Watch. Listen. Look. Learn. Oh yeah, and God is dead! 
Monthly Archive for March, 2008
I’m gonna be brutally honest here (and brutal is a word that is going to be used liberally in this review), I’ve never been a fan of Swedish 5 piece Meshuggah. I have appreciated their intricate, mechanical and overtly technical attack on music, but they were never my scene. Their ability to methodically twist, turn and practically invert musical theory is something to behold. They mesh so many different forms of musical brutality and have this monstrous tonality that at times makes them seem not of this planet. You can’t tap your foot to this band, no matter how hard you try and melodies are so deeply buried in their sheer bludgeoned rhythms that it often is an exercise in sheer concentration to try and figure out just what the fuck is going on. And so the band have recently expunged their new offering Ozben to an unsuspecting public. I had no intention of buying this album, I’m not a fan of the band – but what caught my eye was the amazing cover art. I just couldn’t take my eyes off the majestic beauty of this thing… (artwork courtesy of the freaky Joachim Luetke) – and I strictly purchased this CD on its looks alone! I know! Bizarre! Weird! Like whoa dude, are you ok? And you know what? I’m glad I bought this because this piece of shiny plastic has blown me away in its ferocity, its intricacy and its mind-bending avant-garde pretentious, brutal as fuck swagger. I’ve had it pounding out of my car stereo in such volume that drivers in cars next to me look over in my general direction and tap the side of their heads as if trying to tell me something I don’t already know! This truly is a release that fully endorses why so many are calling it the Metal Album of the Year. This is the future of Metal.
With Vans about to launch a ‘Johnny Ramone’ clothing and footwear range – you too can ‘Beat On The Brat’ to your heart’s content.
A good time to cash in on a rock star is when he’s not around. And four years after his death, Johnny Ramone is a suitable candidate for a clothing collection, courtesy of Vans.
Due to launch in spring 2008, the collection includes a t-shirt with concert shot on front and Ramones logo on back (£25), Johnny Ramone stone washed grey super skinny jeans (£60) and a slip-on featuring the man and his signature (£38).
I noticed some flyers last weekend promoting the ‘Anonymous’ protest against the Church of Scientology. From what I have seen of these past worldwide protests – they look like they can be a lot of fun. Add to the fact that there could be some damn fine photo opportunities and a protest against the kooks of the Church of Scientology is something I am all for – yours truly was sure going to attend.
What can I tell you, I’m a sucker for seeing masked people running through the streets of Melbourne. I just wish I had reacted in time and got a mask for myself.
But before I continue, let me state from the outset – I’m all for people believing in whatever they damn well please. As long as they don’t preach to me or have the audacity to suggest how I should live my life – then I am totally cool. Heck, it would be refreshing if one day we could protest ALL religions/cults/pie-in-the-sky-smoke-dreams and the like (heh!) – but at least this is a start.
According to the Phobic Media website which was distributing the flyer I saw last week, “This is a peaceful demonstration to educate the general public in regards to the vindictive and often illegal policies secretly employed against enemies of the Church of Scientology. We also wish to address the misinformed and harmful teachings that have in the past led to the destitution and even death of members of the Church”.
That’s reason enough for me.
The hard-sell was to let my girlfriend know what I wanted to do this weekend!
Sam: "You wanna what?"
Me: "I wanna protest against the Church of Scientology and their evil ways! We can wear masks and march as one, and chant anti-Co$ slogans, and take photos, and be part of the fun!"
Sam: "The what?"
Me: "The Church of Scientology. You know, Tom Cruise, Xenu… that really cool South Park episode…"
Sam: "And you want me there too?"
Me: "Of course babe, it won’t be any fun without you!"
It kinda went all like that. Kinda.
So Sam and I headed to the city a little after 1.30 and met up with the masked throng on the steps of Flinders Street Station. It resembled organized-chaos but everyone present was definitely in the spirit of things and already, there was an atmosphere of fun and frivolity and it all felt like it would be a peaceful (yet colorful) protest.
I scouted around the crowd and took a few shots and the next thing I knew was that Sam had adorned a bandana of her own. (I knew I shoulda bought that Slipknot mask from a couple of months ago!)
We all marched as one to the Melbourne branch of the Church of Scientology.
