The Ballad of Robert Johnson
Strange Angles
Way up in the mountains, the air itself
is a drug, & hippies stand in a driveway,
smoking pipes. An inquisitive thirteen-
year-old boy tours a long, winding, high-
ceiling'd bungalow, property of two
antique dealers, stuffed full of junky
trinkets. Their redheaded daughter is
his age, and invites him into her room.
Within a few hours, he remembers nothing.
Thirty years later, a woman stands in
a driveway in Woodstock, New York,
wondering who her parents are, surprised
at what must be the altitude, skewering
her thoughts, cutting into her at strange angles.
from American Tour: Pittsburgh Character Actress
Once all the lightweights and half-assed
prima donnas disappear, I'll be the only
one left standing. Endurance matters
more than charisma does. And, no, I'm
not bitter about my non-leading lady
status. It's more easy to be memorable
when people know what to expect from
you. Take Nicholson: we always know
what to expect from Jack. Of course,
I have a lot of technical expertise he
doesn't. I always tell my students, you
don't fill the holes, you don't get the
roles. Well, that's your problem. We
all know you're basically a lightweight
too. The difference between us is
simple: you're in Pittsburgh because
you're stuck, I'm here because I
matter. And all the "hug me, love
me, suck my juices" stuff you use
with your students is cute but it's
tacky. As I get older, Lizzie & Laura
lose their hotness. Give me the raw
girls with the tats. And watch me go.
Ode On Psyche at This Charming Lab...
This recording of the Ode On Psyche was made at a This Charming Lab reading at the Kelly Writers House in Philadelphia on March 27, 2004. Early Aughts odal ecstasy.
