Gabriel Sherman wrote a hilarious bit for the New York Observer about his personal addiction to his iPod. One little gem that had me rolling was:
This winter, after a girl I briefly dated abruptly announced that she was "still in love with her ex-boyfriend," I spent the night trudging through the Arctic air of Greenwich Village with Conor Oberst’s wallowing voice on repeat.
Hilarious. [via TMN]
Last week StreamCast Networks (makers of the Morpheus, Grokster, and Kazaa) won a monumental court battle against MGM. To put it simply, MGM tried to make the case that the makers of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing software programs should be held accountable if the consumers that use their software infringe upon copyrights (i.e. trade music, movies, software, photos, documents, etc.). And guess what? MGM lost. When I read the news, I wasn’t actually too suprised, but it was good news for the entertainment industry. Yep, you read that correctly. It’s good for the entertainment industry. I’ve said it many times before, but the entertainment industry is moving at a snail’s pace when it comes to keeping up with the technology that is out there to distribute content - their content. The reason this is such a monumental case is because it wasn’t so long ago that Napster lost a similar fight, but the court realized that vague laws do nothing but stiffle innovation or as the EFF points out:
[T]he Court observed that, in the long run, a competive, unfettered market for innovation ends up helping copyright owners (even if it doesn't help today's entertainment industry oligopolists). In fact, today's ruling will likely be remembered as yet another example of the courts rescuing the entertainment industry from its own short-sightedness. In the words of the Court, "Further, as we have observed, we live in a quicksilver technological environment with courts ill-suited to fix the flow of internet innovation. The introduction of new technology is always disruptive to old markets, and particularly to those copyright owners whose works are sold through wellestablished distribution mechanisms. Yet, history has shown that time and market forces often provide equilibrium in balancing interests, whether the new technology be a player piano, a copier, a tape recorder, a video recorder, a personal computer, a karaoke machine, or an MP3 player."
Maybe I’m just a big geek for getting so excited about this, but I think it’s not only an exciting thing for consumers, but it’s going to mean that the entertainment companies are going to have to start acting a little faster and hiring people that think a little outside of the box. Or better yet, new companies are going to start cropping up to fill some of the voids. In any event, I was floored when I read what Jim Griffin had to say about it. It’s pretty clear this man not only gets it, but is in a position to make change from within the industry. I can only hope that people give some thought to what he has to say.
I don’t usually take the time to call your attention to albums here. That’s what the right-hand column is for, but an album came out today from a new band called West Indian Girl. I’ve been listening to the album demos for a long time and I didn’t think it could get much better, but this album is one of the most gorgeous I have heard in a long time. It’s very California (obvious references aside) and I could not recommend this album more. Go buy it.
I was talking on the phone with my dad this morning and he said, “do you have time for me to read you an article from the New York Times?” To which I replied, “Just give me the title of the article and I’ll find it online.”
For all you parents out there (holla!), dress our kids up right this Halloween. [via Kottke]
If you read my previous post on privacy concerns with regards to Gmail, you will most definitely want to read Tim O’Reilly’s article on the subject. He makes some very valid points. I think I’m ready to start moving my tons of email. I’ll bet your sorry you didn’t activate that invitation, eh? And no, I don’t have anymore (for now).
I’m finally getting around to posting albums of my old rock show photos (look to your left). It’s a hell of a lot easier to post these albums than to recreate the posts, which kinda sucks since you won’t be able to see the comments. Enjoy.
I had a day off yesterday and went to see an afternoon screening of Garden State. The movie was… I don’t even want to put one word on the end of that thought. It was such a sweet movie. I laughed a lot and still have this emotional buzz from seeing the film. It was about home and about not being numb to everything around you. It just struck a nerve unlike any movie I have seen in a while. It made me think about Kansas a lot, specifically Lawrence and going back to visit. Zach Braff (Writer, Director and main character) is brilliant. The sensibility of this film was very Cameron Crowe. Zach keeps a weblog, which is pretty entertaining. Go see the movie. Oh, and the music is really great as well.
I don’t even remember how I came across Ryan’s photography. I think one of us had emailed the other and had a mutual admiration for what the other was doing. At the time we first made contact, I was shooting at least a show or two per week and posting the photos on my site (then Jeans And A T-Shirt). Since switching everything over to this site, I have yet to post all of those archives. I’m in the process of putting things in albums. In any event, Ryan recently launched his new portfolio site and I had a chance to have a conversation with him earlier this week. He also gave me a few photos to use that aren’t on his site.
