Interesting Interview: Rudy Altergott

One of the newest member of the Baker Street Irregulars is this week's Interesting Interview, Rudy Altergott!  If you've been active in Sherlockiana over the past few years, this name or face my be familiar to you because Rudy is a force of nature!  His energy and zeal about Sherlockiana is contagious.  To talk with him is to be immediately swept up in a deep conversation.  And who know where that conversation will go?  It could get you digging into the minutiae of your favorite story or brainstorming ideas for local scion events!

Rudy is also one of the most gracious guys out there.  As someone who's relatively new to this hobby of ours, he is quick to give credit to those who have come before him and always eager to learn from other Sherlockians.  It's no wonder that he was invested into the BSI this January; Rudy seems to be a lifer at every interest he takes up!

How do you define the word “Sherlockian”?

I have read so many of these interviews and appreciated that among the answers, there is not one single definition. To me, the flexible definition of a Sherlockian would include being someone who loves Sherlock Holmes and detective fiction, who has either read the Sacred Writings in full or in part or has a familiarity with them and wants to learn more, who writes or produces content related to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson and Arthur Conan Doyle, et al., and who attends in-person or virtual scion meetings. Again, I do not think you have to be a Canonical expert. Honestly, I have not read it in its entirety, but have read most of it (I am keeping the shilling, thank you very much!). And someone can be a Sherlockian without attending scion meetings, like my friend Greg Redding, dean of students at our alma mater, Wabash College. Perhaps the definition could simply be someone who loves Sherlock Holmes and detective fiction. 

How did you become a Sherlockian?

I was introduced to Sherlockiana proper like Holmes and Watson, by a certain ‘Young Stamford.' I met Terry McCammon, not long before he was to receive that investiture, through my Masonic lodge where he was a regular visitor and is a honorary member. He mentioned Hugo’s Companions when I was visiting his home and woodshop one Saturday in October 2017, and the next dinner was in December. I was invited to attend, did so, and have kept coming since. 

What is your profession and does that affect how you enjoy being a Sherlockian?

My current work is as a surgical records manager. Truthfully, it does not really affect me as a Sherlockian. What it has done is brought me even closer to my father and namesake, Dr. Rudy Altergott, Sr., of whom I am most proud, and from whom, like my mother, Dr. Karen Heidkamp, I inherited a love of reading. 

What is your favorite canonical story?

This is a tough question to answer. I may have to say BRUC since I have always loved spy stories, and would include NAVA and SECO along this line. Once when he was in Chicago, over cocktails in Sinatra’s booth at the Pump Room, Dan Andriacco told me that he thought BRUC could arguably be the best story under certain criteria. HOUN is the theme of Chicagoland scions and has some of my favorite lines of Conan Doyle, also showcasing his masterful ways of revealing the truth behind the seemingly supernatural in the Canon. I also feel I must plug VALL and LAST because of my research on Birdy Edwards, Sherlock Holmes (‘Mr. Altamont of Chicago’), and the infiltration of secret societies in the Canon. The denouement of LAST may be my favorite scene in the Canon, but then there is Holmes’ reveal in EMPT. I could keep going on but won’t, for your sake, Rob, and the readers’. 

Who is a specific Sherlockian that you think others would find interesting?

I want to highlight George Sheetz of Batavia, Illinois, a Sherlockian of 40-plus years now. Kind and soft-spoken, a retired librarian, he is also one of the most hilarious folk I know. I consider him among my mentors even though he is one of those who treats you like an equal. Every time I am with him, and in the immediate aftermath, I am on cloud nine. 

What subset of Sherlockiana really interests you?

I suppose I would say Sherlockian cinephiles or Sherlockians who write on military history. Both of these topics in general are among my lifelong interests. I really regret not introducing myself to Sherlockian film expert Russell Merritt, the last Sherlockian face I saw before departing the ASH Brunch for LaGuardia during the 2023 BSI Weekend. 

Chicago is a city with many different scion societies.  What is the Sherlockian scene like with so many different groups up there?

There are many different avenues that are their own. The thing I would like to see are more young folk like myself. At the same time, I try to listen and learn from those who have long been involved, and there is much to be gleaned.

Your chapter in the book Holmes and Me is titled "How Sherlockiana Has Helped Me Through Covid-19."  How was Sherlockiana a life raft for you during that time?

It not only made me take the Canon seriously and read more of it for the first time, not only made me read more books in general and become a serious book collector because of Starrett and Morley and authors and books and series that other Sherlockians recommended, it also introduced me to dear, dear friends and made me more comfortable to put myself out there, to introduce myself to the ‘big wigs’ via Zoom. In the final analysis, Sherlockiana during lockdown gave my life new purpose and direction and helped me commit to a life in letters. 

