Saturday, October 26, 2013

Nardwuar: The Human Serviette



Interviewing Nardwuar, the amazing music journalist from Vancouver, British Columbia, who has interviewed everyone from James Brown, Jay Z and Joan Jett to Cory Feldman, Crispin Glover and Cynthia Plaster Caster was a bit intimidating but since I've know this fun loving, sweet hearted man for over the last 18 years, I thought I would give it a go. 

I was visiting some friends in Seattle last month. While having dinner in Capitol Hill at Lost Lake, they casually asked me what I wanted to do that night. I of course asked what bands were playing in town. My friend Kerry pulled out her iPhone and began to list bands, when she suddenly mentioned The Evaporators who happened to be playing that night right around the corner at The Comet Tavern. I stopped her from listing any other bands. That was it. Nardwuar was in town and I happened to be a block away! We finished our hearty meals, headed out into the kind of rain I hadn't seen since I moved down to LA and headed all the way around the corner to see The Evaporators play.


Nardwuar is a performer's performer. His ability to rouse a jaded crowd into a frenzy is notorious and that night at The Tavern was no excpetion. The following photo essay shows exactly just how much fun Nardwuar and his merry band of mindblowingly good musicians can conjure. His exuberance is infectious. That level of energy can been seen in his video interviews and what has endeared us to the man and the legend.


Julie Pavlowski Green

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Julie Pavlowski Green: Who are you?

Nardwuar the Human Serviette from Vancouver, BC, Canada! Check out dootdooladootdoodootdoo.com for more info!

JPG: What is a skookum and why should we visit The Tomahawk? 

NTHS: The Skookum Chief Hamburger is from the Tomahawk BBQ in North Vancouver, BC Canada. What’s on it? Egg, bacon, weiner, meat and cheese. Basically three meals in one. Bryan Adams once worked there as a dishwasher and my band The Evaporators shot our “Hot Dog High” video there! 

JPG: When did "The Evaporators" form and where was your first gig?

NTHS: We Evaporators formed on Feb 20 1986 in Vancouver BC Canada and our first gig our High School’s “Variety Night”  where we performed The Sonics “Shot Down” and The Cramps “Human Fly”. You can check out an early Evaporators performance from
1987 here. 


JPG: What is the story behind the song "Ripple Rock"?

NTHS: The song ‘Ripple Rock’ is about blowing up a rock called, Ripple Rock, located near Campbell River, BC (not far from Pamela Anderson’s birthplace!). For years Ripple Rock had been a hazard to ships travelling the narrow passage called Seymour Narrows, so the authorities had to find a solution, which was to blow it to bits!






JPG: When did Nick Smuggler join the band? Did you guys grow up together in Vancouver?

NTHS: Nick came aboard in June 2012 and, yes, I have know him for along time! He actually witnessed the very first Evaporators gig and also plays in the wonderful Tranzmitors! Plus we can’t forget he played drums and sang in The Tonics who do anamazing version of the theme song to the Canadian Television classic “The Littlest Hobo”.

JPG: You said your Farfisa was originally owned by Trent Ruane from "The Mummies". Are "Thee Goblins" a tribute to the Kings of Budget Rock?

NTHS: It wasn’t “the” Mummies Farfisa, but Mike Olson from Olivelawn kindly gave me one of Trent’s Acetone Top 5 Organs that he had acquired. I feel honored to have it my possession! Now, The Evaporators "open up"ourselves by performing as Thee Goblins (just organ and drums). 

Thee Goblins wear tiny University of Washington cheerleader jerseys on top of white bedsheets and we actually formed before I even knew what Budget Rock was!

JPG: When did you start interviewing celebrities, porn stars and heads of state?

NTHS: I just love to learn info and find out WHY? For instance, Art Bergmann once played in a great punk band out of Vancouver called The Young Canadians (aka The K-Tels). On their 2nd EP they thanked my High School in the liner notes. So I had to find out, why? So guess who was my first interview on Sept 26 1985? Art Bergmann! Hawaii is one of my fav songs ever! 





JPG: Was it for your radio show at the University of British Columbia's campus statin CiTR or for the local cable TV show Soundproof? 

NTHS: It was actually for neither! It was for “home use!” But later, in October 1987, I got a radio show on CiTR in Vancouver, which I still do till this day! My CiTR show is also rebroadcast on WFMU as well! Check out the Nardwuar Audio Vault here. It's so cool you mentioned SoundProof as it was a highly influential cable access TV show in Vancouver that let bands like the Young Canadians, Engimas, Pointed Sticks,D.O.A., Subhumans and many more play live on air! Sadly, it’s long gone, but I was able to contribute to it for a few years in the early 90s. 


 
JPG: Kreayshawn seems to encapsulate two of your favorite flavors, creating a bridge between the underground garage/punk scene with a celebrity rapper. How did it feel to interview her?

NTHS: I couldn’t believe that she appeared on a Trashwomen LP when she was 5 years old! Elka, her Mom, is so cool! And as an added bonus, I mentioned Oakland’s Zachary’s Pizza in the interview, and to my surprise, a few weeks later, Zacharys sent me a gift certificate for some free Pizza! I knew I wouldn’t be there for awhile, so I gave the gift  certificate to the band Real Estate! So I love the fact that a Kreayshawn interview helped feed a band from New Jersey!

 




JPG: Do you find that people are more open to being interviewed by you since you are a Canadian or do you think it is because you set them at ease with your affable personality?

NTHS: Being Canadian, I don’t think makes a difference, but living in Vancouver BC, where there are fewer media outlets probably does. For instance, when like Lady Gaga plays in LA there are tons of people that want to talk to her, while in Vancouver, the number is a lot less great. In fact, when I 

interviewed her, I was slotted in after the local student high school paper! She even had time for them which was awesome!

JPG: Your knowledge of each subject you interview is mind blowing. How much time do you spend preparing before you encounter your subjects?

NTHS: I do my radio show on CiTR every week, so each week I generally focus on a different interview. I am never prepared enough for interviews though! There is always something you miss!


JPG: Tell us about your favorite types of cheese.

NTHS: Mainly old aged cheddar and other assorted cheeses like Huntsman. Although I do think unpasteurized cheese is too stinky!

JPGS: Do you have a Tom Guido story to tell us?


NTHS: When The Evaporators played The Purlpe Onion with The Hi-Fives and Sinister Six I do remember he kept playing The Makers over and over on the jukebox. It was an honour to play the ‘Onion and I was especially excited to meet Sven- Erik Geddes from Planet Pimp Records that night!

JPG: Your energy is infectious and has not deminished one bit since your sint in the hospital back in 1999. Has your approach to life, music or your interviews changed in any way?


NTHS: I was so lucky that from the minute I got into the Hospital, people were writing letters of encouragement telling me to keep going. That is something I will never forget: how people I didn’t even know were so incredibly kind to me. As a result of all the good vibes, I think I actually came out stronger. At least mentally!

JPG: What did you have for lunch today?

NTHS: A garden burger, as I am trying to cut down on the amount of Skookum Chief hamburgers I wolf down! Thanks again so much for the interview and photos Julie! Keep on rawkin in the free world and doot doola doot doo …


JPG: Doot do!









 

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Honeycombed Hallows Eve




How I do enjoy this time of year when little children are transformed into little ghouls and goblins, continuing a tradition passed down to them of a holiday that celebrates the dark side of life... a chance to be just a little bit devilish and a little bit deceptive... a day filled with the symbols of death and rebirth. It fits my personality and fills my visual appetite. 


Halloween, which originated in an annual Pagan celebration which marked the harvest (hence the pumpkin), the changing of the seasons (corn husks and scarecrows) and a celebration of the dead (skeletons anyone?) was called Samhain, a Gaelic word for "summers end". It was believed that this time of the year, a thinner veil between the living and the dead allowed us to communicate with each other. Pagan's would welcome their ancestors to large feasts but warded away mischievous souls (bats, cats and witches!) by disguising themselves.

Mexico's transformation of All Saint's Day into Dia Los Muertos or Day of the Dead, is a colorful affair that can trace it's origins back to Aztec mythology. It was the celebration of the Goddess Mictecacihuatl, Lady of the Dead, the Queen of the underworld and afterlife. She is now depicted as a Catrina, the symbol of death in Mexico. An etching by the printmaker and cartoonist Jose Guadealupe Posada  back in 1910 established the visual characteristics of La Calavera Catrina in the Mexican psyche. But it was Diego Rivera's 50 foot fresco "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park"1948 that established her name and place in Mexican folklore.

But enough with the History lesson! For me, the symbology of Halloween is less about death and more about the graphic use of two of my favorite colors: black and orange! This visual world I delight in is drenched in these darker hues. All of the pumpkins, bats, owls, witches and cats are pleasantly wrapped up in tissue papered honeycomb that delight me every time I bring them out for display. 

With my chilling, thrilling sounds of The Haunted House playing LOUDLY in the background, I dig into my bag of Halloween tricks and pull out my collection of honeycomb tissue papered items I have been collecting over the years. I have a vast collection I will be sharing later this year of my honeycomb ornaments for Christmas, seen in the shape of snowmen, santas and soldiers but Halloween decorations are not as prevalent and therefore harder to find.

Since Halloween used to be the least mass marketed holiday of all, there are fewer vintage items that were created. It gave us all a chance to craft and create our own costumes and decorations. This once DIY holiday only had a smattering of die cut images to hang on the wall. The Beistle Company out of Pennsylvania certainly is the forerunner in manufacturing Halloween decorations. They partnered with the Paper Novelty Company back in 1921 and created their first line of holiday honeycomb decorations. 

They have recently revived manufacturing items made back in the 1920 through the 1950's under the Vintage Beistle name. But unfortunately, I don't see their action dancers yet! You know, the decorations of scarecrows, witches and skeletons where their hands and feet dangle from honeycombed tissue paper... Perhaps when they decide to reissue those items I may consider purchasing a reproduction. Until then, I'm still a die hard Hallmark Plans-A-Party collector!




I'm still in love with the gentler side of Hallmarks designs, where little children can foray into the dark side of Halloween without being to frightened by the visuals they encounter.

Their simplistic shapes and solid colors harken back to an era that emphasized spooky more than scary imagery. These pumpkin centerpieces have never been punched out and create an interesting layout in and of itself!

Of course their Party Ideas and Check-List on the back of every package is priceless for any busy Hostess. Who doesn't have the time to create life size decorations?


"Witches, ghosts and scarecrows are easy to make and add to the fun. Nail sticks or boards together to form a body (!). Drape fabric over the rough boards. Paint a fce on the styrofoam head or us a Hallmark mask. Use straw or yarn for hair on the scarecrow and witch." 

Voilá! Instant party atmosphere, just watch out for those rough boards and nails...

"Every Halloween party should have a witch's brew (I agree!). For a dark, murky punch, mix grape and orange fruit juices. Float pealed grapes on top and call it Cats Eye Tea or Eyeball Brew" 

You just know Martha and her minions have been scavenging these magical tid bits off the back of Hallmark packaging for years and making them into a modern version for their Living readership!




A perfect counterpoint to the large and lovely orange honeycomb of the pumpkins are these deep, dark and mysterious owls perching on their die cut wood log. One looks serious, while the other balances out his partner by being just a little bit concerned with the witch flying close behind them!

When my little Edith Ann sees these owls this Halloween, she will be less frightened by their presence and more intrigued with the fact that they are made out of paper. As her birthday is very close to Halloween, I'm thinking of combining the two next year and throwing a birthday/costume party for her. 

I'll have to start digging for additional items to match. So far, I've only uncovered the table cover shown below. I have seen some coasters but invitations, plates, cups and nut cups will be hard to come by. Place mats, napkins, a bridge cover (!?!), Bib (...) and plastic owl favors will be like looking for hens teeth. If you happen upon them, please let me know!







I have to admit, this year I purchased an item that WASN'T made out of Honeycomb. I couldn't help myself. The packaging was perfect NOS and the imagery was right up my alley. The die cut and posable owl and cat as you can see on the left is just adorable. I'm a sucker for fabric backgrounds, balsa wood fences and twigs. The juxtaposition between the real twig and the textural wood, fabric and paper FLOAT MY BOAT! Hallmark called them Home Decorations and I will be hunting for them at every turn. 



Will all the little ghouls and goblins running around our house high on candy, I'm hoping these decorations will last the night and live to see another Halloween. I'm not precious with paper (or glass for that matter) and if they do happen to tear or become a sticky decoration glued to a tinker bell or transformer, I'm OK with that. It means they were loved and were sacrificed at the alter of Halloween...

Bwwwaahhhhahahaha!

Julie Pavlowski Green
Saturday, October 19, 2013




















Saturday, October 12, 2013

Navarro-by-the Sea


Winding your way through the wine country of Napa Valley in Northern California is truly a delight. Calisoga has been a destination for my family for generations. We would annually meet at the Gazebo in Pioneer Park and then head over to what was then the historic Pacheteau Baths with their olympic sized public pool. It's now no longer open to the public and has become Indian Springs Resort and Hot Springs.

Many Italians have immigrated to the Napa Valley since the 1840's. I suppose my Italian family felt right at home when they moved to the Bay Area in 1950 and would come up for the annual family visit. It was the candy store owner Giuseppe Musante who in 1920 accidentally tapped into a hot water source which eventually evolved into the Calistoga Sparking Mineral Water Co. (If only my Grandmother had bought those 6 brown and white striped cabins right on Foothill Boulevard at Lincoln Avenue back in the 50's...)



As I have wandered beyond my familial spots, I have come to love the adjacent Anderson Valley even more than the Napa Valley. I suppose it's due mostly to throng of crowds and the hype Napa now receives, compared to the quite Napa I remember as a child. Anderson Valley, on the other hand, is unhurried and relatively untouched, even today. I feel like I can travel back in time and enjoy the peacefulness of the rolling hills and vast Oak woodlands dotting them. Plus their wine tastes better! 

And here's a little hidden secret, there is an 11mile stretch of Highway 128 driving from Anderson Valley west to the Ocean in Mendocino County where you will enjoy the most glorious drive through Redwoods all the way to the waters edge. Lined with a second growth redwood grove, the drive through the natural tunnel of trees is simply majestic  The air is so pure, you'll want to bottle it! 



Redwood Groves

Since lumber mills heavily logged 95% of California's redwood forest, second and third growth redwoods, which are the saplings that grow out of the stumps of the original growth, are less than 100 years old. Still the resiliency of this majestic tree is astounding and unless you have a discerning eye for old growth redwoods, the drive will still be awe-inspiring.

Following the the curves of the river, at the end of this green and red wild coast drive, you end up where the mouth of the Navarro River meets the Pacific Ocean. The first time I encountered this amazing drive and its reward of the vast open Ocean, I was truly humbled. I also quickly became fascinated with the ecology and interaction between the river and the open ocean. How did plants and animals exist in a partly fresh partly salty environment? How did things co-exsist? Wouldn't the salt overpower any fresh water it encountered? How far does the tide influence the estuary?



I had the opportunity to stay at Navarro River Beach Campground for several days a while back and had a chance to ponder these very questions. The campground itself is primitive at best with no running water, no shade or wind protection. I was completely open to the elements. Also a part of the Navarro River Redwood State Park, I could have stayed at the slightly more comfortable Paul Dimmick Wayside Campground up the river but the opportunity to camp on a beach was too overpowering. Watching the powerful ocean waves break up an into the fresh water tributary was awesome. 

Where Fresh and Salt Water Meet

This intersection, I came to understand, actually did support a wide variety of wildlife including Salmon, Steelhead, Navarro Roach, Threespine Stickleback, California Sea Lions, Harbor Seals and my personal favorites, the industrious North American River Otter. Sheep and Cattle also graze on the nearby grasslands, specifically near the headwaters.



I was particularly fascinated by the Navarro Lagoon which is a large sand bar that separates the river from the ocean. Although I later learned that this very lagoon was rarely seen before sediment build up and water diversion began in the 1980's. The degradation of this fresh water tributary has lead to the decline in many of the fish populations.

David Foster, a fishing guide on the Navarro River for generations, expressed his observations in an interview with Hillary Adams, the founder and Honorary President of Navarro-by-the Sea Center back in 1995: "In my opinion, the most important thing that has affected the Salmon and the Steelhead in the Navarro is water diversions upstream. I have actually seen the River go down since then. I mean suddenly down and then back up again".



North American River Otters

My stay at th river was greatly enhanced by the discover of burrows created the the North American River Otter which they had built further up in the Navarro River Estuary. I happened upon one in a very dense thicket and was happily surprised to see a small hut like structure built out of sticks and debris. Call me a city girl but I had never see anything like it before!

These burrows sparked my interest and prompted me to create a photographic study of these structural habitats.  Patterns in nature fascinate me and these creatures meticulously constructed some of the most interesting free form configurations I had ever seen.




Navarrow River Watershed

The watershed is the largest coastal basin in Mendocino County, closely traversed by Highway 128. Now a days, the focus in on clean water and reducing sediment deposit. Ranching and timber production have accelerated erosion causing a direct increase in sediment buildup. The Navarro Watershed Restoration Plan was established in 1998 to address these issues and to stem the damage that has been cause in the just the past 25 years.



If we take a cue from the redwood trees, the negative impact humans have had on our environment can be rectified and recovered from. It just takes time and real effort to change our ways. Luckily we have finally seen that our imprint has a ripple effect and that we have begun to tread more lightly upon the earth.



When you find yourself in this neck of the world, enjoy a visual feast and drive down to Navarro-by-the Sea!

Julie Pavlowski Green
Saturday, October 12, 2013






Saturday, October 5, 2013

Pu'uhonua O Hõnaunau





In honor of our National Park System, which is currently closed due to the shenanigans being played out in Washington D.C., I thought I would feature one of my favorites, Pu'uhonua O Hõnaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island of Hawaii. This National Park is the largest historical park in the state of Hawaii. It is located on the West Coast of the island of Hawaii, South of Kealakekua Bay in southern Kona. 

This 180 acre archaeological site, which contained Royal Grounds (Ali'i Lani), a Temple (Heiau) and a place of refuge (Pu'uhonua), had been reconstructed around the ruins of the Hale O Keawe Heiau. 
Established in 1955, the park was originally called The City of Refuge National Historical Park but was renamed in 2000 to observe the Hawaiian spelling under the Hawaiian National Park Language Correction Act.

Photographing in infrared film, I tried to capture the sacred qualities of the space by using the "Wood Effect" (named after the inventor of infrared film Robert W. Wood), which I feel gives these images a lurid quality. 



Temples:

According to Hawaiian Encyclopedia.com, "Heiau's were places where offerings and prayers were made to ‘aumākua, personal or family gods, and sacred guardians and protectors that should be respected and even fed.  Some heiau included an ‘anu‘u, or oracle tower, which might be covered with white kapa (tapa) barkclothAccording to tradition, sometime before the year A.D.1200, a Tahitian priest (kahuna) by the name of Pā‘ao founded a high priest line, known as kahuna nui.  Pā‘ao returned to Tahiti and brought back a chief named Pili [Kaaiea], who ruled the island of Hawai‘i and sired the royal line leading to King Kamehameha I, beginning a 700-year dynasty. There was a system of laws (kānāwai) that determined if something was kapu (sacred or forbidden).  Commoners fell prostrate to the ground in the presence of chiefs, who possessed more mana (divine power)."

At the Hale O Keawe Heiau,  built by a Kona chief named Kanuha, bones of an important 16th century Kona chief named Keawe was interred. Wooden carved icons of gods ( Ki'i) guarded the Hale o Keawe Heiau. Today, reproductions were made based on drawings and writing of the 19th century missionary, William Ellias

The nobility (Ali'i) of Kona continued to be buried here until the abolition of the kapu (Taboo) system by King 
Kamehameha in 1819. 


Royal Grounds:



Like the Heiau's, Royal huts were built upon lava-stone platforms but were a single room and limited by the height of the trees, as they did not have mortar or nails. The Royal fishponds (Helepalala), near  the Royal canoe landing (Keeoneele), were forbidden places punishable by death if one happened to find themselves in the wrong place.

The Keoua Stone, a large rough-hewn slab of rock, was the favorite bench for Chief Keoua. At the sides of the Keoua Stone are six holes such as this one carved into the lava rock, probably to hold poles to elevate a canopy to keep the Hawaiian sun off the king.




The Royalty often played a checker-like game called Konane. Pebbles are placed on a stone (papamu).  The last one to be able to move wins.  This game sometimes helped to decide a dispute between rival Kings, rather than going to war.  King Kamehameha I was said to be unbeatable at this game. 



Place of Refuge:


A place of refuge (Pu'uhonua) for Hawaiian lawbreakers gave them the opportunity to escape death by reaching the compound. A ceremony of absolution would then allow them to reenter society. That is if they were able to reach it!


A Great Wall was erected around its perimeter, 10 ft high and 17 feet thick made from Pahoehoe lava. It was built in an L shape that separated the royal village from the sanctuary. No blood could be shed behind these walls. 

Kapu (Taboo) or sacred laws were punishable by death unless you could swim to the refuge. 
Eating with women, fishing out of season or walking in the Kings shadow are just a couple of examples that would be  considered Taboo.

Luckily for us, we can now enjoy the beauty of this sacred space without the fear of being killed for looking in the wrong direction.


A hui hou kakou,

Julie Pavlowski Green
Saturday, October 5, 2013