A Typer’s Dozen: Joe Van Cleave

I first discovered Joe Van Cleave under the same circumstances that so many others have — I was searching for information on typewriters. My curiosity about typewriters was still in the earliest stages back then. Unlike most of the other resources that I was locating at that point in time, Joe’s content kept popping up in the form of videos. I can’t remember which particular video of Joe’s I watched first, but I do recall being surprised at how thoroughly it managed to hold my interest. As more time passed, I learned just what a fantastic resource Joe’s YouTube channel really is when it comes to typewriters. Soon enough I found myself working my way through his Typewriter Video Series on a regular basis.

My assumption was that Joe likely worked in communications in some form or fashion. I could easily picture him behind the microphone at a radio station for example. I say this because when it comes to Joe’s videos, it wasn’t just the subject matter itself that was interesting to me. There was more to it than that as the easy-going, calm manner in which that subject matter being presented also appealed greatly to me. Surely this guy had been doing this, or something very similar to this for most of his adult life. I was surprised to learn later on that Joe actually worked in a hands-on fashion with technology, in one form or another, for most of his career. Most recently, you would find Joe working in a calibration lab for a large semiconductor chip manufacturer. To be fair, I’m guessing that I’m not the only one to have made such assumptions.

But one thing is for sure, Joe is definitely a typewriter enthusiast and he’s made it his mission to turn others on to typewriters as well. He has accomplished this not only through his Typewriter Video Series on YouTube, but by also through his typecasting that takes place on his blog, not to mention the Type-Ins that he, along with his fellow typewriter enthusiasts, puts together in Albuquerque where he resides. Based on my own experience, I’d say that Joe has definitely been successful. My thanks to Joe for taking the time to participate in A Typer’s Dozen as it is truly appreciated.

Q: How many years have you been a typewriter enthusiast/collector, and how many typewriters would you estimate that have you owned in total over this time, including those machines that you’ve sold, loaned out or given away to others?

A: I’ve been an enthusiast since 2007, when I acquired my Royal Mercury (not my first machine, but the first one I obtained, from John Lewis’ shop here in ABQ, because I was interested in the idea of a small portable typewriter). I’ve owned close to 40 machines total, though I only have about 20 or so right now.

Q: What was your first typewriter and how did you end up with it?

A: The first typewriter I bought for myself was a Smith-Corona SE100 daisywheel machine, a dark gray plastic wedge that used the H-series carbon film ribbon cartridges. I bought it new, in the early 1980s, from a local retailer called Service Merchandise. In the late 1970s I’d been writing poetry while in the US Navy and had access to a red IBM Selectric II, which I’d used to type up my poems. When I exited the Navy in 1981 I wanted to continue typing up poems with the same quality of imprint as the Selectric, hence eventually getting the Smith-Corona.

Q: If you could only keep just one typewriter out of those that you own, which one would it be and why?

A: Olympia SM3, currently my wife’s, would be high on the list, even though it needs new rubber on the platen, and my Silent-Super does have new rubber. The choice would be between those two machines, but I think the Olympia is built better.

Q: Out of all the typewriters that have passed through your hands over the years, is there a particular typewriter that you wish you could have back?

A: It would be one of the three Olivetti Letters 22s that I no longer have, even though they all three at the time had intermittent skipping issues, I think I could fix that problem now. I miss having an ultra-portable with those features.

Q: Which typewriter took the most time and/or effort for you to obtain?

A: I found a Facit 1620 in a junky thrift store that was devoid of such items, mostly having used clothes. I’d looked in a number such stores over a long period of time before this Facit surprisingly showed up. It wasn’t something I was specifically looking for, but it was a one-time event; I never saw another typewriter in that store.

Q: Would you say that you’ve spent more time working on typewriters or typing with them?

A: Mostly typing on them. I do spend considerable time getting them in good working order, sometimes through repeated rounds of repairs, before I deem them adequate for general use. I’m less concerned with their appearance than their ability to perform.

Q: What single development stands out to you for having the most positive impact on yourself as a typewriter enthusiast/collector?

A: Learning the basics of typewriter maintenance taught me how they work enough to make me a better typewriter user. For example, understanding how the ribbon advances also taught me the common problems they can have, which makes me more aware of their possibility as I’m typing. Instead of blindly wondering why my typing looks bad, I can foresee problems happening as I’m writing, and circumvent such issues before they become glaringly obvious. 

Q: What one piece of advice would you give to those who are just getting started with typewriters?

A: Don’t buy a typewriter based on its cuteness or pretty color. You’re needing a reliable workhorse machine that was designed to function for decades without fault, so it has to be built with good bones. And, regardless of what the seller says, all typewriters need some degree of service before they can be reliable writing tools.

Q: What are all of the uses have you’ve found for your typewriters (be it correspondence, writing books, typecasting, etc.) and which one of those would you say has consumed the most of your “typing time”?

A: Journaling, blogging, letter writing, creative writing (poems, stories), stream-of-consciousness writing, daily letters, greeting cards, to-do lists, brainstorming, etc. I’d say the single category of journaling has consumed the most of my time.

Q: If you could modify a movie, TV show, or a song from the past to include a typewriter in some way, what would your choice be and how would you involve the typewriter?

A: One of my all time favorite films is Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation. I’d like to see Gene Hackman’s character Harry Caul use a manual typewriter set up in his fenced-in work area in the warehouse, perhaps to type a transcript of the conversation he’d taped of the two lovers in the park. At the end of the film, when he’s seen tearing the interior of his apartment down to the studs, in search of a hidden bug, he could be left with a manual typewriter in the room, which he then begins to bash apart in a final fit of suspicion and fear.

Q: What other things in life do you enjoy besides typewriters?

A: I enjoy video-making in general; photography; tinkering and making projects of various kinds.

Q: What one question do you wish someone would ask you about typewriters or typewriting that you haven’t been asked thus far (and how would you answer that question)?

A: I’ve never been asked if, down deep, I really doubt whether typewriters can enable a person’s creativity. After all, plenty (if not the vast majority) of writers use computers for writing — and if it works for them, why then do I need a typewriter as a so-called creative enabler? Back in the heyday of typewriters, they were a writer’s only choice, other than a pen and paper. But in this post-typewriter era, the computer is the writer’s first choice. A typewriter is perhaps best used by creative people, not necessarily professional writers, but people who desire to increase their ability to create with words. Typewriters best serve these days as creative enablers for people who would otherwise not easily create with words using a computer.