Zen Dada

Sonny Rollins turned 77 today. Played at the Village Vanguard fifty years ago and more. On tour this fall! He hit the mainstream, too -- featured on the soundtrack to Alfie (1965) and on Tattoo You (1981) with the Rolling Stones, for instance. I've been lucky enough to see him play more than once. He's very cool. Viva Sonny!


Peter Lawford was a real Jack the Lad. As befits the Rat Pack, a wild and contentious crew, directly linked to JFK and all that entailed. A moment in time.

Today's Rune: Fertility.

Birthdays: Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Moses), Edith Sitwell, Anthony Quayle, James Van Allen, Peter Lawford, Sonny Rollins, Buddy Holly, Gloria Gaynor (born Gloria Fowles, Morris Albert (born Maurício Alberto Kaisermann), Chrissie Hynde, Jennifer Egan, Toby Jones, Evan Rachel Wood (b. Raleigh, N.C.).

Ciao, hepcats!

Lucky

Alice Sebold's Lucky (1999) gives a harrowing account of the author's 1981 rape at Syracuse University. It's a riveting memoir with glimpses of her later life. Ideally, these glimpses will be converted into a second memoir covering the lost years in greater detail. I imagine it would be tough to write, though.


The Lovely Bones (2002), Sebold's second book and first novel, deals with the rape and murder of a teenager. It was a huge bestseller and will soon emerge again in a movie version. In all truth, Lucky is the better book. Sebold (born on this date in 1962) has a new novel coming out -- The Almost Moon (release date: October 16, 2007). Apparently it involves matricide and other relationship "complications."

It's also the birthday of Zelia Nuttall (1857-1933), a skilled linguist and adventurer who devoted much of her time locating and working with ancient Mexican artifacts.


Happy birthday, Naomie Harris!

Today's Rune: Joy.

Birthdays: Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Lafayette (The Marquis de Lafayette), Zelia Nuttall, Jane Addams, Jimmy Reed, Brigid Berlin (Polk), David Allan Coe, Roger Waters, Jane Curtin, Alice Sebold, Rosie Perez, Dolores O’Riordan, Justina Machado, Anika Noni Rose, Nina Persson, Naomie Harris, Foxy Brown (Inga Marchand).

A Coaliton of the Willing

Dennis Kucinich and Elizabeth Harper Kucinich, his British-born third wife. Victory in the 2008 election would be a coup for Anglo-American relations and fun for all. Of course, Mr. Kucinich hasn't got a snowball's chance in Hell of winning even the Democratic Party nomination, let alone the general election.

So why try?

Maybe to bring some nifty-fifty lefty ideas into the campaign, maybe also to liven things up. Who cares? Ms. Kucinich, who will turn thirty this fall, adds style and an earnest global outlook to the election cycle. Mr. K speaks for himself -- not exactly a gadfly, but too strong in his ideas for many. Will politically active Americans vote for a someone with such a "farn" name? Besides, he's Catholic!


Mr. and Ms. Kucinich all proud -- and rightly so. Good luck to them -- and the rest of us!

A Bromide for the Troops

Today's birthday combo is spectacular -- and it's my parents' -- Don and Barb France's -- 54th anniversary. Zowie!


Pictured above, Rose MacGowan, Marilyn Manson's ex-, among her other dramatic roles.


Werner Herzog, one of my favorite filmmakers and also one of the strangest. Documentary or dramatic, his movies are unfailingly interesting.


Freddy Mercury, superstar. I still remember first hearing "Killer Queen" way back in the day.

Dynamite with a laser beam . . . . .


George Lazenby -- onetime Bond, and a very good one at that. From On Her Majesty's Secret Service with Diana Rigg, yet another favorite.



Raquel Welch always provides a tonic for the troops. Who could forget One Million Years B.C.? And let's not forget her fight with Nupondi, played with such ferocity by Martine Beswick, erstwhile "Bond Girl"? A happy celebratory day all around, Ooorah!

Cheers!

In For A Penny, In For A Pound

Haha. Pop art hanging on the back of the PURE Detroit tent yesterday.

Jesus, was that only yesterday? The new semester has truly begun. . . . .

Today's Rune: Possessions.

Birthdays: François-René de Chateaubriand, Antonin Artaud, Mary Renault (Challans), Edward Dmytryk, Richard Wright, Mickey Cohen, Paul Harvey (Aurandt), Dick York, Mitzi Gaynor (b. Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber), Ione Skye (Leitch), Carmit Bachar, Nona Gaye, Beyoncé Knowles.

