Tag Archives: music

Off to a great morning here!

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Wow, gang.

If you saw my quick update from yesterday afternoon — about how all 8 of my self-published books on Amazon got approved for audiobooks at the very same time…

By early evening, I was already getting audition tapes from narrators/producers (are they still “tapes” if it’s all done virtually??)

Anyway.

Wow, were they good!

I got 2 auditions for The Guitar Hero Goes Home, and one for 1954 Powder Blue Pickup. And my jaw kinda dropped open, all 3 guys were just so good.

(And, yes, I have to say that while I was listening to the auditions, I was wondering: Who the heck WROTE this filthy dirty stuff??)

Anyway. Wow. I’m just so happy with how this is developing.

Mommy’s happy. Cat, not so much…

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Okay!

I don’t know about you, but I had great dreams last night. And I woke up feeling like everything had shifted, energy-wise.

I’m in such a positive mood, today.

And THIS was so exciting to wake-up to!!

It appears Warren Ellis is finally satisfied with the shade of blue that the London Council chose for his street sign!

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And it turns out the rumors were true!

Some of the Bad Seeds did indeed have beverages while in Munich recently!!

And it appears that at least 3 of them also play their own instruments!

Colin Greenwood, George Vjestica, and Carly Paradis!

And here, George and Carly are — well, I’m not sure what they’re doing, but at least we now have proof that it happened!

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And here’s proof that both Lou Reed and Mick Rock used to exist.

Thank god.

Lou, taking aim. One of my all-time heroes:

And no, I’m not going to post this song again because I’ve posted it here a million times already… But if I were posting it, it would be my song, “Lou.” Demo produced by Peitor Angell! (1984)

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Oh!

And in case you were thinking I wasn’t busy enough…

Yesterday afternoon, James Tabor sent us 6 pdfs to download and read before the conference in 2 weeks. Along with a couple of books to re-read (did that already!! whew), and some documentaries to watch, and some maps to study…

Yes. Okay. Sounds good… I’m on it.

But wait!!!

When am I supposed to find time to do THIS?? My plane leaves in only 2 weeks!!

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All right.

Meanwhile…

Nick Cave has it figured out.

If there are TWO of him, he can get more done…

Even leaves him time to paint…..

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Anyway!!

All right.

As you can guess, I gotta get started — I’ve got some wrok to do. (And after the “wrok” is done, I have a lot of work to do, too.)

I hope you have a great Thursday underway, wherever you are in the world, gang!

And please don’t forget! TOMORROW, my new novel is officially out!!

If you don’t pre-order it TODAY, then you’ll end up being just like everybody else and having to simply “order” it instead…

So, if you haven’t already, pre-order it HERE!!! Thanks, gang!!

Meanwhile!

Thanks for visiting!

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this today!!

The only song whose lyrics appear in my new novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder!!

The old Kentucky mountain song–

“On Top of Old Smokey”, 1952, Gene Autry’s version, Enjoy, gang.

On Top of Old Smokey (traditional lyrics)

On top of Old Smokey, all covered with snow,
I lost my true lover for courting too slow.

For courting’s a pleasure but parting is grief,
And a false-hearted lover is worse than a thief.

A thief will just rob you and take what you have,
But a false-hearted lover will lead you to your grave.

The grave will decay you and turn you to dust,
Not one boy in a hundred a poor girl can trust.

They’ll hug you and kiss you and tell you more lies
Than crossties on a railroad or stars in the sky.

So come ye young maidens and listen to me:
Never place your affection in a green willow tree.

For the leaves they will wither, the roots they will die,
And you’ll be forsaken and never know why.

You can’t beat a day at the bowl-o-rama!

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No, you can’t.

And I so wish my day was going to be spent bowling with the cats, however…

It is another really beautiful morning here and I am struggling to just be happy and at ease in life!!

We shall see.

I am still up to my eyeballs with doubts about the best way to present the new memoir, but I’m still working on it…

And still up to my eyeballs in doubts about how the new novel will be received — early reviews should start getting posted in 3 days…

But you know, I can’t un-write it, so here’s hoping that at least one advance reviewer liked it!

And if you have not yet pre-ordered The Curse of our Profound Disorder, you can do that HERE!! It gets released on FRIDAY!! (Mature themes, but not erotica.)

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Okay.

Let’s just get to the happy stuff!

Here’s this!!

Not sure what he’s smoking, but here’s Tom! Officially Smoking!!

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And here’s Keith!!

With a towel!!

Keith with no towel, but with Mick!!

And here’s Mick, with tea on Montauk in 1975!

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And this wonderful stuff came up in my feed this morning.

I used to love this Instagram account!! I cannot believe they haven’t posted anything since 2023. Where did the fucking time go??

Anyway.

Old school Nick Cave!! Smoking!!

Nick Cave with old school HAIR!!

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And that is really all I have time for today, gang.

I gotta get down to the hard stuff now (no, not drugs, although, you know, it holds a certain appeal at this point…)

No, I gotta get some brand new words onto the PAGE!! Please wish me luck!

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

This was actually great!

If you do not know much about how different “Christianity” was before the official New Testament was created, about 300 years after Jesus’s time, you will learn a lot from this video. Enjoy, gang.

Myth Vision TV — Bart Ehrman REVEALS the CHAOS of Early Christianity (24 mins):

Letting these guys do the driving today!

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Yes!

A lovely day for a drive but I’ve decided to just be the passenger today and let my neighbors do the actual driving since they obviously love it so much!

