BEND QUESTION #2:
"Do you think the current economic crisis and political climate effect the arts? How and why?"
Mike Watt / Hoot Page:
"You can imagine if you're in a band, in a van that's touring, what the high gas prices mean for working the towns across the land. Also, what about gig-goers having bones to support That's a little bit of the economic thing. As far as the political thing, all the narrow-mindedness does not bide well, I think, for being open or for taking chances w/the arts, but then again any farmer would tell you if you wanna a good crop, use a lot of manure."
Cheryl Dunn / cheryldunn:
"I think the current economic crisis and political climate is creating a reality check across the board. Out of bad economy does come better art. Artists who are driven to create, because they have to, will still be standing. Artists who are driven to make money might fall to the wayside. The same is true for the dealers.
"The international community is more interested in what is happening over here, since the gov basically just took down the whole world. So if you are an artist that addresses or documents the character of the country this might be a good time for your work to be recognized. It's up to the artist to be strong, to rescue our country by leading with culture. Definition: The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc., this is our only hope."
Chris Pastras / Stereo Sound Agency:
"I think the current economic crisis and political climate will actually be a good time for the arts. [Reason being] that truly great art, in my opinion, comes from overcoming adverse situations, making something out of nothing, and having something to say while doing it.
"As skateboarders, we learn what it's like to make something out of nothing, and we've seen our industry tank each 5-10 years since it's inception. People talk about those years as such dark times, but those periods are some of my favorite times in skateboarding's history. The people who were doing it during those times were doing it for themselves and just a few of their peers. Thrasher magazine, The Bones Brigade, and World Industries were all born out of a dead skate scene. And when the money and the corporate sponsors are gone, we get to see who just wanted to be on ABC"s wide world of sports, and who just wanted to ride their skateboard and make cool stuff. Don't get me wrong, money is great, but I don't think it's at the core of our motivation as artists or skateboarders.
"Because our current government and the financial institution that goes with it have failed us this decade, in a strange way we have a fresh start. It's kind of exciting if you ask me, and I believe because of the struggles we are seeing and feeling, we will see some art with some real messages, and more of a sense of an arts community in the years to come."
Mark Penxa / mpenxa:
"It has been my experience that economic and political crisis are pure petrol for the creative, and who doesn't love the idea of free fuel? I would hope that most of us would use the first few drops of gasoline to start a raging fire, to dance around and sing Billy Bragg songs at the top of our bloody lungs before we sink ourselves into what is happening. The shit is getting pretty deep. Best to have a backyard bonfire party with the ones you love, just in case you don't make it out alive.
"Our brush strokes are a little bit heavier, we're hitting our bar chords a little bit harder, sculptors are going at it more crudely, the sewing machines are double stitching every seam and all our friends are joyously dancing to this fucked up beat. On the front porch, Freddi, Russ and Pastras are drinking more than they usually do, excitedly talking about Winston Smith and Raymond Pettibon and some kid is in the kitchen jamming Los Crudos in his headphones, armed with a glue stick, destroying my newspapers. I bet he's making something great. The nerdy kids have run out of film and the cool kids can't afford their God damn oil paint any more. The entire party has run out of their favorites but, we're all more than happy to drink the cheap shit.
"The house band is tuning up and all of a sudden, Watt is on drums. Pendleton is playing guitar (finally), Lori can't stop marveling at the color of the worn neck on her new hand-me-down P-Bass and Larson is singing something all raspy like 'La, La, La, We're all going down!' It's gonna sound awful, but it's going to be great to see. The bathroom is packed because Cheryl drew really great mustaches on the mirror and everyone is lining up to see which one best suits them and no one can find Yong-Ki Chang (again) but, I'd be willing to bet he's in the basement flipping through the musky old BMX mags like he always does.
"Me? I spent the entire night looking for the girl I've got that massive crush on and now I'm outside watching it all happen through the picture window, with nothing really to my name except for this can of gasoline in my hand. Which I've decided I'm going to use to write "FUCK YOU" on the lawn of city hall, just as soon as the band is done. Oddly enough, they sound a lot like Nation of Ulysses.
"This changes everything."
