The Eric Holder Photo
No, this isn’t a picture of the former Attorney General. It’s a photo of me taken by him. Read on.
Hi Eric,
We met entirely by chance on an escalator at O’Hare airport on March 14, 2018. You were in front of me and an associate of yours was standing between us doing a very good job of protecting you from guys like me.
On the escalator going up, I asked if you would take my picture. You are very well-known and I’m sure it’s common for people in airports to ask you to take a selfie with them. You are a rock star of sorts.
You were gracious to stop off at the top of the escalator where I gave you my phone. I’m pretty sure you thought that I wanted a picture with you; but in fact, I wanted you to take my picture. Huh? What?
As I explained, there are probably thousands of pictures of you standing next to people you don’t know. I then asked how many strangers have a picture of themselves taken by you? You smiled, held up your index finger and said “One”. You got the joke. And then we went our separate ways.
I have similar pictures of me taken by sports stars, entertainers, two US Senators, and one former Presidential nominee. I cherish the picture that you took of me the most. You are a rock star former Attorney General.
I’ve been doing this for a few years as a concept piece about celebrity. By taking the picture OF me, not WITH me, you turned celebrity upside down. Celebrity is sometimes confused with self-importance, but those are two distinct characteristics. Woe be to any anyone who thinks that celebrity makes them important.
I’ve asked a few of my “celebrity” friends to join in on the joke by sending me a photo of themselves with the photo that you took, in the background. The inscriptions are all the same; “Celebrity gets a bad rap when it is combined with stupidity or pretentiousness. Laugh at yourself more; be self-defecating and humble. Jerry”
This little project is entirely about having fun. We are in a time when we need to laugh more.
Your friend,
Jerry
Mayor Ron Rakowsky, Greenwood Village, Colorado
Judge Gary M Kramer, 18th Judicial District, Colorado
Hi BJ.
I have a business proposition.
I am asking for a picture of you with my photo in the background, similar to the two photos shown above. I would like permission to post your picture directly below Judge Kramer’s picture.
I am offering to pay $2 in cash, plus I will contractually agree to always keep your picture in the number three position, below Judge Kramer (and before any other celebrity) for as long as this page is active. For example, if Oprah, Hanks and Kanye all sent me their photo, your photo would always rank above the three of them.
In fairness to other celebrities, I will include a disclosure note next to your photo stating that I am contractually obligated to place your photo above the photo of other celebrities.
If you agree to participate in this crazy project, I have a partially executed contract that will document our agreement. You can download it HERE to review.
Click HERE to download a HiRes image of the Eric Holder photo. If you agree to participate, please print it out and scotch-tape it to an 8X10 picture frame placed on a table or desk behind you. The image I’m looking for is a chest shot of you with my photo in the background.
When this page goes public, there will be ten’s of people looking at it every month.
I think this offbeat project might appeal to you.
Your fan.
Jerry