Apologies for the late reply...

I have been so busy working on art the past few years, I have truly let this poor blog slide into Internet oblivion. Don't think it hasn't weighed heavily on my brain cells, dear readers. It has haunted me vaguely for a long while now. All my energies are pouring out in the art world here for the most part, and also here, due to political unrest in the U.S. And in this blog here.

Just on a whim, between bouts of anxiety over COVID-19, otherwise known as the Coronavirus—not the flu—stay informed! I happened to check out my "comments pending" page herein. And guess what? There were a lot (for me) of comments pending. I'm so sorry I let your comments pend for so long! Yeesh, truly this was a lapse in attention on my part.

My excuse is that for a very long time, there were no comments pending, except for the occasional spam-bot urging me to begin a lucrative business venture, and so I just gave up on ever receiving any comments. Sad! But I'm energized now. Your three years (!) worth of commentary has given me LIFE and for that I thank you, commenters. You are golden, and reading through all your thoughts has made today a lovely one.

Writers who gave up on publishing for filthy lucre (that would be me) and stuck to blogging for a long time, tend to write in a vacuum and although I happily would continue writing in a vacuum 'til the end of time, I dove back into the visual-making world and that takes a lot of time to figure out and master. I will be writing here again because I promised a Part 2 of my trip to eastern Canada and I never delivered and I so want to finish that because I really loved eastern Canada and I want other people to experience that part of the world. I mean, it took me decades to get there, which is crazy. It's far, but not THAT far. I mean, it's not like Antarctica. Anyway, that's on my list of THINGS TO DO.

Meanwhile, enjoy the day. Wash your hands. Avoid large crowds for the moment (subject to change), and make sure you're registered to vote and you know where and how to vote in your state (for U.S. voters—but good advice for any democracy). It's vitally important to get ethical and hard-working government in place on the Federal AND local levels, so jump in there, members of the Republic and make it a Democracy of the People once more. Love to you all. I'll be back.

Li'l comic I threw together recently, just for fun.

Political-Action Time! (links)

Hi everyone in the USA. It's time to get political. I know modern living is not easy. Wages have not kept up with inflation and cost-of-living expenses, including housing, utilities, food and education. We have a generation of college grads mired in horrible debt. We have a huge population and not enough industry to keep us gainfully employed. Our coastal cities are slowly going underwater as ocean levels rise. And I haven't even mentioned the lunatic that was stupidly and probably illegally voted into office as our leader.

I will get to him in a moment.

Meanwhile, it's time to call your elected officials and tell them how our laws and regulations affect you and your loved ones and communities. I know, it's kind of a pain to squeeze this into your schedule, but it only takes a few moments and it's so satisfying. Sometimes calls can't get through on hot-button issues; voicemail boxes get full, people go out to lunch. Keep trying. Phone calls will be tallied by office staffers and those tallies go directly to our elected officials. They are counted. They do count. Your experiences and opinions will be counted.

Handwritten letters are also tallied. Get out your favorite pen and lovely stationery and write your missive. It's good penmanship practice for when the apocalypse comes and we're living in a dystopia where communications consist of string tied to two tin cans. Emails tend to get lost, but are better than nothing. I also use twitter and Facebook for messages of a personal nature. But phone calls to political offices are golden.

Links for political action:

Find and contact your Senators

Find and contact your House Representatives

Are you out and about? This Medium article tells you how to use nonpartisan POPVOX's simple phone app to contact your Senators during the Senate confirmation hearings for Trump's proposed cabinet. Hearings started this week, with Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump's pick for Attorney General. Here is my nonpartisan response to that: *GAG* It's not political—it's just a reflex I'm having.

Stay informed:

C-SPAN - Live broadcasts of Federal-government dealings, no commercials!

