:
Q: where did Joe DiMaggio spend his honeymoon?
A: in Maryland.
altho at 10 I didn't "get it" I must've found it quite hilarious because I submittd it to Weekly Reader. the rejection slip that came in the mail was a generic one. when I grew up I often wonderd abt the reaction of the editors of Weekly Reader.
first some background. my Aunt Sophie my godmother was a woman of such complexity it'd take a book to capture her. but for the sake of this story let me just say that she was fond of jokes esp offcolor ones. here's the only one I remember her telling me:
Q: where did Joe DiMaggio spend his honeymoon?
A: in Maryland.
altho at 10 I didn't "get it" I must've found it quite hilarious because I submittd it to Weekly Reader. the rejection slip that came in the mail was a generic one. when I grew up I often wonderd abt the reaction of the editors of Weekly Reader.
05 November 2005
juvenilia
I'm fascinatd by Silliman's last 2 posts abt early work. to think that Rae Armantrout had a poem in Weekly Reader when she was 7!
a late bloomer I was already 12 when I wrote this:
Blossoms, Blossoms, oh lovely Blossoms,
An Artist's Pure Delight;
With Butterflies around.
Lovely at night;
In the Pale Moonlight,
The Bee's gone away;
A perfect setting,
On a perfect day.
was this my first poem? I don't know. but it is the earliest to survive. was it the poem that I carvd into the branch of a willow tree in the front yard? I don't know that either.
if someone were to ask me my earliest influence I'd not hesitate in naming Ferlinghetti. but this "poem" suggests that Emily Dickinson came earlier. I have terribly few poems from the apprentice period (1955-60). I startd publishing poems in 1962.
is all the early work bad? it's easy for a quick yes. but as a survivor who's still at it I must say that even some of the worst of those are instructional to me. I see the me I was -- both person & writer. I detect the changes progress made but also I retain some awe that I was creating with words before becoming a teenager.
a late bloomer I was already 12 when I wrote this:
Blossoms, Blossoms, oh lovely Blossoms,
An Artist's Pure Delight;
With Butterflies around.
Lovely at night;
In the Pale Moonlight,
The Bee's gone away;
A perfect setting,
On a perfect day.
was this my first poem? I don't know. but it is the earliest to survive. was it the poem that I carvd into the branch of a willow tree in the front yard? I don't know that either.
if someone were to ask me my earliest influence I'd not hesitate in naming Ferlinghetti. but this "poem" suggests that Emily Dickinson came earlier. I have terribly few poems from the apprentice period (1955-60). I startd publishing poems in 1962.
is all the early work bad? it's easy for a quick yes. but as a survivor who's still at it I must say that even some of the worst of those are instructional to me. I see the me I was -- both person & writer. I detect the changes progress made but also I retain some awe that I was creating with words before becoming a teenager.
04 November 2005
hard to believe
that Marilyn Monroe's death in 1962 is still making news. but there she was on "Good Morning America" sharing headlines with Shrub's dive in the polls & Camilla's drag queen voice.
apparently there's "new evidence" in the form of second hand memories being publishd in a popular magazine. was it suicide or accident or murder? certain stories will live forever.
apparently there's "new evidence" in the form of second hand memories being publishd in a popular magazine. was it suicide or accident or murder? certain stories will live forever.
03 November 2005
"queerer things were yet to come"
Hitchcock is my favorite Hollywood director. battling for second place are Wilder & Altman. last week I saw Wilder's "Avanti" a late film which may have been his worst. to gargle away its taste last nite I saw one of his best "Sunset Blvd."
I don't know how many times I've seen this film but it never looses its allure. it's that perfect blend of script & art direction of casting & score. Swanson's Norma Desmond is such an indelible performance that it deserves its legendary status. I get lost in her face. Holden is so sexy he's lickable. but he's more than a hot body. he was a subtle sensitive actor whose naturalness balances Swanson's grand guinol performance. throw in Von Stroheim for more ghoul & a minute & a half of Keaton for comedy. mix all that up with those zingy lines & Franz Waxman's magnificent score.
because the movie has been around for 55 years it's accumulatd layers of meaning. & I suppose as with all great art there are universal layers & then those personal ones. as a cinemaddict I find the Hollywood levels irresistable. mentions of silent stars Marie Prevost & Wallace Reid & of star getaways Catalina & Palm Springs. Hedda Hopper playing herself. that mansion & pool being used again by Nick Ray for "Rebel Without a Cause." the car at the Paramount gate being referencd by David Lynch in "Mulholland Drive."
then there's a fascinating true crime connection. we first see Holden's character Joe Gillis in the Alto Nido Apartments. legend has it that Elizabeth Short once livd there. later in the film Gillis shows up at a party & is introducd as a "Black Dahlia suspect." the actor mouthing that line is Jack Webb who 8 years later wd write a book abt the LAPD calld "The Badge" which includes a discussion of the Short case. that book was a favorite of a young man by the name of James Ellroy who wd write a novel calld The Black Dahlia the manuscript of which I purchasd for Kent State University Libraries during my tenure as curator of Special Collections.
all these layers make the movie more & more fascinating to me. so it's a work of which I never tire.
I don't know how many times I've seen this film but it never looses its allure. it's that perfect blend of script & art direction of casting & score. Swanson's Norma Desmond is such an indelible performance that it deserves its legendary status. I get lost in her face. Holden is so sexy he's lickable. but he's more than a hot body. he was a subtle sensitive actor whose naturalness balances Swanson's grand guinol performance. throw in Von Stroheim for more ghoul & a minute & a half of Keaton for comedy. mix all that up with those zingy lines & Franz Waxman's magnificent score.
because the movie has been around for 55 years it's accumulatd layers of meaning. & I suppose as with all great art there are universal layers & then those personal ones. as a cinemaddict I find the Hollywood levels irresistable. mentions of silent stars Marie Prevost & Wallace Reid & of star getaways Catalina & Palm Springs. Hedda Hopper playing herself. that mansion & pool being used again by Nick Ray for "Rebel Without a Cause." the car at the Paramount gate being referencd by David Lynch in "Mulholland Drive."
then there's a fascinating true crime connection. we first see Holden's character Joe Gillis in the Alto Nido Apartments. legend has it that Elizabeth Short once livd there. later in the film Gillis shows up at a party & is introducd as a "Black Dahlia suspect." the actor mouthing that line is Jack Webb who 8 years later wd write a book abt the LAPD calld "The Badge" which includes a discussion of the Short case. that book was a favorite of a young man by the name of James Ellroy who wd write a novel calld The Black Dahlia the manuscript of which I purchasd for Kent State University Libraries during my tenure as curator of Special Collections.
all these layers make the movie more & more fascinating to me. so it's a work of which I never tire.
02 November 2005
watching the news
2 big stories on the ayem shows:
first it seems the Dems finally got their balls back. that Senate meltdown was sheer fun & portends some fireworks for Scalito. & bravo to anyone who wipes that perpetual smirk off the mug of Senator Frist.
then there's Camila Parker Bowles. everyone seems to think she's a triumph. to me she remains the Duchess of Frump. I mean with a staff of 40 laboring over you even Marjorie Main wd look elegant.
I turnd off news & turnd on blogs. feeling o so curmedgeonly while downing my second cuppa I checkd Richard Lopez. I must tell you that his shots of Nicholas as a lobster are so dear that I feel totally avuncular. & the one of our wee lobster smiling at the bookshelves is probably as prescient as it is precious.
first it seems the Dems finally got their balls back. that Senate meltdown was sheer fun & portends some fireworks for Scalito. & bravo to anyone who wipes that perpetual smirk off the mug of Senator Frist.
then there's Camila Parker Bowles. everyone seems to think she's a triumph. to me she remains the Duchess of Frump. I mean with a staff of 40 laboring over you even Marjorie Main wd look elegant.
I turnd off news & turnd on blogs. feeling o so curmedgeonly while downing my second cuppa I checkd Richard Lopez. I must tell you that his shots of Nicholas as a lobster are so dear that I feel totally avuncular. & the one of our wee lobster smiling at the bookshelves is probably as prescient as it is precious.
01 November 2005
dia de los muertos
among those I remember today is Susan Kirby.
we were students together at Eastern Heights Junior High. & then in our freshman year at Elyria High School she died of the Asian flu. she was my first contemporary to die. I still recall going to the funeral home & seeing her in her coffin.
today I remember Susan.
we were students together at Eastern Heights Junior High. & then in our freshman year at Elyria High School she died of the Asian flu. she was my first contemporary to die. I still recall going to the funeral home & seeing her in her coffin.
today I remember Susan.
31 October 2005
trick or treat: part 2
,
some feel Halloween is as close as there is to a national gay holiday. maybe that was the reason the management of Rainbow Vision held its official opening this afternoon. it's being calld the world's first full-service retirement center for the LGBT community.
altho the 13-acre site won't be complete till next spring the first 20 condos opend today. it's only 2 streets over from me so I walkd to the event & went thru several of the apartments. it was a festive afternoon with residents & politicians & newsmen & neighbors mingling.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish cuts the ribbon with 93 y/o Hilda Rush who calls herself "the oldest lesbian in Santa Fe."
a message from Congressman Tom Udall was read by a member of his staff Chris Romero (who announcd he's single).
trick or treat?
our noble president opend the door & put Alito in our candy bag.
warning to parents: check for razor blades.
warning to parents: check for razor blades.
30 October 2005
a rose for Percy & how it wiltd
if you saw my contribution to the current MiPo you know of my devotion to character actor Percy Helton.
he began acting at 2 & was still at it when he died 75 years later. a child star on Broadway he made a handful of silent films (inc a debut as leading man to Mary Miles Minter). 25 years after his final silent Helton reappeard on screen as Hollywood's first "bad Santa" in the classic "Miracle on 34th Street." that began one of the great supporting careers. he was in over 100 films & countless t-v shows working for such directors as Capra Cukor Hitchcock & Peckinpah.
usually he had small parts. sometimes only a line or 2. but with his distinctive voice & unique look you never missd him. one of his movies that I've always wantd to see is "Wicked Woman" in which he got third billing. yesterday morning I checkd the satellite program guide & was shockd to see that Cinemax wd be running it. Percy was even listd as one of the 3 stars. I was thrilld the day long.
then last nite I turnd on the channel. to my horror some soft-porn film came on. it didn't even have the same title. when I switchd back to the guide it still showd "Wicked Woman" & Percy's name. but it was this contemporary piece of crap. I was so pissd off disappointd upset. so I turnd off t-v. there was nothing to do but go to bed. but no another unwantd experience. I had to change the clocks. as if being Percy-less wasn't bad enough I had to put up with daylight savings time the vile invention of some lunatic. I felt like taking every clock in the house & throwing each one into the faces of the Cinemax personnel who screwd up & the mad inventor who meddles with time & my mind. my cat got me up at 5:30 this ayem & my body will feel ill at ease for who knows how long & I'll be cursing Cinemax for weeks. so don't even get me startd abt Harriet Mediocre or Lewis "Liar" Libby. I don't care if Shrub was reading scripture or getting drunk last nite at Camp David. I want him & his evil regime to go away. I want Cinemax to give me Percy Helton. I want time to stay where it is.
he began acting at 2 & was still at it when he died 75 years later. a child star on Broadway he made a handful of silent films (inc a debut as leading man to Mary Miles Minter). 25 years after his final silent Helton reappeard on screen as Hollywood's first "bad Santa" in the classic "Miracle on 34th Street." that began one of the great supporting careers. he was in over 100 films & countless t-v shows working for such directors as Capra Cukor Hitchcock & Peckinpah.
usually he had small parts. sometimes only a line or 2. but with his distinctive voice & unique look you never missd him. one of his movies that I've always wantd to see is "Wicked Woman" in which he got third billing. yesterday morning I checkd the satellite program guide & was shockd to see that Cinemax wd be running it. Percy was even listd as one of the 3 stars. I was thrilld the day long.
then last nite I turnd on the channel. to my horror some soft-porn film came on. it didn't even have the same title. when I switchd back to the guide it still showd "Wicked Woman" & Percy's name. but it was this contemporary piece of crap. I was so pissd off disappointd upset. so I turnd off t-v. there was nothing to do but go to bed. but no another unwantd experience. I had to change the clocks. as if being Percy-less wasn't bad enough I had to put up with daylight savings time the vile invention of some lunatic. I felt like taking every clock in the house & throwing each one into the faces of the Cinemax personnel who screwd up & the mad inventor who meddles with time & my mind. my cat got me up at 5:30 this ayem & my body will feel ill at ease for who knows how long & I'll be cursing Cinemax for weeks. so don't even get me startd abt Harriet Mediocre or Lewis "Liar" Libby. I don't care if Shrub was reading scripture or getting drunk last nite at Camp David. I want him & his evil regime to go away. I want Cinemax to give me Percy Helton. I want time to stay where it is.
29 October 2005
yellow willow in the frost
earlier this year I made note of the centenary of the beautiful Anna May Wong.
now comes word of a major exhibition & screening of her work by the Hong Kong Film Archive.
almost 30 years ago I dedicatd a poem "The Constantinople Death Express" to Anna May Wong. but a poem abt her impact "Picadilly" will appear in the forthcoming Spore 2.1.
now comes word of a major exhibition & screening of her work by the Hong Kong Film Archive.
almost 30 years ago I dedicatd a poem "The Constantinople Death Express" to Anna May Wong. but a poem abt her impact "Picadilly" will appear in the forthcoming Spore 2.1.
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.
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