I think it might be 1988...

... but I'm not quite sure.


As evidence I submit 4 clips from this week's most popular TV show in America - So You Think You Can Dance...

1. Joshua dances to funk icon Zapp's mid-80s hit "I Can Make You Dance"
2. Twitch dances to 1986's "Midas Touch" by Midnight Star
3. Twitch then follows up by dancing to 1988's "Don't Worry Be Happy"
4. Lady GaGa performs her club hit "Just Dance" - while looking a little bit like Jane Fonda just walked out of her workout and grabbed a jacket and shades from the sci-fi mini-series "V" (or maybe she borrowed it from Michael after Thriller)




I swear I thought the nightly news might lead right in with a story on Gorbachev's "Perestrioka" reconstruction efforts in the Soviet Union!


Don't worry...
I'll set the record straight...
It is definitely 2008 and not 1988!!


I shall now demonstrate by recounting current world news!

Major airplane disasters have spawned a series of "based on real events" movies.
(...are they inspired by bombed PanAm Flight 103 and Aloha Flight 243 that ripped open in mid-flight, or inspired by United Flight 93 and the 9/11 disasters??)

Benazir Bhutto's party has been elected to lead Pakistan.
(...is this her first term, or is her husband ruling for her posthumously??)

Iraqi Sunni's loyal to Saddam have been fighting for years against the Shi'a insurgency within Iraq and across the border in Iran.
(...is this the "Iraq-Iran War" or the US led "Iraq War"??)

In Afghanistan, an untrained army of insurgents is defeating a major world power!
(...but is it the Soviets or US who are losing??)

Major banks are in crisis and many are going totally out of business!
(...but is this the "Savings and Loan Crisis", or the "Credit Crisis"??)

Senator John McCain's "Keating Five" political scandal is all over the news.
(...but did it just happen, or is this political mudslinging??)

George Bush is preparing to leave his current post at the White House!
(...but is it Sr. who is just finishing as VP and taking over the Presidency, or Jr. who is ending a second term??)

And... we're gearing up for the Olympics!
(...are they in Canada or China??)


Wait ... I guess I'm still confused ... is it 1988 ??
Help.

Hipster Hall of Fame: Public Radio

1967: Garrison Keillor is 25. Nic Harcourt is 10. Ira Glass, 8. Congress signs the Public Broadcasting act of 1967, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Signing it into law, president Lyndon Johnson says:
"It announces to the world that our Nation wants more than just material wealth; our Nation wants more than a "chicken in every pot". We in America have an appetite for excellence, too. While we work every day to produce new goods and to create new wealth, we want most of all to enrich man's spirit. That is the purpose of this act."

1970: 28, 13 and 11.
30 employees found NPR, absorbing the National Educational Radio Network (which had been in existence for some time).

1978: 36, 21 and 19.
Ruth Seymour becomes General Manager of the College Radio Workshop, formed in 1945 to train WWII vets in radio, and begins developing programming on the station we now know as KCRW.

1983: 41, 26, 22. The blogfather, 5.
PRI (Public Radio International) founded.

Now: All Things Considered. The Sound of Young America. Sounds Eclectic. Morning Becomes Eclectic. Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and Says You. Left, Right and Center. Studio 360. This American Life. Fresh Air. Through genuinely inventive and in-depth programming, programming with intelligence and personality, a technology from the 1890s still daily takes its place among iPhones and RSS feeds.

Wait Till Bigus Dickus Hears of This

Continuing his quest to -- depending how you look at it -- keep alive the flame of Monty Python / degrade the memory of everything beautiful and subversive about Monty Python by turning it into a fucking musical, Eric Idle will unleash "Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)" tomorrow night at the Hollywood Bowl. It's billed as a concert oratorio combining Handel's "Messiah" and the best bits from Monty Python's Life of Brian -- arguably one of the greatest movies about religion ever made, and certainly the funniest.

I have some serious reservations about whether one of the world's few perfect films truly needs to be reimagined as a concert piece, which are only slightly offset by the moderate self-loathing I feel for wanting to attend anyway. (For what it's worth, a recent Washington Post review of the D.C. performance was positively glowing, but then again this is from the same paper that called The Dark Knight "a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war.")



WHERE: The Hollywood Bowl
WHEN: This Friday, August 1st at 8:30pm
COST: $10 - $110, depending upon seating / wallet size
MORE INFO: Hollywood Bowl Website

hello ditty bops!!

You gotta love livejournal! You can just discover a plethora of things from that place (and yes, that means i have a livejournal and i don't even care that i am not sixteen or in my early twenties). Anyhow...through one of the groups I am a part of, I have just now 'discovered' this great female singing duo called The Ditty Bops. As recommended via the LJ group, I checked out one of their videos on YouTube and it was instant love (for me and my four year old daughter too). And since they are from California, I thought I too, would spread the Ditty Bop love....so take a look...





