Make It Stop!

This thing keeps uhhhh... popping up on all sorts of web pages. I'm pretty sure I know what it's for, the thing is- does it go inside, outside, alongside? And which sex claims the actual physical accommodation? I'm really not getting the ergonomics here...

But here's the thing- I don't wanna know! So don't be telling me how the thing is inserted, utilized or activated. I'm sure it works just fine doing what it does however it does it- I'm just tired of it following me around the internet is all...

MTG In All Her Glory!

A dangerous, vindictive cartoon character with a long, long legacy of destructive inanity. These people have always existed- in the crevices and margins of societies worldwide throughout our existence. It is only in times of ignorance and desperation that they rise to our attention, only in times of widespread apathy and confusion that they rise to power...

Three Hours, Twenty Six Minutes...

Killers of the Flower Moon* explodes on the screen like gangbusters, the energy of the entire universe on display in one miniscule but rollicking Boom town in the dusty plains of Oklahoma. The attention to detail is almost overwhelming, like a Hieronymus Bosch painting come to life. At least at the beginning... before gradually focusing its grip on a specific few lives that accentuate the society as a whole- one based on and dominated by the inherent, systematic racism of the era, which in this case was also fine tuned to the very specific situation, a very specific people found themselves in a very specific area. That is, a system of laws and subterfuge that made it possible for Whites to kill, connive and steal the money and property away from their rightful indigenous owners. 

I remember first finding out about this particular bit of American history a couple of years ago... you just couldn't make it up! What's harder to fathom, the deceit and skullduggery on the macro, societal scale, or the micro, personal scale: a man who supposedly loves his wife as he slowly poisons her, or the wife who so knowingly suspects and allows him to do it? Unfortunately, the film drags us through this slow arduous process at such length until I too felt I was ever so slowly succumbing, feeling my life force ever so methodically drained... Mollie Burkhart, portrayed by Lily Gladstone, looks every bit the Mona Lisa- the enigmatic smile come to life, hiding a secret strength and wisdom well beyond mortal man. But alas, it is not to be... And Leonardo DiCaprio spends the last third of the movie with this prominently featured scowl, looking for all the world as if he's sucking on a quarter of a lemon rind.

The surreal and historically accurate closing scene is one of almost comic relief, and much needed energy- but way too little, way too late. Despite it all... recommended, if only for the history lesson. Bring your stadium buddy! 

*Seriously, how could you possibly read a movie review without the realization that it contains spoilers by its very nature? And I will spare you the insufferable amounts of explosions and gaudy special effects in the super hero trailer nightmare I had to involuntarily endure...

'Expert' Advice

Last week on Bill Maher's show, one of his (expert?) guests volunteered that if the Palestinians had just one person the likes of an MLK, all their problems would be solved, all injustices settled, and peace and love would reign throughout the land! Or something to that effect...

That guest was very much correct- just not exactly the way his mighty intellect envisioned. An MLK like figure would unite Israel/Palestine... in an unprecedented effort to share intel and resources in a race to cap his ass ASAP! The last thing any of the major players in any faction on either side would tolerate was some idealist with a following threatening to end their particular piece of the pie. File this insight of the century in the same cabinet under other 'Bright Ideas' (that would never be allowed) such as free energy and a cure for cancer. Didn't think it possible but he actually made Jared Kushner (our previously appointed Middle East Saviour) look kinda smart- at least he had sense enuf to stay the hell out of it to the tune of a cool... $2 B-B-B-Billion!

Well, That Was An Ever So Brief Respite!

Haven't even commenced the main attack on the most crowded place on earth and we already got a direct hit on a hospital with over 500+ dead! Couldn't see that comin'! That's right folks, that's just an appetizer on the death and dismemberment scorecards- we are keeping score, no? Cause this is supposed to be the game of games, the one that is finally gonna decide who gets to take the ball home forever and ever. That's why it's so important to know your sides; and whoever gets blamed (the most)... there's still slaughter a plenty to come for everyone!

Remember: When they kill innocents, one side openly celebrates- they're... The Savages. The other launches an investigation just long enough for most to forget, before admitting... absolutely nothing- they're The Civilized. So pick your side! Everybody's gotta have a side- can't get REVENGE unless ya gotta side!

And Now, Some Levity...

 

 

It's Hardly Prophetic...

to state that the opportunities for even greater massacres, war crimes and atrocities are about to be launched in Gaza as the whole world simply... awaits the inevitable. And that's just the point- it's all pretty obvious: "smart bombs" that somehow miss their mark, misidentified targets, and the general chaos and confusion of war that result in the most tragic of needless deaths. Sympathy for Israel over the inexcusably heinous, terrorist acts committed by Hamas this past weekend is both understandable, and justified. But the hundreds (probably thousands) of avoidable civilian deaths that will now inevitably follow is beyond folly or justifiable righteous indignation. An intensive military action staged in one of the most crowded places on earth (without recourse to evacuation) guarantees untold collateral damage- and most that will die will not be Hamas terrorists, they will be innocent civilians, many if not most... women, elderly and children. 

