The Wayfarin' Wayward 'Toonists

Wayward Wayward 'Toonists?

2009-09-10T11:52:00.003+10:00

PART I
An update of the official Wayward 'Toonists gazette!
Last we left the Triple Unicorn Brothers, our heroes were riding high on the success of the Jukebox Jam exhibition.

Although their public exposition of musical doodling quandaries turned into a critical disaster, the lads made a mint from the commercial success! The sell-out of their over-inflated priced artwork and the adjacent merchandising in the forms of 'Wayward themed action figures, keyrings, plastic replica drinking devices, illegal mixtapes and tea-towls left the lords giddily cashed up!
What followed was an insane spending spree of murderous decadence that would rival the history book entries of most spoilt, powerful and hubristic god-like activities!
Unfortunately the cash dried up and the hangers-on and sycophants moved onto the new flavour of the season. Society ceased to turn a blind eye to the Unicorn Brothers more eccentric behaviours!
While the ability to manifest their telepathy in the form of a "psychic knife" is NOT one of their powers, knowing when bar goes dry IS!
Vowing to disappear once again from public scrutiny and turning their backs on the cruel artworld they set about to make their own private ammends.
The Lord opened up an orphange specialzing in troubled bairns, The Brigadier pledged himself to a hermit-like academic institution while The Baron built a half-way shelter for sex-addicts and other down-trodden miscreants.

But as we'll find out in PART II, if the phoenix transforms into the form of a monkey does it NOT still posses the nature of the phoenix?!

STAY TUNED!

Calendars!

2008-11-18T10:44:00.003+11:00

>Click image to secure your piece of Waywards paraphernalia!<

Perfect for your acid burnout mum, what with the Xmasing Season rolling around and everything!

Buy a metric tonne of 'em and help prevent a global recession!

Rahm Emanuel ENDORSED!

Support the economy! Buy Wayward!

2008-11-17T13:22:00.002+11:00

Check out the Wayward 'Toonists Red Bubble shop; plenty of tees, artwork and the like on or about to be on sale! There's even a calendar in the offing!

More reports from Wayward world SOON!

HWC: Vader

2008-08-14T11:35:00.005+10:00

Based on an internet/nerd challenge found somewhere, The Wayward 'Toonists thought it might be a giggle to get our pencils back in action and see if we could re-design the big daddy of galactic bastardy:
After playing around with a few ways to make him cooler, including Mexican wrestling masks, ipod gadgets & natty scarves I arrived at the simple enlightenment that the ONLY way Lord Darth could be cooler was if he rocked a TURTLE-NECK!

Sure to be the envy of all the other Sith Lords and have the galactic babes swooning. PLUS- it might help Vader get over his wheezing chest infection!

Cap'n Dreadnaught captured ON FILM!

2008-06-27T09:40:00.004+10:00

Behold!

Cap'n Dreadnaught SPEAKS!

2008-06-25T10:48:00.002+10:00

Here!

Actual footage of this dread convergence of titanic EGOS is in the pipeline!

Promise!

Evidence!

2008-06-23T10:45:00.005+10:00

Some pics from the opening are available here and here.

Alternatively- the entire sordid ordeal, as a slideshow:

Technology!

Plenty more to follow, not to mention actual live action footage, reviews, reflections and the very distinct possibility of TOP SECRET UNTITLED WAYWARD PROJECT 2009 news!

Stay TUNED!

The Opening: A Soundtrack

2008-06-19T12:17:00.008+10:00

You heard it here FIRST, art fans!

THRILL to a sneak peek at the eclectic aural delights we Waywards have PERSONALLY SELECTED for your art viewing pleasure THIS VERY EVENING!

Collect the FULL SET of Wayward Mixtapes!

The Lord's. The Brigadier's. The Baron's.

7 hours and counting...

2008-06-19T11:23:00.002+10:00

...till an opening night extravaganza, a serious tear in the space time fabric and history in the making.

