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 THE
OUTSIDERS OF NEW ORLEANS: LOUJON PRESS (Site)
Documentary. 58 minutes. Not Rated. In 1961, Jon Edgar Webb and his wife
Louise “Gypsy Lou” Webb, under the name Loujon Press, published the
first issue of The Outsider from their tiny New Orleans apartment located
in the French Quarter. As Jon compiled and edited the magazine, Gypsy Lou
sold her artwork on the street and returned home to spend the night
typesetting and printing the pages using a labor-intensive press. Not a
big deal you may think, ‘til you discover this avant-garde, literary
magazine was the launching pad for Charles Bukowski, who was also the
author of Loujon Press’s first two books: It Catches My Heart In Its
Hands and Crucifix in a Deathhand. Later, Loujon released two hand-crafted
books by Henry Miller.
As
told through the eyes and words of the absolutely lovable and charming
Gypsy Lou, now well into her nineties, the story of Loujon Press is
presented and unwrapped like a Christmas morning gift. Along with Louise,
various genre researchers, professors, etc. pour information about Loujon
Press from the television screen. Old photos, film, and some taped
Bukowski conversation (I love the way that guy talked) add even more
atmosphere and some visual/audio bang to the press’s history. Walking
around the French Quarter, Louise discusses the various apartments she and
Jon rented and some of the area’s characters, including artist Noel
Rockmore. While Louise’s eyes gleam as she looks over the magazines and
books she produced with her husband, she really brightens up when meeting
a female restaurateur who owns various paintings, including one of
“Gypsy Lou.” Skillfully, director Wayne Ewing is able to keep the
history of Loujon Press flowing while injecting the personal histories of
Jon and Louise Webb. Though I was slightly bored when college Book Arts
majors, including an Asian women who is smoking hot, discussed their
thoughts concerning one of the artsy Henry Miller books, I was captivated
for the entire 58 minutes and nearly cried while hearing about Gypsy
Lou’s present day housing issues. There are very few people in this
world I would love to sit and talk with, and Gypsy Lou is now one of them!
As a person who publishes his own magazine and books, I found this release
to be inspiring, motivating, and has given me an idea for another ‘zine.
– Denis Sheehan
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