"Thanksgiving Day 1621" - Jean Leon Jerome Ferris

 "Thanksgiving Day 1621" was painted by Jean Leon Jerome Ferris in 1915. It supposedly depicts the Pilgrims at New Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.

​Ferris was a 19th-century painter who was primarily known for painting 78 scenes of significant events from American history. He was born in Philadelphia in 1863.

Among his most known works are "The Landing of William Penn" and "The Fall of New Amsterdam." His paintings have come to be criticized for their idyllic versions of the events they puport to show.

That aside, he was painting what was known as the truth at the time he created the paintings. So, I still enjoy them for their perspective and color.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and I hope that your Thanksgiving will be as idyllic as Mr. Ferris' paintings. Enjoy the holiday, friends, family and food. And if you are traveling, be safe!

Ed's Place - "Nighthawks"

In the all night diner in the corner of my mind
there isn't anything that you can't find.
Eggs, pancakes, ham and more
there's nothing here you cannot score,
in the all night diner in the corner of my mind.

At the corner of Wide Awake and Dreams
you'll find everything and anything it seems,
that you have ever craved
or lose everything you've ever saved,
at the corner of Wide Awake and Dreams.

Though the guy who owns the joint may not be cool,
he's street wise and he doesn't suffer fools.
He'll fix up  a broken heart,
and stop fights that never start,
though the guy who owns the joint may not be cool.

In the cafe that's always open all night long,
Theres a jukebox that always plays your favorite song.
The lyrics might be kind of trite,
but it plays them every night,
in the cafe that's always open all night long.

It's a place that never seems to draw a crowd,
but in a subdued kind of way is always loud.
It's a place to wait for dawn,
sipping coffee while you yawn,
it's the place that never seems to draw a crowd.

There's one just like this place in any town,
and it seems to draw the people who are down.
For folks who have no jobs
and hearts filled with lonely sobs,
there's one just like this place in any town.

Inspired by Edward Hooper's "Nighthawks".

Diego Rivera - LIRING/3 - "The Glorious Victory" (1955) - Corrected

I feel it incumbent upon me to offer a correction to this post concerning Diego Garcia as LIRING/3 for the CIA in Mexico. It was not Mr. Garcia. Though I had double checked 2 separate sources, another private author and the Senate hearings, the actual LIRING/3 is an unnamed protege of Mr. Garcia's .

This is the usual "hall of mirrors" employed by the CIA to obfuscate and mislead researchers and law makers in their quest for information. Please except my apologies for the error of being blinded by the light of the reflections/deflections of the CIA. I should have triple checked this source more diligently. At best this was probably a way for them to discredit Mr. Garcia's lifelong quest for social justice.

At any rate, it is not a good reflection on my research into Mr. Garcia , of whom I am a longtime fan. The real LIRING/3 is last referenced in a CIA document from 2013, when he was still alive, still unnamed, and in his 80's. I am now trying to ascertain which Mexican artist is the real LIRING/3.

As Winston "Win" Scott, one of the most enigmatic agents of the CIA, and a "master of deceipt", said in his still unpublished memoirs, "It Came to Little", taken from a biblical passage, "He looked for much, and lo, it came to little....", I expect my search will yield just that.

The quote comes from the book of Haggai, 1:5 to 9, when  the Lord speaks to Haggai, a prophet, and says of the people, who have not yet began to build the temple, that though they live in paneled houses and harvest much to eat, they are not yet satisfied, for, "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little." Thus was, I believe a reference to the people not yet unraveling the mystery of JFK's assassination. I told you he was enigmatic.

My apologies again for the error of having been misled. I stand humbly corrected.

......................  

Most people wouldn't know it but Diego Rivera was also a link, through an unamed protege named LIRING3 in the Mexico City CIA division in the early 1960's. His story came to light in the late 1960's as the JFK assassination theories were gaining ground. But that's not the focus of this post; which concerns only Mr. River's oil on linen painting by from 1955. 

 It was inspired by the cup d'etat in 1954 in Guatemala. Rather than re-write it in my own words I'll just quote from the two best sites about the painting, which includes The CIA's Dullles brothers, Foster and Allen, center left and Eisenhower on the bomb. 

 Each year around this time I think about the assassination and it's aftermath, up through the 1979 House Committee hearings which sprang from the 1975 Church Committee hearings into the abuses of the CIA. The Guatemalan coup was one of the things covered, or should I say uncovered, in those hearings. 

 By 1979 the conclusion of those hearings was that a conspiracy of some sort, by either the Cubans, or our own Operation Mongoose, had been the operation which led to the assassination of our own President, just 7 weeks after we had killed the Diem brothers in Vietnam, which led to the Gulf of Tonkin incident and resolution in September of 1964.

 Rivera's name enters the picture with the Silvia Duran story. All of that aside, the story told by Rivera in this painting is a story unto itself. You can get into the LIRING/3 aspects on your own if you so chose. But the story of the painting, and the symbolism in it, is fascinating enough. At the end of each of the quotes I have provided the links from where these quotes can be found in a more fuller version. 

Here goes. This is the story of Diego Rivera's "The Glorious Victory." I hope you find this history of the painting as fascinating as I do. 

"The oil on linen paiting addresses the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état that the CIA backed to overthrow the democratically elected Guatemalan president Jacobo Arbenz. In the center stands a dumbfounded US Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, striking a deal with Guatemala's newly installed right-wing president, Castillo Armas. To their left is a missile held by Foster and bearing the face of the US president Dwight D. Eisenhower. Other American officials surround them, including Allen Dulles, CIA director, and John Peurifoy, US ambassador to Guatemala. 

