oh blessed adobe creative suite...

"it's not the heat, it's ________"

for me, it seems like graphic design type work always has strings attached. it's for a certain purpose or has to meet up to some sorta criteria or agenda, etc. it feel great to actually have total freeform fun with these tools...

"surf portugal"

"upper hawk #?""fighting cats"

"he slice it!"

deadly chained ninja wepuns!!!

exactly. not just ninja wepuns, but deadly chained ninja wepuns! exactly.
ninja wepuns become potentially much more dangerous and exciting when they are chained, and deadly. i wish the ninja wepun magazine was still in operation. this back issue from '87 will have to do for now.

i read this magazine. then i watched a chuck norris flick with a really terrible title (which escapes me).
i feel powered. maybe take off my shirt and sharpen some knives in the dark.
btw, today is world poetry day. cheers!

serious as a cart attack...

I have developed a recent fascination with the array of carts in employed by thy neighborhood street people. Here are few photos. I am still building my collection, but i am amazing at leaving my camera at home when i go out, so it’s taking a while. I like these though. There was an amazing cart out today. However, the owner was hanging out next to it. I have never talked to him before, and i didn’t have time to stop and chat. I didn’t want to make things uncomfortable or come off like the dumb-ass white kid I never wanted be.i haven't had the chance to check around the internet for photo's from others, but i'm sure there are some pretty taser factory things out there. i did find some stuff one this site. lower down on the page there is a really great designed cart! check it out here!

the cooking of spam in portugal - new work by: jeremy kennedy

“The Cooking of Spam in Portugal”
New work by: jeremy kennedy
opening: Saturday March 13th 2010
at White Vinyl Space
(3320 NW 2 Ave / Miami, FL 33127)

artist statement type thing:

as an artist, one of my greatest interests is world history. Unfortunately, ...

as well as modern world and how/why people struggle with it in modern societies. originally, i had planned the title: “the cooking of spam in portugal” for a book that i have been working on. then i look at work for show and realize it’s the same, or an extension of the same material in the book.

i had the idea of keeping the title for both the same and using it in combination with the numeral “2”.
other titles for consideration included:
-“home is where the pool is.”
-“u gotta take the lunch of life”
and
-“i dream of a mean chicken.”
the show is called this and the book has a new title, which escapes me at the moment...but that’s not the point.

I find the title to be a great term i can use to make relevant the extent of interest i have in the world. from the ethnographic survey and exploration of my home office (esp. the shelf thing directly above my desk) to my curiosity of what they’re doing, or have done with spam in portugal.

especially guided and regarded w/out reason, from the dark age to present, these artifacts collected for dissemination in all areas, at different times and for different purposes. when i say “we met on the bus.”, this could mean this literally or something to the effects of: “we never hang out much anymore”, “hold my hand in the swamp”, etc.

i want to show the importance of confusion in and with the world around us. i like typos. The typos in this article could change how it is regarded by you. or it could change how you regard me or the artwork. translation errors...those may be even more fun. i make an effort to perceive things through a “child-view”. a feel incredibly strong in my belief that nothing is worthless. a really terrible song, image, object, animal, anything! At the right time, in the right setting, all things have value.

another part of this whole thing could be easily explained by my personal distaste for song lyrics, or rather lyrics that i can understand that have “meaning”. i am a huge proponent of instrumental music. this is in no way saying that i dislike the sound of the human voice, quite the contrary. i just enjoy it more when i cannot understand what is being said/sung. i like reggae because of this. i know something is being said, and in english possibly, but i have no idea what for the better part. i also enjoy non-english singing from all around the world, as well as non-language, rather interpretive singing.
i like not knowing. i like onamonapea.
(in closing, before closing, the c. of s. in p. means to include a bunch of stuff in the world. And idea)


Along with the above-mentioned interests, food (even in light of being a vegetarian with an eating disorder) and things on sale are highly resonating topics in my work. This food is funny, most things are funny, and some things are funnier with a price tag. World history is funny, and can be made even more so with a little rewriting.
-jeremy kennedy (2010)

