Creative Genius

 Well, ladies and gentleman....what can even be said? I remember, back in the Fall of 1977 (give or take a month), there was this movie playing at the Nuart. If you're from Los Angeles, you know that the Nuart, which sits right off the San Diego Freeway in West L.A., is the city's premier art-house theater. It was famous in the 70s for hosting Saturday night screenings of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", in which dedicated fans of that flick would show up and recite dialogue back at the screen, as the action was happening, or they'd toss glitter around. "Rocky Horror" and the Nuart became synonymous around this time, but in September or October 1977, word got around about another movie that was "in residency" at the theater, some crazy thing called "Eraserhead". It was supposed to be really weird.

Back then, David M. (or "Grimsley", as he later became known) was often at the forefront of new artistic discoveries. For instance, he found out about The Runaways before anyone else in our group of friends. And he heard about this movie, the name of which alone seemed reason enough to see it. I mean....why would anyone call their movie "Eraserhead", right? You wondered that when you were seventeen years old, especially in 1977, when the world was still basically the normal world.

At the time, I was just getting into art house flicks. I don't know if I'd seen "The Last Wave" yet, but Peter Weir was the first major discovery for me. Anyway: so we went to see this film, it was photographed in stark, richly textured black and white (you'd never seen a "look" quite like it), and I'll never forget the opening shot, of Henry's head, shown sideways, with his electrified hair and a worried look on his face. There's a foreboding planet in the background; it's like Henry's mind is in outer space, and all of this is accompanied by white noise that builds into a whooshing sound, like an interplanetary wind. The soundtrack sort of continues that way for the whole movie, but right from the get-go, you knew you were watching something very different, and it just kept getting weirder.

I remember we noticed David Lee Roth in the audience before the movie started, except to us, he was "that guy from Van Halen" because the band wasn't world famous yet. But the thing was, "Eraserhead" must've been too weird for DLR, because he got up and walked out about halfway through.  I was engrossed, and by the time the scene with "Bill" came up, where he stares at Henry at the dinner table, after asking him "what do you know?" and Henry says, "Oh...not much of anything", I knew I was watching genius.

That was David Lynch, who died yesterday. He became my favorite filmaker and artist-in-general and has remained so up to the present moment. He is one of those people who feels like family, like EVH, and to me, David Lynch and Walt Disney are the two greatest American creative geniuses of the last century.

I was fortunate to meet him twice. The first time was at a small art gallery on the Westside. They were showing some of Lynch's drawings. This was in 1995, when I was working on my Northridge Meadows documentary. The late (sometimes great) Dave Small was with me. He was producing the doc (paying for it), and lo and behold, David Lynch just so happened to be at the gallery that afternoon, interacting with the visitors. Me & Mr. D went up and told him we were making a film, and what it was about ("that building from the Northridge Earthquake") and we asked for his advice. "Call PBS", he told us. That's a perfect anecdote for today, January 17th, because it's the 31st anniversary of the quake.

The second time I met him (just to shake his hand and say hello, fanboy-style) was at the pre-release premier of "Inland Empire" in 2006 at the Hammer Museum. And, I've seen Chrystabell four times in concert. Lynch was at two of those shows, to introduce her. You also know her for her role in the 2017 "Twin Peaks" re-boot. The last project David Lynch released was a musical collaboration with Chrystabell called "Cellophane Memories"....

Last year, when he revealed he had emphysema and couldn't leave his house, he said he might still try to "direct remotely". Knowing him, he might've meant it in the spiritual sense, too. I'll bet he can "direct remotely" from Heaven (cue Julee Cruise)....

It's hard to believe so many of my heroes are no longer here: Neil Peart, Edward Van Halen, Pete Rose, David Lynch. Good thing I don't believe in death and try to stay connected to The Other Side.

Well anyway.

