Golden Days Before They End

Klaus Pichler- Golden Days Before They End

Haven't bought a photo book since some time in the beginning of 2016, not to say that there isn't anything good out there- but living on modest means certainly has a way of curtailing unnecessary acquisitions. And at this point in life, hoarding is a very unattractive proposition all around, so one learns to be hesitant, selective, and ultimately- appreciative. 

Recently I've been asking all the wrong people (ie- people my age)- how do young people afford their fun these days? Everywhere one goes, there are no more dives, no cheap thrills where fun is had at discount. Again, perhaps it's because I no longer know where, or even how to look. Everywhere is gentrified, everywhere is upscale, everywhere is seven and eight dollar beers! How do the young afford it?

Of course, think of the good ol' days of suds and yore, and Anders Petersen's Cafe Lehmitz immediately comes to mind. And that's not a bad precedent, but Golden Days Before They End manages to rise to it's own level of originality and authenticity. Cafe Lehmitz foresaw the the future, documenting the loosening of sexual mores and attitudes within a small community that would soon spread worldwide. Klaus Pichler records a paean to dives past; those darkened, dank and familiar places of sticky beer, worn out floors and denizens well past their primes, establishments beyond endangered and well into extinction. Ever walk into one of those "Traditional Irish Pubs" with the 200in TV monitors that have been pillars of  the community for all of three months after being sold, reconditioned and remodeled? Makes me wanna puke right into one of their authentic $25 pub food platters.

One of the things Petersen didn't usually get credit for was the technical proficiency of his available light B&W portraiture, you won't find better in the analog kingdom. Like Lehmitz, Golden Days' images are also technically impressive, almost painterly at times, even though available light is not the rule. And also like Lehmitz, Golden Days' images will endure and outlive its subject matter- full of the quirks and characters that makes life well worth remembering...

Klaus Pichler- Golden Days Before They End

OK, OK...

Much as I want to, much as you want to, we all can't stare at Santa forever... Let's try this seasonal take on David (minus the naughty bits) for a more classical (and classy) change of pace...

Photo: © S. Banos

HO! HO!! HO!!!

Ya didn't think what Santa does came easy, did ya? It takes practice, patience, years of trial and error, in season and off, before he can finally assume the position. You know, that jovial, familiar, holiday pose for which so many of us remember him so fondly- to this very day!

 

Photo: © S. Banos

Best of thoughts and wishes in the Holiday Season- MERRY XMAS, y'all!!!

Yeah, I Know...

All Photos: © S. Banos

This is the time of year when we look back and make recommendations and observations on the year's occurrences both large and small, photographic and otherwise. Unfortunately, this will not be the case here; the year, in short, was dominated by the deterioration and death of my father, my acquisition of the dreaded Shingles- not to mention, unknowingly self eviscerating the visuals from nearly ten years of my blog... nice! On the "happier" side, I finally delved headfirst into the digital realm with my purchase of a GR, and managed to self publish three books. 

This past week I went back to NYC to help my mother move- suffice to say, I have never (ever) worked harder (both physically and mentally) in my entire life, the excruciating details of which (yes, there's more) I may get into at some later point. Anyway, the kicker at the end of it all- I was to return (for the first time in my entire life) with a certain share of monies in hand from the sale of my parent's small but centrally located condo. However, our idiot, asshole of a so called lawyer did not perform the most basic of lawyerly due diligence, which resulted in the postponement of said sale... the discovery of the fatal discrepancy occurred at the very closing of said deal as one and all were happily signing away on the plethora of expected paperwork! It has now been made abundantly clear to me (something said "lawyer" should have readily seen) that I will also be needing the services of a probate lawyer to finally consummate said deal. This means a delay of around two months, an eventual return trip to NYC, and the borrowing of money from a variety of trusted friends and resources- did I mention the barrage of additional paperwork involved, in addition to the bills and accumulating debt? This has, in effect turned into its own F/T job- just in time as I return to work this Mon. Did I also fail to mention just how hard my probate lawyer laughed when I regaled him with sad said details of the gross incompetence exhibited by my initial "lawyer?" At least he apologized for laughing, one apology more than I got from said incompetent.

