It may seem like I haven’t been writing much and this is true, it's just that there is so much bad news lately and I'm trying to keep a good mood going. I can't write about politics because I just get pissed off and go all negative as my tablet goes flying into the wall. I thought maybe I would write about what some would, and have, called a weakness of mine. It's just I have a thing for horoscopes. There I said it and i feel better already. Not that I live my life by them in any way because the gods know there isn’t the tiniest bit of truth there. I thought maybe a bit of description of a Leo woman was called for so I did some reading. You can decide for yourself.
Leo is the supposedly dramatic sign but is full of contrasts. While outwardly confident, aggressive and fearless Leos are inwardly sensitive and their feelings are easily hurt. They are the proverbial pussy cat in the lionesses' clothing. I read Leos can be playful, ambitious and loyal only to read on and see they are "quite egotistical, demanding, intolerant, domineering, lazy and stubborn." Because they hate ordinary day to day living they live life to the fullest, doing nothing the safe way, and in the end they thrive on drama.
In relationships Leos are trusting, loyal, emotional, and romantic. However they can equally become possessive and jealous if they don’t feel secure. "Always dramatic this is the sign most likely to have champagne, roses and satin sheets in their bedroom." I don't know about that, more likely beer, sunflowers, and flannel sheets. They are spontaneous adventurous lovers with a strong sex drive but their love of beauty makes them a bad judge of character and they are often disappointed. All things being equal Leo women are amongst the kinkier but a skillful partner soon learns that to be a 'good idea' something should be 'her idea' first.
"And the sign Leo is all about play, children, self expression… it is about getting in touch with your inner child. And, so it smiles brightly on the arts, all of them."
Bah it's all crap.
For the record, some of my fellow Leos: Amelia Earhart, Coco Chanel, Andy Warhol, Barack Obama, Jacqueline Kennedy, Jerry Garcia, Louis Armstrong, Madonna, Napoleon Bonaparte, Roman Polanski, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Alexandre Dumas, Leo Tolstoy, Mick Jagger, Claude Bragden, Bill Clinton, and Mario Bernardi.
Medina - Addiction
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Observations on Art 8.11
I was looking for videos from Afghanistan when I found this cool film. It just reminds me of when I zone out staring at a painting in a museum. The height of the palace creates the stunning depth of the background and the only color the pale blue of the drained and wasted pool contrasted against all the neutrals. Just stunning.
Cinematography and Editing by Trevor Tweeten
Digital Color and Post Production by Jerome Thelia
Theatre of War from Richard Mosse on Vimeo.
"Shot in Saddam Hussein's hilltop palace in the mountains overlooking the River Tigris, Theatre of War is a slow, virtually static video piece redolent of classical history painting. Audio was recorded at the official US military hand-over ceremony at the nearby city of Saniya. A mullah's prayer for unity among Arabs is spoken, after which the pan-Arab national anthem, Mawtini (My Homeland) is played, emphasizing Arab national solidarity and a pan-Arab territory. Made in Iraq in March 2009."Cinematography and Editing by Trevor Tweeten
Digital Color and Post Production by Jerome Thelia
Monday, August 8, 2011
Observations from the Coffee Shop 8.8
Over the weekend Ash and I made an art related road trip to Boston. I have never spent much time in Boston, I think because it must have more sports teams I hate than any other city other than my current home. The main concentrations of galleries in Boston are along the eight blocks of Newbury Street running west from the Boston Common. There must be two dozen galleries here with Lanoue Fine Art being my favorite. The Boston art scene seems a bit more formal than the Village, less laid back and not nearly as dark. The two of us felt pretty much out of our element but we survived.
Now I want to categorically state that we had nothing to do with a spate of recent gallery heists in the Boston area. I had to laugh when I told a friend that Ash and I were going on a road trip to Boston in a rental van. She emailed me back that she had a vision of me in black leather carrying an uzi. For some reason I find that vision appealing although I might need to add a smoke, something that is probably going to get me smacked. Better still, did you ever see the Tony Scott movie "Domino" with Keira Knightley and Mickey Rourke? It's based on the true story of Domino Harvey who left her life as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter. In its review of "Domino" six years ago The New York Times said: "The real Domino Harvey, who died at 35 in June from a heart attack with a toxic level of painkiller in her system, lived her life as if she were a character in a Tony Scott movie. That life was stranger than fiction, but perhaps not so strange as this."
Getting back to Boston, we stayed at the Fairmont Copley Plaza because it was close to the galleries. I found the hotel, which opened in 1912, comes with a bit of art trivia. It was constructed on the original site of Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and gets its name from the early American painter John Singleton Copley. I just love big old buildings like this and I laid in bed that night imagining ghosts walking the halls. I'll give you my style of hotel review. The bed was huge, soft, and warm in the cold air. The in room "refreshment center" was cold and full, and the waffles from room service were simply awesome. Would have been even better had "Battle Los Angeles" been on the screen instead of "Arthur" but I didn't pick the movie.
All in all a fun little trip.
Tom Jones / Stereophonics - Mama Told Me Not To Come
Now I want to categorically state that we had nothing to do with a spate of recent gallery heists in the Boston area. I had to laugh when I told a friend that Ash and I were going on a road trip to Boston in a rental van. She emailed me back that she had a vision of me in black leather carrying an uzi. For some reason I find that vision appealing although I might need to add a smoke, something that is probably going to get me smacked. Better still, did you ever see the Tony Scott movie "Domino" with Keira Knightley and Mickey Rourke? It's based on the true story of Domino Harvey who left her life as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter. In its review of "Domino" six years ago The New York Times said: "The real Domino Harvey, who died at 35 in June from a heart attack with a toxic level of painkiller in her system, lived her life as if she were a character in a Tony Scott movie. That life was stranger than fiction, but perhaps not so strange as this."
Getting back to Boston, we stayed at the Fairmont Copley Plaza because it was close to the galleries. I found the hotel, which opened in 1912, comes with a bit of art trivia. It was constructed on the original site of Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and gets its name from the early American painter John Singleton Copley. I just love big old buildings like this and I laid in bed that night imagining ghosts walking the halls. I'll give you my style of hotel review. The bed was huge, soft, and warm in the cold air. The in room "refreshment center" was cold and full, and the waffles from room service were simply awesome. Would have been even better had "Battle Los Angeles" been on the screen instead of "Arthur" but I didn't pick the movie.
All in all a fun little trip.
Tom Jones / Stereophonics - Mama Told Me Not To Come
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Observations from the Window 8.6
I tried, I tried so hard to stay away from politics for now but like a junkie needing its fix I just couldn't do it any longer. When every economist says this is the worst time for the government to cut spending we have massive spending cuts. The debt ceiling debacle, sorry I meant deal, could actually end up cost 1.5 million jobs. In July the illustrious Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said on the senate floor that the poorest and not the richest Americans need to pay more in taxes. Where the money for said higher taxes is to come from he did not say.
Living and working here with Ash makes my situation hard to explain. I live in the highest rent area in the world yet pay almost nothing because that is how Ash pays me for the work I do for her. Because of the gallery and some photo work I have money for the things I need and some things I want. I save some money by doing a lot of work on Foxy myself but I get killed on health insurance because of my history. I shouldn't complain at all because my situation involves choices that have made in my life and I could be saving if I had taken another path but I choose to do this. I just wish I was saving more so when that Paris opportunity arrives I'm ready for it but it is what it is.
Than you have my brother who graduated from Penn State in December with a degree in environmental science that included two minors. Six months later he is still waiting tables at place near my dad's and he thinks the recent national debt bullshit will probably kill his one recent hope because it involves government funding. The sis will be starting at State later this month and was just hit with a 4% tuition increase due to cuts in state funding to the university. The Department of Education already listed Penn State as the most expensive four year public college in the nation.
So where are we going in this country? Polluted water, smoggy skies, falling bridges, less education funding, and unhealthier Americans seems to be the direction. I'm proud Barrack Obama was elected President of the United States, I'm proud I voted for him, and I can say right now I will again. But Obama boasts that we will now have the lowest domestic spending levels since Eisenhower was President yet fails to mention that spending in Afghanistan avoided the knife entirely.
When I heard him say that all I could think was I wonder how the first black President of the United States would have liked living in the Eisenhower era.
