Mike Tidmus: the philosopher and the alien (for william stern)
Back in the late 70s, when I first lived in San Diego, I had a young friend named William Stern. William loved Iggy Pop, punk rock, new wave, Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, odd-ball philosophy-politics and haute couture. He used to shoplift European Vogue magazines at upscale stores in La Jolla (I bailed him out of jail once), because William aspired to become a world-class fashion designer. William had the talent; he had the je ne sais quoi. I moved to LA in mid-78. It broke my heart when a friend of his called to tell me that William had died of AIDS complications in the early 80s. Such a tragic loss.
I moved back to San Diego last January and I made this picture to remember him by. It hangs above my desk.
The image is from a recent series of pictures I’ve been working on. They are mashed up in PhotoShop and reproduced as giclée prints. More images from this series can be viewed here.
Click for Printable Version
