Nachahmungsspiel
John Harrison and his older
brother David Thompson were the most beautiful boys at Hobart Blvd Elementary
School. I was in the fifth grade and my
teacher was the elderly and kind Dorothy Stevenson. She looked like the actress who played Auntie
Em in the Judy Garland film The Wizard of Oz.
I was elected to student counsel and David Thompson was Student Body
President. Hobart Blvd Elementary was situated
on Olympic Blvd in the height of the
area now known as Korea Town. Back in
1972 the Koreans were just arriving in mass, and the area was mainly populated
by Japanese people who owned the many garden nurseries in the area. The Japanese were moving to West Los Angeles
and Gardena, a South Bay suburb. Most
Blacks lived South of Pico which was the unofficial border to South
Central. My family lived in a dingbat
apartment built in the 1950s just a bit north of Pico in the area known as Mid
City. My primary school was then part of
Wilshire Center. White flight had taken
place mainly South of Pico with the majority of whites living North of Olympic
Blvd working in the insurance companies that lined Wilshire Blvd.
David Thompson’ s very plump
white mother worked at State Farm Insurance Company on Wilshire Blvd just west
of the gated community Fremont Place that was part of Hancock Park. David’ s stepfather was Black. This black man was John Harrison’s
father. David didn’t get along very well
with his Black step father. David had a
round pie face and a husky built. At
least that was the term department stores like Sears& Roebuck, Montgomery
Ward and Zody’s used to describe chunky boys wear. John Harrison his brother, like me would be
defined as slim. Both John and David had
very pale skin, rosy cheeked peaches and cream complexions. The only thing that gave John away that he
was part racially mixed was his very corse hair. John looked very much like the bi-racial
actor Wentworth Miller. They even have a similar sounding voice.
David and John were both
brilliant students. I was jealous of
both of them. John’s best friend was a
goofy looking lanky white boy named David Gilliland. David lived in a court apartment unit next to
Richard Cadabona and his family. The
Cadabonas were mixed with white and Filipino.
I had known Richard Cadabona since the 3rd Grade. Richard was neighborhood friends with both
David Thompson and John Harrison. It was
through Richard that I got to hear frequent updates on the objects of my obsession. I never figured out if Richard understood my
interest in the two brothers.
My family had moved to
Wilshire Center in 1966 from Boyle Heights Ramona Gardens Housing Project. I was with my mother when she found our
apartment which was located at 1239 South Hobart Blvd #3 area code 213 prefix
Republic. Our zip code was 90006. Why I remember all that to this day is beyond
me. I guess I have always been a font of
useless information.
The woman who owned our
apartment building was named Miss Alain.
She was a black Creole from Louisiana.
The reason my mother was able to get the apartment was because I was
with her. Miss Alain’s elderly mother
was struck by how well behaved I was. I
was the perfect child, never squirming fidgeting plus I was adoreably cute and
cute. Miss Alain was also completely
charmed and besotted by my beautiful mother.
*
Went to Park am Gleisdreieck
with Baby Diaper Joel Gibb of the Hidden Cameras. Saw my favorite skater boi who was wearing
short shorts that revealed every inch of his cakes da killer. He was also shirtless and even Baby Diaper
was impressed with his flawless rack and
general young male loveliness. Also at
the park was one of the Pet Shop Bears and his lover. Since it was one of the German religious
holidays, the park was packadermed with
humpy man Fleisch. We also checked out
the beach volleyball players who were yummy.
Later that evening went to
the going away dinner of my gallerist Dan Gunn who has moved his gallery to his
hometown of London. Joining in the festivities La Sachsse and Marcuse
Siegelstein. Dan cooked an incredible
Springtime in the Rockies Lambdulla, baked asperagus and tira misu huhu for a
decadent desert. So my Liza Minnelli
diet went right out of the French doors into a poplar tree.
*
Spent a glorious time with
the gifted young Los Angeles based artist Elliot Reed visiting Berlin from a
whirlwind tour. Elliot is a young, Black
version of Jerry Lewis in his youthful prime of the 1950s. They even have similar voices and body shape,
and are love sexy in the same scintillating manner.