Yes, I am heading back to town here soon. Groceries, cat food, etc. I guess that Sunday is now my day to do that.

It’s still a holiday weekend here in the US — and it’s that end-of-summer holiday weekend, where folks around here head out for the campsites on the lake, and so the highway will likely be deserted. We shall see!

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Before I forget!

The print edition of A Man in Her Arms & Other Stories did indeed go live last evening on Amazon. $12.95 You can buy it HERE.

Adults Only please!! Thank you!

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I did indeed spend most of yesterday here at my desk, struggling like crazy with the new memoir.

My main challenge with it is that I don’t want the book to be depressing. And while, for the most part, every single thing that happened to me in the 1970s was unbelievably depressing, the thing that got me through, that kept me alive and filled with joy, was the MUSIC and the guys who made the music.

They were like saviors to me. They literally kept me alive. When I say that men like Keith Richards were father-figures to me, I am not kidding. They were guiding lights to me — to somehow stay alive, get to NYC, and make my music there, professionally.

I remember one afternoon in the cafeteria at my high school, probably around the fall of 1977, I was sitting with a girl I knew. We never really socialized, but we knew each other. And she said that Aerosmith would be staying at the local Holiday Inn after their concert on Friday night and she asked if I wanted to go over there with her.

ME: “Why?”

SHE: “You know, to party with them. Have sex! It’ll be fun.”

I was absolutely flabbergasted by this. I wasn’t a virgin, by any stretch of the imagination by that point, and even though I loved Aerosmith and had their records, it would never occur to me in a million years to have sex with any of them!

Anyway. Music was everything to me and I wouldn’t have survived the 1970s without it. But I am struggling with how best to present the memoir — the reality of my life — and somehow capture the joy that bubbled beneath the surface of my mind because of all those incredible musicians back then.

And I don’t want it to be a book that blames my adoptive parents for anything. They were just as bowled over by trying to live in the huge cultural shifts of the 1970s as I was, but in their own ways.

But everything I had to confront on paper yesterday, about my life in the 1970s, was unbelievably depressing. So I am struggling to find my best way in.

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Anyway.

Speaking of music!

This happened yesterday!!

Happy heavenly birthday, Freddie Mercury!! He would have been 80 yesterday.

And speaking of the 1970s!!! Here’s this!! I absolutely loved this song! Especially those lyrics. What a great story they told. From 1974, “Killer Queen” by Queen.

“Killer Queen”

She keeps Moët et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
“Let them eat cake,” she says
Just like Marie Antoinette
A built-in remedy
For Khrushchev and Kennedy (Ooh, ooh)
At anytime an invitation
You can’t decline (Ooh, ooh)

Caviar and cigarettes
Well versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Pa-pa-pa-pa) Anytime
Ooh
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?

To avoid complications
She never kept the same address
In conversation
She spoke just like a baroness
Met a man from China
Went down to Geisha Minah (Ooh, ooh)
(Killer, killer, she’s a killer queen)
Then again incidentally
If you’re that way inclined

Perfume came naturally from Paris (Naturally)
For cars, she couldn’t care less
Fastidious and precise

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Pa-pa-pa-pa)
Anytime

Drop of a hat she’s as willing as
Playful as a pussycat (Ooh)
Then momentarily out of action (Ooh)
Temporarily out of gas (Ta-taaa)
To absolutely drive you wild, wild
She’s out to get you

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam (Pa-pa-pa-ra)
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime
Ooh
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?
You wanna try

c – 1974 Freddie Mercury

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This happened the other day. I forgot to post it yesterday.

Terry Lemerond, the founder of Terry Naturally supplements, passed away. This guy did incredible research on healing the body naturally. His supplements are a little expensive but absolutely worth the extra money. And he also wrote some great, easy to understand books about health. You can find them HERE.

Thanks for everything, Terry. You got a whole lot of people, the world over, off of pharmaceuticals.

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Okay!!

Here’s this!

Joe Strummer in Hollywood in 1989!! (Photo by Bob Gruen)

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And here’s this!!

A couple of great photos of Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard!!

Smoking!!

Not smoking!! (Photo by Bleddyn Butcher)

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And these next 2 photos —

Hmmmm, what to say, gang??

Warren Ellis on movie night! Wearing a Sid Vicious t-shirt?? (Not sure.)

And this one — wow.

Lou Reed singing “Vicious”…. (which is not about Sid, btw)

And Warren Ellis’s bedside night table!! I think it technically qualifies as “not smoking” but that’s an awful lot of nicotine… And then the No. 4711 cologne — is that in place of water, since the water bottle is not within easy reach? Or does he just like to smell nice in a hurry? Not sure!!

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And that is it for today!!

Laundry is done! The day out there is glorious! And so I am off to town to get the groceries!!

Then, this afternoon, I will attempt, yet again, to get the memoir into some sort of higher plane. We shall see.

Meanwhile, 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!!

And, NO! It’s not from the 1970s.

It is however from 1999.

Mikey Rivera (of Freak Parade fame! The character of Eddie Ramirez, in my novel Freak Parade, is based on him) — we used to love listening to this CD in the car back then. We lived for awhile in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains, right on the Delaware River, in Easton, Pennsylvania. And we used to love to just go out and take drives…

After 9/11, about 150,000 New Yorkers moved to that area of Pennsylvania at the same time, because rents in NYC had gone into the stratosphere, and this part of PA was reasonably close to Manhattan. You could live out there and still work in the city.

