New Blog

I've created a new tumblr for blogging. I hope you all check it out. I'll be able to update on my phone, a definite win for the B team.
http://uniquelythesame.tumblr.com/
The updates will be mostly pictures, or that's what I'm hoping for.

I'm sooo sorry

This bloog has died, I'm sorry. I love y'all for reading. Maybe I'll start another blog up sometime in the future when i have a more steady internet connection, a more working computer and that jazz. Catch you on the flip side. -BriKi

I spoke too soon

I finally compressed and made available my summer's opus. This cutout animation is called The Sea. Hope you love it as much as everyone else did. It is also an ad for OFF, the local film fest. The quality will probably be a little low until the 24th.

This whole no Internet thing

makes giving you all my blog love really hard. School starts up soon and so I might be able to start doing a weekly thing, but i can't promise anything. This may be the end of the house of brain as we know it.

Fanny Packs

I thought y'all might enjoy this. Just found this handy little guide to make a fanny pack hosted by two dirty hipsters. I want the guys dookie chain, but otherwise they look ridiculous. Though I find the idea of buying a fanny pack unappealing, I do enjoy the idea of making a fanny pack. Inside of me is a little DIY punk gremlin trying to get out. Too bad I don't have access to a sewing machine or the skills to use it.

Capitol Hill Block Party Part 2

Here it is, my eagerly awaited (completely ignored) report on the second day of the Capitol Hill Block Party.

July 25th
I got to the party around 2 o'clock and the madness started immediately. I started off by heading over to the Awesome Color concert happening at the Neumo's Stage.
The concert was Awesome as was promised and included many sweet ass break downs like this one:

Sometime in the middle of the show while I was hanging out enjoying the music, a middle aged man wearing sunglasses indoors came up to the front of the stage and started headbanging wildly. He was obviously skunk drunk and had a friend trying to keep him under control. While Awesome Color has a loud and fun show, they did not merit the sort of 'I'm a fucktard and listen to Korn' or 'I'm a juggalo' kind of headbanging that this man was doing.
During a short break, he asked the band what their name was and when told did not understand and expressed great dismay at them not being this other band he was excited about. I recall him later saying that he thought that this band was great and that oxycodone is a great name for a band. The bouncer laughed and told him to shutup.

I hung around there for Hotels. Hotels is nice new wave-esque kind of band. They were fairly good, but i wasn't hooked.


The next band I saw was surprisingly good. I'd never expected to listen to a band that admitted that it was emo and say, "wow, i could listen to this a few more times and not hate it." PELA is what emo was before MTV killed it and has carried on the old emo tradition. PELA has no whiny vocals and has a sound closer to a slow hardcore than to fallout boy. The main problem I had with them was that they all dressed like bros, but I'm willing to let it slide.

Next I saw the Maldives, a sort of bluegrass/folk/country rock band. Being a sucker for bluegrass and folk I loved the band. For some of their songs they had more of a Classic Southern Rock sound, another diggable type of music.

I don't know if I'll buy their album, but their concert was good.

Next was Truckasaurus, a band I'd been hearing about for a good while and was pretty excited to see. Every several months I become obsessed with 8 bit for less than a day, purists make me cringe because the sounds a gameboy make are grinding to listen to. I was one of those who welcomed standard electro into the 8 bit world and feel that the genre has improved because of it. If I were taking massive quantities of speed and/or coke, regular 8-bit would be pallatable, but seeing as I don't, it isn't. Check out Truckasaurus if you get the chance, their show packed Neumo's and had people dancing in the balcony. I hear that is hard to do. Also, I apologize for the camerawork, I was drunk.

Next was the Gossip. This band has roots where I live, down in Olympia, WA, and that would make most locals think that I would like them. Wrong. The Gossip was okay although maybe it was just the hundreds of people jammed together like sardines making my life a living hell.


The last band I saw was probably the main reason I decided to go to the concert in the first place. Sonic Youth is a great band that I've been into for a while now and I jumped at the chance to see them in concert.

They played mostly new music, but thats okay. If you've read my review of their new album you know how I feel about them. Even though they are an older band, they still play as well as if they were still in their twenties. You should've seen the mosh pit.

Capitol Hill Block Party Part 1

Last weekend, I went to a two day, 3 stage music festival. Capitol Hill Block Party, sponsored KEXP, KNDD (better known as The End), and The Stranger, attracts less well known bands than Bumbershoot (the other big Seattle music festival) and so I find them much more interesting. This is a 2 Part chronicling of my times at the festival:

Thursday, July 23rd:
Hitched a ride up from Olympia and got to parents house around midnight, went to sleep.

Friday, 24th:
Got to the Block Party just after 4 and tried to get my bearings. I had just walked all the way from downtown Seattle and was catching my breath. It was really hot out there. I could hear The Dutchess and The Duke playing from where I was sitting and was not impressed. I wandered looking for good music until 5:15 when I found and caught the tail end of Band of Skulls. I wish I had caught the full set; They ended up being really good.
I went to check out Bow + Arrow next, I wasn't digging it so I ended up heading to the first show I was really excited about for the day. Black Lips was playing at the mainstage and was sure to draw a crowd. I was determined to get up close, but got stuck pretty far back.



I bought their album after the show. Their punk vibe with some of the markers of their southern psychedelic rock sensibilities created a sound I wished I came up with myself.

Deerhunter followed immediately after Black Lips and played well. I’ve been excited about Deerhunter since I picked up their album about a year ago and was really jazzed when I saw that I could see them in concert. They were a full quarter of why I came to the Block Party.



Their vocal effects broke within the first 5 minutes of them playing and they still did a great set. They are definitely more of a recording-centric band, but their live show is still worth seeing. I recommend picking up their album, Microcastle. It has a nice flow from beginning to end.

After Deerhunter, I headed over to the Vera stage and found nice place to sit and recuperate for the final show I’d be seeing that night. Another quarter of the reason I went to the Block Party was Starfucker.



Besides the obvious attraction of the name, Starfucker is good local band from Seattle. They come through Olympia periodically. They play really mellow synthpop, I recommend giving them a listen sometime, it might change your life.

I went home to my parents house around 1 in the morning and got a good nights sleep. I would need it for the next day.

Weather

When people don't have anything to talk about, they usually talk about the weather.
When someone isn't so committed to actually talking about anything, they only talk about the weather when its exceptionally good/bad.
Today, the weather might be characterized as too good in Olympia, Washington. The high for today is a balmy 104 degrees, what must be a record for the area. I've taken to hiding in the air-conditioned halls of the Evergreen State College library while downloading podcasts for my animation. Soon I will have to venture out into the non-air-conditioned world and go to dinner with a friend. I doubt it will cool off tonight, at least not enough to cool off the house at night. This is what LA is like; This is why my family left California. At least I can prove that I can in fact live in LA and not die.
HOLLYWOOD, HERE I COME!!!

World of Warcraft... the movie?

It was just announced within the past day that there is to be a World of Warcraft movie coming out in the coming couple years. Sam Raimi has signed on as director (for now) and that means that:

1. It will probably be humorous
2. There is a good chance Bruce Campbell will be involved

The main worry I have about this movie is that it is a WoW movie. It's existence validates the millions (yes the numbers are in the millions) of people who don't go outside because they are too busy playing the game. I fear for our culture. If Bruce Campbell is in the movie I HAVE to see it though.

Bumbershoot 2009

Two posts in less than 24 hours, I'm on fire!

While looking through the lineup I discovered a few gems that you may have never heard of before, the first of which is Dead Confederate. They are playing Monday.

Dead Confederate - The Rat

Dead Confederate :: The Rat (Aquarium Drunkard Session) from Aquarium Drunkard on Vimeo.

Excited doesn't begin to explain how I feel about this.

Also on Monday is Akron/Family. Akron/Family is a band I've been familiar with for over a year and had not heard anything about recently. I suspect that the band is from Akron, Ohio and in fact a family. (in the Hippy commune and drug use sense) Weird psychadelic music with out there lyrics, screw it I'm in.

Metric is playing Monday as well, I am extremely excited to see them play. I'm a long time fan.

Mirah, a K Records (Olympia, WA Indie Record Label) artist, is also playing Monday. She's freaking great and appeals to all my Olympia sensibiliies.

Also, Truckasaurus:


Then of course there are the two headliners for that day, Franz Ferdinand and Modest Mouse. This my friends is why I am going to Bumbershoot on Monday if not for any other day.

Other Cool bands playing other days for you poor saps not going Monday:
Saturday: Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head

Sunday: Holy Fuck, Helio Sequence

Anamanaguchi

If you enjoy 8 bit and/or animation at all you should check out this audio/visual project put together by Anamanaguchi for Dawn Metropolis, their new album. It's really cool although you might need to be concerned if you're prone to seizures.

Sometimes You Just Can't Stem A Flood

The flood gates have reopened and I can't stop spitting out project ideas that I will soon be working on and killing myself with. Here is a little preview. If you have any ideas that you think would be helpful to me making these things or if you make music (cough...Ben Michaelis...cough) and want to help me with a soundtrack, let me know.

#1:Paint
I have another anti-individualism series. The groundwork is already lain, I might even have help from my roommate, Curt. The series involves painting fruit the same color as a background taking pictures of the work and then painting from that picture. The paintings would be displayed with photos of the process in either the form of a production book or hung on walls.

#2:Page
I really want to write a series of short reinterpretations of Roman myths and/or history. I think this would be a just for fun kind of thing and so is the lowest priority.

#3:Animation
The third idea I've had will probably end up being my final piece for EAT, (Experimental Animation Techniques) the class I am taking this summer. It is an animation of a cutout squid traveling through a progressively more strange and uncomfortable world. Starting out in a tropical ocean wonderland and ending up on the evening news or something ridiculous like that. I think that it'll end up being the most fun out of all of these works. I'm excited.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

I went to see Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen tonight and was so enthusiastic about it I had to write this post.

Transformers 2 sucks.
not just regular sucks, it sucks in the kind of way that you feel ill afterward. It sucks in a way that makes me wish Michael Bay would lose his eyes and therefore his ability to direct.
It takes hard work to really get me going about a movie, I'm pretty easy going and I have a sick fascination with really bad movies (Snakes on a Plane, The Scary Movie Series, The Final Destination series, anything by the guys who did the Thumb movies and Kung Pow!, and anything from Tromaville, etc.)
Where Snakes on a Plane acknowledged its badness, T2:ROTF was unclear. Could anyone actually create something so bad and not recognize how awful it is?
Rotten Tomatoes said: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a noisy, underplotted, and overlong special effects extravaganza that lacks a human touch." I am honestly surprised that this movie is TOPPING THE BOX OFFICE.
Fair, but that is missing a few points. The cinematography is insane AND inane. There is a whole sequence of the camera going through holes in walls and doors in a circle. The camera moved even when a simple stationary shot would have done fine, or even better.
I also found myself getting bored as I was watching the movie. (This IS a blockbuster, right?) My friend Charlie started nodding off and his roommate Derek straight up fell asleep.
I honestly expected better after the first movie, a half self-aware comedy, half fun-guns-action flick. For those of you who didn't know, Michael Bay is a hack, and T2:ROTF is a steaming pile. Happy Independence Day Weekend!

New Animation

Since I am taking summer classes, I can continue to bombard you with my many animations
This is a paint on glass assignment that I'm rather happy with. Enjoy!

(due to issues with the video's size I will instead include a link with the video on Youtube) Paint On Glass

Look At This Fucking Hip-star

Thanks be to Look At This Fucking Hipster.

And give us this day our daily creep.

Summer Classes

I decided that to make sure I graduate on time, (I'd have to slack off really hard next year) I'd take summer courses this summer. I'm in the EAT (Experimental Animation Techniques) program, a crash course in experimental animation. I didn't realize this when applying for the class, but I already know just about everything there is to know about most of this stuff. I am happy with the pace of the course though: Our first day (yesterday) we learned about zoetrope strips and were assigned an exquisite corpse. (everyone in the class makes a part of it and then it is strung together afterwards)

This also means I'll be in olympia all damn summer, lets see how this goes. Hopefully I'll have something cool to show when I'm done.

The Eternal

Last week I went down to Caffe Vita in Downtown Olympia and picked up a copy of my favorite newspaper: the Stranger. It is a terrible newspaper full of ads and made up of mostly opinions. The redeeming factors are the writers' ability to write something funny or otherwise amusing and the funny/creepy personal ads in the back. In the front, I saw an ad for the new Sonic Youth album, a band that I didn't know was still making music. I got really excited and went off to get a copy.

Sonic Youth's "The Eternal" sounds like the other Sonic Youth albums,(not that that is a bad thing, I still like it) they know how to package noise pop and make it fun to listen to. The album kicks off with some classic 'the kids don't care' vocals and some crazy distortion and guitar noise with moments of lucidity. About half way through the album, the music gets much more tame and effect heavy with right on vocals just in time for 'Malibu Gas Station' the song I would choose as the single. The rest of the album is much less crazy. The album even ends on a downright mellow point, while still maintaining the noise drones one expects. If you like noise pop, The Eternal is a good album to get.

This Is It, This is Dilemma

I finally feel I have the time, energy and motivation to make this post.
This is a legitimate attempt at showing you my final installation, even though it is impossible to fully understand it without seeing it in person.
To get close, you should try setting up an uncomfortable chair in front of your computer and cover it with a blanket or bed-sheet. Make sure your computer is higher than your head when sitting down. Now, run the animation while simultaneously looking at the pictures. Congratulations, that is the closest you are going to get to seeing the original ever again.
The artist statement is laying on a table with a coffee stained newspaper, a painted coffee cup, and a sketchbook:

Brian King works in many mediums including poetry, music, drawing, painting, animation, and soon film. His works often deal with the appropriation of culture and the degentrification of the prestige class. He is also interested with the subtle reflexivity of any piece of art.
Brian’s installation, “Dilemma,” is a culmination of his studies on the subject of sleep deprivation, a problem he’d become all too familiar with. The installation consists of an animation, two paintings, and a recreation of a living room. This piece is intended to recreate the feelings of a sleep deprived person in the viewer, simultaneously giddy and distressed.
The pixilation, a type of stop motion animation where humans are posed instead of other types of objects, is displayed on a monitor. It is a representation of the (more-likely-than-not) sleep deprived viewer. The paintings appear on either side of the monitor and represent the mood swings and alterations in perception of the world associated with being sleep deprived. These pieces are arranged before a set of uncomfortable chairs. When combined, these pieces create a feeling similar to that of sleep deprivation.

The animation is playing on the screen while the paintings are displayed to the left of the monitor.
















I've been considering putting this up again in another location with a little more control. Student shows aren't very high priority for resources.

Finished Project

I made an artist blog and I'm completely burnt out. There are pictures of my shit on my artist blog I made for class. Take a look. There's also an artist statement! I hope you like it. http://blogs.evergreen.edu/brianking/

Dilemma

I'm just full of surprises today.
This is the first element of my installation. This is my animation, Dilemma:

It looks really good if you watch the HQ version off of Youtube. The compressors messed with it a bit. It was originally shot in hi-def and the uncompressed version is two GB. I'll post video and/or pictures of the installation when its done.

Best Thing on "Look At This Fucking Hipster"

This is the most ridiculous low budget music video I've ever seen. Thank you LATFH.


This shit is amazing. Have you ever seen two people act out a tiger attack with fake blood in adult onesies? Their makeup is great too. Open question, are these two furries?

Art show

My art is going to be in a show on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Mine will be an installation up on the 4th floor of Sem II E Building at that point it should be obvious I think. Come see it and eat the food that will probably be available.

My installation is about Sleep Deprivation, it should be good. I hope you can see and do like it if you do in fact see it.

Secret Joys

I get joy from opening my email every couple days and seeing an email from a MoveOn.org member telling me that I did a good job. I get joy from this because I almost never open their emails, just every once in a while when the heading piques my interest. Headlines like, "You Made It Happen" or "Victory for Seals" only get me to smile and look at the screen like i did something important.

Its like free candy for my ego, I love the shit out of it. I also makes me a terrible activist. OH WELL!

Showcasing

I'm going to be showcasing almost all of my artistic skills in the next two weeks in various iterations. There'll be a concert I'm opening on Saturday May 30th with 'Pashaw!' It's my first concert and I'm really excited. I even made a flyer even though it is a small show for only a few people. I'm a nerd.
















I will also be having an installation at my class art show Wednesday June 3rd through the end of the week. Contact me if you want to come to the opening.

I Half Expect...

I half expect everyone to have something change about their appearance between our meetings. Maybe this is due to my own frequently changing facial hair, but its strange.
I won't name names but I expect that the next time I see one of my female friends, she'll have a mustache. This odd feeling may have been inspired by Charlie's picture of himself with a big fake mustache.

I Am So Inspired

that I needed to share this again.

A week or more ago I posted a website from my swarm (websites I check regularly) in this post. I had only visited it once or twice and it was already on its way to becoming another facebook for me.

The Sixty-one
For a music geek like me, this is a great website. They have a constantly growing music selection of mostly indie and self-produced music, but also of some more popular, borderline MTV bands like 'Band of Horses' and 'Ratatat.'
It also offers a sort of democratic selection of what is good and incentives for the really big geeks like me.
Are you ready for the kicker?

There is an RPG aspect to the rating process that allows you to level up based on having good taste in music and friends with good taste. There are music quests (they aren't mandatory) to complete, something I really enjoy about the site that creates something to do while bored. Its Pandora.fm: the game.

If you're interested in getting involved let me know and I'll send you an invite. We can be friends on the Sixtyone AND be judgemental together!

Friday Nights

As most of you probably knew or guessed, I like a drink. I really like a drink on a Friday night with a few friends. Others of you may know what a stressful week I had.
Upon entering the Brotherhood, one of my favorite Oly bars, how do you think I felt when all I could hear was a fat bro screaming things to his friend across the bar? The guy had on some stupid 'i'm trying to be cool, but i'm really a douchebag' t-shirt on along with a sideways hat. What was he doing in this bar? If he wanted to be a douchebag, he could have gone to Charlie's, or Hannah's, or The Royal. I mean, WTF?!?

Also, this bro and his bro buddies were trying to hit up on some beautiful women while still being douchebags. (Do douchebags get the girl IRL?) At some point I cracked and started yelling to my friends about the bros and them being in the bar that I like so much. The Brotherhood is CLEARLY not a bar for bros. My friends thought that I was going to start a fight, I was so angry. Then these guys and the women they were hitting on left together to go to another bar, Charlie's. (thats right, you better run!) I knew because they were yelling about it. Sometimes I hate Olympia.

Newbies

I got a message from a newbie in Indiana. She wants to go to Evergreen, but is terrified of the weather and also of it not living up to her expectations. Despite my usual attitude towards newbs, I told her the full honest truth. I told her that I like it here and that the weather sucks but not so bad. I told her that the school is good if you are motivated. I portrayed the school with cautious optimism. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME! As an upper-classmen I am supposed to HATE FRESHMEN! They just want us to buy them booze, they are soul-suckers. They are so OPTIMISTIC. RAWR

Also, this is very close to home.

The Swarm

I've been swarmed with new websites recently by friends who think I'll like them.
Luckily my friends know me pretty well and so I have this huge swarm of websites I've been checking way too frequently.
Here's the list, I think you (my readers) will probably enjoy some of these.

The Sixty-One via Charlie
besides the name and awesome layout, which i dig, the service is nice too. Its like last.fm on awesome pills. It's a relatively new website so you can also feel really hip knowing and talking about it. hooray!

Hipster Runoff via Jesse and/or Courtney W.
I've actually been checking this one for a while, but now that I have a steady internet connection again (via iphone) i've been checking it a lot. Carles has a very specific and rediculous sense of humor. Check it out if you like laughing.

Look At That Fucking Hipster via I wanna say Jason (correct me if I'm wrong)
LOL HIPSTERS WITH CAPTIONS

Overheard in New York via I wanna say Jason (correct me if I'm wrong)
This is a website where people hear other people say funny things in New York and then post them on the internet. People say hilarious shit, really hilarious shit.

