elimination of bummer boy!!!!!

so, ok, hi!!!!

I am back.

Let's see if I can come up with some pop cultural filled tidbit to let you know it is me.

ok

did you know that waylon jennings was supposed to be on the plane flight that killed Buddy Holly? He lost the coin toss. Had to drive!!!

Ok, which leads me to an idea I just got for a t.v. show called "TIME MACHINE", where people from the present go back in time(Cue Huey Lewis) to fix things... Like what if the uber captain Sullenberg could go back in time and fly the buddy holly plane

would things be different?

How bout if a race car driver drove James Deans car.

Doesn't this sound like a great idea?  But,ya know,these good ideas dont really work,revisiting the past to figure out where you need to go is helpful,but wallowing in the middle of it is not so good.

I have been doing a reworking of dietary longings here this week...no brew pub,no processed carbs,not a lot of meat....and so far it hasn't been so hard.  I am hoping it is helping...I mean,I suppose it can't hurt.

Ok

So, things have turned the dark corner, and though I weigh more than ever and am the siza of marie callendars butt(see, she makes pie, so her ass must be big) I think things are at their optimum negative point and are moving forward...or in the language of my same weighted Cow brethren!!!! MOOOOOOOOOOving forward..

Hit me a slick spot, Granny.

The title comes from our trip to see Jesus rise from the dead. Ok, that is not really a vacation spot, but I bet ya didn't think of Eureka Springs,Arkansas as a destination either. I mean, let's face it. Most people where I live think of the sands of Maui, or Machu Picchu as their destination for vacation. No one thinks of The Bible Museum in Arkansas. Or the home of the Ozark Passion Play.
Yes, when you see the Ozark passion play the tickets state "In case of Rain, Money will be refunded if rainfall is before the Last Supper"... and the rain panchos look like white sheets.
Well, while walking to the seats, a kids slipped and fell. He looked up and said "I hit me a slick spot, Granny".
That is the way I feel.
I am going into a doctors check up with an extremely thorough young doctor who is gonna make sure I stay on this planet. I just fear that I am gonna end up with a million pills and stuff. I know I am overweight and close to diabetes...yay, David!!!!
I am sitiing in my classroom listening to hollaback girl(yay shuffle) and I am looking at the cutest picture of myself as a baby. I really am trying to figure out how I turned out fat, itchy and depressed.
The truth is that I am feeling pretty meaningless and pretty sad.
Hit me a slick spot, Granny.

typical

That I would write for six weeks about outback,80's bands and such,and just kinda glaze over the big stuff

We have a new President.

I thought I had a heart attack

I might be diabetic

i have to turn my health around

i had twelve blood tests

hey,who do you like in the super bowl.

Clint Eastwood

so I am at a local bar...the same one as the wonder bread discussion and a friend of mine,speaking of Clint Eastwood's new movie, Gran Torino."It's great...and I know Clint.have known him for years,had beers with him"...and I have no doubt that he is telling the truth,but I missed his point because I too have a Clint Eastwood story...and I missed his story thinking about it.

Many years ago Bruce and I visited my friend Steve down at the Monterey Shakespeare Festival.  Steve was playing a track suited Theseus in a modern dress version of Midsummer Night's Dream.  one night we decided we should have a burger at The Hog's Breath Inn,then owned by Mayor Eastwood.  So,there was no doubt it was owned by Eastwood.  You walked in and there were pictures of Clint in all his movies.  There were no signs that said "Feelin lucky,punk?  Try todays fish special" or "  Go ahead,make my eggs" ,but Clint permeated the place,for sure.

Well,my friend Steve has always told stories about meeting people.  He is a singer now and has met a bunch of people,but at this point I wasn't always sure.  He began to tell a story of seeing Clint here,and then,jokingly saying things like "and I know Clint,have known him for years,you know,had beers with him"....

and we sit down...

and I was sitting there thinking the menu was good,food wise,but if it were me,I would've gone for a little more kitsch"Our waitresses are any which way but loose",  "Our burgers are grilled in the line of fire,add some clyde fries for a few dollars more"

and as i was thinking how Clint missed the kitsch boat, Bruce said to me "There's Eastwood" and I looked,and at the next table was a guy that looked like Eastwood.  Now,I was from a drama program where our teacher knew the guy who played Scotty from Star Trek.  It was made clear to us that we couldn't ask for his autograph,called him Scotty,or say "Beam Me Up". I have a cool resolve,but did a double take because,it really was Eastwood.   We sat and ate our Eastwood,  I mean burger,not once clinting about think.  Small talk  "Hey,could you guys pass the Clint".  And we made it.  Clint got up and left....

