City Lights Booksellers - San Fran - photo by MackDude

Thanks to the Mack Daddy for providing the three photos from the City Lights Booksellers & Publishers in San Francisco. (two photos follow below). Mack took the photos of this beat mecca this past summer. If you would like to visit the Dude's House, please go to Mackdude.blogspot.com.

The Plastic People (Tribute to Milan Hlavsa 1952-2001)

The Plastic People (tribute to Milan Hlavsa 1952-2001)

All you wanted
was to play bass
in a rock-n-roll band
It was always about
having a good time for you
You hung up a sign onstage:
“Jim Morrison is our Father”
and recorded the album,
“Egon Bondy’s
Happy Hearts Club Banned”
and – in the process –
The Plastic People
were considered by the students,
artists and intellectuals
to be the voice
of a free Czechoslovakia.
You were rockers – artists –
thrust in the middle
of a political revolution
You knew your roles
You didn’t back down!

Milan, your obituary
seemed so small
but you accomplished
so much
You, Ivan,
Vratislav and Juri
embodied the rock concept
Rebels with Guitars! –
You were going to play
for the people

Some rockers
carry with them
a false pretense
that they really matter
Their accomplishments
are marked/marred
by manufactured fame
But when all is said and done
The Plastic People
will stand alone.

They locked you up
Beat you
and took your equipment
It didn’t matter
The Plastic People
just kept coming back
The Plastic People
just kept leading the way

What would you do
if faced with the same?
(yes reader,
I’m asking you!)
Would you crumble?
Rat-out your friends?
Run away and hide?
Not these guys!
The Plastic People
stood their ground
and played!
They plugged in
knowing they would
take the heat
and played
They gave people music
and in doing so
gave the movement hope
and they inspired a people
to step out of the darkness
and be free

These sons of Jim Morrison
these guys looking for fun
showed that artists
can inspire people
to do great things

Milan, the police
government and
underground agents
just couldn’t keep you guys
in Czech

Artists can be an easy target
for those who maintain
they shouldn’t speak
or think
But talking-head lawyers
and war-mongering governments
have inspired little more
than hatred
and senseless deaths.
Artists inspire vision
and you need vision
to thrive
and live
The Plastic People
showed us that
The Plastic People
just kept coming back
The Plastic People
just kept leading the way!

I Am The Door in City Lights

Printers Ink Sign in City Lights

Living in a Painting (Nov 07)

Living in a Painting (November 2007)

I sometimes wish
I lived in one
of the villages in
a Thomas Kinkade painting
Surely life must be
much better
living in one of the houses
with the golden light
pouring out of the windows
white picket fence world
of perfectly manicured nature
and perfectly situated homes
where people live
perfect – of course -
lives.
Or hello Americana
To be living in crowded
Charles Wysocki painting -
although it never looks
like there is enough room
for the big people
in the undersized houses.
Or maybe life
would be better
in a Sisley
or Pissarro
painted village.
I couldn’t do
M.C. Escher -
the structure would be
too restricting.
Living in a Boris Vallejc and Julie Bell painting
might… get… a
…. little… scarey…
a world of dragons and
epic battles
in a land of dark enchantment
The women are drawn “hot”
Although they are
sometimes
half beasts (too much realism…)
Life in a Monet would be too blurry.
Van Gogh too gloomy -
although a visit to
the outdoor cafe
would be cool.
And forget Picasso
(the asshole)
I don’t think I can function
with my nose
on the side
of my face!

White Bike in New Haven