Further Beating of the Subjects
by
Brad Keefauver (and sometimes Kathy Carter)
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1983 June 1983 on Holmes and Peoria July 1983 on familiar quotations August 1983 on good husband Watson September 1983 on bad husband Watson October 1983 on Holmes's aging November 1983 on Canonical masquerade December 1983 on tin dispatch boxes 1984 January 1984 on bibliographies February 1984 on detective Barker March 1984 on modernisms April 1984 on epigrams May 1984 on the awful truth June 1984 on alternate Watson July 1984 on book burning August 1984 on summer camp September 1984 on Holmes's index October 1984 on spending a fortune November 1984 on Halloween December 1984 on the stereotype 1985 January 1985 on a variety of topics February 1985 on pasticheurs March 1985 on being picked up by the police April 1985 on Watson's quotes May 1985 on the Granada TV Holmes adaptations June 1985 on Holmes and pro wrestling July 1985 on the Sherlockian collecting August 1985 on Victorian verbiage September 1985 on Canonical criminals October 1985 on Holmes the entrepreneur November 1985 on the Baker Street irregulars December 1985 on Sherlockian holidays 1986 January 1986 on the Sherlock-Santa connection February 1986 on resolutions March 1986 on Mary Morstan April 1986 on FINA and EMPT May 1986 on Sherlock TV June 1986 on Holmesian horticulture July 1986 on a Holmes family picnic August 1986 on Two Adventuresses September 1986 parody part one October 1986 parody part two November 1986 on Holmes and fishing December 1986 on Gordon Speck 1987 January 1987 on the newsletter's 100th issue February 1987 on the BSI March 1987 on Irene revelations April 1987 on lame criminals May 1987 on Doyleana June 1987 on front page Doyle July 1987 on a Holmes's methods August 1987 on New York Banquet 1987 on Peoria by gaslight September 1987 columnist change October 1987 on 221B scenes November 1987 on Ronald Knox December 1987 on consulting Dr. Watson 1988 January 1988 on Springfield's society February 1988 on Mrs. Turner's beer March 1988 on Wild Theories April 1988 on Scotland Yard May 1988 on Clayton's horse June 1988 on rude cuisine July 1988 on eggspoons and laundry August 1988 on Watson's passion September 1988 on Holmes for President '88 October 1988 on Sherlock and Elvis November 1988 on Holmes for President '88 - Part Two December 1988 on Holmes's image 1989 January 1989 on Morley's disease February 1989 on Sherlockian certification March 1989 on Help Wanted May 1989 on California girls September 1989 on adventure ratings 1990 January 1990 on busts Napoleonic February 1990 on doughnuts March 1990 on method cost April 1990 on Holmes's retirement May 1990 on Holmes's telegram June 1990 on the Game July 1990 on the Canon August 1990 on evil sheep September 1990 on Conan Doyle October 1990 on a quiz November 1990 on the quiz answers December 1990 on a hidden wife |
There's a conversation in the beginning of A Study in Scarlet, before Dr. Watson has met Sherlock Holmes, in which their mutual acquaintance Stamford is describing the detective. It goes something like this: "He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge," Stamford says. "Quite right, too," Watson agrees. "Yes, but it may be pushed to excess," Stamford argues. "When it comes to beating the subjects in the dissecting-rooms with a stick, it is certainly taking rather a bizarre shape." While my passion for definite and exact knowledge may never match that of some of my fellow Sherlockians, I've never been one to hesitate about beating Sherlockian subjects to death in pursuit of something new. Whether it was Sherlock Holmes, his brother Mycroft, the field of Sherlockiana itself, Elvis, Santa Claus, or professional wrestling . . . you name it. If there was a drop of Sherlockian sap to be tapped from any subject out there, I'd unashamedly drive a spigot into it . . . especially when my neighbor's monthly newsletter, Plugs & Dottles, was driving me to come up with something to put in a column every month. The Keefauver column in Plugs & Dottles ran for about fifteen years, from June 1983 to December 1998. At first it was called "Alias James and Agatha: Being Phillimores' Sidelights on Sherlock," and my wife Kathy and I alternated months. After four years, Kathy decided to retire from her every-other-month, and the column became "Inferring the Possibilities." Two years later, I tried to retire from doing the column as well, and inadvertently caused the biggest uproar in the publication's history. I wish I could say it was my departure that caused the controversy, but it was, in truth, a single statement in my farewell column about sexual discrimination in a certain elder Sherlockian society. Certain elder members of that certain elder society weren't very happy about the comment, and the resulting furor lasted for months. Such "popularity" made it hard to stay away from writing the column for long, and within months, I was back in the monthly essay business again, this time calling the column "The Dissecting Room." Writing about Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and the general state of Sherlockian culture every single month was just too much fun to give up. It continued on until 1998, when Plugs & Dottles (the Peoria newsletter, not to be confused with the later Nashville publication) finally folded. There's plenty to read from those fifteen years. Some good, some not so good. But bit by bit I'll be adding selections to that list on the left, so stop by and see what's new every now and then.
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1991 January 1991 on Watson's place February 1991 on the BSI dinners March 1991 on deadlines April 1991 on engagements May 1991 on whist June 1991 on Garridebs August 1991 on fictional home September 1991 on work October 1991 on a quiz November 1991 on exits December 1991 on obliqueness 1992 January 1992 on Holmes and Trek February 1992 on February Sherlock March 1992 on the state of things April 1992 on a Sherlockian's cat May 1992 on gauging train speed June 1992 on villain cows August 1992 on Moriarty bungee September 1992 on summer whimsy October 1992 on a quiz November 1992 on judging answers December 1992 on Holmes and bars 1993 January 1993 on Both Holmeses February 1993 on Memoirs and Numbers March 1993 on Access April 1993 on the Return of Elvis May 1993 on the Writing Watson June 1993 on Frankenstein's Sherlock July 1993 on Those Other Sherlockians August 1993 on Bob versus The Machine September 1993 on Bliss, 1983 October 1993 on Quizmageddon November 1993 on Mystery Writers, Biographers, and Journalists December 1993 on the Name Game 1994 January 1994 on a Canonical Christmas tree February 1994 on Two Men of Note, 1994 Edition March 1994 on Mary Morstan's trusted companion April 1994 on the Good Sherlockian May 1994 on how "We were here first!" June 1994 on the Doyle/Watson scheme July 1994 on three pastices of the day August 1994 on Holmes, Watson and picnics September 1994 on the quest for Private Life October 1994 on a couple of things that needed saying November 1994 on John Bennett Shaw December 1994 on a Sherlockian Thanksgiving 1995 January 1995 on 1994 February 1995 on the Canonical Scale of Drunkeness March 1995 on the Hounds of the Internet meet the Baker Street Irregulars April 1995 on Parietal Bones, Pate De Foie Gras Pie, and Catkins on the Hazel May 1995 on the Two Hundredth Issue of Plugs & Dottles June 1995 on the Constant Creation July 1995 on Sherlock and Me at the Holiday Inn August 1995 on the MediaWest*Con September 1995 on Back to School Holmes October 1995 on Trigger Lines November 1995 on an Open Letter to Sherlock Holmes December 1995 on Sherlockian Treasures of 1995 1996 January 1996 on a lazy Sherlockian Christmas February 1996 on Mrs. Hudson's yard sale March 1996 on the letter Z April 1996 on Holmes dancing May 1996 on too many detectives from Holmes's life June 1996 on summer Sherlockian activities July 1996 on Sherlock Holmes the action hero August 1996 on John Clayton's two looks September 1996 on Holmes and Watson's heterosexuality October 1996 on England November 1996 on the two paths December 1996 on what the publication dates reveal 1997 January 1997 on gifts that stay gifts February 1997 on grumpy old Sherlockians March 1997 on Doyle's thought processes April 1997 on French artists May 1997 on letters June 1997 on the really untold tales July 1997 on a Sherlockian neighbor August 1997 on re-demonizing the Hound September 1997 on Sherlock for Morons October 1997 on the club of legend December 1997 Rant (not the musical) 1998 January 1998 on the St. Helena TragedyFebruary 1998 on Canon family March 1998 on Holmes the machine April 1998 on Valuable InstitutionsMay 1998 on Moriarty's leap June 1998 on why it's great to be Dr. Watson August 1998 on the faithful Irregulars and that other doctor September 1998 on defending reality October 1998 on Sherlocking your war to Arkham Asylum November 1998 on Sherlock in the new millenium December 1998 on the Final Column |