chatting with Juanita Moore for the first time in 51 years
Tony Curtis & friend
26 April 2010
at a certain age
one must ignore birthdays or make them stunning. I vacilate between the two positions. but when I learnd Turner Classic Movies was throwing a film festival during the time of my natal day I made the decision to celebrate this time around.
headquarters for the festival was the Hollywood Roosevelt. altho I've visitd many times over the decades I hadn't been in residence there in 35 years. so that was a treat.
& the festival itself was one of the best. its host was the channel's gentlemanly interlocutor Robert Osborne.
headquarters for the festival was the Hollywood Roosevelt. altho I've visitd many times over the decades I hadn't been in residence there in 35 years. so that was a treat.
& the festival itself was one of the best. its host was the channel's gentlemanly interlocutor Robert Osborne.
25 April 2010
"Ghosts of the Roosevelt"
woke on my 67th birthday
at Hollywood Roosevelt
where the mirror Marilyn haunts
is in storage
the day I checkd in
I passd Montgomery Clift's room
but didn't hear his bugle
later I peekd into the bar
where Victor Killian had too many
the nite he was murderd
the ghosts here are many
Johnny Grant lived & died here
& Todd Moore was a guest
Elizabeth Short walkd thru the lobby
where elderly Mack Sennett
sat alone for hours
John Carlyle workd the front desk
& Eleanor Powell told tales
to a dinner of cinephiles
in the Blossom Room
I sit in the lobby
listening to water bubble up
in the fountain
wondering how soon
I too will be a ghost
at Hollywood Roosevelt
where the mirror Marilyn haunts
is in storage
the day I checkd in
I passd Montgomery Clift's room
but didn't hear his bugle
later I peekd into the bar
where Victor Killian had too many
the nite he was murderd
the ghosts here are many
Johnny Grant lived & died here
& Todd Moore was a guest
Elizabeth Short walkd thru the lobby
where elderly Mack Sennett
sat alone for hours
John Carlyle workd the front desk
& Eleanor Powell told tales
to a dinner of cinephiles
in the Blossom Room
I sit in the lobby
listening to water bubble up
in the fountain
wondering how soon
I too will be a ghost
21 April 2010
20 April 2010
420
sometimes I'm so out of it...
I cdn't understand why some folks on Facebook were celebrating today. I had to look up 420 & learn abt the Waldos in the early '70s & the time of their meetings at the Pasteur statue.
o sure I smoked pot back in the day but as a non-smoker I found it unpleasant. I never really got high because it was just too difficult to hold that smoke down in my lungs. I did try hash brownies a couple of times & found that experience quite blissful.
I cdn't understand why some folks on Facebook were celebrating today. I had to look up 420 & learn abt the Waldos in the early '70s & the time of their meetings at the Pasteur statue.
o sure I smoked pot back in the day but as a non-smoker I found it unpleasant. I never really got high because it was just too difficult to hold that smoke down in my lungs. I did try hash brownies a couple of times & found that experience quite blissful.
19 April 2010
Allen Swift (1924-2010)
altho I saw him in an O'Neill play Swift was best known as a voice actor. he gave voice to everyone from Eisenhower to Popeye -- even Santa Claus.
but he had a special moment in tv history. he was the voice of Mr. Bluster & other characters on "The Howdy Doody Show." & for abt a year he actually was Howdy's voice.
Swift's son is actor Lewis J. Stadlen.
here's a famous cartoon for which Swift did all the voices:
but he had a special moment in tv history. he was the voice of Mr. Bluster & other characters on "The Howdy Doody Show." & for abt a year he actually was Howdy's voice.
Swift's son is actor Lewis J. Stadlen.
here's a famous cartoon for which Swift did all the voices:
18 April 2010
weeding
is an activity which bores me so I don't do it with frequency.
but thinking is an activity which often riles me so that I need a replacement.
so for a short time today I crouchd in gravel to pick weeds from the drive. I tried to empty my mind while dirt collectd under my nails. it didn't last long.
but thinking is an activity which often riles me so that I need a replacement.
so for a short time today I crouchd in gravel to pick weeds from the drive. I tried to empty my mind while dirt collectd under my nails. it didn't last long.
17 April 2010
16 April 2010
Joan Woodbury (1915-1989)
she was one of those minor actresses who always grabbd me. I think it was something abt her nose. tonite I saw her in one of her many forgotten pictures. she was as good as the script. but when she was on screen I cdn't keep my eyes off of her.
15 April 2010
14 April 2010
cilantrophobia
how wonderful to learn that Julia Child had an aversion to cilantro too.
I love to eat & dislike few edibles. but cilantro has such an awful taste to me that it can destroy an entire meal. so I'm careful to ask if it's in certain ethnic dishes. & when I do encounter it -- like Julia -- I pick it out.
