Tag Archives: poetry

Slim pickings but that’s okay!

August 9, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

It’s a really lovely, quiet Sunday morning here in the Hinterlands.

I spent all of yesterday getting caught up on stuff at my desk, so I don’t have too much to post about today.

However!

I did want to at least say that I was finally able to catch up with Sandra out in Los Angeles yesterday. We had a great chat! She flies back to NYC today. Then I think she’s planning on collapsing for a few days up in Rhinebeck and then we will get back to focusing on the staged reading of our play, “The Guide to Being Fabulous”.

While she was in LA, though, Sandra was involved with this amazing project, which happened this past Friday night (8/7)– since I found this posted online, I think it’s okay to post it here on the blog:

Apparently, it was a complete success!

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Okay.

Yesterday was International Cat Day!

Here’s Queenie just now, completely worn out from all the breathtaking festivities!!

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Yesterday, when it was time to do yoga, I wanted something just sort of different to listen to (I usually listen to religious or spiritual stuff).

I found this radio interview with Tom Petty from 2003 and I just loved it. It was at that perfect era in his life — the drugs were well behind him, he was married to Dana, The Last DJ, an incredible album, had already been released and he and the Heartbreakers were, once again, on the road (1 hr 23 mins):

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And as far as yesterday’s installment of The Sealey Challenge—

I decided I wanted to read something totally new. I was sort of worn out from re-reading poetry books from my past that were digging up all sorts of other emotions that weren’t necessarily related to the actual poems.

Since I had bought Drunk on Angel Breath by R. Nikolas Macioci last year and still had not had a moment to just sit down and absorb it, I chose to read that one yesterday.

Wow, gang. What an entrancing book of poems!!

If you’re new to the blog (i.e., you just started reading it this moment), R. Nikolas Macioci is not only an accomplished poet, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, and the author of 18 other poetry books — he was also my first Jr. High School English teacher back in 1972, when I was 12.

After I chose to write a poem as my “book report” for a book we had recently been assigned to read in class, he took an active interest in my writing and he took it upon himself — after class, on his own time — to teach me how to write.

That went on for several years, long after Jr. High School was over.

It was the only formal “training” as a writer that I ever had, but it totally and thoroughly served me well. It gave me an entire career.

Obviously, I have read his poems before, but this specific book had me spellbound. I could not put it down. It is safe to say that I had a really beautiful evening yesterday.

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Well, as far as “here’s this’s” — I only have ONE today!

But it is suitable for a Sunday morning!

From Warren Ellis!! In Bucharest!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Romania tonight. Then they have a few days off before playing Norway on August 13th. You can buy tickets here!

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And honestly, gang, that’s all I have for today.

The laundry is almost done and I’m planning to try to take it sort of easy today. We’ll see how that goes.

Meanwhile, I hope you have a splendid Sunday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!

A song I have just loved from the very first moment that I first heard it!!

But my fondest memory of the song, was playing it for my (back then-film production partner) Peitor Angell one night — giving him my iPhone with ear buds, as we walked together along Sunset Blvd. after dark. As I had been, he, too, was blown away by it.

Anyway.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “We Call Upon the Author”, from one of my favorite albums ever, Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! 2008.

“We Call Upon The Author”

What we once thought we had we didn’t, and what we have now will never be that way again
So we call upon the author to explain

Our myxomatoid kids spraddle the streets, we’ve shunned them from the greasy-grind
The poor little things, they look so sad and old as they mount us from behind
I ask them to desist and to refrain
And then we call upon the author to explain

Rosary clutched in his hand, he died with tubes up his nose
And a cabal of angels with finger cymbals chanted his name in code
We shook our fists at the punishing rain
And we call upon the author to explain

He said everything is messed up around here, everything is banal and jejune
There is a planetary conspiracy against the likes of you and me in this idiot constituency of the moon
Well, he knew exactly who to blame
And we call upon the author to explain

Prolix! Prolix! Nothing a pair of scissors can’t fix!
Prolix! Prolix! Nothing a pair of scissors can’t fix!

Well, I go guruing down the street, young people gather round my feet
Ask me things, but I don’r know where to start
They ignite the power-trail ssstraight to my father’s heart
And once again I call upon the author to explain

We call upon the author to explain

Who is this great burdensome slavering dog-thing that mediocres my every thought?
I feel like a vacuum cleaner, a complete sucker, it’s fucked up and he is a fucker
But what an enormous and encyclopaedic brain
I call upon the author to explain

Oh rampant discrimination, mass poverty, third world debt, infectious diseease
Global inequality and deepening socio-economic divisions
Well, it does in your brain
And we call upon the author to explain

Now hang on, my friend Doug is tapping on the window (Hey Doug, how you been?)
Brings me back a book on holocaust poetry complete with pictures
Then tells me to get ready for the rain
And we call upon the author to explain

I say prolix! Prolix! Something a pair of scissors can fix

Bukowski was a jerk! Berryman was best!
He wrote like wet papier mache, went the Heming-way weirdly on wings and with maximum pain
We call upon the author to explain

Down in my bolthole I see they’ve published another volume of unreconstructed rubbish
“The waves, the waves were soldiers moving”. Well, thank you, thank you, thank you
And again I call upon the author to explain
Yeah, we call upon the author to explain

Prolix! Prolix! There’s nothing a pair of scissors can’t fix!

c – 2008 – Nick Cave, Warren Ellis

Oddly enough, life continues!!

