Sunday, June 18, 2023

Seventeen Seconds

How long does it take to get from Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand, to Chula Vista, California, USA?

I don’t know…thirteen hours and change.

 

Forty-one years, five months, and twenty-one days.

 

What did you do—swim across the Pacific Ocean, with an extended holiday in Hawaii?

 

Correct that: Seventeen Seconds.

 

1981: Orchard Street, Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand.

Side One:


“A Reflection”

I am an angst-ridden introvert, where reflection becomes a never-ending prison of internal criticism and self-doubt. I am lying on the floor of a living room flat, eyes closed, with two speakers on either side of my head, music blaring, listening to Robert Smith and the lads.


 "Play For Today"

To escape the loneliness and emptiness I feel inside. I know, I know, not the most productiveuse of my time. “I don’t really care.”


“Secrets”

I have them…personal secrets, mates' secrets, family secrets. God knows.

 

“In Your House”

Mark P.’s house/flat actually. He lets me sleep on his couch for five bucks a week in rent. Mate’s rates for this Kelston Boys’ High School student. Pretending, killing time, pretending.

 

“Three”

Well? I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.

 

Side Two:


“The Final Sound”

Don’t let it be a scream. The sound blasting out of the speaker by my right ear seems…different…behind the sound a final sound…in the beginning, the middle, and the end…always....


“A Forest”

Where is that girl? I am lost in a forest of melancholy. 

 

“M”

M. Mmmm. Mmmmmmmm. So good. Fading away in the song.

  

“At Night”

I open my eyes. Tense and relax the body as I reposition myself on the carpet. The sun that had hung in an Auckland sky is slowly dipping below the horizon, tracking a time and space shared with you, Robert Smith, Matthieu Hartley, Laurence Tolhurst, and Simon Gallup.


“Seventeen Seconds”

There’s a lot to experience in that time.

 

May 21, 2023, North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, California, USA.

The Cure Tour: Shows of a Lost World

Robert Smith and the band are on stage.

 

“A Forest”

Wait, wait, wait…I recognize “the girl.” It’s you, Robert Smith, and the music of this album calling me “again and again and again and again.” Back then you were a broke teenager’s aural therapy…

 

And now? I am not lost or alone. Not this time. I am at a Cure concert. There’s mi esposa, Teresa de Jesus—and over there mi sobrino Brian A. All around I see a forest of friends and fans packed within the amphitheater. My people. Singing in harmony, together, your lyrics.

 

May 21, 2023: Driving home after the concert, past and present selves conversing.

 

Cured?

 

No. Work in progress. I can, however, see the forest and the trees.

 

Me too.


🥝🥝🥝🥝



Additional Links:

https://www.thecure.com


https://www.amazon.com/Seventeen-Seconds-Vinyl-CURE/dp/B000V7J81E/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=


https://aucklandcentral.co.nz/suburbs/avondale/


https://www.chulavistaca.gov


https://www.gohawaii.com


https://www.kbhs.school.nz


https://amphitheatrechulavista.com/index.php


https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-cure/2023/north-island-credit-union-amphitheatre-chula-vista-ca-4bb93bca.html




Sunday, June 4, 2023

Magnolia and Van Nuys

Magic mural on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?

No. 

Call me Dopey; I have no clue.

City of Angels.

Huh?

Indulge me in some context…

Ride a Metro, drive, bike, bus, e-scoot, skateboard, or even jaywalk around Los Angeles (and the surrounding cities) and you will come across a plethora of visual public expressions, from graffiti smeared across a 7-Eleven convenience store wall to commissioned works of art. The range reflects the diverse communities that inhabit this great metropolis.

At the corner of Magnolia and Van Nuys, adjacent to the ultimate German automotive eye candy—aka BMW of Sherman Oaks—I interviewed illustrator Danielle Gro'ak as she had just completed a commission to paint a City utility box.

How did this project come about?

As a Los Angeles native, I’ve always admired public art. When I moved to the Valley, I immediately noticed the painted utility boxes. I would take frequent walks in Sherman Oaks and admire all the designs. It’s amazing how much variation there is from block to block. I wanted to be part of this beautification initiative.

