#manicomics

[theremina]

Extending heartfelt apologies to anyone who happened to see my reposts of Clementine Morrigan's writings over the past few days.

As a messy, traumatized Harpy committed to honoring all peoples' baseline humanity regardless of what they've done --as well as someone whose lifelong CPTSD is sssllloooowwwllllyyy healing as I embrace personal accountability, avoid B&W thinking, and extend grace and compassion to myself and others-- I was taken in by a lot of what Morrigan says about encouraging non-punitive modalities. I reposted her words without learning how she herself is actively complicit in perpetuating ongoing harm to others in leftist and liberal spheres, especially as the popularity of her podcast FUCKING CANCELLED grows.

In retrospect, I see that I was moved by Morrigan's writings primarily because they're a clever, zinger-filled repackaging of more genuine and nuanced essays penned by others. Namely, by queer Black folks and other more sophisticated and culturally rooted voices.

When I posted Morrigan's stuff, I had no idea about her partner Jay Manicom's forceful silencing of several BIPOC peers and partners they'd allegedly abused and made no amends to. I didn't realize that Morrigan was publicly weaponizing abolitionist and twelve-step language in order to defend Manicom's alleged ongoing violence and harm. Said harm includes sending legal threats to several survivors, femme PoC, after they'd repeatedly asked him to join them in a circle to hash things out. When these folks spoke out about their experiences, both Manicom and Morrigan were quick to frighten, shame, and silence them. (Even while simultaneously decrying similar acts perpetrated against credibly alleged serial perpetrators! Try to make it make sense!)

Comparing "cancel culture" to the carceral state by using appropriated language and concepts that Black and Indigenous activists have been cultivating and nurturing for centuries is not an approach I want to lend any credibility to. It's DARVO. White femme DARVO. That's messed up.

When a popular, charismatic young white woman, a self-described "powerhouse" and "controversial public figure", goes so far as to compare survivors' requests for basic accountability and community-wide responsibility to "acting like a cop", there's some straight-up pastel Q-Anon dog whistle "Guru Jagat" horseshit goin' down.

Recently, I observed Morrigan on a panel with several other speakers, all healers from various lineages whom I admire and trust. I enjoyed their talks a lot. But in spite of my initial enthusiasm for Morrigan's breezy social media writings, as soon as she launched into her very polished, practiced lip service to radical compassion and acceptance, red flags started popping up for me. BIG Russell Brand energy. (And most of you already know how I feel about THAT righteous broheim. I've been roasting him years.)

Observing Morrigan's onscreen presentation, my curiosity died almost instantly. I won't say I was shocked by her performativity. I did experience rolling waves of nausea. Whether it's a fair assessment or not, I parsed her almost instantly as yet another cult-of-personality cultivator who is using hierarchical tactics to center the comfort and safety of active, unapologetic abusers ahead of everyone else. Not okay. She may have the best intentions in the world, but NO THANK YOU.

Morrigan's particular approach to justice is not what I'm about. If it were, I'd still be hanging out with a whole lot of sketchy af people I met in various green rooms over the years and making a whole lot more money while we all dance together around similar cognitive dissonance in our professional lives as celebrities, pundits, and "righteous" preachers. Again, no thank you.

I wanted to fast-forward through Morrigan's portion of the presentation, but gritted my teeth through it out of respect for the panel's curator. The wild thing is, on paper, I agree with *so much of what she says*! Still, something felt very, very off. So I went and read up further, and finally understood why my heart was sinking, my stomach, churning.

I wholeheartedly respect that the healers who invited Morrigan onto this panel have a different, more generous perception of her. I'm not making this post to demonize or dehumanize Morrigan, her partner, her friends, her listenership, or anyone else who leans into ye olde "hurt people hurt people" tenets in order to make sense of various horrors committed by them or to them.

However, the FUCKING CANCELLED fan club is most assuredly not something I want to give my time, energy, or trust to any more than I would Amanda Palmer's, or Rosie O'Donnell's, or Rose McGowan's, or Lena Dunham's, or Asia Argento's, etc.

My casual shares of Morrigan's work were a mistake. Consider this post a personal retraction. If there are further reparations I should consider, please let me know. Especially if you're a transformative justice buddy who has been quietly observing my promotions of her and feelin' barfy because of it!

Please, please know that I wouldn't have boosted her bandwidth so blithely, had I dug a bit deeper. I hope no one was too hurt or freaked out by my ignorant shares.

My apologies and my love. In solidarity. May all beings be free from suffering. Ashe.

[ijustwant2ride]

Motorcycle Book Review: The Moment Collectors

The Moment Collector is an anthology of short stories from motorcyclists traveling the world. The collector of these stories is Sam Manicom, himself a world traveler on two wheels.

The Moment Collector is an anthology of short stories from motorcyclists traveling the world. The collector of these stories is Sam Manicom, himself a world traveler on two wheels. Sam collected twenty tales from intrepid motorcycling travelers. As with all anthologies some stories are more engrossing than others, some writers are better than others. Yet overall, I enjoyed the book greatly. I…

[aronarchy]

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1643480282962722817

Ok, longer thread that is a quick and dirty critique of our good friends Clementine Morrigan and Jay “LeSoleil” Manicom’s anti-cancel culture ideology.

To start, a core component of Morrigan and “LeSoleil”/Manicom’s whole shtick is that they are trying to flatten the vast variety of things that can be called “callouts” so as to conflate wildly different things.

Anyone who’s been around social justice/radical left spaces for a hot minute (especially online) has seen a weaponized call out (imo better termed a “context collapse attack”) where a someone, usually someone who doesn’t share any offline community with the target, takes a minor misstep, disagreement, miscommunication or misunderstanding, intentionally strips it of all context, and magnifies it to create a call out, and then uses it to damage the target’s reputation, attempt to ostracize them from an online community, and boost the attacker’s own social capital.

This is absolutely a thing that happens. There 100% are people who use manufactured call outs to build social capital and personal power online. It would be silly to pretend that this isn’t a thing that happens. All that said, this is not what happened to Jay “LeSoleil” Manicom.

Jay was initially called out by members of his local community in Montreal, people who knew him. People who had dated and had sex with him.

He was called out for longstanding behavioral patterns observed and experienced by multiple people, not a singular mistake.

The things Jay was called out for are also things that are genuine safety concerns for folks who are in offline community with him and that are much more serious than whatever your favorite example of tiny irrelevant bullshit weaponized by online opportunists might be.

The call out of Jay “LeSoleil” Marquis-Manicom has almost nothing in common with a context collapse attack, but Jay and Clementine are working very very hard to conflate the two.

And similarly, call outs of rapists, abusers, snitches, and informants and doxxes of fascists have nothing in common with a context collapse attack. Nor can the havoc they wreak on our communities be solved with love, light, and compassion.

Additionally, in much of her writing Morrigan also conflates the right to exist and have one’s basic human needs met with a right to a platform and an audience.

I can agree with Morrigan that, for example, Rovics or Singal do not deserve to be unhoused or to starve, or to go without healthcare.

However, they are not deserving of or entitled to a platform or an audience. No adult person is entitled to the attention or admiration of others. No one is entitled to a platform or an audience.

And if someone is using a platform that they have to do harm as both Rovics and Singal have, without any shred of remorse, I might add. Then they should lose that platform.

If you can’t drive without hitting pedestrians you shouldn’t drive. If you can’t have sex without violating a partner’s consent you shouldn’t be having sex.

If you can’t use your platform without sharing it with fascists (Rovics) or facilitating the rise of a genocidal anti-trans backlash (Singal), then you shouldn’t have a fucking platform 🤷‍♂️

It’s not rocket science

Clemmy also claims that abuse is caused by lack of resources.

Let me be clear, as a certified domestic violence survivor advocate, abuse is not caused by lack of resources.

Sexual violence is not caused by lack of resources or unmet needs. Abuse stems from an entitlement to power and control. Sexual violence similarly stems from a sense of entitlement to access to other people’s bodies.

We cannot end abuse by ensuring that everyone has their basic needs met. Should everyone have their basic survival needs met?

Yes! We should strive for that anyway.

But we shouldn’t pretend that that will solve domestic violence. Meeting people’s basic needs has the ability to reduce abuse because it reduces people’s vulnerability.

It’s harder to find an angle from which to leverage power over someone who is safely and stably housed and has reliable access to food and income. But it’s not impossible, and this does not eliminate the abuser’s desire for power and control, it simply reduces the vulnerability of others.

Morrigan loves to present this statement, that “abuse is caused by lack of resources/unmet needs” as part of “what we know about abuse” when there is an immense body of research that contradicts her. The entire field of DV advocacy disagrees with her.

Morrigan also often wields her own status as a survivor to legitimize her ideological position, citing the phrase “believe survivors” and claiming that her detractors are hypocrites because we disagree with her and call her an abuse apologist, which she is.

Believe survivors means believing the specific survivor of the specific incident of abuse at hand. Not that all survivors are equally qualified to speak on any incident of abuse, especially ones they did not experience or witness.

“Survivor” is not so much a coherent identity as it is a position in a power relationship. Clementine’s status as a survivor does not make her an authority on other survivors’ experiences. Only her own.

Finally, what Morrigan consistently fails to address in her writing is what happens when an abuser has no remorse, no desire to change, and every intention to continue abusing.

She says again and again that shame, fear, punishment, and isolation do not motivate people to change or provide an environment conducive to change. And I agree.

But what we have long known is that the vast majority of abusers, people with a pattern of intentionally harming others with the intent to gain power and control over them, do not change even when provided with an environment conducive to change and all the opportunities in the world.

Linking in this thread because it includes links to both the zine Betrayal and the book Why Does He Do That?, both of which provide further reading on what I’m saying here

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1280945657365139456

So, given what we actually know about abuse and what we actually know to be best practices when supporting survivors, I do not give a flying fuck if abusers change or if they jump off a bridge. My concern is that survivors are safe.

For reading further reading on an actual anarchist, anarcha-feminist, anti-rape and anti-abuse abolitionism please read

More related reading

Some other shit I tweeted a billion years ago that also feels ✨relevant✨

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1377097214091128835

Some of y’all still have extremely liberal and protestant ideas about violence even in your otherwise anarchist analysis and I’m gonna need you to reflect on that

Any way you can spell it out a bit more? (Or link to good resources?)

So the lib position on violence tends to be “using violence makes us just as bad as them” which imo is largely informed by Protestantism in the US context. See: “Turn the other cheek,” etc. That violence has an inherent moral value regardless of context or consequence and that value is always evil or wrong. Imo, as anarchists we should recognize that violence is one of many tactics that exist and are available to us to achieve our goals and that violence has no objective inherent moral value and that its use doesn’t tarnish or soil us unilaterally.

What gives violence its moral value is its context, consequences and application. Violence in pursuit of power or control over others? Wrong. Evil. Violence in self-defense? Violence to save the life of a child? Violence against nazis or rapists? Fine and good actually.

