Monday, April 07, 2008

Atomische is prounounced /Atomische/

We recently sent out another interview request of a photoblogger who we used to like and damned if when we hit the little SEND button, that we didn't notice THEN that we had just emailed under our TRUE identities....aHA! You thought we would fall for that!? We will NEVER give out our true identities purposely but we WILL give you a hint that we are the joint heads of the Bill and Melinda Gates Charitable Foundations.

Anyway, after explaining to Tom Giebel of Atomische, and bribing him and then flashing him with one of those cool things we got from Tommy Lee Jones that erases your memory, we preceeded to interview one of our favorite photobloggers.

The First Interview of the Photomeme.net era.

Who are you and why are you doing this to us?

I am Tom, a 44-year old Brooklyn-ite from Wisconsin. During my first career (Librarian) I developed an obsessive compulsion to collect, document and catalog just about everything. But now I wander the neighborhoods of New York, camera in hand, collecting nothing but images. This photography-as-therapy not only helps me satisfy the need to make order from chaos, but also provides much-needed exercise and fresh air.

How do you say your name? Mememonitor says it's pronounced Uh-tom-i-shuh, Memeshame says it's pronounced Soo-zun.

Mememonitor is correct! I get asked about the name a lot, and now it can be told: I chose a random, exotic-sounding non-English word that started with 'A' in order to appear higher in alphabetical lists. Also it had my name in it. And the domain name was available.

Do you know Kerrin? How about neene? Are you her noisy next door neighbour?

Neene has left some lovely comments on my photoblog, but alas we've never met. I don't know Kerrin either.

What are you wearing?

Boxers AND briefs.

Where else can we see your photos? Do you have any side projects?

There aren't enough days in the year to post everything on my daily blog, so overflow gets uploaded to Flickr, Picasa and elsewhere on the net. I have some photos on Wikipedia (search for "hog oiler") and sometimes get featured on blogs like Gothamist. I'm currently putting together some images for a group show here in NYC.

What other hobbies do you enjoy or enjoy inflicting upon others?

Travel, nature hikes, science fiction, electronic music.

Coke or Pepsi, McDonalds or Burger King, chromasia or Durham Township?

Neither, neither, chromasia!

What equipment do or have you used? Are there any manufacturers you'd like to praise or bad mouth here?

My first SLR was the Canon AE-1. I learned f-stops and ASA with that camera, and have stuck with Canon ever since. Recently, after getting stuck chatting with someone on the street about the merits of Canon vs. Nikon, I blacked-out the logos on my camera with electrical tape. Within minutes of emerging from the subway with my newly generified equipment, I was snagged by an excited fellow who thought he'd spotted some obscure Russian brand he'd been searching for. Go figure.

What is the best photo that you missed?

Many times I pass up interesting shots of people out of fear of getting beaten. At a construction site recently I saw a several cement-trucks, waiting in line to pour their loads. I could clearly see one of the drivers intensely studying a magazine which, curiously enough, he was holding up sideways.

If you weren't doing what you do now, what else WOULD you be doing? Photographer doesn't count.

Some day I hope to create and run my own photomeme site. Everyone will be welcome to contribute, the memes will always be unique and inspiring, and the photographers will never just be looking to generate page views.

Do you wear glasses? If so, describe them, if not, why not? Don't you like glasses?

At the moment I'm wearing some rather expensive and powerful German spectacles, which I need to see the computer screen. They aren't compatible with my camera though (I tend to mash the viewfinder right up against my eye socket) so I wear contact lenses when shooting.

What did you have for breakfast? A palmful of almonds, a glass of juice, and 10 cups of coffee.

Anything else?

No, but I'll probably have an early lunch.

So flee, Agents, and check out young Tom's site and remember to always use your Photo Meme Hall of Shame Internet Anon-e-mizers and cloaking devices so that when he sees no increase in traffic, HE'LL KNOW IT'S YOU!

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmmm. Boxers AND briefs, eh? Meme Shame has been known to do the same but usually only when he forgets to take off last week's briefs before putting on this week's boxers.

p.s. I'm always correct

11:15 PM  
Blogger trevor brown said...

Refreshing interview. I wish there were some images of Tom's work, but maybe that is not he point of this blog.

11:32 PM  
Blogger memeshame said...

Dear mememonitor: r not.

Dear Mr Brown: We include a link to his site for those wishing to see his or any other interviewees site. We feel that seeing the images in the context of the art that completes the template is essential. That and getting the images and posting them was a pain in the arse.

2:39 AM  

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