sea-fell

2010-03-08T12:07:00.001-08:00

Peter Blake, The Letter "E", 2007
Silkscreen, embossing and glaze on somerset satin 300gsm
52 x 37.5 cm, signed and numbered, Edition of 60

Via Paul Stolper Gallery

Random Thoughts - Last Paris Trip

2010-01-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

Day Two
Breakfast at Deux Magots
Lunch at le roi au café 1) boiled eggs with mayonaisse 2) Duck confit with potatoes lyonnaisse
The train Blue degustation

Paris - Day Three

Clay slept in till about 9AM, which for him is quite extraordinary. I even showered and dressed before him. We stopped at Café Flore for petit dejeuner. The chocolat was not as thick as at Deux Magots, but still very tasty. We got on the Ste Germain du Pres stop to go to
Lunch La carguille Freebie of clams 1) Makrel on the bone with cucumber tartar sauce oysters and large langostine 2) Dorade Gris with parsnip puree
Market – 1) Gamba a la plancha 2) cod with cilantro broth and black beans

Day four

Breakfast take out pain chocolat
Lunch cafeteria at galleries Lafayette
Dinner Atelier Maitre albert

Fun with video...

2010-01-13T22:56:00.000-08:00

2010-01-11T20:38:00.001-08:00

Tauba Auerbach, E, 2005, Ink on paper, 50 x 38 inches

Via Tauba Auerbach

Jackson Pollock - Guggenheim Application (1947)

2010-01-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

Jackson Pollock, Mural, 1943
Oil on canvas, 8 feet 1.25 inches x 19 feet 10 inches
University of lowa Museum of Art

I was wondering if Pollock was name dropping in his application...

"I intend to paint large movable pictures which will function between the easel and mural. I have set a precedent in this genre in a large painting for Miss Peggy Guggenheim which was installed in her house and was later shown in the "Large-Scale Paintings" show at the Museum of Modern Art. It is at present on loan at Yale University.

I believe the easel picture to be a dying form, and the tendency of modern feeling is towards the wall picture or mural. I believe the time is not yet ripe for a full transition from easel to mural. The pictures I contemplate painting would constitute a halfway state, and an attempt to point out the direction of the future, without arriving there completely."

Alas, that year Pollock did not receive the Guggenheim Fellowship.

January 23, 1992 - December 29, 2009

2009-12-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

Liza...

She outlived them all. I didn't expect it, but Belmont died at such a young age and Pascale died in 2008. Liza was inscrutable. She never liked to have her back touched. She'd hiss at you if you went too far below her neck. She didn't seem to like the other cats at all. She was a loner and stayed clear of any and all affection. But, that was while the other cats were alive.

As soon as she was the last one left, she completely changed. She loved to be petted. Loved to have her back scratched. Loved to have her chin rubbed. She began liking ice in her water. She liked jumping into the tub after a shower to lick the tub. She would sleep on your chest. She would crawl into your lap to be petted. In the last month, she was allowed to go outside on the deck, which she loved. She became a different cat when she had us all to herself.

We are once again cat-free. For at least the last 20 years, we have not been without a cat. We had as many as four (plus three foster kittens for a weekend). It seems very lonely now. We have no plans to find a new pet, and may remain pet-free for quite a while. It feels strange.

Perpetual Inventory by Rosalind Krauss

2009-12-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

Robert Rauschenberg, Renascence, 1962.
Oil and silkscreen on canvas, 36 by 36 inches (91.4 x 91.4 cm).
"Random Order." Location 1, no. 1 (Spring 1963), p. 30.

What I culled from:

Perpetual Inventory by Rosalind Krauss
October 88, Spring 1999, pp. 87-116.

An interesting read regarding Robert Rauschenberg, the psychologizing of the artist's means, his work after the early Combines and the Random Order project and the introduction of photography into his oeuvre.

As for trying to eliminate the psychological from the work, his example of the "sad cup of coffee" resonated:

Speaking of the talk at the Cedar Bar of the Club, he complained, "They even assigned seriousness to certain colors," and then, turning to the way the New York artists had infected Beat poetry: "I used to think of that line in Allen Ginsberg's Howl, about 'the sad cup of coffee.' I've had cold coffee and hot coffee, good coffee and lousy coffee, but I've never had a sad cup of coffee."

To refrain from describing something in such a Freudian way is compelling, but alas, he is misunderstood when his Black Paintings are read as somber and, for that matter, sad.

Random Order is seen by Krauss as a shift by Rauschenberg to a new relationship to the 'integrity of the picture plane':

Rauschenberg seems to have wanted the continuity of the mirrorlike photographic surface to stamp its character on his newly revised sense of his medium, thereby replacing the collage condition of his Combines with the seamlessness of the photographic print.

It is here that the illusionary picture plane of Renaissance painting and the "mirrorlike" photo-based image combine. A point is made by Krauss about the conflation of the indexical and the iconical in the work. Rauschenberg says, "A dirty or foggy window makes what is outside appear to be projected on to the window plane." It is interesting for me to think of his earlier works - the black monochromes that attempted unsuccessfully to be devoid of psychological effect to his white works that function as a screen upon which the trace of a referent leaves its temporary 'mark' - and to see how they relate to the photo-based work that followed.

Krauss speaks about Rauschenberg's "connections between shadow and photography, on the one hand, and index and silence on the other" and, through this, his relationship to Barthes and semiotic analysis. Rauschenberg's success at the 1964 Venice Biennale comes at the same time as the discussion of the concurrent work being done by Warhol. Both (or all three, if you count Barthes) are deeply interested in the use of the photomechanical method to produce work. Krauss says, "the media saturation of daily life had made the ubiquity of the photographic a subject of some urgency, whether for theory or for making art." Then much more is said about Rauschenberg and his relationship to language; that of the Surrealists, specifically, Breton and the work of Dante, which he illustrated. I found this section of Krauss's essay to be of least interest to me, but it definitely informs Krauss's post-medium thoughts and her thoughts about the use of language in art in her future work.

The relationship of Rauschenberg and Robert Frank is brought up - the use of the veil and/or screen in both of their photography is pointed out. Rauschenberg builds an archive from the images he takes and the images he "scours" from media sources. Some of these images are interspersed through Random Order. And then, the Atlas, begun in 1962, by Gerhard Richter is introduced to the essay. The Atlas was for me quite influential and to learn of Ritcher's first opportunity to see Rauscheberg's work in the 1959 exhibition Documenta II: Kunst nach 1945 was particularly interesting. The parallels of the careers of Richter and Rauscenberg, two of my earlier influences, is of note. It was in 1962 that Rauschenberg embarked on a similar series in his use of the photograph, its serialization, the use of the grid, etc. I had never specifically pondered these parallels but taking them into consideration will continue to inform my thoughts about the use of the archive in contemporary art.

Matt Lipps, Untitled (bar), 2008.
C-print on aluminum, edition of 5 + 2 AP, 48 x 35 inches.

I was thinking of Matt Lipps's work at some point while reading this essay. Something Krauss said was, "Rauschenberg's handling of photography would give us the sense of our connection to a place that is only possible through the intensity of our experience of separation from it, the sense that to see it directly is so painful that the image must somehow be mediated by the presence of a veil". In his newer work, Home Series, the artist uses images from his mother's home. They are photographed, printed, cut out, collaged and re-photographed. There are screens of color, as well as shadows (created by the collaged images of Ansel Adams's landscapes inserted into the space of the 'rooms'). The physical location of both the artist's mother's home and the landscape are conflated, but the artist is clearly operating within the psychological space of the home. Does the freedom of the 'natural' landscape offer release from the confines of the home? Does it function as a veil of that which happens in the home? I am going to finish with these questions, but it is something that I will continue to think about as I include Matt's work in the A3x10 project.

More to come in 2010.

Supper

2009-12-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

You are invited to participate in an ongoing series of suppers conducted by Clay Russell and Calvin Phelps.

The suppers take place on the last Sunday of each month.

Guest include a mix of artists, architects, curators, gallerists, philosophers, writers, musicians and other cultural producers.

The suppers are limited to a small, diverse group of up to 14 people per supper.

From Wikipedia:

Supper is the name for the evening meal in some dialects of English - ordinarily the last meal of the day, usually the meal that comes after dinner. Supper is always an evening meal, but must be noted that supper is not a common meal in many cultures. In Britain, "supper" is used to describe a less formal, simpler family meal (perhaps at 7:00 or 7:30 p.m.). Alternatively "supper" was used to describe a late night snack. In some areas in the United Kingdom, supper is a term for a snack eaten after the evening meal and before bed. In Australian English, supper may refer to a late light dessert or snack had some time after dinner. In New Zealand it is similar – generally cake and tea/coffee served later in the evening, particularly when people have visitors. In most of the United States and Canada, "supper" and "dinner" are considered synonyms, both served between six and eight o'clock. Supper is usually considered lighter fare and a more casual setting, and may be served before a usual dinner time so that evening activities may be unaffected. In the Republic of Ireland, a chicken supper is a meal of chips, gravy, onions, peas and chicken breast. In Portugal, Spain, Latin America, Asia and the Arab World, supper may be taken as late as 10 or 11 p.m.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

To my four followers. GAWD, I am such a bad blogger. New Year's resolution: Blog at least once a week. I know I have interesting things in me to let out. We'll see.

Love to all,

Calvin

Visceral Realists at Federal Art Project

2009-10-04T23:44:00.000-07:00

I just saw a show called The Search for the Visceral Realists , Curated by York Chang, in collaboration with Federal Art Project and Pink Cloud Event at Federal Art Project this Saturday.

The show was tightly curated with enough information for someone who may be new to the work of the Visceral Realist to quickly grasp the huge prescient influence they had on the art world. To disrupt a system while being within that same system is one of the most subversive acts that I can imagine.

I was very impressed by the presentation of the original material. Nicely done.

The Search for the Visceral Realists: Exhibition Trailer from Alfonso Delgado on Vimeo.

LEGALLY! An evening in cuffs

2009-10-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I missed this...

LEGALLY! An evening in cuffs
Organized by Christopher Michlig

Friday, November 16, 2007 from 9 pm- 2 am
Hyperion Tavern, 1941 Hyperion Avenue, Los Angeles CA, 90027

Located in a space that was once the gay leather bar “Cuffs”, the Hyperion Tavern now houses a complete law library dimly lit by large crystal chandeliers. This transition from a space where the norm was willfully suspended, providing occasion for exceptional activities, to a bar where the law is now literally within arms reach is a unique occasion for an on-site event addressing the flexuous proximity and impact of the law upon the individual.

LEGALLY! An evening in cuffs features contributions by artists, musicians, writers and legal professionals whose works address their relationship to the law.

Tirdad Zolghadr presents Hila Peleg’s A Crime Against Art, a film in six chapters based on a trial staged at ARCO, Madrid in February 2007 in which Zolghadr and Anton Vidokle play the accused. The trial, inspired by the mock trials organized by Andre Breton in the 1920's and 30's, playfully raised a number of polemical issues in the world of contemporary art: collusion with the 'new bourgeoisie', instrumentalization of art and its institutions, the future possibility of artistic agency and other pertinent topics.

Jeff Ostergren writes of his video Borderline, “The multiple literal connotations of the word borderline – political and legal boundaries, a strain of personality disorder, a generic liminal space, the pop song by Madonna – all can settle comfortably into the space of this video. Multiple personalities of the police, the prisoner, and the medical authority weave a fractured narrative of the problematics of the borderline and its relationship to the body.”

