Make A Stand

And After Todd.... There were 48 Pancakes

NYC has been a wild ride and I give this city some credit.  People say it jades and changes you but I have never felt this, ever.  Yeah, it is a massive city and if you don't keep your head about yourself you will surely fall.  But that is true for all of life.

My lens has been showing up in unlikely places capturing some wonderful faces.  People I have always loved, appreciated and respected. Like this man, Mr. Todd Terry.  Much respect to Todd as he has this air to his smile that helps bring anyone out of a funk.  It have been people like him, or the mad little lady behind Don't Forget To Go Home who have helped get me up and out.  Helped me remember just why I do what I do.  NYC I say  we rock it till the wheels fall off.

The Pep Talk - Melbourne Style

And remember kids, when push comes to shove...

Family Advice

So i asked a family member for advice, I actually asked for someone to give advice, they had no idea of the subject yet, and upon being asked this was there response. (And you people wonder where I get it from?!)

10 Life changing events that would cause Jared to want my highly unqualified advice:

1. Jared is gay.
2. Jared found an alien crash site in LA that looks very similar to a Fry Electronic store but has great deals on Garmin GPS devices.
3. Jared found the cure for AIDs and coincidentally, it involves fucking a Koala Bear.
4. Jared's long lost great uncle 4 times removed has died and left him a lot of money and he wants to me pay me to be his traveling Kabbalah Guru. (First leasson: Kabbalah spelled backwards is Hola Back, which kinda WOULD make Gwen Stephani a "Hola Back" girl)
5. Jared is a fish.
6. Jared found out his real father is Anthony Lane and has decided to make a career move to Broadway in a musical adaptation of Shindlers List... scenario #1 also applies here.
7. Jared wants to talk about how Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior and ask if Ive invited him into my heart .... and then ask to borrow money to spread his word. (and Hep C)
8. Jared likes Fishsticks and therefore is a gay fish, see #1 and #5.
9. Jared's Jewish and in love with Shia LaBeouf, see #6.
10. Jared has proof that Chemtrails are a conspiracy to prevent the Chicago Cubs from ever winning the World Series.

So here we are, back in oh so sunny Melbourne which, coincidentally, is the H1N1 Capitol of Australia. Now to some I can see where they might worry, "It doesn't sound like a positive move Jared" I can hear them say. Que sera really. Having already been in the presence of said virus and coming out clean I am not too worried.

Besides.

Let's be honest, I think there are a few bigger problems swirling in the foothills. You know I remember turning 30 and asking friends at the time what the 30's would be like. Most everyone agreed that 31 was a wretched year. Hmmmm, I think I will agree. Its never going to be easy in the russian roulette with a potato canon kinda life I lead but usually there are a few less stressful moments. Bring them back I say! Where are he good old days, when are we moving back up to the east side?!

Website Of The Week <-right here

Oh Snap! You know I have free time, I mean really I do. No, REALLY. But sometimes you see things and you KNOW that no matter how much free time you have, no matter how creative you are, you would have never, EVER, come up with something like this. It makes you wonder how some people get paid, or conversely, shows you how some people never get laid. Regardless, this weeks site comes from the good folks at bestweekever.tv. Might I suggest you pay close attention to number 24 as he could be my next traveling partner, or possible wedding present, or poster animal for the next "Minnesota War On Canada". Either way, I hope you enjoy the shots.... I would never have "that much time" to take!

"I didn't choose life, I chose something else." ---Trainspotting---

It appears that all parties are go! Madness to ensue for those of you on the east coast as a one night only exhibition is in the works for may in the great beer guzzling town of Knoxville, TN. We are looking at an Australian vs. the United States in a tag team photo mania match. Should be good fun all around, artists on the night would be Bobbi Fabian, Sara Blair, Nick Dale and myself. Stay tuned for more details as it will be a throw down no holds barred east coast mayhem!

