nevermind the bricolage

homebrewed

I've been hanging out with some frequency with my friends, Tripp Fuller and Bo Saunders, participating in live podcasts of their woldly successful Homebrewed Christianity podcasts. We usually so them at Monkish Brewery, or some other, establishment purveying the brewed nectar which is the lifeblood of Mr. Fuller, but this past Memorial Day, we did a somewhat impromptu podcast in Tripp's backyard. Musical guest was Bill Mallonnee, whose songs about America and insightful repartee are a great combo. I talked with Tripp and Bo about music woirth knowing about this year, and we got into a fairly intense and broad conversation about music in general. The show is slated to go online in the next week or so and I think we may have another larger, live event in a couple of weeks--check in one the site to stay informed.

blues for smoke and other la treats

The Museum of Contemporary Art is proud to present Blues for Smoke, a major interdisciplinary exhibition exploring a wide range of contemporary art, music, literature, and film through the lens of the blues and “blues aesthetics.” Turning to the blues not simply as a musical category, but as a web of artistic sensibilities and cultural idioms, the exhibition features works by more than 50 artists from the 1950s to the present, including many commissioned specifically for this occasion and others never before shown in Los Angeles, as well as a range of musical, filmic, and cultural materials.

I decided that I needed to get out of my head for a few hours, get away from some of the things that have been troubling me of late and expose myself to some creativity and beauty. The Blues for Smoke exhibit ends on January 7th so I thought I would check it out before it went away. It didn't disappoint--the idea seemed a little bit of a stretch on some levels, but the art was fantastic anyway, so it worked for me. I was particularly struck by the work of LA-based painter Henry Taylor and Romare Bearden's fantastic collages. There were familiar faces--Basquiat feautured---there was music, photogrpahy, installations (which I am realIsing impacts me more than I thought).

After that exhibit, I nipped next door to the Japanese American National Museum and checked out ther Giant Robot Biennale 3---I love Giant Robot, and Asian pop culture in general--so it was a treat--cools dolls/robots/figures, some interesting art pieces-both figuative and graffiti style.

Then it was Olvera Street, the cradle of Los Angeles to look at wrestling masks,baby Jesus' in every size imaginable, day of the dead skulls and cheesy tourist souvenirs--all in all, a delightful way to spend the day.

dia de los muertos

carmageddon II

Well, this weekend was meant to be the sequel to the event that didn't really happen the first time round. An over-saturated car-culture loses one of its most important freeway connections and it all goes to hell. That was the hype anyway last year, and it was completely negated as people took the opportunity to explore their own neightbourhoods and avoid travelling across town to buy cheese or whatever else it is that has us all criss-crossing this vast metropolis for hours on end. This weekend was the return of trouble supposedly--more work on the bridge that demanded the closing of the freeway. It's not over yet, but once again, we seem to have managed without this freeway, which is telling on some levels. Obviously, a weekend of re-routing or not driving is very different from a lifestyle change--and it is also the weekend so the roads are free of a huge amount of worker traffic commuting everywhere, but it does seem that it is possible to reduce driving and still function as a city!! They say the work is going well, it's due to finish before the Monday morning rush-hour, lets hope so, or we might see the carmageddon everyone is breathlessly talking about on the telly.

museum of jurassic technology

It's been a long week--fruitful and engaging, but long. i've been teaching an intensive on Theology and Popular music which eats up a good four hours a day in teaching time, and a lot of research/reflection time, because I like to keep things fresh and not deliver the same old stuff-we covered some good ground--history, development, cultire, context, methodology--heavy metal:)--well, you have to mess with a few heads!

Yesterday I took my Art Center students to the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Venice. It is a 'museum' of sorts--created by a husband and wife team with a wicked sense of humour and a marvellous creative capability. There is an introductory video presentation when you enter that declares,"In its original sense, the term, "museum" meant "a spot dedicated to the Muses, a place where man's mind could attain a mood of aloofness above everyday affairs"--yes, from the get go it messes with your head--you are never quite sure if anything is truly legitimate--it raises questions about the nature of reality and how presentation affects perception, and it's a great example of conceptual execution. It's one of LA's many secret gifts and should not be missed anytime you find yourself in our fair city.

summer with mark tansey

Summer hits today. 4:09 this afternoon to be precise. In honour of that, a typical summer scene in California, courtesy of Mark Tansey. Look closer, thats the rule with Tansey's work, things are not as they seem. For instance, it seems as though there is a truck riding the wave into shore, so are we certain this is the ocean? Or it can work upside down,

he didnt win though

One competitor you might think would have done better this past weekend in the marathon:) Oh wait, the first shall be last?

Mend the roads

My friend Gabri put me onto this, looks like it might be worth a visit. Like the t-shirt.

f*&k,b@#$ocKs ar$2h))les!!!! Tripp Fuller!

I am doing an event with Tripp Fuller on the 30th of September. It's a live Homebrewed Christianity get-together with all kinds of goodies planned--it should be fun, so if you are in the neighborhood come and join us for some profano-thelogy!! Sign up here.

happy labour day!

The first big Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882, by the Central Labor Union of New York. It was first proposed by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor in May 1882
Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday in 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day. Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland reconciled with the labor movement. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.The September date originally chosen by the CLU of New York and observed by many of the nation's trade unions for the past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers' Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair, which it had been observed to commemorate. All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories have made it a statutory holiday.(thank you wiki)