CLOSE UP: Elizabeth Ziman (Elizabeth & the Catapult)

Elizabeth Ziman, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Elizabeth & the Catapult- "Race You"

For more info, visit: http://www.elizabethandthecatapult.com/

CLOSE UP: Michael J. Epstein

Michael J. Epstein, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library- "Civil Engineering"

For more info, visit: http://michaeljepstein.com/

CLOSE UP: Mehran Khaghani

Mehran Khaghani, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Mehran- Stand-up comedy

For more info, visit: Interview with Mehran Khaghani

CLOSE UP: Roger Salloom

Roger Salloom, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Roger Salloom- "Tappin' That Thing"

Documentary about Roger Salloom

For more info, visit: http://www.rogersalloom.com/

CLOSE UP: John McCauley (Deer Tick)

John McCauley, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Deer Tick- "Main Street" on the Late Show with David Letterman

For more info, visit: http://www.deertickmusic.com/

CLOSE UP: Johnny Irion

Johnny Irion, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion- "Target on Your Heart"

For more info, visit: http://www.sarahleeandjohnny.com/

The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949): Obscure Classic Films

     Tense and intriguing, The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949) is a thriller that doesn't keep the viewer guessing, but rather leaves one wondering about that which is already known to be factual.

     A spoiled man has a tough dilemma. His wife has found out about the woman for which he plans to leave her. She agrees to leave the new couple to their devices, but only if she is paid handsomely. The man knows he is in the will of his wealthy aunt, so he hires a psychotic killer to kill her so that he might collect the inheritance.

     Unfortunately, a desperate (legally blind) burglar stumbles upon the murder just as it is taking place. His involvement is instrumental to the unfolding of the future events.

      Meanwhile, Paris' best detective, played by Charles Laughton, has been assigned to the case.

     He gets more than he bargained for when the killer turns out to be an arrogant sociopath and basically admits to the crime, then taunts and challenges the detective to come up with a way to prove it.

     He leads the police on a series of chases that include the rooftops of Paris...

     as well as the Eiffel Tower itself, as the title suggests...

     Can the detective find the proof he needs to send this psychopath to the guillotine?

The Man on the Eiffel Tower- full feature film

CLOSE UP: Rob Potylo

Rob Potylo, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Rob Potylo talks about the FCC and Radio Censorship

For more info, visit: http://quietd.com/

and

http://robpotylo.com/

CLOSE UP: Golden Bloom (Shawn Fogel)

Golden Bloom (Shawn Fogel), 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Golden Bloom- "30 Lives"

For more info, visit: http://goldenbloom.net/

Brett Sparks (The Handsome Family): Profiles from the Illustrations

Brett Sparks, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     Brett Sparks formed the band, The Handsome Family with his wife Rennie in Chicago in 1993. A perfect team (she writes the lyrics, he writes the music), their sound is inspired by country, rock, bluegrass and folk ballads. Brett's expert guitar playing and strong baritone voice comprise their unique sound and are the foundation of The Handsome Family's live shows. He also produces and plays the majority of the instruments on their home/studio recordings.

The Handsome Family- "Bottomless Hole"

The Handsome Family- "Song of a Hundred Toads"

Brett Sparks, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

The Handsome Family- "All the Time at Airports"

The Handsome Family- "After We Shot the Grizzly"

The Handsome Family- "Bowling Alley Bar"

The Handsome Family, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

For more info, visit: http://www.handsomefamily.com/

CLOSE UP: Jennifer Coolidge

Jennifer Coolidge, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Jennifer Coolidge in American Pie (1999)

Jennifer Coolidge in American Reunion (American Pie)

For more info, visit: http://www.imdb.com/JenniferCoolidge

Hank Williams III (Hank 3): Art and Music (Songs that Inspired the Illustrations)

Hank Williams III, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Country Heroes

Pills I Took

Legend of D. Ray White

Atlantic City (cover of Bruce Springsteen)

Howlin' at the Moon (cover of Hank Williams)

Hank Williams and Hank 3- Ramblin' Man

Hank Williams III and Joe Buck, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

For more info, visit: http://www.hank3.com/

CLOSE UP: Aaron the King Wizard

Aaron the King Wizard, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

TRAIN WRECK! Aaron the King Wizard does comedy at a Church

For more info, visit: Aaron the King Wizard videos on youtube

New Portrait Illustration: Myq Kaplan (Comedian)

Myq Kaplan, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     I first met Myq Kaplan around 2006 or so. We had mutual friends in the Boston Comedy scene and he was beginning to gain notoriety around that time. Myq is a cool character, quiet and easy-going off stage. When he was performing, though, there was just something (perhaps it is his masterful knowledge of how to use language, to words things) that set him apart. Anyway, he got his break on the TV show Last Comic Standing. Since then his career has really blown up with appearances on Late Night with Conan O"Brien, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Late Show with David Letterman... for all I know, he's probably been on Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno's shows too. He's an amazing comedian and a real, genuine nice guy. He deserves every bit of his success.

