Thursday, June 4th 10:00 - 7:00 Friday, June 5th 8:00 - 5:00 Saturday, June 6th 8:00 - 2:00
Loads of stuff.
Highlights! 1977 Pinball Machine (project), 1964 Lambretta (Project), Apple 2 computer loaded with Sim City, Oregon Trail, and Scarab of Ra. Old tables and chairs, weird A/V stuff, Books.
Plus these leftover items from previous sales: yeti scalps, hybrid animals, hj/bj/tj, board games, Jonathan Living Seagull record, tukes, canned foods, soviet cold-war secrets, a brick, the real Hope diamond, prosthetic limbs, old radios, bikes, chairs, free books, shrunken heads, Matisses, Picassos, hopes, dreams, genomes, baby clothes, toilet brush, giant sea monkeys, the jaws of life, deathrattles, cochina dolls, linaments and ointments, fireplugs, shell-o-phones, enigma machines, golden fleeces (2 for 1), rubiks links (unsolved), spanish fly, kitchenware, nuclear secrets, taxidermy, personality inventories, anti-gravitational technology, doilies, traceless firearms and ammo - lots of ammo.
As I've been rooting around, getting things ready for the upcoming Mt. Holly Citywide Garage Sales, I stumbled across this gem of a single color postcard. It's a Motto Mailer From the Lindgren Turner Cco. Spokane, Wash. Date? I'm guessing early to mid 60's.
Alan's War is a great first hand humanist look inside the life of an American GI, Alan Cope, who never returned to the US after WWII. It is a tremendous read and an appropriate one as we move closer to Memorial Day. Watch as Emmanuel Guibert creates an image of Cole using his special technique, drawing with water, then adding ink. The effect is magical.
My pal and seasoned technologist (sounds delicious doesn't it?), Nate Hunsaker sent me a link to these OOOMS designed birdhouses that provide more than just a roof for their residents:
From OOOMS:
During the day sunlight feeds the solar panel , charging a small battery inside. At twilight the transparent stick will light up and cast a tiny light on your garden. This light attracts an easy nighttime snack for the bird; all she has to do is stick her beak out of the hole and wait for the buzz.
Friday May 15 the good people of Foiled Again hair salon are hosting an opening reception for Zak Sally (fancy pants illustrator, comic art guy, and head honcho over at La Mano press), whose selected works will adorn the walls of the salon for the next month or so. fun starts at 6:30, with live "entertainment" and "music" by the always amazing Lady Hard On at 8pm, followed by NoiseQueanAnt around 9pm. standard art opening fare will be on hand - refreshments & beverages of different kinds, but it's probably a safe bet to bring your own libations for the long haul.
630 - ?pm, free for all ages. Foiled Again Hair Salon 2807 Johnson Street NE
A fine head of hair adds beauty to a good face, and terror to an ugly one. ~Lycurgus
This haircut is the best I've had in recent memory. I got it down by Floyds'Barbershop down on Lake & Freemont. It's a new joint opened up by my friend Rob Franks of Blogfoot fame. Super unpretentious from it's prices (below $20) to the friendly barbers. I appreciate a good straight razor cleanup and they even dish out shoulder massages. Yuck fou, Franks, for beating me to my dream job.
The photo (for a liquor store ad, seriously) terrifies me. But, I gotta say it was a great honor to be shot by Curtis Johnson. I swear every photographer friend of mine has done a stint supporting Curtis and they all love him.
#1 SS Infinite Regress - Houseboat Installation/Film/ Music/Jumpsuits
The folks over at Creative Electric Studios have a special treat in store for you down on the banks of the Ol' Mississip!
Music Line up:
Friday, May 15, 2009 at dusk -Gay Witch Abortion (plays on a free floating raft down the Mississippi!) -Knife World
Saturday, May 16, 2009 morning/afternoon -Jon Olson & Caveman play acoustic set during coffee time at the dock -Adam Wirtzfeld & friends play in the afternoon
Saturday, May 16, 2009 at dusk -White Map (with Zak Sally) -Allison LaBonne (of the Owls) with friends (screening of Allison's new music video by Phil Harder during the performance!) (and maybe more floating music as well!)
Outdoor BBQ at Sample Room Above Docks Friday and Saturday Evenings Starting at 6 pm $5 gets you A Beer and A Brat
One of the best MPLS Bands from back in the day. Recorded a song named after my old band (Zip Jet the Supersonic Enemy of Evil). Broke up in 1996. Part of a whole day of music at Grumpy's NE.