It is safe to say that the life-long residents of that part of Pennsylvania did not appreciate us descending on them like that (driving their own rents higher). They hated New Yorkers… However. It was really, really beautiful there.

Lou Bega!! From his 1999 album, A Little Bit of Mambo — “I Got A Girl”!! Enjoy, gang!!

Quite a mixed bag today, people

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Wow.

Well, as usually happens when I miss a day of posting to the blog, I have a lot of stuff to post today.

It is mostly good stuff, gang, but I want to start off with something that is really disturbing to me today, personally.

Some stranger contacted me on Facebook yesterday and asked :

No, this was not me — I did not write it. I believe it is AI-generated.

First of all, I would never have called R. C. Hörsch merely “dysfunctional.”

We were colleagues — even friendly colleagues, I socialized with him when he would come to NYC in the late 1990s . He was a well known Erotic/Fetish photographer, and Maxim Jakubowski and I included Ray’s work in our internationally bestselling book, The Mammoth Book of Erotic Photography (UK, US, 2001).

I was no longer associating with Ray by the time the book came out in 2001, because he’d gotten fucking scary and was fucking nuts. I didn’t want to be anywhere near him anymore. (At different times, he had basically kidnapped, restrained in his home, sexually abused and photographed 2 young women I knew back then — over 25 years ago.)

So, no. Not only did I never write a review of Ray’s work, I wouldn’t have used the word “dysfunctional.” Plus, the photographs of his that we had published were nothing at all like what is described above, so apparently, his work got very extreme.

And now I am seriously disturbed to find out that, even while he’s been dead for over a year, the home he shared with his adult son in Pennsylvania is now linked to the deaths of 4 missing women — 2 of the women were allegedly killed on camera — the films found in the house. (Article is behind a paywall, but it is from only 6 days ago.)

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Okay.

Let’s move on.

On Tuesday, THIS wonderful thing happened to THIS wonderful human being!

The last surviving Bee Gee, Barry Gibb, turned 80! Happy belated birthday, Barry Gibb!!!

And here’s this! My absolute favorite Bee Gees song from back when I was 12!! “Run To Me”, 1972:

And yesterday, September 2nd, Keith wished Billy Preston a happy heavenly birthday!!

And Keith chose THIS beautiful song for Billy, from Exile on Main St, “Shine A Light” (1972):

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And here’s some hopeful news!

Remember I told you about how that beautiful convent here, Children of Mary, the one hidden away in the hills, was shut down recently by the Vatican?

Clergy in the Catholic Church are kind of outraged. Raymond Arroyo is looking into it.

Traditional Nuns SHUT DOWN After 24 Years — What Happened? | Prayerful Posse Clips (7 mins):

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Short story submissions to Brown Hound Press in Kentucky are now officially OPEN until September 30th!

“The time has come. We are officially open to submissions during the month of September!

“Quick reminder: Stories should be about 1,000-3,000 words. Mystery, Literary, Southern Gothic, Dark Humor. No AI allowed. Full details on our website. We pay our writers, and we respond to every submission within two weeks.

Brown Hound Press Season Two will premiere on September 17th with our season opener.”

SUBMIT STORY HERE

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Okay.

Speaking of Kentucky!!

Here’s this!

From Phyllis Stein!

Native Kentuckian, Richard Hell, in a bathtub in NYC in 1977! (Photo by Kate Simon)

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And here’s some wonderful news!

The late John Lennon has become a grandfather!! (And Yoko has become a grandma at age 93!!)

Sean Ono Lennon and his girlfriend had a baby boy, Aurelius Lennon, yesterday!

From Uncle Julian Lennon’s Instagram page yesterday morning

Let’s take a moment to listen to this masterpiece! John Lennon’s song for 5-year-old Sean, recorded shortly before John was murdered. “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”, 1980:

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Here’s this!!

Incredibly tiny shoes!!

Warren Ellis, allegedly gardening??

And Warren’s tribute to bandmate Conway Savage, who passed away on September 2nd, 2018:

And a great photo of Warren and George Vjestica, taken by Colin Greenwood, when the Bad Seeds played Munich recently!

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Oh! Check this out!!

Another great one from Phyllis Stein!!

A postcard that Bob Dylan mailed to his girlfriend, Suze, from Italy, back in 1963!!!

And another other great one from Phyllis Stein!!

A couple of New York Dolls in Los Angeles in 1973!! (Photo by Bob Gruen)

And another other other great one from Phyllis Stein!!

Here’s William Burroughs and Joe Strummer in Bill’s famous bunker!

Photo by Victor Bockris

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And here’s one that’s NOT from Phyllis Stein… (wtf? how’d that happen?)

Joe Strummer and Ranking Roger!

And here’s this!! The Clash’s awesome remix of “Rock the Casbah” ft. Ranking Roger!! 1982!

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And a lovely shot of Blixa Bargeld!! Don’t know where, when, or by whom!! But it’s in black & white, and he’s not smoking!! (Those are 2 things I do know…)

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And let’s just quickly revisit this!!

Still in black & white, but here Blixa IS smoking!! While the other Bad Seeds abstain…

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Okay!

So, I did do all my many errands in town yesterday, and also had a great time having a late breakfast with one of my girlfriends! Yay!

And the book signing event (for my upcoming novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder) will be sometime in October, at Holland’s Book Nook, inside the Historic Arcade in Newark, OH. There will be a total of 3 writers at the signing.

It will look just like this — except that the writer in the photo won’t be there!!

And in case you’re curious….yes, I have finally begun writing my memoir about life in the 1970s, Joy: The Shortest Season.

