BUTTER & BREAD

The End

2009-07-02T14:27:00.002+02:00

Oh The Memories. Hey all three people reading this. I know it's been slow, but we've been busy.
I'm just dropping a notice, that I will no longer be making my twice-yearly entries at this blog. I will be putting all my blog energies into the new Motmot blog!

you can find me here: http://motmotshop.com/blog/

Expect a more frequently and less epic blog style.
It's a part of the all new Motmot website.
I hope you will drop by and check it out!

tweet tweeet

2009-04-17T00:38:00.002+02:00

Hey anybody reading this, I know it's been slow on this blog, but it's all for the best. We're getting ready to make some big changes in the Motmot - Cheetahs Never Win universe.
There's some big changes coming up at Motmot, which should be totally awesome. Stay Tuned.
Cheetahs Never Win # 3 is well on it's way! It's roughly half finished! It's gonna be around 32 pages this time, and I'm looking forward to it! I've got some other graphic design and Illustration jobs in the pipeline. Which are keeping me busy.
I just wanted to stop by and say hello to anyone who might be reading. We haven't dropped off the face of the Earth, we've been keeping busy!
Stay Tuned!

We're also on twitter!
http://twitter.com/motmotshop

I Need Adventure

2008-12-16T02:00:00.005+01:00

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!

2008-10-27T03:29:00.005+01:00

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

2008-10-13T01:46:00.004+02:00

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!!!!

2008-09-17T13:22:00.003+02:00

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!

2008-07-17T03:57:00.007+02:00

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

2008-04-16T22:06:00.013+02:00

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

2008-04-01T14:55:00.006+02:00

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

2008-03-28T16:15:00.005+01:00

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!

2008-03-27T14:02:00.008+01:00

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.

Take Me To The Top!

2007-12-20T02:12:00.000+01:00

Wow! What a month, what a last few months, what a year!
Is it that time again? Yes it is! God Dammit! It is! It's time for another God damn update!!!!!! Hellelujah!
And what a last few months it's been! Fan-freaking-tastic! Just when I think I've become old, jaded, and crusty I come across something that kicks my ass and makes me feel young again! It's even weirder when it happens a few times a year.
It's been so long and we've seen so much cool stuff, it's been a treat my friends.
As my friend Zach used to say, "Take me to the top!"

A few days, weeks, I don't know, it seems so long ago (OK about 2 weeks) I had the distinct pleasure of catching the amazing canadian post-psychedelic rock outfit Caribou at the B72 here in Vienna. If you haven't checked out their newest recording "Andorra" I humbly suggest you give it a spin. It's one of the best things I've heard all year. It's a bit hard to describe, it's definitely psychedelic music, but somehow filtered through 30 years of punk-post punk-new wave-post hardcore-electro-post rock-and-electronica. Somehow Caribou manage to avoid all the clichés and pitfalls of psychedelic pop and make some great tunes. Their live show is what was really fantastic, they really put on a great live set. I'm happy to say they tour as a full band, with main-man Dan Snaith doing the multi instrument change-aroo during almost every song, often playing two instruments at once. Of course, what impressed me the most was when Dr. Snaith (the dude just got his Ph.D in mathematics!) was playing the drums, and Caribou had the dueling drumsets. It was a far freaking out, man!

So, you know, I was burrowing through the series of tubes we know as the internets, and I stumbled across Charley Harper. This guy must be the most influential illustrator that, it would seem, no one has heard of. OK it turns out he's a bit like Norman McLaren, and he did enjoy a bit of fame and fortune back in the day, but as time passes on, he's become a bit obscure. I've been influenced by Charley Harper without even knowing it. I've tried to draw/design simple and stylized animals for years, and it's hard to imagine Don Pendleton/Alien Workshop, Ryan McGinness, or Geoff McFetridge haven't all been heavily influenced by Mr. Harper!
It turns out that designer extraordinaire, Todd Oldham, has been slaving away making a book featuring Charley Harper's work, and that big, heavy, and expensive book arrived in the mail yesterday. When Anna and I got home, we started looking through this huge book and had a sense of amazement with the turn of every page. And on the next page there was something more amazing than what we had just seen, Harper's work is so clean, geometric, minimal and iconic, but it's never stiff. Hats off to Todd Oldham, who's Laissez-faire graphic design let's Charley Harper's work stand out. This book could have very easily become horribly and gratuitously over-designed, but Mr. Oldham let's Harper's work speak for it self. Amazing stuff.

And in the Holy-f@cking-sh!t category, we had the rare opportunity to see the meastro himself, ENNIO MORRICONE, live in concert. Now in his late 70's and having composed the soundtrack to some 400 films, Ennio Morricone has decided that he should take his show on the road. We were lucky enough to catch his show here in Vienna, and it did not disappoint. Having over 40 years worth of work to choose from, Morricone tended to stay away from his, shall we say, quirkier soundtracks and really put the orchestra to work. It was amazing to watch Morricone conduct a 100 piece orchestra and and additional 80 peice chorus, the music was beautiful and sublime. Of course, he played the "big hits" such as the main score from "The Good The Bad and the Ugly" and "The Mission" as well as lesser-known works such as "Indagine Su Un Cittadino Al Di Sopra Di Ogni Sospetto" and "Queimada." When they played "The Ecstacy of Gold" it gave me goosebumps! Needless to say, the crowd enjoyed it, and il Maestro came out for 7 encores! Leaving the concert hall, I wondered if we had just watched the Mozart or Beethoven of our time? What would movies and music be like without the music and influence of Morricone?

CHEETAHS NEVER WIN: Out Now!!!

2007-09-26T16:43:00.001+02:00

Cheetahs Never Win, No. 1 is out now.
It's 36 pages, B&W, Color Cover. $5.
Right now it's available at the MOTMOT shop.

UPDATE!
Cheetahs Never Win No. 1
Will be available in November at Atomic Books in Baltimore, MD. and at Quimby's in Chicago!
I am still interested in shops in YOUR area. Let me know!!!
It is also available NOW through mailorder in the Motmot online shop!!!
Online orders will receive an exclusive cheetah badge!
AND!The Cheetahs Never Win! Release party will coincide with the Murmel Comics 27 release party!
Murmel 27 will feature an all new comic by me! (As well as a gang of other fine comic artists!)

Friday November 9th. 9 PM
At: Fluc
In Vienna
Live: Rotterdam, Fantas Schimun, & the MurmelDjs

Be my friend on Myspace!
http://www.myspace.com/cheetahsneverwin

Random Record Reviews

2007-09-02T21:40:00.000+02:00

Here are some quick reviews of some new things I picked up. Not really a review, but more a heads up. Enjoy!

THE EAT were a punk rock band from the sunny state of Florida. Hence the silly title. Apparently, their original 7' releases are these incredibly obscure and over-priced collectors items. The fine folks at Alterntative Tentacles have graciously re-released the original Ep's, as well as a ton of extras: A cassette-only release, an album, and a heap of live songs!
The songs are kind of funny, lyrically, it sounds like these guys weren't dumb, and knew how to make a decent string of words into (often) funny lyrics.
It's kind of Lo-Fi, but not too Lo. A comparison to the Angry Samoans might not be too far off, and a number of reviews compare the Eat to the Angry Samoans, but I think it's not quite the case, the Eat are more melodic, less retarded, and the tunes are more memorable.
And the tunes are what is so great about this CD. This band was able to walk a fine line between raw punk and melody. The songs are pretty raw and tinny but these guys were able to put together some great rock and roll. It's raw, it's great, you can hum along to it.
...
Silkworm were one of my rock and roll mainstays during the 90's, they were real meat and potatoes rock. A three piece of Bass, Guitar and Drums. Rock music stripped down to it's most basic components. They always put on a great show, and were always friendly and talkative with their fans. For anyone who doesn't know their music I would recommend checking out "Italian Platinum." Sadly, after 15 years as a band, Silkworm called it quits in 2005 after the untimely death of drummer Michael Dahlquist.

Well, a few years have passed and and the other members have regrouped and are performing and recording under the name: Bottomless Pit. Their first record is coming out, Hammer of the Gods! You can listen to mp3's of four of the eight songs that will appear on the album.
I reminds me a lot of Silkworm, but somehow older, wiser and more contemplative, or maybe I'm just reading into it.
They've shuffled their line up a little bit, Tim Midgett has moved from bass to guitar, and they have a new rhythm section. Musically, it's similar to Silkworm, but they sound a little bit tighter, more fucused, and completely fantastic. I've been listening to the Mp3's non-stop. Andy Cohen is still one of the most amazing guitar players I have ever heard.
The album is a double 45 rpm LP, and also comes with a CD version of the album, so you have no excuse!
Bottomless Pit

Jams Run Free

2007-08-29T02:34:00.000+02:00

Hey! We saw Sonic Youth at the Arena in Vienna. Man, they were just as awesome as always, I'm beginning to think it was the best I have ever seen them!!! I'm always a little bit leery of big rock shows, big crowds tend to bother me, and I always like it when a band can remain accessible to their fans. But it's an imperfect word, what can you do?
They played a set heavily based on their excellent new record "Rather Ripped" and a lot of stuff from "Daydream Nation." They played my favorite song of theirs "Hey Joni!" Which I have never heard them play live. It seemed like most of the singing was done by Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldo, which is kind of a cool treat.
They ended with "The Trilogy" from Daydream Nation, which was completely fuckin' awesome.
Man, their live guitar sound was just so loud and otherworldly, so, uhhh, Sonic! The sound just fills up the space. You can really forget how different the live sound is compared to the recorded version.

I do find it interesting that they hardly played anything from their 90's era, they skipped over: Dirty, Washing Machine, EX Jet Set, and A Thousand Leaves. And they didn't play anything off of their last two records, Murray Street and Sonic Nurse (Both of which are also great!)
I'm just kind of wondering about this band, are they like the Grateful Dead of Indie rock? Are they the Beatles of indie rock? Or are they really some kind of avant-noise-rock band that managed to stick it out and stay creative? Probably a bit of all of the above. I have to give it up to the band, they have managed to stick around for over 25 years, with almost no line up changes and no backsliding. If only Thurston Moore would have signed Royce's bottle of Paul Newman brand salsa... but that was a long time ago, and now, i think I can forgive you Thurston!

I'm still here...

2007-08-13T00:32:00.000+02:00

We're just having a little "working vacation" in the South Tyrolean alps.
I'll post more later, but here's a weird little thing we found in the Italian grocery store.
For the baby that enjoys the finer things...

I've had a pleasant enough time watching some Swiss TV. Austrian and German TV are abysmally bad, but Swiss TV is pretty good. And they broadcast some shows in English and German. (If a movie is originally in English, they will send one signal in German, and one in English!) The other night they broadcast (uninterrupted and unedited), Anchorman, Secretary, then the Pretenders in Concert. A few days later they showed a great documentary on Elvis Presley.

Libraries are for Nerds

2007-07-19T23:27:00.000+02:00

An actual post about life in Vienna! Sort of, kind of.
I've mentioned to a few people that I pick up quite a few CDs from the Vienna public library.
The library itself is interesting, it is a huge brick and mortar monstrosity placed right above the subway line. It has a never-ending number of stairs that lead to a restaurant, and a nice view of the city. If you look at it just right it looks like an upside-down Jawa Sandcrawler (sandcrawlers are always good!)
It's nestled in a comfy spot not far from inbetween work and home.
I normally don't spend much time in libraries, even if they look like they were built by Jawas.
The books are mostly in German, (duh!) so not much for me there.
But real deal is the amazing Compact Disc collection. They must have some cool people buying their music; I've never seen a library with this good of a music selection, not even my college library. Even after CSUF rebuilt their library, their shelves just seemed to have "library" music. (e.g., zydeco compilations, e-z jazz, Harry Smith's anthology of folk music, ZZ top, more jazz, and Gato Barbieri.)
The library will let you actually take 12 Cds home, for a whole month (with very modest late fees!) (CSUF, didn't let you take anything home, and the Cerritos Library let you take it home for a week, but with hefty late fines! I still owe the Cerritos Library a fortune!)
Last week I made it over to the Library and here's my big score.

1. Fela - Beasts of No Nation
2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Abbatoir Blues + The Lyre of Orpheus
3. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O.
4. Linton Kwesi Johnson - Poet and the Roots
5. The Donnas - Spend the Night
6. Kraftwerk - Autobahn
7. Desmond Dekker - You Can Get it if You Really Want
8. Brian Eno - Ambient 1 - Music for Airports
9. Brian Eno - Ambient 4 - On Land
10. 20 Years of Dischord Box set!
11. The Temptations 2 CD set

Not to mention all the other stuff I've found: Shellac, Fugazi, Ian Dury, RFTC, Ethiopiques, Philip Glass, Melvins, Can, Faust, Steve Reich, XTC, and countless number of Lee Perry CDs. And they seem to keep current, I've picked up (or seen) stuff, by the Futureheads, Go! Team, Grizzly Bear, Arcade Fire, etc...
They also have CDs by your favorite Austrian, German, and Turkish pop stars.
They have a pretty good Jazz section, and an intimidating classical section.
I wonder who is buying the cool stuff.

Cheetahs Never Win!

2007-07-09T03:55:00.001+02:00

Hey folks, It's been nearly a month. I just wanted to drop by and mention we're having a great summer, we're having a great time with lots of friends visiting, and we're having an all around bitchen summer! (And lots of work to keep us busy! The Motmot shop is bustin' loose, and we've got some new shirt designs ready for action!)
But I really wanted to mention, that I have come up with a definite title for my upcoming comic. Drum roll please......

CHEETAHS NEVER WIN!

Here's the cover art, I'm expecting a mid-late summer release date.
Around 36 photocopied pages of wacky-mad-cap comedy and foul mouthed animals in crisis and despair! Fun for the whole family, expose your kids to life's harsh realities at an early age, it's gonna happen eventually, why not in the form of a comic!
Available some time in mid August.
It's really happening!

I'm Giving it Away

2007-06-12T00:27:00.000+02:00

Here's a sneak preview of one of my one-page-gag-strips.
This comic appeared in Murmel Comics # 25.
A slightly different version will be appearing in my upcoming comic collection titled "Run Like Hell!"
But here you can see the original!

Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire!

2007-06-08T02:39:00.000+02:00

Wow, less than 6 months between posts, I'm on a roll!
I don't know why, but I just haven't posted much of my comics, or other hi-jinx, on this blog. And I think I really should, I blab about everything else; but then I think, it's such an egotistical thing to do. But then I think, ya' gotta hustle, and a blog is a pretty egotistical thing anyway...
Time to toot my own horn, so, here goes.

1. Rosebud Magazine, Number 6. is out now! I've seen it in finer shops in Vienna, and I saw it in London. It's probably in New York, and L.A. and who knows where else! I have a series of color-Xerox collages, taking up 6 pages of this gargantuan (400 pages!) book. Check it out, there is a preview page, (with two of my pieces!) the design is amazing, the whole thing is awesome. Those folks at Rosebud do great stuff!

2. Murmel Comics Number 26 is out now (although extremely difficult to find outside of Austria!) The theme of the issue is "Lying." I drew up a few pages, throwing light on a few of the best yarns I've ever spun. Like the one shown above, now you know the truth about poor Tom Marley!

3. If you know me, you know I've been contributing to Murmel Comics for a while, and a few of my friends have been curious to see what I've been doing. So, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I will be collecting all my Murmel contributions, and a lot of new stuff, and rolling it into my own comics zine. It should be around 32 pages, and should be out some time in the summer! It's still in production! I didn't give up, not yet, at least! Will be available in the Motmot shop, as well as a few other fine outlets!

-have a bitchen summer, K.I.T.-Steve

Bummer school

2007-05-23T15:03:00.000+02:00

Hey friends! Here's a quick run down of what I've been up to and in to.
1. I've been taking a German class again, after 3 years of struggling with this stupid language, and I have to say that things are finally beginning to click. I also picked up a great book called "English Grammar, for Students of German." It breaks down German grammar and explains the quivalent in English grammar (or points out when it's just different!) I thought cases didn't exist in English, I never knew that word order and pronouns are how we express them (in German, cases are expressed using articles and conjugation, and word order is flexible. Yowza!)

2. Anna and I did a presentation on "Radness in Graphic Design" and we did a screenprinting workshop at the Johanneum in GRAZ, Austria. It was interesting working with graphic design students, because we normally work with High School kids. I was fun to give a little lecture on skateboard and punk graphics, because I'm sure they haven't seen any of this stuff.

3. Soho in Ottakring, is the annual arts festival in the 16th district in Vienna. (AKA Ottakring) There was some good stuff, but I was seriously blown away by a short film called "While Darwin Sleeps" by an English film maker named Paul Bush. An amazing piece of animation, that reminds me of Stan Brakhage but Paul Bush takes his Brakhage influence and goes somewhere new with it.

4. Ted Leo's "Living with the Living" I think it's his best so far, I think it's his "London Calling." I seriously think he should be as huge as the Clash were in 1983! Right now the world needs smart and politically informed music! Ted Leo is a rocker for sure, but he's all over the place on this record, punk, power pop, reggae, and even a little folk, make this a great mixed bag of music.
Hey! he's playing in Vienna in June!

I enjoy actually having time to get some of my art and graphics finished! It looks like we might have some new shirt graphics, and the comics zine, might actually come out on time!

Bis bald-Steve

Their Greatest Hits

2007-05-03T14:51:00.000+02:00

Today, Thursday, May 3rd. 2007, I feel as if I have somehow come full circle, or at least a very-small and minor chapter of my life has come to a close. But still, it's something that's bugged me on and off for 15 years!
What's the big hubub?
It all has to do with a band called Trusty. Trusty, a pop-punk band most of you have never heard of.

Yep, this is gonna be a long-ass record review, but one with a unique personal twist.

Let's set the way-back-machine to around 1990-1992. That's about the time I started driving, going to punk shows and hanging out at Zed records. One day I walk in and Big Frank Harrison is listening to a bunch of demo tapes various bands have sent to him. He hears one, isn't too thrilled, and he asks me if I want it!
I take the cassette and I'm pretty thrilled with it, it's good melodic punk rock, but with a real power-pop twist. Punk music that's really poppy and catchy, but it's loud and still has balls. Maybe if the Misfits and the Beatles teamed up.
Slowly, I become enamored with this demo tape, and want to find out more about this band, Trusty. Little information, I don't even know the names of the songs, I just got a tape with "TRUSTY" written on it!

So time goes on, and in a fanzine (probably Flipside, remember, this is pre-internet!) I read a review of a record by Trusty, and I find out that they are from Little Rock, Arkansas! (Punk from Arkansas, whoooooaaaa, that fat guy running for president is from Little Rock, right? (O.K. so it turns out they were hometown heroes, and there was a ragin' music scene in Little Rock, AK.)) So, I order the record from a label called Truant Records, a few weeks later, I get this weird looking record, it's orange, with a big T and it's got some ants drawn on it. I put it on, ...it rocks... it's pretty good....I get to the end...and..the...demo tape songs...aren't on it???
I pick up a few more Trusty discs over the years, some of which are amazing, and some of which are just O.K. Then I hear that Trusty have moved to Washington D.C. and are making some good tunes.

(Here's where I gush about this band.) Their song "Capitol Hill" appears on a comp called "Echoes From the Nation's Capitol." Which I picked up on cassette, of course! This song starts out sounding like the Misfits, and ends up in a chaotic crash of powerpop oohhs and aaahhs, with a little piano thrown in, and an extended chorus/outtro. Exactly two and a half minutes of power-punk-pop bliss After nearly 15 years this is still one of my favorite songs. Their Kathy's Keen EP on Desoto records is not far behind, both songs are really rocking punk anthems. This is some of my all time favorite music.
Their best stuff appeared on singles and compilations. It seems as if they gave their best stuff away, and when they made their proper albums on Dischord, they didn't have these incredibly strong songs anchoring side A and side B, respectively. As a result their records on Dischord never floored me. Maybe they're a great singles band, the Buzzcocks and XTC's best stuff are their singles. O.K., no biggie, I digress, Trusty were a great band. They put out another record did some touring, moved back to Little Rock, then split up in 1997. I never did get to see them play live.
....
Fast forward to 2007, I threw out almost all of my cassettes ages ago, the Trusty demo and "Echoes..." cassettes (along with hundreds of others) were lost in a endless shuffle and eventually I threw out boxes and boxes of tapes. I had been looking for an MP3 of "Capitol Hill" for ages, turns out my friend Royce had an MP3 of "Capitol Hill" and "Kathy's Keen!" I don't think Royce realized the treasure I had just found (thanks Royce, you will be rewarded in punk-rock heaven!) So I rock out to Trusty all over again, and I begin to wonder about those long lost demo-songs, Keep in mind, this is something that has been nagging at me, for like, 15 years!

I do a little searching on the internets, and find a CD called "The Paul Years" which is their first album as well as a few demos and compilation tracks, and it has also been out of print for almost 10 years! I manage to track down a record seller in Germany who has it, and when I receive it, it's like the first time I got the debut Trusty record; as I go through the songs, I realize that those precious demo tracks are absent! I start thinking; I imagined the songs, or maybe I didn't remember them correctly or something!?!?
After a little more internet researching, I find out that Trusty have dusted off their guitars, and recorded a few new songs, and along with the new songs, the new CD has a bunch of "lost" songs never released!
So I place an order.
Which arrived this morning.
Finally.
As I go through the songs, I realize the two new songs "Sugar Smack" and "Gone" are Trusty classics, and again they put two fantastic songs on an EP! Along with a 15 year old demo! Then, when song number 3 comes on, I hear this tinny demo tape sound, and it's sounds pretty familiar (I always thought my copy of the tape was of poor quality, but it was the recording itself!), then when I get to song 7, it clicks, and everything is exactly how I remember it.
I've got the names of the songs! Passive Spy, The Greatest Hits, 10th and Rock, as well as others!
I thought they said "the Brain is Dead!" It turns out they say "The Greatest Hits!"

What's interesting, is that, in the liner notes, they explain why these songs never saw the light of day, and were never properly recorded! (It's a long story, but basically they were going to be re-recorded and released, but their indie-label (Skene! of all labels!) folded and the band distanced themselves from this era of songs. Then the tapes were thought to be lost, and then eventually, were found.) I wonder what would have happened if Big Frank had liked the tape and contacted the band?

But what's interesting for me, is that at least one loose end in my life has been tied up. Let's call it a wrap, the mystery of the Trusty demo has been solved, let's go get some Scooby snacks. It's like being reuinted with an old friend, finding a lost heirloom, or stumbling upon some old photographs that you though were lost. Closure isn't the right word for what I'm trying to describe. To extend the "old friend" metaphor: it's like meeting an old friend and finding out what they've been up to, discovering that you still have something in common, and realizing that they've been wondering about you too.

