Tag Archives: reviews

Much better this morning, thank you!

October 24, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

For some reason, I slept really great last night, gang, and woke at 5:15AM, absolutely not tired at all!! (See yesterday’s post, wherein I woke up unbelievably tired.)

Anyway. Yay!!

So here’s hoping I will FINALLY get that Foreword written for the M. Christian tribute anthology so that I can finally turn the manuscript in to the publisher.

(It’s actually not overdue. At all. It isn’t due for another week. But I just want it completed and turned in. I need to feel that feeling that it is done. It’s been an emotionally rocky journey for me — editing that anthology.)

But I intend to have at least the first draft of the Foreword done by this afternoon. Then tomorrow, I can do a final draft if needed, then one last edit on the whole manuscript. And then this will be me, sometime tomorrow!!

Me! Sometime tomorrow!! In case you couldn’t read what I just said…

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Okay!!

Guess what fucking day it is, gang??

That’s fucking CORRECT!!

Legendary Rolling Stones’ (former) bass player, Bill Wyman, turns 90 today!!

Happy 90th birthday, Bill Wyman!!

And here’s this! From his album, Drive My Car, 2024 — the song, “Drive My Car”!! I love this song and have played it absolutely countless times over the past couple years while driving my own car!! (And going, well, extremely fast…)

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And it is also THIS today–

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Rowland S. Howard. Born on this day in Melbourne, Australia, in 1959. He would have been 67 today.

And let’s listen to this fantastic song, for the 7 trillionth time!! Written by Rowland S. Howard when he was a wee bonny teenaged lad in Melbourne!! One of my very favorite songs. “Shivers.” Here’s Nick Cave, Rowland, & the Boys Next Door. 1979.

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My dear and long-time friend in NYC, writer/poet Iris N. Schwartz has a new book of flash fiction out from Poets Wear Prada Press!!

“Here are thirteen stories, often simultaneously painfully poignant and devilishly humorous, whether grounded in the familiar, or dreamlike and other-worldly, that tell of the human condition, our all-too-frequent bouts of loneliness and dislocation, and our attempts at survival and resilience… Taking up where she left off with Shame, Iris has lined up her third installment of mostly flash and micro fiction treats, sweet-and-sour morsels, for us to read and re-read, and relish.”

Buy it HERE on Amazon!! ($12.00)

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And here’s this — only because I’d never seen this photo before and thought it was beautiful!

Lou Reed!!

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Okay!

Here’s the info if you want to watch the livestream of the B-52s getting their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!!

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I loved this photo!

From Phyllis Stein!

Iggy and David Johansen , NYC, in 2004!! Photo by the legendary photographer Bob Gruen who also just celebrated a birthday!!

(And as an aside, I also got to meet Bob Gruen once, in NYC. I was coming out of a music conference with my dear friend, the late great music executive, Holly Lane, who was good friends with Bob Gruen. What a thrill to meet him! He was so nice.)

FYI , in case you didn’t know — “…By the mid 1970s, Bob Gruen was already regarded as one of the foremost photographers in music working with major artists such as John Lennon, Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, and Kiss. He also covered emerging new wave and punk rock bands, including the New York Dolls, the Clash, Sex Pistols, Ramones, and Blondie….”

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Okay!!

Speaking of legendary rock music photographers!!

I loved this!! From photographer Allen Tannenbaum‘s Instagram page (soho blues). A look behind the scenes, as it were, of one of my all-time favorite photos of Tom Petty!!

And here is my above-mentioned favorite photo of Tom, by Allen (1977), after Tom’s cigarette was so kindly lit!!

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And this is also from Allen Tannenbaum’s page. And it sent a real chill through me when I saw it, gang.

He took this photo of John & Yoko, just a couple of weeks before John was murdered (on Dec. 8, 1980).

I remember this photo really well. But, yesterday, when I saw the date this photo was taken on — Nov. 21, 1980 — I realized that I had only lived in NYC for 6 days by then. It had felt like a fucking eternity. NYC was just so much endless culture shock for me back then. And then to have my hero murdered only a few weeks after moving there…

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Okay!

Big news!!!

Warren Ellis finally has his outfit all sorted out for the upcoming Dirty Three European Tour, as well as his solo performance at that Armani museum place-thingie in Milan on Monday!! (You can find tickets to the Dirty Three shows HERE, but a lot of the shows are nearly sold out, so you have to hurry.)

