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Friday, March 24, 2017

The Writer's Life 3/24 - Judgments

Brooklyn-based Dana Schutz is under fire for her painting Open Coffin, a featured work at the Whitney Museum Biennial in Manhattan. It depicts in abstract the horribly mutilated face of lynching victim Emmett Till at his 1955 funeral. Schutz, born in 1976, is white, and a growing chorus of African-American artists believe “it is not acceptable for a white person to transmute Black suffering into profit and fun.” Some take particular offense that Schutz is the same race and gender as the woman whose unfounded “wolf whistle” accusation led to Till’s killing, arguing that her work perpetrates “the same kind of violence” he suffered. To its credit, the Whitney refuses to remove the painting, but it also won’t interfere with protesters who maintain a vigil in front of the painting, obstructing it from view. The anti-free-speech yahoos want it not just removed but destroyed. Schutz created the work in reaction to Black Lives Matter protests. She has no intention of ever selling it. Asked if the protests would change the way she paints, Schutz replied: “I’m sure it has to.” Here's a pic of the painting, which I found at the Washington Post website:



What do the following atrocities have in common? Columbine, Oklahoma City, the Brink’s cop-killing robbery, the Gabby Giffords shooting, and the 2005 London transport bombings - all the attackers owned a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook, a step-by-step manual for revolution by William Powell, published in 1971 when he was 19. In an article in today's NY Post, Kyle Smith cites a new documentary, American Anarchist by Charlie Siskel, on the author. At one point Powell says he feels “remorse” but not “regret,” whatever that means. A child of privilege, now dead, he spent his life teaching the disadvantaged. If God exists, wouldn't it have been interesting to have been a fly on the wall when Powell received his judgment?

No luck selling books on the street today.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Thursday, March 23, 2017

The Writer's Life 3/23 - My Bad

Donald Winkler, 83, was upset with the quality of care at Long Island's Nassau University Medical Center, so he checked himself out in the middle of the night. In the parking lot he spotted an ambulance that had its keys in the ignition, and stole it. He was found at a nearby 7-11, and admitted to the theft. He was arrested and taken back to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation. In a bedside arraignment, bail was set at $3,000. (From Yahoo's Odd News, reworded by yours truly.)

A Pennsylvania man mistakenly sent a text message to a Pennsylvania prosecutor, offering to trade marijuana for heroin. Later, he forwarded a photo of a plastic bag containing a green substance on a scale. John Raimondo, 29, was busted at the swap site outside a shopping center northwest of Philadelphia. He failed to appear for a hearing and is being sought by authorities. (Yahoo, reworded.)

A married Texas high school teacher arrested for an alleged sexual relationship with a student is beaming in her mugshot - because she's innocent, says her lawyer. Sarah Fowlkes, 27, taught - drumroll, please - anatomy and physiology! She once wrote on the school's web page: "I have very high expectations of myself as a teacher as well as of my students." In a photo on her Facebook page, she's dressed as a Playboy bunny. She is currently suspended. (Yahoo, reworded). Offers from porn producers must be flooding her mailbox and social media accounts. Maybe her big smile is attributable to the windfall the publicity will eventually bring - if she avoids jail time. At least she fulfilled the expectations of one lucky student. I don't think this is what Hall & Oates had in mind when they sang Sara Smile.



Parrots are flying high in India - on heroin. The birds quietly invade fields and peck at poppy plants, much to the dismay of the farmers who never see them coming. (From the Weird But True column in the NY Post, in my own words.)

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today, especially the elderly woman who bought eight in Russian. The highlight of the session came when a young Russian woman asked me to recommend easy books to help her improve her English. "Do you like romance?" I said. "Yes," she replied. I handed her copies of Prime Time by Joan Collins and Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts. She was concerned they might be "literary." I assured her they aren't. As I was closing shop, a lanky gentleman who prefers classics showed, and I quickly rooted for a book I thought he'd like - The Birth of Tragedy and The Case of Wagner by Friedrich Nietzsche. He bought it. Damn, it was cold out there. I spent most of the first hour in the shade, and I never quite recovered, even though the afternoon got more and more beautiful.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

The Writer's Life 3/22 - Bones

Published in 2002, Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones became a worldwide sensation, eventually translated in 50 languages. I usually avoid works that feature cruelty to children. Sebold solves this problem within a page. The story is told from the point of view of a 14-year-old girl, raped and murdered, from a preliminary heaven not tied to any religion. This allows the reader the option of immediately putting the book aside. I was quickly hooked. The novel is powerful and heartbreaking. The world loses one of its treasures - an average kid, and the effect on the surviving four family members is profound and explored in depth. It is not another mystery focused on a serial killer, although the maniac, viewed objectively, appears throughout the narrative. It may open the tear ducts of all except the most tightly-wrapped emotionally. It did mine. Susie Salmon is a literary character that is likely to endure. 4600+ users at Amazon have rated TLB, forging to a consensus of 4.2 of five. I'd guess the naysayers object to the premise, which requires suspension of belief and, perhaps, to the fact that Susie is fine despite the horrific earthly fate she suffered. I was disappointed only once, by a brief supernatural turn, which I'd bet most admirers of the book loved. To that point it is completely grounded, despite the premise. I didn't like having to suspend belief a second time. I'm embarrassed to say I do not quite grasp the significance of the title, which comes in this passage: "These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections—sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent—that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events my death brought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous body had been my life." After finishing the book, I researched the author. Sebold was raped in 1981 while a student at Syracuse University, from which she graduated in 1984. The fact that she was able to return there says a lot about her character. Her first book, Lucky, is a memoir of the event. She has had only one other book published, the novel Almost Moon in 2007. 15 years after its publication, The Lovely Bones is still selling well. It is a mystery why it hasn't been snatched up at the floating book shop, where I've had a hardcover copy for months, and which would run the buyer all of two bucks. I read a large paperback version donated by Ruth, an elderly woman I've helped a couple of times. My thanks, madam. The novel was adapted to the screen in 2009. Although it was directed by the talented Peter Jackson and features a stellar cast, it received only mixed reviews and failed at the box office.

With a cold wind battering my usual nook, I took the book shop to an alternate location where only an occasional gust blew through. It was the right move, even though the returns were minuscule. My thanks to the gentleman who bought Danielle Steel's Heartbeat, and to the woman who bought a Barnes and Noble book on volunteering.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Tuesday, March 21, 2017

The Writer's Life 3/21 - Winners & Losers

It's been said so often: "Careful what you wish for - you just may get it." Most people dream of scoring a large sum of money. Here are five winners whose luck ran out, gleaned from listverse.com, heavily edited by yours truly: Abraham Shakespeare took a lump sum lottery payment of $17 million. He'd always been kindhearted and helped those in need. Whenever a person approached him on the street with a hard-luck story, he felt compelled to help. Dorice Moore offered to manage his money and opened a bank account for him. She spent a million on expensive cars and lavish vacations. It wasn't enough. She shot the poor soul twice in the chest and buried his body in a field. She told his friends and family he'd left town to escape those who kept asking for money. Moore sent Shakespeare’s son gifts, and messages from his cellphone. She staged sightings of him and even hired someone to pose as Shakespeare to call his mom. The family was not fooled. Police found his body and immediately suspected Moore. She was eventually sentenced to life without parole... Urooj Khan was delighted with his $425,000 lump sum. He planned to put the money toward his business and also wanted to make a donation to a children’s hospital. After a meal, he was not feeling well and went to bed. He awoke in agony, was rushed to the hospital, and died the next day. At first it was determined Khan succumbed to natural causes, a type of cardiovascular disease. His brother was suspicious and asked the medical examiner to re-investigate. A lethal amount of cyanide was found in his system. The case remains open... Andrew Whittaker received $113.4 million and immediately began making charitable contributions. He soon began facing lawsuits from the disgruntled and spent more than $3 million on legal fees. He was especially fond of his sole grandchild, Brandi, whom he'd helped raise. He gave the 15-year-old whatever she wanted, including large sums of cash, which attracted drug dealers. Soon she was hooked and eventually went missing. Her body was discovered wrapped in a plastic tarp. Whittaker and his wife divorced after 42 years of marriage... Jeffrey Dampier and his wife won $20 million and soon divorced, each taking a half share. Jeffrey dated Crystal Jackson and moved to Florida, bringing her two sisters along. He supported the three completely. One sister and her boyfriend kidnapped him, forcing him into a van, where he was shot to death. The murderers are serving life sentences... In 2005 Renne Senna’s life changed when he hit a $16.8 million jackpot. A double amputee, his wife had left him, taking his children. He dated Adriana Almeida, 25 years his junior, and soon married. She became the administrator of his estate. She convinced him to remove his eleven siblings from his will. He wrote a new one that left half his money to her. She took $580,000 from their joint account and placed it into her own. Senna was furious when she bought a penthouse. He confronted her about a suspected affair and threatened to remove her from his will. Days later he was at his favorite bar when two armed men on motorcycles rode up and ordered him to hand over his money. They shot him four times in the head. Police discovered that Almeida was behind the murder, and she was arrested, found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison. (This is only half the list. Visit the site for more sad stories.)

