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p.s. Hey. ** Keaton, Thanks, man. Oh, well, there are a ton of great bands characterised as punk. I guess it depends on what one considers punk because punk got ambitious rather quickly while still being punk at its core. Hm. I hope Florida’s famous brightness is all yours. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. Well, I disagree with you strongly about Errol Morris, but we’ve been at that impasse many times, so c’est la vie! Thanks for the link to Melville piece. I’ll devour it. ** Sypha, Thanks a lot, James, and I send you love in dealing with your loss too. ** Bill, Hi, Bill. I can’t even imagine what it’s like there in SF where Kevin was an omnipresence. I’m still not fathoming it all yet. I’m glad you liked that Pat O’Neil. Yeah, he’s really good, really undervalued, but it does seem like his time is starting to come. ** Thomas Moronic, Hi, T. I’m happy the Abigail Child post connected with you. Yeah, transgresso buddies, you and me, still fighting the good fight. The thing by me in the anthology is a piece of this new novel I’ve been extremely slowly working on for forever. I’m thrilled you like it! I haven’t read the anthology yet, but I’m very excited to read your contribution, you can bet. Thanks, my friend. ** Corey Heiferman, Thank you, Corey. Kevin’s great. A great writer. Thank you for answering my question. Understood. Paris is pretty good for celluloid films, both in the realms of the serious film centers, large and small, and also a big number of small theatres on the Left Bank devoted to showing older, more avant films that aren’t digitised. Hook us/me up with your vid/film sample, if you will, and huge and obvious luck on the application. Unfortunately, the way I work, my novels are completely unreadable until I edit and refine the shit out of them, and I’m unfortunately not at that phase yet. ** Steve Erickson, Yeah, incalculable loss. I, like many who weren’t right there, felt sure that Kevin would pull through this most recent downturn. It’s truly shocking. Not even the tiniest bit surprised about ‘Rocketman’. I would say I’m shocked to see so many seemingly taste-filled people liking it on social media, but people’s standards, or what they want a movie to do, are just so fucking low these days in so many cases. Bring on the enlightenment. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. You’re writing! How excellent! That Blood Bath zine looks very cool. Yeah go for it, and may their adventurousness be a wise version. ** Bernard Welt, Hi, B. Yeah, as I said up above, I was under the impression that Kevin was on the upswing from the bout of pneumonia. I’m still completely bewildered and shocked. Your travels go well, I see. I liked Maastricht. I don’t remember much about it — I was there in the ’80s — but, yeah, some kind of fondness grew. You’re here on July 3rd. Got it. I’ll put that in my calendar. I’ve started keeping a calendar. Great! I’m pretty completely sure there won’t be any July 4th parties here. Maybe a bear bar will do something American-esque? I think of ‘bear’ as originating from North America, but that’s probably nonsensical. I really look forward to seeing you, great Bernard! Love, me. ** Misanthrope, A million billion times, no doubt. Death’s gradual approach via ageing is definitely the worst thing ever. You take care too. ** Kyler, Thank you kindly, Kyler. ** Paul Curran, Hi, Paul! Gisele’s in Japan right now. But in Kyoto. They’re doing some Japanese ballet version of one of her early pieces there, and she’s there to try to keep it from being too … something. Yeah, as I keep saying, I just can’t get my head around Kevin being dead. It just doesn’t seem humanly possible. Thanks for the love and take a ton from me. How are things with you? Are you able to write these days? ** Okay. I don’t remember why I decided the other day to restore this ridiculous post I made back in the days when I was first fooling around with gifs, but I did, and it’s too late turn back now. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
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big hugs, dennis. i’m just gonna share a few things i posted on FB:
my comment to scott heim on a picture i took of kevin, dodie, and him:
“i was in line behind them to get your book signed. i’d seen pictures of THAT HAIR and we were both part of cooper’s blog scene big time around then. i heard dodie say his name and i said “excuse me are you kevin killian? i’m karo from dennis’s blog, etc. etc” and kevin was all “OH MICHAEL, it’s so wonderful to meet you! weren’t you down here a few weeks ago for the new york dolls show? how was that?” gobsmacked! in ten minutes it felt like old friends catching up. and that’s what kevin was like for me. and apparently for everyone else. and he told dodie i was an incredible photographer or something, haha!”
“a quick, unscientific examination of posts and comments suggests that the adjective most often used to describe our beloved Kevin Killian is “generous”.”
“”i couldn’t find what i believe was my last FB interaction with Kevin Killian but it was fairly recent. i think it was just after a previous hospital stay…he was not having a great day and i was able to surprise him with a brand-new kylie minogue song/video and he said it really made his day.”
ok, i’m going back to bed for a few hours. big love from norcal. xoMK
Desert a la Gus
Errol Morris and I were (are) oil and water. I failed to be “impressed” by him and he went ballistic
I don’t think I’ve ever set foot in a desert… unless one counts the beach, ha ha. What about you, Dennis?
I forget to mention it on here but yesterday was my birthday. I’m 39 now. Only one year left before I hit the big 40, ha ha.
Today’s post brings to mind that occasion in the 70s when Foucault dropped acid in Death Valley. There’s a new book just come out about that, if anyone fancies it? The great philosopher plus LSD plus a Stockhausen soundtrack in the desert is quite a lineup.
Very happy your restored this. There’s something especially mesmerizing about it. Might just be that I’m in an exhausted fugue state that seems suitable to the desert and gifs. The desert also plays an important indirect role in my film which isn’t shareable yet but should be within a few days. I now have more time to work on the Eurovision post which will likely include a custom-made found footage video.
That hedgehog creature in one of the gifs is called a kipod in Hebrew. Kippi Kipod was the equivalent of Big Bird on Israeli Sesame Street. Here he is crooning after hours about how it’s not always easy being a kipod but he wouldn’t have it any other way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxd32WU1THc
One of the main reasons I applied to film school (submitted everything today!) was to find more opportunities to screw around in the desert. This is from landmark Israeli film “Hole in the Moon” (1964):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icd0pnqhIjI
Gummy candy sushi randomly showed up at the office today. Reminded me of this blog and got me thinking it could be something fun to randomly send to people. And a way to sell cannabis edibles at an even crazier markup.
Good luck resuscitating cannibalizing incinerating or whatever you decide to do with your dormant novel.
Hi Dennis. Do you know what that gif of the running/exploding boy is from originally? It seems like it should be as iconic as the exploding head from “Scanners,” but I think I’ve only ever seen it in gif form here on the blog. It’s amazing, regardless…
The desert is kind of the opposite of everything I like, landscape and climate wise, and the only way I enjoy it is from a position of of privilege that has to embarrass me: behind glass, under air conditioning, with someone bringing me cooling drinks. However . . . good for movies. I do find Lawrence of Arabia boring and offensive, but I love a lot of American westerns. In the L of A clip above where P O’T is speaking, I can imagine he’s saying, “I fucked the prince.”
Leaving Berlin tomorrow. Just, like, sightsaw. I got invited to clubs and kinky stuff but mmmm . . nah. Still, I’m pleased someone, anyone thought to take me to that kind of thing.
I am happy to forget July 4th and about everything US for a bit, but come 14 July, I’m heading for the firemen’s balls. And when I say the firemen’s balls, you know, I mean . . .
Love from old old old Bernard.
Oh PS the whole Day today made me think of Beau Travail, and now I want to rewatch it.
Haha, punk ambition, I think I like it. The Ramones even started to sound really bad there at the end. It is really bright in Florida, haha. They are always building new coasters at the parks in Orlando. I’m so apprehensive about your Gif fictions. Something just seems dangerous about it to me. Hope you find that slot, sure do miss your books. “What do you want to do with your life?” “I just want to read MLT, okay!” I’m preparing things for recording. Love you like the best nacho
Dennis, And I say fuck aging too. I ain’t doing that shit either. đ
I’m off to bed. I think we all need some rest. (And I kind of wish these torrential thunderstorms would quit for a bit.)
xoxoxo
Sure makes me want to take acid!
Yes, Dennis, Giselle seems to be in Kyoto a lot. A little far for me to catch. Hopefully something in Tokyo sometime, and you get to come along as well if one of your collaborations…
Iâm good, thanks. Pretty busy with work this semester but winding down soon and quiet for a couple of months over summer. Still working ever so slowly on the novel. Figured out some structural things I wasnât sure about, although not sure about some tone things, but basically got to put in more time to complete the first draft, and then cut chunks that donât fit or drag the right tone through them. Have you made much progress with your novel?
That French bulldog! (I would support you slipping a Frenchie into every GIF collage.) I also like the indomitable hedgehog.