Thursday, June 30, 2011

And the Feud Begins

This sublime piece is the work of Fred Harper. It was part of an exhibition called "Under the Influence: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" at Gallery 1988 in early 2010. Harper has also illustrated a number of Garbage Pail Kids cards, so he is pretty much living the dream. I bet he has an ice cream sundae bar in his house like Mike Tyson, too.

Via Geek Tyrant and Asylum.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

X-Offender






In a December, 2010 interview Debbie Harry described getting a ride from a stranger in the early 70s while she walked home late one night in New York City.
"This little car kept coming around and offering me a ride. I kept saying no but finally I took the ride because I couldn't get a cab. I got in the car and the windows were are rolled up, except for a tiny crack. This driver had an incredibly bad smell to him. I looked down and there were no door handles. The inside of the car was stripped. The hairs on the back of my neck just stood up. I wiggled my arm out of the window and pulled the door handle from the outside. I don't know how I did it, but I got out. He tried to stop me by spinning the car but it sort of helped me fling myself out. Afterwards I saw him on the news. Ted Bundy."

Cut-Up to Short-Circuit Control

The wonderful UbuWeb has just added the Cold Spring Tape to its streaming archives. The recording consists of interviews and readings by William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin discussing the origin and faculties of their cut-up technique, then turned into an audio cut-up/ collage by Genesis P. Orridge in 1989. The original cassette was limited to 100 copies.

Moving With The Times





In the city of Sofia, Bulgaria, an unidentified artist has transformed the official fiction of the town by giving the Red Army heroes a paint job. According to the UK Daily Mail, "The giant monument was built to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Russian 'liberation' of Bulgaria in 1944. It is regarded as the prime example of the forceful socialist-realism of the period."

That caption below the piece reads, "Moving with the times."

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Bond's Casino







In May and June of 1981 The Clash played a series of shows at Bond's Casino in New York City. In support of their album Sandinista! they planned eight shows at the Times Square venue, but soon discovered that promoters had wildly over-sold the shows' capacity. Fire marshals shutdown the third performance on Saturday night. In response, The Clash decided to honour every ticket purchased and increased their run at Bond's to 15 shows (or 16 or 17, depending on the source). Of the exhausting ordeal Joe Strummer said, "We took a stand and it nearly killed us," but the move stands as a testament to the band's integrity and love of music.

Luckily some of that series was documented, including the June 9th show which was recorded in full for radio broadcast. On the 30th anniversary of the Bond's show this month, the music still sounds every bit as vital.

For more information on the Clash's stay at Bond's check out this great resource for period articles or read what Jonathan Lethem has to say about the boys here. A couple news reports and live footage of the shows after the jump.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Cultural Experience, Via Styrofoam Plates



Things I stuffed in my disgusting face last weekend: haggis, sausage roll, parsnips, Guinness, stew beef roti, rum punch, Red Stripe, injera with tibs, honey wine, pastel de choclo, pisco sour, mango pisco, bratwurst, potato salad, sauerkraut, Einbecker, mamaliga, creamed chicken, plum brandy, poppy seed roll, and fried dough covered in powdered sugar.