"He's a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody
Doesn't have a point of view
Knows not where he's going to
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
(Lennon, with McCartney, from the album "Rubber Soul", 1965)
"Nowhere Man" is among the very first Beatles' songs to be entirely unrelated to romance or love, and marks a notable instance of Lennon's philosophically-oriented songwriting.
-o0o-
walked around after work and ended up at the foot of the CN tower today. i was ready with my $5 if by chance i get to see a hobo to take a photo (i could be stingy sometimes!). didn't come across any. at the CN tower, there were a lot of french-type tourists, and the ticket booths were busy. i decided to take pics of the flowers even though nothing appeals to me. just when i was thinking maybe i should use another song, i noticed this young man sitting alone on a bench reading a book. at one point he was looking at me, probably thought i was a crazy tourist photographing the CN tower. i have a knack for ignoring people while i am actually observing them, it's just the way my face looks, methinks.
anyway, i seriously wanted to ask if i could take a picture of him, he looks decent and nice and looks a bit like the young john lennon. but i got cold feet. i'm really not good at approaching strangers for anything, except perhaps if i actually needed to know the time and i don't have a watch or to ask for directions if i am lost. i took a sneak picture of him while he was reading, came out blurry. i do have good pictures of the back of his head. hahahaha! so just when i thought 'the heck why don't i just ask" he stood up to leave and i accidentally pressed my shutter not knowing the camera was aimed at him. this is the outcome. i may have missed an opportunity, but i am happy with my "nowhere man" with my sneaky shot. cropped to get him closer and processed with a bit of gusto in picnik! now that was easy.
this is a song I remember playing on guitar a lot in high school! And the picture is perfect, with your adventure to go with it! I think this (unposed) shot is perfect -- better than if you had taken it of him reading. He feels like he's alone and lost in this setting. Super shot!!
@cscecil - i was surprised when i looked at the (accidental) photo. and that was my thought: the unposed shot is perfect for my purpose. but i would still have wanted to take a photo or two of him, he was a quite good looking young man, with his long-ish hair dressed neatly. thank you, CS.
accidently pressed the shutter not knowing it was aimed at him? ok...lol...your becoming quite the stalker eh? haha...I loved reading this and yes I was giggling...but it is a pretty good shot and the processing definately works...and your right...he does look like a Lennon...sort of..
love how his foot is raised, very candid photo, and really enjoy your narrative. wonderful photo to go with the song and one of my band favorites. i so enjoy the info you are providing; this is background stuff i have not known before. well, some of it, but not all of it. so interesting.
I am not comfortable at all taking random shots of people.... not yet, anyway. I love this series you're doing! Very cool idea. You may have inspired my for my next challenge. Thanks! :)
i just read your comment on my photo - thank you so much, but you know, here you are, out taking photos of other people and i rarely leave my house - i admire you, your strength, your ability to eat in a restaurant alone - i don't do any of those things let alone take a stranger's photo. competition is a double edged sword. it motivates and challenges but it also can limit us, as i am discovering.
@catsmeowb - actually, camille, it's not competition. it's inspiration. the competition is always with myself, never with others. you guys, your work and encouragement inspire me to strive to do better. my next posting is dedicated to you!
great illustration for the song; McCartney said that the song was written by John after a night out, with dawn coming up. "I think at that point, he was a bit...wondering where he was going, and to be truthful so was I. I was starting to worry about him"
thank you, sue.
@steeler - thank you for your kind words, howard.
@espyetta - i'm too shy to ask and when i have summoned the courage, pooof! opportunity's gone :-( thank you, MB.