BBC News - Answers the journalistic questions: Who? What? Where? Why? with nice accents

Al Jazeeza World News - It's not all about us

NPR - News, plus streaming alternative music—still a decent combination

"19 Activists Who Are Changing America" - from The Huffington Post

"How Trump’s cabinet picks compare to Obama and Bush’s nominees" - from The Los Angeles Times


Subscribe to these fine news outlets - a free press is a crucial part of oversight and checks and balances. On a budget? Try a digital subscription:

Washington Post

New York Times

Los Angeles Times

Mother Jones

The Atlantic

The New Yorker


Help support organizations doing good work:

Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence - There are 100,000 victims of gun violence in the U.S. every year - inhumane and unacceptable

Everytown for Gun Safety - Advocating for common-sense gun laws

Planned Parenthood Action Fund - Healthcare equity for all

Center for Reproductive Rights - Legal advocacy based on Constitutional laws for reproductive freedom

Sierra Club - Protect our planet, the only one we have

The Movement for Black Lives - 50 organizations meeting the needs of black communities

National LGBTQ Task Force - Promoting civil rights for gay and transgender communities

National Immigration Law Center - Defending the rights of low-income immigratns

She Should Run - Working to get more women elected in leadership roles

American Civil Liberties Union - Protect our civil liberties

Médecins Sans Frontières - Doctors Without Borders cares for people in the most desperate need throughout the world; this is holy work

(Thank you to my friend Audrey Ng and to Bust Magazine for this list of good organizations)

You can do it! Don't bey shy. Use your voice - you're democracy in action!


On another note, I noticed whenever I post about Trump I seem to receive hundreds of views from Russia. Coincidence? Perhaps. But whenever I don't post about Trump, I receive zero views from Russia. That's a difference of hundreds vs. zero. So here's an experiment. Let's see what happens when I type this:

The majority of American voters do not want Trump as President, spawning the title #NotMyPresident. Some people won't even say his name with the title of "President" attached. What if we call him by his own self-described criteria? Some sample titles, based on his own words: "Pussy Grabber Trump," "Higher IQ Than You Trump," "Potential Shooter Trump," "Groveler Not Mocker Trump."

Any more? Russia, do you want to weigh in on this one?

The Fabulous Rock and R&B Fashions of The Midnight Special, 1972 - 1978

The 70s! A special time for rockin'. If you don't believe me, you haven't seen "The Midnight Special." The pilot aired on August 19, 1972, which I missed because I was eight years old and my bedtime was at eight as well. But in subsequent years, I managed to stay up late, nabbing television-watching real estate in one of our suburban-home watching stations after the parents had gone to bed.

Here was a world of live music, onstage, decked in man-made finery the likes the world had never witnessed before. I'm talking about shiny plastic-like fabrics combined with crocheted granny-squares (with acrylic yarn, of course), as if pioneers on the Oregon Trail had ingested some seriously psychedelic mushrooms en route to the promised land. People dressed like pioneers in the 70s, complete with sun bonnets and hand-woven fabrics made from petroleum-derived chemicals. It was a serious mish-mash.

And it shows. Just look at these images I borrowed from "The Midnight Special" DVD documentary-extra, "Star-Studded Stage Fashion." I appreciate that my local library carries several of these DVDs, particularly disc 1, featuring Argent, Linda Ronstadt, Joan Baez and Hall & Oates (don't give me that look—they all rule in their own way, okay?). It is 70s-studded to the extreme. I'm going to title everything I do "________-Studded" from now on.

Have a happy-face-studded day.

As a child, I was open and accepting of all stage fashion. I didn't have a frame-of-reference for such things, so this all seemed completely normal to me. You play in a band or sing? Oh, then you wear these kinds of clothes during performance. No judgment. That was the best way to be during the 70s and accounts for my survival. It's a theory anyway. 

We begin with Helen Reddy, singing "I Am Woman" in a pink crocheted halter top. There are interviews with many of the former performers of "Midnight Special" and they're good sports to look back at their younger selves and comment. Reddy seems somewhat baffled about her fashion choices, which she implies were "one of several options" to choose from (paraphrasing). So I imagine there was some wardrobe person on hand with a trunk full of garments and the performers reached in there and perhaps stoned, drunk or sleep-deprived, this was the result...?

