RUTH TALK

Page

2012-01-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

Took some photos of Page while I was in San Francisco last.

white fence

2012-01-28T02:57:00.000-08:00

Tim came over the other night and we smoked cigarettes on my roof. His new album comes out soon on Woodsist and its a ripper.

San Diego

2012-01-20T01:19:00.000-08:00

A bunch of us did an art show at double break gallery and we piled into the station wagon and went to San Diego for a harsh session.
Here are some photos I took while there.

Stay Kind

2012-01-16T00:58:00.000-08:00

Cheers to Unpiano Books

2011-10-22T02:20:00.000-07:00

Arthur Pollock has over 40 years of photographs from his career as a news media photographer. In this time he has modestly been capturing some truly amazing photos. They might have been disregarded, passed through, and been forgotten as the moments he captured were replaced by new events and stories if Jesse Pollock, his son, hadn't recognized them for how incredible they really are and made them into a book.
I have a pit in my stomach of jealousy for how stunning these photos are and admiration for how amazing of a job Jesse did putting them together.
Get it HERE.

Laura

2011-10-15T00:54:00.000-07:00

Flytraps
Flytraps
Flytraps
Flytraps
Flytraps

tim

2011-10-13T01:28:00.000-07:00

Tim and I drove around the other night and hung out by a sign, went to 7-11, smoked cigarettes and talked about tropical candy.

stay weird

2011-10-06T01:39:00.000-07:00

Just a whatever update

2011-10-05T23:22:00.000-07:00

Chiller week. Lucy and Aaron are getting married. Nbd.
We went to last weekend of Paul and Andre's.
Jay and I met up with bad boy D-rod at some crazy punk house with a coffin for relaxation. That band sleepy sun was playing. Street was pretty bummed on the whole situation.
Tom made this and you should go check that show out at Merry Karnowsky Gallery to see Mark's paintings which are still up.

terrible times and freedom

2011-10-04T02:23:00.000-07:00

Being free, Chelsea and Ethan, Tomo being the worst, Lee from Trashtalk, filming Tim's video for White Fence, Ty Segall at the Smell, Jim and Jay at Ariel Pink.

Street Life

2011-10-04T02:21:00.000-07:00

He lives to bite.

Monster Children/ Mike Piscitelli Shoot

2011-10-04T02:11:00.000-07:00

I helped out Mike for his shoot. Go get the newest Monster Children issue! Its way beautiful as always.

Fuck Yeah Fest 2011

2011-10-04T00:56:00.000-07:00

Summer

2011-07-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

Andrew Jeffrey Wright's show at THIS gallery, Lighting practice with Tom, the Standard with Lucy and Jenni, utensil racism, Kim, LA from the Griffith Observatory, Fine Steps (Julian from the Mayyors), flowers, fourth of July Andreas, a ladylike display of delicate balance.

The Street

2011-07-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Jay and I found a one day old pup on the burning hot pavement on Sunset in the street all alone and crying. It was horrible and also the best thing ever because now there's a little monster sniffing my neck at all hours and being a non stop gross out. We thought he was a wingless bat or a possum and I'm still not totally sure he's not just an awesome hamster.
Its been three weeks of bottle feeding a ridiculous little mouth. His little eyes just opened the other day and he's walking on all fours looking for new stuff to pee on. If he accidentally mistakes your finger for his bottle its like being in a slimy, ethnic smelling, carwash. Its the best.

Tom Out

2011-07-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Tom and I are working on some lighting tonight with Tim and were gonna start filming for a video for Tim's band, White Fence, for the song Growing Faith. Gonna be sik widit.
In other news I went to Beverly Hills today and signed the paperwork for my new job as a studio manager for a photographer I look forward very much to working with.
Progress and excellence!

2011 MTV VMA's

2011-07-27T01:13:00.000-07:00

Its been really fun driving around Los Angeles getting hyphy taking photos for the 2011 MTV Music Awards alongside fantastic director/ designer/ animator/ maniac/ Thomas of Imaginary Forces. Doubt this photo will make the cut but keep your eyes open for ones they can use.
And vote Gaga.