In the interim...a mixtape. A must listen for ANY crazy enough to venture into the Hawthorn Town Hall Gallery this very eve from 6 till 8 (as ALL of you should be...along with your credit cards.) Download here

Side A -
01. Gypsy - Uriah Heep
02. Jean Genie - David Bowie
03. 48 Crash - Suzie Quatro
04. Fire - Jimi Hendrix
05. Your Touch - The Black Keys
06. Stairway To The Stars - Blue Oyster Cult
07. Lookin Out My Backdoor - CCR
08. Bad Reputation - Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
09. Born to Be Wild - Steppenwolf

Side B -
01. Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones
02. Pure Gold - Heavy Trash
03. Too Hot To Stop - The Bar Kays
04. Stand And Deliver - Adam And The Ants
05. Itchycoo Park - The Small Faces
06. Crosstown Traffic - Jimi Hendrix
07. Fireball - Deep Purple
08. Suffragette City - David Bowie
09. The Rocker - Thin Lizzy

2008-06-19T08:26:00.001+10:00

My photos from the hanging on sunday and tuesday are up on MY flickr stream HERE.
Fun, hi-jinks and ART!

The Frase Mix tape

2008-06-18T14:29:00.002+10:00

Get your SIDE A HERE!

1. Big Johns Special- Fletcher Henderson
2. I Ain't Drunk- Jimmy Liggins
3. Stroker Ace- Lovage
4. The Fallen- Franz Ferdinand
5. You Can't Roller skate In a Buffalo Herd- Roger Miller
6. Catfish Blues- Elmore James

Get your SIDE B HERE!

1. Rocket Man- Angie Aparo
2. When Did You Leave Heaven- Lisa Ekdahl
3. Big Iron- Johnny Cash
4. French Poodle- Sam Butera & The Witnesses
5. Redwoods- Wagons
6. Rock Me Like A Titan- The Hyperions
7. No Room For Squares- Hank Mobley*
8. Savage Beat of Augie Colon- Colon*

*Bonus track not appearing in the show.

(Album notes: The preferred Elton Johns original version of Rocket Man was unavailable. So I've substituted a cover by some guy named Angie Aparo. Eltons' is better.
My copy of Lisa Ekdahls Stranger On Earth was too scratched up to replicate so another of her nice songs- When Did You Leave Heaven-was used instead.

2008-06-18T12:34:00.002+10:00

I won't clog up this streamlined COLLECTIVE blog with all my ramblings.......but if you pop over HERE and HERE you will see the remaining 6 pieces from my part of the show.
I neglected to cross post them the other day.

As you ALL know the art has been hung and awaiting YOUR LOVELY AUDIENCE!

Just going through my photos from the hanging process. Will upload SOON.

AS WELL AS MY MIX TAPE!

Documenting the hanging process.

2008-06-18T11:06:00.001+10:00

Artist and art.
Curator in the bgd fielding non-stop incoming calls from people trying to get on the invite list.

HAVE YOU RSVP'd?

Goin' To A Hanging

2008-06-18T09:08:00.001+10:00

Tipple: Swords Cab Merlot
Soundtrack: Potty mouthed curators
Fumes: Victory
Distractions: $5 spirits night at The Glenferrie.

More evidence here.

And watch the skies at Wayward HQ for The Brigadier's inevitable photographic update!

See you tomorrow night!

Final Push III

2008-06-14T20:02:00.002+10:00

Tipple: 6 pack of Tooheys Old & s pack Coopers Sparkling
Soundtrack: Louis Prima, The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely, Wagons: The Curse of Lightning, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Kicking Against The Pricks, David Bowie, Sidney Bechet.
Fumes: BBQ'd dinner.
Distractions: The Wire season 1, sporting injuries, invitations to the pub, food, rest, fish tank watching.

Just finalising last 3 pieces before a trip to the printer monday morning.

Hanging Sunday and Tuesday.

The Final Push II

2008-06-14T15:46:00.003+10:00

Tipple: 6 pack of Peroni
Soundtrack: The Black Keys: Catch and Release, Suzie Quatro: Best of, John Spencer Blues Explosion: Damage, The Young Turks.
Fumes: Ink, acylics, triumph.
Distractions: Charlie Wilson's War, Mixtaping, Lady love, house guests...

Overall concept evolving as it happens, yes even now, but getting there.

Hanging Sunday and Tuesday.

The end is nigh!

Final Push

2008-06-14T11:11:00.004+10:00

Tipple: Koonunga Hill Shiraz
Soundtrack: Judas Priest: Nostradamus, Motley Crue: Saints of Los Angeles, Stone Gods: Silver Spoons And Broken Bones
Fumes: Varnish, turpentine, black nail polish
Distractions: Metalocalypse Season 2, episodes 9 & 10; Buffy Season 8 #15; Armed Madhouse (Greg Palast); construction of mixtape for someone rather wonderful:

Digital canvas stuff received and in the bag.

Hanging Sunday and Tuesday.

The end is nigh!

More artworks

2008-06-13T10:28:00.002+10:00

"Stroker Ace" Digital print on 100% archival cotton canvas. 20 x 16 inches.

From "Stroker Ace" by Lovage.
Lovage is a collaborative project headed by Dan the Automator aka "Nathaniel Merriweather". The album is called Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By, which was created in team with Mike Patton (ex Faith No More) and Jennifer Charles, who both provide vocals.

Automator has either been responsible for or contributed to many of the most interesting and progressive hip-hop/electronica/trip-hop/pop musical projects of late including Gorillaz, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Dr Octagon, Peeping Tom and Deltron 3030. His list of collaborators reads like a who’s who of the music worlds best innovators. Including the afore mentioned Mike P and Jennifer Charles the list includes Prince Paul, Kool Keith, DJ Shadow, Damon Albarn, Kid Koala, Primal Scream, Blues Explosion, Danger Mouse, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Shaun Ryder, Roots Manuva, Sean Lennon, Mike D, De La Soul, RZA, Cat Power, Jack Johnson, Jamie Cullum and more.

"Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By" is a concept album that’s agenda is clear in the title.

Not being much of a cat person I used to think they were intelligent, manipulative and self-centered creatures. But now I know they're just pretty dumb.

But they do like to watch...

"I Ain't Drunk" Digital print on 100% archival cotton canvas. 32 x 16 inches.

After Jimmy Liggins's 1954 "I Ain't Drunk".
The son of a San Diego minister, Jimmy Liggins started out as a professional boxer at age 18 under the name of Kid Zulu, then he quit boxing and took up driving his brother Joe's band around on tour. Following the success of his brother, Jimmy Liggins started his own recording career as a singer, guitarist, and bandleader in 1947. His band had a rougher and more tempo conscious sound than his brother even though Joe was more established and had greater recognition.
One of his early releases, "Cadillac Boogie" was a direct forerunner of "Rocket 8", itself often called the first rock and roll record.
This period of music known as Jump Blues, or Rhythm and Blues (nothing at all related to today’s R&B) is interesting as it's the bridge between swing (the pop music of the time), jazz and blues into the birth of rock n roll. The Liggins brothers and a stream of other musicians took swinging jazz, striped it back into a smaller format, added the blues and then, most importantly for rock music, made it jump!
Then, as with all-important modern music advances, white musicians took what they had created sanitized it and called it their own.

"I Ain't Drunk" still carries an important message for today in it's promotion of having a good time. There's a difference between getting drunk and having a drink.

"Catfish Blues" Digital print on 100% archival cotton canvas. 16 x 20 inches.

Elmore James was a key figure in Blues History starting off as an acoustic guitarist (James's first instrument consisted of a tin can, a wooden board and a single metal string) he switched to a fiery electric slide style in the 1940's. He was one of the many Mississippi Delta bluesman who later found fame in Chicago where they created a new urban strain of the music.

In his early years he travelled the Delta appearing with the likes of the legendary Robert Johnson.

