Time keeps on slippin'
December 31, 2011 7:05 PM   Subscribe

We've all seen variations on the personal time-lapse video -- a snapshot every day for six years, or a look at a young girl's first decade. But nobody's done it quite like Sam Klemke. For thirty-five years the itinerant freelance cartoonist has documented his life in short year-end reviews, a funny, weary, eccentric, and hopeful record dating all the way back to 1977. Recently optioned for documentary treatment by the government of Australia, you can skim Sam's opus in reverse in the striking video "35 Years Backwards Thru Time with Sam Klemke," an ever-evolving home movie montage that grows grainier and grainier as it tracks Sam "from a paunchy middle aged white bearded self deprecating schluby old fart, to a svelt, full haired, clean shaven, self-important but clueless 20 year old."
posted by Rhaomi (7 comments total) 20 users marked this as a favorite
 
Jesus god in heaven, this guy is my long-lost twin. He even gains weight in reverse.
posted by PapaLobo at 7:51 PM on December 31, 2011


1. Good lord I better start working out and watching my weight.

2. Young people looked so much older back then!
posted by rebent at 8:17 PM on December 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


I'd say that, though youthful beauty is nice, he really visibly grows into his face and he looks a lot more likeable at the end than the beginning. By the end, he looks like a nice, doofy person you might actually like; at the beginning, he has kind of a jackass face. Also, longer hair is better than shorter in this instance. And the late eighties really didn't do anyone any favors.
posted by Frowner at 9:18 PM on December 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


And the late eighties really didn't do anyone any favors.
posted by Frowner at 10:18 PM on December 31 [+] [!]


Well, the 1% seemed to do pretty well.

YES! MY FIRST SNARK OF 2012 AND METAFILTER MADE IT POSSIBLE!
posted by andreaazure at 9:34 PM on December 31, 2011 [2 favorites]


Late 1980s was my prime, Frowner.

(Thinks about it a bit.)

(Starts drinking.)
posted by maxwelton at 9:35 PM on December 31, 2011


Fantastic post--apropos for the New Year.

I just love how the hope, idealism and bravado dwindle down the shitter fairly rapidly . . . but then we can almost see the glow of maturation and acceptance creep up on him, begrudgingly.

. . . which is how it's going for me (@ 37 yrs) and I think, how it plays out for most of us?
posted by eggman at 10:41 PM on December 31, 2011


Good God there are a blessed lot of years in a person's life.
posted by lostburner at 2:33 PM on January 1, 2012


« Older Carts Of Darkness   |   Welcome to Muppet Labs where the future is being... Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments