Life has been interesting, to say the least, and it has had it’s share of ups and downs. All in all I can’t say that it hasn’t been fun, although there were times when I wondered what the heck I’m doing here. I took up the guitar when I was 14, a few years back now, and it has been a friend and companion ever since. I never got good at it, but it’s more about the fun than the mastery, and I can at least play enough to fake my way through the occasional blues jam session. The year 2014 marked my 50th year of messin’ with guitars, and I was extremely lucky to be able to have my very own “signature model” guitar built for me by a talented Tokyo luthier, Shin Ichikawa. So gear-wise I seem to have reached the pinnacle. I have great guitars and great amps, and I’m only lacking in the talent and skill to use them to their full potential. However, it’s never too late to learn and I’m hoping to get my butt into the woodshed once in a while and see if I can’t get a little bit better at squeezing some music out of all these wonderful toys that I have.
Back in 1971 I got interested in photography. I got myself a Nikkormat 35mm film camera (sort of an entry level Nikon – I still have it) and started taking pictures. I also developed my own B&W film and made my own prints. Things have changed a bit now, but I still enjoy taking pictures, although the post processing has changed a lot over the years. Now it’s digital cameras, magic photo processing software and Internet galleries and photo sharing. It’s all about the fun though, so I keep at it, take a few snaps whenever the mood strikes me, and wait for my Pulitzer Prize. I haven’t gotten it yet, but I’m expecting to hear from the Pulitzer committee any day now. Maybe right after I win the lottery.
Some years ago I got interested in street photography and that’s mainly what I try to do now. Tokyo is a great place for that genre, and although I have a long way to go to approach the level of the great street photographers of the past and present, it’s a lot of fun and keeps me from becoming a complete couch potato. I post my snaps primarily on Flickr for now, and you can see thumbnails of my latest attempts here on my blog.