Writing. Fiction. People (though this doesn't imply I like them). Travel. Cooking. Meditation. Eastern religious philosophies. Magick. Tantric sex. The cultural history of various forms of pop music. Surrealism. Satire as a weapon of war. Radio. Film.
Music
Louie 'Pops' Armstrong; Fats Waller; Miles Davis; John Coltrane; Charlie Parker; Sun Ra and his Arkestra; http://www.wkcr.org/ ; Jimi Hendrix; Diamanda Galas; Roberta Flack; Throbbing Gristle; Jemeel Moondoc; Demo Moe; Electrocute; Boy from Brazil; Nick Drake; Jeff Buckley; Washington Phllips; Jamie Liddell; Songs from a Random House; Lo Galluccio; Howlin' Wolf; Fishbone; Sammy Davis, Jr.; Funkedelic; The Nasty Party; Esquerita; John Lee Hooker; Phil Spector; http:// www.femmes-breaks.com/ (this shit is SERIOUSLY funky--no half-steppin' here) ; John Lee Hooker; Johnny Cash; Thelonius Monk; http://www.wfmu.org/ ; Bud Powell; Nina Simone; early Sun-Records Elvis; Roberta Flack; Louis Jordan; Phil Schnapp; Frank Sinatra; Keith Richards; Beck's Mtv Makes Me Wanna Smoke Crack; Velvet Underground; Quio "like Oooo..." Ennio Morricone; Captain Beefheart; The Fugs; Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys; Nico; Flo n' Eddie; James Booker; Mr. Airplane Man; http://www.ubu.com/sound/index.html
Movies
King Kong; Godzilla; The Seventh Victim; I Walked with a Zombie; Cat People; Curse of the Cat People; The Leopard Man; Cooley High; Touch of Evil; Daughter of Dracula; Angel Heart; Cruising; Good Fellas; http://www.ubu.com/film/ ; Taxi Driver; J.F.K.; White of the Eye; Mario Bava's Black Sunday; The Cool World; The Bride of Frankenstein; Super Fly; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; Shivers (aka They Came from Within); Putney Swope; Coonskin; Welcome Home, Brother Charles; ANYTHING with Mantan Moreland; La Maman et La Putain; Once Upon a Time in the West; Ernest Saves Christmas; Brain Dead; Freeway; Freeway II: Confessions of a Trick Baby; Penetentiary I, II, III (with the Midnight Thump!); Ed Wood; Bonnie & Clyde; Barbarella; Earth Vs. Flying Saucers; Invasion of the Body Snatiches and the Phil Kaufman remake; El Topo; The Abominable Dr. Phibes; Theater of Blood; Horror Hospital; Badlands; Roma; An American Werewolf in London; Dr. Strangelove; After the Fox; Dead Man; Night of the Hunter; Rosemary's Baby; Repulsion; Saloon Kitty; The Bad Seed; ANYTHING with Nastassia Kinksi; NOTHING with Uma Thurman (which pretty much cancels out the films of Quentin Tarantino with three exceptions); Salo; Fantomas; Witchcraft through the Ages; Haille Gerima's Bush Mama; Freaks; Sweet, Sweetback's Baadassssss' Song; The P-Funk movie the Hudlin Brothers never got to make; Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!; God Told Me To; Island of Lost Souls; Corman's The Masque of the Red Death; Edgar Ulmer's Detour and The Black Cat; Fleischer Brother cartoons; Gumby animations; http://www.ubu.com/film/
Television
I cursed my television set. It blew up the same night. No lie. I just finished watching King Kong. "'Twas Beauty killed the beast". Then BOOM!
Books
Valdimir Nabakov's "Lolita" and "Laughter in the Dark"; the short stories of Edgar Allen Poe; Octave Mirbeau's "The Torture Garden"; Miquel Angel Asturias' "Mulata"; Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn"; Gore Vidal's "Live from Golgatha" and his current attacks on the empire (this is one man who knows where the bodies are buried) ; William Burroughs' "Naked Lunch"; Terry Southern's "Magic Christian"; Robert Gover's "One Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding" and "Here goes Kitten"; Salie-Ann Glassman's "Vodu Visions" Monique Wittig's "Les Guerilleres"; anything by Kathy Acker and Dennis Cooper; "Demons of the Flesh" by Zeena and Nikolas Shreck; "Notes of a Hanging Judge" by Stanley Crouch; Amos Vogel's "Film as Subversive Art"; Charles Chestnutt's "The Conjure Woman"; Maya Deren's "The Divine Horseman"; Chester Himes' Harlem cycle with Coffin Ed and Gravedigger, "The Quality of Hurt" and "My Life of Absurdity" (has kept my head together here); Ryunosuke Akutagawa's "Kappa"; "Dope Fiend" by Donald Goines; "God's Boot" by Brad Fox"; "Blues for a Black Cat" by Boris Vian; "Revolution for the Hell of It" by Abbie Hoffman; "Black Sunlight" by Damdudzo Marechera; the works of Michael O'Donohue; "The Splintered Day" by V.K. Mina (love this woman); "Lipstick Traces"; "The Werewolf of Paris" by Guy Endore; "Flash of the Spirit" by Dr. Robert Farris Thompson; Amos Tutola in general; Jazz Dance: The Story of Vernacular Dance; Cook books; The Big Book of Conspiracies; The Big Book of the Unexplained; CHRON!IC!RIOTS!PA!SM! by Fly; The Red Foxx Encyclopedia of Black Humor; As Serious As Your Life by Valerie Wilmer; Every Napkin Scribble by Stewart Home (genius in the extreme. exquisite); Hear Me Talkin' To Ya by Shapiro and Hentoff; Hot Rain by Lo Galluccio; Gumbo Ya-Ya by Saxon, Dreyer and Tallant; The National Lampoon's Would You Buy A Used War From This Man?,
"Dr. John Under a Hoodoo Moon: The Life of a Night Tripper" (I reread this book at least once a year. Its hilarious without trying to be and it gives amazing insights into the roots of American pop culture. Superior to the Miles autobiography. Jack Rummel really nails it). During this last reading, I had a scary memory: At the age of 19, I was riding in a car driven by JAMES BOOKER, Dr. John's keyboard genius, from Newton, Mass. to New Haven, Ct. They had a gig at Carnegie (sp?) Hall. I had hitched hiked from New Haven to check them out and they gave me a ride back. Read the book and you will realize why it might be scary had I only known. However, they were all very nice to me. Dr. John made sure I was looked after by a former member of the San Francisco Dolls)
About me: Author of "Negrophobia"; "That's Blaxploitation!!!: Roots of the Baadassssss 'Tude (Rated X by an All-Whtye Jury"; "Voodoo Stew" and "Froggie Chocolate's Christmas Eve".
Currently developing, with filmmaker Oliver Hardt, a documentary on the influence of Voodoo on popular culture entitled "The United States of Hoodoo" for European television. I am also writing a book about the rather odd life I've had since leaving New York and moving to Berlin. The working title is "Changing Planes". This, too, among other things, concerns magic.
My spiritual concerns are serious if unorthadox. Here, in Germany, many consider me a 'Nazi-Satanist'. This is an absurd assertion on the part of cowardly liberal-left so-called 'thinkers'. How can an American black man who lived in New York City be a Nazi? Crack, maybe, combined with a large dose of N.O.I. bullsh(*&(*). But not this American black man. As for 'Satanist', I've never owned a black-metal album in my life. If anything, in that regard, I'm of the Sammy Davis, Jr. school. Yeah, baby, jack off while I take out my glass eyeball (Sammy was cool like that). Also, contrary to popular belief, I don't subscribe to 'pimp's code'. I am DEEPLY into the feminine demonic. Kali is my homegirl.
A brief bio:
Left United States in 1998. Lived in New York for 20 odd years with intermittent periods in Montreal, Quebec Canada. Was homeless most of that time. Did the whole Lower Eastside thing when Yuppies actually had money and spent freely. Now, as my friend, Norman Douglas, points out: today's Yuppies are still waiting for the check to clear.
Began my 'professional' career with the Village Voice in 1987. Ended my 'professional' career with their rival New York Press under the astute supervision of John Strausbaugh. Wrote for a variety of publications in between: Penthouse Letters, Spin, Esquire, Details, High Times, New York Times (pulled a great prank there), Art Forum...plus a few noteworthy zines no one has ever heard of like the O.T.O. publication The Bahlasti Papers and Michael Carter's downtown literary journal Red Tape. Have been collected in a number of anthologies. My contributions are 'amusing'. Currently, doing a lot of European television.
I also do a radio show called "Dr. Snakeskin's Hoodoo Kitchen". This is a continuation of "Chasin' the Dragon's Tail with Dr. Snakeskin". Both shows are under the auspices of the generous folks at www.reboot.fm. (Hey, Diana! Hey, Pit!). I will blog it here once the shows are archived elsewhere.
Had a bad marriage. It lasted eleven years. Was miserable. Uncondusive (sp?) to creative flow. What can I say? I'm loyal.
Marriage broke up. Instantly decided to move to Berlin. I'm happy here even if I've gone through a string of relationships with fairy tale beginings and unhappy endings. Each of the women were wonderful in their respective ways. The relationships didn't work for various reasons. And, no, I am not bitter. I am living the life I have always wanted to live now. Out of America. In Europe. Even if Europeans are fucked up in their own special ways. I write without financial pressures. I eat well. I have intimate friends. Presently, I live on the demarcation line of where the Berlin Wall once stood. I live on the eastside. The 'east' obviously holds magical significance for me in this life. There are tribes of gypsies in my building. Unlike my neighbors, I like them. They once tried to curse me. They left a Crowley death card in front of my door. I picked it up, walked downstairs and knocked on their door. When the door opened, I stared at them manically, pointed at the card, saying: DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? Then ate the card. We've been neighborly ever since.
