Author: Dan White

Well, I just went and purchased a ticket to see Lucinda Williams live at the Rio Theater next week in Santa Cruz. I think she’s a songwriting genius, so we should all indulge her a little bit, even if she sometimes gets grumpy, and even if she sometimes chooses to perform her own songs while reading the lyrics and chord progressions off a music stand set up near the front of the stage. The best Lucinda concert I’ve ever seen was at the Warfield, just after Car Wheels on a Gravel Road came out. Pure bliss. Another time I saw her, she had some kind of loud on-stage tiff with the bass player at the Fillmore. They worked it out, but it was a little dodgy there for a while. By the way, Tea Obreht, author of The Tiger’s Wife, is coming to Bookshop Santa Cruz this Friday, while the…

Here it is. I wrote this up to spread the word about the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation in Santa Cruz. I hope you enjoy this. By the way, I have a few more Q and A’s set up with various nonfiction and fiction writers so stay tuned. I’ll write and post those when I can. Poets and grandmothers in outer space: A Q&A with Nikki Giovanni Nikki Giovanni, acclaimed poet, bestselling author, creative writing professor, and living connection to Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, is this year’s keynote speaker for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation in downtown Santa Cruz. King’s assassination, and his memorial service, which she attended, inspired some of her earliest published works. She has the authority and credibility of a ’60s activist from the front lines of the civil rights movement. Giovanni also has an insurgent sense of humor and…

OK, both of you. First of all, it was nice to see you last week, and second of all, here are some good books to read. Get your hands on Elif Batuman’s hilarious, startling and clever book The Possessed, about freaks like me who can’t get enough of Russian literature. She is always so funny and surprising. I once sent her a fan letter and got a nice response. You’re 11 years too late to celebrate the book’s sesquicentennial; still, this is as good a time as any to conquer Moby Dick if you haven’t already, and if you can, get your hands on the Arion version, which is beautifully illustrated and has a nice big font size for nearsighted folks like me. Don’t listen to all those people who make it seem as if reading this book is like taking a daily dose of codfish liver oil. The book…

Sad to hear today’s news. Then again he lived and wrote about 17 lifetime’s worth. I don’t agree that he’s our Orwell or our Mencken. I think of him as a complete one-off, and while I’ll enjoy reading his work for a long time into the future, I’ll miss his timeliness and topicality. I won’t be able to read about some demagogue or invasion without wondering what he would have said about it. Regardless of what you think about his positions (Falkland Islands, Iraq War, etc.), you have to admire someone who doesn’t care about the politics of consensus, isn’t afraid to make you mad, and is willing to put his opinions on the line by going on some truly scary talk shows and TV programs. (Sean Hannity, etc.) I’m also amazed that he kept cranking out the essays and columns up to the very end (including a beautifully written…

I just had a great, free-wheeling phone conversation with Nikki Giovanni, who will be here in Santa Cruz in a few weeks. Among the topics we covered: Martin Luther King, Jr., space travel, Occupy Wall Street, Prince Charles, writing pedagogy, and the importance of poetry. I will post that here once I’ve distilled it down to a Q and A. Be patient. It takes time to put it all together. In other news, I’ve got a slamming headache from watching the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” video on YouTube. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

I just received (in the mail) The 36 Hours/150 Weekends anthology book published by the New York Times and Taschen, and featuring two of my recently published travel pieces. Please go out and buy it but don’t drop it on your foot. It must weigh five or six pounds!!! In other news, I don’t have rabies. Also, I just wanted to know that my pecan pie turned out fine. However, my pumpkin pie was a gelatinous horror that sent people running from the table. Sorry for the bad food, everybody. There’s always next year. I also want to apologize for the small type. I bet you’re experiencing eye-strain right now. I tried to increase the font size but the button isn’t working. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

I am going to take a break from blogging for a while because typing is almost impossible right now. My cat took a huge bite out of my finger! It’s not his fault.Here’s what happened. My cat has not been feeling well — he’s been fighting off an infection — so I had to go to the vet in San Jose and get these gigantic, stinky brown pills for him. You wouldn’t believe the size of these pills. Maybe they thought I said “moose” instead of “cat.” Anyhow, he refuses to eat them on his own, even if I stick them in a “pill pocket” that is made out of smelly cat food. Following the doctor’s instructions, I had to stick the pill directly down his throat and push. That meant opening up his jaws, gently nudging my finger beneath his razor-sharp teeth, and inserting the pill into his throat…

In case you’re interested, I have a new-ish story that gives you an inside look at Lionsgate TV, which produces, among other things, Mad Men, Weeds and Nurse Jackie. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Here’s another one from the vault, a rare interview with Tom Lehrer. This came out 10 years ago but I think it’s still relevant. Too bad that America’s most incisive and funny political songwriter isn’t writing political songs anymore. He could have a lot of fun with Herman Cain among others. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

As it turns out, that crazy whale photo you’ve been seeing in newspapers and broadcasts across the country is by Santa Cruz’s own Shmuel Thaler, “complete with misspelled name in the photo credit.” His whale image recently made the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Thanks, Shmuel, for sending in. If it wasn’t for people sending in, I’d have no content at all. Still waiting for advice on the pie. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default