Henry Miller Memorial Library

Big Sur, California
"The real leader has no need to lead - he is content to point the way."

Archive for February, 2011

Ping-Pong Magazine at AWP! An afterword…

Posted on: by hmmler

[Hey remember when we said that the Henry Miller Library literary mag, Ping Pong, was representin' in DC last week? Well, here's a first-hand account of what went down...]

At this year’s Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference in Washington DC, Ping-Pong once again elbowed its way into the melee of 9,000 attendees. The horde of humanity milled about like a giant beast.

One interesting thing about our table that we love is the stories people tell us: about the first time they read Tropic of Cancer (seems for most this was at age 14), or the first time they went to Big Sur, or met Magnus, everyone tells us a story. We even had one person send us a hand written letter by Henry Miller for our archives. This is the highlight of the event for us, this connecting with people.

Pong Pong is the Henry Miller Library's literary journal. Click the pic for more info!

There were lots of remarkable panels/readings: the Camino Del Sol panel, the Tribute to Lucille Clifton, and the Anne Waldman reading. What is always a bit disappointing is the jockeying for position amongst many poets/writers. They look through you when speaking, waiting for someone more important to come along before they jettison you: we like to call these folks star-fuckers. At the table I watched this again and again. What they fail to see is that person they just jettisoned has an important story to tell, if only they had the ears to listen. It is this kind of exchange-some call it dialogue-that is becoming obsolete.

We at Ping-Pong and at the Henry Miller Memorial Library, like to hear your stories; we are listeners. The library holds a bit of this magic in the air: all the stories and songs floating about inside Emil’s cabin, like the soot-darkened walls in St. Peter’s Basilica, from all the incense burnt over the years. Come by the library, tell us a story, or just sit and listen to the wind in the redwoods, warm your back in the sun, watch condors fly– Maria Garcia Teutsch

No, Henry Miller would *not* approve of your gnarly wing-eating contest!

Posted on: by hmmler

The East Coast can be a tough place. Cruel, gritty, bone-chilling, and downright mean. No more so than Philadelphia. What a hellhole.

This is the town where they built a jail in the basement of the football stadium due to the excessive amount of violent drunks in attendance. Where their fans booed Santa Claus.  They even booed a football player when he laid motionless on-field after a neck injury.  Despicable.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise when in an inspiring display of civic pride, these intelligent and worldly gifts-to-humanity hold Wingathon, an annual wing-eating contest.

This year was particularly memorable, as – if you can believe it – it dissolved into “depravity” and yes, public nudity. (Note: local legend El Wingador, ate 254 wings in 30 seconds, yet still lost.)

That's "El Wingador," aka Bill Simmons. Note: "Wingador" is Spanish for "quintuple coronary bypass"

According to the intrepid reporter who had to sit through this vile scene:

There’s rampant drunkenness and the kind of behavior I would be embarrassed to have my kids see, or to even experience with my wife.

Now that’s class.  But it was this quote in particular that caught our eye(s):

On the surface, the whole event is a monument to debauchery that would make Henry Miller blush. Women all over are showing everyone their breasts, and I’m not talking about all the professional strippers.

Hmmm.

It’s nice that ol’ Hank got props, but I must disagree. A common misconception about Miller is that he was an amoral and savage hedonist. Sure, he struggled with lust.  Sure the mere sight of boobies may have sent him frothing.  But this we can assure you: he wouldn’t approve of this wing-eating stuff.

Miller is cool because unlike other so-called hedonists (none immediately come to mind, though they’re more than likely French), he’s not looking at the stars from the gutter. Miller was a romantic, a naturalist; he traces his lineage, in my opinion to Blake, Emerson, Whitman. Miller’s vivacity and thirst for beauty – aesthetic, spiritual, whatever; not sauce-stained fingertips – is why he continues to inspire. He was no aesthetic nihilist! Just read The Air Conditioned Nightmare; he rails against this kind of hyper-commercial grossness.

Henry Miller liked this stuff

Here at the library, for $3, we sell Miller’s “Notice to Visitors.” In it, he concludes:

“Let us do our best, even if it gets us nowhere. In the midst of darkness there is light. ‘I am the light of the world,’ said Jesus. He said a mouthful. Light, more light!”

Does this sound like a man who’d be down with smoldering piles of discarded chicken bones, weird misshapen breasts glistening in the pale Philly winter sun, and oozing rivers of ranch dressing?

No way, kids.

So to all journalists out there: use those Henry Miller references wisely.  We see all (thanks Google Alerts!)

