Interview with Robert "Bob" Morgan, November 6, 1982

Partial Transcript: Okay, here's John Patrick reciting a poem by Joyce Kilmer.

Segment Synopsis: This interview begins with a young boy reading the poem Trees, by Joyce Kilmer. It then moves to a discussion about Alice DeLamar, the daughter of a merchant shipping tycoon, who was a patron of Henry Faulkner’s and helped finance his trip to Europe.

Keywords: Artists; DeLamar, Alice; Europe; Faulkner, Henry; Gay; Homosexuality; John Patrick; Key West (Fla.); Kilmer, Joyce; Paintings; Palm Beach (Fla.); Princesses, Russian; Shipping; Trees (Poem); Writers

Subjects: Artists; Europe; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Homosexuality; Key West (Fla.); Kilmer, Joyce, 1886-1918; Palm Beach (Fla.); Writers

Partial Transcript: What were the early seventies--what--were the early seventies different--generally speaking, was there any change in Henry from when you, from '69 through '75--

Segment Synopsis: Morgan begins by talking about Henry Faulkner’s increasing tendency to hoard objects such as newspapers that began in the 1970s. It then moves on to a discussion about Black Rastus, a six-toed cat that Faulkner stole as a kitten from Ernest Hemingway. Morgan then returns to the discussion of Faulkner’s poor hygiene and hoarding issues.

Keywords: Alice; Ancient Egyptians; Animals; Black Rastus; Cats; Dogs; Faulkner, Henry; Fleas; Gentry; Goats; Hemingway, Ernest; Hoarding; Key West (Fla.); Lexington (Ky.); Lexington Herald; Newspapers; Onassis; Plato; Sweetbreads; Taxidermists; Taxidermy

Subjects: Animals; Artists; Cats; Dogs; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Fleas.; Goats; Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961.; Hoarders.; Key West (Fla.); Lexington (Ky.); Newspapers.; Taxidermists; Taxidermy.

Partial Transcript: Did he become more influenced by the occult, do you think?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about Henry Faulkner’s fascination with astrology, which led him to not engage in certain activities at his astrologer’s insistence. He illustrates this with Faulkner’s refusal to go on a planned trip Israel. Morgan then talks about Faulkner’s relationship with a man named the Prophet Isaiah, as well as his interest in plants.

Keywords: Astrologers; Astrology; Chicago (Ill.); Datson, Carolyn; Faulkner, Henry; Fayette Cigar Store; Glue, Gary; Israel; Louisville (Ky.); North Carolina; Occultism; Plants; Prophet Isaiah, the; Williams, Thomas Lanier “Tennessee”

Subjects: Artists; Astrologers; Astrology; Astrology.; Chicago (Ill.); Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Israel; Louisville (Ky.); North Carolina; Occultism.; Plants; Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983.

Partial Transcript: He seemed to get a lot more paranoid a lot easier, and, uh, and worried about, uh, I mean it seemed like a whole dark side of Henry was starting to develop.

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks briefly about Henry Faulkner’s depressive episodes. He then talks about Faulkner’s relationship with Black Rastus, one of Faulkner’s cats. Morgan also talks about Faulkner’s belief in reincarnation. He then talks about Faulkner’s mistreatment of animals, such as subjecting them to long car rides from Lexington (Ky.) to Key West (Fla.).

Keywords: "for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf" (play); 3rd Street; African Americans; Animal abuse; Animal cruelty; Animals; Attention; Black Rastus; Cars; Cats; Conversations; Death; Depression; Dogs; Driving; Falsetto; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Wilson; Fights; Films; Foster parents; Friday, Nancy; Gentry; German Shepherds; Goats; Key West (Fla.); Major depressive disorder; Mental illness; Mothers; Motion pictures; Onassis; Paintings; Prophet Isaiah, the; Racial slurs; Reincarnation; Suicide; Third Street; Thompson, Flora; Tobacco Row

Subjects: African American; Animals; Artists; Attention.; Cats; Death; Depressed persons--United States--Biography.; Depressed persons.; Dogs; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Friday, Nancy.; Goats; Key West (Fla.); Mental illness; Mothers; Motion pictures; Reincarnation.; Suicide; Thompson, Flora

Partial Transcript: One, one of the things I discovered in, uh, all this stuff I've been left to go through was all sorts of working drawings.

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about Henry Faulkner’s creative process when he painted, as well as his work ethic. Morgan talks about Faulkner’s fondness for singing and poetry as forms of self-expression, which he feels Faulkner preferred over painting.

Keywords: Books; Color; Drawings; Faulkner, Henry; Leavitt, Richard Freeman; Painting; Paintings; Poetry; Poets; Self-expression; Singers (vocalists); Singing; Still Life of Pears (Painting); The World of Tennessee Williams (Book)

Subjects: Artists; Books.; Color; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Painting.; Poetry; Poets; Singers; Singing

Partial Transcript: He bought, one day at the grocery store, some tomatoes that were already wrapped up, which he generally didn't do, but he got them home and they were rotten, on the bottom, which really pissed him off.

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about the ways in which Faulkner’s desire for revenge was manifested. He then talks about Faulkner’s mean streak, which caused him to punish other people for misdeeds.

Keywords: Cancer; Curses; Faulkner, Henry; God; Occultism; Punishment; Religions; Revenge; Savage, Doc; Spiritual beliefs; Spirituality

Subjects: Artists; Cancer; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; God; Occultism; Punishment.; Religions; Revenge; Spirituality.

Partial Transcript: Do you know of anybody he actually, uh--one, one of the theories is that he only, uh--didn't really like anybody, except maybe, uh, two or three?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about Henry Faulkner's relationships with the writers Tennessee Williams and James Herlihy.

Keywords: Alcohol; All Fall Down (Book); Chicago (Ill.); Drinking alcohol; Drugs; Faulkner, Henry; Gardeners; Herlihy, James Leo; Midnight Cowboy (Book); Nin, Anaïs; Theater; Theatre; Williams, Thomas Lanier “Tennessee”

Subjects: Alcohol.; Artists; Chicago (Ill.); Drugs; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Herlihy, James Leo; Herlihy, James Leo. All fall down; Herlihy, James Leo. Midnight cowboy; Nin, Anaïs, 1903-1977.; Theater.; Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983.

Partial Transcript: But, you know, on several occasions, Henry picked up religious fanatics that he would have, uh, standing around.

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about Henry Faulkner’s practice of picking up religious fanatics and bringing them to his home. He also talks about his sometimes strained personal relationship with Faulkner. He then talks about Faulkner’s friendship with other individuals in Key West (Fla.).

Keywords: "for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf" (play); Babbage, Richard; Black magic; Black witches; Drugs; Faulkner, Henry; Garbo, Mary; Key West (Fla.); Lexington (Ky.); Magick; Miami Beach (Fla.); Nicholasville (Ky.); Nudists; Religious fanatics; Savage, Doc; Visions; Witches, black

Subjects: Artists; Drugs; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Key West (Fla.); Lexington (Ky.); Magic; Magick; Miami Beach (Fla.); Nicholasville (Ky.); Nudists; Visions.; Witches.

Partial Transcript: We used to dress up at Henry's house and, and really, I mean like it was like, uh, just me and him, and it was like children in the attic and it was really, it, it spaced out into dreamland, practically, you know, old gowns and beads and get out the animals, you know, and dress up and have a grand old time trying on different things, and just, uh, you know, playing with beaded gowns.

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about Faulkner’s fondness for dressing up and doing his makeup. He then talks about the nature of Faulkner’s dressing as a woman, including a discussion on the difference between a transvestite, a drag queen, and a female impersonator.

Keywords: African Americans; Drag queens; Faulkner, Henry; Female impersonators; Females; Jorgensen, Christine; Makeup (cosmetics); Reincarnation; Sexual fetishes; Transvestites; Women

Subjects: African Americans; Artists; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Female impersonators.; Females.; Reincarnation; Transvestites.; Women