Fried catfish were a big part of the southern diet, and thus, much sought after.
I have a few types of catfish in my tropical fishtank with my Salt and Pepper Catfish (Corydoras habrosus) being a favourite.

"You Can't Roller-Skate in A Buffalo Herd" Digital print on 100% archival cotton canvas. 32 x 16 inches.

After Roger Miller speaking some home truths.

"The Fallen" Digital print on 100% archival cotton canvas. 16 x 20 inches.

Being in my early 30's I'm from the school of thought that believes that indie-pop reached it zenith in the mid-90's with everything coming afterwards lacking. There are a few notable exceptions thankfully. Glaswegian art-school indie-rockers Franz Ferdinand are a band I really enjoy.
I was blissfully rocked out by The Fallen, the first track on their "You could have it so much better" album. It's important to have a cranking first track.

In late 2005 I had lined up a job in Glasgow, Scotland. I spent a week there and then another week in Edinburgh before heading back to London. I absolutely loved it up there. Unfortunately the job fell through and I stayed in London.
Edinburgh is a beautiful city, where are Glasgow is more of a "real Scottish city". It used to be quite seedy, depressing and dangerous but in the last decade has really turned around and has some amazing culture, shopping and living standards.

For one reason or another I've never been able to step foot back in Scotland. It is my promised land.

RESOURCES (via You Tube)

Stroker Ace film clip.

I Ain't Drunk song

There is no footage, film or otherwise of Elmore James playing but here is Samuel Jackson performing the song from the movie Black Snake Moan.

You Can't Roller-Skate in A Buffalo Herd to a montage.

The Fallen video clip.

Jimi Hendrix

2008-06-11T16:37:00.000+10:00

A week till the Jukebox Jam...will our hero make it?!

Who ARE the Wayward 'Toonists?

2008-06-04T19:25:00.007+10:00

Egg hatched and raised in the fiery tumult of the Australian comics scene, The Brigadier, The Baron and The Lord were drawn together like orbiting planetoids swirling in the cosmos, as if nature, history and the gods themselves DECREED it!

Science Adventurers. Philanthropists. Dandies. Playboys. Thespians. Desert wanderers. Broadcast personalities. Master swordsmen.

Many have tried to pigeon hole these three, all at once known and utterly mysterious gents since they burst onto the scene they CREATED almost 94 years ago!

What is well known to date, however, has been debated, studied and mulled over by the greatest minds in HISTORY!

MOST say that in 1914, on a drunken whim, they ventured into the deepest regions of the Swiss Alps to put its neutrality to the test (there had not been a fist fight in that country since 1815)!

While unable to provoke any of the peace loveing Swiss natives into fighting each other, they did piss off Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, who was hiding out in The Baron's rented chalet (which as it turned out belonged to the now infamous CAPTAIN DREADNAUGHT, the 'Toonists' eventual arch nemesis and a man whom the three would encounter numerous times throughout their colourful careers).

Lenin fled Switzerland back to Russia in a huff and, as the history books detail, vented his frustrations on the Russian empire.

Predictably, our stout hearted heroes refused to let their predicament get the better of the, and with nought but time on their hands and a bold creative itch to SCRATCH, they set about redefining the very notion of pop culture ITSELF!

Firstly, the three intrepid adventurers grew mighty and luxuriant BEARDS.

Then, with the combination of their powerful good looks, superior artistry and a keen sense of drama, they prevented the Hun armies from invading their adopted home during BOTH World Wars, and then quickly went on to invent every subculture EVER (yes, even goths), the comic book form and prog rock.

Finally, mere NANOSECONDS later, in a final expression of raw creative OMNIPOTENCE, the global movement known as WAYWARDISM was born!

Historians, critics and even Kings have suggested an arcane significance in this statistically improbable confluence of unrelated events- a grand, and as yet unknowable, SCHEME!

Since those fateful months in the most neutral country in the world, these dynamites of industry, ink and inevitability have regularly met to compare egos, facial topiary and their innate ladykilling abilities.

And from each ever more memorable meeting another gossamer thread is tied and another astonishing page in the story and influence of Waywardism is etched into TIME ITSELF!

Join us now as we, the Wayfarin' Wayward 'Toonists, bestow upon YOU, our adoring PUBLIC, our latest gift to POSTERITY, a titanic excursion into art-nirvana which has come to be known as The Swingin' Jukebox Jam!

The Wayward 'Toonists today: (From left to right) The Baron, The Lord & The Brigadier; relaxed, comfortable and completely huggable.

Rest easy.

2008-05-31T15:38:00.003+10:00

Some anecdotal feedback from people who've spoken to peoples seems like 1 or 2 people are not coming to the opening due to the "threatening" wording of the invite. They were confused and hesitant to come, fearing that it might be some "weird mosh pit".

Rest assured there is NO mosh pit planned, but you never can tell what ART LOVERS are capable of doing.

Just remember- IF YOU BREAK IT, YOU BOUGHT IT!

Cash, credit and Eftpos purchases available on the night.

Filling Up At The Hump

2008-05-29T16:09:00.003+10:00

Nine potential 'retrospective' (if you will) digital canvas prints for the show.

Also- don't forget to invite yourself to the opening here!

2008-05-28T21:33:00.006+10:00

Personal inspiration dug from the HWCartoonists archive

Art patron:

Telling it as it is:

OUTrageous!

L is for...

2008-05-28T19:54:00.004+10:00

Progressing...somewhere!

Magic in progress

2008-05-28T14:48:00.004+10:00

You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd:

The Savage Beat:

2008-05-26T13:58:00.003+10:00

We have a Facebook group and everything! Check it out!

F is for...

2008-05-21T22:19:00.000+10:00

2 quick digital colour studies part of a big arse acrylic painting.

2008-05-20T14:21:00.001+10:00

Swingin' Jukebox Jam- The Mixtape

2008-05-16T09:31:00.005+10:00

A sampler of some of the aural inspirations behind the show about the music.

Similar forthcoming from The Lord and The Brigadier.

Enjoy!

Get Side A here!

01. I Want My Rock Stars DEAD, Bill Hicks
02. Covered In Punk's Blood, Desert Sessions
03. We Cry Out, Warrior Soul
04. Emerald, Stardust
05. Hit The City, Mark Lanegan
06. My Ghettoblaster, Brant Bjork
07. Heavy Rotation, Page McConnell
08. One Robot, Rocket Science
09. No Surprise, Aerosmith
10. Jim Dandy to the Rescue, Black Oak Arkansas
11. Teaser, Tommy Bolin
12. Silver Machine, Hawkwind

Get Side B here!

01. Only Shallow, My Bloody Valentine
02. Everybody's Gonna Be Happy, The Kinks
03. They're Red Hot, Robert Johnson
04. Eccentric Man, The Groundhogs
05. A High or a Low, Danava
06. Saucy Jack, The Buff Medways
07. Southern Girls, Cheap Trick
08. Crazy Horses, The Osmonds
09. Hush, Deep Purple
10. Muffin Man, Frank Zappa
11. Just Dropped In, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition
12. Hatched Upon The Age, Comets on Fire

Show Invite- Album Version

2008-05-14T15:07:00.004+10:00

Printable show invite- you know what to DO!

You Can't Stop Progress

2008-05-05T11:10:00.000+10:00

Plunging inexorably towards...something.

More at the Flickr, as always.

Show- ART

2008-05-02T13:37:00.001+10:00

No Room For Squares!

"No Room For Squares"- acrylic on canvas. 30cm x 41cm

After Hank Mobley's title-track from his 1963 Blue Note album.

Hank Mobley was a tenor saxophonist from the Art Blakey/ Horace Silver school of blues infused bebop jazz called "hard bop". The hard bop movement balanced sophistication with soulfulness, complexity and an earthy swing.

