essays and collections of photos with a theme or intent behind the assortment –more a dossier or exhibit – not to be confused with snaps and notes
Little slow to be an official #PostboxSaturday but here’s a daily double / “pretty standard stuff” for the both of them but still love a Postbox and Payphone next to each other like old pals here in Okayama Japan
Some presents to take for the #BCInvasion trip.
The Japanese artists 7 inches were purchased at a second floor “used books and beer“ shop in between the hospital and the pharmacy pick up.
These British/US artists 7 inches were picked up at a junk shop with stuff falling over each other, a bit damp, certainly chaotic but fortunately avoided the need for a tetanus shot.
All these records bring me joy so i am tidying up in the wake of a super enjoyable visit from Rice Field Records and a used record fair in nearby Ushimado.
So, I putter along talking about how i organize the records into “neighbourhoods” so they have pals to hang out with, pull out some box sets, try to find where i put that “one thing” and where *exactly* this one fits best while wearing an moth-eaten cardigan and noticing my beard is compensating for my thinning noggin (still cute :)).
Finishes with flipping through some 7 inches while playing a live clip recorded at Ubud Jazz festival.
So name checks for fave artists including Courtney Barnett, Bill Janovitz / Buffalo Tom, Buffalo Springfield, David Bowie, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Joe Jackson, Talking Heads, Lone Justice, Ramones, Pixies, Weakerthans, more more more… and extra affection for compilations and soundtracks from Nardwuar, Flipside, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Urgh a Music War, Life in European Theatre, Easy Rider, Times Square (movie) etc infinity.
Continue reading Tidying Up Vinyl Records in the Kura (find the right neighbourhood to spark joyA couple very special treats now in the kura barn studio from @courtneymelba & @Milk_Records / kind of over the moon so I looped Courtney’s 3 stellar LPs while working on arts and crafts today #swoon
The poster is from Primavera festival in Barcelona with art remixing the “lizards“ at Gaudi’s Park Güell which has a whole other backstory for me.
Seems to fit right in with Joe Strummer and Billy Bragg (reminds me of the fantastic performance of Billy and Courtney doing velvet underground “Sunday morning“ on RocKwiz in Australia.
PS to you, yes you: “I’m thinking of you too” fondly
I have things to say about each of these albums.
Very different things in each case but important things.
Things about reinvention, transitions, kindness, confusion, discovery and comfort.
Stashing here for now to remind myself to tell you later.
rip Kim S & Paul J #peace
An incredible act of kindness showed up at our door – dense and heavy, and maybe a little bit weary after a long journey across the Pacific – filled with this glorious assortment of records and CDs. So well selected and will be so savored in various circumstances.
Plus, loads of books for all of us, postcards, brochures, ephemera, artifacts, maple candies, fantastic hats… All of it. More to say about all of these, but for starters, got them taken out to the kura, snapshoted and will remark more thoroughly in video form at some point.
{Completely overwhelmed by the gesture. Truth is, quite struggling recently mentally so really appreciate this kindness // but I hardly know what to think I did to deserve this goodness.} Thanks N&J
Unrelated, but you know *related * are two other records by Canadian bard poets:
First, a special Leonard Cohen collection acquired in solidarity with others collectively humming Hallelujah in memory of a remarkable 18-year-old man who passed away under unwarranted circumstances. Peace to HT
The other is from my longtime acquaintance and occasional correspondent Dan Mangan, who just released a new album and with this completes my collection of his releases on vinyl – from his reissue debut “postcards and daydreams” and including the originals and 10 year anniversary additions of “nice nice very nice” and “oh Fortune” and several others in between.
“Good news” is over 300 pieces of postal mail dispatched the last 4-5 weeks. Mostly postcards but also bunch of special packets (some were far overdue) + typed (poorly) a few long letters – still a few more on my list and then have to pause / slow down for a while.
The next “big project” is getting ready for a trip #BCInvasion in April/May. Focus is “family, friends, parks, and gardens” 1st time for my darlings, and I’m a little intimidated to deal with lack of public toilets, tax/tips and other social connections, but will get through it. And yes, of course I’ve made a Google doc plan and “poster art”.
I love it when you find an “double“ with postbox and phone booth (with phone book) side-by-side / in this case in historic Bikan district in Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan.
For bonus is the logo of the fantastic “black cat“ Yamato courier service and an official post office mark + safety cone, duo-lingual stop sign, resto menu board, electrical box & weary potted plant.
Its all happening, here, now. Wait. Stop. Go anywhere!
(And yes, I have folders filled with post office and postbox and payphone photos just waiting for more purposes, meanwhile working on poetry projects)
Important – some somewhat instructional – signs, scattered in various places in Colorado, 2015
For #postboxsaturday comes 4 views of Japan pillar style at (one of several) museums for famed artist (painter, print maker, poet, writer, bookbinder and illustrator) Yumeji Takehisa (1884-1934).
In the gift shop or a wide assortment of postcards and postal stamps design from the artists work. What kind of dream is this right?!
This dapper gent is noted for his modern approaches and expanding traditional techniques and representing – especially women & cats – through the “rather enlightened romantic“ Taisho era – which was sandwiched between the massive industrialization of Meiji era and the militarization build-up of early Showa era.
Continue reading Postbox / 4 views: Yumeji Takehisa home & atelier (for #postboxsaturday)
You must be logged in to post a comment.