And to my East Coast brethren: put down the wings. Inhale deeply.  Exhale, being ever-conscious of your breathing. Let all thoughts of sausage, knockwurst, bratwurst, and other delectable cured meats gently melt away.   Align those chakras and please, for the love of God, eat some chard,*

*Don’t worry.  If you find the chard to be too bitter you can always sautee the stalks in garlic and olive oil!

New show alert! Ancient Future Duet In Concert! First day of Spring – Sunday, March 20th!

Posted on: by hmmler

I’d be lying if I said we were crippled by the “winter blahs” here in Big Sur.  Quite the opposite.  We rather have winter empathy; for example, did you hear that roofs were collapsing in New England because of the unprecedented snowfall.  Man.  Our hearts swell with empathy.

But if you’re one for change-of-season symbolism, mark down Sunday, March 20th. It’s the first day of spring!  We’re having a show at the Henry Miller Library. Ancient Future will be performing!  The band describes themselves as the world’s first and longest running band dedicated exclusively to the mission of creating world fusion music.

Pretty cool.

The show is limited to 60 tickets – indoor seating only – and tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.  More info on the Henry Miller Library mothership.

In a related note, here’s an elegant example of winter-blahs-meets-California springtime: “If We Make It Through December” by my man Merle Haggard.  Key lyric:

If we make it through December
I got plans of bein’ in a warmer town come summer time
Maybe even California
If we make it through December we’ll be fine





Mug shots of Australian criminals from the 1920s!

Posted on: by hmmler

Now this is awesome.  Police in Australia recently unearthed a treasure trove of real mug shots of real criminals from the 1920s.  (Yes, this is a bit off-topic from what we normally post, but it’s art.  None among you, I surmise, have a problem with art.)

Now, I know what you’re thinking: what’s the big deal – aren’t all Australians criminals?  To which our reply would be, that’s not nice.  Take back what you just said.

There’s something about the expressiveness, even in the stoniest and most stoic of faces, that can only be captured in this kind of photography.

The pictures are amazing and menacing and utterly captivating!

See’em all on this weird French web site.

Henry Miller Library: A perspective “from the archives”

Posted on: by hmmler

Henry Miller was one of the most prolific and dedicated writers ever.  Each waking moment was spent with tremendous effort toward putting down on paper just as many words as was possible.  Because of this, he has an almost overwhelming bibliography – from broadsides to the epic trilogy The Rosy Crucifixion.

For me [Ed: that would be Keely, our esteemed archivist], one of the most interesting parts of seeing so many different books pass through our hands here at the Henry Miller Memorial Library is to determine exactly what printing of each book we’re seeing.  There are different values associated with each printing, obviously the earlier the printing, the more rare and the more exciting.

To use the bibliography of primary sources is a really fun project – you determine the title of the book that you have (an easy task) and turn to the section of the book that contains descriptions of each of the known printings of that title.  Page by page and line by line, the description in the bibliography will help you determine if you’ve got, for instance, a third or fourth printing of Tropic of Capricorn.

To take your figuring of your book one step further, you can then go on the internet and determine the going rate of the specific printing of the book you hold in your hands.  As a matter of full disclosure: I have an addiction to books, and for me, this process is simply the most fun.

Here at the library, we are constantly working to make Henry Miller and his work as available to the information-clamoring public as possible.  As part of this attempt, we have gotten the help of an incredibly tech-savvy intern to take the word-document bibliography of primary sources of Henry Miller’s into a searchable database.  There are advantages to this format – having the entire process simplified to a few clicks of the mouse!

We are in the process of finding new interns for the summer – if you are interested in more information regarding our internship, please contact Keely by emailing keely@henrymiller.org

On bowling alone, Emil White, and if the Internet only isolates us further

Posted on: by hmmler

There’s this nifty and prescient book by Robert Putnam, from 2000, called Bowling Alone.  In short, it “shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors…and how we may reconnect.”

Of course, back in 2000, Facebook was but the mere dull gleam in the looking-off-in-the distance eye of a pre-fitted-tee Mark Zuckerberg, so Putnam couldn’t weigh in.  But the data thus far, seems grim; in the decade since, we haven’t re-connected.

Example: Facebook and Twitter “make us less human and isolate us from the real world,” recently proclaimed an MIT professor in a recent study.  Oh snap!!

So why am I mentioning this?  (looks panicked).  Ehh…good question.

Oh, it brings me to Emil White’s painting, “Strangers of the World Unite!”

Emil White is the reason why we’re here.  He lived at the Library, was Henry’s best friend, and transformed his home into the HMML.  He’s also a killer watercolorist, and “Strangers of the World…” is really tender.

