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

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
needle down on Dan Mangan’s Nice Nice Very Nice, 10th anniversary
“BTO” & “Saints and Sinners” party from Assoc of Alt Media in New Orleans (i did a keynote at the Ritz Carlton #bigtimer)
Pins added to the mix: David Bowie from “Serious Moonlight” tour 1983, “Slacker – Young, gifted, unemployed” from premiere at Sundance Film Fest (Uncle Joe Strummer looks on)
needle drop on Joe Jackson’s fantastically interesting 3 sides album “Big World” with multi-language liner notes
typer (Olympia SM3) and desk with binders of all sorts of collections, various bins and a suitcases in processsome CDs making the shelf including signed Pixies (Black Francis) and singed Tegan and Sara, signed Mudhoney (Mark Arm) and a few “Dave” and “Olson” and “David” items / plus spotting Hunter S Thompson, The Clahs, more Mudhoney, Iron and Wine and Canada/Jordan relations and Randall Maggs/Terry Sawchuk “Night Work” hockey card… oh a Charles Peterson photo book
another view of above #detail
well, since we are here… one more view with extra peek at “rock n roll” book stack
box sets from Michael Franti /Spearhead, Janis Joplin, Bob Markey, Nirvana, Grateful Dead, and The Clash (spotting Howls Riffs and Roars below)
one afternoon’s lineup: Joe Jackson’s “Big World”, “Life in the European Theatre” compilation, Built to Spill “Perfect from Now On”
another afternoon’s stash, Sleater-Kinney’s “All Hands on the Bad One” and Arcade Fire (note: David Bowie Conversations book)
Gordon Lightfoot abides – every-time…
the captain’s ship globe and lamp, 2 vinyl kissaten chairs, a driftwood table and a stack of Japanese books and mags, come on over sometime…
TinTin in Tibet and at Belgian Pavilion Expo 86, Vancouver, plus Nepal flag and Uncle Weed 40 “get on the bus” silkscreen

In a perfect world, I would livestream or film all of this because it’s just so much excitement but, the reality is there’s simply a lot of work to do and there’s no real Internet signal in the barn which is really quite wonderful so just complicates things so come on along to the crystal cave of solitude so to speak.