About her video Push, Vienna-based artist Anna Witt says, “’Get down there!’ I asked passers by in Venice Beach to push me down on a car. It’s a classical image of an arrestment and an act of power and control. In return I did the same action to them. In the change of roles each can experience the position of power and inferiority.”

William E. Jones contributes Mansfield 1962. In the summer of 1962, the Mansfield, Ohio Police Department filmed men having sex in a public restroom under the main square of the city, resulting in the conviction of over 30 men on charges of sodomy. William E. Jones found the film in a degraded version on the internet, then reedited the footage to make Mansfield 1962, a haunting, silent condensation of the original.

Pianist Jeremy Gilien will perform an improvisational piece based on the theme song to L.A. Law, the dramatic television sitcom that brought the courtroom to the living room from 1986-2004 on 20th Century Fox.

Jeff Cain presents Police Station, an audio installation that receives and decodes live LAPD radio transmissions and rebroadcasts them near LAPD’s original 1931 frequency on AM 1710. Police Station is part of an ongoing investigation of the history, culture, and technology of the Los Angeles Police Department communication systems.
Tao Urban will provide a set of music focusing on songs addressing the law as we know it, as well as other songs under his jurisdiction.

Artist and attorney York Chang will offer elastic legal advice as “’THE ASTOUNDINGLY REASONABLE MAN’- Witness the amazing elasticity of the law! Hear death-defying equivocations! See awe-inspiring feats of justification! Relativism Gone Wild! Rhetorical contortions that will shock you! Watch the bright line between right and wrong VANISH into thin air!”

Artist Lucas Michael teams up with former Cuffs fixture Principal Bob for a collaborative and audience-inclusive performance addressing the punitive aspect of the Law, while referencing the venue's history as the former leather bar Cuffs. Cuffs was to Principal Bob his schoolyard; and as the Principal it was his duty to discipline the unruly patrons, well deserved of a spanking.

In a strategic essentialist spirit, Linda Pollack provides buttons that simply state “PATRIOT”. These buttons elicit a micro-political re-calibration of the individual’s relationship to one’s country and its laws. In Edward Abbey’s words, “A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government”. Pollack’s contribution is part of her ongoing project Patriot Acts, a series of events hosted in The Habeas Lounge at the 18th Street Art Center in Santa Monica.

Theorist and writer Jason Smith will call from Berlin to contribute his voice and words in the tradition of rap vocals recorded from inside rehabilitation facilities. Smith will speak about a range of topics including the suspension of the constitution, his experiences as a consultant for Pervez Musharraf, and his meeting next year in Jerusalem with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Karthik Pandian presents a YouTube-based excavation of the Guantanamo that lies in the hearts, minds and basements of America's finest performers. Additionally, Pandian will mark the end of the evening with a performance entitled Finale Furioso, a one-man eruption, lovingly prepared and brazenly executed.

Please join us on Friday, November 16, 2007 from 9 pm- 2 am at the
Hyperion Tavern, 1941 Hyperion Avenue, Los Angeles CA, 90027

For more information about Legally! An evening in cuffs, contact Christopher Michlig at cmichlig@yahoo.com

2009-09-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

Groundmagazine #3

Work by Hanna Mattes

Open publication - Free publishing - More photography

Vampire Weekend - Exit Music (For a Film)

2009-09-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

From Stereogum OKX: A TRIBUTE TO OK COMPUTER

Vampire Weekend's Exit Music (For a Film)

2009-09-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Thomas Eggerer, Red E, 2006, oil on linen, 38.98 x 34.25 inches

Via Richard Telles Fine Art

2009-09-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

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Stars - Your Ex-Lover is Dead (Final Fantasy Mix)

2009-07-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

One on my current favorite songs...

Stars - Your Ex-Lover is Dead (Final Fantasy Mix)

Excerpt from Words of the Earth by Cedric Wright

2009-07-14T23:40:00.001-07:00

Our loves are only symbols of an unknown immortality.
Where communion is deep, there exists no separation at all,
for what needs telling those we love is understood already,
and what is supposed to be gone and past
is often more real than ever.
Through the sculpture of experience,
that part of ourselves which survives,
like cloud, resolves continuously.
This is the spirit of my hope and my religion.

Poem 03.14.09 #1

2009-03-24T09:03:00.001-07:00

The eroticism of language, with its mouth filled, tongue touching the
back of teeth, is full of potential.
When Jacques was on a date with his lover, did he feel like ripping
his heart out?
The names one gives credence to are the names that are permanent.
On the inner right arm, in a place where I couldn't write your name,
I have your name.
The tattoos that I chose for myself were the first name of philosophers:
Barthes, Derrida, Foucault, Marx or Benjamin, and the sort.
I had the black ink readied, the needle clean and on my skin.
The words would pour out, little silver mercurial drops, biting the
inside cheek, metallic and cold.
The numb fingertips, tracing the shapes of letters spelling your real
name.
Your given name.
The one you gave yourself.
If I could speak your name, I would.

Fwd: Blogger DMCA takedown notification

2009-03-23T10:38:00.001-07:00

They took down my Thomas Dolby post.

Begin forwarded message:

Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.

The notice that we received from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the record companies it represents, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Please note that it may take Chilling Effects up to several weeks to post the notice online at the link provided.

The IFPI is a trade association that represents over 1,400 major and independent record companies in the US and internationally who create, manufacture and distribute sound recordings (the "IFPI Represented Companies").

The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. We are in the process of removing from our servers the links that allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others. If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. See http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more information about the DMCA, and see http://www.google.com/dmca.html for the process that Blogger requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.

Blogger can reinstate these posts upon receipt of a counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and 3) of the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter notification and a link to a sample counter notification, see http://www.google.com/dmca.html#counter.

Please note that repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account. If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel. If you have any other questions about this notification, please let us know.

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

Affected URLs:

http://sea-fell.blogspot.com/2006/02/thomas-dolby-golden-age-of-wireless.html

Something I heard the other day

2009-03-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

Don't let yourself be define by your setbacks

I really need to take this quote to heart. I have had a couple of recent events happen in my life that have gotten me to be more contemplative, to say the least. I keep asking myself the same questions, over and over: What exactly did I do wrong in this situation? What can I learn from this experience? How can I keep myself from repeating this sort of thing? I am working through these questions, and even though I don't seem to be finding the answers, it reminds me of my favorite quote by Rainer Maria Rilke:

I would like to beg you dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.

HRC Speech by Julian Bond

2009-03-16T18:16:00.001-07:00

Vacationesque Edition

2009-03-10T16:07:00.001-07:00

My brother and three nephews have come to Los Angeles to visit. Yesterday, we drove up to Big Bear for skiing; which, I must be honest, I have only skied once in my life. Today makes the second time ever. And for some strange reason, I let them talk me into going up to the top of the run and coming down a Blue trail. That was not the best idea. It may have been the worst idea they could have come up with. I am proud of myself that I actually attempted to come down the hill (mountain!) via ski. I criss-crossed back and forth for half way dow, but I fell quite a bit, as well. In the end, I twisted my ankle a little and decided to not risk it anymore. A snow patrol came by and I hitched a ride down the rest of the way. I am not embarrassed or ashamed. It was the smartest thing I could do. And the ride down the mountain at 20 MPH was very exciting!

Poem 03.08.09 #1

2009-03-08T00:39:00.001-08:00

Syriana

2009

It's not that trust is contingent upon honesty

For I trust liars every day.

It's not that my love for you is based on anything.

When I walk away from the explosion

That is our life, I at least want to be carrying something.

I don't want my history to perish with the lies.

I want my briefcase to be filled with evidence

Of the politics of our love.

Provided there is a solution to the pain

Or a solution to the doubt

Or, at least, a solution to my desire.

It's not that honesty is contingent on love.

It's not that I am lying to you.

Poem 03.07.09 #1

2009-03-07T01:02:00.001-08:00

To the Right of the Jetty

2009

There is a shifty and tingly sand made step

That I try to walk on as the waves come in.

My toes feel the rush of the ground moving away.

There is no fear and no worry, but more of a security

In the dance of ideas in my head,

Like when I was listening to Roxy Music in the summer

In the night on the beach alone.

But, when the water moved out again and I took that next step,

The solid packed sand felt sure, and to me the thought of you was clear.

I remember the firmness of that compressed substance,

And how hard I thought of it when I was nearing the pier.

Hoping that the rocks wouldn't cut the sole of my foot

On my way up the path to where I parked as I prepare to leave.

Broken (or Cracked) Rib

2009-01-26T17:01:00.000-08:00

I did a stupid thing. I was reaching over the fence at the house trying to unplug a string of lights when I heard (and felt) a loud POP in my lower chest. I've had this happen before. A cracked rib and there's nothing you can do but wait for it to heal. That, and try to keep from re-injuring yourself -- which is what I've done this time. This morning, I woke up in a lot of pain. I must have slept on my chest. Deep breathes hurt. Twisting hurts. I just have to take it easy and remember to sleep on my back. And maybe get a bone density test and find out why my bones are cracking.

I am a bad blogger

2009-01-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

The month of November passed with no blog entries. December came and went. No entries. New Years Day...nothing. But, alas, I am finally round to posting again. And trust me, I feel more sure that there will be activity that I will need to share. I have been active in Facebook as of late, and I have my own art projects I am working on, so stay tuned for that. I face new found vitality and will need an outlet. Please subscribe or check back often.

Cheers.

Show your support!!

2008-10-30T13:36:00.001-07:00

A great song for you all...

2008-10-27T01:56:00.000-07:00

Ex Guru by David Byrne

Poeetry excerpt #1

2008-10-27T01:30:00.001-07:00

I lose my self in laanguage when the words come from a place that is
without languuage. I have trouble moving the spirit through the flesh
through the mind through the fingers. Though, through this all, with
periods of unease, I delight in the words. Languishing on each added
vowel, each stroke of the keys, to provide me one more moment to
connect with an uncertain thought.

Clay's Birthday Dinner

2008-10-15T22:55:00.001-07:00

A few shots before Clay's delightful birthday dinner...

Sunflowers next to the grill

Clay getting things ready

Soldiers

Getting the sideboard ready

Setting the gran table

Going over the menu with Chef Bravo

Hopefully, someone has images of the actual dinner, as once it started, I didn't take any shots. Please, pass them along my way.

Artwork

2008-10-09T13:57:00.001-07:00

Untitled (23 September - Ramon Emeterio Betances, Segundo Ruiz Belvis, Filiberto Ojeda Rios), 2005-8

C-print, unique, 48 x 32 inches each

On the anniversary of El Grito de Lares (which, led by Ramon Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis, attacked the exploitation of the Puerto Ricans by the Spanish colonial system and called for insurrection in 1868), Filiberto Ojeda Rios was killed by FBI agents. Some groups are framing the death as the unwarranted assassination of a key player in Puerto Rico's anti-U.S. colonialism movement. This work speaks to the cyclical (Spanish colonialism vs. U.S. colonialism) and arbitrary nature of history and historical dates.

