I consider myself lucky that I’ve never been in the state or mood that I wanted to listen to this sort of thing for any length of time. It may be on the list of 1001 Albums to listen to before I die but I would have preferred it be after I'd lost my hearing.
Liz Phair | Exile in Guyville (1993)
I can appreciate the stark sound and angry lyrics. They express a lot of hurt but a steely power of defiance, but not really my thing to listen to.
The Temptations | All Directions (1972)
I understand why this album is on the list of 1001 Albums to listen to before you die. But I’m not sure it lends itself well to just sitting and listening to it with headphones.
Photographing the Homeless
When I first discovered my interest in street photography, I took a good number of photos of the homeless. They seemed everywhere and I found photos of their condition personally captivating. The looks on their faces -- in their eyes -- showed a lack of hope that seemed so human. Change a few events in our own pasts, and many of us might be in the same plight.
I eventually stopped taking pictures of the homeless, or at least now only rarely and only with a deeper purpose. What I realized was that my photos were not really capturing their character nor their stories which were certainly more complex than an empty stare or pitiful living condition could reveal. And I didn't -- and still don't -- have the temerity to engage with them to better learn and appreciate who they were, who they are, and where they are going. Someday I hope to gain that bravery in my photography.
This is a photo series that I call "Val." That's what I called her. I don't know her name, I never spoke to her, she never spoke to me. She never asked anything of me. And I never offered. I never once saw her react or interact with the real world but she was always occupied with things only she could see or hear. Over the course of a couple of years, she and I lived in the same neighborhood: She, on the sidewalks of a local shopping center I frequented in Oakland; Me, in an expensive house among other expensive houses in a town with manicured lawns, good schools, and responsive police. That was back in 2014 or so. A few years later, that shopping center was torn down and later rebuilt. I wondered where Val had gone during that time. I expected to never see her again. Several years later after the new center was complete, I spotted her again. This time sitting in the nicer version of the shopping center, at a nicer Starbucks. She looked the same, still in her own world. I hoped her world was a little nicer than what it appeared to be. I still remained silent.
I haven't seen her for several years now. But even if I do see her, I won't be taking another picture of her until I have the courage to speak.
For photos of homeless that treat them with dignity and reveal more than just an image, follow @suzanne_stein and @suitcase_joe on Instagram.
Call of the Caddo: Last Will and Testament
"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" | Little Big Town and Trombone Shorty
If you need a little lift for your spirits and your feet…
Call of the Caddo: Off Delaware Bay
Call of the Caddo: Continuing North
Call of the Caddo: San Augustin
"Superbloom" / MisterWives (2020)
And continuing in the vein of my previous recommendation… Here’s another one that makes the body want to move. |