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Well known Lithuanian American film maker, so called the godfather of American avant-garde cinema Jonas Mekas, passed away on January 23rd. Last February Jurate Kazickas chatted with Jonas Mekas and shared some moments from their conversation with all. Let's remember this honorable artist who has done so much for American culture while never forgetting his Lithuanian roots by returning to Jurate Kazickas' reflections from their talk.
02.15.2018
by Jurate Kazickas
"The celebrated filmmaker, artist, and self-described bon vivant, often called “the godfather of American avant-garde cinema,” spoke on Feb. 15 at the 92nd Street Y to promote his delightful new book, "A Dance with Fred Astaire."
The book is described as “a visual autobiography,” filled with anecdotes and stories about all the cultural icons Mekas hung out with over the years - Andy Warhol, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Salvador Dali, the Kennedys, and fellow Lithuanian George Maciunas, a founding member of FLUXUS which someone called “the most radical and experimental art movement of the sixties.”
The book also contains some notes about his return to Lithuania in 1971 to visit his mother and brother whom he had not seen since he left in 1944. He grew up in the village of Semeniskes, that he once described as a place “where we were always singing, celebrating life, seasons of the year, and whatever we were doing.” He said that his life long habit of filming “is a celebration of daily, simple life.” (His film, “Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania,” is now part of the National Film Registry. )
And here is a wonderful passage from the book’s last chapter, written in 1974, “On Happiness.” (It’s about the grapes!)
“And of course, one of my instant ecstasies is when my brother bakes some kugelis, a Lithuanian potato dish (on which he works a full day and the art of which he has mastered completely). You give me kugelis, a lot of it, brown, burned , crusty – and you can have all your cinema, I’ll stick to my pot of kugelis, stuffing myself full, burning my tongue, and sweating like a pig – nobody will be able to pull me away from it. And then, of course, you are so full of it that you can’t do anything but sit full of happiness, nodding yes to everything, content with everything…”
The small room at the 92nd Street Y was almost full – with about 40 or so people of assorted ages with a surprising number of young, clearly admirers of his work. Mekas read from a folder of loose papers. His hands shook but his voice was clear and strong. One story was about the death of Allen Ginsburg; another powerful essay was about how he felt being a refugee.
After his talk, Mekas and I went to a nearby restaurant with his son, Sebastian, and one of his associates, Jesse Pollock. Mekas is never without a camera. He is always filming. He showed me a tiny Nikon video camera, about the size of a credit card, that he carries in the top pocket of his jacket.
I asked him about Lithuania. He said that his last visit to Lithuania depressed him. “Everyone treats me as if I am an old man!” he complained. Old in years but not in spirit for sure! Mekas is one of the most energetic 95 year olds one could ever meet. In fact, he has been featured in The New York Times in a series on older New Yorkers which resulted in the book, “Happiness is a Choice You Make,” by John Leland.
“If you could bottle the life force that is Jonas, you could spare the world a whole lot of misery,” writes Leland. “He doesn’t defy aging so much as fulfill its potential, marshaling all his past into a present only available to someone who has lived a long life.”
The day after our lunch was Feb. 16, the 100th anniversary of Lithuania’s Independence. The New York Lithuanian community was celebrating with a fancy dinner at a midtown hotel. I asked Mekas if he was going to attend. He looked surprised. “I didn’t even know there was such a party. I wasn’t invited.”
I thought it strange and sad that such a famous figure, who may very well be the only Lithuanian some Americans have ever heard of and who has done so much for the culture of this country while never forgetting his roots, would be overlooked by his fellow country men here.
Mekas gave me a signed copy of his book and later sent me two DVDs of his 7 hour opus, “Lithuania and the Collapse of the USSR,” which he proudly said is shown in schools to remind the new generation that has grown up in freedom of those terrible dark days and the struggle to reestablish independence, finally achieved in 1991.
Leland’s book – a copy of which Mekas also gave me - looks at the science of longevity. Having a purpose in life, experts say, is one of the keys to a happy long life. Mekas would agree. He is now focused on trying to raise many millions to expand the facilities of the Anthology Film Archives, the library and theater he founded in 1970 which is still the leading place to see avant-garde films in New York.
Leland writes that one of Mekas’ quotes really struck him - about the importance of living life wholly in the moment.
One day Mekas was giving a reading at a Greenwich Village jazz club from an unpublished novella that he started writing when he found a roll of computer paper. “I have decided to write a novel that is absolutely about nothing,” he said, and then added, “Have you ever thought about how amazing, really amazing, life is?”
Those words reminded me of another old, eternally young man, 96 years old when he left us in 2014. My father, Joseph Kazickas who lived life with joyful wonder, passion and gratitude. Every day is a gift, he always said. Life really is amazing.
And so is Jonas Mekas!"
Photo: Jurate Kazickas with Jonas Mekas, New York, Feb. 15, 2018