Perth by Night

Let's Start Anew

It's time for a "freshjive" I must say. My apologies for the absence. Let's say it was a learning curve, the balance of those who read versus how much of one's self you can actually unload without it being misconstrued or upsetting. The point has always been more of a public speaking forum than an actual place to get at or discuss specific people. So, on with program.

Are you shitting me?! I mean come on folks, I just took a walk through Sydney CBD and there were an insane amount of people looking for coins on street corners. I think to myself that this is nuts as I sit in a country that is constantly making it's citizens aware of the fact that they are fairing the financial issues better than most.

Maybe we are?! I, by no means, am a financial wizard.

I have a hard enough time coming to grips with sitting still... much less a "Global Financial Crisis". Thank god I have a fair amount of mates working in the sector that they do help explain a few of these dodgy dealings to me. So, in the midst of all this it might be time to say screw it.

Recently back from a fairly eventful trip from Perth and a death defying trip to Melbourne. It was good to get away, not that I really had anything to get away from, just felt better being somewhere else. I guess it is a problem I have always had really. There will be more images to follow as I did get out and about a little.... that is until I contracted the worst flu like virus I have had in years just 2 days before set to leave for Melbs. Needless to say I spent the whole time on the couch there drugged up trying to get through the crack head shakes it was giving me.

On the upside I rode a slick leather couch, compliments of Mr. Creber, right through my first earthquake. I have ben through them before but have never been awake or able to feel them. I must say it was pretty rad but left me questioning if I was crazy as Melbs was the last place I expected to be in an earthquake!

So that's the scoop, maybe I can get this blog sorted out now, get on track... wait, I don't run. No tracks will be involved in the making of this blog. That is, unless, I find myself on a train soon. Who knows?!

What If This Is It?

This sitting in one place is starting to become bothersome. It messes with your head, utterly and truly. All of the sudden you find yourself in a world financial crisis with jobs scarce and people in certain countries beginning to speak the word "depression".

Maybe I chose the wrong time?

Regardless this isn't cool. Mental stress reaches an all time high and there is no way to unwind. Thoughts become muffled, run together, and then become muffled into silence. It becomes so difficult to speak because everyone is feeling something. Meanwhile, a few thousand miles away, a 35 million dollar party goes off in Dubai. Maybe these people have the jobs? maybe they have the money? What is one to do. I can't say I have ever been afraid of not working, and while not afraid I do believe I am getting a little bored with it. Everyday becomes a struggle for head space and direction. I'm sure many people out there are feeling the same things I am.

On an even worse note, last weekend Fritz Hilpert of Kraftwerk has to cancel the Melbourne gig as he is in hospital with heart failure. Poor Fritz. I hope he is doing better. I heard rumors they did keep their Perth gig midweek but as to their appearance in Sydney this Sunday who knows?! I hope you are feeling better Fritz!

Website Of The Week <-right here

I might have found a new calling albeit a strange and mostly useless one. Who doesn't listen to music? (that was an easy one) Who cares what the A&R knobs throw at you online and on the airwaves? (getting tougher) Who cares enough to test out new tracks to have some kind of say against the big bad music machine? (shaazam!) Check this website. It appears that... well actually it works as I have already done it, that you sign up, test 5 tracks at a time, and then basically accrue points to download free tracks from amazon. Now I am not up to the free track stage yet, and if I were I am not sure I would find anything I like, but I would safely assume that compensation is easily made. You also get to decide what style of music you evaluate based on three choices. So next time you are bored and the thought hits you.... go out and check out ANY type of new music. It's that good stuff that makes the world go 'round!

Mark Farina

So I have been a bit slack. This whole having a job thing somehow solidifies the head every evening reminiscent of hardening concrete. That with the 2 day recovery from the gig has put me behind. It was a late one kicking off about midnight and finally got in about 5 am. Regardless, it was ROCK SOLID, and well worth the decade wait I have had to endure to see one the world's finest technical djs. He was on form with some seriously bumping beats. He dropped a classy Marvin Gaye remix of "What's Going On" along with some usual hip-hop inspired sounds. It was a constant bump, every time you looked around you didn't see a still person all the way up to 4 am. As for the djs I have seen, Mark Farina definitely was more approachable and willing to get down to the fan's level. This was really good to see, someone so influential in the music of this time who was just happy to be with anybody who was digging it. All in all I would say this was one of the top 5 gigs I have been privileged to be a part of... Thanks Mark!

Kraftwerk

So this poignant little laser light hit me in the head the other day. The phone rings and suddenly someone on the other line chooses to remind me of just exactly who I am and what I do. I guess when you travel a good deal and have a drink or two people who call choosing to remind you of things makes you a bit apprehensive. I'll always remember the wise words of Tupac Shakur.

"Always looking for a payback, some punk that roughed up way back."

EEEK! Another fine reason I chose to be a lover and not a fighter. So said person is ringing to tell me he hired me for a job. Admittedly he did text me the day before and told me to keep a certain day free. When I asked why his response was, "Look, if it was any of your business I'd let you know. Until then, just shut up." Somehow, some way that translated into, "Hey mate, there are some prominent musicians coming to town and we are covering the gig." I still have yet to figure out how it translated but it did, now just shut up.

And so goes another fantastic dj booking. Global Gathering Festival is hosting Kraftwerk (the godfathers of electronic music), as well as Dj Sneak and a few other choice folks. This is set to become a crown jewel in the music photography collection so stay tuned for some bits and bobs from the show in a few weeks.

Something (not) So Funny

So I was reserving this space for a bit of humor. I mean who wants to just gripe, or moan, or wank on about the state of the world? Our depressing economy? A presidential election? I wise someone once said, "It is easier to say what you don't like than what you do." Oh so true.

So I have been meandering through the mire of stagnation... or sitting still for those less dramatic, and it seems to get tougher by the day. There is something to be said for free wheeling through life. It seems as though most of the modern ails I appear to have cropped up only because I stopped moving. Now that I am still it makes them worse. Sometimes things are viewed much easier in passing. Like in the back of a taxi while passing a wreck. I am not sure that my being attached to this scene is of any help to said scene!

I live right outside of King's Cross in Sydney and for all the travelers out there you know it can be the biggest scary smile you have ever seen on a weekend. I pass through it sometimes and just look in disgust. How could society become this manky? But then, I have a few saturday night beverages on the other side at the Darlo Bar, a personal fav, and end up walking back through to get home. It always seems to be more alive and colorful... as if maybe it is looking at me with same eyes saying how could he be that manky?!

Maybe I am just worried that the burbs have eyes! Alas though they do not. Thankfully at least the week has shed a little light my way as I will be photographing Kraftwerk when they touch down in Sydney in 4 weeks. Music always brings the week back up.

Unusual Headache

So my mate Damien says that we are going to see the movie, "The End to Poverty?" as part of the make poverty history day. He was a few minutes late so I found myself in a pub with a much awaited Guinness in front of me watching the cricket. The split second did pass where I realised I could just stay there, sun coming in the window, a beer I had waited weeks for, and no doubt a proper smashing of the Indians by the Aussies.

Not so.

Pulled from the pub I found myself out front of the theatre, cigarette in hand, contemplating if I was in the wrong for attending a movie like this wearing a man bag that I clearly remember purchasing in a hidden room of a dodgy mall in Malaysia... undoubtedly produced from child labor. Of course halfway through that thought Mr. Mandla appeared with some crack about beer and fags and I found myself being whisked in.

Somewhere in the beginning of this whole process I was standing up with the whole theatre reciting a poverty pledge which was to be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. This was not only a first for me, being in the book that is, but also a stern reminder of my favoured beers old slogan, "Guinness for Health!"

That's where the fun ended. By no means am I going to belittle the poverty movement, it is a serious issue and does need everyone's attention... but holy begeezus brainwarp. Your mind just shrivels up by the end of the movie. With so many raw, real, and generally depressing facts laid on you there is no choice but shrinkage. My head hurt from facts that no one person can change. To put this in context, I don't get headaches. Maybe after that 10th coffee of the day at 3 o'clock when I know its my own damn fault and I just need to drink water but that's about it. For those of you that might have caught Massive Attacks 100th Window tour where they used the giant, stage sized screen to pummel world military facts into your head so that you just left a mental mush, that's what it was like. In essence they were just laying it down for us, telling it like it is but, well... IT is bad, and it hurts... and you should see for yourself. If that doesn't pry you out of your seats, which most likely doesn't, it was also an official selection at Cannes this year.

Inform yourselves. Make your own decisions... I hope you don't get a headache too.

www.makepovertyhistory.org

Stan Getz Had It.

The question is where did it come from? I have spent the day walking around this city trying to muster up the conviction to believe that what I was doing was actually some form of job hunting. I know it was, I just find it hard to convince myself. All my life I have walked to find the answers but more importantly I have found that if you walk you end up in more of the right places at the right times.

And then there are days like this where no amount of walking will relinquish any answers, clues, or even a small hint as to what in the hell you are actually supposed to be doing with yourself. Overcast was not only the sky. So I turn to good old Stan Getz to ease the malaise I find myself in.

Settling down, most likely, was never meant to be easy. I just don't think people talk about that part of it, especially not in some kind of infomercial way while having pints at the pub. I can hear myself now, "I walked for days and days, the city was like a vast desert wasteland I couldn't over come. And then it hit me!" Who tells stories like that?! Most likely me when I am older and more of a wanker than currently prescribed to be.

I spent a lot of times, good and bad, walking the world's streets looking for some kind of resolution to something. One time in Singapore I was slightly tipsy, my good mate Jason and I heading down these little lane ways onto our next adventure. For some reason a 7-11 was calling my name. Amidst the laughter I stepped in for what was most likely a tobacco related purchase. (what goes better with alcohol?!) The song playing inside then hit me like a bamboo rod someone had been holding back waiting to let go of just for me. Another memory dredged up of something gone wrong long ago. While it didn't ruin the night it did however mean that this memory would be stuck with me for the evening, ready to reappear the minute the conversation went quiet, the glass empty, or the queue at the bar was just 30 seconds longer than I wished. I still can't shake that memory.

Moments like this where nothing is really wrong, just a bit intangible and confusing like a coarse memory, that is today. There is always tomorrow right? Maybe tomorrow I'll be more settled. Maybe tomorrow I'll be employed. Or maybe I'll just have an even deeper grasp of the subtle nuances of daytime programing.

Photo Gumbo

Photobucket Album

What happens when you stop moving?

A good question no?

The thought does scare me a bit but what can you do. This year sees me settling down in Sydney in search of things I can't quite put my finger on. Don't get me wrong, when settling down a city of 4.28 million people is a good start. Tons to do and see, plenty of niches and cracks to fall into. Forgive me for saying so, but this doesn't feel completely right. Look I have always loved Sydney as a stop over, a small break, or even a week away. This city is pretty serious on the scale crawl to breaking land speed records. Travel has taught me that not all cities are meant for everyone, I love Paris, but it still holds more bad memories than good ones.
Needless to say this little hiccup in time here in Sydney is destined to have some of those adult like leaning curves. Domesticity is not something you pick up over night and I find most days I feel like a dog allowed in who is knowingly going to pee on the carpet but has no way of stopping it. Couple that with the almighty job hunt in this lack luster global economy and one might come to see why at least 3 cups of coffee are necessary to make it through the day. Where does it all lead is the big question, what happens at the end just seems a bit large at the moment.
So all these years that have passed I swore I would kick start this blog. Seems I was too busy traveling. Most of my traveling stories rank up there on some weird Tucker Max level which do not always make them conducive to randomly sharing. I guess that's what happens when you live for the night and photograph those that do.
Bring on the hindsight and I'll see what bits I can dredge up for you. It all begins here, it has to go somewhere, might as well do the driving.