The group is wedged between an armed rebellion on the right and the slave labor of banana plantations on the left. These three events that seem to happen impossibly at a single moment, collapsing years of violence and corruption into one massive event."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Victory 

 And now from https://sites.psu.edu/arthistory/2017/01/30/glorious-victory/ which contains enlarged insets of the story. 

"On the left side of the mural, Rivera depicts the business of the United Fruit Company. Poorly clothed men carry bananas onto a ship destined for the United States. The onerous burden of the bananas symbolizes not only the physical baggage, but also the political baggage of the United Fruit Company’s presence in Guatemala. 

A stern looking military officer guards the proceedings, demonstrating how tightly intertwined politics and business were. While the left side of the fresco is a representation of subjugation, the right side is a representation of resistance. In this segment, a group of workers and farmers take arms to defend their elected government from the CIA coup. They brandish machetes and fight for the rights of their people, some of whom can be seen sitting in prison behind."

"Rosebushes Under the Trees" - Gustav Klimdt (1905)

Nora Stiasny was a Norwegian woman living in Austria in 1938 when she was forced to sell this Gustav Klimdt painting "Rose Bushes Under the Trees" (1905) for a pittance of its worth in order to survive the high inflation. Within 2 years she was in a concentration camp where she later died.

The painting wound up in the vast collection of art looted by the Nazis'. In 1980 the State of France bought the painting from it's legal owner and it has been at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris for the enjoyment of all. They had no idea of the paintings history, according to the release.

Yesterday the Musee announced that the painting will be returned to the family of the rightful owner, the heirs of Nora Stiasny.  I'm hoping the family will allow the Musee D'orsay to continue to house and display this treasure for them. And perhaps add a history of the paintings adventure along with a thanks to the family for allowing it to remain....

This painting should not be confused with that of Adele Bloch-bauer, "The Lady in Gold", another Klimdt canvas to be stolen during the early days of the war. Helen Mirren starred in the film about that painting.

Por Mon Fille (For My Daughter)

If I could be your Jesus,

I would take your pain.
I'd stand the cross and the nails
so your tears won't fall like rain.

I'd gladly wear the Crown of Thorns;
take all the jeers and tauntings.
I'd do anything I could
to keep you from your hauntings.

All the sins upon my back
would be mine to suffer.
I'd gladly be your Jesus.
I'd gladly be that buffer......

I did not know the artist name and asked my friends on Facebook. Maryann Held nailed it in less than a minute after I posted it. Here is her reply to my plea for help...... Thanks, Maryann!

"Peter Paul Rubens, Hercules’ Dog Discovers Purple Dye, c.1636 Musée Bonnat-Helleu

Hercules’ dog largely contributed to art history as it had discovered purple dye. According to the legend, while running on the beach the dog bit a sea snail and dyed his mouth purple. Clever boy.  Hope this helps."

Kids and Trees

If you look closely that is not a picture of two apple trees. But with their brown trunks and green branches laden with fruit, they could be.

This was a goodbye gift from our "cross the street" neighbors, Thomas and Kerri McLeod and their 2 sons, Hudson and Owen. I posted the other day about cat sitting their wildcat, Bauer, while they are in the process of moving. Anyway, back to this painting.

Ok, it's not a picture of two apple trees, but it is kind of a picture of Hudson and Owen, and so either way they're both pictures of growth. The trunks are actually their feet, firmly planted; while the branches are their fingers reaching for the sky and bearing fruit as they grow.

It should be noted that a few of those apples are Thomas and Keri's fingerprints. The two red patches between the base of the trees are Bauer's paw prints, completing this unique family potrait, which was immediately hung on the wall where you first enter our house. Cool gift, huh?

Here's a final shot of the whole tribe in front of the now empty home.  Its not really empty you know. No home which has ever been lived in really is. They're all still filled with the memories that lived there....

Flavia - A Sketch From the Past

This drawing was done by my friend Flavia in Taromino on Sicily in the early 1980's. She did this on a sketch pad sitting on the wall by the beach. Being a raven haired, dark eyed, young woman, to me she was the epitome of the artist, capturing the light while at the same time capturing my heart.

Flavia was just 17, you know what I mean? I was almost 10 years her senior,  so we weren't lovers or anything like that. We were just two people trying to talk in different languages, never really getting past looking into one another's eyes and the pages of the dictionary. And that was fine with me. Now, Platonic love can either break your heart or inspire a poem, a song, or just a memory. In this case I got lucky - I got the memory.

Her family was very courteous and nice to me, insisting that I eat with them while in port. This was their family vacation, a month which they spent at the beach after slaving away in Palmero all year. I was there for a week on the Mississinewa, an oil tanker of about 30, 000 tons displacement, and was their guest nightly at the hotel they were quartered in. I had become a friend of their daughter and that was reference enough for them.

Neither my lack of Italian, nor the limited English they possessed, kept the conversation from flowing with the wine over dinner. With the aid of the by now venerated dictionary, there was much to talk about. Through that we spoke of politics, the American President, my travels, the fathers work as a banker and Flavia's ambitions to become a successful commercial artist. Mama just smiled and indicated that I should eat more. I would bring some small gifts each night as a token of appreciation for their hospitality.

Flavia had never been to America, or NYC, and did the drawing from her head. She asked me if it was fairly accurate.  I told her it was perfect. And then, as if it were nothing at all she gave it to me.... and I still have it. From her head to my heart.... and I can still feel the warmth of the Sicilian sun and the breeze as we sat on the wall about 40 years ago....

"Hold Still" by Sally Mann (2015)

I wrote a short piece about a photo of Ms. Mann’s back in 2011. It received thousands of “hits” and dozens of comments. The other day I was at the library; not an unusual occurrence; when I saw that Ms. Mann has a new book out. It’s her memoirs, complete with some of her more well-known photographs and the stories behind them. One of those photos is “Candy Cigarette” which is the one that caught my eye about 4 years ago resulting in my post about it.

The best thing about finding Ms. Mann’s memoirs was learning just how wrong I was in my interpretation of that photo; though I was evidently not alone in what I saw in it. Art is like that; there is always the meaning which the artist has invested in the work; but there is also the response of the person who is viewing that art, or listening to the music created, bringing their own concepts to the work. Both are valid. Still, it is quite the treat to find out how far afield you might be from what the artist; in this case photographer; really had in mind.

Quoting Ms. Mann on the “Candy Cigarette” photo;

“The candy cigarette here was just a candy cigarette, not a metaphor for a life on the streets. Jessie’s vamping was just that, not a predictor of future pathology. Virginia’s back turned to the camera did not mean anything except it was easier to yell at Emmett that way, and the stilts in the background were just stilts, not phallic symbols. All these interpretations of this fictionalized fraction of a second have been posited, as have many more, sometimes to our amusement and sometimes to our distress.”

The entire book is readable and illustrated with some of her most interesting photos. If you are unfamiliar with Ms. Mann’s work, then this book is a wonderfully novel way to become so. You will quickly see why she is ranked among the greatest of American photographers.

By the way, I made all the mistakes in my interpretation of “Candy Cigarettes” which Ms. Mann lists except the one about the stilts; which seemed to me to be too thin. At any rate; and for Ms. Mann’s amusement; here is an unapologetic reprise of my post about that photograph;

http://robertwilliamsofbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2011/01/candy-cigarette-by-sally-man.html

"The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker" - Edited by Robert Mankoff (2004)

The cartoons from the New Yorker magazine were pretty intriguing to me as a kid. They covered some political subjects with which I was unfamiliar, but also delved into the world of social interaction on an everyday personal level.

For instance, in the cartoon posted below; which is actually the original I clipped and saved decades ago; a grownup faces his own social anxiety when confronted with a situation where he will have to mix with others who are just like him. This was humor I could identify with. We’ve all been 12 years old at some time; when stepping into a room felt as if all eyes were upon you in judgement. Obviously, it struck a chord with me. I identified with the sentiment enough to save the cartoon for all these years.

Anyway, this is just one of the cartoons in this fantastic collection from New Yorker Magazine. I got it as a gift several years ago, and am still enjoying it today. With two CD’s containing every cartoon; as well as the book which has some of the best cartoons arranged by year and subject; this is the complete collection from 1925- 2004; which is over 68,000 very witty cartoons by some of the greatest political cartoonists of the 20^th century.

If you have a favorite New Yorker cartoon in your memory; it’s here in this collection. Here’s one more of my favorites; a bit more modern in theme;

My Mona Lisa - NYC 1845

I found this little treasure back in 1980 in the basement of Jackie Onassis' apartment building on 5th Avenue across from Central Park. I was doing some work for my Dad at the time. We installed anti-pollution controls on incinerators.

Rich people throw away some pretty cool things. This pencil drawing from about 1845 is a good example of some of the things I found.

Just look at this picture. She stares with beauty in her eyes and just a hint of a smile plays across her mouth. I snatched her up in her black wood shaved matting with a matching black frame. She has been with me for the past 30 years.

Was this a portrait done for a loved one? Or perhaps it was just a sketch by an amateur artist?

I find her mysterious, yet so real. There is something flirtatious about her that captivated me long ago. She hangs on the wall beside my bed. She is the only woman that my wife doesn't object to my seeing on a regular basis.

The pencil strokes, when the sketch is held at an angle to the light, are vivid and exact. They give life to the portrait. I must admit to being in love with this woman - our age difference notwithstanding.

Laugh or Cry - Spinoza or The Monkees

I posted a video on Sunday of the Monkees doing “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” I posted it along with Carole King’s demo recording of the song from 1966. I got 700 hits in the first 24 hours. I had to check my counter and make sure it wasn’t counting any spam hits. It wasn’t. 68% of the hits came from Facebook, while the rest came from, well, everywhere.

Now this was a surprise. I posted it Sunday only as a place holder, and because it had the word Sunday in it. I never expected more than 25 hits at best. I average about 200 a day; with most coming from people googling different things. At this point I have a couple of thousand posts out there, so people bump into my site all the time; just not 700 per day.

This got me thinking about what topics were the most popular. Here is a sampling of what I found just by looking at one typical week from June 2011.

Conrad Shuman – 1095 hits.

Einstein and Spinoza –  812 hits.

“Shifty’s War” – 8,842 hits.

Thomas Cole’s “The Course of Empire” – 683 hits.

“Pictures of Matchstick Men” by Staus Quo -432 hits.

Wendell  Berry’s “Manifesto” – 1,041 hits.

Remember, those totals are for over 3 years. Compare those totals to the Monkees getting 700 hits in 24 hours on a silly little blog like mine, and you will understand why I say I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

For the benefit of those who may not have read it before, here is Wendell Berry’s powerful poem “Manifesto.” I hope it gets a couple of dozen hits.

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,

vacation with pay. Want more

of everything ready-made. Be afraid

to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.

Not even your future will be a mystery

any more. Your mind will be punched in a card

and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something

they will call you. When they want you

to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something

that won't compute. Love the Lord.

Love the world. Work for nothing.

Take all that you have and be poor.

Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace

the flag. Hope to live in that free

republic for which it stands.

Give your approval to all you cannot

understand. Praise ignorance, for what man

has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.

Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.

Say that your main crop is the forest

that you did not plant,

that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested

when they have rotted into the mold.

Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus

that will build under the trees

every thousand years.

Listen to carrion -- put your ear

close, and hear the faint chattering

of the songs that are to come.

Expect the end of the world. Laugh.

Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful

though you have considered all the facts.

So long as women do not go cheap

for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself: Will this satisfy

a woman satisfied to bear a child?

Will this disturb the sleep

of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.

Lie down in the shade. Rest your head

in her lap. Swear allegiance

to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos

can predict the motions of your mind,

lose it. Leave it as a sign

to mark the false trail, the way

you didn't go.

Be like the fox

who makes more tracks than necessary,

some in the wrong direction.

Practice resurrection.

"The Times of the Sixties" - Edited by John Rockwell (2014)

There is nothing pretentious, or confusing, about this title. Plainly put, this is a book of some of the most emblematic stories which appeared in the New York Times during the 1960’s. I don’t say the most important; although there are a number of those; I say emblematic because that what this book is. It is a wonderful representation of the things which made the 1960’s the memorable decade which it was, and still remains.

Organized into 8 sections covering 317 pages the book begins with the top stories in National news beginning with the Woolworth’s lunch counter sit- ins; which would come to characterize the Civil Rights Movement for much of the decade. That was on February 15, 1960. By November of that year JFK was President and Eisenhower bid us a farewell, warning us against the “military-industrial complex” which he had helped to create. The March on Washington, the Civil Rights demonstrations; and riots; are all covered. This section of the book speaks loudly to the little news junkie I was back then; with my 6 transistor radio always glued to my ear, or under my pillow at night.

In addition to the Civil Rights Movement, the National section also recalls the death of General MacArthur, JFK’s assassination, and just about every other important news item which would have an impact on the rest of the decade. The last article in this section is from August 1969, and is about Charles Manson.

The International section begins with a typo in the article about Francis Gary Powers being shot down over the Soviet Union in a U-2. The heading reads May 9, 1965. It should be 1960. The accompanying photo is dated correctly. From Eichmann’s kidnapping in South America to Krushchev pounding his shoe at the UN, this section is very colorful. The world still had some pretty colorful political leaders left; political correctness had not yet begun in earnest, making it possible for Politicians to still act somewhat candidly. 

The beginnings of our real serious involvement in Vietnam is chronicled; as well as the Communist expansion in just about every corner of the world; including Cuba. The rise of the Berlin Wall, the death of Pope John XXIII, Diem’s assassination only weeks before JFK’s killing, Israel fighting with Palestine, it’s all here. Mandela convicted of sabotage and sentenced to life in South Africa, while our own streets burned with the desire for freedom recall my struggle to make sense of why Apartheid was wrong in South America while it was still being practiced here in the United States. Communist China getting her own bomb, and Ho Chi Minh’s death, close out the International scene.

The Business Section begins with a raise in the minimum wage in the United States. JFK pushed through a bill making the new wage $1.15 per hour. The steel crisis; when Kennedy faced off with the steel producers over a price increase which would have triggered mass inflation; DOW breaking 1,000 points for the first time;  the Bank of America rolling out credit cards; and oil leases in Alaska all show a vibrant and growing economy.

There is a section devoted solely to New York City; which is appropriate, given that this book is about the New York Times coverage of the 1960’s. First up is Casey Stengel being let go by the Yankees for the crime of being 70 years old. The next big story is the collision of 2 airliners in the fog over New York, one landing in Park Slope section of Brooklyn; and then the fire on the aircraft carrier Constellation at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which killed 46 and injured hundreds. Both of these horrific events happened one week before Christmas in 1960 and so always stand out in my memory.TV news broke both of these stories to me. I was just 6 years old. 

The Twist, the folk music scene and a young Bob Dylan at Gerde’s Folk City; the World’s Fair; Shea Stadium; the Verrazano- Narrows Bridge; the theft of the Star of India from the Museum of Natural History; the Blackout of 1965; all of these stories took me back to my days delivering the New York Post by bicycle; reading the headlines as I loaded up for work each day.

Science, Technology and Health is subdivided into 3 shorter categories. Science dwells on the Space Race; which we were losing at first. The Soviets put a man in space before us; orbited the earth before us; even space walked before we did. But we cheered our astronauts on to victory with the first manned landing on the Moon. If you were alive then you will remember that day and how it felt.

Technology concerns itself with portable electric typewriters and battery powered tooth brushes, the advent of the cassette as the wave of the future in music; and the first “jumbo” jet, a Boeing 747. The only thing still relevant is the battery powered toothbrush. All of the other achievements have been surpassed. But my toothbrush is still about the same; only cheaper.

Health covers the first Pacemakers, plastic contact lenses, open heart surgery, Medicare, cigarettes causing cancer; birth control and lung transplants.

Life and Style is one of the more interesting sections as it directly affects us all. From Barbie dolls to Mustangs, skateboarding and marijuana, this section is fairly representative of the way we were back then.

Fashion covers Jackie Kennedy, miniskirts, Audrey Hepburn, big glasses and Twiggy in a highly entertaining way. The articles fairly sing the praises of the subjects they explore.

Food and Drink is another section which is fairly interesting. It’s easy to forget that a microwave once coat about $1,200 in 1955. By 1962 this had dropped to $795, still out of reach of almost all Americans at the time.  The rise of fast food and artificial sweeteners also dominated the news at the time.

Sports is a vivid recollection of the Lakers, Wilt Chamberlain, the Mets, Roger Maris, the first Superbowl, the consolidation of the NFL and the AFL, Cassius Clay becoming Muhammad Ali, and the triumph of the Mets over Baltimore in 1969.

Arts and Entertainment starts off with the architectural achievements in New York at the time. From the new airline terminal at Idewild; with its observation deck; to the opening of the Pan Am Building, and the Whitney in Manhattan, the changing skyline of Manhattan reflected the rapidly changing world.

When the book gets to Music and Art it really showcases the color and dynamics of the 1960’s. From the Beatles to James Baldwin and everything in between, this is one of the most entertaining sections. Andy Warhol and his Chelsea Girls film had me running to the computer and You Tube to see what I missed as a kid. Ava Gardner reading “The Feminine Mystique”, Monty Python, A Clockwork Orange, Tom Wolfe, James Earl Jones, Andy Griffith, Hair and Woodstock are all represented as examples of the culture of the times. The last entry, closing out the section and the book, is the Altamont Concert in California.

It’s always interesting to look back and see how far we have come in certain areas; and how little progress we have made in others. In 1961 the Senate was struggling with the issues of healthcare and equal pay for women; both of which are still unsettled today. It's possible that we have not advanced socially as far as we would sometimes like to believe. Maybe we haven't come "such a long way baby". Inadvertently, perhaps that is the message of this wonderful book.

"Carsick" by John Waters (2014)

The classic film “Sullivan’s Travels” must have been on director John Waters mind when he decided to hitch hike across the country at the age of 63 in 2010. He is, after all, a filmmaker. And that film could almost be the blueprint for the genesis of this seemingly strange idea on the part of the author. But the similarities end with the concept as Mr. Waters takes us on a “long, strange trip” indeed.

Starting out from his home on Charles Street in Baltimore County he elects to head to San Francisco via Route 70, which begins at the Baltimore Beltway, Exit 17. His first ride is almost too good to be true. A pot dealer in a non-descript vehicle picks him up and drops him in West Virginia; but not before taking him home for lunch and lending him $5 million dollars in cash for his next film, which the author has been unable to getting financing for. And with a beginning like that, you know the rest of the book is going to be just great.

But wait; this IS a John Watters book. So you may have to look twice. I didn’t read the short blurb on the inside book jacket. Maybe that was smart. I would have cheated myself out of a hilarious experience. The book is divided into 2 portions; the first being a “novella” of the author’s imaginative cross country journey; and I hope he makes a film of it. The second part is what really happened on the journey. As I said, this IS a John Waters book, so normal rules do not apply.

If you are homophobic; or just uneasy with the topic of gay sex; then skip this book. Mr. Waters inhabits a slightly different reality than you and I, so his fantasies all reflect that alternate lifestyle. I found the whole book; fiction and non-fiction, to be just like one of his movies. It’s a world inhabited by the most unusual characters; people that simply cannot be. And then you hit the non-fiction part.

Guess what? The real world can be just as surprising; and rewarding; as the alternate one; or even the fictional version. That may have been his point. And that’s all I’m going to say about this wonderfully irreverent book which plays fast and loose with an alternate reality, and then draws an accurate picture the real one.

Let’s just say that in writing this book Mr. Waters may have learned something about the world outside of Baltimore and the lifestyle he has led for so many years; just as the reader will see things a bit differently after reading the true adventures of a cross country journey by thumb in the early 21^st century.

Public Prayer - Calling God "God"

Last week’s Supreme Court ruling kind of caught me off guard. I knew the Court was going to come down in favor of Public Prayer; and I am not in disagreement over that point; but I was surprised that they would uphold Sectarian Prayer. After all, this is really the heart of the issue.

Very few people have a problem with public prayer; per se. I fall into this category. It doesn’t bother me in the least when the government invokes the name of God. I find it comforting. What makes me uncomfortable is when the government gives Him a name. In the Navy the Chaplain always referred to God as "Our Father", as in the Psalm. Nobody ever complained about that back then. Today that would be offensive to some women.

Generally speaking, people believe in God in one way or another. Atheists have no horse in this race as far as I can see, since you cannot protest what you profess not to believe in. Those who do believe just call him by different names. There’s Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed, along with a whole cluster of other Gods too numerous to mention here. And, of course, some of us just call Him God. That last category is representative of me. I believe in God. Just plain old God. Kind of like the picture above. He has His good days and bad days; just like you and me, only on a larger scale.

The question really boils down to this; if I can respect your God by calling him God; which doesn't offend you; then why can’t you respect my beliefs by calling him God instead of Jesus or Allah etc. when in a public forum? It seems so simple. And it’s inclusive rather than divisive. Isn't that what religion is supposed to do?

Then there is the legalistic aspect of this issue. Town Meetings; Zoning Commission Hearings; etc, all result in legal consequences, just as in a Court of Law where you are asked to swear an Oath to God. Give me an oath to Jesus, and as a Jew I might not feel morally bound to an entity in which I do not believe. Would it still be perjury? This is inconsistency in its worst incarnation. It is embarrassing to me as an American  that the Justices do not understand this.

Also there is nothing as rude as being invited to a town meeting, or high school reunion for that matter; where the people in charge know there will be multiple faiths represented; then having a blessing representative of only a portion of those present.

This is akin to Shylock being offered dinner at the home of Basanio in “The Merchant of Venice.” He is welcome to come and eat of the pork which Antonio’s own prophet; Jesus; would have had to decline. This is the exact same position that people of various faiths are placed in when you invite them to a meeting; or reunion; and then conduct a prayer which excludes them. Think about it; and then tell me “What Jesus Would Do”.

The illustration at the top is the face of God as envisioned by Michelangelo. Kind of how I see him myself.

Top Ten for the Week

Dave Letterman has his lists; Billboard lists the Top Ten musical hits; the magazines all list the sexiest, wealthiest, most boring, and other assorted lists; so I thought I would create a list of my own. 

This is the first; and probably the last; time that I will do this. I just find it interesting when I look and see what people are reading on my blog. I don’t go in for that high tech, who is reading me in what zip code, type of thing. I just want to know which articles, or reviews, are being read. With over a thousand hits a week; sometimes more; I’m always curious.

So below is the Rooftop Review Top Ten List for the last week in August, which is when this was written. I am pleased with the mixture of book reviews, movies, history and art that people bump into on this "destination based" site.

Basically that means people don’t come on looking for Rooftop Reviews, but rather bump into it while searching for information on a specific article, book, movie or song. That so many return again; on their own; to see what I post is always gratifying. And it’s really great to see that some of my most read posts are usually history, which is a big love of mine; right alongside of music, books and art.

1. "Passages: Green Wall" by Artist Tetsunori Kawana
August 15, 2011
231 Views

2. "Shanghai Diary" by Ursula Bacon
November 10, 2010
224 Views

3. "LBJ" by Phillip F. Nelson
February 24, 2012
144 Views

4. "The Case of Abraham Lincoln" by Julie M. Fenster
June 8, 2011
82 Views

5. Dean Martin - "The Capitol Years"
September 4, 2010
82 Views

6. "Bleed Red" by Ronnie Dunn
February 5, 2011
77 Views

7. The Nazi Manhole Mystery
April 23, 2010
51 Views

8. The Shot Heard Round the World - Lexington and Concord
April 23, 2010
51 Views

9. "A Bronx Tale" with Robert DeNiro
June 28, 2012
32 Views

10. "Seven Days In May" with Frederic March, Kirk Douglas
October 19, 2010
29 Views

                

Salvador Dali on "What's My Line" - 1957

No one would ever associate Salvador Dali with television, but between the late 1950's and the mid 1960's he was a frequent, and amusing, guest on several of the leading shows of the time. Above is his appearance on the show "What's My Line" from 1957. He had also recently done "What's My Line." It is amazing how comfortable he appears in front of the camera, as opposed to a small gallery showing.

The interview on the Merv Griffin Show, below, was done on December 30, 1965. Merv is actually the one who seems out of place, appearing not to know what to ask of the great artist. But Dali's wit and humor combine to save the day.  Sharp eyes will notice that Andy Warhol is also on the show, sitting on the couch next to Arthur Treacher. You have to wonder what they could possibly have spoken about during the commercials!

You Tube is a veritable playground for me. Through it I have been able to garner the sights and sounds of all the shows and performers I enjoyed as a kid. I must confess to having missed both of these broadcasts, but the mere fact that Salvador Dali was ever on television to begin with has been a real revelation to me. I don't know why; after all, this is the man who gave us a new and interesting way of looking at art. It's not too much of a leap to suppose that he thought of television as another form of expressing his art; and of course, plugging his book. 

Louis Jones at Charlotte Country Day School

On January 30^th and 31^st of this year, artist Louis Jones came to Charlotte Country Day School and conducted a workshop with the students, thus sharing his love for creating; as well as teaching; art to those who would share his passion. And, at Charlotte Day School, located on the corner of Carmel Road in Charlotte, he found an eager audience.

Over a period of two days, Mr. Jones took the time to speak about; as well as conduct; hands on advice and provide encouragement to the students. Actually, he worked along-side of them while creating an original painting of his own. The results are displayed on this wall in the Hance Gallery of the Fine Arts Center; which is located on the grounds of the school; surrounded by a selection of some of the works produced in the workshop. They are all worthy of note.

Mr. Jones work’s in acrylic are both vivid and slightly impressionist in nature. He lures you in with color, and at other times, with a sparse landscape, showing an abandoned farm. His titles are humorous and thought provoking. Clearly, this is a man who enjoys his work enough to share it with others, ensuring that the genre will endure.

Sue and I have been to the Hance Gallery before. It is always free and open to the public. Artists, and the institutions that display their works, are becoming increasingly rare. We are very happy to have displays like this to brighten our days. Art is a vital part of life. Ever since man has been drawing on the walls of caves he has sought to visually represent his surroundings.