Are you guys dreading Trump's inauguration? You shouldn't. If I can do a 180 on him, anybody can. Watching clips from the confirmation hearing for Pam Bondi and Pete Hegseth, I'm realising who the clowns were all along, loudmouths like Adam Schiff, who I used to think was great. What a total jerk he is, and unfortunately he's emblematic of the politicians we have here in California. I'm sure you've seen the clips of the truly evil Gavin Newsom, grinning and sashaying as he talks about the fires. He's a straight-up nutjob; no wonder his nickname is "American Psycho". Then there's the inept Karen Bass, who was in Africa when L.A. went up in flames. Both she and Newsom should resign immediately, and I most humbly ask my Democratic friends to please not support politicians like these any more. Wokesters like Newsom, Bass and the legendarily horrific Kamala must be kept out of office permanently (God forbid Newsom gets recalled and she becomes our next Governor....yikes!). Me? I will never vote Democratic again, but if you must do so, vote for someone who isn't an extremist, and who is competent...and intelligent. Someone like Jerry Brown, or Mayor Riordan (now he was a great Mayor who greatly helped us in the aftermath of the quake). And that's enough politics for today.

Thanks for reading and God Bless. Tons of Love as always.       

Just Checking In (January 11, 2025)

Hey guys, I just wanted to check in, say hi and see how everyone is doing. I hope none of you had to evacuate, or if you did, that you are back in your homes and safe from the fires. We're all in shock; I think this is the worst thing that's happened to the Los Angeles area since the Northridge Earthquake. Seeing the damage is profoundly sad (goes without saying) and yet it's hard to stop watching the news. I haven't been to Pacific Palisades many times in my life, but I did go as a kid, to visit my "uncle" Rod Serling and once to tour the iconic Eames House. I hope both are safe and have not been burned. The main thing I remember about the town was how green it was, with trees and vegetation everywhere. It was like this Tropical Town at the end of Sunset Boulevard, down near the beach, past Hollywood and all the glamour. Last night, you could see the fire cresting the top of the Santa Monica mountains, just east of Reseda Boulevard. There was this big orange glow that looked like part of a Hieronymus Bosch painting, and you could actually see the flames. We get a lot of fires in California, but many of them are in wilderness areas. The last major structure fire I recall in this area was the Sayre fire in Sylmar in 2008. That was horrible, but this is far worse. As everyone is posting: "Pray for Los Angeles" and may God Bless the victims... 

I don't have much to report, no movies either, but I've been watching a riveting Youtube series called "Vietnam Voices", created by a reporter from the Billings Gazette newspaper in Montana. I've been interested in the Vietnam War since childhood. It dominated the news at that time, and I've had "the military" in my dna from my dad.

I used to be 100% anti-military in my youth (when I was nineteen or twenty), but that is no longer the case, and knowing my life history now (which I never knew before), you could say I am 100% pro-military, for the protection and defense of our country. It's a long story but you get the gist, and if you know me you get more than that.

But I've been interested in Vietnam since about 4th grade (1968/69), right after Flower Power ended and the Chicago Riots began. Clean, peaceful hippies turned into (or were replaced by) bearded, scraggly, violent "protesters" (one Vietnam vet said "they weren't protesting against the war, but because 'I don't want to go'"). Me? I am now almost 65. I was fortunate to be born after WW2 and Korea and was too young for Vietnam (and way too old for Iraq qnd Afghanistan), but I revere the guys who served in those wars, because bad guys must be stopped, and yes, there was a good reason for Vietnam because the Communist regime and Ho Chi Mihn were decidedly bad. But the politics of the time prevented our soldiers from winning that war; almost all wars are started by elites and politicians with economic interests to protect (see "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath), but I am on the side of the soldiers, every time.

I highly recommend the "Vietnam Voices" series. Watch one interview and you'll want to watch them all. In some of them, the veterans are asked if they've seen any of the movies made about the Vietnam War, and if so, which did they find the most accurate, realistic and representative of their experience. Almost to a man, they named "We Were Soldiers" as the best of the bunch. Second was "Hamburger Hill." Of course, many of us loved "Apocalypse Now", "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket", but according to the guys who were there (commenting in the interviews and in other clips on Youtube) these films are not accurate representations of the Vietnam experience. Anyway, check out the series if you are interested. One more film I'd recommend is the little-known "84 Charlie MoPic".

I'm currently listening to "The Last Will and Testament" by Opeth; "I Want Blood" by Jerry Cantrell; and "Rosemary Hill" by Sixpence None the Richer. Each is great from start to finish...

...and of course - as always - I am working on my latest book and The Overall Project. I will have the book published no later than July 4 (did I already tell you that?) (and it might be much earlier), but the book after that - folks, the book after that is gonna be such a whopper. Hint: it's not about 1989, but it's in the same vein, and I just bought the box set of all eight "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies to help me prepare. I know those movies were a Big Deal for the bad guys.... 