Click on images to enlarge them as they are intentionally blurred:

Tunnels

2008-10-09T09:46:00.001-07:00

When I was in Montenegro, we traveled through the Sozina (Созина) tunnel from Podgorica to Bar on one of our excursions. The tunnel was placed into service on July 13, 2005 (incidentally, my birthday). The tunnel is 4,189 m long, and is the longest and most modern vehicular tunnel in Montenegro. I found the tunnel to be a symbol of the progress of the nation as well as a psychological referent to the 'birth of the nation.' This has started an interest in the mythology of tunnels and their place within the human psyche. This is from an interpretation of dreams about tunnels:

Seeing a tunnel in your dream, represents the vagina, womb, and birth. Thus it may refer to a need for security and nurturance. Dreaming that you are going through a tunnel, suggests that you are exploring aspects of your unconscious. You are opening yourself to a brand new awareness. Alternatively, it indicates your limited perspective. Seeing the light at the end of a tunnel, symbolizes hope.

While I am not much of a subscriber to notions Fruedian and/or Jungian, I still enjoy entertaining the idea of pseudoscience (in dream and subconscious interpretation) as being relevant to our understanding of the world. In other words, whether or not there is 'truth' to the meaning of, say, tunnels, we attribute meaning to them through our construction of mythologies surrounding them.

Here are you nice images of the modern tunnel; well-lit, clean, futuristic, yellow and full of richness and meaning:

Image for Upcoming Artwork

2008-10-09T00:37:00.001-07:00

I have been working through some ideas regarding Kosovo and Serbia vis s vis the US-born Olympian Milorad Čavić. Above is an image of him holding the Serbian flag and text regarding the act follows.

Cavic endeared himself to Serbs in March when he was suspended from the European Championships for wearing a T-shirt proclaiming "Kosovo is Serbia"—a reference to Kosovo's controversial declaration of independence from Serbia on Feb. 17.

After returning home from that meet, Cavic was greeted by hundreds of fans and met with Serbian nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who called the swimmer a "hero."

At the Euros, Cavic made his political statement on the podium after winning the 50 fly, displaying a red T-shirt with text in Cyrillic. The European swimming federation ruled the message a political slogan and ejected him— knocking him out of his remaining two events.

"I had to help my people knowing it could be a big risk for my swimming career. I'm proud of what I did," Cavic said then. "I had to do it to help the (Kosovo Serbs), knowing how hard it is for them there."

Cavic became an inspiration among Serbs who object to losing Kosovo, an ethnic Albanian-dominated territory which many Serbs consider the historic cradle of their nation.

Kosovo's independence has been recognized by the United States and most European Union nations.

Cavic, who was born in Anaheim, Calif., to Serb parents and trains in Florida, said he was just trying to send "positive energy" to the country he represents.

I will post more often

2008-10-09T00:22:00.001-07:00

Another power grab??

2008-09-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

Analysis on the $700 billion bailout in The New York Times:

Some are suspicious of Mr. Paulson's characterizations, finding in his warnings and demands for extraordinary powers a parallel with the way the Bush administration gained authority for the war in Iraq. Then, the White House suggested that mushroom clouds could accompany Congress's failure to act. This time, it is financial Armageddon supposedly on the doorstep.

"This is scare tactics to try to do something that's in the private but not the public interest," said Allan Meltzer (above), a former economic adviser to President Reagan, and an expert on monetary policy at the Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business. "It's terrible."

A report that slipped through the cracks

2008-09-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

A team of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) geographers has uncovered fresh evidence from satellite imagery that last year's U.S. troop surge in Iraq may not have been as effective at improving security as some U.S. officials have maintained.

This interesting story appeared for about 5 seconds on Yahoo's front page but then faded into oblivion. It was distrubuted by AIN, Asian International News, which provides multimedia news to China and bureaus in India. The AIN agency covers virtually all of South Asia and claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. Their coverage includes general news, entertainment, lifestyles, business, science, sports and features.

So here are my thoughts and questions regarding the article, in no particular order:

1) How does a report from UCLA geographers end up on AIN distribution but not the AP of Rueters? Why doesn't make its way to the mainstream?

2) Why don't we here more about the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq and their assessment of events? This was a bipartisan commission that was headed by Gen. James Jones, and "reported to Congress in September 2007 on the readiness of the Iraqi Security Forces, their capabilities, and how support and training by U.S. forces contributes to the effectiveness of the ISF."

In a report to Congress in September of that year, General David Petraeus claimed that "the military objectives of the surge are, in large measure, being met."

However, a report the same month by an independent military commission headed by retired U.S. General James Jones attributed the decrease in violence to areas being overrun by either Shiites or Sunnis.

3) What's up with the ethnic cleansing referred to by the UCLA team and Dr. John Agnew, in addition to the September 2007 report?

Night light in neighborhoods populated primarily by embattled Sunni residents declined dramatically just before the February 2007 surge and never returned, suggesting that ethnic cleansing by rival Shiites may have been largely responsible for the decrease in violence for which the U.S. military has claimed credit.

4) This UCLA team is not a group of hacks, if you will, and their research seems easy enough to understand.

Dr. Agnew states that "by the launch of the surge, many of the targets of conflict had either been killed or fled the country, and they turned off the lights when they left."

Baghdad's decreases were centered in the southwestern Sunni strongholds of East and West Rashid, where the light signature dropped 57 percent and 80 percent, respectively, during the same period.

I'm obviously rambling on a bit, but it's stuff like this that confuses me and intrigues me. Will this report make its way to Obama, and if it did, would anyone believe him if he tried to use it to support his position against the surge? Would the general public even be able to understand the significance of something like this? We have to be diligent to seek out and find the truth about what is happening in Iraq. Thanks to Dr. Agnew for his important work.

January 27, 1992 - September 15, 2008

2008-09-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

Pascale...

She was cute and did silly, weird things. She liked to meow a lot. She liked to sleep under the covers. She would for no reason suddenly hiss and bite you when you were petting her. She may have been a little mentally retarded (probably, since she rode home in a shoebox with Clay on the back of his motorcycle). She liked to hide in the closet when people came to visit our house. She was suffering from liver failure in the end. She was loved very much and will be missed a lot.

Thank you

2008-09-16T12:29:00.001-07:00

for packing my salad in a container
for driving me to the gym
for working on the patio
for being supportive
for remembering "To err is human, to forgive divine"
for making sure Pascale didn't suffer long
for cooking dinner
for planting herbs
for feeding the birds
for going to the flea market
for emailing esurance
for throwing me a nice birthday party
for taking me to Paris
for giving me sessions with Sam
for smiling

Andy Warhol on Eating Alone

2008-09-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts

2008-09-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

1) This week I mentioned to a friend that he had grey hair that I hadn't noticed before. Well, for the record, I hope he didn't take it wrong. Grey hair is sexy.

2) I am becoming the person I never knew I could be when I was a young sickly, husky child.

3) I'm reading Foucault again from the later lectures and he is talking about "the care of the self" vis a vis "knowing yourself."

Health Update #3

2008-08-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

I just reread my previous post about my last catheter ablation. That was back in November of last year and, boy, there's been a lot of change since then. The ablation worked well till about January when I had a relapse of some palpitations. Not atrial tach nor a-fib or flutter. When I saw my EP, she seemed to think this was a yet undiscovered arrhythmia which, with a change in medicine, seemed to be under control for a while. I went off the medicine in about March, but as my trip to Paris approached, I decided to go back on the Verapamil as a prophylactic. I still have flutters but they are very short and don't concern me as much as before as they tend to pass after a few seconds.

With my new found regular rhythm, I started working out this year. In January, I weighed 212 pounds, the most I had weighed in my life. I began a trial membership at Bally Total Fitness that lasted for ten weeks or so. I made it a point to not join until I had used the trial long enough to be sure I was making the gym a habit in my life. I would go three times a week and do 30 to 45 minutes of cardio and a few reps on the circuit machines. I did a pretty good job on my own and in June I was down to 200 pounds or so.

In July for my birthday, Clay gave me something I had thought about getting for myself last year (right before I broke my arm riding my bike and right before my a-fib came back and I had to have my ablation): sessions with a personal trainer! Sam Page and I began work in July after Paris and my birthday and I have had even more progress. I have gotten down to 189(!) just this week. But, really, I am less concerned about weight and more interested in good health and fitness. We still have a month and a half left in my sessions (but, I would love to get more!), so I will keep you posted on my future progress.

One thing that has really helped is eating Sam's zig zag meal plan that he designed for me. I eat five or six small meals a day and don't go more than three hours without eating. I'm only on my fourth week of the plan, but I see and feel all the difference in the world. As I said, I'm not too concerned about weight, but my most recently purchased suit is about three inches too big in the waist now. And the best part of the meal plan is that it includes two 'cheat' days a week where I MUST eat foods higher in fat and carbs. Tomorrow, I'm having Mexican food and margaritas, and ice cream for dessert. YUMMM.....

That's it for now, but I'll post some before and after photos soon enough.

Menu from my Nobu August 13th Visit

2008-08-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Fig with miso glaze and crisp cilantro leaf

Eel with caviar with citrus horseradish sauce

Toro with cilantro sauce, black bean tofu with soy sauce, whitefish
with frisee & jalepeno, sardines with cherry tomato & chili sauce

Salad of shaved vegetables with fish, crab and conch

Black cod with foie gras and shitake mushrooms
(picture above is the famous black cod and miso)

Waygu beef with tofu and potato

Mushroom soup with shrimp

Sushi course of tuna, whitefish, shad, sea urchin, saltwater eel &
tamago

Layered coffee ice cream crunch with whiskey foam

Paris - Day ?? - July 8, 2008

2008-07-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

Théophile Barrau, Suzanne, 1895, Marble
Restaurant Eliance Orsay, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France, ©photo musée d'Orsay

I found some receipts so I can retrace my Paris steps now.

Up early to go to the Musee d'Orsay for the Impressionist works. Clay and I have a question as to whether the collection is bigger and or better than the Art Institute of Chicago. Also, what would the retail value of each of the works be. Clay wasn't feeling well, so half way through the museum we decided to have lunch there at the Restaurant Eliance Orsay. Eliance is basically a catering company that has the contract for the museum, so I wasn't expecting too much from the food. The ambiance was beautiful, and I thought that'd be enough.

We ordered a bottle of Pommery Champagne to begin. I had an asiette de fromage, of which I'm not sure what particular cheeses I'm served. They are surprisingly good though, Clay has gaspacho petit pois. For our entrees, I had entrecote with pommes frite while Clay has pave de foie de veau. Both entrees are fantastic. Perfectly prepared.

There was a table of four American ladies at the table next to us and I was almost ashamed to be from the same country, They basically ordered one prix fixe menu to split between three of them with one other dish to supplement their measly meal.

But, back to us. Clay finish with ice cream, his dessert of choice at almost every meal. They did have interesting flavors, but I'll need to consult with him to get his input.

After lunch, Clay still was pooped so he went back to the apartment and I finished the museum.

Paris - Day One

2008-07-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

Clay and I left Los Angeles at 11AM on Thursday July 2nd via Air Canada to Montreal where we changed planes for a 10PM departure for Paris. We arrived at CDG at 11AM and proceeded directly through customs and baggage claim. It was literally less than 30 minutes to debark, pick up luggage and hail a cab. The cab ride to the center of the city was about 30 minutes. We arrived at our apartment at 4 Rue de Villersexel. In case anyone reads this while we are here, our phone number is 33 (0) 9 50 99 02 44. And obviously our internet connection works.

The apartment is typically Parisian small but absolutely charming and perfectly located near the Musee d'Orsay and the Ste. Germain. We settled in and unpacked and then wandered the neighborhood. Very pedestrian friendly with tons of cafes, bookstores, antique shops, galleries, clothing stores and food shops. We began our vacation with lunch at Cafe de Flore with a bottle of fine 2006 Chablis. Clay had an assortment of saumon fumé et semi-fume avec toasts and I had a salade de magrets de canard haricots verts frais. His salmon was prepared three ways: smoked, semi-smoked and cured and served with a homemade tartar sauce. My duck breast was cured and sliced and served with cold green beans and oil and vinegar. I decided to have gateau du chocolat opera and Clay had coupe flore with chocolat noir and caramel nougatine ice cream sorbet poire with sauce chocolat and chantilly. What a perfect first meal on this trip to Paris.

We wandered through the Ste. Germain, paying visits to a number of the antique shops, but alas, we were not able to swing the 6.000 euro for the 6 salad plates at one of the shops ran by two elder ladies. They referred us to another shop that had more dinnerware, but mostly XVI and XVII century work. We decided to wait to see the flea markets first. We did go to Blanc Ivoire on the Rue du Bac and Gien on the Rue Jacob where we found a few inexpensive plates to our growing collection of French tableware for our new patio.

We came back to the apartment to freshen up before heading to La Saint-Chapelle where we had tickets to a small concert.

Upcoming Trips

2008-06-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

San Francisco
Weekend trip

Paris
Weeklong trip

Recent Drawings

2008-06-14T00:34:00.001-07:00

Recent Drawings

2008-06-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

A Few Studio Shots

2008-05-26T01:41:00.000-07:00

Edwina Russell

2008-04-19T12:56:00.001-07:00

Clay's mother passed away Friday, April 18, 2008, after a brief hospital stay following a massive heart attack.

Pasha Mosque

2008-03-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Pasha mosque, built in 1719 by Klič Alija of Montenegro

Scott Eric Allen

2008-03-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

Odd, but I have a friend named Scott Eric Allen from my distant past (and recent present and future) and a friend from my recent past (and current present and future) named Eric Allen Benet. The two are so radically different from each other in so many ways that to even mention them in the same breathe speaks more about me and my relationship to language than about either of them.

Scott Eric Allen was one of my first true and great loves. Not in the sense that I wanted to be with him in any physical, emotional or spiritual way, but that I respected him, his opinion and ultimately, I trusted him. He was for me a bridge between the identity I felt I was beginning to assume in high school and the identity that people in high school thought I was supposed to assume. He tried to hook me up with cheerleaders and freshmen and even a slut here and there. But, when that didn't work for me, he was still a friend.

He underestimated the influence he had on me. And when he contacted me - out of the blue - a few years ago, I was confused and suspicious. But he had come to suspect that he might have been trying too hard to make me bend to a conformist world view. Quite the opposite. He was a touchstone. I needed to be grounded for the time being. He was what he needed to be for me at that time. He helped me realize that, even though I was not Scott Eric Allen, I could still be friends with someone like Scott Eric Allen. He was warm and loving. And, as I eventually came to understand, I wasn't so much of a freak as to be completely ostracized by all of society.

I saw him at our high school reunion just shy of two years ago and, of all the faces I saw, he had a wisdom in his eyes that I can't begin to explain. When he emailed me a few years back, he wanted to be sure that I was OK. And when he saw me, and when I saw him, I think we knew that we had remained a part of each others lives for the last twenty years. I am proud to say that he is still (and will always be) a part of me, my psyche and my life.

All of my love and respect to you, Scott.

p.s. He married his high school sweetheart Audrey and, I'm happy to report, has the perfect life for himself and his family.

Back in the Saddle

2008-03-11T22:00:00.001-07:00

Well, actually, back on the treadmill. For those who haven't heard, I began an exercise routine this year. This is my first routine in over five years and quite seriously my first real exercise routine. A shout out to Sam Page, a personal trainer in LA that I paid a visit to toward the end of last year. He did an analysis of me and I was inspired by his findings - particularly, that I have pretty good stamina, if not good posture. With that, I began biking until my infamous crash and broken arm. Well, I was all healed by January and I came across a free two-month pass to Bally's. I used it and stuck with it and eventually decided to join.

Here is my routine: thirty minutes on the treadmill. I was originally doing fast walking on an incline for the whole session. I recently built up to fifteen minutes running (yes, RUNNING) and fifteen on the incline walking. Today, however, I ran eighteen minutes. I hope to get to a full thirty minute run in a few weeks. More bang for the buck.

Next, I do the weight stuff. I don't need to go through every machine, but I hit every major muscle area. I have a designed a card listing the exercises I perform and I track the weight I do. I have been gradually increasing the amount and have considered adding free weights. I meet with the Bally's trainer when I signed up and he walked me through the free weights and he thinks it is time for me to step it up.

Then, on to the elliptical for a final cardio routine. I was doing fifteen minutes but have worked up to twenty. On the elliptical, I go to 80% heart rate or more. That's where I end it. All takes about an hour and a half. And I love the amounyt of time that I can take to clear my mind. I have such energizing and creative thoughts during that time.

I have worked up a playlist that I use during the routine. When I run on the treadmill, I have a terrible sense of balance and just look at my feet the whole time. When I get to the running portion, I just decide to go for three or four songs. Don't look at the readouts on the machine until those songs have played. My favorite song right now is Hot Chip's Ready for the Floor. Of course, I have the seven minute remix!

My progress so far is a 5% drop in body weight, but much more energy, stamina, self-esteem, pride, etc. Also, my heart seems to be functioning better. I went into a-fib or flutter last week and converted back to normal sinus rhythm within 24 hours without having to go to the doctor or an emergency room. I am freaking loving my life right now. And I, for the first time in my life, can say I think I am in good health. Finally.

Tricia (Casler) Whitmire (and Vinc Whitmire)

2008-03-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

I met Tricia while attending the University of Southern Mississippi. We were in a history class together and it was there we decided we were both Sophists. That was a long time ago, and one of my earliest introductions to philosophy. What can I say about Tricia? She quickly became a Punk in the sense that she held her own views and became amazingly individualistic. She had been in a marching band, but she would not be lock-step ever again. We, of course, discussed the poetry of Morrissey (when he was with The Smiths) and how the words he sang were the most profound we had heard at the time. We also thought about places like Botswana, my initial introduction to global political thought.

Tricia went on to join the Navy. I thought it odd that she would take her nose ring out and put on a uniform, but I would never judge her. After all, so many people in my life have been fiercely patriotic and served their country proudly: my friend Wally Williamson became a Marine while I was still in high school, my friend Glen E. Harrison was in the Air Force (and later the Peace Corp), my partner Clay R. Russell was in the Navy. I was always aware that I could not join the forces had I wanted to, and I might have wanted to. With my heart, and with being gay, it was a club I couldn't join.

But, I assume part of her motivation to join the Navy was based on the fact that her family (father and brother(s)) had been in the service. Her love for her family and it's tradition won her over to the idea. And I feared she would loss her individuality. When you're young, you think that 'individuality' can be lost, or worst yet, taken away from you. It can't be taken away, it has to be surrendered, and Tricia was too strong to surrender hers.

I was so proud to know that she was at the ceremony (acting as a translator) returning Hong Kong sovereignty to China in 1997. This was a quantum leap from sitting together in a junior history class to actually witnessing history in the making. I had a similar feeling for myself when I was in Montenegro just after they declared independence. And, I have a similar feeling for my friend Rushit Veliu who just celebrated independence in Kosovo on February 17, 2008. And I am also proud that through her time in the Navy she has met her life's love Vinc and they will continue to make their own history together.

Kelly J. Kitchens

2008-03-08T22:04:00.001-08:00

Kelly J. Kitchens is one of the most gregarious people I have ever met. I have never seen her angry at another human being. I know she has to have her down days (like when she had the leak and it ruined all of her office, or the tumor, or the other MAJOR things), but she seems to always see the light through the tunnel. She is blessed to have met her soulmate Mark and to have a career of her choosing. When we were in high school, she was on yearbook where she, believe it or not, made up quotes and attributed them to me. Mostly things about David Sylvan & Japan or The Thompson Twins or other bands she loved. Point is, even then she was finding a way to promote her favorites in print. As a publicist, she has passion for the people and projects she takes on. To learn more about her, she has a personal blog at Herd of Words and her business site is at Kelly Kitchens PR. Tell her Calvin sent you...

Health Update #2

2007-11-17T01:40:00.000-08:00

A more step-by-step procedural post...

Saturday
10:00 PM Take last 20mg dose of Verapamil till procedure

Monday
4:00 PM Dr. Dana Eisenman runs a baseline EKG. Gives me a flu shot. Looks in my ears, nose and throat (For what? The problem's the heart. He's thorough). Order blood and x-ray.

4:30 PM Downstairs lab pulls three vials of blood. Gives me a "You're a hero" sticker I use as a bookmark.

4:45 PM Get to x-ray lab and get two chest x-rays. Back to machine and right side, arms up to machine. Leaving lab, notice door says closes at 4:30.

Friday
4:30 AM Up for quick shower. Out the door by 5:00.

5:30 AM Arrive Cedar Sinai and with in 10 minutes, walked to 6th floor Cardio Cath Lab Lobby. With in 5 minutes, asked for money and signing releases (What exactly is a Health Care Directive?). Within 1 minute, called back to lab.

6:00 AM Strip down and neatly put street clothes in plastic bag. Put 'gown' open on the back (What's the point? Later I am unconscious and naked, anyway). After having Anthony shave places no man (gay or straight) should every shave someone, I hear him say to a nurse "The last guy I shaved tipped me, the procedure worked perfectly and he never had to come back." At least they are now using electric razors. One #20 gauge IV is inserted into my lower left arm. They start to wheel me in and I say, "Can I at least say 'bye' to Clay?" They're not rude, just super fast about it all. I later learn there's a back up in cardio caths.

6:05 AM Move to Cardio Cath Lab where three people are doing a variety of things. Most obvious is that they are talking about the Jazz playing in the room. Also, they ask if I have a iPod I want to listen to (oops, forgot to bring that to the Cardio Cath Lab). Story about drunk guy at bar listening to Coltrane playing for 15 minutes straight who stands up and slurs, "When ya gonna quit warmin' up an get ta playin?"

Moving me from my gurney to the procedure bed, one is sticking cold sensors about 8 inches square to my bare chest and back, hooking up wires while another is arranging curved Lucite arm rests that hold me in place. I don't know where the gown is. Someone is uncovering the bottom half of me. The last guy is Fred and he puts what I thought was oxygen on my face. One minute later, I'm asleep.

2:00 PM I wake up and think, where am I. Clock on the wall. Thought I was in the Cath Lab Prep room but I'm in my recovery room. I now have air compresses at the three entry points (right & left groin and neck). Better than the sandbag compresses used last time, more gentle. Instructions are to lay flat and still for four hours. Not as easy as it sounds. Between this and having the urethra catheter pulled, I'm not sure which is worse.

2:30 PM EKG, blood pressure machine goes off every 15 minutes. Just keep in mind, it is tightly wrapped and when you least expect it, it tightens more than an anaconda python.

5:30 PM I get into a discussion with the nurse about going ahead and pulling the urethra catheter but they say not to. I need to go. I can’t wait. Just use the catheter they say. I begin to, but it isn’t in right and so I’m lying in a pool of my own urine. At least I feel it wasn’t really my fault. They decide to go ahead and pull it now. Not a good feeling at all.

5:55 PM Finally, I can get out of my puddle and clean up. I must dress for dinner.

6:00 PM Brisket, mashed potatoes, peas, salad. Not bad really. Sitting up and able to bend my legs. Must stay seated for two hours.

