Scrapbook Two, p. 30 (Sex by Anthony Chang)

p.s. Greetings. I'm in a bit of the funk I referenced earlier, so I'll just move on to the hopefully more pleasant minded you. ** Paul curran, What a very curious story about the 'novel' woman. What do you think? In situations like that, I have a maybe kneejerk tendency to go to the defense of the writer, having had my imaginatioon mistaken for my life so many times. But I don't know. ** Maximum etc., Yeah's Gaitskill's a dazzler. I actually think, so far at least, the short story is really her metier, and the novel gives her some problems, but I haven't read 'Veronica,' and even in long form, wow, can she sling the great sentences. ** Adnadawesar, Welcome, and thank you so much for that. It's much appreciated. I read and really admired 'Babyji,' so it's an honor too. Take care. ** Ronnie, I have no idea about how the editing of Mary's piece went, so I can't say, but having written articles for a long time, and dealt on occasion with tone deaf, unsubtle editors, the garbled sentences and presumptuousness might not have been Mary's intention. Her name is on them, so they belong to her, but I've had some situations where articles I wrote appeared with sentences and inferences that weren't mine at all, and I necessarily took it as a live and learn situation. So ... who knows, but it's possible. ** Tigersare, I didn't know about the Kim Gordon rtext. How great that must be. I'll hunt it down. Thanks for mentioning it. ** Jax, I wouldn't let Mary Gaitskill's possible use of a standard journalistic trope put you off reading her fiction. And I too really adored your streaming piece. Sharp, sharp, sharp, and beautifully realized. A great pleasure. I don't know why they kidnapped the soldier either. I don't know why Israel responded by going fascist. I don't understand why the United States has no objectivity about the situation. Or why Iran has no objectivity about it. I don't understand any of it. And my Israeli friends don't either. It's saddest, scariest shit possible. ** Vomitingghosts, Yeah, Amy Gerstler is one of the greats in my opinion. She's also one of my best friends in the world, and the just the bees knees of people. I'm a sucker for The Believer too, so I'll dash over to the only store in Paris that sells it -- the great Village Voice Bookshop, a little heaven on earth to English speaking Parisians -- and snap up that new one. Gracias. ** Tony, Thanks for the on scene report. I haven't heard the Moz single yet. Cool news. Joe LeSeur's O'Hara book is a terrific name-dropping, whispery thing, so I second you on that. I knew Joe pretty well, and he was a real sweetheart of a occasional pain in the ass. ** Tender prey, Your question to me about Dick was a really nice surprise, and I'm thrilled to think you see a connection. No question there must be. ** You, I for one got the joke. You know, I think Lynch did do an animated angriest dog or maybe a series of them. I'm almost sure I remember seeing one or more in some context. Maybe they're on his incredible website. ** Bernard welt, Thanks a lot for the Tobias Schneebaum mention and text. I had forgotten he died. His books are very recommended to those out there who don't know him/them, and not just for the cannibalism stuff, though that is fascinating. I wish I knew someone who'd eaten human. It would help in my cannibal research immensely. No indulgers out there? My nearly lifelong vegetarianism has fucked me as far as actually tasting human, not that I would, mind you. But the pain and sickness produced by meat sitting in my wussy, devolved stomach is too great a preventitive. ** Ronnie, I think that 'kill me' incident was briefly discussed here long ago when the population here was village-like. Of course, it's a fascinating enough thing that there's not nearly enough info available on it for me, but then apart from being able to talk privately with the boy himself, it's doomed to forever be a piecemeal, alluring incident, I guess. ** Ignacio, You've got me totally hot for Craddock's work now. I love psychedlic lit. pretty much across the board, so a newbie is exciting. I will hunt. ** Adjoun, What is it with Belgium and youth murdering. It seems like every time I turn around there's some story on some dead, usually molested Belgian youngster. I can't really figure Belgium out as a country. But then living in Holland instilled what seemed to be a widely held eye rolling attitude toward Belgium among the Dutch. And it's one of those multi-language countries that are always hard to suss, for me anyway. Like Switzerland. What is Switzerland? It just seems like most vague country. ** Chilly jay chill, On the Burroughs/ghostwriting thing ... err ... You know, I've actually spoken and written about this topic, too often and much probably, and it got me in deep shit with some people, and I decided a while back that I wasn't going to talk about it anymore, and I'd let others or the future get to the bottom of it. So if you'd asked that question around me five years ago, you would have heard an earful, but now I can only say, Yes, I know about that claim. ** Joe mills, Great luck on your bbc thing. Do share if it turns out well to your mind. I don't find any players on any of the teams crush worthy. But then I'm not so much into masculnity with a capital M. ** Stickitminister, Thank you, man. Really kind of you. ** Lost child, You could definitely scan and send them. Please do. ** Don w, 'Collective Effervescence,' wow, is that a pretty term. ** Rigby101, Dude, despite inroads in recent years, soccer/football is not (yet) a household name sport in the US. So unless you're a serious jock, Zidane isn't a name of note there, the same way the gods of baseball aren't even blips over here. But I'm learning. ** Antonio, Drumset in the SM dungeon ... that's going in my next novel, unless you want dibs on it. ** Danny, What a great, lucid, insightful post. Much appreciated, and thanks both for the kind words and for moving the blog up a number of notches. ** Nikolas, Well, all that stuff is in my archives in NYC. One of these days I'm going to pass through that great city again, and I'll remember to get some photocopies, scan them, and put them up here. I keep trying to do entries on my methodology, and am constantly foiled by my lack of access to all of my preliminary shit. Thanks for wanting. Album done? You are the wunderkind. ** David c., I interviewed Keanu ages ago, right before he was going to do 'My Own Private Idaho,' and he didn't used to be vacant. He was spazzy and wild eyed and just a charming ball of crazed energy. I've always wondered why and how he sobered up like he has and is into being so suave. He sure wasn't back then. I liked him a whole lot when he and I talked. The soul of sincerity and curiosity. A great seeming guy. ** Happy Friday, y'all (that's for antonio).

Table of Contents

SATAN GOES TO HARVARD by Mary Gaitskill

On May 28, 1995, a murder was committed at Harvard University: Sinedu Tadesse, a 20-year-old Ethiopian scholarship student, stabbed her roommate Trang Ho, a gifted 20-year-old Vietnamese immigrant also on a scholarship. More precisely, Tadesse stabbed Ho 45 times with a hunting knife she had bought expressly for that purpose while Ho lay sleeping in bed. Tadesse then hung herself with a noose she had prepared in advance. The crime was stunning not only because it was savage, but because, as a Harvard official commented at the time, "there (was) no apparent reason." All the ensuing media coverage, and all the speeches and meetings seemed to make the event more mysterious, not less. .... (cont.)

