Summery and nice, without a cloud in the Big Sky. I haven't seen much wildlife at the Slough, but I've been working deathly hard lately.

Footbarn's Celebration of Theatre: Theater X-Net

Starring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Ida's Places in Paris -- from my first jet-lagged day by the Seine.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
Spitfires of the Spaceways
UPDATED! Wilma Deering & Dale Arden to the rescue; Bodacious Princess Aura I; Hapless Aura II; The fiery Emperor Ming; and BOTH incarnations of Jean Rogers!

Charity Alert: Make a resolution this Summer to click on The Hunger Site every day.

In The Community: When I'm done for the day at the college, pulling cable and installing new AV equipment, I'll be running to the Hockaday Museum of Art -- preparations for Arts In The Park is making things VERY busy there! We are hosting a reception for downtown businesses tonight -- wonder what part I'll play in it?

Media Watch: Big Media remembers Lady Bird Johnson at her passing. Like most of the so-called US "First Ladies" of the 20th Century, she was awesome in her intellect and capacity for action. The portrait of her life has both light and dark strokes, though. Her husband and political allies in the Democratic Party took our country to the peak of Popular Liberalism, but then dropped it over the cliff of Viet Nam after losing their way in a chasm of corruption. She was an integral part of the Johnson Administration, and all it's iron fist/velvet glove shenanigans, but spent the rest of her long life doing good works for the state of Texas and the nation as a whole by sponsoring wildflower projects and other unglamorous ecological endeavors that helped made her world a better place. One of the funniest satires I've seen was in Kurtzman & Elder's Little Annie Fanny, where a billboard, squeezed among a bunch of ugly roadside billboards, sported charactures of LBJ and Lady Bird saying "Remove Those Ugly Billboards!"
The dark side of her family business continued with the career of her son-in-law Charles Robb, a spineless, money-grubbing Dem In Name Only who served the interests of well-financed lobbyists instead of his voters. Lenny Bruce made people howl with laughter at the dichotomy of political sophistication and Southern stereotype that the Johnsons showed to the public. It's too bad this courage didn't help Bruce with his legal troubles.
As the 1960's became The 60's, we witnessed this ridiculous incident:
The nation's discontent intruded into the White House itself when, on 18 January 1968, Mrs. Johnson held a luncheon for a group of white and black women who had been invited in order to discuss crime in the streets. One of the guests, Eartha Kitt, a prominent singer, rose shortly after the president had spoken briefly, to assert that young people were rebelling and smoking marijuana because of the war. "Boys I know across the nation feel it doesn't pay to be a good guy. They figure [that] with a [prison] record they don't have to go off to Vietnam." Johnson was furious over what he regarded as an affront to the presidency delivered in the White House itself and over the extensive coverage of the incident in the press and on television. (From www.presidentprofiles.com )
That so-called "coverage" was actually the Mainsteam Media piling on Eartha Kitt for reporting the truth to people who didn't want to hear it. Her career stalled in the USA as the retribution continued, but she was able to relocate to Paris, France and keep working.


Just as Earth Kitt made it to the top of LBJ's shit list, she appeared as a guest villainess on Batman. Unfortunately, the show was on it's last legs, and wasn't considered either campy or cool anymore. Kitt was also the third actress to play Catwoman, following Julie Newmar, who had been PURR-fect in the role. Kitt did her best with the lousy script, and actually gave her portrayal a special flair, but it wasn't until after decades of re-runs that she got recognition for her winsome work in this losing cause. Since she was effectivly banned from US television for a number of years, it was also the last thing the American public saw of her for quite awhile. Eartha Kitt's bread and butter had been nightclubs, but it was a dying scene at the time, except for Las Vegas. She was actually more fortunate than many other entertainers, in that she had fans and contacts abroad so she could keep her career intact. (L to R) Adam West, Eartha Kitt, Burt Ward, and Yvonne Craig. (Julie Newmar's looking out from an inset at the back of the room.)

What is there to say about another hot summer day? It wasn't too awfully hot, and it's the time of year for this sort of thing. I was up past 2:30 AM, so I know it cooled down -- it wasn't dark until 11:00 PM.

Footbarn's Celebration of Theatre: Theater X-Net

Starring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Ida's Places in Paris -- from my first jet-lagged day by the Seine.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
Spitfires of the Spaceways
UPDATED! Wilma Deering & Dale Arden to the rescue, hapless Aura II, an essay on bodacious Princess Aura I.
COMING SOON! Another essay on what passed for serial continuity -- illustrated with Ming's spitfires!