I sent a design to Let’s Paint Sherman Oaks. After some time, I heard back that my design was selected, and I was assigned a box. I was commissioned by the Sherman Oaks Chamber Foundation. Let’s Paint Sherman Oaks Website: https://www.letspaintshermanoaks.com/

What was your thesis/idea for submission?

My goal was to celebrate the critters of Sherman Oaks. I thought about plants, animals, and insects I’ve seen in the area and focused on each one’s personality. In the city, it can be easy to forget how much we share space with creatures. But all it takes is a bit of observation. Urban places bustle with wildlife.

During the process, what situations arose that surprised you or that you did not expect? 

My utility box is at the busy intersection of Magnolia and Van Nuys. I was surprised by how many strangers shared their enthusiasm and appreciation. People who drove past honked and yelled, “you’re so talented” or “thank you.” Some even parked to shake my hand and take a closer look. A bunch of students who came off the bus stopped to watch me paint. This one gentleman even asked if he could help with the primer. I would talk frequently with people who live and work in the neighborhood. I felt like I was a part of something much bigger. Art brings people together.

Name an artist who inspires you.

I'm inspired by multi-disciplinary artist Mokshini, a New Zealander who is based in Brooklyn. Her illustrations are fueled by the everyday eccentric personalities of New York. I admire that she is not removed from her subject matter. She lives and breathes her city. She even occasionally hides pieces in the streets for pedestrians to stumble upon and take home.

Is public art a genre and does it go by other names within the artistic community?

I’d say, yes, it is a category. I’ve also heard it called community art or commissioned public art. Other visual artists who enliven city spaces are urban sketchers, street artists, on-site illustrators, reportage illustrators, painters, muralists, sculptors, graffiti artists, performance artists, photographers, chalk artists . . . the list goes on and on.

What is your process when painting a utility box, i.e., how did you decide what image went on which side of the structure?

When painting outside, the natural environment becomes part of the process. There was no shade where I was so heat was a big factor in when I’d decide to work and for how long. I found a natural rhythm of working for an hour, taking a break in the car, and working for another hour. When artmaking, I thrive on moments of spontaneity. When creating my design, I worked out which animals would go on the smaller versus bigger sides. Anything beyond that, I wanted to decide on-site. My sister, Raewyn, suggested that the dog should face the pedestrians walking dogs. We thought the hummingbird would give some peace to the noisiest side of the street and the mountain lion would energize people hustling in their cars. We thought the deer could be a surprise for people who walk past the box. Its colors also complemented the auto dealership in front.

Any messages to those driving past and viewing your work?

There's beauty all around. Some of it is quiet, and some of it is loud. All it takes is a closer look.

Any advice to those artists wishing to pursue this artistic journey?

Before I started this project, I reached out to artists in Sherman Oaks who had done it before. They were happy to share their experience. Know you’re a part of a larger artistic community, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

What value do you think public or street art brings to a community?

Art deepens our sense of place and connection to one another. When I drive past a utility box, the bright colors zap me out of my everyday routine. It brings out the personality and textures already in the city. Art strengthens joy, community, and dare I say, fun.

What is your next public art project?

Right now, I am drawn to reportage illustration. Reportage illustration is the act of drawing, observing, and recording on location. Artists call the viewer to a specific place at a specific moment in time. I am in my final year of an MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program at Washington University in St. Louis, and I am interested in mapping out stories in various corners of the city.

As Danielle says, “There’s beauty all around.” 

When you drive past the utility box on the corner of Magnolia and Van Nuys let the “personality and textures already in the city” speak to you:

 

Stop, says the red light,

 

Go, says the green.

 

Be careful, says the orange light

 

Winking in between.






Additional links:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Magnolia+Boulevard+%26+Van+Nuys,+Los+Angeles,+CA+91403/@34.1648982,-118.448825,3a,75y,270h,77.58t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scvstbMcwnBbfgN3AteNtIQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m7!3m6!1s0x80c297b72b12e601:0xad3a5b4222e5dd47!8m2!3d34.1648615!4d-118.4487249!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11f39kg9_4?entry=ttu

https://movies.disney.com/snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs

https://www.metro.net

https://www.ridester.com/lime-scooter-price/

https://www.7-eleven.com/

https://www.bmwshermanoaks.com

http://www.daniellegroak.com

https://www.letspaintshermanoaks.com

https://www.mokshini.com

https://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/academics/college-of-art/mfa-in-illustration-and-visual-culture






Saturday, July 16, 2022

Happy Birthday, Sis!

Today in New Zealand, it is Sunday, July 17.

It also happens to be my sister's birthday.

Join me in sending her some uplifting birthday vibes: Happy birthday, sis!

I first wrote the "Go-Cart Incident," in her honour, as a weekly assignment while attending SNHU.

It is now included in my book Bubble 'N' Squeak.

https://penmenreview.com/the-go-cart-incident/



Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Rufus Eats Cheese

It’s about time I came out of the kitchen pantry and declared who I am. Hmmm...caseophile, fromagophile, or turophile?

 

Huh?

 

Do you like your cheese?

 

I do.

 

Me too. Have so since I was a lad.

 

A little context…

 

At Oratia Primary School in West Auckland, my mum would always pack me a Marmite and grated cheese sandwich. It lasted a few seconds as I devoured it during lunch break. We also had a potbellied stove in our kitchen, and on cold winter evenings, she would toast up, inside it, grilled cheese and onion sandwiches with a quicksie iron. As soon as the sandwiches had slightly cooled, we inhaled them (after Mum refereed the inevitable fight my sister and I would have over who would be first).

 

With my own daughters, cheese was also a part of their diet—quesadillas, sandwiches, melting on rice—and their entertainment too. Many an afternoon was spent watching VHS copies (VH what?) of Wallace and Gromit. Fans of this British stop-motion comedy show will know that Wallace was particularly fond of his Wensleydale cheese.

 

Of late, I have been on a cheese-consuming kick, and decided to wade through the “whey” too many videos on YouTube concerning this dairy product. I don’t know if it was because of the fromage gods, Little Miss Muffet, or a Swiss-cheese-like hole in YouTube metrics, but one of the first sites I came across was:

 

Rufus Eats Cheese.

 

I had taken enough Latin at Kelston Boys’ High School to recognize the source of the name, and was impressed by the unpretentioness of the channel’s title. However, the drunk monkey musings of my mind did come up with…while…playing the harmonica; riding a unicycle; singing songs in Yiddish.

 

No.

 

As Rufus states in the ABOUT section of his channel, “I am partial to odd crumb of cheese now and again and thought it time I launched a YouTube channel, well, basically about me eating cheese. It's riveting!”

 

It is.


For me, part of that is due to the decorum I find so appealing in British people regardless of their position in society. I saw it in my nana (originally from Rotherham, UK; RIP), most famously in Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and I see it in Rufus.

 

It is also the earnestness (we agree, Mr. Wilde) with which Rufus eats cheese. His cheese board might as well be a round table and he, Merlin engaging in some mystic experience.

 

His process is so captivating: cut a slice of cheese, many of which are recommendations from his audience; smell the cheese, describe it, taste it, and comment on it.

 

For me, the “odd crumb of cheese now and again” is blue cheese, and the first video I watched was “Episode 7.” Thirty-five seconds in, I became a diehard fan when Rufus uttered the following words: “We are in the presence of aristocracy. This is the great Roquefort, a French cheese that we believe has been made since 1050.”

 

1050. Cool, but the word-nerd, the writer, the logophile in me was on cheese board with that comparison. Never, ever would I have thought of combining the words “aristocracy” and “cheese” in the same sentence.

 

It’s riveting.

 

It is.

 

For me, another experience that comes into play when I watch Rufus’s videos is I recognize when he is transported to “That Place.” We’ve all been there: for me it’s after the Air New Zealand plane has landed in Auckland and I immediately visit one of my favourite fish ’n’ chip shops. As soon as I take my first bite of fried fish, I close my eyes and surrender to the taste…“That Place.”

