Goodbye Oughts.

THYME: As the first flurries fall from the sky this season today I ask what do you think of year-end polls? Everyone seems to have them. Be it fashion, film, frivolity. Are they merely favoritism barely disguised as popularity contests, scraping the barrel of half-hearted pr campaigns, or in some cases perhaps even earnest opportunities to look back at how that particular annum charted new territory? They must have their place. In years past I even created these but found in short order that they became dated when the dusty scrapbook got hauled out even a few years hence. So this year I am not making such a ‘Greatest Hits’ comp. I am more interested in how things that surfaced this year carry forth into the next. That’s a true ‘test of time’, yes?

SAGE: Sometimes when you take a step back, outside of your daily go-go-go you come to realize that taking certain things into account can be either a benefit or a deficit. In years such as MMIX we were globally effected and our normal gaze or expectations have shifted, and been challenged, and even to an extent remained a bit (or >) askew. I sit and listen to Bowie’s Hunky Dory and it rings of leaving the encrusted stacks of past regression right there, leaving only the sweet melodies for future reference (is this record really 38 years old?). I mention this because this is a record, of the time (as Laurie Anderson once crooned). Stand by….

ALLSPICE: In 2009 I came to realize several things about where I am on Earth right now. Hey, I bought a French press, I took a new lover into my life (simultaneously, miraculously losing eight pounds in the process - that’s a first), left one gallery and found new representation - and again having to face the challenge of re-locating live/work space. These things take much concerted effort, passion and conviction, trial and error and most of all perseverance and a whole lot of patience. As I take a scant look back, in 2009 I was published in a worldwide hardcover, got the opportunity to exhibit with the likes of Dan Graham, Candida Höfer and Gordon Matta-Clark (among others), and had my first exhibition in Miami and a potential museum purchase! I chose to take an unspecified hiatus from critical writing (except in bits and pieces herein this blog which comes to an official close at year end) and curated an exhibition now touring the Northwest. Not bad (…I’ll spare you those details).

So, yeah, life is like a spice rack, and sometimes parenthetical. As we step forth we all try new things, of course, traverse prerequisite scary passages, with the potential to come out the other end either covered in a certain layer of soot or befitted in the Emperor’s New Clothes. Well, there’s always the grey area of the in-between, ya dig? I’d say it’s certainly still worth the risk, even when life is conditional as is. All things in due time.

2009: A simple look back would be in haste if the deepest depths weren’t plumbed and the highs weren’t analyzed to the nth degree. But the past year had a certain chill about it, an unexplainable short in the prime circuit. While tending to holiday particulars and my ailing lover I spied a short ‘psa‘ that was disturbing, very hollow of message, and full of allusion to an uncertain future. Produced by the government, a new initiative for “intra-terrorism”? It’s hard to tell, but it gives a message without direction, except to this site. Aside from that the tree was trimmed to the tips with cool wintery colors and dinner on the eve of December 25th was pulled off without a hitch if I may say so myself. It’s been wonderful spending time with some loved ones, friends and some old-fashioned cartoons (I’m such a softy for claymation!). This past year was filled with stretching the few dollars and cents in my pocket, but also gave me the opportunity to show in Ohio, Florida and tour a show into the great Northwest. I predict greater things, and more change, into the new year. Should old acquaintance be forgot?

Keep warm.

Check out this auction at Gallery Homeland now….

untitled (LA), 2008
©2008 TJ Norris

To all you fearless readers (and few responders), as of 2010 the blog thus known as unBlogged will cease to exist in the format you have grown to know over these last three years and three months. You see, I have been blessed with my first-ever grant from an Oregon-based non-profit arts agency (more on that later) and this will enable me to offer you an entire remakeover in the first quarter of the new year, the new decade. This will include a small break and please do pardon the reconstruction time. After the sawdust and sparks clear there will be a fresh new site and blog (not unlike a triple powder coated sporty top layer), but it will be a sleeker model. Consider this tjnorris.net V3 ( this is the second full facelift since ‘02). I am having the chassie overhauled to enable for a smoother ride for you and a more stable and interlocking sense of the road ahead for me. Stick around because things will sometimes ride along curves you’ve seen but once it hits 60 there’s no telling where we’ll go.

Thanks SWI

OK, OK, the Gorge is gorgeous and all that - and I love it as much as the next guy, but come on! You’d think that going up to see the flow of water and ice on a Thursday morning might be a quietly scenic respite, but think again…more like Disneyland for rabid, touristy amateur nature photographers, out in droves. Sure I brought along my trusty SLR, and touted it wisely to point-and-shoot at those amongst us, like deer caught in headlights.  The stunning Oregon backdrop was awfully pretty, but the ooglers, smokers and crying babies counterbalanced the sightlines in a clash between the Eddie Bauer-clad and SUV-strapped soccer moms. And it was capital C cold today!  The wind chill at Vista House alone had my friend Lyn and I out of the car and back again in less than five minutes.

Maybe it was just something randomly adrift in the air, but my personal GPS spied one too many tripods, super-sized wide-angle lenses and cellphones standing at attention today. Perhaps its simply the filter the camera suggests, the separation between you and IT. Well, there is a humor in it too. The gaze and allure of spectacular, wild nature, its wrath and in its wake. The crystalization of our resources in all its stop-action glory. Who can blame ‘em? Next time I’ll remember gloves for my nimble digits!

If you had a friend from out of town enter the UGB for three days what would your tour look like? Well, for starters, I hadn’t seen my buddy Roland in, well, perhaps a dozen years, neither of us really held the proper count. And showing someone around who lives in the woods outside of the original Portland (ME) I figured this was the perfect counter-culture-imbalanced opportunity to host with cheshire pride. It was nice to have a laidback pal who could relish the fact that in-between things I was engaged in the domestics of laundry, the gym and decorating the new tree (in blues, grey/silver and white this year). I wanted to really provide a special preview of both the quirky and quintessentially Northwest aspects within Stumptown’s radius.

So we ventured out there and with the literal mind half-awake, first stopped into some essential bookshops including Powell’s, Counter Media and Reading Frenzy. A bit of a whirlwind in one shot, but we perused quite a number of varied sections on astrology, art, GLBT, erotica, zines and the like. See the photo above for our peek into the reinvention homage to the original 24 Hour Church of Elvis, a true Portland icon. This fourth (?) incarnation of the “Church” sides the Goldsmith Building in Old Town/Chinatown (on Couch). Drop in some quarters and you’ll hear voices and spy some interesting memorabilia. While en route we wrassled up a cuppa joe at the best bean in town, Stumptown Roasters. With paper cup in hand we then strolled a few doors down to the infamous Voodoo Doughnuts (who also do weddings). And after an eyeful of Tang-covered fried confections rounded the corner towards Fontanelle where Leslie Miller, co-proprietor of this quaint contemporary art space, treated us to a backroom closing peak of Queer Gaze which was a great exchange for all of us.

Over the next few days it made sense to check out the urban-rural delicacies of two very special places dear to me, the ever-quieting power of the Japanese Garden and the petite (and smallest public park in the US) Mills End Park, always different as it invokes our smiles. After cheap happy hour bites at Candy and since it was 1st Thursday we walked through the Pearl to see new shows at PDX Contemporary, Pulliam Gallery (the night’s standout), Blackfish, Beppu Wiarda and meandered down to the Everett Station Lofts to Anka Gallery which had an incredible old-fashioned art walk vibe going on. We also ventured to see/hear the evocative collaboration between Andy Paiko and Ethan Rose at the Museum of Contemporary Craft which requires lesser of a crowd to truly appreciate its subtleties. All-in-all it was a truly great night.

Brunch became us as Fernando joined in the eats at one of our regular spots, the wonderful Caffe Pallino on Division. With lemon curd french toast warming our cockles it was off to another Portland classic, Movie Madness, to ogle Mike’s Museum, the unique costumes and collectibles from movies of yore - now in even nicer museum-style settings. But what trip would be complete without a studio visit-in-reverse! It was a treat to be able to pull out a few flat portfolios to show and tell with my friend. We finally had the opportunity to catch up after so many moons have passed, and as we looked and chatted about some photographs and drawings I realized how important it truly is to get an outsider’s perspective. More food for thought. So to fill the gap later in the evening it was off to one of bridgetown’s most coveted eating establishments nestled under the Morrison Bridge - speaking volumes of the breadth of this town, Montage. I barely let anyone get away without experiencing this true gem amongst us. I am forever tickled to hear the yelp of ‘5 Oyyyssttteeerrrss‘ and the parting gleen of tall and oddly shaped tin foil caricatures filled with leftovers. I just can’t resist the Spold Mac, man oh man!

And on Saturday before heading towards the coast we stopped at one of my old hangouts, The Side Door, for a bagel and caffeine. A straight shot out to Astoria had us to and fro within five hours, stopping only for lunch before hightailing it back to catch the Trailblazers last night. Winning by a single point against Houston in the last minutes of the game, even despite Greg Oden’s fall and subsequent knee injury which will have him out for the remainder of the season. The drive was crisply gorgeous and the sky was shades of blue. But most of all it was great to see an old friend and show-off the wealth of our goods!

