Watching for Pigs on the Wing

I was excited yesterday when we received one of the thirty-six friends and family Converse x Schott NYC Perfecto leather jackets produced. An all blacked-out version of Schott's classic silhouette, black leather, black zippers, black buttons and buckle. Converse is represented with an inner label, single black metal stars on each shoulder, and the leather from the mid-sole of their shoe collaboration is used on the inside pocket. Like the shoes in this joint effort, the jacket is a well executed, understated and fully wearable collaboration from two classic American companies, Converse began in 1908 and Schott in 1913. You can see this Made in the USA jacket displayed on my back tonight and in the future. Thanks to John and everyone at Converse.

Wear Black

2010-02-25T14:23:00.000-08:00

Johnny Cash would have been 78 on Friday.
The Man in Black died in 2003. To the end, he was a voice of truth and humility, a connector of generations, a legend. (You can still hear that voice: His last album with producer Rick Rubin, the bare-bones "American VI: Ain't No Grave," came out on Tuesday.)
In honor of the great man's birthday, the Cash family, Rubin and his American Recordings and Lost Highway Records are asking for a tribute: Wear Black for Cash.

In a press release, the group said, "February 26th, 2010, is Johnny Cash’s 78th birthday, and to celebrate his life we’re encouraging everyone worldwide to wear black for Johnny on this day. ... [to] remember the man in black and the voice he gave the common man and 'the poor and beaten-down.' "

Cash once had a hit with his song "Man in Black," in which he detailed the reasons why he wears such dark clothes. For Johnny Cash, it might be worth doing the same.

"Man In Black"

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

Serpico on Serpico

2010-01-25T17:19:00.000-08:00

Corey Kilgannon of The New York Times has an extremely interesting article/interview online profiling Frank Serpico.

Frank Serpico 2010.

Frank Serpico is a retired New York City police detective, author, lecturer and policing expert. He was born on April 14, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Maria Giovanna, was born in Ohio and moved back to Italy when she was a young girl. His father, Vincenzo, was born in Italy. Frank enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 18 and served for two years in Korea. When he returned home he worked part-time as a private investigator and youth board counselor while he attended college.

Frank joined the New York City Police Department on September 11, 1959 at the age of 23. He was a police officer for 12 years, during his last several years on the force, his attempts to report police corruption to his superiors in the department fell on deaf ears. After a harrowing interrogation by U.S. Customs officials upon returning from a European vacation, Frank finally decided to go to the New York Times. A New York Times expose was subsequently written on police corruption in the New York City Police Department which prompted then Mayor John Lindsay to appoint Judge Whittman Knapp to head the Knapp Commission to investigate the pervasive problem of corruption in the New York City Police Department. Frank was shot in the face during a "buy and bust" operation on February 3, 1971 and later that year testified in front of the Knapp Commission regarding his ordeal in trying to report police corruption within the ranks of the NYPD. Many people believe that Frank was set up by the police in order to silence him.

Frank Serpico testifying before the Knapp Commission 1971.

Frank's story was documented in a New York Times bestseller written by Peter Maas which went on to sell over 3 million copies and an Academy Award nominated movie which helped launch the acting career of Al Pacino. The book Serpico was recently republished in the U.S. and England.
After being shot, Frank moved to Europe to recuperate and spent a decade there, living, traveling and studying. He returned to the States in the early eighties and has been living quietly in the mountains of New York State, studying and lecturing on occasion to students at universities and police academies and sharing experiences with police officers who are currently going through similar experiences. Frank has studied various cultures and speaks a number of languages, he has studied animal and human behavior, alternative medicine, music, art, literature and philosophy among other disciplines.

Text from the official Frank Serpico website. Pictures via The New York Times.

DEAD EYES OPEN

2009-07-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

No exaggeration, I could not love a human baby as much as I love this...

Afraid

2009-07-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hummingbirds
Raccoons