Are You Experienced?

Listening to Patti Smith's "Twelve" for the first time ever. First track.

Goosebumps.

I love me some Patti.

Celia's 35mm contact sheet. One out of two.

History Lesson - Part II

I've pretty much gotta admit, that music is as important to me as making images. When you are a filmmaker, it's pretty much a given, that you'll just get all Quentin T. and dip into that hip music rights bankroll and release a soundtrack that rises to the top of the charts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and some weird place in Ohio...

BUT, if you shoot still photos, what do you do? I hear it in my head. I hear it before I shoot when I plan. I hear it in the bar or coffee shop when I'm brainstorming with a model. I play it loud as fuck while I'm shooting. I blast it when I'm retouching. I hear it on the subway coming back from the lab all tingly because of a slight glimpse at a contact sheet.

I hear it now.

Chas Ray Krider released a CD of music to "accompany" his Taschen book. Brilliant, really, and only available from his website. Looking at his book with the CD on creates a mood - and not only a mood, but the artist's intended mood. It's pretty powerful and completely different from the movie I made in my head when I first looked through his book in silence, or while listening to The Minutemen.

The Minutemen. That's what this photo is about, Specifically, their love song to each other, "History Lesson - Part II" which always makes me a little weepy. It's punk rock incarnate. Google the lyrics. I'd post them here, but godammit, why do I have to do all the work?

This shot is not the "definition" of punk rock, but what was playing in my head at the time...

Stoya. Martha on MU. The Gershwin Hotel.

Have you ever heard The Minutemen's cover of "Dr. Wu" by Steely Dan?

There's a history lesson there. It’s all about heroin…and at least The Minutemen were honest about it.

Ambition Makes You Look Really Ugly

Bad Girl

We Go Underground, Cuz There's Emptiness Above

First shoot tonight in two months.

I relied a little on my past - we started with a CHAIR shot, and man, if you can start with that, you're golden - and from there on out, we explored. She is a relatively new model, although I was impressed that she’s worked with Steven Speliotis, a wonderful photographer who also happens to be a champion non-traditional rope bondage artist. I met Steven at his show several years ago at Purple Passion and he was a wonderful host.

So I figure she’s cool.

Oh, she was cool. I spanked her for the last shot. Not on camera, but just for the “red part” for the shot. That was something – a first for both me and her.

The photo is of Amy, my first model for the second real project, ROOMS. She is now married and living somewehre upstate. She was so great, without knowing it, and she tossed me up over the fence of uncertainty to where I am now. More uncertainty for sure, but at a different level and a different kind. Cheers, Amy!

The title is from the song "Forty Dollars" by The Twilight Singers, which is Greg Dulli's post-Afghan Whigs band.

I got a love/hate with Mr. Dulli, but mostly he's right on. I saw the Whigs a few times and the last time I saw them in Providence in 1998 with my psychopathic girlfriend, both Greg and I were both on the edge of imploding. He ultimately did, broke up the band and released the first Twilight Singers record, which ain't great. I did too, ultimately, walking away from her, not responding to her lawsuit until her lawyer told me that he had "the wrong client" in the matter - which I know is unethical but is probably illegal. Either way, they both went away. Her to Canada, and the lawsuit to a paper shredder somewhere. I mentioned that she was a psychopath, right? It wasn't great either...

"Forty Dollars is from his last Twilight Singers album, which is a masterpiece. It made my Top 10 last year, remember?

And the "airplane come" line just gives me chills, and the two MORE THAN BLATENT Beatles shout-outs are godlike, or as George would have said, "They loom large in his legend." RIP, Sir.

I would like to meet Greg. I’d also like photograph him and his buddy, Mark Lanegan.

Listen here while reading the lyrics. Mr. Dulli at his Afghan Whigs best. Cheers, Greg!

“Jus' being' honest...

Suckers swallow every time, airplane come erase your mind
Seems there's been an accident, telephone cost ya fifty cent

To find out the retail, gory detail
Nuthin here for me, I get all of my kicks for free

Mangy dog without a collar, buy me love for forty dollars
I got love for sale, come on get some before it gets stale
Again, I win, the double for a lie, I get my money on the fly

We're throwin' down, so come on by, I'll be around

I got 3-6-9, another dollar makes a dime
Y'all in double dutch again, notify your next of kin, I said

Mangy dog without a collar, buy me love for forty dollars
I got love for sale, come on get some before it gets stale
Now, love don't mean a thing, but two a.m. and a telephone ring

Love is all you need, and all you need is love
Love is all you need, and all you need is love

We go underground, cuz there's emptiness above

She loves you yeah-yeah-yeah
She loves you yeah-yeah-yeah
She loves you yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah

I'm just bein'
I'm just bein'
I'm just bein'
I'm just bein'
Honest”

The Facts of Life

Health. Bills. Turmoil. Work. Death. Taxes. Shit. Piss. Food. Exercise. The (evilfucking) Media. Art. Sex. (odd, how those two ended up together) Velocity. Other People. Music. Sin. The "concept" of Sin. Philosophy. War. Death Taxes. Idiocy. Food. Free Association. Greed. Beauty. Love. Light. The Pursuit of Happiness. TV.

There is only one other person in the universe that understands this photo, so I post it for that person.

A ridiculous thank you. An absurd shout out. A tip of the hat and a nod to the knowing.

Thanks, buddy.

Sawed Off Shotgod

This part of the shoot with Sienna was all about "murder."

And man, we got some great stuff. Me with a 500 watt light in one hand, directing her as far as what to hang on to and how much to appear scared and the camera in the right hand.

Struggle.

Sienna. Not murdered, as far as I know.

The title is an old Vanilla Trainwreck song.

I did the backwards vocals. 1992, Madison Wisconsin.

Really.

Listen.

OK/No Way...

...is a Mission of Burma song that's playing right now. I've been doing a lot of digitizing, and it's totally random. Spoon's "Gimme Fiction" is next, followed by The Replacement's "Stink" followed by Son Volt's "Trace."

The photo is of PJ Harvey. I stole it from the Interweb.

I've been doing a lot of thinking/talking with folks who's opinions I care about regarding my next steps. Hey, if you ain't shooting, you better be figuring out what to shoot next, right? Progress...

I need some celebrity shots in my book to get my name out there. I've got some connections, but in the next few days, I will be looking for more and exploring those that I have.

I know people who can probably get me in front of several prominent Williamsburg musicians, some Indie actors (hell, John Turturro and Jennifer Connelly live a block away from me and Steve Buscemi and Maggie Gyllenhaal are in the neighborhood...) and plenty of writers. It's Brooklyn – god, there are a shitload of writers...

So, we'll see...

I wanna shoot Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, and Patti Smith.

"OK/No Way" is fantastic, but on this disc, "Forget" is the shit. "Forget" is one of the best songs ever recorded and it goes like this:

White walls
Tacked with papers
Confused by the details
Dangerous
They are just monuments
Demanding to get a reaction

When you are close to me
It is all right
When you are close to me
I can forget

People talk
And then disappear
I swerve
Just to miss their words
I stand upon this stupid platform
that I made with my own hands

When you are close to me
It is all right
When you are close to me
I can forget

Listen

I wanna shoot PJ Harvey too, but really I just want to fuck her.

Struggle.

OK? No Way.

Bashful Pretty She is Charm, She is Very Nice to Make Heartthrob

I got the title off of Craigslist. A friend of mine told me a joke (which I can't remember) but had something to do with "like a Craigslist hooker."

(Man, am I gonna get all sorts of hits now, pathetically...)

It is phrased in a lovely way, though.

Struggle.

Chantal has nothing to do with any of the above. She's just a great collaborator.

And very photogenic. In my way...

Better Pleased With Themselves Than What They Saw

I'm taking a bit of a break now, waiting for the next thing to happen. I could keep taking photos of smudgy girls, girls in Bunny costumes and most certainly girls standing on chairs, but I'm done with all of that, so what would be the purpose? I've got more than enough for my book should I ever choose to update it and get it out there...

But I am still engaged with potential models, brainstorming, letting our conversation perhaps turn into a nugget of something. And having a drink with a pretty girl is never a bad thing, right?

