Skip to content
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • PodBean
  • Subscribe To My Pal Sammy Newsletter
  • ABOUT
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

My Summer Lair

Think NPR's Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: My Summer Lair with host Sammy Younan: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.

  • Home
  • Podcast
    • My Summer Lair
    • Space Station Oddity
  • Set The VCR
  • New Book Alert
  • True Sammy Stories
  • Toggle search form
Doug Nichol (California Typewriter)

063 | Doug Nichol (California Typewriter)

Posted on November 14, 2017March 5, 2023 By Sammy Younan No Comments on 063 | Doug Nichol (California Typewriter)

My Summer Lair Chapter #63: Would You Consider The Past To Be The Strong Silent Type Or Is The Future Just Your Type?

So in My Summer Lair Chapter 58 I interviewed David Sax author of The Revenge of Analog. It was a fascinating discussion that allowed me to articulate some of my experiences trapped between the old world and the new frontier.

I don’t view the past with nostalgia coated glasses and I don’t view the future though Google glasses.

From watching Doctor Who I accept that time is not linear; so then neither is progress. As the good Doctor says in Blink (an excellent episode!): “People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint – it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly… time-y wimey… stuff.” Granted it got away from him there at the end; however his point is valid.

Meaning a documentary on typewriters in 2017 is attractive. I grew up and learned to type on typewriters; even though I now program this online radio station. Is that progress?

The media release featured this quote:
“I think that typewriters and computers can coexist – much like vinyl records and digital music,” says director Doug Nichol. “Just because one is faster doesn’t mean it is better. It’s like riding a bicycle versus riding a motorcycle. They both might get you to the same place, but the experience and pleasure of the journey is different.”

And that’s the key with the analog vs digital debate…not just the experience of the user but the user. The purpose of the user…his goals; his agenda…why are you using the thing you are using? We’re all creators so what tools are you using to build your world? Answer that and your journey has begun!

Taking a break from the Girth Radio studio I interviewed director Doug Nichol at a Toronto Type-In at Page One Café on Mutual Street; right “behind” Ryerson University. It’s a jam session for typewriters…you can hear them clacking in the background as Doug sips his coffee and I sip my tea.

As soon as we wrapped the interview I grabbed my tea and sat down at a typewriter. When was the last time you did that? It took a bit of time for it to all come back but the experience is entirely different; far more experiential than pecking away at a laptop.

The documentary’s media release elaborates:
“This crowd-pleasing film – named after one of the last remaining typewriter repair shops in the USA – celebrates the design, tactility and permanence of the typewriter.

The shop struggles to survive as celebrity devotees including Tom Hanks, John Mayer and Sam Shepard weigh in on their deep love for the machines. (Sammy Side Note: I was blown away by John Mayer’s insights on creativity. Perhaps I was rude to dismiss the “Your Body Is A Wonderland” guy but with this doc he radically altered my view of him…his work not so much!)

For those beyond repair, artist Jeremy Mayer lovingly repurposes their parts to create elegant sculptures.

The film also features Torontonian Martin Howard, a collector and dealer of antique typewriters, who has spent more than a quarter century building his unique collection of the world’s earliest typewriters.

California Typewriter is an entertaining ode to a technology that most find obsolete and disposable but which some still joyously embrace.”

Trust me: the documentary is more than just about typewriters. Typewriters is the Trojan horse subject matter to get you into the door: from there a wealth of bold experiences and crisp moments reflecting on our world: where we’ve come and where we’re going naturally unfold. Fascinating…do check it out.

The California Typewriter trailer:

California Typewriter @ W • T • F

Host Sammy Younan

Recorded: Saturday October 28, 2017 at 4:00 pm (at Page One Café)

Stress free pop culture tastefully harvested for your divine delight. Once a week a carefully curated edition of My Pal Sammy goes directly to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter so we can have some fun…even if it’s written online and not on a typewriter!

My Summer Lair, Podcast Tags:California Typewriter, David Sax, Documentaries, Doug Nichol, Hot Docs, John Mayer, Tom Hanks

Post navigation

Previous Post: 062 | Lisa Langlois & Lesleh Donaldson (Happy Birthday To Me)
Next Post: 064 | Jeff Sinasac & Tonya Dodds (Red Spring)

More Related Articles

Jordan Ain’t No Joke Episode 5 (The Last Dance Podcast) Garbage Time - NBA
272 | Alicia Cook (The Music Was Just Getting Good) My Summer Lair
Sarah Scoles (They Are Already Here) My Summer Lair 170 170 | Sarah Scoles (They Are Already Here) My Summer Lair
054 | Justin Harding & Rob Brunner (Latched) My Summer Lair
048 | Kevin Claydon & Jonathan Kim (21 Thunder) My Summer Lair
314 | Michael Tolajian (We Beat The Dream Team) My Summer Lair

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • #SetTheVCR June 2–8, 2025 TV recommendations image from My Summer Lair, featuring a retro-style television graphic promoting a weekly pop culture column by podcast host Sammy Younan.
    #SetTheVCR: June 02-08, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Your Presence is required for these TV Recommendations which range from Power Moves to a Resident Alien. #SetTheVCR for Good Night, and Good Luck.
  • #SetTheVCR TV recommendations cover for May 26 – June 1, 2025, from My Summer Lair podcast, highlighting curated weekly streaming and television picks by Sammy Younan.
    #SetTheVCR: May 26 – June 01, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Here stories from Birbiglia to Bono: it’s a Brave New World filled with TV Recommendations. Wanna Live The Good Life? Enjoy this week’s #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR cover for May 19–25, 2025 from My Summer Lair podcast, featuring weekly streaming and TV recommendations curated by host Sammy Younan.
    #SetTheVCR: May 19-25, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    From Pee-wee Herman to Sherlock Holmes this week’s TV Recommendations are loaded with comedy, angst and drama. Plus for this week’s #SetTheVCR you get to shake it like a Polaroid picture.
  • #SetTheVCR TV guide cover for May 12–18, 2025 from My Summer Lair podcast, with curated streaming and broadcast recommendations by Sammy Younan.
    #SetTheVCR: May 12-18, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Do you have Heart Eyes for fresh TV Recommendations without all the Overcompensating puns? The puns are here to stay that’s what makes it #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: May 05-11, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Even with your Poker Face I can tell you’re seeking TV Recommendations for your Safe House. No worries with this week’s #SetTheVCR I got it in The Black Bag.
  • #SetTheVCR: April 28 – May 04, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    April showers bring May TV listings: these TV recommendations cover all Four Seasons. It’s #SetTheVCR where I put the On in Conan.
  • #SetTheVCR: April 21-27, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    TV Recommendations can be Havoc; You need help. Well Babygirl: I got you; it's your TV Companion: #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: April 14-20, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    I hope you're a light Nightsleeper because the NBA Playoffs start this week. Will a new champion be Minted? Only way to know is to #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: April 07-13, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    For this week's TV Recommendations we stare into The Abyss and a Black Mirror stares back. Welcome to #SetTheVCR which is about as comfortable and as cool as Morningside.
  • #SetTheVCR: March 31 – April 06, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Secrets and Serial Killers pepper this week’s TV Recommendations. A combo like that can only mean it’s #SetTheVCR.
  • #CouchWorthy: Bono: Stories of SurrenderMay 29, 2025
    Bono: Stories of Surrender is a vivid reimagining of his one-man stage show Stories of Surrender now streaming on Apple TV.
  • #CouchWorthy: Super Team CanadaMay 16, 2025
    Super Team Canada follows six lesser known and underrated Canadian superheroes, tasked with saving the world.
  • #CouchWorthy: Murderbot: Season 1 May 15, 2025
    Murderbot a private security cyborg hides its acquired autonomy, while completing dangerous assignments is simultaneously drawn to humans.
  • #CouchWorthy: Ernest Cole: Lost and Found April 29, 2025
    Raoul Peck's portrait of South African photographer Ernest Cole offers a harrowing history of Apartheid and chronicles an artist in exile.
  • #CouchWorthy: 2025 Key Midseason & Premiere Dates – April 2025March 28, 2025
    #SetTheVCR is your weekly TV Guide by Sammy Younan to help you plan a fantastic TV schedule from must-watch TV shows to fun discoveries.
  • #CouchWorthy: 2025 Key Midseason & Premiere Dates – March 2025February 28, 2025
    #SetTheVCR is your weekly TV Guide by Sammy Younan to help you plan a fantastic TV schedule from must-watch TV shows to fun discoveries.

  • Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 1: Gotham Nocturne: Overture
    Under-Review: Detective Comics: Gotham Nocturne: Overture
    by Sammy Younan
    My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan reviews Batman - Detective Comics: Gotham Nocturne: OvertureL Volume 1,
  • New Book Alert: California Bear
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?
  • New Book Alert: The Music Was Just Getting Good
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?
  • New Book Alert: The Ascent
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?
  • New Book Alert: Fantastic Four by Ryan North Volume 2
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?

Copyright © 2025 My Summer Lair.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme