AL'Z FREAKIN' YEAR IN REVIEW!!!

The Grades Are In!
Campaign Strategy - B+
Creative Imaging - C+
Design Management - B
Electronic PrePress - A
Graphic Design 2 - C+
History 3 - A
Publication Design - C
Rendering for Illustration - B+
Work Experience 1 - A

I'm feelin' pretty good here. All the stupid-ass late nights paid off! Thanks to those who think they deserve thanks for all the support n' shit. Gracias. Now I can truly enjoy the holiday season.

Highlights/Lowlights

Let's start with the lowlights...
The Passing of Mandy Coyne: I barely spoke to her, but hardly a day goes by without her passing through my mind at some point. It just goes to show you how much of an impact someone can have on your life, even if they're in it for a short time. Rest in peace.

Pro Wrestler Deaths: Road Warrior Hawk, the Wall, Crash Holly, Curt Hennig, and just recently, Mike Lozanski. What do these guys have in common besides wrestling? They were all relatively young...and now they're dead. Something's really fuckin' wrong here.

Apparently, We Ain't Shit...: This was just one of my wee little problems, but it colored the way things went the past month or so at school. Me and my classmates were accused of forgetting about design basics and putting out shitty work. We were lectured up and down by a few of our instructors. And y'know what? For the most part, they were right. I'm not sure about the rest of the students, but I'm ready to tear some ass up next semester.

The Highlights!
achieving A's in Illustration and a Few Other Subjects: Who woulda thunk it? Not me.
Failing Only One Thing This Year: Believe me, I coulda failed more. Hurray for me!
Yy's Release Party @ The Blue Agave & John Smith's Video: Two really fun events. Yy's show(August 28th) was amazing, despite the technical difficulties. The vibe was beautiful in there, kinda like the days of Cloud 9. Good times.
Ditto for the "Kinship of the Down and Out" video shoot. Everybody it give it up for J. Lapeyre!
(hoots, claps, hollers, etc.)
I'm telling you now...Much had better play this bitch. And y'all better grab Pinky's Laundromat and Pip Skid's Funny Farm when they drop. Money well spent.

Okay, enough of that shit. Here are the TOP 5 ALBUMS I WISH I BOUGHT 2003!

Hey...I'm a student. I couldn't afford 10 albums this year.

1. Five Deez, Kinkynasti
2. Aesop Rock, Bazooka Tooth
3. Deadly Snakes, Ode to Joy
4. Dirtbombs, Dangerous Magical Noise
5. LifeSavas, Spirit In Stone

Well, Merry Christmas, y'all. I hope you get what you want. What do I want? Money for Boxing Day, of course!

For the Design Nerds Among Us
DesignObserver.com. So there.

Naked Mature Women II
Helen Mirren stars in Calendar Girls.

Yummy.

I wanted to pick up that calendar when it came out, but I'm thinking Mom would've had a problem with that.

Tiffany Bozic
Have I mentioned how talented she is? Maybe not. Find out for yourself, fool.

Hey there...
Well, almost everything is done. That's good. I need a break.

I'd like to take this time to applaud the fact that more middle-aged actresses are "taking it off" in front of the camera lately. I'd like to see this trend continue.

Raquel Welch, I was looking right at you when I said that.

On another note...what's up with the groupies of today? Back in the day, groupies either wrote tell-all books or made plaster casts of penises. Now, they do things like this. What, my friends, is this world coming to?

The Bar's Name
Thanks to designer Will Ruocco, I have a name for my (fake) bar: NO HOLDS BAR. Fuckin' brilliant, eh? And it's better than what I had in mind. Do yourself a favour and visit him here. He's, like, really good.

EDIT: I forgot tomention that I'm going back to the old idea. Diversification (in the case of my portfolio) be damned.

Sites of Note
Finally, someone that agrees with me: bancomicsans.com
This dude's got wicked skill, man: casarramona.ch

An outlet...
I need a hobby. Any suggestions? I, like, really need one.

Good Lord...
I'm not sayin' you shouldn't get married to an idea, but you should also know when to get divorced from it.

Having failed RRC's Graphic Design course a couple of times, I've seen a few peers come and go. I've also been able to check out the results of some of their assignments. One thing I've been waiting to tackle is the bar assignment. The basic premise of the whole thing, is to create a visual identity for a fictional bar, with a theme of your choice. Using Adobe Illustrator, you design a logo (or "bar sign"), napkins, bar menu, coasters, and other drinking paraphanelia. Of course, my plan was to do a wrestling-themed bar.

Basically, I've been married to this idea for two years.

Now I have to change.

We were informed by our instructor that it would be a good idea to not do a ______-type of bar, if you already covered ______ in your two-page layout (Publication Design class), basically for the sake of a diverse portfolio. Now I didn't do a wrestling-themed thing in my layout, but I did handle wrestling in my first illustration assignment. I know I'm gonna use half of that assignment (2 out of 4 pieces) in my portfolio, so I'm screwed for a bar idea. Damn!!

I'll figure out something. I gotta.

Did I metion that I should be working on a shitty logo right now? I feel like tearing my fucking eyes out.

A Reminder Is Needed...
Hey! Could somone please tell me why I'm trying to become a designer? I think I knew why at one point, now I don't. Fuck!
Yup, I'm starting to crack. The zen-like veneer I fashioned last year is fading.


