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ihearofsherlock · 9 years

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Episode 74: BSI Weekend 2015

The #BSIWeekend 2015 is in the history books. As usual, it was a reminder of the richness of friendship and fun that are the side effect - and in some cases, the driver - of our interest in Sherlock Holmes. And it is the subject of this episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.

As you know, the Baker Street Irregulars (and Friends) Weekend is a gathering of some hundrends of interested Sherlockians that is always full of food, fun and friends, and this year was no exception. In fact, this year it coincided with the 125th anniversary of the birth of Christopher Morley, the founder of the BSI, and the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Valley of Fear.

One of the highlights for us was the Lunch of Steele at the Salmagundi Club, honoring the memory of Frederic Dorr< Steele, one of the great illustrators of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Burt has hosted this luncheon for the last 12 years, and he tells us why he decided to bring back the tradition of Morley's Three Hours For Lunch Club under the topic of Steele.

At the Salmagundi Club

There at the club, we enjoyed an intimate setting that allowed us to share a variety of interests and to capture a couple of those legendary stories that aren't documented in writing. We refer, of course, to Peter Blau, who regaled us with a John Bennett Shaw story and an Al Silverstein tale.

Peter Blau, looking forlorn after offering the raffle prize up for auction at the BSI Cocktail Reception.

We also reflected on the associated interests of Sherlockians that brought us to other societies such as the Victorian Military Society, the English Speaking Union and others.

One of the common interests of Sherlockians is comedy. David Stuart Davies has always been a star attraction at comedic efforts at our gatherings. And this year was no different, with Davies doing a one-man rendition of a Goon Show-like interlude called "A Quartet of M's," which we have a short audio clip of within the show. If you'd like to watch the full version, please check out the full video below (recorded with the permission of the BSI's "Wiggins," as you heard in Episode 71).

The investitures this year were nothing short of thrilling, with two very special ones. Kristina Manente of the Baker Street Babes received the investiture "Grace Dunbar," and Emily Miranker is now "Lady Hatty St. Simon." We have audio clips of each of them, including some commentary from her father, Glen Miranker, BSI ("The Origin of Tree Worship").

Kristina Manente, BSI gets her investiture face on

If you'd like to see more photos from the 2015 BSI Weekend, here's a slideshow from our Flickr set.

The Editor's Gas-Lamp for this episode is "Watson's Wound: Real of Phantom?" by Robert Katz, MD, BSI from The Watsonian (Vol. 2, No. 2).

Links

The Three Stooges' Niagara Falls routine

The Amateur Mendicant Society's history From the Lower Vault by Chris Music is now for sale.

Tim Greer won the Morley Montgomery Award for 2014 for the best article in the Baker Street Journal.

A first look and review at Mr. Holmes with Ian McKellen as a 93 year-old retired Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlocked is the official convention of the BBC's Sherlock and it's taking place in London in April 2015.

Filming has wrapped for the Christmas special of Sherlock, with the actors in full Victorian garb.

Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard magazine at bit.ly/FlipSherlock (NEW and improved on the web!) and Scoop.it page, as well as on the The Sherlock Holmes Community on Google+ (still growing, now at over 2,300 members), as well as through our accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

Please subscribe to us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher or Spreaker and be kind enough to leave a rating or review for the show. And please tell a friend about us, in any fashion you feel comfortable.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (ihearofsherlock AT gmail DOT com), call us at (774) 221-READ (7323).

Sponsors

This episode includes three sponsors that deserve your attention:

Wessex Press (check out the new Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle in the Newspapers Volume 1)

The Baker Street Journal, where you should get your annual subscription in now to secure all four issues and a very special Christmas Annual about The Seven Per-Cent Solution.

The John H. Watson Monograph Series, from the John H. Watson Society, sponsored by James O'Leary.

#podcast #Sherlock Holmes #BSI Weekend #bsiweekend #BSI #new york

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ihearofsherlock · 9 years

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Episode 71: A Conversation with the Head of the BSI

Mike Whelan is the “Wiggins” of the Baker Street Irregulars and has been such since 1997. He joined us as a guest on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere first in December 2007 (Episodes 14 and 15).

As a reminder, the Baker Street Irregulars, the literary society dedicated to Sherlock Holmes, was founded in 1934 by Christopher Morley, administered ably from 1940-1960 by Edgar W. Smith, followed by Julian Wolff from 1960-1986 and Tom Stix, Jr. from 1986-1997.

In our conversation with Mike, we touch on both Julian and Tom, both of whom Mike knew. We go behind the scenes at the Regency, where Mike’s first BSI dinner was, as well as on the succession process that he underwent prior to ascending to the top leadership position in the BSI. As one might expect, a new leader brings new vision, and Mike’s included reclaiming the Irregulars’ literary roots, extending a hand internationally and honoring the memory of Conan Doyle.

As any good leader, Mike has been tireless in his efforts to communicate with his stakeholders (in this case the members of the Baker Street Irregulars), doing so through two annual letters. We parsed through the major themes in the 2014 mid-year letter: decentralization, BSI conferences, the next phase of the BSI Trust, and the society’s “soul” - that is, its values, which we think are worth calling out here:

Promote and nurture Grand Game scholarship

Diverse, exceptional membership, not elitist

Kind, welcoming clubbability

Altruistic volunteerism — giving more than you receive, “society above self”

Joyful, whimsical environment (see last January’s annual dinner)

Aspirational, not reactionary

Inherent modesty versus taking ourselves too seriously

Extremely high standards — never intentionally settle for less

Fiscally responsible — sufficient funds maintained to accomplish most, if not all, objectives

Societal and member Sherlockian charitable generosity

Burt and Scott go on the public record with an intention for the future (it’s up to you, dear listener, to hold us to it!). And Mike gives a preview of what you might expect at the 2015 BSI Weekend.

Finally, we discussed the very handsome Undershaw Set - a limited edition signed by the authors and in a purple slipcase with gold stamping. The proceeds from sales of the sets will go to the Undershaw Preservation Trust, an organization dedicated to preserving and restoring the unique home designed and built by Arthur Conan Doyle. [Editor’s note: we previously covered this news here.]

The Undershaw Set from the Baker Street Irregulars Press

Make sure you tune in to our sponsor reads to hear Scott tell his story about Douglas Wilmer (the subject of the 2014 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual) that references this famous scene:

The Editor’s Gas-Lamp comes from the Vol. 4, No. 1 issue in 1949, but is not a Gas-Lamp per se. Instead, it is a poem by Paul McPharlin: “Sweet Auburn,” which puts one of the original Sherlock Holmes stories to verse.

Links:

BSI Weekend

Scintillation of Scions

The Undershaw Set

Many more links are available in our Flipboard magazine and Scoop.it page, as well as on the The Sherlock Holmes Community on Google+ (with over 2,100 members), as well as through our accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. And of course, are nice collections of links, articles and images.

Please subscribe to us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher or Spreaker and be kind enough to leave a rating or review for the show. And please tell a friend about us, in any fashion you feel comfortable.

Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (ihearofsherlock AT gmail DOT com), call us at (774) 221-READ (7323).

And above all, please let our sponsors know that you heard us rant and rave about their excellence during the programme: Wessex Press and The Baker Street Journal - and as always, a very special sponsor.

—

Check out this episode!

#Sherlock Holmes #podcast #interview #Baker Street Irregulars #bsiweekend

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always1895-blog · 10 years

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Weekly Sherlock Links Compendium (January 1 - January 10, 2014)

Welcome to 2014...where it's still always 1895.

I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere provides tips for surviving and enjoying #BSIWeekend, a new documentary titled "How To Be Sherlock Holmes" premiers Sunday, Alistair Duncan explains why ACD resurrected Holmes after the events of FINA, Dan Andriacco reviews a variety of new MX Publishing titles, Peter Blau's Scuttlebutt is complete through 2013, Brad Keefauver summarizes the history of the question "Was Sherlock a drug addict", Sherlockians from Hungary address 24 misconceptions surrounding Sherlock Holmes, 221B Con announces a special guest, Scintillation of Scions VII announces a line-up of distinguished speakers, and much more in the first Weekly Sherlock Links Compendium of 2014 by Matt Laffey.

