never-ending gallery

[Sideways]

It is lovely to be here in the Uri Geller tribute thread. I very much welcome your posts of admiration of the world’s greatest forker. I am sorry that Geoffrey has had to take a break and, even when he returns from his flying dentist tour, I know that he may be too busy to read this. In any event I look forward to seeing him again spoon.

[Geoffrey]

solongleonard wrote:
>There is much material in this post from which I know you can learn and I am always keen to help.
-----------------------------
you are "always keen to help", are you now! this forum is still reeling in shock from when you changed 'is adam cohen singing the unreleased songs of his father?' to 'is adam cohen signing the unused cheques of his father?' i was flabbergasted that anyone could be so utterly indecorous, and i heard that more than one person had to be administered smelling salts.
-----------------------------
sideways added:
>I am sorry that Geoffrey has had to take a break . . .
-----------------------------
i am not gone yet, have merely started preparing for the forthcoming journey, packing a large suitcase with suitable clothes. also a backpack in which to store light refreshments and essential toiletries, plus a multi-compartment shoulder bag to house travel documents (tickets, receipts, passport, maps, reading material, laptop with power bank, etc.). i have to leave my apartment, you understand, because the builders are here. my balcony cannot be used. there is constant banging and shouting, it's like living in mosul, and though i live on the top floor, workmen naked from the waist up keep leering at me through the window.

a useful tip to anyone considering purchasing a suitcase is to avoid buying one with a zip. a thief has only to stab a ballpoint pen between the zip's teeth and he/she is inside in a jiffy. you might also wish to safeguard yourself in crowded situations by buying an anti-theft backpack, not one that can easily be opened when a thief's accomplice 'accidentally' bumps into you. for those embarking on a long tour, make sure you have some decent literature to occupy your mind. for example, i am taking at least two books with me: 'the hite report' and 'the way of a man with a maid' . . . possibly 'the story of o' or a nancy friday volume as well - seeing as i'm leaving the day after thursday.

rare CD

[Geoffrey]

man with laptop

[Geoffrey]

i am astonished at the large number of views this thread receives, and hope it's a postive sign. i have so many plans, so little time, so much inspiration. in a way i regret buying traveling tickets because this town, as small and sleepy as it is, is my home, and it's so beautiful here. norway's big cities such as bergen, oslo and trondheim cannot compare to the paradise in which i now live. i do miss the opera, 'la traviata', 'rigoletto', 'carmen', things like that, but such pleasures can at least be enjoyed via youtube - and the season's final performance of 'the magic flute' is playing in oslo on sunday, so if i am not too tired after arriving late saturday night i might enquire if there are any seats still available.

i do complain about having a slightly too hectic social life, people either calling by or inviting me here and there, but i think the reason i cannot do anything to curb this lifestyle has a psychological root. i was born in eastbourne on the south coast of england, but grew up on a farm near the border to wales, the tiny rural hamlet of uley, deep in the cotswold hills, population less than 300 at that time. a heavy dialected language was spoken by the local inhabitants. for example: 'er'll be yer drektly' is 'she'll be here soon/directly', and 'wur bist thee gwan, boyo?' is 'where are you going, boy?' - stuff like that. i was frequently whipped by my stepfather, with a long thin pliable branch that he'd break from a hedge. but it was otherwise a healthy life in the country, and i got to know the names of every bird and every wild flower.

circumstances changed during my final term at dursley secondary school (a busride from uley), and i had to leave everything behind, including all my schoolfriends, and move back to eastbourne, where i knew no one. it was my 15th birthday, i didn't know a soul, had not a single friend, was utterly lonely. a young lad about to embark on one of the most important phases of his life, on the threshold to exciting opportunities. instead i was forced to discover what it felt like to be totally alone, to have no one to give advice, no one to turn to or who cared that i existed.

i had a room, but to buy food i worked for an exploitative man who ran a maintenance business, mostly repairing hotel roofs. to cut expenses and get highest profit he refused to erect scaffolding. instead i was made to climb out of a window on the top floor and walk along narrow ledges while holding onto the rusty rain gutter above with one hand and a bag carrying tools and slates in the other. one time, during wet weather, it was so treacherous that i was extra fearful about climbing out onto the slippery ledge. my boss told me that if i did it he would raise my wages from one shilling an hour to one shilling and sixpence. so i did it, not for the money, but because i had very little choice.