Myq Kaplan on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Myq Kaplan on The Late Show with David Letterman

Myq Kaplan on Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Myq Kaplan at the Comedy Studio, Cambridge, MA- 2008

Myq Kaplan and Conan O'Brien

For more info, visit: http://myqkaplan.com/

CLOSE UP: Ron Hansen

Ron Hansen, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Ron Hansen talks about his novel, "A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion"

A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion. By Ron Hansen

Purchase "A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion" here on amazon.com

"Play It Again, Sam" (1972): Classic Woody Allen

      Although Woody Allen wrote and starred in "Play It Again, Sam" (1972), he did not direct it. That job was given to Herbert Ross. It was an early stage in Allen's filmmaking career and his best known efforts at that time were slapstick in nature, so he was not fully trusted with complete artistic control. Nevertheless, the film stands out as the first in a series of Allen films in a similar vein... in which he is a hopeless romantic failure. It is the first pairing of Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, who formed a long lasting creative partnership. It also resonates as Woody Allen's remarkably beautiful homage to one of the greatest films ever made... Casablanca. 

     Woody Allen stars as Allen Felix, a writer for a film magazine, whose wife has just left him. Depressed, bewildered and befuddled, he is need of a new companion. Strangely enough, his most vocal wing man is the ghost of Humphrey Bogart, who gives him tips on how to score with the ladies. 

     His married friends, Dick and Linda, also try to help by setting him up on a series of dates... all of which end in hilarious disaster. 

     Through their friendship, Allen realizes that his true affections rest with Linda, his best friend's wife. More confusion occurs when it is discovered that Linda has feelings for him as well. 

     How can he reconcile his feelings and do what is best for all involved?

scene from "Play It Again, Sam"

CLOSE UP: Niki Luparelli

Niki Luparelli, 2010. By Travis Simpkins

Niki Luparelli- "Dream a Little Dream of Me"

Lainey Schulbaum, Travis Simpkins, and Niki Luparelli- 2007

For more info, visit: http://www.nikiluparelli.com/

CLOSE UP: Tom Rush

Tom Rush, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Tom Rush- "Panama Limited"

For more info, visit: http://tomrush.com/

Fury (1936): Fritz Lang's First American Film

     In the mid 1930s, Fritz Lang, Germany's most celebrated film director, bravely refused Adolf Hitler's request that he become the head of movies for the Third Reich. Lang fled to America and wound up in Hollywood, hired by MGM. His first American film was Fury (1936), starring Spencer Tracy and Sylvia Sidney, touching on the issue of mob violence. It still holds up well today, but benefits greatly from repeated viewings.

     Joe and Kate are in love, but lack the financial stability they deem necessary for marriage. So Kate moves away for a better job, while Joe stays behind to work and save money so that they can wed upon their reunion. When that day comes, Joe drives out to meet Kate but is stopped by the police and is accused of a crime he didn't commit (kidnapping). He maintains his innocence through the questioning...

     Meanwhile, Kate is concerned that Joe has not arrived...

      While he is being held, the angry townspeople form a mob, hell-bent on instant justice... 

     They set fire to the jail and everyone assumes Joe is killed in the fiery explosion... 

     Joe survives, however, and escapes unnoticed. As a result of the horrific behavior of the mob, Joe is determined to get revenge on those responsible for his "death." He wants them to suffer as he suffered. Twenty-two people in the mob are put on trial for Joe's murder (it was later discovered he was an innocent man), while Joe awaits their inevitable executions. It's up to Kate to talk some sense into him before it goes too far...

a scene from "Fury"

CLOSE UP: Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies)

Brad Roberts, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Brad Roberts

For more info, visit: http://www.crashtestdummies.com/#/home

CLOSE UP: Arlo Guthrie

Arlo Guthrie, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Arlo Guthrie- "Darkest Hour"

For more info, visit: http://www.arlo.net/

New Portrait Illustration: Tom Lewis (1940-2008) Artist/Activist

Tom Lewis (1940-2008), 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     The first time I was set to meet Tom Lewis was at the unveiling of a mixed-media mural he had made for the Community Health Center, but he was not there. Like so many times before, Tom had been arrested, quickly convicted and was serving a prison sentence. The second time I was supposed to meet him, once again, he was behind bars. His countless acts of Civil Disobedience, for which he thoroughly believed in and sacrificed his freedom for, led to his numerous incarcerations both years before and years after I finally met him in 2000. When I did get to know Tom quite well, he was my Printmaking Professor at Anna Maria College, and later, my co-worker at the Worcester Art Museum. In contrast to the notion of an angry protester, Tom was, perhaps, the nicest, most caring, generous and humble man I have ever known. Even when he told me about his upcoming protests, he would speak very nonchalantly, "I'm planning to get about three months for this..." Tom was an amazing human being (that always placed others before himself) and a tremendously talented artist. The protests often overshadowed his role as an artist, but in my eyes, he remains one of the best. I feel honored to have known him, and he is dearly missed.

Cops and Peace Demonstrators. By Tom Lewis

Democracy Now remembers Tom Lewis

Tom Lewis and others burning draft records- Catonsville, Maryland- 1968

Tom Lewis talks about his Art and the Catonsville Nine

EZEKIEL, 1996. By Tom Lewis

Tom Lewis (1940-2008)

For more info, visit: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/06/8120