New & Notable
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Seared into the mind of anyone who took part in Kilometer Zero or attended the Venue series in Paris is Thomas Pancake. He was the MC of our shows and a soulful musician, the best showman I have ever had the joy to work with. (Anybody who would like to see Tom play can watch our promotional video for the Squatter’s Cookbook at www.kilometerzero.org/cookbook.) Tom was a vital member of our collective, the hawk among a bucketful of doves who kept a real world edge to our utopian dreams. For me, he was also one of my best friends, a gentleman who attempted to live by a gentleman’s code and inspired those around him to do the same.
I hadn’t seen Tom since August 2002, when he and his cat Pudding walked out of the Paris squat and flew back to Portland, Oregon. Coming into his city the other day, I was somewhat nervous to see him, as I am somewhat nervous to encounter anybody who I have written about in my book. He is working as a chef in a very hip Portland nightspot, a restaurant called, appropriately enough, Voleur. I walked in at about 4 in the morning and from the moment I saw him it was all good.
As anybody who knows me can attest, discretion is not my strongest virtue. Hence, I gleefully report that there is now some competitive scribbling underway. While Luke the Night Man hastens to finish his vampire epic on Santorini, Tom has leapt into the horror game and is crafting a book that begins with the disappearances of family pets … May they both end up wreathed in laurels.
Tom’s Left Side
Tom’s Right Side
Tom’s Best Side (Ladyfriend Tanya)
Mik
There is a most tangled apartment tale in our little Kilometer Zero family. Once upon a time, the young lion Adrian found a wondrous apartment at 10 rue Legouve in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. He lived, wrote and celebrated there for a a year or so, and then the lovely Musa joined him in co-habitation. When those two left, the apartment was passed to the Mighty Quinn and his ladyfriend and it became the temporary office of Kilometer Zero. They too enjoyed the apartment until an event that shall not be spoken of occurred, at which time the apartment went to our dear friend Sparkle Hayter. She too lived in the apartment for a nice moment until circumstances forced her to leave. That was when Mik came into the picture.
Mik is an actress who once performed her Jackie Kennedy piece at the Venue series and went on to work with Adrian on Three Parts. She had our cherished apartment for barely a month when the landlord – and I will resist the urge to use pejoratives here – decided she had enough of writers, jugglers and actors and announced she would be selling the apartment. Of course, she never sold the apartment, she just used it as an excuse to evict us. So, I, at least, am a little sad and bitter about losing the family apartment.
All that is just an exhausting way to say that I met Mik in Seattle and she is as wonderful and charming as ever and is currently working with her new performance, Split Second, which is certainly sublime. (www.mikkuhlman.com)
Posted in New & Notable, Waystations | Leave a commentMercer Island Books
Sadly, I have already filed my piece for the Guardian on my top ten favourite bookstores in the world otherwise there would be new entry on the list. Clearly, I was especially excited about this stop because it is my namesake. Mercer Island is in the middle of Washington Lake, just outside Seattle. It is a beautiful place, and not just because we share a number of vowels and consonants. The bookstore proved to be especially sensational, notably the incredible collection of vintage typewriters that grace the tops of the bookshelves. We had a great crowd and the bookstore team – Tonya, Roger & Cindy – threw a little wine, cheese and chocolate party afterward.
Sadly, I could never really afford to live on Mercer Island – it is home to the likes of Jeff Bezos and Paul Allen – but I look forward to returning.
Bruce
One of the great influences in my life has been my mother’s brother Bruce. He is a tremendously talented painter who has devoted his life to his art. His very existence has been an inspiration as there was somebody in the family who was completely outside any traditional structure or system. When I was growing up, I would hear stories of Bruce painting in Mexico or living in Florence. More importantly, he scraped through the bad times, suffering the whims of artistic poverty yet managing to get by and keep his art moving. My path away from the newspaper and regular life was that much easier for my family to accept because Bruce had already cleared the way.
Now, as I roam the country, rootless and homeless, Bruce proves to be an inspiration again. I have been passing time with many friends who stayed in the system and now have homes and partners and retirement savings. In melancholy moments, this makes my poverty feel more acute and my future seem more terrifying. But, look at Bruce. He managed to make it through to his 50s living the life, and it is only now that has he bought his first property, an apartment in East Vancouver. It shows that you can sacrifice for you dream and still look forward to an old age that doesn’t involve cardboard boxes, an alley, and pee-stained trousers.
Our friend Catherine
One of the best parts of this whole book adventure is that a lot of old friends are contacting me. Yesterday I got an email from Catherine Abel, an Australian artist I met in Paris. Catherine was the first artist Kilometer Zero ever worked with, trusting us – us! – with a selection of her canvases which we hung at the Bistrot des Artistes back in spring 2001 to launch our Venue series. It was the ideal start – a fiery, creative, bold and talented artist who also appreciated our raw but good-hearted attempt to bring art to our audience.
Catherine is currently in Italy, exhibiting at the Florence Biennale. This is a selection of her new work, rich and textured and just plain old good. Do you ever take a moment to look around at the astonishing brilliantly people you have been fortunate to have known? It is humbling indeed and I am an incredibly lucky fellow.
Censored
This used to be a description of how this dangerous combination – a luxury hotel room, a gambling addict and a pack of cards – culminated in my cousin winning much money and a series of complaints from other hotel guests. Sadly, Dave has censored this entry.
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