Monday, June 23, 2008

Victims of un-synchronized passion

It's plain from both sides of the correspondence (the JFK Library already had 31 letters and telegrams from Dietrich to Hemingway, sent between 1950 and 1961) that the strong emotional bond between them was matched by a comparable physical attraction. Intense protestations of love pepper the correspondence .

Yet Dietrich and Hemingway were never lovers. They were, as Hemingway once remarked to his friend and future biographer A.E. Hotchner , "Victims of un-synchronized passion." Whenever one party was unattached, the other was not.

The lack of physical consummation may have contributed to the often-heated sentiments Hemingway expressed. "What do you really want to do for a life work?" he wrote on June 19, 1950. "Break everybody's heart for a dime? You could always break mine for a nickel and I'd bring the nickel." Later in that letter, he refers to his new novel as "Under the Arm-Pits and Into the Trees."

(Mark Feeney, The Boston Globe  |  March 27, 2007)


Tuesday, June 17, 2008

June 17th

Clouds could not push away the 
warmth i felt for you today. 

I listened to Norah Jones and thought 
about the grandson you never met
who holds your name as his. 

Corrie. 

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The Greatest Song of All Time

- CJRW, Home of the classic hits.
- Hi, is this Nighttime Dan?
- Yes it is. Who am i speaking with?
- This is The Greatest... but first off I'd like to tell you that I'm a really big fan.
- That's nice to hear. Do you have a request?
- ...and that I'm a first time caller but a long time listener.
- Thanks for calling so what's your request. 
- Oh yes, excuse me, I'm a bit nervous. 
- Just spit it out. 
- Okay. Here goes. Ahem. I'd like you to play the The Greatest Song of All Time. 
- And what would that be? 
- Be? It's The Greatest Song of All Time.
- I'm sorry sir but I'll need a title. 
- It's The Gre...
- Song of all time. Yes sir, but I'll still need a song title or an artist.
- I told you it's...
- look I'm not that great at guessing games and we got a line up of callers so just tell us what the greatest song of all time is and we'll play it for you. 
- it's me.
- what?
- It's me. I'm The Greatest Song of All Time. 
- Really sir? 
- Really. 
- Are you sure? Because i've never heard of you. 
- That's because you haven't played me. 
- But it's just not that easy sir - umm may I call you Greatest? 
- Sure. 
- Look Greatest, I'm sure you are great and that people really love you but I just can't play something unproven that no one has ever heard. 
- But they will.
- Perhaps but not here. Here we play the Beatles and their like.
- Who?
- The Beatles. The greatest band of all time?
- Hey we have the the same first name. 
- Thanks for calling sir. 
- Wait! Please!
- Yes sir. 
- Could you play Rocket Man instead?
- Right away sir. 




A Postcard from London