Heavy Lifting

I love our new place! We still have much to unpack, but I'm sitting in the living room, surveying all the space... it really is a treat, and very comfortable here. Even though we have been together for seven years, it's our first truly shared space.

We spent the day cleaning Sarah's old apartment... it has been a lot of work, but manageable. I could really feel the workout I had from moving yesterday... my legs were feeling strong after the many trips we took up two flights of stairs. I slept real good last night, and I'm sure tonight will be the same story... it's a good kind of tired... true satisfaction at completing such a daunting and physical task.

I wish I could feel completely free with this move, but there is still a big distraction I have to deal with. Truthfully, it puts a damper on most things, but at least I have a sweet place and loving wife to come home to and truly feel good about myself. If anything, this place will be a great place to get further organized... it's challenging, but I realize I can't put my life on hold... I should just... be.

I can't wait to set this place up... with a studio, and place to entertain friends. Perhaps we will see you soon...

Moving On Up!

Phew... a full day of moving into our new apartment in Schenectady. I'm really happy with our choice-- we have tons of space, give up none of the resources we have come to love about this area, and I finally will be able to have space to work on many of my ongoing projects. We even have a sweet balcony here on the second floor... we're talking about finally putting out our hammock to enjoy (I love hammocks). Onward and most definitely upward!

Fact Check

All these news reports about the Presidential Campaign are killing me. Yeah, Obama was off his game last week during the debates, and Romney moved to the center... suddenly everything is getting tense... at least for a compassionate liberal like me. I'm finding it hard to keep myself from checking the news over and over again throughout the day. 

I posted this Norman Rockwell painting on the Museum's Facebook page today--it seemed appropriate after last night's spirited Vice Presidential debate (more on that later).

 "Breakfast Table Political Argument," 1948, Norman Rockwell.
 From the Norman Rockwell Museum exhibition
"Norman Rockwell's 323 'Saturday Evening Post' Covers."
Norman Rockwell Museum Digital Collections.
©SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN.

Speaking of Norman Rockwell, I had three separate press inquiries this week for our traveling exhibition Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera. Kind of odd, because they didn't mention that it was the exhibition they had discovered, but rather that they stumbled on the idea that Rockwell had used reference photography (someone putting me on?). Since we don't own the copyrights, I had to come up with something relatable to our Museum, since we can only provide images related to stories about our exhibitions and collections. Luckily, the exhibit is opening this weekend in Vero Beach, Florida. 

Anyway, I was also interviewed for the piece in the New York Daily News yesterday. Here's the link.

It has been a long, tiring week... fretting about politics didn't help any. 

Still getting over the allergies, and preparing to move this weekend... hello Electric City.

Related Link:

"Norman Rockwell used richly-detailed photographs as reference for his iconic illustrations," New York Daily News, Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Rage Against The Machine

Cup o' Joe! Thank you.

The National Anthem

I have always appreciated baseball... with fond memories of playing against my cousins, and even little league (when I wasn't too shy to give it a try). I have also been to a few major league baseball games in my day: while I was going to school in Pittsburgh, San Diego, and even to see my once beloved New York Mets (this was Doc Gooden, pre-drug scandal days). Forget all the crap about today's overpaid players and steroid users... when it comes to the history of baseball, I'm right there. I would love to take another trip to the fascinating Cooperstown Hall of Fame, and at some point I need to upload a video I created of artist Mark Chiarello doing these beautiful watercolor paintings of the forgotten Negro Leagues. We put on an annual baseball day at the Museum, and I'm all for continuing the tradition of "America's favorite past time."

So, I woke up today to find a Facebook message from a friend, going on about the latest news about the Washington Nationals. I have to admit, I haven't really been paying much attention yet to the playoffs, and know even less about the Nationals... but I might need to start. 

According to an article in The Washington Post, A-ha's song "Take On Me" has become something of a battle cry for the team, as it advances towards a possible spot in the World Series. It turns out that Nationals outfielder Michael Morse uses the Norwegian band's '80s classic as his late game theme song, and has the entire crowd of Washington hopefuls excitedly singing along (even the high notes)!

(fast forward to 7:50)

I have to admit: I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this goofy tune. Yes, it is 

A-ha's best-known song... probably the only one most Americans know (it reached #1 in the U.S. charts back in October of 1985). But it is far from their best song, and I guess you have to blame the band (or their record company) for not paying enough attention to America to promote their follow-up releases (as the article points out, they have sold over 36 million albums, and set a world record for concert attendance of 198,000 people for a 1991 show in Rio). 

Talking about success, the Washington Nationals have never played in the World Series before, and before they moved to Washington, a D.C. team hasn't made it to the playoffs since 1933. They lost their game to the St. Louis Cardinals today (8-0... ouch!), so tomorrow (Thursday) is the make or break day. 

Last week I was out in Chicago, and witnessed some Cubs fans heading to their hometown team's iconic Wrigley Field for a late season game... they looked hopeful, energized... unfortunately, it's yet another year of heartache for the team. Man, if Cubs fans can still hold on after all this time (their last series win was back in 1908)... I almost found it startling to see people all dressed up in Chi-town glory. This was once true for The Boston Red Sox as well, before they reversed the curse in 2004... and I lived in Massachusetts long enough to witness that bitterness.