Ah...I'll be alright.


As long as I don't sleep.

New Pillow and Arctic Nubian
I've got the best freakin' girlfriend in the world! She made me a pillow from one of my old flannel shirts, and it's SO comfy. My school napping will never be the same.

Arctic Nubian by Frank Kozik

Arctic Nubian!
I hear your howls of rage
Lost in the trackless North
Far from the sun.

Arctic Nubian!
They , white, red, copper
Can not understand
wrapped in Igloos of plywood.

Arctic Nubian!
Wanderer far from home
Carve a new path
Thru the Kingdom of Snow.

(c) Frank Kozik, 2003.

To find out what this is all about, go here.
Buy Frank's toys here.

Yang and Sakoda
I broke my WWE television boycott momentarily last night to catch the debut of Jimmy Yang and Keiji Sakoda as a tag team. Good stuff. I also had the displeasure of hearing(I was checkin' myself out in the bathroom mirror...shut up)Vince McMahon describe a nightmare in vivid detail, in where he's being devoured by maggots. Quite poetic.

Random Stuff
(Comin' atcha LIVE from RRC's Princess Campus Library)

- Hey there. Supposed to be working on a logo. But I'm not. So there. Nyaah!

- Added Site Meter to the weblog, so I can see if anyone's visiting. Ah, vanity.

- I'm tired. And just a little bit nauseous. Anxiety.

- Called Unicity Taxi last night to pick me up from here (stayed until 1:30). The driver passed me twice. Dude must've been new. Plus, the dispatch person wasn't even aware of the new campus, which struck me as odd. Well...they know where it is now. I hope.

- We're doing a mural assignment that nobody I know of likes. At all. Probably because a student in Creative Communications is behind it. Whatever.

- I'm done...for now.

R.I.P. Art Carney

Milestone
One year later, I'm still not taking my medication properly. Here's my first real post. Ah...memories. Later y'all.

R.I.P. Mike Lockwood aka Crash Holly

John Smith's "Kinship of the Down and Out"
I've been waiting about over two months to see this, and it's been worth the wait. On August 16th, I took part in the video shoot for "The Kinship of the Down and Out", the first single off of John Smith's forthcoming album Pinky's Laundromat. Here's what I wrote about it then at the Break Bread board:

"It was good fun. General Gyst, my man Kim(from the Turnbull A.C.'s) and another dude(sorry, my mind is failing)showed up with custom made street sign shirts(Furby Manitoba Ave, and something else...I forgot). Dave Dub-L represented with the low-rider bike and Urban Bakery shirt. Other folks that appeared(off the top of my head):
@Large, Kinetic, Dialog, Brace, Yy(and family!), Ness(and his ladyfriend Nikki...am I spelling that right? Thanks for the ride home!), Kutdown, Gumshoe Strut, John Smith's brother Murray, Andre from PegCity.com, little ol' me, Meera Singh, Bonafide, DJ Influence, Jon Schledewitz, John Smith(of course), Hunnicutt(ditto)...and many others I either forgot or didn't know names. There were many Selkirk Ave. residents around, too. Lots of kids. I can't wait to see this thing!

The track, by the way, is killer. And apparently, what we heard is just a demo. It's gonna sound BETTER."

And it does. It's all about the North End of Winnipeg...the rough n' tumble side of town. Thanks to hip-hop music, we know about the corners of town you don't wanna mess with. And now, thanks to this single, Big Smitty's puttin' it down for Peg City, y'heard?

Here it is. You'd better have Windows Media shit. You don't? Cop that shit, fool!

Did I mention I'm in it? Look for the fat black dude in the red Brassy shirt. Can't miss me.

CNHS and Hard to Earn
Today's my last day here at Canada's National History Society. As interesting as it has been, I'm kinda glad. I've got SO much other shit to do, man.

Here's what I've learned in my time here:
1. I'm not pro-active enough.
2. I'm becoming better at being self-sufficient(or at least making myself look busy)
3. I could really benefit from being around other designers(CNHS hires freelancers, so I didn't really have someone to get input/feedback/guidance from...*sigh*)
4. What they need is a student(the next time they get one) that has proven themselves to be a real self-starter, and really handy with QuarkXpress. In other words, someone other than me.
5. The lady that maintains their website is a cutie.

I can't believe I took almost 10 years to purchase Gang Starr's Hard to Earn! Damn, it's good. I'm not as confident about their new one, The Ownerz. It's a'ight, but not hitting me the way I'd like it to. I know some folks were like, "yo...they in a slump, man...", but I figure Gang Starr at their worst is still better than most. Kinda. It feels like they rehashed a number of things from the previous album, which is kinda sad. Moment of Truth is a masterpiece, and I still play that on the regular. Oh well...at least Guru's Montreal protegé Bless isn't on it. I can't stand that dude. He's a 12 year-old with facial hair.

I might see if I can trade it in for Neko Case's Blacklisted.

Oh yeah...I wanna give props to Brent Rollins on the design tip for The Ownerz packaging. Beautiful.

R.I.P Rod Roddy

The Current Status of My Relationship with Pro Wrestling

Status: shitty.
Sorry for not being more eloquent. I've been a fan since '85...around the time of pro wrestling's second golden age. That's almost 20 years of watching grown men toss each other about. I still love it.

At the moment though, I'm feeling the same way I did in the early 90's, when music became a lot more important to me, and I stopped buying Pro Wrestling Illustrated and Inside Wrestling for Spin, Rolling Stone, and Vibe. I still kept abreast of what was going on in the wrestling world, but with a little bit of detatchment. I was struggling to find a place for two obsessions in my life, and all things concerning (good)music were beginning to win. Somewhere along the line, I was able to find a balance between them, and a renewed interest in pro wrestling, thanks to the Monday Night Wars and the internet.

Now, I'm beginning to seek detatchment from wrestling yet again, but this time out of disgust and ennui. There will always be moments in your life as a wrestling fan that will make your eyes roll or make your blood boil...sometimes both. I can't watch Raw or SmackDown! without both of those things happening.
I'm tired of McMahon putting his personal entertainment(and his family!) before that of the fans. It's rather sickening to watch...so I won't. Truthfully...Scott Keith's program rants(which I get sent to my e-mail) have been far more entertaining than the actual programs for a while...a long while(with the exception of SmackDown!...until recently).
I can't afford to watch NWA-TNA every week, not to mention not having enough time to do so. The same goes for ordering tapes. Believe me, I wish I could. So, until things get better with WWE(I'm not holding my breath...we're in for a LONG dry spell), or I have an ample supply of time and money(who does, really), I'm saying "bye" to wrestling for a while. Don't get me wrong...I'll still read Mr. Keith's rants n' whatnot, but I'm not going out of my way to watch anything. Currently, it's just not worth it.

Yo, this is getting old, man...

R.I.P. Elliot Smith, Jack Elam, and Fred "Rerun" Berry.

*sigh*

R.I.P Road Warrior Hawk
Truly one of my faves back in the day. I wanted a haircut just like his.

As I write this, I'm at "my" desk at Canada's National History Society, where they publish The Beaver. Don't laugh...it's a good magazine. I'm here for work placement-practicum-experience-whateveryouwannacallit, and I'm the first student to be at this particular place. I hope I don't fuck it up.

R.I.P. Stu Hart
This week, we lost the legend that launched many bright wrestling careers. I really don't know what to say. I think Scott Keith summed it up nicely over here.

At the moment, I'm finding Photoshop® phrustrating.

Scott Keith of 411 Mania has just got his own weblog. Go to http://scottkeith.blogspot.com to check it out. He's a pretty witty dude.

WORKSPACE and a SKETCH
Here's my workspace, revamped for second year...and a sketch demonstrating a method of image/type transfer.

Well, back to the drawing board...literally.

I saw a bit of the video for Atmosphere's new single a few days ago, and I have only one thing to say: anyone that sees hip-hop music divided by color lines is gonna have a couple of new white boys to be angry at. This album is gonna blow up. F'real.

Hey! People who aren't black...stop telling me to get an afro!! Tell you what...why don't YOU get one? Fuck off.


That mini-rant was a long time comin'.

R.I.P. Israel "Izzy" Asper
Say what you will about his business practices, but there's no denying the contributions made by Asper and his family towards the city of Winnipeg. He built a media empire out of our humble prarie town. That's something else, man.

I must, must, MUST have this.
First, I need a DVD player.

I learned something about myself this week - I hardly ever draw black people! Yeah, I know that sounds funny coming from someone that is black, but it's true. White folks are my sort-of default people. I discovered this little "problem" during illustration class. I have to do a book cover illustration, and the book happens to be Toni Morrison's Jazz, where the characters are for the most part, black. At any rate, I now have some reference, so I should do alright.

The "favorite illustrator" list continues to grow, thanks to Lars Leetaru. Do yourself a favour and check out his early work first.

R.I.P Donald O'Connor
Just one of those guys you thought would never leave this earth. His "Make 'Em Laugh" number in Singin' In the Rain is something I'll always treasure.

R.I.P. Robert Palmer and George Plimpton

Lesson Learned: Read the directions first. Always. Today, I sprayed two coats of Krylon® Matte Finish on a project without letting the first coat dry. Not good. Well, it's good if you want your work to look like SHIT. *sigh* Everything's cool, though.

R.I.P. Gordon Jump

Geez...I wish I could give Kurt Halsey a hug. Here's why.

Troy will kill me for this, but I've gotta recommend another book. Will Eisner is the comics master and Dropsie Avenue is one reason why. It's all about the life of one New York neighbourhood, and it's a total page-turner.

Back to work for me.

Oh yeah...I REALLY want this book.

I've probably mentioned this guy before, but it doesn't hurt things when I repeat myself...Guy Burwell. Abso-fuckin'-lutely amazing. No one captures dynamic movement like he does. No one. Back to the drawing board for me(yup...I'm at school. On a Sunday.)

R.I.P. John Ritter & Johnny Cash
What can be said that hasn't already been said? We lost two greats this week. One, a gifted physical comic, and the other, a walking symbol of redemption before the eyes of the Lord. One, had just begun to live (again, career-wise), and the other was prepared to leave. All we can do is remember the great things they gave us. Be it a pratfall, or a classic tune about being through hell and back, they've given us some wonderful memories. That, in the end, keeps 'em alive.

Howdy. Just some quick stuff:
- In class right now. Frustration increasing. That's probably because I have to use the washroom.
- Not watching TV tonight. I'll remember 9/11 in my own way, thank you.
- I'm hungry.
- Dave Crosland continues to inspire.
Gotta go.

