(The author and his 'ride')
(My day job)
I publish a magazine. I couldn't be any busier, yet I elected to go — hell, I pitched the trip — to Denver, CO for the Democratic National Convention. My client/partner is iMeem and my regular day job is founder/bill-payer of URB Magazine (urb.com). Our job was to find the stories, the content and the people who would make this Manifest Hope event come to life. For me, this didn't even require me leaving the Denver International Airport. On the way to the rental car location, I saw two young veterans (28 and 26) of the Iraq War. They were wearing "Iraq Veterans Against the War" T-shirts and I was immediately intent on talking with them. Our video interview isn't posted yet, but stay tuned. They were here to cause a little ruckus, and I can't wait to see it in the news, or even closer.
(Vets Maggie and Jason)
Anyway, that's the back story. This is the front story:
We are posted up in an area called Five Points, within eye-shot of downtown denver. Supposedly there is a park down the street that was once called Needle Park. Fun. In any event, you can only catch a glimpse of what used to be, since the neighborhood — and presumably, the needle residue — is cleaned up. Now, my first reaction when I see an area like this is simple: white people moved in and black people moved out (read: Williamsburg). But gentrification is a complicated and wonderfully complex beast, so I won't oversimplify that here. The rejuvenation of Five Points is more than displaced brown folks and opportunistic middle class newcomers. Bottom line, I really love seeing economies, peoples and cultures clashing a little. I'll explore this a little more later when I have time.
So, about those cats — our block is teeming with them. Which is fine by me, I love cats, and last night, at about 2.30am, I stumbled into a 7-Eleven and bought one of the friendly locals some dry food. I love art too, so let me get back to that . . . As you can see, pictures (and great video, thanks to our awesome Danny Lee) say more than 1000 words. We have, so far, caught up with a great cast of amazing people, including the ambassador of this whole project Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant).
(Shepard and Ray build)
Obama art pioneer Ray Noland (CRO) has been here for about a week already. His traveling Obama exhibit has already attracted a loyal following, and he was even visited by the presidential nominee himself in South Carolina. I think Ray was understated when he described the secret service guy walking up to him and kindly saying, "Barack Obama is next door. Do you mind if he stops in and sees the show?'
Um, Ray said, "Of course not."
Ray is the man who, before even the now legendary Shepard Fairey posters became the de facto logo for the Obama campaign, had his brown and gold "Dream" posters plastered all around his native Chicago.
(DJ Spooky and Ray Noland)
Speaking of cats, Sam Flores and David Choe are cool ones. These guys are clearly heroes to a lot of other artists and fans of their exquisite artwork. They seem connected at the hip, and when I met them, they were collaborating on a large mural on the outside of the Manifest Hope Gallery site. technically, it was Choe's mural and during our interview, he kept looking over his shoulder and excusing himself as he kindly reprimanded Flores for coloring outside of the lines or using the wrong can. But it was all love.
(David Choe and Sam Flores piece)
(Brothers in paint)
Caught up with DJ Spooky, who blew through for a few minutes before bouncing to another engagement. That dude is a global traveler and creative emissary of the highest order. He literally spent several weeks aboard a Russian ice breaker on the way to Antarctica to do an art piece on the sound of ice. He said he hasn't spent more than one or two nights in the same city over the past year or so. Or something like that. You and me both want his life. I introduced Spooky to Noland, knowing they'd hit it off, and they did. Noland blew up his car coming through the Rockies on the umpteenth leg of his traveling Obama installation, and Paul D. Miller (aka Spooky) has 83 stamps in his passport. There's a connection.
Much more to share soon... Please stay tuned.
P.S. Yeah, that purple Buick? Well, the photos are posted on this page several times (Could it be Outkast's Andre or Big Boi's?). It's probably a '78 or something and has been sitting across from our house since we checked in. I would hate to see it move, because around sunset it makes beautiful photos set against the Victorian-style homes on the block. I wouldn't mind meeting its owner though. I bet her or she has some great stories about Five Points.