1:00-1:20 Little Irvy 1:40-2:00 the Short Cuts 2:20-2:40 Iquano 3:00-3:20 Fiero 3:40-4:00 Lady Hard On 4:20-4:40 Beaver 5:00-5:20 Best Bitch in Show 5:40-6:00 Bitter Spills 6:20-6:40 Bastard Saint 7:00-7:20 Awesome Snakes 7:40-8:10 Gay Witch Abortion 8:30-9:30 Guzzard
#3 Johnstock
29th & Johnson NE Minneapolis
FRIDAY, MAY 15: Approx. 8:30pm Movie in the Merchant Parking Lot at dusk. This year's feature is The Muppet Movie!!!
SATURDAY, MAY 16: 10am - 8pm. 40+ craft and art vendors in the lot and surrounding businesses. 11am Pirate Pete Kids Show!! Live, local music all day.
12:00 Acoustic Death Orchestra 1:00 The Don Sellers Mystery Project 2:00 Backstories 3:00 Still Pacific - My pal Brad's new band 4:00 Draper Daniels 5:00 These Unknown 6:00 Eyes of the Dead Sun
Down the street, at Shannon Aleczander Salon: Free Face Painting and Crazy Hair + Goodies and Gift Basket Drawing!
SUNDAY, MAY 17: 11am - 5pm. More live music. Vendors are back!
11:30 Wayne and the Boys 1:00 Mellow Roar 2:00 Rising Side 3:00 Backstories
And meet Keyboard Cat! Mt. Holly has become so jaded about passed-along video that this is the only way we can enjoy them anymore. Thank you Keyboard Cat.
Today is the Minnesota walleye fishing opener which means I'm up on Mille Lacs with my father-in-law netting some lunkers.
If you're not fishing you can print out and assemble a papercraft version of the band Flipper's tour van from the cover of their 1984 LP Gone Fishin'. Flipper rules!
Flipper suffering for their music. Now it's your turn.
Blowing in from the northerly diabolic region known as Winnipeg Guy Maddin’s live commentary marks The Talkies’ 5th installment. Uniquely gifted to push this nascent notion into uncharted waters Maddin, the maniac behind the expanded viewing spectacles such as Branded Upon the Brain and the beautiful essay My Winnipeg, innately understands how special the space in the cinema can be and will, on June 18th, transform The Heights Theatre into the best Talkies experience yet.
Arrive at 7p.m. on June 18th for a 35mm screening of THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD starring Isabella Rossellini and Mark McKinney (Kids in the Hall) . At 9:00p.m. this celluloid salvo screens again with the extra somethin' somethin' that only The Talkies provides: live commentary from Guy Maddin himself.
June 18th 7p.m.- THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD -screening only 7/advance & 8/door
9p.m. THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD with GUY MADDIN- 18.50/advance & 22.00/door
The Depression Special- Both shows for 20.00
FOR TICKETS HEAD TO: http://thetalkies.net
TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PICK UP THE NIGHT OF THE SHOW
Joe Meek was a huge innovator in music from the 50's on through most of the 60's. He started a powerful independent British record label, Triumph, and production company, RGM. Although much as been written about his obsession with the occult, homosexuality, and the murder suicide that ended his life, Joe Meek will forever be in my heart and ears for the wonderful sound that he created. Take a listen.
The Tornados brought Joe his biggest stateside hit with the instrumental Telstar. Here is a rare scopitone of the band playing their 1963 song Robot.
Although it hit #1 in the UK, Have I the Right by the Honeycombs stalled at #5 in the US. The Honeycombs, featuring drummer Honey Lantree seem to be trying to catch up with the track in this clip from the film Pop Gear. They should be. To add more energy to the track, Joe sped it up in the mastering process. Notice the stomping percussion performed by the entire band during the chorus. It's another signature Joe meek move. He had the entire band jump in unison on his studios wooden stairs to get just the right sound.
Johnny Layton was just one of the many vocalists that brought Joe many UK hits. Check out the footage of Joe manning his beloved tape machines in this video.
Rumors abound about how Joe's infatuation with Tornadoes bassist Heinz Burt, shown here singing the title track to the film Live It Up, led to Joe promoting Heinz as a solo singer and allegedly using another vocalist to actually perform the singing. This video of Heinz lip-syncing along to his Meek produced Cochran tribute on a show called Oldie Parade does little to dispel the myth.
