…I am not a fan of our time, thus sleep is an attractive alternative to consciousness…I felt like a boxer nearing the end of a club fight in which his opponent is the referee’s brother…
The Search for the Genuine: Nonfiction, 1970-2015 by Jim Harrison; Format: ebook; Expected publication: September 6, 2022 by Grove Press; ISBN: 9780802157232 (ISBN10: 0802157238)
…Our consciousness paints our world. The obvious fact that there is no actual connection between our senses and the world is troubling indeed. The fact that the discomfort is there whether or not you wish to take responsibility for your perceptions is also troubling…
I have never been enamored with Jim Harrison’s poetry, but from time to time he comes up with a good line or two. His honesty on the page is what really interests me no matter if it is fiction, poetry, or one of his brilliant and captivating essays.
…Poetry tells us that the uninformed experience is not worth enduring…Time constructs the true canon, not critics contemporaneous to the work…It is not poetry that lasts but good poems…There has always been a tendency among poets in slack periods to imitate their own best efforts, but this is embarrassingly obvious to their readers…Finally, what happens to your work is not your concern. Thinking about it gives your soul cramps that resemble amoebic dysentery…
I have always been impressed with Harrison’s indifference to celebrity almost to the degree of another contemporary named Bob Dylan. Neither artist could give a rat’s ass what anybody thinks and both were glad to get a living through their art. And somewhat surprisingly. There isn’t anybody working successfully today (that I can think of) with that level of indifference given to their own success.
…Of course it is difficult to avoid trying to screw the lid on too tight, to find closure where there are maybe only loose ends. I see the evident attempt of my dream life to relocate me, to protect me from an apparent fragility I tried to overcome with drugs and alcohol, the overdominance in my life of “manly” pursuits. I no longer try to “guts out” anything…
That fragility I can certainly relate to, and for years I tried to measure up to those peers around me who seemed to be more adventurous and braver than I was. Luckily I did not suffer more injuries and permanent disabilities than I did. A rocking chair seems to be the best option for me these days, however there is still a bit of interest in finding out what just might be somewhere over there.
…But if my wife mentions the name of a dog we’ve owned and loved, I can re-create the dog’s life with us, and consequently my own…
My wife and I are dog lovers as well and much of our time together can be reconstructed by simply remembering our dogs. Charlie, Mr. B, and Robert Earl have all been great companions. Our best times together generally included these animals by our side.
…I am not a fan of our time, thus sleep is an attractive alternative to consciousness…I felt like a boxer nearing the end of a club fight in which his opponent is the referee’s brother…
Seems to be more the norm these days for us as well. There is no doubt the sixties and seventies produced the best music ever, not to mention the civil rights movement as well as the liberation of women. We were fortunate to be young at that time. These days the world’s politics have eroded what was certainly gained during that time and it is a wonder to me what fucking happened to common decency, respect, and love for the betterment of all. What happened to personal freedom? Jim Harrison is an American treasure, and to simply consider how far down the storm drain our country has plummeted a new writer today the likes of Jim Harrison would be refused and canceled in a heartbeat. But I predict Jim Harrison will rise above this sewage and persist after many others have been long forgotten. That is, if we somehow survive this present day right wing radical predicament.
…The natural world is an enormous mystery and I married her very early…Lest you question my sanity, I should add that I don’t value sanity very highly. Besides, we all know that every creature is confronted moment by moment with the question of what to do next, and casting a wooly worm out into the turgid waters of the Seine seems a splendid option…