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Rod & Dinah. Photo
by Bob Gentry © 2000 by Stanyan Music Group
A Thought for Today
Look to your children more than to your fathers. They not only need your help more but might even be inclined to use it.
Monday again, have a good one. It's Sunday night for me as I dip into the
e-mail.
IN A WORD
Good Morning Rod, 34 years ago, give or take a lifetime, you wrote a poem about Stanyan Street and your love that lived there below the painting of the blue fisherman. I know the house is gone and the memories still linger but one thing I, and others, don't know... did you ever see the Stanyan Street person again? Waterfalls and Rainbows, Jay
Dear Jay, Yes.
FINDING YOU AGAIN
Dear Rod, My wife and I have loved your writings for a long time, but for the past twenty years have not seen any of your new work. We love Stanyan Street and Other Sorrows, Listen to the Warm, Lonesome Cities and your albums with Anita Kerr, The Sea, The Earth, The Sky, and your music for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. These were things we enjoyed when we were first dating and in the early years of our marriage. But with our hurried lives we seem to forget things that make us think and become melancholy.
For some reason I had been thinking about what you were doing now so I got on my computer and typed in your name and here you are. (Isn't technology wonderful.)? I just finished reading some of the unpublished poems on you site, and as I set here I think how wonderful it is to find you and to know your writing can still bring tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for still being you. M. Young
Dear M, Thanks for the vote of confidence and welcome to A Safe Place To Land. Technology is wonderful and 'the net' has given me the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make a lot of brand-new one's. Warmly, Rod
VOICE OF THE SEA
Hello Rod, I am sure you have heard this many times, but the LP "The Sea" is one of my all time favorites. I bought it as a young teen, so I am obviously a baby-boomer, when it first came out and played it to death. It was lost many years ago due to many moves and two failed marriages, but the words, music and sounds replayed in my memory consistently ever since.
I have forgotten the name of the person reciting your poems on the album. As I recall, it wasn't you, but a reasonable facsimile, which if true, makes me wonder why you didn't do it personally. Care to enlighten me on that one?
Lo and behold, I recently had the album returned to me along with several other albums of sentimental value, reminiscent of a time when I was a whimsical youth. Those were the days. However, it is very scratchy and I see the CD is sold out. Bummer. Perhaps it will become available again and I will be able to retreat to a time when all was right with world, or so it seemed. Ted Baker
Dear Ted, Thanks for remembering "The Sea," It opened up a whole new avenue for the multi-talented Anita Kerr and myself. This month marks the 33rd Anniversary of its initial release. The voice of "The Sea," "Home to the Sea" and "The Soft Sea." was the actor-singer Jesse Pearson. For more on my friend Jesse, see The Archives for a flight plan I did eleven days ago (7/20/2000.)
Anita and I are doing what we can to make sure all of the San Sebastian Strings albums will eventually be released on CD. I wish I could give you a date when that might start to happen; stay tuned. Thanks again for writing, Rod
THE WORD BEFORE GOODBYE
Dear Mr. McKuen, I have been searching the Internet for the words to one of your earlier poems but have been unsuccessful. Perhaps you can help me out. The poem in which I am interested is, I think, entitled "The Word Before Goodbye" (I think the first line is "What is the springtime, after all").
I would really appreciate it if you could send me the words or provide me with an Internet site where I could find them. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Gary Lacke, Naples Florida
Dear Gary, You're correct about the title it is "The Word Before Goodbye." It's not a poem, however, but the lyrics to a song I wrote in 1966. It was first printed in the book "Lonesome Cities" and vocal versions of it are on the albums "Season in the Sun" and "Evening in Vienna." I especially like the way Glenn Yarbrough sings it. Here's the lyric:
The Word Before Good-bye
What is springtime after all?
Only the other side of fall.
Oh if I could have
I'd have made you a sunny sky -
Hello's the word before good-bye.
Sometimes it rains, sometimes it shines
yet the things I want are seldom mine.
How much of summer can we hold
Before we turn and find we're old?
The things our mirrors tell us are all lies
Hello's the word before good-bye.
Sometimes it's dark, sometimes it's fair
Yet when I go home at night nobody's there.
Perhaps the next wind that blows in
Will bring you back to me again.
Till then remembering just makes me want to cry.
Hello's the word before good-bye.
Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win
Yet I can't forget what might have been.
Thanks for writing, Gary. Cheers, Rod
A VOICE FROM THE PAST
Rod, We met in the late 1960s while you were performing at the Troubadour and recording at the long gone RCA studios in Hollywood. I have a large collection of your albums and books -- including an autographed "... and autumn came. " Yes, I have the Summer Love album as well as Anywhere I Wander and Songs for a Lazy Afternoon, Through European Windows, New Sounds in Folk Music as well as The Yellow Unicorn and Beatsville, among others. I even have some singles (remember Dracula, Oliver Twist and Ballad of Hollywood) and about 3 albums you did as Demo's that featured Glenn Yarbrough. I also have about 10 of the Christmas cards you used to send with the Stanyan Street
Mansion. You colored a different window in each time. I have them framed in my home office.
My wife had me clean the closet and I found all this. It is amazing what people save from their high school and college years. I remember bringing girlfriends to your recording sessions -- you actually got a few of their names right and that helped me.
I did the famous Web Search and found your site. Thought I would send a note and thank you for the past memories. In 1966 you wrote in ... and autumn came, "When I wrote this I was twelve years younger. Many thoughts I had here have changed but people are first, over trees, skies, kites and everything."
I am now an Assistant Principal at a high school in Orange County CA. As the person that deals with some "bad" kids, I use that quote many times to remember that the kids are important -- even the bad ones. Their feelings, emotions and well being must be considered when dealing with the rules and regulations of a modern high school.
Thanks for the quote and thanks for the short walk into the past.
David Schlesinger
Dear David, What a surprise to hear from you, a nice reminder of 'the old days.' I certainly do remember some of the obscure singles titles you mentioned. The Oliver Twist album was recently released on CD and one of my regrets is that I didn't find out in time to add "The Dracula Cha, Cha" to the disc. No kidding. More importantly I remember our friendship.
It's nice to know you're married and settled down. I can't imagine anything more challenging, or more important, than being an Assistant Principle at an American modern day high school. You've chosen a vocation with few rewards other than knowing that you can and do make a difference. It must be hard at times to keep hanging in there.
The lighted window in The Stanyan House is being animated to go on and off as the logo for a series of videos & DVD's in the works. For years part of every pre-Christmas was hand coloring 'the windows.'
Will another thirty years go by before we're in touch again? I hope not. All the best, David, and thanks for picking up my day with your note. Warmly, Rod
Today's picture of Dinah (named after Dinah Shore) was taken a couple of weeks ago by Bob Gentry. Dinah is a Himalayan, one of the crazier breeds of cats (if you don't believe me ask anyone who owns one.) She's friendly when she wants to be, usually at mealtime. She gets along better with me than anyone in the house and that's only because I've gone out of my way to court her and remember all the tricks she employs with everyone else. She boxes with her shadow on the wall and plays with imaginary toys.
Dinah alternates in being delighted and disgusted by her three bully brothers chasing her. She sleeps at the foot of my bed every night, unless Sunny decides otherwise. I'm so glad she lives with us or us with her because frankly I can't imagine anyone else putting up with her or for that matter anyone loving Dinah as much as Edward and I do.
Sleep warm tonight and I'll see you tomorrow . . . unless we both take the day off.
RM 7/29/2000 Previously unpublished.
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