sherlocked - jeremy brett vs. robert downey jr.

i really like robert downey jr. and the new sherlock movies are terrific testaments of hollywood blockbusterism, in most all the ways i like.
however, i can't help but favor alpha-brit jeremy brett in the role.
while the new films have jude law and a major advantage in the area of budget, jeremy brett is taller and so outstandingly british...



plus, brett's low key drug use is kinda cool...



this whole thing brought out a rare childhood memory:
as a small child i told my grandmother that i liked jeremy irons. but i really wasn't familiar with his work, i just thought i liked him because we were both named jeremy. similarly, in that same period, i tried to convince myself and others that i liked diet dr. pepper, but i really didn't. i just liked the can, because at that time, it looked the regular dr. pepper can, except it was blue.


everybody knew i really didn't it, but would still give it to me knowing full well that i wouldn't drink more than a sip or two. 


this memory makes it pretty clear that i have no idea what i'm talking about, and discounts any judgement i might attempt to pass on the subject of sherlock holmes.

assemble / disassemble

putting things together and taking things apart. i'm a big fan of both. these two themes keep popping up lately. 


todd mcclellan:
i've taken many things apart, for many different purposes. it's fun to see all the parts, and it's fun to have a reason to use break out those tools that never really get much use, like those tiny screwdrivers that are usually required when disassembling machines.

however, i've never achieved the level of beauty seen in this series of work by todd mcclellan. for fans of design and tiny parts, this is it.

check out the full set:
http://toddmclellan.com/


thomas thwaites: 
"the toaster project" addresses many larger questions and things about the modern world, but the part i really like is the actual attempt to build a toaster from scratch. 

here's some words someone else wrote about it, and a ted talk video below.




website:
http://www.thomasthwaites.com/the-toaster-project/

the family fang

fiction fiction fiction, say what you will. a lot of folks say it's a great thing for the wintertime. 


since it's appears that wintertime is closing in, i thought i'd bring up this book. "the family fang" by kevin wilson. it's the best piece of fiction i've encountered in ages. 

i feel like i'd be terrible at literary review and have no intention of starting...so i'll just leave it with some stolen words from the author's website, http://www.wilsonkevin.com/:


Mr. and Mrs. Fang called it art. Their children called it mischief. 
 Performance artists Caleb and Camille Fang dedicated themselves to making great art. But when an artist’s work lies in subverting normality, it can be difficult to raise well-adjusted children. Just ask Buster and Annie Fang. For as along as they can remember, they starred (unwillingly) in their parents’ madcap pieces. But now that they are grown up, the chaos of their childhood has made it difficult to cope with life outside the fishbowl of their parents’ strange world.
 When the lives they’ve built come crashing down, brother and sister have nowhere to go but home, where they discover that Caleb and Camille are planning one last performance—their magnum opus—whether the kids agree to participate or not. Soon, ambition breeds conflict, bringing the Fangs to face the difficult decision about what’s ultimately more important: their family or their art.
 Filled with Kevin Wilson’s endless creativity, vibrant prose, sharp humor, and keen sense of the complex performances that unfold in the relationships of people who love one another, The Family Fang is a masterfully executed tale that is as bizarre as it is touching.

this book was delivered to me from mrs. mary steffens, wrapped in a pair of canvas fangs handed out as part of a performance art project called "aliens of the devil". clever and thoughtful, and excitement on my part, as the book was just recently added to my read list. 

perfect timing. a lot of things in this that i needed to read, even a few close to home things, like a detailed bit about an art project almost identical to one that we, (knee shy), had planned. 

and even though i often say that i don't really care for illustrators, the cover art by Julie Morstad is pretty cute, and apparently tattoo-worthy for some...

...it's seems as though nicole kidman has gained the film rights for this...hopefully this doesn't end up giving me a new reason to dislike her.

"scanwiches"

this is f-ing amazing! "SCANWICHES". it is what it sounds like, scans of sandwiches...or as the creator writes: "Scans of sandwiches for education and delight." 

this is the type of action that keeps the little universe in my head spinning at the proper speed, and encourages me to continue following the passions in my big blood-filled heart.

powerHouse Calls Presents: Scanwiches: The Ham, Apple and Brie from powerHouse Books on Vimeo.


k. that's enough...there's a book available, and looks like prints as well....see for yrself: http://scanwiches.com/

maybe a great new mind-blowing item of interest for fans of "tom selleck waterfall sandwich"

photo-blinds: we be shreddin'...

working habits change. in my case, photography and the making of books has steadily infiltrated what i've been making over the past year or so. 


something that hasn't changed is my draw towards large quantities of a single item. a rule that reads something like: 1 red plastic cocktail sword isn't really that amazing, but 15,000 of them holds great potential.
this rule, combined with the above photo/book making thing, and my reluctance to waste anything, and an obsession with the work of jennifer bolande lead to these "photo-blinds". 

here's the original. ~32L x 16W.

i've been building (and subsequently selling) these pieces in the wake of an exhibition that wasn't to be. created by bundling shredded photo and paper off-cuts and tying them into mats of various lengths. they can be installed in several different ways. 

my negative eve.

it's quite very true that i'm not a fan of halloween, but i do like some creepy old movies. here's 2 really tasered up favorites:


dementia 13 (1963)
it's francis ford coppola's directorial debut, and it's totally hot and creepy and grainy and slightly british-y. it also features luana anders, one of my all time favorite actresses and major personal influence, in a terrifically grumpy, jaded and burnt out alpha-blonde, negative creep, bitch role...it's perfect! perfect-o. 
mr. coppola apparently got handed this opportunity by his then boss roger corman, which is beautifully evident.



night tide (1961)
wow...it's rad to see anything with a young dennis hopper, and this takes the shotgun on the fire off with pleasure, and yes, luana anders is here too, acting grumpy and concerned! fun to watch, and i would kill someone i don't know (with a knife) to go back in time and behind the scenes for the making of this film.



a bit unrelated...george romero should have made more creepy films with judith o'dea.

river city ransom. the book.

over the past year or so, books, or rather making them, has seriously infiltrated my working habits (i can't imagine why...). whenever an idea for a project comes up nowadays, one my immediate responses is: "let's make a book."


such is true with this new thing...

River City Ransom (a text-only, play-by-play account of the 1989 video game, as played by some guy.)

as a kid in the 80's, i spent a decent amount of time with the nintendo entertainment system, but somehow missed out on river city ransom. then a few years ago, when i was on tour with the Mean-Agers, Mean Chris turned me onto the game at a place we were staying in Pittsburg. 

personally, i thought the game kinda sucked, but it was really funny and i loved how excited Mean Chris was about it. earlier this year, river city ransom seemed liked the perfect target for this project...

so here it is....
a text-only play-by-play account i wrote of watching the game being played by some dude from beginning to end. all written in that weird monotonous phrasing and pace that i use to chronicle action packed stories. 

the physical product, at least phase 1, is now completed as a super limited edition handmade book. 

find more and new stuff at http://table-blue.com

mailbox day

i love mail. and the united states postal service. and i did email my congressman in concerns to the future of that entity...
anyway, here are 2 new prime examples of why:

the naughty "english muffin" jigsaw puzzle from maarrrrk rice. i imagine this was born into the world at a time when benny hill was at his prime. it seems the assembler found the pieces missing on the box cover image.

a beautiful book by jeff moerchen...tentatively referred to as "11 of 15". some schematic pages prepared with what i imagine to be some of the famous red dirt from the artist's current location along with other coloring. it came with a proud feather bookmark.


mail.

5 things i've seen people try to feed to cats

cigarette butts

chef boyardee ravoli

fish (carassius auratus auratus)

steamed rice

combos (cheddar cheese cracker flavor)

burst up!...Piñata. a fine gallery in echo park.

about: Piñata is a project/retail space, cultivating the collaboration of arts, fashion, media and design through limited-run releases, exhibits and events. 

about (via me): Piñata is absolutely terrific. it held it's first opening the very same day i moved in to my new place, which is rather across the street. that initial exhibit featured a familiar entity...hassla books. thrilled. yes. there. i found an intimate space attractively lined with original works by a few favorites and some new now favorites (including an amazing piece by andrea longacre-white, which i still can't cross off my "must have" list).

after a tasered up performance by brendan fowler a few weeks later (rad), Piñata opened it's new show: University. by Seth Kinmont. the ol' 2 show test is complete, and this is officially taser factory. mr. Kinmont's work is a smart and great follow-up that proves Piñata knows how to shift gears in a forward style.


happy. quite. check it out. online. or stop by.
http://www.pinata-la.com/

the Point Break is...

Our bi-coastal collaborative has been, and still is, a totally taser factory, rippin' blast! the Point Break is... is now live online and getting radical in print form! Check it, brah-

The film Point Break (1991) famously chronicled the adventurous outings of Bodhi, Johnny Utah, Tyler, and Pappas from the sunny shores of California to a stormy coast in Australia.

With the Point Break is..., the whole crew rides again in a new presentation of their journey, as interpreted by Jeremy Kennedy - Jeff Moerchen - and David Smith.

ABOUT THE the Point Break is... PREMIUM MEMBERSHIPS:

2012 marks the 21st anniversary of Patrick Swayzes passing at Bells Beach, Australia. To commemorate the occasion, the the Point Break is... Foundation is honored to offer these timely and timeless membership options.

Our entry level "Surfing with Swayze" membership package comes to you at the low cost of $15.15 (USD). This membership tier includes 1 bound hardcopy of the Point Break is... created by Jeremy Kennedy, Jeff Moerchen and David Smith, as well as unlimited access to the exclusive the Point Break is... blog for the rest of your life.

As an extra special, limited edition option, The "Ex-President" membership package includes all the features of entry level package plus 1 of the 20 coins found in the change purse that Bodhi left wrapped in his beach towel before surfing the 50 year swell at Bells Beach in 1991. In addition, each subscriber at the "Ex-President" level will receive an exclusive Point Break related voice-mail message from Co-creator David Smith. True "breakers" can catch this ride for only $50.50 (USD).

*For further details, please contact:thepointbreakis@hotmail.com

surfin's the source - change your life - swear to god

around the office...

i took a look around my new office. here's some taser factory items (some new, some old) that have helped me acclimatize...

2 inspirational postcards (natives from o'boro ky museum of natural history + some pirate action from justin clifford rhody) and stuffed creatures (including: a plush gift made by ivy richardson, plump rabbit, + owl)

wedding scam by j. shelley harrison

yoshimi and eye autographs

root beer gift from mark rice

pull (still need push)

the works on paper collection by jeff moerchen and a.j. mason

owl gift from j. shelley harrison and mushroom puzzle gift from rob dietz

pavarotti with horse by crab jackson

photos: j. shelley harrison's back, shane edge circa 1999, crab jackson with pvsd "speakers of the woods", bread hand, j. shelley harrison + me at our opening, me performing with the kwop organization.

*these change regularly.

a beach boyz tape + a ford taurus.

really. what instrument of motivation did capital records use to get the beach boys to record and release this hilarious pointlessness?...lohan style beach house arrest? fan mail embargo? canned corn rehab?

i rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreally, reallyyyy, reallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
 do not remember this track being on "surfin' safari", but i recently got a tape copy of it, and there it is....crazier yet, this was a single, which attempted to follow up the "surfin' safari" single...


apparently my feelings towards this track travel along the same lines of the record buying youth of the early 60's.


i've always considered "surfin' safari" a pretty solid album. i mean, i even like "little miss america"! but this is a stretch...maybe they were just hanging a little to close to jan and dean (whose "carnival of sound" still haunts me...but that's a completely different stupid thing to write about).

anyway, the point is, it's stupid, which means it's terrific and totally taser-ed up, so love it! it's really funny, and i think there is a similarly annoying and terrible and terrific track on "surfer girl". 


*as a side note, i used to live across the hall from the producer's son.
**the trashmen's version of "be true to yr school" is much better than the beach boys'.

faria and bento. hotelware. triangle line.

among my favorite wares: the triangle line of hotelware from faria and bento. the name says it all: "hotelware". simple, impersonal, unassuming, and just elegant enough.

i only have the cup and saucer set, which is running low in quantity after a table throwing contest a few months ago. 

the triangle line's interlocking triangular cup bottom and saucer divet is fun, but not too fun. 
i should buy another set.

http://www.fariaebento.com/

taste-uh!

the "taste" clock...a crazy spartus wall clock from 1979. instead of putting batteries in it, crab jackson and i decided it would probably be a better idea to put a piece of masking tape on it that reads: "taste". 

say it like james brown: "taste-uh".

sebastian errazuriz's "memorial of a concentration camp"

this beautiful project by chilean born artist sebastian errazuriz has been on my mind all day. 
to keep things moving, i'll just rip and re-post what it's nice that had to say about it:

Posted by Will Hudson, 30 March 2010

When I first heard about this project at the end of last week I knew I had to track it down and it was well worth the effort.

Created Sebastian Errazuriz and set in Santiago, Chile, back in 2006 Memorial of a Concentration Camp was a week long installation at Chile’s national stadium where dictator Pinochet in 1973 imprisoned thousands of political prisoners who were tortured and killed. After planting the 10 meter high magnolia tree, the stadium doors were open to the public as a park – offering a space to stop, look again, and remember.

After the week long project an “impossible, cathartic soccer match” was played infront of a crowd of 20,000 people.

great slideshow and article here

also check out the artist's site...worth it: http://meetsebastian.com

happy friday.

aqua prince (my favorite things)

proudly displayed in my media department is the aqua prince tape. a gift from the creator: russian tsarcasm (a.k.a.: russian tsarlag / carlos gonzales)....from about 5-6 years ago.

i so love the package as is, that i've never "opened" and played the cassette. i'm waiting until i turn 34, becuz that's what "aqua prince" translates to on my phone. 


carlos is the shadow wizard from such rad projects as: bread fangs, rat's cocoon, byron house, crotch council, slime freak, and much much more...

...with his unhindered ability to turn slime to solid chrome and water into liquid, i know whatever is on the magnetic is going to wipe out my future mind. 

doraemon: the restroom...

doraemon fan? 
me too? (intentional question mark)...
i don't know that i REALLY enjoy doraemon that much, but like the feeling i get when the cartoon is on, and this isn't the first time i've brought up the blue cat with no ears here (doraemon solar powered car model: http://taserfactory.blogspot.com/2010/08/doraemon-lives.html). 

anyway, the color theme of the men's room at el chavito in silver lake / los feliz always reminds of him...turns out they're huge fans.

AM rad-io...

one of my favorite instruments...the Zenith Royal 50 transistor radio. along with producing some killer, taser factory noises (whirls and pops and zaps), it also allows me to listen to dodgers games.

i'm not sure if it hates my laptop, or if my laptop hates it, but it's leading to some great fun.


thank you Zenith Royal 50.

prvtdncr / bodega vendetta

i have been walking past these two pieces on an almost daily basis (as they are right down the block from where i live), for a...while, and finally took a few photos. 

this is some of the best street art i have found, or that has found me, in LA. my mind caught fire immediately, but i had to do some online digging to allow the flames to spread. 


from what i can tell, this is collaborative work by prvtdncr (--private dancer) and bodega vendetta... mapping thru several of their related blogs at the speed i was going made it a bit difficult to find the decisive breaks between the artists' work...

but who gives a fuck! this is totally taser and that blog quest i mentioned is totally worthwhile, as it is simply image after image of powerful good. it's easy and fun and goes waaayyyy beyond these two photos here.
do it:
http://bodegavendetta.blogspot.com/
http://www.prvtdncr.org/
http://sweaterqueens-roidz.blogspot.com/
http://www.sweaterqueens.org/


i grabbed some info from catch fire...http://www.catch-fire.com/tag/bodega-vendetta/
where in described as: "tweeker hooker folk art posters”. enough said, now look.