Here’s the catch though: I’m not afraid to shoot you, but I urge you not to be afraid of letting your speacial day actually be, ya know, special. There are a thousand white dresses holding flowers in a park or against a floral background. Choosing this path is the same as saying “I’m going to go get some Starbucks, but my latte will be the most important and memorable there, because I’m going to throw a lot of money at someone to take pictures of me drinking it.”

I’ve done bridal shoots on rooftops, in warehouses, with dresses made entirely out of recycled plastic bags, and even a divorce shoot (which involved the refashioning of the wedding dress into a queen of hearts). Think about why the hell you are getting married and why the hell do you want it documented. How about a highway engagement shoot, or combat boots and white dresses. Many don’t even realize that there isn’t a law saying that your dress has to be white (although some areas of Texas may say otherwise). And don’t forget, I’m always available for consolation or a good keister kick in the right direction, which is another reason to always keep those combat boots handy.

I was pretty annoyed about this, until the next day when one of my friends told me that it was worth it to save the 200RMB anyways since good punk rock does have an expiration date. So this turned out to work in my favor, since I really like the Buzzcocks, and would prefer not to have the image of Pete Shelley breaking a hip and wearing a life call on stage. I did, however, find out about a pretty rad punk show the following night that was much cheaper.

Some of you that fancy yourselves as aficionados of punk might remember the girl punk group from Beijing (I know, right?) called Hang on the Box, or HotB for short. They were one of the biggest punk groups to come out of China and one of the only ones to ever have an American tour. You can see some of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66MK9NrB_XI (Yes, that is the most effeminate punk club announcer I have ever heard too..)

They broke up about 3 year ago, but recently reformed with a slightly more mature sound. I got to go to their reunion show at Beijing’s Infamous Mao Livehouse.

Yes. This one has photos.

I have been keeping up fairly well with my poi practice routine (ie: to stretch in the mornings and whenever I’m bored in my apt/at a bus stop/showing off to students) since I’ve been in Beijing, but about 3 weeks in I got that ever-persistent urge start setting things on fire again. I found a juggling supply/fixed gear bike store called Natooke, run by an Italian performance trainer, Federico, and a German former-member of the German National Trick-Bike Team, Inez. Federico (“Just ‘Fede’,” he tells me. “Otherwise I think you’re from the government”) is a performance arts extraordinaire. Fede juggles, Fede spins fire staff, Fede eats and breathes fire, Fede balances things on his face, Fede does card tricks, Fede rides a bike with a front wheel that is over 5-foot in diameter. Turns out, he runs a juggling club which is welcome to all skills in street performance arts. After hanging out with these guys for a month or so, Fede comes over and asks if I wanted to do a fire performance with them For the China National Holiday Celebration. Far be it from me to let down a friend, especially one offering to pay me to perform in one of the most popular tourist areas in one of the biggest cities in Asia, I accept.

Aside from a bit of diva-ing from some guest Russian stilt walkers and an electric violinist, all goes well with the 2 performances. I ate fire, I breathed fire, and I finally got to use my fire poi in China that didn’t involve my neighbors thinking that Americans must play the weirdest form of paddle-ball ever.  When I wasn’t performing and working the crowd, I was snapping pics. While I don’t always plan to pull double-duty like that, I like knowing that I am starting to get more regular gigs through Fede. That being said, there was one snag:

Fede: “I received a call from the police today”

Me: “meep.”

Fede: “They said they were upset with me, and they mentioned you too.”

Me: “meep meep.”

Well it turns out the police weren’t very happy with the venue allowing fire performances with a crowd at such close proximity. I should take a second here to note that there are no real rules and regulations in China for street activities like this. There aren’t any proximity guidelines and mandatory on-site fire marshal requirements like in the states. You just do it, and you only here from the police if they don’t like it. But the trouble is when they don’t like it…

No actions were taken other than us being banned from using fire in any performances in SanLiTun again. However, it is still a bit nerve-wrecking, now knowing that there is a police record with my name on it in China. I’m still booked for at least two more upcoming gigs (including one as host while Fede is working in Tibet next month). There are other venues, and other performances. Until then, I at least have the incriminating evidence to share:

It has, however, just come to my attention that I never posted the amazing shots from the Phototronic Imagitorium(TM)!! These have made their way around face book a bit, but I never officially released them! (bad josh, no dumplings for you).

So if you don’t know what the Phototronic Imagitorium(TM) is, here’s the deets:

The Phototronic Imagitorium(TM) was my experimental and never quite official photobooth. It went through two test runs before being put into hibernation, with the second run set up at the FOM June Art Series, my last public event in the US. The basic idea was to capture all the awesome people I was leaving behind, and to capture their true awesomeness broken free of the daily shams. So the Phototronic Imagitorium(TM) was set up on the street, with yours truly inside snapping pics and purposely creeping out the subjects, along with a table full of funtastic wardrobe supplies. Everything from pipes and top hats to rope and duct tape. Subjects are not allowed in without choosing from the table of poppycockery, and the rest was magic.

Here’s the end result of the blood, sweat, and scorched eyebrows:

His eyewear is just like his friends: unique. Buying a pair of glasses at FOM is much like getting fitted for a fine suit. Meticulous time is taken to make sure the pair you get are suited perfectly to who you are. That is why he has donned the slogan “This is why I am”, and he even keeps a blog by the same name. We worked to gear this campaign towards showing people of all different professions wearing Mark’s frames to show off their individuality. Of course, this is only a sample of the new campaign. There are many more images, but to see them, you’ll just have to stop by Frame of Mind at 1520 Main St. in Columbia. I might just be hanging around when you stop by.