I love to eat & dislike few edibles. but cilantro has such an awful taste to me that it can destroy an entire meal. so I'm careful to ask if it's in certain ethnic dishes. & when I do encounter it -- like Julia -- I pick it out.
13 April 2010
12 April 2010
Phil & Rita & I
Kevin O'Malley took this in front of Eliza Thompson House as we were waiting for a cab to the airport yesterday
the other Mercer
Mercer House became famous because of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. long before the Jim Williams tenure however it was the residence of General Hugh Mercer. but it was his great-grandson Johnny Mercer who is ubiquitous in Savannah today. this statute was erectd in Ellis Square last year for his centennial.
11 April 2010
09 April 2010
08 April 2010
let's hear it for the flops
with the loss of Ted Hook's Backstage & Barrymore's I guess the only theater restaurant from my past that's still around is Joe Allen.
the wall on the restaurant side is a sort of Hall of Fame for Broadway flops. here is a display of the posters of those shows.
the wall on the restaurant side is a sort of Hall of Fame for Broadway flops. here is a display of the posters of those shows.
07 April 2010
what in the hell
is wrong with airlines?
on the heels of this carry-on fee comes news that an Irish airline is considering a fee to use the restrooms.
maybe we shd all pee in the aisles.
on the heels of this carry-on fee comes news that an Irish airline is considering a fee to use the restrooms.
maybe we shd all pee in the aisles.
I've never
flown on Spirit Airlines & I hope I never will. they are going to charge for CARRY-ON luggage.
06 April 2010
05 April 2010
04 April 2010
"Morning Cantata"
train whistling past General Industries
wakes me in my boyhood bedroom
Dad’s snore is base line
clock’s metronome numbers my pulse
cars drone down Broad St
while I await twack of Plain Dealer on porch
I flail under sheets
hearing a morning long ago:
Mom hiding Disney figurines
around living room
& later telling her little boy
they were left by the Easter bunny
musics past & present
collide in my ears
till tears blotch wrinkles
under my eyes
time to get up gas the gridle
for Dad to flip flapjacks
(reprintd from Elyria: Point A in "Ohio Triangle"
publishd by Crisis Chronicles Press in 2009)
wakes me in my boyhood bedroom
Dad’s snore is base line
clock’s metronome numbers my pulse
cars drone down Broad St
while I await twack of Plain Dealer on porch
I flail under sheets
hearing a morning long ago:
Mom hiding Disney figurines
around living room
& later telling her little boy
they were left by the Easter bunny
musics past & present
collide in my ears
till tears blotch wrinkles
under my eyes
time to get up gas the gridle
for Dad to flip flapjacks
(reprintd from Elyria: Point A in "Ohio Triangle"
publishd by Crisis Chronicles Press in 2009)
03 April 2010
Easter cheese
I don't have the family recipe. but it's a favorite boyhood memory of that holiday.
Mom & Dad broke many eggs into a large pot to which they'd add milk & cinnamon. that's all the ingredients I remember. after it came to curdle the contains were pourd into a cheesecloth which was hung from a door handle overnite.
I no longer recall if it was the taste of the cheese or the experience of its making which was more important.
Mom & Dad broke many eggs into a large pot to which they'd add milk & cinnamon. that's all the ingredients I remember. after it came to curdle the contains were pourd into a cheesecloth which was hung from a door handle overnite.
I no longer recall if it was the taste of the cheese or the experience of its making which was more important.
02 April 2010
01 April 2010
national poetry month
& many folk out there writing a poem a day all month. I first did that 40 years ago & feel no need to try again.
but I do feel a need to write something abt poetry. I rarely do because it always sounds so presumptious. there are poets who proclaim & pontificate until I get a headache.
I suspose my avoidance of manifestos can be interpretd as shallowness. abt the only glorious thing abt aging is that I don't care much abt what people think. I've been at this poetry thing for such a long time I trust that what I'm doing is authentic.
I think I wantd to write something abt poetry because last week in Las Vegas I experiencd one of those rare rushes -- 3 poems in one nite. I felt so giddy I cdn't sleep.
what spring produces a poem? I honestly don't know. there are times when I've ploppd down before a pad & made myself write. some of those results were instant meals for the wastebasket. other times I'm walking to the gym & a poem begins. I allow it to go where it needs to go. that means that sometimes it's raw autobiography & sometimes fanciful fiction pieces of rainbow or shards of beer bottles.
an early criticism of my work was that it hemorrhagd language. when young we tend to imitate those we admire -- whether wearing the jeans & red jacket of James Dean or pilfering the dictionary of Hart Crane. altho some of those word-heavy pieces from my beginnings make me wince I can't deny they're mine. today I tend to write a starker verse altho I admit that a word can still make me hard.
I've been writing poems for at least a half century & it's still a mystery to me. I appreciate the kind of rush I had last week & respect the occasional lull. I like some poems better than others. I don't have the hubris to believe I'm writing for a society or even a generation. I'm just me doing what I have to do.
but I do feel a need to write something abt poetry. I rarely do because it always sounds so presumptious. there are poets who proclaim & pontificate until I get a headache.
