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1
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Edited at https://subtitletools.com
2
00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,596
(whirring)
3
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:15,074
Watch more movies for free on
www.FlixTor.to
4
00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,629
(wind noise)
5
00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:30,240
(engine revving)
6
00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,078
- Sunday, August 215t, 1966.
7
00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:37,714
A perfect day for an execution.
8
00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,117
Approximately 122 miles
southwest of Las Vegas,
9
00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:46,792
a 1963 Buick LeSabre,
license plate FUP744,
10
00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:51,516
is hammering along US
highway 91, Interstate 15.
11
00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,109
- Ed was driving my
car, a '63 Buick.
12
00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,035
Pat Blackwell was
in the backseat with
all his camera stuff.
13
00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,670
I had a typewriter with me
and it was Ed's typewriter.
14
00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:04,394
One of the feet was broken
off of it and I said,
15
00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:06,750
man, I don't have any
place to put my feet.
16
00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,195
So I said, I'll buy you
another typewriter, Ed,
17
00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:11,197
let's throw this
thing out the window.
18
00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:13,197
And he said, toss it.
19
00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:16,392
- [Darren] At 5:07 PM, the
passenger window rolls down.
20
00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:18,192
- We saw a flat place
up ahead and I said,
21
00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:20,789
okay, get her up to
90 miles an hour and
22
00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,833
at the right moment,
I just tossed it.
23
00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,437
(shattering)
(engine revving)
24
00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:30,073
- The wreckage stretches along
(ding)
25
00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,033
189 feet of asphalt
and Nevada desert.
26
00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:35,271
- Either me or Ed said,
you know we should go back
27
00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:37,789
and photograph that.
28
00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:39,831
If there was ever an
investigation of this,
29
00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,918
was it an accident
or was it a murder?
30
00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,952
(plinky piano notes)
31
00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,873
It was too directly
bound to its own anguish
32
00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:56,878
to be anything other
than a cry of negation,
33
00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:59,992
carrying within itself, the
seeds of its own destruction.
34
00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,118
- Ed Ruscha and Mason
Williams' Royal Road Test
35
00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:06,675
is still one of
my favorite books.
36
00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:08,717
It looks like a
technical manual,
37
00:02:08,920 --> 00:02:11,150
it's a little yellow,
spiral bound notebook.
38
00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,072
The kind of thing that
you might have received
39
00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,754
as an instruction manual
with any Royal typewriter.
40
00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:17,871
- Scene of strewn wreckage.
41
00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:19,911
Figure in foreground
points to impact area,
42
00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:21,912
there is no real
explanation of it,
43
00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,628
you're just kind of confronted
with the bald facts of it
44
00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:29,470
and these really stark
black and white photos.
45
00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:31,079
The kind of thing that
you might see if someone
46
00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:33,316
was investigating a crime scene.
47
00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:35,471
- [Mason] Carriage assembly.
48
00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,513
- Then you're left trying
to make sense out of it.
49
00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,513
(eerie piano notes)
50
00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:46,832
When I found that book,
51
00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:48,353
it was kind of a
definitive moment for me.
52
00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:49,959
I looked at it and
I thought, yeah,
53
00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:51,878
this is the grave
of typewriting,
54
00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:54,355
this is the moment when
it stopped being one thing
55
00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,198
and started being
something else.
56
00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,912
- [Auctioneer] Here we are
now, Lot 84, Cormac McCarthy's
57
00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:03,878
Olivetti manual typewriter,
58
00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,190
on which he has typed all
but one of all of his novels,
59
00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:08,391
including three
not yet published.
60
00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:10,232
And I can open up.
61
00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:12,954
It is on the left at
$45,000, $48,000, $50,000.
62
00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,116
$60,000, 70,000.
63
00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:16,389
$80,000.
64
00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:18,192
$85,000.
65
00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:19,958
(ding)
$90,000
66
00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:21,388
$95,000.
67
00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:23,955
$120,000, you came all this way.
68
00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:24,956
$170,000.
69
00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:28,239
$180,000.
70
00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:30,830
$190,000.
71
00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:34,110
$200,000.
72
00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:36,953
Wanna say $210,000?
73
00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:37,956
$210,000.
74
00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:39,950
$210,000.
75
00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,916
Last chance, at end
selling, $210,000.
76
00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,913
Congratulations,
sir, Paddle 623.
77
00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:51,799
(light jazz music)
78
00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,590
- We've become
a throwaway society.
79
00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:01,239
Obsolete,
80
00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:03,908
depends on your point
of view, I guess.
81
00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,475
We'll take care of it
for you, have it fixed
82
00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:08,358
in no time at all, sir.
83
00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:13,676
(clicking)
84
00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:16,269
I've been repairing typewriters
85
00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,114
here in Berkeley for 38 years.
86
00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,511
You name it, I've
probably worked on it.
87
00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:24,995
The first six or seven
years I was in this business
88
00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:29,153
I ate, drank, slept
Smith Corona typewriters.
89
00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,591
The Standards, the Sterlings,
the Clippers, the Silents,
90
00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:35,792
the Super Silents, the
Galaxies, the Classic 125,
91
00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:37,758
the Skywriters.
92
00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,639
I like 'em because they've
got a cool, nice touch on 'em.
93
00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,030
I think that Smith-Corona
is like a good version
94
00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:45,310
of a Chevy, it holds up.
95
00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,034
It's not a Benz like
maybe an Olympia might be,
96
00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:49,389
but it's a good Chevy.
97
00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:50,436
(clicking)
98
00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:51,999
Quiet.
99
00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:53,069
Dependable.
100
00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,671
California Typewriters is a
small, family-run business.
101
00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,031
It's just the owner Herb,
his daughters, and me.
102
00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:08,999
- You have to push up on here.
103
00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,754
- Herb bought the typewriter
shop back in the early 80$.
104
00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:13,279
Just about the time
that personal computer
105
00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:14,879
came on the scene.
106
00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,554
(clicking)
(dings)
107
00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:19,557
He's an ex-IBM guy.
108
00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:22,274
He knows the IBM Selectric
and the ball machine,
109
00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:24,755
but he's probably the
best Selectric guy I know.
110
00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:26,393
I mean, I've worked on a
few, but I can't come close
111
00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:28,511
to his skills on a Selectric.
112
00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:30,790
(clicking)
113
00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:33,879
Herb's got a dream that people
114
00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:35,155
are gonna come back
to typewriters.
115
00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:39,077
- [Carmen] My dad believes
that there are various people
116
00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:42,078
all over the place totally
excited about typewriters.
117
00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,880
I think he thinks it's somewhat
of a wave of the future.
118
00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:46,798
That more people are
gonna come back to them,
119
00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:48,877
just for different reasons.
120
00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:52,311
He's hopeful, for sure.
121
00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,398
And he's willing to
spend his last dime.
122
00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,795
(grunts)
123
00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,191
(footsteps)
124
00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:05,029
- I probably have 250 plus
typewriters in my collection
125
00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:07,356
and I would say that 90% of them
126
00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:09,790
are in perfect working order.
127
00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:15,870
I've tried to foster a
community of typewriting people
128
00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:17,951
and it hasn't quite worked.
129
00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,116
I've given typewriters to folks,
130
00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:21,548
because I have a lot of spares.
131
00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:23,512
And if somebody says,
132
00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:25,073
jeez, I'd like to have a
typewriter to write letters.
133
00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:28,471
It's on their desk
within 48 hours,
134
00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,035
with a note from me explaining
the typewriter to them.
135
00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:32,759
I go to their houses later on
136
00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:34,109
and they have it up
on a shelf somewhere
137
00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:36,117
like it's an object of art.
138
00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:38,880
And I say, get that bad boy
down, put it on your desk.
139
00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:40,553
Have it right there
140
00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:41,670
so you can always type
something to somebody.
141
00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:43,876
(clacking)
142
00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:48,071
I type almost every day.
143
00:06:48,280 --> 00:06:50,111
There's usually a memo that
I'm sending to somebody
144
00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:54,393
or a question or a thank you
note or an actual response.
145
00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,871
I hate getting email
thank yous from folks.
146
00:06:58,080 --> 00:06:59,593
Hey, we had a great
time last night.
147
00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:01,597
Or, hey, I really
appreciated it.
148
00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:04,598
So, really, you appreciated
it so much that you
149
00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:06,552
took seven seconds
to send me an email.
150
00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:09,115
Now if they take 70 seconds
to type me out something
151
00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:10,873
on a piece of paper
and send it to me,
152
00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:12,559
well, I'll keep that forever.
153
00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:14,512
Otherwise I'll just
delete that email.
154
00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:19,876
Look, there's always gonna be
great watches that are made,
155
00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:21,917
you'll have to pay
a premium for them.
156
00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:23,951
The truth is, no
good typewriters
157
00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,116
are ever gonna be made again.
158
00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:27,673
No matter how much of a premium
159
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:29,751
you're gonna want
to pay for 'em.
160
00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:31,916
There is no factory, there is
no businessman in the world
161
00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:33,348
who's going to open
up a factory and says,
162
00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:34,470
we
163
00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:36,472
are going to make
164
00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,030
the finest typewriter that
will last absolutely forever
165
00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:44,552
and anybody who is
willing to pay the $17,000
166
00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:46,432
for a Hanks Typewriter.
167
00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:48,073
Well, they're gonna pass
it down to their gen...
168
00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:49,435
No, that's not gonna...
169
00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:51,312
They might do that with a watch.
170
00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:53,272
You might do that, there'll
always be a new iPad
171
00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:55,277
that's coming down the pike,
172
00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:57,277
there's always gonna be good
cars and things like that,
173
00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:59,914
but no one is ever going to
make the great typewriter
174
00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:01,957
ever, ever, ever again.
175
00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:04,348
Boo hoo.
176
00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,552
(downtempo jazz music)
177
00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:09,910
(scraping)
178
00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,636
- When I was a kid I didn't
really think about the future.
179
00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:31,638
We were constantly
building things.
180
00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,434
We built go carts,
we built balsa wood gliders,
181
00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:37,234
we built a five-story
tree house.
182
00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:38,839
And it was the house
183
00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:40,559
that the neighborhood
kids came to play.
184
00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:42,671
My parents didn't
care what we did,
185
00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:45,030
they didn't worry about noise
and we could build things
186
00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:46,673
in my father's workshop.
187
00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:48,751
It was a tremendous childhood.
188
00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,992
(downtempo jazz music)
189
00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:58,398
My name is Martin Howard.
190
00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:01,279
I've been collecting
19th century typewriters,
191
00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:06,640
from the 18805 and
18905 for 22 years now.
192
00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:08,990
I didn't want to collect
Swiss music boxes
193
00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:10,997
or microscopes, or telescopes,
194
00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,919
I wanted to collect something
that was sort of off the radar
195
00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:14,996
in that regard.
196
00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:18,757
The quality of how
things were built
197
00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:21,394
at that time is spectacular.
198
00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,036
Cast and machine made
part5 beautifully painted.
199
00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,629
It's the wild west
of typewriters.
200
00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,554
My collection I call the
Martin Howard collection.
201
00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:38,032
They're all typewriters
of nonstandard design.
202
00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:39,832
During the 18805 and 18905,
203
00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:42,315
there were many different
styles of typewriters,
204
00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:45,757
but there were two main
classes of typewriters.
205
00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:48,633
One was the keyboard
typewriter and the other,
206
00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:53,311
what we call are now
index typewriters.
207
00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:55,750
I really love typewriters
that are the genesis
208
00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,110
of an idea, the
very beginning form.
209
00:09:58,360 --> 00:09:59,759
(click)
210
00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:01,439
Even if it was a
failure down the road
211
00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:03,198
and died out of the
evolutionary tree,
212
00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:06,551
that's okay, I like the
beginning of any idea.
213
00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:08,159
(ding)
(whirring)
214
00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:10,078
(clicking)
215
00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:12,077
One of the things I love
finding in my typewriters
216
00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,238
when I'm working on
them is a dried spider,
217
00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,398
a spider from the
18805 or the 18905.
218
00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:21,831
What it tells me is that
nobody has raided the tomb
219
00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:24,474
and I'm the first to crack
open this typewriter.
220
00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:29,435
The only typewriter of
great historical note
221
00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:31,392
that's missing
from my collection
222
00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,160
is a Sholes and
Glidden typewriter.
223
00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:35,674
The Sholes and
Glidden is the first
224
00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:37,074
commercially
successful typewriter,
225
00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:39,470
it appeared in 1874.
226
00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:42,353
It's of the utmost
historical importance,
227
00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:48,078
and after years of collecting,
it still eludes me.
228
00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:51,636
(metal shifting)
(downtempo minimalist music)
229
00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:57,316
(clinking)
230
00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:11,675
(shuffling)
231
00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:42,598
(clank)
232
00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:44,558
- I feel like I'm just as
much a typewriter person
233
00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:50,079
as anybody who actually likes
to see typewriters intact
234
00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,874
it's just that I have a
different way of coming at it.
235
00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,150
Some collectors,
typewriter enthusiasts,
236
00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:03,516
don't like that I do this.
237
00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,188
They get riled up as
if I'm going to destroy
238
00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:10,359
thousands of typewriters and
that's not really the case.
239
00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:13,233
Most of the ones
I take apart are
240
00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:15,192
in pretty rough shape.
241
00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,198
I don't really hack into
them, I'm pretty gentle
242
00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:19,833
when I destroy them.
243
00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:27,999
I'd always wanted to
take a typewriter apart
244
00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:31,909
since I was 10 or 11.
245
00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:34,475
My mom had an old
Underwood and I'd always
246
00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:36,193
sit alongside of
it and hit the keys
247
00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:38,192
and look at all the
machinery inside
248
00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,796
and want to kind of be
in there and see it,
249
00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:43,479
from the key getting
pushed to the
250
00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:45,238
type bar hitting the platen.
251
00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:46,668
Thought it was great.
252
00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:49,235
Just couldn't get enough of it.
253
00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,273
At the time, this
Queen video came out
254
00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:56,115
with bits and pieces of
Fritz Lang's Metropolis.
255
00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:58,231
That's kinda how the
typewriter looked to me,
256
00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:01,000
it's like those little planes
flying through Metropolis.
257
00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:02,838
When I looked inside, I
felt like I was flying
258
00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:04,439
through the typewriter,
259
00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:07,438
as if it were this
big city machine.
260
00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,034
I've seen Metropolis more
times than I can count.
261
00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:19,111
(grinding and rattling)
262
00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:34,072
I moved to Oakland
three years ago
263
00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:38,273
after living in the mountains
for almost 18 years.
264
00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:40,277
I was living in the
woods, basically,
265
00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:42,869
making what appeared
to be naked robots
266
00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:44,593
out of machine parts.
267
00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:46,910
And it didn't really go
over very well there.
268
00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:51,751
I didn't know for
sure if it was good
269
00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:53,996
or if it was worth looking at
270
00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:56,151
or if it was worth
anybody's time.
271
00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:58,794
So I had to come here to see.
272
00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:00,513
(clanking)
273
00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:02,312
A lot of it's my own compulsion,
274
00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:05,637
my own need to make
art and be an artist.
275
00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:13,390
When I first moved here,
I didn't really know anybody.
276
00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:15,272
I was driving through
Berkeley one day
277
00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,153
and I saw this sign with
a typewriter logo on it
278
00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,749
that said California Typewriter
and I looked in the window.
279
00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,560
Sure enough, there
were typewriters.
280
00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,316
I'm always nervous to tell
people who like typewriters
281
00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:34,355
about what I do, 'cause
some people don't like it.
282
00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:37,239
But the Permillions
are super friendly and
283
00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:40,199
they're like the first friends
I made when I got here.
284
00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:41,190
- [Herb] Hey, hey,
what's up, Jer?
285
00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:42,555
- Hey, Herb.
286
00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:43,636
- [Ken] 15 that Jeremy, Herb?
287
00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:44,716
Hey, what's up, buddy?
288
00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:45,830
How you doin' man?
289
00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:47,519
- [Jeremy] Alright.
290
00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:49,472
Occasionally they'll
call me and ask me
291
00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:53,355
if I have a certain part,
like a carriage return lever,
292
00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:55,755
platen knobs, mainsprings.
293
00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,639
- [Jeremy] Really common parts
that I have boxes full of.
294
00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:03,479
- This won't fly, but that's
the guy I need right there
295
00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:05,875
so that one's gonna do
it, yeah that'll fit.
296
00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:08,036
- I usually take 'em
all the way apart.
297
00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:10,356
If I can give him any
kind of part that he needs
298
00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:13,950
to put into a functioning
typewriter, I'm happy to do it.
299
00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:15,354
It's pretty common actually.
300
00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:17,909
You know, Smith-Coronas?
301
00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,032
Herb has a lot of
IBM Selectrics.
302
00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:24,835
Some of them are just too
far gone, too hard to repair.
303
00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:28,032
So he gives them to me
instead of throwing them away.
304
00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:29,076
Thank you.
305
00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:30,395
Thanks, Herb.
306
00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:31,476
- [Herb] Alright, see you later.
307
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:32,669
- Catch you later.
308
00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:33,676
(slams)
309
00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:35,871
(whirring)
310
00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:41,519
(wipers thunking)
311
00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:48,398
- I feel like I've
been peripatetic
since I was an infant.
312
00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,397
(distant thunder)
313
00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:55,390
I basically grew up in the
backseat of a Plymouth.
314
00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:57,710
I don't like flying.
315
00:15:57,920 --> 00:15:59,558
I'd rather be in a car.
316
00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:04,236
But it's really hard to write
a play when you're on the move
317
00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:08,758
because you have
to focus, you know.
318
00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:13,033
I feel my great strength
as a writer is being alone.
319
00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:17,070
Aloneness is a
condition of writing.
320
00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,397
You look at all the writers
that have come up with something
321
00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:22,158
worth its own salt, you know,
322
00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:24,396
and they're utterly alone.
323
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:26,591
All of 'em.
324
00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,872
(shuffling paper)
325
00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:31,798
The plays that really
bore me to death
326
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,436
are the ones in which the
writer's thinking all the time.
327
00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:41,755
Causing the actors,
the characters to
speak for the author.
328
00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:43,632
It's very boring
329
00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:48,470
compared to a character
who speaks for himself.
330
00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,673
There's a certain framework
of time that takes shape
331
00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:54,632
around a play.
332
00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:56,637
Sometimes you might fly
through a three act play.
333
00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:59,400
You can write it
in a week or two.
334
00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:02,717
And a one act play
might take you a year.
335
00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:04,751
One of the keys to
leaving a piece of writing
336
00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:06,433
and coming back to it
337
00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:08,039
is to leave it at the
point where you know
338
00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,993
it's about to go somewhere.
339
00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:14,192
Don't come to a dead end
and stop and say oh my god,
340
00:17:14,360 --> 00:17:16,112
you know, and walk away.
341
00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:18,197
You'll come back, you're
gonna be in the same dead end
342
00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:21,631
as you left it, you know.
343
00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:24,479
I just never got along
with the computer screen.
344
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:29,470
And it's somehow removed
from the tactile experience.
345
00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:31,511
When you go to ride a horse,
you have to saddle it,
346
00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,518
whenever you use a typewriter,
you have to feed it paper.
347
00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:36,517
There's a percussion about it.
348
00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,508
You can see the ink flying
onto the surface of the paper.
349
00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,314
So a letter will go,
pam, like that, but
350
00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:47,513
along with it is the ink and
pshh, flying into the paper.