What book would you recommend to other Sherlockians?

I would recommend anything by David Baldacci. I am convinced he is a Sherlockian in all but affiliation. A portrait of Conan Doyle is featured in his Master Class course, and he has said that reading The Adventures, specifically SPEC, was an eye-opening experience for him as a kid. He also incorporates Sherlockian tropes in his stories, like disguises, one of my favorite features of the Canon. A good starting point would be his novel Memory Man (2015). The title character, Amos Decker, is a bit like Holmes. A former pro football player, his IQ is heightened to genius level after a brain injury during play. He becomes a police officer and later a private investigator driven to solve the murder of his family. Baldacci’s books are hard to put down. 

Where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 or 10 years from now?

Frankly, I am optimistic. Wiggins seems receptive to approving new scions, depending on their purpose and such, and some defunct scions have even been resurrected. Who knows? I would not be surprised if, within the next decade, there will be new, stimulating conferences in places in the U.S. and abroad that one might not have imagined. What excites me most is the likelihood of making new friends in that nearer term. This not only expands the Rolodex, it offers more opportunity to learn. (‘Education never ends, Watson…’)

Interesting Interview: PJ Sullivan

So many of these Interesting Interviews are with people I've gotten to know over the years.  This one is a little different, as I know PJ Sullivan but not nearly as well as many of my other interview subjects.  But once you meet her, PJ sticks in your memory because she is so enthusiastic about this hobby of ours as well as being exceedingly outgoing and nice.

PJ has been to a few Sherlockian events over the past few years and is a regular part Zoom meetings.  She's the type of person who people naturally gravitate to; she just radiates positivity and friendliness.  I'm glad I reached out to her to be a part of the Interesting Interview series because she has so much to say!  And I'm blown away by the pictures of her 221B room!  So if you have or have not met PJ Sullivan yet, get ready to spend some time with someone who I predict will be around and have a positive impact on Sherlockian for years to come in this week's Interesting Interview!

How do you define the word “Sherlockian”?  

Sherlockian as a noun: anyone with an affection for The Canon and all that it has given rise to through the years, the studies and scholarship, the pastiche and homage; radio, film, television, and the ever-growing online realm; art and poetry; an affinity for the world so perfectly captured by Vincent Starrett where “it is always eighteen ninety-five.” As an adjective, though, Sherlockian, for me, is an intangible – a feeling, rather than a thing; a vibe (to mis-use current slang).  I look for that feeling when adding items to my own Baker Street: does it feel Sherlockian? An extra-canonical mystery novel, your hounds-tooth coat, a late-Victorian period film, any of these might strike me as having a Sherlockian feel, as evoking a memory – a note of familiarity harkening back to the Canonical Origin.

How did you become a Sherlockian?  

Unlike most Sherlockians I’ve met, I cannot – for the life of me – recall when I first started reading Sherlock Holmes. It’s just someone I’ve always known, like Mary Poppins or Robin Hood or George Washington, who could be visited again at any time.  Sometime in the early 2000’s, though, I re-read the entire Canon and it hit differently.  The sense of familiarity, of home-coming, enveloped me: that was the moment I began to immerse myself.  It began with a more focused acquisition of books, and then bits of décor, a deerstalker, and such.  In 2018, I decided to convert a room in my house to a small 221B Baker Street, and in researching that project online, I discovered – by way of Denny Dobry, Chuck Kovacic, and the museum at Meiringen – a vast community of like-minded folk that I had never imagined.  I found a notice for the Empire Conference at Bear Mountain (open to non-members!) and decided to give it a try.  That’s how it all began. And now I am a Cornish Horror, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoy telling people that.

What is your profession and does that affect how you enjoy being a Sherlockian?

“Commissionaire, sir. Uniform away for repairs.” Well, no: I work as an executive assistant, and have done for about 30 years, spending time in healthcare technology and a few other industries before making my home ten years ago in communications infrastructure with a company called American Tower.  We own and operate cell towers and data centers enabling connectivity and communication around the world.  I am assistant to the president of our U.S. operations.  I don’t meet many Sherlockians through work, but I’m surrounded by intelligent and curious people, many of whom are happy to listen to my Sherlockian stories and are entirely supportive of my forays into my new community.  It’s a treat to have my boss asking how I enjoyed my latest conference or scion meeting.

What is your favorite canonical story?  

Oooof.  "Black Peter," "The Devil’s Foot," and the first two chapters of A Study in Scarlet.  I’ll re-read those first two chapters time and again, just to absorb that first meeting and the earliest stage of acquaintanceship.  I love everything about those chapters, they always seem fresh to me, and I have yet to tire of them. They are my most frequent bedtime story, and something to occupy me during lunch on a Sunday afternoon. I have a cross-stitch sampler hanging in my Baker Street that reads, “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.” I may have the first few paragraphs engraved on my tombstone.