PERSONALITY: Dining with Martin Amis by Amy Gerstler

Some perpetually adolescent aspect of my consciousness expects an acclaimed author, especially of the male variety, to tower over me, casting a Goliath-like shadow. Yet last week, days after I’d finished reading his memoir Experience, when I found myself unexpectedly face to face with Martin Amis, he appeared to be only about 5’4” tall. My height. This surprised me. And Mr. Amis has a large head. It reminded me of the way babies have big heads they later grow into, or of those bobble headed sports star dolls people sometimes glue to their dashboards. Mr. Amis’ substantial head is no doubt necessary to contain extra brain wattage. He spoke beautifully, as is often the case with Brits. By this I mean both that he expressed his thoughts hyper-lucidly, and that his diction (chiseled consonants, rounded vowels) was crisp as a classically trained actor’s. .... (cont.)

DICK HEADS: Gary Indiana on Richard Linklater's Scanner Darkly

LOQUACITY IS Richard Linklater's métier: Regardless of how much or little action occurs in the course of his films, his characters talk incessantly, sometimes brilliantly, about what flumes up from their brainpans and how they perceive what goes on around them. Their emotional composition defines itself in the timing of cross talk, interruptions, witticisms, asperities, and perfunctory displays of affection. At times, they almost resemble real people, in films like Dazed and Confused (1993) and The School of Rock (2003)—zany people, equipped with one or two signature habits, tics, idiosyncracies. .... (cont.)

INTERMISSION: David Lynch

Playstation 2 commercial (0:32)
Cigarette commercial (0:59)
Blind Soundmen & Dead Cats (6:50)
Clean up New York (1:00)
Nissan commercial (0:45)
Meditation (3:47)
Dumbland - Episode 5 (3:48)
Georgia coffee commercial (0:27)

CANNIBALISM AND THE CULINARY LIFE: Daniel Rogov

Marinated Leg of Person

1 leg, about 3 kilos
6 cups dry cider
1 kilo carrots, sliced thinly
8 medium onions, sliced thinly
16 juniper berries
8 leaves sage, chopped
1/2 cup butter
2 whole nutmegs, grated
salt and pepper to taste ....

(cont.)

LOST GIRLS REDUX: Neil Gaiman on Alan Moore's Lost Girls

When I first started writing comics for adults, I found myself forever needing to explain that, no, I wasn't writing those kind of adult stories.

The boundary between pornography and erotica is an ambiguous one, and it changes depending on where you're standing. For some, perhaps, it's a matter of whatever turns you on (my erotica, your pornography), for some the distinction occurs in class (i.e. erotica is pornography for rich people). Perhaps it's also something to do with the means of distribution – internet pornography is unquestionably porn, while an Edwardian publication, on creamy paper, bought by connoisseurs, part works bound into expensive volumes, must be erotica. (cont.)

DANGEROUS LIASON: Happiness Is Living in Secret With a Man Who Doesn't Consider Himself Gay by Bruce Benderson

I'm back in the closet and loving it, in a country that still criminalizes homosexuality, with a lover who doesn't consider himself gay.

Here in Bucharest, where I've opted to spend several months with my Romanian partner, Romulus, I am, it occurs to me, a willful sexual exile. With my American passport, which can get me into any of the alleged sexual utopias -- Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Prague -- I've chosen to make love and live life in a country where you can still be punished for any kind of sex act thought to cause a "public scandal." (cont.)


p.s. Thanks for the big help to Rachel and Andy yesterday. They're blown away and poring over the multitude of suggestions, and either they or I or both will let you know the results at whatever point(s). Excellent work. Nothing much new since yesterday on my end, so ... ** Matt Greene, Hey, cool to see you here. I wrote you an email. ** Paul america, Yeah, that's been my Sonic Youth dilemma, i.e. avoiding the too obvious or half-assed. But I imagine putting our weird heads together will work. Just let me know when you're satisfied. ** Mikey, Yeah, Zidane making that last goal was definitely part of why Parisians went particularly crazy over France's win. I hadn't even heard of him before I 'moved' here, but even I got kind of emotional about that. ** Link raygun, If you can remember the porn star's name, I'll do my best. Oh, 'God's Away on Business!' That song drives me crazy, it's so great. I guess I'll go for 'Blood Money' then, if that's any indication. Thanks, man. ** You, Definitely really piqued about your future novel, no lie. If I was rich, I'd bid on the Kraftwerk and Haunted Mansion items. Still, it was nice to looky loo. Funny you mentioned 'Lost Girls' yesterday when the above Gaiman thing was in the cue. I haven't seen the book yet, but, yeah, so curious. If you lay eyes on it, do share your opinion. ** Statictick, Damn you for getting to see New Pornographers, and for fucking free. They never made it to Paris for the last album, and I'm sad since NP live is joy incarnate. Cool about the trailer. Just let me know the scoop whenever. Thanks so much as always. ** David ehrenstein, Very nice Chris Marker pic. I'll slot it into the CM Day currently in planning mode. ** Dickon edwards, No one's more surprised by my tagging along behind the World Cup wagon than me. When in Rome, ... I guess. I know literally no one here, whatever their profession or IQ or unconventionality who isn't a Cup follower to some degree. Strange, really. So what do you think, is the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp team the right the right one for the 'Sweeney Todd' film job? It doesn't seem like a bad combination to me. ** Gregoryedwin, I haven't seen Coppola's 'Dracula' since it came out, but, at the time, the only thing I could see was the extremely pinned pupils of the purportedly heroin addicted at the time Keanu and the seemingly careful tricks that were being done filmically to try to disguise what a junkie he was, but all that could be a figment. Your Hopkins characterisation is hilarious. Did you see on Pitchfork yesterday that Jeff Magnum is coming back, or supposedly has announced his return to music? Wow, if true.** Tony, I have to add my burst of laughter and admiration for your Brazil team/'Rent' mash-up. ** Antonio, Your lists of names would make Richard Kostelanetz drool. And 'Kidnapped' does sound up my alley, you mind reader. I even went to see that hateful Mel Gibson movie where his son was kidnapped and he stood in the street in that endlessly shown clip holding his cellphone like a microphone and bellowing into it, 'Give me back my son!" So a whole series about a kidnapped me-type? Dude, needless to say. ** Hello, No, I haven't read the Curtis bio yet, but it has to be a worthy, fascinating book even if she can't write or pulls some of her punches. It just seems like a no lose prospect. But is it great, I don't know. I think some people here have read it. Opinions for hello, please. ** Bernard welt, Many, many thanks, my man. ** Momo, I sure hope you get to stay in Berlin. That art school there sounds kind of great. Yeah, the connections making thing. Welcome to the art world, you know? It's just a matter of maintaining integrity in that situation, and people do. God, it just gets scarier by the second in Israel/Palestine. What an insane, confusing, horrifying mess. ** Imnotstopping, Awesome you shook Kip Noll's hand, and intriguing that it was rough. Once for my birthday, Tim Dlugos gave a personally autographed 8x10 of Jeremy Scott, which of course I still have. Jeremy Scott was a curious one. Like even though it was already de rigeur in porn to shave your asscrack, he never did. And since he was a smooth boy with a hairy asscrack, you noticed it. I used wonder why he did that. Did he consider having a hairy asscrack his signature? Was it his way of psychologically hanging on to his masculinity? I mean I had no problem at all with his unshaved asscrack, but I used to imagine asking him why. Anyway ... ** C. It's true Yury doesn't like to look into the camera. I never noticed that before. Interesting. ** Cautivos, Actually, that makes a lot of sense: your feeling it's easier to express impossibility in another language. Not that I can explain why. But, that said, in C.'s translation of the text from your blog, what incredible and gorgeous and clear and devastating text. Damn, I wish I spoke Spanish. ** Burnt oak, Sure, of course, I'll sign it and send it straight back. Thanks. It's always really nice to have you here, so, whenever the mood strikes ... ** Joe mills, Of course, of course, a toe dip could be just the thing. For sure. No slight on romantic love from me at all, being in its throes and all. I'm really missing my friends a lot these days. I mean a lot. That's part of it. ** Morgan, No, I haven't seen it, but, boy, do I want to after your alert and description. I bet it'll have to wait until I'm in LA since it doesn't sound like the kind of thing that would get DVDed over here. Anyway, it sounds amazing. Thanks a lot, morgan. ** Garrison, Funny, I was just going to ask you how the 'Strangers with Candy' screening turned out. Cool. ** Michael karo, In fact, I was at that very moment scratching my head. ** Jax, Wow, well, I sure the hell am going to listen to it. Awesome. ** Thanks again for the baby name-related brain cells. Later.