maybe it is this experience that stops me from asking friends and acquaintances to stop bothering me so much. an ingrained fear of being alone in the world - i don't know. many people suffer from loneliness, both young and old, maybe even someone who is reading this. well, i know what it feels like, how depressing and hopeless everything can seem.

other paying jobs i have taken since? house painter, home help, hotel kitchen worker, milkman, factory conveyor belt operator, construction site labourer, caretaker, nightwatchman, office cleaner, church warden, kindergarten assistant, meals on wheels delivery, gigolo (only for two weeks), newspaper distribution, psychiatric hospital nurse, gardener, day centre for elderly, hanging meat in large deep freeze at a slaughter house, driving bakery van and working as carpenter making false antique furniture.

i had not intended to write so much about myself, but this thread receives so little feedback that i don't really know what is wanted, or indeed whether a cessation of this gallery would be preferred. in any case, some biographical information after posting so many pictures might not be deserving of a harsh reprimand. goodbye for now

[Geoffrey]

lovely surprise arrived this morning bearing postage from hrh queen elizabeth II. i didn't realise hydra was a british colony.
to whom it may concern . . . thank you!
--------------------
below, a road gang laying hot tarmac while their boss takes a well-deserved breather. putting instructions into the heads of manual workers can be a taxing job.

[LisaLCFan]

i am astonished at the large number of views this thread receives, and hope it's a positive sign. ...

this thread receives so little feedback that i don't really know what is wanted, or indeed whether a cessation of this gallery would be preferred...

I can tell you why I view this thread, for I have two reasons for doing so.

The first reason is to see if you've posted any new artwork depicting Leonard Cohen, because you capture him so remarkably well in such a wonderful -- and sometimes astonishing -- variety of media. Whether Leonard is gazing out from exuberantly multicoloured acrylics, in subdued grey charcoal, or from a carved aubergine, I feel as if I am looking upon the very essence of the man in your superb works of art.

Occasionally, if I am in the proper frame of mind and/or sufficiently moved and/or impressed, I will comment favourably upon your work, provided that I am inclined to post something that day.

If I may hazard a guess, I would suggest that that is what many (perhaps even most) of the anonymous viewers "want" from this thread -- that is, to view your artwork of Leonard Cohen, not to read my comments about it -- but since I don't know who they are, I could be wrong (on both counts!).

The second reason why I drop by is to see if there is any witty banter going on between you and "solongleonard/sideways", because that usually amuses me, and sometimes I'll join in, because that amuses me, too. Perhaps others are amused by this, as well, and like to read our posts, although I have noticed that few others (if any) actively join in on the frivolities.

[Geoffrey]

dear lisa
a beautiful letter. thank you so much. i do so appreciate you.

unfortunately time does not allow an immediate adequate response, as i am about to lock the door and walk with suitcase down to the harbour. however, before leaving, it is important for me to emphasise that though a person's creativity can be noteworthy, it is not necessarily something deserving praise. in other words, as leonard cohen or a neuroscientist might say, they are born like this and have no choice. you, lisa, will be aware of this, but i mention it for the sake of anyone unfamiliar with the reason why a person performs the way they do. to put it very simply, it has to do with connectivity between the brain's right and left hemispheres in the frontal lobe area, and, other than a lobotomy, there is not very much that can be done about it.

unless i am able to pop in, this will be the last message for a while.
warm regards
-g

[LisaLCFan]

dear lisa
a beautiful letter. thank you so much. i do so appreciate you....

... it is important for me to emphasise that though a person's creativity can be noteworthy, it is not necessarily something deserving praise. in other words, as leonard cohen or a neuroscientist might say, they are born like this and have no choice. you, lisa, will be aware of this...

First: thanks -- it is good to be appreciated!