Everywhere we went together
he was attracting oodles of new fans and admirers.
Daddy Ron Athey says that so
many younger artists don’t have any references that stretch farther then
Beyonce, and are obsessed with becoming embraced by the mainstream.
When that pipe dream curdles
they wind up getting angry and lose themselves.
Elliot isn’t like that. As Papa Athey says, “He croons, he patters,
he teeters. Yes that encapsulates him
well. Some of his pieces seem like they
will fall apart, but they always work in the end in a very satisfactory
way. Plus he is very easy on the eyes as
a great beauty boy.
Special thankx to Ruth
Schonegger and Jewish Muzlim Daniel Hendrickson for hosting fabulous dinners
and luncheons for Elliot.
Continued on tour with
Original Sin as the weather spiked to hot and humid conditions. Not the best friend to a woman already
menopausel. I didn’ t get much sleep in
Cologne, though I loved staying at the Chelsea Hotel. The hotel restaurant was divine. We performed to a packed, eager audience at
the Stadtpark which is one of the cities most famous venues. The main curator at the Akademie Der Kunste Der Welt is the
glam and patrician Madhusree Dutta who was part of the Living Archive Festival
in Berlin from a few years back. She
treated the CHEAPIES to snacks and drinks after the show as the kitchen closed
early, and was a joy to be around along with Re-Phill Collins and his hot young
students, Max Jorge Hindere Cruz who is back in Germany after years in Brazil
looking very juicy and irresistible. I
also got to flirt with the wunderkind of the German speaking theater world
Ersan Mondtag.
As the rest of the CHEAP gang
head back to Berlin to rest from this leg of the tour the divine Jamie Stewart
and I were on a train to Basel. I had a
solo booth with Dan Gun Gallery London in the Liste Art Fair called Juno
Confiding Io to the Care of Argus where I mixed mythology with gender pioneers from the Harlem Renaissance
and early part of the 20th Century.
I clicked with something because during the VIP preview Dan sold 16 out
of 30 paintings that were part of the installation. I couldn’t believe it. I also got press in The Financial Times as
someone the collectors are demanding.
Well it was all a little too much for this olde lady to be sure. My solo performance was a bit shaky, but I
looked good in my Rick Owens twinset and dinosaur wedgies, and I don’t think I
angered too many people making fun of the Bildungs Burgerlich. Much thankx to Eva Birkenstock, Verena,
Millina, Mr. Dan the Man and Mattias the big hands and feet photographer from
Dusseldorf -They Call Me Rolf.
I did have a nice time with
all the CHEAPies & Co. Our concert
installation at the Kaserne had a very strange energy, but Fearless Leader
Susanne Sachsse and Jamie Stewart gave it their all with punk rockel
panasche. I find Basel a bit
problematic. Lots of eye candy though,
but its not like anyone was interested in pounding the doll’s pud.
*
Next up for the doll is
Contemporary Vinegar Syndrome, The Convex Serviette Edition which is our new performative
film event replacing the long running Rising Stars, Falling Stars program.
The dates for CVS is June
27,28 & 29th 8pm at the site specific location of Fichtebunker
----Fichtestrasse 6, 10967 Berlin-Kreuzberg.
The program is divided into
two parts. The first will serve as a
tribute of sorts to the visionary Lesben Feministiche filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger
showing her Happening Dokumentation film Berlinfieber Wolf Vostell. The second part will be performative with a
screening of Terayama Shuji’s Les chants de Maldoror and Ela Troyano’s David
Does Venus starring the fabulous Carmelita Tropicana. Of course there will be surprises every night
so you will want to go all three nights just to see them. The event also serves as a membership drive
for the Arsenal. Space is limited so
remember first come, first served.
Had a delightful visit with
the legendary Miss Ottinger at her huge tranquil compound. She was so gracious and loving. We had a very
sweet girlish get together. I still
can’t believe I had a one-on-one with such a legendary,visionary force of
nature who keeps in shape by swimming every single day and is working on
another hot film project.