6:30 PM One more test is needed. A CAT Scan. The 20 gauge needle in my fore arm is too far away for the heart so an identical 20 gauge needle is put 6 inches further up the arm. But wait. You just ate. Needs to be four hours after your meal. No food or water till it’s done. Maybe 10:30 or 11:00.

11:00 PM Haven’t heard yet so no water, no midnight snack. CAT room is backed up. Very busy.

Saturday
12:00 AM Still gonna have it done. Calling down every 30 minutes. Hold tight. Emergencies are going first.

2:00 AM I go to bed (they changed the sheets earlier).

2:05 AM Nurse does another battery of vitals. Puts the blood pressure machine on once an hour. When I doze off, I keep suddenly jerking awake. I notice that when I awake with a start I feel very differently than before. I used to wake with a few flutters and skipped beats. Now, I don’t feel my heart but I feel a rush of warmth to my extremities, which I later decide id adrenaline which used to just cause the heart rhythms. It is a good feeling to have your heart beat correctly.

3:05 AM Wake up when blood pressure machine goes off. Call nurse for water, but I’m two patients away from having the scan done. Eat or drink nothing.

4:05 AM Time for vitals. Like they can’t see from the heart monitor that I’m still alive.

5:05 AM Wake up when blood pressure machine goes off. Call nurse for water, but I’m two patients away from having the scan done. Eat or drink nothing.

6:05 AM Time for CAT scan. Go downstairs, get put into a tube, shoot in some iodine and hold breath. Iodine feels warm inside the body but mostly at the throat and the groin. Whole thing takes 10 minutes. Oh, and the room I’m wheeled to has space for 20 beds and is completely empty. Have been all night. Just no staff to do it. Should have known it’d be in the morning. Should have been able to drink water before bed, etc.

7:00 AM Back in room. Lovely breakfast of French toast, scrambled eggs and mini-wheat cereal, pears, cranberry juice. All pretty tasty.

9:00AM Last consult with Dr. Salvo who performed the ablation with Whaung and Gallik. Very interesting case. Same spider web type of procedure and scarring in the heart but seems to have gotten all. No physical exertion for a week or so. Easy bike rides ok. No lifting of 25 pounds for a week. Limit alcohol to one glass a day for 10 days (we’ll see about that). No prescriptions. Very good prognosis.

10:00AM Home. Take shower. Remove groin bandages to reveal 8 inch charcoal purple bruise on left side.

Health Update #1

2007-11-16T22:33:00.001-08:00

I am AOK or now, but the doctor's suggest I set up a Porsche fund.

The last time I had this done, the procedure was $83,000. I've had this done four times now. My regular doctor did number one and two. A specialist was called in from Utah for three and four. So, I'm probably up to $400,000 by now. Throw in the $1000 doctor's office visits and the emergency room visits and the electrocardioversion and we are at $500,000.

I may not be the six-million dollar man, but I'm well on my way to being the one-million dollar man!! If my insurance co-pay was 20 percent, we're talking about a PORSCHE, aren't we? I first thought I was looking at $20,000, but soon realized I was talking about $200,000. Luckily, the co-pay is just 10% so get those checks coming!!! ( Just kidding, really. The State plan is 100% with a $50 hospital co-pay each visit, so my true out of pocket has been just probably less than $300 or $400 over the last 5 or so years this has been going on. *** good luck Clay decided to marry me, at least in a domestic partner state!)

Good night for now. Prime time TV starts in a bit and Cedars-Sinai has about thirty channels and NO guide so I'll be spending an hour fiding out what's on just in time for what I want to see to be going off!!

Hope to see you all soon.

Kelly Nipper at Anna Helwing Gallery

2007-10-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

I went to the Kelly Nipper exhibition at Anna Helwing Gallery before it recently came down. I enter the darkened space through drapes over the back gallery glass wall. On the left and right entry were a series of six photographs of mechanically produced choreography diagrams. While the choreography is based on the work of dance artist and theoretician Rudolf Laban from the early 20th century, as a photographic work, these images served to freeze frame the performative nature of the video I was about to witness. They seem cursorily produced from vast and important research for the work, but are still a good addition to the show. I also appreciated the connection between the photograph serving as a still-frame from a cinematic production based on a performance.

Within the main space were two seemingly identical video projections on opposite walls from each other. A dancer standing in front of a black wall performed a slow circular hip rotation in a black leotard. The leotard blended with the black wall resulting in the image of a decapitated head and bear arms motionlessly floating above her pale gyrating hips. Upon, closer inspection one notices that the movement is faster in one of the two videos and the seriality of the project is cracked.

Sarah Lehrer-Graiwer has written about the video on her Artforum Pick, so I will move to the sound booth sculpture…

Also, in the main space, but snaking its way toward an alcove behind one of the video walls, was a sound recording booth. A brilliant sculpture in minimalist tradition, the approximately five-foot square booth was open on one side to reveal a low platform covered in Mylar used for drum heads resting below a mobile made of wire and oval ice. As the ice slowly melted, an amplifying system connected to speakers in the alcove broadcasted thunderously loud thumps recorded by microphones under the platform.

My knowledge of the basis of Nipper’s decisions is vague, but reading the press release introduces the thought of “the hurricane as a form of unmeasured movement presented in relation to clock-time, human emotion, and the science of meteorology.” As storms generate precipitation higher in the atmosphere as ice that melts and falls as rain, the conceptual force of the sculpture is the most cogently strong thing I’ve experienced in art this year. Brava to Kelly Nipper for her outstanding performance.

I understand the work will be re-installed at ArtBasel Miami Beach this December. I highly recommend it there as this work will probably next be seen in a museum or (unfortunately) tucked away in a collector’s vault or private home.

Christopher Davidson

2007-10-02T00:53:00.000-07:00

A picture of my Canadian friend whom I miss. We had a great time together during his short stay in Los Angeles...

Cut and Paste

2007-10-02T00:36:00.001-07:00

Radiohead tells fans to pay what they want for album
10/01/2007 11:25 AM, Reuters
Jonathan Cohen

Radiohead, one of the world's most influential rock bands, plans to sell its new album from its Web site as a digital download and let fans choose what they want to pay.

With music sales in decline globally for seven successive years, the industry is engaged in a debate over how best to reverse the trend.

Radiohead said its seventh studio album "In Rainbows" would be available from Radiohead.com from October 10 in MP3 format, meaning it can be played on all digital devices. In the latest twist in the move to digital music, fans can choose how much to pay, or can pay nothing if they prefer.

The band will also offer a special edition boxed set for 40 pounds ($82) which will be available later and will include two vinyl albums, a CD version of the new album and a second CD with additional new songs, artwork and photographs of the band.

Music observers said the British five-piece, which is no longer signed to a record label, is able to sell directly to its fans because it has such an established support base.

"They are the first band to put their money where their mouth is," Gareth Grundy, deputy editor of Q music magazine, told Reuters. "I think other bands that have been similarly successful will look and, if it is deemed to have worked, will do the same."

The traditional music business model has been under pressure as piracy and the move to digital sales has cut into album revenues. A strong area of growth, however, is live music and any subsequent tour by Radiohead would be boosted by the interest generated by the album.

"The traditional business model had been ruined by the Internet," said Grundy. "The industry is still trying to work out what on earth the new model or models should be and this is just one option."

Radiohead's digital or boxed set versions could be pre-ordered from the group's Web site from Monday and a spokesman said the box set had so far proved the more popular.

The group is planning a traditional CD release of the album in early 2008.

A decision by U.S. music star artist Prince to give his latest album away free with a British newspaper was met with fury by retailers and the industry who said it undermined the value of recorded music.

Undermined the value of recorded music?? What the "industry" is selling are pieces of plastic that can be read by a laser.

Lari Pittman at Regen Projects

2007-09-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

I went to the Lari Pittman opening last week. I was introduced to his work when I was at the Art Institute of Chicago about 10 years ago. I was, at the time, skeptical. I was interested in signs (the literal and the figurative) and I thought he was a very good painter, but I never got as excited as many did. I guess one needs to spend more time deciphering the works than I was wanting to invest back then.

The new works are much more interesting to me than the older works were. They seem deeper and definitely more complex. There is also an element to the work that I attribute to the "personal." Having been in the program at Otis and knowing his partner, Roy, and knowing Roy's work and knowing a bit about the objects they collect, I feel I have a bit more access to the work now.

But, then there are very specific subjects in the work that are fascinating: Cacti, fruit, overgrowth, vines, body parts, eggs, lamps, shafts of light. There seems to be a more specific era evoked in the work as well. There is an idea of traditional Americanism that looks toward "bounty" as a sign, but then there is also presented the reality of cultural diversity and the abjectness of this excess. The conflation of various technical depictions adds to this read for me. Woodblock, carvings, patterns and color schemes (could these be viewed as Latin American, as well?).

A quote from the press release doesn't give much narrative explanation but does talk nicely about the dichotomies that exist in the work:

In these new works, a rough, dark, and unsettled undercurrent is present. A formal and conceptual tension exists – an antithetical dynamic structured by the co-existence of numerous dichotomies. This simultaneity of opposites is illustrated in the themes found within the works: somber/celebratory, death/life, beautiful/ugly, utopic/dystopic, sublime/profane, radiant/contaminated. Formally, Pittman's paintings are also structured by dichotomies – abstraction/figuration, personal imagery/broad cultural signs, reality/illusion. Within this play of opposites, a tension is created that draws the viewer in and invites them to explore the event unfolding before them.

Be sure to check it out soon. The show closes October 20th.

Open House Housewarming Weekend

2007-09-13T21:00:00.001-07:00

Click image for a full view

Plato and a Platypus

2007-09-10T15:12:00.001-07:00

Finished reading Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes this week. Not a difficult read at all, and so I would recommend it. It is not for someone who wishes to deeply understand philosophical concepts and their history, but it does go over a number of basics. I guess my main recommendation is it is entertaining. The jokes are not rip-roaringly funny, but I chuckled here and there.

On the negative side, I would have wished the philosophy part had been a bit more extensive and a been a bit more contemporary. I was also shocked that Karl Marx wasn't really touched on, even though the book did talk about political philosophy. I even expected a mention of post-modernism and deconstruction, and, perhaps, mention Derrida.

Give it a go.

Bike Spill #1

2007-09-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

So, I've had my bike for about a week, trying to do more cardio exercise. I have been loving it. When I first moved to LA, I had a bike, but let it go after a while. Started driving everywhere. Where we live now is perfect for bike riding. To get to work is 12 kilometers and takes about an hour. There are hills both directions so I get a pretty decent work out. I can get to Alhambra or Downtown in about 30 minutes. Going past buildings at a slower rate, you discover tons of new and interesting places. Cute shops or ethnic restaurants. It's been fantastic.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I went down just 5 minutes away from the house. I was going around a parked car and as I went by it I saw a huge pavement buckle right in front of me. There was little I could do. I tried slowing down, but perhaps I slammed on breaks. Not really sure, just know I went flying through the air and landed underneath the bike. Dazed and sore, blood but not sure from where. A driver stopped and gave me a towel and some water and I began cleaning my face where I thought most of the blood was coming from. My chin, and perhaps, my left cheek. I was feeling faint, and my vision was clouded, all I could sense was sunlight and pain. I tried to lift my backpack with my right arm, but didn't have the strength, or couldn't due to the ache.

I was right in front of the Debs Park Audobon Center and a bike rider came by, someone who worked at the Audobon. I was still dazed and he went up to the center and had a friend drive back down for me. He took my bike back to the center and his friend drove me home. By this time, I was aware that I could bend my arm but not use it in any normal way. I wasn't sure if I had strained it or not. I called Clay and he said he'd meet me at home.

A few minutes later, he was driving me to Huntington Hospital where they did about seven x-rays. The arm was fractured, but not severely. No splint, no cast, just a sling, and perhaps, no exertion on it for a week or two. It will be swollen for awhile, too. Just need to try extending it frequently so it doesn't lock up. A few scrapes and definitely a black eye and bruised chin, a road rash on the left arm and banged up knees.

But, over all I'm kind of pleased. I was out there doing something I enjoyed. My first sport's injury since I broke my left arm riding a tricycle off the front porch when I was five. I really do want to get back on the bike as soon as possble.

House Related Post #1

2007-09-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Curtains Shrank!!!

We bought temporary IKEA curtains to keep out the 100 degree heat. They were about 10 inches too long so I was preparing to hem them. I washed them. The tag said not to dry clean or tumble dry. Like I've ever followed washing instructions! Got them out of the dryer this morning and was rehanging them, an they shrank ALOT. 10 inches to be exact. So, no need to hem them. They seem like (after I iron them) they are going to be just perfect. Some times things just work out.

Living Room

Bedroom

Jan 27, 1998 - Sept 4, 2007

2007-09-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Belmont...

She passed away very unexpectedly. She was the youngest of the four. She was a rescue from a homeless man on Belmont Avenue who was beating her. She had a good life. She never learned exactly how to use a litter box. She wasn't fazed by much. She was loved very, very much. She purred like crazy.

Montenegro - Day 4

2007-01-01T01:44:00.000-08:00

The old city of Ulcinj is a touristy city that I didn't expect to be a touristy city.

When I took a driver from the city of Bar (where the train dropped me off) to the city of Ulcinj, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was exhausted from the flight and the train trip. I also had no money (cash) on hand. The cab driver took me to an ATM which worked perfectly. I got out some local currency and was on may way to Ulcinj. I wasn't sure where I was going so I got out of the cab in the middle of Ulcinj (the city proper). I bought a pastry to eat and being exhausted, I sat down on a sidewalk. A shop keeper saw me there and tried to communicate with me. I had contact information for Vahida and the colony and she got a cab for me to go to the beach area to get to the old town. When I got to the beach, there was a cigarette vendor on the beach that knew someone who knew Vahida. He caled this guy and he, being a neighbor of Vahida, took me up into the old town to find Vahida. Vahida welcomed me and once I was settled in, I realized how small the town was (in that every one knew everyone - population is about 10,000), but also, how large it was (in the sense that it was populated by 'others' that were only there to "summer").

Old Ulcinj is actually not that old. When I was in Le Mont-Saint-Michel, I was fascinated by the way that the streets were made adaptable for the wheel chairs that were being used by a number of the tourists. It was a truly ancient site that was repurposed for a modern tourist aesthetic. Old Ulcinj is similar in the sense that Ulcinj was destroyed by an earthquke in the 70's. But instead of a tourist visiting ruins, the whole city has been rebuilt from the ruins (a phoenix from the ashes). The same rocks have been used to rebuild original structures, as well as new ones. It is quite hard to see where old ends and new begins (or where new ends and old begins).

As a tourist town, it is not overly luxurious. I was reminded of a spring break town, a beach city like Corpus Christi or South Padre Island. Night clubs going till 2AM. Loud parties. Open containers. But, it seemed like this was where people went when they were not able to go to Ibiza or Mallorca. Slightly decadent, but still affordable. The tourists came directly from Italy by ferry or from Germany, possibly through Belgrade by air and train. There were also a large number of Russians living there in summer homes. And a huge amount of new construction of mini-McMansion on the hillsides overlooking the Adriatic.

Scritti Politti - Songs To Remember

2006-11-13T23:53:00.000-08:00

From Songs To Remember:
"Asylums in Jerusalem"
"Jacques Derrida"

From a Q&A between ELVIS COSTELLO & GREEN GARTSIDE: A Scritti Politti-Costello chat in the October 28, 2006 Los Angeles Times (would've included the link but it's for pay now)...

ELVIS COSTELLO: Wordplay is something for which I was constantly flagged in the early part of my career. People find it in my songs even when none is present. At one point, I could pun and alliterate compulsively, but I cannot do crossword puzzles. Do you think that perceiving patterns in groupings of words can be an affliction, or is it just a trick talent in service of an idea or emotion?

GREEN GARTSIDE: Well, wordplay is important in all aspects of life. In understanding the world. In certain circumstances it helps rhetorical force, in other places it undermines it. I don't think of "it" instrumentally. It's endlessly productive.

EC: Have you ever hesitated before including a reference in a lyric that might be regarded as too obscure or, that most English of accusations, pretentious? Have you ever gone ahead anyway, just for badness?

GG: No I don't mind being pretentious. I think there may well be something to be said for pretensions. I don't police my lyrics much.

EC: Speaking as someone who only had a Secondary Modern education [high school], I feel fortunate to have had a reading list reflecting a life and class structure that I could recognize, even if I didn't feel bound by it. I'm speaking of "angry young man" writers like John Osbourne and Alan Sillitoe, with some obligatory Shakespeare thrown in. Is there anything in your education that particularly influenced your work?

GG: I'm really alarmingly unfamiliar with great swaths of 20th century writing. I've generally been more inclined to read books that are "philosophical," a word that others find more wanting than I do. That's a self-taught thing. I started at art school with Wittgenstein. I was interested principally in the indiscrete problem of meaning. The Beatles introduced me to the most powerful thing: ambiguity.

The interview of Green Gartside (the creative genius behind Scritti Politti ) in the Times made me think of the song "Jacques Derrida" from the 1982 Songs To Remember. I had intended to post it when Jacques Derrida died on October 8, 2004. He is by far one of the most influential of the philosophers that I read. But, even in the lyris of "Jacques Derrida" and throughout the rest of the album, there are further references to Lacan and Marx. I do love the "wordplay" that Gartside does over the complete album. It seems that Gartside wants to live above the Law. He's been talking in the tongues again. Here are the lyrics to "Jacques Derrida":

I'm in love with the bossonova
He's the one with the cashanova
I'm in love with his heart of steel
I'm in love
I'm in love with the bossonova
He's the one with the cashanova
I'm in love with his heart of steel
I'm in love

How come no-one ever told me
Who I'm working for
Down among the rich men baby
And the poor

Here comes love forever
And it's here comes love for no-one
Oh here comes love for Marilyn
And it's oh my baby oh-oh my baby
What you gonna do?
In the reason - in the rain

Still support the revolution

I want it I want it I want that too
B'baby B'baby it's up to you
To find out somethin' that you need to do
Because

I'm in love with a Jacques Derrida
Read a page and know what I need to
Take apart my baby's heart
I'm in love
I'm in love with a Jacques Derrida
Read a page and know what I need to
Take apart my baby's heart
I'm in love

To err is to be human
To forgive is too divine
I was like an industry
Depressed and in decline

Here comes love for ever
And it's here comes love for no-one
Oh here comes love for Marilyn
And it's oh my baby oh my baby
What you gonna do?
In the reason - in the rain

Still support the revolution

I want it I want it I want that too
B'baby B'baby it's up to you
To find out somethin' that you need to do
Because

Oh I'm in love with bop sh'dayo
Out of Camden Town for a day - oh
I'm in love with just gettin' away
I'm in love
Oh I'm in love with militante
Reads Unita and reads Avanti
I'm in love with her heart of steel
I'm in love

He held it like a cigarette
Behind a squadee's back
He held it so he hid its length
And so he hid its lack - oh
An' it seems so very sad
(all right!)

Well I want better than you can give
But then I'll take whatever you got
Cos I'm a grand libertine with the
Kinda demeanour to overthrow the lot
I said rapacious
Rapacious you can never satiate
(ate what?!) desire is so voracious
I wanna eat your nation state

I got incentive that you can't handle
I got the needs you can't assuage
I got demands you can't meet
'n' stay on your feet
I want more than your living wage

Well I want better than you can give
But then I'll take whatever you got
Cos I'm a grand libertine with the
Kinda demeanour to overthrow the lot
I said rapacious
Rapacious you can never satiate
(ate what?!) desire is so voracious
I wanna eat your nation state

Old drawings

2006-10-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

I came across these older drawings (probably did them last year) while cleaning up my harddrive. These are similar to the ones I posted last month in the use of basic office supplies and the balance between representation and abstraction. Images from left to right are: 1) A drawing of the wine shop from the desk at which I sat. 2) A drawing of a business card from a wine rep. 3) A phone message turned into a drawing. 4) A line drawing using various office supplies. 5) A U.O.ME/"Deathstar"esque abstract drawing. 6) A drawing of a missle fired from a silo. These were about 9" x 4" each.

I am back at work on new drawings and will post soon.

Stephen Duffy - Because We Love You

2006-10-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

Track listing:

"Something Special"
"A Lot of Ink"
"Sunday Supplement"
"Why Shouldn't I"
"Unkiss That Kiss"
"I Love You"
"When You Go To Bed"
"Love Station"
"We'll Never Argue"
"Julie Christie"

Kelly J. Kitches is getting married!!!! And all she wanted was "Something Special" by Stephen Duffy to play at the reception. And who was able to finally deliver it for her?? Yours truly.

This was one of my early favorites. Stephen Duffy actually founded Duran Duran with Nick Rhodes and John Taylor. He left to pursue a solo career and Simon Le Bon was added to the line up. I can't say it was an unwise move on Duffy's part. I think, musically, Duffy was brilliant. Yes, Duran Duran became mega-stars and sold out ("sold out") arenas all over the world, but listen to "Julie Christie" and you'll see what I mean. Long live Duffy.

All things Duffy are available at Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time

The Bush Administration's Failed North Korea Policy

2006-10-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

Democrats.org has a post called "The Bush Administration's Failed North Korea Policy" that's worth checking out...

Over the last four years, the Bush Administration has outsourced our diplomacy with North Korea to other nations and failed to take the lead in making sure America remains safe and secure. Today's announcement is further evidence that President Bush has taken his eye off the ball, allowing a member of the so-called ‘axis of evil’ to allegedly test a nuclear weapon.

While I think Dean focuses too much on the idea of 'outsourcing' as the worst part of Bush's policy, it is important to note the continued failures of the current administration. It is obvious, when compared to the Clinton approach to diplomacy, they are NOT the party to make the world more secure.

Call for Artists

2006-09-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Universal Symbol for Emptiness
a group exhibition curated by Calvin Phelps
fall 2006

If emptiness can be defined as “an experience of being without, of not having,” then we have all, in our lives, experienced a form of emptiness. It is arguably a presupposed position starting from our birth and a state that we attempt to fill with experience throughout our lives. The state of emptiness is a point of beginning in both Eastern thought and Christianity, and can be seen alternatively as the ideal point of spaciousness and freedom or the point of crisis, deficiency and oppressiveness.

In psychoanalysis, C.G. Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious refers to the part of a person’s unconscious that is common to all people. Jung theorized that particular symbolic subject matter do exist across all cultures, through all time, and in every person. Is emptiness an unconscious part of us that can have a representative archetype? If so, what is it and how can it be depicted?

This exhibition tries to answer these questions, while raising more provocative ones. The work in this exhibition does not simply evoke the personal-psychoanalytical artists’ response to trauma or loss, but looks at the various forms the void of emptiness can and does take.

