Larry's chronology opend a floodgate of memories. so I went in search of photos & here's a 1971 polaroid I took at one of my summer parties at Twin Lakes. the couple on top is Jim & Tessa Lowell. the other is Dean & Pat Keller.
10 March 2008
from the archives
Larry's chronology opend a floodgate of memories. so I went in search of photos & here's a 1971 polaroid I took at one of my summer parties at Twin Lakes. the couple on top is Jim & Tessa Lowell. the other is Dean & Pat Keller.
09 March 2008
Gary Herb (1951-2008)
one-third of Gotham
(Gary is on bottom left in this 1976 Roy Blakey portrait)
recipient of one of "45s from the 50s"
08 March 2008
the day after Dad died
I was fetching something from the kitchen pantry. mysteriously a heavy meat platter & another outsize plate were dislodgd from the uppermost shelf & came crashing down on my head. I knew instantly that I was hurt & ran into the bathroom. seeing blood I washd it off but when I lookd back in the mirror I saw it was still gushing. I immediately felt as if I'd be joining my father. but somehow I remaind lucid enuf to press a towel against the rip in my scalp & instruct my frantic mother to call saintly neighbor Lenny D'Agostino. I sat calmly in a chair breathing deeply & keeping the towel tight against the wound. Lenny & his son Tony came in an instant & I was quickly at the same e.r. where Dad had just been.
I was able to "check in" before I lost consciousness. when I came to there was an IV in one arm & another scary tube in the other. someone probd the wound for pottery shards & I was wheeld into a cat scan. after it was determined there was no internal bleeding the wound had to be closd. a numbing lotion was applied to my pate. after a bit the chief e.r. doc instructd someone on where to staple the gash. I wasn't prepard for the pain of the staples going into my skull. after 5 were put in I saw the instrument used -- just like Dad's Black & Decker. finally I was releasd. I was in the hospital for 4 hours. we had to stop at Walgreen's for over-the-counter meds. the pharmacist instructd me -- who disdains pills -- to take 4 Motrin when I got home. "you'll thank me in the morning." he was right: I woke sans headache. but I had only one day to rest before the funeral.
staples in the head don't go all the way down to flesh. so I had a bit of a Frankenstein look. we only had one hour for visitation before going to the cemetery. there was a large crowd who came to pay respects & only one mentiond to me that there was blood on my head. "I know" I told the biddy. "it's nothing."
I was able to "check in" before I lost consciousness. when I came to there was an IV in one arm & another scary tube in the other. someone probd the wound for pottery shards & I was wheeld into a cat scan. after it was determined there was no internal bleeding the wound had to be closd. a numbing lotion was applied to my pate. after a bit the chief e.r. doc instructd someone on where to staple the gash. I wasn't prepard for the pain of the staples going into my skull. after 5 were put in I saw the instrument used -- just like Dad's Black & Decker. finally I was releasd. I was in the hospital for 4 hours. we had to stop at Walgreen's for over-the-counter meds. the pharmacist instructd me -- who disdains pills -- to take 4 Motrin when I got home. "you'll thank me in the morning." he was right: I woke sans headache. but I had only one day to rest before the funeral.
staples in the head don't go all the way down to flesh. so I had a bit of a Frankenstein look. we only had one hour for visitation before going to the cemetery. there was a large crowd who came to pay respects & only one mentiond to me that there was blood on my head. "I know" I told the biddy. "it's nothing."
07 March 2008
Dad
for privacy reasons I haven't spoken the details of Dad's decline here. but the last few years have been heartbreaking for the family.
the final insults to his body took him to Elyria Memorial Hospital's e.r. his needs were such that he was transferd to University Hospital in Cleveland where he receivd excellent care for a week. but it was all too much. after careful deliberation I pickd a nursing home but when I relayd that information to his primary doctor I was informd a hospice was the appropriate choice.
he died on Leap Day.
the final insults to his body took him to Elyria Memorial Hospital's e.r. his needs were such that he was transferd to University Hospital in Cleveland where he receivd excellent care for a week. but it was all too much. after careful deliberation I pickd a nursing home but when I relayd that information to his primary doctor I was informd a hospice was the appropriate choice.
he died on Leap Day.
06 March 2008
17 February 2008
a difficult journey
I leave for Ohio in a bit. Dad undergoes brain surgery. this is a tough time for my family. for all of you who sent good wishes our thanks.
16 February 2008
the fall from grace of Bill Richardson
everyone in New Mexico knows his ego is as big as his waistline. but he's always been popular. however many citizens became disgruntld over the absences requird by his foolhardy run for the presidency.
when the governor returnd he set much too high of an agenda for the legislature who revoltd. when the session came to an end without his pet projects passd he held the kind of arrogant press conference we expect from the current president.
then there's the caucus fiasco which gave the state a black eye. however Richardson continues to support the Democratic boss who supervisd it.
it's no secret Richardson covets either the vice-presidency or the position of Secretary of State. his desire to be on the national stage is so great he has yet to endorse a presidential candidate. of course he wants to go with a winner but isn't sure which one that will be. the irony is that the longer he waits to endorse & campaign the less he'll be worth.
when the governor returnd he set much too high of an agenda for the legislature who revoltd. when the session came to an end without his pet projects passd he held the kind of arrogant press conference we expect from the current president.
then there's the caucus fiasco which gave the state a black eye. however Richardson continues to support the Democratic boss who supervisd it.
it's no secret Richardson covets either the vice-presidency or the position of Secretary of State. his desire to be on the national stage is so great he has yet to endorse a presidential candidate. of course he wants to go with a winner but isn't sure which one that will be. the irony is that the longer he waits to endorse & campaign the less he'll be worth.
