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p.s. Hey. Merry Xmas! Here I am on the day itself for some strange reason and the p.s. is under a Xmas tree. ** Thomas Moronic, Hi, T! Happy happy! And so happy to read those words about Braithwaite. What’s going on with you? Is your new novel still percolating and/or gaining ground? Love, me. ** Bill, Hi, B. Yes, the Buche looks swell in the refrigerator, and it will be disappearing into me ere long at all. Enjoy whatever Xmas means where you are. Wait, it’s probably over or almost by now, I guess? ** Steve Erickson, Hi, K&D seem to be doing very well. They certainly took the literate, English (semi-)speaking portion of Paris by storm. Yes, I dipped into Alvear Courtis Jones, and you are absolutely right. Thank you for the excellent turn on. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi, Mr. E. What are you and Bill doing on this oh so potentially festive day? ** Bernard, Xmas greeting galore, B! Thank you for loving Hyemin’s movie marathon! Excellent about round one’s successful conclusion, and, yes, please spurt out some poetry and fiction before the next other thing arises. Although some blog postage would be welcome if that doesn’t slice up the real stuff. Busby Berkeley, let me check. No, the coast is totally clear. And I can tell you without even a nod in the archive’s direction that Eartha Kitt is completely available, blog-wise. I would cherish those. You guys doing anything in which Santa has an active presence today? ** H, Hi! Thank you! It seems that your show was very beloved, and no surprise! I hope that, whatever Xmas is in your world, it will fulfil its generous duties. ** Dóra Grőber, Merry Xmas, Dóra! Oh, wait, yours is over already. Yes, here in France the giant majority of the French did theirs last night too. It’s still weird to me. But then I think of Xmas like a kid, i.e. you open all your gifts in the morning and then you spend the whole day playing with them without sleep’s interruption. But I think the morning Xmas version we do in the States is the anomaly. Anyway, you’re off today, so that’s pretty Xmas-like. Enjoy your next three days of family and fun and cheer to the absolute max. And tell me about the highlights when you get back, please. The meeting with Gisele turned out to be super easy. She agreed completely with Zac and me about the script changes, so we’re good to go. And then we three devoured our Buche, which was awfully, awfully good. Oh, I picked it up at Hotel Ritz, and there was another person picking up a Buche too, and it was Lars von Trier. I felt self-conscious going into the super high-end Hotel Ritz dressed like I always dress, but Lars von Trier looked like a homeless person, so I felt better. Anyway, I famously can not stand Lars von Trier’s movies, so it was weird to stand next to him for 15 minutes while our Buches were retrieved, but luckily he didn’t seem to recognise me from Adam, and I kept my cool. Today, Xmas, should be pretty nothing much for me other than eating the second Buche because everyone else in the world here will be home recovering from Xmas Eve. Again, enjoy your days off and your family and just everything! ** Alistair, Hi, Alistair, a very, very merry Xmas to you and to Tim! No snow. Not even close. It’s 50 degrees F here today. So sad. Enjoy the Ventura sojourn! Take care! ** Count Reeshard, Happy Xmas, Count! Thank you for the fantastic words about Hyemin’s fantastic film program. That’s totally amazing that your wife and daughter were in those Kuchar films. Wow! That’s giddy-making. Cool. You have a Luxuria show! I’m guessing or at least hoping it’s archived for the time change-impaired like me. Oh, wait, I just saw your archive note/location. Great! I’ll go have a Xmas day listen. Luxuria is really happening, at least in my world. I’m a regular listener and big fan of two other Luxuria shows: The Michael Quercio Paisley Underground Consortium and Kristian Hoffman’s Pepperland Spicerack. Thanks a lot! Have a super swell big day today! ** _Black_Acrylic, Joyful Xmas to you, Ben! Whoa, nice sunset. LA has great sunsets, but I cannot even remember seeing a more than rote sunset over here. ** Misanthrope, Hi, it’s Xmas, George! Do it the fuck up! It was so, so, so not romantic. Yeah, I agree that 2018 will be a sweetie, artistically. For me, 2017 was too. I’m so glad I live in France. Enjoy the worldly shebang today whatever that entails. You get any cool gifts? ** Chris dankland, Hi, Chris! Merry merry Xmas! My Buche experience is a two-parter this year. Ate the first one on Saturday, Will eat the second and final one today. Should be good. Yes, I decided that your Lil B post really needed to be alive again. It seemed to have been a wise decision. Oh, wow, Chris! That’s such great, sweet, exciting news about your being in love! And I can definitely tell you are! It’s beautiful! The soulmate thing: yeah, how does one know? I really think a huge ton of it is beyond explanation and is just a feeling of certainty. Like a weird, great combination of fascination, excitement, and comfort. Belonging and kind of disbelief at belonging. I mean, you can analyse it and reason out all the commonalities you guys have and the way your and her emotional makeup and temperaments are ideally matched and so on, but I think it is basically inexplicable, and I do think it’s a matter of fate and destiny, as romantic and illogical as those concepts are. I’m so, so happy for you, my friend! Trust it. Totally trust it. Not that you really have a choice, I guess, ha ha. Cool that she likes my books. I mean, that’s really heartening. I will for absolutely sure go read those works of hers that you linked to. I just bookmarked them. Her name seems kind of familiar. Maybe I’ll seen her work around? Thank for clueing me in to Zac German’s Twitter. I’ll hang out there. Oh, this is cool. Kevin Killian and Dodie Bellamy were just here doing events, and at one of them I met Lucy K Shaw who lives in Paris now, and I didn’t know that. She’s great, and now I have a new local writer pal. Stay high and happy, my friend! You so deserve it! ** Jeff J, Happy Xmas, Jeff! I loved your Fanzine article. Kudos! Have a really swell and, I hope, Santa-enhanced day! ** Okay. If anybody has stuff they want to say in the comments today, I’ll be here tomorrow and will read and respond as best I can. See you then.
Now available in North America 
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http://20171225.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/christmas-gift.html
Sorry I’ve not been around to say hi, Dennis. I hope that you’re very well. I promise to be here more often in the new year and very much look forward to catching up with you.
May your day be festooned with the kind of things you love.
Supercalifragilistic love,
Jamie
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND BEST WISHES TO EVERYONE ELSE HERE AT DC’S TOO! xxx
Hi Dennis! These trees are so pretty. Hmm, how can I ever stop looking? That Lars von Trier attire in picking up a buche sounds interesting. I think I said it yesterday — Merry Christmas!
Ah, that was one tree — apologies.
Merry Xmas Dennis!
Bill and I and our friend Jay are having a nice dinner here. Ham. Plus potatoes and Brussel sprouts.
Before “Will & Grace” there was Oscar and Edith
Take it away Elvis!
DavidE, I love the link to the Elvis. I was just telling someone the other day: When I was in high school, my friends and I would go to this bar in DC, The Tune Inn, get served without having to show ID, put “Blue Christmas” on the jukebox, drink beer and eat pickled eggs, and then end up home without remembering how we got there. Memories.
Lars von Trier! Your interactions with specific individuals are always fascinating. This one will stay in my mind. Also, I can’t forget your cigarette meeting with Johnny Hallyday. Perfect moments!
Lars von Trier’s next film, slated to premiere at 2018 Cannes, is about a serial killer and reported to be his most violent yet. Now that Bjork has accused him of sexually harassing her and the New Yorker ran an article saying that his production company Zentropa Entertainment is an incredibly toxic environment for women, I can just imagine the reviews it will get.
I have almost finished the music video list – I just need to proofread the text – and will send it off to you tomorrow, most likely.
I am spending Christmas afternoon watching James Franco’s THE DISASTER ARTIST!
merry xmas mr cooper, i love your work.
please enjoy this short you-inspired post as a present
https://c1o1n1v1e1r1s1a1t1i1o1n1s.wordpress.com/2017/12/25/if-garlands-could-glow/
the tallest christmas tree on the internet !!
i especially liked the blood drenched Carrie face, and i’m sure that i used that weed leaf tree picture for something, at some point.
thanks so much for saying all those nice things yesterday. i feel so good celebrating and being happy with you about it. i really feel fantastic. and thank you so so so much for reading those stories, i know it means the world to Jennifer.
Lucy’s in Paris! that’s so cool, please say hi for me sometime. i really like scoping her instagram, her and her husband are always travelling to so many beautiful places. i haven’t met her, but i’d love to. she’s great.
this is a ways back, but i listened to and watched that Body and Full of Hell video a million times, the one you posted in your last gig day. the one where the people in black sheets are walking through the forest. that’s so scary and cool to me. if you haven’t seen this one already, i’ve been listening to this half death metal half opera-ish album by Lingua Ignota, and i was thinking it’s the type of thing you’d be into.
https://linguaignota.bandcamp.com/album/all-bitches-die
take care and happy holidays again !! you’re super awesome
Happy Xmas! Hope it was a super fun one in the shadow of that towering tree.
Done a bunch of reading here – yesterday I finished Pynchon’s great V. after 4 months, then got through Mary Woronov’s Warhol amphetamine memoir Swimming Underground in just a few hours.
My brother got me a self help present of Business for Bohemians so I hope that might come in useful over the coming year.
Hey Dennis, thought it was about time to say hi – I’ve been pretty silent these days on blogs and FB…just can’t go along with the world – and I’m not into Xmas at all – as opposed to Halloween – has nothing to do with me being Jewish or Pagan or anything; just when the world is saying, “Merry Christmas,” I just want to say, “What does that mean?” Reminds me a little of when I asked Harold Pinter once in the Parker Meridian Hotel (where I used to read Tarot cards) – “Did you enjoy your dinner?” And he gave me an outrageous (and perhaps rude) reply: “Did I enjoy my dinner? Did I enjoy my dinner? Well, I suppose I did.” Or something to that effect. The absurdity of the way the world talks has me in a very Nietzschian mood, at least today! Anyway, hope it was a good day for you, hope you’re doing well…and…Happy Yule? Best I can do, haha. Love, Kyler
For Dennis and the Weaklings
Dennis! Thanks. I lived Christmas Day up by living it down, as I’d intended. Just chilled. Ate dinner -like a Thanksgiving #2 dinner, same stuff- opened a few gifts -bottle of Joop! cologne, sweatshirt, $20 gift card to Books-A-Million- and watched some about four movies, two of which were good, two of which bit ass and not in the good way.
Jersey Boys was pretty good. Carol was awesome. Love the Coopers was fucking horrible (though, much to my surprise, Timothee Chalamet was in it, so that made it worth my while for the few seconds he was onscreen), and Mother’s Day, which I barely caught, might be the worst movie ever. In the meantime, my niece’s friend came over with her boyfriend (who’s really fucking cute) and we all talked and stuff. Like I said, it was all stuff I’d intended.
I like where I live all right. If I had my druthers, I’d probably live in NYC or London, but I couldn’t afford either one, so I’m okay being in a suburb right outside Washington, DC and only 45 minutes from Baltimore, 5 hours drive from NYC, and half an hour from Old Town Alexandria, VA. When I want to leave, I can. When I want to come back, I can. Nobody gives me any shit, and I don’t give anybody any shit. I do what I want, and everybody else does what he or she wants. I have no problems with that.
I’m glad you’re still in love with Paris. I think I’d be that way with NYC or London. Or maybe even LA, to be completely honest with you. I like cities better than suburbs and I like suburbs better than rural areas.
I have lots of work to get back to tomorrow. A couple weeks ago, I proofread out loud every entry of the 2018 withholding tables -17,000-plus entries- and now have to do it all over again since they changed this past week. I don’t know when that project is coming, but it’ll be soon. Then again, it keeps me employed and they pay me to do it, so no complaints here.
Dear politekid, I certainly hope you’ll consider creating a blog entry or so for mr cooper. It’s obvious you have a really interesting sensibility and I’m sure the locals would like to see more.
Well, D, since you asked, I’ve never really marked Christmas at all–not even the TV-joke Jewish Christmas of Chinese food and a movie–not that I haven’t done that. It’s just a really nice day that’s quiet because everything’s closed and everyone’s busy. Last night I saw my two nieces, one visiting from San Francisco, and my nephew and his girlfriend, who is in a really good band, called Den-Mate. As you can imagine, it’s a huge thrill for me that my nephew is in a good band, that’s doing well, has good connections–and they’re actually happy, not embarrassed, when his uncle comes to shows.
https://soundcloud.com/den-mate
https://den-mate.bandcamp.com/album/den-mate
Yeah, so otherwise, I’m really just sitting here writing. I usually read a bunch of stuff at once, so now it’s Rousseau’s Reveries of the Solitary Walker; some James Baldwin essays (I just find him really inspiring); John Le Carré’s book about his father, A Perfect Spy (he’s sooo good); and I have Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation and Balzac’s Lost Illusions (which I read when I was probably 27ish) sitting ready. Sometimes I read books about Paris–Luc Sante’s; The Invention of Paris; I like books about the French Revolution. I think about Paris all the time.
I just watched Rear Window on TV. Wow.
The strangest thing I’ve put by to read lately is Theodor Adorno’s dream journal! I had no idea he was interested in dreams, and it still seems really improbable to me. In the last few months I’ve written entries on dreaming and cinema; literature; creativity; and education for a reference work; and the research and putting my thoughts together has been very worthwhile for me because I’m intending to do a book on the subject. Still playing with ideas for a creative work on dreams–though I’ve been using my dream journal as source material for new poems for a couple years now. Enjoy the deep winter.
Hello! Would love to read your writing on dreaming, cinema, and literature at some point. Sounds very interesting.
Merry Xmas Bernard!!
Adorno’s dream journal sounds like both a killer band-name and some brilliant unlikely mash-up faux-fiction, along the lines of ‘Cormac McCarthy’s King in the Kitchen – cooking tips to impress all your friends’ haha!
Hey Dennis, happy holidays. I realize I’ve been quiet again. Well, that’s partly due to business at work, and partly due to the cold from Hell I’m suffering through right now (currently up to day 6).
My parents got us (by us I mean my brothers) a Nintendo Switch AND that Super Nintendo Classic all-in-one deal. I was more excited about the latter than the former tbh. Played the original “Super Mario Kart” today (which I used to be really good at when I was a teen) and was pleased to see I could still kick ass at it… granted, I was facing my youngest brother (who mostly sucks at those old SNES games) and we were playing on the easiest mode, but still…
The best book my parents got me this year was the big version of Jung’s “Red Book.” Well, I paid $100 and they pitched in with $75, ha ha (seriously, this book is so gigantic it doesn’t even fit on any of my bookcases). But it’s worth it just for Jung’s illustrations and paintings, which are incredible…
Dennis, Dennis, Dennis!!!
Happy Christmas my dude, or, as they say up North and am now saying all the time because I love it so much, ‘Merry Crimbo’!
Such a lovely tree today, thanks for that! We did not even have time to get one this year, sadly. We’re making do with a big xmas ‘bouquet’ of red berry-things, thistles and pussy-willows, which do look like branches out of which grow dozens of very, very small and soft kitten-paws. Pretty neat.
Food-wise, I’ve perfected my tofurkey recipe, and we had it with all the fancy trimmings they do in the UK. We’re staying home and doing fuck all but catching up on the movies of the year we missed, but this is turning out to be a list mostly composed of heavy and dark stuff, so we added Wonder Woman to it yesterday because you can’t spend xmas watching dark heavy stuff. No, that’s not true – you can. But, you know, ‘One might want to avoid it, if one can’ kinda thing. Anyway, that’s us.
For all the lovely food stuff though we are missing a bûche de Noël, but will vicariously enjoy yours. I am surprised that, with all the ‘fancy food traditions we can import from France and market the shit out of’ you see here, the bûche de Noël has not made it yet. I give it 3 years.
Are you good? You seem good! Have some crimbo hugs! XX