ASK ROD |
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Here we are at the edge of
December. Frightening how fast this particular year seems to be traveling. More days
going, more letters arriving.
THANKS CAPTAINWhat
a joy it was to discover your Website after all these years. You were so much a part of my
life during college in the 60's and early 70's and such a part of my early growth and
sensitivity. As a former Army Capt. in Special Operations stationed in Northern Ireland I
kept my Rod McKuen books hidden. But the words kept me comfort during the long winter
nights waiting for combat. Even more...the strength to recover my humanity upon my return
to the States. I often heard the snide comments, but my God your poetry came from the
heart...to the heart. All I know is I love your poetry and prose. And I for one am so
pleased to have re-discovered you. Thank you for so much joy and "Humanity"! Jim
Waters
Dear Rev. Jim, Thanks! I needed that. I’ve had a mixed up, busy, but not particularly
happy and fulfilling November, so I’m delighted to enter the last month of the year
with your compliments. I wonder if you found grey/green Ireland as beautiful as I did? A
remarkable country with seemingly unsolvable problems. Whenever I leave Ireland I
can’t wait to be on my way back to it.
As for snide remarks, criticism, whatever, it’s nice to be on the other side of life
where most of that stuff can’t reach me. After all, I never set out to prove anything
but did so anyway, thanks to people like you who outshouted the naysayers and critics. All
the best, Jim, Rod.
WHERE CAN WE GET BOOKS
My sister insists that I ask you where she may purchase
some of your earlier works which, apparently, are out of print. Forgive my straightforward
approach, but it's almost mid-night, I'm tired as heck, and yet she is merciless, as she
stands above me, glowering as I type.:- She doesn't even believe I would send this but
here I go . . .
On behalf of my sister, an ardent fan of yours since I was a little
boy, I THANK YOU (I'm not totally without manners) for your attention to this request. J.
F. Altman
Rod, Where can I find copies of your books, particularly "Lonesome Cities"
and "Celebrations of the Heart?" Rita, Seal Beach Ca.
Dear Rod, My mom introduced me to your works by sending books and tapes to me while I
was in Vietnam. This year for Christmas I’d like to return the favor but I’m
having a hard time finding much here in St. Louis. Is there a particular store or mail
order outlet you could recommend that’s up to date on Rod McKuen books, CD’s and
tapes? Tom Billings.
Dear J. F, Rita & Tom, Dwight Michaels is attempting to revive The Stanyan Mail Order
Catalog with a number of books and recordings for sale. As of this week he has paperback
editions of Love’s Been Good To Me, Seasons In The Sun, Looking For A Friend, Watch
For The Wind, Hand In Hand & Too Many Midnight’s. Hardcovers include Valentines,
Intervals, Celebrations of the Heart, Beyond The Boardwalk and Coming Close To The Earth.
He also has Stanyan Street & Other Sorrows, Listen To The Warm & Lonesome Cities
in hardback pocket editions. These mere books however are dwarfed by my favorite
"Dwight Discovery", a box each of the 1985 & 1986 "Another Beautiful
Day" diaries and date books. His theory being we all should have them, in case the
years come back. Hmm. At this rate can the 1972 Calendar be far behind? Dwight can be
reached at stanyanr@aol.com.
Based on what I pick up from tara’s RM Message Board, another good place to find my
early books is your local second hand bookstore. And, again courtesy of the Message Board,
there seem to be several ongoing auctions of the books and recordings. More on where to
find CD’s, tapes and LP’s tomorrow. Good hunting and thanks for the continued
interest. Rod
SCHOOL DAYS
I recently was going through some old things of mine
and came across an Assignment that I did in my English class in 1973. I made an A and it
was my reactions & feelings about 4 poems by Rod McKuen. I don't remember anything
about this assignment and I did not have the actual poems in order to refer back to. Could
you tell where I can find these in order for me to understand why I felt the way I did
about the poems. The names of the poems were: "Channing Way", " Kearny
Street","Jim Jann" & "Holidays". I know this seems like a
strange request, but when I read the reactions, if I didn't know I had written it, I would
think the person who wrote them was a very sad person at 17yrs old. Thanks, Deborah.
When I was in high school, I read one of your poems which I believe began "After
every summer's rain, an August rainbow..." Unfortunately, I cannot remember the rest
of the poem and I can not find it either. I've looked in libraries, book stores, on the
Internet. I just cannot find a copy of it. I first read this poem during a difficult time,
and it touched a part of my soul that I thought had died. Now, almost 12 years later, I
began thinking of this poem and how much it meant. Please help me to find this beautiful
poem again. Thank you so much. Juli, from Columbus, Ohio
Dear Deborah & Juli, There is an early concordance of my work that a professor of
English compiled in the mid-seventies, but nothing beyond that until just recently. Thanks
to Jay Hagan I’ll never have to put aside letters like yours until my memory has a
better day. Jay sat down at his own volition and produced a whale of a document that is
far and away the best reference to my work I’ve ever seen. It consists of thousands
of entries on every poem in every book and every song in every album he could get his
hands on.
