"Finding James"

“Finding James” | By Gabriel Tellez

Ray and James met again by coincidence around mid-July 1965 on Venice Beach, right down from Fraser Avenue, where Ray and his girl, Dorothy, lived. James skipped his UCLA graduation and told Ray he was planning to go to New York. However, in the last few months, James had been residing at a friend's rooftop at Speedway St., where he was getting high and writing songs extensively from a concert he kept hearing in his head while looking at the sea.

Ray asked him to sing some of his songs; James hesitated; Ray listened, and then Ray proposed to get together to form a Rock & Roll band - "that's what I want to do!" said James. So he moved into the Fraser Av. apartment, and they started work on James' singing while Dorothy was working to support them. Ray had no keyboard at home, so part of the routine was to travel to UCLA's rehearsal rooms in the basement of the Schoenberg Music Hall to work on the songs written on Venice's rooftop.

Ray said on that beach: "There's only one problem; what do we call the band?"; "The Doors", James answered; "is that about The Doors of Perception book by Huxley?" asked Ray; "yes!" replied James.

Ray invites someone from his meditation class to jam with them on the drums- John. The latter brings his long-time friend Robby to play the guitar, which has been playing the electric guitar for a short amount of time, being the traditional guitar his specialty, particularly flamenco.

The rest is history.

After recording their last album (L.A. Woman) with the Doors, James announced his intention to go to Paris. However, after some months, his girlfriend, Pamela Courson, found him dead in the bathtub. James died on July 3rd, 1971, at the age of 27. The cause of death was ruled as heart failure. James spent his final days living in the city of his literary idols, so it's known that Père Lachaise was one of his favorite places, frequently visiting their graves.

James, Ray, John, and Robby were considered (Jim Ladd, 2002) "highly-educated, well-read, smart people" who recorded six studio albums and became one of the most controversial yet more influential rock bands of the 1960s. Their music sounded -and keeps sounding- like no one else's.

After recovering from a suicide attempt in 1991, my brother became a rebel and a bigger fan of The Doors' music - probably because in March of that year, The Doors movie by Oliver Stone was released. Even though it received critics for its historical inaccuracy, including how James was portrayed, many people think the film brought back The Doors and Jim Morrison into popular culture. Including probably also going against the established authority & rules - I believe in my brother's case: high school & my dad. 

In 1991, if you turned on the radio, you could listen to Queen, Nirvana, Metallica, R.E.M., and Guns N' Roses, among others. In addition, the Gulf War (the first live broadcasted war) had ended in February of that year, with its aftermath lasting years. Also, in early February, Mexico, the U.S.A., and Canada started the NAFTA conversations. Then, in May, a Mexican was crowned Miss Universe for the first time in history. 

Eventually, my brother recovered and joined the local gym, where he discovered Arnold Schwarzenegger (as a bodybuilder), making him his new idol. After being stable for several years and graduating in Economics in 2000, he gained independence from my parents. Then, however, he went into a manic episode while working at his first job, requiring immediate hospitalization. Unknown to us, this condition at that time was called manic-depression, and in the early 2000s, my brother was finally diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. 

He got on his feet again and earned an MBA, and later on, he switched careers, became a personal trainer, and got a Bachelor's in Physical Education around 2017. With time, my brother acknowledged that he had a disorder but thought he'd be able to fight it without medication - this turned out to be wrong. A few months after my mom died, he went into a profound depression, and suddenly, in April 2018, he went into a manic episode. However, he developed psychosis this time, resulting in a nasty beating by angry people on the street and his disappearance for five days. Thanks to the missing person's bulletin on Facebook, we were fortunate to find him and bring him back to reality. 

Bipolar disorder usually emerges in late adolescence (teen years) or early adulthood, with symptoms varying over the years, requiring constant family support, therapy, and a prescribed lifelong treatment plan to improve the quality of life and manage the symptoms. However, the disorder is a degenerative one that, in the end, attacks the patient's cognitive abilities. 

