I Need Adventure

We've been busy. So Busy, it's not funny anymore. Two weeks ago, we participated at the Christmas Market at MQ. Then the next weekend we participated in the always crazy and cool Roböxotica festival. Then last Sunday my pal Simon and I had a table at the Comic Boerse in Vienna. Which was kind of fun, even though the crowd wasn't too excited about our indie comics. But it was still fun. We started talking about GG Allin, which, seems to happen frequently around me.  So, I finally had some time to sit down and draw and I started to draw GG, and well, one thing led to another and here he is. Not exactly what I expected, but still kind of cool.

We're cool, but were busy with the Christmas rush and all the time and energy that goes into it. I just wanted to give a quick update. I heard some great new music, and got a really cool new graphic design book, which I want to write about. When I get the time, yo.

Here's the top 10 List.

1. Gentleman Jesse: Introducing Gentleman Jesse

2. Jay Reatard: Matador Singles

3. The Cramps: Psychedelic Jungle

4. Reasons to Be Cheerful: The Life and Work of Barney Bubbles

5. Obits: One Cross a Piece/Get it in Writing 7" 

6. Adrian Tomine: Shortcomings. The story of my life.

7. Roböxotica

8. I've been diggin' those early Brian Eno records, all over again.

9. The Sea and Cake: Car Alarm. TSAC are back and better than ever.

10. That guy who threw his shoes at George W. Bush.

Let's Party!

Hey we're doin' our release party with Murmel Comics, double your fun. Cheetahs Never Win #2 Release party and Murmel # 29 release party! Come Visit us on Halloween!!!

Freitag, 31. Oktober 2008 ab 21:00

Einbaumöbel
Währinger Gürtel Bogen 97
1090 Wien

live: boff lemurr
Murmel Djs

Eintritt frei

Cheetahs Never Win outtake

Hey here's an outtake from CNW #2, If you've seen the final printed comic, you might sorta recognize this...

The strip was drawn, then changed, then became a completely different strip, but the basic idea is the same, so this was left out!
But I still like this original version. So here it is!
I hope everyone got their copies of Issue No. 2.

And Hey Cheetahs Never Win is now on sale at the awesome Rocketship comic shop in Brooklyn, NY!

Thanks to Simon for pimpin' my goods!

We're Number Two! We're Number Two!!!!

Hey folks, friends, peoples, etc...

Wow, it's been like, months!

But I've been underground, slaving away! And here are the fruits of my labors!

Cheetahs Never Win number two! The sophomore slump!

No way, Joseph! It's better than ever! (Nothing wrong with issue number one, though!)

Better drawn, better paper, better!

Lots of dinosaurs, chimpanzees, catfish, porcupines, and solenodons!

Get it at the Motmot shop!

Available in the USA at Quimby's books in Chicago! More shops soon!!!

It's a Livin' Thing!

I just wanted to make a quick update! It's been like, forever! 4 Months, Yikes!
Sorry to my 3 loyal readers, what can I say? I've had lots going on.
Hey, time is money, no wait, time is worth way more than money! (Thanks John!)
What have I been up to?
Uhhhh...
Vacation? Long stopovers in Atlanta? Wasting time with Nintendo DS?
All of the above!
But, we've mostly been working on our stuff. Big plans for MOTMOT
Lots of new stuff coming up, new buttons, shirt designs, stickers, bags, and other top secret projects!
www.motmotdesign.com

I've been steadily chiseling away at my new comic:
Cheetahs Never Win No. 2 "NO FUTURE"
It should be way better, but everything you expect from "Cheetah's Never Win"
Again, expect a late summer/early fall expected release date.

I've been Muxtapin' dig my obscure, and not so obscure, punk and power-pop gems! Dig it! I'm trying to update it monthly, which means more often than this biographical-log.
www.speedreeder.muxtape.com

More stuff to report, but it's summer, I should be outside. Not in front of a computer or Gameboy or whatever.

