Tag Archives: Nick Cave Red Hand Files

Can you believe it’s September already??

September 1, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Personally, I cannot.

Here’s something else I can’t believe — for the next 7 days, I have no appointments on my schedule.

I get to do whatever I want to do. (Including, I hope, have lunch with one of my girlfriends.)

I’m not sure I know how to handle that — all that free/me time.

The appointment with the Medicare Insurance Nurse yesterday was very interesting. We seemed to have a lot of opinions in common about things like vaxxes and pharmaceuticals vs. supplements, etc.

We chatted about a lot of things, there at my kitchen table. She was here for half an hour, even though her actual “work” was completed in about 10 minutes.

Anyway.

That’s done for another year!

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Even though Summer doesn’t officially end for 3 more weeks, everyone in the village seems to think that since school is back in session, the Summer is over and we should be putting all of our Fall decorations out…

WTF??!!

I feel like I’m the only one left who has “Summer” all over her front porch.

So, sadly, I’m going to at least take the Summer stuff off the front porch today. Move all the flowers to the kitchen porch, and try to conform to everybody else’s calendar…

But I refuse to put out my actual Fall decor until the last week of September. (Here’s hoping I don’t incur some sort of fine for that — you know, the Sherriff showing up on my kitchen porch, saying, “You’re neighbors have been complaining that this porch here still looks a little Summery…”)

I’m actually feeling kind of sad about all this — time racing away. But on we go.

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Okay.

As far as having a little window of free time to get some of my own writing done…

That feels really strange, too! My own writing?

We’ll see how that goes. It’s all about focusing and detaching from whatever is going on in the world around me. It’s been a while since I’ve allowed myself to really do that, without feeling sort of guilty about it.

That’s leftover from the caregiving.

But I’m working on moving those feelings out. Last evening, I suddenly decided to delete all the texts on my phone that I was still hanging onto from clients of mine who have since died.

I deleted any texts relating to caregiving at all. It felt like the right thing to do, because my heart needs to move on and I need to get fully back into my own life, while I’m still alive in it.

I hope to make some true progress with all of that this week.

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All righty!

Here’s this!

Keith, on a boat on the water! Getting plenty of “Keith” time!

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And here’s this!

From the last show of the Bad Seeds tour — Nick Cave in Paris!

And Nick Cave sent out a Red Hand File today, responding to an inquiry about his favorite painting. He actually got to see his favorite painting while in a museum in Germany recently. He said, in part:

“… I had heard that they had the Lochner (painting), but once inside I couldn’t find it amongst the museum’s unbelievably beautiful collection of sacred art. In my mind, the painting had become so monumental that I guess I expected it to be huge, to have its own wall, or something.

“As I was leaving, disappointed not to see it, I walked into a small, annexed room and in the far corner, in the half-light, was the Lochner, only twelve inches tall, and rendered with such tender restraint and humility that I found myself overwhelmed….”

You can read it in full HERE.

And here is the painting:

ADORATION OF THE CHILD JESUS BY STEFAN LOCHNER, 1445

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And that is it for now.

The first day in September is off to a sort of slow start, it seems. Even on Instagram.

But enjoy your day, 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…

From that legendary (now a little heartbreaking) album by Frank Sinatra, September of My Years (1965).

“Don’t Wait Too Long”. Enjoy, gang.

“Don’t Wait Too Long”

You are the summer and I am the autumn
Don’t wait too long
Your song’s beginning while mine’s nearly sung
Don’t wait too long

Fall is a lovely time of the year
When leaves turn to golden brown
But soon fall is ending and winter is near
And the leaves start tumblin’ down

Why must the moments go by in such haste?
Don’t wait too long
Winter is coming, I’ve no time to waste
Don’t wait too long

So while my heart’s gay and foolish and free and still can sing its song
Share every precious moment with me, don’t you wait too long

[instrumental-first line of a verse]
Don’t wait too long
[instrumental-second line of a verse]
Don’t wait too long

So while my heart’s gay and foolish and free and still can sing its song
Share every precious moment with me, don’t wait too long

c – 1965 Sunny Skylar

Let’s Get This Monday Started!

August 24, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

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!!

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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???)

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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.

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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!!

A pleasant day ahead in the Hinterlands!

August 20, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Although it’s raining here this morning, it’s supposed to get really nice out there by this afternoon.

But I will be at my desk the entire day today.

I am editing that local author’s new book (I’m aiming for 30 pages a day for the best turn-around time). But at 2PM this afternoon, the Alliance of Indie Authors is having a live update on everything that’s new in eBooks, audiobooks, formatting, platforms, etc.

So, as much as I’m thinking that will be an overload of overwhelming information, I still want to attend.

And then yoga. Then prepare dinner. Then reading, reading, and some more reading, then study French! And it should be a good day.

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It feels sort of incredible to look at my schedule for the remainder of the month, gang, and all that’s on there is one more Zoom meeting, a visit from the Medicare Insurance nurse — to make sure I’m not dead yet? — and then nothing else for the rest of the month but editing.

Wow.

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Okay!

Not many “here’s this’s” today. Not sure why.

But here’s this!

Speaking of not being sure why, I have no clue what the facial expressions are all about, but here’s Mick and Keith and producer Jimmy Miller not smoking in the studio in LA, while recording the album “Let It Bleed” in 1969!

Photo by Robert Altman/Michael Ochs, Getty images

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And I know I’ve posted something similar before from Allen Ginsberg’s page, but I just love this because it reminds me of the view out my own back window on E.12th Street in NYC back then — just a few apartments down from Allen Ginsberg’s.

So, here’s this! From August 18, 1984! 42 years ago!! (Of course, the view out my own back window was in living color!! And yes! The courtyards in back, between all the tenements, were FULL of trees!!)

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Okay.

Here’s this!!

The Warren Ellis mostly-hair Odyssey!!

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And THIS awaited me upon opening my wee bonny peepers at 4AM this morning!!

Yay!

And even though the above photo was accompanied by a much more raw -sounding song, I could not help but be reminded of THIS song, too, and eventually, I leaped out of bed this morning, singing it!

“Too Young”

They try to tell us we’re too young
Too young to really be in love
They say that love’s a word, a word we’ve only heard
But can’t begin to know the meaning of

And yet we’re not too young to know
This love will last though years may go
And then some day
They may recall
We were not too young at all

Oh, Oh

And yet we’re not too young to know
Oh, This love will last though years may go
And then some day
They may recall
We were not too young at all

c – 1951 Sylvia Dee / Sidney Lippman

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And speaking of Nick Cave —

He sent out a Red Hand File this morning that was rather riveting. All about a young woman’s mother’s addiction. He begins:

“The problem with your mother’s motto is that it is everyone else around her whose lives she is setting on fire, including yours, it seems, and the people who are fanning the flames are those desperately trying to put them out…”

It’s a quick read, but very powerful. You can read it HERE.

FIRE AT NIGHT BY FRANCISCO GOYA, 1793-94

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ Tour of Europe resumes tomorrow in France. You can buy tickets here!

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And that is it for today, gang.

I’m gonna go down to the kitchen and get another cup o’ joe, then put on my editor’s cap and get the day underway!

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 today!

Another gem from my wee bonny girlhood!!

INSTANT KARMA! (WE ALL SHINE ON) – Lennon/Ono with The Plastic Ono Band, 1970!! Enjoy, gang.

NSTANT KARMA! (WE ALL SHINE ON)

Instant Karma’s gonna get you. Gonna knock you right on the head
You better get yourself together. Pretty soon you’re gonna be dead
What in the world you thinking of? Laughing in the face of love
What on Earth you trying to do? It’s up to you. Yeah you!

Instant Karma’s gonna get you. Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darling. Join the human race
How in the world you gonna see? Laughing at fools like me
Who on Earth d’you think you are? A superstar?  Well right you are!

Well we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on. Everyone come on!

Instant Karma’s gonna get you. Gonna knock you off your feet
Better recognise your brothers. Everyone you meet
Why in the world are we here? Surely not to live in pain and fear
Why on earth are you there? When you’re everywhere
Come and get your share

Well we all shine on, like the moons and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on, come on and on and on on on

Yeah yeah alright. Uh huh ahh

Well we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on. On and on and on on and on

Well we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on like the moons and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on

c - 1970 John Lennon

Monday Swings Around Again!

August 3, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

As you can see, I did not make it back here to the blog yesterday. But never fear, here I am now!

I did go to the Sunday Mass at the Children of Mary convent yesterday. Wow, are the grounds amazing. You would never, ever, EVER, in a million years, guess that a convent was hidden up in those woods — unless somebody told you about it.

Obviously, it is way out in the country. And then you follow a twisting, turning gravel road — up and up, surrounded by trees — and then suddenly there are a bunch of old cabins and barns. Some cows and sheep. Some sacred statues hidden among all the trees. And you are there.

About 20 Sisters live there, and they basically built the chapel themselves (25 years ago), which is like a really large and incredibly peaceful, beautiful log cabin-ish kind of thing.

Really, just beautiful.

It turns out, though, that the convent is not that far from my house but I live directly on the other side of it from where my girlfriend lives (in town). So, coming from her direction, it felt like we were way out in the middle of fucking nowhere yesterday — and that’s pretty much where my house is! In the middle of fucking nowhere!

But I digress!

Anyway, I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience it. Plus, it was supposed to rain yesterday, but it didn’t. It was a beautiful day.

Here’s another photo I found online:

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Today, I have quite a few things to do here at my desk, so I need to get started on that soon.

Plus, since I didn’t post yesterday, I have a ton of “here’s this’s” today!!

So let’s get started!!

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First, this was very, very interesting!

From Ross K. Nichols’ Sunday School, yesterday afternoon:

“The Bible tells us that one family was entrusted with the care of Israel’s most sacred objects, including the ark of the covenant and the scroll of Moses kept beside it. The biblical writers use different terminology for this family. Were they priests or not?

“In this study, we will survey competing priestly claims, disputed genealogies, and traces of an ancient struggle preserved by biblical writers.

“Then something remarkable happens: the ark disappears, the scroll vanishes from view, and the family entrusted with their care is no longer mentioned.

“What happened to the Bible’s most holy things, and could the words of one member of the chosen family help us carry on without them?”

The Disappearance of the Bible’s Most Holy Things (1 hr):

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From the Mid-America Arts Alliance:

Artist and Arts Organization Opportunities and Deadlines:

“(MAAA) is accepting pitches from creators interested in showcasing local artists, cultural events, and creative communities across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and the Native nations that share these geographies. Selected contributors will receive $250 to capture 10 short vertical smartphone videos (15+ seconds each) and provide a brief written description. Arts in Mid-America will edit the footage, add narration, and share the finished videos on its social media channels, with contributors receiving credit. The opportunity is open for events taking place between August and December 2026. Check out this example video for an idea of how your footage will be used.”

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Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of Bill Burroughs!

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Here are the Rolling Stones looking happy in London in 1969!

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And Saturday was the Heavenly Birthday of one of my all-time favorite people, Jim Carroll!

From Phyllis Stein! Jim with Keith in NYC, 1980. Yes, Jim Carroll was TALL!!

Oh, and here’s this. Being retired now (!!) gives me time to do all sorts of interesting things — like look through books I’ve owned for a million years!

I took this book of poems by Jim Carroll down from my bookshelf last week —

The book came out in Spring of 1986, after I’d taken that amazing songwriting class with Jim Carroll at the West Side’ Y’ in NYC for several months in 1984.

I flipped open the book and discovered this on the title page:

And then I remembered how, when I presented the book to him at the bookstore in NYC to have him sign it, in that intensely thick, inimitable, high-pitched NY accent, Jim said: “Marilyn! How ya been?”

It just thrilled me that he remembered me.

Had I not retired 2 weeks ago, I would not have taken that book down from my bookshelf last week, and I would never have remembered that beautiful little moment of my long-lived life…

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Okay.

Here’s this!

From Phyllis Stein!! Information about how to watch this movie online!!

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Okay.

I had tons more photos from the Bad Seeds’ show in Brighton, but it turns out, that couple who were in Brighton — and who I now follow on Instagram — actually attended the show in Dresden, Germany, yesterday and so I will sort of move along to Dresden!

From that same couple:

Oh — well, here’s this. George Vjestica posted this of the crowd in Brighton, nearly 50,000 people:

Warren Ellis, waiting on a plane to Dresden!!

Warren Ellis on an elevator in Dresden!!

The set list!

And this was really great.

This morning, Nick Cave sent out a Red Hand File about his homecoming in Brighton. He said, in part:

“…I want to thank everyone who came to the concert – so many faces I recognised from years gone by. It was a homecoming in many different ways, and although part of me is relieved the Preston Park show is behind me – sometimes my job is so completely and emotionally overwhelming – I’m happy we could, for a delirious moment in time, create a place where the absent and the present could dance together. Again, thank you….”

You can read it in full HERE.

NICK AND KYLIE, PRESTON PARK, PHOTOGRAPH BY CHLOE IRVING

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Croatia next — on August 4th & 5th — but the show on August 5th is SOLD OUT. You can buy tickets to Tuesday’s show HERE.

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And that is it for now!!

The laundry is actually already done.

And now I’m gonna head out for another one of those amazing walks because the weather is beautiful yet again.

And then I’m gonna get to work around here.

Enjoy your Monday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Here we are in the Hinterlands!

June 7, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 5 Comments

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning here. After thunderstorms all night long…

But the new Central Air Conditioning is unbelievably fantastic. What a godsend, truly. I slept really well. We ignored the thunder and lightning and high winds all night long…

Plus, I had moved all the outdoor potted plants and flower pots onto the kitchen porch yesterday, to keep them safe from sailing away on the wind, and when I went out onto the kitchen porch at 4:45AM this morning , not only was everything perfect, but Tiki was out there, sleeping happily in a veritable jungle of blooming flower boxes.

I am of course trying to just look at the positive stuff this morning, although yesterday was a really difficult one — having to decide to postpone the trip to NYC, which I was really looking forward to.

But now I have a total of 6 days off to just relax — and God knows, the house is CLEAN!!

I found out yesterday that the “trip insurance” is practically a scam. So I am out the cost of the airfare to NYC, but it wasn’t that expensive. Still. It was sort of the final straw (I also found out yesterday, by way of a “little bird,” that Sandra might be going into semi-retirement but hasn’t told me yet… She’s currently in Atlanta, shooting another episode of the “Ms. Pat Show” for Paramount+. So we’ll see how she’s feeling when she gets back.)

When I got home from my shift yesterday, I called Wayne to sort of vent about everything — he and I were going to be having dinner together on Thursday in NYC. He told me the same thing had happened to him once, regarding “trip insurance”, but it had ended up costing him almost 3 times as much money as I’d lost.

Later, during the night, Wayne sent me this on WhatsApp. It made me feel better because I had sent a REALLY nasty email to Travel Guard yesterday, and I hate sending nasty anything’s to anybody, but after reading this, I’m guessing mine was just one of millions they probably receive:

And then, around 3AM, when I got up to use the bathroom, I saw on my phone that my niece had sent me a friend request on Facebook! Yay!

Technically, we follow each other on Instagram but she hasn’t posted there in a few years. She is my half-brother’s daughter — the half-brother who is half-Cherokee and absolutely nothing but trouble.

Here she is at age 6 months, in 1997! I had bought her that little dress she’s wearing:

So that was a very nice alert to find when I looked at my phone at 3AM.

And late yesterday afternoon, I finally got an email from my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn. Mentally, she’s doing better, but she does have to have surgery on both hands on June 15th.

So here’s hoping that when I finally get back to NYC, she and I will both be back to normal.

And as soon as we can get everything sorted back out, we’ll get that mini-podcast up and running, finally.

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At least both of my shifts yesterday were really nice ones. And the torrential rains didn’t start until early afternoon, so my drive back out to that guy’s farm yesterday morning was just lovely.

And his home was almost an hour’s drive from my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s house. And from a whole different direction than I usually take, so that was a lovely drive, too.

And, yes! Me and my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man had a great day!! Finally, we were alone! The house is back to normal!! And we went out for sashimi & sake and had a really lovely time (ALONE) together!

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As for Tommycakes, I’m just taking it moment by moment, and I hope she will last for the whole summer but when she goes, hopefully I will be here for her final journey.

For readers who are new to the blog — Tommycakes is one of my rescued feral cats. Meaning, she is not domesticated. Feral cats attack people, so they can’t be put into pet carriers– you have to trap them in order to transport them anywhere.

I have (humane) traps in the basement, but the traps are so traumatizing to them that at this stage, since she is so frail and thin, I doubt Tommycakes would survive getting trapped. And even then, no vets around here will handle feral cats. When Daddycakes (her brother) was dying, I found one vet 45 miles from here, who was willing to let me bring him in. He was so far gone and suffering at that point, that I just wanted him to be put to sleep. So the vet was willing to do that for me.

Otherwise, with the ferals, I have to just let God take them in their season. So far, Tommycakes is at least still eating.

Tommycakes with one of her kittens, 13 years ago

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Okay.

Speaking of trying to look at the bright side of things!

74 years ago today, my adoptive parents were married!

Their wedding day was a really happy one. And so was their honeymoon. I’ve decided to just think about that part of it today and let all the rest that came afterward just go…

Happy heavenly anniversary, Mom & Dad. RIP.

And on June 4th, Tom Petty’s 2nd wife, Dana. posted this:

They had gotten married earlier, in Las Vegas, but had their official Wedding Day on June 3rd. Little Richard (on the far right) was the Minister who married them.

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And here’s this!

My birth dad, Don May, and his older brother, Earl, were friends with the Country singer, Johnny Paycheck. They all grew up together in Greenfield, Ohio. My dad’s younger brother, Ralph, who was a professional Country singer as an adult in Nashville, was friends with Merle Haggard.

When Johnny Paycheck met my Uncle Ralph in Nashville and found out he was one of the May boys from Greenfield:

JOHNNY (to everyone in the room): “Those Mays were so poor, that when they had me over to lunch, they fed me mustard sandwiches!”

My dad later concurred that they’d been very poor…

And meanwhile, here’s my favorite Merle Haggard song — a song I first learned about in an interview Rolling Stone Magazine did with Keith Richards!

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And here’s this!

The Rolling Stones in London, 1971!!

And the Rollings Stones at some other time, backstage someplace!

And the Rolling Stones, nowadays:

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And here’s this!!

The Birthday Party by a swimming pool!!

And don’t forget!!

THREE days away!! Buy tickets HERE!!

And Nick Cave sent out a really lovely Red Hand File the other day! Wherein among other things, he had some great things to say about Freddie Mercury!! I loved Freddie Mercury!! And I got to see Queen in concert in Columbus in the mid-seventies. Wow, what a great show!!

But Nick also had this to say about the upcoming live shows this summer — for the band and audience alike — a quote from the song “Rings Of Saturn”:

“This is the moment, this is exactly what we were meant to be“

To read it in full, visit HERE.

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And that is it for now.

I’m gonna do some yoga. Water some flowers. Then head out to see the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat.

I am doing my very, very best to just keep moving forward, gang.

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 these.

A song from 1980 that ALWAYS reminds me of those first months, living in NYC right after moving there from Ohio.

Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”, 1980, from their album The Game:

And here’s this!

“Rings of Saturn” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, 2016, from their breathtaking album Skeleton Tree. Enjoy, gang.

Back At It!!

May 26, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

This will probably be a quick one, gang, because I need to head into town a little earlier than usual today.

But it is a stunning day (so far)!! So the drive to town should be really nice.

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The plot thickens over there in Vietnam!

On WhatsApp from Wayne this morning– he took his brother to get a “massage”!

I put the word “massage” in quotes because I know Wayne and those massages in the Far East. However!! Here it is! (Wayne is taking the photo.)

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From James Tabor–

“…in the Hellenistic world, in which a “Great Reversal” took place. Humans began to look to the heavenly world above as their true Home, whereas the Earth was seen as a dark lower world into which we have fallen–strangers in a strange land.”

When Heaven Replaced Earth (17 mins):

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I thought this was sort of incredible, gang.

I had never heard this interview with Tom Petty before and I started listening to it last night. A 1986 audio interview with Tom, regarding songwriting and the importance of rhythm guitar in a band, etc.

When Jas Obrecht asked Tom who his early influences were when he was just getting into music — I knew Tom was hugely influenced by Elvis when he was really young, but I had no idea that his first big influences were:

John Lennon! And Keith Richards!!

Fuck. That just felt so fucking weird that I stopped the interview there and will continue to listen tonight. (If you’re new to the blog, Lennon and Keith were my two first influences — they utterly changed my life when I was 11 & 12 years old.)

Tom Petty: The Complete 1986 “Guitar Player” Interview on Songwriting and Rhythm Guitar (52 mins):

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Okay!

Here’s this!!

An important lesson on “accountability” from Warren Ellis’s legs (and also his dog’s leg)!!

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Keith!!

In 1973!!

Heading into that Rotterdam rehearsal before the start of the Stones’ European Tour, 1973!! (Not sure if I mentioned that it was 1973, but it was in 1973!!)

(Photo by Adri Steenland)

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Oh, wait. Before I forget!

Some important “cat” updates.

Last night, Huckleberry let me pet her.

This is huge, gang.

She is 14 years old and has been with me for 13 and a 1/2 of those years. But she is a rescued feral — not domesticated. In all these years, she barely let me touch her, let alone pet her, as in, run my hand along her entire body several times.

And she was so content and happy to have me do it! It was amazing. So beautiful.

Huckleberry, on the right, about 9 years ago with one of her feral “kittens”, Weenie. He died last May, at age 12:

And Rasha’s mom came by yesterday, and she brought her little boy (almost 2 yrs old) and the boy’s daddy. They will all be staying here when I’m in NYC.

They were all so incredibly sweet. And the little family is getting back together, which makes me feel really happy for them. Honestly, they couldn’t have been sweeter. And they are so YOUNG!!

Anyway. Rasha was very happy to see her mom, but every single one of my cats hid from them. Except for Tiki, out on the kitchen porch.

I showed them the whole house but there wasn’t a single cat in sight. You’d think the only cat I had was Rasha — which is THEIR cat!!

FIFTEEN cats, gang!! And it literally looked like I had no cats at all.

The minute they left the house and drove away — BOOM — the cats were all back, zooming around.

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

Okay.

Here’s this!!

Nick Cave sent out a FANTASTIC Red Hand File this morning!! Essentially about his professional relationship with Warren Ellis all these years. But also!! A whole lot about Spongebob Squarepants!!

I do not want to spoil it for you in any way — it was too fun — so you can read it in full, HERE!

But here’s a hint:

.~~Patrick and Spongebob~~. OOPS! Nick and Warren.

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

Okay. That’s it. I gotta scoot!!

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

***********

Let’s close with this!

More of that fantastic making-the-bed music from the FM Oldies Radio Station on the bedside retro boombox!! Yay!!

Billy Idol, 1983, “Rebel Yell” !! Play it LOUD!! And enjoy, gang!! We all did!!

None of these shenanigans for now!

May 20, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 4 Comments

My favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s daughter is back again from Seattle, and will be staying with him for 10 days.

So I guess we have to settle down and behave until she heads back home. We shall see! (She tends to be very task oriented, whereas I tend to be very “let’s just have a beautiful day while we still can” oriented.)

Meanwhile!

I crossed the road yesterday to ~~get to the other side~~ get the mail from out of my mailbox and when I did, what to my wondering eyes should appear???

ROYALTY CHECKS!! From Lulu.com. Yay! Thanks everybody for buying my books and eBooks. I really, really appreciate it.

And so I got in the car and went to the bank, put the checks in, then headed to the Dollar Store for more cat food and MORE coffee and then me and the cats partied last night like it was 1999!

And I’ll say 2 things about that.

The idea of 1999 is very much worth partying over. The world was still really amazing back then.
In 1982, when we all first started listening to that song and having a blast, 1999 seemed light years away!

I guess I will say a 3rd thing — I can’t believe that 1999 was 27 years ago… Gang, it just flies by in a heartbeat.

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

Okay.

Another happy thing about yesterday — it was very, very hot, nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit. And by evening, rain was on its way. So–

We closed all the windows and turned on our brand new Central Air Conditioning for the very first time and it was like heaven!!

Wow. The cats, especially, were completely delighted by the new development. They went from being draped listlessly everywhere, to being frisky and darting around.

So I think we’ll have a good summer around here.

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

Here’s this!!

The Cars at a record-signing. at Strawberries record store in 1979!

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

And here’s this!

Johnny Cash, not signing anything, not smoking, not drinking or popping amphetamines — just readin’ the paper…

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

And here’s this!!

Keith!

Tuning up his dobro, backstage at Madison Square Garden in NYC, in 1969!!

I have always loved the sound of a dobro, gang. I always wished I owned one. In the early 90s, when I was recording the promo CD that accompanied Joe Queenan’s movie, “12 Steps to Death” (I wrote the closing song to the film, “One Step Closer”), the guitar player in the studio band had a dobro!!

This is not the song from Joe’s movie, but it’s on the CD! Yes! It’s that “railroad” song!! With dobro!!

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

All righty.

Ronnie Wood has added another show to his tour! Paris!!

Buy tickets HERE.

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

And Nick Cave Official posted this about the Bad Seeds show at NOS Alive in Lisbon this summer.

Buy tickets HERE!

And here’s Nick Cave onstage, accidentally getting too close to an electrified piano!!

And Nick Cave, walking around in a suit in 2018, looking at his phone!!

And this was absolutely beautiful.

Nick Cave sent out a Red Hand File yesterday, wherein he addressed a woman’s fears and anxiety about following her destiny and always procrastinating, instead. Nick said, in part:

“… a job left undone is its own torment, a dream unrealised, its own kind of hell. There is a unique joy, the deepest satisfaction and a kind of spiritual appeasement in knowing that something we have made, or worked on, means something to somebody else… live as creatively and boldly as your heart allows. Keep a light grip on the reins, take a breath, step into the unknown and trust. Trust – the active heart of faith...”

You can read it in full, HERE.

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

And now I gotta scoot!! Gotta get out there and tackle my own constant fears and anxiety!! (But I do have to say, gang, that getting back on the social media platforms has brought a truckload of people from all over suddenly into my life and that helps enormously. Even though they’re all online, for now. It had gotten to the point around here that everyone I interacted with was either a caregiving client or someone in their family. That is a very narrow field to exist in every day and, creatively, I have been suffocating.)

Okay.

I’m not 100% sure if I will be posting here tomorrow, or not. My best friend Valerie in Brooklyn and I begin the test run of our new mini-podcast tomorrow around noon!! So we’ll see.

Meanwhile, have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

***********

Let’s close with this!!

Breakfast-listening music in the air-conditioned kitchen!!

I know I posted this exceedingly addictive song recently, but this is the original “demo” version Tom made in the studio in his home, with Stevie Nicks on supporting vocals — because she had just stopped by and he had just written it!!

I just love this version!!

Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Stevie Nicks –“The Apartment Song (demo)” 1984!! Enjoy, gang. We sure did!!

We can dream, can’t we??

May 14, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Methinks the day is not gonna look quite as relaxing as this, but I’ll settle for a feeling of “ease & peace” by the end of the day, and maybe even be sporting a smile…

We shall see.

For some reason, I’m feeling distracted today. But I’m just going to let the flow take me wherever it takes me. And not fight it.

And just a head’s up!

I have next Tuesday off, which means 2 days off in a row, which means I’ve decided to do the spring cleaning! Get out the Bissel steam cleaner and get the carpeting in the whole house really clean before I head out to NYC in June (when Rasha’s mom and her little baby will be staying here with a multitude of cats…).

So, this is in my very near future and, actually, I can’t wait:

Well, just add carpeting everywhere… and cats.

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

And a week from today, my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn and I will be taping our first mini-podcast for “Marilyn’s Room”. So we will see how that goes!!

It’s just a trial run, I doubt I will actually post the first one. I guess we’ll see. My main concern is learning how to use the editing tools. The rest of the “recording studio” on Substack looks simple enough.

But then we’ll be off & running (or running away), as we leap into the very serious world of painting & writing at a “certain age” after your entire young adulthood was spent getting into nothing but, well, I don’t know — trouble? Life, itself? I don’t know what to call it. But we got into it. And we’re still here! And that, in itself, is newsworthy!!

And FYI — While doing research for the podcast the other day, I came across this postcard online and wow, did it bring back a truckload of memories!! From 1981 — the important part is the description, which I guess is hard to read. I guess you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out why it’s so important!! (It involves a bunch of us dropping acid one night and going to the Wienerwald at W.48th and Broadway…)

*********

Okay! Onward.

Last night, while re-listening to an audiobook of Kerouac’s Big Sur, I recalled that Henry Miller had also written something about living in Big Sur and so I went in search of a free online reading of that — and found one on YouTube.

It is so interesting. This isn’t the novel, itself. It’s more like a long excerpt from it. But I am quietly astounded by it.

Written in 1957, it’s Miller’s take on Big Sur and about artists and writers in the USA, in general, back in the late 1940s.

Personally, I relate to it because Henry Miller was a writer whose books were constantly getting banned for their erotic content. But what he also had to say about writers trying to, I don’t know, be true to their craft while surviving in America — and how they needed to find the solitude of living in the middle of nowhere in order to exist…

Well, it rang a few unexpected bells for me at this stage of my life.

I’m halfway through it (excerpt is one hour):

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

And yesterday, gang…

Yes! One of the other caregivers did do all the grocery shopping!

So I did get to go with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man to have sashimi & sake and we accidentally each got 2 fortune cookies at the end of our meal!!

His were oddly boring, but both of mine were great!!! Wow!

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

And here’s this!

Keith and Ronnie clowning around in a closet! It is maybe in 1979:

And back in July of 1975, George Harrison visits backstage in LA, during the Stones’ 1975 tour. (Billy Preston played keyboards for the Stones during that tour.)

And Keith with James Mitchell, in the Royal Recording Studios in Memphis, in 1988:

AND —

I know I’ve posted this one before, but it is one of my all-time favorite shots of Keith (I have it, in 2 different sizes, stuck on my wall). And it was the first photo that popped up in my Instagram feed today!!

Keith, in LA, in 1969!!

Not smoking, but otherwise, so totally Keith!

***********

Yesterday, Nick Cave sent out a really cool Red Hand File. It was so candid and, just, I don’t know. I just loved it. Mostly, he talked about his sleeping habits — and dreaming habits or lack thereof. He wrote it while in a cab, heading to a recording studio, to perhaps begin a new record with some of the Bad Seeds. (Yay!) He said, in part:

“…I am going to Islington to mess around in the studio with Marty (he’s well now), Thomas (him too), Jim (always robust), and Warren (still lovely and deranged) with the vague idea of perhaps making a new record. …”

However, he also stated that women are generally attracted to men (and women) who wear suits….while I love Nick Cave in anything he chooses to wear, I am totally not in the “attracted to suits” category!! I’m blue-collar all the way!!

But whichever way you lean, you can read the Red Hand File, in full, HERE!!

And meanwhile —

Here’s this!!

A couple of shots of Nick Cave wearing an interesting expression!!

*****

And that is it for today.

I’m hoping this will be a good day, gang. We shall soon find out.

Have a great Thursday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

********

Let’s close with this.

Bonnie Tyler is going through some very difficult health problems. As of right now, she’s in a medically-induced coma, but her condition is stable. But it sounds very serious.

So here’s this. Her fantastic, international mega hit from 1978. “It’s A Heartache.” Thanks, Bonnie. Enjoy, gang.

“It’s A Heartache”

It’s a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Hits you when it’s too late
Hits you when you’re down

It’s a fool’s game
Nothing but a fool’s game
Standing in the cold rain
Feeling like a clown

It’s a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Love him ’til your arms break
Then he lets you down

It ain’t right with love to share
When you find he doesn’t care for you
It ain’t wise to need someone
As much as I depended on you

It’s a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Hits you when it’s too late
Hits you when you’re down

It’s a fool’s game
Nothing but a fool’s game
Standing in the cold rain
Feeling like a clown

It ain’t right with love to share
When you find he doesn’t care for you
It ain’t wise to need someone
As much as I depended on you

Oh, it’s a heartache
Nothing but a heartache
Love him ’til your arms break
Then he lets you down

It’s a fool’s game
Standing in the cold rain
Feeling like a clown

It’s a heartache
Love him ’til your arms break
Then he lets you down

It’s a fool’s game
Standing in the cold rain

c – 1977 – Ronnie Scott, Victor William Batty

It was a success!

May 9, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 4 Comments

I don’t want to sound too “excited” about it because we were getting him ready for Annie’s funeral, but I arrived at my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s house at 7:15 am yesterday, and he woke up the moment I stepped into his room.

On some level, he seemed to be aware of the funeral and I was able to get him out of bed and start dressing immediately. He even remembered that his shirt needed cufflinks, although he couldn’t remember the word for it. But he remembered where the wooden jewelry box was that contained them.

I so WISH I could share the photo I took of him after he was dressed and ready to go — I texted the photo to his daughter in Seattle, so that she would be assured that everything was going well.

The photo was GREAT. He looked GREAT in his suit and tie. His daughter was so happy. But obviously, I can’t share a photo that private on the blog.

His stepson – & – stepdaughter-in- law arrived by 8am. And everything really just went so smoothly.

And the stepson texted me late last evening to say that he is taking us to lunch today! So that should really be nice.

Probably not us, but I guess we shall see!

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

So I worked for an hour and a half yesterday, then headed over to the old train station, saw Wendy, then had an early lunch with Steve!

Gave Steve the review copy of The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. And since he worked as a social worker for about 30 years, we both feel confident that he will not find the novel too disturbing, or hard to handle.

Mainly, he was just really happy for me that the novel is finally coming out.

Remember that you can pre-order it HERE.

**********

And after my shift today, I’m stopping over at the fully restored Historic Arcade, to drop off a review copy of the novel for Kevin at his beautiful art gallery there.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what the Arcade is like when it isn’t hosting an art expo in that main hallway. I want to see if the vibe is the same. I just loved it when I visited it a couple weeks ago (for the first time). We shall soon see!

The Historic Arcade in downtown Newark — and please note, there is a really nice used bookstore there!!

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

Okay.

Apparently, yesterday was Robert Johnson‘s heavenly birthday!! He was born on May 8, 1911.

From Phyllis Stein!

And here’s this again! I love this song…

**********

And today is Beat Poet/Buddha Gary Snyder‘s 96th birthday!

I thought this news was so cool, since I am re-listening to the audiobook of The Dharma Bums at night, and one of the main characters in the novel is based on Gary. I’m up to Chapter 27:

***********

The house that Patsy Cline and her husband lived in when she died is now a renovated retro-vacation home. You can rent it!! It’s not far from Nashville.

Here’s the really cool basement!!

**********

And here’s this!!

Sort of an odd bit of info:

*********

And here’s this!

Franz Kafka with his sometimes-betrothed, Felice Bauer!

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

Here’s this!!

James Tabor sent this out to us on Patreon yesterday. It’s from the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz:

The Mysterious Copper Scroll and the End of Days

“One stood among the Dead Sea Scrolls: made of metal, and seemingly never meant to be read. Who made it, when and why, and how was Bar-Kokhba involved? Shimon Gibson presents a new theory”

[full article is here]

“**The Copper Scroll, never read by human eyes except the people who commissioned and made it of course”** Credit: Abraham Meir Habermann

***********

And here’s this!!

Keith in Kingston in 1972!

It’s funny, but during our lunch yesterday, Steve told me that he remembers me telling him, when we were about 13, that I wanted to go on the road with the Rolling Stones. You know, as a performer.

I have no recollection of this, but it sure sounds like me. I was already writing dozens of songs back then. It was my whole world.

But what I think is SO COOL — even though I wouldn’t meet her for another 20 years, right around the time I was saying that to Steve, Sandra was already off in Berlin, with Romy Haag, Bowie and Iggy, and she worked briefly as a female backup singer for the Rolling Stones during the German leg of their European tour!!

Just a reminder — Sandra, back then!! (about 10 years before her transition surgery):

And just FYI — you might want to come see our play, “The Guide to being Fabulous” all about Sandra’s life…

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

And what is not to love about this??!!

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds sitting in a fountain-type thingie, lighting cigarettes!!

And what’s not to love about this, while we’re at it??

Nick Cave and Grinderman, not smoking on the stairs!! (It almost seems like they’re refusing to smoke…)

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

And speaking of Nick Cave…

He sent out a Red Hand File yesterday, wherein he replied to 2 very different letters. But one of them was about the painter/teacher Philip Guston. Nick said, in part:

“…Bruce, I couldn’t let this one go! I’m stunned that you had Philip Guston as an art teacher. I didn’t know he was one! Such a brilliant artist – an extraordinary colourist and master of paint, subversive, radical, playful, tough. I’m envious! …”

You can read it in full HERE.

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

And that is it for now!

I gotta scoot and head to town for what should be a very nice day.

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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

Let’s close with this!

Late night listening-music, after listening to a few chapters of The Dharma Bums audiobook!

My friend Steve recently took his eldest son to see Bob Dylan in concert and Steve said that Dylan was still really great.

He sang mostly songs from the 2020 album, Rough & Rowdy Ways, which I love and hadn’t listened to in a while!

So here you go! It sounds wonderful, lying alone in bed in the dark! Or, I guess, just maybe right now…

Bob Dylan, from Rough & Rowdy Ways, 2020, the song, “I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You”. Enjoy, gang!!

Hoping it’s this kind of day!!!

April 30, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Yes! An unlit Pall Mall (aka “fake Chesterfield”) with it’s filter mercilessly snapped off!!

And me, sitting at my desk!!

It means I’m focused and getting some writing done!!

(Me, not smoking at my desk, back in 2019!!)

You can tell this is an old photo because I don’t have gouges on my chin curtesy of my delightful cat!!

Meanwhile–

I was going to disturb you last night with the following happy update, but I decided to wait until this morning, when you were awake–

1954 Powder Blue Pickup reached #25 in Historical Erotica last night!!

The sale is indeed over today, and so the eBook no longer has “sales rankings”. (Darn it.)

However, I still have access to the sales reports and I want to continue to THANK YOU!! –because it keeps on selling!!!

Yay!!!

She is just being used as a visual emphasis. Not only is she too young to read yet, she’s way too young to read 1954 Powder Blue Pickup! Nevertheless, she’s still really happy because she knows it’s waiting for her in her happy future…

**********

Okay.

Things continue to be a little strange with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man. His daughter texted me at his house yesterday, letting me know she was not going to be able to call him and will tell him, in person on Sunday, about his nurse being in a coma and near-death.

Meanwhile, we decided that it would be best coming from her, so I haven’t said anything to him. Still, he knows something is off. He knows he hasn’t seen the nurse in a while, that she’s been sick, but that’s about all he can process. He can’t even remember her name now.

I still get the feeling the daughter is planning to put him in a nursing home, but she hasn’t said anything to me about it.

I have sort of released my desire to somehow make everything go differently in this. It’s really the only way I can handle anything and still act like everything is okay when I’m around him.

Taking it the proverbial one day at a time. Just being in the here & now with him. And just being his friend. And when I gave him his little vodka cocktail yesterday, he told me again that he loved me and again, he said, “Thank you for showing me what a wonderful life I’ve had.”

And then he also added: “The spirit is more alive than the physical.”

So I think something’s up, but I have to just let life and/or death happen.

*********

All righty!

I don’t want to tarry here, because I want to finish writing that nearly-finished short story today.

So let’s get to the “here’s this’s”!

Here’s this!!

From the Franz Kafka Museum.

And I have to say that I have read everything he ever wrote, including every collection of letters he wrote that were posthumously published and which are all staggering and amazingly honest. And most of his stories and novels were published by his friends after he died (he was only 40 when he died from tuberculosis, and he was not a well-known writer yet). I just love this man’s beautifully neurotic mind; but the whole idea of anything being “Kafkaesque” did not come into being until long after he died. And we would not have ever known his work if his friends hadn’t stepped in and ignored his wishes at the end.

***********

And here’s this!

Sun Studios!! The birth place of rock & roll records!!

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

And here’s this!!

Some rare finds, indeed!

Keith, smoking while holding a guitar!

From NYC 1975 — only a handful of weeks before I got to see the Rolling Stones onstage in Cleveland for the first time!!

And some other place, some other time (1988)!!

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

Okay.

Nick Cave sent out another one of those Red Hand Files yesterday, wherein he answers many readers questions with “irreverent answers”! (I’m guessing he is hard at work on writing those new song lyrics and can’t really spend time right now on lengthy replies!!)

Anyway, this wasn’t necessarily my favorite question, but I identified with the reply a lot!!

Q: “On the song ‘Carnage’, there is a lyric ‘sitting on the balcony reading Flannery O’Connor with a pencil and a plan’, that really resonates with me. Now I am reading Flannery O’Connor. Any more recommendations?”

A: “If you are reading Flannery O’Connor, be sure to read her short story A Good Man is Hard to Find. If you enjoy Flannery O’Connor, read William Faulkner – As I Lay Dying is a great place to begin.”

I adore Flannery O’Connor!! And that short story is a really great one. A couple of years ago, while I was vacuuming, I noticed that on one of my bookshelves, Flannery O’Connor’s short story collection is right next to Nick Cave’s novel And the Ass Saw the Angel!! So I have never moved them apart!!

I also love William Faulkner and have read all his novels — although Sanctuary was sort of an intense one. (Oh, and if you’re new to the blog — back in 2001, my then novel-in-progress, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder, was a finalist in the William Faulkner Writing Competition in New Orleans. I was so thrilled by that!!!) Anyway.

Also from this morning: