I've Been In a Dark Place...

...and I still am. So here's a picture of a very tasty smokie (thank you, Awesome Dog) to brighten things up. Ain't been going out, being social and all that stuff. I've got some stuff to work on. When I say "stuff", I mean me. Things will improve, I figure. This is as confessional as I get online now. It's healthier that way.

ManDate III: The Reckoning!

Me, Chris, and Jeope got together again for good times. Last time, it was for my birthday and talking shit. This time, it was about drawing and talking shit.
I really have to remember how good it feels to draw for fun. It's easy to forget, sadly.

BONUS: Here's a closer look at what Jeope did!

Lookin' That Gift Horse In the Mouth

Top: March 2nd. Bottom: March 11th.

Coming off the wackest (unseasonably warm, that is) winter in my memory, we're dealing with a late March that feels like mid-spring. It doesn't make a got-damn lick of sense. However, just like when I was confronted with a piss poor winter wonderland, I'm choosing to embrace the situation rather than complain. I'm not whining about the thawed dog shit, or bitching about the garbage that the snowbanks hid. The day I took the picture on the bottom, I drove to my son's daycare with the window down and the tunes blaring, observing the city's early renewal with pleased eyes.

Whether it's winter to spring, or winter to spring, I see Winnipeg in a new light and at a different angle. As mid-sized as we are, I always see something new. That's kinda what keeps me here.

With all that said, I will look that gift horse in the mouth and remember that global warming brought us here. All I can do is recycle, conserve energy, and pray that things will get a little (or a lot) better by the time my son is a man. I'd kinda like Dante to know what a real Winnipeg winter feels like.

In the meantime, I might put some music in my ears and walk 150 pounds off in this weather. You never know.

Tokyo Trashville

 A cover that's truly hard to ignore. 

What you're seeing above is the CD booklet to the Au Go Go Records compilation, Tokyo Trashville, and it's among my favorite covers of all time. When I first laid eyes up this in the mid-90s, I was truly in awe. I had two questions:
"Why is that sweaty lady humping the Eiffel Tower?" (I didn't realize it was the Tokyo Tower), and "Who the fuck is Rockin' Jelly Bean?"

That last question had me on a hunt, because I had to know who this magnificent bastard was, because he was obviously talented. In 1996, RJB didn't really have a web presence, and Alta Vista (remember that?) searches turned up random, barely translatable Japanese sites with broken links and references to Petty Booka, a duo he did work for. Any images I did find were often small and rather poor.

As the years progressed, I kept searching for stuff, and more RJB shit started to appear on the web, until he finally got his own nifty site and a great little store in Harajuku, where I copped this dope poster for his band Jackie and the Cedrics.

To think my admiration started with this sweaty-ass cover. Truthfully, that may have been the last time a cover blew my mind.

Random Thoughts: February 28th, 2012

Whether you like it or not, Wendy's and the adjacent Tim Hortons location are you best options for lunch on
King Edward Street. Taken while employed at Farm Business Communications.

• Mr. Uncertain: So, I'm un(der)employed again. I was at Farm Business Communications for most of the month, subbing for a gentleman on paternity leave, and he was set to return yesterday, making Friday my last day. I'm definitely thankful for my brief stay there, as it was educational, kept me financially stable, and I got to work with my old friends Steve and Jenelle.
  I'm kinda where I was last year. Not sure where I'm gonna go, or what I'm gonna do. I've been given the tools to move forward, but I'm feeling rather grounded. Trying to stay positive (and failing at it).
  
  
• Pinky's Laundromat: I've gone off at length about how magnificent John Smith's second solo album is, and now, you can check it out for your own damn self via Bandcamp. Please do enjoy.
  
  
• Container of Great: My pal Albertine dropped her video game art and culture 'zine – Heart Container – last week, and it's a great read. It made me think about my relationship with gaming, which seems both deep and distant at the same time. I'm beginning to think I should write my thoughts down regarding this. It also made me nostalgic, and I'm think I should cop one of these as soon as things are better.
  You really oughta pick up a copy, not only because it's good, but because the proceeds go to Child's Play.
  
  
• A Possibly Unpopular Opinion: I'm listening to this Erick Sermon mixtape, and it reeks of you-kids-get-off-my-lawn syndrome. I've got nothing but love for E-Double, but when you start dissing skinny jeans and the use of "swag", I stop listening.
  
  
• New Flickr Layout: The way you and I view Flickr is about to change, and I have to admit that I'm kinda stoked. I've been using it for almost seven years, and it's still a daily digital hangout spot after all this time. Unlike a lot of people that piss and moan about changes to their virtual clubhouses, I welcome it. I roll around in it like a pig in filth. Okay, not really, but I do roll with the punches. It's the Internet, people. You don't like one spot, go to another.
  
