Sometimes Not Happy...

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?

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

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

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

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!