The Junk King, Vince Hannemann
This is convoluted, I know.
First Convolution
Austin is weird. Happily so.
Home to SXSW (South by Southwest), the bars and honkytonks on Sixth Street and the University of Texas, and notwithstanding a secessionist numbskull of a governor who through secret and unknown to him irony adds to the weirdness, Austin tries to keep the contrariness in it's civic oeuvre.
Sadly, it's about to get a little less weird.
Vince Hannemann is the proprietor of the Cathedral of Junk in Austin. He's definitely part of the Keep Austin Weird civic mantra—so much so that various departments of the city government, including the Visitors' and Convention Bureau, have sent prospective clients and patrons alike to Vince's mecca of junk.
The front yard
It's a 22 year long artistic endeavor, social commentary and cultural landmark that is now in danger of being torn down due to various code violations. What started as a few mismatched hubcaps strung up on a fence has grown into the proud civic destination of weird—turning discards and trash into treasure.
Someone complained. It's not hard to understand a neighbor's complaint. Visitors from dawn to dusk, parking problems in the older neighborhood and some occasional rowdiness tends to cut into the quality of life.
Neighbors have complained in the past, but the complaint that brought the city code inspectors to the site was from someone who was visiting. On March 9 a guest complained to the city that he or she didn't feel safe inside one of the structures. Vince has until the April 9 to get the structures into code compliance or he'll have to get a permit for demolition.
The church view (A larger image of it is here.)
If you look at the opening above in one of the main structures, you might see some stone steps in the darkness. They lead upward and by means of ramps and ladders you can actually get to the very top just below the roof turbine at the top and behind the wire screen holding all the CDs. To me, it's a simple thing not to go where you don't feel safe. But everything is structurally sound—tied off in dozens of ways to make the art stable and secure. I've blogged before about my desperate fear of heights. I made it to the top of Vince's structures—so that tells you something.
The site in Hannemann's yard is not far from the south end of downtown, a short drive over the Congress Avenue Bridge into a neighborhood of small single-storey ranch homes. Some older houses are now being modernized and rebuilt. On the other hand, newer residents have had the advantage of seeing the art and the patrons in place before they moved into the neighborhood. Their newfound NIMBY attitude belies the longstanding and a priori tradition. And since visitors are not charged for entry, caveat emptor doesn't apply, but common sense should. Stay on terra firma and look if you wish to enjoy.
The CoJ relies on donations, of material and money. There is no admission fee and it's been open every day of the year for as long as anyone can remember. I hope that continues.
Second Convolution
On a recent trip to Austin OS friends arrived like comets to orbit the lovely and loved CK Dexter Haven. She came to celebrate the thirty and the fifty, we came to celebrate our devotion and friendship. Some were novices in translating the 1s and 0s of the ether into flesh and blood; some were old hands at it. It was easy and natural and comfortable for all though because we had long been friends.
(The thirty and the fifty reference is a bit obtuse. It means that CK married young...one of those childhood arranged marriages maybe--they were celebrating being married for 30 years and celebrating her husband's 50th circumnavigation of the sun. Just look at how young she looks!)
I stayed at my son's home he shares with his girlfriend. He's a senior at the University of Texas. He'll be a senior again next year. In some typical weirdness, they were both in Dallas for a long weekend of work while I hajj-ed toward the Open Salon friends in Austin.
There are moments when taking a photograph that the confluence of the accidental moment and the collective bits of past ability come together for a happy result. Mypsyche (whose beautiful real name rhymes with "dream") showed up with beauty. But I think the shot above captured some further thing.
I'm not sure there was anyone in Austin that had a bigger, more infectious smile than Unbreakable. She's a giver, gifts intangible as affection and joy, but bestowed nonetheless.
Blue is simply adorable. She brought her equally adorable artist husband and their beautiful boy child along, but Blue proved her star/comet status all by her lonesome. Her laugh was infectious and she was always, always, smiling.
Skeletnwmn reminds me so much of the late Molly Ivins, and I'm not sure there's a better compliment I could give as I adored Molly. And she is amazingly tall, towering over everyone. In the group photo below, be aware that she is sitting down. What enormous talent she has, and OS has just scratched her surface.