Feelin' good. I've got the house to myself, I start second year tomorrow, and I'm not going back to Misericordia(the place where I push a mop) until December. For once, I can say LIFE IS GOOD.

You Want This: Puffed #1 and #2 are in stores now. Thank me later.

R.I.P. Wesley Willis

Still looking for my creative mojo. You will call me if you've seen it, won't you? Thanks!

Random Thangs:
- This hasn't been a good summer for me, creatively and emotionally.
- If you wanna stay on my good side, don't call me "Toastboy".
- I've decided that I hate my job. That's a relief!
- John Smith is shooting a video tomorrow.
- I LOVE ass.




That is all.

R.I.P: Celia Cruz, Bob Hope(my mom never liked you), and the great Sam Phillips.

(Live from RRC's Notre Dame Campus...what the fuck am I doing here?)
Howdy. Just picking up a student loan form. This'll be an interesting school year financially.

Anyway, do yourself a favour and check out Cody Pomeroy's weblog. He's a fellow gigposters.com junkie. He also answers to "Andy".

(Live from Osborne Cyber Cafe...again)
I should be going to see the Beatnuts at the Windsor Park Inn...but for some reason, I don't wanna. Hmmm...

(Live from Osborne Cyber Cafe)
Other than the first large scale snowfall of the year, there's nothing I enjoy more that the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, the third largest fringe festival in the world. My girlfriend and I had to plan our Fringing carefully due to our hectic schedules this year, but we still managed to pack 10 shows into three(or was it four? Everything's a blur.) days. Every one we saw was great, but three stood out in particular.

The Power of Ignorance- Chris Gibbs is a comic genius. His one-man show which can only be described as a motivational seminar on stupidity was perfectlty paced. There was not one dull moment in this performance at all. Fuck, I wanna see it again!

Seven Sins- James Judd is an instantly likeable stand-up comic that'll have you rolling on the floor with laughter, clutching your sides in pain and gasping for air. Sounds fun, eh? It is. He only got to cover three of the seven deadly sins in the performance I went to(this 60 minute performance was originally 90 minutes long), but I certainly didn't leave disappointed at all. Judd is very gay, and you'd have to be to pull off a performance as wonderfully campy as this. It's an autobiographical romp with a little Young and the Restless thrown in! Really.

The New Crumbs Show- I'm a longtime Crumbs fan, and this show only reaffirmed why. At the perfomance Sarah and I attended, the Crumbs guys(Steve Sim, Lee White, and Devin McCraken and musician Craig Bjerring) found a Wet-Nap, a bandage, and stick of gum on the stage floor. Instead of grabbing suggestions from the audience(which is the norm for their long-form improv outings), they were inspired by those trinkets. What followed was a 60 minute laugh riot about confidence, office romance and nicotine addiction. If I hadn't already bought a Frequent Fringer pass, that would've been 8 bucks well-spent.

Did I mention that going to the library for the web sucks ass? Wasn't sure.

My man Don Ritson just got himself a weblog! Check it out here.

Thanks to a wicked deal at Highspots, I was able to achieve one of my summer goals: getting wrestling tapes.

Hey, I didn't say it was a lofty goal.

Here's what should be coming to me in seven days from now(hopefully):
Toryumon: El Numero Uno 2003

Zero-One: Fighting Spirit 2003

NOAH: Di Collosseo - Kobashi vs. Honda

Good times await me.

Do you like monsters? Do ya? Well then, sign up for Luc Latulippe's 52 Monsters in 52 Weeks and get one in your inbox every week!

R.I.P.: Katherine Hepburn, Buddy Hackett, Barry White, N!xau(the bushman in The Gods Must Be Crazy films) and Buddy Ebsen.

Saw the The Gossip on Sunday. Lovely. Got to hug Beth Ditto. Twice.
That was worth the price of admission alone.

Oh yeah...my CafePress store is dead, too. I don't think I miss that either.

Strom Thurmond is dead. Forgive me if I don't cry.

Poster I Want Like, Right Now: This beauty created by the talented gentlemen at Aesthetic Apparatus.

Pleasant Surprise: Finding a clip of a bloodbath between Harley Race & Jumbo Tsuruta at the end of my Bruiser Brody in Japan tape. You can get it here: highspots.com

Two Things I'm Anxious to See:
1. Ultimo Dragon's WWE debut
2. The Gossip on Sunday at the Pyramid

I guess that's it right now.

R.I.P. Hume Cronyn, Gregory Peck, Edwin Starr, Othar Turner, and Freddie Blassie

(Live from Sarah's House)
I checked my grades last week. I passed EVERYTHING! Ahhh...sweet, blessed second year graphic design...how I've longed to embrace thee...

*ahem*

Some lists...

Current Guilty Pleasures:
1. Blender - Reads like an American version of Q Magazine...which is pretty much what it is, from the clean layout to the cheeky photo captions. The thing that makes it a "guilty pleasure" is the fact that Maxim puts it out. I hate that magazine. But I can't deny greatness when I see it. The current issue has Jewel on the cover wearing a bustier. Oh-h-h-h yeah.

2. Michelle Branch - Whatta cutie.

Things I Wanna Do Before I Die:
1. Go to Japan
2. Learn how to play an instrument
3. Step inside a New Japan wrestling ring
4. Move out

Several Things That Piss Me Off:
1. Fake tits
2. "Reality" television
3. Being broke
4. Bartenders that give me club soda when I ask for tonic water
5. Being broke...especially when there's a new issue of Giant Robot on the stands.