It's actually been really, really refreshing, not shooting. And part of that is knowing that the fever will grab me again with relentless force and I'll be off and running again...

But what? And when?

Dogs like Smokey (above) are pretty cool to shoot...

OK, maybe two more chair shots in the meantime...

Title is Jane Austin, from "Pride and Prejudice."

Pretty much sums up how I feel about most artists. And most people in general. Just sayin’…

God Bless Mr. Vonnegut

Fuck me.
I've lived too long.

"When the last living thing
has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say,
in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon,
“It is done.”
People did not like it here."

"Requiem" - K. Vonnegut

Good Things Come to Those That Wait - Sometimes

Sundae St. Laurent.

August 8th, 2004.

The ROOMS series.

My 10th formal shoot after formally deciding to shoot seriously, with an end goal in mind. In a formal, kinda serious way...

Sundae turned out to be the first best shoot I ever had. The first time that almost every shot was magical. The first time that I consciously connected to a model. The first time a model gave me more than I bargained for - than I even imagined a model could.

She showed up with five or six suitcases FULL or clothing, costumes and "whatnot" (what the hell does that mean anyway? A compound word composed of "what" and "not" - I don't get it...but yet we all sort of know what it means, right?) and a husband who sat on the couch the whole time reading KERRANG!, shouting pose suggestions.

They gave me a ride back to the city and dropped me off at 34th and Madison.

I was green, but shooting Sundae was like getting a Doctorate in six hours.

She raised the bar.

Then she dropped out.

Disappeared.

That caused me distress for two reasons:

1) I wanted to shoot her every day forever
2) I somehow "lost" the release that she signed. So I got all these amazing shots and I can't publish them. Fuck!

I and others attempted to contact her. Left her messages on her still working voicemail. Sent her messages to email that didn't bounce back.

Nothing.

And nothing always makes you wonder and worry...

Three years later, last week, I suddenly get a message from her on my obligatory yet completely inactive and obligatory MySpace page.

They'd had a kid. She sent pictures. They were fine. Better than fine.

And she faxed me a replacement release which I backdated and she didn't even call me a moron or give me shit in any way shape or form. Believe me, hers was the last release I've ever "misplaced."

And she said she's willing to shoot with me again. Just as soon as she's ready...

Sundae, baby, I'll wait...

ps - That's my guitar. Dino set it on fire and gave it to me. I can't play it for shit, but damn if it isn't the best prop I've ever used...

Off to Tennessee!

The reason is Easter.

The photo is of Natsuko.

The Best Album Ever...

When people ask me what my favorite record of all time is, I know. I don't say, "Well, it depends on my mood, or the day of the week, or where I am."

Nope.

Since the day I first heard it, there's never been a question. Somewhere around 1983-84 - way too late! But profound, from the moment the first notes of "Down on the Street" bitch-slapped me right in the face.

The power of Iggy and The Stooges cannot be measured and the perfectness of this recording is unrivaled.

"Funhouse" by The Stooges.

I don't have much to say about my work or photography in general today. Tired. Produced two radio spots from scratch 10am-8pm. Done.

Simple

This is my friend Sarah.

This was shot in Coney Island one Saturday morning at the end of January.

It's really cold outside, like 30 degrees F.

She rocks.

She also owes me a release, so don't tell her I posted this.

And I'm really, really scared of clowns.

Really.

Blast From The Past

I was going through some old archives of my writing and ran across my music column that I had for WB On-Line on AOL between 1996 and 1998. Here’s a random one from 11 years ago. I was drunk when I wrote it, I think…

The photo is of Shyly in the studio we shot in. She had literally just come from shooting with Terry Richardson and was tired…


Greetings From The Edge
August 28, 1996

THIS WEEK'S RANT

"I don't have a very stable character of my own, I have a series of borrowed personalities."

-Literary Agent Andrew Wylie

I am in Los Angeles. I do not belong in Los Angeles. I have nothing against Los Angles or it's many, many peoples, I just intuitively know (and that means from birth) that I was not meant to be here - even for an hour.

I've not seen a lot of music here. Of the little I've seen, most of it has been good - hell, The Leaving Trains at the Whiskey on "local band night" several years back was one of the best shows I've ever seen - but like the climate and the smog and the way of life, it just doesn't seem to hold a lot for me. I'm just basically an East Coast guy, and although never having fully thought it out before, most of the music I really, really appreciate and the musicians that I really, really admire do not come from Los Angeles. I say this with no prejudice - it's merely a fact.

I love punk rock but X weren't my favorites back then, neither were The Germs or Black Flag. And even if I had been born here, I have to believe that I still woulda gravitated toward The Replacements or the Bad Brains or Television. I do like The Doors (a guilty obsession), but it seemed like they were everything that was good about Los Angles in that era. I think that ultimately my problem lies in the fact that I fundamentally believe that human beings just we're meant to live here. There's no natural water and most importantly, there's no history. Now I realize that a great song can be written simply from one's own personal history - 15 years, 32 years, 66 years - whatever - but if there had never been a gold rush and D.W. Griffith hadn't been frozen out of movie making in the East, would I even be able to be here now?

But you can see the mountains from here. I don't care. But you can get to the coast in half an hour. I don't care. But you can visit Hollywood! Please...although I would like to visit the LaBrea Tar Pits (I'll write a song about it when I do...).

I'm clicking the heels of my Doc Martens three times - now three more - and then three more...nope, still here.

So I guess it's "Greetings From The Edge From The Road" this week. Hold on. Fasten your seat-belt and try to relax. We'll be home soon.


UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS

B.B. KING
A blues legend - plain and simple. And there ain't many more around. I've never seen B.B. in the flesh, but I've sure heard him play. If you are unfamiliar, he's the one that plays on U2's "When Love Comes To Town." If you like what you hear, visit a local record store and get something by Mr. King, preferably a live recording. For those familiar, I needn't say anything else.

RED HOUSE PAINTERS
I saw these guys the last time they came through and literally fell asleep. Out like a light at The Bottom Line. I thought them a hopeless rip off of Mark Eitzel ripping off Nick Drake. Thank you, goodnight. But a group of persuasive and relentless friends kept plugging them - I kept saying no thanks. Then one of those friends gave me a copy of the song, "Lord Kill The Pain" from their first EP. And the damn thing grew on me. Next thing I know, I'm whistling past the graveyard with that EP under my depressed little arm. I'd say that regardless how much they've grown on me (truth - you can convince yourself to like anything through massive repetitions - it's how "radio" works...) I'd still rate them the sadcore "B team." But that ain't bad, and they do strike a nerve every now and then. So I'll give them another chance. And there are no chairs where they're playing this time. And I'll ingest plenty of caffeine. I should be fine.

PEARL JAM
A rock institution returns to the road for a before-even-announced-sold-out tour. If Nirvana was the Sex Pistols of Grunge (and I'm not saying they were), The Jam are most certainly Bad Company (I am saying that). Watch 'em fight TicketMaster. Watch 'em blaze new ground as they lock up venues that rock bands never thought about playing (and coincidentally that TicketMaster never thought about locking into an exclusive agreement). Wonder to yourself why you are listening to "Jeremy" in a cow pasture somewhere in Connecticut. Smile when you see the guy hang up the sign that says "Continental Airlines Cow Pasture." Ain't life grand?

ANI DIFRANCO
Where'd she come from? Self-releasing a gaggle of albums in the past several years, Ani has now officially arrived. And she's arriving in huge theaters that are being packed with loyal fans and curious newcomers. I've heard that she's the new Patti Smith, but I thought that was P.J. Harvey. Or is it Patti Smith? I'm so confused. Anyway, Ani purportedly puts on a great show and spares the crowd the Tori Amos "mysteriosity." Hell, just the simple fact that she's turned down offers from major labels in order to retain her current independent and answering to no one status earns her points with me. See her now, a good thing can't last forever - and you'll be able to say you were there when...

MIKE PATTON / JOHN ZORN
Crazy men. Mike Patton, crazy punk rock guy, is lead singer with the second incarnation of Faith No More and has been with Mr. Bungle from the beginning. John Zorn, crazy avant-jazz guy, is a seminal member of the downtown New York Knitting Factory scene and "conductor" of Cobra, a free-form improvisational group with myriad members. Together, they make a lot of noise. I saw them as Naked City and Zorn and buddies cranked out this amazingly short, yet complex din of sax, guitar, bass and drums while Patton screamed little thirty second poems over it all. If you have the tolerance and get the chance, it's pretty cool, although, admittedly, it does wear a bit then after a while.

CRACKER
The leftover lead singer guy, David Lowery from Camper Van Beethoven. Remember them? If you don't, just stop reading now. Whether you go to see Cracker or not is completely up to you. If you do remember that band at their finest, trust me on this one. Stay at home and listen to their first three records instead. And then top it all of with their cover of "Pictures of Matchstick Men" and turn in for the evening. You'll be glad you did and you'll still respect yourself in the morning.

GIN BLOSSOMS
If Pearl Jam is the Bad Company of Grunge (I and I didn't say that - oh, yes I did...) then these guys are the Osmonds. Except the guy who wrote all the Osmonds songs didn't kill himself when the others kicked him out of the band. Don't you have anything better to do than listen to this crap?

INDIGO GIRLS
They don't do anything for me, but I understand the appeal. Two very strong singer-songwriters, writing tunes that appeal to a broad range of demographics. It's the way it should be for everyone playing music. Total marketability that includes a broad spectrum of audiences crossed with the necessary specialty groups. Well done - this should be a model for musicians of this genre - they could call it the TIG Economic Musician Model and sell it on a CD-ROM for millions. If you've heard The Indigo Girls, you know what you'll be in for. There'll be no surprises here.

THROWING MUSES
Just saw this band in Central Park playing with Luna and Cornershop. Kristin Hersh is still out front although Tonya Donelly has long since departed and lived through the rise and fall of Belly. The band was running through material off of their new album which all sort of sounded the same. The sun was also shining as it was about 4pm on a Saturday - and as I've said before, small dark bands like this are not supposed to play in the sunlight. The exaggerated paleness of their skin (and in Hersh's case, bright, rose-colored sunburn before the end of the set) always puts me off. Anyway, I always preferred Throwing Muses when Donelly was in the band and then I always preferred Belly to Throwing Muses - and I didn't even like Belly that much. The show in Central Park seemed a little strained - I don't know if that was due to the new members or the new material - but the whole thing came off as a bit awkward. Given time, one of two things will most certainly happen to this band: 1) They'll fund the confidence they need to retain their loyal fan base...or 2) They'll sink into oblivion once Donelly announces her next big project.


SHOWS I’VE SEEN

Nobody... (8/6-12/96 - NYC)
I started to go out to about a hundred shows last week but for one reason or another, I didn't make it to a single one. Here are some of the shows that could have been reviewed here but weren't and my accompanying excuses:

THE SEX PISTOLS
I called the press office and the lovely folks at Virgin told me that I shoulda called earlier and that their press list was completely full. Fine, I thought, They shoulda toured earlier, like back in 1987 (a ten year thing) and I'd just wait for the fat, old Clash reunion anyway, thank you.

EMMYLOU HARRIS
I went out to dinner with some very good friends and then went and played pool with Selena and Trixie. I swear.

FOETUS / CONGO NORVELL
I was on a plane headed toward Los Angeles. I saw the band from the air, but only briefly...

YUM YUM
I've read a lot about his band, which played NYC this week, and everyone made them sound slightly interesting. About going to see them - I forgot.

So if anyone out there wants to volunteer to be my personal assistant, and I'll be honest with you - I don't have a dime to pay you with but if you get me into the shows, I'll take you as my "plus one."


