Van Rat

I am back from a very successful trip to Santa Barbara. Pretty beat, everything hurts. I sold well, in many different areas, but the booth basically continued the Texas, southwest theme because I still had a lot of that material in the van.

We had a lot of rain in the days before I left. My roof at my store is pretty patched together and I worry about its integrity, especially near the skylights.

I bit the bullet and hired a crew to go back up and patch and seal before the big rain. Spent some money. Glad I did.

Let's see, what do I remember?  

A two day pack in, lights and paper up the first day, all the material brought into the booth. 

Laid it out in my brain and got a wall or two set up.

The show opened Friday, quite brisk sales, will definitely miss some of my prized material. 

I brought this double sided Dean Cornwell illustration, didn't sell it but I like it a lot.

Another big booth.

Anyway the booth looked something like this.

I bought from two estates when I was up there, purchased these great Albert Paley Millennium candlesticks from 1998 and this Tiffany bronze harp lamp base.

Now I just have to find a shade.

Had one really nice dinner with Alyssa and James and friends of theirs at Lure.

Basically ate at my old haunts. Garrets for breakfast, Presto Pasta, Chucks, Esaus...

Sold well but turned down a lot of offers that were almost, we will ultimately see if that was wise or not.

My van ran well but it smelled a little mousey the whole time.

I had the feeling that something was living in it.

One morning I opened my door and there was a ball of lint on the door sill. 

I picked it up and it turned out to be two baby mice.

I deposited them in a shrub but have to wonder where mom is and what is still inhabiting my van?

Rather than coming home exhausted Sunday night I stayed over. Had a brutal interaction with a hotel clerk.

I helped a client hang a painting Monday and saw my friend Carol and picked up some beautiful Mucha prints. Drove home yesterday, leg and foot on fire. I unloaded 90% of the van today, will continue Thursday and try to have a mellow day tomorrow and rest a bit if I remember how?

Good to be home.

*

Two of my favorite musical artists have passed, Jimmy Cliff and Donna Jean Godchaux. Jimmy Cliff was a wonderful performer and a lyricist on a very exalted perch, on the level of Prine, Dylan and Hunter.

 I got to meet Jimmy once and will tell you a little story about the encounter.

I had a childhood friend who was a film and movie carpenter from New York, Greg Criscuola. Greg had a friend who was a major television lead, Debra somebody or other and he flew out to Los Angeles and invited me to a filming. 

He was staying at the Sunset Marquis. This is back in 1978.

We were in the hot tub at the Marquis smoking a joint when these two rasta guys showed up and jumped in. We had a puff with them and they were in Cliff's band.  They liked psychedelics and we may have shared some with them.

They invited us to a show at the Roxy that night. It was an amazing performance, Reebop from Traffic was the percussionist. we were invited to a party after the show in their room.

We walk down there and there is a cop at the door. "Shit," we thought. "They are getting busted." We walk up to the cop and he says, "Get in their sons, they are smoking some gnarly reefer."

We walked in to the coolest party. I thought I was a stoner, these jamaicans were smoking foot long corn husk spliffs and left me in the dust like a baby. Smoked me under the table. White dudes in hawaiian shirts were singing scat and doing free verse while other people were jamming in their respective corners with guitars.

Greg ends up playing guitar with Jimmy Cliff. It was just the most righteous, fun, incredible party, will never forget it as long as I live. Neither will Greg, I am sure.

*

Donna and Phil at the Cow Palace, my first show
after moving back to California in 74.

Donna Jean was the dead's female vocalist. She and her husband Keith were the only two members of the band I actually never talked to. But I loved them both, think she added something very special to the gestalt. Yes, she screamed a bit and was out of tune frequently but not Yoko awful and the good far outweighed the bad. 

Her time with the band was the best they ever played in my opinion and piano playing husband was an incredible and very natural musician. 

Far better than what came next, which was often unlistenable to me. 

I think it was nice to have a female voice in the mix and she was a major component of some of the greatest shows I ever saw in my life, 1976 through 78.

So thank you Jimmy and Donna, bless you both.