Living: A London Journal

August 6, 2001 D. H. McKee

Off

Just so you know, I’m feeling much better. I’ve had a few days to cool off, and I’m not all hung up on things. I promise … no more poetry for a while.
Finished up Living: A London Journal by Roy McDonald. It’s a great book, representing a 7-day intensive journal project by London celebrity Roy McDonald. He’s the odd-looking guy who runs around London, carrying a satchel of books. He once got kicked off UWO campus because the security guards though he was just some homeless guy. As I recall, there was quite the backlash from the press, and the LFP wrote up a full page article on Roy. To tell the truth, I wasn’t even sure he was still alive, and I really wanted to know (I think he’s around 73 years old). So, I decided to do some digging on the big WWW. I knew the book was published by Ergo Books, a local London publisher, but I wasn’t really expecting them to have a website or anything… Turns out they do, and what’s more, they also have a great link to many artistic events around the London area. I strongly recommend their site, if only to obtain a copy of Roy’s books.
I filled out a feedback form on their site. Here it is (warning — it’s pretty sappy):
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Hello there, what a terrific website. It’s a shame more local publishers aren’t online. I just finished reading Living:A London Journal by Roy McDonald and thought I’d see if he was still around. I’m from London, and I was just visiting there yesterday, and the first thing I did was go looking for Roy. I’ve never actually met him, but I have a short letter from him in an autographed copy of his book. As an online journalist, and former resident of London, I feel I understand him as a fellow artist and human being. His 7 day, intensive journal is so familiar, that I feel like I’m reading part of my own life, or that of a friend; I know the names of the people (Greg Curnoe, Murray Favro), and the places (the Latin Quarter, the McDonald’s on Wellington).
I know this is only a feedback form, so I won’t go on, and I don’t expect anyone to pass this along to Roy, but I wanted to say that I will never be at his level of writing, and I can only hope to have the friends and fame of Roy McDonald, and I want others to understand how important he is to the London community and the rest of the world. To paraphrase his comments in his journal, one person cannot make much of an impact in this world, but it is important to try. We only get one shot at this life, and then it’s over. We don’t get a retry.
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Trust me, it’s really really hot right now. And, yes, I’m wearing pants. I know you don’t believe me, but this isn’t that kind of website. Unless that’s what you want. If you really want that kind of website, I could do that…

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About This Site

As a guy who occasionally curates art shows and wrangles artists together, I often have to edit and post artist bios, profile pictures, and artwork images. This can be a problem, since many artists and writers aren’t used to selling themselves. Artists rarely know how to present their art for display in a brochure, and writers aren’t used to writing about themselves.

Writers often treat the bio like it’s an interview or something. Maybe like they’re having a conversation with you, the reader. While it may work sometimes, the most common way to write a bio is to write in the 3rd person.

I’m like those writers, and I’m talking to you directly, unlike the common way to do a bio. You should see my About page. It makes sense to me, since this is a bit which describes my blog’s website. When I get famous enough that I don’t have time to talk to you, I’ll have an intern write everything in 3rd person. Until then, you get to talk to me.

Like blogs of old, this one is a personal document of the comings and goings of me. Articles I’ve written, links I’ve posted, videos I liked, etc. Here, a first-person perspective is the way to go, at least for now. So, this is my site. I’m D. H. McKee, a sometimes artist, sometimes writer. Mostly just a guy on the internet.