Mac Jack, the poet holds the loftiest perch in literature. I only portray Twain because I cannot do Whitman. You could do Whitman… you are Whitman.

Mac I haven’t. And neither did Clemens. The wife he adored, Olivia, called him “Youth,” because he never entirely grew up.

Mac In the winter of 1977 I rented a car, did some shopping, drove to Lake Tahoe, located the cabin I had rented for five days, and filled the refrigerator with provender. Quiet as it was, I could hardly sleep that night, so excited was I to ski. It was quiet because it was snowing five feet, still a record to this day. When I awakened the cabin was dark. We were buried under five feet of snow.

There was a dartboard on the wall. I found some darts and started throwing. I threw for two days, then my elbow gave out, and I sat down on the couch. On the coffee table was a book, The Complete Essays of Mark Twain. I picked it up and started reading. I had cabin fever by then and my brain was soft. My brain was sloshing around like so much drawn butter, and in that condition, those essays made perfect sense, and that seed was planted in fertile ground. It was as though I had a tap on the shoulder, a calling into the cloth if you will. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I would spend the rest of my life spreading the gospel, the gospel of Twain, though not reverently pious, fervently American. That ski trip to Tahoe would not only provide me a more interesting life, it would give me another life.

Mac Hal Holbrook, with his inspiring impression of Mark Twain gave me the courage to give it a try. Without Mr. Holbrook’s example I could never have imagined becoming somebody else.

Mac Most of Twain’s work recites really well, and as a consequence, is easy to memorize and recite. It’s fun. I’m working on Hunting the Deceitful Turkey right now and just love it for its subtle humor and characterization of human nature. I have yet to nail it…

Mac I don’t think I have a problem with going in and out of character, Jack, but my friends tell me I do.

Mac Presently, I’m recording an audiobook, One Life is Not Enough.
I hope to encourage young people and retired people to find someone they admire who has been dead a hundred years, and bring that person to life. (I’ll attach a photo of my favorite Chautauqua character.)

Mac Russia, Europe, the Sandwich Islands … last year I got to introduce a new brand of whiskey in London. I have to tell you, Jack, that beat a 7th grade classroom.

Mac As the Ghost of Mark Twain I don’t cast a shadow. But better than that I do get to see places I wouldn’t get to see and meet people I wouldn’t get to meet (like you) were I just me.

Mac I leave a Twain quote on my answering machine each morning. People call, get the quote and hang up, it makes me so mad. My favorite Twain quote I make into bookmarks and give to kids at graduation… “Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest.” Stories? I love them all.

Mac Sadly, the Mark Twain Cultural Center had to clear out and make room for a medical marijuana dispensary, so we were homeless for a couple of weeks until our historical society asked if we would perform in their facility here in the village. It’s nice to have shelter again.

Mac My first appearance for pay was to climb into a boxing ring at the Ormsby House on “Smoker Night,” not to fight, but to lead the house in the Pledge of Allegiance.

On the way there I ran out of gasoline at the top of Spooner. So I stood on the side of the road in my white suit with my cigar, and sure enough, the first vehicle to come along pulled over and picked me up. It was an old chicken truck and driving that chicken truck was the oldest man I ever saw behind a wheel. He was an Hispanic gentleman, perhaps 90 years old, and chicken feathers were flying everywhere. I thanked him for stopping, and he greeted me with, “You…look like maybe somebody I should know.”

“Muy Viejo,” I said humbly, “Mark Twain.” And I stuck out my hand.

He looked me over with a discerning eye, scratched the stubble on his chin, extended his hand and said, “Me … Ponce de Leon.”

So there we were, driving into Carson together, Ponce de Leon and Mark Twain. He took me straight to the Ormsby House, where I climbed into the ring with chicken feathers clinging to the white suit, but I was on time, thanks to Ponce de Leon.

Mac It’s my belief that Chautauqua is the wave of the future in education. History can be boring. Living history is never boring. With Skype we have the ability to deliver everybody from Lincoln to Tubman right into the classroom in real time. Exciting? I think so.

Mac Bully! Very Bully. Though I am getting old enough now that at times I find myself standing alone in the kitchen, wondering why I came there in the first place, and feeling not unlike an envelope without a stamp…

So now I’ve got a question for you? How does your poetry help you see the world as you do?