I Just Couldn't Help Myself

The costumes at the Miss Universe Competition are SO COOL!
Miss Nigeria -I believe I could squeeze another best friend in.
Miss Venezuela- lets trade clothes sometime.
Miss America- seriously, what the hell.
Miss Dominican Republic- That getup is so not PC but I still love you.



Please watch this one so you can see Miss Albania, who has freaky dragon profiles in her face; Miss China, who is scary and amazing; Miss Guatamala, call me.

Uncle Sam Interviews Helen Thomas On The State Of The U.S.

Helen Thomas, who has been with the White House Press Corps since JFK, sits down with Uncle Sam of Funny or Die to talk Bid Laden, the economy, and gay marriage.

The Uncle Sam Interviews: Helen Thomas - watch more funny videos

Moe Tucker

Rock and Roll is supposed to be trangressive. Its supposed to make you want to take down the man, start a revolution, tell the truth, make everyone uncomfortable with your risque dance moves. Yet often times rock is made by those who don't have much experience with life beyond swiping their parents car for the evening. I suppose that's why discovering the later solo albums by Moe (Maureen) Tucker was such a revelation.
After spending her early twenties making some killer albums with the Velvet Underground, Moe moved to Arizona and then Georgia, had a whole handful of kids, and started working at WalMart. She played for a while in Arizona with Alan Bishop of the Sun City Girls in their band, Paris 1942. Eventually she slowly started writing and recording her own stuff and put out the album Playin Possum. This album features Moe on all instruments and was recorded in her living room dubbed Trash Records.



With the encouragement and help of the band Half Japanese Moe managed to quit the WalMart job and go on tour. In 1989 she put out the album Life in Exile after Abdication which is my personal favorite and includes help from Lou Reed, Jad Fair, Daniel Johnston and members of Sonic Youth. This album feels like everything a rock album should be... the opening of Hey Mersh has killer guitar licks by Thurston Moore and the song chronicles the excitement of going shopping and hanging with Sterling Morrison's wife Martha. The second track has a fun dancey tone with really unfun topics - Spam Again is a mother singing to her kid as she heads out for another day working at WalMart. She's explaining how they need to eat Spam for dinner again because the man who owns the big store needs more money. In the song Work she goes back to this topic with a more pissed tone, faster beats, far out guitar work. The lyrics of Work explain that feeling you get when you look at your meager paycheck and go 'what the hell, this can't be right'. I'm pretty sure everyone whose worked for minimum wage knows this feeling and yet I've never heard a song about it. These songs go back to the begining of rock - when songs chronicled racism and classism, getting away with it because of the sheen of fun beats and sex appeal. Moe Tucker takes this to a new level by being an average looking middle aged woman, and further updates the theme with the modern day extortionists like big business. These are songs that are far more subversive than what a typical twenty something dude with a record deal could come up with. Fully flushing out the album as what we need from rock are a few mellow and introspective tunes like Goodnight, Irene originally recorded by Lead Belly in 1932 and Moe's trippy and girlish cover of The Velvet Underground's Pale Blue Eyes. Although she might have been raising her kids and scraping by down in Georgia in the 80s this album sounds modern even for today. The guitar is killer in a Sonic Youth/Meat Puppets way, the vocals would make any Vivian Girlsesque band jealous, and the upbeat fun percussion reminded me of Moe's friend Jonathan Richman or Moe herself.

Moe Tucker went on to make I Spent A Week There The Other Night in 1991 and Dogs Under Stress in 1994. She toured a whole lot and was joined by Sterling Morrison on guitar, John Sluggett (Half Japanese) on bass, Sonny Vincent on guitar, and former Violent Femme Victor DeLorenzo on drums. Moe still lives with her family in Georgia and has played with and produced a few other bands albums at this point as well as touring with the Velvet Underground reunion tours. Back when she was first playing with them she was known as that androgonous kid sister who played standing up and banged away with mallets or occasionally played on buckets when her drums were stolen. I really encourage everyone to download her solo albums and check out this gift that keeps giving -Moe Tucker. You can download Life in Exile After Abdication free here http://tooshortalife.blogspot.com/2009/03/maureen-tucker-life-in-exile-after.html

Get Your 30 Rocks Off

I should have known that the obvious follow-up to the Nailin' Palin porn would have to be a 30 Rock porn. I really hope they reference this somehow on the actual show.



