memoir

 I was at a party tonight with Tyler Burba and many great stories were told. Like the  time with Kurt Cobain. 

Part 1. Star Service.

We're starting here, in a brazen attempt to get you to turn the pages of the book, hoping your prurient curiosity will be aroused by the star dust of the celeberities. This is actually cool thhough. Famous people are interesting for a good reason. They are usually very talented. They are mythic. If you meet them, they lend their mythos to you, as if through a handshake. Like the time the Elizondo shook my hand and said this moment here, now.

chapter 1

Roomservice 

Muhammed Ali. The greatest. And the greatest story. So I'll start with it. All the stories in this book are great, but this one is the greatest. And it is about the greatest. I should make this book like Gertrude Stein style, super repetitive. Anyway, Ali, yeah. He was giant. He proved his status as the greatest. He was the greatest roomservice guest of all time!

Kurt Cobain. I realized after I told it that it was a great story. It has something to say. It's sad. It's beatific. It's culturally relevant. It's funny. It is shining. It is a chapter. sucking the tit. baby doll. why were they there? 

REM. Fugazi. 

Lenny dykstra. dickstra. cookie Rojas. deep cut. 

Willie Mays, major of SF

Dylan, throwing a CD onstage. Bonnie prince billy. Johnathan Richman.

The Little Buddha chapter. featuring paragraphs on Brigid Fonda. broccoli. Jeremy Thomas stealing weed. Chris. Keanu Reeves. I missed him then, but saw him later. 

Bertolucci chapter. 

Anthony Edwards. "You can kiss her next time." Jason Priestly. Acid all night. He's little. Billy Jean King bad tipper. John Popper worst tipper. 

Elizabeth Hurley. Fembot. Back to the future guys, hear them through the door. Al Jarreau. 

Kurt Vonnegut. Johnny Depp. Deepak Chopra. curly mustache guy geraldo. 

Steven Wright. Oh Ben. 

Other celebrities of note. Timothy Leary. Derk battlestar galactica. 

chapter 2

transition from world famous to word famous. Makes sense to start with Bill Berkson. Celebrity relationships. But lets use Bill to cut over to poetry. Bill was the scion of a fashion Maven. The only person to have gone to both Woodstock and the Black and White Ball with Truman Capote. 

One of the greatest poetry of the 20th century Frank O'hara wrote some of his best love poems to Bill Berkson, who reciprocated, in spirit at least.

Bill Berkson was a man, but could also be a demi-god at times. But  he was never above you, always respectful, complimenting, encouraging, generous (this is Adam DeGraff, a great poet.) 

The world of Poetry is a different kind of immortality than the movie stars. You  have Allen Ginsburg, the connection to Jack Keroauc. Phil Whalen. duckie toes. Ann Waldman. hooked up with Dylan maybe. But also was the super secret sauce to Naropa, and brought a million great poets there, and also of the poetry project. I once saw Bill interview Anne, and asked her who she wanted to be and she said Gilda. Sexy superstar. Bill did tell me Anne didn't like sex. Bill had a topless photo of Anne in his apartment. When I admired it he said it was a flyer for one of her readings and showed me the back of it.  One of Anne and Bill's best friends was Ted Berrigan, and later Alice Notley. Ted and Alice were the mother of two of my best friends, two of the best living poets, Anselm Berrigan and Ed Berrigan. 

Here's how I got to know Anselm. 

Anselm introduced me to everyone, including my wife. He also introduced me to his brother, Eddy. Eddy said of me, I was painted blue when he first met me. 

Ed and I got invited to Las Vegas to read by our roommate Katheryn Lederer. We drove out. describe describe. Katy's famous brother and her famous sister. ]

Our friend Alex Cory, a person who is not famous, but deserves to be. I know many many great artists who are not quite world famous, but maybe you could say they are word famous. In other words, in the world of words, they are famous, in the poetry world, to varying degrees, but should be, Noel Black, Will Yackulic, Brice Hobbs, Marina Eckler, Johnny, Cedar Cigo, Pam Lu, Renee Gladman, Hoa Nguyn, s 

One year Anselm invited me to read at St. Marks poetry reading. My reading was terrible, but I got to read on the same stage as Patti Smith, Philip Glass, Steve Earle and Gordon Gano. 

conversation with Patti Smith.

That was awesome. I also read with Jeni Olin, a famous poet in the world of words, who, at the time was dating Larry Rivers, the great abstract painter from the 60s! Jeni was 50 years his Jiunior. But as Bill Berkson said, they are both happy and love each other, so I don't see why the age difference means anything. Jeni is awesome poet. another super star in my mind. 

Ron Padgett. Jim Jarmusch. 

Frank O'hara is dope. 

Let's name more. Okay, here's a couple other geniuses I know. Darin Destafano, or, as he goes Darin STevenson.

Kevin Killian. celebrity signatures. kevin's plays. his Amazon reviews. 

Juliana Spahr. 

Paul Rudd.

Yes, that Paul Rudd.

Here's the scoop on Paul. Good friends with his sister. Vike Studs. conversation about band. 

Keanu, brush. 

Tyler Burba. Crazy story. Tyler's stories with celebrity's, Tom Peters.  Tom Peters stories with celebrities. Ivan Suvanjieff. a celebrity. blood on the shirt. 

Anselm Hollo, Jane Hollo. 

Memoir chapter 2

Australia. 

chapter 3. Ecuador. 

chapter 4. Uganda

chapter 5. D Note

chapter 6. Europe. 

chapter 7. 

More celebrities. The Fray. Nate Nightsweats.A million bands, famous to me through their greatness. But relatively unknown outside of certain circles. The Clamdaddys. Lionel Young. 

Donny Most first celebrity.

Childhood, naw. 

Keanu Reeves. I missed him then, but saw him later. 

Flynndiggers. Jamie friends with Lana Del Rey. 

chapter 8. Quip. Celebrities in the world of international music. D Note. Ricardo Lemvo. So many. too many to count.

chapter 9. flyndigg. Dave Davies.

keep going with poets, saw Gwendolyn Brooks. 

Outside of concert Ken Kesey. 

Another semifamous beat poet was Joanne Kyger. I toldh her I named a fish after her. She said, nope. 

chapter 10. Prep. No one famous  at Prep. But famous people went to Prep. Sinatra. daughters rejection of LaGuardia for Sinatra.  Rejection of celebrity. 

Emily Dickinson letter at the Morgan with Tyler.

stories I tell the students.

Paul licked me.

Not true. 

A long book!

 chapter 1.5 Beach Boys, of course. 

for the kids at school. for my dad. for Genevieve. for Noel Black.

NYC celebrity run ins. walking past big love star. walking behind redhead. standing behind guy from how I met your mother. standing g