Sunday, October 27, 2013

Lou Reed

Musician, songwriter, and performer; a key figure in the history of American music -- via NPR. Where do I begin? A founding member of the Velvet Underground. Created "Berlin" and "New York," two of the greatest albums of all time.

His parents gave him shock therapy because he was gay. He hooked up as a student with Delmore Schwartz, one of my favorite poets. He had a vision that rock could communicate much more than teenage lust, ditty-bop ectstasies, or groovy trips. It could examine life as thoroughly as Baudelaire, Poe, Celine did. He was brave enough to be honest about himself and what he witnessed.

And he fucking rocked. He even imposed Metal Machine Music on us, with perverse rigor and absolute no concern for the audience whatsoever.

He wasn't a pretty boy. He was nervous and confused, like us. He was a junkie; he wasn't. He was gay, he was straight, he was gay, he was straight. Didn't matter.  Lou, you made it OK to be a freak and question everything, especially oneself! Thank you for all the dark magic.










William Harrison

Novelist, short-story writer, and screenwriter; best known as the creator of "Rollerball" -- via the Arkansas Times. Also wrote the screenplay for the little-known gem "Mountains of the Moon."



Anthony Vivis

Key, highly skilled translator of German theater -- via the Guardian.

Gianni Ferrio

Composer, conductor, and arranger -- via rokol.it.




Irma Lozano

Actress -- via the Latin Times.

Rune T. Kidde

Writer, cartoonist, storyteller, musician, and artist -- via dr.dk.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Anthony Caro

Sculptor -- via the New York Times.

Manna Dey

Playback singer -- via the BBC.

Paul Smith

Jazz pianist -- via the Washington Post.

Larri Thomas Hoy

Actress and dancer -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Ronald Shannon Jackson

The premier free-jazz percussionist -- via jazzwisemagazine.com. Played with Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, and Cecil Taylor, in addition to a massive amount of solo work!





Georges Descrieres

Actor -- via dontmiss.fr.

Llloyd Kavich

Artist (yes, he did use 3 l's in his first name); creator of the murals in Boulder's The Sink -- via Westword.






Noel Harrison

Actor, singer, songwriter, Olympic skier - via the BBC. The son of Rex Harrison, Noel made a splash as a singer with the pop hit "Windmills of Your Mind." Children of the 1960s will recall him as Agent Mark Slate in the short-lived TV spy show, "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E."