Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The Olympia and the Beast Within

Hello all -
I have a special treat for this blog entry and unfortunately, no typecast due to time & energy constraints (but i did buy a new printer/scanner this past weekend so we should be copacetic once i get some freakin sleep!)

First, i shall mention the boring: The new job.
It's going okay. Nothing to get excited about. There are some new things but its mostly old. It is nothing like i dream my dream job to be. But heck, theyre compensating me well enough for me to put my dreams on hold for the time being; furthermore, there are other goals to pursue such as putting food on the table and being able to support my family and getting the baby's college savings going again (not to mention, fueling this typewriter addiction). And remember this little tidbit too: i have a 2nd son on the way come december! And 2-under-2 is no joke!

Being away from the little one is tough and quite honestly a lot more challenging than i imagined. It's a hard adjustment to be going from spending 10 straight hours with him during the day to none at all except for the ride to grandpa/grandma's house and then back home. I think of him nonstop and miss him so ridiculously much.



Now on to the business at hand.

A couple nights ago, i submitted an entry real late just letting you know that i had a pretty worthwhile typewriter adventure once again in Los Angeles.

Now who's crazy enough to drive to LA the night before his first day on a new job? Apparently, i sure am.

I thought i was being rational thinking: once i start this new job, i probably wont have as much opportunity to just leave on a whim and drive to LA.

Well, so i took off at 8:30pm and drove what was supposed to be 45min to LA. Of course, being LA, there was traffic and it took me 1hr 30min to get there. So now it's about 10:15pm.




Why go to LA? well, typewriter business, of course.

And not just any typewriter adventure either.

This one had the makings of something memorable, and it was.


As many things do, It began with a craigslist ad:



in case you cant read it:


Not only did i want this typewriter but i was curious: a forthcoming documentary about typewriters...
Yup, It's this film. And the author of the ad introduced himself as the Director of the film who needed to sell some of the typewriters used in the film because he didn't have the space to keep them. So we arranged for me to pick it up at his place near the Griffith Obsevatory and Griffith Park - totally awesome location!


Christopher Lockett is a real cool guy  -cool bc he simply is. And also cool bc he gave me permission to blog about my visit!

He took the time to show me his place which is decorated sparingly but with sublime artistic flair such as his own photography. He's also a scotch guy, and that's something i really want to learn more about.

I checked out the typewriter i was to buy and it's nearly perfect.

Later he showed me his other typewriters including a Hermes 3000 with Techno font and a Hermes Baby. Stupid me, i forgot to take pics - but Mr Lockett will be sending me some pics that i can update this entry with. He really likes typewriters and knows their history. Also, being primarily a cinematographer, he has a true passion for photography; and consequently has a real nice collection of vintage cameras.


Perhaps the coolest part of the night was when he graciously let me watch some of the film. If you haven't seen any of it yet, check this out on YouTube. I saw some interviews - including some of Richard Polt, Ruben Flores of US Office Machine and Bill Wahl of Mesa Typewriter Exchange.


I'm sworn to secrecy on what i saw but it looks pretty darn good and it is right for us typewriter enthusiasts and collectors to be excited.


Mr Lockett knows the film by heart, knows all the people who participated including Michael Clemens,  Ton Sison and Ted Munk among others in the typosphere as well as all the repairmen and authors. He passionately narrated the sequences i was shown.

And the typewriter i bought? The Olympia SM3? Mr Lockett says that my machine is not only in those cutaway scenes but also appears on the movie poster - so that is nothing short of badass!!! Unfortunately the movie poster is still a secret.

Finally, as far as the hint i provided the other night...

"The Beast Within"

Well, that's in the movie and this i can share: It is what John Steinbeck etched into the back of his Hermes Baby - which so made an impression of Mr Lockett that he had to go get a Hermes Baby of his own. It's impressive!





18 comments:

  1. for pity's sake why isn't this mofo coming to our type-in? Hell I even donated to that film!
    Seriously, though - cool story bro.

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    1. HAHA Peter - i sent him an invite and hopefully he texts me back to say he can show up! ill let you know

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  2. What an interesting experience! Chris is a very nice guy, a great interviewer, and I can't wait to see the film (minus maybe my own embarrassing pronouncements).

    Steinbeck's phrase -- so interesting -- I am trying to understand!

    Your son is a cutie.

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    1. Richard - he had nothing but the best things to say about you. He quoted you by memory several times.

      I think we are lucky to have you as one of the main ambassadors of typewriters.

      Thanks for the compliment on my son - hes crying right now btw - time to shut down the cpu and get him back to sleep!

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  3. How serendipitous... Chris Lockett, typewriter seller!
    It's great that you guys had a chance to visit and that you got glimpses of the docu. Can't wait to see it!

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    1. Ton - it was fun and i consider myself quite fortunate for the experience.

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  4. Very cool experience and nice find!

    Oh, and maybe some good news. When we added our second child to the family, just 15 months after the first, two were a lot easier than the first. Heck, having added a third last October, I barely even notice we have three around the house:)

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    1. deek - thanks for the word of encouragement! i am hoping that i have the same experience as you did!
      thats awesome you have 3 - i think when its all said and done, we might have 3 as well!
      i might be hitting you up for some advice!

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  5. Chris is a great guy -- hey and Gary made the trek up to the Bay Area last summer and (tragically) interviewed me for the movie. I hope it turns out well despite my involvement.

    The italic SM3 is awesome: I have one myself!

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    1. Michael - i saw some of your interview parts too. Good stuff! (btw, i updated the blog entry to include your name since you are certainly one of the more esteemed typospherians)

      :)

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  6. What an interesting post, very exciting that you got to meet Chris and acquire one of the typewriters from the film! Great backstory on that one, you'll always remember. Plus, the Olympia with script is a great machine -- I would love to have one!!

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    1. Cameron - for sure. In the end, its all about the story. And unlike buying a machine off ebay, doing it in person and getting some of that backstory certainly makes the machine a bit more special.
      And luckily its in great shape too! too bad for all the other typewriters in my garage awaiting repairs/cleaning - i hope i can serve them well as you have been doing with your machines. Quite inspiring!

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  7. Talk about epicentre of the Typosphere! I know, it shifts, but for that rainy night it was surely "somewhere near" the famous Griffith Observatory.

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    1. Rob, even in these short responses, you have a way with words! I am a HUGE fan of your blog!

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  8. A night to remember indeed! Lucky you getting to see a sneak peek at some of the interviews & film. I've been excited to see it since Chris and his crew interviewed us at the second Phoenix Type-In. He is an amazing fellow to talk with and is just as typewriter-crazy as the rest of us, if not more. His film will be important as both a in-depth snapshot of The Movement Rising and as a permanent historical record - can't wait for its release to general audiences (hope).

    Salute!

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  9. Well look at you, rubbing elbows with none other than Christopher Lockett. I really cannot wait until this documentary comes out. Great find with the Olympia. Those SM3's are amazing little typers, and I am sure it will serve you well. And italics? Just icing on the delicious German cake that is this typewriter. Congratulations!

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    1. Ken - i have some typewriter adventures to blog about soon! ive just been too damn tired to get on the cpu. I think i figured since you drive hundreds of miles to get the machine and you enjoy the journey, i could do. It does something for the spirit. alright!

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