CK warned me ahead of time that I would get the hell beat up if I tried to photograph her. I didn't pester her too much, though some others tried to get her to allow it. After one and and half margaritas—it doesn't take much boys—she relented. A bit.
bbd, the least photogenic
(You know, I'm a lot nicer person than what I look like in photographs...there are good reasons I'm on one side of the camera. I'm hoping CK and the others will chime in here (please) and let people know that I might look a bit better in person. Deven, you can say so too.)
great group, with an actual real photo of the photo elusive ck dexter haven
Sadly, JK Brady was not there. But we did raise bottles of beer and glasses of margaritas in her honor and at times shouted out her name as if we all had Canadian Tourette's Syndrome, simply to increase our own good karma and to tell her later that she was still the center of attention.
Third Convolution
In a way, Open Salon is like a cathedral of junk. While Vince's is largely due to his own hands over a number of years, OS has tens of thousands of hands each doing our own part in building this Tower of Babel in less than two years, a dichotomy of scale and time. A Koyaanisqatsi of glory and mayhem. It is Open indeed to the beauty and beast alike. (Yes, I know, in the interweaving of the elements here I'm calling myself a beast of sorts, but just look at the juxtapositions. In truth, all of the friends brought some wonderful beauty with them...but you could have seen that all along here on OS as many already have.)
I'm approaching my second anniversary here on OS in a few weeks. In Internet and OS time, that is donkey's years. You can see a member's number, a relative indication of when you joined, in e-mails that are sent from the OS mothership. Mine is 198. I've seen beauties and beasts in my time here. I've been delighted and I've despaired. I think it's natural for those of us who started early on to feel a sense of propriety, and curiously, without a sense of exclusive ownership—that is, the beauty is there to share and celebrate regardless of the source.
Have you noticed, though, how much beauty has departed?
And then notice how much beauty has remained. Look at those faces above again (well, excluding mine of course) and contemplate from whence beauty comes.
I hope Open Salon survives for as long or longer than Vince's art. It has been my online home for two years. I'm not leaving. I'll still be here as I owe so much to Joan, Kerry, Thomas and Judy for what they've done for me. I'm just working out the frequency.
SHALOM Y'ALL
Addendum: I'm adding an additional image, prompted by Rita in the comments, of just how much Unbreakable and Blue made everyone enjoy themselves just by their happy presence. You can also see how CK was still at the point of denying that I can take a decent picture once in a while.
Here it is:
Unbreakable, CK (hidden) and Blue outside Juan in a Million where we had a brunch meetup. Juan's in east Austin is really one of the best places for local flavor.
all images copyright © 2009, 2010 by barry b. doyle • all rights reserved
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Comments
Thanks bbd.
::raising my margarita ... high!!::
OSers, our meet-up was an incredible thing for me. People raised eyebrows: "So you are meeting people that you met online?" all the while looking like I had pronounced I was going to meet George W.
But the beauty of OS is that we do get to know others, at least who we are thru our words...and, when you get right down to it, we are our words, right?
Thanks, Barry, for sharing this so beautifully. (And letting me hog your blog!)
John, yes, I think you can make a case for a skeletonized version of Gaudi...it really is something to see in person. It's very difficult to take a wide angle shot and have it mean anything...the most interesting photos I have are of the close ups showing some serendipitous detail. Thanks for coming by.
Robin, thanks so much for stopping by. The stars are all the wonderful friends.
Ranjit, I'm honored by your stopping by, and thanks for sticking it out to the end where I tried to bring it together.
Dorinda, xo thanks
femme, next time I'm in your area, I'd like us both to hoist a margarita. thanks for the lovely compliment...but really, I'm better live than in two dimensions
mypsyche, I just love that delicate lovely photo of you, it's one of the best I took that weekend. It really was a nice gathering of friends. (And sorry I talked so much...I'm usually more reticent.)
scupper, you're one of the friends I treasure on OS. you're one of the ones that provide beauty to this place. Thank you for all you've done, thanks for the friendship
Bellwether, a lovely compliment, thanks. It was a fun time indeed.
Elisa, I wish you could have been there too.
Glad y'all had such fun, and wonderful photos of the COJ. Stupid twit visitor, complaining about safeness.
Lovely sentiment as well--when some complain about everyone who's left, I think, aahh, because I'm chopped liver.
Deven, I wish you could have been there too...
greenhorn, I am indeed lucky beyond ways to count
MAWB, they are worthy of being loved. Thanks!
Sally, we do go back and it's been a great ride. thanks so much
Julie, I love that part too.
