And I didn't even know it.
I was watching old concert videos of the band NRBQ (still one of the great American bands) and during one of 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' there I was in the front of the stage with my friend Janet. Just for a split second about 4 minutes into the song. I have this goofy grin on my face and look like I've had more than a few beers. Crazy. The Paradise in Boston. 1982.
I also saw the Robert Frank show at The Met a month or so ago and it was really interesting to see the entirety of 'The Americans' on exhibit. It was the exact order from the book and having them displayed side by side allowed viewers to see how the images refer to each other in a much different way. Plus seeing entire walls of photos on the same theme made you realize how much consideration Frank had given to how this work was organized. It's an incredible body or work and still packs a wallop. My only complaint was the quality of the prints. They seemed to have been compiled from people's personal collections so they varied both in size and quality. Some were beautiful and some looked like bad work prints; over or under exposed, dust spots etc. I couldn't help but wonder why The Met hadn't had a new pristine set of exhibition prints made for this occasion (it's the 50th anniversary of 'The Americans') instead of showing a group of mismatched prints. I could only help but wonder if Frank (notoriously prickly) wouldn't allow it or if the original negatives had been lost, damaged or destroyed.
Still, the best show I saw last year was 'Intersected: The Photography of David Goldblatt' at the New Museum. An amazing retrospective of work he's done in South Africa, both before and after apartheid. It's great documentary photography and great art. Most importantly it makes you think. Bravo.
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