24 hour party people, horses for courses and boxy design

Continuing with our Swedish design theme, here we have the classic, boxy Volvo 4-door sedan. Most times this model doesn’t strike a chord with me but for some reason this one in this particular setting has deemed itself worthy. Perhaps it’s because it’s parked on the street that was once home to a favorite person of mine or maybe it’s the way the spray can markings on the street and the diamond-shaped tiles have your eyes darting about. No matter. The fact is that it works for me and the rest if horses for courses. That last bit reminds me of the Beatles manager George Epstein. Wait..no…Brian Martin. No that’s not right either. It’s George Martin. It was George Martin, their producer and Brian Epstein, their manager which leads me to this last bit which is the trailer for the excellent film about the Manchester music scene in all its post-punk, Brit Pop glory.

skinnier with rubber

The second 1800 series Volvo  in Williamsburg, Brooklyn within a few blocks of last week’s offering. This one has the original hubcaps plus a skinnier bumper with rubber guards. Here’s an article about record holder Irv Gordon. Oh and by the way, Diana Reyna did win her re-election. She is a member of the city council and the first woman of Dominican descent to be elected to office in New York State. 

thelonious monk, swedish design and danish fashion

Here’s a nice late-60’s Volvo 122S hot off the presses. I shot this one on Sunday as I was roaming around the ‘burg searching through the bins of record stores for my white whale, otherwise known as a copy of Thelonious Monk‘s Monk’s Time on vinyl. I found the record btw at the trusted Academy (Annex) Records. Check out this clip of Thelonious Monk commenting on his band member’s new pants. 

I like the smooth lines of the Volvo 120 Series along with the wedge-shaped P1800 (coming next week) as opposed to the boxy (or rectilinear as they like to say) shape of later model Volvos.  Graffiti by DANO.

larry fink and soul extraction

Instead of going on and on about this fine Cadillac on my street I thought that I might just let my fingers move across the keyboard and see where it takes me… Last week I met photographer Larry Fink and heard him talk for an hour on a wide range of subjects from flash photography to digital camera shutter lag. He likened the latter to blowing up like a puffer fish and waiting for that moment when you can let it all out i.e. release the shutter. One irreplaceable instant as he says. Larry had grown accustomed to the immediate and solid punctuation of his film camera but the 1:1 shots I saw taken with his small digital Ricoh GR in Argentina further confirm that it’s really never the camera. His hour long visit was a mini course in not only photography but also a peek into how an artist views the world. Larry has soul. I could tell from the minute he walked in to the room and started blowing a harmonica. His photography reflects that and he can extract your soul just by talking to you let alone capturing it on film or digital sensor. Larry’s got my soul and keeps it in a Mason jar at his farm. Check out Larry’s blog.

jacques tati, english pewter and everyday situations

Introduced in 1955, the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia (designed in Germany by coach builder Karmann) looked like a squashed Beetle. The Ghia’s smooth lines and curves were constructed from hand-shaped alloys (English pewter) and fancy welds to give it a distinct look and subsequently a heftier price tag. It was Volkswagen’s flagship model at the time and made the bolt-on Beetle look even more utilitarian. The Bug did get the Karmann design treatment though with the Convertible/ Cabriolet line.

There is a wonderful French film by Jacques Tati called Trafic (Criterion DVD out-of-print!) that is filled with colorful cars and characters. It’s the story about a car designer (Tati resuming his M. Hulot role) trying to get his latest vehicle to an Amsterdam car show. If you’ve seen any of Tati’s films starring his alter-ego Monsieur Hulot, you’ll know that they have numerous sight gags, precision comic-timing and very little dialogue. I highly recommend all of them especially this one and Playtime. Here’s the trailer for Trafic.

Jacques Tati stated in an interview on French television that his films sometimes tell a story through hundreds of details: “I try to bring a smile to familiar everyday situations. In Trafic, it’s automobiles.” I hear you Monsieur.

built for spite and to keep sally out of the alley

One more late-60’s MG from Alexandria, VA. The MGB classic roadster in Dark British Racing Green. Hard to choose between this one and last week’s hardtop. Maybe both? One block away from this spot on Queen Street is The Spite House,  a narrow house built to discourage neighbors from driving their carriages through the alley and to prevent loitering. 

stuck on the van wyck with nicki minaj

A fine example of an early 70’s MGB GT. This 2-door coupe is a little more refined than its convertible, roadster cousin and the Pininfarina-designed “greenhouse” hatchback really looks sharp. Kind of reminds me of a poor spy’s Aston Martin DB5.
I always imagine myself cruising through the English countryside with Chantal Goya tunes on the radio, maybe stopping off at The Hare and The Who for a pie and pint but the the reality is I’m probably stuck on the Van Wyck with Nicki Minaj and cold White Castle. Fail not for sorrow, falter not for sin, but onward, upward, till the goal ye win.

the audacity of mirrors and hobbitses

Another fine truck from Alexandria, VA. Look at those side mirrors! How large they loom! Ready to take out unsuspecting pedestrians and cyclists in a single swipe but hopefully that will  never happen.
This early-70’s Chevrolet C20 Deluxe came stock with those mirrors and are especially useful when towing blind spot-inducing trailers and caravans. I shot this truck with my friend Doug who happened to live a few doors down from a family I was visiting. We picked up right where we left off some 15 years prior meaning that the conversation immediately turned to music and all of the great bands we used to see during our college days.

I love Alexandria specifically the Old Town neighborhood because they have a proper chip shop, Eammon’s; a proper coffee shop, Misha’s; and a bar named Bilbo Baggins. What more do you need?

pardon the paronomasia on oronoco

Over the next few weeks I’m going to feature some vehicles that I shot in Alexandria, Virginia. I would have never guessed this little town to be a hotbed of cool automobiles. Here’s a nice early-70’s Ford F-Series Ranger. I love the pun on the awning which leads me to comment on some of the more interesting ones in my Brooklyn neighborhood …the former fresh seafood joint on Bedford Avenue called Off Da Hook and a new pet supply shop on Halsey St. called Who’s Your Doggy?. Fantastic.

taiwanese gangsters and exploding citroëns

This Citroën 2CV or “deux chevaux” always conjures up scenes from French films but I found this utilitarian, wood-grained beauty on the streets of Helsinki. I wonder if this car belongs to former Finnish Citroën rally driver, Ari Vatanen?  Maybe he’s at the kuntosali working out? Speaking of French films, I watched the excellent Diva last night about a young French mail courier who loves the opera and making bootleg tapes. His audio recording becomes mistaken for a tape that would implicate a police chief involved with the mob. It all makes for a very New-Wave thriller complete with an exploding 11-horsepower Citroen Traction Avant 11B and mirror-sunglassed Taiwanese gangsters. The chase scenes are very reminiscent of another film favorite of mine, The French Connection.

bird watching and champagne

I’ve been watching this ’76-’77 Ford Thunderbird in lovely Metallic Champagne color for months now. Keeping track of its movements and patterns, marveling at the wonderful color and aerodynamics, but I’ve never been able to capture it in its natural habitat. This past Sunday I found this rare bird all alone. I moved in close taking extra caution not to disturb the nest and snapped my shot.
I could probably do a mini-show just on my neighborhood’s cars alone but I need to find the right spot just like my subject matter. There is a new men’s barbershop opening up in what was previously a house of worship of some sort. Maybe they could let me grace their walls with these cool cars. I could invite the owners of the cars to come by, park out front and get a shave and a haircut. Check out the vintage Thunderbird ad below. 

a jeep grows in brooklyn?

I have no idea where I shot this Jeep Cherokee. Red Hook? Williamsburg? Maybe one or two of you budding location scouts could troll around the Brooklyn map in street view mode and find it for me. UPDATE!! Location has been found. This was shot on Van Dyke Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. Thanks to Lisbeth Salander for hacking into my metadata!
It’s been said that the Jeep Cherokee gave rise to US automakers designing more SUV’s. I wish they would have taken their inspiration from the stylish, original Land Rovers. Jeeps were supposed to be true utility vehicles, not style-icons but this one certainly looks cool with it’s blacked-out-for-stealth purposes. Sort of like a post-apocalyptic vehicle that runs on Willie Nelson‘s marijuana stash.

putting out fires in austria and ladies dresses

If you are going to drive around New York City then you might as well do it with style and panache. This Land Rover has that in spades and so does its owner, Edoardo Mantelli. In addition to being owner of the fantastic pizzeria, Saraghina, Mantelli also runs the women’s fashion label, Tocca. In fact I’m wearing one of his dresses right now. Not really but I would if I could squeeze my pizza-stuffed body into one.
Getting back to the Land Rover, this particular vehicle was presumably once in the fleet of the Freiwillige Feuerwehr Thaur, the volunteer fire department of Thaur, Tirol, Austria. I love the bold color against this dark background and a little snow on the ground. So to recap, the owner of the pizzeria and designer of women’s fashions drives around in a fire department truck from Austria. That’s the kind of life I want to lead. 

the dancing prostitute and the neopolitan pie

This 1965 Ford Econoline pickup is owned by Massimiliano “Kiko” Nanni, the one-time, part-owner of the Bed-Stuy pizzeria, Saraghina which he named after the dancing prostitute in Fellini‘s 8½. I shot this photo last year when the truck was parked right in front of the restaurant. I have a shot of the other owner’s Land Rover in pretty much the same spot. Last year the Auto Ego section of the NY Times ran this story about Kiko and his Econoline with lots of great photos. I encourage anyone who has never visited Bed-Stuy or anyone who just loves pizza to come out and try Saraghina. I highly recommend the capocollo pizza and the octopus salad. In fact if you get in touch with me ( I live in the ‘hood) I’ll be your personal tour guide. Word is that Kiko has a new Mediterranean place called Celestino a few blocks down from the pizzeria. Like.

ma bell and safety vests

I think this Chevy van once had a life as a Bell Telephone utility vehicle but now it’s being used by a hip Williamsburg resident. I watched and waited as he parked in this spot. I knew I had a good shot but the oncoming traffic was tricky even on this slow morning. I carefully stepped into the street and made my shot. Maybe I should start wearing an orange safety vest like Bill Cunnningham. I came across this same van before in Greenpoint, Brooklyn near where they built the set of HBO‘s Boardwalk Empire but it lacked this nice brick background. I often pass up nice looking cars because the surroundings aren’t quite right. Note: Bell also used Corvair Rampsides and Ford Econolines. See below.

suckers to the side I know you hate…

…my 98. Well it’s not really mine but Chuck D of Public Enemy sang about his 98 in the song “You Gonna Get Yours”. Here’s a nice Oldsmobile 98 that the owner is in the process of restoring. I’ve been waiting for him to park against that newly painted wall. This photo is a little too dark for me but I still love it.

michael caine, johann and bears

For my car series I don’t like streets with even the slightest bit of a grade to them but I made an exception here. I couldn’t pass up this late 60’s VW Beetle against that yellow background. Note the optional mudflaps and fender splash guards for protecting the finish from the harsh winter rain and snow.  I noticed that the Finns like to paint their buildings in warm tones to remind them of the sun. It’s a nice touch that you immediately notice walking around the city. I visited Helsinki during their warmer months and loved it but I can’t imagine what its like during the winter with extreme temperature drops and a handful of daylight hours. No wonder bears hibernate. For a look at what Helsinki looks like during the winter  (of 1966-67) check out the Michael Caine film Billion Dollar Brain. Helsinki is also used as the location for many films set during the Cold War-era and doubled for Moscow in Gorky Park.

Finnish Lesson #1: The street signs in Helsinki (and most other signage) can get quite confusing because they display the names in both Finnish and Swedish. One street was marked Johanneksenrinne/Johanneksentie/Johannesvägen. Quite amusing. I’m sure Johann (John) is happy though. 

i coulda been a contender…and had a muffuletta.

It is easy to see why I like this setting in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The fantastic green color from the fence and doors to the dark blue of this 1976 Mercury Cougar XR-7. The building behind the car houses the Red Hook Neighborhood School mostly for kids from the nearby housing project. During the 90’s LIFE magazine named Red Hook one of the worst neighborhoods in America. Now it has an Ikea which as you know is the yardstick by which all neighborhoods are measured. Either that or having your neighborhood depicted in Grand Theft Auto IV (renamed “East Hook” in the popular video game.)
I take a lot of photographs in this half-residential, half-industrial neighborhood and usually stop by Fort Defiance restaurant for a sandwich. They once broke my heart when I was denied a reverse-engineered Central Grocery-style muffuletta. Got there too late! They also make great cocktails and use perfectly shaped KOLD-DRAFT® ice cubes. Leave it to Brooklyn to fetishize ice.
Interesting note: Red Hook was the setting for the Marlon Brando movie, On The Waterfront although it was filmed in Hoboken, NJ. In that film you can see the ill-fated Andrea Doria cruising down the Hudson River. Another famous ship, the Queen Mary 2 docks in Red Hook. So there.

your teddy bear and mr. jimmy

This Lincoln Town Car is owned by Mr. Jimmy Leary who owns the candy store on Tompkins Avenue in Bed-Stuy. Officially called Jimmy’s Candy Store, this place is more of a museum of curiosities and old candies like Squirrel Nut Zippers, Mary Jane and Black Cow. There are two wooden phone booths in the front of the store that have had the payphones removed but now provide a nice perch for the official store cat. Most Sunday mornings I get the paper here and have chats with Mr. Jimmy about his car and the neighborhood. He’s been in the same spot for over 30 years. I’ll never forget the smile on his face when I showed him this photo which is now framed and sitting behind his vintage wooden display cases. Next door at 404 Tompkins was another candy and novelty shop that back in the day was the birthplace of the original Teddy Bear. You can read about it and this store in James T. & Karla Murray‘s excellent book that I mentioned last week, Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York. Waddaya mean you haven’t bought it yet!?!

christopher walken and ebony and ivory

I found this ‘77 Ford LTD II (based on the Torino) one day walking down Broadway in Astoria, Queens. Its another one of my photos that could have been taken thirty years ago and you would never know the difference. A great shot of these same storefronts is also featured in the excellent book entitled Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York by James T. & Karla L. Murray. A great source of inspiration for me. Broadway alone in Queens has enough history to fill volumes of books but I’ll just say a few things and let it wash over you. First of all the demographics of Queens is the most diverse in all of the United States. That makes for great food and interesting people. Within a few short blocks you can find award-winning Middle Eastern street food, a Japanese grocery store; authentic Mexican food at El Mariachi; an old Italian deli (see D & F above) serving freshly made pasta and Christopher Walken’s favorite hardware store, Walter’s. Walken’s parents owned a bakery and employed a certain Lidia Bastianich. Astoria is famous for once being the home of Steinway Village, a company town for Steinway and Sons, the piano maker. Also nearby is Kaufman-Astoria Studios, home of Sesame Street and tons of films from the 20’s and 30’s. Had enough?

fabrications and appropriations

This is a later model Volkswagen Vanagon. I’ve always wanted one of the early VW Type 2 Transporter or Kombi models or more affectionately known as the “hippie van.” My friend Steve had one. He played S-T-E-V-E with a Van in the movie Slacker. After his role in that film he went on to become very famous and is now living in Mexico somewhere working on a boat with Morgan Freeman. I must admit I didn’t think much of Steve the first time I laid eyes on him; looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over. That was my first impression of the man. Some of the details of this story are fabrications and appropriations of movie quotes much like in my real life.

