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50 Couches in 50 Nights

My name is Dean MacKay. In June and July of 2010, I slept on 50 different couches in 50 consecutive nights. I took photographs of the couches, both as a couch and as my bed. I took portraits of my hosts and interviewed them. I documented their homes on film and digitally as well as in a journal. I was treated to home cooked meals and intimate secrets. I was cared for when I was ill and checked in on after I was long gone. There were sleepless nights and busy days and times spent discussing the past and dreaming about the future. I drank a lot of coffee at a lot of different coffee houses. There were old friends who became closer and acquaintances who I now call my friends. There were even strangers who invited me into their homes. Threads were woven among them all. My skills were honed as I practiced my craft on a daily basis. I learned many things about my hosts and I continue to learn many things about myself. These times are unforgettable. This journey was initially born out of necessity. The economic times had taken their toll. But the fruit of this labor is not simply financial. It is emotional and spiritual and societal. I tapped into something that is still developing. And as it develops I will share with you this knowledge as well as providing you a way to share it with others. I hope that you will support me as this journey continue and grows. I plan to unveil many things from this work including a coffee table book on the couches, and perhaps other books and a documentary. I'm also hoping to get the blog carried on a major website. Of course, and second project is also in the works although what form it will take has yet to be determined. Any assistance or advice that you can offer to further these projects is welcome. Your support, both financial and emotional, is crucial to my success. Thank You. © Dean MacKay 2010
50 Couches in 50 Nights has written 48 posts for 50 Couches in 50 Nights

Couch #24 – David Raven (and Rebecca) – June 23rd, 2010



THE INTERVIEW

Couch #24 belongs to David Raven.  Well, it belongs to him and his wife Rebecca.  They live in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles in a house that was built in 1925.  They bought the house  in 1996 when they could afford it.   It’s an old house so it requires a lot of work.  There is always something to be fixed, always things to be upgraded, always things to be restored to their French Gothic condition.  That takes a lot of David’s time.

I thought that the Couch was comfortable but David had never slept on it.  It was in what was their daughter Jacqueline’s bedroom until she went off to college and subsequently got married.   After that Rebecca turned the bedroom into a library.  David’s only request was that it have a guest bed in there.   He originally wanted a bigger bed in there for two people to sleep on, but settled for the daybed couch.  David enjoys having guests, particularly from Europe and Asia.  He likes to interact with people from other parts of the planet.

David has many names, most notably David Raven and Hambone Hix.  He is a musician for better or worse. David has been happily married to Rebecca for 36 years.   They have 3 children, all grown, and one grandson, who has recently been born.  Nolan is 30.  He is married to Maggie and they live in the Los Angeles area.  Jacqueline is married to Doug.  They live in Georgia in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  She is an art teacher and just had a baby boy.  Their daughter Simone lives at house.  She works in the music industry.  They love them all very much.  David and Rebecca also have a cat, Schnitzel.  He is a very dog-like cat.  Schnitzel comes around and demands that you pet him.

David loves skiing.  He loves the mountains particularly the Alps.   If he had lots of money he would go to Chile and ski in the summer.    Instead, he is starting to surf more.  David also likes to  garden.  It’s a really bad addiction for him.  He goes out every day and starts working in the dirt and can’t stop.  Sometimes he has to force himself to stop to work on his music.

David also loves reading.  Specifically, great fiction from Bulgakov to Tom Wolfe to Dom Delillo, etc.  He doesn’t read non-fiction, self-help, and rarely a biography.   David likes riding his bike, but he doesn’t do it very often.  Music is all consuming.  It’s a hobby as well as a profession.  David also does painting and print making.

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