15 February 2008
once in a Chicago bookshop
I found a copy of The Year Book with a sticker on it that sd "Alex Gildzen / used poet."
14 February 2008
how embarrassing
not only did it take 9 days to count New Mexico's caucus ballots but -- if you believe the results -- Mrs Clinton won. the only good news is that it was so close she & Obama got abt the same amount of delegates.
I don't smoke but
I always take matchbooks from hotels & restaurants. I find them lovely souvenirs of my travels.
13 February 2008
revisiting "Brideshead Revisited"
2 things happend. I read in the current Vanity Fair that a film version of the Evelyn Waugh work is abt to be releasd. then Towleroad ran this video from the t-v series:
what a flood of memories. first the importance of that long-ago mini-series. & then may 1984. visiting Robert Peters tore out of his notebook a photo he'd taken from the tv screen of the bare butt scene of Anthony Andrews & Jeremy Irons & gave it to me. & then Nancy Birk threw a Brideshead dinner party.
what a flood of memories. first the importance of that long-ago mini-series. & then may 1984. visiting Robert Peters tore out of his notebook a photo he'd taken from the tv screen of the bare butt scene of Anthony Andrews & Jeremy Irons & gave it to me. & then Nancy Birk threw a Brideshead dinner party.
that party was the last time in my life I got drunk. I won't go into the details now but obviously that was for me a momentous event & that it happend in conjunction with that t-v series is full of so many emotions.
12 February 2008
1st recording of "Howl" discoverd
Don Cauble just sent me this from today's The Oregonian. I'm on the run today & can't quite get a link made but it's an easy google to the full story
'Howl' tape gives Reed claim to first
Allen Ginsberg - The beat poet's recording is earlier by a month than a Berkeley reading
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
JEFF BAKER
Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsberg hitchhiked to Portland in the winter of 1956. The two friends were poets, unknown outside the San Francisco area, and were on the front edge of the cultural movement that became known as the Beat Generation.
Snyder, who grew up in Portland and graduated from Reed College, brought Ginsberg to the Southeast Portland campus for a couple of readings. On Feb. 13, 1956, they read to about 20 people in the Anna Mann Cottage, and on Feb. 14, they gave another reading that was recorded on tape.
At both readings, Ginsberg read a version of "Howl," the long poem that made him famous when it was published a few months later.
(it continues...)
'Howl' tape gives Reed claim to first
Allen Ginsberg - The beat poet's recording is earlier by a month than a Berkeley reading
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
JEFF BAKER
Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsberg hitchhiked to Portland in the winter of 1956. The two friends were poets, unknown outside the San Francisco area, and were on the front edge of the cultural movement that became known as the Beat Generation.
Snyder, who grew up in Portland and graduated from Reed College, brought Ginsberg to the Southeast Portland campus for a couple of readings. On Feb. 13, 1956, they read to about 20 people in the Anna Mann Cottage, and on Feb. 14, they gave another reading that was recorded on tape.
At both readings, Ginsberg read a version of "Howl," the long poem that made him famous when it was published a few months later.
(it continues...)
Lacy Bouffant Penis
when
I saw
this in an
e-mail
subject line
I presumd Tom
Beckett
was sending
me a poem
but
alas it
was only spam.
I saw
this in an
subject line
I presumd Tom
Beckett
was sending
me a poem
but
alas it
was only spam.
11 February 2008
laughing stock
yes. New Mexico is still counting Super Tuesday ballots.
the caucus was a disaster. so many more Democrats voted than expectd there weren't enuf ballots. some people wrote their choice on scraps of paper. others were turnd away. state party chief Brian Colon has apologizd but his resignation wd be more appropriate. no one who wants to vote shd ever be turnd away.
unfortunately Mrs Clinton has a slight lead in votes here but I suspect when it's all over the delegate split will be even. except for those pesky superdelegates. that's a party scandal on the national level.
the caucus was a disaster. so many more Democrats voted than expectd there weren't enuf ballots. some people wrote their choice on scraps of paper. others were turnd away. state party chief Brian Colon has apologizd but his resignation wd be more appropriate. no one who wants to vote shd ever be turnd away.
unfortunately Mrs Clinton has a slight lead in votes here but I suspect when it's all over the delegate split will be even. except for those pesky superdelegates. that's a party scandal on the national level.
10 February 2008
09 February 2008
tempus keeps fugiting
in the opening scene of "Bernard and Doris" we see a middle-aged man playing the butler. the credits tell us his name is Peter Asher.
I saw Asher on the stage of the magnificent Akron Civic Theater in the summer of 1965. Dick Clark was touring his "Caravan of Stars." Asher was half of a Brit pop duo calld Peter & Gordon. both he & I were so much younger then.
also on the bill were the popular Shirelles. & Tom Jones swiveld those hips while crooning "What's New Pussycat."
I saw Asher on the stage of the magnificent Akron Civic Theater in the summer of 1965. Dick Clark was touring his "Caravan of Stars." Asher was half of a Brit pop duo calld Peter & Gordon. both he & I were so much younger then.
also on the bill were the popular Shirelles. & Tom Jones swiveld those hips while crooning "What's New Pussycat."
08 February 2008
from the archives
.jpg)
Ira Joel Haber recently uncoverd slides from his 1987 visit in Kent.