Here's something from Yahoo's Odd News that says a lot: A 74-year-old man living in public housing for the elderly faces drug-trafficking charges after cocaine valued at about $150,000, and roughly 450 grams of marijuana - more than a pound, was found in his unit.

My thanks to the two ladies who bought three books in Russian between them, and to my Tuesday benefactress, who re-emerged after a month's absence with a cache that included two beautiful pictorials and a mix of fiction and non.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc



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Monday, March 20, 2017

The Writer's Life 3/20 - Larger Than Life

RIP legendary columnist and NYC character Jimmy Breslin, 88. A Queen's boy who grew up in humble circumstances, he worked for many newspapers during his long career and was considered the voice of the working class. He won a Pulitzer Prize while at the NY Daily News. His page at Wiki lists 21 books under his name, several of which are fiction, the most famous being The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, which was adapted to the screen in 1971. He was blunt and it often led him into controversy. He wrote extensively on the Son of Sam and was accused of egging on the serial killer. He tried his hand at acting, amassing six credits, and was a frequent presence on talk shows. He even had a late-night show of his own: Jimmy Breslin's People, which lasted just 13 weeks in 1986. He was constantly perturbed that ABC allowed stations to air it at any hour, and finally placed a front-page ad in the NY Times: "ABC TELEVISION NETWORK: Your services, such as they are, will no longer be required as of 12-20-86 - Jimmy Breslin." In effect, he canceled his own program. He co-hosted Saturday Night Live, Season 11, Episode 17, 5/17/86, with Marvin Hagler, musical guests Level 42 and E.J. Daily. Here are quotes attributed to him: "The number one rule of thieves is that nothing is too small to steal." "Football is a game designed to keep coal miners off the streets." "Rage is the only quality which has kept me, or anybody I have ever studied, writing columns for newspapers." "Media, the plural of mediocrity." "I don't know any other columnists, and I don't know what they do. I work the single! And nobody does what I do, anyway." Well done, sir. (From various sources) Here is Breslin at his favorite perch:



For the first time in eight days, the floating book shop returned to its regular perch. I had to scrape ice from the ledge of the garden that surrounds the apartment building in order to properly display my wares. That spot gets no sun this time of year. My thanks to the young man who purchased a large dictionary and to the elderly gentleman who kissed a volume of Chekhov before buying it. It was fun to greet and chat with folks I hadn't seen in a while. Mountain Man stopped by for a half-hour discussion. He will never see the glass as anything but entirely empty - no matter who's in office. I had donations from two sources. One of the porters of the building across the street brought over a bunch of paperbacks his wife said she had for me, and a gentleman working in building two of Atlantic Towers hauled a load of hardcovers across Avenue Z by handcart. All were very old, only half of them marketable. The person who discarded them must have been a medical student. The trouble with such tomes is that the advances of the past 30-60 years are absent. There were only two novels among the lot, The Seven Minutes by Irving Wallace, considered risque when published in 1969, and Evergreen by Belva Plain.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

