Articles on PR for People

Keith McNally: Fanfare For The Uncommon Man

I stumbled upon Keith McNally’s memoir in my usual awkward, almost bumbling fashion. I happened to be in New York City with a friend. I had long promised to take her to Balthazar for breakfast. Four empty tables away sat a man alone with his laptop and a book. Astonished that he sat at a table for so long without being gently prodded to get on with it to make room for the next guest, I struck up a conversation.

 


Art: Fish Shop by Georges-Henri Fauvel

French Artist Georges-Henri Fauvel (1861–1930) had a penchant for painting royal dogs, especially hunting dogs. His Fish Shop is a radical departure from his usual repertoire. He was probably paid handsomely by patrons for painting their beloved hounds. What made him paint “Fish Shop” is anyone’s guess. These fish ladies were undoubtedly deemed to be less valuable than dogs.


The Rich, RICO and The Godfather

Remember The Godfather? Don Vito Corleone was ruthless, but he had a good heart and a sense of fair play. Italian immigrants were treated unfairly in America and called Wops, Dagos, Greaseballs. The Mafia took root and grew in America, so people could make a living. The way Don Corleone worked with the five families is the same way Jeffrey Epstein worked with the Elite.


Book Review: Stony The Road We Trod, Volume One and Volume Two

Stony The Road We Trod is a family saga spread across two volumes that are inextricably linked and essential reading to acquire an understanding of the joys, triumphs and struggles borne by the Grimke family. A former slave-holding family in Charleston, South Carolina, the Grimke lineage spans across race ethnicity, religion, and cultural norms. Greater than the usual fare of historical fiction, Stony The Road We Trod is the quintessential American story.  

 


The Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn

A great painting has many meanings. The oil painting of The Threatened Swan by Dutch Artist Jan Asselijn was created around 1650. The swan appears to be threatened by a dog rearing its ugly head. Some claim the swan is mute. The swan could be protecting its cygnets, as they often ride on their mother’s back, although none are seen. 


NOTES FROM THE WORKING CLASS: Belle’s Big Burden

Belle Burden was given the opportunity to write a big book about divorce. Burden’s book, Stranger: A Memoir of Marriage, is a tell-all about nothing at all. It could be perceived as revenge porn, but the characters never take off their clothes to have hot sex.


NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Krystal and the Deep Blue Sea

Krystal is my Uber driver who picks me up in Solana Beach to take me to the airport. She drives a shiny new red Tesla. As I get into the Tesla, I immediately see the entire roof is plastered with hundreds of stickers of Elon Musk. A large heart-shaped pink sticker stuck on her console says: “I love Elon Musk.” No other stickers dot the car’s interior. No political messages or advocacy for special interest groups. The entire car is a shrine to Elon Musk. I  want to know why this woman who works hard for her money loves Elon Musk. 


Book Review: Gender Outlaw

The first edition of Gender Outlaw, by author and performance artist Kate Bornstein, was published in 1994. A later edition of Gender Outlaw (the one I read) was published in 2016. I have no doubt that another edition might one day emerge. Gender Outlaw is a timeless classic that fills a much needed void. Kate Bornstein has said she wrote the book she had once wished someone had written for her.


Book Review: The Blue Girl

The Blue Girl is a delicious romp through fairy madness, as told through the first person perspective of three teens: two girls, both alive, and one teen-boy ghost. 


The Good Gift

This past Thanksgiving marked the two-year anniversary of when I was shot. The weapon was a Smith & Wesson high performance revolver, loaded with eight .357 Magnum bullets. The perpetrator fired all eight rounds. I was struck three times. Miraculously, my injuries were nominal: three cracked ribs and a collapsed lung. I lost a lot of blood. It could have been worse. One bullet, “a thru and thru,” passed close to my spine.