32
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M it
• January 3. 2003
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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allowed these letters to remain unpublished,”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.
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