From the Walls of Mr. James Odett

James V. Odett (1902-1963) lived his whole life in Winnipeg, Manitoba as an antiques dealer. His shop, Odett's Antiques, ran from 1923 at 1163 Portage Avenue until Mr. Odett became ill in the summer of 1962. Mr. Odett left behind a surprising amount of 'artwork' (poems, stories, drawings, paintings, even songs), which he stuffed into the walls of his house. It is only recently that we have discovered this (after some much needed renovations). The Council for Dissemination and Misappropriation (a group originally started my James himself, under the name The Misuse Society) here presents some of the materials uncovered. Mr. Odett often claimed that people from the future would steal his 'art', and that he often went into the future to take it back. The songwriter Butter Vaughn Kingson bases a lot of his music on the writings and 'artwork' of Mr. Odett.

•

Wed Feb 11

Dear ______,

It is cold here now, and I’m forced to tend the fire constantly - the furnace doesn’t put out the heat as it once used to. We are getting old, are we not? But you age well. True beauty only grows as time passes - like wine, or cheese (if bitterness or smelliness is your forte). I was glad to hear you are doing so well (to my jealousy, I must admit), and I was surprised that you would venture out that far. You were never a traveler before. What changed? The wind is strong tonight. I don’t trust it. These old bones are breaking, love. (Not that one, dirty dog.)

Help me through this night,
_______

Comments (View)