Pearl Harbour: She's a Blast!

There aren't enough adjectives I could use to truly describe the fabulous Ms. Pearl Harbour. Kind, kool and karismatic come to mind, as well as talented, thoughtful and tough. She's an amazing vocalist who's has been at the heart of the Rock and Roll, New Wave, Punk, Cabaret and Rockabilly scene since the 1970's. The paths which she has taken throughout her life are stewn with incredible twists of fate, the route filled with experiences that we only wish we could have been there for, all of which have lead her down the road to Rock and Roll history.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Pearl in her Hollywood home which was impeccably decorated with vintage finds that would make even the most die hard collector hold their breath in delight and amazement.  The following interview is one mindblowing tale after another that she has graciously shared with Patterns and Tones. These tales come from a life lead with passion and guts, from one of the coolest chicks I know, the uncomparable Ms. Pearl Harbour.

Glamour first, glamour last, glamour always... 

Julie Pavlowski Green
May 25, 2013

JPG: You were born in Germany...

PH: Actually I was born in Monterey at Fort Ord but I only lived there 6 months and then we moved to Germany. 


JPG: So your consciousness came into being in Germany. Tell me how that kind of affected your outlook on life.


PH: Well I knew right away, I didn't like Germans. I know many Germans that I love but at that time, you know, in the late 50's all through the 60's into the early 70's, there was still some Nazi shit going on. I  lived in a little town in
Germany in the 60's and they still held Nazi party meetings every Friday night. My Mother is Filipino, I have 4 older brothers who all skateboarded and were being bad American's in this little German hick town. I thought we were all going to get killed to tell you the truth but no one ever fucked with us. 

JPG: You were in Germany until what, you were a teenager?

PH: 17, I dropped out of high school and moved to San Francisco in 1973. I had never been to San Francisco and god knows why my Dad let me do it! I was a bad, troubled kid and I told my parents I was moving there and that they couldn't stop me. They were like "OK here's your ticket". I swear to God. My Dad gave me $100 and an airplane ticket.



JPG: Maybe he knew you were strong enough to handle it?


PH: Well, it was a big mistake. I got into a hell of a lot of trouble.

JPG: But 3 years later you were in The Tubes... 


PH: I did accomlish all my dreams I went to San Francisco to do but you can imagine a 17 year old all alone in the City in 1973. All the sex and drug and rock and roll...


JPG: What was it about San Francisco that drew you there?


PH: I had seen San Francisco in Life Magazine and Time Magazine which my Father had subscriptions to. I had never been there but I saw that it was the Hippy and Drug Captial of the world and that's where I wanted to go.

[As we were casually chatting before the interview, I had noticed a poster of "The Explosions" hanging on the kitchen door.  I commented specifically on her amazing makeup she was wearing. This began a lengthy dissuction of how both of us had been schooled on makeup application by her dear friend and my former neighbor, the mindblowingly creative Ms. Doris Fish]

Julie Pavlowski Green: How did you meet Doris?

Pear Harbour:  So in 1976 me and Doris Fish, along with a whole bunch of other weirdos, auditioned for the talent contest for The Tubes. And the winner of the talent contest got to do three weeks at Bimbos (365 Club). Me and Doris Fish tied. I was a tap dancing boxer and Doris was this fabulous Queen. So they put us both in the show. I was in a few more numbers than Doris cause I could sing and dance and play percussion. So they had used me for background vocals for "Don't Touch Me There" and I played maracas for it too. Then I tap danced and hula hooped. Doris did his funny schtick in between numbers. So we were back stage most of the time when the band and the show was going on. I didn't know how to do makeup. I would say each night to Doris, "Tonight I want to look like Sofia Loren" and fuck me, I had this eye makeup on and I was besides myself  because I was sort of hippyish and not very savvy to all  the glamour puss shit. Each night was insane.Like I would say, tonight I want to look Asian and she would white out my face and basically drew on my face.

Then I went to Doris's drag room and saw what a real drag room looked like. The top shelf was all wigs on stands and then all the jewelry was on hanging nails and all the feathers were in one section and I was like whoa... So much makeup and hair pieces and stuff. Doris taught me how to do the best beehives, including like safety pinning different pieces together to make this really tall one. One time I had a beehive two feet high! Also to layer the eyelashes, like one full one and then a medium one and then small individual pieses at the end. Also to make sure the eyelashes go out beyond your eyes and shading and shit. Doris taught me that the cheaper and gaudier the jewelry, the better it is on stage.Glamour first, glamour last, glamour always... That's what she taught me.

JPG: So tells us, how did  "Pearl Harbor and The Explosions" come about?

PH: Well, first there was The Tubes in 1976. Jane Dornacker was in The Tubes as well and also had a group (along with the dancing girls who were in The Tubes) called Leila and The Snakes.  They used to do this all girl show. So when I won the Tubes talent contest, I immediatly also joined Leila and The Snakes.  It was the craziest most fun stuff I had ever done in my life. That was an all girl lineup. Then I guess in 1977-78 some of the girls dropped out and Jane srtated hiring boys. So she hired The Stench Brothers (she had named them The Stench Brothers) on bass and drums. That was John and Hilary Hanes.So the three of us who later formed The Explosions, were in Leila and The Snakes. So it was a really fun comedy and caberate show. It had all different genres of music, from Country and Western to Salsa to Punk to Cabaret to everything.The lyrics were all funny and it was just this intenst show that was really, really, really fun. So then, after awhile after doing the show for a couple of years, it was fun but I was really young and I wanted to write my own muic and play Rock and Roll as opposed to being in a cabaret show. And so I took with me John and Hilary Hanes and the three of us left Leila and The Snakes together and that made Jane very unhappy. So we were her enemies for a couple of years and that makes me very sad. But it was the truth and I don't blame her. We formed "Pearl Harbor and The Explosions" and they had their friend Peter Bilt who was a guitar player (Peter Dunn), so in 1978 we just started playing at all the little clubs. 415 Records had just started and we were their first band and so we recorded "Drivin" for them. And because of the single we got played on KSAN. Beverly Wilshire and all these realy wonderful DJ's were big supporters of us. Beverly was really cool because she wasn't really allowed to play our record but she would sneak it in and it's because of her that we got big if you ask me. So 415 records went to Warner Brothers record deal and we signed with them in 1979 . We recorded "Pearl Harbor and The Explosions" one and only album and it did pretty well, I think it hit number 60 on the Billboard charts.

In 1980, after doing this huge world tour across America, Canada and Europe with The Talking Heads, that was the end of "Pearl Hahrbor and The Explosions" because those guys, they were wonderful but they became twisted that in every place we went everybody wanted to talk to me. It was a bit like "No Doubt" in that every one wants to talk to Gwenn and the band gets pissed off.. It's not her fault, it wasn't my fault, it's just typical of who ever is the lead singer is the person the press wants to talk to.And so all these fights happenend because of that. Then it was time to make album number 2 and the guys wanted to go more into this Jazz/Funk thing and I was into singing Rockabilly. So I decided that I didn't want to do Jazz/Funk and so we broke up the band. Warner Brothers got extrememly upset and they said that they would stick with me for one more record and that was my solo album "Pearl Harbour" (Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too) spelled with a U. That's because I had moved to England and they spelled it with a U it wasn't my doing. I accepted it, I said "OK if that's the way you guys spell it and that's the way you're always gonna do it, then fuck me, I'm Pearl Harbour" and I thought it sounded kind of nice anyway and not so quite hard core.

JPG: That is something I wanted to touch on. How did you come about naming the band, since it did have such a strong conitation?

PH: Pearl E.Gates (her real name) is funny enough. I didn't want to be campy or anything. It was the time of New Wave and Punk and I thought Pearl Harbor sounded hard core but I also thought it had a sense of humor because it was so old. But in the 70's to the 40's was not as old as 2013 to the 40's so I couldn't get on the radio because of the name. A lot of people did not think it was funny. But the people in the Punk and New Wave camp, they thought it was funny and understood but it didn't matter. It was something that was a thorn in my side but I wasn't about to change it to become popular or anything cause that would have been totally agaist everything I was about.

