I’ve seen a number of paintings and pieces of art by Chris Mars, in
Science Fiction Age and other places. It wasn’t until I
read that cover story on him in that Left of the Dial
magazine that I realized he is the same Chris Mars that used to drum
for the Replacements. He specializes in images of grotesquery, not
unlike a Ralph Steadman style. Judging by the prices on the paintings,
he’s making a better living as an artist than he did as a musician.
One thing that I had forgotten about downtown Portland was the pure
aggression of the panhandlers. It remains the city, moreso than any other,
where able-bodied young men ask for money shamelessly. A number of the
guys that tried to hit me up over the weekend looked like they had
just taken off their aprons at a Starbucks. The same couple of punk
guys with the Rottweiller are still there at Alder and 6th, begging
for money so they can feed their dog. They wear leather jackets, Doc
Martens, and have a 120 pound dog but need cash from passers by to
feed themselves and their animal. I don’t own a leather jacket or Doc
Martens, so give me some money. I’m too punk to work my own damn self.
Turns out that I did have my wifi card with me, but I didn’t realize
that until I got home. I didn’t dig deep enough into the bag. I opted
to read Ghost World instead of the Chomsky. I did
read the introduction though.