Corte Madera!

by Pete Jordan

Trust me, I'm very excited for my reading event in Corte Madera Despite not having set foot in the town in almost 20 years, I do have some history with the place!

In late 1976, when I was a 10-year-old living in the middle of San Francisco, one of my neighbors/classmates moved from the city to Marin County. I visited Pat a couple of times over the next two years. These visits involved me catching a Golden Gate Transit bus from downtown, across the Golden Gate Bridge and far into the deep, dark unknown that was Marin County. Just from the bus ride alone I knew I was in an unfamiliar world. Unlike SF's buses--full of grafitti and ripped up seats, the GGT buses were quite plush with overhead reading lights and seats that reclined!

These visits to Pat in Marin usually lasted from Friday afternoon till Sunday afternoon. And they usually involved at least one trip to the movies. And where did we go for movies? That's right, Corte Madera! In December 1976, we saw "King Kong." Afterward, Pat and I argued. I thought it was ridiculous that the big ape was infatuated with a female of a different species that was just a fraction of his size. But Pat argued, "Who wouldn't be in love with Jessica Lange?" I still wasn't convinced.

Then in the summer of 1978, we returned to Corte Madera to see the the opening night of "Grease." Afterward, again we had a disagreement that revolved around the leading lady. As an 11-year-old, I was completely baffled by the transformation of the Olivia Newton John character from a cute and loveable gal to a total fright in some god awful pleather get up. Late into the night, as Pat lay in his bed and I lay in my sleeping bag on the bedroom floor, we argued who was better looking--the before or after Olivia Newton John. By the end of the weekend, we were no longer talking. But the reason why we stopped talking is actually a whole different story about Corte Madera--that will be revealed tomorrow!

In the meantime, the DISHWASHER book tour has been going great. Large crowds in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Chicago with lots of provacative questions from the audience! Tonight: Baltimore. And before you know it: your very own Corte Madera!

Cheers,

Pete