Monthly Archives: January 2009

Maggot Brain

It’s Sunday, back to school for some, back to the working week for me. Not so bad, just that I’ve gotten used to staying up until 1:30. Last night I was up till then watching Lost. After Broadcast News came the local news and then since Saturday Night Live was a repeat, I found Lost. Back to back repeats.

I didn’t mind those repeats since I do enjoy the show so much. Not enough to log onto the computer and play the webisodes or what have you. Same with Heroes. I enjoy that show as well but I don’t follow it off the television set.

It was pretty much a mellow evening all around. I went to the memorial service for Bill’s friend, then walked up to 33rd street from 10th street and First Avenue enjoying a cigar. Walking up to 33rd street almost guarantees a seat. Lot’s of people heading back to the suburbs clutching large bags of candy from the M&M Store in Times Square.

I buried my nose in the John Lennon biography. He and George and their wives were just dosed with LSD, so that was an interesting part that I’ve read about a dozen times already. Philip Norman does put a good spin on the whole situation. Lot’s of Aunt Mimi stories that I didn’t know previously.

Today was a quiet day. I watched the morning shows up to a point. Couldn’t take any more news about Israel invading Gaza. It’s a mess and it’s only going to be worse. I had started watching The Last Picture Show the other night and finished watching it this afternoon. It was a good movie. Sad that Sam Bottoms died a couple of weeks ago.

If only Peter Bogdanovich didn’t make my skin crawl. It certainly was a beautiful movie though. Excellent cinematography. I watched some of the extras, Making The Last Picture Show and there was big head Bogdanovich, Orson Welles this, Orson Welles that.

I wanted to take a walk to the post office and drop the DVD off in the mailbox, but Bogdanovich just wouldn’t shut up so I ejected it and threw it in the envelopes. As far as I know, Bogdanovich is still flapping his flanged lips in a pile of mail.

Also returned the Doris Kearns Goodwin book, A Team of Rivals. I didn’t think I would have the time to actually read it from start to finish and my ardor for Obama has cooled somewhat.

I still have to finish the Lennon bio and there’s also the Sarah Vowell book, The Wordy Shipmates which I need to start, but that’s a book I can probably read in a day, as if I have a day to sit and read a book from cover to cover.

Had an enjoyable walk around Hoboken this afternoon. Around Pier A and then back on Washington Street. As I walked up Washington Street I walked past the Karma Cafe, an Indian restaurant that I have eaten at a few times. I was surprised to see it closed since they usually have a buffet on weekend afternoons.

I guess it was closed since hardly anyone was around this weekend, but I looked closer to see if they had gone out of business. As I looked in, I saw a pair of legs on the floor. On closer inspection, I saw the legs connected to a body on the floor. I wasn’t sure what to do, if to do anything, so I took a picture.

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What would you think? A closed restaurant, kitchen help lying on the floor…

Then I called the Hoboken Police Department and explained what I saw. I stood nearby and waited for the police to arrive about 15 minutes later. I explained to the officer who looked in the vestibule next to the restaurant that I was the one who called.

He said he looked and didn’t see anyone. I told him to check the restaurant, not the vestibule. He did and saw a kitchen worker lying on the floor. The police man asked if I tapped on the window and I told him I hadn’t.

He did and also jimmied the door somewhat which made the kitchen worker stir proving that he was alive. The officer laughed and thanked me and I said I probably watch too much Lawn hors d’œuvre .

He said he was a Canapés man himself.

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Release the Stars

Late night posting. Or later than usual. Just got back from Manhattan after attending a memorial service for a friend of Bill’s David Sheppard. Nice gathering, quite a lot of people, theater folk since David Sheppard was a director at the Theater for the New City on First Avenue.

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Bill helped organize the memorial through Facebook.

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Facebook! For all your impromptu (or planned) organizing needs!

Bill also played some piano at the service and it’s always good to hear Bill behind a piano.

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Right now, Broadcast News is on. Such a good movie, I keep getting distracted. Why haven’t Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks made another movie together?

Last night was a good night for TV. I somehow started watching a special on WNYC on Men’s fashion which I thought would appeal to me, but it turned out to be a piece on 2 Dutch designers, Viktor and Rolf who really put on a fantastic show at their couture viewings.

Not your average runway walkers either. One show had all the women done up like Tilda Swinton, pale skin and red hair. The real Tilda Swinton was feature, she being such a good pal of Viktor and Rolf. Other runways had the models wearing lighting scaffolds as they walked the gangplank, or wearing motorcycle helmets, or wearing 10 jackets over 10 shirts.

You really had to see it, it was mesmerizing. And surreal in the proper sense of the word. Surreal is a word that gets used too frequently and improperly these days. Andre Breton must be spinning in his grave and adding more names to his list.

After that I wound up watching Charlie Rose interviewing the recently deceased Harold Pinter and that was incredible. What a mind, what a playwright. No Ouija boards were involved since it was taped a year prior to Pinter’s death on this past Christmas Eve.

Charlie Rose makes anyone interesting, and if the guest is interesting already, the conversation goes up several notches.

After that I decided to take Rand and Bill’s advice and give Craig Ferguson a chance. Ferguson wasn’t on yet and I caught the band on the Letterman show, Bon Iver who were surprisingly very good.
And here is that clip.

Craig Ferguson was pretty good too.

Ooh William Hurt in braces! Sorry Broadcast News again.

I was up, not tired and wound up channel surfing and watched Louis CK doing stand up. He was hilarious. Usually not my cup of tea but the stars seemed to be aligned and I found myself laughing out loud as he discussed his wife and children.

If only Julio were around to hear Louis CK talk about changing diapers, I’m sure he could relate. Sounds pretty gross for all concerned. After all that entertainment and intellectual stimulation I needed to go to bed.

I woke up and did my usual rounds around Hoboken. People are beginning to return to Hoboken and the holidays are almost over. Used Christmas trees line the gutters.

Julio and Stine return with Kal-El on Monday. It will be good to see them all again.

I have to see them, I have their mail