Who is a specific Sherlockian that you think others would find interesting? 

What has impressed me about the Sherlockians I’ve met, even more than their collective knowledge, is their willingness to share their stories. Hearing the tales they have to tell, the memories they are keeping alive, has been an incredible joy to me.  To chose one?  Impossible. May I give you three?  

Walter Colby, BSI: On every occasion I have encountered Walter, he has had an interesting story or amusing anecdote, and he is always willing to share.  

Burt Wolder, BSI, who knows something (and likely a lot of something) about everything (really, everything), is a treat to talk with. 

2-for-1 special: Linda Hein and Beth Barnard: the conversation we had in January about Baker Street West was one of the best of my time at the 2024 Birthday Weekend.

What subset of Sherlockiana really interests you?

I do have a particular interest in the relationship between Holmes and Watson.  I enjoy watching their friendship evolve through the years. Sometimes, I’ll go through the Canon reading only the openings and closings of each story, the parts where we find our heroes at home, just being in each other’s company. Absent the actual adventures, this gives a simple streamlined view of their progress through life together that I find endlessly interesting and entertaining.  

But I think for my own microcosm of Sherlockiana, the primary feature of interest is the 221B room that I have made in my house. I refer to it as my Baker Street, and though small, it’s a project I enjoy tremendously.  I’ll sit in the basket chair for hours leafing through books or have a glass of wine in Sherlock’s chair by the fireplace.  I’m always looking for new things to add. I recently acquired a copy of the secret naval treaty (originally scribed by Paul Churchill, BSI), which thrills me to no end. I have a lovely harpoon resting in one corner.  It’s a project – or hobby, rather – that will carry me for years to come, with no timeline, deadline, or endpoint; I can wander in and out as I like. There will always be something new to add and something to rearrange, and it will always have that Sherlockian atmosphere just waiting to blanket me.

What is Sherlockian life like in the upper part of New England?  

It’s quiet.  I join society virtual meetings when I can – which is not nearly as often as I’d like, and I travel to New York each January (I’ve done two Birthday weekends now).  I visit Rhode Island annually for the Cornish Horrors, and Connecticut for The Men on the Tor when I can. The Speckled Band very kindly invited me to their dinner this year (the presentations were excellent!). I am looking forward to expanding my adventures to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other cities as time goes on. 

Last year, I made the pilgrimage to Pennsylvania to spend a blissful day in Denny Dobry’s incredible recreation of the large airy sitting-room.  Denny was the most patient and accommodating of hosts, and I remain in equal parts awe-struck by the space and grateful for the chance to experience it.

How did you become the Editor of Scionical and Societal Reports for The Baker Street Almanac and what have you learned since you've taken on that role?

I’m actually a little vague on the details of how this came about.  I had been emailing Ross Davies to acquire a few extra copies of the BSA, and he asked if I might be interested in “pitching in” (I was).  A few months later, we were on a video call, and he asked if I’d like to assume the role that Monica Schmidt had decided to resign, shepherding reports for Canada and the United States.  I leapt at the opportunity, and it’s been terrific.  

I’ve become much better acquainted with a broader group of Sherlockians.  I’ve enjoyed seeing how various societies are similar, and how they differ, and I love seeing the places they overlap and interconnect; it’s like a vast web spinning out from the Canonical center.  If anyone is not currently reading the annual scionical and societal reports in the BSA, I urge you to do so: the world is in there.  

The most important thing I’ve discovered through working on the Almanac is how incredibly rewarding it feels to have a way to contribute to the Sherlockian world, to be “doing my part.” Working on the Almanac gives me a small way to give back to the community that has been so welcoming and generous to me, and I am indescribably grateful for that.

What book would you recommend to other Sherlockians? 

Oh, golly; where to begin? Do you want to know more about Sherlock? William S. Baring-Gould’s The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, and Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street.  Looking for pastiche? The Seven Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer, naturally, but also Lyndsay Faye’s The Whole Art of Detection. A short story you might have missed? “The Doctor’s Case” by Stephen King.  

Looking to expand beyond Watson and Holmes?  Pick up any one of the Golden Age anthologies edited by Otto Penzler. Want to try the Canon as an audio book?  Stephen Fry’s recording is by far my favorite version, and I can’t think of a better way to spend a long drive, or an afternoon of chores, or long winter nights.

Where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 or 10 years from now?

Remember that vast web of societies I mentioned?  I imagine that network ever-expanding, spinning out to join new Sherlockians into societies, new societies into the larger community.  And if you’ll forgive my mixing of metaphors: imagine a kaleidoscope with every colored bit of Sherlockiana tumbling always into the others, creating endless new pretty pictures of scholarship, imagination, and comradery.