Legacy Denied

Latest hard fought restoration*...                Photo: © Stan Banos

Perhaps the whole "LIFE LESSON" I was supposed to learn when my B&W negatives (which I so vainly tried to safeguard for prosperity) were so critically damaged (by my own hand no less) was... to chill my own ego. There is no such thing as legacy. Fair enough!

But given the choice: should my name live on- or the pictures themselves? Well, fuck my dumb ass name, and my lame ass life! I want a few choice images to live on- stolen moments of times worth living... frozen, celebrated and immortalized! People hence can imagine the life of the anonymous person(s) or circumstances behind the images, if they so choose- but the delight and 'glory' are in the images themselves. Generations from now, will people marvel at the similarities between their present day lives and those depicted from ever increasing years past? Or, as I fear, will they look upon them as testaments to a world, a life once resplendent in the wide diversity of all it's wonders and everyday occurrences, both celebratory and tragic, natural and man made...

*Hard as this one was, I'm trying to psyche myself up for the next (one of my fave B&W images) which will no doubt take months to accomplish in my spare time (though probably just a coupla days- for someone well versed in digital restoration). Which is why I often defer to the lower hanging fruit.

Quick...

Name something Trump and Medal of Freedom recipient El Rusho both have in common... Yeah, they're both fat- true. Yeah, they're both narcissists, true.. Yeah, yeah, they're both non stop liars, racists and con men- of course...

But how 'bout- fellow drug monkies... The slurring and the sniffling, the early AM chain tweets, the periodic fits of rage...

                                                            Thanks, Martha!

Government For Sale!

Step right up and grab yourself a piece. Criminal record- no problem! Shady business connections- a bona fide plus! Unapologetic racist associations... You're in!

Our law, our government, our state and federal officials are now all up for sale. The price, a mere pledge of loyalty- not to country, not to the people who are to be represented...  but to The Great Leader, The Supreme Liar in Chief, The No1 Criminal Con Man these (dis)United Sates of America have ever seen... And if you think you've seen c-r-a-z-y, if this continues into 2021, Trump Unhinged: The Sequel promises we ain't seen nothin' yet! Not-even-close...

Barbara Lynn

Video sure ain't the best- and still, Wow, just Wow...

26,000X A Day!!!

Photo: © Stan Banos

Exactly- Just say... NO!!!

Hypocrisy Central

Trump, Barr, Graham, Pompeo, Giuliani, McConnell... A veritable Who's Who of Biblical Proportion HYPOCRISY...

Film Noir

Been diving deep into Film Noir (again), there's just something about it that remains forever young- despite the passage of time, styles, whatever... And of course, it has everything to do with the attitude, rebelliousness and that inner most certainty that this world just ain't right no matter what you do. It's you (and your gal) against the world- and even though you still lose in the end, at least you got to look it straight in the eye and spit in it's royal face. Plots are fast paced and direct, the women hot and reassured, the B&W cinematography often captivatingly innovative (due to budget constraints).

And then there's just... the feel- that Big City, Adult feel where grown up people were dealing with grown up problems in a mature urban setting- No Kids Allowed! Even if those problems were ultimately solved, or at least negated, in the most juvenile of ways. There's something romantically, tragically heroic and refreshing about them, these singular jabs at the collective consciousness in a time of white bread wholesomeness.

YouTube has a ton of 'em for free- unfortunately, you're gonna have to scan through a few before finding one that has a pristine enough print to actually enjoy viewing... But well worth the effort!

Welcome To...

The Unites States of Monarchy!

Photo: © Stan Banos


I stay out of things to a degree people wouldn't believe... -DJ Trump 

Got that right (esp. the last part)!

It's Not About Feeling Good...

Photo: © Stan Banos

Or making yourself look good- it's about doing what works best! Because.... ABOVE! 

Planting a Trillion trees sure sounds like a damn good idea, and for the most part, probably is... Although the money could be better spent- only that would involve real effort, real work, and real commitment! But, hey...