Funnily enough, the CO$ had all but shut shop entirely. Guess they were a little too scared to be standing in their steps inviting people in for their ‘test’.
It was a great day. I enjoyed the heck out of protesting against this particular hokey religion. Now if we can hit Christianity next!
Check out some of today’s pics after the jump…
On April 5th, the New York art scene is going to get a lot darker. Legendary painter and tattoo artist Paul Booth, of Last Rites Tattoo Theatre, is opening up NYC’s only gallery devoted to the macabre, erotic and surreal.
Last Rites Gallery’s inaugural show, Transgression, curated by gallery director Genevive Zacconi, showcases artists ranging from internationally renowned sculptor and Alien designer H.R Giger to classical oil painter Shawn Barber, to tattoo-artist Vincent Castiglia, whose beautifully rendered watercolors are painted in his own blood. Designed to provoke thoughts and shatter taboos, Transgression will introduce viewers to 31 artists who change what we think art is.
Transgression opens on Saturday, April 5th, 7-10pm at Last Rites Gallery, 511 W. 33rd Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues (3 blocks from Penn Station), 3rd floor, New York, NY 10001. Show runs April 5th thru April 28th, 2008. More info at www.lastritesgallery.com.
..:: Now showing at Last Rites Gallery ::..
Participating artists include: Michael Hussar, John Abrahamson, Shawn Barber, Jon Beinart, Rachel Bess, Matthew Bone, Paul Booth, Patrick Byers, Vincent Castiglia, Colin Christian, Christopher Conte, Daniel Martin Diaz, HR Giger, Naoto Hattori, William B Hand. Fred Harper, Nikko Hurtado, John John Jesse, Stephen Kasner, Kevin Llewellen, Fabrice Lavollay, Laurie Lipton, Travis Louie, Jesse Pepper, Karl Persson, Dan Quintana, Celeste Rapone, JL Robbins, David Stoupakis, Heidi Taillerfer, Brian Viveros, Chet Zar.
About Last Rites Owner Paul Booth:
A tattoo artist for nearly two decades and a painter for years before that, Paul Booth has devoted his life to the evolution of his craft. In the tattoo industry, after years of public appearances and numerous international awards, Paul Booth is now a household name. He has been featured on networks such as CNN, MSNBC, DISCOVERY, A&E, TLC, and MTV.
Due to the macabre nature of his style, Paul has tattooed many major metal bands. As a result, in 2002, Rolling Stone Magazine dubbed Paul “The new king of rock tattoos.” There is currently a two-year waiting list for his work.
Jenna Jameson gets pounded while wearing pleather and PETA is against killing animals for their skin, so they have teamed up for PETA’s new ad campaign, Pleather Yourself. PETA believes people should wear fake leather because real leather comes from animals who endure miserable lives in farms. PETA says:
“…Having starred in hundreds of adult films, Jenna is known for being a strong, sexually aware woman. If you’re looking for advice on how to add some flare in the bedroom, she is the perfect expert to get help from. She is also a woman of her word and practices what she preaches. “I’ve worn a lot of pleather in my life,” she says. “Anybody that knows Jenna Jameson knows I’ve lived half my life in it…”
The irony must be lost on PETA, because Jenna Jameson had been looking like a chewed up piece of steak for a while. Good thing for PETA she’s getting hot again. At first I was skeptical how masturbating to a picture of Jenna Jameson dressed up like pleather-wrapped Betty Page would help cows around the world sleep on satin pillows, and I kinda still don’t, but it looks like PETA has been gracious enough to make sure I’ll want to try. Thanks PETA!
Watch a behind-the-scenes look after the jump…
I noticed some flyers over the weekend promoting the forthcoming ‘Anonymous’ protest against Scientology. From what I have seen of these worldwide protests – they can be a lot of fun. Couple that with the fact that there could be some damn fine photo opportunities, yours truly is going to attend. I’m a sucker for seeing masked people running through the streets of Melbourne.
Now, I’m all for people believing in whatever they damn well please – and it would be refreshing if one day we could protest ALL religions/cults/pie-in-the-sky-smoke-dreams and the like… (heh!) – but at least this is a start.
According to the Phobic Media website, “…This is a peaceful demonstration to educate the general public in regards to the vindictive and often illegal policies secretly employed against enemies of the Church of Scientology. We also wish to address the misinformed and harmful teachings that have in the past led to the destitution and even death of members of the Church…”
Kinda sounds like all religions to me, but what the hey? See you on the streets of Melbourne on Saturday. Hopefully I’ll come back with some cool shots to share.
Where?
Flinders St station (under the clocks) at 1:30-1:45 for an organisational meeting. From there, a core group will move to the Church of Scientology Melbourne Branch (Cnr Russell St & Flinders Lane).
It is incredibly difficult to put into words a review of the latest Nine Inch Nails release… ‘Ghosts I-IV’. In its vastness and scope and the mere fact that this is a veritable slab of over two hours of music… where does one even begin to analyze individual tracks or key moments in this Reznor opus? Add to the fact that there are no track identifiable track names – it all adds up to a unique and fresh listening experience. I absolutely adore what Reznor has accomplished here as I have always preferred his more experimental work. There is so much on offer here. So much style, technique, haunting ambience and emotion. It is all so grand yet at the same time, there is an element of rawness permeating throughout each track. It is going to take a long, long time to fully digest just what has been unleashed here.
The entire ‘Ghosts’ experience was all incredibly rewarding. I can’t recall such a buzz over a new release and the digital methodology that was used to deliver this music to the masses. These are exciting times for genuine music fans and genuine artists such as Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails who are actively seeking out new ways of doing things. Everything from the initial overworked servers and the moment of finally downloading the music (legally and intact as the artist wished) – to even managing to score the $300 Deluxe Edition as yours truly did – just added to the entire experience that was/is ‘Ghosts’.
Early in Jimmy Page’s career, one of his most relied upon guitars was the three-pickup 1960 Les Paul Custom ‘Black Beauty’ with a bigsby tailpiece. In 1970, the guitar was stolen and never recovered, but thanks to the Gibson Custom Shop, this guitar is back in the form of a new Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom, recently announced at NAMM.
No one has had a bigger impact on the style and sound of hard rock guitar than the deservedly legendary Jimmy Page. As the musical mastermind of Led Zeppelin, Page’s tone, playing, and phrasing made him one of the most influential musicians of the past 50 years.
In Zeppelin’s early days, Page relied heavily on a three-pickup 1960 Les Paul Custom ‘Black Beauty’ with a Bigsby tailpiece. Unfortunately, the guitar was stolen in 1970 at an airport and never recovered. Page has always felt that that particular guitar was “the one that got away.”
Gibson proudly returns Page’s cherished lost guitar in the form of the new Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom – a painstaking recreation of that iconic instrument, with the addition of some of the most innovative electronics to ever grace a Les Paul.
The result is this stunning ‘Black Beauty’ with a slim-profile neck, Page BurstBucker pickups, gold Bigsby vibrato and an innovative six-position toggle that lets you isolate the neck and bridge pickups, or add the middle in any combination. A stop tailpiece version is also available.
Limited to a worldwide edition of just 500 guitars, the Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom is Gibson’s heartfelt tribute to a true legend and to the guitar he loved and lost.
Go here for a sneak peek!
The countdown is on… officially one year and counting until the release of Watchmen on March 6 2009.
Watchmen was a twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. Originally published by DC Comics as a monthly limited series from 1986 to 1987, it was later republished as a trade paperback, which popularized the ‘graphic novel’ format.
To date, Watchmen remains the only graphic novel to win a Hugo Award, and is also the only graphic novel to appear on Time Magazine’s 2005 list of ‘the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.’
Watchmen is set in 1985, in an alternative history United States where costumed adventurers are real and the country is edging closer to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union (the Doomsday Clock is at five minutes to midnight). It tells the story of a group of past and present superheroes and the events surrounding the mysterious murder of one of their own. Watchmen depicts superheroes as real people who must confront ethical and personal issues, who struggle with neuroses and failings, and who – with one notable exception – lack anything recognizable as super powers. Watchmen’s deconstruction of the conventional superhero archetype, combined with its innovative adaptation of cinematic techniques and heavy use of symbolism, multi-layered dialogue, and metafiction, has influenced both comics and film.
So without further adieu…