“life is eat and die” – yamantaka eye.

special snacks to: j. shelley harrison, ara mark, debra wasserman and united judaic growers guild of sacramento, john carpenter, crab jackson, shane edge (shawn egg), the folks at “barely 18” magazine, nasc, the kwop organization, socal, tree thousand press, skip van cel, georgia m. richards, the man from 1st meat, the ewok from the meat team, table blue brand, pharaoh sanders, jamie rincker, peter brotzmann, everybody there who still believe in jeremy kennedy, and the miami dolfins.

abraham lincoln could only read in the dark...

The life story of Abraham Lincoln is a truly incredible tale. It is the tale of a great man and leader, full of exciting political misadventure and gunshots. As the 16th President of the United States of America, his efforts changed a nation and the world...

Abraham Lincoln was born in the United State of Kentucky in 18__, then moved with his family as a young boy to Illinois, and went to high school in Indiana.
Wait...
He was born in a one-room hotel in Illinois, moved into his parent’s log cabin in Kentucky, and took up a law career in Indiana. I think.
No...
Abraham Lincoln built a log cabin in Kentucky when he was born, moved the cabin to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park in Indiana, and went to college at Illinois Valley Community College in Illinois.

During this brief but exciting period, Lincoln found a great passion for the reading of books. However, due to the lack of natural or electrical light, he learned to read entirely in the dark. This became an irreversible handicap, and for the duration of Abraham Lincoln’s life, he could only read in the dark. Unfortunately, his superhuman nocturnal vision applied only to text, and nothing else.
This disability proved to be a gift in disguise, during the years of the American Civil War. In 1862, after the Second Battle of Bull Run, Lincoln was able to read something in the dark, which would prove to be essential in turning the tide of the entire conflict.

Aside from only being able to read in the dark, Abraham Lincoln was also a known victim of syphilis. It was merely rumored to be true during his lifetime, but confirmed through post-mortem test performed in the modern age.

Adolph Hitler also had syphilis. But, if there had ever been an opportunity for these two men to battle in hand to hand combat, Abraham Lincoln would have absolutely destroyed his anti-Semitic adversary.
Lincoln, unlike Hitler, would most definitely have the advantage through his notable skills with an axe, and as a wrestler. Also, Lincoln’s gift for being able to only read in the dark could’ve proved beneficial in fighting as well. If Hitler had been covered in text of any sort, it would be extremely difficult for him to avoid Lincoln’s gaze in the event of a nocturnal engagement.

Though this match has never occurred, it goes to further prove what a great American, and great person Abraham Lincoln was, and why his place in history will last forever and favorably.

we like knives.

we like knives.

shoji goto + OOIOO +??????????????????????????

shoji goto is an artist that i am desperately seeking info on. shoji goto has worked with one of my personal favorite sound-making groups OOIOO, via video and cover art for several of their albums...unfortunately (i think), and like most taser factory action surrounding the boredoms, ooioo, etc. there is a blackout as far as online info is concerned (at least for me). what all these cats are doing is amazing, and just makes me dig deeper for more.

shoji goto cover art for OOIOO's armonico hewa (thrill jockey)

the image from shoji goto's website
www.shojigoto.com/

shane edge - hose adjusting

shane edge. shaun egg, chain leg, shawn love, evil sleg...regardless of the moniker, he has maintained a terrific output of taser factory art for a number of years. definitely multifaceted, he is most often recognized for his work with visual art, sound-making, and bar tending.
mr. edge recently returned to the sunny shores of colorado to escape the incests of the midwest, and recapture his eagle spirit. shawn and i have consistently collaborated together since the land before time, and geographical distance has never really slowed that down. so the future is same as we thought it was.
there are images of shim's paintings available online, but i can't recall where...but that doesn't matter right now. this entry is about these two full length albums, which are now available online.
shan's audio products cant really be summed in the time i wanna spend writing this. simply, it is vocal tape manipulation, free / stream of consciousness composition. his voice knows few bounds, and has many characters built-in, which he decisively calls into action at will. Egge's recordings have garnered both amazing and terrible reviews from the music press and friends alike. i like it. but then again, i also like non-rhythmic noise and phil collins and most things inbetween.
it has always amazed me at how the most universally likable person i have ever known can produce some of the more potentially unlikable sound products you can find in the course of a day. you be tha judge:

