Photographer of the Day

The Trinity, Andalusia, Milledgeville, Georgia, 2006 © Susanna Raab

Susanna Raab. She did a series on the homes of famous Southern writers. Here you can buy a zine or limited edition prints of her photographs from this series, called A Sense of Place. Both are incredibly inexpensive, especially considering many were purchased by the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

- Joel

Waldo Pizza

It's probably cliché to make a claim about "the greatest pizza ever" or even the greatest pizza in Kansas City. I'm sure people who are way more hip than I am know of some obscure pizza place in Kansas City, or some other city, and would tell me, "If you really knew Kansas City (or the world), you would know the best pizza can be found at..." But maybe good pizza is like pop music. The cool kids will tell you how terrible Top 40 tunes are, but there's something to be said about writing a melody that millions of people enjoy singing. The same can be said for Waldo Pizza (75th & Wornall). It just keeps growing and more and more people keeping pouring through the doors. It may no longer be the hole in the wall secret of those living in and around Brookside, but they still make great pizza. I just went for the first time on Thursday with 16 of my family members, and I loved it. I'll say this: I don't remember eating better pizza in Kansas City.

- Joel

Sex, Drugs, & Cocoa Puffs

I just finished re-reading Sex, Drugs, & Cocoa Puffs, one of my favorite nonfiction books. There are two reasons why I love Chuck Klosterman. First, he makes me think. Sometimes I agree with Klosterman and other times I wholeheartedly disagree. Regardless, this book forces me to reevaluate my perspective on the world. Second, Klosterman makes you believe that everything matters. There are no insignificant artifacts in pop culture. Even cereal commercials can speak volumes about the definition of "cool."
- Joel

More From Marfa

I got a few more pictures from Marfa developed. I was a little disappointed that my black and white shots didn't turn out. But here are a few from my Holga. They are similar to the earlier pictures I posted. There are a few more Holga shots from Marfa here. Shout out to Jeff Whittington. He just got back from Marfa yesterday after assisting the Marfa public radio station with their pledge drive.
- Joel

Mini Organ

During an event for work at SMU a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this mini organ while walking around the Meadows School of the Arts. I thought it looked cool, especially with the light, so I took some pictures. You can see a few more here.
- Joel

Evidence

I'm officially a state champion. Here is a picture my aunt took from the stands. It only took 7 years for the state to recognize our greatness. If you can't tell, I am second from the far right. You can see the first place trophy sitting right at the 50 yard line to the right of the yard marker.

- Joel

New Friend

© Kristen Cochran

I made a new friend yesterday, Kristen Cochran. She's new to Dallas, having recently moved from Seattle. An accomplished painter, you can check out her work here. If you live in Dallas, you definitely want to be her friend. Trust me.
- Joel

State Champs

Tonight it becomes official.  The 2001 Liberty High School Boys Basketball Team gets crowned state champions.  As a result of some nefarious activity (read more here or here) on the part of Floyd Irons and the Vashon High School team, the team I co-captained as a Senior is now #1 in the 2001 record books.  It only took 7 years, but better late than never.  That same year, Daniel (the mysteriously absent co-writer of this blog) played for Oak Park High School.  Fortunately, Liberty's multiple victories over Oak Park that year did little to hinder our friendship.  In fact, in college, Daniel and I went back to view old basketball footage from our high school days.  It just so happens that as a sophomore while playing against each other, Daniel kindly reached out a hand to help me up after I had been knocked to the floor.  Though we didn't know it at the time, it would prove to be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Anyway, tonight at halftime of the Liberty football game, we will be honored for our new/old state championship.  I can now say I won a high school state championship at the age of 25.

- Joel

Girl Talk Video Blog

Interested in what Mr. Gregg Gillis does with his friends/tourmates/family while he's on the road. Check out his tour video blog here. Also, if you're in Dallas, you can see Girl Talk next Tuesday, October 21, at the Palladium Ballroom. You Kansas Citians have to wait until November 1. Daniel and I will be at the November 1 show in Lawrence at The Granada.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

208 High Street, Boonville, Missouri, 2007 © Timothy Briner

Timothy Briner. Timothy spent a year living in 6 cities across the nation all named Boonville (MO, NC, NY, IN, TX, CA). The photographs he took to document his journey became a project known as (you guessed it) Boonville. Read more about his project here. Boonville, MO just happens to be twenty minutes from where Daniel and I went to college.

- Joel

On the Road

I also finished On the Road by Jack Kerouac just before reading Downtown Owl. The two books are similar in that they are both fictionalized non-fiction. This was my second time through On the Road, and I found it much darker the second time through. I would sum up the book in this way: a celebration of the American continent and lamentation of the American life.

- Joel

Good Book

I finished Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman on Monday. It's an enjoyable read, written from three perspectives, about people trying to be normal in small town North Dakota. It is a very fast read, relatively funny, with a surprise ending. I would recommend it. I have read quite a few classic novels over the past few years, and I'm beginning to come to this realization. Classic novels seem to celebrate the concept of perfection. They idolize the ideal. Modern novels, in many ways, do the opposite. They celebrate imperfection and undermine the ideal. Or maybe it's just the books I read....