Who I'd like to meet: Good question. There are zero degrees between myself and Kevin Bacon. I met him at the Midem music fest in Cannes in 1998. I've met Eubie Blake, the cigar-smoking Bricktop, Romano Mussolini, Diamanda Galas, Jeff Buckley (they lived right across the street from each other), Chris Dowd, Jack Newfield, Antonio "Huggy Bear" Fargas, Pam Grier, John Belushi, Rip Torn, Quentin Quisp, John Waters, the crud at MTV, Pedro Bell, Larry Rivers, John Landis, Ike Turner (I asked him how it felt to be the most unpopular black man in America and he answered THANK GOD FOR OJ!!), Kathleen Cleaver, Bruce LaBruce, the very strange yet utterly delightful Carol Kane, Pamela DeBarre, several less than brilliant institutional brand-name artists, the Brazillian filmmaker Coffin Joe, an ex-pimp who claimed he shot smack with Bird, Stephen Lack (my former brother in law, made heads blow up in "Scanners"); Paul "Peewee Herman" Rubens, Andrea Dworkin; Peter Sotos; Bud Cort; Al Goldstein; Sherrie Hite; Robert Downey Sr.; Vanessa Del Rio; Poppy Z. Brite; Sandra Bernhard (she stood me up on a date), Frank Zappa (he explained how to make crystals with sound), Leon Theremin; Kathy Acker (who is responsible for my life as a writer); Samuel Delaney; Flip Wilson, Jim Goad;Paul Mooney; Walter Mosely; a homeless man who claimed he was Buckwheat from The Little Rascals, Stewart Home, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Uma Thurman (see: movies), Allen Ginsberg, Malcolm McLaren; Dennis Hopper; Dennis Cooper, Greil Marcus, Kenneth Anger, Eddie Bunker (ran down how to be a pimp, said "...act like they daddy"); Candido, former Red Army Faction soldier Irmgard Mueller, the Caliph of the O.T.O., Ahmet Eretegun, Terry Southern, Charles Mingus, Gregory Corso ("I hope you're not into that BLACK crap like Leroy!"), Mr. Mike; Michael Holman of Grey; Eric D. Clark; once stared into a vast emptiness that turned out to be Bjork's eyes; Little Richard, Taylor Mead, Abbie Hoffman, Dr. John, James Taylor, the painter Robert Williams, Julian Beck, Debbie Harry, Fab Five Freddie, Melvin Van Peebles, Luka Pink, Nick Zedd, Jody Foster (she thought I was a cartoonist), Al Goldstein, Mike Katz (the cat who was Arnold Swarzennegro's competation <(sp?) in "Pumping Iron". He was my science teacher in Jr. High School, Michael J. Whalen. We called him 'Herman Munster'. He wore tailored Brooks Brothers suits. Was always clean. I talked to him a few years ago. Told him about the whole turn of the century Vienesse obcession with Jewish body builders. That was an unmentioned point in the film. How he was exploited by that Austrian pig. He didn't know anything about that. Arnold Swarzennegro is a pig. Repeat after me.) Stanley Crouch; Richard Hell; Eddie Murphy, Theo Van Gogh (dat fat muthaf§"%$§ka is dead 'cause he wuz tryin' to get himself sum' wid th' clitoris detached! Nigga wuz a FREAK for black women!); Tyrus Coursey, Inger Lorre, Richard Pryor, David Letterman, John Cusack, Jimmy Walker, Herbert Hunke (he once gave me a whole dollar!) Franklyn Ajaye, Bill Murray ("Where my cigarettes, niggah?!!), Jim Jarmusch, Carol Kane, Alan Cabal,Antonia Franceschi, Laurie Anderson, Johnny Depp, Goat Carson, James Chance, William Burroughs, Mariel Hemingway, Margot Kidder, Veruschka, Larry Cohen, and Clarence Williams III (Linc from the Mod Squad). I even met Nastassia Kinski once. It was on the set of John Landis' "Susan's Plan". "Whatever you do", he said, "DON'T MENTION HER FATHER!". We were introduced. She looked at me with a pair of eyes that were lumnious and empty at once and said "I have to pee!" Then fluttered off. She wouldn't let me watch. Ok.... I'd like to meet Fairuza Balk.... Correction.... I would like sleep with Fairuza Balk.
Anyone else? Vladimir Putin. Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock get on your knees. Putin is the single funniest human being on the planet.
wolltest Du schon immer mal mit Deiner Honky Tonk Woman ne ganze Menge Satisfaction haben und dabei nen ordentlichen Jumping Jack Flash mit extra viel Brown Sugar genießen? Dann bist Du bei uns garantiert richtig ;-)
GET STONED's mittlerweile legendäre Rolling-Stones-Clubshow kommt am Freitag, den 27.11. ins QUEEN'S ("Café Garbaty im Exil") im Forum Pankow in der Damerowstraße 8 in 13187 Berlin. Sei also dabei, wenn es wieder heißt: It's only rock'n'roll...
To everyone who has
seen this already, Thank you for your support! For those who haven't, if you
get the chance, watch my promo & tell me what you think. Thanks!
Thank you for continually adding yourself onto the cipher with my many ideals and ventures as well as supporting us
in what we define as beautiful. Keep a look out for an announcement of our launch for our online magazine! Have a wonderful day.