on pickups and occurences

Continuing on the old pickup theme this week with a fine mid-60s Chevrolet C10 Stepside. I shot this photograph a day before the ‘66 Dodge Charger (see earlier post) in the Irish Channel neighborhood in New Orleans. I actually spotted this truck as I was driving in a car. As you may know I usually scout out my locations on foot but this was a rare exception. There aren’t too many anachronistic clues that would be a dead giveaway that this shot wasn’t taken 30 or 40 years ago. I suppose this is one section of this neighborhood that doesn’t seem to change. Check out the herringbone brick sidewalk.
There is a strange phenomenon that I’ve only witnessed in the South and it involves two people in the cab of a truck who are dating or married or just having fun. When one person is driving and the other person gets in the passenger side he or she scoots over to the middle of the seat so that they are in close proximity to the other. Now I guess this little scoot ’em over move only works comfortably with an older style bench seat as opposed to a bucket seat.
In my dad’s hometown there is also another phenomenon called the one-finger wave. As you drive down the winding roads of Pointe Coupee Parish and a car or truck is coming toward you, you keep your hand(s) on the wheel and just raise your index finger to acknowledge your fellow passerby. What usually follows is someone saying, “That’s about the craziest ?#&^@%# I ever laid eyes on.”

know where your muzzle is before you squeeze the trigger

My beloved football club Chelsea lost over the weekend to Liverpool. Two great teams that I love to watch even when they aren’t playing each other. Their respective colors are blue and red so this recent photograph seemed a perfect choice for this week’s offering.
This I believe is a 1956 Ford F-100 distinguished by the large wraparound windshield and hulking mass of a front end. My father drove a similar 1965 model only his had a custom bullet hole in the front hood. The story goes that he laid his rifle on the hood to steady his aim through the scope to shoot an armadillo not realizing that the barrel was pointed right into the bump of the hood. The truck took a hit and the armadillo lived to fight another redneck day. I loved that old truck. It had two gun racks; one on the back window and the other mounted on the floor near the gearshift for easy access. The old man has always driven trucks and even when he traded the ’65 truck for a car it was really a truck…a ’77 Ford Ranchero. Stubborn is just another word for consistent.

these circles, leading me back to you

One block away from where I took this shot is a sculpture garden and gallery designed by Isamu Noguchi. It helped to establish an arts community in Long Island City, Queens right in the middle of a neighborhood filled with warehouses and factories. You can’t help but feel very calm inside the garden even though there is constant noise from trucks and construction nearby.
I passed by this Oldsmobile Delta 88 several times waiting for the other cars to move away. I didn’t want to leave the area without capturing this one. I love the circles of the whitewall tires and the straight double traffic lines. The origin of those double lines comes from a Yorkshire farmer in the 1800’s named George Barber. He used the lines to designate the route and boundaries of his farm as well as to identify his sheep. However, in New York City it designates a no passing zone with the exception being emergency maneuvers or during road work. Regardless of barriers and boundaries I hope that you don’t let anything get in your way of seeing the Noguchi Museum. It is a wonderful place that deserves as much patronage as those other NYC icons like the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the Times Square Olive Garden.

mostly neutral in color, plump and limbless

This setting has everything I could possibly want in my photographs. There is absolutely nothing missing except for maybe a piece or two of plywood.
It’s not hard to see what I’m talking about: the color of the car, the wood background, and the two-tone asphalt. And you thought I was just about old, cool cars. This Volkswagen Jetta works just fine.

If you peek just over the top of the car and above the ant, the text of the graffiti on the wall seems a bit confusing. But if you’ve read The Manufacture Of Non-Bleeding Maraschino Cherries by Jillian Ciaccia then you’ll know that it’s a part of the sentence, “The fruit, mostly neutral in color, plump and limbless is easily harvested with an extended reach.”

*If you know the name of the “ant” street artist please contact me.