one of the most fascinating things about art and culture, is how a love affair with one artist can lead to unexpected love affairs with artist not even connected to the first lead. the first writer that excited me as a young man was james baldwin. the first book of his i read was ANOTHER COUNTRY- a story about a jazz musician who is cracking from the pressure of 60's NYC, the racism that is so invisible it seethes through the undergarments of the city's progressive facade.
it was a stirring book, with layers upon layers of characters, plots and indelible language. after ANOTHER COUNTRY, i went on to read all his books. each one is rich and telling in its own way.
during this time,
my good friend lawrence introduced me to the world of film, and a magical, and under-utilized organization called CLEVELAND CINEMATHEQUE. it was there that i saw everything from early genre movies, foreign films, onto DOGMA 95 generated visual sculpture. it was there that i found out about Maya Deren. she was a documentary filmmaker with an incredible vision. i love her stuff. feel free to check both of these artists out.
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