351
00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:51,552
I'd rather ride a
horse than drive a car,
352
00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,958
but that puts you in
a very different relationship
353
00:17:56,120 --> 00:17:59,237
to the modern world, you know.
354
00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:02,631
(piano jazz music)
355
00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:04,398
- [News Anchor] Well,
neither rain nor prices
356
00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:06,392
prove to be obstacles for
Apple customers today,
357
00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:10,155
who wanted to snap up the new
iPad on the very first day.
358
00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:11,913
- [News Anchor] The rain
held off until 3:00 AM
359
00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:14,190
along San Francisco's
Stockton Street.
360
00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:16,158
One line was for customers
who had preordered
361
00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,870
their new iPads online, another
was for those who hadn't.
362
00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:21,308
- [News Anchor]
Throughout the morning,
363
00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:23,192
we've been seeing this line here
364
00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:25,470
at the downtown San Francisco
Apple Store growing.
365
00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:28,319
Right now, it stretches
about half a block down Ellis
366
00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,318
and continues to grow.
367
00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:32,555
- [Carmen] Well,
things have been tough,
368
00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:34,398
up and down all along.
369
00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:37,910
We've had loans,
we've had second mortgages.
370
00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:40,634
We've had all our
credit cards maxed out
371
00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:43,593
just to keep the
business rolling.
372
00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,598
When you like what you do, you
can almost get paid peanuts
373
00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,314
and if you can get by
on peanuts, it's fine.
374
00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:56,595
- This is a Hermes,
made in Switzerland.
375
00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:58,552
Early 605.
376
00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:00,034
My oldest son found it in a
377
00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,238
swap meet somewhere
in California.
378
00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:05,556
And it was in
fairly rough shape,
379
00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:07,557
we had to kind of rebuild it.
380
00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:10,194
I mean, some people who
knew what they were doing
381
00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:13,153
rebuilt it, you know. (chuckles)
382
00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:15,555
It's a beautiful typewriter
and it feels great.
383
00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:17,597
And of all the manual
typewriters I have,
384
00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:19,398
it has the greatest feel.
385
00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:22,512
Just in the keys,
there's a little way they
386
00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,320
cup your fingers.
387
00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:27,630
I mean, this is as
good as it gets.
388
00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,274
(quiet rattling)
389
00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:33,637
There's the whole
deal right there.
390
00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:35,068
So simple
391
00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:37,111
and complex.
392
00:19:37,360 --> 00:19:41,194
(light piano jazz music)
(soft clicks)
393
00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:42,913
(whirring)
394
00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:44,149
- [Ken] You know, it's
almost like you're a kid
395
00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:45,759
working on your bicycle.
396
00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:47,791
You can see what's
happening with it.
397
00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:52,513
The lever goes up,
the carriage moves,
398
00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:54,631
the letter leaves its mark.
399
00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:56,359
You just can't get that
kind of fascination
400
00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:58,039
out of a piece of
electronic equipment.
401
00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:02,513
- [News Anchor] The
magic moment came at 8:00
402
00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:04,113
when the doors opened.
403
00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:06,117
(applause)
404
00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:16,237
- Unfairly well known
for standing next to
405
00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:19,278
new technology and finding
a way to incorporate it
406
00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:20,879
into what I'm doing.
407
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:23,799
I was onstage several
years with Steve Jobs,
408
00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:26,309
introducing Apple
software and hardware.
409
00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:28,112
I mean they would come to
my house and show me stuff
410
00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:29,673
and it would be mind-blowing
and I would say,
411
00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:32,155
oh, I can't wait to use this.
412
00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:35,113
For me, I feel like the
next step in technology
413
00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:38,232
is less about what you're using
414
00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:40,396
and more about how
you're using it.
415
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:46,474
In between my second
and third record,
416
00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:48,711
I went to the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame.
417
00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:52,629
And I saw all these great,
classic seminal songs
418
00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:54,796
that were written on
hotel paper, or you know,
419
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:56,592
whatever paper was around.
420
00:20:56,800 --> 00:20:58,677
I mean, you can see
right into their ideas.
421
00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:02,555
You can see who scratched
out a lot of ideas and
422
00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:05,797
which ideas came to
people really quickly.
423
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:07,513
And I thought to myself, wow,
424
00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:08,835
I don't have any
representation of this.
425
00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:10,638
I have hard drives, you know.
426
00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:12,398
And you think to yourself,
you always have it
427
00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:14,431
it's on a hard drive,
but I've never gone back
428
00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:16,352
to any hard drive
that I've saved.
429
00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:18,039
Ever.
430
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:20,435
And said, oh, let me
dig this thing up.
431
00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:25,714
It's sort of like
a high concept trash,
in a weird way, you know.
432
00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:27,512
It's like a trash with
this weird sort of promise
433
00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:29,671
that you can still always
get it, but you won't.
434
00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:31,950
And I realized,
I have nothing to prove
435
00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:33,149
that I've written the
stuff that I've written.
436
00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:35,157
There's no...
437
00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:36,634
You can't see how I came up
with the stuff, there's no...
438
00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:38,239
You can't touch it, you know.
439
00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:39,879
So I started saying,
440
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,196
I just want documentation
of my writing.
441
00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:44,351
Then I remembered seeing
442
00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:46,198
Don't Look Back,
you know that great
443
00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:48,669
Pennebaker documentary
on Bob Dylan.
444
00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:50,757
And there's this scene where
he's just sitting there,
445
00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:52,678
he's kinda playing
the typewriter.
446
00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:54,359
It's almost as much of
a musical instrument
447
00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:56,278
as the harmonica or
the guitar is for him.
448
00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:58,755
And he's kinda in his own
world, and there's the requisite
449
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:01,150
ashtray with a whole bunch of
smoldering cigarettes in it.
450
00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:02,958
And I just sort of
love the idea of
451
00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:04,798
even if you're Bob Dylan,
you still have to sit
452
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,913
at this altar to sort
of produce something.
453
00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:13,831
See what that's all about.
454
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:15,797
(grinding peeling)
455
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,390
I got my typewriter at some
online office superstore.
456
00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:21,670
They're like $120 and
you get everything in it.
457
00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:23,791
You plug and play
and it's ready to go.
458
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:25,638
It just makes me think
there's probably like
459
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:27,353
four or five of them
in the warehouse
460
00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:28,675
and every time
461
00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:30,279
they ship one out, it's like,
462
00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:32,198
someone at Brother
gets pissed off
463
00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:34,152
that they have to keep the
Service Department open
464
00:22:34,360 --> 00:22:35,793
for that much longer, 'cause
someone else bought one.
465
00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:37,996
(clicking)
466
00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,192
I instantly started to
really come alive on it.
467
00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:42,588
And I realized the
reason that I was able
468
00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:44,432
to come alive on the typewriter,
469
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,234
where I wasn't using
a computer or even a pen,
470
00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:49,271
was that you were at
sort of a safe distance
471
00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:51,072
where you can express
yourself openly
472
00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:54,636
without having to edit
yourself at the same time.
473
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:58,668
And so it became this sort of
like confessional for me where
474
00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:00,632
I would sit and just type.
475
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,435
And the reason that I was
able to go deeper into an idea
476
00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:06,073
is because I wasn't
stopped anywhere
477
00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,312
in that writing by
a red squiggly line.
478
00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,318
And what is spell
check or grammar check
479
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:14,078
if all you're really
trying to do is sort of dig
480
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,191
into this sort of
mercurial sort of world
481
00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:17,833
of what your ideas are.
482
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:19,832
So if you're trying to say,
483
00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:21,798
close your eyes
and clone yourself,
484
00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:23,075
build your heart and army,
485
00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:25,157
and you spell army wrong.
486
00:23:25,360 --> 00:23:30,753
Well, now you feel sort of
obligated to fix the word army,
487
00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:32,951
and while you're
fixing the word army,
488
00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:36,749
you've now completely lost
the tack on being a whacko
489
00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:38,598
in what you're writing.
490
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,872
So what I would do is
I would sit at my counter
491
00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:43,832
in my apartment in New York
492
00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:46,679
and I would type
out three pages.
493
00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:48,632
Sometimes it would
be before I went out,
494
00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:50,876
sometimes it would
be after I went out.
495
00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,868
And I never read 'em back
until I got to the studio.
496
00:23:55,120 --> 00:23:58,669
If this were in Microsoft Word,
I'd never see these again.
497
00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:02,633
some of which made the records.
498
00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:04,910
Obviously, most of
which didn't, but
499
00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:06,917
you can see me sort of
fighting for this song
500
00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:08,439
called Queen of California.
501
00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,552
(strumming folk chords)
502
00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:15,353
"When I die,
I'm coming back as colors,
503
00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:16,879
"the Queen of
California's on the line.
504
00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:18,911
"I've got five
free days and a..."
505
00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:20,593
Wait a minute, "I've got five
free days before I go away."
506
00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:22,074
"I hear the Queen of
California needs a man
507
00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:23,508
"to start a new life in the sun.
508
00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:25,153
"I'm chasing the sun.
509
00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:27,072
"I gotta find the
Queen of California.
510
00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:28,679
"I hear the Queen of California
lives up there in the sun,
511
00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:30,359
"took a while to get it through.
512
00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:32,312
"There's nothing she
can do to me now."
513
00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:34,750
It's like, and it's almost
kind of artistic, sort of.
514
00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:36,996
Even when it is spelled
completely wrong.
515
00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:39,196
It's almost what
thoughts look like.
516
00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:41,391
You know, the sort of
stop and start of it.
517
00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:43,955
"Never has a man this
alone felt this alive
518
00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:45,957
"Never has a man so
alone felt so alive,"
519
00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:48,549
it's like trying
to get the wording.
520
00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:50,159
"Never is a phone so dead
521
00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:51,952
"at the side of my bed
522
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:53,912
"Haven't charged it in 36 hours.
523
00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:55,269
"Searching for the sun
that Neil Young hung
524
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,311
"after the gold rush in '71."
525
00:24:57,520 --> 00:24:59,988
A lyric that actually made
it into Queen of California.
526
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:01,872
"They must have switched
it for a different one,
527
00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:03,638
"'cause it's some new
kind of digital light."
528
00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:04,829
Well, you know.
529
00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:06,109
(strumming light melody)
530
00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:08,072
All stream of consciousness.
531
00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:10,475
And that's the thing, I can't
get to stream of consciousness
532
00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:12,955
when I'm involved in my
own editorial process
533
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,469
as I'm trying to be a whacko.
534
00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:16,954
You know, I'm trying to
be an absolute whack job
535
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:18,952
when I'm typing, but it's like,
536
00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:20,792
the typewriter doesn't
judge you, it just goes,
537
00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:22,553
right away, sir.
538
00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:24,671
Right away sir, however
you want it to be.
539
00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:29,829
- [Ken] They do
talk to you, yeah.
540
00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:31,996
They talk to you.
541
00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:33,315
I didn't think a machine
would talk to you,
542
00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:35,556
but they actually do.
543
00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:37,836
(minimalist piano music)
544
00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:40,998
- One of the odd things about
the end of the 19th century
545
00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:43,760
is you have this 30
year period or so,
546
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:46,918
where all of the major forms
of electromechanical media
547
00:25:47,120 --> 00:25:49,111
are invented and more or
less at the same time,
548
00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:52,033
we get the final form of the
typewriter, motion pictures.
549
00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:57,759
telegraphy, all this stuff
sort of happens at once.
550
00:25:57,960 --> 00:25:59,996
The other thing that
was happening in
America at that moment
551
00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,356
was there was this
interest in spiritualism,
552
00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:06,030
and séances, and table
tapping, and poltergeists,
553
00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,071
and all of those
kinds of things.
554
00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:11,755
It's a moment in history when
death is a lot more present
555
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,434
than it is now.
556
00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,518
You could send a telegram
to someone and, you know,
557
00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:19,318
it might take a couple
of weeks to get to them
558
00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:21,750
and by the time they receive it,
559
00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,157
either you might be dead
or they might be dead.
560
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:32,112
It was a pretty natural
question to ask,
561
00:26:32,360 --> 00:26:34,157
well, with all of these
new forms of media,
562
00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:36,231
is there any way that we
can receive communications
563
00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:37,793
from the dead?
564
00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:44,474
In a weird kind of way,
typewriting is haunted.
565
00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:48,514
There's this sense that the
writing somehow comes to you
566
00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:50,119
through the machine.
567
00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:55,830
Someone or something gives
you something to type
568
00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,349
and the machine
kind of mediates it.
569
00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:03,919
Is the typewriter
pulling the strings
570
00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:06,634
and making the
author do the work?
571
00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:10,279
The typewriter has to be working
572
00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:12,636
almost before thinking
starts happening.
573
00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:16,594
Once that process gets going,
it's like a little machine.
574
00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:19,075
The writing comes out of it, but
575
00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:21,754
the question of cause and
effect is a lot more tricky
576
00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:24,110
than you might first imagine.
577
00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:30,310
- I don't ever feel nervous
that the words won't come.
578
00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:32,476
This, this is beautiful.
579
00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:34,159
'Cause I don't feel like
I'm in control of it
580
00:27:34,360 --> 00:27:35,634
most of the time.
581
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:40,318
(clicking)
582
00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:43,353
I just trust there will
be words that come.
583
00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:45,118
And thankfully there
always have been,
584
00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:47,675
and I hope that it continues.
585
00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:56,676
I often think about
what I do as counseling,
586
00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,553
because people come to
me with some big stuff.
587
00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:01,478
I write a lot of
poems about death
588
00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:03,511
and about people who've died.
589
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,393
I wrote a poem for a man
who had lost his wife
590
00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:10,149
three months ago and they'd
been married for 43 years.
591
00:28:10,360 --> 00:28:14,353
And when he made his request,
he could barely talk.
592
00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,154
Somebody's desire
for words sometimes
593
00:28:17,360 --> 00:28:19,476
is a desire for something more.
594
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,990
(minimalist piano music)
595
00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:31,039
A man had gone to the
Golden Gate Bridge to jump
596
00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:33,754
and was saved by the police.
597
00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:40,311
that was about his secret
nobody in his life knew.
598
00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:45,674
I was so grateful to him
for unloading it on me.
599
00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:51,635
If you were to ask
me to speak a poem,
600
00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:53,398
I couldn't do it,
but if you put me
601
00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:55,397
in front of a
typewriter, it happens.
602
00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:57,670
It's like maybe that's one
of the reasons I never allow
603
00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,832
anybody else to use
this particular machine.
604
00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:06,993
My typewriter is like the
truest love of my life.
605
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:08,952
- That is clean.
606
00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:12,197
- There's something about
it that is so built well.
607
00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:15,198
And if you care for it, it's
just gonna keep working.
608
00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:17,670
I do worry that some day
there might not be somebody
609
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:19,108
who knows how to fix it.
610
00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:20,395
(clicking)
611
00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:24,832
(downtempo festive piano)
612
00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:27,793
- [Jeremy] Once a month,
there's a flea market in Alameda
613
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:30,798
at the old naval base.
614
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:32,638
People come from all
over the Bay Area,
615
00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:34,319
it's mostly antiques
616
00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,239
and they have a
ton of typewriters.
617
00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:40,599
Herb and I will go,
618
00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:42,193
and we're both lookin'
for the same thing.
619
00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:43,196
- How much is your typewriter?
620
00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:44,230
- [Seller] $75.
621
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:45,236
- Mm-hmm.
622
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:47,475
- She's pretty.
623
00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:48,789
- [Herb] Yeah, not bad.
624
00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:50,513
- How much is it?
- $75.
625
00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,228
- Nah, that's too much.
- Yes, absolutely.
626
00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:55,749
- [Jeremy] I'm looking
for typewriters that
627
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:57,188
I can take apart.
628
00:29:57,440 --> 00:29:59,396
- I had people
stoppin' by the shop,
629
00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:01,113
they're just hustlers, you know.
630
00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:02,475
Had a bunch of typewriters
and other stuff,
631
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:04,671
they had like 15 Selectrics.
632
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:06,438
If you need a
couple more, just...
633
00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:08,392
- Alright.
634
00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:10,591
- Yeah, 'cause I've been
turning 'em down, honestly.
635
00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:11,869
- [Jeremy] Herb's
looking for something
636
00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:13,712
that he can make a little nicer,
637
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:16,514
or something that's
already pretty immaculate.
638
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:18,631
An L.C. Smith.
639
00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:20,432
That's sold.
640
00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,359
So we help each other
spot all the typewriters.
641
00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:27,269
Ooh, a Clipper.
642
00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:30,473
We're both looking for a deal,
643
00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:32,472
which is harder to
get these days because
644
00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:34,278
there's so many more people
interested in typewriters
645
00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:36,590
than there were
10, 15 years ago.
646
00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:37,789
- Not exactly.
647
00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:40,474
- [Jeremy] How much?
648
00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:41,749
- [Herb] $75 for that Clipper
649
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:43,188
and that Underwood was...
650
00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:44,316
- [Jeremy] How
much was that one?
651
00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:45,919
- [Herb] That was $68.
652
00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:47,838
- [Jeremy] I don't
see many of those.
653
00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:52,192
- I got about two or three
of 'em already in line.
654
00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:53,958
- And what are those worth?
655
00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:56,839
- $200, $300 bucks, somewhere
in that neighborhood.
656
00:30:57,080 --> 00:30:58,559
Catch the right party,
657
00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:00,318
maybe you could go a
little more than that.
658
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:01,635
You can put some
rubber parts on it
659
00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:04,678
and a wash job on it and hey.
660
00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,309
Yeah, if I get desperate and
can't find anything else,
661
00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,318
I might come back to it.
662
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:12,829
Ooh, how much your...
- Typewriter?
663
00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:13,950
- Yes.
- $150.
664
00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:17,512
- [Herb] Oh, okay.
665
00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:19,756
Maybe we could negotiate a
little bit like that on there?
666
00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:23,358
and she paid a lot
for it out of a job.
667
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:25,357
- Hmm.
668
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:26,959
Know anything about
whether it works or not?
669
00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:31,199
(clicking)
(blues music)
670
00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:38,436
Yeah, definitely
needs some attention.
671
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:40,710
(chuckles)
672
00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:42,791
(clicks)
673
00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:45,195
I'll take it.
674
00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:48,557
- [Jeremy] That's a good one.
675
00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:50,518
- Had it been any color but red,
676
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:53,354
I'd have passed right by it
for $150, I guarantee you that.
677
00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:55,039
Red is sort of a hot color
678
00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:59,392
and it's an easy, easy
mover so to speak.
679
00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:01,358
Let's rock and roll.
680
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:03,909
(blues music)
681
00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:12,838
(appreciative noises)
682
00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:14,871
- Yeah, it seems
a little touchy up there.
683
00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:16,758
(clicking)
684
00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:18,751
- Yeah, no, I feel something
for these machines.
685
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,155
I'll look at 'em and
my mind just goes
686
00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:23,351
where has this machine been at?
687
00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:26,836
If it could talk, man
could it tell some stories.
688
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:28,672
You never know where these
typewriters come from.
689
00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:30,592
You know, they come
from all over the world.
690
00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:34,389
One could've been in some famous
person's library somewhere
691
00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:36,312
halfway across the
world and now it made it
692
00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,193
to this shop over
here in Berkeley.
693
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:47,950
- Christopher Latham Sholes
is a very interesting man.
694
00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:50,435
He was an editor, a
publisher, and for a while
695
00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:52,710
he was a state senator.
696
00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:54,717
He was also a keen inventor.
697
00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:57,434
And in Milwaukee, a few
years after the Civil War,
698
00:32:57,640 --> 00:32:59,437
he invented his typewriter.