Manchester Orchestra - Virgin
Living and working here with Ash makes my situation hard to explain. I live in the highest rent area in the world yet pay almost nothing because that is how Ash pays me for the work I do for her. Because of the gallery and some photo work I have money for the things I need and some things I want. I save some money by doing a lot of work on Foxy myself but I get killed on health insurance because of my history. I shouldn't complain at all because my situation involves choices that have made in my life and I could be saving if I had taken another path but I choose to do this. I just wish I was saving more so when that Paris opportunity arrives I'm ready for it but it is what it is.
Than you have my brother who graduated from Penn State in December with a degree in environmental science that included two minors. Six months later he is still waiting tables at place near my dad's and he thinks the recent national debt bullshit will probably kill his one recent hope because it involves government funding. The sis will be starting at State later this month and was just hit with a 4% tuition increase due to cuts in state funding to the university. The Department of Education already listed Penn State as the most expensive four year public college in the nation.
So where are we going in this country? Polluted water, smoggy skies, falling bridges, less education funding, and unhealthier Americans seems to be the direction. I'm proud Barrack Obama was elected President of the United States, I'm proud I voted for him, and I can say right now I will again. But Obama boasts that we will now have the lowest domestic spending levels since Eisenhower was President yet fails to mention that spending in Afghanistan avoided the knife entirely.
When I heard him say that all I could think was I wonder how the first black President of the United States would have liked living in the Eisenhower era.
Manchester Orchestra - Virgin
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Observations on Art 8.4
Court is forever sending me videos and picking my mind about them. What I like, don't like, color, and other things. I finally decided I would start posting ones I like here to add a little color, unless they all happen to be b&w. As for me taking up film, don't hold your breath on that. As Court often told me I just don't have the patience for it.
SASHA GREY from V Magazine on Vimeo.
Observations from the Coffee Shop 8.4
Some random thoughts....
I have been back in the Village for only a couple days but I'm ready to go back to the shore. I wouldn't need much in the form of entertainment because I still have half my tequila, this has to be the first time I didn’t finish the bottle, and I only read one of the three books I took along. The sad thing is the one I read I already had before, "Just Kids" by Patti Smith. That leaves Maggie Nelson's "The Art of Cruelty" and Joel Sternfeld's "Walking The High Line" for a return trip. The latter is a big photo book I wanted to study and see if it gave me any ideas.
Guy told me just yesterday that I have no ass and I don't shake what I have enough. Guy doesn't know how close he came to being laid out but this time I just thanked him and walked away. Sadly this isn't the first time I've been told this, I rather like my ass tyvm. I'm thinking he must have been a Republican and speaking of Republicans, no I'm not ready to go there yet. I'm still feeling too good from the shore visit.
Why do some artists return to the same subject over and over? Watteau’s works often feature lovers in the last light of the day. Picasso was obsessed with the Minotaur whom he painted as a beast, a poet, a murderer, a murder victim, and others. Than there is German Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach the Elder who liked nothing better than painting beheadings or more precisely pretty women carrying severed heads. Try doing that today and you'll find yourself in a padded room at Bellvue.
I read an article in the Times last week that said women are more likely to sext than men. My thought is it's because women have a much more active erotic imagination than men who are too busy imagining minotaurs and severed heads.
The Phillies, 31 games over .500 and 8 games ahead of the Braves. Need I say more?
Ladytron - White Elephant
I have been back in the Village for only a couple days but I'm ready to go back to the shore. I wouldn't need much in the form of entertainment because I still have half my tequila, this has to be the first time I didn’t finish the bottle, and I only read one of the three books I took along. The sad thing is the one I read I already had before, "Just Kids" by Patti Smith. That leaves Maggie Nelson's "The Art of Cruelty" and Joel Sternfeld's "Walking The High Line" for a return trip. The latter is a big photo book I wanted to study and see if it gave me any ideas.
Guy told me just yesterday that I have no ass and I don't shake what I have enough. Guy doesn't know how close he came to being laid out but this time I just thanked him and walked away. Sadly this isn't the first time I've been told this, I rather like my ass tyvm. I'm thinking he must have been a Republican and speaking of Republicans, no I'm not ready to go there yet. I'm still feeling too good from the shore visit.
Why do some artists return to the same subject over and over? Watteau’s works often feature lovers in the last light of the day. Picasso was obsessed with the Minotaur whom he painted as a beast, a poet, a murderer, a murder victim, and others. Than there is German Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach the Elder who liked nothing better than painting beheadings or more precisely pretty women carrying severed heads. Try doing that today and you'll find yourself in a padded room at Bellvue.
I read an article in the Times last week that said women are more likely to sext than men. My thought is it's because women have a much more active erotic imagination than men who are too busy imagining minotaurs and severed heads.
The Phillies, 31 games over .500 and 8 games ahead of the Braves. Need I say more?
Ladytron - White Elephant
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Observations on Art 8.2
Just another short Court sent me that I kinda like something about. One of these days I may have to try my luck at film because seriously I have so much spare time to fill.
PSYCHEDELIA from Kevin @ Bayard Studios on Vimeo.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Observations from the Shore 7.31, Final Edition
I always hate leaving the shore, I'm really just so much more at peace when I am there. That may sound deep but I really can't think of any other way of putting it. My mountains, if I can still call them mine, are like that too but different at the same time. I like to go into the mountains to think but once I drive over the drawbridge into Stone Harbor I don’t think much at all, I just am. So I wasn't too upset yesterday when my plans suddenly changed and I had to stay at the house another day. I took one last swim while I waited for my dad's friend to arrive and but when I got back there was a message on my phone. Due to car problems he wouldn't be down until Sunday and did I mind staying another day? I thought long and hard on that for as long as it took me to return the call, yes I could force myself to stay.
With an extra day I decided to cram in some things I hadn't gotten around to yet. The best was an early dinner at Sylvester’s in Avalon. I have been going there for a dozen years but just didn't feel like driving up this week than decided this must be the reason the gods had immobilized that car. Sylvester’s is a fish market meets back street BYO picnic style diner which also happens to have the best seafood you will find anywhere. Grilled swordfish and two dozen steamed clams put a big smile on my face.
I can still remember the first time my family ate at Sylvester’s. My dad had been looking for a new place to try out and found an ad for Sylvester’s in one of those little beach mags. The kids were both little so we went to eat at 4PM which was when they opened for dinner. To make a long story short it's up 21st street near the bay, has a gravel parking lot, looks like a dive, and has no clientele at 4, but we went in anyway. 'In' isn't the right word because you eat outside under a green tarp roof and are served in styrofoam containers. Until we left the line to get in stretched to the end of the block and I've been back every year since. To this day Sean still talks about working there one summer. I'm not sure if it is for the food, the money they must make in tips, the cool Sylvester’s t-shirts they all wear, or the leggy sun bleached blondes that always seem to be working there.
I also wandered into a new downtown shop called Skirt which I should have stayed out of. It's another designer shop so I really didn't expect to find anything I wanted but I was never in it so I checked it out. I saw some AG jeans in a cut that looked awesome so I tried them on which was a big mistake. Being tall and on the thin side I have a ginormous problem finding jeans that fit me right but these fit like a fine leather glove. I so loved the way they looked but they also cost $165 and there was no effing way I was paying that for jeans. On their website I did find that they make the same cut in 'leatherette' which they describe as a "fabric is coated and brushed to give the surface of this legging a leatherette appearance! They look like they are painted on your body." These I might have to have.
I just wrote about jeans. It really was time to get back to the Village.
Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed
With an extra day I decided to cram in some things I hadn't gotten around to yet. The best was an early dinner at Sylvester’s in Avalon. I have been going there for a dozen years but just didn't feel like driving up this week than decided this must be the reason the gods had immobilized that car. Sylvester’s is a fish market meets back street BYO picnic style diner which also happens to have the best seafood you will find anywhere. Grilled swordfish and two dozen steamed clams put a big smile on my face.
I can still remember the first time my family ate at Sylvester’s. My dad had been looking for a new place to try out and found an ad for Sylvester’s in one of those little beach mags. The kids were both little so we went to eat at 4PM which was when they opened for dinner. To make a long story short it's up 21st street near the bay, has a gravel parking lot, looks like a dive, and has no clientele at 4, but we went in anyway. 'In' isn't the right word because you eat outside under a green tarp roof and are served in styrofoam containers. Until we left the line to get in stretched to the end of the block and I've been back every year since. To this day Sean still talks about working there one summer. I'm not sure if it is for the food, the money they must make in tips, the cool Sylvester’s t-shirts they all wear, or the leggy sun bleached blondes that always seem to be working there.
I also wandered into a new downtown shop called Skirt which I should have stayed out of. It's another designer shop so I really didn't expect to find anything I wanted but I was never in it so I checked it out. I saw some AG jeans in a cut that looked awesome so I tried them on which was a big mistake. Being tall and on the thin side I have a ginormous problem finding jeans that fit me right but these fit like a fine leather glove. I so loved the way they looked but they also cost $165 and there was no effing way I was paying that for jeans. On their website I did find that they make the same cut in 'leatherette' which they describe as a "fabric is coated and brushed to give the surface of this legging a leatherette appearance! They look like they are painted on your body." These I might have to have.
I just wrote about jeans. It really was time to get back to the Village.
Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed
Friday, July 29, 2011
Observations from the Shore, the Mirage
Possibly my favorite thing at the shore is walking on the beach at dawn. No matter how little, if any, sleep I have had I drag myself out to the beach and just walk. I love to look out over the ocean as the sky turns multiple shades of pink and orange, slowly blending together everything from the palest nadeshiko to the brightest amber and gold. Standing on the empty beach with my feet in the cold water as the sun finally climbs into the sky. My lungs filled with the salt air, the breeze off the ocean in my face, I just smile at the beauty of it all. I wouldn't call it meditation but the effect it has on me seems to be about the same.
All week the mornings had been rather cool and I was excited to wear a sweatshirt for my walks. This morning was a bit warmer and more humid so I just pulled on some ratty jeans with the top of my swimsuit and headed down to the water. But for a few fishermen the beach was wonderfully deserted as I walked with my feet in the cold, almost numbing, water.
After a bit of walking I saw a girl in the distance sitting as close to the water as possible, just like I sometimes do in the morning. As I got closer I stopped to take a few shots of her than thought I might say heyas or some other profound word. I mean I do like my morning walks alone but than again I don't normally run into somebody as stunning as her either. By sheer luck I took this shot just after a wave rolled in a bit farther than she expected. We just looked at each other for a moment than began to laugh like two kids playing in the surf.
It all became a bit surreal when I looked at her and realized she was dressed like I was, tall like I am, and was alone on the beach at dawn like I always am. I never did get to talk to her though as she got up, smiled, and walked away brushing off her wet sandy jeans. I stood there watching her walk away until I lost her in the morning haze and instantly knew what I would title the photo if it was good.
"She walked on, comforted by the surf, by the one perpetual moment of beach-time, the now and always of it."
William Gibson
Karma
All week the mornings had been rather cool and I was excited to wear a sweatshirt for my walks. This morning was a bit warmer and more humid so I just pulled on some ratty jeans with the top of my swimsuit and headed down to the water. But for a few fishermen the beach was wonderfully deserted as I walked with my feet in the cold, almost numbing, water.
After a bit of walking I saw a girl in the distance sitting as close to the water as possible, just like I sometimes do in the morning. As I got closer I stopped to take a few shots of her than thought I might say heyas or some other profound word. I mean I do like my morning walks alone but than again I don't normally run into somebody as stunning as her either. By sheer luck I took this shot just after a wave rolled in a bit farther than she expected. We just looked at each other for a moment than began to laugh like two kids playing in the surf.
It all became a bit surreal when I looked at her and realized she was dressed like I was, tall like I am, and was alone on the beach at dawn like I always am. I never did get to talk to her though as she got up, smiled, and walked away brushing off her wet sandy jeans. I stood there watching her walk away until I lost her in the morning haze and instantly knew what I would title the photo if it was good.
"She walked on, comforted by the surf, by the one perpetual moment of beach-time, the now and always of it."
William Gibson
Karma
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Observations 7.28
After too little sleep last night and a long walk this morning it turned into a total veg of an afternoon that was highlighted by a long nap on the deck. I was going to try and write a little about Stone Harbor every day but it doesn't seem to be happening the way I planned. I just wanted to share this tune by Crash Test Dummies. It's a tune I only heard recently when a good friend posted it with one of her pics. I just thought it was so totally awesome and fit perfectly.