Help name Andy Comer and Rachel Greene's forthcoming baby

Andy and Rachel are close friends of mine who just happen to be awesome people, recently married, and about to have their first baby. Andy is best known as the singer, guitarist, and songwriter of two late, great bands: Prosaics and Tel Aviv. He's also a terrific writer who's currently working on a book about the legendary Dutch anarchist band The Ex for Soft Skull Press. Rachel is a cultural critic, curator, and respected digital art expert. She is the founder and former director of Rhizome.org, an online resource and platform for new media art, and was until recently a curatorial fellow at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York. She and Andy threw out the idea of asking this blog's brilliant contributors help tag their imminent tyke, and I thought you guys were more than up the challenge. Below is Rachel's formal request. So please help out some comrades, and have a go.

"Coming up with baby names has been difficult! We know so little about this spirit we're going to raise, though I know with half my husband's DNA, the baby, girl or boy, is going to be the smartest, sweetest, most talented fun little person in the world.

"Also, whenever we submit a name to friends and family -- there is always disparaging feedback -- "too New Age" ( I love "Sunrise" for a girl), "I knew a total a-hole who was named 'XYZ,'" "so fancy... pretentious" (we both love proper names such as "Lawrence," "Arthur," "Constance,").

"It would be so wonderful if you and your highly creative, worldly peers could help us cast the net far and wide. Ideally, we'd like to have a short list of girls' and boys' names, and then when we meet the baby, we can figure out what suits him or her. We're open to everything, from the abstract to the 'stately' to the nature-inspired. OXOXO RACHEL"

Internet Art (World of Art), by Rachel Greene (Thames & Hudson, 2004)

Interview with Rachel Greene

'Burning Bright,' Rachel Greene's Artforum essay on Le Tigre

The Prosaics Aghast Agape EP (Dim Mak/Matador, 2004)

Andy Comer on Wire's 154 (The Album Group)