Top 5 artists that I love RIGHT NOW:
1. David Choe
2. Deth P. Sun
3. Jack Cole
4. Evan Hecox
5. Seonna Hong

Current Top 3 Fave Linx:
1. The Viva Lucha Show site
2. Prettyfat.com
3. Design Is Kinky



Uh...that's it right now. I'll get back to you later.

Well...it's working now. Thanks to Chi-Town Troy for all of his help.
In "ME" news...I did a cover for Stylus magazine, which is on the streets of Winnipeg as I write this, and I also did a poster for the upcoming Do Make Say Think show at the Pyramid.
Speaking of the Pyramid, The Gossip will be returning to that venue on the 29th of this month. I love Beth Ditto...I've explained why previously, but I have an extra reason: she posed nude in the latest issue of On Our Backs. The world would be a better place with more girls like her.

Does thing even fuckin' work anymore?

Well...school's done. I'm gonna celebrate with a peanut butter milkshake. And maybe some porn. Not sure yet.

The Calm Before the Storm
Got 5 assignments due between the 28th and 30th. Pretty sick. But everything's kinda "zen" at the moment.
We have to clear out all our stuff by Monday, including our portfolio slots to make way for the 2nd year's displays for Open House. And us 1st year folk don't get to set up until Thursday...the day Open House starts.
What a crock of shit. But...whatever. Everything is cool right now. Gotta gather some photo reference of Tom Waits for my drawing assignment. Later!

Not dead. Yet.

Howdy. I've been at school(yeah, I know...on a Saturday!) working on stuff. Make that trying to work. My mind just isn't where it should be. Not entirely, anyway. The links I'm about to share show that I'm still in a design/illustration state of mind:

The Isle of Printing: These guys are one of a handful of groups/individuals that are still printing things via letterpress. They even show you how it's done!

Rob Dobi: This dude's got great sense of humour. He's the culprit behind "How to Dress Emo 2.0". His sense of humour is so good that he put one of his shirt designs on "emo boy" under the heading "lame shirt". Killer!

It's crunch time. I'm getting no sleep tonight. But the assignments will be done. Yup.

On another note, Precious Lucy is one of the best looking females in pro wrestling today. All natural, Canadian, and packed with "intestinal fortitude". Props to her.

Me n' QuarkExpress had a little talk last night. Seems like we've worked things out. This assignment will get done.

If I've noticed only one thing in my time here, it's that the Graphic Design program is divided into three distinct camps: Those that love Tom Waits, those that loathe him, and those that wish the other two camps would shut the fuck up and get back to work.

That is all.

Feelin' lucky, punk? Good. Enter GigPosters.com's T-Shirt Contest then. Ha!

Right now, I'm cautiously optimistic. The airbrush manual has been pushed back to Friday after next, so that definitely a load off my shoulders. So, now I can concentrate on more pressing matters.

Spacecadet was awesome! Many thanks to Chris, Karla, and Bill for taking time out to talk to my group.

Gee...I have nothing to complain about. I feel...empty.

Y'know what sucks more than gouache? QuarkExpress. But, I'm gonna have to follow the advice of one of my comrades and "make it my bitch". I really fuckin' hate this assignment I'm working on, but this blinding hatred is not helping my cause. I've got a airbrush manual to redesign, also. Due next Friday. Gotta bite the bullet, hunker down, TCB, kick some academic ass...ah, just insert your favorite "get to work" cliche right here.

Going to Spacecadet Design tomorrow to interview them. I hope we won't waste their time. Taking a digital camera!

I think I'm going to bed. This weekend is gonna suck HARD.

Gouache still sucks.

Lookee here!: Bill Wray and Deth P. Sun.

R.I.P Elizabeth Heulette aka Miss Elizabeth

A couple of things:
I've been seeing this typeface everywhere, including LifeSavers new campaign. I likes it.

Rockin' Jelly Bean recently updated his site, and it looks lovely. His work makes me wanna fuck. See why at pmworksinc.com

Locally, the papers are in a tizzy over Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere coming here in June to shoot some romantic comedy. Alright then.

Did I mention that the girls in the RRC Graphic Design program are HOT?
I probably did.

April 29th, 2003
(Live from home via SimpleText, bitch!)
I'm not gonna pretend that I give a fuck about the end result of wack-ass American Idol. Whatever I know about the show is due to Mom watching it in the living room while I'm eating.
What I do give a fuck about is young girls ending up thinking they have to be skinny in order to succeed in showbiz. Yeah, I know it's old news, but that twat Simon Cowell can eat a triple-decker dick sandwich for telling Vanessa to lose weight. Fuck him with a clawhammer, yo. Gee...it seems to me that he hasn't handed out the same advice to Ruben, a man rivaling the girth of Big Pun(R.I.P.). Vanessa was tasty, dammit...a girl with a classic figure with bonuses like a DVD. She's posing nude for PETA now. As cliché as it sounds, YOU GO GIRL! I hope I never meet Simon in person. My foot's got his name on it, and it'll head straight up his ass if such an event occurs.
I need a speed bag. Gotta work off some frustration. Actually, what I really need is sleep. Later, y'all.