"When I Go Out With Artists"
"When I go out with artists
They talk about language and the cubists and the dadaists
And I try to catch their meanings
And keep up with all the martinis
I don't know which should be my favorite paintings
If I could see, if I could see, if I could
See all the symbols, unlock what they mean
Maybe I could, maybe I could, maybe I
Could meet the artists, and get to know them personally
If I were David Byrne
I'd go to galleries and not be too concerned
Well I would have a cup of coffee
And I'd find my surroundings quite amusing and
People would ask me which were my favorite paintings
What if the artists ran the TV?
All the ads would be for fine scotch whiskey:
Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, the whole single malt family
The artists of the future
Will make up new things and different nomenclatures
And they'll stand amongst their pictures
And they'll sing and laugh and quote from scriptures and
When they go home they'll dream of brilliant paintings."
Crash Test Dummies - When I Go Out With Artists
"When I Go Out With Artists"
"When I go out with artists
They talk about language and the cubists and the dadaists
And I try to catch their meanings
And keep up with all the martinis
I don't know which should be my favorite paintings
If I could see, if I could see, if I could
See all the symbols, unlock what they mean
Maybe I could, maybe I could, maybe I
Could meet the artists, and get to know them personally
If I were David Byrne
I'd go to galleries and not be too concerned
Well I would have a cup of coffee
And I'd find my surroundings quite amusing and
People would ask me which were my favorite paintings
What if the artists ran the TV?
All the ads would be for fine scotch whiskey:
Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, the whole single malt family
The artists of the future
Will make up new things and different nomenclatures
And they'll stand amongst their pictures
And they'll sing and laugh and quote from scriptures and
When they go home they'll dream of brilliant paintings."
Crash Test Dummies - When I Go Out With Artists
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Observations, Amy Winehouse
I've read and watched so many things about Amy Winehose in the past few days. Nothing I have seen says it any better than this piece by MSNBC's Martin Bashir and the video that follows it. The vid is an hour long but so worth watching. If you must just skip to 47 minutes and just watch "You Know I'm No Good." Damn she was good.
"Just a few hours ago, one of the world’s most talented musical artists was laid to rest, as the funeral service for Amy Winehouse took place in London. Amy Winehouse had only spent about seven years as a professional musician but her contribution to popular music already places her very near the top of her business.
Her two albums, “Frank” and “Back to Black,” sold more than four million copies. She won a total of 23 music industry awards, including five Grammys. It’s estimated that over the last three years, she made almost $20 million from recording and performing and all in such a short space of time.
I saw her twice and she had a voice that harked back to previous eras, somehow combining Motown, Soul and Jazz but all in modern form. Her tone was smoky, burnished with an old single malt whiskey – brought to fruition at an incredibly young age.
It was her sound, but sadly, it also became her life. She was a drinker, who by her own admission “didn’t know when to stop.” Her parents talked openly about her drug use and her father once claimed that smoking crack-cocaine had given her emphysema – a debilitating condition for anyone, but imagine its impact upon a woman whose work relied upon her lungs and voice.
There has been some helpful discussion about addictive behavior and how all of us need to understand that many such people are not criminals but are seriously ill and in need of care and support. But if you listen carefully to the lyrics that Amy Winehouse wrote – there is a universal theme that almost proved too difficult for her to bear – that happiness never lasts; that love, as she put it so expertly, is a losing game.
Amy Winehouse’s music was profound because she confronted some of the starkest truths of our existence. That’s some contribution and all in such a short space of time. Amy Winehouse was just 27 years of age when she passed away on Saturday."
Amy Winehouse - Live At Glastonbury Festival 2008
"Just a few hours ago, one of the world’s most talented musical artists was laid to rest, as the funeral service for Amy Winehouse took place in London. Amy Winehouse had only spent about seven years as a professional musician but her contribution to popular music already places her very near the top of her business.Her two albums, “Frank” and “Back to Black,” sold more than four million copies. She won a total of 23 music industry awards, including five Grammys. It’s estimated that over the last three years, she made almost $20 million from recording and performing and all in such a short space of time.
I saw her twice and she had a voice that harked back to previous eras, somehow combining Motown, Soul and Jazz but all in modern form. Her tone was smoky, burnished with an old single malt whiskey – brought to fruition at an incredibly young age.
It was her sound, but sadly, it also became her life. She was a drinker, who by her own admission “didn’t know when to stop.” Her parents talked openly about her drug use and her father once claimed that smoking crack-cocaine had given her emphysema – a debilitating condition for anyone, but imagine its impact upon a woman whose work relied upon her lungs and voice.
There has been some helpful discussion about addictive behavior and how all of us need to understand that many such people are not criminals but are seriously ill and in need of care and support. But if you listen carefully to the lyrics that Amy Winehouse wrote – there is a universal theme that almost proved too difficult for her to bear – that happiness never lasts; that love, as she put it so expertly, is a losing game.
Amy Winehouse’s music was profound because she confronted some of the starkest truths of our existence. That’s some contribution and all in such a short space of time. Amy Winehouse was just 27 years of age when she passed away on Saturday."
Amy Winehouse - Live At Glastonbury Festival 2008
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Observations from the Shore 7.26
One of the things I love about Stone Harbor is its total lack of a boardwalk. I suppose I enjoyed them as a child but as I got older and saw the darker side of life they just started to give me the feeling of being trapped in some kind of ocean side freak show. I do still like to ride a bike on them in the morning though I tend to ride too fast and so get dirty looks as I weave around people. But late in the evening they get too loud, too crowded, and too damn bright which taken together is the exact opposite of why I come down here.I’ve been coming to Stone Harbor for twenty years and there are so many places that I have gone to for most of them, another reason I feel so comfortable here. I can spend hours wandering the tiny downtown area and than do it all over again the next night. Yes I said downtown, two blocks by three blocks and that is what we call it so that's what it is. Even better is to walk down the empty main street after a sunrise beach walk and smell the sticky buns baking at the bread shop. The street just fills with the scent of sticky and cinnamon buns fresh out of the oven. I’ve already stayed in Wildwood, about twenty minutes to the south, and driven up in the morning just for that.
Mimi's and the adjacent Suncatcher Surf Shop is a spot where I could spend any amount of time and money. I don’t like to pay an outrageous amount on clothes that aren’t made out of leather but something about the selection at Mimi's sets off my deeply buried feminine genes and I want it all. The Suncatcher has anything surf related and has the largest selection of surf-ts I have ever seen anywhere. I probably own more t-shirts from here than anyplace outside of State College.
Than there is Fred's, Fred's Tavern and Liquor store, a place for which I have no words. Fred's is one of those dark bars that let you forget its daylight outside until you stumble out the door into the afternoon sun. It's always my first stop when I arrive in town and this trip was no different. To my surprise Fred's had been newly renovated or what passes for renovation at Fred's. It is the same big square room with its big square bar and the liquor store through a door in the wall but with new tables, chairs, and other such decorative things that the regulars seem to abhor. What I found awesome was the new TouchTunes jukebox which will run playlists you can upload from your cell phone. Something I could cause some real damage with.
I have been drinking at Fred's longer than anybody in my family cares to remember. I think because it's easy to get served when you are tall and look like you might freak without a drink, some things never change.
The Black Eyed Peas - Pump It
A totally unrelated note, my current must have is the just released Motorola Droid3 with a dual-core 1 GHz processor, 4" hi-def screen, full html browser, and numbers on the keyboard!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Observations from the Shore 7.25
I live for this place. More than any other spot I seem to find peace here, even more than my mountains. The scene of my greatest failure may be a short drive to the south but it doesn't matter at all as if it was a different life entirely. This spot is my Jersey shore and not the snookified version of your nightmares. If I had to stay at one place and never leave for the rest of my life this would be it. No mountains, no Paris, no Village, just this house on this beach in this town, and Fred's. Nothing compares to sitting on the deck in the morning as the sun slowly rises and listening to the waves crash on the beach. Nothing else matters as I sip my coffee and just listen.
I left New York early yesterday to drive home and pick up the house key than drove down to the shore last night. It's a drive a have taken so many times yet I enjoy every minute of it. That is a little silly considering it's almost all highway and goes through the heart of Philly but it's a drive with so many memories. The drive through Philly, past the stadiums, and over the Walt Whitman Bridge leads to a speed run down the ACE that cuts through the Jersey Pinelands. With the top down I flash past bus loads of gamblers heading to the Atlantic City casinos and their fortune or their pittance. Than after a short drive south I do as I always do and jump off the Parkway so I can drive through the towns of Seven Mile Beach. Sea Isle City, Townsends Inlet, Avalon, cruising south with the top down on a warm muggy star filled night. Finally the requisite stop at Fred's to pick the alcohol and I'm back. The deck, the beach, the salt filled breeze off the ocean, and the waves crashing till the end of time.
