Tag: Miami Florida

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South Florida mourns loss of Johnny Salton, guitar legend

Johnny Salton R.I.P.On October 18, rock ‘n’ roll guitar god, Johnny Salton, joined Jimi, Janis and John Bonham in rock ‘n’ roll heaven, succumbing to cancer. Salton began his career playing bass of all things (one scribe commented that his band the Reactions had so many talented string players they could afford Salton on bass). His big break came with Charlie Pickett’s band, eventually touring the USA. Salton’s wicked slide guitar graced a number of Charlie’s albums, and in 1985 when Charlie turned off his amp to pursue a career in law, Salton formed Psycho Daisies with some of Charlie’s guys. Salton’s main inspiration came from Paisley Underground bands such as Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s Gun Club and The Dream Syndicate.

I had the honor of playing drums in Psycho Daisies behind Salton in the early-2000s, even recording a CD, “Snowflakes Falling On The International Dateline.” Neither Johnny nor Charlie are household names today, but they sure deserve to be. Luckily, we still have the albums to remember him by.

Read the obituary.

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Does AT&T “rip off” artist Christo?

AT&T campaign and "The Gates" by Christo

Months ago I began noticing AT&T’s recent campaign, “Rethink Possible.” I was immediately struck by its similarity to the work of environmental artists Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude. In the tv spot, people are seen draping various American monuments with massive sheets of orange fabric. It bears an undeniable similarity to pieces by the artists, specifically their 2005 installation “The Gates” in New York’s Central Park. (In the image seen above, compare the top image from AT&T’s spot with “The Gates” by Christo). The draped fabric was a metaphor for AT&T’s broad cellular phone “coverage” in the United States. (Click here to view the spot.)

Christo and his lawyer filed a complaint with AT&T, and the company has since added a disclaimer to the end of the commercial stating, “The artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude have no direct or indirect affiliation or involvement with AT&T.” (One could imagine the two parties arguing over the type size of the disclaimer; it is indeed rather prominent.)

Christo made a splash in the 1980s while I was a youngster living in Miami. Christo’s “Surrounded Islands”—an installation where the artist surrounded eleven islands in Miami’s Biscayne Bay with giant pieces of floating pink polypropylene—was best viewed by helicopter, and dazzled us for two weeks.

Special thanks to Huffington Post for its assistance with this story.

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Miami’s skyscraper-sized billboards

Miami—a city known as much for shady local politics as it is for sand, sun and fun—is in the midst of a crucible of controversy surrounding the City’s proposed skyscraper-sized billboards. Miami city commissioners gave developer Mark Siffin the green light to build 22-story electronic-lighted signs downtown, with hopes of creating “the city’s own Times Square.” Zoning was cleared for two signs nearly 500 feet high that will tower over downtown Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard near the Arsht performing arts center. The towering signs will display flashing ads on giant LED screens, no doubt a real concern for the “condo commandos” residing nearby, fearing the signs would generate such intense light at night as to constitute “an offensive glare.”
Not surprisingly, the decision came down to money—millions of dollars in new revenue for the nearly bankrupt city—earmarked for a proposed museum park. Miami’s downtown continues to struggle to attract visitors, often squandering its resource of precious Atlantic waterfront property. High crime, ugly, incongruous buildings, heavy traffic, difficult parking and exorbitant prices shoo tourists away into the welcoming arms of what many deem the “true Miami”— the South Beach, Coral Gables and Key Biscayne communities. Whether these signs will compete with New York’s Times Square remains to be seen.
Special thanks to the Miami Herald for its assistance with this story.