we need more parties in the USA

My town of Long Beach is so cool. This weekend, we had two super awesome music festivals. On Saturday, we had the annual Funk Fest, which sadly I missed, but I heard that everybody was getting down in the streets, and that makes me way happy. Fred Wesley of the JBs performed and everyone was invited to join him and his band for breakfast the morning of the Fest at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, an iconic restaurant in Long Beach, serving the best fried chicken in Southern California. I really wish I was there, but it was my brother's bday.

Sunday, we had ourselves a little bluegrass festival, which I caught the tail end of for Frank Fairfield's performance. I've already seen him play like four times this Summer; this is definitely the Summer of Frank Fairfield. I just can't get enough of his winding fiddle, his fast fingers frailing the banjo, his foot stomping, his whooping, his cracklin voice, reminiscent of bygone singers on old 45s. Long Beach just went crazy for him. Later in the evening, I saw him perform again at the bar down the street from my house, where the bluegrass jamboree continued into the night. Pete has really taken a liking to buck-dancing or country tap dancing (Keep in mind this is our version of buck dancing). He practically yanked me onto the dance floor, which is a first. Frank Fairfield even did a little jig. I don't care what the calendar says, Summer isn't over until the music stops.

I love these photos by Malick Sidibé of young folks in Mali dancing in the courtyard or at parties, celebrating their new life, independent from French Colonial rule.

We could sure use more free spirited dancing in the streets, or in the words of Jonathan Richman, "we need more parties in the USA."

photos from "Malick Sidibé "La Vie en Rose" , 1st and last two photos from google.

Isadora Duncan (1878-1927)

Isadora Duncan, mother of modern dance, free spirit of American origin, but really belonging to eternity, moves me. She didn't give a rat's tail about schools, systems, and professionalism when it came to dance. To her, dance was a biological function, a natural way of being, a universal endowment. I too believe that the dance exists in everyone, just like I believe there is a song in everyone. Her movements expressed the noble ideals of human kind, her true self. Her unifying message can likewise be found in Deepak Chopra’s "the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success", which I am currently reading. (I read a lot of self-help books and/or spiritual guides.) Chopra contends“our essential nature is one of pure potentiality." I have such a desire to fearlessly sing my life. I haven’t been quite as successful as I would like in bringing my essential nature to the surface, but it’s so refreshing to think that in each of us there is an unlimited surplus of pure potentiality, which can be tapped into with just a little effort.

Dance is the movement of the universe concentrated in an individual.
– Isadora Duncan

Dancing must express humankind’s most moral, beautiful, and healthful ideals.
– Isadora Duncan

Place your hands on your heart, listen to your soul. There is the true revolution. Let the people place their hands in this way on their hearts, and in listening to their souls they will know how to conduct themselves.
– Isadora Duncan

My motto - sans limites.
– Isadora Duncan

When your actions are motivated by love, there is no waste of energy.
– Deepak Chopra

You must learn to get in touch with the inner most essence of your being. This true essence is beyond the ego. It is fearless; it is free; it is immune to criticism; it does not fear any challenge. It is beneath no one, superior to no one, and full of magic, mystery, and enchantment.
– Deepak Chopra

We are divinity in disguise, and the gods and goddesses in embryo that are contained within us seek to be fully materialized. True success is therefore the experience of the miraculous. It is the unfolding of the divinity within us.
– Deepak Chopra

For further reading – Deepak Chopra’s “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success”, and Isadora Duncan’s “My Life”

all images from the NYPL Digital Gallery.

your grandpa's suit and an empty dance floor

Heaven is an empty dance floor. I don't go out dancing as much as I'd like to, mostly because I can't stay up much later than 11:00 p.m., and I don't like dancing when the dance floor is a mad house. This Friday, Jesse had his monthly soul club, "the Secret Affair." I got there at 9:30 p.m., as I usually do, to dance my ass off, and cut-up, before the place became way too crowded.

What a jerk! Jesse loves to place his foot in the frame of my photos. By the way, I was just kidding when I said Jesse was a jerk. I'll tell you more about him one day. We met on the dance floor over 10 years ago and have been best buds ever since. We even lived together for 5 of those years. You can bet your bottom, we've shared a lot of dance space.

With the dance floor packed, I jumped in a taxi, and headed home, though I still ended up staying up until 3:00 a.m., a rarity for me, catching up on old times with my dear friend, Hector.
You may have noticed my pastel plaid 70s grandpa suit. I bought it last weekend at my favorite Long Beach vintage store, Imonni. The owner of the shop, Eiko, converted the pants into cute shorts, making this outfit wearable & loveable! I am so in love with this suit;I wore it 3 times this week. Well, one of the times, I only wore the jacket, along with a pink dress. (I'll show you this outfit next time). Here are some photos of me looking like a sexy grandpa, taken a few days ago.

Check out the funny "wieners with faces" magnet on my fridge. well, I hope everyone has been enjoying their weekends. I must go to bed now. It's nearly 1:00 a.m.!

Outfit: 70s plaid grandpa suit, Imonni vintage, 80s pink "California Beach Club" shirt (thrifted), Bass oxfords (thrifted), Aldo platforms in second outfit. (super half price sale).

almost forgot -- these photos were taken with my Olympus Trip 500. Many thanks to Hailey & Stace for taking some photos. Also, Stace, I had lots of fun on our date night!

along California’s Central Coast

We leisurely rambled along California’s central coast, stopping at every outlook, exploring several beaches, amidst the fog, and wind. The central coast is so beautiful, I felt proud to live in California. On this trip home, my girlfriend, Judy Gloom, (whom I call Snide after her first roller derby name “Jenny Snide”) told me that I make noises like Pee Wee Herman when I’m excited. Well, I must of sounded awful silly because I was exuberant at every stop. Under the influence of the coast’s beauty, I happily did a little jig on the beach; I’ve included some pictures in this post. It took us about 12 hours from Monterey to Los Angeles, which is much longer than it would normally take, but it was definitely worth it.








I'm wearing an 80s 2-piece tribalish outfit by Contempo Casuals. Contempo Casuals was so amazing in the 80s. I have many vintage pieces from this brand, and they're always unique and remarkable. I found this outfit at the thrift store, bien sur.

last photo taken by Judy Gloom.

Inspiration for fictional "Hog Wild" dance club

flickr: unexpectedtales’ photostream, Truus, Bob & Jan too!’s photostream, Library of Congress photostream

Let's Face the Music & Dance.

photo of me taken by my friend Keenan Crook

We should realize in a vivid and revolutionary sense
that we are not in our bodies but our bodies are in us.
~ Ruth St. Denis

I am a cloud – in trousers.
~ George Balanchine

Dance constitutes a true recapturing of...
freedom and childish play.
~ Agnes de Mille

Human beings are born with the instinct to express themselves
through movement. Even before he could communicate with words,
primitive man was dancing to the beat of his own heart.
~ Bob Fosse