It's finally up and running.
THE STORE.
When you enter the site, you'll see three sections that link to "store" areas.
Starart - Not only can you purchase from my stash (items start at $40 and run as high as $3000), but I also posted a video we made from clips of the gallery shows and my appearance on Merv Griffin (guess who's sitting next to me?). It's fun (and embarrassing if you're me) to see me geek out with the artists. What can I say?-some of us had been partying on the way to the show.
Tom Waits - The poster is waiting there for you to take it home at put it on your wall. So are the open edition and limited edition prints. If you have any disposable income (and like Tom) you should consider investing in one of the numbered and signed (by me, not TW) or open edition signed photo prints. There's a gallery interested in repping the edition and if I go with them they'll be selling them at double the price and I will have to do the same.
Everybody I Shot Is Dead - There's a link to the blurb on the book and you'll be able to buy the book (pre-order) in July. The perks for pre-ordering are a nice discount, the books signed, an invite to the gallery opening nearest you and getting the book before it hits the stores. I'm also tossing around the idea of a discount coupon toward the purchase of a limited edition print from the book...but don't hold me to that.
So, what are you waiting for? Go check out the store. Wander around, even if you don't want to buy anything. Then come back here and let me know what you think of it. Is it easy to navigate? Are the options clear and easy to figure out? And what what you thought of the video.
We didn't have a big budget to make a site with all the bells and whistles - and it was a real pain in the ass trying to implement all the shipping variables - so, at this point, we're just hoping that it's functional.
By the way, if you're on myspace, please stop by my Starart myspace and add me as a friend. I'm also working on a myspace for the new book/my rock & roll photography. I'll let you know when that's happening too.
That's it for now...gotta get back to the written portion of Everybody I Shot Is Dead.
Showing posts with label Starart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Starart. Show all posts
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Saturday, January 06, 2007
A Simple Plan
I have so many projects on my plate. The new book, the old book, three film projects - one of which I am producing, a few graphic jobs...
Damn, it doesn't sound like much when I write it down that way. It must be the work within each project that creates the weight. For example, in the previous Starart post I listed some of the things I need to accomplish before the store site goes up. Still nowhere near completion, btw. The list for Everybody I Shot Is Dead is a hundred times longer, and so on and so on.
I am busy all day, every day (I have no life)...with seemingly no progress. That's been driving me crazy. Exhausted at the end of the day (meaning whenever I decide I have to nod) asking myself, "What did I accomplish?" Feeling something fell through the cracks. One of the balls hit the floor. And that ball always seems to be Everybody I Shot Is Dead. Or My First Kiss. Or...
A few days ago, I came up with a plan. A simple plan that any person with a modicum of organizational skill would have implemented in kindergarten. So, I'm a few years late. Okay, the plan. I use an electronic calendar that has a 'to do list' function. I put an item on it called "Write on Everbody" and then I selected the repeat every day option. In order to check it off each day I have to do something on the book...scanning, writing, designing or whatever. If I don't do something I can't check it off. And if I don't check it off it rolls over to the next day. Then there are two of them. So far, I've checked it off for the past two days. And I've already worked on the book today (but plan to do more tonight) so I'll check off another one.
It's both daunting and comforting to see that item on my calendar. On every square of every month for all eternity. It makes me want to get the book finished. Motivates me. Yesterday, I started looking through my old calendars (the pre-computer ones) in an effort to fill in the blanks of my past. I did 1977, then realized I had a second calendar for 1977.
Then I read one of my journals. It covered the first few months of 1979.
If you read this page you must be wondering what this could possibly have to do with Everybody I Shot Is Dead. I was actually in the gruelling stages of working on Starart that year. The Klaus mentioned is Klaus Voormann - one of the artists in Starart. Cynthia was his wife. Otto is their son. I was living at their house (in the basement, Kato-style). Keith was my very close friend Keith McKie . I had taken some promo pics of his new band while I was in Toronto looking at printers for Starart. Shadow was a former friend. The page is relevant to EISID. It identifies the date I shot one of the musicians. Harry Nilsson. He was one of the dinner guests.
