CITY DAILY PHOTO FEBRUARY THEME - MOTORS

 

Seen at a custom motorcycle shop on the edge of a flea market. There is a lot of horsepower ready to roar out of this engine but that conical spike thing looks scary. The bike obviously isn’t finished but you won’t see me riding it.                       

THUNDERBALL

Noisy as thunder but without 007 in attendance, three motorcycles eventually whizzed around the steel sphere. I cannot imagine how this is planned and rehearsed. There is no room for error; error could be fatal. One of our colleagues suggested in a comment this kind of show is popular in Europe. I've never heard of it in the U.S. but saw something like this in Shanghai years ago. The bikers do it safely night after night.                 

CHALLENGE

The circus saved the most spectacular act for last. A steel spherical cage was moved into the ring. One rider came out on what might be called a motocross bike (not my department). A hatch was opened on the side, he rode in, and the door was closed. He proceeded to dash around the inside at high speed, back and  forth, up and down. It looked insanely dangerous but that wasn't the whole story.             

HOT COP

The St. Louis motorcycle police lead every parade around this town. It must be a fun break from their usual work. Always on black Harley Davidsons with black helmets, black leather jackets and perfectly polished black boots. 

One of my very few photographic claims to fame is that I was once asked to use a photo of a line of SLPD motorcycle cops for the catalog of a show at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. The show was about the art of modern fashion and they wanted to use my picture in a section about motorcycle jackets. https://tinyurl.com/2p8b6pf7 Of course, they said they couldn't pay anything but offered me a couple of tickets and a copy of the catalog if I happened to show up during the run. I did. The contact person who said she would be there wasn't. I had to show the email exchange to a manager to get my meager compensation, but I got my five minutes of fame.             

YESTERDAY DID NOT GO AS PLANNED

I keep saying that I am desperate for material. During the warmer months that involves outdoor events. Of, course, there are next to none. There was to be a rally downtown at the main post office in opposition to our wicked national administration's attempt to cripple the postal service in an effort to discourage voting by mail. So I found a place to park in the shade where I could see the entrance. Nobody there, so I sat in my car with the engine off listening to the weird music I like (anyone into Caroline Shaw?) through my phone. Eight or ten people eventually showed up. I tried to start my car and - nothing. Troubleshooting led to the conclusion that the battery was dead. It took the auto club an hour to get to me to jump start the thing.

 

The technician did tests and told me the battery was about kaput. I called the dealership and their service department could work me in. So, by late afternoon, I got home with a new battery and no photos.

 

Back in the recent archives, then. I found these mean-looking guys and their bikes by the graffiti-permitted section of the flood wall, kept my distance and shot this through the windshield with a telephoto. Downtown streets have been pretty empty lately and there has been a real problem with people racing on souped-up motorcycles, doing dangerous tricks and even gunfire. (Remember, this is America.) The city has blocked off some major streets down to one lane and closed the old bridge over the Mississippi. I wonder if these chaps were on their way to such sport.                 

DA COPS

It's not a parade without the police. No crowd control issues here, unlike the St. Patrick's Day parade, where alcohol flows like the Mississippi (well, metaphorically).  

The top picture has similarities to one that generated an eye blink's worth of photography fame a couple of years ago. The Museum of Modern Art in NY used one of my images of STL motorcycle cops in the catalog for a show about fashion. They didn't pay me a dime but at least they gave me a free copy of the book and a ticket when I showed up and demanded my tribute. Click here. 
        

WHEELS

Fun to watch, hard for me to do. The last time I rode a bicycle I needed a cortisone shot in my knee. I've been on the back of a motorcycle a couple of times but never driven one. If I tried, I would never do it wearing a fake rabbit head.

The group in the third picture is a club that participates in parades around town. They call themselves the Banana Bike Brigade. Oh, and that's a lollypop stick, not a cigarette, in the mouth of the rider in the last picture.

 

More Filler

Too much to do and too little time: my story.  There are lots more pictures to edit from the improv festival that I haven't gotten to.  One of these days...

In the meantime, some shots I took when I went down to the floodwall to photograph the recent Paint Louis work.  This group of motorcyclists surprised me, particularly the one in the top picture. Some people think you should love your country. Winston Churchill said that patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels. Go figure.       

High Five

Running a bit low on material - just too much time at work, none left to go out and shoot. So, a motorcycle cop at some parade working the crowd. The policeman, as they say, is your friend. 

Maybe a little break would be in order until a road trip we have planned later this week. Kansas City on Thursday. Wheat, sunshine and rolling prairie beyond.  

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Broadcasting Due To . . . HOLY BLEEP!!!

I got an email yesterday from the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA! MOMA!) asking if they could use this image in a photography exhibition this fall and winter called Is Fashion Modern? Podunk me, in the temple. I think they like the black leather motorcycle jackets. Yet I may swoon.

This was taken at St. Louis' 2008 St. Patrick's Day parade and I sure hope I can find the original. My archive system is pretty sloppy and I'm not sure it's still on a drive somewhere. OMG I hope it is. If I can dig it up we may all have to get together for a party later in the year in my home hood.

UPDATE: I'm still searching through old external hard drives and have not yet found the hi res version of this photo. However, I found the original raw file, which I can re-edit. Looks like a go.         

Okay, We Get It

Repetition does hammer the point home. Good idea to stay out of the way. 

Dog Patrol

You wouldn't think all those fierce canines would require a motorcycle police escort. I think these officers and their bikes were there just for show. They lead the way in any significant parade in town. And they help get loiterers out of the street.        

Tropical Moose Racing

Pictures on the wall of a motorcycle repair shop right on the beach in Tamarindo. Go figure.       

Still Low On Material So How About Some Bikers?

Maybe I can find some time to shoot this weekend (the Lou's version of the World Naked Bike Ride is Saturday night) but for today I gotta scrape up something from Michigan again.

 

I get motorcycles in a way, and then again I don't. Big adrenaline rush, wind all over your body, the immediate, physical sense of speed and motion. And then there's the old bad joke. Question: what's another term for motorcycle rider? Answer: organ donor. As some of you know, I represent people on disability cases and I've had a lot of clients who got seriously messed up on these things. And I only see the ones who survive. No airbags, just pavement, walls, poles and other vehicles.

 

Younger riders are on the small screaming machines, sometimes weaving recklessly through traffic. The old, big (you know what I mean) guys ride Harleys. Part of the uniform is often leather vests or jackets sewn over with patches. What can I say? This is a multi-cultural society.                

Primary Colors

I've been on a motorcycle maybe twice in my life, both times as a passenger. The ride in the sidecar of an old BMW was the less terrifying, although my friend didn't have a another helmet (it's compulsory in Missouri) and I ended up wearing sort of a toy Cardinals batting helmet. We didn't get stopped by the police. I wouldn't drive one, though. Maybe you've heard the old line - what's another name for a motorcycle rider?  Answer: organ donor.

I wonder what was originally in the St. Louis Blues canister below. My guess is popcorn. Tastier than engine grease.                         

Two wheels, Two Cylinders, Fast

There was a motorcycle workshop, to use the term loosely, around the corner from the old car we saw yesterday. You could say that hot rod bikes were being built. These are two different vehicles. You shouldn't put a limb into the wheel of a motorcycle in general but you really shouldn't try it with the one in the top picture. Born to be wild, I guess.

Big night in The Lou later, the season opener of Opera Theatre of St. Louis. It's a unique experience and pure delight. First up is the ever-popular Barber of Seville. We'll be there.

(It's worth clicking the links today.)                           

Bye, Kids!

The end of the St. Patrick's Day Parade pictures for now. I got hundreds more. Might have to trot some of them out if I'm desperate for material.

Tomorrow is the eighth anniversary of this project.                             

Police Escort

St. Louis police motorcycles are simple and stark, if those words apply to Harley Davidson hogs. The black paint jobs and black leather outfits are intimidating, probably on purpose. Hot cops.

I'd love to have these guys flanking my car on a day I'm late for work.
                     

Hot Cops

I often have what psych types call loose associations, something making a person think of something else that is not obviously related. It can be a sign of mental illness or creativity; you pick. As I started to edit this picture the first thing I thought of was the Village People's old disco hit Hot Cop. I bet you'll never meet a cop as funky as these.

Anyway, yes, we have a lot of parades in St. Louis and it seems like every blessed one of them has motorcycle policemen. There are two St. Louis city officers and a Missouri Highway Patrolman in this shot. Photos like these always get a lot of views when I post them on Flickr.  There may be lurkers on Flickr who think these guys really are hot.

It's almost bizarre but we have English Premier League soccer in town tonight. Chelsea and Manchester City are playing an exhibition match at the baseball stadium (where a soccer pitch does not fit well). I tried to get tickets but they were sold out within 10 minutes of when they went on sale on the web.       

Born To Be WIld

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I think we'll finish with the Mardi Gras parade pictures today, featuring some of the many Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the procession. Do people in other parts of the world understand the Harley mystique? In this country you are simply not a bad-ass biker unless you are astride one of these machines. Riding one is a statement that you were born to be wild, even if you are wearing a pink coat.

There are a whole lot more pix in the parade set on Flickr here. Now it's time to move on.