699
00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:01,915
(oompah music)
700
00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,031
'Scuse me sir, can
I ask you a question.
701
00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:12,437
I'm looking for the location
of the historical plaque
702
00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:15,074
that talks about the
invention of the typewriter,
703
00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:18,033
somewhere nearby I believe.
704
00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:20,595
(oompah music)
705
00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:31,432
"At 318 Sate Street,
706
00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:33,790
"approximately 300
feet northeast of here,
707
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:36,309
"Christopher Latham
Sholes perfected
708
00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:41,469
"the first practical
typewriter in September 1869
709
00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:44,956
"in the machine shop
of C.S. Kleinsteuber."
710
00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:51,471
300 feet northeast of here.
711
00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,358
(car engine rumbling)
712
00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:06,752
(oompah music)
713
00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:08,279
17,18,19,20".
714
00:34:18,680 --> 00:34:20,511
295, 296, 297, 298, 299...
715
00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:26,508
(cars whooshing)
716
00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:34,477
I've come to Milwaukee
to get my hands
717
00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:36,159
on a Sholes and Glidden.
718
00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:37,952
(click)
719
00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:39,513
To be able to get
close to the source
720
00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:41,751
of the very first typewriter
721
00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:45,236
is something I've dreamed
about for a long time.
722
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:51,917
Today, perhaps, there are only
175 that are known to exist.
723
00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:53,075
Good morning.
724
00:34:53,320 --> 00:34:54,833
So nice to meet you.
725
00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:56,155
- Hi, good to meet you.
- It's wonderful.
726
00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:57,549
Many of those are in museums,
727
00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:00,479
a few are held in private hands.
728
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:04,559
This has been a pilgrimage
I've wanted to make for years.
729
00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:06,637
I would love to be able to have
730
00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:08,796
one of these typewriters
in my own collection.
731
00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:10,439
- Oh, I want one of those.
732
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:11,959
I want one of those, Al.
733
00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:13,553
To be able to explore it.
734
00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:15,557
- This has been in the
museum since probably
735
00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:17,518
just after World War I.
736
00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:19,159
- [Martin] And really have
a sense that my collection
737
00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:20,998
has become complete
at that point,
738
00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:22,952
even though I don't have
all the typewriters.
739
00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:26,118
But that would really give
me a sense of completion.
740
00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:28,595
(light piano music)
741
00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:30,870
Many efforts had been
made since the 17005,
742
00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:34,595
by various inventors, to
create a typewriting machine.
743
00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:38,759
But they all ended in failure
with very few being produced.
744
00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:43,397
But Christopher Latham
Sholes's place in history
745
00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:46,592
is marked by what he did in
Kleinsteuber's machine shop,
746
00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:50,270
beginning at 1867 and
the six difficult years
747
00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:52,596
that followed to create
the world's first
748
00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:55,189
commercially
successful typewriter.
749
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:01,391
The initial efforts used
a piano type keyboard.
750
00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:03,272
What you're really
kind of looking at here
751
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:07,632
is just a man's ideas in
how to get the mechanics
752
00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:10,149
of the fingers making
type to the mechanics
753
00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:12,237
of getting it on
a piece of paper.
754
00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:14,277
The lower is the back
half of the alphabet
755
00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:16,715
and the upper keys would've
been the front half
756
00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:18,797
of the alphabet.
757
00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:23,073
Sholes and his team made
around 50 to 60 prototypes
758
00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:24,878
and at the end of
those six years,
759
00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:28,510
he ended up with a
working wooden typewriter.
760
00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:30,358
Is this written by Sholes?
761
00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:31,350
- [Scholar] It is from Sholes.
762
00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:32,959
- Wow.
763
00:36:33,160 --> 00:36:35,913
- Typewritten.
- Touching history here.
764
00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:38,634
"I think the machine is now
as perfect in its mechanism
765
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:40,552
"as I know how to make it.
766
00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:44,031
"I know of no respect in
which I can improve it.
767
00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:47,471
"The machine is done and I want
some more worlds to conquer.
768
00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:50,678
"Life will be most flat,
stale, and unprofitable
769
00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:52,791
"without something to invent.
770
00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:54,149
"Yours, etc.,
771
00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:56,078
"Sholes."
772
00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:58,396
The wooden prototype met
with rejection right away.
773
00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:01,478
They took it to half a dozen
different manufacturers
774
00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:04,319
whom all declined to
manufacture the typewriter.
775
00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:06,988
Then someone suggested that
they take the typewriter
776
00:37:07,240 --> 00:37:08,878
to Remington and Sons.
777
00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:10,678
Now, Remington and Sons
had been making weaponry
778
00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:14,156
for the Civil War and
with the Civil War over,
779
00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:17,352
they were looking for new
things to manufacture.
780
00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:19,676
Remington and Sons took
this wooden prototype
781
00:37:19,920 --> 00:37:23,276
and they spent the next year
turning it into a metal machine
782
00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:25,869
that was much more
reliable, and durable,
783
00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:28,355
and could be mass
produced by them.
784
00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:30,591
And the first Sholes
and Glidden typewriters
785
00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:33,394
appeared on the market in 1874.
786
00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:35,119
May I push a key and get a feel?
787
00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:37,197
I've never done this
before, by the way,
788
00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:39,032
I've never actually pushed
a key on a Sholes and Glidden.
789
00:37:39,240 --> 00:37:40,355
- Yes, give it a try.
790
00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:41,470
- That's fine?
791
00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:42,715
Gonna push the J there.
792
00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:45,593
(soft clack)
793
00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:48,268
That's wonderful.
794
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,836
$125 was a lot of money to
put out for this machine,
795
00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:54,753
especially as nobody
could type and nobody knew
796
00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:57,514
the benefits of what
a typewriter could offer.
797
00:37:57,720 --> 00:37:59,153
(melancholy horn)
798
00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:02,352
Of great significance
was the appearance
799
00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:04,073
of the first Qwerty keyboard
800
00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:07,317
on this Sholes and
Glidden typewriter.
801
00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:09,033
If you look at the keyboard,
802
00:38:09,240 --> 00:38:11,674
the top row, left to
right, says Qwerty.
803
00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:15,555
- There is endless debate
about how that order
804
00:38:15,760 --> 00:38:17,318
came into being.
805
00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:19,755
Some say that all of
the letters in the word
806
00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:23,669
typewriter are on the
first line of keys.
807
00:38:23,880 --> 00:38:26,075
So a salesman who was
trying to demonstrate
808
00:38:26,320 --> 00:38:28,197
the benefits of this
wonderful new machine
809
00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:30,675
to prospective customers
could whack out the word
810
00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:32,472
typewriter very, very quickly.
811
00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:35,877
Without having to be
particularly proficient.
812
00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:37,792
When the Sholes and
Glidden came out,
813
00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:39,758
it was not well received,
people didn't understand
814
00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,230
what a typewriter could offer.
815
00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:44,715
They only sold 1,000 units.
816
00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:47,952
Sholes was very disappointed
817
00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:52,676
and he sold all his remaining
shares in the company.
818
00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:55,792
The Remington Two typewriter,
coming out in 1878
819
00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:59,788
was really the turning point
for this revolutionary machine.
820
00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:03,037
Within a few short years,
all hell would break loose.
821
00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:06,710
By the mid-18905, there
were as many as 60
822
00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:09,480
typewriter manufacturers,
not just in America
823
00:39:09,680 --> 00:39:10,795
but also in Europe.
824
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:13,150
And the sales had taken off.
825
00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:17,075
- Two Royals,
826
00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:20,796
The last of 'em.
827
00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:22,553
Most of the machines that
we repair are approximately
828
00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:24,398
40 to 50 years old.
829
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:26,192
The companies that
made the machines
830
00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:30,188
and supplied the parts,
they are long gone.
831
00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:32,868
Ames supply company was
the last of the companies
832
00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:36,959
that supplied us with parts
for a lot of the typewriters.
833
00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:39,196
Their primary thing was to
take old typewriter platens
834
00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:41,834
and recover them, resurface 'em.
835
00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:44,076
We got a letter last week
saying that after 110 years
836
00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:47,590
in operation, Ames
Supply Company was
going out of business.
837
00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:49,392
(rattling)
838
00:39:49,600 --> 00:39:53,149
- My dad, he's very good
at solving problems.
839
00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:55,157
He could look at it,
and figure it out,
840
00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:57,510
and solve it within minutes.
841
00:39:57,720 --> 00:39:59,836
And that's something you gotta
appreciate with my father
842
00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:02,833
that you just don't
find that nowadays.
843
00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:04,877
It's a lost art.
844
00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:07,833
- It's not the
right consistency.
845
00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:10,190
That's actually pretty
close in diameter on it.
846
00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:11,879
- Pops, he loves all this.
847
00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:14,150
This has been his life
ever since I was born
848
00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:15,873
and he stayed with it.
849
00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:17,877
- Yeah, so like 9.5
right from the end.
850
00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:19,593
- He told me if you wanna do
something, do it all the way,
851
00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:21,552
but make sure you enjoy it.
852
00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:25,230
Like don't halve anything,
go 100% and make sure you like
853
00:40:25,480 --> 00:40:26,879
what you're doing.
854
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:28,479
- See if you can slide
that one in there,
855
00:40:28,680 --> 00:40:29,749
I don't know if
it's a lot easier.
856
00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:30,995
Go ahead and get the copper.
857
00:40:31,240 --> 00:40:32,514
- [Son] And he showed me that.
858
00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:36,474
- [Ken] Put a
little soap on that.
859
00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:38,398
- [Son] I'm here, tryin'
to help my dad out, man.
860
00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:40,033
- [Ken] You get that?
861
00:40:40,240 --> 00:40:41,275
Oh, yeah, that's
going on, isn't it.
862
00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:42,469
Then grind it.
863
00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:50,953
(metallic whirring)
864
00:40:58,080 --> 00:41:01,231
I think what the typewriter
symbolizes to me is America.
865
00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:03,590
I think that might work.
866
00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:07,759
American hard work, what
this country was based on.
867
00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:10,918
Made by us with our own
hands to help us out
868
00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:14,112
but not to spoil us and
not to make us complacent.
869
00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:18,039
(clicking)
870
00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:20,919
- I think that much
of the joy of life
871
00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:23,958
can come and should
come from work.
872
00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:27,797
I think we've been sold
a certain bill of goods
873
00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:29,951
about ease and happiness
874
00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:32,958
being necessarily synonymous.
875
00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:33,956
They aren't.
876
00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:38,479
Something goes out of
the human experience,
877
00:41:38,720 --> 00:41:43,953
when life is made progressively
easier, less complicated.
878
00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:49,359
Less demanding of
alertness, effort,
879
00:41:49,560 --> 00:41:53,155
and appreciation of
work when it's done.
880
00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:57,917
There was once a typewriter
that was standing alone
881
00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:00,720
on a shelf in an old store
in White Plains, New York,
882
00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:02,950
nobody paying much
attention to it at all.
883
00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:05,634
That's the beginning
of the story.
884
00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:09,196
Then along came...
885
00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:13,632
In 1965, when I was starting
to work on my first book,
886
00:42:13,880 --> 00:42:16,269
feeling that I needed
something more substantial
887
00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:19,711
to work on than a
portable typewriter.
888
00:42:19,920 --> 00:42:24,789
I went and bought a secondhand,
Royal Standard typewriter.
889
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:28,993
And I probably paid $25 for it.
890
00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:31,077
Got it in White Plains, New York
891
00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:33,999
and I've been using
it all these years.
892
00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:38,273
Almost every day, written
everything I have written on it
893
00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:40,596
and there's nothing
wrong with it.
894
00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:45,635
It's a magnificent example of
superb American manufacturing.
895
00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:50,279
People tell me that I
could do much better,
896
00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:53,233
I could go faster, and
have less to contend with
897
00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:56,034
if I were to use a
computer, a word processor.
898
00:42:56,240 --> 00:42:57,753
But I don't wanna go faster.
899
00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:01,032
If anything, I would
prefer to go slower.
900
00:43:01,240 --> 00:43:03,117
To me, it's understandable.
901
00:43:03,320 --> 00:43:06,153
I press the key, and
another key comes up
902
00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:08,590
and prints a letter
on a piece of paper.
903
00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:10,552
And then you can pull it out,
904
00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:13,911
it's a piece of paper upon which
you have printed something.
905
00:43:14,120 --> 00:43:17,032
You've made that, it's tangible.
906
00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:18,030
It's real.
907
00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:22,636
I think the tool
of the typewriter,
908
00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:25,354
because it is more difficult,
909
00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:28,836
produces for me a better result.
910
00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:32,789
(birds chirping)
911
00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:35,713
I work virtually
all day, every day.
912
00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:39,714
I come out after breakfast
and I work until lunchtime
913
00:43:39,920 --> 00:43:43,276
and then I go in, get a
bite to eat, come back out,
914
00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:45,198
work for the rest of the day.
915
00:43:45,400 --> 00:43:48,836
Now I'm not typing, not
writing on the typewriter
916
00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:50,632
all that time.
917
00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:52,592
If you were to walk by
in the field behind there
918
00:43:52,800 --> 00:43:54,199
and you looked in the window,
919
00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:56,237
you'd think, well that
guy's just sitting
920
00:43:56,480 --> 00:44:00,553
in there daydreaming, but an
awful lot of the process is
921
00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:01,749
just thinking.
922
00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:09,511
- There are a lot of
fractals in nature.
923
00:44:09,720 --> 00:44:12,598
Mysterious geometry that
exists in everything.
924
00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:16,679
(clanking)
I see the same shapes
925
00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:18,478
inside the typewriter.
926
00:44:24,280 --> 00:44:27,716
I like to pull out the
shapes that I feel resemble
927
00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:29,956
parts of the anatomy.
928
00:44:30,160 --> 00:44:33,675
Sometimes a part dictates
that it be surface anatomy,
929
00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:36,997
sometimes it's a bone,
skeletal anatomy.
930
00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:40,158
Sometimes it's a
little mixture of both.
931
00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:45,433
When I take the
typewriters apart,
932
00:44:45,640 --> 00:44:47,870
I don't see this
unnatural object.
933
00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:50,350
I see people, I see us in them.
934
00:44:52,440 --> 00:44:54,749
Very often, near
the platen knobs,
935
00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:56,353
there's a spot where
someone's finger
936
00:44:56,560 --> 00:44:59,074
has rubbed across the carriage.
937
00:44:59,280 --> 00:45:02,158
And it's this one nice,
shiny, polished spot
938
00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:05,875
with a little bit of dirt
and oil from the fingers.
939
00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:08,156
I like that kind of
940
00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:09,998
thing that's left
on the typewriter.
941
00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:14,876
I can say that there's
probably that person's DNA.
942
00:45:15,080 --> 00:45:18,152
It's fun to see those
traces of people.
943
00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:22,715
It's such an emotional machine.
944
00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:25,434
A lot of memories and
a lot of real people
945
00:45:25,640 --> 00:45:30,191
put themselves on a piece
of paper through a machine.
946
00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:32,391
And I understand all that.
947
00:45:37,200 --> 00:45:39,270
This is how I choose to
appreciate the typewriter,
948
00:45:39,480 --> 00:45:43,712
by dissecting it and bringing
out the little bits and pieces
949
00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:46,798
that are us in them.
950
00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:49,195
So my favorite stuff to
do is the human figures,
951
00:45:49,400 --> 00:45:52,119
because I find every
curve on the human body
952
00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:55,517
in here somewhere, in
one of these typewriters.
953
00:45:55,720 --> 00:45:59,474
And I like to try to
put those together.
954
00:45:59,680 --> 00:46:04,231
I do that with pins
and springs and nuts.
955
00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:07,159
I don't use anything apart
from what's in the typewriter.
956
00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:11,232
I have learned how
to match the parts
957
00:46:11,440 --> 00:46:13,396
to the corresponding
part in the human body,
958
00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:16,239
just by, you know, play
959
00:46:16,440 --> 00:46:18,908
and putting the
parts together and,
960
00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:22,157
oh, you look like
a leg, or you know.
961
00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:26,638
A very childlike way of just
having a dialogue with parts.
962
00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:31,391
(rattling)
963
00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:38,910
I grew up in northern Minnesota
on the Mesabi Iron Range.
964
00:46:39,120 --> 00:46:41,111
I lived in a lot of trailers.
965
00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:43,237
My dad never made
a lot of money.
966
00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:47,996
He never had any
desire to buy a house.
967
00:46:48,240 --> 00:46:51,710
I left there probably two
days after I graduated.
968
00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:53,831
I wanted to get out
969
00:46:54,080 --> 00:46:55,354
and now I'm in a trailer again.
970
00:46:55,560 --> 00:46:56,709
(chucang)
971
00:46:56,920 --> 00:46:58,273
It's kinda crazy.
972
00:47:00,920 --> 00:47:04,799
As a kid, deer were everywhere.
973
00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:06,991
There were times when my dad
was laid off from the railroad
974
00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:08,599
and we were eating
Campbell's soup,
975
00:47:08,840 --> 00:47:12,037
peanut butter from
the jar, and venison.
976
00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:16,591
When I moved down to Oakland,
977
00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:19,917
one of the first sculptures
that I made was the deer.
978
00:47:20,120 --> 00:47:22,270
I had always told
myself I would make one.
979
00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:25,318
(ambient indie music)
980
00:47:31,240 --> 00:47:33,310
I've taken this deer
across the Bay Bridge
981
00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:36,398
about six times back and forth.
982
00:47:36,600 --> 00:47:39,717
I've shown it at
galleries, art exhibitions.
983
00:47:39,960 --> 00:47:44,238
I don't like for
work to sit around
984
00:47:44,440 --> 00:47:49,389
and taunt me with the failure
of not being able to sell it.
985
00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:54,190
I'm a bit ambivalent about
the whole gallery scene.
986
00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:56,038
Trying to work as an artist
and then sell my work
987
00:47:56,240 --> 00:47:59,357
through a gallery has been
exceedingly difficult.
988
00:48:01,680 --> 00:48:04,240
It's hard to take a
piece that I worked on
989
00:48:04,480 --> 00:48:06,675
for maybe as much as a year,
990
00:48:06,880 --> 00:48:08,598
to sell it for not
a lot of money,
991
00:48:08,800 --> 00:48:11,360
and then only get half of
that not a lot of money.
992
00:48:11,560 --> 00:48:12,913
So just two weeks?
993
00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:15,553
Oh okay.
994
00:48:15,760 --> 00:48:17,432
The best way for me to
do this for a living
995
00:48:17,640 --> 00:48:21,269
is to take on the
promotion myself.
996
00:48:21,480 --> 00:48:23,630
And the internet
makes it really easy,
997
00:48:23,880 --> 00:48:26,189
just takes me a
couple hours a day.
998
00:48:26,400 --> 00:48:29,198
I have just about every
social networking profile
999
00:48:29,400 --> 00:48:30,753
that you can imagine.
1000
00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:32,393
I try to show a little
1001
00:48:32,600 --> 00:48:34,352
of what the studio
looks like every day
1002
00:48:34,560 --> 00:48:37,313
with images of my process
while I'm working on a piece.
1003
00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:40,358
People can email me directly
and I manage to get enough work
1004
00:48:40,600 --> 00:48:43,353
to almost pay the bills.
1005
00:48:43,600 --> 00:48:46,160
(engine rumbling)
1006
00:48:48,120 --> 00:48:52,159
(guitar strumming)
(crowd chatter)
1007
00:48:54,240 --> 00:48:57,198
- [Ken] When I was a kid,
about 19, 20 years old
1008
00:48:57,400 --> 00:48:59,630
got a job workin' in Berkeley.
