THE PLASTERERS
Mercifully, at the time I had no idea of the scandalous botched restoration of this Byzantine landmark as it was sealed off to everyone. Turkish historians later told me about it.
HELMUTH LUTZ FIRE! FIRE!
This giant touring 1970’s work of art is set up outside Ayasofya. Zowie—— I couldn’t believe this thing. It towered over the entire square, reaching just below the branches of the chestnut trees. A great German installation artist, whose son supervised the assemblage.
HELMUTH LUTZ DERVISHES & BOSCH
Overtones of Bosch – Helmuth Lutz——Fabulously surreal, with dancers wearing giant snail masks and whirling dervishes.
GULHANS & THEIR CAT
A happy Friday night in mid-November 2004 just after Ramazan — Ali – Gurhan – Deniz – Obi-Wan!
ANOTHER NIGHT AT MIKE’S
“Is there an ‘up’ side to your story?”——She actually said this. Another fabulous party at Mike’s Museum.
UMIT/ATTILA ONE
Umıt didn’t feel like an Umıt; he felt like he was an Attila, so that’s what I called him.
HIPPODROME FOUNTAIN
Nailed it at last!! On my first trip to Istanbul, five years earlier, I’d marveled at this brickwork, so old it looked like lumpy striped stone. I hadn’t been able to do it justice until this drawing. I was struck by the repetitive image of the eroded Hippodrome arch-plug behind the much newer fountain. The cat, a venerable street warrior, is in Kitty Heaven but this fountain looks the same.
TURKISH COFFEE STAR >
Heartbreaker & Frank Zappa lookalike KADIR is the “star” of Russian novel Turkish coffee——It was his restaurant we were hanging out in New Year’s Eve, before I went off to the Pera Palas.
UMIT/ATTILA LOOKING OUT
I’ve lost touch with Umıt, but hope he’s well and happy.
ELINA’S TRUCK STOP CAT
Did I actually wake up this morning and say “I’ve got to go to Bulgaria?: Communing with Fiji, a Bulgarian tabby, during a 2-hour wait at a cafe just inside the border. Almost didn’t make it in– visa expired & too sick to come last week. Border visa Polisman didn’t give a rat’s ass about “sick” but let me in – will they let me back out? Kitty doesn’t care… Purrrrrr is the same in any language —- 12:30 AM Bulgaria — A line of disconsolate travelers waiting, like us, at the 3rd checkpoint – border —- This is the season of pointed toes! – turquoise corduroy – <Hırsıs!——Hırsıs means thief in Turkish, as Elina told me this employee had been when next I came…