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Art Films

White flower weeds lining the path in Spring Valley
White flower weeds lining the path in Spring Valley

As a long time one movie at a time Netflix customer I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about when they jacked up their rates to cover the Instant Play movies that weren’t part of the package when I signed on but the announcement of the two separate companies seems plain crazy. At least they didn’t bring Meg Whitman on board.

On Tuesday we watched the Alice Neel movie from our Instant Queue. She is one my favorite painters so all they had to do was fill the screen with her paintings and I was happy. The movie was made by her grandson and he tried to come to terms with how Alice put her painting in front of family as if it follows that great artists should also have stellar parenting skills. Alice put her all into her work and her paintings testify to this. She was mostly ignored by the art world until well into her seventies. The story of how her sensational paintings could ever have been overlooked would have made a better movie.

The same art world embraced Mark Kostabi, the subject of Wednesday night’s movie, “Con Artist.” This one came in the mail in a red envelope. Kostabi did some really cute little line drawings early on and then decided to stop getting his hands dirty. He out flanked Warhol and hired a staff to not only churn out the work but come up with the concepts, mostly ugly, noisy paintings. They were snapped up as fast as he could sign them. Kostabi reminded us of Bob Ament, the muckraking candidate for our town supervisor. He rubbed his fakeness in the faces of the art establishment and demand continued to soar. So this really is the movie about how the art world ignored Alice Neel and it really isn’t all that good a movie.

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Lodestar

Brian Williams was talking about all the gigs he’s done over the years with John Mooney and Bob Henrie. He was saying how he wished he had taken the time to jot down the the specifics of each gig. Tom Whitmore from Watkins and the Rapiers was there. He lives in Geneseo and Brian asked him if he remembered a place called Gentleman Jim’s. I said I had played there with New Math and someone stole Gary Trainer’s guitar after the gig. Brian said he was on that same bill playing with the John Mooney band. It seems like I have always know Brian but I guess not.

Let’s see, I played in a working C&W band in Bloomington, Indiana and then a New Wave band in Rochester called “New Math”. Both of those lasted a couple of years and then I started playing in a band called the Hi Techs which sort of morphed into Personal Effects. Those bands lasted for most of the eighties and somewhere in the nineties we started playing as Margaret Explosion. Time flies. Tonight we play at the Little Theater Café.

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Destroyed In America

Junkyard cars off Lyell Avenue in Rochester, New York
Junkyard cars off Lyell Avenue in Rochester, New York

It’s hard to tell what people do downtown. I mean what kind of work goes on in an office these days that couldn’t be done by an automated program or by someone at home with an internet connection? I drove out West Ridge Road this morning and then south on Mount Read over to Lyell Avenue where I picked up some stainless steel rods from Triple A Welding. Out there it’s pretty easy to see what people do for a living. Mount Read is full of trucks moving equipment and supplies up and down. Large manufacturing facilities line both sides of the street. Although a ghost of its former self Kodak still has cars and trucks moving on its internal highway and smoke billowing from its stacks. AAA Welding has great big stainless steel food processing tanks out in their lot. People make things out here.

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It Is Too Much

View across Genesee river from High Falls district in Rochester New York
View across Genesee river from High Falls district in Rochester New York

LED lightbulbs, electric cars, handmade soap and organic local produce was all represented at this weekend’s Greentopia Festival in Rochester’s High Falls District and the gorgeous weather ensured a great turnout. Hard to square the pepperoni pizza vendors in the ideal green future but the view of the Pont de Rennes Pedestrian Bridge was pretty green.

I was happy to see that Lucinda Storms and Ann McCracken won exhibitors awards at Sunday’s Public Market Artist’s Row event but my favorite vendor was Polixeni Theodorou. I bought one of her recycled Poloroid greeting cards (mine is a shot of Lake Ontario where it is impossible to distinguish the horizon line as grey green blue water meets grey blue sky) mounted on hand made cards. The penciled text on my card reads, “It is too much – Polixni. The card came packaged inside of a pamphlet entitled “How I Met My Lover, a flow chart: my path through Japanese cinema of the 60’s and 70’s.” There’s a small photo of the Japanese new wave film star, Tatsuya Nakadai, in a heart shape on the cover and the “the amazing music by Toru Takemitsu” mention in the flow chart got me tracking down some amazing video clips with his sound tracks.

We concluded our Greentopia weekend at an old fashioned garden party as Jim and Marie Via celebrated the 100th anniversary of their California bungalow style home.

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Goodbye Whitney

Whitney Schutt in RL Thomas yearbook Webster, NY
Whitney Schutt in RL Thomas yearbook Webster, NY

I feel lucky that I am still in touch with friends from high school. Jeff Munson, Frank Paolo and John Gilmore were all at the Wednesday night Margaret Explosion show at the Little Theatre Café. Even Marty Schutt, owner of Schutt’s Apple Mill, was there but he didn’t realize it was me in the band until he was on the way out. Later that night Colin Pinkney emailed me that Whitney Schutt (no relation to Marty) had passed away.

Whitney was so cool they gave her a full page in the yearbook (click on the photo above). Frank sent me her newspaper death notice and it is fittingly poetic.

Update: Hwy. 20 crash victim identified
Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Updated: 09/15/2011 11:59:36 PM PDT

The Hopland woman who died in a solo-vehicle crash on Highway 20 Tuesday night was identified Thursday as Whitney Schutt, 61.
Schutt was pronounced dead at the scene where her silver 1999 BMW convertible rolled over on the dirt shoulder of the highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
She was driving west on Highway 20 just east of Potter Valley Road at about 8:20 p.m. when she allowed the car to leave the road for reasons still under investigation, according to the CHP. The car slid out of control on the dirt north of the road and overturned. Schutt wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, according to the CHP.
Drugs or alcohol are not believed to have been factors in the crash, which remains under investigation.

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Death To The Inner loop

Jason Bernagozzi sound installation, part of "Transitions Rochester" exhibit at Visual Studies Workshop
Jason Bernagozzi sound installation, part of “Transitions Rochester” exhibit at Visual Studies Workshop

Even vital cities can be revitalized but gallery shows centered around this theme can make for some pretty dreary art. The program notes for “Transitions, Rochester” at Visual Studies Workshop lay out the facts. “Rochester’s days as a company town are over and urban sprawl and ineffective city planning have left a disabled core surrounded by middle-class wealth.” Curators Rick Hock of Visual Studies Workshop and Alison Nordström of Eastman House have put together a show that drenches dreary in urban beauty. This is a sister show or (maybe the parent) to Rochester Contemporary’s “In The Loop” and there is an upcoming, related show at the Eastman House.

At the VSW I especially liked Dan Verenka’s video shot from a slow moving car as he cruised Rochester’s so called Urban Renewal projects. And Jason Bernagozzi has a room devoted to the sounds of underground Rochester, recordings he made downtown below street level. This piece looks and sounds gorgeous.

Visual Studies is an underutilized space and Rick Hock is determined to change that. He has put out an All Points Bulletin. They are at an exciting juncture over there as the city tears up the street in front and ArtWalk extends it’s strolling grounds. They’re sitting on a fantastic trove of visual resources, a worldclass collection of photo publications and a box with Robert Frank’s shoes (he did a workshop here in ’72 and donated the shoes he wore while photographing the “The Americans”). Who knows we may even see init.three over there.

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Untitled (Fence)

Mark Fox "Untitled (Fence), 2010 at the Culver road Armory in Rochester, New York
Mark Fox “Untitled (Fence), 2010 at the Culver road Armory in Rochester, New York

How did everybody know about last night’s opening at the newly refurbished Culver Road Armory? A solo show of an unknown artist in a brand new space on a Saturday night and the place was packed. Free drinks were offered to us before we had even signed in on the iPad mounted to the wall near the entrance. Valet parking, prices starting at 6000 without the frame and plenty of red dots on the wall. “This is not an artist crowd, this is a money crowd”, said the first artist friend that we ran into. It’s true, I don’t know many artists who wear suits or spiked heels.

