In the summer of 1960 my father announced, “We’re taking a whole month’s vacation!” His voice was hoarse with promise, his canny grin the same as when he flipped over four aces in poker. But luck had nothing to do with it—we could afford a month in a cabin on Mount Desert Island because of…
Demon Stagefright and the Rock-and-Roll Devil
“See the man with stagefright, just standing up there to give it all his might.” –Robbie Robertson I wrote in my last post about being an introverted artist who must periodically emerge from under my rock to peddle my wares. Am I’m doing it. Not only querying literary agents , but going on TV! The…
The Death of a President
My father William Manchester’s account of JFK’s assassination, The Death of a President, is finally back in print after many years. Jill Abramson of the Times wrote an interesting overview of all the books on the subject, concluding with this about my father’s: “The good news, maybe the best, of the 50th anniversary is that Little, Brown has now…
Son of a Famous Man
Son of a Famous Man Posted by John Manchester on June 20, 2012 at 4:00pm View Blog JUNE 20, 2012 7:20AM RATE: 27 Flag This is the very short version of my memoir Escaping the Giant, minus the fun stuff (sex, drugs and rock and roll), for those of you who have understandably gotten tired of waiting…
SF 88 and the Cuban Missile Crisis
SF 88 and the Cuban Missile Crisis Posted by John Manchester on March 20, 2012 at 4:00pm View Blog MARCH 20, 2012 9:14AM RATE: 15 Flag Cloud from 1st nuclear explosion, “Mike.” I was scouting sites in San Francisco for a new novel. I called my old friend Dan. He’s been doing audio for films for…
Just A Man
Posted by John Manchester on June 15, 2011 at 3:30pm View Blog EDITOR’S PICK JUNE 15, 2011 12:32PM RATE: 30 Flag My father and I on the Snake River in 1980 Seven years ago early in the morning of June 1st, my father’s nurse woke me to say, “Your father has passed.” I sat vigil, alone, at the…
Thank You, Open Salon!
Thank You, Open Salon! Posted by John Manchester on June 6, 2011 at 3:30pm View Blog JUNE 6, 2011 8:34AM RATE: 19 Flag I came to Open Salon a little over a year ago hoping to find readers. I found more. Good writers to enjoy, some of whose styles have influenced me. And I’ve made some friends, something I really…
The Deal with Christmas Music
When it came to music my father and I had little in common. He couldn’t abide the rock music I played for a living. I had no use for the idol of his youth, Bix Biederbeck. Or any other jazz for that matter. We briefly agreed on liking folk music – with Peter, Paul and…
Brain in a Jar
Brain in a Jar Posted by John Manchester on October 25, 2010 at 3:00pm View Blog EDITOR’S PICK OCTOBER 25, 2010 9:32AM RATE: 26 Flag My father forbade me to see horror movies, Twilight Zone, or Outer Limits. When he came home from a screening of “Psycho” he said, “I’ll never let you watch it” then proceeded to describe in gory detail…
A Whole Month’s Vacation
EDITOR’S PICK JULY 26, 2010 6:57AM RATE: 22 Flag My father announced, “We’re taking a whole month’s vacation!” It was the summer of 1960, the year he won his Guggenheim grant. With the money he got we could afford to rent a cabin on Mount Desert Island for August. He saw the promise of a very…
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