Picture is Unrelated still might be Jason
picture and a caption hilarity. Way good, but doesn't update much

KFC, Oprah, and Riots *thumbs up*

On May 6th, 2009, history was made.

KFC barred their doors to the hungry masses, an action that prompted civil disobedience - Civil disobedience that hasn't been seen since the government sponsored racism. WE THE PEOPLE DESIRE GRILLED CHICKEN!

On the 5th, Oprah promised her fans FREE CHICKEN from KFC involving a coupon. Throngs of people came to KFC seeking the sweet flesh of fowl. When paying customers arrived to buy their own chicken, they were halted by the crowd. Many feared for their well-being despite their will to ingest greasy KFC chicken product.

The protestors chanted such uninspired words as, "I'm gonna pee on KFC!" and "Hell no, chicken to go!" The sit-ins were a swift kick in the cloaca for KFC corporate, a force that even the likes of Oprah should not trifle with.

And so began WW3, Oprah vs Colonel Sanders

http://gothamist.com/2009/05/06/kfcs_denial_of_grilled_chicken_give.php

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/05/oprahs-kfc-free.html


Make your own KFC sign at KentuckyFriedCruelty.com

Drawing Nudes turns into Painting Nudes

We've been drawing nudes in class a lot for the past year and this is the first one to make it to the internet. Its acrylic on watercolor paper.



I've gotten lots of positive feedback about the composition. I hope you like it. I think its my best technical painting so far.

Note to Self

Don't throw parties at the last minute, nobody will be available or want to go. Such is the doom of the 'last minute party.'
This is not to be confused with the 'spontaneous party,' a rare occassion where people randomly appear around each other and begin drinking. 'Spontaneous parties' are one of the most enjoyable types of parties. They are huge piles of awesome with covered in awesome sauce and topped with an awesome cherry.
Generally planning is an integral part of throwing a party. Remember this and heed the words of the Fonz, "'EH-YEEE!!!"

iPhone

I got an iPhone yesterday. When it comes down to it, the iphone is cheaper than internet on a month to month basis, although the initial cost was huge, 300 dollars is so much money. That is one hundred beers at the brotherhood or eating out every day for a month. Besides the issue of procrastination, my iPhone is great. People were telling me that the edge internet is slow, but i've not had any problems with it. It is fast enough for me to watch youtube videos and that is plenty. I used to live in freshman dorms on Evergreen campus where you would often have to wait an hour or more to load a youtube video. The battery life is short, but I can charge it when I'm asleep every night. A day long charge is not so bad, my old phone was starting to get there anyways. Thank you Apple, I'm enchanted... yet again.

Taking Things Way Too Seriously

All right, this one goes out to Charlie D

We had powerpoint presentations for class on wednesday of last week where we were being evaluated by our peers. Mine was on sleep deprivation. I got my evaluations and they were ok, all of them besides one. I got to read a page of cold, odd insults which I will now quote:

Did he give a clear and organized presentation? Was it easy to find the main point of supporting points? Did they stick to the main points?
"No. No. Yes. He did not go off-topic." (this is where i started getting a feeling that this person thought they were better than me, complete sentence? come on!)

Explained connection between the research and project?
"No. He did not mention his project." (to be fair, i didn't and almost no one else did either)

Made good use of visual aids?
"Made adequate use. The images could have been better." (btw those images were AWESOME)

Used the time well?
"Yes."

(Here's the best part)
Had good personal demeanor?
"No. He was twitchy, ill groomed, and hesitant. He was not confident."

(Yes, I am twitchy and ill-groomed. They should string me up for that. What, should I get a fucking haircut before I go to do a powerpoint presentation? I couldn't take anything this person had said in the evaluation seriously anymore. Who says that?)

Well-prepared?
"Fairly. He could not quote sources."
(WTF? I thought we weren't supposed to write out a speech for our presentations. I thought paraphrasing would be good enough.)

What was the best about this presentation?
"The information" (sleep dep is pretty interesting)

One suggestion for improvement?
"He should know his sources and be able to quote them." (and that receives a big 'fuck you' stamp)

is it just me or is it inappropriate to call someone "twitchy and ill-groomed." The first time reading it I was incensed, but then I realized that this person must be upset with me,(is that possible) crazy, or socially retarded to say something like that. I have my theories on whodunnit, but what good is caring about it going to do. If I want to follow the life path of an artist, I need to be prepared to take harsh and ridiculous criticisms. That doesn't mean I can't give those people harsh and ridiculous criticisms right back and in a completely vindictive way. I gave the suspected ridiculing party some scathing criticism. (Allow me to paraphrase: Your presentation felt very canned, make it feel more natural and make us more interested in your topic. kthxbye)

My advice for anyone who wants to fuck with my shit, 'if you can't take the heat, stay out of my fucking kitchen. I cook with a flamethrower.'

Hipsters in Space

So, this is old, but good.
Commence non-committal dancing! Space hipsters, whatever!



I mostly enjoy that their space ship is a shoe

The Reef Comic

I just got done writing a comic for Timefighters this morning while sitting at Café Vita. It feels good to get work done that isn't school related, but it is also kind of a bummer that I can lump that in with the rest of my procrastinational ceremony. I have the first draft of a research paper and a powerpoint presentation on the subject due Wednesday. I'm relatively screwed when it comes to that, but we'll see what i can do. College is killing me.

Sleep Deprivation

As many of you know, I'm doing a big project/research paper on Sleep Deprivation for class. Now imagine my delight when I found this article while perusing Digg.

It sounds like the research I've been reading lately is finally being brought to light, but now I'm falling behind! What's the next cutting edge?!

Also, Swine Flu. The next Bird Flu scare? I'd actually be more afraid of Swine Flu, they share much more DNA with us than birds, but I'm not going to Texas or Mexico anytime in the near future.

Also, I'm working on a comic about The Reef that will hopefully end up in Timefighters' comic zine

Happy 4/20! Prepare to have your 'mellow' harshed

Happy 4/20 everyone! Can you smell the Hippies?

As a reformed Hippy myself, I have great insight on their world and feel obligated to critique the culture.

What a strange holiday April 20th is. On 4/20 you are supposed to break the law with all of your friends, but as far as I can tell there is no real reason to do it. There is a lot of speculation about where the date's importance comes from, but no one really knows and I don't think anyone really cares. Wikipedia claims that the date and time originated with some high schoolers who would smoke after getting out of detention at 4:20 every day, but I've heard plenty of other ones involving Hitler's birthday and other even more outlandish origins.

Do Hippies really even need an excuse to smoke some grass? No, no they don't. As protest I am making a point of not smoking grass and telling anyone who asks me to that this is a dumb holiday. 4/20 is similar to Christmas and Easter, maybe it meant something to someone at some point, but now its just a reason for misguided idealists to embrace consumerism. While you may not want to hear this, dealing drugs is a business just like the Frito-Lay Corporation, the company that sells Funyuns and other such popular stoner snacks. Way to break the mold, kids.

Scenester, Hipster, Hippy? Some of you may be asking, "Whats the difference?" If I know you, I've probably tried to explain it to you before.

For all of you still confused, Marek Haiduk and Hillel Aron have compiled this handy reference list. Enjoy.



pulled from:
Madatoms

The Graphic Novel/Comic Book

Soon to be published in an anthology for the TESC library, this is the work that the animation was based on. This is the Graphic Novel/Comic Book, "The Ugly Caterpillar"!

Snail Animation

Me and my buddy Charlie made this while we were fiddling around in AfterEffects. He told me I should put it on Youtube so I did. Hope you like the music choice. Laff a little?

The Ugly Caterpillar

This is my final project from last quarter, in case you can't read the title it is called "The Ugly Caterpillar." It is an adaptation of the story, "The Ugly Duckline." It is a puppet animation with loads of fun mats in it. I hope you like it and I will take questions from y'all.

So Much for Spring Break

Well, I know I said I would load up the blog over spring break. This time, it is really coming. I am SERIOUSLY going to be putting everything I've done in the last quarter and a half that I have digital copies of onto this blog. SOON.

Internet

I will be back in the internet in less than a week. Prepare for the bombardment.
Also, the President of the Internet has been kidnapped, no longer able to smile upon our also smiling, happy subjects' faces. Where has he gone?

Holy Fuck!

Holy fuck, its Holy Fuck!

wooooo! synthpop sans coherent vocals!
Holy Fuck - Balloons
Holy Fuck - Lovely Alien
enjoy

Turbonegro

Turbonegro sounds like a cyborg name, but it is actually a Swedish butt rock band.
My friend Jason just showed them to me and I am really happy. I recommend you listen to them because they are cool.

Also, just in case you didn't know, Butt rock is a child of metal and rock with nice clean vocals and dirty fucking lyrics. It is so gooooood. EETZ LIKE CANDY

Here are some youtubes:

DiG?

Can You dig it?
and

Well?

Thank You Linda Bean

At Pike Place Market in Seattle, I found a tile that said, "Thank You Linda Bean"

This is what started the search that I've been undertaking for the past hour. The question, "Who is Linda Bean?" and "Why does she have such an entertaining name?"

My first google search brought me to Maine, with the headline "Linda Bean expands her lobster holdings" as the first hit. Intriguing. I dove in.
I cared little for the talk of a Linda Bean and her lobsters. Lobster economics matter little to me for four reasons: I don't eat meat, I think lobster tastes shitty, I don't fish for lobster, and lobsters scream while being cooked.
What are the chances that the Linda Bean of Pike Place's floor tiles would be the same Linda Bean that loves eating strange, bug-like creatures from the ocean floor. I continued my search.

The next hit is Linda Bean's Perfect Maine, a site where Linda talks about lobsters, (Homarus americanus) and lobstering. This is also irrelevant to the Great Pacific Northwest. NEXT!

The next hit is Artist Linda Bean's Web Page. She is described as "Linda Bean, a Northwest Artist. Oil/Acrylic, Colorist." in the abstract on google. Upon investigating the site, one discovers a pile of gushy crap and meaningless impressionism. Not my cup of tea although it does look very nice. I'm guessing that she is the person referenced by the tile and I doubt that this is the same person as the lobster lubber from before, but I want to be sure.

The next hit is a video of the first Linda on QVC "promoting her new Lobster Stew," yawn. NEXT.

