Henry Miller Memorial Library

It’s that time of week again.  Movie night at the Henry Miller Memorial Library!  Tonight!

This one will be particularly fun because an old pal, CJ Boyd, will be performing beforehand.  He played here over the winter and it ruled.

CJ plays complex and hypnotic loops culled from his bass guitar – sheets of sounds, aural landscapes, you name it.

He’ll be performing starting around 7:30ish.  (Doors are at 7 pm.)

Then, when it gets dark, the films.  This week’s crop are:

• The Gruffalo by Jakob Schuh & Max Lang (United Kingdom.)  Here’s a taste:

• Tolerance by Fanny Ardant (Italy)
• Yelp: With Apologies to Allen Ginsberg’s Howl by Tiffany Shlain (USA)
• Jaukka Bro’s by Peter Grönlund (Sweden)

Pass the Salt, Please
by Tatjana Najdanovic
USA

Fun Fact: for every big, sold-out show at the Henry Miller Library (eg. Fleet Foxes, MGMT) there are at least three equally amazing events for which there are ample tickets, plenty of room on the property, and more manageable lines for the restrooms.

It’s true.

And we’re especially excited about a vaguely Eastern-influenced trifecta of events coming up. They are:

Friday, July 8 at 8PM: Colleen Morton Busch, author of FIRE MONKS: Zen Mind Meets Wildfire at the Gates of Tassajara. This is a big deal.  Some of you may be too young to remember, but in 2008 there was the great Basin Fire…of…uh…2008.

The flames practically licked our back deck – the fire line is alarmingly visible – and we prepared for the worst: we loaded out every book, postcard, and memento from the library, threw it in a truck, realizing that is was just a matter of time before the Library was reduced to smoldering ash.  Luckily, it wasn’t!

Anyway, FIRE MONKS is the incredible story on how how five monks risked their lives to save the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the oldest Zen monastery in the US, just down the road here in Big Sur.  Author Busch will be on hand, and our very own Magnus Toren will present a stunning slide show of photos of the Fire.  Not to be missed!

Sunday, July 10 at 3PM – Welcome to a special presentation and booksigning by John Robbins. Before the Great Recession, we Americans were pretty kooky.  We bought houses we couldn’t afford with credit we didn’t have – and guess what? – at the end of the day we were still spiritually unfulfilled, restless, irritable, and susceptible to road rage.

So much for the idea that a $90,000 “investment property” south of Vegas can buy you happiness.

Fortunately, many of us have re-assessed our priorities in the wake of the crash (note: hedge fund managers haven’t), including John Robbins.  His book, The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less, explores those very themes in a post-crash America. Timely, timeless, and tremendous.  He’ll be here in person!

Saturday July 16 at 7.30 PM – Slideshow and booksigning, A Different Kind of Luxury: Japanese Lessons in Simple Living and Inner Abundance. Join author, writing teacher, and traveler Andy Couturier for an inspiring reading and slide presentation under the stars at the Henry Miller Library.

In his latest book, A Different Kind of Luxury: Japanese Lessons in Simple Living and Inner Abundance, Couturier profiles eleven contemporary men and women that have made the transition to sustainable, deeply fulfilling lives in the mountains of Japan.

So there you have it.

Three awesome events dealing with very real and very important issues, which, while different in form than seeing Gillian Welch play for 300 folks, will probably trigger more interesting post-event chatter on your drive home.

Unless you’re afraid of dealing with things like emotions, spirituality, and the meaning of life.  Don’t blame you.

If you missed last week’s movies, man, I feel sorry for you.  It was awesome.  The vibes were stellar, as was the lemon and thyme popcorn.  And the cayenne pepper and cinnamon popcorn. Man!

But HML movie night is like true love: you can always get a second chance.

So come tonight.

We’ll be showing five fine, exquisite films.  They are:

• Lost Paradise by Mihal Brezis (Israel)
• Aux Timides Anonymes by Eric Ducher (France)
• I Want To Spend The Rest Of My Life With You by Manuela Moreno (Spain)
• At Home by Nenad Mikalacki (Serbia)
• Water Lillies In Bloom by Emil Stang Lund (Norway)

Better yet, this will be the first movie night ever in our 6 year history to have live music to kick off the event!

Jams will be provided by Johan Seige and Caroline Aiken.  Check it:

Johan Seige, the grounder and the main man in the band “Johan Seige Band” is a pretty nice guy! Not only that, he makes pretty good songs also, and performs them with an enthusiasm that rubs off on the audients like honey on serial! Or should that be “mixes”?

Caroline Aiken: (from Aiken’s Press Release):
Caroline Aiken, often sighted as one of the cornerstones of the Decatur folk movement, has long been at the forefront of modern folk and acoustic expression. To her credit, she’s never compromised her vision, weakened her stance or sold out her muse for monetary or social gain.

Call us at 831-667-2574 with any questions!

The Henry Miller Library and ((Folk Yeah!!)) are proud to present Fleet Foxes in Big Sur on September 11, 2011 at…the Henry Miller Library.

For more information, dear God, click right here!!

Week two of the film screening series tonight!  Think about it: movies, some excellent popcorn*, a lil’ wine (BYOB), some succulent pork dish (BYOP), and a layer or two is all you need.   Tonight. C’mon now.

Better yet, Richard Farmer, the director/producer of one of tonight’s films – “Under God” – will be in attendance so a lil’ Q&A action is dangerously likely!

We’re particularly excited about this film, as it addresses a timeless and eerily-pervasive theme across American society: making sense of the confluence of faith, technology, and politics.  The film, among other accolades, is a first-prize finalist in the shorts category for the 14th annual Fade in Awards sponsored by Fade In magazine.

Here’s the trailer:

Other films on tap include:

• Play With Me, by Rafal Skalski (Poland)

• Ecliptic, by Andreas Wiget (Germany)

• The Miserables, by Ben Taylor Wheatley (United Kingdom)

* We’re taking it to the next level this week, in terms of popcorn flavor variations.  Your tastebuds will be awestruck and blind-sided.

It’s time, kids! The Thursday you’ve all been waiting for.

Yes, the 2011 Big Sur International Short Film Screening Series kicks off tomorrow, Thursday June 9th, and will run every Thursday, August 18th! 51 films have been selected from around the globe, check them out – and the schedule – here!

The screenings start when it gets dark enough, usually around 8.30PM. Come early for music (to be announced), and the best pop-corn in the world! BYOB, and multiple layers too.

Here’s what’s on tap for tomorrow – with some trailer-enticement thrown in!:

Il Gioco/The Game
by Adriano Giannini
Italy

Air
by Luke Davies
USA

Suiker
by Jeroen Annokkée
Netherlands

Crossing Salween
by Brian O’Malley
Ireland/Burma/Thailand

I admit I don’t have all the answers, and one answer I didn’t have for a long time is why they never released Sonic Youth’s “The Year Punk Broke” on DVD.  Well, apparently they are, so that’s nice.  Buy it.

For the uninitiated, it’s a tour video – I once had it on VHS – documenting the Sonic’s 1991 European tour, after “Goo,” and before “Dirty” came out.  It’s amazing.  For starters, Sonic Youth, is like, the best band ever, and to see them melting Belgian faces is a treat.  They’re also super-fun and funny.  There’s this cool scene where Thurston ruminates on bratwurst.  And they make fun of Motley Crue and Madonna.  Ha!

In addition, it has an incredible supporting cast of their alt-rock festival-mates.  One in particular was a sludgy band of long-hair misfits from the top-left corner of the continent who mixed Black Sabbath jackhammer riffs with Lennonesque sweetness.  “Nevermind” was just breaking and they were still just happy dudes stoked on touring with their idols (although, ironically enough, their idols told them to kill their idols.)

Anyway, footage also included great stuff from the Ramones, Iggy Pop, and a three-man threshing machine called Dinosaur Jr.

The main dude behind Dinosaur, J. Mascis, is playing at the Henry Miller Library tonight. It’s very rare you can see dudes like this in such small, intimate environments.

He’s amazing.  Get your tickets here!

And if you wanna come but don’t have a car or can’t drive (two left feet perhaps?), or want to offer a ride to others, you can now find a carpool mate here.

For seasoned locals here in Big Sur, it’s always cute when city slickers roll up, spend a few hours here, and write travel stories to be consumed by over-worked Upper West Side lawyers and/or Marin County lawyers.

