Almost famous 'The Unknown Museum' has been featured on 'Bay Area Backroads' and written about extensively in museum and art world literature. 'Art in America', a guide for
museum affectionadoes reviews The Unknown Museum from the sunny side of the street. Mickey McGowen creates fascinating sets and provides shows for nightclubs, studios and galleries. S. F. MOMA show featured a delightful video trilogy that won excellent response from the critics. This unusual museum, with something for everyone, a treasure trove of past, present and future memories entertained (The Marin Messenger reports) 'families, tourists, artists and literary people, hip teens from the Haight & South America and busloads of seniors.'
Specialized Reading List for "Literary History of the Beat Generation,"
a course taught by
Allen Ginsberg at Naropa Institute during the summer of 1977.
Inc Neil CassadyThe First Third, Jean Cocteau,
Jack Kerouac,
and Gary Snyder
On the subject of most memorable moments of 60s life
DKD: There was a TV show asking people where they were when Sgt. Pepper’s was
released by The Beatles; Peter Fonda said he went to a happening on Sunset Strip and it
didn’t make the headlines when about 100 people were arrested. Were you around then?
McGOWEN: That’s where I was. Fonda was really concerned about that. They suppressed everything. They didn’t have time for the Beatles in L.A. - it was more an artistic movement. I’m not saying this because I’m from L.A., but in retrospect I don’t feel I’m from anywhere but the planet Earth.
It was pretty wild down there. I’m just observing things as any artist should do. That’s our job in society - our ROLE in society. Jobs imply payment usually. L.A. is always sort of an underdog - its not a place (with the smog) where the lifestyle/culture is recognized for artists who have contributed a great deal to world-wide culture throughout America, Japan and Europe- whether it be for fashion, music, etc.
Of course San Francisco contributed a lot. But L.A. contributed The Birds, The Doors. The people down there, the surfers (what they wore because it was so warm down there) should be getting credit definitely for musical invention indeed. The surfing dances and the hot rod bands, all from L.A., and The Beach Boys, where were often at the A & W on Hawthorne. They weren’t really surfers though. They were car type guys.
They were very inventive too. When you mention surf groups I usually think of the
instrumentalists: The Sentinels, Duane Eddy and the Ventures really pioneered the sound ~ the surf punks. But all that, the surf culture, car low riding cultures, that was all from L.A.
- Gardena. All that emanated from there I think."
DKD: What happened to all those 45s you had out on display?
McGOWEN: This museum has huge musical archives which you can't see - 10,000 plus record albums in this house alone. They're a big part of the collection. I wish one day... you can see I'm a bit tight here for space... I hope one day to have a separate music room, a library people will come to use. I have many
tapes in progress (several tapes played in the background as atmosphere-function and insulation for quiet needed to record the interview) while we spoke and camcorded. Sounds of the great evening ocean mixed with graceful waltz music ~~ many emotions surfaced as we combed through each of the rooms packed with strategically placed items that composed the displays.
Rock & Roll Riffs 1964 to 1975 time 09:48
DKD: Do you agree with Alan Watts suggesting people should be able to completely disengage from the past and start from the moment?
The Girl's Room upstairs, taped organ music
The Unknown Museum
McGOWEN: There are also people who live in the present, accepting the fact that they have lived a life, as I have. I’d be a fool to ignore the 42 years I’ve lived and all that I’ve learned. To deny the past would be foolish it seems to me, because it’s what you’ve lived – you can’t change it. You should accept what lessons you’ve learned and what’s gone on, and of course, look to the future. You’ve mentioned the past and the future, but of course, the key is the present. From an astrological point of view, it’s fun to observe the future – with star arrangements and so forth, yes, that’s another story all together. See also The Zone
But as we sit here in this room now we have to think of the present, what’s happening. But we’re effected by the past and consequently we’re going to effect the future. The way I approach the past is: a lot of things in here are old, yes, and some of them are very recent – I don’t put a date on anything. I put what can be learned from a thing (as significant)… There are people sitting in churches to John Coltrane; you can sit in a church to the (points to Beaver Cleaver images) Beaver character. This past thing is very intriguing to me, very intriguing BECAUSE I find people that ignore the past, possibly have a bad upbringing, memories they want to forget, or they can’t get over the bad things that have occurred in their lives and they choose to ignore it. That’s what I usually find. The past is a great teacher. A lot of people who come here save things. This is a very assaulting place -- I mean it to be that way in case you’re wondering. I don’t mean this to be just a bed of roses here – you should be shook up when you come here – you should walk out of here shook up a little bit.
DKD: I’m shook up looking at the Salvador Dali art forms…
McGOWEN: Not everybody can do a Salvador Dali. He’s one of the all time greats. His creativity level is the same as his IQ – his fashion, his jewelry, everything – his lifestyle. I like to think that the past is a fortune teller for the future. People are so quick to write off the past and render it useless. That’s shallow. I think the past is a great teacher – these are our teachers right here ~ Fred Flintstone taught a lot of people. Mr. Spock has certainly taught many and still does, in re-runs. Is he a past character, or a present character or a future character? It’s hard to say… for sure.
The interview with Mickey McGowen appears in its entirety in, AURAS AND ALCHEMY III, from The West Coast Magazine. Also, examples of aura interpretations, star charts and the paranormal. Order this book for your sixties library & your esoteric research!
Magic card above from 'Nick of Time'
very good Twilight Zone episode, starring William Shatner
Report:
AMERICANS WELL ON WAY TO REPLACING ALL GRAMMATICAL FORMS WITH "LIKE"
NEW YORK, U.S.A. - Americans will soon reach their goal of inserting the word "like" into all grammatical forms, Herdofsheep can report.
"Our research is telling us that the median American now deploys like as a replacement for 50 per cent of known vocal gestures," said Phil Quailer, of Chicago's School of Textual Advancement. "At current rates, like will be the universal word of choice in about ten to fifteen years time."
"This is going to totally streamline everyday speech," a linguistic historian told us. "People will look back and compare this to the time when human speech first began."
We talked to "like" prodigy Francis Cazalaldolono, 12, of San Diego.
"Like: like like, like. Like like like Like," he grinned. "Like - like!"
The new dialect dramatically cuts down the time needed to become fluent in the language. A San Francisco high school teacher told us "Old English was elitist and tied our kids up for years in the classroom learning stuff that wasn't needed. Now all you need to do is get a hang of the word 'like' and you are on your way."
The new dialect will make it easier for immigrants and immigrants' children to make their way in America and revolutionize media, computers and telecommunications.
The Union Street Arts Festival features live music, street performers, arts and craft booths, a waiter's race and lots of food make for an entertaining and casual day. Admission is free.
Specialized Reading List for "Literary History of the Beat Generation,"
a course taught by
Mickey McGowen