“You having nothing to lose but your loneliness” it proclaims. Awwww.   And it kinda fits in with that whole need to (re)connect thing; a scratch that hasn’t been itched in our digital age.  After all, to paraphrase that MIT study, “under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, technology is isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber-reality that is a poor imitation of the real world.”*

Discuss.

Ultimately, the metaphysical questions are numerous: are we re-connecting, or has technology made things worse?  Is Putnam’s premise inherently flawed?  Isn’t Emil White cool?  More importantly, is anyone still reading this?

Well, regardless, this much is true: it’s a rad poster.  Step away from the Twitter, take a deep breath, and really: would it kill you to buy at Henry Miller Library Store it for a friend?

* Sounds like a book, doesn’t it?

BlackClock (the blog) says HMML = Instant inspiration

Posted on: by hmmler

Technology has brought narcissism to new heights, and we don’t care.  In other words, we’re not going to (consciously) apologize for posting other blogs that give us love.  You’d do the same, right?  In fact, you do do the same.  I saw it with my own eyes.

It’s also worth reminding everybody what a nifty spot this is, especially during the winter doldrums (which currently consist of 80-degree temps, short-sleeve livin’, and Theo, the library cat, coughing up hairballs on the deck.  It’s cool, he’s fine.)

This wonderful blog post by Kate Manderfield on Black Clock synthesizes why we drive 5 hours to see a show here, get drunk, and sleep in our cars on the 1.  For starters, Mr. Henry Miller, one of the greatest writers ever.  And, of course, the spot itself.

Money quote:

Surrounded by beauty and enveloped in a rich world of writers, poets, and artists, it may be the exact inspiration you need to finish that story and start your novel. Or maybe that’s the inspiration I need—nevertheless, I plan on making the scenic trip up there the first chance I get.

Great idea.  Also, according to our pal Andrew Sullivan, it’s scientifically proven that nature, and being immersed in it, has restorative effects on the body and mind.  Duh.


Indoor show do-over: Cache Valley Drifters at the Library – Thursday, March 3rd!

Posted on: by hmmler

We know how it is.  You read this morning’s blog post on the Levi Strom, Kath Bloom, and Melissa Underwood show and said, “Man, I missed out.”

You’re particularly bummed because it was a rare and intimate indoor show.  They don’t come around too often.  Rare. Intimate. You were bummed.  We could tell.

Well, let us un-harsh your mellow.  We’re having another indoor show on Thursday, March 3rd, and it’s going to be super-fantastic.  It’ll be the fabled Cache Valley Drifters: Central California legends, bluegrass masters, harmonic vocal wizards, and generally nice guys. (Watch out for the Ohioan, though.  Sneaky.) 

The Cache Valley Drifter are an institution.  Like the Vatican, without all the gnarly stuff.  They’ve been…uh…drifting through the area for over 30 years now.  The band consists of original founding member Bill Griffin (mandolin, guitar and vocals, since 1972), bass player and singer Wally “The Eliminator” Barnick (since 1975) and guitarist and mandolin player Mike Mullins, a pal since the early 70’s and band member since 1992.

The band is tailor-made for our indoor, no-amplification vibe.  Don’t believe me?  Fine, check out the video at the bottom of this blog.

In other words, the show’ll be just like the magical, cozy show you missed last week.  So go ahead and call to reserve a ticket at 831-667-2574. It’s a “by-donation” show, with a “suggested” donation of $20.  (Meaning, if you “donate” $1, we “suggest” you get the hell outta here.  Just kidding!)

So it’s cool.  Your prayers are answered.  Another indoor show.  It’s one of those rare instances in life when you actually get a do-over.

Funny you should mention that, actually; I once read this book about John Lennon.  For all of his churlishness, John had a very sensitive, caring side.  In this one anecdote, John was comforting a friend who just went through a painful break-up.  And John said, “But that’s the thing about love, eh?  You can always get a second chance.”

Think of indoor-Henry Miller Library shows the same way, would ya?  Chin up, partner!

"Oh what a night:" Levi Strom, Kath Bloom, and Melissa Underwood show review (HMML, 1/31/11)

Posted on: by hmmler

Despite the Indian Summer daytime temps out here in Big Sur (yeah, I’m looking at you Chicago), Monday night brought a fine wintry canyon-chill at the Henry Miller Library. Perhaps it was for the best. A fire was set, vinyl spun, wine flowed, the Christmas lights remained lit, and thirty or so souls squeezed inside the Library for a night of un-amplified, intimate music.