RECENT RECORDS

BAD BRAINS
"Bad Brains"
(ROIR Records)
It's about time. This was one of those rare ROIR cassette-only releases (an evil, yet admirable policy ) where they knew damn well that when the tapes wore out you'd be hooked into buying another and another and another, the catch being that the sound quality would always suffer. Their catalog is amazing - a lot of early punk from all around the country, most of it specially recorded for ROIR. Well, after many years, the good folks at ROIR have begun to re-issue their catalog on CD. So now, I own two copies of THE BLOW UP by Television on cassette (one is a safety copy) and the newly released CD version. Lydia Lunch's "Eight-Eyed Spy" has just come out and is highly recommended as is the first ever release from the legendary Bad Brains. I had forgotten exactly how good this record was. Way back in 1984 following the release of the (also) seminal "I Against I," I finally agreed to listen to the ROIR tape after a friend repeatedly proclaimed "Oh man, you haven't even heard their good stuff." I finally asked him to prove it. Bingo! And then before I could buy one, they disappeared (ROIR cassettes were always hard to find in the first place). Recorded in 1981, it showcases the Brains at their absolutely finest. Not completely set into a single style, they beat the odds, played that up and it worked it with astounding results. They described themselves as a "gospel band" and you can hear it (way, way back there somewhere) but in the front are pure crystalline blasts of punk, hard-core, reggae, and old fashioned thundering rock 'n' roll. Then music critic / now Yo La Tengo frontman Ira Kaplan supplies the original liner notes (reprinted here) and sums it up best by declaring "Movements come and go. The Bad Brains are real!" Well, they were very real, even though nothing lasts forever and today, they are no more. If you miss them like I do, buy this record. Unlike the Brains themselves, it is timeless.


RECENT SINGLES

GARBAGE
Stupid Girl (LP Version) / Stupid Girl (Tee's Radio Mix) / Driving Lesson
CD Single
(Almo Sounds, 360 N. Cienga Blvd., Los Angles, CA 90048-1925)
I gotta admit it's catchy as hell and Ms. Manson sure is a sultry little vixen, but this one has me a bit confused. Knowing Butch Vig's production credits and having actually spent several days out at his Smart Studios several years ago, the sound of this band just sorta surprised me. I know he didn't have to sound like Sonic Youth or any of the many others that the grunge king produced - and I know that he's a drummer, instrument-wise, and drummers are usually not responsible for the words and the melodies. I just expected them to be more "alternative" or something (and it's rare that I'm at a loss for opinions). I like the way they sound, don't get me wrong - it's just hard to pin them down - and they can count that as a compliment. It's sorta weird, haunting - almost like Mazzy Star on speed, but not really (still trying). And they respected The Clash enough to credit them for the use of a loop from "Train In Vain" (which I cannot hear for the life of me) not only in the production notes but as actual co-writers of "Stupid Girl." Who's backing these guys?

THE CURE
Mint Car (Electric Mix) / Waiting / A Pink Dream / Mint Car (Buskers Mix)
CD Single
(Elektra Records, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, 10019)
The song "Mint Car" sucks. It is not excellent. It's wild mood swing reminds me of the worst stuff on "Wish" - which makes sense. The guitar line is a parody on all the serious work they've done, borrowing most noticeably from "Inbetween Days." And the lyrics sound like they were written while Robert Smith was taking a dump or something. Or passing out from too much, uhh, medicine. "Waiting" is a bit better, containing slide guitar (a first for The Cure?) and the lyrics are sharper, sort of part two of "A Night Like This," but it's still too damn cute. "A Pink Dream" also steals all the good parts of the songs on "Head On The Door" but it don't even come close as an homage. And (okay, I admit it) I didn't even listen to the second version of "Mint Car." (Heavy sigh....) Where's the sense of doom? the sense of overwhelming loss and hopelessness? Oh well, at least we can sleep soundly until Bob gets over all this. He usually does.

FOO FIGHTERS
Big Me / Winnebago / How I Miss You / Podunk / Ozone / For All The Cows
(live) / Watershed (live)
CD Single
(Roswell Records, 1750 vine Street, Los Angeles, CA 90028)
You sure do get your damn money's worth here boys and girls! Seven, count 'em, seven songs plus the big hit single by (I read this somewhere) the Paul McCartney of Nirvana (I guess that would make Kurt, John, but then Krist is not really either a George or a Ringo...hmmmmmmmmmmm). Anyway, so Kurt gives Dave Grohl, the drummer, the opportunity to start his own band and now he sings and plays guitar. Good for Dave. They're a really tight little unit - Dave retained Nirvana's touring guitarist, Pat Smear - and most of their stuff really rocks, but they ain't the Beatles. They're more like Nirvana for kids. I don't mean that negatively, just factually. There is none of that grown-up edge - this band wouldn't scare a 10 year old, though Dave does him best to emulate that Cobain growl/yell thing that meant he was about to lose touch, except Dave just doesn't get away with it. He does, however, get away with a cover of Ace Frehley's "Ozone" played with much more finesse than The Face From Outer Space could ever muster. By the way teeny-boppers, the Seals & Crofts-ness of "Big Me" is NOT indicative of this band's sound.


MAIL

Keep those cards and letters coming...And remember, if I take a likin' to what you write - I reproduce it below...If you have non-virtual stuff you want me to hear (like if you are in a band or somthing)...send it to me - and if I like it enough, I'll make you a star (as far as you know).

This week, some very kind words from MojoAuntie:

"I totally agree with you about people needing to get out of the house more. Sadly, this has not been happening as often as I would like in my own life. At least not since my car blew up. The last concert I saw was on my lunch break about a week ago. I work in downtown Santa Fe, and every Tuesday and Thursday a local band will play on the downtown plaza. I stumbled onto a reggae band and could only stay to hear their versions of "No Woman no Cry", "Oye Como Va", and "All I Wanna Do". I don't know if they where really good or they where just live, but I had fun. I was wondering if you have seen "Trainspotting". If you like Iggy Pop (and you sure seem to) you should go see it. Also, have you ever heard of a band called "Morphine"? You should do a review on them some time. Hope you enjoyed your beer."

Well Mojo, I sincerely hope you get your car fixed soon. I once had a car "blow up" (quite literally) and it was a drag as the town I lived in then had no public transportation worth mentioning. It sounds like you are being quite resourceful though. I have seen some amazing music for free - from Robert Fripp to people I cannot possibly remember, it's a small investment and the rewards can often be huge - and if the band sucks, you can always walk away or throw something at them.

I have seen "Trainspotting" and think it to be the third best film of the year so far (behind "Heavy" and "Flirt"). I read an interview with the director, Danny Boyle where he said, "My film is not about heroin, it's about Iggy Pop." Go, Danny, go! And finally, Mojo, if Morphine plays live again (which, I would imagine is almost a certainty) I will write something about them - I promise. Oh, and the beer was excellent.

Remember to join me for a beer every Sunday night at Midnight Eastern for "Greetings From The Edge: The Chat." Show up and tell me I have no taste or something... It's in the place they call "The Rap" in the "Cafe.Com" room in Insomniacs Asylum...

Bring in your thoughts about your favorite or least favorite music and we'll...uhhh..."chat."

Grumble

I know I've grumbled about this before, but scanning is one tedious activity. Spent most of the day yesterday and this morning looking at contact sheets or reference prints, pulling negs, placing them in the holder, blowing canned air all over the place (with the cat sitting on the scanner) and saving to the hard drive.

At first, there is a sort of zen to it, but after eight hours, even if you are scanning porn star Lux Kassidy - which I was - it is tedious.

The results can be stunning, though. Chantal, above is straight from the negative - no Photoshop, no adjustment whatsoever other than my desired settings while scanning, which are relative to each shot. The shot you are seeing is squished down to web size of course, but trust me - the 27 meg file at 3200 dpi is pretty damn amazing. Blown up to 100% you can almost swim in the grain - and I think that's a good thing.

I spoke to Dian Hanson about the Taschen book and she told me that there are no surplus copies available for book signings or for outlets like The Strand. The entire press run has shipped, which indicates an inevitable 2nd printing, which is great for a number of reasons. Us NYC folks might actually be able to promote it at the Taschen store here in SoHo or at the ICP in Midtown and that my erroneous web address will be corrected in the bio section. Question - if a book is essentially sold out does one need to promote it? Probably not, but I think it would be a hoot to sit behind a folding table and sign my name in silver ink, while meeting fans, other photographers, potential models and perverts of all shapes and sizes. Right?

On to the next thing...