1009
00:48:59,840 --> 00:49:02,400
It's like the whole world
opened up to me over here.
1010
00:49:02,600 --> 00:49:04,830
Different kind of people,
different kind of cultures.
1011
00:49:05,080 --> 00:49:07,878
I really found myself wanting
to go to work every day.
1012
00:49:10,160 --> 00:49:13,072
It lets you see the world
without going to see the world.
1013
00:49:13,280 --> 00:49:15,840
You know, the world comes to
you in this city over here.
1014
00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:17,393
The first time I
heard a black guy
1015
00:49:17,640 --> 00:49:18,959
with a British accent
it blew me away.
1016
00:49:19,160 --> 00:49:20,798
(piano tinkling)
1017
00:49:24,560 --> 00:49:27,472
(downtempo jazz music)
1018
00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:43,435
The store is open five
days a week, 12 to 5.
1019
00:49:43,640 --> 00:49:47,553
Couple years ago, it was
only open three days a week.
1020
00:49:47,760 --> 00:49:51,673
It's picking up, but
it's just not there yet.
1021
00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:53,831
It's just enough
to keep us going,
1022
00:49:54,040 --> 00:49:57,237
but not enough to keep
me going. (chuckles)
1023
00:49:57,440 --> 00:50:00,910
(jazz music)
1024
00:50:01,080 --> 00:50:03,833
I'm just hoping that
things'll turn around.
1025
00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:06,474
Herb and I, we have the
skills, the experience.
1026
00:50:06,680 --> 00:50:08,591
We have all the knowledge
of doing this, we just need
1027
00:50:08,800 --> 00:50:10,233
customers.
1028
00:50:10,480 --> 00:50:12,232
(clicking)
- Wait, wait wait, I wanna.
1029
00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:14,357
(clicking)
1030
00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:16,437
- Linus, you broke, it's ripped.
1031
00:50:16,640 --> 00:50:17,470
- No I didn't.
1032
00:50:17,680 --> 00:50:18,669
- Yeah.
1033
00:50:18,880 --> 00:50:20,916
- It was already ripped.
1034
00:50:21,160 --> 00:50:24,391
- One good thing
about them is that
1035
00:50:24,600 --> 00:50:28,479
you don't have to turn
them on or plug them in.
1036
00:50:28,680 --> 00:50:33,470
I used to have a PC, but I
did not like my PC one bit.
1037
00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:38,478
- There is a wonderful
way to spend time typing.
1038
00:50:38,720 --> 00:50:40,278
You get to think about it.
1039
00:50:40,480 --> 00:50:42,914
You get to romantically
sit back and ponder
1040
00:50:43,160 --> 00:50:45,390
what your next words
are going to be
1041
00:50:45,640 --> 00:50:49,713
and that is a pleasant,
tactile action.
1042
00:50:49,920 --> 00:50:52,195
It actually turns
writing or composing
1043
00:50:52,440 --> 00:50:57,514
into a very specific,
physical process
1044
00:50:57,720 --> 00:50:59,676
that has a soundtrack to it.
1045
00:50:59,880 --> 00:51:00,710
Listen to this one.
1046
00:51:00,920 --> 00:51:02,672
(chunking)
1047
00:51:02,880 --> 00:51:04,472
See, hear that heavy chunk
that you hear right there.
1048
00:51:04,680 --> 00:51:05,510
Smith Corona, now.
1049
00:51:05,720 --> 00:51:06,755
(clacking)
1050
00:51:07,000 --> 00:51:08,513
Little muted, a little softer.
1051
00:51:08,720 --> 00:51:09,709
And now hear the Olympia.
1052
00:51:09,960 --> 00:51:11,359
(clicking)
1053
00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:14,028
Crisp, a little solid
report that comes out.
1054
00:51:14,240 --> 00:51:18,279
That, to me, is a good,
solid work of art.
1055
00:51:18,480 --> 00:51:20,516
(clicking)
1056
00:51:22,480 --> 00:51:25,199
- It's really exciting
to come into a shop where
1057
00:51:25,400 --> 00:51:27,550
you're surrounded by all
these great typewriters
1058
00:51:27,760 --> 00:51:30,638
and your mind reels at
the different sounds
1059
00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:32,319
that they can make.
1060
00:51:35,240 --> 00:51:37,276
Certain typewriters,
you may discover sounds
1061
00:51:37,480 --> 00:51:38,754
that you never heard before.
1062
00:51:38,960 --> 00:51:40,598
(ding)
1063
00:51:40,800 --> 00:51:42,233
It's hard to find a typewriter
with good bell tone.
1064
00:51:42,440 --> 00:51:43,759
This bell isn't the loudest,
1065
00:51:43,960 --> 00:51:46,554
but it's got the
best tone to it.
1066
00:51:46,760 --> 00:51:49,274
This one, the whole case is...
1067
00:51:49,480 --> 00:51:52,472
It doesn't articulate
on a lever.
1068
00:51:52,680 --> 00:51:54,989
On better typewriters,
that bell should be loud,
1069
00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:56,952
it should be clear.
1070
00:51:57,160 --> 00:51:58,388
Now this one the bell is
kind of a more thuddy sound,
1071
00:51:58,600 --> 00:52:00,955
this one, it rings
really loudly.
1072
00:52:01,160 --> 00:52:02,559
(chiming)
1073
00:52:02,800 --> 00:52:04,518
This one has the best
bell of them all.
1074
00:52:04,760 --> 00:52:06,591
It's hard to find a typewriter
where it's a quality sound
1075
00:52:06,800 --> 00:52:08,438
and it can be consistently made.
1076
00:52:08,680 --> 00:52:10,318
(dinging)
1077
00:52:10,560 --> 00:52:13,120
(sustained chime)
1078
00:52:15,000 --> 00:52:16,592
- We are the Boston
Typewriter Orchestra
1079
00:52:16,800 --> 00:52:21,316
and we perform music
on old typewriters.
1080
00:52:21,480 --> 00:52:23,311
Old, discarded typewriters.
1081
00:52:23,520 --> 00:52:26,398
We're a collective and what
a shitty answer that was.
1082
00:52:26,600 --> 00:52:29,194
(rhythmic clacking)
1083
00:52:29,400 --> 00:52:30,310
(ding)
1084
00:52:30,520 --> 00:52:32,750
(rhythmic clacking)
1085
00:52:33,000 --> 00:52:33,955
(ding)
1086
00:52:34,160 --> 00:52:36,469
(rhythmic clacking)
1087
00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:37,590
(ding)
1088
00:52:37,840 --> 00:52:40,957
(rhythmic clacking)
1089
00:52:41,160 --> 00:52:43,879
- One of the things we
sat down pretty early with
1090
00:52:44,080 --> 00:52:47,231
in the BTO and decided, was that
1091
00:52:47,440 --> 00:52:49,635
none of us were going to
try and quit our day jobs
1092
00:52:49,840 --> 00:52:53,071
to make the BTO work
as a legitimate band.
1093
00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:56,636
And that was sort of
a really liberating decision.
1094
00:52:56,840 --> 00:53:00,594
You know, make enough money
to keep us in typewriters,
1095
00:53:00,800 --> 00:53:03,075
beer, the occasional pizza.
1096
00:53:03,320 --> 00:53:07,313
(orchestral clicking
and dinging)
1097
00:53:13,240 --> 00:53:14,389
(percussive clacking)
1098
00:53:14,600 --> 00:53:16,591
We don't want to destroy these.
1099
00:53:16,800 --> 00:53:18,392
We are using them
as an instrument.
1100
00:53:18,600 --> 00:53:20,033
We are repurposing them,
(audience clapping)
1101
00:53:20,240 --> 00:53:21,593
but our intent is
not to destroy it.
1102
00:53:21,840 --> 00:53:24,479
(crowd cheering typocide)
1103
00:53:24,720 --> 00:53:28,998
I murdered one and I have
to find a new typewriter.
1104
00:53:29,200 --> 00:53:31,668
You feel like Pete
Townsend, I guess.
1105
00:53:31,880 --> 00:53:33,279
He destroyed the guitar, like,
1106
00:53:33,520 --> 00:53:34,919
shit, we'd better
get it signed fast
1107
00:53:35,120 --> 00:53:37,759
so I can have another
guitar to destroy.
1108
00:53:37,960 --> 00:53:40,394
I mean, I've killed
three typewriters now.
1109
00:53:40,600 --> 00:53:42,670
Each one of them has
its own personality
1110
00:53:42,880 --> 00:53:44,359
and spirit and soul.
1111
00:53:44,560 --> 00:53:45,993
- We had the two Smith Coronas
1112
00:53:46,240 --> 00:53:47,798
that had a really nice
case slide on 'em.
1113
00:53:48,000 --> 00:53:49,592
- Oh god, yeah.
1114
00:53:49,800 --> 00:53:52,678
- And those two have
since become inoperable,
1115
00:53:52,880 --> 00:53:54,598
in pieces.
1116
00:53:54,800 --> 00:53:56,358
And there's an entire song
that we can't play now,
1117
00:53:56,560 --> 00:53:57,629
because we haven't been able
1118
00:53:57,880 --> 00:53:59,438
to restock those two typewriters
1119
00:53:59,640 --> 00:54:01,153
to that specific mechanics
of the case slide.
1120
00:54:01,360 --> 00:54:04,716
(melodic furious clanging)
1121
00:54:18,040 --> 00:54:18,995
(ding)
1122
00:54:19,200 --> 00:54:19,996
(rhythmic clacking)
1123
00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:21,918
(ding)
1124
00:54:22,120 --> 00:54:25,078
- We spend a lot of time really
crafting all of our songs.
1125
00:54:25,320 --> 00:54:26,673
- We do some covers.
1126
00:54:26,880 --> 00:54:30,156
We set up Gil Scott-Heron's
1127
00:54:30,360 --> 00:54:32,237
The Revolution will
not be Televised
1128
00:54:32,440 --> 00:54:34,749
and it's now the Revolution
will be Typewritten.
1129
00:54:34,920 --> 00:54:37,388
And we do a cover of...
1130
00:54:37,600 --> 00:54:39,750
- We're working on a
cover of Rain and Blood.
1131
00:54:39,960 --> 00:54:41,075
That's Slayer.
1132
00:54:41,280 --> 00:54:42,713
(rhythmic clacking)
1133
00:54:42,960 --> 00:54:44,234
(ding)
1134
00:54:47,920 --> 00:54:51,230
(ticking)
1135
00:54:51,440 --> 00:54:54,591
I was at somebody's
house years and years ago
1136
00:54:54,800 --> 00:54:58,759
and saw, framed on the
wall, a thank you note
1137
00:54:58,960 --> 00:55:01,349
that Noel Coward had
written to somebody
1138
00:55:01,560 --> 00:55:03,755
he had had lunch with.
1139
00:55:03,960 --> 00:55:05,757
And this was in 1930-something.
1140
00:55:05,960 --> 00:55:08,758
And I thought,
1141
00:55:08,960 --> 00:55:10,871
Okay, Noel Coward actually
typed out on his typewriter
1142
00:55:11,120 --> 00:55:13,429
and sent it to somebody,
has then lingered around,
1143
00:55:13,640 --> 00:55:14,550
and then somebody bought
it at some auction
1144
00:55:14,760 --> 00:55:16,318
or something like that.
1145
00:55:16,520 --> 00:55:18,317
But that piece of
paper is still with us.
1146
00:55:18,520 --> 00:55:21,318
And I think that that
is, deep down inside is,
1147
00:55:21,520 --> 00:55:23,112
the interest that I have in it.
1148
00:55:23,320 --> 00:55:25,880
Anybody with one of these
can create a document
1149
00:55:26,080 --> 00:55:28,878
that will physically
last forever.
1150
00:55:29,080 --> 00:55:30,752
And if the idea on
it is a good one,
1151
00:55:30,960 --> 00:55:32,552
the idea can last forever, too.
1152
00:55:32,800 --> 00:55:34,870
- Everybody knows the
feeling of having lost
1153
00:55:35,120 --> 00:55:36,951
digital data.
1154
00:55:37,160 --> 00:55:40,311
Nothing is worse than losing
digital data as a writer.
1155
00:55:40,560 --> 00:55:42,471
I've never lost
something I've typed.
1156
00:55:42,680 --> 00:55:45,433
10 years from now, is any
of the computers gonna read
1157
00:55:45,640 --> 00:55:46,675
the stuff that we've saved?
1158
00:55:46,880 --> 00:55:48,438
I have no idea.
1159
00:55:48,640 --> 00:55:52,189
But this still absolutely
human compliant.
1160
00:55:52,400 --> 00:55:53,799
It's human compatible.
1161
00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:55,752
You don't have to
upgrade to look at it,
1162
00:55:55,960 --> 00:55:57,996
you just have to make sure
it doesn't light on fire.
1163
00:55:58,200 --> 00:56:00,031
That's all you have to do.
1164
00:56:00,240 --> 00:56:01,912
- I type over everything,
I don't bother with white out.
1165
00:56:02,120 --> 00:56:04,111
I don't bother, I don't
try to correct it,
1166
00:56:04,320 --> 00:56:05,958
I don't make multiple drafts.
1167
00:56:06,160 --> 00:56:07,434
If I make a mistake,
I just will maybe
1168
00:56:07,640 --> 00:56:08,595
(clacking)
1169
00:56:08,840 --> 00:56:10,558
X it out like that.
1170
00:56:10,800 --> 00:56:12,518
- I think there's a
great value in mistakes.
1171
00:56:12,760 --> 00:56:14,955
It's their value for history
and how things are made.
1172
00:56:15,160 --> 00:56:16,832
(birds chirping)
1173
00:56:17,040 --> 00:56:19,270
You see the perfect
finished text of a speech
1174
00:56:19,520 --> 00:56:21,909
that a president of the
United States makes.
1175
00:56:22,120 --> 00:56:24,839
How much editing did the
President do on that?
1176
00:56:25,040 --> 00:56:28,828
How much of his speech
was not written by him?
1177
00:56:29,040 --> 00:56:33,158
Which words they changed, which
sentences they crossed out,
1178
00:56:33,360 --> 00:56:35,157
that's extremely interesting.
1179
00:56:35,360 --> 00:56:37,828
You see, the process
of what it took to get
1180
00:56:38,080 --> 00:56:40,355
to the finished result.
1181
00:56:40,560 --> 00:56:42,232
With a computer,
no manuscript like that
1182
00:56:42,440 --> 00:56:44,476
will be around anymore.
1183
00:56:44,680 --> 00:56:47,194
Future historians are going
to have nothing to work with.
1184
00:56:47,400 --> 00:56:50,472
There will be no diaries,
there will be no letters.
1185
00:56:50,680 --> 00:56:52,636
So how will we know
1186
00:56:52,880 --> 00:56:54,472
what they really thought?
1187
00:56:56,240 --> 00:56:58,196
What the processes were?
1188
00:56:58,400 --> 00:57:00,038
(gramophone playing)
1189
00:57:00,240 --> 00:57:01,912
- As the benefits of this
revolutionary machine
1190
00:57:02,120 --> 00:57:04,714
became clear, there
was a real shortage
1191
00:57:04,920 --> 00:57:06,672
of trained typists,
people did not know
1192
00:57:06,880 --> 00:57:08,711
how to operate them efficiently.
1193
00:57:08,920 --> 00:57:12,959
The first typing school ever
opened in New York in 1881
1194
00:57:13,200 --> 00:57:16,556
and it was at the YWCA,
there were six woman enrolled
1195
00:57:16,760 --> 00:57:19,274
and it was a six month class.
1196
00:57:19,480 --> 00:57:23,473
Every woman who was trained
to type got a job immediately.
1197
00:57:23,680 --> 00:57:26,911
The type writer was what
the typist was called,
1198
00:57:27,120 --> 00:57:29,554
so the woman was
the type writer.
1199
00:57:29,800 --> 00:57:32,792
And there was this huge
groundswell for the first time
1200
00:57:33,000 --> 00:57:36,117
of women entering into the
man's business environment.
1201
00:57:36,320 --> 00:57:38,072
They were paid less than
men, but it was still
1202
00:57:38,280 --> 00:57:39,952
a larger salary than
they had been paid
1203
00:57:40,160 --> 00:57:43,550
when they worked in factories
or as a school teacher.
1204
00:57:45,320 --> 00:57:46,673
Sholes didn't get
any financial gain
1205
00:57:46,880 --> 00:57:48,472
from success when it came,
1206
00:57:48,680 --> 00:57:51,399
but he was very satisfied
that his invention
1207
00:57:51,600 --> 00:57:54,637
had provided new
opportunities for women.
1208
00:57:54,840 --> 00:57:56,796
He saw it as a means
of emancipating women
1209
00:57:57,000 --> 00:58:00,151
and getting them into the
workplace in a new capacity.
1210
00:58:01,560 --> 00:58:04,233
(patriotic music)
1211
00:58:04,440 --> 00:58:06,078
If I could time travel,
1212
00:58:06,280 --> 00:58:08,953
I'd love to go back to
Kleinsteuber's machine shop
1213
00:58:09,160 --> 00:58:11,469
and to see Sholes, I mean
to actually see him there,
1214
00:58:11,680 --> 00:58:13,477
a breathing, living man.
1215
00:58:19,960 --> 00:58:21,393
If I could've spoken to Sholes,
1216
00:58:21,640 --> 00:58:23,073
I would've shook his hand,
1217
00:58:23,280 --> 00:58:25,714
I'd want to feel
his palm in my palm.
1218
00:58:29,120 --> 00:58:32,590
I'd look him in the
eyes, see his face alive,
1219
00:58:32,800 --> 00:58:34,392
not just a photograph.
1220
00:58:36,080 --> 00:58:38,958
I'm not too sure what I'd say,
1221
00:58:39,200 --> 00:58:41,270
there'd perhaps
be tears in my eyes.
1222
00:58:41,480 --> 00:58:44,074
(patriotic music)
1223
00:58:49,760 --> 00:58:53,275
I would suggest that we
have a beer together.
1224
00:58:58,760 --> 00:59:00,079
I'd want to tell
Sholes a bit about
1225
00:59:00,280 --> 00:59:01,872
what the 20th century was like,
1226
00:59:02,040 --> 00:59:02,995
I'd wanna tell him a
bit about the computer,
1227
00:59:03,200 --> 00:59:04,713
the personal computer.
1228
00:59:04,920 --> 00:59:06,399
I'd want to tell Sholes
1229
00:59:06,640 --> 00:59:08,995
that the Qwerty
keyboard was still there
1230
00:59:11,760 --> 00:59:12,829
(jazz music)
1231
00:59:13,040 --> 00:59:14,155
- When typewriter manufacturers
1232
00:59:14,400 --> 00:59:16,595
were designing the typewriter,
1233
00:59:16,800 --> 00:59:19,997
they wanted to make
something sexy.
1234
00:59:20,240 --> 00:59:21,912
Create something that
people could relate to
1235
00:59:22,160 --> 00:59:24,116
and wanna put their fingers on.
1236
00:59:24,320 --> 00:59:26,390
(clacking)
1237
00:59:28,200 --> 00:59:30,794
I'd dreamed about
creating a woman.
1238
00:59:31,040 --> 00:59:34,476
Like a full scale nude
woman for a long time.
1239
00:59:35,840 --> 00:59:37,637
Something archetypal,
1240
00:59:37,880 --> 00:59:39,836
something that would show
the sensuality, the curves,
1241
00:59:40,040 --> 00:59:42,918
and the lines that I found
in the typewriter parts.