(thx Roger for transfering them from slides to computer images)
07 February 2008
house call
even with McAfee protection my computer got a bug so bad it took Computer Medic 3 & a half hours to cure.
06 February 2008
super tuesday
my candidate showd he has national appeal & is able to stand up to the party machine. he's weakest with old women & hispanics. but even in my state -- which has some old women & a whole lot of hispanics -- he's finishing in a virtual tie.
on the other side it was a hoot to see Rev. Huckleberry dominate the south. sure proves the stereotype.
on the other side it was a hoot to see Rev. Huckleberry dominate the south. sure proves the stereotype.
05 February 2008
Jonathan Goodman (1931-2008)
I didn't know the British true crime writer well but my interactions with him were always cordial. he was a friend of Al Borowitz & when the latter's collection came to Kent State in 1990 we did a major exhibition. Jonathan wrote the foreward to the exhibition catalog.
04 February 2008
"simple vocabulary"
my old buddy Tom Beckett posts a rare moment of autobiography. like Tom's poems it's humble while still packing a punch.
& it reminds me of just the opposite. early in my career an editor accusd me of using too much language. for me it's never a conscious choice. I write whatever needs to be written. I can't remember back to my 20s but I suspect when I wrote abt "the octogenarian nizam of Hyderabad" I was as taken by sounds & richness of wordage as by anything else.
& the 3 people who read me closely are aware that in the 45 years my poems have been popping up in print I'm as capable of low cal lines as language slumgullion.
& it reminds me of just the opposite. early in my career an editor accusd me of using too much language. for me it's never a conscious choice. I write whatever needs to be written. I can't remember back to my 20s but I suspect when I wrote abt "the octogenarian nizam of Hyderabad" I was as taken by sounds & richness of wordage as by anything else.
& the 3 people who read me closely are aware that in the 45 years my poems have been popping up in print I'm as capable of low cal lines as language slumgullion.
03 February 2008
Miss Ohio of 1956
the comment on my last entry had me wondering what became of Roberta Palmer. all I rememberd was that the East Cleveland native had done p.r. for the local tv series "The Ohio Story" & appeard in the columns of the day for a romance with singer Tommy Leonetti.
what a surprise to discover that she married singer Frank Porretta -- perhaps best known for the 1970 film of "Song of Norway." they had 5 children including Matthew Porretta who playd Will Scarlet in "Robin Hood: Men in Tights."
unfortunately she died last summer.
02 February 2008
on the hustings
I was 13 when I took this of veep candidate Estes Kefauver stumping at Euclid Beach Park.
while at Northwestern in summer of 1960 I photographd then veep Richard Nixon & family as they arrivd in Chicago for the Republican National Convention. in those distant days candidates drove around in open cars.
in the fall of that year I stood beside Jerry Haff as he took this of JFK riding thru Elyria.
this picture of Julie Brent shivering in line yesterday is on the front page of this morning's New Mexican. that green blob on the right is my back.
& if you look at this video I'm in that crowd. you won't be able to pick me out but I see myself clearly.
Obama
the feeling was somewhere between rock concert & tent revival meeting.
capacity at the community college gym was supposd to be 3000. somehow 3600 were shoehornd in. another 2000 remaind in the cold to listen to him on loudspeakers outside. I got there early & waitd near the front of the half-mile line for 2 hours but got a comfortable aisle seat.
when the candidate emergd the air was electric. Obama is centerd & clear & direct. he wants to change the mindset of the country & he needs our help. he wants to restore the dignity of a country the world disdains. he wants to bring battling factions together. he feels we are at a moment in history & invites us to join him in it.
after 7 years of greed & malfeasance from a pathetic administration one aches for a leader who inspires. I don't see that in the crankiness of old man McCain or the slick posings of Romney. I don't see that in the manufacturd product that is Mrs. Clinton.
capacity at the community college gym was supposd to be 3000. somehow 3600 were shoehornd in. another 2000 remaind in the cold to listen to him on loudspeakers outside. I got there early & waitd near the front of the half-mile line for 2 hours but got a comfortable aisle seat.
when the candidate emergd the air was electric. Obama is centerd & clear & direct. he wants to change the mindset of the country & he needs our help. he wants to restore the dignity of a country the world disdains. he wants to bring battling factions together. he feels we are at a moment in history & invites us to join him in it.
after 7 years of greed & malfeasance from a pathetic administration one aches for a leader who inspires. I don't see that in the crankiness of old man McCain or the slick posings of Romney. I don't see that in the manufacturd product that is Mrs. Clinton.
01 February 2008
new chapbook
Bree is to Cleveland today what d.a. levy was 2 generations ago. she's a poet/artist who makes by hand chapbooks of the writers she likes. I'm honord to be joining that group.
the 9 poems in this little collection are of recent vintage & on the raw side (except Jean for a tender poem abt my late cat Melina).
cost of book & shipping is $6. Bree sez:
send check/money order/credit card number to
Green Panda Press
3174 Berkshire Rd.
Cleveland Heights
Ohio === 44118
or inquiry via email:greenpandapress@yahoo.com
the 9 poems in this little collection are of recent vintage & on the raw side (except Jean for a tender poem abt my late cat Melina).
cost of book & shipping is $6. Bree sez:
send check/money order/credit card number to
Green Panda Press
3174 Berkshire Rd.
Cleveland Heights
Ohio === 44118
or inquiry via email:greenpandapress@yahoo.com
31 January 2008
my papers
if seeing my life unfold in M.A.G.'s Gildzen edition wasn't enuf later I stumbld across an entry for my papers at Kent State University Libraries. I knew this was going to happen but didn't know when.
before the move to New Mexico I left the bulk of my manuscripts & correspondence at Kent. this catalog reflects the 38 boxes of catalogd materials. in addition there are many boxes which I'm sure haven't been touchd since my departure including a full box each of letters from Ira Joel Haber & the late Richard Martin.
