Monday, April 26, 2010

"i've had enough of you man, i'm 'bout to fuck up your plan"

Just when you thought everything was cool, Guru dies.

One of the best rap MC's of all time, and probably my absolute favorite, has passed away from a long time battle with cancer. His flow was so fuckin' cool and never needed to raise his voice above the smooth cadence heard in his delivery.

I used to skateboard in my garage to Gangstarr records for hours during my teenage years, with Above The Clouds usually playing on repeat on some of my very first burned cd's. So many memories attached to this group.


Thursday, April 22, 2010

shawty

Since when does Usher need autotuning?

I thought that was mainly used for those who can't produce notes in key?



Let's stick to the classics, because I'm with Jay-Z on this autotuning.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

1979 - 2010


I just had to briefly mention the seriously tragic passing of You Say Party! We Say Die! drummer Devon Clifford. He collapsed on stage while playing a show at the Rickshaw Theater in Vancouver this weekend, suffered a brain hemmorage, and passed away hours after at a local hospital.

For those of you who aren't familiar with their work, YSP!WSD! is an incredible dance band and Devon's work behind the kit was always delivered with such an unmatched precision. His style and flare has been an influence on my drumming ever since seeing them for the first time years ago. I've since seen them at least four times, and I am continually in awe at their quality of musicianship and growth attained from countless tours across this country and Euope. I highly recommend you give this band a listen someday. I can't imagine what that must have been like for a bandmate to die during a performance. My condolences are extended to them.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

i'm on a boat


Why do I seriously look like everybody?

I see look-alikes all the time that I don't post but some are just too good to pass up. Like this one, from Pierre-Auguste Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party". I passed it while studying tonight and noticed myself sitting the corner of the piece, with a Skid Row beater on no less!!

I gots to get me that hat for the summer.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

flashes in a wood shop


As I'd hoped, the shoot went fantastically. Even better than I'd hoped.

I arrived to meet the new principle of Beal, Don Macphereson around 2:30 pm today. He was a really nice guy. Him and I chatted until Dave, the head janitor, arrived at the office. At this point, to my surprise, the two gave me a full-access Visitors Pass, as well as the janitors master key which opens every classroom in the school. This was seriously some sort of dream come true.
The shoot was very expedient, and although I would have loved to mull around my teenage classrooms longer, there was work to be done. Off to Mountsfield.

I knew there was no way I'd get the same treatment at Mountsfield. Oh, how wrong I was.

As I walked the halls to the tune of the intramural basketball game down the hall, I was approached by Linda Moffatt, the principle. She asked if I was Andrew Schmidt, to which I happily agreed (do I look like a photographer or something? maybe it was the gators I was wearing on my feet). Instead of lending me the keys, she gave me two personal janitors to escort me throughout the school, opening whichever classroom I wished whenever I needed it. What a trip.

Special thanks goes to principles Don MacPhereson, Linda Moffatt for their patience with me and for their work among their staff on my behalf. Additionally, custiodian staff members Dave, Bob, and Jenna that were so gracious in lending me their time and stories of their own.

Talking about what I saw once in the schools is worth 2,000 words in itself. I'll get to that some day.

ps. Do I look like a janitor in the above picture? That's my favorite photography shirt. Maybe it's because you can't see that it's tucked in. And shit, if being a janitor means having keys to every room in the house, it doesn't sound so bad after all.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

dotting the h's, crossing the b's and a lot of purple and gold tape


I was very recently (the pic was taken in bed after the last phone call made, where I still remain) granted full access to both of my childhood schools.

For those of you who may have been following this progression, for my term final project I am ambitiously photographing every classroom I've ever had from kindergarten to university. I'll post my statement some day, but it really boils down to how the roots of our knowledge (socially and academically) can be quantified within the walls of our learning institutions.

ps I can recite that sentence in under two seconds, as I've been reciting it verbally and by email for weeks.
The idea wasn't the hard part of the project, nor will the actual photographing of the rooms themselves. It's the red tape. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming.

In the case of Mountsfield Public School ( my home from grades JK-8), the case is being taken all the way from the permission of the entire staff, to the Thames Valley District School Board. I had to write a detailed form of my intentions, justifying that no children or staff are to be involved. Additionally, they made me assure them that even small images of students that may be seen in the room must be taken down as well. Now that's some tape forya.

With Beal, the current principal I talked to was rather chipper with my idea and granted me full access to the entire school pretty much as soon as I voiced my idea. Aparently Beal has a slightly higher appreciation for conceptual art than the protection of it's students - which I'm all for. That's always been the case there. On top of that, I get to walk around with Mr. Haney, who was the head of the Art department even when I was there.

Principles are very funny to talk to. As usual, when I want something over the phone from somebody who doesn't know me from Sam Hell, I try to start the conversation off with a positive bang by putting an upper inflection on my "Hi! How are you today?" People are usually impressed by this, because most phone calls are bullshit anyway. Yet you see, with the case of principles, they pretty much answer to nobody. Remember when they'd walk into your classroom when you were a kid with those cool suits, 'staches, and fat guts (generalizing huge here)? They were like kings walking amongst ants, and you knew it too. So when a civilian number such as my own reaches their phone line, my greeting is shot down quite quickly with a "good", then deafening silence.

Try it sometime. Try to get something from an old principle and see how far you get before the ice melts to water. Since we both know you won't and have no reason to, you can probable imagine through my experience what it's like. Both shoots are slated for next Tuesday, then it's CARPal-tunnel-photoshopCS4-hands for 24 afterwards.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

it continues....on and on...

I seriously can't kick this look-alike shit.

I was dancing at Sneaky Dee's a while back and this guy comes up to me, convinced that I'm Tony Hawk. He actually had to spin me around to make sure The Hawk wasn't actually dancing on stage. I had to convince him I wasn't the real deal. I wasn't The Hawk.



Secondly, Terri, as usual, whips up another crazy look-alike out of thin air. This time, it's some random jabroney boyfriend of Monica's seen in the first season of friends.



Keep 'em coming folks. Just keep 'em coming.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

guero


Back in London, once again, for the weekend.

Came down pretty much to hang with family and get some work done for school, because lord knows I can't concentrate in my own home. The unfortunate thing is I forgot my video camera, which is too bad because we're both sitting on a mountain of mini and extended things worth mentioning (I have a lot of really short ones this time around).

Holler at me Londoners if you read this. I'll be around tonight.