Dave Raphael

A study of our decline, indeed. Laser 3.14 is one of my favorite poets and positively the pulse of Amsterdam. Walking around town, my day is always brightened when I come across one of his pieces. His tags can be found mostly on construction sites and as such, are largely temporary. Here’s quick sample of what you can expect to see if you walk down the right path.

Rutger and Daan are two fabulous guys I was introduced to a few years ago in Amsterdam.  Rutger built the coolest table Ive ever seen, the guy is a total genius with wood.  I also cant pronounce his name, as my Dutch diction is abysmal.  Daan used to have long dreads and I almost didnt recognize him when I walked in the bar, glad to see him representing Pittsburgh…  Like so many things about the good times Ive had here, the details are fuzzy and this sadly includes the guy in the hat’s name.  I think he might have been from Rotterdam.  If this conversation was conducted in English, I completely dont recall its contents.

These were shot at dusk, or at least the four hour fade that qualifies as dusk in the Dutch spring.  Id estimate this set of photos perfectly exemplifies the discourse one might stagger into after many bierje in good company.  It certainly was the daily scene that I was part of in one way or another during the month I spent in Amsterdam for my 34th birthday.  Good fucking birthday…