If you saw my update from late yesterday afternoon, you can guess that I am in good spirits around here.

I am of course very aware of all that is going on out in the rest of the world. If you have followed this blog for any amount of time, you already know what side I’m on and what I am likely to believe right now.

I think it is an astounding plan and I am quietly amazed by how well it’s going. That’s all I really want to post about it, though.

From Mike King —

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Other than that, things really are quiet around here. But that’s an okay thing.

I’m heading out soon to see my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man. I am trying to get the very most out of every moment with him these days, gang, because he is definitely expressing — in no uncertain terms — that he has had a really wonderful life and he is “ready to go upstairs”. And since his recent 95th birthday, his energy is definitely changing,

His private nurse is trying hard to come up with ways to change his outlook; to re-engage him. But she thinks like a nurse, and I think like a minister. Obviously, I will feel a true emptiness whenever it is that he ends up crossing over. I have enjoyed every single moment of knowing him.

However, I feel it is my duty to him to support his flow, his journey, to simply be beside him in the moments he has left here. Not to fight against his spirit. So my concentration these days is just in being there with him and sharing in all the joy he remembers from a life that has been very well lived.

But it is intense, gang — that moment when I walk in his kitchen door now. One of these days, and obviously we don’t know when, but one of these days everything will be over.

Meanwhile…

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Here’s this.

A fun photo of Keith and Charlie, taken in the RCA recording studio in Los Angeles, in 1965. Photo by Gered Mankowitz.

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And I guess I’m not going to post a photo of Nick Cave every single day between now and January 17th, when the Bad Seeds’ tour of Australia gets underway, so we can just part with this, for now:

I’m guessing there will be photos on Sept. 23rd. We shall see!

Meanwhile, Autumn is really right around the corner now. Summer is done.

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I’m going to try to get a tiny bit of editing work done on The Curse of Our Profound Disorder before I head to town this morning, so I’m gonna scoot.

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!

This song is the ONLY song on the playlist from “songs I was listening to 5 years ago” that was actually a new song 5 years ago!

The absolutely only song! And the playlist lasts one hour.

I really loved the Ghosteen album when it came out. So much. But as time goes on, I just find that it gets sadder and sadder for me, and it is so hard to listen to.

When this song came on, it surprised me that it was on the list. And the intensity of the song was just sort of spellbinding.

Anyway. I leave you with a song that was actually a new song, 5 years ago!

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “Waiting for You”, 2019. From Ghosteen. Enjoy, gang.

“Waiting for You”

All through the night we drove
And the wind caught her hair
And we parked on the beach
In the cool evening air
Well, sometimes it’s better not to say anything at all

Your body is an anchor
Never asked to be free
Just want to stay in the business
Of making you happy
Well, I’m just waiting for you
Waiting for you
Waiting for you
Waiting for you
Waiting for you
Waiting for you

A priest runs through the chapel
All the calendars are turning
A Jesus freak on the street
Says He is returning
Well, sometimes a little bit of faith
Can go a long, long way

Your soul is my anchor
I never asked to be freed
Well, sleep now, sleep now
Take as long as you need
Cause I’m just waiting for you
Waiting for you
Waiting for you
Waiting for you
Waiting for you
Waiting for you
To return
To return
To return

c – 2019 Nick Cave

I don’t know about you, gang, but I slept great last night.

Part of it was because of the weather. Part of it was because I knew I had another day off today (yes– the Agency has texted me 3 times already to pick up shifts on my days off, but I have declined all of them).

Most of it, though, is because I’m getting such great work done on the novel-in-progress, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder.

Even though I managed to take a walk yesterday, do yoga, and listen to another lecture in the course about Protestant Reformation, I was still able to get 6 hours of work done at my desk on the novel.

To me, that’s heaven.

And during dinner, I started to watch this — I’m about halfway through:

I follow one of the producers of the film on Instagram and she posted something about the film yesterday, so I started watching it.

It’s a documentary from 2016, that pretty convincingly proposes that Sid Vicious did not kill Nancy. That basically the NYPD didn’t want to waste time investigating a death involving a bunch of junkies.

It’s a sad movie, but it’s really good:

“Sad Vacation is an up close and personal account of the tumultuous and stormy relationship between Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen and how it ended in Room 100 of the Chelsea Hotel. This films pulls no punches and reveals the facts through personal friends, insiders and witnesses. Includes interviews with Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls), Bob Gruen, Walter Lure and many more.”

Trailer:

Next movie up, will be this one:

Room 37: The Mysterious Death of Johnny Thunders

From 2019:

“Famed rock and roll guitarist Johnny Thunders arrives in New Orleans to attempt to put his life back together after a battle with addiction, but instead, a series of events propels him deeper into chaos.”

It didn’t get great reviews, but I’ve been wanting to watch it for a while now, since I really loved everything about the NY Dolls — the good, the bad, and the ugly. So I decided it will be next in line, finally.

Trailer:

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And here’s this–

I loved these guys!

I was so sad when River Phoenix died. It’s one of those days I’ll never forget, actually.

My Own Private Idaho (1991) is one of my all-time favorite films.

I pretty much loved all the films Gus Van Sant has made.

Many years after “Idaho”, I found myself working in the home office of Gus Van Sant, Sr. (Gus’s dad), at a time in his life when he and his wife were living in Ohio. I got the job solely because I was a writer from NYC, and I was friends with the woman who cut Gus Sr.’s hair out at his golf club.

I didn’t ask for the job, he simply asked me if I wanted to work for him, because he needed help at the office.

It turned out that Gus Sr. was Gus Jr.’s Business Manager, so I learned a lot about the business end of film financing at that job. But beyond that, Gus Sr. was an incredible man. Unbelievably kind and supportive. One afternoon, the subject of River Phoenix came up and Gus Sr. said to me: “We all had dinner one night, while they were filming ‘Idaho’. And that young man was very troubled.”

That was all he said and it spoke volumes.

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Anyway.

Here’s this!

More shots on Instagram from the new Dior “Sauvage” campaign. However, you know the rules, gang — if he’s not smoking we can never be 100% positive it’s really Johnny Depp. It could be a body double. Heck, it could be AI for all we know:

(And this reminds me — when are we going to be able to watch “Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness” on Amazon Prime in the US??)

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And here’s this!

From outside the Baden-Baden show the other night — Nick Cave and an automobile!

And TOMORROW!!

Nick Cave’s Solo Tour of Europe with Colin Greenwood on bass begins to come to a close! 2 back-to-back sold out shows begin in Luxembourg, and then the tour is over.

(But see yesterday’s post about what is up for Nick Cave on Sept. 23rd!)

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And that is it, I think.

I want to get back to the novel. I am really excited to see what hits the page today!

And FYI, I printed out that Kerouac quote I posted yesterday and I taped it to the wall in front of my desk. And it really, really does just keep making me smile, gang. I feel like the spirit of Kerouac is really in there, cheering me on.

BTW, the quote is taken from a story in a collection of his unpublished works that came out in 1999 — Atop an Underwood: Early Stories and Other Writings:

“It includes writings from Kerouac’s high school years, poetry, short stories, essays and other previously unpublished works. “

If you’re too young to know what an Underwood was , it was a popular brand of typewriter. I have since ordered the book! I can’t wait to read it.

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And that’s that!

Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this! Breakfast-listening music!!

Still on a Monkees kick around here, but we are up to their 3rd album — another great one! The Monkees — Headquarters (1967). It was a #1 Album on Billboard and it went double-platinum.

This was the first album of theirs that I was able to buy with my own money. My Aunt Sylvia gave me a birthday card in the summer of 1967 (also known historically as The Summer of Love!!) that included a 5 dollar bill in it!! Wow, was I excited! Back then, you could buy record albums for under $5. So I bought Headquarters for myself, for my 7th birthday.

This song was amazing back then — and really appropriate, politically, for 1967 — and it’s kind of even more amazing now. All politics aside. A real gem, written by the famous songwriting duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

“Shades of Gray”, 1967. The Monkees. Enjoy, gang.

“Shades of Gray”

When the world and I were young
Just yesterday
Life was such a simple game
A child could play

It was easy then to tell right from wrong
Easy then to tell weak from strong
When a man should stand and fight
Or just go along

[Chorus]
But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light
Today there is no black or white
Only shades of gray

I remember when
The answers seemed so clear
We had never lived with doubt
Or tasted fear

It was easy then to tell truth from lies
Selling out from compromise
Who to love and who to hate
The foolish from the wise

But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light
Today there is no black or white
Only shades of gray

[Instrumental Break]

It was easy then to know what was fair
When to keep and when to share
How much to protect your heart
And how much to care

But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light
Today there is no black or white
Only shades of gray

[Outro]
Only shades of gray

c-1967 – Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil