I MAKE YOU FAMOUS OVER NIGHT!

My friend and model, Theda, sent me this message today without not even the slightest little tiny bit of explanation. My guess is that it was the title of some spam she got and she thought I would dig it. Well, I do.

Random Stuff:

In the downtime here, I've been shooting less and working on retouching more, slowly whittling down the backlog I've created for myself - Backlog!

I think the editorial that Rich and I shot last-last summer (2005) is finally going to see the light of day on Iconique, an online fashion thing-a-ma-jig. Their debut editorial was the one that Rich shot (with me assisting and lighting) of Marzena from Spring of 2005. It’s where I first met Bonnie, who I hope to shoot with Rich in a few weeks, and Martha and Luis. God, how time flies.

Mark (see link to right) came down this weekend from Western Mass. with Greg (of Yummy Mummy fame) and the three of us attended King Geo's 40th birthday Extravaganza - a surprise party at the Park Slope American Legion Post on 3rd Avenue and 9th Street. Of course we wore out Monster Cereals Crew shirts and Mark even brought the Frankenberry head for George to wear (if he wanted to - it being a surprise party, it would have been really bad form to ask him in advance). Bud on tap, Sabret Hot Dogs (water floaters) and a 12-foot sub sandwich kept things moving throughout the evening (and the next morning too, I might add) and a joyous time was had by all. I met Theo from The Lunachicks, after all these years of moving in the same circles and Sean from the Toilet Boys. I also met a bunch of American Legion dudes. Who do you think was scarier? After making our farewells, we stopped by Jackie's 5th Amendment, a bar that really should have been included in the lyrics to X's "The Have Nots." Before I knew what was going on, Mark ordered a "bucket" of Bud "ponies" and as soon as they hit the bar, I was informed by Mark and Greg that they had had enough. So I drank them. Back home, we intoxicatedly interrupted my girl, who wisely had declined her invitation to the American Legion and was indulging in one of her most guilty pleasures - watching full blown weeping bout feel good the underdog always wins sports movies. By the time we showed up, she had barely survived "Invincible" with Marky Mark (you know the Eagles thing) and was almost through "Glory Road" (the first all black team thing). Mark passed out.

Sunday morning, we awoke, rather roughly, to a full-page article in the New York Times Arts section about the Iggy and The Stooges Reunion. Have I lived that long? Amazing...

Then our annual Academy Awards Party, which we've been doing 6 years now. We always run a ballot pool (no money, just bragging rights) and I always win, which is goofy. "Hi, want to come to our party and have a contest that I will always win?" Not very appealing...even though I always make my Dad's famous Crock-Pot chili, which seems to placate most of the grumbling come tally time. I always explain to everyone that they can't put down the ones they want to win, but the ones that THE ACADEMY will vote for - which is a hard mindset to channel, but obviously, I'm pretty good at it. Well last year, my girl unseated me, although much to the chagrin of our guests, the trophy did not leave the premises. This year however, Michael (see link to the right) beat Kelli and I (who were l literally neck and neck throughout the broadcast) by two picks. Dark horse, that Bierman...

Tonight, my friend and model, Sarah (see the Detroit entries), emails me from Raleigh where she is doing that modeling thang, and I INSIST that she go to THE CHAR-GRILL. I could write a book on The Grill, as I basically ate there every night of college at NCSU and then three times a week until I moved to NYC for good. There's nothing like it in the world. A real, old '50s burger stand that is just amazing. It's entirely glass encased and you have to order by writing on a menu pad with a little pencil, checking off what you want and what you want on it. Then you stick it through a little hole in the glass, it slides down a shoot and one of the college students/ex-cons makes your shit.

Sarah, it's worth the drive...it make you famous over night!

Years ago on a foggy night I took some great color film time lapse shots of the Grill, all smoky and spooky, but damn if I know where they are...

The photos are of The Char Grill and were taken by Philip Lambert. I stole them off a th' Internet...

The Devil's Bride is Calling all Toward Her Skirt

Sherice from last Friday.
She's a stylist and model. Her sister is her MUA and hair stylist.
They kick ass.
Big ass hotel suite acquired by all of my vouchers and then abandoned.

Shame.

Title is from "Jane of the Waking Universe"

Boring I know, but yes, it's by Robert Pollard.

Dirty Detroit: Behind The Music - Part 2

Day Two – Saturday, February 10th, 2007


After the show (and a lot more wine), Chip and I decide to run amok through the hotel and shoot a bunch of nude stuff with Sarah. We also have Kathy (see link to the right) and her friend Stephanie in tow. I decide to “produce” with Chip shooting Sarah and Kathy shooting “behind the scenes” and assisting Chip. Kathy took this shot. It’s approximately the moment that we hatch this plan. It's also 1am.

So we did. Sarah naked in the stairwell. Sarah naked in the hallway. Sarah naked in the elevator for about 30 minutes stopping on every floor.

Here’s just a few of the things that happened:

- Door to the elevator opens and guy with delivery food is standing there. We all ignore him and Chip continues to shoot a naked Sarah. As the door is closing, the guy says “Holy shit.” We die laughing.

- Door to the elevator opens and guy doesn’t even flinch and gets in and heads towards the back. We laugh and say something like, “Sorry, man." He just stands there and says something like “Whatever, I’m cool.” Meanwhile, I’ve got the elevator stopping at every floor to buy Chip and Sarah time. So about 10 minutes later, our guest says, “Can someone eventually hit L.” We die laughing.

- Stopped by “Hotel Security” - guy with a goatee and his taller buddy with a goatee. We’re all in the elevator with Sarah who, of course, is naked. I’m holding her coat. Door to the lobby opens and guy with goatee says (after some time) “Do you expect us just to stand here?” and I say “Yep.” We ignore him and they just stand there. Eventually, he motions for me to come out of the elevator. I do. It’s 4am and he’s trying to take his job seriously, you know with all the Crackheads and Goth kids all over the place. I look at him. He looks at me. Chip keeps shooting. He says “OK, here’s the deal, she just can’t be TOTALLY naked.” I say “OK, no problem, we’ll go back upstairs.” As I walk towards the elevator, his buddy, who has not uttered a word, says “...thanks.” We die laughing.

- Goth kids scoff at us. We die laughing.

We went upstairs and shot tons more as evidenced by my and Kathy’s shots below:







There’s that goofball again…this is 5am…Chip is tired...

Day Three – Sunday, February 11th, 2007


The hangover special downstairs in the Crackhead diner. I am eating grease, drinking something approximating coffee and reading about Ted Bundy. It doesn’t get any better than this…

It’s sort of one of those “you had to be there” scenarios, but for those of us there, we had a lot of fun, got to hang out for a while in a foreign place and basically act like 15 year olds…

TWO REAL SHOTS (ok, one and a half...)


Normally, at events like this I don't like to shoot. I like to have a beer and relax - off the clock, ya know...But I did want Sarah to be a part of the Chairs Series so, I hauled all my crap to Detroit. Sarah and I shot Saturday afternoon in my room. It took me about an hour to light and about 30 minutes to shoot. We laughed the whole time...and neither one of us would walk on the carpet with our bare feet. This is the goofball being all badass...


The only other "shot" that I took the whole weekend of a model posing. Melissa was shooting in the delapidated ballroom with Dan and Chip when I wandered in to observe. I actually saw Chip Willis prance across the checkered tile shooting Melissa as she pranced away from him. When they were finished, I climbed up on a chair (fair's fair) and snapped this shot of Melissa with my top-secret camera. I love the way Melissa looks with the coat, her skin tone and the tile floor of the ballroom. It’s just that I gotta talk to Kodak about this new technology...

Blending Colors Into Brown

"Does she blend well?
Your choice, I mean?
Your angel baby monkey girl
The gift of smiles and love production
Her sunshine mind
Her storm cloud eyes
Blending colors into brown
Confusing emotions - deliberately
Does it hurt you?
To love, I mean?

And all the creases in your brow?
The red bed spread?
The storm vibrations?

The starless nights?
The shattered screen?

Allowing pain to enter
Let your guard down obviously

It will try to find you
No matter where you may go

It will try to find you
No matter who you may know

Does it hurt you?
To love, I mean?"

- "Storm Vibrations" by Guided By Voices
From the brilliant "Universal Truths and Cycles"
Matador Records, 2002

Listen...

Dirty Detroit - Behind The Music - Part 1

NOTE:
The images taken on this page were taken with a brand-new, top-secret technology that I was testing for Kodak in the low light situation in and around the Dirty Detroit show on the weekend of February 9-11, 2007. They have developed a space-age technology, which is the next big step after digital. Basically, it is a self-contained camera-like unit with complete manual controls. The engineers have managed to eliminate many features that professional photographers simply do not need (like aperture control, focus control, etc) and boil it down to the following:

- Shutter release (you still get to decide when to create an image!)
- Flash on or off (if you need a light it's right there!)
- Manual advance (no wasting the space-age power cell, save that for lighting!)

Imagine the freedom! The camera-like unit is a waterproof, shockproof, plastic polymer encasement that protects from light-leaks and is scratch resistant. In fact, the camera-like unit is so experimental, that you can only rent them as of now, with pre-packed image capture - and here’s the goofy part – black and white images rated at 400 asa, but processed by “old school C-41.” That’s crazy! When you have filled up the pre-packed image capture, you return the whole unit to a Kodak Representative and they print your images and give you "reverse" digital prints on these little orange filmstrip things – nutty, I tell ya! Nutty! You can even get them on a CD too, if you want!

So here’s my first attempt using this amazing new technology to document the goings on at the Dirty Detroit Show. Enjoy!

Big kudos to Dan, for being the only one at the show to recognize my new technology - thanks for keeping it quiet, my man!

Oh, before I start, I managed to sneak out a photo of this amazing device:



Day One – Friday, February 9th, 2007



After working all day in an ill-fated attempt to deliver a multi-media project for a huge women's clothing client, I land in -2 degrees Detroit at around 8pm. By the time I check into the hotel and make my way over to the show it's about 9:30pm. About 20 minutes after I got through the "invited artists" list, I met Dan in the lobby. I've always really admired the figure work that Dan creates - stark black and white images that manage to sidestep all of the clichés of figure work and take the genre to a whole new level - he's got a great signature style, and it was a pleasure to finally meet him. Dan told me that Chip Willis and Sarah, a model I've shot more than any other, were already inside. I also needed to find Bruce, but wasn’t sure what he looked like, so I started looking for Chip, who I knew was a large black guy. Well, what do you know, he and Bruce were hanging out. Bruce is responsible for Chip and I being a part of the show. Bruce is also in the Taschen book. Bruce's work kicks ass and Bruce, the dude, kicks ass.



Chip and I were eager to see our “stuff” hanging in the “invited guests/Taschen book photographers” area that Bruce had engineered. This is Chip with a Jack and Diet Coke giving me his approval. This was a key area for the two of us that weekend. We basically spent the whole show talking to well-wishers and old friends, but whenever it got slow, Chip would say to me “Let’s go over and watch people look at our stuff.” I loved that. It was the first time he and I had chosen to exhibit and we were a little giddy, scared and unsure of what would happen - at least I was. See the EXIT sign? Well every time someone came through that door, they slammed it, thus making the photos go crooked. We got tired of fixing them pretty quickly…



I saw some old friends, like Melvin Moten, Jr. on the right and some folks whose work I have long admired like Lochai, on the left. These guys are a hoot...



My pals Petr and Rose. Petr had a couple of pieces in the show and they had just flown in from Portland. Literally. Rose is a great photographer too, and really pretty...



