Memories of The Whole Earth Center: the music, the words, the learning
“You can be perfect or you can be whole, but not both.” - Carl Jung
From 1970 through 1977, the Whole Earth Center in Evanston, Illinois was in many ways a life center for me and many others. It was a not-for-profit bookstore and community center located on the corner of Dempster and Chicago Avenues. I began going there during a very low point in my life, looking for answers in the wonderful selection of books and events they had. There were comfy couches and chairs, no pressure to buy, just an optimized support for whatever people were into - feminism, back to the land, diet, bodywork, fiction, poetry, science, philosophy, mystical traditions, radical politics, gardening. I hung out so much that I began working there and finally as manager. We were graced as well with unique, curious people working at the store or closely associated with it. Before us, Roger Wicker, Don Faulkner, and others, then working with co-manager, Dosier Hammond, Marissis, Sher Doruff (also of “Care of the Cow”), a guy named Darryl who we stole from Barbara’s Bookstore, plus Kalon, Chris, Jo, et al.
Very memorable were our collaborations with the fantastic Amazing Grace music club for which we were a primary ticket outlet. With Darcie Sanders especially, we were honored to co-host a series called “No Mountains Poetry Project.” Forgive some wishful thinking but I believe over the years we were honored to present Charles Bukowski, Anne Waldman, Diane Di Prima, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Mark Strand, William Gass, Robert Coover, Philip Whalen, John Hawkes, Tess Gallagher, and others . How incredible!
Whole Earth also sponsored concerts and talks. Periodic invasions from the members of the radical AA Commune in Austria came yearly to challenge us all to free love :) , I recall a life-changing talk by Rolfer, Allan Davidson accompanying his showing of Ida Rolf’s film, “Gravity is the Therapist,” which led me to get Rolfed and to the bodywork profession now for the last 45 years, Ken Issacs on “How to Build Your Own Living Structures” - great memories.
Perhaps most memorable were our series of concerts mostly by members or associates of the AACM, “The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.” These included the members of Air, Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall and Fred Hopkins, then there was often Douglas Ewart, Hamid Drake (then aka “Hank Drake”) Fred Anderson, and others. Their unbelievable imagination and musical passion lifted the store right off the ground! Plus we had concerts by Howard Levy, Paul Berliner, and even me playing under the moniker of Blind Niacin Lauterstein (won’t go into the etymology of that!).
The Whole Earth Center left a legacy that is alive today. As Eric Dolphy said about music, “When you hear music, after it’s over, it’s gone, in the air, you can never capture it again.”
We can not capture it, but it’s there, in the air, resonating forevermore.