I'm pleasd that these materials are safe & available for study.
before the move to New Mexico I left the bulk of my manuscripts & correspondence at Kent. this catalog reflects the 38 boxes of catalogd materials. in addition there are many boxes which I'm sure haven't been touchd since my departure including a full box each of letters from Ira Joel Haber & the late Richard Martin.
I'm pleasd that these materials are safe & available for study.
back from oblivion
several years ago August Highland ran a special edition of Muse Apprentice Guild to honor me for becoming old. at one point it disappeard. but just now I discoverd that it's back in the ethers.
30 January 2008
unhappy news
just as some of the more strident presidential candidates are dropping out there's new indication Ralph Nader may jump in. what kind of ego propels a person to be so stupid? any good reputation he may have had early in life has been destroyd by his last role as spoiler. does he learn nothing from history?
29 January 2008
28 January 2008
27 January 2008
26 January 2008
2 saturdays / 2 tall men
a week ago I saw Kevin Aviance shopping at Parliament House. it was easy to see he walks with a limp from his broken leg. however several hours later he put on a costume & make-up & attackd the stage with such determination you don't notice his limp at all. he gives an outrageous performance.
tonite Ian Bostridge sang Schubert lieder with the kind of exhiliration I don't expect to experience again. he is a master of art song. he gives a physically quiet but vocally powerful performance.
tonite Ian Bostridge sang Schubert lieder with the kind of exhiliration I don't expect to experience again. he is a master of art song. he gives a physically quiet but vocally powerful performance.
25 January 2008
the group
these are the guys with whom I dine every tuesday nite. the one on the far right is Greg Teakle who died yesterday.
24 January 2008
23 January 2008
boys nite out
every tuesday nite I meet up with a group of men for dinner. it's something to which I've come to look forward.
yesterday I was in a precarious emotional state over the death of Heath Ledger. his single performance in "Brokeback Mountain" will live as long as anything on celluloid. so I felt being with the guys wd be helpful. then I learnd that one of the group sufferd a massive heart attack followd by a stroke.
yesterday I was in a precarious emotional state over the death of Heath Ledger. his single performance in "Brokeback Mountain" will live as long as anything on celluloid. so I felt being with the guys wd be helpful. then I learnd that one of the group sufferd a massive heart attack followd by a stroke.
22 January 2008
the trip
I went to Florida to see my friend Nancy at her new home in The Villages. we had a fine time talking talking talking.
on one overcast day we went driving & end'd up in Tarpon Springs the Greek community which was once famous for its sponges. I remember as a boy seeing Robert Wagner as a Greek sponge diver in "Beaneth the 12 Mile Reef." location scenes for the movie were shot in Tarpon Springs. we had a sumptious lunch of saganaki & scordalia & grouper. I bought neighbor Rita a small sponge & posed with it at the statue of the diver.
because I'd never been to that part of the state I tackd on a few resort days in Orlando. I simply wasn't ready for such harsh weather.
on one overcast day we went driving & end'd up in Tarpon Springs the Greek community which was once famous for its sponges. I remember as a boy seeing Robert Wagner as a Greek sponge diver in "Beaneth the 12 Mile Reef." location scenes for the movie were shot in Tarpon Springs. we had a sumptious lunch of saganaki & scordalia & grouper. I bought neighbor Rita a small sponge & posed with it at the statue of the diver.
because I'd never been to that part of the state I tackd on a few resort days in Orlando. I simply wasn't ready for such harsh weather.
21 January 2008
no need for sunglasses
one doesn't expect to spend nearly a week in Florida & have to cope with such miserable weather. everything from cold rain to a tornado watch. yesterday's high in Orlando was 45.
more on the trip after I get caught up...
more on the trip after I get caught up...
15 January 2008
14 January 2008
13 January 2008
so
Mamie Van Doren's wine never touches my lips. will that make Eileen Tabios laugh or cry? I get these thots while waiting for the farfalle to approach al dente. that's what my life's become. meatballs stewing while Medicare kicks in. I pick up an old book: Kenneth Patchen dead at 60. did I write that? yup. I've been putting those black boxes on everything I write. too old to change. I have no mozzarella. maybe blueberry juice instead of Mamietage. if I can keep tomato sauce off my gray turtleneck I'll write to Jim Cory. if I'm still alive tonite I'll watch the western John Ericson made a year or so ago. yes. I eat mucho pasta.
12 January 2008
"Raging Bull" on ice
obituaries of Christopher Bowman noted that he weighd in at 300 pounds when he died.
if you're too young to remember him at his peak 20 years ago then this isn't shocking. but I knew him as an attractive slender young man. I saw him skate several times -- both in competition (World's in Cincinnati in 1987) & on tour. he was as dazzling as any man who ever laced up a pair of skates.
I also have a quick personal memory. in 1991 I arrivd at Richfield Coliseum early. as I was walking around I got a backstage peek at several of the performers having some fun. Bowman was playing table tennis with Tonya Harding Brian Orser & Todd Eldridge. they were all giggling.
in the past few years rumors abt Bowman's drug use quietd down only because no one spoke of him any more. he seemd to have disappeard & as so often happens with celebrities he was forgotten. his death in a cheap motel brought him back into the headlines.
all day yesterday I was depressd thinking abt his inability to deal with his demons. those sad last photos of the bloatd man he became are disturbing. but I will try to always remember him as a brash beauty catapulting thru air with a devilish smile on his face.
if you're too young to remember him at his peak 20 years ago then this isn't shocking. but I knew him as an attractive slender young man. I saw him skate several times -- both in competition (World's in Cincinnati in 1987) & on tour. he was as dazzling as any man who ever laced up a pair of skates.
I also have a quick personal memory. in 1991 I arrivd at Richfield Coliseum early. as I was walking around I got a backstage peek at several of the performers having some fun. Bowman was playing table tennis with Tonya Harding Brian Orser & Todd Eldridge. they were all giggling.
in the past few years rumors abt Bowman's drug use quietd down only because no one spoke of him any more. he seemd to have disappeard & as so often happens with celebrities he was forgotten. his death in a cheap motel brought him back into the headlines.
all day yesterday I was depressd thinking abt his inability to deal with his demons. those sad last photos of the bloatd man he became are disturbing. but I will try to always remember him as a brash beauty catapulting thru air with a devilish smile on his face.
11 January 2008
in today's paper
Pasatiempo is our local newspaper's "weekly magazine of arts, entertainment & culture." Robert Nott -- biographer of John Garfield & Betty Hutton -- has a column. in today's he recounts my meeting with Mamie. it's a bit difficult to read the print in a scan so I didn't copy the article part.
10 January 2008
Johnny Grant (1923-2008)
my friend Billy took this picture at the Hollywood Roosevelt exactly a year ago
09 January 2008
& the Oscar goes to
Hillary Clinton.
needing women voters to win Mrs C stages an Oprah moment for the cameras & granite shatters.
if she's yesterday's big winner the big loser is the pollsters who haven't screwd up this badly since they gave the presidency to Dewey.
needing women voters to win Mrs C stages an Oprah moment for the cameras & granite shatters.
if she's yesterday's big winner the big loser is the pollsters who haven't screwd up this badly since they gave the presidency to Dewey.
08 January 2008
reading
Mollie Andrews' Mi Familia I encounterd this sentence: "Soon after he came to Pena Blanca, Father Chavez and George Rivera from Sile removed the pitched roof of wood shake shingles from the Ohio-looking church in Pena Blanca and gave it a Spanish territorial appearance."
I lived the largest part of my life in Ohio. I was never aware there was an Ohio look in architecture. & as hard as I try now to visualize such I have no idea what an "Ohio-looking" building looks like. I remain quite amazd at this description.
I lived the largest part of my life in Ohio. I was never aware there was an Ohio look in architecture. & as hard as I try now to visualize such I have no idea what an "Ohio-looking" building looks like. I remain quite amazd at this description.
07 January 2008
presidential history
the debates & primary coverage brought to mind my first visit to Washington DC. it was the summer I was 13 & while there with my parents we saw Edith Bolling Galt Wilson lay a wreath on the statue of Rochambeau in Lafayette Square. she was the first of 8 First Ladies I've seen.
over the decades I've also seen 8 presidents -- altho not always ones wed to the same First Ladies.
over the decades I've also seen 8 presidents -- altho not always ones wed to the same First Ladies.
06 January 2008
05 January 2008
depending on technology
yesterday I had no e-mail for a spell.
last nite my satellite tv went out.
I woke to no internet.
it's frustrating when these things on which we depend suddenly are gone. at least I'm back online & in a while will see if I can watch a movie.
last nite my satellite tv went out.
I woke to no internet.
it's frustrating when these things on which we depend suddenly are gone. at least I'm back online & in a while will see if I can watch a movie.
04 January 2008
e-mail woes
I have no idea how the internet works.
there have been times when my e-mail service has been down for one reason or another. abt an hour ago I found I was unable to even retrieve Microsoft Outlook. when I click on the icon nothing happens. this is a first. & of course frustrating.
there have been times when my e-mail service has been down for one reason or another. abt an hour ago I found I was unable to even retrieve Microsoft Outlook. when I click on the icon nothing happens. this is a first. & of course frustrating.
03 January 2008
in politics
the Iowa caucuses are the Golden Globes.
so what if Rev. Huckabee won.
anyone remember Pia Zadora?
so what if Rev. Huckabee won.
anyone remember Pia Zadora?
progess
not long after Melina's death I began to fill her food bowl & leave it on the back portal. in the year plus abt a half dozen felines have been stopping back to sample treats. the only one with whom I seem to be able to communicate is Jonathan who lives nearby. altho skittish for some time he finally trustd me enough to come to the glass door & peer in when the bowl was empty. he now tolerates my coming out to refill the bowl while he crouches a short distance away.
however today when he requestd a fill-up I went out & he came to the bowl immediately after I put out food. so I slowly put out my hand & for the first time was able to pet him.
however today when he requestd a fill-up I went out & he came to the bowl immediately after I put out food. so I slowly put out my hand & for the first time was able to pet him.
02 January 2008
movie bliss
international news was so bleak on New Year's Day that I was happy to put on a PRC potboiler to accompany my chocolate & green tea. the movie was "Lady from Chungking." definitely minor. however the stars were 2 of my faves -- Anna May Wong & Mae Clarke.