August 8, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Wow, is it just me, or is life just really strange these days?

Let me just say one more thing about fiverr (see yesterday’s frustrated post)– my tax paperwork got approved and before the day was over, I had already received 6 scam attempts through my new fiverr account.

Needless to say, that shit never used to happen in the old days.

Plus, I recently had a scam attempt through a writing group on the Substack app. I’ve never had that happen before on Substack, either.

And I personally think the semi-scams for writers are endless now on LinkedIn so I try to stay off of there. (LinkedIn started out as a whole different thing 20 years ago, when I first started using it — long before it was an overcrowded phone app.)

Anyway. I won’t go on and on about it, but phone apps targetting writers (that have basically replaced the corresponding websites) are my new pet peeve.

But I have to say, that both the Tabor Research Group and Ross K. Nichols’ private Yachad, now have phone apps and they are fantastic. But they’re private, members-only type apps.

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Okay!

So.

On to happier things!

I had a chance to read the short story Maxim Jakubowski contributed to our upcoming anthology honoring the life of M. Christian, and it was fantastic. It was such a joy to read it — erotic but also an undercurrent of sci-fi. And I know for certain M. Christian would have loved it.

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Before I forget, I thought I would just post a little update regarding me and Sandra and our upcoming staged reading in NY for our play, “The Guide to Being Fabulous”.

Sandra is in Los Angeles, working on a different project right now and we are sort of playing “text-tag.”

If I don’t get assigned to a jury on Tuesday (when I have to report for jury duty), then we will finally get a chance to really catch up.

But if I do get put on a jury, then who knows how long it will be…

Ditto for the podcast that Valerie and I are trying to finally launch. Valerie’s hands have recovered quite nicely from the surgeries and she texted me a photo of her current painting-in-progress yesterday and I just loved it!!

So now she’s just waiting on me and my unkown schedule at this point. But it’s all coming, eventually.

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Okay, on to the Sealey Challenge!

I did indeed re-read half of Lunch Poems (by Frank O’Hara, City Lights Books, 1964) last evening. I will finish it tonight.

And it was indeed very emotional for me. Quite a few of the poems were familiar to me long before I first read Lunch Poems in 1984, because those poems had been included in The Selected Poems of Frank O’Hara, which I’d pretty much had memorized since I first read that in1975.

And yes, I even took the book to school with me back then, even though it quite clearly has a drawing on the cover by Larry Rivers of Frank O’Hara totally naked…

I digress!

The emotional part about re-reading Lunch Poems last night was all those references to places in NYC (and also Paris) that were totally foreign to me when I was first reading his poems at age 15, alone in my room in Ohio in 1975.

Not only are they no longer foreign, but they became places, buildings, shops, museums, even train stops, that I came to know very well.

And now it’s all part of my distant past. When did that fucking happen?

Anyway. I found the short video below online last night and I wanted to share it. It is Frank O’Hara reading 2 poems in 1964 that I came to know by heart as a young girl. (The first poem is about the day Billie Holiday died.)

But mostly, I wanted you to notice at the end of the first poem, when they pull back and show you Frank’s apartment in downtown NYC — my apartment on E. 12th Street looked exactly like that, with the built-in bookshelves next to the old fireplace! And everything painted white. (My apartment had two fireplaces! And they have since gutted the apartment and got rid of all of that cool stuff.)

After Lunch Poems, I will either re-read Baudelaire’s Flowers of Evil (a 1952 edition that I’ve owned for over 40 years, that has the original French alongside the English translations).

Or I will read Drunk on Angel Breath by R. Nikolas Macioci. (He was the the teacher I was so blessed to have in Jr. High School who literally taught me how to write, on his own time, after school.)

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Okay!

There is only one “here’s this” today that is not connected to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds!!

And that “here’s this” is THIS!!

From Johnny Depp’s new Sauvage campaign with Dior!

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Okay.

Here’s an older photo of Nick Cave that I just loved!

And here’s a photo from July, back in Vienne, France, that I also just love!

And the rest are all from Belgrade last night — and I have to say (again), the show looked INCREDIBLE! So many great photos and videos that it was sort of overwhelming this morning.

Here’s Warren Ellis last night:

And the rest are basically Nick Cave.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Romania tomorrow night. You can buy tickets here!

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And that is it for today, gang!

I have so much to do at my desk today — in preparation for maybe not having anytime at all after Tuesday, if I get assigned to a jury.

I am still hoping that they will let me go but we shall see.

In the meantime, enjoy your Saturday, 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!

Some more of that making-the-bed music!!

From the Oldies FM Radio Station on the retro boombox next to my bed!

Saturday mornings are “Amazing 80s Day” and the DJ launched this morning’s show with this absolute gem!! Talk about memories from my Paradise Apartment on E.12th Street in the East Village in NYC!! I used to play this song so loud!

“Born in the USA”, Bruce Springsteen, 1984. Enjoy, gang.

Yeah, well, so guess what happened??

August 5, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Does this give you a clue?? (1 min):

You perhaps recall that yesterday, I was heading into town to run my errands and thought that maybe I’d stop in at the Honda dealership and see if I could get a better rate on the final year of my current car lease —

OR —

Perhaps even trade in the current lease, on my beloved 2025 Honda Civic, for a new lease altogether…

Holy shit, gang.

