Slummin' it Global.

I just got back from my second high roller hunting trip to Spain in two months. I know something now from rolling with high rollers; being rich isn't all it's cracked up to be. Yes, you get to shoot weird stuff but you miss the gritty zest of life and you have to endure polite conversation over meals that last ninety minutes.

Willem de Kooning said, "The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all of your time. The trouble with being rich is that it takes up everybody else's." Being a broke camera monkey working 16 hours a day in this rarified world drives ol' de Kooning's words home. Deeply.

After a week or ten days of the high roller lifestyle, I was dropped at a shady Holiday Inn Express in Molins de Rei more or less near the

Barcelona Airport. I was so tired I could barely walk but I had to eat. I ventured out into this working class burg accented by dated plastic signs and working class beer joints and I could breath again. Litter blew past my feet and laughter poured out the doors of the shady bars. Ahhhh, back amongst my people.

I guess my point is that these big high roller adventures I videotape have their place. But with all I've seen and experienced if I have to choose

between a somber filet mignon in a five star lodge minding my manners or chili in a tent trailer with my buddies, I'll opt for the one with the most laughter. The trailer.

So, as a fan of the streets where laundry hangs from fire escapes, streetwalkers smile at me, dust blows down the road and the restaurateurs wipe down their tables every other day. I thought I'd encourage you to savor the underbelly with a few photos.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.۬ An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." ۬~ G. K. Chesterton ~

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