SWEET DANGO

#1281 www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

FAST NIGHT #10 by Trace Midskoon

1. Well…I’ve been liking his “green revolution” ideas in this new book, but since you’re so against him, makes me pause…are you sure we’re talking about the same guy? Must be…the Hemlock sounds good, just gimme a call. I can often move at a moment’s notice. Will have bucks tomorrow, the 1st, so that’d be a good day…

2. Oh, purple Big Sur weed, eh? Just myself was given a brownie by some guy from “Oaksterdam” and had myself a small bit, and that was nearly overdosing, me not used to it. Don’t really want it for myself, but I wanna hook up a friend who could be a regular…Duchovny and the Simon & Garfunkel joke in The X-Files – I like those kind of references. But was never a fan of that show – heard the recent flick is pretty bad. Was in L.A. when the show was big, worked with a big fan, who was all up on the plot twists and details, but I just didn’t care. The show’s creator was inspired by that Darren McGavin Kolchak series of the Seventies, among other things – which show I prefer…I personally, in fact, used that “it’s all happening at the zoo” line to a friend who had gone to the S.F. one with his brother and his bro’s little girl. Or at least I think I did…maybe I was just musing to myself that it would be a sort of witty thing to say, asking him: “Well, is it really all happening at the zoo?” And most of those comedy names you mentioned, not really ringing a bell – you wrote “Steven Reich” – you must mean Steven Wright, right? Was Steven Reich Hitler’s inner circle stand-up comedian? Get it? Ha ha? Wright was in Desperately Seeking Susan also…and provided the radio deejay voice in Reservoir Dogs – says the word “behemoth” funnily in that…and…gotta check Dogpile for this woman in The Basketball Diaries and From Dusk Til Dawn – oh, but no, now I know who she is – Juliette Lewis – plays in a rock and roll band, also…and…the guy who played Warhol in the Stone Doors biopic…not a clue…okay, Dogpile says Crispin Glover…know the name…don’t have much of a sense of him, but since you mention him positively, I’m curious…oh, right, pic at the Wikipedia – also effective in one of the Charlie’s Angels Barrymore/Diaz/Liu ones…remade one of the rat flicks recently…played father to M.J. Fox in Back to the Future, right…didn’t know he did “Andy” in that Doors one…filmography shows he’s been in the biz since the very early Eighties…was in Gus van Sant’s Even Cowgirls Get the Blues – for a quarter just bought the k.d. lang cassette of songs for the flick – all this cowgirly stuff, just okay, definitely worth twenty-five cents…

3. Okay, thanks for this “Friedman Units” chart about the Iraq War. Actually had never heard of this guy until a radio program mentioning the book, didn’t know his politics. I like his green angle, and was wanting some flat-out spoken text, hours of it, so this one is working okay for me for that. Sometimes I just have it on and on in the background and pick up details. So it works okay for me in that way…

4. Okay, have taken down this request and will see what this “Tom the Nurse” can do…haven’t looked at the site yet…uh…55 per gram…how much is that? I think in eighths…anyway…will have about a hundred-some bucks in about eight hours, at 4am Wednesday, and eight-hundred-some on the third, Friday…so will have the cash to get this amount for you…I’ll see what I can do. Apparently he’s in the city every day, with several regulars. Maybe in the future you can arrange something with him yourself. I’ll get back to you. Had just a bit of that brownie I told you of, and was feeling it, and not entirely comfortably, either.

5. Well, have got seven of your e-mails on deck right now. Am at this Tenderloin computer center that I had been going to very frequently in the past four years, since it was close to where I’d been living. Has one night session, and I’m taking advantage of that. Should have unlimited time daily online by week’s end…and…really have little sense of David Gilmour. Really just sort of into Syd now since you’ve been mentioning him…and www.tinyurl.com – I’ve seen you using that – I don’t know what it’s for. Whatever I’m using now is fine…”OTT” – what’s that? “OTL” – Out of Lunch…oh, “Over the Top”? Hmmm, Bowie looking “Everyman”…meaning, just average clothes? Read somewhere that some don’t like him looking “normal”, not glammed up – they want their rock stars to look and dress better, or weirder, wilder. Not sure where I’m at with Bowie now…can’t say I’ve ever been a huge fan, but I’ve appreciated many of his individual songs. Often very right to pick on jukeboxes, when I was doing that a lot. In S.F., “Young Americans” often a good one, what with the teens and twenty-somethings out and about. I think his name and music’s valid with many of the youngsters who weren’t there when he was very happening in the Seventies…okay, Syd in Sausalito. Haven’t been myself in a while…since I’ve stopped the wine and beer, that’s a reason not to go…okay bus ride from the Civic Center…could be a good day out any way. Years ago rode a bicycle across the Golden Gate, then downhill into Sausalito, then back on the ferry – great little excursion, not that hard on the non-athletic…well, not gonna explore that link you sent me. But like the little newspaper photo of Procul Harum from ’67…and mention of the band the H.P. Lovecraft…here’s some text:
www.richieunterberger.com/hplove.html - haven’t heard anything by them…and there’s no “the” in front of the name, says Wikipedia…tho’ that’s an understandable mistake…Eurthymics still get that error…doesn’t look like they took any lyrical inspiration from writer H.P., tho’…and…”whiter shade of pale” – just read some mainstream media something using a play on words on that famous title, but can’t remember what…some change of color, maybe. Maybe for Sarah Palin somehow?

6. Ha, Grace was a cutie, for sure. Ol’ lady now, basically, and content to do her drawings and paintings, no singing for her now…her autobiography’s a good read…a friend saw her at an art event, signing things. I think in Sausalito…up to 15K for this ’68 Ghirardelli Square round pasta photo – some rich hippies out there with cash to spend on such an item…”beatniks are out to make it rich”…trivia: Dr. John’s ”Season of the Witch”, I just learned, used on the Blues Brothers 2000 soundtrack...

posted by Velcro # 8:01 PM

#1280 www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

FAST NIGHT #9 by Skoon Midtrace

1. Thought you meant the recent Dylan-based movie where various actors play the guy at various times in his life – even Cate Blanchett as the Sixties era incarnation in dark glasses…but, no, it’s the ’67 one. So not into Minnesota Zim didn’t know the name…Donovan in it – I’d be interested for his bits…Dylan taunting a Time correspondent sounds good – this from the Wikipedia – Baez has got a new book or something – heard some of her interview on the radio – turning into an ol’ lady – always liked “A Simple Twist of Fate” – the Jerry Garcia Band version’s on the box at Shanghai Kelly’s at Polk and Broadway – old school box, with four plays for a quarter, a truly decent price, not like the highway robbery of some of the new digital ones…Ginsberg cameo not a plus for me – a Burroughs one sure would be, but the man had little care for rock – surprised, I think he was, that so many young bands turned to his work for inspiration. First shown publicly at a theatre in San Fran in ’67 – INXS tribute to famous Dylan and signs opening in an ’87 music video…weird demise for Hutchence, who was a ringer for Morrison – autoerotic strangulation…never heard of this “give the anarchist a cigarette” supposedly famous line…the man’s got a new album out soon. Or maybe that was B.B. King…oh, yes, you must run, not walk, and get that Stephen Davis Zep book. Or at least I think you should…oh, Townshend molested as a child – some weird uncle character in Tommy? Axl Rose reportedly anally raped by a close relative as a baby…so he kind of turned that extreme lemon into lemonade…Plant – in town or soon will be for some bluegrass event…the other day was thinking of who did that microphone and cord twirling thing – Plant was one – this in mind ‘cause of cordless microphones now…mike stands still needed, and those can be used to dramatic lead singer effect…hmmm, interesting criticism of the Beatles – their sloppiness, for one thing – was thinking I enjoy “Brandy” by Looking Glass more than any Beatles song…ha, comparing Sixties photos to the Civil War. Yeah…the four-year-old girl child of a friend is sometimes in my life, and considering how such pictures would seem to her…like, oh, something from 1910 (Fruitgum Company?) for me…tho’ maybe the immediacy and vastness of what’s on YouTube and other Websites will make that music more real and relevant to her, if and when she gets to it? Friend commented that much of the Guns ‘N Roses work from twenty years ago still feels relevant now – cannot think that Chinese Democracy will be much to cheer about. Not so much into Gilgamesh that I could see how a modern telling would work…saw today posters for the recent Beowulf flick, up after it has long since debuted – said it came out in November? A year ago only? Could be two, or three?! Usually, you may have noticed, I drop the name of actresses, but the one who played Grendel’s mother, not doing that…but…how about that Jessica Alba? Anything with her is just peachy by me…even tho’ she’s a Hollywood mommy now, which puts her into a different category a bit. There are a handful of these actresses I feel pretty totally positive about, and she’s one. Thought I’d share…

2. Oh, yeah, use “Occult Laff Parade” as your band name – I can loan you my copy – I think you should find it great…don’t like “Dingleberries” as much…and…tomorrow is the first – it’s half after six in the evening now – I plan to be at the Café Mason, a 24-hour joint at Geary and Mason, at about 4am this morning, or earlier. But that may not be convenient for you – gimme a call – I’ll be free during the day for coffee…Starhawk’s The Fifth Sacred Thing – had that for a while but didn’t read it – witchy – have recently seen cards for the Spiral Dance wicca event coming up around Halloween…the Starhawk novel set in Twenty-Forty-Eight, after an ecological collapse in California – one site says it’s a sacred book in the local community of pagans…in the tradition of Ecotopia, by Ernest Callenbach…the rest of the stuff you’re into just now mostly don’t resonate with me now…never been a big Lynch fan, I think I told you…that Woody Allen Bergman movie…glad he’s sticking now to the funny stuff…the new one with newly-married Scarlett Johansson sounds good…ever see her in Ghost World, or, better, The Big Score? I’d seek those out…class act, her, and just 23. When I was that age I was still learning how to count and getting my head around tying shoelaces…

3. I managed to get through this month without again going over my five-hundred buck limit, so no upcoming 35 dollar overlimit fee from Bank of Amerigo…money to be downloaded into my account in about eight hours…but…read your e-mail further, and it says B of A is flat-out closing many accounts that don’t have a good credit score. Not sure what mine is…I’m under the limit, have been good about paying…needed – wanted, really – to use it the past week, but didn’t go apeshit like I have in the past. I think well within a year I’ll have it all paid off and it could be a great idea to cut the thing in half and consign it to the wastebin of my personal history…

4. Ha, that Mick LaSalle quote about McQueen and Newman – very excellent. Like something Gore Vidal would write, especially that ancient Roman line…”first and second statuary”?!

