In April 2004, the local Cabo gringo newspaper ran the following headline: "Todos Santos Bookstore Bans Book" Here is our exclusive interview with Michael Mercer and his reaction to the controversy surrounding his latest work!
A conversation with Michael Mercer June 11, 2004 at La Estancia
Michael Mercer is the author of Mexicoland and Bandidos, short story collections that reflect his take on the gringo experience in Mexico. Bandidos, his latest book stirred up a bit of controversy in the so-called enlightened artist and writer’s community of Todos Santos when the only English language bookstore in town refused to carry the title. We arranged to meet Michael in Cabo San Lucas for his reaction to the censure of his work and a little background on how he came to settle in Baja. Michael and his partner, artist Gloria Marie V. still happily reside in Todos Santos. For more information on Michael, visit his website www.michaelmercer.com.
JT How did you get down to Baja and come to settle in Todos Santos?
MM I just needed a change from American life, I was 39 living in Oakland and working in San Francisco in the financial district for corporate lawyers and said to myself “I‘ve got to go somewhere.”
JT Had you been to Baja before?
MM No, I had been to mainland Mexico and Central America.
JT What was the appeal of Baja?
MM I was looking for some place that would be cheap to live and the opportunity to do something different.
JT Were you writing prior to moving to Todos Santos?
MM I had been writing but didn’t have enough time to write because I was working. I was looking for a quiet place to finish my novel.
JT How did you come to choose Todos Santos in particular?
MM I just saw Todos Santos on a map in a guidebook. It said it was an artist’s community. I thought that’s cool, and it’s near the beach. I had always liked the beach having grown up in LA and having spent time in Huntington Beach surfing.
JT Do you still surf?
MM No, I was a lousy surfer, even on a 10-foot board you could serve cocktails on.
JT Did you know anyone in Todos Santos?
MM I didn’t know anyone there or anything about the place. I stayed at the Motel Guluarte for about a month. I got to know a few people including Gloria, Michael and Pat Cope from the Galería de Todos Santos, Jane Perkins who ran the bookstore then, and her daughter Barbara who runs the palapa bar, La Cañada del Diablo.
JT After a month, how did you feel about the town?
MM I fell in love with the place.
JT So you found a great cheap place to live near the beach and were writing.
MM I didn’t do a lot of writing at first, I didn’t have too much time, there was so much happening with the gringos and the community.
JT Do you stay here in Baja year round.
MM No, but at least eight or nine months a year.
JT You go back to the Bay Area.
MM Yes, I have a little pied-a-terre in Berkeley now, so I go back there and work; I still do some computer work.
JT And to eat at one of our favorite places, the Philly Cheese Steak Shop on University Ave.
MM Yeah.
JT You were involved in a men’s writing group. How did that come about?
MM There was a women’s poetry group that met once a week so a bunch of us guys who got together to drink formed a men’s poetry group. It was called the “men’s drinking group” by a lot of people.
JT Did any writing come out of that group?
MM We actually did write and after meeting for about a year, we thought we had enough good material to put a book together. I found a printer in La Paz.
JT You published a book that came out of the poetry group.
MM Yes, it was called Todos Santos and Other Poems.
JT How do I say this, was it any good?
MM Some of it is pretty bad poetry--mine especially--but it's mostly about Mexico, and it’s interspersed with our conversations, which makes it more interesting.
JT Is this writing group still active.
MM No, we kind of went off in different directions. However, I kept writing short stories so that is how Mexicoland happened.
JT Mexicoland was self-published.
MM Yes.
JT And it was well received in Todos Santos?
MM Very well received.
JT And everyone is saying, hey, a local guy is doing good?
MM Yes.
JT Were any of the characters in Mexicoland based on real people?
MM "Inspired by" is how I would put it. I'd hear of some incident, and create a character that typified a certain trait or attitude. But, once I came up with the character and the story, the actual person that inspired it was long forgotten.
JT Were you concerned about the resemblance?
MM I worried about one or two of the stories in Mexicoland. I was worried about hurting anyone's feelings.
JT How did that work out?
MM It was a good experience because I realized that the stories I was worried about nobody reacted to and the ones that they reacted to I couldn’t even see it coming. I never could have guessed that anybody would be offended or think it was about them.
JT It was impossible to predict responses to your work.
MM Yes, after that experience I decided that I can’t control how people are going to read my stuff, it’s out of my hands.
JT Did you have concerns about reactions to the stories or characters in Bandidos?
MM No, with Bandidos I thought it’s just another book of stories, it’s the same thing.
JT The stories in Bandidos are somewhat sharper in tone.
MM I was aware that some of the stories were a little bit edgier, a little bit harsher but I didn’t try to control how they were going to be received. And actually the way my writing developed, I found that not only could I not control how my stories were read but once I got a couple of pages into the story that I could not control how it was written either.
JT It takes on a life of its own.
MM Exactly, and you have to just follow that and not try to control it too much.
JT Janet Howey of El Tecolote Bookstore had a very complimentary quote on the jacket of Mexicoland.
MM Yes.
JT You were friendly with her.
MM Yes.
JT When Bandidos first came out you had a book release party and everyone in town was excited, Michael has a new book coming out. How did it come about that Janet reacted to the book the way she did?
MM I told Janet I was doing the book and made sure she got a review copy so she could look at it and decide if she wanted to carry it.
JT Did you have any clue that she would have a problem with the book?
MM I thought it was a formality as it is pretty much the same as Mexicoland.
JT When did you realize that there was a problem?
MM Two days before the book party, she actually came to me and said, “I can’t carry this.”
JT Did she elaborate?
MM She actually told me she thought it was a great book, better than Mexicoland. She tried to explain that she thought it hit too close to actual people in town and that reputations would be damaged.
JT What was your reaction?
MM I was so stunned, since then I have thought of so many arguments that I could have given her but we have not spoken since. In any case, it was clear she had made her decision and wasn't going to be swayed.
JT Besides being stunned, you were bothered by Janet’s reaction.
MM I think for a writer that a bookstore owner is sort of an authority figure. I thought have I really done something wrong.
JT Do you feel that as the only bookstore in town and as a bookseller and information center for the community that Janet has a responsibility and obligation to carry the book whether she agrees with the content? In other words, that the book should be made available, the decision to buy the book left up to the individual.
MM Yes, she has the only bookstore in town or of its type in all of southern Baja.
JT Why do you think she decided to take the position she did?
MM In Todos Santos many gringos set themselves up as these managers of the community, they take on that role where they want to keep things nice and not have too much controversy. They have a vision; they think they are doing a good thing. I think Janet really believes in her heart that she is doing her best by the community.
JT Well that may be a problem with gringos or foreigners in any country.
MM Yes, it is not our country to begin with.
JT We are trying to impose our values.
MM Exactly.
JT Did anyone else object to the material in Bandidos?
MM No, not to me personally, though I have heard that a few of her friends support her decision.
JT No one is throwing bricks through your windows with notes reading “bad book.”
MM No, in fact the people Janet thought she was defending have graciously ignored the whole thing.
JT Do you regret that you included Fountain of Life or what has become known as the Rodrigo story in the book?
MM I never regretted what I wrote and I never thought I should have done it differently. It's just a story, and a very comical one at that. It shows a dark side of many of us gringos--myself included--but I wasn't trying to single out anyone in particular. I think most people understand that.
JT How has the controversy affected the way people approach reading the book?
MM Unfortunately, where I just wanted to put the book into the bookstore, Janet in essence threw a spotlight on the story she said was so damaging. I put the Rodrigo story at the end because it was a little outrageous and profane, and should be built up to; but instead of people reading the other stories and getting familiar with my exaggerated style, everybody who bought the book went right to that story.
JT I didn’t do that, I forced myself not to do that, I read Mexicoland first, I wanted to see how your writing progressed from one book to the other.
What were the reactions of the locals, Mexicans? Or is it just a gringo thing?
MM I think the Mexicans are amused, mostly. Now and then, I get a little covert thumbs up. But it is pretty much a gringo thing. I have many people who are supportive. One person I mention on my website, Robert Saltzman, a photographer in Taos, one of his shows were actually shut down in Taos in the 60’s. So his thing was hey, you have arrived; you know you are doing the right thing, you are touching a nerve.
JT How has this affected you, your psyche as a writer?
MM I think ultimately that it is a good thing. There is one person I talk with, he is a spiritual guy, he gives dharma talks, a great guy not a scam artist, a self promoter or anything. He said it was good for the town and figured it was good for me to go through this.
JT But it is still painful.
MM At the time it was very painful, personally you feel like you are being slapped, being told you are a bad boy, you have done the wrong thing.
JT What have you learned from this as a writer?
MM Coming through this, I really think it was a good thing because now I understand better what the writer has to do, the writer has to tell the story, serve the story, you can’t serve the readers or even your own reputation, or anything else, you just have to follow the story.
JT Have sales been better because of this?
MM Yes, I still wish it had not gone this way but yes. The thing is once the controversy dies down things return to being routine. Next tourist season all these tourists are going to come to the bookstore looking for something to read about Todos Santos and they are not going to find it.
JT Yes, whenever I visit somewhere I try to read all the travel guides and literature I can find on that place. I hope that people will pick up the book.
MM I realize that I am not required reading for visitors to Todos Santos but it’s sort of natural that someone might be interested.
JT How do you see your role as a writer in Todos Santos writing about the community?
MM I am not the spokesperson for Todos Santos; I know my perspective is pretty warped. I wish there were more writers with other perspectives on Todos Santos.
JT Are you working on something now?
MM My main interest in writing has always been novels; I have an agent in New York. The short stories just sort of happened in between the novel writing.
JT So, consider Todos Santos and the character of the town… I was there a couple of years ago for the fiesta, danced in the square, and drank beer with the locals. I have to tell you, I did not see any other gringos. There are a lot of gringos in Todos Santos. Where were the artists, writers, and real estate people?
MM Yeah, we always go. Generally, that is like the Mexican thing. It is true; many gringos just do not go to that.
JT Has Todos Santos lost its Mexican ness, become gringofied?
MM Yes, when I got here eight years ago people were talking about that starting to happen. God, it has really changed a lot in just the past few years. Yes, it is going in that direction. I have found that my Spanish has actually gotten worse.
JT Because you are speaking to more gringos and do not have to use Spanish?
MM Yes, and of course, some of the locals do not speak mainland Spanish like I am used to, it is a colloquial Spanish.
JT I despair of the fact that we have changed things by our presence. That Todos Santos or even where I live has become sort of a gringo settlement not unlike any small community in the States where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Have we not become in a way what we were leaving behind when we came here?
MM I think there was an initial impulse certainly for me to come here because I wanted to live differently, I wanted to find a different way of being, I didn’t want to live the way I had lived in the United States… I wanted to value different and better things. I think that many people came with that impulse and may still have that impulse. Lately that has taken the form of many spiritual people following some spiritual path. We are pursuing art and spiritual matters but in a sense that is so far from the way we live our lives.
JT Explain.
MM There is a great disparity between the pursuit of artistic and spiritual matters and some of our attitudes towards the Mexicans, the whole obsession with real estate and making money. I don't say these things to be judgmental. For me this is territory to mine for stories, so we can see ourselves, as we are, both good and bad. There is a great disparity between what we think of ourselves and where we think we are going and how we really act and who we really are…which is basically we're the same confused, searching people we were in the States.
Jim Tolbert is also a refugee from the San Francisco Bay Area who resides in Los Cabos, a freelance writer, bookseller, and author of the forthcoming book The Adventure Guide to Baja California Sur.
© 2004 Jim Tolbert