Personally, I think it’s wise to go with the jacket and the hat because it’s almost, like, winter, right? And it can sometimes be really fucking COLD in Europe in fucking winter… And they say that all your body heat escapes through the top of your head…

And here’s this while we’re at it!! Dirty Three’s, “Indian Love Song”, from 1995!! That song that you can basically sing while sitting around a camp fire and strumming your ~~violin~~ guitar! (10 mins):

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And from Facebook!!

Legends!!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds!!

Also legends!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds!!

And legends-in-the-making!!!

Nick Cave & the Boys Next Door!! 1978!!

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And speaking of Nick Cave–

He sent out a really wonderful Red Hand File yesterday, about his experiences with (and without) Transcendental Meditation. He says, in part:

“…the effect was evident almost instantly. Within a couple of attempts, much of my general pissed-offness, low-level depression, waves of dread, and run-of-the-mill rage at the world, retreated. I felt more alive, more creative, and way happier. So for the next seven or eight years I practised TM, happily meditating twice a day….”

You can read it in full HERE.

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI AND BROTHER LEO MEDITATING BY EL GRECO, 1600 – 1614

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

The laundry is almost done. The sun is shining! The autumn leaves look positively splendid outside all my many windows! And the many, many cats are all taking splendid NAPS!!

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

Here’s hoping that the next time you hear from me, I can tell you that the Foreword for the M. Christian tribute anthology is completed!!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

To continue with a theme here this morning…

From my breakfast-listening music today!!

I’ve posted this song here before, but here it is again!!

One of my absolute favorite Nick Cave songs!

“Brompton Oratory” from the incredible album The Boatman’s Call. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, 1997. Enjoy, gang.

“Brompton Oratory”

Up those stone steps I climb
Hail this joyful day’s return
Into its great shadowed vault I go
Hail the Pentecostal morn

The reading is from Luke 24
Where Christ returns to his loved ones
I look at the stone apostles
Think that it’s alright for some

And I wish that I was made of stone
So that I would not have to see
A beauty impossible to define
A beauty impossible to believe

A beauty impossible to endure
The blood imparted in little sips
The smell of you still on my hands
As I bring the cup up to my lips

No God up in the sky
No devil beneath the sea
Could do the job that you did
Of bringing me to my knees

Outside I sit on the stone steps
With nothing much to do
Forlorn and exhausted, baby
By the absence of you

c -1997 Nick Cave

A splendid morning so far!

October 6, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Not only is it a really beautiful Fall day here today, gang, but it has also gotten cold enough at night now, that today I am bringing all the green houseplants indoors until next Spring.

Which also means that the 6-month battle between me and the cats gets underway today!

The cats LOVE exploring the houseplants and, whenever possible, toppling the flowerpots onto the floor and spilling soil all over the carpeting!! Yay!!

So this is a time of year that I really look forward to!!

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It has also been a splendid morning because of this!!

Yes! It’s the New Guy In My Life’s birthday today!!

So — Happy birthday to the new guy in my life!

We spoke briefly at 5:03AM (“Happy birthday!”)

Then a little lengthier chat at 6:55AM (other stuff that I won’t go into — but, yay!)

Then a very, very brief chat at about 7:25AM… (him, quickly reiterating stuff that I won’t go into — yet!)

Mostly we laughed a lot. But he also said, “I’m so sick of Florida already! I want to be back there in Ohio!” (He’s been gone about 5 days, with the rest of the entire winter to go…) (If you’re new to the blog — when he’s not at his home in Florida, he lives in the house directly across the road from me. And we decided to start dating, like, the day before he left for Florida.)

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Okay.

Today is also this —

Gone 6 years today. RIP Eddie Van Halen.

And here’s this, from 1984, “Panama”!

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Okay!

Here’s this!!

Keith!! Doing the polka!!

OOPS! Of course, I meant, wearing polka DOTS!!

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And I loved this.

Allen in his apartment just a few steps away from my old apartment on E.12th Street! And I had 2 fireplaces in the old apartment that looked very much like his looked below. PLUS, I love that he has that photo of Mick & Keith stuck on his fireplace!!

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In the “Urgent Dog Update” Department!!

Oh no! It seems Tupac threw up again!! Apparently, this time, right on Warren Ellis’s brown suit and it appears that Warren might have had to change clothes!!

And here’s this! “Back in Black”!! AC/DC, 1980!!

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And here’s this!!

Your guess is as good as mine on this one, gang!!

What I can at least tell you is: Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, black & white!! From Facebook!!

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Well.

So, yesterday! I really, really loved being back at the old health & wellness store, gang.

I’m re-learning some basics– like how to work the cash register and credit card processor.

But, for the most part, it all came back to me. God, I just love that store. I literally love being in it. The energy of it — it’s a privately owned alternative health store, that’s been run by the same family for about 40 years now.

And at the end of the evening, the owner gave me a big hug and a smile and she said, “I am so happy you came back!!” Yay!

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All right.

I guess that’s it for now.

I gotta get busy bringing those plants indoors and then get back to work on editing the M. Christian tribute anthology.

Have a terrific Tuesday, 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!

Can’t wait for “Ludwig” Season 2 to begin here in the US!! One more week, gang!!

First, a short– (2 mins 22 seconds):

David Mitchell LUDWIG 2 Exclusive Announcement interview 2026 (5 mins):

Wow. What a great morning.

October 2, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Even though it is supposed to rain all day…

Before I talk in detail about my great morning, let’s do this!!!

Happy birthday Richard Hell!!!! Born this day in Lexington , Kentucky, in 1949!!

Smoking, gun-toting, shade-wearing, black & white, in NYC, 1976!! (Photo by Roberta Bayley)

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And on a more somber note–

Tom Petty has been gone 9 years, as of today. I hope he is having the time of his (after) life!

Mature Tom!! Shade-wearing, writing, guitar-playing in black & white!!

Attitude Tom, 1 & 2!! Smoking!!

(The only song of Tom Petty’s that I ever played live in NYC folk clubs!! “Don’t Do Me Like That” !! 1979)

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It’s time for the Story of the Week over at Brown Hound Press!

And it’s a really good one!! (And the editor claims the story is the author’s first publication! And it was submitted as a typewritten manuscript! Wow!)

“And the World Was Wide Open” by Willie James Bess

You can read it HERE. (Free)

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From Johhny Depp this morning!

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Here’s Gram Parsons in one of his many Nudie suits!

And here’s this! Gram, with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, “In My Hour of Darkness” from Grievous Angel, 1974:

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A couple of Stones smoking — but Brian has TWO!!!!

KEITH (looking away, quietly thinking): “Greedy bastard.”

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A couple of great ones — Jack Kerouac, October!

And if you STILL haven’t read or listened to On The Road, get with it already!! He only wrote it 75 years ago!! God purposely made cigarettes and amphetamines so that we could HAVE great literature like this!! What are you waiting for??

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All right!

It has become clear!!

He is WITH the band!! Not hanging out in the audience!!

From Bad Seed Jim Sclavunos yesterday (meaning that, if you were waiting on me, you missed the show in Porto!):

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Facebook has let me down, gang. They had photos of Nick Cave, but not any good ones today.

I had to go to the desktop stash for this one:

Nick Cave!! (Wondering: What the fuck is the deal with Facebook??)

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All righty!!

Here it is: “The wonderfully true tale of LUNCH and how it went!!”

Wow, gang.

I’m not even sure where to start. I can at least start by saying again: What a nice man. And it is safe to also say that it looks like we’re officially DATING.

Even though he leaves for Florida later today. So it’ll be “long distance, over the phone” dating for a while. (He’ll be back for a week in January, to check on his house — furnace, water pipes, etc.)

We share the same sense of humor and he is so easy to talk to. He says the sweetest, while totally unexpected things. For instance:

“You should enter a beauty contest, you know, in the category of women your age — you’d win that, easily!”

Okay, here are a few things, in no particular order.

In all the best ways, I feel like my dad is back. This guy is taller than me, bigger than me, older (mid-70s), he gives great hugs, he’s smart and he likes to laugh, and he can fix absolutely everything.

And he has plenty of money and property (3 homes in Florida and one across the road from me!).

But 2 of the homes in Florida are up for sale. He loves to buy older homes and rehab them and then sell them. He can’t stand being retired and needs to stay busy… The one remaining home that he is keeping (and living in) has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths and is really pretty– he said (more than once) “Come visit me in Florida! I’ll pay for it! I’m all by myself now.”

He’s a widower with grown children and a couple grandchildren.

And probably most importantly of all!! He owns an enormous RV. He keeps it parked on some property not far from my house, where other campers are parked, but his is in an isolated area because it is huge.

(BTW, he was showing me all this stuff on his phone while we were at lunch.)

I love RVs and campers. I love to go camping. But this RV is 2 stories tall. It’s nothing like the campers of the 1960s. The bedroom is upstairs. It looks a lot like this, but this is not his:

He said, “I really hope you’ll come out and see it. It’s just sitting there now.”

And then he showed me the view outside the upstairs bedroom window — green fields and tons of trees . He said, “You could run around naked out there and no one would see you.”

I thanked him for the head’s up on that…

Anyway. He is of course retired. He worked various kinds of construction his whole life. He’s very down to Earth and just very nice. And after lunch, he came inside for a few minutes to meet the cats and they seemed to really like him, too.

He did not ask me anything specific about my life yet, he was being very polite — he knows I’m divorced, that I’m a writer and that I lived in NYC and worked in publishing for about 30 years. He didn’t ask what kind of writing I do, so I didn’t tell him. I have decided I’m not telling him anything unless he specifically asks me. (Oh, and I mentioned I’m returning part-time to the health & wellness store in town and he has actually shopped there before, because his son is into natural healing and health food, etc.) (He grew up, got married and raised his family in that area of town where the store is now, a long time ago, when it was still just cornfields and farms.)

So we’ll just see how it all goes.

We texted quickly this morning around 6AM and he does indeed use smiley-face emojis!!

I thanked him again for lunch yesterday — I really did have a nice time with him. And he texted back that he feels “good vibes”! (So, yes, we are both kinda OLD!!)

But I’m excited to see where it goes. We’ll likely be talking on the phone for 3 months before I see him again. So I should have a pretty good idea by January.

Meanwhile!!

That’s it for today, gang! Gotta work on the M. Christian anthology now, and tomorrow– my book signing!!

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Enjoy your 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 today!!!!

I don’t think it needs any explanation. Enjoy, gang.

Keeping track of all the departments!

September 30, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Today is going to be all about taking care of loose ends, gang, before I get really busy — and then also washing my hair!! (Tomorrow I’m supposed to be going to lunch with the gentleman across the street!)

Because, also, tomorrow — the official deadline for contributing stories to the M. Christian tribute anthology arrives. So, beginning tomorrow, I will have my editor’s cap on a lot. Here’s hoping it won’t mess up my hair!!

So with all that hard work in mind, let’s tackle some of these loose ends together!!

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In the “Guess What Day It Is” Department:

Here’s this!!

Happy heavenly birthday Marc Bolan!! Born September 30, 1947 (and gone by September 16, 1977):

And here’s this, appropriately enough! “20th Century Boy,” performed on England’s Top of the Pops, 1973:

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And in the “I had a feeling this was gonna be a good one”‘ Department:

Rave reviews are in for the one-man show, “How Shakespeare Saved My Life,” at the Public Theatre in NYC!

You can still BUY TICKETS HERE

“ONE OF THE TOP ONE-MAN SHOWS I’VE SEEN THIS YEAR”— DAVID WALTERS, THE FRONT ROW CENTER

“A deeply moving testament to transformation, forgiveness, and the power of finding one’s voice” –Deirdre Donovan, Off Off Online

“Brilliant showcase of his dramatic range.”—Kenji Fujishima, TheaterMania

“Ming-Trent’s talent shines through as he portrays a wide range of characters.” —Thom Geier, Culture Sauce

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In the “I actually didn’t know that” Department:

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In the “I’m not really clear if he’s gonna be onstage or in the audience” Department:

From Bad Seed Jim Sclavunos:

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And this next one falls into 2 separate departments–

The “Updates on my dog’s relieving himself in the live studio” Department

And the “I’m not really clear if it was Warren who swallowed the button after playing his viola or the dog did” Department:

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From the “Cool things my heroes said when I was a wee bonnie lass” Department:

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From the “Cool things my heroes are currently doing” Department:

Ronnie Wood has 2 new portraits of Jimi Hendrix, along with some other Jimi Hendrix prints, on display right now at the Handel-Hendrix House in London!

You can buy prints of the new portraits HERE.

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From the “Cool things my heroes did together a long time ago and I wish I could have been there” Department:

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From “The only reason Facebook is cool” Department:

(And if you are not American — the song referenced below is an old-timey song sung at every baseball game throughout eternity.)

(And if you are American, don’t even THINK of singing even the opening line to this song, or it will get stuck in your head the whole fucking day!!)

This next one also fits into 2 separate departments–

In “The only reason Facebook is cool” Department

And the “I could look at this photo everyday for the rest of my life” Department:

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And I think that covers all the departments for today!!

I am still kinda flying high from that Lammy nomination my publisher made for my new novel yesterday. (See post here if you missed it.)

“Lambda Literary nurtures and advocates for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve our legacies, and affirm the value of our stories and our lives.”

And this next thing was so cool — it appeared in my Instagram feed yesterday. Not an account I had heard of before, but apparently she was having breakfast with my publisher!!

And in case you live anywhere near Newark, Ohio, please don’t forget to join me on Saturday afternoon! Books will be on sale at the event.

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And I guess that is it!

Oh — I am having a great time looking at the private app James Tabor setup for our conference memories — looking at everyone’s photos and reading everyone’s comments really makes me wish I was still in that wonderful hotel with everyone in Charlotte!!

Okay!

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.

I am still reading Conversations with Tom Petty (2005) and Tom was talking about what a thrill it was to hear Johnny Cash’s version of Tom’s classic, “Southern Accents”.

So, of course I had to drop everything and listen to it! (I also played it many times on my trip to town yesterday.)

So here it is for you!

Johnny Cash, “Southern Accents,” from his album American II: Unchained, 1996. Enjoy, gang.

“Southern Accents”

There’s a southern accent, where I come from
The young ‘uns call it country
The Yankees call it dumb

I got my own way of talkin’
But everything is done, with a southern accent
Where I come from

Now that drunk tank in Atlanta’s
Just a motel room to me
Think I might go work Orlando
If them orange groves don’t freeze

I got my own way of workin’
But everything is run, with a southern accent
Where I come from

For just a minute there I was dreaming
For just a minute it was all so real
For just a minute she was standing there, with me

There’s a dream I keep having
Where my mama comes to me
Then kneels down over by the window
And says a prayer for me

I got my own way of prayin’
But every one’s begun
With a southern accent
Where I come from

I got my own way of livin’
But everything gets done
With a southern accent
Where I come from

c – 1985 Tom Petty

What a great morning!

September 14, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

I’m trying to make the absolute best of it because not only is the weather perfect — and the rest of the week, we’re supposed to have a lot of rain.

But also, tomorrow morning is when I’m supposed to report for Jury Duty again. I will find out later tonight if I do indeed have to show up, so we’ll see.

But regardless of tomorrow, I am trying to just have a really nice morning here.

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Before I forget!!

Facebook is just so strange.

Yesterday, I got another really cool “friend request” from someone I’ve only known for 54 years!!

She was, basically, my best friend all through Jr. High, high school, and most of adulthood… It’s only been a few years since I last heard from her. But we’re supposed to catch up in the phone sometime today!!

We met in the 7th grade, in September of 1972.

Yes!! There is someone still alive on Earth who knew me when I looked like this and wore plaid palazzo pants to school!!

When she and I were teenagers, we had mostly the same tastes in music, movies, literature, theater. We were both really smart and we laughed so hard about so much insane stuff.

I don’t know, but if you’re familiar with the playwright Eugène Ionesco, and his Theatre of the Absurd plays, our lives were kind of like that. 24/7.

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Okay!

Let’s go straight to the “here’s this’s” today!

Apparently, I need to get back to Shanghai by Sunday! (Which is also the start of Yom Kippur, so that’s dicey, right there!)

But I’ve already bought all 150 of the available tickets, so it only seems polite that I make the effort to show up…

Johnny Depp will be appearing at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai, in connection with his exhibit there, “Figures of the Fringe”!

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And here are a couple of great photos of Richard Hell!

Again, from the fantastic Phyllis Stein!!

Here, Richard Hell is seen with the “tiny Richard Hell head” that was really popular back then!

And here he’s seen at CBGBs in 1978 with Elvis Costello, who was also really popular back then!!

And I can’t help it, gang — we gotta hear this one, one more time!! Elvis Costello, 1977, “Mystery Dance”!!

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And here’s this!

Warren Ellis and one of his dogs appear to be very excited by Sundays!!

And taking a cue from Warren’s t-shirt, how about this? An AI version of the other Elvis singing Kris Kristofferson’s song, “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” the way Waylon Jennings sang it… (that’s right, but it’s actually pretty good…)

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And here’s that other thing that Facebook is good for!!!

Old photos of Nick Cave!!

I don’t know if I posted this one here before, but I love this!

And here’s Nick Cave, either taking off his coat, or pretending to wear handcuffs — or perhaps both! A long time ago! In color!

And this wasn’t on Facebook, but here it is anyway!

Nick Cave on TV in NYC, in 1990!

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And here’s this — from my own life!

This movie came out in 1968, when I was 8, and my mom and I went to see it together in Cleveland and I just loved it.

Throughout my whole life, really, I wanted to have a huge family. I really did. I used to think about it all the time. (And by the time I was in my early teens, when things in my home life were getting really bad, I had a huge imaginary family in my head that I would retreat to all the time.)

In fact, the hardest part about leaving Wayne, in 2003, was knowing that I would never have even one child, let alone the 14 or so that I wanted…. I was 43 when I left Wayne and I was already in early menopause. Wayne had finally decided that he didn’t want to have kids. So that whole dream was all over.

Anyway.

I am currently re-watching “Yours, Mine, & Ours” on TUBI. From 1968. A glorious family with 18 wonderful children —

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And that’s it for today.

I will let you know early tomorrow morning if I have to report for Jury Duty again or not.

Meanwhile, 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.

This was sort of magical, gang.

I’m still reading the Conversations with Tom Petty book (2006) at night.

And last night, Tom was telling the part where he was going through his divorce, and to pick up his spirits, Rick Rubin had Tom (and the other Heartbreakers) come onboard the Johnny Cash albums Rick was producing at the time, on his American Recordings label.

Tom had such an incredible time doing that — it was very detailed in the book. He loved Johnny Cash.

I knew I had all of those Johnny Cash American Recordings on my phone, but I wasn’t sure which ones I still had on actual CDs. So I got out of bed, went downstairs in the dark, went to one of the many CD racks I have and turned on the light — and the very first CD I saw was Johnny Cash’s American III: Solitary Man–– with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers!! (And others.)

It really felt like magic, gang. I still had it!

I hurried back up to bed, popped the CD in the retro boombox next to my bed, turned out the light and just listened. And, wow, was it good!!

And, oddly enough, it’s the CD that has Johnny Cash’s cover of Nick Cave’s classic, “The Mercy Seat”!

So, let’s listen! From 2000, Johnny Cash’s version of “The Mercy Seat.” So different from Nick’s version, but still so good. Okay. Enjoy, gang.

Quite a mixed bag today, people

September 3, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Wow.

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

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

Some stranger contacted me on Facebook yesterday and asked :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Okay.

Let’s move on.

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

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

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

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

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

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And here’s some hopeful news!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SUBMIT STORY HERE

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Okay.

Speaking of Kentucky!!

Here’s this!

From Phyllis Stein!

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

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And here’s some wonderful news!

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

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

From Uncle Julian Lennon’s Instagram page yesterday morning

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

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Here’s this!!

Incredibly tiny shoes!!

Warren Ellis, allegedly gardening??

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

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

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Oh! Check this out!!

Another great one from Phyllis Stein!!

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

And another other great one from Phyllis Stein!!

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

And another other other great one from Phyllis Stein!!

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

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

Joe Strummer and Ranking Roger!

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

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

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And let’s just quickly revisit this!!

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

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Okay!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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All righty! That’s it for now!!

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

Thanks for visiting!

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

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

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

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

“Wildflowers”

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

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

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

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

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

c – 1994 Tom Petty

Okay! Just Waiting!

August 31, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

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

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

And I vacuumed the whole house.

Watered all the flowers.

Took care of the many cats…

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

SHE: “Do you have any questions?”

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

And then off she goes until next year…

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Speaking of taking care of the many cats, though–

Some really great news!

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

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

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

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

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

What’s with that?

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Okay.

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

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has a personal YouTube channel!

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

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

You can view or join his channel HERE.

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

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And here’s this!

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

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

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

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

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

But it’s a good one!!

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And I guess that is it for today.

The rest of my week looks pretty nice, gang.

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

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

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

Other than that–

Enjoy your Monday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

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

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

“I Write the Songs”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

c -1975 Bruce Johnston

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!!

How can it possibly be Friday again?!?!

August 21, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Wow, that was a fast week.

And I got a TON of stuff done.

Yesterday was interesting. I did the book editing, and then stopped to attend that Indie Authors livestream — updates on promotion, platforms, eBooks, audiobooks.

I found it so joyless and felt so overloaded, that I was off of there in 20 minutes.

Things have just changed so much in the last few years, gang. Self-publishing used to be easy, quick, even fun. It’s none of those things anymore, so I have decided to just keep going my own way regarding publishing and not make myself completely INSANE over all this stuff!

And speaking of all that stuff–

Beginning this Sunday (8/23) and running until the following Sunday (8/30), the eBook edition of my experimental adult novel, The Guitar Hero Goes Home, will be on sale for 99 cents in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.

“An American rock & roll legend, in the final year of his life, finally comes clean about sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Experimental Adult Fiction by Marilyn Jaye Lewis ‘As arousing as it is heartfelt, I can give no greater praise for Marilyn Jaye Lewis’s The Guitar Hero Goes Home than to say this is a book written by a wonderful writer at the height of her powers. Highly Recommended!’ — M. Christian, author of The Bachelor Machine“

This book is not erotica, but it has adult themes and is recommended for mature readers only. Thank you!!

And you can always read a free excerpt here on my blog.

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I did make good progress with editing the local writer’s book yesterday, but I think that trying to edit 30 pages a day is too much. I still need to getup from the desk and get outside and take walks! So now I’m aiming for 25 pages a day.

I don’t want to betray the writer’s privacy by saying anything here on the blog — I’ll certainly let you know where you can buy the book once it’s published — but for now I can only say that it is an INTENSE book. A memoir. It kind of takes a lot out of me, just editing it.

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If you are in the film industry in any way, you need to sign up for this great newsletter — if you haven’t already. It cuts to the chase, isn’t loaded with stuff you don’t care about, gives you updates on stuff you do care about, and it’s a quick read.

The Dailies (you can sign up at that link)

“5-minute newsletter that keeps film/tv professionals in the loop, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.“

And most importantly — it doesn’t have a fucking phone APP that pings at you every 2 seconds…

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Okay!!

Here’s this!!

Something I could literally just look at all day and call it a complete life!!

Keith! Drinking coffee and smoking somewhere!!

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And here’s Jack Kerouac on the floor in NYC in 1959!!

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And here’s a lovely photo of George Harrison not smoking as he gets into a car somewhere — maybe 1969, early 1970s?

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And here’s some nice news about the late and absolutely great Shane MacGowan!!

(The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is in New Orleans.)

And while we’re at it, here’s this!! Shane and The Pogue’s version of “Dirty Old Town”!! From the phenomenal album Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash, 1985. I still play this song all the time, usually when I’m out driving alone in the middle of beautiful nowhere, and I always sing along!

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Okay!!

Bad Seed Jim Sclavunos was kind enough to help me study my French last night!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds will be at Cabaret Vert in France tonight! Buy tickets here!!

And Warren Ellis once again proves that he is a master at wearing the architecture of foreign cities!!

And in the event you suddenly feel like getting loaded and having a good time — Primal Scream, “Loaded” and having a good time!!

And even though there were TONS of photos and videos from the show in Lithuania the other night, here’s this instead!!

Just ‘cuz I fucking LOVE it!

Nick Cave seriously SMOKING onstage somewhere a long time ago…

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And that is it for today. I gotta get down to some editing here. It is a gorgeous day, once again, so I will probably head out for another one of those magical walks later, too.

And I leave you with some truly wonderful news, gang!!

A stray cat has had some adorable kittens — but NOT at my house!!

Here they are, outside my dining room window, but at the house next door! Yay!

Cute stray kittens but NOT at my house!!

Okay. Have a fantastic Friday wherever you are in the world, gang.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!!

From that fabulous year of 1965!!

The Four Tops, “I Can’t Help Myself”!! Such a great song! Enjoy, gang.

Life resumes!

August 12, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

First off, if you heard anything on the news about the really bad weather in Ohio yesterday — terrible thunderstorms, high winds, flooding — that was mostly in and around Columbus.

And it was really bad there.

But here in Crazeysburg, about an hour southeast of Columbus, we had our usual thunderstorms and some high winds. But no real damage. (Thank God.)

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Okay.

Today I am heading to town to run the errands.

First, I have to drop something off at Honda — a weird little meter thingie that one of the service guys accidentally left in my car last week.

(Yes! He left it in my brand new really fast Honda Accord that loudly alerts me when Sheriffs are lurking!!)

And since I will be in that neighborhood, I am halfway tempted to stop in at the home of one of my former caregiving clients. She and her husband got some really bad news a few days ago and I want to see how the wife is holding up.

I am going to wait until the last moment to see if I actually do that or not. I have such difficulties drawing boundaries around my own heart these days, but this would be visiting her as a friend, not as a professional caregiver. So we’ll see what my heart tells me when I leave the Honda dealership. (She lives 2 seconds from there.)

Then I will get the groceries, and then stop in at my favorite health & wellness store to buy my week’s supply of deliciously taste-tempting organic SNACKS(!!) and to say HI to my girlfriends there!

BTW, this was interesting. From yesterday. The Terry Naturally company makes top-of-the-line health supplements. This is from a podcast that the owner, Terry Lemerond, does for free.

What Causes Alzheimer’s disease? (51 mins):

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Okay.

On the Sealey Challenge front–

I’ve had to stop reading the “one poetry book a day” for now, because James Tabor announced to us (Tabor Research Group), that he wants us all to re-read The Jesus Discovery before we meet for our conference on September 25th.

It’s an incredible book. And it’s co-written by Simcha Jacobovici, whom I also adore.

It was actually through Simcha that I first found out about James Tabor and his archeological work in and around Jerusalem. I used to love Simcha’s TV show on the History Channel, “The Naked Archeologist” (trailer- 1 minute):

Anyway.

Since I am still reading John Cooper Clarke’s autobiography, I Wanna be Yours, (and I am almost done!! only 40 more pages to go!!), my eyes can only handle so much reading each evening.

So instead of poetry, I am back to focusing yet again on Early Christianity. (And this specific book is about the discovery & research of the Talpiot Tombs, just south of Jerusalem (around 2010). And the current research on the Talpiot Tombs is a lot of what our upcoming conference will be about.)

And speaking of Early Christianity!!

I was listening to yesterday’s episode of Bart Ehrman’s “Misquoting Jesus” podcast — which was very good, but then my eye caught sight of a podcast from last month that I hadn’t heard yet:

8 Bible Myths Many Christians Believe (43 minutes):

I have studied Biblical History (online) with Bart Ehrman for about 15 years. I find his work in Biblical research really fascinating. I have learned so much from him and the Biblical scholars I have been exposed to through him.

However, early in this particular podcast, he mentioned the Country singer-songwriter, Iris Dement — specifically her song from 1992, “Let the Mystery Be”.

WOW!!

I love that song — I love that whole album (Infamous Angel). It was one of the CDs that Wayne & I took with us on our honeymoon road trip out west in 1993.

I paused Bart’s podcast to re-listen to Iris Dement’s song, and so many wonderful memories flooded back.

On our road trip, Wayne & I made an overnight stop in Paragould, Arkansas, in order to visit some of his relatives who couldn’t make it to our wedding. And Paragould is where Iris Dement is from.

Anyway, here’s her wonderful song! (If you’ve never heard it, get ready to smile and clap your hands and snap your fingers!!)

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All righty!!

Well, here’s this!

Keith smoking!! In duplicate!! About 20 years ago!

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And here’s this!!

The Rolling Stones not smoking in a Hollywood tailor’s shop in 1964!!

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And here’s another bit of promotion from Johnny Depp’s new “Sauvage” campaign for Dior:

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And here’s this!!

From everybody’s day off in Oslo!!

I’m not actually sure why Warren Ellis feels the need to also play in a band, when he truly excels at just taking selfies!!

And here’s this, while we’re at it!! The Sex Pistols, 1977, “Holidays in the Sun”!!

And here’s Nick Cave, not smoking in a suit, while roaming around Oslo with his glasses, phone, watch, and a happy girl!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Oslo tomorrow night. Followed by shows in Sweden, and then Finland. You can buy tickets here!!

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And I think that’s it for now, because I want to head to town.

I have to say that I am in such a strange head space, now that I have the spectre of “jury duty” behind me. (I’m hoping I don’t get called up again before September is over, but I guess we shall see. But at least I know for sure it is over for right now.)

While I still have a few time-consuming things left on my To Do List here at my desk, I have made a lot of progress and I am starting to feel my mental space clearing, which means I can get down to work on the new memoir. (Joy: The Shortest Season, about my life in the 1970s.)

If you live in Europe, enjoy that Total Solar Eclipse today!!

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

You know, when I take my magical walks here in the Hinterlands, I always sing this song to myself! Mostly because there are a lot of Rose of Sharon trees and shrubs in full bloom here in the village.

Iris Dement’s “Mama’s Opry”, 1992. From her album Infamous Angel — but this one has the lovely Emmylou Harris on supporting vocals!! Such a great song. Enjoy gang!!

“Mama’s Opry”

She grew up plain and simple in a farming town
Her daddy played the fiddle and used to do the calling when they had hoe-downs
She says the neighbors would come and they’d move all my grandma’s furniture ’round
And there’d be twenty or more there on the old wooden floor dancin’ to a country sound

The Carters and Jimmy Rodgers played her favorite songs
And on Saturday nights there was a radio show and she would sing along
And I’ll never forget her face when she revealed to me
That she’d dreamed about singing at The Grand Ol’ Opry

Her eyes, oh, how they sparkled when she sang those songs
While she was hanging the clothes on the line, I was a kid just a-hummin’ along
Well, I’d be playing in the grass, to her, what might’ve seemed, obliviously
But there ain’t no doubt about it, she sure made her mark on me

And she played old gospel records on the phonograph
She turned them up loud and we’d sing along, but those days have passed
Just now, that I am older, it occurs to me
That I was singing in the grandest opry

And we sang sweet Rose of Sharon, abide with me
‘Til I ride the gospel ship to heaven’s jubilee
And in that great triumphant morning my soul will be free
And my burdens will be lifted when my savior’s face I see

So I don’t want to get adjusted to this world below
But I know he’ll pilot me ’til it comes time to go
Oh, nothing on this earth is half as dear to me
As the sound of my mama’s opry

c – 1992, Iris Dement