  
• Two Years on Tumblr: Yeah, I can't believe it either. Here's how I marked the occasion.
  
  
• These Dreams, man. A recent episode of Sound Opinions got me thinking about songs associated with first love. This definitely wasn't my first crush, but it's probably the first time I can put music and affection for someone together: late spring, 1985, at some roller rink – probably Wheelies. It was a Winnipeg school patrol outing. I was horrible at skating, and I remember taking a tumble on the carpet surrounding the rink that would've killed or paralyzed the 37-year-old me. As I held my head in agony like a kicker that missed a field goal, I saw HER. Giggling at me. Not in a mean way, but giggling. The HER in question was this petite blond from Wolseley School that caught my eye earlier in the day.
  I was all about making girls laugh, so I did my best to laugh along, even though the pain was kicking my ass. What was playing during this moment? "These Dreams", by Heart. I'm not gonna lie to you; I still feel a lilt in my stomach when I hear that song coming from a nearby radio, or in a supermarket.
  Hey...can we talk about the video for a second? All I really want to point out is that drummer Benny Carmassi utilized his fleeting moments of screen time to the fullest by being as hammy as possible. I love it! He shines at the 1:45 mark, also at 2:14 and 2:30. Classic.

An Art Lesson From Stuart Immonen

Today's art lesson coming up...

— Stuart Immonen (@stuartimmonen) February 19, 2012

Right now... ready?

— Stuart Immonen (@stuartimmonen) February 19, 2012

Fellas! when you are drawing fabric, these things are hubs: elbows, knees, shoulders, if it's a bag over the head, then maybe a nose even...

— Stuart Immonen (@stuartimmonen) February 19, 2012

if it's a drapey sort of bag.

— Stuart Immonen (@stuartimmonen) February 19, 2012

But for fuck's sake, will you please stop hanging drapery off of nipples. JUST STOP IT.

— Stuart Immonen (@stuartimmonen) February 19, 2012

@stuartimmonen Stuart ladies draw too

— Jamie McKelvie (@McKelvie) February 19, 2012

@McKelvie I had no idea.also? all the examples coming across my desk of this problem are by guys.

— Stuart Immonen (@stuartimmonen) February 19, 2012

I apologize for not including the women who draw badly.

— Stuart Immonen (@stuartimmonen) February 19, 2012

Maybe I should just caution people against basing their drawing on descriptions from Victorian erotica. #notactuallymadeofdiamondsandrubies

— Stuart Immonen (@stuartimmonen) February 19, 2012

Stuart's been in the game for a while, so he knows what he's talking about. Pay a visit to Maison Immonen.

Birthday #37

Above: Gifts from wifey. Below: Epic hangoutz.

I've proven over and over again that I'm just not much of a birthday guy. Passage of time, regrets, a year closer to the grave, yaddayaddayadda. With that said, I like to think I'm getting better at the whole thing. I decided to spend the evening of my birthday with friends, which is something my wife has been after me to do for ages.

So, I did! My homies Jeope and Chris joined me at Kawaii Crepe for all sorts of geeky chat, which was a reprise of out last get-together. No complaints here!

And yes, I do own that (empty) jar of Nutella now.

P.S.: Public shout-out to Chris for the cool comics and tchotchkes! Thanx!

Year-End Random Thoughts: December 31st, 2011

I make my resolutions public so it stings all the more when I fail. That's how I roll.

2012 RESOLUTIONS

1. Self-explanatory. I plan to bring my exercise total up to "some" from "virtually nil".
2. I became way too intimate with my overdraft limit this year. I hope to dead that issue in the twenty dozen. On the business front, I was a participant in the Art of Managing Your Career course, so I now have the tools to be my own boss. Time to make it happen.
3. Draw every day, or at least every other day. Why not? I have no excuses, especially with resources like this around.
4. Organized, in every way. Lessen the clutter. A place for everything, and every thing in its place. We'll see how long this attitude lasts.
5. One of the best things about having your own workspace is putting up stuff on the walls. I put up three awesome things this year, and I need to put up more. Cool stuff on my walls makes me want to create. Needless to say, this is really good.

MY 2011 MUSIC LIST (no, it's not another top 10)

Stuff I Loved The Most:

• Danny Brown's XXX
• Birdapres' Catch An L
• Blueprint's Adventures in Counter-Culture
• Tom Waits' Bad As Me
• Army Girls' Close to the Bone
• The Roots' Undun

XXX is so good, I can't believe it's free. Brown goes from hedonistic superhero to ghetto rubble storyteller to vulnerable dude in the course of 19 breezy tracks. I found this shit enthralling from day one.

