Many winters’ days, I woke up at first light, to the odd squeal of a car tire spinning on ice. Wheeee, wheeeee… then look out my bedroom window, to confirm, and see an alien landscape of snow-topped bushes. None of the usual commuters, or anything moving, just the weeee, weeee…

I spent two summers writing my 346 page memoir “Low Budget Hell: Making Underground Movies with John Waters.” Many people said it was a good, if niche topic. That was OK with me. I enjoyed writing it, and if it wasn’t a bestseller, I wouldn’t be disappointed. I had a…

“Edith to Edie The Impossible Dream” An Eulogy for Edith Massey from her brother, Morris Grodsky from Robert Maier She stands on the platform, all 230 pounds distributed somehow on her stubby frame. Her quivering flesh causes a million sparkles to leap from her sequined outfit. The cowboy boots are…

I lived and worked on low budget movies in downtown New York City in the early 1980s when the arts were going through big changes. I worked with Chris Stein and Debbie Harry of the rock group Blondy on a movie called “Downtown 81,” It was mostly a documentary about…

I’m just ending my 68th year on earth — much to my surprise. I was born on December 26th 1950. I was a day late to imitate Christ, and envied all those who had birthdays during the school year when they could be the center of attention and showered with…

Review by Robert Maier This is a tough book. It’s not a memoir; it’s an observation — of the absurdities, contradictions, and downright lies that built America. It explores memories of author Tom Diventi’s difficult times as a poet in late 20th century America. It should probably only be read…

I grew up in the Baltimore suburb of Towson. It would be almost anonymous, if it hadn’t also been the town where John Waters and Divine grew up. It had tree-lined streets, schools that I walked to, play grounds, and woods and fields close by. There was a little strip…

Notice: this is not a sweet puff piece about the joys of Airbnb. As such, I expect to be banned from Airbnb for life in the near future. And I can’t say I care. I write hoping to encourage people to use the many other alternatives. I’m not a great…

Review of Tom Diventi’s book “The Baltimore Kid” and Punk’s Salad Days Tom DiVenti was born and raised in an early 1960s working-class Baltimore City neighborhood. It was row houses, apartments and small ‘30s-40s houses on dinky city-sized lots. Most people worked in Baltimore’s industrial world, and their children of…