p.s. Hey. Today another silent reader of this blog steps forward to curate a show in my blue chip quasi-galerie, and I'm pretty sure it's hit, or it certainly is for me, and see what you think. My warmest thanks to the kind and quiet Johnson Ricter, and I hope the rest of you will peruse the exhibition then pass your thoughts along to Johnson, who, whether he drops in today to talk with everyone or not, and I'm not sure what his plans are in that regard, is certainly out there reading and hoping for the best. Also, if you're in or around NYC and want to enrich your life, the utterly fantastic writer Mark Doten aka d.l. 'No more teenagekicks' is doing a reading with three other no doubt worthy writers tonight, and that event is definitely a must if you're into musts. Here's the scoop: Doten, Gerke, McDaniel, & Otting -- Readings by Mark, Greg, Amy, and Nathaniel -- Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 7:00pm - 9:00pm, Soda Bar, 629 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. ** Heliotrope, There you are. The ongoing migraines -- and I speak of both the literal attacks as well as J.'s father in a metaphoric sense -- are unhappy news to your old buddy here. Well, the blog gang gathering will hopefully be an early enough in the evening type affair as to make your slipping out of your temporary quarters an act of minor stealth, so I will use my fabled old pal charms on you to do my best, but we'll be hanging in LA and soon no matter what. Love to you and Jules too. ** David Ehrenstein, Oh, the query was in regards to whether you and hopefully Bill might be free for a blog gang meet up at Brendan's newsstand in the early evening of the 14th. Around 7:30 pm, it seems. So I should hop on that Coffee Party thing, you think? I've been debating that. ** David, So glad it ran up your flagpole. An UMMO Day is a most interesting idea, hm. I've written that down, and I will see what I can do about that. Thanks, D. ** Jose, Interesting coincidence and aside there. The fact that they were very attractive is quite odd and intriguing. Plays into my belief that those who are beautiful are in truth less the born power mongers they're so often and lazily thought to be and rather among the most vulnerable among us. ** Tomas, Cool. Too bad you're not studying and working so hard to be a dentist, sigh. Yeah, I hope whatever dentist gets his or her claws on me is a noble citizen. ** Bernard Welt, Here we were having a perfectly exalted conversation about extraterrestrials and you have to sully it with your insinuating gay filth. Well, I never! ** JW Veldhoen, Fucking crazy shit without question. ** Christopher/ Mark, That doesn't sound so odd at all. Maybe I will find out more. I guess I'll find out the extent of the damage here in France first. I'm having serious multiple root canal nightmares. Yeah, I will look into that. In any case, I'm going to hope the dentist I see here will go for the temporary cap(s) option. BUt everyone I've talked to here says French dentists' love to just yank out every mildly problematic tooth and ask questions later. Thanks a lot, Mark. ** Ken Baumann, Yeah, really sad about Hannah. It just really feels wrong. Ugh. Oh, I finished the Higgs, which is astounding, whoa. Apropos of nothing, but speaking of Higgs, I love what he said about Zach German's writing in that mostly stupid, snarky comments thread over on HTMLG the other day. What a smarty that guy is. Hope your writing went well yesterday. Whenever you mention that you're writing, it always does my heart good, man. ** Alan, My memory or sense or something tells me that Hannah's popularity or the size of his readership was at its highest in the 90s. He's long been a writers' favorite. He's also Stephen Malkmus' favorite fiction writer, or was at one time, and SM's name-checking of Hannah in the press lead a lot of people I know to Hannah's work originally. Oh, man, that virtual gift is incredible. I was poring and poring over it yesterday, and I think it was the cure of my headache too. So incredibly nice of you, Alan. Thank you, and all of it comes in very handy in its myriad ways. Yes, I do want to read that piece when it's up on your anti-caste site, so an alert would be great. ** Blendin, Shit, yeah, my eyes didn't see your comment yesterday, weird. I'm surprised that doesn't happen with comments all time, or maybe it does and people are miffed in silence or something. Let's say 7:30 then just because that extra half-hour might help the just-arriving-that-day Mark Gluth. Cool. I'll put together an announcement/invite and stick it up in the corner in the next day or so. ** Pisycaca, Hey, bud. Well, first I hope I get the Friday appointment at all. Dentists seem to be very popular and booked up at the moment. I want to get some little fix at least because I don't want to be in LA and not be able to wolf down Mexican food without a care in the world. Love, me. ** Scunnard, Hey. Well, not really knowing what your range is on the cost front, I'll first recommend my favorite little Paris hotel. It's nothing fancy