Even though the term "nice Sherlockian" is the norm, I always feel it important to point out when the people I interview on here are nice folks, and man, does Matt Hall fit the bill! Anyone who's met him feels like they've reconnected with an old friend. Just sitting by him for a bit can elevate any Sherlockian gathering. (Yes, I'm speaking from experience here.)
Matt has been speaking on Sherlockian topics a lot lately, and whether it's in Minneapolis, Scintillation of Scions, Legion of Zoom, or any other place he pops up, you know you can count on an intelligent and charming presentation. And if you can't make to his appearances, there's always his great 221B Cooee blog to check out which conveys his great personality and depth of knowledge in each post. So let's get to meet our favorite Australian transplant a little better, shall we?
How do you define the word “Sherlockian”?
I think it's self-assigned. I have learnt that the Sherlockian world is a broad church, two Sherlockians can have completely different interests with little overlap. At the center of it all is Sherlock (or Doyle, or Watson, or Moriarty!). For example, I've learnt some people don't enjoy pastiches, others struggle to suspend belief and truly 'play the game', and others have zero interest in literary study. The one common element I've found in Sherlockians is friendship, whether it be at a scion meeting, via correspondence (including good old-fashioned mail), or over a drink or two.
At a wonderful Friday evening dinner at Dick Sveum's home. L-R: Max Magee, Glen Miranker, Peter Blau (the head of my local scion The Red Circle), the blog author, and Will Walsh.
How did you become a Sherlockian?
As a young boy growing up in Sydney I loved a book on my parents very small bookshelf, called 'Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'. I tried to read some (I was very young) and was confused because Sherlock never appeared! With a love of mystery stories generally, it was easy for Conan Doyle's work to stand out among the rest, and for me that's where it stayed - an absolute passion for Sherlock, regularly re-reading the Canon. What I did not know, was that other people who loved Sherlock were gathering, talking, published, and sharing the good word - I had no idea there was a Sherlockian world! Then, about eight years ago I wondered what order the stories were in, and Google led me to a podcast on Baring-Gould's chronology. Phrases like 'Baker Street Irregulars' quickly entered my ears, and I was opened up to a whole new world, reading journals and books.
It was a few years before I worked up the courage to join a Red Circle scion meeting, then COVID came. And that made it far easier - it was wonderful to join Zoom meetings and meet people, and then I took the plunge the first opportunity post-COVID and attended the BSI Empire conference in mid-2022. I knew nobody and wondered if I was going to sit lonely in the corner and embarrass myself. I walked in, and three wonderful people immediately introduced themselves to me and invited me to join them for dinner: Walt Colby, Jim Webb, and Tom Brydges. They tore down my nervousness instantly, and I've never looked back. I'll never forget it, and I hope to pay it forward in welcoming others.
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Some of my first Sherlockian friends who took me under their wing and force-fed me 'Blue Carbuncle' cocktails at the Sherlock and Empire BSI Conference. This photo makes me happy. - L-R:Jayantika Ganguly, Tamar Zeffren, Maria Fleischhack, Phil Bergem, Karen Bergem.
What is your profession and does that affect how you enjoy being a Sherlockian?
I'm a scientist by training, working at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. My training was in chemistry and pharmacology, and I now work in drug discovery for rare diseases. I've always loved science, and think that led me to have such strong affection for Sherlock - the chemist, the drug user, and the observer (compared to, say, Miss Marple). I do find myself reflecting on some of the scientific aspects of the Holmes story, and try to approach understanding the stories (or their real-world influence) through that lens. For example, a recent talk and article I wrote attempted to explain why phosphorus could have been used (relatively) safely, and the history of our understanding of phosphorus and its glow.
What is your favorite canonical story?
For me, it's 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. Centered on a legend, perfectly written, plenty of attention for Watson, and lots of tension. That might be a cliched (common?) answer. Of the short stories, I dearly love the Six Napoleons. I have a feeling that is partly because of the wonderful Granada episode based on that story.
