And now the weather app is saying rain & thunderstorms tomorrow…
Hmmm… that makes 3 days in a row that it’s “tomorrow”.
I’m not complaining, though. It is another really pretty morning here in the Hinterlands!
And I had a great weekend, even though I stuck around the house and spent many hours on Zoom calls!
And I have a lot to get done here at my desk today, but I tell you, gang, I am learning so much about the small indie publishing houses that I thought had totally evaporated. (It turns out it’s just those pesky online algorithms that make them seem like they’ve evaporated!)
Anyway. I just love having all this TIME to get caught up on everything.
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Before I forget–
I’m excited about this, too.
One of my girlfriends in town told me recently about a convent she started going to for Mass and it sounds so cool. So we’re going to try to coordinate a time when I can go with her.
It’s up on a hill, totally hidden away in the woods! The nuns are self-sufficient and grow all their own food, and also have goats and cows for their dairy products. The convent is like a huge log cabin.
Here are a couple of photos from online.
Leading up to the convent:
Inside!
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Okay.
You might want to read this if you feel so inclined. (The upcoming WWIII “situation” is scripted. Hold onto your wee bonny hats, gang.)
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And here’s this!!
The Glimmer Twins not smoking!!
Yes, a few of the photos Keith posted yesterday for Mick’s 83rd birthday!
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And here’s this!
Mick smoking and John Lennon not smoking in LA in March, 1974!! (Photo by Ron Galella)
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And as we wait for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ big homecoming bash in Brighton!! (Festivities begin on THURSDAY, finally!!) —
Here’s this! From my new favorite FB page!
Not smoking, Not happy about not smoking.
And here’s this!
Nick Cave not smoking while wielding a weapon in Amsterdam in 1988!!
And I loved this!!
He looks rested, doesn’t he??
And here’s this reminder!
And don’t forget this helpful stuff if you’ll be in Brighton!!
And all these movies, if you have nerves of steel!!
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And I’m thinking that is it for now!!
I’m gonna finish up the laundry here, take another lovely walk, and get down to work!!
And tomorrow, I’m actually gonna drive to town and get groceries. I haven’t driven to town (or anywhere) since Thursday. Wow. Will I even remember how to drive??
We’ll find out!!
Enjoy your Monday, wherever you are in the world, gang.
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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I leave you with this!!
This great song popped up on my playlist this morning, even though I wasn’t driving. I was just sitting there…
A lot of interesting memories came rushing back… I just love this song.
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ cover of “Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart”, from their cover-album Kicking Against the Pricks, 1986! Enjoy, gang. I sure did.
Even considering that for the last 20 minutes of my dinner out with Kara at my favorite pizzeria yesterday, we argued about politics (!!). We did that last year on my birthday, too…
I try really really really really REALLY hard not to talk about politics with anybody at all anymore, but wow. She pulled me into it in a nanosecond and I could not get out because she refused to stop arguing about it.
But other than those 20 minutes– I had a wonderful birthday!
And today is my Dad’s heavenly birthday — he would have been 96.
Here he is in NYC, having breakfast with me and Wayne in our apartment on West End Avenue. Early 1990s. We were celebrating both our birthdays that weekend — my stepmom, Marie, who is also gone now, took the photo:
That brief moment in time when Wayne stopped shaving…
And, continuing with birthdays!!
I was reminded by a reader that I forgot to celebrate Bobby Sherman’s heavenly birthday yesterday!! (I guess I was just too smitten with my own birthday…!!)
However, long-time readers of this lofty blog perhaps recall that I loved Bobby Sherman when I was a little girl, and it thrilled me that he and I shared a birthday!!
So–
Happy Belated Heavenly Birthday, Bobby!
And while we’re at it, here’s this!! “Cried Like A Baby” — one of Bobby Sherman’s Greatest Hits! (Try not to dance the pony all around the room when the chorus hits, but you might not be successful with that!! I sure wasn’t!!)
And, wow — what else did I miss yesterday??!!
Yes, it was the Feast of Mary Magdalene!! (I actually can’t believe I forgot that one, gang.)
Now back to my OWN birthday!!
Wayne sent me this video early yesterday morning. I just loved it!
The Ramones The Simpsons Birthday Song (40 seconds):
And Steve, the guy I’ve been friends with since we were 11, not only texted me to say “Mazel Tov” on my retirement (I think he’s the only Jewish friend I have left from my wee bonny girlhood), but he also sent this!
Was (Not Was) — “I Feel Better Than James Brown” (4 mins):
But I must say that this next one really delighted me, gang!
I got a text from Dennis right after dinner!! Wishing me a Happy Birthday, and he sent me this video!!