- Joel

I found this quote interesting. I'm not saying I agree with it, but it is certainly a unique take on life. According to his website, it is Banksy's manifesto. The quote is from a guy named Emo Philips.

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness.

- Joel

The Walkmen - Oct. 11

Last night I had the opportunity to catch The Walkmen at Dallas' House of Blues. The show was actually in HOB's Pontiac Garage. Best guess, there were probably no more than 200 to 300 people in attendance. Here are my thoughts about the show:

* Before the show, Holly mentioned that she had heard Matt Barrick (drummer) looked like a "string puppet" on stage. After witnessing him in person, there is no better way to characterize Barrick's style of drumming than that of a marionette. He bounced back and forth as if someone controlled his limbs with a string from above. It was incredibly entertaining to watch, and Barrick is, in my opinion, the second most talented drummer I have seen in person (second to Darren King of Mute Math).
* I thought The Walkmen sound, which I would classify as "cavernous," translated well live. Paul Maroon's vintage Guild guitar (it looked like a Guild from where I was standing) had a super cool fuzzy, hollow sound. I also loved the sound of the piano within the confines of the Pontiac Garage; it carried but maintained it's antique sound.
* Hamilton Leithauser may be my favorite frontman since the turn of the century. I thought a lot about his delivery and performance after I left. Most frontmen seem to enjoy the opportunity to be watched. Hamilton Leithauser is different. He appears so comfortable and so confident on stage that you get the impression he is doing the watching. It's as if he is watches each member of the audience individually, contemplating what each is thinking at the moment. Serious swagger. I loved it.

- Joel

Jeff Whittington & The O's

I had a chance to meet up with my new friends Jeff and Nicole at the AllGood Cafe last night. Jeff shook off a serious cold and played an impressive solo set. Check out Jeff's radio/TV show "Think" here and "Anything You Ever Wanted to Know" here. I was also pleasantly surprised by the band that followed Jeff called The O's. They're definitely worth a listen.
Tonight, I will be accompanying Jeff, Nicole, and the rest of the crew for a night at the fair.

- Joel

The Walkmen

Yep, I've mentioned them before. I love their latest, You & Me. I'm also seeing them this Saturday in Dallas. Here's are two videos of them playing outside.

- Joel

From Crackle: Take-Away Show: The Walkmen - "Hey Leah"

From Crackle: Take-Away Show: Walkmen - "I Lost You"

Texas State Fair - Round 2

Plans have been finalized. I will be attending the Texas State Fair for the second time of my life tomorrow evening. This time I'll be going with veterans who can steer me towards the animals, the butter sculpture, and the fried food (though you don't need a veteran to find the fried food). It is going to be glorious.

Meanwhile, it's been too long since I've mentioned music on this blog. I've had photography on the brain. So below, I'd like to introduce you to Department of Eagles. They play their song "No One Does It Like You" for Pitchfork's Live Series "Don't Look Down."

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

© Tom Maddrey

Tom Maddrey.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

Looking Toward Marfa - Fort Davis, Texas, 1999 © Marty Carden

Marty Carden.

- Joel

Marfa

Here are some pictures from my trip to Marfa.

- Joel

© Joel Thomason

© Joel Thomason

© Joel Thomason

© Joel Thomason

© Joel Thomason

Photographer of the Day

Apple Tree, west of Bledsoe, Texas, 2004 © Peter Brown

Peter Brown. He is represented at a number of galleries, including the Highlands Gallery in Marfa, TX. I had an opportunity to meet a wonderful woman named Elizabeth Hartman at the Highlands Gallery this weekend. You can view some of his work at the Harris Gallery website. I purchased Peter's book On The Plains from the Highlands Gallery. Having been born on the plains and spending much of my childhood traversing the Kansas plains, Peter Brown's photography holds a special place in my heart.

- Joel

America Before Pearl Harbor

Faro and Doris Caudill, homesteaders, Pie Town, New Mexico October 1940 © Russell Lee

A coworker emailed me a link to this website. It displays a collection of Kodachrome photos taken across America, all shot before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The color photos look incredibly crisp for having been taken so long ago. It's interesting to compare America then to America now. So much has changed, but the photos show that the people looked pretty much the same. I apologize for the cheesy music that plays on the site. I couldn't figure out how to turn it off. Check out a more complete collection of these photographs at the Library of Congress' flickr page.
- Joel

West Texas/Photographer of the Day

Drive In. March 2005 © Allison V. Smith

Allison V. Smith. Yep, she's been featured on here quite a few times. But she's my favorite so it's worth it. Plus, I'm going to visit my Aunt in West Texas (Odessa to be exact) this weekend, and Allison has some great pictures of another West Texas town, Marfa. The one above was actually purchased by the Dallas Museum of Art.
- Joel

Photographer of the Day

© Matt Nager

Matt Nager. And two happy ones for my sister below (both by Matt Nager).

- Joel

© Matt Nager

© Matt Nager

Views

If you're in Kansas City today, you should check this out. More details at http://www.standardsocial.com/ . Daniel, of Joel and Daniel, will even be a model in the fashion show (plus he helped put the whole thing together). It is without a doubt the premier fashion event in recent Kansas City history. It's a great night to be on a Plaza rooftop.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

Car Fire, Interstate 40, California, 1995 © Jeff Brouws

Jeff Brouws.

- Joel