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| Red Man, Vancouver, Canada |
My RED
Alert #5 guest Christopher
Allen comes from the US,
lives in Germany, has a strange connection with New Zealand and his
wonderful blog I
Must Be Off! has RED photos
from – well – almost everywhere! Weirdly though, we DO have
common ground! See if you can spot it!
RED:
Hi Christopher! I'm honoured that you've agreed to be my RED
Alert #5 guest.
Christopher: Hi,
Red Nomad OZ! Thank you for inviting me to do this interview. These
questions are great.
RED:
HHHMMMmmm... will you still be saying that at the end of the
interview, I wonder?! How important is RED
to your blog?
Christopher: About
a year ago, I Googled
I
Must Be Off! through the image color filter. There
was a lot of deep blue and green because I hike—and a lot of
RED.
RED:
If I could work out how to do that, I suspect I'd find more BLUE
than RED
on my blog! LOVE your blog name I
Must Be Off! - is
there a story behind it?
Christopher:
I’ve lived in Germany for almost 20 years, so the language has
seeped into my thoughts. A famous German comedian wrote a book called
“Ich bin dann mal weg. Meine Reise auf
dem Jakobsweg“ (I’m off now for a
while. My journey on the Jacobs Trail.) It’s a travelogue that’s
supposed to be funny, poignant and entertaining, but it turned out to
be merely a vehicle for the author to show off how many languages he
speaks. I like the comedian but felt the book was weak.
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| Turkish Bazaar Ceiling |
The title, though, was
sitting there relaxing in my subconscious for a while until I needed
a name for my blog. I was thinking of the German travelogue, but “I
must be off” refers to both my need to escape and my obsession with
travel—which is more than just a bit crazy.
RED:
Cleverly ambiguous! Which country has the best RED
stuff?
Christopher: I
love these questions! I give Turkey twelve points. On the Turkish
Riviera, there’s a little old man sitting on every corner squeezing
and selling his pomegranates. It’s the reddest fruit ever, and it’s
full of Vitamin C. There’s also a US-American of medium build
wearing sunglasses and probably a red shirt drinking the juice. Me.
RED:
Haha! And why not?! As an aside to readers, see this Turkish RED for yourself with
cheap holidays to Turkey!
Other than the flag, where else can
RED
be found in Turkey?
Christopher: One
of my favorite pictures is of a bazaar ceiling in Istanbul. It’s an
incredible design of RED bricks.
My eyes are drawn to patterns like this. The ceiling in the bazaar is
enormous and of course a work of art. I tried to get as much as
possible in the photo without including anything else.
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| Christopher's RED flower pic - Rio de Janeiro |
RED:
And you've succeeded! This is a very exotic looking flower. Where
is it found?
Christopher: I
take way too many pictures of flowers, so I’ve been told. They’re
more like flower portraits than pictures. This particular flower
lived in the Botanical Garden in Rio de Janeiro. I liked the way the
light hit it. It was so hot that day.
RED:
Snap! But my shot (see below) was taken in the Cairns Botanical Gardens, in
northern Australia! I won't ask readers to compare photos – I know
who'll come 2nd
- but it's interesting that these nearly identical flowers are so
far apart!
What else is Brazil known for?
Christopher: Once,
I drove all the way from Rio de Janeiro to Salvador da Bahia on the
most dangerous road in the world!
RED:
I hope the RED
flower made it all worthwhile! Which destinations
draw
you back?
Christopher:
Alsace, France is one of my favorite places. It’s only a three-hour
drive from my home in Munich, so I do a wine-run at least twice a
year. People think it’s quaint rather than exciting, but they
haven’t been to Alsace during the wine festivals or during Advent
when the town of Ribeauvillé transforms itself into a medieval
village.
RED:
Give me 'quaint' over 'exciting' any day! Especially when there's
wine involved ... What about outside of Europe?