Muddying The View

Contemplating Big Muddy, and the family dynamic.         Photo: © Stan Banos

Actually... Big Muddy is the proper appellation for the Missouri River, not the Mississippi (ie- Ol' Man River) above. But here at the delta in New Orleans, looks like you couldn't go wrong with either.

Pretty much forgot about this image taken last summer, somehow discarded it as an almost- now, I'm downright captivated by the varying body language, individual gestures and unique juxtaposition of all concerned as they lose themselves in the moment. Safeguarding memories and experiences has always been one of the most primary of motives for the very existence of photography. Although I'm forever looking for a photo, I'm not always photographing- in fact, I rarely do. Even when I travel, I'm not going to photograph the Eiffel Tower just because it's the Eiffel Tower- there's already a gazillion postcards and Google photos of it already, I'm gonna experience its majesty live and in person. Now, should something unusual happen in front of, beside, or... when I turn around and look in the opposite direction- Snap! Otherwise...

One particular study concluded that people remember that which they photographed less than that which they didn't. But there's an inherent flaw to said study, the subjects were taking pictures basically to record and document details of the objects which they were assigned to observe. They weren't creating photographs, they were recording details for subsequent description/classification. Two very different purposes, two very different results. When you're simply documenting, you're free to dismiss once in the can. When you're photographing for something intrinsic you hold near and dear, well, there's a hella lot of thought going into the taking of that photograph (consciously, or not) and it's subsequent examination/evaluation. And often despite all the preparation in the world, you still ain't sure of what you got, until you look and contemplate afterwards- and maybe, as above... look and contemplate some more.

Beautiful...

Pelosi shows world what she thought of Dotard's speech as she avidly tears into it... Go Girl!!!

PS- And as Ms. Pelosi was ripping up Trump's speech, Trump's legal team was in court trying to get rid of the "preexisting condition" clause- as Trump vowed in front of the entire nation to never touch it!

PPS- And a hearty CONGRATS! to that brave American Patriot, Rush Limbaugh, who was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, yes, that brave American HERO who sent out his brown skinned maid to cop his Oxy when he was jonesin' for a fix!

And DOLLARS TO DONUTS- you just know he'll go after our Social Security if he gets another 4!!!

Well Done, Sir!

Human

Pretty incredible film- the last 2 volumes the most powerful...

Impeachment Lite!

Well, they haven't officially voted yet, but just like any WWE wrestling match- The-Fix-Is-In! This whole Impeachment Lite debacle is very reminiscent of the Investigation Lite concocted on behalf of Brett Kavanaugh by the FBI (on order from on high)...

I remember listening intently to a former FBI agent describing in detail how thorough a job an FBI investigation would be, including: intense interviews and background checks of any and everyone even remotely associated with the case wherever they were, paper dating analysis, driving Dr. Christine Blasey Ford around until she found and identified the house where the attempted rape occurred, etc, etc, etc. Oh, that guy is so cooked, I thought! And, of course, thought wrong...

No such investigation occurred- it was a sham, a Whitewash, a set up... The Fix Was In.

And no different here. Nixon couldn't dream this, Cheney couldn't manipulate it- But Cult Trump has; this long time, international criminal from century past has succeeded in undermining our country, our democracy, our very republic. And he has done so by dividing us with an unrelenting onslaught of lies, vitriol and propaganda that would have made any Soviet ministry official more than a little proud.

Chunky!

Took a glance at EXIF data the other day when I saw- "Planar Configuration- Chunky." Cool! Seems it's something to do with how pixels are stored, either separately by color, or all together. Chunky is the latter. Are you... Chunky?

Thoroughly useless info directly signaling the need for time better spent on mind expanding drugs...

When It Comes To HYPOCRISY

Always give credit where credit is due- when it comes to out and out, in your face H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y Writ Large, Republicans are unequivocally irreproachable both in quantity and quality! Just when you think they've broken every last remaining barrier imaginable before descending into the utmost nadir of despicability... they rise, regroup, and plunge ever deeper into depths of unforeseen and shameless delight!

Thus we have none other than Ken Starr, asking how we've arrived at our current Impeachment Madness in these Semi-United States- yes, the very star so critical in the impeachment of a former POTUS over a workaday BJ... a crime so incredibly heinous that it even irked private citizen Donald J. Trump to the extent that he called him out as both... "a lunatic" and "freak."