Ty Segall/ White Fence

2011-07-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

Just saw Ty Segall and White Fence at the Smell on Saturday and took a few photos for them. It was fucking awesome as always. I love that new Ty album. Those dudes are putting out a 12 inch together super soon so watch out for that shit. Ty gave me a copy of his album "Melted" which I somehow missed and its rad so get that if your dumb like me and didn't have it already. I cannot stop listening to this song off it: Imaginary Person.

10 Deep Summer 2011 Lookbook Preview

2011-06-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

10.DEEP SUMMER '11 LOOKBOOK PREVIEW from 10 Deep on Vimeo.

Photos by me, coming out soon.

Video shot and edited by Miguel Aviles

Derek Albeck/ Photos by Ruth Swanson/ Written by Chelsea Green/ Fecalface dot com

2011-06-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.fecalface.com/SF/index.php/opening-photos/3228-derek-albecks-mysterious-strangers

oh jeez.

2011-06-02T01:28:00.000-07:00

Lets see here. Some of the usual. I went to SF for Smithfits night that Jay and Josh DJ'ed. There was a blackout in the middle of it for an hour or so. A real one. Went straight for a cocktail with Angela when I got in and then was viciously attacked by her. Paul Urich and Breezy from Needles and Pens opened a tattoo shop and Jay got/ gave the first tattoo. I went to NY last week and shot the Summer look book for the clothing company 10 Deep in Coney Island, hung out with Abe in Tribeca, went to Glasslands with Royal. Got home and all the trees on my street are purple.

YEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH.

2011-05-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Current Events.
TODAY. BIG DEAL. HUGE DEAL. DEREK ALBECK is having an art show and its going to be a ripper affair. Afterwards John Maus is playing at the Echo also.
I plan on waking up feeling horrible Saturday morning and driving to SF for Smithsfits at the Knockout which Jay and Josh Yule (aka dj yule be sorry) will be "DJing." This is yulesually a damn fine time and yule be able to party with attractive people. (I don't know I just needed another yule something)

See you tomorrow SF! I'll probably be drunk and totally annoying!
-Ruth Talk

Beach Vibes Shows and a Song.

2011-04-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

Sunburnt again. I feel like we moved to summer.
We went to Timothy Karpinski's show a little while ago. Man I want those wooden burst people. Later, we all attended a rave of sorts and I made everyone form a circle around Michael Chsiung so he could break dance. And then he did a sick break dance and took his top off.
Song of the day: Lost at Sea by Departmentstore Santas

Test Prints from 2010 + music i like today.

2011-04-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

I used to print lots at Hamburger Eyes.
I'm home alone (AHHHHHHH!!!!!) tonight. Here's some music ideas for you.
I've been listening to this a ton: LOWER DENS TWIN HAND MOVEMENT
GRAUZONE - Die Sunrise Tapes (I'm not responsible for that download link but that album gets after it.)
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker (This has really grown on me)(That Lucidity song is so good)
Ghostwave - Make out somewhere fun with a sunburn to this song.
I got caught singing to this really loud by my neighbor out my window tonight EURYTHMICS - IN THE GARDEN
My favorite song.
TOWNES VAN ZANDT - THE VELVET VOICES

Mini Show Review: Salem

2011-04-05T18:52:00.001-07:00

I saw Salem in SF on Wednesday and if reminded me of how moms try to sneak medicine into applesauce and weird meat so their babies and dogs will eat it only with rap music. Its like a delicious morphine rap pill in a shoegaze hot dog with goth sauce on it burned at the stake. I would recommend just going to see them live but if you download the newer album "King Night" go for the songs "sick" and "redlights."

I was gonna write more but then I read this and you should just read this. Good enough.
http://www.buttmagazine.com/magazine/interviews/john-holland/

Road Trip.

2011-04-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

We been road trippin. Jay and I went to SF and attended the Last Gasp show at 111 Minna where Unpiano Books released a new zine from Jay. We went to Angela's art/ zine swap and then to Stinson Beach the next day. We drove back with Jim to LA and then woke up and went to Manhattan Beach which blew my fuckin mind. I found some photos of the train ride from our last trip also where Jay sensuously ate a colossal hot dog. Dear California, your doin it for me.

Life in LA.

2011-04-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

LA's been pretty tight. I assisted our friend Mark Whalen a bunch on painting for his new show which is up now in Australia. I went on a road trip to Portland and Seattle with Ben and Shan who make bad ass documentaries. They are working on a doc for Rudy's Barbershops and I helped out taking all the still photos. Such a rad company! Those guys built Rudy's and the Ace Hotels from the ground up super DIY style, oh and the ChaCha in LA. Hannah, who just moved to Portland, and I had a sleepover at the Portland Ace. Killer.
I've been going to lots of shows lately. Check out that band The Babies. Cassie Ramone from Vivian Girls sings in that band and they live in LA. Check out some of her solo music too. That song baby is a total hit.
I also went and saw The Fresh and Only's ... Thee Oh Sees I heard are working on relearning some of their older slower songs and will be playing an acoustic show in SF at the end of April ..... Entrance Band a few times where Paz got topless....
I've been listening to Mark Robinson alot on vinyl lately. Slayin me.

Angel Youth

2010-12-24T17:46:00.000-08:00

NEWD Couch!!!!!

Crystal.

2010-12-11T16:34:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was kind of cold and I liked it. Jay and I got trippy and mellow at home. Our window is insane! Every day it looks like the world is burning down in a good way.

Hot.

2010-12-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

We went back to SF for Jay's show at the fecalface gallery. We saw Odowas play at Minna earlier that night. We drove all our stuff back to LA and now we totally live here.
http://www.fecalface.com/SF/index.php/opening-photos/2449-jay-howell-at-fecal-face-dot-gallery

Skeleton in my new closet.

2010-11-10T01:27:00.000-08:00

Oh hey Jay and I have moved to Los Angeles. Were psyched. We live in Silverlake. We have an apartment with: us, some food and probably a secret spider lurking somewhere. Were going to SF tomorrow morning to get our stuff. We'll be there until Monday morning. Jay is having an art show at the fecalface gallery on Friday and also DJing at the Knockout the next night. If you want to party at the airport bar at like noon tomorrow your weird but we'll be there for sure.
xo. See you sluts soon.

10 Deep Fall Stuff. nyc

2010-10-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

I went to nyc in August and shot the fall lookbook for 10 Deep. For more look here:
Lookbook Fall, 1:http://10deep.com/FALL2010LOOKBOOK/
Lookbook Fall 2:http://www.10deep.com/FALL2010LOOKBOOK/DEL2/

Inception.....!!!!!!! Making Out and Yesterday Moments..

2010-10-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Jay and I went to Bernal Hill and then I got a blister and had to walk really far barefoot and then we saw Josh Yule at the Knockout and he told us hilarious stories in his Josh Yule way. One story was about how he had to have sex with with his pregnant room mate a while ago to induce labor and I laughed a lot at it.
That top photo looks like Inception. Have you seen that? Jay and I went when we were hungover and it was so long that when we got out we weren't hungover. I had an anxiety attack that people were out "making Inception" while I was out partying and I felt bad about myself for a minute. I was seriously daunted by the task of cleaning my room that day and then someone made fucking Inception and I knew I was an asshole. That scene where they're shooting people and skiing is my favorite. I want to do that. But like, with, I don't know, not guns. I guess then its just skiing though huh.

Oh you know, the usual stuff.

2010-10-14T02:42:00.000-07:00

Went to some shows. Saw Tim Cohen's band at the Makeout Room and these people opened, Sam Flax Keener & The Higher Color. And then Glass Candy the next night but I was tired and just smoked cigarettes in the smoke zone at the Rickshaw with Tim(other Tim) and it was dumb and it made me feel way hungover Tim how the hell do you smoke cigarettes.

Ass to Ass @ Gallery6, SF. August.

2010-10-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

Jesse Pollock (http://www.unpiano.com/) and I had a photo show at Gallery 6 this August. I found a roll of film from it at the bottom of a purse yesterday and these are some photos from the whole situation.

