Carl and I went to Bard College at the same time. I remember he chose to exhibit his `moderation' presentation paintings on the walls of the Stone Row dormitories' basement bathroom walls. The concept was brilliant and, as expected, he was NOT invited to the upper school. Carl moved onto San Francisco State to get his degree and we remained friends. For decades we both lived in NYC and once, (circa 1972) I took beautiful redhead Soozie McMeans to visit Carl when he was living in Miles Davis' building on the upper westside. He wasn't there. Miles had broken his nose over a rent dispute and Carl was in the emergency room. Miles Davis took one look at Soozie and invited us into his home. Then there was the drive to Pittsburgh on acid to attend the making of George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead". (1978) Carl acted and was gouled by Tom Savini, the great make-up artist. I watched and took polaroids. Now days I often stayed in his Harlem apartment and made plans to go camping
in Sego Canyon, east of Green River, Utah.
Carl didn't have a good time. I did until Carl got SO angry, he stopped talking to me. But good came out of it. Until our foreshortened journey, Carl had stopped making images. (He was on stage at Woodstock (1969) making video). Carl brought an ibook and after seeing his shots I asked him to take various (brilliant) shots of me. After aborting the trip, Carl sent me the below story board. Also brilliant I feel. He neglected to mention that I found him his room at the Claredon Hotel Phoenix that he did love. When we pulled up at the Hotel he got out and said "This is it! We're done. Good luck and goodbye!" and walked out of my life or so I thought. After sending me his interpretation of our trip he then wrote me an angry email for giving out his phone number to another Bardguy who asked for contact info. I seem to be losing more old "friends" than suspicious moles I get removed. Let's see- Peter, William, Ron, Ralph and now Carl. There must be more.
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I should have known we were on different pages when I sent him links to images and articles on where we were going in Utah and his only respnse was to say, knowing I didn't have a printer, he would print out the info. I smoke pot but I don't go out of my way for it. The only time I saw Carl get excited was when we were walking into the Green Dragon legal pot place in Glendale Springs, Colorado.
Basically, for me, the journey is the destination. Not so Carl. What he didn't realize is that "work" and "play" are the same things in my life. Anyone that I noticed I'd want to photograph. Within the first hour of his arrival, I approached a beauty outside the Circle K and asked to shoot her. It was Carl that pointed out the gluck hanging from her boyfriend's side.
In the old days women hung around photographer's that did good to great shots of them, now tattoo artists get to fill that role.
Carl smoked more than I did all day BUT we were in the desert in the southwest among the Navaho elders and I was happy. We camped in Devil's Canyon above Monticello and stayed in a two bedroom
accomadation at the Blanding Trading Post down the road from Monument Valley. Carl kept taking fine photos of the Fat Bastard (me).
We intended to camp in Sego Canyon with the petroglyphs but the light was shitty and we camped instead in Devil's Canyon above Montecello, Utah among the juniper. My Tucson friend Carl Hanni lent me his tent but Carl S used it and I slept under the stars on a constructed cot.
I have been collecting sand from many different locations all over the southwest to make multilayers
sand jars I remember seeing as a kid. Here I go after a jar of sand north of the Four Corners.
We went to Grand Junction, Colorado intending to buy legal pot but the townspeople had voted to not allow dispensaries. At the local Starbucks I met David who sold me vintage girlie slides of Dian Weber, Lorraine Burnett and B. Page. He also advised not to go to Keluride but drive north to Glenwood Springs to the Green Dragon pot
dispensary.
After buying delicious (sateva) pot of two different grades (Carl treated me) I realized my god daughter Zoe Stern might be nearby, teaching in Aspen. She was and so was my sister Lisa!
After we drove to Rifle, Colorado
where I had spent considerable time with my then wife Lynka in 1980. The hotel we were staying had fancy cars belonging to other pot buyers. We sat and lit up.
Very mild on my lungs.
While having excellent Chinese dinner near the motel, two prom girls came by!!!!
I shot them and then went outside and next door was the place they sold the prom dresses with Missy Piggy masks over each dress.
The next day we breakfasted at the local spot. I think Carl was getting tired of me shooting but it wets my appetite. I can't tell which was more anxious to move along Carl of the mountain loin.
note the table of hunters.
one of the waitresses said that sometimes the hunters place the creamer cup
over the bear's ___.
mother/daughter waitresses
daughter
expecting
waitress
gunshop window next door
the movie theater down the street
Travellin is SO broadening.