In the final analysis, art is somewhat subjective to the viewer’s taste. To that end, art can be judged by the joy evident on the faces of the people viewing it. I walked into the Hance Gallery on a raw and gray February afternoon; looking a bit down; and in only a few minutes I was standing with a smile in front of 2 of Mr. Jones’ finer works.

To view more of Mr. Jone's work you can go to his website at http://www.ashevilleart.org/artists/wlouisjones/

"The Monsters Meet on Court Street" by Batton Lash (2012)

And now for something completely different; I was never much of a fan of comic books as a kid- except for Illustrated Classics and the Human Torch; for some odd reason he really got to me.  But, this latest offering, by veteran comic artist/writer Batton Lash, has a unique and hip premise to it. Monsters, just as people do, sometimes find themselves in need of legal counsel. And where do they go for this type of service? Well, if you’re a New York based monster, particularly if you are indicted in Kings County; or Brooklyn; then Court Street is the logical place. These people; the lawyers as well as the “monsters”; all have the same problems and dramas of us real life folks.

The series concerns the adventures of defense attorneys Jeff Byrd and Alanna Wolff, of the firm Byrd and Wolff, whose specialty is delivering top notch defense for monsters who may find themselves in legal difficulties. Mostly, this is the result of a misunderstanding of the nature of monsters by those other pesky creatures, “human beings.”

In the first case which opens this book, Ms. Wolff is defending a Frankenstein looking fellow named Fritz, who in spite of his legal troubles is overtly concerned with eating lunch. This little twist puts a comical twist on things as the reader wonders just what, or whom, Fritz would like to eat for lunch. His crime was scaring a lab assistant when he suddenly came to life in the laboratory. Ms. Wolff argues; in an almost politically incorrect fashion; that, as the lab assistant was wearing stiletto heels and a revealing blouse, what response did she expect when this dead man came back to life?

While dealing with these types of cases, the two attorney’s assistants, Mavis and Corey, are busy not only providing support for the defense team, but with their own personal lives as well. The cast of characters includes the somewhat mysterious Charles Hawkins, another attorney; of dubious character; who is in love with Ms. Wolff. Their relationship serves as a sideshow to the main adventures as you wonder just what; if anything; he is up to, and how it will affect Ms. Wolff and her partner, not to mention their clients. Hawkins left Brooklyn’s Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood 25 years ago for the tonier clientele offered by Manhattan’s Park Avenue. To me, he seemed immediately suspect; but of what, I could not say.

The book is composed of a current, or new adventure, and also features some of the past exploits of the Counselors of the Macabre, such as “The Appeal of the 800 Lb., Gorilla.” In this case, the attorneys find themselves at odds with their own client, Nicky Gorillo. He has lost his case and Ms. Wolff is handling his appeal when Nicky goes "ape". In the end he is exposed (literally) for what he really is; a thug with a simian mentality. I really enjoyed the dialogue in this one, as it reminded me of so many of the “mobsters” portrayed on TV and in movies.

This collection is the sixth in “The Supernatural Law” series by Batton Lash and his team of artists and editors, and the first foray by me into the world of illustrated literature. Comic books have a long history of being beneath mainstream literature, but these are not the simple comic books of my youth, and in some respects, can be even more difficult to navigate than your average novel. (I’m a big non-fiction reader, so this was really a pleasant “stretch” for me.) It actually takes a bit more attention to the unwritten details to “get” the whole story. This was a big surprise for me; you don’t have to write like Tolstoy in order to convey a story.

The Supernatural Law series is a unique and fun way to delve into the world of “illustrated literature”; it would seem disrespectful to refer to them as mere “comic books”, as they have a dimension lacking in that genre. As I said, as a veteran, and inveterate, reader, this was something new and different for me, and I have to say it was a pleasurable excursion.

"Jimi Hendrix - A Brother's Story" by Leon Hendrix with Adam Mitchell (2012)

This will be the closest thing you will ever read to an autobiography of Jimi Hendrix. His brother, Leon, has done a wonderful job of putting into words the experiences of the 2 boys while growing up in Seattle, Washington. Leon and Jimi were born to parents who were so much in love with one another that they couldn’t stand to be together for very long. There were also 3 other children born to the couple; one a stillbirth; along with two boys; one blind and the other clubfooted. They were put up for adoption as a result of financial hardship. His mother was dead by the age of 33, and their father took over from there, doing the best he could.

As a child, Jimi (born James, but called “Buster” by his family after Buster Crabbe of the Flash Gordon Series) was always interested in sounds. Although they lived in a rundown home before being shuttled from foster homes to relatives to live, Jimi had an ear for the magic of music from a very early age. He and Leon used to string wires between the posts of their metal bed, noticing how the sounds changed in pitch according to length.

Alone with Leon, Jimi used to lie on the ground, gazing up at the nighttime sky, telling his brother about the constellations, and making up stories, many of which would become famous as songs later in his life. Songs like “Castles In the Sand” and “The Wind Cried Mary” are autobiographical and were written in his head even before he learned to play guitar. Even “Spanish Magic Castle” is rooted in Jimi Hendrix youth, named, as it is, for the Spanish Castle Ballroom, which was about an hour from his home. In the song it is said to be “half a day away” because that’s how long it took to get there in in the broken down car they used to get there.

Jimi’s first instrument; aside from the bed; was an old ukulele which he was allowed to keep when cleaning out a garage with his father, who did landscaping and odd jobs. It may only have had one string on it, but that was enough to cement young Jimi’s interest in music forever.

