Cursed in Cairo

by Chris Clavin

In 2009 three punks moved to a ghost town called Cairo. Cairo lies in the southernmost tip of Illinois, where the Mississippi River meets up with the Ohio River, in a region known as Little Egypt. They moved to Cairo with big dreams. They wanted to create a little community of like minded people that could live outside of mainstream capitalist society.
They wanted to build a home for themselves and their friends.

This is the story of their seventeen months in Cairo.

Genres: Memoir

223 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2016

Reviews

[Mark Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir of Chris’ attempt to fulfill his dream to buy a cheap building in a dying town and create a vibrant community space built on punk principles. And it’s wonderful, an excellent follow-up to his first book “Free Pizza for Life.” The whole enterprise is a disaster from the beginning — one person even dies — but I was still inspired by it. It’s one of those books that makes you want to be a better person. I’d recommend getting it through Chris’ publishing website: Secret Sailor Press. Grade: A

[Allen Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of listening to the podcast of Chris Clavin's previous book, Free Pizza For Life, last year. He posted the chapters online as he read each one. I found that the moment a new post appeared, I would immediately drop everything I was doing in order to listen to it. The hours I spent bingeing on FPFL were some of the most enjoyable I experienced.

When I heard through a friend that Clavin had a Kickstarter campaign going for a second book, I immediately donated. And then I waited. . . and waited . . . And when the book finally arrived (filled with bookmarks and free stickers and stuff) I immediately sat down and read it over the course of a couple of days.

Clavin is not the greatest writer or grammarian. But he has led an interesting life and knows how to tell a good story. The cast of characters, made up of friends and acquaintances, is endearing, frustrating, admirable, and, in one case, heartbreaking.

Cursed in Cairo follows Clavin's attempt to open and run a counter culture, punk, anarchist coffee house in Cairo, Illinois. The city has a remarkable number of abandoned commercial buildings and houses. And Clavin and co. start their coffee house in the epicenter of the blighted downtown. From simply getting the building to function (with electricity, plumbing, paint, and a proper roof) to dealing with the vagaries of customer service, an apathetic city government, and a predatory utility, the punks running the shop keep their doors open and try to serve as a force for good within the ruined little burg.

Cursed in Cairo serves as a snapshot of what happened in and around one building in a decaying town. The story is a good one that will leave the reader wanting more. And I, for one, am hopeful that Clavin will continue to chronicle his life so that for a few hours I will be able to once again binge on the details.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had the distinct pleasure of playing with Chris in many states with different projects over many years. So, yes this is probably a little bit biased review. But if you aren't friends with at least some of the people you admire and whose art and creativity you respect then you are not living life as an artist right.

This is a book of heroics. America is a lost place and Cairo is more lost than most places that, at least, I have ever been to. This is the America we have left behind and forgotten and Chris wanted to make it a homeland for those of us who feel neglected. Cursed in Cairo is a great American tragedy. And even if I didn't know the person behind it, this book would have been just as powerful as it was.

We need to rewrite the cannon of great American adventure stories that truly reflect hopes and dreams and chance and sacrifice. Cursed in Cairo should be the first entry in the remodeling of the American narrative. You should read this book. You should dare to dream as big as Chris and you should be unafraid to fail.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in college, I went through a brief phase where I could be found at house shows and Skull Alley gatherings. Drinking cheap beer and hanging out listening to Paul Baribeau, Laura Stevenson, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Ghost Mice, and that whole group of awesomeness.

One time, I mail-ordered some CD's from Plan-It-X, a label who distributed a bunch of stuff I really liked. I was super surprised to see that I needed to mail my money to some building in Cairo, Illinois. Now this is only surprising because I grew up in Paducah, Kentucky...a mere 40 minute drive from that ailing river town. I couldn't believe that a label that I loved was that close to my hometown. I used to drive/ride through there on my way to my grandparents' house in Missouri multiple times a year. It was a shock to find out that Chris Clavin and company were there and that I could have dropped in and bought some records any old time. By the next time I drove through, the shop was closed and Chris had relocated again. Reading about the time spent there and the region where I grew up, and the things they were trying to do in Cairo is a special experience.

I always wish I could have stopped by to say hi to the brave punks who ventured into a ghost town.