I know I have said it here many times before — that the Honda dealership in town that I’ve used for the last 9 years is super nice.

But yesterday was off the charts.

Not only was the sales rep who greeted me super friendly, it turned out he and his little family had been my neighbors 9 years ago, when I briefly lived in town and rented a house from one of my friends. (I thought I was on my way back to NYC back then, but I wound up buying a house and staying out here.)

Anyway!

Within a nanosecond, they basically had me set up with a new 3-year lease on a brand new 2027 Honda Accord — it had 7 miles on it. Just came in from the factory, like, that moment.

Inside the car, it was a little overwhelming because it is like the car from the future. It does all kinds of shit that is, like, scary. And it even has a tiny red button at the top of the rearview mirror that calls 911 when you so much as tap it…

All kinds of stuff I don’t need but now it’s all mine for 3 years. And if you thought it was hard for me to drive less than 95 mph in the Honda Civic…

I don’t know — I guess re-watch this!

Shit. That new car goes fast.

And the most highly improbable part of it all? It will cost me less each month than the Honda Civic did. And it now includes all oil changes, tire rotations, new battery (if needed), and new windshield wipers when needed.

So I guess that’s a better monthly rate…

It felt like God and a whole big bunch of angels led me to that Honda dealership yesterday, gang. Wow.

I was kind of in shock all evening: I’ve got a brand new car. (This is actually the 5th brand new car I’ve gotten from Honda in the last 9 years…Kind of interesting when you consider how much I hate driving.)

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Okay.

Also yesterday, I thought I was starting a new habit of going to town on Tuesdays to do the grocery shopping–

But last evening, I finally got that call from the courthouse that my jury duty starts nextTuesday morning at 8:45AM.

Oh well.

I might not get put on a jury. We’ll see. But if I am, at least I’m getting it over with (and I’ll get paid). But if I am on a jury, it will be really hard to post to the blog. We shall see how it goes.

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Okay.

Well.

Since I got held up at the Honda dealership for quite a while yesterday, it took me a lot longer to get my actual errands done and come back from town. So I didn’t have enough time to read an entire poetry book yesterday, but I did read half of it–

And in case I didn’t make it totally clear yesterday that I actually know both Madeline Artenberg and Iris N. Schwartz (authors of the above book from 2006)– well, I do. And not only that, Iris has been a close friend for a really long time.

But it’s been 20 years since I’d read this specific book. What a fucking delight. All those years of living in NYC and going to poetry readings to listen to Iris, in particular, read her poems — it all came back to me last night. She could really control a room with her poems.

She is such a great writer. Succinct, emotional, honest, funny.

She’s had a few poetry & fiction books out since 2006, and has a new chapbook coming out in October. I will keep you posted!!

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And speaking of the Sealey Poetry Challenge for the month of August (read one book of poetry a day) —

This poem was sent to me from a reader last night! (1 min 23 secs) (Thank you, Martha!!):

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All righty.

Here’s this!

The Rolling Stones in 1964, looking extremely well behaved!!

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And if looks like Johnny Depp is heading to Shanghai at any moment, getting ready to open his Art Exhibit there!

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And it looks like that first show in Croatia last night was awesome! Lots of videos of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds making a lot of people happy!

I did not have enough time to save many photos yet, but here’s the set list:

And here’s a photo of Nick Cave that I liked!

Tonight’s show in Croatia is SOLD OUT. I should have more time today to hang out on Instagram and scroll through photos…

Meanwhile–

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Belgrade, Serbia, next — on Friday, August 7th. You can buy tickets here!

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And, during my illustrious dinner hours, I am currently watching the Joe Strummer documentary from 2008, “The Future Is Unwritten.” It is very good, but really intense.

Here’s the trailer:

And that is it for today!!

Have a wonder-filled Wednesday, 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!

A real gem from Bill Wyman, and it is so fun to drive to!

“Drive My Car”, 2024. Enjoy, gang!!

New habits underway in the Hinterlands!

August 4, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Okay, so it’s looking like Tuesdays are now my new day to go to town and get the groceries!

And, wow, it is another really gorgeous day today, gang. It will be such a lovely drive.

And I’ve decided to stop in at the Honda dealership in town, too, and see if there’s any way at all they would let me either re-negotiate the lease on my current Honda Civic, or let me trade it in a year early (on a 3-year lease).

My current lease was negotiated back when I still had really horrible credit, leftover from the bankruptcy caused by the scamdemic lockdowns. And so my monthly payment is really high — over twice what I usually paid on leases before the bankruptcy.

I was really grateful that they still arranged a lease for me on a brand new car when I had such lousy credit, but, well, I thought I’d just see if I have any options 2 years later. (Sometimes they want the cars back so that they can turn around and sell them used for a “truckload” of money…) We’ll see. I still love the car. I just don’t love the high payment.

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All right.

If you didn’t see the recent video on social media of the new Rolling Stones song, “Mr. Charm”, underscoring some really funny footage of Ronnie Wood being, well, annoying in the recording studio… Well, it was really cute!

And now! Ronnie Wood announces a new work of art! Limited to 195 prints, each is hand-signed, numbered, and named. Coming August 7th!! (Order it HERE)

“Mr. Charm”:

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Yesterday, the weekly newsletter from Black Lawrence Press reminded us to take the Sealey Challenge in August!!

“The Sealey Challenge, a community challenge to read one poetry book a day in the month of August, is in its 10th year! Be sure to check out their website for bingo cards, participation suggestions, and ways to modify the challenge if you don’t have the time to devour 31 whole books this month.”

And, yes! Since I have plenty of TIME now, I began the challenge yesterday by reading Thaddeus Rutkowski’s new poetry collection, Tracks In Snow (Finishing Line Press).

I really enjoyed it! (Although I love everything he’s ever written…)

I realized that I easily have at least 31 books of poetry in the house already — about 29 of which I haven’t read in a really long time. Plus, about 15 of them were written by poets that I actually know, so it will be fun to revisit everyone.

Next up is Awakened (2006, Rogues Scholars Press) by Iris N. Schwartz & Madeline Artenberg. Both just wonderful poets! But apparently, I haven’t read the book in 20 years!! I’m looking forward to reading it again tonight.

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Before I forget, I found out some really disturbing news yesterday about the new neighbors across the road from me — the ones who recently bought and are rehabbing the little 125-year-old house that has sat empty for 8 years…

They spend their winters in Florida!!!

I was flabbergasted!

ME (flabbergasted): “You mean, you’re not going to be here for Christmas??!!”

HE: “We’re not into Christmas. Never have been.”

I was so looking forward to seeing how they were going to decorate the little house… Oh well.

(Loyal readers of this lofty blog no doubt recall that I am in no way over-the-top about Christmas…)

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Okay.

Here’s this!

I hear that train a-coming, honey!!

Johnny Cash, in front of Folsom Prison, 1968!!

And here’s this (again), while we’re at it! One of my favorite songs of all time!! Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” LIVE, 1968!!

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And here are a few more photos from the Bad Seeds’ show in Dresden on Sunday!!

George & Larry!

And here’s this! Nick Cave in “Fucking Dresden — so beautiful!” I concur!!

And another WONDERFUL shot of Nick–

Tonight & tomorrow, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Croatia! Tomorrow is SOLD OUT, but you can buy tickets here for tonight if you hurry — and if, you know, you , like, live down the block…!!

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All righty.

That is it!

I am off to town to run the various errands.

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 close with this!

Speaking of poetry in August…

Yes, I am still reading John Cooper Clarke’s really long autobiography (and still loving it!!) I Wanna Be Yours (Picador UK, 2020).

So, from the punk poet himself, John Cooper Clarke, a punk poetry recital on London TV in 1980: “Beasley Street”. Enjoy, gang!

Back to work around here!

July 24, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

But before we get back to work —

I have to tell you, gang, that I did indeed drive to town yesterday to listen to the live acoustic music at that little place in the Historic Arcade.

OMG, I am so glad I went. What a beautiful little lounge. Technically, it’s a bottle shop — they sell wine and craft beer to take away. But they also serve it there, too. Along with charcuterie boards. And it is tiny — it only seats 20. But it is so peaceful in there, and just so pretty. Here are a couple of photos I found online:

The owners in front of the shop, inside the Historic Arcade:

So you can see by the above photo, that it is tiny. But I just loved it. And the vibe is just so friendly. (Here is their website: The Archive in Newark.)

And I thought this was interesting — including me, there were 19 people there when the live acoustic music started at 5:30pm, so the place was basically full. And of those 19 people, only 3 were young enough to still have their brown hair — everyone else there, including me, had silver hair!! A totally older crowd. And yet you can also see by the photo above that the owners are really young!

I found that just really interesting — talk about finding a target audience.

Anyway. I will definitely be going back. And the music yesterday was good, too. 2 men. One played an acoustic Fender guitar with a built-in pickup. And the other played this incredible acoustic dobro with a built-in pickup, that he played on his lap, with a slide. It sounded so good.

My favorite, was their (obviously acoustic) version of Springsteen’s “Racing In the Streets” from 1978.

I hadn’t thought about that song in ages (I was still in high school, living at home, when the album, Darkness on the Edge of Town, came out). But here’s the original:

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And while I was at the Historic Arcade, I stopped in at the bookstore there and checked in with the owner regarding my novel. He said to check back in about 2 weeks, because he hasn’t had a chance to read it yet (there are 2 other books ahead of mine).

But at least now I know a specific time to go back and check in.

But overall, I just love that Historic Arcade, gang. And I would never have known about it if my friends hadn’t opened that art gallery there —

Also a small art gallery, but also just beautiful:

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Okay.

I started watching the documentary about (the now deceased) Val Kilmer on Amazon last night. So far, really good:

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And speaking of films —

Johnny Depp made a surprise (?) appearance at Comic Con in San Diego yesterday to promote the upcoming movie, Ebenezer.

There were literally TONS of really cute videos posted to Instagram yesterday, but so far, no photos.

But meanwhile, here’s this–

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Ronnie Wood’s solo tour of Europe has begun. You can buy setlist lithographs from the first 2 shows HERE. $110 each.

Lithographs of the setlists become available for sale the day after each show.

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From Nick Cave Official!

All of this will be available at the SOLD OUT upcoming homecoming bash at Brighton!

Created exclusively for the Brighton Preston Park show next Friday (31st July), this limited collection celebrates the band's homecoming show with a range of event-only merchandise featuring the official show artwork.

The collection features white and black t-shirts, a long sleeve white t-shirt, a natural tote bag, two exclusive posters - one showcasing a Brighton seaside design - plus a selection of collectible souvenirs such as Brighton rock, keyring charm and a set of four badges.

The exclusive limited edition 10" ‘Jubilee Street’ picture disc will also be available as part of the collection.

Available exclusively at the Preston Park show, with selected merchandise also available during the Resident takeover while stocks last.

And from George Vjestica yesterday:

And while we’re waiting, here’s this!!

Nick Cave smoking, while sitting near a cassette tape recorder!! A long time ago!!

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And that is it for today, I think.

I tell you, gang, I am getting so much done at my desk every single day now. But I still have a TON of stuff left to do!! So I’m gonna get started by going outside and taking another walk!

After today, the weather is supposed to change again — back to hot and rainy. But these last few days have been just breathtaking around here. Truly. So beautiful.

Okay. Have a splendid Friday, wherever you are in the world!!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

From my wee bonny 14-year-old girlhood!

Wow, did I love this song back then. Still do. I have always been very much in love with the idea of “home”, and back in 1974, I really really needed that idea. I had a roof over my head, but “home” was nowhere in sight…

Anyway. “Back Home Again” by John Denver, 1974. Enjoy, gang.

Back to Normal! At least for 14 seconds…

July 6, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

We shall see, gang.

I’m actually hoping that we can stay “back to normal” around here for the entire day. But you never know.

I will be spending most of today getting stuff organized for the M. Christian tribute anthology: Replying to emails! Sending out more emails! Waiting for emails to return!

And on Thursday, I’ll be catching up with Ralph Greco, Jr. to compare notes, and after that, I will officially send out the call for submissions.

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I’m also hoping to catch up with my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn sometime today.

We texted throughout the almost unbearably hot holiday weekend–

SHE (texting): ARE YOU STAYING HYDRATED?

ME (texting): YES. ORGANIC COCONUT WATER WITH POTASSIUM!

— but we haven’t actually spoken in a while. So here’s hoping we get to chat today.

All I know for sure is that she has recovered really well from her first hand surgery; the next surgery is next week; and she still very much wants to move forward with the launch of our mini artists & writers podcast, “Marilyn’s Room,” so somehow we will get all that figured out later this summer.

We have the logo, now all we need is the rest of the stuff…

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And in another “potentially good news” department–

Sandra is back in NY from Atlanta — after shooting a couple more episodes of “The Ms. Pat Show.”

She’s planning on catching up with me either tomorrow evening, or Wednesday afternoon.

I have no clue if we’ll be developing our TV show, or if we’re just going to focus on the play for now (“The Guide To Being Fabulous”), but I will soon find out.

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Okay.

Oddly, there are not many “here’s this’s” today. But here’s this!

It was actually posted for the 4th of July — Bob Dylan!! (I totally relate to the comment):

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And I really appreciated this–

Cigarettes abound!!

Keith smoking with a lit cigarette also in an ashtray — with one of his grandsons!

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And I believe this was from Montreux. It was the first thing I saw on Facebook yesterday morning!!

Nick Cave in the blue, blue water!!

And this is the only photo I have from the show in Montreux yesterday, although there were a TON of videos and the show looked absolutely fantastic — and Nick Cave, especially, looked so happy!

And here’s the set list:

Tonight the Bad Seeds play Stuttgart, Germany, however it is sold out. But you can buy tickets for the Portugal show on Thursday, HERE!

And while we’re at it–

Sun Kil Moon – “I Love Portugal”, 2016 (I love this extremely long song!!):

“I Love Portugal”

In my hotel where the band is staying
I’m off desert but what I’d give to not get on that plane
Woke to the sound of birds calling and I wanna water the flowers in the garden
And the maid scooting her tray around the echoey hall
I just want to stay in Portugal today, that’s all
‘Cause when I’m here there’s a sense of calm
People living day to day and enjoying the moment
Last night we found a cozy place and we listened to fado music and we ate steak
And bacalhau and caldo verde
Then we went and got gelato and we drank iced lattes

And the fans have always shown me love (shown me love)
And so have my friends Vasco, Miguel, and Nadia, and Monica (Nadia and Monica)
I can’t complain, I get to visit every year
Last night my driver said my music brought him to tears

I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
I love Portugal
I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
I love Portugal
I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
I love Portugal
I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
I love Portugal

Was listening to Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “Liala’s Dance”
As I drifted off into rare afternoon nap
Yesterday, one shot in Minnesota, one in Baton Rouge, and then retaliation in Dallas
Someone shot and killed five cops
And the cops came back and killed that sniper with a robot
But all was peaceful here at the Seculo Hotel in the Bonfim neighborhood of Oporto
Now I’m on my way to Zürich at Gate 35
TAP operator by Swiss Airlines
I miss my quiet day in Oporto, sleeping and listening to the many birds sing
And the shoe store that I wanted to shop in
Was closed and, man, it pissed me off
As we drove by twice on the way to soundcheck and on the way to the hotel that night

I’m gonna return some day, I know it (some day)
I’m gonna buy me a home looking over the river in Oporto (river in Oporto)
Gonna get me a plate of melon and prosciutto and grilled sardines, a cup of coffee, and a bowl of gazpacho (bowl of gazpacho)
The USA can’t pull the guns from the trolls of the country I live in
Can’t get a grip on gun control
If we’re gonna live with a president who’s a huge fucking asshole
Then believe me, baby, I’m gonna buy me a home in Portugal

