from the archives

my desk in 321 Stopher Hall my first term as a freshman.

I don't think a single thing in it still exists -- including the actual room which Kent State destroyd a few years ago. but I remember that room in which I lived for 3 years. I remember the tile floor. & even tho they're long gone I still see that clock/radio & the scotch plaid file box.

here I am in 1993 on my final visit to my old room:

the Lawrence issue

passing thru Kansas many years ago I spent a nite there. so all I really know of Lawrence is its history. as rich as that may be I got a fresh sense of the place from Harrington's intro.

it's always good to see work from such familiar names as Kenneth Irby & Jim McCrary.

altho I've been hearing the name of K. Silem Mohammad being kickd abt the blogosphere for some time it's only recently that I began reading his film blog. wonderful to find another poet who's seen "Blonde Ice."

of the new voices I discoverd in this collection the one I most want to hear more of is that of Cyrus Console.

Charles Jensen is a joy

he's a good poet & a readable blogger. altho I haven't met him   his photos certainly reveal that he's more than easy on the eyes. & he's providing a valuable service as editor-in-charge of Locus Point. he picks someone in a specific city to guest edit a section of his online magazine which focuses on that city. the new issue is abt Lawrence. I've just dippd into it so will withhold commentary but will advise everyone to look it up.

I shd say that some time ago Charles askd me to edit a Santa Fe issue. to please him I acceptd immediately. but with time I realizd for once he'd made a bad choice of editor. in days past I was part of a community -- in Kent -- & wrote abt that history in the intro to the anthology A Gathering of Poets. but in Santa Fe I'm an outsider. at first I was happy to be away from an active poetry scene. & then when I felt a need to belong to something I faced what seemd a community of cliques. now Santa Fe has a rich literary history (read Lynn Cline's Literary Pilgrims)but it's less than inviting to newcomers these days. so I've become a bit of a recluse when it comes to being part of something. I feel much more a part of that larger online poetry community & that serves me well. however I had to withdraw from the list of Jensen editors & hope that Charles doesn't think less of me for my inability to serve.

however I know how strong poetry communities can be & congratulate Charles on picking people like Joseph Harrington who offers us an inside look at Lawrence.

more mail more books

when r.j.s. gave his paper stock to Bree   he wasn't just being generous. he was passing the torch.

yesterday I got a batch of Green Panda Press books -- including r.j.'s no rest for the wicked. it was like visiting Jim Lowell when the Asphodel was in the Arcade & picking up the latest from the Cleveland scene.

there was work by oldtimers like r.j. & Kent Taylor as well as poems by current Cleveland stars   Mark Kuhar & Matthew Wascovich & Bree hersef. one wonders how she does it: all that writing while also hand-producing so many handsome chapbooks.

a friend's book

this book came in the mail yesterday:



it's a study of how a forgotten novel (The Entailed Hat) by a forgotten writer (George Alfred Townsend) may have been an influence on the writing of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby & also on Demigods   a novel by his longtime friend John Biggs.

normally not my kind of reading. but in this case   I made an exception because I've known its author for more than 30 years.

David Meredith & I know enuf of the other's secrets to be dangerous. over the decades we've been traveling companions on both sides of the pond as well as all over New England -- but primarily Provincetown where we stayd with Peter Burnell & Gerald Mast   & the Berkshires where the homes of Jean-Claude van Itallie & Nancy & Paul Metcalf welcomed us.

when I return to Kent these days I always stay in the charming guest room at David's cozy house where we jabber into the wee hours every nite. he is one of my dearest friends & the kind I hope everyone has been fortunate enuf to have.



with David in Budapest (1985)

R. B. Kitaj (1932-2007)

a character to remember

I saw Paul Leni's "The Last Warning" because of my affection for Laura LaPlante. altho she's the only cast member to receive billing above the title   she's part of an ensemble in this 1929 backstage mystery.

the film is memorable for the imaginative photography of the great Hal Mohr. LaPlante is adequate in one of her "scream queen" parts but it's not one of her great roles. the most notable cast member is Torben Meyer who is totally over-the-top but gets away with it because he plays a looney.



the character actor began in silent films in Denmark in 1912. he appeard in nearly 200 films in a career that lastd over 50 years. a regular in the pictures of Preston Sturges   Meyer workd for such directors as James Whale & George Cukor   Max Ophuls & John Ford. he often playd comic roles (appearing in films of Chaplin & Bob Hope) but also did a spate of famous horror flicks. altho it's been years since I've seen "Judgment at Nuremberg"   his performance in that lingers in my memory. he even has a bit in "Casablanca."

it feels good to discover a gem of a performance like Meyer's in "The Last Warning." too often character actors live in a foggy world. we see them so often they're familiar but many times we don't know their names or the extent of their careers. tonite I ate some chocolate in honor of Torben Meyer.

celebrities

they have always fascinatd us. but am I the only one to find their proliferation unreasonable & their coverage silly.

one expects the tabloids to be full of such non-talents as Brittany Spears & Ann Coulter but the current lead story on the CNN Political Ticker is that Chuck Norris is backing Huckabee for president.

come on.... Norris? I can't name a single movie he was ever in. why wd any news organization release such a story? what's next? "Rula Lenska Supports Kucinich"?

