Wednesday 31st December, 2008
Click
here for Christmas
greetings from Rod and Ben at Stanyan House
Phoenix 2009 shows announced!
Click here for details.
South African concert dates announced.
Click here for details.
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Rod at home by Chuck Hasse
11/1/08. Copyright 2008 by Stanyan Music Group
A Thought for Today
The most that we can do for one another
is care.
TO BEGIN WITH
Eight years have passed since this column by Webmaster Ken was first
published. It was his farewell to 2000 and I particularly enjoyed it
because of the photograph he included that showed him surrounded by the
beautiful women in his life, his wife Priscilla and their fraternal twin
daughters Megan and Nicola. The photo was taken on September 30th on the
occasion of Nicola & Megan’s 21st Birthday.
Ken also mentions coming concerts for 2001 and as exited as I was about
them nothing comes close to the anticipation I have for meeting up with
Ken and The Blackie Family when I perform this coming May in
Johannesburg.
The holidays are all about family and on this eve of the New Year all of
us at A Safe Place to Land salute you and yours.
RM 12/30/2008
This
One Does It For Me!
WEDNESDAY 27 DECEMBER 2000
Good grief, didn't we do this end-of-the-year thing just a few days ago?
How can a year possibly go by so quickly? And just what did happen at "A
Safe Place to Land" during the course of the year 2000?
On the surface, not a whole lot. We spoke quite a bit about the new web
site, "Stanyan House", but couldn't get it on-line before year-end. Rod
and I have promised each other that 2001 is the year - we've set a date
and we'll make it this time around, I promise you.
Most of the site activity this year has been under the hood, so to
speak. Earlier in the year we had a major data loss which resulted in
having to restore almost a year's worth of Flight Plans to the archive
section of the site. Boring and time consuming work, but something that
just had to be done.
Thanks to the generosity of Melinda Smith we launched a mirror site,
based in the USA, which hopefully has provided faster access to all our
stateside readers. No small undertaking this - every single file on the
original ASPTL site had to be edited to allow for the eccentricities of
the UNIX operating system. Both servers have behaved beautifully over
the past few months so our technical difficulties are a thing of the
past - until the next time!
Highlight of the year? Without doubt the mail I received from Rod last
week:
Dear Ken,
Finally 2 concerts to announce.
R
OK, so maybe it wasn't the chattiest letter I've ever received but who
cares? I now know it's possible to laugh and cry at the same time
because that's exactly what I did when I heard the news. And what
wouldn't I give to be in Chicago in March, 2001? I hope those of you
lucky enough to be able to get there have already bought your tickets
because I have a feeling they're going to be in short supply pretty
soon.
On a personal note my daughters 21st birthday was definitely the
highlight of my year and to celebrate the occasion I've posted below a
photo taken at their party. I'm enormously proud of all three of my
girls; without their support and understanding nothing much would ever
get done around here so thanks to them for putting up with me during the
course of the year.
Megan, Priscilla, Ken & Nicola Blackie - 30th September, 2000
Thanks to all of you who continue to write in to both Rod and I - your
letters and submissions to the various columns are always interesting
and contribute immeasurably to the success of this site. Thanks also
those who pitch in so willingly to help with the odd task that need an
additional pair of hands.
Finally, thanks to Rod for giving of himself so selflessly over the past
couple of years. I've visited quite a few celebrity sites recently and I
can assure you no one puts more time and effort into ensuring fresh and
topical content than does Rod. Thank you, my friend; it's much
appreciated by all who visit here.
So, onwards into 2001 and may it be a good year for all of you. Let's
see, we have the concerts to look forward to, at least one new book and
probably some CD's as well. Yup, it's going to be a good one!
I'll see you then.
- Ken, Johannesburg, December 27, 2000
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on the Stanyan House logo to buy Rod McKuen books, CD's and lots more
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Catch Rod McKuen live!
Click on the links below for details of
concerts and appearances.
ROD McKUEN
CONCERTS
ROD
McKUEN APPEARANCES
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Wednesday 31 December
NEW YEARS EVE
Rex Allen o
Elizabeth Arden o
Paula Barbier o
Barbara Carrera o
Jacques Cartier o
Rosalind Cash o
Lord Cornwallis o
Burton Cummings o
Joe Dallesandro o
John Denver o
Anthony Hopkins o
Jonah Jones o
Val Kilmer o
Ben Kingsley o
Tim Matheson o
Henri Matisse o
Joe McIntyre o
Sarah Miles o
Pola Negri o
Bebe Neuwirth o
Odetta o
Nino Rota o
George Schlatter o
Patti Smith o
Goran Sollscher o
Jule Styne o
Donna Summer |
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I
have decided to put off until next year my New Year’s resolution to stop
procrastinating.
Now comes another year, another chance to
say thank you to old friends for staying close no matter what…
Today I’d like to know the face of someone,
anyone, I could blame my headache on.
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FOR A SON AT CHRISTMAS |
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When Christmas
comes around this year, I’d like to give you something that you least
expect: your father’s wisdom. If, indeed, he’s yet acquired enough to
share. Your father’s charity, if he can truly say he has done nothing
all these years to harm his fellow man. Your father’s understanding, if
he understands your needs well enough to listen to whole paragraphs of
your young troubles without judging you mid-sentence. Your father’s
absolution, though he has yet to be absolved for the recklessness he’s
passed down to you both knowingly and unknowingly. Your father’s future,
if he can see untroubled days ahead. Your father’s needs, that you might
meet the ones he never filled himself.
I hope, though, that your father, your old man, is not so selfish as to
burden you with his unanswered prayers. You will need all the God that
you can get to answer some of those requests you are making now and many
you have not thought up yet, but will.
- adapted from "An Outstretched Hand," 1980 |
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