going to see these guys:
instead of getting some much needed sleep...
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
REAL ART (and politics and culture)
REAL ART (and politics and culture)
Stealing and shitty performance are tried and true methods of resistance that date back to slavery, at least. I mean, what can you do when your options are extremely limited? Easy, do a bad job. The sad thing is that a lot of these workers might actually feel a bit guilty about ripping off their boss, about doing nothing while on the clock. They shouldn't. Wal-Mart treats their employees like shit and this is what they deserve.
Stealing and shitty performance are tried and true methods of resistance that date back to slavery, at least. I mean, what can you do when your options are extremely limited? Easy, do a bad job. The sad thing is that a lot of these workers might actually feel a bit guilty about ripping off their boss, about doing nothing while on the clock. They shouldn't. Wal-Mart treats their employees like shit and this is what they deserve.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
been a while...
moved into the new place
seem to have found a fairly stable internet connection
getting things somewhat back on track...
finished up Lower Depths and had one night off
then started working on the next MU show
stage managing and AD'ing for
Dark Matter - Five Gothic Tales of Horror
Is everyone you know as crazy as everyone I know?
are they all having crazy times?
seems to be what is going round, round here, these days...
hope yr life has some of the good crazy...
Kid Ornery
seem to have found a fairly stable internet connection
getting things somewhat back on track...
finished up Lower Depths and had one night off
then started working on the next MU show
stage managing and AD'ing for
Dark Matter - Five Gothic Tales of Horror
Is everyone you know as crazy as everyone I know?
are they all having crazy times?
seems to be what is going round, round here, these days...
hope yr life has some of the good crazy...
Kid Ornery
Monday, May 21, 2007
Bloggin'
Internet is off and the lower depths is over.
Starting work on the mildreds summer show today and working on the move.
Havent talked to one of my best friends in something like a month and
another friend is around a lot after a girlfriend induced absence.
Ran into a friend at tdu's notsuoh show who said she loved me.
Said i had it all together which leads me to believe she doesn't know me at all.
Went on a date - with someone else - which went well but also
highlighted some of the ways i am a mess.
So here i sit
at the candy store
typing on my phone and feeling the confusion fill my head.
Whoohoo!
Starting work on the mildreds summer show today and working on the move.
Havent talked to one of my best friends in something like a month and
another friend is around a lot after a girlfriend induced absence.
Ran into a friend at tdu's notsuoh show who said she loved me.
Said i had it all together which leads me to believe she doesn't know me at all.
Went on a date - with someone else - which went well but also
highlighted some of the ways i am a mess.
So here i sit
at the candy store
typing on my phone and feeling the confusion fill my head.
Whoohoo!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
HandStamp: Local players crash the art car parade
for those of you what missed us in the parade...
HandStamp: Local players crash the art car parade
look for more pics (Ayn got some great ones) soon...
M
HandStamp: Local players crash the art car parade
look for more pics (Ayn got some great ones) soon...
M
Saturday, May 12, 2007
art car parade
today was great...
we played Lennon's "I don't want to be a soldier"
and Ra's "Space is the Place"
tdu was #87 in the parade
riding around in a loverly
design by ayn
pulled by shelley's "Mpeach" truck...
"Make Noise
Not War -
The Defenestration Unit"
yeehaw!
and now it is off to more lower depths...
playing at notsuoh at 3 am,
working at noon and playing at super happy
4 pm tomorrow
yeehaw
we played Lennon's "I don't want to be a soldier"
and Ra's "Space is the Place"
tdu was #87 in the parade
riding around in a loverly
design by ayn
pulled by shelley's "Mpeach" truck...
"Make Noise
Not War -
The Defenestration Unit"
yeehaw!
and now it is off to more lower depths...
playing at notsuoh at 3 am,
working at noon and playing at super happy
4 pm tomorrow
yeehaw
Thursday, May 10, 2007
The Austin Chronicle: Arts: Mr. Not So Frivolous: Wallace Shawn bares all about writing, why he does theatre, and that play he wrote with all the sex
The Austin Chronicle: Arts: Mr. Not So Frivolous: Wallace Shawn bares all about writing, why he does theatre, and that play he wrote with all the sex in it
There was a friend of my parents who was interested in theatre, and a friend was always saying about certain people, "He's a real professional," or in some cases, "Oh, he's not a professional." And from the time I was a boy, I knew there was something about that that I didn't care for because if the people are professional, it sort of implies that it's something they're doing competently, but they don't really care about it that much, and when they go home they can forget about it, and I suppose that's the feeling I had. And I'm not sure that's worth my time as an audience member. If I'm going to spend an evening watching some people, I want to see their soul. I want to see something that's terribly important at least to them. If it isn't that important, just a job, why should I go out and watch them?
There was a friend of my parents who was interested in theatre, and a friend was always saying about certain people, "He's a real professional," or in some cases, "Oh, he's not a professional." And from the time I was a boy, I knew there was something about that that I didn't care for because if the people are professional, it sort of implies that it's something they're doing competently, but they don't really care about it that much, and when they go home they can forget about it, and I suppose that's the feeling I had. And I'm not sure that's worth my time as an audience member. If I'm going to spend an evening watching some people, I want to see their soul. I want to see something that's terribly important at least to them. If it isn't that important, just a job, why should I go out and watch them?
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Houston - Arts & Entertainment - Stage Capsule Reviews - houstonpress.com
Houston - Arts & Entertainment - Stage Capsule Reviews - houstonpress.com
Not sure what to quote...
but it is a good review,
which hopefully means we'll find an audience.
Not sure what to quote...
but it is a good review,
which hopefully means we'll find an audience.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
The Lower Depths
we opened tonight.
we kicked ass.
really.
there is a lot of great stuff happening in this show.
come see it.
PERFORMANCE DATES
ALL SHOWS BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 8:00 PM
Weekend Shows: Fri/Sat May 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19
Pay-What-You-Want shows - Thursday, May 3 and Thursday, May 10
there is talk of adding a monday pay what you will on the 14th
LOCATION
Freneticore Theater
5102 Navigation
Houston, Tx 77011
TICKETS
$10
RESERVATIONS/INFORMATION
832-283-0858
OR
dccommune@yahoo.com
www.doschicastheatercommune.com
http://myspace.com/doschicascommune
www.DosChicasTheaterCommune.com
we kicked ass.
really.
there is a lot of great stuff happening in this show.
come see it.
PERFORMANCE DATES
ALL SHOWS BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 8:00 PM
Weekend Shows: Fri/Sat May 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19
Pay-What-You-Want shows - Thursday, May 3 and Thursday, May 10
there is talk of adding a monday pay what you will on the 14th
LOCATION
Freneticore Theater
5102 Navigation
Houston, Tx 77011
TICKETS
$10
RESERVATIONS/INFORMATION
832-283-0858
OR
dccommune@yahoo.com
www.doschicastheatercommune.com
http://myspace.com/doschicascommune
www.DosChicasTheaterCommune.com
Sunday, April 29, 2007
IDWEEK: BILL SIENKIEWICZ TALKS 30 DAYS - NEWSARAMA
IDWEEK: BILL SIENKIEWICZ TALKS 30 DAYS - NEWSARAMA
Nearly 99.9% of the time, the particular piece I'm working on will decide the medium and method, in, or by, which it should be done, not vice-versa. Meaning it will do the courtesy, (so to speak), of letting me know what it needs to convey—emotionally, if not technically—what it's trying to say to the reader and the best way to convey it. I'm really more of the conduit, a collaborator, in the production. Any time I've tried to do it the other way around, to decide how I'm going to do any particular piece, to try to force a piece to be something it's not, it ends up in a fight with the piece with the piece usually winning—thereby showing me how little I ultimately know. That said, I do know that the art is at the service of the story, and works with it, occasionally as reinforcement, occasionally as a counterpoint. In the end, it comes down to the piece knowing what its needs are to do just that, and it knows it far better than I. That much, I do know. So that's the answer to your question: to continue to allow that “evolution” you mentioned to continue. To get out of the way in terms of trying to force a result. one can't force oak to be pine. It's a zen thing.
Nearly 99.9% of the time, the particular piece I'm working on will decide the medium and method, in, or by, which it should be done, not vice-versa. Meaning it will do the courtesy, (so to speak), of letting me know what it needs to convey—emotionally, if not technically—what it's trying to say to the reader and the best way to convey it. I'm really more of the conduit, a collaborator, in the production. Any time I've tried to do it the other way around, to decide how I'm going to do any particular piece, to try to force a piece to be something it's not, it ends up in a fight with the piece with the piece usually winning—thereby showing me how little I ultimately know. That said, I do know that the art is at the service of the story, and works with it, occasionally as reinforcement, occasionally as a counterpoint. In the end, it comes down to the piece knowing what its needs are to do just that, and it knows it far better than I. That much, I do know. So that's the answer to your question: to continue to allow that “evolution” you mentioned to continue. To get out of the way in terms of trying to force a result. one can't force oak to be pine. It's a zen thing.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
rich little...
Rich Little comes on about 2 minutes 10 seconds on...
this is the gig Colbert killed with last year.
dos chicas theater commune Presents "The Lower Depths"
ok...down below there is the "story" but what this play is about is - our common humanity, what it means to be rid of all our trappings and down to just the man, the consoling lie vs. the hard truth, man as animal, what it means to be rootless in society, etc...
every character in this show has something to it and every line speaks volumes....
although first performed in 1902 it feels very modern and relevant. The big ideas of this play are still big ideas today, and they resonate through our lives...
anyway, think we've got a helluva show on our hands -
don't miss it!
www.DosChicasTheaterCommune.com
***IF YOU WISH TO BE REMOVED FROM OUR EMAIL LIST, PLEASE RESPOND WITH AN EMPTY EMAIL WITH THE WORD "REMOVE" IN THE SUBJECT LINE************
every character in this show has something to it and every line speaks volumes....
although first performed in 1902 it feels very modern and relevant. The big ideas of this play are still big ideas today, and they resonate through our lives...
anyway, think we've got a helluva show on our hands -
don't miss it!
dos chicas theater commune presents
The Lower Depths
by Maxim Gorky
Directed by Mark Carrier
The Lower Depths
by Maxim Gorky
Directed by Mark Carrier
STORY
Subtitled "Scenes from a Russian Life," The Lower Depths premiered on December 18, 1902 at the Moscow Arts Theatre under Stanislavski's direction, and quickly became the hallmark of Russian Socialist Realism. Gorky focuses on the daily tribulations of a group of lower-class citizens forced by their circumstances to rent out mere square feet in a small, squalid tenement. Being denied opportunity and forced into conditions that have killed any faith they had in themselves, they eagerly accept the comforting lies of the newest member of their little community. By pushing aside the harsh truth, they hope to hide themselves from the bleak reality of their conditions. Through the characters' motives and thoughts, Gorky indicts a perverse civilization that dooms thousands as superfluous and unnecessary in society.