Please submit images of works for consideration for this exhibition to Calvin Phelps, 411 S Main St #413, Los Angeles, CA 90013 or email mail@calvinphelps.com.

______________________________________________________

Carl Jung is buried in a family grave at the Protestant Church Graveyard in Kusnacht. The gravestone is rectangular about five feet in height, bearing the arms of the Jung family, and beneath this the names of father, mother, sister Gertrud, wife Emma Jung-Rauschenbach, and C.G. Jung. The top and bottom borders repeat in Latin the motto he choose for his house Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit (Called or not called, God will be present). The right and left sides contain a passage in Latin from St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:47) Primus homo de terra terrenus. Esecundus homo de caelo caelestis (The first man is of the earth and is earthly. The second man is of heaven and is heavenly).

Visited Countries Map

2006-07-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

Pretty cool map feature showing what percentage of the world you have visited (I'm at 7%).

create your own visited countries map

Montenegro - Day 3

2006-07-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

OK, so I admit. I'm just making up stuff now. I have no idea if it was day 3 or day 7 when the things I will describe to you happened. I know that after a night of meeting the new folk and general comraderie, we all started bonding. The American Women didn't arrive till a little later. So, for the first night it was just us. We stayed up on the hilltop in the Villa.

The next day, Rushit, Shawn and I took a trip to the beach (well, they went to the beach. As for me, "I don't like the sand, I don't like the water.") I spent time wandering the steets of Ulcinj. Ulcinj is a small town of about 20,000 peolpe or so. It is on the coast near the border of Albania and is thus populated with about 90% Albanians of which most are Muslim. The other residents are Orthodox Christian. Now, expecting to be in Serbia/Montenegro, I had practiced Serbian words like 'hvala' and 'pivo'. I didn't realize that Albanian would have come in more handy. While the local Albanian population spoke Serbian, it would have just been more polite had I at least learnd the basics of their language.

Luckily, since Shawn and I were Rushit's roommates and we took a liking to each other, we spent alot of time together. Rushit would translate for us since, being from Kosovo, Albanian was his first language. The waiters at the Villa and pretty much everyone in town were Albanian, so it certainly helped to have Rushit around.

Random photo of the city...

Up in the Villa there were a number of restaurants which served primarily fresh seafood of the day. Here is a photo of the catch before being prepared for that evening's dinner.

I guess it was that evening that Vahida divvied up the art supplies. This came as a bit of a shock to Colleen and myself, as we were both from educational backgrounds that did away with disciplinary boundaries. I more recently have been doing photography and video and was not expecting to paint. I knew painting was certainly going to take place, but I didn't think it was the sole practice of the residency. And, as it turned out, it wasn't going to be the sole practice of the residency. But, more on that later.

New Drawings

2006-07-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

I did these drawings today. They work as a suite of five images arranged in this order...

Details of each image follow. Each image is 9.25 by 8 inches. The first, third and fifth drawings are collages using newspaper images with Scotch tape and black Sharpie and Dry Erase Marker. Image two and three are drawings using various pens, markers and highlighters. Click on any image to get a closer look.

An image of a soldier with a baseball on a baseball filed.

A drawing made using highlighters and a Sharpie.

An image of Mexican politicans in front of a political poster.

An drawing of a dry eraser marker with shadow.

An image of a woman crying in the arms of a Salvation Army volunteer in London after the 7/7 attacks.

Cy-Fair High School Reunion Mix

2006-07-10T01:08:00.000-07:00

"586" by New Order
"Cars" by Gary Numan
"CCCan't You See" by Vicious Pink
"Desperate But Not Serious" by Adam Ant
"Don't Tell Me" by Blancmange
"Fade To Grey (Extended)" by Visage
"Forever Young (New Single Mix)" by Alphaville
"Get The Balance Right (Razormaid Mix)" by Depeche Mode
"Heartbeat (Class X Mix)" by Psychedelic Furs
"Here We Go" by Ministry
"Hungry Like The Wolf (Razormaid Mix)" by Duran Duran
"I Love a Man in Uniform (12" A Side)" by Gang of Four
"I Love You Too Much (Original Version)" by The Human League
"Imagination" by Belious Some
"Promised You A Miracle" by The Simple Minds
"Promises, Promises" by Naked Eyes
"Sailing On The Seven Seas" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)
"Smalltown Boy (Full 12" Version)" by Bronski Beat
"Tainted Love/ Where Did Our Love Go (Extended)" by Soft Cell
"Tears Are Not Enough (12" Version)" by ABC
"Tour de France (Original 1983)" by Kraftwerk
"Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
"Whammy Kiss" by The B52's
"Wishing (I Had a Photograph)" by A Flock of Seagulls

Montenego - Day 2

2006-07-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

I arrive in Ulcinj totally exhausted. But, equally, I feel exhilirated. I am supposed to go to the Old Town but Vahida doesn't answer her cell phone. No problem. I find a guy selling cigarettes by the beach who speaks enough English to help me find Ismet, the 'mayor' of Old Town. Five minutes later, he is walking me up the stairs to the Old Town where he takes me directly to Vahida's house. Fellow Americans Colleen and Shawn have arrived, as well (we were all on the same train, but we didn't know it), and we meet for the first time. I also meet Rushit from Kosovo, Ana from Serebia and Ioan from Romania. More on all these later, but first, images of the Old Town.

Vahida tells us that we are going to Ada Bojana (at least, I think that's where we went first). On the way to the van that will drive us there, we pass the jail where Cervantes was imprisoned. By then I have meet Marko and Tamara, a married couple from Serbia (who I will later stay with on my trip home), as well. In the photo below are Marko and Rushit with Shawn, Tamara and Ioan looking into the prison.

We pass the Orthodox cemetery on the way to the van.

When we get to Ada Bojana, I learn we are to clean the boat. Well, technically, Marko, Tamara, Ana, and Vahida begin cleaning and tell us to hang out. But, watching them go at it for half an hour, we all decide to pitch in. This is the closest to the 'slavery' that I got 'sold into' (everyone kidded me about that happening). We will end up using the boat later during the residency.

Wild cat eating a fish head.

On the way back to Ulcinj, we stop at Copa Cabana in Ada Bojana, a huge beach that goes as far as the eye can see.

Serbia & Montenegro - Day 1 & 2

2006-07-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

A recent LA Times article describes the journey via train from Belgrade to Bar, the coastal town in Montenegro. It was from Bar that I would take a cab to my final destination of Ulcinj. Before I boarded the train in Belgrade at 10PM, I purchased a plastic 2-liter bottle of Pivo to be my companion on the start of the trip.

These two new friends told me I could share their cabin on the train. The guy on the left spoke adequate English, but his friend...not so much. We were quickly joined by two young brothers and thus began the train ride.

On a stop along the way, the two brothers met up with a friend of theirs and his girlfriend. It was obvious that I was not to get much sleep in this cabin. There was a bar on the train that the two younger guys frequented, but for the first leg of the trip, I shared my beer with the group.

Most of the people I met in Serbia & Montenegro (including the Bosnians, Croats and Kosovars) were still quite nationalistic. They were not aggressive or disdainful toward each other in any way. But you could sense that some unresolved issues were always near the surface. The people I met seemed eager to let these disputes play out in a democratic way and were never pleased with the military conflicts to which Milosevic had made them a part.

I ventured down to the bar and had some Rubin Vinjak at 100 dinar a miniature bottle (cheap). It is a cognac-type liquor that is produced in a town about 100 miles south of Belgrade. What was interesting was that not only were the passengers enjoying a cocktail, but so was the train conductor...

The bathroom....

After a quick trip to the bathroom, which was as described in the LA Times article, my two new friends decided to find another cabin -- away from the teen-agers.

It wasn't until early in the morning that my English-speaking friend woke me up, The train was coming to a near stand-still, so I asked if we were arriving. His answer came as a shock. We were approaching the ravine where in January the train to Bar had lost use of its brakes and careened over the edge of the mountainside. I wasn't aware of the accident, but read about it at the BBC once I got to a computer.

Serbia - Day 1

2006-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

The trip to Serbia & Montenegro began with a flight from Los Angeles to New York. A short layover and plane change in New York and then on to London. London to Milan, and then Milan to Belgrade.

Below is a photo just for Anna. The Captain announced that we were flying over the Swiss Alps. This is as close as I got to Basel this year. Maybe next year.

As we flew into Belgrade, I was intrigued by the architecture of the city. This image of New Belgrade is of the Communist-era brutalist architecure that was popular through the 60's. Tito led Yugoslavia from the 40's until his death in 1980. During this time, he built the city of New Belgrade across the river Sava. In a move away from Soviet formalist and narrative architecture, the predominant style of New Belgrade was more Western modernist and avant-garde.

After I landed, I took a cab ride around the city. The driver (though ripping me off) was very friendly and informative. He took me by many interesting spots, including the ruins of the Army Headquarters bombed by NATO in 1999. There is a very interesting article regarding the architecture of Belgrade and this building at the following link: nato as architectural critic by Srdjan Jovanovic Weiss. A short quote:

(W)hat can be the strategic value of a highly visible large building in the center of the city, especially after being emptied of its personnel and equipment? Physically, its strategic value is zero. The only possible strategic justification for the destruction of this building was its symbolic disappearance from the skyline.

I didn't spend much time in Belgrade the first day, but when I came back through, I spent 2 days with my new friends Tamara and Marko. Pictures of that visit later...

goodstorm.com/stores/sea_fell

2006-04-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

OK. Call me crass. I am selling t-shirts via goodstorm.com (capatalism done right). I wanted an outlet to make more political "art" and became very comfortable with the idea of goodstorm. The numerous non-profits that are aligned with them gives me confidence that they are a truly progressive partner. I like the agit-prop aspect of the concept. Here's part of their philosophy:

We don't think capitalism is necessarily a bad thing, especially when it's done right. That is, when the process is transparent and everyone gets their fair share. We do our best to use products made in America by sweatshop-free labor, whenever possible; and we are committed to earning profits for our community of do-gooders and designers.

These two designs are simply the statement "BUSH LIED" over distinct graphics: first, a chart depicting the number of coalition deaths over the course of the war and second, a map of the US depicting the cities that the dead American soldiers came from. The phrase "bush lied, they died" has been pared down. Obviously, we know Bush lied and that is the point in this series of shirts. I prefer using statistics to make didactic points.

More to come....

Spandau Ballet - Gold: The Best of Spandau Ballet

2006-02-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

"Only When You Leave" by Spandau Ballet

"I'll Fly For You" by Spandau Ballet

"Paint Me Down" by Spandau Ballet

Slipping back again... to when I really loved Spandau Ballet and the term "New Romantic" was coined. I am not ashamed to admit that I was into ALL of them. The obvious: Adam & the Ants, ABC, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode. And the more obtuse: Visage, Blancmange, Scritti Politti. I had a teacher that was into punk and when I brought up the possibility of "New Wave" being a political response to the conservatism of the burgeoning Thatcher/Reagan era and the whole "Me" generation, he would scoff. Punk, to him, was the only truly rebellious moment/movement. But, truth be told, any time a guy wears more makeup than his girlfriend and more frilly shirts than Shirley Jones, a rebellion is in play...

All things GOLD are available at Amazon

Various Artists - 1995 Mercury Music Prize

2006-02-19T23:12:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I haven’t posted in a while.

But, I hope these 14 tracks sort of make up for my lack. I was looking through my CDs and came across a compilation I bought back in 1995. I remember I was looking for Oasis’ “Live Forever” and was having a hard time finding the Definitely Maybe album. I saw that the song was on the 1995 Mercury Music Prize Ten Albums of the Year CD. The Mercury Prize recognizes British and Irish talent. It was established in 1992 as an alternative to the industry-dominated Brit awards . It was originally sponsored by the now-defunct telecoms company Mercury, followed in 1998 by Technics and starting in 2004 the Nationwide Building Society. The disc had songs by Leftfield, PJ Harvey, Tricky and others. Well, it was a great find.

I went to the Mercury Prize webpage and check out who won over the past 14 years. I have my own favorites, and I decided to list them here:

1992 - The Jesus and Mary Chain – Honey’s Dead – "Reverence"
1993 - New Order – Republic – "Times Change"
1994 - Blur – Parklife – "Girls & Boys"
1995 - Portishead – Dummy – "It’s a Fire"
1996 - Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – "Wonderwall"
1997 - Radiohead – OK Computer – "Karma Police"
1998 - Propellerheard – Decksanddrumsandrockandroll – "History Repeating"
1999 - The Chemical Brothers – Surrender – "Out of Control"
2000 - Coldplay – Parachutes – "Trouble"
2001 - Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain – "Lovely Head"
2002 - Doves – The Last Broadcast – "There Goes the Fear"
2003 - Radiohead – Hail to the Thief – "2+2=5"
2004 - Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand – "Take Me Out"
2005 - Antony and the Johnsons – I am a Bird Now – "Hope There’s Someone"

The years that I agree with their choice are in bold (I have chosen a different song from the album to highlight from Portishead). I will look at what comes out to give my opinion on the 2006 Shortlist. All comments welcome on my selections...

It looks like the 1995 Mercury Music Prize CD is out of print, but be sure to look for each individual artists' CD on Amazon

Beth Orton - The Other Side Of Daybreak

2006-01-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

"Daybreaker (Four Tet Remix)" by Beth Orton

"Concrete Sky (Live Acoustic)" by Beth Orton

Beth Orton performed her new song "Conceived” on the Late Show with David Letterman on Tuesday January 24. The album, Comfort of Strangers comes out February 6th. She gave a perfect performance last night. I busted out The Other Side Of Daybreak, which has a number of mixes and special versions of earlier work. She can go from zero to sixty quicker than any other artist out there. Astralwerks says the new song produced by Jim O'Rourke (Wilco, Stereolab) and mixed by Michael Brauer "is Beth's most self-assured, accomplished work to date" and I concur. I look forward to hearing the rest of the album soon.

To hear the single, visit Beth Orton at her Astralwerks site. It looks like she will have a new site debuting soon so stay tune for that one.

The Other Side Of Daybreak is available at Amazon

Fridge 3.0

2006-01-16T23:37:00.000-08:00

What a fun way to 1) waste away precious hours of the day, 2) feel like e. e. cummings & 3) communicate with the virtual world, all at the same time: Fridge 3.0. To take a screenshot in Mac, press Command-Shift-4 to change the cursor to a cross, which you can click and drag to select an area of the screen to capture in a PICT file saved on the Desktop.

The Aluminum Group - Pedals

2006-01-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

"Paperback" by The Aluminum Group

"$35" by The Aluminum Group

I was introduced to The Aluminum Group while still living in Houston in 1995 by a friend who lent me the album Wonder Boy. When I moved to Chicago, I (conveniently) forgot to return it to him. The Aluminum Group reminded me of the British pop group Fraizer Chorus in their wit and coyness. The duo consists of Chicago brothers John and Frank Navin. I hadn't thought about them for a while until I visited Chicago about two years ago. They were performing at the Old Town School of Folk Music t celebrate the release of Happyness and my friend Francine and I snuck in to see them. The show was stunning. They invited a number of guest musicians to perform, often times leaving the stage to their guests alone. The last set of the show consisted of the two brothers performing with their iPod, taking requests from the audience. They reminded me a bit of the humor of The Smother Brothers. If you ever get a chance to see them, you must.

"Paperback" reminded me slightly of the James Frey's A Million Little Pieces controversy that's swirling around right now (Guest Amy Warren sings on this one). Also, be sure to play with their Happy Face designed by Jason Pickleman:

Visit The Aluminum Group for free downloads and funny pictures.

Available at Amazon

Talk Talk - Asides Besides

2006-01-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

Happiness is Easy (12" Mix) by Talk Talk

John Cope by Talk Talk

Here I offer two of the most compelling songs by the 80's group Talk Talk. These are later works when the group had begun stripping out the synth-heavy orchestrations and gone much, more percussive. They would later be attributed to influencing a style of music called 'post-rock' in which traditional rock instruments were employed "for non-rock purposes, using guitars as facilitators of timbres and textures rather than riffs and power chords" (The Wired, May 1994)

I had never really paid too much attention to the lyrics, although the vocalizations in these songs are intrigal to the effects they produce. Upon further analysis of the words, a powerful social engagement is revealed by the lyricist. I am not exactly sure what to make of the strong Christian symbology in Happiness is Easy; but, there are several lines that show a skepicism of organized religon and a warning of blind alligence. How apropros.

Happiness Is Easy
(Mark Hollis / Tim Friese-Greene)

Makes you feel much older
Sublime the blind parade
It wrecks me how they justify their acts of war
They assemble, they pray
Take good care of what the priests say
'After death it's so much fun'
Little sheep don't let your feet stray
Happiness is easy
Joy be written upon the earth
And the sky above
Jesus star that shines so bright
Gather us in love
Guilt upon their shoulders
How well the cause evades
Infecting your religions, claiming pacts
It's easy to shoulder the blame
Happiness is easy
Little ships of Galilee
Happiness is easy
Standing on the sea
Happiness is easy
Jesus tried to love us all
Happiness is easy
Be a friend to me
Happiness is easy
Try to teach my children
To recognise excuse before it acts
From love and conviction to pray
Take good care of what the priests say
'After death it's so much fun'
Little sheep don't let your feet stray
Happiness is easy
Little ships of Galilee
Standing on the sea
Jesus tried to love us all
Be a friend to me
Joy be written upon the earth
And the sky above
Jesus star that shines so bright
Gather us in love

John Cope
(Mark Hollis / Tim Friese-Greene)
Weapons at my feet
Some kind of living
Beggar sits to plead
Some kind of giving

Available at Amazon

Jacques Derrida - The Gift of Death

2006-01-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

The Gift of Death by Jacques Derrida

So, I have been reading this late work by Jacques Derrida recently. It was recommended to me by Joan whom I studied with at Otis. She said it was the best work by him. I wasn't sure what to expect, but decided to give it a go.

This book is amazing. Here is what Publishers Weekly has to say...

French philosopher Derrida stares death in the face in this dense but rewarding inquiry. Beginning with an analysis of an essay on the sacred by Czech philosopher/human rights activist Jan Patocka, Derrida follows the development of moral and ethical responsibility, and the concept of the soul's immortality, in the transition from Platonism to Christianity. He then ponders the self's anticipation of death in sacrifice, war, orgiastic mystery cults, murder and execution, with reference to Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, Nietzsche, Heidegger's thought (a "constant attempt to separate itself from Christianity") and the biblical story of Abraham's contemplated sacrifice of his son, Isaac, at God's behest. In the most provocative section, Derrida links religious injunctions of sacrifice to the "monotonous complacency" of modern society, which allows tens of millions of children to die of hunger and disease.

I admit that Chapters One (Secrets of European Responsibility) and Two (Beyond: Giving for the Taking, Teaching and Learning to Give, Death) were fairly easy to read and quite enthralling. Concepts dealing with responsibility and European heritage are fully detailed from the originary Heretical Essays in the Philosophy of History by Jan Patočka. But, Chapter Three (Whom to Give to: (Knowing not to Know)) was a stunner. After four rereadings Derrida's subtle deconstruction started to become clearer. It helps to hold two opposing views in mind simultaneously. As for the final Chapter (Tout autre est tout autre), I think ten more readings of it will help. I'll get back to you on how it goes.

In the meanwhile, here is a fantastic essay by Ivan Chvatík titled The Heretical Conception of the European Heritage in the Late Essays of Jan Patočka. Here is Chvatík's abstract of the essay:

In this short piece I am not undertaking to give a full discussion of the whole of Patočka’s ‘heretical’ work. I wish only make clear its most essential core. What, in Patočka’s view, made Europe Europe and what is Europe’s bequest to the world after what Patočka describes as its fall, completed by the two world wars? What should Europe look to conserve in itself if—as seems likely—it would like to once again play a respected role in world events? Is there something which the globalised world should take over from old Europe, or something which it should eschew, if it does not wish history to end and utter decadence to ensue?

New Order - Back To Mine

2006-01-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

“The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” by Missy Elliot

I'm quite sure my commitment to blogging will quickly wane. But, while I'm into it -- or perhaps to get the ball rolling -- I am making my second post. I woke up to rain on the windows. It is officially winter in Los Angeles. And the first thing that entered my mind was this track from Missy Elliot off of the New Order version of the Back To Mine series. Now, don't get me wrong. Actually, I LOVE the rain, but this song is all L.A. summertime.

Guess what? I have for many years been a fan of New Order, but more recently, I have grown to respect them as artists as opposed to pop celebrities -- if they can be called that. Check out the superb playlist from their compilation:

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band 'Big Eyed Beans From Venus'
Primal Scream 'Higher Than the Sun'
Missy Elliot 'The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)'
The Velvet Underground 'Venus in Furs'
Doves 'M62 Song'
Roxy Music 'In Every Dream Home a Heartache'
Cat Stevens 'Was Dog a Doughnut?'
Mantronix 'Bassline'
The Groundhogs 'Cherry Red'
Joey Beltram 'Energy Flash'
Donna Summer 'I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley mix)'
Can 'Mushroom'
Rhythim is Rhythim 'The Dance'
Giorgio Vs Talla 2XLC 'E=MC2'

Also, I just bought the Pet Shop Boys Back To Mine, which is a double CD set. You would serve yourself well to check out the whole series at DMC

Tennant/Lowe - Battleship Potemkin

2006-01-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

“After all (The Odessa Staircase)” by the Pet Shop Boys and Dresdner Sinfoiker

For a first post I have selected to share with you the track “After all (The Odessa Staircase)” from the recent CD "Battleship Potemkin" by Tennant/Lowe (composers) and the Pet Shop Boys (performers). This score was commissioned for a screening of Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin by Philip Dodd, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. This selection seems to be a synergistic combination of the themes I hope my blog will explore, stated generally: art, music and philosophy.

I have for many years been a fan of PSB, but more recently, I have grown to respect them as artists as opposed to pop celebrities -- if they can be called that. They have collaborated with architect Zaha Hadid and artist Sam Taylor-Wood and Neil Tennant was even on the 1998 Turner Prize jury (the year Chris Ofili won). The selection of Tennant/Lowe to compose a new score for a 1925 silent film about a 1905 Black Sea Russian revolt is fitting. They have quite often played with Soviet imagery and motifs, have espoused socialist views (Neil Tennant studied Socialism) and have a passion for classical music. For more than anyone needs to know about the Pet Shop Boys check out The Introspective Pet Shop Boys FAQ

The orchestration on Battleship Potemkin is by Torsten Rasch and performed by the Dresdner Sinfoniker conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer.

Available at Amazon

Happy New Year

2006-01-01T13:38:00.000-08:00