Hello, Lee. This is Rusty. It’s good to see your writing here! I was thrilled to see again “The faintest star is brightest,” an early masterpiece. I still have your tapes from the late 1980s and early 1990s. I’d like to see you include the lyric for “Idle Sounds,” one of your greatest works.
I think you should release an LP, using only acoustic guitar for accompaniment. I would also like a record of your silly stuff. If I ever wanted to commit suicide by incessant laughing, I could play “The Swamp” “Brooding Is a Foodless Mood,” “Satan in Yellow,” and “Trick Riding.”
I’m still in regular contact with Stefene Russell. I know you’re busy, but please write when you can so we can reestablish regular contact. Oh, and of course: SLAY!
I’m pleased that you like James Stepman’s idea enough to write a poem about it. James Stepman came up with the idea and the phrase, “the Council of Agreed Upon” before I shared the idea with Lee Scrivner. James and I were working on a manuscript in 1987 that mentioned “the Council of Agreed-Upon,” and the original drafts still exist. I returned them to James over ten years ago. 1987 was the year before I met or corresponded with you. Please give him his due credit.
Absolutely, Rusty! I thought that was a term you came up with, or had heard. I didn’t know it’s more specific origin from JS. But yes I should have mentioned that it was not phrasing that I initiated, but one I had heard, and then adapted into this poem. I hope you weren’t implying that I intended to deceive. Writers don’t only use terms they have coined themselves; they use coinages from other writers and talkers all the time, often without citation. But now that I know who conceived this great term I’m more than happy to give him credit. If anyone had ever asked me where I got it from, I would have told them I heard it from you. Now I can give a fuller accounting. I’ve actually used it quite often in conversation. It’s a great image.
Hey good sir! I am back in the USSR these days–living in Moscow. I will gladly give ye an email message from the Swedish prime minister. I was wondering how to contact ye. Glad to know your info! There is some serious Lord Gardenization afoot, brahhhhh.
Lee, just in case my emails are being blocked by someone (a monitor perhaps?) other than you, I shall try here to contact you. Please give me a call, if you are permitted to do so. I have tried several times to contact you in the last couple of weeks, to no avail. If I don’t hear from you, I had better swim for help.
By the way, “You Cannot Hide from Hidden Things” is a great poem. I like that you worked in the line from “That Which Is United,” about “much too much to give to rest.”
If you are no longer permitted to communicate, I understand entirely. Thank you for your heartfelt assistance. It was good to speak with you. See you after the induced destruction! Try to enjoy the ride.
Lee, where are you? Email contact has been restored. I would never want to lose touch with you. Please torture me not with reticence, old thing.
signed,
B. Merciful
Scrivner's Pyre 
Hello, Lee. This is Rusty. It’s good to see your writing here! I was thrilled to see again “The faintest star is brightest,” an early masterpiece. I still have your tapes from the late 1980s and early 1990s. I’d like to see you include the lyric for “Idle Sounds,” one of your greatest works.
I think you should release an LP, using only acoustic guitar for accompaniment. I would also like a record of your silly stuff. If I ever wanted to commit suicide by incessant laughing, I could play “The Swamp” “Brooding Is a Foodless Mood,” “Satan in Yellow,” and “Trick Riding.”
I’m still in regular contact with Stefene Russell. I know you’re busy, but please write when you can so we can reestablish regular contact. Oh, and of course: SLAY!
LikeLike
I’m pleased that you like James Stepman’s idea enough to write a poem about it. James Stepman came up with the idea and the phrase, “the Council of Agreed Upon” before I shared the idea with Lee Scrivner. James and I were working on a manuscript in 1987 that mentioned “the Council of Agreed-Upon,” and the original drafts still exist. I returned them to James over ten years ago. 1987 was the year before I met or corresponded with you. Please give him his due credit.
LikeLike
Absolutely, Rusty! I thought that was a term you came up with, or had heard. I didn’t know it’s more specific origin from JS. But yes I should have mentioned that it was not phrasing that I initiated, but one I had heard, and then adapted into this poem. I hope you weren’t implying that I intended to deceive. Writers don’t only use terms they have coined themselves; they use coinages from other writers and talkers all the time, often without citation. But now that I know who conceived this great term I’m more than happy to give him credit. If anyone had ever asked me where I got it from, I would have told them I heard it from you. Now I can give a fuller accounting. I’ve actually used it quite often in conversation. It’s a great image.
LikeLike
Lee! Good to hear from you! Email me at Hokembus@yahoo.com so we can catch up, old friend!
LikeLike
I enjoyed your talk about transcendentalist authors in AmER-i-CUH! Where are you now?
LikeLike
Hey good sir! I am back in the USSR these days–living in Moscow. I will gladly give ye an email message from the Swedish prime minister. I was wondering how to contact ye. Glad to know your info! There is some serious Lord Gardenization afoot, brahhhhh.
LikeLike
Sheesh! What’s wrong with me? Please gimme a call tomorrow at 210 233-8922
The Cosmic Outlaw!
LikeLike
Lee, just in case my emails are being blocked by someone (a monitor perhaps?) other than you, I shall try here to contact you. Please give me a call, if you are permitted to do so. I have tried several times to contact you in the last couple of weeks, to no avail. If I don’t hear from you, I had better swim for help.
By the way, “You Cannot Hide from Hidden Things” is a great poem. I like that you worked in the line from “That Which Is United,” about “much too much to give to rest.”
If you are no longer permitted to communicate, I understand entirely. Thank you for your heartfelt assistance. It was good to speak with you. See you after the induced destruction! Try to enjoy the ride.
Rusty
LikeLike
Hey Rusty. I’ve been writing you back! Maybe my emails are going into your spam folder? Let me write to you again via email to see if it works.
LikeLike
Lee, where are you? Email contact has been restored. I would never want to lose touch with you. Please torture me not with reticence, old thing.
signed,
B. Merciful
LikeLike