JG writes:

I was kinda surprised to read that you saw the Pogues at the Wiltern. I flew to NYC to see them in March. Shane was pouring gin down his throat all night but never fucked up, even through the tricky verses of “Bottle of Smoke” that I can’t recite stone-sober. Like you, I’m glad I got to see him while he’s still around.

Oh, I do have one question for you. What do you think of Gianna? I know you shot her for a Spring Thomas scene, but I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned her on your blog.

Hey JG!

Damn…I got a lot of e-mails on The Pogues show, but never one about Gianna, which never made any sense to me, cause I think Gianna’s as close to flawless as you can find in my biz. She’s a woman, too…I mean look at her. She’s not waifish, but when someone describes a girl that way, the first thing you think is she’s fat.

Not Gianna.

She’s a woman…the kind Rubens would have loved to paint, if he could have found a woman in the 17th century built like Gianna. See, as fas as I’m concerned, Gianna’s a rare gem. Shit brotha, you should see her in real life! I mean she’s curvy without being fat, she’s beautiful, and she’ll do naughty, naughty things on camera. I dunno why she isn’t more popular.

And here’s a weird thing – I’ve only shot her twice: once for Blacks On Blondes, and once for Spring Thomas. Here’s a couple of pics from the Blacks On Blondes shoot.

Gianna’s a great person to work with, too. She’s genuine, a real treat, and I think I’m gonna call her up and book her tomorrow for whatever it is I can book her in.

That’s how much I like Gianna.

As for Shane MacGowan and The Pogues, well, they were great, too.

Sometimes I think I’m the luckiest guy in the world, and life is nothing short of spectacular…and it’s things like Gianna and seeing the Pogues play “Fairytale of New York” live that make me feel this way.

Your pal – Billy