I don't read enuf

esp fiction. in my pile are unopend novels I bought a year or more ago.

so while it coold down today it felt good to snuggle up with Jim Provenzano's latest Cyclizen.

splendid fall morning

Rita & I took Cinco up to the national park to gambol along a mountain stream. when we got back I walkd up to the high school field to watch A. J. Zuniga play a bit of soccer. now I'm fixing lunch: penne with turkey   mushrooms   red onion.

Duane

Duane Hartzell is one of the contributors to the "My First Movie" section of my new book. he was my first Kent State roommate. it was only for a week -- a freshman orientation during the summer before officially enrolling in the fall.

the only class I remember being in with Duane was fencing. at that time I was theater critic for the student paper & he was a frequent actor & director. so I think he'd let me win when we faced each other with swords.

after graduation Duane went to Hollywood where he became a film editor. among his features were "Black Samson" (1974) & "Jennifer" (1978). he also editd television movies for such directors as Wes Craven & Tony Bill.

as so often happens we lost touch. but in 1995 we arrangd to brunch at Mirabelle on the Sunset Strip. as a surprise he invitd one of our Kent professors -- William H. Zucchero -- to join us. Dr. Z made the move west after retiring. he taught at other schools & did voiceover work.



it was the last time I saw either of them.

memorial art

Vietnam wall

AIDS quilt

now "Identity/Identidad." this moving 1998 piece by 13 Argentinean artists is currently at SITE Santa Fe.

like water on a beach

my head was full of "put another nickel in..." as I walkd in a chill wind to the post office. one of the items I was mailing west was to Linda Lyke. I haven't been in touch with the printmaker for a couple of years. so my mind was all over the place -- from that long ago music to fun meals with Linda.

then I got home to find e-mail from several friends informing me of the death of Deborah Kerr. the only time I ever saw her in person was 30 years ago in "Long Day's Journey into Night." & I went with Linda Lyke.

"Music, Music, Music"

the death of Teresa Brewer brings on a flood of musical memories from growing up in the '50s. it was a time when "girl singers" were important. besides Brewer there was Doris Day & Rosemary Clooney & Sarah Vaughn & Patti Page & Jo Stafford & Peggy Lee & Debbie Reynolds. altho they weren't popular in the chart-topper way   Billie Holiday & Judy Garland & Dinah Washington did some potent recordings in that decade as well.

I can still see those worn 45s. some remain with me. others are scatterd around the country as part of this 2002 piece from Mail & More:

45s FROM THE 50s


Sarah Vaughn   “Make Yourself Comfortable”   Mercury
sent to Daniel W. K. Lee   New York NY

The Chordettes   “Mr. Sandman”   Cadence
sent to Fred B. Binckes   Laurel MT

The Tracey Twins   “Tonight You Belong to Me”   Reserve
sent to Tom Shales   McLean VA

Billie Holiday   “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”   M-G-M
sent to Judy Henske   Pasadena CA

Peggy Lee   “Crazy in the Heart”   Decca
sent to Roberto Marquez   Weehawken NJ

Al Hibbler   “Unchained Melody”   Decca
sent to Kent Taylor   San Francisco CA

Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly   “True Love”   Capitol
sent to Garold Gardner   Las Vegas NV

Jo Stafford   “It’s Almost Tomorrow”   Columbia
sent to Martha Braun   Shelburne Falls MA

Steve Allen   “Lola’s Theme”   Coral
sent to T. Allan Taylor   Los Angeles CA

Elvis Presley   “Hound Dog”   RCA Victor
sent to Howard Erlichman   South Euclid OH

The Andrews Sisters   “The Three Bells”   Decca
sent to Gary Herb   Salisbury MD

Debbie Reynolds   “Tammy”   Coral
sent to Roy Blakey   Minneapolis MN

a shout out

thx to my Palm Springs buddy Izayah Jeffrey for the salute.

"Kobe says he'll 'strap it up' and play"

I know zilch abt basketball but I remember this guy from his rape case which makes this LA Times headline sound salacious to me.

making Mom happy

when I got home from my boys nite out there was a message on the machine from my mother. she just got her copy of my new book & immediately read straight thru it. so I calld her back & she was absolutely bubbly. she was esp pleasd that I used this photo I took years ago of her with Bob Hope:

digging into "get"

every tues nite I'm in town I dine with a group of fascinating men. one of them is Richard Balthazar. you mite know his novels. well he has a new book that's quite different -- Getting Get: The Glossary of a Wild Verb.

the book investigates the multiple meanings of this common verb. references range from Shakespeare to Arlo Guthrie. I read it in bits   gleaning what I think I can use. early on there was a noun I didn't know -- "getling" which means "brat."

you don't have to be a linguist to learn from this study. & you'll have fun along the way.

from the archives

with Daniel Thompson at our 1992 reading at Mac's Backs in Coventry

to order work by the late Poet Laureate of Cuyahoga County check Green Panda Press

beautiful autumn morning

so I ran to Farmers Market to give Stan Crawford his copy of It's All a Movie. the world's most famous garlic grower is a contributor to the section "My First Movie."

I confess

the only Doris Lessing book I've ever read is Particularly Cats. so I have no opinion on the Nobel Prize.

when I was younger I was an awards junkie. but now that I'm on the precipice of antiquity I find them silly. Tennessee Williams never won the Nobel. Hitchcock never was got an Oscar for Best Director. & Frank O'Hara never claimd a Pulitzer. awards are political things. I'm not saying all winners are asskissers but it helps.

I heard on the news that Harold Bloom isn't happy with this choice. Bloom -- the Alan Greenspan of literature -- thinks he's smarter than the rest of us. maybe he is. but why he thinks anyone besides his grad students shd listen to him is beyond me.

the best part of this award was watching the paparazzi descend on an elderly writer as she got out of her taxi. when told she'd won Lessing mutterd "christ" & turnd her back on the cameraman. now that was priceless.

dogs

family history says that Dad bought this dog in Germany during the war & brought it back to me. & that that was the start of a collection. yes. I do remember having many ceramic dogs as a boy. but the odd thing was that I grew to dislike dogs. & when they were big or snarly it grew to a fear. I was always a walker. & I remember when walking to school or town if I encounterd what I took to be a ferocious canine I'd cross the street to avoid confrontation.

eventually I grew into a cat person. it began on Willow St in Kent with a stray I calld Anastasia & continued thru my beloved Melina. so it's become quite a surprise to me that I've come to like a dog. my neighbor Rita recently got a Bouvier puppy with the moniker Cinco. from our first meeting there was a real attraction. now I'm his uncle. the only gift I brought back from Seattle was a box of bagels from Three Dog Bakery for Cinco. this isn't the best picture -- because he's always in motion & hard to photograph -- but you can see that I'm at ease enuf with this dog to put my hand in his mouth.

Screen Stories (june 1957)

thx Jim

my buddy Jim Szakacs in Toronto

e'd me this morning to say he already got his copy of It's All a Movie. Jim is a major film buff with an amazing collection of stills & publications. & he's quite the sleuth. later in the day he e'd again to inform me he'd trackd down my long-ago contribution to Screen Stories.

Rain City

friendly people. polite motorists. supreme restaurants. lively cultural life. exciting architecture. but dear lord... that weather. Seattle was the coldest city in the nation on my visit. & the precipitation was off & on the whole time. when the sun was out & the wind down it was glorious. but I also was walking in a 28 degree wind chill. & I walkd so much I developd blisters. but I felt I got to know at least the downtown section.

& thx to my college friend Suellen I got to spend a day seeing other parts of the city & even Kirkland. we hadn't seen each other in so many decades that there was a great deal of territory to cover & covering it was often bittersweet.

Roger's show lookd wonderful & he sold 6 paintings before its official opening.

Michael took me "backstage" at Seattle Art Museum where he's been designing exhibitions for 33 years. & I finally got to meet his lovely wife Ann with whom I want to spend more time.

had a short but fun conversation with Jenny McPhee before she read from her new novel which she inscribd for me. went right from there to a coffeehouse to hear Paul Rucker. also took in a concert by Tom Paxton & Tom Rush. & a musical review with Martin Charnin who I saw in the national tour of "West Side Story" a hundred years ago.

Seattle

      Michael McCafferty & R. B. Sprague at Patricia Rovzar Gallery



      Suellen Sweany Adams & Christine Pramuk



      Jenny MePhee at Elliott Bay Book Co

"great bloody archives"

splendid way to wake up: read Jean Vengua on Paul Metcalf. I'm waiting for the Metcalf Revival to begin. it's shocking to me that there isn't a whole shelf of books abt him yet. he has a short piece in my current It's All a Movie.

in a couple of hours I'm off to the Pacific Northwest. yup. I packd a bumbershoot.

from the archives

it's spring of 1987 & I'm at C. C. Brown's. for years it was a regular stop on my visits to Hollywood Blvd. the hot fudge sundae was inventd there. in the '40s & '50s its wonderful wood booths held the bottoms of Elizabeth Short & James Dean & Katharine Hepburn.

on one trip I lunchd at the Brown Derby on Vine. I was too full from the Cobb salad (which was inventd there) to have the famous grapefruit cake. so I prowld some bookstores & made my way down past Grauman's Chinese Theater for a hot fudge sundae. to my shock C. C. Brown's was gone & the tackiest of fast-food joints was in its space. I suddenly felt old & depressd.

a while ago the Brown family startd a small version of the place next to what is calld Schwab's but really isn't. I went once with my buddy Craig. the famous fudge sauce was servd hot in a cruet just like in the old days. but the spot had no ambiance. it didn't last long.

it's official

Mark Young has announcd the lineup of new Otolith titles.

if you want to see what It's All a Movie looks like click on "preview this book" for sample pages.

I'm thrilld.

another centennial

Gene Autry was a better singer than an actor & a better businessman than a singer. in the annals of film he lacks the stature of John Wayne. Autry's oaters were strickly kiddie matinee material. but over the decades his fan base has includ'd Sonny Rollins & Harvey Pekar. & he holds a special spot in my personal history.

Gene Autry was the first movie star I ever saw in person. I was abt 5 when Uncle Tom took his daughter Regina & me to see the cowboy perform in Cleveland. I don't remember a thing abt it. many years later I'd see Autry at the American Cinema Award dinners in Beverly Hills.

so today I tip my Alta Calidad hat to the memory of Gene Autry on his 100th birthday.

JRP

when I met James Robert Parish in a theater bar in NYC in 1976 I was already a fan of his books. volumes such as Paramount Pretties & The Fox Girls were frequently consultd. over the years we became friends. the peaks & valleys we've both been thru wd easily make a book.

there are many things I admire abt JRP. he's a loyal & generous friend. & one of the hardest-working writers I know. that work has paid off. the shelves of books he's producd make an essential show business library.

the other day he sent me a copy of his newest -- The Hollywood Book of Extravagance published by John Wiley & Sons. the cover features Hollywood's most legendary hotel   Chateau Marmont (where I stayd for years till the rates soard to the ridiculous).

here we have short chapters covering "extravagant" stars from the silent era (John Barrymore & Gloria Swanson)to today's headlines (Lindsay Lohan & Paris Hilton).



      with JRP & T. Allan Taylor in Weho (1992)

dinner out

I missd seeing weaver James Koehler get the Governor's Award because it was on my mother's birthday. so we made up for that with dinner tonite at Espiritu. it's alwys good to catch up.

James' all-black pieces are enchanting but don't always reproduce well so here's one that will.

"Gymnast of Inertia"

in 1992 -- crouching toward retirement & the move west -- I did a series of 5 sculptures under the umbrella title "Au Revoir Ohio." I gave away 4 but kept this one. the piece of wood was barnsiding brought back from Jean-Claude van Itallie's farm in the Berkshires. & the bowtie is a clip-on (damn   I'm guilty) that I actually wore in the early '70s.

I'm dancin'

Theron Moore has put up 2 of my poems on St. Vitus.

Laura LaPlante

altho I hadn't seen that many of her films I always liked LaPlante. so it was a thrill to see her on the vast stage of Radio City Music Hall for one of the "Nite of 100 Stars" events more than 2 decades ago.

last nite TCM showd one of her rarer films "Man of the Moment." she was so charming I had a smile on my face thruout. she's best rememberd today for her work in silent pictures. but she had a good voice & her gift for comedy shd've guaranteed a major career in talkies.

here's Imogen Cunningham's famous 1931 portrait of her:

"In Iran we don't have homosexuals"

one of those days

in the morning mail: a friend informs me of the death of his cat.

in the yard: fresh gopher mounds.

then: coffee machine malfunctions   spewing brown stuff all over the kitchen.

then: I discover the hot water tank is leaking.

Vikki

in the movie star scrapbooks I kept in the '50s there is evidence of a pretty even division between cheesecake & beefcake. in fact there's one page which I labeld "Male and Female Pinups." at the top there's a color photo of a smiling George Nader in one of his ubiquitous swimsuits beside a b&w shot of Richard Egan in his underwear combing his hair in front of a mirror. the lower half of the page features Jane Russell in that scandalous pose from "The French Line" & Esther Williams with her back to a grindstone   boobs pointing skyward & chiton partd to display ample leg.

I rememberd all this last nite as I watchd "The Rebel Set." this minor heist film from 1959 featurd Vikki "The Back" Dougan in a small part. she made only 6 films in her 7-year career. none of them establishd her as an actress. but she must've had one hell of a press agent. her pinup pictures were everywhere -- even on a 1953 Life cover. she dated the likes of George Raft & Porfirio Rubirosa. but she got the most ink for a gimmick. while Marilyn & Jayne & Mamie were showing more & more breast she became famous for "reverse cleavage." yup... just look at this typical photo of her:


there's only one clipping of her in my scrapbooks. she's wearing either this same dress or a duplicate -- along with a to-the-floor fur stole.

she disappeard from public view years ago. however many of her cheesecake photos circulate on the internet. & folkies remember her for 2 reasons: Malvina Reynolds wrote a song abt her for the Limeliters & her final screen appearance was in "Hootenany Hoot" which also featurd the legendary Judy Henske.

in a black bowl

pieces of roastd chicken

baked potato forkd into strands

some slivers of Tillamook butter

scatterings of curry & sea salt

cheddar cheese

a whisper of olive oil

hard to believe

        Melina died a year ago

back in front of the cameras

since moving here I've been an extra in 2 movies   "Santa Fe" (1997) & "Maniacts" (2001). today I did it again.

neighbor Rita & I went to the Rodeo Grounds where a young director by the name of Joshua Michael Stern was shooting "Swing Vote." we were in the stands as a helicopter shot down on us. finally the film's star Kevin Costner came out. he askd for a mic & gave a short but heartfelt impromptu speech abt how great movies are.

Costner was seatd near the stands & across the way was a stage on which presidential candidates were to debate. the candidates were playd by Dennis Hopper & Kelsey Grammer. altho we heard Costner say the same speech for several takes   the other actors performd in mime.

to entice the audience to remain till the wee hours prizes are being given away & later tonite Costner will appear with his band. but Rita & I escapd after a while.

young & foolish

I live across the arroyo from the football field of a middle school.

right now there's a pelting rain. the baby players are out in it.

