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Bunny on Top of the Bunny Cage and Jäger on the Lawn: Some Thoughts About Mardi Gras.

January 12, 2016
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A classic shot of the Mardi Gras Bead Tree (image via uptownacorn.com)

With Mardi Gras coming up soon, it’s a good time to talk about the glory of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. There are a lot of misconceptions about NOLA Mardi Gras. It’s not about some irrelevant, trashy tourists flashing in the French Quarter. The real party is Uptown, on the parade route. Mardi Gras is like strange fun for your whole weird family.

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Mardi Gras 2007

Everything about Mardi Gras in NOLA seems excessive. I’ve never been to a bacchanalian Roman orgy, but Mardi Gras must be pretty close. It’s marching bands bringing the funk to the people, the overblown joy of a four hour parade. It’s the stranger that hands you a Jell-O shot at 7 am. As a friend of mine described it after a late-night party one year, “Mardi Gras is the bunny on top of the bunny cage and Jäger on the lawn.”

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Mardi Gras 2007

I think a certain part of me pines for a Mardi Gras family. Propyour kids up on a ladder at the crack of dawn, holding a beer with your kids weighed down with bead neck. Mardi Gras is more than just Mardi Gras Day. It is two weeks of krewes parading, Mardi Gras balls and revelry. The first weekend is more of a family weekend and then the intensity ramps up during the second weekend. By the time Fat Tuesday comes around, it is almost a comedown from the mayhem.

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Mardi Gras 2007

Mardi Gras is a time when subtlety is kept at a minimum. The fashion at Mardi Gras sometimes best resembles an electric space pimp from the future. It can get intense out there on the route. One year, I got a trombone to the side of the head. It was a rookie mistake, never bend down to pick something up. At least it wasn’t a tuba. One year, an old lady knocked me down for beads with an oxygen tank. She’s throwing down on Mardi Gras, nothing is stopping her! That’s dedication.

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Mardi Gras 2007

Mardi Gras is New Orleans is unlike anything else you will ever experience. It is a funky, glorious time. It’s going beyond Bourbon Street and tapping into something real. Get out there, throw down, beast it and laissez les bon temps rouler!

 

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My First Exposure to the Weird, Wonderful Art of Finland.

January 9, 2016
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Vessa-Pekka Rannikko “Canary” (2013)

The pieces featured in Dark Days, Bright Nights: Contemporary Paintings from Finland, the recent exhibition about Finnish art at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art really struck a chord with me. I am no art critic and the exhibition served as my first exposure to the art of Finland. The works are visually stunning, trippy and fresh. I love the use of tone and texture. I wanted to share the weird beauty of these works with you.

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Mari Rantanen “Yayoi (Yayoi)” 2014

Framed

Reima Nevalainen “Framed” (2014)

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Reima Nevalainen “Between the Lines II” (2011)

Sunna

Left to right: Mari Sunna “Close” (2013, “Gladiator” (2013), “Cage” (2011)

Marika

Marika Makela “Idan kukkia (Eastern Flowers)” (2013)

Jarmo

Front, left, right: Jarmo Makela “Karpasten herra (Lord of the Flies)” (2013), “Kuninkaiden kumarrus (The Bow of the Kings) (2014), “Europa, Europa” (2014)

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Jarmo Makela “Karpasten herra (Lord of the Flies)” (2013)

BurningBush

Left to right: Heikki Marila “Perkele (The Devil)” (2014), “Palava pensas (Burning Bush) (2014)

Nio

Left to right: Leena Nio “Silmapako I (Ladder I)” (2014), “Ansa II (Trap II)” (2014), “Spook” (2014)

Doora

Rauha Makila “Gerli” (2013), “Mura” (2013), “Doora” (2013), “Petite” (2012), “Alek” (2013)

Petite

Rauha Makila “Petite” (2012)

Susi

Left to right: Nanna Susi “Menen tulen varas (Coming-Going-Thief)” (2014), “Valkoinen pilvi (White Cloud” (2014)

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Heikki Marila “Excelsior 1” (2013)

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Heikki Marila “Excelsior 6” (2013)

Jani

Left to right: Jani Hanninen “Twin Peaks” (2014), “A 13” (2014)

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Mari Rantanen “Anna (Ana)” (2014)

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Mari Rantanen “Sonja (Sonia)” (2014)

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Left to right: Sirpa Sarkijarvi “Lapiomies (Shovelman)” (2011), “Son” (2011)

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Sirpa Sarkijarvi “Vides sukupolvi (Fifth Generation)” (2011)

Tuori

Left to right: Anna Tuori “It Is All Now You See” (2013), “Splendour in the Grass” (2013), “Things I’ve Seen I Can See No More” (2013)

 

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Banksy in NOLA.

January 8, 2016
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Soldiers Looting, September 2008

In 2008, around the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the enigmatic street artist Banksy hit New Orleans under the cover of night to do some art. It was one of the few that times I’ve seen any Banksy work in-person.

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Tracking the pieces down was an epic trek. Banksy often does his work in hard-to-find places. He had pieces on St. Claude and on shuttered housing projects. You try to see the pieces before they get ruined or painted over.

While I was shooting a photo of the NOLA Rain Girl, a car drove by. “Banksy sucks!” they screamed out the window. Everybody is an art critic these days. The public reaction to his work around NOLA was mixed. Some people view his work as art and other people see it as graffiti that should be destroyed. It’s all about personal perspective.

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NOLA Rain Girl, September 2008.

This was the time before they started selling Banksy throw pillows or before I met people with Banksy tattoos.

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Met a girl with a NOLA Rain Girl tattoo, August 2012. She wasn’t from NOLA, just liked the look of the piece.

The few pieces I caught that were very NOLA specific. The works were a product of a certain time. His work is political, hard hitting and carries his distinct style. It was fascinating to see Banksy tackle issues in his own weird way.

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The Thinker.

January 7, 2016
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The Thinker at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, in Kansas City, Missouri.

“What makes my thinker think is that he thinks not only with his brain, with his knitted brow, his distended and compressed lips, but with every muscle of his arms, back and legs, with his clenched fist and gripping toes.” -Auguste Rodin

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The Thinker at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art was cast after 1902. It is an iconic work of art, but it was interesting reading Rodin’s viewpoint of his own work. The thinker thinks than more than just their brain, it is an all-encompassing experience. Truly thinking can be a deep, engrossing experience. It is utilizing everything you have to become a better version of yourself.

 

 

 

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The Mindset of a Fighter.

January 6, 2016
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Invicta

Invicta FC is a female MMA fighting league based in Kansas City. They feature fighters from all over the world (America, Brazil, Japan).

I’ve been fortunate to meet several of the fighters and coaches over the years. It is always interesting to get a peek into their mindset. I asked a coach once about why the quality of fighting in Brazil is so high level. “It’s like the way Americans are about football. Fighting is part of our culture,” he stated.

One of the fighters seemed chill and laid back. We got to talking about how she approaches being in the zone, “It’s like a switch, you turn it on and off.” The disconnect between those those two worlds helps her be successful. Lay the hammer down, clock out and be in the chill state of mind.

It’s always fascinating to see other people’s viewpoints, to learn what keeps them pushing forward. The fact that some people view fighting as part of their culture, keeps them moving ahead to become a better athlete. Figuring out how to distance herself from the fury of fighting on her time off helped to make a fighter better. Their mindsets and focus are inspiring.

 

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Finding the Hipness Within.

January 5, 2016

A friend of mine told me a cautionary tale the other day. “My roommate named her cat David Bowie Waffles. She was trying way too hard,” she said. Just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should. You don’t have to try that hard. “At first, I thought it was Tom Hanks Pancakes. I remembered that the cat’s name is David Bowie Waffles,” she clarified.

The people I know that are actually hip often just let it flow effortlessly from themselves. They aren’t out there trying to impress, they just do what they do. You shouldn’t have to force the hipness. It sounds cliche, but being true to who you are is the hippest way you can be. Realness over everything. Being real never goes out of style.

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YJs Snackbar

David Ford is one of the hippest people I know in KC. An artist, Ford is also the owner of the legendary YJs Snack Bar. YJs is a laid back, funky spot in the Crossroads. David recently gave me a rundown about a trip to Ethiopia, “The cities featured a lot of cosmopolitan  jazz and the countryside was very rural. It was a lot of goat slaughter, 2,000 ritual goat slaughter.” It was a strange description, but had me intrigued.

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YJs

The next night, I was watching Anthony Bourdain on CNN. He was in Ethiopia, of course. He described the cosmopolitan, jazzy vibes of the cities and the ritual goat slaughter of the countryside. David Ford is a man that is ahead of the curve, constantly pushing forward. David Ford is hip because he is true to himself.

Personal hipness comes from deep within yourself. Being open to the wonder of the world around you can help make you hipper. Being present in the moment can help you tap back into the realness of yourself. No need to try too hard, just be real.

 

 

 

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Best Dance Moves of 2015: Samuel T. Herring of Future Islands.

January 3, 2016
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Samuel T. Herring, of Future Islands (Image via Flood Magazine)

Samuel T. Herring, of Future Islands, displayed some of the best dance moves I caught in 2015. It may seem overblown at times, but he really leaves it all out on the stage.

Future Islands set was one of the “whitest” performances I saw all year. Everything good and frustrating about that idea was on display during their set at the Pitchfork Music Festival. At times, the music seemed cold, distant and sterile. At other points during the set, it was invigorating and life affirming. It was a strange mix of highs and lows, sometimes within the same song.

Through it all, Herring’s dance moves kept lighting up the crowd. He dances like a man without fear. He doesn’t give a damn about looking cool and gets lost in his music. It’s a beautiful thing. Herring’s moves are a a gloriously funky, freaked out extension of himself. Keep on grooving!

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NOLA Stories: Expect the Unexpected.

January 3, 2016

I recently did a short audio piece talking about a few of the strange things I’ve seen in NOLA over the years. Check out the piece here.

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Finding Love in Today’s Indie Rock Era.

January 2, 2016
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The Missed Connections Board at the 2015 Pitchfork Music Festival.

The 2015 Pitchfork Music Festival had a Missed Connections board. Authetic indie rock love is hard to find in today’s modern age.

“I saw you standing there, looking at your feet, with your massive sunglasses on. I could feel your seething, ironic hate radiating. You remained stoic and pretended to be unimpressed during the set that was actually really good. You are so hip, you can barely see over your pelvis. You walk slanted and enchanted through life. I saw you reading a book while standing on the only chair in Union Park. In a sea of 10,000 people, while waiting for Ariel Pink to come on, you could interact with you fellow humans. No, never mind. What a great time to catch up on your reading. Do you have every Neutral Milk Hotel bootleg? Would you like more? Was your cousin in Youth Lagoon? Please text me back, using only emojis to convey your deepest feelings.”

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Mickey the Monkey.

January 2, 2016

DonkeyKong

It was a dark fall night in uptown New Orleans. A friend of mine called me up. “Do you want to see a monkey?” he asked. There is no way you can turn down an offer like that. “It’s 10 pm on a Thursday! The zoo is closed,” I responded.

We ended up on the West Bank, at his girlfriend’s parents’ house. While chilling in the living room, out sauntered Mickey the Monkey. The family had found Mickey while on vacation in Lebanon. Mickey’s family would squeak and Mickey would squeak back at them. Clad in a diaper, Mickey would excitedly walk around the house.

We had some sushi for dinner. Mickey jumped onto my head and swiped a California roll out of my hand. It was yet another strange night in NOLA. Mickey the Monkey was not monkeying around.

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