(And here’s a disturbing thing I discovered — from Fall 1971, until Fall 1980, I moved SIXTEEN times!!!! Jesus fucking Christ. From the time I was 11, until I was 20…)

That sort of explains a lot right there, doesn’t it, gang??

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All righty! That’s it for now!!

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.

Even though Tom Petty had recently died by the time I moved here in March 2018, I took this old song of his to heart and I played it all the time back then, and it kind of saved me.

I had been planning to move back to NYC, but on the advice of Gus Van Sant, Sr., who I worked for at the time, I bought a house in the middle of nowhere, instead — in the middle of the foothills of southeast Appalachia, to be exact. And it finally felt like home…

“Wildflowers”, by Tom Petty. 1994. Enjoy, gang.

“Wildflowers”

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, kill off the hours
You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, find you a lover
Go away somewhere all bright and new
I have seen no other
Who compares with you

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
You belong with your love on your arm
You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, go find a lover
Run away, let your heart be your guide
You deserve the deepest of cover
You belong in that home by and by

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong somewhere close to me
Far away from your trouble and worry
You belong somewhere you feel free
You belong somewhere you feel free

c – 1994 Tom Petty

Okay! Just Waiting!

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Made the phone calls I had to make — you know, to alert Honda that I paid nearly $1200 in car lease payments over the weekend…

They took care of it. (Oops! Forgot to close out your Honda Civic account!) So now I’m just waiting to get a good chunk of that money back.

And I vacuumed the whole house.

Watered all the flowers.

Took care of the many cats…

And now I’m just waiting for the Medicare Insurance Nurse to arrive. And once she gets here, the checkup takes maybe 15 minutes, since I’m not on any prescription drugs and don’t have any health problems.

SHE: “Do you have any questions?”

ME: “No.” (Well, I have a lot of questions but none of them have anything whatsoever to do with my health, so I don’t even bother to ask.)

And then off she goes until next year…

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Speaking of taking care of the many cats, though–

Some really great news!

My birth mom called me yesterday afternoon and said that she’s going to be able to come here to take care of my cats when I go to North Carolina at the end of September!

Apparently, when my younger sister found out that I would be away and that cat sitters were going to be here, she told our mom: “No. I’ll take you to Marilyn’s and you can take care of her cats. And while you’re gone, I’ll look after your garden.”

So, wow, gang. That made both of us so happy. (My mom had been worried that she’d lose her tomato harvest if she came here to look after my cats.)

I much prefer it when my birth mom is here. The cats love her and she’s really good with cats. Plus she takes such good care of my house, too.

Not my actual birth mom

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Actually, my birth mom is still a brunette, even though she’s 79 now. I am the only one in my birth family whose hair went totally white by age 40.

What’s with that?

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Okay.

Here’s this! I thought it was pretty cool.

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has a personal YouTube channel!

This is the short introductory video from the other day (2 mins):

And this was his first actual video from over the weekend (16 mins):

You can view or join his channel HERE.

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Johnny Depp has MORE art in ANOTHER country (Germany) at another gallery! (Or, um, palace…)

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And here’s this!

Keith and Dr. John. One smoking, both laughing:

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Bad Seed George Vjestica posted some great end-of-tour photos.

Here’s one of them! (Photo by fellow Bad Seed, Colin Greenwood!)

And here’s the soundtrack to George’s photos!! The beautiful Rolling Stones song, “Moonlight Mile”! From their legendary album Sticky Fingers, 1971:

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And, yes, it’s sad but true — now that the tour is over, here is my one & only photo of Nick Cave for today.

But it’s a good one!!

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And I guess that is it for today.

The rest of my week looks pretty nice, gang.

The book editing project is complete. So I can now focus on my own (new) writing for a little bit, and then on Thursday, I will probably head to town to have lunch with my Q-following girlfriend that I haven’t been able to hook up with for lunch for a couple of months!!

And then I’m also going to stop in at both of those bookstores in town that will be carrying my book (in 12 days!!).

Maybe I can find out the date for when the book signing will be, too.

Other than that–

Enjoy your Monday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

And dedicate it to Nick Cave and his fantastic tour of Europe and the UK, 2026!!

Barry Manilow, “I Write the Songs”!! 1975. Enjoy, gang!!

“I Write the Songs”

I’ve been alive forever
And I wrote the very first song
I put the words and the melodies together
I am music, and I write the songs

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

My home lies deep within you
And I’ve got my own place in your soul
Now when I look out through your eyes
I’m young again, even though I’m very old

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

Oh, my music makes you dance
And gives your spirit to take a chance
And I wrote some rock ‘n’ roll, so you can move
Music fills your heart, well, that’s a real fine place to start
It’s from me, it’s for you
It’s from you, it’s from me
It’s a worldwide symphony

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs

I am music (music), and I write the songs…

c -1975 Bruce Johnston

A relaxing Saturday, indeed!

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Okay, gang. Happy Saturday!

And it’s another truly gorgeous day here in the Hinterlands. (I haven’t even needed to have the AC on for about 5 days!) (However, another heatwave is on its way next week…)

I am almost done editing the writer’s book. I will try to complete the edits this afternoon, after the James Tabor Zoom meeting. But I will most definitely have it done by tomorrow. A day before it’s due!

What a book, gang. I do not know how this man lived through what happened to him.

And I also am curious indeed how his book landed on my desk — of all people to be editing a book like this! (Referring to my 4 recent years of nonstop digital soldiering…)

Anyway. It is definitely a story that needs to be told.

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Okay!

