Farting Chanting
Marvin
by Jilliana
Ranicar-Breese
Marvin was a
lean attractive man with silvery streaked hair in
a pony tail possibly in his 40s. Jewish from New
York, his unusual job was that of a porno
projectionist in a Times Square cinema. It was
the mid 70s at the time of 'Deep throat' and 'The
devil in Miss Jones' and soft porno feature films
like 'Emmanuele' were just about legalised and
played to packed audiences in San Francisco.
We met on my birthday, the 30th December in
Oaxaca, Mexico in the same guest house. I had
arrived without any bed reserved. This was normal
in the 70s with only the American bible, 'The
Frommer guide to South and Central America on $5
a day' for travellers like myself. I met a German
on a horse, who suggested renting a room with 2
German ladies he knew on the edge of town. I
espied the little white painted house with
typical Spanish arches and a front garden with a
manicured pathway up to the pink front door.
Everything was neat, tidy and spotless. However
when I encountered the 2 ugly unfriendly sisters,
I instinctively felt they were escaped Nazis. I
shuddered and beat a hasty retreat. Somehow I
found a guest house in town and settled in for a
short while.
Marvin invited me out to a local restaurant in
the colonial dusty scruffy downtown to celebrate
my birthday. He explained he had $1,000 to spend
in cash and asked me to help spend it! I moved in
with him and we went to markets together
exploring the area. He was a photographer so we
went out on photo shoots and I joined in, however
the Indians thought the click of a camera would
take their spirit away so they hid their faces
and ran away. Marvin treated me to a long white
typical hippy 70s dress with hand embroidered
flowers stitched over the sleeves plus a poncho
made of wool from Guatemala. In those days I was
interested in ethnic textiles and local terra
cotta ceramics. My favourites were the wonderful
ceramic 7 branch Tree of Life candlestick in
tropical pinks and yellows and the colourful
devils of Ocumicho. However, we just could not
spend his dollars as there were only handicrafts
to buy.
One memory I have is of Marvin chanting the 13th
Century Japanese Buddhist chant 'Nam myoho renge
Kyo' waiting for the village bus that was slow to
arrive to take us back into Oaxaca. It would then
arrive!
Marvin had a medical condition and had to take
calcium tablets daily which made him fart
especially in bed. Not very sexually exciting and
I don't think he watched the movies he projected
either so after a week or so I gave him the boot
and left the town to continue on to Chamula.
It would be 40 years before I heard the same
chant at the Brighton Chapter of the SGI.
Written
on the train from Blackfriars, London to Brighton.
14.8.17.
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