Big John's Special

"Big John's Special"- Digital print. (Most likely on stretched vinyl).

After the old skool big band swing number originally composed by Horace Henderson and recorded by his brother, Fletcher Henderson.

Fletcher Henderson had what most people regarded as the best African-American jazz big band of the 1920's. His smooth jazz sound gave birth to the Swing style of the next decade.

Hendersons band disbanded due to his poor business acumen however he was soon picked up by the then young Benny Goodman and his orchestra as the bands arranger.
The combination of the tight, disciplined Goodman orchestra with Henderson's hot swinging jazz arrangements rocketed Goodman to worldwide fame as "The King of Swing".

Popular music and culture was forever changed.

----------------------------------------

For a limited time all you jazz-bo's can BOP-OUT in a Big John's Special t-shirt HERE!

2008-05-01T13:27:00.000+10:00

The official wording of the EVENT as it appears (as I don't think we've done it yet):

The Wayward Toonists' Swingin' Jukebox Jam! 18 June - 12 July

When: 18/06/2008 to 12/07/2008

Where: Town Hall Gallery

Those wayfarin' Wayward Toonists are back with yet another souped up, dance floor igniting, mosh pit inducing thrill ride into their happenin' world of audio visual ingenuity!

THRILL! at the deft licksmanship of that Lord of the Lowend, the incomparable Douglas 'Hellhammer' Holgate!

CHILL! to the outta sight artistry of The Toastmaster General, Scotty 'Too Hotty' Fraser!

SWOON! at the irrepressible eye candies of Garth 'Mondo Rocko' Jones , The Baron of the Barre Chord!

Artists: Doug Holgate, Garth Jones and Scott Fraser

Opening night: Thursday 19 June, 6pm–8pm

Lunatic Manifesto: Dreamweaving

2008-04-30T11:21:00.002+10:00

33° 31' 7" N

90° 11' 2" W

The ardent numerologists and the vaguely insane amongst you spot it immediately.

Three.

The tainted seed from which all that is debauched and pagan and just plain naughty about rock 'n roll flowers.

All those blowjob closets and black amphetamine blood replacements and seafood buffet insertions.

All that devil baiting and jailbait buggery and death by vehicular misadventure.

A lurid bacchanal: a rock and roll Grand Guignol.

A bas relief of vice, sin and theatre to give Caligula or The Marquis pause.

Dante's Inferno in tight pants and tall hair.

Three.

It's all right there in the maths: elementary.

3+3+3+1+7= 17

1+7= 8

9+0+1+1+2= 13

1+3= 4

8+4 = 12

1+2 =

Yep.

33° 31' 7" N

90° 11' 2" W.

The crossroads near Dockery's Plantation.

A bluesman, a dream of immortality and a classic Faustian pact.

Three.

The recurring leitmotif at the very root of belief.

The triquetra is the holy trinity: father, son, ghost.

An triangle, inverted, is earth. Strength and life in geometry.

Three sixes.

And then there's The Tritone.

Diabolus in musica- the Devil's Note, or flattened fifth.

The Tritone was banned by The Church in the Dark Ages for its apparent knack of whipping the listener into a frenzy of rape and generally unbecoming behavior.

Naturally, it's the progression of notes that's at the guts of the blues scale.

The Tritone: a sonic Grail. The poisoned chalice offered in exchange for Robert Johnson's mortal soul.

The echoing, potent rumble of Sin chiming down through generations of popular music:

Evoking shamen, from moonlit altar they spread their doctrine, summoning whores, rallying baying hordes: Legion.

In alliance with mystics, yogis and snake oil salesmen, the gospel insinuates.

Crowley, The Yogi and Colonel Tom Parker.

False idols in greasepaint and Viking armor, the trappings of battle; totems living outside societal norms, evoking a wild mix and match procession of ideologies and perversions. The stuff of serial killer diaries and half lit dragons chased and ritual.

The zodiac, tarot. Thoth. Enochian, runic and dagger alphabets.

