Easter

(Click image for supersize.) © William Anthony

I took this photograph March 3, 2003—the evening before we invaded Iraq at a peace rally in Seattle.

Kane Hodder - RIP

In Hell's Kitchen (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

According to my compatriot and former fellow Seattleite, Ryan Schierling, the tonsil-hemorrhaging NW band Kane Hodder is no more.

For those of you not of the great gray/green Northwest, Kane Hodder is a very loud, very crazy band named after the stunt man that played Jason in the Friday the 13th movies. Ryan was a megafan. I had never heard them live. All I'd seen were Ryan's photos of them. And in those photos, you rarely saw Andrew Moore's (lead vox) feet touching the ground. He was either mid-air or writhing around grand mal style. Only Guy Picciotto from Fugazi did the front stage tortured writhing better. So when Ryan asked if I'd be interested in shooting stills at a KH music video shoot with him, I agreed.

I had no idea what I was in for.

It was shot in a grimey shithole in Tacoma called Hell's Kitchen. (That's a compliment by the way.) It was crammed full of pre-, mid-, and barely post-pubescent fans and the video hot lights lived up to their namesake and kept the interior temperature in the club well above the BROIL setting.

They were awesome. "Reckless abandon" got redefined for me right in front of my eyes. I nearly died of heat stroke. But I have a cache of images from that night I'll hold dear for a long time. The image above is my favorite.

Godspeed Andrew et al.

P.S. Kane Hodder, the person, is still very much alive. And, apparently, a very good poker player.

On the Road - Farewell Ryan & Julie

Goodbye, home. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

By pure providence, my trip to Seattle coincided with the departure of two of my best friends from the Emerald City. I met Ryan first, circa 2004, through the music community. Sometime thereafter Ryan began dating "The Girl Next Door." Literally. They were neighbors. They fell in love. Happily ever after, etc. Since then, they have been friends, confidants and double-date partners.

They lived in a small, 20s era courtyard apartment complex officially known as "The Taylor Court Apartments." Unofficially known by residents as "Ghetto Melrose Place" or just "Ghetto Melrose." Anyone who visited them or participated in their epic barbecues or annual Halloween Party can attest to the wonderful spirit at that place.

When Pamela and I left Seattle back in Summer '08, our very last stop before hitting the road for SoCal was Ghetto Melrose. And it was there that Ryan took the last photos of us as residents of the 206. The photos were beautiful, lyric.

Since I was present for their last day there as well, I took the photo above as payback. And though not nearly as artful as Ryan's, I think I captured the feeling quite well.


Progress looms. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Not unlike us, a few years back they became restless. They were changing. Seattle was changing. Some changes were subtle, some not. The seven story condo abomination built behind their building that brought nearly a year of construction noise and stole their late afternoon sunlight was an obvious one. And the last one.


Home Sweet Home 2.0. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

As of last week, they are residents where the nights are long, the stars bright: Texas. Austin specifically. I felt honored to be there as they said goodbye to the city that changed all of us. I know it was just as emotionally confusing as when we left. I was glad I could be there.

The Rainier beer tallboys and Ryan's incredible bbq fish sandwiches didn't exactly hurt either.

On the Road - Seattle, WA (Part 4)

(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

On a quiet, winding road alongside Lake Washington there is a small nondescript grassy park with a small lonely bench. A casual passerby may not even notice it. When I lived in Seattle I must have driven by it 20 times and never even saw it. That is, until one walks up to the bench to find it covered in scribbles and carvings written to "Kurt." That Kurt would be Kurt Cobain and that park sits adjacent to the house were he died 15 years ago.


"Sorry about the Guitar Hero thing." (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Officially, it's called Viretta Park. Informally, it's known as "Kurt's Park" and is the defacto Cobain memorial in Seattle. Every time I've visited it's a completely new bench, covered in messages like a guestbook. I've always been fascinated by the way people communicate indirectly like this. A long conversation taking place between people, separately, all drawn together by a single purpose or the emotions of loss.


Rest in Peace. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

I visited Kurt's Park this time with my 15 year old nephew. He's a huge Nirvana fan. It dawned on me as I photographed him at the park that he was born the year Kurt died. He's a physical reminder of the time that's gone by since that horrible day. As I watch this long-haired rebellious kid, who loves playing his guitar, wearing Converse sneaks with "Endorsement" written in Sharpie marker on the toes, I realize that Kurt really does live on.

