Here's that article about Kesey that was in the New York Times:
ARTICLE
MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2001
"ON MONDAY AFTERNOON--------LATE, I HEARD A WEAK CRY FROM THE GATE. AND, BEHOLD, THERE WAS A RIDER, DUSTY, DIRTY, AND LOOKIN HALF-DEAD. HIS TRUSTY STEED HAD COLLAPSED AND I FIGGURED I BETTER TEND TO HIS MOUNT FIRST 'CAUSE HE DIDNT LOOK TOO DERN GOOD--THO HIS WEARY RIDER DIDN'T LOOK MUCH BETTER. AFTER, HOSING DOWN HIS HOSS, I ASKED THE POOPED-OUT COWBOY IF IT WAS HE THAT I WAS LOOKIN FER. AFTER 5 OR 6 COLD SASSYFRASS DRINKS, HE TOLD ME THAT THE MERRY PRANKSTERS HAD SENT HIM ALL THE WAY FROM OREGON CARRYIN A SPESHUL PACKAGE FER ME. THE VIDDIE ARRIVED!!!!I CALLED THE ASPCA TO PICK UP HIS PONY, AND SENT THE RIDER ON HIS WAY (HE HAD FRIENDS LIVIN IN BARETOE BAY) AND SETTLED DOWN TO WATCH THE VIDDIE. NOW YOU SHOULDDA TOLE ME THAT THE NEWEST PRANKSTER , YOUR FILM EDITOR, WAS MY OLE BUDDY, SAL. NOW I KNOW THAT EVERYONE THINKS THAT HE DIED YEARS AGO------ BUT IT'S OBVIOUS SALVADOR DALI LIVES!!!!!! AND HAS JOINED YOUR BAND OF JOLLY PRANKSTERS. HE'S REALLY DOING A GREAT JOB FOR YOU. THE EDITING IS AWESOME AND EXTREMELY DALI-ESQUE. AND THE AQMAZING THING IS-- HE NEEDS NO KOOL-AID TO DO THE JOB!
I LOVED THE VIDDIE, AND YOU ARE SO SWEET TO HAVE SENT IT (EVEN THOUGH YOU NEARLY KILLED BOTH HORSE AND RIDER). IT ARRIVED WITH THE OUTER PLASTIC TORN AND COMING APART-- BUT OTHERWISE INTACT. PERHAPS IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO MAKE THE PLASTIC A BIT THICKER."
-- LANI
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2001
D DAY
DEE DAY DEE ALLIES
LANDED AT NORMANDEE IN 1944
The Germans were ready, oh boy were they ready. They had panzers and soldiers waiting inland, ready to move out and squash the invasion, just as soon as they knew where it was happening. The very major major general called Berlin. "Give me the order and we move out." Only Hitler himself could give the order and unfortunately he was crashed, sleeping off a three day speed run and no one could wake him up. By the time he was able to give the order it was too late. We all know what happened next. Remember, you read it here, first.
MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2001
"What? You haven't got your vidie yet? It must be somewhere in this mess. We'll paw through it. Have you seen
it, Babbs?"
"You asking me, Kesey? I can't find anything in this damned computer.
It's all plugged up with vidie orders. Phil, where is it?"
"Ha, I'm still catching up on the mail. Maybe these volunteers know something about it?"
"We're from Canada. We never saw anything like this. We thought the bus was still in the swamp. Call us Weird Wheels."
"I found it. Just let me put this shrink film wrapper on the box and this vidie is outta here."
MAY 10, 2001
For a good interview with Kesey, click on:
Well, there went our May 1 deadline and did we get Episode 2 done? Silly question. Of course
we didn't. We tried. But Kesey went to New York for a week, speaking in Albany, working with his editor on some
book projects, going to see Cuckoo's Nest on Broadway. So he wasn't doing any video editing. He was going to go
to Flushing Meadows and get the final shot for the World's Fair segment of Episode 2 of the Kool Place vidie. What
he called the final shot.
Simon's computer motherboard went kaplunk but he had already dumped his edited segment of the drive up the New Jersey Turnpike onto a master tape so nothing was lost.
That left it all up to the old Intrepid Traveler hisself, slaving away on the video editor, to complete the final piece of the puzzle: the streets of New York. So if there's anyone to blame for missing our May 1 deadline, the blame can be laid right at that dastard's feet. He thinks he's a poet but he doesn't know it although his shoes show it. They are Longfellows.
"Don't get smart with me," he yells from the background. "Tell them
we'll shoot for a June 1 completion and if we don't make it we'll . . . well what will we do?" Scratching
his head like a bumpkin, shuffling off to the editing baying like a sad hound.
-- Ken Babbs
KESEY IN NEW YORK
Submitted by David Stanford
The Albany reading was a great scene. An unexpected hot day, transplanted from August. Blossoms
and leaves exploding. An afternoon session on campus with 100 or so students, moderated by our host Don Faulkner
of the Writers
Institute. He worked for years with Malcolm Cowley and edited the Viking Portable, a fresh old hardbound copy of
which he presented to Ken on stage.
Noting the unusual "u" in his last name, Kesey asked if he was related to William Faulkner. "Bastard
son," said Don. "Then let's raise a glass to the old bastard," and we did.
The sold-out reading in the evening was downtown, in the old Normal School auditorium. We were sorry to hear that a bunch of folks were turned away -we only found out from the e-mails of lament. It was a great crowd, mostly under-thirty and over-50. "I don't know what happened to that bunch in between," puzzled Kesey. Afterward 80 or 90 people stayed around to chat and bring up books for signing. Folks with their kids, lotsa students, everybody smart sharp and upbeat.
Eventually we emerged into the quiet Albany streets. The air smelled
like white port and lemon juice from all the blossoms. The old Italian restaurant was abuzz with writers, grad
students, our host William Kennedy, the author of the Albany novels, and his wife Dana, and other folks from the
program. Everybody was warm as toast. It was
a good solid connection, not to mention the inspirational karaoke machine which kept luring the Sinatra out of
people. And we got to rendezvous with our old friend and ally Paul Slovak from Viking,
Cuckoo's Nest on Broadway was great. Went backstage and met Gary
Sinese in his dressing room: Kesey told tales of the first opening night in 1963 with Kirk Douglas playing McMurphy.
Downstairs, on stage (publicist biting fingernails about union rules) Kesey elaborately
signed a book for Tim Sampson (son of Will, both of whom played Chief Bromden). In the alleyway between theater
buildings he met the rest of the cast, and posed for a team photo. NYTimes reporter sat with Ken during the show,
and jotted notes during all this, and we then retired to a bar where he carried on with the interview for another
hour.
Kesey didn't get the video shot of the world's fair site he wanted. Traffic was too heavy and he would have missed the opening of the play.
HOORAY HOORAY
THE FIRST OF MAY
OUTDOOR LUTING
STARTS TODAY
Unfortunately some people misunderstood and thought it was looting and as a result authoritarian countries held massive gatherings parading their muscles and mighty bulk to discourage any kind of individual action and there went the may day clebrations we had as kids dancing around three maypoles winding the ribbons tight and then flying our kites in the brisky May wind whilst screaming, "Mayday, mayday, mayday," as the flimsy contrivances spun toward the ground and where did that mayday thing come from anyhow?
The French. Mais de's, or something like that, meaning, help me, and that was the demise of the good old S.O.S. Save our ship. To everything turn turn turn.
-- Ken Babbs
