p.s. Hey. I haven't done a question of the day for a while, but here's a question not from me but rather from the distinguished writer and local Pascal in his own words: 'The question is whether I should use the word 'penis' or the word 'dennis'. It's obvious where in the poem I mean as I've left an underlined blank. I've used the blog as a spring board into new ways of writing over the last year while I was heavily involved in really dry academic stuff for my course. So thanks to everybody really.' So, everybody please answer this guest-hosted question of the day and help Pascal out. Answer somewhere amidst your comment today, if you don't mind. Thanks a lot from me, and here's the poem, whose original line breaks and intricate layout will appear before you in a no doubt heavily squashed and distorted form if I know my Blogger:

#3

---a figure is starting to appear seated----there is starting to appear seated figure----Lex, my mother lives in Hackensack she says when I wake in the night I pray for other people and then go back to sleep---I take no pills nor cut nor hang myself nor shoot my brains out---I sleep and dream and God sometimes exists

---O Great Wardrobe, I have not bought clothes for 8 years. I starve. I feed. the great anorak Anne said was lovely and I said I’ve had it for ages like I’d said the wrong thing like she was disappointed.---she says she will consider me her painting next time in Dublin.---she says poetry is ‘enchanting’ self-obsession.---an island with an hotel abandoned.---a road rising into the clouds.----I am sorry everybody I am not evil I am full of praise for the ancient farmhouse, sorry, hotel


----------smoky beams, wind, scary voices:

-------------Home

-------------is corridors.

-------------Sexual

-------------the breath

-------------of rooms.

----------Rooms

----------we are

-------------leaving.

---dear ______,

---the story you told me is haunted and has destroyed me----you said the difficult.----it is hard to forgive the inability to care or communicate with others

----and yet observe the shadowy------for you have made it bearable in the following ways:
---inhale------------ghost

-------------and then

exhale

-----------stars

however, in this instance, I am writing to you, mon cheri, regarding an hotel where lost boys and girls fall down dead I am waiting for the part where I cannot wait to expose myself fully------and to all of you I say: Herd these Tremulous Fingers into the Valleys:

-----a tree a rock a book a shed a forest a blanket a coat a mattress a knife a map a cave a river a leaf a song a flame a cloud a plane a city a building a light a window a room------a figure is starting to appear seated a kind of mystery shopper a kind of rollercoaster-----falling masonry and so on and so forth

---------------“I would like to point out that I am writing this not from memory rather I am holding my own legs in my own arms”
o great wardrobe, what silences you contain, what textures

heap of cloth---bird mistaken for leaf

room with figure sitting on edge of bed in pale light

occasional car passing and something barely audible---voices possibly neighbours possibly television.

Otherwise, mm, I'm in heavy work mode and sans much excitement or gossip. Oh, yesterday d.l. Mark noticed that there's a little video clip newly loaded onto youtube that shows two fragments from the French version of 'Jerk', if you're interested. It's here. Yeah, I think that's it for now. I have a headache. It's not too brutal, though. ** Pisycaca, (Xet) Yeah, we got heavily Spanish around here for a short while. It's about time, right? The Tour de France is coming to Barcelona? What's that about? Well, bands play all over the place, so why not bicycle races, I guess. Oh, Montse will have her birthday in Paris? Very cool. Anything event-specific and specifically Parisian planned out for the occasion? I'm really looking forward to meeting you guys. (M.) Oh, ugh, about the crying baby stuff. My writing's going okay right now. I'm feeling fairly upbeat. My back is totally normal, I think, I hope. It's leaving me alone for now. Like I said, it'll be so awesome to see you guys. You come on the ... 27th? Is that right? Where are you staying? ** Stan_cz, My fingers will remain crossed until the month's end then. Why do you read English translations over German ones? Is there a specific reason? Yeah, driving becomes second nature, and a car starts to feel like a gas powered suit of armor pretty quickly, or that was my experience. I find driving relaxing like few other things. ** David, I forgot all about that 'Day the Earth Stood Still' remake, and yet it wasn't so long ago. Keanu, wherefore art thou? In putting together my non-fiction book, which includes an interview I did with Mr. Reeves just prior to 'Idaho', I was struck yet again by the charming, spazzy goofball he was but no longer is. ** Erik, When you go to the beach, you really go to the beach. Me, I wear my snowsuit. Nice towel, ha ha. ** David Ehrenstein, Well, that's just too bad about 'Bruno'. And yet, one should have guessed. Remember when Mike Myers preemptively pulled the plug on his 'Dieter' movie because he realized the gag was too thin to be sustained for ninety minutes? I can't believe I'm suggesting that Cohen maybe should have taken a page from Mike Myers' book, but I guess I am. ** Empty Frame, I have baby Ubuweb aspirations too. Shoot for the moon, I say. I haven't watched the Melies yet, but I hope to today. Let me try to coax people over there. Everyone, our new friend Empty Frame is quickly creating a killer storehouse and thoughtful compendium of video goodies for brainiacs like ourselves over on his blog, and won't you join me in frequenting it? A friend once baked me a cake in the shape of an ass too. Being a good friend who was well aware of my favorite variety of asses, he made it a sheet cake. I bet yours was multi-layered. Congrats on the demise of that bar, and here's hoping it doesn't reopen as a late night hang out for Dixieland aficionados. ** JW Veldhoen, Oh, ugh, JW. Get a zillion times better in the blink of an eye. Wait, you and NB have/had strep at roughly the same time. Very ... interesting. ** Flit, You make me want to do a Self-Portrait Day: My Speaking Voice. You know, load the blog up with home recorded mp3s. Wouldn't that be fascinating and sexy and so on? I think it would. Interesting about the posh accent thing. It made me realize that although there is a variety of LA accents, none of them are either posh or the opposite. I guess maybe Valley Girl talk would be the lowlife version, if there is one. I'm like you: reading Acker and Guyotat and that kind of writing is like floating down a stream on my back drinking a cool glass of lemonade. ** SYpHA_69, Yeah, but maybe living by yourself would de-romanticize what it's like to live alone so thoroughly that it would harm your book's premise. But then I almost never seem to be able to write about my current circumstances. It took me almost four years to get so used to France that I could figure out how to write a novel set here. ** Frank Jaffe, It gets really cold in Tallahassee in the winter? I don't know why that surprises me. Florida = excessive sunshine to me. But then the only part of Florida I've ever been to is the ... pan handle? What do Floridians call that little strip of Florida that extends to the west? I love your love of films and books, and that festival you organized looks really nice. Cool you showed that wonderful Christophe Honore film. He writes novels too, which are apparently very, very good, but none of them have been translated into English. Oh, that Scott Treleaven book is beautiful. His visual art is terrific. I think you'll like it. He lives in Paris in the same building where I live, and he's a great guy, as is his boyfriend, Paul P, who's also an interesting artist. What courses are you taking? Anything particularly interesting to you? ** J. Campbell, Hey, man. How are you? What are you working on? What's new? ** Pascal, Well, you see what became of the poem when it sat down in Blogger's strangling grip. I hope you get a lot of responses to the question today. I'm quite curious as to what people will pick