superhero confessions

I was reading TeenAngster's blog where she talks about the photographer Katy Grannan's work. Not only did I really love her photos but the style and themes is echoed in other things I have read and seen





The comics of Chris Ware, of which I am a huge fan, and more specifically Jimmy Corrigan (image via thecomicsjournal)

Then there is the documentary film that came out a little while ago, 'confessions of a superhero' about the lives of superhero impersonators (can you impersonate a fictional character? maybe not) on the Hollywood walk of fame. Their stories are quite dark and I suppose living your life as someone else, as these people really take it very seriously, has its own confusions.

or maybe it isn't depressing at all. In an interview with Daily Serving and Katy Grannan there is the following exchange;

SC: What we constitute as our reality is often much more fragile than we perceive. You made a statement that ” the viewer has the sense of a shared history; they’re portraits of all of us.” That statement, coupled with the Celluloid Heros lyrics, is really poignant. It seems that for many, the West is still synonymous with freedom and boundless opportunity. This is obviously an illusion, but has working on this project caused you to reflect on your personal relationship to California or the West in general?

KG: Sure it has.  But what’s impressed me more is that many of us still try;  we make the leap of faith; and sometimes we willfully create an alternate, perhaps even a delusional reality.  That isn”t limited to California – it’s only limited by our imagination and our circumstances.  My grandmother was the queen of alternate realities, and I think it’s what kept her alive and joyful for a very long time. She wasn’t crazy – she was imaginative and stubborn and, to paraphrase Tony Kuchner, sometimes living in the world can be unbearably ordinary.


she also speaks about artists she admired and I was very amused and impressed with what she said as it is so true

- I could give you a very long list of artists whose work I admire, and an even longer list of writers and film makers that have influenced my work.  But I really like what Robert Gober said: “Whenever I give a talk about my work I am invariably asked who my influences are.  Not what my influences are, but who.. As if the gutter, misunderstandings, memories, sex, dreams, and books matter less than forebears do.  After all, in terms of influences, it is as much the guy who mugged me on Tenth Street, or my beloved dog who passed away much too early, as it was Giotto or Diane Arbus.” -