I can imagine the roar against their helmets.

another sad Hollywood tale

30 years ago I was working on a suite of poems calld Visions of Jan-Michael Vincent. Michael Milligan did some drawings for the book including this one of Vincent. at that time he was Hollywood's golden boy.

now he's a 63 y/o alcoholic who sat for an interview with "The Insider"   an irritating rip-off of "Entertainment Tonite." to say he looks awful is understatement. his voice was forever changd after an auto accident years ago which he no longer remembers. he doesn't even know how old his daughter is. probably the interview shd never have happend. but one suspects he needs whatever money he got for submitting to the humiliation. he's sort of the male Barbara Payton.

from the archives

I took this picture of Frank Green at my 1984 brunch for Ira Joel Haber.

"It's All a Movie"

Otoliths will be bringing the book out shortly. it's a collection of poems & prose & photographs. as soon as ordering info is available I'll post it.

we're in the final proofing stage. I have to say that working with Mark Young has been a joy. as both editor & publisher he's the best. kudos as well to Ray Craig for both front & back covers. even Harry K. Stammer offerd production assistance.

give me a drum roll

filmmaking in Ohio

while in Elyria a crew was filming on Ely Square for an indie feature to be calld "Make Me Popular."

then on the plane today I startd reading Les Roberts' A Shoot in Cleveland   one of the Milan Jacovich mysteries which centers on a murder on a film set.

back to Ohio

to celebrate Mom's 86th birthday

the party of family values delivers again

Senator Craig barely has his pants pulld back up & the GOP is facing an even bigger gay sex scandal. this one includes murder & an escort service & a Congressman with multiple male roommates.

I don't want my face on a cereal box

but one of my poems embossd on a bar of Godiva chocolate wd be swell.

?

will these undies


make it into this piece

hot quote

"I think I was nominated in 1951 for the most promising newcomer. I'm glad I finally realized my potential."

Leslie Caron on winning an Emmy for her guest spot on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

I have a fondness

for the Poverty Row period of Evelyn Brent's career. in "Daughter of the Tong" she was cast as an Asian. the film is the typical low-budget programmer   down to the visible microphone shadows. Brent has little to do until a fight scene with Dave O'Brien which is as ordinary as the rest of the picture. you feel sorry for her until you think of what Anna May Wong cd've done with the part. I suspect that by this time in her career dive Brent was only interestd in the paycheck.

"Street of Poets Tucson"

so I cd tell
Mark Young
I walkd Congress
to Cafe Magritte

it isn't
anymore

so I went
down the block
to Hotel Congress
where Dillinger
was staying
when he got caught

I thot abt
Todd Moore
as I ate ahi

sorry Mark




what was Cafe Magritte: the clouds remain



Hotel Congress lobby: southwest deco

getaway

as I prepare to leave town for a few days   McAfee is giving me a pain by blocking sites because of some security certificate business. I've overridden it so I cd post before I depart. maybe when I return my whole computer will be a mess. there are times when technology makes me cringe.

Field on Schneebaum

new visitor

after Melina died   I startd filling her food & water bowls & putting them on the back portal. several neighborhood cats now visit frequently. one -- a skinny white one -- is the most regular.

yesterday I heard loud birdsong. when it stoppd I lookd out to see a large scrub-jay eating dry cat food from Melina's bowl.

Broadway diva

Bernadette Peters has never been to Santa Fe before. last nite she brought her act to the opera. besides performing standards she creatd in "Mack and Mabel" & "Sunday in the Park with George"   she debutd her sultry version of "Fever." she also did a delicious interpretation of "There's Nothing Like a Dame" & brought the audience to its feet with "Rose's Turn."

SFO has a roof but open sides. at one point it began to rain & a startld Bernadette got peltd. "is this snow?" she askd   adding "I thot it was supposd to be dry here." but like the trooper she is she put on a rehearsal sweater over her elegant gown & went on with the show.

the opera is so strict with its non-photography policy I didn't dare bring a camera. but here's a photo with Bernadette taken at Kennedy Center in 1993:

many Marilyns

just when I was feeling really shitty I got quite the pick-me-up from Ray Craig.

there is a story to be told abt this but not just yet.

greed

for years Sandia Shuttle has been picking me up & leaving me off at a motel a short walk from my house on almost monthly trips to the Albuquerque Airport. on the phone today I attemptd to make a reservation for next week. I was informd that they would no longer do this if I wasn’t registerd at the motel. I went to the website. it clearly shows this motel as a pickup location. it says nothing about this being only for visitors.

this seems clearly discriminatory to residents & perhaps illegal. I understand the owners of this service want to make more revenue by having me pay for a taxi – which they also own – to a downtown hotel which they now claim is the ONLY pickup place for locals. I've just written to the mayor & Better Business Bureau. to put it bluntly I'm pissd off.

milestone

yesterday this blog had its 40000th visitor. we're a little more than 2 months away from a third anniversary. I know there are blogs out there that get that many hits a day. but geesh I'm just an old poet. so for me this is big time.

thx to that small band of regulars. you keep me going.

"No End in Sight"

one of the must-see films of the year

change

Ira Joel sent me an e this ayem saying that Julius has already reopend. so let's hope that landmark doesn't share the fate of my comfortable theater district restaurants that were shutterd.

in the same mail James Robert Parish on the other coast informs me that the old Warners Brothers studios are being sold. I haven't set foot there in 30 years. it's been home to KTLA for some time but was where Al Jolson spoke those famous words in "The Jazz Singer." one presumes that even if it becomes condos -- the new Hollywood thing -- that the basic structure will remain.