Oh, Helen...

Hot Chocolate! I love these guys. I just heard "Every 1's a Winner" yesterday while shopping at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, and indeed I felt like a winner while finding good deals on granola bars.

RIP, Errol Brown—great front man with great style

Kool & the Gang! Yes, this is stylish. I miss the masterful R&B horn sections of yore. Playing tightly composed dance tunes while wearing a three-piece suit is not for the faint of heart. It gets hot under those stage lights. Kudos, Kool & the Gang.

Check out Aerosmith's pants. That's gotta affect your ability to stay on pitch.

Tiiiiiiiiiiight (pants)

Looks like hugely successful Fleetwood Mac stopped by. Note: this floaty witchy look only worked on Stevie Nicks.

(Professional rock star - do not attempt this at home)

I can't believe Lindsey Buckingham could play with these ginormous sleeves flapping about, but he is a guitar master

Just who the hell is this anyway? Disc 1 doesn't credit everyone in this documentary, assuming you have the entire set at home at your perusal. These pants are even tighter than Aerosmith's attire. Jesus, ouch with these trousers.

I blame cocaine for this look - I blame cocaine for a lot of things

The Emotions, suited up in white and silver menswear. I love a lady in menswear. I just love menswear—it's comfortable and wears well.

White suits were a thing.

And what was once called leisurewear, although ABBA is taking it too far, as usual.

There was nothing leisurely about the late Barry White. He meant business. He was large and in charge, with the 40-piece Love Unlimited Orchestra to back him up. FORTY-PIECE ORCHESTRA—the 70s were kind of amazing.

Freddy Mercury. We were so dense, we didn't understand that he was out by naming his band Queen. Jumpsuits were big and hard to deal with in public restrooms.

Helen Reddy again, in modestly flamboyant attire.

LaBelle! "Lady Marmalade" was a radio hit that taught us kids how to speak French while singing along to a song about a business man who has mind-blowing sex with a New Orleans prostitute.

I remember these outfits—how could I ever forget?

Patti Labelle is not messing around

The O'Jays - unified elegance. Top-40 radio of the 70s was like a blender full of musical genres—a genre smoothie if you will. It made for an interesting time for early-80s bands that were made up of kids who had grown up listening to a lot of different musical styles.

So O'Jays segueing into Peter Frampton was not weird for us. We adjusted our inner-ear tune-forks accordingly. Out of all the interviewees for this segment, Frampton appears to be the most embarrassed by his bare-chest look, excusing himself slightly by mentioning that Robert Plant pioneered the style and who was he to question it? It's okay, you're still a total cutie, Peter.

Redbone! They were the awesomest. I remember seeing this performance and thinking, these guys look like people in my family. Redbone and Santana—we were glad to see and hear them in our household.

I'm including Kevin Cronin from 1980-era REO Speedwagon only because I had a blazer just like this. It was oversized and evoked a weird blend of dressy combined with circus-clown that made up much of early-80s style.

Sly and the Family Stone. They had it all. They rule the Earth. Forever and ever. Peace and love, Sly.

Check out Tina Turner and the Ikettes. They're still cooler than anyone else to this day.

I don't know what was going on with Todd Rundgren and I'm sure he doesn't either. And that's okay. No judgment.

The great Wolfman Jack pushing the great Little Richard on a swing. Look at Wolfman's ecstatic face. You know he's thinking, "I'm getting paid to push Little Richard on a swing!"

I wrote some stuff - other people worked on stuff too - links

Hi Internet—I've been writing a lot (and rewriting even more). Here's something about writing I never realized before: it gives you a fat ass. I have to go work on that, but first here's a few links of my work and the works of others as well. If you're so inclined:

Bad Movies - Issue 2 (the cult issue) - one of those labors of love. Cass Wall, editor in chief compiles the work that the world throws his way. This issue has my "Meditations for the Modern World" (pg. 44)—a helpful and very short guide to navigating your brain within the confines of our narcissistic reality-TV pop app landscape—newly photo-illustrated by moi. You can read the digital copy free, and/or purchase a very affordable paper publication here. A digital copy for viewing is also available here. Lots of cool essays, humor, comics, coloring pages and a Freudian Film Theory word search puzzle. That's a winning combination.

Here's the Bad Movies Tumblr.

Hey, I have a Tumblr dumping ground too - Dancing Bugs


And for Bright Wall/Dark Room I wrote an essay on Martin Scorsese's Casino, a dark film that I did a little work on, back in the day. I never got to work directly with Marty (maybe someday), but I helped out Matte World Digital while they made some amaze-o 70s-era Las Vegas strip casino shots. The thing is, you have to buy the issue for $1.99 (a steal!), or subscribe to the magazine for a year (twenty dollars—you won't be sorry!), but it's probably worth it, given the width and breadth of content you'll receive. Thoughtful essays, tons of themes, lots of movies. Teaser is here: "Watching Casino, Twenty Years Later." 

Here's the Bright Wall/Dark Room site.


I was just now wondering, whatever happened to Santigold, and I see she released a single yesterday, and record-release news. That's good timing. Wow, her site is A TRIP.


Did you ever get around to purchasing She Mob's latest, Right in the Head ? Still time. I have some footage around here somewhere from our recent Halloween show at a Berkeley preschool. That's one for the ages. They're all one for the ages.


Follow me on twitter. (I read this tech article that said the best way to encourage people to follow you on twitter is to use a directive, so follow me on twitter, dammit. Dammit, you better follow me. On twitter. Do it. The article said this would work.)

Celebrity Gossip Roundup

I won't mince words as if they were cloves of garlic on a chopping block—our numbers are lagging here at Captive Wild Woman Blogspot Dot Com. There's a downshift and a tide-turning of eyeballs-to-pages according to Google Analytics. Rather than lament the days of Internet yore, before advertising and slideshow click-bait flooded the Internet wilds with crappiness and suckage, we here at CWW Central are embracing the problem. And as usual, the solution is obvious: celebrity gossip.

Who can resist a roundup of celebrity gossip? Not I and certainly not you, coveted readers. The celebrity is a magnet to us regular-folk, a stand-in for our hopes, dreams, and nightmares. The popular kids—what are they up to? I'm glad you asked.


Harry Styles Looks Sad

Doesn't he though? I wonder what's going on.

There's just this overall cast of ennui on display. He could be tired—touring will do that. Or hungover and dehydrated. Or depressed, or experiencing low endorphin-release from lack of tattoos that day. All I know is Harry Styles is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. And his pants are so tight—that's gotta hurt.


Lindsay Lohan Just Keeps On Keeping On

Everybody's got an opinion when it comes to Lindsay Lohan. The fact is, she's still chugging away and you're reading about her (again) on the Internet, so who's the winner in this scenario? 

That's right: Lindsay. No matter how many times she drives over someone's foot, is arrested, is put on probation (again), is given community service, or is laid off from a reality show and chewed out by Oprah, she just keeps on keeping on. She even gets to live and work in London, And where are you, and where are you working? Odds are, not in London. So always remember: Lindsay wins. Every time. In every way. We're not the winners. She is.


Nobody Said Anything Too Stupid on the Internet Today

Nobody then gave a lame apology and nobody got that angry about any one specific unfortunate incident. It was a good day on the Internet, overall.



North West Could Give Two Rips

North West is not yet two but is already being proclaimed a fashion icon by the press. And here's what you need to know: North West could give two rips. She's a baby and babies care about few things. Some of which involve clean diapers, adequate food, cuddles and emotional bonding in general, and maybe a special blankie or nightlight for bedtime.

