Friday, May 30, 2008

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Monday, May 26, 2008

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Dada

The 1992 self-titled album by Dada will always hold a special place in my heart. It reminds me of my "summer of freedom".

I was a project manager for a consulting company, and I had just spent the last 6 months basically living out of an extended-stay hotel in Midland, Michigan, where the headquarters of Dow Corning is located. When I returned from that assignment, I just decided I had enough. I walked away from it all and hit the road.

I drove through the Rockies in Colorado, proceeded all all the way to the Pacific coast, then worked my way south. Coming back through Arizona, I stopped for awhile at the Grand Canyon. Going south again, I walked through the streets of Tombstone and up to Boot Hill. On my way through New Mexico, I even spent a night in a vermin infested hotel ($15 a night!) while Mexican gangs had drag races in the parking lot.

I had a few CDs with me in the car and "Dada" was one of the most frequently played. I remember driving along both the Pacific coast, Death Valley and the US southern border with the windows down, while "Dorina," "Mary Sunshine Rain" and "Dim" blasted away.

The entire trip took about a month. I stayed with a few friends and relatives along the way. By the time I got back home, my head was on right again.

I recommend a solitary road trip like this to anyone. It helped me figure out who I was and where I was going.

1983 GHS Yearbook - L

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Thursday, May 15, 2008

1983 GHS Yearbook - J


Finishing the "J"s officially puts me half-way through this project.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

1983 GHS Yearbook - J


Switching my approach a little bit here. Trying to do a simpler ink style... simpler lines, simpler shading.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Queen - News of the World


Maybe the first true masters of "arena rock", Queen was MASSIVE in 1977 when "News of the World" came out. "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" still live as the most pulse pounding, adrenaline producing rock anthems ever recorded. A couple quiet songs from this album I also loved, "All Dead" and "Who Needs You".

The album art always puzzled me. Did the giant robot just find the band dead? Or did it accidentally murder them by playing with them like Barbie dolls? There's surely a look of regret on it's face in either case.

Billy Joel - The Stranger


Taking a break from yearbook sketches, here's a classic album cover. 1977 - Billy Joel, The Stranger. Some of my favorite tracks, "Movin' Out", "Just the Way You Are", "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant". This was a huge album in the 70s, and although Billy Joel fans seem to be taking a lot of flack these days, he's proven his talent over the last thirty years.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

1983 GHS Yearbook - G


There were no kids with last name staring with "F"... (small school), so here are the G boys.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Fred Saberhagen - Empire of the East

The sketching of all my high school classmates (see below) got me thinking of other high school times... beyond the cars, music, movies and whatnot, I read a lot as a teenager, as I guess I still do.

I probably read "Empire of the East" 4 or 5 times as a teen. Fred Saberhagen was one of my favorite authors from that time of my life. He might be best remembered for his "Berserker" series, which has been ripped off about a million times and a million different ways since (humanity builds intelligent robots, that gain more intelligence and independence and decide to turn against their creators).

Empire of the East, however, was a future fantasy book, wherein lost high technology is the new "magic".

Friday, May 02, 2008

Thursday, May 01, 2008