Shadowplay and performance conjures sex and death, martyrdom, golden Gods.

All the good stuff.

An embarrassment of Pans and Bacchii; a tapestry of grand narrative and gutter epitaph.

Lizard Kings and Gods of Sun and Fuck, ego and id unbound.

Hedonism at its most elemental, unbound: the pursuit of a personal truth, projection and worship of oneself over all others, the delineation of a personal narrative above all others.

To what pantheon do they devote their howls? What primal, monolithic totems? What round table or Canon, steeped narrative embellishment and legend?

Nine icons. Nine concepts. Nine stories.

33° 31' 7" N

90° 11' 2" W

Three.

Mea Culpa: Or it could all be rambling, self indulgent load of old toss hinged on a fanciful premise dreamed up in a desperate attempt to generate something outside my digital comfort zone to execute.

Props go to Alan Moore's cane, Christopher Guest et al, Diamond Dave, The Priory, Aleister Crowley's mighty forearm tattoos, 2001: A Space Odyssey, ZOSO & Jimmy Page's dragon pants, Paul Wilkinson, Seb Hunter, Chuck Klosterman, The Egg for impetus, The HWC (a triumvirate of 'toonists, what's more) and me Mum for banning me from listening to Poison in Year Seven.

Show Business

2008-04-28T11:22:00.000+10:00

Slowly negotiating the hump of 'complete fucking indifference' and pulling into 'just get it over with' boulevard.

2008-04-28T10:33:00.002+10:00

Flickr photo blog for the upcoming Wayward 'Toonists Spectacular! Plenty more viewable at The Platinum Depot for the time being, though.

Standby for actual real live updates from all of us SOON!

HWC: Reunion

2008-04-23T23:06:00.000+10:00

Been awhile to get to this.. but it was ALWAYS on the agenda!

2008-04-14T11:23:00.000+10:00

And, one weekend and a bit later. give or take some unmentionable detours, it seems all canvases are, somewhat miraculously, prepped for launch.

And I even had time to watch the four disc special edition of Superman: The Movie, get shambolically drunk and bump into Shane Warne, who is very short indeed, not to mention lost without hair product.

Neck deep.

2008-04-11T11:23:00.000+10:00

And so it begins!

View the current state of play at Platinum Depot Exhibition Creation Base Station Gamma (okay, my very poky indeed flat) here.

The Devil's Note, Motherfucker!

2008-04-01T11:24:00.000+11:00

Half complete sneak preview of a (digital template for) a piece for the show- should be slapping acrylic to canvas in the next week or two, Gods (and slackness) willing!

The Wayward Toonists' Swingin' Jukebox Jam!

2008-03-25T11:25:00.000+11:00

We're less than three months out, Rock n Roll HQ Studios smells like backstage at a Cramps gig (only with more turps and enamel, less sick and shite, for now at least), and it's time to sound off and remind you that ART is in the OFFING.

Go here for the full skinny, and keep checking in at my (hypothetical) development sketchbook (featuring terrifying insights into the Stygian abysses of the Platinum Depot visual arts process diary) over at Flickr, too.

Here's a sketch of original hellraiser and tritone advocate, Bob Johnson, he of the crossroads and Faustian pacts, to get the ball rolling.

Game ON.

Reunion Mark II: Democratic Primaries, March 4

2008-02-29T10:34:00.000+11:00

Say no more?

HWC: Reunion

2008-02-25T10:36:00.001+11:00

The mighty VH! Reunioned 2008 styles!

Yes, I am transparent and shameless!

Where are the rest of my HWCers, then?

2008-02-22T10:37:00.000+11:00

The 80's

2007-11-02T12:34:00.001+11:00

That decade is responsible for a few things that are either making a resurgence of late or never went away. (Not many of them good.)
So- I give you the New Wave, the Yuppie and the Old Skool. (I'll give you a hint: one of these things ain't bad!)