MrsM, I love when you stop by...you're the antithesis of chopped liver, btw...more like a lovely pâté. Oh, wait... xo
Speaking of the art of the wild, great photos, thanks so much for sharing your meetup! (And you look like the cat that ate the canary, in the midst of all those sexy women)
I think you are making a wonderly connection between the cathedral of junk and OS. Good on ya and happy Easter!
I.read.it.slowly.just.to.soak.it.
and.yall....in.
big.hugs.
The weekend was magical, the company was the absolute best and those smiles in Barry's beautiful pictures were just a small indication of the joy we all felt at finally connecting in the natural realm with people who had captures our hearts long ago.
Barry, you are the ultimate gentleman. If any of you ever have the opportunity to meet the lovely, handsome, sweet and gracious Barry, DO NOT MISS that opportunity.
Thank you for this beautiful remembrance of the OS weekend, Barry. You're the best. The absolute best.
~R~
I've read many descriptions of what OS is, but none have seemed as accurate to me as that.
"Have you noticed, though, how much beauty has departed?
And then notice how much beauty has remained."
That's exactly it. It's like an ever-shifting tapestry, with beautiful threads and plain threads and ugly threads running through it, weaving in and out of each other. The effect can be jarring some days, sublime on others. Sometimes it can be both together. One thing for certain is that many of my best friends here are gone.
nice job handling all that pulchritude on your own, too, big guy.
And here's the rub: OS is a phenomenon of the moment. It's rare that there is any archeology going on into anyone's previous posts. As I've said before, that's ok--OS is what it is. I don't mean to lessen the immediate interaction, but it sometimes comes with a cost. As wonderful as some of the interactions are...there is sometimes a lack of depth. That's why meeting friends solidifies the relationships...it makes it 3D in a way.
I mourn the loss of JK Brady, WSFTC, iamsurly and other dear friends who added depth and context and spirit to this place.
Shoot.
I'm so sorry that I'm so far from Austin. I would have loved to have been part of the crazy group you gathered. Fun looks to have been had by all.
Also, I feel it is very important to support the outsiders who slam against established norms in art. Folks like Vince Hannemann, Simon Rodia, Henry Darger, Jessie Howard and others are national treasures of the first order. They show the world glimpses of genius that many individuals refuse to understand, but are nonetheless intimidated by. Fabulous post, and I am confident in saying this:
Please let me be the first to compliment you on your future EP and Cover!
Ardee, you are such a terrific artist, I knew you would get it.
Lisa, Austin misses you...I heard it first hand alla time.
Patricia, what a gracious lovely comment, thanks so much.
Susanne, happy Easter back to you, thanks for stopping by.
Rob, I can't begin to express how nice it is to see you on OS. My best always to you and yours.
Amanda, thanks, I read your comment slowly too.
scanner, yes...I don't understand the complainers. It's as if they can't create art by themselves...
Unbreakable, it was such a delight to meet you in person. You are as lovely in person as you are online. A rare thing.
Lainey, appropriate comment! Thanks.
Sandra, I'll ask my son to get you a new shirt. PM me the size you wish and a color preference...be happy to send it along to you in exchange for all you've given of yourself here.
Jeff, thanks man.
Lonnie, I toasted you too while in Austin. We had a lovely time getting together there before. Hope we can do it again.
Lainey, yes...and got OS to delete her presence, not just her blog...same with JK
Lorraine...I need to make a trip up to the northeast if we can go on a creek walk together.
Gary, very important observations...and of course from an artist of amazing ability and talent. We need to speak out against those that don't understand. Though I don't think this will make either an EP or Cover since it's a rare blog that has meta elements in it that does. That's ok, it's very important for me to make the connections with friends. I'm glad that you and I are good friends.
Meeting you all was a great experience. I wasn't sure what to expect, having never turned an internet friend into a "real" friend before, but I enjoyed the weekend immensely.
The photos are great, Barry.
Thanks so much for everything.
Laura
The loss of valued others makes it hard sometimes. Then I move on to read new writers and there is a thrill. a sense of being fulfilled. I think when we come here, we come here to be "seen". I never expected to be seen nor heard nor even read when I came here. I just showed up.
Thank you, all, who showed up.
Yes, it's painful to see Austin be invaded by Republicants and whatnot but I know there's still a rabid faction for preserving its unique culture. It's like a giant Disneyland to me and every visit there is a treat. Great job of documenting the feel and flavor.
"Keep Austin Weird"
Again, amazing shots. It's like I was there...hopefully one day I will be.
I love that you have drawn an analogy between this and OS. I have not been on my blog much lately; my husband was laid off and so there were harsh choices to be made that ate into my free time. I caught the recent 'dust-up' when I checked out a book-marked post by JK Brady to find it gone. Thank you for weaving the memory of those no longer here into this post; I hope they check it out and know that they are missed and still loved.
These photographs of our dear OS friends are precious, it is wonderful to remind ourselves that we are not just binary ones and zeros but also flesh and bone - and tiaras!
Boy, if Unbreakable just doesn't light up a room!
I have a serious hankering to meet more peeps. Getting together with our gang from Flickr was great, and it's something I wish I could do here as well. Since #2 is in college and still has no job to speak of, finances don't allow trips so it's mostly trying to hook up with members who are close by (CoyoteOldStyle and I keep trying to match schedules; one day, we will).
Great photos, but then that's what I expect from a talent such as you, brother.
Rated. Damn, you look sweet in a tiara. :-D
all rights reserved, of course.
Looks like a wonderful gathering of OS folks down there. The envy runneth over.
Seeing Vince on here was a big wowie!
ATX stays weird ~~~ for any good reason!!!
I'm lucky to have a sister who lives in Austin. She introduced me to that amazing city and, every time I go, I am always finding some new treasure. When I decided that I would surprise my husband with a trip there during SXSW, I immediately thought of contacting Texas OSers with whom I had connected. Each one of those people responded enthusiastically to my tentative hope that we might be able to meet. It blew me away. And, each one of them, including you, proved to be such a joy in person. (Hi, friends!) I'm rather shy by nature, so this kind of meet-up was just the kind I could handle.
I'm really interested in the metaphor you've explored here, and the related tags. When I first visited the COJ a year ago and took the picture that inspired my "Tink" post (thanks for the link, btw), I was really taken with the notion of such an organically realized sculpture-structure, much as I was taken with the organically realized structure of OS. When I returned to the COJ this spring, and found that the brick staircase no longer led to a balcony, and the chamber to the left of the throne was gone, it wasn't that the structure was just "not the same." There was something not quite right about it. The integrity of the whole was compromised when outside forces caused Vince to move and remove whole sections of his original vision. Your tags are no whim, they show what is missing from the lively structure that was OS in one of its most golden moments. We walk up those stairs and the view is gone. Cat/Kitty/Lorraine provided a view of some of the tiniest details, the unsung, harldy noticed, and most lovely writers she could find every week. JK Brady is gone too. There are others, some who haven't posted for quite a while, who have simply faded away. More leave quietly every day. When these elements are taken away, the sculpture is not the same. They were some of the strongest writers this site has seen. Whatever fills the void they have left isn't necessarily of the same caliber or shine. It's silly of us to think it could be so. I hope, like you do, that both Vince and his COJ, and those who still contribute to this site, will be able retain some of the integrity of what was best in these beautiful creations, and build off from them.
And you know, dear friend, that that tiara has its own story. Lorraine sent you to get it for me, and I shared it with those treasures who came together on that lovely night.
XO Barry. Let's keep making beautiful things like this post.
Folks, in general, I'm touched by the responses so far. Most of you really get what I was trying to say...that it's not just about meeting up with some friends found on OS. It is about what we weave here, what we cherish, and what we choose or are compelled to ignore. There are intensely beautiful things created here.
In all honesty, I chose the title for this post long before making the decision to stay on OS. To reduce it to a simplistic abstract, I don't want the forces of darkness to think that they've won. Much like the larger real life world, there are terrible things that we deal with or ignore. And I would feel terrible if I allowed duplicity to triumph.
I was also perhaps saying goodbye to Vince, certainly goodbye to a loss of his contribution to the weirdness that is Austin. Volunteers have been working there nonstop since the order to comply came down, securing things and hauling off other bits. We'll see how it works out in another week or so.
Stellaa, we go back, we've seen the highs and lows. It is indeed what we make it.
aim, I can't answer that completely, and since they had the OS tech team actually remove their accounts, you can't even PM them to ask. It would be a disservice for me to speak for them though. Simply, and unfairly, the frustration quotient on a number of issues reached the breaking point.
Stim, thanks for picking up on the fact that I'm so lucky. True enough friend.
