shit, am i ever longwinded?

i feel so lazy. i have succumbed to the chaleur. this is an affliction that attacks the productive with sweltering temps trapped in poorly vented apartments - so, too, with the carnal enticement of thin, sweat veils.

why must everyone appear to be more attractive when glistening? seriously, if you have ever needed a reminder that we are animals with special thumbs - that is it.

i haven't updated this journal with a real, content driven post in some time. i could blame this on a variety of factors, but really it is due to the los angeles summer malaise that has never forgotten to wash over me these past six (six?!) years. of course, this malaise or desire to live like a beggar king isn't just limited to summer - anyone who has lived in l.a. for some time (even a few weeks?) can be expected at some point to lament: "does anyone in this city work? NO REALLY? does ANYONE in this town work?"

however, since i spent the day at burke williams bathing in milk & spices i feel ready to post.

so, without further ado:

as of last week, i am a free agent. my show has wrapped. k., what have you gotten me into? television life is an addictive circus, not so different from my past polyamorous friends. it is always exciting & fluid, yet rife with drama & murmurings.

after our show's premiere, i tried to refrain from reading the forums & blogs. it is impossible! i put so much into a script & now the same people i consulted are lambasting it?! oh, you cannot have a fragile ego in this business. shit, son.

what i have learned albeit in this short post production time is that most critics don't affect ratings. they shit on you because it makes them feel important. however, our perecentage was respectable. my mom is not reading the l.a. times' review & neither are her many friends. i expect a second season.

on sunday, we had our wrap party at le merigot in santa monica. cast & crew were arm in arm in drunkeness reminiscent of the carmina burana. no, not the revamped baroque mini opera but the true, raunchy pub songs of medieval academes in the pres. seamus & i ended up at the house of a production member with a technicolor hottub. thank god the tequila ran out. ;)

i look forward to working with my boss again & he has assured me there will be film projects for me to work on this summer. i feel respected & happy. thank you, dear k., for introducing me to such a masochistic world. you knew i would thrive.

however, the wrap party was preceded by quite the weekend.

friday night i had the chance to attend the opening night of hamlet at the hollywood forever cemetery. yes, it's the cemetery at which the tinsel town elite are interred. shakespeare is a new endeavor at the graveyard; typically summers and early fall involves the cinespia screenings. if you are in the l.a. area, cinespia is highly recommended. one cannot beat blankets, wine, cheese, & a classic film screened on the side of one of the most iconic mausoleums in the states.

for its first performance hamlet was well enough recieved. my friend suzy does the graphic design for the cemetery & we had the chance to sit with one of the owners & coterie in the VIP section. it is a cordoned off area of astroturf and classy pillows, situated in front of the reflecting pool. we sat with smoking critics who bemoaned another patron who so painfully fanned her face from the offensive smell of nicotine. mon dieu!

though i prefer the acting of the independent shakespeare co. at the barnsdall park close to our apartment (it really is astounding!), the freshman cemetery production of hamlet was incomparable in setting. to see ophelia tip into the memorial reflecting pool, floating facedown for what seemed fitting to death by drowning, was perfect. the gent who plays hamlet is charming in the youthful, angst ridden but not quite assuredly sinister manner; david melville's hamlet is, comparatively, spot on in ways that make me blush. independent shakespeare co.'s ophelia, played by melissa chalsma (wife to david & very apt artistic director) is masterfully played in that her hysteria is not limited to the recitation of symbolic herbs, but something that is tangible & bacchanalian.

if a bit long, i would highly suggest seeing the cemetery production for atmosphere alone. in august, they begin a midsummer night's dream.

is that you, titania, behind the grave?

not to mention: due to the graces & generosity of the owner, my friend & i had the chance to attend the afterparty which was hosted in the masonic temple on the grounds. yes, masonic temple. yes, on the hollywood forever cemetery grounds.

i had read about the owners' purchasing of the dilapidated cemetery in a recent issue of the weekend supplement to the l.a. times. they were rumored to be turning the temple into a night club, redesigned by tom ford!, which would be premiered as a members only spot. when reading this i shrieked & promptly proclaimed to seamus - "i will be there."

luckily for me, jay was kind enough to extend the opening night reception invitation to seamus & i and we previewed the amazing building. four floors of temple: the ground floor, the congregating room, broad and open with wooden floors and exposed ceiling beams carved ornately like some cathedral in burgundy avec renowned dj, open bar, appetizers, & movie projection; the second with a mediterranean tiled shower (yes, i was tempted!) and office with great art; three, a balcony overlooking the property; & finally, a cupola with rare buddhist art.

it was phenomenal. thank you, suzy & jay.

saturday was the castle evening. a group of twenty or so traversed to the magic castle in hollywood to see michael morena perform his wonderment! if you have yet to go to the castle, do anything you can to do so! morena is a true showman & a kind heart! i had a wonderful time & was offered a return pass by a member. i believe seamus & i will be celebrating his birthday there in late august.

sleight of hand was followed by the hospitality of the hollywood castle. no weekend would be complete if there we didn't cross a moat & a drawbridge. if you have yet to see photos of our friends' home, please direct yourself to their myspace page. it is listed in my top friends for good reason. as previously mentioned, it is the castle at which spinal tap was filmed, a place of true freedom & debauchery. "what happens at the castle, stays at the castle."

no, that is too trite. really, though, i love all the memories i have so accrued thus far at this place. adam & boyana are dear to me in their sheer willingness to offer others a truly magical experience.

fuck, this is long. i apologize. i wanted to be faithful & honest to you. i needed to update & let you know that all is in flux.

as for now, i am sitting at the computer with the merciful fan blowing in my face. living in l.a. without air conditioning is hell. thank god, my circulation is so poor that i am cold in 78 degree weather. sitting in the eucalyptus wet sauna at burke williams today i realized how unnatural it is for me to feel at home in such a heated environment.

drinking some vodka with diet coke - "the skinny bitch" as we have dubbed it - listening to snowden on itunes, & hoping that everyone will show tomorrow at seamus' headlining gig at the echo.

if you are in the l.a. area, seamus' band is playing with other, local indie phenoms tigers can bite you, the henry clay people, & molecules at the echo (see my myspace profile for links to their respective pages). this showcase is being sponsored by the incomparable radio free silverlake, the rock insider, and kxlu! it's five bucks with the flier (find it on my flickr or my main profile page) for four sonically amazing bands.

i am offering vouchers for a free haircut, a lawn cutting, or a palmistry session for those who attend and say hello.

in closing - did you really make it this far? - i am in love with all of you. thank you so much for offering fine examples each day of what it is to be an intriguing citizen of this world.

who knows how long our welcome has been extended? let's party & create great things.

the heart of rock n' roll

i haven't felt like taking the time to string words along, although things in los angeles have been gaining speed & hue.

i suppose that i could offer a summary of my weekend, as it was quite varied in activity!

friday night seamus & i attended one of the opening concerts for the silverlake film festival at the newly remodeled & vastly improved echo plex. the lineup was sharp: sea wolf (who we missed!), the bird & the bee, the little ones, & dengue fever! solid performances all around, although i must say i am super partial to the cambodian psychedelia of "the fever" as it forever causes a swank 60s lounge blossom brightly in my mind's eye, sweetly smoky opium den in the back room.

we met the majority of radars to the sky there & enjoyed libations & free ASCAP schwag like rhythm eggs, earplugs, & filter mags. the incomparable joe fielder was there, too, along with mr. kevin bronson & some gents from kxlu. there was much excellent conversation on coachella, stagecoach, & the local state of music, how los angeles bands are once again hitting a great stride.

we snuck out just before the end of dengue fever to avoid any crowd & headed back to our place with regina & her friend from boston. there we shared drinks & very small exchanges in farsi. a good evening.

on cinco de drinko, seamus & i enjoyed margaritas at the house, cleaning as we sipped. we decided that we would see spiderman 3 at the arclight & perhaps catch some lunch at citizen smith. well, we were smote by the smith as it was closed (although it has a giant banner on the outside saying "LUNCH") and instead opted for a sports bar called big wangs whose mascot is a 'roid filled chicken with a tat.

we watched some of the nba playoffs - you did know that i like sports, right? - and proceeded to have several three dollar calzadores margaritas in beer steins. :)

i don't review movies. i don't care to, but i will say that i found spiderman 3 to be overpacked with villains. i liked the second much better. a positive: the special effects were amazing. topher grace as venom was ridiculous. he weighs 85 lbs & no amount of black space goo is going to make him intimidating. i don't want to get into a big discussion about comic books. i am just offering my humble opinion. (by the by, seamus didn't like it as much either and he is a comic king).

after we stopped at amoeba where i purchased the new 120 days album. we brought it home, popped it in, and marvelled as we prepared ourselves for dinner at taiyo sushi on franklin. our friend anna was celebrating her birthday in their private party room & the next day her and her lovely man left for france! oh, lucky ones!

we didn't follow them to akbar for much much swervage, but instead went up to the hill to party at our friends' place the hollywood castle. yes, a castle. check out the myspace page. flickr search it, too. it's amazing. moat? check. drawbridge? check. views of downtown los angeles & the hollywood hills? check. period furniture? check. turrets with torches? you betcha.

i will have photos, soon. needless to say, whenever we go up there we have a great time. this time there was some sort of bizarre japanese film in which an alien gets hooked on coke by an evil little street nymph who breaks into his apartment. during the interludes, scantily clad women danced to bad synth. i want this film. if you know anything about it, please let me know.

we were home just before sunrise.

& for brevity's sake, i will just say that sunday we were in a music video for our friends' band the airborne toxic event & the playback looked great. they shot it at our local dive bar, the white horse, & after we all dined together in celebration.

wow, i hope that wasn't too boring. i have performed my civic duty.