[

Current Music

Run DMC, Ultramagnetic MCs,

]

2007-10-29T10:38:00.000+11:00

HBO: Deadwood

2007-09-19T10:39:00.002+10:00

Al & Seth! Couldnae RESIST!

Plus! John from Cincinnati!

Blue biro, Coles coloured pencils and a 5 mins in Photoshiv=

HWC: Valkyrie

2007-08-27T10:41:00.001+10:00

Doing a spot of cheeky recycling, as the Return to Mexico is scheduled for this coming Friday, and I must get with the PACKINGS and similar!

This one dates back to 2005- it's Wendy O Williams of the Plasmatics, a mighty she-warrior who would give even Zula and Red Sonja combined PAUSE if confronted with her maniacal, be-mohawked VISAGE on the field of BATTLE!

(If she wasn't dead.

And they weren't fictional.

Obviously.)

Extra points for this album cover, too:

2007-08-23T10:47:00.001+10:00

¡Vete a la mierda!

2007-07-31T10:46:00.000+10:00

Brit, Lindsay and Paris, eh?

What better epithet to describe their intellectually/ emotionally/ spiritually bankrupt existences?

FUCKED(!) indeed.

This one's ink washes, some fabric textures and the requisite Photoshoppe cleanupppery.

(The HWC, it is RETURNED! The ball's in YOUR court, Mr Fraser...)

Indoctrinator

2007-06-21T10:54:00.001+10:00

Putting the 'fundament' back into 'fundamentalism', my 'inator' is inspired by this here article in this month's Rolling Stone, which explores the horrific teenaged version of 'Jesus Camp', otherwise known as Battlecry, which is run by a gloriously helmet haired exploiter of the confused and angsty, one (L?) Ron Luce.

'Nuff said, eh?

2007-06-03T10:56:00.000+10:00

2007-05-26T11:03:00.000+10:00

Hombre De la Guitarra De la Justicia

2007-05-24T11:04:00.000+10:00

Starting out good and soft on myself (umn- you know what I mean...); a few hand generated textures, some Illustratory graphic elements, line drawing and typography combine to delineate our chum Tom Morello doing his roaming acoustic troubadour activist thing in his 'Nightwatchman' guise.

(The new album is 'One Man Revolution', and you should secure it via hook or crook, you chardy slurping types...)

Can't Resist

2007-05-07T10:55:00.002+10:00

[Edit, 5.6]

I've said it before (and now I'll say it again, to paraphrase Sir Robert Halford): there' s a bit of a heavy metal renaissance bubbling away beneath the surface out there in the choppy waters of popular culture zeitgeisty land.

More specifically, in this case, there's been a resurgence of metal based around the template of the protest song/ album in this paradoxically conservative genre.

Like anything else, it ranges from the sublime (Machine Head's ferocious and possibly epochal The Blackening) to the ridiculous Ozzy Osbourne's well intentioned but ultimately whiffy Black Rain, to everything in between (Pro-Pain's blunt force trauma inducing Age of Tyranny; Megadeth's occasionally incisive but mostly confused United Abominations).

At any rate, these blasts of vitriole and dissent from the politicised, shaggy maned widdly diddly set reminded me, if you'll pardon the indulgence, of the vivid depictions of aural torture in Michael Winterbottom's harrowing Road to Guantanamo.

Specifically, I was reminded of the use of, you guessed it, good old innocent Satan baiting HM as a technique for the 'gathering of information' from, in this case, a couple of Pommy schoolkids who'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time (Pakistan) post, and I hesitate to use the term, '9/11', and ended up in Cuba at the pleasure of one Mr Dubya Bush.

So, there you go- put two and two together and you get this, entry deux in this week's 'politics' themed jamboree:

Clockwise from top left: Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Ozzy Osbourne (Prince of *ahem* Darkness), Robb Flynn (Machine Head), Eric Klinger (Pro-Pain)

3.6.07

A Sunday evening freakout, spurred by the next President (don't let him tell you otherwise)...

Read this for a sampler.

It's your duty!

More to come later this week.