Friday, December 29, 2006

Thinking of Jorn, Blood Brother

Jorn David Hall Died early in the morning, Monday December 7 1998 Of brain cancer. He tried to warn me during his last call: "Artie, the operation was a success but they didn't get it all." From the time we first met till his death we shared a deep soul brother relationship. We shared many phone calls and e-mails during the last years of his life.

I think a little history is needed here.
I first met Jorn on "Junkie Row" in Washington Square, NYC late 1965 after I moved in to my 5th floor walk up apt. on St. Marks Place. He was sitting there with his soon to be wife and much later on ex-wife Cher. We hit if off right away, talking about our love of beat poets and the folk music scene. A few weeks later Jorn and Cher got evicted from their apartment and I took them in. Our friendship grew even stronger till one day we slashed our palms, clasped hands together and forever became blood brothers.

At the time I was working as a commercial photographer making lots of money. We made other friends that I invited to move in with us, "Folk Rock" Bob, Squirrel, Runaway Lee. Jerry, Mick and Tony would stop by; we formed a blues band called The Surviving Few. Jorn was a great rhythm guitar player and I played blues harp. Part of this story can be found in my poem "Flashback" that is posted earlier on the blog.

To go into more detail of all the things we lived through during that time would take more space than I wish to write about now. My friends of today are always on my case to write a book of my travels through the 60s and perhaps someday I will. Let me end this part of the village chapter for now by leaving it with the break up of the St. Marks Commune.

Jorn and Cher left before I did, seems Jorn got Cher pregnant and left to live in Greenville Pa after Jorn's Mom, Maude came and talked Jorn into marrying Cher. I had heard about what was happening out west in San Francisco and Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" influence on my life was pulling me hard to take to the road. So one day after leaving my cat, Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues (we called him Tom for short), with Squirrel, I hit the road west.

Skipping a head again because my travels on the road would take up many pages. I ran in to Jorn and Cher in Height Asbury and stayed with them for a short while before I took off to Morningstar Ranch. Though my time at Morningstar was a great experience I'll skip it for now.

Leaving Morningstar
When you live in the woods for a while you tend to get yourself together and life can be come stagnant. I was feeling this way when Doc (A Hells Angel) drove up in his Chevy and offered to drop me off in NYC. I jumped at the chance and was on the road again.

We took a detour and made a stop in Greenville PA at Jorn and Chers.
Jorn was really happy to see me being that he was the only long haired freak in town. Jorn invited me to stay, I promised I would come back, and I did after a brief stay in NYC.

We lived in his dad's big house, got mail addressed to The Fools on the Hill from our friends. I got married (it lasted 11 years) and Jorn added another child to his family. My wife and I eventually took off for NYC.

Jorn left Cher and took the kids with him when he went to study film at Penn State. Movie making was in his blood since he was a kid. His influences were Davey Crockett (he had a coonskin cap till he died), horror movies and Ingmar Bergman. I remember watching his "home movies” made with a super 8mm camera. His sisters and mom starred in his vampire movie as well as his beatnik club movie. He made a great western called Shootout, filmed in the woods of northwestern PA. Jorn was always writing horror movie scripts but never had any luck, always getting rejection notices

While at Penn State he got a chance to be 3rd editor on the Tom Cruise movie "All the Right Moves", later on after he moved to Nashville he got to work on some of the Ernest Movies. Eventually Jorn became the producer, director and star of Nashville’s Homework Helpers for school kid’s show on Nashville TV.

Jorn's spiritual life went from beatnik, hippie, born again Christian to Buddhist. I was with him for much of it except I turned out Pagan. Although his death was a shocker and unexpected I live with his influences on my life and great memories. I miss you Bro.

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