None of these shenanigans for now!

May 20, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

My favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s daughter is back again from Seattle, and will be staying with him for 10 days.

So I guess we have to settle down and behave until she heads back home. We shall see! (She tends to be very task oriented, whereas I tend to be very “let’s just have a beautiful day while we still can” oriented.)

Meanwhile!

I crossed the road yesterday to ~~get to the other side~~ get the mail from out of my mailbox and when I did, what to my wondering eyes should appear???

ROYALTY CHECKS!! From Lulu.com. Yay! Thanks everybody for buying my books and eBooks. I really, really appreciate it.

And so I got in the car and went to the bank, put the checks in, then headed to the Dollar Store for more cat food and MORE coffee and then me and the cats partied last night like it was 1999!

And I’ll say 2 things about that.

The idea of 1999 is very much worth partying over. The world was still really amazing back then.
In 1982, when we all first started listening to that song and having a blast, 1999 seemed light years away!

I guess I will say a 3rd thing — I can’t believe that 1999 was 27 years ago… Gang, it just flies by in a heartbeat.

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Okay.

Another happy thing about yesterday — it was very, very hot, nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit. And by evening, rain was on its way. So–

We closed all the windows and turned on our brand new Central Air Conditioning for the very first time and it was like heaven!!

Wow. The cats, especially, were completely delighted by the new development. They went from being draped listlessly everywhere, to being frisky and darting around.

So I think we’ll have a good summer around here.

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Here’s this!!

The Cars at a record-signing. at Strawberries record store in 1979!

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And here’s this!

Johnny Cash, not signing anything, not smoking, not drinking or popping amphetamines — just readin’ the paper…

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And here’s this!!

Keith!

Tuning up his dobro, backstage at Madison Square Garden in NYC, in 1969!!

I have always loved the sound of a dobro, gang. I always wished I owned one. In the early 90s, when I was recording the promo CD that accompanied Joe Queenan’s movie, “12 Steps to Death” (I wrote the closing song to the film, “One Step Closer”), the guitar player in the studio band had a dobro!!

This is not the song from Joe’s movie, but it’s on the CD! Yes! It’s that “railroad” song!! With dobro!!

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All righty.

Ronnie Wood has added another show to his tour! Paris!!

Buy tickets HERE.

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And Nick Cave Official posted this about the Bad Seeds show at NOS Alive in Lisbon this summer.

Buy tickets HERE!

And here’s Nick Cave onstage, accidentally getting too close to an electrified piano!!

And Nick Cave, walking around in a suit in 2018, looking at his phone!!

And this was absolutely beautiful.

Nick Cave sent out a Red Hand File yesterday, wherein he addressed a woman’s fears and anxiety about following her destiny and always procrastinating, instead. Nick said, in part:

“… a job left undone is its own torment, a dream unrealised, its own kind of hell. There is a unique joy, the deepest satisfaction and a kind of spiritual appeasement in knowing that something we have made, or worked on, means something to somebody else… live as creatively and boldly as your heart allows. Keep a light grip on the reins, take a breath, step into the unknown and trust. Trust – the active heart of faith...”

You can read it in full, HERE.

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And now I gotta scoot!! Gotta get out there and tackle my own constant fears and anxiety!! (But I do have to say, gang, that getting back on the social media platforms has brought a truckload of people from all over suddenly into my life and that helps enormously. Even though they’re all online, for now. It had gotten to the point around here that everyone I interacted with was either a caregiving client or someone in their family. That is a very narrow field to exist in every day and, creatively, I have been suffocating.)

Okay.

I’m not 100% sure if I will be posting here tomorrow, or not. My best friend Valerie in Brooklyn and I begin the test run of our new mini-podcast tomorrow around noon!! So we’ll see.

Meanwhile, have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

Breakfast-listening music in the air-conditioned kitchen!!

I know I posted this exceedingly addictive song recently, but this is the original “demo” version Tom made in the studio in his home, with Stevie Nicks on supporting vocals — because she had just stopped by and he had just written it!!

I just love this version!!

Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Stevie Nicks –“The Apartment Song (demo)” 1984!! Enjoy, gang. We sure did!!

We’re trying this again!

May 19, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Meaning, we’re gonna try to have a relaxing day!

Here are some really great things about yesterday, my official “Spring Cleaning” day:

After the Bissell carpet steamer completely broke down, after only owning it for a year–

My kitchen door DID NOT get at all damaged when I hurled the fucking machine directly at it.
While the fucking machine is too big to go directly into the trash bin, my trash pickup company does not charge extra for collecting broken carpet steamers that do not fit in the bin.
The BRAND NEW carpet steamer that I bought on Amazon yesterday to replace it, is twice as expensive but I got one of those payment options where I only have to pay $20 a month, no interest, for the next few hundred years. Yay!
It arrives Wednesday. Yay!
And I had enough of THIS stuff on hand to spray all over the entire dining room carpeting:

And after it dried and I vacuumed it up, it at least looked better than it had before.

And here’s another great thing about yesterday–

I had plenty of THIS on hand to manage every fucking aching muscle in my entire fucking body:

Methinks that hurling steam cleaners at kitchen doors is something my lower back would prefer I not do.