Anyway, not to be a complete Danny Downer at the Christmas Yuletide Season (and in full acknowledgement that there are those with considerably larger problems worldwide)... in lieu of the traditional end of year lists, I'll simply include my slowly accumulating square format offerings. Must say- I kinda love these "little" guys...

                       

Photo: © S. Banos

A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence

This year has by far been the worst year in movies. The wife and I average going to the flicks about twice a month, one of the few affordable means of entertainment at our disposal- and FWIW, we usually do not attend the Hollywood blockbusters. This year we went one, two, three even four months without even one worthwhile offering, catch something fair to mediocre, and then another months' long wait...

Desperate to relax and watch something fun and/or compelling, I stumbled through the usual Netflix offerings, and decided to chance upon something with a most decidedly dumb name. First off, if you're not a fan of deadpan humor, look elsewhere- for this is deadpan stripped bare, concentrated and... relentless. No pratfalls, no one liners, no fits of uncontrolled laughter. The scenes in A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence are prolonged, often repetitive and overbearingly slow. And I loved (almost) every goddamn second of it.

For one thing, it is one of, if not the most beautiful film I have ever seen. And it is the subtleties of the visuals in every scene that outright mesmerizes, despite the purposely laborious pacing. One is immediately absorbed by the pastel color schemes, particularly the repetitive pea green motif; each scene shot wide with enough details to counter the intoxicating sparsity of action, dialogue and story line.

Noticeably photographic in its aesthetics as it may be, it's definitely not for everyone. But if you want to experience something truly unique and visually compelling, not to mention a wickedly perverse sense of humor, you're definitely in for a treat. Oh, and the last scene is as surreal, unexpected and foreboding as it gets.

 

Snowden On Hypocrisy Of US Justice System

Banned TED Talk on "Job Creators"

Fidel Castro

Flawed, yes. A dictator? Absolutely- like so many other US allies and buddy-buddies that they not only support(ed), but helped put in power (Pinochet, Mobutu, the Shah to name but a few)! But in the US of A, one only hears the negatives.- as if the guy he overthrew (who's rarely mentioned) wasn't a tyrant himself, in the pocket of the mob and CIA.

When Angola was being overrun by Apartheid South African troops and various other mercs, Fidel sent Cuban troops (against the wishes of the USSR) to oppose the invaders. "Mandela wrote that he was in jail in 1975 when he learned about the arrival of the Cuban troops in Angola, and it was the first time then a country had come from another continent not to take something away, but to help Africans to achieve their freedom."

Personally, I've never tired of viewing the contrast between the Cubans living in Miami, as opposed to those actually living in Cuba. Those in Miami, predominantly of European descent; those in Cuba, considerably darker skinned and Black. And you'll certainly be hard pressed to find any of Fidel's detractors giving an honest, detailed accounting as to why...

Trumplandia Has Arrived- We Are Rome!!!

Yes, the natural fallout of all that logic, rational debate and intense intellectual discourse made so popular and trendy by Trump and his loyal gang of Brown shirts is coming soon by the ever lovin' truckload to: a theater, every town and city, mountain and glen in the US of A... 

Liberated Whites everywhere are finally free to "play the race card," I mean speak on behalf of their long oppressed people that have for centuries been forced into servitude, enslavement and second class citizenship by that ever increasing consortium of: Jews, Blacks and other various mud people the world over under the insidious leadership of Master Illuminati George Soros! 

The time is nigh...

Photo: © S. Banos

"We live in a country that ignored all of those values that we would hold our kids accountable for. They’d be grounded for years if they acted and said the things that have been said in that campaign by Donald Trump... And what gets lost in the process are African Americans, and Hispanics, and women, and the gay population, not to mention the eighth grade developmental stage exhibited by him when he made fun of the handicapped person. I mean, come on. That’s what a seventh grade, eighth grade bully does. And he was elected president of the United States. We would have scolded our kids. We would have had discussions until we were blue in the face trying to get them to understand these things. He is in charge of our country. That’s disgusting... we are Rome."    -Gregg Popovich

Boom!

Can't stay too mad at that face.