No food, no water, no medicine- that alone is enough to overcome, that alone will cause substantial suffering, and death. Israel is describing this upcoming retaliation as something different, something much more all encompassing, but it is in fact, just the latest tit for tat, eye for eye retribution writ large; one that will only induce yet another Palestinian retaliatory round of mass murder and mayhem. Israel is smart enough to realize that they have to offer a carrot to their forced diet of constant sticks, land grabs and military actions. Both sides should realize by now that each is every bit as stubborn and committed as the other! Both sides need to ditch the scorecards, grow the fuck up and learn to share since neither is going away. Yeah, easier said than done... but easier than cursing the future of their own children.

It Is What It Is...

Both sides in this seemingly never ending conflict lost their moral prerogative long, long ago. Both have committed unspeakable atrocities, both are solely committed to an eye for eye, both are now blind to condemning their own children to the fate of their own creation.

Got Ya Last!

I remember listening to my mother's radio getting ready for school- listening to news reports of the Jews and Palestinians playing the nastiest game of 'Got Ya Last' imaginable. Even as a kid I thought it weird hearing adults behave like a bunch of bratty kids- over and over and over again, seemed like every other week. There they go... the kids are at it again! Even now I'm tempted to dismiss this ongoing schoolyard insanity of death and destruction with a flippant... didn't Jared, our most skilled diplomat, solve all this?

Except, here we are some fifty plus years later, same game, just a whole lot nastier. The slaughter of civilians by Hamas was absolutely despicable, and what Israel continues to do to the Palestinian people is every bit as sick: the illegal occupation and settlement of Palestinian territory, the tyrannical oversight of Palestinian homelands, the indiscriminate demolition of Palestinian homes (which will increase exponentially in the immediate days to come)... 

Make no doubt, both sides have acted and will continue to act with absolute savagery. The thing that pisses me off is that (at least in this country)- only one side gets bad mouthed, only one side reaps the bad publicity, only one side gets to publicly be called "savages." When Hamas shoots innocent families in their cars, they're "horrendous animals." When Israel obliterates innocent families in their homes with high tech, push button weaponry- hey, that's the breaks folks! No surprise whose lives score higher both in the halls of Congress and the studios of our press...  

Israel has been humiliated by their security lapse, that will make the body count of their retribution historically vindictive in an attempt to save face. They've already sworn as much, they're finally going to teach the other side a lesson they won't soon forget... by doing exactly what they've always been doing for decades! The Jewish people are renowned for their smarts worldwide- and yet they continue to blindly repeat the popular definition of insanity. 

For rational, insightful coverage... Democracy Now!

Everyone Deserves Their Snoop...

Photo: © Stan Banos

It was a freakishly warm day as the temperature broke ninety in the city by the bay which somehow continues to defy the worldwide onslaught of manmade climate change, while slowly rotting from within. In a town where one must wear a light jacket no matter the time of day or month of the year, I felt as if the only man alive who savored a good evening's heat. Walking home from Henry Horenstein's presentation, I savored the night air walking about in a short sleeved button down shirt, stogie in hand. I remembered hot summer evenings in New York with friends, sitting on a park bench beer in hand- the entire city your living room. I remembered first moving to San Francisco, the promise of love and a new life. And although no longer young, in the warm night air, I remembered youth. Everyone deserves their snoop...

Jesus Christ!

 

Rare image of Nordic Warrior Jesus sans his AR-15 seated next to his hero, Donald J. Trump! Despite the usual flowing robe uniform, seems pretty obvious that Jesus H. Christ is not skipping shoulder, back and chest days at his local gym- just like his svelte, 215lb. earthly counterpart!

Implosion!

Always wondered about implosion ever since I heard about the USS Thresher. This video is, in a word, mesmerizing- equal parts macabre and fascinating, as it uhhh... artfully depicts what happens both to vessel and human body. 

The deaths incurred in the Titan were both tragic and needless, to say the least: the DIY submersible was not inspected or certified by any regulating body for any safety standards whatsoever, the hull was made primarily of carbon fiber- a material not specifically constructed to withstand pressure, and this particular carbon fiber tube was bought cut rate since it was already past its prime! Did I mention the main viewing porthole was certified only to one third the required depth!?

Mad inventor risk taker Stockton Rush was literally daring the gods not to kill him and his... unknowing test subjects each and every time they descended. It's one thing to throw caution to the wind with your own life and safety, quite another to repeatedly place the life of others in such grave and wanton danger.

Looking Ahead...

In the immediate future, things don't look all that great here in San Francisco, photographically (and otherwise). Downtown, a once hustling, bustling metropolis is now a veritable ghost town- not conducive to photo ops, and apocalyptic street scenes have long grown tired post Covid. Protests have dried up and it ain't always easy executing 'alternative' photo projects. Fortunately, SF does have biannual leather fairs, Bay to Breakers (an annual bacchanalian foot race and costume fest- don't ask), Hunky Jesus (Easter) and Fleet Week. But even those can hardly fulfill a year's worth of shooting. It just looks like it's gonna be real slim pickings next coupla years.

And two years hence, at seventy, I plan on (hopefully) retiring, and unless some phenomenally phenomenal phenomena occurs to make things more livable here, financially (and otherwise), it's on to... I don't have the slightest! I'm a city boy. And walkable, affordable cities in the good ol' USA are pretty much non-existent.

All Photos: © Stan Banos

Folsom St. Leather Fair

9/24/2023

End Of A Short Lived Era

An hour and a half at a time...   Photo: © Stan Banos

This photo was taken directly across the saloon I've come to call home now for a year. And when I say home, I'm talking an hour and a half a week on an early Friday evening, enough to down three pints, approx one per half hour- which borderline breaches my personal barrier for waking up the following morning in good humor.  

San Francisco was rife with old neighborhood dives and has still managed to retain a few in these days of $8 pints and wretched sports bars. I would frequently make note of them, promising to return for a drink one spare evening, promises never consummated. This is one which I actually entered one long ago weekend afternoon (probably during yet another unsuccessful photo walk); the vibe was right, the people were friendly, and I was happy to have a beer amongst the crowd, and depart- pity it wasn't in my neighborhood! 

When The Wife and I separated, there I was, but two blocks away- but it was the height of Covid, and boarded up tight... didn't seem it would ever open again. When this picture was taken, the protective paneling had just come down, and I saw a sign being posted on windows made visible once again. The guy invited me to come over and check it out sometime- he needn't have asked. The name of the bar is The Utah Inn. 

Now, Stefano (the sign posting bartender) was totally cool, I actually got by-backs (first time in decades!) on a coupla beers! From the rough and tumble part of a rough and tumble town outside San Francisco, he was nevertheless, always welcoming- but if you said the wrong thing, rubbed him the wrong way, you'd get one very sober look and the frivolity would quickly dissipate. Fortunately, we were fairly copasetic, I understood the general parameters; we weren't best of friends, we were chill is all, and he had a job to do. I was just happy being a cool (uh-huh) old guy at the bar, happy just to hang in a relaxed, judge free zone after a week of work, and have my mood adjusted accordingly for a pleasant if uneventful ninety minutes... And god forbid you should ever motion or call out for a beer- you were done for the evening! I would silently smile to myself witnessing various people wander in off the street and wonder why they were waiting endlessly...  

That was pretty much my 'social life,' not a helluva lot, granted- but how I treasured that hour and a half! Two weeks ago, just after I had left, the new manager (of one whole week) told Stefano that he should clock himself out since things were slow that night. Predictably, he wasn't having it, besides, the (SF Giants) game was soon to let out and the place would be quickly packed- as it soon was... but the damage was done.

Bottomline, he was right, and he was gone- and so it looks am I...

Let's Say...

 That maybe (just maybe) it's all true...

Black And White And Color

Went to see Matt Black's photographs at the Robert Koch Gallery. All save for one photo consisted of his vintage B&W analog. The prints were magnificent! I stood there thinking how lucky I was to have belonged to this club, to have personally experienced the particular medium as both viewer and practitioner, to have produced (at least technically) somewhat similar work (albeit on a considerably lower level). The nostalgia was palpable. 

Thought I could conjure up something profound to say as to the differences between B&W analog and (digital) color, insights into their individual strengths and processes- and came up with a plethora paucity of... the usual. While comforting and reassuring to know I still appreciated a great B&W print as much as ever, I felt no distinct urge to return, even though I never pictured myself ever departing- it was home, familiar and capable of great beauty, humor or drama. And yet, leave it I did, and I've more than tripled my output since 2016, compared to 4 decades of B&W when I looked more intently at other people's work than actually produce it (not that I didn't want to). And a lot of the work I looked at was color, I could appreciate both mediums equally even though I only practiced one- and it enabled me to hit the ground running when I switched. And still am; at 2 years, 2 months till seventy and peak Social Security (and supposed retirement)... the clock is ticking- loudly!

Photo: © Stan Banos

2/3's Year in Review

Very decent, very economical 11in work prints!

Yeah, a tad early for a year in review post, hence the title. Didn't get to travel much this year except back home to NY, but have still managed a few keepers (with a couple more hopefully to come). Recently though, got kinda depressed that I would never be able to afford even a quarter of the images I'd like to have printed- and then it finally dawned on me... follow my own freakin' oft repeated advice and print all my landscape oriented keepers vertically in a series of 11in Blurb zines- dirt cheap, decently printed work prints for posterity. Not the ideal solution for having your own personal plethora of exhibition quality prints ready to hang on moment's notice at MOMA, but a half decent workaround for anyone on a poor man's budget. So that'll be an ongoing project commencing this winter. 

This Labor Day weekend I got busy reediting my Windows On The Bay project, it was a bit on the thin side when I initially released it unto the world in a semi-manic period of frenzied activity, but the added time has allowed me to round off the project with more images that help fill out the narrative some- so it no longer looks like a work in progress!

And speaking of more images, added about a dozen more recent shots to the color section of my website last weekend, reaching my current subscription limit. Finally, since I'm certainly not getting any younger, I'm gonna send a few of my book projects to a few indie book publishers. A lot of 'em take pdf's- not a problem via Blurb! Yeah, I gotta .004% chance of being accepted by any one of 'em, but- what the hey, something to do till MOMA and Gerhard come a callin'...

Fade To...

Photo: © Stan Banos

He made for such a very singular looking fellow upon first seeing, looking out so intently upon the bay. And then I would see him again, and again and again- always at the same place with the same attire in the same manner, the orange a bit more faded than last...

For The Love Of Movies

I love 50's B&W film noir, the whole nether world of dames and gams (legs of the former), peepers (private dicks) and screws (prison guards). Ninety percent of the TV I watch is easily from 2 channels, PBS and a local channel that shows film noir on Thursday nights. Problem is, there's only so many of those celluloid wonders- and they sure don't make 'em like that no more... 

Somehow, I read up on a movie called Dragged Across Concrete (currently streaming on Netflix). I was going to embed the official trailer, but it makes it look like a dumb ass, Grade B, cop buddy, action movie. And it gets worse, it also has... Mel Gibson, yeah, the one and only, as if there's any other. And sure enough he's accused of abusing a suspect and proceeds to whine. So I'm about to put an end to it early on when I say to my self- why would Michael Jai White be in a movie that okays police abuse? The same reaction I had when I first heard Bill Burr- oh great, another middle aged White guy yelling and complaining. No, thanks. So why were there videos of Black guys laughing uproariously at his standup? So I watched on... 

Gibson mercifully under acts and has good chemistry with costar Vince Vaughn. And rather than simply going into reactionary Dirty Harry territory, it gives a pretty contemplative reflection on race, politics and the trials and tribulations of life in general. There's some serious violence for sure, but action movie it is not. If you liked A Simple Plan and American Animals where easy-peasey rapidly cascades into all hell breaks loose, chances are you'll appreciate this particular tale of woe and topsy turvy happenstance.

While I'm at it, wanted to see Oppenheimer recently, got online to get my seat (forget first come/first serve at your local googleplex these days) and was absolutely gobsmacked at the prices for a simple goddamn movie at your local movie theater- $25 and a $2.50 service fee! $27.50 for a goddamn movie!?! Ya gotta be shittin' me...

Fortunately, I was able to see it for $12 at one of the few (very few) remaining smaller, movie theaters in town. How does Hollywood expect to revive a movie going public at $25+ a pop?!?

The Happy Dogs

I recall one woman approaching me back in the day and saying, "I have this theory that there's really only one of these dogs, and they just switch owners at night." And after watching many of the videos featuring English Bull Terriers currently on You Tube, I can't also help but be amazed at just how many do look so amazingly alike- even by someone like me who had one and can more readily identify even minor differences in physicality. But it's not just their looks that can be so strikingly similar- it's also their behavior(s).

They're highly excitable laddies, and when in such a highly charged molecular state, they usually resort to two distinct modes of action. One is the circle dance, where they repeatedly (and I do mean repeatedly) pivot in a tight circular bit of frenetic foot stomping; the other being the diagonal dash, which consists of running about from room to room, wall to wall as fast as their muscular appendages can possibly manage- they brake by rearing their bums into the opposing walls and harnessing the resulting kinetic energy to jumpstart the next run into the next wall. Repeat...

 

 

Just be alert to the fact that they don't stay in their lanes and will topple whatever's in the way. Mind you, they're just happy- happy to see you, happy to play, happy being... happy! 

PS- Except on those highly irregular occasions when they enter their uniquely inexplicable fugue state, commonly referred to as "trancing."

$15 Million Trumps $2-3 Billion!

Anybody and everybody who can add knows that Hunter's $15 Million is way, way more than with a... B! Jared's measly little $2-3 B-B-Billion 

Right? Right!?! 

And yet, Dems have let Repubs run roughshod with this BS for how long?!? And how long more?!?

Give credit where credit is due- those MFs stay on message... (and their cult following swallows whatever's shoveled).