Jesus Boy

Teenage Boy
Barton Springs
Austin, TX
August 2007

When I am scanning negatives and I arrive at naming a file, I usually just write the first thing that comes to mind about the image. Sometimes these labels are just temporary until I reflect on who or what is in the image, but often these labels stick, and wintergasstation.tiff and frontyard.tiff, for instance, simply became Winter Gas Station and Front Yard. I already maxed out Tree and Trees so I am going to have come up with something a little more descriptive next time I scan some trees.

When I scanned the image above, I labeled it jesusboy.tiff. The hair, of course, but even something iconic and haunted about his face, which was what struck me about him in the first place. It seems to be a familiar experience, spotting a Jesus Boy, at rock concert or sitting alone on a curb in a parking lot. Not so often in New York - I don't know if they live in cities - maybe Portland or Seattle or Hollywood.

My roommate said he looks like an androgynous water nymph. Maybe that's why I liked him as well. I don't know that Water Nymph or Jesus Boy will make it as a title, but I forgot to ask him his name.