Beanie Glasses Pandemic Smoke Tank Top

IT was the beginning of the pandemic, so I wore a white beanie and smoked cigarettes and thought the end of the world. That the Rapture had started and we wouldn't be living our lives the way we used to. Suzanne and I were going through some issues, and I was busy learning how to be a creator. I knew how to be a musician, I knew how to be an actor, I knew how to be a painter, I knew how to draw, but I couldn't monetize any of that and those expensive "hobbies" were just that. I couldn't get a gig, or sell my paintings, or scripts, or get a role, or even be Suzanne's boyfriend any more. She didn't want to be involved with a crazy creative trying to make a living form his art, and not go bankrupt. Violin strings are 90 dollars a set, at least the ones worth buying are. Those stings are made out of gold. For real, gold. It sounds better.

Benjamin Barnes, aka Bencasso Barnesquiat (a comical play on the names of famous artists) is a musician and artist based in San Francisco, CA. He received his Bachelor's and Master's of Music Degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with renowned teachers such as Sherry Kloss, Marlon Carlson, Izzy Tinkleman, Paul Hersh, Zaven Melikian, and Don Ehrlich. In addition to his classical training, Ben also studied electric violin, jazz performance, and composition with David Balakrishnan of the Turtle Island String Quartet. As a musician, Ben has played and recorded with a variety of artists including Les Claypool, Mr. Bungle, Dead Prez, The Coup, Carla Kihlstedt, Eric McFadden, George Clinton and P-Funk, Jason...