Scene4 Magazine | the readers blog

I read riveted, then intrigued as the smile on my face emerged. Many thanks to Ned Bobkoff for a concise, articulate, entertaining and insightful story of the playwright's dilemma.
Sandra Hughes
read Ned Bobkoff's article

A "Lofty" article, Ned.
Chuck Cobb
read Ned Bobkoff's article

Although I am the proud owner of this red Ferrari of all reviews, I wish to comment on Kathi's writing. I have always read Kathi's work anywhere I could, including Scene4. She is the best reviewer, and the best kind of reviewer. She works with many qualities: blazing intelligence and spiritual power are the first that come to mind, but the humor laced with compassion is her keynote. I copied the article in Scene4 to distribute and I regret that.I should have allowed the 50 readers to make their comments in this box instead of personally to me...comments of praise for Kathi's generous hand. The fact that Kathi is a poet of distinction and originality makes her qualified to talk about poetry. Thank you Scene4. I will not preempt the system again!
Grace Cavalieri
read Kathi Wolfe's article

I wonder if also that there were some who didn't want to have this indictment of the prison system at that time. I know that there have been a number of movies that were hard-hitting on the subject but I wonder if yours was just too hard. It sounds like the play-story is just too overwhelming and as you say too unrelieved. I hope we get to see it some day.
rjs
read Arthur Meiselman's article

Kathi Wolfe's article about Grace Cavalieri's Anna Nicole poems is her best yet for this magazine, and that's saying something. Grace is one of our poetic national treasures, writing character poems as vivid and enthralling as the greatest fiction, and Kathi has captured masterfully both Grace's personality and her significance in the poetry world.
Miles David Moore
read Kathi Wolfe's article

Arthur Meiselman carefully elicits the dilemnas a playwright goes through when he or she tries to get beyond the tried and true, or the acceptable "experimental play". How the playwright "sees" the world of his or her creation is essential to the truth and power of a work on stage. I also agree that dramaturgs, literary managers and the rest of the mess are calibrating, to some extent, what goes on in the regional theatre. Operation MFA is in full swing. As to whether these arbiters of what works have enough life experience under their belt is another story altogether. Being inside a theatre in an office all day long is frequently gratuitous to head on, knuckle down and do it experience. A pox on these mouse traps!
Ned Bobkoff
read Arthur Meiselman's article

Kathi, thank you for seeing clearly Anna and Grace. Your vision is keen and your heart is tender. Bless you.
Ken Flynn
read Kathi Wolfe's article

How enriched my trip to Paris in July will be for having read your musings!
Cynthia K
read Renate Stendhal's article

Sometimes, I ask myself? Why why why? I remember a vision I had a time ago. One, where we can do justice for our people, give hope for our children. You know--a better tomorrow! One where we can remember yesteryear, where we can say, "we are making change slowly, but in small steps.." because, that's the way they work, the Otherside to this side! Its not I, or it's not you, or them....its Mitakuyase, our relatives who come and give us visions of the past, present and future. They are the ones who give us hope, courage, and the gifts to carry them out. The simple fact is that they are trying to tell us something. What? Well, these ways are sacred. These ways are powerful! They must be done without question the Right way, because they were made to be simple and yet done with love and compassion. Yet, we teach and promise and Promise to the eager, determined, vulnerable, the ones who will pay money, for what? So they can be Lakota, pray like Lakotas...be Lakotas...if that's the way it rolls..then what have we learned from them...some of them know better...but do they care...no....is it power and control which drives people to become self-proclaimed Medicine men overnight?. Like buying a pipe from Praire Edge in Rapid City...like saying buy me, then I will make you Lakota....is it the good feeling they get when someone is abused and abused in sweat or ceremony! Is it the White man, or who is the White man these days? I dont know who's a better man, the White man saying he's a Lakota Medicine Man...or i the Lakota man abusing our children in ceremonies and getting away with it. My many adventures and travels around the country have led me to witness--the butchering and mutilation of these sacred Lakota ways. I get a sick feeling, a very sad feeling of a vision for tomorrow. Like watching our relatives who lie there at Wounded Knee, knowing they were sacrificed to please the pride of the invaders. How many more people will be sacrificed on our reservations? How many more must suffer generations of the same cycle over and over of Genocide and abuse of our ways? So I must say this--it's time to take these ways back! When will we stand together as a nation of visionaries, healers, and protectors of this way of life? When will people know, or is the excuse they just dont know any better? I'm all about healing and being happy to live a beautiful life. So being a co-producer of "Spirits for sale!" my message is simple: dont sell these ways. Tunkasila is watching, always. The Swedes just dont know how it is. I jumped on board because it was exciting to actually put a part of my vision in the movie. We sat down at the bottom of Bear Butte and talked. This was never about fame or making money...it was about a vision that came from the heart....the vision that flowed thru my Minicojou blood, remembering my relatives on the other side...its why I push and promote the movie. I couldn't care less about a Swede carrying a feather to my res...what a story huh! To hand it to our White Buffalo calf keeper! Now, that made them famous, like saying look at us, the White people, who infiltrated the Cheyenne River. I hate to see what would happen if they gave her a turkey feather! Where might she travel...to the country Turkey? Maybe! All I can say is--go see the movie.
Jerry Clown
read Carole Quattro Levine's article
read other comments about "Spirits for Sale"

For sure, this is the answer to the everlasting misery and misunderstanding and lack of respect for the writer, especially the playwright. Cardboard cutouts with words coming through their frozen faces and hardly moving worth a damn. But wait a minute, we already have it. It's called--a Hollywood movie!
David F.
read Ned Bobkoff's article

Thanks for writing that. We just rented the film "The Nashville Sound" and were also wondering about the eventual fate of Herbie. Has feedback from your article yielded any new info? We'd be curious to know.
NH
read Les Marcott's article
read other comments

Hi Ray, Thanks for posting an update on Herbie. I have a friend in Nashville and I sent him a copy of the Nashville Sound DVD. He said he called Shelby Singleton and asked him if he remembers Herbie. He said several people have asked him about Herbie but he doesn't remember him at all. Which makes me sad. Please e-mail me the photo of you and Herbie. Tell Herbie he has fans out there who wish he had gotten the contract back in 1969, we would love to have heard a record by him. Thank you, Susan-San Francisco-macarthurp@yahoo.com