1242
00:59:43,120 --> 00:59:44,553
Yeah, but not unnaturally.
1243
00:59:44,760 --> 00:59:46,113
It's very difficult
to put things together
1244
00:59:46,320 --> 00:59:48,788
in a way that
emulates real life.
1245
00:59:51,720 --> 00:59:53,073
Just the right size.
1246
00:59:53,280 --> 00:59:54,998
It's too sharp.
1247
00:59:55,200 --> 00:59:57,714
In trying to create her beauty,
1248
00:59:57,920 --> 01:00:00,195
it's helping me bring out
the forms in the typewriter
1249
01:00:00,400 --> 01:00:05,235
that I think are the most
beautiful and most sensual.
1250
01:00:05,440 --> 01:00:07,590
I used a bell and a platen knob
1251
01:00:07,800 --> 01:00:10,360
for the lips, because it has
the little vertical lines
1252
01:00:10,560 --> 01:00:14,189
that look like the
cracks in the lips.
1253
01:00:14,400 --> 01:00:16,595
Two of the ribbon spool
covers from a Royal
1254
01:00:16,840 --> 01:00:18,671
get set up as the pelvis.
1255
01:00:22,880 --> 01:00:25,235
(clunking)
1256
01:00:25,440 --> 01:00:29,718
One of the sexiest lines is the
curve of the pectoral muscle
1257
01:00:29,920 --> 01:00:31,638
just above the breast,
and that exists
1258
01:00:31,840 --> 01:00:33,273
in a lot of typewriters.
1259
01:00:33,520 --> 01:00:36,910
Royals have those,
Olympia, Underwoods.
1260
01:00:37,120 --> 01:00:39,076
They're suggesting breasts.
1261
01:00:41,560 --> 01:00:44,472
When I'm in the
thick of creating,
1262
01:00:44,680 --> 01:00:48,070
my body disappears,
physical pain disappears,
1263
01:00:48,280 --> 01:00:50,350
and it's very meditative
in that I'm not thinking
1264
01:00:50,560 --> 01:00:55,509
about the bills I have to pay
or what day of the week it is.
1265
01:00:55,720 --> 01:00:58,439
I give that trance state
more time in my life
1266
01:00:58,640 --> 01:01:00,119
than any other time.
1267
01:01:00,320 --> 01:01:02,072
Any money that I've
made doing this,
1268
01:01:02,280 --> 01:01:04,840
that's what that all pays
for, is that time for me.
1269
01:01:05,040 --> 01:01:06,393
Being in that state.
1270
01:01:07,840 --> 01:01:10,308
- When I hit those trances,
1271
01:01:10,560 --> 01:01:12,357
it's a very strange combination
1272
01:01:12,600 --> 01:01:15,637
of laying the pavement
and driving on it.
1273
01:01:15,840 --> 01:01:18,354
- You're seeing a phenomenon,
1274
01:01:18,560 --> 01:01:21,632
you're seeing this
apparition take place.
1275
01:01:21,840 --> 01:01:24,912
I don't mean to sound
hocus pocus about it, but
1276
01:01:25,160 --> 01:01:28,277
there's something taking
place and you're true to that.
1277
01:01:28,480 --> 01:01:30,835
- And you cannot decide when
those moments are gonna be,
1278
01:01:31,080 --> 01:01:34,152
you just have to be there
in case they happen.
1279
01:01:34,360 --> 01:01:36,157
But you have to keep
your heart rate down,
1280
01:01:36,360 --> 01:01:39,158
and focus, and stay
in that trance.
1281
01:01:39,360 --> 01:01:41,954
And just let that one
side of your brain create,
1282
01:01:42,160 --> 01:01:44,720
and the other side of your
brain send it through.
1283
01:01:44,920 --> 01:01:47,150
- And sometimes you see
it by leaps and bounds
1284
01:01:47,360 --> 01:01:49,271
and sometimes it's just static.
1285
01:01:49,480 --> 01:01:53,837
You don't just write
it, you see it.
1286
01:01:54,040 --> 01:02:00,149
- The best creators in the
world are fiercely arrogant.
1287
01:02:00,400 --> 01:02:02,516
And it's not the arrogance
that you normally think of.
1288
01:02:02,720 --> 01:02:04,392
It's the arrogance
1289
01:02:04,600 --> 01:02:06,636
in looking at something
you haven't created yet
1290
01:02:06,840 --> 01:02:08,512
and say, yes I have.
1291
01:02:08,720 --> 01:02:10,870
- Sometimes it leads you
somewhere, sometimes it doesn't.
1292
01:02:11,120 --> 01:02:12,394
You know.
1293
01:02:12,600 --> 01:02:15,672
But that's the
adventure of it all.
1294
01:02:15,880 --> 01:02:17,711
- You create something
so you don't have to live
1295
01:02:17,960 --> 01:02:20,838
with the reality that you
couldn't create something.
1296
01:02:21,040 --> 01:02:23,190
It's sick, it's a
very sick process.
1297
01:02:23,400 --> 01:02:26,437
I'm going to create something
just so I don't have nothing.
1298
01:02:26,680 --> 01:02:27,556
(ding)
1299
01:02:27,800 --> 01:02:29,472
Doesn't make any sense.
1300
01:02:34,360 --> 01:02:38,194
(engine revving)
(horn honking)
1301
01:02:40,280 --> 01:02:42,714
(distant siren)
1302
01:02:44,520 --> 01:02:47,239
- Herb put the
building up for sale.
1303
01:02:47,440 --> 01:02:48,873
You know, I didn't
wanna see him do it,
1304
01:02:49,080 --> 01:02:51,719
I mean, he struggled
a lot to keep it goin'.
1305
01:02:51,920 --> 01:02:56,232
And to see him put it up for
sale, I was kinda sad for him.
1306
01:02:56,440 --> 01:02:59,159
We haven't heard anything
since the sign's been put up,
1307
01:02:59,360 --> 01:03:01,430
but just a couple days
ago, got an inquire
1308
01:03:01,640 --> 01:03:03,949
from a prospective buyer.
1309
01:03:04,160 --> 01:03:07,232
After they left,
I talked to Herb and
1310
01:03:07,440 --> 01:03:09,749
he seems to think the guys
are quite interested in it.
1311
01:03:12,520 --> 01:03:14,238
If the shop gets sold,
1312
01:03:14,440 --> 01:03:17,238
then I've gotta find
something else to do.
1313
01:03:17,480 --> 01:03:18,629
So I'm kind of waiting to see
1314
01:03:18,800 --> 01:03:20,313
what my next move is gonna be.
1315
01:03:20,520 --> 01:03:24,149
I can't make a move
until they make one.
1316
01:03:24,400 --> 01:03:25,753
- [Candy] Dad mentioned that,
1317
01:03:25,960 --> 01:03:27,518
he was really concerned
about payment.
1318
01:03:27,720 --> 01:03:29,358
- Oh absolutely, he'd
have to give severance.
1319
01:03:29,560 --> 01:03:30,959
- Oh definitely, you'd
have to give him something.
1320
01:03:31,200 --> 01:03:32,553
Yeah, some kind of
package for sure.
1321
01:03:32,760 --> 01:03:34,478
- Absolutely.
- And some kind of time.
1322
01:03:34,680 --> 01:03:36,830
Some kind of warning,
I mean not 30 days, 60 days.
1323
01:03:37,080 --> 01:03:38,718
- Well as long as it comes
with a reasonable check,
1324
01:03:38,960 --> 01:03:41,190
it should help soften that blow.
1325
01:03:41,400 --> 01:03:42,435
- [Candy] We pay him
not enough, probably,
1326
01:03:42,640 --> 01:03:44,073
for what we get from him.
1327
01:03:44,280 --> 01:03:45,872
- [Woman] That's
right, that's right.
1328
01:03:46,080 --> 01:03:47,638
- [Candy] For what he
takes on and does for us.
1329
01:03:47,880 --> 01:03:49,279
I think we owe him something,
what would you think?
1330
01:03:49,480 --> 01:03:51,277
Fifteen years he's
been working for you.
1331
01:03:51,480 --> 01:03:52,879
And 30 days' notice
1332
01:03:53,080 --> 01:03:53,956
and no check,
I'm not feelin' it.
1333
01:03:54,160 --> 01:03:55,878
- No way.
1334
01:03:56,080 --> 01:03:57,877
- I mean, he's gotta go
out and find a job now.
1335
01:03:58,080 --> 01:03:59,798
He's made it possible for dad
to not be there all the time
1336
01:04:00,000 --> 01:04:01,752
and Carmen to not be there
all the time, actually.
1337
01:04:01,960 --> 01:04:05,589
He would drop whatever he's
doing to come help Dad.
1338
01:04:05,800 --> 01:04:08,075
(jazz trumpet)
1339
01:04:10,680 --> 01:04:13,319
- [Ken] Today's
Herb's 70th birthday.
1340
01:04:13,520 --> 01:04:15,351
I've fixed up a couple
of classic Royals
1341
01:04:15,520 --> 01:04:19,479
that they're gonna use
to have people sign in.
1342
01:04:19,680 --> 01:04:21,511
Lotta people are
from Herb's past.
1343
01:04:21,720 --> 01:04:23,312
- Hey, remember this
move we used to do?
1344
01:04:23,520 --> 01:04:25,158
(laughing)
1345
01:04:25,360 --> 01:04:27,874
- [Ken] IBM days,
his old typewriter days.
1346
01:04:28,080 --> 01:04:29,957
I think he's gonna
have a good time.
1347
01:04:30,160 --> 01:04:31,229
(click)
1348
01:04:31,440 --> 01:04:33,749
(crowd chatter and laughter)
1349
01:04:33,920 --> 01:04:37,310
- [Speaker] Happy to celebrate
70 years of life, amen.
1350
01:04:37,560 --> 01:04:38,595
- [Man] Amen.
1351
01:04:38,800 --> 01:04:40,233
- I wanna share one thing.
1352
01:04:40,480 --> 01:04:42,675
God had given us
two commandments,
1353
01:04:42,880 --> 01:04:45,348
one is to love him with
everything that we have,
1354
01:04:45,560 --> 01:04:47,551
and the second is to
love our neighbor,
1355
01:04:47,760 --> 01:04:51,309
which includes
family and friends.
1356
01:04:51,520 --> 01:04:54,273
It's obvious that you
love family and friends,
1357
01:04:54,480 --> 01:04:56,277
'cause you're here tonight.
1358
01:04:56,480 --> 01:04:58,710
And so I wanna give a toast
to Herbert Permillion III,
1359
01:04:58,880 --> 01:05:01,519
for touching so many
lives, Happy Birthday.
1360
01:05:01,720 --> 01:05:02,948
70 years of life.
1361
01:05:03,160 --> 01:05:06,550
- Alright, yay.
(clapping)
1362
01:05:06,760 --> 01:05:10,469
(crowd signing Happy Birthday)
1363
01:05:12,840 --> 01:05:15,354
(downtempo jazz)
1364
01:05:18,480 --> 01:05:19,959
- I love ya, Herb.
1365
01:05:20,160 --> 01:05:24,119
(murmuring crowd)
(downtempo jazz)
1366
01:05:32,240 --> 01:05:34,390
- See your man over there.
- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
1367
01:05:34,600 --> 01:05:36,795
(chucang)
1368
01:05:40,680 --> 01:05:43,399
- You know, people do
have to go to work.
1369
01:05:43,600 --> 01:05:47,229
You know, I can't sit here
and pet you all afternoon.
1370
01:05:47,440 --> 01:05:50,079
So it's rough right now,
yeah, definitely rough.
1371
01:05:50,280 --> 01:05:52,430
We'll be all right.
1372
01:05:52,640 --> 01:05:54,437
I like what I do,
1373
01:05:54,640 --> 01:05:56,915
it's just unfortunate
that it's just not enough
1374
01:05:57,120 --> 01:06:01,398
to where I can make
a decent living off of it.
1375
01:06:01,640 --> 01:06:02,993
I'm a proud man, you know.
1376
01:06:03,200 --> 01:06:04,792
I like to work for my own,
1377
01:06:05,000 --> 01:06:07,195
and get my own, and
take care of my family.
1378
01:06:07,440 --> 01:06:09,874
I want my family to be proud
of me, that's the main thing.
1379
01:06:10,080 --> 01:06:13,436
And I know they are,
you know, my boys are.
1380
01:06:15,280 --> 01:06:17,032
You know, I was taught
never to give up.
1381
01:06:17,280 --> 01:06:21,114
I'm never gonna give up, I'll
never just throw in the towel.
1382
01:06:21,320 --> 01:06:22,435
I'm gonna always keep
trying, you know.
1383
01:06:22,640 --> 01:06:24,358
I owe that to my parents.
1384
01:06:24,560 --> 01:06:26,312
They were hard working people,
they came to California
1385
01:06:26,520 --> 01:06:29,432
back in the 405 to work in
these shipyards out here.
1386
01:06:29,640 --> 01:06:32,598
They sacrificed a lot, they
did a lot to raise nine kids.
1387
01:06:32,840 --> 01:06:36,469
So I owe it to them not
to slouch off or be a bum.
1388
01:06:36,720 --> 01:06:39,792
They worked hard and I
patterned my life after them.
1389
01:06:40,000 --> 01:06:43,197
And I want my sons to pattern
theirs after me somewhat.
1390
01:06:43,400 --> 01:06:45,470
So gotta keep going,
gotta keep goin.
1391
01:06:45,680 --> 01:06:47,796
Always gotta keep goin.
1392
01:06:48,000 --> 01:06:50,070
(clicking)
1393
01:06:58,680 --> 01:07:00,716
(whirring)
(clicking)
1394
01:07:00,920 --> 01:07:04,469
That thing's gonna probably
hit right in the middle.
1395
01:07:04,680 --> 01:07:06,477
- [Martin] I've been
collecting it 25 years now
1396
01:07:06,680 --> 01:07:10,275
and I realize that I'll
never shake this obsession.
1397
01:07:12,480 --> 01:07:14,471
I've come to San Francisco
to see a collector
1398
01:07:14,680 --> 01:07:16,352
who has one of the
greatest collections
1399
01:07:16,560 --> 01:07:18,471
of Sholes and Gliddens.
1400
01:07:18,720 --> 01:07:20,631
Jim Rauen has amassed
what is arguably
1401
01:07:20,840 --> 01:07:23,035
the biggest collection
of these machines.
1402
01:07:23,240 --> 01:07:25,754
He has 12 of them, wow.
1403
01:07:25,960 --> 01:07:27,996
I am the kid in the candy store,
1404
01:07:28,200 --> 01:07:31,272
- I've never really
used my typewriters.
1405
01:07:31,520 --> 01:07:33,351
I've just preserved 'em.
1406
01:07:33,560 --> 01:07:35,312
- [Martin] That's good,
that's the important thing.
1407
01:07:35,520 --> 01:07:38,318
It's much harder now to find
a Sholes and Glidden typewriter
1408
01:07:38,520 --> 01:07:39,999
in the wild.
1409
01:07:40,240 --> 01:07:43,357
- [Jim] This is Sholes
and Glidden 2540.
1410
01:07:43,560 --> 01:07:45,198
- [Martin] Oh,
this is exquisite.
1411
01:07:45,400 --> 01:07:47,072
I've only been collecting
for half the time
1412
01:07:47,280 --> 01:07:50,033
that Jim has, he started
collecting 50 years ago
1413
01:07:50,240 --> 01:07:52,276
and at that time there
were only a handful
1414
01:07:52,440 --> 01:07:53,919
of typewriter collectors.
1415
01:07:54,080 --> 01:07:58,358
- 3026, that is
a gorgeous machine.
1416
01:07:58,560 --> 01:07:59,993
You'll love that one.
1417
01:08:00,200 --> 01:08:03,476
And that should do it
except for those two.
1418
01:08:03,720 --> 01:08:06,473
Oh, boy, I used to
have your energy.
1419
01:08:08,280 --> 01:08:10,794
- I should take off
my wedding ring.
1420
01:08:11,000 --> 01:08:14,549
- [Jim] Is your wife into
typewriters at all, Mark?
1421
01:08:14,760 --> 01:08:16,591
- In a word, no.
1422
01:08:18,040 --> 01:08:20,190
(grunting)
1423
01:08:20,400 --> 01:08:23,278
Oh my, those are shiny
and beautiful, wow.
1424
01:08:23,480 --> 01:08:25,232
- I think I've got more
Sholes and Gliddens
1425
01:08:25,440 --> 01:08:27,590
than the Smithsonian does.
1426
01:08:27,800 --> 01:08:29,392
(ding)
1427
01:08:29,600 --> 01:08:31,830
- Wow, look at that, eh.
1428
01:08:32,080 --> 01:08:35,152
It's always a rather personal
question to ask a collector
1429
01:08:35,360 --> 01:08:38,557
if they have a particular
machine for sale.
1430
01:08:38,800 --> 01:08:40,233
Are you still looking
for Sholes and Gliddens?
1431
01:08:40,440 --> 01:08:42,556
I guess certainly if
you saw one, you'd...
1432
01:08:42,800 --> 01:08:46,679
- Well, I don't
know now whether...
1433
01:08:46,880 --> 01:08:51,590
So many things economy-wise
have changed for us.
1434
01:08:51,800 --> 01:08:54,872
- [Martin] Difficult times.
1435
01:08:55,080 --> 01:08:57,548
But as collectors, we
all sort of have to put
1436
01:08:57,760 --> 01:09:02,197
our hat into the ring and
make our desires known.
1437
01:09:03,920 --> 01:09:06,354
It's important not
to be too meek.
1438
01:09:06,560 --> 01:09:08,790
I suspect that over the years
you've had other collectors
1439
01:09:09,040 --> 01:09:11,474
who have come to
you interested in
1440
01:09:11,680 --> 01:09:14,592
buying a Sholes and Glidden
typewriter from you,
1441
01:09:14,800 --> 01:09:15,869
has that been the case?
1442
01:09:16,080 --> 01:09:17,877
- [Jim] Yes.
1443
01:09:18,080 --> 01:09:21,595
Let me ask you this, what are
your thoughts about selling
1444
01:09:21,840 --> 01:09:23,592
some of your typewriters
at this stage.
1445
01:09:23,840 --> 01:09:27,389
- Right now, I seriously,
really don't have any plans
1446
01:09:27,640 --> 01:09:29,119
for selling them now.
1447
01:09:31,600 --> 01:09:33,830
There's still more
research I'd like to do
1448
01:09:34,040 --> 01:09:35,678
and have the machines for.
1449
01:09:35,840 --> 01:09:37,990
- I understand that,
I understand.
1450
01:09:38,200 --> 01:09:41,636
- I'd love to see the
collection preserved in a museum
1451
01:09:41,840 --> 01:09:44,513
of some type, mechanical museum,
1452
01:09:44,720 --> 01:09:48,508
maybe even a typewriter museum.
1453
01:09:48,720 --> 01:09:51,553
- [Martin] It's very nice, I
would come visit that museum.
1454
01:09:51,760 --> 01:09:53,478
- Oh, love to have you.
1455
01:09:57,120 --> 01:09:59,634
- [Martin] I dreamed of
this moment for a long time,
1456
01:09:59,880 --> 01:10:02,633
to be sitting and looking at
a Sholes and Glidden typewriter
1457
01:10:02,880 --> 01:10:04,950
and knowing it was mine.
1458
01:10:05,160 --> 01:10:07,196
(clicking)
1459
01:10:07,400 --> 01:10:09,436
My hunt will continue.
1460
01:10:09,680 --> 01:10:12,069
(crowd chatter)
1461
01:10:13,840 --> 01:10:15,990
I love connecting to the past.
1462
01:10:16,200 --> 01:10:18,316
Still yet, the past
is so elusive.
1463
01:10:18,560 --> 01:10:21,358
(light piano music)
1464
01:10:24,760 --> 01:10:27,672
My typewriter room has some
trappings from my youth.
1465
01:10:27,880 --> 01:10:30,917
It's got a fire engine that I
had when I was six years old
1466
01:10:31,160 --> 01:10:33,913
and I've got some windup toys
my mother used to bring back
1467
01:10:34,160 --> 01:10:35,639
to us from Germany.
1468
01:10:37,040 --> 01:10:39,235
(click)
1469
01:10:39,440 --> 01:10:42,079
I have a twin brother,
I'll give you my only twin joke.
1470
01:10:42,280 --> 01:10:43,633
Now you know what twins are?
1471
01:10:43,880 --> 01:10:45,154
They're womb-mates.
1472
01:10:48,240 --> 01:10:49,912
That's my dad and mother.
1473
01:10:50,120 --> 01:10:52,190
I first experienced
collecting from my parents
1474
01:10:52,400 --> 01:10:54,311
collecting these
interesting tools.
1475
01:10:54,560 --> 01:10:58,030
My dad would restore them,
cobbler's tools, cooper's tools,
1476
01:10:58,240 --> 01:10:59,673
kitchen implements.
1477
01:10:59,880 --> 01:11:01,711
- It's an electric comb.
1478
01:11:01,920 --> 01:11:03,876
- [Martin] This is our house,
1479
01:11:04,080 --> 01:11:05,479
my parents still have that house
1480
01:11:05,680 --> 01:11:08,478
that we moved into in 1966.
1481
01:11:08,680 --> 01:11:11,240
There was the Dawn River
in the back garden.
1482
01:11:11,440 --> 01:11:13,715
We'd build boats, we'd get
a door and put walls around it
1483
01:11:13,920 --> 01:11:15,717
and we'd go floating
it on the river.
1484
01:11:15,920 --> 01:11:18,593
We had annual lamb roasts,
pretty grand barbecues.
1485
01:11:18,800 --> 01:11:20,233
It was a real party house.
1486
01:11:20,440 --> 01:11:22,556
This is a pulley ride
down the back garden.
1487
01:11:22,760 --> 01:11:25,320
She's 85 years old,
my dad built a zip line
1488
01:11:25,520 --> 01:11:28,751
300 feet long from the top
right down to the pine trees
1489
01:11:28,960 --> 01:11:30,393
at the bottom of the hill.
1490
01:11:30,640 --> 01:11:32,198
And this is
a massive teeter totter
1491
01:11:32,400 --> 01:11:35,073
my dad built with a universal
joint in the middle.
1492
01:11:35,280 --> 01:11:37,077
A sort of carnival ride.
1493
01:11:39,920 --> 01:11:41,512
We built balsa wood gliders,
1494
01:11:41,720 --> 01:11:44,871
that's an eight foot
wingspan on that one.
1495
01:11:46,160 --> 01:11:48,594
I am capturing my past.
1496
01:11:48,800 --> 01:11:50,438
It's there with me,
my past, my room,
1497
01:11:50,640 --> 01:11:52,392
my playroom, it's still with me
1498
01:11:52,600 --> 01:11:56,229
and I'm very happy to have
them with me in this room now.
1499
01:11:56,440 --> 01:12:00,353
(crowd chatter)
(light piano music)
1500
01:12:04,880 --> 01:12:06,279
I love to chase the past
1501
01:12:06,480 --> 01:12:08,994
and to capture it
the best I can.
1502
01:12:12,640 --> 01:12:15,757
The past is a luxurious pursuit
1503
01:12:16,000 --> 01:12:19,117
which I've luckily
been able to indulge,
1504
01:12:19,320 --> 01:12:20,435
to some extent.
1505
01:12:23,280 --> 01:12:26,113
(seagulls chirping)
1506
01:12:29,960 --> 01:12:32,838
(light ambient indie)
1507
01:12:57,880 --> 01:12:59,836
- I finally sold some work.
1508
01:13:01,240 --> 01:13:03,117
A tech CEO from Silicon Valley
1509
01:13:03,320 --> 01:13:05,834
had seen the deer and wanted it.
1510
01:13:08,040 --> 01:13:09,837
He contacted me and
asked me to install it
1511
01:13:10,040 --> 01:13:13,999
in his apartment in San
Francisco while he was away.
1512
01:13:16,600 --> 01:13:18,238
It was really good timing.
1513
01:13:18,440 --> 01:13:22,956
Just paying people who
I owe money already.
1514
01:13:23,160 --> 01:13:24,832
And then the money's all
gone, but it allows me
1515
01:13:25,080 --> 01:13:27,355
to move forward a little bit.
1516
01:13:29,480 --> 01:13:32,995
I was happy someone
appreciated it.
1517
01:13:33,200 --> 01:13:34,952
And that was what I
dreamed about when I moved
1518
01:13:35,160 --> 01:13:37,833
from the mountains to the
city, was that at some point,
1519
01:13:38,040 --> 01:13:40,270
I'd be installing my work
in a really nice apartment
1520
01:13:40,520 --> 01:13:42,192
with a beautiful view
1521
01:13:42,400 --> 01:13:46,075
and that my work meant
something to someone.
1522
01:13:46,280 --> 01:13:48,635
(clattering)
1523
01:13:50,520 --> 01:13:52,476
Bruce Sterling,
the science fiction author,
1524
01:13:52,680 --> 01:13:55,478
posted something on
Wired.com about my work
1525
01:13:55,680 --> 01:13:57,875
and then Cory Doctorow
started posting stuff of mine
1526
01:13:58,120 --> 01:13:59,758
on BoingBoing.
1527
01:13:59,960 --> 01:14:02,110
After that I got picked
up by Popular Mechanics,
1528
01:14:02,320 --> 01:14:05,357
Gizmodo, Engadget,
a lot of the tech blogs.
1529
01:14:05,560 --> 01:14:07,039
(clacking)
1530
01:14:07,240 --> 01:14:08,958
Things started to
pick up very quickly.
1531
01:14:09,160 --> 01:14:11,037
How many of you recognize
this sound, what is it?
1532
01:14:11,240 --> 01:14:13,356
I started getting calls from
people in Silicon Valley.
1533
01:14:13,560 --> 01:14:14,913
- How many of you actually
learned how to type
1534
01:14:15,120 --> 01:14:16,678
on a typewriter?
1535
01:14:16,880 --> 01:14:18,632
High tech people
creating new technologies
1536
01:14:18,840 --> 01:14:21,877
who were interested
in buying my work.
1537
01:14:22,080 --> 01:14:25,914
This piece is a portrait
bust of Mark Zuckerberg,
1538
01:14:26,120 --> 01:14:28,111
the head of Facebook.
1539
01:14:28,320 --> 01:14:30,390
Christmas present for
him from a friend.
1540
01:14:33,000 --> 01:14:36,515
Hopefully it looks
a little like him.
1541
01:14:36,720 --> 01:14:38,950
Mark's eyes are kind
of a little wide set.
1542
01:14:41,560 --> 01:14:45,235
The insides of his eyes are
kind of turned up a little bit.
1543
01:14:49,720 --> 01:14:52,632
Sometimes I'll get anonymous
hate mails on my website
1544
01:14:52,880 --> 01:14:57,317
or comments on
Instagram or Facebook,
1545
01:14:57,520 --> 01:14:59,715
where someone's
obviously very upset.
1546
01:14:59,920 --> 01:15:02,878
And I'm doin' what I do.
1547
01:15:03,080 --> 01:15:04,752
They'd rather see
the typewriter live
1548
01:15:04,960 --> 01:15:08,350
than have me make my
crappy artwork or whatever.
1549
01:15:10,120 --> 01:15:12,873
They wanna save every typewriter
1550
01:15:13,080 --> 01:15:16,959
and that's just not
possible, it's not practical.
1551
01:15:17,200 --> 01:15:18,952
And it's not gonna happen.
1552
01:15:19,200 --> 01:15:21,953
(soft piano music)
1553
01:15:26,880 --> 01:15:29,713
This is the way
that I honor them.
1554
01:15:29,960 --> 01:15:32,030
I'd much rather see
them in this state
1555
01:15:32,240 --> 01:15:36,597
than sitting on
a shelf collecting dust.
1556
01:15:40,920 --> 01:15:43,036
Technology will change us,
1557
01:15:43,240 --> 01:15:46,835
we won't be human
in the same way.
1558
01:15:47,040 --> 01:15:49,235
We will be a different
kind of human.
1559
01:15:50,920 --> 01:15:53,229
This piece is called Thea.
1560
01:15:53,480 --> 01:15:56,995
She's the Greek goddess
of sight and light.
1561
01:15:57,240 --> 01:15:59,879
It's for Oculus VR,
a company that makes
1562
01:16:00,080 --> 01:16:02,992
a virtual reality headset,
called the Oculus Rift.
1563
01:16:03,240 --> 01:16:04,912
That's technology that
I've been waiting for
1564
01:16:05,160 --> 01:16:07,037
since I was a little kid.
1565
01:16:09,120 --> 01:16:11,793
Along with a flying car
and all that other stuff.
1566
01:16:14,320 --> 01:16:17,596
This is gonna be hanging
from cables in their office.
1567
01:16:21,200 --> 01:16:22,872
In the near future,
there's going to be
1568
01:16:23,080 --> 01:16:24,991
a huge split in society.
1569
01:16:25,200 --> 01:16:27,031
There'll be one group
who'll have all the money
1570
01:16:27,240 --> 01:16:30,118
and power to change their
DNA, augment their bodies
1571
01:16:30,320 --> 01:16:35,075
with technology and become
machines that can live forever.
1572
01:16:36,960 --> 01:16:38,791
And then there will
be the other group
1573
01:16:39,000 --> 01:16:42,879
who will reject all that for
a completely analog life.
1574
01:16:43,080 --> 01:16:46,072
Living in nature with
little or no technology
1575
01:16:46,280 --> 01:16:48,111
and trying to stay human.
1576
01:16:48,320 --> 01:16:50,629
(train horn)
1577
01:16:54,240 --> 01:16:56,913
(engine running)
1578
01:17:00,800 --> 01:17:03,394
- [Ken] When I was a kid, I
liked everything in the future,
1579
01:17:03,600 --> 01:17:07,036
I watched the Jetsons,
I liked Johnny Quest,
1580
01:17:07,240 --> 01:17:09,276
you know, 'cause he had
technology, I loved it.
1581
01:17:09,520 --> 01:17:11,078
I wanted to be Hadji.
1582
01:17:13,240 --> 01:17:14,832
But I'm an adult
now and now I see
1583
01:17:15,040 --> 01:17:17,156
what it's really doin' to us.
1584
01:17:17,400 --> 01:17:18,469
You know, we had
plants full of workers,
1585
01:17:18,680 --> 01:17:20,591
now they're full of robots.
1586
01:17:22,440 --> 01:17:23,919
Sometimes we forget
about what happens
1587
01:17:24,160 --> 01:17:25,513
when we do have
these innovations,
1588
01:17:25,720 --> 01:17:28,871
and the fallout
effect from that.
1589
01:17:29,120 --> 01:17:34,478
- Are you at a loss as
a culture if something dies
1590
01:17:34,640 --> 01:17:38,110
and nobody appreciates
the death of it?
1591
01:17:38,320 --> 01:17:39,799
(soft piano music)
1592
01:17:40,000 --> 01:17:41,115
Maybe, maybe not.
1593
01:17:43,480 --> 01:17:45,516
- Just like time traveling,
1594
01:17:45,760 --> 01:17:48,069
when you're comin' in
here looking at one
of these machines.
1595
01:17:48,280 --> 01:17:52,114
They take you back
in a place and time.
1596
01:17:52,320 --> 01:17:54,117
You can visualize what
was happening in the '405
1597
01:17:54,320 --> 01:17:57,278
or World War I or
the '605, if you will,
1598
01:17:57,520 --> 01:17:59,476
just by the typewriters
that we work on here
1599
01:17:59,680 --> 01:18:01,671
and the era that
they came out in.
1600
01:18:01,880 --> 01:18:04,553
(jazz festive music)
1601
01:18:04,720 --> 01:18:08,759
So I'm prayin' to God that
we can keep this thing going.
1602
01:18:12,320 --> 01:18:14,117
Fingers crossed.
1603
01:18:14,320 --> 01:18:16,151
Fingers crossed, I hope
there's a lot of enthusiasts
1604
01:18:16,360 --> 01:18:19,875
still out there, you know,
that want their machines fixed.
1605
01:18:20,080 --> 01:18:22,389
Yeah, I can do it,
I mean' I'm not braggin',
1606
01:18:22,600 --> 01:18:24,795
but I'm damn good.
1607
01:18:25,000 --> 01:18:27,275
I am, I am, no brag, just fact.
1608
01:18:30,000 --> 01:18:32,150
- Individually,
I think we are a culture,
1609
01:18:32,360 --> 01:18:36,353
individually, every
individual is a culture.
1610
01:18:36,600 --> 01:18:38,192
But the big picture
of the culture
1611
01:18:38,440 --> 01:18:40,590
doesn't make any sense to me.
1612
01:18:40,800 --> 01:18:43,360
(festive jazz music)
1613
01:18:43,560 --> 01:18:44,470
- [Ken] Yeah.
1614
01:18:46,600 --> 01:18:50,195
Here around Christmastime,
we probably do our best work.
1615
01:18:52,480 --> 01:18:55,199
When they come in the shop,
it's very nostalgic to 'em.
1616
01:18:55,400 --> 01:18:58,198
The typewriter involves
a sense of times gone,
1617
01:18:58,400 --> 01:19:01,312
that I think were
a lot less stressful.
1618
01:19:08,280 --> 01:19:10,316
Alright, stick you
on back in here,
1619
01:19:10,520 --> 01:19:12,397
get you all dolled up.
1620
01:19:12,640 --> 01:19:14,232
They're time machines.
1621
01:19:19,680 --> 01:19:21,113
I think there's enough
people out there
1622
01:19:21,360 --> 01:19:23,112
that can keep us afloat.
1623
01:19:25,800 --> 01:19:28,678
But I don't know, I don't know.
1624
01:19:28,880 --> 01:19:30,472
- I'm not...
1625
01:19:30,680 --> 01:19:31,874
- You're not gettin' it yet?
- Look, are you?
1626
01:19:32,120 --> 01:19:34,714
Looks kinda somehow uneven.
1627
01:19:34,920 --> 01:19:36,319
That looks okay, that one maybe
should go on the other side.
1628
01:19:36,480 --> 01:19:37,629
- That's what
I'm thinkin', yeah,
1629
01:19:37,840 --> 01:19:38,955
that can go over there, yeah.
1630
01:19:39,160 --> 01:19:40,957
- Yeah, put that over there.
1631
01:19:41,160 --> 01:19:42,229
- [Richard] Typewriters are
a so called thing of the past
1632
01:19:42,440 --> 01:19:44,271
so people sometimes turn to them
1633
01:19:44,480 --> 01:19:47,631
in an attempt to
recapture the past.
1634
01:19:47,880 --> 01:19:49,598
- [Ken] How we
lookin', how we lookin'?
1635
01:19:49,800 --> 01:19:51,233
- I think it looks good,
I think it looks way better.
1636
01:19:51,440 --> 01:19:52,589
- It's a way to
travel back in time
1637
01:19:52,800 --> 01:19:55,598
to a previous period in history.
1638
01:19:55,800 --> 01:19:58,951
I've come to see typewriters
less as objects of nostalgia
1639
01:19:59,160 --> 01:20:00,718
than signs of a future,
1640
01:20:00,920 --> 01:20:04,595
signs of something
that's going to happen.
1641
01:20:04,800 --> 01:20:07,268
There's a slow movement afoot.
1642
01:20:07,480 --> 01:20:09,710
People realizing that
not everything has to be
1643
01:20:09,920 --> 01:20:12,275
completely efficient,
not everything has to be
1644
01:20:12,480 --> 01:20:15,870
goal oriented, but you can
enjoy the process itself.
1645
01:20:16,120 --> 01:20:17,917
You could compare typing to
the slow cooking movement,
1646
01:20:18,160 --> 01:20:20,469
the point is not to eat as
efficiently as possible,
1647
01:20:20,680 --> 01:20:22,272
the point is to take your time.
1648
01:20:22,480 --> 01:20:24,835
And efficiency is not
the paramount value,
1649
01:20:25,040 --> 01:20:27,110
the point is to enjoy
what you're doing.
1650
01:20:27,320 --> 01:20:29,038
- Afraid that you can
talk to your own friends,
1651
01:20:29,240 --> 01:20:30,434
but how do we take that
video calling experience
1652
01:20:30,640 --> 01:20:32,278
and really make it social?
1653
01:20:32,480 --> 01:20:34,118
In fact, you can only
video call with people
1654
01:20:34,320 --> 01:20:36,072
who've already accepted
your friend request.
1655
01:20:36,280 --> 01:20:37,918
- [Richard] Computers,
they're great tools,
1656
01:20:38,120 --> 01:20:39,951
but they're also seductive
and they take away
1657
01:20:40,160 --> 01:20:41,559
some of our power sometimes.
1658
01:20:41,760 --> 01:20:42,795
- It's gonna be
a one-click toggle
1659
01:20:43,000 --> 01:20:44,513
to change between these modes.
1660
01:20:44,720 --> 01:20:46,472
- [Richard] There's
a fine line between
1661
01:20:46,680 --> 01:20:50,036
having something help you and
having you be dependent on it.
1662
01:20:50,280 --> 01:20:51,713
- [Woman] We have
facial detection,
1663
01:20:51,920 --> 01:20:53,672
which actually tells
you if someone's home.
1664
01:20:53,880 --> 01:20:55,313
- [Woman] You have face alerts,
1665
01:20:55,520 --> 01:20:56,669
if someone walks
into the living room,
1666
01:20:56,880 --> 01:20:58,598
you can receive a face alert.
1667
01:20:58,800 --> 01:21:00,791
- I don't wanna find out
tomorrow what happened today.
1668
01:21:01,040 --> 01:21:02,678
I wanna find out within
seconds or microseconds,
1669
01:21:02,920 --> 01:21:04,558
if possible.
1670
01:21:04,760 --> 01:21:05,556
Social media allows
everyone to know everything
1671
01:21:05,760 --> 01:21:07,352
about everyone.
1672
01:21:07,560 --> 01:21:09,118
- We added a little
accelerometer inside the sensor,
1673
01:21:09,320 --> 01:21:10,753
you're actually
gonna get a vibration
1674
01:21:10,960 --> 01:21:12,313
to let you know to
stand up straight.
1675
01:21:12,520 --> 01:21:14,272
And it takes all
your data points,
1676
01:21:14,480 --> 01:21:15,549
and then the real secret
sauce is where our engineers
1677
01:21:15,800 --> 01:21:17,438
had made all the algorithms
1678
01:21:17,680 --> 01:21:19,318
that take all this data
and actually turn it into
1679
01:21:19,560 --> 01:21:21,278
insights and information.
1680
01:21:21,520 --> 01:21:22,953
- There'll be always those
people who are against it,
1681
01:21:23,160 --> 01:21:24,593
but I think for the most part,
1682
01:21:24,800 --> 01:21:26,358
people'll start to
come around to it.
