Mike Brodie/The Polaroid Kidd

[exchangediary]

I know I've posted about Coilhouse here before, but this past weekend they posted a really interesting selection of photographs by Mike Brodie (also known as the Polaroid Kidd) that I thought I would post about here since not all of you follow Coilhouse.

Comments

[lilacwine]

Wow- I always find the people who live like this fascinating as it's so far from how I would want to live my own life, but also strangely enchanting at once, it's so hard to describe. Thanks for this- these are so amazing.

[exchangediary]

Thanks for your comment <3

I agree, there's something interesting about this scene, but at the same time, I don't think I could be happy or comfortable living that way.

By the way, thanks again for guest posting! Your posts have been really wonderful!

[lilacwine]

Aw no problem it's been really fun :) I just wish I could have posted a lot more but I've been so busy :( I've still got a couple ideas before the month's done though!

[exchangediary]

Thanks for commenting <3

[xseitanistx]

That whole "scene" (for lack of a better term) is so small, I've met some of the folks he's photographed.

[exchangediary]

I'm not too surprised -- I know that in the Coilhouse post at least one commenter mentioned knowing some of Brodie's photography subjects. Honestly, I still haven't made up my mind about the whole deal -- one of my friends from high school is hopping trains this summer & is just sort of doing it for kicks, he has a positive, safe home (& family & friends) to come home to when he chooses & plenty of money to fall back on... I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with giving up some of your privileges & having a go at seeing the world on your own means, but I do think it's wrong to glamorize poverty while neglecting some of the very real problems that the poor face in the US.

Anyway, I know you went to the CrimethInc Convergence last year, was it a good experience for you? I was thinking about going this year because it's in Pittsburgh, PA (about 2 hours from where I live), but it cuts a little too close to another summer trip I have planned. Do you think you'll be going again?

[xseitanistx]

Crimethinc Convergences are a totally mixed bag. The first time is exciting, and then it gets redundant - especially if you've been to any other politico-type gatherings (e.g. NCOR) before. I keep returning because there are certain people I only see at convergences; and those few days we spend together a year - they follow me until the next convergence. Last year, I had a hard time because the weather was really bad, and there were few workshops I hadn't experienced elsewhere. Though this year, I'm really curious how it will play out in an urban setting and I want to see an ex-boyfriend living in Pittsburgh, so I will probably go

[exchangediary]

Thanks for the perspective on the convergence. I've been curious about it for a couple of years now, but have never attended one. Honestly, the big draw for me would be workshops, but I've had some bad workshop experiences in the past (mainly at zine gatherings & queer conferences), so I always get a little nervous about attending them (normally the more excited I am about a workshop's title, the more wary I am of attending because I worry about it being "ruined" for me somehow).

But if you've met a thousand traveler kids and their dogs, discovered 90% of the anarchist scene doesn't read, and had a finger waved at you for mocking socio-political figureheads like Andrea Dworkin - this event is not for you!

This is exactly what I needed to hear! Andrea Dworkin is actually sort of a pet peeve of mine. Ever since I read Heartbreak: The Political Memoir of a Feminist Militant, I haven't been able to deal with people who namedrop her & wholeheartedly embrace her as the consummate feminist spokesperson

[surrealistes]

i love his photography so much. when i first discovered it i got really in to the whole "bohemia" thing, but i don't think it's ever a lifestyle i could live myself. it's lovely and fascinating to look at and read about though!

[ohmydearheart]

Thanks for this post. It's really interesting & I hope to check out the links very soon.

BTW, I have recently seen Wendy & Lucy & it was so great. I cried...a lot.