A Man Alone

Bellingham column, San Francisco Examiner, May 2, 2003.

TIMES SQUARE, N.Y. -- FRIDAY, MAY 2 -- Time and space got a little distorted for me here in New York City on Wednesday night. At Carnegie Hall, Oakland-born Rod McKuen, the troubadour of San Francisco's 1960s Summer of Love, was on stage, in trademark white sweater, still bearded and still prophetic. But his admonitions about keeping the faith and following the heart weren't only directed at the young. "I'm not so much a senior citizen," he said in his unmistakable foggy voice. "I'm a seasoned citizen. And here is my advice: never give up." Backed by a small orchestra, Rod was celebrating his 70th birthday with a concert for a few friends. 2,600 of them. ... Among the celebrants, many famed divas: Bernadette Peters ... Roberta Peters ... Marilyn Horne ... Beverly Sills ... the expatriated Australian songstress, Lana Cantrell ... Keely Smith ... and perhaps most amazing, Licia Albanese, the opera star famous for her haunting portrayals of Violetta in "La Traviata." She will be 90 in July. ... Comedian Bill Maher, who has a one-man show running on Broadway, also dropped by to say hello. ...

Why does Rod McKuen draw so many singing legends to him? "I tend to gravitate toward talented people and they seem to respond," he says, almost obsequiously. "It amazes me," said Charles Ashman, McKuen's longtime friend and producer. "Half of the people who bought tickets are under 50. Rod has this incredible ability to reach across generations." ... Beth Anne Cox came to N.Y. from McBaine, Mich., to see Rod McKuen sing -- or recite. "It is the lovely quality of his lyrics that has transformed my life," she said on the sidewalk on a cool, pleasant evening outside Shelly's New York Restaurant on W. 57th Street. This is where the after-show gathering was held. "Tonight is my birthday, as well," Beth Anne smiled. "I think I made it to 43, in some ways, due to the message Rod sends. I suffered betrayal and a bitter Divorce but I will press on on my own, relying on myself. I've gone back to school. I'm getting a Ph.D. in English." ...

There were fans from China ... Japan ... Australia ... Israel. ... Carolanne Hough, from Savannah, is doing her best to get Rod McKuen to come to her town for the Johnny Mercer festivities. Ann Martin got a sitter for her poodle back in Lubbock, Texas, so she could make the New York trip. "I get a sitter for the poodle and the poodle sits the cat," she drawled. ... The talented and exuberant singer/composer Patricia Watson winged in from Maui. David Galligan, the director who has worked on many McKuen projects, will direct Patricia's rock opera, "Soulmates," in Honolulu. Rod McKuen takes the role of a priest. "The true poet for me," said Flaubert," is the priest." ...

Perhaps the greatest homage offered by priestly poet McKuen was the paean to San Francisco. He broke away from the songs to recite, "In a little room on Stanyan Street." There was a deep hush in the house. "It was Rod's poetry that lured me to San Francisco," said Teri Sherrow, an international real estate agent. Rod McKuen may talk of the soul as an island. Teri actually sells them. Islands, not souls. "You have to understand what it was like for a young girl filled with imagination, living in Pueblo, Colorado," she recalled. "Planes would fly overhead and I would dream about S.F. It was all from Rod McKuen's records and his poems. The place sounded so magical. He is the reason I moved to Sausalito and stayed for 15 years. He would talk about Sausalito ... and Stanyan Street." ... It must have been all those airliners flying over the house. Teri became a flight attendant and saw a world beyond Pueblo. McKuen's Web site is called "Flight Plan." ...

"Carnegie Hall means a lot to me," McKuen said, explaining his choice of venue. "It was after a Carnegie Hall show that I was introduced to Sinatra. He asked me to write an album for him -- 'A Man Alone.' Sinatra had never asked anyone to write a whole album for him. My life was changed forever that night." ... "A Man Alone" is the perfect Sinatra vehicle but it likely reveals more about the poet's psyche. McKuen, A Man Alone, speaks more openly these days about the chronic depression that disabled him. "I was in a bit of funk," he says ruefully. "A funk that lasted 10 years." ...

McKuen is working with Hewlett-Packard on a concert tour, to engage older people and encourage them not to be afraid of computer technology. Or anything else. "If your kids are being a real pain," McKuen advises, "then just overlook them when you e-mail your grandchildren." After the show, a cheerful mob poured into Shelly's to nosh on sweets and have champagne. I think he invited everyone. Hundreds lined up for hours to say hello and wish him a good birthday. It was 1 o'clock in the morning before McKuen had signed the last autograph and posed for the last picture. No one went away unhappy. The memories were galvanized. The sweet, tormented voice of Rod McKuen was restored. Stanyan Street was beatified. On Wednesday, in New York City, The Man Alone certainly was not alone. ..."