Comics For Non-Nerds: Jack Kirby

Nerds know who this man is.

Comic Book fans have a heart jump whenever his name is mentioned.

I think ANYONE should know Jack Kirby's work. Not only cause he influenced moder art, pop-cultture and is still the most unsurpassed pure artist that the genre has (and proof is in the thousands of other artists who are directly or indirectly possessed by his style).

If you have to learn what The Man (capital letters intended) is at his most personal and unleashed, save some bucks and get the magnificient hardcover editions of his "Omnibus" that DC comics put out. Its four volumes that deal with super hero characters but actually do more:

They build Myth.

And i'm not talking about myth in the half-assed way that lots of artists and psychologist use the term. Kirby is a creator of Visions, Tales of giant and titans that fight against unexplicable evil (see his unparalalled take on Darkseid) to save the fabric of reality itself from unraveliong. His drawings are like Paintings, they explode in nyour eyes and assault your senses on any possible level. His words sparkle like electrified spoken rock. Some of his sentences even sound good.

And his ideas, his stories. The absolute romaticism, the utter insanity, the epic powerhouse of daring experiments with storytelling. And the fun. Kirby was fun. Reading him as an adult just makes you feel turning back to a state of purity, exhilaration, awe and a "wow how the hell can you think of THIS" feeling....

Seriously my words cant give you much more than a hint of the glory that this man is. Just read his stuff.

"I think the world Should have cried, on the day Jack Kirby Died" -Monster Magnet

http://kirbymuseum.org/

The REAL Issue With Having Children.

Seems like there's an increasing numberof comedians, writers, womwn and men that are all about their pride in NOT wanting children.

Whwn it comes to ladies, every reason is right. They have to deal with the debilitating experience that is childbirth, the physical mutations that it causes and the cuirse that it puts on you. Lots of ignormaus people especially in places like Bumblefuck, RedNeckia or the italian cities like La Puta Catolica, women have to survive the relntless dreck of dealing with family and friends who force them into motherhood or pressure them about it. So any woman has the right to say "fuck it" to that, and more.

When it comes to men, my opinion is a bit different. As much as everyone likes to believe that when it comnes to children , men and women are equal, they're not. Men, for the most part, do not have father instincts in them. they will adapt, be affectionate, do their part, but nature did not make them as caring creatures. Menh are self-centered, sperm containers and i say this as one of them.

So often you will hear a guy either being against having kids and using excuses as "overpopulation" (like any of them really cares) or "become succesful" (like any of them ever becomes succesful). At the opposite, you'll the most terrifying sentence ever uttered: "I'll have kids because a man has to". Maybe you wont hear it so clearly, you might just hear "well, if it happens, it happens". If you're dating this guy, dump him. Why? Ok....

90% of people are not going to be good parents. Women are going to do most of the good part, but the majority of men will not be good fathers. They will not really love their child. They will have the immediate affection a la "Oh look, a new pet" but when it comes to dealing with the issue that is building a person's life and character, they will fail. I think that having a kid, needs to mean making him or her happy. It has to be.

It's not like theres too many people on the planet. The problem is that there's too many unhappy ones. Hurt, lonbely and broken. And chances are that most of us would just make a little one, more miserable. We will say we love them but they will always be that thing that got in our way and changed our lives. The reason for us giving up, while we would've given up anyways.

So ask yourself: "could i have a child and make him grow happy, balanced, strong and not unleash my failures on him, even accidentally"

If the answer is honest, it will probably be "No". Nothing wrong with that. But if you think you can, then have them. But love them for real. Dont pretend to.

Sunday Fairy Tale.

Once Upon a time, a young boy with a sweet disposition and rosey cheeks named Andrea thought the world was in his palms.

He didnt have a quiet childhood. Didnt think his parents were bad or to balme for anything cause most parents are people who happened to create another human being and cannot handle what that ends up meaning. His parents were not ready for him. They didnt love each other, or if they did, anything between them had disappeared in a haze of pettiness, betrayal, booze and pain. His father was a man wqho got bullied a lot whn he was a kid and who was on a quest of showing he was strong by bullying others. His mother had dreams and a loving family, but they died all at different stages of her life, so she married a man who promised her security. It was a lie. He hit her, insulted her, corroded her daily with sarcasm and fear, so she started drinking and being mean. And then they had a kid.

They raised him, somehow but they were broken and didnt know how to love this little thing who forced the together, so they kinda resented him and he got that. They never were a family.

The kid grew up thinking that it was normal to be screamed at and called "faggot" by your dad. That it was normal to clean up piss and blood from the floor on christmas eve, and then pull up your mom, heavy and passed out, to put her in bed while she bglamed you for everything in her life.

The kid tried to build himself a life, spine, a skeleton. He fell in love with the wrong person, like most of his kind do. He thought he could win. But those things never work. So he slipped.

He loved to quiet his panicky head with alcohol, l.ike his mother did. Got drunk until he passed out. Crashed into places. Hurt himself, a lot. Somnehow he thought he was a rockstar, all of that excess made him feel powerful and high. Stronger, loved and aprreciatted. He didnt know that his weirdest companion was creeping inside his head.

Slowly his mind unraveled. At times he felt on top of a mountain, acting like Jagger or Steven Tyler in pubs, Spendin his money on alcohol, drugs and vintage clothes. changing the color of his hair, wearing make up, hanging with weird people that enabled his vices but always were there for him. He liked to exhaust himself, to sleep around, to have sex with weird people, to get himself to the bottom. But he was going loose.