Endless, Nameless.



Smoke offering. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

On the Road - Seattle, WA (Part 2)

Lake Union from the Space Needle. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

On the Road - Seattle, WA (Part 1)

Tall boy. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

A slab of meat.
A can of beer.
And thou.

PJ's Smile

I learned yesterday that a friend in Seattle I met while working with KEXP passed away Monday evening. Her name was PJ.

My path crossed with PJ's on many an occasion during my time at the station. In particular, an evening in 2005.

I was shooting impromptu portraits at the Bumbershoot Gala for a One Reel project. I had a backdrop set up and was asking passersby if I could take their photo. It was then that I saw a spritely young woman with fire engine red hair jump into frame. It was PJ and she was all about having her photo taken.

At that point I had known PJ for just a short time, but she didn't hold it against me. At first I wasn't sure if she'd want her photo taken. Many in her position might recoil from the idea of a portrait. Truth be told, most people I meet recoil from it. But not PJ. She was all smiles that night.

The portrait I chose for inclusion in the final gallery showing of End of Summer is, to this date, one of my favorite photographs ever. Her ear-to-ear grin, the hair matching the stripes on her shirt, her courier bag matching her bracelet and her blue, blue eyes. And of course, all the KEXP swag. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever remember her NOT wearing some sort of KEXP paraphernalia. She was so proud of the station. And it showed. Quite literally.

I have the 33" x 22" print from the show in my studio here in LA. It's been on the wall since I moved in and it's right by the door and her smile greets me every time I leave the studio. At first it was just a convenient place to hang the big print on the big wall. But after time it acted as a reminder. A reminder to persevere in life and do it with a smile. Just like PJ did.

There will be a memorial for PJ at the Vera Project in Seattle on Thursday, 7/23, from 4-6PM.

Panoramic memories

While going through the archives I came across some panoramic images I shot while living in Seattle, steeped in the music scene. All images shot with my Widelux camera. Good times.


The Dandy Warhols. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony


Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina of The Evens. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony


John Doe before his live in-studio performance for KEXP FM. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony


Kinski live. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony


Kinski for Seattle Weekly. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony


Interpol backstage. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony


Schoolyard Heroes backstage. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony


Kane Hodder crowd. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

On the Road - Seattle, WA

Two classic Seattle fine art mediums—wood paneling and glass. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Last day of the trip. Called up my buddy Ryan for breakfast. He's like a bloodhound for good chicken-fried steak. He had wanted to try Cyndy's at the corner of 105th and Aurora Ave. N. (aka "The last remnants of old Seattle.")


(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

This place is a time warp. In a good way. Friendly service, bottomless cup of coffee and kick ass food. In my eight years in Seattle I saw many places like this disappear to make way for condos and overpriced clothing boutiques. Shame.


Another endangered species in Seattle: free parking. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

For now, this place seems safe being in the northern reaches of the rougher part of Aurora Ave. But even now, we saw the cranes and condos working their way North like some sort of fungus crawling up an alder. The owners are elderly, and I fear, like McGrath's or Manning's Cafeteria, this too shall pass, be demolished and paved-over. Then replaced with "affordable condos with ground floor retail."

If you like good chicken-fried steak and a waitress who looks like someone's grandma and calls you "honey" with every coffee warm-up, check out Cyndy's.

PEMCO Insurance

Marymoor Off-Leash Dog Lady outtake. © William Anthony

Just got back from a three day trip to Seattle to shoot another installation in PEMCO Insurance's "Northwest Profiles" advertising campaign. We shot a total of three ads in one day. Locations included Green Lake Park and the moss-filled alley beside my assistant's apartment.

There was no shortage of irony having to pause our shoot of the "Green Lake Power Walkers" every so often to let ACTUAL Green Lake Power Walkers pass through.


Our Power Walkers pausing for the real thing. © William Anthony

These ads will run as transit boards later this summer.

Credits
Photo Assistant: Ryan Schierling
Props/Wardrobe: Alvin Stillwell & Nikoma
Hair/Makeup: Jennifer Verador
Production Manager: Pamela Sunnarborg
Art Director: Lonnie Weis
Agency: DNA Brand Mechanics