JPG:: What is interesting, the irony is that you were also huge in Japan!

PH: The first time I went on tour in Japan was in 1982 with The Clash and so because my name was associated with The Clash, Pearl Harbour could do no wrong. It's not any of my doing, unfortunatly. You know, my name didn't get known out there because I'm so fabulous. My name got known in Japan because I was this woman that went on stage, the only woman who went on stage with The Clash and sang not only "Fujiyama Mama" but the rest of their encours. So they were like, this woman must be OK. Then the second time I went over there, a Japaneese band called The Mods contacted me and wanted to play with me. And I thought, oh Pearl Harbour having a Japanees band, that would be BRILLIANT! You should have seen these guys. Big, black fucking greasy quiffs, really cool looking, really amazing players. (Her fourth album, "Pearls Galore" on Island Records in 1985, featured the Japanese musicians, The Mods).

JPG: You were married to Paul Simonon, the bass guitarist for The Clash. What was your favorite Clash song and why?

PH: Oh hell to be boring, of course I always loved "London Calling" and I always loved "White Riot" and I always loved "Garage Band". Can't even tell you why. It's for the same reasons everybody else loves those songs, they're just fucking great songs. I couldn't pick an obscure song Clash song, cause I don't think I would pick something obscure off of Sandanista, that isn't my favorite Clash album. Yeah, it would have to be either "White Riot" or "London Calling" probably.

JPG: Who were some of the more interesting characters you came across during that time period with Paul?

PH: Well, who we haven't touched upon is Ian Dury, one of the most interesting characters I have ever met in my life. He taught me all about rhyming slang, gave me a rhyming slang dictionary, an English dictionary, a proper one, and gave me a proper English thesaurus. He taught me a lot about dealing with the press. He would say - The press lies about you, so just lie to the press but keep everything funny and make up good stories whether they are true or not and don't ever put anybody down because they're always out for gossip. He taught me all that shit in like 1978 and I always remembered it. Joe Strummer and Ian Dury taught me the most.Obviously I had the most fun with Paul and I had a brilliant time meeting everyone through Kosmo. Kosmo Vinyl was The Clash's personal assistant and he was also Ian Dury's personal assistant, so I met all those folks through Kosmo.

[At this point she points out an amazing photograph of her and Ian taken by Penny Smith in 1978 on her wall of  them singing together on stage at the Hammersmith Odeon, where he had invited her to come on stage to sing "20 Flight Rocker"].

JPG: What a cool guy. You must have been really good friends with him.

PH: All the punks were scared of him, including Johnny Rotton. They were terrified of him because he had his callipers, his steel things and if he did like you he'd just fucking wallop you with them. No shit, so you didn't fuck with Ian. So I was really priviledged, lucky that he really liked me. He was my buddy.

JPG: What about Mikey Dread?

PH: I was in Jamaica with Mikey Dread. It's such a small island that we landed in Montego Bay, he met us there at our hotel and drove us in one day across the island. We stopped at all these little, like shanty towns and had drinks and beers with different people and Mikey was a folk hero to everyone, so we were treated like kings. I went to different blues dances with them. But the scene was hard core believe you me. But I was with Mikey, so it was all fine. In Kingston we were at his house and it was a really nice house. We went to Studio One where all the original records were made. We went to Lee Scratch Perry's place. His house was so amazing because on the outside wall, he had toasters on top, all these rusty toasters were on top of his wall.

JPG: Not to change the subject but sitting here in your dining room is a feast for the eyes. Your collection of vintage items is truly amazing. What was your most memoralbe find?

PH:  My most memorable vintage find that I can think of is my 1960 something "Nudie Suit" that used to belong to one of the Doobie Brothers!! I got it for $200 at the Marin City flea market in 1989. If you're not familiar with "Nudie" clothes, he's the most famous country & western taylor who started in the 40's and made all the famous rhinestone clothes and suits for Hank Williams, George Jones, Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner and loads of fabulous musicians. They sell for thousands of $ !!

"Earl Harbour" 2005
Mixed Media on Canvas
30 x 30"
Julie Pavlowski Green

JPG: So tell us about Earl!

PH: Well, I rescued Earl from Glendale Humain Society in September 2004 and I was looking for a little Chihuahua. And at that time there were'n't many up for adoption but I ended up at this one place and he had just been deposited in the office and was running around. I looked him and I said oh I want him. So I've had him for 9 years and he's my boy, my everything. I take him to work with me everyday and yeah, he travels on airplanes with me and he doesn't say a word. Earl is truly my buddy and probably responsible for me not having a boyfriend!

JPG: I know you're a motocycle enthusiast. Have you ever ridden a bike?

PH: Of course! Paul taught me how to drive on his Triumph in the countryside. It was a 60's one, a 650cc?. But I am not confident any more and I don't ride any more. I have to say that I wouldn't have ridden around London because I was terrified of the traffic. I road on the back of Paul's bike for nearly 8 years. Paul's a really good driver, we were never in an accident. He had three Triumphs. They were all 60's, none of them were Bonnievilles. He always got old beat up bikes and fixed them up, completely rehauled them all himself. I could have been the ulitmate biker babe if I had the balls. And then when I came to Los Angeles, I had the chance to buy a light blue Tiger Cub and I didn't buy it because I didn't like how people drove in this city.

I did had a 1965 Humber Sceptre and it was jacked up in the back. I got it from a Jamaican guy and it had a little leather stearing wheel and the gas pedal that was shaped like a foot!

JPG: Who is your all time favorite singer?

PH: I couldn't say one. I mean I obviously love Wanda Jackson as a Rock and Roll Singer. She was a huge influence more than Brenda Lee, even though they were both growlers, I relate to Wanda more. As far as soul singer go, I mostly listen to black singers because they move me the most. So Irma Thomas has got to
be tops. Aretha Franklin, obviously but I like to give props to the lesser known gals. Ruth Brown is fucking brilliant. The new equivalent to those gals in my mind is Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings On the cornball side I love Dolly Parton with all my heart and of course there is Ronnie Spector who influenced me tremedously. I also love Loretta Lynn's voice, even more so than Patsy Klein. I have a huge selection of black rhythem and blues singers and as far as the girl groups go, I'd have to say The Marvelettes are the best. The Shangrila's were the coolest but The Marvelettes were the best singers. In the 80's, I think Chrissie Hynde does an incredible voice and she's a great song writer, rock and roll person. That's pretty much who's influenced me.

JPG: So what are you working on now?

PH: Well, my original LA band, we put it all back together 6 months ago and I've done 5 shows. .I"ve writen some new songs and we'll see what happens. As long as we're having fun, that's what's most important to me. I thought I was too old to rock and roll but you know what? I'm not.

Pear Harbour will be playing on June 1st at The Redwood Bar and Grill with Alice Bag. If you know what's good for you, you wont want to miss it!

Magic in Toyland

Is there anything that evokes more excitement and anticipation of pure entertainment than watching a magic trick being performed on a stage? "Magic in Toyland" is the second part in the series I created titled "Toyland". It was a labor of love that I conceived, photographed, produced and directed a crew of over 15 people to create a visual tale that grew from a desire to recreate an adult version of my childhood memories. Conceptually, I see these as 40 x 30" framed prints hanging in an adult play room to visually bring the element of surprise, mystery and illusion into the room.

The illusion of a magic trick is Performance Art at its best. With the help of a beautiful assistant and carnival like props, the Magician entertains us with their skilled manipulation of props and clever deception in a magical stage performance. We want to be drawn into another world where are senses are distorted and our assumptions of reality are skewed. By bending our perception of our physical world through optical illusion, sleight of hand or other sensory manipulations, the Magician reminds us that what we see is not always what we get!

The stage offers the Conjurer control over the audience's point of view. With optical deception being employed, I am fascinated by it use in real time. As a photographer, I am enthralled by optical illusions and know that Magicians are masters of the science of perception. It's all about how we assimilate the images in front of us. Lighting, sleight of hand, timing, optical space, direction, speed: the Science of Magic works with these elements to create the illusion of breaking laws of physics and logic. When sensation dislodges reasoning, our mind compensates for our disbelief and magic is born.

I am fascinated with Magicians because they are apart of a Secret Society. Mystery surrounds their knowledge. Everyone knows a Magician is never supposed to reveal the secrets to their magic tricks. Most take what is called the "Magicians Oath" and belong to a secret society of Illusionists. There is The International Brotherhood of Magicians, The Society of American Magicians, The British Society of Mystery Entertainers and right in our own backyard sits the ever intriguing and elusive Magic Castle here in Hollywood, which is home to the Academy of Magical Arts. I have had the honor of attending two dinners at the Magic Castle and watched as the Magicians performe in the various Victorian parlors of the Castle.

Magicians earn their fame and reputation by adding new techniques and new theatrical presentations which add to the psychology and science of Magic. Most notably, Jean Eugéne Robert-Houdini, the 19th century French Magician, considered the Grandfather of modern day stage magic, was one of the first to employ electromagnetism in his tricks. Alexander Herrmann, knows as Herrmann the Great, could bounce cards off the wall of the largest theater and catch marked bullets in his hand! And who hasn't heard of Harry Houdini? Harry (who took his stage name from Jean Eugéne Robert-Houdidi), became a house hold name with tricks like his Upside Down Water Tourture Cell, his disappearing elephant trick and incredible East Indian Needle Trick. While the famous modern day Illusionist David Copperfield, named by The Society of American Magicians as the "Magician of the Century", with his levitation and disappearing acts taking illusion to new heights.  And Derren Brown stands out for his contributions and advancement in hypnotism and mind reading. 

It is the Magician that dons the red satin lined cape, top hat and white gloves that still grabs my attention. I like a performer who knows his history and looks like a gentleman all rolled up in one. The forbidden, the mysterious, the almost sinister nature of magic is attractive and alluring. If you add a mustache and goatee to resemble the devil himself, all the better to instill fear of the unknown and unreal into your performance!

Some of my favorite movies revolve around Magic and Magicians. Who wasn't in awe and complete shock when the Wizard of Oz was revealed and his theatrics were revealed? Disney has recently gone back to reshape that tale this year in "Oz, The Great and Powerful". Laurel and Hardy's 1942 "A-Haunting We Will Go" featuring Dante The Magician is a classic. The 1954 Vincent Price flick "The Mad Magician" with Eva Gabor is one not to miss! The luscious cinematography in "The Magician", which was written and directed by Ingmar Bergman in 1958, is truly a feast for the eyes, each frame a perfect still.

1970 saw naughty Montag the Magician chop up unsuspecting victims in "The Wizard of Gore" directed by the amazing B-Movie director Hershel Gordon Lewis. To this day I still have nightmares that were induced by the freaky Magician/Ventriloquist movie from 1978 "Magic"staring Anthony Hopkins. Recently the "The Illustionist" staring Edward Norton as Eisenheim, is a beautifully crafted film that taps into the heart of Magic and deception.

Employing bizarre magic by using fantastical creatures and mystical storytelling, I came up with my own magic trick for this photographic series. A Sailor procures a magic key from a pipe smoking, tutu wearing raccoon in order to release a sword balancing Genie out of a treasure chest! Yes, overlapping allegories and random symbolism with no real purpose except for sheer entertainment ... Looks like Magick to me!

By now, I'm sure you have over the past 15 weeks been able to see an underlying theme working its way through my visual production. It stems from my earliest recollections as a figure skater, entertaining the public in costume, light and sound since the age of 3, coupled with being brought up by a Mother who was fascinated with anything unusual or out of the ordinary. Being frightened was fun and mystery was entertainment. What ever excited our curiosity, we explored its possibilities.

Life is truly Magical!

Julie Pavlowski Green

May 18, 2013

Dolls in Toyland

"Toyland" was a labor of love that I conceived, photographed, produced and directed a crew of over 15 people to create a visual tale that I had inside of me. Based on Dolls and Magic, "Toyland" grew from a desire to recreate an adult version of my childhood memories. This selection of photographs from this series focuses on "Dolls in Toyland". Conceptually, I see these as 40 x 30" framed prints hanging in an adult play room. Their colorful backdrops and costumes popping out at you like the Jack-in-the-box being wound up by a toy Doll, are a perfect foil in a toy room just for adults!