too, naturally. Sometimes rest is just the thing. It's hard to accept that though, if you're like me. I tend to force myself to power through the laziness, which isn't always the best route. ** Toniok, Thanks a lot for yesterday, man. It was awesome. Yes, I did see the video you sent, and I thought it was kind of amazing, and I've been meaning to write you about it, and I will, by hook or crook. ** Steevee, Yeah, best to go ahead and know the deal rather than nurse a secret. I think so. No, I don't know Woods of Infinity. Sounds interesting. I'll go try to hear something. Yeah, curious to hear your thoughts on 'Antichrist', of course. I wonder if the US version was edited. I heard it might be. ** Jose, You finished the novel, excellent. Yeah, send it to me. Email's okay. I'll likely be a little slow getting to it, but you know my problems on that front. But, yeah, I've been looking forward to reading it for, gosh, ages. I have your same positive (?) sleeping habits, although I usually wake up at 7, so maybe I'm just a bit more something or other. I'll post 'Strange Landscape', okay. But it'll have to wait until my next trip to LA in probably September because that's where my copy is. ** Blendin, I wish I could eat great French food. It's so full of meat. So it's crepes and baguettes for me. Sorry about the Giants, man. Sorry about the Dodgers too. I can't explain their ongoing goodness. It's quite unlike them. Have you seen Randy Johnson pitch yet? I want to see him pitch even if he isn't quite the god he was, oh, two years ago even. ** Tomkendall, Man, this time off has been good for you. You just stink (in the good way) of life. I hope the job's return doesn't dash your writing stint and your positivity about it too much if at all. I'm absolutely sure you're not deluding yourself. I'm absolutely sure that wood you knocked said, 'That was highly unnecessary, Tom'. ** Uli, Hey. Oh, yeah, the Absurd murder thing. I forgot about that. I need to reinvestigate. Maybe I can get a post out of it. I don't think I've done a Black Metal post since Gaahl is Gay Day. Only a week to go? Do you have a ton of stuff to move? That's exciting: the move. If I can get myself to Berlin, we'll have to hang out. ** Kier, A cold Paris isn't Paris at its best, but coming from where you are, it might feel refreshingly temperate, so, yeah, try to visit then. That's my vote. ** Alan, Hey. Thanks a lot for the gallery of Bresson posters. I was suitably drooly. I have two of them -- the 'Four Nights of a Dreamer' one, which is gigantic, and the 'Une Femme Douce' one with the blood splatter, which is normal sized. That 'UFD' one with the head wrapped in hair is a weird one. I've never that before. Yeah, thanks, man! ** Chris, Oh, man, you're not pushing hard and fast on 'Them'. I'm raring to go and getting more excited and curious by the second. I know Vijay Iyer's stuff just a little bit, and I liked what I heard a whole lot. That bill is fantastic. I still wish you could play in Paris. If we can get this 'Them' thing going, we need to get it to play here too, which, duh, would be the perfect occasion for your playing here. Yeah, I guess we need to sort out what to do next and when re: 'Them'. Maybe I can come through NYC on my way to LA, and we can watch the tapes and get concrete on the future building of it. Yeah, downtime is kind of a foreign idea to me. It's nice not to have to travel for a while, but the near-overload of work is ongoing. ** Math t, I didn't do an object of desire last time? I guess I don't usually participate. I'll knuckle down on the lust front and add my two cents this time. Oh, wasn't it you about the 'confab' thing? Hm. I remembered you telling me that was a very gay word for me to use or something, but maybe it was someone else. In any case, the term is happily/basically out of my repartee now thanks to some kind someone or other. ** Bernard Welt, You're someone I should talk to about culinary stuff for my novel. I'm entering the phase where I need to get a grip on that stuff so I can use it. Maybe we can sort out a time when I could call you? Would that be cool? You're right, I love me some Magic Castle. I'll leave Mr. Forehead and Mr. Unit to you and Mr. E. ** Misanthrope, How is Justin, btw? I see he still hasn't joined in the fray here unless he's pseudonyming it. Hm. You can bet I'm 100% behind the no smoking move. Seriously. The sugar intake increase seems like part of the deal. You quit smoking, you get fat, you go on a diet once you're through the biological changes. Goes with the turf, I think. Yeah, I hope people pony up and brave the imaginary catcalls or whatever for the SPD. We're all in this crotch unmasking together. I guess I'll participate, yeah, just to make sure there are some actual skinny, pale objects in there and not just the faux-sickly twinks that you seem to like, ha ha. ** Mark, Hey. Thanks for the alert about the youtube 'Jerk' thing. I didn't know it was there. It's a really early version of 'Jerk' when it was a bit more tentative than it is now, but it's