Since the 1990s, The Doors' music has constantly been in my life. So in early 2022, while scrapbooking my brother's attempt from 31 years ago, I started deep-diving into the band's history, only to discover that we live 6.6 miles away from where everything started. This is where my quest to find James began with the requirement to shoot most of the photographs using B&W film with a 1970s camera - my dad's Yashica FX-1.

The photos presented here are a glimpse at my "Finding James" quest, which, at the same time, represents an attempt to pick up the pieces I didn't understand back when I was eight and my brother was fifteen. 

I'll finish this with an extract from Rolling Stone magazine from April 4th, 1991: "The Doors' lead singer - who only two years before had been one of rock's smartest, scariest and sexiest heroes - was now a heart-rendering alcoholic and clownish jerk. He needed help; he did not merit cheap veneration, and he certainly did not deserve the horrid, moralistic brand of jail-house punishment that the state of Florida hoped to impose on him. Of course, Morrison never received - or at least never accepted - the help that might have saved him."

This photo essay is dedicated to my brother Roberto and his challenging yet rewarding life.

...Strange days have found us

Strange days have tracked us down

They're going to destroy 

Our casual joys

We shall go on playing 

Or find a new town...

__________________________________________________________________________________

BIO

Gabriel Tellez is a software engineer and a photographer drawn to architecture, engineering, landscaping, and history. Lately, he has been traveling & documenting nature, architecture, and people. Gabriel, his wife, and one boy reside in Playa del Rey, CA.

Instagram: @gabtyz / Website: koken.gabrieltellez.mx

"Le Tandem"

“Le Tandem” | By Gabriel Tellez

Close your eyes.

Imagine you're in France and can smell how a wonderful feast is getting cooked for you to enjoy on sunny summer or a rainy winter.

Annecy is the town's name where the magic happens, and the place is Le Tandem, a cozy restaurant owned by Marie & Matthieu. Two long-time friends with a purpose: please their customers through delicious meals and pizzas full of flavor and prepared with locally-grown & produced ingredients.

Orders are in, customers are waiting for their pizzas, the local brewery is waiting for the pizza deliveries, and the pizza-makers are running out of sliced onions and mushrooms. Matthieu puts his helmet on, takes a couple of pizza boxes ready to be delivered, puts them in the insulated food carrier for hot food, and jumps into his bike to ride into the evening to deliver the pizzas. All of that happens in less than 5 minutes.  

I've known Matthieu since 2006, and we were roommates for a short period in 2008 -where he taught me to cook vegetable soups, quiche sans pote, and gateau au yaourt-; in 2017, he became my best man. In his personal life, he's restless, straightforward, and funny. 

I remember him telling me once how he got into the pizza-making business back in the day when he was a student. He started as a delivery guy, and with time he began to learn how to make pizzas. Ultimately, he became the manager of two pizza places in Normandy (his hometown). When completing his studies, he moved on and migrated to Mexico.

In the late 2000s Matthieu returned to France and started to work at La Société Générale S.A., becoming eventually a Directeur d'agence bancaire. We visited him in 2016 at the Chamonix branch, and he welcomed us into his office; he offered some tea, and we chatted for a bit. Everything around was very tidy and color-coded. He was doing a great job there, and he was handling executive clients in French, English, and Spanish at some point. He spent ten years at the bank, but according to him, he reached a point where he needed a change. 

Change happened, and Matthieu decided he wanted his own business. So, with his pizza-knowledge background and excellent cooking skills, Marie & Matthieu started to plan everything, and in June 2018, they opened Le Tandem at 54 Av. de Genève. 

After four years, they both have built a loyal customer base, and I'd say mainly because of two things, great food -obviously- and the personal & dedicated attention to their customers. 

... Stay original. Stay true. Keep creating.

Le Tandem
- Cuisine Maison & Pizzeria -
54 Avenue de Genève, 74000 Annecy. France.
https://www.letandem-annecy.fr/

__________________________________________________________________________________

This work was Iliana's idea, and it was great. I enjoyed spending time at Le Tandem, where the magic happens. 

This photo essay is dedicated to Marie, Matthieu, Le Tandem employees, customers, suppliers, and the town of Annecy. 

