Thanks to Terry, who was very patient with me. What a fun experience being interviewed. Reading my spoken words was quite humbling. I sound like a moron. John Turner retouched my photo for me and designed the poster. There were lots of things I didn't say, and some things I probably shouldn't. I had many influences and supporters in my life, one of the biggest ones early in my "career" was Ira Greenberg. In 1989, he wrote my first press release of a "show" at The Turning Point in Piermont NY. I met Ira at Cornell, followed him to U. Penn, slept on his futon in Philly and came out to him first after not-so-secretly having been in love with him. That's the short story. Ha! His reaction and subsequent love and affection is ingrained in my soul. He had such an appreciation for me that I never saw in myself, and was never shy in expressing it. We, but mostly he, was fiercely competitive, which found its way to a bowling match where I needed 5 strikes in a row to beat him by one point. Which I did. But he claimed to have not tried at the end and took the wind out of my sails. Barton Benes continued what Ira had started, and was one of those inspirations, both as a person and an artist, that I keep going back to in my mind whenever I take an objective view of myself. My instincts have always been to be humble and apologetic, but remembering the love and passion from Ira and Barton fuel me to own up to my greater self.
ART BY ROGER BRAIMON