Carolyn Dean & Bob Neveritt | 40 Years in the Wilderness, 1979-84

Bob’s first encounter with digital culture—the game of Pong, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Xmas 1979.

Dartmouth, Xmas 1979.

Steve Jamieson, Bob’s original colleague in the Frank Zappa cult of the ’60s, Dartmouth, Xmas 1979.

NM Rothschild & Sons’ London headquarters, New Court, St. Swithin’s Lane [Bob was not permitted to photograph the entrance directly], August 1980.

Portugal, August 1980.

Gary Geddes, keeper of Dartmouth’s secrets, Banook Lake, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 1980.

“Flaps”—on the left—original co-discoveror of “Butch the Electron” in 1964 and competitor with Bob for the Second Coming.

The third competitor was Steve Jamieson, on the right. Dartmouth, Xmas 1980.

Bob makes a major move in the Second Coming competition by playing a recording of a Mae Brussell radio broadcast—Steve and Flaps having never heard of Mae Brussell.

Bob anticipates the information one-upmanship war of the coming “social media” 25 years later.

Carolyn and her nurse, Judi Turack, at Carolyn’s first medical office, near the intersection of Coxwell Avenue and Danforth Avenue, East Toronto, June 1980 [first anniversary of Carolyn’s practice].

Carolyn’s secretary, Janet McLellan, June 1980.

Bob holding a photo of Garrett Deane in his prime, 1940s in New York City theatre [the blurred photo unfortunately hides Garrett’s bare barrell chest], Xmas 1980.

Garrett Deane – 12/29/83, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
(start at :58 and end at 8:52)

Garrett Deane – 12/29/83, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
(start at 14:20 and end at 19:43)

Garrett Deane – 12/29/83, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
(start at 27:39 and end at 30:19)

Garrett’s home, 64 Queen Steet, Darmouth, Nova Scotia, Xmas 1980.

This is the marble table in Garrett’s kitchen on which he would bang the solid telephone earpiece [which Bob is holding in the photo above] when he was laughing during a phone conversation.

One of the beds in Garrett’s home.

This is the first house Carolyn and Bob owned [February 1981] in Toronto—22 Kenwood Avenue. Carolyn’s second medical office occupied the first floor.

While organizing Marshall McLuhan’s archives from November to December 1981, Bob found a file folder with his name on it in box #22.

When he arrived back home that night, he noticed his address had a 22 in it. That started his quest down the rabbit hole to explain why 22 showed up everywhere in his life. “Club 22” was the result of that adventure.

Bob, SkyGoddess Sue, Andy McBrearty and Don McBrearty at Don’s home on Lonsdale Road, Toronto, January 1981.

Halifax, Xmas 1981.

Our foster kids, Shannon and Paul Renwick, performed in many plays during their Oakwood Collegiate Institute [where several of Marshall McLuhan’s daughters attended] years, Toronto. This particular play is “Bye Bye Birdie.”

Carolyn and Bob visit artists, Reinhard Reitzenstein and Gayle Young, in Grimsby, outside Toronto, Summer 1982

Carolyn and Bob and SkyGoddess Sue cross paths at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport in August 1982—Sue is dropping out from her flight-attendant lifestyle to attend the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Massachusetts.

This was the first time Carolyn and Bob returned to Nova Scotia in the summer since 1977.

Carolyn and Bob visit longtime Banook Canoe Club friend, Norwegian-Canadian Gudrun Gurholt, and her son John, Dartmouth, August 1982.

Halifax, Xmas 1982. SkyGoddess Sue has returned from the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.

Carolyn and Bob and Carolyn’s nurse, Judi Turack, attend an alternative health seminar led by Dr. Jeffrey Bland on Maui in February 1983.

Judi and Bob in the surf on Maui.

Carolyn, Bob and Judi catching whales off Maui.

Carolyn and Bob renew their marriage vows, October 1983.

Speaking to Graham Metson’s class, Mount St. Vincent University, Halifax, 1984.

Garrett Deane (76) attends Bob’s lecture.

Video recording: Art McKay (right of video camera).

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.