eroticism. magic. baseball. baseball has been kind to me professionally. My book BART: A Life OF A. Bartlett Giamatti did pretty well. Must get it back into print. Worked with my wonderful editor Cork Smith, who recently passed.
Music
songs. jazz. opera.
Movies
noirs. musicals. When Fred Astaire died... I met Ginger Rogers while we waited in wings to go on TV promo spots in Boston. She'd just come out with an autobiography. This woman with blond wig in a wheelchair, she motioned for me to go over. I looked down, hard. It was Ginger Rogers. I told her I love her. She said, "Kid, see what we have to do?"
Television
baseball. some Law & Order because my girlfriend loves it and so I derive some pleasure from hers.
Books
My books:The Mediterranean Runs Through Brooklyn (1981);
Valentino and the Great Italians (1986);BART: A Life of A.Bartlett Giamatti (1991);Lefty and the Button Men (2000);
Anita Garibaldi, a Biography (2000);The Little Sailor (audiobook) (2005);Toni Cade Bambara’s One Sicilian Night (2007). The Little Sailor (paperback) (2008).
Recently completed screenplay called "The Bensonhurst Pigeon" and now embark upon selling it. It feels very good, maybe 'cause material, characters and images, earlier
than ever before. Also a modern noir thriller, forms that I enjoy. Reworking Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) into a hapless clown, and elevating Kasper Gutman (Sidney Greenstreet) into protagonist of sorts. At the heart of it, its medium, 10-year-old Antonio, known as the Little Sailor, and hunchback girl, Frances. Have never loved anyone as well as Frances.
Heroes
Garibaldi. Bobby Fischer. Billy Wagner. Would have liked to meet Garibaldi so that could fight in his corps.
About me: author & photographer. Once had a wonderful publisher who told me, I'd do anything for a thousand dollars. Thought about him when thinking that my work, all artists if they wish, now accessible worldwide. Promoting at present: Memoir titled Toni Cade Bambara's One Sicilian Night. About friendship with the great black woman, writer, political and media activist. Strange, much different than family, to have had a lover who died. Kind of never goes away. At the same time, keeps me going, so that can remember, get angry, work even harder. Surprised when going back over this manuscript, the fine portrait of Kurt Vonnegut, as well as Harold Brodkey, who both, as well as Toni, have passed. At that time, 1991, Kurt had fallen from a horse, and, of course, died recenly from a fall. My editor the wonderful Cork Smith of Harcourt & other major publishers also recenly passed. What does a writer do when his/her crew passes on? Been exceedingly prolific. Hey--doin' this!
Who I'd like to meet: No one in particular. Girlfriend says I'm good with strangers. One, two minutes at most. Like passing ships. Certainly do not wish to meet another writer, alive or dead. Because the better the writer I've known, famous and good, the less "nice". The life's too hard. Visual artists, musicians different story. After The Mediterranean Runs Through Brooklyn was published, got a call from an intermediary that some girl wanted to meet me. She had seen the photo on hard cover back jacket. I cordially declined, did not want to disappoint, I said Once got a letter from a woman who enjoyed a book of mine and said that for her it was food. Momentarily thought I'd like to meet her. Love to share what I learned as a professional editor & writer. See, experience writers grow aware of their progess and follow progress of a script.