 

When Rufus closes his eyes with a mouthful of cheese, my imagination starts to engage: he is transported to the pastoral region where the cheese is made. He sees the cow/sheep/goat from whom the milk will be taken to make the dairy product—the grass it’s eating—the gentle breeze flowing—the position of the sun—the birds flying overhead—even the barking of the farm dog in an adjacent paddock. “That Place.”

 

There are also several charming episodes where Louisa, Rufus’s daughter, joins her father in the presentation.

 

It’s riveting.

 

It is.

 

After watching a video, I’m off to Erewhon Market, Studio City to purchase a cheese. My very first, post Episode 7, was an English Stilton.

 

Yes, Rufus: also aristocratic.

 

Oh, and for the record: turophile.


🥝🥝🥝🥝


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcLbNNJC0iDumi7rspgz3Cw




Additional links:








Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Good Night, Mr. Donut

I have a new illustrated children's book:

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Night-Donut-Stephen-Groak/dp/1977251730/ref=sr_1_1?crid=293OMYW8OTK3P&keywords=goodnight+mr+donut+stephen+groak&qid=1656606802&s=digital-text&sprefix=good+night+mr+donut+stephen+groak%2Cdigital-text%2C129&sr=1-1

What's it about?

Girl meets dog. Well, nervous girl meets curly-tailed dog.

Any context?

Every child deserves a best mate!

And you're inviting your blog readers who have purchased a copy of "Good Night, Mr. Donut" to submit a review that you'll publish here.

Yes, including 1-5 Kiwis. For their efforts, I will send them a free signed copy of one my other three books.

How do thet get in touch?

https://stephenjgroak.com/contact/


Reader Reviews:

Goodnight Mr. Donut is a sweet tale about the friendship between a young girl and her emotional support puppy. This book does not shy away from the grueling anxieties of a young person: moving to a new city, the first day of school, making new friends. The author treats Ellie’s fears with genuine care, humor, and rhyme that makes you want to follow along. Ellie is able to face life’s challenges knowing Mr. Donut is by her side. Ellie’s connection with Mr. Donut prompted my daughter to think of when our dog (Buddy) greets her when she comes home from school. The lovable Mr. Donut character will help your young person feel giggly, at ease, and loved right before going to sleep.


I rate this story five kiwis 🥝🥝🥝🥝🥝 Did I mention it takes place in New Zealand?


Paula A. Saint Louis, MO


Goodnight Mr. Donut Mi experiencia con este libro es que yo siento que es una buena herramienta para guiar a nuestros hijos en la vida diaria. Todos los niños se benefician de una mascota y en mi experiencia con mi hija se de los beneficios de este libro que puede traer a las personitas que son el motor de nuestra vida. Yo que tuve en la vida un poquito de dificultad con mi hija me siento identificada con este libro y como un perrito ayudo a mi hija y nuestra familia. Por eso lo recomiendo mucho.

🥝🥝🥝🥝🥝

M.C., Long Beach, CA.

Monday, June 13, 2022

Margarita Carmen Cansino

Rita.

What comes to mind when you hear that name?

Whenever I hear "Rita," my mind automatically defaults to a "lovely" meter maid Sir Paul sang about on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. And quite frankly, I would be happy to be the third wheel (with extended pinkie) at any tea party they enjoyed.

Many an afternoon, after school was over for the day at Kelston Boys' High School, my fingers would skip through used records in Henderson, West Auckland, in search of her and the album she appeared in.

Margarita. 

What comes to mind when you hear that name?

A drink.

Margarita Carmen Cansino?

Nah, mate—nothing.

You've heard of her: Rita Hayworth.

Oh!!!

Indulge me in some context…

In my apartment complex, there lives a twenty-something young woman who is the spitting image of Rita Hayworth—the hairstyle, hair colour, dresses, forlorn look in her eyes. When we pass each other on the grounds and no one else is around, I wonder if I am in some 1940s time loop. I half expect to see Glenn Ford, her co-star in Gilda, to be in the laundry room attending to his wash.

