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[Letters to Charles Olson]Author(s): Stan BrakhageSource: Chicago Review, Vol. 47/48, Vol. 47, no. 4 - Vol. 48, no. 1 (Winter, 2001 - Spring,2002), pp. 25-27Published by: Chicago ReviewStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25304798 .

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STANBRAKHAGEoCHARLES LSON

Brakhage / Box # 554 / Rollinsville, Colo.August 21,1964Dear Charles,

Imagine a ghost town in high mountains, a town which once hadpopulation of over 2000 gold-diggers and whatever family some managed to bring with them. Image shacks tents holes in the ground,stacks of cut trees, fuss of it all. Seventy years later there's nothing leftof it BUT: The Postman, very retired now and living in one of thethree still-standing shacks, holes caving in on themselves, street-signscompletely surrounded by aspen and new spruce, AND the cabin ofthe only man who apparently came with home inmind and built tolast and of a spirit fit for growth, as it has a 1913 addition of kitchendining room made of telephone poles and a much newer, 1950's,children's quarters which can only be entered thru a 4 foot tall door

way leading to two rooms, modern bath and utility room at far endof hallway's wind. And, as this is a TRUE story, the cabin is the homeof The Brakhages, AND, I am writing you from the UPPER story, thesingle room, of the 1890's, my first workroom all tomyself; and I amoverlooking my children playing and the green green trees andbackgrounding mountains of The Continental Divide. Off to the rightsomewhere, out of sight, is a giant steamshovel used inmaking ThePanama Canal, come to its last ditch here, rusting away into it; and Ithink we very much feed off the atmosphere of a ghost town such asthis where all of gold-grub has so obviously failed, only household &Postman survived, all leaded glass turned, oxidized, purple in the sun(for our stained-glass window), oar buckets, shovels, etc., rusted torock-look (fit pieces of great beauty hold wood dry for us, serve asplanters, children's toys, etc.). There is a great rock fireplace aroundwhich this cabin IS; and a lovely old wood & coal burning stove namedALCAZAR: but the house is also equipped with gas range, space heaters, etc.We watch the moon and the stars, take pictures (for "NightBlooming" film I'm making) thru large windows recently placed inthe walls. The house is old and new at once and everywhere in it; andwe are very happy here.

BRAKHAGEOLSON I 25

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We have a new baby boy, born Aug. 15th, at 3:15 in the earlylovely morning, born to the sounds of my 8mm camera (Iwork inthat less expensive medium almost entirely now, being now more"amateur" than ever) and Bach harpsichord music from our portablephonograph smuggled into the hospital; and he was born as gently asthe moon from clouds, Jane easily delivering and in complete control, and born flowing long (2 inch) black hair, looking on the world

from gray-green eyes, intense centered expression softening into linesof beseeming sensitivity, a down covered body of some 7 lbs. 12 oz atbirth. We named him for sun's arc or sense of the light of the suntaking shape upon the moon: Rare Brakhage, which does also carryfor me Arcana, Arcadia, Arcturus ("bear watcher"), Ar (c) thur (ofKelly's "At the foot of the Alphabet"), even, ark of tradition, bridge,Noah's even, etc; and the name does sound him very well these several days we've had him. We now have 2 boys 3 girls?a full house.

Blessings, / Stan

?Box # 554 / Rollinsville, Colo.

January 8,1965Dear Charles,

The taped semblance of your voice fills our house often thesedays?Dora lent me copy of your readings of/from "Maximus 2"(Vancouver '62.

I'm sending you copy of "Song 8",my sea-creatures song. It isyours to keep, if you like. I'm now working mostly with 8mm: the"home-movie"?AND less-expensive?medium...one of the joys ofit being that I can afford to send some of these films into the very

LIVING rooms of my friends, and/or/also avoid the public event sceneif/and/when neccessary. So far only "Songs" in 8mm, thru "Song 10",abt an hour's worth. Thought OF same started with "Go! little nakedand impudent songs", deepened SELF sense thereof with William's"No ideas but in things" (which, curiously enough seems to have originated in an early poem called "Sort of a Song"), and all play sensenow PLAYED off of H.D.'s "Thoughts are things?and sometimesthey are songs"...and much, of course, of "Maximus", including songs

26 I CHICAGOREVIEW

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thereof. But I don't just go looking for sun's on with gee string (tho'there is a shared sense, a focus flat on perspective, which relates those

works of most poets known to me when "song" is invoked in thetitle)?the basic source of inspiration

on these recent films is anydes-script which BEcomes of itself, leaving an intact sense of source,being then, in the case of film "Songs", graphic representation of movemeant DIRECT; and, in that sense, I'm coming closer these days tobeing kinematographos: "writer of moving".

Oh, hell?I NEED a good talk with you...haven't even had a gooddrinking exchange since I last drank with you,* your maintenance ofform thru use of alcohol (rather than being used by it) having spoiled(salvaged, that is)me from the usual such occasion. I'll be in the eastthru February, Film-makers' Cinematheque setting me up for the "nowyou see him" sort of, so-called, "tour"..."lion feeding time" broughtright into the colleges, etc. I'll try to get up to Buffalo. Where'll I findyou in Buffalo, Charles?... I'm mailing this and your "Song" toGloucester with a "please forward"?I mean, I don't even know thename of The University there?it's been a hell (Imean there before)and OF a long time since I've seen you...I mean, how ARE you?

Well, I hope this and the song get to you okay. Let me know ifthere's any chance of my having a show in Buffalo. I'll include theaddress of the Film-Maker's Cinematheque in the event there's someone there you might pass it along to apropo showing there; but pleasedon't involve yourself in any struggle for flicks?I have the feeling Iarrive most places (publically, that is) when they're about ready,unLESS I and/or someone struggle alot to get me there (inWHICHcase I'm usually being there EARLY with all attendent diffiCULTties,etc.)...(as to privately arriving?ah well...different...I mean: Ihope tosee you soon.

Blessings, / Stan

*Brakhage's marathon meeting with Olson isdescribed in the letter toJane Brakhage (dated May 17, 1963) that was included as the final letter inthe section of correspondence entitled "Respond Dance" that concludes

Metaphors on Vision (Film Culture 30, 1963). "Respond Dance" has beenreprinted in P.Adams Sitney, ed., Film Culture Reader (NY: Praeger, 1970),pp. 234-257. [Ed.]

BRAKHAGEOLSON I 27

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