Category: Art

  • Thinking Out Loud (Online Lit Zine Idea)  

    I’m still kicking around the online lit magazine idea. I haven’t made any plans yet, just thinking it over. I did ask one editor a question about submissions, but other than that, haven’t made any progress on it.

    But I thought today would be as good as any day to put out some ideas and see if any of them stick.

    First, I still don’t have a name for the thing, and knowing me, it will be the last thing I do. What I have been thinking about is calling the project an “online lit zine.” Calling it a “magazine” sounds too ambitions and serious. Now, calling it a “journal” is a bit too pretentious, even for me. And then there is “zine” which feels a bit closer to the spirit of what I am attempting; which at this moment is not a whole lot, but “zine” does leave the door open to being funky and eccentric. Also, the first professional thing I ever got published was in a Dallas music zine, so it’s like an ode to my beginnings.

    I have also been thinking about the format of the thing, and publication in general. My first idea was to publish a flash piece a week, you know, and email it out to subscribers – like most online magazines do. I would like to get away from publishing an issue once, or several times a year. I prefer the idea that someone would submit something, I like it, it goes up right away. I prefer the idea of speed and immediacy. I am sure if and when I do this, I will come to understand why you should take your time and wait months and months after accepting a piece, to publish it. But as of right now, let’s get’em up! (Shoot now, ask questions later!) It would be cool to post five days a week, fifty-two weeks a year, and give around 260 writers a slot.  

    And I have to sell schwag on the site. I mean, is there any other way for an online lit zine to stay afloat? This does go back to needing a catchy name, co-opting an appropriate attitude. Then I would have to make runs of products limited, and over charge for them. Unless you get published on the site, then you would get it for free.

    Okay, I’m going to roll this over in my head now, and see what sticks.

    This might be a mistake, but feel free to drop a line sharing what you think works or doesn’t work when it comes to online lit magazines.

    And while I’m at it, like and subscribe you freeloaders.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Goodbye VICE, WONKA Disaster Documentary, and Disc Golf

    (Locks clipped nightly)

    I never trusted VICE. I remember watching an interview of Shane Smith, the co-founder, on Charlie Rose of all places. The two things I took away from his word salad answers was that HE was the only person who could save media, and HE was the coolest person on the earth. (You know, “He’s hip! He’s cool! He’s 45!”) Turns out VICE was never profitable, though it was valued in the billions, and all Smith was good at was convincing VC’s to give him millions over and over again. As for the media, they did what everyone else does; the C-Suite got paid millions while the staff was paid virtually nothing, and they put out tons of content- quality be damned – to drive up traffic. I do feel for all the people who lost their jobs, just like everyone over at BUZZFEED, and all the other writers at all the media companies. In the end, Shane Smith got what he really wanted; he’s rich.

    I’m not here to dog pile on that Scottish “WONKA Experience.” There are tons of great takes out there, so I won’t embarrass myself in trying. But I have started to wonder; How long until someone produces a WONKA Disaster documentary? I think it took two years for the Fyre Fest to get the treatment, so my guess is that in nine months we’re gun’na hear from the Oompa-Loompa bartender lady about what really happened. (UPDATE: The Fyre-ing of this has started)

    For me, it’s almost disc golf season. I have no idea if there is an official disc golf season, my guess is there is, but I view March as the start. I’m looking to make par this year, as I have never done that, it seems like a reasonable goal.

  • A Visual Language

    Last night, my daughter told me how she has started learning about mime in her school theatre class. Just so happens that I have had some mime training, and done a respectable bit of mime work on stage in Texas and NYC. We had a fun bit playing “being trapped in a box” and “throwing a ball” to each other. Then she asked me is it was possible to do a whole show just in mime? I told her it was, which she found hard to believe.

    So, I started looking for an example to give her, and the first idea I had was to show her a silent movie; Harold Lloyd’s “Safety Last” or Buster Keaton’s “The General” or “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” Not exactly mime, but physical enough to move a story along.

    Instead, what I showed her was Jacques Tati’s “Mr. Hulot’s Holiday” which is just a sweet, sincere gem of a movie. Though made in 1953, this French film plays like a silent movie, with Tati playing the character of Mr. Hulot. Tati was a trained mime who transitioned to the French film business, and this movie was the best example to show my daughter how mime can be used to tell a story. Though it is French, there is very little dialogue in it, and what there is are just easy to read subtitles. For the best explanation of this movie, I suggest reading Roger Ebert’s review in his Great Movie series.

    And the kid got it. I mean, it did take her a minute to understand that no one was going to talk, and that though it was a comedy, this wasn’t a belly laugh, slapstick comedy. But she saw how jokes were set up, how you could read what someone was thinking about their facial expression, or how they put their hands on their hips and what that might mean when the front door is left open. And how you knew Hulot was a good guy because he was patient with a dog sleep in the road, and a gentleman towards the young woman staying in the hotel. She learned quickly, or maybe she already knew it, to pick up no what each person was doing, and how those actions help explained they type of character they were.

