fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station
Herbie Hancock entered the recording studio all smiles and excitement. “We’re gonna have a great time!” he enthused. So my brother Robert told me many years after this memorable gig, where he played bass with the Maestro. Mr. Hancock no doubt came in with such charged happiness and positivity to help calm the nerves of…
Mario Savio spent his summer vacation in 1964 doing voter registration work in the South. Racist thugs beat him and a couple of his friends, the price of the ticket for many civil rights workers. One thug had to pay $50 for the crime. Returning to school for the fall semester at UC Berkeley, he intended…
Berkeley’s 30 year-old Farmer’s Market has apparently been cancelled this weekend. It’s only been cancelled once before due to a gale storm. This time, it faces a different type of storm. Some might call them stormtroopers. For the second time in as many months, Trump supporters plan to hold a rally in Berkeley. Their objective is…
Friend John Iversen, long time AIDS activist based in the East Bay, recorded a CD of tango music last year. He is holding a CD release party/birthday party this Saturday, February 25 at 7:30 pm at Studio 12, 2525 8th St. in Berkeley. $12 admission; $10 students, disabled, elders, unemployed; under 7 free. Yours truly…
The Doctor: Professor Watson, any being that can exist let alone thrive inside a nuclear pile is hardly likely to be deterred by a few primitive missiles. Professor Watson: But they’re the most powerful missiles we have! The Doctor: On your standards, perhaps. I think we should try much older weapons. Sarah Jane Smith: Like?…
“When they said Berkeley was ‘crunchy,’ I didn’t know they meant students’ rib cages.” – Stephen Colbert Gathered together to protest the injustices of the day, they linked arms and held firm. They linked arms as they crossed a bridge, knowing that police cars, batons, dogs, and fire hoses waited at the other end. They…