Eggleston, W.

Many of you have probably already seen this, but in case you haven't... it's actually quite better than I thought it'd be, and does go into the the behind the scenes history of both man and art. Eggleston, of course, was one of a very small handful of people who first popularized color photography in the photo art world. And his "democratic" style of photographing the banal and mundane were met both with massive fanfare, and criticism. I remember someone once described Reggae as "inside out Rock and Roll," and that's the visual equivalent of how Eggleston's work appeared to me at that time, way back Seventies' way- familiar, but different, in an inexplicably original way. Color photography had been around for decades, only... not like this!

Up until Eggleston, most color photography was just B&W with color added, or photos where the color really overpowered everything else (eg- abstractions). Eggleston somehow managed some kind of mystical, magical balance between content, composition and color that made his particular vision sing a different song!

Finally!!!

Not that it's going to do a damn lick of good with the scared shitless Yes Men Republican Senate- but finally, F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!!! a DEM who put his heart and soul into a methodical, yet impassioned, step by step take down of a soulless, duplicitous demagogue.

Senate Television via Getty Images

 Thank you, Congressman Schiff! 

Oh- and speaking of... C-L-A-S-S...

Still True Today...

Elliott Erwitt-  "I don't believe that photography can change the world, 
but it can show the world changing."

Yup, as most clearly evidenced... Here!

"Things Happen."

Yup, they happen all the time... Good things, bad things, all kinda things! For instance: when ya don't pay the rent, steal a few items from the grocery or jewelry store, lie to the FBI, kidnap a jury member at your trial-  "things happen!" End of day, ya go home, pop a few beers with those offended, and... it's all good! I'm sure that's the way it works where you live too! No worries...

If the Dems ever gain control again- that's all that should come outta their mouths unto the ears of disapproving Repubs for at least a good year. It's a resounding echo that should cut both ways....

It's Official- THE Guy To Vote For In 2020

Women's March 2020*       Photo: © Stan Banos

In a more "normal" election year, the banner above would just be a nice har-har, nonsensical, throw away joke. Now, it's every bit as much the urgent, tre serious, no nonsense plea for a return to some measure of sanity and normalcy in the US body politic.

Every POTUS is an ego supreme, but even Nixon had a realization of his own limitations. Trump-does-not. I always thought mid America would recognize and call out a Big City Con Man- especially one from NYC. I thought wrong. Give props where due- Donald J. Trump is The Greatest Showman, THE Greatest Con Man of the last half century- bar none. Unfortunately, he is also very much: a criminal, habitual liar, racist, traitor and seriously mentally deranged...

He's been involved with both The Mafia and The Russian Mob since the '70s- why the press did not expound, elaborate and emphasize these life long associations when he became the Republican standard bearer is beyond me. He lied about where his father was born (his grandfather fled German conscription), lied about his bones spurs, even lied about how many floors in Trump Tower- not to mention how Hillary got "millions of votes from illegals" (while insisting he won the popular vote). But when he lied about how he had more people at his inauguration than Obama, then had his henchmen repeat the blatantly disproven inanity ad infintum, that's when the grown ups in the federal government of the US of A should have come to a Full STOP and pressed for a reset. Right there and then was all the warning needed- in Big Red Letters, Sirens Blaring... We are in the hands of an overgrown child with nearly unlimited power, a seriously deranged Fuck Up who clearly Does-Not-Give-A-Flying-Fuck about anyone or anything other than himself, his fame and his ridiculously fragile ego... of which the most cursory glance of his personal history would have clearly revealed for any given year! The man lies even when he doesn't have to- and his hypocrisy... limitless!

The only reason we haven't had a war (yet), is because that would mean more work for The Donald, a war would seriously cut into his much cherished TV "Executive Time." But if he is (s)elected for yet another four years, the insanity thus far experienced is but a prelude- meanwhile, an entire continent burns out of control as our Mighty 5X Deferment Hero urges his cult followers to burn more coal and punch out any who oppose his dictates...

* More in post below...