chicano art - harry gamboa jr.

Blinded By The Lite

a conceptual fotonovela by

Harry Gamboa Jr.

performed by:

Juan Garza as Casicasi

Gronk as Tenori

Brooke Aleman as Krescendo

Ruben Guevara as Flauto

C. Ondine Chavoya as Rippadat

Karla Gutiérrez as Plumana

Daniel Villarreal as Angzt

(Casicasi has been seeing elusive spots for several years as his eyes succumb to permanent hysterical blindness.

His attempts to jot down observations and memories are futile efforts to recapture a meaningless existence.

He has vowed not to bring order out of chaos but to accept his fate as a handful of short-change.

Life on the streets has eroded his sense of time and cultural assimilation.

For the moment, he successfully maintains the façade of being the ultimate
observer/participant.

His thoughts are a plague of eternal indifference.)

Frame 1

(Casicasi, Krescenda, Tenori, and Flauto perform an impromptu urban aria.)

Casicasi:

I've got nothing under my skin,
I'm so empty from crown to toe,
I won't forget to lose my hope,
I'd rather be forgotten.

Chorus:

It's so boring to be covered with skin,
It's better to have no feathers,
It's easier to lose your scales,
It's much nicer without a fin.

Krescenda:

I've got nothing under my power,
The revolution is dead in an hour.

Chorus:

It's so simple to breathe in the smog
It's better to drown,
It's easier to lose your values,
It's much nicer to clog.

Tenori:

I've got nothing under my shirt,
Only a heart that won't get hurt.

Chorus:

It's so terrible to live a lie,
It's better to deny oneself,
It's easier to absorb the pain,
It's much nicer to suffer.

Flauto:

I've got nothing under my tongue,
Only the aftertaste of cyanide.

Chorus:

It's so wonderful to be anonymous,
It's better to be unknown,
It's easier to reject your identity,
It's much nicer to surrender.

Casicasi:

I've got nothing under my skin,
I'm so empty from soul to hole,
I won't forget to lose my temper,
I'd rather be a danger.

(Community singing ends on a rancid note.)

Frame 2

(Casicasi defies gravity with the assistance of Rippadat and Plumana.)

Casicasi:

How am I ever going to achieve escape velocity on only ten cups of espresso? Higher! Faster!

Rippadat:

He'll bite off his tongue if we shake him any harder. The fucking wallet won't fall out of his pocket. Tickle him.

Plumana:

He's weightless and pointless. It'll be a miracle if he resists suicide.

Rippadat:

He can't stab himself in the back from this position.

Cascasi:

I can see the moon and stars but the sun is in my eyes. Ouch!

Plumana:

You're not in orbit yet. Imagine yourself strapped to a wayward asteroid speeding towards infinity and you'll understand my urge to vomit blood.

Casicasi:

Think of my belt as the equator.

Rippadat:

Your ideas will never fly. You'll get high and then you'll crash and burn. Nothing beats crawling on hands and knees under your own volition.

Casicas:

I dreamed I was the driving force of the earth's rotation. In the dream I became exhausted and decided to let the planet grind to an unexpected halt. From that point on, the concept of going full circle was moot. I woke up with an erection that was on fire.

Rippadat:

Scratch that itch bitch.

Plumana:

He's as lite as an ant. It'll take billions of guys like him to make the world go away quietly. He's falling!

Rippadat:

You can't fall when you're already at the bottom. Lift his legs up. I'd hate to see what he'd do to the endless void of space if we were to let him go.

Casicasi:

O.K. I believe I've got my $10.00 worth. It's been great. Next time I'll pay in cash. I'm getting dizzy. No such thing as equilibrium when there are so many pills to pop. Give me something that will erase the day.

Rippadat:

That'll cost you.

Plumana:

Let's all hitch a ride on the next comet that passes through. Fuck it. Let's just take the bus.

Rippadat:

Weak people always live longer than a week. That's why I've got no faith in the ritual of time.

Plumana:

All hail to the heel.

Rippadat:

Tie his shoelaces together and let's get the hell out of here.

Plumana:

Just look up and count the sunspots. Thanks for the tip.

Rippadat:

There's no gravity to this situation.

Casicasi:

If there is no mutual attraction then there is no love. Hate me if you must.

Plumana:

His shoes are magnets.

Rippadat:

We're stuck like glue.

Casicasi:

I want a divorce!

(There was a permanent separation followed by ongoing random acts of violence against all who have their feet firmly planted on the ground.)

Frame 3

(The third party phone call is an occasion to recollect perceptual debts.)

Casicasi:

I believe that we're communicating as long as I get to talk to you without ever having to see you, touch you, smell you, or taste you.

Angzt:

Hang up before I kill you. Dropped a dime?

Casicasi:

It's the interpersonal anonymity that is so alluring. The exchange of emotions is toll-free. I love you. I miss you. I want you. I need you. Isn't that the magic oath that will cancel my addiction to our relationship?

Angzt:

You can't live without me. Would you like to have bullets ringing in your ears? Get off the phone. I need to call your next of kin.

Casicasi:

There's too much static on this line. I can't hear your voice. Tell me something that will convince me of your affection.

Angzt:

Infection vs. Affliction.

Casicasi:

I've been disconnected. Someone out there has refused to accept the charges. That's so unfair. After all that I've done to cultivate sincere and meaningful dialogue. Hello. Operator. Talk to me!

Angzt:

You'll know it's digital when I break your thumbs.

Casicasi:

It's difficult to interpret the true meaning of the busy signal. Is it rejection or confusion? Public phone calls to absolute strangers are as close as I get to intimacy.

Angzt:

Dial "N" for nada.

Casicasi:

Dial 1-800-FUC-KYOU.

(Telephone service at this site has been suspended due to equipment damage incurred during a violent struggle resulting from an unpaid conference call.)

Frame 4

(Casicasi has lost sight of everything. There is no record of his existence. His memory refuses to fail him.)

Casicasi:

I remember how frightened I became the first time I cast a shadow. I was walking along the sidewalk when it attached itself to me. I've never been free. It's been draining me of my will to lead or follow. But now it seems to have vanished and I have this longing to be by its side. I can't see what difference it makes if I am transparent. I've never been able to extinguish all of the ugly pictures from my past. The significance of my life is counted in the many things which have been destroyed. If only everything would fade away. My eyes have seen the glory of the asphalt.

(Casicasi disappeared with the spontaneous eclipse of artificial self-illumination. The faint illusion of shadows continue to serve as opaque clouds on the eyes of visionaries.)

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