You can take the boy out of The South, but…

Wonderful cooler from my local Mom/Pop local grocery. This is a portrait of The American South. (click to enlarge, for further analysis).

An entire Section devoted only to Bologna. This too sums up The American South. (click/enlarge).

I’ve lived in my current home for three or more years, but only recently have I discovered this incredible neighborhood grocery, only five minutes from my house. When go walk through the automatic doors, it’s like that scene in Wizard of Oz, where it turns from Black and White to Color, (but in reverse). There you are, texting from your iPhone in the parking lot, and then you walk in the front doors, and it’s 1965 all over again. The cashiers always speak to you; the tile floors are waxed and shiny, (if a bit beat up); there’s no fancy Yuppie salads anywhere to be found; and in the back, the required Deli, serving Meat and Three every day. I have developed this weird hankering for the Hot Meat thing; every other day about 4:30pm, I have to go there and buy a hot Pork Chop, or a Cheeseburger that’s been sitting there all day, in the silver wrapper. I don’t know why; it just feels like HOME.

When I was a kid, I worked in my father’s grocery stores, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. From the time I was twelve years old, I was bagging groceries and stocking the canned goods on the shelves. So I got Grocery Store in my blood.

So now, at age fifty, I go in this grocery store, knowing full well I shouldn’t — that I’ll only leave there with Massive Carbs, but still, like an Addict, there I go, in total Denial, just because it feels good.

There’s this case in the back filled with Mystery Food. (See top photo, or click for larger one). This is The American South. Fifty Points for anyone that can identify the foods marked with Question Marks (???).

(Sidebar: I went to Cheekwood this past week, to some High Falutin’ Panel Discussion of five artists who were known, at one point in their life, as “Southern Artists”. It was a VERY SERIOUS AFFAIR. Lots of syllables. Lots of words like “dichotomy” and “contradiction” and “influence”; lots of references to Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor. The big question was: How come The South influences your work to such a degree? Now, I want to say, “Look at this picture of this southern food — THIS is why it affects you”.)

There is one whole section devoted entirely to Bologna — Thin Cut; Thick Cut; Beef; Turkey, etc. I wonder if any other parts of the country are so affected by the food that they grew up with?

A walk in the spring rain at Cheekwood today.

Art as Water Sanitation Plant, Cheekwood Gardens, Nashville. (click/enlarge).

I was walking thru the Sculpture Trail at Cheekwood on Sunday. I was in front of a mother and daughter, walking down the trail. When we got to this one large sculpture, (my favorite), the mother turned to the daughter and said, “Oh, that must be the Water Sanitation area”. I laughed, and said, “No, no, you’ve GOT to go inside of it. It’s ART; not a Water Sanitation plant!” They were shocked, and carefully made their way down the trail and went inside.

That piece has sort of haunted me ever since then, and today I went back to photograph it. It’s probably twenty feet across, with a circular hole in the roof, and when you walk down the entry hallway, you then come to the main round room. A similar circle of black coal is in the floor, underneath the circular “skylight”. And the whole thing made of solid concrete and steel doors. (Someone write to me with the artist, so I can credit them). (Update: The artist is James Turrell).

Anyway, I sat in the car for an hour today, waiting for the rain to stop, and then at some point, just threw on a hat and went on out there. It was great walking in the light rain, with no one else there on the grounds.

First Colonial Williamsburg ad hits NY Times

Print Ad crop of the first Colonial Williamsburg ad campaign. (click/enlarge).

We just completed seven ads for Colonial Williamsburg. The first one ran yesterday, in the Travel section of the New York Times and the Washington Post. The campaign highlights the two main aspects of Colonial Williamsburg — the historic area, and also the modern spa/resort section. Each ad starts with a scene from the historic area, on the left side, and then transitions into the spa/resort side, on the right side of the ad. This first one, “Cannonball”, starts with the soldiers firing the cannon on the left, and then a young boy blasting into a cannonball in the spa indoor pool. Collect all seven, once they’ve run!

