Oooooo, Naomsky!
What a pain!
What a great Man. I wish we knew before what a treasure we were happened to meet
- just once, on our root with both kids over California cost, where we had stayed one night
inside a travel wagon, sleeping under stars, as the roof could be lifted...Unforgettable!!
This whole stay was so-so-so beautiful altogether - hard to find words to describe,
so we were using just russian way describing total happiness and excitement - какой Кайф!
And of was all provided by an old man - Дедушка, who we called among ourselves
Дедушка Кайф.

Later, every time we remembered about this visit, we were referring to it like "when we will get back into a dream? Go visit Dedushka Kaif !!"
Would so much love to return to that time, to visit back with your beautiful Father -
Artist and Educator.
Now it is much more clear why You are so talented ! - as a musician , singer and
human being.
Our Love is with all your Family, Nina Belyaeva, Moscow, Russia

Has anyone here seen my friend Alan?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
Alan was an eagle who saw a much wider picture. With great urgency and passion he wanted to share, guide, teach, convince, and explain: to communicate . . . sometimes with stories, music, kindness, humor, smiles, cunning, sensitivity, understanding, and best of all with his special brand of charm. But if he was not always right, not always convincing, not always listening, he was always true to himself and his vision . . .what he sincerely believed, and the pursuit for which he finally gave his life. His path, his truth, his energy has been for me the refreshing testament of his life. For that, if nothing else, I’ve been uniquely enriched and will always think fondly of him. I love you, Alan!
You know, he freed a lot of people
But the good, they die young, yeah.
I just looked around and he was gone.

I saw a young man dangling a large brown sprouted onion in his left hand. It was on 6th street in LA near Westlake Park and the Elks Club.
Lotte said, "This is Alan, my friend, a writer."
Well, I thought, if Dylan Thomas put his finger into a bottle, why not Alan and an onion.

Alan was one of the most important influences in regard to Art and Literature in my life, I could write volumes about him.

I will miss him terribly.

I was very saddened to learn that Alan had passed away. I'll never forget the profound feelings of awe, respect, and reverence that were aroused in the teenage me when Anina's passionate intellectual father spoke to our creative writing class at CHS. One thing was made clear that day: Anina Marcus had one cool daddy, and the lifelong honor and pleasure of knowing him had been bestowed upon us all.  Carl and I are with you all in deepest sympathy.

Dear Lotte, David, Anina, Naomi and the extended Marcus family—

We are saddened to learn of Alan’s death. We share, in small manner, your grief. Please accept our condolences.

We also share, again in small measure, your appreciation of Alan’s long life, his many accomplishments, his intellectual rigor and personal integrity. We join you in remembrance and celebration of his dynamic life.

We have known Alan for only about 20 years. He was in his early 70s when we met, the same age as we are now. Thus our entire experience of him is as a vital, argumentative, sometimes cantankerous old man who did not yield moral or intellectual ground easily. A model for us all.

Love,

Tom and Stephanie Coffin

My thoughts are with the family. I don't know what more to say. Please feel free to call if I can be of any help.

Alan and Lotte first become known to me over half a century ago when my then wife and I were totally entranced by his manuscript and with whom we knew in publishing we tried to be of assistance.Myself, a refugee, their wanderings and wonder full settling in place along with his fabulous then recent past adventures in the halls of film fame, was a
heady tale. that through all those decades we stayed in sometimes touch, always touched our mutual hearts and minds. Their wisdoms and atctivism were living lessons to my heart and mind. He ever encouraged me to be who I am and. to do what he envisioned. The
hospitality Alan and Lotte extended was gracious and profound. His memory is with me to treasure as I pray for him yisgadal yiskadash.

what to say, what to say - I am heart broken - thinking he would be with us forever. I'm so so grateful that I was able to stand in their kitchen making omelletes and talking with him. Actually Alan did the talking and I just tried to nod my head and pretend that I understood the depths and nuances from which he spoke; of everything from Hollywood in the 50's "That prick Louie B. Mayer!" to thinking of going into the study of physics (Fineman) to his love of his children and, supremely, of his love for Lotte. I think he would get a kick out of this Memorial page - another medium in which to write. Miss you Alan...miss you a lot.