Top Eleven list:
1. Stefan Sagmeister speaking at MQ (and he dug the shirts we gave him, yes!)
(I really should write a full review/commentary of this event!)
2. Those DIY Compilations Rhino Records released in the early 90's
3. Yes, sadly, I've been playing Animal Crossing: Wild World, on Nintendo DS. The most evil and addictive game ever created! Oops, I gotta go pay Tom Nook!
4. OK, I'm back, If you got that joke, you're more of a nerd than I am.
5. Old Superman comics from the 50's and 60's, where Superman, is getting old, fat, bald, loses his powers, or Jimmy Olsen beats him at a pancake eating contest or something.
6. Early Judas Priest: Sin After Sin, and Stained Class!!
7. The Art of Looking Sideways, By Alan Fletcher. An all encompassing book about graphic design and creativity, and about everything else under the sun.
8. The First four Cheap Trick records. Dream Police is, uhhh, Dreamy?
9. Hello, Please! A cool book about Japanese Kawaii characters. I don't know who's better; Pepo the mousey Police mascot, or the Earthquake Preparedness Catfish?
10. The current story line starting in Batman Confidential # 17. The Catfight, which tells the story of the first time Batgirl met Catwoman back in the 80's. Great writing and awesome art by Kevin Mcguire!
11. San Diego band alert: The Muslims, great band. Pretty straight forward indie-punk-power-pop-whatever. I don't know what to label it. How about awesome?

Toucan Scam

I'm trying something new. I think I might do this, I think it just might work!

I've been thinking about using this biographical-log as an art-platform, a place to show off my new drawings 'n stuff. So, here is a nice vector drawing I made, using Illustrator CS3. Right now this birdie is going to be a Motmot button, and might end up as a poster.

So, in a previous post, I mentioned the amazing Charlie Harper book that I picked up a few months ago. And while I'm not trying to copy his style, (and definitely NOT comparing my work to his!) I am hoping some of his magic will rub off on me. I have been trying to move in a more stylized direction, but still keep the essence of whatever animal I happen to be drawing. Charlie Harper is the absolute master of the stylized animal drawing.

I didn't try to draw something that looked like Charlie Harper, but after working on this for a few hours, I realized it was looking kind of Harper-ish. Or Harper-esque. I'm not sure which.

While we were in Mexico, we had a chance to see some wild toucans. We packed up our stuff, and we found ourselves in the middle of the jungle, with a super nice guide; who lived in the jungle her whole life, and knew every birdcall. The toucan looked exactly like this! (Actually this is a toco toucan, and the toucans we saw we're keel-billed toucans, which look very similar, but have a different coloring.)

Garfield Minus Garfield

Y'know, when I was I kid, I kinda liked Garfield, but as I grew older I realized that the strip was pretty stupid. I read somewhere that Charles Schulz really, really, hated Garfield. Who could love a fat, lazy, overweight, surly house cat? I saw the Garfield movie last year,  and I though it was the stupidest movie I had ever seen. 

That said, I think these Garfield strips without the fat ugly cat, are pretty hilarious. Without Garfield, Jon Arbuckle becomes a sad grown-up version of Charlie Brown. 

Garfield minus Garfield

Cancelled Comics Catastrophe

A few years ago,  I had an idea to make a zine/comic. It really wasn't going to be a comic, but really a zine about comics, if that makes any sense. I dunno, it was a half-baked idea, that was never really fully thought out. But fate intervened, I picked up a pencil; and started drawing my own little comics, worked on new projects, and abandoned old projects. 

But I have this left-over from that original comic/zine idea, looking at it again, it reminds me of my student work, but it still makes me laugh.

This time I really mean it!

Hey folks, I'm way overdue for a real update. But not today.
Just a quick note, I'm back in Vienna, and it's good to be back.
We had a great time in Los Angeles and Mexico, I will have to post something someday, we had lots of interesting adventures.

I'm thinking about making a few changes to this blog and posting shorter posts more frequently, as opposed to long epic posts less frequently.
And maybe posting some different type of content, more drawings, and other stuff.

Top whatever list:
1. All Star Superman
2. Guided By Voices - Isolation Drills
3. Trojan "Rude Boy" and "Skinhead Reggae" box sets.
4. Graham Parker "The Up Escalator" and "Squeezing Out Sparks"
5. The Night Marchers live!
6. The All New Booster Gold and the original Booster Gold comics from the 80's
7. Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew "The Final Ark"
8. Panico - A super awesome Chilean post punk band who's CD I found in Mexico.
9. Tanner - those Tanner cds hold up pretty well, Gar Wood rocks! (I'm working on a best of the 90's post!)
10. WNYC's Radio Lab, especially the recent "War of the Worlds" show.
11. Geoff Mcfetridge and Ed Fella exhibition at the Red Cat gallery in Los Angeles.