19th
& 20th July, 2008
New concerts announced!
Click HERE for details.
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Photo by Jay Hagan, July
2008
A Thought for Today
The best thing about talent is that it
owes apologies to no one.
TO BEGIN WITH
As I was completing today’s Flight Plan I received this letter from Wade
Alexander:
“So very sorry to just hear about Jo Stafford.
National Public Radio announced it and played a portion of an interview
with her and Paul Weston done in 1988 when they were reissuing Jo + Jazz
and Jonathan and Darlene.
I know how close you were to her over the years and how you loved her -
as a singer and as a friend.
90 is a long life, of course - and what a legacy she left behind! But
still what a LOSS. Such a sad, sad day.
My heart goes out to you...and all of us. Wade”
It has been a long, sad day and I’ll be writing about the unique and
very much one of a kind Jo Stafford in days to come. For now I
extend my sympathy and empathy to her daughter Amy, her son Tim, her
sister Betty Jane and her grandchildren.
Wade put it best: My heart goes out to you...and all of us.
.ASK
ROD
HOMIES
Hello, my name is Eli and I'll be 17 in about 14
more days. I've been a fan since the 8th grade when we had to analyze
your poem "Thoughts on Capitol Punishment" in my Language Arts class. I
asked my teacher who wrote it and he told me "A fellow by the name of
Rod McKuen. Your mother might know who he is, he was a big poet in the
70's" So I asked my mom that night and she took me to the office and
pointed out a whole shelf of your books and said "That Rod McKuen?" I
dove in. I took Watch for the Wind to school the next day and got in
trouble in each class for not paying attention.
Since then I haven't stopped writing. Or reading. If I could get my
hands on a book of poetry I'd read it. Especially the Romantics. Blake,
Shelley, Burns, and Keats are who I call my "dead hommies." But let me
get to the question.
How did you start as a poet? When was it where you sat down with pen and
paper and realized "This is actually good!" And finally what would you
say to inspire poets such as myself in getting started in the poetic
world?
Thank you very much. Peace, Love, and Understanding, Eli
Dear Eli,
First off, Happy Birthday!
Though still alive I’m honored to be listed in the same e-mail with your
‘dead hommies.’ I admire and agree with your taste in friends and I’d
add Whitman, Dickenson, Eliot, Yeats, Plath and The Brownings as absent
friends you might enjoy hanging out with.
There was no real starting point that I can remember as far as writing
poetry and songs go. My writing grew out of the habit I’ve always had of
keeping a diary. After a while I began to enjoy the arrangement of words
on a page and how grouped in a certain way they could amplify and
embellish thoughts. I began writing poetry before I ever read any and
that probably accounts for any individuality I may have as far as style
goes. I enjoy the highly underrated process of sharing and not having
much in the way of worldly goods to divvy-up in the early years of my
life it seemed only natural to pass along thoughts and reasoning I
developed. If something worked for me then maybe it might be of use to
someone else.
If that sounds simplistic then it goes along with my belief that poetry
should be simple and easy to understand. If what’s on the page isn’t
totally apparent on the first reading then it ought to be written well
enough to bring the reader back for repeated attempts at discovery.
For me writing poetry is merely a way of getting questions out of my
head and down on paper in the hope of finding answers. Most of the time
it seems to work despite the fact that as my life continues I go on
revising my poems and even some of my songs. As I continue to grow up
the questions seem to get harder and the answers more elusive.
I hope you continue to write and get things out of your system. And,
don’t stop reading because the input is as important as the output. I’m
not sure what advice I could give a young poet other than to keep
writing. Make it a habit like eating or going to sleep. Don’t wait for
inspiration but do take advantage of it when it comes.
Getting published isn’t easy. In the beginning I self-published then
when I built up an audience everyone wanted to be my publisher. I’m back
to self-publishing because I got tired of being the flavor of the month.
I earn a living and I do OK. Sure I’d love to see my stuff in Barnes &
Noble but instead of battling for bookstore space I save my energy for
the Internet and I seem to be reaching a wider audience than ever.
If you have questions or get discouraged –– or even just want to talk,
Eli, write to me anytime and as often as you like. All my best and more.
Your friend in words, Rod.
AHOY!
Dear Mr. McKuen: My wife and I are in possession
of a poem you wrote in 1973 aboard the Brigantine "Dana". It's signed by
you, dated December 2nd,1973, 6:05 P.M. and it is titled "Number Eight".
If you have any interest in this poem please contact me. We actually
found it between the pages of a book on this boat a long time ago, we
can't remember the year. The boat was one of those "Booze Cruises", and
we were sun-soaked and needed to get some shade so we went below and
started browsing the bookshelves when we found your piece. We have kept
it in our safe for all these years. Sincerely, Murray Nitchke
Dear Murray, Thanks for cleaning out your safe and writing me about a
poem you and your wife found in times gone by. I have no recollection of
writing it but anything is possible; 1973 was a while back.