01 January 2008
31 December 2007
30 December 2007
bad blonde
my addiction to movie star bios began early. I stard buying them in my pre-teen years & still have some of those first volumes in my library.
this afternoon I finishd reading one of the most disturbing stories of anyone who ever made a film. John O'Dowd's Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is the sad tale of Barbara Payton.
she was neither the most beautiful nor the most talentd starlet in Hollywood history but she was glamorous & she appeard in a few films still marketd on DVD. & her story is so tragic that it makes for riveting reading. in the '50s Payton's incandescence lit up the Sunset Strip. at one time or another she was the mistress of Bob Hope the wife of Franchot Tone the plaything of Guy Madison. a mere decade later she gave $5 blowjobs in an alley to support her booze habit.
this afternoon I finishd reading one of the most disturbing stories of anyone who ever made a film. John O'Dowd's Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is the sad tale of Barbara Payton.
she was neither the most beautiful nor the most talentd starlet in Hollywood history but she was glamorous & she appeard in a few films still marketd on DVD. & her story is so tragic that it makes for riveting reading. in the '50s Payton's incandescence lit up the Sunset Strip. at one time or another she was the mistress of Bob Hope the wife of Franchot Tone the plaything of Guy Madison. a mere decade later she gave $5 blowjobs in an alley to support her booze habit.
29 December 2007
28 December 2007
looking back
for many years my mother collectd autographs. when I retired from Kent State University she gave her collection to the library basically as a thank you for having given me a job all those years. a decade ago Special Collections put on a major exhibition of her collection. this is the case for "Politics/Diplomacy." among the signatures on display was that of Benazir Bhutto.
27 December 2007
26 December 2007
unlike my father
I have little kinship with tools. so today's achievement -- minor as it was -- looms a bit larger for me.
the faucet in the guest bathroom has been squirting water where water shdn't be. this morning I finally got so upset with it that I uncoverd my pliers & got the nozzle off. it was suffering from corrosion. so I undid it & put the parts in vinegar. I brushd but that did little. then I rememberd that I'd saved an old faucet for parts. now that alone is odd for me to have done. so I unscrewd that nozzle & put it in vinegar. when I came home from the gym I took the clean screen from the old nozzle & cobbld it onto the other & replacd the parts. so it now works.
the faucet in the guest bathroom has been squirting water where water shdn't be. this morning I finally got so upset with it that I uncoverd my pliers & got the nozzle off. it was suffering from corrosion. so I undid it & put the parts in vinegar. I brushd but that did little. then I rememberd that I'd saved an old faucet for parts. now that alone is odd for me to have done. so I unscrewd that nozzle & put it in vinegar. when I came home from the gym I took the clean screen from the old nozzle & cobbld it onto the other & replacd the parts. so it now works.
25 December 2007
in their Xmas card
Karen & John Ericson sent along a picture of their new puppy. the dog's name is Spencer -- in honor of John's co-star in "Bad Day at Black Rock." however this Spencer is a she.
24 December 2007
a kiss from bee-stung lips
one of the great things abt the internet is its ability to act as a party host. over the years I've been intro'd to many dear friends via chatrooms & message boards & blogs. this past year brought Montgomery Maxton into my life.currently he mentions me on his blog in connection with my longtime affair with the flickers. strange that he'd bring back to mind Clara Bow. just a month ago in Culver City I walkd past the house where she died.
baby it's cold outside
walking to the gym this ayem was a bitch. only 21. even in gloves my digits were numb.
23 December 2007
the Kovach creche
for decades my cousin Sal has transformd his livingroom in Lorain into a nativity scene which draws hundreds of visitors. it began with his grandfather's original set of figures brought from Italy years ago. every year Sal purchases new Fontanini figurines to add -- often in memory of a friend or family member who died.this picture of Mom & I with Sal was taken in 1988 & shows what I think was the original scene which is set up inside.
the other picture was taken outside looking thru the livingroom window into the larger scene in 1991. with Sal is artist Ira Joel Haber.
22 December 2007
attend the tale
it's no secret that when it comes to Sondheim I'm daft. nor that I consider "Sweeney Todd" to be his masterpiece. since Harold Prince's monumental original staging I've seen some 5 or 6 productions including the chilling performance of Brian Stokes Mitchell at Kennedy Center & real life husband & wife George Ball & Amanda McBroom on the west coast. I always find something new in the work.
when I heard it was to become a film I had a Mylanta moment. Broadway rarely survives the transition to cinema. & this is a complex & difficult piece. directors & cast members were in flux. finally that amazing team of Tim Burton -- who I consider an important filmmaker -- & Johnny Depp -- easily the best film actor of his generation -- were in place. but still they were going to muck abt with a classic.
my initial viewing of the motion picture gave me mixd feelings abt almost every aspect. let's start with the cast. picking nonsingers was a risk that doesn't work. Depp has some powerful moments. he acts the part well. but having heard so many wonderful singers in the role it's difficult to fully embrace his Sweeney. the part was written for a baritone. Depp sings it as a tenor. this is a major flaw. the original range supports the gravity of the character. when Depp's voice slides off in those glorious arias the performance stumbles.
what can I say abt Helena Bonham Carter. we all have people whose physicality repulses us. I don't like looking at her. that monobrow & pinch of a face. I'd have trouble casting her in anything. maybe one of Oz's flying monkeys. at one time Imedela Staunton was set to play Mrs. Lovett & I was so looking forward to that. but Burton chose his mistress instead & I was immediately disappointd. however I must say that when she actd HBC was better than I was expecting. that sd her inability to vocalize destroys what cd've been a major performance.
