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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2003)
32 Jo st M it • January 3. 2003 BOOKS LIVE MUSIC ................ ▼................ Songw rttsrs Circle - ja«. 4 Anallsa • Ja«, n Saturdays 8pm OPEN MIC NIGHT Poetry and M u sic Tuesdays at 8pm ARTWORK Pa in tin g s , D raw ings by R o c lo , J a n . 15 Letters to an angry young man Reception. Jaa. 18.73Q pm Dyke Owned Bring in this ad and receive a com plim entary brewed coffee James Harmon provides chicken soup for the hipster soul by F loyd S klaver unky philosophers. Social gadflies. Cyber- punks. Radical academics. These, along with a mixed assortment of “raconteurs, literary outlaws and obscure hut wildly talented poets" fill the pages of Oregon native James Harmons new collection, Take My Advice: Letters to the Next Generation from People Who Know a Thing or Two. It’s a provocative compendium of 79 essays written hy the folks he admires: everyone from Bette Davis to Betty Paige, from Ram Dass to Dr. Laura (of all peo ple) as well as Camille Paglia, Ken Kesey, Linda Barry and William S. Burroughs. “I wanted to mix highbrow and lowbrow,” he says. “I hate the word.'eclectic’ because it sounds like 1984 House & Gardens, hut that’s Jam es H arm on w ith ‘Lucy and Linda Liplocked #1” — part of his I C a n ’t Afford Terry my taste. It’s all over the map." Richardson series Along with the wisdom, sages in Take My the kxik from publication, and the letters lan Advice urge young people to have the courage “If you happen to he beautiful.. .have some to follow their hearts, to he alternative and not dirty pictures taken to lcx)k hack on when guished in public storage for close to a decade. to conform. It’s a kxik for artists and would-be things get wrinkled” and Km vivant Q uentin “W hen I hit the big 3-0, I realized I’d never artists, and its message of unconventionality is Crisp’s "Don't tell your mother anything; what attack any of my other creative endeavors if I sure to resonate with queer readers. ever you say will one day he used agaiast you.” allowed these letters to remain unpublished,” Hannon began work on the Kxik in 1989 Harmon writes in the k x ik ’s foreword. He Such messages include activist Ahhie Hoff found another publisher and began contacting m an’s “D in ’t piss on the shoes of someone when, as a 22-year-old, self-described “angry, cyn even more artists, writers and s<x:ial critics. standing behind you,” actor Joe Dallesandro’s ical, ironic, hlack-clad, cafe-dwelling, cigarette- puffing, wannabe-artist poseur,” he began sending Originally intending to target 20-somethings letters to the people he admired. (“kindred spirits of m ine.. .outcasts, misfits and ft xcerpts from Take My Advice: black sheep”), Harmon “kept stretching the “I was surrounded hy idiots, and 1 ake Letters to the Next (generation demographic as I got older to include myself.” I wanted mentors,” the hi editor from People W ho Know a Thing and photographer says of growing But the mixture o f advice, wisdom, sentiment or Two up in Banks, a small town in rural and rants seems to be capturing the Zeitgeist of : the nation. Washington County. “1 thought "Choose your friends carefully. these people were really cool and Since its publication last spring, the kxik has would make great teachers.” M any of the people you know in received a tremendous reception, including a high school and college will wind Harmon found his first teach rave review in O , The Oprah Magazine. (“I love Oprah, I love Oprah, 1 love Oprah,” Harmon ers in kxiks. “1 hibernated in my up selling insurance.” — Dan Jenkins, writer intones.) He was also the subject of a two-page rixirn,” he says, “and devoured spread in Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly. (“When Gore Vidal, Truman Capote and “Find a person to love who enlarges you’re over 30, you need to sign a release saying Tennessee Williams. I punched the world for you.” that you’ll keep your clothes on,” he jokes.) holes in the walls and listened to — Scott Russell Sanders, writer Joe Williams and Connie Francis and cried a Harmon, who now lives in Palm Springs, lo t.... W hen people ask where I went to school, Calif., hut continues to visit his parents in “Bum your bridges.... It’s the best way I know 1 say, ‘The Multnomah County Library, and I Banks, is relishing his success precisely because of not going back." summered on the front porch.’ ” it was a long time coming. “I waited tables for — Bette Davis, actress laspircd hy Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a 11 years, and if I hadn’t kept falling in love Young Poet, a collection of correspondence to a with idiot kiys and girls, I would have done struggling artist seeking guidance, Harmon asked “Beware of whores who say they don’t want this a lot sooner.” (H e recognized his bisexuali money. The hell they don’t. W hat they mean is mentors if they could offer one piece of advice to ty at an early age, "although when you are they want MORE MONEY, much more.” young people, what would it he? The first reply singing Julie Andrews at age 2, I don’t think — W illiam S. Burroughs, aesthetic terrorist came from none other than Katharine Hepburn, you need to worry ak iu t coming out.’’) who said simply, “Work as hard as you can, what With the success of Take My Advice, Harmon “Assume that all governments lie. Do not ever you do, and try to spread generosity of spirit.” is able to concentrate exclusively on writing and accept the idea that the violence of war can be W ith contributors like these, it didn’t take already has two projects in the works. One is a cof justified by claiming to prevent a larger vio long for the young Harmon to find a publisher. fee table kxik called Lugs, Thugs and Big Galoots lence. Understand that all war is a war against But he s<xm realized they had different visions that will feature his own photographs of beautiful children, and therefore can not be justified, of the kxik. “W hat the publisher wanted was a “had kiys." The other is The Big Bad Bette Davis whatever the reason.” warm, gtxiey k x ik ...th e literary equivalent of Book, in which he asks famous writers to de — Howard Zinn, historian ‘Up with People’...I was damn sure it was construct and write akiut one of Davis’ films. going to he different.” W hen asked a k iu t any other ambitions, the “Remember what your drivers education rebel editor unhesitatingly answers, "To he Jake teacher...always told you: Good God, slowdown." eing a “discerning and critical-minded crea Gyllenhaal’s jtx:kstrap.” Now, there’s advice — Richard Powers, writer worth taking. J H ture hy nature,” Harmon ignored the advice of the publisher (“a bit contradictory when compiling a book on taking advice,” he admits) “A t least once a month, remind yourself that Feel free to contact J ames H armon with advice of your purpose on earth is to enlarge your soul, and continued soliciting the opinions of his your oten at youlltakeitandlikeit@yahoo.arm. light up your brain and liberate your spirit.” countercultural icons. Eventually, he felt that in — Tom Robbins, writer order to he true to his vision he needed to pul! FLOYD S klaver is a Portland free-lancer wnter. t Us Your Ideas Alameda Baking Company 4727 NE Fremont • 503-282-2253 I"" " ....... SHARE T H E W EALTH I E Just Out subscriptions make great gifts for family and friends. www.justout.com or call 503-236-1252 A te Bi
