I've been busting my butt on weekends and evenings to complete "Rocket Queen," a seahorse built around the frame of a tandem bicycle. Don't believe me? Watch the video.
The piece will be on display (and for sale) this Saturday at Kinetic Derby Day in West Columbia. This is a new event, and it looks like it will be a lot of fun. I'm going to take my kids to the parade and the race in the morning, and visit my beloved seahorse at some point. I'm not familiar with West Columbia, but it shouldn't be too hard to spot an eight-and-a-half-foot-tall seahorse. I made sure it would poke up above the crowd.
As for the name . . . My original concept for the piece was an exploration of the complementary tension between art and science. I used a lot of blue and orange because they are complementary colors (and because I had an old Ford air cleaner that I wanted to use for the snout). I tried to blend in some other complementary oppositions also.
In my book, the song "Rocket Queen" is among the best things that Guns 'N' Roses ever did. It energetically blends the "guns" and the "roses" sides into a single thread that wraps around and bookends itself. Remember the "duality of man" scene from Full Metal Jacket? At its best, the music of Guns 'N' Roses is that. Holding and accepting two contradictory ideas in your head (and heart) at the same time isn't easy. Art can do that.
The song is also important to me historically. I first heard Appetite for Destruction at a small party in high school. It was a crazy night that I feel like I remember better than I probably actually do. The album blew me away from the first time I heard it. I got someone to make a cassette for me, but the last part of the last song -- "Rocket Queen" -- got cut off because of length. I didn't hear the last half of the song until I saw the 1988 concert at The Ritz on MTV. In that performance, Axl Rose disappears during one of the verses and then tosses the microphone at someone offstage before the very end of the song. So I didn't hear all of the song. But I did get to hear most of the last part, with those sappy lyrics and an actual melody. That concert made a big impression on me and changed how I wanted my own music to sound and feel. I still like watching it.
Eventually I did get my own copy of the full song. It was a mainstay of mine for years of gearing up and getting going. The whole story worked and still does.
If you're headed to the Kinetic Derby, I hope you have a chance to check out my work. "Rocket Queen" is probably one of the most photogenic things I've made -- ironic because it's so big I haven't yet been able to get a picture of it that I like. I incorporated a mirror if you'd like to work that into your entry in the Zero Point Mechanic selfie contest. I bet it's the biggest seahorse you'll see all weekend.
As for the name . . . My original concept for the piece was an exploration of the complementary tension between art and science. I used a lot of blue and orange because they are complementary colors (and because I had an old Ford air cleaner that I wanted to use for the snout). I tried to blend in some other complementary oppositions also.
In my book, the song "Rocket Queen" is among the best things that Guns 'N' Roses ever did. It energetically blends the "guns" and the "roses" sides into a single thread that wraps around and bookends itself. Remember the "duality of man" scene from Full Metal Jacket? At its best, the music of Guns 'N' Roses is that. Holding and accepting two contradictory ideas in your head (and heart) at the same time isn't easy. Art can do that.
The song is also important to me historically. I first heard Appetite for Destruction at a small party in high school. It was a crazy night that I feel like I remember better than I probably actually do. The album blew me away from the first time I heard it. I got someone to make a cassette for me, but the last part of the last song -- "Rocket Queen" -- got cut off because of length. I didn't hear the last half of the song until I saw the 1988 concert at The Ritz on MTV. In that performance, Axl Rose disappears during one of the verses and then tosses the microphone at someone offstage before the very end of the song. So I didn't hear all of the song. But I did get to hear most of the last part, with those sappy lyrics and an actual melody. That concert made a big impression on me and changed how I wanted my own music to sound and feel. I still like watching it.
Eventually I did get my own copy of the full song. It was a mainstay of mine for years of gearing up and getting going. The whole story worked and still does.
If you're headed to the Kinetic Derby, I hope you have a chance to check out my work. "Rocket Queen" is probably one of the most photogenic things I've made -- ironic because it's so big I haven't yet been able to get a picture of it that I like. I incorporated a mirror if you'd like to work that into your entry in the Zero Point Mechanic selfie contest. I bet it's the biggest seahorse you'll see all weekend.
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