Who is a specific Sherlockian that you think others would find interesting?
It's such an incredible community. I'm going to say Mark Jones. His knowledge of the Doylean and Victorian literature world is amazing, he's just started as Editor of the Sherlock Holmes Journal of London, and his podcast is a joy (The Doings of Doyle). Recently, Mark published a book on the BBC TV series, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Mark is a wonderful example of someone who shares his knowledge with the community, and enriches it.
What subset of Sherlockiana really interests you?
I really lean into the literary study of the stories, and the real-world historical context for the stories. Nothing makes me happier than finding a small connection to Doyle in the real world. For example, I recently have a talk at the Sherlockian Saturdays at the Pratt (that you can watch on Youtube) about R T Norman. Who? Norman was the man who won the 1927 competition to guess Conan Doyle's twelve favorite Sherlock short stories. Norman was clearly a Sherlockian - yet nothing was known about him - and I had a lot of fun hunting him down, and shining a Sherlockian light on him.
Oh and books!
How does being a Sherlockian in America compare to being a Holmesian in Australia?
Well, that's difficult to answer, because I wasn't a Sherlockian/Holmesian in Australia - or I wasn't connected with the community. I wish I'd somehow discovered this community sooner. What I can say is that I am a member of the Sydney Passengers now, and join their meetings and try to contribute an article to each issue of the Passengers' Log. The focus of these articles is to provide a short biography on each person Doyle mentions in his memoirs of his Australian tour: Wanderings of a Spiritualist. It's a group worth joining - I once called the Sydney Passengers a 'scion' and received a note in typically independent Australian fashion that they weren't a scion, because they didn't need anyone's permission to exist!
What made you decide to start the 221B Cooee blog?
As a community, sharing and engaging with each other is so important. I recognized that publishing articles was an important way to support our society journals, but also found that I continually had small observations or findings I wanted to share. Publishing an article is lengthy process, and a lot of what I wanted to share wasn't important enough (or interesting enough!) to publish.
So I created 221bCooee.blogpost.com as a way to share posts and thoughts. I post on new books and journals; old newspaper articles I find ; my book collecting goals and progress (like my white whale goal of collecting all BSI publications) ; meetings and talks ; and miscellanea. I'm not sure that many people read it, but the pleasure for me is in putting the posts together.
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Another pic I love of friends and community - walking around Stockholm with Mattias Bostrom was a lot of fun! |
What book would you recommend to other Sherlockians?
I want to give a realistic answer. So many books are out of print - therefore rare and expensive. I do get a little down sometimes that so much wonderful Sherlockian writing is out of reach of those we want to read it - newcomers!
So I'll restrict my answer to something accessible, and this is going to be very left-field (to use the American).
Nothing has made me laugh harder that Vince Stadon's 'Hounded! My Lifelong Obsession with Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles'.
Vince is based in the UK, and when the COVID pandemic arrived and he was well and truly locked down, he resolved to record his experience watching every adaptation of 'Hound of the Baskervilles'. The book is set against the backdrop of living during the pandemic, visiting the moors to experience the environment, and some hilarious self-deprecating moments (he steals a neighbors shoe for example to play out the scene in the book). I haven't read anything else quite like Stadon's book, and it's easy to find through Amazon, etc. If you like that book, you and I will get along!
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Where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 or 10 years from now?
Bigger! Larger! More connected! I think there are so many new adaptations and productions of the stories - on stage, screen, and in print (including graphic novels) that there will continue to be a stream of new Sherlockians. How do we help them find our community? How do we ensure there are ways for everyone to get involved and meet them where they are irrespective of means - whether it's through zoom, at local meetings, or at conferences and weekend events. There are so many people out there (like I was) blissfully unaware of what they were missing out on - an enriching community of peers. I think over the next decade we'll find new ways to bring more people into our wonderful, irreverent, serious, literary world.
