Tag Archives: willis knapp

Books by Post – Japan Cottage Musings

+ Books by Post / Japan Cottage Musings catch-up riff +

Wearing stolen hotel pyjamas, Dave riffs about: Larry Harper’s “70” variety collection, various Richard Brautigan items (Rick Lupert’s Van Nuys Tokyo Express, William Hjortsberg’s Jubilee Hitchhiker, and “the world’s mightiest hat” gift from Marty and Willis), then onwards to the legendary Joan Anderson letter from Neal Cassady to Jack Kerouac, and Jack Micheline’s poems and ephemera… also riffs about analog and digital creative symbiosis and and namechecks Douglas Coupland and others… plus importantly, Ichiro bathtime, Ryoko’s chainsaws, and the usual postcards. Yowza.

Fondly from Tsuchida Cottage, Okayama, Japan.

Hats for Brautigan Books (for Marty and Willis)

Richard Brautigan’s “So the Wind Won’t Blow it all Away” and “In Watermelon Sugar” on the kura shelf with hats from Oman and Nepal

Hats not required for books unless requested.

{In this case: Richard Brautigan x 2 (of several but not all) > many lost along the way, including my favourite “Rommel Drives Deep Into Egypt” and his book from Japan “June 30th June 30th”.}

Alt: A jolly looking gentleman wearing a white hat, handmade by a milliner in Springville, Utah, sporting a mustache, and a Balinese button-up shirt, crosses his arms and nonchalantly, yet purposely, leans against a tall, cylindrical Meiji-era red post box with white text - located, rather oddly, on the fifth floor of a department store next to an almost entirely secret post office. He seems pleased about mailing some letters.
Me and my Richard Ratigan inspired hat, standing nonchalantly next to a postbox like people normally do, right?

Diary: Of Brautigan, Hats, and Hot Springs

Mondays at Tsuchida cottage are rather hectic by my standards… Grocery delivery comes from the co-op, new order form completed, take garbage down to the community collection center, plus the normal routine of taking out the compost, folding laundry, washing dishes, making rice and miso ~ plus trying to stay up on correspondence.

Just feeling a little bit behind because there’s so many things that I wanted to tell you about – really wonderful things, despite the challenges of my illness – including various treasures arriving via post, i.e.:

* The legendary beat culture literary legend “the Joanne Andersen letter“ Neal Cassidy wrote to Jack Kerouac

* A biography about Richard Brautigan that is bigger than a midsize city’s phonebook (quite literally starts with a bang)

* Another poet’s poetic homage to Richard Brautigan, the Tokyo Van Nuys Expressway. Really enjoyable poetry and also great book production quality worth emulating.

* A magnificent hat > handmade in Springville, Utah with the hat band in scribed by a phrase from “in watermelon sugar”, plus another rare book & various ID cards, posters, stickers, letters, momentos and other treasures. This new hat means I’ve now stopped collecting hats, I’ve reached the pinnacle. Thanks Willis and Marty so very much.

* A hand written card by the all-time postcard champion Nick Bantock, author of the Griffin and Sabine series and many other works of epistolary literature, ephemera and fine art. His words were so unbelievably appreciated “You’ve traveled so far to find home, well done“ ~ as his *story* inadvertently intertwined with mine, in a way that his fictional characters deal with one another.

* An ink stamp assortment for postcards including a sort of stamping “jig” and variety pack of delicious papers from Lydia Fiedler / Already used extensively (I would foreshadow about our upcoming festive cards but don’t want to put any more pressure to “get stuff done“, but hint: #TimeTraveler)

* Won an auction for some various treasures from, and also a way to support, the Beat Museum in San Francisco… One stash is going to my brother the commander on Diego Garcia, another to friends in Pacifica for safekeeping until I can be connected to the rare Bukowski & Ginsberg riffs

* A handmade card from a great correspondent in California Jeremiah Jacobs who, besides inky stamps and typewritten words, included specific fragrance in his card. #NextLevel (he’s got a new single out)

* well-chosen books, in English, for Ichiro / we are reading to him in English and Japanese on the regular already, including some of my childhood favorites and others that were gifted to me decades ago in an act of foreshadowing I suppose

* A stash of super cute Canadian style (meaning warm and rugged) baby clothes… All that stuff that you hear about babies growing out of their clothes super quick is well, super true. This goes along with Japan *really actually* having “4 seasons“ and the temperature seems to change right on cue

* Finally, the long-awaited literary collection by my dear sensei Larry Harper / “70” sparked from a riff during a time of recovery for him and distress for me, where we both did our best thinking in Hot Springs and made plans for the future. He’s got three out of three checked and I dug an entirely new foundation and build a completely different life. It all starts with Hot Springs my friends, Hot Springs.

OK, back to the domestic tasks, very grateful to hear whenever cards and letters arrive in your post boxes.

Oh wait… Did I even mention the great exhibit, well by my estimation anyway, of four of my post box paintings at the goat farm? Pleasant conversations, poetry, paintings and post and pals. All of it, all of it. Especially grateful for Mac Kobayashi’s kind words (mostly :-)) and father/mother-in-law‘s assistance.

Right now, Ryoko is at Mae Maes band rehearsal (safe &
all of that) with the increasingly (if that’s even possible) adorable Ichiro Stanley, there’s another stack of letters and dossiers and postcards to go to the post office tomorrow, I’m going to finish these dishes, make the rice, make the miso, make the pickles & vinegar and be grateful for all of it.

Fondly, dvo

PS  Connected with the photographer Steve Rapport who took the “Joe Strummer running a marathon” in London photos you might have seen floating around and he also has David Bowie in 1983… Want to buy prints.

Also, the umeboshi started in June or opened and sampled and very worthy of acclaim

Note: Above is Ichiro with Larry’s book / it’s so cool it doesn’t even have an ISBN #Renegade

PS 12.10 Several of these topics (the books and hats) are riffed in a recent Japan Cottage Musings video dispatch, dig in

Grateful Dead “Fare Thee Well” (2015), Lomo photos (colour), vol. 1 (people, mostly)

Hippie gent takes a photo with smart phone while unwittingly being photographed by a sardine can Lomo, Santa Clara, CA

In Summer 2015, the “core four” of legendary rock ‘n’ roll band “The Grateful Dead” did a series of five concerts (two in Santa Clara, California, three in Chicago, Illinois) to close the book on their storied career.  With brother Dan, we fantastically scored tickets and made the journey to all five shows, travelling by road in various vehicles and staying a various hotels, campgrounds, crash pads.

Brother Dan in the stadium at Santa Clara, California

And, I had a notion to roll like it was still 1990 and that I kept a massive scrapbook of ephemera and eschewed technology (aside from a few logistical purposes) and took a little cork “sardine can” Lomo camera with expired film to capture a few hazy images. 

The results are very pleasing because well, they are not crisp and clear in any sense, rather fuzzy and weird like me at the time… I was coming out of the long hard stretch, well I didn’t realize how far I still had to go but that’s neither here they are there. #rough

Me in front of a wall holding up a ticket
A nice lady at the “rock the vote” booth in a sort of vendor’s row place (can’t remember the exact thing they called it)

 This assortment contains selected snaps of people in-and-around the shows and on the road trip. Worth noting that with our gaggle of pals, we also stopped at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on the way back from Neil Young and “The Promise of the Real” at this legendary venue in some cold bewildering rain. Again, neither here nor there.

Dave and Dan, taking in the scene
Making friends with some pranksters and their red noses
Two nice young fellas who purchased some tie-dyes and kept in touch throughout the tour 
Impromptu tie-dye “store” 
Our little squadron / same as it ever was…

Note: there’s another collection of an “prairie time lapse” meaning a photo snapped every 15 minutes for driving across the US prairies capturing the redundancy and consistency of the landscape.

Daughter Sage and Papa Willis in Chicago 
Your correspondent enjoying the vibes in Chicago 
Technology and tie-dyes collide with a radio simulcast show in Chicago 
So many mini museum artefact exhibits scattered around the grounds in Chicago… I was only able to see a small amount but hey, do what you can 
Folks were bringing out all sorts of artefacts to sell to pay for their trip, or in some cases, just to show off their culture… This really felt like the last gathering of this culture… I suppose it wasn’t but you know, think of it as a celebration and “show and tell” 
Wonderful 18-year-old Sage who made the trip from Utah to Chicago
Just me and my uncle weed 42 tie dye T-shirt and leather “Dave” visor and hemp satchel… Yes I did choose my outfits strategically 
bonus: The aftermath of the Chicago stadium… 
Me and co-conspirator Brad Crabtree of Idaho 
Brad’s rig which took us from Utah to Chicago and back 
A stop at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado to see Neil Young in the rain / I was completely drained at this point

Another collection may follow with shots almost psychedelic in glorious hazy sloppiness from inside the concert venues – eventually, maybe.  