Julius

it's been years since I walkd thru its ancient door but I still felt sad when I just read on Towleroad that the most famous gay bar in NYC has been closed.

back in my drinking days it was a favorite spot when visiting the Village. locatd at West 10th & Waverly   it was a place one's feet took you to as if on automatic pilot. for abt a 15-year span from the end of the '60s thru the beginning of the '80s I drank my share of rum there & indulgd in what I remember as the best hamburger in Manhattan. I recall watching Edward Albee cruise there & seeing Rollerena skate by. I left the place with a couple of actors who became significant stories in my history.

my favorite Julius tale was unbelievably 30 years ago. it was the big blackout. David Meredith & I were in town for a few days. when the electricity went out the Village became more attractive than ever. I recall passing tiny restaurants which somehow stayd open & were filld with candles. people were friendly & kind & open in a way I've never ever experiencd there. at Julius it was so crowd'd that people took their drinks out into the street. I was sitting on the curb in front of the bar with my rum & coke when the lights came back on. at first all the guys cheerd. then we lookd at each other & groand: our magic time was over.

it's not clear if Julius will go on. one hopes so. but as I slip into antiquity I take nothing for grantd. so many magic times are mere memories now. of course there's a scene in the film of "The Boys in the Band" which will forever preserve how the bar lookd in 1970. one day I may need to see that to bring the details back. but there will always be a spot in my memory where the name of Julius will bring a smile to this old guy.

"I'm not gay"

sd the senator
cheek in
tongue

from the archives

this image is from the 1965 Chestnut Burr. it shows Kent State University student government president Craig Stephens (in chair)with his cabinet. in addition to me are Fritz Aichele & Melody Wordsworth Figurski. I was communications secretary.

over the weekend

the REAL news wasn't the resignation (finally) of Alberto Gonzales but the suicide attempt of Owen Wilson. for those of you who follow my work closely you'll recall he is one of the stars of my Body Parts.

Life is Art

1
to bite
into blue-eye icing
of Montgomery Maxton's cupcake

that's a start

2
you can put anything you want
into yr mouth

tarnishd toy from China

lavender truffle

the whole potlatch

sometimes
it's a choice

3
Heraclitus didn't
catch me
with my speedo down

I droppd it
when I saw
him coming

4
since
all things are in motion
pictures

you buy the popcorn

5-6
in the cosmology of Hollywood
Betty Grable gave Marilyn Monroe
a pedicure

interregnum:
pin up girl     (WW2)
passes crown to
blonde bombshell     (Korean "conflict")

7
what ideation?

I'm just
a poet

8
the Bare Chest Party
is also a potluck

so I chop purple cabbage
for coleslaw

careful
knife doesn't hop

9
Fay Wray
's 100th birthday
is the day
after Mom's 86th

I'll be too busy
on Winckles St
to see "King Kong" again

10a
trumpet vine
in my backyard
in Santa Fe
10b
dug up
in my parents' backyard
in Elyria
10c
from a start
in Aunt Sophie's backyard
in Caledonia

11
"phallic hymn"

don't be redundant

12
'40s
Scott Brady
Kirk Douglas
Farley Granger
Sterling Hayden
William Holden
Alan Ladd
Burt Lancaster
Guy Madison
Victor Mature
Robert Mitchum
George Montgomery
Cornel Wilde

13
I can quote
myself
if I wanna

14
does the Ray Delgarito bracelet
Regina bought me
go with Bob Barnes' hand-me-down shirt

well it does
if I say so

15
how many times
must I strike you
with Jay Parsell's belt?

16
it comes down to this

in the volume of Blum's Screen World
I bought at Marshall Field's in Chicago
in the summer of 1960
there's a full-page photo
of Diane Varsi

she's smiling

17
I shave
my balls
for you
&
that's all
you have
to say

this image shall return

thx Montgomery . . .

overlapping

after watching Marilyn Monroe's first film ("Dangerous Years")I leafd thru some of my Marilyn books. in the Christie's auction tome is a list of MM's library. one of the books was by Grace Paley. when I turnd on the computer & began to surf I discoverd Paley's obit.

"I will swallow him"

I miss Gilda soooooooooooooooo much...

Miss Radachy

we all have a teacher who was important in our development. I've written before abt Martha Radachy. but as I age I honor her more & more. her enthusiasm for art & classical music & poetry went beyond any curriculum. & it was infectious. when I went thru that box of photos a week or so ago I found this one which I took of my sixth grade teacher outside Eastern Heights Junior High School. simply put -- she was one hell of a human being.

Rosalind Russell Is My Aunt

of course she isn't
(rule of blood)
of course she is
(power of choice)

    *     *     *

I / we
learnd to dance
at the Rivoli

    *     *    

Betty Grable was my first poem

I askd George Nader to the prom

    *     *     *

in Hollywood
the dead don't die

an old movie
is a family reunion

    *     *     *

I don't remember
when Jim Kelly
took off his pants
for me

but Kay Francis
drops that towel
eternally

    *     *     *

"how many fricking Hollywood poems are you gonna write?"

