May 2012
34 posts
May 31st, 2012 (Homophobe)
Spider’s mom was once visiting us here inTucson, and it was a beautiful day and we took her to a park along with littleCheyenne, and we were sitting on the lawn, and she was talking about her children and how she loved them all equally and then she said – “I love all of my children the same. It doesn’t matter if they are alcoholic, or a drug addict, or mentally retarded or gay. I love them all.”...
May 30th, 2012 (Terry)
We first met Terry in 1982, thirty years ago. Red Wedding often performed down in San Diego and sometimes we would crash over night on the floor in Annette’s apartment. Annette was an artist type and everyone seemed to be attracted to her in some way, but I found myself more attracted to her friend who lived in the same building, and that friend was Terry. Terry and I hit it off right away. She...
May 29th, 2012 (Children)
When I was 14 years old, I was on a camping trip with my family at King’s Canyon, and one late afternoon I was walking down a trail with my brother and a bat landed on me. It happened so quick that I didn’t have time to realize what it was. All I knew was that I had this furry thing flapping on my chest. I pulled off my t-shirt and ran down the trail, but later returned with a stick to poke at the...
May 26, 2012 (Lyrics)
MARSHA IN PICTURES
Lyrics by Michael Ely 1981
***************
Marsha in pictures
Marsha was a statue in the manger
Prior to the war
If only she could paint herself
Back to the lost generation
Sipping gold with her pets
Marsha in pictures
Marsha was a glass doll in hats
Prior to the pills
If only she could find herself
Back on drums with clowns on trains
Laughing like yellow spring
A pair of...
May 22nd, 2012 (Jobs)
Occasionally I look back at some of my previous blogs, and I worry that I’ve been too honest, that I’ve said too much, that I’ve painted myself in a negative and / or foolish light, but my goal has been to be as open and honest about who I am with myself and with those who are kind enough to read my writing. It’s not always easy being totally honest. Sometimes it would be easier to paint a...
May 20th, 2012 (Wonderland)
I hate when people say that being gay is a choice. Who really believes that anymore except a handful of homophobic politicians and religious leaders? To say that it is a choice is to imply that we are all born bisexual and attracted to both sexes.
I believe that anyone who is against marriage equality for gay people (for any reason) is homophobic. I watch all these people on Fox news saying...
May 18th, 2012 (Parades)
Louie stopped by last evening and Spider made his turquoise margaritas and we sat around and listened to Linda Ronstadt (a song or two from each of her many wonderful phases).
Aunt Cindy gave Frappy a new doggie toy, a pull toy that looks like a tiki head. Frappy is such a sweet dog. Don’t get me wrong, he can be fierce if he perceives you as an intruder, but when he’s just with us and around our...
May 14th, 2012 (Out)
On Saturday evening, in celebration of the twelve years we’ve been friends, Cindy took Spider and I out to dinner. We went to the Tasteful Kitchen, a vegetarian / vegan restaurant onStone Avenue(there is no sign in front and you enter from the back). Owned and run by a pair of sisters, the Tasteful Kitchen is one of my favorite new places to eat with a great atmosphere (very small and cozy and...
May 12th, 2012 (Brother)
I once told my brother that I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to Spider and he said – “If something happened and you were left alone, you could come live with me and Irina and help take care of the house.” I thought that was a really cool thing for my brother to say to me, and I know that he was being 100% sincere when he said it. It was my brother who reunited me with my...
May 11th, 2012 (Cindy)
I still get down on myself when it comes to my blogs. You’d think I’d be gaining confidence, but I’m not. I just feel so handicapped by my dyslexia and my lack of vocabulary and bad grammar. Thank god for Spider who proof reads everything I write and makes suggestions, and thank god for the support of friends. Cindy wrote to me – “I think your writing is very reflective and I love the way you...
May 10th, 2012 (Europe)
Yesterday, President Obama came out in support of gay marriage. It’s about time! Otherwise, he was going to be just one more politician who will be remembered for being on the wrong side of history. In the meantime, the good people of North Carolina voted to ban gay marriage as well as civil unions. Thus far, nearly two dozen states have voted to ban gay marriage, whereas not a single state has...
May 8th, 2012 (Record)
Michael,
Hey. Just got off the phone from having a LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG conversation with Doug Moody. He says that he still retains all rights to your record and does not want another label reissuing it. He was very nice about it. He says that he “treasures you guys as part of the history of Mystic Records.” He also said that he is getting ready to reissue a limited amount of your...
May 7th, 2012 (Vegetables)
One evening we went with friends out to eat at a Greek restaurant. As vegetarians, Spider and I ordered pasta dishes, while everyone else ordered meat and seafood dishes. One of our friends ordered lamb and there on her plate was a chunk of lamb, a big chunk of meat on a white bone, and you could see the tendons on the bone, and there were white ventricle-like tubes hanging out of the side, and it...
May 6th, 2012 (Book)
I noticed this week that there are three Red Wedding record albums up for auction by three different sellers on Ebay. Two of the sellers describe both our first and second albums as darkwave. That’s a pretty cool description, however that was not a description that existed at the time of Red Wedding. At the time of Red Wedding, we were usually described simply as post-punk, sometimes as art rock....
May 2nd, 2012 (Home)
There are some days (once in a while), when Spider is away at work that I start to feel myself getting into a deep funk. I start to feel really depressed and down on myself. I feel like everything I try to do in life fucks up, and I feel like I’m worthless, and no matter what I do, all day long I have that crying sad feeling. Then, right around 7:45 p.m., Frappy gets out of his favorite chair and...
May 1st, 2012 (Reunion)
In 1974, when I was 21, I came out to my parents telling them that Spider was more than my roommate. After all, Spider and I were living as an openly gay couple with everyone else, it was time. It didn’t go well. My mother said – “I would suggest you stop spending your money on Barbra Streisand records and use it to see a doctor because you are very sick.” She also said – “Homosexuals are destined...
