Dark City

Robert Crumb

I got 600 bucks.

Lady Coylton

Last night I watched my favorite movie -- The Adams Family -- probably for the millionth time. But it was with my best friend Miki that noticed for the first time what preceded the credits.

A special thank you to "Lady Coylton".

Needless to say, we were both intrigued - this is what I found out:

Elaine Benson, a Bridgehamptom gallery owner, was married to Joe Kauffman. Her friend, Tee Addams, was married to the cartoonist Charles Addams. The Addams and Kauffmans had met only a few weeks earlier through Elaine's art gallery, had hit it off, and decided to become friends.

At the age of 20, Joe inherited a sizable fortune after his mother's death. Over the next 30 years, he married and divorced five times. Each time, his ex would get half of his fortune. When it got down to the fifth one, he gathered up what little remained, came to America and found Elaine.

In describing all of his wives to Charles, one after another -- Charles Addams perked up at the mention of one particular woman. By a remarkable coincidence, he too had been married to her.

The conversation moved on.

The wife in question was Barbara Barb. She was married to Charles Addams for only two years, from 1954 to 1956. And yet, even when Joe and Elaine hosted Tee and Charles at the beach years later, she was still making all business decisions regarding Charles' work -- and pocketed 75% of everything that came in.

How in the world had she arranged that?

Barbara Barb was born in Brooklyn, in 1920, as Estelle Barb, taking the name “Barbara” during law school. She became Barbara Addams for the two years she was married to the cartoonist, and then shortly after they were divorced became Lady Coylton by marrying an English Baron named Henry Lennox D’Aubigne Hopkins, the first Baron Coylton, who had been a diplomat during the administration of Winston Churchill. Somewhere in between, she married Joe Kauffman, living with him in post-war Paris.

How she talked Charles Addams into signing over 75% of the rights to his work is not known, but from the documents presented by Lady Coylton to Tee’s lawyer after Charles’ death in 1988, it happened while they were married. There was nothing that Tee could do, except wait for checks to arrive from Lady Coylton for Tee’s 25% share. Substantial sums were involved too, as for The Addams Family film, Tee recieved a million dollars, while Lady Coylton apparently received four million.

Lady Coylton got considerable press during her lifetime, and those who wrote about her present her as a manipulative, seductive, attractive woman out for money. However, Lady Coylton agreed to donate nearly $10 million to the University of Pennsylvania for the construction of a lecture hall honoring Charles Addams’. So perhaps her motives were misrepresented in the media.

Lady Coylton died in 2002.

In effect, Lady Coylton was Lady Addams, the mistress of The Addams Family.

Elsa Mora

Elsa Mora: "I am 36 years old but I look like 35. I was always the shortest one in my class (5.2). I was born in Holguin, a province in the island of Cuba. I was raised by the free educational Cuban system and sometimes also by my family."

Elsa Mora, or Elsita, was an art teacher in Cuba, as well as worked in "an art gallery" where she felt there was nothing for her to do. She currently resides in Los Angeles. Her work has found interest at galleries and museums around the world.

Reading Tonight

If you liked Best in Show, Mighty Wind, or Drop Dead Gorgeous -- you will love the show tonight.

Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Central Library
Alma VanDusen room (Lower Level)
350 West Georgia Street

Admission is free.

See the Poster /WorldPoetryAug25pdf

Kafka by Crumb & Mairowitz

Richard Prince

Naturellment Pulpeuse

Ernesto Cabral

Seymour, in Ghost World has authentic Ernesto Cabral posters in his room.

Ghost World

Tanya Slingsby

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

Born in 1954, and currently residing in Vancouver BC, Michael Nicolls Yahgulanaas invented a new genre of graphic narrative called Haida Manga to combat the simplistic narratives perpetrated about the Indigenous People of the Pacific Coast, by linking Haida and non-Haida concerns through a pop culture medium.

Upcoming Events

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I have two pretty big readings coming up this month.

The first is on Saturday August 16th

Time:
3:00pm

Place:
Serbian Cultural Centre (no connection believe it or not)
7837 Canada Way in Burnaby
Map

You can go to Edmunds Station and take the 123 bus which goes right by the centre

The second is on Monday August 25th

Time:
7:30 p.m.

Place:
Central Library
Alma VanDusen room (Lower Level)
350 West Georgia Street

Admission is free.

See the Poster

/WorldPoetryAug25pdf

Good Morning Heartache

Good morning heartache
You old gloomy sight
Good morning heartache
Thought we said goodbye last night
I turned and tossed until it seems you have gone
But here you are with the dawn
Wish I forget you, but youre here to stay
It seems I met you
When my love went away
Now everyday I stop Im saying to you
Good morning heartache whats new

Stop haunting me now
Cant shake you nohow
Just leave me alone
Ive got those monday blues
Straight to sunday blues
Good morning heartache
Here we go again
Good morning heartache
Youre the one
Who knows me well
Might as well get use to you hanging around
Good morning heartache
Sit down

-Billie Holiday

Man on Wire

I can't wait to see this -- hopefully tonight.

My Apologies

I just wanted to apologize to those of you who check this blog regularly. A personal emergency arose two days ago, and it has been a bit hectic dealing with it and the after effects. I'm posting something fabulous tonight so please do check back when you get a chance.

All the best,
Senka

If He Can't Learn To Love You You Should Leave Him

Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
Tupac cares, and don't nobody else care
And uhh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot
When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head up
And when he tells you you ain't nuttin don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you you should leave him
Cause sista you don't need him
And I ain't tryin to gas ya up, I just call em how I see em
You know it makes me unhappy (what's that)
When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up

-Tupac Keep Ya Head Up

Casino

Human Nature