  • The Beatles Movies in 2027

    I just so happen that I have my Let It Be tee-shirt on today. It’s a cold day here in New York, and this shirt is rather thick and goes well with my favorite sweater. Anyway, it was a good day to be a Beatles fan.

    If you haven’t heard, Sam Mendes is to direct four movies, each based from the perspective of John, George, Paul and Ringo, telling the story of The Beatles. It appears that the four movies will be intertwined, and will conclude with the breakup of the band in 1970.

    The second I heard the news, the first thing I thought of was that this was the start of The Beatles Cinematic Universe… only to find out that about a million other Beatles fans, and non-fans alike, were making the same joke. Sadly, I was being serious. I actually want to see a movie, or at least a limited series, based on the life of Mal Evans. (IYKYK) I would love it if you could get all the official Beatles movies (Hard Day’s Night, HELP!, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, Let It Be, Anthology, Eight Days a Week, and Get Back) in one place, as well as additional stuff – like a Mal Evans movie, as well as one about Neil Aspinall, and George Martin. Not to mention how cool it would be to get a series about Brian Epstein.

    If you have read any of my other Beatles posts, then you know I fully admit that I will be first in line with whatever is put out by Apple, Paul, Ringo, John and George’s estates. I am biased in the highest degree with anything Beatle. Even when I’m a little judgmental about something they put out, I still will love the shit out of it.

    So, in that vein; this whole project is about making money, staying relevant, and controlling the narrative. Look, The Beatles have always had an eye on making the most amount of money as possible, and that attitude has served them well. You don’t become a billion-dollar band by giving your music away for free. I think the relevant issue is becoming apparent as time goes on. Baby Boomers are starting for the exit now, and though Gen-X has some pretty die-hard fans, the number of people who remember them from the 60’s is shrinking, and their impact on music is become more of a story than a memory in the collective cultural consciousness. Which leads me to controlling the narrative, and I have been rather critical of Paul for this one. Ringo, god bless him, appears to be cool with how ever he’s remembered, and that’s pretty on brand for him. But Paul – he appears to be the driving force to make sure that The Beatles stay The Beatles after he’s gone. Just looking at Anthology, Eight Days a Week, Get Back, and the final single Now and Then, all projects pushed hard by Paul, the story being sold here is timeless music created by people who were great friends, and loved every minute of it because it was so much fun. Sure, there were ups and downs, but in the end, it was all about love. Not sure if I believe that, but personal nostalgia can be a hard force to fight, especially if it makes you feel good at the end of the day.

    Will I go to these movies? Oh My God, YES! I will be first in line, but I won’t dress up. I’m not that level of fan, but I will be there.

    Because even for me, The Beatles are part of my personal nostalgia as well. Listing to The White Album in my room when I was in 9th grade, over and over again. Trying to figure out if there were deeper meanings to those lyrics, and how I wished love was like the way these songs sounded, and man, it must have been so cool, and fun to be in a band… fifteen year old me was inspired by them, they helped me feel optimistic and hopeful, and that we can work it out and love could solve all problems. That’s a good feeling to have, to be reminded of, to experience.

    So yeah, even if it’s awful, I’ll be there enjoying it.   

  • ODDS and ENDS: Anyone Remember This, Super Bowl, and Sketchbooks

    (Guidelines are for losers)

    Does anyone remember Faces of Death? I’ve never seen it, nor do I want to. But the other day the movie popped in my head. I had a flashback of a memory from high school of finding out that it would be playing at a local dollar theatre at midnight, and how we all had to go. Through a combination of curfews and chickening-out, most of us didn’t go and see it. The handful of guys who did go just ended up arguing about how much of the movie was real or faked. (Turns out most of it was faked.) It’s funny thinking back on how controversial Faces of Death was back in the early 90’s, but also it’s not surprising how we couldn’t keep away from it. And don’t get me started on Banned from TV.

    I pick KC. I will also buy frozen hot wings from Trader Joe’s along with those frozen Mac ‘n Cheese balls this weekend for the game. Don’t give two craps about Usher; not that I have anything against him, he’s a talented man, just never been a fan. So… yeah; super bowl, yeah…

    I haven’t been drawing in my sketchbook lately. I have in my bio that I am a “sketchbook enthusiast,” but with my lack of production lately, I’m not sure if I can call myself that anymore. (It also begs the question; does anyone read bio’s let alone mine?) My daughter got a couple of sketchbooks for Christmas after having been inspired by her art teacher. She tries to draw something every day, and most of what she draws are cartoon characters, which is great. I hope that she establishes this as a habit that she keeps up with. Not that I am expecting her to become some “artist.” I just would like for her to have a creative outlet – a way to express herself and her feelings. Nothing bad comes from that.