Remember to check massive scrapbook of ephemera, the prairie “time-lapse” and this is the camera Lomo “Sardine Can” camera (cork covered): 

Portrait: Hippie Lad (with Willis), circa 1989-90

Hippie Lad: daveo disguised
Hippie Lad (with Willis)
In which i clearly purchased as a mass produced “make your own hippie” costume in a bag, these lads tick all the boxes: tie-dye t-shirts; plenty of hair; wood badge beads; floppy hat; goofy sunglasses; and cut off shorts.
 
Note: Roto-tom drums available separately
 
 

Flashback: Grateful Dead Road Trip to Eugene

Grateful Dead Roadtrip to Eugene 1990 - Pals and Earthship VW bus
Grateful Dead Roadtrip to Eugene 1990 – Pals and Earthship VW bus

Once upon a time, I wrangled a community of renegades, weirdos and soul-seekers from various Utah suburbs and old pals from Vancouver area to ramble up to, and rendezvous at the Grateful Dead shows in Eugene, Oregon.

I recall calling the BC boys from a payphone on University of Utah campus declaring they must be there though they were hesitant (best decision). The Utah crew was handpicked but i have no recollection how. There were many ladies i knew from the community college and friends of friends or something. Either way, it was a fine combo of folks.

The Utah contingent for the most part rolled up in my beloved 1974 VW “turtle top” micro bus and Heather’s Subaru, while the BC boys rolled down in Brad Rees’ Datsun with an emergency radiator repair by Chris Gorin’s dad (done with a garden hose and zip ties if i recall correctly).

Grateful Dead Roadtrip to Eugene 1990 - Pals at gas stop en route
Grateful Dead Roadtrip to Eugene 1990 – Pals at gas stop en route

The ride up, mostly straight through from Provo to Eugene was a rollicking affair to begin with – between the soon-to-be legendary Cary Brown’s drunken revelry and bottle throwing target practice from the side door and various combos of cuddling.

We ambled up and camped in the Eagles (or Lions?) park across the street from Autzen stadium and launched ourselves into the pandemonium of the Dead lot which featured grassroots vendors selling everything from ganja goo balls to liquid LSD to grilled cheese sandwiches and veggie stir fry.

Grateful Dead Roadtrip to Eugene 1990 - Shakedown street parking lot outside Autzen Stadium
Grateful Dead Roadtrip to Eugene 1990 – Shakedown street parking lot outside Autzen Stadium

Walking back to out little camp late in the night, and spinning high from a mixed bag of goodness (for my part anyhow), Denise R. and I heard a racket coming from the general area. As we ambled over, i recall saying “wow glad that’s not our camp” but… as it turns out, Cary, who was a psychedelic (among other) veteran far beyond the level of any of us, had decided to take a *warrior’s ration* which spun him to a unprecedented level of strange consciousness which led to him many strange acts from which he could not be persuaded to stop.

Tough and rangy like an angry moose, he trashed my bus, then proceeded to battle a winch on the front the neighbour’s 4X4 with head / he was Jesus, Satan, a ninja and shouting oaths of all manner.

Despite the long suffering, kindly and experienced “talker downers” who with best intentions tried to help, the man was a menace to himself and a danger to others and would not be subdued. My instinct was to get the fck outta there and avoid the bad trip. However, an ambulance drove up and shit got real. My details are a bit hazy but i recall they strapped him down to a board (probably after some sort of injection) and began to haul him to the hospital – Dear thoughtful Denise (who remains a tender and talented caregiver with near magical powers) either insisted on hopping in the ambulance or managed to walk there (again im hazy on this front).

Our comrade was in an ER/intensive care unit (likely still bellowing his epithets) when Marty K. arrived complete with missionary identification and declared he was Cary’s clergy and would “take it from here” – Indeed Marty knew Cary well and managed to secret him away from the hospital (avoiding a bill as well) and the next day Cary had returned to the camp, and sat like a Buddha  in my bus/ doors locked – silent and sweating.

The rest of the tribe went in to hear our future in the sounds of Jerry’s soaring guitar, Phil’s bombs, the 2 drum attack, Bob’s staccato rhythm riffs and Brent (who died shortly thereafter) hollering soul singing and keyboard poundings.

Grateful Dead Roadtrip to Eugene 1990 - Welcome to Oregon
Grateful Dead Roadtrip to Eugene 1990 – Welcome to Oregon

Other bits i recall are some of the gang going to sandy coastal Florence for a part of a day trip, Cary not paying gas money because “he was here to be the mechanic” and me limping my battered bus up to BC after the shows to work at a bike shop while the Utahns heading southwards.