Charity Alert: Make a resolution this Summer to click on The Hunger Site every day.

In The Community: We put up ANOTHER new show at the Hockaday Museum of Art -- Recent Acquisitions,; Montana Contemporary Artists

Media Watch: I saw the New Orleans Funk band 'Galactic' live in Whitefish last night. They know my friend Melissa Weber as 'DJ Soul Sister' -- one of the fine people who recommended this group to me. The music was EXCELLENT -- all instrumental, with Ben Ellman up front on Sax & Harmonica; Stanton Moore, one of the best drummers I've ever heard (and that's saying something); Rich Vogel's quality Keyboards sharing the front duties, along with a serious-looking, but playful Guitar virtuoso named Jeff Raines. Bass? In a Funk Band? Hail Yeah -- Robert Mercurio's super-fine Bass all the way! 'Galactic' had the whole mixed-age audience shakin' their booty thangs until the cops shut the place down.


A fantasy collage featuring gig photos of Galactic mixed with various crowds from all over the Internet.

Timely winds from the North modified our hot weather -- GOOD. When I left the Hockaday the other evening, I smelled barbeque -- the whole damn town was frying in the heat.

Footbarn's Celebration of Theatre: Theater X-Net

Starring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Ida's Places in Paris -- from my first jet-lagged day by the Seine.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
Spitfires of the Spaceways
UPDATED! Wilma Deering & Dale Arden to the rescue, hapless Aura II, an essay on bodacious Princess Aura I.
COMING SOON! Another essay on what passed for serial continuity -- illustrated with Ming's spitfires!

Charity Alert: Make a resolution this Summer to click on The Hunger Site every day.

In The Community: Yaar, Matey! The Hockaday Museum of Art 's ship is heading straight for the isle of Arts In The Park -- our biggest fund-raising event of the year. Captain Linda is trying to navigate us through some very tricky straits. We are taking a dingy to Big Sandy/Great Falls next Tuesday to return the Jeff Walker treasures as a side trip. I be talkin' like a pirate, 'cause I been workin' like a tarry sailor there!

Media Watch: Some review snippets of George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars on the road in Europe and the USA.

Chicago (by J Sconi) -- COSMIC SLOP – P-Nut fooled NO ONE when he came out ... George comes out after the bridge – and the energy level of the crowd AND the band jumps up about 5 notches. GC has hot red hair and an American Flag bandana and sunglasses on. LET’S TAKE IT TO THE STAGE – like I said – George assessed the crowd – saw what the flavor was – AND WENT THERE. The rhythm guitars were holdin’ it DOWN. Personally – I love when they play that. And right away the crowd starts chanting “If You ain’t gonna get it on…take your dead ass home” GC hits the “Get Low” chant a few times, then breaks out a rap about “They call me the pussy crook”. Crowd eats it up! Goes into the “Chit Gottdamn” chant and the mic goes off – wonder if they turned it off…LOL. Of coure they fixed it – too late to wonder now! He told the band “Stay there – don’t follow me” – meaning keep the tempo the same. Aaaaw man that groove they were holding was STANKNASTY ... goodness it was funky. You found yourself looking for the red light, your afro pick with the fist on top and the dashikis. It was 1969 in there – we were in a funk time machine ... ATOMIC DOG – Byrd RIPPED his solo on that song ... WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN – they did a great job with this. I am not one that minds this song. Remember, this is the same group that made songs like No Compute and My Automobile. Remaking an original R and B song by Big Maybelle in the 50s is not out of the ordinary. Also a few other songs during Whole Lotta Shakin’, including: --Let’s Go (Hank Ballard and the Midnighters) Shout (The Isley Brothers) Baby Work Out (Jackie Wilson) And yes – the We Want the Funk chant. Then I see Byrd on stage eating Chinese food, and the band starts to break out into Red Hot Momma and I’m about to go nuts…and then ... THE POWER GETS CUT OFF

