this is what i wrote for his birtday post a few years ago. sadly im swamped here at buzznet which is why i havent posted all day so forgive me as i give you a rerun right now:
im sick as a damn dog and ive been up all night watching an academy screener of Gangs of New York which i totally loved.
clipper girl brought it over with four of her sexiest girlfriends and they all watched it at my place cuz i have such a huge
tv.
afterwards they went home and i played grand theft auto because i was so psyched after the movie.
but now here it is 3:35am and i really wanted to go to gregs birthday party tomorrow because a hootenanny will break out and all but like i said im sick and i dont think i will get much better by tomorrow and this is the early stages of the sickness which will probably get worse which means that i am probably at the contageous stage and the last thing i would want to do is get every single one of my dear dear friends ill cuz of my dumb bus-riding ass.
but it is nice to stay up and just read peoples blogs and write and write and write.
hi blog.
hi tone.
hi cold.
hi tony.
hi blank area in the blogger post.
my man aj totally whipped out $30 and flowed it to the busblog so my hats off to him, thanks bro.
for that he gets a free mystery gift sent to his house.
i think he will like it.
i think it will be a poetry book of mine from way back when.
i think if anyone else flows $30 or more they will get one of my little out of print chapbooks of poems.
in my day i wasnt a bad poet.
infact birthday boy greg painted a portrait of me and titled it “the worlds greatest living poet.”
well, greg is the worlds greatest living lots of things, and right now he’s doing a pretty damn good job of raising his adorable little son, sean.
i am super happy for the way things are turning out for greg.
it doesnt seem all that long ago when he was sleeping on my couch in frisco trying to get it together and now he is living in one of the coolest, i shit you not, houses in los feliz, a house full of guitars and cool colors and old appliances, and love and love and love.
i bought him the dumbest birthday card of all, which took me a while to find, but of all people he would appreciate it. we share a love for the dumb things in life. like 99 cent store cookies, and plastic toys, and puns.
greg has influenced me in tons of ways but maybe the best way was that he showed me that not only is it ok to let the art out, but it is our responsibility.
so happy 74th birthday mi amigo. if i dont end up at your party, just know that i will be wearing a pointy birthday hat here at the beach house all day in your honor.
greg vaine, the worlds greatest rock operaist who isnt into kiddie porn.
creator of one of the cutest little elfs you’ll ever
EVER lay eyes on
and a future hall of fame dodger starting pitcher
and husband of one of the coolest women in LA which is quite a compliment since there are so many cool ones.
and lead guitarist of the Hollow Trees the best music for little kids you’ll ever hear
happy birthday bro i hope to see you again real soon