Posts Tagged ‘AIDS’
November 24, 2011

“To John Dillinger and hope he is still alive.
Thanksgiving Day. November 28, 1986.”
Thanks for the wild turkey and
the passenger pigeons, destined
to be shat out through wholesome
American guts.
Thanks for a continent to despoil
and poison.

Thanks for Indians to provide a
modicum of challenge and
danger.
Thanks for vast herds of bison to
kill and skin leaving the
carcasses to rot.
Thanks for bounties on wolves
and coyotes.

Thanks for the American dream,
To vulgarize and to falsify until
the bare lies shine through.
Thanks for the KKK.
For nigger-killin’ lawmen,
feelin’ their notches.

For decent church-goin’ women,
with their mean, pinched, bitter,
evil faces.
Thanks for “Kill a Queer for
Christ” stickers.
Thanks for laboratory AIDS.
Thanks for Prohibition and the
war against drugs.

Thanks for a country where
nobody’s allowed to mind their
own business.
Thanks for a nation of finks.
Yes, thanks for all the
memories — all right let’s see
your arms!

You always were a headache and
you always were a bore.
Thanks for the last and greatest
betrayal of the last and greatest
of human dreams.

I do not believe it is as hopeless as all that. This year, I am incredibly thankful to be alive at all, let alone to live where I do with the people I love. I understand Mr. Burroughs’ criticisms, I just think that we must keep caring and trying to win out against the sense of defeat and cynicism, and maybe then the dream can still be saved. I don’t believe people are inherently bad; I believe the opposite, and I won’t get discouraged and filled with bitterness toward all of humanity just because of the publicized exploits and outrages of the bad apples in our barrel. I believe that for each one of the headlines that sends people in to despair over the state of the world, there are a thousand unreported little kindnesses and gestures of love and connection.
And world peace. I know. I get cheesey. I’m just feeling very happy and free and alive.
Almost all photos via Square America.
This post originally appeared on November 26, 2010.
Tags:a confession, advice, AIDS, American Dream, apocalypse yesterday, bison, Burroughs Month, candids, confession, corruption, Dillinger, drugs, Everybody's All-American, extinction, food, Girls Like A Boy Who Reads, guns, homophobia, images, Indians, It happens, KKK, Laughing with a mouthful of blood, Literashit, love, massacre, narcs, peace, photography, Pictures, poem, poems, poet, poetry, Prohibition, quotes, racism, revolution, Self-audit, stills, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Prayer, the environment, vintage, William S. Burroughs, writing, You Can Go Home Again, you will choke on your average mediocre fucking life, Yucky Love Stuff
Posted in Apocalypse yesterday, Burroughs Month, confession, Everybody's All-American, Girls Like A Boy Who Reads, Laughing with a mouthful of blood, Literashit, photography, Pictures, quotes, Self-audit, Unlikely G's, You will choke on your average mediocre fucking life, Yucky Love Stuff | 4 Comments »
November 30, 2010

via Michael J. Faris.
World AIDS Day 2010. A day before heads-up. Try and raise awareness tomorrow.
Tags:69 Days of Wonder Woman, AIDS, comics, images, love, Pictures, stills, Wonder Woman
Posted in 69 Days of Wonder Woman, art, comics, photography, Pictures, Woman Warriors, Wonder Woman | Leave a Comment »
November 25, 2010

“To John Dillinger and hope he is still alive.
Thanksgiving Day. November 28, 1986.”
Thanks for the wild turkey and
the passenger pigeons, destined
to be shat out through wholesome
American guts.
Thanks for a continent to despoil
and poison.

Thanks for Indians to provide a
modicum of challenge and
danger.
Thanks for vast herds of bison to
kill and skin leaving the
carcasses to rot.
Thanks for bounties on wolves
and coyotes.

Thanks for the American dream,
To vulgarize and to falsify until
the bare lies shine through.
Thanks for the KKK.
For nigger-killin’ lawmen,
feelin’ their notches.

For decent church-goin’ women,
with their mean, pinched, bitter,
evil faces.
Thanks for “Kill a Queer for
Christ” stickers.
Thanks for laboratory AIDS.
Thanks for Prohibition and the
war against drugs.

Thanks for a country where
nobody’s allowed to mind their
own business.
Thanks for a nation of finks.
Yes, thanks for all the
memories — all right let’s see
your arms!

You always were a headache and
you always were a bore.
Thanks for the last and greatest
betrayal of the last and greatest
of human dreams.

I do not believe it is as hopeless as all that. This year, I am incredibly thankful to be alive at all, let alone to live where I do with the people I love. I understand Mr. Burroughs’ criticisms, I just think that we must keep caring and trying to win out against the sense of defeat and cynicism, and maybe then the dream can still be saved. I don’t believe people are inherently bad; I believe the opposite, and I won’t get discouraged and filled with bitterness toward all of humanity just because of the publicized exploits and outrages of the bad apples in our barrel. I believe that for each one of the headlines that sends people in to despair over the state of the world, there are a thousand unreported little kindnesses and gestures of love and connection.
And world peace. I know. I get cheesey. I’m just feeling very happy and free and alive.
Almost all photos via Square America.
Tags:a confession, advice, AIDS, American Dream, bison, Burroughs Month, candids, corruption, Dillinger, drugs, extinction, food, guns, homophobia, images, Indians, It happens, KKK, love, massacre, narcs, peace, photography, Pictures, poem, poems, poet, poetry, Prohibition, quotes, racism, revolution, Self-audit, stills, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Prayer, the environment, vintage, William S. Burroughs, writing
Posted in Apocalypse yesterday, Burroughs Month, confession, Everybody's All-American, Girls Like A Boy Who Reads, Laughing with a mouthful of blood, Literashit, photography, Pictures, quotes, Self-audit, You Can Go Home Again, You will choke on your average mediocre fucking life, Yucky Love Stuff | Leave a Comment »
April 15, 2010
“1, 2, 3 — 4, 5, 6 — 7, 8, 9 — 10, 11, 12
Stormtroopers came to the Stormtroopers’ picnic…”

Photograph by Mark, aka smokebelch on the flickr.
The counting song “Ladybugs’ Picnic” was written and recorded in 1971 for the Childrens’ Television Workshop masterpiece Sesame Street. It was written by Bud Luckey with lyrics by Dan Hadley, and sung for the show by Muppeteers Richard Hunt (R.I.P., wonderful you) and Jerry Nelson. The first episode in which it aired was marked 0416 and appeared as Season 4, Episode 12. Original airdate December 11, 1972.

Though most of the Sesame Street content was usually filmed/animated at the same time in good-sized chunks in various studios after long brainstorming and writing sessions, individual segments could often languish on the shelf for awhile, until just the right spot in the exactly perfect episode was found for them. Such is the case in the gap between the writing of “Ladybugs’ Picnic” by Luckey and Hadley, its recording with vocal track by Jerry and Richard — you know them better as Waldorf and Statler, among the many characters they voice — and its eventual appearance almost two years later on the show.
I have much more to say about wonderful Richard Hunt a different day. That’s one that I won’t be forgetting.
Tags:12, AIDS, animation, art, books, candids, cartoon, Childrens Television Workshop, counting, CTW, education, flickr, fun, funny, games, Hadley, HIV, images, Jerry Nelson, Ladybug Picnic, Ladybugs' Picnic, LEGO, lego star wars, legos, love, Luckey, lyrics, miniature, miniatures, movies, Muppeteers, muppets, Music --- Too many notes., Nelson and Hunt, normal, Patron saints, photographs, photography, picnic, picnics, Pictures, public television, puppeteering, puppets, quotes, Richard Hunt, rip, scale, sci-fi, science fiction, screencaps, Sesame Street, smokebelch, star wars, still life, stills, stormtroopers, Stormtroopers' Picnic, tableau, television will rot your brain, The Muppets, toys, Waldorf and Statler, writing
Posted in art, muppets, Music --- Too many notes., Patron saints, photography, Pictures, quotes, star wars, Talk nerdy to me, Tevee Time, The Muppets, Videos, Yucky Love Stuff | 1 Comment »