Category Archives: Photography & Ephemera

Dancing and Singing at the Towne Grill

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When I arrived at the Towne Grill at 1:30 p.m. they were cleaning up in preparation for closing at two o’clock. But the made me a grilled cheese sandwich (Best in Town) and since I was the only customer, they kept on closing up while somebody’s phone (?) was streaming music at volume.

Paul Simon’s You Can Call Me Al came up and I heard someone back by the grill singing along. Then the two servers who were sweeping up started singing along, putting a little boogie into the brooms. Next I heard the guy in the back washing dishes. And John (the owner) was right there with them.

It was like something from a Spike Lee musical (did he do musicals?). Everybody having a great time. I thought about grabbing some video but didn’t want to break the spell. You just had to be there. And I was.

Turns out there’s a pretty good story behind the official video.

The video became quite famous and features a comedic performance by Paul Simon and Chevy Chase. Here are some key details about the music video:

Initially, Paul Simon didn’t like the original music video for the song, which was simply a performance he gave during the monologue when he hosted Saturday Night Live[2]. A replacement video was then created, which became the widely known and popular version.

The replacement video was directed by Gary Weis and was partly conceived by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels[. This video features:

– Chevy Chase lip-syncing to Paul Simon’s vocals
– Paul Simon lip-syncing to the backing vocals
– Simon miming various instruments as they appear in the song

The video plays on the significant height difference between the 6’4″ (193 cm) Chevy Chase and the 5’3″ (160 cm) Paul Simon, creating a comical visual juxtaposition[2].

The music video for “You Can Call Me Al” became one of Paul Simon’s most recognizable and popular videos. It helped boost the song’s popularity, contributing to its commercial success. The song, initially released in July 1986, experienced a resurgence in sales and airplay after the album Graceland won Album of the Year at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards in February 1987[2].

 

 

Sad T-Shirts

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Came across this photo while cleaning out my office closet. First thought was, “Those are the saddest promotional T-shirts I’ve ever seen.” (I had almost no budget). My second thought was, “Looks like a scene from a remake of Napoleon Dynamite.”

Tell me a story

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I uploaded this photo (of my mother and her brother) to ChatGPT and prompted it to create a fictional narrative.

ChatGPT: In a small town that thrived on the heartbeat of its people, there lived a young couple that seemed to encapsulate the spirit of the era. The year was 1942, and the air was thick with the uncertainty of wartime. Yet in this photograph, Evelyn and James—lovingly known as Dubb—stood side by side, a picture of resilience and hope.

Evelyn, with her hair curled just so, wore a plaid skirt that swayed with the slightest breeze—a popular style of the time that echoed the strength and simplicity of the home front. Her smile was small but genuine, a reflection of the pride she felt standing next to James, her high school sweetheart who had enlisted in the army.

James, in his crisp service uniform, had the posture of a man who understood the weight of the world he was about to enter. His hat was perched perfectly on his head, and his eyes held a seriousness that belied his youth. Yet, when he looked at Evelyn, there was a softness there. It was the look of a man who found a reason to fight, a reason to return home.

The white siding of the house behind them was a common backdrop in those days, representing the homes and families that dotted the American landscape, each with their own stories of love, sacrifice, and courage.

As the sun cast long shadows on the ground, the couple held onto each other. They didn’t speak much about the war or the future. Instead, they spoke of small things—Evelyn’s new recipe for apple pie, the creaky step on the porch that James promised to fix when he got back, the way the stars seemed to shine brighter these days.

This photo, taken by a traveling photographer who knew the importance of capturing moments just like this, would sit on Evelyn’s mantle for years to come, a testament to a promise made under the watchful eye of a world at war: to wait, to hope, to endure. It was a snapshot of a chapter in their story that would inspire tales of a time when love was a beacon in the storm, guiding soldiers home and giving strength to those who waited with bated breath for their safe return.