Don't know how things were round about your neck of the woods this year, but I was quite taken aback by the absolute dearth of domestic, outdoor Xmas holiday decorations! They were few and far between- to be honest, I think everyone (incl myself) was just flat out exhausted this year. Seems the race for Supreme World Leader knocked everyone flat on their ass... No one had the strength.
Inflatables seemed to be the in thing (the few I saw)- this one, abandoned as it may (or may not) be, was in better shape than most which were flatter than the proverbial pancake. Good luck to us all...
Never been a Dylan fanboy, but was curious about... the mystique. Why were so many who supposedly knew better (much better) reduced to Swiftian level mesmerization at the mere mention of his name? Are the legendary level lyrics superseding the barely proficient vocal ability and musical command enough to justifiably raise him to his godlike, mythical status?
If ya asked me, he'd be just one of many stars in the universe of that particular time, stars of whose work I admire, love and respect to a much higher degree. But not here to argue, nor will A Complete Unknown answer or settle much of anything. What it does, is supply a decent scenario as to the time, background and circumstances that allowed the meteoric rise to occur. Actually, it doesn't even do that. In the film, Dylan arrives in NYC in his scraggily jeans and plaid shirt, spontaneously hooks up with the right people, who get him the right gigs, and practically overnight- studio, album... godlike fame! Who knew?!?
There's also a certain electrical problem, but I digress... If you're looking for insight, understanding, an insider's knowledge as to what made him tick and allowed him to set the scene afire- ain't gonna happen. The movie succeeds in the performances. Timothy Chalamet is utterly convincing in portraying the young upstart center of the universe- as convincing as anyone could possibly portray a person completely unknown to everyone including himself.* BTW, Edward Norton is every bit as incredulously convincing as Pete Seeger,** a completely transparent human being, the polar opposite of Dylan. Interestingly, one does get some measure of the intricacies in the love/hate/mutual respect tennis match between Dylan and Baez (another name startingly portrayed). Curiously, we also learn how Dylan and Johnny Cash formed their mutual admiration society! And alas, as in most biopics, a good amount of the scenarios portrayed did not actually happen as depicted...
Recommended? Absolutely! Although there's one more thing I'd sure like to know- how did the scruffy looking vagabond from '61 evolve into one of fashion's ultimate Mod icons by '65?
*One thing I'll always give Dylan props for was when Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes fame asked him how on earth he thought up his (Nobel winning) lyrics, to which he responded that they literally wrote themselves as if dropped from the ether. Which in my mind only supports the hypothesis that our brains are merely the individual receivers of a mutual mass consciousness, not its individual creator. If you listen to many of his 'interviews,' you'd swear Dylan got a body double and instructed him to say (or mumble) whatever he liked- no matter what would fall out of the imposter's mouth, it would be greeted with unparalleled gravitas... Listen to interviews of Malcolm X or Edward Snowden- you immediately sense you are in the presence of pure, unabated intellect. Listen to Dylan and it's pure... WTF?
**Much as I respect the guy, there's a banjo twangling 24/7 in the background of my particular version of hell.
I urge everyone to watch this! This is exactly what the title looks and sounds like, or at least, what it's supposed to, had it any teeth. But the woman leading the charge has been given a 'funny' name, so... can't take her the least bit seriously- can we!?
This guy clearly should not be at his post by day's end- should have been forced to resign (and jailed) quite some time ago. To be honest, Obama had the opportunity to clean up and reform the banking system when they well needed it most, and instead punted for some big time, loophole regulations (so as not to offend his own deep pocketed, banker friends). But this is the kind of corruption that capitalism loves and turns a blind eye to, the kind that will particularly flourish for the next four years...
Kudos to the killing of the Russian general who used chemical weapons against Ukraine! Imagine if everyone who used these nefarious weapons (or tortured countless soldiers and civilians) had to watch their backs for the rest of their lives. Wouldn't that possibly make them think twice before engaging- instead of having toothless threats issued against them as did Obama when POTUS? Aren't there already enough approved ways of killing people in war?
While we're at it- wouldn't it also be great if everyone involved in the serial murders of civilians due to denial of critical health care benefits also paid their dues... in a jail cell? Not everyone has to be killed for their crimes, but some semblance of justice is always appreciated...
They're back, it's the time of year when the shortened daylight hours also produce those long, dramatic, winter shadows. Learn to use and incorporate them into your photographic imagery for their unique graphic appeal!
When the poor fight back, it's called violence.” -Mark Twain
I don't exactly condone murder, then again... I don't exactly condone doing nothing in the face of (repeated, pernicious, unfettered) injustice. Little Luigi sure looks like a murderer to me, and I'm betting that if we conduct the most cursory of looks into the illustrious career of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson- we'd probably discover that he (and so many like him) are certified, categorical serial killers! United Healthcare literally denied 1/3 of their paying customers' health insurance claims. How many of those denied claims resulted in lives of: declining health, torturous pain and ultimately... premature death! Slow, painful, death- not by bullet, but denial!
But fear not dear citizens! Next year we get the repeat performance of a POTUS who promised us a "Bigger, Better, Cheaper" Health Care Plan every other weekend for four long years... When asked on TV's 60 Minutes about his proposed health care plan, he handed the interviewer a literal tome of completely unrelated and blank papers. But next year- next year will be different! When asked about his upcoming policy for his second term, Trump confidently looked the reporter in the eye, and proclaimed- "I have concepts of a plan!"
