David James and son Seven, atop the Los Feliz Club Apartments with Vermont Ave in the background. The Onyx Cafe was located on the spot (bright-strobe) in the photo behind them. This 'spot' now is occupied by Figaro Cafe.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
this shot never made it on "coagula".
i ran (with friend tommy hafalla) into victor balogh and carlos macias, at a photo exhibit showcasing wim and donata wenders' stills of their "buenavista social club" film, the summer of 2000 at the bergamot station in sta. monica.
i woke up to a dampy /gloomy wednesday morning, new years is of course, inevitably around the corner. i start the routine with a rolled up bugler (having switched from the ubiquitous hollywood favorite -- American Spirit), and the reasons are ostensibly economic, and two cups of my favorite espresso - cafe bustelo. everyone on the block is either asleep or at work, nonetheless, nothing is going to stop me from playing my morning station -kcrw on my little grundig. enough with the jibber jabber and cut to the chase. Susan Sontag has died at 71. this was the highlight of the morning radio news. i knew she was a prolific writer and stuff, but never ever got deeply into her biography and works. the only unpretensious involvement with the writer is that i do own a dilapidated paperback, ON PHOTOGRAPHY, that i've had for over 22 years, and never fully understood it's context, until recently. For those souls who spent their entire life photographing (whatever), i very so recommend this literary work of art. she will be a remembered writer in my book.
a quote out of the book:
Memorializing the achievements of individuals considered as members of families (as well as of other groups) is the earliest popular use of photography. For at least a century, the wedding photograph has been as much a part of the ceremony as the prescribed verbal formulas. Cameras go with family life. According to a sociological study done in France, most households have a camera, but a household with children is twice as likely to have at least one camera as a household in which there are no children. Not to take pictures of one's children, particularly when they are small, is a sign of parental indifference, just as not turning up for one's graduation picture is a gesture of adolescent rebellion.
"I don't care about making photography an art," said Mr. Steichen. "I want to make good photographs. I'd like to know who first got it in his head that dreaminess and mist is art.
Take things as they are; take good photographs and the ART WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF."
the PHOTO GALLERY containing photographs taken at the Onyx Café is work in progress, most of these scanned negatives were recently unearthed. since i've benefitted a great deal from the onyx cafe(free coffee, etc.), it's now payback time to mr. john leech and to every soul i hung out with, with my photographs. enjoy!!!
the Onyx Café was more than just an institutional cafe to most of the regulars and myself. it was a "state of mind" without the aid of any mind altering pill. it was a place where you can actually feel how "timeless" the place was. it was a conglomerated convergence of people from all walks of life. from hollywood celebs to suitcase-geared travelling bohemians introducing themselves, and being welcomed (and not interrupting any intellectual arguments). it was the crossroads to every major city on this planet. it was happening! day and night, into day again. amidst the aroma of the coffee lingering in the air, there was also, all kinds of drama. but we will not go there. you can never complain about the taste of espressos and cappuccinos served here, nor how the architectural facade of the place appeared, nor even how people looked or dressed. people come here for the same one thing that everyone else is seeking --- and it's not just the java. it is.. NIRVANA. yep. and the whole crowd was experiencing it collectively.
