It occurred to me, gang, that I won’t be able to post to the blog in the morning.
I’m going to want to get to the bookstore early, and before I leave for town, I will probably want to try on 14,000.02 outfits!
You know, to get the look just right!!
Especially since I will be seated at a table the entire time!!!
I will maybe try to post some photos from the book signing while it’s going on, if it isn’t crowded or anything. (I’m expecting about 3 people to show up: Kara, Wendy, and Debbie. But we’ll see…)
Okay. More from the Historic Arcade in Newark, Ohio, tomorrow afternoon!!
Before I talk in detail about my great morning, let’s do this!!!
Happy birthday Richard Hell!!!! Born this day in Lexington , Kentucky, in 1949!!
Smoking, gun-toting, shade-wearing, black & white, in NYC, 1976!! (Photo by Roberta Bayley)
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And on a more somber note–
Tom Petty has been gone 9 years, as of today. I hope he is having the time of his (after) life!
Mature Tom!! Shade-wearing, writing, guitar-playing in black & white!!
Attitude Tom, 1 & 2!! Smoking!!
(The only song of Tom Petty’s that I ever played live in NYC folk clubs!! “Don’t Do Me Like That” !! 1979)
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It’s time for the Story of the Week over at Brown Hound Press!
And it’s a really good one!! (And the editor claims the story is the author’s first publication! And it was submitted as a typewritten manuscript! Wow!)
“And the World Was Wide Open” by Willie James Bess
Here’s Gram Parsons in one of his many Nudie suits!
And here’s this! Gram, with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, “In My Hour of Darkness” from Grievous Angel, 1974:
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A couple of Stones smoking — but Brian has TWO!!!!
KEITH (looking away, quietly thinking): “Greedy bastard.”
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A couple of great ones — Jack Kerouac, October!
And if you STILL haven’t read or listened to On The Road, get with it already!! He only wrote it 75 years ago!! God purposely made cigarettes and amphetamines so that we could HAVE great literature like this!! What are you waiting for??
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All right!
It has become clear!!
He is WITH the band!! Not hanging out in the audience!!
From Bad Seed Jim Sclavunos yesterday (meaning that, if you were waiting on me, you missed the show in Porto!):
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Facebook has let me down, gang. They had photos of Nick Cave, but not any good ones today.
I had to go to the desktop stash for this one:
Nick Cave!! (Wondering: What the fuck is the deal with Facebook??)
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All righty!!
Here it is: “The wonderfully true tale of LUNCH and how it went!!”
Wow, gang.
I’m not even sure where to start. I can at least start by saying again: What a nice man. And it is safe to also say that it looks like we’re officially DATING.
Even though he leaves for Florida later today. So it’ll be “long distance, over the phone” dating for a while. (He’ll be back for a week in January, to check on his house — furnace, water pipes, etc.)
We share the same sense of humor and he is so easy to talk to. He says the sweetest, while totally unexpected things. For instance:
“You should enter a beauty contest, you know, in the category of women your age — you’d win that, easily!”
Okay, here are a few things, in no particular order.
In all the best ways, I feel like my dad is back. This guy is taller than me, bigger than me, older (mid-70s), he gives great hugs, he’s smart and he likes to laugh, and he can fix absolutely everything.
And he has plenty of money and property (3 homes in Florida and one across the road from me!).
But 2 of the homes in Florida are up for sale. He loves to buy older homes and rehab them and then sell them. He can’t stand being retired and needs to stay busy… The one remaining home that he is keeping (and living in) has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths and is really pretty– he said (more than once) “Come visit me in Florida! I’ll pay for it! I’m all by myself now.”
He’s a widower with grown children and a couple grandchildren.
And probably most importantly of all!! He owns an enormous RV. He keeps it parked on some property not far from my house, where other campers are parked, but his is in an isolated area because it is huge.
(BTW, he was showing me all this stuff on his phone while we were at lunch.)
I love RVs and campers. I love to go camping. But this RV is 2 stories tall. It’s nothing like the campers of the 1960s. The bedroom is upstairs. It looks a lot like this, but this is not his:
He said, “I really hope you’ll come out and see it. It’s just sitting there now.”
And then he showed me the view outside the upstairs bedroom window — green fields and tons of trees . He said, “You could run around naked out there and no one would see you.”
I thanked him for the head’s up on that…
Anyway. He is of course retired. He worked various kinds of construction his whole life. He’s very down to Earth and just very nice. And after lunch, he came inside for a few minutes to meet the cats and they seemed to really like him, too.