I strongly encourage checking out their very artistic site and their myspace as well...

Tao Lin Offers a Cure to Existential Despair Through Strategic Investment Opportunities

Poet/author/blogger/etc. Tao Lin is selling ten "shares" of his new novel, totaling 60% of the U.S. Royalties, on his website. Beyond the simple support-your-local-artist philanthropic benefits that buying into the book might bring you, he also suggests that you may get some long-needed existential relief out of it as well:

People who buy shares will also have more meaning in life if they already like and promote my writing, because they can promote my writing and also be making money for themselves, which can be exchanged for "goods" in concrete reality; therefore existential despair due to "having to do what you normally wouldn't be doing if you had a lot of money" can be relieved to some extent... If you don't know what to do with your life, or even if you just want to relieve boredom for the 10-15 minutes it will take to send me a check or paypal me, or email me, I recommend that you buy shares of the royalties of my second novel. I recommend this because you will then know what to do for a while, and if you ever feel bored in the future, and own shares of my second novel, you know you can always promote me in order to make more money for yourself. You will never not know what to do with your life again if you own shares in my second novel, sort of.

I haven't yet read "Eeee Eee Eee", Lin's first novel, but "You Are a Little Bit Happier Than I Am" is one of my favorite books of poetry released in the past few years.

At $1,250 per share, investing in Tao Lin's artistic future is a little out of my price range at the moment, but those of you with recently-matured trustfunds or an excess of pocket change may want to take a moment to consider the possibilities.

LINK: Reader of Depressing Books.

Health services are waaaaaay cooler in Uganda!

The Circumcision Song - by Circ Squad

I will not get drunk... I will not get drunk...

"One of the fascinating things about how humans process alcohol is that we have at least some capacity to overcome its effects by sheer force of will. [...] In other words, at least in a lab setting, those who are led to believe they're about to get truly blotto end up not letting themselves get so blotto." ... At least according to Time Magazine.

Hipster Hall of Fame: MIA

Is this it?

from Telegraph

Understanding Comics

"Still trapped on their lunar Panopticon, Owlman correctly concludes that 24 hours after the JLA appears on the antimatter Earth, the CSA will automatically appear on the positive Earth in order to appease a dimensional equilibrium."

Another first timer...

Like MEG (see post below) this was the first quake that I experienced here in SoCal. There have been others... but they were so quick, or so minor, or I slept through them, etc. This one... I knew it.

However... I though this video better represents my experience.

"We Are Not Pleased the Way We Thought We Would Be Pleased."

Outsider Art
Kay Ryan

Most of it’s too dreary
or too cherry red.
If it’s a chair, it’s
covered with things
the savior said
or should have said--
dense admonishments
in nail polish
too small to be read.
If it’s a picture,
the frame is either
burnt matches glued together
or a regular frame painted over
to extend the picture. There never
seems to be a surface equal
to the needs of these people.
Their purpose wraps
around the backs of things
and under arms;
they gouge and hatch
and glue on charms
till likable materials--
apple crates and canning funnels--
lose their rural ease. We are not
pleased the way we thought
we would be pleased.

Read Meghan O'Rourke's piece on America's new poet laureate at Slate.com.

My First Earthquake

Were any hipsters damaged in today's earthquake? Let us know.

Hey! Here's an appropriate band to feature in response to today's big event:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-First-Earthquake/7357811753

Aren't they the cutest little seismic disturbances you've ever seen?

Earth quakes

Officials say San Andreas is at fault

OH S#!T ... literally!

Any news story with these quotes has got to catch your attention...

"12,000 gallons of raw sewage into Spinnaker Bay"

"The L.A. and San Gabriel rivers are like 'big latrines' that dump into Long Beach harbor"

"Severe sewage contamination has forced four beach closures so far"

"Long Beach has seen 31 sewage spills since January"

Read the full LA Times story here.


Side Note: This is why you should never swim in Long Beach.

Great art... great cause!

Matt Wignall will be exhibiting some INCREDIBLE PHOTOS from his series in support of Water Wells for Africa. This exhibition will be hosted at DDR Projects in Long Beach. The opening is on August 1st and will feature DJ Pete Deeble spinning wax.

For more about Matt Wignall - go see MattWignall.com
For more about the gallery - go see DDRProjects.com
For more about the cause - go see WaterWellsForAfrica.com
And for more about DJ Pete Deeble.... well... just take my word for it!

Some of you may also know Matt Wignall as the local Long Beach music scene trailblazer: from Scouts of Saint Sebastian, Matt Death and the New Intellectuals, and Havalina; man behind the mix for many a local record made at his "Tackyland" studio; and man behind the cameras for Long Beach music stars the Cold War Kids. He is also co-founder of Matte Black clothing designs. And when he's not mastering art, music, or fashion... he is quitely plotting to conquer the world!

Two Upcoming Events from 826LA!

