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Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Mad World Of Severn Darden
THE BRAVEST COMEDIAN
Hyde Park in Chicago was a place for early progressives, leftists, communists and those who believed in integration. The University of Chicago, known as the "the place where fun goes to die" has an architectural style that reminds one of how all architecture would look if the Church and state were one. In the 1950's it was an area surrounded by poverty and one tread carefully away from the college. There was an incredible Chinese restaurant on 63rd Street but one did not walk there. There were blues clubs on 47th street, real blues clubs not tourist traps, but one drove to those as well. There was Jimmy's, a bar where students tried to relax but more often than not chess games and discussions of philosophy dominated. The Point was a spot you could go to- and study while looking at a hill and the lake. The Medici which everyone in Hyde Park mispronounced, MED-E-CHI instead of the Italian family name. It was a gallery and coffee shop at the time. The Museum of Science and Industry, a building left over from the World's Fair of 1893 had a German U-Boat and working coal mine in it. That was just about it. For 90% of the students at the school the work was difficult and grueling. Then there is that lucky 10% who seemed to float through school - who went to Jimmy's to drink, who turned lectures into high comedy and pulled pranks while everyone around them toiled.
No one before or since pulled pranks and got away with them the way Severn Darden did. No one.
The buildings invoke a a Medieval feel, so Darden got himself a cloak ala Sherlock Holmes and marched through the campus. Even among the eccentrics of Hyde Park, Darden stood out.
He had decided to find ways into every building on the campus. This was not easy to do, as the campus police force rivalled Chicago's in size, and guards were in every building. Where to start? Severn had come to Chicago via Vermont, but was born and raised in New Orleans. His dad ran for State's Attorney and promised that he would treat all races equally- which outraged the Klan. Up until then, a black witness could not testify against a white man or woman. This caused many death threats to the family, and might help explain why Severn was sent to school in Vermont. His father was given an award by the NAACP when they discovered he meant what he had said.
Rockerfeller Chapel! Perfect! His cloak on, Severn made his way into the building through an open window, and crept by the sleeping guard.
Into this imposing Chapel he crept armed only with a flashlight looking for his way of showing the campus he had penetrated this structure. The organ! The massive organ that could be heard throughout the campus!
He found it, and sat down to play. Quietly at first, then loud and booming. The sleeping guard awoke, and took a minute to realize what was happening. The sound of the organ was now echoing through the building and out into the Hyde Park night. The guard pulled his gun and cautiously moved towards the organ area. Flashlight in one hand, gun in the other, he came upon Severn in cloak playing a real life Phantom Of The Opera. As the light hit Severn he darted from the organ with the guard in hot pursuit. Running into the chapel he flung himself onto the altar and shouted,
SANCTUARY!
This startled the guard who was confused and did not know what to do as Severn escaped into the night.
Next he picked a target that was considered impenetrable. The girls showers!
Dressed in his cloak he found a way into the building, pass the guards and wandered into the showers where the girls in mass were taking their shower.
EXCUSE ME, IS THIS THE WAY TO CLARK STREET ?
He said deadpan and the girls went from screams to laughter. He got away with it!
There was an expression still in use from early America, "Is the game worth the candle?", it was from the days before electricity when you had to use a candle, a rare item, to entertain after dark. Severn carried a candle on him at all times, should some stuffy Prof or dismissive student say the line to him, he pulled the candle out! There was no comeback. There was no way to top him.
Severn had topped every prank at the College. It was time to find a new victim. He chose Bard College and noted the Dean's house was atop a slope. He gathered some students together, and they built a crucifix , got him a loin cloth and hoisted him on the hill. Because of the slope you couldn't see him until you came up the hill. He was crucified in front of the Dean's house! The Dean expelled him for that one. Severn looked up at him and spoke, but not to apologize,
THAT'S TOO BAD I WAS GOING TO WRITE YOU A CHECK!
Fearless. Improvisational. Quick witted. Eccentric. He bought a Rolls Royce when no one collected them, a 1929 one and drove around with his cloak on.
He decided to become an actor. But he was on a path to meet Del Close.
(Thanks to Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete for prank information).
Posted at 10:23 am by Psychomike
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009
A Pause for Ferris Bueller
SLAMMING INTO TODAY WITH FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF
"Mike, to choose the artists life isn't an answer. It's a mountain to climb."
- KENNETH ANGER
"The modern day artist refuses to die."
- ERIC SATIE
"Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
- FERRIS BUELLER
A confession dear reader. Writing a blog is much easier than writing a script. Here I can rant. A script? Well, I follow Paul Linebarger's STASM formula. Paul is one of my heroes. He was an OSS agent, the precursor to CIA. His classic must read Intel book, PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE comes in 2 editions, up to World War 2 and Korea. Paul wrote science fiction under the name Cordwinder Smith without CIA's knowledge, and romance novels under the name Frederick Forest. His book RIA about rebels, gun and money running- well you can look at the name of the book and guess what struggle and group it's about. The CIA never knew he was weaving his experiences into fiction.