The final hit that I am interested in is the New York Times' article on Linda Lorraine Bean (turns out to be the first Linda Bean) and her conservative philosophy. This is the L.L. in L.L. Bean.

Ms. Bean is an outspoken conservative. She is opposed to abortion rights, gay rights legislation and gun control, and she believes in Ronald Reagan's program that tax cuts will spur economic growth and lower the deficit.

Would she really be recognized by the Pike Place Market?

Hell, I don't know. The trail of bread crumbs ends there. HAH!

LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!!!

I was sitting in class to day and made this. The funny part is that my work wasn't completely off topic. We are making collages as we speak in a tutorial on Photoshop. I've never used THAT program before....

So, good Public Service announcement or no?

EMPTY PROMISES

So, I still don't have internet at my house. I'm really looking forward to this happening. When I have internet at my house I can bombard you with the many uninteresting details of my life, but until then you'll just have to suffer in the dim, post-apocalyptic, sunshine of my love.

My life is written in Eric Clapton songs.

I finished my graphic novella and will be putting it up on the blog as soon as possible. This is also true of about a million other things. I still haven't been able to put up my hybrids and cyborgs, or the interesting things in my notebook.

I got a new microphone recently and therefore have a much better ability to record music. I hope you'll be able to hear some of that soon. I've only had time to record one song on it, but spring break is coming up soon.

New House

Well, I just finished getting moved into my new house. (Maybe pictures later) No more screaming children to wake me up at 5 in the morning. No more wanting to make coffee and not being able to get to the machine due to mounds of dirty dishes. No more constant fear of sickness due to children. No more diapers. No more vegetarian bashing. No more alcoholics. No more drama. (hopefully)
Makes me feel like this

Another way to waste your time

I found what may possibly be the coolest flash game ever.
This my friends, is dino run
I really wouldn't start a game unless you have several hours to blow

Comic Making - The Bandwagon

I am jumping on the bandwagon. All of my friends (gross exaggeration) have been making comics and so I am also making one.
Funny thing:
Mine is also an assignment for class. I hope to soon share it with you all.
It's my adaptation of The Ugly Duckling using moths, caterpillars and another SURPRISE
CHARACTER. It will later be made into an animation.

I am excited

Animation

Finally, after much heartbreak and many failed attempts, one of my animations has made it to the internet. Without further adieu, the animated walk:


I drew that in about 10 hours. HAH! Maybe this whole hand animation thing is overrated.
BTW, the colors are intentional and allow for better readability. If it were blue and purple you'd all be really confused right now. Funny thing, color theory is one of the most simple things. Myspace should provide a primer on color theory so people will stop making shitty pages. They would use the slogan "Hey, take 5 minutes to save everybody a headache."

Something to whet your appetites

So, I know you all are bawling your eyes out every night when you check your blog list. You say, "Oh man! The House of Brain is still out of commission! What will I do with myself?!?!" Seeing as I don't want to cause any more grief and because I'm tired of throwing away all the suicide notes, I came to campus today just to write to you.
How are you doing?
Are you loving life?
What's that smell?
I mean, you are about to wreck yourself. When is the last time you've checked yourself?
Do you like costume parties?
Why is the crotch cut out on this dolphin suit?
SO-tomorrow, I turn 21. I'm going to go to one of the local bars (the Brotherhood if you are so inclined to meet me there) that I've 'never been to before.'*wink wink nudge nudge* I am supposed to meet up with about 10 people there, most of them don't know each other. My roommate is also coming. This should be interesting.

Just discovered a new blog (I don't know how new it actually is) through my program website. It's interesting because each napkin is kind of like a frame in a comic book and that just happens to be what we're studying in class. I really like it and think i might copy it. I mean, I really love stealing people's ideas.

Also, what do you think? Would you buy this album if you judged it by its cover? (Like a book?) What kind of music would it be? Are you sexually attracted to it?

So....

My computer went wonky (the monitor won't turn on, but the computer functions well in every other aspect. I think there is a loose chord inside) and now it has become hard for me to blog at y'all. You'll notice that I might post a lot less now. Also, class has started and I don't have that much free time. If you were one of those who relied on my words for sustenance, I'm sorry but you'll have to turn to other blogs for your word count. I hope my comp will be back up and running soon.

We. Are. Going. Musical.

I found out how to make this blog significantly more musical via 'Box.net.' I look forward to filling your ears with new and exciting music. As a first taste, here are some of the best track of 2008, according to me.

Gobbledigook - Sigur Rós

A Thing For Me - Metronomy

Lola Langusta - Cheveu

Vanished - Crystal Castles

Isabella of Castile - Starfucker

Also, I just got around to reading a small book my sister got me for Christmas.
I am now an expert at peeing in the city thanks to Ray Tempus' book "A 15 Point Guide to Peeing in the City." The book gives good directions on where and how to pee in the city. It even instructs the reader on specifics such as angle of feet and where to direct one's stream. It "has been pocket sized for your (the pee producer's) convenience." It really is a useful little book and would probably be a good conversation starter if laid out on a coffee table.


