Just curious...

So, I'm conducting a little experiment. It's rather stupid but I'm bored. Anyway, this is it: against my better judgment I posted a comment on the Matt and Kim photo I had made a favorite of on my Flickr account. I’m not sure how much I like Matt and Kim but they are so darned cute and cuddly looking that I keep wanting to pay attention. I mean their music is not bad. It just does not seem all that original to me and, besides that, it just does not suit my home use needs right now. Heavy, dark and droney does. Even though I have known of the Swans since the mid 80s, when I first read about them in Spin, when Spin was a radically different mag, that actually seemed really cool, originally (Bob Guccione's son started it! weird!), but which ultimately failed,(just ask those who know more about such matters than I to confirm, please), it was during the past two years that I fell in love with them, that is, the Swans. But back to Matt and Kim... I like that splatter video Matt and Kim made. It seems not quite totally original either but done with such gusto! The song is good but perhaps too twee for me. Fucking cuddlecore! Insane. Is that what Matt and Kim are? That makes the video even funnier. Jeez. “They’ve” thought of everything! Well, anyway, against my better judgment I posted that comment on one of my two favorite Matt and Kim photos and I am wondering how many more views on my Flickr account I will get in the next few days because of it. Right now it says 327. I just want to mark that down with a date here. Also, it says the Matt and Kim photo has been viewed 6,371 times. I’m curious at what rate these numbers might increase. Let's watch, me and, er, um, me. That's the first part of this experiment.

And, by the way, that Matt and Kim photo is a portal to something strange on Flickr that I did not know was there! But god bless 'em if they just let it be... But anyway (not that I am into that sort of stuff)... Look on the “x people call this photo a favorite”. There you will notice an account called “with Bikes”. Look at it. Look at “with Bikes” contacts. Browse around. Are these kinky photo swappers? One really appeared to be! It is like those trashy Yahoo groups (with Flickr's much nicer interface) but also oddly more real…? How would you even know? You wouldn’t! But this underscores the fact that I was wondering right from the start about Matt and Kim's Flickr account: did they put the Flickr photos up or their marketing firm? I can’t tell! Can you? What is real…? I have no idea.

Well, anyway, the other part of this experiment is this: if you happen to find your way to this “message in a bottle” from the Matt and Kim photo then post a comment, please. The only way to find this from that post is through a rather indirect route. I am not linking back to it. And I am not linking directly to this. Of course you could just end up here because you know me. In that case please do not mess with my experiment and post a message. I will hassle you and then delete it. I only want messages from someone who went to Matt and Kim, did not know me, and followed the links and ended up here. I don’t care if it takes a year. I am just curious if it could happen. And the reality... Well, anyway... (And I know no one looks at this blog because I’ve had, as of today, 30 profile views. Also, don’t get me wrong. I am totally ok with it. If I wanted to I could post messages on other people’s blogs and get more profile views. I know how it works. I don’t care about that shit here. I don’t care, man.)

Flag Day (1985)

Margaret Griffis took this photo. Isn't it wonderful? When did I meet Margaret? Four or five or so years after this show...? It was when I played in this stupid punk band in Gainesville with Brian and Ivan. I went to see this show with my stepbrother, Kevin. We drove to Ft. Lauderdale from Palm Beach Gardens, where we grew up and, at the time, I had just graduated from high school. This was the second punk rock show I ever saw -- in my entire life (man). The first was Husker Du on tour for New Day Rising at the same place, Fireman's Hall. I remember them playing the entire fucking album. I was in love with that album at the time. They played their hearts out. (I'm still talking about Husker Du). This Black Flag show, however, was incredibly hot. At one point Henry Rollins stopped the show so everyone could go outside and cool off. It was after all South Florida. And I guess the air conditioner was not working...? I hate the heat. I thought Black Flag was better the second time I saw them, in Gainesville, Fla. about six months later. Jill, who I would meet about three or so years later, in Gainesville, Fla., "ripped my tickets." We, as I mentioned on one prior instance in this particular forum, dated and drank barrels and barrels of sweet alcohol together. I was even arrested once! Ivan, who played in said stupid punk band with me as well as another even stupider punk band with me, it turns out was at both of these shows too. I met him three or four or so or something like that years later.

Same snake in both of these these collages...

I made the first image. The second image is by Sebastian Hyde and Kevin Evans. Find a copy of Brian Doherty's book This Is Burning Man and read from bottom of pg 73 to pg 74. The table of contents is also useful. And then look here.