March 21st... Eva Cassidy. Eva Cassidy was a friend of mine back in the D.C. days. She was one of the most talented people I ever knew. We had many similarities in the fact that we loved to create and create, we were both singers and visual artists - she loved to paint, do multi-media and even rework old furniture - she repainted a table for her boyfriend, Chris Biondo, (who recorded all the Strange Boutique CDs) with Hellenistic figures, and it looked so fantastic. She also loved to garden and landscape.

The big difference between us was that Eva had a voice that was truly unbelievable (and she was a great guitarist!). I cannot put into words how she sang, though the likes of Christina Aguilera probably owe Eva a debt, for she had an amazing RnB style that many women use now, but back in the late 80s, it was unheard of to have such a voice. I went out with Eva a number of times, I went with her shopping to buy a nice suit dress as she was singing for the mayor's inauguration, and we lost the car at the mall and walked for about an hour to find it! I was floored to see the outfit we had picked, a suit blazer with lace sleeves, to be the one she wears in her most famous photograph.

To get her to sing out more, Chris used to have her sing at open-mics. We would watch her sing to some pre-recorded music tracks and everyone would murmur, "Oh, she's lip-syncing, no way can she be singing so perfectly." As time went on, she was more open to performing, and I was lucky enough to see her first Blues Alley show.

Eva died of cancer in '96, years after I had moved to CA, and it was such a tragedy. Since then, I have noticed a growing fanbase and awareness of her body of work. To hear Simon Cowell mention to a singer that they sang an arrangement that was 'Eva Cassidy-like' filled me with pride. I feel that it was an honor to have known her, she was one of those few truly gifted people that you meet in your life...

March 11th... Iggy Pop performs for Madonna - while she is getting inducted into the Rock N'Roll Hall of Fame. I watched with shock to see the legend perform Madonna's songs while she sat smiling from her table. He did them in true Stooges style, which was outlandish and wonderful. I kept wondering "WHAT THE HELL is he doing performing for her???" This is a bit like watching Billy Holiday perform for Mariah Carey. The real rebel-groundbreaker honoring a Pop Star.

Then I read the backstory. Iggy has been up 6 times to be inducted and they turned him down every time. I doubt Iggy cares, most true legends have no interest in this type of crap, the RNRHOF corporate sponsors include Continental Airlines, AT&T, Energizer, KeyBank, Gibson Musical Instruments, FORTUNE magazine, Enterasys, MBNA, Ameritech, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, f.y.e. – for your entertainment, Tommy Hilfiger, Levis, RadioShack and Pepsi just to name a few.

So the story goes that Madonna decided to ask Iggy to do her songs in protest that he had not been inducted. That is pretty cool, I will give her that. Of course, the best thing she could have done was give him the award. With the likes of Leonard Cohen being inducted the same night, it would be more fitting.

And good for Iggy, for those who have no idea who he is, they may do some research now!

March 4th... ANAFAE! Many people have been wondering why I've gone a bit quiet about Anafae - but that has been due to the fact that Jim and I have been working NON-STOP on the new color version, which has been completely expanded, and will be coming out later this year on Praxis Comics! We are in edit mode of Book 1, and getting close on first layouts with Book 2 - for those who have read the original BW version, Book 1 and Book 2 go through the same-ISH story, but the subplot of the mysterious writer, Anna Mante, has now been added as well as some very ominous characters.

The new color version takes my breath away, Jim has treated each BW page like a painting. There is an added 3D feeling with the color, to the left are some comparisons. The flourish and photo-detail of the background textures floors me...

With the new subplot, the entire feeling of the book has changed. And seemingly loose ends have truly begun to tie themselves together. Our publishers are currently going over Book 1, and are extremely pleased with the message of Anafae.

For more details, take a look at the new Synopsis, which expands the tale a bit and has more color images! AND, here is a fantastic review by an exceptional artist, Vlad Quigley:

"In 17th Century English, the term "wit" referred to an elegant weight of knowledge; a dexterity, style & wisdom in its application...

...Which is what Anafae exemplifies. Not just in its dialogue & factual research, but in its deft use of the comic book medium (especially the pacing & use of panel compositions) and in its unique mixed media rendering. Something special is being created by Monica & James, their detailed artistry is sumptuous.
I love its wonderfully feminine poetry. The way in which masculine information has been coupled with a flirtatious glimpse of arcane mysteries. How the tale reveals, yet never fully... dancing tantalizingly out of reach, unable to be second-guessed. It masterfully measures enough to hook you, to make you care, make you want to know what is coming next (& what has come before)..."

Read the review in its entirety in his blog by CLICKING HERE.

March 1st ... Baby Zendra and Daisy... (and Happy Birthday, Pop!)