It's been eight months since my last entry the day after the U2 concert. Shameful? Very. I'll be listing the events that have transpired since...i'll have to figure out the what and when, and finally put them in chronological order...blah.

Last night was without a doubt one of the best, sitting there watching U2 for the first time. Simply amazing...just two of the many pics taken from last night's show. Truly a night to remember!

Did the updating, remodeling, in with the new and out with the boringness of the written bits on my page. Long overdue i think. Feels more fun, and less like cardboard. Is good yes? More photos uploaded to the Photographikness section, but a ton more to come. I've got a veritable laundry list of paintings to rework and drawings to start and finish. Where to start? Who cares...just grab a brush and pencil and dive in...Geronimo!

So I got back from my trip to NY, a week only but definitely needed it. Took 2 rolls with me and also had my digital camera, not a DSLR but it does decent work. Shooting from the hip mostly, wound up with some really interesting shots of people and surroundings. Others not so much or just crap. Going through them still, and have to develop the two rolls and see what came out. Should be fun.

Q When were your formative years?
A From 1978 to Present...

Q Nearest city while growing up?
A London and New York

Q Who, or what, has had an influence in the following areas?
Music: Beatles, Madness, Jurassic 5, The Specials, U2, Duke Ellington, Coldplay, Police, Tribe Called Quest, Depeche Mode, Doors, Corinne Bailey-Rae..to name a few
Art: Henri Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani, Tara McPherson, Justin Bua and Banksy.
Fashion: Adidas, Vans, 26Red [namebrand of now defunct Surf/Skate wear from late 90's] Levi's, Fruit of the Loom boxers
Film: Martin Scorcese, Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Spike Jonze, George Lucas
Literature: Nick Hornby, Roger Hargreaves, Irvine Welsh, Edgar Allen Poe, Pablo Neruda, Stephen King
City/Place: London, New York, Cali Colombia and Miami

Q How have you made your mark on urban culture?
A I've made small marks around...just have to look real hard.

Q What made you realize that urban culture was changing?
A When i noticed there was a ton of books in the Art section at Barnes devoted to Urban Art. Sweet!

Q When was that?
A First one i saw...2007

Q Who should be recognized in this project?
A Anyone and everyone who has that creative urge. Make your mark, show it, share it.

Q What is your favourite food?
A Baked Ziti, Seafood War Bar, Bandeja Paisa, Pandebonos, Buñuelos, Lentil Yani, Sancocho de Gallina, Negimaki, Bangers and Mash.

12 days and counting...no internet. Kinda feel like a crackhead who's hurting bad and needs the cyberspace high to feel good again. Power outage apparently killed my modem even though it was plugged into a surge protector. Needless to say, my ISP's tech support sucked ass. Never failed that when i'd get a problem with i would invariably get the response from the dude on the other end saying 'we don't work with that model of modem you have' and i'd say 'yes, yes you did...you guys sent it to me when i signed up' so eventually i'd somehow end up with someone who knew about it and then problem solved! This last time was no different than before. Except for a new dept dedicated to customers who have non-supplied modems. Ha! This was a total waste, i hung up the phone after 5 mins of listening to the guy's labored speech. I called another one that my family uses and they said no prob we'll send out a modem to you in approx 3 - 7 business days. Kewl. Day 5 comes around and nothing. I call up and the sales rep tells me it should be here by Friday via UPS. Yay! My mistake for not asking for the tracking number. Called back on Day 7 to ask for status of said shipment and lo and behold...No order was actually shipped, the order was placed but nothing else. Sooo...after 30 mins with them on the phone it's definitely coming. Tuesday. I hope. lol

'...oh the devil will find work for idle hands to do...' Keeping myself busy with all manner of drawing/painting projects. Considering the semester's over i'm missing it. No summer classes so have to wait til August. Gotta find a way to update and make my personal website more streamlined, the thought of reading through all those lines of coding is depressing lol. Sigh, back to busyness

Well, looks like all my entries from last year and up until March 2011 were all deleted. Sucks bigtime.

A fight broke out at Red Lobster tonight, six fish got battered. Ha!

A new year, second month already and so far there's been no change since last year in my output of ideas, drawings etc. No signs of it stopping or slowing down anytime soon, which is good. Well, back to work.

I got a gameplan, armed with pencils HB thru 6B and my tool 'tween my skull

This semester's gonna be anything but dull. Uh-oh Professor yes I guess

I must profess that I'm a professional artist but not now not yet

Gimme some time how's 2yrs sound? So yes I'll do the crime in class

Cos it's apparent to you and to me...shh! my 9 to 5 isn't for me

It's the mean, the place between 1st grade and where I want to be.

I was too green 12 years ago, let it all go for the sake of the flow.

But that's all good, not like Mystikal but i'll steal cos it's been so long

Since i've been on. Danger! get off to class this dude you see

Is after his BA, not Mr T just the degree.

Class dismissed.

Conversation between myself and my cousin after she sent a text saying she'd lost her headphones. Silliness ensues...




Her: I lost my headphones.

Me: Oh that sucks. I got loads of spares, no idea where or how but I do.

Her: LOL. When you misplace them, that's how.

Me: All this time I thought they were procreating.

Her: Wouldn't it be nice if they did?

Me: Yeah it would. Beats the hell out of going to the store and buying a new pair. But wht if they're impotent? What then?

Her: LMFAO! Invitro sound.

Me: Sounds about right...OMG he's not in stereo? That's sooo embarrassing! Oh I know...yes my hubby SONY had that problem too but we were lucky cos his owner takes such good care of him...

Her: LMFAO!!!

Me: I amaze myself with the wacky stuff that pours forth from my mind. Headphones with erectile dysfunction? Maaan! LMAO.




Very true, my silliness is spontaneous throughout the day. Ask any of my friends. All it takes really is one small idea, anything. Then it snowballs into this great big thing in a short period of time. My creative process also works in a similar fashion, sometimes funny sometimes not

Bored here, figured i'd make a list of my all-time top ten favorite albums...thought about separating them from genres, and decades, and even then putting them in more categories by solo artist or group/band etc.But then i would've ended up with a list that would be some 500 pgs long and that would be a real pisser.
From the top...

10. Cocteau Twins - Treasure, released 1984.

Two words: Sweet and melodic. I like it simply because of lead singer Elizabeth Fraser's ethereal voice, almost dreamlike. Great guitars, even though some are aggressive they somehow work with and not against her singing. 'Lorelei' and 'Donimo' are my personal fave tracks on this album.

Next...

9. Beatles - Revolver, released 1966

Awesome, the album that saw the Fab Four start to experiment musically, a sort of prequel to Sgt. Pepper the following year. For those of you who are used to the 'Love Me Do' and 'I Feel Fine' songs of early Beatles, it's a big departure. Have a listen to any of these tracks and you'll see what i mean...'Love You To','Dr Robert' and 'I'm Only Sleeping'. Drug experimentation played a big part in the sound, Dr Robert was about a dentist friend of theirs who spiked their drinks with LSD, nice eh? That's the sixties for you.

8. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run, released 1975

The beginning of the Boss' solo career. Folk, rock, R&B mixed together form a hell of an album that depicts the poor bastard working class American of the 70's. Example, 'Meeting Across The River'...a song about a pair of would-be robbers thinking of how good things will be after doing the job. Big dreams and schemes, but no way out in the end.

7. ABC - The Lexicon of Love, released 1982

Save yer laughs, this album is a classic. It's catchy pop...but it's lyrically intelligent. Don't think so? Have a listen to 'Tears Are Not Enough' and 'Show Me'. The blend of orchestra and 80's synth is one of a kind here, you won't find it on any other new-wave band album. Massive R&B, Soul and Disco influences abound here. Martin Fry knew what he was doing when he cut this album.

6. U2 - October, released 1981

Lucky Charms. Second album from the Sons of Ireland, their trademark sound for the next five albums starts here. Powerful vocals by Bono as heard on the track 'Gloria' not to mention the Edge's guitar playing throughout the entire album.

5. Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue, released 1959

Jazz at its finest, a hell of a masterpiece. Totally improvised, the piano, trumpet and bass switching back and forth keeping a smooth tempo keeps the listener engaged. Music to relax to, read or for the romantic fool. I've heard people say that anyone interested in learning about this genre 'has to' listen to it. I'd say it's a pretty good starting point.

4. Radiohead - OK Computer, released 1997

Ah, modern guitar rock. A ton of sound loops, heavy and light guitars, and abstract lyrics by Thom Yorke's voice create amazingly textured songs that make you think you're on something. Ha ha, totally trippy songs, real odd time signatures, techno beats mixed with rock n roll...nine years later i'm still amazed by this album.

3. The Doors - The Doors, released 1967

Groovy, the debut album by Mr Mojo Risin and company...rock, blues, classical, jazz and Jim's poetry all in one. Sucks that none of their other albums save for the last one are as creative as this one. How's this for creative? There was no bass-player in the band, the bass was all done by the pianist Ray Manzarek...his left hand did it all by using a Fender Rhodes bass piano, sat it on top of his organ/keyboard and played both. Suckiness number two, they used session players in other albums because the Fender wasn't so great in the studio when it came time to record. It's all here though, from beginning to end.

2. Portishead - Dummy, released 1994

I don't smoke or drink coffee, but damned if this album makes me want to go light a cig and have a cup of joe. Surreal hip-hop, somewhat like Massive Attack but more melancholy...Beth Gibbons' vocals are soulful, downright depressing and sexy at the same time.
And number one...with a bullet is....

1. Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory? released, 1995

Brilliant. Heavily influenced by sixties rock, most notably the Beatles. Yeah, they stole some riffs from them, but they expanded on them and made them their own. An emotional rollercoaster ride from beginning to end, 'Champagne Supernova', 'Don't Look Back in Anger' and 'Wonderwall' are classics in their own right. Listen to the entire album without skipping to these songs and you'll see that they sound so much better as part of a whole.
That's my top ten, might do another list...movies, or maybe just one particular genre. Got a top ten list of your own? Put it on here, i'm curious to know what all of you consider your top ten. No need to go in detail, just artist and album. Music makes for interesting conversations...

'...this is the eeeeeennnnnnnd' Jim Morrission.
~A~