Geraldine Brooks

            On Thursday morning I ran through singing and playing “Au revoir mon enfance” (Goodbye My Childhood) by Boris Vian. On Friday I’ll begin translating the song. 

            I worked out the chords for more than half of the second verse of “Le rent' dedans” (The Pick-Up) by Serge Gainsbourg. It was more difficult this time because I didn’t use a pick but rather just strummed the guitar with my thumb to soften it so as not to disturb my disturbed upstairs neighbour. He complained that I was playing guitar at 5:00. I don’t actually start quietly working out chords for songs until 5:45 at the earliest and I never considered it to be playing my guitar but maybe that’s what he meant. At 10:00 I start playing as he agreed that it’s okay for me to do and I’m worried that he’s going to start verbally attacking me again. If it’s my song “Do Me Bad Johnny” that he falsely thinks is about paedophilia, I don’t play that until after 11:30. 

            I played my Kramer electric during song practice for the first of four sessions and it stayed in tune most of the time. No verbal attack from my upstairs neighbour Jacob happened perhaps because I sang in French. Tomorrow I’ll sing in English whatever song it is that he thinks advocates paedophilia and rape. I’d love to hear him quote whatever song it is to try and prove his claim. The last person who lived in that apartment left because she believed it was haunted. It does seem to attract tenants with mental health issues. 

            I weighed 89.2 kilos before lunch. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and on the way back stopped at Freshco. There was only one bag of grapes that was relatively firm and so I got that and also bought a bag of clementines. I got a pack of raspberries, a jug of orange juice, a jar of marinara sauce, and a pack of Full City Dark coffee. 

            I weighed 88.7 kilos at 18:40, which is the lightest I’ve been in the evening since last Thursday.

            I was caught up in my journal at 19:42. 

            I reviewed the next cassette on the pile and it’s all classical music. Either someone gave it to me or I found it. I don’t need it so it goes on the discard pile.

            The next cassette is interesting because on one side it has a rehearsal of the original Christian and the Lions band. It’s in a rehearsal space with a drum kit and I’m guessing it was the one near John and Queen. The drummer I guess was either Jim Bravo or Jeremy Finkelstein. The other side is a rehearsal at my place with Brian Haddon on synthesizer and me playing the Kramer. I’d say at the earliest it would be the fall of 1997. The tape is interesting because of the juxtaposition of the two incarnations of Christian and the Lions on either side. I prefer the side with Brian and I. 

            I reviewed the videos of the song practice performances of “Leave Some for Everyone Else” and “Laisses-en un peu pour les autres” from October 10 to 13. On October 10 I played “Leave Some For Everyone Else” on my Kramer electric and the take at 00:30 in part B didn’t sound bad. On I played it on my Martin acoustic but that was in video A of that day, which was corrupted. I played “Laisses-en un peu pour les autres” on October 11 and 13. On October 11 the song was in that day’s video B, which was also corrupted. On October 13 I played it on the Martin and the take at 12:00 in part B was okay. There’s one more to review. 

            I had a potato with margarine and three chicken drumsticks while watching the penultimate episode of Cain’s Hundred. 

            John Maychin is a somewhat psychotic mobster who likes to control people and hates to be told “no”. One of his legitimate businesses is real estate in which he has a partner named Howard Douglas. Howard does not seem to be aware of Maychin’s criminal activities but he has gotten rich from his partnership with him. Howard lives with his wife Joanne and their teenaged son Johnnie in an affluent suburb. Maychin has recently bought the house next door as he is trying to fit in with the legitimate upper class and become a gentleman. In a downtown nightclub that Maychin owns is a singer named Janette who is in love with his nephew Eddie, who is also in love with her. Eddie works for Maychin who forbids the relationship. Maychin goes to Janette’s dressing room where he tells her manager Frank that it’s all his fault. When he tries to speak Maychin forces him to put his finger to his mouth and hold it there. Then Maychin confronts Janette about Eddie. He tells her she has to be on the next plane to Alaska. Maychin is planning a house warming party and has invited his new neighbours. He goes to Joanne and asks her to be the hostess for the event but she says she can’t. He insists in a scary way while also being quite seductive with her and she is frightened, disgusted but also it seems somewhat moved by him. After the party Eddie arrives to confront Maychin with a gun for keeping him and Janette apart. They struggle, shots are fired and then Eddie runs away. Johnnie sees Eddie leave but says he saw nothing. Howard and Joanne call the police but Maychin, who is unhurt, claims he doesn’t know who attacked him. Howard and Nicholas Cain are friends but Cain has been investigating Maychin. He thinks Johnnie is lying about having seen nothing. Cain intercepts Janette at the airport. She doesn’t believe Eddie confronted Maychin. Eddie’s body is found in an empty swimming pool. Johnnie reveals to his father that Eddie is the one he saw and he denied it because he was worried it would incriminate Howard. He knew that Maychin is a criminal and just assumed that if his father was Maychin’s partner then he must be a criminal as well. Later when Maychin comes home, Cain, the police, Janette, Howard, Joanne and Johnnie are all waiting for him. Howard wants Maychin to tell Johnnie if he was involved in any criminal activities with him. Maychin confirms that Howard was clean. But Janette tells Howard that one of the reasons their real estate company was successful is because of Maychin’s criminal influence on potential buyers and sellers. Eddie told her all about it. She tells Maychin she knows enough to put him in the electric chair five times. Cain arrests Maychin but he is totally cool as he leaves. He tells Joanne she’s beautiful and tsks Janette. He tells Howard he’ll see him in his office in a few weeks and he’s decided he’s going to study medicine. 

            Joanne was played by Geraldine Brooks, who studied dance from the age of two. She went to modelling school and was president of her high school drama club. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Art and the Neighbourhood Playhouse. She apprenticed in stock theatre. She made her Broadway debut in Follow the Girls in 1944. Her film debut was a co-starring role in Cry Wolf. She studied Method acting with the Actors Studio. She starred in Embraceable You, She co-starred in An Act of Murder, Challenge to Lassie, Street of Sinners, Johnny Tiger, Volcano, The Green Glove (during production of which she had an affair with Glenn Ford), Street of Sinners, She was nominated for a Tony in 1970 for her performance in Brightower. She co-starred in the short lived series The Dumplings.