October 29th, 2010, Los Angeles.

2010-10-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

Soooo pssyyycchhheddd!!! I'll be LIVING in LA by then.....

Ahaa.

2010-10-10T22:39:00.001-07:00

Pink Hair.

2010-10-06T01:44:00.000-07:00

I dyed a bunch of my hair pink last night.

Chris Duncans Show at Baer Ridgeway + Being Bad and Hilarious.

2010-10-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Chris Duncan's show is up for a bit longer.
One of my favorite art shows I've seen in so long. He covered the floor of a whole room in mirror. I was wearing a skirt so this was kind of a dick move but beautiful nonetheless. The floor reflected his massive pieces of artwork, it looked so cool. In the bottom floor there were some really nice trippy string works, some photos sewn together with gorgeous bursts of light and some completely layered in transparent tape or something. It was a total masterpiece. It felt like a "real" art show, know what I mean?
Also, Baer Ridgeway is one of my favorite galleries in SF.
http://www.baerridgway.com/Baer_Ridgway_Exhibitions/Baer_Ridgway_Exhibitions.html
And then we did some party.

Bathing Suits and Kaleidescopes.

2010-10-03T03:15:00.000-07:00

Jay is doing some stuff with Van's and they needed a photo so we made a photo. I made a kaleidescope too. And it rules. I told Jay very loudly and clearly in my sleep that I don't want to call him Dungen Master. I woke up an hour later because I was laughing too hard in my sleep.

If you love it let it go, if it comes back to you despite what a bitch your going to be about it, its yours forever.

2010-10-03T00:38:00.000-07:00

Let me do some talk to you.
I met Aiyana Udesen a few years ago. I told her that if I could marry anyone in the world, including famous people, it would be that Jay Howell guy. He is so hunky and cool seeming. I had never met him. She said forget about it. I said, well, I'm just not going to do anything about it, but you'll see. Yoooouuuuu'll see. Like a year goes by and I meet Jay for about 20 minutes. I had a boyfriend. I didn't flirt with him. He was eating my favorite chips. He was better than I had thought. His voice was different than I had imagined. I was PISSED at how awesome he was. I was wearing a grandmother dress. It has holes in it and I hate the very existence of each and every miserable frumpy thread yet I save it still. I hope it gets attacked and devoured by a pack of wild, vicious moths. I'm sitting at my dinner table sipping something and I get a text on a Tuesday night about three months later.
It reads,
-Hi its totally Jay Howell. So like let me know if you want to get a drink sometime. Tell me everything.-
Whatever I'm drinking sprays out of my mouth and I look up at my adoring boyfriend and gulp it back down and weirdly smile at him as he reads the paper. I ignore it. I thought someone was fucking with me and I had a moment of feeling totally stupid for making that comment about that Jay Howell guy. Fuck, I thought, Matt Furie is fucking with me. God damn, I hate that guy.
I have to respond..I say something about him having a girlfriend probably and he says he doesn't and I'm like uh how did you get my number anyway and your drunk and I have a boyfriend and no. I think there might have been a your pretty thrown in. I turn my phone off and go to sleep. PISSED. I ignore my phone. The next text I look at as my boyfriend is walking out the door in the morning to go camping for ten days reads:
-Would it help if I told you I was from Manchester?-
SO PISSED now.
Manchester by the Fucking Sea, MA, a super small town on the opposite shore of the United States of Oh My Fucking God America, my home town.

FUUUUUUUCCCKKK. One drink.
One bottle of wine. A billion drinks, one PBR thrown out my window on my landlords stoop caked in the detritus of about 20 cigarettes, ashed from the window of my bed.
His Mom babysat my Mom, my grandmother knew his grandmother, his step dad worked every day for years and years with my grandfather and took over his position at an engineering firm. His sister's best friend was specifically the art teacher I was closest to and drove me to school every fucking day so I would go to her class. So not only is he from Manchester, but our past lives are completely intertwined. I began to think that maybe we were related. It freaked me out for a second but then I started looking on the bright side, we could do everything there is to do and then do it over again as "incest." When regular kissing gets old, there's "incest kissing" and so on. I'm in either way.