I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere put together a survival guide for the beautifully chaotic five days of collective Sherlockian madness alternately known as BSI Weekend in NYC (January 16-19, 2014). In "Tips For Navigating the #BSIWeekend" Scott Monty along with several other members of the Baker Street Irregulars compiled a list of suggestions culled from decades of experience (and, presumably, from mistakes learned from) including: the importance of extra carrying devices (all those newly purchased books have to go somewhere); the usefulness of business cards; why extreme inebriation is not recommended prior to giving a toast or lecture; bring a variety of clothing; create a schedule for yourself allowing for travel times; be prepared with maps and apps to get around NYC and use the plethora of online resources available to follow the events live or from home and much more. The official Twitter hashtag is #BSIWeekend - check out @IHearofSherlock's list of Sherlockians on Twitter. It's also not a bad idea to print out the master schedule of events just in case.

[BSI Dinner 2009 - posted on Facebook by Susan Dahlinger.]

On a personal note, from Wednesday's ASH Dinner to Saturday morning in the Dealer's Room to Sunday's ASH Brunch (hosted by Ms Lyndsay Faye) I'll be posting regularly on Twitter as @always1895 - and if I can muster up the equipment I'll have a digital recorder and mic with me in an attempt to emulate the great Sherlockian audioist Bill Rabe, responsible for Voices From Baker Street, making Sherlockian-centric field recordings and conducting impromptu interviews, for both online use and posterity. I'm looking forward to seeing those Sherlockians I only get to hang out with once a year as well as making new friends and forging new alliances, so don't be a stranger and make sure to say hello. I'm giddy with excitement and I can't wait for the around the clock Sherlock-o-rama madness to begin!

Canadian Homes Winter 2013/2014 (Volume 36, Number 2) - The Journal of the Bootmakers of Toronto - is now available for download as a PDF and features 36 pages of quality Sherlockian scholarship and news. JoAnn and Mark Alberstat write-up their observations of tourists encountering the John Doubleday bronze Sherlock Holmes statue on Baker Street, Clifford S. Goldfarb and Hartley R. Nathan explore Jewish stereotypes in the Canon (part 2 of a multi-part essay), Elaine McCafferty and Wilfrid de Freitas share some of their insights into legendary Sherlockian Donald A Redmond's work as an author, librarian and Doyle pilgrim, and much more can be found in the latest issue of Canada's premiere journal of Sherlockian scholarship.

[Download the latest issue of Canadian Holmes (Vol. 36, No. 2) from The Bootmakers of Toronto website for free.]

BBC Four announced a Sherlock-centric episode of the documentary program Timeshift titled "How To Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of the Master Detective" set to air at 10pm (GMT) on Sunday, January 12, 2014. "For over 100 years, more than 80 actors have put a varying face to the world's greatest consulting detective - Sherlock Holmes. And many of them incorporated details - such as the curved pipe and the immortal line "Elementary, my dear Watson" - that never featured in Conan Doyle's original stories. In charting the evolution of Sherlock on screen, from early silent movies to the latest film and television versions, Timeshift shows how our notion of Holmes today is as much a creation of these various screen portrayals as of the stories themselves." The narrator of the program Peter Wyngarde is no stranger to the Sherlockian screen having played Langdale Pike in the 1994 Granada adaptation of The Three Gables and Baron Gruner in the 1965 BBC adaptation of The Illustrious Client. Other contributors include Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Tim Pigott-Smith and Mark Gatiss. The Sherlock Holmes Society of London announced on Twitter that their very own Roger Johnson acted as a consultant, a fact that makes me think "How to Be Sherlock Holmes" will rise above the mediocre-to-average Holmes documentaries of the last few years.

[Mark Gatiss who plays Mycroft on BBC Sherlock reflects on Peter Cushing in the role the Great Detective.]

Doyleockian in "Why Was Holmes Resurrected?" demolishes the claim that ACD 'resurrected' Holmes in The Strand due to immense pressure from Sherlock Holmes fans at the time. "Holmes came back only because of money. ACD knew that interest in Holmes was already ramped up as a result of the William Gillette play (based on his original) which had already done very well in the US and was due to début in the UK that same year. It was a perfect time to churn out a story and capitalize on the extra hype." At a time when the most popular Holmes adaptation on TV is captained by Steven Moffat, an undisputed and committed fan of the Canon, it's difficult to harbor (or even stomach) the thought that the creator of Sherlock Holmes was anything but an ardent believer - in fact ACD considered Holmes a thorn in his side and a diversion from his more important historical fiction. Writing to his mother, ACD said of Holmes: "He takes my mind from better things." I've always thought that the famous Punch illustration by Bernard Partridge (see below) from 1926 sums up ACD's feelings most accurately: ACD is shown chained at the ankles while a Paget-esque Holmes holds the other end of the chains, opposed to being chained-up to ACD. But as Alistair Duncan points out, Holmes made ACD a very rich man.

