Saturday, September 15, 2007


Yours Truly is hosting an Old First Ward Pub Stroll this pending Friday with a nice, short tour of the best joints in this quadrant of the Middling City.
Invited those who are near & dear as well as those who just will get, or already do get, the OFW. And its attendant visuals, examples of extant industry.
Extant Industry ... another great band name.
While on the prowl for an obscure and oft-closed joint, spotted lights on this past week and headed indoors to scout out what the apparently new(er) owners have done to its charming interior, last being there when it had, no shock, pretenses of being a muy authentico Celtic gin mill. It did not last.
So I pulled open the heavy front door and discovered an aluminum window screen propped up in such a way that YT had to pick it up to avoid having it crash to the ground. I entered the barroom with the screen in my hand and most of the heads turned in my direction. A man near the back shouted The girl with the screen is here.
Now that is a classic MC moment.
I sat at the bar and talked to a femme next to me and asked what the name of the place is, as there is no sign in sight.
McBride's, she stated. That was for certain.
What is the address, YT queried.
That's where things fell apart, with several numbers helpfully shouted out.
One three-digit number was finally agreed upon.
But the most important thing is that I do know the historic corner upon which it stands proudly.
And it's added onto the Stroll if everyone is in agreement and wishes to cool their heals mid-way to the Swannie.
It should also be noted that YT had a mag gig quite some time ago when the Iraq War was a newer world event, making portraits of a femme soldier who grew up and went to school in Western New York and who was on leave, having just lost a close comrade in a terrible incident.
I went to her mother's home and met the soldier, who was obviously in a state of shock, her mother looked on proudly, worriedly.
Made images of her with her helmet that had been signed by her fallen friend, and inside and out her mother's bedecked home.
My favorite, and I think the image the mag used for their cover, was the soldier, Jeanna Marrano, on her mother's front lawn with her hand along a string of American flags, her in casual dress. Despite her shock she re-enlisted.
YT was surprised to see Marrano on the cover of MCNews this past week, now against the war, but still in It.

“Get out. Immediately. We should have got out years ago,” said Marrano, 28, a sergeant in the Army National Guard who spent a year near Baghdad patrolling the most dangerous highway in the country.

Watched an excellent movie last night with Kennedy, Sam Fuller's The Steel Helmet, about a small band of survivor characters amid the Korean War.
One character despairingly wonders why they cannot invent a bulletproof pot/helmet.
Of all the war movies and films viewed to date this low-budget movie creates an oppressive sense of terror in the field.
Hilly Kristal, inventor of CBGB, is dead. And like other important things that emerged in '73 (including Dark Side of the Moon), this is one.
Saw my nephew play his premier varsity football game today.
I asked my father what his title is.
Defense.
Not sure what sub-title.
They kicked ass, as they say in the sports world - 22 to Zip, as they also say in the wide world of sports.
Last night went to see a hexcellent play at New Phoenix, Thrill Me, with Sparky and Annie. After all 90 minutes of gripping action, told Richard Lambert and Bob Waterhouse that YT gives it 3 thumbs up.
I was not on the star system last night.
Tonight is Freeland's Tribute and I am like so going in rock & roll solidarity, bon vivantness, and good karma.

Tributary Love.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007



Forgot to post this image earlier, the image of the art runner handling the drawing by Yours Truly for Paint the Town.
The white gloves are always a charming touch, it makes every piece seem so precious.
Got an email from Literal Harold, images of himself basking in the Adriatic sun. He claims that some nice corporation actually sent gaming writers to Dubrovnic for a junket. I asked why YT is not also there. I did go to Vegas for that Bally/VH1 junket. The Adriatic Sea would have been nice, too.
Here is some artwork by LH (a This Just In):


Presently, the Middling City is awash in its superb annual autumnal light, art-inspiring light. Last night's dusky sky featured 9/11-worthy, gloomy black clouds, followed by some batten-down-hatches rain.

Worked on the HeadyVet Beast Project, as I am calling it, for her new digs on Delaware Avenue, photographing pets both domestic, casual, and exotic for the walls. Big decisions regarding edits as there are oso many. And framing, always a hot art topic.
A small selection of the results and then off to deadline points beyond.







Beastly Love.

Monday, September 10, 2007

While minding my own business, for I am certain Yours is quite enough for You to deal with - let alone me - and really none of my Perfect business to boot, found myself completely in Twilight Zone portion of Kenmore Avenue.
Looking for a school at Kenmore at Vulcan for a photo op yet all the street and all the numbers ran out.
Found a helpful Kenmore c.o.p. and asked her (I was nearly afraid to approach her car, lest there was hanky-panky of some sort happening in there ... or if she'd be angry I was infringing on her setting-up of either a sting operation or speed trap) just where in hell the rest of Kenmore Avenue is or was. She reminded Yours Truly that Kenmore rejoins itself about two blocks up north.
Then I spotted Lisa Ludwig, who was also searching for the school. And then we were informed by a teacher in sensible shoes that we were, in sooth, at the wrong school, that we had to push onwards further west.
There was the school, with helpful WalMart greeter type in day-glo vest and holding a small stop sign.
First-graders are teeming with hard-hitting questions, with interesting facts about their noses, and their families.
One kid claimed his papa can put a penny through the table.
He was one-upped by a classmate who claimed his father could put an EGG through the table.
YT was there to photograph John Simpson, UB President, who was reading to this inquisitive classful. They asked how much he makes. They asked if he has a wife. Then they wanted to know how old she is.
Last night was Paint the Town, the annual charity art-making and auctioning benefit for the Hysterical/Historical Society.
Harvey Siegel, Esq. purchased my excellent drawing from a nature-meets-industry view on Ganson Street.
Apparently Simon Pagani was in his office this fine a.m. and saw the piece and also dug it.
Time to careen out of here and get to next gig.
And then onto Shiney Happy Mag matters.

What matters. Love.