Tag Archives: The Guitar Hero Goes Home Marilyn Jaye Lewis

Good morning, everybody!

August 18, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Sorry about yesterday.

And since I didn’t really get to post here, it means I have a lot of “here’s this’s'” below that are from 2 days ago…

It is a gorgeous day here today! I am expecting it to be just a really lovely and productive day.

It might even include this!!

We shall soon see!

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Okay.

This was interesting.

It’s from last month. An interview with Bart Ehrman on the MythVision podcast:

“Did Jesus actually teach eternal hell—or is that belief a later Christian invention? …Bart Ehrman explains why the doctrine of eternal conscious torment is not found in the Hebrew Bible, the teachings of Jesus, or even Paul’s letters.”

Did Jesus Really Teach Eternal Hell? Bart Ehrman Says NO (30 mins):

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And here’s this!!

The Rolling Stones not smoking in the studio in Jamaica in 1972!!

And technically Keith is not smoking here, either, but he has that look on his face, doesn’t he? Like maybe he’s heading into a court room (again) and hiding his cigarettes!

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A great one of Patti Smith and Sam Shepard at the Chelsea Hotel!! (Methinks around 1970…?)

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And here’s an interview I found out about on The Sapling this morning (a weekly subscription newsletter for writers, from Black Lawrence Press):

“… an interview with Reginald Dwaye Betts, the founder of Freedom Reads, ‘the only organization in the nation transforming the experience of incarceration by opening libraries in cellblocks.’ In addition to his work as an organizer, Betts is a lawyer and a poet.”

Link is HERE. “Can reading set you free?” (23-minute podcast).

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And from the W. S. Merwin Conservancy:

“On the evening of Friday, September 18, we will welcome 25th United States poet laureate—and former Merwin Conservancy resident—Arthur Sze to O‘ahu for a special program hosted in collaboration with the Library of Congress and the Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts. This program is presented as part of his “Words Bridging Worlds” initiative, with Hawai‘i serving as the first stop on a four-city national tour encouraging Americans to engage with poetry written in foreign languages.”

The event is FREE but you will need to register. The registration link will be live here in a few days.

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Okay.

Since I was last here, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds played Helsinki, Finland!

From before the show — Jim Sclavunos:

And this is from after the show — Warren Ellis, a fly on the wall somewhere??? Not sure!

And, quickly, here’s this!! The fabulous Cramps! (From OHIO, btw!) (I seriously miss those Cramps’ rhythms, gang.. They were so fantastic.) “Human Fly”, 1979:

And in between the before and after, there was actually a SHOW!!

AND it was Bad Seed Janet Ramus’s birthday!!

Here’s the set list:

And here’s Janet (with Nick Cave)!

And here’s Nick Cave in Helsinki–

And here’s Nick Cave in 1988 because I LOVE this photo!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Lithuania tonight! You can buy tickets here.

And then they have 4 more shows spread out between France and Germany over the next 2 weeks and then the tour is OVER! (And so is the summer! The kids will already be back in school around here by the end of the Bad Seeds’ tour…)

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And that is it!

Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world, gang!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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And while we’re at it….

I leave you with these!

More people from Ohio!

Richard Hell & the Voidoids, which included the amazing guitarist Robert Quine — also from OHIO!!

From 1977, “Blank Generation”!!

And loyal readers of this lofty blog no doubt recall that back in the 1980s, I lived just a few apartments down from Richard Hell, on E.12th Street and Avenue A, in the East Village, NYC!!

So, let’s listen to this!!

An early demo of my rockabilly song, “Avenue A” !! 1984!! All about the joys of living in Alphabet City. (And the photo is from our one and only gig at CBGB!! We usually played folk clubs…)

Okay. Enjoy, gang. I sure fucking did!

AVENUE A
A Black Jack and a Puerto Rican
And a blade in between ‘em
And nobody’s speaking
And the cop on the corner
You know what he’s thinking
He don’t want to see what nobody’s drinking
He’s a little too close to the edge
Down on Avenue A

Where the folks meet 
Without any warning
It’s a party in the street
‘Til 4 in the morning
Coke, smack, and marijuana
Mix it all together, do it any way you wanna
‘Cause that’s how to keep the beat
Down on Avenue A

Teen Angel in her blue stockings
She can take it on the chin
And, baby, keep on rockin’
It seems to me 
She ain’t sentimental
She can do it in the road
Or in a Lincoln Continental
She knows how to make ends meet
Down on Avenue A
 
BRIDGE
Well, it might seem cold as ice
In a world of venom and vice
But when they turn out the old night light
It’s paradise

You can Think Pink
Or you can pack a rifle
You can wear a leather jacket
You can ride a motorcycle
You can take it to the limit
You can keep it in your pocket
You can bet your bottom dollar
They’re not gonna stop it
‘Cause that’s how to beat the heat
Down on Avenue A

You can take a minute
You can take a shower
I can meet you on the corner
In another half an hour
I can be there
I can step on it
I can wear a dress of blue
And do it any way you want it
‘Cause that’s how to keep the beat
Down on Avenue A

© 1984 Marilyn Jaye Lewis
First of May Songs, BMI

You Won’t Believe It!

August 16, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Okay, gang.

Happy Sunday!

You’re not going to believe how yesterday went.

Since I’m in the process of getting the sample “scripts” together for the upcoming audiobooks, I was trying to get all the original manuscripts of my self-published books into one separate folder.

Just trying to get organized.

I have 7 self-published books that are being submitted to become audiobooks. Not only do I have a stack of those books perched precariously on the corner of my really tiny but beloved desk, I also have a stack of books and many papers on my desk for the M. Christian tribute anthology I’m currently editing.

And I am addicted to small notebooks for keeping notes on absolutely every project, phone call, zoom call — including a TON of notes for “The Guide to Being Fabulous”, my play with Sandra Caldwell. And my in-progress play about Caiaphas. Those notebooks are in a stack on my tiny desk, too.

And little scraps of paper are on my desk — notes to myself. And all of those notes to myself amount to my “To Do List”.

So I finally decided I needed to get better organized in order to somehow move the audiobook project forward, right?

Wow. Trying to find the original manuscripts for all 7 of these books — some of them going back to 2005 (!) — I’ve moved 4 times since then, and I’ve had no less than 6 laptops since then.

Anyway.

As I was locating the various original manuscripts and moving them into a new folder on my laptop, I discovered a completed manuscript for a book that never got published:

The Muse Revisited Volume 4: Selected Taboo Erotica of Marilyn Jaye Lewis

Whoa! WTF??

I scrolled through it and it was a completed manuscript, formatted and ready for publication. A collection of previously published short stories, from 1994 – 2021 (!!). All of them in the decidedly “taboo” erotic vein. Volume 4 in a series that had already been really popular for about 10 years.

I had totally forgotten that Black Lotus Books was supposed to publish it, in print, but then they suddenly folded.

They gave me the rights back to everything when they folded, so I immediately moved forward with self-publishing the 2 books of mine they had already published (1954 Powder Blue Pickup and a long short-story, Half-Moon Bride). This was January 2021.

And just prior to that (in 2020), I was absolutely overloaded with projects — screenplays, TV pilots, plays, short stories, novels-in-progress, and I was working nonstop with Peitor Angell on our Abstract Absurdity Production micro-minis — we were taking all kinds of meetings with producers and production companies, both in LA and in Europe.

Then absolutely everything came to a screeching halt because of all the lockdowns. And life suddenly got crazier. (My life as a digital soldier for 4 years…)

As near as I can tell, I just forgot that the other manuscript was ready to go. I definitely remember (now) that I was planning to self-publish it after Black Lotus folded.

Holy cow, I thought. I can publish this in a heartbeat. It’s all ready to go!

But then I thought: Maybe my new publisher over in Pennsylvania might be interested in seeing this…

Long story, short — she emailed me back yesterday afternoon, saying: “Um, yesssss”

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So.

That was a real thrill.

And then I realized that since I made the difficult decision to retire from professional caregiving back in July, and focus on my writing once again– well, what a great decision that was.

I have the new novel coming out in a few weeks. A book signing. The staged reading of the play coming up in NY sometime this Fall. Perhaps give a talk and be on a panel at a writers conference in the Spring.

And the M. Christian antho has helped me re-connect with so many wonderful writers from my past — and that book will come out next year. Plus this new book that materialized out of thin air yesterday! And 7 audiobooks. Plus, even though I cancelled my association with fiverr, I still have ads posted at local places as a writing coach, and school is starting up around here soon.

Wow. It’s like overnight, I finally went back to being a writer.

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Okay!

I discovered THIS amazing website last night. Wow. I am going to spend the next year just exploring it!

TomPettyTrail

Explores sites connected to Tom Petty in his childhood hometown of Gainesville and throughout Florida.

“This is the first website dedicated to documenting and pinpointing Florida sites connected to the life of, and songs written by, Tom Petty. It serves as a roadmap for Petty fans traveling there to learn about — and navigate to — these sites in his hometown, Gainesville, and elsewhere in the state. This website will help facilitate your Tom Petty tourism by giving you the information needed to create a self-guided tour that most interests you.”

And it’s totally free! A labor of love created by Shawn Murphy.

If you love Tom Petty like I do, it is amazing! It is so detailed, it is just incredible. Where he was born, where he lived. Where his family lived. Where his friends lived. All the schools he went to. The store where he bought his guitar strings — immortalized in his song, “Dreamville”…

And so here’s this, again. Tom’s tribute to his rock & roll-loving boyhood in Gainesville — “Dreamville”:

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Okay.

I think this is going to be great!

If you live in NYC, it will be at the Public Theater, September 15th thru October 18th:

“How Shakespeare Saved My Life”

“In the Red Bull Theater production of HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE, Jacob Ming-Trent dares to rescue himself from the “slings and arrows” of his past. Born with a gift for poetry but rejected as unfit to play the part of the poet, Ming-Trent invites us to take a deep dive into the crevices of his youth. His search for home is relentless, and the results are by turns hilarious and tragic. Calling on the Bard and a host of genius rappers, half-crazed preachers, and soulful poets to throw him a lifeline, he takes us on a propulsive ride that reaffirms the power of language. It all adds up to one man’s attempt to reclaim his life, and through that journey we connect to the deeper parts of ourselves, and, ultimately, to each other. Directed by Tony Taccone.”

You can buy tickets HERE.

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And, well, what can I say?

There are now an absolute TON of photos and videos from the Bad Seeds show in Sweden the other night. Way too many to start posting here.

I’m not positive, but it looked like, at one point during the show, Nick Cave couldn’t find a microphone that worked. I saw that video a few times.

Anyway–

Here are a couple photos from that thing I mentioned yesterday — about Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds chilling and taking in The Cure’s show over on a different stage:

And here are a few from the actual show:

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Finland tonight. Followed by 5 more shows in Europe between now and the end of August. You can buy tickets here!

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Well, we were supposed to have more thunderstorms today, but for some reason, the sun is now out.

So I guess I’ll close this and head out for another splendid walk in ~~Dreamville~~ — Oops! I meant, of course, Crazeysburg! And then I’ll get down to some work.

Have a great Sunday, wherever you are in the world, gang.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!!!

One of my all-time favorite songs from my wee bonny teenaged girlhood! By one of my all-time favorite groups!!

It popped up on my playlist yesterday morning, when I ran out to the Dollar Store to run a quick errand for my beloved cats….

“Stayin’ Alive” by the immortal Bee Gees, 1977!!! Enjoy, gang.

Guess What I Did Yesterday??!!

August 15, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

You are correct if you jumped up & down and said: “NOTHING!!”

Yay!

I actually wound up taking the day off. Meaning, I didn’t work at my desk.

I did make some headway in my reading yesterday afternoon — I am well into re-reading The Jesus Discovery, which I need to have finished before I go to the Tabor Research Group conference in Charlotte, NC, at the end of September:

And, YES!!

I did indeed finally finish reading John Cooper Clarke’s autobiography, I Wanna Be Yours, yesterday, too!

What a wonderful book. But it was really long — almost 500 pages — so it took me nearly 3 months to finish it. But I did!!

It is much easier for me to read in broad daylight, with plenty of natural light coming in through the many windows here.

Usually, though, I don’t have time to sit down and start reading until evening, when the sun is, of course, waning…

And OH!

Speaking of WAYNE!!

I absolutely LOVE this selfie Wayne sent to me! He’s at his beloved Union Club in NYC:

Every time I look at that photo, it just cracks me up!

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Okay!

Well, it looks like I’m heading to Shanghai this afternoon! But it’ll just be a quick trip — dash in, see some art, head back. I should be home by dinnertime….

Anyway.

Johnny Depp’s Art Exhibit has opened in Shanghai, and apparently it is an expanded exhibit, and has pieces added that we didn’t see in the show in NYC!

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And I loved this.

It seems that Jack Kerouac has an appropriate quote for every single moment of my often bewildering life:

Loyal readers of this lofty blog no doubt recall that it was a quote of Kerouac’s (below) that I taped to the wall next to my desk in order to finally complete my upcoming novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder.

I was kind of, you know, convinced, even while writing it, that it was the kind of story that was going to offend a whole lot of people. And yet…I still felt it needed to be written. (It’s fictional, but based on intense stuff that happened to people I actually knew, also, some of it, to myself.)

Anyway. Thanks, Jack. After 28 years, the novel is indeed complete, and will be published in just under one month!

(And thanks again, everyone, for pre-ordering it. The sales ranking of the eBook over at Amazon is really just jumping.)

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I watched this during breakfast this morning and it really made some very interesting key points.

Luke’s Gospel removes the need for sacrificial atonement. Instead, Luke returns to what Jesus actually taught: Forgiveness.

Bart Ehrman, interviewed last month on History Valley–

Jesus Didn’t Die For Anyone: Luke Removed The Atonement For Jesus Never Taught It! | Dr. Bart Ehrman (31 mins):

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Okay!

I have to say that this one sort of puzzled me.

We’ve got, you know The Fall, singing “Hit the North (Pt. 1)”. But then also an unmistakable nod to the Rolling Stones….

Anyway! Warren Ellis, apparently working out in Sweden??? (It was a gas, gas, gas???)

And meanwhile, just quickly, here’s this!!

Okay!

Back to Sweden and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds!

Looks like a whole lot of people had a fantastic time, doesn’t it??

Here’s the set list:

There were some great videos posted — some cool footage of the Bad Seeds chilling while listening to The Cure’s set over on a different stage. But not many photos, yet.

Here’s a smiling Nick Cave, though:

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Finland tomorrow. You can buy tickets HERE!

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And that’s sort of looking like that’s it for now!

Have a super Saturday, wherever you are in the world, gang!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!

The Hollywood Vampires sing the Velvet Underground in London! “Venus In Furs”!! Enjoy, gang.

Thank [insert whatever you believe in] It’s Friday!!

August 14, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Yay!

I’ve already run some quick errands here in the village.

By 8:15AM, I was at the post office, signing for another Certified Letter from my first husband out in Seattle!! (Yes! More unexpected money!!) (So fucking nice.) (And as I was heading to the post office, it occurred to me that he and I haven’t actually seen each other since 1991. We email, we chat on the phone, but I haven’t actually seen him in 35 years. I’m wondering, at this point, if I ever will again…)

Anyway.

While in the post office, I also mailed something fun to Wayne. My second husband, still in NYC. Although, I kind of see Wayne about once a year. Still, while I was sorting everything out there with the post office clerk, I was quietly thinking: What’s wrong with this picture?

I’m all alone, in the middle of fucking nowhere Ohio, and I’m having these happy relationships with two ex-husbands who each live far away.

I don’t know. It just sort of seemed really weird.

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Well, yesterday I had another productive day — and this one included a lengthy chat with my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn!

We’re still trying to get ourselves organized to launch our Writers & Artists mini-podcast, but we’re getting there. She is basically back to normal after her 2 hand surgeries and she’s getting a few new paintings completed. So we’re getting there.

But mostly, I am trying to make some headway in getting 7 of my self-published titles ready to submit to audiobook producers. (I have to submit 2-3 pages of text with each book that will serve as sample scripts for narrator auditions– including script notes. So it’s not difficult work, but very time-consuming.)

And before I forget!!!!

It looks like a bunch more people pre-ordered my new novel during the night! Thank you everybody!! (The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. Pre-order it here.)

So that was a nice thing to wake up to.

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Meanwhile…

Here’s this!

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And now I have sort of a ton of cool photos of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds from the Oya Festival in Oslo last night! It seemed like people started posting photos and videos the moment the show was over.

Here’s the set list!

These first five were posted by the same photographer, almost immediately:

And here’s two posted by Bad Seed Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Gothenburg, Sweden tonight):

And I loved this one!

After tonight’s show in Sweden, they play Finland on Sunday. You can buy tickets here!

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And I guess that’ll be it for now. I need to start focusing on some work here.

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.

You know, in September, there’s that big photo book coming out, and some sort of live event in London, to honor Nick’s wife, Susie Cave, on her 60th birthday.

And early this morning, I was thinking back to my own 60th birthday.

Even though the scam-demic was going on that year, I drove down to see my dad on my 60th birthday. The following day, July 23rd, was my dad’s 90th birthday.

My stepmom had died earlier that year, so he was a widower by then, but he did not have cancer yet. It was quiet, as birthdays go, but it was a good weekend.

And on my dad’s birthday, July 23rd, there was a streaming event online of Nick Cave’s solo concert at Alexandra Palace. Of course I watched it!! And it was the first time Nick publicly played the new song, “Euthanasia.”

That song meant a lot to me. So, this morning, as I was reliving all of that, I realized that Nick Cave was a big part of my own 60th birthday, too!

So, here’s this! From 2020.

“Euthanasia” – IDIOT PRAYER: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace. Enjoy, gang.

Here in the Hinterlands, when cats go bowling, you know it’s a good day!!

August 13, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Even though it’s really cloudy here today, it’s not supposed to rain. And it is a really mild and quiet morning around here.

Just so peaceful.

We’ll see how long that lasts but I’m feeling pretty good about it.

And I got a lot done yesterday. It was really productive.

Although during the night, I got some disturbing news from my girlfriend who took me to Sunday Mass at the Children of Mary convent the other day.

The Vatican apparently has told the Sisters to disperse and the grounds will be given over to some other Order to help in the work of God blah blah blah…

So fucking sad. I have no idea what really happened there (the announcements on their website don’t give out any real information), but those Sisters built that beautiful place in the woods over the course of 25 years, ~~and now it’s being turned over to greedy land grabbers~~ — Oops! I meant, and now they’re being forced to leave it.

I am so glad I got to at least see it with my own eyes for a few hours.

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Okay.

Well, since I was actually kind of busy yesterday, I don’t have a lot to post about here today.

But I do have this!!!!

The Hollywood Vampires in London last night, singing that awesome Jim Carroll song, “People Who Died” !!!

And it looks like Ronnie Wood joined them onstage — I think they sang “Brown Sugar” but I can’t verify it. (Imelda May was also there, and I believe they sang “Train Kept a-Rollin”):

You can buy tickets here for the Hollywood Vampires Tour of Europe! It resumes on Friday in Cardiff, but I believe that show is sold out.

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And here’s this, just because I love this version so much!! 1956, Johnny Burnette Trio, “The Train Kept a’ Rollin’ “:

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Here’s this!!

Tom Waits smoking with, um, some girl in 1976!!

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Oh, this was nice!!

This is that new bookstore in Old Worthington, Ohio, that let me know recently that they will be carrying my new novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. (Pre-order HERE!)

The store officially opens on September 3rd!

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Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play the Oya Festival in Oslo tonight! (Buy tickets here!)

And here’s another Bad Seed (Jim Sclavunos) having a day off in Oslo yesterday!

And here’s another lovely photo of Nick Cave on the rooftop of the record store in Brighton a couple of weeks ago:

Oh, and here’s Nick Cave in London in August, 1986!

And yesterday, there was not only a Total Solar Eclipse in Europe, it was also Nick Cave’s 27th wedding anniversary!

In honor of those things, he answered the 150,000th letter (!!) to the Red Hand Files! (And while he didn’t reply to all 150,000 letters, he claims to have read all 150,000 of them!)

You can read his lovely reply in full HERE.

Not smoking 27 years ago…well, not smoking cigarettes anyway

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Okay!

And if you’re a short story writer–

Kentucky-based Brown Hound Press announces that submissions open September 1st for Season Two of their Short Story series:

“Are you a writer with a short story? Submissions will open September 1st. We look forward to reading your 1,000-3,000 word story. Polish up your best piece and visit brownhoundpress.com/submit during the month of September.

“As always, we pay our writers and we respond to every submission within two weeks.”

And just FYI, gang, the short stories they published in Season One were really top-notch. They have attracted some great storytellers.

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And that is it for now.

The sun is sort of peeking out a little bit, so I’m gonna take a quick walk over to the bank, then walk over to City Hall and pay my water bill. Then just sort of take in this amazing day ahead of me and see where it goes.

Have a beautiful Thursday, wherever you are in the world, gang.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Oh!

Look what I just found. Let’s close with this!

Ronnie Wood joins the Hollywood Vampires last night in London. It was indeed “Brown Sugar”!! 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

Taking it a moment at a time here

August 10, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Or at least I’m trying to.

Having this jury duty thing hanging over my head for tomorrow has sent me right back into that terrible depression I was struggling with for most of this year before I finally retired from caregiving.

Obviously, I’m hoping that I won’t get assigned to a jury tomorrow and that it will be all over in one day. And even if I do get put on a jury, it’s not like how it was back in NYC, where there were high-profile murder cases that you could get stuck on for months.

Anyway. It’s more of a trigger — this feeling that my time (my life?) isn’t my own.

If I do get put on a jury, I will try to at least post updates to the blog in the evenings.

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Let’s move on to something happier!!

Marlon Richards turns 57 today!!

Keith had a total of 5 children — 2 sons and 3 daughters. But one of his sons with Anita Pallenberg, Tara Jo Jo Gunne, died back in 1976.

Out of all of his children, my guess is that Marlon, his first child, is the most well known, since Marlon famously went through it all with Keith.

Here’s one of my favorite photos of Keith with Marlon:

A more recent photo of them (and Marlon himself recently became a grandfather):

Happy Birthday Marlon Richards!!

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Okay.

Here’s this! The complete tour dates for the Hollywood Vampires (I think the Cardiff show just sold out):

Buy tickets HERE!!

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Yesterday (that lofty day wherein I was NOT depressed) was actually sort of magical.

Regarding yesterday’s choice for the Sealey Challenge— I very suddenly got the impetus to check one of the bookshelves down in my family room for 2 chapbooks I knew I still had of Michael Perkins’ poetry.

Sure enough, I checked and they were still there, however, I was you know, yet again stunned to discover both books are over 20 years old…

And one of them, The Persistence of Desire, still had a handwritten note from Michael stuck to the front of it. The note was written on June 23, 2004. And Michael mentions that he had just spoken to Richard Kasak (!!) and Michael congratulated me that Neptune & Surf had just gotten picked up for a mass market edition by Barney Rosset over at Blue Moon Books!

Crimony! Talk about blast from the absolute past. Richard Kasak had been my primary publisher throughout most of my early career, and had also been my business partner in Marilyn’s Room, Inc. Richard’s been gone now for at least 10 years. And Barney Rosset is of course gone now, too.

And then I thought — uh, oh— and I googled Michael and sure enough, he passed away back in 2022:

“Michael Perkins of Glenford died at Archcare at Ferncliff in Rhinebeck, New York of complications from Parkinson’s Disease on February 10, 2022, at age 79.”

Rhinebeck, of all my favorite places!!

It was just too — I don’t know the right word, it was just a sort of very fragile feeling.

I read the chapbook, I Could Walk All Day, yesterday and will read The Persistence of Desire today. Beautiful poems. (He also wrote amazing erotic fiction, published by Richard Kasak,)

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All right.

From Ross K. Nichols’ Sunday School yesterday–

“According to one Gospel writer, Jesus twice pointed his listeners to the same five words—and on one occasion told them, ‘Go and learn what this means.'”

Jesus Said To Learn These Five Words (49 mins):

(HINT: “lovingkindness” is one of the words!)

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Moving on to Romania!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds played the Summer Well Festival. Here’s the set list from last night’s show!

Here’s Warren Ellis from before the show! Shiny, indeed!!

And a few photos of Nick Cave! (The show looked like a really intense one.)

Starting on Thursday, August 13th, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds will play Norway, Sweden, and Finland. You can buy tickets here!!

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And now we have a really intense thunderstorm underway here in Crazeysburg.

Even though thunderstorms and high winds usually trigger my PTSD, it seems that, this time, the thunderstorm has actually sort of done the opposite and dispersed my feeling of intense depression. Interesting.

Well, at some point tomorrow I will check in and let you know if I’ll be posting to the blog or not.

Have a great Monday meanwhile, wherever you are in the world, gang.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let us close with this today!!

Jesus. When was the last time you heard THIS song??!!

Well, I heard it while making the bed this morning and listening to the Oldies FM Radio Station on my retro boombox!!

This song was a huge hit back when I was working at the General Electric factory. I was 19, and back in Ohio, living in a rooming house, after having lived briefly out in Ukiah, California… and dreaming of moving to NYC!

The Knack, “My Sharona”, from the album Get the Knack,1979!! Enjoy, gang.

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!

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

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.

Sorry I’m Late!

August 7, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Wow, gang.

Just another one of those things that make me insane–

When I awoke this morning, I decided to register over on fiverr again — as a private writing/editing coach.

Many years ago, when it first got started, signing up was easy and everything was sort of immediate and personal.

I could put up an add that I was a writing coach and I listed my contact info — and then I got some students that I really enjoyed.

It was so simple.

Now it’s like you’re applying to be an astronaut. It has taken 3 hours so far– and now I’m waiting to get my tax paperwork approved. That could take a couple more days…

It doesn’t actually matter because it’s not like there’s any hurry or anything — especially since I might be on jury duty next week. I just suddenly thought it would be a cool idea to be back on fiverr. I enjoy helping other writers.

Anyway.

Things on the web that used to be easy and much more person-friendly are now few and far between. (And within a nanosecond, they want you on their phone app instead…)

(And don’t even get me started on the constantly swirling shark-infested waters that now pass for the endlessly, endlessly, endlessly updating “LinkedIn”… Jesus, you know? When do people find time to just write?)

All I can say, really, is that I’m glad I became a professional writer back when it was actually really fun. And full of people and community and in-person meetings.

I don’t know how new writers can even stand it these days. But I am an old-timer now. What can I say??

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Okay!

That aside!

Guess what I discovered about my brand new and super-fast Honda Accord yesterday, gang????

I will try to set this up so that you can feel the joy the way I felt it!

ME (on the highway heading home and going about 20 miles over the speed limit): “Jeez. This new car is so fast! I better slow down.”

MY HONDA ACCORD (woman’s voice suddenly filling my car): “Police reporting up ahead.”

Holy shit, gang! That’s, like, not legal, right??

But I went down to the the speed limit, pronto, and sure enough — up ahead on the left, a black & yellow Sherriff’s car was sitting there, waiting for speeders!!

Wow! I love my fucking new car!!!

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On the “read a poetry book a day” front —

I decided that today, I am going to read a slender, amazing book that I haven’t read in years. It was written by my favorite poet — Frank O’Hara — whose poetry I “discovered” when I was 15 and I absolutely fell in love with him.

By then, he’d been dead for almost 10 years.

But this particular book — which was already legendary — I didn’t find until 1984, when I was already living in NYC (not far from Frank’s old apartment, and I was working where he had worked: the Museum of Modern Art!):

I am really looking forward to reading it. To see how I am going to react to all his wonderful words, and all the fantastic NYC imagery, all these decades later.

I’m guessing it will be a little bittersweet.

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Okay.

Not much in the “here’s this” department, since I spent all those HOURS on fiverr this morning…

But here’s this!

And I’ve posted it here before, but I love this photo of Keith:

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Okay.

If you go to the UK side of the Nick Cave store — you can pre-order some of the Brighton Beach homecoming merch! But it is only on the UK side of the store.

And Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Belgrade, Serbia tonight! If it’s not too late, you can still buy tickets here!!

Then they’re off to Romania!!

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And honestly, that’s actually it for now. I gotta scoot! And a terrific thunderstorm is now filling the skies across the Hinterlands so I want to go down to the kitchen porch and check on a couple of those cats!!

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s scoot outta here with this–

Live in Paris, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “God Is In The House”. 2007. Enjoy, gang.