:: CORPSEFLOWER :: - Murray slipslides towards me from across the bar, flounces really, like a second string marionette whose master is in the throes of a twitch, to tell me a joke and I play along. “I got a new band, man, we’re called Corpse Flower,” he says. “Sounds awesome,” I say, “you guys any good?” He flips the chair around so that he can rest his forearms on the straight back as he sits down and, in a practiced deadpan, says, “No, man, we stink.” I nod and smile as a wobbling man in a trucker cap punches some numbers at the Keno terminal. Murray wants to talk about his newest screenplay idea. I signal to the bartender to bring two of the usual and say, “tell me what you got, man, seems like the wheels are turning.” Murray is a big guy, taller and lankier than most, with a taste for dark rum with just a splash of cola for colour. He says, “I’ve been in a romantic relationship with PJ Harvey for a few years now but she doesn’t know it yet and I’m trying to figure out how to tell her.” I say, “Lot of that going around these days, Murray. Have you thought about maybe sending her an email? Seems like the sort of thing that maybe she should be made aware of.” And he says, “Yeah, no, that’s not how I’m going to do it, man, I’m going to make a movie and the director’s gonna reach out to her on my behalf. You know, as an intermediary.” I pause as the server sets down our drinks. “Makes a lot of sense,” I say. “Where did you guys meet?” I take a slow sip of my fresh gin and soda with a twist of lime stacked with ice. I refuse to tip bartenders who go light on the frozen water, something that I consider to be an endless natural resource. “We met years ago in an article in a very confusing music magazine. She was a vampire rock and roll goddess but the words in the article were all out of focus and crooked. Just weird, man, but we were in love and it’s just been like that ever since .” And I said, “Raygun, probably. That’s the magazine. Very weird scene.” Murray took a long draw on his opaque beverage and I watched the mixture of caffeine, liquor, and cane run through him. “Yes, Raygun, that’s it! That’s where we met.” | image @kikiphotocano