The cover story on the Gathering of the Juggalos that I worked on came out in yesterday’s Village Voice. If you live in NYC you should pick one up. It is a pretty amazing adventure tale written by my editor Camille Dodero after we spent four days in the middle of nowhere surrounded by killer clowns. It’s 6000 words so it takes commitment to read it, but it is very enjoyable.  I have been working for VillageVoice.com for two years but this is the first time that I have worked on a big cover story for print like this. Even though I didn’t shoot the actual cover I do have nine pictures in the article which is pretty substantial. Anyway if you don’t live in NYC and can’t pick up a paper you should click here to read the story online.

From 2003 to 2008 I managed a band called The Gaskets. They were my entire life during that time period and the two members, Teddy Blanks and Ross Harman, became my closest friends. The Gaskets were one of the best live acts I had ever seen and are one of my favorite bands of all time. The two members had been friends since they were kids and had an amazing chemistry and made amazing music together. They were very different people but worked very well together. I know the Gaskets would have been a hugely successful band if not for Ross’ troubles with depression and alcohol.

On Monday morning was found dead on his roof after taking a bottle of pills in order to end his own life.

Many times in my life I have said that I hated Ross and I probably did. He caused me more pain that pretty much anyone I have ever met. But one thing I have found in life is that the only people who can hurt you like that are the people you love the most. The last two fist fights I have had were both with Ross andI have screamed and yelled at that kid more times than I can count, but I fucking loved that kid and I am just so glad that he and I were back on good terms after several months of not speaking to each other.

I have tried several times to write this post but I haven’t been able to do it. Every time I try I just start to cry. Even now tears are rolling down my cheeks. It’s so much easier to think of all the bullshit he and I went through than to think of the good times because whenever I think about the Ross I loved it makes my chest seize up. I have had a lot of friends die in my life but no one anywhere near as close to me as Ross and I don’t know how to deal with it. Even before Ross died I couldn’t listen to some of his old music without getting tears in my eyes thinking about the kid I knew before the drinking really took hold of his life.

Ross was a brilliant musician but he was also just an amazing guy. He was so fucking charming and when he was on point everyone loved him. I think that is why it was so hard for everyone to deal with the other Ross. He was so fucking smart and knew as much about music and film as anyone I have ever met. He was funny and so much fucking fun. Probably too fun. When Ross was happy everything was a party and no one ever wanted to stop partying with him.  And when people started to worry about him he could always find a whole new group of people who were ready to party with him.

I haven’t really been a big part of his life the last two years but I thought he seemed a lot better. When I would talk to him he actually seemed happy and had been working the same job for years. He had a lot of people around him that loved him. But I knew he would never really be happy. He had too many demons in him and I know there is nothing anyone could have done to help him. I know, because Teddy and I tried fucking everything.

Right befoe Ross died he sent Teddy a text message telling him he loved him and I know Ross loved me too and I really hope he knows I loved him. Of all my friends Ross is one person I know would have always had my back and even if I couldn’t count on him for a lof of things I know he would be there for me if I really needed him. I just wish I could have been there more for him in the last few years.

I have so much more to say about Ross but I gotta stop crying. I haven’t cried like this in probably five years, the last time I though Ross killed himself. He managed to pull through that time but I guess it was just a matter of time before he finally followed through.

I am going to end this now with one of the last photos I took of Ross, a music video Ross directed and my favorite one of Ross’ solo songs. The video is for a Gaskets song called Left Hand. Teddy wrote it about Ross, their friendship and Ross’ drinking problem. Ross was really upset at first when Teddy wrote the song but grew to love it. Ross was an amazing painter and created this video completely himself by hand. My little brother put the video together, but everything else was all Ross.  The song I am posting is called Nine Times Out Of Ten. It is not only my favorite song by him but so appropriate. It’s about his drinking problems and even though it is written to a girl, I think it is a little bit of an apology to his friends for what he put us all through.  At the end he asks us to celebrate with him. And I guess from here on out I will try to celebrate with Ross and celebrate the life of a kid that meant fucking everything to me. I will be posting more of his music soon so you can enjoy just a little bit of what I did in the 7 years I knew my friend Ross Harman.

I will miss you forever you fucking selfish asshole. I love you with everything I have.

Ross Harman – Nine Times Out Of Ten: Ross Harman – Nine Times Out Of Ten

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh_QLJ_xCyY[/youtube]

Remember the Hipster Grifter aka Kari Ferrell? Well she is still in NYC and last time I shot her we took a few pictures with my 35mm camera that no one has seen yet.  They were shots of her dressed up in a variety of exciting disguises. I mean I think we all know that if you are going to be a successful grifter you are going to need some good disguises.

Oh, did I mention she is topless in all of them? I am not sure exactly why that is, but we like it, and it makes the gallery NSFW obviously.

Um yeah, so I am going to go ahead and try to sleep a tiny bit since I am not doing really awesome right now and you guys should click here to check out the naked Hipster Grifter disguise photos. Enjoy!

By the war Kari, we are still all waiting for you to become a Burning Angel…

My friend Brock is throwing a biweekly Saturday party at Beauty Bar Brooklyn. I had a friend in town so I brought him and a couple of girls over there. My friend Andy Cassette DJ’d as did Todd from Hussle Club and another girl who’s name I unfortunately forget. It was a good time, I saw old friends, met cute sisters, and Brock got everyone drunk. Too drunk perhaps.