Far more important than the chaotic story we all went home with was the bonds we forged between the gangs from both sides of the border which continued through many other Grateful Dead and other festival shows, budding romances and languid river and roadtrips.

Some of the folks remain my fondest friends while others i still follow from a distance.

My comrades who were on the trip can no doubt fill in my hazy gaps and fact checks and add their perspectives – as addled as they may be these years later.

Included are snaps for evidence. Can you pick out the characters?

PS Kathryn, sorry for my big melon blocking your face.

##

NOTES:

Trevor Erikson Beautiful hippies

Mikala Folb This is a great story! Thanks

Boyd Christensen epic tale!

Tim Tulloch Awesome story DaveO, I fully enjoyed reading it! Great pics too. Thanks for sharing.

Shallom Johnson What a great story

Brenda Van Strepen Love!

Audio from the show: https://archive.org/details/gd90-06-24.sbd.unknown.12092.sbeok.shnf

Chris Gee I found myself wandering the dead lot in wonder. Never before had so many whispered in my ears doses. Mushrooms. It was a symphony of color that night. Searching for my 20 dollar ticket. I woke up in the middle of some gravel lot somewhere between the lions lot and the stadium. Some one had given me a blanket and pillow. I was foggy rather groggy but happy as ever. As I was folding my blanket a fellow was wandering serving breakfast cereal and milk. I enjoyed this gratefully. Yum. A tear came to my eye as I also realized a ticket in my shirt pocket and my 20 bucks gone I was in. Hell yeah here we go. Epic much more tour to follow.

Dave Olson Love your recollections Chris, hope others chime in with their flashbacks. So many more tours, so many more shows – each one a greater adventure than the last. But this is what started our journey and opened our eyes to the circus and the magic.  Chris, the stories of your school buses and VW buses and station wagons and crews of folks and your curious ways of keeping gas in the tank are all a huge inspiration man – I’ve been thinking a lot about the cleansing ceremony and your journey with Aya and look forward to learning more.

Chris Gee Yes. The love of the music on highest of levels. Fractals of infinite language one can hear As they flip and turn if your ears and mind are wide open … The bus came by……..when back in van let’s connect when it’s best. Much to share ad well as more research has been done here to assist with what we gave begun. Happy LSD day. !!! One great show was a one named just that. LSD daze …leguna seca daze California. With phish and govt mule?? That’s where I believe I saw bob snot grass ?? Spelling ?? blowing glass the first time and where I could not see the ship in one of those pics where you have not focus but look through. I was pissed. Everyone saw the ship. But did they see the flying dragons over the stage that night ? Hmmm group trip ? Awww who knows!?!

Cory DeMille Best microbus ever!

Bryan Rees I miss that shirt and those jeans make my crotch look huge. This must have been taken at the end of the weekend as Buddy on the left was in the hospital for most of the beginning then slept in the van for 30 hours straight.

Squaw Valley Daydream – Jerry Garcia and David Grisman Flashback

Squaw Valley Daydream


Jerry Garcia and David Grisman headlined a festival way up in the Gold Coast Concert bowl – sorta built out of a ski bowl area of Squaw Peak or something…

All the show details are curated for your inspection.

Other acts included:

  • Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
  • Booker T. & the M.G.’s
  • Neville Brothers

A favourite memory is Bela Fleck joining Jerry and Dave for a Ripple encore while the sun set in the mountains – a performance which changes lives.

Squaw Valley Daydream

These photos are the artifacts from Mr. W Knapp of Provo who has keep them safe for posterity. The folks therein are from the Pacific and Inter-mountain regions of the US and Canada and often rambled in various buses and vans to concerts – usually featuring some The Grateful Dead, or some permeation thereof.

Yeah, these were good times. If you see yourself, say hallo.

jerrygarcia.com/show/1991-08-25-goldcoast-concert-bowl-sq…

Squaw Valley Daydream

Squaw Valley Daydream

Squaw Valley Daydream

See the whole set at Squaw Valley Garcia/Grisman

SET 1

  1. Jack-A-Roe
  2. Spring In California
  3. Grateful Dawg
  4. Louis Collins
  5. Off To Sea Once More
  6. Friend Of The Devil
  7. Two Soldiers
  8. So What?

SET 2

  1. Russian Lullaby
  2. Dawg’s Waltz
  3. The Thrill is Gone
  4. Old Rocking Chair
  5. Arabia
  6. Eat My Dust*
  7. Ripple*