IfTrump stays true to his word, America will finally be seeing it's quickest, most massive, most well needed weight reduction program in decades. Super Gulps gone, XXX LARGE gone, double wide wheelchairs gone, gone and gone!!! America will be back down to original human, pre-midseventies, weight parameters in a period of four short years- heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and their associated drug dependencies all plummet precipitously!
Not to worry, folks! You'll never see the headline above- Trump ain't dumb, he knows what side of the scale his voter base is on. There's gonna be plenty headlines about deporting illegals for the first few months, but round about spring when everybody gets to eyein' their barbies- no more news about immigrants, 'cause we all need a steady supply of their evil wares to feed our biggest addiction ever... FOOD!We need 'em to plant it, pick it, kill it and chop it all up into the yummy, bite sized, meat goodies we so love to eat, fry, grill, and eat some more!And there sure as hell ain't no red blooded, true blue, American patriot that's gonna break their goddamn back working under the sun, day after grueling day- no matter how much ya pay 'em!!!
Yes, America is hopelessly addicted to our friendly, low cost, drug suppliers from down south- and them darned illegals damn well know it! And despite the bluster, despite all our god fearing hootin' and a hollerin', ain't no way we gonna chase 'em all out, not when we need 'em for the fix we're too damn lazy to supply ourselves. No way... Jose!
My GR stopped cold a few weeks back while taking the simple snap above- screen just went dead! Found the place to repair it ($274) with a "free cleaning" thrown in. Then thought, why not send in my first, 'retired GR' (well worn, but still works- just needs a sensor cleaning). Precision Camera (authorized Ricoh repair center) wanted the same price just for the cleaning, which true, is still cheaper than a brand new GR3 (if ya can actually get one)- still, it just rubbed me the wrong way. C'mon, make it an even $250 at least- throw me a bone! So I said thank you- no thank you! Which was really kinda stupid 'cause... it's still way cheaper than even buying a used one in Exc Cond- cause even that one's gonna have dust too!
But what really influenced my no go position was... I stumbled upon this video, and sure enough, idiot that I am, psyched myself up that, yeah, sure, I can do that- and it's the exact-same-thing that the repair guy's gonna do! Except I can do it for absolute... FREE! Except he can do it in his sleep cause he's done it a thousand trillion times, and all I'm gonna do is open it up (if I can get that far), and drop, tear or break something- which at least will spare me from having to not be able to put the whole damn thing back together again!
Too embarrassed to send it back again now anywho. If I can only find the proper sized screwdriver! Say what? Yeah, this'll make a good... retirement project end of next year- a nice relaxing holiday project.
I'm perpetually bemused by these Black, Brown (name the shade) individuals who think that by cozying up to power- they'll automatically (or at least tentatively) be accepted into the fold of the White (let's be serious) Conservative Power Elite with full and equal rights, privilege and acceptance. That's an L, an O and an L...
These fools refuse to face the reality that when they find themselves bobbing up and down in the freezing water as their abandoned boat sinks, the oar The Right will extend on their behalf from the passing lifeboat will not be used to pull them in, but to batter 'em upside the head. Those in charge will simply assume them one of the usual dark skinned rapists, drug dealers or other criminals they were very much born to be, not one of the (theoretically) possible "good ones."
No matter, some people choose to dream on, or deny...
* Speaking of non-White peoples... yes, Bill Maher, every inch of Americais, in fact, stolen land! No, the claim doesn't hold much water or practical use in our modern day. Yes, other lands throughout history have also been stolen- but that still doesn't make it any the less true. It's exactly the kind of recurring history that would inspire an adage such as- "Ain't no justice on stolen land."
Went to the Leica Gallery here in San Francisco a few days ago, and I must say it's far from the stuffy, elitist institution one would tend to think. In addition to the quality exhibits they usually have, they also have a number of books in the back for sale or perusal and the people there are quite friendly and accommodating- not the kind of treatment someone like myself is accustomed to, ie- being followed about as "a person of interest' in many a place that sells high priced, premium items. So it feels kinda nice experiencing how the other half lives...
Anyway, I was looking through a few books, many of which were quite good- but which were so very similar to those I have previously bought over the decades. Then I noticed Mark Murrmann's Burned Out, a small (5x6 1/2in) little indie made on the cheap in a spiral bound format. I love small book formats that one can easily carry about for a 'quick read.' It consists of forty B&W prints mostly printed double truck across the spiral along with some single page verticals. It's a typology of tire burnouts, many of them occurring during illegal 'sideshows' in Oakland, CA. Many of them read almost as abstracts, although several are more documentary in nature displaying adjoining buildings and other neighborhood details. It's a small labor of love, as are many indie publications. I've done a coupla typologies myself, but on the generic Blurb format- not quite the same thing! It lacks the uniqueness, the personalization... the love!
Of course, none of it adds up to anything unless the images hold up- and that's where the imagination really shines. The photos are not only fun, they're unique, imaginative images unto themselves. A first rate how to manual on making something worthwhile and memorable outta literal skidmarks...