better than nothing. Those Barbieque pix are swell and even kind of, err, sexy in a weird way. Maybe that's just me. Oh, ... Everyone, you want to see what Barbie and Ken dolls look like after they've been tortured into art in a microwave by our own Mark? Need inspiration for the SPD Day? If the answer to either of those questions is yes, click here. ** Winter Rates, You're a great man, WR. ** Postitbreakup, Hey. Hm, well, I don't know about quitting TV and the internet. But I'm kind of strange about that stuff maybe. When people start talking about how bad and sad and ominous it is that young people are so glued to the internet and TV and iPods and stuff these days, I just think that that's no less of an interesting, rich life than anything else. I don't romanticize the outdoors as much as most people seem to do, and I've always hated parties and big social settings like that. So, you know, I guess I think you should do what's interesting to you, and if what you're doing honestly troubles you, stop, but it's all okay as far as I'm concerned, speaking as someone who spends a fucking ton of my life at my computer these days. And if you're interested in the showrunner for HBO job, then all the TV watching and exploring is nothing but research and preparation, right? All that might be bad advice, I don't know. I just think the pressure to be social on people who don't enjoy being social is thoughtless and lazy. Personally, of course I wish you'd find a way to write more and get your writings finished. Maybe you should find and join a writer's workshop to give you deadlines and feedback and stuff. And, as a writer, you need to work with what you have and who you are. My writing is very limited by my many limitations as a person. There are lots of people who think my work is too narrow, but I don't think so, and I don't care, to be honest with you. I just try to make my limitations into my strengths and do what I do as thoroughly as I can, and you can do the same thing. You've got a ton of stuff inside you to work with just like I do. You just have find where the ton is located and not feel pressure to be the kind of writer that you're not. That's my thought to you for today, at least. ** Oscar B, Yeah, I've seen a couple of those 'Faces of Death' videos. I find them very depressing, and I really don't get anything from them other than a feeling of ugliness and a feeling of being emotionally and intellectually shut down. That kind of stuff is just nihilist porn to me. I know people get all 'ooh' and 'ahh' about them, but I don't. I haven't found a thing I can learn from those kinds of images. It's just a parade of misery to me. I don't find any poetry or insight or beauty in that stuff at all. Does that make any sense? ** Jheorgge, Hey! Yeah, it was way too short, but it was really great seeing you, and, you know, thanks a lot about 'Jerk'. The Friday show was weird, good weird. I think the fire had an effect on Jonathan and maybe even on the audience, but it really is a slightly different show every night, and it's Jonathan's call, and he definitely does read the audience and sort of try to work with what he feels like their mood and expectations are. Oh, for 'Jerk' images, I guess you should write to Bureau Cassiopee, which is Gisele's management company. Try this: write to Anne Cecile Sibue at this address -- annececile@bureaucassiopee.fr. If you have problems, let me know, and I'll sort something out. Oh, gosh, I'm so grateful about the movies on disc. Gosh, send me whatever you like in addition to 'Four Nights ...'. I have 'Paranoid Park'. Yeah, just add whatever you think is best. Fucking amazing of you to do that, man! That's so nice. You can send it here: c/o Centre International des Recollets, 150 rue du Faubourg St, Martin, 75010 Paris, France. Recent listening? Mm, Christian Marclay, Hecker, Mad River, Dirty Projectors, Rhys Chatham, Ovmujyo, Pacific Blush. ** You-x, Dude, happy early birthday! 26 is a good one. What are you going to do for it? Where did you and that whole gaggle of fellow superstars go on your trip? Oh, I'm really loving the Ovmujyo albums. In fact, I just mentioned them by coincidence a few sentences ago. I'm early in my enjoyment and compiling thoughts and superlatives, but, yeah, gorgeous, and more details as the music invades the inner sanctum. I fucked up and haven't pulled your book off the shelf yet though. I'll do that today. I'm in the middle of doing this non-fiction book right now, and that's eating my eyes and brain. I tend to smoke just under a pack of cigarettes a day, I guess, on average. If I could smoke in this apartment, the intake would go up, for sure. All right, man, get that b'day cake baked and astral project the taste to me, okay? ** I'm outta here. Today's post: I had a day-long fascination with Scratch and Sniff the other week, and that's the explanation. Please give the word choice question from Pascal some thought and make your pick. I have a bunch of work to do today. You probably do too, right? Life's weird. See you tomorrow.