Watch out! Citric Acid has arrived!

There's a certain time in most English majors' lives when they fall in love with little magazines and journals, those publications that give new writers their starts and sustain more established scribes. The history is illustrious: The Dial. Poetry. Paris Review. New Directions Review. The North American Review. The Iowa Review. So many reviews, so many quarterlies. Some last for years, decades, while others are fleeting. Some are afliliated with institutions, like UCI's Faultline and IVC's own Ear (poised to celebrate its 40th birthday this year!) while others publish independently. To the writers and readers, the contents of such journals are precious, whether handmade and stapled or perfect bound or, increasingly these days, published online..

Orange County is now home to a new journal. Welcome to Citric Acid!  The quarterly is the brainchild of Red Emma who has more time to do more good works now that he has retired. And the welcome has been warm.

This Sunday's LA Times featured a write-up from Gabriel San Román: 

"New ‘Citric Acid’ quarterly journal gives O.C. some literary tart"

He writes: 

Tonkovich is...readying the launch of “Citric Acid,” a new online literary journal debuting this weekend. Its inauguration is a highly curated assemblage of the county’s contemporary scribes ready to kick off the publication’s mission one quarterly issue at a time.

“I’d like it to be a cultural clearinghouse that introduces the best of Orange County,” Tonkovich said. “It’s very much a DIY project that explores multiple genres, but I like to keep the adjective ‘literary’ in there to distinguish us from more journalistic sources. ‘Literary’ is an affectation, but it’s a helpful word. It attracts a certain variety of readers.”

Don Leach's photo features Red and managing editor Jaime Campbell posed in the charming messy backdrop of Red and Rebel Girl's living room:
 

It's a nice way to start the challenging new year.

Regular readers of this blog should enjoy the round-up of prose and poetry, art and humor.

The first issue opens with the three writers of the newly published A People's Guide to Orange County (UC Press): Elaine Lewinnek (CSU Fullerton), Thuy Vo Dang (UCI) and Gustavo Arellano (LA Times, and who knows, may one of these days, IVC's commencemnet speaker. A girl can hope). In "Pulling Back the Orange Curtain: The Authors of A People's Guide to Orange County Reflect on Their Process," the trio does just that. Other contributors include OC's new poet laureates, Natalie Graham and Tina Mai, IVC alum Mary Camarillo and Laguna Beach College of the Arts professor Grant Hier. Rebel Girl also contributes "False Flag," a short story about last year's insurrection, with an O.C. angle. Other writers include Victoria Patterson writing about four uncomfortable family meals at iconic Newport Beach restuarants and Fullerton Observer's Jesse La Tour, Grant Hoskins' comic and Red's own appreciation of CSULB's Peter Carr, artist and poet.

Check out the first issue by clicking here. 

And subscribe! It's free.

And please, encourage Roy to write up his epic on the Shooting Star which would be the perfect OC mystery crime serial!

It's Friday, it's late, an' I'm crazy 'bout a Mercury

 

Well if I had money 

I'd tell you what I'd do 

I go downtown buy a Mercury or two 

Crazy 'bout a Mercury 

Lord I'm crazy 'bout a Mercury 

I'm gonna buy me a Mercury & cruise it up & down the road

We last saw Warren Zevon a couple of weeks ago: Werewolves of London

This is a recent film depiction of the Turtles on the Sunset Strip; they're one of my favorite 60s bands. Great song: "Outside Chance," by a young Warren Zevon (1967).

'49 Mercury "Lead Sled"—a kind of hot rod
(Pretty much the only Merc anyone's ever been crazy about.)

Ry Cooder is a national treasure

AllMusic bio: Ry Cooder 

 

"Whether serving as a session musician, solo artist, or soundtrack composer, Ry Cooder's chameleon-like fretted instrument virtuosity, songwriting, and choice of material encompass an incredibly eclectic range of North American musical styles, including rock & roll, blues, reggae, Tex-Mex, Hawaiian, Dixieland jazz, country, folk, R&B, gospel, and vaudeville. In addition to his American music bona fides, Cooder is an unofficial American cultural ambassador: He was partially responsible for bringing together the Cuban musicians known globally as the Buena Vista Social Club, recording with Ali Farka Toure, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, and Manuel Galban, to name a few. During the '80s and '90s, he was a celebrated film composer, scoring works such as Walter Hill's The Long Riders, Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas and The End of Violence, and Tony Richardson's The Border. Since 1989, he has won six Grammy Awards and been nominated for many more in genres ranging from children's music and folk, to Latin (pop and traditional), Americana, and world music. Among his most notable albums in the 21st century are the conceptual Chavez Ravine, about an L.A. neighborhood bulldozed to make way for bringing the Dodgers baseball team to Los Angeles, and San Patricio with the Chieftains, about a band of immigrant Irish soldiers who deserted the American Army during the Mexican-American War to fight for the other side...."

 

--That's Ry playing with Jim Keltner, John Hiatt, and Nick Lowe back in 1987.

—And here he is, a teenager in 1967, playing with Captain Beefheart. Very cool indeed.

