Biscuits, pork and pottery, People.
I’ve been in the Carolinas for three days. The shows in Durham and Charlotte were great. Charlotte was very hands on. Exciting. I haven’t done my Charleston show as of this writing. I hope I get home. Seems flights are a bit fucked.
I always seem to enjoy coming to this part of the country despite the fact that some part of me thinks the enemy lives here. I just have to understand they are everywhere now. There is a haircut trend here that is a bit disconcerting. Grown men in their thirties and forties are sporting some kind of little boy haircut from the fifties. It’s a kind of Butch Wax Reich look. I think it was popular in the ‘30s with grown men of a certain Germanic type. Could be just a haircut trend. I hear teenagers are mulleting again. I won’t read too much into it.
I ate a fried chicken biscuit with cheddar at RISE in Durham. I ate a pork plate with hush puppies and collards at Rodney Scott’s BBQ in Charleston. So fucking good.
I do have anxiety concerns. This one is a small and steady. I tend to do a lot of OCD-and-anxiety-driven behavior to keep my mind off the overwhelming terror of the world. I keep it small batch.
I like pottery. Many of you know the last time I was down here I went to Seagrove, NC which is sort of the pottery capital of North America. I bought a bunch of stuff from a bunch of different potters. It was fun and exciting. I like pottery as a decorative art. It is unique and affordable and you can eat and drink out of it if you want.
Last time I was in the area my potter friend Brian Jones, whose work I give to my guests, told me to go see the work of Mark Hewitt. He told me Mark was the OG, the guy, the first of the new wave of Seagrove potters, the real deal. He only shows his stuff by appointment. His studio is where his home is and it’s in Pittsboro, NC. I remember thinking it sounded like a hassle so I didn’t reach out. This time I did.
I called the number on his site to see if I could get an appointment. A machine picked and a woman said they rarely listen to messages left there. She said if I wanted to see the stuff I should call Carol. She said Carol’s cell number and I almost wrecked the car writing it down. I called Carol. I told her who I was and that I wanted to see the goods. She said I had amazing luck because that day was the day of the kiln opening. Apparently twice a year a giant batch of work is removed from the giant kiln and put on display in the studio showroom and sold. She said it was from 10 to 5. I was excited. I looked at my watch and was already ten and I was an hour away. Anxiety. I kind of spiraled.
I thought, ‘Shit I’m going to late. There’s not going to be any jars or mugs or pitchers left. Is there even going to be parking? Is there going to be a line of a hundred people waiting to see the stuff? Pottery groupies and collectors? Is there going to be fights? Will they have porta potties and water? Will I be waiting on line while people walk by on their way out with all the good pottery thinking, “fuck, they got all the good ones?” Is that how it’s going to be?’
Total brain melt over POTTERY. In NORTH CAROLINA. Like it was Black Friday at Best Buy. Jesus.
I got there and there were like 15 people wandering through the showrooms and yard. Mostly nice seeming ladies. There was plenty of amazing stuff. I bought some beautiful pieces. I talked to Mark. You can see it on my IG page if you’re curious.
I’m nuts.
Today I talk to comedian Kate Berlant about ART and other things. On Thursday I mix it up with my old friend Dana Gould about the state of things and comedy. Great talks!
Enjoy!
Boomer, Monkey and LaFonda live!
Love,
Maron
POTTERY.
