October 20, 1980
My dearest Norma,
What a delight your letter was. And it couldn’t have come at a better moment. Yesterday was the transition into my thirties and try as I might I couldn’t shake the feeling of something irreversible passing out of range. Today, since I’ve been like a workaholic all week, I insisted (to myself) that I take a day off and go to the ocean and just gaze at it. It was particularly beautiful with big pounding waves and not many people. I think, though, that being so tiny in the face of the vast Pacific had me a bit melancholy and when I came back to my cozy little apt. I felt a slight tug of loneliness. See…you were right there with exactly the right loving energy.
God I would have loved to sit through D. M. with you. What fun! I loved it too. That woman is a rare talent and now the truth can be told. I have had some amazing dreams about her. At first I thought it must be a side effect of homosexuality. But maybe not.
I also recently went to see (live) my other Most Admired Female Entertainer, Lily Tomlin. Another knockout. We do love to laugh, don’t we. I must tell you that having someone like you, who I love and respect, to give me such undying friendship (and expressing it so) is something to live for. I feel special to know that at least someone has a dedicated, enduing affection for me. Not that I don’t get that reassurance from time to time from some of my other old friends and family, but it doesn’t always come across as strongly as I feel it from you. I value your love and friendship very much – you’re the only other person I can imagine having kept up this long distance dedicated communication with.
Now, my latest pop culture obsessions have been the album “Remain in Light” by TALKING HEADS and books by John Varley – “The Persistence of Vision”, “The Barbie Murders” – both short stories of superior Science Fiction. Today I bought his novel “Titan” and can tell already I’ll be loving it. I highly recommend you check him out.
I somehow happened to glance through the Nov. issue of Natl. Lampoon (must have been the spoof on the cover of a New Wave Family Thanksgiving Dinner) and what to my wondering eyes did appear but another image of Candice, my ‘ol flame. She’s the revealing figure in their (rather sexist) Foto Funnies. Glad to see she’s still getting well-paying jobs anyway.
It looks like I may be going to France in January. My French Connection says he’ll put up the money to haul me and a small troop of musicians and equipment to France for a month to work and showcase my New Wave style stuff (LESSERMAN). He wants us to perform at the “MIDEM” talent showcase in Cannes. It’s a week long event where all the scouts from all over Europe and the world check out new talent. Pierre is convinced that Phonogram Records, who have expressed an interest in the music, will be more interested if they see that we are, in fact, a band capable of performing the strange material. So now I must, in fact, become a band. It’ll be easy and I love the sense of adventure it conjures up. I hope it comes through. Anyway, I’m off to dream of the Divine One and I flying casually over Buenos Aires.
Much Love,
Your Pal, Patrick