Greetings, artists-with-celebrity-obsessions.
This post is for you. I love this poem posted in a comment by poet/novelist Linda Sienkiewicz– Linda explains in her comment that the ‘he’ at the end of this Jim Morrison poem is another of her celeb. crushes, Russell Crowe.
Linda took her Jim Morrison obsession and made a whole haunting chapbook about it (see Linda’s word-press website)–
I can relate. I took my obsession with scandal skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan and (so far) have written a novella, chamber opera and rock opera (new productions forthcoming) and now film script (film forthcoming) all about T&N.
Has anyone out there done anything similarly crazy? Read Linda’s vivid visceral poem and see if you might want to try obsessing creatively, on the page or stage… Thanxx to Linda for this, our first Art on the Blog:
from Linda:
DEAR JIM
Thirty years is a long time, Morrison—
my mantra, my shaman, my sweet
erotic nihilist. It’s too weird to think
you’d show up panting
at my back door, and I’m no longer
the lone, braless freak in a high
school full of fresh-faced cornhuskers,
no more the sweet sixteen leather-whip
whose kohl-lined, bloodshot eyes saw your face
in every Rorschach blot, who believed
she alone could light your fire.
Admit it, Jimbo, the closest I’d get
to you now is a zipless fuck with some
look-alike on your grave in Père Lachaise.
I’ve found a new bad boy—
dingo-barking-mad with your apocalyptic
intensity— ten thousand watts of it burning
night and day in my brain.
You think he likes older women? Okay,
so maybe he doesn’t, but look, Mojo, I’m sick
of microwaving Lean Cuisine, washing
my pantyhose in the bathroom sink
every night, waking up in the same bed.
He’ll be the gladiator to defend my dreams,
someone to squeeze when my day stumbles
down the stairs into the basement.
Yes, you’re beautiful, you’ll always
be beautiful — isn’t that the tragedy
of The End? And maybe asking the Antichrist
to be an angel is a lot, but, I could use your help.
What I’m saying is: please look after him.
Don’t let him die in a bathtub in Paris or
anything. I got a big load of laundry to do.
-Linda K. Sienkiewicz
Published in Main Street Rag
You’re welcome, and thank you for posting it!
Yep, the “dingo-barking mad” “Gladiator of my dreams” in the poem is that wild Aussie Crowe! I’d tried writing about Jimbo many times over the years, but it wasn’t until I actually addressed him that I came up with something that didn’t sound like a sentimental tribute. It was curious that I felt like I was cheating on him.
Maybe someday I’ll work up the nerve to post some of my Crowe fan fiction here.
HI Linda– yes, I’m so happy to have that poem up there–
dingo-barking mad; very prescient; and that was before Crowe’s
phone-throwing incident… Yes, if the spirit moves you, I would love to see some ‘fan fiction;’ I am so interested in that genre and yet haven’t read any– would be great to see yours on Russell C.; I am picturing a Gladiator theme?
Anyway, thanks for a rousing poem & I’m hoping to see more creative works popping up here on the Blog– cheers– Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
Glad to hear (through the grapevine) that you all had a good
trip across the big pond. I look forward to pics. I’m sure there are a ton. So far I have only written one poem with a celebrity theme, and here it is. Thanks for reading!
CELEBRITY FATIGUE
There, on AOL,
as I pilfered a look at my e-mail
during work,
a headline—bold, concise, important—
“Oprah Weeps.”
My heart skipped a beat;
a breath lodged itself in my throat
like a pretzel stick,
and the world
just
stopped.
Oh, dear God, no,
was my silent plea,
Oprah…..weeps?
Say it ain’t so.
As if things aren’t bad enough—
polar caps melting,
lethal quantities of lead
in Barbiemobiles, See and Says,
and the barn that moos
when you open it;
beef infected with bird flu,
birds infected with rabies,
honeybees dying off
just for the hell of it,
and Bigfoot elusive
as ever,
just a mangy bear,
or a man in a mangy bear suit—
what next, I asked myself, what next?
I gathered my shattered composure,
wiped the tears from my eyes,
(oh, I weep, too, yes I do,
but not as good as Oprah do)
I heard the words
of that shortest of all Bible verses,
made famous by Mary Ellen Walton—
or was it John Boy, Or Grampa—
“Jesus wept,”
and I knew why.
Wow– I love this– OPRAH WEPT– love the John-Boy references too–
I always confused Grandpa Walton w/ God– Robin, I will get this posted on our upcoming ‘page’ for celebrity-inspired writings; this Blog is a work in Progress but it’s all worth it for poems like this…plus I’d missed that Oprah headline and now it is emblazoned in my mind…See today’s newest posts for a Soul Brother of yours,
‘Litotes’– you may recognize his style–XXX your Soul ‘Sister’ Elizabeth
Terrific poem, Robin!
Here’s something I discovered when I googled the Progressive Car Insurance chick who does the television ads (and yes, I did ask myself why I was googling her in the first place. I guess I find her mildly annoying and just wanted to find out if anyone else did.)
She’s got this retro look going with heavy brows and eyeliner, and dark hair that’s teased up in the back—the kind of hairstyle “greasers” wore when I was in school. In fact, she’d be a dead ringer for a greaser if she wore frosted pale pink lipstick instead of red.
Well, she has a cult following! Her “tricked out” nametag says “FLO” but she’s an actress, Stephanie Courtney. Since the ads started sometime last year, guys have been stalking her through the internet.
I read this blog comment about her on another person’s blog: “Is it her fabulous comic timing, her over-the-top facial expressions, her cute-as-a-button retro flip? Or is it the slight hint of a bad girl that lies just under the surface? The promise of a tattoo under that checkout girl uniform? The possibility of a motorcycle parked out back?” Her character has been compared to a vintage Vargas pin-up girl, ’50s burlesque dancer Betty Page and, adds Courtney, a “‘fetish chick…. I don’t know what it is,’” she says. “‘The way I play her, she’s pretty much the most asexual thing on TV right now. I think the Geico lizard puts out more sexual vibes than Flo does. But I do think the cavemen are totally crushable.’” There’s more at http://www.austin360.com/tv/content/tv/stories/2008/10/1020progressive.html?imw=Y
I don’t know about you, but I find those cavemen disturbing… I didn’t mind the ads so much until they got their own TV show and bombed.
I wondered if anyone else has an opinion on “Flo.”
I love your description of FLO and want to ‘meet’ her– About those Cavemen– yeah, I found them creepy too. Somehow they made me squeamish like racist sadistic 1930′s cartoons do…Did not know they got their own TV show; glad it is now extinct…I agree Robin’s poem is terrific; Linda your own Dear Jim poem has inspired so many submissions that I’m en route now to putting up a new ‘page’ to display them all, led by you– Stay Tuned! Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
I’m so glad to know I started something!
Linda
YES, Linda– you are the Queen of the StarLit. page– really, your poem inspired a lot of writers to send in; I have waiting in the wings a (very) personal essay on Michael Jackson, which will go up when I get my MJ post together, and there are promises of more works to come– so keep the inspiring words flowing– And speaking of flow, I hope we find a fellow Flo fan to commune with you on that front– Thanks for being the pioneer post-er of star-inspired writings; glad to have Dear Jim as our opening act– cheers– Elizabeth