The Echo Park Time Travel Mart presents
Dead Author Readings

PATTON OSWALT
is
William Fryer Harvey
reading
"The Clock" and "August Heat"

free admission

Thursday, July 31
7:30 pm
at the Echo Park Time Travel Mart
1714 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

(A PDF invite is available here.)

*********************************************************************




Do you have the mettle to pedal?

826LA is hosting a paddle boat race unlike any other to raise money for its free writing and tutoring programs for children. Teams of two will compete in a test of nautical smarts and pedaling to determine the World's Best Paddle Boat Racers and raise money for charity. The more money a team raises, the closer to the finish line they get to start.

826LA hosts
The Echo Park Lake
Paddle Boat Regatta

Echo Park Lake Boat House
Sunday, August 17
4:00 p.m.

Post-Race Concert
at
The Echo

For more information and to sign up: 826la.org/regatta

(A PDF flyer is available here.)



For more information about 826LA go to www.826la.org

Death to Emo: The Reds Strike Back!

They say that history repeats itself: the first time as tragedy; the second time as farce. If that's the case, then all the boundary-pushing and society-thrashing that was the birth of punk rock has come 'round again, and this time its name is emo.

Those aging hipsters in the audience might recall those far-off days of the Great Mexican Emo Riots of '08, in which teenaged goths, punks and metal-heads ran wild through the streets of Querto on a quest to attack any and all emos who crossed their path. (The logic behind this apparently being that emos kind of suck: "Emos, their way of thinking is for crap, if you are so depressed please do us all a favor and kill yourselves!" went one of the posts on the message board that helped organize the "emo hunt.")


Now, according to this article in The Moscow Times emo has come under governmental scrutiny in Russia, with a proposed ban on emos in the works:

Emos, according to the bill, are from 12 to 16 years old and wear black and pink clothing. They have black hair with long bangs that "cover half the face," black fingernails, black belts peppered with studs and pins, and ear and eyebrow piercings, the bill says.

The "negative ideology" of emo culture may push young people toward depression and social withdrawal, and the movement carries a significant risk of suicide, especially for young girls, according to the bill...

In November, the Novgorod regional education department issued a letter to all schools in the region with a description of emo culture, saying the "dream of every [emo] is to die in a warm bath from the blood of cutting their wrists."

Believe it or not

Movie News

I feel old...

Do you remember this kid??


His name is Spencer Elden and now he's 17 years old!!

This is what he has to say about the whole being-the-kid-that-represents-a-generation thing, "Quite a few people in the world have seen my penis... So that's kinda cool."

NPR caught up with Spencer recently... check it out here.

This is Spencer today.

(Dude... I'm so old.)

1000 views on

Tragically Hipster Los Angeles began 30 days and 1000 views ago. Since then we've added several great writers and are still trying to recruit more - comment if you're interested in joining us or want to recommend a writer.

Our writers have penned 54 posts, an average of 1.8 posts a day. I love reading it myself.

We're hoping to find ways through advertising to get the site to pay for itself and even to make it worth the time our writers spend posting, but we're not there yet. I've been researching advertising opportunities to broaden our reach. Please tell all your friends about us.

We're also interested in setting up Tragically Hipsters in other cities, if you'd like to head one of those up please let us know.

Oh - we've also finally got things set up with the tragicallyhipster.com domain name, so you can tell your friends that new, cleaner address and update your bookmarks. The old address should keep working too.

Movies on the beach, yo!

Enjoy FREE movies on the beach in Long Beach every Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. through August 27. "Seafest" returns for its fifth season on the beaches of Belmont Shore, featuring a variety of classics - Singin' in the Rain, Casablanca, North by Northwest, E.T. and Jurassic Park, to name a few. Also, for all of us nerds who fantasize about time-traveling DeLoreans, hoverboards, and kicking the asses of 1950s bullies, Back to the Future is showing on Tuesday, July 29 at Grenada Beach. For more information, visit: http://www.alfredosbeachclub.com/seafest-movie.html

Adventures in Workplace Found-Art Installation Pieces

In honor of Comic-Con... A book review!

So...
Comic-Con 2008 kicks off today down in San Diego...And while the culture of Comic-Con facinates me, I have no intention of going. And I also have no intention to make this a blog entry about Comic-Con. But I did think that it would be a great time to post a graphic novel book review!

SIDE NOTE:
For those of you who have been living in a pop-culture bubble, Comic-Con is short for Comic Book Convention, and this particular convention has become the MOTHER OF ALL COMICS CONVENTIONS drawing over 100,000 visitors! If you want to find out info about Comic-Con... I won't be talking about it... Instead you can go here - iFanboy ComicCon episode - or - ComicCon website

So here's my review of the "Abadazad" series:
Abadazad: The Road to Inconceivable (Book 1)
and Abadazad: The Dream Theif (Book 2)
written by J.M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Mike Ploog.