5. Yeah, Barry Windsor-Smith has a lot of really great work. Kind of slumming in the comic book world, but it must’ve paid okay.

6. I like the Lou Reed connection with William Burroughs – he was part of the guy’s small circle of friends. www.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/william-burroughs-rolling-stone-magazine/RS120.html - this particular issue doesn’t have an article with both of them, but thought I’d send it along. These old issues can be had for, like, five bucks each. Or on microfiche at the library…

posted by Velcro # 6:04 PM

#1279 www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

FAST NIGHT #8 by Moon Skidtrace

1. …arcana…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Arcana – Texarkana – text arcana…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS4OxoebcSQ…just about a mile from Texarkana…

2. Winston Smith a local legend? http://www.movieparrot.com/famous-quotes/266.

3. Here’s an interview with Barry Windsor-Smith: http://www.comicsbulletin.com/features/95871962686843.htm. (Oh, yeah, that’s the Barry Smith ticket, that link you sent! I must have seen one of these Gorblimey – great name! – editions, at some El Camino Real chain place about ten years ago…man, that’s pretty, pretty work. I don’t hunger for coffee table books, especially, but these I’d favor highly…)

4. I guess this Dale Chihuly guy’s okay – a friend went to his local show. I can do without the up close and personal with glassware, even of this especially artistic kind…read some criticism of the man, along the lines of this being more craft than art. I guess I prefer plastics – doesn’t break…and here’s the classic scene from The Graduate related to that word: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSxihhBzCjk.

5. Yeah, remember reading Cintra Wilson somewhere some years ago. I liked her feisty style, as I recall. Can look her up online archived, I suppose, if I so choose. Seem to recall she was funny and entertaining…oh, okay, you write she had an Examiner column in the Nineties…verbally abusive to readers, you say – sounds like it could be fun and funny…

6. Okay, bro’, no more e-mails for the foreseeable future. But that sounds like it could change – lemme know when. Have enjoyed your e-missives…I respect your choice…

7. Yeah, you’re right about me not having space to display art. I’ve got a small well-done canvas in oil, I think it is, given me by a friend, ‘cause the subject bears some resemblance to me…uh…as far as why so much of this text in the subject line, it’s the easiest to cut and paste the entire e-mail into the line. Makes it stand out. But if it’s a nuisance I can put less…

8. Yes, a class act…great to hear from you. How’s Germany? Guess you are hearing all about the financial turmoil in the U.S. Am waiting, personally, for my three-hundred buck renters’ rebate, since Arnold just signed the California budget and the machinery of money disbursement has been turned on. And…our mutual friend, K., has decided to terminate communication with me, either on the phone or via e-mail, for the foreseeable future. Not sure why, but I respect that decision. Not all that many folks from the Jefferson I’m keeping in touch with at all, but there are some.

9. Happy to hear from you. Last time was that phone call a few weeks ago. Was walking through U.N. Plaza at the time…anyway, Wednesday is tomorrow – gimme a call if you wanna get together. I’ll have a few bucks…maybe the Polk Street area? You were heading to Swan Oyster Depot one time I saw you on the street…always a lunch line there…am thinking of maybe buying some salmon, but am fearful a bit of the price. Will they sell me an ounce – a sixteenth of a pound – of the fish? Oh well, I like canned sardines, anyway. Has what one eats fish for, and at an okay price.

10. Ha, funny about how Mick commented on how some of the printed Stones lyrics are correct…uh…for sure I’ve misheard some of theirs…like…”Black Sugar”…I mean, “Brown Sugar”…”Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields…”?! And, oh, it’s “tent show queen”…didn’t know what the heck it was…enunciation of a Sinatra Sir Mick has not got…hmmm, right, no one would remember the snaky Axl trademark move if “Welcome to the Jungle” wasn’t good…wanted to insert here the music video, but can’t easily find it on YouTube. Saw it years ago at a free video watching station at the Tower Records on Market, impressed with the look of Axl walking along the street…back to Mick – remember some performance video or music vid clip with him actually doing a shoulder stand yoga move and moving his legs back and forth. Daddy a gym teacher…

11. Saw on the street a poster for a new David Gilmour product – I think this is it: http://www.hotmoviesale.com/store/productView.aspx?idProduct=61391&ec=1&ProdID=39&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=cpc&ysmwa=aDiw0pHoXN5i_flKIHhEPfSjD_dyl37kPAtBsCiWtuSQ6j5LEuhjIJzSlIhBFQYy – quite the long URL, eh? Now we know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall? He’d love…to…turn…you…on…doesn’t three-hundred-13 minutes seem excessive for this? That’s five hours…Bowie a special guest…have you seen this “Syd” photo: http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/syd-barrett-fine-art-print/CMD671111-FP.html? I’d be interested in results for a “syd barrett sausalito” search, since I saw that pic of him and his mates at some hotel there back forty years ago…

12. As said, would like to look over these Gorblimey Barry Smith works…the first Marvel Conan came out in 1970, I believe, and represented the new decade after Marvel’s incredible Sixties period. Jack Kirby had around them moved on from Stan Lee and his domineering influence, and began putting out DC work like Mister Miracle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Miracle. I like this era of Kirby’s, tho’ my good friend thinks not much by him after the high point of the Marvel era is really done as well.

13. Yeah, no hang gliding for me, either…thanks for the link to the My Bloody Valentine tune, but am passing it now. They’re gonna be in town soon, or now, I believe. Don’t know a thing by them…

14. Well, I pretty much love any photo of a cat…and…Frank Lloyd Wrong – I mean, Wright…Chinese, he’d be F.L. Wong, ha ha? Nature, he says, will never fail you…looked up Wright with cats as a search term, but nothing came up, so perhaps he wasn’t a cat person, which would be a mark against the man, in my humble opinion…

posted by Velcro # 9:32 AM

Monday, September 29, 2008

#1278 www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

FAST NIGHT #7 by Trance Moonskid

1. Thought this was about the actual cities…”Lou”? Reed? And John Cale, says my search engine…not familiar with either album. I think “Rock and Roll” by VU is really great, great message – her life was saved by rock and roll…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSqIzvaX8n8 – thought the city names were for comparison of “scenes” – Twenties Paris versus Berlin now – heard there’s major art happening socially and otherwise in that German burg…and…Terri Nunn of the band Berlin performed at the recent Folsom extravaganza, I saw in the paper –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UXtort76gY.

2. Well, MSN is good for something, like this Paul Newman tribute. A Starplane stellar salute to a great actor and great man!

3. Heck, yeah, those three GNR ones are total classics, twenty years later, to be played on jukeboxes for many years…still valid now and worthy of next gen ears…I know what you mean when you say the sound is still contemporary – Eternal Rock and Roll Now, one may say…so November 25th for Chinese Democracy. Maybe will look into it…probably something on YouTube now…here’s a YouTube link with something: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=chinese+democracy&search_type=&aq=f – not listening to them right now myself, tho’…so will it be bought? GNR diehards certainly will, and there are many of them.

4. Check out: http://www.researchpubs.com/books/sd10prod.php - just talked to Search & Destroy punk era publication publisher V. Vale at a Dolores Park indie art event – gonna pony up five bucks to get this issue with a ’78 Burroughs interview, when that’s possible…got a Romolo address in North Beach, just off Broadway…

5. Hmmm, you think that Newman’s Own salad dressing doesn’t look good? Thought it was all organic…and, okay, not a fan of the man – Thirties and Forties stars preferred, right…ever read any of S.F. film critic Mick LaSalle’s works? He’s into that era, and even before, pre-Hayes Code – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_LaSalle - I’ve respected his opinion…and I can see why you hate The Magazine…a total porn store disguised as a reputable dealer of vintage mags. But I’ve bought a Playboy there for a centerfold that was missing in the copy I had. And a sex paperback novel. It’s a place to go for such items – McDonald’s on Turk, also…and…75 cents in ’88 for magazines, not a bad price, but for sure your complaint’s valid…a friend just went to Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley to sell books he treasured, and got not as much as he felt they were worth…and no prob about responding to these messages – it’s just fun for me, and you seem to find them amusing, which is a main purpose… also, have been forgetting to enlarge these as you requested, so I hereby do so to this one...

6. Thanks for this Cintra Wilson bit of text. Heard of her…some sort of relationship advice columnist, I think… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cintra_Wilson.

7. Origin of “dickhead”, eh? Seems fairly self-explanatory – found this: http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Dickhead - imagine some guy named “Richard Hedd”, who has to use the shortened version of his first name, along with that last name…

8. This WaMu idiot gets twenty million for seventeen work days, eh? More like a platinum parachute – plat worth more than gold, right? And it alliterates…Fishman – superheroic-sounding – Batman’s got his powers, this guy can swim the mighty ocean currents without fear? I wouldn’t mind seventeen single bucks right now.