My personal position, (which of course I think is the good and correct anarchist position) is that sometimes violence is necessary. Not a necessary evil. Just necessary. And we should be thoughtful, measured, and judicious in our use of it, conscious of the consequences to both ourselves and those we use it against, but that as long as we are careful and intentional, violence is a value neutral tool that we don’t have to feel dirty for using or fear will slowly poison or tarnish us.

.

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1280945657365139456

If you, like me, are a prison and police abolitionist, please, please read Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft and the zine Betrayal before you talk out your ass about how accountability and restorative justice are one size fits all solutions.

Both survivors and experts like Bancroft have a lot to say about how these methods are rarely successful in stopping serial abusers and rapists from continuing to perpetrate harm and are not enough to keep survivors safe.

Bancroft spent 20 years working to rehabilitate abusive men. In WDHDT he says that rehabilitation is almost never successful. Part of why he wrote the book was to give people the info they needed to identify and avoid abusers because therapy and rehabilitation are so rarely successful.

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1281388479784423424

https://twitter.com/fiszix/status/1281054492889198592

Does Bancroft have a proposal aside from prolonged incarceration, when the abuse becomes criminal? It might be applicable in other situations where rehab just isn’t working.

He doesn’t make suggestions one way or another about community responses to abusers in WDHDT. The book is largely about understanding the psychology and recognizing the behavioral patterns of abusers as well as his insight into why therapy and rehabilitation so rarely succeed.

I suggest it as a relevant read wrt prison abolition largely because it is knowledge that anyone attempting to formulate non-carceral community solutions to harm needs to have in order for their work to be effective and survivor centered.

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1281046641382809600

https://twitter.com/TurnedInTheFire/status/1281043701733744641

Also in WDHDT, Bancroft also says that a necessary ingredient for abusive behavior is a pretty extreme sense of entitlement (which is why abusers are more likely to be cisgender men). It’s hard to maintain that entitlement when you’re not in a society that enables it.

This is true, and my hope is that as we work towards a society that doesn’t enable such an extreme sense of entitlement towards others we will gradually see less and less need for community self defense against perpetrators because we will have fewer perpetrators

but until that time their entitlement is both why they continue to perpetrate and one of the main sticking points preventing their own rehabilitation

I do genuinely hope that an anarchist society is one in which it just is not possible for kids to grow up to become abusers, but I’m not arrogant enough to assert it as fact when we don’t yet have proof that it is true, but Bancroft’s analysis of his patients does give me hope

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1281028339017236482

https://web.archive.org/web/20200709004003/https://twitter.com/FinalOverdrive/status/1281023951586693121

When restorative justice fails, transformative justice falls short... one has no choice but to be punitive. Reject carceral approaches, sure. But punishment? That is the equivalent of facing a Nazi without some sort of weapon.

I wouldn’t really categorize community self-defense against rapists and abusers as “punitive” because I tend to think of punishment as a sort of artificially created consequence to one’s actions.

If a rapist or abuser gets doxxed, jumped, run out of town or even shot that’s not so much a punishment imo, as the natural consequence of his own actions. Chickens coming home to roost.

And it’s also not entirely about him, it’s equally about making the community safe again for the survivor and everyone else. To me, punishment is like if you hit your sibling and then your parent steps in and sends you to time out.

The parent is coming in to a situation from the outside and handing down a punishment they have unilaterally decided is appropriate with no input from the injured party. That’s very different than if your sibling hits you back, or decides they don’t want to play with you anymore.

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1281426890025123840

https://twitter.com/rcf415/status/1281387826916007936

Not to be that person but it’s probably worth noting that Bancroft is very transphobic, and also you’re not wrong that this is a conversation that needs to be had

https://twitter.com/laurawk73/status/1281424777463431170

Apparently an anti-vaxxer as well.

Oof, well that’s a fuckin bummer. Thanks for letting me know

I still stand by the book being required reading because I can’t think of a singular other text that does what it does even half as well, but I’ll def preface my recommendation with that disclaimer from now on

https://twitter.com/Antagonic/status/1281566836853747714

It’s my feeling that Bancroft’s transphobia is kind of a Dawkins problem; expert in one subject area generalizes it into areas he doesn’t actually know shit about. Namely, gendered socialization explains very well what he observes with abusive men, so assumes it Must be immutable

[cardboxshelter]

1, 9 and 22 for the book ask game

1- I read about 10 books, the highlights being "Holocausto Brasileiro" (loose translation to Brazilian Holocaus but it is about the biggest manicome there was and real life stories related to its existance, as well as the fight against manicomes) and "The Book of Ninja - Bansenshukai" which is about all the knowledge there is about ninjas in Japan and their practices. I guess I was really into non-fiction this year? But I enjoyed it a lot

9-Yes, I got into non fiction, I didn't have a lot of new experiences with different genres though, I kinda played it safe ^^'

22- Bansenshukai, which took me a whole week to read it

[poetyca]

Mani - Hands

🌸Mani🌸Linee ed intrecci sul palmo delle manicome identità che si esprime,per chi la sa comprendere e attraente magia per chi si accompagnaa chi,stringendo le maniregala il proprio Essere.20.02.2023 Poetyca 🌸🌿🌸#Poetycamente 🌸HandsLines and weaveson the palm of the handsas an identitywhich expresses itself,for those who understand itand attractive magicfor those accompanyingto whom, shaking…

[reginadeinisseni]

Simone Cristicchi - Ti regalerò una rosa (videoclip)