One day after perfunctory introductory niceties, we had the following exchange:

Do you know you look and dress like Rita Hayworth?

Yeah.

Do you know who she was?

Yeah. An actress.

Have you seen any of her movies?

No, just clips on social media.

In 2022, what draws you to dress and present yourself as she did?

Because I like her fashion better than modern fashion.

How did you discover her?

Instagram.

I am not surprised that this Gen-Z young woman accessed Rita Hayworth through social media. In her heyday as "The" Hollywood "Love Goddess," she was partially accessed on a poster, being the number one pinup model for GIs during World War II. In 1946, her image also appeared on an atomic bomb tested in the Bikini Atoll.

In the multiverse platforms of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube—you only have seconds to make an impression. Rita Hayworth made sixty-one films in a career spanning nearly forty years. Who has time to watch all those films? (I will let you do the math.) Although for me personally, Gilda was worth my one-hour, fifty-minute entertainment investment. 

As a writer, I am always interested in backstory, so naturally the thought came to mind: How did Margarita Carmen Cansino become Rita Hayworth? One lives on in the public consciousness; the other is long gone from the worldly stage. For Fox Film Corporation she was billed as Rita Carmen. After Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures suggested that the name sounded too Spanish, Rita’s first husband, Edward Judson, had it changed to Rita Hayworth.

Thankfully today, entertainers embrace their cultural background. No one would change their name to conceal their <enter a specific racial/cultural group> heritage. Such personal interest has been brilliantly explored by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and his extremely popular PBS TV show Finding Your Roots, where he researches and shares the ancestry of the celebrities who appear. Today, it is gender that is much more fluid and changeable.

Part of the reason the film star image "Rita Hayworth" continues to appear in the public's consciousness is through the homage other artists pay in their own works. Virgin du jour, Madonna (or past jour) mentions her in her 1990 hit song "Vogue," specifically her ability to give "good face." Rita also appears in Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (later adapted as the film The Shawshank Redemption). I will let you read the story to see the reason for the inclusion in the title.

For the flesh-and-blood Rita Hayworth who left this world on May 14, 1987, and whose final resting place is the Catholic Holy Cross Cemetery, in Culver City, California, two events struck a chord with me—one psychosocial; the other medical: firstly James Hill, Rita Hayworth's fifth and final husband, notes in Rita Hayworth: A Memoir, "It's amazing how many successful people grow up without having had a youth. If you take those childhood years and have to spend them doing five shows a day in a shabby place like Caliente [Mexico] with a man you have to pretend is your husband but is really your father, it becomes easy to understand why a person might well have a sad, faraway look in her eyes" (pg. 16).

I attended Daddy/Daughter dances as my daughters grew up, but the roles were respected and propriety maintained.

The second is Alzheimer's disease, a condition Rita Hayworth was diagnosed with in 1980. It robbed her of so much in her later years, and ultimately took her life. Her daughter Princess Yasmin Aga Khan founded the Rita Hayworth Gala to raise money to combat the disease.

Perhaps a donation in memory of this great star.

Rita.

Margarita.

Lovely Margarita.

🥝🥝🥝



Additional links:

https://www.thebeatles.com/sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band-0

https://www.kbhs.school.nz

https://www.tourism.net.nz/region/auckland/auckland---henderson

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038559/

https://www.pbs.org/show/finding-your-roots/

https://youtu.be/GuJQSAiODqI

https://www.amazon.com/Hayworth-Shawshank-Redemption-Different-Seasons/dp/0896214400

http://www.holycrossmortuary.com

https://www.alz.org/events/rita-hayworth-gala-chicago


Saturday, May 14, 2022

Andromeda

Sometimes a review can be one word: listen...with your heart.

Okay, okay—four words.

🥝🥝🥝🥝

Additional links:

http://www.weyesblood.com

https://youtu.be/Aki1Xn36eJ8


Weyes Blood: American singer, songwriter, and muscian.

Seventeen Seconds

How long does it take to get from Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand, to Chula Vista, California, USA? I don’t know…thirteen hours and change. ...