For instance there are 34 entries on "Some of the Best of Rod McKuen’, including
first lines of every song sung in a released album by that name and the titles and first
lines to each cut of another album by that name that has never been released. The amount
of hard work that must have gone into this compilation is staggering. It took a lifetime
for me to produce all this "stuff", so perhaps Jay is a lot older than he makes
out to be. As my brain goes on sorting out what to remember & what to forget, this
compendium is quickly becoming the most important reference work I own. Just as a
McHistorian (sorry to stick you with that JH) Jay has become indispensable in my work.
Deborah: Here’s your answer: Channing Way, JimJan, Holidays & Kearny Street are
all from "Stanyan Street & Other Sorrows" first published in July 1966.
JimJan is also on "Alone", the LP, the tape and LP "In Search of
Eros" & the CD "Speaking of Love." Channing Way is available on the
following LP’s "Love Songs 1&2," "The Best of Rod McKuen,"
"A Portrait of Rod, "The Essential RM" and the CD & LP "Rod Sings
His Own."
"Holidays" was recorded for the LP "Time of Desire" and it was widely
circulated in the 1960’s on three pirate albums "About Me", "The
Sounds of Day / The Sounds of Night" & "Desire Has No Special Time."
"Kearny Street" was recorded for the album "The Yellow Unicorn". Other
LP’s that feature versions of it include, "In The Beginning," "Try RM
in the Privacy of Your Own Home," "The Essential RM" and "Seasons In
The Sun."
Juli, The poem you refer to is titled "August Rainbows" and is from the book
"Celebrations of the Heart," published in 1975. I recorded "August
Rainbows" in "Summer", part of The Seasons Boxed Set. The recording has
wonderful music written & arranged by Anita Kerr and played by The San Sebastian
Strings. This track can also be found on the LP "Bouquet." Not incidentally,
Anita’s music was the inspiration for the poem.
Whew. This is undoubtedly more information than anyone wants or needs to know, but there
it is. Thanks Juli and Deborah with a special nod to Jay. I’m off to raid the icebox
& make a turkey & mushroom omelet, with a side order of Bloody Mary - of course.
See you tomorrow.
- RM
11/30/98 |
THE LEAVING OF LITTLE JOE |
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Cats know.
They’re as good
as bank clerks
at sensing
loss or gain,
better than the clergy
or the clairvoyant
at seeing up ahead.
And in the dark
they’re more at home
than any ghost.
One year
to the day
that Mama died
Joe turned up missing.
He was Mama’s cat
more than all the others.
He had grieved with us
and been estranged from us
since that Easter night
a year ago
when Mama’s clothes
came home.
At first
he stalked the house,
not satisfied to prowl
only her own rooms.
Finally sure that she was gone
and not in hiding,
he began to talk to each of us,
and then to scold us all
as if we were to blame
for her long absence.
One by whiskered one
he finally took on
all the other cats
till none
would venture near him.
Cats are deliberate.
Nothing that they do
is done by chance.
Whether making love
or making conversation
they work in earnest
for earnestness is all the work
they do.
Ed says that when the time comes
cats go off to die alone.
We looked everywhere,
but didn’t look for long.
Joe stayed away,
and all the other cats
came back.
In retrospect
there’s always been
a cat or two in transit
moving in and being loved,
then leaving at his own volition.
Playing, if it pleased him
preening if it didn’t.
Cats that helped us show
the better sides of ourselves
to each other
or anyway, the calmer one.
It didn’t start with Sloopy
and it won’t end with Little Joe.
Once Billy found an old Tom
we nicknamed A Marvelous Cat
I believe he was,
though why I can’t remember.
Currently, there’s Paco the Brave
and Greta,
Charlie with the mustache
Squeek who talks
along the hallway
announcing himself as he enters
every room.
Nickoli and Odyssey I leave out.
They’re merely kittens
and kittens you know
are not exactly cats.
And Nuisance.
Nuisance is the loner.
She dines with Mr. Kelly
every night.
She doesn’t like most other cats
and bites to signal
when she’s tired of being petted,
by even those of us
she knows are friends.
She comes to eat
but sleeps in someone else’s yard
or wherever.
Paco’s preference
is to be with Edward.
He wanders slow about the house,
his tail long and dragging,
every time that Eddie goes away.
But when Helen
or good company
comes into town
that tail’s straight up and fanning.
He even cleans himself in private
before beginning to show off
his plumage and his Valentino stare.
Greta’s friends with everyone.
At the moment she’s curled up
on my left foot.
Instead of moving to get comfortable,
I indulge her
just as I did all the other cats
who came and went throughout the years.
Nuisance will be next to go
for she loved Mama, too,
and lately she has started sitting
outside Mamma’s room
as if to guard it.
She bares her teeth
at all who travel by.
Knowing cats
we all know what to make of it.
Cats when ready leave at night.
Or maybe it’s the daytime.
One is never sure because
before they’re gone
each has managed to become a habit
as comfortable as any well loved child
or a piece of furniture.
They turn up missing
only when you’ve time
to miss them.
Little Joe must have known
we cared for him as much
as Mama did.
He should have given us a chance.
But cats are not like anything
but cats.
You don’t choose them.
With any luck at all
a cat will come along
and
fancy you
for his duration, not your own.
If I thought
that cats were anything
but deliberate,
I’d bolt the door on Nuisance.
But I do believe
that she’s determined.
After all
she’s given us
a full six years
of precious time.
She’s entitled to be rid of us
if that’s her choice.
- from "And To Each Season," 1972 |
