Backyard Symphony VIII: Brokedown Melody

This isn't actually the same little toy guitar that can be seen in "Berried Guitar". This was a toy ukulele that was given to me as a present.

The bloody thing wouldn't hold a tuning at all. The string tuners would spin back and forth merrily without having the slighest effect on the rubber-like strings.

So I decided it could serve no purpose existing as it was intended to. I took it out back and started hitting it with a hammer. As it came apart, it suddenly developed much more personality.

So I didn't stop there. I got out the duct tape and patched it together. I doused it in lighter fluid and applied a flame. It charred in a very interesting way, as well as discoloring the finish slightly. Next came the cellophane tape, marker and rubber band.

By the time I was done, it looked quite a bit more impressive than it had before. So I took it out back for a photo session.

Backyard Symphony VII: Long Tones

Here we have a clarinet, newly sprung from the wood from whence it came. I bought this clarinet and took like two lessons on it. That was enough, I suppose. I still like having it around; I like the way it smells.

The idea, of course, is that there can be a long wait between where the note starts and where it ends. It might have to find its way through a troubled path.

Assuming there's even anyone to listen.

Fortunately, these kinds of waves follow their own path. Our participation is only tacitly necessary; really, all rivers would find their way to the sea without our help.

The fact that each one of us is a self-contained loop should lend some credence to this idea.

Backyard Symphony VI: Berried Guitar

This set kind of grew organically, which is perfect. I picked up a cheap little almost-toy guitar from Walgreens. (It actually sounded OK... well, the top two strings did, anyway. Kind of like a resonator guitar, or banjo. But that's beside the point).

That's a pansy, inside the guitar. "Pansy" has some pretty weak associations, but let me tell you, it's one of the only flowers that's hardy enough to bloom in the fall. Good on yer, flower.

Don't you just love these berries? Crimson red is such an enticing color. It reminds a lot of the scenes from "American Beauty", where what's-her-face was framed by rose petals. The whole thing wound up having such a lavish look to it that it made me think of weddings, harvests, offerings of gifts. A bit of technological help on the next two.

This picture knocks me out. It has a tremendous, geometrical look to it, like it's broken apart in time and space, coming at you in waves of squares. I sort of wish that would happen to me every now and then. By far my favorite of the set.

This one looks like an explosion of Impressionist color. I prefer white to black, generally speaking. Black is such a gravid, dull, lifeless color. (Which of course can be exactly what you want. There are always exceptions). Shame it doesn't snow around here.

One interesting thing that happened: as soon as I had taken the flower out of the guitar and put it in the ground, a bee flew right to it. They must have an incredibly keen sense of perception; the flower hadn't been planted for more than 15 seconds at this point.

Backyard Symphony V: The Bell Tree

This was actually the first set of photos I took. I like the idea of artificial objects in a natural surrounding.

Putting tiny bells on trees seemed kind of elementally right to me. Something that might have been done during a Chinese dynasty, or on the British highlands a long time ago.

Of course, that's pretty much where we get the whole "Christmas tree" thing, so this whole little endeavor seemed Autumnally appropriate. And I like the idea of a tree that would grow bells as well as leaves and fruit. Can you imagine what a whole forest of those would sound like?

I only wish the bells were of a little higher quality so that they would chime when the wind shakes the branches. Ah well. At least they look good, right?

Backyard Symphony IV: That Cool Sound

The most interesting part of this project was the blatant mishandling of the guitar cable. I had never put one in a freezer before. It was a liberating and slightly mischievious feeling.

Actually, my little habit of freezing things goes way back into my early childhood. Other kids would set action figures on fire; I would put them in a container of water and throw them into the freezer. I have no idea what this says about me.

This actually reminds me of Albert Collins, the noted Telecaster-wielding bluesman, who had a whole wealth of sub-zero nicknames. He wrote a bunch of songs with titles like "Avalanche", "Frosty"... you get the idea. Here he is for purposes of comparison, in a much cooler (ha ha) picture than mine.

Anyway, it was nice to get back to my icy roots. (Pink and black... what an odd color combination. Very Raveonettes).

This last one I particularly like. It looks like some long-frozen remnant of a prehistoric age, newly thawed out and ready to take on the world. Rarr!