Trusty's "Sugar Smack" CD is available at MaxRecordings.com. A fine distributor of all things Little Rock!
More Trusty available from Dischord

It's Springtime

2007-04-14T13:48:00.000+02:00

Wow! It's Springtime, time to dust off those old shelves, throw out all those unwanted X-mas gifts, and update this biographical-log. Whew.
That said, the weather's been exceptionally beautiful, and I don't feel all that compelled to sit in front of a computer all day, I would rather be at the beach, or something (no beaches in Austria!) But, here I am, pluggin' away, because my job needs me to sit and watch a shop, and do stuff with a computer! So here we are, sorry, I haven't updated since November, but I've been sorta busy. Busy doing what you say? Well we've been slaving over a hot computer day and night to bring you the motmot online shop!!!!
Check it out: motmot shop.
You can finally get our stuff.

And I've been slaving away with pen and paper, to try to bring the world my first comics-zine. I've been contributing stuff to Vienna's own Murmel Comics for a few years, and a few friends have wanted to see the stuff, but it's impossible to get in the USA and 95percent of the comic is in German (except my stuff!) So, I'm collecting my contributions, as well as a bunch of other things I've been drawing the last few years, into a heaping 40 page tome! You can get existential with foul-mouthed dinosaurs, nihilist dodos, Sad-sack Shark, surly beavers, pissed-off elephants, and a host of others. Loads 'o laffs. I've been toying with different titles, so far it's either "RUN LIKE HELL!" or "THIS PLACE SUCKS!" It should be out sometime late spring/early summer. Available in the Motmot online shop, as well as Quimby's in Chicago, and Needles and Pins in San Francisco. You can help, by letting me know of a cool/easy going zine shop in your town!

Top List
1. "For Cal" compilation. I feel lucky to be able to call one of my personal heroes, J. Robbins, a friend. The whole Jawbox/Burning Airlines gang have always been really sweet people and have been really great to their fans. It's really sad to say, that J. and his wife have a very sick baby boy. The nice people from The Cultural Society and Catlick Records have put out an amazing 2 CD compilation. Arcwelder, Channels, David Grubbs, Joe Lally, Jawbreaker, Life and Times, and MISSION OF BURMA, are just a few bands that have contributed! It's great to see so many great bands throw down for a good cause. Go get it!
2. Trans Am: Sex Change. A return to greatness from a band that never really went downhill, but it's one of their best!
3. Trusty: A great band that lots of people never heard of, great power-pop-punk.
4. Flamin' Groovies: Shake Some Action! A classic!
5. Smoking Popes: Destination Failure. This record is 10 years old, where was I when this came out? Good poppy punk slightly-emo, but we'll let it slide because the songs are so great.
6. This American Life TV version. Exactly what a TV version of this American Life should be like, it will be interesting to see if they can really make it something new for television.
7. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Living with the Living. Possibly Ted Leo's finest to date!
-Steve

Brrrrrrrrrrr......

2006-11-02T14:36:00.000+01:00

Hey folks, nice to be bloggin' again, it's like my two weeks is up, time to make a new mark on the ol' internets.
Just wanted to touch base, and make a few observations.
1. It's the 2nd day of November, and it's the first snow of the year! I am woefully under-dressed for today, time to get the coat out, for those of you that live in California, a coat is thick jacket, with long sleeves, sometimes with a cap or hat attached.
2. Viennale film festival: Not much interesting this year, a bit of a disappointment. We managed to see a film on an Italian mafia-murder case, the interesting documentary "My Country My Country" and John Turturro's "Romance and Cigarettes" which is really a Coen Brothers movie in disguise.
I was kind of disappointed that Jesus Camp, wasn't playing, but maybe next year?
We wanted to see The Pervert's Guide to Cinema which seems like a great documentary featuring Slovoj Zizek (sorry, I dropped the accents) and his ideas and ramblings about the movies. Vienna being the city that it is (I can't help but think that in most towns, a movie screening about a Slovenian philosopher's film theories would be half full, at best) the movie was hopelessly sold out, and we didn't have half a chance of getting in. Lots of art school kids in attendance, looking arty.
3. Raymond Pettibon at the Kunsthalle in Vienna, We all know and love the work of Raymond Pettibon, you know the guy who did the Black Flag art? Yeah well now he's a pretty major and respected artist, and some of his drawings are on display in Vienna. I attended the opening, and it was funny to hear the museum director, go on and on about Pettibon, and then Pettibon, went up and struggled to utter and mumble a few words, and say thanks. I talked him into drawing Gumby and Pokey in my sketchbook, so now I have my own Pettibon drawing!
A few days later Greil Marcus gave a lecture about art and politics, and talked about: Riot Girl, Philip Roth, Bikini Kill, Sinclair Lewis, Sleater Kinney, T.V. on the Radio, and Green Day. When asked about Raymond Petibon, he said something to the extent of "Eh, not a fan."
4. Erwin Wurm at the MUMOK. Erwin Wurm, is pretty bitchen, I like the guy's work, I'll forgive him for the Red Hot Chili Pepper's, because he didn't make it, they were just "inspired" by him. Good Stuff, some of the best artwork I've seen in a while, like Charles Ray, with a sense of humor.
5. I caught them all. I caught/evolved every Pokemon in Pokemon Pinball advanced, I am a nerd.

Peasant In The Big Shitty

2006-10-14T03:08:00.000+02:00

Hi folks, not much to say, it's been a month, and we've been busy. Holeeeeeeee moleeey, have we been busy. I hope you enjoy the re-design (O.K. I just switched blogger templates!) I just saw one too many blogs with the old format I was using, and decided to make a switch.
We had a quick visit to the island of Ischia, and the city of Naples (Neapolis, the Latin name, which I like more.)
Naples, whoa! A city going on all burners, 25 hours a day, it was amazing to see scooters speeding downhill in the wrong direction, scooters cutting through the pedestrian zones, seeing live octopus being sold on the street, laptops and cell phones being sold on the street, and seeing 2000 year old pornography at the museum. An amazing chaotic city; Rome, London, L.A. Vienna, and N.Y., don't have a thing on Naples. Now, every city I have ever visited before seems like a tranquil hamlet. After a 100 meter walk from the train station to the bus station, I found that someone had opened my backpack's outside pocket, and I guess they didn't think my ink pens and pencil sharpener were worth stealing. (Good thing they didn't find my passport and ipod shuffle!) I guess I had gotten off with a slight warning. And yeah Mt. Vesuvius is always looming overhead, a city at the foot of an active volcano.

What a city, we only had two days, and I had a cold, but I eagerly want to return to Neapolis!

OK so now we're back laying low, and hiding out from the man.
Top Ten:
1. Alan Moore's Top Ten comic, I like it even more because the city is called Neopolis, and seems to be a cross between Naples and (Superman's) Metropolis.
2. The Stranglers' "The Raven" This might be their best record, great new wave, but it's really pretty punk. Great keyboards and cool guitar, fat bass, fucked up lyrics and everything you would expect from the dirty old men of punk.
3. Roy Loney solo records, I downloaded some great out of print stuff from a great website called Powerpop Lovers (too lazy to link) and I discovered the Flaming Groovies singer's solo records have some great songs.
4. The Flys, more good stuff from Powerpop lovers.
5. Lee Perry: Scratch The Upsetters Again, another great find from the Vienna Library.
6. Japanther! Live! More NYC/Rhode Island drum and bass noise rock, but with some good harmonies and great songs.
7. Raymond Pettibon doodling and autographing in my sketchbook!!! And the overwhelming Pettibon exhibition at the Vienna Kunsthalle.
8. Being able to read Roberto Calasso's "Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony." A really interesting approach to Greek mythology, it seems more rewarding than Edith Hamilton.
9. Slowly slogging through Brian Greene's " Fabric of the Cosmos" he gives the lowdown on space and time, it turns out OUR experience of reality isn't really reality.
10. EMPIRE "Expensive Sound" The guitarist from Generation X, did this little ol' punk band in 1981, turns out this very obscure record would be a huge influence on American underground music. Those DC hardcore kids ate it up and this record was a big influence on Embrace/Fugazi/Gray Matter/Soulside (And who knows who else?) . AND it turns out it was a favorite of a very young teenage guitarist in San Diego, back when he was starting his band Pitchfork. This record is finally available on CD with a bunch of x-tra nasty bonus cuts. I'm planning to do a full review of this when ever I get the time. Thanks to J. for turning me on to this.
Later Folks.

Helvetica: The Movie

2006-09-05T17:27:00.000+02:00

I never thought anybody would make a movie about a font!
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Helvetica, a documentary is being released.
The movie promises to examine the world of typography, graphic design and global visual culture.
The Helvetica Movie is being directed by the Producer of the Moog Documentary and the Wilco Docementary, and will feature a boatload of interviews with people who are superstars in the graphic design-world. (Stefan Sagmeister, Tobias Frere-Jones, Jonathan Hoefler and Erik Speikermann, to name a few.)

Helvetica (and its bastard cousin Arial) are like the cosmic microwave background radiation of the typographic universe, it's so ubiquitous, you hardly notice it. It's nice to see someone pointing it out!
Helvetica: The Movie!

Camping Out On Cookie Mountain

2006-09-02T14:25:00.000+02:00

(File under: judging a book by its cover.)
I Recently picked up TV on the Radio's new record, "Return to Cookie Mountain." It's a pretty good record too, I like it.
But this has nothing to do with the music; looking at the CD cover, and the inside booklet, and the especially atrocious looking back-cover (not pictured here), I thought the record looked like something from 1992. Then I realized that is was released on 4AD, and looked again at the credits, and discovered that yes, indeed, the graphics were done by the once-great Vaughan Oliver.
Vaughan Oliver did some great work for 4AD back in the day, I even have a collection of his work, (This Rimy River: Vaughn Oliver and Graphic Works 1988-94.) But looking at the TVOTR cd I can't help but notice how stuck in time his work looks nowadays. Even David Carson has moved on and has let his graphic style evolve, but Oliver's work appears to be caught in some kind of time-warp-loop.

We will crush you!!!

2006-08-28T18:01:00.000+02:00

Y'know, this has been bugging me for a while now, and I saw this DVD in the post office and finally thought to say my two cents.
Meet Disney's newest addition to Hundred Acre Wood, Heffalump.
Now, Heffalump (or Lumpy as he's called in the movie) is cute and all, but he looks suspiciously similar to the mascot of the GOP.
Is Disney trying to push a conservative agenda on our children? He's purple too, are they trying to say let's all get along (red and blue states) under benevolent Republican hegemony? Look how ONE Heffalump outweighs nearly all the other residents of Pooh's forest! No, our society is not all equal! The needs of the many (Pooh's multi-cultural pals) do not outweigh the needs of the few! (Thanks, Spock!)
I think this poster speaks volumes.

And if you think this sounds ridiculous, just think about Jerry Falwell's attack on another purple character.

(Although, I like this alternative poster quite a bit, and it works well in German.)

(Still) Rockin' in the Free World

2006-08-25T02:22:00.000+02:00

A new-first for me, but something I've always wanted to do: random record reviews.
I just wanted to cover stuff that I have and like, stuff that's bad (and overhyped), stuff I just bought, some records and bands that I just stumble across, and the occasional judging a book (or in this case a CD) by it's cover.
I've had this idea for a long time, but I don't write for a magazine, and let's face it, magazines only review records to keep up with PR campaigns. It's rare to see a review of some old record that one should check out (the only time you see that is when a record is re-issued, which is, again, a part of someone's publicity campaign!)
So, from time to time, I will be posting some reviews of stuff I simply dig.