And, after yoga, I actually felt pretty darn back-to-normal.

And, of course, I vacuumed and dusted the entire house, so I did sort of feel like most of the Spring Cleaning got done.

And today, I have another day off, and there’s no more cleaning I can do until the new super-duper PRO carpet shampooer arrives…

So today might actually be relaxing. We’re gonna find out.

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Okay, so another “Me, Back on Social Media” update:

And this is not a joke at all.

Yesterday, I reconnected with one of my dearest NYC writer-friends that I had lost track of after the scamdemic lockdowns!!

She sent a “friend” request when she saw that I was back on Facebook!!

So we are going to get together next month when I’m in NYC.

I kid you not, for the past couple of weeks, I had been wondering about her and how to try to get back in touch. I miss her so much. This makes me so happy.

She and I worked on so many writing projects together over the decades. (I first met her when I began publishing her amazing poems on Other-Rooms.com, back in 1998.)

So, even though this upcoming trip will be a really quick one, I will now be re-connecting with 2 writer-friends. I’ll be attending the Lambda Literary Awards — the first time the Awards have been presented in an actual room with breathing people in it and not online, for quite a few years — so who knows who I will be re-connecting with there, and who might be brand new people to connect with.

I’m also seeing my Best Friend Valerie from Brooklyn, and at some point, seeing Wayne. I don’t think Sandra will be in the city that weekend.

But I’m feeling like this trip will be a really good one for me, emotionally. All that re-connecting. Including, staying at a hotel in my very old neighborhood. So many memories — most, not so good. But it did lead to some really great paths in my life in the 1980s.

It will be good to be back there, knowing that things worked out.

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Speaking of Wayne!!

From WhatsApp this morning!!

iPhones everywhere?? Even in the remote Australian Outback??

Wayne with his brothers and sister-in-law

And I loved these:

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And here’s this!

Steve Vai and Joe Satriani and the rest of the SatchVai band visited the Rock Hall of Fame in my beloved Cleveland!! (Posted by Steve Vai.)

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And here’s this.

I honestly don’t understand why he posted this photo with this specific song, but now I cannot get the freaking song out of my head!!

Warren Ellis, out with the dogs, draped in furs, perhaps wearing a diamond-encrusted hat?? I just don’t know:

And here’s this, so that you, too, can get this freaking song stuck in your head!! Marilyn Monroe, “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” (song starts about 1 minute in):

And here’s Warren, prior to the hat (Stooges music, instead):

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And here’s this!!

Tom Petty in 1978!

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And here’s this!!

A lovely photo of George Harrison!!

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And here’s this!

A lovely photo of Nick Cave!! (Another still from the film I recently re-watched! “20,000 Days On Earth”)

And here’s Nick Cave, helping me practice my French!!

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And here’s another one from the Stones in LA in 1972, doing the final mix of Exile On Main St.

Keith is clearly in happyland.

MICK (clearly thinking): “When is this going to be over? I could’ve fucking done that.”

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And that is it for today, my friends.

I hope you have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

I love E.B. White‘s essays. And I really love this one. I will never forget how it felt, the first time I read it — about 30 years ago.

I found this reading of it on YouTube last night.

If you have time to listen, it is just wonderful. “Once More to the Lake”, where E.B. White returns, this time with his young son, to the lake he used to vacation at when he was a boy. (16 mins.)

Beautiful Day, Part 2!!!

May 18, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Okay.

More about what I briefly mentioned in my blog post yesterday, regarding the May family and the writer, Louisa May Alcott.

WOW! But first!!

Remember that I said I was back on social media platforms, to promote the new novel??

I just got a friend request on Facebook, from one of my former writing students!! How cool!!

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Okay. Back to our regularly scheduled program!

So, back in 1971, I started to get completely obsessed (and I mean, obsessed) with wanting to know who my birth dad was. (And that topic is basically the core idea of my upcoming memoir about my life in the 1970s, Joy: The Shortest Season.)

I stayed obsessed for 16 years. It was impossible to find out who my birth dad was, because no one knew.

And when I finally obtained a copy of my original birth certificate — in 1985, I petitioned the State of Ohio to have my adoption files opened — on the birth certificate, it had 2 really, really sad things: that my birth mom had only been 13 when I was born, and that my father was “Unknown.”

I won’t go into all the details of everything, because you can read the memoir (after I write it)!

But I will say, that I immediately found my birth mom, who was glad to have me back but who refused to say who my dad was.

And also that the man who I was eventually told was my dad — a cousin who had gone to school with my mom told me what the rumors had been back then — was not in fact my dad.

However, that guy’s mother — a lovely woman named Mary who lived in a small town in Ohio, whom I went to visit in 1987 — knew exactly who my birth dad was. She didn’t tell me — although she showed me an old photo of her son’s best friend and asked me if I thought I looked like him. I did!! But she didn’t say more than that.

And then, one night a couple months later, alone in my paradise apartment on E. 12th Street in NYC, I was watching a rerun of the Andy Griffith Show and got a phone call. A long distance phone call; a man calling from Reno, Nevada.

ME: “Hello?”

HE (a thick hillbilly accent): “Is this Marilyn?”

ME: “Yes.”

HE: “Well, Marilyn. My name’s Don May. And I think I’m your father.”

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That is the short version. But my life changed overnight. Finally.

And that was the beginning of finding out what it meant to be descended from the pioneering May family.

And somewhere in there, I learned that I was cousins with Louisa May Alcott — there were Mays all over Kentucky, but also all over New England. And they were all related.

Eventually I realized that back when I was still a young girl, and still obsessing about who my “real” father was, there were hidden clues to his identity all over my world.

For instance, I loved Donny Osmond. And Donald was my birth dad’s name.

I also loved David Cassidy, and he and my birth dad had the same birthday: April 12th.

I loved the Rod Stewart song, “Maggie May,” from 1971.

I grew up in Cleveland, where the most popular department store was the May Company.

And at my adoptive grandparents’ home, there were 2 old books on the upstairs bookshelf that really appealed to me a lot; books that had belonged to my adoptive mother, Marcia, when she was growing up: Little Women and Aunt Jo’s Scrap Bag, both by Louisa May Alcott, who I already knew was a famous writer.

But for some reason, Aunt Jo’s Scrap Bag really stuck out and I ended up taking that book home with me and keeping that book, and I still have it.

It’s an edition published in 1929:

Here’s the inside cover — my adoptive mom’s Aunt Molly had given her the book (and oddly enough, I was almost named after that Aunt Molly, until my adoptive dad got his way and named me after Marilyn Monroe instead):

And here’s the beautiful title page, from a book that is now almost 100 years old:

So, it was thrilling to eventually discover, years later, that I was related to Louisa May Alcott, the writer (and by then, I had just become a published writer, myself).

But what thrilled me even more–

After my birth dad passed away in 1999, I began getting letters from his older sister, who lived in North Carolina, whom I had never met.

She sent me beautiful letters, along with old photos of my dad from various eras of his life– from little boy on a farm, to sailor in Vietnam. Really lovely letters. I still have all of them.

Here’s a sample — Yes, a letter from my Aunt Jo:

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There are a couple more things I discovered just yesterday , between Louisa May Alcott and the surname “Peabody”, in my new novel The Curse of Our Profound Disorder, but I won’t go into all that right now.

Just wanted to share some of all this today.

Okay.

Oh my goodness! My previous writing student just texted from Facebook: “Hi! How’ve you been?” (I haven’t seen him in about 10 years… where to begin???)

All righty!!

Thanks for stopping by again! Have a great Monday.

I love you guys. See ya!

Absolutely Official!!

May 18, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Honestly, gang — today is the most beautiful day of the year so far. It didn’t seem like it would ever come.

It is just gorgeous out there. And WARM!! No clouds. And no high winds!! And it is the first of my 2 days off in a row!!

All the windows in the house are open, so the cats couldn’t be happier — the sound of birds singing is basically filling the house.

Just the feeling of fresh air and all this sunshine — wow, has it helped put my mood through the roof. Finally.

As I mentioned the other day, I’m planning to spend these 2 days off getting the Spring cleaning done. And I’m actually really looking forward to it. Mostly, finally getting the carpets really clean. And after that, I can focus better on the writing stuff that needs my attention — AKA: The Caiaphas play.

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Okay!!

Immediately following a WhatsApp text, dashed off from me to Wayne at 5AM this morning—

ME (texting): “Is your camera broken?”

Then this photo appeared! As if by magic!

The Lewis boys, at their lodge in the Australian Outback!!

Wayne, center, his brothers on either side! Methinks the sister-in-law is taking the photo…

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This was so cool.

When I was with the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat yesterday —

The lovely wife and I always enjoy talking about local history and little known facts that she discovers about this area of Ohio.

And yesterday — wow! I had no idea about this, gang!! But she discovered that Frazeysburg (where I live) “served as a crucial waypoint within the Muskingum Valley and central Ohio routes of the Underground Railroad.” (The secret routes slaves used to escape slavery and get to Canada before & during the Civil War.)

I guess just another reason why I love this village so much. You can really feel the spirits here, and they are generally really good.

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From Ronnie Wood! You can pre-order a new signed print of his collage, “Back in Your Life”, HERE.

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And speaking of pre-ordering!

You can pre-order the eBook edition of the interview with Nick Cave — On the Fragility of Life — by ERIS gems, HERE!

“A conversation of rare depth and tenderness, On the Fragility of Life finds Nick Cave reflecting on love, loss, faith, and the fragile beauty of being alive. What emerges is a luminous meditation on mourning and meaning—unflinching, compassionate, and filled with the kind of grace that only grief can teach.”

And, well, okay–

Speaking of Nick Cave!!

A couple photos of Nick Cave — listening to the muse, perhaps??

And I guess a photo from after the muse… At an Arts Fair in London. I love his expression!!

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Johnny Depp’s production company is in the news today!!

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On a sad note….

46 years ago today, Ian Curtis, of Joy Division, left us (by suicide):

And while we’re here, I always LOVED this song. Joy Division, “Atrocity Exhibition” from their album Closer, 1980:

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And I know this post is already really long…

So I will post it and then, I will do a separate post, with more from what I wrote about yesterday, regarding Louisa May Alcott being one of my cousins.

So I will be back in a little bit!

Enjoy your Monday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya! (soon.)

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Let’s temporarily close with this!

Yes!

From the retro boombox next to my bed!

I love this song and it is perfect for today!!

The Traveling Wilburys’ “End of the Line,” 1988! Enjoy, gang!

“End Of The Line”

Well it’s all right, riding around in the breeze
Well it’s all right, if you live the life you please
Well it’s all right, doing the best you can
Well it’s all right, as long as you lend a hand

You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring (End of the Line)
Waiting for someone to tell you everything (End of the Line)
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring (End of the Line)
Maybe a diamond ring

Well it’s all right, even if they say you’re wrong
Well it’s all right, sometimes you gotta be strong
Well it’s all right, As long as you got somewhere to lay
Well it’s all right, everyday is Judgment Day

Maybe somewhere down the road aways (End of the Line)
You’ll think of me, wonder where I am these days (End of the Line)
Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays (End of the Line)
Purple haze

Well it’s all right, even when push comes to shove
Well it’s all right, if you got someone to love
Well it’s all right, everything’ll work out fine
Well it’s all right, we’re going to the end of the line

Don’t have to be ashamed of the car I drive (End of the Line)
I’m just glad to be here, happy to be alive (End of the Line)
It don’t matter if you’re by my side (End of the Line)
I’m satisfied

Well it’s all right, even if you’re old and gray
Well it’s all right, you still got something to say
Well it’s all right, remember to live and let live
Well it’s all right, the best you can do is forgive

Well it’s all right, riding around in the breeze
Well it’s all right, if you live the life you please
Well it’s all right, even if the sun don’t shine
Well it’s all right, we’re going to the end of the line

c- 1988 – George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Thomas Earl Petty, Roy K. Orbison

The new printer is up and running!!

May 17, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 4 Comments

Bu that’s not what the confetti’s about!

The confetti is because I had a very involved dream last night, about getting the “Marilyn’s Room” mini-podcast up and running here soon, and in the dream, there was all this confetti flying around.

I was really happy.

And I was drinking from a really colorful coffee mug — that I thought I actually owned in my waking life. However, when I went to retrieve it from my kitchen cupboard this morning, when the coffee was ready, I discovered that I had only dreamed that I owned this colorful mug. And I had to settle for a different mug with flowers all over it.

Which could mean that a new very colorful coffee cup is waiting in my future!! (But I kinda hope not, since I already have about 50 or 60 assorted coffee cups and mugs that almost never get used since the cats are avid caffeine-abstainers.)

Speaking of cats–

Here’s a bunch of cats I found in the hall outside my bedroom last evening when I emerged to use the bathroom.

I have no idea where they came from , or who they belong to, but, actually, they were still here this morning when I awoke (multiplied by, you know, a bunch of others):

From left: Freddie McFee, Cuddles McGee, Billie Jo, Angie, Queenie, Saffie Sue

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Yes, I did get the printer up & running yesterday, and even though it is practically the same printer I had before, it was WAY easier to set up than the last one was.

So I still have all my hair — I didn’t tear any of it out!!

And now I can get back to promoting the new novel, along with getting the notes ready for when I write the play about Caiaphas in its entirety in June.

Right.

(I’m gonna really try, though, and write that play, gang. Honestly.)

And if you recall, on Friday, I posted a photo from Instagram having to do with the cemetery where one of my ancestors is buried — Louisa May Alcott.

When I googled the exact location of the cemetery, I got side-tracked by a bunch of stuff about Louisa and her dad, Amos Bronson Alcott. It was stuff I’d already known, but I have to say that the amount of coincidences between her life (and some of her writing) and mine, just astound me.

Oh, but also — loyal readers of this lofty blog no doubt recall that the May family (my birth dad’s side of my ancestors, and Louisa’s mom’s side) have a reputation for being really intense people (after the Revolutionary War, they practically settled the entire state of Kentucky, sort of) —

Here is what Louisa’s dad said about her as a child: “After Alcott’s birth, Bronson kept a record of her development, noting her strong will, which she may have inherited from her mother’s May side of the family.”

(I’ll go into more of that May-family thing and my own life tomorrow.) But it all just sort of astounds me.

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Since I didn’t post yesterday, I have a bunch of “here’s this’s” stacking up. So I will probably save some for tomorrow’s post.

And, if you recall, starting tomorrow, I have 2 days off in a row from caregiving, so I am planning to do the spring cleaning! Yay!

And once that’s out of the way, I can focus on getting all my flowers and plants ready and out on my various porches so that life around here will be ready for summer!! (And then somewhere in all that I’ll head to NYC…)

And speaking of NYC–

If you’re in the area and support the rights of LGBTQs, on June 9th the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project is having a really cool conversation. Free to all but space is limited, so you need to make a reservation (HERE):

“Spanning the 1930s through the late 20th century, the program will reflect on their lasting impact and what that legacy means today.”

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But meanwhile–

Here’s this!!

From Jo Wood (Ronnie’s previous wife)– Mick and Ronnie on a boat off San Francisco!!

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A couple of great ones from Phyllis Stein!!

Iggy!!

In a “shirt” by Michael Schmidt:

And Keith, not smoking and walking past some taffeta! (With comments from Keith’s son, Marlon!)

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And speaking of Keith (when am I not??) —

Here’s this!

Keith smoking, with Marlon when he was still too young to make comments or to type!!

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And speaking of smoking!! (When am I not??)

I think Rowland S. Howard is smoking here, not sure — onstage in Germany in 1982!

And Rowland with the rest of the Birthday Party, in Germany in 1982 (clearly in that one “no smoking” area of Germany in 1982):

And speaking of Nick Cave not smoking!! (See photo directly above!)

Here, he and Colin Greenwood are not smoking in Poland, in 2024! (I know I’ve posted this before (in 2024, in fact), but I just love this photo!!)

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And I’d better stop now because I have stuff I gotta do here before I head out to see the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat!

Oh, by the way. As part of promoting the new novel, I’ve gotten back on social media. For many years, I was only on Instagram (and Substack and Stage 32). But now I’m back on a few more.

I am not actively following people (yet) but if you are on any of these platforms and want to follow Marilyn Jaye Lewis, please do!!

LinkedIn, X, BlueSky, Good Reads, and Facebook. (And Instagram, Substack, and Stage 32.)

And if the “Marilyn’s Room” mini-podcast does indeed get off the ground — confetti and all– and you have writing or art you want to promote, let me know!!

Okay!!

Have a beautiful Sunday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

Since I am reading the Tom Petty & Me memoir by Jon Scott–

Here is the actual recording that finally broke Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers across radio stations all over America!! (Proving that they were a rock & roll band and not Punk.)

“Breakdown” performed live at Capitol Studios, in Hollywood, November 11, 1977. The rest was history (finally). Enjoy, gang.

“Breakdown”

It’s alright if you love me
It’s alright if you don’t
I’m not afraid of you runnin’ away, honey
I get the feeling you won’t

There is no sense in pretending
Your eyes give you away
Something inside you is feeling like I do
We said all there is to say

Baby
Breakdown, go ahead and give it to me
Breakdown, honey, take me through the night
(Take me, baby, breakdown, ooh)
Breakdown, now I’m standin’ here, can’t you see?
Breakdown, it’s alright
It’s alright, it’s alright

Breakdown, go ahead and give it to me
Breakdown, honey, take me through the night
(Take me, baby, breakdown, ooh)
Breakdown, now I’m standin’ here, can’t you see?
Breakdown, it’s alright
It’s alright, it’s alright

c – 1976 Tom Petty

No post today

May 16, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Gonna try to get that new printer up and running before heading out.

Have a great Saturday wherever you are in the world!

I’ll be back tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

TGIF, MoFos!!

May 15, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Although, around here, Friday just means that I’m getting ready to work the entire weekend.

And starting next week, I’m picking up a couple of double shifts on Fridays, but the evening shift will be out here in Muskingum County, on a farm way out in the woods. And since it’s Spring, it will still be light out when I have to drive the 30 miles back home.

So, I’m okay with it.

Meanwhile!

Surf’s up in Australia for the Lewis family!!

The first photo from Wayne arrived on WhatsApp last night! I think I saw it at around 3am and it just made me feel so happy!

Wayne with his 2 brothers and a sister-in-law

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And in case you needed to see this…. (I know I did)…

Yet another photo from yesteryear of Jack Kerouac typing!!

And in case you’re curious —

Through my birth dad’s side of the family, I am cousins with Louisa May Alcott! (Through her mother’s side). Maybe I should go visit this cool place! You know, go on the road …

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And I don’t want to , you know, start trouble or anything, but there appears to be a veritable plethora of lighters in this world–

And I still have not received my really cool Tom Petty Zippo lighter!!

You never know, though, I might get lucky and actually receive it sometime!!

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Speaking of Tom Petty!!

From yesterday–

And last evening, I did begin reading that new book I got the other day, about Tom Petty, written by his long-time record promoter, Jon Scott:

It’s really good, but I did start to cry while reading it.

I had a rough day yesterday, so I was really emotionally worn out, but also I never really knew any of the details about why the first album by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers took so long to break in America. (It was a hit in England first.)

Just reading about what total dickheads the record company was toward them with that first album — even knowing that the story had a happy ending, it still just made me cry.

That said, I am hoping today will be a better day.

It’s sunny and should be nice all day. And I’m taking my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man out to the Rural King to start getting his baskets of flowers for his back deck! (Although Annie was the one who always did that, but we are trying to just move forward and get stuff done and not get too sad.) However, about every half hour or so:

HE (quietly): “Annie is gone now?”

ME:” Yes, she’s gone.”

HE: “She didn’t tell me, you know.”

ME: “I know, she didn’t tell me, either.”

(That she had cancer.)

And later today, I’m picking up my new printer from Best Buy. So my writing/promoting world can get back on track…

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In the meantime–

Here’s a photo of the Stones looking almost happy in 1977!

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And in case you also needed THIS —

Here are two more photos of Nick Cave & Blixa Bargeld — this time, doing that thing where they keep their eyes open!! (Or behind a pair of shades, as the case may be…)

And while we’re at it — here’s this fantastic song from Iggy Pop, 1986 — “Shades,” co-written by David Bowie, from Iggy’s incredible album Blah-Blah-Blah. I love this song!!!

“Shades”

You gave me a present
The paper was blue and green
I unwrapped it with pleasure
These are the best shades I’ve ever seen
You can be my girlfriend
Forever and a day
I never thought I was worth much
Or that anyone would treat me this way

[Chorus]
I’m not
The kind of guy
Who dresses like a king
And a really fine pair of shades
Means everything
And the light that blinds my eyes
Shines from you
It makes me come in the night
It makes me swim with delight
I like this pain
I like this mirror
I like these shades

I could have had a problem
I might have never followed through
The other guys are in trouble
They wouldn’t listen to a girl like you
These shades say something
I’ll bet they cost a lot
I hope I don’t break ’em
I hope we don’t break up

[Chorus]

c – 1986 David Bowie, Iggy Pop

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And back to Nick Cave–

From Nick Cave Official:

A reminder that the soundtrack for the TV series, “The Death of Bunny Munro” is available for streaming HERE on the platform of your choice!

And there is an upcoming documentary about Kylie Minogue on Netflix — launching Wednesday May 20th — which will have music contributions and some comments from Nick Cave!

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And I think that is going to be it for today, gang!! I’m gonna head out soon and get the whole thing moving all over again.

Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

I find it a little creepy and I still have not been able to watch it all the way through.

It is allegedly not AI — it features “doubles”, actual actors. But still. God knows, I prefer the original “old” Stones to fake ones…

Anyway. The new official video from the Rolling Stones for “In The Stars”. (You can pre-order the upcoming new album, Foreign Tongues, HERE.) Enjoy, gang.

We can dream, can’t we??

May 14, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Methinks the day is not gonna look quite as relaxing as this, but I’ll settle for a feeling of “ease & peace” by the end of the day, and maybe even be sporting a smile…

We shall see.

For some reason, I’m feeling distracted today. But I’m just going to let the flow take me wherever it takes me. And not fight it.

And just a head’s up!

I have next Tuesday off, which means 2 days off in a row, which means I’ve decided to do the spring cleaning! Get out the Bissel steam cleaner and get the carpeting in the whole house really clean before I head out to NYC in June (when Rasha’s mom and her little baby will be staying here with a multitude of cats…).

So, this is in my very near future and, actually, I can’t wait:

Well, just add carpeting everywhere… and cats.

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And a week from today, my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn and I will be taping our first mini-podcast for “Marilyn’s Room”. So we will see how that goes!!

It’s just a trial run, I doubt I will actually post the first one. I guess we’ll see. My main concern is learning how to use the editing tools. The rest of the “recording studio” on Substack looks simple enough.

But then we’ll be off & running (or running away), as we leap into the very serious world of painting & writing at a “certain age” after your entire young adulthood was spent getting into nothing but, well, I don’t know — trouble? Life, itself? I don’t know what to call it. But we got into it. And we’re still here! And that, in itself, is newsworthy!!

And FYI — While doing research for the podcast the other day, I came across this postcard online and wow, did it bring back a truckload of memories!! From 1981 — the important part is the description, which I guess is hard to read. I guess you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out why it’s so important!! (It involves a bunch of us dropping acid one night and going to the Wienerwald at W.48th and Broadway…)

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Okay! Onward.

Last night, while re-listening to an audiobook of Kerouac’s Big Sur, I recalled that Henry Miller had also written something about living in Big Sur and so I went in search of a free online reading of that — and found one on YouTube.

It is so interesting. This isn’t the novel, itself. It’s more like a long excerpt from it. But I am quietly astounded by it.

Written in 1957, it’s Miller’s take on Big Sur and about artists and writers in the USA, in general, back in the late 1940s.

Personally, I relate to it because Henry Miller was a writer whose books were constantly getting banned for their erotic content. But what he also had to say about writers trying to, I don’t know, be true to their craft while surviving in America — and how they needed to find the solitude of living in the middle of nowhere in order to exist…

Well, it rang a few unexpected bells for me at this stage of my life.

I’m halfway through it (excerpt is one hour):

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And yesterday, gang…

Yes! One of the other caregivers did do all the grocery shopping!

So I did get to go with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man to have sashimi & sake and we accidentally each got 2 fortune cookies at the end of our meal!!

His were oddly boring, but both of mine were great!!! Wow!

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And here’s this!

Keith and Ronnie clowning around in a closet! It is maybe in 1979:

And back in July of 1975, George Harrison visits backstage in LA, during the Stones’ 1975 tour. (Billy Preston played keyboards for the Stones during that tour.)

And Keith with James Mitchell, in the Royal Recording Studios in Memphis, in 1988:

AND —

I know I’ve posted this one before, but it is one of my all-time favorite shots of Keith (I have it, in 2 different sizes, stuck on my wall). And it was the first photo that popped up in my Instagram feed today!!

Keith, in LA, in 1969!!

Not smoking, but otherwise, so totally Keith!

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Yesterday, Nick Cave sent out a really cool Red Hand File. It was so candid and, just, I don’t know. I just loved it. Mostly, he talked about his sleeping habits — and dreaming habits or lack thereof. He wrote it while in a cab, heading to a recording studio, to perhaps begin a new record with some of the Bad Seeds. (Yay!) He said, in part:

“…I am going to Islington to mess around in the studio with Marty (he’s well now), Thomas (him too), Jim (always robust), and Warren (still lovely and deranged) with the vague idea of perhaps making a new record. …”

However, he also stated that women are generally attracted to men (and women) who wear suits….while I love Nick Cave in anything he chooses to wear, I am totally not in the “attracted to suits” category!! I’m blue-collar all the way!!

But whichever way you lean, you can read the Red Hand File, in full, HERE!!

And meanwhile —

Here’s this!!

A couple of shots of Nick Cave wearing an interesting expression!!

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And that is it for today.

I’m hoping this will be a good day, gang. We shall soon find out.

Have a great Thursday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

Bonnie Tyler is going through some very difficult health problems. As of right now, she’s in a medically-induced coma, but her condition is stable. But it sounds very serious.

So here’s this. Her fantastic, international mega hit from 1978. “It’s A Heartache.” Thanks, Bonnie. Enjoy, gang.

“It’s A Heartache”

It’s a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Hits you when it’s too late
Hits you when you’re down

It’s a fool’s game
Nothing but a fool’s game
Standing in the cold rain
Feeling like a clown

It’s a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Love him ’til your arms break
Then he lets you down

It ain’t right with love to share
When you find he doesn’t care for you
It ain’t wise to need someone
As much as I depended on you

It’s a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Hits you when it’s too late
Hits you when you’re down

It’s a fool’s game
Nothing but a fool’s game
Standing in the cold rain
Feeling like a clown

It ain’t right with love to share
When you find he doesn’t care for you
It ain’t wise to need someone
As much as I depended on you

Oh, it’s a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Love him ’til your arms break
Then he lets you down

It’s a fool’s game
Standing in the cold rain
Feeling like a clown

It’s a heartache
Love him ’til your arms break
Then he lets you down

It’s a fool’s game
Standing in the cold rain

c – 1977 – Ronnie Scott, Victor William Batty

A wonder-filled Wednesday in the Hinterlands! Please join us!

May 13, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Well, I have to say that, now that Annie has left us, I have no idea what to expect on Wednesdays at the home of my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man!

He has been with 2 other caregivers since I saw him 4 days ago.

It is a gorgeous day and I really want to take him out for sashimi & sake because we haven’t been to the Peony Bistro in, like, 2 weeks. But I have no clue what will await me when I walk in that door — mainly, did anybody do any grocery shopping since I was last there??

We can only hope. But we will find out.

I’m hoping someone did, so that our day can be filled with this instead!!

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Meanwhile!

Wayne and some of his family will soon land in Australia!! And yesterday, I got his first official Vacation Text!

Here’s Wayne and his younger brother smoking outside JFK early yesterday, wherein Wayne assured me that from now on, he would be WhatsApp-ing me nothing but fantastic photos from Australia and Vietnam!!

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Wow!

Did my heart leap for joy yesterday, when I fetched the mail and discovered that THIS book had arrived!!

Obviously, I haven’t had time to actually read it yet, but just skimming through it — it’s incredible! So many photos of handwritten notes from Tom Petty to the author (a long-time record promoter & friend of Tom’s). And candid photos from 1976 up to when Tom passed away in 2017.

Tom Petty was never very gregarious with the Press. He stuck to whatever tour or album he was promoting at the time. So when you get a chance to get some access to the real Tom Petty — what a thrill. He was so funny. So smart.

Anyway. I cannot wait to read it. I have, you know, sort of a TON of stuff to do in the meantime, but I’ll somehow slip it in.

(PS: No, my cool Tom Petty Zippo lighter has still not arrived… It takes FOREVER to get anything from the Tom Petty Store. Perhaps he ships stuff out personally from the afterlife…)

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All righty!

Here’s a few great ones from Phyllis Stein!!

Richard Hell in Paris this past December! (I’m pretty sure he was there to discuss lofty French concepts, like “le grenier, le toit, et le plafond” but I’m not 100% certaine…)

And Johnny Thunders at Max’s Kansas City in NYC, 1979!

And The New York Dolls in Los Angeles in 1973!!

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You know, here’s something that reminds me of how incredibly grateful I am to Gram Parsons. Without him, I never would have had Emmylou Harris in my life and her music has meant SO MUCH to me, gang. (Her music career really took off when she became a singer in his band in 1972.)

And here’s this gem, while we’re at it!! From 1975, “Amarillo,” from her wonderful (and first #1) album, Elite Hotel. Give it a listen if you are unfamiliar with her records:

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Something else I’m incredibly grateful for!!

Photographer Peter Milne’s decision to take this fantastic photo and share it with the world! One of my all-time favorites of Nick Cave…

And here’s a couple more of Nick Cave while we’re at it!

Nick with Rowland S. Howard (and the Birthday Party) in Greece in 1982!!

And remember, if you missed the gig in Greece in 1982!! —

While, sadly, you can no longer see Rowland S. Howard or the Birthday Party, you can still see Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in Greece this summer!! Tickets are still available for the show in Athens on June 24th! Buy Tickets HERE!!

And here’s Nick Cave a handful of decades later…

Photo by Tricia Yourkevich/BBC:

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Okay!

Here’s this!!

Keith!! Smiling! Smoking! Drinking! And in no way needing sleep in the early 1990s!!

And Keith backstage, not smoking but needing something, not sure what, in either the USA in late 1981 or in Europe in early 1982…

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And late yesterday afternoon, Phil had some really devastating news to share about his personal life. I was really just stunned. He is divorcing his wife, Keri. He went into the very unsettling details about why.

This is the link if you missed it.

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And I guess that is it.

Things here are kind of okay, gang. I am sort of “forcing” myself to keep my mind in some sort of balance between caregiving and my overall life as a writer.

It is working, but I literally have to take it moment by moment.

And with that, I gotta scoot and head to town.

Have a wonder-filled Wednesday, whether you’re in the Hinterlands or somewhere else in the far-flung, beautiful world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!!

From the CD in the retro boombox next to my bed this morning!! (Well, the retro boombox is always next to my bed, but this is from the CD that was in it this morning!!)

George, Tom, Bob, Roy, and Jeff!!!

“…I’m so tired of being lonely, I still have some love to give…“

Yes, the Traveling Wilburys‘ first monster hit, from 1988!! “Handle With Care”. I just love these guys and this song!! Enjoy, gang!!

So exciting!!

May 12, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Yes!

Just when I needed it most yesterday!!!

The printer died!!

As in: Sayonara, baby!! Kiss the printer goodbye!!

After about an hour of trying everything imaginable to fix it, I got onto the Best Buy app and just bought a new one. It will be ready for me to pick up on Friday.

AND– it was actually cheaper than I could have ever imagined!! (When did printers get so affordable??)

I’m just not gonna stress over any more shit right now, you know? Just get a new printer! But it did totally wreck the creative flow I was having with Caiaphas…

Meanwhile, I’m hoping that the backup ink cartridges I have will fit the new printer. I tried to buy the closest model I could find to the old one. We shall see.

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In other good news!!

The guy in NYC finished reading the review copy of The Curse of Our Profound Disorder!! He really liked it. He said, among other things, that he had gotten “emotionally invested in what happened to Jem” (the protagonist).

He ultimately said: “Bravo! It reads like a true fairy tale — in the best sense of that categorization.”

As soon as the book becomes available for sale, he’ll review it on Amazon for me.

Meanwhile, if you want to pre-order it, you can do that HERE. Thank you!!

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You know, I keep forgetting to mention here that I don’t think “Wild Thing” works at the Rural King anymore.

The last 5 times I’ve been there — different days, different times — he hasn’t been at the checkout counter. Well, maybe they moved him to a different department (the guns & ammo section??), I don’t know. I usually only buy cat food and then pay and go.

Well, wherever he is — Paris, perhaps?? Brushing up on his French?? — I hope he’s having the best life!!

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Okay. I kinda gotta get moving here and head to town soon. It is a really lovely day today, though. I hope my clients want me to go out and run a bunch of errands!!

I don’t have many “here’s this’s” today but–

Here’s this!!

Keith and Mick in California, in 1969! Photo by the legendary rock photographer, Ethan Russell:

And Keith, smoking while going somewhere and looking happy, while also wearing a grey suit and some shades!!

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I loved this!!

Eric Burdon turned 85 yesterday!!

Posted by his grandchild:

And here’s this, while we’re at it! “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” by Eric Burdon and the Animals, 1965!

(BTW — I quoted the chorus to this song as my comment accompanying my Graduation photo in my Senior High School Yearbook, 1978.)

“Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”

Baby, do you understand me now
Sometimes I feel a little mad
But don’t you know that no one alive
Can always be an angel
When things go wrong I seem to be bad

But I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood

Baby, sometimes I’m so carefree
With a joy that’s hard to hide
And sometimes it seems that all I have to do is worry
And then you’re bound to see my other side

I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood

If I seem edgy I want you to know
That I never mean to take it out on you
Life has its problems and I get my share
And that’s one thing I never meant to do
Because I love you
Oh, Oh baby don’t you know I’m human
Have thoughts like any other one
Sometimes I find myself long regretting
Some foolish thing some little simple thing I’ve done

I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
Yes, I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
Yes, I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
Yes, I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood …

c – 1965 – Sol Marcus, Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell

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And from Nick Cave Official yesterday: