Rhett Miller cut his teeth with the alt-country Old 97’s, but years before the band released Too Far To Care, the catchiest and most compelling distillation of its cow-punk-meets-Brit-Invasion template, Miller put out his own little-heard first solo album, Mythologies. Now 2,800 miles from Dallas, where he got his start, Miller is a family man and has released his fifth studio album, The Dreamer. On all counts, the LP marks a return to basics for Miller after three studio albums that toned down the twang, ratcheted up the pop smarts and layered on the studio frills. Miller will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our recent feature on him.
Miller: Most Stephen King fans believe that the hotel in The Shining is based on Tthe Stanley Hotel in Colorado, but some, myself included, believe he may have drawn more inspiration from the Mohonk Mountain House, a hotel located on the Shawangunk Ridge in New Paltz, N.Y. A few years ago, I moved to an area very near this beautiful old hotel and have spent a lot of time in its halls and on its grounds. The hedge maze, the long hallways, the old wooden doors (“Here’s Johnny!”), even the crazy old, snake-like fire hoses call to mind King’s fictional Overlook Hotel. In addition to its similarity to the scariest hotel in all of literature, the Mountain House has a great deal to offer. From the tiny beach on the shore of Lake Mohonk to the rock scramble that leads up to the Skytop Observation Tower, this hotel is a one-of-a-kind getaway. The rates are not cheap, but day passes are available. It boggles the mind to think that less than two hours away from the biggest city in North America, one can find such breathtaking natural beauty. Just don’t take a job as the winter caretaker.
Video after the jump.
