Yea, Ku Klux Klan.
I never get tired of this photo.
Ella Fitzgerald was not allowed to play at Mocambo because of her race. Then, one of Ella’s biggest fans made a telephone call that quite possibly changed the path of her career for good. Here, Ella tells the story of how Marilyn Monroe changed her life:
“I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt… she personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him – and it was true, due to Marilyn’s superstar status – that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman – a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it.”
So my friend is dying of Cystic Fibrosis. If you don’t know it, basically the biggest problem it causes is very thick phlegm in the lungs, causing the person to eventually die of suffocation, among many other problems related to nourishment. It’s not certain whether he’ll get the double lung transplant he needs in time, and I haven’t actually spoken to him in a while. I’m thinking of offering him one of mine, but there are complications to be considered such as blood type and size. He’s pretty small compared. Also, I’m a little scared. I don’t want my friend to die, though, so being a pansy can wait. I’ve had so much shit happen to me in the last few months that I just can’t take this. He has done many things for me which makes him a very dear friend, and I hope strongly that he lives. Please let him live.
