Ooh, ooh, ooh, what a little blogging can do…
April 19, 2006
Back in February I posted a little story about my life in the Haight-Ashbury in 1966 and how I didn’t meet Janis Joplin. But actually most of the story focused on my zany, totally original roommate, Melanie Kinkead.
You know, when I’m writing about someone I haven’t seen in a long time, I often give them a similar but different name. I figure they may not WANT people to know how much dope they smoked in 1966 – or whatever makes them worth writing about to me.
But in Melanie’s case it was different. I think somewhere deep in an obscure heart corner I was still worried about her. You know what I mean? I wanted to know she had had come through those times all right, and I was afraid she didn’t, and it was just a little shadow of a doupt emanating from 1967, the last time I saw her.
Do you ever feel that way about friends you have lost touch with?
Well, I do – so I used Melanie’s real name in the story, just in case someone saw it and took the time to write in.
Monday someone did – and sent the link to Melanie – and folks, here she is right now – my honored Pigsty guest – the one and only Miss Melanie Kinkead, blithe spirit of the Haight when it was the happening place to be. My dear, strange but delightful friend. Here’s a link to the Janis story if you want to check out her comment.
Counting on my trotters, I think it has been thirty-nine years since I’ve said Hi to her. Melanie has a shop on Ebay, and if you would like to experience the company of a delightfully unreconstructed original hippie selling exactly the same things that made unreconstructed original hippie girls gaga, I recommend her site to you.
Here’s the link to: Dolphinarts. Just her charming prose product descriptions are worth the (free) price of admission. Buy her stuff. It’s not that easy to find a genuine 1950s Elmer the Cow Bar-B-Q apron any more.
I am just so thrilled I have to share this. Solveig, you’re next!
PS: I guess that headline is a little obscure. It’s from a Billie Holiday song where she discovers the joy of blogging. True! I’m listening to it right now!
PPS: The pic is by Gene Anthony and he retains all rights, okay?
Labels: Haight-Ashbury
This is impressive that through the power of the Pigsty’s vast Internet coverage you’ve heard some news about your special former roommate of the 1966-67 Haight Street days, Melanie Kinkead. That’s terrific. At least you know she is still amongst the living. I followed the link you gave to eBay, but found only information about the items being sold by Dolphinarts. I was curious about what’s going on in Melanie’s life today other than eBay? You’ve made her a celebrity of sorts to your readers. Have you heard anything more? But possibly she wants to keep her private life private now. That’s okay too.
Pigsy’s are good places to reconnect. So is that tribute website to Tom, Senor Pig. I know you found it a pathetic little offering, but it is growing and attracting more recollections of our late pal. I connected with his first wife and heard back from her yesterday. We plan on having an epic telephone conversation to fill in the blanks. That’s pretty exciting to me.Carioca
Actually, PP – You said that you thought Tom would get a belly laugh out of the site because you thought he would find it ludicrous that he was being historicized. Not sure about that. There’s a lot of love being expressed on the site and it’s the rare individual who doesn’t appreciate that, even the most determined bohemian.Carioca