Happy New Year

Howdy Folks, and Happy New Year. Sorry I haven't written. I can't guarantee that "I'm back", or that I'll be blogging even as much as I did last year (which was very little compared to years past), but I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm still here, still alive, hanging in there, etc....and I trust you are, too. I hope you had a nice holiday season. I very much enjoyed seeing the Christmas lights on my nightly walks. I sure do miss Christmastime with Pearl, and before that, with my parents, but I can feel them in my heart and know they are with me always. New Year's Day was always a big one for me and Pearl. She loved the Rose Parade (so do I) and because KTLA re-ran it all day long, I'd just leave the TV on that station and let it play...

I'm finalizing my second book, which I hope to have out by my birthday (or July at the latest). As with "Pearl the Wonder Girl", it will also feature me and Pearl, but this time it's the story of my years as her caregiver. I can't give you the title just yet, but you'll know it in a few months.

I went to a concert a couple weeks ago : Sixpence None the Richer at The Troubadour on December 15. Do you guys like them? I became a fan pretty much from the get-go, way back around the turn of the milliennium when "Kiss Me" was constantly on the radio. They also had a huge hit with "There She Goes." I love Leigh Nash's voice, and the clean sound of the guitar melodies. But they are more than those two hit singles. They have a ton of longer, deeper songs on their first three albums. They were billed as an alternative Christian band, which is a label just like any other label (King's X was called a Christian hard rock band), and I don't know if that had a detrimental effect on their career, or what happened, but the thing was...they should've been huge. Maybe it was because they arrived at the end of the '90s rather than at the beginning or midway through, when '90s music was on the way out and Rap & Electronic "music" was on the way in (and hasn't left and seems like it won't ever go away).

They broke up in 2004, and though they've made music intermittently since then, they never toured and it felt like "what should've been" for Sixpence never reached fruition. But now they're back, with a great new EP called "Rosemary Hill" (you'll know why I love that title), and if the Troubadour show was any indication, they've got a second chance ahead of them if they stay together. They may not ever play The Forum, but they've got a rabid cult of fans who hollered and applauded after every song like you'd see at a heavy metal concert. I was right in the middle, about 12 feet from Leigh Nash. It was like getting to see Linda Ronstadt or (name any great singer you can think of)...

Anyway, I love The Troubadour. It's like The Whisky - you just walk in and there's the stage. I took the bus there again, like I did for David Gilmour at the Hollywood Bowl in October. No subway this time. Four buses from my apt. to The Troub. Not as complicated (or as bad) as it sounds. Smooth connections, minimal waiting. I didn't take my car because it's got some issues (overheating, gotta get it repaired so I can go to Disneyland).

I ask you: is there anything more important than Disneyland? The answer is no. Thanks for playing.

My life remains off-the-charts. If I (or you) thought it was weird the last time I wrote you, well...

It's long since left the Solar System. Thank goodness the (potential) emergency situation I referred to in my last blog has been eliminated. It was like a prayer being answered. Thank You, Lord.

I wanna get back to hiking this year. Would you believe I haven't been out on the trail since June? Yep, and that's no good. I do have a new, six-mile mega walk (featuring many Important Landmarks!) that I've been going on every night since late November, so I'm definitely getting my exercise, but man I miss my parks. Such is life when you decide you want to write books...because it's not just writing...you also have to do research (which takes a lot of time), then you have to compile and organise everything, and edit...and when you're in the process of learning everything you never knew about your life...it's hard to "do all the other stuff you used to do" before you decided to write books.

I miss singing, too. I'd love to sing in choir again. Maybe somehow I can make that happen. I love all my friends at the church.

I miss taking pictures....("But Ad, it was your decision to write books") ("Yeah, but I didn't know it would be so time-consuming") ("Yeah, but look at all the stories you have in the works") ("That's true") ("Okay stop talking to yourself") ("Okay")

I can't even believe I didn't go to Disneyland last year. There ought to be a penalty for that. I should castigate myself in some way...

Maybe if I go twice this year (or four times) I can let myself off the hook.

Are there any fellow Disneylanders out there who'd like to go with me?

Well anyhow, Happy New Year and I'll try to write more often. But even when I don't, please know that you're always on my mind.