Here's the clean trailer for the porn:


I don't know I think the actual Liz Lemon/Tina Fey would still be a better bone.
Here's a fun little best of Liz Lemon video.


Maybe they got the idea from the 1- 900- OKFACE part on 30 Rock

Arugula Eating Elitist Bohemians and Other Republicans In Disguise

Finding out that Whole Foods is run by a bunch of right wing asshats was similar to finding out about Vice Magazine's not so secret bigoted and war mongering leanings. The realization was sort of like "Really....oh yea, duh!".
Whole Foods CEO John Mackey has been running his mouth lately about his opposition to health care reform. It was a nice little nail in the coffin to his public stance against the Employee Free Choice Act. Of course his way to deal with the vast amounts of uninsured and under-insured is to feed them healthier food,,,,, healthier Whole Foods food. This kind of victim blaming shit drives me crazy. Eating more overpriced tomatoes that have been sent here on a jet from Argentina is not going to prevent car accidents, cancer, or even cover your doctor bills should you get pregnant.

Of course according to Mackey

"Recent scientific and medical evidence shows that a diet consisting of foods that are plant-based, nutrient dense and low-fat will help prevent and often reverse most degenerative diseases that kill us and are expensive to treat."

According to Mackey the reason we can't reform health care is .....

"The last thing our country needs is a massive new health care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us much closer to a government takeover of our health care system."

I love how he says "health care entitlement". How dare people feel entitled to be healthy.
Of course we managed to create huge deficits without a health care system...... and in reference to the government takeover - can we import a whole bunch of Canadians or Europeans here to talk to people about government run health care. Why are conservatives afraid of the government controlling everything but uteruses and wedding vows.

In reference to the above comment about Vice Magazine just check out the article Hip To Be Square that Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes penned for The American Conservative back in 2003. The article is rife with blood curdling opinions but here are a few in reference to immigration...

"Immigration is out of hand, and it’s only going to get worse. Where were the young conservatives to come to our defense? Was the dumb community in control of the entire country?"

"The joy of mass immigration is easy to talk about when you live in the suburbs and benefit from cheap housecleaning, but when you are going to schools that are 50 percent Spanish and watching your education slip through your fingers, you tend to be a little more pragmatic."

or this little gem...
"......the difference between liberals (equality first, truth last) and conservatives (truth first, everything else second)."

So in conclusion, I'm really annoyed at the crazed barbeque shopping spree I had at Whole Foods a few weeks ago. Many are calling for a Whole Foods boycott, I am just encouraging you to go in and eat as much as you want off the salad bar and olive/mozzarella kiosk. Vice is free so you really can't boycott it, and I've had quite a few friends get photos published in it - which is sort of like eating straight out of their salad bar so thats cool. I guess its just important to not feed into the Vice mindset of shitting on homeless people, blaming 'the gays' for your insecurities, and dividing girls into fuckable and fuck after I fuck the other girlable. Just remember that when Lucifer returns he might have a really cool haircut and be offering you a veggie burger.

Guest Post: Women of Metal

With female-fronted metal a deeply commercialized genre unto itself nowadays I thought it might be important to take a look at the women in metal who don't pander to the two biggest clichés of XY metal of novelty or sexy novelty (see here).

With this following selection, which is certainly piecemeal for such a gargantuan genre, I hope to highlight bands where the presence of the gendered other simply fades to black--or death, grind, doom, etc...

Sam

13, an all-women sludge band. The guitarist, Liz Buckingham, is now in Electric Wizard after tenure in the also sludgy, Sourvein.


Runhild Gammelsæter, Thorr's Hammer (sound only, the only good video was utterly inaudible.)

The excellent and mighty Kat of Salome. She also contributed vocals to Agoraphobic Nosebleed's last album!

Mel Mongeon of the Canadian epic grind band, Fuck the Facts.


Phoenix AZ's finest death/thrash band (with some war grind thrown on top), Landmine Marathon. Grace Perry on vocals.



Dana Duffey, Demonic Christ & Mythic
Here are two classic slabs of metal courtesy of the genre's veritable Kwai Chang Caine, Dana Duffey. Click here to read an interview where she discussed shitty drummers, the vagaries of metal genres, the advantages of raising a daughter in the occult arts and many other fine topics.

Here's Mythic's pre-Duffey incarnation, Derkéta. While the band was formed in 1989 by Sharon Bascovsky, Jared Altamare and a "Heather," this song was taken from 1999 release. Sharon & Jared now play in the brutal death band, Evisicum--who, by the way, are pretty sweet!

Cadaveria in Opera IX, seen here in '94. Unfortunately I have to urge readers to steer clear of her recent work which is basically female-fronted variation of power groove butt-rock.


The ultra brutal Lori Bravo of the classic 90's death/grind band, Nuclear Death. Recently, Lori has taken on a strange relationship to the internet, best seen here.

SF's best BM band, Ludicra. Laurie Sue Shanaman on Vocals & Christy Cather on Guitar &

Vocals.

Flagitious Idiosyncrasy in the Dilapidation

1/4 man, 3/4 women brutal grind from Japan. Makiko (Vocals), Kanako (Bass), Tomoko (Drums)

Gallhammer

All-female mid-tempo retro-BM--also from Japan, formed out of the psychedelic noise band, Death Comes Along and the crust/grind band, Meat Slave. Mika Penetrator (vocals, guitars); Vivian Slaughter (vocals, bass); Risa Reaper (drums, vocals).

Under Satan's Sun

A personal favorite! Fronted by Silvie and Chloe Jensen (sisters I believe...). This is what female-fronted melodic BM should sound like! (with NNCK/Angelblood-er, Dave Nuss, on drums)

Wykked Wytch

Great 90s technical death/thrash with brutal vocals courtesy of Miss Ipek. Like OIX and ND, it's best to stick with the older work...

The Great Kat

While this second Kat of the list certainly does fall into the novelty side of women in metal (Eureka! A female Yngwie!), the camp extremes to which she subjects her audiences more than makes up for whatever A&R team thought her up. In this video, not only does she give Yngwie a run for his money but also Mick Barr.

To end, here is the inimitable Adris Hoyos of the not-really metal no-core band, Harry Pussy. Be warned however, Hoyos brings the brutal...

Quote Of The Day

"Each sex has a relation to madness. Every desire has a relation to madness. But it would seem that one desire has been taken as wisdom, moderation, truth, leaving to the other sex the weight of a madness that cannot be acknowledged or accommodated." 
— Luce Irigaray

Slave To The Rythm

Okay starting on a mellow note, I've been really into this song for a few months. Sinead O'Conner and Shane MacGowan (of The Pogues) did this awesome little number for the movie Sid and Nancy. Sam makes fun of me when I play this song, but I really like the way their voices are complete opposites.


And now for something completely different. Lene Lovich is such a crazy!


At some point I need to do a whole post of just Grace Jones video. The woman is epic.


Okay this might be the most sexual video I've ever put on here. However I think Shakira is kind of awesome. She writes all her own stuff, has some crazy dance moves, and she tends to seem very in control of her shit. This is my favorite pop song of the summer.

Shakira - New Music - More Music Videos

The Personal Has Recently Not Been That Political ... and pretty distracted

So the blogging has been a little slow lately but finally I'm back. As you can see from this photo I've been too busy goofing off in sunflower fields. Well not really, I moved and had no internet and also I'm working on an upcoming solo show at Real Fine Arts. Aside from getting all of that in order my website got hacked and google took it down which sucks. So untill I get that figured out I've got even more time to devote to the Unconscious and Irrational.











So this is the new pad.... a total mess currently.


Yes that is our futon in shambles on the floor.



I've been too busy to post stuff because I've been climbing crazy vines at Herb Smokler's house in CT



This photo is a good example of how sometimes at studio its more fun to stare out the window than to make art.




Come to my show!

The State of Our Health Care Debate

Rachel Maddow has been doing an awesome job breaking down the crazyness over the healthcare debate. Frankly its scaring the shit out of me, which had me wondering for a while if she was actually using the scare tactics that the GOP seems to be using on its constituents. However, I've decided I'm okay with that because watching the town hall meetings that have been going on is making me realize that we liberals need a few coals thrown under our butts. The bummer to the whole situation is that I do think there needs to be a debate over the health care reform so that we can make sure it includes the needs of citizens and not just insurance companies. Yet, its the insurance companies that are in fact masterminding the insanity that is turning the town hall forums into unfocused one sided shouting matches. This way no actual conversation can be had. The team over at Rachel Maddow has been doing some real journalism to find out who is behind the chaotic town hall meetings and mass scare tactics. I really recommend checking out the show. If you don't get a chance to catch it on tv you can download it for free and watch it on your ipod. Also, take a note from Sarah Silverman and dare to talk to your grandparents about politics - let them know that Obama does not want to kill them. Seriously thats the tactic Fox news, Sarah Palin, and the rest are taking at this point.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Also one last thing.....I'm really sick of people on facebook(usually kids I grew up with) posting shit that says "Just ask a Canadian person if they like their shitty health care... ". All the Canadians I know think we're a bunch of loonies who need to get with the program. I don't actually think the kids posting this shit know anyone who grew up outside Connecticut.

The Good Witch of Modeling : Kristen McMenamy

When I was young my mom would drop me off at the Groton Library to work on science or history reports. Well at first I'd work on the report, then I'd go look at the books on anarchism or the average array of fashion magazines. The library had pretty decent magazines, and although I agree that a lot of fashion magazine's make everyone feel poor and fat, my experience pouring over Vogue or other high fashion stuff was actually really helpful.

I can't find a good example of what teen magazine girls look liked at this point but picture a 16 year old Maggie Rizer. Teen magazines were horribly annoying with their smiley lip glossy photo spreads and the 'put something on a high shelf and ask him to get it for you' dating advice.

Anyhow, finding magazines that had a more dynamic concept of beauty than the average happy teen magazine actually made me feel a lot better. The fact that something could be kind of dark and off putting and intriguing but beautiful for those reasons was kind of like finding art or other inspired friends....it gave me some hope that there was more to life than the average jr. high experience.
Recently I saw a photo of Kristen McMenamy at the Met gala and thought 'Who's that crazy woman, she's kind of amazing'. Then I realized she was one of the main models I used to love in those magazines back in the mid 90s...

Kristen McMenamy





















Well anyhow, Kristen McMenamy has been popping up again a lot lately. Like some sort of good white witch she's still kind of freaky and ethereal. She's also super busy with ads for Lanvin, shoots in Vogue Italia, and walking the runway for Givenchy. At 42 she's even more unconventional than she was back in the 90s, which is nice cause she still makes growing up look awesome.

The Simpleton Husband

Sarah Haskin's latest Target Women goes hand in hand with my post the other day about idiot sitcom husbands. She points out that husbands in commercials are such simpletons that you can not trust them to water the lawn, never mind drive a car. She doesn't even get into paper towel ads that show klutzy men and children to be completely unaware of the existence of paper towels, mops, or sponges. Good thing for that wise wizard known as Mom. Anyhow, I heard Haskins will be covering more topics about men since clearly our gendered issues go hand in hand. No one escapes the all powerful commercial.