THE BLOGGER

 INQUIRER 

ISSUE # 61

"For Blogging Minds Who Need To Know" ...

Founder: Lucy

Editor: L.Cat

 Interviews

For the first time ever, in keeping with Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, John the Squabbler agreed to meet me aboard Richard Branson's newest project, The Virgin Galactic's Space Ship Two.  The Inquirer was invited to attend a Press Run and L Cat couldn't make it so he sent me.  We were meeting close enough to John the Squabbler for him to be there too. 

 

(  So you've heard all about Virgin Galactic's new spaceship, but the big thing you want to know is when will tickets be cheap enough so everyone can afford them? Only one man knows that: Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of the company. We got a chance to sit down with him for a few minutes after the big unveiling, and he dished on how long it would take for tickets on SpaceShipTwo to be affordable to everyone, joining the 150-mile-high club, and how barf bags work in zero-g.  )

 

When we arrived at the hanger, we were told to make ourselves comfortable in a waiting area where Mr. Branson had catered a light but lavish pre-flight buffet.  John and I picked up a few things and went to a corner table.  Since we were going to be waiting for a while, we decided to do the interview before our flight ...


Taylor:   What brought you to Blogstream, and what did you hope to get out of it.

 

John:    Let’s see… We’re going back to January of ’07. I had only just decided to go on-line. I signed up for Broadband Internet service in November or December of ’06. Previously, I had access at my office, and I used it primarily as part of my job – which was in printing and publishing. But having the Internet at home was a new experience. I had tried writing on a few other web sites but I had never received a response from anything I had written. I don’t know what led me to follow the link to Blogstream – desperation, maybe? But I wrote something. Immediately someone replied with a comment. That was the singularly miraculous person known as TR, or Trust the Rust. It was encouraging. So I wrote another post. I think it was on a Sunday. I guess I hoped for nothing more than that – to get replies, to be able to communicate. I would write down my thoughts anyway; it’s what I do. But having people read and comment was a new experience, and a wonderful one.

 

 

Taylor:   What do you feel you bring to the Stream?

 

John:    Myphets, primarily – those mischievous little creatures who inhabit my kitchen. If I do a Google search for myphets I come up with The White Lodge, and only The White Lodge. Well, I thought everybody knew about myphets. It turns out I’ve cornered the market on them. I’m still trying to get a picture of one, but they just don’t sit still. Apart from the myphets, my contribution really isn’t extraordinary. I just write whatever has come into this piece of wood between my ears I call a brain, and lots of people do that – smart people, smarter than I am.

Taylor:   "What things have changed for you since coming to the Stream?"

 

John:    Well, I have a lot less time to devote to Blogstream, and that’s something I regret. I’m grateful for the reason why: My business is booming. I’ve learned quite a lot from my discussions with other bloggers. That’s a change for the better, of course.

 

Taylor:   How or why did you pick the name of your blog?

 

John:    I always wanted to live in a house called The White Lodge, though I hate white houses. It would be every color other than white, but it would be called The White Lodge. The White Lodge is the name I have given to the house that occurs in my dreams. Frequently, since I was a child, I have returned in my dreams to a house with a seemingly infinite number of rooms and hallways to discover and explore. I’ve known for many years that the house I was visiting in my dreams was really nothing more or less than the inside of my own mind. And within my mind there is also a place called The Black Lodge, but I don’t visit that place anymore. So, what the name of the blog means is it’s just me – this is my mind, and welcome to it. Make yourself at home. The door’s open. I’ve called the house in my dreams The White Lodge ever since – well, I know the time precisely – it was 1975. I was camping with my family that summer. We drove by an inn or bed & breakfast with that name, and it just stuck: that’s it – that’s the name of the house in my dreams.

 

 

Taylor:   What would we find you doing in your free time?

 

John:    Today you would find me answering these questions in my free time, but mainly I’m a reader. I’ve always been a reader. If someone would pay me to do nothing else but read, reading would be all that I ever do – so I guess it’s just as well no one does pay me to do it. Books are my TV. I have thousands of them. I read Fiction, mainly. I don’t really care for learned and scholarly works. I’ve learned more from Fiction. I’ve learned about people. I’ve learned much about myself. There are a few exceptions. I’ll read anything by G.K. Chesterton, for instance, but I got into his stuff by reading his Fiction first. But usually, reading Non-Fiction – Biography, Philosophy, Apologetics – it’s just too much like work. Give me a ripping yarn any time.

 

 

 

 

Taylor:   What is your personal philosophy of life?

 

John:    I wish I could say “Laugh and the world laughs with you” or something like that, but I’ve spent a lot of time not laughing. Really it’s “Laugh and the world looks at you funny.” But a person needs a sense of humor, or I suppose he wouldn’t have one. I try to do the right thing, not the wrong thing – whatever it might be – and of course that changes as I learn more. I’d love to answer flippantly, but I can’t. I’d love to be able to say my philosophy can be summed up in the acronym “K.I.S.S. – Keep It Stupid, Simple” or whatever. But there’s no slogan that describes my journey towards the truth and the constant hunger for it that has motivated me – in just about everything that I do. I’ve believed – or tried to believe – many different things at different times. A journey is the best possible way to understand what life is. I’m grateful for it, every step, even the bad ones. I try to remember where my life came from, who created it, who gave it to me, and I thank Him for it. If a person remembers to do that I think he’ll come out OK.

 

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Taylor:   Would you share with us a favorite memory from childhood?

 

John:    Hmm – passing the Cutty Sark billboard on the Long Island Expressway, and suddenly realizing I could read. Those were the first words I ever read – “Cutty Sark.” I had no idea what it was – I just suddenly understood how letters could be words, and it was just so preposterously simple. Every sign in the world was suddenly shouting words at me. That’s very early childhood. It opened up the whole world for me. Otherwise, I would say anything that involved my Mom and Dad, camping, climbing mountains, or visiting family. We did a lot of that. I was the one with my nose buried in a book about Zen Buddhism or something, and getting into arguments with Dad about it. I remember entertaining my little sister on one of our long cross-country trips, and her delighted laughter as I clowned around with her favorite stuffed animals. That’s a good one.

 

Taylor:   Do you have an embarrassing moment you'd like to share?

 

John:    Oh yes, I have quite a few of those. Choosing one isn’t easy. Having to wear a dress for a Boy Scout thing – that’s a good one. We were putting on a show. I wore make-up and a dress, a lady’s wig – I had balloons for breasts and I think I had a big butt balloon as well – and I had to go into this strange machine made out of a large decorated cardboard package which some mad scientist had invented, and once I was inside it we popped the balloons and I came running out in my underwear… It was very strange. I can’t really remember the point of it now. I think the point of it was to be as humiliating as possible. Yes – that’s it.

 

Taylor:   What is the greatest lesson life has taught you?

 

John:    It’s none of my business what other people think of me. That’s an easy one.

 

Taylor:   What 5 CD's are currently in your player?

 

John:    I have a 25-disc changer. I love everything that’s in there or it wouldn’t be in there. But, at random – Paul Bley Solo in Mondsee – that’s piano; Miles Davis Ascenseur pour L’echafaud – that’s an old movie soundtrack; Brian Eno, Here Come The Warm Jets – an old favorite; a burned CD of Blue Cheer – the world’s most testosterone-laced band – and lots of burned CD’s by 60’s and 70’s Rock bands, lots of “progressive” stuff I guess you would call it – King Crimson, that sort of thing; The Mahavishnu Orchestra Visions of the Emerald Beyond, The Inner Mounting Flame – sexy stuff like that.

 

 

Taylor:   Then of course the 5 bloggers you want to meet.

 

John:    Well, that’s the sort of thing that will get me into trouble. I don’t want to leave anybody out, and there have been 20 or 30 people who have visited regularly, including of course yourself. I enjoy hearing from Ron and June, Sherry, TR, Wayf, n,lynn, Whispered Promise, Rosie, Prank... and oh c’mon now – whoever you are, I’ve always relied upon the kindness of strangers… No, really I’ve met two bloggers in person. I know there are real people behind this computer screen, people like me. But when you come and you read and you comment and I reply to your comment we have already met. Whether or not it happens in 3-D really doesn’t matter.

 

Taylor:   Favorite alcoholic beverage?

 

John:    Glenfiddich single malt Scotch, definitely. I don’t drink anymore, but if I did…

 

Taylor:   What is your nationality? Ethnic background?

 

John:    American. I was adopted, so I don’t know my ethnic background. Many in my adopted family came from Ireland originally. And also Germany. Some people have suggested I look Irish; others have told me I look Jewish. I slip into other people’s accents very easily, depending on who it may be. I have a good ear.

Taylor:   Does your family have any traditions (holiday or otherwise) to honor your heritage?

 

John:    Well yes, I suppose we have some Christian sacramental traditions which originated in various cultural ways – the Christmas tree is German, I understand, by way of Queen Victoria – that sort of thing. But I don’t believe we did anything specifically to “honor” any particular heritage. My Mom listened to Irish music because she liked it, not for any symbolic reason. We did a lot as a family having to do with keeping the traditions of the Church, and the Church is universal – it incorporates all cultures and ethnic varieties. I suppose it is sometimes interesting to discover the history and origin of some of our traditions – sure. But Anthropology isn’t really one of my interests, which I guess is kind of funny. I have so many interests. How is it that one isn’t among them?

 

Taylor:   Favorite food or Favorite recipe?

 

John:    I like food. I can’t pick a favorite. I’m in the mood for waffles with maple syrup at the moment.

 

Taylor:   Last book you read? What was the best and worst book you read?

 

John:    Robertson Davies, The Cunning Man. Best and Worst? There is no meaningful answer to that. Literally hundreds of books fall into the category of life-enriching, influential. There is one Book, of course, which is indispensable. The Bible means simply “The Book,” right? I know I don’t have to explain that to the well-read and highly educated citizens of the Blogstream.

 

 

 

 

Taylor:   Who is your favorite actor or actress?

 

John:    Oh gosh. Every time I see a good movie that features great acting, or see a good play, whoever was in it becomes for a while my “favorite.” I think of Derek Jacobi right off the top of my head. Recently I mentioned Nigel Hawthorne in one of my posts. Harvey Keitel? – Wow. I’ve seen him do some things. Lillian Gish from Night of the Hunter – there you go. Bette Davis – I once met her in a parking lot. Acting is a discipline, a skill, an indescribable thing, an incredible talent. I don’t possess it. I don’t wish I did. But I love seeing it done, and done well.

 

Taylor:   What was the last movie you saw at the theatre?

 

John:    I think it was the Narnia movie – the first one. I haven’t seen Caspian. It’s been a few years.

 

Taylor:   Your middle name?

 

John:    The

 

No, I’m kidding. If my name really was John the Squabbler I suppose my middle name would be The. But the Squabbler and I are two different people. There’s a comma there – John, the Squabbler. On another web site, which I abandoned when I found Blogstream, it was John and The Squabbler. How did that happen? Well, it kind of evolved that way. I might have written about my own life in my blog, or I might have written Fiction, or I might have used it as a way to get some criticism back from my poetry. Or, I might have done an Old Time Radio blog because I love OTR. Or I might have written about politics, or principles, ideas that were kicking around in this piece of wood between my ears, books I had read, movies I had seen, music I have appreciated. What I ended up with was a sort of “all of the above” approach. And I realized early on that anonymity was the best way to go about it, and it’s not for reasons of privacy or security so much as limitation vs. no limitation. I prefer not to be limited. In a way, the reader is getting much more of me than he or she would get otherwise. I am free to lie – through my teeth. I am free to make up stories and create characters.

 

 

 

 I think that all fictional characters begin with real people, and the person who co-writes The White Lodge with The Squabbler is also a character – me. So, I call it Non-Non-Fiction. TR was instrumental in helping me to develop my White Lodge voice. He did this by example. I mean, here was this massive mind just opening itself like a blossom, expressing itself in the great However, just constantly giving, and I knew I wanted to do something like that because The Squabbler has so much to say and I seem to be the only one who can translate it. You don’t have to get that to appreciate The White Lodge – or, you don’t have to get it in its entirety. It’s a conceit, sure. If you want to criticize it by suggesting I’m hiding behind these characters – Squabs, Sister Midnight, The White Tornado, Juicy Lucy – that’s fine. Maybe I am. I think of it as being liberated to express the way I see the world in total – not just what I see but the way I see it, which includes what I dream and everything I imagine

 

 

 

Taylor:   What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?

 

John:    This requires too much space to answer fully, so I guess I could summarize it by saying the things I appreciate turn me on – music, of course, and everything else I write about.

 

 

Taylor:   What turns you off?

 

John:    Gossip. I despise gossip. Insults – people being contrary for its own sake. Believe it or not, I don’t care for Know-It-Alls, and people can accuse me of being a Know-It-All, but I’m not – that’s the point. The reason I write about what I think I know is to get a response from others so that I may learn more, or learn better if it should turn out that I’m wrong about something. I’m frequently wrong. If I let that stop me I’d never say anything - Heavens!

 

Taylor:   What is your favorite word?

 

John:    Listerine.

 

Taylor:   What is your least favorite word?

 

John:    Eclectic.

 

Taylor:   What is your favorite curse word?

 

John:   Heckiedoodles.

 

          
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Taylor:   What sound or noise do you love?

 

John:    Crickets on an August evening. I like that quite a lot. I love to sit out and listen. Having frogs in the river valley this year has also been lovely.

 

 

Taylor:   What sound or noise do you hate?

 

John:    Oh – lawnmowers. Which is funny because I’ve just done the paperwork on a lawn cutting business that I’ve decided to start. But I use a manual push mower on my own place. The sound of a woman crying – Lord, that makes me ill! When that starts I’m gone.

 

Taylor:   What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

 

John:    Well, I don’t really have one. I have a brother who is an attorney. I have no idea what possesses a person to want to be an attorney, or to want to be a rocket ship man, or want to be a cowboy, butcher, baker, Indian chief. I enjoy being of service to people – rather than just making something. I suppose those are the two big “professions” – service and manufacturing. I prefer service. Sometimes I think I would make a very good Mortician. No, seriously – it’s a “people business.” But I like to be on my own. I don’t care for working for a wage. I have a Boss whom I visit on Sunday morning, and whenever else during the week I find that I can. I don’t care to have more than the One. Making money is easy, by the way. Just decide on something to do for people and then go ahead and do it – or, several things. You know, hire whoever else you may need to help take care of the volume of work that will no doubt come in – not everybody has the entrepreneurial… chromosome… or whatever it is that I seem to have – and just offer a fair price and a ready smile. Try not to break anything. It’s a great adventure. Having fun and making a living are not mutually exclusive things.

 

Taylor:   What profession would you not like to do?

 

John:    I don’t know if I would like to be a teacher. In fact, I’m quite certain I would not. But, ever since I was a little flea, people have been telling me “You must be a teacher. It is your calling to be a teacher, your duty.” I just stink at doing what I’m told to do.  Dad was a teacher. It’s funny – he may be the one person who never told me I should do that.

 

Taylor:   If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say to you when you
arrive.

 

John:    “Did you bring any more women with you? We seem to have a shortage…”

 

No – that’s just silly. “Welcome Home” would do nicely. When the long day of working is done, what better place is there for a man to go?

 

Thanks John ... This was one of the easiest interviews ever!  You had lots to say.  I have always liked that about you.

Looks like they want us to watch that film in the next room and change into our flight suits ... Are you ready for this?  I've never done anti-gravity before, have you?