I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
Where the people don’t walk
I love Portugal
They just stroll
I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
Where the people go to bars, relax
I love Portugal
And listen to fado
I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
Where I feel at peace from my
I love Portugal
Head to my toe
I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
Particularly I love the city of Oporto
I love Portugal

At the Rothaus, Room 301, in Zurich
The Bern show is cancelled tomorrow night due to violence and a bunch of crazy shit
It’s found its way into the venue
I’m not going to sing about it
I’m just gonna read the statement from the promoter to you

“Dear Mark, Dear all at Sun Kil Moon
I have really, really, really bad news. We’re deeply afraid but see ourselves in circumstances that unfortunately urge us to have to cancel. The Sun Kil Moon show at Dachstock Reitschule, Bern, the open space in front of our house Reitschule, Bern is causing increasing troubles with violence and sexes. An organized drug dealer and the [?] we decided to shut the place down and its ongoing activities. For a while, at least ten days, or maybe longer and find a way of how to deal with our society’s problems erupted in front of our house, creating a rather explosive atmosphere at times in front of our house. We’re very sorry that due to this reaction the show with Sun Kil Moon will have to be cancelled. As we’re in general enforcing this temporary shutdown, apologies for any inconveniences to you, I know your band just got into town. Of course we’re gonna pay full agreed guaranteed fee as well as covering your hotel for 12/7/16. Also tickets will be reimbursed, it can be used to see your show tonight in Zürich. We strongly hope you reschedule your concert in Bern next time your band is touring in Europe. Reitschule remains closed until further notice. Again, my deepest apologies, but it’s totally out of my control. Let me know if you need any more info
Sincerely, your promoter at Breathing Hope.”

I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
And the sparkling Douro River estuary
I love Portugal
I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
And when I die I want some of my ashes spread there
I love Portugal
And skip the Hail Mary
I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
I’m gonna back next year and I’m gonna find that same shoe store
I love Portugal
I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
It’s gotta be somewhere between the venue and the Fnac bookstore
I love Portugal
I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
And it doesn’t have a goddamned thing to do with football
I love Portugal

I love Portugal, I love Portugal, oh, oh
I love Portugal
I love Portugal

c – 2016 – Mark Kozelek

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And I think that’s it!

The laundry is finished. And I am NOT planning to vacuum today because for some inexplicable reason I found time to vacuum the entire fucking downstairs yesterday before I left for my shift!! (WTF is my deal, anyway??? I’m always fucking doing stuff!!)

Anyway…

Enjoy your Monday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!

Driving-home-last-night-listening music!!

I know I’ve posted this song here a million times, but it’s always so great when it comes up on the playlist in the car! Such a great “driving” song.

France Gall, “Laisse tomber les filles”, 1964!! Enjoy, gang!!! I always do.

“Laisse Tomber Les Filles”

Laisse tomber les filles
Laisse tomber les filles
Un jour c’est toi qu’on laissera
Laisse tomber les filles
Laisse tomber les filles
Un jour c’est toi qui pleureras

Oui, j’ai pleuré mais ce jour-là
Non, je ne pleurerai pas
Non, je ne pleurerai pas
Je dirai c’est bien fait pour toi
Je dirai ça t’apprendra
Je dirai ça t’apprendra

Laisse tomber les filles
Laisse tomber les filles
Ça te jouera un mauvais tour
Laisse tomber les filles
Laisse tomber les filles
Tu le paieras un de ces jours
On ne joue pas impunément
Avec un cœur innocent
Avec un cœur innocent

Tu verras ce que je ressens
Avant qu’il ne soit longtemps
Avant qu’il ne soit longtemps
La chance abandonne
Celui qui ne sait
Que laisser les cœurs blessés
Tu n’auras personne pour te consoler
Tu ne l’auras pas volé

Laisse tomber les filles
Laisse tomber les filles
Un jour c’est toi qu’on laissera
Laisse tomber les filles
Laisse tomber les filles
Un jour c’est toi qui pleureras
Non, pour te plaindre il n’y aura
Personne d’autre que toi
Personne d’autre que toi
Alors tu te rappelleras
Tout ce que je te dis là
Tout ce que je te dis là
Alors tu te rappelleras
Tout ce que je te dis là
Tout ce que je te dis là
Alors tu te rappelleras
Tout ce que je te dis là
Tout ce que je te dis là

c – 1964 – Serge Gainsbourg

Happy 250th, America!

July 4, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

And that said, of course — it’s still nothing like how the Bicentennial was.

But back then, there were only 3 network TV stations, 2 or 3 UHF TV stations per State. A bunch of radio stations, but we listened to them all the time. National magazines, daily newspapers — we were all reading them.

Everybody, regardless of politics, was on the same page regarding the Bicentennial 4th of July. It was exciting and really FUN.

Now everything is too spread out and watered down and hard to keep track of. Not to mention, no one having their fireworks on the actual 4th…

But here’s this, regardless:

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Okay!

Wow, yesterday wound up being a really nice day. That new client I have on Fridays is just such a treasure. Plus, she has 2 huge white German Shepherd dogs that are just adorable and they want to be wherever you are at all times:

THEM (at all times); “Hi! It’s me!!”

And today, I’m spending 7 hours with the retired Chaplain — and some of her kids and grandkids will be coming over later to celebrate the 4th of July. So it should be another really good shift.

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And since I didn’t post yesterday, I have a TON of “here’s this’s” so let’s get started!!

Here’s this!!

On July 2nd, it was the heavenly birthday of another one of my favorite writers:

Hermann Hesse!

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And yesterday, was Kafka’s heavenly birthday!!

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And yesterday was the anniversary of the death of Brian Jones.

I tell you, it really moves me that so many people still adore Brian Jones. He has tribute sites all over Instagram. He has been dead since July 3rd, 1969. (If you’re too young to know who he was, he was the founder of the Rolling Stones.)

Brian’s gravesite yesterday, in Cheltenham, Wales:

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And here’s this!

From Steve Vai — onstage with a full moon. Photo by his wife!

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And here’s this!

Tom Petty and Prince, onstage honoring the induction of the late George Harrison in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame–

And in case you were doing something else that night back in 2004– it really was incredible —

Prince, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, & More “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” | Rock Hall 2004 Induction:

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And speaking of great nights–

Here’s this!!

Keith, tuning up backstage at Madison Square Garden in NYC, on July 26th, 1972. That night was Mick Jagger’s 29th (!!) birthday:

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This poem by the late poet Jack Gilbert, was posted on the Poetic Outlaws substack page the other day. I just loved it:

The Lost Hotels of Paris
Jack Gilbert

The Lord gives everything and charges
by taking it back. What a bargain.
Like being young for a while. We are
allowed to visit hearts of women,
to go into their bodies so we feel
no longer alone. We are permitted
romantic love with its bounty and half-life
of two years. It is right to mourn
for the small hotels of Paris that used to be
when we used to be. My mansard looking
down on Notre Dame every morning is gone,
and me listening to the bell at night.
Venice is no more. The best Greek Islands
have drowned in acceleration. But it’s the having
not the keeping that is the treasure.
Ginsberg came to my house one afternoon
and said he was giving up poetry
because it told lies, that language distorts.
I agreed, but asked what we have
that gets it right even that much.
We look up at the stars and they are
not there. We see the memory
of when they were, once upon a time.
And that too is more than enough.

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And here’s this!

Flannery O’Connor at home, sitting under a self-portrait:

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And here’s a re-enactment of something that blew my mind. Truly, gang.

Yesterday, for some reason my attention was drawn to these books on a shelf in my family room:

Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, Volume One, jumped out at me.

I loved that book! But he never wrote Volume Two!!

I know the book has been out a long time now, and I clearly remember reading it when I lived, briefly, in Easton, Pennsylvania. Was the book really published that long ago?

I pulled it off the shelf. I’d forgotten it had that cool vintage photo of Times Square on the cover!! (My old stomping ground in my early days as a folksinger in NYC, when I was married to Chong and we lived one block from Times Square.)

When I opened the book, to see when it was published, I found this written on the title page and I was absolutely astounded.

The book had been a gift to me back in 2004 from Patrick Thomas, a journalist who occasionally wrote for Rolling Stone.

I had totally forgotten this.

Wow, gang. What a thing to discover in one of my favorite books. I hadn’t opened that book in 22 years…

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Okay.

Here’s this!

From Nick Cave Official!! Get ready for Brighton, gang!

Gates will open at 13:00 at Preston Park on 31st July.

SET TIMES
13:00 Gates
13:30 – 14:15 Warmduscher
14:45 – 15:30 Cate Le Bon
16:00 – 16:45 English Teacher
17:30 – 18:30 The Flaming Lips
19:30 – 22:00 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Please allow plenty of time to enter the site.

13:00 – 15:00 Best time to arrive

15:00 – 17:00 Expect the gates to be busy and short queue times

17:00 – 19:00 Expect gates to be very busy with longer queue times

Outside of the official lineup, there is lots going on at Preston Park from 1pm including; food and drink with over 15 bars and 50 stalls, DJs throughout the day, exclusive Brighton merchandise, an Arcade Treasure Hunt with a range of prizes, chillout zones, a Bad Seeds Fish & Chips van and more.

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And here’s more Bad Seeds stuff!

Blixa looking happy backstage, Nick Cave — not so much!!

Spring forward a thousand years!!

Warren Ellis, looking really peppy!! (The Bad Seeds play Montreux tomorrow!! Buy tickets HERE!!)

I don’t have any photos yet from the show in Poland, because I haven’t had time to scroll through them yet but here’s the set list from the show!!

After Montreux, the Bad Seeds play Germany but it is sold out! But tickets are available for the show in Portugal on July 9th!

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And I believe that is it for today.

Enjoy your holiday if you live state-side!!

Otherwise, enjoy your Saturday, 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!

Ray Charles, “America the Beautiful” 1972. Enjoy, gang.

Holiday Weekend Sort of Begins!

July 2, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

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.

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And this came in from Ronnie Wood yesterday– all his Summer Set lists are on sale!

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And on a sort of similar topic, here’s this!

Keith smoking!! Up close!!

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And another great one from Phyllis Stein– Richard Hell! In NYC in 1977!

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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!!

A very happy Friday!

April 24, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Okay, so–

It has happened.

As of now — 1954 Powder Blue Pickup has been published on Amazon Kindle, in eBook and in print!

The eBook is available now — $2.99 (free if you are in Kindle Unlimited).

And the print book is now available here!!! ($8.95) Yay!!

“A young man with a pickup truck in 1950s America, navigates the strict sexual morals of the era by introducing a pretty, unmarried virgin to the true joys of “backdoor” sex — how it can save her virginity for her wedding night so that no one will ever be the wiser. The two agree to embark on an affair of unbridled licentious behavior with no strings attached, in the privacy of his pickup truck out on the edge of town. However, neither of them is prepared for just how well suited they are to each other’s carnal appetites, as the young woman is introduced to more and more sexual surprises, until they are each forced to admit that they’ve crossed over a line they can’t come back from without each other.“

It is a love story, but it is absolutely hardcore and absolutely for ADULTS ONLY. (“Thank you for your attention to this matter!” — DJT)

(“Wow, Jane, this is the best book you ever wrote!” — my seriously open-minded 94-year-old uncle in Virginia.) (It’s a long story, but my uncle’s nickname for me is “Jane Galloway.”)

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I am just so thrilled, gang. And I’m still sort of holding my breath, because we’ve gotten this far before…

But so far, so good. And it only took me about an hour and a half, yesterday, to get both editions back up there.

I still had plenty of time to take that walk yesterday — it was unbelievably gorgeous outside.

And I did yoga. And I vacuumed the whole house. All the windows were open, so the air just felt so great in here. Like, I could actually breathe. Yay!

And I officially put in my request at the Agency yesterday for time off in June to go to NYC for the Lammy Awards.

As of right now, I will be staying in a hotel west of Times Square, in my old OLD neighborhood — in Hell’s Kitchen, between 9th & 10th Avenues.

I lived in that area briefly when I was 20 years old, from February 1981 until I married Chong, in April 1981, and then moved with him to 8th Ave and W. 45th Street and my whole life turned around .

I don’t have the best memories from that Hell’s Kitchen apartment, or of the guy I lived with there.

In fact, below is the song I wrote later in 1981, about that brief and intense time in my life!

However, the song was very popular when I finally started performing in the folk clubs in the West Village, a couple months later. (Photo below is of me in the E. 12th Street apartment, a few years later.)

My song, “Breaking Glass” — as it appeared on vinyl in 1982!! Still available on Folkways Records!!

“Breaking Glass”

I was doomed to live in New York City
On a block where accidental babies
Went out with the trash;
We shared a two-room apartment,
Tiny and cold
To the tune of a love, by winter,
Growing old
And the sound of an angry young woman
Breaking glass.

I recall our lives were never empty
There were tears enough for the third who entered
And beckoned your past;
The hours you kept were deceitful
And it had to show
The passion of time she burned
I couldn’t control;
I was trapped in my raging fury
And breaking glass.

CHORUS
There’s no telling how the coming of love
Will find us
There’s no guessing in what way
It’s gonna set us free
There’s no doubting that the anger of love
Can break us
When our actions don’t even come close
To the people we wanna be most
And our dreams don’t work out as the glories
They’d promised to be.

Without excuses I left the table
Well, I ran like hell while I was still able
I started anew;
I’ve lost some weight and I’m strong 
And happy now
I got over the fiery anger, though
I don’t know how;
The songs we knew, they don’t drive me crazy
Well, I stopped the drinking and being lazy
It’s over at last;
The painful sheer rejection has 
All gone past;
The tunes of deceit and loneliness
Fading fast;
Gone are the days of anger
And breaking glass.

CHORUS
 There’s no telling how the coming of love
Will find us
There’s no guessing in what way
It’s gonna set us free
There’s no doubting that the anger of love
Can break us
When our actions don’t even come close
To the people we wanna be most
And our dreams don’t work out as the glories
They’d promised to be.

c- 1981 Marilyn Jaye Lewis
First of May Songs, BMI

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Anyway. I digress. It will be interesting being back in the old neighborhood — in a hotel, no less. It’s a lot nicer there now than it was 45 years ago. (Unless of course, I end up staying with Sandra on the Upper West Side, then all of what I’ve just said, changes…)

Okay!

Here’s this!!

I have never seen these photos of Keith before and I just love them!!

Photographer is Jean Marie Mazeau. Not sure, but maybe 1966?

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And here’s this!

Two photos of Nick Cave that I don’t think I’ve seen before, either!

Nick, waiting on a phone call from the distant past??

And Nick, reading from his upcoming novel And the Ass Saw the Angel, in Melbourne, in 1988 (?) (I absolutely loved that novel!):

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And this just in!

Official lyric video of ‘Haunted’ performed by Johnny Depp & Imelda May. Written by Shane MacGowan. From the upcoming “20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan”. (Pre-order here.)

Johnny Depp & Imelda May – Haunted (Official Lyric Video):

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Okay!!

You know, I forgot to mention that back on April 17th, my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man and I were not able to go to the clubhouse at the golf course that has those fantastic views! (There was a health problem with his private nurse last week, so things got screwy for a few days.)

However!! Assuming he is up to it when I get there–

We are indeed going today!! And the weather is perfect once again!! So here’s hoping that in a few hours, he’ll be having his vodka martini while sitting next to one of these windows!! (I don’ t know where I’ll be, but my guess is that I’ll be sitting right next to him!! Minus the martini!!)