Brad Barrish: So, what are you listening to right this moment? Make something up if you aren’t listening to anything.
Ryan Schierling: i just downloaded some stuff from John Vanderslice’s site, his remixes of cellar door.
BB: Ah yeah, I read about that on music (for robots) or one of those other fancy MP3 sites.
RS: Prior to that, it was Sean Nelson’s ‘Nelson Sings Nilsson.’
BB: Is he one of the Nelson brothers? You know, the Ovation acoustic guitar-playing twins from the umm…. was it the 80s? 90s? I have no idea…
RS: Heh.
BB: I don’t even remember the song…
RS: Sean Nelson of Harvey Danger, formerly of The Long Winters and now of Sean Nelson and His Mortal Enemies.
BB: Harvey Danger… Very underrated…
RS: He’s got HD back together, for the most part, and they’re going to be recording again soon…
BB: That’s awesome to know. I like them. Great pop lyrics
RS: Indeed. One of the many great reasons to be living in seattle right now.
BB: What are the others? Is the sun shining?
RS: Ha! it is… I just finished up with the shots from the Capitol Hill Block Party, and it was in the low 90s for two days straight while i was doing that. Summers here are amazing, but you didn’t hear that from me
BB: Wow. How was that show? You mentioned in an email you got beat up a bit at the show and were nursing some bruises.
RS: i just chose a spot to shoot from that was… not what i expected. I figured front and center for the Blood Brothers set was where I needed to be to get what I wanted. And I got what i wanted. I just paid for it with a few kicks to the back of the head and a pinched nerve in my back. I’ve never wanted out of a crowd after three songs so badly in my life. I’m not 19, anymore, you know. I’d be more upset about it if i hadn’t gotten any decent photographs, but you have to think about shooting a bit differently when you’re smashed up against the stage like that. For a few shots, i thought about putting the flash on for a little fill… but i figured it would end up being snapped off, so i didn’t.
BB: What do you shoot with?
RS: I’m using a Nikon D100 right now for most of my live music shots. I do have a Contax Rangefinder that i love - the lenses are the sharpest of anything i’ve ever used. There’s a Canon demi half-frame camera that i’m neglecting.
BB: do you have formal training?
RS: You mean college of some sort? No. I started shooting in high school and was a pre-photojournalism major at University of Kansas. I was impatient, and ended up leaving after the first year.
BB: Ah, Kanas… Was that our original connection? I can’t even remember.
RS: Possibly… Remind me again?
BB: I went to KU as well. I lived in Lawrence for 5 years 93 - 98, DJed on KJHK and ran a little indie label called Barber’s Itch.
RS: i missed you by a couple of years. i left in 1991. Did you ever frequent Rudy’s Pizza?
BB: Of course, nearly every night before I went to The Bottleneck
RS: There’s one in Bellingham now, owned by a couple that worked at the one in Lawrence. They franchised the name for a single location.
BB: Wow. That’s pretty great. I would eat there all the time. I love Lawrence. I have so many amazing memories there. I wish I was photographing shows at that point. I saw SOOO many. I saw Radiohead play the Bottleneck. Probably one of the best shows I have ever seen in my life.
RS: Wow, I can’t imagine them playing at The Bottleneck. I think the last show I saw there was Paw.
BB: I saw Oasis play the bottleneck. Foo Fighters played there before their first album even came out.
RS: Now see, that was a good time to be in Lawrence.
BB: It really was.
RS: I wasn’t shooting music then, and I probably wasn’t going to too many shows, unfortunately.
BB: I don’t shoot much anymore. I’m going to see Earlimart and dios on Saturday and may shoot that, but I just like watching the music. I can’t enjoy shows when I am shooting
RS: It’s the opposite for me. I can’t enjoy shows unless I’m shooting. There have been a few times where i put my camera down because I was just so awestruck by what was going on musically.
BB: You capture moments very well. Both with your music, political stuff and portraits. It’s all really good. What inspires you? I know it’s a vague question…
RS: Music, of course. Anything that’s visual is inspiring, which is an equally vague answer. I love photography in just about every form, and there are so many talented shooters out there that i draw inspiration from. sometimes it’s frustrating seeing the amazing work other photographers are doing, but it’s ultimately inspiring i suppose. I just enjoy seeing people do what they love.
BB: Are you as politically active or motivated as some of your photos suggest?
