Like a glassy, tasty peeler glistening off an un-crowded point break just west of Trelleborg, the HML End of Summer Sale rolls on!
20-30% books, t-shirt, and posters. Support your favorite non-profit book store!
But like a wave, the sale will end. Nov. 4th to be exact. We just haven’t gotten around to telling Sven that yet…
Obviously we take things like artistic freedom for granted nowadays; wardrobe malfunctions notwithstanding.
Of course, it wasn’t always like that. Case in point. Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer.”
We all know it was a banned book; but the back story surrounding it’s banned-ness (?) – as articulated by this current exhibition at UT-Austin regarding obscenity in literature – is pretty interesting.
And if Miller is our hero in this story, there naturally needs to be some villains. And that would be … Richard Millhouse Nixon.
JK y’all, our story starts before that. We’re talking the 30s, and a dude named John Saxton Sumner is the villain. In 1935, dude presided over the New York City Police Department’s annual burning of obscene literature. Over $150,000 worth of magazines, books, pamphlets, and postcards confiscated from publishers and booksellers went into the furnace, transforming them, as one newspaper noted, “from filth to smoke.”
Sumner, Secretary of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice,(!) had become one of the most recognizable figures in a nationwide effort to rid the country of offensive literature, and the book burning was just one manifestation of this vast, multifaceted movement.
Shakes fist and looks to sky: “Sumnerrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!”
Into this prudish crucible steps Miller. “Upon its publication in 1934, Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer was deemed obscene by the United States Customs Department and was not legally available in the United States. Editions were published in Japan and were smuggled into the U.S. to satisfy demand. Miller had been seeking an American publisher since 1934 and had hoped to defend Tropic of Cancer in court as early as 1936.
Local district attorneys, however, were not persuaded, and over 50 cases (!) against the novel were brought to various state and local courts. The ban on Miller’s work was finally lifted in 1964 after a Florida case made its way to the U. S. Supreme Court, which ruled that Tropic of Cancer may be legally sold and distributed throughout the United States.”
OK, class dismissed.
It’s the last concert of our historic 30th anniversary summer season!
On November 4th, Big Sur’s Songs Hotbox Harry Taught Us will play your favorite country hits to close out the summer. Tickets are $20; there will be beer, wine, food, fire dancing and “regular” dancing beneath the autumn stars.
All proceeds will go to the Big Sur School Council, the Big Sur Health Center, and (ahem), The Henry Miller Memorial Library.
Follow the link for tix (click on “Music & Dancing at Henry Miller Library”): http://bigsurfoodandwine.eventbrite.com/
Let’s make some tires bald!!
Hippie Sven rolls up to the Henry Miller Library looking for tasty peelers.
Mike says, “Well, it’s kinda cold; the summer’s almost over…but one good thing is the Henry Miller Library’s End of Summer Sale on it’s online store.
20-30% off posters, t-shirts, and books!
Don’t miss out on these great deals while simultaneously supporting your favorite non-profit book store!
Just because we at the HML work at a book store, it doesn’t mean we’ve read more books than you. Nor does it mean we’re smarter than you. Or even better than you.
But one thing can’t be denied: every now and then, people do ask us for suggestions. They seem to value our opinion when it comes to all things literature. It is what it is.
So go to the Staff Picks page on our online store and get enlightened pronto!
He’s been called many things: the one-man aphrodisiac. Brookyln’s Prozac. A loquaciously horny fella.
No matter what you call him, Henry Miller is inextricably linked with ebulliophobia. Oh wait, that’s not right; I meant “sex.”
Henry Miller is inextricably linked to sex (ebulliophobia is the fear of bubbles.)
Don’t believe me? Check out this link.
In it, some person talks about how certain aspects of culture have a positive or negative aspect of her sex life.
An example of a negative influence: the HBO vampire show “True Blood,” which “dampened my actual real-life desires, probably because I started comparing my husband to hot vampires.”
Bummer.
A good influence? Mr. Miller. He has “a more positive effect on my sex life because in general they embrace people in all their glorious imperfection.” Fair enough.
Ultimately other folks chime in, and their suggestions read like a catalog of analog and online store: Miller, Nin, and more Miller and more Nin, “Lolita,” etc.
To which I was like, “Helloooooo! “The DaVinci Code” anybody?!?”
Pretend you’re you or someone else and you’re putting the finishing touches on your new LP. You kinda have the hang of Pro-Tools and you’re really amped on the “Alien Fur” vocal effect you discovered. It’s all over the record!
You’re thinking of having a record release party but aren’t thrilled with the options available to you. I mean, sure, it’s fun to play at a bar or whatever, but let’s try and think outside the box, OK?
Hey, I have an idea: you can use our space. No presh, of course. Just throwin’ it out there. I mean, look at it. It’s nice.
Pretty good idea, right?
It is. So call us or email us at store@henrymiller.org if you’re interested. Maybe we can, y’know, work sumthin’ out.
Tonight! Doors at 6 pm, featuring Martin Shears, Nathaniel Rateliff, Infantree, Themes, and Forrest Day.
It’s free!!
Check out this great article about the festival in the Monterey County Weekly. Money quote:
The project of Mumford & Sons keyboardist Ben Lovett and his partners, Lovett’s good friend and former band mate Kevin Jones and producer Ian Grimble, Communion and its artists represent a return to the roots of music production.
It’s not about the industry and the money, Lovett says; rather, it’s about the honest expression of artists supported by a business model that places music above economic gains.
At the same time, Communion is about creating memorable moments at live music events, much like local promoter Britt Govea does with his FolkYEAH! Presents concerts at Big Sur’s Henry Miller Memorial Library, Fernwood Resort and other unique venues throughout California.
…
See you there!
Disclaimer: this following encounter, as articulated by Keely, definitely happened:
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A few days ago, a nice couple picks up at Sven mug. They buy it. They then say, “We are assuming this is a much younger Neil Young.”
I explain who the picture is, they say, “Wow, it looks like Neil Young from 20 years ago.” They still bought the mug.
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Interesting stuff. Well, whataya think?
Communion — a live music promotion team from the U.K. that was formed by Mumford & Sons keyboardist Ben Lovett, producer Ian Grimble and Kevin Jones — will kick off its move into the U.S. with “Communion in the Redwoods.”
The event, brought to you by ((folkYEAH!!))is a three-day party in Big Sur, Calif. on Oct. 21 through 23 at Fernwood Resort.
And as of 10 a.m. this morning, the entire weekend is free.
Tonight’s line-up takes place inside the Fernwood tavern itself. Doors at 6 pm. Performers include Big Sur’s own Zack Salaz, Everest, John Vanderslice, and The Secret Sisters.
Tickets available here.
See you in the pit!