I was bowled over by the crowd and I was thinking this must have been a social media fueled event because I feel more isolated now that everyone is so connected. I only knew about the show because Martin Edic told us about it at Wednesday’s Margaret Explosion gig. I started asking people how they knew about his event and I got the story that an art dealer, Deborah Ronnen, who lives in Rochester, arranged the show, for the building’s owners who must have rented the lights, constructed the temporary walls to show the work, bought the drinks and invited the in crowd. The former armory already has a law firm as a tenant and restaurant on the way from the Black & Blue people. This art show was a brilliant ploy to get potential high rent tenants to see the space as a happening spot. This may not be the case but it all sounds plausible.

And then there was Mark Fox‘s art. I loved it but not all of it and not all of it as much as some pieces. I liked the two dimensional work better than the piles of cut out handwriting. I loved “Untitled (Black & White Pools)” and “Untitled (Pools 2)” but my absolute favorite was “Untitled (Fence)” (is it untitled or not?), graphite and acrylic on paper with metal pins (shown above). This three dimensional piece was cut from painted paper and woven like chain link fence and then suspended on pins so it would play with the shadows from the light.

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Back To Earth

Half Price Ice Cream Cones sign in Hammondsport, New York
Half Price Ice Cream Cones sign in Hammondsport, New York

I took my Nikon P7000, a point and shoot that David Pogue described as “like carrying a brick in your pocket”, out to the UPS Store yesterday to have Nikon repair the lens cover again. It is less than a year old and it spent a full month at the Nikon plant in New Jersey about five months ago when they repaired this problem for the first time. Little black blades spin open to uncover the lens when you push the power button but over time they only open part way and you wind up with Lomo style photos. I have the camera in my pocket at all times and feel naked without it. Maybe I should wait for it to return and put it on eBay.

Our big garage sale was a real eye opener to the underground economy. The dealers who stormed the gates in the two hours before the sale began and the Craigslist “Curb Alert” responders at the end of the sale are the unseen American worker bees. And of course the casual garage sailors are the backbone of economy. My brother-in-law sold our old 8-tracks on eBay.

We were too exhausted after the sale to fully appreciate our neighbor, Rick Simpson’s, performance art. All our neighbors had watched us fuss with the boxes of stuff in our garage for weeks leading up to the sale and little did we know Rick was hatching this plan to bring us back to earth, clown style. He is a professional clown after all so while we manned the tables in Alice and Julio’s driveway Rick filled our empty garage with his stuff, a boat, lawnmower, bicycles and a couple stacks of old tires. When we popped the door that night we were stunned!

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Out Of It

Out of water lilly pad like weeds near ponds in Durand Eastman Park
Out of water lilly pad like weeds near ponds in Durand Eastman Park

I can’t tell new music from old any more. Is everything coming back at once or is nothing really new? Was that old disco or new disco that the staff in the Little Theater Café were playing last night? When our Netflix queue ran dry last month we asked our friends, Rich and Andrea, for some recommendations. Rich sent his list along with a request for new music recommendations. I’m still listening to sixties’ jazz so I couldn’t possibly oblige but it was nice to be reminded how out of it I am. I do know I like Matt & Kim.

Martin Scorsese’s “Public Speaking” found it’s way in to our queue and I like that.

The soundtrack to Wednesday’s ride home from our gig used to be The Maestro’s show “Dig This” but time does not stand still in college radio land. Last night in the same time slot it was “Femme Fatale” holding court with the queens of R&B. I just “liked” her page.

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Semper Fi

Dog in Volkswagon bus in Wegmans parking lot
Dog in Volkswagon bus in Wegmans parking lot

The weather changed right on cue over Labor Day weekend and the last few days have been dark and gloomy. Sade sounds particularly good on days like this. I don’t let it get to me, it’s great weather for hanging around with friends. Duane‘s in town for a few days and it’s perfect weather for Margaret Explosion. We begin a long run at the Little Theatre Café tonight at 7:30. We’ll be there every Wednesday until the end of the year.

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Magic Mushrooms

Puff ball In woods near our house
Puff ball In woods near our house

I spotted two giant puffballs down in the woods while riding by on my bicycle and mentioned them to Shelley when I got back to the house. I knew she knows her mushrooms. They have been eating mushrooms all summer up in Adirondacks. We hiked down across the creek and over to where I had seen them but they were a little past prime. We spotted five or six different varieties along the way but nothing for dinner. I feel better getting my mushrooms from Wegmans.

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I’m A People Watcher

Charlotte Beach Pier in Rochester, New York
Charlotte Beach Pier in Rochester, New York

When I was a kid the ride down Lake Avenue to Charlotte Beach seemed to take an eternity. And that final crest where you got your first look at lake and the tall flag pole was so dramatic. It still seems like a trek even though you’re still within the city limits.

We took Pete and Shelley to see the “Subterranean Surrogates” show at RoCo and then cruised down Lake Avenue to Abbots. They have so many locations now but the Chocolate Almond custard still tastes the best down there.

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Blank Slate

Yummy Cafe on Mount Hope in Rochester, New York
Yummy Cafe on Mount Hope in Rochester, New York

I’d like to saunter into the Yummy Cafe, take a look around, pick something out, something brand new or at least creatively arranged and freshly presented but the Yummy Cafe is closed so I’m left with one move. I must go to the well and surprise myself.

Although I never set foot in the Yummy Cafe I see their demise as an opportunity, an opening that was impossible to see until I established a nearly blank slate this summer with the white wall in my painting room. I reviewed old paintings and sent most to the trash and then sold a series of 1996 Crime Faces at our garage sale. I even cleaned off my big plywood drawing table and gave it a new coat of white paint.

But the real turning point came on Wednesday morning while sitting on the porch. Peggi had the B Section and said, “There’s a new Crimestoppers page.” I always read the B section but somehow I never got to it and it wound leaving in Thursday’s trash pick up. I’ve saved every Crimestoppers since 1995 and painted most of them but I’m turning the page. I’m on the precipice.

Here’s Personal Effects Love Never Thinks

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Mind Expansion Time

Margaret Explosion with Pete LaBonne performing live at Village Gate courtyard. Photo by Brian Peterson.
Margaret Explosion with Pete LaBonne performing live at Village Gate courtyard. Photo by Brian Peterson.

Like a grade school kid Margaret Explosion took the summer off. Rested, fired up and full of mind expanding experiences we are ready to explode. Join us as we kick off Labor Day Weekend on Friday at 6PM in the Village Gate Square. Pete LaBonne joins us on piano. We’ll move the festivities inside if it rains.

Here’s Festival, a song from our gig there two years ago. Pete LaBonne plays piano.

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Picture Post Card

View of Irondequoit Bay from 590 in Rochester, New York
View of Irondequoit Bay from 590 in Rochester, New York

This morning’s paper had an article about Bay Town Plaza in Webster going under as Walmart plans to super-size their building there. The town is so ridiculously built up it’s depressing. I was going to high school out there when they converted the old three lane (we called the middle lane the “suicide lane”) Empire Boulevard/104 in to the new 104 that plowed through farm fields to carry the burgeoning Xerox’s employees to work. The noisy 104/Irondequoit Bay Bridge was part of the package. We can hear the hum from our house on the other side.

They have been doing work on the Bay Bridge all summer so it’s been in a poor man’s Christo mode. We rode our bikes over there the other day and sat on the bench that overlooks this scene confirming that life is a spell.