"I think it's the hill to die on." Part 2

Found on the street in Berkeley.

Rebel Girl is on the road, wearing her K-95 mask everywhere and showing her vaccination credentials to anyone who asks. She and Red Emma dropped off their offspring at UC Santa Cruz (Go Banana Slugs!) and kept driving north. It's a Judy Chicago and Joan Mitchell art tour, a little of the world before the Spring semester starts. She is now holed up her favorite Berkeley dive hotel, grading late student work (Radical flexibility! Redemption is possible!) and re-planning the Spring semester (Online 'til early February...!). 

Meanwhile she is keeping up on the news coming out of O.C., especially those alarming infection numbers. It takes a lot to shock Rebel Girl, after all, she is now 60, but the news this week of the COVID-caused death of Kelly Ernby, truly shocked her. Ernby was last seen in this blog at the side of Supervisor Don Wagner just a month ago at the December 4 anti-vaxx mandate rally at Irvine City Hall.  See "I think it's the hill to die on."  The deputy D.A. and former candidate for Assembly, a "rising star" of the OC GOP, was 46 and, according to her husband, unvaccinated. 

Rebel Girl first found the story via the LA Times which broke the story with the excellent comprehensive coverage by Gabriel San Roman: 

Kelly Ernby, former Orange County GOP state Assembly candidate and deputy D.A., dies of COVID-19

Wagner and Ernby.

Rebel Girl had looked forward to returning to the classroom because hey, two years of computer-mediated teaching and learning is just not the same, no matter what anyone says. It isn't. So little joy. Such limited learning. We are losing so many students in so many ways. 

But is the danger real? It is. 

And the likelihood of returning continues to jeopardized by the kind of hollow leadership pictured above. 

The Register reports that Supervisor Wagner declared his intention to "continue if invited, speaking out against the mandates, and also saying that my choice is to get vaccinated and I believe it should be the choice most people make, absent a genuine health concern or absent a religious objection."

1964: The light I gave to you

 1964: the Jelly Beans, "I Wanna Love Him So Bad"  

 1964: The Shangri-Las, "Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)"  

Note the allusion to military service: boyfriend got drafted?

 1964: Dusty Springfield, "Wishin and Hopin'"

This is the second Bacharach/David tune recently, the other being "My Little Red Book," performed by Love.

 1964: The Drifters, "Under the Boardwalk"

     MEANWHILE: Monday night, I found that neither my phone nor my internet wifi worked, and since I don't have a cell phone (not one that works in these hills), that's pretty serious. The semester is about to begin and, well, being incommunicado isn't helpful.

     The next day, I called AT&T and tried to get them out here to fix the lines. The best I could do was a window of 8:00 a.m. to noon today. 

     They never showed up. They did not communicate with me using the ways I gave them (my sister's land line, etc.).

     I called again. They said they'd try to get someone out there by 6:00. But again, they were a no show.

     I've been trying to call AT&T in the last hour, but they're overwhelmed and said to call back later.

     Naturally, I've been through this before. On occasion, I've been forced to wait weeks while they get their freakin' acts together.

     The world ain't what it used to be. Sheesh.

     UPDATE [Thursday night]: The AT&T guy is supposed to show up between 8 and 12 Friday morning. We'll see.

     UPDATE [Friday night]: they never showed this morning. Eventually, I guy showed mid-afternoon and couldn't fix it. He'll be back tomorrow afternoon, I guess.

     UPDATE 1-8: still have no service. Technician won't call back.

     UPDATE 1-9: at long last, the lines are repaired—but the problem seemed to be something other than the causes earlier claimed. —Whatever; I'm once again connected to the world.

 1964: The Beach Boys, "Don't Worry Baby"

Inspired by the Ronnettes' "Be My Baby," which was a hit a year earlier. Some consider this the Beach Boys' finest recording and Brian's finest vocal. It's my fave.

1966: nearly forgotten, disquieting, vatic gems!

1966: Arthur Lee's LOVE, "My Little Red Book"

I just got out my little red book 

The minute that you said goodbye 

I thumbed right through my little red book 

I wasn't gonna sit and cry

1966: The Seeds, "Can't Seem to Make You Mine"

"...the glorious primitivism and narrower focus of their debut [album] ultimately works to their advantage; there are few albums of the era that mirror the delicious arrogance of a beer-sodden teenage misfit with the effortless simplicity of the Seeds, and it's justly celebrated as a classic of first-wave garage punk."

1966: The Standells, "Dirty Water"

"The Los Angeles band was actually hardly typical of the young suburban outfits across America who took their raw garage sound onto obscure singles recorded in small studios. They'd been playing L.A. clubs since the early '60s, with a repertoire that mostly consisted of covers of pre-Beatles rock hits. Drummer (and eventual lead singer) Dick Dodd had been a Mouseketeer on television, organist Larry Tamblyn was the brother of noted film actor Russ Tamblyn, and Tony Valentino was a recent immigrant from Italy."

Yeah, down by the river 

Down by the banks of the river Charles 

Aw, that's what's happenin', baby 

That's where you'll find me 

Along with lovers, muggers, and thieves 

Aw, but they're cool, too

1966: Syndicate of Sound, "Little Girl"

"...Syndicate of Sound singer Don Baskin and bassist Bob Gonzalez ultimately took that inspiration and penned a unique number incorporating sonic elements of Britpop and folk-rock with a dark, brooding, and dyspeptic lyrical sentiment, delivered with an almost discomforting level of sanguine indifference."

1966: 13th Floor Elevators, "You're Gonna Miss Me"

"The 13th Floor Elevators [of Austin, Texas] were trailblazers in the psychedelic rock scene, and in time they'd pay a heavy price for exploring the outer edges of musical and psychological possibility, but along the way they left behind a few fine albums, and The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators remains a potent delight."

You're gonna wake up wonderin' 

Find yourself all alone 

But what's gonna stop me, baby? 

I'm not comin' home

1966: ? and the Mysterians, "96 Tears"

"It only took one song, the organ-driven number one smash '96 Tears,' to make ? & the Mysterians into garage rock legends. Eccentric frontman Question Mark ... cultivated an aura of mystery by never appearing in public without a pair of wraparound sunglasses; he frequently claimed he had been born on Mars and lived among the dinosaurs in a past life, and that voices from the future had revealed he would be performing '96 Tears' in the year 10,000. On a more earthly level, the Mysterians' sound helped lay down an important part of the garage rock blueprint, namely the low-budget sci-fi feel of the Farfisa and Vox organs (most assumed that '96 Tears' had featured the former, but ? later remembered using the latter)."

And when the sun comes up, I'll be on top 

You'll be right down there, looking up 

And I might wave...

1966: The Troggs, "I Can't Control Myself"

"...[T]he words weren't making suggestions but spelling sexual desire out pretty clearly. In particular the line about the slacks hanging low and hips showing, sung with unsuppressed hunger, didn't leave much to the imagination. Nor did the final parts of the verse, where the melody ascended dramatically before pausing for [singer Reg] Presley to seethe the title phrase, after which the band crashed conclusively on a chilling minor chord."

1966: The Monks, "Complication"

"If anything, the Monks were far wilder than their story would suggest; they may have looked bizarre in their matching black outfits, rope ties, and tonsures, but it was their music that was truly radical, with the sharp fuzz and feedback of Gary Burger's guitar faced off against the bludgeoning clang of Dave Day's amplified banjo (taking the place of rhythm guitar), as Roger Johnston pounded out minimalist patterns on the drums, Eddie Shaw's electric bass gave forth with a monstrous throb, and Larry Clark's keyboard bounced off the surfaces of the aural melee."

People cry, 

People die for you. 

People kill, 

People will for you. 

People run, 

Ain't it fun for you.

AND A PERSONAL FAVORITE:

1966: Love, "No Matter What You Do"

Do you remember me? 

I'm the one you talk about 

Do you remember me? 

I'm the one you booted out 

 [Chorus] No matter what in the world you do Hey, 

I'll always be in love with you 

No matter what in the world you say Girl, 

I'm gonna love you anyway

     The rhythm guitarist and second singer for Love was Bryan MacLean, who wrote some of the band's best songs, including the lovely "Alone Again Or." After his association with Love, MacLean underwent a conversion to Christianity and pursued Christian music. His half-sister, Maria McKee, formed the band Lone Justice in the 80s, and one of that band's best songs was written by Bryan: "Don't Toss Us Away," which was later a hit single for country singer Patty Loveless. Bryan died of a heart attack in 1998 at age 52. 

I wild night up here in the mountains

No passage for now. The oak tree is bigger than it looks!

     We're having a wild night here in Lambrose Canyon (Trabuco Cyn. area just above O'Neill Park). Officials are evacuating residents of nearby neighborhoods: Silverado Cyn., Modjeska Cyn., etc. The weather people are warning that we might get 5-7 inches of rain tonight! (That's a frightening thought.) 

     Already, a large tree has fallen and has blocked our exit from Lambrose Canyon. Anni sent me a pic. (See.) 

     Evidently, there was a construction worker at the rental (on our property) who discovered late this afternoon that he was no longer able to drive out (i.e., to drive home). Anni got on the horn to try to get help with moving the tree; she didn't get far; after a while she sought the guy out but could find neither him nor his pickup. But the tree's still blocking the road! Huh?

     I suggested taking a look up Lambrose in the other direction: the road peters out into non-existence and mud as it goes up a box canyon (back in the early 70s, it was still passable but it has steadily deteriorated). But Anni couldn't find him there, nor is there any indication anyone had driven up that way. 

     So it's a mystery. 

     Sounds like one of our neighbors has arranged for help with the tree in the morning. So there's that.

     We'll be all right, I'm sure, though we may experience some flooding tonight (especially down at the studio, which flooded a week or two ago during a relatively moderate storm). 

     And boy is it cold—about 49 degrees already! (My place doesn't have heat, 'ceptin for one or two space heaters.) Sheesh!

     As always, Teddy says "hey!"

Voice of OC photo