Christopher: After
touring New Zealand in 2005 for twenty days, I knew I’d be back as
often as my travel budget would allow. My connection with NZ is so
strong that I’m now a part of
An
Aotearoa Affair. I’m hosting the carnival in May –
the theme is “Bi” - so if anyone is interested in participating,
contact
me for details.
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| Red's Red Flower pic - Cairns Botanic Gardens |
RED:
I was born in New Zealand!! And I'm sure NZ wine plays a part in
the NZ connection ... What inspired the recurring RED
motif in your wonderful 1st
prize-winning story 'Red
Toy Soldier'? I loved
it!!
Christopher: I
woke up one morning with the title in my head: Red Toy Soldier. I’d
wanted to write a story about a woman whose father had always wanted
a boy, but I’d never had a starting place until the title arrived.
RED:
RED
seems strangely appropriate for the themes of abandonment and
betrayal experienced by all the characters in the story – is RED
a negative colour?
Christopher: It’s
the connection between Joey’s red hair and the color of the toy
soldiers her father gives her that sets the semiotics in the story.
If the two characters were to have a beautiful, healthy relationship,
the color would be positive—but of course Joey and her father are
broken.
RED:
Why does RED elicit such strong
responses from the main characters?
Christopher: Joey
changes the color of her hair as an adult to make a clean break from
her father, whose hair is the same fiery red. She also transforms
herself into the archetype of femininity. I think the color red is
symbolic of heat and drama and feelings that consume, like hate and
love.
RED:
No, it's not for the fainthearted! What's your most memorable RED
experience?
Christopher:
When you think of “worst RED
experiences” you have to think of blood. In 1984 I was driving
home from a gig in St. Louis when I started feeling sick. I asked my
girlfriend to pull over. On the side of the interstate in the dark, I
threw up in a large way, got back in the car and felt better. Five
minutes later, I threw up again. And then every five minutes
thereafter, I threw up—always in the dark—until we reached the
emergency room in Nashville . . . two hours later. When the lights of
the hospital lit me up, I looked down to see that the front of my
shirt was completely covered in blood. The doctor told me if I hadn’t
come straight to the ER, I would have died that night. The next
morning when I woke up in the hospital and looked at myself in the
mirror, I saw that all the blood vessels in my eyes had burst and
that the whites of my eyes were blood red.
RED:
AAAARRRGGGH! I'm surprised that didn't put you off RED
for life!!
Christopher: I’m
still here! RED has become such
a natural part of my life, I forget to notice it sometimes. There’s
a ladybug on the lamp next to my computer to remind me to be
thankful. There’s a piece of art to my left—a red piece of
volcanic wood made to look like a painting—that I had made from the
scraps left over from the volcanic wood panel in my kitchen. On the
wall to my left is something I painted, and it’s red. I just walked
into my sunroom and had to smile. All my furniture is red, and this
is the place in the house where I feel energized. After a lot of
reflection, I’d have to say that life itself is my best RED
experience.
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| Indian Chandelier |
RED:
Words to live by! You've titled this photo 'Indian Chandelier' –
and I love the colours and angles! Where was it taken?
Christopher: It's
in an Indian restaurant in Derby, UK – the only reason I’ve named
it “Indian Chandelier”. The restaurant owner probably bought it
at IKEA! This is a great example of when my friends say to me, “Great
God in heaven, Chris, why are you photographing that?” The
angled shot has more movement, and I like the contrast between
darkness and light.
RED:
As do I! Your photos are amazing - what's your best tip for an
amateur like me?
Christopher: I’m
not a professional photographer, but I enjoy viewing the world from
different perspectives. I like to compose a shot, and I think I have
a feeling for what makes a good one.
RED:
You think?? We KNOW!!
Christopher: I see
people taking a hundred shots of mountain landscapes, and I think
Really? A hundred? These are such boring shots. Mountain. Mountain.
Mountain. Out of focus mountain. Mountain. If I take a picture of a
mountain, there needs to be something in the foreground that
complements the mountain. I (try to) take pictures of things that
will appear dramatically and make an impression (and that have made
an impression on me). The color RED
almost always does this.
