SWEET DANGO

DUDE #1062 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. A note before we begin: the nom d’blog has changed from “Widnin Elkadi” to “Bulbul Yuvasi” – another Middle Eastern dessert. But I like the name better – it’s friendlier. The Frisco Arena remains the name of this sequence of postings, and I don’t see that changing until maybe next year.

2. Now…”bulbul yuvasi”…comes up in a Dogpile search. See http://www.estarcion.com/gastronome/archives/001753.html - which mentions the Gyro King, on Grove, across from a library entrance. Recommend the place – go to http://www.yelp.com/biz/9MrYrNitwRtN5thw6vJwAg for a nice write-up.

3. Now back to the usual: speaking of mentioning, I think Fiona Horne deserves your eyeball time. Here’s a write-up about her book dealing specifically with sex stuff: http://www.amazon.com/Magickal-Sex-Witches-Guide-Broomsticks/dp/0007141335?tag=dogpile-20. In a book by her specifically about witchcraft in general, she discusses the importance of crystals. Never been into ‘em really myself. A woman I lived with for a year was into ‘em a bit. Learned in the Horne that a diamond is in fact a crystal. And forever as well.

4. Find it funny in a nice way that Fiona uses exclamation points a lot in her witchcraft book! Kind of an adolescent trait. Tho’ Tom Wolfe, back beginning in the Sixties, used ‘em a lot in his form of “the New Journalism”. Myself, can cultivate my fifteen-year-old self, so I could see using the punctuation mark sometimes.

5. Mad Mad House, the Science Fiction Channel’s series – Fiona was in it. Missed that entirely. But here’s an interview with her from that time: http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/2004/fhorne2.26.html. (I believe raw food guru David Wolfe was also a tenant in that reality series dwelling when Fiona was on also. He’s worth thinking about and getting information from about happiness and health through dietary means.)

6. Oh, here’s a site with tasteful photos of Fiona Horne “skyclad”, as the witchy term has it: http://buck1690.com/horne/.

7. And a title for something: Future Lovers. Got that from Fiona’s witchcraft book – she says the skill to see these can be cultivated.

DUDE #1062 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

8. And, something different: a good friend of mine says he’s continuing to take flax seed oil caps, which I recommended. I consider this something of a victory, ‘cause I sometimes think he really feels I’m too off-the-wall and not realistic enough for my own good. Guess he’s right at least to some extent.

9. Then, personal detail: was on my way the other day to see a friend at another Tenderloin hotel. Took me a decision to not take my bicycle. And…on the way on foot, ran into a neighborhood guy – always has his black leather jacket on, and very often has his black dog. Chatted with the dude a bit – he said he was gonna take his critter to the beach, and I thought that was sweet of him to treat his dog that way.

10. I wondered about getting the beast onto the bus, and the dude pulled out a muzzle. The dog’s not one of those “comfort animals”, whatever they’re called, which can be taken on public transit and into buildings, but with a muzzle that’s OK. Figured the dog would have a great time out at the shore.

11. And then noted posters for the new Ken Burns series on World War II. Friend K.’s taping ‘em, really getting into ‘em. And poster for current hot singer KT Tunstall, for her Drastic Fantastic album. Read about her in Rolling Stone. Scottish, I think.

12. And poster for new horror flick 30 Days of Night. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_Days_of_Night. Based on a graphic novel, set in Alaska, vampires – who’ve moved up that far north to escape the sun. And also, poster for The Kingdom, with Jennifer Garner and some guy. Iraq-themed flick, I think. Really have liked Garner’s work, on both the small screen, in Alias, and the big. She’s a Hollywood mommy now.

13. And passed the Shooting Gallery art venue – see http://shootinggallerysf.com/. Closed when I passed – there was a painting of a robot in the pose of Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker. And…and…two or three more things to end this posting…”Joker Man”, the Dylan song, will be the first featured song for a Starbucks wireless iTunes giveaway. That’s one I can thumb up to – haven’t heard it in years – Eighties Dylan, I think. And…read in The Examiner celebrity page about the “natural, innate communicability” of Jessica Alba, evidenced in her great sense of humor, says some guy she acted with. Like that observation enough to pass it along.

posted by Velcro # 12:13 PM

Saturday, September 29, 2007

DUDE #1061 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. More from Widnin Elkadi’s The Frisco Arena: my manic Christian friend, J. - I took a few copies of his statement related to his run for the White House to distribute, to humor him, frankly. Not sure about his pattern, don’t know him that well – maybe he’ll be all jazzed for a while, then settle down. Left the copies in the hotel lobby – they’ve since vanished. Maybe the management didn’t care for it. Didn’t accept a call from him the other day. Guess he’s harmless, but I don’t wanna play Sancho Panza to his Don Quixote, if that’s the way it is. I can appreciate his impulse to the good, to charity, but I’m not convinced of the validity of his execution.

2. And glad that the halal Middle Eastern market near the hotel I’m in has reopened. The other day bought bulk couscous and a jar of tasty prepared eggplant. The Tenderloin doesn’t have many places where bulk foods can be purchased. Fifty cents of couscous is plenty for a single serving.

3. The guy I’ve seen at the counter of the halal place says he’s Berber. Here’s a link to info about that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berber_people. Indigenous to North Africa. But it looks like he’s got no little European in him. Like the guy, nice vibe. Not fluent in English, but he’s trying well. And has an expensive Sony laptop to keep him company during the day. (Berber…any linguistic link to “barbarian”? And thought of possible humor in the phrase “Berber barber”…)

4. And…Doc Savage, the pulp fiction character, authored by Kenneth Robeson – which was the pen name of one Lester Dent. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_Savage for probably more than you wanna know about the literary character from the Thirties and Forties. Picked up on him as a teenager, in the paperback reissues with the incredible James Bama covers – sample of that at the Wikipedia site. A friend says during a recent little time out of town he read one of the novels. I have fiction ambitions myself and could see about getting into that massive output mode that typifies Doc Savage – a whole novel a month, I think. Doesn’t have to be the prettiest of prose, just fun to write and to read.

5. And am today on the seventh day of my “Operation Fingernails” health (and beauty – I’m vain enough) plan. “Fingernails” ‘cause I want, by the end of the time period, which will coincide with the end of two-thousand-seven, to have stronger ones, due to the daily consumption of two-point-five

DUDE #1061 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

milligrams of biotin. Plus a general improvement in my diet – have been taking in a lot of seaweed, tofu, spinach, beans.

6. And…no beer drinking for nearly two weeks. For sure this has improved my body’s look – was a bit bloated from too much suds. Am lately sleeping naked, and walking around – alone – in my hotel without clothes. Never been one to be all that comfortable without a stitch on, but am working on that. Frankly, I think most people need to stay covered.

7. And…skipping around, as usual…read in the paper an article about being single in San Francisco. Line that I noted, that it’s a good city for being single and staying that way, which is a doubled-edged sword of a blessing.

8. And back to friend J. – he said he was prescribed a psychiatric pill that he’s been okay with. Depakote, I think it is. See http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/dival.htm for details. Well, my man was okay with taking the dose he’d been previously prescribed, but now his doc wants to up the dosage, and that’s not fine with the man. Reminded me of a book called Potatoes Not Prozac – a dietary approach to mental health. Go to http://www.radiantrecovery.com/ for something about this.

9. And more about J. – he told me he planned to sell his worldly belongings. I was talking about this to another friend and he wondered why he didn’t just give it all away. Asked J. about this, and he said he would take the money and help the poor. And specifically, the poor in the Tenderloin. Well…from my experience, those in this ‘hood he wants to help will only keep taking and taking and not necessarily improve their lot in life.

10. And continuing a study of witchcraft through a Fiona Horne book. Concept of “handfasting” mentioned. See http://www.handfasting.info/. Read that Jim Morrison and one of his women – the witchy one, not junkie Pam Courson – did this. Seems like a good way to go, a pagan way – “pagan” meaning, I believe, “of the country”.

11. And finally this time…met with friend N. for the first time in a while. Was gonna give him Doobie Brothers and Bad Company tapes, but decided to keep ‘em for myself. But I did give him a compilation of songs I’d made especially for him many months ago…

posted by Velcro # 1:49 PM

DUDE #1060 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Back to The Frisco Arena, by Widnin Elkadi: left in a very Christian friend’s van a copy of the Upanishads, the Hindu ancient text. Subsequently, he found it, and said he’d never read it. Sounded, in fact, like it’d be the most ludicrous thing he’d ever done if he even touched it. A confirmed Jesus follower, a Nazarene. And that’s too bad, that he can’t extend himself, religion-wise. Personally, my “religion” is, if I had to label it, “Bohemianism”. Here’s the Website where I picked up on this idea: http://www.theologies.org/bohemianism.html. And even that’s just a handy set of words,

2. I direct your attention to http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Play-On-Love-lyrics-Jefferson-Starship/5B743AE48F53291748256935001FB009 for the lyrics to Jefferson Starship’s “Play On Love”, specifically the “that’s only one set of words” line, related to the Bible, the Upanishads, all that.

3. And back to a recent nice interlude with a good friend at the Peet’s coffee venue, street level, in Embarcadero Center #2. But before that, wanna link you to a site of the Moment’s Muse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winona_Ryder. Was gonna put a photograph here but there’s an interesting tidbit that caught my eye: it says there’s a book of conversations with Woody Allen in which he relates that he wanted to make a movie with Winona and Robert Downey, Jr., this seven years ago, but for some reason couldn’t get them insured. He was very disappointed with this, ‘cause he’d worked with her on Celebrity, enjoyed that, and thought she’d be perfect in his flick, Melinda and Melinda.

4. Anyway…back to me and my friend at the coffee venue: didn’t note many details of what we talked about. The usual – movies, pop culture. Mentioned that I liked Ghost World, and he discussed the comic book, which I hadn’t read. Specifically, he said the movie version clued him in to something about the comic book that he hadn’t picked up on.

5. Another thing we discussed, that Winona Ryder has never, he thought, really carried a movie – she’s always up to now been a supporting player. Even tho’ she was, back in the late Eighties and early Nineties, considered “the finest actress of her generation”.

6. And here’s the Winona Ryder News Channel site, with the official poster

DUDE #1060 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

for her upcoming Sex and Death 101: http://winona-ryder-news-channel.org/. Hmmm, showing a lotta flesh. Maybe she’s going for that now, a more sexy thing. She’s famous for not doing much skin, no breasts bared. Perhaps that’d be a path for her now. Guess I’d like to see her do something more overtly sexual – she could be at the right time in her life and career to pull that off, so to speak.

7. And then, walked my friend over to the Muni tube station, then on my own again. Noted flyers up for an “Iraq Moratorium”. It recommended not buying gasoline, among many other things. Yeah, tell me about it. Been doing that for years and years and years. Same with this current green eco-jazz that’s being picked up on – have been that way for my entire life, big time. Maybe it’s not too late to not entirely ruin the planet, “people”. Duh…

8. And noted a Financial District newsstand with magazines displayed on the street. Glanced over ‘em. The British edition of Vogue caught me eye. Used to work in a bookstore years ago and one of the women there ordered for the magazine section, and was really big on U.K. royalty and made it a special point to get editions from England.

9. And waited on Market for a free ride west, and secured that, through a back door. But did the somewhat chivalrous thing and held the door open for others to board first. I’m an Odd Fellow, a member of the lodge at 26 7th Street Market, and chivalry is part of being a member. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalry for the Wikipedia entry about this ideal of behavior.

10. So was back in my ‘hood. Wanted to get to a local computer center to get in some time online. And noted that I should get into some study of the history of the Tenderloin. A good place for anyone to start is Mark Ellinger’s very excellent San Francisco Hotel Project at http://www.upfromthedeep.blogspot.com/. I’ve begun going over this fine work closely, and sending the man comments, which he welcomes. As far as the buildings, the classic structures, of the neighborhood go, this is about as good as it gets. A real labor of love, and one I’m learning a lot from.

11. And that’s all, folks, for now. Can get to another computer early this Saturday afternoon, so will be posting again then…

posted by Velcro # 10:13 AM

Friday, September 28, 2007

DUDE #1059 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Returning to the Frisco Arena: have changed my pseudonym from “Dude Manbro” to “Widnin Elkadi”. About time for a change. Tho’ I do like Dude Manbro as a name a lot. Dogpiled on the new name – nothing comes up. Went to Google – didn’t want to do that, but it at least brought up a page in French. It’s a Tunisian dessert – there’s a new café with that cuisine near the hotel. Haven’t been, but have looked at the posted menu.

2. Anyway…in terms of the Moment’s Muse, how about this: http://winona-ryder-news-channel.org/. And in terms of sites devoted to a superstar, this one is very well-maintained, very up-to-date. Sex and Death 101 is yet another flick I’d seriously think about actually going to a theatre to see – at bargain matinee prices, of course. See http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002612303 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_and_Death_101 for more.

3. And…thinking of Chintzy as the title of a work of fiction. Still am getting my head around that type of writing. See http://www.answers.com/topic/chintzy for definitions, which include “stingy” and “miserly”. The word occurred to me when I was at the Soma Inn Café today, waiting for Road Rage, the bicycle shop across the street, to open. (See http://www.somainncafesf.com/ for the café – I like the place much.)

4. Well, “chintzy” occurred to me ‘cause I had a buck-75 cup of coffee, and was considering what to tip the lady who served it. Left a dollar in paper, telling myself, well, I didn’t wanna be chintzy.

5. And something else I noted down to myself to study when I got to a computer and the Internet: the architect of the Embarcadero Center, dude named Portman. . Here’s a good link to stuff about that structure: http://www.portmanusa.com/mixed_use/m_embarcadero.html.

6. Was at the E.C. ‘cause a friend was in the area on some errand and called me when he was done. He picked the Peet’s there on the street level as a meeting place. Had brought him a bag of books, including The Beat Reader (a collection of selections of Beat Era writers), Mirrorshades (a collection of short stories by “cyberpunk” writers – including the first published story by

DUDE #1059 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

William Gibson), a collection of erotica, and a volume called The New
Journalism, featuring articles from Sixties non-fiction greats, edited by Tom Wolfe. My friend accepted them all but for the large erotica one – he dismissed it for some reason. I know he’s had in the past, at least, something of a taste for filmed porn, but I guess the interest doesn’t extend to print.

7. And my friend treated me to a cup of coffee. Went in and added soy milk, and honey, and took myself maybe two dozen packets of turbinado sugar for later. I’ve been eschewing sugar for a while now, and am a tea drinker, a yerba mate tea drinker, not into coffee, but I’ll have the very occasional cup.

8. And so we sat and had our usual kind of fun, fine conversation. At one point really needed to use a bathroom – had prior to the meeting my usual first-thing-in-the-morning glasses of tea – and went in search. Needed entry codes from security guards to get in to an E.C. one, tho’.

9. So went across the street to a restaurant – asked the bartender very nicely for permission to use their facilities, and was granted that. Wanna mention the place because of this kindness: the Royal Exchange. See http://royalexchange.com/ - I recommend this place. Had really only one thing on my mind when just there, but it looks like a classic Frisco joint – says it’s been there since ’72, 1972, so that’s pretty classical, right?

10. Got to the facilities and did my thing. Standing there, sound from a duct in the ceiling. Really couldn’t tell if it was ventilation noise or music – frankly, was thinking it was the former. Then a deejay comes on and names the tune. Geez, not pop rock, that’s for sure. But I guess that’s the point, making it sound like ventilation noise. College station, probably.

11. And back to Peet’s and my friend, our street level conversation. Got a call around them from J., a guy who used to live in the hotel I’m in. Hadn’t heard from him in a while. Good dude, very into music, and electronic things, repairing them. Wanted to see me the next day, so made a plan for that. He’s had serious involvement with the injection of white powder – he’s working on that, N.A.-style. And also got a call then from another guy I’d not heard from in a while, discussed in a posting a few ago – has manic episodes, and was in one to such an extent that he was calling from a holding facility in Redwood City, his mania having landed him under lock and key…

posted by Velcro # 3:11 PM

Thursday, September 27, 2007

DUDE #1058 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. The Frisco Arena, back to it: found a pair of jeans on the street the other day, picked ‘em up, washed ‘em, dried ‘em, wore ‘em right then and there. Not the worst I’ve ever found.

2. And on the way to the laundromat to dry those duds, there’s a guy with hands on knees, bent over, vomiting into the gutter. Near the Brown Jug corner saloon, so I imagine that was where he was just before this. Really coulda done without seeing this, and was feeling like spewing myself slightly afterwards, until the image passed.

3. And had on me two books I was returning to the library: Magic, Rhetoric and Literacy by one William A. Covino. See http://kairosnews.org/rhetoric-requires-magic for a site mentioning it. Found it just a tad too scholarly, but there’s a lot of interesting material in it.

4. And the other one, much more pop cultural, Led Zeppelin Crashed Here, by Chris Epting. See a review at http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/4592/review/book/chris_epting. Features photos and text about specific rock and roll sites, where bands stayed or played, stuff like that. Really fun, don’t have to think too much. Unlike with Covino’s book about magic and rhetoric and literacy.

5. And later that day, got a call from friend J.T., who wants to run for the Presidency. Said he’d be in my neighborhood in a few minutes, so I figured I’d pass some time with the dude. Fortunately, another friend called just afterwards, one I preferred seeing, and that was a good thing, as I’ll explain.

6. So J.T. has rolled up outside the hotel in his SUV, and I get in. He’s printed out thousands of his campaign statement and is distributing them to just about anyone he sees. He’s got music on his vehicle’s sound system – sounds like regular pop rock but I catch “power of Christ” lyrics, and realize it’s Christian music. J.T.’s very into his religion, into Christ, God, all that, big time.

7. Well, I’ve already called J.T. to tell him that another friend was in the area and I was planning to see him instead, down at the Embarcadero Center, so he offers to give me a ride, which I accept. Had a bag o’ books with me to give to my other friend, plus three-quarters of a ganja brownie I’d bought at the Summer of Love 40th anniversary concert and had saved for him.

8. I wanted to get moving, but J.T.’s totally all into passing out his flyers. Precious little political content in it – it’s mostly his avowal of faith and love in Christ and God, and his desire to be their servant and wield the power of the White House to serve their higher power.

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9. Me, I’m going along with this well enough, but frankly, I have a pretty high tolerance for off-the-wall behavior. So I’m sitting there waiting to get going, and J.T.’s out of his van, across the street, giving out flyers – there was R., another off-the-wall dude, who’s got a major thing for a woman in the hotel I’m in, tho’ he’s been 86’d and can’t see her. He for a while was calling me asking to contact her, get her to call him on my cell phone. The Tenderloin’s not a hotbed of mental health.

10. So we finally get rolling east to the E.C. I’m picking up on J.T.’s mania – that’s his condition. I think he’s a true case, and that day I’m seeing him in full-blown action. Music on his expensive sound system, I was tuning that in. Sounded like Avril Lavigne, or Alanis Morissette, Avril’s idol, but since J.T.’s so into the Christian message I thought it was just some woman sounding like either of those two in order to capture some of the secular market. I mention this to J.T. and he tells me that, no, there’s some Avril or Alanis on there. But do either of ‘em use “dear God” in their lyrics? I remained somewhat unconvinced.

11. So on east we head, detouring for left turns that can’t be made. At one point we’re heading south, definitely not in the direction of the Embarcadero Center, and I’m beginning to worry, since I, frankly, don’t know J.T. all that well, and maybe there’s a dangerous side to his mania that I hadn’t yet seen. Was preparing to open the van’s door and get myself out, even in a moving vehicle, if it came to him zooming to a freeway entrance with me still on board, an unwilling passenger.

12. Oh, had for some reason I can’t entirely explain left a paperback copy of the Upanishads, the ancient Hindu religious text, in J.T.’s vehicle. He hadn’t seen me leaving it. Felt, I guess, that he needed a little balance for the heavy duty Christianity he’s espousing, even if he probably wouldn’t take to atman and Brahman and all that.

13. Well, continued in conversation with J.T., grateful he was indeed heading to where I wanted to meet my friend. Part of his mania – and I’m gonna call it that – is spending a lot of money. He’s got some source, and I’ve seen him being pretty darn free with it. Was surprised that he said he’d spent fourteen-thousand dollars on Kentucky Fried Chicken and donuts to feed Tenderloin folks a few months back. That’s a whole lotta drumsticks! See http://bipolar.about.com/cs/mania/ht/bl-ht-mania.htm for a discussion of what a “manic episode” is.

14. Anyway, got over to the E.C. and got out, tho’ not before J.T. stopped a few times to hand out his religion-heavy political statement. One guy told J.T. that if he instituted martial law, he’d got his vote – but J.T. didn’t like that, figuring it was too violent. His thing is Christian love. Well, was really feeling like Sancho Panza to his delusional Don Quixote. Said he was on his way to a psychiatric doctor appointment. Good place for him. Was glad to be heading to meet a sane friend, geez…

posted by Velcro # 3:24 PM

DUDE #1057 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Returning to the Frisco Arena: biotin megadosing is on my agenda for the next ninety-five days. See http://www.liferesearchuniversal.com/megadosing.html for something about taking larger-than-normal doses of vitamins. Says, in particular for biotin, that it’s good for infants with eczema and for some on dialysis. Not my complaint – the strength of my fingernails is the issue here. So, by the end of my hundred day plan, am thinking my nails (and hair – the nutrient’s also said to be good for that) should be in better shape than presently.

2. Found out about this biotin information in Prevention magazine – someone had left two copies in the hotel I’m in. The publication’s directed at women of a certain age, but I found quite a few tips of value. Anyway, biotin megadosing research was conducted by some Columbia dermatology professor. And it said that veterinarians have used it on horses, to strengthen their hooves. And…it’s suggested that if no improvements are seen after three months, that’s a good time to discontinue use.

3. And in other nutritional news…Prevention also had a little article about the importance of eating foods of different colors – the green vegetables, and oranges, blueberries, and so forth. Knew this already, but am applying the rule more stringently, in the interests of maintaining and improving my current state of health of mind and body. By the new year I should be experiencing a distinct improvement.

4. And continuing to listen over and and over to William Gibson’s early Eighties science fiction novel Neuromancer. Have it abridged on cassette – the unabridged version would be preferred, but it’s not that easy to come by; the S.F. library system doesn’t have it, nor does the entire California system I can link to. Might have to inquire out-of-state. Go to http://project.cyberpunk.ru/idb/neuromancer_movie.html for a link about the upcoming movie based on the book.

5. And, back to nutrition: there’s a substance called MSM that’s recommended by raw food guru David Wolfe. Had some a while back – woman I used to live with got into it a bit. See http://www.naturodoc.com/library/medsmats/msm/MSM_benefits.htm for something about it. Available at Rainbow Grocery. Also, go to http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/Raw_Food.htm for info about the raw food diet.

6. And…skipping around, as this usually does…there’s Ashley Judd. I admit I have the Actress on the Mind Syndrome. Not sure if I’d say I suffer from it, tho’. I think she’s interesting and all that and has done good work. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF8Khk3xVuM for Jerry Garcia’s “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” video, featuring Ashley from, I think, the late Eighties, I believe. Not sure about this connection with Garcia, why that is. Harvey Keitel also in there.

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7. And in personal news…in the hotel lobby not long ago, and there’s maintenance man T., and his two little girls. It was fun watching them, listening to their hijinks, unspoiled. Unlike so many people I know these days, geez – the, frankly, social detritus inhabiting the Tenderloin. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detritus for a definition of that word – “non-living particulate organic material”. Yeah, ‘bout sums it up, geez. I’m in that world, but not entirely of it, no.)

8. And got to front desk man W. a copy of the current Red Vic movie schedule, which was just beginning this end of September and will be running into October. Never been to that particular Haight Street cinema venue myself, tho’ W. says he has many times. And don’t intend to start, tho’ a few of the offerings looked pretty good, such as the Monterey Pop and Wattstax concert flicks, two Werner Herzogs. Hmmm, that might just be it for my interests upcoming there. See http://www.redvicmoviehouse.com/oct07index.php for the listings.

9. And speaking of Tenderloin kids, I don’t care for those big, heavy backpacks they’re lugging around. Must they have those? I mean, maybe for older children, but the elementary grade ones? What’s up with that? The weight could be positively harmful! Didn’t have to lug all that around myself when their age.

10. And in front of the hotel, got to chatting with D., a musician who lives on my floor. Having serious problems with the management for some reason I’m not too clear on. Was heading to 400 McAllister just then, the legal building there, for court proceedings. He’s got some cutthroat lawyer in his corner and is out for blood, sounds like. Personally, am quite okay with who runs the building. But I like this guy well enough. Not taking sides.

11. And…friend K. recently sent me the link to a classical poetry Website of some sort. Type in a name and information comes up – looked into William Butler Yeats briefly. Got almost entirely non-fiction out now from the library, nothing really poetical. Saw once, at the Goldwasser rare books dealership on Geary, an expensive volume of Yeats that I wanted. Here’s the link to the store’s site: http://www.goldwasserbooks.com. Only thing that comes up under the dude is some volume selling for eight-and-a-half grand. Not one I’d want at any price.

12. And…back to Actress on the Mind Syndrome. Not reading The Examiner freebie much these days, but one recent day looked at it. Main news of importance to me, that the new Milla Jovovich Resident evil flick was in first place at the box office. Rented her Ultraviolet through Comcast when I had cable. That one was okay enough, tho’ too much like a video game. Targetting a major portion of her audience, teenage boys. (Am sorta cultivating my fifteen-year-old self a bit, so I can get into Milla. She’s got great martial arts moves – really been practicing…)

posted by Velcro # 2:06 PM

DUDE #1056 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. More of the usual: today’s the fifth day of my focused hundred-day happiness and health plan. Part of it’s doing an amount of brewer’s yeast every day. Will be ingesting other specific powerful nutrients. (Easy to figure out percentages using the hundred system. The fifth day? Well, that’s five percent of the planned time. Tho’ the other day overheard someone critical of the decimal system. Inches and pounds and whatever are part of an archaic valuation system that could, should be studied. See, for example, http://all-ez.com/newview1.htm for John Michell, the “megalithic yard”, all that, a good place to begin…

2. And Brion Gysin. Continued to pay close attention to the John Geiger biography. Have selected certain lines and longer passages to concentrate on. Will soon buy a little tape recorder – 25 bucks at Walgreen’s – speaking of “archaic” in the Digital Age – and recite the lines into it for further reinforcement. And should look into inter-library transfers of other Gysin material, ‘cause I’ve about exhausted what the S.F. Public has readily on hand. That’s just in California – a friend informed me of a nationwide book transfer system that can be tapped into. He just got a book from the Library of Congress, in D.C.

3. And: “Widdershins”. A pagan, witchy concept. I believe it means “counterclockwise”. Heard it said on the radio the other day, and made me think of Fiona Horne, of the witchcraft book by her I’m reading, ‘cause that word’s in her glossary. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft for a discussion of what witchcraft is. I’m specifically, lately, into sex magic – am desiring the presence of a woman, an appropriate woman, in my bed, or me in the bed of such a one.)

4. And was trying to figure out just who it was who was talking on the radio show where widdershins was mentioned. Thought it might be author Neil Gaiman – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman - but it was someone else. Colin Wilson’s named dropped, and that’s good, got me continuing to listen. See http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jbmorgan/cwintro.html for something about the dude. Mention made of Wilson’s idea of “absurd good news.”

5. And Colin Wilson also mentioned in Robert Anton Wilson’s Cosmic Trigger – bought a copy of the paperback recently at the fantastic Adobe

DUDE #1056 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

Bookstore there on 16th Street near Valencia. See http://www.rawilson.com/trigger1.html for material about that book, at Wilson’s own site. (Heard the man just passed away not long ago, earlier this year. Very influential, he’s been, to my way of thinking, such as it is. Tho’ I’m more of an intuitive.)

6. And…got a call from friend J.T. the other day after many months of not hearing from the dude. Well, he tells me he’s running for the Presidency, needs ten thousand signatures to get on the ballot, all that. And has a fourth child on the way. He lives on the coast south of San Francisco with his wife and other kids…said he was gonna be in The City the next day, and said I’d see him. More on this later…

7. And…peanut butter. Bought a jar cheap on the street not long ago. Has partially hydrogenated rapeseed oil in it – it’s not the organic kind Rainbow stocks – but the price was right. A good food to eat, something I need to ingest. That goes for all kinds of nuts, and seeds.

8. And continuing in the mornings to listen to a Brandenburg Concerto tape I bought on the street for a dollar, first thing into my ears. Twenty minutes a side. Maybe later get into some Mozart.

9. And there’s Rescue Remedy – saw an ad for this stuff recently. Think it’s something I should get. See http://www.rescueremedy.com/. Available at Walgreens, unusual product that’s made inroads into mainstream America.

10. And…found two copies of Prevention magazine in the hotel recently, and picked up some good information. For example, neuroscience says that buying lottery tickets, even without subsequently winning, has a very positive effect on one’s brain and overall well-being. Just the possibility that one will win is enough to provide some elevation. Told my Odd Fellow brother P. this, ‘cause he had me buy five Super Lotto Quick Pick numbers the other day. Turns out it was for someone else, but turned him on to this bit of info anyway. And, and…back to peanut butter to end this posting.
Read in Prevention that the protein in it makes you feel full, so overeating can be avoided. The oil, too, helps with that – and it’s one of the “good oils”, too, not the delinquent kind that’s anti-social and causes trouble to itself and others…

posted by Velcro # 10:08 AM

DUDE #1055 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Back to the usual…decision made the other day, buy six eggs for a buck and a quarter, along with a quarter Top Ramen. Kinduv a lot of poultry ovum, but it’s cheap and somewhat nutritious. Tho’ I don’t feel great about the treatment of chickens in factory farms. Their beaks are cut off, for one thing, so they won’t peck each other to death due to unhappiness at their extremely tight living quarters. Even Rainbow Grocery, a paragon of dietary correctness, sells eggs from debeaked chickens. But at least they have apologetic signs up. Here’s a site to look at about the cruel process: http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/egg-debeaking.html.

2. And one of the best works of art seen recently, a Sixties photograph of Jimi Hendrix performing, pointing his non-plastic finger at the photographer. This at the San Francisco Art Exchange, Geary near Powell. I’d call it “The Pointing Jimi”. (That finger…in one song the dude says something about some people, maybe “Mr. Businessman”, pointing his “plastic finger”.)

3. Geez, now that gets me wondering. What Hendrix song does that finger line come from? Easy enough through Dogpile.com – see http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jimi_hendrix.html for a whole collection of quotes from the dude. Doesn’t say what song it’s from…it’s a spoken rap (is that redundant?) interlude in a tune.

4. Okay, heck, it’s from “If 6 Was 9”.

5. And something else…there’s a book, I think, that has Terry Southern captions, a book of photographs. Never seen it – would be interesting to see what the man did in that short form. Didn’t find the exact reference in a quick Dogpile search. But see http://www.lowculture.com/archives/2003/10/terry_southern.html for something about him that looks interesting.

6. And: Stranger Lands, title for something. Still continuing to back burner the fiction thing, and that’d be an okay title. “Stranger” could be a noun or an adjective. Tho’ the word’s been somewhat taken over by that Heinlein novel. (That’s available at the library, but am skipping it. Not a fan.)

7. And…Robert Graves. Reminded of him ‘cause a photo of the dude with a cat appears in Among the Bohemians by Virginia Nicholson. See a review at

DUDE #1055 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,840085,00.html. About
Boho behavior in Britain for decades prior to World War II. I know Graves mainly for The White Goddess. Here’s the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Graves. Also, there are collections of his letters I’m aware of. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Goddess for stuff specifically about his counterculturally-popular Goddess book.

8. And picked up a nicely-printed full color Art Exchange ad for their current show about the last years of the Sixties, mainly to get to a friend who (whom?) I saw not long thereafter for coffee down at the Peet’s at the Embarcadero Center. Gonna get to this show again – worth your attention. And your money, if you can spend two thousand and counting for a black and white photo of Janis Joplin at a payphone.

9. And…entering the hotel the other day, front desk man V., looking a little glum. Hard working fellow. Always good to see him. Major change in his life lately, the cutting off of his long braid. Didn’t like that change myself – I don’t see enough long haired males – but he felt he needed a change. Says he kept it as a souvenir. Like it that he’s a good student of kung fu. And a book buyer – saw him reading a while back Sun Tzu’s martial arts classic The Art of War – V. said he’d actually bought it.

10. Then up to the room with my six eggs and cheap noodles. Reminded of a woman I’d lived with for a year on 16th Street in the Mission, near the Valencia Street intersection, that happening zone, one of the most happeningest in The City. We’d share bowls of garlic soup at one of the restaurants there – eggs were a component in that. (She was and probably still is big on garlic, eating entire cloves raw, in fact. Too much for me.)

11. And around then finished up the early Seventies Malachy McCoy biography of Steve McQueen. Reminded me that the Roman Polanski autobiography has quite a few Bruce Lee anecdotes – McQueen was a student of Bruce’s back then. I think it was in the Polanski where I read that Steve took Bruce out on a harrowing car ride once, and Bruce was completely scared by how seemingly dangerously the dude drove. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski for stuff about the Polish director…photo there of him and the ill-fated Sharon Tate…)

posted by Velcro # 8:41 AM

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

DUDE #1054 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Notes about my recent visit to the great S.F. Art Exchange on Geary – see http://www.sfae.com/, their official site. Well, there’s a show about the years ’67 to ’69 currently there, and here are particulars about particular photos I found caught my eye…

2. By Dale Smith, for two-thousand-and-a-half dollars, a photo of a young girl draped in a U.S. flag. Go to http://www.sfae.com/index.php?action=gallery&status=show_product&ID=1684 for the image.

3. Bob Seideman, next up – Janis Joplin at a pay phone, ’67. Two-point-two thousand. See http://www.sfae.com/index.php?action=gallery&status=show_product&ID=768&PHPSESSID=e167966844d1d18c37 for another Seideman image of the woman.

4. ’67 Pig Pen by Mr. Seideman, two grand plus three hundred. For sure there are some rich Deadheads out there who’d snap this up.

5. And by one Suki Hill, for three hundred short of two grand, a color photo of the Grateful Dead, with Bill Graham standing with ‘em. Here it is: http://www.sfae.com/index.php?action=gallery&status=show_product&ID=1688. Also, there’s http://www.7x7sf.com/people/profiles/8138282.html for an article about Mr. Graham.

6. And another picture at the S.F.A.E.: three grand, South Vietnam, helicopter base, by Tim Page.

7. And about this time chatted a bit with one of the young ladies in attendance, a gallery worker. Asked her which of all the many framed photos she liked the most, and she mentioned a John Lennon, standing, listening to the White Album.

8. I responded that I wasn’t much personally of a Lennon or Beatle fan, not at all, and indicated a Jerry Garcia pic I liked more. She said she also liked Jimi Hendrix ones. I pointed to an unusual one of Jimi on stage pointing to the photographer and said that was a good one. Well, this worker wasn’t too friendly, so I didn’t pursue much more conversation.

DUDE #1054 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

9. And then, outta there, on the way to another nearby gallery I like, the Martin Lawrence. Here’s their site: http://martinlawrence.com/exhibitions_frameset.html. A Dali and Miro and Picasso show continues. Was almost gonna go to the opening, but skipped it. Not really into any of those Spanish masters, when it comes right down to it. Some things like Steve Ditko’s Sixties Marvel Spider-Man, or Gilbert Shelton’s Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers - these are more meaningful to me than, basically, anything by ol’ Pablo.

10. Well, currently at the M.L. site, photo of Andy Warhol – there’s another Martin Lawrence location down near Ghirardelli Square, with an “Andy” show running through the beginning of October. Have, kinda, had my fill of the dude, and wouldn’t make that bicycle ride over thataway to see this.

11. Then, on foot to Borders. Glanced at the new hardbacks and, had I the finances, would’ve bought a Harold Robbins biography, something called The Pirate Queen, about a European monarch of a few hundred years ago, and a Hillary Clinton bio, emphasizing her spiritual side.

12. And…at the Borders, used the customer-use computer to check on what they stocked on William Burroughs. Quite a few hits – and if they didn’t stock it, there were links to sources of copies. Printed out a page for a bibliography of the man.

13. And, want to mention a nifty ten dollar item called a “Book Owl”, a little clip-on light for reading. Would make a good gift – a stocking stuffer. Heck, “the Holidays” are approaching. It’ll be Halloween soon, and so the season begins. (Am into studying a Fiona Horne witchcraft book lately – she says Halloween is considered the beginning of the new year by witches.)

14. And…at a Geary bus stop near Powell, waiting for a free ride back to the Tenderloin. Noted words in stone above the doorway at Three-23 Geary: “ELKAN GUNST”. Well, here’s the story about that: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=003iYP. Tribute to a teenager who died of a football injury. And…failing to catch a bus, began walking. In other Frisco building history, noted an ancient painted sign for itself on the side of Original Joe’s, approaching from the north. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_Joe%27s if you care to...

posted by Velcro # 1:47 PM

DUDE #1053 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Continuing from last time…something I like to do sometimes: get to Borders, Union Square, take the escalator to the second, and sit my butt down in one of the comfy chairs with, oh, the latest issue of Heavy Metal magazine, for instance. Don’t even have to buy anything, no drink from the coffee bar necessary. Tho’ that would be more proper. But propriety’s not absolutely my fixed M.O.

2. Well, was there the other day, restless, and didn’t stay, didn’t sit myself down. The touch of a woman’s lips on mine woulda been the preferred mode of activity, my hand up her skirt, but manifesting that’s not necessarily as easy as pulling a book from the shelves. At least not for me now, just now.

3. Anyway, also on my mind, P.B., a friend I met on the Tenderloin streets. Currently locked up on Bryant, in the care of the S.F. Police. Not sure what the charge is. Was walking up Leavenworth the other day, on the way to Union Square, and thought of him, ‘cause I’d often see his homeless soul there, selling stuff, drinking, seeking the next crack hit or joint puff. Should maybe pay the man a visit. A mutual friend’s back home in Mississippi, or some state like that, and mentioned P.B. – wanted to send us both money, since he’s got a job now teaching elementary school. E-mailed him that I maybe didn’t wanna hold any money for P.B.

4. And this day, walking, basically, to the Borders…passed the Golden Era spiritual veggie restaurant. Here’s their site: http://www.goldeneravegetarian.com/. Was there three or more times with the woman I used to live with. Seaweed soup’s six bucks and a quarter, not including tax. Well, for that amount, can fix my own bland self up some really righteous seaweed soup, with bucks to spare. And with killer amounts of seaweed and tofu and whatever else also. I suspect Golden Era’s seaweed soup is 75% broth featuring a few strands of seaweed. But there’s the idea of getting out and about, “on the town”, if you will.

5. Then heading east on foot – passed the Coast Hotel. Know a guy who lives there, was gonna go in and leave a little message at the front desk, but the situation’s changed – no longer the same front entrance as before, some alteration of management. So skipped that interlude.

6. And much, much liked the new handwritten menu outside the Naan ‘n’

DUDE #1053 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

Curry joint on O’Farrell – see http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/profile/11595383/san_francisco_ca/naan_n_curry.html for words about the place. Truly a work of art, and I don’t utter such a comment lightly. Open 24 hours – one of the four such establishments in the immediate area. And, uh…the menu’s really worth going to see. The colors! The balance!

7. And…am seriously thinking of heading there soon for the two dollar mango lassi, one of my favorite beverages ever. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassi if you aren’t familiar with the drink.

8. And: well, again, that menu is very fantastic – the artistic scribe added different-color highlights to letters to really make ‘em pop, for instance – it’s fantastic, tho’ I did notice a spelling error: “carmalized” – that second “a” should be an “e”. That describing the “gulab jamun” – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulab_jamun for a discussion of that sweet dainty, a staple of the cuisine it emerges from.

9. And then onward east…still mourning the disappearance of the jukebox at the Café Mason, another of the 24-hour joints in that Theater District ‘hood. But the décor’s pretty exquisite in its way, and it’s nice having a destination option at 3am. I’ve gotten myself to the Sparky’s diner there on Church and Market at that hour, but on my bicycle it’s a more arduous cruise – the Café Mason’s just barely uphill from the Tenderloin hotel I’m in, an easy ride.

10. And another 24-hour option in that area, the Pinecrest, a real old school diner, whereas the Café Mason’s pretty…modern? Anyway, a less current décor design pervades the Pinecrest. Here’s a site for it: http://mistersf.com/notorious/index.html?notpinecrest.htm.

11. And, and…that day, a few ago, posted up in several locations, a flyer for the upcoming Exotic Erotic Cow Palace event. Never been…but my friend Gonzo is some kinda regular. Not really my scene. I like one-on-one situations with a woman, not crowds. Well, no less a stellar light than Danny Bonaduce will be there. And, then, wondered if the San Francisco Art Exchange was still open that Sunday afternoon, at nearly 6pm. I guess my favorite art gallery in The City. So directed my steps west on Geary to satisfy my curiosity, and what happened there will begin the next posting…

posted by Velcro # 10:03 AM

DUDE #1052 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Back to the usual, detailing the contents of my mind, if not my character, ha ha ha ha...uh...maybe I’ll spend the last few days of this month at a friend’s house in South City. She’s just back from visiting a ninety-year-old aunt, a former nun, in Iowa. Tho’, I spoze, once a nun, always one. But since I’ve been beer-free for going on two weeks as of this, feeling less the need to get outta The City. The hostess is kind enough to receive me, but it’s true that I benefit more from the visit than she does, I guess. Tho’ I think I provide some good energy when I’m out there.

2. And much enjoyed finishing up an early Seventies Steve McQueen biography by British journalist Malachy McCoy. I’ve seen more than a couple of these Brit non-fiction guys taking on aspects of Hollywood, and well. An outsider perspective.

3. Well, in this McQueen bio...learned that Terry Southern, along with Ring Lardner, Jr., wrote the screenplay for The Cincinnati Kid. Including what McCoy calls “gambling dialogue”. Not seen this early McQueen flick. Edward G. Robinson said to steal the whole thing.

4. Which reminds me of Soylent Green, in which Mr. Robinson also co-stars. Remake time...Soylent Blue?

5. And speaking of biographies, have currently got out from the S.F. Public system the Nigel Goodall one of Winona Ryder. Needs an update to include the last ten years – eventful ones for the fine lady. Lotta stuff online about the woman...go to http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/vh1_all_access/67432/episode_about.jhtml for something.

6. And...friend K. really into a movie mania phase just now, renting plenty through the library. Tho’ he tells me he’s engrossed in the Ken Burns World War II TV series and is taping ‘em all. Called me last night to mention the infamous bombing of a fourteen-hundred-year-old monastery by the Germans. I think this refers to Monte Cassino – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Monte_Cassino for an excrutiatingly-detailed analysis of this.

7. And speaking of K., thought of him when I saw five porn movies on

DUDE #1052 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

cassette selling on the street the other day, a dollar each. Not sure if he’d appreciate them. I’d give ‘em a gander, tho’ I currently don’t have a VCR or a DVD or even Comcast cable. Getting way into straight-up reading, and music, and quite happy with that, without the moving pictures.

8. And, back to the McQueen biography. The author went on for over a page about specific numbers related to the man’s own Solar movie production company. At one point the dude took control of his career, business-wise – which is the smart thing to do, tho’ perhaps really tedious in terms of crunching numbers. Had a bit of a thing against the studios, did Steve.

9. And...switching around, as I usually do. It was unusual that I got completely through John Geiger’s biography of Brion Gysin in two days. So few books capture my attention in that way. In the past four years, since I’ve been living in the Tenderloin, I can only think of two others I’ve given this treatment to: the Amy Wallace book about her time in the Carlos Castaneda circle – see http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/awakening101/timeline.html for an interesting timeline of the life and work of “Carlos”, including a lot of links worth investigating...

10. ...and the second book I read all the way through quickly in recent years, Waiting for the Sun, by British journalist Barney Hoskyns, about L.A. rock music. I recall being up at 1am, 2am, drinking some power drink like Red Bull, immersed in the story. (Currently have out from the library his recent book about the Laurel Canyon music scene of the early Seventies.)

11. And...my Odd Fellow brother Pat. Called him the other day – was at S.F. General, has since moved to Pacific Medical Center. Very ill. Says it’s not a good time to visit. Haven’t known the fella all that long, but I’m extending my thoughts and consideration to him. And...in terms of my personal health, am four days as of just now into a hundred day focused health plan. As part of it, am very much minding my diet to heighten my well-being in both body and mind. For example, on my mind, the “Essential Greens” all green vegetable drink from Trader Joe’s – gonna be getting to many pints of that within those hundred days. Plus, there’s blueberries in a solid extract that I’ve read about – gonna look for that. It’s considered one of fourteen “superfoods” in a book by Pratt and Matthews...

posted by Velcro # 8:47 AM

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

DUDE #1051 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Back to the usual topics…but before that, a photo of the Moment’s Muse: http://gallery.jessicaalba.net/displayimage.php?album=258&pos=2. Brown as a berry, to not coin a phrase, frolicking on some beach. And, now, for something really completely different, back to what I found of interest in the John Geiger biography of Brion Gysin, such as…

2. …William Burroughs, fine friend to Gysin, saying that the man was a “Master of the Djoun forces.” Exactly just what “Djoun” means is still evading me and my Dogpile.com searches on the word. Possibly related to “djinn”, “genie” – same consonants, different vowels…

3. Here’s http://www.pwf.pragonet.cz/2003/speech11_en.asp - from something called the Prague Writers’ Festival – with the longer quote from Burroughs where I got the above phrase, plus an interview with the dude and Gysin. “Djoun” comparable to “the Little People” – what’s that mean? I’ll leave that for another time or another person to figure out.

4. And: Terry Southern figures a bit into Gysin’s life. They intersect at least at the Nova Convention, a 1979 poetry event with many luminaries of the time in attendance. See http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/related/The_Nova_Convention.html for a listing of participants in a recording of the event, including Southern, Patti Smith, Frank Zappa, Ed Sanders, Laurie Anderson, plus Southern, Burroughs, Gysin.

5. And still not entirely clear to me: the problem Southern had getting money he deserved for writing part of Easy Rider, money that, apparently, Dennis Hopper withheld. As far as I know, “points” – that is, a percentage of the money the film earned, and that was a lot – should’ve gone to Southern, but Hopper made that not happen, if my information’s correct. Even one point, one percent, of the take would’ve been a lot. Southern had a lot of talent but, being merely a writer, wasn’t given a fair cut. Anyone have any final word on this?

6. And currently, in another topic, the only music disc I have out from the S.F. Public is a live Leo Sayer disc, a London concert. Mainly for “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing”, a very upbeat song. Today pulled out a Doobie Brothers compilation and that’s positively affecting my mood when I feel like hearing songs. And am continuing to listen to twenty minutes of selections from the Brandenburg Concertos as the first thing in the morning. Been up before the light lately, put on a candle, and the Bach. In times to come can see getting more into the classical gas. I had some Mozart a while back that I was liking a lot – light stuff, uplifting. Can’t see ever going for the heaviness, the strum und drang, of a Beethoven, let’s say.

7. And in the fragrance department, still have some of a bottle of Celine, a fragrance I

DUDE #1051 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

bought on the street a while back. I think I mainly smell of the Indian incense I’m burning a lot in my room, but occasionally I spray on some of the cologne. Aerosol Aramis, from the men’s Macy’s at Union Square, is the thing I go for generally.

8. But…back to “Djoun” for a sec…here’s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djinn - for “genie”, related to “djinn”, which seems linked to “djoun”…

9. And…in personal library business, to lighten the load on my hotel room’s shelves, returned recently Flash and Filigree, a Terry Southern novel, a Casanova biography, plus Led Zeppelin Crashed Here, a recommended book for those into rock history – it lists dozens of places where rock-related events happened, or bands stayed.

10. Was gonna bring back the Malachy McCoy early Seventies, pre-death biography of Steve McQueen, but got back into it and finished it. Took a few notes of what I found interesting, and will proceed with those…for example, learned that McQueen used a lot of words, introduced a lot, into the Hollywood popular lexicon, such as “honcho” and “nitty gritty”. Being a Marine and from a rural background, his language was often different than what was spoken in Tinseltown before he made the scene. His direct quotes are often very fun to read.

12. Similarly, “Steve” said “dig” and “bread” a lot – biographer McCoy says he was among the first to use those hippie-like terms. And refreshed my knowledge of how the man, on the set of The Magnificent Seven, pulled focus away from star Yul Brynner by fiddling with his hat, doing other movements, to Yul’s displeasure.

14. And it’s known that Steve wanted to be “one of the guys” on a set and often joined the gaffers and such, the regular crew, even tho’ he was the star.

15. Also, liked a reference to an unnamed “Chinese cat” that Steve studied martial arts with in mid-Sixties L.A. – that would be Bruce Lee, who had many students in the Hollywood film community. Here’s http://www.fightingmaster.com/masters/brucelee/brucelee.htm - mentions that fact that Steve was one of Bruce’s pallbearers.

16. And…see Roman Polanski’s autobiography for a few fun anecdotes about Bruce Lee. Such as: at the time of the Manson murders, eye glasses were found at one of the murder scenes – Bruce, being a glasses wearer, came under suspicion.

17. And, finally for this…biographer McCoy phrase: “stable people don’t usually become stars.” – meaning Steve was troubled. And also, his first wife said of him: “He never washed a dish.” And…liked an anecdote about Steve in a London hotel – had a hot plate, made cheese on toast for guests, and accidentally started a fire…

posted by Velcro # 7:13 PM

DUDE #1050 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Back to the usual…but before that, wanna say that, as “The Moment’s Muse”, have selected this personage, this photo, at http://gallery.jessicaalba.net/displayimage.php?album=818&pos=1. And have been inspired to poetry: “…this moment’s muse, a vision of her light -/she’s found delightful favor in my sight…” Not too shabby, is that, for a heroic couplet of love poetry? (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroic_couplet for a discussion of that particular poetic construct. And see the above photo for a construct of a different and lovely kind. A condition of mine, Actresses on the Mind Syndrome.)

2. And…words…in particular, “insufferable”. Wrote that one down in my notes in order to put it here. Like the meaning of that. See http://www.thefreedictionary.com/insufferable. Defined as “difficult to endure”.

3. Then there’s Jane Birkin. Mentioned in the John Geiger biography of Brion Gysin I’m studying intently and intensely. Mentioned also in William Gibson’s novel Pattern Recognition – a character is said to resemble this Birkin. Not sure what she looks like…Dogpiling…go to http://www.hamiltonsgallery.com/photographers/bailey/silver.html for a 1969 black and white nude. There’s also a ’64 Mick Jagger in fur there, and a ’65 Cecil Beaton with Rudolf Nureyev (ironic, or whatever the term is, since Beaton’s a photographer himself). These are “silver prints”, whatever that is. If that metal’s involved, doubtless it’s a very expensive photographic process.

4. And more from the Gysin book…Burroughs quoted, saying to Gysin that “concept of place is dead.” Meaning, that after jet travel came in, it was no longer as important to be in some special, “artistic” location to do one’s artful work, such as Paris, or San Francisco, or Tangier, where Gysin and Burroughs (and Paul Bowles) congregated. In time Burroughs moved to a small town in Kansas, Lawrence, and had invited Gysin to live there also, but Gysin figured it was strictly Nowheresville. Which got the above response from Burroughs.

5. Throbbing Gristle – a lot about the connection of Genesis P-Orridge, founder of that band, with Gysin – Genesis a big admirer of the dude’s. Gysin said that Throbbing Gristle’s Heathen Earth musical piece was very much on the same wavelength as his Dream Machine. All this deserves research – see, like, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathen_Earth. New to me - 1980 performance by the group. Guy I knew in L.A. was really into Genesis and his work, Psychic TV, all that, and suggested it to me, but didn’t pick up on it. Frankly, I think I admire the dude’s strong intention and basic philosophical outlook, but for music I really just like straight-ahead rock and pop, nothing too experimental.

DUDE #1050 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

6. And Harold Norse, poet. Apparently Brion Gysin didn’t care for him for some reason. The Geiger book says Norse was “studiously overlooked” whenever Gysin gave an interview. Go to http://www.beatmuseum.org/norse/haroldnorse.html. If the man’s still alive, last I heard he was living in San Francisco, up in North Beach. There was an SF Weekly or Bay Guardian article about him not long ago.

7. David Cronenberg, Naked Lunch. Burroughs was a good friend of Gysin’s, and there was for decades talk of making a flick out of the famed novel. In 1991, Cronenberg finally did it. Saw it on cable a while back – truly weird. But, says Geiger, there’s no Gysin character in the flick, tho’ he was a major player in that Tangier milieu the book fictionalizes. Apparently the story of the dude’s life.

8. Keith Haring – a big fan of Gysin’s. John Geiger says Haring was “profoundly influenced” by the older artist, notably by being inspired to adopt “elements of chance and coincidence” into his work. See http://www.haring.com/about_haring/bio/index.html for material about Haring. I recommend also his diaries – read ‘em a while back – a contemporary of mine, tho’ he’s dead, and I am otherwise. Liked his references to such things as Neuromancer and magic mushrooms. The Pat Hackett Warhol diaries are also excellent and juicily gossipy, tho’ of a generation before Haring’s.

9. Back to the Moment’s Muse for a sec – go to http://gallery.jessicaalba.net/displayimage.php?album=818&pos=3 for a picture I like a bit better than that first one. Slim but totally built, the way I love ‘em. Look at that long expanse of slim but built thigh, geez…

10. And back to Keith Haring. Geiger notes that, while his famous shining baby image seemed very simple, it couldn’t be copied and made to work as well as through Haring’s touch.

11. And…mention made of Warhol, Burroughs, and Mick Jagger in 1980, together at “The Bunker”, home for Burroughs in New York at that time. (See With William Burroughs: A Report from the Bunker, by Victor Bockris - http://www.interpc.fr/mapage/westernlands/sontag1.html has a selection featuring Susan Sontag – and see the book for the part about Jagger, Warhol, all that…if you’re into something like that at all. And, and…more about Brion Gysin to close this posting…biographer Geiger figured the man just couldn’t be marketed too well, that’s why he wasn’t so famous or successful in the art market, tho’ he was undoubtedly great. He compares him to an early German courtier of, like, the 13th century, not so adept at living in the modern world…

posted by Velcro # 2:34 PM

DUDE #1049 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. ...let us “get right back to where we started from...” – that’s Maxine Nightingale – go to http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/starsky&hutch/rightbackwherewestartedfrom.htm. Ah, that Seventies music! Would be worth getting Comcast again just to receive their all-Seventies music channel.

2. Uh...now, Leigh Taylor-Young. Returned to my consciousness ‘cause the Sixties counterculture satirical movie I Love You, Alice B. Toklas was mentioned in John Geiger’s excellent biography of Brion Gysin. That ‘cause Gysin gave Toklas that famous hashish fudge recipe, used in the flick as a plot device. Taylor-Young, a regal stone fox of her film era, was in the movie – as the wife of the Peter Sellars character, I think.

3. If curious about her, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Taylor-Young. There’s only one other movie I remember she was in, that being Soylent Green. Which seems due for a remake. How about Soylent Blue? Even worse than the first, somehow. Maybe make explicit more of the process of converting human flesh into those discreet, ubiquitous biscuits. Uh...married to Ryan O’Neal from ’67 to ’74. He fathered her only child. Ordained minister, she is, in something called the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness – as opposed to spiritual outer awareness. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_of_Spiritual_Inner_Awareness for something about that organization. Accused of being a cult of personality, for one thing.

4. Anyway, onward...William Burroughs, for another thing. Good long-time friend of Gysin. Learned there’s a Oui men’s magazine article by the man about the Jajouka Musicians. Can’t easily find the text of this online, but there’s http://www.joujouka.net/ for some relevant material. Interestingly, there’s a facsimile of a handwritten letter Burroughs wrote in 1994 critiquing videos of these musicians. (I could begin looking for this mag...it would truly be a case of wanting to read an article as much or more than wanting to check out the naked chicks.)

5. Apocalypse Across the Sky – the Jajouka dudes, a 1992 recording. For some reason, an Elizabeth Barrett Browning blank verse poem comes up as the second hit. See http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/ebbrowning/bl-ebbrown-aurora-1.htm - maybe the title of the album

DUDE #1049 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

comes from her work. Go to http://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Across-Musicians-Jajouka-featuring/dp/B000000GAO?tag=dogpile-20 for info about the disc itself. Have I heard this? I think I had the Brian Jones disc of the North African dudes.

6. And back to Gysin’s life story, details I found interesting in the John Geiger bio: 1971, back to then, and Mick Jagger’s expressed interested in making a movie of Naked Lunch. He was into the movie thing then – around the time of Performance, and that Australian outlaw story – Ned Somethingorother. (Ned Kelly’s the title – 1970 – thanks Dogpile.com!)

7. And Burroughs...Terry Southern...invited by Chuck Barris to L.A. to discuss a Naked Lunch movie. Apparently nothing came of this – read that the two dudes didn’t even meet with the game show producer. At http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Guy-Life-Terry-Southern/dp/0380977869?tag=dogpile-20 there’s something about A Grand Guy, a biography of Southern. http://www.davidcronenberg.de/burrcron.html has an interview with “El Hombre Invisible” – Burroughs – and David Cronenberg, who finally put Naked Lunch on the big screen in the Nineties.

8. Wilhelm Reich, his orgone accumulator. Burroughs had one of these...see http://www.orgone.org/ to start with if interested in following this line of inquiry.

9. And this phrase I liked in the Geiger: “home leisure component”. Talking about Gysin’s Dream Machine – he had hopes that it would become one of those, a fixture in every dwelling. And also, “djoun. Word in the Gysin...uh, proving hard to Dogpile on this one. Related to the “genie” concept of the likes of a Thousand and One Nights fame, I think. Will leave that for later or for someone else.
11. And there’s the concept of “burning a candle” for someone. Meaning, longing for a person, romantically. Different than burning one at both ends. Uh...studying a Fiona Horne witchcraft book lately – candles are a part of that. Anyone I’d burn a candle for personally now? Jessica Alba back on my so-called mind, mentioned in The Examiner this morn for her great sense of spontaneous humor. Geez, actress fixation raises its pretty head yet again...

posted by Velcro # 11:15 AM

DUDE #1048 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Continuing from previously…which was notes from the John Geiger biography of Brion Gysin, Nothing Is True – Everything is Permitted…there’s an interview with Gysin’s great friend William Burroughs in the May 11th, 1972 issue of Rolling Stone. Might be online somewhere, the full text. But found this instead, a R.S. short bio of Steely Dan: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/steelydan/biography. (“The Dan” took their name from an implement in Naked Lunch. Gotta think about these major dudes more. And get into their music again. If I were to buy one disc, guess it’d be their recent Two Against Nature. I think I like their recent Everything Must Go a little less.)

2. And got to thinking of Amok Books down there in L.A. Got friendly with proprietor Dan Wininger during my seven years and more in Tinseltown in the Nineties. See http://www.komabookstore.com for a link into the store. His stock is not for everyone, but for some it’s just what the mad witchdoctor ordered. Definitely on the extreme in many ways – a lot too much for me, but my literary tastes intersect with Amok’s to a certain extent.

3. And: Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange and other less famous novels. Mentioned in the Gysin bio – apparently in the dude’s book Enderby Outside, fun made of Burroughs and Gysin. So Gysin hated him – hated him, that is, more than usual – guy was a true misanthrope, apparently. (A friend of mine’s lately been way into movies – called me and said he was watching Clockwork for the first time. Sent him Wikipedia links for both the novel and the film, in the interests of accentuating any scholarly tendencies he may possess.)

4. Leary.com – see that for stuff about Dr. Timothy, who figures a bit into the Gysin life story – one of the many visitors to Tangier in the Sixties. See also http://www.timothyleary.us/. Biopic about the man reportedly being worked on, by Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael Horowitz, father of Winona Ryder and Leary’s archivist. (Also, Winona wrote the foreword to I Have America Surrounded, a recent book about Leary. Have that ordered through the S.F. Public library and am curious to see what Miss Ryder has to say about her godfather. Read that Winona has been writing for years. Would be fun to see some of that. Especially the erotica.)

5. Baton Rouge Fuller dome. A Buckminster Fuller dome…mentioned in the

DUDE #1048 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

Gysin book. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geodesic_dome for something about this type of structure. Also, Fuller’s two volumes of Synergetics is interesting reading – go to http://www.rwgrayprojects.com/synergetics/synergetics.html for just one among many sites. Not necessarily the best, but just picked it somewhat at random, and quickly. Same can be said for all the addresses I’ve been cutting and pasting into this of late. What I offer can give any research-minded folks a start, at least. More info at one’s fingertips through the Internet than one can shake a very, very large stick at.
6. And liked a comment by Gysin’s Tangier friend Paul Bowles. Seems the Rolling Stones were fans of Bowles and paid him a visit more than once. Gysin’s really excited by this, but Bowles is the picture of indifference. Gysin comes in and exclaims that the Rolling Stones are here! And Bowles reportedly wonders if, I quote, some “unusual geological occurrence” had transpired. Excellent!

7. And another Bowles comment about Mick and Keith and their boys, that the band was ineeded “rolling (in money) and very stoned.” (Mick’s quite the literary fellow…geez, the song lyrics done with Keith are truly modern poetic works! And Keith really did have a lot of input into the words, from what I gather.)

8. Cecil Beaton. Photograph, Brit, figuring somewhat into the Gysin story. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Beaton. Anecdote in the Geiger book from Marrakech – Beaton there to photograph the Stones, but he’s mainly interested in capturing Jagger.

9. Brian Jones, the ill-fated member of the early Stones. Took a big interest in the Jajouka musicians. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Jones_Presents_The_Pipes_of_Pan_at_Jajouka if desired. And, and, and…”process”…Gysin named a book of his The Process, from a line in Othello. Was surprised at this, since it sounds like such a modern word. For a while Gysin was gonna call his work Heads Touch Heaven, from another Othello line, but he was concerned that it didn’t sound right. The biography says he asked the Stones about this, and they just turned away, so that was a bad sign. “Heads” is such a Sixties counterculture word…and then there are the rhyming “Feds”…federales…

posted by Velcro # 9:20 AM

Monday, September 24, 2007

DUDE #1047 (1 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Continuing immediately from the last posting: something interesting to look up would be a 1957 catalog for a Brion Gysin art show, with text by Paul Bowles. Might be pretty hard to find. At least comparatively.

2. And liked the mention of Aeschylus in the John Geiger biography of Brion Gysin. Something about the ancient Greek playwright inventing the theatrical concept of the second act. Go to http://www.lycos.com/info/aeschylus.html for something about the major dude. Me, really weak on those ancient Greeks, frankly. Not proud of that fact, but don’t really care.

3. Stacey Sullivan. Featured in the December 1973 Penthouse magazine I bought for two dollars recently at the McDonald’s used bookstore here in the Tenderloin. Of the three featured unclothed ladies, she’s the one I like the best. The text says she’s into eating a lot of fruit, burns incense. Was born in San Francisco. Went to U.C. Berkeley. There’s a cat in her pictorial. And there are other things I like. Just thought I’d share.

4. And…Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater. Mentioned in the Gysin bio – ‘cause many of the women in Gysin’s early years were into Theosophy. Recently I bought for a dollar at the library a book by the pair about thought forms. Here’s a link to it: http://www.anandgholap.net/Thought_Forms-AB_CWL.htm. Gonna give it to a friend, an Odd Fellow sister. She’s not all that into reading, but there are ideas in it I think she’d like, and plenty of color images of, well, thoughts.

5. And also mentioned in the Gysin bio, Points of Entry, name of a mid-Nineties show in Los Angeles devoted to visual art by William Burroughs. See http://www.vlib.us/beats/ for a site with a lot about the man.

6. Ilse Klapper – first wife of Burroughs – married in 1937, I believe. Thought I’d throw that name in. Not a spouse the dude shot.

7. Billie Holiday. Noted in the Gysin biography – anecdote about telling Gysin that he should look inside a lamp she had on a piano in her apartments that contained hidden marijuana cigarettes.

8. Ectoplasm – idea in the Gysin book. See

DUDE #1047 (2 of 2) starplane.blogspot.com sweetdango@hotmail.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectoplasm_%28paranormal%29.

9. And, and…more notes from the Frisco Arena…Genesis P-Orridge was good friends with Brion Gysin. There was a 1980 Paris interview that’s findable somewhere. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_P-Orridge for info about the dude.

10. Witty Noel Coward quote about Tangier, a locale related to Gysin, Paul Bowles, Burroughs: “a sunny place for shady people.”

11. Ahl Serif – name of a hill tribe in Morocco, and the mountains they live in – or on. Related to the Jajouka musicians famously recorded by Brian Jones. The sound was a favorite of Gysin’s. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jajouka.

12. Gysin believed the music these musicians made and related activities were a holdover of the Rites of Pan, from thousands of years ago. Also called Lupercalia.

13. Felicity Mason – one of the women in Gysin’s life. Not to be confused with the movie actress born in 1976.

14. 1954, year that Gysin met William Burroughs. And…also…The International Who’s Who – Burroughs said to have been listed in it. Brought up the site but you need to be a member to access. Is Burroughs still listed?

15. John Cooke and his New Tarot Deck for the Aquarian Age. Go to http://www.tarotpassages.com/TNewT.htm for info. Worth looking at for alternative names for cards, like “The Nameless One” for “The Fool” – like that name better. And “The Emperor” is “The Actor”. Love these names!

16. “Poesy”, a concept from the Geiger Gysin…see http://www.thefreedictionary.com/poesy for a definition: “the art of practice of composing poems.” And…two other facts: 1959 was the year Naked Lunch was published by the Olympia Press. And…finally this installment…Minutes to Go, a Brion Gysin collaboration with Burroughs – April 13, 1960 is an associated date – of a release party, I think. A good enough date to begin a chronology of Sixties counterculture, I guess…

posted by Velcro # 4:53 PM