Laughtears.com Events & Info 2026

Visit THE SUZY WILLIAMS YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH4UmJ2G9vU

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzy_Williams

Visit THE 15 Gerry Fialka youtube channels- see the “about” at Gerry Fialka Archives GFA channel

https://www.youtube.com/@gfa1930/videos

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Fialka

Join in upcoming Live events & Zoom events rsvp Gerry Fialka pfsuzy@aol.com for info (check Facebook, too - programs subject to change)

*** SAT, Jan 3, 2026 VENICE POETRY as POLITICAL ACTIVISM at 3pm (till 4:30pm) free - Venice Public Library, (This was scheduled at the library, but will be on zoom, due to the remodeling there from Dec 29 till the end of April) Email John Frank jfrank@lapl.org for the link and future salons VENICE - PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE #2- Fun interactive salon hosted by Gerry Fialka - Cultural revolutionaries Gerry Fialka & Richard Modiano interconnect politics and poetry with fiery, interactive discussion. Delve deep into current Venice issues via questions: What can we do about it? What's the difference between rights & responsibilities? Revolution & rebellion? "Poetry is about the grief. Politics is about the grievance." - Robert Frost. "You don't have to be a communist to be anti-capitalist. It is enough to be a poet." - Jonas Mekas. "When Philosophy raised a dialectic, a debate toward what it calls Truth; Poetry raised a theater, a drama of truth." - Robert Duncan. "I should prefer to de-fuse this gigantic human bomb by starting a dialogue somewhere on the side-lines to distract the trigger-men, or to needle the somnambulists." - Marshall McLuhan, who encouraged inventing new questions and new metaphors. How do we nurture Bucky Fuller's "we are all crew, no passengers"?

*** SUN, Jan11, 2026 - 23rd Venice Film Fest at Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd, free. Celebrate live music and films 5:30-BSP funk poetry, 6pm-Suzy Williams & Friends perform Venice-related songs, 7pm- Short Venice films by Jeremy Kagan & Sam Ray Wilson, 7:30- "FRANCISCO LETELIER - I WRITE YOUR NAME" (2025, 78 minutes) Compelling portrait of Venice resident, Chilean-American muralist, poet & art activist Letelier, who has created murals around the world for over four decades. Francisco's Dad was murdered by Pinochet in 1976. Documentarians Julie Thompson & Brogan de Paor delve deep into how art & culture play powerful roles in movements for human rights and justice. Co-sponored by Venice Heritage Museum.

*** Sat, Jan 24, 2026 — Suzy Williams & Marky Lennon at The Trip, 2101 Lincoln Blvd

***Sun, Feb 4, 2026 Suzy Williams w/ Jane Cantillon at the Biltmore

*** TBA – 16th annual POETRY OF VENICE PHOTOGRAPHY discussion at Venice Heritage Museum, free (details upcoming)

*** Sat, May 23, 2026 (location TBA) It’s All Write Ma - Dylan Salon - live music and discussion — Zimmy Zoomin’ Could it be RobbMe Zimmer as Noel Coward? and/or: “I don’t like propaganda in the theater unless it is disguised so brilliantly that the audience mistakes it for entertainment.” When asked “Are you a poet?” Bob responded “I’m a trapeze artist.” Bob says: “Don’t ever tell anyone everything you know.” and ““I didn’t create Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan has always been here.” “Are you going to play yourself?” Bob: “No, I am gonna play my mother.” TANGLED Up in EVERYawareNESS.

*** Sun, June 14, 2026 Bloomsday Psychedelia at Beyond Baroque, 6pm live readings, film & music, free VISIT Eric Ahlberg’s YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@EricAhlberg/videos and

*** Sat, July 18, 2026 The 19th ANNUAL LIT SHOW with SUZY WILLIAMS & BRAD KAY is a LIVE EVENT at Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd, 7pm

Video clips from past shows:

The Tavern https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reR_RTsFD5E

Dog - Lawrence Ferlinghetti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61IjPDSFl2A

Finnegan's Wake song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oUCyQwNJpk

C J Cronner's LIT SHOW review: .http://www.blogtownbycjgronner.com/.../the-lit-show...

