Funny Black and Brown People

Photo*: © Stan Banos

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 America is, 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."

Burned Out- Mark Murrmann

Burned Out- Mark Murrmann

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...

© Mark Murrmann

© Mark Murrmann