PICARO's Mind

HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN

 

Girlie Man with Six-Shooter

Time To Get A Gun

Fred Eaglesmith

Gun Love

ZZ Top

Pistol Packin' Mama

LOVE SONG 4 AMERICA

Break-up Poem for America
              (with apologies to Walt Whitman)

Oh America, you sad failed experiment,
lt was lovely while it lasted.

People tried to warn me
They said that you were faithless
Professing everything
Remembering nothing
Fueled by lust and self interest
Always afraid of commitment

They said you were heartless
At your worst, you were violent
Your sweetest words coming
Just after the black eyes and broken jaws

But I loved you anyway. Yes
I thought they were jealous of us, America
You were young and impulsive
This time it would be different I imagined

Because I could see the wild beauty
In your grain fields and skyscrapers
Your railroads and ballot boxes
Plates of hominy and cowboy boots
Even your corruption

I remember the good times
Shay's rebellion and the Liberty Tree
Seneca Falls Convention
The New Deal   Woodstock
You were the cool rebel
But I knew you would protect me

I dreamed we could go anywhere together.

We did have our moments
Even as the fire hoses tumbled blacks
Marching for a seat at the front of the bus
You told me about the view from the mountain top
And I could see it then

It's been tough between us, America
But I always believed your promises
That you would settle down to your responsibilities
As you got older and wiser
Try to love your huddled masses
And it is hard to contain multitudes

I told myself ...

But it's been bad for so long
Chicago’68  Kent State
Watergate  Iran-Contra
Exxon Valdez  Somalia  Waco
Florida  Ohio  Abu Ghraib
Katrina  Guantanamo

Now there's nothing left to believe in,

You've watered the tree of liberty
With the blood of so many innocents
The soil can't hold the roots
And it's a truism:
The ones who can't keep plants alive
Make lousy marriage material

I have to finally admit
It’s over between us
I tried, America
I really did
But in the end, it just didn't work out
And I don't think we can still be friends

because it's not me; it's you.

                            --TRAVIS KOPLOW  Fb Friend

Word Girl

TK

 

EXENE CERVENKA

Early Exene Cervenka with X

Raised in Chicago, Illinois and Florida, Cervenka moved to Los Angeles in 1976, and X was formed the following year. In 1977 she met musician John Doe at a poetry workshop at Beyond Baroque in Venice, California, and founded X. They released their debut album,Los Angeles, in 1980 and, over the next six years, five more critically acclaimed albums. Today she continues her musical career with X as well as in solo performances and participation in bands such as The

Johny Hit and Run Paulene

 Knitters, Auntie Christ and The Original Sinners. One of her solo songs, "Leave Heaven Alone" (on the album Old Wives' Tales), condemned militarism and environmental destruction.

In 1982 Cervenka published her first in a series of four books, Adulterer's Anonymous, in collaboration with artist Lydia Lunch. She has also performed and recorded solo work doing spoken word.

Unheard Music

In 2005, her journals and mixed media collages were exhibited in a one-person exhibition titled America the Beautiful at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. The exhibit was curated by Kristine McKenna and Michael Duncan. An expanded version of the exhibition traveled to DCKT Contemporary in New York in January 2006. The exhibition featured a selection of journals from the collection of approximately 100 that Cervenka has completed over the past 30+ years, as well as 18 collages.

Prime Exene

Cervenka's journals combine rough drafts of songs and personal reflections rendered in a baroque calligraphic script with photographs, drawings and scraps of ephemera found while traveling as a musician. Similarly, the collages are created from found materials to form an interpretative composite portrait of the country she's come to know through her life experiences on the road. DCKT Contemporary continues to represent her artwork.

Exene recently

And her books

On June 2, 2009, Cervenka released the following statement:

"After some months of not feeling 100% healthy, I recently had some medical tests run and the prognosis is that I am suffering from Multiple Sclerosis."

  

Exene

MEDICAL EVENT REMEMBERED

Left Subclavian

I RAN INTO A SERIES OF LIFE THREATENING EVENTS EARLY IN THE MILLENNIUM.  MOSTLY THEY INVOLVED MY HEART WHICH HAD BEEN BYPASSED IN 1993.  AFTER THAT I HAD A SMATTERING OF PROCEDURES, WHICH, WHILE RISKY, DIDN'T FAZE ME AS MUCH AS WHAT FOLLOWED.