Dolls certainly played a major roll in my own childhood. My artwork has been visually influenced by other Artist's representation of them in the form of paper dolls, dolls coming to life in the movies and in stop animation, and reading about their adventures in the pages of a book. Anthropomorphic, dolls allow us to reflect on the human condition in endless ways, in stories that have been explored in every medium and in every culture. As my visual vocabulary began to grow, imagery of dolls that surrounded me as a child influenced my interpretation of them and I started leaning towards the 60's pop aesthetic.

 

My first paper doll was a book called "Peggy and Me" by the Whitman Publishing Company. This was a "First Doll" book where you would flip a page and change the dolls dress instead of physically dressing the dolls up. To this day, I still love the combination of illustration rephotographed with fabric and notions. The black outline and the pop colors set the tone for what I still find aesthetically pleasing.

Betsy McCall, the paper doll that appeared in the pages of McCall magazine, also held a large fascination for me in my childhood.  Not only did Betsy have thee best clothes but the stories fascinated me, since they always had Betsy doing something interesting. This paper doll traveled and had an exciting life filled with adventure. I never cut Betsy out but carefully tore out each page from my Grandmother's magazine to keep for my collection. 

One of the biggest influences on my childhood has to be the first outdoor movie I ever watched. It was the 1934 Laurel and Hardy film "Babes in Toyland" (also known as "March of the Wooden Soldiers" which was a 1952 reissue) produced by non-other than the great Hal Roach. I can still remember the thrill and excitement of the life size wooden soldiers coming to life and saving Toyland. Seeing them come to life was pure magic. To this day, it is still a thrill to watch.

And what child of the 1960's and 70's in America was not permanently enthralled and influenced by the creative output of Rankin and Bass? Their stop-motion animated Holiday specials were something we ALL looked forward to. From "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" to "Mad Monster Party", Rankin and Bass produced some of the most beloved television productions with their "animagic", influencing image makers and animators to this day. For me, it was The Island of Mistfit Toys from the tale of Rudolf that I looked forward to year after year. The crazy 60's visuals of the Matryoshka clown opening up, to a water pistol that shoots jelly made me want to bring them all home with me. I was hooked on those misfit toys that sang and danced and came to life after I went to bed... Of course The Miser Brothers, Snow and Heat, in "The Year Without Santa Clause", who would elicit fear and excitement in every child in the room, also remains a constant visual in the back of my mind...

Like paper dolls, books are intimate and personal. My all time favorite book when I was a little girl was "Little Mommy", a Little Golden Book illustrated by Eloise Wilkins. I remembered I loved that book so much that I took it from my nursery school! For years I combed thrift stores and even wrote to Little Golden Books looking for an extra copy (this was before ebay kids...) but no one ever seemed to have a copy available. It was with great excitement it was reissued in 2008, just before my daughter was born and now she too can enjoy being a "Mommy" to her Dollys as I once did.

But it was Dare Wright and her Lonely Doll series which inspired me to pursue a career in photography. "Edith and Little Bear Lend a Hand" was my first introduction to a world Ms. Wright had created along with the help of a beautiful Lenci doll named Edith and her two Steiff Teddy Bear companions Mr. Bear and Little Bear. This book from 1972 actually incorporated the idea of recycling and cleaning the environment in its storyline. Perhaps that is why my Mother purchased it instead of "The Lonely Doll" which has a darker, more foreboding side to it with a dash of anxiety thrown in for good measure. It is interesting how many Artists are draw to this woman and her work...

The fantasy world I loved as a child spilled over into my visual vocabulary and has greatly influenced my color palate and in the end, my sense of humor. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to digest these images from an early age and that their impression on me has been a positive and creative one.
As my daughter Edith has just begun to construct imaginative naratives with her dolls, I realize how important play is for all of us and how essential it is to self realization and hours of whimsical entertainment.

