Spill The Beanz

September 13, 2009

PETER MAX INTERVIEW

This Monday, September 14th, I have the pleasure of airing my 3rd interview with legendary Pop Artist PETER MAX. Tune In to WFIT 89.5fm (Public Radio for Brevard) in Melbourne, Florida..or ON-LINE: www.wfit.org

Below is the story of our first interview, and how we came to illustrate portraits of one and other. Enjoy (interview excerpts below too)!

A colorful brush with the “Cosmic Artist” of our generation!
by "Java" John April 15th '07

My anticipation kicked in immediately after I'd gotten the word that the legendary pop artist (and personal inspiration in my artistic style), Peter Max would be available for an interview on March 8th, on my on-line radio show The Acoustic Record!

Then things just kept getting better. Several days after the confirmation, I was told I'd be allowed to give up to 20 personally inscribed Peter Max posters to lucky winners tuning into the show.

Interview day came, and Mr. Max was wonderful and witty! After having been in the U.S. for over 50 years, Peter still retained a touch of charming German accent he was born with (born Peter Finkelstein) 69 years ago. During the scheduled 20 minute interview (which we stretched into a fantastic hour) Peter and I chatted about his youth, much of it spent in Shanghai, and how daily, from his family's pagoda, he peered down over a temple fence and would watch monks standing on huge sheets of rice paper with huge six foot paint brushes perform an entrancing paint-dance. What an introduction to the world of art!

We talked of his love of music, and how he can't paint without it, even enlisting a 'DJ' of sorts to play snips of 5000 songs at a time off an IPod for approval by Peter for his collection!

During our chat, Peter kept asking if I was coming to Boca Raton the following Saturday for his Showing at the Wentworth Gallery. I mentioned it's a two & a half drive south of us, so I would try to meet up with him next time he was in Orlando. Then at the end of the interview, he asked again, I said probably not, so he said he would 'visualize me there' and then I'd appear. I told my wife Jennifer this and we looked at each other, and knew we had to go!

The next morning after our chat, Tamara from Peter Max On-Line e-mailed me and said Peter had such a great time on the show, and that he would love to paint a portrait of me! Whew!! More about that later…..

When we got to the Wentworth Gallery in Boca Raton, there was a little bit of a line, but they were (rightly so) letting the folks who bought art, chat and pose for pictures with Mr. Max first. So we waited a while, and when he finally came over to sign my book I asked him if he had visualized a DJ there who would it be...and he smiled, shouted "Java John!" and gave me a big hug. I presented him with a portrait I did of him, which he seemed to genuinely like (he held it up for all to see!), then I asked him if he would sign a copy of it for my son Dylan (who's 9). He looked over, shook Dylan’s hand and asked if he was named after Bob Dylan. Dylan said yes, and then Peter said that had done a very popular poster of Bob in '68, and that he would love to send him a signed one! What a nice guy.

We talked for a few minutes, and then took some pictures while he signed stuff for others. Peter wanted to chat with me, but I told him that the nice folks of Boca were still lining up to buy his art, so he should attend to them, and that we could chat again someday soon.

Late afternoon on Friday (the 13th) of April as I was napping, I heard a knock at the door and a voice shouted “UPS” – I knew what it must be, so I jumped outta bed. Sure enough, the package contained a beautiful piece of mixed media artwork, an Original Peter Max portrait of me! Damn, it does not get much kooler than that! Thank You Peter.
Finally, I’m reminded of when we said our goodbyes in Boca, Peter told me that we should plan 'something special' in the future....well, if that what's you visualize Peter - I'm on it!

The summer after our first interview we were in New York City, and had the pleasure of visiting Peter in his wonderful Manhattan studios. What a rush! To be there with all those wonderful paintings I grew up loving.

Since then I tried my hand at doing a Max-style painting of my niece, and I reworked the portrait I did of Peter in color (which I will present to him next weekend in Orlando).

Meet the Artist Peter Max
Wentworth Gallery
The Mall at Millenia
4200 Conroy Road
Orlando, Florida
Saturday, September 19th, 6-9pm
For details call: #407-903-9055

HINT: If you pick up a copy of his book -
"The Art of Peter Max" at your local book store,
he will sign it and make a little sketch near the signature!!

SOME HIGHLITES from Our First Interview:

peter max interview '06 #1

PeterMaxIntro-Monks.mp3

peter max interview '06 #2

PeterMaxIntro-Monks.mp3

See Peter's art at: www.petermax.com

August 24, 2009

Back to Yasgurs....Happy 40th WOODSTOCK!

Last month during our vacation up north, we spent the afternoon in the town of Bethel NY, the site of the 1969 WOODSTOCK Concert. At the top of the 'bowl' where the crowd sat is now the BETHEL WOODS Museum and Center for the Arts.

It's a wonderful, interactive museum, with lots of vintage items, music and films. Very nicely done. But, the real treat was going a 1/4 mile down the road to the site where the stage was and looking out where all those nearly 500,000 people were! The rain made it all the more authentic, Kool.

Enjoy the pictures, and be sure to tune into my radio special:
"Java" John's "3 Days of Peace, Love, Music, and Interviews - WOODSTOCK at 40"

photos by Java John

Java John Celebrates the 1st Anniversary of his program AN ACOUSTIC RECORD at WFIT
by commemorating the 40th Anniversary of WOODSTOCK.

Special Guest Interviews include:
ARTIE KORNFELD (Woodstock co-creator)
WAVY GRAVY (Hog Farm/ Stage announcer),
CHIP MONCK (lighting director/Stage Announcer,
HENRY DILTZ (official Concert Photographer),
ARNOLD SKOLNICK (Woodstock Logo/Poster Designer)
PETER MAX,
EDGAR WINTER (shared stage with brother Johnny),
LISA LAW (photographer)
JOANNE HAGUE (author WOODSTOCK: Peace Music and Memories)
FRED MIGLIORE (syndicated FM ODYSSEY D.J., and good friend) fresh from The Woodstock 40th Concert in NY!
...and more!

Plus lots of music by (nearly) all the Woodstock artists, including lots of brand new, previously unreleased Woodstock music!
Mondays -
August 17th, 24th, and 31st at 10pm
89.5 WFIT in Melbourne
LISTEN ON-LINE!: www.wfit.org

August 07, 2009

GREEN DAY LIVE!

ORLANDO
August 5th, 2009

The Family That Rocks Together....
Jen and Dylan and I had the pleasure of seeing one of our favorite bands last night, the amazing Green Day! They put on an awesome 2 Hour plus show that seemed part tent-revival and part rock n roll circus that featured 23 songs (and about more 10 in medley fashion), a half dozen audience members participating on stage, and more fireballs than I'd even seen in concert.

I'd been a Green Day fan since their 1993 album , Dookie, but I really love the masterful punk/pop of their newest release 21st Century Breakdown, and especially 2004's American Idiot. These last two recordings seem to me to boil down 50 years of rock and roll sound into one funky stew!

Anyway, here are a few of the 1000 picture I took at the show, hope you like them!

We arrived to see one of the band's buses.

The KAISER CHIEFS opened the show with a short but rockin' set.

Then Green Day took the stage with a BANG!

The stage sets were incredible.

Billy Joe Armstrong "Mr. Green Day"

so kool is Trey Cool!

the powerhouse bassist Mike Dirnt

After a half dozen songs, Billy Joe made his way thru the crowd, to our section, right up to our isle seats, and High-Fived our son! (no shit!) I caught this pic just after....