Join the (r)Evolution!
A 24 Hour Moratorium on Consumer Spending

PDXPLAN.COM

By the looks of it Ellen George and Jerry Mayer’s third collaboration @ Nine Gallery will most certainly be a spectacle. They seem to have this tendency towards weight, balance and the stretching of time. The promo shot suggests a floating pendulum crossing the divide of its space. Opens on 11/5 (thru the 29th) at 6PM. The gallery is located inside the Blue Sky Gallery.

Official Site

Point |  Counter-Point

I don’t know. Do you? I mean, what has happened to pop music over this decade coming to a close? Has the digitization of music completely altered  the listening experience permanently, both in how we perceive celebrities and consume music - and how has that effectively filtered into the overall quality and catchiness of songwriting, for instance? Is singling out yet another greatest hits package by Madonna even worth its blog weight anymore? Even within the vestiges of its retro-packaging does one buy exclusively based on image in these days of the great recession? Alive and well are the slickest, most over-produced recordings ever, but how valid is the lyric, the musicianship, the message? My guess is that cashing in on the past right now is not at all fashionable, so I’ll just continue waiting to be justified (and ancient).

1-2-3: Today marks the third anniversary of unBlogged. Soon to become newer and improved(er). But until then keep your eyes peeled and your ears atuned. What’s next?

BEARS R US: You know, I usually just offer an eyeroll to most circuit-party like big dance events that basically coral a bunch of like bodies into a space to drink and be merry. Though you would have just needed to do a half-spin to get that this was a special night (the above illustration speaks of the congenial, atypical crowd). Yes, Bearracuda, a new-to-town monthly night is probably just that as well, but there are some observational twists that differentiate it from the masses. First off, it wasn’t your typical PDX bar fair in terms of music (ala Cher, etc.), the local DJs (Rude Dudes and Sam Storicks) had a more warehousy flavor ala in-situ last night. There was this slight ravesque edge, just embodied (and I mean that pluralistically speaking as well) by mucho furry faced frolickers ranging in age from 20s through 60s, many familiar faces that sort of made the virtuality of Bear411 come alive. OK, perhaps this not my typical blog, but in so many ways, even being akin to many of the participants out and about in the former loft of the old B-Side techno club (yes, Autechre and Plaid played there, not to mention Daniel Menche…), it was an odd/exciting social role-reversal. And my first time to such a thing in about six or seven years. It was fun to see some folk backdated to my Soundvision days in ‘03, as well as the proceeding years. The vibe was made good by the Bay Area-based organizers and even though it was part prom night (always some at least low-key dynamics going on) the DJ played on into the wee hours among the SE industrial district, the rattle of the train and the hum of the Autumn air. Oh, and I think they even had complimentary Voodoo Doughnut out back.

I’m very blessed (and not in a religious way) with special friends. Last night we reigned over the depths of the Boiler Room at the Kennedy School.  Not one, but two cakes (one scratch!), nearly twenty gents, a crossover second bday in the same room, gifts, flowers, dark beer and scotch, McMeniman’s-style eats, the furry-faced energy overfloweth for sure…even our bespecaled waiter got into it. So, it takes the Grace of Jones to help me wind down from it all in the belated shadow of the day. Thank you all!

I was sent home early from work tonight. The Oregonian reports.

On the eve of my 44th, to many a real surprise, our 44th U.S. President dons one of the world’s highest honors. Controversial?  The Huffington Post reports.

…and seasons will change. And we’ll somehow get over it. Spending a day in my favorite coastal town, Astoria, always balances my senses. It’s certainly nice when, in doing that, you get to be with someone in a celebratory way. This is a view from inside the top of the breathtaking column. I’ve never quite climbed these 600 feet this way. How 164 step-by-step strides can shed meaning, however subtle. What a day, what a life - up and away!

Over the past week I prepared an entire dinner from scratch for someone, bought a French press and made my first cup of freshly home-brewed coffee. And then last night got yelled at: “You’re Hot!” from across a mostly quiet late night Trimet rail station. Do even firsts come in threes?

The Artcomplex Center of Tokyo and Lemnos offers a unique Design Competition
Deadlines on October 2 and October 23

Claire Denis (on themes + films) - Call for Chapter Proposals
Deadline November 1

Oregon Cultural Trust presents Oregon Day of Culture
Thursday, October 8

I had only heard his name over the years, never the actual musical output. And to my own detriment it took until seeing Jason Mraz live tonight at the Rose Garden. In top form even after touring for 18 straight months, noting this was his most interactive and connected crowd yet. Emotive harmonies and songs you could sing along too, and not just based soley on souless choruses. His sounds encompass multi-genre-bending between reggae, rap, rock, folk and pop and then some. Catchy and meaningful, lyrical and in soaring voice. The crowd was completely wrapt in his magical way with a microphone and guitar, his six piece band was sounding delightful and they followed a fantastic set by G. Love & Special Sauce.