Carolyn Dean & Bob Neveritt | 40 Years in the Wilderness, 1984-85

Bob and Don McBrearty after Don won an Oscar for “Boys and Girls,” Toronto, 1984.

Halifax, Xmas 1984

Shannon Renwick, Bob and Carolyn’s foster daughter since 1981, visits Garrett Deane at his home, 64 Queen St., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Summer 1985.

SkyGoddess Sue spent her first year of marriage (1985) in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where she received occasional correspondence from Garrett Deane with its baroque cursive writing.

James Kidnie—Toronto actor and early member of Club 22, who played the leader of the Observers (“the Watchers” – iON) in the final episodes of “Fringe”—is pictured with Sara Wolch, CBC producer and friend of Carolyn, Summer 1985.

The xenochrony is that Kidnie’s character is an “enemy” of Walter Bishop, the lead character in “Fringe,” who is obviously based on Bob’s wilderness quest.

In Bob’s Chemical Body life, Kidnie actually does become a competitor of Bob in the “theatre world” of Toronto.

Bob introduced Sara to a Mae Brussell recording and all Sara could say was Mae’s production values were horrible and subsequently Mae’s cassette tapes would never be played on CBC.

This is a fine example of “the medium is the message” (McLuhan) wherein style rules over substance.

The content of Mae’s weekly broadcasts surpassed anything of journalistic intent that was broadcast on CBC. Mae was a genuine purveyor of useful information, the likes of which would have saved America… and Canada to boot.

Bob did actually get Mae on CBC in the late 80s. She was interviewed by Arthur Black on his “Basic Black” CBC radio show. Arthur was flabbergasted at the information Mae gave him, even asking her why she was still alive in light of the “power” of her Carmel CA broadcasts.

This is one case where Canadians experienced “substance over style” and demonstrates why McLuhanesque Canada is in the sorry state it is today.

The uncanny aspect of Kidnie was that he often looked exactly like Lee Harvey Oswald.

When Bob met James in the Spring of 1983, Kidnie was rehearsing a play in which he played Oswald. Bob had James read the Torbitt Document on who killed President John Kennedy—one of the best books on the assassination at the time.

Kidnie was radicalized and spread Club 22 dogma far and wide whenever he had the opportunity.

Bob makes his first live appearance on radio on CKLN-FM’s “Word of Mouth” hosted by Chris Twomey (also featuring Nelson Thall and James Kidnie).

22 Kenwood Avenue, Toronto, New Year’s Eve 1985.