I suspose my avoidance of manifestos can be interpretd as shallowness. abt the only glorious thing abt aging is that I don't care much abt what people think. I've been at this poetry thing for such a long time I trust that what I'm doing is authentic.
I think I wantd to write something abt poetry because last week in Las Vegas I experiencd one of those rare rushes -- 3 poems in one nite. I felt so giddy I cdn't sleep.
what spring produces a poem? I honestly don't know. there are times when I've ploppd down before a pad & made myself write. some of those results were instant meals for the wastebasket. other times I'm walking to the gym & a poem begins. I allow it to go where it needs to go. that means that sometimes it's raw autobiography & sometimes fanciful fiction pieces of rainbow or shards of beer bottles.
an early criticism of my work was that it hemorrhagd language. when young we tend to imitate those we admire -- whether wearing the jeans & red jacket of James Dean or pilfering the dictionary of Hart Crane. altho some of those word-heavy pieces from my beginnings make me wince I can't deny they're mine. today I tend to write a starker verse altho I admit that a word can still make me hard.
I've been writing poems for at least a half century & it's still a mystery to me. I appreciate the kind of rush I had last week & respect the occasional lull. I like some poems better than others. I don't have the hubris to believe I'm writing for a society or even a generation. I'm just me doing what I have to do.
31 March 2010
30 March 2010
TV Guide
James Robert Parish -- knowing of my friendship with silent screen star Lois Wilson -- brightend my morning by sending me a pdf of the 1st issue of TV Guide which featurd Lois & her good friend Gloria Swanson on the cover.
I can almost hear the trivia experts gasp. they say everyone knows that Desi Arnaz Jr. was on the 1st cover in 1953:
well it gets complicatd. yes that was the 1st national issue of TV Guide. however it began in NYC 5 years earlier with Lois & Gloria as the original cover girls. (price of that issue was a dime. today a copy is worth $3000.) also in 1948 there were similar regional publications in Chicago & Philadelphia. the 3 mergd to form the national publication.
for a year or so during my teens I sent the magazine's covers to its subjects asking for autographs. among my papers at Kent State are signd covers from Steve Allen & Bennett Cerf Bob Hope & Ricky Nelson. & I kept one as a personal souvenir: Walt Disney.
I can almost hear the trivia experts gasp. they say everyone knows that Desi Arnaz Jr. was on the 1st cover in 1953:
well it gets complicatd. yes that was the 1st national issue of TV Guide. however it began in NYC 5 years earlier with Lois & Gloria as the original cover girls. (price of that issue was a dime. today a copy is worth $3000.) also in 1948 there were similar regional publications in Chicago & Philadelphia. the 3 mergd to form the national publication.
for a year or so during my teens I sent the magazine's covers to its subjects asking for autographs. among my papers at Kent State are signd covers from Steve Allen & Bennett Cerf Bob Hope & Ricky Nelson. & I kept one as a personal souvenir: Walt Disney.
29 March 2010
28 March 2010
Death is one step away
the year after
Shorty & Ed
found gold there
in 1904
the town of Rhyolite
was establishd
by 1908
its popultion
was 10000
in 1910
the mines faild
in 1920
its population
was 20
in 2010
I walkd
its dirt roads
the fragment
of a bank
had the feel
of a Greek ruin
what I was told
was the whorehouse
stood breathless
at the cemetery
I left a penny
for the dead
then departd
with friends
for a big city
we laughd
over salads
then lookd
both ways
before
crossing
the street
Shorty & Ed
found gold there
in 1904
the town of Rhyolite
was establishd
by 1908
its popultion
was 10000
in 1910
the mines faild
in 1920
its population
was 20
in 2010
I walkd
its dirt roads
the fragment
of a bank
had the feel
of a Greek ruin
what I was told
was the whorehouse
stood breathless
at the cemetery
I left a penny
for the dead
then departd
with friends
for a big city
we laughd
over salads
then lookd
both ways
before
crossing
the street
27 March 2010
been crying
almost since I got here & I don't even gamble.
pollen is fierce. couple that with these winds.
pollen is fierce. couple that with these winds.
26 March 2010
a good day
another fabulous breakfast at Hash House a Go Go with my buds Darryl & Gary. then we went to a ghost town near Death Valley. pix when I return.
25 March 2010
spent
1st part of day at City Center. this 66-acre playground on the strip in Las Vegas isn't totally complete but enuf is open to get an idea of it. I'm not much of a shopper but it's a fun place.
24 March 2010
23 March 2010
Cherie DeCastro (1922-2010)
I was 11 when "Teach Me Tonight" was a huge success & one of my favorites. the record was the only major hit by the DeCastro Sisters but fixd them forever in my memory bank.
the group began as a sort of Cuban version of the Andrews Sisters. they appeard in a Carmen Miranda movie & "Over the Santa Fe Trail" later making their mark as headliners in Las Vegas. but "Teach Me Tonight" is their legacy.
I can't find my 45 of the song but did dig out this picture from that time which I got from a Cleveland radio station.
Cherie -- who was once married to cowboy star Monte Hale -- was the last surviving sister of the trio.
the group began as a sort of Cuban version of the Andrews Sisters. they appeard in a Carmen Miranda movie & "Over the Santa Fe Trail" later making their mark as headliners in Las Vegas. but "Teach Me Tonight" is their legacy.
I can't find my 45 of the song but did dig out this picture from that time which I got from a Cleveland radio station.
Cherie -- who was once married to cowboy star Monte Hale -- was the last surviving sister of the trio.
22 March 2010
another day in DC
the noise of the crowd woke John Boehner. he rose from the tanning bed like Dracula from his coffin & lookd at the people. Boehner began to bellow abt deficits when one of the crowd spit on him. a look of shock came over his face. then he began to cry. Eric Cantor -- who happend to be nearby -- came running over. he cleand up the spit with his hanky then huggd Boehner. "faggots" the crowd began to yell.
Boehner & Cantor lookd at each other in horror & began to run. the darker of the two got out his phone & calld Mitch McConnell for help.
"the American people do not want me to take this call" McConnell sd & hung up.
he knew Michele Bachman had a home in the area & calld her. she answerd from the fallout shelter in her backyard. when Boehner askd for help she sd "but you told me to always say no."
"call Rush" Cantor told the man with the dark skin. Boehner punchd in that number. a woman answerd. "I'm sorry. Mr. Limbaugh is on his way to Costa Rica."
Boehner & Cantor lookd at each other in horror & began to run. the darker of the two got out his phone & calld Mitch McConnell for help.
"the American people do not want me to take this call" McConnell sd & hung up.
he knew Michele Bachman had a home in the area & calld her. she answerd from the fallout shelter in her backyard. when Boehner askd for help she sd "but you told me to always say no."
"call Rush" Cantor told the man with the dark skin. Boehner punchd in that number. a woman answerd. "I'm sorry. Mr. Limbaugh is on his way to Costa Rica."
21 March 2010
20 March 2010
the teabaggers must feel proud
at today's demonstrations in DC they yelld the most despicable epithets at John Lewis & at Barney Frank.
19 March 2010
on the way back
from errands this ayem I saw large paw marks in mud along my arroyo. cd these be from the mountain lion? do I live dangerously while simply walking?
18 March 2010
some days
I'm full of so much but it won't filter into a poem. today is like that.
on the way home from the gym I walkd the street where a mountain lion was caught yesterday. online I followd Dan Choi chaining himself to a White House fence & being arrestd but when I watchd the evening news there was nothing abt that. I keep waiting for the NY Times to report on Todd Moore's death. I keep waiting for Republicans to say yes for teabaggers to stop shouting for the rodent pope to react to the video of that ancient Brazilian priest having sex with an altar boy.
my head is all over the place today. no idea lasts.
I think I'll settle down with a Joan Blondell DVD & a bag of M&Ms.
on the way home from the gym I walkd the street where a mountain lion was caught yesterday. online I followd Dan Choi chaining himself to a White House fence & being arrestd but when I watchd the evening news there was nothing abt that. I keep waiting for the NY Times to report on Todd Moore's death. I keep waiting for Republicans to say yes for teabaggers to stop shouting for the rodent pope to react to the video of that ancient Brazilian priest having sex with an altar boy.
my head is all over the place today. no idea lasts.
I think I'll settle down with a Joan Blondell DVD & a bag of M&Ms.
17 March 2010
16 March 2010
like the old days
so much of what I publish is online that the appearance of a print magzine is rare.
from Tony Trigilio in today's mail came a copy of the new issue of Court Green. the dossier section is on the 1970s. not only does it include a hay(na)ku of mine but also "Two Poems Written in April, 1970" by my professor & friend Jacob Leed. & a reprint of "The Day the Audience Walked Out on Me, and Why." Denise Levertov wrote that poem after a phone call from me. I originally publishd it in the 1971 portfolio Six Poems / Seven Prints & reprintd it in the 1992 anthology A Gathering of Poets. my co-editor on that last project was Maggie Anderson who also has a poem in this section.
from Tony Trigilio in today's mail came a copy of the new issue of Court Green. the dossier section is on the 1970s. not only does it include a hay(na)ku of mine but also "Two Poems Written in April, 1970" by my professor & friend Jacob Leed. & a reprint of "The Day the Audience Walked Out on Me, and Why." Denise Levertov wrote that poem after a phone call from me. I originally publishd it in the 1971 portfolio Six Poems / Seven Prints & reprintd it in the 1992 anthology A Gathering of Poets. my co-editor on that last project was Maggie Anderson who also has a poem in this section.
15 March 2010
up
at 6 (which because of the goddamnd time change is really 5) & into the white to dig out from our newest snowdump.
14 March 2010
13 March 2010
more memories
Todd & Barbara (with Mark Weber) on their 1st visit to my house (july 1994)
Todd -- author of Dillinger -- with John Ericson -- who once playd Pretty Boy Floyd. at one of my xmas gatherings.
12 March 2010
my plan for today
was to see "Alice in Wonderland." then I got the phone call from Jason Moore with the terrible news abt his father. didn't feel like the movies.
however I rememberd at our last lunch Todd & I had a lively conversation abt Johnny Depp -- an actor we both admire. Todd loved the movies as much as I do. so I went.
however I rememberd at our last lunch Todd & I had a lively conversation abt Johnny Depp -- an actor we both admire. Todd loved the movies as much as I do. so I went.
11 March 2010
10 March 2010
dream of a high school classmate appearing on the cover of a book is interruptd. it seems it's time to awake. I lift the shade & outside is snow. white draped on my backyard like the black mantilla on Lila Lee in one of my favorite movie stills. I struggle into clothes & leave the house. a few doors down Rita has shoveld her way free. her dog Cinco runs to meet me. I finish the small patch of driveway she left. inside I flip on the news. another young actor dead of an overdose. cereal & coffee. call to Mom who reports a beautiful day in Elyria.
I've made the decision to be lazy & not trek to the gym. instead I'll write checks for bills. the grocery store is near. they have a sale on strawberries. I think strawberries will keep my mind off a winter I want so badly to expire.
I've made the decision to be lazy & not trek to the gym. instead I'll write checks for bills. the grocery store is near. they have a sale on strawberries. I think strawberries will keep my mind off a winter I want so badly to expire.
09 March 2010
08 March 2010
07 March 2010
Paul Metcalf (1917-1999)
someone needs to begin a biography of this important writer while the people who knew him are still alive.
to keep the flame aglow I've begun a fan page for him on Facebook.
06 March 2010
I used to be
the world's biggest awards junkie.
it startd when I was a kid. Mom let me take a nap after school so I cd stay up to watch Judy Garland win the Academy Award at the 1955 ceremony. she lost. that shd've told me something. but I was too young & didn't understand politics & commerce & the other things that shape awards. I was so young I thot they were abt art & talent.
in the ensuing decades I watchd every award show on tv. I went to the Tonys twice & the Grammys twice. & in 1981 I walkd the red carpet at Dorothy Chandler Pavillion & was there when Spacek & DeNiro took home the gold.
I can't pinpoint when I began to sour abt awards. I suspect it's all part of aging. we look deep & feel deeper. things that were important become less so. & things we take for grantd become precious.
along the way I had to wonder why the academy faild to give its best director statuette to Hitchcock or Altman why the Pulitzer people bypassd Frank O'Hara why the Nobel never went to Tennessee Williams.
I admit I still reluctantly tune in to several award broadcasts. am I looking for cheap entertainment or a return to my youth? for the most part they turn my stomach. even after I dismissd the Oscars as the crap they are I felt the Independent Spirit Awards had some integrity & a fun presentation. yesterday's broadcast was so dismal. a bunch of drunks in a room saying whatever tumbld from their caws.
yes I'll watch the Oscars tomorrow. it's like a train wreck. but the academy's decision to increase the best picture noms to 10 was such a blatant move to make more money. however one must reflect that these awards were inventd to boost box office. they have never been abt art or talent. just ask Judy Garland or Hitchcock or Altman.
& yes I'm getting older. awards in any field have no consequence for me anymore.
it startd when I was a kid. Mom let me take a nap after school so I cd stay up to watch Judy Garland win the Academy Award at the 1955 ceremony. she lost. that shd've told me something. but I was too young & didn't understand politics & commerce & the other things that shape awards. I was so young I thot they were abt art & talent.
in the ensuing decades I watchd every award show on tv. I went to the Tonys twice & the Grammys twice. & in 1981 I walkd the red carpet at Dorothy Chandler Pavillion & was there when Spacek & DeNiro took home the gold.
I can't pinpoint when I began to sour abt awards. I suspect it's all part of aging. we look deep & feel deeper. things that were important become less so. & things we take for grantd become precious.
along the way I had to wonder why the academy faild to give its best director statuette to Hitchcock or Altman why the Pulitzer people bypassd Frank O'Hara why the Nobel never went to Tennessee Williams.
I admit I still reluctantly tune in to several award broadcasts. am I looking for cheap entertainment or a return to my youth? for the most part they turn my stomach. even after I dismissd the Oscars as the crap they are I felt the Independent Spirit Awards had some integrity & a fun presentation. yesterday's broadcast was so dismal. a bunch of drunks in a room saying whatever tumbld from their caws.
yes I'll watch the Oscars tomorrow. it's like a train wreck. but the academy's decision to increase the best picture noms to 10 was such a blatant move to make more money. however one must reflect that these awards were inventd to boost box office. they have never been abt art or talent. just ask Judy Garland or Hitchcock or Altman.
& yes I'm getting older. awards in any field have no consequence for me anymore.
05 March 2010
04 March 2010
another quiet day
nothing unusual happening.
another married politician who votes against gay issues bustd for DUI after leaving a gay bar.
the holier-than-thou Vatican involvd in a gay prostitution scandal.
hypocrisy lies heavy on the land. so it always has & so it always will be.
another married politician who votes against gay issues bustd for DUI after leaving a gay bar.
the holier-than-thou Vatican involvd in a gay prostitution scandal.
hypocrisy lies heavy on the land. so it always has & so it always will be.
03 March 2010
02 March 2010
got thru
the 2nd anniversary of Dad's death. then this morning I crossd the arroyo to the middle school to vote for mayor. leaving the school I saw a father dropping off his son. my mind went back decades & suddenly tears streamd down my face.
01 March 2010
excerpt from a 1976 letter to Tom Meyer
SCENES FROM THE BABY PICNIC
The inevitable outcome of marriage is babies!
Lewis Warsh (1969)
little Anne Byrd pissing on the Metcalfs' livingroom rug & later attacking Regan Bertolette
Paul pitching a softball to Clark Coolidge who slams it past Lewis Warsh
Peter Bertolette -- lost in a pair of Paul's trunks -- swimming in the pond across the road
Sheila Granda outremembering me by naming what Paul & Nancy & I had just finished for lunch that time we first met
Bernadette Mayer breastfeeding Marie
Cecily Coolidge wondering out loud why I'm teasing her & David [Meredith] later telling her two men at the party had fallen in love with her
The inevitable outcome of marriage is babies!
Lewis Warsh (1969)
little Anne Byrd pissing on the Metcalfs' livingroom rug & later attacking Regan Bertolette
Paul pitching a softball to Clark Coolidge who slams it past Lewis Warsh
Peter Bertolette -- lost in a pair of Paul's trunks -- swimming in the pond across the road
Sheila Granda outremembering me by naming what Paul & Nancy & I had just finished for lunch that time we first met
Bernadette Mayer breastfeeding Marie
Cecily Coolidge wondering out loud why I'm teasing her & David [Meredith] later telling her two men at the party had fallen in love with her
28 February 2010
27 February 2010
26 February 2010
double standard
are those dumbass Canadian broadcasters who suggestd Johnny Weir take a gender test demanding same treatment for the cigar-smoking members of their country's women's hockey team?
25 February 2010
rod in a towel
my poem "In the Beginning" begins
Richard Barthelmess wearing a barrel
Rod LaRocque a towel
William Haines with his trousers down
I'm referring to images in Daniel Blum's A Pictorial History of the Silent Screen -- a volume as important to my development as any work of literature. & of that trio of images the most memorable is that of LaRocque.
Rod LaRocque had the sexy kind of name Henry Willson creatd. however the actor predates Willson & that's his real name. he had a significant career in silent films. with talkies he was leading man to Joan Crawford & Barbara Stanwyck in some of their earliest features before drifting into supporting roles. his career came to an end in the Capra classic "Meet John Doe."
this still is from "The Cruise of the Jasper B." I finally saw it at the 1979 Cinecon in NYC. but I had no clear memory of it so when I saw Grapevine Video had it on DVD I orderd a copy. it's a minor film with a silly script (partially written by a young Tay Garnett). the only cast member to challenge the star is the wonderful Snitz Edwards with his pliable face. but the film belongs to LaRocque who spends its entirity wearing as little as possible.
so after decades of that still in my mind it was thrilling to see it come to life again.
Richard Barthelmess wearing a barrel
Rod LaRocque a towel
William Haines with his trousers down
I'm referring to images in Daniel Blum's A Pictorial History of the Silent Screen -- a volume as important to my development as any work of literature. & of that trio of images the most memorable is that of LaRocque.
Rod LaRocque had the sexy kind of name Henry Willson creatd. however the actor predates Willson & that's his real name. he had a significant career in silent films. with talkies he was leading man to Joan Crawford & Barbara Stanwyck in some of their earliest features before drifting into supporting roles. his career came to an end in the Capra classic "Meet John Doe."
this still is from "The Cruise of the Jasper B." I finally saw it at the 1979 Cinecon in NYC. but I had no clear memory of it so when I saw Grapevine Video had it on DVD I orderd a copy. it's a minor film with a silly script (partially written by a young Tay Garnett). the only cast member to challenge the star is the wonderful Snitz Edwards with his pliable face. but the film belongs to LaRocque who spends its entirity wearing as little as possible.
so after decades of that still in my mind it was thrilling to see it come to life again.
