Black-Listed Thoughts

The Camel hoofed it down to New Orleans a couple weekends ago for the marriage of actress and original jewel in the world Raphaelle O’Neil to her handsome bayou beau Scot Evert.  Vows were taken at City Park by the jazz man Patrick Butler Memorial.

All in all, a beautiful affair, with the post-betrothal festivity held at The Maison on the bride’s favored Frenchman Street, the green and verdant day bringing into the world a composition totaling a proof that love insists on love.

Around the corner on Decatur, a thinly shod and vested Paganini played his songs for tourist dollars, his compositions an equal testament that art insists on art.

New Orleans in this fertile spring also brings forth a fine volume of quotations by Crescent City poet and Saloonatic Mike Meraz.  Published by Propaganda Press in late March, the book contains sayings written over the years by Meraz, the long-time editor of Black-Listed Magazine.

In less than 40 pages, Meraz's collection ranges from the comical ("when all else fails/show some cleavage") to the political ("do not rage against the machine/replace it").

With a wicked wit and the sharpest of tongues, Meraz never misses his mark.  The Camel's personal favorite?

"I have come to realize
the only good thing
about Modern Art
is the free wine and beer."

Now for the links:

The book:  http://alt-current.com/pp/pp_item.html#black-listed_thoughts

Black-Listed Magazine:  http://black-listedmagazine.blogspot.com/

Mike Meraz's poetry at The Camel Saloon:  http://thecamelsaloon.blogspot.com/search/label/Mike%20Meraz

Propaganda Press: http://alt-current.com/

"And now," says the Camel, "time to make tracks, lest we be late for the quatrain."