"o shut up. James Lydon is on The Movie Channel."

life is a banquet

for gay men of my generation "Auntie Mame" is a canonical film.

I first saw it early in 1959 with my best friend T. R. Queen who was a Patrick Dennis fanatic. the last time I'd seen it was 1993 with my last partner. but like Camille Paglia who has seen it "countless times" I watchd again last nite.

part of its gay allure is its embrace of the outsider but its witty lines & sheer style are considerable elements. some queer theorists read Mame Dennis as an older gay man initiating a younger to the community. (strangely the last time I saw the Lawrence & Lee play Charles Busch playd the lead in drag.)

I also approach it as a cinephile. Rosalind Russell is radiant. her timing is brilliant & she looks smashing in those Orry-Kelly costumes. like every great comedienne she's able to make you laugh one moment & cry the next. & in support there's Forrest Tucker showing off what he's best rememberd for. also one appreciates the care given to the smallest of parts. in the play scene we find Margaret Dumont from the Marx Brothers pictures. & in a party none other than Gloria Holden who was "Dracula's Daughter." also on hand is Sam Harris -- the male equivalent of Bess Flowers. & yes... Cris Alexander who a few years after this movie wd take those glorious photographs for another Patrick Dennis novel Little Me.

it's always a surprise -- & a pleasure -- to come back to a favorite work from one's youth & find it remains vibrant.



at Rosalind Russell's grave (2002)

mystery picture

when Regina was here we went thru a box of family photos. in the past few days I've been making scans of ones she doesn't have.

I pulld this one for myself because it's always intrigu'd me. I presume the lad is me but that's all I know. I suspect it was taken by a street photographer during an outing in Cleveland. I like the composition. I'm not in the center & I'm not looking into the lens. & of course the outfit is simply too too.

Nureyev

in my morning mail James Robert Parish sent an article from the LA Times abt 2 new offerings highlighting the dancer. PBS will soon present a new doc & there's another bio forthcoming.

I saw Nureyev dance twice: in 1971 in Cleveland & in 1980 in NYC. at this remove in time I can't honestly appraise his skill but I do remember the thrill he creatd. there was a moment in Cleveland when we made eye contact. utterly electric.

in the community there was endless chat abt his offstage performances as well. nude photos were bootleggd. his screen portrayal of Valentino was popular for the flesh exposd rather than any thespic triumph. & this moment on "The Muppet Show" became a fave.

in the steam room with a pig

rose of sharon

this trio began life outside the window of my boyhood bedroom. I dug them up & flew them back here because I enjoy having some of Elyria in my backyard. the soil isn't good & my approach to gardening is quite laissez-faire. so the growth of these shrubs has been slow. however I'm delightd to see that 2 of the 3 have blossoms this summer.

Indian Market

the intersection of past & present has always had a strong pull on my imagination. so it was a thrill to observe Victoria Price introduce a master   Mike Bird-Romero   to an exciting young jewelrymaker   Pat Pruitt.

pierogies

channel-chasing before the noon news I happend on the show of ex-con Martha Stewart. her geuest   chef Bill Telepan   was making pierogies.

flashback to my childhood: Grandma Gildzen & my aunts making hundreds of them in the kitchen on Camden Ave in Lorain prior to Xmas dinner. those were stuffd with potato. sometimes with saurkraut. & Mom's favorite -- prune.

over the years I've had them in many places. Ukrainian Restaurant in NYC may have been closest to the family recipe. the spot with the most varities was easily Parma Piergoies -- a favorite of Bill Clinton.

Telepan used beet greens & cheese. & he servd them with harvest beets. lovely looking.

from the archives

at the Bridge of Sighs with the rose mentiond in "Capodanno 1984   Venezia"

surprise visitor from Kent

Henry Walker is in town for a few days

the Chinese do some things right

that CEO who disgracd his country committd suicide.

here Karl Rove simply resignd.

the wild west

during the nite a mountain lion roamd the plaza. eventually it jumpd thru the window of a jewelry shop. a state wildlife officer was able to stun it. the animal was then transportd to a distant region for release.

oldtimers have told me that in the years before development mountain lions lived in Arroyo Chamisa.

the boy who sd no

I didn't sleep with Tony Perkins because at that time I was with my first partner. the same thing happend with Allen Ginsberg. I was still in my 20s & totally vanilla. I'd never heard the word "polyamory" & even if I had cdn't wrap my emotions around it.

there was a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who spent a weekend with us in Twin Lakes. I had no idea he was hitting on me so it came as a major surprise when I heard that he went back to NYC & told everybody that I was a cock tease.