24 February 2010
in the air
on the day I discoverd 2 of the Century Dimes had gone AWOL Mark Young postd a poem for me. I didn't read it till days later. but I continue to be struck by the fact I somehow "pickd up" his long-distance thinking on 2 fronts. this isn't the first time this has happend to me but it certainly is one of the shinier examples.
to keep the synchronicity ball rolling.... last nite I was going thru the papers that accumulatd while I was away. I learnd that this weekend a trio of local performers will be doing an Andrews Sisters tribute show.
so hubba hubba Mark.
to keep the synchronicity ball rolling.... last nite I was going thru the papers that accumulatd while I was away. I learnd that this weekend a trio of local performers will be doing an Andrews Sisters tribute show.
so hubba hubba Mark.
23 February 2010
& more
may 2005: Todd Moore decorates my brick in Cathedral Park with TCD
aug 2005: Jack Ramey celebrates Myrna Loy's centennial by placing TCD on her photo in Blum's A Pictorial History of the Talkies
oct 2008: with Henry Van Dyke at Morgan Dining Room
(photo by Regina Yando)
more of TCD
oct 2003: with Thurston Moore at Bowery Poetry Club
dec 2005: Kimberly Nichols wearing them as a necklace
feb 2009: in the furrows of "Dad's Last Garden"
TCD
apr 2000: with my parents
sept 2000: I place them on John Kennedy Toole's grave
(photo by David Meredith)
dec 2003: I place them on the fingers of filmmaker Brian Kamerzel
(photo by Florin Ion Firimita)
22 February 2010
big news from Palm Springs!
"every day a little death." that Sondheim song is on my mental playlist. never know when it'll surface.
over the weekend I experiencd another little death. I was at one of the pools at Inn Exile with the small plastic bag which contain the Century Dimes (TCD). in my writing I use little punctuation. & I can't remember using an excalmation point which gets such overuse it's lost its punch. but I'm forever thinking of new things to do with TCD. so my plan was to use them to form an exclamation point in the resort's steam room.
I automatically count the dimes when I remove them from the plastic bag. it's also my habit to count them before returning them. to my shock I discoverd but 8 of the coins.
immediately I returnd to their last outing. during a performance of "Pee Wee's Playhouse" they remaind in their bag in my pocket. following the show Paul Reubens did a q & a for special fans. I didn't imagine I'd be able to directly involve Reubens in my project & I was right. never a multi-tasker I concentratd on photographng Reubens but at the same time I did take out the dimes. the question is did I remove them from the bag? I truly can't recall. if I did then it's possible the missing coins were swept away by the Club Nokia janitor. if not I lost them even earlier.
after counting the remaining dimes enumerable times I calmd myself & allowd chance to work in the piece.
obviously TCD is suddenly at an end. the surviving 8 are now incomplete -- like seeing the Andrews Sisters on Broadway after LaVerne had died. I expectd to be finding things for TCD to do on my deathbed. but I won't live thru the whole century anyway so 2010 contains an important number for the piece. I'm at ease with the work's demise. it gives me a shove to finish Current Seas which opens with the work.
what to do with the survivors? the archivist in me won't allow them to disappear even if they lack the power of all 10. perhaps I'll commission a jewelry-maker to use them in a bracelet. or find a bookbinder who'll employ them in a limitd edition of TCD. that's a whole new project.
every day a little death... it's more than a song.
over the weekend I experiencd another little death. I was at one of the pools at Inn Exile with the small plastic bag which contain the Century Dimes (TCD). in my writing I use little punctuation. & I can't remember using an excalmation point which gets such overuse it's lost its punch. but I'm forever thinking of new things to do with TCD. so my plan was to use them to form an exclamation point in the resort's steam room.
I automatically count the dimes when I remove them from the plastic bag. it's also my habit to count them before returning them. to my shock I discoverd but 8 of the coins.
immediately I returnd to their last outing. during a performance of "Pee Wee's Playhouse" they remaind in their bag in my pocket. following the show Paul Reubens did a q & a for special fans. I didn't imagine I'd be able to directly involve Reubens in my project & I was right. never a multi-tasker I concentratd on photographng Reubens but at the same time I did take out the dimes. the question is did I remove them from the bag? I truly can't recall. if I did then it's possible the missing coins were swept away by the Club Nokia janitor. if not I lost them even earlier.
after counting the remaining dimes enumerable times I calmd myself & allowd chance to work in the piece.
obviously TCD is suddenly at an end. the surviving 8 are now incomplete -- like seeing the Andrews Sisters on Broadway after LaVerne had died. I expectd to be finding things for TCD to do on my deathbed. but I won't live thru the whole century anyway so 2010 contains an important number for the piece. I'm at ease with the work's demise. it gives me a shove to finish Current Seas which opens with the work.
what to do with the survivors? the archivist in me won't allow them to disappear even if they lack the power of all 10. perhaps I'll commission a jewelry-maker to use them in a bracelet. or find a bookbinder who'll employ them in a limitd edition of TCD. that's a whole new project.
every day a little death... it's more than a song.