RS: I don’t have an agenda. I’m politically aware, but when i’m shooting I’m just recording events, moments in time that are important to the participants. How people react to the images isn’t really my concern. It’s important that i’m just there to record a piece of history.
BB: that’s what i was trying to get at… your motivation… but it really just comes down to watching passionate people, no matter what they are passionate about. Or so it seems…
RS: Things that happen to people, moments that they will never forget, moments that might seem small, or large, or whatever. they all make a difference in our lives. I can’t be everywhere I’d like to be, so i just try to capture what I can, when I can. it’s all important in some manner, whether it’s politics or music or a first date or a death in the family.
BB: do you ever get overwhelmed that you can’t be everywhere or shoot everything you see?
RS: I used to.
RS: Now, I just do what I can. I’d always get overwhelmed and it ended up hampering my ability to see the situation for what it was, to document it in a manner that i felt appropriate or respectful, i guess.
BB: Did you figure that out on your own?
RS: Yes. Thanks to working at the paper. i don’t listen to the police-band scanner anymore… Ha ha.
BB: I think that’s an important lesson for anyone doing something creative. Of course photography, film and writing comes immediately to mind.
RS: Creative types… It’s hard to focus sometimes to see projects to fruition. There are so many distractions. You really have to narrow your scope to complete things. But you know, i don’t feel like a creative type. i’m just as easily amused as i am distracted. Thank god for cameras.
BB: I’ve never fancied myself a “creative type.” I mean, I’m creatively inclined, I love art of all kinds, but I think it’s just being human, or at least a conscious human.
RS: THAT’S what makes human beings fun and interesting. creative impulses and how they deal with them.
BB: I’m much more likely to pull out a camera to photograph people that aren’t playing instruments on stage… Just doing their day-to-day…
RS: It’s fun to look at those photos really closely, because you can tell what people are thinking by their body language.
BB: Some of your portraiture is like that. Do you ever feel uncomfortable about getting that close to someone you don’t know?
RS: I don’t ever go into a portrait with guns blazing, so to speak. Most of the images come from talking to someone for a bit, as much time as i can, before i even take the camera out of the bag. Now, there are shots where the subject had no idea I was photographing them, and that’s different. that’s more of a grab shot.
BB: Wow, so you engage these people in dialogue before they even know you want to pull a camera out? Are you ever just satisfied with the dialogue?
RS: No. Ha. If someone’s that interesting, I’m definitely going to have to photograph them. There have been people that have declined though, and I respect that.
BB: Maybe you don’t even think about it, but is your camera an excuse or a tool to talk to people you wouldn’t normally talk to?
RS: Definitely. I’ll see people now that have no idea who I am unless they see my camera. It’s kind of odd.
BB: Surely you must enjoy that on some level though, even if it is just ego…
RS: Maybe. I do enjoy talking to people that I really wouldn’t have any other reason to talk to. It’s kind of weird to walk up to strangers on the street and strike up a conversation. They think you’re psychotic. But if you’ve got a camera, there’s more of a purpose there.
BB: I think the world would be a much better place if people just went up and started talking to people…
RS: Agreed.
RS: Maybe we’d understand where we’re all coming from a bit better.
BB: I think so…
BB: Who has been your favorite subject?
RS: It’s always the next one… I have enjoyed photographing local bands, and getting to know them better.
BB: Is there anyone in particular that you’d just want to follow around for a week or two and just document that time?
RS: Ha. I’d love to do that with just about everyone. Hmm. In particular, I’d like to shadow Ben Gibbard. John Roderick. Ben Lashes. There are tons more, I’m sure.
BB: Who are you shooting next?
RS: Next. Tomorrow night is something, I don’t know who… four bands. Friday night is the Hives.
BB: Oh man… they are so fantastic. The whole band is pretty animated and so much fun to shoot. I was just looking at some photos I shot of them over the weekend.
RS: That’s what’s fun about this… shooting four bands you’ve never heard of and then going to shoot a band that everyone’s dying to see. I can’t wait.
BB: I can’t wait to see the photos.
RS: It’s great - I’ll probably have just as much fun tomorrow night as I will at the Hives show. I just love shooting bands, really, no matter who they are.
BB: It’s cool to hear that you get so excited about shooting. Are you as happy as you sound?
RS: Very much so.
BB: Well, that’s a lot more than most people can say.
RS: Talk to me in a few months when i’m out panhandling for rent.
Rogue waves, schmogue waves. Someone from the European Space Agency needs to give Laird a call and get him out there.