Babies don't give two rips about materialism, craven attention-mongering and our stupid obsessions with status and merchandising. That's because babies are pure little people with open hearts and ready minds, ready to fully engage in the world around them. I have to go retch in a corner now. Excuse me.



This Mourning Dove's An Asshole

Every morning at 5 AM, this (facsimile of a) mourning dove sits on the roof below my bedroom window and calls to its mate. I know it's driven by pure instinct and the will to survive—I appreciate that. But this shit's getting old. Every fucking morning with the cooing. I'm an insomniac, so you see where I'm coming. Sure my kind—the humans—have encroached on local wildlife habitat for centuries now. I get it. With all the pollution we spew into the ozone with our stinking traffic jams and noise from sirens, horns, engines, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and obnoxious, banal chit-chat, not to mention all the trees we've chopped down to make way for "progress," we're probably a thousand times more of an asshole than this innocent creature of nature. Still, this bird doesn't let up for quite some time and either its mate is deaf or he's just being an asshole. I'm calling it.

Johanna Magdalena Beyer wrote some cool tunes (1889-1944)

Johanna Beyer, mystery woman, German immigrant to the U.S., nearly forgotten experimental composer who worked with Henry Cowell, Percy Grainger and Ruth Crawford. Introduced to me by a 19-year-old college student with impeccable musical taste on her Tumblr site, This is Hanging Rock Comics. Take a moment to discover the Sticky Melodies of Johanna Beyer.

Music of the Spheres (1938, recorded in 1977) from An Anthology Of Noise & Electronic Music - Vol. 2 (Disc 1), 2002




Waltz (1939)




Percussion Suite (1933)




Percussion, opus 14 (1939)



Beyer scores are available at Frog Peak Collective.

Greetings from Bodie, California

Bodie! The Eastern Sierra boomtown that peaked in the late 1800s when gold flowed from the mines like water.

Bodie! Where crime and murder were an almost daily occurrence. Where a population of nearly 10,000 had 65 saloons to choose from, but only two churches (one that would burn down eventually).

Bodie! where the school burned to ashes in a fire set by a juvenile delinquent. And paintings of the 10 Commandments were stolen out of the Methodist Church.

Bodie! At an elevation of nearly 8,500 feet, it's broiling in the summer and often completely snowed in during winter. The city's namesake and early gold-discoverer, W.S. Bodey, died in a blizzard during a supply run and never saw the town grow to its epic proportions.

Bodie! Finally abandoned by its townsfolk in the 1940s, after the mines had long dried up. It became a State Historic Park in 1962. Two hundred buildings are still standing and it's open to visitors year-round, whether by rugged drive over three miles of rocky unpaved road, or via snow-mobile, cross-country skies, or snow shoes.

Let's take a look around Bodie.

The town is kept in a state of "arrested decay" by State Park Services, so we can peek in and see what's been left behind.

Bodie was the location for William Wyler's first talkie from 1929, Hell's Heroes. The Visit Bodie site has kindly put some scenes together so we can witness Bodie when it was still a real town, before the great fire of 1932 destroyed a large portion of it.


Scenes from Hell's Heroes filmed in Bodie, CA from Visit Bodie on Vimeo.

I am no stranger to ghost towns. My Mom was born in Jerome, Arizona, another mining town that was abandoned in the early 1950s when the copper reserves dried up. My Grandpa was a miner, who followed my Grandma to San Francisco, where she had hauled their six kids to keep them from working in the mines. (There also may have been an "other woman" involved, prompting Grandma's abrupt move—it's murky family history at best.)

Jerome was resettled in the 1970s by mountainous hippies, and is now an artist community and biker hangout. I'm going to assume the bikers are friendlier than the artists, who are generally a surly, paranoid lot. I've visited a few times—take my word on this.

Anyway, ghost towns are like cemeteries, but the dearly departed is civilization itself. What's left (and there's a lot left in Bodie) is a reminder of just how ephemeral all of this is.

The 38 Most Haunting Abandoned Places on Earth