I must say that I was initially quite skeptical of this series. My wife purchased the first book after hearing an interview with the author on NPR almost 2 years ago. She read it quickly and recommended it to me, but "I don't read comics" and the whole thing seemed so young, so I never really paid much attention... A year and a half later, I have finally picked it up... and I could hardly set the books down! Not that they have the intense page-turning allure of a great thriller, but they have an enchanting fun quality that is utterly captivating.

The Abadazad series is a strange beast, very difficult to cleanly categorize, and therefore also very difficult to describe (not that it will keep me from trying).

The primary narrative is based around a contemporary character (14 year old Kate) in something of a fantasy/mystery/adventure story; and while the book is self-purported to be wholly the published diary entries of our heroine, the format in truth is a melding of styles. The traditional diary text flows into and out of more conventional graphic-novel/comic-book styles, and just to make things really interesting we are also introduced to pages "extracted" from a fictional 19th Century fantasy series also written about Abadazad. While all of this sounds incredibly complex (and it is), DeMatteis and Ploog make the labyrinthine interwoven narratives feel seamlessly united in an easy read.

Aside from the unique format of the storytelling itself, it is just as difficult to pin down the intended audience. The writing style is very simple and easy to read (as would be appropriate for the diary entries of a teenage girl) and the author so well captures the point of view of our protagonist, that it seems likely female readers of a similar age and temperament (angsty teen girls) would most strongly connect with her telling of this story. But by the same token, the book is so rich with cultural and literary references that I can't image such a young reader having the breadth of experience to pick up on all the allusions made by our culture savvy author (from Barney, Botox, and The Beatles; to C.S. Lewis, L. Frank Baum, and Tolkien; and from Disney movies to The Matrix; and more)! The result: a book likely targeted and marketed to a younger audience, but one that is no less enjoyable for adult readers.

Now for the bad news...
As of now the story is left unfinished... at least in the United States (more books have been published in the UK). The original story arc was planned for three books with the hope of many more stories to come, but only two books have been published in the US so far, and it is my understanding that no announcement has been made for a pending publication stateside. So... I have been left hanging... just as the adventure was really getting moving!

For the moment, I am trying to get my Abadazad fix through imports (books 3 and 4 have been published in the UK), but even that is proving difficult to find. I am hoping that as word spreads about this smart little series, we can encourage quicker action on the part of our American publishers!

p.s. - For any of you ComicCon nerds who are still hangin' on hoping for more about the convention... I still can't help you. But I will throw out this little nugget: both J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog are in fact bonafide comics artists... DeMatteis has written for Captain America, Justice League, and several Spider-Man series; and Ploog has drawn for several Marvel comics. So there.

Font-phile Graphic Design Humor

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Sesame Street de-constructed

If you thought The Count just loved counting... try watching this!

Me Doing This

Does the world really need more David Shrigleys?

I guess so, because Kate Beaton's "nonsense" comics are hilarious:



Visit her store and support her.

Cold War Kids secret show!

Cold War Kids play a secret show at The Prospector!

"Where the heck is The Prospector?!" - you ask. Well, its a tiny bar in Long Beach, that is hot with the locals. But it doesn't matter cause the show was last Friday night! So... HA! You missed it!
(that's OK... I missed it too...)

I got word of it after I already had tickets for Batman (see previous post), and I rushed over just to arrive as they finished the set... Oh well.

But the word at the bar was that they played all new material from their forthcoming album, and while it still showcases thier distictive rythmic sound, it is a little further from folk and a little closer to punk this time around. Go see their website for more info.

This would be a good thing! And that I can verify personally, I was at a show in March at the OC Performing Arts Center... They played a couple of new songs at that show, along with the following excellent cover of Fugazi's "Furniture". Enjoy!

Speaking of men in masks... Batman review!

The previous post about making owl masks inspired me to write briefly about seeing The Dark Knight this weekend.


As I'm sure everyone under the sun already has heard, read, or seen (if not verified for themselves)... The Dark Knight is a FANTASTIC movie! And not just in a hot summer action movie kind of way (though it is that). And not just in a comic-book cool-style kind of way (though it does look incredible). And not just in a nostalgic remembrance of Heath Ledger kind of way (though it will make you wish he were still with us).

The Dark Knight is just a damn good movie!

Great actors (and 1 actress), in great characters, giving great performances, delivering a great script, under great direction, on great sets, in great costume and make-up, that is all filmed great-ly, and enhanced with great effects... you get the point.

But in spite all of the great-ness, it is Heath Ledger who steals the stage every time the Joker appears on screen. All personal tragedy and remembrance aside, Heath's Joker is still the singular most compelling criminal character I have ever seen on screen! His unquenchable thirst for chaos without motive is truly frightening! His pure joy in watching society rage is maddening, and his genuine disappointment when those he torments respond nobly is horrifying! Of course, a great deal of credit is also due to writer/director Christopher Nolan; but there is no doubt that it would not have carried such a severe punch were it not for Heath Ledger's thoroughly convincing embodiment of the Joker.


