We are starting out on a much firmer footing today, gang.
Yesterday remained mostly fucking weird the entire day. It was an energy thing. Nothing terrible happened.
But today feels completely different. Much calmer.
Before I forget–
It does look like my interview with Alex S. Johnson on YouTube at 3PM Eastern Time today, is indeed going to be done live. You can access his YouTube page HERE. (It’s called The Kandy Fontaine Show, after one of his characters in one of his earlier books.)
And speaking of Alex S. Johnson–
I received my print copy of the William Burroughs tribute anthology yesterday and wow, was I impressed with the quality of it. He really did a great job. It is such a cool book.
And since he was basically waiting on my contribution to finally arrive before sending it off to be printed, my flash-fiction piece is the very last one in the book!! Which is really cool, because it makes it really easy to find!!
I’m just really honored to be in this collection, gang.
The Junk Merchants: A Literary Tribute to William S. Burroughs THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR’S CUT edited by Alex S. Johnson
It is now available in both print and eBook editions on Amazon HERE. (446 pages)
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Okay!!
Another hotel is in my glorious future!!
If you’re new to the blog — I’ll be participating in the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Conference in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the weekend of March 12th -15th 2027.
I’m giving 2 presentations on Saturday, March 13th, each one-hour long with Q & A.
I’m speaking on:
- Networking and Vetting Professionals
- Adapting Your Work to Market
And I found out yesterday that this is the hotel where I’m staying!! Another Hilton Hotel, but this one is a Homewood Suites:
I’ve also decided to drive there. It’s a pretty straight shot on the freeway/turnpike from here to Bethlehem, PA, and takes about 6 hours.
Whereas, flying there would take me about 4 hours (it’s an hour just to get to the airport here) and would cost at least $400 roundtrip…
I used to drive to PA and NY a lot but it has been since before COVID that I did that, so I have now begun the 4-month process of psyching myself up to make that kind of drive again, alone!! (But I have a fantastic car… a brand new Honda Accord!!)
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Today is a special anniversary day for me, gang!
On November 15th 1980, I moved to NYC and my whole LIFE began!!
And even though arriving in NYC back then was really overwhelming — the only thing we had back then that could even prepare me for how different it was from living in Ohio, was MTV. We had no popular technology or social media, etc., back then.
I lived in NYC for almost 30 years, and spiritually, I still consider it my true home, even though it has changed so much now.
And I have to say this about NYC vs. Columbus, Ohio back then, gang: In all those years of living in NYC, I was never raped, robbed, scammed, or beaten up.
All of that stuff happened to me in Columbus.
This video is great. It has an AI narrator, but other than that, it really captures how incredible NYC was in the 1980s (11 mins):
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Okay!
On another note entirely!!
From James Tabor — a recent lecture:
“In this lecture I relate for the first time the autobiographical backstory of how I came to write a Quest for the Historical Mary–as an unexplored avenue to the 19th and early 20th century “Quest” that Albert Schweitzer summarized so well in his 1906 classic, The Quest of the Historical Jesus.”
What Drew Me to Biblical Studies and Archaeology–Finding Mary (1 hr):
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And here are a couple of “here’s this’s” for today!!
John Lennon!! Smoking!! Reading!! In 1964!!
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And a couple of Keith!
On the “Ready Steady Go!” British TV show in 1966!
In Australia in 1973!!
And on the Vlatava River in Prague in 2018!!
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And here’s this!
Rod Stewart sometime in the 1970s!!
And here’s this while we’re at it!! Rod Stewart and the Faces! From my wee bonny girlhood!! “Had Me a Real Good Time” (Live on John Peel’s Sunday Concert, BBC, 5/23/71). I have always loved this song!! This is live, but audio only:
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And here’s a little selection from Facebook and Instagram!!
Nick Cave, smoking!! In black & white!!
And Nick Cave!! Allegedly having a little trouble with static electricity?? (But if I remember my OWN hair from back then, you had to work really hard to get it to look like that!!)
And don’t forget!!
Tickets are now on sale for Nick Cave’s In Conversation North American Tour 2027!! Buy them HERE!!
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And I guess that is it for today!!
If you are around later today at 3PM Eastern Time, pop in at The Kandy Fontaine Show for my interview with Alex S. Johnson. It should last one hour. (Otherwise, the replay will be posted at that same link on YouTube indefinitely…)
Have a super Sunday 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!!
Bruce Springsteen’s contribution to the new Shane MacGowan tribute collection, 20th Century Paddy.
“A Rainy Night In Soho.” Enjoy, gang.
“A Rainy Night In Soho”
I’ve been loving you a long time
Down all the years, down all the days
And I’ve cried for all your troubles
Smiled at your funny little ways
We watched our friends grow up together
And we saw them as they fell
Some of them fell into Heaven
Some of them fell into Hell
I took shelter from a shower
And I stepped into your arms
On a rainy night in Soho
The wind was whistling all its charms
I sang you all my sorrows
You told me all your joys
Whatever happened to that old song?
To all those little girls and boys
Sometimes I wake up in the morning
The ginger lady by my bed
Covered in a cloak of silence
I hear you talking in my head
I’m not singing for the future
I’m not dreaming of the past
I’m not talking of the first time
I never think about the last
Now this song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
Still there’s a light I hold before me
And you’re the measure of my dreams, the measure of my dreams
Sometimes I wake up in the morning
The ginger lady by my bed
Covered in a cloak of silence
I hear you talking in my head
I’m not singing for the future
I’m not dreaming of the past
I’m not talking of the first time
I never think about the last
Now this song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
Still there’s a light I hold before me
And you’re the measure of my dreams, the measure of my dreams
c – 1986 Shane Patrick Lysaght Macgowan