Teen Beat Records' page about Andy Comer's first band Tel Aviv


p.s. First, just to show you how the stresses of unwanted expatriate life are warping my mind, I loved how France kicked ass in their World Cup match last night. Paris was a yelling, screaming, car honking joint last night. And it was cool. And my beloved Dodgers are in first place in the National League Western Division. I don't know, maybe I should give up the transgressive novelist thing and become a jock. Or maybe not. And on that note ... ** Link raygun, Hey, welcome. I could be wrong but I think you're conflating at least a couple of different porn stars. My guess is you're half referring to Jeff Noll, who has a cult following based on his appearance in one short porn short film (not one picture), and Chip Noll, who's the comeback kid who thickened up, although he wasn't really an ungainly blob. If I'm right, I did post pictures of them in an early installment of the 'Great Moments in Gay Porn' series. Search the blog under the name 'Noll' and you should find it. If I'm wrong, clarify and I’ll try to figure it out. Tom Waits: Well, I mentioned this before, but I admire his work, but I haven't really heard much by him since the 'Bone Machine' period. I'm guessing you think I should make it a point to catch up? Also, you might be a good person to ask, but how's that theater piece he did with Robert Wilson/William Burroughs? ** Joaomiguel, Welcome to my blog, and thanks a lot. ** Paul america, Well, saddest ... so that would mean in the moment rather than looking back on a breakup. In that case, hm, I guess I'd have to say Sex Pistols. Nowadays I think their brevity is big part of their greatness, but, at the time, having just flaked out on driving up to San Francisco to see them play, and being the middle of the hugeness of their immediate impact, their breakup was pretty heartbreaking. What about your choice? Any progress on the Sonic Youth stuff? ** Ronnie, Michael Nesmith, bingo. I haven't heard squat about the Billy London murder investigation since there was that reopening of the investigation last fall. I think that one's probably going to stay cloudy. ** Jax, Wurlitzer is highly, highly recommended. "Nog,' 'Flats,' and the rest of them. He has a new novel coming at some point soon that I read in mss. a year or so ago that might be his best ever. Its name escapes me, but ... yeah, check him out. ** Michael karo, Noodles, mm. My favorite food is cold sesame noodles, Szechwan style. Which I can't find here in Paris. ** Ignacio, Dude, so harsh on recent Pynchon. I'm not quite as soured as you are, having really liked 'Mason & Dixon.' I haven't read 'Twilight Candelabra.' In fact, I'm not sure I've ever heard of it, unless I'm blanking. What's the scoop? I'm interested. And the tale of your period as a pianist … that’s great and really melancholy story, in a strange way. Like short story- or novel-worthy, you know? ** David c, Oh, absolutely don't let the time taken make you feel less about your novel. The lengthy headwork before writing is essential. Just don't procrastinate, that's all. That's the only enemy. Thanks on the Adams/Childs reminder. I think that's it. I used to so love Lucinda Childs' work, all that icy, repetitive precision. ** Joey, I'm working on the KA Day as we ... speak? ** Lost child, Yeah, I do think from what you say that he loved you. But the love might have been too deep for him to access consciously enough to acknowledge at the end of his life. God, I fucking hate heroin. It's the Bush administration of drugs. ** Robert-nyc, Yeah, the Rimbaud pix are by Wojnarowicz. I actually showcased them in my Little Caesar magazine in 1980 or something. Yeah, they're terrific. ** Pornolympix06, Hey, thanks a lot for passing along Higgins' answer to the question. Sounds logical. Of course you've got me curious who you are, but I suspect you won't say, and I guess I'll live. ** David ehrenstein, In my defense against the 'Stealth Show Queen' tag, DM and I were a small item before his Sondheim gig, although he had been in musicals, so ... okay, nevermind, I reluctantly accept the crown. ** Joe mills, I can't help you with the tech stuff, but an Edie Day would be awesome if it ends up seeming appealing. ** Sypha_69, I really appreciate the trust you feel in the people here. I mean to talk about things that are so important to you. And you’ve gotten a lot of really thoughtful and good advice to which I don’t have a whole lot to add. But, with the disclaimer that I have to tendency to be really suspicious of convention, possibly in a kneejerk way sometimes, I will play devil’s advocate a bit and say that I’m not so convinced by the idea that a romantic relationship and/or having sex is the answer to personal problems. I’m happy with Yury, but I’ve been happy when I chose to ignore what I felt was the pressure to find normalcy through love and/or an active sex life for long stretches of time. I’m a great believer in friendship. I think friendship is extremely important, moreso than romantic love and certainly moreso than getting down with someone. So my only advice in addition to the wise advice you’ve gotten here would be to (1) take care of the acid reflux as best you can. I had it really bad in my twenties, but it did eventually go away. And it really can color everything. (2) Commit to the large part of yourself that’s an artist, and be courageous, (3) Find/cultivate/thoroughly enjoy and appreciate your friends. That’s not such sage advice, but it won’t hurt, trust me. ** Teenagekicks, Awesome about the imminent Peck/Lewis Day. Thanks a million. ** Paul curran, Except for the heat part, Barcelona sounds great, or your trip does anyway. I’m going there this fall sometime, and, if you don’t mind, I’ll hit you up for specific recommendations when the time nears. ** Gregoryedwin, CE is a seriously weird, snooty, privileged dude. Back when I knew him, and I wasn’t an established writer yet, I got the same treatment, it sounds like. Like ‘what a gift it is for you to be here with the great me.’ Best of luck demiring yourself from Beckett and making the list. Tick, tick … ** Bernard welt, Ditto a hundred times over. You don’t have to propose, you can just do a dream day. You can look at the earlier guest curated days and get the gist and format generalities, or I’ll fill you in. Anyway, would be cool. No, I didn’t know about the Oregon kid, but I’ll link over there. It’s so great to have you here. ** Momo, Yeah, true, no rush on showing your work until you feel ready, that’s very wise. But it was great to see it, and, no lie, it’s really intriguing and excellent work. I’m excited to see more over time. I guess I hope you get to stay in Berlin, being a no regrets early university quitter myself. I mean I’m kind of like you, in that I think a heady, alive, creative atmosphere is the key. One of the reasons the younger LA artists are so great the last eight or so years is that the scene there is so good, so inspired, so supportive, so not about career and making tons of money and all that destructive shit. But is the staying in Berlin thing tough, visa-wise? ** C., That is a curious dream about me. Very complex. I wish I could remember much from my brief if intensive dream interpretation researching days. Bernard, any thoughts? Anyway, it was nice to be in your head. ** Samuelkidd, Gosh, I think I actually kind of remember that moment when your boyfriend asked me what to read. It’s awesome to know he did read her and liked her enough to pass it on to you. Thanks, man. ** Michael karo, et. al, I don’t know if it’s interesting, and I mentioned this a while back, but the screenwriter of the ‘Factory Girl’ movie is also writing the JT Leroy movie and I met with him in LA. He seemed a good guy, but, of course, good guys don’t always write good movies. ** Antonio, Sypha needing a genius … That’s so good in so many ways. And wait a second, you’re going to be teacher, or you want to be teacher? That is the best, craziest idea ever. I will totally reenroll and go for my BA at your small town college if I can sit in the back row of your class. Promise? ** Vomitingghosts, I absolutely, 100% back up everything you said. Cannot wait for your ghost day, needless to say. Thanks. ** Nikolas, You’re doing ‘Pleasant Street?’ I bow to you deeply. I’ve always threatened to either leap onstage with friends’ bands and guest-sing or record a cover version of ‘Epistle to Dippy.’ (I can sing, actually, or let’s say I could in my teens and twenties.) Chris Marker Day, bon idée. I’ll see if I can hunt some stuff. Good luck with the house viewing, naturally. Email from me soon. ** So help my esteemed friends out with their kid’s name dilemma, okay? See you tomorrow.

Great moments in gay porn #6: Morgan

Opinions conflict on the question of when gay porn peaked as a creative medium. Every decade's porn output has its champions dating from at least the 70s onwards. But no one disagrees that the early 80s were a particularly heady period. It was the heyday of porn auteur directors and producers like Matt Sterling, Jean-Daniel Cadinot, Fred Halsted, Christopher Rage, Falcon Studios, and William Higgins among many others. It was also a time when gym-built bodies were not yet a requirement for successful porn acting careers. Take Morgan, a rather scruffy teen street hustler turned performer who would be lucky to star in a no-budget homemade amateur production nowadays. But in the early 80s, young Morgan happened to turn the right trick and briefly strike it rich as gay porn's 'next big thing.'

