Monthly Archives: August 2011

Missing the Mud – Part Une

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Calgary Fats

I just got an email from an old friend, Santa Barbara poet and raconteur, Phil Stephens.  At one point, Phil and I spent a lot of time in Isla Vista California, the student ghetto attached to UC Santa Barbara.  Phil … Continue reading →

Posted in France, Sex, Writing | 1 Comment

Are you scared yet?

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Calgary Fats

It’s my last few days at La Muse, and I should be focused on my novel. But this morning I read a piece by Dana Milbank on Rick Perry.  Milbank portrays Perry as a religious bigot hell bent on establishing … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment

No racists in my family tree

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Calgary Fats

Looking for hurricane news in the Times and found this – a very smart analysis of how popular entertainment, like the movie, The Help, distorts the reality of race relations during the segregation era.  The author of this piece doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Politics | Leave a comment

If it wasn’t for women making country music, country music wouldn’t have no balls at all

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Calgary Fats

The news from back home is not always depressing. I read a piece in yesterday’s paper about a new female Country and Western group, Pistol Annies, and I felt like maybe there was hope for America after all, despite the … Continue reading →

Posted in Country and Western, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Music, Song Lyrics, Writing | Leave a comment

Evil doesn’t go on vacation

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Calgary Fats

It’s nice to be tucked away in France for three weeks, but I can’t entirely ignore the self-inflicted catastrophe unfolding back home. This piece in the Washington Post summarizes the Republicans’ step-by-step campaign to reverse all of the gains in … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment

Lost in France

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Calgary Fats

Judith and I are currently residents at a writer/artist retreat in France, La Muse. We are in the mountains near Carcassonne, which contains a perfectly preserved walled medieval town within the confines of the modern city. The city is gorgeous … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | 1 Comment