May 3, 2020 (In The Year of the Trump Virus)
Between reading music-related books for the Book Musik podcast, I have been reading for the past week a memoir by Salka Viertel, "The Kindness of Strangers" (NYRB). Viertel lived in exciting times. Born in 1889 and died in 1978, her landscape was Berlin/Austria, and then a move to Hollywood with her three kids, due that her husband, Berthold Viertel, got a job writing for F.W. Murnau, a friend from the old country. I'm on page 138, and they just moved to Santa Monica, the exact address is 165 Mabery Road. Not far from the Pacific Ocean. Salka was a theater actress in Europe during the height of World War 1. So far, a fascinating document, and now she's in classic Hollywood.
Last night, as I was preparing for sleepy time, which means brushing the teeth, washing the face, and make sure I didn't break the wine bottle nor glass, I heard a voice through a speaker or horn outside. I looked outside my window, and I saw a police helicopter going around and around with a spotlight at a specific area in my neighborhood. Not on my street, but perhaps on Glendale Boulevard. The voice came from the helicopter, and I think they were saying 'go home' or 'leave now.' I checked out the NextDoor app that I recently put on my phone, mostly due to crime in the neighborhood issues. There was a party on Ivan Hill Terrace at a rented air BnB where 100 people or so showed up.
As you know, this is the middle of the Trump Virus, so why are people partying? And in such high numbers? I'm going to have to presume that I will stay at my house for at least an extra month or so. There seems to be resistance to be told to stay home. As I mentioned yesterday, Americans hate to be told to do anything. They are the type of people who climb up on public monuments in other countries. On one level, they're goofy, but when you think about it, why do they exist on this planet?
I started to read the latest issue of Artforum Magazine. Depending on my mood, I either hate the publication or have a deep passion for it. The April issue has an excellent article on Beardsley, which is unusual for Artforum. I have been subscribing to this magazine for at least three years, and I seem to read every third issue as it comes to my house. When you subscribe to a publication or journal, it feels like homework to read the damn magazine. It's a mental state on my part, and I'm trying to look at this particular world in a much lighter and pleasurable manner.
- Tosh Berman
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