Rod Stewart — “Forever Young” (from way back in 1988. Wonderful):
But I also got some phone calls, some emails, and even quite a few actual BIRTHDAY CARDS this year!! I still have them all propped up on the kitchen table.
So, really, it was just such a nice day.
And starting today — back to my desk!! Wow, do I have a lot of stuff to do. But all of it is connected to various writing projects so I couldn’t be happier.
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Okay!
Here’s this!!
I loved how they phrased this! Words that are so un-Kafka like: “stylish bust”.
From the Franz Kafka Museum in Prague:
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And from Phyllis Stein!!
Keith, Mick, and Mick apparently not smoking in LA in 1969!! (Photo by Ethan Russell):
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And since everyone “Bad Seeds-related” seems to be taking a break right now–
From the desktop stash!! Going back in time!
Nick Cave (with Tracy Pew and some drunk people) not smoking in Germany!! Instead — he’s catching up on some sleep before the upcoming SOLD OUT homecoming bash in Brighton that is many decades away!!!!
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And I guess that is it for now.
It is another cool, sunny, gorgeous day here so I’m gonna head out for a walk now and then get down to work.
There is that live acoustic music show going on at the Historic Arcade starting at 5:30 this evening. I’m going to try to attend that but we’ll see how it goes around here.
Meanwhile, 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!
They actually just released Episode 5 on Prime this morning, but it’s not on YouTube yet, so here’s this!
The Rolling Stones – Speaking In Tongues | The Official Podcast (Episode 4) (26 mins):
Okay, so far, I am having, like, the most perfect birthday.
The weather today could not be prettier. Right now, it’s only 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The AC is off! The sun is shining. The skies are blue. It’s only supposed to go up to 72 degrees today.
And btw, the cats are loving having all these windows open again. And according to the weather app on my phone, the windows might stay open for a couple of days!
And speaking of cats and my birthday–
This came special delivery from Valerie in Brooklyn yesterday afternoon — it’s about 2 inches tall and it’s adorable. Now all I have to do is keep the cats from discovering it and totally destroying it:
And this came from the Cainer Horoscope website (more cats!):
And I thought this was really interesting because I had never heard about this before (and I love eagles):
Oh, and I can’t forget to add this– I share my birthday with my beloved Cleveland, and it is 230 years old today!!
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Well, wow, gang. Yesterday was wonderful.
I spent about an hour on that phone call yesterday morning and I think it’s okay to post here that I’ve been invited to contribute a proposal to speak at a writer’s conference in Pennsylvania this coming Spring.
I will keep you posted with details. But I had been concerned that I didn’t have anything to speak about that would be of interest to today’s writers, you know? (Even though I’ve been a professional writer for over 40 years, the peak of my career was already a few years ago.)
But it became clear, from the conversation, that I actually do have things I can speak about that would be of interest to writers in all stages of their careers. So I’m going to put together a proposal and submit it. And I will let you know if it gets accepted!
So this means a trip to Charlotte, NC in late September. A trip to NY in (I think) November, and maybe a trip to Eastern Pennsylvania in March!
And my new novel coming out in September. Another new book (the M. Christian anthology) already in the works. And the Staged Reading of our play probably in November. And getting down to work on my memoir of the 1970s…
My mind feels just so different from how it felt even just last week. I am so glad I retired. Every shred of all that depression is simply gone.
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Okay!
Here’s this! (Speaking of depression being gone!)
Keith in shades — with curious onlookers!! — apparently imbibing in Jack Daniels at a bar but he does not seem to be smoking! (Although ashtray IS present!!)
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And this was last night! An explosive Iggy meltdown!!
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And this was posted to YouTube a few hours ago. (And the Hollywood Vampires go on tour in UK/Europe beginning August 12th. You can also buy tickets through this same YouTube Page.)
Hollywood Vampires: “Ace of Spades”. Live at Montreux Jazz Festival:
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And George Vjestica is living La Dolce Vita until the SOLD OUT Brighton homecoming bash gets underway on Friday July 31st!!
And this melted my heart yesterday!!
And while we’re at it — here’s this!! From the day after my birthday, 6 years ago… “Sad Waters” by Nick Cave alone at Alexandra Palace:
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Oh, btw– this was extremely interesting. You might want to check it out.
Charlie Reports From Dubai: Was the Airport Really Attacked? | Daily News 22nd July 2026 (8 minutes):
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And I guess that is it for now, gang.
I’m not going to do too much work at my desk today. I’m planning to head to town early. I need to renew my driver’s license today. And I want to stop in at the bookshop over in Granville and see if the owner is in today.
I’m not planning to stop in at that bookstore in the Historic Arcade until next week, but if I have time, maybe I’ll drive over there today, too. We’ll see.