His next instrument was an old broken down acoustic guitar which he acquired from a woman down the street. Although it wasn’t much of a guitar, Jimi soon mastered it, playing the melodies to anything he heard on the radio. By this time he had heard electric guitars on the radio and decided he needed to get technical.

He bought a kit to electrify the acoustic guitar, but lacked an amplifier. So, he created one by wiring a cord to the stylus of his father’s record player, which allowed him to play his electrified acoustic guitar. The sound was distorted due to the speaker’s limited capacity, but may have been the catalyst for the sound he was one day to create.

Jim left Seattle to join the Army, serving in the 101^st Airborne. While in the service he played with several different buddies at the various service clubs on base.  After being Honorably Discharged he actually went on the road, playing the old Chitling’ Circuit; which was in its last days at the time; and even toured the Northwest, playing wherever he could, even with Tommy Chong in his band Tommy and The Vancouver’s; although it was Tommy Chong on lead guitar. You can listen to those records on You Tube.

He went on to play with Little Richard, but the arrangements were too tight for his agile mind; and as a result of conflicts with Little Richard; he left the band, headed for New York. His connection to Little Richard actually occurred several years before when Little Richard came to Washington to visit his Aunt, which was down the street from the Hendrix brothers and their Dad. Jimi was 17 at the time and still in high school, which he did not complete, withdrawing in his senior year.

By 1966, Chas Chandler, of the Animals, convinced Jimi to go to England with him, where he finally broke through with his innovative sound. It was there in 1967 that he recorded the iconic “Are You Experienced“ album which would catapult him to worldwide fame beyond his wildest dreams. Leon, and his Dad, first heard this album through the walls of their apartment one morning in May 1967. A neighbor was playing the record over and over. Leon, and his father were both dumbstruck. The music was unlike anything they had ever heard before.

After landing a job as an draftsman for Boeing, drawing the same nuts and bolts over and over again, Leon eventually joined his brother on the road in the late 1960’s, getting an education in life which was not available in school. He was also, when not on the road, becoming increasingly involved in the hustler’s lifestyle on the street, soon becoming acquainted with drugs; as well as dealing and stealing. A break in at a pharmaceutical plant landed him in jail with some of his friends. After bonding out, he returned home to accompany his brother on tour, as he awaited his trial for the robbery.

That trial never came when Leon’s lawyer advised him to join the Army in lieu of being sent to prison. It seemed like a good idea and he joined, knowing that he would be going to Vietnam. With his brother’s reputation shadowing him everywhere he went, the Army found him to be more trouble than he was worth. After enduring all the usual humiliations associated with boot camp; plus some extra “special treatment” for the crime of being Jimi Hendrix’ brother; Leon goes AWOL. This mistake eventually has him sent to prison for the violation of his plea agreement. It is while in prison that he learns of his brother’s death from other inmates who had heard it on the radio.

This is a very straight forward book which doesn’t shy away from the author’s own shortcomings, as well as deal with the issue of who was stealing his brother’s money.

Of great interest to me in this book, are the theories and plans which were underway by Jimi Hendrix at the time of his death. He had a theory about music, which was based on Einstein’s theory of relativity. That formula was E=mc squared. Hendrix’ formula for the relationship between light, color and sound was called Energy Sound Color Dynamics, and he expressed it in a formula, similar to Einstein’s; E=sc squared. We will never know where his musical ambitions would have taken us.

The book even delves into the financial struggles over Jimi’s estate, not only with the record companies, but within his own family. This is an excellent book, which shies away from nothing, and dispels many myths about the famed guitarist. Written with a love for his brother that the reader can actually feel, this may be the best and most personable biographies of Jimi Hendrix to date. Well done, Leon!

Blogging Without a Plan

You’d think it would be easy to do a short blog like this on a daily basis, but it’s not. Sometimes I stay about 3 or 4 days ahead of schedule, which is why I am often several days behind the news, but somehow I always end up back at a point where I am out of something to say. But, being a verbose person by nature, I feel compelled to post something daily. It wasn’t always that way.

When I began this blog, over 3 years ago, I posted once a week, usually a book review; indeed, that is what this site purports itself to be. But, somehow over the 3 years I have been doing this, I caught the bug, and as a result post each day. Some of the material I post is so bad that this looks easier than it really is.

Oh, I get lucky now and again, with a good story like “The Old Black Man”, or  the one I wrote a few months ago about the Police Gazette, but mostly I just post whatever happens to attract my attention that day. Take today as an example. It’s 7 Pm here in North Carolina, and I had planned on having a book review done for tomorrow, and have actually begun working on it, but, with the grandkids coming on Tuesday night there were things to be done. (Mostly that involved watching Sue get things ready for their visit.)

So, I’m taking it easy on myself today, as usual, and posting this, for what it’s worth. The illustration at the top of the page is actually from the family album. It was done by my Dad, who was a draftsman, which is ironic considering he refused to serve in Korea when called up, but a draftsman he was. He was pretty good at it, too. He drew this the day after I was born. I still remember marveling at it as a kid. It still gives me pleasure to look at.

So, that’s all I got for today. No plan of my own, except to finish the book review for tomorrow. After that it will be a couple of days of winging it while my granddaughters Aliyah and Trinity are here to visit. We’ll be sharing our adventures here a bit. With this blog reaching something like 80 countries, I’m sure that other grandparents will find something of interest in what we do. I’m sure as heck curious myself! Remember, unlike my dad, I’m not working from a plan.