A girl and her dog.

 

(Napoleon and Sara gardening @ the 15th House, 5.17.2008)

The right angle can make a timid dog look majestic.

Dragons

 

Walk through your alley with a camera and maybe you’ll also witness your neighbor engaging in bizarre (and possibly lewd) behavior.

blahblahblah … all text

The best part about self-publishing (blog, zine, graffiti, ect.) is that you create whatever you want. That might sound trite, but think about the world around you - such freedom is rare.

Below is my first non-photo post and it’s a book review on “The First Third,” the unfinished autobiography of Neal Cassady. To be honest, this and future reviews are entirely selfish. I figure if I make a habit out of it, say maybe once a month, it will force me to chip away at my colossal (and intimidating) to-read collection. Despising long reviews, my goal will be to keep these concise.

Up next will be “On the Lower Frequencies” by Erick Lyle AKA Iggy Scam from SCAM zine. So far, twenty pages deep, it’s too good to be true.

If Neal Cassady is not the single greatest literary character in American history, he’s at least the best since Tom Sawyer. For someone who believes reality trumps fiction, the Beat inspiration is second to none.

Cassady’s influence is chronicled extensively in “On the Road” (well, really most of Kereouac’s work) to “The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test” to references by one of my favorite (relatively) unknown writers, Herbert Huncke. While it’s easy to be mesmerized by others’ accounts of the fast-living western hero, Cassady fails in transforming his own life into an interesting read.

To be fair, this book was never finished. Aside from some miscellaneous writings about his adult years, Cassady only writes about life up to age 9.

Cassady’s greatest (and most idolized) trait – a rambling, full-speed-ahead personality – is his greatest weakness when it comes to writing. He jumps around frequently failing to spend enough time describing the most interesting moments of his life (such as hopping trains at 6 years old with his father) while focusing on the mundane (the route he takes walking to school).

 

While Cassady was always celebrated for his lustful pursuits (with men and women), to hear them in his amateur self-taught style comes off creepy, especially when you consider his age.

 

There are moments of brilliance, like the description of his father’s legless bum roommate or some of his lustful adult adventures (which are like moral-less Bukowski tales), but Cassady is best remembered in the descriptions of the 20th century’s top writers.

 

“The First Third” should not degrade the memory of this fascinating and uniquely American character, but I would recommend passing on the book. Think of it this way: As tempting as it may sound, would you enjoy reading an unfinished autobiography by Tom Sawyer?

Even the indoor plants know it’s spring.

(Orchid in bloom, 5.11.2008)

No regrets.

   

(Gumby tattoo at the 15th House, 5.11.2008)

 

Give a punk a tattoo gun and a whole host of strange like-minded freaks will crawl out of the woodwork eager for the chance of free ink from an inexperienced tattooist.

 

Within a week Sarah had transformed our back living room into a tattoo parlor complete with a waiting list that she didn’t even get close to finishing during her stay.

 

Tattoos completed on a daily basis include an octopus with tentacles stretching across an entire leg, several cutesy animal caricatures depicting gratuitous drug, alcohol, and violence references, an anti-cop Gumby, and the states commonly known as the Midwest on Dusty’s calf (just don’t tell Missourians that Ohio is part of this grouping).

 

Ah … reminds me of my first (and only) tattoo – a three-quarters finished red punk patch, safety pinned to my upper back. It spells “ride” in cut-and-paste style letters – an homage to DIY punk culture and BMX. It’s 20-year-old cheesy. I love it, finished or not. No regrets.

 

Like Sarah’s, mine was done in a living room, Punk 101’s during the summer of 2002. Like Sarah, Chris, my tattooist, vanished just as quickly.

 

Fat Steve had met him through an ad he ran selling pit bull puppies. Chris, a part-time tattooist by trade, was broke, but offered free tattoos in exchange – from equipment borrowed at night without the owner’s permission. Fat Steve agreed and before long he had a few dog tattoos while the West Side BMX scene had various bike-related ink.

 

Within a few weeks, Chris, his girlfriend and new puppy moved into Fat Steve’s house, but his girlfriend was problematic and they soon moved into a motel. He worked two days on my tattoo nearing completion before suddenly disappearing.

 

Calls were not returned. His motel room was abandoned. The common assumption was that he got locked up for not paying child support.

 

Sarah, it was a fun few weeks. Here’s to plenty of pool at Suzy Cue, dumpster diving at Krispy Crème, drunken spin the bottle, and, of course, bad tattoos. Safe travels and I hope you find the place you’re looking for. If all else fails, I know a room in Columbus you can use as a tattoo parlor.

The seedier side of the beach.

 

(Huron, Ohio 4.6.2008)

Didn’t realize there were birds flying in the second photo until I Photoshopped some dust spots off my sensor.

A cold spring day on the beach.

 

(Huron, Ohio, 4.6.2008)

Why did it take so long to post a picture of Michelle?

Abandoned Greenhouses

 

 

(Abandoned Greenhouse, Huron, Ohio 4.6.2008)

I gained info, they were abandoned since the 1960s and not to park in the front lot, as well as advice, watch out for the rabbit holes, from an Asian photographer. He said he knew the property owners and shot here daily. I didn’t believe him until I saw him carry a six-foot tall gold reflector out of sight.

A Californian with now lost glasses in a house being renovated.

 

(Jason in Huron, Ohio 4.6.2008)

Sometimes it takes me a while to process photos. I have too many hobbies.

On a side note, I never thought I would see covers being done of one of my friend’s bands on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYqUrZsDRoc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTe5dOWTbtg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRJd3_KJDCA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y9ZdMENu-c&feature=related

not a cover but … WTF? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks6zh8PzhH4&feature=related

Last of the music photos for a while

 

(The Eastenders (I think @ Carabar 5.3.2008)

Every now and then part of a song would catch my attention, but for the most part it was so-so bar rock. 

Getting burned out on music photograhy so I’ll be posting other types of photos for a while. Who knows, I might actually get out and shoot new stuff.