We miss you, Heath!

p.s. - Mark my words... Heath Ledger, Oscar for Best Actor. Well deserved.

my owly loves...

It's Friday, and my daughter and I decided to make owl masks. I thought I would come here and share a photo with you all. Here is my husband (whom you might now as 'the trite fantastic' here or maybe even as 'chico einstein') and her posing their masks. Happy Friday!!

Live, Free, Tonight -- (THE REAL) TUESDAY WELD

(The Real) Tuesday Weld makes music that sounds something like the bastard child of 1930's cabaret, 1960's French New Wave cool, and 1990's British electronica. Even better are his live performances, backed by a full band replete with laptop samplers and a clarinet. Weld is a London-based performer, so U.S. dates are extremely rare, but tonight he'll be playing a free show in downtown Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to catch a mini-set he did last night at a private event, and enjoyed it so much that I'll be going back to see the full performance tonight.

I've put together a quick muxtape mix of his songs for those who still need convincing. No need to thank me.

Opening for Weld will be Lal Meri, an act described in the press material as "a blend of jazz, East-Indian vocals, trip hop with world music, and electronica."

WHERE: California Plaza
WHEN:TONIGHT, Friday July 18, @ 8:00pm.
PRICE: FREE
MORE INFO: http://www.grandperformances.org

GLOW - "compelling, enchanting and effervescent"

Glow is a major all-night public art event taking place this Saturday evening throughout downtown Santa Monica and around the Santa Monica Pier. Running from 7pm-7am the website promises that it will be "compelling, enchanting and effervescent" among other things.

Now I don't know about you, but I've never experienced an "effervescent" art installation... So, I'm in! ;)

Besides... it can't be all bad...
The event has some great art-event funders behind it like KCRW, the NEA, The Peter Norton Foundation, The Durfee Foundation, and Starbucks (...of course)!

See more details at glowsantamonica.org.

Fall Fashion!!! Cattle Drive!!!

Strap on your Manolos, hop in your Mercedes convertible, and drive on out to the OC Fair Cattle Drive! On Saturday, July 26 at 10:00 AM, 300 steers will be driven through the streets of Costa Mesa. (Holy sh*t, Batman! Literally!) Beginning at 10 a.m. at Fairview Park, the Cattle Drive will proceed south on Placentia Avenue, east on Victoria Street, north on Harbor Blvd., and east on Fair Drive before entering the Fair through Gate 2 at Vanguard Way.

After that, if you have a disposable income that surpasses the GNP of most small countries, head on over to South Coast Plaza for a preview of Alexander McQueen's Fall Collection. Preview the latest offering from this world-renowned, kooky British designer. The Fall Runway show will be on display as well as look books of the Fall Collection. For more information, please call the Designer Handbags department at (714) 549-8300, ext. 1250. Score!

Sing Along With the Horrible Doctor

Following some unfortunate technical glitches, the first two parts of Joss Whedon's three-part web serial Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog have finally dropped online, and they are awesome.

Horrible is the story of the titular Doctor ("with a PhD in Horribleness"), a wanna-be mad scientist desperate for membership in the Evil League of Evil; the girl at the laundromat he pines for but has never spoken to; and Captain Hammer, Dr. Horrible's superheroic arch-nemesis. It is, naturally, a musical.

Those of you with social lives more active than my own might not instantly identify Joss Whedon as the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, recent Astonishing X-Men scribe, and co-writer of the first Toy Story movie. Whedon also wrote and directed Buffy's musical episode, which was notable not merely for featuring choreographed dancing vampires, but also for having songs that were actually, you know, good. Word on the street is that Dr. Horrible will see a DVD release in the near future, and feature a sung audio commentary.

WHERE: http://www.drhorrible.com

PRICE: Free until July 21st, or download the whole thing for just $4 on iTunes.

Brain Fodder...

FFF (a.k.a. FormFiftyFive.com) is a killer graphic design blog constantly updated with some really beautiful work to check out. An excellent resource for finding new artists and designers, or browsing for inspiration!


Brian Ulrich is an incredible Chicago-based photographer with a lot of work up on his site, but he also keeps very up to date on his blog... with information about exhibitions, artists of interest, readings, and other relevant bits of information... Plus he has a very extensive listing of sites for other photographers and photo related blogs! - NotIfButWhen.com

Comfort... back in it to win it!

OK... I admit it...

My name is Jeff Rau, and I'm a So You Think You Can Dance addict.


After being eliminated last week...
Comfort (pictured above) is back!

