Notes from Aboveground:
2005.07.06
8 days till Comic-Con. Along with some new KnM paintings, there are 40 seconds of new KnM animation coming just in time for Comic-Con! Here's a clue about the subject matter:
"When it's time to change you won't know how! It won't matter years from now! No matter what you think or do or saaaaay! Everything turns grey!"
yes yes yes
2005.07.05
Picked up the new Sufjan "Come On Feel the Illinois." Make sure you buy it. It's really good, but be careful not to tell too many people or else he might start getting popular and if that happens, we can't listen to him anymore.
In other news, I am an idiot.
I watched some of those Live 8 concerts on that "Music Television" station. Hey, did you see that Dire Straits video with those crazy "computer graphics?" Anyway, it's hard to watch and not be critical. I mean isn't MTV the very bastion of consumption and materialism promotiong everything that keeps Americans overfed and unconcerned? Live 8 "Make Poverty History" coverage provided by the same network that airs MTV Cribs and Pimp My Ride? See how easy criticism is? Of course I was at my worst at the site of Paris Hilton there. Paris, who spends thousands of dollars on dresses she wears once or never. Paris, who on that funny show makes a mockery of working class Americans. Paris, who not only represents, but even GLORIFIES the very cultural system that worships money and ingnores the poor. And there she was at "Make Poverty History." See how easy? But she was there, and maybe she opened her eyes a bit. You have to hope for her. I believe in Paris Hilton. And Brad Pitt was on 60 Minutes walking through a village in Africa. He's bringing the message and that's a good thing. Maybe America will listen.
2005.06.19
I'm printing up a 16 page comic book. Click below to see what the cover will look like:
I finally saw that piece of crap Star Wars Episode III. Horrible. I didn't realize how much I hated the new episodes until I went through some of my old comics. eg.
comics/jacquespen6.html
comics/scorpius.html
Among all the problems I have with new Star Wars, I think what bothers me most is that the force and especially the concept of jedi's is totally and permanently ruined. The force is no longer something outside the material world, or something on a higher plane. It's now just manipulation of midiclorians or something idiotic like that. And jedi's are just a bunch of politicians now, a boring set of bureaucrats discussing trivial things like "democracy."
It's red tide in San Diego which means the surf will be lighting up at night, and you should go out and watch it, and I might have to put a scene of glowing surf in the Fellowship of the Parakeet which I haven't forgotten about.
2005.06.06
PISTONS WIN/ Rasheed Wallace is awesome
photos from http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/DETMIA_050606.html
Nick was in town for a couple days. We did some painting at the Meaningless Creature collective. I didn't know or had forgotten that his dad was a producer who worked with Hendrix, among others. Nick gave me some great stuff by Nigerian genius Fela Kuti. Have you seen that Heineken commercial with the Alarm song "68 Guns?" That's awesome.
I had forgotten how good that Radiohead album Kid A was.
I recommend that you all continue rocking.
2005.05.30
It's been a month of Sundays... I was working on a full book with all the Kleeman and Mike comics up to FotP, but I had to postpone it indefinitely. Hopefully this won't be like when a band takes a break "indefinitely" because whenenver a band takes a break indefinitely that means they're broken up.
I still might print up a 16 page comic book as kind of a sampler to have available at Comic-Con.
I put up a new dreamy trailer at Ando's site. Check it out.
2005.04.28
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There have been unconfirmed sightings of the amazing ivory-billed woodpecker during the last 50 years, but most scientists have believed the bird to be extinct. I remember getting excited three years ago when someone reported hearing the birds in the deep woods of Louisiana. But after months of searching the area birders and scientists found nothing. At that point I was convinced the bird was extinct. |
April 28, 2005. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The ivory-billed woodpecker, long feared extinct, has been seen in a remote part of Arkansas 60 years after the last confirmed U.S. sighting, ornithologists said on Thursday. Full story at cnn
Thanks to Jeremy for the heads up.
top image from http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/wildlife/nesting_birds/birds3.htm
2005.04.24
Yes indeed. I am working on a Kleeman and Mike BOOK! I'll be printing it next month and plan to have it for sale at Comic-Con in July. Whenever I say "Comic-Con" in conversation I always do the pushing-up-the-glasses motion with the Conan O Brien nerd voice. "nnnn....Comic-Con! nnn...Gandalf!"
