In this third photo in our Shadow Series, my silhouette is joined by birds and bird shadows. Can you hear Ennio Morricone whistling a Spaghetti Western theme as the Lone Stranger arrives in Birdland? Is the trouble over or has it just begun…

For another shot in my “Shadow Series,” I stopped in the late afternoon San Francisco sun to study a movie poster for “Mr. Bean’s Holiday.”  A witty street critic had shoved a blob of chewing gum up Mr. Bean’s nose and at first glance I thought it was a genuine Rowan Atkinson gag.  Alas, life imitates art or is that vice-versa?

This Labor Day holiday we ventured to San Francisco and luckily escaped the intense Los Angeles heat wave.  In the gardens of the newly restored de Young Art Museum are sculptures, walkways, and an occasional manmade fog that swirls through the gardens in a miniature version of the signature phenomenon that often envelopes the entire city.

No trip to Vienna is complete without a visit to the Kunst Historisches (Art History) Museum, which has an incredible collection of Roman antiquities.  Here we see the marble bust of a Roman society lady sporting a favorite hairstyle 2000 years ago, known as the “Cheerio Coif.”  Not only attractive, the oat clusters could be snacked on if hunger struck during a lengthy social event.

Kitaro was in Los Angeles this week rehearsing for his “Love and Peace” world tour which begins in November in Asia. With his signature collection of analog synthesizers, now combined with current digital technology, Kitaro is recreating live versions of his classics, as well as tracks from his forthcoming “Sacred Journey of Kukai, Volume 3.”

Pictured clockwise from center foreground are Kitaro (keyboards, Taiko drum, analog synthesizers, gong, electric sitar, chromatic harmonica, electric kalimba, etc.), Voyce McGinley III (tympani, drums, chimes, Glockenspiel, assorted percussion), Kristen Autry (violin), Keiko Takahashi (bass and keyboards), Diana Dentino (keyboards), and Paul Pesco (acoustic and electric guitars).

Near the Hofburg Palace in Vienna is a monument with the statues of four honored gentlemen enjoying the bounty and good fortune of their lives. One can imagine their pride as the statues were unveiled. Now long gone, they stand just as proud, but over the years have been adorned with the critique of the birds. Egads! They’ve gone all green and runny.

But, as the great composer Jean Sibelius said, "Pay no attention to what the critics say. Remember, a statue has never been set up in honor of a critic!”

This weekend we visited The Getty, a wonderful art museum and study center atop a hill overlooking much of LA. You only pay for parking, because the museum is free, and they have a decent café for lunch. Currently there is an exhibit of works by Tim Hawkinson, and the West Coast debut of his Überorgan. This massive, music-playing sculpture of bus-sized balloons and horns floats under the central rotunda. Hurry up, though ­ it closes on September 9.

The musical score for Überorgan consists of a 250-foot-long scroll. Black dots and dashes encode the notes of traditional hymns, pop songs, and improvisational tunes. The notes are deciphered by light-sensitive switches in its player and scrambled to create an endless variety of compositions. At times the music might be described as “flatulent,” causing spontaneous bursts of laughter from the museumgoers. You can hear it at: http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/hawkinson/

In 1974, J. Paul Getty opened the Getty Villa as his second museum in a re-creation of the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, as well as incorporating details from several other ancient sites. In 1997, the Villa was closed for renovation and reopened in 2006. it now includes Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities arranged by themes, including Gods and Goddesses, Dionysus and the Theater, and Stories of the Trojan War, all housed within Roman-inspired architecture and surrounded by Roman-style gardens.

Here in the inner courtyard we see the bronze statue of a Roman lady who is playing an ancient "air guitar," a pastime which has survived for over two thousand years and is more popular today than ever.

I’ve been working on a Broadway musical revue based on my humorous writings, i.e. : “Pets of the Future,” “The Champagne Police,” “Future Foods,” “Unfurnished Symphonies,” “Auto Meditation,” “The Skate of the Art,” “Tired and Feathered,” "Pumping Art," and “Bathing with Bonzai,” etc.

While dreaming up this production, we’ve used artist manikins and created costumes for the imaginary chorus girls. And here they are all dressed up for the festivities, singing in angelic harmony: “You were asking for it!”

Here are (L-R) Dweezil Zappa, lead guitar, vocals; Billy Hulting, percussion; Ray White, vocals, guitar; and Jamie Kime, rhythm guitar. Not pictured are Scheila Gonzales, horns, keyboards, vocals; Joe Travers, drums; Pete Griffin, bass; and Aaron Arntz, keyboard, vocals.

This photo was shot last week during rehearsals for the second year of Zappa Plays Zappa, wherein Dweezil Zappa and a very sharp band play Frank’s music note-for-note. As you Zappaphiles can imagine, it is no little feat. The repertoire this year is up to about 50 songs ­ twice the number of last year. And this year, big screen video features Frank himself singing and playing guitar while Dweezil and his band join the elder Zappa. It is really “unforgettable” to see Dweezil live now and Frank at about the same age then, performing such chestnuts as “Montana.” Featured vocalist this year is Ray White, who became one of Frank’s Mothers in 1976, and appears on a number of classic records from the Zappa catalogue.

The tour starts July 18 in Winnipeg, Canada, then crisscrosses America and Europe, concluding October 14 in Stockholm, Sweden. Visit www.zappa.com to find a show near you!

This is the Mexican-born artist Salomon Huerta, who is one of the leading figures in the art world today. He’s well know for his portraits of shaven-headed homeboys ­ seen from the back of the head instead of looking toward the face. He’s also recognized for his fine draftsmanship in pencil portraits of women, his stark paintings of urban home settings done in monochromatic tones, and most recently, for his large scale portraits of “Lucha Libre” Mexican wrestlers with the colorful masks that evoke animals, gods, and ancient heroes.

Salomon is sitting in Keiko’s sculpture garden. He’s a tactile sorta guy, and his hand is blackened from graphite after touching one of the wooden rods which pierces a granite sculpture. Howdy!  

Kitaro is in Hollywood this week, mixing his new album, “The Sacred Journey of Ku-kai, Volume 3.” For the album series, Kitaro visited the temples and recorded the unique sounds of the sacred temple bells of Japan’s Shikoku Island. Combining the location recording with traditional instruments and synthesizers recorded at his studios in America, the new album is being mixed by Steven Miller in Studio D at Ocean Way.

“The Sacred Journey of Ku-kai” refers to the spiritual journey of the Buddhist saint Ku-kai. More than 1,100 years ago, Ku-kai embarked on a pilgrimage to the 88 temples on the Japanese island of Shikoku. It is also believed that Ku-kai (774-835 AD) created the modern Japanese way of writing (Hiragana and Katakana) and that he introduced the cultivation of tea plants to Japan. Makes you wonder, what were they drinking before?

Kitaro and I have known each other for more than two decades, and meeting up again is always enjoyable and surprising. Here we are engaging in the sport of the “Samurai Stare.” First guy to blink loses the match. We held this position, motionless, for more than three hours before I blinked. Nuts!

Window shopping takes on a whole new meaning in Vienna, as exemplified by this manikin floozy in the window of Agent Provocateur, with the reflection of stately buildings and horse-drawn carriages. The scenario is one of a disheveled bride with smeared lipstick after the wedding reception has gone wild and the clothing has become minimal or optional. As our friends in Vienna often remind us, "It's a free country." Nice concept.