AD/Historian: Jamin Hoyle; Copywriter: Trevor Sloan; AE: Christine Eubanks; Clients: Amy Kerr, Barbara Tyler, Jae White; AB: Megan MacCutcheon; Producer: Brett Sahler; Clothing: Cecelia Mason; Assistants: Derrick Hood, Jon Morgan, David Weaver; ChewingGum Monitor: Amanda.

Spring has sprung. Christenberry shows opens at Cheekwood.

This view seemed to sum up the Christenberry work -- one of the few artists doing both sculpture and photography. Here, the famous green barn.

Today was Free day at Cheekwood. I didn’t know it in advance, but it certainly was a nice surprise when I got to the gate. (I’d list a link here for Cheekwood, but Google shows them as “an attack site”; appears someone has hacked into the site, and it risks corruption). I’d heard about the William Christenberry show opening recently, and that along with a gorgeous spring day just sent me out Harding Road to check it out. It’s been years since I’d been there. (Why?) Sorry for the bad “CIA iPhone photos”; I was not sure if the guard would hassle me for shooting inside the mansion.

One thing I found interesting: Christenberry seemed to shoot some of the barns with a Kodak Brownie camera, (maybe as he was just out driving, and scouting), and then, if he really found a good one, he’d come back with “a real camera” and reshoot that barn. But to me, the Kodak Brownie images had much more atmosphere and feeling than the modern camera images. (Are we moving forward, or backward….?) The Brownie images had this beautiful glowy diffusion in the highlights, and much lower softer contrast. You could see into the deep shadows, even on sunny days.

Another thing that hit me — people of his generation could photograph these historic barns and landscapes, but for some reason, there’s seems to be a rule that younger photographers are criticized if they do. So what does that leave this generation to photograph? Seven-Elevens? WalMarts? Shopping malls? Starbucks? Metal barns? It’s like the younger photographers are criticized for “copying prior generations” or “not being true to their own lives”. I wonder how Stephen Shore felt when he was doing those cross-country drives? At that time, mid-70’s, Shore was just photographing his “current reality”, and it probably didn’t even seem interesting to him, because it was all he knew; he was like a fish in water. I mean, what’s so interesting about a 1974 Ford Maverick in the year 1974? A 1974 Ford Maverick only becomes interesting and notable much later, say, in the year 2000 or so. You have to skip a generation before it’s really cool and worthwhile. I can remember being a small kid, in southern Kentucky, in the 60’s and 70’s, and having my parents and grandparents drag me through rural southern Kentucky, thru the coal mine areas and the falling-down shacks, so that is first-hand to me; it is MY experience, intimately. But I’m right on the verge of being too young to be allowed to be so nostalgic as that, photographically.

The place was a mob scene -- people sprawled out everywhere. Almost gives you hope for the Arts in Nashville.

William Christenberry -- discarded eggcrate cross salvaged from Alabama cemetery.

Framed grid of barn photographs. Each frame approximately 9x12 inches.

To me, by far the most gorgeous image of the show, and one I'd never seen before -- red Alabama mud grave, with bright red flowers inserted. Stunning image.

Appears the Christenberry will give lecture there in mid-April. Must-see. (Click/enlarge).

Doug Rickard on a roll, (today, featuring Jim Goldberg)

Screengrab from American Suburb X

I just want to mention a site that’s really in a nice flow right now. The site is called “American SuburbX”. Today, he’s in good stride, featuring some amazing portraits by Jim Goldberg of Magnum.

If I remember correctly, when i was a kid, I was at Maine Photo Workshops, taking a class under Mary Ellen Mark, and I’m pretty sure Goldberg was there, in the class. His work certainly stood out, even then, at a young age. (Apologies if I’m incorrect). But I can remember, even then, there was the trademark B/W portrait, and then the handwriting from the subject of the portrait added later. So intimate; so simple and pure. Right to the core.

I was talking to my friend Troy House the other day, and we both agreed that — if money was not an issue, or raising a family, or any economic issues whatsoever — the highest calling on this planet would be to do environment portraits for magazines. I feel this more and more, the older I get. What an opportunity, for someone else to share the details of their life with you. What a priviledge to be included.

So check out these excellent Goldberg portraits, and then continue on to the Magnum site, and see his other work too.

As far as American SuburbX, DR is just on a roll. He’s featuring excellent photographers on a regular basis. Not sure I care for all the added words, but his choice of imagery and topics is right on the money. His blog/site is one for the Bookmarks, for sure.

(Update, added later: I was driving to the grocery tonight, wondering about this Goldberg fellow, and how he makes a living. I think of all the editorial assignments that I get called to do, and the phone call usually goes something like this: “Yes, we have a story where one of the subjects lives in your area. We need a nice portrait of them. They’re involved in ________ (fill in the blank, with their content). Can you shoot it next week?”. (It’s when you hear “he lives in your area”, and “we just want a nice portrait” that you know to turn it down, that they’re not calling for your style; they’re just calling to save money on the expenses, by having a local guy shoot it). And I imagine that my portrait might be be combined with other portraits from other photographers in different cities. (No budget to fly one photographer around any more). And then I imagine Jim Goldberg getting that same phone call, and then I think his style of work combining in with two other guys that shoot the standard “fill flash on location portrait”, and then I imagine the picture editor opening Goldberg’s Fedex box, and there’s one frame inside — no contact sheets — just the final frame that he chose, with the trademark writing below the image. And I imagine the picture editor’s face, and they realize that Goldberg’s style has to mesh in with the other two portraits. And then I imagine them fainting, and falling over backwards. And then I stand up, and I applaud Goldberg for doing what he does…

I see in his Bio that Goldberg teaches there in Oakland at CCAC, (great school). So that’s how he makes his living. I go to Magnum’s site, and I see his books, and I think, “My God, there is no money in book publishing — does he live in his car?”, and then I see that he teaches, so he’s doing OK, i guess.

DVD rental recommend: “Wagstaff and Mapplethorpe”

Cover image of DVD

If you have a Netflix account, this should go to the top of your list. Watched it last night. Excellent.

A documentary of the New York scene in the 1970’s, great interviews with many of the art leaders of that time, but the star is the massive collection of B/W photography that Wagstaff collected during his peak time, (and then his strange choice to sell it all, and switch to collecting silver). Mapplethorpe sort of gets a bad rap; comes off as an opportunist in a way. But interesting how Mapplethorpe seemed to be Wagstaff’s key into allowing himself away from advertising, and into a full-fledged life in the art world.

If you have interest in B/W photography, and the art world, this is a must-see rental.

Several dumb questions, (and a few statements)

1. If we own 80% of AIG, then what percentage of the United States does China own? 1%? 10%? 20%? How long will it be, (if we keep printing more fake money), before China comes to us (just like we went to AIG), and says, “Hey, no more bonuses. And no more high salaries. And while you’re at it, how about only one kid per family, and we really hope it’s a boy”? Do we really want to get this beholden to China…? How can that ever be a good thing?

2. I keep hearing these amounts of money thrown around, like $800 billion, or three trillion. If the number was, say, three trillion, then what percentage of “what the USA is worth” is three trillion? How overdrawn are we, at the bank? This is a serious question. How long can we just keep loading up our Epson printer with white paper, and printing more money, (to give away with no strings)? How much longer can this country just keep saying, “We need to invest more money into the economy”? More money, based on what collateral? Here’s a NYTimes article today, speaking of this money coming out of “thin air”.

3. I know it was fun to bash Blago for quid pro quo, but in a way, isn’t this entire country based on quid pro quo? But for some reason, it’s legal, and even promoted? In the form of campaign contributions. “I”ll scratch your back now, if you scratch mine later”? Isn’t that really how this country works? Yet, there was such outrage at Blago. When, at that very second that he was arrested, there were a hundred lobbyists on the phone with a politician, trying to contribute money to a campaign. I just don’t get it. At all. Yes, Blago is a dick, and he really crossed the line, but really, in the big picture, isn’t he just guilty of crossing the line a bit too much, when the exact same practice goes on, legally, every single day.

4. When I become King, that Burris guy in Illinois will be sent packing. He never should have sniffed around for that seat in the first place, but he did, and that’s history, but if you’re gonna go sniffing in a trash pile, you damn well better keep your own suit very clean. And, as it turns out, he lied. I’d say to him: “Pack your shit, and get out of town by sundown. We trusted you to be clean, and you lied. Get out. Now”.

5. Movies recently: Saw “The Wrestler” the other night. Shockingly good film. Mickey Rourke was so compelling to look at. Every single scene. So believable. And I just loved that it wasn’t overlit. Looked like ASA 1600 pushed a stop. In a good way. In a believable way. It felt more IFC than Hollywood mainstream. In a good way.

Saw “The Reader” and read the book. The movie, to me, was much more moving than the book. That british woman hit it out of the park. The book was very distant and unemotional. Hard to bite into it.

6. Obama Leading: I read some article the other day on Daily Beast, saying Obama should inspire more. I agree. I know he’s in the middle of the largest ShitStorm to ever hit this country, but still, the general public still wants to feel good, and they want to work, and they want to work HARD, and they want to succeed, (and make back some of the money that they lost). America needs that person, a la Jack Kennedy, to be at the forefront. Not to talk some sappy fake feel-good language, but to simply speak from his heart on the aspirations of Americans. I hope he doesn’t let himself get too mired in the muck. He needs to stay above it, and stay out in front of it all, clearing the fog.

7. Where is the hard hitting REPORTING in all this financial mess? Why is Jon Stewart the guy who’s telling the truth moreso than any “real journalist”? Where is Chris Matthews? David Gregory? What the hell do they do every day? They need to get out of that studio, and onto the streets, and really report on something. Why is Jon Stewart, comedian, making more headlines about CNBC than Chris Matthews or Brian WhatsHisName at NBC or Charles Gibson or any of those “seasoned reporters”? Where are the Woodward and Bersteins of today? Sure as hell not in Chris Matthews.

8. Chris Dodd and Barney Frank: You’re done. Just too many strikes against you. Please do not run again. You’ve served your country well, but it’s time to go do something else.

9. And can anyone say: TERM LIMITS.

10. Why does our presidential election need to last two years, from the time of the first primary, to the actual final election? How much money is wasted doing this? How much gasoline? How much airline fuel? How many bad rubber chicken meals? And who is paying for this — CORPORATIONS, (and also the general taxpaying public). Why can’t the whole thing be determined in six months? What would really suffer? Why do the primaries need to be spread out for weeks and weeks? Why not every damn primary be held on one day, just like the election? To me, much of the basic framework of this country is broken. But there are just too many people making money for anything to really change.

——–

Just one opinion, from a simple-minded, tax-paying, lawn-mowing US citizen. Other opinions might differ.

Is there a Radio that receives internet?

Does anyone know this? I want a radio for my house; something like that Bose Wave thing that would just sit on a table. I want it to do this:

1. I want to put my ipod into the top of it, if i want to listen to my same old tired music.

2. I want it to receive signal from my Apple Extreme Airport Base Station, so I can play Pandora.com, but completely without the aid of a mac computer.

3. I might even want to listen to standard FM radio at times too.

But mostly, I just want emphasis on Number 2; I want it to receive an internet signal from my Airport inside my house.

I did see this on Amazon, but it’s not released yet. Are there other models that are even better thought-out? Thank you.

(Update: Make sure and click on COMMENTS below, for great recommendations sent in by people).

Getting your head around this Economic Mess

Several people have sent me good videos and podcasts lately. I’m a news junkie, but these two NPR “This American Life” episodes, coupled with this Google video, explain it pretty well. Each requires a commitment of time; each one is about 45 minutes long, but open it up, and let it play, and go about your business. (I know in this Twitter Reality that we’re now in, Attention Span is very short). Each of these is based on simple concepts, so don’t be bashful — sit down, watch it, and try to understand.

#1: “This American Life: Bad Bank”. Either click FULL EPISODE link and listen to it on the web, or download into iTunes.
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#2: “This American Life: The Giant Pool of Money”. Either click FULL EPISODE link and listen to it on the web, or download into iTunes.

#3: Google Video, on the smoke-and-mirrors concept of “Money as Debt” and how banks use this to their advantage.

And if those three videos are too taxing for you, then send somebody a Twitter, or watch this video, or this video, stick your head back in the sand, and get back to “Dancing With The Stars”.

Thanks to S. Morgan and T. House for these excellent links.

Post #1 (of 50), about turning Fifty

Gift from Buddy Jackson (in my mind, he made it for me personally)

Card that accompanied the sculpture

I turned fifty years old last Wednesday, February 25th. Fifty years old. When I think of the crazy stuff I’ve done over the years, it’s amazing that I’m in one piece after this long. But here I am. This one hit me pretty hard.

But I had a great birthday day, and then a few days later, many friends pulled off the Surprise party of the year. I truly had no idea. I thought I was heading to a bar, to attend Kristin’s one-year-old daughter’s birthday party. I would have liked to have seen the look on my face when I walked up those stairs to the second floor, thinking I was heading to a baby party, and there in front of me were probably a hundred close friends. And then the weirdest part, over by the bar, stood my 78-year old mother! At the bar! (Not drinking of course). But close your eyes and imagine walking into a bar in East Nashville, and your OWN mother is standing there. I will never forget that memory. And then Tricia and Brett flew in from New York City!

Anyway, I want to drag out this Birthday Thing. I want to write several posts about it, because honestly, it was pretty powerful. In these crazy times, (when you’ve worked your ass off your whole life, and tried to be responsible, and put money away for retirement, only to see it wash down the drain), you realize that it all can go up in a puff of smoke, overnight. (Your SEP-IRA, that is). So the only thing you’re really left with is Friends and Family. I know this sounds like some bad lifestyle TV commercial for an insurance company, but it’s simply TRUE. It just is.

So above, in that top photo, (even though the invitation said NO GIFTS), I opened up this amazing bronze sculpture from Buddy Jackson, a lifelong friend. He probably made this as a guide for one of his large lifelike sculptures, but in my mind, he made it personally for my birthday. And if you see him on the street, make damn sure that he gets his story straight, and that the story is: It’s an original piece of art, made for me. Below the sculpture is a very nice photobook from my friend Joerg Colberg in Massachusetts.

Tricia Scott, and Brett Sahler, and Shannan Shepard put on the bulk of the party. They have a future at The CIA, due to the successful secrecy levels maintained. (Although Alexia came close to blowing it, I hear, although I had not a clue). Below is a great photo from Tamara Reynolds — a decisive moment when this Ninety-Foot-Woman came up the steps to serenade me.

This kicked off the party. My right hand got lodged between her breasts.

Anyway, the party was amazing. There were little kids everywhere, dancing. The DJ was great. Derrick and Hollis and Joel and Jon set up a white seamless and a Beauty Dish and we shot pictures all night long.

Here’s another fun one of me picking up my mother and jumping:

Mark Tucker (50), Margaret Tucker (78)

More later…

Is the NYSE Floor next door to Central Casting?

Do you wonder sometimes if the floor guys at the Exchanges don’t just get together after work and take bets on who is going to get photographed for Page A1 placement on the newspapers the next day? Don’t you think there’s a bar somewhere, a block or so from Wall Street, and all these floor guys get together after work and plan their strategies for the next day? “OK, Europe is headed downward, so that means that the US is headed down too, tomorrow, so everyone go home and practice their “Oh, Shit, can you believe this” face. Let’s pass the hat now. Everyone that’s in, the ante tonight is fifty bucks, because you just know that all the PJ guys are headed to the floor of the NYSE to shoot the dreary faces, and they’ve GOT to bring back a dramatic picture. So everybody get their Game Face on. Whoever wins, gets the pot, and the pot looks like about $450 at this point. Everybody go home and practice the Big Exhales, and the Raised Eyebrows, and the Furled Forehead move. We all need to be at the top of our game, because as the Market tanks, we’re the only ones in this Zip Code making any money, and it’s all coming off the back of the NYTimes and the WSJ. So when those photographers mount those 24mm lenses on those Nikon bodies, and stick that thing in your face, just be ready. Get those eyeballs sticking out; get those eyebrows in the air. Because there’s money to be made. Don’t forget what you learned in the Lee Strasburg School of Method Acting — the more the market tanks, show the world how bad it feels, (and then be here tomorrow afternoon at 4:30pm to pick up your dough)”.