[Bernard Partridge illustration from a 1926 issue of Punch, a weekly British magazine of satire and humor - coincidentally many early Punch covers were drawn by ACD's uncle Richard Doyle, a noted Victorian illustrator.]

Dan Andriacco recently posted a few book reviews, prefacing his latest post with a humorous analysis of the current state of the online world: "Some readers of this blog may have noticed that it has been something of a BBC Sherlock-free zone. While the rest of the Sherlock Holmes blogosphere and Twitterverse have been consumed with Season Three, Baker Street Beat has taken no notice." Ha! Andriacco is just too cool for school I guess! (I joke.) Instead of rigorously speculating on the meaning of "Redbeard" he reviews The Immortals: An Unauthorized Guide to Sherlock and Elementary (MX Publishing, 2013) by Matthew J Elliot, an analysis of all of the 2012-2013 Sherlockian TV adaptations including plot summaries as well as "Holmes's notable moments, Notable moments of the police regulars, Identification of material drawn from the Canon, Sex and romantic relationships, Drug references, Logical inconsistencies..." and much more. And for all the Cumberbunnies out there, Andriacco recommends Benedict Cumberbatch in Transition: An Unauthorized Performance Biography (MX Publishing, 2013) by Lynnette Porter. Finally, if pastiches featuring Holmes versus historic villains from literature or history is your thing, Andriacco invites you to check out the graphic novel Sherlock Holmes and the Horror of Frankenstein (MX Publishing) by Luke Kuhns and artist Marcie Klinger. So get off the couch and grab a book and then get back on the couch and do some reading!

[Cover art for Luke Kuhns and Marcie Klinger's Sherlock Holmes and the Horror of Frankenstein on MX.]

Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, Peter Blau's legendary list of Sherlockian news, events, etc., is updated through December 2013. Topics include a conference in Davos by The Reichenbach Irregulars in September 2014, a board game based Neil Gaiman's Sherlock/Lovecraft pastiche "A Study in Emerald," a Sherlock-centric shop on Etsy by Chris Caswell who formerly owned a bookstore in Southern California called Sherlock's Home, Judith Freeman's index to The Serpentine Muse complete through 2013 as an Excel spreadsheet, and tons more from Peter Blau's original Sherlock Links list.

[Click here for a PDF of the Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press for all of 2013.]

Sherlock Peoria in "Was Sherlock Holmes a casualty in the War on Drugs?" considers the relationship between Popular Culture (and stoner bookstore clerks) and the perennial question: "Was Holmes a drug addict?" Brad Keefauver's post was inspired by a recent Twitter post by Martin Montague of a letter ACD's son Denis Conan Doyle wrote to The Lancet in 1937: "Your contributor's interesting notes on cocaine poisoning give the erroneous impression that Holmes was a "drug addict". As a matter of actual fact, my father neither conceived nor depicted Sherlock Holmes as a drug addict. He was represented as one of those rare individuals who use drugs sparingly and occasionally, and who are the masters rather than the slaves of the drug concerned." Keefauver seems to be of the strong opinion that Holmes was indeed NOT a drug addict, dismissing opportunist Nicholas Meyer's novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1974) and chastising noted Sherlockian Jack Tracy for his Subcutaneously, My Dear Watson (1978) for portraying the Great Detective as a bonafide cocaine addict. Whether you think Holmes was a hopeless dope fiend junky dirtbag or an intellectual dabbler with Herculean will power - there's textual evidence for both opinions in the Canon - Keefauver's essay comes at a time when many impressionable young Sherlockian minds are watching adaptations of Holmes as recovering heroin addict (Miller in Elementary); Holmes as reckless drinker of embalming fluid (Robert Downey Jr in A Game of Shadows); and/or Holmes as a three nicotine patches at a time 'wink wink nudge nudge' possible drug user (Cumberbatch in Sherlock).

[Denis' letter to the editor of The Lancet from 1937 - this is my first time reading about Denis' stance on the Holmes/addict question and now I need to track down the editor's column that sparked said response. If you're interested, the Denis Conan Doyle letter pictured above appeared in The Lancet "Volume 229, Issue 5918, January 30, 1937, Pages 292 Originally published as Volume 1, Issue 5918" which is available online if you have access to an academic library's online subscription service.]