shan edg circa 2001
"hose adjuster" cover by: crab jackson

shane edge - hose adjuster (fmsmprc24)
shane edge - shine love (fmsmprc11)
both available here: listen!
shane was actually the person who coined the term "taser factory".

Coup de' villes- big trouble in little china song.

this, everything about this, is incredibly taser factory. the coup de villes were a band which included john carpenter, the very same john carpenter who directed, among other great things of greatness, big trouble in little china. this is currently my favorite film. this song is terrific, as is the video...however, i love the tag-line used by the cat who posted this "...John Carpenter's stupid ass band..." that is also very funny.

The Institute for Rational Living - 1961

It would seem like wisdom, if not for the warning in my heart. On second thought...Mr. Albert Ellis and Mrs. Robert A Harper both have at least one Ph.D (unless that is a typo). On third thought...i live really near a fortress of scientology.favorite chapter (s):
9. The art of never being desperately unhappy
17. Rewriting your personal history

Other Books and Monographs by the authors:
-The Folklore of Sex
-The American Sexual Tragedy
-The psychology of sex offenders
-How to live with a neurotic
-Sex Without Guilt
-What is Psychotherapy
-Marriage
-Creative Marriage

and 2 other titles mentioned in the book not written by either authors:
-Psychosomatic Gynecology
-Psych Yourself into Better Tennis

Read More Books.

the sound of wall (follow-up)

in spite of the rain (an element which frightens LA folk into a state of non-being) the "sound of wall" opening was a success! we dedicated our improvised demonstrational performance to the french composer Luc Ferrari. Just so happened that feb. 5th was his birthday, so we just put the elements together. unfortunately, the piece was not recorded, but was titled in a very on a very Ferrari hinge "Presque bien avec strings". here are some photos and info:

“the sound of wall”
by: (knee shy)

The sound of wall was built specifically for installation at Origami Vinyl. When faced with creating a piece for an audio driven environment. (knee shy) took a peek into our own sound inclinations and interests. The resulting product was this assemblage.

As both sound-makers and listeners, we found a common focus on some of the worlds heavier, concept/theory based sounds and the purveyors of... also referred to with such tags as: experimental composition, new music, 20th century composition; and includes such names as: John Cage, Henry Cowell, Christian Wolff, Glenn Branca, etc.

However, when put to the masses, ideas in this realm sometimes succumb under their own weight and sink in terms of general interest. Even from the stand point of being fans of the theories and methods employed, we agree that waxing on and on over the subject is a terrific way to be labeled as extremely boring.

In answer to resolving our hang-ups with the over-intellectualizing that can so easily turn off interest, we have tried a combination of the above mentioned with our natural (knee shy) penchant for interactivity and light heartedness.

For “the sound of wall” (an obvious and satirical reference to the amplification system once employed by the Grateful Dead) we have created an interactive “non-traditional music instrument”. It is a device containing many elements which lead to instant experimentation and composition, extended technique, and other forms of non-traditional instrument use.

The intentional lack of elegance in the aesthetic qualities of “the sound of wall” are reflective of our trust and love for the d.i.y. mentality, and how it is very possible to experiment and build on a higher academic pattern of concept with a homespun adjustment.

We welcome questions, comments, and for anyone who feels inclined to “play” the sound of wall.

(knee shy)= j. shelley harrison + jeremy kennedy

Special Thanks to:
Origami Vinyl, Lone Horn, Yosuke Kitazawa, Adam Reese, Jamie for helping us get this stuff over here, and the person who hated that piano enough to give to us.