Every time I get back it feels like I never left.
Now if I sound all serious I don't mean to at all. When I come here I leave most of my seriousness behind and short of some earth shattering cataclysm that is how it is going to be for the rest of the week. The world will just have to go on with out me. This is how I change by life, by doing absolutely nothing at all.
A friend shared this tune with me and it's just so awesome I had to share too. With a title like that how could it not be awesome?
Crash Test Dummies - When I Go Out With Artists
I left New York early yesterday to drive home and pick up the house key than drove down to the shore last night. It's a drive a have taken so many times yet I enjoy every minute of it. That is a little silly considering it's almost all highway and goes through the heart of Philly but it's a drive with so many memories. The drive through Philly, past the stadiums, and over the Walt Whitman Bridge leads to a speed run down the ACE that cuts through the Jersey Pinelands. With the top down I flash past bus loads of gamblers heading to the Atlantic City casinos and their fortune or their pittance. Than after a short drive south I do as I always do and jump off the Parkway so I can drive through the towns of Seven Mile Beach. Sea Isle City, Townsends Inlet, Avalon, cruising south with the top down on a warm muggy star filled night. Finally the requisite stop at Fred's to pick the alcohol and I'm back. The deck, the beach, the salt filled breeze off the ocean, and the waves crashing till the end of time.
Every time I get back it feels like I never left.
Now if I sound all serious I don't mean to at all. When I come here I leave most of my seriousness behind and short of some earth shattering cataclysm that is how it is going to be for the rest of the week. The world will just have to go on with out me. This is how I change by life, by doing absolutely nothing at all.
A friend shared this tune with me and it's just so awesome I had to share too. With a title like that how could it not be awesome?
Crash Test Dummies - When I Go Out With Artists
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Observations from the Window 7.24
Some random notes from the heatpocalypse.
When I first get on twitter in the morning I normally check two things before anything else. My horoscope, but we aren't going there right now, and the weather. Friday morning my NYC weather tweet said simply "the city is ready to boil." Not an effing good way to start the day, not at all. Also State College tied an all time record for high temperature Friday, 102°. In all the time I spent there I never remember it being that hot. Seriously, the mountains are supposed to be cool not an amazonian sauna.
The Phillies beat the Padres Friday night with Cole Hamels' collecting his 12th win of the year in an amazing performance. He struck out 10 batters in 8 innings in a game that began with a 7PM game time temperature of 98° which didn't seem to keep the usual 45,000 fans away. Unbelievable.
You might know by now that my vendor across the street is my barometer for all things weather related. Saturday he may have had his best idea ever. Bottled water. Not those little spray/fan things but honest to god iced bottled water. Cold, pour it over your head refreshing. Well done vendor guy. Friday night the temp in Central Park didn't dip below 100° until 7PM, just unreal.
Words just don't seem to describe it. Unbearable, blistering, wretched. No matter what you call it its fucking hot.
Billy Idol - Hot In The City (live)
When I first get on twitter in the morning I normally check two things before anything else. My horoscope, but we aren't going there right now, and the weather. Friday morning my NYC weather tweet said simply "the city is ready to boil." Not an effing good way to start the day, not at all. Also State College tied an all time record for high temperature Friday, 102°. In all the time I spent there I never remember it being that hot. Seriously, the mountains are supposed to be cool not an amazonian sauna.
The Phillies beat the Padres Friday night with Cole Hamels' collecting his 12th win of the year in an amazing performance. He struck out 10 batters in 8 innings in a game that began with a 7PM game time temperature of 98° which didn't seem to keep the usual 45,000 fans away. Unbelievable.
You might know by now that my vendor across the street is my barometer for all things weather related. Saturday he may have had his best idea ever. Bottled water. Not those little spray/fan things but honest to god iced bottled water. Cold, pour it over your head refreshing. Well done vendor guy. Friday night the temp in Central Park didn't dip below 100° until 7PM, just unreal.
Words just don't seem to describe it. Unbearable, blistering, wretched. No matter what you call it its fucking hot.
Billy Idol - Hot In The City (live)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)