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| Red Bus, Banff National Park, Canada |
RED:
(*thinking* well, you'll LOATHE the endless tropical island shots in
my last post...) And then they load all 582 mediocre shots onto
Facebook! But I'm glad you didn't edit out this marvellous RED
vehicle!
Christopher: Great
bus, huh? This hotel on wheels was parked at Moraine Lake in Banff
National Park. It’s the first time I’d ever seen anything like
it. Apparently there are bunks in the back of the bus for the
passengers. This is perfect for people touring the national parks of
British Columbia and Alberta—well, “perfect” if you want to
spend your holiday in a bunk.
RED:
It's a cross between fantasy come true and my worst
nightmare!! What kind of blogs do
you like reading?
RED:
If you were head of the blog police, what would you change about
blogging?
Christopher: Hmmm.
Well, a blog should be what the blogger wants it to be. If he/she
isn’t interested in keeping readers, anything goes. That said . . .
Sheesh, when someone goes on and on and on and on without a point
(that I can see), I get irritated and leave.
RED:
Aha! Only two people in the entire world know how much editing went
into THIS interview!! What makes a good blog?
Christopher:
Informative, entertaining, colorful, inspiring and well written—but
not long. And if they are long, they’d better be incredibly
informative, entertaining, colorful—you get the idea.
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| Tiled Roof, Croatia |
RED:
I'm on it … Have you added 'Croatian roof-climber' to your
repertoire of blogger, photographer, writer, teacher and traveller?
Christopher: This
is a rooftop in a village where some of the houses are actually below
the path up the hill, which enabled me to get a close-up shot.
RED:
The texture is marvellous!
Christopher:
Texture and pattern (and the contrasts between) are so important in
the pictures I take—and in the stories I write. In fact, I need
pictures to tell a story. In this photo of a simple rooftop—it’s
someone’s home—I see a family who replaces tiles only when they
have to. New tiles among the old tell me the family clings to the
past for one reason or another, whether it be love for the past or a
distaste for modernity.
RED:
I don't know a lot about Croatia. What's one thing that surprised
you about it?
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| DSC01526 |
Christopher:
Everyone still smokes! It’s mind-boggling, but our waiter in a
fairly nice restaurant in Rijeka was smoking as he took our order. I
found that odd.
RED:
Really? Haha, only kidding! Yes, that IS odd!
Christopher: One
(serious) thing about Croatia that most people don’t know: Croatia
produces excellent wine.
RED:
No way! I'm sensing another recurring theme … which brings me to
this great RED photo you've
imaginatively titled DSC01526!
What is it?
Christopher: Ha!
Another great example of when my friends stare at me and think Chris
has lost his mind . . . again. Imagine the scene: We’re sitting
at a cocktail bar on Phuket (Thailand), enjoying “a few” (RED:
*snorts*) sugary drinks.
The evening is beautiful, warm. We all feel so grateful for the
adventure. The stirrers are twirly and colorful and the tablecloth is
red. As stirrers accumulate, I start building things and snapping
photos. The feeling of this series of photos is drunken and bathed in
red.
RED:
That'd make many Aussies feel right at home!! And now, your photo
of the RED MAN is the
ULTIMATE RED
shot! Tell us in 15 words or less what it's all about!
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| CA not jumping in NZ! |
Christopher:
Wait. Are you referring to this shot of me?
RED:
(*thinking quickly* no, I was referring to the RED MAN statue at start of post. But
I'd better keep him sweet and agree!!) Of course I was! But
why not give me 15 words or less about this photo AND the RED
MAN photo?!
Christopher: RED
MAN: Vancouver. Part of set of sculptures. Single subjects (flowers,
faces, etc.) beg to be photographed.
About me: Standing atop a
volcano in New Zealand. Not preparing to jump.
RED:
Haha! SO glad you didn't jump!! Do
you have any final RED
words of wisdom for my readers??
Christopher: The
color RED to me means life, which
I’ve learned to appreciate. Life is not always pretty, but is
always instructive.
Want more information?
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