I think Chip is either trying to hypnotize me here or he’s digging the Jack and Diet Cokes and all the attention. Or both…



Finally, at about 1am, we all meet up with Sarah and Dan and head towards Dan’s room at The LeLand for some late night wine. We had all decided to take a room at one of Detroit’s oldest and still standing, albeit barely, hotels. 21 stories of former magnificence, grand ballrooms and opulence, all falling supersonically into ill repair. Really, it’s hard to describe except to say two things, ok, four:

- There’s a bunch of Crackheads everywhere
- There’s a Goth club in the basement
- It’s a photographer’s dream
- The staff at The Leland does not give a fuck – about anything

The first time I worked with Sarah, I was a little intimidated. Her work is very serious, and seriously good (she picks collaborators well) and her confidence pops out of her photos and slaps you in the face. We've become fast friends with a shared sensibility in near-about everything. She claims I turned her on to the merits of red wine, South American to be exact, but I doubt it. Oddly enough, when Sarah is not in front of a camera working, she can be quite the goofball.



Here she is being the goofball with Chip, while our new acquaintance Melissa pretends to be a mannequin.



On the way to Dan’s room, suddenly, from out nowhere, this bat-like creature swooped down and grabbed Sarah, but she grabbed it around the neck, smiled at the camera and killed it. Dan photographed the whole thing, as you can see. I think Chip took this. I can't remember where I was...



Melissa and her old man, Tim - good people. Melissa is a model, just starting out. Dan and Chip will work with her on Saturday in the decaying ruins of the hotel. That will beef up her portfolio astronomically. Talented guys, this Dan and Chip…



Melissa checking out Chip’s book. It’s an impressive book.



Chip checking out Dan’s Hasselblad. It’s an impressive Hasselblad.



Chip likes Dan’s Hasselblad so much he attempts to fly, which is a little scary 'cause Chip works in the aeronautical industry, so if anyone in the room knows how to fly, it's him.



Dan, just as surprised as the rest of us, when Chip ACTUALLY takes off and hits the opposite wall with considerable force. Chip is fine and thankfully, The Leland doesn’t give a fuck.

Now 5am, and the wine long gone, it's time take a nap. Big day tomorrow...

JMG's Most Favorite Record Albums of 2006

10 BEST OF 2006 (alphabetical order)

Cat Power “The Greatest” (Merge)
Chan’s been plugging away at it drunk and high for a long time and most of her audience has stood beside her erratic performances because she’s so damn good. Still high as a kite, she journey to Memphis and recorded “The Greatest” and promptly checked herself into rehab on the eve of an American tour, costing Matador tons of money. You ever have one of those rare experiences where the first time you hear a record you get full-body goosebumps that don’t subside until the last note sounds? This is one of those. Gorgeous vocal harmonies, amazing strings and heartbreaking lyrics. It’s a masterpiece, plain and simple. One that I wonder if the new stone cold Ms. Marshall will ever be able to come close to again.

Gnarles Barkley “St. Elsewhere” (Downtown)
Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo make a silly-ass mess. You want to say it’s just a record full of “types” – you know the “hit single,” the “Motown,” the “George Clinton,” the “toy commercial” except the songs are so damn good, so damn funny and so damn intricately produced, that not only do they work, they insinuate themselves into your subconscious.

Keene Bros. “Blues and Boogie Shoes” (Recordhead)
Robert Pollard and Tommy Keene made a one-off that is as strong as the strongest GBV albums. Most of the time, “Blues” comes off as a anti-war album, continuing a theme that Pollard dips into often. Not quite a concept album, more just a song cycle with titles like “Death of the Party, “ Beauty of the Draft,” “Evil vs. Evil” and “Camouflaged Friend.” The songs don’t seem as cryptic as usual and the band, led by Keene’s solid-rock guitar , renders them catchy as hell. I like it a lot.