whatsoever, trust me, but its location just off Place St. Michel is a dream. It's called Hotel Eugenie, a very unassuming looking and feeling little hotel. Here's their website. They have a three night special rate for a double room at 115 euro a night. Is that too pricey? Anyway, let me know, and if that's out of your range or if the place is booked up, I can throw out some other possibilities easily. ** Matthew, Matthew! I hoped and even kind of thought or sensed or figured that you might still be out there. Wonderful to see you, my old and dear pal and blogmate! And the UFO Day hasn't dated a molecule. Still a thing of wonder. And, duh, any other days you ever want to make for my blog would be greeted with a joy more common to the liberated. Glad stuff goes so well for you. Peter Gizzi, very nice. Is your writing going well too? Well, yeah, any time you feel as though visiting here would be a good thing to do, I will be a happy me. ** Jeff, Hey. Yeah, I sure hope all that brushing paid off in some respect or other. And I hope that the fact that I prefer to look into my mouth sans my reading glasses hasn't given it a more pleasant appearance than it actually has. Oh, I'll put all the info on the Sherwood Magazine shebang up here somewhere in a day or two at latest. Damn, can you put in a good word with the tooth fairy for me since she/he clearly digs your teeth both as loot and weapons? I'll take the former, but I maybe I deserve the latter. No, I've never heard of The Necks before. I just watched the first little bits of those clips, and they seem pretty interesting. Jazz but not only jazz? ** Paul Curran, Oh, good, yeah, isn't 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' an amazing piece of work? So simple, yeah, but so intricate and insinuating and increasingly complicated/rich over time. And what a great movie to have had as one's first movie. ** _Black_Acrylic, I decided not to subject your audio piece to my never quite completely ending headache yesterday. Interesting audio + a headache = where's the pause button?! So, finally, today I will get it in my head and then report back. Marcus Mixx looks interesting. That video too, of course. I know the name but not much else. Great interview idea, Ben. ** Steevee, Ugh, bad day indeed for you. I just shared the headache part, but that was bad enough, and fuck knows what might have happened if I didn't have my staticky five French TV channels to distract me. My teeth themselves are pretty well behaved on the surface, but the headaches aren't coming from anywhere else, I don't think. So, a mixed report. You better on any of your fronts today, I hope? ** Stan, Wow, is this farewell to '_cz'? Maybe you should be 'Stan_usa' now, ha ha. Well, yes, on US healthcare. I'm guessing you went to a clinic rather than to a private doctor, and, yes, public clinics in the US, although often full of very good and well meaning and sometimes quite skilled doctors, are nonetheless places one goes only when one doesn't have the kind of health insurance that can cover seeing a private doctor. Hope the ear somehow gets rid of its problems without too much more trouble. ** Joseph, Yeah, the Hannah news, ugh. On the other hand, wow on that BBC link. That's a uplifting, weird thing. Everyone, courtesy of Joseph, here's a link to a little thing called '40 wild birds play a Gibson Les Paul guitar', and do I really need to urge you to go have a look at something with that title? Do it. Nice score, Joseph. Very nice. My tooth, being a masochist, curses you. ** Creative Massacre, Ugh, pal. I never had ulcers but I had bad acid reflux back in the early 80s, and I remember well the taste of Maalox and a diet cleaned out of most of the things I liked to eat. Onion rings used to be my favorite food, and I haven't touched them since. Well, I sure hope the meds and Maalox and diet restrictions do the trick so that your ugh period won't last very long at least. They probably will. Ton of sympathy on all of that. When I was at the peak of that crashing relationship I mentioned to you the other day, I started seeing a therapist, and, for me at least, it really did help a whole lot, so it might be something to consider, I guess. Love to you, my friend. ** Justin, Hey. I saw emails from you when I glanced at my inbox this morning, so thanks very much! I'll get on that and write to you soon. Oh, I see what you mean about the infatuation having a bad side. Yeah, that's not good, obviously, and I know of what you speak from some past infatuations of mine. Well, my ex- Mark is doing just fine and dandy, at least. I've heard the name Millie Brown. Maybe I've seen something about her. I'll ask Yury if he knows her stuff, and I'll go hunt around for info and things about her on my own today. Thanks for the tip, man. ** Sypha, All these headaches going around ... it's almost spooky. I think I might be through mine for the moment, but I can feel it hidden in there just waiting to sneak back. Oh, about Ellis, hm ... I so have learned not to believe offhand what people who act as though they know secrets pass along to the public as factual. I know Bret, and I would be very surprised if it's that simple. ** Misanthrope, Well, hopefully soon I will know who to come to when I need just that special candle to complete my rustic decor. Everything on and in me will be crossed from 4 pm today onwards, and since I'll be riding on the metro around that time, it should be interesting. Dentures, nope, no thanks. Dude, ha ha, doesn't your cutedar ever take a fucking nap? I saw Alig in person a number of times, and he wasn't a bad looking guy at all, actually. ** Inthemostpeculiarway, I mistake bubbles for UFOs all the time. Have you ever wondered why you've never seen me take a bubble bath? That's why. My squishy wasn't soggy. Not that you or anyone else would have allowed what I ate within miles of your own mouths. Veggie dogs wrapped in tortillas and slathered in mustard are an acquired taste, I suspect. You're a good samaritan of a friend, and your friend who wanted to key that car is not, let's say. Oh, gosh, my book and I love you too, man. That's just the truth. The original version of that song by its original songwriter and singer Harry Nilsson is actually kind of great, believe it or not, but he meant/sang with a ironized melodrama that Air Supply didn't realize was key to the song. My day: Headache all day, more or less. Wrote. Got a new book in the mail, 'Fences' by Ben Brooks, who's actually commented here once or twice, and I started reading it, and it's pretty great. Today I'm going to see the runway show of the fashion house Rochas where my friend Marcos is head designer, which should be big fun, and yesterday Yury, who was supposed to go with me, realized he can't get off work today, and so it was determined that our own Oscar B will be accompanying me instead. Speaking of Oscar, she and I took a very enriching, long walk to Place St. Michel last evening, shopped for books at Shakespeare & Co. -- I bought this weird little book called 'The Executioner' by Joseph De Maistre, who was this kind of crazed, famous reactionary French politician/thinker, because it was both crazed in its thinking and kind of gorgeously written. Then we strolled back to the Recollets. Paris was temperate, dark, beautifully lit, and just the dream of a place it almost always is. Nice evening. After that, I wrote, diddled with the internet, watched something I can't remember on TV, and hit the hay. How's Wednesday panning out for you? ** NB, Oh, you're most welcome! Well, Marfa also has The Chinati Foundation aka the late artist Donald Judd's former compound and museum-like joint, and I've always, always wanted to go to Marfa just to see that. Bicuspid, right, there you go. That is a nice word, isn't it? Can the almost appearance of the cupid in there be accidental? I think not. ** L@rstonovich, Oh yeah, good old Stephen M. asked me to write the press release for 'Brighten the Corners' back then. One of my more intimidating assignments ever. I wasn't all that happy with what I wrote, but the Pavement guys liked it, and who am I to question them. I am but their obedient mind slave. I saw the set-list for the early Pavement reunion gigs. Not bad at all. Gosh, I might just have to go see that. Great about the poems' rough proof. Tick tick ... And I'll await Skullhum's latest volley. ** No more teenagekicks, Got your reading alert all squared away up top. The only thing missing will be me, but, deafened by cheers, you won't even miss me. Yeah, it's trippy to look back at the old blog stuff, especially the comments and p.s.es We're like those young people's uncles or in-laws or something. Monday, nice. So, then comes novel final draft fixation time, yes? If the reading tonight has a tale to tell, do tell it, and if FB be your medium of choice in that matter, I shall submit to its wiles. ** Marcus Whale, I thought the name Collarbones sounded familiar. When I google it, will I find an mp3 or so or more? Well, Kier lives in Norway, and I figured if he doesn't drink lustily from the black metal bottle, he surely has a friend or neighbor who does. But that's my feeble, stereotyping image of Norway for you. Wow, awesome you saw that Ligeti opera. I love that piece. 'This Is How You Will Disappear' is on a little few weeklong break. In early April we start putting the whole thing together and finding out what works and what needs a lot more work. We're on course and on time so far. Yeah, our tour gets as close to you as Japan and Korea at least. I'd guess the powers that be are trying or have tried for Australia since we'll be so nearby, but, like I've said, your theater venues haven't been so keen on our shit so far. Take care, man. ** Bollo, Tooth pain's kind of okay as of today. I fear a sneak attack, but fuck if I can do anything about that prospect other than continue to eat mush in hopes of placating it. Thanks, J. ** Back to you guys now. See what you think of Gehard Demetz aka Johnson Ricter's show, and say something about it/them today, please? Thanks. I'll be back here in the usual amount of reasonably short time. Bye.