Goodnight, sweet prince Alan; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. So, you and I never discussed life after life and angels, did we...but you did give me a wonderful sense of who you were in the few times we met -- you with your twinkle in your eyes, keen mind, sparkling wit and prodigious talent, to say the very least! In reading all these tributes, and seeing in person the love you gave your family, you sir made a positive difference and made a better world. And one can't ask for much better than that.

I was so very fortunate to have met Alan and to share, in a minuscule way, his incredible life. There seemed to be no end to his many facets for, it seemed, every time we conversed at any length a new and unbelievable talent or experience would emerge. He lived the lives of many men. My love to his family…we all share in this great loss.

Alan was one of the best listeners I ever met. He and Lotte would come to the Family Practice Residency and listen to our challenges in creating culturally competent residents. He could spot some issues that were at the edges of our awareness and bring them forth.
AND he just had a great laugh.
Blessings to Lotte and their family.
Ellen and Bob

Alan was a storyteller and he lived and loved stories. He was the hero of his own and saw the hero in everyone. He was larger than life - well, mundane life - and he had a gift of making others know they are too. Yes, sometimes the mundane is also important and the burden to live up to our potential is too much. But Alan carried his fervor to the end and did not go gently into that good night. He honored my story and taught that my story and everyone else's on this planet is a grand and important one too. I will continue to miss his inspiring being.

Alan was the club's consigliere who held court nightly in the club's hot tub for I don't know how many years. Whether you were a regular like me or a passerby, Alan was always ready and open to engage in conversation about the world. He was a man who appreciated language and understood the power of ideas. I sometimes had to wonder if there was ANY subject that he wasn't fully and technically conversant and knowledgeable about. He was the quintessential type of Big Sur bohemian man that attracted me to this area 40 years ago. He was rugged and charming, self determined, irreverent, poetic and wonderfully eccentric. He was Renaissance in every pore of his being. To those of us who never cared to fit in the 'box', he was the pied piper with that wry beautiful smile. Cheers Alan! Much love to Lotte and the Marcus family.

I'm David Gorn, family friend, my parents lived in Carmel Highlands when I was born. So my memory of Alan is more of a child's memory. This is going to sound a little odd, but as a kid I remember the house more than the grownups in it -- an oasis of artistic fun among the trees, damp and lush, with those larger-than-life nasturtiums everywhere. And inside, those tall rooms, books to the ceiling, the pipe smell.

As an adult I've learned that, in some ways, the place is the man. When I think about Alan, I see the same enduring quietude. Same grandness. Books in the woods.

Toward the end of his life, it was interesting to hear Alan talk about his legacy. He was vigilant that people knew his accomplishments, his stories, his awards, he wanted to be remembered in a vivid and vibrant way. As he should be. But the one thing I felt was his strongest attribute, I never heard from him.

Alan was kind. As an adult, as a kid, insider, outsider, that trait has always come through. It would seem to be at odds with his love of bombast and high drama, but it all fit so neatly in him. It's the one thing that I saw clearly in him, that kindness, those smiling eyes.

For me, that's what I would like to emulate, that's what I will remember a decade from now when I think back fondly about Alan. Ha! I'm not sure that's what Alan would WANT me to remember, but I think it was remarkable how kind he could be.

Alan Marcus was a hero of mine. He accomplished more in his lifetime than anyone I know. Whenever I had the opportunity to talk with Alan I realized how far behind I lagged in being a good steward of the planet. I felt like a sapling next to a giant redwood. I will miss having Alan for a neighbor. Condolences to his lovely wife Lotte and his children.

Alan, Alan, Alan... What can I say about this wonderful, intelligent, FUNNY human being? Kindred spirits we are. You made me laugh so hard sometimes I would almost wet my pants. No one I know had more wit than you. For you to leave us on May 5th would almost seem like its something cosmic because of all the great stories you would tell me about your life in Mexico. Being a fellow musician the late night phone talks we would have were always enlightening as well as hilarious (just ask Anina). You were a fighter and if anyone had Alan on their side in any battle, that person felt invincible because Alan was right out front leading the charge on your behalf. I will always have very fond memories of Alan and many stories of him that make me smile. I'm glad that I was very blessed and privileged to know you and I can't imagine how anything would have been without knowing you. Farewell my friend...until we meet again.

I only met you once, years ago...but I remember the joy you had in your family and your sense of place. I imagined that had my father -- also larger than life -- had a yearning for a sense of place, that he might have been very much as you were. Clearly, that weekend has stayed with me. My thoughts are with your family.

The Marquis: “Like the Phoenix Burns”  (for Alan, from Liz, May 2015)

The stage is empty; veil falls…fade to black
Eyes close; in rows… we “reel” it back
From Hollywood heights to “Highland” sea,
The word, the power, his struggles…he’s free

From heady song, from food… to hearth
No simple speak, NO! The glory…the mirth
SO much…so good… and SO much sad…
BUT OH, what blessed times we had…

“…To dance beneath the diamond sky…”
His decent so low…his ascent so high
“Bob D.” / injustice/ beauty…the wars
Clean the slates… even the scores…

This spirit; so charged, so complicated was HE,
So feisty, sarcastic…hard on the progeny
The judgments cast with penetrating ease,
EVEN NOW, says HE, “Liz, cut that line, “PLEASE!”

We’ll keep him near whether hooked or cooked
His voice bellows forth; the theater’s booked!
Whether standing or landing, the applause resounds
The body’s gone, but in loss… he’s found

The veil has fallen… close his eyes
Open hearts, cross - Tease, dot the Ayes
HE spreads new wings…so must we…so must we
We set a new course …We set him free…

Here…he was born, and now he returns…
Life unto death unto life; thus we learn…
Each season follows; our “audience” returns…
The marquis reads: “Like the Phoenix Burns”

This is David, the son. Below is part of what I wrote to my friends this week, and there follows some of my friends' notes back.

David Marcus:
I became a musician because my father was a great one. A classical piano child prodigy, he also played incredible jazz piano (a student of Teddy Wilson), composed poetic songs, and always filled our house with the music of his heroes - Art Tatum, Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Cohen, Darius Milhaud, Mahalia Jackson, and so many others. His cascades of piano arpeggios suffuse my childhood memories, and in their later years, my mother and he usually slept through the night with Mozart and Bach playing throughout the house. 
____

Bo, Atlanta, GA
David:
I'm sorry for your loss, but I rejoice that your father had a life so bursting with creative power and that he lived it into his tenth decade and enjoyed it right up until the curtain. Your note was beautifully made.
Bo, Atlanta, GA

--------
Ahmed Shawky Moussa, Cairo, Egypt:
Dear David,
  My hearty condolences go to you and the family. From your note it is obvious that he was a great man. I know he will be missed but his great intellectual production will remain as extension to his life.
Ahmed Shawky Moussa, Cairo, Egypt

--------

Rodger French, Buenos Aires, Argentina:
David,
My sincere condolences. My father passed away some years ago at the age of 86. On his last day, he worked, came home and made chili-mac, and died suddenly of a heart attack. When we (all goyim from Kentucky) sat shiva for him, I ate some of his leftovers. Very tasty, needed salt.

A good life, a good end, a good remembrance; we should all do so well. Thank you for sharing the tidings.

Música es vida.
Rodger French, Buenos Aires, Argentina:

______

Hesham Rashad, Tanta, Egypt
David, Sorry losing your Dad, I understand your feeling, I lost both Dad and Mom last year just 20 days between .. my heart is with you, I share you your feelings and I wish if I am to your side in this situation, Hesham Rashad, Tanta, Egypt

-------
Lilo Gonzalez y familia, Takoma Park, Maryland:
David,
cuanto lo siento. Justo el lunes estaba pensando en el, pues fuimos con la familia a ver una pelicula de los farm workers y Joan Baez sale cantando Deportee en una marcha en California. Creo que fue a principios de los 70.
Mis condolencias a tu mama, hermanas, señora e hijos.
Un fuerte abrazo,
Lilo Gonzalez y familia, Takoma Park, Maryland

------
Mariona Espinet Blanch, Barcelona, España:
Dear David,
Beautiful, really beautiful text letting us know the death of your beloved father! We can tell how much you loved him as well as admire him... what a loss! This is not a very good year for you and your family, indeed!

