Tosh Berman's Blog, page 121
June 4, 2020
June 4, 2020 (In The Year of the Trump Virus)
June 4, 2020 (In The Year of the Trump Virus)
Today there are 1,469 new cases of the Trump Virus, and 44 deaths reported for today as well in the county of Los Angeles. The city of Glendale, California, which I can see from the distance from my backyard has 1,031 cases so far and 91 deaths. Atwater Village, which is walking distance from my home, has 52 cases and two deaths. Where I live, Silver Lake, is still a tad under 200, with 12 deaths altogether. I look at these reports daily, and they very much tell me what I will be doing for the next few days or weeks - staying at home to work on the film script and various writing jobs.
The good news is the neighbor's cat is back in my backyard. She was gone for 24-hours, and I was miserable without her. I thought that a coyote caught her, and I was miserable throughout the night. My neighbor told me this morning that they are allowing the cat to stay indoors at their home, and I was thrilled that she was alive and healthy. I like dogs, but I love cats. Their relationship with humans is complexed interestingly. There is equal attention paid to each other, and I feel in these days of misery, going out on the front steps and petting this gorgeous beast makes me feel good.
For the past few days, I have been reading the novel "Tapping the Source" by Kem Nunn. The book is considered to be 'surf noir,' which may be the case, still, a real joy to read. I've been studying surf culture as much as possible for a writing project. The solitary surfer appeals to my sense of need to be alone during these days of a harsh life. I feel miserable about my mom being in solitude; although I do text or call her daily, it is awful to have this border between us, yet, I don't give up the fight against the Trump Virus. I don't live in fear or even anxiety, but more with sadness on a daily basis.
This afternoon I did another video for Artbook / D.A.P. on Philip Guston, the painter. I love doing these little segments for my work, and it's challenging to touch on subject matters that are complexed and detailed, but within 8-minutes long. I'm naturally a wanderer of a writer or talker, so to be confined in a timeframe is something new for me. Kimley and I also discussed what the next book would be for our podcast Book Musik. It isn't easy because we are committed to doing two episodes per month. Due to the virus, we can't be in the same room, so that means we have to get an extra copy of a book for us, which so far is not that difficult. Still, the delivery and mail system is slow due to the Trump Virus. Life has changed where we have to make plans even for a short time ahead of us. I hear people mention that people have to live, meaning go back to their old life before the virus, but to me, living now in seclusion or being apart from the world is an intense experience. It is very much being alive and interacting with the new world. For those who feel fear, either for the business they are losing or their lives and not to be sick - it's still a fear. I have no fear. I choose to live in a new world. - Tosh Berman.
Today there are 1,469 new cases of the Trump Virus, and 44 deaths reported for today as well in the county of Los Angeles. The city of Glendale, California, which I can see from the distance from my backyard has 1,031 cases so far and 91 deaths. Atwater Village, which is walking distance from my home, has 52 cases and two deaths. Where I live, Silver Lake, is still a tad under 200, with 12 deaths altogether. I look at these reports daily, and they very much tell me what I will be doing for the next few days or weeks - staying at home to work on the film script and various writing jobs.
The good news is the neighbor's cat is back in my backyard. She was gone for 24-hours, and I was miserable without her. I thought that a coyote caught her, and I was miserable throughout the night. My neighbor told me this morning that they are allowing the cat to stay indoors at their home, and I was thrilled that she was alive and healthy. I like dogs, but I love cats. Their relationship with humans is complexed interestingly. There is equal attention paid to each other, and I feel in these days of misery, going out on the front steps and petting this gorgeous beast makes me feel good.
For the past few days, I have been reading the novel "Tapping the Source" by Kem Nunn. The book is considered to be 'surf noir,' which may be the case, still, a real joy to read. I've been studying surf culture as much as possible for a writing project. The solitary surfer appeals to my sense of need to be alone during these days of a harsh life. I feel miserable about my mom being in solitude; although I do text or call her daily, it is awful to have this border between us, yet, I don't give up the fight against the Trump Virus. I don't live in fear or even anxiety, but more with sadness on a daily basis.