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Hot Potato

Evan with mask at "best Garage Sale Ever" in Rochester, New York
Evan with mask at “best Garage Sale Ever” in Rochester, New York

When it came time to make signs for the two ends of Alpine Drive, the night before our garage sale, we did a little brainstorming and Alice came up with a killer title, “Best Garage Sale Ever.” We ran with it and in fact it was the best garage sale ever, a perfect day and a chance to see so many friends in one spot.

We found a Lena Horne cd in the cd slot of Peggi’s mom’s stereo and kicked the sale off with an operatic tribute to Peggi’s mom. We met Noah from next door and I gave him this mask while we were setting up. No one was interested in the glass table that belonged to Peggi’s mom so we put it out in the “Free” section near the end of the sale. Evan picked it up and put it in his sale where it sold for six dollars. We sold our entire music collection and were delighted to find happy homes for most of it.

People warned us about the dealers and true to form they were there as we were setting up a full two hours before the sale began. I dreaded the whole affair and it was was an incredible amount of work but turned out to be fun, mostly because Alice and Julio are so much fun.

I put my 1996 series of 24 “Rochester Crime Faces” in the sale. Last time they were out in public was when they hung in the old city jail, the Cell Gallery, in Writers and Books. Ruby Rubenstein, Scott McCarney, Marie Via, Claire Marziotti, Chris Schepp, Judy Levy, Amy Enis, Maureen Outlaw, Sally Wood Winslow and Heather Erwin all bought at least one. I was thrilled that they sold out.

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Elvis Presley Placemats

Elvis Presley placemats in Saturday's garage sale
Elvis Presley placemats in Saturday’s garage sale

After 30 years in the city we moved to a house that didn’t have enough room for all our stuff so the stuff remained in boxes for six years. In that time we accumulated more stuff and when Peggi’s mom passed away we wound up with even more stuff. The time has come for our first Garage Sale!

We been preparing for Saturday’s Garage Sale our entire life, accumulating stuff that we liked, never thinking of it as collectable or even having any trade-in value at all and then comes the realization the stuff is in the way. Beyond giving things away and then donating stuff to charity there is the practical matter of putting a little white sticker on each and every glass bird or Elvis Presley placemat.

Our friend’s, Alice and Julio, were planning a sale this Saturday as part of a neighborhood sale in Pittsford. We plan to piggyback on their sale and make it a party. We ripped our lps and cds so our entire record and cd collection is for sale. We weeded our book shelves, our closets, the garage and the basement and came up with a truckload of stuff for the sale. If you’re out and about on Saturday stop by. I’m sort of dreading it but it could be fun. Alice is calling it “The Best Garage Sale Ever!”

Garage Sale Details

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Devaluing Value

Old rock magazines headed for garage sale on Saturday in Rochester, New York
Old rock magazines headed for garage sale on Saturday in Rochester, New York

I was going to toss these old magazines in the 50 cent box for Saturday’s yard sale but I stopped to check the eBay price of the Rock Scene with the dorky picture of Keith and I found it just sold for $26. There is so much anxiety involved with this whole garage sale thing.

I had this U2 cd single of a song called “Numb” from the Zooropa album. It was a promo sent to us when we were doing the print version of the Refrigerator and our friend, Duane, told us it was valuable so I put it right by my monitor for the day when we decided to liquidate. I guess it’s more like downsizing or miniaturizing as in mp3 files. Ironically, the precious cd” wasn’t there when I reached for it. I had to laugh. I never even ripped it either. Its probably in one of the cd boxes out in the garage.

I spot-checked the thousands of cds and vinyl records and found that vinyl was worth more than the cds so I decided to go with $3 for the vinyl and $4 for the cds and I will probably lower the price in the afternoon.

I never expected to get any money back when I finished with our books and records and Rock Scene magazines yet the value we placed in these things while we owned them gets devalued when we look them up on line. It’s all kind of weird. A lot of our stuff came from garage sales in the first place. Maybe this is what makes the world go ’round. This is our first garage sale and I hope its the last.

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