It was not the best of sounds. The first rapidly followed by several others. Unrecognizable sounds loud enough to wake me from sleep, and disturbing enough to register as the kind from which no good could possibly come. As I quickly approached consciousness, the thought began to manifest... is that the sound my Ricoh GR would make should it fall off the desk and bounce upon the floor?

The light instantly revealed said GR on bedroom floor, Nelson's curly tail rapidly scurrying from the scene of the crime. Someone had probably started playing with the wrist strap, got himself entangled, panicked, and...

I quickly picked it up- no scratches, dings or other perceptible trauma. Even the knock off plastic VF that gives you an instant headache should you be foolish enough to try and look through it was intact. But would it turn on? Yes! But would it actually work, I was still too groggy to be certain. So I yelled at the cat, and placed it back on my desk- right next to the brand new case I had bought that day and placed beside it when I'd gone to bed! 

Fortunately, the GR works just fine, and one eyed Nelson still occasionally runs into furniture .
(cat photo: Lisa Wood)

The Road Ahead...

 

Photo: © S. Banos

Time to take stock and give thanks. So many of us got it so much better than so many others, at home and world wide. 
And that said, we got one long haul ahead to keep it from getting that much worse- god, someone, anyone... everyone help us all.

The Time Is Now!

Photo: © S. Banos

 

This is exactly what must happen,* over and over again, every time, at every venue and every event where we are confronted with the evil that The Trump Corporation is very purposely and methodically reassembling to our collective detriment. Trump is now busily dredging up and reanimating the hatred, narrow mindedness and ignorance of centuries past that should have died a long overdue death well before this one. He has already recruited a pantheon of the most vilified haters, the most racist backward thinkers that were long left ridiculed and discredited, only to now rise again solely to wreak havoc and suffering upon mankind anew. That is not hyperbole- that is what this hand selected elite excel at: the renewed oppression of vast swaths of people, the accelerated degradation of our life giving resources, a revitalized commitment to the suppression of all things progressive, enlightened and humane...

And that is why we must resist, challenge and confront at every opportunity available. We must not let apathy allow this hatred and ignorance to be further normalized into our everyday lives. We have come too far, struggled too hard, endured too much to go back to a society that: mocks our less fortunate, belittles and marginalizes those of different colors and faiths, and seeks to blame and humiliate those already disempowered for their own profit and self aggrandizement. This cartel must be stopped not with equal amounts of hatred and self righteousness, but with an avid resistance that both enlightens and reestablishes our shared humanity. Our spontaneous protests (and now Hamilton) are just such a start- and we must not, cannot let up until the job is done.      * The video is well worth embiggening and listening to...

Photo: © S. Banos

Erin Go Bragh!

Iconic Art, Comedic Heights...

Photo: © S. Banos

Those are the touted benefits we can all look forward to in The Reign of Trump, the best art and comedy supposedly come in times of high political duress and suppression. So what if our rights and liberties are eroded, our environment officially history, media and educational censorship the new norm, racial attacks a common occurrence, and 20 million lose their existing health care? Nothing that a good war or two in a good year or two can't solve!

And if ya can't afford a $25 museum ticket or catch a buzz on $8 beers, you can always stay home and laugh it all away. Still not laughing? Try this on... Sarah Palin- Secretary of the Interior! And that's just for starters, the most evil crazies that we had long thought forever banished from the days of W and beyond are back walking amongst us, along with a host of newly undead...

Photo: © S. Banos

If You're Really Interested In Photography...

Instead of being yet another inane gear head, you should really be pondering (and reacting to) this post (and its related links) on Conscientious ...

Congratulations White America!

Photo: © S. Banos

This year a man ran for President who heard your voice- a man who was attuned to your specific economic needs, your daily suffering, your legitimate gripes and complaints. He offered real solutions to those problems politicians had ignored for decades. He had your back, and not a moment to soon...

And most of you ignored him in droves. Instead of listening to what he actually had to say, the logical, workable solutions he proposed to the very problems that concern us most- you hastily called him a dirty, filthy, Pinko, Commie; and when you discovered he was a Jew- there was the automatic Strike Two and Three, you just knew deep down inside!

As you have, time and time again through the history of this country (as well as others)- you listened to your fear, your deepest, darkest most ingrained fear, and opted for that great, grand charlatan who inflamed it, added more, and then offered the most juvenile, nonsensical excuses to ease your worried brow. As usual, you voted against your own best interest. You voted for a man who has a made a life long career of stiffing every working class person he has ever come into contact with- up to and including his very campaign staffers. As usual, you didn't vote for a man who offered solutions, you voted for the man who fed your fears then offered the usual scapegoats you could easily blame with the least amount of thought, effort or concern. The right choice, the time honored choice- the Whitest guy with the easiest answers!

So what if you're an Evangelical and he's never touched a Bible, so what if you're a mother raising a virtuous daughter, so what if he occasionally enjoys mocking people with disabilities (really, don't we all?)- and who could care less if the self proclaimed "King of Debt" billionaire farms out his jobs to other countries, imports foreign workers (while frantically demonizing them) and pays less taxes than you. You're voting the values and qualities that are gonna Make America Great Again- and we have your wisdom and insight (and that of the KKK) to thank!!! Good job...

Three Must Reads & A Video

"I'm sorry, but as a White man, you don't get to define what racism is, you really don't."

 (don't you just love her smile)

Another very welcomed fashion tip...

One heartfelt letter well worth reading... 

 Let the orgy of hate crimes begin!!!

"He Traveled the World Feeding The Kids (Motherf**ker)!!!"

The man's a bloody saint, he is...

Clown Car Redux

 

Photo: © S. Banos

 
I spent the majority of Tues evening laughing like an idiot at the insanity that was unraveling around me- it was either that or, or...

Now, it's finally beginning to dawn on me that I'm gonna have to listen to that shrill, whining drone for the next four, long fuckin' years! Should I dare look up, a bloated orange face will be snarling down upon me, emitting its oft repeated, 4th gr vocab of vile accusations and innuendo. He's already whining that the spontaneous protests that erupted immediately in response to his election were the work of "professionals incited by the media." And that it was all... "Very Unfair!" I mean, Joe McCarthy would be embarrassed to be seen with the guy... I thought after eight, long, years of unintelligible murmurings from W, we were finally done with voting for the most clueless clown in town. Not only do we now have yet another intellectual incompetent, we now have one who actually physically mocks people with disabilities in the incredulous effort to make himself appear more... Presidential.

At least Governor Perry of Texas effectively elevated himself to the IQ level of a male model when he donned glasses in a futile attempt to rebrand himself a Republican capable of thought.

Photo: © S. Banos

HOLY FUCKING SHIT SUPREME!!!

Photo: © S. Banos

1)  Kiss the environment away- We're not even gonna pay it the customary, BS lip service anymore- we're simply gonna squeeze out every last drop of oil and natural gas even if we have to scorch every last piece of arable land, pollute every last drop of life giving water, melt every last piece of climate cooling ice. When your children's children are fucked to the max because the earth is now defecating on them, just like we shit upon it decade after decade after decade and people all over are killing each other for the few crumbs left... remember TRUMP!

2)  Kiss the economy away- When the American public finally realizes the feel good shit that came out of his mouth was just that, that he had no plan, no vision, no strategy to even fake what he was promising; when they finally realize that they have fewer jobs, less pay and even fewer opportunities; when they finally realize that he doesn't give a good goddamn if he bankrupts the entirety of this country just like he has so many of his businesses- thank Trump!

3)  Kiss civility away- When racial, religious, ethnic, gender and class related hate crimes of the most unwarranted and heinous nature surge to unprecedented rates and levels across the country- thank Trump!

4)  Kiss democracy away- When Americans experience first hand how Trump rules as the fascist demagogue that he is with no respect for, or basic knowledge of, the rights and freedoms of a democracy or the people in it; when they belatedly realize that it's all about Him, and only Him, that they all got taken, fleeced and conned- hook, line and sinker... let them all eat Trump steak!

5) Kiss world relevancy away- One can't begin to predict what Trump means as far as foreign policy because this 5X deferment could only blather endlessly about his toughness. What allies will want to be seen cooperating with this clueless megalomaniac; what needless wars and conflicts will he exacerbate or initiate in each and every hemisphere to our ultimate detriment?  And which of his sons (and daughters) will fight in them? All praise, the hero, Trump!

I previously kidded about voting for Trump to "ensure" his victory, just so I could look in the face of his voters when their magical, self induced reality fractured and burned bright all around them. Naively, I thought they would finally (Finally!) have to admit that all their self righteous delusions and biases were as ludicrous as their man's fake spray tan.

And then I quickly realized that their first action would be simply to grab the first Brown or Black face they see, and beat them senseless- and that face would be mine...

GOD BLESS AMERICA! 

New Day, Same Shit

This is the post I thought would rule the day. But as of midnight, Pacific Coast Time 11/09/16, fate casts a far different reality...

Photo: © S. Banos

But goddamn- did we ever duck a bullet writ large!!! Hillary's hardly a prize- the same ol' warmed over shit in a pantsuit. Hillary will prove that she can be every bit as lame as any male President we ever had- just as Obama proved he could be every bit as lame as any White President.  But, it's better than the absolute MADNESS that awaited us otherwise... 

Trump didn't scare me, the fact that half of his (working class) followers naively endorsed the most obviously spoiled, billionaire con man who never worked a single day in his life, and that the other half didn't care how much he lied, long as he was... The White Man running- that's what scared the Bejesus outta yours truly! Here we are in the 21st century and (one of) the lyingest, most racist SOB's to come outta Queens, NY in a good long while is actually believed and revered by so much of heartland America. Trump's single-handedly rekindled a bridge across the centuries that reinvigorates the kind of simplistic greed, enthusiastic racism and outright stupidity that should have died well back in the sixties. And it's simply disheartening to see how much of this blatant ignorance not only remains- but is now openly celebrated...

PS- I'm writing this on 11/07/2016- I can't fathom a response should that bullet hit home.

The Unexpected...

As in- Completely!

VOTE!

As if our very lives and sanity depend on it...

Heartless AND Disheartening!

Photo: © S. Banos

Oh, the humanity! The depths of evil and depravity that would drive man to such despicable behavior is truly beyond all reckoning. Oh, the humanity...

Anthony Hernandez @ SFMOMA

Photo: Anthony Hernandez

I wasn't even familiar with his name until this century, this American master who has been quietly going about his business on the West Coast for decades. I was also particularly intrigued because he was Hispanic, and there ain't too many photographers of his background and stature- world renowned or otherwise!

As I've noticed with many a master, Anthony Hernandez has been getting more and more minimal in his latter work, which is now in color. And as with Paul Graham, my main interest lies in his earlier work.

Photo: Anthony Hernandez

He got his chops as a street photographer, shooting with the standard 35mm uniform, but took it a step further and started using 5X7. Huh? Yeah, fancy that- a large format street photographer!

And it's those photographs that captivate my imagination most since they are so similar to small format street photography, yet different all the same. How could they not? There is none of the action, none of the immediacy, none of the serendipity or in your face confrontation so common in so much of that genre. There's plenty of visual dynamics to be sure, simplistic compositions they're not, but at a very different rate of speed. And it's not just the large format camera that slows things down. Often, people are not rushing about using the street as a means of transportation in Los Angeles, but as a place of respite... between travel. The photos are more contemplative, and the latter landscapes somewhat parallel the work of Shore and Sternfeld, sans color.

Photo: Anthony Hernandez

Mr. Hernandez is currently enjoying a retrospective at SFMOMA, and there's a book to go with it. I'm dying to see the exhibit, but I'm not crazy about spending $25 to do so- that's both a political and practical decision when you make $15 and change an hour. In 2008, SFMOMA received a $10,000,000 grant from AT&T to have free admission First Tuesdays of the month for... perpetuity. Perpetuity lasted... five years. Approx 60 free days cost... $10,000,000!

SFMOMA currently has some free "Family Days," that still doesn't do much for people working for minimum and slightly higher (like moi) who don't have children- why not have a few goddamn hours a month where you can just... donate what you can?

Photo: Anthony Hernandez