Those shades! Oceans of mid-Atlantic green plastic bounded by translucent brown frames, black electrical tape wound in large balls around the tips to protect the Hunter cranium from undue pressure. Large rectangles, like television screens, obscuring the top half of his face, a profusion of light brown ringlets framing them on either side. In conversation they cause problems: I can see his eyes, but I keep focusing on the shades, and the area of green is so big my eyes keep sliding off and end f up looking somewhere else. Bothersome...

Good image, those shades. Across five years of photos they keep prodding: what does he look like without them? In physical proximity it becomes a game. The eyes are visible, but it's impossible to mentally erase the screen and imagine the reality. One reporter even went so far as to wear his mirror shades to an interview, figuring on duplicating the Lester Bangs/Lou Reed I'lltake-them-off-if-you-will, when Ian popped them off all of his own accord. Damn it! Some people have all the ,luck...