Devo - Commodore Ballroom - 12 December 1979

They saw that the world was on a downward spiral.  That society was no longer evolving, what we were experiencing was in fact de-evolution. Devo

With Les Wiseman, Vancouver Magazine’s In One Ear rock columnist, we were at the Commodore Ballroom on December 12, 1979 to see a new-wave band called Devo.

 I was sonically struck by guitar chords I had never heard before. I became excited. It would seem that the band was getting away from elaborate guitar solos and such.

Today 5 March 2023 I felt like I was in fact devolving but not in the Devo term. For many years beginning in 1977 I evolved as a magazine photographer in Vancouver. Not too many years later I could take portraits of famous actors who would give me three minutes. I had two of everything in case I faced equipment failure. I was good.

Today Sarah came for shots. She is 39 and has the loveliest skin. We had coffee. I informed her that I did not do boudoir. Furthermore, after years of taking photographs of undraped women at my age of 80, I was no longer interested in taking photographs (portraits) of women with the exception, perhaps, of my two granddaughters (20&25) if they would only give me the time of day.

I set up a complex to put together boom light over the red psychiatric couch in my piano room.

In the end an extremely patient Sarah gave me the inspiration to shoot. This I did.

But that photographic de-evolution kicked in. I dropped light meters, I forgot how to change backs on my Mamiya, and worst of all I shot a roll of 120 Rollei Infrared in that camera and forgot to use a red filter.

The pictures I took with my Fuji X-E3, I believe, prove that there is still some evolution left in me. 

Thank you Sarah

And yes she does play the piano.