Personal Musings

Diary: Kura studio hangout with records, cds, pins, plaques, flags and whatnot

Gallery Leave a comment
fiddling with the typewriter (needs some work) with smoking jacket (of course) and pipe (posing)

Do you know how when a project gets underway and it’s all exciting and then it just kind of becomes “usual”? Well this was not like this, each day is still tremendously exciting but it *is* sort of a routine meaning: …every couple of days I go into the kura (grain barn) studio for a little work session which includes opening up some boxes and sorting out a few things and a bit of hanging. 

Noting: I do have to limit my time as to not get “sensory overloaded” as dealing with a lot of nostalgia/memories, plus just the desire to savour the process is “work” and wipes me out.

Anyhow, in brief, I go out, do the complicated unlock process, plug in the power, turn on some lights, fire up the stereo, drop needle on some lovely slab and then work on a task whether it be sorting out a few collections, stacking up some books, climbing up a ladder to organize suitcases… and then take some time to just sit in the chair, flip through a book or a magazine, look through some pictures, or sit down with the typewriter (granted it needs a little bit of work).

not in the Kura studio but rather showing off a shirt i got from Cmdr Bob before he split to Diego Garcia (custom made in Thailand but doesn’t fit him, so score for me)

I have a few coat rack set up for handy smoking jacket, top hat and beaded necklaces, also there are some slippers so i can change like some sort of psychedelic Mr. Rogers.

A couple hours in there flashesback a lifetime of goodness and well, I have a whole lifetime of goodness more to go as a barely cracked into doing “anything” with the stuff, just kind of getting some air onto it for now.

With all this in mind, a few bits of evidence follow to support the above, minimal annotations as most are self-explanatory, ya know… stick and some pins on displays, stack some books, hang some pictures, pull out some records. (despite some duplicates from previous communiqués perhaps…)

The Clash’s London Calling “exhibit” and other goodness in situ
a barrage of empty suitcases on the upper shelf, well some are storing collections of things for the time being… yes 3 same-sized green travel bags – all from different sources – interesting…
a bottom shelf of poetry notebooks, middle with pig banks, clocks (for decor) and a top shelf with Miss Stevenson (my Mom) desk sign and Robert L Stevenson (my Grandpa) United Airliness 100,000 mile club plaque and a load of cigar boxes awaiting items, and a Penguin Jack Kerouac “On the Road” bottle Continue reading Diary: Kura studio hangout with records, cds, pins, plaques, flags and whatnot →

Collections of Artifacts

Artifacts: DIY cassette goodness

Image Leave a comment

To me, there is importance in preserving the efforts of “small time“ artists putting in their goodness out into the world in a true DIY style. this stash includes:

* “Houseboat” and “Filterland” /4 track recorded cassettes (with a lot of doubling up and bouncing… really fantastic) by Chris Jacobson (who I met in Guam but he’s from Rhode Island and I’ve lost track of him)

* Chris Sullivan / who I played in a band with in Salt Lake City, he’s in Kentucky (i think) after going to Alaska to catch crabs (the kind from the ocean) or something like that… Fantastically versatile musician and charismatic front man

* “ARCO Hotel” by Joe Williamson who I knew in North Burnaby BC years ago. He’s a deep jazz and classical (mostly)!upright bass player with training at McGill. Cassette was recorded on New Year’s Day (I think) at eponymously they named a hotel in Amsterdam. Every once in while I see him pop up in European jazz circles doing important, eccentric things

* JahWah (demo), my pals from BC playing some funky punky reggae goodness / Chris Gee and renegades

* Metal Planet and Scandoll, a couple of metal bands – who shared members – from my first go around in Tottori, Japan in 1993

* Francisco Fernandez’s band “the ferocious few “ / purchased from him busking on the streets of Austin at SXSW. He’s still out there doing his thing, give me some support

* Stony Curtis and the pipe dreams, one of many submissions when I was making Hempen Road documentary film… This one didn’t get used but I appreciate the effort.

* Another radio show on which I talked about hemp cannabis somewhere someplace somehow, have a lots of these sort of things
… and worth noting a lot of these tunes were used in my documentary films, various podcasts and pop up here and there, or sometimes not. 

Most of these, I suspect there’s very few original/organic/analog versions floating around, maybe a few others stashed in forgotten shoeboxes in various basements, attics and closets. Proud to be a curator.

And yes, I’ve course I have more, a whole box of cassettes and CDs labeled “dude, you got to hear my band…”

Personal Musings

Diary: Immigration, Espresso, Photobooths

Leave a comment

May 21: Time to extend visa/zairyu (foreign resident) card – form is simple and the quick/cheap photo booths everywhere make process extra handy / dropping off tomorrow morn when Okayama immigration office is least busy (and most likely to be most clean). #japanlife ‬

May 28: (delayed) Rocked immigration office for Zairyu card extension (hopefully 3 years) so hit up a secret import corner at mall right at opening time – alas best peanut butter stash a no-go but espresso & gelato break kinda making up for it #outsidethewall

Details: We were first ones at the immigration office at 9:05 this morning, they did temperature check, various signins etc.… The form we filled out was *somehow* not the right one and we filled out another one on the spot, handed in passports, current residence (zairyu) card, photos etc. etc. and five minutes later were on our way with a stamped receipt inside the passport. We addressed a postcard on site which they will mail when it’s time for us to come back to do the next step, at which point we need to buy a special excise stamp for ¥4000. Hoping this will be issued for three years.