Mission Of Burma “The Obliterati” (Matador)
Reunions rarely work. I can only think of three within the last couple of years: Gang of Four, Slint and Mission of Burma. Bands reuniting and then recording new material NEVER works, except for one: Mission of Burma. But it took them two records to get it right – 2004’s “Onoffon” was completely hit and miss as the band had no idea what it wanted to say yet. They figured it out for “The Obliterati” another for the most part anti-war album with incredibly strong loud and punky playing from a bunch of 50 year olds. You can almost close your eyes and imagine it’s 1984 with MOB in their prime. And it’s loud just like it should be!

Neko Case “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.” (Anti)
If Chan Marshall won’t have a drink with me anymore, I hope Neko Case will. She exudes sultriness in every one of these songs, transporting the listener with her voice through time, from the Civil War, through the Dirty South, while also conjuring the best of Dusty Springfield and an evangelist preacher so compelling you cannot turn your ears away. Cute as hell too…

The Raconteurs “Broken Boy Soldiers” (V2)
I wanted to hate this. I really did. Alt/Indy Supergroup? The term alone just makes me want to vomit. But it’s the year’s perfect pop album. Kudos to that dude from the White Stripes that stepped back into the shadows a bit and let Brendan Benson and the Greenhornes' dudes shine a bit. You can certainly tell the difference between a Benson song and a Jack White song, but they slide in and out and around each other like oily water soup about to boil. And when Jack lets loose on the guitar, he reminds me that that there are few better living guitarists. Strong statement, I know, but true.

Sonic Youth “Rather Ripped” (Geffen)
What a surprise – a completely melodic, listenable, pretty album by a band that has only hit on those concepts in the past by accident. It’s almost humorous how “poppy” it is, as it must have been really, really hard for Thurston and Lee not to detune into drop K or whatever they normally do. Kim sings! And Steve basically plays a fancy 4/4. It’s mind-boggling that most of the record is catchy as hell. I doubt they’re trying to get radio play, but “Disintegrate” could easily play every hour on K-ROCK.

Tool “10,000 Days” (Volcano)
Guilty pleasure time. These guys just get better and better – math rock coupled with incredibly sarcastic illuminati-inspired lyrics all rolled up into one bombastic cannon and pointed right at your skull. More anti-Bush songs (is there a theme here?), songs about drugs and songs about UFOs – you know, the normal stuff for Mr. Keenan and Co. And the album packaging is, well, mind-expanding.

Thom Yorke “The Eraser” (XI)
The perfect album for all alone, late-night photo retouching in the dead of winter. That’s how I fell in love with it and once you embrace it, it sticks hard. Weird little angry esoteric poems about something, but you get it. It sounds like 4am.

Neil Young “Live at The Fillmore East” (Reprise)
It may be only six songs from two nights. It may be shorter than it should be, but what are you gonna do, call up Neil and complain? What you get is 6 songs from a moment in time – 1971 – with Crazy Horse at their embryonic peak if such a thing is possible. I’ll take what I can get from Mr. Young. I trust him like family and I rejoice in his noise.

ALMOST RANS (alphabetical order)

Blanch “What This Town Needs” EP (V2)
Heard this on KCRW and picked it up immediately. The Louvin Brothers meet The Raveonettes. Twangy, minor key goodness…

Dirty Pretty Things “Waterloo to Anywhere” (Interscope)
Druggy rock ‘n’ roll and it’s the real deal. No one involved, least of all Pete Doherty, remembers one damn thing about making this record. But then again, Keith doesn’t remember coming up with the riff for “Satisfaction.”

Robyn Hitchcock and The Venus 3 “Ole Tarantula” (Yep Rock)
Robyn’s best record in years w/ Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin. His tribute to Arthur Kane in “NY Doll” is devastating.

