US of AWA
Welcome to the part of the America Issue of Whalebone Magazine where we turn the keys over to Accidentally Wes Anderson. If you’re not familiar with our friends from AWA, we’ll not stand on ceremony and pretend that they’re not masters of making humans feel delightfully disoriented. They are. We’re fans. As are millions of others it seems. But it turns out that one fan, in particular, has the credentials to have his voice be heard above others: the actual Wes Anderson.
The crew over at AWA was kind enough to share a preview on the following pages of their upcoming book aptly named Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Book. We carved out a selection of gems from their North America Chapter to be featured because, well, you know—The America Issue and all. Seemed fitting. If you enjoy this feature consider picking up a copy of the book or skip over to @AccidentallyWesAnderson on Instagram the next time you’re on your phone—which will, unfortunately, likely be sooner rather than later.
As promised, here’s what the actual Wes Anderson had to say about the book he inadvertently inspired:
“I now understand what it means to be accidentally myself. Thank you. I am still confused what it means to be deliberately me, if that is even what I am, but that is not important. I send my very best wishes and gratitude to this group for discovering and sharing all these peculiar and fascinating vistas.”
—Wes Anderson
Folly Beach Fishing Pier
Folly Beach, SC
Known locally as “the edge of America,” and where George Gershwin came to spend the early summer of 1934 in a rented cottage with a grand piano working on Porgy Bess, and its iconic tune “Summertime.”
Photo by: Joshua David Gregory
Post Office
Wrangell, AK
The people of Wrangell clearly appreciate the intricate painting and experience of visiting the postmaster. When they were offered standard mail delivery service, the proposal was overwhelmingly defeated, as the vast majority of Wrangell’s citizens preferred the social ritual of going to the post office.
Photo by: Robin Petravic & Catherine Bailey
Georgian Hotel
Santa Monica, CA
White-gloved attendants first swung open the doors of Santa Monica’s Georgian Hotel in 1933, and once served as a summer residence for first mother Rose Kennedy.
Photo by: Paul Fuentes
Grand Opera House
Wilmington, DE
After shuttering in 1967 (when it failed to reinvent itself as a movie house), The Grand reopened in December 1971, just in time to make its 100th anniversary.
Photo by: Evan Lober
Mishaum Point Yacht Club
Dartmouth, MA
Don’t believe everything you read. Mishaum Point is a private peninsula elbowing into the Atlantic on Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, and thanks to its seclusion, sandbars, and well-protected harbor, it has yet to welcome a single yacht.
Photo by: Shannon O’Halloran Keating
Joyce Theater
New York, NY
Opened as a cinema named The Elgin Theater in 1941, what is now the home of preeminent dance companies, was the birthplace of the midnight movie in 1971—first showing Alejandro Jodorowsky’s surrealist western El Topo at the witching hour.
Photo by: Jessica Hriniak
Advance Wood Shop
Los Angeles, CA
Three generations of the same family have run Advance Wood Shop since Italian immigrant Mike Tenerelli opened its doors in 1947.