So, back to A-ha... I have long kept the faith for this team. When they decided to call it quits in 2010, it seriously felt like a kick in the stomach. They had put in a good run, with many international successes and creating some exciting, creative music together along the way... but it still felt like I had to prove their worth to most people in this country. Even my wife thinks I'm kind of silly to still be interested in news about the so-called 80s band, and its members' latest projects.  

When A-ha's name does come up, it's usually for "Take On Me"... even at my wedding (of all places), they had to play the song... it certainly wasn't my pick. During the last A-ha concert I attended in Los Angeles backn in 2010, I stood there sort of motionless at when they ended the show with that song... not the "highest note" in my book. 

On the other hand, it's the song that put the band on the map and, fleetingly, on top here in the U.S. (Adele isn't the only musician who has scored a James Bond song)... so, I do have my moments, where it is exciting to hear that this tune still brings others joy, and maybe leads people to check out their other material (still hoping to pull off that WEXT tribute show). 

When asked by the Post if the band would consider playing in Washington if the Nationals made it to the World Series; lead singer Morten Harket replied "of course!" Well then... Lets Go Nats! I have always rooted for the underdog... 

Related Links: 

"'Take On Me' becomes a Nationals battle cry," The Washington Post, October 9, 2012

My A-ha documentary (in progress)

It's Not Easy (Being Green)

DCComics.com

I had trouble sleeping last night, so I decided to read some more of an interesting collection of comics I picked up recently. DC recently published a paperback collection of classic tales of its characters Green Lantern and Green Arrow that were created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams back in the early 1970s. I had heard great things about these stories, both in the art and the way they were written, so I thought it was high time I checked them out. 

The series does not disappoint--especially with the art. Adams was the king of dynamic compositions, with characters literally jumping from panel to panel in the comic book format. Alex Ross cites the artist as an influence, and I can see why--he makes great use of dramatic perspectives and details in his work.  There is an intensity alongside the clear graphic lines he uses, and I can see how he revitalized such books at Batman and The Uncanny X-Men around that time. 

The stories are unique in that they deal with many of social, political and cultural issues happening at the time. O'Neil's story arc really starts off in the fashion of the film, Easy Rider, with the two super heroes trekking across the country to learn more about America's conflicted state. This is right around the time of Vietnam, the civil rights era, and the Woodstock generation, so you have plenty of then-topical issues like drugs, racism and trust in authority being addressed in a unique way. Some of the material seems a little heavy-handed at times, but then again... these were comic books. So the approach was something new and daring, and quite possibly taking a cue from Marvel Comics' more timely approach.

Having said that, with all my current comic book research for the exhibition, I just learned of a new book that was to published today called Marvel Comics: The Untold Story.  Apparently it goes into great detail about the ups and downs of one of the biggest comic publishers around (and always my favorite). I read a little about the company's evolution in the 1970s, and way they picked up on everything from drug culture to blaxploitation to kung fu... and there was plenty of weirdness happening behind the scenes with the company's creators! 
I definitely look forward to reading the book at some point.

I am continually fascinated by the 1970s... I was just a toddler in the early part of the decade, but it sounds like so many crazy things were happening, and pop culture was not immune. I have seen plenty of films from that period, and there is a real darkness about them... from the story lines to the way they were produced. It really is interesting... reflections from a country that was doing a lot of soul-searching... and I guess comic books were not immune either... Alex Ross would be proud of me for noticing.  

P.S.- The character Green Arrow is being reintroduced with a new TV series this week on the CW. It's called Arrow... looks somewhat promising... at least the design of the costume... I have always kind of dug archery. Here's a link to the trailer.

Related Links:

www.nealadams.com

www.cwtv.com/shows/arrow

"First Serial: Marvel Comics, The Untold Story," Grantland, October 3, 2012

"Sean How on Stan Lee, Jack Kirby..." CapitalNewYork.com, October 9, 2012

40 Something

Continuing on the thread of paying respects to creative individuals my own age (see Alex Ross, Britt Daniel), I have to give props to James Mercer, the founder and lead singer/songwriter for the band, The Shins. I have been slow to come around to this band--in fact, I really didn't care for what I heard from their last record... it seemed a little too pretentious (see "Phantom Limb"), and I think all the praise I had heard about the band (see the film, Garden State) made me skeptical.

But I have to say... their newest material, lead by such tracks as "Simple Song" and "It's Only Life," has me playing their latest album, Port of Morrow, over and over again... these are sublime, pure pop songs, both melodic and slightly melancholic--just the way I like them. Here's a track that I adore, "40 Mark Strasse":



Reportedly the song is about a German prostitute, which makes it all that more intriguing (sorry, Mom). Perhaps this and the other songs off Port of Morrow reinforce my belief that intelligent pop music can still be made... by my fellow forty-somethings, no less! Learning that Mercer was also part of the recent side-project Broken Bells, which had some excellent songs of their own, makes me think it might be time to stop shunning the Shins... but I'll still hold some caution, like any good hipster would... thank you very much, Natalie Portman.


 
www.theshins.com/home