Josh Gondelman: Profiles from the Illustrations

Josh Gondelman, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     In addition to being one of the friendliest guys you'll ever meet, Josh Gondelman is also a very talented writer and performer. His website elaborates, "Josh Gondelman is a writer and comedian who incubated in Boston before moving to New York City. With years of experience as a preschool teacher and a pretty good guy, Josh charms audiences using his good-natured storytelling and cracks them up with his sharp, pointy wit. Josh’s comedy touches on topics from rainbows to gangsta rap and makes them all equally hilarious thanks to his terrific writing and performing. 

In 2010 Josh traveled to Atlanta for the inaugural Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, where he turned heads and captured first prize! Since then he has become an in-demand performer on a national scale. He has performed at the Rooftop Comedy Festival in Aspen, CO, and headlined at the Laugh Your Asheville Off Festival in Asheville, NC. More recently he has appeared in the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival and SF Sketchfest. Josh’s grandmother was especially thrilled to see him on television on G4?s “Attack of the Show” and MavTV’s “Rooftop on the Road.” His first CD, “Everything’s The Best” was released in November of 2011 by Rooftop Comedy Productions."

Josh Gondelman- Stand-up Comedy

Josh Gondelman

Josh Gondelman at The Comedy Studio

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

CLOSE UP: Roger Salloom

Roger Salloom, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Roger Salloom- "O'Nello"

Documentary about Roger Salloom

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

New Movie Blog... and How I Came To Study Film History

     I have started a new Blog, dedicated solely to Film:

http://cinematicthoughts.blogspot.com/

 Updates and features regarding my Art and Illustration work will continue here, as always.


How I Came To Study Film and It's History

     If I was to say that I've always been into films, that wouldn't be entirely true. I don't recall going to the movies very often as a kid, and what I did see was mostly for entertainment value.
     That all began to change in the late 1990's. Immersed in my studies of  Art, Culture and History, my visual frame of reference was limited by available documentation and my imagination. I began to look at old films in a new context... in relation to historical figures and their time. Two scenarios piqued my interest at first:
      1) Prior to fleeing to South America, Outlaws Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid stopped off in New York City. While there, the two very likely caught a showing of The Great Train Robbery (1903), an early silent film featuring exaggerated aspects of their own exploits.

and

      2) Adolph Hitler certainly had  Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940) screened for him upon it's release.
     It was just cool to think of and visualize the reactions of those Historical figures to those films.

     So, I started watching more and more old films.

     Further development happened several years after that, around 2006 or so. At that time, my friend and fellow artist Andy Fish was teaching a series of Film courses (Horror Films, Hitchcock, Film Noir...). I took every one and, through Andy's enthusiasm for Film (and his encyclopedic knowledge of the subject), I learned more about the artistic aspects of filmmaking and gained a deeper appreciation for the process and development of a given film concept. Those courses changed the way I viewed Films and allowed Cinema to have a greater influence on my Art. I owe a lot to Andy for that. In the six years since then, I have logged many hundreds of hours in front of a flickering screen, read countless books, spent a lot of time on film sets (both Hollywood and Indie Films) and have met a lot of interesting people in the business. My studies and passion for the subject continue to grow, and I generally just have a good time with it.

   Back to the blog.
   With Cinematic Thoughts, I'll add a new film post every day. The films chosen are either artistically, culturally or historically significant... or are at least ones that I find interesting or simply entertaining in some way. There will be a balanced juxtaposition between old and new films. In tribute to Andy Fish, I have tried to structure each new post much in the same manner he did his classes:

1) Brief Introduction and background

2) The Film

3) Discussion (via the comments section)

     So, please check out the blog here: http://cinematicthoughts.blogspot.com/ , and follow along (on blogger or by submitting your email) as new entries are added each day. I invite and welcome you to share your thoughts on each featured film as well.

CLOSE UP: Shelton Hank Williams III (Hank 3)

Shelton Hank Williams III, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Hank 3: "D. Ray White"

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

CLOSE UP: Tim Mason

Timothy Mason, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Timothy Mason

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

Jan Luby: Profiles from the Illustrations

Jan Luby, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     My friend, Jan Luby... 

     

     Her website sums up her bio elegantly well, "Jan and her two siblings were born on the road to Vaudeville parents (a comedy juggler and an acrobat/dancer). Growing up back stage, living in a trailer, and traveling through 47 states before the age of seven primed her for her later entrance into the West Coast New Vaudeville scene. But first her family landed in Coney Island, New York, where as a teenager she acted and danced in the Everyman Company and Chalk Circle Players.
At the age of 20 Jan Luby escaped New York to head west, eventually making a name for herself in Santa Cruz, California as a solo singer/songwriter. She was one of the founders of the Santa Cruz Street Performers Guild and its open mic. It was in Santa Cruz that she hooked up with the likes of the Flying Karamazov Brothers, Tom Noddy (“The Bubble Guy”) and many other New Vaudeville performers and formed the comedy-musical duo Girls Who Wear Glasses with her partner, Rebo Flordigan. As part of the New Vaudeville circuit, Jan played clubs, fairs and festivals including The Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Edmonton Folk Festivals, the Milwaukee Harvest Festival, Oregon Country Fair, The Bear Mountain Festival of Music and Dance, Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival and The San Francisco Vaudeville Festival. As a solo performer Jan Luby is equally at home on a festival-stage in front of thousands as she is in more intimate settings, and has played coffeehouses, clubs, festivals and street-corners from Sweden to Greece and from New York and Boston to the Pacific Northwest. Upon moving to Boston in 1987, Jan helped to establish the open mic at the Nameless Coffeehouse. She has played all over New England, sharing stages with Loudon Wainwright III, Cheryl Wheeler, Bob Franke, Townes Van Zandt, Garnet Rogers, Lucie Blue Tremblay, Ani DiFranco, Dar Williams and many other noteworthy performers. After a long hiatus from performing to focus on being a mom, she is getting back into the fray with her CD, Nobody’s Girl, already getting airplay and rave reviews. She's already begun work on her next album, songs inspired by pregnancy and motherhood, as yet untitled. "

Jan Luby

Jan Luby, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Jan Luby

Jan Luby, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

For more info, visit: http://janluby.com/home.cfm

CLOSE UP: Guy Clark

Guy Clark, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt

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

Guy Clark- "To Live Is To Fly" (Townes Van Zandt cover)

CLOSE UP: Golden Bloom

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

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


Golden Bloom- "Doomsday Devices"

CLOSE UP: Tom Rush

Tom Rush, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Tom Rush: These Days

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

"Arlo Guthrie" Portrait Featured on Woody Guthrie's America...

"Arlo Guthrie, 2011". By Travis Simpkins featured on the Woody Guthrie's America site

     2012 is the Centennial year for American troubadour-folk singer Woody Guthrie, born in Okemah, Oklahoma in 1912. His compositions ("This Land is Your Land", "So Long It's Been Good to Know Ya", "Hard Travelin'", "Pastures of Plenty"...) have become both the fabric and spirit of American Music. I am so pleased and honored that Woody Guthrie's America saw fit to choose my illustration of Woody's son, Arlo Guthrie to be featured on their site. I have come to know three generations of the Guthrie Family over the years, and can say that they are some of the nicest folks around.

The Guthrie Family- "This Land is Your Land"

Tom Lewis (1940-2008): Profiles from the Illustrations

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

     As far as the history books are concerned, much of who Tom Lewis was is summed up in the years 1967-1968, the time of his two most famous protests. Those events have been recounted in many volumes, including Howard Zinn's classic, A People's History of the United States. I knew Tom Lewis quite well, and though he considered those events important as well, his life and influence were far more widespread.

Democracy Now remembers Tom Lewis

     Tom Lewis was born in Baltimore, MD in 1940. After high school, Tom joined the Nation Guard. The military changed Tom's views and as he said, "Its started a slow process of waking up to the problems of war." Social causes were calling and at the same time Tom was developing as an artist, creating works for Churches. Those two interests came together when Tom was introduced to Phillip Berrigan, a priest who shared many of Tom's feelings about war and injustice. In 1967, Tom and Phillip were part of the "Baltimore Four", which gained headlines after taking draft records and pouring blood over them. In 1968, while still out on bail for that case, Tom, Phillip and seven others did the same thing again in Catonsville, MD. This time, however, they used homemade napalm to destroy the records. The group became known as "The Catonsville Nine." Tom was convicted and served three years in prison.

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

     After his release from prison in the 1970's, Tom Lewis moved to Worcester, MA. There, he continued his life's work in many capacities... He became an art instructor, teaching at the Worcester Art Museum and Anna Maria College, all the while pursuing his own artistic career. Ever a man of devout faith, he worked with the homeless and downtrodden, even opening his own home for those in need. He continued his protests, his acts of non-violent disobedience, serving more time in jail for causes he believed in. And, as Tom would often say was his greatest accomplishment, he became a father. He loved his daughter, Nora, more than anything.

Cops and Peace Demonstrators. By Tom Lewis

Tom Lewis talks about his Art and The Catonsville Nine

The Catonsville Nine, 1968. (Tom Lewis back row, right)

EZEKIEL, 1996. By Tom Lewis

     Tom Lewis was one of a kind. For those fortunate enough to meet him, he will always live on in memory and legacy. He is, and will always be, greatly missed.

In memory Tom Lewis

Tom Lewis (1940-2008)

Tom Lewis (1940-2008) and Howard Zinn (1922-2010)

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

Casey Desmond: Art and Music (Songs that Inspired the Illustrations)

Casey Desmond, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Talking to God

Right Beside Myself

Born This Way (lady Gaga cover)

Casey Desmond, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Tilt Me Back

For a While

Rocket Lover

Casey Desmond, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

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

Loudon Wainwright III: Profiles from the Illustrations

Loudon Wainwright III, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     In speaking about his musical life, Loudon Wainwright summed it up enough to leave little room or need for minute details. He said, "The first album came out in 1970 and the career's been up and down ever since." That's Loudon. Ever-funny, ever-humble. If you feel impelled to read further about his exploits, feel free to read his more lengthy bio here. In the meantime, I'll just let the man's music speak for itself...

Loudon Wainwright III- "The Picture"

"Your Mother and I"

The Wainwright Family

Loudon Wainwright III- "Unrequited"

"Newt Gingrich is Running for Pres"

Loudon Wainwright III- "A Father and a Son"

Father and Son: Rufus Wainwright and Loudon Wainwright III

For more info, visit: http://www.lw3.com/home.php

CLOSE UP: Troy Schoeller

Troy Schoeller, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Razors in the Night

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

Cowboys and Aliens (2011): Blending Sci-Fi and Westerns

     Though it seems like a new concept because it hasn't been done in a while, mixing Sci-Fi and Western genres in films dates back to the 1950s. In Cowboys and Aliens (2011), the idea gets a fresh revitalization with all the technological advances of modern film being put to use. Overall, it's a solid story with great characters and a strong cast. 

     Daniel Craig plays an outlaw who wakes up in the desert with amnesia and a strange contraption on his wrist. 

     Harrison Ford plays a cattle baron who basically owns the nearby town. Tensions between the townspeople suddenly seem minuscule when they are attacked by Aliens who kidnap a bunch of their loved ones... 

     Now, despite many differences, all the surviving people must work together to locate the mother ship...

     They must battle the Aliens and rescue their kin...

Cowboys and Aliens- movie trailer

CLOSE UP: Richie Havens

Richie Havens, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

For more info, visit: http://www.richiehavens.com/official_site/home.html


Richie Havens- "Here Comes the Sun" (Beatles cover)

In the Heat of the Night (1967): Still Relevant 45 Years Later

     In the Heat of the Night deservedly won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1967. With top-notch acting, great direction and a smart script, this detective story with racial tension can only be described as powerful. It was brave for it's time and still resounds today. Crisp cinematography and well-conveyed sets truly give the sense of the sweltering summer Mississippi heat, adding further atmosphere to a film already firmly set in so many other essential aspects of technique. 

    An influential white man has been found murdered and robbed on the Main St. of Sparta, Mississippi. Police Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger) orders the town's outskirts searched for drifters. In a twist of bad luck, Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a black man, is found alone, waiting for a train at the station. He is immediately arrested on suspicion of murder and brought to the police station. 

     There, Gillespie questions Tibbs and makes the tense discovery that Tibbs is in fact a police officer as well, a homicide expert from Philadelphia. Tibbs' boss tells him to stay on and assist the investigation. Gillespie is hesitant at first, but resigns to the fact that Tibbs' knowledge may prove useful. 

     All the while bigotry, anger and inferiority runs rampant, both between Tibbs and the citizens... 

     and equal tensions and prejudices between Tibbs and Gillespie... 

     Will there be enough time for Tibbs to solve the case before all these animosities boil over?

In the Heat of the Night- movie trailer

CLOSE UP: Michael J. Epstein

Michael J. Epstein, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library- "Holy Ghost"

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

Ron Hansen: Master of Historical Fiction

Ron Hansen, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     Although he is an accomplished author in all different genres of Literature, one area where Ron Hansen particularly stands out is in the genre of historical fiction. Historical fiction essentially takes historic and biographical events and places them in the format of a fictional story. The addition of imagined dialogue and elegant descriptions of surroundings adds a sense of atmosphere, place and humanity to the work. As with any historical subject matter, it all centers on research, the art is what is built around it. Here are some of Ron's historical fiction novels that really hit the mark:

Desperadoes (1979)

     

     Detailing the exploits of the Dalton Gang, Ron Hansen brings us right into the mix of it. We get to know the Dalton brothers and their crew, making the climax of their ill-fated attempt to rob two banks at once in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1892 all the more powerful.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (1983)

     Never before has such light been shed upon the treachery of the events leading up to Jesse James' murder in 1881. With members of his own gang conspiring against him, and the law ready to be rid of him, Jesse James must face and accept the inevitable. Written with astounding beauty, the passages Hansen scribes stick out in one's memory as much as the legend of the figures being represented. The book has since been made into a very good feature film starring Brad Pitt as Jesse James and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford- movie trailer

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Hitler's Niece (1999)

     Here, Hansen depicts the everyday life of Adolf Hitler in amazing detail... the troubles he faces with the oncoming WWII, and the insecurities he has in abundance. It also touches on a lesser known historical element in the dictator's life: the affair he had with his own niece, and the probable role Hitler played in her mysterious death.

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A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion (2011)

     Hansen's most recent effort focuses on the 1920s case of Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray. They were having an affair and conspired to murder Ruth's husband. They both were subsequently sent to the electric chair. Before the crime, Ruth Snyder had purchased an accident insurance policy on her husband, with a double indemnity clause. The 1944 film, Double Indemnity was loosely inspired by this case.

Ron talking about his new novel, A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion

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Purchase copies of these and other Ron Hansen novels here

CLOSE UP: Joan Baez

Joan Baez, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Joan Baez- "Diamonds and Rust"

Bob Dylan and Joan Baez- 1965

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