The Thickening Plot . . .

Actually, I'm not sure that the emotional claims of BOTH sides aren't overdrawn. If this FALLS in the Court, it will NOT be the End of the World -- at least for that reason. That said, I don't know enough to judge if it is actually Constitutional or not, so I have no opinion -- although Obamacare's intention MUST be worked toward, POST HASTE!!!

>>> CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE DRAMATURG of IN MASKS OUTRAGEOUS AND AUSTERE:

Good. We're on the same page about how I write answers.

My first thought on reading your email, however, was "Those damn Republicans have moved the goal posts again!!!" Your earlier email had made no suggestion you needed an ACCUMULATION of answers or PHOTOS before you would publish it on your blog. This suggests that SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE thinks that before I meet this NEW threshold, they can successfully DISAPPEAR me -- or at least silence me, and then I will REMAIN uncredited in anyway -- at least as regards your production.

That said, I DO tend to agree that without more material in its initial publication, it would tantalize without providing enough meat for a good first bite.

Here is what I propose (and what would SUBSTANTIALLY motivate me to proceed post haste): you are going to HAVE to either shock or gentle rights holders into accepting ANY mention of me -- let alone the considerable volume we are talking about here. Better to break it to them gradually, so I think that today (ASAP) you should re-publish a small reference to my being TW's assistant during that time. (Perhaps you have already -- or I simply could not find it last I checked. In that case, tell me how to find it.) This is simply a fact that cannot be denied, and I don't think Sewanee's lawyers et al can protest too strongly. They are WELL AWARE of my blog, and it HORRIFIES AND SCARES THE CRAP OUT OF THEM.

But as I said, my goal here is your and my success which in this place and time converge -- BUT CONVERGE WITH THEIR DESIRE TO GET MAXIMUM INCOME FROM THE RIGHTS AS WELL!!! That is why I FIRMLY believe that as they see my here-voice of "Crassless Diplomacy" (LOL!!!), they will see that I can FULLY be trusted to keep my legal quest against them OUT of this production, and not only ALLOW my association with it, but be at least privately glad of it as well.

Not doing that would likely lead to shock and apoplexy on their part if you gut-punched them with that full installment "out of the blue."

What say you??? I will refrain from writing until I get your answer, and if you are NOT in agreement, carefully consider any counter-proposal.

As to Gary: Actually, his card DEFINITELY said "9 1/2"." In the book I spelled out inches to avoid visual confusion due to multiple quotation marks. BUT, I do have a very vague recollection of some mentioning "eleven" about him. Never seeing it "grown" i would say it had EITHER potential, but eleven was PROBABLY an exaggeration. HA!!!

I can also tell you he was originally from Detroit and his sister Holly was a General Motors executive, going by "Holly Tucker" whether she was married or not. He and she seemed to be quite close. Also, Gary had a clock, which had been fashioned from a battery-operated clock-work (very trendy to turn just about ANYTHING into a clock then, so these works were widely available and cheap) affixed in the center of a Ronette's 45 rpm disk. On the base was a little plaque of thanks from Phil Spector that anyone could have had made. Gary flashed this around frequently to substantiate his claim that he (Gary) had engineered one or another "Resurrections" of Spector's career!!! (God, that boy knew how to do self-serving PR!!!)

But that's not all!!! He also claimed to have engineered Little Richard's SECOND comeback, but when I MET L.R. at a book signing of his memoir several years after the TW days, after I nutshelled everything Gary had claimed about it, Richard responded, "Baby, I've known so many people over my career -- and so many have been wonderful and helpful to me. I hate to admit that I just can't remember ALL of them." Since ANYONE -- even the most drug-addled (which I'm not claiming L.R. was then) -- would remember the person who single-handedly engineered their second comeback (as Gary had claimed). I concluded Gary probably had had some minor association with Richard and smartly blew it out of proportion to advance himself -- or none at all, but GIANT BALLS (to go with the rest of it). HA!!!

Now before you decide how to proceed, I will also tell you that despite the fact that you KNOW I spent a year and a half homeless -- sometimes sleeping under a highway bridge here in Wilmington or on pavement on the grounds of two local churches -- and NOW am in a cheap, drug-dealer and prostitute infested motel (those details you DIDN'T know), by the grace of an anonymous financial angel, you have NOT offered in ANY way to assist me in coming up for the opening.

I do know that everyone's budget is tight, but you might have AT LEAST offered to help me find accommodations that are NY-reasonable and safe. I mean: REALLY.

Any thoughts? (I told you Kenans are addicted to effectiveness.) No thoughts are necessary if DOCUMENTED PROOF of assistance is provided. And as you should have learned by now, I ALWAYS post on my blog correspondence that explains MY side of what might have the APPEARANCE of paranoia.

Cheers!!!

Scott

On Fri, Mar 30, 2012 at 7:54 AM, Joe E. Jeffreys  wrote:

Scott,

     Thanks for the answer. It's great. Answer a few more select ones and we'll make a posting. Maybe we should do a part one and part two with 5 or so answers now and 5 or so more later?


     The Gary Tucker parts of your memoir floored me as I read them. I was aware of a student named Gary Tucker at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the 1960s with James Roy Eichelberger. He took his classmate to the rehearsal of a show he was in, I believe Big Hotel, and this led to Ethyl Eichelberger emerging from the Ridiculous. When I was first reading your book and saw the name, I thought common name, can't be. I think you mention Tucker's Ridiculous connection or nickname Eleven at some point and then I got interested in the unfolding story from several more angles.


     I'll need a few pics for each posting.


     Look forward to more.


                          Joe E. Jeffreys

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