Death and Redemption in London and L.A.

Death and Redemption in London and L.A., Lionel Rolfe, http://deadendstreet.com, 2000

This sort-of autobiography from Rolfe is about the general subject of death.

He talks about attending a 1999 memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London for his late uncle, the virtuoso violinist, Yehudi Menuhin. Rolfe grew up in a household full of classical music. Rolfe's mother, Yaltah, and aunt, Hephzibah, were themselves musical prodigies, giving concerts before their teens. Rolfe's relationship with the rest of the family had been difficult, including being cut out of the family will, ever since in the 1970s he wrote a less-than-flattering book about the family. While in London, he visited Yaltah, living alone in a London suburb. From the outside she looks like the quintessential British eccentric, going out in public dressed as a bohemian all in blue. But she can provide a rich, very detailed description of her neighborhood and the people living in it. London is the sort of place where one might hear a person on the street whistling Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata,
Rolfe's favorite piece of music, in great contrast to Los Angeles, Rolfe's home, a land of strip malls and tract houses.

Have you ever heard the term "dying with dignity?" An old friend of Rolfe's, Nieson Himmel, a veteran LA police reporter from the old days, was not afforded that opportunity when his time came. Another friend, Carl Kessler, who called himself the last Stalinist in L.A., lived with Rolfe for a time. A long-time union organizer and activist, being bedridden with emphysema didn't stop him from being on the phone, all day, every day.

Rolfe also talks about the end of his 25-year marriage to Nigey Lennon, his wife. They met in the 1960s, while both hung around with Frank Zappa, with an 11-year age difference between them. One day, she left Rolfe for another man; but she never really leaves. She would live with the boyfriend for weeks at a time, then come back to Rolfe, leaving him again for the boyfriend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. Rolfe certainly isn't afraid to open up his emotions and pour them into his words. Parts are a good history of modern California, and the whole book is a fine piece of writing.