I would tell you more about this but I got some really shitty news today that I will probably address tomorrow. For now I don’t really want to talk about it other than to say if I am not super responsive to emails or whatever other bullshit I have going on in my life I am sorry.

Anyway, that does not change the fact that Reckless at Beauty Bar BK was a good time and you should click here to see the pictures.

Two of my favorite local band The Death Set and Hussle Club both played Lit on Friday night. I brought one of my best friends from LA who had been drinking since 3pm and he managed to almost get in a fight with about a dozen of my friends so I had to end my night right after the The Death Set played but at elast I got to see the bands. They were awesome as always and the show was fun as hell. But it’s fucking Labor Day weekend and you guys are all out enjoying your summer so I am going to do the same so I will just shut up and  you can look at the pictures and be pisssed off you weren’t there. Unless you were there…

Just fucking click here to see photos from the Hussle Club/Death Set show at Lit Lounge on Friday.

Before I moved to NYC almost exactly four years ago I was living in Richmond, VA. DJ Cobra Krames was living there too and he was throwing parties. He was part of a team called Cobra Kai with current New Yorker Nick The Duke and I am pretty sure they threw a party called Gold Whistle. Either that or it was just part of the brand. Krames website was called Gold Whistle so either way that was important.

Now Krames and Nick are back and throwing a monthly in NYC called Gold Whistle at Gallery Bar and that is also important. I shot the first one a ways back and now I am here to show you pics from the second one.  I would tell you more about it but one of my best friends is in town from California so I am going to dinner with him instead of staying inside and entertaining you bastards. Just know it was a fun party and you should probably show up next time.

Jane Bang and Zuzuka Poderosa performed live. Dirty Finger, Select and Murdertronix DJ’d.

Click here to see the pictures from Gold Whistle at Gallery Bar.

So we got a slow day over here at Driven By Boredom and what better a time to give away some free stuff.  One of my friends is promoting Jimmy Edgar’s CD release party next Wednesday at Le Poisson Rouge and asked me if I wanted to give away some free tickets.  I figured why the hell not right? I get to go to all sorts of shit for free, you guys might as well get to go to some free stuff too. I mean, I am just that nice of a guy. The party also features sets from Cassette NYC and The Elder Jepson. Tickets are $10 but if you email me a note asking to be in the contest I will randomly pick someone to win two tickets. Should be fun.

Heres more info:

Jimmy Edgar is a Detroit-based electronic music artist, (formerly) signed to Warp Records and now on !K7. Influenced mostly by Jazz, funk, street beat and r&b in these early years, he began his musical pursuit by playing the drums in experimental bands and by making tape recordings. Most of these recordings, consisting mainly of pitch bended tape loops, cut edits, field recordings, and noise tracks, were the beginning of his experimentation with the technical aspects of production.

Previously, Jimmy has toured and played with Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Chris Cunningham, Juan Atkins, Boys Noize, Jaime Lidell, and more.

We will also have free giveaways complimentary of KILL SHOP KILL!

Wednesday – September 8th
Le Poisson Rouge :: 158 Bleecker Street
$10 Advanced :: $12 At The Door
10PM-4AM :: 21+

So some nights just don’t go your way. I thought that Gold Whistle was yesterday for some reason. It is on Thursday. You should come. But yeah, I was late as hell and I show up at Gallery Bar at 1:30 and I realize the party isn’t happening. At the same time I feel like absolute shit because I haven’t had sleeping pills for a few weeks and I am floating through life in some sort of sleep like dream state.

Anyway, Rando is still happening of course so I decide to try to wake up and shoot the party. I go buy some energy drink which wakes me up but also makes me feel really sick so by 3am I was ready to die and go home. On my way out my boy told his two lady friends to pull their boobs out and then some dude tried to jump over the club ropes on a skateboard and he crashed and there were boobs and it was all sort of crazy but I was sick and tired and I went home and watched bad TV online.

So yeah, enjoy these pictures from Rando at Gallery Bar by clicking here. NSFW.

I mentioned it in my last post but I feel my guest blog spot deserves a bigger mention.  Starting last week and continuing until mid next week I am blogging for Late Night Feelings aka FLNGS. FLNGS is an erotic photography group blog that features a ton of photographers who I love and admire. They also have had some absolutely amazing guest bloggers in the past including a number or friends of mine and I am pretty happy that I am getting the chance to blog for them.

I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to show some of my never before seen 35mm work.  Over the last two and a half years I have been carrying a point and shoot Yashica T4 everywhere I go with me. I am sure if you have seen me out you have noticed it on my hip. It might not be the greatest fashion accessory but I have shot several hundred rolls of film that I haven’t published. This work is very different from my party work. It is a lot more personal and stylistically very different. I am sure you can see me in the work, but I think you guys might be suprised by it if you haven’t seen any of my more fine art oriented work.

Now obviously the work on FLNGS is very Not Safe For Work so I can’t post much on the front page, but below I am going to post a few examples of some of the more tame stuff I will be showing over there. So check out the few shots below then click here to check out my guest blogs over on FLNGS.  You can also read my bio over there if you want a laugh.

I hope you dig the work. Let me know what you think. Thanks!