Photograph by Thomas Crone
For most artists, the idea of wanting more negative response might seem a bit eccentric. But Bill Streeter’s primary claim to fame around town, the video blog Lo-Fi Saint Louis, has been so universally accepted that the creator is longing for at least a bit of constructive criticism.
“When I first launched, I didn’t get any feedback at all,” he claims. “If you want to know, in the last year or so, the feedback’s been very, very positive. Seldom anything negative.” Which worries him. “You can’t be doing something that is liked by everyone.”
Or maybe you can.
To date, he’s been creating video logs in two basic streams of content: rock ’n’ roll bands (The Spark Thugs, The Helium Tapes, Bunnygrunt, Thee Dirty South and 7 Shot Screamers), live and loud, and short video documentaries about St. Louis places and personalities.
The rock ’n’ roll half of that equation is more direct. Streeter heads out to a club, along with a second cameraman, and shoots the group onstage. From there, he pieces together a song or two, with the band playing live, minus any frills. With a predilection for garage, surf and primitive rock that he shares with frequent cohort Jeff “Kopper” Kopp, Streeter makes music videos that are vibrant and raw, often described by the bands as the best vids they’ve seen of themselves.
The short docs, meanwhile, are a more eclectic pursuit, and one that Streeter would like to delve into more. Mac collectors, black-and-white photographers and Munny artists have all been the target of his attentions.
“My goal with the documentaries last year was to do one a month—and I didn’t even get close,” he says. “This year, I’ve been able to do two a month, and I’m happy with that. It’s both to my advantage and against it to do that many. Sometimes I think I might rush things; I’ve done that a little more than in the past. But I also think I’ve gotten better and faster, because I’m pounding them out. I’m supercritical. Sometimes, they don’t feel up to my standards, but there have been times when something’s come out really well, because I’m doing it so regularly.”
Self-taught mixed media artist Aunia Kahn, featured in two of Lo-Fi’s pieces, says that Streeter is “great to work with, very professional and fun. I had a great time and would work with him again at any time … He not only made a great video of me and my work, but I made a friend.”
Since February 2005, Streeter has been making plenty of friends through Lo-Fi. Not only in St. Louis, but also across the blogosphere: His fans, supporters and awards come from all over the U.S. and abroad, though his content remains heavily STL-rooted. In July, a Netherlands-based American artist, pro basketball player and vlogger (no lie!) named Erik Nelson curated a selection of Streeter’s clips for the opening night of this year’s St. Louis Filmmaker’s Showcase. In 2006, Streeter received a Vloggie for local content, establishing him as one of America’s top-rated talents in this exploding field. And combining his love of both the local and the international, Streeter recently launched The Circuit, a social networking site that will allow St. Louis videographers a chance to share and discuss their work.
“Sometimes people will send me movies that don’t fit in with my programming,” Streeter reasons. “So I wanted to extend the site out into a more interactive, community-based thing. I thought of setting up a message board for movies, which is basically what The Circuit is, a social networking thing for people who are making video locally, but who aren’t getting a lot of exposure. With YouTube, it’s hard to find people who are working locally—it’s just not organized that way. I thought it’d be cool to give people another reason to come back to the site and to give video-makers some exposure, with a local focus.”
Streeter’s vlog can be seen at lofistl.com; sign up for The Circuit at circuit.lofistl.com.