IN 2002 I HAD A HEART ATTACK AND WAS TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL THAT I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO GO TO.  MY WIFE WAS OUT OF TOWN AND OTHER EMERGENCY ROOMS WERE FULL BECAUSE OF SOME MAJOR ACCIDENT IN THE AREA.  MISTAKES WERE MADE BY A CARDIOLOGIST WHICH RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO SOME CRITICAL VESSELS INCLUDING THE LEFT ANTERIOR REPLACEMENT ARTERY.

DON'T HAVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN YOU ARE ALONE.  IT'S A BITCH.

Michael Jackson - "Can't Live Without You"

AFTER A FEW MONTHS THE UNECESSARY STENTS PLACED DURING THE EMERGENCY BEGAN TO FAIL AND SOME RADICAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO SAVE THEM SUCH AS A BRACYTHERAPY.  FINALLY NOTHING WORKED AND I HAD TO HAVE ANOTHER BYPASS.

NOW I AM SAVED AGAIN, BUT HAVE NO VESSELS LEFT WITH WHICH TO FURTHER FIX THINGS.  I LIVE NEAR THE OUTER EDGE OF THE PLANK ALTHOUGH WITH NO FEAR OF DEATH.

Sad Face

BUT DURING ALL THIS SOMETHING WAS DISCOVERED, WHICH, WITHOUT REPAIR WOULD HAVE KILLED ME IN SHORT ORDER.  THEY SAW THAT MY LEFT SUBCLAVIAN ARTERY WAS SEVERELY NARROWED AND NEAR CLOSURE. THIS ARTERY, ABOVE AND LEFT OF MY HEART, IS THE SIZE OF A FINGER.

IT FEEDS THE LEFT ARM AND THE BRAIN. MY GOD, THE BRAIN.  THE SOLUTION WAS TO INSERT A 'BIG' STENT.  A REALLY B-I-G ONE.

[SEE THE FIGURE ABOVE LEFT FOR WHERE IT WAS PLACED.]

IT WAS A NEW PROCEDURE AT THE TIME.  DURING PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS WITH A CARDIOLOGIST WHO SPECIALIZED IN BIG STENTS, MY WIFE ASKED HIM HOW MANY OF THESE HE HAD DONE.  SHE WAS EXPECTING A HIGH NUMBER.  HE SAID, "THIS WILL BE MY SEVENTH."  EVIDENTLY MY LUCKY NUMBER.  AND THIS IS AT THE VERY BEST CARDIAC HOSPITAL IN THE REGION.

LOTS OF DOCTORS CAME TO THE CATH LAB TO WATCH THE PROCEDURE.  LET ME SHOW YOU THE BEFORE AND AFTER.  REMEMBER THE SUBCLAVIAN IS ABOUT 1/2 INCH (10-20mm) IN DIAMETER.  YOU CAN CHUG BEER THROUGH A TUBE THAT SIZE.

I DON'T LIKE TO THINK ABOUT HOW THEY STRETCHED THE SUCKER OPEN SO MUCH. ECCKKK... :(

Left Subclavian-BEFORE

Left Subclavian-AFTER

SO NOW THINGS ARE SORT OF FIXED.  IT HAS BEEN SIX YEARS AND GOING STRONG.

IT'S A FCUKING MIRACLE.

                           EXCEPT FOR MY BRAIN.....

   I  BE  HAPPY

Don't Worry Be Happy

Happy Face

GYPSY PUNK BAND DEVOTCHKA

   
Acesta este un tribut adus Christina Wilson,
 care este un criminal de ţigani Punk DeVotchKa
 amator şi noi plus faţă de familie.

Twenty-Six Temptations

Devotchka

Such A Lovely Thing

Devotchka

Lunnaya Pogonka

Devotchka

    




                  CELEBRATE LIFE
              ENJOY DeVotchKa

The IMAGES of FRANG KEE

           .....and the music of the KINGS OF LEON.

I Want You

Kings Of Leon

Sex On Fire

Kings Of Leon

Be Somebody

Kings Of Leon

Manhattan

Kings Of Leon

May you all live a long, healthy and prosperous life.

                               Ghislain

THE VAJAYJAY STORY

A TALE OF WINE, WOMEN and WOE
by Frang Kee

It is such a nice day out here. But I can only see through the narrow slit in my cell.

Here's the back story.

Had an early appointment with my cardiologist so I pumped up on drugs and alcohol. If you don't do this to mask the other symptoms they tend to feel obligated to give you nasty life-saving meds or, worse yet, do a procedure. But, you'll be glad to know that I passed with flying colors except for the breathing problem. However, I had that covered with some psychiatric mumbo-jumbo about other problems of mine. Fortunately the cardio guy had never even heard of RSBD. He even joined me in some convivial laughter about flying out of bed in the night and unconscious wife beating. God is good.

So I got me out of that medical facility on top of the world. Put the top down and decided to take myself to a quaint and reasonably priced French restaurant on the way back. I was all alone which is how I discovered (it came to me all on my own like a bright bulb in my head) a new meet-a-person line.  But we'll get to that. The place is Le Central for those of you from the area. Best lunch deal in the world. And everybody is nice and sophisticated, but not in a bad way. My hair is way long and I had just trimmed my beard (part of the doctor ruse), so I was good to go.

Recently, I read in a Robert B. Parker detective noir book with the character, Spenser and his Jewish psychiatrist lover, Susan, about a drink that Susan (the book Susan} ordered. I have no resistance to anything a person with Ashkenazi eyes does or says. Even fictional characters. So in this book Susan orders pepper vodka warm (personally I recommend Absolut) with a plate of olives. I have not done this yet though, because they had not pepper vodka (damn Frogs), although they offered to bring me a plain vodka mixed with regular pepper). There is a lot I do like about #@*&%%!+ French Americans, always trying to please. Anyway this seemed like a cropper, so I went with my usual Sapphire Bombay, chilled, straight up, barren. Civilized. To the brim, only $4.50.

I went with a cup of French onion and ordered the omelet of the day, spinach, mushrooms, cheese and chorizo. Voila! I'm sitting alone at this very French table with a white tablecloth and fresh flowers and reading the paper. Then after 2-3 sips of the gin, the idea jumps at me. I DON'T HAVE TO BE ALONE. Just never thought of this before? So, I go up to the maitre d', it is a French place n'est ce pas, and say this, "Hey, I ain't tryin' to get you to pimp for me, but if something single walks in and would care to sit with me, I'll buy her lunch. I made no other spec demands. I'm a conversationalist for Christ’ sake not a player." He said, "Fine, I'll see what I can do." All cheery like. Later, he said it was not a common request, but he's had 'em and sometimes it works out.

Actually, and for some strange reason, I had started to speak French after the first sip of gin, which is strange because I don't speak French or at least not since high school? What the hell, it's been a French kinda day although it has moved to Bulgarian as you'll see below.

Well, I never did get the girl, but I will someday.  What a great way to meet someone for a nice meal and conversation if your wife is out riding a horse. I don't know that it would be a good idea to try this in a biker bar, but I see no reason it wouldn't work in any civilized place. Think about it, they are there to serve. They bring you everything you want, menu, drinks, appetizers, food, bread, wine, dessert, coffee. etc. and behave like your best friend. Hi, Dan, I'm Jeff. So why not have them bring you fresh vajayjay?  Me bad.

So after a lot of fol-de-rol, my soup comes and then after that the tini is gone so I have Jeff bring me a nice Syrah. Don't know the brand he selected, but it was an exquisite choice. I moved on through a very delicious omelet and straight into coffee and a house dessert waiting for the vajayhay. Aucun peut faire. But the maitre d' does come over to extend his condolences. I'm telling you guys (and girls) this is a terrific idea for meeting interesting people.

Ok, I leave a $563.27 tip and wobble out to my car. Put the top back down and off for home. The cop pulls me over near Kipling and I'm doin' about 95 mph in my hot little roadster. I wanna cop to a plea - old, sick, veteran, help poor people, blog a lot....., but then he finds out that not only was I drinking, I have a concealed weapon permit and it is a bad crime to drink, drive, and shoot at the same time. Who knew? Also, I was sure that I read recently that if you were the lead car by 5 lengths on the three lanes of 6th avenue going west and not during rush hour, that you could use all three lanes at the same time. The cop said no, that was only on Mondays and Wednesdays. So, I told him the pick-up trick and he was about to let me go when the cocaine fell out of the glove box.

I am writing this from county lock-up and only have a few more minutes. My new buddy and cellmate is Cramass 'Big Dog' Johnson and he is sitting here along side of me at the one computer the county has for inmates. I just emailed my lawyer who is on vacation in Bermuda, but will get back to me. Cramass wants some help emailing his grandmother before we go back to the cell to see his new curtains. Which he sewed himself…right Cramass???  Oh, he wants to say a word.

"HI DERE FREINDS OF DANNIE. WE GONNA GIT ALONG SWELL. MY LAST CELLMATE HUNG HIMSELFS. UNCONSCIENLY.  I BE GUD TO DANI."  LUV CRAMIT

So I gotta move along here. See ya in 6 months.

Frang Keeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!!!!