Music was my first love. From the moment I discovered the brightly colored Japanese vinyl pressings of my Dad’s Beatles LPs I was hooked.
Besides talking shop with photographers I am curious what they are listening to and always ask. How different art forms influence each other was the topic of my college thesis. (Writing a thesis seemed like the best way to make paintings but get to study art history, graphic design, theory, and music… it seemed bizarre to me that painting majors really didn’t study too much else besides studio art classes.) I really can’t remember what my thesis conclusion was–I’m sort of hopeful that those 30-40 pages still exist in my storage unit somewhere–but can you make good photos without loving paintings, or listening to music, or, perhaps less related but definitely worth pursuing, cooking elaborate Japanese meals at home?
Why do certain photographs or painting or songs become obsessions? They do for me. I have found myself thinking about this August Sander photo for no apparent reason… or this Larry Burrows photo… or this Avedon photo:
These photos have seeped into my subconscious and just pop up occasionally. (If I went to psychoanalysis I’m sure the fact that two-thirds of these images are super depressing and one is ecstatic would be worth talking about.)
This happens with music in a different way. Sometimes songs just sound so good that I can listen to them over and over again. (I wonder what the longest I’ve stared at one photograph has been?) I usually make an itunes playlist for each year called “Songs I’m Obsessed With” and slowly add songs as they become obsessions. I’ve recently converted to Rhapsody though, and despite it’s somewhat spotty service it is a music lover’s dream.
The first song of 2010 that I am obsessed with:
Iain Matthew’s cover of Gene Clark’s “Tried So Hard.”
It’s been on repeat this entire past week.