Queremos acompañarte en este dolor, lo conocemos bien, y cuesta mucho vivir con él. Pero la fuerza de la vida de tu padre te ha marcado y estará siempre inspirandote! Qué suerte haber vivido tan intensamente con el!

Un abrazo grande, y quizas pronto podamos vernos....
Mariona Espinet Blanch, Barcelona, España

--------

Cecilia Esquivel, Washington DC
Dear David,
Thank you for sharing the news. I met your dad many years ago very briefly when your family was visiting one time. And I remember some of the stories that you told me about him. What a force of Nature and what a full life! No doubt, he will be deeply missed, but living in all of you forever.
Un fuerte abrazo, Cecilia

-----

Sharon Willis, Atlanta GA
Dr. David Marcus, I send my sincerest condolences at the loss of your father. I believe I met him at your home during one of your Holiday Gatherings. He sounded like a great father, a wonderful person, and a talented musician. He has left you a powerful legacy; and I can assure you that he was most proud of his son’s talent and accomplishments. Be well, leave in peace and may God bless you and your family.
Sharon J. Willis, Atlanta, GA

I am so sorry to hear about Alan's passing. I enjoyed his humor and the wise stories he shared with everyone when he visited Atlanta. The entire earth grieves when there is the loss of such a creative, passionate individual. My heart goes out to the entire Marcus family, especially David, Lotte, Anina, and Naomi. Peace be with you all.

So very sorry to hear of the loss of Alan, a close friend of my parents Ben and Freda Maddow and a dear friend to our whole family. HIs passing leaves a hole in our lives but his friendship will always fill our hearts.
Emily Ann Maddow Dawson

Upon meeting you Alan, you (and Lotte/Anina and family) warmly welcomed Kristen and I into your home--for which we are forever grateful. Thereafter, I was lucky to develop a mentorship with you, and most importantly: a true friendship. Your drive to create your lifework is unbelievable and forever inspiring.. You were upfront and direct--compassionate and soulful, sharing openly your mastery of the arts and your principles centered in human rights and equality.

Most recently you captivated me with your success stories from old Hollywood--and warmed my heart with your glowing recollection of your courtship with your dear wife Lotte. You were always proud to share the accomplishments of your wife and children---and your grandchildren..... I can still hear your voice and see your blissful smile. You are dearly missed!----The power of your stories--the legacy you worked so, so hard to secure; continues on eternally. Thank you sir. Peace to you and your family.

Oh my, Vanessa and I read Lotte, your email tonight and I cried in the beauty of your sharing, the depth of the experience you must all be feeling and the writing, the writing. Blessed are you all with the gift of sharing in this dimension.

And for Alan, dear Alan, the memories of our time with you all, the sweetnesses we shared, the meals, treats, garden, chickens.
Alan The protector, when predators lurked, he was a soldier indeed defending the flock. The encouragement he gave us to make a garden, have our dream come true on your land with goats, watch us build a coup, bring the chicks to adulthood. overseeing the goings on, always always in support, curiosity and gentleness.

You both offered Vanessa and I one of our very favorite homes to have lived in. 

Its with great great fondness that we remember Alan, in his quiet, brilliant, generous, deeply mindful way. His dedication to what is “right” for all human beings, his love of his children, wife, home.  How much he cared for us ~ Always feeling like he had your back.

So with yet another tear finding its way along the soft curve of my cheek, thank your for sharing all that you did, for the memories of the days spent at the Studio. 

Lotte, Alan would have been so so touched by your experience, your presence, the way that your words turned into the last Stanza of a great love poem, at the end of your 63 years of life marriage. May you be surrounded by love and great hearts, by your children, by those that have felt both of your remarkable presences in their lives. With Much love Sue

I have so many memories of Alan; as I grew up alongside David and Anina in Carmel he cast a graceful shadow over so many facets of my life. For me Alan was the embodiment of a certain kind of Jewish intellectual - kind, brilliant, funny, quirky, playful, uncompromising. I remember him so fondly and am terribly sad at his departure.

My uncle Alan, a man who impacted so many lives that my mother always jokingly referred to herself as "Alan Marcus' sister." He was one-of-a-kind and will always be remembered.

Ah, Lotte, my heart goes out to you and your children - what a unique man was your Alan. A man who never hesitated to say what was on his mind; a man who stood up for every principle he held dear; a man who held out for the best in humans even when frustrated by their frailties. I am glad I knew him - and glad you found him with beret intact on his head - right where it belonged. It is how I always think of him.

Alan - A man with a fierce, enigmatic, and polemic personality who ignored the allurements of grandeur at the cost of deep convictions.
Such a gifted writer whose words made me ponder what lay beyond my little, measured horizons. The stories he shared with me will continue to spur me on and I will chuckle when I recall some of his humorous tales.

Avec toute l'affection de votre famille parisienne, nous sommes heureux de vous voir cet été. Nous vous souhaitons du courage, de la consolation, et que les doux souvenirs prennent le dessus.
Anne (fille de Paul,,cousin de Lotte) et Bernard

I am so honored to have know you and your family, Alan. What a presence, what a mind, what dignity you embodied. Fierceness and kindness. You and Lotte influenced me to do acts of activism in this world by your words and examples. I thank you for your influence. 
Peace to you and your family, old friend.

Praise the labyrinth of sighs
Praise the fire in the skys
Praise the arrow in its ark
Praise the leaper in the dark.. Praise the blessed point of poise which makes gold of dull alloys and which finds for every flame its holy spark..and which finds for every flame its holy spark... 
by alan marcus

Bless you Alan! So many memories.
Swinging off the roof of the shed on the best rope swing ever.
Making a birthday record for my Mom with Naomi as Beauty and Me as the Beast.
Music.
Fixing roofs.
Laughing.
All the family get togethers at your house, our house and Yankee Point Beach and Carmel Beach and Stuart's Beach!
My cousins renting the Marcus house.
Many delicious dinners.
Running into you at Safeway or Long', now CVS.
Your great voice. I can here you now, saying my name.
Love you, Lotti, Naomi, Anina and David. And Dear Alan!

Here's a great representation of Alan's astute political commenting skills in a Bush-era beat-poet polemic he shared with Barbara in February of 2003 just a month before the "shock and awe":
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

              - Civil  Defense -

     Recently, the President
         in a speech to
          a convention of
              religious broadcasters
                  exhorted his audience
        to “rally the armies of compassion so we can
           change America, one heart…at a time…”

        Meanwhile, back home -----at the OK Washington corral
        --- his testosterone-loaded team of
            hard-liner retreads,
             ex-white supremacists,
               fox-guarding-the-henhouse regulators
                   & dis-embalmed cold war spooks…
          worked overtime to
1.) increase the rent for poor folks housing
2.) eliminate part of the school lunch program
3.) curtail Medicare benefits for the elderly
4.) cut programs providing childcare to low income families
5) .administer pie-in-the-sky anti-missile defense contracts to resurrect the latest version of Star Wars..even though
       the project ---after 20 years ---has yet to produce
           one fully simulated ---& combat ready---- test flight !…

      all indispensable measures, of course, because of the billions
          needed, (we’re told,)
              to prevent future 9 11’s
                protect us from Osama’s smuggled kamikazes
                  destroy Saddam’s (diabolically stashed) WMD’s
       (Weapons of Mass Destruction)…
           which, after ten years of rust, sanctions,
             spare-parts blockades and general debility
              are suddenly alleged to be “an imminent threat
                  to Worldwide Peace & Security…”

                truly
                    a
                      tall
                          tale
                  which, despite months of tortured
                    rationalization, orchestrated innuendo,
                         & strategic leaks,
              millions
                   in countries round
                                the globe , as well a
              majority of members of the Security Council
                  “perversely” decline to believe….!


