1. i'm confirmed to shoot austin city limits for STEREOGUM (!!!) this year. lineup highlights: andrew bird, the decemberists, bon iver, the raveonettes (again), b-52s, girl talk, and passion pit. oh, and dave matthews band, which will please katie. i have good memories of last year's fest, even though i missed out on a full day due to the worst hangover of life AND even though they only gave me a media pass (which denied me access to the photo pits). i got to hang with my BFFs! i got to meet tegan quin! anyway, it'll be a welcome vacation; though i have to say, the only places i've gone this year are places i consider home. texas falls within that category too.
2. i'm confirmed and prepping to shoot all points west in two weeks. lineup highlights: yyy, the national, fleet foxes, tool, neko case, crystal castles, the ting tings, mgmt, st. vincent, echo and the bunnymen, lykke li, and janeane garofalo. coldplay is headlining, but they can go fuck themselves. trying to line up some interviews. wish me luck.
3. i wanted to start a photo project based on the groupies of yore, but it seems there's either little interest or, in the case of cynthia plaster caster, just plain ridiculousness. she's the only one who's written back so far, and she informed me today that she charges to sit for photos and interviews. i'm sorry, what? i've also e-mailed pamela des barres, cassandra peterson (better known as elvira), bebe buell (liv tyler's mom), catherine james, and tura satana. tura and cassandra were both elvis groupies. tura also got down with dean martin and old blue eyes.
4. spending a lot of time thinking about the value of art. more specifically, photography. more specifically, MY photography. i've spent more on my photo equipment than i've spent on cars. i put out WAY more than i get back. i know it's a saturated market now that anyone can get their hands on decent photographic equipment, but you can't buy talent. i know i still have a lot to learn, but i'm not exactly an amateur, either.
5. i'll be seeing tori three times next month (i'll be shooting her in philly, but not nyc or nj), even though this new album is a piece of shit. i honestly can't believe i went out and bought it. that's how much i hate it. she's just regressed so much over the past several years. i can't connect to her art anymore. it doesn't move me. i'm having pangs of guilt and nostalgia--how do you just disconnect from an artist who was so influential on your life for over a decade?
these days, i'm much more inclined to name amanda palmer as my primary rolemodel, but as of late, i'm even questioning that. she stands for a lot of things, doesn't take herself too seriously, is prolific in the amount of art she generates across mediums, but she's adopted a new business model that makes me itch. it all feels really exploitative. for a price, you can hang out with your favorite rockstar! i mean, it's interesting in terms of its difference from successful musician x's business model. it's getting a lot of press. but as a fan who's spent years doing the whole wait-in-uncomfortable-conditions-for-hours/lurk-outside-of-tour-buses-to-meet-favorite-rockstar(s)-and-then-get-a-picture/signature/hug, it just seems really inauthentic. conversely, maybe my experience as a music journalist/photographer makes these people too accessible to me. i don't know.
i also take issue with the fact that i was recently asked to provide the AFP camp with high resolution copies of ALL photos i've taken of her over the past couple of years, including terms of usage. given item four on this list, my current terms of usage would probably look like this: NO DICE UNLESS YOU FORK OVER THE DOLLARS. seriously, guys? you make music and want money, even if it's just a dollar or two. i make photos and want money, too. not only do my photos look nice, but they get you press, which gets you dollars. it's a cycle, see? i'm an artist too. two to tango, etc.
6. i'm no longer in therapy because my insurance company decided five sessions in that they're charging me a co-pay, even after i spoke to them on the phone several times BEFORE i went into treatment and confirmed my coverage. it's a cheap co-pay, but because i got the bill so late, things have added up. since i felt my therapist was useless anyway, i'm feeling pretty resentful about the whole situation. having done further research on therapists who DO take my insurance, the outlook is bleak. luckily, i'm not nearly as crazy these days as i was three or four years ago and i can keep that shit in check.
7. even though i'm likely signing another two years of my life away to this great city, i think a lot about where i'll go when i decide my time here is up. i'd like to live just outside a major metropolitan area with a progressive music/art scene so i can continue to do what i do best. i'd like to be able to have a car again. i'd like mild weather--not too hot, not too rainy, and i'd like to not want to commit suicide in the winter. i have the following options in mind, but none of them fit my intended requirements: austin, portland, seattle. the idea of LA has been charming me a lot lately too, but i feel like it would just be a lot like home plus lots of celebrities who aren't hulk hogan or oj simpson.
8. my best friend will be here from 8/2-8/5. i haven't seen her since her wedding last year this time, which was not the most pleasant experience of my life. it'll be nice to have her to myself for a couple of days. i miss how we were as teenagers.
9. here are a couple of shots from the matt and kim show at pier 54 on the hudson last week. it was a good time.
