Charlie Todd is the founder of Improv Everywhere, a prank collective based in New York.
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Anna Waronker
Singer-songwriter Anna Waronker has been one of my favorites since she was the lead singer in that dog back in the 90s. I remember walking into the Tower Records in the University District and seeing ‘Retreat from the Sun’ on sale for something like $6.99. I had heard the single Never Say Never, liked it, and bought the record. I don’t think it came out of my CD player for months. I searched out their back catalog and loved all of those, too. Her solo work is just as amazing — check out I Wish You Well off her first record or California Fade off her latest record.
Gareth Smith and Jenny Lee
Gareth Smith and Jenny Lee are main title designers for films — you’ve probably seen their work in the amazing opening sequences of ‘Juno,’ ‘Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist,’ ‘Up in the Air,’ and more. In addition, they are two of the nicest people to work with! After much scrambling about on my part to find the perfect image, the best choice was close to home — this is in their kitchen. Simple, clean, and speaks to them. You can see more of their work here.
Matthew Robinson
Matthew Robinson, writer-director of ‘The Invention of Lying’ with Ricky Gervais …. and this little masterpiece of a video by Jogger.
Steve Altman
Writer-director-actor Steve Altman.
Kristina Wong
This is the first of several portraits I did this week while down in Los Angeles to work on the Creatives Project. Lauren Weedman, muse to one of my favorite portraits from last year, suggested I contact performer and writer Kristina Wong. She was funny, charming, and awesome! I had a couple of vague ideas but once I saw this rooftop location, it felt so cinematic and Hollywood-like, and I love the green sweater she was wearing — made it feel so starlet-like! And, hey, we’re in L.A. and I really wanted that filmy/dreamy quality to come through!
The Raincoats
The highly influential & brilliant British post-punk band The Raincoats.
Tom Kundig
Genius architect Tom Kundig.
Alice Bag
As we were shooting these photographs, a regular-looking mother with her two children walked past us. One of the little girls says, “Who is that?” And the mother responds,“Oh, it’s just that famous punk rock lady.” This is why I love living in Seattle. The moms even recognize the punk rock legends! I cannot imagine my own mother knowing who Alice Bag is, let alone any of the other mothers in my neighborhood in suburban Syracuse, New York. As a teen in the 80s, I was most definitely more of a new wave kid than anything else. But, one afternoon, in a friend’s bedroom, I saw a black album cover with a bright blue circle off center. It was the Germs’record ‘(GI)’. I had no idea who they were but my friend said Belinda Carlisle once sang with them. I’ll be honest, I didn’t love the record and it definitely was not the Go-Gos. But, what I got from that record was that there were people out there in the world that felt that energy and that desire to be who they were, be themselves, and wave their freak flag, and not be afraid to be called “weird” – which is how I felt in the suburban-teen-angsty gloom of Syracuse. Bands like hers (The Bags) opened the door for all of us “weirdos” to know that we actually do have a larger extended family out there.
Alice Bag was one of those people, a pioneer in that world, was at the beginning of an influential musical movement – well, more than just a musical movement. On her web site, she has also taken oral histories from other influential women at the time, definitely worth a look-see!
Hine Mizushima
While I was in Vancouver, I also had the opportunity to photograph Hine Mizushima, an amazing puppet stop-motion animation video artist, illustrator, and crafter. This is one of those cases were I went into the shoot with a pretty strong idea in my head but when I saw this corner in her kitchen and saw the colors she was wearing, I scrapped all that and went with a simple and clean portrait. I love the slight Mona Lisa smile on her face and the honey bears of course! And, if you’re feeling a little blue, you need to check out one of her videos for They Might Be Giants (like this one here) — you can’t help but smile when you watch it!
