Showing posts with label Jim Stewart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Stewart. Show all posts
May 6, 2021
December 14, 2020
Beemer Memory 31 ~ Shine On You Crazy Diamond: Syd Barrett
~
vinyl LP record label, side 1
photo by Styrous®
It
is Mid-December, 1982. I am in the Caribbean off the coast of Grand Cayman on a scuba diving
trip as a
photographer's assistant to Gene Weber who is photographing underwater
plants, animals, etc., on the coral reefs
to be used at a future time for a diving magazine. I have also been his
model for a motorcycle photo shoot and other projects. Gene as well as Peter Munekee and Jim Stewart have shot some of my performances (links below). Gene's work is in the James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Collection at the San Francisco Public Library.
We
have had three dives today, one mid-morning and the second
mid-afternoon for photographing. The third dive was in the evening to catch lobsters
for dinner, so, we have moved out to sea to deeper water and dropped anchor where land
is not visible in ANY direction. There has always been land of some kind
in sight on any dive I have been on; this is the first time I have been
in this situation and it is a bit disorienting for me!
Six
of us dove into the pitch black water with weights attached to help us
sink to the sea floor. Eventually, with our search lights, we
spotted a pod of lobsters. It was the strangest sight I've ever seen; they
scurried along the small sandy hills and valleys of the sea floor in single-file making a long undulating chain of living crustaceans (link below).
We caught a couple and had a delicious lobster
dinner. During the evening a wind storm has been building up creating
large waves that make the boat heave from side to side. As usual, after dinner and cleaning
up, we passed a joint around then I took a quick shower
to wash off the dried sea salt still on me and my swim suit from the dive. I have come up to the flybridge above the pilot cabin, the very highest point of the boat, to dry
off; everyone is below so it is empty. Although it is December, the wind
is warm so I slipped off my wet-from-the-shower swim suit and laid down on the deck. I feel the Caribbean wind slowly evaporate the water droplets from my body, relax and let
the doobie have it's way with me.
The
sky is empty of clouds with a bright moon and, as we are out to sea
with no city lights, the stars are
brilliant and sparkle against the sky like diamonds on black velvet;
they and the moon give enough light to see things but all that can be
seen are the large waves around the boat tossing it around. As I lay
here I gaze up at the millions of stars
and am transfixed with awe as
the boat rocks side to side.
Then the strangest things begin to
happen.
Almost
imperceptibly, the rocking of the boat slows down and the boat becomes
absolutely still, solid as a rock; as this is happening the
stars, with the same pace, slowly begin to swing back and forth over
me. The boat and the sky have switched behavior, it is now THEY that are
moving, NOT the boat and me, they are now swaying back and forth
overhead; I assume this is an effect of being stoned, so, I am
delighted, thrilled and I enjoy it!
I
hear someone come up on deck, soon I hear the click of the shutter of a
camera. I glance over and see it is Gene who is photographing me
without a flash,
only by the light of the moon and the stars.
photo by Gene Weber
As
I slowly sink into my fantasy I make a resolution. I will solve the rest of the audio
mystery, the discovery of what this other worldly music is that's
playing, later.
38 years later
This was my introduction to Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. And I have since realized the lobster
dinner that night was THE most delicious I would EVER have in my life.
Also,
of the thousands of photos Gene took on that diving trip he only sold
one. A shot of me feeding an enormous school of fish; there must have
been hundreds of them. The only thing that can be seen is a huge ball of
fish and two legs and feet with fins sticking out from the bottom of
the ball. He asked me if I wanted the shot but as there was no way to
tell it was me, I said no. I wish I had said yes. If you find a 1983
scuba diving magazine with a shot like that, that's me.
So, I must get to the point, Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd. I had been a devoted fan of Pink Floyd since I discovered my first find by them, Meddle, in the early seventies. I had heard The Dark Side of the Moon when it was released in 1973 and it had become my all-time favorite album. Although Wish You Were Here
was released in 1975, for some reason I had completely missed it until
that night of bliss in 1982. Wish has superseded Dark Side and is now my VERY favorite Pink Floyd and belongs on my 'desert island' vinyl LP list (link below). Shine On You Crazy Diamond might be the greatest rock song ever written.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond was written by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright as a tribute to original Pink Floyd founder, guitarist and primary songwriter for Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett.
In 1965, Barrett belonged to a group called the Tea Set (sometimes spelled T-Set).
When they found themselves playing a concert with another band of the
same name, Barrett came up with "The Pink Floyd Sound" (also known as
"The Pink Floyd Blues Band", later "The Pink Floyd"). The name is derived from the given names of two blues musicians whose Piedmont blues records Barrett had in his collection, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
Barrett was ousted from the band by the other members in 1968 due to mental illness, and his excessive use of psychedelic drugs, both of which had affected his ability to
integrate with the rest of the band and perform and create as a
musician. He was replaced by Gilmour who had initially been brought in as second guitar. The remaining
band members felt guilty for removing him, but they viewed it as
necessary; while they acknowledged Barrett's creativity they were concerned about his
severe mental decline.
Syd Barrett - 1969
photo by Aubrey Powell
Barrett produced some solo albums but in 1972, he left the music industry, retired from public life and
strictly guarded his privacy. He continued painting and
dedicated himself to gardening.
1961 - 1962
The Syd Barrett ~ Self-Portrait painting utilizes an impasto technique. It is almost abstract with a stylized image of
the young Barrett staring out at the viewer. It is typical of the
art college style, at Camberwell in the early 1960’s. On Saturday, April 9, 2011, the painting was stolen from the Idea Generation Gallery in the Shoreditch district in the East End of London
where it was on display. The singer’s former girlfriend, Libby Gausden,
pleaded for its safe return and offered a award of £2,000; the painting was
returned about a week later (links below).
Pink Floyd recorded several tributes and
homages to him in addition to the 1975 song suite Shine On You Crazy Diamond and the 1979 rock opera The Wall. In 1988, EMI released an album of unreleased tracks and outtakes, Opel, with Barrett's approval.
One story of how he acquired the nickname "Syd" is that at the age of 14 he was named after an old local Cambridge jazz
double bassist, Sid "The Beat" Barrett, which claims Syd Barrett
changed the spelling to differentiate himself from his
namesake.
In 1972 he joined in a performance with the marvelous English progressive rock band, Nektar (German for Nectar) which was originally based in Germany.
Syd Barrett never married or had children. After suffering from diabetes for several years, he died of pancreatic cancer on July 7, 2006, at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, England.
A star-packed tribute concert followed on October 5, 2007, at the Barbican Theatre in London. David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason performed the early Pink Floyd classic Arnold Layne, and fellow Floyd alum Roger Waters also appeared. The bill included Kevin Ayers, Damon Albarn of Blur, Captain Sensible of the Damned, Mike Heron of Incredible String Band, Robyn Hitchcock, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, among others (link below).
On Tuesday, September 9, 2011, there was a radio broadcast that discussed the mental breakdown of Syd Barrett as told by Record producer Peter Jenner, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, David Gilmour and Syd's Sister, Rosemarie (link below).
On the vinyl LP, Shine On You Crazy Diamond is performed by Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason with Venetta Fields and Carlena Williams on backing vocals and Dick Parry playing the most incredible sax ever!
The Official music video for the song, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, is on YouTube and the visuals in it totally convey my first experience with it.
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
Side 1:
1. - "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I–V)”, Roger Waters David Gilmour Richard Wright, Waters - 13:32
2. - "Welcome to the Machine”, Waters, Gilmour - 7:28
Total length: 21:00
2. - "Welcome to the Machine”, Waters, Gilmour - 7:28
Total length: 21:00
Side 2:
1. "Have a Cigar" (featuring Roy Harper), Waters, Harper - 5:08
2. "Wish You Were Here”, Waters Gilmour, Gilmour - 5:35
3. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI–IX)”, WrightGilmourWaters(Parts VI–VIII, Wright (Part IX), Waters - 12:28
Total length: 23:11
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Clash Music ~ Syd Barrett Painting Returned
Louder Sound ~ The real Syd Barrett
NME ~ Stolen Barrett painting returned to London art gallery
RollingStone ~ 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Syd Barrett
Ultimate Rock Classics ~ The Day Pink Floyd founder died
YouTube links:
Sid Barrett ~
Barbican Tribute Concert (2007) ~
Barbican Tribute Concert (complete)
On Syd Barrett ~
Syd Barrett & Acid (1966)
Up Close & Personal (56 mins.)
Pink Floyd ~ Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Official Music Video)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (complete suite Video) (25: 33)
Shine on you crazy diamond!
October 18, 2020
Beemer Memory 27: Jim Stewart ~ photograher & friend
~
Styrous® - 1978
photo by Jim Stewart
Today, October 18, is the birthday of my
friend, Jim Stewart, who documented
the leather scene in San Francisco during the late seventies and into the eighties with his intimate and insightful images. I was fortunate to have been one of his
models for his photo shoots and was in various events and performances he photographed (links below).
I
will never forget the times we worked together on his shoots; actually, it was not work, it was a joy to
participate in his vision and passion!
He
reveled in life and I loved the hours we shared viewing films,
attending parties and living to the fullest. I celebrate his presence
in my life.
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
The Bilerico Project ~ Jim Stewart: SoMa Survivor
You are profoundly missed, Jim!
Styrous® ~ Sunday, October 18, 2020
~
~
October 11, 2020
Touko Laaksonen (Tom of Finland) articles/mentions
Beemer Memory 33: Tom of Finland
May 9, 2020
Immortal Loves
There have been many famous people I have loved through my life and have always thought of as "Immortal"!
Cases in point are Pope Pius XII, my very first dose of mortality when I was a teenager, Lucille Ball, Debbie Reynolds, Elvis Presley, Anne Baxter, Ingrid Bergman, Marilyn Monroe (I was totally in love with her, who wasn't?), Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Van Cliburn, Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, Divine, Fats Domino, Carrie Fisher, George Harrison, John Lennon, Sandra Sakata (link below), Celeste Holm, Whitney Houston, Patti Page, Michael Jackson, John Fitzgerald Kennedy (his was the most shocking), B. B. King, Jon Lord, Jayne Mansfield, Leonard Nimoy, Prince, Lou Reed, George Romero (I expect him back any day now), Inger Stevens, photographer Jim Stewart (link below), Joan Sutherland and on and on. It was a complete shock to me when each and everyone of them DID die.
I KNEW they were not immortal but they were so much bigger than life in
my mind that I could not comprehend their death until it actually
happened. The death of Little Richard today (link below) brought me to post this entry to the Viewfinder.
Viewfinder links:
Guess what?
They ARE immortal because
They ARE immortal because
they live on in my mind & heart!
Styrous® ~ Saturday, May 9. 2020
November 25, 2018
November 21, 2018
Jim Stewart ~ Perfervid Photographer
~
Jim Stewart
1977 CARNIFAIR ~ Dancin' for the Seamen
Leatherneck bar, San Francisco, 1977
Leatherneck, Pillow, a Hungry i
Leatherneck posters
Bay Area Reporter ~ Jim Stewart obit
Bilerico Project ~ Jim Stewart: SoMa Survivor obit
Found San Francisco ~ Folsom Street: The Miracle Mile
Folsom Street Blues: A Memoir of 1970’s SoMa review
BARtab ~ Jim Stewart: Folsom Street Leather
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, November 21, 2018
A month or so ago my friend and photographer Jim Stewart (links below) died just short of his seventy-sixth birthday. I was his model in 1982 for a series of photographs he did for advertisement posters for the Leatherneck Bar (link below), articles in the Bay Area Reporter and he photographed several performances of mine as well.
Jim was born on November 11, 1942. He earned his master's degree at Western Michigan University and documented the Leather Lifestyle in the mid to early 80's with his 2011 memoir, Folsom Street Blues which included many of his photographs.
Styrous® ~ performance - 1977
photo by Jim Stewart
Folsom Street Blues
by Jim Stewart
book cover photo by Jim Stewart
by Jim Stewart
book cover photo by Jim Stewart
He was a columnist for the Bay Area Reporter BARtab section (link below), a Folsom Street leather pioneer, a gay man, the cover model of his award-winning 2011 memoir, "Folsom Street Blues," and a photographer for Drummer magazine (link below). In 1976, he was among the first leather artists to move South of Market to Clementina Street.
According to BARtab editor Jim Provenzano, Stewart contributed to the nightlife section several years ago. He also wrote the section's BARchive gay bar history column in 2013 and 2014, which included many of his historic 1970s gay nightlife photos of South of the Slot bars, Halloween, and the Russian River scene.
While managing a movie theater in 1973, Jim met Jack Fritscher, a writer, who sponsored his move to San Francisco in 1975.
Although our names are not mentioned, Jim and I were subjects in the Fritscher book, Some Dance To Remember.
Fritscher said that as a member of the SOMA Open Studio movement, Jim chronicled the creative epiphanies of the Folsom Street art scene with intimate friends he wrote about such as Tool Box bar founder Chuck Arnett, leather poet Camille O'Grady, whose performance at the Ambush Bar on Harrison Street I recorded in the early 80's . . .
. . . Old Reliable Studio photographer David Hurles and 1974 Oscar streaker Robert Opel who ran naked behind David Niven flashing a peace sign while Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor.
As a working carpenter in 1977, Jim built the interior of Fey-Way Studio, at 1287 Howard Street, where founder Opel exhibited his work alongside Robert Mapplethorpe, Tom of Finland, and Rex, in the gallery where Opel was murdered in 1979. I did the sound design for a couple of the exhibition openings at the gallery. Jim appeared in Uncle Bob, the 2010 documentary film about the Opel killing.