CAST
Tony Esparza, Ken Watkins, Jeremy Carlson, Donna Kay Yarborough, John Dunn, Stephen Foulard, Patrick Jennings, Elizabeth Seabolt, Wilson Limpo, Mari Gianukos, Mike Switzer, Jon Harvey, Lee Finch, Kira Vincent, Brian Nichols, Ashley Barker
PERFORMANCE DATES
ALL SHOWS BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 8:00 PM
Weekend Shows: Fri/Sat May 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19
Pay-What-You-Want shows - Thursday, May 3 and Thursday, May 10
LOCATION
Freneticore Theater
5102 Navigation
Houston, Tx 77011
TICKETS
$10
RESERVATIONS/INFORMATION
832-283-0858
OR
dccommune@yahoo.com
www.doschicastheatercommune.com
http://myspace.com/doschicascommune
PERFORMANCE DATES
ALL SHOWS BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 8:00 PM
Weekend Shows: Fri/Sat May 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19
Pay-What-You-Want shows - Thursday, May 3 and Thursday, May 10
LOCATION
Freneticore Theater
5102 Navigation
Houston, Tx 77011
TICKETS
$10
RESERVATIONS/INFORMATION
832-283-0858
OR
dccommune@yahoo.com
www.doschicastheatercommune.com
http://myspace.com/doschicascommune
www.DosChicasTheaterCommune.com
***IF YOU WISH TO BE REMOVED FROM OUR EMAIL LIST, PLEASE RESPOND WITH AN EMPTY EMAIL WITH THE WORD "REMOVE" IN THE SUBJECT LINE************
Monday, April 23, 2007
Ulrike Meinhof Writes From the Dead Wing - June 16th 1972 to February 9th 1973
Ulrike Meinhof Writes From the Dead Wing - June 16th 1972 to February 9th 1973
The feeling, one’s head explodes (the feeling, the top of the skull will simply split, burst open) —
the feeling, one’s spinal column presses into one’s brain —
the feeling, one’s brain gradually shrivels up like, for example, a baked fruit —
the feeling, one is uninterruptedly, imperceptibly, under a torrent, one is remote controlled, one’s associations are hacked away —
the feeling, one pisses the soul out of one’s body, like when one cannot hold water —
the feeling, the cell moves. One wakes up, opens one’s eyes: the cell moves; afternoon, if the sun shines in, it suddenly remains still. One cannot get rid of the feeling of motion. One cannot tell whether one shivers from fever or from cold —
one cannot tell why one shivers — one freezes.
To speak at a normal volume requires an effort like that necessary to speak loudly, almost like that necessary to shout—
the feeling, one stops speaking —
one can no longer identify the meaning of words, one can only guess —
the use of sibilants — s,ss, tz, sch — is absolutely unbearable
guards, visits, the yard seems to be made of celluloid —
headaches —
flashes —
sentence construction, grammar, syntax — can no longer be controlled.
When writing two lines — by the end of the second line, one cannot remember the beginning of the first —
the feeling, internal burn-out —
the feeling, if one must say what’s wrong, if one wants to let it out, it’s like a rush of boiling water in the face, like, for example, boiling water that scalds one forever, that disfigures —
Raging aggressivity, for which no outlet exists. That’s the worst.
Clear consciousness that one has no possibility of survival; a complete breakdown of the capacity to mediate this;
Visits leave nothing. A half an hour later one can only mechanically reconstruct whether the visit was today or last week.
Compared to this, bathing once a week means: momentary thaw, a moment of rest — to stop for a couple of hours —
The feeling, time and space are interlocked —
The feeling to find oneself in an amusement park house of mirrors —
to stagger —
Afterwards: awful euphoria, that one heard something — beyond the acoustic day and night differentiation —
The feeling, time now flows, the brain again expands, the spinal column sinks down after weeks.
The feeling, as if one’s skin is thickening.
The feeling, one’s head explodes (the feeling, the top of the skull will simply split, burst open) —
the feeling, one’s spinal column presses into one’s brain —
the feeling, one’s brain gradually shrivels up like, for example, a baked fruit —
the feeling, one is uninterruptedly, imperceptibly, under a torrent, one is remote controlled, one’s associations are hacked away —
the feeling, one pisses the soul out of one’s body, like when one cannot hold water —
the feeling, the cell moves. One wakes up, opens one’s eyes: the cell moves; afternoon, if the sun shines in, it suddenly remains still. One cannot get rid of the feeling of motion. One cannot tell whether one shivers from fever or from cold —
one cannot tell why one shivers — one freezes.
To speak at a normal volume requires an effort like that necessary to speak loudly, almost like that necessary to shout—
the feeling, one stops speaking —
one can no longer identify the meaning of words, one can only guess —
the use of sibilants — s,ss, tz, sch — is absolutely unbearable
guards, visits, the yard seems to be made of celluloid —
headaches —
flashes —
sentence construction, grammar, syntax — can no longer be controlled.
When writing two lines — by the end of the second line, one cannot remember the beginning of the first —
the feeling, internal burn-out —
the feeling, if one must say what’s wrong, if one wants to let it out, it’s like a rush of boiling water in the face, like, for example, boiling water that scalds one forever, that disfigures —
Raging aggressivity, for which no outlet exists. That’s the worst.
Clear consciousness that one has no possibility of survival; a complete breakdown of the capacity to mediate this;
Visits leave nothing. A half an hour later one can only mechanically reconstruct whether the visit was today or last week.
Compared to this, bathing once a week means: momentary thaw, a moment of rest — to stop for a couple of hours —
The feeling, time and space are interlocked —
The feeling to find oneself in an amusement park house of mirrors —
to stagger —
Afterwards: awful euphoria, that one heard something — beyond the acoustic day and night differentiation —
The feeling, time now flows, the brain again expands, the spinal column sinks down after weeks.
The feeling, as if one’s skin is thickening.
Red Army Faction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Red Army Faction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On May 9, 1976, Ulrike Meinhof was found dead in her cell, hanging from a rope made from jail towels. An investigation concluded that she had hanged herself, a result hotly contested at the time, spurring a plethora of conspiracy theories. Other theories suggest that she took her life because of being ostracized by the rest of the group.
On May 9, 1976, Ulrike Meinhof was found dead in her cell, hanging from a rope made from jail towels. An investigation concluded that she had hanged herself, a result hotly contested at the time, spurring a plethora of conspiracy theories. Other theories suggest that she took her life because of being ostracized by the rest of the group.
so...
I should be asleep
letting myself worry instead
shouldn't
but do
sometimes
i just think all the wrong thoughts
the voice lately says
"I'm broken."
i've even caught myself
saying it aloud
even if I think
Laing is right
and broken
is the only
way to be
in this broken
world
i wonder
am i broke right?
or broke wrong?
nights like this
when the brain
starts up
every time
I close
my eyes
I have to wonder...
i have to wonder...
so i do.
i lie there
and i motherfuckin'
wonder
when i should
be sleeping
enjoying the parts
of my life
that are going well
and not worrying so
much about the rest
letting the ones
sabotage the others
wonderin'
so much craziness
running rampant
rampant
i say
now i'm up
typing this
and chatting
baader-meinhof
and other bits
of 20th century
german history
with a friend
and trying to
get tired enough
that when i close
my eyes
it all goes
dark.
letting myself worry instead
shouldn't
but do
sometimes
i just think all the wrong thoughts
the voice lately says
"I'm broken."
i've even caught myself
saying it aloud
even if I think
Laing is right
and broken
is the only
way to be
in this broken
world
i wonder
am i broke right?
or broke wrong?
nights like this
when the brain
starts up
every time
I close
my eyes
I have to wonder...
i have to wonder...
so i do.
i lie there
and i motherfuckin'
wonder
when i should
be sleeping
enjoying the parts
of my life
that are going well
and not worrying so
much about the rest
letting the ones
sabotage the others
wonderin'
so much craziness
running rampant
rampant
i say
now i'm up
typing this
and chatting
baader-meinhof
and other bits
of 20th century
german history
with a friend
and trying to
get tired enough
that when i close
my eyes
it all goes
dark.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Art on Cardboard Show 04-13-07 - a photoset on Flickr
for those what didn't make it to the show Killian snapped some pics...
Art on Cardboard Show 04-13-07 - a photoset on Flickr
Art on Cardboard Show 04-13-07 - a photoset on Flickr
Thursday, April 19, 2007
365 days/365 plays
gonna be a fun show!
had final rehearsal tonight...
went great.
not just the usual suspect either -
check out the cast.
and, oh yeah,
music by The Defenestration Unit -
rockin' it two minutes at a time...
actually we'll start about 7:30 with
the dramatic action starting at 8:00
and then we'll play between each piece
and for a while at the end while folks mingle
and drink...
it's free, and it only last about an hour,
so you can still have a full evening of drinking
or dancing
or fishing
or whatever.
mildred's umbrella theater company
365 Days/365 Plays-
Suzan-Lori Parks
One Weekend Only:
April 20 and 21, 2007
had final rehearsal tonight...
went great.
not just the usual suspect either -
check out the cast.
and, oh yeah,
music by The Defenestration Unit -
rockin' it two minutes at a time...
actually we'll start about 7:30 with
the dramatic action starting at 8:00
and then we'll play between each piece
and for a while at the end while folks mingle
and drink...
it's free, and it only last about an hour,
so you can still have a full evening of drinking
or dancing
or fishing
or whatever.
mildred's umbrella theater company
365 Days/365 Plays-
Suzan-Lori Parks
One Weekend Only:
April 20 and 21, 2007
Houston, TX: WHAT IS 365 DAYS/365 PLAYS?
On November 13, 2002 Suzan-Lori Parks got an idea to write a play a day for a year. She began that very day, finishing one year later. The resulting play cycle, called 365 Days/365Plays, is a daily meditation on an artistic life. Some plays are very short, less than a page. Others last forever.
