Sunday, November 16, 2008

Homeless man with gingivitis has a sweet tooth (still.)

From the new album



Its Okay - Land Of Talk

The other night my friend and I had a homeless man approach us. He didn't beg, he didn't ask for money,he did not ask us to sit on his face, he just started telling us jokes. We laughed at his charming little self and three jokes later we each gave him $1 so he could buy himself a burger from McDonald's. My friend handed him her bag of Hershey kisses. He kindly declined saying "I really shouldn't I have gingivitis," but he smiled and reconsidered and walked away popping a kiss into his disease ridden mouth. You can't stop the sweet tooth.

I have this horrible habit of starring at homeless people and wondering "What the fuck happened?" My inner Diane Arbus comes out and I wish I could just walk right up to them and take their pictures at the risk of being verbally or sexually assaulted I usually restrain myself. An inner courage to document things that are shunned by society, I always looked up to Arbus. When I was developing film in the dark room at Middletown High school I always kept my focus thinking "I wonder if this is something Diane Arbus would have taken." In some freaky ways she was my mentor.

On photography field trips when the other kids were taking pictures of flowers, I was kneeling down trying to focus my lens towards an overturned garbage can. Arbus inspired a very bitter, angsty, and bored 15year old to get off her ass and stop being so pissed off all the time, and start taking pictures. I came across a book of all my old negatives from high school and liked what I saw. I owe it all to my photography teacher Mr.Miller and the inspiration from Arbus, it's too bad she had to off ruin everything and of herself.

Inspiration photos by the late Diane Arbus
RIP tell ODB I still miss him

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3 comments:

Taryn said...

Diane Arbus is amazing. Have you ever seen the movie 'Fur: A Portrait of Diane Arbus' (or something like that) where Nicole Kidman plays her? I once watched it while getting a pedicure and, combined, it was probably one of the stranger moments of my life.

no winners here said...

Yes I actually was lucky enough to go to the moma during the time they had the Diane Arbus exhibit up! But Furr was actually awful but I fell in love with R.D.Jr. for like.. the 9th time.

Unknown said...

http://www.maryellenmark.com/
You should check her out

- UR MISPACE FREND.