221B Con - the second annual Sherlock Holmes convention happening in Atlanta, GA on April 4 - 6, 2014 - posted a few announcements and requests this past week: 1) Nicholas Briggs, a producer and actor for Big Finish audiobooks as well as the voice of Daleks and Cybermen in Doctor Who, will be joining the Guest & Performers line-up, 2) 221B Con needs your photos from last year for promotional material, 3) additional comments regarding the 2014 programming list eg. due to the 'mature' nature of some panels like BDSM/Kink there will be a late-night, 18 and up programming section (and since the majority of the conference is all-ages the 19+ programming will not be listed on the general schedule) and 4) information about and a request for help for the 221B Con Tea Party (eg. dietary requests, games, cosplay ideas). Attendees from last year are still raving about 221B Con so mark your calendars, book you plane/train/bus ticket and start sewing your cosplay costume! For a taste of what to expect, check put the edifying and amusing audio recordings from 221B Con 2013 on the Baker Street Babes website.

[Nicholas Briggs as Sherlock Holmes in The Ordeals ofd Sherlock Holmes Box Set on Big Finish.]

Scintillation of Scions VII, happening June 6 - 7, 2014 in Hanover, Maryland (outside of Baltimore), announced the line-up of speakers for their seventh annual gathering of Sherlockians called to order by organizer Jacquelyn Morris. If I didn't have to recuse myself for being among said list, I would be forced to admit that it's quite a distinguished group of Sherlockians, leaning heavily towards Sherlockian Internet/online personalities that you know and love (or 'hate' if you're CBS's Elementary production staff) as well as stellar Sherlockians from a variety of backgrounds. Speakers include: Jan Burke, Carla Coupe, Brad Keefauver, Toni L.P Kelner, Matt Laffey, Scott Monty, Ashley Polasek, Lynne Stephens, Karen Wilson & Stephen Welbourn and Vincent W. Wright. Register early to ensure a place at what is quickly becoming one of the most respected yearly Sherlockian conferences.

[Stay tuned for information on what this diverse group of Sherlockians will be discussing in the coming weeks.]

Sherlock Holmes And The Mystery of Einstein's Daughter by author Tim Symonds is the perfect remedy for pastiche fans who are a bit tired of the usual Sherlock Holmes versus 'insert famous historical villain here' tropes; instead Symonds challenges Holmes in new and exciting ways: "The Dean of a Swiss university persuades Sherlock Holmes to investigate the background of a would-be lecturer. To Dr. Watson it seems a very humdrum commission - but who is the mysterious 'Lieserl'? How does her existence threaten the ambitions of the technical assistant level III in Room 86 at the Federal Patents Office in Berne by the name of Albert Einstein?"

[Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Einstein's Daughter (MX Publishing, 2014) by Tim Symonds.]

Sherlockian Sherlock - everyone's favorite Hungarian Holmes website - not only keeps the memory of the Great Detective green, but is also concerned with keeping said memory true and accurate. In "Common Misbeliefs About Sherlock Holmes" the authors tackle 24 widespread misbeliefs and misconceptions about Sherlock Holmes. Misconceptions dispelled range from serious accusations such as 'Holmes was racist' or 'Holmes used drugs all the time' to the slightly more mundane like 'Holmes was a handsome man' or 'Holmes was untidy'. Slightly more controversial topics tackled include Holmes' religious beliefs and Holmes' sexual orientation; though many are classic Sherlockian topics such as Holmes' ontological status, the origins of "Elementary, my dear Watson" and whether or not Holmes had Asperger's Syndrome. Perhaps the most timely issue addressed is whether adaptations which depict Holmes in a contemporary setting damage or detract from the essence of Sherlock Holmes. Whether you agree or disagree with the various points, you'll certainly appreciate the sincerity and seriousness in which these Hungarian Sherlockians defend their beliefs.

[24 Misconceptions about Sherlock Holmes dispelled by the editors of Sherlockian-Sherlock, dedicated and passionate Sherlockians from Hungary.]

#BSIWeekend #Canadian Homes #Alistair Duncan #Dan Andriacco #Peter Blau #Brad Keefauver #221B Con #Scintillation of Scions VII

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