Then it will be OUT TO DINNER with Kara!! Yay! (We’re having pizza at my favorite pizza place!!)
Harvest Pizzeria in Granville!
And meanwhile have a wonder-filled Wednesday, gang, wherever you are in the world!!
Yes! It is currently only 68 degrees Fahrenheit!! Yay!
And even though the weather app on my phone claims that the air quality is “worse than yesterday” it doesn’t actually feel like that outside!
My hydrangeas are finally blooming around my kitchen porch!
The morning glories are blooming around my back door!
I can at least see the foothills at the end of the road — even if it looks a little “foggy”, I can actually see them.
So I’m in a really happy place.
Plus, I slept in until 6AM, since I came in a little later than usual last night (and had a bit of a difficult final shift with my favorite retired Chaplain , so I was exhausted emotionally). But it felt great to sleep in. And to wake up feeling like certain chapters are simply over now…
And this afternoon, my shift with the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat is my actual FINAL shift—
And I am already feeling like I have my life back, gang.
And at around 6PM this evening, I will be free.
I have not felt really free (in terms of having the time to just devote to my writing projects) since before the scamdemic hit, 6 years ago. Wherein I basically lost everything except “The Guide to being Fabulous” — the play with Sandra Caldwell.
Anyway!
The sun was up when I was having breakfast, which never happens around here. And since it was Sunday, I decided to watch the EWTN Mass. Even though I’m not Catholic, there are certain things about the Mass that I enjoy thinking about.
It was too early for this morning’s Mass, so I watched yesterday’s, and I really liked Father Ricardo Pineda’s sermon and remarks. He starts at about 4 minutes in:
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Okay, there was a great blog post on Stage 32 on Friday (that I read yesterday) — very timely for me, and maybe it will be for you, too, if you have a new book coming out:
“No matter what, book marketing is hard, but at least these tools will help you make some serious headway without having to spend a ton of money upfront.”
I found the post concise and just really helpful.
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And I also found Andrew Lloyd Weber’s remarks about Broadway extremely interesting.
He made the comments on Instagram on Tuesday, but I only got around to reading them this morning in the Broadway World weekly roundup:
"The truth is that, for any show, it makes practically no financial sense to come to Broadway with things as they are. Creators, writers and directors have been forced to take minimal royalties from new shows, often surviving on a fixed weekly fee rather than a royalty. It makes it impossible for young creatives to make a living from theatre alone. Investors count themselves fortunate indeed if they see a portion of their money back. Of course, the established big hits are still profitable. But Broadway can’t survive because of three old shows."
He ends the statement by begging executives to come up with a solution to fix its current financial issues.
"As someone who is still as in love with Broadway as I was when I was a teenager, I beg the theatre owners, unions and producers to come together urgently to address what is a crisis coming to a head. Broadway is in dire danger of rivalling Hollywood’s empty soundstages with increasingly dark theatres."
All of the above has a lot to do with why Sandra and I are shelving the TV project, and also why we’ve changed venues for the Staged Reading of “The Guide to being Fabulous” but I can’t go into any of those details here.
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Okay.
Here’s this–
A shot of the Strand Bookstore in NYC:
But upon closer inspection, we see why I really love the Strand Bookstore in NYC! (It was just up the street from my paradise-apartment on E.12th Street!!)
Blurry, but that street sign says “E.12th Street”.
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What is weirder than this — the fact that I can recognize Iggy Pop’s back in a nanosecond??
From Phyllis Stein! Iggy in Miami:
And Phyllis also posted another great one of Johnny Thunders — a screen shot off YouTube:
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And it looks like we missed ANOTHER one, gang! Jeepers! SO many birthdays in July!! (Including, you know, “hint hint“: the initials are MJL.)
These cats are getting too much cake!
Someone else I totally loved throughout my wee bonny teenaged girlhood and on up into my lofty adult years (wherein he allegedly died by “suicide”)–
But I never really knew when his birthday was!
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Hunter S. Thompson (it was yesterday):
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And, yes! Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds are on a break until Friday, July 31st!! So, you know, here’s this instead–
From that Facebook page that never gives photo credits or the where or when info, but I still loved seeing it yesterday morning:
And after the great big SOLD OUT homecoming bash in Brighton, the tour resumes on August 2nd, in Germany. Buy tickets here!
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All right.
That is it for now.
I still have a few hours before I need to head to town, so I’m gonna go water the many flowers, do yoga, think about LIFE (which is returning to me even as I type!!)…
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!!
You know, the week coming up will be my week of “vacation”. And it includes my birthday, and my adoptive dad’s Heavenly Birthday. And dinner out with my dear friend, Kara, to celebrate.
And while I have a stack of all my notes for the Caiaphas play on one side of my tiny desk, and all my notes for the M. Christian tribute anthology on the other side of my tiny desk, I really, really think it’s time to FINALLY focus on getting my memoir about my life in the 1970s, Joy: The Shortest Season, underway.
So with that in mind, here’s this!
From 1974!! Yes, the very same year as the nadir of my existence! From the British band, The First Class, a song I just loved!! “Beach Baby”. Play it super loud, dance around a little, sing along and enjoy, gang!!
The cats around here are seriously hyper today — could this have something to do with it??
From the Cainer Horoscope newsletter this morning:
The sky opens up in a big way this week. Between July 15th and 21st, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Jupiter all move into alignment together.
We're more open to new ideas, more drawn to people and experiences outside our usual circle, and more willing to follow our own instincts instead of someone else's script.
Ambitions come into sharper focus, old talents get a chance to resurface, and you'll find that a little boldness goes a long way.
The invitation this week is simple: stay curious, aim a little higher than usual, and give yourself room to think and live differently.
Interesting, though, right?? We’ll see how this plays out!
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Gorgeous weather again here today, although it’s gonna get HOT by this afternoon.
Which is good, because I only have a ton of fucking errands to run after I see my clients later…. but, you know, at least I’m still alive and it isn’t raining.
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Okay!
Well, since I got a lot of work done yesterday at my desk — and also took a walk, did yoga, etc. — I don’t have a whole lot to post about today.
Although the good news is that, so far, my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn’s hand surgery went very well yesterday! So all of these delays are almost all behind us, and soon we will launch the new artists & writers podcast !! Yay!!
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A short one from James Tabor this morning — taken from the intro to his online course, “Quest for the Historical Paul.”
Does Paul Misread His Two Favorite Bible Verses? (3 mins):
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This one was from a few days ago, but in case you missed it–
The Rolling Stones: Foreign Tongues | Zane Lowe Interview (1 hr):
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And oddly enough, the only “here’s this’s” I have for today are about the Bad Seeds.
So, here’s this!!
To kill time between the show the other night in Madrid, Spain, and the upcoming show tonight in Nimes, France, Jim Scavulos took in some ruins!
However, Warren Ellis used that time to dash quickly to Cleveland — a trip of approximately 4,350 miles, and which takes about 17 hours each way — just to say hello! Yay! (I was going to dash over to say a quick “hello” back, but Cleveland is a good 2 hours from here and I hadn’t had my coffee yet.)
Anyway.
He also delivered a warning that not all rock icons are willing to make publicly; “Don’t Smoke In Bed”!!
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An interesting photo of Nick Cave in Montreux, with a fan (?):
And onstage in Madrid!
As we already discussed, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Nimes, France, tonight. You can buy tickets here!!
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And aside from all that…
I did get word from another local bookstore yesterday that I could drop off a review copy of my new novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder, anytime this week! I will probably get there on Friday.
That particular store does a ton of promoting for local writers, so maybe it could lead to an instore signing of some sort. We shall see.
Other than that —
Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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Okay. Let’s close with this today.
From Warren Ellis’s sage advice while in bed earlier…
Nina Simone’s heart-wrenching, “Don’t Smoke In Bed”. 1958. From her debut album, Little Girl Blue. Enjoy, gang.
“Don’t Smoke In Bed”
I left a note on his dresser And my old wedding ring With these few goodbye words How can I sing Goodbye old sleepy head I’m packing you in like I said
Take care of everything I’m leaving my wedding ring Don’t look for me I’ll get ahead Remember darling Don’t smoke in bed
Don’t look for me I’ll get ahead Remember darling Don’t smoke in bed
Except for all that stuff at the beach and everybody looking like they’re on vacation.
We don’t have any of that.
However.
It is sunny and sort of mild-ish. And the fantastic AC is still working splednidly — this is sometimes spelled “splendidly” but it means the very same thing — so I will take what I can get. Yay!
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Wow, so first let me say that I am really, really happy with the enthusiastic responses we’re getting from other writers about contributing to the M. Christian tribute anthology.
And these are writers I have not worked with in such a long time. I know M. Christian would be so happy about all of this. So I am going to do my absolute best to make this a true homage to him.
RIP M. Christian
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I need to share this with you.
Loyal readers of this lofty blog no doubt recall that my dearest friend on Earth. Paul Martin, passed away from AIDS back in 1999. We had been best friends since high school. We met in the Theater Dept., where he designed and built all the sets for our school plays.
As an adult, Paul designed and built sets for professional theaters and then got into doing the same in the movie industry.
One studio he worked for was called Carolco. He specifically moved to North Carolina to work for them.
Well, yesterday, Metrograph sent out their weekend newsletter and there was a wonderful essay about Carolco!!
“DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN MULTIPLEX movies—we’re talking glossy, obscenely budgeted, star-studded mainstream entertainments primed for blockbuster status—were not only fun, but quite possibly kind of renegade and daring at the same time? For at least a solid decade, a heavy-hitting salvo of the period’s most pop-culture defining smashes, like Ted Kotcheff’s First Blood (1982), James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall (1990) and Basic Instinct (1992), were all coming from one studio: Carolco Pictures. They were an indie Icarus who out-stratosphered the Tinseltown majors…”
Wow, such memories, gang. Not just because the movies were so much fun back then, but Paul always had the best stories about working on all the various movie sets. For me, movies just aren’t the same anymore.
” [Carolco] made hugely successful films with respectable casts, defied the system, and managed to have a good time during that period. They raised their profile in an era when the majors were perceived to be the voice of American films, and really broke the studio stranglehold on things.”
Me, long ago, at Paul’s beach house on Wrightsville Beach, NC. Photo by Paul..
And while we’re at it– Paul’s favorite movie! He absolutely LOVED working on this film. (It was filmed on the Carolco lot in North Carolina, but it was produced by New Line.)
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All right.
Well, here’s this!
More great ones from Phyllis Stein!!
Johnny Thunders!! By that well known Punk photographer, No Info!!
And, wow, gang, did I used to LOVE this magazine!! Rock Scene. It usually featured photos that you couldn’t really find in the other rock magazines back then. There was a local drugstore within walking distance from me when I was 13 that sold Rock Scene. It was the only place I could find it.
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And moving on to the Bad Seeds in Madrid…
Once again, there were TONS of videos posted from the show and it looked like another great one. But I couldn’t find many photos that really jumped out at me.
But here’s this!
Before the show, George Vjestica takes in the Art!!
Warren Ellis took in (wore) local sculptures, and warned that Madrid last night was going to be hot, but he does not say whether he meant the city itself would be hot, or the Bad Seeds’ show would be hot, or maybe stuff going on in his hotel bed later? Perhaps all 3?? We just simply do not have enough info to know for sure:
And here’s Nick Cave! (He seems a little hot, so maybe that was it…)
Okay!! Next, the Bad Seeds play 3 different venues in France between July 14th thru the 17th, you can BUY TICKETS HERE!!
“Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will take over Resident, Brighton’s legendary independent record shop, as part of a series of activities in the city around their huge homecoming show in Preston Park on 31st July.
The shop will host a merchandise pop up with an array of existing and new items on offer, including a limited edition vinyl release (details to follow next week), discounts across album catalogue, giveaways, and a special post box where fans can send physical letters to Nick Cave’s The Red Hand Files.
The merchandise pop up will include a range specially designed for the Brighton show – only available at Resident and the Preston Park event, plus an exclusive tote bag made in collaboration with Resident, as well as classic Bad Seed and Cave Things items.”
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And I guess that is it for today.
Have a swingin’ 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!!
Wayne texted this to me yesterday. It was very interesting, indeed.
I am really kinda stunned that not only did I not see this show, I did not even hear about it. Granted, I was (briefly) away at college at the time, but I majored in TV-watching and I of course LOVED the Stones…
Anyway! Go, Keith!! (And thanks, Wayne!) (BTW, this is AI)
Keith Richards heard Carson’s joke from backstage — grabbed a guitar — Carson apologized on live TV (15 mins). Enjoy!
I don’t know if I have time to go out and pick them up today. We’ll see. But certainly by tomorrow afternoon. And I can’t wait!!
I truly hate the glasses I currently have… I am really, really hoping that with those new glasses, I’ll be able to see again!
Okay. So.
The good news is that my “chat” with Sandra (for well over an hour yesterday) went splendidly.
We have both agreed to shelve the TV show for now. And maybe forever. Because we both want to focus on the play. (“The Guide to Being Fabulous”.) Yay!
We are still aiming for the Staged Reading to happen in the Fall, but — and as usual, I can’t go into the details yet on the blog — it will be at an entirely different venue. One I didn’t see coming and I am truly excited, gang.
Wow.
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Okay.
I have a phone chat scheduled at noon today with Ralph Greco, Jr. He was probably M. Christian’s closest friend/colleague. (Ralph is someone I have worked with off and on for 30 years.)
We’ll be going over the basic ideas for the tribute anthology and then I need to formally write up the Call for Submissions. But to be honest, just from the emails I’ve already sent out to people privately, I already have most of the contributors onboard. I maybe only need 3 or 4 more writers.
RIP M. Christian
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On another sad note–
Bonnie Tyler died earlier today. Thanks for everything, Bonnie.
And here’s this again– I will never get tired of this song:
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Switching gears–
Here’s this!
A couple of Rolling Stones!
Ronnie Wood, sort of with wings?
And Bill Wyman, smoking!!!
Oh, and here’s Marlon’s little leg, Keith, Anita, and Mick, in a crowded elevator a long time ago…
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And since I wasn’t here to post to the blog yesterday, I have a bunch of Nick Cave photos!
Another one from Poland:
A bunch of great ones from Stuttgart!
More Stuttgart (I don’t think I posted these yet, but I posted them to my Instagram page already):
Now, I did go to Lisbon (Portugal) yesterday — just quickly — hoping to get my picture taken with Nick Cave, but I couldn’t find him anywhere and had to come straight home. You know, because I’m, like, busy and stuff. However!!
Here are some luckier ducks in Lisbon yesterday!!
The Bad Seeds play Lisbon tonight — or perhaps, now — and you can buy tickets here! And they will be in Spain on Saturday!!
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And that is it for now.
Starting tomorrow, I have EIGHT caregiving shifts left, gang. And then that phase of my life will be over.
I am getting my momentum back, for sure. I am starting to feel my own life returning. But I still have some broken feelings around the edges of my heart. But on we must go. I still have “miles to go before I sleep”…
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening By Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.
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.
Breakfast-listening music.
The more I listen to this song, the more I think Tom Petty wrote it not only about being a kid and loving rock & roll, but also about loving the Beatles — in particular, the man who became his dear friend later in life and who had recently died: George Harrison. (Verse 2)
Well, needless to say, I love this song. So haunting and beautiful.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. “Dreamville,” 2002. From The Last DJ. Enjoy, gang.
“Dreamville”
Goin’ down to Lillian’s music store To buy a black diamond string Gonna wind it up on my guitar Gonna make that silver sing
Like it was Dreamville A long time ago A million miles away All the trees were green In Dreamville
I keep wakin’ up all by myself With a bluejay in my brain Flappin’ his wings, makin’ me sing It was just about to rain
Like it was Dreamville Where I was born Light years from here And the air smelled good In Dreamville In Dreamville
Like it was Dreamville A long time ago Light years from here And the trees were green In Dreamville
Ridin’ with my mamma To Glen Springs Pool The water was cold My lips were blue There was rock-and-roll Across the dial When I think of her It makes me smile
Like it was Dreamville A long time ago A million miles away All the trees were green In Dreamville, in Dreamville
Yeah it was Dreamville A long time ago Light years from here And the air smelled good In Dreamville, in Dreamville
Including today, I have 10 more caregiving shifts left with the Agency.
TEN.
I turned in my 2 weeks notice yesterday.
My depression and exhaustion had gotten off the charts, especially last week, when the heat & humidity were off the charts and I still had to transport my clients (and their walkers and wheelchairs, etc.) hither and yon, in & out of the car, and I thought I was going to collapse…
And I finally confronted the fact that my life has been inundated with death & dying & deterioration, every single darn day for the last 2 years. With next to no energy leftover for myself and all my various writing projects.
I had no life left but I was not yet ready to die. What to do, what to do…
I could not take it anymore, the constant depression while trying to smile and help everybody.
Plus, my beloved Honda Civic is a leased car, and with a lease, you can only put a certain number of miles on it, otherwise it costs you additional money when the lease is over.
I was already over my mileage because I was doing NOTHING but driving and driving and driving…. (I still have over a year left on the current lease, though, so I can now put the brakes on that, as it were.)
So, I spoke to the Agency yesterday, gave my notice. And now I’m focused strictly on writing. (Freelance as well as my own works-in-progress.)
And on we go…
Me, near future
Plus, it leaves me very flexible for when the jury duty stuff comes up, so I can get that over with, too.
All righty.
Before I forget — I will not be posting here tomorrow because I have a very early shift in the morning.
But at some point, either this evening or tomorrow afternoon, I will finally be catching up with Sandra to see what “page” we’re on regarding our work on the play, and/or our work on the possible TV pilot.
And regarding the M. Christian tribute anthology — I made some great progress with that yesterday. Mostly continuing to locate people that I haven’t worked with in a long time (all of whom also worked with M. Christian).
Had some great email exchanges, and even some pretty amazing phone chats, with writers & publishers living overseas.
It will be a great feeling to just focus on writing/editing again — which is what I did for many years (until the stupid scamdemic).
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All righty!
Here’s this!
From Ross K. Nichols’ “Sunday School”–
“Scribes changed our Bible. In some cases, they even told us where and why. These are called the Emendations of the Scribes: deliberate alterations, admitted in the fine print of the Masoretic notes by the very scribes credited with preserving the text behind our Bible.”
They Admitted They Changed the Bible! (40 mins):
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And in a totally unrelated “here’s this”–
I forgot to post this the other day!!
The Rolling Stones – Speaking In Tongues | The Official Podcast (Episode 2) (22 mins):
The new album comes out in 3 days…. Pre-order here if you haven’t already!!
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And here’s this!!
Keanu Reeves’ band, Dogstar, is on tour in Europe right now.
Keanu in Berlin!
Photo by gringolina photography
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And here’s this!!! From yesterday–
The anniversary of the death of the great Louis Armstrong:
And while we’re at it– “Dream A Little Dream of Me”!! 1968:
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And here’s Tom Petty, on a PR trip in NYC in 1976! Not smoking and with no attitude whatsoever!!
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And from Castle Fine Art yesterday — more on Johnny Depp’s new print collection, Yesterday’s Flowers:
And yesterday, Nick Cave sent out one of those Red Hand Files wherein he answers a great big bunch of questions with very short answers! (Wherein I also discovered that the recent Red Hand File he sent out about the old people & aging that just broke my heart — was actually a made up story…) Anyway.
This one was my favorite:
Q: Why doesn’t Warren play a REAL guitar?
A: I asked him. He said, because when you pick up a real guitar in the Bad Seeds, you end up getting thrown out of the band.
You can read them all, in full — a lot of them are funny — HERE.
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And here are a bunch of Bad Seeds things from the past couple of nights.
Well, first, this one was from that Facebook page that always pops up first thing in the morning, but I honestly have no idea where the photos are from or when:
Now–
Nick Cave in Poland!
Nick in Montreux!
Nick and the Bad Seeds in Stuttgart, Germany!
And the set list!
The Bad Seeds play Portugal on Thursday. You can buy tickets here!
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And I think that is it for today, gang.
I gotta head to town here soon. (And get the countdown to “just writing” and “maybe jury duty” quietly started…)
Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world.
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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Let’s leave with this!
From the reruns I am currently watching on Prime, after dinner and before studying French!
“The Middle”. It ran for 9 seasons. I loved this show! Enjoy, gang (3 mins):
Starting this evening, we’ll have rain for the rest of the week, but right at this very moment— it is a really nice morning here.
Morning after the big 4th!
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In case you missed it (or didn’t feel like watching massive fireworks on your tiny phone because you no longer have regular TV):
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It turns out that yesterday we also celebrated this!!
And while we’re at it! (And, yes, this song eerily captures my whole fucking life. I had no clue it was going to do that, though, 50 years ago…):
“American Girl”
Well, she was an American girl Raised on promises She couldn’t help thinkin’ that there Was a little more to life somewhere else After all, it was a great big world With lots of places to run to And if she had to die tryin’ She had one little promise she was gonna keep
Oh yeah, all right Take it easy, baby Make it last all night (Make it last all night) She was an American girl
Well, it was kind of cold that night She stood alone on her balcony (Ooh) Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by Out on 441 like waves crashin’ on the beach And for one desperate moment there He crept back in her memory God, it’s so painful when something that is so close Is still so far out of reach
Oh yeah, all right Take it easy, baby Make it last all night (Make it last all night) She was an American girl (Ooh)
c – 1976 Tom Petty
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Before we travel to Poland for those Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds photos I didn’t have yesterday–
I hit this weird “Keith Richards paydirt” on Instagram this morning. I stumbled upon a site that has been inactive for 6 years. And they had GREAT photos of Keith!! (Meaning, I had never seen any of the photos before.) Yay!!
Keith draining the Kahlúa?! (Not smoking.)
Keith and Mick, pool, LA, guitar, reading, not smoking:
Keith, Bill, Brian, boarding a TWA or de-boarding, not sure, but not smoking!
Keith looking weirdly clean-cut but SMOIKING!! (Also called “smoking”):
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And I think that these are all from Poland. And I also think it rained during the show (?).
It was one of those shows where there were tons of videos, and then most of the photos that people posted were really small. But here we go!!
Of course, I loved this!
Nick Cave looking really tiny next to a huge window, while reading and drinking something (and not smoking):
Then later… (or maybe on a whole different day, I actually have no idea):
And then also this (much, much larger than the window now):
And this happened:
I love this tie!!
And that’s it for Poland!!
Tonight the Bad Seeds play Montreux. Followed by another show back in Germany tomorrow, but that one is sold out. You can still buy tickets here for Montreux , though!
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I think I forgot to post this the other day.
It’s an edited version of one of our recent zoom calls for Tabor Research Group.
John the Baptist and Jesus: Separating History from Myth (1 hr 18 mins):
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And I just wanted to mention how happy I am that these 2 novels that I recently re-published as Kindle eBooks continue to be my most popular titles now. This makes me so happy, gang. Thank you so much!!
Twilight of the Immortal (my novel about gays, lesbians and bisexuals in Hollywood during the Silent Film Era, told against the backdrop of the short life of the legendary movie star, Rudolph Valentino):
The Guitar Hero Goes Home (“Experimental adult literary fiction. An American rock & roll legend, in the final year of his life, finally comes clean about sex, drugs, and rock & roll.”):
And the Blue Moon edition of Neptune & Surf are my top out-of-print titles being checked out for free!!
So, thank you for all that, gang!
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Tomorrow is my day off and I will be getting back to work on the call for submissions for the M. Christian tribute anthology.
So far, it has been great hearing from people I haven’t worked with in years, and getting such a positive response about it. I will keep everyone updated later in the week, in the event you want to contribute something, too.
Meanwhile, that’s it for now.
Enjoy your Sunday, wherever you are in the world.
Thanks for visiting!
I love you guys. See ya!
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Let’s close with this.
My first encounter with this song was reading the lyrics to it, which were printed on the back of the album I had just bought (The First Born is Dead) while on the subway in NYC, and I could not wait to get home and play that record!! Enjoy, gang.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Train Long Suffering”, live at Metronome Prague, June 20th, 2026:
But obviously not for me, since I will be working the ENTIRE weekend!! Yay!!
(And I just this moment received a text from the Agency: “If you have ANY availability left this weekend, please let us know!!”)
Jeepers.
Anyway.
Yes, today is my only day off heading into the holiday. I had an exhausting week so far, and most of the exhaustion came from the added high heat and humidity everywhere I went.
But I made myself promise today that I won’t do ANY housecleaning. I won’t run ANY errands. I won’t do ANY stressing about anything. I will be getting my notes together for the M. Christian tribute anthology, and then I’ll do some more reading, (oh, and study French!!), but that’s it. I’m just gonna try to get my energy back before everybody needs me again.
And thank you, once again, God, for this amazing Air Conditioning!!
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Okay!
This is what I’m watching right now on Metrograph and I absolutely LOVE IT!!
From writer/director Gregg Araki, the first in his Teen Apocalypse Trilogy, “Totally F**ked Up”, from 1993:
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And in addition to the TON of reading James Tabor gave us for what he jokingly calls “summer school” — a bunch of essays and articles connected to the primary book we are also reading right now, which is very interesting:
— in addition to all that, I am also reading a really sweet children’s novel, Palace Beautiful.
“Three girls discover a hidden journal in their attic detailing a girl’s life during the 1918 flu epidemic, leading them to investigate her mysterious fate.”
That new client I have on Friday mornings, gave me a copy of the book.
She didn’t say, “Oh, look at this book, it was really sweet.”
She literally handed it to me and said, ‘Here, take this home and read it. It’s really good.”
We were in the spare bedroom where she has a huge collection of children’s books for her grandchildren.
None of my clients has ever done that — handed me a children’s book and told me to take it home and read it — so I did! And, honestly, it is very well written and a refreshing break from everything else under the sun that is crammed into my brain these days.
And another great one from Phyllis Stein– Richard Hell! In NYC in 1977!
Photo by Roberta Bayley
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And Joe Satriani had an art exhibit in DC ! (And he also gave away some guitars!!)
And he had this song accompanying his post. I listened to a mere few seconds of it and, wow, did it bring back memories!! I played this song a lot while I lived on E. 12th Street! “Always With Me, Always With You”, 1987:
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I thought these were very interesting.
My great-great-grandmother was a full-blooded Black Foot Indian from Montana. These are current photos from the Black Foot Reservation. “It’s all about Jesus”…and pizza:
And here’s an idea of what it looked like when my great-great-grandmother lived there:
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And, as expected, the Bad Seeds show in Berlin looked astounding.
First, the size of the audience was jaw-dropping:
Berlin, in no particular order:
From George Vjestica, photo by Colin Greenwood:
These next 2 photos were so strange!!
And Nick Cave Official just announced that right after the upcoming Brighton show, there will also be a film festival, with films curated by Nick Cave. (I would STRONGLY suggest that if you’ve never seen “Irreversible” — Jesus, don’t go see it on a first date!!) (Probably wouldn’t see any of these on a first date, except maybe “Pinocchio”…) Anyway!
And tonight the Bad Seeds play Poland!! I guess if you hurry, you can still BUY TICKETS HERE!
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And that is it.
I am going to get this day-off underway. I seriously HOPE it involves relaxing. We shall soon see!
Enjoy your Thursday, wherever you are in the world.
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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And more breakfast-listening music from the “Rockin’ Down the Block” CD collection (1987)!
The Contours, “Do You Love Me”, 1962. Enjoy, gang!!
Marilyn's Room 