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Blue Mango Garden - Udine
On January 11th, I received an email informing me
that my best friend for over fifteen years had passed away-
We lost touch sometime back in 04’ when life in the Big City began to get complicated
It was the mid to late 1980’s when I first met Don Greene. I was working in Cable Television when an ad was placed in the Village Voice reading, Electronic Musician (that would be me) seeks similar or opposite for compilation recording. Send demo tapes to...
A few days later, the music of Verbal Drama
was being pumped though the studio
His music was a mix of Punk and “Socially Conscious” high energy New Wave. That was the beginning of a long friendship, an artistic collaboration and thousands of unforgettable moments
A Few Select Memories
Re: The Santa Cruz video…
Not exactly MTV quality (replete with photo montage and hi-end special effects) but a rather whimsical, moody vehicle
for an elegant song written by Don Greene and Billy Cote
Re: The Stone Pony performance with Hole
Our friend's band (Madder Rose) with Mary Brett Lorson and BIlly Cote had just left the stage… Courtney Love was standing off to my left holding her baby and looking rather annoyed-
Where’s the MC, she asked… where’s the fuc*in MC!!
She then passed the kid to her nanny and took off in a huff-
This place is run like sh*t someone declared and under the circumstances, I couldn’t have agreed more
I ain’t goin’ on that stage without an introduction, Courtney grumbled… LIKE NO FU*KIN’ WAY
That’s when Donnie turned to me with a peculiar look in his eye and I started to laugh. At this point, the energy between us was kinetic
He then raised an eyebrow, did a complete about-face and took off for the stage like a soldier on a mission
He made no announcement nor did he ask-
just did what had to be done in typical Don Greene fashion
Without hesitation he grabbed the mic and shouted,
YOU PEOPLE WANNA HEAR MORE MUSIC?
The audience went crazy… I CAN’T FUC*IN HEAR YOU, Don repeated
IF YOU WANNA HEAR MORE FUC*IN MUSIC…
MAKE SOME FUC*IN NOIIIIIIIIISE and the place lit up
like a terrorist in Baghdad
Body parts (metaphorically speaking) were flying everywhere!
The guy next to me… got hit in the face with a bloody lung or maybe a bottle of beer (still undetermined)
The show was one of those “Outdoor - Indoor” events. There were people shimmying up the poles that supported the tent
to get a better look at the stage…
After all, we were in New Jersey and this sort of behavior was generally expected from the locals. Have you even seen the Jersey Shore… my point exactly (no disrespect intended)
Somewhere amidst the mayhem,
Hole took the stage and Donnie returned to Earth
How’d I look up there… do you think anyone heard me (laughing)
You were great man… absolutely great!
We later heard that the missing MC was discovered “nursing a nod” in one of the dressing rooms. Or maybe found dead… face down,
drowned in a toilet and I don’t recall which
But it is sometimes hard to remember all the little things
that make some Rock Concerts so memorable, considering…
Re: The Witch Hunt video story-
Cinéma Vérité at its most challenging and as they say in Brooklyn,
If you got the stones for it… go for it and if not, get out of my face! To be posted at a later date…
Re: Letters to Serial Killers by Don Greene
What I recall most was a cold winter afternoon…
I had stopped by Don’s apartment to play catch-up when he handed me a half dozen letters
What are these I asked? It’s the beginning of my correspondence with serial killers; you may recognize one of the names-
This guy is famous, but why are you writing to these people? I have a new book project in mind… what do you think? I think it’s strange and possibly dangerous… a unique concept indeed
This one is from a gang member on Death Row. He seems pretty cool about the idea of a book and doesn’t mind me sharing his thoughts with the world. Why is he on Death Row, I inquired?
He kills people for the gang, I guess he’s a Hit Man
Don, I really don’t think this is cool at all. The guy is a contract killer… and that is “uncool”
Don: You know what really gets this cat off… killing cops
But before he shoots them or however he decides to kill them,
he slowly humiliates them in the most heinous ways imaginable…
and loves doing it!
Ron: On second thought, I think you should drop the whole idea
There are other books you can write that are safer and can offer a more constructive reading experience
That’s when Don’s phone rang...
It was the serial killers mother (Mama), and she was asking Don to send her some money. It was never clear what sort of deal Donnie struck with her son regarding his part of the book
Apparently, there were favors being dealt from a West Coast prison to New York’s Rikers Island and my boy was smack in the middle of it
Here Ron (handing me the phone)… she wants to speak with you
What do you mean; she wants to speak to me?
She asked to speak to Ron, that’s you
Yeah... but how does she know my name?
I told her about you, and she knows that we’re close friends…
- As a Final Thought -
Gang members, their affiliations and relatives are simply everywhere… and in every city and state. From the supermarket to the Post Office, the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security and in every branch of government including the military
They are patient and methodical and can track a person… anywhere, which may include International travel
From a former address… a place of work, the names of friends and family etc. I say this because one day after the fact… SK’s Mama found me just to say hello, and my phone was unlisted
For those of a different mindset…
if you search long enough for trouble, it will find you and that’s a fact
To some readers…
the idea of writing letters to serial killers may seem a bit odd if not terrifying, but to someone the likes of Don Greene-
It was a stroll thorugh the gardens of a Countryside Manor,
serving tea with crumpets at four
To be lovingly continued… R.I.P. my Dearest Friend Don
Cassandra Landau - Gallery Coordinator