I cd write much more but I'm still digesting. it wasn't a horrid experience at all. it was better than many directors cd've pulld off but it wasn't as good as it deserves to be.
when I heard it was to become a film I had a Mylanta moment. Broadway rarely survives the transition to cinema. & this is a complex & difficult piece. directors & cast members were in flux. finally that amazing team of Tim Burton -- who I consider an important filmmaker -- & Johnny Depp -- easily the best film actor of his generation -- were in place. but still they were going to muck abt with a classic.
my initial viewing of the motion picture gave me mixd feelings abt almost every aspect. let's start with the cast. picking nonsingers was a risk that doesn't work. Depp has some powerful moments. he acts the part well. but having heard so many wonderful singers in the role it's difficult to fully embrace his Sweeney. the part was written for a baritone. Depp sings it as a tenor. this is a major flaw. the original range supports the gravity of the character. when Depp's voice slides off in those glorious arias the performance stumbles.
what can I say abt Helena Bonham Carter. we all have people whose physicality repulses us. I don't like looking at her. that monobrow & pinch of a face. I'd have trouble casting her in anything. maybe one of Oz's flying monkeys. at one time Imedela Staunton was set to play Mrs. Lovett & I was so looking forward to that. but Burton chose his mistress instead & I was immediately disappointd. however I must say that when she actd HBC was better than I was expecting. that sd her inability to vocalize destroys what cd've been a major performance.
I cd write much more but I'm still digesting. it wasn't a horrid experience at all. it was better than many directors cd've pulld off but it wasn't as good as it deserves to be.
21 December 2007
Rudy & Pola
I no longer remember when or where I acquird my Pola Negri tin. clearly from the '20s the can probably held candy. I do remember being astonishd to find an identical one in a case at London's Museum of the Moving Image in 1989. mine currently resides on the bottom shelf of the nicho in my guest bathroom. inside are clippings abt it & similar ones of other silent era stars including Valentino.
so when I opend Mary Ann's generous gift I knew that the ashtray had to come from the same manufacturer because the Valentino portrait was identical to the one on his tin.
Rudy & Pola never made a film together but the press suggestd they were "dating" shortly before his death. after he was safely gone Pola claimd an engagement. she gave perhaps the most memorable performance of her life collapasing at his funeral. so it seems appropriate for me to exhibit her can alongside his butt tray.
20 December 2007
lovely surprise
in today's mail was a package from Mary Ann Begland. she sent me a Rudolph Valentino ashtray which had been in her family since the '20s.
I'm thrilld. . .
I'm thrilld. . .
19 December 2007
early in her career
Mamie had a bit in "His Kind of Woman." leading lady in that film was Jane Russell.
the day before the party I went to "Palm Springs Follies." this long-running show features a chorus of both men & women who are at least 50. currently the oldest is 84. the producer is an egotist who insists on "performing" as emcee. oy. & the show has a not-so-hidden right-wing agenda. but one of the current chorus members is Leonard Crofoot who I remember as a young Broadway star. so I went for the 1st 2 acts (exiting before the flag-waving finale).
just as the show was abt to begin an attractive older lady came down the aisle to her seat. it was Jane Russell. when the lights came up at intermission no one seemd to recognize her. so I went up to her to tell her she'd always been one of my favorites. we shook hands & I returnd to my seat.
the day before the party I went to "Palm Springs Follies." this long-running show features a chorus of both men & women who are at least 50. currently the oldest is 84. the producer is an egotist who insists on "performing" as emcee. oy. & the show has a not-so-hidden right-wing agenda. but one of the current chorus members is Leonard Crofoot who I remember as a young Broadway star. so I went for the 1st 2 acts (exiting before the flag-waving finale).
just as the show was abt to begin an attractive older lady came down the aisle to her seat. it was Jane Russell. when the lights came up at intermission no one seemd to recognize her. so I went up to her to tell her she'd always been one of my favorites. we shook hands & I returnd to my seat.
18 December 2007
more party
Kimberly intro'd me to her artist friend Mandad at a book launch at Viceroy on my first nite in town. we had a great chat.
then at the Kabler party I saw him again & met his wife. this time he playd with the Century Dimes for me.
BTW the vintage chair we share is fun but one is so scrunchd that I resemble Quasimodo.
party time
I've heard abt Leisureland for some time. so when Kimberly Nichols invitd me to a party there I got plane tix.
Jamie Kabler is a Palm Springs legend who throws parties which have become part of the lore of that town. I'll reveal the reason for this one in a bit but for now soak up the atmosphere of the place.
I took this of Kimberly in the Valley of the Dolls bedroom:
Jamie Kabler is a Palm Springs legend who throws parties which have become part of the lore of that town. I'll reveal the reason for this one in a bit but for now soak up the atmosphere of the place.
I took this of Kimberly in the Valley of the Dolls bedroom:
17 December 2007
13 December 2007
12 December 2007
how difficult can it be
abt a week & a half ago I put in a request for a higher internet speed. I was supposd to get the bump-up yesterday morning.
I'm still waiting...
I'm still waiting...
11 December 2007
if you like Angie Dickinson
grab the current Vanity Fair. it includes a swell article abt her by Sam Kashner. the only disappointment is that the editors didn't put the leggy lady on the cover.
"Godfather of Disco"
just learnd of the death of Mel Cheren.
in the fall of 2003 I gave my first NYC reading at Bowery Poetry Club. when it was over the emotion was so strong I slowly walkd back to Chelsea where I was staying at Colonial House. too excitd to sleep I went to the lobby & there was the inn's famous owner. our conversation began with the renovations being done to the place & went on to the art world. unfortunately we never got to stories of Paradise Garage but apparently those have been documentd in both a book & film.
in the fall of 2003 I gave my first NYC reading at Bowery Poetry Club. when it was over the emotion was so strong I slowly walkd back to Chelsea where I was staying at Colonial House. too excitd to sleep I went to the lobby & there was the inn's famous owner. our conversation began with the renovations being done to the place & went on to the art world. unfortunately we never got to stories of Paradise Garage but apparently those have been documentd in both a book & film.