THE LIT SHOW has featured the likes of J.D. Salinger - see video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyMKVLBqse4

*** Sun, Nov8, 2026, 6pm-live music, 7pm-films at Beyond Baroque - An Evening of Music Films with Mark Cantor: “I’ve Just Gotta See It But It Ain’t On YouTube Blues”

*** Sun, Nov 15, 2026 PXL THIS 36 Toy Camera Film Festival ONLINE Special thanks: Technical advisor & archivist Sam R. Wilson http://www.pxl2k.com

PXL THIS 35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOp3SiVQVuk&t=6s and https://digitaledition.argonautnews.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&edid=84e7afd9-b10c-40e8-a3ea-ebe90695f708

PXL THIS 34 Toy Camera Film Festival https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jh15bRLVzc&t=242s

PXL THIS 33 Toy Camera Film Festival https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZKZzPtH5wk&t=1301s

PXL THIS 30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n37t6IFU5jQ&t=3811s and

PXL THIS 31 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOnxqgFnMrU&t=5230s

PXL THIS 32 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFcMoSC7idY&t=1325s

The annual toy camera film festival features Pixelvision — Fisher Price PXL200. PXL THIS, one of the oldest film festivals in LA, celebrates visionary moving image artists from seminal experimental filmmakers to 10-years-olds to homeless to professionals. Lo-Fi Hi-Jinx

***EVERY FIRST TUESDAY of EVERY MONTH is Marshall McLuhan-FINNEGANS WAKE Reading Club online (aka VeniceWake Reading Club — James Joyce https://laughtears.com/McLuhanWake.html — Tuesday, Jan 6, 2026 is page29 https://pfsuzy.medium.com/marshall-mcluhan-finnegans-wake-reading-club-by-gerry-fialka-e90829d2c2c6

*** In Dec, 2026, tune in Gerry’s FRANK ZAPPA RANT on the annual Zappa Dan Radio on Reverend Dan’s Music for Nimrods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN4PNCNL1VQ

https://pfsuzy.medium.com/frank-zappa-art-laboe-rant-by-gerry-fialka-10-30-22-f733f7ac3db1

***KXLU GF’s FZ rant 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWdiRUO0fCI&t=1s

***Zappatista Salon 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmBDr000-JU&t=11s

***Frank Zappa Rant before Stinkfoot Orchestra Venice, 8-14-25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt6ypinTR4s

*** Read Gerry Fialka’s essay CAN ART STOP WAR? More: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/nexj/article/view/43254/32705

and https://pfsuzy.medium.com/thanks-for-your-dedication-to-art-film-and-activism-2050966f9546

***Check out Gerry Fialka in book Frank Uhle book https://www.cinemaannarbor.com/

***Venice Beats news:

Pull My Daisy -Suzy sings Jack Keroauc& Allen Ginsburg = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwZHNx5qWIY

GF’s Venice BeachHead Beats article: https://thevenicebeachhead.com/2022/09/02/our-story-by-gerry-fialka/

Venice West Tour VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9vsPk1iSts

*** Every SUNDAY (except 2nd sundays) BRAD KAY, SUZY WILLIAMS and MEWS SMALL & HER FABULOUS FEMALES play music, for free, at THE UNURBAN CAFE 3301 Pico lvd, Santa Monica, CA from noon to 4:30pm. https://sundaysongbirds.com/

We welcome your reactions to Fialka & Bartram’s funk song MMF by BSP

(same song on two youtube videos, one with still photo and one with an experimental film)

1= MMF by BSP still photo version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqLG0k84bwA&t=0s

2= MMF by BSP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0StWuiBqnQ

film version with strobe effect, viewer discretion

Check out NEW MIKE SAKAMOTO FILM https://gerryswake.com/

and two new channels:

The Secret Waters https://www.youtube.com/@thesecretwaters8558/videos

GFA Gerry Fialka Archives https://www.youtube.com/@gfa1930/videos

Fialka’s essay and performance for CRAIG BALDWIN: AVANT TO LIVE book https://pfsuzy.medium.com/craig-baldwin-reel-mutha-foya-by-gerry-fialka-21a28c1292aa

“…I say let the poets run the country, we’ll be better off with books and pens, instead of the misery of weapons…let the poets run the country who speak from the heart…we will have a country filled with rhymes and justice if for once, we let the poets run the country.” — Quique Aviles https://pfsuzy.medium.com/thanks-for-your-dedication-to-art-film-and-activism-2050966f9546. and https://venicebeachhead.org/2025/12/25/poetry-as-protest-by-gerry-fialka/