Listen to the radio spot on KUHF
Over 700 theaters are producing the plays nationally. Including local groups such as Infernal Bridegroom Productions, NovaArts, HSPVA, Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre, and Strand Street Theatre.
Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company is performing their 7 assigned plays, along with The Three Constants (short plays that all theatres in the festival may use), on April 20 and 21 at 8pm. The show is "Pay as You Like", meaning it is free to the public, although patrons are encouraged to make a small donation to the production. The performances will take place at Midtown Art Center, 3414 LaBranch at Holman.
For more information about this production, please visit Mildred's Umbrella's website at www.mildredsumbrella.com or call 832-418-0973.
For more information about the 365 days/365 plays festival in general, please visit the official website at www.365days365plays.com.
What: 365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan Lori-Parks
Who: Mildred’s Umbrella Theater Company
When: April 20 and 21, 2007
Featuring LIVE music by 'The Defenestration Unit'
Where: Midtown Art Center, 3414 LaBranch at Holman
How Much: Free, or pay as you like
Contact: mildredsumbrella@hotmail.com or 832-418-0973
Come on by and check out MU and some of their freinds participate in a interesting weekend of short plays,
REMEMBER: ITS FREE!
Cast/crew
over all Production Manager/Dir: 1) Accident- Man- Ryan Kelly 2) Less and Less 3) Project Ulysees 4) Kinder Lehrnen Deutsch | 5) The Jesus Rose Masha- Christie Guidry 6) Litter of Discontent- Man- Dave Harlan 7) Monster’s Mother 8) Constant 1- Remember who you are 9) Constant 2- |
Monday, April 16, 2007
tonight
two whiskeys
cost the same as two of my meals
(or one good one)
not drinking
at home alone tonight
instead drinking
at the bar alone tonight
the wild ones
have all left town
there is no #
no point in picking up the phone
nobody to answer, "Where?"
when I say, "Drink?"
so there I am
whiskey in my hand
reading
The Pillowman
yeah,
that cheered me up.
then I work on lines -
act II - The Lower Depths
"In the old days, old man,
before my organism was poisoned with alcohol..."
None of these things
the whiskey
The Pillowman
The Lower Depths
distract me from the real
the one who ended up sleeping
in my bed one drunk night
(i emphasize sleeping)
the one i think about
asking to marry me
once a week or so
the one who escaped by marriage
and all the married ones I haven't met yet...
and the fact that I'm drinking,
as I'll be sleeping,
alone.
cost the same as two of my meals
(or one good one)
not drinking
at home alone tonight
instead drinking
at the bar alone tonight
the wild ones
have all left town
there is no #
no point in picking up the phone
nobody to answer, "Where?"
when I say, "Drink?"
so there I am
whiskey in my hand
reading
The Pillowman
yeah,
that cheered me up.
then I work on lines -
act II - The Lower Depths
"In the old days, old man,
before my organism was poisoned with alcohol..."
None of these things
the whiskey
The Pillowman
The Lower Depths
distract me from the real
the one who ended up sleeping
in my bed one drunk night
(i emphasize sleeping)
the one i think about
asking to marry me
once a week or so
the one who escaped by marriage
and all the married ones I haven't met yet...
and the fact that I'm drinking,
as I'll be sleeping,
alone.
Friday, April 13, 2007
FOXNews.com - Writers Praise Kurt Vonnegut - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment
haven't mentioned Vonnegut's passing...
he was one of the big ones for me.
I never tire of reading and rereading his work.
His humanism had a profound influence on my thoughts.
He was a great man, if such a thing exists.
FOXNews.com - Writers Praise Kurt Vonnegut - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment
"I became a writer because of him," said Walter, 41. "It was his compassion, humanism and great humor in the face of 20th century horrors that made me realize all that a writer could do. He was deceptively simple and because readers discovered him when they were young, they sometimes made the mistake of dismissing him later, but what he was doing was so complex, so difficult."
he was one of the big ones for me.
I never tire of reading and rereading his work.
His humanism had a profound influence on my thoughts.
He was a great man, if such a thing exists.
FOXNews.com - Writers Praise Kurt Vonnegut - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment
"I became a writer because of him," said Walter, 41. "It was his compassion, humanism and great humor in the face of 20th century horrors that made me realize all that a writer could do. He was deceptively simple and because readers discovered him when they were young, they sometimes made the mistake of dismissing him later, but what he was doing was so complex, so difficult."
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Cardboard Art Show - Friday at Super Happy Fun Land 6-9pm Me, Joe Mathlete, Keith, Rosa, Justin, Joel and more....
Finished my pieces up this morning...
this is going to be a great show - many of my favorite people showing their work...
hope you can come by...
M
The Birdhouse Museum presents the Cardboard Art Show at Super Happy Funland from Friday April 13th thru the 20th.
Opening party 6 PM to 9 PM Friday April 13th.
Creative Types channel their energy to cardboard.
Each artist makes 13 pieces, each piece on 6" by 8" cardboard.
Featuring (but not limited to):
Justin Crane - Austinite, former KTRU DJ, musician and card designer.
Keith Reynolds - Houston's original cardboard artist.
Joe Mathlete - Check out Joe's blog and you'll see why he's got to be there.
Claire Yanik - Used to bartend at Catal Huyuk (the Axiom)she now lives in False Pass, Alaska and is a painter and the dj for the Nonalignment Pact.
Joel Orr - Houston puppeteer and organizer.
Poopy Lungstuffing - Poopy LungStuffing is a co-Founder of Super Happy Fun Land, a crazy weirdo artist and musician
Flakey - Flakey is a co-Founder of Super Happy Fun Land, a crazy weirdo artist and musician
Lisa Yu - Lisa Yu is Chicago based artist.
John Cramer - Houston psych-metal guitar wizard of Mike Gunn, Project Grimm fame.
Rosa Guerrero - Houston rock photographer and writer. Look out.
Emerald Mystiek - Austin visual artist and designated cool person.
Allan Pocius - Chicago cardboard artist. The originator of the Birdhouse Museum series of cardboard art shows.
Denise Ramos - Houston artist and club proprietor.
YET Torres - Houston based artist.
Marie Catrett - Austinite creator extraordinaire
Mike Switzer - Houston musician and Infernal Bridegroom affiliate
http://www.disclexington.com/cardboard.htm
http://www.superhappyfunland.com
this is going to be a great show - many of my favorite people showing their work...
hope you can come by...
M
The Birdhouse Museum presents the Cardboard Art Show at Super Happy Funland from Friday April 13th thru the 20th.
Opening party 6 PM to 9 PM Friday April 13th.
Creative Types channel their energy to cardboard.
Each artist makes 13 pieces, each piece on 6" by 8" cardboard.
Featuring (but not limited to):
Justin Crane - Austinite, former KTRU DJ, musician and card designer.
Keith Reynolds - Houston's original cardboard artist.
Joe Mathlete - Check out Joe's blog and you'll see why he's got to be there.
Claire Yanik - Used to bartend at Catal Huyuk (the Axiom)she now lives in False Pass, Alaska and is a painter and the dj for the Nonalignment Pact.
Joel Orr - Houston puppeteer and organizer.
Poopy Lungstuffing - Poopy LungStuffing is a co-Founder of Super Happy Fun Land, a crazy weirdo artist and musician
Flakey - Flakey is a co-Founder of Super Happy Fun Land, a crazy weirdo artist and musician
Lisa Yu - Lisa Yu is Chicago based artist.
John Cramer - Houston psych-metal guitar wizard of Mike Gunn, Project Grimm fame.
Rosa Guerrero - Houston rock photographer and writer. Look out.
Emerald Mystiek - Austin visual artist and designated cool person.
Allan Pocius - Chicago cardboard artist. The originator of the Birdhouse Museum series of cardboard art shows.
Denise Ramos - Houston artist and club proprietor.
YET Torres - Houston based artist.
Marie Catrett - Austinite creator extraordinaire
Mike Switzer - Houston musician and Infernal Bridegroom affiliate
http://www.disclexington.com/cardboard.htm
http://www.superhappyfunland.com
Monday, April 09, 2007
Where's mike this week?
A calendar (for stalkers)
Monday - Work and rehearsal for The Lower Depths
Tuesday - Work, rehearsal for Mildred's Umbrella's 365 days/365 plays and The Lower Depths
Wednesday - Work, The Lower Depths rehearsal, and then The Defenestration Unit's weekly gig at Bohemeo's
Thursday - No work(instead working on art and working on lines working at the axiom and maybe on Pillowman for John Harvey and The U of H Honors program then The Lower Depths rehearsal, then off to Rudz to play with The Mathletes and The Redo Makeshift band (Killian Sweeney, Joe Mathlete, Me, Ramon Medina (LP4), and who knows who all else?...really, who knows? could you tell me? cause I'd love to know...)
Friday - work, IBP gala band rehearsal and cardboard art show...possibly karaoke after? beer cellar anyone?
Saturday - The Lower Depths rehearsal - full run - off book - like we know what we're doing...
whooohoo! - the IBP gala - I'm doing more singing than usual this year...and all of it sounds better than when I attempted to sing "Mystery Dance"...if you were there you were probably too drunk to remember me trying to sing "Mystery Dance" and that is o.k....it was, as the gala often is, a long weird night.
Sunday - gala cleanup and maybe Pillowman work? and maybe, just maybe some sleep...
Monday - Work and rehearsal for The Lower Depths
Tuesday - Work, rehearsal for Mildred's Umbrella's 365 days/365 plays and The Lower Depths
Wednesday - Work, The Lower Depths rehearsal, and then The Defenestration Unit's weekly gig at Bohemeo's
Thursday - No work(instead working on art and working on lines working at the axiom and maybe on Pillowman for John Harvey and The U of H Honors program then The Lower Depths rehearsal, then off to Rudz to play with The Mathletes and The Redo Makeshift band (Killian Sweeney, Joe Mathlete, Me, Ramon Medina (LP4), and who knows who all else?...really, who knows? could you tell me? cause I'd love to know...)
Friday - work, IBP gala band rehearsal and cardboard art show...possibly karaoke after? beer cellar anyone?
Saturday - The Lower Depths rehearsal - full run - off book - like we know what we're doing...
whooohoo! - the IBP gala - I'm doing more singing than usual this year...and all of it sounds better than when I attempted to sing "Mystery Dance"...if you were there you were probably too drunk to remember me trying to sing "Mystery Dance" and that is o.k....it was, as the gala often is, a long weird night.
Sunday - gala cleanup and maybe Pillowman work? and maybe, just maybe some sleep...
NonAlignment Pact: Music in Seven Days from Seven Writers
Just another quick reminder -
you should be reading NAP...
these people are saying all the right things,
even when they disagree.
Here is Dyn@mutt Doug D. on the Houston "scene."
NonAlignment Pact: Music in Seven Days from Seven Writers
It's ironic, then, that I have to admit I do belong to a scene, and it is the Houston scene, despite being thousands of miles and nine years from it. Amongst many of my university cohorts, Houston was a dirty seven letter word, but for me it was an amazing, improbable place, a place that was inspirational despite its best attempts otherwise, and I still describe the Houston music scene lovingly to people. Little barrier to entry, open to insanity, easy to support yourself in order to afford to make your music, people who are grateful to come out and support anything of interest. You never make it huge if you're from Houston - at least not the loosely defined indie rock, um, scene - you just do what you love for small passionate audiences. At least, that's how I remember it.
you should be reading NAP...
these people are saying all the right things,
even when they disagree.
Here is Dyn@mutt Doug D. on the Houston "scene."
NonAlignment Pact: Music in Seven Days from Seven Writers
It's ironic, then, that I have to admit I do belong to a scene, and it is the Houston scene, despite being thousands of miles and nine years from it. Amongst many of my university cohorts, Houston was a dirty seven letter word, but for me it was an amazing, improbable place, a place that was inspirational despite its best attempts otherwise, and I still describe the Houston music scene lovingly to people. Little barrier to entry, open to insanity, easy to support yourself in order to afford to make your music, people who are grateful to come out and support anything of interest. You never make it huge if you're from Houston - at least not the loosely defined indie rock, um, scene - you just do what you love for small passionate audiences. At least, that's how I remember it.
Friday, April 06, 2007
cardboard art show
welcome to disclexington
one week from today I'll be showing "art" for the first time...
The Birdhouse Museum presents the Cardboard Art Show at Super Happy Funland from Friday April 13th thru the 20th.
Opening party 6 PM to 9 PM Friday April 13th.
Creative Types channel their energy to cardboard.
Each artist makes 13 pieces, each piece on 6" by 8" cardboard.
Featuring (but not limited to):
Justin Crane - Austinite, former KTRU DJ, musician and card designer.
Keith Reynolds - Houston's original cardboard artist.
Joe Mathlete - Check out Joe's blog and you'll see why he's got to be there.
Claire Yanik - Used to bartend at Catal Huyuk (the Axiom)she now lives in False Pass, Alaska and is a painter and the dj for the Nonalignment Pact.
Joel Orr - Houston puppeteer and organizer.
Brad Moore - Brad Moore is the Breeze.
Lisa Yu - Lisa Yu is Chicago based artist.
John Cramer - Houston psych-metal guitar wizard of Mike Gunn, Project Grimm fame.
Rosa Guerrero - Houston rock photographer and writer. Look out.
Allan Pocius - Chicago cardboard artist. The originator of the Birdhouse Museum series of cardboard art shows.
Denise Ramos - Houston artist and club proprietor.
Yvonne Torres - Houston based artist and NameLess Sound coordinator.
Marie Catrett - Austinite creator extraordinaire
Mike Switzer - Houston musician and Infernal Bridegroom affiliate
one week from today I'll be showing "art" for the first time...
The Birdhouse Museum presents the Cardboard Art Show at Super Happy Funland from Friday April 13th thru the 20th.
Opening party 6 PM to 9 PM Friday April 13th.
Creative Types channel their energy to cardboard.
Each artist makes 13 pieces, each piece on 6" by 8" cardboard.
Featuring (but not limited to):
Justin Crane - Austinite, former KTRU DJ, musician and card designer.
Keith Reynolds - Houston's original cardboard artist.
Joe Mathlete - Check out Joe's blog and you'll see why he's got to be there.
Claire Yanik - Used to bartend at Catal Huyuk (the Axiom)she now lives in False Pass, Alaska and is a painter and the dj for the Nonalignment Pact.
Joel Orr - Houston puppeteer and organizer.
Brad Moore - Brad Moore is the Breeze.
Lisa Yu - Lisa Yu is Chicago based artist.
John Cramer - Houston psych-metal guitar wizard of Mike Gunn, Project Grimm fame.
Rosa Guerrero - Houston rock photographer and writer. Look out.
Allan Pocius - Chicago cardboard artist. The originator of the Birdhouse Museum series of cardboard art shows.
Denise Ramos - Houston artist and club proprietor.
Yvonne Torres - Houston based artist and NameLess Sound coordinator.
Marie Catrett - Austinite creator extraordinaire
Mike Switzer - Houston musician and Infernal Bridegroom affiliate
Thursday, April 05, 2007
update
The Lower Depths opens May 3rd and rehearsals are going great...
Working getting a week of 365 days/plays for Ornery Theatre.
Just have to find a week open in Houston later in the year when it cools down a bit...
This weekend The Defenestration Unit plays Sat at Notsuoh with Cartwheels in Central Park and The Mathletes...
we're gonna play one of Joe's songs with him...and believe me, you wanna hear it...
next week is crazy busy - rehearsals for mildred's umbrella's 365 days inn addition to the lower depths.
finishing up my art for the cardboard art show at Super Happy Fun Land on the 13th...
and I'm sure at least a coupla things I am forgetting...
anyway,
at least my artistic life is going well...
Working getting a week of 365 days/plays for Ornery Theatre.
Just have to find a week open in Houston later in the year when it cools down a bit...
This weekend The Defenestration Unit plays Sat at Notsuoh with Cartwheels in Central Park and The Mathletes...
we're gonna play one of Joe's songs with him...and believe me, you wanna hear it...
next week is crazy busy - rehearsals for mildred's umbrella's 365 days inn addition to the lower depths.
finishing up my art for the cardboard art show at Super Happy Fun Land on the 13th...
and I'm sure at least a coupla things I am forgetting...
anyway,
at least my artistic life is going well...
Saturday, March 31, 2007
The trouble with being human these days: Identity by Zygmunt Bauman
The trouble with being human these days: Identity by Zygmunt Bauman
In Identity, Bauman cites French philosopher Michel Serres' nomination of Don Juan as the first hero of modernity, delighting in spontaneity and inconstancy. 'The strategy of carpe diem is a response to a world emptied of values pretending to be lasting,' Bauman suggests. The strategy is well captured in Penny Woolcock's 2003 film The Principles of Lust, in which the protagonist is attracted to a demonic character who rejects commitment of any kind and lives by a credo of instant and disposable gratification. That film's lack of success may indicate that Don Juan has lost his glamour as his worldview has become too real.
In Identity, Bauman cites French philosopher Michel Serres' nomination of Don Juan as the first hero of modernity, delighting in spontaneity and inconstancy. 'The strategy of carpe diem is a response to a world emptied of values pretending to be lasting,' Bauman suggests. The strategy is well captured in Penny Woolcock's 2003 film The Principles of Lust, in which the protagonist is attracted to a demonic character who rejects commitment of any kind and lives by a credo of instant and disposable gratification. That film's lack of success may indicate that Don Juan has lost his glamour as his worldview has become too real.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
bottle up and go
mama caught a chicken
thought it was a duck
put it on the table
with it's feet
sticking up
thought it was a duck
put it on the table
with it's feet
sticking up
ASU News > The effects of affection
ASU News > The effects of affection
At the start of the study, Floyd asked the subjects to rate themselves on a scale he uses to determine how affectionate people are. He found that people’s overall affection level didn’t make a difference in the stress response. Even people who aren’t naturally affectionate can reap the health benefits of affectionate communication.
“Being affectionate is good for you,” Floyd says. “Affection can be a simple, non-pharmaceutical, cheap way to reduce stress.”
Floyd has found that there are direct associations between being an affectionate person and a lower risk of depression and stress.
“Highly affectionate people tend to have better mental health and less stress. They also react to stress better,” he says.
and
At the start of the study, Floyd asked the subjects to rate themselves on a scale he uses to determine how affectionate people are. He found that people’s overall affection level didn’t make a difference in the stress response. Even people who aren’t naturally affectionate can reap the health benefits of affectionate communication.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Jump blues
Just cause you got the blues don't mean you gotta lay down and die
i need something from texas
lightnin hopkins
a jump blues
on the way to get a money order to get my internet back
(typing this on my phone)
landlord calls
says yr out at the end of the month
but i talk him down
i need somethin from texas
lightnin hopkins
a jump blues
Thursday, March 15, 2007
B to the L to the P! Brazosport Lil' Players present : The Order of the Scarlet Cat - and a couple TDU gigs...
This weekend and next you can come to the axiom
and for 10 bucks (or less if ya want) you can
witness BLP's "Order of the Scarlet Cat"
a tale of murder, and cults,
and gay reprogramming...
and stuff...
before each 8pm show
"Bass in your face!"
will be playing improvised
bass music in honor of the
Scarlet Cat Goddess.
Gator Miller,
Charlie Naked,
and
Jim Otterson
will do their damnedest
to honor the power
and glory that is
the SC.
Saturday the 17th
there is a midnight show
between shows
The Defenestration Unit
will perform their own
improvised rites and rituals
in slave-like devotion
to the scarlet cat.
go to www.blpblpblp.com
for some more info on the show...
and TDU is playing at Brasil on Friday too...
probably around 10:30?
gonna be a crazy fun weekend...
hope to see some of you there,
and to remember it later...
Kid Ornery
and for 10 bucks (or less if ya want) you can
witness BLP's "Order of the Scarlet Cat"
a tale of murder, and cults,
and gay reprogramming...
and stuff...
before each 8pm show
"Bass in your face!"
will be playing improvised
bass music in honor of the
Scarlet Cat Goddess.
Gator Miller,
Charlie Naked,
and
Jim Otterson
will do their damnedest
to honor the power
and glory that is
the SC.
Saturday the 17th
there is a midnight show
between shows
The Defenestration Unit
will perform their own
improvised rites and rituals
in slave-like devotion
to the scarlet cat.
go to www.blpblpblp.com
for some more info on the show...
and TDU is playing at Brasil on Friday too...
probably around 10:30?
gonna be a crazy fun weekend...
hope to see some of you there,
and to remember it later...
Kid Ornery
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
busy busy busy
in rehearsals for:
The Lower Depths (dos chicas - May)
The Order of the Scarlet Cat (BLP - any day now?)
