The Blues

My life can be mapped out into a series of focused obsessions. I become interested in something, say World War Two aviation, for example, and I study it to the exclusion of near everything else. I read every book, play every game, watch every movie, buy paraphernalia on eBay, until my next "thing" comes along.

There are also two constants- obsessions that never leave: music and visual art. Sometimes one of my "things" will merge with one of the two constants and then the intensity of interest almost forms it's own inescapable field of gravity.

In the past, for example, my visual art constant was sculpture and one of my things became gothic architecture- they merged into gargoyles. So I sculpted gargoyles for many years. I even had a little store in Cambridge where I sold them.

Usually, as was this case, unfortunately, my obsessions are uniquely non money making. I tend to be interested in things that people don't want to buy. Perhaps that is one of the aspects that attracts me... that nobody else seems to care.

Well, my latest thing is acoustic blues music of the 20s, 30s and 40s. I bought a steel guitar, started taking slide lessons from a New Orleans virtuoso, and got National Guitar F holes tattooed on my neck...

I've been learning these amazing tunes and just decided I needed to perform them so I bought a portable amp and set up outside the candy store in Harvard Square. Yesterday and today I played out in the baking sun and just had the best time. At one point, pictured above, Magali got some tuning pipes and started honking along with me. I bought her a harmonica on the way home that day.

The second picture above was actually shot by Magali (the first was shot by Sara). Magali and Dash seem to have inherited a little of both of my constants. They are both interested in music in different ways and they both love to draw and take photographs.

Photographs... that might be the one that makes money. More people are interested in weird black and white photography than I thought. This might be good for us :)

More of today's pictures: HERE