The Hold Steady “Boys and Girls in America” (Vagrant)
I ain’t saying it ain’t good, I’m just saying it ain’t as good as last year’s “Separation Sunday” which is a masterpiece – and you can only have one of those…

Tom Waits “Orphans” (Anti)
Too damn huge to comprehend in one sitting. Or two for that matter. Daunting how good these 54 songs are and they are all B-SIDES!

Twilight Singers “Powder Burns” (One Little Indian)
Greg Dulli’s best post-Afghan Whigs record to date. This does seem like a druggy, swampy concept album, the concept being despair.

REALLY, REALLY DISAPOINTING (alphabetical order)

The Flaming Lips “At War with the Mystics” (Warner)
If a Flaming Lips cover band made a record with Dave Fridman producing it would sound something like this. I love these guys, but their turn toward mid-era Pompeii Pink Floyd just stinks up the room in 5:1 surround. I thought it would grow on me, but with each listen, it becomes more and more unnecessary. Strip back to a four-piece, guys and lose the stuffed animals. They’ve had a good run…

TV on The Radio “Return to Cookie Mountain” (4AD)
Their first EP is fantastic. Their first album was okay. This, their second album seems purposely contrived to be “difficult.” I’m in the minority on this one, but fuck it, I’m right.

Yo La Tengo “I am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass” (Matador)
Best album title of the year does not save completely forgettable album of the year. See above under “The Flaming Lips.

Rock City

Deh-twah. Say it with me...

I had an amazingly enjoyable weekend at Dirty 8.0. Normally, events of this magnitude either put me in a foul or at least an apathetic mood, but I had a blast. And I attribute that directly to the company I kept and the support and good tidings I received.

- To BT Charles, who made it all possible, above and beyond and so on and so on. I bow...
- To Chip BFAM Willis. How is it that two people so completely different can be so much alike? And born one month apart? He takes pictures of food rather than eating it...
- To Sarah. She is the shit, plain and simple. And she knows it...
- To Iris, with not a selfish bone in her body...
- To Melvin, who always makes me smile because he is always right...
- To Petr and Rose, who somehow always seem to get away…
- To The Leland Hotel, lost in time and not giving a fuck...

I was very fortunate to meet many, many folks who I've corresponded with or simply admired their work: Dan, Johnny, Lochai, Gary, Dave, Kevin, Christopher, Anthony, Candy, Frank, Kathy, Melissa, ahhhh the list - she goes on and on...

There were plenty of shenanigans (especially on Saturday night) that you can read about elsewhere, but the point isn't really that several of us behaved like 15 year olds, is it?

The point is that I don't remember having that much fun with friends in a long time.

I gotta start leaving Mr. Cranky at home...

If You Feel Like a Patient Why Not Dress Like One?

I'm going to Detroit on Friday afternoon and my back hurts. Lower. Chronic. Stress related, no doubt.

Not stress related to going to Detroit, but just...stress related.

However, the trip to Detroit will not make my back feel any better.

Note the following criteria for further fucking up my back:

a) a unpredictable ride in a gypsy cab in Brooklyn to JFK - start, stop, start, whoa! start, stop...
b) de plane, de plane
c) an unfamiliar bed
d) jumping around and taking photographs from every which way

Do I sound like a pussy? Well, I'm not (not a big one, at least...). I've dealt with this for a decade and a half and it comes and goes. I'm just really tired of it and a little fearful of standing on a concrete floor for 6 hours on Friday and Saturday nights without any relief. Well-wishers beware!

I'm shooting Sarah standing on a chair in Detroit. That is if she superglues the heel back into place that her son broke today.

If you are going to attend Dirty Detroit v8.0, I'll be in the back of the show, probably leaning against the wall, or sitting on the floor, or knowing me - jumping up and down and carrying people on my head.

I did do that - once...right before I fucked up my back...

My Top Ten of 2006 list will go up tomorrow, unless my back hurts...

Today’s title is from the MIGHTY Mission of Burma's "Mica," which I am listening to right now over and over at maximum volume! Hunh?

