Mark is a man that I met when I was just 19 years old... I had come to San Francisco for two weeks and just kind of stayed... Mark was a sensitive soul, soft spoken and shy, with piercing blue eyes and a mischievous grin ... He was a bit rough from living on the streets, but boy could he sing.... Mark was in love with a rich ballerina in the Berkeley Hills … we used to all go up there in his sisters Dodge Dart … we even slept in it one night, all four of us, until the Berkeley cops nudged us awake … we were young and we got away with all sorts of silliness, like most young people do... Mark loved to belt out Van Morrison and Bob Dylan songs on Telegraph Ave … he was so good that a street party would erupt … those things happened easily in those days … the streets were full of joy, liberation and hope … Mark always said that he wouldnt compromise with his life, and he didnt … as everyone grew up, formed relationships, and started careers, Mark remained on the streets … he told us that he hadnt found his true calling yet, but that he was sure that he would one day … when I finally left San Francisco. Mark was living out in the open, on the roof of a seedy Hotel in North Beach … he was throwing the I-Ching everyday and acting like a spiritual guru … he was cold and losing weight and we were all very worried about him … that was 30 years ago ... A mutual friend called a few years ago and told me that Mark had written a book about parrots and was now world famous … I couldnt believe it but it was true … it seems that someone felt sorry for him and offered him a house sit on the Filbert steps, a sweet slice of paradise facing the San Francisco bay … while there he became fascinated with a flock of parrots in the trees … so fascinated that he studied and wrote about their every gesture, a study so compelling that it was picked up by the local newspapers … But it gets better … the story was seen by a local film maker who made a movie about it. His book and her movie are entitled “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” … if you havent seen the movie, then I highly recommend it .. its a touching story ... But it gets better … Mark and the film maker fell in love in the middle of this project and someone offered them a great house on the Filbert steps so that they continue their work … after 30 years of winging it on the streets, Mark had arrived … he had finally found his calling … the last time that I spoke to him he was on his way to London to give a lecture … He called me recently to ask me about my recollections of that time … hes writing another book about the counter-culture movement in San Francisco in the 70s … Im supposed to be in it … now this should be interesting … This is for you, Mark … one of your favorite songs … you never did get that ballerina but you never gave up ….. on anything …. https://youtube/watch?v=Eq3YLhtuzTQ
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 15:20:26 +0000
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