18 February 2010
17 February 2010
Costmary Press
Dean Keller is one of the most important people in my life. he was responsible for my library career. I owe him more than I can say.
over the years Dean has producd a series of broadsides & other items under the imprint of Costmary Press. to celebrate 45 years of printing he's put out an anthology of 13 of the poems he has presentd. I'm happy to be in the company of Tom Kryss & legendary bookseller Jim Lowell.
over the years Dean has producd a series of broadsides & other items under the imprint of Costmary Press. to celebrate 45 years of printing he's put out an anthology of 13 of the poems he has presentd. I'm happy to be in the company of Tom Kryss & legendary bookseller Jim Lowell.
16 February 2010
if it's Mardi Gras it's paczki time
here's a look at one of my favorite bakeries -- Kiedrowski's -- & one of the items for which they're famous.
15 February 2010
in town
for another concert yesterday who shd I happen to spot exiting Plaza Cafe but the wonderful Bibb & Foster:
14 February 2010
every Valentine's Day I think of
Mitzi Green
who was the first to sing "My Funny Valentine"
Tom Meyer
whose birthday it is
Marie Windsor
who sent an annual Valentine letter
who was the first to sing "My Funny Valentine"
Tom Meyer
whose birthday it is
Marie Windsor
who sent an annual Valentine letter
13 February 2010
Olympic ache
I rarely eat junk food. but I knew last nite's opening ceremony from Vancouver wd require endurance. so for the first time in ages I bought Fritos & bean dip.
welllllllllllllllllll..... the show was so boring I overate. my poor body punishd me for such behavior by keeping me awake most of the nite with an upset stomach.
welllllllllllllllllll..... the show was so boring I overate. my poor body punishd me for such behavior by keeping me awake most of the nite with an upset stomach.
12 February 2010
11 February 2010
10 February 2010
09 February 2010
Cleveland my Cleveland
the city of Terminal Tower has a new distinction. the website of Forbes Magazine lists it as #1 for bad winters stating it takes "endurance" to survive the annual average of 60" of snow.
today Cleveland is on tap for another 6". while this towerless town now my home will have a quiet day before tomorrow's storm.
today Cleveland is on tap for another 6". while this towerless town now my home will have a quiet day before tomorrow's storm.
08 February 2010
the winter that won't quit
don't know whether to blame El Nino or Al Gore but I'm weary of this. today's storm is the first of 3 predictd to hit here just this week.
as a former Ohioan I still trekkd to the gym this ayem while neighbors were before their fireplaces. but for me spring can't come soon enuf.
as a former Ohioan I still trekkd to the gym this ayem while neighbors were before their fireplaces. but for me spring can't come soon enuf.
07 February 2010
06 February 2010
feeling special
during the week 2 of my oldest friends -- Ira Joel Haber & James Robert Parish -- both sent me goodie packages. they often gather obituaries of those they know I care abt & postcards & playbills sometimes DVDs or magazines & send them along. it always soothes my often wrinkld brow.
then today my newest friend Kevin McCollister sent a book he knew I'd like.
my thx to all of them.
then today my newest friend Kevin McCollister sent a book he knew I'd like.
my thx to all of them.
preparing
The Arrow That is Hollywood Pierces the Soul That is Me for publication I cut the Evelyn Nesbit poem. I still like it. but I don't think it works in the final manuscript.
now the hard part. trying to find a publisher. altho I've been at this game for more than 40 years I'm not good at it. & right now I'm not sure where to go.
now the hard part. trying to find a publisher. altho I've been at this game for more than 40 years I'm not good at it. & right now I'm not sure where to go.
EVELYN NESBIT REMEMBERS
climbing stairs
of boardinghouse
in Hollywood
the girl
in the
red velvet
swing
thinks back
to the nite
she snuck out
on Stanford White
to spend
in the arms
of John Barrymore
for one moment
she cd still
smell him
of boardinghouse
in Hollywood
the girl
in the
red velvet
swing
thinks back
to the nite
she snuck out
on Stanford White
to spend
in the arms
of John Barrymore
for one moment
she cd still
smell him
05 February 2010
04 February 2010
03 February 2010
02 February 2010
lawyer
that word is so oily it slips off the page. we each have our own memory of the shenanigans of that profession. I suspect for me it was the freeing of O. J. Simpson from murder charges.
the latest yuck in the field comes from Rip Torn's lawyer. he claims the actor didn't intend to break into a bank at all. of course not. he was so drunk he smashd windows to enter his own home.
the latest yuck in the field comes from Rip Torn's lawyer. he claims the actor didn't intend to break into a bank at all. of course not. he was so drunk he smashd windows to enter his own home.
01 February 2010
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