If Jay and I aren't soul mates I don't know who the hell is.
If you love it, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. Even though it was a dick for like three months.
- ruth talk

White Fence, Tim Presley

2010-10-02T03:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.myspace.com/whitefenceband
Tim and I just finished working on the insert for his new record coming out on Woodsist. Tim is an excellent person.

Summer, 2010, Sunrises to the Dead.

2010-10-02T01:24:00.000-07:00

My best friend Ashley got married close to our home town in MA. The air on my skin that day felt like the breath of sexy angels. I was standing behind Zoya while Ashley read her vows and although it was about 6 pm, it was summer and the sun was still fairly high and I watched a tear fall from Zoya's delicate jawline like a diamond, illuminated. Again. And then again. It was mesmerizing.
It wasn't until this trip that I felt some ease. The night before I left, I ran into Jay at the Attic. He was there right as I walked in, first person I saw, on a date with a friend of mine. I was fine with it when when I was drunk and hung out with my friend Joe until 4am and then started to pack for my trip back to New York for a photo job, and MA for Ash'es wedding, which I was leaving for in the morning. I stayed up to the point of sobriety and the weight of knowing that as I packed and cleaned they were in what was once our bed together. And it was fun for them and on purpose. We had all gotten naked together a while back in a hot tub and then wastedly taken a shower, but I thought it was completely innocent and it made me so sick thinking of Jay telling her that he wished he could have "done this that night." I stayed up all night and then missed my flight the next day and had to spend the entire day in the airport so unbelievably hungover and then flew a red eye to NY and got in at what would have been 4am SF time, but was 7am NY time. Enough time to drop off my stuff at Angelas and go to the office. And pretend to be normal.
It felt so good being in New York. It was hot again. I was so busy. I stayed with Angela Boatwright, right up in that bitches bed for a few days and I totally love her now. I got the photo shoot done and took the China Town Express to MA and my best friend from 4th grade on picked me up and we went to Ashley's rehearsal dinner and drank wine and I saw all the buddies. Everybody was so much better and more fun and drunker than I ever could have hoped. I jumped on a trampoline in the warm rain with Chris Reed at 2 am and Ben Combs, Abe and I sang "Nothing Compares" at 6 am one night and we went out on boats and I was so very fucking happy. I missed my flight back to SF by a couple of days and hung out with my family and for the first time ever I really spent some time with my Mom and we got along and I just never ever wanted to come back. I had two art shows in the next week so I had to but I was going to go right back. I felt ok. I felt inspired.

The first time Jay and I hung out we rode bikes to his house from mine at dawn and listened to the Dead and watched the sunrise, I wrote this right around that time, but two years later, with that in mind, starting to feel better, but feeling better seemed almost worse somehow.

Get in love
Stay up all night
The sun will rise again to The Dead
I miss missing you
and feeling like that's right
Now when I think about you
I feel dead inside
I can’t wait to watch the sunrise
to The Dead
outside
Cold from the morning dew
But alive
Listen to The Dead
Watch the sun rise and rise.

Summer, 2010, The Bender Begins.

2010-10-02T00:47:00.000-07:00

Summer, 2010, Breaking the Fuck Up.

2010-10-02T00:29:00.000-07:00

Summer, 2010, June, NYC

2010-10-01T23:00:00.002-07:00

At the beginning of June I went to Nyc to shoot a summer lookbook for a clothing company called 10 Deep. It was hot as fuck. Scott bought a trunk full of fireworks while Ben and I went totally cray in Target buying bubbles and glowsticks for no reason and tons of gum and beach stuff, whip its and flashlights. We did the shoot at an old army bunker on the beach called Fort Tildon. The next day it rained balls and I had to go to like 10 different Walgreens to get the film processed in the torrent of hell. I ended up at a Starbucks waiting for the photos until midnight drinking white wine out of an ice tea cup in plain sight.
Here's a link to my picks from the shoot:
http://ruthswansonphoto.com/index.php?/ongoing/10deep-summer-2010/
And heres some mo:
http://www.10deep.com/SUMMER10LOOKBOOK/index.html