Then, stopped at a photo booth for yet another set of instant photos for a “my number“ card for government services of different kinds. Is a slightly different sized photo (of course) but got it snapped, cut out, glued onto the application and into the mailbox with the prepaid envelope. All this life administration stuff! Hooray!

Post'd (cards + letters)

Post: Jack Kerouac Bonanza from Lowell, Mass

Image Leave a comment
Kerouac postal pack Lowell Massachusetts
Kerouac postal pack Lowell Massachusetts

Postal mail has been a little bit lean of late due to various restrictions and delays and whatnot but wow, the dam burst big-time with a remarkable packet from Lowell, Massachusetts containing a bonanza of Jack Kerouac ephemera and artifacts, along with a lovely handwritten letter compiled into a mini chap book.
There’s more to it than this humble snapshot can contain and taking my time to savour it all (and not shockingly, add stickers to suitcases and laptops).

Reciprocation underway but this is a hard one to match > Going to have to pull out all the skills.

Fantastically #grateful for all the mail and today, especially this one.

Libraries / Museums / Archives

Artifact: Michal Korman’s painting at Tsuchida Cottage

Gallery Leave a comment

Art, treasured, from Michal Korman (@korman.artist on IG) greets (imaginary) visitors to Tsuchida Cottage / a wonderful fella we met at his exhibit in Okayama seaside as he journeyed from Slovakia/France > Sri Lanka to turn folks onto his unique style.

More to share from his original exhibit *and* some watercolours recently received, plus other ephemera, but hey… just priming the pump/ clearing the deck/ getting ducks in a row and other mixes metaphors. 

PS hangs next to print VvG’s remix of Hiroshige and a Hokusai print – all three with bridges to welcome folks into our adorable home. 

Kinfolk + Pals

Memento: Trevor and Me and beards and dreams and specs

Image Leave a comment

Via my pal Trevor: Old and grainy. Fell out of a plant identification book my son was looking at. The non-bearded is now bearded, and the bearded is now non-bearded due to the Viking red having changed to a different colour. And check out the depths of the poet’s eyes. Ever present, observant and turning every moment into a story

Me: problem with the eyes is no off switch, always gathering and collecting and then one day, you have a massive archive of creations to share

Personal Musings

Diary: Sort-ganizing the Naya (tool shed) at Tsuchida Cottage

Gallery Leave a comment

Me and fantastically adorable & very pregnant wifey (who is playing piano and singing as I write this) working on the daily – getting stuff done before the kiddo comes.

today was another session out in the “naya” garage/toolshed – the hq for Ryoko’s arborist business “Kimone”

…we are organizing all the tools with various hooks and ladders and boxes and shelves.

The building is fantastic old style construction with high ceilings, wooden beams, thick mud walls.

Massive job but getting there / its a race vs baby Ichiro!

Note: Outside in the carport – where the K truck lives – we have bags of different landscaping supplies and a few hundred plant pots to sort too / consider this a “note to self”. We’re getting there, really really really.

Personal Musings

Memo: Catching up on Creative Projects #meta

Image Leave a comment

Memorandum
Re: creative projects

Making and finishing and doing *so much* so can’t stay up with sharing… limiting screentime and can’t pause to organize… but so much things (along with baby) coming… you can always catch stuff which doesn’t make it to this channel (and/or sequestered by the machines) at “creative life archive” (note: you are here).

Note: This snap is me at Lafcadio Hearn’s writing desk (international writer who came to Japan and settled in deep countryside… Married a Japanese lady and took Japanese name, wrote in Japanese, had bad eyes so made this desk to help).

Dude is remarkably interesting. Ergo: when the most/only foreigners in Japan were missionaries, diplomats, traders all trying to change Japan, he showed and let Japan change him. His home in Matsue (home of the holy Izumo Taisha) is near (relatively) to where i was first at the mushroom farm (same San-in coast). Ryoko and I visited his house and museum summer of 2018 on our first adventure together. 

PS i saw his white linen suit, battered leather suitcase, hat, cane, pipe and glasses and realized that “yes, I might be him reincarnated”

Related, from Trevor: 

Down the hall
Logan house
Mom’s bedroom was on the left
Morning routine sit on bedside and check-in
At the end of the hall was the computer
Window behind
Dave sat keying in his word flow
Friend watched
Inspired

mixed-media art library, global diary, project dossier and whole life documentation