This afternoon I did another video for Artbook / D.A.P. on Philip Guston, the painter. I love doing these little segments for my work, and it's challenging to touch on subject matters that are complexed and detailed, but within 8-minutes long. I'm naturally a wanderer of a writer or talker, so to be confined in a timeframe is something new for me. Kimley and I also discussed what the next book would be for our podcast Book Musik. It isn't easy because we are committed to doing two episodes per month. Due to the virus, we can't be in the same room, so that means we have to get an extra copy of a book for us, which so far is not that difficult. Still, the delivery and mail system is slow due to the Trump Virus. Life has changed where we have to make plans even for a short time ahead of us. I hear people mention that people have to live, meaning go back to their old life before the virus, but to me, living now in seclusion or being apart from the world is an intense experience. It is very much being alive and interacting with the new world. For those who feel fear, either for the business they are losing or their lives and not to be sick - it's still a fear. I have no fear. I choose to live in a new world. - Tosh Berman.
June 3, 2020
June 3, 2020 (In the Year of the Trump Virus)
June 3, 2020 (In the Year of the Trump Virus)
For the past two months, my neighbor's cat has been visiting us regularly. She hangs out by our front door, and I have spent a great deal of time hanging out with the cat on our front steps. I don't allow the cat inside, due to my wife is allergic to cat fur. Still, when I work outside, she comes to the backyard and hangs with me. She craves attention, so I often spend time petting and chatting with her. I haven't had a pet cat or dog since I was a child. I moved around a lot, so I never felt the need to have an animal as a pet. Also, I feel weird about owning an animal. I know having a pet around can make you feel good, but there is something wrong about owning a living creature that bothers me to the core of my being. Saying that now, I'm nervous that the cat is not around anymore. I looked forward to seeing her, and I don't even mind her meowing for an hour. Her sounds are perfume to my senses.
As I write, people are demonstrating in various parts of Los Angeles and the world. Mostly peaceful, and the other day, on my way to my mother's house to drop off some goods, I saw a bunch of kids with their parents doing their version of a march in the neighborhood. Things may move on, but I do feel that there is significant damage to President Virus, and he may not survive this time. I say that, because I sense a mood in the air, and I think people are tired of his lies, lack of character, and just being under the attack of this over-grown spoiled child in a man's body.
Today, I worked on a Philip Guston video talk, which hopefully will take place tomorrow. I'm also working on a film script, and I need to make some significant changes in its structure. I never worked with other people in a writing job, and I'm learning a lot in how to compromise and hopefully make a better script. I feel like F. Scott Fitzgerald or William Faulkner when they were hired by a Hollywood studio to become a scriptwriter. The glamour of such work is a turn-on for me. It's different from working by yourself for a book project or essay.
As of this writing (5 PM ), there are 1,155 new cases of the virus and 46 deaths in Los Angeles County.
For the past two months, my neighbor's cat has been visiting us regularly. She hangs out by our front door, and I have spent a great deal of time hanging out with the cat on our front steps. I don't allow the cat inside, due to my wife is allergic to cat fur. Still, when I work outside, she comes to the backyard and hangs with me. She craves attention, so I often spend time petting and chatting with her. I haven't had a pet cat or dog since I was a child. I moved around a lot, so I never felt the need to have an animal as a pet. Also, I feel weird about owning an animal. I know having a pet around can make you feel good, but there is something wrong about owning a living creature that bothers me to the core of my being. Saying that now, I'm nervous that the cat is not around anymore. I looked forward to seeing her, and I don't even mind her meowing for an hour. Her sounds are perfume to my senses.
