Not the best morning, but we’re still gonna try to turn it around

Well, the visitation & funeral for my wonderful client who died early Thursday morning is being held next week, on a day & time when I have to work, so I won’t be able to attend.

And the family doesn’t want flowers, so I can’t do that, either.

However, I did get to read her obituary and wow, gang, does she sound like someone I would have absolutely adored knowing. The obituary even mentions what a great vocabulary & sense of humor she had!! And that is something I am always so attracted to in a human being.

I feel blessed that I got to at least know her in the final months of her life, even though she was already cognitively impaired and couldn’t speak much at all. But what a warm and wonderful person she was.

I will really miss her.

*************

It’s looking like “Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness” will not be shown in US theaters. At least I can’t find any upcoming listings for it.

It’s looking like it will be on Amazon Prime in the US, starting on December 12th (?). I am so unclear about this, though.

Dear Johnny Smoke,

If MODI is playing anywhere near me, I am willing to make one last trip to an actual movie theater, otherwise, I will just stream it on my new family-room TV. Could you please clarify.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

(And, yes, you can sort of see that the TV in my kitchen, there by the kitchen door, is actually bigger than the new TV in my family room, however, the kitchen table gets in the way if I put the smaller one in the kitchen…)

(And, yes, I was watching a re-run of “Black Books” when I took that photo yesterday. I love that fucking show!!)

**************

Well, I was totally appalled and — I don’t know — utterly beyond disappointed, to read the news very early this morning that the bookshop owners in Moscow are getting arrested for:

“…selling books containing ‘traces of propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations,’ Russian investigators said.”

Mike King went on to say, in his own words:

“It’s a ban on socially destructive homosexual / trannie filth.”

Wow.

He went on to say more things along these lines that were simply appalling to me. (He’s in favor of this ban.)

I’m not 100% certain, and even while I wasn’t planning to sell any of my books in Russia anytime soon, I’m kinda thinking I’m not reading Mike King’s news updates anymore.

***********

I wasn’t as “appalled or utterly beyond disappointed” by Nick Cave’s Red Hand File yesterday, but I was — I don’t know– a little repelled by it? Is that too strong a word?

You can read it here.

**********

I can go so far as to say I was “shell-shocked” by an article in The Guardian that my friend & colleague Roger Gaess sent me a link to yesterday.

‘Matt Smith is so hot it’s problematic’: inside the TV version of Nick Cave’s disturbing, sex-filled novel

The way that both Matt Smith and Nick Cave describe The Death of Bunny Munro, and in particular, the lead character, makes me feel like I read an entirely different novel.

But at least now I’m no longer upset that I won’t be able to see the series.

Hmmm… which book did I read?

**********

On a happier note!

Wayne texted during the night that he’s making progress in The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. (He’s up to Part 3, so he’s almost done.)

In addition to also liking the character of Taylor Hanson Hewitt III, Wayne thinks the book is well written.

So far, so good.

********

Here’s this!!

From Phyllis Stein’s Instagram page, a bonanza of David Jo photos!

David Johansen in 1977
David with Bebe Buell and Todd Rundgren — I think it was 1974
Is it my imagination, or were The Dolls always being photographed in front of Gem Spa in the 70s?

I stopped in at Gem Spa often when I lived in the East Village. It was on the corner of St. Mark’s Place and 2nd Avenue. It opened in 1921 and closed down 5 years ago.

***********

In other happy news–

My favorite 95-year-old Japanese man had a great day yesterday. He was alert. He had clarity. We had great conversations all day. And he remembered details from things he had done the last 2 days. This is huge, gang. It was so nice.

Today, we are going out for sashimi & sake. We’ll see how it goes. Each day is different, at this point. But the one thing that is always the same — we have a great time being together.

***************

More of the great conversation between Dom Crossan and James Tabor.

Crossan & Tabor–An Informal Conversation: Our Backgrounds, History, Scholarship, and Core Ideas (1 hr 47 mins):

************

And I think that’s it for now.

I hope you have a great Saturday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

*************

I leave you with this.

Just because sometimes I need to remember why it is that I’m still happy I came here (to Earth, that is). Enjoy, gang.

“Happy”

Well I never kept a dollar past sunset
It always burned a hole in my pants
Never made a school mama happy
Never blew a second chance, oh no

I need a love to keep me happy
I need a love to keep me happy
Baby, baby keep me happy
Baby, baby keep me happy

Always took candy from strangers
Didn’t wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss ev’ry night and day

I need a love to keep me happy
I need a love, baby, won’t ya keep me happy
Baby, won’t ya keep me happy
Baby, please keep me

I need a love to keep me happy
I need a love to keep me happy
Baby, baby keep me happy
Baby

Never got a flash out of cocktails
When I got some flesh on the bone
Never got a lift out of Lear jets
When I can fly way back home

I need a love to keep me happy
I need a love to keep me happy
Baby, baby keep me happy
Baby, baby keep me happy
Baby

Happy, baby won’t you keep me
Happy, baby won’t you keep me
Happy, baby won’t you keep me
Happy, baby won’t you keep me
Happy, baby won’t you keep me
Happy, oh, keep on, baby, keep me
Happy, now baby won’t you squeeze me
Happy, oh, baby got to feel it
Happy, now, now, now, now, now keep me
Happy, my, my, my, keep me
Happy, keep on baby, keep me
Happy, keep on baby, got to
Happy, my, my, baby keep me happy

c- 1972 – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards

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