The Joy of not being sold Anything...

Please enjoy....

Dream of Life...

I used a quote by Patti Smith about "getting old" on the Homepage this week. Her exact quote was "I like getting Old". After posting it I received an email from "filmswelike.com" about the documentary based on her life called "Dream of Life" by photographer/filmmaker Steven Sebring.
Shot over a 10 year period it is a portrait of the artist as a not so young woman. Just letting it all hang out. How cool?
And what is not for her to like about getting old? A film/new album/a show of her photographs/induction into the Rock & Roll hall of Fame etc... I can't wait to see this film! I have been documenting a film about an artist for the past 10 years myself...although I am not sure where and if it ends?

In an article in the New York Times she said the following... "Rock 'n' roll drew me from my mother's hand and led me to experience. In the end it was my neighbors who put everything in perspective. An approving nod from the old Italian woman who sells me pasta. A high five from the postman. An embrace from the notary and his wife. And a shout from the sanitation man driving down my street: "Hey, Patti, Hall of Fame. One for us."

I just smiled, and I noticed I was proud. One for the neighborhood. My parents. My band. One for Fred. And anybody else who wants to come along."

You are never too old to dream, all is not "LOST" !!!

New "Lost" Music..."Old Song"

The first original song for the "Lost Vegas Project" is playing underneath the images on the homepage starting today. Thanks to Dale Clarke (OrangeCap) for his amazing musical talents on this piece (he plays it all on this track. Dale is also a talented painter, editor and graphic artist etc...).
My friends the "Insurgentlemen" recorded a new song on September 14th for the project called "Freemont Street" . It is a cool punkrocking tune. Here are the lyrics...I will post the song in the next few weeks....

Freemont Street (Copyright@theInsurgentlemen)

Got lost in Downtown Vegas
Staggering under a sea of lights
Saw Christina at the Glitter Gulch
21 never looked so right !

Its all been fun
Another setting sun
Gotta find a way
To extend my stay...

Bad results come from bad intentions
Even so we still go.
She looked good but your wallets empty
Got no soul got no dough.

Johnny lost his shirt at the Freemont
Sold his car and put it down on black
How's Johnny gonna get outta this one
Who's gonna pull the knife from his back ?

Its all been fun
In the Nevada sun
Feeling slipping away
All one big haze.

Bad results come from bad intentions
Even so we still go
She looked good but your wallets empty
Got no soul got no dough.

Keep Rockin in the "Free" World !!!

September 11th, 2001...

Las Vegas Nevada must of being one of the weirdest cities to be in on September 11th, 2001 ?

Radio - Radio....and Moore-head.

Much like my last project I have always found radio to be a medium that embraces new ideas and concepts much more readily than television and newspapers. I did a nice interview last week with "www.thatradio.com" . A couple of weird things happened....
1st- Just before we went to air, one of the hosts (Hugh) asked someone in the room to run down and get a bottle of "Perrier" to cool down a bit. If you listen to the audio (on the events page) at the end of the interview the guy walks into the studio with the bottle that had exploded while he was carrying it up the stairs? If this were a dream I wonder how a psychologist would read that.
I am either about to Implode or Explode ! Could go either way ?
The second curious thing was the host asked me to leave my contact information should anyone want to hire me for any reason. The first call was from a client saying that they needed a quote to produce some corporate videos for a trade show in "Las Vegas" in February...that was kinda weird.
I am doing another radio interview tomorrow at 8:22 a.m. on CIUT - "live" from Hart House at University of Toronto. I look forward to it.
It was announced this week that Michael Moore will be the first filmmaker posting his latest film for download on his website starting next month - free !
Welcome aboard Michael.

Everybody has a story...

I will be telling my story about "The Lost Vegas Art Project" tomorrow at 12:30 pm (e.s.t.). on "thatradio.com" one of the first internet radio stations, that you can tune into (and watch!) on this link. The song "Everybody" playing under the images this week is by a great band called "Rider Jones". I came across this duo (Philip Rider and Bohdi Jones) while walking to the screening of my film "Cracked Not Broken" in Vancouver last May at the "Frames of Mind Film Festival" . They were busking on the street in front of a shopping mall doing their thing. I stopped and listened to a few songs and was blown away by the talent these two guys had. I bought their CD as a souvenir, and I am glad I did...Every time I put on their music I am brought back to that glorious weekend in a beautiful city doing some pretty cool things. I guess that is what I hope comes out of the "Lost Vegas Original Music CD" that I am putting together for this project. I have uncovered a group of outstanding independent musicians that add a layer to the images that I have photographed. The quality of music by Independent bands that is available to everyone on the internet is so much better to me than the crap that you hear over the commercial radio stations these days. In fact if I never have to hear another Bono(U2) song, or even worse a Bono speech..it will be too soon. Shut up -shut up -shut up !!!!

As the song says...

"I guess I should be happy, it's never been all bad.
I know I've been through alot, but I'm thankful for that
Another chapter ends, another one begins..."

Here we go...