Well I have been doing this blog now for five or six months and I thought it was time to start doing interviews.
The first interview will be with myself. While that may seem to be a bit onanistic, let me say that the self-interview has a long literary history that I won't go into here. But I once saw a defense attorney in court play both himself and the defendant at trial, so I figure this shouldn't be too much more of a stretch.
Why did you start this dreadful thing?
Well people always said I should write, and writers write. Getting published, now that's the real trick ... or at least it was until now. Plus, I have great friends with great blogs far greater than this one and so I thought I'd give it a shot.
What is the blog about? I mean, you kind of sell it like it is about photography, but then you are all over the place.
True. Well, as someone who is interested in everything, things tend to get that way. I do have kind of a theory about image, whether it be objective or subjective. Everything is an image of one kind or another. One of these days I'll spin off the most written about subjects into their own blogs, but for the meantime, I figured I would just keep on writing and let the blog find its own voice and direction.
Wow you sure write a lot about politics!
Yah that is kinda weird ... I didn't start out that way, even though I always was a little political ... "little" meaning I don't march in parades or canvass people's homes or man phone banks ... but I'm not so sure I'm that different these days from anyone else. These are political times, and God Bless Them!
You know, in other countries, this is normal. You sit down at Sunday brunch in a little cafe and you discuss the Plight of Man, rather than "who'd you do".
Plus, I had an outspoken Grandfather who encouraged discussion about everything and so I just got into the habit.
Liberal or Conservative?
Neither. I'm for Common Sense, and right now Barack Obama makes the most sense, and most sensible people agree.
But didn't you used to be a Republican?
I think the Republican Party has been hijacked by whackos for the past thirty years or so, and this debacle is a good opportunity for them to start aggressively disinviting the whackos so they can in turn start their own Whacko Party, that way they are out in the open and we know who they are. Once this is achieved, the Republican Party may have to start calling themselves the Whigs again just to wash off the stench.
Any time you have to ally yourself with racists, greedy scum and sexual obsessives in order to win an election, its time to get out of that party and find where the sensible people are.
Where do you stand on California's Proposition 8?
Oh, is that the one where the people who don't want government interference in their own lives want in turn for the government to interfere in other people's lives? And so, they obfuscate and out-and-out lie, and spread hate and fear because they are so sick and obsessed about other people's sexuality? I am against that.
I don't care if you walk into your money-changin' temple and roll around and bite the heads off snakes, and give 'em all your hard-earned wages, and as long as you don't touch the privates of little children, and I know that's asking alot, then I say bless ya.
But don't start telling other adults who they can or cannot love, or who they can or cannot marry. It's none of your goddamned business.
How were you so able to predict the Bush/Cheney Recession?
I was very good at connect-the-dots as a child.
But you even predicted where the Dow would go and everything!
Lick your finger, stick it in the air, see which way the wind blows. Beyond that its just dumb luck, and the more people realize how much its all dumb luck and none of their doing, the healthier we all will be. Besides, like anything else, if you study these things, after awhile you just know. Also since I have no financial position in the market, therefore no emotions to cloud my vision, I can analyze it objectively.
The market was running-up like never before in a hundred years, everyone knew houses cost too much, banks gave loans to schnauzers, and everyone thought it would just go on like this forever. What part of this scenario didn't scream disaster?
Were you as prescient about the Iraq War?
I know next to nothing about military matters. It seemed like a dumb idea at the time, but what did I know? Retired generals seemed to think it was a catastrophe in the making, that we needed more boots on the ground, but we were told they were just a bunch of old men. Now, as we have watched it's execution, I think we all know a great deal more and the electorate is acting on their newfound knowledge.
Actually, I was furious after Abu Ghraib and wrote a letter to the White House asking what the hell was going on. I got a form letter back that the President was doing what he thought was best for the country. How lame was that? When I wrote Nixon at least Rose Mary Woods sent me back a very nice signed letter. That's when I knew we were dealing with a shady outfit.
What is your business ethos?
How much time have you got?
Basically it is to offer what you have for an honest price for an honest profit. Don't lie, cheat or steal. Don't do things you wouldn't put your own name on. Don't cover up for the boss; he couldn't afford it if you did. If he can afford it, then you aren't worth crap. Your employees can make you and they can break you, not the other way around. Choose and manage them with care.
Its very old-fashioned, I know.
Geez what a dreamer. Okay, well its late, can we continue this some other time?
No problem, good night!