Yong-Ki Chang / 313 Gallery & Equal Distribution:
"To me, it ignites the arts. I've always had this odd notion that music is better challenged creatively during economic downturns. For example, when the economy is good, a proliferation of bubble gum pop tends to take over the airwaves. When the cycle is on the dark side, the artists who are more thought-provoking tend to get some shine. This is even more apparent within a hot political climate. With the heat comes a wave of activism from artists (like 'em or not) who are affected and desire change. Recently on the, 'Late Show,' Letterman interviewed McCain and followed with R&B singer, Ne-Yo who finished his act by spinning around and showing his support with a back patch of Obama's face. Using the limelight, he promoted his political view as an invited artist on the show. But what do I know... except that I don't like McCain and that Ne-Yo wasn't all that bad."
Tony Larson / larsonrules:
"I think it depends on which segment of the arts community you're speaking of. I think it's safe to say that this type of volatile climate does not bode well for funding of the arts in our schools etc... If it was bad before, ugggh, it's not going to get better. However, I don't think that the 'high art' galleries and the artists they represent will take too much of a hit. They seem to take care of their own, don't they?
"I think the volatility will serve as great fodder for many artists. As we all know, historically, artists are very tuned into the pulse of their surroundings and highly sensitive to social crisis. It invariably seeps into the art work and more often than not leads to great changes in policy and perspective.
"Down to the bones: Artists make art and nothing can stop that. Will is more powerful than any currency or any government that creates it."
Don Pendleton / elephont:
"An economic depression will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the arts. Most likely not in a financial way, but in a sense that it'll hopefully bring everyone back to the starting block where most artists began: a sense of message and opinion, a sense of responsibility towards what is created and how those reflect what's going on around us.
"Historically, it always seems that the best art is created in times of strife and challenge. When things are good, there seems to be a sense of ego that creeps into artwork that seems less apparent when the message is more important than the messenger.
"Even though there has been a 'war' going on that the U.S. is involved in, the impact of that war didn't really affect the average people of the United States directly. Certainly those who had loved ones and family members shipping off to fight were directly affected but otherwise, there were way too many diversions to keep most people from focusing on it. So it didn't really seem to have the power that something like an economic depression might have. And as much as I hate to compare the act of physical war to something like a depressed economy, I'm thinking more in terms of how many people will finally sit up and say, 'Hey, this is something that I'm forced to deal with directly.' And sometimes that's what it takes, unfortunately.
"There will be less diversion; people won't be able to afford a life of luxury and credit for the most part. They won't be able to keep themselves occupied probably with expensive gadgets, high-priced services and things that seem to keep our minds from current affairs. We will all be affected, most likely.
"And as things get tighter for all of us, we'll probably start to focus on the things that are most important to us and we'll need a venue or medium to have that message heard. In the early 80s, people embraced the DIY approach and applied it to all kinds of things... not just art. Necessity is the mother of invention and when you can't run out and buy everything that you need, you start to become a little more resourceful. Maybe we'll see a shift from $55.00 t-shirts to hand stenciled spray painted t-shirts again and things like that. Perhaps everyone will become an artist in that sense if the economy gets bad enough.
"There will probably be less sales, less grants, less patrons and less sponsors for shows but artists are pretty inventive when it comes to things like that. It won't keep people from having shows or getting the message out there. Maybe we'll see a resurgence in things like found object art and lots of recycling and things of that nature... which seems like a positive angle to the whole mess.
"All of this hinges on the way that the economy sinks. I believe that as a country, we've lived a life of excess for far too long. Credit has been taken advantage of and it's time to pay the tab. So as the government carefully places bandages where tourniquets are necessary, it will likely get worse before it gets better. Trying to maintain lines of credit is just going to prolong the eventual crash. As a nation, we're 10 trillion dollars in debt. Most of our assets exist on paper but our debt is real. It's no longer an option to extend credit where it's been abused and I think we'll also see a huge drop in the value of the dollar and lots of inflation which will add to the mess.
