We surround ourselves with the artifacts of our identities. They can be illustrated by what we have in our homes that is decorative or functional or even a little of both. Looking at this photo, I see a portion of my history at a quick glance: first off, there’s a cat—Yoda Lucifer – in her usual spot on the back of the sofa with a generous view of the large backyard and tall pines. And then there’s one of my seven guitars, a replica 1952 Fender Telecaster. And a small Fender amplifier, too. A guitar neck rests on the coffee table—it was replaced by a slimmer version that better suits my hands. Keith Richard’s autobiography occupies a place of honor on the coffee table alongside several other photo books of The Rolling Stones. One of them is their 50th anniversary volume, a gift from a literary agent I had a few years ago who abruptly died. She bought me the book on a trip to London. On the fireplace mantle – a poster of the famous Beatles Abbey Road photo, which also turned fifty recently. Below it is a weird but fascinating wood carving of dancing characters (Native American? African?) that I found in a Kalamazoo, Michigan antique store. Also on the mantle – food and drink menus from Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers restaurant in London, also a gift from my former agent, the late Pauline Vilain. One one side of the mantle is a University of Illinois logo embroidered by my mother. Below it on the floor, a painting of sailing ships that always reminds me of Michigan, especially on hot South Carolina days. A guitar strap is piled haphazardly on the floor, which somehow seems to suit it. If you enjoyed that peek into my living room, consider buying my new novel, The Armageddon Two-Step, which will be released on Dec. 3 by Redbat Books. The Armageddon Two-Step is a novel about reality and truth built for the Age of Trump; a comedic farce tinted with magical realism about a young man named Shelby Albert Goddard who saves the world and then must live with the consequences. --Michael Loyd Gray Blog and website: michaelloydgray.weebly.com
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMichael Loyd Gray is an author and a friend to cats, as well as a lifelong fan of the Rolling Stones, Chicago Bears, and Fender guitars. Archives
April 2020
Categories |