THE LEGENDARY MIZNERS

behind a set of Encyclopedia Brittania's that I was moving from basement shelves, I discovered a misplaced copy of The Legendary Mizners, by Alva Johnston (illustrated by Reginald Marsh)..... Interesting quotes from the book: "If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research."......A Mizner philosophical maxim: "Be nice to people on your way up because you'll meet 'em on your way down"....

DETAIL OF A NEEDLEPOINT PILLOW.......

The micro-needlepoint  pillow, of which this is a detail, was...originally....a gift from its creator to an 'old lover' of mine, who, after breaking up the the needlepointist, gave it to a young man who was living in the spare bedroom, while in college, in England.....later, the 'young man' gave it to me, since it had been made by the ex-lover of my ex-lover......what a strange 'connection'.....I thought this would have been fodder for one of James Burke's 'CONNECTIONS' programs!    

Sasha Velour's "Pirate Jenny"

THE RUPAUL CONTINUUM.....THIS EVENING.....PREMIERING AT OPERA PHILADELPHIA, ON ITS NEW 'DIGITAL CHANNEL' .....SASHA VELOUR'S 'THE ISLAND WE MADE' Angélica Negrón'S VIRTUAL OPERA IN THE AGE OF COVID......  A FAR 'CRY' FROM CRAIG RUSSELL'S 'OUTRAGEOUS', 'GLEN OR GLENDA', 'TOOTSIE' OR 'THE BIRDCAGE'.......

Nostalgic surplus of Thriftshop Hippie Fashionability

at a local thrift store a couple of days ago, I noticed a half dozen copies of Hermann Hesse's novel, Siddhartha.....and dozens of books on Vegan/Vegetarian cooking......This morning, PBS broadcast a program about the fashionability of Youth, in passive revolt, attaching their sentiments to retro-hippy, naturopathic Altruism, ambiguous sexuality, 'cosmic consciousness', reflective introspection and energy realignments....... I thought of the 'failed' temporary shift of perspectives that millions of then "20-somethings' clung to...with the exuberance of unity of shared vision....to the background chords of Ravi Shankar, Donovan and Alice Coltrane, the droning mantra of 'Give Peace A Chance' and the nakedness of Love.....yet, welcome a great Wave of Change, not yet restrained by pessimism and futility.......