How about sending me a jpg of the manuscript or if you can decipher my
handwriting you might tell me the first four lines of the work. That way
we could clear up whether it's something I actually wrote or a poem
copied by someone else from one of my books. If it turns out to be
something I wrote & don't have a copy of I'll be glad to discuss
purchasing it from you. Or, if it’s a copy of a previously published
poem I actually signed I'll be glad to authenticate the signature for
you and you can do with it as you please. In either case everyone wins
and the mystery is solved
Ah, a booze cruze on the Brigintine Dana, sounds like a plan. All my
best to you both Murray, Rod
UNDER THE SOUTHERN SUN
Rod, I heard you sing Mr. Bojangles in Joburg
years ago but do not have it on CD. Any advice where I could find it? I
don't really need it as I can hear you singing it without the CD player.
Thank you for autographing the boxed set 'If you go away' RCA years
which I'm proud of and have enjoyed immensely. Best regards Tony
Dear Tony, Thanks for your remembrances of my concerts in Jo'burg. I
love South Africa and have many friends in your part of the world. And,
as you may know, for the past ten years + Ken Blackie, a resident of
your hometown has been Webmaster, chief cook & bottle washer, etc. of my
website. He was the original architect and remains the pillar behind and
the beam above the Safe Place to Land hanger.
As for "Mr. Bojangles," I loved singing it in concerts and it's slated
for an upcoming CD tentatively titled "By Request." The song was written
by the great singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker. As for the RCA Years
Boxed Set I think Bear Family outdid themselves on this project and it's
great to have all the tracks from that period of my life in one place,
Your kind words were much appreciated Tony and I hope we'll meet one day
down under/up over, meaning of course that I'd like nothing better than
to return to the land of the Southern Sun again –– and soon. Warmest
Regards, Rod
BOSTON
Dear Rod, I've been a huge fan for 40 years
now...I saw you in concert when I was in High School. I have a library
of your writings- quite a few signed....they are my most treasured
possessions!
Anyway, I'd give anything to see you in concert once again...Is there
any chance of you coming to Boston MA? Sending warmth & goodness, Paula
Jackson
Dear Paula, I appreciate the kind words and thanks for being there all
this time.
Alas no plans for a Boston concert at the moment but it would only take
interest from a promoter in the Boston area for one to be scheduled.
I'll keep my fingers crossed on that one. All my best Paula and thanks
for writing. Cheers, Rod
MONKEY BUSINESS
Hello! I remember coming across a book of yours
that had a poem about “the day the monkeys came”…I don’t remember the
name of the poem, but I vaguely remember the book being greenish-yellow
in color (the jacket was missing). These are the only facts I have, and
I can’t find this poem anywhere. Is there any way you can send it to me
or post it on your site? Thanks! Jennifer Collins
Dear Jennifer, What you are looking for is not a poem but the lyrics to
a song entitled “Before The Monkey’s Came.” The song (with my lyrics and
music by the talented Lincoln Majorca) first appeared in my RCA album
“Other Kinds of Songs.” Lincoln also did the Stravinsky-like arrangement
of the material.
Since it was a not so thinly disguised poke at those who favor religion
to the exclusion of evolution we both thought a ‘Rite of Spring’
treatment of the material was in order. I used to sing the song a lot in
concerts and audiences seemed to respond to it well. A live version can
be found on my “Amsterdam Concert” CD and the original is included in
The Bear Family boxed set “Rod McKuen: The RCA Years. The printed lyrics
first appeared in “Stanyan Street & Other Sorrows. Here are they are:
BEFORE THE MONKEYS CAME
We’ll go out into the noon
to find what love there is to find
an angel on the bedpost
or a demon in the mind.
And we’ll be happy as we were
Before The Monkeys Came
and put the flowers into pots
and gave love sinful name.
When apple trees were apple trees
and not the curse of man
and all the mountains piled high
were only heaps of sand.
There were no yellow roses then
the roses all were red
and lover’s slept on grassy banks
and never, never knew a bed.
We’ll go out into the noon
and try to be the same
the way we were a while ago
Before The Monkeys Came.
When every street was Eden Street
and man our only name
that was oh so long ago
Before The Monkeys Came.
We’ll go out into the noon
to find what love there is to find
an angel on the bedpost
or a demon in the mind.
And we’ll be happy as we were
Before The Monkeys Came
and put the flowers in the pots
and gave love sinful name.
That was oh so long ago
Before The Monkeys Came.
© Copyright 1958 by Rod McKuen & The Stanyan Music Group. Copyright
Renewed.
Thanks for the note and all my best, Rod
FILM NARRATION
I was wondering if there were any transcripts of
the narration you did for a documentary on PBS in the mid 70's on a film
of Fritz Scholder. Particularly on a passage where he was working on a
painting. Something to the effect of seed to ground or something to that
effect. I know you were the narrator of the film and it included some of
your poetry.
I look forward to your reply or information. Darrell S. Ross
Dear Darrell, The Fritz Schroder film was one of six episodes on
American Indian Artists that I narrated for PBS during the early 1970’s.
I never had tapes of the series and alas to my knowledge none of the
scripts survive.
I thought the series was really put together well and I enjoyed the
finished product a lot but my principle involvement with it was
providing the voice over. I’m pretty sure the narration was written by
the producer/director and I don’t believe my poetry was used in any of
the films.
Wish I could help you more but that’s pretty much the extent of my
memory of the series. All my best Darrell and good luck with your art.
Sincerely, Rod
-RM 7/18/08
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