The Defenestration Unit is gigging like crazy,
and preparing for the art car parade.
I'm also working on getting a week of 365 days/plays
for The Ornery Theater and trying to decide if I wanna
do "The Visit" or an evening of original shorts after that.
Oh yeah,
and I'm working on some visual art
for a show in April.
YIKES!
and still finding almost 40 hours a week to sell candy.
How do I do it?
Caffeine mostly.
The Lower Depths (dos chicas - May)
The Order of the Scarlet Cat (BLP - any day now?)
The Defenestration Unit is gigging like crazy,
and preparing for the art car parade.
I'm also working on getting a week of 365 days/plays
for The Ornery Theater and trying to decide if I wanna
do "The Visit" or an evening of original shorts after that.
Oh yeah,
and I'm working on some visual art
for a show in April.
YIKES!
and still finding almost 40 hours a week to sell candy.
How do I do it?
Caffeine mostly.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
onetonnemusic: 28x28 Day 26 - The Defenistration Unit
onetonnemusic: 28x28 Day 26 - The Defenistration Unit
Today's poster is for The Defenestration Unit, who will be taking the prize for longest band name so far. Gar! That takes longer people! Anyway, TDU do improv jazz craziness. Check out their myspace.
Today's poster is for The Defenestration Unit, who will be taking the prize for longest band name so far. Gar! That takes longer people! Anyway, TDU do improv jazz craziness. Check out their myspace.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Welcome to Brazosport! - blpblpblp.com
Welcome to Brazosport! - blpblpblp.com
The Brazosport Li'l Players
The Houston Area's Finest Weirdo Theatre
BREAKING NEWS!!!!!
Blp presents the world premiere of its new show entitled "The Order of the Scarlet Cat."
The show will be presented at the Axiom on March 16, 17, 23 and 24.
All shows $10, or pay what you want.
Showtime: 8 pm
For more information or reservations call (713) 869-2294.
The Brazosport Li'l Players
The Houston Area's Finest Weirdo Theatre
BREAKING NEWS!!!!!
Blp presents the world premiere of its new show entitled "The Order of the Scarlet Cat."
The show will be presented at the Axiom on March 16, 17, 23 and 24.
All shows $10, or pay what you want.
Showtime: 8 pm
For more information or reservations call (713) 869-2294.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
About Last Night: "Rot" an experimental walk on the dark side
You need to see this show!
About Last Night: "Rot" an experimental walk on the dark side:
"Certainly, when you add up all its components, Rot exudes enough despair to make the average Samuel Beckett outing look like Annie."
see, doesn't that sound like something you want to see?
About Last Night: "Rot" an experimental walk on the dark side:
"Certainly, when you add up all its components, Rot exudes enough despair to make the average Samuel Beckett outing look like Annie."
see, doesn't that sound like something you want to see?
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
NonAlignment Pact: Music in Seven Days from Seven Writers
Just a reminder as to why you should be reading NAP:
NonAlignment Pact: Music in Seven Days from Seven Writers
And I’m not pulling a “look at me, I’m Peter Murphy,” move here or anything. If I’ve learned anything from my years of soul crushing errors in judgment, it’s that if I want to have any chance of living to see the next year, then I’d better start microfocusing on my environment. I’d better begin to appreciate the miniscule and the mundane, because before long, I could be a dead man with an eternally tiny picture of the world. And that philosophy seems to work for me. But I will never shake the general disdain I have for the way people can be, the absolutely base and animalistic ugliness that we all too often share for each other. What I have a really hard time dealing with now is the fact that most people don’t seem to care too much about this. The prevailing wind says, “So what, sure we’re an ugly bunch, but at least we still have our rollover minutes.”
NonAlignment Pact: Music in Seven Days from Seven Writers
And I’m not pulling a “look at me, I’m Peter Murphy,” move here or anything. If I’ve learned anything from my years of soul crushing errors in judgment, it’s that if I want to have any chance of living to see the next year, then I’d better start microfocusing on my environment. I’d better begin to appreciate the miniscule and the mundane, because before long, I could be a dead man with an eternally tiny picture of the world. And that philosophy seems to work for me. But I will never shake the general disdain I have for the way people can be, the absolutely base and animalistic ugliness that we all too often share for each other. What I have a really hard time dealing with now is the fact that most people don’t seem to care too much about this. The prevailing wind says, “So what, sure we’re an ugly bunch, but at least we still have our rollover minutes.”
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Maybe Sun Ra was from the future?
Slashdot | Atom Smasher May Create "Black Saturns":
"any black hole that pops out of the Large Hadron Collider under construction in Switzerland might be surrounded by a black ring — forming a microscopic 'black Saturn'. "
"any black hole that pops out of the Large Hadron Collider under construction in Switzerland might be surrounded by a black ring — forming a microscopic 'black Saturn'. "
Saturday, February 10, 2007
What is the TRUE Origin of Valentine’s Day? - at BibleStudy.org
What is the TRUE Origin of Valentine’s Day? - at BibleStudy.org:
"The Greeks called Lupercus by the name of 'Pan'. The Semites called Pan 'Baul,' according to the Classical Dictionaries. Baal - mentioned so often in the Bible - was merely another name for Nimrod, 'the mighty hunter' ( Genesis 10:9) It was a common proverb of ancient time that Nimrod was 'the MIGHTY hunter before the Lord.' Nimrod was their hero - their strong man - their VALENTINE!"
"The Greeks called Lupercus by the name of 'Pan'. The Semites called Pan 'Baul,' according to the Classical Dictionaries. Baal - mentioned so often in the Bible - was merely another name for Nimrod, 'the mighty hunter' ( Genesis 10:9) It was a common proverb of ancient time that Nimrod was 'the MIGHTY hunter before the Lord.' Nimrod was their hero - their strong man - their VALENTINE!"
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Russian music, music Russian, Russian folk music, Russian pop music, Russian music mp3, Russian music download, Russian christmas music, free Russian
Russian music, music Russian, Russian folk music, Russian pop music, Russian music mp3, Russian music download, Russian christmas music, free Russian music on RussiansAbroad.com:
"In the second half of the nineteenth century, a group of composers that came to be known as the 'Mighty Five'--Miliy Balakirev, Aleksandr Borodin, César Cui, Modest Musorgskiy, and Nikolay Rimskiy-Korsakov--continued Glinka's movement away from imitation of European classical music. The Mighty Five challenged the Russian Music Society's conservatism with a large body of work thematically based on Russia's history and legends and musically based on its folk and religious music. Among the group's most notable works are Rimskiy-Korsakov's symphonic suite Scheherezade and the operas The Snow Maiden and Sadko , Musorgskiy's operas Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina , and Borodin's opera Prince Igor' . Balakirev, a protégé of Glinka, was the founder and guiding spirit of the group."
"In the second half of the nineteenth century, a group of composers that came to be known as the 'Mighty Five'--Miliy Balakirev, Aleksandr Borodin, César Cui, Modest Musorgskiy, and Nikolay Rimskiy-Korsakov--continued Glinka's movement away from imitation of European classical music. The Mighty Five challenged the Russian Music Society's conservatism with a large body of work thematically based on Russia's history and legends and musically based on its folk and religious music. Among the group's most notable works are Rimskiy-Korsakov's symphonic suite Scheherezade and the operas The Snow Maiden and Sadko , Musorgskiy's operas Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina , and Borodin's opera Prince Igor' . Balakirev, a protégé of Glinka, was the founder and guiding spirit of the group."
Autism more common in U.S. than thought: survey - Yahoo! News
Autism more common in U.S. than thought: survey - Yahoo! News
The studies also showed far fewer of the autistic children had mental retardation than in previous estimates.
The studies also showed far fewer of the autistic children had mental retardation than in previous estimates.
"The older statistics always estimated 70 to 75 percent of kids with autism had cognitive impairment," Rice said. "We found 33 to 62 percent."
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
NonAlignment Pact: Music in Seven Days from Seven Writers
NonAlignment Pact: Music in Seven Days from Seven Writers
If you have a way of tapping into a permanently renewing resource, and you have a way of knowing the unknowable, then where is there for you to go from there? Arrogance is just a tool for the weak. It sounds so obvious, but it really isn’t. That’s why it’s so effective. No, the truly sublime is always there, awesome and simple, brilliant and ordinary, and you have but to look at it. Are there absolutes? Absolutely. I’ve faced them. I’ve spoken with them. Why just last night I faced a facet of it and I tell you about it now in my own roundabout way. And this is coming from a nonbeliever. I have no faith in the overarching negation of will.
Sit back, stop thinking, take it all in…
And the drone is absolute.
If you have a way of tapping into a permanently renewing resource, and you have a way of knowing the unknowable, then where is there for you to go from there? Arrogance is just a tool for the weak. It sounds so obvious, but it really isn’t. That’s why it’s so effective. No, the truly sublime is always there, awesome and simple, brilliant and ordinary, and you have but to look at it. Are there absolutes? Absolutely. I’ve faced them. I’ve spoken with them. Why just last night I faced a facet of it and I tell you about it now in my own roundabout way. And this is coming from a nonbeliever. I have no faith in the overarching negation of will.
Sit back, stop thinking, take it all in…
And the drone is absolute.
Monday, February 05, 2007
HINTS, TEASES, AND OTHER CONFUSIONS: ION #10 - NEWSARAMA
HINTS, TEASES, AND OTHER CONFUSIONS: ION #10 - NEWSARAMA
NRAMA: Got it. Oh - and the red sky - a nod to previous times when the sky would turn red, or an indicator that this is a "Crisis" kinda thing?
RM: Yeah, how 'bout that, red skies. I wonder why my editor, Eddie Berganza, suggested we slip that in there? He must know something…
NRAMA: Got it. Oh - and the red sky - a nod to previous times when the sky would turn red, or an indicator that this is a "Crisis" kinda thing?
RM: Yeah, how 'bout that, red skies. I wonder why my editor, Eddie Berganza, suggested we slip that in there? He must know something…
The Chronicle: 1/26/2007: Pessimism vs. Existentialism
The Chronicle: 1/26/2007: Pessimism vs. Existentialism
Perhaps the wartime experiences of Mr. Cranky put him beyond the reach of any celebration of life, but Mr. Grumpy insists that existentialism provides an experience of incredible freedom, a feeling of responsibility that is not so much a "burden" as a matter of finding one's true self-identity. If nihilism and despair play any role in this picture, it is only as background against which existentialism is the ecstatic resistance. Responsibility and choice, picking oneself up by the bootstraps, are what this positive version of existentialism is all about.
