Tag Archives: Frank O’Hara

“The purpose of an artist, whatever it is, is to take the life, whatever he sees, and to raise it up to an elevated position where it has dignity.” — William Carlos Williams

“No ideas but in things.” – from “Paterson”, by William Carlos Williams The first poems I read of William Carlos Williams, in high school English class, were the red wheelbarrow one and the one about the plums. I imagine that’s … Continue reading

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“[My ambition is to] give something to our literature which will be our own.” — Walt Whitman

“I like to think that eventually he will shame us into becoming Americans again.” — Guy Davenport on Walt Whitman Whitman is the organizing principle behind my review of Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Thunder Revue. Bob Dylan quotes Whitman all the … Continue reading

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“Attention equals Life.” — Frank O’Hara

“I am the least difficult of men. All I want is boundless love.” – poet Frank O’Hara It’s his birthday today. First up: I launched my column at Film Comment with a piece about American poet Frank O’Hara’s love of … Continue reading

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“No two people on earth are alike, and it’s got to be that way in music or it isn’t music..” — Billie Holiday

It’s her birthday today. Here is Frank O’Hara’s poem called “The Day Lady Died.” Notice that he doesn’t say her name. The Day Lady Died It is 12:20 in New York a Friday three days after Bastille day, yes it … Continue reading

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2019 Books Read

It’s been such a busy year for me as a writer. The busiest. I’ve had to “make time” for reading stuff that has nothing to do with anything writing-wise. I need to read for pleasure. Many of the books I … Continue reading

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Year in Review: Shooting My Mouth Off in 2019

Thanks, everyone, who hangs out here, who likes what I do, whether you’re an Elvis fan, a Supernatural fan, a general cinephile, a book-lover, or just someone who’s been checking in periodically for 17 years – WHAT? – I appreciate … Continue reading

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Introducing “Present Tense,” my column at Film Comment

So yes it’s been an eventful month. Nicolas Rapold, editor-in-chief at Film Comment, asked me to write a regular column for them. It is a huge honor. It’s going to be focused on … whatever I want to focus on, … Continue reading

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March 2019 Viewing Diary

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (2017; d. Catherine Bainbridge) Mum came and visited me and we watched this amazing documentary about the contributions Native Americans have made to music. It starts with Link Wray. I loved this documentary … Continue reading

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The Books: Twenty-Eight Artists and Two Saints, ‘Perfectly Frank’, by Joan Acocella

On the essays shelf: Twenty-eight Artists and Two Saints: Essays by Joan Acocella. Unlike a lot of poets, I feel that I know everything I need to know about Frank O’Hara by reading his work. He emerges, there, on the … Continue reading

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The Books: “The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry” – Frank O’Hara

Daily Book Excerpt: Poetry The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, Volume 2: Contemporary Poetry, edited by Jahan Ramazani, Richard Ellmann, and Robert O’Clair I’ve moved on from the “Modern” volume, and am now in the “Contemporary” volume. The … Continue reading

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