Blue, thank you for making it so nice and for sharing your brilliant husband and gorgeous child.
ladyslipper...like those from Middle Earth sailing into the West, the time of tiaras has passed, though there might be someone who attempts to wear the mantle, the original bestower cannot be replaced.
Harry, thanks for stopping by and for your thoughts.
Folks, if you haven't seen Harry's post about the old Baker Hotel, it's a must read. Find it here
trilogy, thanks! they are wonderful people.
Lainey, see above...but she and others are why I posed the question about the beauty that has gone.
Beth, I just love your joie de vivre. xo
MJ, glad to help.
psychomama, thanks for that comment and for your careful reading xo
rita, indeed, unbreakable just brings light into a room. I'll add a pic to the end of the post...both unbreakable and blue kept smiling.
Bill, I cherish our time together, though it was too short by far. Good luck in gathering in the friends in your neck of the woods.
1IM, ilyt, reservations accepted.
Akopsa, thanks so much for your comment.
Jeanette, I wish you could have been there too.
fm, there wasn't anything missing as far as I could tell.
sophieh, yep, you got it.
voicegal, thanks for that lovely thought.
Steve, I couldn't agree more.
Hells, I love it when the poetess laureate of OS stops by, thanks.
l'Heure, thank so much.
Lea, meeting you was a highlight for me last year. I owe you so much for your kindnesses.
Juli, thanks for coming by...
And CK, still thinking of what to say...soon.
kmb, we'd have a good time together doing a dual photo shoot there...you'd make a great subject too for photos in that setting.
Owl, thanks!
First, thanks for filling in some of the back story. I knew it of course, but it fills some things in nicely for those that have made it this far in reading the comments.
I was so taken with your story on Tink and the photos. It really is a beautiful post in many ways, and inspired me to seek out the CoJ. If it happens that it is diminished or torn down, I'll always be in your debt for that gift.
I'm not sure there are many that can count the cost to Kitty/Lorraine in what it took to highlight the wonderful talent on OS...she persevered for a long time and never hinted at the slings and arrows. A few substituted on the Friday roundups and know precisely what that entailed. It was a lot of work. Her writing challenges were amazing as well. The metal posts stand out as a testament to the good writing talent at OS. But it wasn't the hard work that drove her away, it was a callous disregard to acknowledge that a differing opinion on a variety of issues could be at the same time strong and principled and loving and empathic at the same time. It's simply too easy to pillory on an online forum. She's a professional writer working on a weekly deadline, sometimes more often than that. The eastern half of Canada knows she's really good at what she does, so it just got to be too much to juggle the professional life and to be paid in vitriol for the beautiful work she was doing on OS. She's a friend and I admit to some prejudice, but I'm also intelligent and discerning. She will be missed as one of the bright spots now obscured. In making my comments about the immediate nature of OS we see that it is so with her. It wasn't long before the footprints in the sand were washed away in the next high tide wave...and for most, the memory fades.
Not for me.
To use the Cathedral of Junk as a metaphor for the beauty found in OS ties in with Lorraine as well. A larger picture of the CoJ means that the details are lost, you sense the structure, but it's not until you take a close up photo or just sit and look at some thoughtful detail that you'll see the beauty and connective threads. Lorraine offered gems of beauty from her own cupped hands time and again. And not, as is the way for some, for self aggrandizement, but because the results of her mining the far reaches of OS produced gemstone quality beauty--some gently shoving into the limelight of those worthy to be seen and cherished. Her hands lit up for a moment, but receded quickly out of the light.
It's the nature of the beast. We have lost friends here, and that will continue. We can always choose to remain and attempt to provide some light.
Thanks CK, for your thoughtful comment, and deep understanding.
Wonderful post, altho it fills me with almost intolerable envy! (r)
And for your information -- The Cathedral of Junk is now on Facebook garnering support -- apparently there are councilmembers who are not willing to see it dismantled. I urge you and all of those who love your description and photos of the COJ to go become a fan (despite my disdain for Facebook, it does have some redeeming value).
Also -- Barry, you could post your photos of COJ for others on FB to see your perspective of that icon of funk.
I'm raising my margarita glass in a toast to all these beautiful writers!
R
I'm not even sure how I got here, all this time later, but love the junk king's abode.
The picks of you all gathered together are just priceless! How cool to see these shots of you together...clearly, you had a great time!