LATE TO THE BLUE MEANIE PARTY? CLICK HERE TO CATCH UP
*****
There were big changes awaiting me at home.
First, Steve Lenzi
and the Cat Lady had not worked out and he’d split for God knows where. She
moved shortly after and Jack and Kerry Fahey took over her two bedroom
townhouse. In time they moved in suitable lovelies to share the place with
them.
About Steve: I
connected with him twice after Venice, but only briefly. He just up and
disappeared one day and I’ve never heard from him since. I’ve used the internet
to try to find him, but my poet friend would be the last person in the world to
get near computers. So, if anybody reading this knows of Steve Lenzi, or
his whereabouts, please write to me here and I’ll send you a free
autographed book as a reward and thank you.
Onto the second
change: work. Or, in the immortal, screeching words of Maynard G. Krebbs:
“Worrrkkkk?!?”
I was a happy man
writing my column and doing “special projects” for the newspaper. But the new
city editor – an asshole whom I will not name, but his initials were Jay Berman
– and his assistant, whose initials I do not recall, got into a pissing match
with me. Now, at this time and place my whole interest was to transform my
newspaper writing into book writing. I worked at newspapers, thinking that I
was following Hemingway’s example: newspaper writing first, then great deeds in
novels. I thought I could do the same thing. In other words, I considered
journalism only a stepping stone to my present career.
But I wasn’t even
within shouting distance of a novelist’s career when those SOB’s took me on. I
had no choice but to defeat them. The end result was, I suddenly found myself
the city editor of the oldest daily newspaper in Los Angeles County.
I believe that I
mentioned before that this was also one of the most conservative newspapers in
California? And here I was a liberal, dope-smoking, anti-Vietnam pinko
obstructionist. Up with the poor, down with the rich, including my
born-with-a-silver-spoon bosses – the Funk brothers. A city editor’s job is
24/7 – although we didn’t have that useful symbol in those days. Here’s the
thing: in order to do the newspaper job I had to quit managing the apartments.
So I quit.
I rented a huge,
two-story house on Carroll Canal, just down from Carl the biker’s place – so we
knew the neighborhood would be safe, sort of like Mafia neighborhoods are in
New York. The house was supposedly the long-ago summer home for one of the Wrigley
daughters. However, the rent was cheap because the place was run down and I
enlisted the aid of my friends to fix her up, including the electrical wiring –
which was shot. The Mad Bomber did the wiring, sitting on a milk crate in front
of the electrical box and taking electrical shocks and jumping and saying, “No,
no. That’s not right. Yep, that one is.”
The corner house on
Carroll Canal – across from me - was at first a temple for some white-guy
Buddhist cult. They used to wade into the canals, their orange robes hitched
up, and clean the canals out – singing some kind of Buddhist song. The local
old ladies called them “The Hummers,” because that’s what it sounded like to
them – humming.
Eventually, the place
was taken over by Universal Studios and it became the colorful home of one of
the characters in the TV series, “Starsky And Hutch.” Camera crews regularly
shut off the canals for drive ups, and also for some thrilling car and
motorcycle jumps over the canal bridges. Damn, it was better than the Fourth of
July, especially because the producers regularly thanked everybody for being
nice guys and not spoiling their shoot by putting on big banquets for all the
residents – everything from BBQ shrimp, to steak. With a vegetarian menu for
those so inclined.
Meanwhile, back to
Pepperland – and the Blue Meanie Apartments.
I not only quit, but
as indicated, I moved out.
But before I moved, a
very scary thing happened.
*****
TALES OF THE BLUE MEANIE
Venice Boardwalk Circa 1969 |
In the depths of the Sixties and The Days Of Rage, a young newsman, accompanied by his pregnant wife and orphaned teenage brother, creates a Paradise of sorts in a sprawling Venice Beach community of apartments, populated by students, artists, budding scientists and engineers lifeguards, poets, bikers with a few junkies thrown in for good measure. The inhabitants come to call the place “Pepperland,” after the Beatles movie, “Yellow Submarine.” Threatening this paradise is "The Blue Meanie," a crazy giant of a man so frightening that he eventually even scares himself. Here's where to buy the book.
*****
*****
FREEDOM BIRD: THE SUMMER OF LOVE
*****
ALL THREE STEN OMNIBUS EDITIONS NOW ON TAP
The entire 8-novel landmark science fiction series is now being presented in three three giant omnibus editions from Orbit Books. The First - BATTLECRY - features the first three books in the series: Sten #1; Sten #2 -The Wolf Worlds; and Sten #3, The Court Of A Thousand Suns. Next: JUGGERNAUT, which features Sten #4, Fleet Of The Damned; Sten #5, Revenge Of The Damned; and Sten #6, The Return Of The Emperor. Finally, there's DEATHMATCH, which contains Sten #6, Vortex; and Sten #7, End Of Empire. Click on the highlighted titles to buy the books. Plus, if you are a resident of The United Kingdom, you can download Kindle versions of the Omnibus editions. Which is one clot of a deal!
Here's the Kindle link for BATTLECRY
Here's the Kindle link for JUGGERNAUT
Here's the Kindle link for DEATHMATCH
*****
HERE ARE ALL EIGHT AMERICAN EDITIONS OF STEN
YOU CAN BUY THE TRADE PAPERBACKS, E-BOOKS AND AUDIO BOOKS BY CLICKING ON THE STEN PAGE!
*****
THE STEN COOKBOOK & KILGOUR JOKEBOOK
THE STEN COOKBOOK & KILGOUR JOKEBOOK
Two new companion editions to the international best-selling Sten series. In the first, learn the Emperor's most closely held cooking secrets. In the other, Sten unleashes his shaggy-dog joke cracking sidekick, Alex Kilgour. Both available as trade paperbacks or in all major e-book flavors. Click here to tickle your funny bone or sizzle your palate.
*****
IT'S A BOOK!
THE COMPLETE HOLLYWOOD MISADVENTURES!
*****
STEN #1 NOW IN SPANISH!
Diaspar Magazine - the best SF magazine in South America - is publishing the first novel in the Sten series in four
episodes. Part One and Part Two appeared in back-to-back issues. And now Part Three has hit the virtual book stands. Stay tuned, for the grand conclusion. Meanwhile, here are the links to the first three parts. Remember, it's free!
No comments:
Post a Comment