Out of the Shoebox: Please wait to be seated

Out of the Shoebox: Please wait to be seated

I've mentioned working on photobooks a few times here. It sounds pretty cool, but I always try to clear up that misconception. I'm talking about using one of the dozens of photobook apps or companies to assemble some photos and print a couple of copies. So it is cool - it's fun selecting the photos and pretending to be a book designer. I also think it's a good idea to print your work. Are you really scrolling through those thousands of photos in your phone?

It's a slog, though. The main project I'm working on is trying to put together four years' worth of music photos. I haven't made it very far, though, and I need to reassess how I'm going about it.

So many distractions, but those distractions bring pros and cons.

Tonight I got through the 2017 Olympia Acoustic Festival. It brought back a lot of good memories. Paul Mauer, Tobias the Owl, Anna St. Lee, and Sandi Fernandez. They all make great music, and they were all supportive and welcoming. I ended up shooting a lot of their shows.

I clicked on a few photos after the festival. It was the next day, 21 May 2017, and I was back in Capitol Hill, at Lost Lake Café and Lounge. It was a Twin Peaks night. I think that's when they rolled out another season. (I always debate on vs. in Capitol Hill; I'm probably not consistent.)

I've only seen an episode or two of Twin Peaks. I should have remedied that during the pandemic. Lost Lake Café looks a lot like the diners featured on the show. Intentionally, I presume. This flailing, directionless documentary photographer went there with his camera...surely it would be my big break in lifestyle/pop culture photography!

The big break didn't happen, but I took a few photos and had a damn fine cup of coffee with pie. I don't really like pie, but once in a blue moon it's ok, and this was a special occasion.

I mistakenly assumed that Lost Lake has been around forever, like The 5 Point and Mecca. According to Eater Seattle, it opened in 2013. It's done well I think, but it hit a rough patch when multiple women revealed David Meinert's (one of the owners) predatory behavior and assaults. The other owners bought Meinert out, and he retreated to the 5 Point. He laid low for a while before ticking off more controversy when he bought the Mecca.

I don't know the timeline of the allegations, but I think Sydney Brownstone, an excellent journalist, brought the allegations to print.

I saw recently that the New York Times ran an article about Seattle's dive bars and included Meinert and the Mecca. They got a lot of backlash for that before withdrawing the information about Meinert.

Lost Lake Café Seattle
Please wait to be seated. Lost Lake Café, Capitol Hill, Seattle, May 2017.
Lost Lake Café Seattle
Lost Lake Café, Capitol Hill, Seattle, May 2017.
Lost Lake Café Seattle
Lost Lake Café, Capitol Hill, Seattle, May 2017.
Lost Lake Café Seattle
Lost Lake Café, Capitol Hill, Seattle, May 2017.