"It may be time to put down the diversions and accept the gravity of the situation, address it and become vocal about it. Historically, art was not a career of riches and wealth so artists should be able to adapt to the new era of a cash only lifestyle. Those who are accustomed to living beneath their means will be ready for it; those who have wallowed in the era of easy money and high credit limits might feel a pretty tight pinch but there's nothing like a heavy dose of historical reality to get us in the mood for downsizing."
originally posted; 10/27/08
BEND QUESTION #1:
"If you were a mogul and wanted to start a foundation, what would it be?"
Jeremy Weiss / Day19:
"I would start the 'Get That Kid a Bike' Foundation. The local BMX track where I grew up was a total rundown, not even smooth, gates barely worked track called Lums Pond in Delaware. Some of the fastest kids that came there had the most in shambles bikes ever. So yeah, start a bike company, make some great product, but only give them out for free, to the kid who's cranks are falling off."
Hershel Baltrotsky / Art Raffle:
"The Little Lebowski Urban Achievers. Just kidding. Really though... I think I would start a foundation that helped high school kids with their arts education. Creating after school programs that allowed them to be creative and use materials and technologies that might not normally be affordable by the kids or their school system. Just basically push the idea that a career in the arts is not only achievable, but honorable... (the sort of encouragement that was lacking in my high school experience.)
"Oh, and also a side project where I randomly show up at a bar and buy everyone in the place dinner and a drink while we build card castles out of $100 bills...
"Oh wait... also, I would open some sort of odd ball food chain, like Hershel's Happy Doughnuts and Dry Cleaning."
Harold McGruther / Crown Lounge:
"The Tarmac Foundation would develop, fund and construct small vehicle and bicycle thoroughfares in depressed, under-developed and war-torn regions of the world. Roads aren't as sexy as food, adoption or medical services, but without them people like Bono and Bradgelina can't do their thing. Once these roads were constructed, the Tarmac Foundation would provide refurbished bicycles and bike-repair parts and training for the people who live along their routes. Hopefully this small advancement in mobility would stimulate local economies, expand sales and trade channels between communities and improve health and prosperity for everyone. Like I said: it isn't sexy, but it seems necessary."
Craig Metzger / enginesystem:
"If I was loaded I'd support One Percent for the Planet. I wouldn't start one cause I think there are so many good ones and One Percent does a great job of providing grants and funding for more of these grass root environmental organizations. So I guess I'm saying my foundation would involve environmental protection and action."
Misato Suzuki / A Little Painter:
"Study Abroad Foundation. Age from 6-100 years old. Whoever wants to study in any foreign countries for good reasons... I want to go to Italy or Greece to study about olive oil and language for one year or more if I have money!!!"
Todd Bratrud / Lords of Apathy:
"Depends on who you talk to, for whatever reason most people think I'm a mogul as it is, but yeah, I'll play along. If I were a mogul I would start a... foundation to... uh... a foundation that would... good question. I guess there a million directions one could take this, there are so many great reasons to start a good foundation, but how do you pick? OK, here's what I would do, start the Foundation Foundation. A foundation that helps 'non-mogul' types realize their dreams of starting a foundation, in effect I would end up doing more good as a whole than starting a foundation of my own. Wait, do more good? Who says a foundation has to be good... whatever, I'll leave it at that. The wheels are turning now tho, so hopefully I don't actually end up a mogul somehow, sorry to disappoint everyone who may have thought I was already a mogul based on how I started this hunk of text, but I've abandoned that joke as I'm now thinking about the terrible foundations I would most likely create if I were really the mogul that most people believe I am."
originally posted; 10/20/08
BEND QUESTION #4:
"How are you feeling now, after the November 4th US Presidential Election has passed?"
Max Schaaf / 4Q Conditioning:
"I'm fairly shocked. 220 volts of cold shocking amps. I'm investing money in the makers of 'bullet proof glass' and maybe investing in the makers of 'stunt glass.' I voted and I got the sticker... the volunteer informed me that Starbucks would give me a 'free cup' if I showed my sticker. I assumed of coffee? Oakland went hyphy as hell that night. Good for you. Good for us."
John Martin / Nike Skate, Nike Snow & Nike6.0:
"I’m not sure if the Clintons realize just how much they had to do with Obama’s historic victory. In an era of great prosperity, Bill’s hook up with Monica embarrassed and polarized the nations religious right. They do say that 'idle hands are the devil's playground.' Thus swinging the penjilum of public opinion and the dawn of the Bush Dark ages. Now after two wars and an economic meltdown the publics mighty penjilum is in full swing again. This time ushering in a era of unprecedented change and hope. So I guess what I’m trying to tell you is that some days I curse the BJ and some days I praise it. God bless America.
Campbell Milligan / Monster Children:
"Coming from Australia, and heavily influenced by the United States, I was still blown away at the excitement and devout following of the American election and more importantly Barack Obama. I mean people here were having election night parties and Obama 'Hope' stickers were everywhere?! We don't care or show that much passion about our own elections. And yet this single man has not only brought together a country, he's joined a planet together during some of its harshest times!
"Not many things in my lifetime have had such an impact on all generations, and no matter what happens, looking forward I think this in itself is a life altering thing that I'm really proud to have lived through. I do hope people give him some time, a little patience — I would hate to be wearing those scuffed soled shoes right now, as all the pressures of not only America, but the world will be piling on top of those shoulders. The future is looking optimistic and I personally haven't seen or thought that for quite some time. And on a final note, damn the man can dress... nothing like a leader with style to burn!"
Yogi Proctor / yogiproctor:
"I feel great. I was actually at Grant Park, Chicago for the acceptance speech. It was amazing. Certainly a sense of renewed faith in the American democratic political system. Everyone was seemingly in a state of euphoric shock. But my biggest realization came on my way home. I split from my friends to ride my bike home. Its about a twenty minute ride. At about half past midnight there were still lots of people on the street, and everyone was in accordance with each other. People from all walks of life, just generally hanging out, getting along and celebrating. Not shopping, not on their way to work, no hussle-bussle attitude. I cycled though the buzz of it, thinking 'this is what utopia must be like'; a general sense that everyone is committed to the same goal of engaged and pleasurable coexistence. Certainly that some things need improving, but with a sort un-selfish commitment, and that the streets where a place of that social celebration. That could be utopian, and for a few hours on the night of November 4th, certainly in Chicago, and likely elsewhere, that state of utopia presented itself. I was lucky enough to cycle through it."
originally posted; 11/10/08
BEND QUESTION #3:
"If you didn't have to work for money, would you find enough things to do during the day? What might those things be?"
Kevin Wilkins / The Skateboard Mag & Good Problem:
"At first I read the question like, 'If you didn't have any money ...' And I thought, 'I'm not too far from that now.'
"But 'If I didn't have to, would I?' That's different.
"I think, yeah. But 'enough' for me probably isn't the super high bar it is for everyone else.
"I'm lazy. I'm easily distracted. I'm pissed. Combine those things with a house full of cleaning and throw-away stuff that we can't seem to throw away, and there's always plenty to do. Actually, I think all the stuff I avoid doing each day could fill a parallel life and then some.
"But maybe if I don't have to work for money, I'd have lots of it. If that's the case, I'd hire someone to clean out our garage and our basement. If they did it right and I liked them, maybe they could stick around and kind of pick up after us. We are very messy.
"Honestly, though, even if I didn't have to, I'd probably still choose to do some version of my current job. I really have to try hard to find things I don't like about it (but If I put my mind to it, I've been known to try surprisingly hard), and twenty years ago and ten years ago and five years ago, the job I really wanted is the job I currently have.
"Maybe I could just work for office space, a chance to collaborate with good people, and we could all make a magazine about skateboarding."
Lori Domiano / lori-d:
"Oh yes! I would learn how to whittle... visit mountains... spend more time with my family... apprentice with quiltmakers... be outside all the time... study plants... find storytellers... learn and learn and help more and be better at reciprocating and inviting..."
Tim Souers / Cubby Blue:
"Hell yes. I'd do (in this order): family stuff, fun stuff, stuff to make me healthy, do stuff to give back since I'd be getting the free ride, and finally do stuff I've never done.
"That would be plenty."
Bryce Kanights / brycekanights & Skate Daily:
"If I was so fortunate as to not have to work for a living, I'm sure that I would find plenty of things to do. First of all, if the money was still there as support, I would travel around much more to see some of the national parks that this country has to offer Yellowstone, Glacier, Zion and Bryce Canyon are among the top of my list. Another must visit for me would be a weeks long visit to the Smithsonian museums.
"But most importantly I would donate my time and experience to establish and contribute to a workshop to teach kids the fundamentals of photography through the Park and Rec Department here in Portland.
"I'd just like to give back as much as possible to those less fortunate."
Megan Baltimore / Ruby Republic & Crailtap:
"Sew, paint, bake, take cooking classes, ride my motorcycle to Malaga Cove everyday, finish the paper mache bat I have been trying to make for two years, take more deep breathes, laugh about deadlines, struggle to overcome my nightmares of managing people. Love the people I already love a lot more with a lot more energy and attention. Like the Jenkins's..."
Mark Lewman / Nemo Design:
"Are people allowed to be bored any more? It seems like there's enough media saturation, thematic restaurants, travel getaways, novelty T-shirts, dog parks, etc. etc. to last a lifetime. Have you seen all that bonus content in the new Spider Man 3 DVD?
"In the last year I traveled to and from work, which was 112 miles each way. I did this 3 to 5 days a week; 4 hours in the car. I would usually forgo any music or telephone talking...and just drive. Sometimes I would take pictures. But mostly I was just sitting, speeding and thinking.
"Now I moved closer to my job. Somehow I have an extra half a workday in my day and I feel busier than ever. I am constantly behind on everything. I tell myself the work will always be there. And I love what I do, usually, so that is a good problem to have.
"If some windfall left a load of cash in my lap and I didn't have to "work" I think my life would not necessarily simplify, but would include more things done with my family, more things done outdoors, and more reading."
Dustin Beatty / Anthem Magazine & Nice Bike:
"Absolutely. I think the bane of being in the "thing making" business is that ideas are fluid and sometimes business gets in the way of creativity. Having to balance art and commerce is something I'm sure we all struggle with.
"As for me, I would work towards living a more realized life. I'm guilty of having eating well and exercising fall to the wayside because of deadlines or not attending a friend's birthday because I'm traveling. Ultimately, I think I'd take a survey of how I could balance my mental and physical well-being, relationships, artistic endeavors and passions and work toward a more holistic way of living. In a sense, not much would change. I would just wake up earlier.
Some Other Activities:
• Do more Yoga
• Make books
• Shoot more photos
• Read more books
• Take my dog on more walks
• Meet more people and visit them more often
• Ride motorcycles as much as I could
• Learn how to make music
• Surf more
• Cook more
• Plant a bigger garden
• Travel more
Russ Pope / russpope:
"Oh yeah, I could fill up a day without work several times over. First off, I have a wife and two children. There are so many activities that happen throughout the day with the three of them and I'd love to be at more of those. I could stay in the studio painting with a few breaks for food all day long. That activity could fill the day easily. I'd spend more time outside on my skateboard or bike, at the beach, walking, camping, sitting in my back yard. I'd read much more than I do now. I make time for reading now, but would make more. I think this list would get me started."
originally posted; 11/3/08
BEND QUESTION #5:
"Describe a situation you have been in that was really uncomfortable. How do you avoid these kind of situations? Or do you?"
John Trippe / Fecal Face:
"An old girlfriend and I went home to visit her folks at Christmas. This was the first time I met them and we had a nice couple of days doing holiday stuff around the town they lived. On morning we were to leave the ex-girlfriend got horrible menstrual cramps. They were really, really bad and they kept getting worse. Finally she insisted on a trip to the hospital. Our flight was to leave in a few hours, so she, her parents and I we rushed to the emergency room where the doctors gave her some serious pain killers which calmed her way down... She just lied on her side on the small metal bed inbetween her parents and me. We all made uncomfortable small talk while we waited for the doctor to return. When he did, he told us that they wanted to give her a pregnency test... Waiting for the results things got really uncomfortable. Nothing like meeting the folks for the first time, their daughter lying half dead in front of us, dizzy from pain medicine and waiting for the doctor to come back to let us know if my girl friend and their daughter was pregnant. That was very very uncomfortable for everyone in the room except for the girlfriend who was high off pain killers. We missed our flight and she wasn't pregnant, thank God."
Patrick O'Dell / Epicly Later'd & Epicly Later'd on VBS:
"I feel uncomfortable in almost every social situation, unless I am with good friends. I usually hide out at my house these days, to avoid them. I get uncomfortable when people ask me the most basic questions as, 'what do you do? "Do you live in LA or NY?' I seriously get nervous and can't think of the right answer. I went to an art opening last night and I couldn't figure out how to talk to anyone, 'am I boring this person? does this person really want to talk to me?' etc. I just wanted to leave the whole time."
Michael Burnett / Michael Burnett Photography:
I was drunk in Australia.
I'd realized I was slurring my words, so I was mostly just nodding along as I talked with Tony at the bar. I was thinking how I really needed to go back to the hotel soon.
"Mmm hmmm. Yeah. Uh huh."
I saw the dude out of the corner of my eye, but he didn't really register until he was already punching Tony in the side of the face. From there it was classic fight or flight. I slammed my beer glass into his forehead while simultaneously lunging past him, slipping out in the puddle and smacking the back of my head on the ground. Tony helped me up while his assailant ran from the room. From there, I was on another planet.
(click here to continue reading)
Mel Kadel / melkadel:
"Being asked about a situation which made me uncomfortable, makes me uncomfortable. It reminds me how many times I have been uncomfortable, but these memories are only partial because I've seemed to block them out, or they are too mundane to recall. To avoid these situations, you might try not leaving the house. You never know when it'll happen... you could be at a fancy dinner or just standing in line at the grocery sore, and bam! You're uncomfortable. And to answer answer that last question... no, you shouldn't avoid it, because you can't."
Lance Bangs / Bangs on VBS:
"In the past week I transfered thousands of feet of Super8mm film I recently excavated from a storage space outside of Athens, Georgia. It was almost entirely personal films I had completely forgotten shooting during the late 80s, early 90s. Even upon reading my own cryptic handwriting on the reels I couldn't recover the memories until I actually saw the footage, as brought up on a monitor in a darkened room by the telecine operator. Each 50 feet of film started a new lost cartridge, and a flush of mortifying awkwardness as the technician would ask what we were looking at. I alternated between having internal barrages of joy and humiliation at seeing forgotten acquaintances, short films I haven't thought about since shooting them, or places I briefly lived and going into a sort of daze, to being snapped out by the technician asking whether the focus was likely to get any better (no, I was inept at that point), if there was an audio recording to synch up with this black and white footage of the Replacements playing live (no, somehow I just wanted to film) and what it meant when the girl who looked like Robert Smith opened the pet carrier and tried to repatriate kitchen sponges into the pond (I can't believe we both have to stare at this for the next 4 minutes as it plays out).
"It was very much like having a ballot examination applied to your diaries, or a forensic test applied to what you say when you fuck. I felt more and more uncomfortable sitting next to him in the small room, the only light coming in the flickering form of Super8mm frames of shirtless friends, tungsten film improperly overexposed in the blue of daylight, or a teenage version of myself wandering 24 hour laundromats at night. He was obligated to stare carefully at every shot and see what he could do to make it more presentable, I was finding excuses to go get a drink of water down the block. There ended up being a ton of great footage, and I'm so happy to have it in a form I can edit now, but it's extremely uncomfortable to have such personal material require the technical scrutiny of someone else who didn't live through all the baffling images and know what they really mean."
Edith Abeyta / edithabeyta:
"As an artist I think one is constantly faced with varying degrees of uncomfortable/ awkward/ risky/ unknown situations. I have a tendency to be a bit reckless, more so than many of my colleagues — not reckless in the physical sense like tightrope walking across the now gone twin towers, but in a "throwing caution to the wind" kind of way; taking a let's see what will happen approach, mostly due to my covert thrill seeking behavior and insatiable need for new experiences and ideas.
(click here to continue reading)
David Slade : Fubear Studios
(click here to read "Jack and the Dry Roasted Beer Nuts.")
originally posted; 11/17/08