McNally, best known for his bestselling biography “A Long Strange Trip,” with his latest book expands his focus to explore how poets, pranksters, musicians and misfits helped shape a generation.
The book release event for McNally’s The Last Great Dream was produced and hosted by Adam Hirschfelder and presented by Book Passage and Social Prescribing USA and Mill Valley Recreation. A hugely successful celebration with around 135 attendees filling up the hall at the Mill Valley Community Center.
Trying their best to live up to McNally’s focus : ) attendees included well-known local merchants as Larry “the Hat” of Famous4 fashions (mentioned in Talbot’s SF historical masterpiece Season of the Witch), Gary Scheuenstuhl of Mill Valley Music (formerly with John Goddard’s beloved Village Music), Richard Habib of Alexander’s Artisan Rugs, Carol Green of Gerry Kelly’s SONAS Fairfax men’s fashion shop, as well as Chris Wong, interior designer and former rock band manger. Other notables included Christy Nelson, author of several novels such as Dreaming Mill Valley, Susanna Solomon author of Point Reyes Sheriff’s Calls books and Paris Beckons and oft’ contributor to MillValleyLit, Jeff Kaliss, poet, writer and MillValleyLit Poetry Editor, film maker Jesse Block of Crissy Field Media (who filmed docs on Garcia, original Sweetwater concerts, KSAN, Jan Kerouac, and many more), people about town such as renown Yoga guru, exotic travel leader and author Sherri Baptiste and husband, photographer\writer Suz Lipman, Helen Arrick, Friend of the Dead, drummer Karen Sue—often playing at the Sausalito Cruising Club and No Name bar, Dean Seven, former Editor of San Francisco’s hippest, modd-est, FAD magazine, and comedic stage actor Thomas Chesus (aka T.C.).
Adam Hirschfelder introduced Mill Valley Literary Review Editor-in Chief, poet and author J.Macon King who kicked off the event performing Beat poet Lew Welch’s “Mt. Tamalpais Sings” (“simultaneously thrilling and chilling” as his “stepson” Huey Lewis has called the poem). King emulated Lew’s speaking voice and phrasing by listening to Mill Valley’s Gary Yost’s remastered, digitized YouTube video. Huey Lewis continued in a published interview, ”Like a hook in a hit song, each stanza is punctuated with the mantra: “This is the last place. There is nowhere else to go.” “
Next King also performed Gary Snyder’s Buddhist enchanting and chanting Mt. Tam hike travelogue “poem,” “The Circumambulation of Mt Tamalpais.” For Snyder’s challenging Pali and Vedic mantras and King received kind pronunciation coaching from Katherine Cole—a Buddhist nun anointed by the Dali Llama, as well as Yoga teacher Amaera Bay Laurel.
J.Macon King, in costume with hiking staff, channels Gary Snyder as he led the audience on a virtual hike with Snyder’s “The Circumambulation of Mt Tamalpais.” LPK.
Poet King with photographer Susana Millman (McNally’s wife) and event producer Adam Hirschfelder, as Dennis signs book for Helen Arrick, a Friend of the Devil, er, we mean of the Dead. See Susana’s coffee-table book “Alive with the Dead — Or — A Fly on the Wall with a Camera.” LPK.
The Flying Salvias singer Kathleen kicked off their eclectic set with lines from King’s jazzy poem “City of St. Francis” leading into a jazz standard. JMK.
Celebration continued at the impromptu afterparty
John and Perry King’s friends and MillValleyLit remaining group at after-after party— closing down cool new The Corner Bar in Mill Valley. L-R comedic actor Thomas Chesus, visual designer Peter Nam, King, MillValleyLit Poetry Ed. Jeff Kaliss, Sr. Editor Perry King, friend Mary Grant accompanied by Scott Levy, award-winning environmental documentary-maker.
BED, BAR, BEACH & BEYOND…
The Kings stayed at this spacious long-term storage facility for the event. San Quentin on-the-marsh. JMK.
No Marin County visit is complete without a party on Mt. Tam, cappuccino with literary friends, views of San Francisco, favorite City pubs with literary friends, and the breezy beach.
Tina and Julie hosting Marin Academy party at their Mt. Tam Summit home—Tina (the “Buildergirl”) designed and built. Credit: Brahna Stone.
King with his favorite modern short story writer, Susanna Solomon. Coffee Roastery Fairfax. See a Susanna story here: https://millvalleylit.com/they-said-it-would-be-wonderful/ LPK.
On to Napper Tandy’s Irish pub in Mission with regular, poet Jeff Kaliss. Managed by delightful Irish lass Lisa Lyne (aren’t they all?) from Mill Valley!
Jeff then led on into Bernal Heights for the surreal 1881-vintage The Royal Cuckoo Organ Lounge—co-owned by Paul Miller, former clerk from late, lamented Tam Valley Fruit Stand!! Still playing LPs. Photo credit: Susie Lacocque.