Here's one from Spain by a real nice-sounding lady who calls herself "wever" --


The San Javier Auditorium was like a roman amphitheatre
When we arrived to the auditorium there was lige doin some sound check and we tried to get in... Then a bus arrived with a little flag were we could read "George Clinton", and yeeeeaaah some of them went out of it!!!! there was, garry, poopoo, blackbird, sativa, waddy and i'm sure that more like kendra, rico, etc. I was so nervous that i turned around with eyes like that Shocked . It was like OH GOD! YES THEY ARE!!!! they wave hands to us before gettin in the place while the bus left.
It was gettin late and show time was nearer!!!! we finally got in!!!! and there a man stopped me asking to show him my ticket and when he saw it he said " ok go behind 15th row or in the side". i felt like "WHAT!?", sat down where they said me and thought that nobody said me about the bonus to get to the nearest row!...suddenly i realized Carlos (Sir Nose) was next to me!!!!O_O AND Blackbird few rows behind! then Sutil came and start talking with Carlos cause they know each other! her girlfriend took some photos ... SHOWTIME!!!!!! carlos and blackbird went backstage to prepare theirselves and we went down in front of the stage (u really thought i was going to sat down all the time? nah!).my stomach was hungry and i went fast for a beer but it was too late!!! the "we want the funk" chants started by Frank Waddy so i got to get back running!!!
FUNKENTELECHY was the first one! and the audience went crazy at the moment! (at least me Razz ) cause it was too good!!!! I don't remember the order of the Setlist and all the songs thay played but i'll try to say all i can remember. i think the next one was GAMMIN ON YA ...and they really played it sooooo good!!! I thought that thay couldn't do intense shows like in the late seventies, we all know how good they are but i thought it will never be the same. How wrong i was!!! they really did it like in the mothership connection DVD. They also played UNDISCO KIDD before George appeared... and was so smooth!!!! Kendra did her thing and the crowd could see how good it is!!! And COSMIC SLOP what a great song!!! it sounded real loud!!! i always have goosebumps with that one. drums doing their thing and then guitars get in! And....finally GEORGE CLINTON was on the stage! with his new red hair look with that shinny butterfly on the top! The crowd went crazy!!!!
Now i got a mix in my mind of Songs and chants like:
Knee Deep, P-funk (wants to get...), Flashlight, Something stank, Let's take it to the stage, I bet You, Maggot Brain, One Nation under A Groove, we want the funk, Aqua Boogie and some more that will come to my mind later. I like AQUA BOOGIE so much but i don't use to play it as often as the others, but i have to tell you this one was specially good this time!!!! I haven't seen them live many times but i can assure you this was A LOT better than the stuido version. After that one came FLASHLIGHT and it was amazing how sir nose pop his body like that flshlight hittin him! Everybody knows how good he dance but he had some specially great moves. He climbed to one side amplifier and then to the other to do his stuff yeaaah! and all along the front part to get all ladies even more crazy. He takes two on the stage and dances with them and when they get back take two more to dance with him and George, all like a sandwich -- In the middle of Flashlight Sativa came to do her something Stank!!!yeaaah and she was sooo great when rapping, specially one moment when crowd did big noise for her and Clinton take off her microphone. When they played I BET YOU i really was thinking that they could play that riff Eternaly. soooo so great! i didn't want it to stop!
Before MAGGOT BRAIN George says that thang "If u'll suck my soul i'll lick your funky emotions". Then did some good solo stuff with the organ there and played something like "Atmosphere" to introduce maggot brain. Incredible Blackbird solos as always. Waddy tries to encourage us to make some noise for him but we all were so blown up to make any kind of fast move. He did his stuff really good and playing with his tongue perfectly on tune!At the end we gave a big ovation!and blackbird smiled -- What a smooth begining for ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE Garry did some kind of slow blues stuff with his guitar. At the end Clinton came back to the stage and asked for some joint, nobody got one only cigarretes and he was like "bah!" (a lot more people smoking some pot in my side Cool ), and he was wearing a new Tee with some photos on it.
They ended the show with Tear the Roof off the sucker, as awesome as always! and NIGHT OF THUMPASOURUS PEOPLES was really extended. I always love to sing that "Gaga googa ga ga googa, Ga ga goo ga ga" ... and yes....the show ended......what a great sensation!!!! 2 hours and 40 minutes of p-funk!!!! It was an amazing experience and i met a lot of awesome people!!! We get out fast from the auditorium to say bye to our favourite band. Most of them were in the Bus ... We wave our hands and wished good luck for the next show. at that moment i was thinking about their poor asses cause Greece is so far from there!!!