Ever have a crush on someone whom you know 1) isn’t good for you; 2) probably won’t ever be good for you; and / or 3) clearly isn’t crushed out on you AT ALL? You aggressively try to not be crushed out, thinking "I don’t engage in dysfuntion." You try to forget making those mix-CDs of music you think they’ll like. You play it cool when you see them out: "Oh, hey…I barely recognized you…," when in fact, you could smell their presence before actually seeing them. You think: "they’re just not crushed out on me… YET." I’m just asking. This never happens to me, but I hear about it happening all the time and I’m sure it’s very frustrating for those involved. I would have written sooner, but I’ve been very busy making mix-CDs…
Hi, everyone. Sorry for the lag in time. I was a little consumed with getting the images together for my upcoming photo show at Galerie Baumet Sultana in Paris. (www.galeriebaumetsultana.com) I want to thank Diane for recently posting a "heads up" for my exhibition. Stop by and say hello when the show opens. I’m looking forward to seeing my friends back there…it’s been too long.
Some friends of mine and I have decided to throw together a launch party here in Los Angeles for Designers Against AIDS (www.designersagainstaids.com) at the end of August. It’s an organization that I really believe in and want to help it grow, especially as the number of people — many of them teenagers — continue to sero-convert to HIV positive. DAA asks fashion designers, musicians and other luminaries to design limited edition t-shirts whose proceeds go to help the Institute for Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. I’m happy that MOCA / Los Angeles (Museum of Contemporary Art) is going to carry the shirts in their stores. In planning this event, I’ve been inspired by people wanting to give their time and resources to make something fun and interesting happen for a good cause. I’ve also been a little discouraged at how un-charitable some people can be, including people who I expected more from. Strange, really. But it’s an exercise in not taking things personally…
My friend, Salvador, is here, barking at me that he’s hungry and wants to eat, so I have to keep this short. This is Salvador, in a natural setting.
I just want to leave you with a few pictures of my neighbors’ daughter, Maya, who I shot for the Japanese magazine, Popeye. We dressed her up in Jeremy Scott’s kimono football jersey and customized Adidas. I think she had fun for about the first 10 minutes, posing on one of the hottest days that we’ve had this summer, before exclaiming, "I’M NEVER MODELLING EVER AGAIN!!!!"
Til next time
Dino Dinco
P.S. Oh yeah. Before I forget. I just finished reading Bruce Benderson’s "User," recommended to me by Rebecca Voight years ago. I finally got around to it and I regret not reading it earlier. It may be one of the best novels I’ve read. It’s a rich tale about a seamier slice of life, but in all honesty, it illuminates certain types of relationships that many people engage in every day, even if they’re not HIV-positive, drug-addicted male prostitutes, their clients & lovers, afterhours doormen and transexual mistresses. Also, read Bruce’s "Toward the New Degeneracy." Excellent.