Apparently Jessica had some kind of injury that prevents her from competing any longer, so one of my favorite gals is back in it! Only time will tell if she can turn the tables, and learn from her mistakes to be another "Comeback Chris" (For those of you not in the know - Chris was eliminated in last season's Project Runway. But after being re-instated from another contestant's injury, he managed to make it all the way to the finals at Fashion Week!).

But back to what's important now... YEA FOR COMFORT!
Watch how she does on the show on FOX TV tonight!

(Of course... we all know that it's going to come down to Joshua and Will.)

Furious T

http://losangeles.ucbtheatre.com/shows/1811
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Long

Popcorn and Candy Girl

Holy cow, we all almost missed Diablo Cody's Mondo Diablo festival at the New Beverly. She will be there tonight at least, to introduce 'Grey Gardens' and 'Gimme Shelter,' and on Friday to present 'Nightmare on Elm Street 3.' There is some changing happening with the times, so smart hipsters would check the New Beverly Website often and possibly call for more info.

Handmade Nation Silent Art Auction at Poketo, July 19, 2008

Poketo is hosting a fund raiser for the documentary, Handmade Nation as they are in the post production phase and finishing up. THIS SATURDAY, JULY 19 6-9 PM, 2008 is the event– a silent auction with over 30 artists donating their amazing work. Lots of other things planned–short screening, cocktails, music, and of course, art.

Where: Poketo HQ
510 S. Hewitt #506(Fifth Floor)
Los Angeles, CA.

No need to RSVP, just join the fun...

For more information go to the Poketo Blog.

(RAR) The Happy Show, Spitting Images, and something special

I received an invite for a show called "The Happy Show" at Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana. A friend of mine, Jaime Uretsky (who's work I really respect and enjoy), was included in the show and so I was interested in going to check it out if for no other reason than to encourage and support her... so I visited the GCAC website to find out details...

Well... I happened to know several other people exhibiting in The Happy Show, as well as some artists showing in a concurrent exhibition ("Spitting Images") in their main gallery! And the project room installation looked REALLY EXCITING! (Note: "Spitting Images" is the correct title for the show despite the typo on their website)

So now I had to go... and I did.

It was all enjoyable, and worth the trip...
But nothing turned out quite the way I expected.



On display: July 5 - July 27, 2008
I generally found The Happy Show... not so happy (with notable exceptions).

In general, I expected something very uplifting and whimiscal... but this seemed in short supply. One of the notable exceptions, from Jon Ginnaty and Diana Donaldson, was a rack of about 25 small ceramic puppies (as seen in the promo image above), each with a tag around its neck that reads "I will love you forever." This little installation with so many little puppy faces begging for attention, each with a promise of affection, was definitely a "Happy" highlight. Also, worthy of your time is a whimsical painting by Alyssa Cordova, and a very fun little animation/video piece by Jaime Uretsky (You'll have to look for this new work from Jaime in the front window facing the street).



On display: July 5 - August 24, 2008

Spitting Images was proclaimed to explore "unique interpretations of the photo-making process within a group dynamic"... but it seemed surprisingly traditional. Though not as unique as promised, I still felt this was over all a pretty strong showing of work by photographers and printmakers.

The real standout work of the show were a series of digital images from Neil Sharum. Utilizing his unique images (originating from clubs that cater to teens) as source material, he then uses digital imaging technology to merges images together, create the illusion of a seamless continuous space where his "cast" of very real characters appear to be interacting with one another in narratives of his own devising. In this process Neil becomes a story teller or director of sorts, creating cinematic narratives and building relationships into scenes that in truth do not exist.

Elsewhere in the show... Mark Chamberlain, Chris Moore, Sandra Green, and Mayra Alford all had strong showings of work that seemed to involve fairly traditional methods of image making. Not ground breaking, but strong nonetheless. (The work of Scott Angus could also fit into this category, but the 2 small pieces on display do not do adequate justice to his greater body of work.)

There were a few people who seemed to be genuinely bucking tradition and working in new or hybrid ways, including Janelle Morte and Leonard Correa, but I didn't necessarily find that work particularly engaging. Elizabeth Tobias as a possible exception had beautiful large scale and colorful visual representations of music... but they were at root fairly straight forward depictions of audio waveforms... (for a more innovative approach to visualizing music go see the "Sound!" work of Andy Carey, currently on display at Open Bookstore in Long Beach).

p.s. - I hate to be negative, but people need to stop exhibiting the work of Robbie Miller! His self portraits are thin on concept (sorely lacking, derivatives of Cindy Sherman and others), and from a photo craftsmanship-quality standpoint they are poorly executed prints. Yet somehow I have found his work exhibited in numerous small So-Cal galleries. (Someone has to stand up and say "NO!" when bad stuff is catching on.) STOP IT PEOPLE!



On display: July 5 - August 24, 2008
Lastly, the project room's installation ("This used to be real estate, now it's only fields and trees")... WAS EVEN BETTER THAN EXPECTED!