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Sunday, March 19, 2017

The Writer's Life 3/19 - Chuck & Company

RIP rock n roll legend Chuck Berry, 90, who performed all over the world, including the White House. His distinctive style influenced countless guitarists. I'll focus on his lyrics, which were so much fun. From Johnny B. Goode: "...Who never ever learned to read or write so well/ But he could play a guitar just like a ringing a bell..." From Maybelline: "...As I was motivatin' over the hill/ I saw Maybelline in a Coup de Ville..." From No Particular Place to Go: "... I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile/ My curiosity runnin' wild..." From Roll Over Beethoven: "...and my soul keeps on singin' the blues/ Roll over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news..." From School Day: "...Back in the classroom open your books/ Gee but the teacher don't know how mean she looks..." From Rock n Roll Music: "...I took my loved one over cross the tracks/ So she can hear my man a wailin' sax..." Thank you, sir.

Last night NET, channel 30 on Cablevision in NYC, ran a Harold Lloyd talkie, the screwball comedy The Milky Way (1936), the story of a milquetoast who becomes a boxer. Lloyd may be unfamiliar to younger folks, but almost every film fan knows the iconic shot of him dangling from the clock-face of a skyscraper in Safety Last (1923). The great Adolphe Menjou plays Lloyd's beleaguered manager in TMW. I was taken by the performance of two supporting players, Lionel Stander, hilarious as a dim-witted crony, and Verree Teasdale as Menjou's long-suffering (15 years), wise-cracking mistress. I was familiar with Stander, but Teasdale was a complete mystery. She delivered the character's acerbic wit brilliantly. She was actually Menjou's wife from 1935 until he passed away in 1963. She has only 29 credits listed under her name at IMDb, the last in 1941. Maybe she was busy raising her child. She did a popular 1950's radio show with her husband. Meet the Menjous focused on various subjects. There is a CD of 20 of the shows available. Topics include: Michaelangelo And Great Artists, Traffic Problems, What Makes a Successful Party, People Who Live In Glass Houses and Writing Poetry. Here's a pic of the couple:
 
And here's one of the aforementioned photograph:



Business was slow at the floating book shop, despite the gorgeous day. My thanks to Bill Brown, author of Words and Guitar: A History of Lou Reed's Music, who purchased Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs, which was on the NY Times Best Sellers List for two years.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Saturday, March 18, 2017

The Writer's Life 3/18 - Complete Unknown

Ever wish you were someone else? The main character of Complete Unknown (2016) takes it to a startling degree, changing identity nine times over a period of 16 years. I watched it last night courtesy of Netflix. It's a role perfect for an actress as gifted as Rachel Weisz, who is not reluctant to work in low budget productions such as this. The woman's latest incarnation has her working as a biologist studying frogs. Obviously someone of a genius IQ, she has been a surgeon as well as a magician's assistant, and traveled to exotic locations. Alas, even someone who lives such a life must get lonely, which leads her to wangle her way into the birthday party of her college lover, who is now married. He recognizes her immediately. Eventually, they separate from the pack and hit the streets of Manhattan, revealing a lot about themselves. The pace is slow. Fortunately, the running time is only 91 minutes. The storyline is grounded. It doesn't take a Hollywood turn into violence. Its most surprising aspect is the complete lack of sex, although it is obvious the two had something strong in the past. Michael Shannon does his usual fine work as the ex. The film is for those who want something different. It's the type that would probably appeal most to actors and writers, although emotions are largely repressed. 2900+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 5.4 of ten, which I think is too low. I'm not saying this is a good movie, but it is an interesting one. Joshua Marston directed, his first stint at the helm of a full length big screen feature since 2004's Maria Full of Grace, the compelling tale of a drug mule. He did 15 TV shows in between. He co-wrote the screenplay with Julian Sheppard, whose career has just begun. I give them credit for daring to do something different and low key. If it's a failure, it's good one. Kathy Bates and Danny Glover appear briefly as a married couple, lending much needed pizazz to the proceedings. I was unfamiliar with the rest of the cast. As far as the title goes, I immediately thought of Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone, although the track is not used. Perhaps it refers to the inner self all human beings have and rarely share.

My thanks to the middle aged woman who purchased Iris Jonhanssen's Firestorm, the only sale of a day when the threat of precipitation was constant.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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