Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Since 2007

Recommended reading

Jim Grey
11 comments on Recommended reading
1 minute

💻 I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen heavy-metal pioneers Iron Maiden in concert. They’re touring again and I’m thinking seriously about buying tickets for their Chicago show. But the older I get, the less interested I am in big crowds, and in standing for three hours (ow, my hips). Maybe I’ve already seen them for the last time. John Scalzi reflects on seeing one of his favorite bands for probably the last time. Read Seeing a Favorite Band For (Probably) the Last Time

Balloon inflating
Canon PowerShot S95, 2021.

💻 Paul Niedermeyer just checked something off his bucket list: he rode in a helium balloon. Read Non-Auto Biography: Up, Up and Away In My Beautiful Balloon

💻 I recently bought a Nikon F with a 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H lens attached. Then this week Mark O’Brien sang this lens’s praises. Read Appreciating a Classic Lens – Nikon’s 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H

📷 I’ve looked wistfully at the Rollei 35 for a long time, but haven’t been willing to lay out the big bucks to own one. Theo Panagopoulos reviews his and makes me slightly more willing. Read Rollei 35 – Not just small

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Comments

11 responses to “Recommended reading”

  1. David Jennings Avatar
    David Jennings

    I love my Rollei 35! I’ve had all three versions through the years and ended up keeping the less talked about Schneider lens version. All three lenses are excellent, I just happen to like the characteristics of the Schneider best.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I’ve been a fan of Schneider lenses since I got one on my first digital camera. Good to know your good report of the one on the Rollei 35!

      Reply
  2. tbm3fan Avatar
    tbm3fan

    Concerts. The last one I was at was back in 1983. I was invited to a Stevie Wonder concert at the Cow Palace. Not exactly my taste but the girl was. Recently my 14 year old was trying to quiz me on Chicago. Couldn’t stump me. Then I run across a Sept 2024 Chicago concert at the nice Concord Pavilion. Playing with Earth, Wind, and Fire. We are all going for the outdoor event.
    Oh, got a Nikon F two months ago when I was absolutely sure of it’s condition.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I still like concerts, but prefer small venues now. Large crowds just make me nervous.

      Reply
  3. joenield Avatar
    joenield

    My final time seeing my all-time favorite in concert, Neil Diamond, was a mix of emotions. It was April 2017 and I was coming out of a rough time personally. This was my seventh time in 23 years seeing him live (including once from the second row, a bucket-list item), and something seemed different. Not bad, nothing I could quite put my finger on – he just seemed a little frail and stiff, and flubbed lyrics a couple of times, although he seamlessly glossed through it – you wouldn’t have noticed unless you have an encyclopedic knowledge of his lyrics like I do. It was a wonderful show, full of his hits, and moved me to tears more than once (my late father was a fan and the reason I am a fan).

    I left that show feeling like that was either the last time I’d see him, or he’d tour into his 90s like Tony Bennett. Of course, the shock of his Parkinson’s announcement and immediate retirement from touring in January 2018 was not at all what I expected, but after his New Year’s Eve television performance from Times Square a few weeks prior, it wasn’t entirely out of left field. His hand shook badly that night, but it was VERY cold, and I hoped against hope that the cause was merely that.

    I do not like crowds, but I have a short list of performers I try to see at every reasonable opportunity for the very reason that I never know when my last chance will be. Diamond was #1 on that list, but close behind is James Taylor, although he was originally just one I wanted to see once before he quit touring. He’s so sublime live, though, that he jumped onto the list. Billy Joel, Blues Traveler, and Garth Brooks are just below that tier, in that I will make an effort, but not necessarily an extraordinary one, to see them.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Your last experience with Neil Diamond is why I haven’t gone to see Paul McCartney on his recent tours. His voice is so far gone now. I saw him in … 1990? … and it was terrific. I’ll live on that memory.

      Reply
  4. Kevin T Avatar
    Kevin T

    My Rollei 35S is a favorite! Admittedly, getting it for $30 at an estate sale was nice.A rather unusual interface but easy to use once I remind myself.
    As for concerts, not such a fan of big crowds and standing these days. Did go see the Moody Blues the last time they came to town (Days of Future Past 50th anniversary), and I’m going to see former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett next spring, 47 years after the last time I saw him with Genesis. He does a lot of the old prog Genesis, unlike his former band mates.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Yeah, standing at concerts is getting less welcome at my age. My hips complain hard by the end.

      Reply
    2. Michael C Avatar
      Michael C

      I saw Steve Hackett here about 2 weeks ago and it was great. He and his band performed the entire Foxtrot album plus a lot of his original stuff. Was an excellent show. I saw Genesis’s last tour two years ago, Guns and Roses about 2 months ago, Yes about a month ago, and a few others. All of us old guys, including the guys in the bands, just are’t what we used to be. Time marches on! But still to relive the good old days with these shows.

      Reply
  5. Kodachromeguy Avatar
    Kodachromeguy

    I bought a 35S in Houston, Texas, in 1981, when Rollei announced its bankruptcy. A camera store on Main Street was selling the 35s at a great price. It was the perfect travel camera

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Lucky break! Maybe I’ll find a bargain on one someday.

      Reply

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