Then Steve decides to get his autograph.  "Go with me" he says knowing I"m the friend who will dance in front of the fancy french restaurant,I"m the one who will yell "I shot my wad" as you come out of the tunnel of the matterhorn.(never really realized how bad that sounded)...So going up with Steve was a no brainer.  Here is the transcription of Steve and Clint's scene.

Clint:  Yes...

Steve:  Uh,uhm,Clint,hey,uhm,can you,uh,sign this?

Clint;(Nicely)  Yeah,could ya wait a minute. I"m talking to these people.

Steve:  Oh,uhm,  sorry(Steve leaves.  Clint looks at David)

i said sorry and left....BUT....if I had a time machine,I would go back and knowing what I know now I would say

"I Loved Gran Torino.  I think you are incredibly underated.  I think you know movies.  I think you aren't afraid to take risks.  I never realized how much respect I had for you"

and he would say

"What's Gran Torino?"

People have hinted that Gran Torino might be Eastwood's swan song as an actor. If so,what a way to go. We forget that Eastwood cut his teeth on the great cinema of the 60's,in the great era of the antihero.  Still filled with that ambiguity Eastwood is not afraid to show darkness.  Only he could show World War 2 from both sides...the american Flag of Our Fathers and the Japanese Sands of Iwo Jima.  Eastwood played the conflicted for years.  One of his finest directed films was Mystic River,a novel by one of my go to authors Dennis Lehane.  Mystic River shows the ambiguity of faith,family and revenge.

I used to review movies for my college paper,and am done reviewing,but I will say this: Gran Torino is a great picture.  It tells a story of bigotry and gangs,of redemption in the unredeemable.  It is a film that you can talk about from the moral standpoint,from character decisions.  The other thing I enjoyed about it was that it was funny at times.  Eastwood does an amazing job playing a bigoted war vet.  It is not politically correct,and really not political.

Once Denzel Washington was nominated for best actor against Clint Eastwood.  He said "I mean,who am I going  to lose to,Clint Eastwood?  I mean,I love him,but come on".   Well Eastwood definitely turns in a stellar performance in this.

and thank god for storytellers like eastwood,who are not afraid to get their feet dirt,or their reputation looked at.

Milk

I never cry.
I was a sensitive child who often got yelled at for crying.
I never cry at movies.
I am sentimental, often get teary at things, but never full on cry.

My friend Pat Fusco saw the movie Milk yesterday and one of the things she mentioned was the amazing diversity of the ages of the people watching. Today I saw Milk, and immediately thought of that as well.
Here is my history. I write social issue plays that maybe wouldn't play everywhere. One of them has two boys kissing at the end of it. One is a musical based on the AIDS quilt. I write these plays to amend the fact that I was once a teenager and I once yelled "Fag" from cars. I was phobic...or pretended to be. To be cool. But now I tend to be a poster boy for equal rights. I think partially, you don't exist in theatre without knowing people from all walks of life, and if you dont...well you may end up playing that which you don't understand,and it is your responsibility to get it right.
Harvey Milk was a hero. He spoke up for human rights the way King spoke up, the way Cesar Chavez spoke up. The movie is profound in it's capturing of an era, of it's "where it all happened" quality. The film pulses with life and humor and dignity. Sean Penn just washes away as soon as the film starts. He is a miracle,especially since he is a fairly surly person in public. The supporting cast creates a family, the direction is wonderfully artistic, but stays on task.
Great movie. In the film the focus is upon Milk trying to defeat Prop 6, a law that would eliminate jobs for gay teachers...The film shows Milk as David vs Goliath, one who is not always interested in winning, but in making his position heard. And I thought to myself...if only 6 months earlier. I, at one point,passionate man that I am stated fairly loudly when the religious right was speaking about safety of their children said "Isn't that fucking deja vu".

       The script and the construction was fantastic,jumping to Milk at a tape recorder,recording a thing in case he were to die.  When the inevitable happens to Milk,he ultimate says "You gotta leave em with hope".  

I thought of my friends Mark and Mark,married legally .  I thought of all those kids that come out,and those who commit suicide because it is thought of as wrong.  I thought of that gut wrenching moment when you think things are better,things are much better and you then realize you are living in a state that is going backwards in it's voting practices.

The credits rolled

and I wept

differences in Charleston

Baby Hugh is my new hero

well,we just got back from Charleston,South Carolina...Yeah,I love when people react to that.  They expect southern california,disneyland,something....but alas,not Charleston...home of my sister in laws and their new baby,Baby Hugh ,who read this blog,and actually got us a present inspired by the blog...

ok, now you get to take a quiz...

what did my sister in laws give us for christmas inspired by my blog

A)  A WANT YOU....A Bread Retrospective...four disks

B)  An Outback Gift Card

C)  The Heart of Rock and Roll, the Huey Lewis autobiography

D)  A new father.

the answer is B.

Well, in consideration of those of you who have never been to South Carolina,here are some differences.

NAMES...We stayed in a rental house,and it had a name..The Goat Patch...Does that sound like a three story, three bedroom,three bathroom,four tv mansion across the street from the ocean?  I mean,not only do things have names,but weird names...some you can't figure out...Puff's Little Dream, Editor's View, Stubby and Short,   other's are a little clearer,  Max's Tax Shelter, Dolphin's Run, Drug Money Hideaway... and others are just jokes...Juan in a million,  Grouper Therapy,  Life's a beach then you buy....

How do these names occur?  Do you buy and name?  Do you name and then buy?

and the other thing is that everybody has nicknames....My former brother in law is named James Dowell Gandy iii, and is nicknamed Tripp, My nephew James Dowell Gandy iv is nicknamed Dowell,my new nephew is named Houston Hill Hollinger and is called Hugh.  In my stays I have met Gator....I want to meet a girl nicknamed Manatee.

and names are different anyway...Of course we are the standard bearers for names here...I have taught Summer,Winter,Spring and Autumn in the same year.  I know of Zephyr(two), Rio,Diva, Justice,Alabama...

in charleston there are people named Remington and Hampton...

SMOKING....people smoke...well,you are in tobaccoville...but I swear to god....a couple of times I would come from a bar and have to say,"I smell like smoke"...

We're talking smoke signals,campfires, the towering inferno...

So,my mother in law,who tends to have opinions and theories about things, says "Well,you have to understand that this is tobacco country" and in my mind I thought "and that makes them impervious to cancer".

BARBECUE...Ok,hatfields and mccoys, Cal vs Stanford, The Smothers Brothers vs. CBS,nothing has topped the great barbecue rivalry...Let me tell ya that being a late boomer cal suburb kid

I was never esposed to real barbecue...that stuff with the charcoal and the sauce,and dad with the sauce brush on sundays...that is grilling.  Barbecue is a religion...actually,more defined but equally as devout amongst the followers.  I was first exposed to the actual art of barbecue when I had a play in Kansas city.  Walking into Gates BBQ with women shouting "HI can I help you?",a super variety of sauces and smells,and ribs,and burnt ends,and sandwiches and brisket...oh my!!!  But in KC everybody  aligns with different barbecue places,the most revered being Arthur Bryants. When Arthur Bryant died there was an editorial cartoon where he went to heaven, and a robed figure asked him..."did you bring sauce?"....

but barbecue is not sauce,it is smoking,and rubs,and(Oh my god ,it sounds like a college party).

But no matter how many people tell you barbecue is not sauce,the lines seem to be drawn in that way...and South Carolina barbecue is pork!!!!and mustard based sauce....  Now,my mother in law is a devout Kansas City Smokestack follower.  One time we wanted mustard based barbecue and she wouldn't eat it.  

but I have to tell ya,any barbecue that is in front of me is my friend, and mustard based is amazing...it is haunting,haunting did you hear me,haunting,and I can stop anytime I want...

but isn't it funny that people need that way to define who they are.  There was a record store that alphabetized everything by artists instead of by genre....then there was a sign that said "Music is Music"....A lot of people hated that store.

CIVIL WAR...

Sometimes ya want to say  "It's over"...but South Carolina is the cradle of the Civil War,where the first shots were fired,literally.  So never say The Civil War...it is the war of northern aggression,or the recent unpleasantness...  

but considering that our richest history in Fairfax happened when Van Morrison walked the streets,or when Irving Berlin played piano in a treehouse for tourists in the 20's,South Carolina,with it's pirate attacks (Blackbeard was 6'5 and put smoking stuff in his beard to scare people),places bearing literally the idea of of George Washington Sleeping There....pretty amazing...

BUT these things remain the same....We went to Charleston to celebrate the birth of a child...No,not little baby Jesus, but baby Hugh, my sister in laws' baby boy born on December 20th.  A labor of love and determination and science and nature and wonder and family,Baby Hugh is a wonder.  One thing that is the same is that Hugh is loved,by his two moms,his grandparents,his 16 year old brother,and the world.  Thornton Wilder once said that each baby born is natures attempt at achieving perfection, and Hugh is no exception,but no one expects him to be perfect.  We are a family that loves him,and his prescence on this planet..and hopefully that is the same as everywhere else.