Before “S- Town,” clock lovers knew him well
This clock was missing its crowning detail when William R. Tatum, a collector, took it to Mclemore for repair. “He made that little flag, and he said he made that when he was stoned,” Tatum said.
COLUMBIA, PA. >> John B. Mclemore, a profanely outspoken, brilliant and troubled restorer of antique clocks, emerged a national figure in 2017 with the podcast “S- Town.” As a horologist — a repairer of devices that measure time — he restored intricate and rare pieces in a workshop at his family homestead in rural western Alabama.
But that was just part of the story.
In short order, “S- Town” hit 40 million downloads, and has since surpassed 100 million, making it among the most downloaded podcasts.
For those who missed this unusual tale, there will be no major spoilers here. It’s enough to say that Mclemore, and many in his orbit, were vaulted from obscurity to sometimes painful visibility.
( Tyler Goodson, a prominent character in the podcast, was killed in a police shootout in December. Jeff Dodson, mayor of Woodstock, the hamlet where “Stown” takes place, said he hasn’t received an update on the police investigation of the shooting.)
Bef or e “S - Town, ” Mclemore was known to collectors of rare clocks, earning fame as an unlikely genius who could diagnose mechanical trouble and revive one- of- a- kind antique timepieces.
One of those collectors, William R. Tatum, was close to “John B.,” as friends called him. Tatum — referred to only as Bill in the podcast — entrusted Mclemore with many of his prized clocks. An exhibition of 34 of those pieces, all restored by Mclemore, runs through April 30 at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania.
“It’s really to showcase his uniqueness, his abilities, his talents,” Tatum said of the exhibition. “He could fix anything.
The National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pa., where an exhibition displays John B. Mclemore’s extensive clock restorations, March 11.
He could do anything. He worked on my dishwasher, my washer and clothes dryer, he worked on my truck, he worked on my car.” But those were mere distractions. “Clocks were what made him tick, no pun intended.”
In the series “S- Town” ( its title is an abbreviation of Mclemore’s derisive nickname for Woodstock), listeners hear the musings, longings and rantings of a man captivated by science, vexed by climate change, chagrined by local social norms and frustrated at love.
“He was too smart for that county in Alabama, and that’s what made him feel isolated,” Tatum said. “He was too smart for most of those people. He had nobody to relate to. He knew I was educated, and we became friends.”
Last fall, Tatum drove from Alabama with two others who were featured in the podcast, Cheryl Dodson and her husband, Jeff, Woodstock’s mayor, to see the show and recall their friend’s quirky talents.
But you don’t have to
Mclemore fixed this timekeeping mechanism that moves a floating turtle to indicate the correct time.
listen to Mclemore’s story to find things of interest elsewhere in the museum. A tour begins with the sound of iron gears clanking together in a room full of muscular tower clock mechanisms. Hundreds of clocks and watches trace the science and artistry of timekeeping.
On the day of Tatum’s visit, a group of schoolchildren sat rapt for a demonstration of the Engle Monumental Clock, a 19thcentury contraption that resembles a cross between a castle and a cathedral. As the docent turned the minute hand, its arrival at various points on the dial set off whirring processions of historical and allegorical characters, 46 in total. When the minute hand reached 12, a thighbonewielding skeleton, representing death, struck a skull to count the hour — a vivid reminder that we all have one less hour to live.
A dedicated collector, Tatum found many unusual clocks needing repair. These are some of his favorite John B. stories.
A clock restored by John B. Mclemore on display in an exhibition at the National Watch & Clock Museum. its original finish gone.
Mclemore added flourish to its four female figures, a dark patina to make them stand out. “If it was all just gold- plated, it wouldn’t have any character,” Tatum said, noting that Mclemore would conduct extensive research before making aesthetic choices.
The clock features a spinning rod of twisted glass that mimics f lowing water, via a second mechanism. Clocks with animated features were challenging to repair but emerged from the Mclemore workshop alive again. “He wouldn’t have given it back to me if he couldn’t make it work,” Tatum said. that! Parts of it are a little rusted because of that escapade.”
Mclemore patched the hole and persuaded his customer to live with the rust. “He was of the mindset that if something’s not broken, it’s better to leave it alone,” Tatum said.