I can't really describe this installation by Amy Caterina. You have to experience it for yourself. Suffice it to say that it is an all-encompassing experience, very much enjoyed, and an excellent pairing to The Happy Show (or rather the whimisical intent of The Happy Show). You need to see this!

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS at The Largo -- Definitely / Maybe

New Zealand's fourth most popular novelty-folk duo are set to make a live appearance on the July 26th edition of the Greg Proops Chat Show at the Largo, in its new location at the Coronet theater. That show is, predictably, sold out.

But the Largo will also be hosting "The 1st National International New Zealand Day" on August 2nd. No schedule for the event has been posted online yet, but considering that the Conchords and the Largo have a lengthy history together, it wouldn't be a surprise if they made an appearance.

Tickets are still available, at $30 apiece.

More info: http://www.largo-la.com

"Un-Cabaret" FREE Creativity Seminar

Creative Crisis Management for Writers and Performers
FREE SEMINAR with author, comedian, teacher and Un-Cabaret creator Beth Lapides (see below for bio) & producer, writer and creative consultant Greg Miller.

Sunday, July 20 (1-3pm) @ M-Bar, 1253 N. Vine St., L.A. 90038
(SW corner of Fountain. Free parking in mini-mall)
RESERVATIONS: 323-993-3305 or e-mail: greg@bethlapides.com

CREATIVE CRISIS MANAGEMENT
In this seminar, Beth and Greg will give you tools to use when you're...

• overwhelmed
• blocked
• aiming too high (or not high enough)
• pain (physical and/or emotional)
• having too many ideas

How to transform F.E.A.R. (Fear, Ego, Attachment, Rejectivity) with L.O.V.E. (Love, Openness, Voice, Energetics) and supercharge your creativity for page, stage and life in general. Beth's even working on visuals to make the ideas more vivid.

And you can ask questions about specific projects or challenges you may be facing with:
• Standup
• Scripts
• Essays
• One-Person Shows
• Multi-media presence
• General creative alignment

Author/comedian Beth Lapides has been called “the high priestess of alternative comedy.” She's the host and creator of the seminal L.A. spoken word show “Say the Word” and “Un-Cabaret,” the storytelling standup venue that helped shape the work of Julia Sweeney, Margaret Cho, Laura Kightlinger, David Cross, Michael Patrick King and many others. Beth and Greg are teaching at UCLA Extension this summer. They've taught and spoken at Humber, CalArts, Brown University, Media Bistro, FitYoga Conference and others. In their private workshops they have worked with on-air talent from ABC, MTV, SCTV, Comedy Central and writers of "Mad-TV," "Undeclared," "Gilmore Girls," "Californication," "Dawson's Creek," "The Last Seduction," and "Bring It On," as well as many comedians, actors, attorneys, therapists, teachers and others.

Next 4-Week Workshop:
Sundays, Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24 (1-4pm)
Find your most authentic voice for page, stage or any medium. Individual attention and illuminating notes.
More info: http://bethlapides.com/Lab.html.
Register now:
http://www.uncabaret.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6&zenid=13e99fd22655f745e2794c9819f5ed32

AUDIT ANY CLASS - only $10:
Sunday, July 13, 27, Aug. 3, etc. (1-4pm)
See the Lab in action. Pick up great insights and info. Arrive early and introduce yourself or pre-pay here:
http://www.uncabaret.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6&zenid=13e99fd22655f745e2794c9819f5ed32

Private coaching also available in person or by phone.
(Scripts, one-person shows, career or creative guidance)

MORE INFO & SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:
http://uncabaret.com/consulting.html
323-993-3305 or e-mail: greg@uncabaret.com

Hocus Pocus

Be careful who performs your spells

Eco-friendly Vintage Fashions...

I was chatting with a friend of mine about her recent business efforts in fashion, and was at first somewhat surprised to hear her summarize by saying something like "Eco-friendly vintage."

I've never heard of such a thing!

But here's her response... There is nothing more eco-friendly than re-using the things that we already have. We reduce waste by saving things from the trash heap. Plus, there is no new production waste and minimal new energy consumption (from production, sales, shipping, etc.)!

A compelling argument!

So here's her thing...
Salvage Life: relevant vintage for wasteless living



She also has a blog and vintage fashions available for sale through her Etsy shop (she is still working on her own online store). A lot of her product is straight vintage, but she also does some pieces that have been altered, or completely re-fashioned from other vintage items.

Jackets, dresses, and more!

Name that band

Holy Texting, Batman!!

World Youth Day 2008 starts up in 2 days!

This is a big annual event where the Catholic church tries really hard to rally the youth of the world... This year WYD has gone uber-hip!

Announcing...


DAILY TEXT MESSAGES FROM THE POPE!
YEA!!!

(if you don't believe me you can read the press release here)

Other uber-hip stuff includes the following declaration about sex... "If there is one word that sums up the Church's attitude to sex it would be WOW! 'cause sex really is awesome!" ... and ... "Saved Sex = Awesome Sex!"