Jim wrote fiction for the Jim Moss, Folsom magazine, he shot photos for the Society for Individual Rights and documented the Christo and Jeanne-Claude "Running Fence." He founded his Keyhole Studios in 1976.
Jim's images of Folsom Street sexuality, including his iconic photos shot in the Slot Hotel, appeared in exhibits at bars like the Ambush; in Drummer as early as issue 14, May 1977; and in the 2008 book "Gay San Francisco."
He managed and photographed various Folsom leather bars in San Francisco; Allan Lowery's Leatherneck (links below) and later, at the same location after the Leatherneck closed and it became the Drummer Key Club, at 11th and Folsom streets, which is now the Oasis nightclub.
According to BARtab editor Jim Provenzano, Stewart contributed to the nightlife section several years ago. He also wrote the section's BARchive gay bar history column in 2013 and 2014, which included many of his historic 1970s gay nightlife photos of South of the Slot bars, Halloween, and the Russian River scene.
Tom Hinde - 1979
photo by Jim Stewart
While managing a movie theater in 1973, Jim met Jack Fritscher, a writer, who sponsored his move to San Francisco in 1975.
Jack Fritscher - 1979
photo by Mark Hemry
Although our names are not mentioned, Jim and I were subjects in the Fritscher book, Some Dance To Remember.
Fritscher said that as a member of the SOMA Open Studio movement, Jim chronicled the creative epiphanies of the Folsom Street art scene with intimate friends he wrote about such as Tool Box bar founder Chuck Arnett, leather poet Camille O'Grady, whose performance at the Ambush Bar on Harrison Street I recorded in the early 80's . . .
Camille O'Grady
photo by Glenda Hydler
. . . Old Reliable Studio photographer David Hurles and 1974 Oscar streaker Robert Opel who ran naked behind David Niven flashing a peace sign while Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor.
46th Academy Awards - 1974
As a working carpenter in 1977, Jim built the interior of Fey-Way Studio, at 1287 Howard Street, where founder Opel exhibited his work alongside Robert Mapplethorpe, Tom of Finland, and Rex, in the gallery where Opel was murdered in 1979. I did the sound design for a couple of the exhibition openings at the gallery. Jim appeared in Uncle Bob, the 2010 documentary film about the Opel killing.
Jim wrote fiction for the Jim Moss, Folsom magazine, he shot photos for the Society for Individual Rights and documented the Christo and Jeanne-Claude "Running Fence." He founded his Keyhole Studios in 1976.
Jim's images of Folsom Street sexuality, including his iconic photos shot in the Slot Hotel, appeared in exhibits at bars like the Ambush; in Drummer as early as issue 14, May 1977; and in the 2008 book "Gay San Francisco."
He managed and photographed various Folsom leather bars in San Francisco; Allan Lowery's Leatherneck (links below) and later, at the same location after the Leatherneck closed and it became the Drummer Key Club, at 11th and Folsom streets, which is now the Oasis nightclub.
Jim left San Francisco in the 1980s when he was hired as
head of the Chicago Public Library Social Sciences and History
Department.
Jim Stewart died on October 15, 2018, at his home in Ludington, Michigan, where he had retired. The
cause of death was pneumonia two days after he broke his ankle
in a fall. He was 75 years old. He is survived by Kenneth Warner his partner of 35 years; they were married in California in 2008.
Viewfinder links:
Jim Stewart
1977 CARNIFAIR ~ Dancin' for the Seamen
Leatherneck bar, San Francisco, 1977
Leatherneck, Pillow, a Hungry i
Leatherneck posters
Net links:
Bay Area Reporter ~ Jim Stewart obit
Bilerico Project ~ Jim Stewart: SoMa Survivor obit
Found San Francisco ~ Folsom Street: The Miracle Mile
Foreward Reviews ~ Folsom Street Blues review
Lambda Literary Foundation ~Folsom Street Blues: A Memoir of 1970’s SoMa review
BARtab ~ Jim Stewart: Folsom Street Leather
Jim was intense and impassioned
but a sweeter soul never lived!
but a sweeter soul never lived!
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, November 21, 2018
~
November 18, 2018
Jim Stewart ~ Leather Photographer
~
November 11, 1943
~
October 15, 2018
Jim Stewart - 1975
self-portrait
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Bay Area Reporter ~ SOMA pioneer Jim Stewart obit
Styrous® ~ Sunday, November 18, 2018
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