still lost in the land of the lonely man…

well, yesterday was supposed to be the day that i was to spend photographing Francesca Lia Block as a Cemetery Girl, but it turned into a day in which i did what i do best; i adventured solo. i’ll do a proper photo blog later in which i show all the places that i went (and man, i went to some AWESOME places yesterday!). this photo epitomizes my life in so many ways though. i sought out the company of a beautiful, talented, living woman yesterday to spend a few hours alone with to use to create art. yet what i ended up getting time with was a lifeless form, devoid of any emotions but sorrow and loneliness. i sat with this statue for at least 20 minutes yesterday. trying to hear her voice. all i heard were whispers of the wind in the trees. as a cemetery man, i did find my own style of peculiar comfort in her company. in fact, i was moved to tears in the heart of this cemetery as there is so much intense missing and longing AND forgetting being felt here, by the spirits that come to visit, and the spirits that were laid here to rest. i almost felt a calling to come to this place, to Hollywood Forever Cemetery and become the guardian, the watcher, the centurion that i describe myself as being in my novel back in my home cemetery in Alamo, California. if the gods will provide a way, i will move here to L.A. someday and establish myself in this place. well, the other thing that i was feeling that this cemetery needs is a photographer who will do a thorough artistic study of the funerary art here. flickr is littered with samplings of tourist images of the cemetery but no one photographer has done the work of taking hundreds of detailed images to fully represent the amazing intensity of devotion to the dead that this place represents. it is a very large cemetery and i was taken aback by this when we first drove through the night before (Vicki and Demi got here just at closing time and did a quick drive through). the images on google maps do not accurately reflect the hugeness of this place.

 

ok, so here are a couple more photos.

this is THE FREAKING CHURCH in downtown L.A. where John Carpenter’s film, PRINCE OF DARKNESS was filmed!!! it’s an art center now. i spoke to a lady at the gate and told her that this building has given me endless hours of joy from watching the movie. she said, “So you’ve actually SEEN the movie?” I said, “Yeah, like 30 times. It’s my favorite horror film of all time.” she said the people that work there joke about the movie but that none of them have ever seen it. she also said that the church had lay in disrepair for many, many years and now it’s a really wonderful arts facility.

this is me and my internet buddy Brad (Stuyvesant) Root (and his friend Adam, hidden behind me – see his hair coming out of my hat?) at Oki-Dog on Pico Ave. in Los Angeles. yes, i am EATING an Oki-Dog! pretty nasty piece of food, but i had to do it, you know? we were going to meet at the original Oki-Dog up in Hollywood, and i did in fact go there but it was actually as scary as people’s reports on Yelp made it out to seem. so i chickened out on getting anything but a quick phone pic. Brad is a great guy. we’ve had great conversations online and he is one of the ONLY people to purchase a copy of my CEMETERY GIRLS photo book! you can read his music blog at http://staires.org.  

driving back into Hollywood from my trip out to Altadena i was driving down Melrose Avenue when this shop caught my attention. i have known about this place for a long time via internet rumor but never really planned on visiting it. i was early for meeting Brad so i decided to stop. they don’t allow you to take photos inside but it is a most amazing place. full of animal skeletons and art forms made from bones and feathers. they even had little, petrified bats! all very reasonably priced. well, i bought something here. i will blog about it later. one of the most AMAZING things i have EVER seen.

i was scheduled to photograph another model, in Francesca’s place today. a young movie actress named Simone, that Vicki had arranged for me. we were going to meet and shoot at the cemetery in Altadena at 3pm. so i had to find my own way there this time. i thought i was lost because the way my gps directed me there was NOT the same way that Vicki or Alan had taken me there before. not on the same freeways or on the same city streets in Altadena. and THIS is where i ended up. at the MAUSOLEUM of the cemetery we have shot at for three times now. you cannot see this mausoleum from the cemetery. it is hidden behind the wall of growth way at the back side on another road. well, when i arrived at it i gasped. it is a huge building, extremely American gothic in appearance. i felt like i was in Ohio. the air was humidly thick and there were trees like grow back there.

the parking lot was empty and the front door was open. i was actually about 30 minutes early so i went inside with my camera to explore. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL MAUSOLEUMS I HAVE EVER SEEN. in many ways, it blows the mausoleum at Mountain Veiw in Oakland out of the water. it has an entirely different architectural design to Oakland’s and is VAST and MAZE-LIKE. not that Oakland’s is not vast, or maze-like, but Oakland’s is very airy with many skylights and open porticos. This mausoleum is DEEEP and there were many moments when i felt genuinely lost and claustrophobic, and hoped that i’d run into a maintenance man who could guide me to an exit. i never actually had a panic attack. i think my camera protected me from that, but i tell you, this is one to be careful about wandering around alone in. i think the power of the memories of the dead here are potent! i have one more model on my calendar for next monday and i’m planning on bringing her here, if all goes as planned.

this is a legendary grocery store on Topanga Canyon Road where a lot of rock and roll people used to hang out. i bought the book that tells the story of the place. i’ll read that later and probably relate tales to you. Frank Zappa used to shop here! (Oh, and just the night before, i had a copy of Francesca’s book, The Hanged Man delivered here to Vicki’s home. a first edition. was going to ask Francesca to sign it for me. in the opening chapter she TALKS ABOUT THIS VERY LOCATION. too many coincidences.

Ok, well that was pretty much it. these photos are in reverse order too. bottom was first events, top was last, except me and the stone lady, that was the middle, and best. i also drove by Clive Barker’s house and i’m now debating with myself why i did not just walk up to his front door and knock and say, “Hey, I’m Daryl Darko. Is Clive home?” there was no gate. i could have done it. i just didn’t think about it before hand. and now i have to get on my way to San Diego to see Burt and Eric. stopping at the grave of Rita Hayworth on the way to leave her some flowers.