Perhaps the wartime experiences of Mr. Cranky put him beyond the reach of any celebration of life, but Mr. Grumpy insists that existentialism provides an experience of incredible freedom, a feeling of responsibility that is not so much a "burden" as a matter of finding one's true self-identity. If nihilism and despair play any role in this picture, it is only as background against which existentialism is the ecstatic resistance. Responsibility and choice, picking oneself up by the bootstraps, are what this positive version of existentialism is all about.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
The Passion of Mary Cheney | Slog | The Stranger's Blog | The Stranger | Seattle's Only Newspaper
The Passion of Mary Cheney | Slog | The Stranger's Blog | The Stranger | Seattle's Only Newspaper:
"Yes, it’s a baby, not a prop. My kid isn’t a prop either, but that never stopped right-wingers from attacking me and my boyfriend over our decision to become parents. The fitness of same-sex couples to parent is very much part of the political debate thanks to the GOP and the Christian bigots that make up its lunatic “base.” You’re a Republican, Mary, you worked on both of your father’s campaigns, and you kept your mouth clamped shut while Karl Rove and George Bush ran around the country attacking gay people, gay parents, and our children in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006. It’s a little late to declare the private choices of gays and lesbians unfit for public debate, Mary."
"Yes, it’s a baby, not a prop. My kid isn’t a prop either, but that never stopped right-wingers from attacking me and my boyfriend over our decision to become parents. The fitness of same-sex couples to parent is very much part of the political debate thanks to the GOP and the Christian bigots that make up its lunatic “base.” You’re a Republican, Mary, you worked on both of your father’s campaigns, and you kept your mouth clamped shut while Karl Rove and George Bush ran around the country attacking gay people, gay parents, and our children in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006. It’s a little late to declare the private choices of gays and lesbians unfit for public debate, Mary."
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
File Under: sad
Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins dies - Politics - MSNBC.com: "Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins dies at 62"
one less good Texan.
damn.
one less good Texan.
damn.
Monday, January 29, 2007
who loves the sun?
i guess dick cheney really is mr. burns...
Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall January 28, 2007 09:48 PM
Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall January 28, 2007 09:48 PM
Sunday, January 28, 2007
THE WORLD QUESTION CENTER 2007 — Page 13
Eno on optimism:
THE WORLD QUESTION CENTER 2007 — Page 13:
"Things change for the better either because something went wrong or because something went right. Recently we've seen an example of the former, and this failures fill me with optimism."
via NAP
THE WORLD QUESTION CENTER 2007 — Page 13:
"Things change for the better either because something went wrong or because something went right. Recently we've seen an example of the former, and this failures fill me with optimism."
via NAP
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Castlevania: Dracula’s Curse
Castlevania: Dracula’s Curse:
"Welcome to the production blog for the upcoming animated movie based on the classic Konami video game, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. In the coming weeks and months this will be your source for exclusive behind-the-scenes news and information on the production. We have a great creative team in place with award winning writer Warren Ellis working on the script and Eisner Award winning artist James Jean set to art direct and begin visual development in February. "
Does this mean we are going to get a good video game movie?
i am warily hopeful
and maybe
a little scared.
"Welcome to the production blog for the upcoming animated movie based on the classic Konami video game, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. In the coming weeks and months this will be your source for exclusive behind-the-scenes news and information on the production. We have a great creative team in place with award winning writer Warren Ellis working on the script and Eisner Award winning artist James Jean set to art direct and begin visual development in February. "
Does this mean we are going to get a good video game movie?
i am warily hopeful
and maybe
a little scared.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
American Anime Awards-Welcome
You might just know a nominee.
American Anime Awards-Welcome
I do.
Congrats Kira!
now, the rest of you go vote...
when in doubt I voted for Elfin Leid,
FLCL, or something that has to be cool...
like Voltron...
whooooo!
American Anime Awards-Welcome
I do.
Congrats Kira!
now, the rest of you go vote...
when in doubt I voted for Elfin Leid,
FLCL, or something that has to be cool...
like Voltron...
whooooo!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
the whole text thing and my life in sound
I escape words every Wednesday.
I've been saying things with sound
that I can't say with words for a long time.
Collectively and individually
I've spent the last 15 or so years
exploring sound,
rhythm, melody,
harmony,
dissonance...
exploring the
power of sound
to say things
there aren't words for...
pushing at the limits of what passes for music
listening to the sounds
not the song
telling each other
telling you
things they'd lock
us away for
if they only understood
look,
i'm not saying we're mystics,
although at times it feels that way,
all i'm saying is I understand
about things beyond words
words in yr mouth
words on the page
but sound is
not image
and they work
wordlessly
in very different ways
to crack the visual code
to build shortcuts in my head
i'll have to do more visual work
and just keep at it
till i'm better
and it works...
I've been saying things with sound
that I can't say with words for a long time.
Collectively and individually
I've spent the last 15 or so years
exploring sound,
rhythm, melody,
harmony,
dissonance...
exploring the
power of sound
to say things
there aren't words for...
pushing at the limits of what passes for music
listening to the sounds
not the song
telling each other
telling you
things they'd lock
us away for
if they only understood
look,
i'm not saying we're mystics,
although at times it feels that way,
all i'm saying is I understand
about things beyond words
words in yr mouth
words on the page
but sound is
not image
and they work
wordlessly
in very different ways
to crack the visual code
to build shortcuts in my head
i'll have to do more visual work
and just keep at it
till i'm better
and it works...
The great jazz instrumentalist and widow of John Coltrane died on Friday.Saturday, January 13, 2007
argh!
I'm a word person,
and as such
I fall prey
to the western
predeliction -
the sacrosanct text
been reading artaud
watching kaufman
and trying desperately
to think in pictures
and arriving only
at process
compositions for actors
where neither the text
nor the pictures are primary
the process is
if the process is good
the pictures
and the text
will work
otherwise
interesting experiment?
best I can do
grrr...
so much to learn
to really pull this
stuff off
i'd bury myself in
work if only I could
continue to eat
reading some
of the Greeks now
thinking of chorus
and poetry
and blood
(later I'll
talk to all
of you about
the power
of liquid
onstage...
let's not
be afraid
to be messy...
I'll scrub the stage
on my knees
every night
if we have to
if we have to
to make things
to make things
work...
some things
should be wet.)
nothing but love
and respect
and the desire
to push through
them both
and do the work
anyway...
and now to bed.
Kid Ornery
and as such
I fall prey
to the western
predeliction -
the sacrosanct text
been reading artaud
watching kaufman
and trying desperately
to think in pictures
and arriving only
at process
compositions for actors
where neither the text
nor the pictures are primary
the process is
if the process is good
the pictures
and the text
will work
otherwise
interesting experiment?
best I can do
grrr...
so much to learn
to really pull this
stuff off
i'd bury myself in
work if only I could
continue to eat
reading some
of the Greeks now
thinking of chorus
and poetry
and blood
(later I'll
talk to all
of you about
the power
of liquid
onstage...
let's not
be afraid
to be messy...
I'll scrub the stage
on my knees
every night
if we have to
if we have to
to make things
to make things
work...
some things
should be wet.)
nothing but love
and respect
and the desire
to push through
them both
and do the work
anyway...
and now to bed.
Kid Ornery
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
365 Days/365 Plays; Jan. 15-21
| Subject | 365 Days/365 Plays; Jan. 15-21 |
|---|---|
| Body: | I hope to make it every night... you should try to too... I'll be in the show on the 17th. But really from what I've seen I wouldn't miss a one. Date: Jan 10, 2007 3:23 PM Subject 365 Days/365 Plays; Jan. 15-21 Body: Monday - Sunday, January 15 - 21, 8pm, at the Axiom, FREE ADMISSION 365 DAYS/365 PLAYS The most audacious project yet from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog; Fucking A), 365 Days/365 Plays is a simultaneous, national performance collaboration, encompassing over 700 groups and individual artists from New York to Los Angeles, Seattle to Atlanta. Background: In November 2002, Parks began writing a play a day for 365 consecutive days. Last year, she and producer Bonnie Metzger invited artists to present a play a day, in exactly the order Parks wrote them. It began November 13, 2006 and will continue through November 12, 2007. Artists sign up to present a week of performances, at which time they receive the plays for that week. The rule: The performances must be presented free of charge to the public. Infernal Bridegroom will participate January 15 - 21, 2007. IBP associate artistic director Troy Schulze is directing the entire week of performances. IBP is the first Houston group to participate. Other local groups, including HSPVA, Mildred's Umbrella, Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theater, Nova Arts Project, DiverseWorks and Galveston's Strand Theater have signed on for other weeks throughout the year. Whole Foods Market is a presenting partner in IBP's week of shows and will be providing free food and drinks from its "365" product line for our audiences. Beer and wine will be for sale at the Axiom bar. Come one night; come every night! Each performance is different, and who knows what will happen! ADMISSION IS FREE For more information: 365 DAYS/365 PLAYS, presented by IBP www.infernalbridegroom.com |
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Friday, January 05, 2007
go see Hamlet!
I'm a Hamlet fan...
so normally I wouldn't recommend you go see a production of it...
get yr friends together to read Shakespeare aloud and you'll be better
off than if you go to most productions of his work these days...
but I saw Nova Arts Production
of the thing tonight,
and while I don't agree with
every choice that was made
it was a damned strong show...
fine performances
(Hamlet kicked ass...
fr real...)
staging
combat
video
all great
I think the changes made to the players
diminshes the audiences empathy for
Hamlet and makes him more like
his uncle and father than I'd like him to be
Whenever you cut Hamlet you lose something,
Nova mostly chooses to lose the funny...
which is fine, except it doesn't leave
Polonius too much to do...
I thought the opening was a strong choice
that worked...
and the ghost was great -
provided for some really powerful moments.
overall,
a helluva show,
and I commend 'em for doin' it...
I don't think I could ever cut Hamlet -
the choices would all be too hard for me...
and I recommend ya go see it...
ya can see it for 5 bucks on saturday night if
ya poke around their site and print the coupon...
and after ya see it maybe we can all get together and read it?
whattaya say?
so normally I wouldn't recommend you go see a production of it...
get yr friends together to read Shakespeare aloud and you'll be better
off than if you go to most productions of his work these days...
but I saw Nova Arts Production
of the thing tonight,
and while I don't agree with
every choice that was made
it was a damned strong show...
fine performances
(Hamlet kicked ass...
fr real...)
staging
combat
video
all great
I think the changes made to the players
diminshes the audiences empathy for
Hamlet and makes him more like
his uncle and father than I'd like him to be
Whenever you cut Hamlet you lose something,
Nova mostly chooses to lose the funny...
which is fine, except it doesn't leave
Polonius too much to do...
