Genes

The young woman who calls herself Nurse Fusion has a pa who calls himself Johnny Wow! Both are artists, the nurse with words, pa with paint. Now and again pa sends daughter long and rambling letters that suggest why daughter has talent. She often shares them, as here.

clipped from nursefusion.blogspot.com In late 58 or early 59 I saw Big Joe Williams play his 9 string guitar in a coffee shop. Here was this large, not very healthy black guy traveling god knows what circuit with a very cheap Stella plywood guitar that he had modified himself with something like a hacksaw, playing into a hopelessly battered amp the size of a breadbox, sitting on a stool in a coffee shop in the dark (like 4 exposed lightbulbs overhead), drinking bourbon out of a pint bottle. In a cheap suit that he soon restained in the armpits and crotch from sweating like crazy playing sort of country blues that had probably been popular in the 30's or so. On the one hand we all (20 or so in the audience) thought it was wonderful and we threw money in the hat, and on the other hand it was so pathetic and patronizing and sad.