Charleston, SC

9:55 AM

I’m back in Kevin’s studio. There is something to be said for creative energy. Last night it was everywhere we went. We started off here. It was cool to hear Kevin and Kyle talking about different kinds of art and things I don’t know about. We headed over to a guys office and show space. He owns an up and coming magazine, Barfly. Kevin had done a cover for the magazine a while ago. As soon as we walked in you could tell the vibe of the place was on. It used to be an old tire and rim shop. This means the ceilings are high, maybe 20 feet. There were computers set up and we were handed a T-shirt fresh off of the press. It was one not praising W. We talked with him for quite a while.

It turned out this was as they called it, a creative compound. Behind the offices was another room where there was a guy sanding down a huge, thick wood table. It maybe was 6 feet in diameter. Behind this building was a printing press for shirts. There was a lot happening there. The conversations ranged all over the place. We talked mainly at the Barfly office and the sanding area. People came and went. Maceo the dog was part of the group, inspecting everything. In the show space there were two sculptures made out of outwardly appearance to be tires. One was a something you’d see hanging from a B52 on it’s way to battle. It was a bomb replica and was close to 5 feet long. There was also a mine looking ball in the same makeup not too far away. There was a bed in the corner of the room and a bar in the back. Just a different place to be. I will say creativity breeds creativity and I know it was good place for me to be, and I bet Kyle too.

From there it was on to the rooftop. If you live in Charleston, you’ll want to be invited to one of Neil’s parties. I interviewed Neil when I was here in April. That offered me more insight into how laid back and cool he is. After a drive around town (Kevin could make a living as a tour guide), we made to the loft and then to the rooftop. Mark had followed us there. After tailing us for a while, he knew Kevin was doing his thing so he headed straight there. Neil was out for dinner, so Kevin was going to let us in. The bad part was Kevin had Cathy’s keys, not his, so we couldn’t get in. We all looked at each other and Kevin and Mark went for the fire escape.

Mark was the first up, climbing the way too many stairs at a steep angle with a slight breeze. The steps were such that they never seemed to line up with my pace. I could do one step, then I could reach and do two, but my legs never fit for two and two all the way up. That combined with the height and a few drinks made my mind wander as I climbed. My stupid imagination pictured me losing my grip and falling backward. Someone below said, “Make sure you don’t land on us.”

We all made it up fine. And lucky for al of us the door leading into the loft from the roof was open so we didn’t have to climb back down. You can see most of Charleston from the roof. I’ve seen most of the people of Charleston on that roof during the parties. We hung out up top for a while and then inside. The place is incredible. High ceilings and new wood steps leading from Neil’s new office. It has changed a lot from April.

From there we headed for home and for bed. It was a great night with some great people who had an awesome energy. Now we see what today brings. I need to renew my health insurance and get the oil changed. Another sunny day in the south awaits…