1683
01:21:26,560 --> 01:21:29,757
- I was having this
rebellious moment,
1684
01:21:29,920 --> 01:21:32,150
this feeling of being
sick of the digital world,
1685
01:21:32,400 --> 01:21:37,349
how intrusive it is, how pesky
it is, how invasive it is.
1686
01:21:37,560 --> 01:21:41,348
And I went to my typewriter
and wrote down a manifesto.
1687
01:21:41,560 --> 01:21:45,348
(clicking)
(motivational music)
1688
01:21:57,000 --> 01:22:00,356
"We assert our right
to resist the Paradigm.
1689
01:22:02,200 --> 01:22:05,431
"To rebel against the
Information Regime.
1690
01:22:05,640 --> 01:22:08,029
"To escape the Data Stream.
1691
01:22:08,240 --> 01:22:11,835
"We strike a blow
for self-reliance,
privacy, coherence
1692
01:22:12,040 --> 01:22:16,033
"against dependency,
surveillance, and
disintegration.
1693
01:22:20,680 --> 01:22:22,796
"We affirm the written
word and written thought
1694
01:22:23,040 --> 01:22:27,591
"against multimedia,
multitasking, and the meme.
1695
01:22:30,520 --> 01:22:32,397
"We choose the real
over representation,
1696
01:22:32,600 --> 01:22:34,397
"the physical over the digital,
1697
01:22:34,600 --> 01:22:36,750
"the durable over
the unsustainable.
1698
01:22:36,960 --> 01:22:40,396
"The self sufficient
over the efficient."
1699
01:22:40,640 --> 01:22:44,679
(clicking)
(inspirational music)
1700
01:22:57,520 --> 01:22:59,431
(whirring)
1701
01:23:03,640 --> 01:23:07,076
After I wrote it, I put
it through the scanner
1702
01:23:07,280 --> 01:23:09,475
and shared it online.
1703
01:23:11,520 --> 01:23:13,192
Then I put a little
note on my blog saying,
1704
01:23:13,400 --> 01:23:15,277
Psst, visit this website
where you can find it
1705
01:23:15,480 --> 01:23:17,152
and people did.
1706
01:23:17,360 --> 01:23:20,079
They started copying it,
retyping it, sharing it.
1707
01:23:20,280 --> 01:23:22,953
Here's somebody who
translated it into Italian,
1708
01:23:23,160 --> 01:23:26,391
here's a translation
into Serbian.
1709
01:23:26,640 --> 01:23:28,870
Then in a few weeks, I started
getting postcards, letters
1710
01:23:29,080 --> 01:23:32,436
in my mailbox from the
insurgency around the world.
1711
01:23:32,640 --> 01:23:34,790
The revolution reached
the village of Graubunden,
1712
01:23:35,000 --> 01:23:38,470
located in the Southern
Valley, agent Neckerman Jr.
1713
01:23:38,680 --> 01:23:40,318
"Greetings from
the insurrection,
1714
01:23:40,520 --> 01:23:42,272
"we are pleased to inform
you that typewriters
1715
01:23:42,480 --> 01:23:45,631
"are now mandatory in every
tower and minaret east of Paris.
1716
01:23:45,840 --> 01:23:47,831
"Unfortunately it was
not a bloodless coup.
1717
01:23:48,080 --> 01:23:49,638
"Sometimes the unenlightened
must be shown the error
1718
01:23:49,840 --> 01:23:51,512
"of their wicked ways.
1719
01:23:51,680 --> 01:23:53,159
"We are confident that
every public building,
1720
01:23:53,360 --> 01:23:55,157
"and every hamlet,
village, and city,
1721
01:23:55,360 --> 01:23:57,476
"will soon resonate with the
glorious clatter of type bars
1722
01:23:57,720 --> 01:23:59,756
"falling upon paper.
1723
01:23:59,960 --> 01:24:01,473
"It is never too late
to experience the joys
1724
01:24:01,720 --> 01:24:03,631
"of our mechanical friends."
1725
01:24:05,120 --> 01:24:06,792
"Freedom must always be freedom
1726
01:24:07,000 --> 01:24:09,195
"for those who think
differently," Rosa Luxemburg.
1727
01:24:11,680 --> 01:24:13,238
"Comrade Polt, this month
I visited a foreign country
1728
01:24:13,480 --> 01:24:15,232
"where I hope to make
contact with a new cell
1729
01:24:15,480 --> 01:24:19,109
"of the insurgency, workers
of the Typosphere unite."
1730
01:24:20,920 --> 01:24:23,514
This one came in
recently from Alabama.
1731
01:24:23,720 --> 01:24:25,517
"This dispatch comes from
the province known among
1732
01:24:25,720 --> 01:24:27,631
"the cognoscente
as the Magic City.
1733
01:24:27,840 --> 01:24:29,671
"Natives here express
satisfaction at
the recent contact
1734
01:24:29,880 --> 01:24:31,711
"with the glorious
revolutionaries
1735
01:24:31,960 --> 01:24:33,951
"of the London Town Directorate
1736
01:24:34,160 --> 01:24:36,355
"and hold themselves
in readiness for
further instructions
1737
01:24:36,560 --> 01:24:38,118
"from the Politburo.
1738
01:24:38,320 --> 01:24:40,231
"Vive l'insurgencie."
1739
01:24:40,440 --> 01:24:41,509
Communique ends.
1740
01:24:43,040 --> 01:24:44,792
From Melbourne, Australia.
1741
01:24:45,000 --> 01:24:47,070
"Typewriter writers
of Melbourne, unite.
1742
01:24:47,280 --> 01:24:48,793
"Bring out your
weapons of writing
1743
01:24:49,000 --> 01:24:50,558
"and write in the
streets, in the parks,
1744
01:24:50,760 --> 01:24:51,829
"at the football.
1745
01:24:52,040 --> 01:24:53,758
"Write like every word matters.
1746
01:24:53,960 --> 01:24:56,679
"We watch our movement to
grow stronger every day.
1747
01:24:56,880 --> 01:24:59,553
"The revolution will
be typewritten."
1748
01:24:59,760 --> 01:25:02,433
(soft piano music)
1749
01:25:09,640 --> 01:25:11,835
- Sometimes I feel
homesick for a place
1750
01:25:12,080 --> 01:25:14,116
I can never really get back to.
1751
01:25:17,320 --> 01:25:20,551
My father died last June,
1752
01:25:20,800 --> 01:25:23,189
he was 86.
1753
01:25:25,760 --> 01:25:28,194
Eventually, the house
will have to be sold.
1754
01:25:34,760 --> 01:25:37,797
The house was the house
that people came to to play,
1755
01:25:38,000 --> 01:25:39,149
it was where my friends came,
1756
01:25:39,400 --> 01:25:41,755
it was the adventure playground.
1757
01:25:46,360 --> 01:25:48,749
I can see myself in
10, 15, 20 years,
1758
01:25:48,960 --> 01:25:50,632
walking along the river
1759
01:25:50,840 --> 01:25:54,674
and approaching my parents'
house from the valley.
1760
01:25:54,920 --> 01:25:57,992
I come down here and imagine
the pleasures of childhood
1761
01:25:58,200 --> 01:25:59,599
that were had here.
1762
01:26:04,160 --> 01:26:05,593
- [Herb] Want something
to drink, here?
1763
01:26:05,840 --> 01:26:07,558
- Yeah, lemonade, medium.
- Oh okay.
1764
01:26:07,800 --> 01:26:09,119
What's up?
- Right here good?
1765
01:26:09,320 --> 01:26:11,675
- [Herb] Yeah, that's fine.
1766
01:26:11,840 --> 01:26:13,717
(humming)
1767
01:26:13,920 --> 01:26:17,310
- [Ken] Herb decided not to
take the offer on the building.
1768
01:26:17,560 --> 01:26:20,313
He decided, well let's just
not give up hope yet on it,
1769
01:26:20,520 --> 01:26:22,351
let's see if we can
keep this thing going.
1770
01:26:25,280 --> 01:26:28,272
We realized we needed a website.
1771
01:26:28,480 --> 01:26:31,074
- The whole typewriter thing
seems to be a fad right now,
1772
01:26:31,280 --> 01:26:33,748
but I think it's more than that.
1773
01:26:34,000 --> 01:26:37,072
All these kids out there
wanting typewriters,
1774
01:26:37,280 --> 01:26:39,635
the only way they're
gonna see that is online.
1775
01:26:39,880 --> 01:26:43,634
(clacking)
(beep)
1776
01:26:43,880 --> 01:26:46,155
It seems funny that the only
way that California Typewriter
1777
01:26:46,360 --> 01:26:50,638
will be able to survive is
by embracing new technology.
1778
01:26:50,840 --> 01:26:53,513
Using social
networking in a website
1779
01:26:53,720 --> 01:26:55,711
just to tell people
that they exist.
1780
01:26:55,920 --> 01:26:57,672
Here it is, update.
- Okay.
1781
01:26:57,880 --> 01:27:00,235
- It's gonna say
update on your main,
1782
01:27:00,480 --> 01:27:02,038
it's way easier on the app.
1783
01:27:02,240 --> 01:27:04,674
They can manage their
promotion through the web.
1784
01:27:04,880 --> 01:27:06,677
I just took a great picture of
1785
01:27:08,840 --> 01:27:10,432
an Instagram post
that says something.
1786
01:27:10,640 --> 01:27:11,959
Yeah, they won't have
to wait for anybody
1787
01:27:12,200 --> 01:27:14,191
to come into their
store anymore.
1788
01:27:14,400 --> 01:27:17,472
Here I'm gonna say this
super clean, little beauty.
1789
01:27:17,680 --> 01:27:20,035
They can arrange repairs
and ship typewriters.
1790
01:27:20,240 --> 01:27:21,434
$440?
1791
01:27:21,640 --> 01:27:23,517
- [Carmen] Yeah, $440.
1792
01:27:23,720 --> 01:27:26,280
- [Jeremy] And they can stay
in that space, happy there,
1793
01:27:26,480 --> 01:27:29,517
the whole family keeps
working together and
1794
01:27:29,760 --> 01:27:31,318
it'd be great.
1795
01:27:31,520 --> 01:27:33,158
- Right now the site
just pretty much features
1796
01:27:33,360 --> 01:27:35,316
profiles of the store and
of the employees in it
1797
01:27:35,560 --> 01:27:37,596
and what we do and how
long we've been here.
1798
01:27:37,800 --> 01:27:39,313
And it features a few machines,
1799
01:27:39,560 --> 01:27:41,551
but it certainly has to
grow bigger than that.
1800
01:27:41,760 --> 01:27:43,830
One thing about
the new technology
1801
01:27:44,040 --> 01:27:45,712
is that even though
we may hate it,
1802
01:27:45,920 --> 01:27:46,716
we need it.
1803
01:27:46,920 --> 01:27:47,716
(laughing)
1804
01:27:47,920 --> 01:27:50,798
(crowd noise)
1805
01:27:51,000 --> 01:27:52,638
First of all, we wanna
thank you guys for comin'.
1806
01:27:52,840 --> 01:27:54,751
This is our first type in.
1807
01:27:54,960 --> 01:27:56,871
this place hasn't been bumping
like this in a while, so.
1808
01:27:57,120 --> 01:27:59,714
Welcome and thank
you for coming.
1809
01:27:59,960 --> 01:28:01,552
Yeah, basic service
runs about $75
1810
01:28:01,760 --> 01:28:03,239
and the ribbon's about $15.
1811
01:28:03,440 --> 01:28:04,270
Give you a name
and a phone number
1812
01:28:04,480 --> 01:28:06,038
to call back at.
1813
01:28:06,240 --> 01:28:07,673
Okay, great.
1814
01:28:07,920 --> 01:28:10,388
(clicking)
1815
01:28:10,600 --> 01:28:13,512
(crowd chatter)
1816
01:28:13,760 --> 01:28:14,795
- We're all a little weird.
1817
01:28:15,000 --> 01:28:16,513
When you have an addiction
1818
01:28:16,720 --> 01:28:18,312
and you find other
like-minded people,
1819
01:28:18,560 --> 01:28:20,118
this whole group of people
enabling each other.
1820
01:28:20,280 --> 01:28:22,111
- I thought it was a
good opportunity to come
1821
01:28:22,320 --> 01:28:23,753
and meet lots of other people
who bother with typewriters.
1822
01:28:23,960 --> 01:28:26,428
- I'm worse than an alcoholic.
1823
01:28:26,640 --> 01:28:28,119
Somebody come up
with a creative way
1824
01:28:28,360 --> 01:28:30,191
for Typewriters
Anonymous and I'm that.
1825
01:28:30,360 --> 01:28:32,351
- My name's Tony Midley and
I have a typewriter problem.
1826
01:28:32,560 --> 01:28:34,118
- I have a typewriter
problem, too, and I love it.
1827
01:28:34,320 --> 01:28:35,878
- I think there's
actually a lot of people
1828
01:28:36,120 --> 01:28:37,189
who fit the description
of high tech people
1829
01:28:37,400 --> 01:28:38,833
who have kind of had enough
1830
01:28:39,080 --> 01:28:40,832
and have gone back
to the analog world.
1831
01:28:41,080 --> 01:28:42,479
I actually work for Facebook,
which is really interesting
1832
01:28:42,680 --> 01:28:43,749
to me, because I spend
all of my time online,
1833
01:28:44,000 --> 01:28:45,672
social networking.
1834
01:28:45,920 --> 01:28:47,035
I think a lot of people
wanna get away from that,
1835
01:28:47,240 --> 01:28:48,912
or withdraw from that.
1836
01:28:49,120 --> 01:28:50,394
Even young people, and
I think that's why they're
1837
01:28:50,600 --> 01:28:52,795
attracted to
technology like this.
1838
01:28:53,000 --> 01:28:56,037
- There's never going to
be a typewriter movement.
1839
01:28:56,240 --> 01:28:58,674
It's just about,
instead of there being
1840
01:28:58,880 --> 01:29:01,758
this one massive
way of thinking,
1841
01:29:01,960 --> 01:29:04,110
there are many, many smaller,
1842
01:29:04,320 --> 01:29:07,949
more niche sort
of ways of being.
1843
01:29:08,160 --> 01:29:09,639
Which would be
great to have again.
1844
01:29:09,840 --> 01:29:11,239
- I'm Sylvia.
- Hi, I'm Mike.
1845
01:29:11,440 --> 01:29:13,396
- And bringing back this village
1846
01:29:13,600 --> 01:29:15,795
by way of different
neighborhoods.
1847
01:29:16,000 --> 01:29:17,797
These guys, they're
on the typewriter
1848
01:29:18,040 --> 01:29:19,837
and they're naturalists.
1849
01:29:20,080 --> 01:29:22,355
You're gonna see a group of
people grow, and grow, and grow
1850
01:29:22,560 --> 01:29:24,039
and grow and grow.
1851
01:29:24,240 --> 01:29:25,798
- Hope we can do it
again every year.
1852
01:29:26,040 --> 01:29:28,235
That's it, alright.
1853
01:29:28,440 --> 01:29:30,556
(tinkling)
1854
01:29:35,000 --> 01:29:37,389
(cha-cha music)
1855
01:29:39,680 --> 01:29:43,070
(dinging)
1856
01:29:43,280 --> 01:29:47,876
- [Actor] How do you do,
are you an actress? (chuckling)
1857
01:29:48,080 --> 01:29:50,548
- [Actress] You have
a fantastic set.
1858
01:29:50,760 --> 01:29:52,796
- We call her the fate machine.
1859
01:29:53,000 --> 01:29:53,830
- [Actress] What?
1860
01:29:54,040 --> 01:29:54,836
- You see,
1861
01:29:57,200 --> 01:29:59,589
typewriter keys represent
the keys of life.
1862
01:29:59,800 --> 01:30:01,119
(chiming)
1863
01:30:01,320 --> 01:30:03,629
And we human beings
dance on them
1864
01:30:03,840 --> 01:30:07,469
and then when you dance,
as we press down the keys
1865
01:30:07,680 --> 01:30:10,877
of the machine, the
story that's written
1866
01:30:12,520 --> 01:30:14,192
is the story of our fate.
1867
01:30:14,400 --> 01:30:16,550
- [Actress] It's very symbolic.
1868
01:30:16,800 --> 01:30:17,516
- Thank you.
1869
01:30:18,800 --> 01:30:20,870
(chiming)
1870
01:30:22,120 --> 01:30:24,554
(engine rattling)
1871
01:30:30,720 --> 01:30:32,358
- [Jeremy] Typewriter
really isn't dead,
1872
01:30:32,560 --> 01:30:36,872
it's still getting used
in India, at least.
1873
01:30:37,080 --> 01:30:40,277
(upbeat Bollywood music)
1874
01:30:48,320 --> 01:30:51,073
There are these info
slums, places where people
1875
01:30:51,280 --> 01:30:53,475
type for a living on the street.
1876
01:30:53,680 --> 01:30:56,240
Not for creative purposes,
not for writing poems
1877
01:30:56,440 --> 01:30:57,350
or for writing novels, but
1878
01:30:57,560 --> 01:30:59,118
for business purposes.
1879
01:30:59,320 --> 01:31:00,878
(engine revving)
1880
01:31:01,080 --> 01:31:02,718
It was recently announced
1881
01:31:02,920 --> 01:31:04,148
that the last typewriter
manufacturing plant
1882
01:31:04,360 --> 01:31:05,839
was closing down.
1883
01:31:06,040 --> 01:31:08,110
- The last typewriter
manufacturer on earth
1884
01:31:08,320 --> 01:31:09,719
has shut down.
1885
01:31:09,920 --> 01:31:12,115
The factory was
in Mumbai, India.
1886
01:31:12,360 --> 01:31:13,918
The company was 60 years old,
1887
01:31:14,120 --> 01:31:15,792
it opened in the time of Nehru.
1888
01:31:16,000 --> 01:31:17,558
- [Jeremy] Godrej and
Boyce stopped their
1889
01:31:17,760 --> 01:31:20,672
typewriter manufacturing
about three years ago.
1890
01:31:20,880 --> 01:31:22,757
- [TV Announcer] They sold 105
of thousands of typewriters
1891
01:31:22,960 --> 01:31:24,996
every year, until the
typewriter was just killed off
1892
01:31:25,200 --> 01:31:26,997
by the computer.
1893
01:31:27,160 --> 01:31:29,355
- [Jeremy] Godrej brought
me here to create sculptures
1894
01:31:29,560 --> 01:31:31,357
from the last 100 typewriters
1895
01:31:31,560 --> 01:31:33,994
that rolled off
their assembly line.
1896
01:31:34,200 --> 01:31:35,952
I don't know what
I'm gonna make yet.
1897
01:31:36,160 --> 01:31:40,073
(clinking)
(murmuring)
1898
01:31:44,120 --> 01:31:46,350
Godrej wanted the
sculpture to be a symbol of
1899
01:31:46,600 --> 01:31:48,318
their commitment to innovation.
1900
01:31:48,560 --> 01:31:51,677
To represent their move
into the 215t century.
1901
01:31:51,880 --> 01:31:55,873
(honking)
(distant chanting)
1902
01:31:58,600 --> 01:32:02,559
(light ambient music)
(clinking)
1903
01:32:06,160 --> 01:32:09,357
The lotus, it rises
from the filth.
1904
01:32:09,560 --> 01:32:12,472
From the murky water at
he bottom of the pond
1905
01:32:12,680 --> 01:32:14,910
and blossoms into this pure,
1906
01:32:16,680 --> 01:32:19,114
uncontaminated, delicate flower.
1907
01:32:21,160 --> 01:32:24,835
The symbol of enlightenment,
rebirth, perfection.
1908
01:32:25,040 --> 01:32:28,999
Something beautiful growing
from the bottom of a dirty pond.
1909
01:32:33,800 --> 01:32:36,872
There's no such
thing as permanence.
1910
01:32:37,080 --> 01:32:40,755
Things die and they're
reborn as something new.
1911
01:32:42,200 --> 01:32:44,589
I don't wanna look back.
1912
01:32:44,800 --> 01:32:47,633
The future is the only thing
you can do anything about.
1913
01:32:47,840 --> 01:32:50,718
You can't do anything
about the past.
1914
01:32:53,760 --> 01:32:55,113
A lot of people
are really scared
1915
01:32:55,320 --> 01:32:56,958
about how the
future is unfolding
1916
01:32:57,160 --> 01:32:58,639
and the only way
to think about it
1917
01:32:58,880 --> 01:33:01,030
is to be optimistic.
1918
01:33:01,240 --> 01:33:02,753
We're gonna do amazing
things with technology,
1919
01:33:02,960 --> 01:33:03,790
we have to.
1920
01:33:06,160 --> 01:33:07,991
The thing that people
who are afraid of change
1921
01:33:08,200 --> 01:33:10,077
should remember is that
people born after you are,
1922
01:33:10,280 --> 01:33:12,032
living in your time, they
don't want what you want.
1923
01:33:12,240 --> 01:33:14,515
They want what's in their time.
1924
01:33:20,920 --> 01:33:24,993
(engine running)
(light ambient music)
1925
01:33:25,240 --> 01:33:27,196
We can't stop that
habit that people have
1926
01:33:27,400 --> 01:33:30,073
of taking knowledge and
trying to tweak the world
1927
01:33:30,280 --> 01:33:34,068
around us with it, we're
always going to do that.
1928
01:33:39,240 --> 01:33:43,028
I don't know what the
future holds for me.
1929
01:33:43,240 --> 01:33:47,199
I'm doing what I love and
I'm doing what I want.
1930
01:33:47,400 --> 01:33:50,153
I don't know where I'm gonna
be six months from now.
1931
01:33:50,360 --> 01:33:52,510
(clicking)
1932
01:33:56,680 --> 01:33:58,159
- [Martin] I remember
when I told my wife
1933
01:33:58,400 --> 01:34:00,630
that I'd had my first
typewriter dream.
1934
01:34:00,840 --> 01:34:03,638
She was quite alarmed.
1935
01:34:03,840 --> 01:34:06,912
I'm looking in a big
glass window of a store,
1936
01:34:07,160 --> 01:34:09,116
it's nighttime, they're closed.
1937
01:34:09,320 --> 01:34:12,198
And I look in and I see shelves.
1938
01:34:12,360 --> 01:34:15,193
And on the shelves are
wonderful, early typewriters.
1939
01:34:15,400 --> 01:34:19,109
Rare ones, unusual ones,
ones I've never seen before.
1940
01:34:19,320 --> 01:34:21,072
And my eyes dance
along the shelves,
1941
01:34:21,280 --> 01:34:23,271
checking out these treasures.
1942
01:34:23,480 --> 01:34:25,710
But I can't get in,
the door's locked.
1943
01:34:25,920 --> 01:34:27,672
Sometimes I'm
actually transported
1944
01:34:27,880 --> 01:34:29,836
into the store, and I get to get
1945
01:34:30,040 --> 01:34:32,031
really close to the shelves.
1946
01:34:32,240 --> 01:34:33,673
I never touched the typewriters,
1947
01:34:33,880 --> 01:34:36,348
I can never touch
them, but I get close.
1948
01:34:36,600 --> 01:34:38,511
That's as far as it goes.
1949
01:34:42,120 --> 01:34:44,634
- I have no idea what the
life of this typewriter was
1950
01:34:44,840 --> 01:34:48,276
before I had the privilege
of possessing it.
1951
01:34:48,480 --> 01:34:51,438
Nor do I have any idea
what will become of it
1952
01:34:51,640 --> 01:34:54,313
when my turn is over.
1953
01:34:54,520 --> 01:34:56,715
I'd like to think it
will stay in our family
1954
01:34:56,960 --> 01:35:00,316
and maybe there will be
grandchildren that wanna write.
1955
01:35:00,520 --> 01:35:02,875
And maybe one or two of them
might be peculiar enough
1956
01:35:03,080 --> 01:35:06,311
to enjoy this as much as
their grandfather did.
1957
01:35:06,520 --> 01:35:08,476
- Hello, hi, my gosh.
1958
01:35:08,720 --> 01:35:09,709
Alan, I'm Martin, hi.
1959
01:35:09,920 --> 01:35:10,989
We've met before, I think.
1960
01:35:11,200 --> 01:35:12,474
- We've talked on the phone.
1961
01:35:12,720 --> 01:35:14,073
- We have.
- But we haven't met.
1962
01:35:14,280 --> 01:35:15,793
- Well we've got
catching up to do.
1963
01:35:16,000 --> 01:35:16,796
There's typewriters
in these hills, eh?
1964
01:35:17,000 --> 01:35:18,035
Hi.
1965
01:35:18,240 --> 01:35:19,275
- Canadian boy.
- Oh.
1966
01:35:19,520 --> 01:35:20,589
This year, there's a gathering
1967
01:35:20,760 --> 01:35:22,591
of antique typewriter collectors
1968
01:35:22,800 --> 01:35:24,711
in Morgantown, West Virginia
at Herman Price's house.
1969
01:35:24,920 --> 01:35:26,956
- [Man] Have you seen his
Manhattan paper table.
1970
01:35:27,200 --> 01:35:28,110
- No.
- It's like the Mona Lisa.
1971
01:35:28,360 --> 01:35:29,998
- Oh, come, come.
1972
01:35:30,240 --> 01:35:33,118
Herman Price, his whole
basement is a labyrinth
1973
01:35:33,320 --> 01:35:36,676
of rooms and corridors where
typewriters are stacked
1974
01:35:36,880 --> 01:35:39,348
on shelves from the floor
right up to the ceiling.
1975
01:35:39,560 --> 01:35:41,357
- Anybody come from 2,000 miles?
1976
01:35:41,560 --> 01:35:42,390
(murmuring assent)
1977
01:35:42,600 --> 01:35:44,318
3,000 miles.
1978
01:35:44,520 --> 01:35:46,033
(laughing)
1979
01:35:46,240 --> 01:35:48,310
4,000 miles.
1980
01:35:48,520 --> 01:35:51,159
And the winner is, Marty Rice.
1981
01:35:51,360 --> 01:35:52,759
Come on up here, Marty.
1982
01:35:52,960 --> 01:35:54,916
I have a lot of typewriters.
1983
01:35:55,120 --> 01:35:56,997
It's approximately 700.
1984
01:35:57,200 --> 01:36:00,078
Marty is from outer space.
(laughter)
1985
01:36:00,280 --> 01:36:02,475
And I've found that collecting
the typewriter friends
1986
01:36:02,680 --> 01:36:05,148
is a lot more fun than
collecting typewriters.
1987
01:36:05,400 --> 01:36:08,597
- This is a white
Moll number three.
1988
01:36:08,800 --> 01:36:10,358
- [Martin] There's
a whole range of ages here
1989
01:36:10,560 --> 01:36:14,712
from 14, the youngest,
up to 75 approaching 80.
1990
01:36:14,920 --> 01:36:16,911
- And it's just a fun machine
1991
01:36:17,160 --> 01:36:18,718
that makes you
smile to look at it.
1992
01:36:18,960 --> 01:36:21,269
- Mostly men, all men.
1993
01:36:21,480 --> 01:36:23,232
A bit strange, I don't
know why that is.
1994
01:36:23,440 --> 01:36:24,759
- I take it back
with me, the hopper,
1995
01:36:25,000 --> 01:36:26,877
and I sleep with her tonight.
1996
01:36:27,080 --> 01:36:29,036
And then I'll take
it back tomorrow.
1997
01:36:29,240 --> 01:36:32,437
- Alright, so this is
my Oliver Woodstock,
1998
01:36:32,680 --> 01:36:34,033
absolutely no relation to...
1999
01:36:34,240 --> 01:36:35,753
- [Martin] It's
just wonderful to
2000
01:36:35,960 --> 01:36:37,712
share our passion of
early typewriters.
2001
01:36:37,920 --> 01:36:39,558
- Did you have to do much
to it or was it like that
2002
01:36:39,760 --> 01:36:41,557
when you got it?
2003
01:36:41,760 --> 01:36:45,230
I'll never be able to get
all the antique typewriters.
2004
01:36:45,480 --> 01:36:46,959
It's spectacular.
2005
01:36:47,160 --> 01:36:48,149
There's always gonna
be people out there
2006
01:36:48,400 --> 01:36:50,709
with bigger collections.
2007
01:36:50,920 --> 01:36:53,036
- If I had to keep
only one typewriter,
2008
01:36:53,280 --> 01:36:57,273
if I had to get rid of them
all and only have one left,
2009
01:37:01,920 --> 01:37:07,836
There is a version of this
Smith Corona, which is the
2010
01:37:08,040 --> 01:37:10,235
silent Smith Corona.
2011
01:37:13,960 --> 01:37:16,235
I have an electric
version of this,
2012
01:37:16,440 --> 01:37:18,635
which is kind of like
a hybrid model of it,
2013
01:37:18,840 --> 01:37:22,116
'cause the only thing in it
that is electric is the keys.
2014
01:37:22,320 --> 01:37:23,196
But there is...
2015
01:37:23,440 --> 01:37:25,078
Let me move this.
2016
01:37:25,280 --> 01:37:28,033
Smith Corona, Skywriter,
definitely on the top five list.
2017
01:37:28,240 --> 01:37:30,310
If you can only take five
typewriters with you,
2018
01:37:30,520 --> 01:37:32,238
that would be it.
2019
01:37:32,440 --> 01:37:37,468
Hermes 2000, definitely might
wanna take that bad boy.
2020
01:37:37,680 --> 01:37:39,432
The Olympia's okay,
but quite frankly,
2021
01:37:39,640 --> 01:37:42,632
the rise of the keys
is a little too high.
2022
01:37:42,840 --> 01:37:46,196
Somewhere around whenever
they started making this,
2023
01:37:46,400 --> 01:37:48,038
the Smith Corona Silent
and various other models
2024
01:37:48,240 --> 01:37:51,789
that have the same silhouette,
the rise on the keys
2025
01:37:52,000 --> 01:37:53,513
is just almost perfect.
2026
01:37:53,760 --> 01:37:56,274
Going from an N to a Y
requires almost nothing.
2027
01:37:56,480 --> 01:37:59,950
The size of the type is not
too big and not too small.
2028
01:38:00,160 --> 01:38:03,311
But listen to the
solidity of the action.
2029
01:38:03,560 --> 01:38:05,198
(clacking)
2030
01:38:05,440 --> 01:38:08,557
This is a solid,
solid piece of machine
2031
01:38:08,760 --> 01:38:11,069
that's got beautiful
highlights like the stripes
2032
01:38:11,320 --> 01:38:14,676
here and there, the colors are
good, I love the green keys.
2033
01:38:14,880 --> 01:38:17,599
I would probably say that
this with a good case
2034
01:38:17,800 --> 01:38:20,553
would be the one
typewriter I would take
2035
01:38:20,760 --> 01:38:22,716
and that's why it's
kinda out right now.
2036
01:38:22,920 --> 01:38:24,876
I rotate this one
into use an awful lot.
2037
01:38:25,120 --> 01:38:26,872
(clack clack)
2038
01:38:27,080 --> 01:38:27,910
I confess.
2039
01:38:28,120 --> 01:38:29,838
(clack clack)
2040
01:38:30,040 --> 01:38:32,349
- I'm not picking the typewriter
because I think it's hip.
2041
01:38:32,560 --> 01:38:36,348
It's the best version of the
idea that's ever come around.
2042
01:38:36,560 --> 01:38:38,118
And for me, I think
the best way to live
2043
01:38:38,320 --> 01:38:42,677
is to incorporate the
best of the last 100 years
2044
01:38:42,880 --> 01:38:45,075
into a hybrid that works.
2045
01:38:45,280 --> 01:38:48,955
Write a book on a typewriter
and promote it on Twitter.
2046
01:38:49,160 --> 01:38:51,037
Why not use the spectrum.
2047
01:38:53,160 --> 01:38:55,390
You just have to make sure
you get yourself a typewriter
2048
01:38:55,600 --> 01:39:00,116
on Ebay or some blade runner-y
kind of back alley deal
2049
01:39:00,320 --> 01:39:05,155
and say, well, I'm happy
to be typing on it.
2050
01:39:05,360 --> 01:39:07,078
- [Ken] I think they're here,
I think they're coming back
2051
01:39:07,280 --> 01:39:10,192
and I think they're gonna
be around for a while.
2052
01:39:10,400 --> 01:39:11,833
We have a pretty good
supply right now.
2053
01:39:12,040 --> 01:39:13,553
Herb's always out
lookin' for 'em.
2054
01:39:13,800 --> 01:39:17,110
He's at flea markets,
he's at garage sales.
2055
01:39:17,320 --> 01:39:19,311
There's still a lot
of 'em out there.
2056
01:39:19,520 --> 01:39:21,715
We've got a good supply,
but I kinda believe
2057
01:39:21,920 --> 01:39:24,798
that you can never
have too many.
2058
01:39:25,000 --> 01:39:28,072
You know, you can
never have too many.
2059
01:39:28,280 --> 01:39:29,679
- [TV Host] You know
what, I, like you,
2060
01:39:29,880 --> 01:39:32,394
mourn the loss of
the typewriter.
2061
01:39:32,600 --> 01:39:35,478
And then you come
up with an app.
2062
01:39:35,680 --> 01:39:37,272
- [Tom] I came up with an app.
2063
01:39:37,480 --> 01:39:39,675
The Hanx Writer, Hanx with an x.
2064
01:39:39,880 --> 01:39:41,313
And I've gotta tell you, man,
2065
01:39:43,360 --> 01:39:44,429
of dollars off of this.
2066
01:39:44,640 --> 01:39:46,073
(chucang)
2067
01:39:46,280 --> 01:39:48,475
I have figured out
how to make a computer
2068
01:39:48,680 --> 01:39:51,194
work like a typewriter.
(laughing)
2069
01:39:51,400 --> 01:39:53,231
- [Ken] We're havin'
people come in the shop
2070
01:39:53,440 --> 01:39:55,908
and say, I just did a Google
search for typewriter repair
2071
01:39:56,120 --> 01:39:57,951
and you popped up.
2072
01:39:58,160 --> 01:39:59,309
- In World War II,
that used to be
2073
01:39:59,520 --> 01:40:01,112
the reporter style typewriter.
2074
01:40:01,320 --> 01:40:03,788
They used to send in reports
from the battlefield.
2075
01:40:04,000 --> 01:40:05,911
So this has been to
World War II and back.
2076
01:40:06,120 --> 01:40:08,111
So that's a lot of
sentimental value, I guess.
2077
01:40:08,320 --> 01:40:09,833
- [Ken] They're comin'
from all over the place.
2078
01:40:10,040 --> 01:40:12,713
From far away as LA,
ones from San Diego.
2079
01:40:12,920 --> 01:40:15,388
It really shows what
the website did.
2080
01:40:15,600 --> 01:40:17,431
- Oh, excuse me.
(chucang)
2081
01:40:17,640 --> 01:40:20,598
- I'm certainly no prophet,
I can't see into the future,
2082
01:40:20,800 --> 01:40:23,314
but we're hanging in there.
2083
01:40:23,520 --> 01:40:25,476
California Typewriter is here
2084
01:40:25,680 --> 01:40:28,274
and we still repair typewriters.
2085
01:40:28,480 --> 01:40:31,074
(soft jazz music)
2086
01:40:35,240 --> 01:40:37,470
(wind noise)
2087
01:40:39,560 --> 01:40:42,120
- It was too directly
bound to its own anguish
2088
01:40:42,320 --> 01:40:45,039
to be anything other
than a cry of negation,
2089
01:40:45,240 --> 01:40:48,710
carrying within itself the
seeds of its own destruction.
2090
01:40:48,920 --> 01:40:52,799
That's the last two lines of
the Encyclopedia Britannica
2091
01:40:53,000 --> 01:40:56,072
description of the
dada movement of art.
2092
01:40:56,320 --> 01:40:59,153
You could use that to explain
anything in the world.
2093
01:40:59,400 --> 01:41:02,472
It's the ultimate
all-purpose answer.
2094
01:41:02,680 --> 01:41:05,877
If it takes a hen and
a half, a day and a half,
2095
01:41:06,080 --> 01:41:09,595
to lay an egg and a half,
how long does it take
2096
01:41:09,800 --> 01:41:12,712
a one legged grasshopper
to kick the seeds
2097
01:41:12,960 --> 01:41:14,359
out of a dill pickle?
2098
01:41:14,560 --> 01:41:15,959
What are you gonna say?
2099
01:41:16,120 --> 01:41:17,712
Two seconds,
two minutes, two days?
2100
01:41:17,960 --> 01:41:20,918
It's completely boring
compared to that question.
2101
01:41:21,080 --> 01:41:22,832
(jingly whirring)
2102
01:41:23,040 --> 01:41:25,838
When you explain things,
you rob them of their mystery.
2103
01:41:26,040 --> 01:41:29,555
Questions are far more
interesting than answers.
2104
01:41:29,760 --> 01:41:32,274
There's no meaning
to the universe,
2105
01:41:32,520 --> 01:41:36,559
but you might say our job
is to give it meaning.
2106
01:41:36,760 --> 01:41:38,990
But that's for our amusement.
2107
01:41:39,200 --> 01:41:41,555
The universe could care less.
2108
01:41:41,760 --> 01:41:44,832
(light accordion music)
2109
01:41:48,680 --> 01:41:50,591
(clacking)
2110
01:41:56,720 --> 01:41:59,553
(smooth jazz music)
2111
01:42:19,880 --> 01:42:22,314
- I like the feeling of
making something with my hands
2112
01:42:22,520 --> 01:42:24,750
I like working with my
hands, I like to paint,
2113
01:42:24,960 --> 01:42:26,598
I like to build things.
2114
01:42:26,800 --> 01:42:31,316
And with this machine,
I'm working with my hands.
2115
01:42:31,520 --> 01:42:33,317
- I just feel this
incredible tension
2116
01:42:33,520 --> 01:42:36,671
as I get older between what
I would like to see happen
2117
01:42:36,920 --> 01:42:40,390
and what's just
gonna happen anyway.
2118
01:42:40,600 --> 01:42:44,036
- You know, I'm not gonna
bemoan the passing of an era.
2119
01:42:44,240 --> 01:42:45,912
There's a certain point
2120
01:42:46,120 --> 01:42:48,918
where everything left me
in the dust. (chuckles)
2121
01:42:49,120 --> 01:42:51,634
And I was happy to
be left in the dust.
2122
01:42:51,840 --> 01:42:53,831
- But all this,
it's all going away.
2123
01:42:54,040 --> 01:42:57,635
The only people that will
keep this up is insane people
2124
01:42:57,840 --> 01:43:00,195
and dilettantes and artists.
2125
01:43:00,440 --> 01:43:03,750
Mad geniuses like myself and
a handful of other people.
2126
01:43:03,960 --> 01:43:06,394
(jazz music)
2126
01:43:07,305 --> 01:43:13,828
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