The Accidental Curator

Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to part ways with his travelling companions and hitchhike alone...or was it?  The Sinister Samaritan takes you on a road trip from Regina to Prince Edward Island and beyond in the early 70's as young Georgie weaves his way between bliss and peril on the road. Rich descriptives and encounters abound, as the young traveller dodges dangers and embraces sublime growth exp...

There was a brief window in time when it was safe to travel to Afghanistan as a tourist, or curious wanderer. December 1973 was just such a window. Here is a story of 8 young travellers following the "Hippie Trail" as it was known, on their way overland to India, with a sojourn through Afghanistan which led to Christmas in Kabul. Join them for this unique trip from another era through the "Graveya...

Ottawa, 1980's - a young man, balancing his new wave musician aspirations with his soul-crushing job in the Federal Bureaucracy - has an unexpected epiphany of sorts via a Panic Attack. Written with fondness for the era, friends, and situations he found himself in - George uses self-deprecatory humour to drive this fun journey through the pubs, bedrooms, and basement jams of his mid 20's. While sh...

"A Roughneck's Journey: Trials and Triumphs" In Episode 19 of the podcast, the host returns after a six-month hiatus, sharing tales from a bustling summer at the Shavasana Gallery and Cafe on Mayne Island. As the busy season winds down, the host revisits past ventures, including a brief stint as a roughneck in the oil fields of northern Alberta in the 1970s. The story, titled "I Could Tell You Was...

In this episode of The Accidental Curator, George Bathgate shares a gripping story titled "The Fourth Corner." As he prepares to reopen his art gallery, George reflects on three significant car accidents he has witnessed over the years in his Kitsilano neighborhood. Each incident, occurring at different corners, serves as a vivid illustration of life's unpredictability and the importance of stayin...

a short story I wrote several years ago, about how young, self-absorbed drunks on a bus could have inadvertently added fuel to the revolutionary fires that were building…in pre-revolutionary Iran…and a review of Joseph Synn Kune Loh’s exhibit, “Who Am I” by Bill Maylone

Two young long-haired travellers arrive in Amsterdam in 1973. One of them, hopes and prays that the rest of his "round the world adventure" will improve over "day one"...it can only get better! Or can it?

Two stories - or memoirs -  today - Joseph Synn Kune Loh's short story "The Astrologer", and Transient Epileptic Amnesia...one is a young man's encounter at a New Age Conference in Montreal, and the other is one more good reason why you should avoid a life of excess😊

After receiving a 100 year old Blüthner piano, I became fascinated with its long journey to Mayne Island and Shavasana Gallery. Here is a story of how to sleuth the wandering path of an "accidental" piano. (to watch a 5 minute compilation video which I made called "11 Pieces for the Blüthner" go here: https://youtu.be/f_o4JUtccH8 )

Perhaps the name "Rambo" should've given us ample warning... listen to one family's journey through dog-barking hell :)

A casual Friday night pursuit of pubs and pals in Ottawa turns into an unexpected apprehension of an armed robbery in process

A personal account of the Student Uprising in Athens, November 1973, which led to the overthrow of George Papadopolous and - ultimately - the return of Democracy

A light-hearted search for the possible culprit of my adult addictions - my excessive childhood consumption of...sugar

Five young long-haired western kids following the "Hippie Trail" from Istanbul to India in 1973..stop in Peshawar, Pakistan to celebrate New Year's

If you run a Gallery Café, anyone can walk through your doors...if it's on a small island without police anything can happen

A series of unfortunate events...if you believe bad luck happens in threes you suffer from Triaphilia, but we've all been there. Here's a short story called, "The Three Injuries"

An interview with internationally acclaimed Contemporary Impressionist painter Terrill Welch

This is Chapter 2 in the narrative surrounding The Accidental Curator...the early days of setting up, exploration, gratitude...and tarts!

A true story of narrowly avoiding the horrible fate that befell 9 innocent people in central BC on August 28, 1972...

An interview with Mixed Media & Collage artist Famous Empty Sky, who is currently residing on Mayne Island

"Finding Shavasana" is the first Chapter in the story of The Accidental Curator. The searching, the indecisiveness, the waffling, and finally, the finding of what would eventually become Shavasana Art Gallery & Café. A light-hearted adventure of exploration and change.

This introduction gives - as you might expect - a rough outline of the content of The Accidental Curator as I see future Episodes evolving. My intention is to produce content from existing short stories I have written, interviews I plan on giving, and a new creative narrative - a semi-fictional story - that will evolve over time.