I can say the same about Catch An L. The immediacy of dusty breaks combined with Bird's brainy flow made this a winner for me. Take a listen to "Show No Flair" (with John Smith blazing the second verse), and you'll be taken back to '89 with your feet still planted firmly in this day and time. Grab it from Marathon of Dope, and don't forget to donate.

Blueprint's Adventures was a fine display of an emcee attempting to spread his wings musically, and I think he showed a lot of growth here. The gem of this album? The passionate "Radio-Inactive".

It's clichéd to say so, but there are people that are Tom Waits fans, and there are those that are not, sometimes vehemently so. I don't know where I'm going with this. Bad As Me is just really good. So there.

I have Michael Elves to thank for introducing me to Army Girls via his blog. I love me a two person rock 'n' roll combo. They remind me of a punchier Inbreds, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Yo, I could go on and on about how amazing and smooth Undun is, but all I really want to talk about is the open ?uestlove drums on "The OtherSide" and "Tip the Scale". I could listen to those ALL DAY. LOOPED. Them shits do amazing things to my brain.

Stuff I Need to Spend More Time With:

• The Black Keys' El Camino
• Phonte's Charity Begins At Home
• This Hisses' "Surf Noir"
• Pip Skid's People Are the Worst
• Tim Hoover's More Napkins (Hey, did I mention that I have this release on cassette?)
• The Cool Kids' When Fish Ride Bicycles
• Mayer Hawthorne's How Do You Do 

...and why the hell didn't I buy that Charles Bradley album?

MY FAVORITE POSTERS & ART PRINTS OF 2011

Posters:

• Alamo Drafthouse Dracula poster by Vania Zouravliov and Aaron Horkey: http://omgposters.com/2011/01/12/dracula-poster-by-vania-zouravliov-and-aaron-horkey-onsale-info/
• Circa Survive poster by The Silent Giants: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/137472_Circa_Survive.html
• Lucero Poster Set by Chris Huth: http://omgposters.com/2011/02/11/lucero-poster-set-by-chris-huth/
• Deerhoof poster by Shawn K. Knight: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/139057_Deerhoof.html
• Saucy Yoda tour poster by Rory Phillips: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24327290@N02/5467820584/
• Kevin Tong's Appleseed Cast poster: http://omgposters.com/2011/03/29/kevin-tongs-poster-for-the-appleseed-cast-plus-art-print/
• Rich Kelly's The Hold Steady poster: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/141825_Hold_Steady.html
• Landland's Black Keys poster: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/143471_Black_Keys.html
• Phish poster by Rich Kelly: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/144500_Phish.html
• Majesty poster by DX: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/139656_Majesty.html
• 2 Hum posters by Jay Ryan: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/147174_Hum.html and http://www.gigposters.com/poster/147175_Hum.html
• Valdez poster by C. Gomez: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/147182_Valdez.html
• X poster by Lil' Tuffy: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/148166_X.html
• Portugal, The Man's poster by BlackYard http://www.blackyard.ch/?p=2054
• Andrew Bird poster by Hero Design http://heroandsound.com/?p=4113
• Good Old War poster by T-Bone and Aljaxx: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/148631_Good_Old_War.html

 Art Prints:

• "Glory Is Forever" art print by Hero Design Studio: http://heroandsound.com/?p=3479
• Weapons of Mass Creation (red bomb version) art print by Justin Kamerer: http://www.angryblue.com/index.php?pcat=1&item=902
• Nunavut art print by Jay Ryan and Aaron Horkey: http://thebirdmachine.com/detail.php?uid=DD4865

...and one poster I should've added last year, but I was sadly unaware of it – Brett Stenson's Built to Spill poster: http://www.gigposters.com/poster/132661_Built_To_Spill.html

Well, I think that's all the stuff I've got in my head, spilled out before you via ones and zeros. I hope 2011 treated you well, and that 2012 treats you even better. Personally, I'd rather forget 2011 existed, but I'm not gonna harp on that any longer. It's time to kick some ass!
G'night, folks!

Everything I Got For Christmas...

...all in one photo set on Flickr:

Boxing Day Haul 2011

This is comparatively lighter than last year's stack of purchases, but no less essential or awesome.

• Glenn Barr's Faces
• Hark! A Vagant by Kate Beaton
• Infinite Kung Fu by Kagan McLeod
• Habibi by Craig Thompson
• Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label by Def Jam, Bill Adler and Dan Charnas 
• Steinweiss by Alex Steinweiss, Steven Heller and Kevin Reagan

The bottom two were purchased at Chapters with a 30% discount. The rest were from Comics America at a discount of 25%.