I woke up today in Asheville to social media posts about Sinead O’Connor. Funny how we love people after they pass. Sinead is the heroine of the twentieth century.
There were a lot of posts for Bobbie Gentry on her 80th birthday.
I came to Ashville to work on my art and to work on my health. I left New Orleans a month ago. I have to tell you I was eating myself to death. I love food, but more than that, I love New Orleans food -fried in grease with lots of mayonnaise and butter on the side. I am loved beyond belief, and the one thing I can never say no to is a dinner invitation.
I’ve been here a month working on my podcast. Like my weight, I’ve struggled with the theme, the name, and the podcast's tone. I even had to learn how to edit with Adobe Audition. Boy do these interviews sound great now!
I started interviewing my friends months ago with my friends Lila and Tamara.
While in New Orleans, the week of June 24th, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the fire of The Upstairs Lounge and the 32 people who died in the fire. I got to spend a lot of time with my friend Regina working on the podcast and going to some of the special events that were planned for the anniversary.
After spending lots of time with her during those two weeks in June and going to plays and the memorial, we recorded interviews in which Regina gave her time selflessly to tell me her life story.
The last month I struggled with the theme of the podcast. She is such a big part of it She is one of the last remaining survivors of the fire. She’s dealt with her traumas and has built a life that she’s quite content with. She turned 73 this month and is one of the most selfless people I know
Growing up, I had the albums, “Fancy” and “Ode to Billie Joe” albums, and they helped shape my artistic esthetic. Her songs are short stories.
When I create, I always go to Reba Rambo and Bobbie’s music. Today while writing my scripts for the podcast, I listened to her album. “Patchwork’.
Bobbie's painting for the cover of "Fancy"