Next week: Magic in Toyland!

Julie Pavlowski Green
May 11, 2013

Ostia Antica

I have often thought of the beautiful statues and the intricate mosaics I found strewn throughout Ostia Antica, an ancient harbor city which used to lay at the mouth of the Tibor River, 30 km west of Rome. I can still feel the heat of the sun and distinctly remember the sound of complete silence while I wandered the abandoned streets of this city. It had been erected as the principle port during the later Roman Empire and it was truly the global crossroad of culture and commerce. At its height of prosperity in the 2nd century BC, Ostia Antica had a population of 60,000 inhabitants!

The international population made Ostia Antica a very cosmopolitan city for the time. Knowing that men and woman from around the globe had walked these same streets in the 2nd century BC was intriguing for a gal who grew up where tumble weeds still rolled down the dusty small town streets of long forgotten California towns. It was humbling to be surrounded by such antiquity, much which had survived due to being buried in silt over the centuries. The archeological digging at Ostia Antica began in the 19th century and increased greatly between 1939 and 1942 under Benito Mussolini, when about 2/3 of the city was uncovered in preparation for the Esposizione Universale di Roma (EUR) 1942 Worlds-Fair that never took place.

The large and looming cypress trees felt like my ancestors, Aunties that were always watchful. Being half Italian, I felt connected and deeply rooted in the environs of this outdoor world. Could my Piedmonte and Tuscan relatives have ventured down to Rome to sell wine and marble? Asti and Piemonte were and still are the most important wine regions in Italy and many Roman structures were lined with marble pulled from the quarries in Pietrasanta in Tuscany. The thought wasn't inconceivable...

Wandering around the ruins of this ancient city, it's hard not to wonder what life must have been like for an average citizen back in the 201 BC. Baths, temples, theaters, taverns, gyms, warehouses and multi-story brick apartments known as Insula, where the majority of the urban population lived, were built in Ostia Antica. These warehouses and apartments were paved with mosaic floors and according to archeologists, their walls were elegantly painted. Magistrates were expected during this time to show their appreciation to the local population by providing the sculptures that adorned public places. As trade decreased in the 3rd century, the city became more of a residential place for wealthier Romans.

Ostia's Theater, which was originally erected at the end of the 1st century BC and was twice as high as can be seen in the image above, could seat 4,000 people. Not unlike the entertainment we seek in our modern day society, residences of Ostia Antica enjoyed music, performances, dance and sports to pass the time. This is one of the oldest brick Theaters in the world! The wonders of the Roman aqueducts provided water to the public Baths of Neptune, seen below, which is known for its large expansive Antonine black and white mosaic of Neptune riding a Chariot drawn by four horses through the sea.

But it was the mosaics on the floors of the apartments and warehouses that really garnered my attention. In a large area of the city was the Square of the Guilds containing 60 offices where tradesmen could sell their wares. Since it was one of the largest international market places of the time, it occurred to me that the mosaics acted as advertisements to signify the goods that were being sold, even if the seller and buyer could not speak the same language.

Upon further research of this ancient Roman city, I uncovered a religion based on the Indo-Iranian Sun God Mithra, which flourished from the 1st through the 4th century BC throughout the Roman Empire. The Mithraic Mysteries were practiced mainly by Roman soldiers in either a natural cave formation or a building that imitated the shape of a cave, usually below or within an existing structure, several which survive in Ostia. The entrance to a Mithraeum was identified by a single entrance. The cave like structure called the Spelaeum had raised benches along the walls where ritual meals were consumed.

The Roman cult of Mithras celebrated the metamorphoses of the four elements and their impact upon the world. The most important iconography of Mithras was usually portrayed showing him slaying a bull. As these images hung in the most prominent places in the mithraeum itself, it must have been a central myth for this Roman worship. It's interesting to note how so many scholars describe it as a pagan mystery religion or a cult. Perhaps because it never materialized into a world wide religion...

If you ever find yourself in Rome, do as the Romans did and visit Ostia Antica. You will be richly rewarded with a portal back in time.

Buon Viaggio!

Julie Pavlowski Green
May 4, 2013