For Shann Larsson on her 22nd birthday

This is a poem I wrote for Shann in honor of her birthday January 14th.  Happy Birthday, Shann.

The Year Past (for Shann, on her 22nd birthday)

the best thing about some years is that they are finally over eyes look to the future shun the past refusing to let memories take root trying to smooth out the chipped and broken surface of the past 365 days to leave no space for a seed of memory to lodge and send down roots that worm their way between the gaps in imperfect armor and send twin tendrils into heart...Read more

Calling Down the Spirits

I had a very vivid dream the other morning.  Now bear with me, my dreams are often, at least by the standards of "normal" folk,  quite strange.

In this dream I was in a theater waiting backstage to go on after a couple of 30-something male singers who were on stage performing.  They were seated on chairs singing flamenco, a type of unaccompanied vocal flamenco called "martinete".  These are among the oldest and most primitive flamenco melodies.  They are not major or minor, but modal.  This is Gypsy flamen...Read more

Leonard Cohen, Lorca, rock and flamenco

In 1996 Enrique Morente, one of flamenco's greatest singers, recorded an album that combined his love of flamenco, the songs of Leonard Cohen and the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca (specifically here "Poet in New York").  Cohen, himself, had been inspired on numerous occasions by these surreal poems of Lorca.  Morente took all of these influences, combined them with contemporary flamenco and hard rock, courtesy of Lagartija Nick a band from his hometown, Granada.  The result was the album "Omega&quo...Read more

Anthony Wong Yiu Ming - Inspiration

Two poems--a diptych, two sides of the same coin, if you will--inspired by Ming Gor in performance.  I tried to capture the dual nature I see when I watch him perform--the intense intellectual curiosity on the one hand (is there anyone else who references Jean Cocteau and Edith Piaf, Albinoni or Massive Attack in their music in HK?) and the sincere heartfelt passion, on the other. 

Anthony Wong Yiu Ming – In Performance

I. Passion

the stream flows

I am caught up

my body feels the ge...Read more

Cooking Marmitako (Basque tuna stew)

Marmitako is a Basque tuna stew.  As one of my (many) Spanish cookbooks says that there are as many recipes for marmitako as there are Basque cooks.  The version I made tonight is adapted by Joyce Goldstein and is in Williams-Sonoma Savoring Spain and Portugal.

Quality tuna is a must.  This is sashimi-grade tuna from the local grocery store.  It has to be fresh to get the sa...Read more

Does anyone recognize the club/bar where this video was shot?

This video is for the song "Grieving Man" from Leslie Cheung's "Red" album.  It appears to have been shot in early 1996 as many of the costumes and some of the actors were part of Leslie's 1995-96 tour.  I am curious to know where the club portions of the video were shot and what sort of venue it was.  The interior appears at the 2:41 minute mark and you get a better look at the bar(?) area at the 3:00 minute mark.  The paintings on the wall behind Leslie are quite unus...Read more

The Death of Cantonese?

Is Cantonese going the way of the Dodo, even in Hong Kong?

Last night I watched what I would define as a Hong Kong movie.  The director was from Hong Kong, the studio was based in Hong Kong, it was shot on the streets of Hong Kong featuring events taking place in Hong Kong.  Over half of the actors, however, were not from Hong Kong.  In every scene in the movie, people were speaking both Cantonese and Mandarin, to each another.  Not matter what soundtrack I chose, half of the actors in any given scene were being dubbed in a fo...Read more

Christmas at my house

Here are pictures of this year's Christmas preparations at my house.  I don't do a lot of decorating, so the tree is the main focus.  I hope you enjoy these pictures of the tree and its decorations.

Every year we go to a tree lot about half a mile from the house to purchase a live Christmas tree that was grown in the mountains of North Carolina.  The Eggers family, from near Boone,...Read more

Anthony Wong "Teardrop" (MV)

This is from Anthony's awesome new album, "King of the Road".  This is a cover of the Massive Attack song .

 A special video of a beautiful song.  Nice that I can finally understand what Anthony is singing (my Cantonese is rudimentary, believe me).

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUkGpVQ6iSU

My Hong Kong connection to Leslie Cheung

Hello Tracy (aka Snowduck), now visiting Hong Kong.  Read her recent blog entries to see some of the fun things she has been up to since her arrival (http://www.alivenotdead.com/snowduck/blog.html).

I just read your blog entry and see you were looking for Leslie's star on the Avenue of the Stars.  I know it is there because friends have sent me pictures of it.

I do have a direct connection with Leslie Cheung and Hong Kong...Read more