Norman Klein in this film https://danielrsmall.com/Future-Continuous

talks about Bauderlaire, and (at the 2:50 point ) says “If you try to make a statement long, deep, and rich, it will age very fast. if you try and only own the day you’re talking, it will last forever.” "DIG INFINITY" - Lord Buckley

“I have been forced to observe that most of the effects of any innovation occur before the actual innovation itself. In a word, a vortex of effects tends, in time, to become the innovation.” Marshall McLuhan 1971 letter to Muriel Bradbrook

*** GERRY’s ZOOM SALONS: Online discussions LZS — Laughtears Zoomin’ Salons every Monday, Tuesday & Wed, at 1:30pm Pacific time. Probe the hidden psychic effects of human inventions and how they shape behaviour. Arts, literature, film, activism, new media, poetry, funk, jazz, avant-garde, new media, performance art, politics, cosmic wisdom, jokes. Ask about: Carl Jung Reading Group, Laws of Media-McLuhan Reading Group, and more

***** DEDICATED to MARY JANE SHOULTZ https://obits.mlive.com/us/obituaries/annarbor/name/mary-shoultz-obituary?pid=205940082

2026 marks 46 year of Gerry Fialka in Venice, California. As well we celebrate the following:

PXL THIS Film Festival, established 1990–36th

Marshall McLuhan — Finnegans Wake Reading Club since 1995–30th year

Venice Film Fest since 2003–23rd

The Lit Show (Suzy Williams & Brad Kay celebration of song and literature) since 2005–19th annual

The Poetry of Venice Photography since 2010–16th

MESS (Media Ecology Soul Salon — interview series) since 1992

Documental (film series) since 1995

7 Dudley Cinema (film series) since 1998

RIA (live cinema performances) since 2005

M.O.M. (Meditations On Media) since 1990

Laughtears Salon (discussion group) since 2015

BSP — Black Shoe Polish — avant funk blues jazz music collective — since 1982

LZS — Laughtears Zoomin’ Salons since 2020

Gerry’s ZappaDan Rant Music for Nimrods since 2008

Bob Dylan Celebration — It’s All Write Ma since 2000 — 26th

Marshall McLuhan/Finnegans Wake Reading Club (aka Venice Wake) celebrates our longevity and the 2023–2024 press coverage:

“Fialka brings his own distinctive approach. My phone interview with him lasted one hour and eight minutes, and its zigs, zags and sheer velocity were unmatched in my nearly 20-year journalism career. Was I writing about Finnegans Wake, or was I suddenly inside it?” — Lois Beckett, The Guardian 11–12–23 https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/12/california-venice-book-club-finngeans-wake-28-years

and The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/11/16/finnegans-wake-book-club-california/

and

https://finwakeatx.blogspot.com/2023/11/guardian-observer-celebrates-galaxy-of.html

and

https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/book-club-reading-james-joyce-finnegans-wake-30-years

and NEW YORK TIMES

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/07/books/finnegans-wake-james-joyce-venice-book-club.html

and RADIO:

https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/venice-book-club-humperdinck-indigenous/finnegans-wake

and

https://www.wbur.org/npr/1213890392/this-book-club-finally-finished-finnegans-wake-it-only-took-them-28-years

and

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/finnegans-wake-book-club-1.7028252

and TV:

CBS Evening News and more https://www.youtube.com/@gfa1930/videos

https://pfsuzy.medium.com/laughtears-com-2023-info-events-44168e475550

Read articles by/about Gerry Fialka:

Venice BeachHead

https://thevenicebeachhead.com/2023/03/23/suzy-williams-venice-beats-ll-at-the-venice-west-sunday-april-2-2023-7pm/

https://thevenicebeachhead.com/2023/10/04/venice-jazz-is-jumpin-by-gerry-fialka/

https://thevenicebeachhead.com/2023/08/21/tribal-jive-here-wow-by-gerry-fialka/

https://thevenicebeachhead.com/2023/06/07/the-story-is-not-over-by-gerry-fialka/

https://thevenicebeachhead.com/2022/09/02/our-story-by-gerry-fialka/

https://thevenicebeachhead.com/2023/02/07/george-winston-interview-by-gerry-fialka/

https://freevenicebeachhead.com/

http://www.freevenice.org/

https://twitter.com/venicebeachhead?lang=en

https://thevenicebeachhead.com/2023/01/17/but-did-you-die-by-gerry-fialka/

Gerry article on George Carlin =

https://thevenicebeachhead.com/2022/06/05/george-carlin-is-home-by-gerry-fialka/

https://thevenicebeachhead.com/2022/08/01/theres-no-place-like-home-by-george-by-gerry-fialka/

Death in Venice as Be Nice Beachtown

https://pfsuzy.medium.com/death-in-venice-as-be-nice-beachtown-by-gerry-fialka-ed6c1d19ca5 8

The Streets Make the Canvas — Culture jamming

https://pfsuzy.medium.com/the-streets-make-the-canvas-by-gerry-fialka-venice-beachhead-oct-2020-cf9bb9a62e98

Medium.com

McFinn Salon https://pfsuzy.medium.com/

ReTylerize As Musical MashUp https://pfsuzy.medium.com/retylerize-as-musical-mashup-by-gerry-fialka-cb39c0d23fd c

Da Boardwalk https://medium.com/@ pfsuzy/boogaloo-up-da-boardwalk-by-gerry-fialka-june-july- 2020-c7105b105cb2

Cure for the Common Codebreaker https://medium.com/@pfsuzy/cure-for-the-common-codebreaker-by-germy-folkways-73e92782b7be

V for Venice https://medium.com/@pfsuzy/v-for-venice-by-gerry-fial ka-venice-beachhead-august- 2020–487a39d2283e

MESS — Media Ecology Soul Salons — Gerry Fialka interview series

Interviews are listed and posted many places, including YouTube and

https://archive.org/search.php ?query=fialka%20gerry

https://www.youtube.com/user/c lintonthegeek (includes McLuhanMashUp series)

https://docs.google.com/spread sheets/d/1EtuhFDTB2KCI7E2INxg VCg7Cc0cYX4OsvOw8ZxeAv0Q/edit# gid=0

https://www.library.ucsb.edu/special-collections/gerry-fialka-pxl-and-fialka-interview-archive-pa-mss-245

Tune in, Watch out and Drop In to Gerry Fialka’s two Interview/Salon podcasts on two different channels:

MESS & McLuhanMashUp

on Clinton Ignatov’s channel CONCERNED NETIZEN: https://www.youtube.com/user/clintonthegeek

and

INNERVIEWS & LAUGHTEARS SALONS

on Rob Grant’s channel — I’m Probably Wrong About Everything

https://www.youtube.com/@improbablywrongabouteveryt6781/streams

Please send us your reactions to the feature film

The Brother Side of the Wake (aka BroSide)

free on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lYixmuJyjI&t=18s

https://pfsuzy.medium.com/brosiding-by-gerry-fialka-laughtears-com-cc69e3d43fb5

https://broside.wordpress.com/

ONE MINUTE BroSide preview trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBj0UdpFEWo

and MoSide https://laughtears.com/moside.html

Check out the book https://laughtears.com/strange-questions.html

Strange Questions: Experimental Film as Conversation — Compelling interviews with notables in avant-garde cinema offer insights into moving image art — its creative processes, formative influences, and hidden psychic effects. Through interviews with George Manupelli, Larry Gottheim, Chick Strand, Tom Gunning, Jay Rosenblatt, Martha Colburn, Evan Meaney, Mike Hoolboom, Robert Nelson, and Nina Menkes, Lynne Sachs, Strange Questions links powerful personal stories with the contemporary media-scape. Available here in paperback and kindle from Amazon

Check out: Fialka Book Release by Morgan Agren

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72kx9UQdt-A

and Fialka Book Release! (Redux) by Morgan and Tyler Bartram

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvWq5dyLETE

and Bartram&Fialka Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@rondopandit/featured

Franky & Zimmy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASGJUwl8dks&t=39s

Stay tuned — Gerry Fialka pfsuzy@aol.com 310–306–7330 (landline)

https://venicebeachhead.org/2025/12/25/poetry-as-protest-by-gerry-fialka/

Check Gerry's ***KXLU FZ rant 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWdiRUO0fCI&t=1s

***Zappatista Salon 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmBDr000-JU&t=11s

***Frank Zappa Rant before Stinkfoot Orchestra Venice, 8-14-25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt6ypinTR4s

MANY MORE HOT LINKS =