Sorry there's no live footage of The Outlaws, and the image of Richie Blackmore here is a bit out of place since he didn't join the band until later in their career, but what a great tune. I implore you to find yourself a copy of The Outlaws Ride Again or Dream of The West and to spend the summer spend your summer in full western gear.
If this has whetted your appetite for more Joe Meek. Check out the dramatic tale of Joe's life, Telstar, which should be out this summer in the UK or be patient for the in-the-works documentary A Life in the Death of Joe Meek.
The last living munchkin has passed away. It's fitting that the actor who played the coroner outlived all the other citizens of Munchkinland.
(ed. 05/07/09) This is all wrong. I jumped the gun and I sincerely apologize to the dear coroner! It turns out that Micky Caroll one of the munchkin soldiers has passed.
Remaining living munchkins (can you believe it? The movie was filmed in 1939!)
Ruth Duccini Karl Slover Jerry Maren Margaret Pellegrini Meinharte Raabe
Check out http://www.kansasoz.com/infomunchkinbios.htm for munchkin bios!
Another great find from over at Dinosaurs and Robots. Yes, I'm talking about an actual rare and elusive Frauenfelder penned typo! (I know, I shouldn't cast any stones around typos myslef.) Look fast or you may miss it! Plus, this video walkthrough of Steve Lambert's amazingly beautiful new art show. Man, that feller is good.
For the past couple of years, I've been getting the cold shoulder from our postmaster. I finally found out why. It seems that as a result of a redesign oversight, this line disappeared from the bottom of each issue.
Philatelic Collectors mail to: 305 Holmes St • Mt. Holly, MN 55379 - all postcards answered by Mt. Holly postmaster & outlaw professional wrestler, the Mysterion.
Since retiring from the squared circle in 1994, the Mysterion has devoted much of his free time to making personalized drawings of himself mutilating all who challenge him by sending him their photo in the mail. The Mysterion speaks:
You sendada picture anda stamp, I unleash powerful fury of ALMIGHTY MYSTERION on you face anda body areas. I crack skulls. I wield foreign objects. I tear apart. I send back drawing and photo. You cry big tears like spring rain growing flowers for you own funeral.
In a message of goodwill (and fear for my own personal safety) this is a PSA for our good friend, The Mysterion. Send a photo, a stamp, and a nice letter of introduction to:
The Mysterion 305 Holmes St S Mt. Holly, MN 55379
You can expect or receive your ass-kicking in 2-3 weeks.
I love the fact that our friend's George and Jen have a boy thrashing around town on an autographed Gary Baseman deck. Apparently, Mr. Baseman did too. He signed the deck above the wheels where it won't get ground off. Smart!
For all of you artsters who will be looking for a relief from being packed into small studios in former grain silos, feed mills, and casket factories during this year's Art-a-Whirl. Take a break down at the river with the Creative Electric crew aboard their floating artscape!
Here's the skinny:
Creative Electric Studios to launch SS Infinite Regress during Art-a-Whirl 2009
DATES: May 15-May 17th Bands / Dancing /special events at dusk on Friday and Saturday
LOCATION: Behind the Sample Room ( 2124 Marshall Street NE, MPLS) on the Mississippi River
Creative Electric Studios pulled the Safe House Boat into drydock over the winter and after extensive modifications the boat will be rechristened SS Infinite Regress and launched this May in time for Art-a-Whirl.
The public is invited to experience the infinite finite space inside the SS Infinite Regress. Visitors will be asked to don sterile white suits upon boarding. Once suited up visitors will be allowed entry to the bridge. Films will be projected and reflected through a series of glass mirrors onto the white suits, making them both the observer and the observed.
The design of SS Infinite Regress was predicated on this principle:
Infinite regress: in a series of propositions arises if the truth of proposition P1 requires the support of proposition P2, and for any proposition in the series Pn, the truth of Pn requires the support of the truth of Pn+1. There would never be adequate support for P1.
in other words ...
"an attempt to solve a problem which re-introduced the same problem in the proposed solution. If one continues along the same lines, the initial problem will recur infinitely and will never be solved. Not all regresses, however, are vicious."
Other christening ceremony events include: Floating musical performances by White Map, Allison Lebon (of The Owls), Gay Witch Abortion plus Modern Dance performances (events subject to change)
There's a great post by Mr. Jalopy over at Dinosaurs and Robots called $upport Independent Business and Reject the Fakers that you would all benefit from reading. It is a case study around the corporate crapping on of Jenny Hart's Sublime Stitching by Urban Threads that demonstrates how corporations rip off individual artists and create shittier versions of fine goods to screw the consumer as well. Here's a killer Jalopy quote from a few years back.
Everything you love, everything meaningful with depth and history, all passionate authentic experiences will be appropriated, mishandled, watered down, cheapened, repackaged, marketed and sold to the people you hate.
This Saturday, you have the chance to perk up your life wih some quality and style while perking up the pocketbooks of some great local craftspeople and artists at Craftstravaganza in the Fine arts Building on the Minnesota State Fair grounds.
Becoming unemployed means considering all of one's options, like taking up a position as a Public Fund Requisitioning Agent (bum). It's a tough business here in Minneapolis and considering I will be out of a job in two weeks, I think I need to get my game, beard and hangdog look in shape if I plan to continue to provide for the citizens of Mt. Holly while on the streets.
Yesterday, I saw a guy on the street in full clown gear blowing bubbles while holding up a sign saying "The circus laid me off." It brings me back to one of my favorite ad campaigns from the past few years.
Frequent Mt. Holly tourist, Todd Norem (noremipsum.com) (ed 5/4/09 - and his partner Liz Otremba LinkedIn) created these media appropriate and proven effective outdoor boards for his client Ed who reported at least a 800% increase in gross income on days his media ran.
As I prepare myself to join the ranks of the great unemployed in two weeks (by choice, if you can believe that), I discover beauty and solace and survival tips in the wisdom of these hardened masters of redundancy, Matthew Bottkol and Todd Eisner. You too can find the cadence in inertia every week at Unemployment Haiku Weekly.
Chris Zubryd, the director/editor of "The Pitch, Poker & the Public" the 30 min doc the original Joel Bauer clip was pulled from, sent me a link to the full clip. I haven't been this creeped out since The Men Who Stare at Goats!
This video asks the question "Can you go corporate without losing your soul?” It explores some of the advertising and influence industry's giants through the lens of the greatest persuader of them all; P.T. Barnum. As it turns out he never said, "There is a sucker born every minute". Hear why you think he did, hear how Joan Jett's career was launched by the man who launched it, hear from the creator of the Marlboro man and from the greatest pitchman alive today as well as one of the greatest Texas hold'em players to sit at the poker table. These men have been in the business for decades and have learned valuable things about creating perceptions to turn a profit.
My new workbench surface is probably going to drive me nuts, but it's left over industrial paint from The World's Largest Cribbage Board. It's as durable as a nun's willpower.
If there is a band that I would ever have wanted to be a part of, it would have to be The Band. I've tried to explain why. It's not because of the artists that they've backed up. It's not because of one particular individual, although they are all amazing musicians.
I think that the real magic of The Band is in how they worked together as a design studio or craftsmen's guild, each with individual talents that built on and played off of each other's creativity to create a hardworking yet beautiful article.
One get's the same feeling from the house bands of Stax, Motown, or Muscle Shoals. But, in Woodstock, The Band created something special. Here's proof.
Got this random come-on from the human verifier over at Facebook. How it's not only my high school classmates who are stalking me there, it's the technology itself.
Thanks to idea designer and budding cannibal Sean Whipps for sending this one along.
While I would love to think that this video exists exactly as it is currently edited, I have to believe that this is a compilation of scenes from an industrial safety video series. It's has to be. It's too insane.
Unless, perhaps the producers decided that the BLOOD ON THE HIGHWAY model of teen instruction through terror is the only way to ensure a safe workplace.
The next time your boss tells you that you are lucky to have a job especially in this economy, tell him you're not so sure and send him a link to this amazing gorefest.
I was lucky enough to get to meet Tom Kennedy this last winter when he visited the Art Shanty Project. Right off the bat, you could tell this guy was something great. Denis the menace grin and a twinkle in his eye. Tom is responsible for many amazing art cars and political pranks. I just saw over on Boing Boing that he had passed away.
On February 13th, 2009, Tom posted this responce to recieving a Mt. Holly Good Luck Decoder badge.
Dear Mayor, Your frozen dice game was superb! Greetings from Tom Kennedy (www.tomkennedyart.com), who met you on the ice. I am back in San Francisco, and really appreciate your gift. Is it a decoder and will I get sent secret messages? When we make art boats and float down the Mississippi, you should consider floating dice!
I hope it was not defective, Tom. May it serve you well in the next world.
Anyone who can put me in touch with those art boat folks, let me know. I do indeed have a dice I'd like to float.
Anyone who has seen this movie will tell you how unexpected and moving this final scene is. I'll tell you what. It was even more unexpected to discover that all the hairy bikers in the film were actually played by members of the band Chicago, one of whom, Terry Kath, also sang the closing song.
Last night while I had some sketching to do I wanted something mellow and lazy to listen to, something that would sound good comping through the small speakers of the radio that I play my records through. I got to C and pulled out Ry Cooder's soundtrack to this amazing Wim Winders film. It was perfect. But, I had forgotten one thing . . . that half of one side of the LP is dedicated to Harry Dean Stanton's monologue from this incredible scene. It stopped me dead in my tracks.
I remember seeing somewhere back in the early 90's a magazine's list of the most 10 most amazing guitar soloists of all time. There alongside Hendrix and Beck and Page was the name Nick Saloman. I was floored. Up until this point, Saloman, had self-released 3 home recorded albums on which he played all the instruments under the moniker Bevis Frond. 3 mind melting albums of lysergic noodling, drippy farfisa and amazing songwriting (One of my favorite songs of all time, Lights are Changing off his Triptych lp was covered by Mary Lou Lord whose version appeared in some crappy movie).
If you have never heard these albums: MiasmaInner Marshland and Triptych you really owe it to yourself to give them a spin.
Here Saloman puts his licks to good work interpreting the them to his favorite gameshow. It's the closest thing I could find to showcase the sound and feel of that amazing early Frond sound.
Yes. Like many people in the country (...and just about everywhere else), I'm scraping the barrel. This is NOT my "long-talked about-but-never-instituted 'I WILL DRAW YOUR INSIDES' Initiative", nor is it my "Sammy the Mouse OUT-TAKES Project": it's just me selling some art for money.
Keep your eyes on Zak's blog for more art as it becomes available: Sleeping Bait
Scott is one of my favorite artists in Minneapolis. His life is art. He is a master of many styles an techniques. If you are in or around town when he has his open studio, you must go to witness the breadth of his talents. One of his favorite subjects in the past several years has been Britney Spears. In honor of her show here in Minneapolis and the excitement Scott must be feeling, I would like to share with you Scott's Britney Cove.
Visitor's to Minneapolis often remark about how much drinking goes on here.
They point out the few remaining buildings with any character downtown (There are really only one half a blocks worth left) and remark, "What happens in there?" but seldom wander inside.
And I'm glad.
Because, I tend to tipple in these places, to get away from the suits, the college kids, the convention goers, and the suburban sports fans. I enjoy cheap, stiff drinks, earnest conversation, and little or no distraction from either. It's a slice of heaven.
If I had a time machine, I would go back to skid row. Perhaps I'd see my grandpa brawling outside The Sourdough. He worked for the railroad. And from what I hear, he liked to get into his cups.
Enjoy this little slice of permanent happy hour. I hope it makes you as thirsty as it makes me.
I made a very rudimentary version of this route the first day I discovered that Google opened up their maps for route sharing. I just discovered Seero which allows users to watch a video, of , say, the best movie car chase of all times side by side with a map where the route is drawn out simultaneously!
Sorry, the embedding is a little wonky still, Click here for the full experience:
Mr. Doob has created a really sweet live version of the cover of the classic Joy Division Unknown Pleasures album cover that reacts to the music of the same. Click image above to check it out.
There is a certain zen to entering the folds of the unemployed. Some take it with grace, some take it with a short length of rope and a chair. We all, however, take it at least once in our lives. In recent times, purely as a result of some sort of BS on Wall Street, my pal and heckuva writer Matthew Bottkol and his pal and sometimes Mad Magazine contributor, Todd Eisner were both ejected out of the infernal bunghole we ad-men call The Industry.
And on days where I feel like i just can't take it anymore, without fail, I get a RSS ping that tells me Matt and Todd have posted another haiku. And I laugh. Not because I know these guys. Not because I still have a job. Mostly, I just laugh at the grace which which these two respond to the truisms around being an out of work creative in 5/7/5 form. Thanks, fellas.