I suspect my memoirs wd be more salable had I tumbld with more celebrities. of course there were bed adventures with stars. maybe some day I'll write abt some of those. but in the faraway nites of my youth it was all abt romance. & if the spark wasn't there there simply was no fire.

leafy circles

one weekend in mar 1971 I met Tony Perkins at a regional theater in Cincinnati. he wantd to sleep with me. I went on to a regional theater in Louisville where I saw Katharine Houghton in a Shaw play. at the time I was doing a series of prose poems which eventually became the book The Origin of Oregano. in one of the pieces   "Weekend"   there's this line: "...I grinned my Tony Perkins grin and you pouted your Katharine Houghton pout."

shortly after that Richard Grossinger wrote "Sex, Outer Space, Ziggy Stardust, and the Revolution." in his essay is the line: "Ziggy has all the mannerisms of the Kinks ("Everbody's a Star"), or the New York poets putting on Hollywood, Warhol's Marilyn, Alex Gildzen's Katharine Houghton."

that all came back to me last nite as I was watching "The Seeds of Evil." this modest horror film from 1975 was one of Katharine Houghton's few starring vehicles. her film career was hit or miss. unfortunately for her the main attraction of the film is her leading man. Joe Dallesandro was never accusd of acting but he had a powerful screen presence. director James H. Kay understood that when he gave Joe few lines of dialog & kept him shirtless thruout. he even has some nude scenes. the camera simply eats him up.

& as these things happen I saw the movie a week after the opera "Daphne." that work ends with the leading lady becoming a tree. at the end of the movie Dallesandro becomes a tree. & in between the dual tree transformations I wrote abt my personal arbophilia.

my governor

what can I say abt Bill Richardson?

he was the only New Mexico politician I'd heard of when I lived in Ohio. I told him so the first time I went to one of his constituents meetings when he was my Congressman. & I was happy to vote for him as governor. sure he's overweight & a bit oily but he seemd to know how to get things done. & he's one of the few candidates running for president who has international problem-solving credentials.

but his campaign has turnd into a disaster. he was so bad on "Meet the Press" I had to turn if off. & on last nite's gay forum he was clearly uncomfortable. when he sd being gay is a choice he was lucky not to be boo'd off the stage.

everyone says Richardson's ego is immense. maybe that's why he's running. I always presumd he was really in the race for the second spot. now I think that may be beyond his grasp. but despite his gaffes I still think he'd make a great Secretary of State.

a confession

it startd when I was a boy. I'm not sure I was a weird child. all children seem weird. but somewhere along the way I became an arbophile. we had some willows that divid'd our property from the neighbor's. I loved climbing those trees. & yes I really did write some of my first poems -- awful wannabe pastoral paeans -- in those trees.

my current love is an apricot tree in the front yard. my architect   Richard Martinez   gave me as a housewarming gift 5 or 6 striplings in pots which he'd grown from pits. the ones I plantd in the back yard all died. but both of those I plantd in front remain 13 years later. Nature did one of its numbers on these trees. they are near each other & have been given the same amount of care but one is much smaller than the other. the larger one now has my affection. I delight in standing beside it while shooting water from the hose up into its branches. it's a simply glorious feeling of being alive.

lunch chez gildzen

the centerpiece was fresh wild caught king salmon filet toppd with Prairie Thyme peach habanero ambrosia bought at Tesuque Pueblo Flea Market.

the vegetable was harvest beets Greek-style. beets & garlic were grown by Stanley Crawford from whom I purchasd them at our farmers market. the 1998 aceto balsamic di Monticello is nearly the last of a prizd bottle purchasd a few years ago in Truth or Consequences.

finally California multiseed flatbread smeard with St. Andre cheese.

nickel & dime

when Regina & I did Canyon Rd we happend into a gallery which had scrumptious work by Johnny Swing. the piece I covedtd was his "Nickel Couch." it's unbelievably comfortable as well as elegant-looking. of course I had to place the Century Dimes on its inviting surface.

more layers

Rufus is such a fan of "Grey Gardens" he wrote a song abt it which includes a clip of Little Edie from the soundtrack.

last nite the maker of that important documentary -- Albert Maysles -- sat not far from me to film the concert. here's a photo I took ( with bad lighting) of the entertainer in his fancy suit & the 81 year-old filmmaker.



Richard Myers introducd me to Maysles the year after "Grey Gardens" was releasd. in those days Dick often brought filmmakers to campus & I'd sneak into those classes to listen.

deja vu

it was august of 1967. the place was the Palace   once the nation's premiere vaudeville house. she came from the back of the theater & walkd down the aisle to the stage. the audience   full of more gay men than must've been on Fire Island that nite   went wild.

it was the only time I saw Judy Garland. she was electrifying.

40 years later. last nite Rufus Wainwright brought his tour to Santa Fe. he only did 3 numbers from his Judy tribute. but his channeling of her was amazing. if you haven't seen this tour I won't spoil his surprise. but if he comes to yr town   get a ticket.

Rufus & Sean

after taking the waters at Ojo Caliente

"Tea"

water
paper
stone

each act of the Tan Dun opera has a different theme with its accompanying sound. in addition to the musicians in the pit there are some on stage who become part of the action. & they perform with clear basins of water   with various kinds of paper   with stones. it's a magical experience.

at the opera

"Platee"

Laurent Pelly makes an enchantd romp of the Rameau. & in the title role -- one of the classic drag parts -- Jean-Paul Fouchecourt is memorable.

how splendid that an opera that premierd in 1745 is still eliciting cheers.

Regina's

here.

so the marathon is
on.

one opera down
("Cosi Fan Tutte" done as a 1950s sitcom)
3 to go.

5 hours sleep last nite.

off to Madrid for the morning...