I found another interesting story in those pages. It was an entry I made on January 19th. The story has stuck with me all these years. Every little detail. Emblazoned on my brain. Except the identity of the other person. I knew he was a musician but I couldn't have told you his name. Until now. Bruce Palmer. The bass player from Buffalo Springfield. He died of a heart attack in 2004. Even though I didn't shoot him, I'm 90% sure I'm going to put the story in EISID. Instead of a photo, maybe I'll draw a picture of him. Like I'll probably have to do for Canned Heat since I still haven't found my photos of them...even though I toured with them for three long weeks. Another story that needs to be told, with or without photos.
One more book accomplishment yesterday. I found some photos I took of a guy who looks an awful lot like another musician who is no longer with us. I kind of remember shooting him but I'm not 100% sure. I have a similar situation with another guy - I remember the shoot (it was a TV variety rehearsal) but I'm not sure on the singer. He looks eerily like the youngest brother G, but maybe not.
Sadly, my brain is made of Swiss cheese. Happily, I have calendars and journals.
Damn, it doesn't sound like much when I write it down that way. It must be the work within each project that creates the weight. For example, in the previous Starart post I listed some of the things I need to accomplish before the store site goes up. Still nowhere near completion, btw. The list for Everybody I Shot Is Dead is a hundred times longer, and so on and so on.
I am busy all day, every day (I have no life)...with seemingly no progress. That's been driving me crazy. Exhausted at the end of the day (meaning whenever I decide I have to nod) asking myself, "What did I accomplish?" Feeling something fell through the cracks. One of the balls hit the floor. And that ball always seems to be Everybody I Shot Is Dead. Or My First Kiss. Or...
A few days ago, I came up with a plan. A simple plan that any person with a modicum of organizational skill would have implemented in kindergarten. So, I'm a few years late. Okay, the plan. I use an electronic calendar that has a 'to do list' function. I put an item on it called "Write on Everbody" and then I selected the repeat every day option. In order to check it off each day I have to do something on the book...scanning, writing, designing or whatever. If I don't do something I can't check it off. And if I don't check it off it rolls over to the next day. Then there are two of them. So far, I've checked it off for the past two days. And I've already worked on the book today (but plan to do more tonight) so I'll check off another one.
It's both daunting and comforting to see that item on my calendar. On every square of every month for all eternity. It makes me want to get the book finished. Motivates me. Yesterday, I started looking through my old calendars (the pre-computer ones) in an effort to fill in the blanks of my past. I did 1977, then realized I had a second calendar for 1977.
Then I read one of my journals. It covered the first few months of 1979.
If you read this page you must be wondering what this could possibly have to do with Everybody I Shot Is Dead. I was actually in the gruelling stages of working on Starart that year. The Klaus mentioned is Klaus Voormann - one of the artists in Starart. Cynthia was his wife. Otto is their son. I was living at their house (in the basement, Kato-style). Keith was my very close friend Keith McKie . I had taken some promo pics of his new band while I was in Toronto looking at printers for Starart. Shadow was a former friend. The page is relevant to EISID. It identifies the date I shot one of the musicians. Harry Nilsson. He was one of the dinner guests.
I found another interesting story in those pages. It was an entry I made on January 19th. The story has stuck with me all these years. Every little detail. Emblazoned on my brain. Except the identity of the other person. I knew he was a musician but I couldn't have told you his name. Until now. Bruce Palmer. The bass player from Buffalo Springfield. He died of a heart attack in 2004. Even though I didn't shoot him, I'm 90% sure I'm going to put the story in EISID. Instead of a photo, maybe I'll draw a picture of him. Like I'll probably have to do for Canned Heat since I still haven't found my photos of them...even though I toured with them for three long weeks. Another story that needs to be told, with or without photos.
One more book accomplishment yesterday. I found some photos I took of a guy who looks an awful lot like another musician who is no longer with us. I kind of remember shooting him but I'm not 100% sure. I have a similar situation with another guy - I remember the shoot (it was a TV variety rehearsal) but I'm not sure on the singer. He looks eerily like the youngest brother G, but maybe not.
Sadly, my brain is made of Swiss cheese. Happily, I have calendars and journals.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Sneak Preview
In the next few weeks I will be adding an online store to my Chesher Cat website.
I know some of you are waiting for the Tom Waits photo[s]...sorry, I'm still researching the best way to handle the prints. In the meantime, I'm opening up the vault. Everything I have left from my book, Starart, is going up for sale. If you're not aware of Starart, it's a coffee table book of artwork done by six accomplished musicians: Joni Mitchell, John Mayall, Klaus Voormann, Ron Wood, George "Commander Cody" Frayne and Cat Stevens.
The book received really great reviews when it came out. Being that it is out-of-print, the book is now a sought after collector's item with only a few used copies of the regular hardcover book showing up online for as much as $499.
I have around 125 of regular hardcover books available. They are new books but there is slight wear on the covers from being in boxes and moved around over the past 25 years. I haven't decided on a starting price yet (I'm thinking $50) but the price will go up as the books sell. Only fair, since these are the only new copies available and once they're gone, they're gone. Which is why I'm giving my blog readers the heads up...before I advertise...and before I post on fan sites and message boards.
Did you notice I kept referring to the "regular" book? That's because I have another version of the book too. It looks like this:
It is leather-bound and comes in a case. It's printed on fine paper and is gold-gilded:
Oh...and it is numbered and hand-signed by the artists:
It is a Limited Edition of 300. I managed to keep some hidden away all these years. They are brand new and in perfect condition. Again, I will sell them in lots, with the price increasing as they sell. This is a very special collector's piece. Each of the artists own one. And so do a lot of their famous friends. The Limited Edition books will be expensive.
One more item. Or should I say six more items? By the third or fourth gallery show, we decided to run an edition of prints. One from each artists. And guess what? I held on to some. The prints are 16" x 20" (image size approx. 12.5" x 15.25"). We only printed 500 of each. Of those, 50 were numbered and signed by the artists (except Cat Stevens, as he had changed his name to Yusuf Islam), along with 10 Artist's Proofs. I have a limited number of signed (very few) and unsigned prints available.
These are the prints:
I know some of you are waiting for the Tom Waits photo[s]...sorry, I'm still researching the best way to handle the prints. In the meantime, I'm opening up the vault. Everything I have left from my book, Starart, is going up for sale. If you're not aware of Starart, it's a coffee table book of artwork done by six accomplished musicians: Joni Mitchell, John Mayall, Klaus Voormann, Ron Wood, George "Commander Cody" Frayne and Cat Stevens.
The book received really great reviews when it came out. Being that it is out-of-print, the book is now a sought after collector's item with only a few used copies of the regular hardcover book showing up online for as much as $499.
I have around 125 of regular hardcover books available. They are new books but there is slight wear on the covers from being in boxes and moved around over the past 25 years. I haven't decided on a starting price yet (I'm thinking $50) but the price will go up as the books sell. Only fair, since these are the only new copies available and once they're gone, they're gone. Which is why I'm giving my blog readers the heads up...before I advertise...and before I post on fan sites and message boards.
Did you notice I kept referring to the "regular" book? That's because I have another version of the book too. It looks like this:
It is leather-bound and comes in a case. It's printed on fine paper and is gold-gilded:
Oh...and it is numbered and hand-signed by the artists:
One more item. Or should I say six more items? By the third or fourth gallery show, we decided to run an edition of prints. One from each artists. And guess what? I held on to some. The prints are 16" x 20" (image size approx. 12.5" x 15.25"). We only printed 500 of each. Of those, 50 were numbered and signed by the artists (except Cat Stevens, as he had changed his name to Yusuf Islam), along with 10 Artist's Proofs. I have a limited number of signed (very few) and unsigned prints available.
These are the prints:
"Charlie Down In Mexico"by Joni Mitchell
"Belushi On Plane Killers"by Ron Wood
"Tushe"by Klaus Voormann
"The Crew of the Memphis Belle"by George "Commander Cody" Frayne
"Untitled"by Cat Stevens
"Joni's Favorite"by John Mayall
The retail site will also include a very cool 'viewing only' freebie. Never-before-seen video and audio clips of the artists. For example, under the picture of each print, there will be an audio clip of the artist describing the piece.
I'm trying really hard to get this up by January 15th (although it may not be functioning by then). This is a monumental effort - just like any other retail start-up - from designing the site, to the techno side of accepting credit cards, figuring out shipping, contracting a framer for the prints, digitizing audio/video tapes, editing, taking inventory, figuring out the logistics and on and on and on.
But once this is done, I'm thinking the Limited Editions of my photography prints won't be far behind.
(click on any of the images to enlarge)
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