The shot is Dandy Amber Marie. She's a pissed off Bunny... trust me on this one.

Jazz Bastards Will Fall And Confess

"Mag Earwhig" by Guided By Voices is one of the best albums EVER!

Unfortunately, I cannot include it in my BEST OF 2006 as it was released in 1997.

Oh well...

Long day editing photos. I cannot tell you how fulfilling it is, and how painful it is. Either way, you get to see brand new shots, like this one of Sheena.

I owe a bunch of people a bunch of stuff and I am chipping away at the iceberg.

At least I got an iceberg.

The title is from Robert Pollard's " The Colossus Crawls West."
The photo is of Sheena. She's NOT a punk rocker, but in my estimation, wanting to stand on a chair for me naked, equals PUNK ROCK.

At least I hope so...

Stringer Bell is dead. Long live Stringer Bell.

Sheena is...a Punk Rocker! (Shyly Too!)

Everything is relative and always in flux.

I love shooting with models that I've never worked with before because there's a certain tension there, a getting to know one another thing. I also love shooting with models that I've worked with before and with whom I've developed a rapport. They are two entirely different artistic experiences.

I shot with Shyly on Thursday evening in a "the snow" in Chelsea. I respect her both as a model and a photographer (her work is getting better in leaps and bounds!) I had some ideas and tried to make them real, and she just rolled with me the whole time. She was great, warm and willing to do damn near about anything. Having never met her, which is a rarity for me (she lives on in Los Angeles), I was extra sensitive, somewhere in the back of my mind, about making her experience with a stranger comfortable, while also pushing to get what I thought the two of us could do. She turned out to be such a sweetheart...

I shot with Sheena in June of 2005 - like a hundred years ago. I remember her being a bit nervous, but again, willing and responsive to my direction and we got some pretty iconic images. We've been trying to shoot again since then and today it finally came together. My agenda, now knowing her, was VERY specific. We are going to check into one of my (many ) Fuck Motel locations in NYC ($20/hr) and she is to stand on a chair for me in nothing but boots. She is to complete, yes, complete the Pissed-Off Bunnies series for me, and then we'll do one more fashiony set-up, if we have time.

She's such a sweetheart. Three hours - chair - done, bunny - done, fashiony thing - done! And we laughed like hell the whole time.

It was good to see her. You can actually make friends in this bidnezz. It will be good to see Shyly again as a friend.

The first photo is of Shyly. I'm calling the series "Snowbound."

This one is of Sheena and I - the last shot on the card - she insisted. These stupid self portraits rarely work and I almost always do the fat neck dance.

I firmly believe that this is The Ramones' world.
We just live in it…

...and Mr. Cranky is feeling much better, thanks.

Cranky McCrank-Crank

Boy when the Crank hits me, it hits me hard. I woke up yesterday morning in Cranky Town! It's hard to get out of Cranky Town quickly...so if you see me coming, stay away!

Everyone gets an even-keel dose, but I find it helpful to analyze the Crank so as to embrace it and to point it's power at those deserving, namely me.

Part of it is the weather and this beach ball inflating in my sinuses. Part of it is trying to finish up this job while sitting and waiting for my client to get approval from all the mucky-mucks. Part of it is the pile of work I have regarding my photography which just sits there collecting complaints from people who I owe images to as long as I sit and wait for my client. Part of it is people making plans for me that don't fucking know me. Part of it is the too much coffee. Part of it is being attached to this spinning thing that goes around the sun and makes me old and sore. Part of it is the IRS and their relentless pursuit of my coin. Part of it is my girl leaving town tomorrow for 10 days.

It'll pass.

Photo is of a train yard in Cleveland right outside the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Taken back in 1997 while being shown around town by Pere Ubu guitarist, Jim Jones. A wonderful, gracious man, and his "history of Pere Ubu through Cleveland's geography" commentary, I will never forget. Shortly after my trip, Jim had some pretty serious health problems. I should find out if he's ok...