11/19/21 Before there was the web there were these places called libraries. I haunted them as a kid, randomly selecting these things called books from shelves, just surfing the stacks for whatever caught my fancy. One book that I repeatedly checked out was an illustrated guide to the New York City sewerage system. Not only was this my introduction to the wonders of Gotham, the look and feel of the hand-drawn technical illustrations greatly inspired my eventual career path. Totally in line with that book (for me, at least) was a translation of the tale of Faust, published, I believe, sometime early in the 20th century, and darkly illustrated like this: By the time I found this one, a copying machine had been installed in the basement of the library, and I invested some coin in making copies of 20 of these illustrations. Eventually I scanned those copies into the .tif format, and when I created this video in the early 2000's, elements of those illustrations got panned and scanned into it the old fashioned way- by pointing a camera at the computer screen. So here's my song and video about the so-called hazards of love. Mad Romance (video) Mad Romance Mad Romance In love's trance Take your part Dance the dance On your way While the angels say They don't stand a chance. Jump right in Sink or swim Bet the world On a whim Stand or fall You might win it all Although the odds are slim All it takes is a gesture All it takes is a word All it needs are two believers Haven't you heard? Haven't you heard? Mad Romance In love's trance Take your part Dance the dance On your way While the angels say They don't stand a chance.