All the talk about gun violence of late stirred up a memory of a film from 1956 called The Fastest Gun Alive. Tim mentioned that he and his brother would laugh themselves silly watching the dancing with shovels scene in the Warner classic film—back when shooting was a sport of survival in our conjuring of the wild west. The video shows extreme athletic jumping around on stilt-like shovels. Entertainment in those carefree postwar years was often goofy.
The humble shovel was once a basic tool of survival. I bought one when I became a homeowner, assuming the need to dig up soil, but it hangs unused in the garage, as my gardening has not been ambitious.
There was a time when our attention was pulled out the window rather than onto the manufactured allure of the screen. I often look out my window at Tim’s assemblage of found sticks, stones, and objects that are held together precariously without glue or hardware. Birds and Squirrels often perch on top. I watch in awe, as they manage move on and off without knocking it all apart. Nature seems to hold a sense of harmony that humans continue to strive for.
During a recent visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland I learned about a 1968 John Lennon exhibition at the Robert Fraser Gallery in London. It featured a performance of the release of 365 white balloons tagged with the exhibition title in a note: You Are Here (To Yoko from John, With Love), along with instructions Return balloon to John Lennon at Apple Records.
From the perspective of today’s dark time, it strikes me as luxurious and wholesome. History is good for that. I imagine walking along during that time and finding one of the white balloons—reading the note and following the instruction to visit Apple Records hoping to hand it over to John Lennon himself. More likely, a secretary at the front desk dropped the returned balloons into a box. I wonder how many made their way into that box?
You are here. I am here. We are all here.
Living through this historical moment of September 2025 in the wake of so many disturbing events—a couple more school shootings at the start the Fall semester and a shocking slaughter of a young woman returning home on a train in an unprovoked attack from a knife-wielding passenger sitting behind her. Most notable, has been the unfolding story of the assassination of well-known conservative personality, Charlie Kirk. There is no need to add to all the discussion about what is so much more than a shooting. I can already smell the tv movie ahead.
All these events make living each day a little harder. Humanity is in deep trouble.
Random acts of violence by disturbed individuals have complicated solutions.
Random acts of violence by gun have one proven (partial) solution.
The dark mirror of our time is often best expressed in the art of two artists who have been creating Truisms since the 1970s. While we are swimming in words and slogans these days, these women initiated the trend with razor-sharp messaging. At first, it was on small prints and plaques. Their success has invited offers to present their words in large-scale installations
Barbara Kruger…
Jenny Holzer…
You are here. I am here. We are all here.
Now.
Not dancing with shovels.
Not laughing ourselves silly.
Still…here in my small corner, humor happens.
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Interesting unusual connections of where we were and where we are now.