SE MIO CUGINO ANTONIO DEL POPOLO E IL SINDACO

MI VOGLIONO FOLLE

IN MANICOM IO CI FINISCONO LORO

ЕСЛИ МОЙ ДВОЮРОДНЫЙ БРАТ АНТОНИО ДЕЛЬ ПОПОЛО И МЭР

ОНИ ХОТЯТ, ЧТОБЫ Я СОШЕЛ С УМА

В MANICOM Я ЗАКАНЧИВАЮ С НИМИ

#GHEZZI #DORIGHEZZI #STRISCIALANOTIZIA #FRANCESCO #RUTELLI #PROPAGANDALIVE #ELUANA #ENGLARO #ELUANAENGLARO #CRISTIANO #DEANDRE #CRISTIANODEANDRE #twitter #facebook #skyrock #linkedin #instagram #okru #tiktok

[jonathan-papamarenghi]

🎉 L’alba mostra i preparativi di una grandissima iniziativa, che animerà di vita, allegria, arte, incontri, teatro, arte circense, giochi, cabaret e tanto tanto altro #PalazzoFarnese ed i suoi #Giardini (l’Arena Daturi). STRALUNÀ, un’iniziativa straordinaria per la nostra Città, adatta davvero a tutti tutti, che da giovedì a domenica (con mille iniziative dalle 15 a tarda notte) arricchirà #Piacenza. UN GIRO DEVONO PROPRIO FARCELO TUTTI! Bravissimi e grazie @manicomics_teatro ! 🎪🎭🍿🎶🤹🏻‍♀️🍟🎡🤡🍦 #EstateFarnese #Stralunà #straluna #manicomics #circo #teatro #cabaret #arenadaturi #palazzofarnese #palazzofarnesepiacenza #giochi #clickfor_italia #clickfor_piacenza #clickfor_piacenza_jonathanpapamarenghi #bambini #piacenzacultura #piacenzaturismo @palazzofarnese.piacenza @visitpiacenza.official @visitemilia.official @castelliducato @castelliditalia @liberta1883 @ilpiacenza @piacenza2020_2021_official @piacenza.sera.it @ilmiogiornale8966 @radiosound95 @pc_radio_cult @piacenza24_ (presso Palazzo Farnese (Piacenza)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRS2ofns_o2/?utm_medium=tumblr

[two-wheeled-therapy]

2022 OVERLAND EXPO EAST

How have I never heard of this wondrous event before?  Fortunately for me I noted the posting about it on advrider forums.  Upon checking it out, I signed up immediately for the full Overland Experience.  I am hooked! 

I loaded Jipci up for the ride down to Arrington, Virginia and pointed her south on Friday morning.  Arriving at the event, check in was a breeze as the staff of ever helpful volunteers showed me where to go.  Once there I knew I needed to set up my camp ASAP so I could get to the first event I had signed up for - The DART Level II rider training.  Once my weekend home was set up, I set off to find the training. 

It had warmed up considerably and was in the high 70′s as Bill Dragoo introduced his staff and started our training. I have about 12,000 miles experience riding dual sport motorcycles, about half of which was on dirt or gravel roads or trails, but I have never taken any training to teach me how to ride on these.  Let me tell you, there is no substitute for professional training.  Bill and his staff introduced each segment of the training and provided demonstrations of how they were supposed to look.  I, on the other hand, provided demonstrations of how they weren’t supposed to look. When seeing several of the obstacles they presented, I thought “there is no way in hell I’ll be able to do that!” My first attempt often reflected this negative mindset. But putting their patient guidance to use, I surprised myself and actually learned a lot, accomplished a lot, and overcame a lot.  I had originally tried to get in to the Level I course but was told it was full.  Bill told us all that regardless of what the scheduling app said, if we wanted to show up for any of his training while there, providing we paid for the full Overland Experience, we were welcome - Just show up with a proper gear and a positive mindset, and he would let you take the training.,

Knowing I needed more training, I toyed with the idea of making the Overland Expo an entire weekend of rider training.  But I had signed up for a lot of other training, and wanted to visit the vendors and get the full experience, so opted to keep my schedule and attend training on moto-camping, cooking, acro yoga and more.  Wait a second . . . did I say acro yoga?  Hell yeah!  And much like some of the obstacles in the DART training, when I first saw what they wanted me to do I thought “there is no way in hell I’ll be able to do that!” And once again my first attempt often reflected this negative mindset. But the patience and professionalism of Sam and Raquel of yogaslackers shone through and I was able to accomplish new things.  .

People.  That is what motorcycling is all about.  Yes we see amazing landscapes and remember them well.  But its the people that make each journey special.  People like Bill Dragoo, Adv Matt, Chef Corso, Sam and Raquel,and my new friends I met while camping, Steve and Rosita who have been living in their Chevy Colorado for months as they explore the country.  There were two people who really stood out to me on this journey.

The first is Dan of Cycle South.  This is the guy that posted the thread about this event on advrider.  He also is a guy who has ridden his little Suzuki throughout South America and has amazing stories to tell.  The other was Adv legend Sam Manicom.  Having heard about Sam Manicom through watching Adventure Bike TV on Amazon Prime, I had read some of his works and knew a bit of him.  So I signed up for two of his sessions.  The first was “Ask Sam anything”.  It was easy to get to this session as it literally was in the same site as the session I had immediately before that. So I wasn’t surprised when at first it was just Sam and me sitting there talking after we introduced ourselves.  But, not having looked at my watch, I didn’t realize that we had spent the first 10 - 15 minutes of the session with just the two of us talking about life and riding.  Sam was just as interested in my rides as I was in his.  Eventually about 4 others showed up and it really felt like a small group of guys sitting around the campfire after a day’s ride.  The only things that were missing was the campfire and the beers.  The second session I had with Sam was more widely attended as it dealt with moto-journalism.  How to get your story published.  Again Sam was just a down to earth guy sharing his knowledge and experience with other like minded individuals.  If you ever get the opportunity to talk with him - don’t pass it up - he has a wealth of knowledge and experience he is willing to share and also wants to learn from your experiences as well.

For the ride to the expo, I packed Jipci for much more than just a weekend.  I packed her for the 30 day Alaskan trip so I could see how she will do, and identify things I need to change.  I definitely need a bigger tent - the one man tent was just too small, and I don’t like my gear being outside, even if it was in a “vestibule”.  I am also thinking of soft bags for the big trip.  They will hold more which will allow me to carry less.  More on the reverse logic in another post. 

So I checked off my first two nights of moto-camping - One of which got damn cold, leaving frost and ice on Jipci.  But I survived.  The training, the experiences, the people made this all a wonderful event.  Oh and the fact that I was the big raffle winner on Friday night was a bonus too - which more than paid for the entire trip.  I came back with a few trinkets from the expo - One was Sam Manicom’s latest book, Moment Collectors, which is a collaborative book with chapters written by several different ADV riders (Dan wrote chapter 17).  I have read 4 chapters so far and it is a great read. Those who know me know I get stickers from places I have gone.  On the SAC Cycle these stickers adorn the inside of my top case.  This experience made me start another new thing - Stickers of people I have met along the way.  Jipci now has Sam Manicom and Cycle South stickers on her. These stickers evoke memories of great experiences as much as any “destination” sticker can. 

If you’ve never been to an Overland Expo - Go.If you have been - Go again!  I most definitely will be back.

[justfuckoffthanks-blog]

[croshflex]

So I'm reading crooked kingdom, and, I thought that I saw the worst of van acks parenting until I read that wylans Mother was alive and that he put her in a manicome just because his son was dislexic and I'm pretty sure he blamed on her, something like that, only genetics can control and normally comes from the father side of the genes. BUT THE THING THAT BROKE ME, was wylans reaction to the hall situation I mean just a minute before, he was saying that his father wasn't that bad, and my poor baby.

[wanderlust-journal]

Sam Manicom travelled the world on his trusty 1992 BMW R80GS, with his partner Birgit on her 1971 BMW R60/5, for 8 years. He has been writing for various magazines around the world since 1996. Those titles include:  Motorcycle Sport & Leisure, Adventure Bike Rider, Motorcycle Voyager, Canadian Biker, Motorcycle Monthly, Motociclisimo, Motorcycle Explorer, Australian Road Rider, MCN and ADVMoto Magazine.

He is the author of 4 acclaimed motorcycle travel books. His first book was written as a result of readers’ letters to editors. ‘We like Sam’s articles. When’s he going to write a book?’  Until that time he’d been travelling with just new adventures in mind.

Over the last few years, I’ve got to know Sam Manicom through our talks while working at #OverlandExpoWest in Flagstaff, Arizona. I finally had a chance to ask him a few questions about his journeys and inspirations. 

What got you into travelling like you do?

A drunken moment in a bar on the tiny Channel Island of Jersey! Beer is a very dangerous thing, isn’t it? For sure it has the ability to dull the senses, but it can also open up a world of free thinking.

I was working on the island, which is tucked in the English Channel between the UK and France, and following a career path, as you are supposed to do as an adult.  I’ve travelled a lot during my life but had eventually settled down, thinking that perhaps it was time to grow up and to be sensible. After all, we are supposed to feather our nests for old age aren’t we. Besides that, developing a career was going to be a new challenge. I’d not really done it before, so why not see what it was all about.

I surprised myself at how well I did in my retail manager role. Taken on as a very junior manager, I advanced fairly rapidly through the ranks and had all the trappings of life that one is supposed to have with success. An apartment, a sports car, holidays abroad and so on. I think the keys were that people matter to me, I’m fairly organised, I find it easy to respect the people I’m working with, and I liked looking after customers.

Some say that selling is a hard-nosed business, but my attitude towards it was that customers needed help, not sales spiel. If a customer was in my store, they were either there looking for general knowledge, or there for a problem solving reason. I’m happy with the former; we all do it, its curiosity, window-shopping from the inside. As for the latter, my job was to make sure that the customer was listened to, and guided towards products that might be a solution to their needs.

My staff and I had fun and we were successful. The Jersey shop was the number four store out of hundreds of branches throughout the UK. But for me, there was something missing. I had itchy feet, and the itch was increasing dramatically each week. I worked on, telling myself that bunking off on another long trip was irresponsible. After all, I was 34; at the peak of my professional career.

One night in the pub over a bit of a solo celebration when the beers were slipping down rather wonderfully, my thoughts had turned to the itch. By the time I’d made it to the 4thbeer I’d realised some important points. Other than work I had no responsibilities, and I had savings. What a brilliant combination.

The next beer slipped down dangerously and I started to ponder that call of the road.  Perhaps I should push off on a new adventure. Would I ever be in this position of potential freedom again? I’d be giving up a lot though…

I’d actually spent most of my life travelling in one way or another. I was born and brought up in the Belgian Congo in Central West Africa. I was 10 years old when my parents decided that it was time to take my sisters and me to live in the UK. I think that was a really hard decision for them. Life had revolved around their work in the Congo for so many years. It certainly was odd for me to go from my usual attire of a pair of shorts and a great tan, to wearing full English school uniform; even a tie and a cap! I was known as Jungle Boy for quite a few years as I came to terms with life in England. I must have been quite a strange little lad as far as the other kids were concerned. A python? So what. But apples, chocolate bars and the Beatles? All new to me.

I made my first solo trip as a foray into mainland Europe, age 16.  I rode a brand new bicycle, that I’d worked doing odd jobs to save the money for. That first trip taught me that destinations don’t matter, other than as a plan. What matters is that you go, and that you appreciate the things and people you see and get involved with along the way. Back then I’d no idea that this was going to turn into a plan for life; value the moments.

On finishing school age 18, I’d no idea what I was going to do. Having been to multiple schools and spent most of my time trying to fit in with each new environment, and buzzing around on the sports field, my grades weren’t very good. University? With my grades, only a poor one and it’s just another school, isn’t it. I chose to work a retail management training course for three years with one of the UK’s leading department stores.

Of course, at the time I’d no idea how much the training, new skills and character building would stand me in good stead. I probably couldn’t successfully do what I do now had it not been for all of the training that was involved.

At the end of those three years, the open road was calling and I set off to spend a year hitch hiking around Europe. With that trip, life changed. It wasn’t hard to make this become a way of living. Work and travel; sometimes combining both. Many of the jobs were basic and low wage, but with each new job I learnt; about the role itself, myself, and the country I was in. I travelled as far as India and Australia. Over the next years I hitch-hiked, bused, trained, hiked, sailed and had a go at every form of getting around that I could. And then the career in retail management took over. The trouble was, at no time in my life had I felt as alive, as challenged, as amazed, as delighted and at times frightened, as when I was on the move in some different land. One of my favourite sayings is ‘Become a stranger in a strange land’.

As I was sitting drinking those beers, that saying was in my mind. I started to ponder the possibilities; where to go and how to go? What didn’t I like about the other ways I’d travelled? I loved hitch-hiking but I’d done that a lot. So what’s new? I’d really enjoyed the pace and challenge of bicycling, but yep, those head winds weren’t something I looked forward to. I also knew that I wanted the ability to cover more ground in whatever time I could make available. Cycling was out then, and so was travelling by bus or by train. Unable to stop, I’d zipped on past things, people and places that looked interesting.

My beery brain was hunting for a new way to travel. A way to solve the issues I was identifying, and give me new things to learn. Slowly my mind worked around to travelling by motorcycle. I knew I wanted to travel through Africa too. I wanted to see if my childhood memories about how things sound smelt and tasted were true. The only problem was, I didn’t know how to ride a motorcycle!

I handed in my notice to work the next morning. I had a bit of a hangover but I was convinced that I was doing the right thing. I then bought myself a little 125cc trail bike to learn on, and passed my test 6 weeks later. It wasn’t long before I’d made it to the edge of the Sahara. Sitting on my 800cc BMW motorcycle, I looked south over the sands and contemplated the point that quite likely I was a complete idiot! I mean, ride a motorcycle through Africa with just a few months experience? I must have been mad, but it was too late; I was there. And anyway, I’d told my mates in the pub what I was doing. I couldn’t deal with the loss of face if I turned back without even trying.

So the journey through Africa began. The original plan, if I dare call it that with things happening at such a pace, was to ride through West Africa. Just as I passed my motorcycle test, things went politically pear-shaped in Algeria, and all the borders in that part of Africa closed. No one had the remotest idea how long this situation was going to continue. I had a ticking clock in my mind. Because of the terrain and the extreme temperatures, there are only certain months of the year when it’s sane to travel across the Sahara. If I didn’t crack on I’d lose the opportunity.

The alternative route was through East Africa. The problem there was that Sudan had a North to South civil war going on, and Ethiopia had been at war within itself for the past 20 years. On the up side, some people were getting visas for Sudan, and the war in Ethiopia was just coming to an end. With nothing to lose, I set off with new rough plans in mind; I might as well try. After all, I’d given up my job, and sold just about everything I owned. What hadn’t occurred to me was that Mike, and Sally, who I’d met on the way, and I were to be the first people to ride motorcycles North to South through Sudan and Ethiopia for those 20 years. We’d struck it lucky. A window of opportunity had opened.

This was 1992. No Google, no GPS, no cell phones and no digital photography. If you wanted to find something out you went to the library or wrote letters. If you wanted to find the way, you hunted out the best maps you could, and you asked the way. Getting lost was a part of the journey, and instead of being a negative it simply opened up a world of the unexpected. Some of the best adventures happen on a road you hadn’t planned to be travelling.

19 fascinating countries and a year later, I decided that actually there was no good reason to head for home. There were plenty of reasons to carry on though. Travelling by motorcycle, in spite of being thrown in prison in Tanzania and 17 bone fractures in the desert in Namibia, was more than fulfilling my beery thoughts in the pub. Another favourite saying is ‘Stop worrying about the potholes and celebrate the journey’.

I booked passage for my bike and I to sail on a container ship across the Indian Ocean to Australia. And so, what turned out to be an eight year journey around the world began. My motorcycle by the way, is called Libby. That’s short for Liberty; it’s what she gives me. All these years later, she’s still my only means of transport in the UK. She does now have a younger sister getting me around in the USA on trips there. A 2013 BMW F800GS. That bike is still waiting for a name to grow. Who knows, it might be ‘Lucky’. For sure I know how lucky I am to have her, and the opportunity to explore more of the amazing land that is the USA.

What next? More travels but in shorter stints; I need just enough to keep scratching that itch and to give me material to write travel articles about. I also spend a fair bit of time doing travel presentations and book signings at motorcycle dealerships, libraries, clubs, schools and businesses. They are my opportunity to share the fun of the road, and perhaps even encourage others to head out and to explore for themselves. I’m keen that people really think about life, recognise the opportunities as they occur, and take advantage of them. This is such an invigorating thing, both at work and play. I fully accept that many people have responsibilities that will not allow them to head out into the blue for months even years at a time. I really value being around people like that who are accepting their responsibilities and making life zing as much as they can. I love it when people say such things as, “I’d love to travel, but I can’t, yet.” Adventures begin with dreams.

I think of myself as being a bit of an accidental author. I didn’t set out on my journey with the aim of writing magazine articles or books. With enthusiastic encouragement from others I thought I’d have a go. I’d kept a journal every day, so I had the facts and many of the descriptions. Long term travellers learn quickly about the risk of being on intake overload each day; it’s so easy to forget the dates, statistics, sights, sounds, smells, names and so on. The drama and the funny side to life do tend to stay in one’s mind though.

It would be a new adventure seeing if I could write a book, and so settled down to write my first; Into Africa. I was putting in 10-12 hour days working renovating houses and then after a quick shower and some food, I sat down to write. It took me two years. Learning everything about the publishing and print industries has been a side fascination and I’ll never forget the sensation of having my first printed copy in my hand; it’s a wonderful moment.I certainly didn’t expect the 5 star reviews my books have been collecting from kind readers and media reviewers.

Each of the four books takes the reader riding and exploring through a different section of the eight year journey and thankfully people seem to like them. ‘Thankfully’ because I wrote them as travel books, rather than specifically as motorcycle travel books, and I describe the sorts of things I like to read about as a traveller. Years later I read that authors should only write about things they know about and have a passion for.

I think of my books as being a way to share the fun of the open road with those who for the moment can’t head out on a long trip, with those who really don’t want to travel but love to read about it, and also as encouragement to those who think they don’t have the skills to travel in this way. I had few skills when I started, but I had an open mind, a strong curiosity, understanding of the value of respect and I’ve got a positive attitude to most things. It’s a great world and travelling by motorcycle, to my mind, is a superb way to see it.

Into AfricaTakes the reader on that first eye-opening year through the incredible continent that is Africa. There are challenges a plenty; it’s a genuine tale of the unexpected. Woven into this journey between Cairo and Cape Town are the riding, the people, wildlife, history, the disasters and the silver linings; there’s plenty of humour too.

Overland Magazine: ‘The word-pictures that bring a good travel book to life are all here; Sam’s perceptions of people, places and predicaments have real depth and texture, their associated sights, smells and sounds are evoked with a natural ease. Where other author’s detailed descriptions can sometimes get in the way, Sam’s style is engaging and well-tuned. I found myself in the midst of action rather than a mere fly on the wall.’

Under Asian Skies This is the story of just over 2 years travelling from Australia and New Zealand, up through SE Asia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and through Eastern Europe. This without doubt is the most colourful and culturally diverse part of the world I’ve been lucky enough to ride. Every day was an adventure.

Horizons Unlimited: ‘Sam has the skills of the story teller and this book easily transports you into three years of journey across Asia. He manages to bring the sounds, scents and heat of Asia to life without wordy overkill and he has obviously researched his historical facts carefully. In places Under Asian Skies is sad, and in others it’s outrageously funny – look out for his battle with the Sydney port officials and the bus ride in Indonesia. All in all this is a really good read, whether you have been across Asia, or are planning a trip. This is true travelling on the cheap and not your everyday story.’

Distant Suns My third book has me linking up with a German lass in New Zealand. Birgit agreed to ride with me, but to Africa first, and on her own bike. She rode out of Mombasa harbour in Kenya with just 600 miles of experience on a motorcycle! Over the next 3 years we rode together through Africa, and on up through South and Central America. These continents may be on the same latitude, but the contrasts in landscape, cultures and the peoples are huge. The Andes? Simply stunning. Oh and I’d not told Birgit what a disaster magnet I am!

Motorcycle Explorer: ‘An epic ride that almost becomes secondary to the events that happen and the very human element of travelling. Always evoking the emotions of others, because Sam never forgets to use his five senses in his tales. Leaving you immersed in the sights, sounds, touch, smell and taste of a journey of true human discovery.’

Tortillas to Totems? This book takes you travelling with us through the 3 countries that make up North America. Three neighbours that are so wonderfully different to each other, make travelling this part of the world a delight. North America was in fact the part of the world that surprised me the most. When you read this book you’ll find out all the reasons why I keep coming back.

ADVMoto Magazine: ‘What I enjoy most about Sam’s method is his way of describing the moment. You feel it, smell it… you freeze, you sweat, and you see what’s before him like you’re along for the ride. You are very much there. It’s a rather intimate, honest style that easily carries you from chapter-to-chapter. I highly recommend that you add Sam’s books to your reading list.’

Fall Presentation Tour 2019:

GO AZ Motorcycles Peoria AZSeptember 6th(Friday). On this, my second visit to GO AZ, I’ll be talking about the delights of travelling across Asia. I’ll also be book signing. 6pm start

BMW Motorcycles of North Dallas TX September (FRIDAY 13th!) Feel like risking it for a Presentation Evening and Book Signing? Start time is at 6pm. My multi-media presentation is about Incredible Africa!

Adventure Motorsports of NWF Pensacola FL September 21st (Saturday) Africa Presentation Evening and Book Signing. Join us 5pm if you can – we will be starting the presentation at 5.15 pm.

Pandora’s European Motorsports Chattanooga TN September 24th (Tuesday) Africa Presentation Evening and Book Signing – 6.30 to 9pm

Motorcycles of Charlotte NC October 2nd (Wednesday) – Africa Presentation Evening and Book Signing. Doors open for food at 6.30pm and the presentation with be starting at 7.15pm

Overland Expo East VA October 11th to 13th in Arrington. I’ll be presenting, running Classes, in Round Table sessions and Book Signing.

If you would like to meet Birgit then please join us at Motorcycles of Charlotte and at Overland Expo East. She will be joining me for this section of the tour. 

Signed copies are available from Sam-Manicom.com with free UK delivery, and with free Worldwide delivery via the Book Depository.com https://www.bookdepository.com/author/Sam-Manicom

Sam’s 4 books are available as Paperbacks, Kindles and as Audiobooks. Sam narrates the books himself.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindle-Store-Sam-Manicom/s?rh=n%3A341677031%2Cp_27%3ASam+Manicom

https://www.audible.co.uk/search?searchNarrator=Sam+Manicom

https://books.apple.com/us/author/sam-manicom/id516565970

Facebook– Catch up with Sam via his two pages: Sam Manicom and Adventure Motorcycle Travel Books by Sam Manicom.

Twitter– You’ll find him on @SamManicom

Instagram– sammanicom.author

Website– If you’d like to learn more about his books and his presentation schedule please go to www.sam-manicom.com

Sam is Co-Host of Adventure Rider Radio RAW show. Hosted by Jim Martin, the show is recorded monthly with a panel of 5 highly experienced overlanders from around the world. Listeners submit topics for discussion. RAW has been described by listeners as akin to sitting around a giant kitchen table with the team, beers, wine and coffee in hand, discussing motorcycles and travel; there’s controversy, challenging ideas, top tips and plenty of banter!

https://adventureriderradio.com/arr-raw/

Sam says, “If you are a You Tube fan, have a hunt. There are various riding and interview clips to be found, including a recent chat with the phenomenal Ted Simon.”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-658_CSkrA

He was the first Overlander Interviewed by Adventure Bike TV for their popular ‘Under the Visor’ series:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bToV6paAEXM

In 2017 Overland Magazine awarded him the‘Roho Ya Kusafiri Spirit of Travel’  award for his contribution to Overland and Adventure Travel:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Y1BKPbp_Y

In 2011, Sam joined the team of advisors working with travellers supported by The Ted Simon Foundation.

I had to learn about book writing the hard way – there were few people in the world of publishing whose knowledge I was able to tap into. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to help other travellers get more out of their adventures, and to learn how to get their work published. We live in a stunning world that’s full of surprises, and what better way is there for a person to share those experiences than to write and publish a great book. The Ted Simon Foundation is the perfect platform to help this happen.

http://jupiterstravellers.org/

  In Interview with Sam Manicom Sam Manicom travelled the world on his trusty 1992 BMW R80GS, with his partner Birgit on her 1971 BMW R60/5, for 8 years. 

[giuliocavalli]

#Repost @fuorivisioni ・・・ “Chi è straniero diventa un impiccio, anche se un’ora prima era tua moglie, tuo fratello, tua figlia. La famiglia non esiste più, qui. Piango. Moltissimo, mamma.” Giulio Cavalli, scrittore, giornalista, attore, ci porterà nella sua DF, ci farà conoscere i personaggi del suo libro, ci parlerà di “quelli” così maltrattati e sottratti della loro dignità di persona. Ci parlerà di noi, delle barriere che costruiamo, di tutte le oscene strategie che studiamo per paura dell’altro, ma che piano piano finiscono per ucciderci. Carnaio, romanzo tra il profetico e il reale, è un libro che vuole risvegliare le nostre coscienze, smuoverci dall'indifferenza che giustifica atti disumani. Ci mostra una realtà surreale, ma –purtroppo- non così distante dalla nostra contemporaneità. Carnaio si classificato secondo al Premio Campiello 2019. Presentazione del libro: 4 ottobre ore 18.00 #artecontemporanea #laboratorio #installazioni #performance #talk #giuliocavalli #premiocampiello2019 #fv5 #trauma #carnaio #oceanomare 4 - 6 ottobre 2019 | ven. h. 16-22; sab. h. 10-22; dom. h. 10-22 & 14-22 Manicomics Teatro – Open Space 360° (Ex Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pace) Via Scalabrini, 19 | Piacenza https://www.instagram.com/p/B2zcIM3Ccxa/?igshid=1eivf1crd0qt

[mysteriouslythoughtfularcade]

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A post shared by PR & Editoria di Lisa Di Giovanni (@lisa_di_giovanni)

#humansend #protocollohumansend #lisadigiovanni #marcosciame #manicomics #comicon #comicsart #comics #fumetto #fumetti #supereroi #selfpublishing #sebastianraised #newseries #instantcomic (presso Rome, Italy)

[thebikerbookforcharity]

#arrington #virginia - Oct. 7-9

Check out author Sam Manicom….

@sammanicom.author

The Biker Book for Charity is honored to have Sam as a book participant.

Generosity of Spirit at work.❤️

#motorcycle #books #author #overlanders

[two-wheeled-therapy]

Video and pictures shot during my Overland Expo Experience