You see, last April, we demolished a wall – well, two walls – inside the Library, thereby really opening the space up. Makes you wonder why it took us so long to do it. And, having done it, the inside of the library is now quite conducive to indoor music. That’s just what happened when Melissa Underwood, Kath Bloom, and Levi Strom graced the stage/floor the other night.

Melissa kicked things off. She’s from up the road in Carmel Valley. Armed with her acoustic guitar and billowy cloud-like voice, she spun gentle, regal folksy tunes about redwood trees, reincarnation, and her two dogs. In fact, the set was bookended by two stellar originals, with a healthy dose of somewhat obscure covers (Curtis Mayfield, some folk singer from Minneapolis) thrown in. At the risk of belying a lack of imagination, I must say, she had the poised grace of, say, Joan Baez, with a hearty dose of breezy mysticism, not unlike Vashti Bunyan. It ruled.

Up next was Kath Bloom.

Kath, from Connecticut, has been performing and writing achingly beautiful songs since the 1970s, and she did not disappoint. To my virgin ears, she seems haunted, constantly looking over her shoulder for the tenacious, howling ghosts of lost love. (And who isn’t, after all?) Because of this – and also, more importantly, because of the joy and sheer buoyance that deceptively underlie many of her songs – she struck a powerful emotional chord with many listeners. In fact – and this is unprecedented, really – an audience member left a note for her, saying she’d never been so moved.

Kath had another guitarist, local fiddle maestro Lauri Kost, and other singers backing her up, and, upon prodding the audience to sing along, towards the end of the set, the place felt like an old-time revival minus the “you’re-gonna-burn-in-Hell” stuff. Good vibrations!!!

Levi Strom came up next. Levi is local-boy-made good, and has been on the road for almost a month now; first with LA-based Cave Country (who were in attendance and performed a few stellar, three-part harmony-rich tunes) and now with Kath.

Levi (see pic) weaved tremendously delicate, you-can-hear-a-pin drop, gravity-heavy tunes. Neil Young-ish, sure. Will Oldam-ish, ok, yeah. Townes-y, yeah, why not? But also quite original in a way I cannot articulate. There was a…riskiness. It was like he was walking a tightrope. The air was viscous. Only when he finished a tune could you feel like you could safely exhale. In fact, it was only a few minutes ago I just exhaled.  It was a dare.

If I recall correctly, Kath came on afterwards for a few songs to take us home, and not soon after, that was that.  We put some Marty Robbins on the hi-fi and shooed everyone out.   It was a school night, after all – gotta be back at work and in the cube bright and early.

Hey DC-ers! Ping Pong's at the Association of Writers & Writing Conference!

Posted on: by hmmler

Ahhh DC. The Nation’s Capito(a)l.  My old home.  To paraphrase Stephen Merritt, “the nation’s grand old seat/of precious freedom and democracy.”

Greatest rock band in last 30 years - after early GnR

Often times my mind wanders to those care-free days of tending to my basil garden at my Woodley Park group house ($375 a month in rent!) on a humid spring day, an icy can of Bud in hand.  And of course, how can we forget The Raven and their cold Miller High Life bottles? Or the Black Cat Redroom, where, after a rockin’ Snuff Project show, we’d close down the bar at 3:30 am.

Or The Velvet Lounge, where you could buy a shot of Old Grandad and a Schlit’s for a mere $4?

Hmmm.  I guess I drank a lot back then. Burned a lot of bridges. Made a lot of mistakes. Some of which can’t be atoned.

Anyway, if anyone’s out there in DC, Ping Pong, the Henry Miller Library literary journal is representin’ at the big-deal Association of Writers and Writing Conference.

*Blelvis is a Washington, D.C., street entertainer who knows the words to every song ever sung by Elvis Presley.

*Blelvis (the "Black Elvis") is a Washington, D.C., street entertainer who knows the words to every song ever sung by Elvis Presley

Held Feb. 2-5 at the Marriott Wardman Park & Omni Shoreham Hotels, the conference brings together the world’s best and brightest writers.  Check it out.  What else are you gonna do in DC in the winter anyway?  (I actually have a few ideas.*)

[Fun fact: the conference is being held in the same place where the big party for W. was held in '00 after he was "elected." I lived nearby, all these Texans in cowboy boots where infesting our quaint little yuppie 'hood.

It was the kind of neighborhood where if someone was walking toward you, and you politely said hello, they'd bow their head deeper into their Patagonia fleece, tensely clutch their Whole Foods shopping bag, and accelerate their pace of walking, utterly terrified and impenetrable.  Ahh, DC: the perfect blend of Northern hospitality and Southern efficiency.]

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