The Field

We used to live in an apartment within walking distance of Wrigley Field.

This was back before Wrigley had lights so all of the games were played during the day. I was a Cubs fan as a kid and I went to many a game with my Mom's room-mate Annie and her boyfriend Rocco. One of the best days of my childhood was when my grandfather talked to his buddy, the legendary Cubs announcer Jack Brickhouse, and managed to get us out on to the field before a game. I will never forget the thrill of walking through the gate and past the guard near the dugout and being introduced to Pete Rose at the plate as he was warming up to take on my Cubs. He extended his hand and the vivid memory I have of that greeting is looking down my tiny arm to a lost hand swallowed at the wrist by the grip of the largest fist I've ever seen in my life.

For the most part we were Bleacher Bums and my love of baseball will forever be tied up in the memory of those afternoons spent at 1060 West Addison.

Now I live in New York and we have two teams here just like we had back in Chicago. I'm not a huge fan of either, but I've been to a couple of Mets games and I do like it when my home team wins. Last night Chris and I watched the opening game of the World Series at his place and ate some take-out and we saw the Yankees get their hats handed to them.

It ain't over till it's over and the fat lady hasn't sung yet--she barely seemed to warm her voice last night--but I'm looking forward to watching some baseball in the coming weeks and remembering the day my grandfather became my hero by walking me out on to the grass at Wrigley Field.

Voices

Adam Matta, the human beat box at Joe's Pub. It was a night of exceptional voices creating exceptional sounds.

Masai Electro joined Matta for the opening slot.

My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden joined Adam for a song and then Black Sea Hotel started their set with Shara out front on ukelele.

Shara Worden tends to create magic whenever she sings and last night was no exception as she entwined her song with the four harmonies of Black Sea Hotel.

Things that Fly Away

The Star Man

Color by Isabelle Weber.

Open Studio

This weekend, I'll be participating in the open studios sponsored by AGAST (Annual Gowanus Artists Studio Tours), so if you ever wondered what my work space looks like, now's your chance to see. I'll be selling prints of many of the pictures you've seen on this blog and originals of many drawings never before seen outside the studio. I also have a large selection of dance prints that were made for the various books I've put together over the years and these will be available at very low prices. Also, there's a bunch of very large drawings that don't fit on my scanner that no one's really ever seen. I share a studio with photographer Bernie DeChant and with Laura's help, we've made the place look great, so come on down to the Gowanus and say hello.

As an added bonus, the AGAST folks have hired free pedicabs from Jay street because the F train isn't running.

I hope to see you this weekend. For more info, click here.

Pekar

I was asked to contribute a drawing of Harvey Pekar's head in honor of his 70th birthday and I was right honored to do so. The original idea was to have 70 artists draw him, but as you can imagine, a lot of people wanted to be involved. You might even say that any cartoonist worth his or her salt wanted to give Pekar a little head for his birthday, but that would be wrong and you shouldn't.

To see the entire gallery check out the Pekar Project over here.

Big Band

Michael Leonhart and the Avramina 7 brought their big band funk to start a Fall/Winter residency at Joe's Pub with special guest star Yuka Honda last week. Leonhart has two more shows at the Pub--one on November 4th and one on December 9th--and word on the street is that that big screen behind him (which always has interesting video and films when Michael plays) might be filled with the pen and ink stylings of yours truly at one of them. Stay tuned for details.

Practice

Last night's practice was the last one at Castle Anthrax. Seems the neighbors went and put a wall where our window used to be. That new wall blocks the view and the intake on the central AC, two things the town of Balthrop, Alabama had been right fond of. The thing they gave us to make up for the central air looks kinda like an R5-D4 droid without a fan and it doesn't do much of anything when it comes to cooling. Luverne 'bout passed out last time we practiced.

To be honest, the view of the BQE and this truck out front that some gypsies lived in was about all the place had going for it. Well, that and memories, but we can take memories with us and go build some new ones. In retrospect, we should have paid attention when the gypsies left; no one ever does.

Anyways, it was a small crew that showed for the big musical send off. We had gathered to get ready for the MOTHERLODGE Festival this weekend, but at first it was just me, Jemison, Titus, Aurora and Luverne with a lot of pizza and a couple of bottles of wine.

So the four of us ate some and drank some and started playing.

The first song Jemison started to sing was a new one. I reckon you'll hear it one of these days, because we all liked it and it sounds good when he sings it. Then he played a real old one that sounded new. Luverne knew it and got all weepy because it brought her back some, but she played along with a smile.

Aurora had to play a bunch of the horn parts on her own because a bunch of the horn-part-players were off playing somewhere else. Benton Whitehall was at practice with Cotton Tyler Guin, getting ready for next week's show at the Mercury. Douglas Sneade was off elsewhere seeing his buddy Lou.

And that's not all. Babbie's over there in Paris, France, getting cultured; she's the youngest resident of Balthrop, Alabama ever to learn something and we're proud of her for it. Clanton "Lake" is traveling the highways and byways of Europe and these United States, playing along with Dawn Landes. Grant Fyfe found God or some-questions-about-God-worth-asking, so he's up West and up early most days seeing to it.

Georgiana was babysitting, so she came late.

But the band played on, these good songs worth singing, and got ready for another show and a move on to someplace else.

We'll see those of you that are coming on Saturday night at Goodbye Blue Monday for the Mother Lodge Festival. Wear something pretty and we will too.

And don't forget to drop by the Fall Cafe and take a look at some of my art sometime this month. It looks nice in person.

Smoke Break

Last week, Chris and I had a slumber party, so I spent the night in Chelsea. On my way to the train the next morning, I stopped for a cup of coffee at a place on 18th near Sixth Avenue. There was a woman sitting a few stools down from me at the table that ran the length of the window, looking out. We both drank coffee and gazed across the way to some guy watching the street activity between us.

The woman pulled out a camera and I pulled out my drawing pad, so somewhere there's a companion composition to this drawing. The photographer and I looked at each other and smiled, but she didn't ask to see the drawing and I didn't ask to see the photograph.

And then I caught the train and went home to Brooklyn.

Show

There's a show of my drawings over at The Fall Cafe on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens for the next month or so.

Included in the exhibit are the original drawings for Mike Viola's Good Ideas Grow On Trees video and Jamie Leonhart's Who Says Words video. Come on along to the reception or any time you're in the neighborhood.