The STASM formula is as follows: SUBJECT MATTER, TIME FRAME, AUDIENCE, SOURCES and MISSION. What is my subject? The time frame to get it done? Who is the audience for the work? What are my sources, my resources to draw on? Finally, what is the goal of the piece, how does it fit in with my overall mission? Now, taking military iideas and applying them to theatre isn't really far fetched. The two worlds have much in common. Though I doubt many writers ask themselves these questions before they write.
A director wears a mask to rally the actors, so does a General with their troops. You can have the General like Pattton who is aloof from his men, or Omar Bradley who will have beers with them. A director like Ceil B. DeMille who struck fear into his cast and crew, or one like Clint Eastwood who doesn't even like to use the word CUT or ACTION on a set to keep his actors at ease.A general doesn't want his soldiers to die on the field. A director doesn't want his actors to die onstage. The rules of war and theatre are pretty much interchangable ( substitute the word MARKETING with PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE and it all starts to fall into place).
A blog like this is more like a diary. The STASM formula does not fit. Here I can driift from period to period, as I do tonight.
Del called me excited that he had a part in FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF which was shooting in Highland Park, a beautiful and rich part of Chicago.
I was living in a highrise at 1120 N. LaSalle that was formerly occupied by a victim of the Tylenol murders (so the rent was cut in half compared to the other units in the building). Del was across the street and behind buildings from Second City.
I stepped into the open door and the wall of pot smoke and Del was excited.
" Michael!' he exclaimed as I entered, " I'm doing a film about you!" and I had no idea what he was talking about.
He handed me a joint that was burning and walked over to his kitchen table where the script sat on his table. I had no idea how to take what he had just said and asked hm instead what part he had.
"Not a big role, but I talk about irony!" he laughed. We'd actually talked about the role of irony in entertainment and how it seemed to be growing. So then I asked him what he meant by 'it was a film about me'.
"It's you with your own place at 12. Teaching before you graduated at the Art Institute,. the women you've known, the luck plane! The Subgenius luck plane that saves you at the last minute over and over." and he broke into more laughter.
He told me I'd just have to see the film when it came out. I don't remember why I didn't, but over the years I never saw it. Until tonight.
Chicago in summer has film screenings in the parks and tonight by the Historical Society was an open air screeniing of FERRIS. So i walked over, found a seat and watched the film with a crowded and young audience. Most were babies when the film came out. I watched and loved the film. It was great to see Del in it. I loved the scenes of Highland Park and the city.
When the final credits ended i walked two blocks over to where Del use to live. i knew he would have liked the film being shown to a packed field in his old backyard.
As I walked to the crash pad I started thinking. You see, i had been living in a house wiith South Africans in a Mexican hood, and someone dropped a dime and wanted the blacks out. Inspectors had shown up and we all had to go with just 7 days notice. Illegal Mexicans calling to complain about an illegal boarding house because blacks were there. Welcome to Chicago!
This caught me offguard. Here I was working with a book company and author to come up with a treatment for a play on Crowley, plus being in a play every week, moving was not part of the plan. A pal was leaving for Asia, and let me stay at his place. For the last 6 weeks I've been in a highrise, with balcony, and indoor swimming pool! Not bad for being homeless! Next week I move into a raw space for a week and a half, then into a newly re-modeled pad. All by luck.
As I walked the three blocks from the museum to the crashpad i could hear Del laughing and saying the film was about me. I laughed outloud, because now I got the comment.
Posted at 01:12 am by Psychomike
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Friday, October 02, 2009
CALIFORNIA ON FIRE!
I was looking at the picture of the girl with long blonde hair holding a guitar who had come to represent for me the college students holding sit-ins against the Vietnam War. It is difficult to explain these actions, but luckily, there is news footage from the era:
Here she was in the photo occupying the Dean's office, strumming her guitar, a student at the female Harvard- Dartmouth. I was transfixed. I looked up just in time to see black smoke rolling across the backyard of the crash pad. I went outside and there was a line of bushes on fire! I ran inside and dropped the magazine on the couch yelling for Bear. He came out of his bedroom and took a look and casually put his shoes on. The next thing I knew he was hosing down the fire and I was carrying buckets of water from the kitchen. As I poured the water on the fire I asked Bear how often these fires happened. He yawned and said all the time.
I asked what happens when no one is home when these fires combust and he said, you hope the fire doesn't hit the house.
I had loved the canyon. The beauty of it. The mellow moods of the women...... but I had noticed the hundreds lining up hitchhiking. The hundreds of panhandlers in the city. I thought I had found a home- but fighting fires was too much. That night we drove to Topango Canyon and watched Canned Heat play.
I was missing Atlanta and it was time to go home. Bear told me he'd get me a plane ticket and I thought he was kidding, but he wasn't. I flew over the states I had hitched through. Thinking about all I had seen on the road. That it ended in fire and heat made me chuckle.
I got back to the city and was happy to see Atlanta again. I had been in jail for my birthday, escaped rednecks with baseball bats, got wasted and escaped the cop sweep in New Orleans, travelled with a car church to trailer parks and I had made it. Not bad for a 16 year old.
Like Ulysses I had returned home. It was daylight on Peachtree and Peyote saw me and yelled out FLASH! We hugged and talked about Big Sur, Topango Canyon, Route 1 and all the beauty. I didn't even mention the more thrilling aspects of my journey. He mentioned a record company was looking for a guy to work in the marketing department in their office out in the burbs, and having written for the Bird that would help me get the job. They handled rock bands like the Stones, The Who, Moody Blues, John Mayall and country music acts. They knew how to promote country, but rock was new to them. He gave me a number to call. I was about to change my life yet again. I went to a payphone and called the number. A voice answered on the other end.
"Hello, Decca records".
Posted at 03:46 pm by Psychomike
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
SubGenius Devivals 2009/2010
We interrupt this surf with an important message!
THE CHURCH OF THE SUBGENIUS CHICAGO CLENCH BEGINS A WEEKLY DEVIVAL ASSAULT ON THE PINK BOYS AND THE CONSPIRACY!
There are those who claim The Church Of The Subgenius is a joke. If it is, at least it's a joke you can believe in!
Or you saw one of the many Chicago devivals at nightclubs and bars around the city featuring Rev. Del Close, Pope Mike Flores, Rev. Ivan Stang. The Church is back with weekly sermons... who will survive? What will be left of them? You can be like the NORMALS and look away, or you can prepare yourself for a life changing experience.... yet again! What other religion promises the flying saucers will remove you from the planet when the end times wipe earth out, or TRIPLE YOUR MONEY BACK? Dear friends just take a peek at what Chicago's fallible Pope has in store:
DEVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
The devivals will be at 8PM at THE LIAR'S CLUB, 1665 W Fullerton free parking both sides of the street. $6 You must Be 21 or over. 773- 665- 1110 but no reservations needed.
Sat Nov 28th THE QUEST FOR SLACK: Scream Out over holidaze with relatives, learn the story of "Bob", the 1982 World SubCon Tribulations
Sat Dec 5th A JOYFUL NOISE Everyone bring odd instruments to play, surprise Chicago musicians to show up
Sat Dec 12 SEX MIRACLES AND YOU 24 hour marriages, reverse healings, sex with aliens!
Sat Dec 19 PUT THE X BACK IN XMAS! The fallible Pope of Chicago opens a can of whup ass on the holidaze season! Can I hear a hell yeah!
You know, the conspiracy has THOUSANDS of nuclear weapons. The Church only has one! And I forgot where I put it when I was drunk but it has to be someplace around here... I think I left it near my keys so when I find those... ANYWAY prepare yourself for the word of "Bob", prepare yourself for the battle for slack! PRAISE "BOB"!
Posted at 10:49 pm by Psychomike
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
SubGenius Outreach Crusade!
AMSTERDAM, OHIO, CHICAGO, MICHIGAN: OPERATION OUTREACH BEGINS NOW!
SOMETIMES A JOKE CAN GO TOO FAR... SOMETIMES, IS NOW!
THE CHURCH OF THE SUBGENIUS presents weekly Devivals In Chicago! List of other devivals below.. THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!
 The Chicago devivals will be at 8PM at THE LIAR'S CLUB, 1665 W Fullerton free parking both sides of the street. No reservation needed, 773- 665- 1110
$6 You must Be 21 or over
.  Sat Nov 28th THE QUEST FOR SLACK: Scream Out over holidaze with relatives, learn the story of "Bob", the 1982 World SubCon Tribulations
Sat Dec 5th A JOYFUL NOISE Everyone bring odd instruments to play, surprise Chicago musicians to show up
Sat Dec 12 SEX MIRACLES AND YOU 24 hour marriages, reverse healings, sex with aliens!
Sat Dec 19 PUT THE X BACK IN XMAS!
The fallible Pope of Chicago opens a can of whup ass on the holidaze season! Can I hear a hell yeah!
Upcoming SubGenius Events
Nov. 21st-26th, Amsterdam, Holland: Frop Cup 2009 - Frop Cup vs. Cannabis Cup Opening ceremonies will be at Cafe Mono Bilderdijkstraat 15, 1052 NA Amsterdam, Netherlands at 22.00 (10pm) on No.. 21st and the week's festivities include: Rantings, Frop outtings, drunken staggering contests, SubGenius Olympic Doping Committee Meetings, Spankings (tm), Vile Dancing, SexHurt, The Korsakoff. If you'd like to attend please drop Pope Black an email: pope_black666@yahoo.de November 28, Detroit, Michigan: ANNUAL DETROIT SUBGENIUS DEVIVAL with THE AMINO ACIDS and many others 9:00 PM at SMALL'S BAR, Hamtramck, MI -- ALL AGES - $6! http://theaminoacids.com/ Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12, & 19, Chicago, IL: Weekly SUBGENIUS DEVIVAL of the FITTEST with Pope Michael Flores 8 p.m. each night weekly at THE LIAR'S CLUB, 1665 W Fullerton, Chicago IL http://subgeniusslack.blogdrive.com/archive/78.html Feb. 12 - 14 Atwood Lake Lodge, Dellroy OH: Winterstar Symposium With Rev. Ivan Stang, Witch Disco, Harvey Pekar (?) http://www.rosencomet.com/festhapp.html
Posted at 11:45 pm by Psychomike
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