*Edit*
At Comics Night @ Danger Room I got out my copy of "A 15 Point Guide to Peeing in the City." Everyone thought it was really interesting and it started several small conversations. Small books: The new hip conversation starter of 2k9? Also, at first glance, people thought it gave directions for men exclusively, (with statements like, "They should make a ladies version!") but then I showed them the 3 city peeing strategies exclusively for women. This book is a hoot.

Flexing my Youtube muscles

So I finally got something up on Youtube that I'm artistically involved in. I thank garageband and imovie for helping me. This is a cover of the Brian Jonestown Massacre Song "Telegram." Enjoy!

Good picture from when I was heavily bearded, too.
What do you think of the video?
Is the picture a good representation of me?

The History of Superimposed mouths

You may have noticed over the last several years the superimposition of mouths on characters in photos and video. This interests me.

The superimposition of mouths on images has its roots in the internet and probably began with the mass distribution of illegitimate copies of Adobe Photoshop. At this point, any bored person could waste endless hours creating hilarious/dumb/ridiculous images.

Here's one good example.








Some believe this started as a nod to the cult classic, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Though this makes sense temporally, this cannot be what happened. If the movie were to be referenced on the internet, it would be made fun of. The art of homage is lost on the great world wide web. This is why we must search for our sources elsewhere. To Wikipedia!

From what I can tell, this area was largely pioneered by Joel Vietch, owner of www.rathergood.com. His early work didn't use many superimposed things. A video(spoonguard) I remember from my childhood was one of his early experiments in using single elements of a face for superimposition. (ban spoonguard) It advanced further during the spongmonkey years as the meme began to pick up commercial attention. This may have been the first internet meme to make it into the mainstream. Maybe you remember this commercial:


After many years of flying under my radar, this year i have found a much more advanced use of superimposed mouths. In these videos they use video of a human mouth superimposed on animals faces.


Or roadkill faces


These things get played out pretty quickly

Things of Interest

The people on the bus are ... of diverse personalities

"Forward-minded people tend to sit at the front of the top deck, according to Dr Tom Fawcett of Salford University, the independent-minded in the middle and those with a rebellious streak at the rear."

An interesting study on tendencies of people on the bus in the UK. I wonder what kind of people ride the bus in the UK. Is it just the lower and middle classes who ride the bus? (like the most part of America) Is it just Brit-hippies?


Frugal is cool in cash-strapped US

"The era of individualistic consumption that swept aside the Great Society of the 1960s has come to an end. For three decades, American culture has celebrated the glories of unabashed capitalism and the ideals of the rich. No longer. From Hollywood movies to celebrity culture to television, frugalism is taking hold. Consumers are cutting back. Luxury brands are falling by the wayside."

Good that we're not being blamed for digging our own graves anymore. (If we ever were) I like looking through foreign media, they always have more objective views on American politics and culture.
Does that mean less crunk rap?

Does that mean more stripped-down, cheap music videos?

I'm OK with that.

Man Can **FLY**

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.
In 2k9 we can defy gravity. CONGRATS! Those are going to show up in so many spy movies... I can has flysuit?

Hipsterism: A study (post-mortem?)

IRL, People often ask what I mean when I talk about hipsterism.
First, a definition via Wikipedia:

"In the late 1990s and during the 2000s, the 1940s slang term hipster was used to describe young, urban middle class and upper class adults with interests in non-mainstream fashion and culture, particularly alternative music, independent rock, independent film, magazines like Vice and Clash, websites like Pitchfork Media, and organic, vegan, or locally-grown food.[1] In some contexts, hipsters are also referred to as scenesters.[2]

It is difficult to give a precise definition of a hipster, because hipster culture is a "mutating, trans-Atlantic melting pot of styles, tastes and behavior[s]."[3] One commentator argues that "hipsterism fetishizes the authentic" elements of all of the "fringe movements of the postwar era—Beat, hippie, punk, even grunge," and draws on the "cultural stores of every unmelted ethnicity" and "gay style", and "regurgitates it with a winking inauthenticity" and a sense of irony.[4]"


Now that we all understand what a hipster is, one would logically ask, "why?" Hipsterism is the result of the times. It is spawned largely out of the suburban boredom common in today's middle class young people. They want to be socially active, but have tasted the fruits of consumerism and want to have the good life as well. Essentially, they all want to be Andy Warhol.

Hipsterism is an absurdist, post-modern movement. (Whether or not this is recognized by its subscribers) Irony, the sole principle shared by all hipsters, is a disempowering force. After Duchamp's urinal, hipsterism strives to question societal norms. A hipster's irony questions what is classy and what isn't, what is beautiful and what isn't, what is pleasing to listen to and what is crap.

Hipsterism doesn't deserve the criticism it deserves. Hipster culture is saturated with 'posers' who don't subscribe to the philosophical aspects of hipsterism. These 'posers' create an awful image for the scene as a whole. It is important to recognize that posers exist in every counterculture. Hipster culture is an easier target than most. Like the other absurdist movements of the past century, hipsterism is not appreciated by the masses because it is largely misunderstood. Most hipsters are just thought of as pretentious consumer whores while their works are meant to make a difference.

Maybe you all can hate the hipster movement a little less now that you know more about it. Now, I have a question for you: Is hipsterism dead?