Cute, ain’t it?

The running joke is that some writer rolls up to, say, Fernwood to mingle with “real locals” like an intrepid anthropologist, says they’re from New York and are writing a story, and then, right on cue, Ralph over in the corner pops up and says, “How ironic – I’m the mayor of Big Sur, got any questions?”

The reporter is duped, and Ralph has a field day.

Reporter: “So how long have you been mayor of Big Sur?”

Ralph, the mayor of Big Sur

Ralph: “Gee, over 45 years…my grandparents settled here in 1910.  My uncle Jim built the baths at Esalen, my sister Tina made up the Eggs Benedict recipe at Deetjens, and my adopted half-brother, Magnus Toren, runs the Henry Miller Library.   Also, I repelled the 2008 fire solely through meditation.  Want another Tequila Sunrise?”

Fortunately, Brendan Newman is a bit savvier.  He wrote this article for CNN, and coincidentally, is my dogg (from Philly!)

Here’s what he had to say about this past Memorial Day weekend (BWE – Best Weekend Ever):

On a recent visit, there was a record fair, and the scene was a California truism: dappled sunshine illuminating twirling long-haired girls, denimed boys sipping beer and spinning records. The Grateful Dead, Merle Haggard, Jefferson Airplane. There’s a couple lying, smiling in the middle of an empty bed frame that has a sign attached to it that says “time travel.” That seems about right.

But the library isn’t a remnant of what Big Sur was; it’s the beating cultural heart of Big Sur right now. Popular bands like Arcade Fire perform here. And on any given weekend, you’ll find a performance or a fair of some sort. But its default role is to be an oasis: Free coffee and ping-pong for the curious. A lush lawn to nap on.

Thanks Brendan.

It’s always nice when big, urbane outlets give us simple country folk some props.

But I still can’t not notice the propensity to slip into those typical stereotypes about us Big Sur-ers.  In a way, these “Lamestream Media”-types can’t help us treat us like weird circus freaks; they just can’t wrap their heads around our back-t0-nature, no-frills, non-capitalistic California lifestyle.  It’s like we’re from Mars or something!

Shaka brah!

That said, I have to go now.  Spielberg read the article and hired me as an adviser for his upcoming Miller biopic staring his old stand-by Shia Labouf before hitting up Malibu with Matthew McCounaghey.  Big south swell coming in.

Then my Skype sesh with Natalie Portman.  She found a nice lil’ spot in Topanga.  Should be cool. (although the property taxes are brutal.)

For those fortunate to live through them, the 90s were the best.

Things were so much simpler. So easy. So effortless.

For example, I happily recall being in college, and tuning into CNN, and there was President Clinton, with that amazing Cheshire cat grin on his face, announcing that “the US federal surplus is now 200 billion dollars.   Thank you.”

And that was the press conference.  Totally awesome.

Of course, the 90s were also the golden age of American Indie Rock.  It was obscene; during that decade giants literally walked the earth.

I mean, can you name one band in the 2000s who was as good as, say, Mudhoney?  Or Polvo?  Even Vanilla Trainwreck?

You can’t.  And those bands weren’t even that big!

T’was an embarrassment of riches.

The 90s also brought us a pantheon of guitar gods ranging from straight-up pure genius (Thurston and Lee), shockingly inventive (Dean Ween), and – for a lack of a better term, incredibly loud (J. Mascis.)

J. fronted the seminal Dinosaur Jr. whose “You’re Living All Over Me” re-defined guitar rock for a whole new generation (whatever that means.)

He’s mellowed out a bit, and that’s good for us, because he’s playing at the Library Tuesday, June 7th!  Get tickets here!

And it gets better.  Camper Van Beethoven, of “Take the Skinheads Bowling” fame will be playing their classic “Key Lime Pie” record in its entirey – among other jewels – this Sunday, June 5th.  Tickets here! Now!

We’re not ones for nostalgia but let’s be real.  The 90s were better.  So forgive us for reveling in the past, but the 90s totally ruled.

So to paraphrase Paul Simon, “Where have you gone, William Jefferson Clinton?  Our nation turns its lonely eyes, etc….”