Checking In

Quietly and in small increments, the days lengthen.

A weeks-long deep freeze is starting to subside. 

Hello Folks. It’s Monday the 9th of February and I’m at work, helping students with their projects. Last night’s Bad Bunny performance is on everyone’s mind. My high school art students keep asking me how I felt about it and have been sharing their perspectives. Some kids are watching it on their phones for the first time or rewatching it. A few kids thought it was “mid” (and I definitely disagree as there was nothing “mid” about that Halftime Show) but what’s interesting is for the most part, kids who loved it or are even perplexed by it keep going back to rewatch key moments so they can discuss them or understand what they meant. They’re willing to look at it cinematically, which is very encouraging and shows a lot of intelligence on their part. Two different students separately said “People could study this like a movie.” Another said “This was Broadway at The Super Bowl.” Even students who couldn’t understand the lyrics seemed to understand the overall message (how could you not?) and those that have said this to me have reacted to it very positively. One kid said “It was all about unity and diversity and I loved that.” I keep telling them this: “What you just witnessed was a cultural reset. You may not know it now, but later you’ll realize that last night was one of those moments in pop culture history akin to Elvis or The Beatles on Ed Sullivan.” Yes, I told them to look those moments up and have been giving them cultural context. I’m still shaken up (in the best way) by Bad Bunny handing the Grammy to the child representing his younger self. The kids clocked that too and they all seemed to appreciate the message on the screens which read “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Guess what, folks… The kids are alright and I’m beginning to think we’re all gonna be okay. I, for one, have NOT been this hopeful in a long time. Thank you, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. We ALL needed that. Congratulations on a truly historic performance.

eBay Score: Kreskin's Krystal Game (1971)

Another Laugh-In magazine for my collection (1969)

Janet Jackson's Control LP is 40 years old this month.

Vibe Check... Quick Park Visit

New Jersey... Keepin' it classy.

Winter can be over now. No, really. 

I don't care what that groundhog said. 

Stay warm, folks. XO - CDM

5IFTY T3REE: Present And Past

Back at work, post holiday and moving 

through the new year... It's my birthday season. 

EVERYTHING IS CANCELLED I'M BUSY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID BOWIE

The newest Saint Etienne album has arrived at my door from the UK on colored vinyl, cassette and double CD formats. As a thank you to fans who were patient with shipping delays, a limited edition 7” single with two unreleased demo tracks was included in the package. This will be the band’s final album but they leave behind a solid catalog which spans 35 years of pop perfection. Thank you, Bob, Pete & Sarah!

5IFTY T3REE

I purchased some more vintage photos on eBay.

The one below was posted in a prior blog post.

I'm repeating it because I returned to the same 

seller's page and found three more images from 

that stationery store holiday party...

According to the back of this Polaroid

(dated 22 May 1971) this man is Chuck.

I couldn't get over his outfit... mainly the cufflinks

and white leather shoes. I bet Chuck got around. 

It snowed on a Sunday... 

Blast From The Past • Age 17 • 1990

Last weekend my friend Malika surprised me with “a cache of old photos and invitations to teenage parties” to quote a favorite song by Pet Shop Boys. Among the many images that she shared of us with our friends (many of whom remain a text message or FaceTime call away to this very day) were several snapshots she took at a Host A Murder Party that was hosted by our classmate Chris D’Alessandro. Sadly, Chris passed away unexpectedly last year and will always be remembered as a kind, funny and all around likable individual. Looking at this particular image of me in character (script in hand) as an aviator whose name was Spinner, I was immediately transported back to that evening. All of us were costumed appropriate to the characters we were assigned with our invites. Chris’ family home in Tewksbury was opulent and we dined, following the script, in the family dining room where we ate on china and drank from antique goblets. We retired to the finished basement after the game was done and “the murderer” was revealed (spoiler: it was Malika). I also remember taking a late night walk with some people on a silent wooded road before falling asleep on a leather banquette in my costume with my leather jacket (which was from either Oaktree or Cignal) draped over me. That’s quite a “character scowl” on that young man’s face. If you knew me then, as some of you did, you could say I was a complicated and moody kid. When I come across photos of myself from the late 1980s and early 90s, the 53 year old version of me can’t help but look at that kid and say, “Its gonna be okay, kid. You’re gonna make art and you’re gonna teach others to make art. You’re gonna write and illustrate. You’re gonna do well. You’re gonna meet amazing new friends. You’re gonna fall in love and be loved. You’re gonna experience some heartbreak and loss, but you’ll get back up and do it again. You’re gonna get to meet and shake hands with some of your idols. Most of all, you’re going to be AUTHENTICALLY yourself. Don’t worry, kid. Just keep your heart open and you’re gonna have a REALLY nice life… JUST. YOU. WAIT.” Many thanks to Malika for this cosmic mind trip. Here are some more images that she shared...

Fun people and memories.

Though I'm firmly planted in the present, the

past always seems to reach out to me in some form. 

And then...

I woke up to this on a Monday...

That peach light made me very happy. 

From a narrow river bridge...

I am grateful to be here for another year

however winter can crawl in a hole and die.

Anyway... I hope everyone is staying warm!

Cheers to all. XO - CDM