Here’s a happy thing!

Last evening, I got a text from my 93-year-old uncle down in Virginia. I had sent him a review copy of my upcoming novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder.

He has read everything I ever wrote, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to read the new book, since it is just really raw, with some unhappy things that are always sort of just right in the reader’s face. But he said he would try his best to read it all the way to the end.

His text last evening said, in part:

“Just finished reading your book.  It was strangely entertaining and a shift from my usual reading material.  You have an unusually creative mind…”

He said some other nice things, but I don’t want to spoil the book for you! But it made me really happy that he had not only finished it, but that he also liked it! (You can pre-order it in print or eBook HERE. It will be released on Sept. 11th by Parisian Phoenix Publishing.)

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Speaking of writing!

This newsletter for writers is the best! Not only is it very informative, but she gives you all the information for FREE. Including all sorts of calls for submissions!

I get so disheartened how, nowadays, writers often need to pay someone to get access to calls for submissions or other paying publishing markets. It was never like that in the old days.

But now it seems there are so many people out there who just want to make money off of writers.

Here is Erica Verrillo’s The Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity Newsletter

You can read her current newsletter HERE and also sign up for it, for free!

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Okay!

Get ready for THIS today!

It’s Australian musician (and former Bad Seed) Mick Harvey’s birthday!! He turns 68 today!

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And on a similar theme–

It’s the 40th Anniversary of the release of the Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds album of cover songs, Kicking Against the Pricks! From August, 1986!

You can listen to the entire remastered album HERE. (Choose your preferred platform.)

I recently posted this one from that album, but here it is again!! Their cover of “Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart”!!

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And speaking of Nick Cave!!

The final show of the tour is over!! And here’s what he had to say this morning!

Dear All,

Our tour has come to an end: thirty-two shows across Britain and Europe. Thank you to everyone who came along to make it what was, by any measure, a momentous summer. You were the most amazing, engaged and responsive audience, and it has been a true privilege to play for you.​

People often ask how I stay so emotionally engaged night after night. The answer is, The Bad Seeds – the greatest live band a singer could wish for. So powerful, so vulnerable, so nimble, gloriously anarchic, and utterly committed to their own brand of lunacy. They really are the best. And it is you, the audience, who give so much. That connection sweeps us all away. People call it transcendent, even religious. Well, it is exactly that. The audience becomes a vast church into which the band pour their love, and that love, that devotion, comes surging back. For me, this is where the power resides. It’s love, plain and simple.

My manager just sat down with me at breakfast here in Paris and said, “The tour’s over. You did a good job. Now, let’s talk about The Bad Seeds and 2029. I have a very interesting idea.” Weirdest thing, I felt a surge of excitement.​

Love, Nick

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And here’s a photo from last night’s show in Paris!

Here’s the set list!

And from Bad Seed Jim Sclavunos in Paris yesterday–

And the tour is officially over!!

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Okay, gang.

That’s it for now.

I’m gonna finish up the laundry. Maybe take a quick walk out there in the glorious sunshine, and then settle in for James Tabor‘s Zoom meeting. (They usually last at least 2 hours.)

Then, editing!!

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world, gang!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

***********

Let’s close with this!

From up there on Jim Sclavunos’ post from Paris yesterday!!

Perry Como, 1955, “It’s A Good Day”!! It certainly is! Let’s enjoy it, gang.

What is this “Friday Again” business???

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How can it possibly be Friday again, gang??

Where the heck is the time going to???

Anyway.

Happy Friday.

For some reason, I am super tired this morning. I don’t really know why. I think it’s emotional because I actually got plenty of sleep.

Okay. Here’s something that bugs me:

I recently switched to fiber optic internet, after having about 30 years of cable. It doesn’t matter to me that it’s faster than cable, it was a lot cheaper. So I switched.

But now my brand new wireless HP printer 99% of the time cannot be found by my laptop or my printer phone app. And vice versa!

But don’t worry! The HP chatbot assures me it’s fixable!! And sent me to the page online that explains everything and what I need to do…

First, though, I need to take time out to get a college degree in “Understanding What the Fuck You Are Talking About”.

Then we should be good to go…

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Remember those faraway days when you had your non-wireless laptop and/or desktop computer and you set up your non-wireless printer and everything just worked?

Or better yet, how about this??

Pen and paper!

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In fact!

Let’s just pause for one minute and 40 seconds to take this in again, and remember how much more FUN life was back when “the wireless” meant the fucking RADIO… (CAUTION: Kleenex might be needed):

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Okay.

Let’s come back to 2026…

Yesterday, this happened!

Happy heavenly birthday PeeWee Herman!!

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All right!

Milkweed Editions and Orion Magazine invite you to a special virtual conversation with celebrated writer Helen Whybrow, author of the beloved memoir The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life, and bestselling author Pam Houston, whose new book Animals Taught Me Everything reflects on a lifetime of learning from the creatures who have shaped her life.

Moderated by Neal Thompson, publisher of Orion Magazine, this wide-ranging discussion will explore memoir, place, belonging, and the lessons animals teach us about ourselves, one another, and the living world.

Special thanks to Torrey House Press, publisher of Pam Houston’s Animals Taught Me Everything.

This event is free and open to the public.

Thursday, September 17th

12pm PT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET

On Zoom

Visit HERE to register. Free!

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And speaking of animals–

Here’s Freddie McFee in the family room yesterday!!! (Notice that it’s beginning to look a little bit like Fall around here?? How the fuck did that happen??)

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All righty!

Here’s Keith!!

When he was younger!!

Smoking!!

Less younger!!

Not smoking!!

And a great shot of Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman!

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And it looks like Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds were taking it easy and/or keeping a low profile in Paris, as they awaited the final show of their summer tour TONIGHT!!

There were a ton of recent concert videos on Instagram, but almost no photos and fewer candid photos.

But here’s this! Unusual as it may be!!

Nick Cave in Bonn, Germany!

And in the event that you are maybe on the Metro in Paris right now, heading to Rock en Seine and you don’t have a ticket yet…. you can BUY ONE HERE!

Other than that, gang, the tour ends tonight. And I’m betting that final show will be incroyable!!! We shall see!

Headin’ there now…

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Okay.

That’s it!

I am reaching the homestretch of the book editing. I am hoping to have it completed by tomorrow morning. Then the author and I will do a final overview of the entire book next week.

However, the James Tabor end-of-the-month Zoom meeting for Tabor Research Group starts at noon tomorrow. Our final Zoom meeting before our conference in North Carolina at the end of September!!

So there could be a chance I won’t actually finish editing until Sunday. But we’re going to do our best!!

Meanwhile, enjoy your Friday, 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!!

For today, and today only, I did something I used to do throughout the entire month of September, back when I was in my 30s, 40s, 50s…

I listened to Frank Sinatra’s incredible album, September of My Years (1965), during breakfast today.

But now that I am actually IN the September of my years, the album is almost too bittersweet to handle anymore.

But I’m gonna at least try to keep listening to it maybe once every year from now until, well, you know, I transition to that glorious other side… it truly is such a beautiful album.

What a gift Sinatra gave to us back in 1965 — a wonderful album to underscore our sunset years…

Here’s the title track, “September of My Years”. Enjoy, gang.

“The September Of My Years”

One day you turn around and it’s summer
Next day you turn around and it’s fall
And the springs and the winters of a lifetime
Whatever happened to them all?

As a man who has always had the wand’ring ways
Now I’m reaching back for yesterdays
‘Til a long-forgotten love appears
And I find that I’m sighing softly as I near
September, the warm September of my years

As a man who has never paused at wishing wells
Now I’m watching children’s carousels
And their laughter’s music to my ears
And I find that I’m smiling gently as I near
September, the warm September of my years

The golden warm September of my years

c- 1965 – Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen

Let’s Get This Monday Started!

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Before I forget, the GoFundMe drive for guitarist Richard Lloyd met it’s goal yesterday!! And now they have increased it to an additional amount.

If you can donate any amount, here is the link! (They have currently raised $47,792!)

From bassist Sean Seymour:

“Richard is currently unable to tour. For a working musician, that’s devastating—not only because performing is what he loves, but because touring is his primary source of income. Richard and his wife, Sheila, are now facing serious financial pressure. Sheila is Richard’s full-time caregiver and is unable to work because Richard needs constant support. …Richard is being overwhelmed by crushing medical expenses and the ongoing costs of simply getting through each month while he is unable to work….”

Please donate if you can!

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Well, yesterday was sort of interesting, gang.

I got a lot done — laundry, a little vacuuming, took a magical walk! Did yoga, washed my hair. Got a lot of editing done of the local writer’s new book. AND–

I listened to that live Zoom meeting I was so excited about — with Ross K. Nichols and James Tabor, discussing important Bible translations.

And after one hour of listening, just as they were getting ready to reveal the best English translation of the Bible out there right now–

YES!!

Sandra called.

How does she always manage to DO that??!! I’d been waiting on her call for 3 weeks… (she was taking a break after having had a really busy summer).

Obviously, I wanted to take her call, but the timing was just too funny.

Anyway. We had a GREAT chat!! And as soon as I can give you additional details about the upcoming Staged Reading of our play “The Guide to Being Fabulous”, I will post it here.

Meanwhile, just know that I am really, really happy with the developments , gang.

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Don’t forget, the Kindle edition of my novel, The Guitar Hero Goes Home, is on sale this week for 99 cents in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon!

This is the link!!

And if you do buy it and you do read it and you do like it, please leave a review! Thanks, gang. (Suitable for mature readers, not erotica.)

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Rolling Stone guitarist Ronnie Wood’s FEARLESS tour is underway, and the set list lithograph of his London show from the other night, is now available!

You can purchase it HERE!

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Meanwhile…

On a sort of related note — here’s another Rolling Stone — someone I really miss. Gone 5 years today:

Life-long drummer for the Rolling Stones

Should we do it again, gang?? Why not! Best rock & roll drummer, ever.

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And here’s Mick, Keith, and BB King backstage in 1969!!

Photo by Glen Craig

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And here are some photos from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ show in Munich last night!

Here’s the set list — posted by Bad Seed Carly Paradis! (The encore sort of looks as long as the entire show…)

And here’s George Vjestica!

And here’s George and Nick Cave!

And here’s Nick Cave! (Although I’m not 100% positive this is Munich…)

And here’s Warren Ellis!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Bonn, Germany, tomorrow (8/25) and then the final show of the tour is on Friday in Paris! Buy tickets here!

(And yes, gang, on Wednesday, August 26th, the kids here in Muskingum County head back to school! Can you believe the summer is over???)

See ya later, summer!

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This morning, Nick Cave sent out another Red Hand File that was sort of heartbreaking. He was replying to a devastated young woman whose husband is in the hospital, dying from cancer. At the end of his letter, Nick says, in part:

“…[you are] a woman of courage measuring her love against the vastness of its tragedy. I wish I had words to comfort you. Perhaps there are no words, except to say that all of us who read your letter can feel the love you have for your husband, and for a while we sit with you, in recognition and love.”

You can read his reply in full HERE.

JOAN MITCHELL (1925 – 1992), UNTITLED

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Okay.

Before I get down to the editing work today, I need to head back to town for more groceries. (Not sure how this is possible, because it feels like I was just there doing that!)

But it is another gorgeous morning so it will be a really lovely drive.

I hope you have a magnificent Monday, 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!

Apparently, it is cued up to be first on my playlist for my drive to town!!

The Monkees!! “The Kind of Girl I Could Love”!! 1967, from their album, More of the Monkees. I’m thinking I’ll be playing it really loud. Okay. Enjoy, gang!!

Holy Cow! What A Beautiful Morning!

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I decided to make a quick trip to the Dollar Store as soon as it opened today, get it over with so that I could focus on the editing later — I’m going to need to stop early today because of the live Zoom with Ross K. Nichols and James Tabor later this afternoon.

It was about 8:15AM when I ran to the store. And it was only 67 degrees Fahrenheit outside, a very light breeze, blue skies for miles, birds singing — and also for miles, everything was green! The trees, the hills, everyone’s lawns. And over where the Dollar Store is, the cornfields start. The corn is tall and just so green, too.

It kinda took my breath away, gang. Everything was just so beautiful.

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Okay.

Just a reminder — the week-long sale for my experimental novel, The Guitar Hero Goes Home, (2020) begins this morning at 8AM, Pacific time. The Kindle edition will be 99 cents, in Kindle Unlimited, until next Sunday.

You can buy it HERE. (Suitable for mature readers. This book is not erotica.) Thanks, gang! And if you do buy it and like it, please review it!! Thank you!!

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I think this is awesome!!

The GoFundMe fundraiser for guitarist Richard Lloyd is already almost at it’s goal!!

Since yesterday morning, when it launched, they have raised $31,117 of the $40K goal!!

From bassist Sean Seymour:

“I’ve organized this fundraiser for Richard Lloyd, my friend and bandmate in the Richard Lloyd Group. For those who don’t know him, Richard is a founding member and guitarist of Television, the legendary New York band whose album Marquee Moon became one of the most influential records in rock history. In March 2026, Richard was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a serious form of bile duct cancer. He has tumors in his liver, including one located dangerously close to a major blood vessel. Because of its location, doctors cannot safely operate to remove it at this time. Since his diagnosis, Richard has been through an extraordinary amount. He has been in the ICU seven times, dealing with serious complications including sepsis twice, as well as complications involving his liver and kidneys. And through all of this, he’s fighting….”

Please donate! Any amount will help! (I’ve heard that Richard and his wife actually need way more money then they’re asking for.)

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Okay.

Yesterday, the new Autumn comforter for the bed arrived so I went ahead and put it on the bed.

It is UNBELIEVABLE how much the cats love this comforter, gang!!

This morning, literally one minute after I made the bed:

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Yesterday, this happened!

It was John Lee Hooker’s heavenly birthday!!!

Happy belated heavenly birthday John Lee Hooker!

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And I kinda can’t believe this one, gang.

Tom Petty’s granddaughter turns 13 this weekend. (She was 4 years old when Tom passed away.)

Happy 13th birthday, Everly!

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Speaking of things I can’t believe —

Today marks the 100th anniversary of silent film legend Rudolph Valentino’s tragic death.

Yesterday evening, I sent the above photo to Wayne and told him that it was the 100th anniversary of Rudy’s passing, and then Wayne texted me this!!

“Seems like only yesterday…”

It so totally made me smile!! (And I’m pretty sure he’s wearing a Ramones t-shirt…)

And if you’d like to know a lot more about the amazing and very short life of Rudolph Valentino—

Check out my book Twilight of the Immortal (2011)!!

“As historical fiction, it is rich with detail and imagery, providing a strong ‘you were there’ experience for the reader…For me, the only disappointing part of the reading experience was reaching the end.” – MB Austen, BiWomenBoston.org

You can purchase Twilight of the Immortal in eBook or print HERE. Thank you!! (It is suitable for all readers.)

And, YES!, while we’re at it–

This is the very same novel that my agent said was my masterpiece, as we sat together, having breakfast out on the sunny patio of the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood.

As she held the lofty manuscript that it had taken me ten years to research, she said, “I can only compare this to F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is just that good.”

Then she added, “Unfortunately, no one is buying F. Scott Fitzgerald right now…”

And she was 100% absolutely correct about that!! Every single publishing house turned it down!!

The self-published book is currently ranked at #2,037 in Historical LGBTQ Fiction on Amazon.

Not too shabby for a 16-year-old book that every publishing house turned down…

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OKAY!!!!

Speaking of not too shabby–

Check this out!

Congratulations, Johnny Depp!

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And from Phyllis Stein–

Another lovely photo of Willy DeVille! In Belgium, 1990. (Photo by Gie Knaeps)

And here’s this, while we’re at it!! “Cadillac Walk,” Mink DeVille, from his debut album Cabretta, 1977!

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And here are some more photos from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ show at the Cabaret Vert Festival in France the other night!

And I’m not sure if this was in France or at a different show, but I love this photo– Nick Cave relaxing with a few of the Bad Seeds!

They play Munich, Germany, tonight. You can buy tickets HERE!

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And I guess that is it for now.

I’m going to get back to editing that writer’s amazing book. (And by amazing, I mean an unbelievably intense memoir.)

And then I will get ready for that Zoom meeting, which promises to be so much fun– Ross K. Nichols and James Tabor discussing the various translations of the Bible — both Hebrew and New Testament — over the centuries, and who did it and WHY. (Because once you get into the various ways the Bible was translated, gang, it practically becomes a whole different book…)

Enjoy your Sunday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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

Let’s close with this.

For some reason, when I awoke this morning at 5AM, this song was going over and over in my head.

So maybe it can get stuck in your head now, too!

“Letting You Go,” by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. From their Platinum-selling album, Hard Promises, 1981. Enjoy, gang.

“Letting You Go”

I used to think that when this was all over
You might feel different about me
Yeah, I always knew one day you’d come around
Now I wonder if dreams are just dreams

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go

Baby look out your window, it’s raining on your summer home
You’re by the fire keeping warm and dry
There’s no one as honest as those in pain
Oh honey can’t you see me, will you let me inside?

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go

And it’s a restless world, an uncertain time
You said hope was getting hard to find
But time rolls on, days go by
What about the broken ones?
What about the lonely ones?
Honey, I’m having trouble letting go

It’s off in the distance, somewhere up the road
There’s some easy answers for the tears you’ve cried
And it makes me uneasy, makes me feel different
Do you get scared when you close your eyes?

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go
I’m having trouble letting you go

1981 – Tom Petty

Another happy Saturday at my desk!

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It’s not really that extreme — I do get outside and take walks. Still get the laundry done and the house vacuumed. Still do yoga, wash my hair, eat meals and take care of 15 cats…

But all that stuff aside, I’m once again spending a whole lot of time at my DESK!!

Yay!

Oh, and speaking of cats — yesterday I lined up Rasha’s mom & her baby boy, Jude, to cat sit for us while I’m in North Carolina next month for James Tabor’s TRG conference! (1st century archeology pertaining to Jerusalem and the historical Jesus and John the Baptist.)

Now I’m just waiting to hear if one of my girlfriend’s in town can take me to & from the airport, or if I need to plan on Uber. But the trip is basically on my horizon for sure now and I can’t wait!

And speaking of James Tabor — tomorrow afternoon, Ross K. Nichol‘s private Yachad is having a Zoom meeting with James Tabor!! We’re all going to be discussing the various English translations of the Bible (Hebrew and New Testament). It should be so much fun, all together like that on Zoom!!

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Okay.

An important message from Phyllis Stein on Instagram.

Guitarist Richard Lloyd (one of the founding members of the seminal NYC band, Television, along with Richard Hell, Tom Verlaine, and Billy Ficca, back in 1974), has cancer.

You can donate to Richard Lloyd’s go fund me account HERE.

They are already closing in on $10K of their $40K goal!! Any amount helps!

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All right.

Look what we forgot yesterday!!

That’s right! It was Joe Strummer’s heavenly birthday!

Happy belated heavenly birthday, Joe Strummer!

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And look at this!

TODAY is Roland Orzabal’s 65th birthday!! Happy birthday, Roland!!

And here’s this, while we’re at it!! Tears For Fears! “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, from their hugely popular album Songs from the Big Chair, 1985!

And here’s a pop quiz for loyal readers of this lofty blog!!

TRUE or FALSE:

Every time I hear the song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, I am instantly reminded of hanging out in the bar next door to the Museum of Modern Art in NYC in 1985, with my co-worker and best friend Valerie from Brooklyn, both of us smoking and drinking and laughing on our work-break! And then that song came on the bar’s radio…

If you replied TRUE, then you know me really, really well! Congratulations!! And– Yay!!

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And here’s something I don’t think we have EVER seen!!

NO!! Not Mick talking on a telephone!

KEITH, stubbing out a cigarette!!

Smoking, not smoking — all in the wink of an eye!

And here’s something I wish we could see ALL THE TIME!!

Keith drinking and smoking in his rented home in Bel Air (Los Angeles) back in 1970!! Yay!!!

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Oh, gang, here’s something that made me SO happy!

I checked in on the Facebook app on my phone last evening, and found this message from my long-time friend in NYC, the poet Iris N. Schwartz!!

(Honestly, it made me so happy. Especially since I have gotten a lot of not so great feedback on that same book, my upcoming novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. Iris has a review copy.)

It kinda made my whole evening.

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Okay!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds played the Cabaret Vert Festival in France last night.

Prior to the show, from Bad Seed George Vjestica —

And as of right now, this is my FAVORITE photo of Nick Cave from Cabaret Vert !! (It was the first photo I saw posted last night!)

I’d recognize the bottom of that Gucci shoe anywhere!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Munich, Germany, tomorrow (Sunday, 8/23). Then they play Bonn, Germany, on Tuesday 8/25. Then Paris on August 28th!

And then the tour is OVER!! Buy tickets HERE!!

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And that is it for this sunny, happy Saturday in the Hinterlands.

I’m gonna put that editor’s cap back on now, and get down to editing that local writer’s new book.

Have a superb Saturday, wherever you are in the world, gang.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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

Let’s close with this.

Another HUGE hit from early 1985.

By this time, my guitar player and his wife (who were both from Buenos Aires, Argentina) had had their first baby, a girl. And one evening, while hanging out in their apartment in Brooklyn, this video came on MTV and he raised a glass to the TV set and dedicated this song to his brand new baby girl.

What a happy evening. I always think of that whenever I hear this song.

“I Want to Know What Love Is”, by Foreigner, 1985. Enjoy, gang.