Re the Ugly Mug: it's all over for me.

"Regarding your request, Phil seriously considered it (which is a lot more
than he's done in the past), but ultimately had trouble accepting the
sincerity of your apology given your relatively recent negative comments
online about the reading and the Ugly Mug."--from an e-mail sent to me by Ben Trigg, Ugly Mug cohost.

Presuming this is one of the comments in question:
http://poetry-arts-confidential.blogspot.com/2011/04/ocs-two-idiots-reading-truth-is.html

And, the apology I made (after some thought on the banishment and realizing I've done a bad job of expressing contrition) http://poetry-arts-confidential.blogspot.com/2011/04/annual-plea-for-forgiveness-re-ugly-mug.html

Also presuming this is another "negative" comment--though it's not about the reading and the Ugly Mug, though.  It merely takes issue with the DON'T BLAME THE UGLY MUG anthology introduction:
http://poetry-arts-confidential.blogspot.com/2011/04/heres-to-culture-commandos.html

All I can do is stand by the apology; I feel better for having found the courage and humility to do it.  And, to close, here's an excerpt from the response e-mail I wrote to Ben (highlighting by me):
I was--and am still--sorry for my conduct of seven years ago. And I feel really sad about having my sincerity doubted--and getting told that my apologies aren't abject enough. It's been enough to cope with being mocked by whoever writes the "Terry McCarty's War Against Humanity" blog.



All three of you should be aware by now that I would never come back to the Ugly Mug only to be loud and disruptive to you and anyone else in attendance.

So, there you have it.  Nothing else to say, period.

New poem: LONDON POEM.

Took the Underground




from Holborn to Trafalgar Square



to see the stone lions



and the oversized ship-in-bottle--



plus the 2012 Olympics Countdown sign.



It was a clear and sunny day in London Town



as the busker in front of the National Gallery



sang Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah



almost as well as an Orange County poet/DJ once did.

Another sign of local poetry times in SoCal.

Stop me if you've heard something akin to this one before in your local poetry community:
So there's this long-time poet/host that I have some respect for and I just noticed that he's been studying
with this poet from a city adjacent to Orange County.  And I've been guilty in the past of saying things the LBC poet didn't want to hear--and he responded with a pithy remark calling me a talentless witless friendless turd.

But the poet I respect is more skilled at accepting the local scene as it is and is certainly trying to make the best of what's around.  And maybe the LBC poet will publish him in an anthology someday.

Ideally, the poet I respect should get a book deal from the LBC poet.

But since I'm a talentless witless friendless turd (allegedly), I have no say in the matter.

Snapshot of EMI's Abbey Road studio's outside wall.

RIP Jeff Conaway.

http://www.popeater.com/2011/05/27/jeff-conaway-dead/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk3|66575

Jeff Conaway will be known for playing Kenickie in 1978's film version of the musical GREASE--plus his supporting role as Bobby on the classic late 70s/early 80s sitcom TAXI--and for his participation (and what could be called exploitation) in  the VH1 reality series CELEBRITY REHAB, ringmastered by Dr. Drew Pinsky.

Reporting from London.

I've been vacationing in London, GB, UK--which explains the silence of this blog for the past week.

There's been some rain here, plus sun and gorgeous weather as well.

Have seen the Cotswolds, Abbey Road studios, Blenheim Palace (where Churchill was born and Kenneth Branagh filmed some of HAMLET) and an ITV show called SING IF YOU CAN, which can best be described as obstacle-course karaoke (and the show that Chuck Barris never produced during his long TV career)

Noticing that English people still cling to their right to smoke in public; remembering that Joe Jackson (musician extraordinaire) has made a side career of complaining about what he regards as draconian NYC smoking bans.

A little bit of draconianism wouldn't hurt on this side of the pond.

That's all for now.  Looking forward to buying the new Lady Gaga and Blondie albums being released here today.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY POETRY

New poem: THE CIGAR, THE HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM AND ME.

so I'm in a big big room

where music will be played

and there's an obnoxious someone

who thinks he's a defiant hero

clutching a fat cigar in his right hand

then he tilts his head back

and blows gray smoke

looking like car exhaust

into the upper Palladium atmosphere

I wonder if it's worth it 

to find one of the yellow-shirt security people

until I remember

that a security person

confiscated my friend's Tic-Tac container

because Mr. Security

thought the Tic-Tacs might be

smuggled-in drugs

that happen to be shaped like Tic-Tacs

and it's not worth it either

to confront Mr. Cigar

and knock his treasured smoke

from his right hand

since I know from experience

that hitting and being hit

isn't the right way

to solve problems

so I move away from the compromised air,

making sure that I stand behind

the tape separating audience

from Palladium walkways

as I hear loud chatter

and smell the more familiar concert aroma

of a freshly-lit joint