9. Whut? You don’t like triple Pulitzer winner Thomas Friedman? I’ve been liking his Hot, Flat, and Crowded… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Friedman - since you have this opinion I may have to revise mine about him. (Also, was thinking: how about this place Zeke’s, fairly high up on California Street, as a place to meet soon – buy you a drink. Uh…just looked it up to find a Website – there’s a Zeke’s South of Market, a sports bar, but this one I’m thinking of is on Nob Hill, a couple of blocks east of Hyde…)

10. Hmmm, I like this Charles Webster Hawthorne’s idea about composition…painterly ideas can be used in the literary realm…”composition” – heard a painter on the radio shorten that word to just “compo”…uh…a word processor can make it easy to apply words to a computer screen like colors onto a canvas…

posted by Velcro # 11:04 AM

Sunday, September 28, 2008

#1277 www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

FAST NIGHT #6 by Skid Moontrance

1. How would I define “love”? Good question. Guy once sent me a list of definitions of seven, I think it was, types of love. The love of a sexual nature between a man and a woman is one kind – the love of a parent for a child another. Both are called love. So…I suppose there could be a larger definition that encompasses both of these, and other kinds. Maybe I’ll look that up and send it along. For me now, the kind of love I’m mainly looking for is this: a young woman, let’s say twenty years old, who has not had a good biological father experience for one reason or another, and so I can be there for her to provide that. This wouldn’t be of the sexual kind, tho’ I do like, in that regard, women who are younger than me. (And also, that keyboard of yours – no call from you yet today, and it’s noon Sunday. Will have a good chunk of change on the first, and could see giving you five bucks for it, even tho’ I’m not sure it works. Like Blondie sang in that song, call me…)

2. Yeah, that’s just okay…I’d like it better if he did it without internal combustion. There are people who “fly” long distances, actually really gliding – always falling, unlike this person who can move horizontally due to the jets, but falling at a slow angle of descent. Saw paragliders out near Ocean Beach recently – wouldn’t wanna do that myself, but it’s supposedly pretty fun and exhilarating and all that.

3. Yeah, like Roger Dean’s art. His Relayer famous YES album cover was at the S.F. Art Exchange a while back, priced at two mil – when you’ve got that on you, send it over and I can buy it. Will give you a hearty handshake for that favor…and…that tutoring video you did – the link wasn’t highlighted in blue in the e-mail you sent, so isn’t immediately easy to check out. Plus I have only sixty minutes today on the computer, and other messages to get to. Maybe re-send it. But I trust it’s interesting and well done…and…have the Computer Training Center moved yet? Maybe check the place out when it does…keep in touch…

4. I’m sure there’s some of it at YouTube, but not rushing like a madman to get to it…but I did pay good money at an Internet café, a quarter, to print out lyrics to “Welcome to the Jungle”, to get exact wording. One line that I misheard: “…it gets worse here every day,/learn to live like an animal/in the jungle where we play…” – thought it was “and the jungle will repay”…and…maybe even Axl figures it’s not good and doesn’t wanna disappoint…and…read in a recent book about either Axl or the band – I’ve got two out from the library – that he took his stage moves from one Richard Black of Eighties L.A. band Shark Island. I believe this. Axl said to have just pogo’d on stage until he picked up on this guy’s snaky moves. Black, of course, not happy with this, but couldn’t do anything. Here’s a link that has something about this: http://www.sleazeroxx.com/bands/sharkisland/sharkisland.shtml.

5. I like that famous Roger Dean YES cover art…saw the big Relayer snake original painting for two million. Just send me that in hundreds and I’ll be happy. Will let you look at it every once in a while, but not too often…uh…speaking of going over one’s head, had to Dogpile on those “wheel in the sky” lyrics to know that Journey did the song…”Lights” is okay…pre-Steve Perry Journey is something to look in to…here’s the YouTube for the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFC8sDTXlng – ha, that “don’t call me Shirley” line – love that first Airplane! – a true classic of its kind.

6. Hmmm, management of Zep confronting middlemen…been a while since I’ve seen The Song Remains the Same. I think you must mean thuggy Richard Grant – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Grant_%28music_manager%29 – learned about him in the truly classic Stephen Davis band bio Hammer of the Gods – needed his gangster ways to be as successful as they were, I suppose…and – never been a Tommy or Who fan – bought Townshend’s Eighties fiction book Horse’s Neck at the library for a friend for a dollar…and you have seen, in D. Kidd’s You Say Tomato window, the figure of Daltry in the bean-filled tub…and the Beatles – what I meant was that I’m aware of how great their music is, how influential, and how much they are (rightfully) globally beloved, but I just don’t relate to them or their music as much as, even, the Eagles. Or AC/DC, even. Maybe a sign of retarded development? And – funny, the Beatles/Gilgamesh comparison…Miss Gilga Mesh, for a 21st-century female reworking of the ancient Sumerian tale?

7. Ha, that Newman’s Own salad dressing! Maybe keep it awhile and sell it for beaucoup bucks on eBay! Uh…gotta save that praiseful article about the man for later, since I’ve got less than twenty minutes left on this terminal, but thanks anyway. On the way here to the library passed The Magazine on Larkin, and they’ve devoted their entire tribute window for deceased stars to him, thirteen mags and covers… also...thought of you when passing this bar on Geary without a sign - you said that back in the day there were many great bars of this type along that stretch of S.F. road - this may be a holdover from then? Near Leavenworth, on the north side of Geary - ring a bell?

8. I hear you about Mr. Newman being out of place in the Butch and Sundance part – hadn’t really thought of that but it’s true. But it’s the one that defines him for me, I guess. Have hardly seen any of his movies, but knew about him, of course, due to this fame. And there’s the Steve McQueen rivalry – Newman always outclassed him in terms of sheer, uh…being from the good side of the tracks, which Steve wasn’t…here’s an article that compares the two: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/50209/actor_debate_steve_mcqueen_vs_paul.html. But when it comes down to it, I have more positive feelings, way more, about the Stevemeister. Just saw a bit of The Magnificent Seven on AMC, also…

9. Sarah Palin and those banned books…heck, I’d ban most of ‘em…everybody should read more underground comic books from the early Seventies, that’s my decree. Just bought a copy for just a dollar, at Kayo Books, of issue number one of Occult Laff Parade. Are you familiar with it? From ’73? See http://sirrealcomix.mrainey.com/page/o/OccultLaffParade01-1.htm - Kayo has a big rack of dozens of similar publications at good prices…anyway…glad for your messages, keep ‘em coming. Also, have got a little something for you that you may be able to use – gimme a call. Got to be somewhere else besides the former location of Wild Awakenings…tho’ come to think of it, tho’ the joint’s been renamed and cleaned up, there are comfy sofas, so that’s one good thing about the new venue. Will have money on the first, and will gladly buy you a cup of coffee…

10. Hey, great, a Lovecraft quote! Now you’re talking…purty pictures of Pacific waves also…he was speaking, I think, of the Atlantic…think there’s a diff between the two oceans? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft - a link to H.P. – the writer, not the Sixties rock band, ha ha!

posted by Velcro # 12:05 PM

Saturday, September 27, 2008

#1276 www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

FAST NIGHT #5 by Moondance Skid

1. …you meant “Anglo-cana”, I’d say, not “English-cana”…for Chinese, it’d be “Sino-cana”…am heading to the Mission today after this public library session for the indie arts festival – http://artsandmedia.net/expo/ - so may stop in at Borderlands again, just to see that Sphinx hairless cat they have, named Ripley – as in the Alien heroine, and in “Believe It Or Not”…that’s where I got that The Gods Hate Kansas postcard – not a bad way to spend a buck…interesting theory about New Agers…also, Adobe Books, will go there, and Rainbow on the way back…also, guess you heard the news today, oh boy - headline would be: "BUTCH CASSIDY RIDES ON AHEAD"...

2. Am skipping this Chinese astronaut news, but thanks anyway…reading and listening to – have both formats out from the library – Thomas L. Friedman’s great Hot, Flat, and Crowded, which is very global in its perspective, and is giving me insight into China and India and all and everything, to quote the Gurdjieff title…”…this is major…TONG to Ground Control…take your protein pills and put your helmet on…and I think it’s gonna be a long, long time, til touchdown…I’m not the…MANCHU they think at all, oh no no…” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc2Y1IkJwCU – beam us up, Scotsmen…

3. I like all those Be Bop Deluxe photos…Nelson in that last one’s doing a Buddy Holly…ha, retro Fifties sci-fi…is that what they call a split level? – Revolt Into Style, good title – wouldn’t mind showing that blondie space honey my space critter…

4. Well, that Winston Smith material looks just okay…thought for a sec it was comic book artist Barry Windsor-Smith – formerly just more prole Barry Smith. Did Conan in the early Seventies – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Windsor-Smith - the first ish of the Conan comic – predating the flicks – was among the most valuable items, probably still is…saw a coffee table book by him a while back and was very impressed…

5. Okay, well…frankly, just don’t really care that much about Chinese Democracy – or at least the album from Axl and his non-GNR compadres. Wouldn’t be looked for anything on YouTube, for instance. But sure enough like “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Paradise City”, and “Sweet Child o’ Mine” – for their era, of course…keeps him sort of in the news, anyway…

6. Huh? Wha-? “Verbal abuse”?! Don’t know what you mean…I don’t feel you’re doing that to me! Anyway…what we sometimes have here is a failure to communicate. Speaking of which – Paul Newman just passed away, guess you heard…great actor, and great person…oh, cool you’ll take that Amtrak ride to San Jose – get me a free postcard or something…also, that electronic keyboard – may take that off your hands – as long as the thing works!

7. Yeah, congee in Chinatown – can get something okay for maybe two bucks, with fish, even, for that price – what the true locals eat…oh, olive oil, Bragg’s aminos, crushed nori – Michio Kushi would be proud of you…I remember when Jean-Luc Ponty was pretty big, in the late Seventies – Vassar Clements did stuff with the Dead back then, too…Dead supposedly touring in the spring…band name dropped in recent Leah Garchik Chron columns…

8. Thanks for this Roger Dean notice – may be there tonight at the reception for the new show…

9. http://www.sfae.com/index.php?action=gallery&status=show_product&ID=163 – anyone wanna buy me this? Framed would be better. I’ll glad pay you Wednesday for a YES Dragonfly Chop Logo Portfolio you buy me today…S.F. Art Exchange event tonight in honor of great artist R. Dean…

10. Hmmm. Syd Barrett notebook pages, interesting. Ken Kesey also did similar text and collage work when incarcerated in San Mateo years ago. His illustrations are OK – not the most accomplished visual artist…nice colors…

11. Can identify with the walking theme of your posting today, Xola. And a Spanish-originating quote today…usually it’s just, like, white guys and gals, seems like, tho’ I could be wrong. But not Wong, ha ha ha…”paths are made by walking”…Thoreau also big on walking…Steve Chandler in his hundred motivation tips book suggests walking for creativity, and I second that (e)motion…

posted by Velcro # 10:19 AM

Friday, September 26, 2008

#1275 www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

FAST NIGHT #4 by A. H. Undred

1. …but, well, Americans represent to some extent reckless freedom? Versus the “sanity” of the Europeans…yee-haw! And…okay, that levee breaking song is a Delta blues cover by Page/Plant/Bonham/Jones…very much blues scholars, them boys, as were so many of the Brit rockers of their era and before…reminds me – someone, a harmonica player, said Son House was the mentor of Robert Johnson…gotta look that up…tho’ Johnson was more influential overall…”old-as-the-hills”…”over the hills and far away”…I’d like to see The Song Remains the Same again – interesting interspersion – is that a word? – of concert footage from their prime with fantasy Celtic sequences and such…Plant knight-like ridin’ through the fields…they may very well be my favorite Britrock band…Beatles don’t even rate – Ringo’s my favorite of the Fab Four moptops…oh, Lou Reed – wanna now look up that quote from some song about how people have problems but they aren’t his…I think that’s his…didn’t come up in a first search, am moving on…skipping those Aaron Neville YouTubes – only got an hour at the library today…oh, no cell phone for you. Yeah, know what you mean about the cancer link, and surveillance…but it’s handy to have…and link to Gabriel and the bonobos…same as sent before? Am skipping that…no longer shocking the monkey now…

2. Ha, those palindromes! Guy I used to work with used spare computer time to generate them. Probably a computer can do it, but that’s cheating a bit? And Chinese Democracy, your theory – serious? Rolling Stone reports it’s due – some of it has already leaked. Not gonna top Appetite for Destruction…and I think back to your line about Axl thinking he’s Henley…no democracy for China. But capitalism making inroads of a kind…

3. Saw a cheap little less-than-twenty Chinese-made guitar at a shop on Polk – may buy that, mess around with it…yeah, bad disease of many – money without the proper taste and education to spend it well…leads to a lot of social problems…okay, that’s where the Genesis name comes from…porridge, not a bad thing to eat…oatmeal’s pretty nutritious…congee is a Chinese form – to be had in Chinatown for an okay price…just scanned through the text about GPO and his violin…not my favorite instrument – Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons overloaded with ‘em…to my taste…

4. It was Carl Sandburg who wrote that line about fog and little cat feet, not Mark Twain…oh, that story or novel about a leper colony. Fun reading, eh?

5. Couldn’t really get through much of that Maxine e-mail, but thanks anyway. And, as I said on the phone, enjoyed our time up in North Beach last night. Hadn’t been up there in a while…

6. Hmmm, yeah, actors as liars. I mentioned this to a film fan I know, and he said that it’s acting, not lying. They are pretending to be something they’re really not, but there’s a role for that in society, going back to the Greek days of all those ancient plays. Catharsis and so forth. Can be a learning experience, as well as enjoyable…and I agree about Goldie Hawn. And her daughter Kate Hudson is continuing the tradition – have liked pretty much every film of hers I’ve seen…and the Mechanics’ Institute costs 95 bucks a year. But as I told you on the phone, that can work out to just pennies a day, if one goes every day, which I’m likely to do. Uh…am sending you this one response to the three I had of yours this session online – didn’t respond to the other two, since you said to cease and desist…but, as I said, I was only responding to each one you sent…am kind of wordy lately…later…

7. Here’s a little write-up about the most-recent Charles Bukowski volume, just out from City Lights. Bought it last night at that North Beach institution – didn’t wanna use my plastic, but thought this was a good purchase. The man continues to fascinate to a good extent…tho’ now that I’m off the beer and wine a bit less so. But I’m a fan for life, and his work has influenced me much. Audio by him of poetry readings is excellent also, in my humble pie opinion.

8. Interested in a porn star’s blog? Well, alrighty, then, how’s about: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=75488626&blogID=435803020 – Sasha Grey’s – I prefer, in porn, a more vanilla kind than she, I believe, provides, but I like much about her off camera, as far as I have read. Her MySpace is at www.myspace.com/sashagrey - “tasteful” pictures there, not hardcore. I give her a thumb’s up, but she’s not for everyone. Her blog provides a textual product from her that I like checking in to often.

9. Want to draw the attention of whoever’s got a taste for porn to: http://avn.com/performer/articles/31895.html - since it was recommended by the aforementioned Sasha Grey. Not sure of the exact content of this, but it promises to be of general interest, and not just to porn addicts – I mean, fans…

10. Hey, didn’t you use that Gary Winograd quote before? Is this deliberate? And the picture is of…paint blobs? A drinking cup? The quote – a photo isn’t what was photographed, but a new fact? Okay, going with that, Gary…

11. Have Oakland’s Tower of Power on my mind recently, and here’s a Wolfgang’s Vault link from a ’77 concert: http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/tower-of-power-concert/20052099-8189.html?utm_source=NL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=080926 – don’t know “Yin-Yang Thang” – would like to hear that. Was over at the Powell Street Rasputin’s yesterday to price the ’98 live S.F. concert – a penny short of ten bucks, not including tax. But have heard that a lot, would like to hear new-to-me recordings…”This Time It’s Real” – had forgot about that one! YouTube for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEkYlJpz-K8 – and from Soul Train, even!

posted by Velcro # 12:39 PM

Thursday, September 25, 2008

#1274 www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

FAST NIGHT #3 by A. H. Undred

1. Thanks for this link to the Strunk classic on style elements…the one of his I remember is: “Omit needless words.” – which in itself demonstrates the principle…reminds me that Picasso could really draw “well”, meaning, realistically, but he broke the rules with his Cubism, to famous effect…look at http://blogs.newsobserver.com/grammar/book-review-clean-well-lighted-sentences - for a new book I heard about on the radio by one Janis Bell, that is a new companion to to the peculiarly-named Strunk…

2. Making note of XTC’s “Towers of London” YouTube – back to limited online time per day so I won’t watch it just now. And that Finnish shooting. That happens, and not just in gun-lovin’ ‘merica. Some of those First Person Shooter games are a trainin’ ground for such behavior. (The guy's name was "Saari"...shot himself, so he can't afterward say he's "saari" for what he did...)

3. Interesting, those Genesis P-Orridge items on eBay. Just looking at the first page…Czech 20th century violin…guy’s into his musical instruments. Good taste, plus the money to buy…as opposed to having no money but good taste, or horrible taste and too much money – a common condition…hmmm, just nine-ninety-nine bid on a synthesizer keyboard of some kind – seems cheap. Genesis is interesting – got to get more into him and his work…

4. Bill Nelson, another I’m not so familiar with…like, as you put it, his Thirties to Sixties science fiction aesthetic…was at Borderlands on Valencia a while back and bought a postcard featuring a Fifties or Sixties sci-fi paperback cover that was great for its kitschy value…and here, in fact, is a site that features it: http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--10100703/The_Gods_Hate_Kansas.htm - and funny you should mention the Rosicrucians – was reading a book called Handbook of Secret Organizations – here’s a link to that: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/527156 - and they had a portion devoted to the Rosy Cross thing…anyway…thanks for the background info about this Nelson. Will look into his work more…

5. Well, I find some things at the Wolfgang’s Vault site interesting, including Crawdaddy! material, such as http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/?utm_source=NL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=080924& - the “The Golden Road” section about S.F. could be worth a look-see...

6. Thanks, but not really into Chinese flutes, or Woody Guthrie. All that folk stuff is just okay – laid some groundwork for the later Sixties rock and roll that I prefer…saw Pete Seeger, folk proponent, on the tube the other day, promoting KQED. He answered the musical question, “Where have all the flowers gone?” – onto his shirt, ‘cause it was floral as all get out.

7. Hey, great you have taken out so many books from the library. I’m not a Poe fan, but he was a great stylist – just dipped very briefly into a paperback of his short stories – “The Tell-Tale Heart”, which begins with the narrator saying how nervous, dreadfully nervous he is…have myself got a few books out from the library…uh…fifteen to be precise. Since you asked what I’ve been reading, here’s a brief rundown: a book with a hundred motivation tips by Steve Chandler, two by psychic Sylvia Browne, biographies of Tom Cruise, Alec Guinness, Warren Beatty, and others, a Goldie Hawn autobiography…two about Guns ‘N Roses…and have a few other in my personal collection. Just spent ten bucks – half-price – on a book by Sadie Johnson about ménage-a-trois. Here’s a link to it, in case you are interested: http://www.amazon.com/Three-Menage-Trois-Sadie-Johnson/dp/1402749236?tag=dogpile-20. Wanted something aphrodisiacal in literary form, with some tasteful photos, so that was worth the expense, which was a significant portion of what I have left for the month.

8. Yeah, the Belushi demise, Chateau Marmont. Just re-read Bob Woodward’s Wired, all about that. Terrible…one who wasn’t quite made for the fame and the temptations surrounding it. Left a lot of great, funny work, tho’ – not so much the movies, but the SNL stuff stands up still. Also recently read a Chris Farley bio – was a big fan of Belushi’s, and emulated him too much in terms of the drug use that led to his death. (Many around Farley could see where he was heading – show producer Lorne Michaels said told him he didn’t want another Belushi on his hands – didn’t help…went though several rehabs, did Farley, but to no avail.)

9. Well…a postcard image of S.F. And I mean that in a slightly critical way…I guess those vapor trails or whatever in the sky are different from what can be had for a quarter on revolving racks around town…the quote about investing the commonplace with the sublime – is “superlime” a word? – I like…

10. Below ten minutes on my library hour, else I’d look at these pics of London and Holland and their efforts to avoid flooding more carefully. Hopefully, lessons were learned in New Orleans relatedly…thought: “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin – appropriate? Can’t think of how it sounds just now, tho’…don’t know that Peter Gabriel song. Heard him on the radio as a panelist for some good cause – his thing was how great a tech cell phones are for many of the world’s very poor – they’re cheap to make and distribute, and give super communication capabilities.

posted by Velcro # 9:46 AM

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

#1273 www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

FAST NIGHT #2 by A. H. Undred

1. Ha, right, you messing with the heads of drug dealers but them not knowing. Well, heck, they’re businesspeople, not into humor of the moment, eh? And, oh, classic, you replying “milk” when someone asked you what you needed! “San Fransicko”, ha…and…guy sitting on the ground on Polk asked me if I smoked. Well, wasn’t that nice of him, asking into my personal habits in the spirit of inquiry! Of course, the unasked next question is: “Can I have one?” So it was a, like, courteous way of indirectly asking. I didn’t say it, but a response would be: “Yes, I do, and I sure like it!” – then maybe take out a smoke – but you know I don’t have that habit, but this is just for humorous speculation – then light it, then walk on. Heck, he was just asking if I smoked. (And also, that FDR quote in the subject line - clips of him lately due to the economic situation, the Great Depression comparisons being made by "pundits"...)

2. Oh, bad story, but with a happy enough ending, about your overdose. Yeah…but…wouldn’t that be a charge of murder if the guy who gave you that dose was found out? That’s no joke…I learned a bit about heroin and junkies living in the Tenderloin. Not my thing, but in the interests of just living and also learning about drugs in general, my life in the T.L. was edifying. Good thing you got off the “horse”…and…Narcom? Never heard of it. Ever see PulpFiction? A scene in which the Uma Thurman character accidently snorts a lot of heroin, thinking it was cocaine, and she goes into a coma and is revived by an injection of, I guess, adrenaline, right into her heart. You know, wholesome family entertainment.

3. Okay, for me…had bad teeth as a vigorous teen, so that’s not an old age sign for me. And my eyesight also wasn’t perfect then…my blood pressure may be high, but I’m monitoring my salt intake more and exercising, and no alcohol – that was raising my body heat…tho’ that may not be a high blood cause…and gotta watch my knees a bit – I tend to have long periods of total inactivity – use it or lose it, as it’s said…libido, sex…uh, next topic, next letter…my memory seems okay, good enough to type out my e-mails for blog content…don’t take prescription drugs…maybe at some point get a medical marijuana card – some doctors give ‘em out to just about anyone, I think, if they can ante up a hundred dollars…I’m generally not “queasy”, unless I eat in weird combinations, or too much – but my digestion’s always been pretty darn good, even tho’ my teeth and eyes haven’t been, really…and I sleep pretty well…tinnitus – I’m no rock star, so that’s no problem…a…an occupational hazard for them – took me a while to get that phrase – an exercise for the memory…no urinary trouble…worry, not usually – have read that worry is a misuse of the imagination…haven’t had X-rays since teenage dental work, and avoid them…oh, a few years back stepped off a Hyde Street curb into a hole, and that twisted my ankle – required a visit to St. Francis, and an X-ray…and that wasn’t alcohol-related – I maintain balance and movement well even with a fairly high level of wine or beer in me…so I thought I’d share that little rundown…provides content for my blog, anyway…

4. Uh…good to hear from you…and…there’s the e-mail address and the blog address at the top of each posting, so isn’t that enough? Anyway…don’t necessarily want more traffic to my site, actually…well, thanks again for getting me started in the wonderful world of blogging back in January of Two-Thousand-Four! I owe it all to you. Also…lemme buy you a cup of coffee or tea sometime. Am handling my money better lately and can spare that. Keep me informed of your doings and so forth…and, ha ha, just say no…or is that “know”?

5. Oh, okay…but…I thought “xxx”, besides the porn film designation, meant three kisses – but that “o” in “xo”? And also, could be related to tic-tac-toe…and…today’s picture and quote…that’s an orchid? I suppose among the flowers, its beauty is prone to being suspicious? Back in the city again, me, after six great days away. So no more backyard garden with bees and birds, squirrels, feral cats, hummingbirds, as well as flora to accompany that suburban fauna. Nice having a getaway place like that.

6. Well, back to an hour a day at the library for Internet time, so my replies, at least for about a week or more, will be brief, and a bit lagging. So, won’t be checking into this Beach Boys material just now, but am filing ‘em. Rolling Stone has a recent full page article about Brian Wilson’s new work. Never been a fan of his, tho’ I like a lot of Beach Boys songs in general. Good use of “God Only Knows” near the end of Boogie Nights…but the final song is ELO, “Livin’ Thing”, during the closing credits…

7. Hello, bro’, out there in…Mississippi, is it? Or Alabama? Forget which…uh, I’d just rather do regular e-mails and not this Tagged thingie. But thanks for keeping in touch anyway! Ever in town, call me…

8. Hey, bro’! As said, here’s a message…asked to be put onto your e-mailing list. Thanks for that Gynostemma pentaphyllum this afternoon, on ice! Really like your store, and I put my money where my tea-sippin’ mouth is, right? Anyway, I’ll be seeing you again real soon. In the meantime, check out my blog at the address above. It consists now entirely of e-mails I write, and there may be something of interest to you. I include links to various topics and places and such I like, and will do that right now for the Aroma Tea Shop: www.aromateashop.com/ - will in the future be tasting more teas, and partaking of your knowledge of the field. Later!

9. Glad to see there’s a nice place for some displaced cats. I’m aware of some feral felines who don’t mind being out and about, undomesticated. But they enjoy visiting briefly – no touching! – at a home to get food left out. Knew a lady in L.A. years ago who made special excursions out to somewhere in Griffith Park, I think it was, to feed the wild cats. The last few days I had “access” to a nice indoor/outdoor cat, and even brought her a pretty expensive catnip banana – the herb in a yellow, banana-shaped covering. Well, I thought she’d love-love-love it, but got no reaction – getting on in years. So I’ve got a slightly-used catnip banana on my hands. Maybe this store cat at the Polkadot store on Polk, name of Kimba.

10. Not lecturing me? But you said I should consider you some university professor of logic, or something – but maybe that was a joke. Through e-mails, often inflections and such are lost…in conversation when we’re together it’s generally okay, no failure to communicate, in general…anyway, this verbiage here at this blog is meant to be fun and somewhat funny…I want to inform, challenge, entertain…and…inspire, yeah, right. (Have less computer time again, back in the city, so again may not respond immediately to e-mails. Should have a lot of time beginning next month when I pay for membership at the Mechanics’ Institute facility on Post near Market. So until then, I remain, your humble e-correspondent…)

posted by Velcro # 2:32 PM

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

#1272 http://www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

FAST NIGHT #1 by A. H. Undred

1. I like that origin story for “Xola” – but…”xo” means…”x” is for a kiss, but “o”? A felicitous accident, not a felonious one…serendipitous also? I think Tom Robbins wrote about accidents in writing, as in juggling: make them look like part of the act…it’s in the following link somewhere: www.en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tom_Robbins.

2. Heath Bars also in that ice cream – Ben & Jerry’s. Haagen-Dazs wouldn’t do that…oh, mouth blisters due to candy ingestion – not a good sign. I was partial to Snickers, I suppose. A lot of weight to those suckers. As opposed to the fluffiness of Three Musketeers – heck, they just whip that up so that there’s more air, less actual material, and pass that off as a benefit to the consumer…there’s Captain Kidd’s big selection at You Say Tomato…I love the Happy Hippo – tho it’s not technically a candy bar…got for a little child friend of mine yesterday a “Pixy Stix” at a Ballbuster Video – needed bus fare change…surrealism, like Jesus in the Doobie Brothers song, is just alright to me…

3. Well, that George Michael, and the other George, Boy, hunger, seems, for that manflesh. Hampstead Heath, a London park, I’m told, is big on that action. I only mentioned the incident in the blog ‘cause I didn’t have much other material to work with just then. “Careless Whisper” is pretty decent, and “Faith” mentionable, and that wake me up Wham! song he did with that other guy back in the Eighties.

4. Hey, this Diary of a Hyperdreamer by Bill Nelson looks excellent! Always coming up with the great material I’m not familiar with…looks like there’s a lot online at places like: www.billnelson.com/html/villa/study.php - will get to it later. Thanks!

5. Okay, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/syd_barrett.html - for those Syd Barrett quotes – going up onto the blog in a few minutes. I just printed out Tom Robbins quotes, so I’ll study those, but these I’ll get to later…

6. Yes, memes – idea originated by ones Dawkins guy in some biology book…The Selfish Gene – I’m a (recovering) English major – never graduated, but went to U.C. Berkeley for about a year – and…Really Simple Syndication, sure – www.starplane.blogspot.com – same blog channel, same blog time, for nearly five years now…but, then again, don’t necessarily want so many reading this sh-…I mean, stuff. You can really just leave it as is and don’t publicize it…thanks anyway…don’t really want people “to find out about me”…thanks for your numbers – maybe we can have coffee sometime soon. Should be back in S.F. before noon Thursday, two days hence…

7. You know, sometimes, K., I just don’t think you really get my sense of humor, then start lecturing me on something I didn’t mean…but that’s okay. In e-mail form some inflections are lost – tho’ same may be gained…and…there was the San Francisco Oracle underground newspaper that I told you about a while back. See www.regentpress.net/oracle/index.html - and Oracle, the company, is having a Moscone Center event currently. Imagine, they’d be giving out, probably, free flash drives like candy corn! Not that I need more than the one you gave me – just text for me, so I can store a lot on just one. And, again…not sure what the criticism you have about what I typed about Ronnie Reagan. I’m sure it was just something light-hearted on my part…

8. Ha, love that line from Cool Hand Luke. Paul Newman seems like really a great person, what with his philanthropy, and not just for his fine film work…and, yeah, Edgar Rice Krispies, different from Bill Burroughs. Never been so into Edgar Rice – Tarzan, and his other characters. Interesting that he built the city of Tarzana in Southern California from pulp fiction earnings – at least that’s what I heard. Yeah, was surprised that you liked Burroughs – W.S., not E.A. Not for everyone. But I like his longevity and influence, and his outlaw nature. Into guns, gays, and heroin, three things I’m not, but there’s much in his otherwise I can relate to.

9. Well…”not that noticeable”?! Okay…

10. Should get more into Shelley, I guess – those Romantic poets…Keats…who else? Do you know the line from that Rod Stewart song: “…can’t quote you no Dickens, Shelley, or Keats…” “Every Picture Tells a Story” is the song…which one of those doesn’t fit, in terms of English literature? The picture and quote fit well this time – or, rather, there’s a direct connection. But sometimes something tangentially referential is good, too…in my humble opine-ing-ness…

posted by Velcro # 10:08 AM

Monday, September 22, 2008

#1271 http://www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

…the Internet included…questions: is the economy far worse than is being told in the media? – chaos in “heavy minority areas” coming? – doom and gloom…thanks for this, I guess. Going to sleep – early to bed, early to rise, as Big Ben saideth…

1. No new posting again today…looked up “Xola” online and got a few hits…used for some U.S. “business consulting service” – a person with that name in Tacoma has a Myspace – a 19th- century hacienda in Mexico City used it – uses it – and it’s in the middle of the name of someone in Peshmerga – the Baby Names site has it and explains what it means in some African language – and a few other references. There’s a person with that name associated with a Capetown literary conference back seven years ago…the word comes from the Xhosa language of South Africa, which you doubtless know – it’s a tonal tongue, with “click consonants” – reminded of singer Miriam Makeba’s “The Click Song”. (“Peshmerga” – know that word only because of hearing it on NPR, on some world news program – actually, not a place, but it’s a name used by Kurds for armed Kurdish fighters – linked to Kurdistan. They’ve been around since the 1920s, according to the calendar used in the U.S.)

2. In lieu of anything else in my notes right now, clicked at Dogpile’s home page on “michael toilet arrest” – knew this was about George Michael – got this first in an e-mail from a friend yesterday. So – arrested, just was, for drug possession in a public toilet. London. Police tipped off by “a suspicious toilet attendant” – aren’t they all so suspicious? ’98 arrest under similar circumstances by the “Guilty Feet” singer in L.A. Cannabis, crack, found in possession. A hundred million records sold worldwide. Well…I’ve enjoyed several of his numbers, not to mention his Wham! work before the solo career. (Oh, the song isn’t “Guilty Feet” – it’s “Careless Whisper” – duh…anyway, here’s the YouTube for that one, from Mr. Michael’s better days: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQtlrBziyzI.)

3. Got a semi-junk e-mail just now about cell phones – got nothing to work with right now to provide blog content, really, so am focusing on that. And that George Michael story. At least it wasn’t methamphetamine with him…anyway…BlackBerry mentioned in this, and that reminded me that I passed along to your mother your Alexander Graham Bell “Peanut” joke. Didn’t tell it just right, but she laughed anyway. Sure made me laugh in remembrance more than once. I’m happy with my el cheapo Samsung from T-Mobile – don’t need bells and whistles and cameras and ‘net connection…some are indeed very slim and sharp and Space Age-lookin’, but I can admire without wanting. Someone I knew, tho’, had a camera in one and took a photo of me during a swiping motion of her hand, and got an interesting image that I liked…uh…clicked to cell phone glossaries…a lot of technical terms I don’t care about – “alphanumeric” is defined…was downstairs to make green tea for breakfast, had the kitchen tube on – wanted to hear about the Emmy Awards, and if Christina Applegate won. Your mom was watching the show last night and I tuned in a little – left after Steve Martin introduces Tommy Smothers, who was getting some special award. Would like to see Christina take the award, she deserves it. The entire first season of her show is on one of those discs I gave you – worth it. I like the half hour sitcom form – hour long dramas, don’t care for, but I know you like that format. Maybe she can continue with the series into a second season – not making as much of her breasteses as she used to. I think she had/has the TV comedy potential of a Lucille Ball, even. Went out at 5:30am to check for a paper, which is my usual source of news these days – watching the tube during this time in South City’s is sort of a treat, or something, something different. No paper yet, but it’s after six now. Still dark, gettin’ later in the year…

4. www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/12/POLKSTREET.TMP - article from three years ago about concerns in some quarters about Polk Gulch gentrification. Being a resident in the area, I’m interested – guy named O’Reilly painted his restaurant and now some of his business neighbors feel the new look makes their establishments look shabby…part of a “trendy transformation” in the area, says the Chronicle scribe – which is affecting the “marginal” society members also found on and around Polk – activist Gay Shame group not in favor of cleaning up the street too much – a spokesperson not happy with changes that benefit “partying suburbanites” – leading to a decrease in “hustler watering holes” – well…this seems mainly about the “Lower Polk” zone, south of, like, Pine. I’m in the “Middle Polk”, between the parts of the street in question in this article and the wealthier enclave to the north, Russian Hill…

posted by Velcro # 6:49 AM

Sunday, September 21, 2008

#1270 http://www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

[Continued from #1269] …George Cukor 1939 The Women – Mick one of the four producers, did you know? I was thinking it might be worth seeing, but now I’m changing my mind. Have sort of tuned in again to Asia Argento – there’s a YouTube of her at a S.F. store promoting Scarlet Diva, one of hers from a few years back, one I haven’t seen. Somehow recently again I’m appreciating her style and look…there’s another YouTube that some fan lovingly created featuring a slow montage of photos of her with “Sweet Child o’ Mine” playing – nicely done.

1. Well, I guess that I’m not totally up one side and down the other familiar with every single Eagles song, so I missed that one…was in the market, cash in hand, for that last one, that sold through Wal-Mart, but they didn’t have it at the Virgin Megastore when I went there, so haven’t heard any of that, even through YouTube…couple of guys I know, as I said, are still Elton fanatics. One of ‘em said the BBC is just starting to release some early Seventies video and he’s very interested in that…”Bennie and the Jets” is the only one of those three I know – it’s the feminine “-ie” ending for that name, ‘cause Bennie’s a girl…right? – oh, you know David Kidd, the proprietor of You Say Tomato. Yeah, funny guy – just met him, liked chatting with him, him with his head in that laptop behind the counter. Have begun buying those “Happy Hippo” cookie thingies – brought three to the lady of the house I’m just in as a little unusual giftie, and she found them amusing and cute…gotta get that Vegemite or the other one like it – for all those B vitamins – but maybe too much? Men at Work song with the reference to it, right?...Soreen? A drink? Wikipedia says: “fruity malt loaf”! – hmmm…Mr. Fruity Maltloaf, an excellent name? – so…the Honky Chateau is actually this Nellcote place? And…Mick and movies…didn’t get all the way through Performance some years back, but it’s interesting…that one he did about the Australian outlaw, Ned something…he did a science fiction one in the Nineties, Jack-something or something-Jack…and there must be others…and Asia – “shockingly interesting” – nice phrase…check out on YouTube this signing she did at a Best Buy in Two-Thousand-Two. And there’s another where she’s in some public bathroom doing a video diary, dancing around with earbuds on...like it that she’s a mother, maybe twice a mother. By the titles of some YouTube clips she’s into the DJ thing also, loves music, and is very literate, all that, and a bag o’ tortellini…

2. Okay, that explains the Genesis “thee” thing…I thought it may be some knock at Biblical language – his name and all…could have been “Exodus C-Reamofwheat” also...country bumpkins – reminds me of The Wicker Man, but that was set off the coast of Scotland. Cage remake recently, haven’t seen it…his new one, remaking a Pang Brothers Thai flick from a decade back, got bad reviews…I remember when the Manchester thing was big in the early ‘90s – maybe still is…

3. Thanks for the KPFA drama and literature listings – should really tune the station in. One thing is, it’s just so easy to get to and stay at KQED’s NPR – at that far end of the dial. Finding KPFA slightly to the right is just, oh, difficult sometimes – I’m that lazy, ha! That daily book show should be a must for me – but it’s in the NPR BBC 3pm hour, I believe…didn’t know they did Sunday night drama programming, including Joe Frank. I was mesmerized many, many times in L.A. with his work on public radio down there…right now, it’s just after 8pm, the Emmys are on, I just learned – wasn’t thinking of ‘em but the lady of the house has a tube tuned in. Don’t care except for the one category that Christina Applegate’s in. Will they give it to her out of…sympathy? I think she deserves it. Don’t know what the competition is, but her Samantha Who? wins my vote for sure. Read in the paper she’s back on the set for this new season – a real trooper…

4. “Predictive web bot technology”…I think I’ve heard of this, vaguely…looked it up – says this tech has predicted that on October 7th of this year scientists will report that a comet’s on a collision course with Earth and that it’ll hit on January 10th of next year, 80% chance…alarming…one guy at the site I’m looking at comments: “Doom – it’s always just a month away!” – another person’s happy ‘cause he won’t have to buy presents for his family and their brats for Christmas…another more serious analyst figures something’s leading to a greater control of society by the powers that be…restructuring of the Internet included…questions: is the economy far worse than is being told in the media? – chaos in “heavy minority areas” coming? – doom and gloom…thanks for this, I guess. Going to sleep – early to bed, early to rise, as Big Ben saideth…

posted by Velcro # 8:39 PM

#1269 http://www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Yeah, the overall sound…I’m really surprised you don’t find it exciting…maybe it was just, for me, hearing it so young. There’s menace in it…that guitar part near the start, like surf guitar, I guess it could be said. No strong melody? Ummm…the sound matching the plodding movements of the mummy. One season, in prime time, ‘64/’65. Wikipedia: “violence was not shied away from”…oh, a brief section about the music – the word “memorable” is used – “percussion-heavy big band jazz theme” – written by one Hoyt Curtin…and…reruns on Saturday mornings beginning in ’67 – probably when I saw it, not during its initial prime time run…the “cultural impact” sections lists many subsequent incidences showing the show’s influence…including a Simpsons with a character similar to Race Bannon…but we were talking about the music. Man, I dunno, it just seems very moving to me still. Dunno…

2. Yeah, I was fixated upon Bruce Lee heavily years ago. He was indeed considered “the Chinese James Dean” – he made eighteen, I think it was, movies before he was eighteen, before going to Seattle…Dean looked up to Brando…there’s that Eagles tune about him…uh – am responding to your responses in this one big block, even tho’ your text is at different places…ha, misheard lyrics on that Pink Floyd song. Finally got the right ones for “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – three or four words or phrases in their I now know – Taupin did ‘em, I guess – it’s howling old owl in the woods – didn’t know what he was singing…that “vodka and tonics” line, didn’t know it was that…”sniffing for tidbits” in the last line…and, yes, love that Python…Syd – some are not built for fame…Cambridge – just learned that the river next to it is the Cam, just plain Cam…and what you say about Syd and rumors of fans is interesting…that recent book I told you of has a recent photo, him looking not happy at his door at someone who’d knocked – definitely not ready for his closeup, Mr. DeMille…and that potlatch thing of burning his stuff periodically – have thought that’d be a good idea, or give it away…and back to the Elton John song: Wikipedia says some critics consider it John’s best song – a bold claim – mentioned in a Stephen King novel – Elliot Smith, a name I’m vaguely familiar with, said to have once listened to it for eighteen hours straight while doing mushrooms, then wrote a song of his own…number three-eighty in a Rolling Stone list of the 500 top songs…Ben & Jerry’s created the flavor Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road in honor – missed that one! Recorded at some French chateau – as in “Honky Chateau”?

3. Cool, Pizzicato Five, and Strawberry Alarm Clock’s “Tomorrow” – heard of the first but don’t know much about ‘em – all I know about the Alarm Clock is the incense/peppermints classic Sixties psychedelia…I appreciate your sending me these, and all the other songs. You fill in gaps in my musical knowledge. Still have got a tab for the Slapp Happy one that I haven’t gotten all the way through yet, and it’s been hours since I got it…

4. Back to Wikipedia – the Alarm Clock often considered a one-hit wonder – incense/peppermints hit #1 on Billboard in ’67 – “Sit with the Guru” is a lesser-known track with a distinct Sixties sound to it – they appeared in Psych-Out with Jack Nicholson – “Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow” is played on that one – and they were also in Russ Meyer’s Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in 1970 and played their big tune and others – one member went on to join Lynyrd Skynyrd – band called Thee Sixpence before taking the name of the fruit timepiece – did this influence the Genesis P-Orridge use of “thee”? – don’t you just love trivia. And quadrivia?

5. …”Funky New Year”?! That’s an Eagles song? Never heard of it, and I thought I was pretty up on the band…I know a couple of real Elton freaks, but I’m not one – just know his top hits – just bought for a dollar a greatest hits cassette and some of it seems relevant now…but for sure he’s nearly garbling some of some songs, maybe for some “soulfulness” effect? – yeah, like the Palin – Michael, not Sarah! – travel shows – he wrote books related to his sojourns also – and Fawlty Towers is just tremendous, fantastic, all that – and so few episodes – I think just one season, just, like, a dozen or less shows – interesting, the Beatles/Python comparison…there’s this shop near where I live called You Say Tomato that sells all British foods, a unique place – hmmm, needing a bit of faggot – meant in a nice sense, to be P.C. - to be built for fame…never thought of that. Not sure if I believe it, but you may be right…and Granta, the River Cam’s first name – like the literary magazine? – okay, the famous Honky Chateau is Strawberry Studios, you believe – in the south of France, where Exile on Main Street was recorded? No, I think that was some rented castle with trucked-in sound equipment…there’s a fairly new book about the making of that album, but not so into the band that I’d read it. A few pictures at the S.F. Exchange site are plenty for me just now for the Stones…and…the new remake of the…

[Continued next posting, #1270]

posted by Velcro # 7:17 PM

#1268 http://www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Heard about that about lottery winners – the windfall doesn’t, really doesn’t make many of the winners’ lives easier or happier. I know a fella who plays it – me, never go there, have other ways to spend a dollar. I’ve read, tho’, that even the possibility of winning can elevate one’s mood, so that may be why so many indulge in that habit. And…fear, worry…read recently that worry is a misuse of the imagination…had an instance of fear the other day: young guy comes up as I’m sauntering along the street and wants to know if I want something – meaning, he’s got some drug for sale and do I want to buy any? Mistake I made was to make a joking comment, and he takes this as a reason to keep pestering me and following me for a long time. See, after I made the joking comment that sounded like I was interested, I told him in no uncertain terms I didn’t want anything at all, but the error had already been made. He was very persistent and insisted that I owed him some money because I’d wasted his time – maybe all of thirty seconds – after that I’d made it perfectly clear as Tricky Dick Nixon that I was no customer. Anyway, I was feeling the edging into fear of a physical attack due to his insistence, erroneous as it was, that I owed him. Managed finally to walk back to my place, him a few yards behind me, and close the gate upon his sorry behind. Bad scene, didn’t need that drama, that fear. So I learned a lesson that day, and gladly not the hard way. Haven’t seen him since, and good riddance. No more lighthearted kidding with someone serious like that.

2. You didn’t know William Burroughs used drugs? And you love his work? Are you maybe thinking of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan? Different person, same last name. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t a junkie. And Sigmund Freud, right – believer in cocaine, to a certain extent, through personal use, and in cigars, which I believe led to his jaw cancer. There’s a movie and novel called The Seven-Per-Cent Solution in which Freud is a character – Sherlock Holmes is the main guy, fictional, but in this novel and movie they’re working together…

3. Yeah, Nancy Ray-gun, of the G.O.P. Promoted the phrase “Just say no.”…read that Nixon and Kissinger were also into astrology…supposedly Ronnie delayed his inauguration by nine minutes on January 2nd, 1967, to 12:10am, in order to be auspicious – suspicious? – astrologically…in ’74 Reagan signed legislation that benefited astrologers…a San Francisco practitioner named Joan Quigley was the main supplier of “knowledge of the stars” to the Reagan White House, says a site I’m looking at now…this article goes on to say that Governor Bonzo was also into “UFOS, lucky numbers…lucky coins, ghosts”…and that Reagan once moved into a Bel Air house with a “666” address and changed it to “668”. I’m glad our leaders are men of intelligence and goodwill and not superstitiously narrow-minded!

4. “Online college”, good idea…”transformation via keystrokes and screen”…I like it. I’m personally making good use of the 24/7 online time I have for four more days…after this posting I’ll have done 48 pages – 24 separate blog postings in three days. Had a lot of handwritten notes to catch up on, plus e-mails, so I’m pretty happy getting caught up. And it’s a great atmosphere out here in suburbia. Today, my friend’s brother and her little girl and I went to Pacifica, to a place called Nick’s, by the ocean, and had breakfast – had just a hot chocolate myself, but it was surely the most extravagant variety of that beverage I’ve ever had. Two bucks and a half was a bit pricey, but I wasn’t paying. Offered to ante up the tip, but my friend’s brother pooh-poohed that. Then we went to the beach and I much enjoyed the revivifying sea air and the sound of waves. Found a great round, greenish rock, about the size of a potato, and twice as heavy, that I’ll take back to the city with me to remind me of the wonderful morning. Being around the four-year-old girl child is very fun, she’s showing me a lot, and I like kidding around with her in a way her daddy or uncle or grandmother can’t. She says she likes stickers and I plan to buy her a fabulous batch between now and when I see her next, probably Thanksgiving. Already gave her a magnetic bracelet I was carrying, and a box of Cinderella heart-shaped cookies. She has a friend for life in me. Not an official godfather, but I like that role.

5. Three albums worth of great material for Syd…makes me think of Bruce Lee, or James Dean, who left all killer and no filler, basically…I think I know the song “Comfortably Numb”, but I’m so weak on P.F. – the “two balloons” reference, have no idea – Python has Arthur “Two Sheds” Jackson – ever see that skit? – so Dark Side of the Moon was longer after Syd? I’m vaguely familiar with it…no problem with “blabbing” – feeling that way myself these past three days. Want to provide content for my blog.

6. Trivia about trivia, and from Wikipedia, too: grammar, logic, and rhetoric comprised the “trivium”, from whence the word “trivia” is derived, of medieval education, followed by arthithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy, the quadrivium. Is this…quadrivial?

posted by Velcro # 3:31 PM

#1267 http://www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. A friend sent this song to me, called “The Secret”, by Slapp Happy, and am passing it along. He also sent a 10cc one and a Pink Floyd, but this one seems more like it’s of general interest to y’all.

2. Ooops, boo-boo – sent that previous Slapp Happy e-mail to you also, didn’t mean to…and thanks for the Rick Wright tribute links. Have you seen Comfortably Numb, a recent biography of Pink Floyd? Have it out from the S.F. Public, but have to admit I’m not enough into ‘em to get through it, but you may find it very engrossing. There’s a ’67, I think, photo of the band at some Sausalito hotel. Says Syd’s got his new Vidal Sassoon haircut.

3. Hey, I like the recommendations – it’s just that I won’t like ‘em all, probably. Please continue sending…CRAP…”Critically Rendered Avataric Pensiveness”?

4. Maybe you can get a lesser-priced Winchester Mystery House tour and not the grand one. There’s also a Rosicrucian museum in that San Jose area, all ancient Egyptian stuff. Been meaning to check that out. But I hardly ever get even south of Market, let along south of the city, and as far south as S.J. Interesting that you like old houses. Heck, there’s the Octagon House in San Francisco – heard of that? It’s in the Union Street area, a short bus ride away. Not as fabled as the Winchester joint, but it’s got a lot of history – check it out online…and there are guided tours, free, around the city, to cater to about any taste, and old houses are surely featured prominently…but…if you like train riding, then that’s a reason. Maybe you can skip the house and just get on Caltrain, get to some distant location and have a good meal, then head back? Just a suggestion.

5. Well, it’s the same prefix, that “bibl-“ thing. Now you’ve got me curious – what’s online on this? Uh…well…don’t really care that much…Babel, as in “tower of”, seems to have the same origin. Indo-European something or other. On to other matters…such as: used the word “prefix” as a search term and found an article about the “666” being dropped by the Kentucky Mountain Bible College as a telephone number portion due to the very negative Biblical connotations (or denotations?) – “693” will be used instead. Well, good for them – that’s a whole 27 numbers less evil than the triple sixes…

6. Ronald and Nancy Reagan were really in astrology, maybe numerology too…you must think now that the number 2 is bad-bad-bad because of the animal rights issue connected to it…uh – here’s a link to an article about “Astrology and the Presidential Death Cycle”: www.near-death.com/experiences/articles012.html - all CRAP? Pretty background picture of clouds, anyway.

7. I hear you about all that…and then there’s the idea that there are some things money can’t buy. (Reminds me of a time I was sitting at an outdoor café on 24th Street in the Mission and I was saying something along those lines to someone. I may have misinterpreted what happened, but this passing guy says some angry comment to me after he heard this. My interpretation was that maybe he was living his life entirely for “the Almighty Dollar” and didn’t want to hear that there are some things it can’t buy. Money can’t buy you love and happiness, it’s said. But how about a reasonable-enough facsimile?)

8. Hmmm – I just like that Burroughs phrase as a slogan, but you may be right with your criticisms…I think he felt language had its own agenda and that human intervention wouldn’t matter – it just wants to transmit itself…I dunno. The man was a junkie, a heroin addict, and that would factor in to his perception of himself and language and the world. I don’t like or accept or identify with much of what Burroughs was about, but I find him an interesting literary icon.

9. Okay, http://www.wa-wd.com/ - tells who’s alive, who’s dead – could maybe find it useful. No one on my mind just now to look up…just read Ernest Borgnine’s very funny, enthusiastic autobiography – said he was in his nineties when it recently came out. So in his name goes into this site and…he’s still kickin’. Born in 1917…92nd birthday coming up in January. Another public figure, Jack LaLanne, is even older, born in 1914, and he’s still “with us”. Gotta get one of his juicers one of these days – seems to have worked for him…Mr. Borgnine is, apparently, providing a voice for an animated cable series. Thanks for this…

10. I guess you’ve already looked at this site about the Mystery House: www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/story.html - ha, you said a fortune teller’s really a CRAP teller – would that be “Completely Real and Plausible”? Heard about them stairs that lead to nowhere. 47 fireplaces – just 47 more than I you and I have combined!

posted by Velcro # 1:52 PM

#1266 http://www.starplane.blogspot.com/ sweetdango@hotmail.com

1. Okay, cool – Germany 9 hours ahead of the West Coast of the U.S. – but, like Tommy Chong, or a character of his, I don’t believe in time, man. What I’m doing with this blog isn’t necessarily time-bound, it’s just basically fun.

2. Never been too into Marx. Or that Freud, either. Groucho I am. Karl, the brother who wasn’t too hammy and just sat around reading…couldn’t bring this link up for some reason. Don’t know that much about the man. I believe he had a lot of kids and didn’t take care of ‘em? Too busy writin’…

3. This flick looks pretty good – I like the poster. Never heard of it. Lemme see…seven couples, seven stories, one common ground…hmmm…she’s reading…what? You mentioned Hampstead Heath in the previous e-mail. Could it be…Marx?! Only recognize one name among that cast – a Brit production? Comedy-drama from two years ago – Camus figures into the plot – lukewarm reception, reports Wikipedia. But it seems like one I’d really like. Something that might’ve played at the Lumiere back two years ago. I’ll keep this one in mind. Was thinking good thoughts about that remake of The Women, with Meg Ryan and nine other alpha Tinseltown ladies, even thinking of heading to one of the Landmark theatres to see it, but now, given comments from a couple I know, am reconsidering. But this one looks pretty good.

4. The one I mentioned is a companion volume to Forbidden Archaelogy. The one I have does get a bit complex and technical, and after I started it I’ve let it alone for a while. But it’s a compilation of articles by various people, probably like the one you mentioned, and it’s easy to just read one bit and not feel like you have to read the whole thing. I’m saving eight bucks a day while I’m away from the city, so when I get back I may put a few more bucks into Fields. Decent bargain books outside for a dollar or three.

5. “Renumeration” could be a word in itself – “to number again”? Yeah, “remuneration” isn’t a word you need to use fifty times a day, is it? It means…”repayment”? I like using words of several syllables, but mainly for comic effect, or poetic effect sometimes. I don’t necessarily believe words of a single syllable, simpler words, are the best.

6. Glad you like that Cut Up Machine. I’ve mentioned it before in this blog, and just got back to it myself. Really can generate some interesting lines. Was thinking it’d be good for some science fiction, if one wanted to go there. And heard about Bowie using the Burroughs method for lyrics, in his Nineties work, I think. I should listen to that period of his and see if I can detect this. And there are, you notice, other online devices at that site to do, like, haiku, and whatever.

7. Hmmm, 10cc, “Old Wild Men”. Don’t know it. Can’t think of any 10cc song, in fact. Thanks for this, will give it a listen. Looks like the kind of song and performers I like.

8. And thanks also for this Pink Floyd, “Jugband Blues”. Again, really not knowledgeable about the band. One of the players just passed away…”rode on ahead”, “fell off the perch”…riding that great floating pig in the sky…

9. Ha, right! Not Karl and Vladimir, but Groucho and John…and, didn’t hear that new news about George Michael and crack and “crack”, ha ha. A continuing situation with him. But I liked at least that big hit by Wham!, and some of his solo work…and – “heathen”, “non-city dweller”. Like “pagan”, “of the country”…

10. You mentioned that Carnaby Street mini-skirter before – a good memory…currently am hanging out a lot with a kindergarten-aged little girl, the child of my good friend’s older brother, and I’m wondering what sort of things she’ll remember from this age…”windy” – yeah, could be pronounced two ways, like the moving air, or like the staircase you describe…reminds me of the song: “…who’s tripping down the streets of the city,/smiling at everybody she sees…” Could be about that Carnaby lassie…

11. Oh, right, 10cc, “Not in Love”. Was on a Rhino Seventies collection I had. Hmmm, that Seventies sound, may want to visit that again, and 10cc may be the “Vehicle” – another great song of that era – for that…

12. Ha, Slapp Happy!? “The Secret”, got it cued – queue’d? - along with the 10cc and the Pink Floyd you recommended also. Thanks – been wanting to listen to some songs but wasn’t sure which. (Have listed three numbers so far in a current list: Duane Allman’s “No Money Down”, a version of “Galveston” by an unnamed guitar player doing it like a lesson, with fretwork closeups, and a live Frank Sinatra New York rendering of “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” with half of its six minutes taken up with before-song comments.)

posted by Velcro # 12:04 PM