WEBSITE NEWSFLASH: RESNICK MAKES LA TIMES FRONT PAGE, AND IT'S NOT FOR MURDER!: Up above, finally, a new photo. This one of Yours Truly, compliments of the LA Times and cool photographer Lori Shepler. (If you want to contact her for some freelance work, zip me an e -- she was great to work with). Here I am in my own Topanga Canyon pad, sitting in front of the nicest bit of art I own -- a gift from Echo Park painter Roger Herman, called "Old Blue Eyes" on the art circuit. Anyone know who the woodblock print is of? If you do, send me an email and if you get it right, no cheating! I'll send you something cool, something relevant, and/or I'll post the winner on the site with warm verbal kudos. To get the whole article, click onto Articles at the website's sidebar, then click on the first icon of the Los Angeles Times.
But back to the photo. Well, the big news is, on returning from San Miguel de Allende where I visited with Joy Nicholson, author of Tribes of Palos Verdes (film to come, seems Alison Anders has signed on as director, all hail the Big Kahuna) -- this piece about Los Angeles Salons hit the FRONT PAGE of the Los Angeles Times, with the salon I started with wonderful non-fiction writer Wendy Belcher over three years ago featured -- there was my name in the opening 'graph right parallel to that abomination Bush*
POLITICAL DIGRESSION: *[if you haven't received an online email about this, then join in the President's Day fun -- and by February 19th make a generous donation to Planned Parenthood in Bush's name -- if you still live in the U.S. and you loathe this guy, then it's time to get active or sicken yourself with your own sorryass lazy conscience -- choose your cause 'cuz he's fucking with everything from environment to choice to civil rights, and more fun to come...]
BACK TO SALONS: Back to the column one story about salons. Along with this website, starting a salon was another experiment I launched a while back. For a couple years I lived in Rome, Italy, and I loved the way at the end of the work day, everyone would gather at the Wine Bar on Campo dei Fiori -- rich and famous, poor and struggling, artists, writers, politicians, filmmakers, everyone -- and always out in the gutter was Beat Generation poet Gregory Corso, rolling around happy and toothless. My most excellent friend and hellion partner in crime for many years, Marilee Albert, was also living in Rome. And when we both ended up in LA, we did that reminiscing thing and thought of trying to create a similar scene. So we dreamed up this informal gathering, monthly, at a divey old Hollywood spot -- an "intellectual pit stop" -- low on Hollywood bullshit and hustle, high on lowkey camaraderie and conversation bangers and mash style.
TIN HOUSE MAGAZINE'S LONG-AWAITED HOLLYWOOD ISSUE IS HERE!: The fantabulous Hollywood issue of Tin House magazine is available now! Check your newsstands, and local indie bookstores -- Skylight (also check out www.skylightbooks.com ), Dutton's, Midnight Special, Book Soup, Vroman's, Small World Books, etc. Support the indies; they need it.
One of the contributors, Benicio Del Toro, just got nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Traffic." He was one of the people who did this kinda parlor game, of answering five questions having to do with literary adaptations and films. For more info on this issue, check out Tin House magazine's new website @ www.tinhouse.com .
I spent many months and many moons working on this issue -- pulling in lots of people from around LA to contribute, from Michael Tolkin to Bruce Wagner to Anne Beatts to Jerry Stahl to Philippe Garnier, and more! And the Tin House gang generously popped me way up on the masthead as their Consulting Editor -- a huge honor and gesture by the whole crew, and especially the visionary, funky and ever-crispy editor Rob Spillman -- Straight Outta Brooklyn. Love to hear what you think about the issue. Let me know -- or write directly to Tin House at their website.
There was a bi-coastal launch for this film-lit issue -- we kicked it off in NY, with a party and then a reading at Barnes & Noble/Astor Place, featuring contributors Jonathan Lethem, Fred Leebron, David Gates and David Trinidad. Then in LA we had a party, and also a panel discussion at Book Soup, featuring the brilliant Larry Gross (screenwriter "48 Hours" etc.), Lou Mathews (L.A. BREAKDOWN, a 1999 LA Times Best Book), and Jerry Stahl (PERMANENT MIDNIGHT, PERV -- A LOVE STORY and the forthcoming PLAINCLOTHES NAKED) -- Larry even showed up on the day his first child was born! Need I say more. The passion and erudition and pizzazz was stunning. I had the pleasure of moderating.
SEVEN DEADLY SINS, CONTEST #2, POSTING IMMINENT FOR WINNERS!: I am thrilled with the submissions I've received for Contest #2, and will be making decisions and posting winners very soon -- this week or next -- so if you haven't already submitted, DO IT NOW! Last chance. Already the decision is tough -- the pieces are so varied, so wild, full of risk and balls -- and funny! You guys will be blown away when they're posted...
UPCOMING EVENTS: Sunday, March 18, 2001, I will be on a panel over at Barnes & Noble/3rd St. Promenade, representing Literature (?!), along with Arianna Huffington (Politics) and Judy Muller (Media) and some prof from Santa Monica Community College who teaches philosophy and something or other will be moderating -- more as I get it. The details are sketchy but how could I turn this down, whatever it is? Sure to be a kick --
Apologies for not doing my bloody valentine spillage -- but I'm updating the calendar right now -- lotsa groovy events upcoming -- and will get back to this shortly. Got the LA Tin House party contacts from Gary "Take My Picture" Leonard -- LA's supreme downhome documentarian -- and they are wild! Promise I'll post some -- think lap-harem sessions with Mark Danielewski and various literate chicks, aging Super Vixens from the Russ Myer heyday, Bruce Wagner with Dana Delaney in tow, a supercool Bret Ellis in burgundy, Dr. Paul Fleiss the renowned pediatrican and padre to Heidi, a fabulous edged out Cher lookalike Lissa Negrin in rhinestrone drippage tiara and squeaky black leather, and more, tons more! At one point Al Franken appeared at the door, wondering what the fucking noise was all about, and I sprinted over in my clingy fire engine red Monah Li get up and equally red Miu Miu forties slingbacks and grabbed Mr. Franken, propelled him inside, nattered in his ear, he insulted me (all this in the short length of the corridor), Gary Leonard, ever at the ready, snapped the poor guy's pic, but he did go inside where he picked up an issue, stood alone in a corner and paged through it, then departed, firing one-liners as he once again made his way through the Corridor of Fun. But wait, I wasn't going to do this part of the update yet! More later I swear on the bleeding throbbing heart of this website and my own battered organ...
Click to get back issues of updates -- more gossip, ranting!
December/January 2001: Happy Kwanzaa Send-Off, Holidazing
November 2000 Update: Seven Deadly Sins Contest! Plus Bonus Political Rant
June 2000 Update: Hell's Angels, Rocking the Tin House, and More!