shanghai steve brown, of the desert post weekly, has reviewed my new album, 'help wanted,' at cdbaby.com/tedquinn. many thanks for the kind words. also, thank you shawn mafia, for putting your poetic vision to that same site...and shawn's daughter, too. it seems to be going over pretty well with seven year olds, as well as with seventy five year olds. sabu, when he was only weeks away from his divine departure, came pulling up in the driveway to tell me that it was going to take a few months, but that the record was going to be a big hit. he made me promise him a trip to hawaii when it happened. i didn't get to fullfill that promise when he was still around but someday i'll walk into that kahana hilton in white slacks and an aloha shirt ("in a pair of white slacks and a hawaiian shirt, you can go anywhere. they don't know. you could be some high-roller from acapulco," he told me) - and have one of those pina colladas in a carved-out coconut with the little umbrella in it, with a lei of fresh flowers around my neck, in his honor...

 
i wish you could have been there. i read julie's poem in her absence. along with messages from ldk and shanghai steve brown. elia did a three minute performance that was a great example of the power of performance art. in honor of sabu...elia arce put the exercycle that sabu bought her several months ago n the beatnik stage, facing the audience. she told of sabu trying to get her into a daily exercise routine. 'have you been doing your ten minutes a day?' 'of course, i have...' then, she told the audience that this would be her first time on the bike. she got on the bike and rode, intensely - as if she was racing down a highway. then, she hit the brakes hard. frozen for a moment, she then pulled a grapefruit from sabu's gym bag (he was always handing out grapefruit and flowers.) she slowly took the grapefruit and placed it near her heart. she slowly tore the grapefruit in two - it looked like a sacred, bleeding heart- and then held each half over her eyes. then she squeezed the grapefruit until a stream of citric tears were drenching her. it was very emotional. after her 'cry,' she reached back into the gym bag and pulled out a single flower. she walked slowly through the audience, 'blessing' each person with the flower and looking deeply into each pair of eyes. she eventually handed me the flower, returned to the stage and removed the exercycle. it was a very intense and emotional piece, which said alot about sabu without using any words. i was so proud of her.

everyone who participated did deeply felt expressions of their love for sabu. it was a very emotional and moving night. shawn mafia, cyndera, jemma, elaine stacy, sue bradley, tal hurley, tom hegarty, mark zero, art kunkin and i each took turns telling our stories of sabu, playing songs, reading poems. nurse linda read from the tattered book of spiritual quotations that sabu always carried with him. mark spoke about krishnamurti, noting the close physical (and spiritual) resemblance between krishnamurti and sabu. elia had made a beautiful altar of some of sabu's belongings, abby and judy brought fruit. tom brought flowers. mike projected the images of sabu standing in the rancho doorway. amanda did 'nature boy.' tal sang, 'calling all angels' and we soon learned, as midnight passed, that two birthdays were to be celebrated...tal and amanda's wonderful little sister, jacque, who turned 12.