Edward Hopper is one of my favorite painters; Gregory Crewdson is one of my favorite photographers. Their styles are very similar; stark subject matter portrayed with moods of isolation, resignation, and foreboding. Their works evoke a cinematic viewpoint, with sharp contrasts of light and shadow, like a film noir movie still. I have known Hopper's work for years, since childhood, thanks to famous examples such as as Nighthawks (1942), and as I learned more, I came to admire his vision greatly. I personally connect with his subject matter. I can feel the quiet solitude his characters are experiencing. Their wistful look; the subtle interaction of human beings in their environment. It truly moves me.
Gregory Crewdson is an admitted fan of Hopper and his own work evokes a similar construct. He works with a large crew and uses elaborate set ups for his staged vignettes. I have never seen a proper exhibit of Crewdson's, I only know of his work through books. I love the eerie moods he achieves through the painstaking lighting and effects set-ups of his shoots. Many of his photographs are suggestive of a crime about to occur (or one that has just passed).
Hopper (b. 1882 - d. 1967) and Crewdson (b. 1962) are both native New Yorkers. I am posting examples of their works below, alternating between the two artists to exemplify their similar approach.
Sofia, for god's sake, CALL JOE!!!
I'm not saying I look like Bruce Springsteen but I think these photos have a similar feel to them. The overall look and composition maybe. Or perhaps it's just wishful thinking. At any rate it was unintentional. I actually started to cut the "spine" of all my v-neck undershirts because of this album cover (you can barely see it beneath my white-collar shirt).
The photos of me were taken on a late Saturday night after my best friend's wedding of which I was the (un-official) best man. I was standing in front of the closet getting undressed when the friend I was crashing with took these pictures. It was a good night well spent and we were feeling quite relaxed and satisfied.
This is a great Springsteen album by the way. I think my favorite, next to Nebraska. Racing in the Street floors me.
I love the classic candies. Bit-O-Honey, Mary Janes, Toffees, Malt Balls, Licorice, etc. Every Christmas I buy a tin and fill it with them to snack on while hanging with the family. Sticks to your teeth, but I love it. When I went to my friend's wedding in Waynesville, NC I came upon a general store whose entire basement was filled with barrels of candy. A dream come true. I stocked up for sure and bought smarties for all the groomsmen (but in the wedding-jitters-madness forgot to hand them out!). It's a good thing I don't live anywhere near this store otherwise all my teeth would fall out!
I never had much of a sweet-tooth growing up and didn't start getting into sugary things until my 30's. I'm picky for sure, so I don't eat too much, and I temper it with the healthy stuff of course. But candy is a fun diversion from my usual constitution.
It is not my intention to use this blog as a promotional platform for local or contemporary musical artists, but I have to share this song because it is simply killing me with pleasure. Prince Rama's track, So Destroyed (as told through the fictional band, Rage Peace), is such a ground-breaking step forward for them, it really excites me. I first saw them last year open up for Indian Jewelry, and have been charting their course since. A fan of their live performances, I've never really gotten into their studio recordings....until this. So Destroyed transcends beyond their eastern-influenced mysticism into a wholly unique and uplifting adjudication.
My favorite part of the song is about 1:35 into the track when the break down switches from C major into a G major chord....a simple change that gives me goosebumps. I can't wait to see where this band takes us next.
Here's a collection of the black & white photos I took in China. Most of them are from my trip to Hangzhou, which is famous for its lake and surrounding woods. It's a few hours from Shanghai and I took the train there by myself. It was crazy getting there and back. Imagine the chaos of Penn Station except all the signs are in Chinese. I would stare at the characters of the alphabet on my ticket and then check the board until I found a match. It worked!
The West Lake at Hangzhou is beautiful and when I went it was raining. Fog covered everything, adding a hint of mystery to my experience. I then took a taxi up the mountain to Lingyin Temple, which is surrounded by beautiful grottos and religious rock carvings of the Buddha and his followers. I meditated in a nice spot by a stream and when I opened my eyes I was surrounded by Chinese tourists taking pictures of the meditating westerner.
It was also in Hangzhou where I got a taste of what it's really like to live under the thumb of the Chinese government. After dinner I came back to my room to check my facebook account. Blocked! Hmmmm....let me check what's on youtube. Blocked again!!! I learned that, although you can access them just fine in Beijing and Shanghai, they're banned everywhere else. So I just turned on the tv and watched The Green Hornet (there wasn't any nightlife in Hangzhou).
My vacuum cleaner was broken. It was an electrical problem. The power kept cutting in and out as I was vacuuming the rugs in my apartment. It's a common problem with these types of cheap machinery, they need a little tinkering every now and again. So I took it to my local repair shop.
This is something a lot of people don't do today. A few of my friends would look at me funny and say, "just get a new one." Despite the efforts of many to recycle and reduce their carbon footprint we still live in a throwaway culture. It's very wasteful to take a vacuum cleaner, or any other type of electronic household appliance, to the dump without giving a local repair shop the chance to fix it first. Many of these things have a simple part that needs replacing and it won't take long or cost much. My parents once found one of those very expensive Dyson vacuum cleaners in their local recycling center, out to be trashed, and all it turned out it needed was a simple part replaced that Dyson mailed to my folks for free.
The problem is a lot of these mom 'n pop repair shops are going out of business because the parts are getting harder to order, the machines aren't even built to last, and the demand is simply not there. Luckily, New York still has a few of these stores left in each borough.
The place I went to was the Expert Appliance and Electronics Center on 293 Court Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (718.858.5444). It took only a few minutes. The proprietor new instantly that the connection was bad in the extension arm and needed a new part that he happened to have in the back. I paid him $20 in cash.
So next time your vacuum, or Cuisinart, Osterizer, stereo poop out, don't throw it out. Take it to your local fix-it shop. You'll be glad you did.