Which brings me to my second point: while people may have no choice in their capacity for creativity, they do, often, have a choice as to whether they share it with others. Thus, those who praise a person's art (or any other of their talents) are, in many ways, simply thanking them for sharing their gifts, to let the person know that they and their works are appreciated.

This is rather like you thanking me for my letter, which I write in the only way I can, having been born this way. I could, however, have chosen not to post it, but I thought that you might like and appreciate it, so there it is.

Perhaps that is why anybody shares anything of themselves with others: in the hopes that others (or even they themselves) will obtain some benefit from it, be it appreciation, happiness, enrichment, fulfillment, etc.. Some people lean more towards the altruistic side of the continuum, some more towards the selfish side, but if only benefit occurs, then no harm is done, and Jeremy Bentham will be a very happy man!

Have a lovely holiday -- hope you get to see the Mozart opera!

[LisaLCFan]

The above photo of young Geoffrey in short trousers reminds me: I noticed that the "short suit" (a suit with short trousers/pants) is apparently a "hot" fashion item for men this season, no longer simply a staple of English school-boy attire. So, Geoffrey, if you happen to sport this look on your trip to the big city, please do post a more recent photo!

https://theidleman.com/blogs/style/wear ... uit-summer

(I once owned a women's "short suit" in purple silk. Very fetching, it was! No photos, unfortunately.)

[its4inthemorning]

Hi Geoffrey,

I consult this thread occasionally for the same reasons as Lisa, to see any new artwork and to read any banter, you have a gift for both. As per your wishes I will not praise you for having these gifts, but I do thank you for sharing them.

Did not expect to see your abbreviated autobiography. So much conveyed in so few words, being able to do that is a real talent. Your life has been an interesting one to say the least. Years ago on a garden tour of the Cotswolds, we ventured as far west as Cirencester, not far from Uley; the towns, villages, setting, and scenery of the Cotswolds were captivating and remain fresh in my memory to this day.

Best.

4

[AlanM]

Hi Geoffrey,

I consult this thread occasionally for the same reasons as Lisa, to see any new artwork and to read any banter, you have a gift for both. As per your wishes I will not praise you for having these gifts, but I do thank you for sharing them.

... for the same reasons as Lisa, 4 and I presume, many others.

Keep sharing, you give pleasure to many.

Alan

[Geoffrey]

quick note to say hello again after having been doted upon for a couple of weeks, but everything in leonard's biography, beginning with the relationship he had with his mother, seems to point towards him being an echoist - at least to a certain degree. he was so concerned with other people, so warm-hearted, very conscious of the impact his words or behaviour might have on others. the unending empathy he showed to myself, and everyone else, yet was reticent to share many details connected to himself. people with this condition are self-deprecating, find it difficult to acknowledge any talents they have. echoism, the opposite of narcissism, is not a mental disorder, but a measurable trait - one that leonard carried with him throughout his life.

[Geoffrey]

"janis joplin wasn't looking for me, she was looking for kris kristofferson; and i wasn't looking for her, i was looking for brigitte bardot. but we fell into each other's arms through some process of elimination"

[Geoffrey]

"my writing process is like a bear stumbling into a beehive or a honey cache: i'm stumbling right into it and getting stuck, and it's delicious and it's horrible"

[Geoffrey]

I can tell you why I view this thread . . .

The first reason is to see if you've posted any new artwork depicting Leonard Cohen, because you capture him so remarkably well in such a wonderful -- and sometimes astonishing -- variety of media. Whether Leonard is gazing out from exuberantly multicoloured acrylics, in subdued grey charcoal, or from a carved aubergine, I feel as if I am looking upon the very essence of the man in your superb works of art.

thank you so much, lisa. it is somewhat ironic, but not entirely unusual, that the name of a talented admirer of a celebrity eventually becomes equally, or even more well known, than the celebrity to whom their work is directed. for make no mistake, some people are simply bursting at the seams with talent and creativity, and right here and now, pages are being written in the history books of the future. jarkko knows it, the cohen family know it, any astute person with an appreciation of a gifted artist's phenomenal brilliance knows it - that the vast amount of excellent portraits of leonard and his circle existing with my signature has unquestionably guaranteed both he and myself a permanent place in the world of culture.