As I write, people are demonstrating in various parts of Los Angeles and the world. Mostly peaceful, and the other day, on my way to my mother's house to drop off some goods, I saw a bunch of kids with their parents doing their version of a march in the neighborhood. Things may move on, but I do feel that there is significant damage to President Virus, and he may not survive this time. I say that, because I sense a mood in the air, and I think people are tired of his lies, lack of character, and just being under the attack of this over-grown spoiled child in a man's body.
Today, I worked on a Philip Guston video talk, which hopefully will take place tomorrow. I'm also working on a film script, and I need to make some significant changes in its structure. I never worked with other people in a writing job, and I'm learning a lot in how to compromise and hopefully make a better script. I feel like F. Scott Fitzgerald or William Faulkner when they were hired by a Hollywood studio to become a scriptwriter. The glamour of such work is a turn-on for me. It's different from working by yourself for a book project or essay.
As of this writing (5 PM ), there are 1,155 new cases of the virus and 46 deaths in Los Angeles County.
June 2, 2020
June 2, 2020 (In The Year of the Trump Virus)
June 2, 2020 (In The Year of the Trump Virus)
I got up (too) early to go to Trader Joe's for their matinee senior hour. Once we got there, I saw only one line to go in, so we stood in line. The woman in front of us told me that there is a senior section where you can go in right away. I thanked her, which was very kind of her to point this out to me, and then it came to my attention that I now look like a senior to the outside world. My life until this point, people mention how young I looked, but alas, that is now not the case anymore.
Once you get into the entrance, they spray some liquid on to your hands, and you're free to roam in the store, but you must follow the directional arrows, which I do with great passion. I realize that what makes me happy is to be told what to do. I'm crazy about that. I love people giving me directions, and I follow their floorplan or design. Being a life-long Jacques Tati fan, I admire how individuals fit into the overall design. There's a sign in the store that said no more than five individuals in this aisle. I thought that was perfect. I counted four people, and then I jumped into that space, as happy as a bee approaching a flower.
I go to Trader Joe's for the sole purpose of buying Charles Shaw wine. We get a month's supply of wine, which is three-cases. I can't have dinner without white wine of some sort, and then while watching a show, nowadays it's "Babylon Berlin," I have a glass of Merlot. After the show, I get a second glass and meditate on the past 24-hours. It's not a quiet meditation. It's a horror show.
As I write, things are happening that are not good. The Trump Virus is raging. Yesterday it was 978 new cases and 22 deaths from the virus. Today there are 1,202 new cases and 60 deaths from the virus in the County of Los Angeles. When I go out, I see more people are feeling relaxed about social distances and wearing masks. For the last four days or so, no one talks about this, at least in the media, due to the police killing of Black Americans. It's interesting to note in Los Angeles County; there are 394 Asians, 265 Blacks, 917 Hispanic/Latinos, and 643 Whites who died so far from the virus. When someone dies either from murder or an infection, how each death affects their community - among friends, co-workers, family members, and so on. The world is not good to us. On the other hand, we're not good for the world. - Tosh Berman
I got up (too) early to go to Trader Joe's for their matinee senior hour. Once we got there, I saw only one line to go in, so we stood in line. The woman in front of us told me that there is a senior section where you can go in right away. I thanked her, which was very kind of her to point this out to me, and then it came to my attention that I now look like a senior to the outside world. My life until this point, people mention how young I looked, but alas, that is now not the case anymore.
Once you get into the entrance, they spray some liquid on to your hands, and you're free to roam in the store, but you must follow the directional arrows, which I do with great passion. I realize that what makes me happy is to be told what to do. I'm crazy about that. I love people giving me directions, and I follow their floorplan or design. Being a life-long Jacques Tati fan, I admire how individuals fit into the overall design. There's a sign in the store that said no more than five individuals in this aisle. I thought that was perfect. I counted four people, and then I jumped into that space, as happy as a bee approaching a flower.
I go to Trader Joe's for the sole purpose of buying Charles Shaw wine. We get a month's supply of wine, which is three-cases. I can't have dinner without white wine of some sort, and then while watching a show, nowadays it's "Babylon Berlin," I have a glass of Merlot. After the show, I get a second glass and meditate on the past 24-hours. It's not a quiet meditation. It's a horror show.
