Fairly stupid post about Fred Beckey

[johndavidjr]

I was utterly thrilled to meet Fred Beckey at one of his many slide shows Saturday; this one at New Paltz, N.Y. I was invited, by somebody, to his table at a local bar afterward, but, despite my interest, I declined, saying that I'd be "just another celebrity hound" with no legitimate reason to attend...

 

At the show, I asked him whether he would publish an autobiography, and/or if his pal John Krakauer, would be writing his biography. He seemed to say, though I may well have misunderstood him, that he might have something in the works about his "early climbs" which I think would be an astonishing book if it ever appeared.

 

I think Beckey is an extraordinarily good writer, which I assume must reflect a deep intelligence. But despite his intellectual leanings (see "Range of Glaciers) he seems to have little interest in sharing self-insight (if any) and also suffers from a kind of false modesty.

 

To me this seems like it could be a generational thing... People born back in the day were/are perhaps very different from baby boomers and the later generations.

 

Speaking of which, he said JK was "too busy making lots of money" to produce a biography.. Though I certainly have no inside information, I continue to hope and suspect that JK might some day write something up on Beckey... I mentioned that there are bound to be a number of writers that will eventually write his biography... His response was "Who cares?"

 

Maybe the lesson is that passing judgment on Beckey, or whatever celebrity, beyond their actual accomplishments, may be rather lame. But inevitably, people will do it.

 

I do wish he'd write the damned autobiography, but I assume he doesn't want to and/or can't.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[olyclimber]

HOWZ DA WEDDER???

[Dechristo]

maybe he's writing it on napkins

[marylou]

HUH??

[Couloir]

Maybe it'll rain next week.

[sobo]

Didn't he already write an autobiography of his early climbs? I thought it was called Challenge of sumpinoruther.

[johndavidjr]

Yeah, probably that was what he was talking about. I even read the thing and used to own it. I said it was a fairly stupid post. But consider, just for example, that Willie Unsoeld has been the topic of two separate biographies. The first, by Laurence Leamer, was slap-dash and slightly mean-spirited, while the second... seemed in part like an uncredited rip-off from Leamer, and not especially worthwhile. It would be a shame if Beckey's is less than first rate.

 

[tvashtarkatena]

Perhaps the public just isnt' ready for "I can't hear worth a damn, but I can smell pussy a mile away".

[Bug]

Crude tvash.

How appropriate.

[tvashtarkatena]

There's a special place in Heabin for Fred Beckey, but it ain't anywhere near the Christians.

[KFed]

JOHN KRAKAUER IS A MODERN DAY RENNISANCE MAN. CLIMBER, AUTHOR, POET, SENSITIVE NEW AGED GUY, ETC. HE ONLY ONE KLIMBER WHO RIGHT GUD ENUF TO PROFILE "FRED BECKEY, THE MOUNTAIN, THE MAN, THE NAPKINS"

 

YOU NEED NOT HAVE JK WRITE A BIOGRAPHIE (5.15A), AS SOBO POINTS OUT, A BOOK HAS BEEN WRITEN ABOUT ONE PITON FOR SAFETY. ALSO USE THE INTERNET MACHINE TO FIND "DIRECT BECKEY" OR A MILLION AND ONE BROKEN HEARTED BLONDES CLUTCHING TATTERED COPIES OF AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNALS DETAILING THE EXPLOITS

[ZimZam]

Stop drinking from the Passaic River.

[layton]

WEDDERS GOOD IN THE SIERRAS CAN YOU TAKE A MONTH OFF

By Fred Beckey

 

chapert 1: How's da wedder?

chapter 2: Wedders no good?

chapter 3: huh!?

chapter 4: How's da wedder?

Chapter 5: We should bivy

Chapter 5: turn to page one and repeat

[roboboy]

Oh, British Columbia

by Fred Beckey

 

THERE'S SOME BIG ASS MOUNTAINS UP THERE...I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, I'VE BEEN AROUND YA KNOW...PRICES ARE TOO HIGH IN THIS DUMP, MCDONALD'S IS CHEAPER THAN THIS.

 

The End

[Lowell_Skoog]

Speaking of which, he said JK was "too busy making lots of money" to produce a biography.. Though I certainly have no inside information, I continue to hope and suspect that JK might some day write something up on Beckey... I mentioned that there are bound to be a number of writers that will eventually write his biography... His response was "Who cares?"

 

Jon Krakauer wrote an article about Fred Beckey that appeared in Outside magazine 15-20 years ago. The article described a winter climb by Beckey, Krakauer and Mark Bebie of Sahale Peak. I had it in my files for a long time but I can't find it now.

 

As I remember, many of Fred's younger admirers thought Krakauer's article was uncomplimentary. I don't know what Fred thought about it. A couple of the most memorable passages describe scamming food from the sample counter at the supermarket in Sedro Wooley after the trip. Krakauer described Beckey's appearance and wrote (quoting from memory): "The woman behind counter could be forgiven for mistaking America's finest alpinist for a wino." This was also the article in which Fred was quoted, after trying some of the sausage samples: "Ummm ummm, not bad, not bad. Even if it does look like horse dick." I have always assumed that this is where the running joke about "H.C." on CascadeClimbers.com came from.

 

If anybody out there knows which Outside magazine issue this story was in, please let me know. I'd like to find it again.

 

 

[Lowell_Skoog]

If anybody out there knows which Outside magazine issue this story was in, please let me know. I'd like to find it again.

 

Never mind. I found it.

 

"Warning! Fred Beckey is (still) on the loose," by Jon Krakauer, Outside Magazine, July 1992, p. 48.

[stonewall]

Jon once told me that Fred sent him hate mail after the Outside piece in the 90s: Said that he started receiving lots of advertising materials for hearing aids.

 

Fred's point obvious enough.

Edited October 30, 2007 by stonewall

[marylou]

HOW'S DA WEDDER?

[johndavidjr]

A good bio of Beckey would apparently include stuff his friends would find "uncomplimentary" but a bio isn't primarily supposed to be a compliment. Beckey doesn't need anybody to pump up his reputation, though by the same token, a gratuitous hatchet job would be just as unfortunate.

 

Krakauer is certainly not the only writer qualified to do a Beckey biography, but I can think of one or two other marginally well-known journalists with bona fide Northwest backgrounds who might get a book contract, & probably do a downright lousy job (I'm not thinking of you, Mr. Skoog).

 

In a passing comment during Saturday's slide show, Beckey called Krakauer "a fairly good friend of mine."

 

BTW the napkin comments, while quite a laugh, don't really ring true to me. "Range of Glaciers" contains enough research to qualify for at least a couple of Ph.Ds. Beckey's notes and papers might be pretty vast, whether or not they include material about women and food, and a good bio would require access to this stuff. It would also be best written before his mid-career associates are all dead.

 

 

 

----

 

[Lowell_Skoog]

In a passing comment during Saturday's slide show, Beckey called Krakauer "a fairly good friend of mine."

 

That's good to hear. I mentioned the Outside magazine article because I didn't know whether Beckey and Krakauer were on good terms. I thought Krakauer's Outside piece was excellent. That's why I saved it. He has a sharp pen and he used it well in that piece. But I remember hearing that some of Fred's other friends thought the piece was pretty hard on him.

 

A good biography should try to capture the whole person, warts and all. I don't think any knowledgeable person would claim that Fred Beckey has no warts. It's possible that Fred has been reluctant to sit down for interviews (his reluctance is legendary) because he'd rather not help somebody who might paint an unflattering portrait. I don't know. I agree that a thorough biography would be a very worthwhile project.

 

 

[tvashtarkatena]

Unfortunately for the biography project, Hunter S. has already passed from our midst. Tom Wolfe?

Edited October 30, 2007 by tvashtarkatena

[lizard_brain]

Of course you've all seen this...

[mattp]

I'm a big fan of the guy, warts and all, and I've asked him about preparing his notes and files for archiving and discussed similar matters with him more than once. I'm not sure what motivates him to be hesitant about interviews and profiles - it is rarely either simple or clear what motivates any of us to seek attention or avoid it in various different contexts - but I HAVE observed that many people have taken shots at Fred over the years.

 

Whether mean spirited or self-serving or whatever, people love to say "I know Fred Beckey and he's cool and all but .... " Does he deserve it? Maybe so, maybe not. But I don't think I've observed the same kind of pattern with other climbers of similar stature.

 

By the way, Fred is cool and all, but he can be a pain in the neck. I hope he's around for years to come.

[Bug]

It is easy to find ways to criticize someone who has a distinct style.

That's what marketing is all about. Find something distinct and exploit it.

Fred should do his own story imo.

 

[fenderfour]

Fred Beckey is what we all aspire to one day become.