The bulk of my day was spent down at Tom Lee Park covering the last day of Beale Street Music Festival. Rather than reblog about it here, let me just link to the two pieces I turned in to the paper. ONE and TWO. No, I guess it’s not Great Journalism, but it is something. I was a little thrown by not having a blog this year in which to deposit my brain droppings, so I wasn’t quite sure what sort of tone to take when sending my dispatches to the desk. Eh, I guess it worked out okay.
Now, photos. Somehow I managed only to shoot white dudes. But, while that fact disappoints me for reasons I imagine I don’t have to explain to you, nameless internet pixel person, I am happy to report that the white dudes I shot were pretty hammy and made great rock ‘n’ roll expressions. So, here are a few of my favorites from Day Three of BSMF*.
(I also tweeted like a champ. Find my tweets here.)
* I took some good pictures of Vince Neil and his band, but I signed some crap that said — I think, because I didn’t exactly have time to have my attorney interpret it for me — that they own the photos. So I won’t be posting those here. Because I can’t afford to have some fucking Mötley Crüe lawyer come after me for whatever offense that would be. I love that I was asked to sign some stupid shit signing over my photo rights while kids in the front row could snap away unabated, with no legal ramifications. Music industrial complex? You are free to die, for all I care.
If you have a copy of the thing you signed and want a lawyer to have a look at it, I know one who owes you a favor or two.
Also: It’s always a good idea to ask for a copy of anything you sign. I know it’s not always practical, but try to do it when you can.
#1, Why does photographing only white dudes as it happened disappoint you?
#2, I AM a lawyer, but I cannot protect you when the chumps who sign acts for this thing sign away local media’s right to publish snaps of a most public event.
Join my cry to Dump the Chumps or, as the saying goes: Quit your bitchin’.
@MadMolecule
I know. I got flummoxed. I’m bad at … stuff. :)
@Wintermute
1. In years past, I have lobbied for more diversity of talent on the BSMF ticket, so for me to point my lens this year primarily at white dudes playing hard rock/heavy metal that features screamed lyrics, well, it was disappointing. This is, of course, not a slam against white dudes. God knows I love white dudes. To a fault. They’re just so great, those white dudes! But when I go through my photos and there’s nothing but white dudes in there, it doesn’t exactly give a fair account of the musical/talent makeup of the festival. It just demonstrates that I did a horrible job of scheduling my time this year.
2. Come on now, don’t come to my comments and tell me to quit my bitchin’. My bitchin’ is my franchise, man!