As I write, things are happening that are not good. The Trump Virus is raging. Yesterday it was 978 new cases and 22 deaths from the virus. Today there are 1,202 new cases and 60 deaths from the virus in the County of Los Angeles. When I go out, I see more people are feeling relaxed about social distances and wearing masks. For the last four days or so, no one talks about this, at least in the media, due to the police killing of Black Americans. It's interesting to note in Los Angeles County; there are 394 Asians, 265 Blacks, 917 Hispanic/Latinos, and 643 Whites who died so far from the virus. When someone dies either from murder or an infection, how each death affects their community - among friends, co-workers, family members, and so on. The world is not good to us. On the other hand, we're not good for the world. - Tosh Berman
June 1, 2020
June 1, 2020 (In The Year of The Trump Virus)
June 1, 2020 (In The Year of The Trump Virus)
It's fascinating to watch President Virus self-destruct in such a fashion that is not a surprise whatsoever. He is a child that one tells not to touch the flame, and you turn your back on him, and there he is with both hands in the blaze. I can't imagine how exhausting it must be to be a journalist and have to write about him. Easily provoked, and since he's trapped in the White House (in theory), he is being poked by a long stick while he's in the cage growling against these advisors, family, and god who knows who else who choose to be with this piece of shit. I can't imagine a Hell that is worse than spending social or private time with this attention addict. I get the idea that Republicans believe that if they keep their head down and get stuff passed in the house and senate, it will be worth it. Even with that thinking, how low can a human go with smelling their asses? How long will it take from now to when he's hanging upside down in some gas station near the White House?
On a personal level, I have work to do, with even a deadline, yet, this oxygen sucker of what some suspect is or was a man is dragging all of us into a mixture of mud and shit. I'm not particularly eager to get my clothes dirty for such rotting pounds of flesh, AKA President Virus. Any showbiz figure who comes to his inauguration with the Stones' "Heart of Stone" as his intro music was clearly not a good sign for the next three-and-a-half years. Flush him and his entire world down the toilet. I prefer his golden toilet if you don't mind. -Tosh Berman
It's fascinating to watch President Virus self-destruct in such a fashion that is not a surprise whatsoever. He is a child that one tells not to touch the flame, and you turn your back on him, and there he is with both hands in the blaze. I can't imagine how exhausting it must be to be a journalist and have to write about him. Easily provoked, and since he's trapped in the White House (in theory), he is being poked by a long stick while he's in the cage growling against these advisors, family, and god who knows who else who choose to be with this piece of shit. I can't imagine a Hell that is worse than spending social or private time with this attention addict. I get the idea that Republicans believe that if they keep their head down and get stuff passed in the house and senate, it will be worth it. Even with that thinking, how low can a human go with smelling their asses? How long will it take from now to when he's hanging upside down in some gas station near the White House?
On a personal level, I have work to do, with even a deadline, yet, this oxygen sucker of what some suspect is or was a man is dragging all of us into a mixture of mud and shit. I'm not particularly eager to get my clothes dirty for such rotting pounds of flesh, AKA President Virus. Any showbiz figure who comes to his inauguration with the Stones' "Heart of Stone" as his intro music was clearly not a good sign for the next three-and-a-half years. Flush him and his entire world down the toilet. I prefer his golden toilet if you don't mind. -Tosh Berman
BOOK MUSIK: "Five Years Ahead of My Time: Garage Rock from the 1950s to the Present" by Seth Bovey (Reaktion Books)
Tosh and Kimley discuss Five Years Ahead of My Time: Garage Rock from the 1950s to the Present by Seth Bovey. Guitar, bass, drums, a catchy three-chord song, and a groovy guitar lick — that’s all you need to rock! The pure, raw sounds of garage rock have been around since the late 50s when people realized they could play music without a huge investment of time or money. Most bands never became more than a regional attraction but a few did rise to the top and many continue to have devoted cult followings. Bovey takes us through the beginnings with the instrumental garage rock bands of the late 50s and early 60s and explores the development of this highly influential genre of music right up to the present including an impressive international scene.Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17
May 31, 2020
May 31, 2020 (In The Year of the Trump Virus)
May 31, 2020 (In The Year of the Trump Virus)
Things are moving fast, but at the same time, it is going slow-motion. The world is a series of horror incidents that seem to come from a 1950s Science-Fiction B-flick with paranoia touches, which is consistently a downer. There is no good news on the horizon. At times, I can say, "there's sunshine around the corner," or "it will get better." The truth is it won't get better. I think we are dealing with either the death of a culture (which can be a good thing) or the world is ending, and no one gets out alive. Or, something in-between those two categories.
The uprising or riots, or whatever one wants to call it, is an event that is still happening as I write. It can start one way and end up in another category as well. I suspect that we will never know, because perhaps it began with passion, and then ends in boredom. A brutal murder takes place in front of a phone camera, and the world shakes. What upsets me the most is not just the death, but the fact that someone has the power over life and death, and chooses death for that person. For many, sickly, it's acceptable for that police officer to do something like that. On a daily basis, a Black person gets murdered by the police, and we are shocked in that manner of people getting shocked on Facebook or Twitter, and then go on to another spectacle. The obscenity of these people getting murdered for no reason than that they are black is the shocking aspect of it all. We become accustomed to these men and women getting killed in front of cameras that it becomes wallpaper after a while. One thing that the mainstream and underground media have in common is that they love to fetishize death.
I have met many good police officers, but then again, I'm white, so what do I know? It seems that the police department is very much set up to be as a gang, where the occupation becomes an adopted family. You watch each other's back, even when a murder by a fellow police officer takes place. The three other cops surrounding the killer is doing what it is trained to do - protect the family; in other words, the gang member, meaning the Police Department. There's no reason why a man has to die for a counterfeit $20, or bad check, under the Police control. If even, there was a crime being committed.
Still, it seems history repeats itself but also gets worse. The Trump Virus is very much part of the social landscape where people are dying when they don't have to die. Yet, a significant portion of the population is OK with either the death of a black man or woman, as well as someone who comes to contact with the virus. Freedom is very much a subjective desire or object. One can be free from an illness or choose to spread their infection, without a care in the world. One can dig their head into the sand, but you also have to come up for air. Everything touched in this world becomes our property, and we don't take care of it. Like dominos, you flick one, and they all come down. - Tosh Berman.
Things are moving fast, but at the same time, it is going slow-motion. The world is a series of horror incidents that seem to come from a 1950s Science-Fiction B-flick with paranoia touches, which is consistently a downer. There is no good news on the horizon. At times, I can say, "there's sunshine around the corner," or "it will get better." The truth is it won't get better. I think we are dealing with either the death of a culture (which can be a good thing) or the world is ending, and no one gets out alive. Or, something in-between those two categories.
The uprising or riots, or whatever one wants to call it, is an event that is still happening as I write. It can start one way and end up in another category as well. I suspect that we will never know, because perhaps it began with passion, and then ends in boredom. A brutal murder takes place in front of a phone camera, and the world shakes. What upsets me the most is not just the death, but the fact that someone has the power over life and death, and chooses death for that person. For many, sickly, it's acceptable for that police officer to do something like that. On a daily basis, a Black person gets murdered by the police, and we are shocked in that manner of people getting shocked on Facebook or Twitter, and then go on to another spectacle. The obscenity of these people getting murdered for no reason than that they are black is the shocking aspect of it all. We become accustomed to these men and women getting killed in front of cameras that it becomes wallpaper after a while. One thing that the mainstream and underground media have in common is that they love to fetishize death.
I have met many good police officers, but then again, I'm white, so what do I know? It seems that the police department is very much set up to be as a gang, where the occupation becomes an adopted family. You watch each other's back, even when a murder by a fellow police officer takes place. The three other cops surrounding the killer is doing what it is trained to do - protect the family; in other words, the gang member, meaning the Police Department. There's no reason why a man has to die for a counterfeit $20, or bad check, under the Police control. If even, there was a crime being committed.
Still, it seems history repeats itself but also gets worse. The Trump Virus is very much part of the social landscape where people are dying when they don't have to die. Yet, a significant portion of the population is OK with either the death of a black man or woman, as well as someone who comes to contact with the virus. Freedom is very much a subjective desire or object. One can be free from an illness or choose to spread their infection, without a care in the world. One can dig their head into the sand, but you also have to come up for air. Everything touched in this world becomes our property, and we don't take care of it. Like dominos, you flick one, and they all come down. - Tosh Berman.
May 25, 2020
Tosh For ARTBOOK /D.A.P. Talks About "Weegee's Naked City" (ICP/Damiani)
Tosh For ARTBOOK /D.A.P. Talks About "Weegee's Naked City" (ICP/Damiani)
Weegee is the iconic street photographer of New York City. One of the first things I think of when I think of NYC is Weegee. Tosh Berman talks about the importance of this photographer as well as exploring the themes and textures that is "Weegee's Naked City."
Purchase the book here: https://bookshop.org/books/weegee-s-n...
Or here: https://www.artbook.com/blog-event-ic...
Virtual Event: Wednesday, May 27, from 7–8 PM, ICP Presents Christopher Bonanos on "Weegee's Naked City"
Tickets and information here: https://www.artbook.com/blog-event-ic...
May 24, 2020
"Diary of A Foreigner in Paris" by Curzio Malaparte (NYRB)
This journal/diary is worth the reading for the purpose of Curzio Malaparte's habit of howling with the dogs in the middle of the night. Malaparte had the talent to be in the right place with the correct people. For one, he's a remarkable prose stylist. And two, his observations of people around him are descriptive like a fine meal. His comment on Camus is of great interest. Camus had a dislike for Malaparte, what I suspect is due that he was once (or still?) a Fascist. Malaparte is sort of a Tom Ripley character who switches sides like one changes their overcoat. His very nature and position in culture are one of a big question, but also such a fascinating character.
May 23, 2020
May 23, 2020 (In the Year of the Trump Virus)
May 23, 2020 (In the Year of the Trump Virus)
For the past week, I have become good friends with my next-door neighbor's cat. She's adorable and spends a great deal of time hanging out at my front door. For the last seven days, I have been sitting on the front stair and petting the cat. I haven't spent that much time with an animal due to various reasons. I haven't had a cat since the 1980s in Hollywood. For whatever reason, cats like me a lot. I often walk down a street, see a kitty, and yell out, "Hello," and I swear the cat meows out a "Hello" to me as well. Isolation does interesting things to a fellow. Not in a hundred years would I thought 'I'm going to look forward to talking to my neighbor's cat." Still, the beautiful aspect of an animal and its characteristics is something to be amazed about, regarding their nature.
If the news is correct, people are going out this weekend and rejoin the human race. Due to those actions, say within two weeks, we will see if these people even exist on our sad planet. Since the lockdown, I felt there is a war against the virus, and whatever I can do to make people safe, or feel safe, is not beyond my reach. Yet, some fellow citizens don't see the world as I see it. If it were another issue or cause, I would be tolerant. Due to their actions, they may cause more pain and death. In my war mode of thinking, these citizens are traitors. Or they are deserting the troops at the height when we need to pull together and get ourselves out of this mess. I always had this feeling that I couldn't trust the other fellow or gal, and my suspicions are more likely correct.
The neighbor's cat is very loyal to me. I'll always remember her friendship. On the other hand, I'll keep in mind those who are weak and selfish. Culture wars be damned; I'm on the right side of life.
