Once again, I submit demo tapes of my songs to various recording companies and
publishers—
■ 1 JANUARY [Monday] Quality Records
■ 30 MARCH [Saturday] Paradox Music Group; Northern Songs Ltd; Leeds Music
■ 12 APRIL [Friday] Group Editorial Franco; Motown Record Corp
When I receive replies, it seems they all like my songs and give me encouraging words, but unfortunately, they’re “…not what we're looking for at the present time...”
I obtain my first job at Mountain View Bowl [owned by Dean's dad, Leigh Patterson].
Although I started off as a pin chaser, over the next five years I also worked behind the front counter, did cleaning, and ran the small snack bar that offered hamburgers, hot dogs, chocolate bars, etc. I think my starting wage was $125 per week. At this time, too, the 5-pins at Mountain View Bowl stood independently and weren’t attached to strings until three or four years later. Once we acquired the new stringed pins, however, I remember a lot of customers at the time complained about them and argued that the cords holding the pins caused inaccurate scores.
SPRING
In my spare time, I start to do some photography.
Peggy, a young woman I meet from up the street, lets me take some photos of her. She also inspires me to write the song, Peggy Anne .
I meet Debbie, a friend of Peggy’s, and she lets me take nude photographs of her.
I don’t remember how this happened, but I guess she trusted me enough to allow me to photograph her naked and I really appreciated that. A couple of the photos turned out blurry, but I did obtain one nice picture of her.
SUMMER
After I go to see the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, it inspires me to write the screenplay, The Saga of Man. I put an ad in the Calgary Herald to see if I can rustle up a cast and crew. Quite a few interested people show up. So, calling ourselves ‘Canadian Drama Inc’, we drive out to Horseshoe Canyon [near Drumheller] to film an 8mm movie of the script. However, for three weekends in a row, it rains so much that we can’t film anything. Only on the fourth weekend are we able to shoot some footage.
I still have that footage, albeit unedited, not only in its original 8mm form, but my son was able to transfer it to a digital format using my now-vintage 8mm projector.
One of the main leads in the cast of The Saga of Man is a young lady who plays ‘Woman’, and she inspires me to write the song, Annalisa .
Someone else reads my newspaper ad and sends me a book entitled, The Tragedy of Man by Hungarian author, Imre Madách.
Apparently, Mozinet, a distribution company, released a motion picture in 2011 based on this book.
A short time later, I begin to create special effects [with lighting, drawings, cut-outs, etc.] that I want to insert into the film.
I still have that reel, too, which I never used. Steve Ditko’s illustrations of other dimensions in the Dr Strange comics influenced me for the designs of a lot of the ‘sets’ I wanted to use in the film.
I had my Atlas Warner Super Screen 8mm Editor Model 400 and my Kodak Brownie 8mm movie camera for many years.
My Atlas Warner Super Screen 8mm Editor, Model 400
Me and mum with my Atlas Warner Super Screen 8mm Editor,
Model 400 [bottom left]; behind which is my Kodak Brownie 8mm movie camera, and
my Kodak Brownie 8mm movie projector on my left
I read Stranger in a Strange Land again, and I ask my 8mm movie's cinematographer, Les Gergley, to take some photographs of me as ‘Valentine Michael Smith’.
I go to see the movie Therese and Isabelle, as well as The Killing of Sister George, and become fascinated with and turned on by the displays of lesbianism portrayed in them.
Yes, I decide, If I’m ever able to change my sex, I’ll have to be a lesbian.
By this time, I’ve written 750 songs.
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