And that's the rest of the story -- good day!

We'll Never Turn Back

Detroit International Jazz Festival 2007: a variety of free music venues and a 100% positive experience. Most of the performers were from Detroit and Chicago. Above: The Miracles playing near Campus Martius on September 1.


Martha Reeves cheering on Detroit and inviting people to come on down as often as possible. Then leader of Martha & the Vandellas, now serving on the Detroit City Council.


The Pyramid Stage, next to the Renaissance Center, which is much more accessible then it was a few years ago -- lots of free concerts by the Detroit River. For the festival, the below street level stage performances were sponsored by Mack Avenue Records.


Mavis Staples today belting out a song and sounding as good or better than Ike & Tina Turner back in the day. Tremendous gravelly voice. Even better than when I saw her in 2000. She was into it.


We'll Never Turn Back, new album by Mavis Staples, with a clear focus on civil rights.

Today's Rune: Fertility.

Birthdays: Marguerite Higgins, Irene Papas (Lelekou), Natalia Estrada.

Grand Prix Detroit

My adrenalin kicked in when the first fast cars roared by. The sport of Steve McQueen, James Garner and Paul Newman -- in Detroit! The Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix 2007 wraps up today.

Aside from the cars and general excitement, much buzz revolves around Danica Patrick, woman driver in a traditionally man's sport. There are images of her everywhere on the Grand Prix grounds, and all kinds of Danica-related products. She even has a book -- Danica: Crossing the Line (2006).


Also, lots of Metro Detroit promotionals. In this case, two savvy models drawing attention to Cauley Ferrari, Maserati, and Chevy in West Bloomfield, complete with banner and website: www.cauley.net


The weather has been cooperative for Labor Day weekend, so I've also been checking out the concurrent Detroit International Jazz Festival: "Music on all cylinders." Several stages, lots of options -- in downtown Detroit. It's all good! There are real signs of revival in center city. More on that soon, I suspect.

Today's Rune: Wholeness.

Birthdays: Liliʻuokalani, Queen of Hawaiʻi, Joseph Roth, Andreas Embirikos, Romare Bearden, Horace Silver (Horace Tavares Silva), Hal Ashby, Clifford Jordan, Rosalind Ashford (Martha & the Vandellas), Billy Preston, Keanu Reeves, Salma Hayek Jiménez, Lisa Snowden, Mandy Cho Man-Lei.

Still A Man's World

It's still a man's world, despite the downfall of Senator Larry Craig. Fittingly enough, Craig called Bill Clinton "a naughty boy" for his escapades with Monica Lewinsky (and others). Bill Clinton, in turn, was merely following in the footsteps of his hero JFK, who had operated in an era of silence about such realities. Still, sample the AMC series Mad Men for a reminder (the first season is set in 1960) that, aside from sexual harassment laws and some more women in positions of power, in essence things haven't changed much. Pictured above: Rocky Marciano (his birthday today).


It's also the birthday of Québécoise pop star Mitsou. A cover from her 1990 album, TERRE DES HOMMES, or LAND OF MEN. My point exactly.


Croatian pop star Vanna during her stint with Electro Team. Judging from this picture, it's not surprising the Croatians were pro-German during the Second World War. Nazi fashions and all.


It's Lily Tomlin's birthday, and though this isn't her (it's Goldie Hawn), it is from Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, where Detroit-born Tomlin made her breakthrough. One of her quips: "No matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up." You bet your sweet bippy. Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls. . . . .


Guess Whose Coming to Dinner? (Hint: it's her birthday, too).

Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.

Slew of Birthdays: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Blaise Cendrars (b. Frédéric Louis Sauser), Andrei Platonov, Elvera Sanchez Davis, Walter Reuther, Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Dracula Munster; b. Margaret Yvonne Middleton), Rocky Marciano (b. Rocco Francis Marchegiano), George Maharis, Ann Richards, Conway Twitty (Harold Lloyd Jenkins), Ron O'Neal (Superfly), Lily Tomlin (b. Detroit), C. J. Cherryh (Carolyn Janice Cherry), Don Stroud, Mustafa Balel, Gloria Estefan (b. Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García), Vanna (Ivana Ranilovic Vrdoljak), Mitsou (Mitsou Gélinas), Lââm, Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

Do videnja!

James Brown - It's a man's world medley (Apollo 1968)