Stories

In 2005, Gary was asked to re-imagine 14 classic album cover designs for a promotional book, printed with environmentally-sensitive production materials and processes, which led to a tour celebrating the art, music and vibe of their genesis.

Gary Burden:

The book came about as a result of Domtar and I sharing a vision and together creating a graphic revisitation of fourteen of my old friends (album artworks). I was allowed to lavish every kind of print effect I could dream up on them. It was a great deal of fun. Fun and… for me, filled with “flashbacks” to another time and place.

We are expanding on the “Flashback” concept and have created a traveling multimedia ‘60s/’70s EXPERIENCE, a “trip” if you will, and are taking it on the road with an old fashion hands-on liquid-light show, slides and film of the era accompanied by music of the period.

The events are set in rock and roll related period-appropriate venues everywhere possible.

Our “tour” started rolling, appropriately, at the world famous WHISKY A GO GO on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Next we held the event in a tent in the gardens of the corporate headquarters of Domtar in Montreal. We tie dyed their 15 story headquarters building. Really! We have pictures. Most recently we stopped at the FILLMORE auditorium in Denver, Colorado where we rocked the rockies.

You can virtually browse the contents of the book here.

This alliance with Domtar has been another one of those magical occurrences on the Road of Life that comes from a convergence of ideas and the intentions of people. That is one of the things about this project I found most appealing. (I also loved revisiting a lot of old friends (Covers) and giving them every kind of embellishment and enhancement they ever might have wanted.) The spirit behind Domtar's EarthChoice is not unlike the spirit that prevailed in the times that most of these covers were made. Good people agreed on doing good things together in the interest of something bigger than themselves and they, amazingly, succeeded on every level. Back in "the day" a war was stopped, rights were acknowledged and freedoms long denied were finally respected. All this happened because someone launched the idea and then a lot of people agreed and things got done.

The Planet's Life supercedes any and all other issues, conflicts and battles. No Planet. No thing! Sustainability is about the Planet and the future. I salute Domtar for their courage and commitment to the planet and life for all of our children and their children.

It starts now. Lead, follow or get out of the way.