This morning:
It must be Spring, because I wanna jump on anything that's female, human, good-looking, and big(all those things have to be present, BTW). But when you think about it, every other day of the year is pretty much like that. Whatever.
I've got Graphic Design History class in a few minutes, so I'll see your ass later.

I'd like to make love to all the disenchanted, underappreciated fat girls in the world. But it'll never happen, because the last thing I need is a reason for my girlfriend to hate me.


Well...it seems that I've discovered a new talent: the ability to make outlandish statements without the use of alcohol or drugs.
I need sleep.

R.I.P Nina Simone

The horror...

the horror...

Look here.
Well, I still watch Iron Chef after learning about a few behind-the-scenes things, and I'm still a wrestling fan. Whatever.

Yo, Kyle...
Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?Where's my Hip Hop Wieners album?


I, like, miss it.
Of course I miss you, too. :)

Howdy. I'm in the PC lab, on break. Four day weekend comin' up. It's times like this when I understand why people get drunk.
I don't feel like elaborating on that statement.

Anyway...mcenroe's new album, Disenfranchised is FINALLY out. Do yourself a favour and get it. He's worked really hard on it, and it's easily his best work to date lyrically and conceptionally. And he's never been a slouch on production, so good listenin' is definitely in order. Need more info? Go here: peanutsandcorn.com

Here is a link to photos of my work area at school. Scroll down until you get to the stuff that "El Negro"(me!) sez.

My girlfriend's got me hooked on While You Were Out and Trading Spaces.
I'm looking forward to the "Trading Spaces Goes Hollywood!" episode on Sunday(info HERE)!
Did I mention that Genevieve Gorder is hot as fuck?

(Live from home via SimpleText/Apr. 2nd 2003)

The White Stripes
I'm waiting for music critics to stop downplaying how Meg White plays the drums. However "simple" and "primal" it may seem, I think she's really skillful at what she does. I mean, it's just her and Jack up there...they both have an equally heavy load when it comes to conveying emotion. Jack is a dope guitar player, and Meg has wicked timing. I don't think I've ever heard someone play a tom like her.
And dammit, she's fuckin' hot! Girls like her are the reason that I love pigtails so much.

The reason I'm goin' off like this is because I just purchased their self-titled debut, and their brand spankin' new album(their fourth), Elephant. The first one is playing as I write this, with the new one on deck. I'll admit to not having payed enough attention to them until White Blood Cells started to send critics reeling. It's not like I was unaware of them...their previous label, Sympathy for the Record Industry is one of my favorites. They've put out some dope albums from their fellow Detroit ass-kickers Bantam Rooster and the Detroit Cobras. But, what can I say...I'm allergic to hype. Blame Public Enemy for that. :)
One thing I've learned though, is that when you're confronted by mouth-foaming critics, you gotta seek out the truth. And thanks to fellow Stripes fan, Nick Iskierski(this dude is dangerous...artistically. Be on the lookout in the future, man.), I now believe the hype(he lent me all their previous albums last year).

Did I mention that I'd drink Meg White's bathwater, given the chance? Just checking.
Her and Neko Case's.
(sound of me gargling saliva)

Thinking of their first album, I gotta shine some light on Ghetto Recorders. As far as I can tell, there's no such thing as a bad album coming out of there. The White Stripes recorded their first one there, so did Montreal's Les Sexareenos(a party on 8 legs, yo. See 'em when they hit your town). Other bands/artists include the New Bomb Turks(thanks for the memories), the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Bantam Rooster, Andre Williams, the Mooney Suzuki, the Dirtbombs, and the Gore Gore Girls. Props go out to Jim Diamond, the house producer and owner.

Meg and Jack recorded their latest at Toe Rag studios in London, which I found out today(thanks HMV. Heh..."thanks HMV". You'll probably never hear that from me again.) has no equipment that dates past 1963. That's pretty cool. Some of England's finest "garage" has come out of there, including Billy Childish and Holly Golightly(who makes a guest appearance on Elephant. She's wicked. I met her after a show in Chicago...great lady. If I remember correctly, she has the sound holes of a bass violin tatooed on her back. Sexy!). I'm not sure if it's out yet, but the aformentioned Sympathy folks are putting out a Sympathetic Sounds of... comp dedicated to Toe Rag. I'll be on the lookout for that one, believe me. There's a Detroit one out already, and a Montreal volume when Long Gone John(the label owner) sees fit to release it.

They put the voice of WDIV's Mort Crim at the beginning of "Little Acorns"...that's a pretty cool gesture, I think(we had Detroit TV out here for 10 years). He's got the classic newsman voice...firm, but warm at the same time. On this track, he tells the story of a lady that was ready to give up on life until she saw a squirrel gathering nuts. See, now if we didn't have a weak dollar and a shitty amusement tax(don't ask), and I had the connections to do so, I'd come up with a wicked poster for a show if they decided to come here. I LOVE squirrels, man!

Jack is fixated on the number 3 for some reason, and has been for a long time. His label and studio are called Third Man, he signs liner notes and website messages with "III", and the E's in the type treatment for Elephant are backwards 3's. Hey, I dig the number 11, but I ain't putting it on everything!
Whatever.

It's a dope album. If "garage blues" is your thing, you won't be disappointed.