10 December 2007
from the archives
some years ago I capturd the reunion of Marie Windsor & Dennis Hopper who once playd Josephine & Napoleon on screen
09 December 2007
08 December 2007
07 December 2007
06 December 2007
weird
in my dream I was at a Lena Horne concert. suddenly a gunman chargd in & began slaughtering people with an asssault rifle. I woke immediately. in that peculiar half-awake half-asleep state I kept telling myself that I must write abt this in my blog.
05 December 2007
double rainbow
my Texas penpal was one of the first to purchase the Rufus Wainwright cover of the Judy Garland concert. here's what he wrote me this ayem:
So I went home and downloaded the double album into my iTunes...BUT...get this....I already had the original Judy double cd in the playlist - so I meticulously organized each Judy song to be followed by each Rufus version....so you hear Judy doing "Swanee" followed immediately by Rufus doing "Swanee". Well...let me tell you...60 songs later in a row and I got teary eyed. To hear both versions of each like that together was AMAZING.
So I went home and downloaded the double album into my iTunes...BUT...get this....I already had the original Judy double cd in the playlist - so I meticulously organized each Judy song to be followed by each Rufus version....so you hear Judy doing "Swanee" followed immediately by Rufus doing "Swanee". Well...let me tell you...60 songs later in a row and I got teary eyed. To hear both versions of each like that together was AMAZING.
04 December 2007
I've seen
"The Wizard of Oz" more than any other film. I don't have enuf years left to see "Tin Man" with the same frequency. & I doubt I wd even if I did. but I'm glad I experiencd it. Cumming is superb. Zooey Deschanel has a lovely quality. she does something with her mouth that's beguiling. & I like her voice. Kathleen Robertson has a look which cd attract a cult following. Andrew Francis is a young actor to watch.
03 December 2007
memorial
Brinsley Tyrrell just calld to say that Spaces in Cleveland will celebrate Lil on the 15th. I'll be in California then but will pause on that saturday to remember her. & I urge my Ohio friends to attend.
02 December 2007
"Tin Man"
less than 2 weeks after seeing the Munchkins in Hollywood & only 24 hours after seeing Alan Cumming & Raoul Trujillo on stage in town I caught the opening installment of this imaginative re-envisioning of "The Wizard of Oz." altho it held my interest I'm not certain I'll be able to remain attentive for 4 more hours of it.
01 December 2007
a day with Alan Cumming
actor. director. writer. wit. activist. this Scot is all of these.
the day began with a SAG colloquium on the College of Santa Fe campus. despite some inane questions Cumming was a total delight. he sd he began to act as a child alone in the woods. later a traveling troup came to his school & it was then he knew what he wantd to do.
he disdains much of the preparation other actors go thru claiming acting is easy. altho he seems to have a great time he did admit to being exhaustd playing Hamlet on stage & didn't at all enjoy the filming of "Titus" even tho he thinks the finishd work is good.
next came a Santa Fe Film Festival screening of his most recent film "Suffering Man's Charity" in which he directs himself. it's as dark as comedy gets. & once again he was completely open in the question period which followd.
finally legendary casting director Lynn Stalmaster presentd Cumming with the festival's Maverick Award at a ceremony at the Lensic which brought out the town's big show biz guns: Shirley MacLaine Alan Arkin Ali MacGraw Wes Studi Aviva.
30 November 2007
"Fall Flow"
for years my friend & library mentor Dean Keller has been printing broadsides on a Chandler & Price press in his basement. he has done poems by Cid Corman Jack Matthews Jean-Claude van Itallie James Broughton Richard Blevins John Perreault William Bronk Marc Harshman Kent Taylor as well as two of mine. & in 1981 I was allowd to use his press to print my Ira Joel Haber-designd bookplate.
his type was Bodoni formerly from Commercial Press in downtown Kent. but he just purchasd some Bewick Roman from a type foundry in Illinois. I'm proud to announce that this is the first poetry broadside he's printd with the type Will Bradley designd in 1905:
his type was Bodoni formerly from Commercial Press in downtown Kent. but he just purchasd some Bewick Roman from a type foundry in Illinois. I'm proud to announce that this is the first poetry broadside he's printd with the type Will Bradley designd in 1905:
let us join hands & insult world religions
the historic cruelty of religions continues. now Islamic wingnuts want to execute a teacher who allowd her students to name a teddy bear Mohammed.
some mornings....
some mornings....
29 November 2007
Lil
the last gift she gave me was in july. I spent a short time in Kent before going on to see my parents in Elyria. my friend Alfred had a little party for me. Lil had a blood transfusion that afternoon but still arrivd at the gathering. she had some difficulty managing the stairs but once on the porch was a charming conversationalist. I remember her laugh. when she left she again had some trouble with the stairs & once in the driveway nearly collapsd. but her husband Brinsley held her lovingly the whole way & she didn't fall. I huggd her goodbye so grateful that she'd come to see me. after they drove off I sat on the stairs & cried before returning to the party.
this short video offers only a glimpse of our last visit but I'm so happy I took it:
this short video offers only a glimpse of our last visit but I'm so happy I took it:
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