I’m happy to report that I just wrapped up recording a new record. It look a fair amount of time (okay, decades), but I think this is the album I’ve always meant to record — just me and my guitar.
Huge thanks to Danielle Goldsmith for engineering and mixing the record in Studio A at Tiny Telephone in San Francisco.
Fingers pressed tight
I clench the callous-making strings
And recall the thunder in your walls.
Smokey, Alfie, Jimmy Crucifix, and more
Held down the funkified groove
For the hounds at the gate and
An army of punks and rockers.
The carpet is worn,
The soda machine sold beer,
And my ears ring for joy.
Then, in a nanosecond eternity
A guitar cries in my dream,
A million candles ignite, and …
I pause to inhale one last blast of instant nirvana.
Thank you, Carole Lennon
And all the staff over the years
For the refuge you gave.
An hour or three at a time.
From the small rooms
To the soundstage
To the bones in the hallway.
As you dim the lights
And shut the door,
We salute you.
(Written to mark the closing of Lennon Studios’ hourly space – 1984 to 2020)
Thanks to Potato Soup Journal for picking up my short story “Always on the Run.” This story was inspired by a line from a song. I’ll leave it at that in case anyone wants to guess the song and artist. One clue: the song is not by my favorite band.
I made a short film in response to Shotgun Players’ “Art in the Time of Corona” challenge. You can see it on YouTube:
The Assignment: You have 48 hours to make a 2-minute (or shorter) film. Include three lines (at least) from any play (I chose “Waiting for Godot”). Incorporate toilet paper (or a mask). Indicate the passing of time. And add ten seconds of motion.
Support local theaters. Support local artists.
In these times of shelter-in-place, I’ve been thinking back to many of the amazing places RL and I have visited over the years. I look forward to a time when we can return to favorite spots and explore new destinations.
Thanks to John Vanderslice, Crystal Pascucci, and Carly Bond for bringing their talents to this song.
Need a distraction? Got a minute? Check out my One-Minute Story channel on YouTube. All of the short-short stories have been performed and posted during the time of Shelter-in-Place due to the Coronavirus.
Stay inside if you can. For those deemed essential, thank you for everything you do.
I had a couple of requests for more One-Minute Stories … so I’m back. Here’s the first in a series based on the Lockdown. Don’t forget to floss.
Sometimes it takes time for a story to find the right home. That was the case for Still or Sparkling. And it’s one of my favorites. Thanks to Dream Noir for opening their doors to this quirky tale.
There’s an abundance of construction happening in our neighborhood. And the critters are out and about. That’s the inspiration for this One-Minute Story.
What happens when the perky VP of HR stumbles upon an alien in the breakroom? Find out in my short-short story “Orientation” … published today by 365 Tomorrows. Â