The Mooney Suzuki's latest album, Electric Sweat(which just got picked up by Columbia/Sony), is nothin' but fun. It's a great mix of rock n' roll/whiteboy R n' B(and I say that with the utmost of respect...y'dig?)and 60's pop hooks. Lovin' it!
Need info?: themooneysuzuki.com

R.I.P. Michael Jeter

If I've discovered one thing lately, it's that drawing people on the bus is fun. Today, I drew some large dude in his way back home from Polo Park(with a brand new Zelda cartridge in his hand)to watch To Serve and Protect(Canada's sad knockoff of Cops). Oh yeah, he was on his cell at the time, so I heard all about it.

In other news, I won Ill Rap Jam's "Hip Hop Jeopardy" on Wednesday night, beating Pip Skid by one point. Before the final round, I performed Audio Two's "Many Styles" as part of Covers Night. Good times, yo.

Do yourself a favour and pick up Pip's solo album(and other Break Bread goodness) on Peanuts and Corn Records.

Kurt Halsey has updated his "Work" section. See it here.

Fuck the Oscars.

And ALL award shows, for that matter.






Unless I'm nominated.

I've got nothing to say about the war. It's not that I don't give a fuck...I just don't need an excuse for random motherfuckers to argue with me, y'dig? No thanks.
I'm at school working on a poster for a fake exhibit of figure drawings done by moi. It's large(24x36), and it's all being done in FreeHand 10, 'cuz that's what I (sorta)know. Got a B & W proof that I'm gonna assemble tomorrow before I print it out in color(which will be costly...9 tabloid sheets(!) at 2.50 per(!!). Fun.

I'm sleepy. Bye.

R.I.P Nick Hill, Winnipeg's Furniture King(Kern-Hill Furniture Co-op). When it came to promotion, he stuck with what worked, and it work for him for over 50 years. If I owned a Stetson, I'd tip it to ya.

audblog audio post

That was fun.

Fuck! Alright...one last post for the day. Check this out: Stencil Revolution. I gotta say, when it comes to wasting time on the web, I keep my mind on art-type shit. No porn for Al!









Really!

I need to light a serious fire under my ass. F'real. I'm just doggin' it today. Not good.

You're not gonna fuckin believe this, but...well...just look.

At last! I have a new vice to replace pornography in my life: design books and magazines. How I wished I had deeper pockets upon looking at McNally Robinson's Art and Design section. These titles got me salivating in a Pavlovian stylee:
45 RPM: A Visual History of the Seven-Inch Record
Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947-1989
The Ultimate Blue Note Covers Book(I already have the first volume, but this one packs both volumes in a compact size! Can't argue with that.)
and...Meet Mr. Product: The Art of the Advertising Character

While this new obsession is better for my soul and mind, I've come to the realization that it's just as expensive.

I can't win!! >:-(

Howdy. Not much to say...things have been hectic here, and I've got a huge assignment to finish, so I'll be heading home shortly. Blogger just recently added an audio feature! I may use it once, but I don't know about payin' for it. It was cool to hear Ann-Marie's voice when she tried it!

Just finished life drawing class. I don't think I've seen enough naked women, so I believe I may find some porn before I head home.
Or maybe not. I dunno.

R.I.P. Mr. Rogers.

Dope Illustrators List
Gerald Dubois
Christoph Niemann
Grady McFerrin
Dave Crosland
Mister(Mark)Reusch
Leigh Wells
Guy Billout
Luc Latulippe
Glen Hanson

Feb 27th EDIT: This list was about three times as long, but I fucked up. A revised one shall come sooner or later.

(Live from the RRC Mac Lab) It's been a shitty week, to say the least. Tomorrow we get to say goodbye to Mandy. It's gonna be rough. We're slowly healing over here by concentrating on the memories we have. It feels good.

Let's brighten the mood just a touch:
I dig the work of Lisa Yuskavage. Her paintings are both beautiful and disturbing. I've got to get her book. Look here for an example of her work.

Glenn Barr's site is finally up!

Thanks to that damn Saturn commercial, I've been wanting to get my hands on the Walkmen's debut album. Someday, someday.

And lastly, my wonderful lady got me this for Valentine's Day. It's cool, and so is she.

(From home/Feb, 18th, 2003/1:14 AM)
One of my classmates died in her sleep last night.
We weren't very close...we'd exchange hellos and whatnot, but not much else. Despite that, I'm missing her a whole lot right now. The girl had attitude to burn. She was loud. My friend Marsha said it best: "Even if you didn't know her, you knew of her."
True indeed. I try not to question God too much, but why was it in his plan to take beaming, energetic 19-year-old from her family? I don't understand. I guess that's why I'm mortal. As strange as it sounds, even though we weren't tight, I've never lost someone so close to me. When my man Robert told me the news, all I could do was look at her desk in disbelief.
I was kinda worried when I didn't see her in Graphic Design class this morning. That ain't good, I thought. Turns out, I didn't know the half. I'm not looking forward to seeing the sad faces of my classmates on Wednesday.
I really understand why folks drink. I'm taking a long walk.

