A Eulogy for Gary Lincoff (1942-2018)

The mycological world and beyond mourns the unexpected death on Friday, March 16, 2018, of one of its brightest lights, Gary Lincoff.  Lincoff was well known in the field of mycology, the author of no less than seven mushroom identification guidebooks, including the essential Audubon Field Guide to Mushrooms (1981) and The Complete Mushroom Hunter (2015; rev. edition 2017).  He was an early member of the New York Mycological Society, reconstituted (from two much earlier iterations) by John Cage, Guy G. Nearing, Lois Long, Esther Dam, and Ralph Ferrara in 1962. (Click here for a lengthy letter Cage wrote to disgruntled Society members two years into its new existence). Lincoff became one of Cage's long-time friends and valued colleagues. Lincoff later also became active with the Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association (COMA) and the North American Mycological Association (NAMA), serving the latter as president from 1983 to 1988; he also taught classes on mushroom identification and related topics at the New York Botanical Gardens.

Lincoff was expert and charming, with an infectious enthusiasm about all things fungi that charged many a budding amateur mycologist.  You might recognize him from the 2008 Canadian feature film, Know Your Mushrooms, directed and produced by Ron Mann (Sphinx Productions), in which he and Montana's own mycologist-restauranteur Larry Evans were featured as "myco-visionaries."

I never met Lincoff, without question my loss.  But, I've known many people who were moved and inspired by him in addition to John Cage, including the author David Rose, whose work has been featured on "Kuhn's Blog" several times. I've heard David speak about Lincoff many times, and it's never been without reverence and an affectionate smile. Rose delivered a eulogy at Lincoff's funeral yesterday at the Plaza Jewish Community Chapel on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan. This eulogy appears below, with his kind permission.   

Lincoff is survived by his wife of many years, Irene Liberman, their son Noah Lincoff, and his brother, Bennett Lincoff.

Laura Kuhn

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Eulogy for Gary Lincoff

On behalf of the Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association (COMA) I offer my sincere condolences to Irene and Noah, to Gary’s family, and to the countless friends of Gary Lincoff in the mycological community and beyond. Gary touched us all in a profound and indelible way. He taught us the science of fungi, and he helped us to know the beauty of the natural world in marvelous, intimate detail.

The physicist Richard Feynman once recommended to his students, “Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent, and original manner possible.” I think we know that Gary Lincoff did just that. He forged his own path in mycology, botany, and nature study. In doing so he helped to create a living, lively community.

Gary’s involvement with COMA began in 1975, the same year COMA was founded. He gave countless lectures; he came to every foray; and his last lecture was just last Saturday at COMA’s Mushroom University, which one might say was really “Gary Lincoff University” – a winter tutorial on mushroom genera and species that we’ve sponsored for several years.

Gary gave an annual lecture for COMA every spring. I always enjoyed introducing him, for it gave us a chance to cut up and have fun right before his talk. I once introduced him by reciting the title of every talk he ever did for COMA. This exercise literally took well over five minutes – and he was slightly exasperated and amused by this, but I wanted everyone to know that here is a scholar whose dedication is absolutely unstoppable, going back almost half a century! And that was just for COMA! He did this for the New York Mycological Society, for the Telluride Mushroom Festival, and for how many others?

The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms was our bible. I have three copies. The first is utterly ruined from a thunderstorm on a foray in the woods, but I will treasure it always for Gary’s inscription: “To Sue and Dave and Lila and Katie – Roses are much more interesting than mushrooms. I want photos of all of you! You deserve medals for showing such good humor at the driest foray in a quarter century! That we found so many mushrooms anyway is magic – which is what mushrooms are all about!!! – Gary, COMA foray, 30 September 1995.” And at that foray I will

never forget the special attention he gave to my daughters, teaching them how to identify Gomphus, and Leccinum, and other fascinating mushrooms.

Gary was the Socrates of Mycology – that is not a misplaced exaggeration. He really did employ the Socratic Method, just as he incorporated history, biography, epistemology, and literary perspectives into his educational process. He was a true educator. “Education” means “drawing one out.” He drew us out and taught us time and again – in the words of Henry David Thoreau – that “nature works from reverence,” and that “The man of most science is the man most alive, and whose life is the greatest event.”

Not so long ago Gary took to posting quotations from Thoreau on his Facebook page. In his book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, Thoreau said this: “What, after all, does the practicalness of life amount to? The things immediate to be done are very trivial. I could postpone them all to hear this locust sing. The most glorious fact in my experience is not anything that I have done or may hope to do, but a transient thought, or vision, or dream, which I have had. I would give all the wealth of the world, and all the deeds of all the heroes, for one true vision.”

Gary Lincoff provided us with that one true vision. When so much of our world is garishly fraudulent, Gary Lincoff was authentic. His magnanimous friendship was authentic. He was loved by countless thousands of people, and he changed the world for us. We will miss him.

18 March 2018 / David Rose / Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association (COMA) 

The Mushroom Man!

John Cage, Stony Point (c.1955)/Photo credit: David Gahr

Here's a little find!  A short interview with Laurette Reisman, former student of John Cage's Mushroom Identification class at the New School in 1962, talking about Cage, mushroom walks, and the conception of the New York Mycological Society.  This story was produced by Aasim Rasheed for National Public Radio's "Storycorps Digital Storytelling" program.  Reisman, interviewed by Rasheed, calls John Cage "The Mushroom Man."

Thanks to Rasheed for providing the interview in both recorded and transcribed form to the ever-growing archives of the John Cage Trust!

Laura Kuhn

Things Not Seen Before: A Tribute to John Cage

Things Not Seen Before: A Tribute to John Cage, curated by Jade Dellinger. Tempus Projects: Saturday, Jan. 14 (opening reception) - Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012.

I am not interested in the names of movements but rather in seeing and making things not seen before.

-- John Cage

This latest exhibition by Tampa's own Jade Dellinger premieres several vintage original artworks by John Cage, including a Strings (1979) monotype, unique trial proof lithographs from his Mushroom Book (1972; in collaboration with Lois Long), and select mesostic pages from his Empty Words (1974).

Site-specific artworks by prominent local artists Joe Griffith and Theo Wujcik will also be included, along with Cage-related or -inspired video, sculptural objects, drawings, and scores by such Fluxus pioneers as Nam June Paik, Philip Corner, Giuseppe Chiari, and Milan Knizak. Numerous other Cage friends, collaborators, and acquaintances will also be variously represented, including Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, The Art Guys, Christina Kubisch, Stephen Vitiello, Andrew Deutsch, Keith Edmier, Emil Schult (Kraftwerk), Roberta Friedman, Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), and Christian Marclay.

As Dellinger describes it, the hang will be as unusual as what is hung:

The art works will be positioned on the gallery walls by utilizing John Cage's own (rather unorthodox) chance operations-based installation method, and, as several of the works on paper serve a dual-function as 'graphic scores,' there remains the potential for musical interpretation of the artworks on exhibit....As his own practice made abundantly clear, I believe John Cage would have appreciated our modest tribute and this potential for 'things not heard before' too.

Jade Dellinger* is an interesting fellow. He describes himself as an independent curator, but he collaborates most regularly these days with the Contemporary Art Museum at the University of South Florida and the Tampa Museum of Art. In fact, running somewhat concurrently with his Things Not Seen Before: A Tribute to John Cage at Tempus Projects is yet another noteworthy exhibition, this one at the Tampa Museum of Art, entitled John Cage's 33 1/3 - Performed by Audience. For this rare performance of 1969 Cage's participatory installation piece (scored for audience of participants, 12 turntables, 12 stereo amplifiers, 12 pairs of speakers, and any 300 records), Dellinger invited various artists to provide their "Top 10" LP lists for inclusion. Early on, Pauline Oliveros, Yoko Ono, Richie Ramone, and Irwin Chusid submitted lists. Oliveros's included the likes of Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, and Glenn Gould, while Ono's enumerated only Ono, John Lennon, Lennon/Ono, and Sean Ono Lennon. Ramone's list included Peggy Lee, David Bowie, and the soundtrack from Saturday Night Fever, while Irwin Chusid's sported Jandek (anything by), Harry Partch, Nelson Riddle, and the Sex Pistols. Other guest curators for this exhibition, which runs January 28 through May 6, 2012, include David Byrne, Iggy Pop, John Baldessari, and Jim Rosenquist.

Should be fun, no?

Dellinger is also a discerning collector. His most recent acquisition is a pair of "Artist Conks," which is what mycologically savvy folks have nicknamed the common tree bracket fungus otherwise known as the Ganoderma applanatum. The moniker is apt, because one of the properties of this particular fungus is that its pore surface accepts and preserves whatever is etched into the surface.

As you can see, Dellinger's artifacts have tremendous historical significance, being signed and dated by original members of the New York Mycological Society, which, as most know, Cage co-founded with Guy Nearing and others in 1962. The one dated Memorial Day 1962 is from their inaugural mycological jaunt and is signed by each of the founding members, including Cage, Lois Long, Dick & Allison Higgins, and Nearing.

Talk about longevity, no?

The other is headed "Londonderry, Vermont", and memorializes what was for many years the favored location of the NYMS's annual Chanterelle Weekend. Thanks to Paul Sadowski for this invaluable information, by the way. Paul is a long-time member and now Secretary of the New York Mycological Society (and, incidentally, for nearly 20 years John Cage's stalwart music copyist/engraver). Paul has kindly provided access to the 2007 Winter issue of the NYMS Newsletter here, which includes Cage's marvelous 1964 letter to the NYMS members-at-large concerning what was apparently organizational strife at the time.

The back story on this is kind of sweet. These Artist Conks were in the private collection of a musician who lives in New Jersey. He was raising money to fund a record he was producing and had listed them for auction on an online site. Dellinger saw them, surmised their historic value, and quickly offered him more than his reserve to secure them in advance. Dellinger said that the musician seemed pleased that his mushrooms would be included in exhibitions and shared with a larger public. He'd had them stored away in a closet for years and didn't realize their import -- only

that they were old, unusual, and apparently in Cage's hand.

These Artist Conks fall into the never-too-old-to-learn-new-things category for me. Sharing them with my assistant, who in turn shared them with her parents, Robert and Katherine Martin (he, incidentally, the Director of the Conservatory of Music here at Bard College), we were both astonished to learn that she had some in her family as well!

This little guy (left) was etched by Bob into a mushroom he'd found during a trip with Catherine in 1964 to Richmond, New Hampshire, where her parents lived. It was a courtship gesture, as he recalls, and it sports the first few notes of the Prelude of the Second Suite for Unaccompanied Cello by J.S. Bach, which he was studying at the time.

*Dellinger has other claims to fame. He has co-authored several interesting books, including Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! (2003), and he's the great grandson of Edd J. Rousch (1893-1988), a major league baseball player (mostly center field) who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Rousch finished his 18-year career with a .323 lifetime average, 268 stolen basses, and 182 triples. Further, he never struck out more than 25 times in a season, and he had 30 inside-the-park home runs.

Laura Kuhn

Foraging at the John Cage Trust

Summer is upon us with a vengeance here in the Hudson Valley, and it was with great delight that I discovered a virtual forest of mushrooms in our very own expansive backyard. And not one but two different kinds! Does anyone know what these are?????

Cage was, of course, a more than amateur mycologist, one who, with Guy Nearing and others, founded the New York Mycological Society in 1962. He loved everything about mushrooms, but maybe especially their culinary possibilities. He nearly killed himself on one once, a mishap recounted with wry humor in one of the stories for Indeterminacy that didn't make it into the Smithsonian Folkways recording:

"When I first moved to the country, David Tudor, M.C. Richards, the Weinribs, and I all lived in the same small farmhouse. In order to get some privacy I started taking walks in the woods. It was August. I began collecting the mushrooms which were growing more or less everywhere. Then I bought some books and tried to find out which mushroom was which. Realizing I needed to get to know someone who knew something about mushrooms, I called the 4-H Club in New City. I spoke to a secretary. She said they'd call me back. They never did.

The following spring, after reading about the edibility of skunk cabbage in Medsger's book on wild plants, I gathered a mess of what I took to be skunk cabbage, gave some to my mother and father (who were visiting) to take home, cooked the rest in three waters with a pinch of soda as Medsger advises, and served it to six people, one of whom, I remember, was from the Museum of Modern Art. I ate more than the others did in an attempt to convey my enthusiasm over edible wild plants. After coffee, poker was proposed. I began winning heavily. M.C. Richards left the table. After a while she came back and whispered in my ear, "Do you feel all right?" I said, "No, I don't. My throat is burning and I can hardly breathe." I told the others to divide my winnings, that I was folding. I went outside and retched. Vomiting with diarrhea continued for about two hours. Before I lost my will, I told M.C. Richards to call Mother and Dad and tell them not to eat the skunk cabbage. I asked her how the others were. She said, "They're not as bad off as you are." Later, when friends lifted me off the ground to put a blanket under me, I just said, "Leave me alone." Someone called Dr. Zukor. He prescribed milk and salt. I couldn't take it. He said, "Get him here immediately." They did. He pumped my stomach and gave adrenalin to keep my heart beating. Among other things, he said, "Fifteen minutes more and he would have been dead."

I was removed to the Spring Valley hospital. There during the night I was kept supplied with adrenalin and I was thoroughly cleaned out. In the morning I felt like a million dollars. I rang the bell for the nurse to tell her I was ready to go. No one came. I read a notice on the wall which said that unless one left by noon he would be charged for an extra day. When I saw one of the nurses passing by I yelled something to the effect that she should get me out since I had no money for a second day. Shortly the room was filled with doctors and nurses and in no time at all I was hustled out.

I called up the 4-H Club and told them what had happened. I emphasized by determination to go on with wild mushrooms. They said, "Call Mrs. Clark on South Mountain Drive." She said, "I can't help you. Call Mr. So-and-so." I called him. He said, "I can't help you, but call So-and-so who works in the A&P in Suffern. He knows someone in Ramsey who knows the mushrooms." Eventually, I got the name and telephone of Guy G. Nearing. When I called him, he said, "Come over any time you like. I'm almost always here, and I'll name your mushrooms for you."

I wrote a letter to Medsger telling him skunk cabbage was poisonous. He never replied. Some time later I read about the need to distinguish between skunk cabbage and the poisonous hellebore. They grow at the same time in the same places. Hellebore has pleated leaves. Skunk cabbage does not."

And years later he gambled with the lives of many of us attending the 1989 "Composer-to-Composer Festival" in Telluride, Colorado, when he cooked up a batch he couldn't quite identify for a communal, post-concert dinner. We gobbled them down and, obviously, lived to tell. By the way, in case you don't know it, the Telluride Mushroom Festival is a very big deal in the Rocky Mountain West, being a celebration of "all things fungal & entheogenic" whose 30th annual just passed.

Cage's personal library, housed here at the John Cage Trust, was full of books about mushrooms, many for use in the kitchen. One of his favorites was this one here -- Wild Mushroom Recipes (1976), put out by the Puget Sound Mycological Society, edited by Pauline Shiosaki -- obviously pre-dating his devotion to macrobiotics. Look below for three randomly drawn recipes from this sweet little collection.

Anyone interested in the subject will want to peruse the holdings of the John Cage Mycology Collection, gifted in 1971 by Cage himself to the University of California, Santa Cruz, and long lovingly administered by Rita Bottoms. Alas, the materials comprising this collection are not available online, but there is quite a bit of detail about what's there (photographs, correspondence, newsletters, historical records) should you want to consider a visit. And don't miss one of the most beautiful compilation essays written to date on the subject that appeared in a little-known magazine called Fungi (Volume 1, Winter 2008), entitled "A Plurality of One: John Cage and the People-to-People Committee on Fungi," authored by David W. Rose. Really, really good reading!

Laura Kuhn