I thought the opening was a strong choice
that worked...
and the ghost was great -
provided for some really powerful moments.
overall,
a helluva show,
and I commend 'em for doin' it...
I don't think I could ever cut Hamlet -
the choices would all be too hard for me...
and I recommend ya go see it...
ya can see it for 5 bucks on saturday night if
ya poke around their site and print the coupon...
and after ya see it maybe we can all get together and read it?
whattaya say?
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Monday, January 01, 2007
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Tonight
De Schmog was great...
the bass and drums were loud,
mari pool sounded awesome...
they were funky, and funny,
and fun...
"better luck
better luck next time
john hinckley..."
the bass and drums were loud,
mari pool sounded awesome...
they were funky, and funny,
and fun...
"better luck
better luck next time
john hinckley..."
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Icke on Wogan
Just finished watching "David Icke - Was He Right?" and had to track this one down...
Wogan tries to get him to the reptiles knowing he won't give him any time to really explain,
just enough to sound ridiculous...
which puts his apology at the beginning in a different light...
where's my rocket car? predictions 2007
via the LATIMES:
"Pop Atheism" might include popular atheist TV and movie characters, professional athletes, political figures, etc. Look for the first billion-dollar IPO for the Web service that gets atheists together for "rituals," dating and political and business networking.
talk about wishful thinking...
Do Penn & Teller count as popular tv characters?
anyway, that bit was from the editor of edge.org
which I am browsing right now...
great atheist resource!
"Pop Atheism" might include popular atheist TV and movie characters, professional athletes, political figures, etc. Look for the first billion-dollar IPO for the Web service that gets atheists together for "rituals," dating and political and business networking.
talk about wishful thinking...
Do Penn & Teller count as popular tv characters?
anyway, that bit was from the editor of edge.org
which I am browsing right now...
great atheist resource!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
ah hah!
here's to being manipulated by the media machine:
Hello world! Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere!
I am so excited to have my very own page, even if the circumstances are a bit troubling. As you know, Veronica and I have started these blogs because we’re fighting a MAKEOVER planned for us by the Archie Comics Corporate Office. We don’t really know HOW we’re going to fight this change, all I DO KNOW is that we’ll need your help! We’ll keep you posted as we get a bit more organized…Monday, December 25, 2006
I know just what you mean...
Via Howling Curmudgeons:
In the old Dungeons and Dragons someone once wrote an aritcle about paladins. In it the article contemplated various situations in which a paladin would be forced to kill innocents or the like in a game scenario and ended up saying that a good dungeon master would avoid putting the paladins into such situations to begin with.
Saying that Sue Dibny's getting raped was a bad idea seems to be a criticism on that level. The wife of a leaguer getting raped is simply a situation which should never come up, and since the writers get to make this stuff up, they control whether it does, so they should have known it wasn't a good idea regardless of the skill with which it could be handled and never addressed the scenario in the first place. I can get behind that idea, though it seems to implicate a set of assumptions I would worry about artically. After all, there is a good reason not to publish a comic book wherein a baby is put in a microwave, Kyle Baker as writer or not.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
writing
from Jane Espenson:
Tightening lines like that is especially important for comedy, where timing is an integral part of the whole point of the exercise. As a spec writer, you don't have the -- advantage? distraction? -- of a whole room full of people chiming in on the best way to tighten a line, so you have to do it on your own. It's worth making a whole separate pass through your script, just looking for words to cut.
Yes yes yes.
I am horribly about rewriting,
but I do go back through and make
small word changes,
and cut any line,
any word, that I can...
I can not emphasize how important that is...
I've seen shows that
just cutting 40-60 words
outta their script would
make them fly.
FLY!
but those extra words are
just hanging there,
mucking up the rhythm
not adding to the meaning
not bringing the magic
nothing
just extra words.
every word costs ya somethin'
so every word better do somethin'
Tightening lines like that is especially important for comedy, where timing is an integral part of the whole point of the exercise. As a spec writer, you don't have the -- advantage? distraction? -- of a whole room full of people chiming in on the best way to tighten a line, so you have to do it on your own. It's worth making a whole separate pass through your script, just looking for words to cut.
Yes yes yes.
I am horribly about rewriting,
but I do go back through and make
small word changes,
and cut any line,
any word, that I can...
I can not emphasize how important that is...
I've seen shows that
just cutting 40-60 words
outta their script would
make them fly.
FLY!
but those extra words are
just hanging there,
mucking up the rhythm
not adding to the meaning
not bringing the magic
nothing
just extra words.
every word costs ya somethin'
so every word better do somethin'
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Merry Christmas from The Defenestration Unit!
Kid Ornery presents...
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
Hark the Herald Angels Scream!
Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
Hark the Herald Angels Scream!
Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
Sagan blog-a-thon
Sagan blog-a-thon :
from www.veryimportantpotheads.com -
In the essay, Sagan said marijuana inspired some of his intellectual work. "I can remember one occasion, taking a shower with my wife while high, in which I had an idea on the origins and invalidities of racism in terms of gaussian distribution curves,'' wrote the former Cornell University professor. Sagan also wrote that pot enhanced his experience of food, particularly potatoes, music and sex.
from www.veryimportantpotheads.com -
In the essay, Sagan said marijuana inspired some of his intellectual work. "I can remember one occasion, taking a shower with my wife while high, in which I had an idea on the origins and invalidities of racism in terms of gaussian distribution curves,'' wrote the former Cornell University professor. Sagan also wrote that pot enhanced his experience of food, particularly potatoes, music and sex.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Saturday, December 16, 2006
contract
from here:
A Group Contract can address issues such as who owns the group name (and whether and in what capacity a leaving member can use the group name), who owns what property (including not only sound equipment but intangible property such as recording agreements and intellectual property such as the songs and the recordings created by the group), and how profits and losses are divided. Since it almost goes without saying that members of a band inevitably leave and groups inevitably disband, it is important to structure an interband agreement in the early stages of a career. It will function like a prenuptial agreement when matters start to disintegrate and make the break-up process less painful.
Friday, December 15, 2006
I knew there was a reason he was one of my favorites,,,
via bookslut:
We also get Raymond Chandler's philosophy on drinking to excess--"I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle"--and his gimlet recipe. "A real Gimlet is half gin and half Rose's Lime Juice and nothing else. It beats martinis hollow."
We also get Raymond Chandler's philosophy on drinking to excess--"I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle"--and his gimlet recipe. "A real Gimlet is half gin and half Rose's Lime Juice and nothing else. It beats martinis hollow."
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
At long last... Sweatbox!!!
Kid Ornery presents...
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
The Defenestration Unit - The Sweatbox Sessions - Ornery Master
Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
This is the only studio album ever recorded by any version of TDU.
It was recorded at Sweatbox under the guidance of Mr. Tim Kerr
and futzed around with by Kid Ornery.
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
The Defenestration Unit - The Sweatbox Sessions - Ornery Master
Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
This is the only studio album ever recorded by any version of TDU.
It was recorded at Sweatbox under the guidance of Mr. Tim Kerr
and futzed around with by Kid Ornery.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
wow! people sure can talk!
Via Theatreport - which is a site in Houston for Theatre or Theater or people who like to argue about soul vs. entertainment and the like...
but this bit from"licketysplit" is right on...
"Brushing teeth" is a common daily text we can all understand. We all do it, repeatedly...yet we never do it the same way twice, not ever.
The same can be applied to the process of "playing".
No matter the text. You learn it, you know it and you execute it, but each time should be as fresh as the last and as full of possibility as the next. It is this possibility, this breath of living truth that captivates the audience and keeps them from being bored, no matter the script, no matter the setting.
All you need is circumstance, action, emotion, something to play. Play truthfully, allow for discovery, allow for sensate experience rather than pre-rehearsed fake behavior, and you will succeed in "catching" the spectators.
but then again so is this bit from TDU's own Jmiller:
No really..stop doing crap plays. Sure acting is important...we are lost and swimming in a sea of sh*t when it comes to acting. We get it. That argument doesn't really say jack about the fact that we are doing crap scripts. Take a look at the front of this site. See all the crap? Do you see it? Glaring at you like a big poop stain on your kitchen floor? How can you miss it? Take a look at Texas Rep's season and DON'T DO THAT. That's what we are talking about here.
I'm not saying I'm an expert I've only directed one play,
and acted in handful,
but it seems to me a good script
inspires actors and makes,
if not bad acting harder,
at least good acting easier.
and other than that I'm just gonna keep quiet and go back
to watching the show!
but this bit from"licketysplit" is right on...
"Brushing teeth" is a common daily text we can all understand. We all do it, repeatedly...yet we never do it the same way twice, not ever.
The same can be applied to the process of "playing".
No matter the text. You learn it, you know it and you execute it, but each time should be as fresh as the last and as full of possibility as the next. It is this possibility, this breath of living truth that captivates the audience and keeps them from being bored, no matter the script, no matter the setting.
All you need is circumstance, action, emotion, something to play. Play truthfully, allow for discovery, allow for sensate experience rather than pre-rehearsed fake behavior, and you will succeed in "catching" the spectators.
but then again so is this bit from TDU's own Jmiller:
No really..stop doing crap plays. Sure acting is important...we are lost and swimming in a sea of sh*t when it comes to acting. We get it. That argument doesn't really say jack about the fact that we are doing crap scripts. Take a look at the front of this site. See all the crap? Do you see it? Glaring at you like a big poop stain on your kitchen floor? How can you miss it? Take a look at Texas Rep's season and DON'T DO THAT. That's what we are talking about here.
I'm not saying I'm an expert I've only directed one play,
and acted in handful,
but it seems to me a good script
inspires actors and makes,
if not bad acting harder,
at least good acting easier.
and other than that I'm just gonna keep quiet and go back
to watching the show!
Friday, December 08, 2006
lost my phone - need yr #
just got a new phone...
contact me with your ph# if I had it before
or need it now...
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race
~H.G. Wells
~H.G. Wells
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Mountain Dew Christmas Tree
As someone who spends a good portion of his day currently sculpting with candy I thought this was pretty cool...