 __________________________________________________________________________________

BIO

Gabriel Tellez is a software engineer and an amateur photographer drawn to architecture, engineering, and landscaping. Lately, he has been traveling & documenting nature, architecture, engineering, and people. Gabriel, his wife, and one boy reside in Playa del Rey, CA. 

Instagram: @gabtyz / Website: koken.gabrieltellez.mx

“Rio de Los Angeles”

“Rio de Los Angeles” | By Gabriel Tellez

Even though “El Rio De Nuestra Señora La Reina De Los Angeles De Porciuncula” it’s one of Los Angeles’ most under-appreciated resources, the L.A. River has been a handy location for the Hollywood film industry. With its urban wasteland appearance and flat concrete riverbed, it’s been an ideal location for shooting; think about those car chases through the river in Grease, Terminator 2, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Italian Job (remake). In addition, the views of the L.A. downtown skyline and the urban, industrial feel have given films the cool minimalist look they need.

Twelve historic bridges designed in the art deco style over the river have been registered on the National Register of Historic Places. Their construction speeded the development of the residential area east of the river by providing streetcar transportation and an elevated automobile roadway over the river & the tracks of the Southern Pacific railroad.

The Los Angeles River runs for approximately 51 miles, of which about 70% has a concrete bed, and passes through 17 cities. The river -primarily fed by rainwater, snowmelt, and treated water- was channelized by the Army Corps of Engineers in the early 20th century after a series of devastating floods.

Along the river, there are only 3 locations (the Sepulveda Basin, the Glendale Narrows, and the Long Beach Estuary) with no concrete at the bottom, where nature grows freely and provides food and habitat for approximately 1,200 species of animals.

But like everything, there’s a downside; the L.A. River faces significant challenges, like pollution (mainly plastic waste and industrial discharge), the lack of wetlands since it was channelized, and an increasing homeless population along its banks & its islets, to mention a few. Luckily, there’s always hope, and residents, non-profit organizations, and local governments have been working together to alleviate some of these problems.

For the past 31 years, FoLAR (“Friends of the L.A. River”) has been conducting summer cleanups of the L.A. River, and this year only, approximately 2,000 volunteers picked up a total of 18 tons of trash at 11 sites. Of course, cleanups alone may not solve the plastic or waste problem. Still, they can increase awareness, change people’s behavior, and help future generations – participation in those cleanups is an eye-opening experience.

Another promising initiative -where participation among the community is critical- is the 2020 revision of the original 1996’s L.A. River Master Plan. Its purpose is to optimize & enhance the river to make it more accessible to the social, cultural, and ecological communities while enriching the quality of life for residents and recognizing the river’s primary purpose for flood control.

Who better than someone growing up on the banks of the Mississippi River like Robert Crais to describe in The Last Detective, the river: “The Los Angeles River is small, but mean. People who don’t know the truth of it make fun of our river; all they see is a tortured trickle that snakes along a concrete gutter like some junkie’s vein. They don’t know that we put the river in concrete to save ourselves; they don’t know that the river is small because it’s sleeping and that every year and sometimes more it wakes.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

BIO

Gabriel Tellez is a software engineer and an amateur photographer drawn to architecture, engineering, and landscaping. Lately, he has been documenting the diversity of the Los Angeles River, including nature, architecture, engineering, and its current challenges. Gabriel, his wife, and one boy reside in Playa del Rey, CA.

Instagram: @gabtyz / Website: koken.gabrieltellez.mx

Photo Essay edited by Alejandra Martínez Moreno

Initially published in Burn Magazine in September 2021

Inspiration!

...the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions

• Pedro Meyer
• Ulises Castellanos
• Cuartoscuro.com
• Francisco Mata
• Sam Jones
• Annie Leibovitz
• David Alan Harvey
• Steve McCurry
• Elliott Erwitt
• Burt Glinn
• Cristina Mittermeier
• Pierre Alozie
• Bieke Depoorter
• Didier Ruef
• Terry O'Neill
• Ruth Orkin
• Greg Williams