Pitchfork had a blurp on the new Sufjan CD coming out in July. Like the Michigan concept album, this one is dedicated to a state, Illinois. Man, I was just thinking the other day about how much I love that song "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Restore! Rebuild! Reconsider!)" off the Michigan album. I mean "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Restore! Rebuild! Reconsider!)" has such great dynamics. And the first chorus with the guitar sample and the "do, do, do..do-do-do" and the echoing horns on the second chorus of "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Restore! Rebuild! Reconsider!)". and I love those last two minutes of organ on "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Restore! Rebuild! Reconsider!)".
But check out the crazy track listing from the new album. This album is going to rule
01 Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL
02 The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience But You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, "I have fought the Big Knives and will continue to fight them until they are off our lands!"
03 Come on! Feel the Illinoise!
-Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition
-Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream
04 John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
05 Jacksonville
06 A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, But for Very Good Reasons
07 Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step Mother!
08 One Last "Woo-hoo!" for the Pullman
09 Chicago
10 Casimir Pulaski Day
11 To the Workers of the Rockford River Valley Region, I have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament, and it involves shoe string, a lavender garland, and twelve strong women
12 The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
13 Prairie Fire That Wanders About
14 A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze
15 The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!
16 They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhhh!
17 Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All the Way Out in Bushnell
18 In This Temple, as in the Hearts of Man, for Whom He Saved the Earth
19 The Seer's Tower
20 The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders
-Part I: The Great Frontier
-Part II: Come to Me Only With Playthings Now
21 Riffs and Variations on a Single Note for Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, and the King of Swing, to Name a Few
22 Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I shake the dirt from my sandals as I run
2005.04.23
Copeland show was fun last night. Got to catch up with James a bit. They're doing great. Sold out House of Blues in Anaheim, Troubadour in LA, and last night's Ground Zero show (900 people). Drew and Julie were at the show and had fun except for when their car got a boot. You guys should've done like me and parked illegally ACROSS THE STREET and then just jaywalked across to the show.
2005.04.21
So some friends of mine were discussing online the latest developments on American Idol. I saw one of the shows and said VONZELLLLL needs to win! They were all talking about this Carrie girl and how she's going to win. So I looked at the site and read her "bio." This is exactly how it appears on the site, and it's easy to read these two questions as related and if you do you'll see why I'm showing it here.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I can't buy underwear.
How has this changed your life?
It's made me appreciate my family more.
http://idolonfox.com/contestants/carrie_underwood/
2005.04.18
Thanks to everyone who came out to see Kleeman and Mike at the Florida Film Fest! Glad to hear Hugo was able to hook some people up with free KnM shirts and stickers! (And thanks to Hugo for being there to represent).
Stopped by The Surf Gallery in Laguna Saturday for Andy's art show which featured the book he did with Andrew Kidman. It's called Way of the Bird and you can buy it at amazon here.
Way of the Bird |
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Mr Andy Davis |
2005.04.15
Kleeman and Mike animated short playing TONIGHT Friday April 15 in the animated shorts program at the Florida Film Festival Enzian Theater Orlando FL. 9:30 PM. Wish I could be there to see all my friends! Hugo will be there answering questions about the cartoon (and maybe giving away some KnM stuff!)
2005.04.03
Plan to post parts 25, 26, and 27 together, but it might be a while as I'm busy working a lot.
I haven't sent out stickers for people who have emailed me because there's a new sticker design for the Weepies sticker, which I'll have in a couple weeks. I'll send 'm then. Also, I'm almost out of the KnM head stickers and I don't have any money to order new ones. If you want some though, you can still order them no problem. Just mail me the address to send them to along with a check for $450.
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