So, here goes...

While I have been collecting records for a good portion of my life (20 years!) I have a pretty decent sized collection, and I think I know a fair amount about different bands and artists, there are a some very significant gaps in my musical knowledge. I don't think I've ever really listened to Janis Joplin, Neurosis, Megadeth, Tommy Keane, Styx, or Pavement. I don't listen much to Led Zeppelin, Velvet Underground, Dinosaur Jr. or the Stones either. Sue me.
One particular artist that I have always avoided is Neil Young. Why? I don't know why exactly, probably a vague hippy association, and then a vague grunge association, O.K., that's exactly why.
Recently, a few things have made me re-think some aspects of Mr. Neil Young, particularly, his great 1975 album, ZUMA.
1. After meeting a number of Canadians, and of all the famous-Canadians-that-we-are-proud-that-they-aren't-American, Neil Young seems to be at the top of the list, much higher than Pamela Anderson, William Shatner or Jim Carrey.
2. Thinking about that video, where he made fun of Michael Jackson's hair catching fire, how punk is that?
3. Seeing him recently on Stephen Colbert, and his segment was funny as hell.

So, after seeing Neil Young on Colbert, I downloaded a couple of tunes, and liked what I heard. Then as luck would have it, when I went to the library and they had about 4 Neil Young CD's and ZUMA was one of them. Sure the folk-rock-country sounds of Harvest are nice, but it's all about ZUMA, you rocker, you.

ZUMA is a record Neil Young recorded with Crazy Horse in 1975, when I was only 3 years old, (for those of you that don't know, a year after I got the big scar on my face). And while it's not Neil Young's most famous record, it certainly isn't obscure, but it is certainly different than what was happening at the time. It seems as if Neil Young and Crazy Horse wanted to record the nastiest, dirtiest, loudest, and swampiest (is that even a word?) blues record ever recorded.
I knew that Slint covered "Cortez the Killer" but I didn't expect that ZUMA was such an influence on so much music I like. It's like the first time I heard Mission of Burma or the Stooges, and realized, "OH, that's where that sound comes from!"
To name just a few bands I like that really seem to have been influenced by this record are: Slint, Drive Like Jehu(!), (especially) Silkworm, Sonic Youth and Guided By Voices. Acoustic Folk, Bright jangly guitar pop and weird dark discordant blues are the colors of this album, but the thing that stands out is Neil Young's jangly, loose (almost sloppy) guitar playing. Some songs are drenched in feedback, crunching overdriven guitars, and yet contain a weird sparseness and tension. Think of the quiet moments in a song by Slint and you're getting the idea. And Neil Young's frequent backing band, Crazy Horse's sparse and restrained playing really give the record this feeling. Zuma, has the feeling of being one long song with different parts and moods. This CD is like discovering the primordial DNA of a certain breed of indie/grunge/punk rock (I'm sure it was an influence on a number of bands I don't like) complete with the crappy cover drawing that looks like it was done by your eight year old cousin.

The Humid Press Of Days

2006-08-06T01:24:00.000+02:00

Hi folks, those of you who still check this space, man, it's been a long time. Holy crap! The last entry was in February, and I was still in California!!! Yikes! Man, that means I haven't had much time to waste on this biographical-log.
Well, a lot has happened.
The first week after I returned to Vienna, we moved into a new apartment, which is actually down the street from the old one. It's nice, and we're pretty happy with the place.
Oh and we moved the MOTMOT shop, down the street from where it used to be, and that has been quite a handful of work. It's fun and actually quite rewarding to run your own shop. So far we haven't lost any $$$. So, hopefully, it keeps doing better. We are working on the website which will be up and running one of these days, with online ordering and all that fancy stuff. Any day now...
And we don't have an internet connection at home, so I can only update this at the shop!

Yeah, so what's new anyway? Lots of time spent working and fixing up the apartment, and not a lot of time for anything else.
My mind is drawing a blank when it comes to what I've been up to. Mostly reading and coming up with new artwork, which isn't really all that exciting to write about. Lots of nights spent drawing and listening to the radio; the life of a graphic designer/illustrator/shopkeeper/screenprinter/commercial artist, it's pretty boring. No crack cocaine hooker parties for me.

Which reminds me that I do have a few things being published this year: I should have a few photos and a few sentences published in the upcoming Jabberjaw book, whenever that gets published. O.K. it's not a lot of stuff, it's a few photos of bands (Lungfish and Trenchmouth) and a paragraph about my overall impression of what made the Jabberjaw so great.
Jabberjaw on Myspace
AND I have a few collages appearing in ROSEBUD magazine. Rosebud is an annual publication which features a different theme for every issue, the upcoming issue will be titled "Ideal." The collages are a series which I made using a color copier. This was a more process-oriented series than I had done before, I would run the collages through the copier multiple times, until I would come up with something interesting. Thematically, the artwork deals with: religious fundamentalism, intelligent design, the apocalypse, evolution, anthropomorphism and commercial art. Somehow these topics seemed to match up with the idea behind the "Ideal" issue. I can't wait until this comes out!
Issue 6 of Rosebud should be out by the end of the year.
Rosebud magazine

I'm also adding a few things to my sidebar, y'know links to friends and good stuff, like 2nd Cannons and Killed By Death Records!

Top Ten for Summer 2006
1. The Marked Men, who says punk's dead. These guys make some great punk music. Can't wait to see them when they play in Europe this fall! Yeah so what If I mentioned them earlier, they still rule!!!
2. Almost everything written by Grant Morrison! WE3 and Seaguy rule, and even his All Star Superman comic is great (yeah, that's right SUPERMAN! Not to mention his run on Animal Man, and the Filth, and Seven Soldiers!)
3. We Jam Econo. I saw this at the local rock-bar, but I ordered the DVD and I think I like it even more, there are some great deleted scenes, and music videos. The Bonus DVD has 3 whole Minutemen shows! A great band, and D. Boon certainly was taken from us way too early.
4. Kenny Burrell, he just rules, to any Kenny Burrel detractors I say, listen to Midnight Blue or Blue Bash with Jimmy Smith!
Technical virtuosity and great feeling, without being too overbearing.
5. Stephen Colbert rules! That speech at the White House Press Corps dinner, ouch! His show ain't bad either!
6. Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku, A good introduction to the current state of theoretical physics. Stranger than Sci-fi!
7. Swami Sound System streaming online! John Reis' radio show is as great as you would expect!
8. Podcasting, just in general, I'm glad people are getting with it, and making a lot of great shows available. For me it's X-tra great, I can get caught up on my news (and other stuff.)
9. The Fact that the Channels CD comes out this month, I'm sure it's gonna be great. The Licensee is such a great song, and I'm kind of glad to see that it's on Dischord. Waiting for the Next End of the World!
10. The Jam, the Specials, always great summertime music! And lots of great stuff I downloaded from Killed By Death records, that guy is posting some great obscure punk and power-pop. The Toys and Slime ep's are highly recommended!

See ya next time, folks, all 3 of you!

Graphic Masterpieces

2006-02-15T14:45:00.000+01:00

I'm in the last week of my Southern California vacation, and I'm here, doing this, while I should be out surfin' or going to Disneyland or something.
I have found two great examples of bad album cover art, which, nowadays I find way more interesting than GOOD album cover art. Although, some of these are so bad, they go past good and back to bad.
I wonder how some of these ever get printed; either they had NO budget for artwork, or they were fried-stoned-baked out of their minds!

Museum of Bad Album Covers

Pitchfork Media's: The Worst Record Covers of All Time

Enjoy this graphic treasure trove! Leave a comment and let me know which are your "favorites."

The Big Heist

2006-01-23T14:22:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! As most of my friends in the USA probably know I am back in the USA for a few weeks to get caught up with friends and enjoy the lovely California winter.
But the update is an incredible story that happened recently in Vienna.

On May 11, 2003, the Saliera was stolen from the Art History museum in Vienna. Cellini's Saliera is a very famous piece of sculpture, if anyone reading this took Renaissance art history in college, you should remember this particular sculpture. It has been described as the "Mona Lisa" of sculpture, and with the exception of Michelangelo's David, is possibly the most famous piece of sculpture in the world. This piece was one of the highlights at the Vienna Art Historical Museum. Estimated to be worth $60,000,000 (THAT'S RIGHT! Sixty Million Dollars!) it was one of the most valuable art objects ever stolen!
After it was stolen there were calls to fire the director of the museum, and it was an embarrassing and tragic loss.

Then, just two days ago, on January 21st, after nearly three years, the Saliera was finally recovered. The recovery process was a long and difficult investigation involving some high-tech surveillance and tracing phone records. When the police finally apprehended the suspect, he confessed and told the police where he had hidden the sculpture, and when it was finally returned, the sculpture hadn't been damaged.

Now, what's so strange about the whole story is that the man the police captured, works across the street from our shop/office. He even came into our shop, and Anna saw him just a few days ago before he was arrested. And, of course, in true-criminal fashion, the art-thief owns and operates a burglar alarm company (he's got a cute window display featuring Disney's Beagle Boys memorabilia, which now seems just a bit ominous). We called him many times to try to get an estimate for an alarm system for our shop, but he never really returned our calls. In retrospect, I'm glad he didn't.

Thoughts about Glenn Gould (50th anniversary edition)

2005-12-30T01:24:00.000+01:00

I've been spending the holidays with my girlfriend and her friends and family in Northern Italy, in the city of Merano.
I went to a local book shop and picked up a few CD's, the selection is a bit limited, so I picked up a few things I probably would have skipped over in a huge record shop like Amoeba...

I have to say beforehand, that I don't know a lot about "classical" music.
I originally picked up a CD for my mom, A deluxe 50th anniversary edition of Glenn Gould playing the Goldberg Variations, recorded in 1955. Of course, it looked so nice I had to open it up and listen to it myself.
The music is intriguing, simply Gould on solo piano playing one of Bach's lesser known pieces (which, apparently, Gould made famous!) (Listening to the music, it makes me wonder if Glenn Gould's stripped down style, influenced later minimalists such as Philip Glass and Steve Reich.) There are some outtakes, and extra songs, some interesting unreleased pieces, which just add to the overall package.

But the packaging is what's so great about it.
The CD comes with a nice book, in a sturdy slipcase, and the CD itself comes in a sleeve that is a replica of the original album. The original album artwork is pretty nice, although it is classical music, the sleeve is more reminiscent of Blue Note style jazz LPs. And what's cool is the actual disc is a CD that resembles a 5" record. It has the vintage label, with grooves, and is an all black CD. Just holding it and looking at it, the cd itself is such a nice art object.
The book is a 165 page hardbound book, with EXTENSIVE notes (in English, German and French), an interview with the original producer, Columbia's original press material, relevant news articles from the era, and photos galore. Looking through the book it reminds me about the movie Twenty Two Films about Glenn Gould, I saw it a long time ago on PBS and thought it was interesting, but I barely remember it, I'm gonna have to watch it again one of these days. (It also makes me think how our neighbors up north, Canada, do such a better job at preserving their cultural legacy, but that's another subject!)
I like to see when a record label tries a little bit harder, and makes their product a little bit nicer, maybe they could get the hint and make the music come in nicer packaging, and turn the whole thing into a kind of special object, maybe people would want to buy the CD.
And the whole package cost $18, the cost of a regular CD nowadays.

I'm thinking about a few anniversary reissues that could use this treatment.
John Coltrane's Blue Train and/or A Love Supreme.
Steve Reich's Music for 18 musicians and or Drumming (although Steve Reich's gotten the Box Set treatment)
Elvis Presley's Sun sessions, Johnny Cash as well.
All the recordings by Buddy Holly (including the "Apartment" tapes, c'mon it's about time!)
The Beatles' Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (I'm not even a big Beatles fan but this would be interesting)
I think the Beach Boys Pet Sounds would have been better served with this treatment, than a whole box set dedicated to one record!

Bif! Bam! Pow!

2005-12-27T01:52:00.000+01:00

Long overdue.

Since moving to Austria I've started reading comic books again. I am trying to learn some German by reading comics, it's much easier to follow a story with text and visual narrative. But slowly I've been picking up a few new superhero comics. Yes, superhero comics. Why? I picked up a copy of Seth's "It's a good life, if you don't weaken." And was bored silly. The protagonist (the Author) was so self-absorbed, uptight, and unlikable, I sort of gave up on "indie" comics right then and there. And the last issue of Eightball was a superhero comic, which leads me to believe that most of the people doing "indies" grew up on a steady diet of Marvel and DC.

I recently picked up DC's Jonah Hex Showcase, which reprints a bazillion stories from the 70's. There is some fantastic artwork and some great stories with a weird and almost supernatural twist. Jonah Hex is pretty closely based on the Clint Eastwood character from the Sergio Leone "Man with no name" trilogy. But Jonax Hex is mean, I mean, he's really nasty and mean. I think the basic definition of an Anti-hero is a character who's both bad and good, but the good they do outweighs the bad. (Usually the Anti hero tries to do good but has some serious personality flaws) Jonah Hex's good deeds barely overtake his bad, by a very slim margin. D.C. has recently relaunched a new Jonah Hex series that is every bit as weird and crazy as the original, from reading the first issue, it looks like a winner.

The 80's Justice League was my favorite comic book of all time. The writers turned second stringers into some really strong and compelling characters, and the artwork was always top-notch. They managed to blend humor with action, and always had smart and witty dialogue that would put Quentin Tarantino to shame. I still find myself using some of their lines in my own conversations. Recently the creative team (Keith Giffen, J.M. Dematties, and Kevin Mcguire) reunited and brought back some members of the team and made two brilliant books, "Formerly Known as the Justice League," and "I Can't Believe Its Not the Justice League." I like the fact that the characters acknowledge the fact that time has passed since their tenure in the Justice League International, and their new team (The Super-Buddies) isn't anywhere near as grand as the Justice League.
The same creative team have recently done a few other projects, a "Defenders" mini-series for Marvel, and although I am less familiar with Marvel Comics, I have to say it's pretty darn good. I was laughing out-loud reading the first issue. And they have creayed the highly-acclaimed Hero-Squared, which looks pretty interesting: a superhero meets his secret indentity in a parallel universe, a parallel universe without superheroes (I can't find this in Europe, so I'm gonna have to get in in the USA.) Bwwahahahahaha!

Of course, after the two reunion books, D.C. would then take three of the main J.L.I. characters and kill them off. First, Sue Dibney (the wife of longtime Justice second-stringer Elongated Man) was killed off in the almost-great "Identity Crisis." (Written by mystery novelist Brad Meltzer) and Blue Beetle and Max Lord both have been killed off in D.C.'s newest crossover fiasco, "Infinite Crisis."
To be fair, Infinite Crisis has started out pretty well, it's a sequel to "Crisis on Infinite Earths," and it reads like a meta-narrative about what has happened to the D.C. universe and comics in general since the mid 80's. It mentions how "dark" everything has become in comics, and how the characters have lost a lot of their heroic appeal. There is a great line; Batman tells Superman, "The last time you inspired anyone, was when you were dead!"
Which, at least to me, seems to acknowledge the way in which a lot of readers feel about how the characters have been treated (and how bad a lot of comics had gotten in the 90's.) It will be interesting to see how this plays out. And I like a lot of the dark comics that have come out since then, like The Dark Knight Returns, Batman:Year One, and Kingdom Come. And it was sad to see the Blue Beetle get killed, sure, he was a second stringer, but if you ever read the JLI you know he was the heart of the team. At least the character went out in a blaze of glory, and his last story was one of the best he ever had.

And I'm not just reading D.C. One of my new favorites is Alan Moore's TOM STRONG. Alan Moore is considered one of the best comics writers around, and he certainly has done some great work in the past. Tom Strong is Alan Moore's idea of what an archetypical superhero should be. Alan Moore borrows heavily from the very first Superman comics, and early heroes like Doc Savage to come up with an interesting and compelling hero. Tom Strong does have super-strength and some high-tech gadgetry, but (and this is what's great about Alan Moore) Tom Strong's real superpower is his incredible intellect, he usually manages to get out of a situation by using his brain but usually not before a few punches are thrown. Alan Moore has envisioned a utopian world which is filled with what he calls "Science Heroes" (and of course you would have evil geniuses which are the science-villains) and Tom Strong happens to be Millenium City's number one hero. Alan Moore uses a lot of references to comics history (who else would have a story featuring a life size Sea Monkey?), bizarre cutting edge science, and some really clever narrative techniques to keep the readers interested and on their toes.

There are many more discoveries I have made, and some new comics that I still want to read, and I wanted to talk about the mythological aspects of a lot of characters, but for now that's enough! Excelsior!

Ring a bell

2005-12-12T14:09:00.000+01:00

I am so overdue, I am way too overdone for posting an update.
It's been so long, I've just been really busy with the MOTMOT shop, the web-store should be up and running any day now, just in time for after X-mas. I wanted to write about comics, but instead this has turned into a music entry.

I managed to catch the Constantines live and they were fantastic! They had one of the best guitar sounds I have ever heard, with rented equipment nonetheless! The triple tambourine assault! I could say that recorded their live show doesn't quite translate. But after seeing them I think their records somehow make sense.
A band that are still making good "indie" post-hardcore-whatever. They have a Jawbox/Drive Like Jehu guitar dynamic thrown in with some AC/DC and The Replacements.
Great sounds, great energy live!

Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt of the Sea and Cake also played here recently, it was cool to see how they toured, they walked with their guitars to the club. No backing band, just two guitars. It was great to hear the simplicity, and to realize what a weird variety of sounds they can make with just two guitars. Afterwards I was talking to Archer about comics, and the current state of comic booking, and of course the big exhibition at MOCA.. All of you living in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, should go, Now!

I would do a top 10 list except that I wouldn't have a top 10 from this year, and 10 is such an arbitrary number.

Here's what I've been spinning.
1. The Harder They Come sound track. The best reggae cd, ever, hear where the Clash got their sound.
2. Later period Husker Du, stuff off of Candy Apple Grey, and Warehouse. (Which incidentally were some of the first punk records I ever heard, getting them from the Cerritos Public Library, ages ago. I remember being way too young to go see them on their farewell tour. I think I still owe the Cerritos Library something like $17 in overdue fines!)
3. The Constantines: see above. I should add that when they played, I bought a couple of Cds from them. I try to support bands when they come to town, and it's usually cheaper than the record store here.
4. The Marked Men, play some great punk rock. They have all the good things I like about punk music, and none of the bad stuff, that is now associated with "punk." I hear that Swami records is releasing their next record, and the Swami himself is recording their next long player. Should be awesome.
5. Volcano Suns. Hey the Volcano Suns are on Myspace! They're posting MP3's of some of their songs, they look like they have more myspace friends than they had fans the first time around,(just kidding, sort of!) And alot of their new fans are beautiful 19 year old girls! The Volcano Suns are a sort of missing link between early 80's punk, and later-noisy-post-hardcore-whatever.
6. Despite all the hype, and despite the fact that the singer sounds a little bit like the guy from Modest Mouse, I'm digging what I'm hearing from Wolf Parade.
7. This guy has a crazy record collection, he has some impossibly rare, obscure, and out of print punk and hardcore records. It just reveals that there is a whole other world of stuff you've never heard of.
8. Nuggets 2 Box Set. I actually bought this nearly a year ago, when I was in So-Cal. It's taken me nearly a year to digest this four disk juggernaut of a box set. Some great 60's punk, psych, and pop. But it's highly unlikely you've heard of more than a handfull of the bands on this set. You probably know about the Small Faces, and you might know about The Creation or the Pretty Things, but who's heard of the Winston's Fumbs or Q' 65? A great thing about this set is that it features bands from the U.K. and around the world, who would have thought someone was making great 60's garage punk... In New Zealand?

O.K. I only made it to 8, but I left out new books, comics, art, radio, etc... If I would have included all that stuff, I would have made it to 10 no problem, maybe even 11!

Rock on folks!

Pat Robertson warns town of God's wrath

2005-11-11T01:18:00.000+01:00

I think Pat Robertson is a hypocritical and corrupt douchebag. And he makes crazy statements like this all the time (like the time he called for Hugo Chavez' assassination, or when he said the ERA would turn women into witches and lesbians!) For the last few years I have been paying close attention to this whole intelligent design "debate," and I am glad to see the people of Dover stood up for common sense. In light of the recent horrific disasters that have struck the USA, I am shocked, but not surprised by this religious zealot's reaction.

It's really sad because intelligent design is, basically, creationism in a pseudo-scientific guise. It's an attempt to indoctrinate children into a certain religious worldview. Furthermore, it's really bad and shoddy theology, look up and carefully read Genesis 1 and 2, they tell the creation story differently!
The Bible is a sacred book, but it is NOT a biology textbook! This kind of strict literalist thinking shuts off any kind of critical biblical scholarship.

But still, if they teach Intelligent Design,
I'll be supporting THIS designer.

(I've edited the article for brevity, but you get the idea-Steve)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative Christian televangelist Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them on Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck.

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city," Robertson said on his daily television show broadcast from Virginia, "The 700 Club."

"And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help because he might not be there," he said.

In voting on Tuesday, all eight Dover, Pennsylvania, school board members up for re-election lost their seats after trying to introduce "intelligent design" to high school science students as an alternative to the theory of evolution.

seven rings for Saturn

2005-10-21T14:57:00.000+02:00

O.K. in these chaotic days I realize that not very much science is being discussed. And whatever science is being discussed is this ridiculous notion of "Intelligent Design." Ugggh, get over it people, get your detention outta my recess, and get your religion outta my science class.

But I digress, the real point of this post is to point out some of the amazing pictures being taken by the Cassini probe that has been sent to Saturn. Some of these images are so amazing that they seem almost unreal. Especially the recent images taken of Saturn's moon Dione. Dig that picture with Saturn huge in the background.

ciclops.org

battered old bird

2005-10-20T22:00:00.000+02:00

To anyone reading this, my irregular readers, I apologize for being so late on any type of update.
The month of October, is really the beginning of Autumn, which means it's cold. This may seem obvious, but when I think of Southern California, I think it's still wildfire season. The burning days of perpetual indian summer that is Southern California.

With that in mind it's slow at the MOTMOT shop. But that doesn't mean we're not busy, in fact we have more work than we can handle. And that's why I've been so bad about making any updates. (Today I spoke with a Japanese tourist, who told me that MOTMOT means original in Japanese, which I think is a nice bit of serependity.)

I've got a few topics that I've been mulling over for a while, especially COMICS, and the Viennale film festival, and I plan on writing a long entry, as soon as I get the chance. (I guess those serious bloggers do this for a living or something, but I am really just a journal keeper.)

Delivering The Goods

2005-09-20T14:09:00.000+02:00

Since opening up our shop, I have been busy busy busy. We're not even raking in the dough, but it's kind of cool coming into the shop, if you're running the place.

I heads up to the nice people at Apple computer, after a little more than a week, I am rocking out with a brand new ipod, you can't fault them for their quick and speedy customer service. Seriously, all I had to do was fill out a form on the internet, and then a few days later they picked it up, and then a few days after that I received my new ipod. I suppose that's one of the reasons I've been a loyal Mac person for so long, customer service.

so messed up

2005-09-08T19:47:00.000+02:00

I was reading a friend's blog and she really manages to effortlessly do what I have really tried to do, talk about her experiences, while living overseas. I guess I have lived in Vienna long enough that the place seems normal, and less exotic.
I just sort of report of things that I have come across via the internet, oh well.

My poor ipod died today, it's got some weird error, and all the ipod/apple boards said to just send the thing in. I wasted a whole day trying to get this lil' fucker working and still no dice, so I'm gonna have to send it in. And last night I talked to some friends about how cool the ipod was, and now the poor thing went belly up.
Although, the new ipod nano looks pretty sexy...

I downloaded a few episodes of Penn & Teller's "BULLSHIT!"
Man, what a great show, makes me want to get cable and pay for Showtime. I think it's a pretty interesting premise, two comedian-magicians tackle some really serious topics that are rarely discussed. I like the fact that they approach with a skeptic's keen eye. I liked the episode on profanity and obscenity, I thought they really brought the point home. Despite all the political rhetoric about a "nanny state" right wing conservatives really do want to tell you what you can watch on T.V, or listen to on the radio. For all my friends in California, who could care less about what happens in the rest of the country (You know who you are) just wait until the MAN tries to regulate cable television.
The episodes about conspiracies was good, and the episode about the factuality of the Bible was particularly good. Although I am fairly well-verse in some of the absurdities in the Good Book, they really drove the point home.
Good for tuning up the ol' uhhh... bullshit detector.

OK that's it, back to work.

Sometimes Happy...

2005-09-07T03:13:00.000+02:00

Here's a mixed jumble of ideas, coming at you at 2:40 A.M. Keep in mind I am at the office/shop doing this.
This entry definitely falls into the "journal entry" category. Split into two divergent entries. Sorry folks.

The shop is really taking up a lot of time. AND I keep goofing off more than I should, I have somehow kept the attitude of goofing off/useless websurfing/for one or two hours a day, as I used to do at previous employers. However, I am (sort of) the boss, and I need to crack to it. To my own credit, I have been pretty good about opening the shop up on time, anyone who knows me knows how notoriously late I usually am. It's one of my major faults. Sorry if I've ever made you wait, if you come by the shop I'll be here on time, promise.

I talked to Todd St. John, at Hunter Gatherer who was kind enough to offer some advice regarding this crazy tee-shirt biz. He's one of my graphic design heroes, and I hope someone publishes one of those big fat coffee table books of his work. So yeah, I like his design work and he's a cool guy. I'm glad that there are genuinely cool people out there.

I was going to start an all time favorites list. I'm still working on that. I wanted to write a top-as-many-numbers-as-I-need list, but I just don't seem to have to time.
I've been listening to a lot of Ted Leo, and Judas Priest lately, neither of which would qualify for any type of all time favorite list of mine. And one of my all time favorites is calling it quits this Halloween. The mighty Rocket From the Crypt are playing their last show this Halloween. What a great fucking band, always an amazing live show, the last time I saw them I sang along the whole time, pogoed, and was hoarse by the end of the night. I talked to some girl from Chicago afterward, and she said "Wow! You must really like this band!" I am considering the insane notion of flying from Austria to the USA to see them for the last shindig! See you in the pit!

Hunter Gatherer

Sometimes Not Happy...

2005-09-07T02:39:00.000+02:00

Here's a mixed jumble of ideas, coming at you at 2:40 A.M. I'm that person that starts talking about politics and the dire situation of the world, while everyone is having a good time at a party. Sorry Kids, beneath my jovial exterior, my internal dialogue is pretty serious. Really, I'm not joking, no seriously, I'm not kidding.

Not happy:
It's impossible NOT to say anything about the disaster in New Orleans. I dunno, the world is weird and turning really ugly. I read another news story that would seem to point in the direction that we are ALSO losing war in Iraq. Perhaps we are suffering the wrath of Allah, after all. As Americans we never ask ourselves the question, "what if God is rooting for the other side?"
But really I didn't want to turn this into a political blog, there is enough of that already.
All three of my regular readers aren't going to learn anything new here.

I had the opportunity to see Black Hawn Down on Austrian TV the other night. When it came out it was heralded as some kind of ultra-realistic-you-are-there war movie. But with all the destruction and chaos going on in the real world, the whole thing just seemed kind of phoney.

What Could I Say To That?

2005-09-06T15:48:00.000+02:00

How do you respond to something like the nassive destruction in the South?
Here in Europe people are amazed at the amazingly incompetent response to Hurricane Katrina. I am also amazed, refugees in the US of A.

I am hoping that some good can come out of this, I hope people will realize that things like Global Warming are real, and will affect EVERYONE, even people in the good 'ol USA. Somehow living with two massive oceans on either side has made us feel insulated from the rest of the world.
I hope people will realize the sheer INCOMPETENCE of the current administration, placing a man, who could barely organize a horse club , as the head of FEMA. This naural disaster has brought more destruction than any terrorist group could ever even hope to accomplish.

I hope we're all donating that $300 tax break we got a few years ago, to the Red Cross, or some other relief organization. Even if we all gave $20 or $50, that would make a big difference

Go Start Your Own Band

2005-08-20T15:53:00.000+02:00

I've heard the sad news that Big Boys singer Randy "Biscuit" Turner has recently passed away.
My friend Richard turned me on to the Big Boys way back in high school, I liked their weird funky brand of punk rock, they were the oddballs of the 80's American punk scene and are still one of the most original hardcore/punk bands of all time.
After the Big Boys called it quits, Biscuit sang in Cargo Cult (also worth checking out) and pursued a career in art.

Here's a link to an article about him, written shortly before he passed away, from the Austin Chronicle.

Randy "Biscuit" Turner R.I.P.

The Theory of Everything

2005-08-15T02:21:00.000+02:00

Well, well, well, We're back in Vienna and things seem to get back to normal pretty quickly, the shop is open again, and we have a few design gigs here and there, and I'm back to procrastinating. Amazing what a vacation does for the spirit!

Anyway, I have discovered a great radio show, which in due part to the popularity of podcasting, has itself become fairly popular.
It's called Benjamin Walker's Theory of Everything, and think of it as an alternate-universe version of "This American Life" (Which is always excellent.) Picture T.A.L.'s host Ira Glass as a weird and paranoid freak, and you're getting an idea of what The Theory of Everything show is about.
Benjamin Walker is a radio artist in the vein of Joe Frank, The Theory of Everything a great narrative that blends fact and fiction, which is part radio drama and part documentary.
It' s available in streaming and MP3 download, so you can download it and rock it on your ipod.

Benjamin Walker's Theory of Everything

(M)eagerly anticipated Venice Biennale Review

2005-08-13T02:14:00.000+02:00

Wow, I have been really late on this update.
Sorry folks, all 3 of you who read this.
My girlfriend and I have been on vacation in the Italian alps, and not spending too much time in front of a computer.

We really are in the mountains, there's a bat flying around outside, I can hear it's sonar go, "squeak squeak."

I kept planning to write a review of the Venice Biennale, but I kept putting it off.
But I had to eventually do it, and here it is, finally.

Venice was so hot and humid, and in the International Pavilion, I got attacked by mosquitos. I had 10 bites on my legs and they didn't heal very fast, I think I may have been allergic to this particular breed of mosquito. They must like my high blood sugar, I need to eat more garlic or something.
And Venice is really crowded with tourists in the summer. Imagine being stuck in a crowded bus-boat with a lot of other sweaty and stinky tourists, and you're starting to get the picture.
As a result, it was difficult to really appreciate any art, when it was 90+ degrees in the gallery space.

My friend Glenn Zucman used to rate gallery openings by the quality of the food and drinks, and not on the quality of the artwork itself. In the case of the Venice Biennale, I am rating the exhibits by the quality of the air conditioning. So...
Gilbert & George recieve extremely high marks, thanks to the great A/C in the British Pavilion. Likewise for Ed Ruscha and the great air conditioning in the U.S.A.'s Pavilion.
Good marks go to the artists representing Denmark, Korea, and Isreal, and their well-conditioned national pavilions.
Poor marks go to Gabriela Fridriksdottir representing Iceland, and their pavilion, which was a grass hut, outside, in the heat and humidity. (To be fair, Fridriksdottir's artwork was interesting: a multi-media exploration and updating of Icelandic myth and legend, but it was too fucking hot!)
The worst was Jeroen de Rijke & Willem de Rooy, who represented the Netherlands. They had a boring hour-long-art-movie, in a big pavilion with NO air conditioning or ventilation at all! Video art with no A/C. Two thumbs down, and the middle finger!

While there WAS some great work in the Arsenal, it was just too hot... to...think... about ...anything...except...air...conditioning.
And there were some great pieces, particularily by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and Argentinian artist Sergio Vega. But there was NO A/C in the whole Arsenal. So forget it!
(O.K one serious thought) There were some giant banners by the Guerilla Girls, and while I generally agree with what they say, I feel as if their statements are supposed to be posters and billboards, and not works of art unto themselves. I wonder why curators don't take the space they give to the Guerilla Girls and simply put in more women and minority artists?

Regardless, it was too hot in the Arsenal section of the Biennale. It was just too hot and crowded in Venice altogether, and I don't want to go back there for a long time!

Don't make plans this friday...

2005-07-25T16:29:00.000+02:00

Hi, I am a bit late for my semi-weekly update.
A few things going on lately, some good, and some of the most terrible news I have heard in a while.

Let's start at the top, we had some visitors from home, and everyone had a good time. I am glad I could show some friends around, and they enjoyed the city. We managed to catch an open air movie. The open air cinema is a great thing, you get to watch a movie for free, outside, on a huge screen.
We have been taking advantage of the movies in the park. The selection is usually eclectic and slightly offbeat. We managed to catch "The Devil-Doll" which is a strange type of suspense/horror movie, featuring minature dogs and people, doing evil. And it also features Lionel Barrymore in drag.

The week before was Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train," and later we watched "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" which also had a live band playing the soundtrack. Very cool. Getting caught up on all those movies that people seem to have heard of, but never actually seen. (Everyone seems to know the "SHE'S ALIVE!" Scene from Bride of Frankenstien, but no one seems to have actually seen the movie all the way through, likewise for the "Merry Go-Round" scene in Strangers on a Train.

Lastly, I've heard the terrible news that Michael Dahlquist, drummer for Silkworm, was killed in a car accident last week. I have enjoyed Silkworm's unique style of rock and roll for a long time. Silkworm played a really raw and stripped-down kind of rock music, yet, their music was surprisingly hummable.
I never really knew Michael, I met him a few times, and he seemed to be a really nice guy, and he was a fantastic drummer. The last time I saw Silkworm, he was just going off, I've never seen a drummer break so many sticks. I think he broke four sticks in the first song alone.
He was also the band's web-honcho, and he handled all the band's updates, as well as their thouroughly enjoyable tour diaries. You can really tell that he just enjoyed playing music in strange and foreign places, no complaining about the accomodations or lack of red m&m's in their rider.
Most recently, Michael was the editor on a very interesting ducumentary, "Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music?" Which was an objective look at the Christian Music Scene. I haven't had the opportunity to see the film, but ALL the reviews are glowing. Apparently, he took to the task of editing a documentary with great gusto, much like he played drums.

Goodbye, Michael.

silkworm

Why Does the Devil Have all the Good Music?

rotten rotten rotten

2005-07-13T17:42:00.000+02:00

One thing the interent taught us is that there are some fucked up people out there.

I have put up a link to Rotten.com, I have a link to the Rotten library, on my sidebar, because it's THAT interesting.
If you go to the Rotten.com homepage, you get links to all kinds of fucked up shit, and I mean fucked up. Some of you may have seen the motorcycle guy picture, the guy with half of his face missing. Yeuccch.
I'm not really a fan of suicide pictures, autopsy photos, faces of death, etc...

BUT, the Rotten library is a pretty amazing hyper-text. Detailing all kinds of information about all kinds of interesting stuff, you can waste all day at work.

Here is a link to rotten.com, my sidebar is a link to the rotten library.

You have been warned.

rotten.com

weiners

2005-07-12T20:46:00.000+02:00

This is just a quick update, not too much to report.
The last week was just overtaken by events, big and small.

We did a quick trip to Northern Italy, to Merano in South Tyrol. I was shocked and bummed out at how much neo-nazi graffitti there was, yeucch. I saw a few swastikas, but I saw a lot of celtic crosses, which looks like a target and crosshairs, and is more popular with the skinheads, because the swastika is illegal in most of Europe.
I think most people don't realize what's going on in their own back yard, whether it's in Northern Italy or Elohim City, Oklahoma. Welcome to the 21st century.

Lately, I am becoming really put off by a certain type of Viennese rudeness. It's bumming me out.
First: Our building manager, wouldn't let a friend of ours take some granite siding, because of some lame reason, but then he had the construction workers haul it off! (WTF?, maybe the guy is just a dick, I don't know.)

Second: A while ago I found someone's wallet, while we were moving into our new studio/shop, the wallet got lost in the shuffle, and then after we got settled, the wallet turned up again. So I stopped by the police station, and the cop was so rude and asked me a million questions, and took down my information, like I did something wrong. Geez, no good deed goes unpunished.

Oh Canaduh

2005-07-05T04:15:00.000+02:00

Nomeansno, holy !@$#!! Oh my god!
I was a huge Nomeansno fan when their masterpiece "Wrong" came out in 1990, it's become a sort of cult* punk classic, but it's just a classic punk record, period. I'm sure Nomeansno's twisted existential punk sensibilities had an effect during my formative years. They were wildly experimental, they played jazz-prog-funk-hyphenated-punk (in a good way, I swear!) and even did a few acapella numbers, yes, punk-acapella.
They could play the hell out of their instruments, and their lyrics read like some sort of twisted existential poetry, and they were punk as hell. If you have any interest in (good) punk rock, go get WRONG, now!

Well, time passes, tastes change, bands put out mediocre records, etc.. Then, more time passes, tastes change back, bands start putting out good records again, etc...
Nomeansno have had a renaissance of sorts in the last few years, their newer material fit seamlessly with their old songs, and what I've heard of their last two records is pretty damn good.

I remember missing them last year, and regretting it. Then I talked to a friend at home and he mentioned that he saw them and they were as good as always. And then I got an e-mail from another friend who was driving from L.A. to S.F. to see them. SO, something must be going on, and I was not going to miss them this time around, no way. I was happy to see that a good number of people showed up to see them, I had always heard that they were (relatively) popular in Europe, and I guess that's true.

How Fucken old are Nomeansno, anyway? I guess because they were always noticably older, (Rob Wright, had grey hair back in their early days, he's 51 now!) the subject of their age has always seemed to come up. First it was how much older and wise they were, then, that they were old geezers, and now a new image has come up, the idea that one can rock well into their 40's and 50's and NOT age gracefully. They look as old and crusty as you could imagine and they rock out even harder than you could imagine, a fine example of the old guys putting the young whippersnappers in their place. They put their years of experience to good use, and John Wright has just gotten better and better as a drummer, he was just going off, some of the most incredible drumming I have seen in a long time.
Yes, they rocked out, totally.

Here's a link to a newer song of theirs at epitonic.com. There's a lot of other good music at epitonic.

Graveyard Shift

*I've always wondered about the concept of the "cult" band, apparently, when a band refuses to stop playing past their peak in popularity, e.g, Nomeansno, Camper Van Beethoven, The Go-Betweens, Shellac, Wedding Present, etc..they get labeled a "cult" band. I've always found this term somewhat puzzling, and a bit offensive. If one's taste in music falls out of the mainstream, or is not trendy, hip, or up-to-date, then you have joined a cult of fellow musical obscurists. For a band to be labeled a "cult" band is also pretty bad, i.e., you are a cult band, and you will not make any new fans you will only have your old fans who are too old to count and do not fit in our marketing demographic blah blah blah.

some holiday reading

2005-07-05T00:32:00.000+02:00

Here's an update of a few things.
There is a great series of articles about Scientology at Salon.com. They ran a series as part of their summer of Scientology. I have always found Scientology strangely fascinating, I suppose driving past the L.Ron Hubbard museum on Hollywood Blvd. at 2:00 AM and seeing a group of their "navy" recruits getting into a bus is what sparked my interest. The group of people were all dressed in a similar manner; white shirts, with blue pants for the boys, and blue skirts for the girls. And they were all getting into a bus to who knows where. I do find it interesting that a "religion" would sue anybody that publishes anything critical of them, and the amount of secrecy they employ is somewhat distubing.
I suppose it really just coincides with my interest in religious weirdness, but Scientology is pretty fucked up, and seems to have few redeeming qualities, unlike more respectable religions, such as Satanism, Voodoo, or Lawsonomy.

salon.com's gonna get sued fer sure

And in the bad news department, my favorite band, the best band rocking the free world, THE HOT SNAKES, have decided to call it a day. It's too bad because they're too fucking good. I'm glad I was able to see them many times, and perform my melodica duties on those rare occasions. I wonder if they are really calling it quits or are taking an extended hiatus? But technically, Drive Like Jehu, never called it quits, they just went on a hiatus, that got longer and longer and longer and longer (and longer!) But I will really be looking forward to whatever those crazy guys do next.

I will always hate the kids

The Last Day of June

2005-06-30T17:23:00.000+02:00

I'm just doing a simple update with no real profound insight.

I see that NIKE has pulled the Major Threat campaign, which is, more or less, a good thing. I would have liked to see NIKE get more flack for it, but I guess the uproar it's caused through the indie/punk community was unexpected. Good going people.

One thing I miss about the myspace blog, is the little feature that you could tell people what you were listening to, watching, or reading. O.K. I mean it was probably some marketing scam cooked up by the people at Amazon. But it was kind of cool.

With that in mind, I'll just add that I went out and actually bought some CDs. Remember that? Laying down money for music?
After seeing them in Berlin, I was pretty blown away by WEIRD WAR. WW is an indie/punk supergroup of sorts, featuring members of The Make Up, Nation of Ulysses, Six Finger Satellite, and Trans Am. That said, they sound nothing like any of the previous bands (O.K. there is a passing similarity to The Make Up) They play a sort of politico funk psychedelic, and I mean that in a good way! I purchased their newest CD "Illuminated By the Light," while I was in the record shop, I noticed that someone was listening to it at one of the listening stations. One thing I've noticed is that on the recorded versions you can really hear Alex Minoff's guitar slashing and shredding, (guitar terminology folks!) and it becomes apparent that he's the guitar player from Six Finger Satellite, and recorded it has some of that six finger weirdness. The rhythm section is pretty solid, and Ian Svenonious is in top form as always.
They seem to be on a trip that few bands are on nowadays. Dig it!

weird war

Inappropriate Appropriation (Seeing Red)

2005-06-27T16:27:00.000+02:00

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/05-06/23.shtml
First read this link.

I've been involved with the skate and punk subcultures for nearly 20 years now, and I can say, while this is not first time I've seen mainstrean Madison Ave. try to break into or exploit the punk and skate subcultures, this is one of the worst and most blatant examples of corporate hubris I have ever seen.

Nike has been trying to get into the skate market for who knows how long, and this is another pathetic attempt by them to gain "street cred." Sadly, the Kids nowadays are not as anti-corporate as they used to be, so what chance does David have against Goliath nowadays? And last year I was talking to a friend of mine who has also been a longtime skater/punker, and he actually thought Nike's new shoes were kinda cool, and that they were making inroads into the world of skating. Uggggh, and this is from someone who should have known better.

Will it work? I have no idea. I hope Dischord sues the shit out of them, but really, what's a jury going to reward them? And honestly, anything Dischord receives is going to be a drop in the bucket for a corporate giant like Nike. Like I said earlier what chance doea David have against Goliath in our times?

But of course indie and punk bands (not to mention famous artists) have done the same to big companies. Skate companies have done the same, I mean the Minor Threat graphic itself has even been appropriated by a skateboard company, and sold as a skateboard graphic! So, what's the difference?
Usually this is done in a different context other than making pure profit, this type of approrpiation is done with the idea of putting the original (idea, ad campaign, logo, etc..) in a different context, and putting a new twist on it's meaning. But this is usually done with the idea of creating something new, parody and satire, paying homage, or at least creating a controversy.

Nike's skate campaign, does none of the above, because we all know Nike is not about promoting culture (or subculture) but about taking whatever they can and making a profit. They clearly are not making an artistic statement, and are not even making a parody or satire. Something like this might actually damage Dischord/Minor Threat's image as a staunchly anti-corporate DIY outfit. Dischord has been a true pioneer in independent and DIY music for nearly 25 years, and what if some of the young skaters might mistakenly think that there is some kind of connection between Nike and Minor Threat? It's ironic, because this is always the argument that big companies make in cases of copyright and trademark infringement. I wonder how many people NIKE has sued because of copyright/trademark infringement?

Let's just hope some of the young kids skating don't fall for it. Maybe if a few pro skaters would point this out, it would really resonate with the kids.

Six Million Years Beyond Believeability

2005-06-23T19:34:00.000+02:00

Thanks to Cory for sending me the link to this crazy, hot shit, unbelieveable, INFRAMAN trailer. I used to collect a lot of Japanese live action-adventure superhero stuff. Mostly Ultraman and Kamen Rider, but I learned about others, like Kikada and INFRAMAN, but I had never seen a clip of him in action, and it looks pretty groovy and far-out.

dig it here. INFRAMAAAAAAAN

I have just recently discovered the Films of Satyajit Ray, who is difficult to describe, he's sort of like this 50's nouveau realist film-maker, but not really. Satyajit Ray, was a Bengali director, who worked in advertising, and ended up working in England for a short while and completely absorbed what was going on in the world of cinema. Yet somehow he turned this influence, into something profoundly different, and profoundly Indian, Bengali Indian to be precise. In case you only think of Bollywood when you think of Indian cinema, think again.

http://www.satyajitray.org/

After hearing the title referred to over and over, I finally saw "Arsenic and Old Lace," which is one of the most fucked up-black comedies I have ever seen. I am beginning to appreciate Cary Grant as a classic leading man, there really isn't anyone like him around nowadays, the totally normal guy who ends up in a bizarre situation, yet handles it with grace and just a touch of anxiety. But "Arsenic and Old Lace" is a weird, weird, black comedy (a little bit like Hitchcock's, The Trouble With Harry,) in which the corpses won't go away and keep piling up, directed by Frank Capra who brought you "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

Hey we're almost-nearly-completely finished moving into our new studio and shop, more on this as it evolves. We're waiting for our new counter, and we're nearly done!

We've Moved

2005-06-16T22:50:00.000+02:00

Hey I just want to mention that we have moved into a new studio. Around the corner from our old studio. But at least this studio shouldn't be freezing in the winter. Oh yeah and we have a shop space, from which we will peddle our goods. Let's hope people are into buying our stuff!

Been digging Ted Leo and the Pharmacists lately. And the Wedding Present.
Oh yeah I've heard that Bob Mould is touring again, and he's playing some of his oldies, (i.e) Husker Du and Sugar. Oh Yeah and Brendan Canty is playing drums with him! He's touring Europe, but of course skipping out on Vienna.

Reurn of the Rat

2005-06-12T15:45:00.000+02:00

On my old blog at myspace, I had gotten in the habit of writing down some of my stranger dreams, or just dreams that I happened to remember, I am now contemplating if I should do such a thing on this new blog. It is funny though because I end up dreaming about music, and the people who make music. I had a dream about going to a Slint reunion in Spain ( I was lost in Barcelona, in that dream and never made it to the show!)
I most recently dreamed about a murder plot, in which Greg Sage, the Wipers singer/guitarist/head honcho was the prime suspect! And the evidence was pretty incriminating!
Fortunately that's about all I remember. But when the Wipers came up on (ipod) shuffle play, I remembered my dream.
Weird.

Who is the Drizzle?

2005-06-09T15:20:00.000+02:00

Let's see....
We're painting our new studio/shop this week. So not much to report.
The weather is horrible, terrible, this week, if you thought you've experienced June Gloom, come to Vienna. It's cold and rainy this week. Yeuccchhh.

Let's see what's new in my life.
Read Paul Auster's "Book of Illusions" which I highly recommend. Great book about tragedy and loss done in Mr. Auster's unique style. I heard an interview with him on NPR, and I was relieved when he said that his work was not based on theory, but just came from the gut. He tried to read Derrida, and gave up after about 3 pages (Wow, he got that far!)

I picked up, but haven't finished Terry Eagleton's "After Theory" Which seems to ask some important questions, about (in regard to cultural studies) where we are, and where we are going. He manages to explain Post-modernism in one simple chapter, which is funny because there was a total cottage industry based on explaing the POMO. More on this when I actually finish the damn book.

I've been reading some new/old comics. That crazy Sergio Arragones is really great, and you should treasure him, he's pretty freakin' hilarious, and even better because he doesn't use any words. If you aren't familiar with him, he's the guy who did those funny little comics in the margins of Mad magazine, as well as A LOT more. He draws his comics with a normal fountain pen, no pencils just straight outta the pen, which is amazing in itself.

Some Serious Sergio

And I have also picked up what was always my favorite Superhero comic the Dematties/Giffen version of the Justice league. It's like a comic with superheroes, but then it's not. It's probably the best written comic book featuring superheroes ever written. It's like what would a group of superheroes be like around each other? Insulting and obnoxious! They have made two sequel series, "Formerly Known As the Justice League" and "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League!" The sequels are even better, they have our former heroes (and I mean former!) get into all kinds of meta-human mayhem, and it's all very readable with great artwork.

Finally, I read the DaVinci Code, not sure what to think actaully, I mean it's a fast paced thriller, it's an easy read, it goes fast, and all. But I have no clue why this book has been a runaway best seller. But it actually does raise some intersting points, about early Christianity (even if it's off a bit) and the roots of a lot of our common symbols, (the Cornucopia, Star of David, and the Pentagram!)
But for someone who reads the Fortean Times on a regular basis, the whole Katholic Kchurch Konspiracy, is, like, old hat.
A friend of mine described it this way, and I quote, "DaVinci Code, because it's so well researched and totally like truth but like fiction too."
It's probably the first novel I have ever read, with product placement in the actual text of the novel. When they make the movie, expect to see lots of Smart Cars and Audis.

Oh my god nobody is reading this

2005-06-08T17:58:00.000+02:00

Well it's no surprise, really, O.K. so no one cares about my blog. But man NO visits?
Shiiiiii
It's sad.
But it's one of those things, y'know if a tree falls in a forest and nobody is there to see it, did it really happen?

What am I doing here?

2005-05-29T02:44:00.000+02:00

So, here I am in front of my computer, at 2:45 am.
O.K. I was out earlier, but still...

I had a late night bike cruise through the city. Vienna on a summer night is hard to describe, it's like people are out with a vengeance, I'm sure they're still out there. After being cooped up all winter, and most of spring, people know there are only three months to enjoy the outdoors. That's why, on Sundays, they serve breakfast until 3:00 pm.
The MQ (Museum Quarter) is this immense public hangout. It's a huge courtyard, with these big brightly colored benches. And people go there to see the museums, resaurants, and just hang out. So on my way home I go through MQ, and there are, like, at least a thousand people, I'm not exaggerating. I'm probably underestimating. It's more crowded then I have ever seen it in the day.

I see two things of interest.
A group of people dancing to no music!
An party/exhibition of retooled videogame cabinets.

The people dancing were taking part in a headphone party, where everyone is wearing cordless headphones, and listening to the same music. It's just a bizarre sight, to see people dancing with no music. As I was leaving I watched a group of people enter the "dance zone." As soon as they saw what was going on, they all started laughing.

Next was a party/exhibition/arcade. The art-tech-party-geeks put together a pretty interesting display here. They presented, arcade style, a bunch of custom computer games. But they're custom programs. Like, their own games, that do something, packaged in old-school arcade game cabinets. Sorry, the text for the website is all in German. But you get the idea, welcome to my world.

http://www.insertcoin.biz

Go Padres! (San Diego punk rock, and the National City Sluggers)

2005-05-28T18:43:00.000+02:00

O.K. so like any new blogger I am bursting with blog energy, and am posting like a madman. But I promise it will tail off, one of these days, huh, wait, that's not a good thing. I would like to post maybe once or twice a week, it's like band practice, too little and your band will suck, too much and your girlfriend will leave you!

I was clicking around the Swami Records board and I found a link to this live concert featuring the Hot Snakes, live at the Paradiso, in Amsterdam. The same Paradiso, in Amsterdam, that the live Joy Division record was recorded.
The Hot Snakes concert sounds pretty damn good, way above par, sounds like a soundboard recording, this would be a helluva bootleg, rock out.
Live SSSSSSnakes

Also coming from San Diego, is icon of conceptual art, John Baldessari. I always thought he would make a good Santa Claus, no really, I think someone needs to make an art piece about him, John Baldessari as Santa Claus.
Anyway, John Baldessari has a big exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK) here, in Vienna. It's a major retrospective, of one of the pillars of contemporary art. The exhibition is roughly divided into three sections: Paintings and photos, conceptual and documented work, and film based work.
One treat featured in this exhibition is, some of his early paintings, that survived his cremation project, are on display. Some of the artwork is really showing signs of age, and maybe need to be re-stored or even re-made. Interestingly enough, in this particular exhibition space, his paintings display really well, while some of his more famous photo based works, are looking pretty beat up, and seem to work better in reproduction (they're photos after all.)
In Typical Viennese fashion, the exhibition is presented with complete earnestness and seriousness. Maybe it's just the art world that takes itself too seriously, but there is a certain silliness to Baldessari's work, and with the work serenely displayed on pristine walls, the humor gets sucked out of the room. But still it's great to see his work presented together in this manner. And on top of that the Museum is free this month, so lots of people are flooding the museum, checking out his work.
MUMOK Wien John Baldessari

typography redux

2005-05-28T04:17:00.000+02:00

I am re-posting this post from myspace blog thingy.
It's, like, what I aim to do with this blog-thing.

Anyway last week I found myself attending a typography seminar with the great English type designer, Jeremy Tankard. If you aren't familiar with him check him out at, www.typography.net
He does some really great stuff, he seems to be on the leading edge of British typography, he has a good sense of history, but isn't afraid to break with old traditions.
The seminar was crazy because half of the class were students, a quarter of the class of the class was Anna and I, and the last quarter were really serious type designers, who made some really great work. One guy flew from London, to Vienna to attend the seminar. I felt like a clown, or at least a philistine, with my Hot Snakes font, and my silly animal icon font, but it was really cool, nontheless. So I happened to stumple upon a really great thing.
The big discovery was the FONTLAB program, which, besides being much easier than Fontographer, is a great drawing program. And I am considering using it to do illustrations, instead of Adobe Illustrator. It's really that good.

Then, later that night, we saw the amazing swiss designer, Urs Lehni, who has done some amazing stuff. The funny thing is that Anna and I thought he was the mastermind behind "OUR MAGAZINE" but he was also the designer who made the stuff for the ShauspielHaus in Zurich. (The Shauspielhaus in Zurich, had made some really cool catalogs and programs, that we had long admired. Very cool formats, done on a low budget.)
"Our Magazine" is a great topical magazine that examines some pretty banal topics, and gives them new light. The first issue was about Dogs, the second was Landscapes. But they manage to find some pretty offbeat stuff, and make you reexamine the subject. And it's done in an interesting way, that makes it much more than a piece of eye-candy. Afterwards, I talked to Urs about Wesley Willis, who was well known in indie rock circles, but relatively unknown here in Europe. Wesley Willis' brilliant Chicago landscapes are one of the features in the latest issue of "Our Magazine." check it out:
http://www.our-magazine.ch/

The Numero Group

2005-05-28T03:31:00.000+02:00

So, all new music sucks huh?
The folks at the Numero group seem to have a great appreciation for re-releasing some of the best music no one has ever heard. A friend brought me the "Yellow Pills: prefill" comp and it's pretty close to what an ideal compilation should be. I mean I have NEVER heard of any of these bands. It's a real treasure.
What's great about it is that the label seems to put a lot of time and care into their whole package, the Music is great, and the accompanying package is so well done and well made. The liner notes seem to go on and on, which I can't get enough of. I mean in this day and age the CD has become something strange, it's like a capsule, that contains music, then once emptied, is rarely heard from again. Maybe if more labels would try a little harder, people would still go out and buy music. But, I digress.

It's good to see that there are people out there willing to pay close attention to detail. It's nice to see deserving bands, being treated like royalty, or at least being packaged like royalty.

Their other releases include an obscure french band called ANTENA, who sound like Stereolab, but this record was originally released when the members of Stereolab were still in high school. And other releases are Eccentric Soul, featuring songs from different obscure soul labels (Capsoul and Bandit, yeah that's right, huh? Never heard of them either.) Their newest is a reissue of an impossibly obscure rockabilly record.
Dig it.
www.numerogroup.com

a few things

2005-05-28T02:04:00.000+02:00

Yeah, well, see, I guess, I got sick of bloggin' on myspace, after seeing that OASIS had a profile there. How indie can it be? It's good to keep tabs on everybody back home, and I've been re-acquainted with a few people I had lost track of, but besides that, I dunno, it's like hanging out at the mall. Plus that Tom guy bugs, big time.
I though I should get situated properly, ala promocopy

I have been kicking around the idea of making a blog, that focuses on graphic arts, but fine arts, folk art, music, radio, comic books, culture in general, anything is fair game. I would like to get some participation, from you fine folks out there. I would really like this to serve as a forum, and a place for anyone concerned to find out about new things.
Please, be patient as I figure out how the hell to work this thing, post links and pictures, etc...