R.I.P Mandy Coyne

(Recorded LIVE from home via SimpleText/Feb 15th, 2003) I met "The Rabid Wolverine" Chris Benoit(aka The Best Fuckin' Wrestler on the Planet, fka The Canadian Crippler), along with a ton of other Benoit marks at Cityplace(Winnipeg's saddest mall...really no need to be there, really)today. I couldn't afford to go to tonight's card, so meeting him FOR FREE was one dope replacement. I original brought a copy of Pure Dynamite(the Dynamite Kid was his idol, and the man he patterned his intense style after)for him to sign, but I thought that might weird him out, so I stole one the many "appearing today" signs that were attached to the mall doors. It took about three-and-a-half, but it was worth the wait. I asked him about returning to Japan someday(he said he'd love to end his career there...sounds dope to me!), and mentioned his match against The Great Sasuke in 1994's J-Cup tournament(I had said '95, but he didn't mind). He asked if I was a hardcore fan of his, and I said that I had been watching him since his Stampede days. Then I mentioned that he's had the best haircut of his career. He laughed(thank God!).

You know you've got a keeper of a girlfriend when she'll wait around with you for what seems eons, just so you can meet your fave wrestler, enduring her own personal distaste for pro wrestling(not to mention the questionable fashion sense and personal hygeine of its fans)and nagging knee pain. I love you, baby.

Dammit! Dave Crosland is just too fuckin' good! Not only is he mind-blowingly good, but he's a nice guy to boot(he gave me some good advice a while back). Check his portfolio site here*. See some more of his work(including many downloadable treats)at Tastes Like Chicken.

*"Debbie" is a pen name of his. Don't ask.

(Live from RRC's Princess/William Campus Library) One of my favorite illustrators, Salgood Sam, is working on the new T3 comic! Read all about it here.

(Recorded LIVE from home via SimpleText/Feb 11th, 2003) Have you ever had some random motherfucker sit beside you at a fast food place? Just happened to me at McDick's.
Just some cat with a toque(uh...woolen hat to my American friends), and a dirty winter coat. He approached a table with his tray and caught me spyin' him out of the corner of my eye. So naturally, he came over to my table to sit(rolls eyes). I guess he was just happy to see another black face around.

Let me explain that last bit...when I was growing up in Winnipeg, there weren't a whole lot of black folks around. When my Mom came here in '68, there were even less. From my Mom, I learned about giving knowing nods to people I even felt were remotely familiar. It was like some unwritten code or something that said, "Whussup? I think I know you, but if don't, 'Hi' anyway!"
Aside from school, I could go for miles without seeing another black person. And when you think of it, there weren't many black kids in school, either. I didn't see black folks until I visited the suburbs(The Maples), or went to church(and most of those folks were from the suburbs). Sistas in church wanted nothing to do with me. Probably because I dressed funny.

But I digress...back to the dude at McDick's. I didn't protest his decision to sit across from me, but I wasn't too thrilled all the same. I tried not to let on, 'cuz I didn't know this dude from Adam. Wasn't sure what he was capable of, really. So we sat in silence: him, looking out the window and eating; me, eating my Big Xtra(Big n' Tasty to the Yanks)value meal, looking somewhat terrified. Eventually he asked me if I might be able to spare bus fare. I lied and said I spent all my cash on what was in fromt of me. He seemed cool with that. Finishing my food, I politely got up, put on my neoprene mask and other winter shit, and bid him adieu.
Sorry there's no big payoff to that, but that's what happened.

Other stuff:
-What's up with Minneapolis and school closings? I expect such a place to be a little more hearty than this when a little snow comes their way, since they're relatively close to Winnipeg(8 hours away). Ah, I still dig that city anyway...they get dope shows. Someday, I will go to a show at First Avenue/7th Street Entry. Uh, God willing of course. Whew! That often puts my ego in check.

-Me, my Mom, and my wonderful girlfriend are going to Earl's on Main to celebrate my Mom's 59th birthday! Happy Birthday, Mom!
Mmmm...seafood club, here I come(bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, guacamole, shrimp and crab...good Lord.)!

-My fellow Canucks can look in the Letters section of this month's Exclaim! and find my praise for them. If you read it, and find it kinda slack-jawed, it was because I was tired. Really.

-Two of my favorite "fat chicks"(said with the utmost of respect and awe of their beauty)hit milestones recently. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but Cat of Cat's House of Fun got married in January. Her man's a lucky guy!
And...sexy-ass Ann-Marie hit 500,000 posts at her site! Waytagogirl!
Her "Picture of the Week" section titilates me in ways you couldn't understand.

I think I've said too much.

-R.I.P. Curt Hennig. I still can't believe it.

(Live from the RRC Mac Lab) Check it out: a Clone High episode guide. I have yet to see 11 and 13.

(Live from RRC William/Princess Campus Library)The Itten Color Wheel is cool. It's not so cool when you have to render the whole thing in gouache. That sucks.
And it's due tomorrow morning.

(Live from RRC William/Princess Campus Library) I really don't need to be here. I'm done for the day. This place is too damn comfy. I need to start hating this place. I figure that'll kick in when I'm actually doing a full schedule of classes. We'll see!

Do yourself a favour and pick up a volume(or two!) of American Illustration from your local library(or buy one...It's worth it, I think). Some of the best talent that illustration has to offer is collected in these books. Breathtaking and inspirational work in every one.

Did I mention that RRC's Graphic Design program has some really hot girls? No? Well, now you know.

R.I.P: Nell Carter, Billy Van, The Sheik, Al Hirschfeld.

I messed up on that last post. I was trying to show you the site of this jerk. Yeah, I know. Freedom of speech. That doesn't mean I have to like what I hear(or in this case, waste time reading).

(Live from RRC's Mac Lab) Check out this piece of work ------>