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MARVIN GAYE : WHAT’S GOING ON
Forty years ago Marvin Gaye released his 10th album, That’s the Way Love Is. Two months later, in March of 1970, Marvin Gaye fell into a deep depression following the death of his singing partner and fellow Motown artist Tammi Terrell, who had a malignant brain tumor. By June he gathered enough courage to record the soulful yet politically charged single titled ”What’s Going On”. Continue reading “”
PORSCHE GT3 TESTING
Want to see what it feels like to be a passenger in a track prepared GT3 driven by a professional driver? This short Porsche advertisement will do the job:
EXPLORING THE FLORIDA KEYS
This time of year my mind begins to wander to warmer climates like southern Florida. Places like Key Largo and Key West recall memories of Humphrey Bogart, Ernest Hemingway and Jimmy Buffet. The word “Key” comes from the Spanish “Cayo” meaning small island. And true to its origin, this tiny string of islands connected by bridges separates the Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico.
January and February are the best times to visit the Keys – hurricane season and the holidays are over, but spring break has not yet started. It’s quiet and temperatures are cool: mid 70’s during the day and 60’s at night. There are many unique plants and animals here, and the tropical climate ensures that something is blooming all year round. Continue reading “”
THE BEATLES : RUBBER SOUL
Released in December 1965, Rubber Soul presented an evolved Beatles sound to the world that was closely associated with the American folk rock of Bob Dylan and The Byrds. With the help of producer George Martin, Brits John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr built an album that went beyond a bunch of well-crafted pop songs.
Using speeded up tapes, electronic processing, fuzz bass, and ambiguous lyrics – not to mention a stretched cover photograph by Robert Freeman – the Fab Four were pushing the boundaries with their newfound artistic control. The Beatles stood at the crossroads and created plastic soul. Continue reading “”
RACING : NOT POSING
Here’s a short Porsche Ad that’s encouraging to see. I hope this is an indication of more factory involvement in racing. It would be wonderful to see a Porsche in the top tier LeMans class again. Maybe with Volkswagen’s Ferdinand Piech running the ship, we will see a return to the glory days of the 1970 season and others like it. Continue reading “”
CANYON DE CHELLY
Ever since visiting these remote sandstone canyons in the ‘80’s, I have been in awe of their subtle and lasting beauty. The peacefulness of this 131 square mile landscape continues to haunt me to this day. It is located in northeastern Arizona within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. This no-fee National Monument preserves pueblo ruins of the earlier indigenous tribes that lived in the area, including the Anasazi and Navajo Native Americans. The name Chelly is a Spanish use of the Navajo Tséyi, which means “canyon”. Continue reading “”
CHAD MCQUEEN, HIS DAD, AND A CAR CLUB NAMED “R GRUPPE”
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Chad McQueen, son of the late movie actor Steve McQueen. Chad is a very gracious man and was willing to talk with me at length about his famous father. For Porsche enthusiasts, Steve McQueen is best known for the 911S and 917K he’s seen driving in the epic racing movie Le Mans.
Unlike many actors today, he not only talked the talk, he walked it, and he did it with a strong sense of who he was. Steve (with a broken foot) and Peter Revson (heir to Revson cosmetics) led the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring in a Solar Productions Porsche 908 until the last hour. They officially finished second overall, although some feel they actually completed the winning number of laps first. At a minimum they won their class. Continue reading “”
DRIVING THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST
Travel is a great way to see the world and experience its many cultures. Although it’s very exciting to fly far away to a place like Africa or Australia, local adventures can beckon just as strongly. Introducing his book, Travels with Charley (Charley was a French poodle), the famous American writer John Steinbeck said: “A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.”
One of my favorite locales closer to home is the central California coast. Continue reading “”
NEIL YOUNG : EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE
As part of its ongoing music archives reissue campaign with legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, Reprise Records has recently re-mastered the first four of his classic solo albums: Neil Young, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, After the Gold Rush, and Harvest. These titles are available either on regular CD (HDCD encoded), gold CD (in a box set), 140 gram vinyl (individual release), or 180 gram vinyl (also available in a box set). The limited edition box set is available here:
HELLO AND WELCOME TO MY BLOG
I’m starting the New Year in 2010 with this commentary site, which reflects my personal areas of interest and how I view the temporal quality of life. My goal is to post something at least once a week on one of my four major passions: Photography/Video, Classic Porsches, Travel, and Music.
Hopefully I’ll provide a useful perspective on how each of these pursuits can be experienced with more than one unique sensory experience. I plan to review on average one photo tip, one sports car article/video, one journey, and one music album every month.
-Randy Wells
MUSIC INSPIRES MY PHOTOGRAPHY
I’ve been collecting vinyl for over 35 years. You will find many other filmmakers, photographers and writers who are passionate about LPs and music as well. Album covers, melodies, and lyrics provide artists with a direct connection to their visual work. Continue reading “”
I MADE THIS PHOTOGRAPH OVER 40 YEARS AGO
Hard to believe today, but this was my subject in New Zealand in the spring of 1980. A boy in a worn Superman t-shirt sitting in front of a corner store on the south island of New Zealand. I remember I had a 24mm f/1.4 lens on my Canon F-1 with Kodachrome 25 film. Seems just like yesterday with my buddy who’s celebrating his birthday this week … wish I was there now.
THE BEATLES REDUX
Happy New Year!
It’s been a hell of a journey. “Ob La Di, Ob Li Da”.
As Joseph Campbell said, “”I don’t think the meaning of life is what we’re seeking. I think it’s an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.” The message is to enjoy life fully in the moment.