I went to a reading at a sort of futuristic thrift store on Valencia Street here in SF that featured Justin Vivian Bond reading from his book TANGO, MY LIFE  BACKWARDS.AND IN HIGH HEELS.   I was blown away by V’s  WISDOM and HONESTY. This is from the flyleaf:  But when the bully next door wanted to meet secretly, Bond couldn’t resist. Their trysts went on for years, making Bond acutely aware of how sexual power and vulnerability can be experienced at the same time.”

To the left is a photo of me in the early Sixties when I was much to terrified to come out.  I was acting out my oppressor.  However, in 1943 when I was a sailor in the Second World War I had the guts to tell the Captain of the USS Swanson that I was a homosexual.  He asked me if   knew what the word meant.

It is obvious to me that JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND WAS BORN BRAVE. At five years old he went to school wearing Revlon’s ICED WATERMELON–the lipstick that belonged to his mother.

This quote from SANDRA BERNHARD: “TANGO is a raw nerve touching an electric soul, a beautiful book,written with honesty, pain, and joy from one of our great modern-day shamans.”

I’ll be reading it on my way to Hawaii for seven days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFHexNbphTc

This is addressed to the great Cino playwright Robert Patrick from MARSHALL MASON, who directed almost all of  LANFORD WILSON’S PLAYS:

dEAR bOB–88!!! That makes my 72 years today seem mighty humble.  I don’t know if I’ve got another 16 years in me. But it’s been a happy journey so far; maybe that untraveled road of the of the future yet holds some joy. Please pass on my good wishes to George.

I must admit I’m a little nervous about going to Hawaii on the 28th because I’m not sure how I will feel when I’m over there with RICHARD HAMMER, my 67 year old friend who sees a play almost every day–he will be wheel chairing me when we are there. He took me to see the E.M. FORSTER queer play MAURICE that was adapted from his novel.  I loved the  novel that was published after his death.Richard brought me home after the first act that lasted for an hour and fifteen minutes. It was boring talk-talk-talk and hardly any action.  The actors were pretending to be British and  were trying so hard that it rang untrue.  As a consequence they didn’t show any feelings.  In the hands of English actors it might have worked but  I doubt it.

The program of my A DRESS MADE OF DIAMONDS  about my childhood that got bombed in’ I don’t know how many’ newspapers and the L.A. Times.  That was the one and only production of the play. I was so ashamed of it I didn’t publish it in my anthology PORTRAITS, PLAYS, PERVERSIONS.

GREAT NEWS:  i HAD MADE up my mind THAT i WOULD never receive my reading GLASSES FROM THE APRICOT INN where  I had left them o n my trip to L.A with WILLIE AND KEN.  However, they were in the mail today–today—today so I can take them to Hawaii and read one of  the books I got at my birthday party.THE HUNGER GAMES by suzanne collins. Actually, I think I’ll be  reading THE BOY HE LEFT BEHIND by Mark Matousek–steve SUSOYEV lent it to me.

OLD-OLD AGE BULLETIN:  ARTHRITIS is getting worse in my fingers–getting harder and harder to type.  I also have it in my neck. My right leg is getting weaker but I WAS ABLE TO WALK DOWN THE HALLWAY FOR ABOUT SEVEN MINUTES ON MY WALKER WITH THE QUEER FLAG ON IT. I’m going to see a play tonight based on E.M FORSTER’S MAURICE, his queer novel that was only published  after he died.

Yes, this is the photo of me when I was in the Navy in 1942 and ’43.  When  I was finally kicked out with an HONORABLE DISCHARGE  I continued to wear my uniform for the next 90 days because I could get free  meals in restaurants and at the Pirates ballgames at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pa. where I was living with my Aunt and Uncle. I finally went to work at the HEINZ FACTORY but it was so boring that I quit and went back to New York.

OLD-OLD AGE BULLETIN:  i WOKE up this morning with a painful crink in my neck –low energy and dizziness so I took a codeine tablet . I’m still stoned and the crink in my neck is still there but not as painful.  I received tons of love at my birthday party and I am not lonely. My blog is doing weird things so I better  sign off. COMING IN A FEW DAYS–A VIDEO OF MY PARTY.