I aquired art from a high school alumni

James and I with his painting above

I awaited James in the “Buzz Cafe”. It had been more than 25 years since I had seen him in person. To say he was a friend in High school would have been an exaggeration, probably. For the most part I saw him through the smoke at parties in the late 80’s where many teenage boys with long hair and “Iron Maiden” shirts converged to “get fucked up”. I was a young woman who would not leave the side of my dream-man Dave. I followed him everywhere. Even when his band practiced, I was sitting there. I should have been studying. When a party was happening, one person would always get on the phone, the 80’s phone, the one in which the receiver is a couple pounds and you need to use a rotary to dial 7 numbers. Someone would call a friend and say, “Dude you gotta get over here.” He would name the people and I was always just “Dave’s girlfriend”.

It used to bother me a little but I was nearly silent at all times, and when I attempted speech, I stammered. The ironic thing is,  I was in track freshman year and the preps told me they did not like that I stammered and I was not let into their group. (That really happened).

But when I stalked Dave and followed him around in his colorful world, the “Stoners”

were more accepting.

So, here I am in present day trying not to revert to Sarah in 89, who isn’t really that different. I am waiting for a man who once helped carry me out of the woods when I had too much cheap vodka, threw up and passed out. He also was loud and fearless and funny as hell. At the graduation ceremony of H.S. there was a loud cheer when my name was called. My parents expressed surprise that someone cheered. I knew it was him and Dave.

So I have him on a bit of a pedestal for being nice to me, but also for being funny. He once asked me to write a paper for him, and that he could pay me with a “six pack and a bucket of chicken”.

So I was waiting in this “buzz” cafe. Perfectly named for our shared past.  There is art all over the walls, two of them were his and I was going to buy one. I love his style, photo realism. I feel that I see a sense of humor in them. He shows up and we discuss our shared past, that was more like two ships passing in the night. He tells me that he and Dave were buddies in “on campus,” a special classroom for kids who caused problems. (I had forgotten)

James says that they were catered to there and he would do things like, if there was a substitute, pretend to be another student and mess with the sub, even taking tests for unsuspecting other students; and when the sub figured it out, he would call the guards and escort him out. I also found it interesting that he said the guard’s names, that he was on a first name basis with the guards.

James has become a great artist and drummer. He toured all over with a famous band, The Blacks.

I felt exactly like George that time he was totally taken with a cool guy

I am so happy I reached out to him. Buying his art means more than having a great new piece. It’s a chance to see someone who was simultaneously cooler and more accepting in H.S. He’s like my dad in that way.

Last thing, I was inspired to collect art by Jean Sotos. She picks art that she has a gut reaction to. I can't afford to get more for a while but I love the stuff I have.

 

Tom Palazzolo's Gritty City Exibit

Tom Palazzolo with photograph of "The tattooed lady"  photo by Joseph Bryll

Tom Palazzolo’s gritty City.

My hero and dad has a show of his photos at the Ed Paschke Art Center. His talk was sold out on 2-21-16. The show is up until March 6th

http://www.edpaschkeartcenter.org/Module/Event/EventDetail/Tom_Palazzolo's_Gritty_City?id=28

Tom Palazzolo has been an experimental and documentary film maker, painter and photographer of Chicago for more than fifty years.  His subject matter has included the 1968 Democratic National Convention, where he was tear gassed; interesting people in Chicago, for example, Jerry, a 1960's deli owner who would yell at his customers; and Mary Ellen, a little person who ran a "midget bar" where little people would walk on ramps. These and so much more.

I really liked seeing several of his photographs blown up and well framed. He told funny stories about each photo around him. Jack Helbig  did a great job of interviewing him and told the story of how he first met Tom in 1980 when U. of C. students would take field trips to see his work. At one event my dad was climbing a fence and yelling to make some point. That is not a stretch of the imagination. He once climbed the side of my 3rd floor apartment in Chicago for some reason  (probably to deliver a snack); and he used to tightrope-walk the swing-set in our back yard. Many of the pictures in this show are of the people of Chicago’s “Riverview park”, which closed in 1967.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverview_%28Chicago%29

My dad often photographed Maxwell Street too, the market that used to exist near U.I.C. and would feature things for sale and street entertainment. Once, my dad’s camera was stolen from his car and he figured out how to get it back: he told the street salesmen that he wanted to buy a camera, and piece by piece, he got it back.

That sums up my dad’s zen style. He's the sort of person who seemingly bumbles through an experience, but in the end arrives at something ingenius and funny, like Colombo.  #Daddy'sgirl

I heard new stories about several of the photos in this show, for instance the one of  the side-show act man who could pop his eyes out at will.  The circus would put a teen-aged girl in front of him for the show and have him do a combination of eye popping, one at a time, or at the same time.

Tom also told the story of the tattooed lady of Riverview Park. He also made a film about her, who wa unique in that, in the 60's, it was less common to get tattoos. The story is that she was a side show freak, a bearded lady, but her boyfriend objected to the beard, so she shaved it and got tattoos in order to stay in the circus.

It’s a different world now. Freaks in a freak show are not o.k, but now we have reality t.v. and politics. 

Here's a funny film clip by Robert Ziebell, featuring Tom in the 80's
https://vimeo.com/154384130

Nabucco- Asshole circa 600bc

Michel and I just saw the opera Nabucco by Verdi.

Just when I thought most Opera plots were "The hooker with a heart of gold"
We stumble upon an Opera with no such heart of gold. 
This opera is based the historical and biblical figure, Nebuchadnezzar  known for sending many Jews into exile to Babylon.

Plot:
Nabucco starts Jewish exile, decides he's also a God, God hits him with a lightning bolt as a lesson,
Nabucco becomes special needs. His power hungry daughter takes control. Nabucco prays and all his faculties are restored. 

Every time we go to the Opera, the two same older men are sitting to our right. One sleeps most of the time. Michel refers to them as the old men from "The Muppet Show".  The other seats are taken by Chronologically advanced regulars that seem to express surprise to find each other still alive and at the next event.(Michel's joke).

Michel has adapted to living with me, who might swear on occasion, and or burp. The only time he minds is when we are at the Opera. He even tried to edit out the swears on this blog. So I stuck in a new one.

Also, my general anxiety has been better and I believe that is due to 5 times a week of hot yoga. So I just became a member of Core Power Yoga. I was told yesterday that a study was done on 60 year olds and the ones that exercise regularly used twice as much of their brains as ones that don't.

I decided to re-open the Ap. My fitness pal, I found I had a few friend requests and was nicknamed "fatass".  And also that it said I worked out once in the last few years and it was for 3 hours and I burned 900 calories. How it recorded one workout and that workout was three hours I find hilarious.