Via Make: Blog:
The amount of Mountain dew consumed to make this soda can Christmas tree is intimidating, check out the build photos and the final shot of a glowing 2 liter... - Link.
Via Make: Blog:
The amount of Mountain dew consumed to make this soda can Christmas tree is intimidating, check out the build photos and the final shot of a glowing 2 liter... - Link.
Monday, December 04, 2006
I know I'd sure like a raise...
Atrios says:
"The real point is that if the minimum wage has small or negligible employment effects, and there is both theoretical and empirical support for this idea, then it's a pretty effective and inexpensive poverty reduction program. Obviously if poverty reduction programs for poor people interest you less than, say, poverty reduction programs for oil executives then you don't much care about that."
"The real point is that if the minimum wage has small or negligible employment effects, and there is both theoretical and empirical support for this idea, then it's a pretty effective and inexpensive poverty reduction program. Obviously if poverty reduction programs for poor people interest you less than, say, poverty reduction programs for oil executives then you don't much care about that."
Friday, December 01, 2006
Garage Sale - I'm selling a lot of CD's (Jazz, Country, Experimental, etc...) - Saturday
furniture, computer items, free items, vintage stuff,
men & women's clothing, books, records, housewares,
bric-a-brac, 25c/10c items, art items, candles, bird cage,
many christmas items and decorations...
Me and some folks from The Adding Machine are getting rid of lots of cool stuff...
I'm selling a lot of rare and obscure cd's at 2 bucks a pop,
and some DVD's and a few other things...
if you want my vinyl you have to make an appt with me to come browse the collection...
anyway, come buy cool stuff on the cheap Saturday...
we're starting freakin' early...
by 8 for sure...
Kid Ornery
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race
~H.G. Wells
~H.G. Wells
Thursday, November 30, 2006
New Podcast - Mixed Nuts
Kid Ornery presents...
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
A mix of interesting music from Kid Ornery and his associates.
Free Jazz, Drone, Noise, Improv, and general weirdness from Last Bastions, The Defenestration Unit, Kid Ornery, Avijit, and many more...
Avijit, TDU, Synapse and more... Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
Click here to get your own player.
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
A mix of interesting music from Kid Ornery and his associates.
Free Jazz, Drone, Noise, Improv, and general weirdness from Last Bastions, The Defenestration Unit, Kid Ornery, Avijit, and many more...
Avijit, TDU, Synapse and more... Enjoy! -- Kid Ornery
Click here to get your own player.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Preach on Brother Ramon!
over at my favorite music blog:
Look, strings break, you offend people, you miss notes, hell you even frikkin’ bomb but goddamn that’s the chaotic fun of a live show. Make your noise, commune with your fellow noisemakers, raise a bottle of Shiner to those who came out, and fling your poo like the monkey you are. Playing live is like a baby kicking and screaming vainly; "Look what I made in my diaper! What’s on you epitaph, motherfucker?!"
Almost all the music I'm involved in is about playing live or performance in fundamental ways...
Music for the theater is about serving the show - so whether it's performed live or recorded for a show it is all about the show. You can listen to it outside of that, but you'll be missing what it is about, you'll be missing what it is...
and then there's TDU
We have recordings,
but they aren't the same really...
what happens the night of a show only happens
that night...
nothing ever really even gets close again.
When improvising is at the core of what you do
the concept that a record could be better
than a live performance seems just wrong.
Now, The Last Bastions, that's a whole 'nother
pail of worms...
Our live shows bear little relation to our "studio"
cd's...
but even then, when we create a 60 minute piece,
it is with the idea that you will listen to it as a 60 minute piece,
as if you were seeing it live.
Our recordings don't contain singles,
and the sweet spot is not on side 2.
Some of them do contain
ambient music for uncomfortable spaces.
Where was I going with all this?
Who knows?
Y'all come out for a drink wednesday night...
We're having a blast!
Look, strings break, you offend people, you miss notes, hell you even frikkin’ bomb but goddamn that’s the chaotic fun of a live show. Make your noise, commune with your fellow noisemakers, raise a bottle of Shiner to those who came out, and fling your poo like the monkey you are. Playing live is like a baby kicking and screaming vainly; "Look what I made in my diaper! What’s on you epitaph, motherfucker?!"
Almost all the music I'm involved in is about playing live or performance in fundamental ways...
Music for the theater is about serving the show - so whether it's performed live or recorded for a show it is all about the show. You can listen to it outside of that, but you'll be missing what it is about, you'll be missing what it is...
and then there's TDU
We have recordings,
but they aren't the same really...
what happens the night of a show only happens
that night...
nothing ever really even gets close again.
When improvising is at the core of what you do
the concept that a record could be better
than a live performance seems just wrong.
Now, The Last Bastions, that's a whole 'nother
pail of worms...
Our live shows bear little relation to our "studio"
cd's...
but even then, when we create a 60 minute piece,
it is with the idea that you will listen to it as a 60 minute piece,
as if you were seeing it live.
Our recordings don't contain singles,
and the sweet spot is not on side 2.
Some of them do contain
ambient music for uncomfortable spaces.
Where was I going with all this?
Who knows?
Y'all come out for a drink wednesday night...
We're having a blast!
The Mysterious death of Albert Ayler
1:
FJ: Albert Ayler's death is jazz's unsolved mystery, do you know how Ayler ended up in the East River?
GARY PEACOCK: I don't know. All the information I got was second hand. The information that I got was that he was found dead in the East River and died by gunshot. And why that happened and how that happened, what the circumstances were, I have no idea, Fred.
2:
Did Albert Ayler fall into the East River or was he pushed?
3:
Albert Ayler’s body was retrieved from the East River, in Brooklyn, on November 25, 1970, a few months after his 34th birthday.
4:
On the evening of November 5, Albert again told Mary, "My blood has got to be shed to save my mother and my brother." After an argument, he smashed one of his saxophones over their television and stormed out of the house. Mary called the police to report Albert missing. Albert took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and jumped off as the boat neared Liberty Island (Hames 27).
Edward Ayler: He was truly a genius. Some make it and some don't. He didn't want to push out in front. That's all he wanted-to play. He had all the titles but not a dime ("Albert Ayler, 36").
On December 5, in the afternoon, Albert Ayler's body was buried at the chapel of Highland Park Cemetery in Cleveland, with 55 people, mostly family, in attendance ("Albert Ayler Dies").
Mysterious death came to two musicians closely associated with Ayler in the next year. Henry Grimes moved to California to become an actor and vanished without a trace (Wilmer 1980: 109). On September 21, 1971, Call Cobbs Jr. was killed by a hit and run driver ("Final Bar").
FJ: Albert Ayler's death is jazz's unsolved mystery, do you know how Ayler ended up in the East River?
GARY PEACOCK: I don't know. All the information I got was second hand. The information that I got was that he was found dead in the East River and died by gunshot. And why that happened and how that happened, what the circumstances were, I have no idea, Fred.
2:
Did Albert Ayler fall into the East River or was he pushed?
3:
Albert Ayler’s body was retrieved from the East River, in Brooklyn, on November 25, 1970, a few months after his 34th birthday.
4:
On the evening of November 5, Albert again told Mary, "My blood has got to be shed to save my mother and my brother." After an argument, he smashed one of his saxophones over their television and stormed out of the house. Mary called the police to report Albert missing. Albert took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and jumped off as the boat neared Liberty Island (Hames 27).
Edward Ayler: He was truly a genius. Some make it and some don't. He didn't want to push out in front. That's all he wanted-to play. He had all the titles but not a dime ("Albert Ayler, 36").
On December 5, in the afternoon, Albert Ayler's body was buried at the chapel of Highland Park Cemetery in Cleveland, with 55 people, mostly family, in attendance ("Albert Ayler Dies").
Mysterious death came to two musicians closely associated with Ayler in the next year. Henry Grimes moved to California to become an actor and vanished without a trace (Wilmer 1980: 109). On September 21, 1971, Call Cobbs Jr. was killed by a hit and run driver ("Final Bar").
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Fist of Kong - Heinous Retribution - A Compilation
Kid Ornery presents...
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
A mix of interesting music from Kid Ornery and his associates.
Free Jazz, Drone, Noise, Improv, and general weirdness from Last Bastions, The Defenestration Unit, Kid Ornery, Avijit, and many more...
This week - Fist of Kong - in celebration of Charlie launching his own podcast - CharlieNaked.podomatic.com
Enjoy! -- Mike Switzer
Click here to get your own player.
Crazy Sounds from Houston, Tx.
A mix of interesting music from Kid Ornery and his associates.
Free Jazz, Drone, Noise, Improv, and general weirdness from Last Bastions, The Defenestration Unit, Kid Ornery, Avijit, and many more...
This week - Fist of Kong - in celebration of Charlie launching his own podcast - CharlieNaked.podomatic.com
Enjoy! -- Mike Switzer
Click here to get your own player.
Monday, November 20, 2006
TDU at BOHEMEO's on Wednesday...
Here's how I see it...
it's just not Thanksgiving without a hangover.*
So, grab yr favorite bottle,
and yr favorite girl,
or guy, or couple of girls,
or couple of guys,
or llamas, or a grapefruit,
or whatever -
and come on down to Bohemeo's this Wednesday night...
I know you don't have to go to work tomorrow...
So, what's yr excuse?
It's not money,
'cause we play for tips...
and they have cheap beer...
and better beer,
and wine, and setups...
that's right setups.
and not just
a bucket of ice and
some grapefruit juice
but mojito setups,
bloody mary setups,
and other crazy things...
really...
and they have desserts,
and wings...
you know you like wings.
and it's not like we're starting late...
we'll be on by 9:30 I promise...
really...
it'll happen...
so you could still listen to a lot of TDU
(and eat a lot of wings and drink a lot of
whatever)
and still be in bed by twelve...
how nice is that?
if ya wanna hear what we sound like at the place go check out my latest podcast at http://kidornery.podomatic.com
anyway,
come out and give thanks for all the things yr thankful for...
and drink for everything yr not...
or vice versa...
* Kid Ornery's first hangover was on Thanksgiving his freshman year of college.
He had to pull the ugly old beat up toyota corrolla over and throw up.
Twice.
He was sick all day at Grandma's.
He's still not sure if they knew what was up
or just thought he had some kind of stomach virus.
Now he doesn't go to Grandma's,
just Richard's.
But he is playing with The Defenestration Unit
Wednesday Night
at Bohemeo's...
you should be there.
K.O.
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