He did not ask me anything specific about my life yet, he was being very polite — he knows I’m divorced, that I’m a writer and that I lived in NYC and worked in publishing for about 30 years. He didn’t ask what kind of writing I do, so I didn’t tell him. I have decided I’m not telling him anything unless he specifically asks me. (Oh, and I mentioned I’m returning part-time to the health & wellness store in town and he has actually shopped there before, because his son is into natural healing and health food, etc.) (He grew up, got married and raised his family in that area of town where the store is now, a long time ago, when it was still just cornfields and farms.)
So we’ll just see how it all goes.
We texted quickly this morning around 6AM and he does indeed use smiley-face emojis!!
I thanked him again for lunch yesterday — I really did have a nice time with him. And he texted back that he feels “good vibes”! (So, yes, we are both kinda OLD!!)
But I’m excited to see where it goes. We’ll likely be talking on the phone for 3 months before I see him again. So I should have a pretty good idea by January.
Meanwhile!!
That’s it for today, gang! Gotta work on the M. Christian anthology now, and tomorrow– my book signing!!
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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 today!!!!
I don’t think it needs any explanation. Enjoy, gang.
I simply did not know until after I’d posted to the blog yesterday, that I missed a couple of birthdays!!
Happy belated birthday, Marty Stuart!!
And happy heavenly birthday, W.S. Merwin!! He would have been 99 yesterday!
For his upcoming 100th birthday next year, the WS Merwin Conservancy in Hawaii has plenty of really cool things planned. My favorite is this:
“A new podcast is in the works, by way of a collaboration with Hawaiʻi Public Radio. It will highlight the voices of some of our writers-in-residence, carrying their vision, and the work made while here on Maui, across the ocean.”
To find out about all their upcoming plans, and to sign up for their newsletter, visit HERE.
Meanwhile, here’s one of my favorite poems by WS Merwin:
“A Single Autumn” (2008)
The year my parents died one that summer one that fall I moved into the house where they had lived their last years it had never been theirs and was still theirs in that way for a while
echoes in every room without a sound all the things that we had never been able to say I could not remember
doll collection in a china cabinet plates stacked on shelves lace on drop-leaf tables a dried branch of bittersweet before a hall mirror were all planning to wait
the glass doors of the house remained closed the days had turned cold and out in the tall hickories the blaze of autumn had begun on its own
I could do anything
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Okay!
If you’re a writer doing anything Singapore- or Asia-related, be sure to check out Jee Leong Koh’s Singapore Unbound and sign up for their newsletter:
“A transnational literary organization based in NYC, Singapore Unbound envisions and works for a creative and fulfilling life for everyone. We do so through the subversive, innovative, and empathetic powers of the arts, especially by amplifying underrepresented voices.”
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And here’s a trip down Memory Lane–
My own foray into Singapore unbound in NYC! 1981!
Me and Chong, our first Christmas!! (Chong, my first husband who now lives in Seattle, was born & raised in Singapore.)
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And here’s this!
Warren Ellis and his pup, Tupac, had an urgent update for us last evening, about vomiting in cars!
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And here’s this update from Nick Cave Official:
“Nick Cave has collaborated with PETA on a limited-edition merchandise collection featuring his original illustration of a dog and a rat alongside the organisation’s “Every Animal Is Someone” slogan. The collection includes T-shirts, tote bags and tapestries, with all proceeds supporting PETA’s work.”
And that’s really all I have for today. It was already 2PM when I got home from my job “re-application” yesterday (I had to fill out a bunch of tax forms, etc.) —
BTW, this is where I’ll be working again, part-time. My favorite Health & Wellness store! Comfrey Corner of Heath!
And once I got home yesterday, I had a bunch of little things to tend to.
Including but not limited to:
I had the cutest conversation with the man I’m going out to lunch with today.
We were over in his driveway, confirming our plans.
Then he said, sort of quietly, while glancing nervously over at my house, “There isn’t anyone who’s going to, you know, put a gun in my face because I’m taking you to lunch tomorrow, right?”
How cute was that??!!
I assured him that, no, there was no one on Earth who cared if I went out to lunch with him… Then he totally relaxed. He is so sweet.
Anyway.
We’re going here! Applebee’s, in Muskingum County! (Where basically everybody owns a gun!!)
And then tomorrow, he leaves for Florida for the winter.
What is it with all these people who go to Florida all winter and miss the thrill of Christmas in the snow & icy winds of Ohio???
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Well, anyway. I’m looking forward to lunch today.
And then, when I get back, I will focus on the M. Christian anthology!!
Enjoy your Thursday, wherever you are in the world, gang!
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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Let’s close with this!
If you have the time — it’s an hour and half long — I am really enjoying this. Although it’s taking me a while. I can only watch it a couple songs at a time before I have to go focus on something else.
However.
Absolutely classic Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers! 1978! I was only 18 back then. So hard to even believe that.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Live at Winterland 1978 (Full Concert Experience) (1 hr 32 mins) Enjoy, gang:
Today is going to be all about taking care of loose ends, gang, before I get really busy — and then also washing my hair!! (Tomorrow I’m supposed to be going to lunch with the gentleman across the street!)
Because, also, tomorrow — the official deadline for contributing stories to the M. Christian tribute anthology arrives. So, beginning tomorrow, I will have my editor’s cap on a lot. Here’s hoping it won’t mess up my hair!!
So with all that hard work in mind, let’s tackle some of these loose ends together!!
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In the “Guess What Day It Is” Department:
Here’s this!!
Happy heavenly birthday Marc Bolan!! Born September 30, 1947 (and gone by September 16, 1977):
And here’s this, appropriately enough! “20th Century Boy,” performed on England’s Top of the Pops, 1973:
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And in the “I had a feeling this was gonna be a good one”‘ Department:
Rave reviews are in for the one-man show, “How Shakespeare Saved My Life,” at the Public Theatre in NYC!
“ONE OF THE TOP ONE-MAN SHOWS I’VE SEEN THIS YEAR”— DAVID WALTERS, THE FRONT ROW CENTER
“A deeply moving testament to transformation, forgiveness, and the power of finding one’s voice” –Deirdre Donovan, Off Off Online
“Brilliant showcase of his dramatic range.”—Kenji Fujishima, TheaterMania
“Ming-Trent’s talent shines through as he portrays a wide range of characters.”—Thom Geier, Culture Sauce
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In the “I actually didn’t know that” Department:
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In the “I’m not really clear if he’s gonna be onstage or in the audience” Department:
From Bad Seed Jim Sclavunos:
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And this next one falls into 2 separate departments–
The “Updates on my dog’s relieving himself in the live studio” Department
And the “I’m not really clear if it was Warren who swallowed the button after playing his viola or the dog did” Department:
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From the “Cool things my heroes said when I was a wee bonnie lass” Department:
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From the “Cool things my heroes are currently doing” Department:
Ronnie Wood has 2 new portraits of Jimi Hendrix, along with some other Jimi Hendrix prints, on display right now at the Handel-Hendrix House in London!
“Lambda Literary nurtures and advocates for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve our legacies, and affirm the value of our stories and our lives.”
And this next thing was so cool — it appeared in my Instagram feed yesterday. Not an account I had heard of before, but apparently she was having breakfast with my publisher!!
And in case you live anywhere near Newark, Ohio, please don’t forget to join me on Saturday afternoon! Books will be on sale at the event.
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And I guess that is it!
Oh — I am having a great time looking at the private app James Tabor setup for our conference memories — looking at everyone’s photos and reading everyone’s comments really makes me wish I was still in that wonderful hotel with everyone in Charlotte!!
Okay!
Have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world, gang!
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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Let’s close with this.
I am still reading Conversations with Tom Petty (2005) and Tom was talking about what a thrill it was to hear Johnny Cash’s version of Tom’s classic, “Southern Accents”.
So, of course I had to drop everything and listen to it! (I also played it many times on my trip to town yesterday.)
So here it is for you!
Johnny Cash, “Southern Accents,” from his album American II: Unchained, 1996. Enjoy, gang.
“Southern Accents”
There’s a southern accent, where I come from The young ‘uns call it country The Yankees call it dumb
I got my own way of talkin’ But everything is done, with a southern accent Where I come from
Now that drunk tank in Atlanta’s Just a motel room to me Think I might go work Orlando If them orange groves don’t freeze
I got my own way of workin’ But everything is run, with a southern accent Where I come from
For just a minute there I was dreaming For just a minute it was all so real For just a minute she was standing there, with me
There’s a dream I keep having Where my mama comes to me Then kneels down over by the window And says a prayer for me
I got my own way of prayin’ But every one’s begun With a southern accent Where I come from
I got my own way of livin’ But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from
Although I really did miss being in Charlotte last night, gang.
Still, it was so fun to get out of bed here at 6AM today and say a happy hello to all my many cats!
Even though they got along great with my mom, it was so clear to me that they were excited that things were back to normal this morning. They were all frisky as heck!
Oh, here’s something kind of exciting — I don’t know yet if it will really happen, but I hope it does!
One of my girlfriends who works at my favorite health & wellness store in town (I used to work there during the lockdowns), put in her 2 weeks notice while I was away, and I’m looking into taking over her hours!
It would be so cool to be back there, especially since I’m still friends with everyone who works there. Plus, the store is privately owned and only open a limited number of hours/days a week.
I had to leave there once the lockdowns were over, because I couldn’t afford to work retail back then. But now that I have Social Security and the money I inherited from my dad, I can afford it.
So we shall see!! It would certainly take care of this problem I’ve been having of feeling unbelievably isolated out here in the middle of nowhere since I retired…
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Okay!
This week, I have:
The deadline for receiving contributions to the memorial tribute anthology honoring M. Christian. (Meaning, I then have to start editing it.)
My lunch date with the gentleman across the road.
And on Saturday, is my book-signing at the bookstore in the Historic Arcade in Newark!
So it should be a fun week with a nice, even sort of pace.
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Other than that —
I have a TON of “here’s this’s'” that I accumulated while in Charlotte, NC!!
So let’s get started!!
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Most importantly, it seems that this past weekend was International “Bad Seeds Take Their Dogs Out” Weekend!!
On Saturday!
George Vjestica apparently has a tiny little dog named Gucci!!
And on Sunday!
Warren Ellis took his pups out to the woods!!
And here’s this, while we’re at it! Does it get better?? Lou Reed & the Velvet Underground! The sublime “Sunday Morning”, 1966!
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It’s time for Erica Verrillo’s fantastic (FREE) publishing calls-for-submissions and writing contest updates for October!!
Visit HERE! And then click on the various links for current updates.
(You will notice that my old E.12th Street apartment is NOT part of the tour, but if you take the tour, please feel free to DEMAND that they stop at 511 E.12th Street anyway!! And honor all the LGBTQ cool shit that happened in my apartment!! Drugs! Booze! Sex! MUSIC!! Cigarettes!! Writing, writing, writing!! Thanking you in advance!!)
“Discover LGBTQ history hidden in plain sight on this 90-minute expert-led walking tour of New York’s East Village. Celebrate LGBTQ History Month and explore places and people that made this neighborhood a center of LGBTQ art, activism, nightlife, and counterculture.
“Visit the former residences of poet Allen Ginsberg and lesbian activists Ellen Broidy, co-planner of the first NYC Pride March (1970), and Ernestine Eckstein, who was active in the LGBTQ rights movement in the pre-Stonewall years. See if you can hear the echos of dance music as we stand outside the site of The Loft, where David Mancuso hosted egalitarian underground house parties that influenced the city’s club scene. Share memories as we arrive at the former locations of nightclubs The Saint, with its legendary interior dome, and Pyramid Cocktail Lounge, where LGBTQ performers included Andy Warhol, John Waters, performance artist Ethyl Eichelberger, and more.”
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YES!! For some inexplicable reason, this is NOT on the tour!!
Punk bassist/guitarist Blaire N. Bitch, smoking in my bedroom at 4AM!!
Me with my band!
My best friend on Earth — the notoriously gay and now dearly departed from AIDS Paul Martin, in my bathtub!!
And here’s the front of 511 E.12th Street as it looks today. My apartment was the 3rd one up , on the left, with the little AC in the window (back then the fuses in the building were so old, you could not have such a thing as a working AC!! It would blow all the lights out in the building!) (I know this, because we tried it once!!)
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All righty!
Phyllis Stein gave us a scare over the weekend, saying she was basically done posting all her great Punk music photos to Instagram. (But last night, she posted again!!)
But here’s some great photos from when she was departing us–
David Jo and Richard Hell! At Max’s Kansas City, 1976!! (Photo by Bob Gruen)
David Jo with Cyrinda Fox (married for only one year, then they famously split up). At CBGBs, 1976, photo by Roberta Bayley.
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And here’s this!
Also from Phyllis Stein as she was pretending to depart us…
Johnny Thunders in NYC in 1973!!
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And a couple of Keith!!
Smoking backstage at Madison Square Garden in NYC in 1969!!!
Keith comments on Bob Dylan!! (I think he’s saying what we’re all thinking!!)
And how about this??
I might have posted it here before, but I just love it!!
(I would not have survived 1975 without these 2 guys!!)
Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards:
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A little bit more info about the upcoming Johnny Depp movie ,”Day Drinker”–
Looks like fun for the whole family!!
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AND!!
A bunch more great photos of Nick Cave!!
From Facebook! Oh No!!
Priceless!
Nick onstage twenty years ago in Paris!! Smoking!! Singing!! Facial hair!!
And a couple more from long ago…
I believe this was 1990, photo by Peter Walsh (?)
And this was possibly LA in 1990, photo by Jonathan Kirn (?)
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And whew!
That’s it!
Gotta finish the laundry here and then head to town because I am ABSOLUTELY out of cat food here!!!
Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world, gang!
Thanks for visiting!
I love you guys. See ya!
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Let’s close with this!!
From yesterday!
Elvis Costello Unboxes ‘My Aim Is True’ 49th Anniversary Edition!