Morgan made his debut in William Higgins' 1982 feature 'The Best Little Warehouse in LA.' His quasi-jailbait looks, seemingly cute face, and gift for enthusiastic bottoming in that production triggered something of a bidding war for his talents among the top porn producers of the day. That is, until they discovered Morgan was a bit of a sleight of hand on Higgins' part, an illusion of hotness created by a stylish haircut, low lighting, and no small amount of makeup. The real Morgan had long, dirty hair, bad acne, abnormally greasy skin, and a bit of a dog face. So Morgan's superstardom was not to be, although his youth and blondness and bottoming skills did get him work in a few short films before, at the age of 19, he was thrown off a cliff and murdered by persons unknown in California's Sierra Mountains. The case remains unsolved to this day. Officially, the crime is thought to have been random and probably drug related. But for twenty years, some porn industry insiders have told a different version -- or more accurately two slightly different versions -- of the story that posit Morgan's death as something more complex and sinister.

Version #1: William Higgins was making a new porn set in the mountains and starring Morgan. Higgins thought it would be cool to film a fuck scene on the edge of cliff. In said scene, Morgan was being fucked in this precarious location when the top became a little too enthusiastic and Morgan plunged to his death while the cameras were rolling. People who tell this story know someone who has been shown this footage, which supposedly includes images of Morgan's mangled body. They note that around this time, Higgins suddenly left the United States -- or, in their minds, fled the country to avoid questioning about the murder. It's true that Higgins relocated to Amsterdam in the mid-80s, mysteriously stopped making porn for a decade, then just as mysteriously restarted his career as the director of military themed porns starring Czech hunks.

Version #2: Morgan was living at Higgins' house and may or may not have been his boyfriend. Morgan had become a drug addict, had stolen from Higgins, and was theatening to go to the police with some sort of prosecutable secret about the director. Here the two versions align briefly. Higgins made the aforementioned film including said cliff fuck scene, but, according to this version's advocates, the toppling was planned in advance. Morgan's co-star ended the scene by deliberately throwing him off the cliff then masturbating to orgasm while looking down at the body. Again, tellers of this tale know people who've watched this purported snuff movie and seen the police report on Morgan's murder, including details never made public, like the 'fact' Morgan's body was supposedly found naked and showed evidence of a very recent fuck.

But before some reporter smells a scoop, or William Higgins' lawyers issue a cease and desist order, let me say these stories are surely no more true than the ones about Courtney having Kurt killed, or Elvis still walking the earth, or a jealous Marlon Brando sabotaging the brakes on James Dean's sports car. Most likely, poor, mysterious, dead, meaningless Morgan is just the perfect actor for porn's most mythological role. His example lets jaded porn insiders perpetuate the great snuff film myth and, at the same time, titillate themselves with its remote possibility, like parents telling their children ghost stories so scary they wind up sleeping with the lights on too. Ironically, of the many iconic figures from gay porn's history, Morgan, the boy deemed too ugly at the time to be a star, has wound up among the most legendary of them all.


p.s. While most of you seem to be sweltering, Paris has been chilly and wet. Not that I'm complaining. I hate hot weather. Things are okay here, though the visa situation is very stressful. I'm suddenly in book promotion mode, what with two books just out in Spain (My Loose Thread, Guide) and God Jr. on its way out here in France. On Friday, the French film director Bruno Dumont and I are being interviewed together for the French magazine Chronicart, so I'm going to a screening of his new film that just won a top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. And I'm arranging my upcoming LA trip, and getting ready to start physically building the new theater piece 'Kindertotenlieder,' which goes into high gear in July. Oh, and I hesitate to even mention this, but someone just wrote to tell me that crazy Laura Albert has set up a new JT Leroy page on myspace, and she's still using the George Miles picture to represent JT. I mean, what the fucking hell?! What a loser. Oh, well. So that's my drift as of today. ** Bernard Welt, Wow, hello. It's awesome to see you here, my pal. Yeah, the 80s photos. I've got a couple of you in the pipe actually. Of course I know about your great concentration on dreaming. Hey, you want to guest curate a day on my blog about dreams? How about it? Well, it sure would be nice to see you. Come over to Paris and do some research here where dreams change the world. Love, Dennis ** Friendlier, Greetings, and thanks a lot. Yeah, it's very cool that Momus is doing that. When I was preparing to start making a blog and was looking around for role models, the blog of Momus was a big influence, and I'm its regular reader. Good luck with that project, and take care. ** Saa viccenzo, Your 'Bamboo Shark?' That might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. ** Adjoun, Oh yeah, of course I went to the Holland Festival when I lived there. I think that's where I saw one of Robert Wilson's astonishing 'Civil Wars' pieces, and a Thomas Bernhard play, and lots of non-remembered things. I remember a piece by this one Dutch spectacle creator, part of which involved going on a boat tour of Amsterdam's canals with a blind tour guide. I don't think I know the 'Zero' artist group, or I'm blanking anyway. Were they a Dutch collective, or ...? ** David c, I'm happy to hear about your friend's successful UK visa in order to be partnered, though it does make me a sigh a little painfully too. But, fuck, at least someone's love conquered all. I like John Adams too, though I've never seen a production of Nixon in China. My favorite of his is actually an odd, older work from the 80s, I think, a collaboration he did with the choreographer Lucinda Childs called ... err, 'Artificial Light,' or something close to that. ** Josh feola, Good, I'm glad LA is working out. There a lot of amazing LA artists, but current shows ... let me check. I need to see what's going on in July when I'm traveling there anyway. ** Momo, Are those videos by you? It seemed so, but I wasn't sure. They're really good. My favorites for some reason are 'Birthday Party Interrupted' and 'Psychodrama.' If they are your videos, what's the deal? Do you show them off the web, like in galleries or anything? Thanks. ** Angela, Yeah, teenage kicks, what's going on with the Peck/Lewis Day? Are you still on that, or did it not work out, or ..? Obviously, no problem if it didn't, just curious. ** You, Thanks for the project. It's on the permanent page now. Your novel sounds quite, quite interesting. I was actually surprised to see the aroused Mickey Mouse sculpture since Disney has been known to threaten to sue anyone who even doodles one of their creations in an 'unfavorable' light. ** David ehrenstein, Thanks a lot for fulfilling my list wish. Of course I've only seen/heard maybe half of those works. My fave is 'Sweeney Todd,' no surprise, and then 'Sunday in the Park with George' as my second. On a trivial note, a brief boyfriend of mine, David Margolis, was one of the stars of the original Broadway production of 'Merrily We Roll Along,' and sings on the soundtrack album. ** T.pkendall, A Kathy Acker Day is a complete natural. Why I haven't already done one, I don't know. I'm on it. Thanks, man. ** Mark, Thanks again for Kristof Day. It was superb. ** Rigby101, I left you a comment about your bbc piece, which I liked a whole lot. ** Sypha_69, My understanding from reading the most recent biographical works on Rimbaud is that the current thinking about Rimbaud's death bed conversion is the logical one, to my mind: His sister was taking care of him as he was dying. She really wanted him to convert. He did it for her in gratitude. But there's no evidence that it's something he would have done out of newfound religious belief. I can see him going, Yeah, whatever. Going through the motions isn't a big deal if you think the whole thing is silly, obviously. ** Christopher michael stamm, I think your writing method sounds great, actually. That's kind of an ideal method, to my mind, so excellent that you're using that process. I've only been to Vancouver a couple of times, and have no tips, but it seemed quite a swell place, and, as you may know, there's quite a strong, active experimental writing scene there. ** Teenagekicks, Treacy's blog freaked me out, but it's important to know the truth, so I thank you. But wowie. ** Cautivos, Nice to see you back, cryptic or otherwise. I can't imagine you'll answer this question, but I'll venture it anyway: So why's your brother an idiot? ** C., Gosh, typewriters. There was something beautiful about using a typewriter, and that sound was lovely, but I sure don't miss Liquid Paper and correcting ribbons. Does anybody still use Liquid Paper? Does it even exist anymore? Wasn't there some famous artist or writer or rock star who was the heir to the Liquid Paper fortune? ** Joe mills, Whoo hoo on the near completion of your short film. Excellent news. Maybe it deserves its own blog Day if you have enough related stuff to share. What do you think? ** Don w, I wish you all the luck in the world on the intensive writing sojourn, not that you need it, maestro. ** Vomitingghosts, This place is crazy, no? I often imagine some fan of my books finding the blog and checking it out only to find people talking about Stephen Sondheim and the World Cup and giving each other emotional support and stuff. But then that unexpectedness, the kind of almost anything goes makeup of this blog is what's exciting to me. It just has its own strange momentum. Wait until you see the post tomorrow. I pity the hardcore fan of my books who finds my blog for the first time tomorrow. ** Morgan, Yeah, 'The Runaway Soul' is a very interesting novel. It got a bad rap when it came out because it had been this legendary decades in the making thing preceded a lot of ultimately detrimental hype. Brodkey's short fiction is quite strong. It's what made him such a big deal for a while. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on 'RS.' ** Garrison, Isn't that just like the police. It's always 'high school kids.' That's their way of saying I ultimately don't care. The mindless, kneejerk scapegoating of teenagers as a way to not have to think about why or how something mysterious and negatve happened drives me crazy. ** Tigersare, As I said, yikes on the Treacy front. At the same time, it does just compound his 'genius' in theory. ** Sypha_69, I bow to your impressive expertise on Sotos, and would also advise picking up the Creation anthology 'Proxy' to newcomers. ** Postitbreakup, Well, part of the release or clarity involved in writing about something difficult and confusing comes with it having a public and an objective reaction, at least to my mind. I do firmly believe writing can resolve confusion and misery to some degree, but not necessarily if it goes no further than your own eyes. And on my end of things, keep in mind that I started planning the George Myles Cycle in my teens and didn't even start writing it until I was in my 30s, and spent ten years writing it. So it's a long process. Sad but true. It does work or at least help, though. Unfortunately, patience and diligence have to be a big part of it however. ** Jax, I was going to guess Cornell Woolrich like ronnie did. Is it him? Someday I highky recommend reading Rudy Wurlitzer's novels. It's not standard hardboiled detective stuff, but it's genre writing at the most sublime and terse yet hallucinatory. ** Okay, have a great one.

mark presents Agota Kristof Day

"My method of writing is very simple. I write everything in the evening by hand without worrying about the language, without troubling myself about the exit. I think of stories and dialogues which I put in my notebook. When there is too much disorder, I put myself in front of my typewriter and I order. I make a kind of joining, an assembly, because there are scenes which often repeat four or five times."

Agota Kristof is a Hungarian novelist and playwrite who lives in Switzerland and writes in French. She has published 5 novels, 4 of which have been translated into English. Her first 3 novels (published in English as The Notebook, The Proof, and The Third Lie) form a trilogy about a pair of brothers that live in eastern Europe during and after WWII . The character's obsession with writing, creativity, violence, and identity impact the narrative significantly as it shifts and develops from book to book. The novels are written in a striking, minimal style which evolves as the as the narrative develops and changes. Her fourth book, Yesterday, centers on an immigrant factory factory worker in an unnamed European city and his obsession with a coworker. In interviews Kristof has said that this novel is autobiographical as it draws from her experiences as an immigrant in Switzerland after WWII. Her fifth novel, The Illiterat, was published in 2004. Like most great writers, synopses of her novels fail to convey her genius in any significant way.

We are sitting at the kitchen table with our sheets of graph paper, our pencils, and the notebook. We are alone.
One of us says:
The title of your composition is ‘Arrival at Grandmother’s’
The other says:
The title of your composition is: ‘Our Chores.’
We start writing. We have two hours to deal with the subject and two sheets of paper at our disposal.
At the end of the two hours we exchange our sheets of paper. Each of us corrects the other’s spelling mistakes with the help of the dictionary and writes at the bottom of the page: “Good” or “Not good.” If it’s not good, we throw the composition in the fire and try to deal with the same subject in the next lesson. If it’s good we can copy the composition into the notebook.
To decide whether it’s “Good” or “Not Good” we have a very simple rule: the composition must be true. We must describe what is, what we see, what we hear, what we do.



-The Notebook

Beneath us, between the officers legs, we feel a warm movement. We look at one another, then we look the officer in the eyes. He gently pushes us away, he ruffles our hair, he stands up. He hands us two whips and lies face down on his belly. He says only one word, which, without knowing his language, we understand.

We hit. First one, then the other.

-The Notebook

"I'm often asked for reading recommendations, and I always say, 'Have you read Agota Kristof's novel trilogy?' Since the trilogy is in the running for the most neglected great masterpiece of 20th century literature, the answer's inevitably, 'No.' This blog hits readers with a lot of literary recommendations and introductions. It must be hard to know where to start. But let's say readers said to me, 'We've got this long list of books you've inspired us to think about reading, but it's too overwhelming. Pick one.' I'd say without hesitation, and I say now with no hesitation, 'The Kristof.'"

- Dennis Cooper

Time is ripped apart. Where are the wastegrounds of childhood? The elliptical suns frozen in black space? Where is the path left hanging in the void? The seasons have lost all meaning. Tomorrow, today, what do these words mean? There is only the present. One time, it snows. Another time, it rains. Then there is sunshine, wind. All that is now. It has not been and will not be. It is. Always. All at the same time. For things live in me and not in time. And, in me, everything is present.

-Yesterday

Yesterday everything was more beautiful

The music in the trees

The wind in my hair

And in your outstretched hands

The sun

-Yesterday

If English is not your only language, then there is a world of Kristof items to be found online. If you're like me then you'll have to depend on translation programs for mostly dubious results, Wikipedia being the one exception.

Thanks, Mark

*

p.s. Beautiful work by mark today, as I think you'll agree. Thanks a lot, man. I hope you had decent weekends. Mine was rainy and kind of uneventful, but okay. No big news. Therefore, on to the matters at hand ** Saa viccenzo, Well, of course I love Darger's work. I'm just waiting rather anxiously to read the whole illustrated novel and feeling kind of surprised it hasn't been published yet. Anyone know why? ** Michael u, Personally, I really liked the documentary. I wrote a review of it for Artforum that I included in my round up of and links to ten articles I've written that was posted here a while back. Not everyone who likes Darger likes the film, but I thought it was really appropriate and certainly worth watching if you want to know his story. ** Chris, Hey. Yeah, definitely check out the Darger show. I think Darger had an impact on Gisele's work to some degree, although the artist she always mentions as being key to her is Hans Bellmer, who, coincidentally, also has or recently had a retrospective here at the Centre Pompidou. ** Tosh, I thought it was an acceptable presentation. Even the painted walls somehow seemed appropriate and flattering. Any show of Darger that's piece meal isn't going to do the work total justice since it's a narrative work that ideally should be shown in its totality and in order. But as a sampling, I think it was the most effective Darger exhibition I've seen so far. ** Michael karo, Yeah, Exene and John Doe and Tom Waits all attended the poetry writing workshop at Beyond Baroque just before I started hanging out there. John and Exene have been very generous over the years with donating performance time to benefit the place. When I first discovered and started going to the events at Beyond Baroque in the late 70s, Tom Waits was there all the time standing off by himself smoking and bobbing his head to the poets' recitations Beatnick-style. ** Diarmuid, Have a great time in Ireland, and if your parents' dodgy connection allows, send a hello. Make the Guinness you drink for me foamy and cold, okay? ** Rigby101, If that Thevoz guy spills the beans on his secret Darger-like artist and you hear the scoop before you suspect I do, pass it along. Obviously, I'm hot for that. ** David ehrenstein, That truly is a great moment in Nico/Icon. I forgot all about it. So, being a Sondheim fan, how about passing along your top ten Sondheim musicals in order of preference. Or let's say I'd be very interested to know. ** Eddie beverage, Sure, I'll participate. How can I say no? Again, if you need the blog to announce or help the project along, say the word. Exciting. ** Gregorywedwin, When August rolls around, I will definitely need all the crossed fingers and positive thoughts and magic spells and whatever else I can get. Be assured I will be asking for that kind of help. Dinner with Clayton Eschleman! Ay-yi-yi. He was based in LA for years, and, err, how to put this nicely ... what a character he is. How did you wind up at a dinner with old CE? That’s the first time the great Hugh Kenner's been mentioned on the blog. Cool. ** Tender prey, if my vote counts, a definite yes on visual art being part of the tag team project. ** Tigersare, Drunk or not, I'm with you on the considerable charms of Televsion Personalities. At the risk of sounding like an ignoramus, whatever happened to Treacy? ** Blake, Cinema workshop, 15 yr old skinhead and his crew, ... sounds like you're swimming along nicely. Excellent. ** Hedi, Morton Bartlett is completely new to me, so thanks a lot. ** Garrison, Jesus, man, possible OCD, a stalker of your automobile, no wonder you want to get out of LA. But don't. So ... can you find out about this destructive weirdo? It sounds like he's having an OCD episode with your car. I hope for an immediate upswing on all fronts. ** C., I guess Yury is delicate, but he's a tough guy too. I think it's the Russian thing. Russians seem like pretty sturdy, strong people as a rule. Anyway, despite Yury's delicacy, I pity anyone who'd try to snap him in two. That particle angel thing you wrote is so wild and pretty. ** Chistopher michael stamm, Are you and your betrothed going on a honeymoon? Maybe a nice nature thing like camping or a road trip through gorgeousness would help with the panic. I mean just on the simplistic level of breaking whatever pattern. I don't know. I just wish there was something practical I could do to help, just like everybody here does I'm sure. You writing at all? ** Antonio, Like I said, Yury's birdness is there but deceptive. And about the shirt you love, well, this might effectively de-romanticize it, but he only bought it a few weeks ago, i.e. it came quasi-worn looking. He bought it online somewhere. I can ask him where if you want. ** Jax, Yeah, I'm a Pinter fan, but I'm not familiar with his recent work much at all. I'm definitely a fan of his anti-Bush stuff from afar though. I was rooting for Ecuador too, but alas. Sorry, Brits. I’m just an underdog loving kind of guy. France squeaked by, which is nice. ** Lost child, That’s such a sad story about your friend and your love. Having had boyfriends and close friends who were junkies, I can tell you that heroin makes people say things they don’t mean at all, especially in situations where they feel pressured to admit they have a deep emotional attachment to someone else, so, for what it’s worth, his renouncement of his love sounds exactly like a situation where heroin addiction was causing intense denial on his part. So maybe you can take some comfort in that. In any case, I’m so sorry for that sadness and loss. ** Josh feola, I’ve added your project to the permanent Projects link/page, so just know you can run but you can’t hide now. I definitely want to hook up in LA, though it’s looking like mid- to late July for my visit at this point. I’ll get the dates sorted out, and we sort out a meeting. LACE treating you okay? ** Enjoy Agota Kristof, and I'll see you tomorrow.

Tour #1: 'Bruit et fureur,' the works of Henry Darger, La Maison Rouge, Paris

from Henry Darger's 'The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion': "The massacre continued for still another day. Children were dispatched in the most horrible manner. Their intestines were cut out, the Glandelinians even pelting their victims with them. Children were commanded to eat the hearts of the dead children, and those who refused were tortured beyond describing. The children were fairly bathed in blood ... "

"Scores upon scores of poor children were cut to pieces, after being strangled to death, and even their organs were hung on trees. Children were forced to swallow the sliced fragments of dead children's hearts. Nearly three quarters of the number of children who were massacred died first by strangulation, their eyes and protruding tongues were extracted, their bodies opened and their entrails pulled out, and their bodies hacked and torn and left lying in that condition on the streets and pavements ... "

"Blood dripping corpses were fairly hung from windows or stuck on posts and pikes. Children by the score per minute were scourged to death also being struck by horrible whips made of rubber, rope, or leather, and also elastic rubber whips with horrible iron spiked lashes at the ends, and the lashes torn their flesh until they were covered with gore. Within three days the sliced up bodies of the helpless innocents lay strewn by thousands, the blood lying in puddles."

La Maison Rouge
Henry Darger
'In the Realms of the Unreal'

Tour #2: 'La Force De L'Art,' Grand Palais, Paris

La Force De L'Art


p.s. So there you go: two posts to make up for the day I missed and to hopefully hold you over until I'm back on Monday. No big news here. Oh, Yury now has an appointment at the US embassy in Paris to be interviewed for the possible tourist visa. It's in early August, a lot further in the future than we'd hoped, but on the positive side it will give us time to try to bolster his case as strongly as we can. It means I'll be making at least one more solo trip to LA in the meantime, but I'll see what I can do to gather more support for us while I'm there. So that's my story pretty much. Oh, as you'll see, I've put a link over to the right to your projects page, and I've added robert-nyc's and killer luka's to the fold. So use it to see the, yeah, geniuses here at work or, in the case of you geniuses, remind yourselves what you were up to creatively at this point. ** Tony, michael u., Merrill is a wonderful poet, isn't he? He was also an incredibly kind and gracious guy who was always very sweet to me on the rare occasions that I spent time with him. The early 80s were a great phase in New York, at least if you had powerful and generous friends like I did and were able to go to parties where you'd get to meet and talk to people like Merrill, Ashbery, Donald Barthelme, Edwin Denby, and other luminaries who were all very good friends. I feel really lucky on that level for sure. ** Mdrew67, Hey there. Yeah, the blonde thing kind of suited Exene, don't you think? ** Michael karo, It's kind of a shame that Doug Sadownick seems to have stopped writing fiction pretty much, as far as I can tell. That happened to a lot of talented younger gay writers -- the gay fiction boom/trend got them in the door, and they were unceremoniously booted out when gay literature lost its grooviness factor. Unfortunately, the independent presses weren't as developed back when gay lit crashed, so, once the major publishers lost interest, the writers didn't have many places to go. Time for some comebacks, I think. ** Adjoun, Let me join the parade of praise slingers and say again how much I love your drawings. ** Paul curran, Enjoy Barcelona, a place I too have never been, and bring back some great tips and stories, okay? ** Eddie beverage, Naturally, I'm very down for your tag team experiment idea. How can my blog be of service? You want to have a Day where you introduce/start the project, or ...? Your call. Great idea. ** David ehrenstein, 'Our Miss Gooch:' that's great if you know Brad. Another mutual friend calls him 'Brad Pooch.' I adore Brad. He's about as underrated a writer as there is, thanks no thanks to his interest in doing those kind of New Agey 'Find the Boyfriend Within' books. But Brad's range is one of the things I admire about him. He'll write books like that, which sincerely come from a curious side of Brad that's always been interested in spirituality, and then he'll write that awesome O'Hara biography or his last novel, the totally excellent, gorgeously written 'Zombie00.' Harry Smith: Well, his work is incredible, especially the archiving project. Personally, yeah, he scared the hell out of me. One time I was over at Raymond Foye and Henry Geldzhahler's place when Henry was alive and they were a couple, and Harry Smith stopped by and proceeded to lay this heavy, paranoia inducing mindtrip on me that freaked me out so much that Raymond had to tell Harry to leave me alone. Scary, scary guy. ** Antonio, No, no cops that I can recall. A lot of drugs, a little hanky panky, but generally the parties were pretty civilized in the most unboring sense. Yeah, I guess I throw the word genius around a lot. But it does the trick. And I'm from LA, man. I keep trying to explain to French people how, in my hood, we talk really badly but with great subtlety, and how when, say, people from LA like me use the word 'great' all the time, it's not as meaningless as it sounds, and that in fact we LA people have hundreds of ways of pronouncing the word 'great,' and each pronunciation means something slightly different, and people in LA understand and pick up on the intricacy. And French people don't believe me or think I'm joking, but it's true. Though you're not from LA, you, Antonio, of all people know of what I speak. ** Vomitingghosts, (1) Nice quote, (2) I think there might actually be a dream-themed bookstore in Paris. I'm almost sure I walked by one once, (3) Bresson. ** Ken vulsion, Mark -- Markus, excuse me -- would be a big digger of M.I.A. Say hey to him for me from 'the booner.' He'll understand. ** Killer luka, Aloha to you. Sculptures, wow, that's a great idea. I can totally imagine you doing something really great, and that 'fashion' aspect is exciting. Cool, man. Do it and let us see them. ** Christopher michael stamm, This is literally the lamest answer in the world, but I swear to God it's true: Getting older really helps. I don't know if it's collective experience creating wisdom or the gradual decaying of your brain and internal organs or what, but things that once caused huge stress and craziness get less much less intense. That doesn't help you right now, but I'm just saying. Others here will hopefully have better tips for the here and now. Hang in there, okay? ** Diarmuid, Well, I managed to get the links to the pix to work, but the sound link was dead. He looked nice in the pix. He doesn't look like someone who'd sound all that scary, but maybe that's the scary part? ** Robert-nyc, Hey, awesome to see you back. A belated Happy Birthday to your mom. ** Doug wasted, Hey, there. No, I haven't gotten the film, but there's a good chance it's waiting for me in the residency's office. Assuming it's a package, they sometimes hold them there and then forget to mention there's something for me. I'll ask today and let you know. I can't wait. Have great traveling. ** C., Dude, your occasional lack of confidence in your art is so at odds with the awesome thoughts and talent and sensibility that you display here every time you post. No lie. We all think you're a stunner. You should too, you know? It's only logical. ** Rigby101, Hey, welcome and all of that. Yeah, if the US tourist visa try is a failure then the next option is pretty definitely Canada. We're just hoping against hope that we can somehow get home now. We'll see. Thanks for the suggestion and post. ** Lost child, Hello from far away right back to you. The thing I like best about Nico's version of 'The End' is that very self-conscious but somehow very cool thing where she says, 'Mother ... I want to ... uherahuhehah...' (not a good approximation of that throat sound thing she does.) It's like the dumbest thing she could have done at that point in the song, and yet it's just so charmingly Nico-esque to the max. ** Okay, I think everything else in the comments section was stuff talked about between you guys. Good Saturday/Sunday, all.