           Nevertheless, the President
             in fine (anti-wimp) fettle, keeps signing more
               daily mobilization orders
                while entertaining us every now then with
               (increasingly practiced)
                   Clint-Eastwood impersonations…
 
         “Get with it, boy!”, he barks, to those of us who think
       Smart Bombs hardly the answer to Islamic xenophobia.
         “Games over!”
               he announces to
                 Saddam via TV,
                   while rehearsing
        --for the benefit of cameras –his patented elbow-swinging
             gunfighter walk….

           After which
               ( according to “Reliably Informed Sources “ )
            he’s apt to sip a soft drink, read a few verses from
                the New Testament, and be beneath covers
                  by 10 PM
                      where, most nights, he’ll “sleep like a baby”
                end quote !

            We. however, do not “sleep like a baby.”
              Instead, we sit
                bowed before the TV ,
                  quailing before its (non-stop) tidings of woe……

           “In Jerusalem, 2 suicide bombers kill eleven. In
         Pyonjang, Kim Jong Ill rattles his nukes. On
          Wall Street, the stock market continues to plummet”
            ( though the culture of crony capitalism
              -- exuberant at the prospect of taxless
                dividends -- stealthily rebounds…)

        But lo, suddenly –
          a nightmare-dispersing antidote 
                 arrives!…
              And all of us….----me, you. her, him, them us ---
             wondering when the next shoe-
               --or bomb ---
                  may fall
                  amidst the blizzard of monthly
                     (color-coded) terrorist ‘alerts’
                        are abruptly vouchsafed         
               (courtesy of the
                 “Office of Defense Preparedness”) an
                    (assiduously-researched),
                       mantra
                     to help defend our
                       homes with....
                         protect our  
                            children..
                               insure our survivable
                                  futures….


             And what is this magic word
                drawing its matchless
                     shield of immunity
                       around ourselves
                         and our dear ones….?

  
              Let us clasp, hands, dear friends,
                  and together pronounce its
                     care-routing
                        nurturing
                         (and happy-ever-after)
                             name…..

                        
All together now---
   
 One…....
                       Two….…
                            Three…!


                      “DUCT TAPE!”
 

             
--Alan Marcus

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His uncanny wit, inimitable style, abundant kindness, and King-of-the-Corona-Road-Jungle demeanor, will be only a slight few of the multitude of things that we all will miss about Alan. He had a sense of lost magic found in the world, and his creativity brought it forth and manifested it for us all. Our hearts are one with yours, Lottie, Anina, Naomi, and David. We celebrate his life, and grieve with you at its end. Memories, and all that he left behind will gradually take their place in your hearts, and give comfort and solace to the ache that will be e'er present there.

Alan Marcus...the intellectual tour de force of the Highlands...the Bohemian Maestro in whose presence anyone with a sense of humility would acknowledge their apprenticeship...the authentic social revolutionary who did more than just walk the talk: he blazed the fucking trail. Alan, you knew you were an icon, didn't you? You were a man of letters, of music, of piercing emotional Truth. You could have been a greater figure in the "outside world" about which you were so skeptical and critical, but you chose to eschew it and concentrate your greatness on those who met you face-to-face, mind-to-mind, heart-to-heart. Your ego was intimidating, but your essence was inspirational. You were Mentor, role model, paternal Sage. Yes, you fathered the most noble and virtuous passion in so many of us who haven't traveled as far as you. Physically, you've been reclaimed, but Spiritually, you've seeded yourself in generations to come. This is your immortality, Alan. What you cherished most...ideas, thinking, your humanity...has become your legacy. We who remain cherish you; you are within us. You have passed the mortal realm, but Alan, you're going to live a lot longer than the meager 92+ that you filled tempestuously. Thank you, Maestro, for what you have meant to all of us!

Edward
Bangkok ex-Monterey