In the words of the immortal Saint Robin...

Aliens, Monasteries, and a Russian Tortoise of spiritual significance...

It turns out that we are all really aliens... from another galaxy... sent here to help humanity... If we can channel our true self, then maybe we will ascend into the next life... and... in a thousand years we will all be wearing triangle necklaces... or something like that...

At least that's the story according to the "Morningland Urban Monastery", as passed down to them (through their leader) from a vision of a giant Tortoise named Thinis back in the 1980s.



Well...
This isn't that same tortoise, but Thinis II suddenly dissappeared from the "monastery" recently. He holds some mystic place of spiritual significance for the group as a representative of their founder's vision.

So....
If you've seen a Russian Tortoise trekking around LA somewhere...
You might want to let them know... they're worried...

If you live in Long Beach you've probably seen these signs up all over the place!


Check out this past week's District magazine (or read it online here) for more about Thinis II and the Morninglanders... and for an alternative point of view, check out Ex-Morninglanders.com.

a (small) view

driving in los angeles, my camera and i had a little fun...

Artwalk TONIGHT - Dame Darcy! Storybook Paintings!

I heart Dame Darcy! Since discovering her on my underground comics kick in 2005, I've been a huge fan and even bought one of her illustrations at an art show. She's an artist/comic book creator/filmmaker/musician/crafty chica, and the loveliest Victorian/goth/pseudo-mermaid/fairy tale princess I've ever encountered.

She's cool because she:

• is from Idaho and is now an NYC/LA resident
• plays the banjo and writes eerie, silly, ethereal songs, both as a solo artist and with her band, Death by Doll
• writes and illustrates "Meatcake" (my favorite comic book)
• features awesome characters in her comics, such as mermaids, pirates, Siamese twins, a girl who has a head like a Pez dispenser, a wolf-man and a talking shellfish
• cites Sir John Tenniel and Edward Gorey as artistic influences
• made a giant fabric picture of the Last Supper starring characters from Alice in Wonderland (which I would buy if I could afford it)
• re-works, alters and sells vintage clothing, sometimes with her illustrations on the pieces, and has unique, lovely personal style
• makes tiny, delicate dolls
• will soon be releasing Gasoline, an "Environmentally-Conscientious Rock and Roll Post-Apocalyptic Fairy Tale of Witches and Family," which will take the form of a graphic novel, a film and an album
• read Heath Ledger's palm
• painted a mural in Margaret Cho's house
• had her own nutty New York Public Access show called "Turn of the Century," which featured guests like Courtney Love and Thurston Moore
• goes on dating shows like "Blind Date," "Third Wheel" and "Flavor of Love" seemingly just to get publicity and mess with the contestants, and even turned the typical hot tub scene on its head by singing and splashing in the water while dressed as a mermaid
• ...oh, just go see for yourself at http://www.damedarcy.com/

She will having an art opening TONIGHT, from 5:00 - 9:00 PM at the Clair Obscur Gallery - 453 S. Spring Street, L.A. 90013 - http://www.clairobscurgallery.com/. I would go if I could, but a sprained ankle is now making it difficult for me to even walk over to the printer at work. Urgh.

Here's the flyer:

Great Scott

Power laces not included: http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKE-MARTY-MCFLY-HYPERDUNK_W0QQitemZ290244628143QQihZ019QQcategoryZ63850QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hipster Hall of Fame: Hip Bop

Remember “A Different World”? Remember those “boho-bourgie” fashions? Remember ‘Me Myself and I’? Remember ‘People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm’? Remember rappers who rapped slower than they spoke? That sing-song, lazy, nursery-rhyme style? Remember swinging, double-bass-driven jazz loops? Remember “Flip Fantasia”? Remember lyrics inspired by Funkadelic instead of just samples taken from them? De La Soul, according to Robert Christgau: “they [were] new wave to Public Enemy's punk.” Remember Paul's Boutique? Remember hip hop that was hip?

Got kids?

If you have kids and you are struggling to teach them the fashionable way of the hipster...

You might have some help this weekend...

Harvey's (of the seatbelt handbag fame) is throwing a party to celebrate their new line of kid sized handbags... and while the thought of getting your kid a $100 handbag induces certain convulsions... There is some other great kid stuff going on at the party!

So you and your chil'en should go get all hipstered up.

Mark & Angie Rebennack of The Outfit will be there hocking their uniquely hip brand of kid fashions, as will Kait Emerson Designs, and Christina Vejar of Modern Frill Photography will be on hand raffling off a free photo sitting!

Lots of stuff... So get stocked up on cool stuff for the kids!


p.s. - For those of you who think you don't know what a Harvey's seatbelt bag is... it's made out of seatbelts... woven together to make a handbag...

I promise that you've seen this: