When I see that others have what I didn’t, all I feel is happiness for them. Like this scene, for example. Lucky kid and fantastic man. The father is supportive to a superhuman degree, unashamed to show his love, proud, and uncompetitive. None of this “old lion versus young lion” stuff. “You are set for…
A post I’ve been told to not write, Part One
April 25, 2014
I’ve been told to not write this, but I’m going to anyway. I think it’s important that a misconception be addressed, and I also don’t like the direction our country is heading. I’ve been there, and you’re not going to like what you’re helping create. When I say it’s important to address a misconception, I…
A post I’ve been told to not write, Part Two
April 25, 2014
My economic history cont. To satisfy the gods of SEO, I must write “not write.” Having done so, back to my résumé. In January of 1992, I sent a proposal for an article to Jim Roberts, the editor of Bass Player. He accepted it, and it was published as “The Bass Gods of Japan” in…
There. Glad THAT day is over
April 25, 2014
The day is over, and not a second too soon. It was a nonstop assault from beginning to end. I made a lot of decisions today, based on the behavior of my fellow humans. These changes won’t be made public. Call them new rules of engagement. First, thanks are in order to Tim, Ashley, Tony,…
A squall
April 24, 2014
I had a very strange experience last night: a squall of uncontrollable emotion. It shows that things are always in flux. I guess I’ve buried some aspects of my life instead of accepting and incorporating them. The work must continue. After I take my nightly meds, I watch YouTube videos for a while, until I’m…
Wictors and airplanes don’t mix
April 23, 2014
I don’t know why, but Wictors and airplanes don’t mix. Chapter Three of Hallucinabulia: the Dream Diary of an Unintended Solitarian is devoted to my experiences with the Old Hag and my nightmares of being in airplane crashes. Dad hated flying as much as I do. It’s my final unconquerable fear. Though I’m not afraid…
Estrangement
April 23, 2014
Today I read of two things that underscore my estrangement from what I guess would be called the mainstream world. But they also show how far I’ve come in my drive to banish the rage that shackled me. First, I saw a piece about a writer whose story is being covered by most of the…
Talking points for Ghosts and Ballyhoo
April 22, 2014
Since I’ve accepted that Ghosts and Ballyhoo can no longer be professionally marketed, I may as well explain what I did to try and publicize it. The overwhelming majority of radio hosts don’t read the books that their guests have written. I had to prepare talking points so that they could fake it. Mike Albee…
Today I made a decision
April 21, 2014
It hit me today: The Ghosts Trilogy is dead. I won’t be able to find another publicist. That’s why I made the decision to give away books in exchange for reviews. For those of you who aren’t writers, let me explain something: Writing is a life of groveling. You grovel to agents, you grovel to…
Hurricane House, the Tin Man, and free e-books.
April 19, 2014
During our time in Venezuela, we spent three summers on Sanibel Island, Florida, in a little resort called Hurricane House. As best as Tim and I can remember, the years were 1969, 1970, and 1971. Tim took these photos in 1970; our brother Paul shot the picture of Tim. It was on one of these…