At times that energy he had got too high. He wanted too much, he was too angry, too happy, too over the top. Screaming at people, starting fights, getting beaten. At times he could barely get out of bed and just laid there without eating, wanting to sleep his life aways. And everyuthing seemed like it was slipping away. He abandoned faith ages ago, but he grasped it back cause it made the noises less loud. He thought that god was watching him and he was punshing for his mistakes. That if he started praying regularly, like a compulsive ritual, with regular numbers of prayers, things would have changed. If he did only one mistake in the prayers, eve a mall one, god would have punished him with more pain. He started atoning for his sin by denying himself food, sleep, sex, anything. Gave away his stuff cause it would please the lord.

And he heard voices, noises, saw lights and stuff that amde the world scary. Or he just didnt hear anything and cried all day and night hoping to die. He pushed away everyone and became a wreck. Shutting the world out.

The pills helped him. They made him feel quiet. Mixed with alcohol they almost gave him some sort of peace. but his body got used to that quick. SO like a good junkie he increased the dosage. Now every part of the day was just a grind to get to the moment when he swallowed those tiny bits of serenity. Everyday one more. And he didnt care to die. It felt too0 good and if they took him, better.

He almost killed himself. Twice.

One night he went to a party and got way too drunk and angry again. Tried to start a fight, ran away from the place crying after attacking his best friend. Crasshed his car and tried to run away headbutting people. The cops took him away and he didnt feel anything. He was actually calm and sober. They took away his licence and life.

He had to sober up and go to therapy. His doctor, a vampire looking man that tought he could handle the world's troubles with a bunch of prescriptions, filled him up with good words and poisons.

"Let us help you be a better person"

"The soul gets sick too and it can be cured"

The meds turned off everything. From his fear to his libido. He couldnt think, or create. He just woke up, ate, did mechyanical stuff and went to sleep without dreaming. everything was slow, muted, grey and covered in glue. He used to be a writer and a smart guy but now the medicines killed this part of him. He became overweight, lost hair. From the frail, neurotic thing he was, he became a slob of indifference and lack of feelings.

New friends and loves started to pop out. And slowly he decided to rebuild himself. It was tough at first but it worked. He was emabarssed about his past. He oculdnt face it. So he decidecd to restart. Used the intenet for that and it worked. Slowly he was re-buiolding himself. Meeting sweet people that accepted him and loved him no matter what. And that helped his daily life too. he got new jobs, started new projects. He fell in love again. And again. And again....

Now hes stronger. He fihts every day witha that thing in his head, which hasnt gone away. He still has to use the mneds some times or things could be worse. But he has hopes, and feelings and feels like hge can handle iut. And he has people, that hold his hand and walk him thorugh everything, helping him to survive. He is.... happy.

So maybe he'll, get the world after all. Who knows, he might even save the princess. Right Rhi?

Thanks. To everyone,

The little boy

Bands You Should Know: Graveyard

I wont make it a secret: my favourite type of music is, no doubt, Hard Bluesy Rock from or inspired by the Glorious Seventies. I worship Black Sabbth, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Mountain (more about them in the future), Deep purple and on and on....

Graveyard hit that musical place of joy. They look like they steeped out of a time machine, all hair, vintage shirts and musical skjills before image. Cause, yeah, whats great about those bands is that they can actually play and put heart in their music. you can hear their soul in the notes like a groovy, velvety massage to the heart. To be Clear This aint no Nickelback shit.

I liked Graveyard's debut a lot but they made me fall in love with their sound when i saw them live at the Roadburn Festoval in Holland, 2010. They played in a tiny, dark venue that just filled up with the magical waves of their retro rock. One bluesy riff after the other and a singer that lookedf meek and did no hystrionics but belted out lyrics like he was throwing his heart at us. And we danced, we sang, we grooved and even teared up. It was beautiful.

Listen to their stuff, they're about to release a new recdord which promises to be awesome. Play them loud and let the music make your day warmer.

Also They're from Sweden, the holy land of great rock!

http://www.myspace.com/graveyardsongs

(F)Art : Joel Peter Witkin

I dont think i might classify myself as an art lover. I'm not one of those pretentious anti-art people either. I like stuff that causes a reaction in me, doesnt have to be pretty or "look like the real thing". All it has to do is hit me in the soul.


In my head, art has no precise definition. Any medium that manages to give emotion to others, any kind of emotion, in one strike, wheter its notes, words, objects, images, classifies as art. I refuse the idea that "art" is only for art-school types who are erudite about techniques or stylings. I also DESPISE the whole neo-igno-snobs who drop all form of art into the garbage bin, cause its all crap and it's for pretentious people. There's powerful art, and crap. Happens that most great artists are actually crap. Picasso is crap. Van Gogh and Klimt are mediocre.

Now photography is one of my favourite artistic mediums. I am in loive with a few photographers that manage to shake my heart, brain and guts with images that are more powerful than any concept. One of those is Joel Peter Witkin.

I was introduced to his work by an art-loving ex-girlfriend, who dragged me against my will to a free expo of his picture. I was aware that his work influe nced a lot of the modern "extreme " visionaries (watch the Nine Inch Nails video i posted, its basically a tribute to Witkin in motion) but... well.... i didnt really care. Stilll, entering the gallery, and moving past the scrawny and unkempt art students, and tuning out the technical yappings of my companion, i saw.

I was hit by a wave of shock and fascination. The man modifies photographies and creates surreal images of bodies, objects and freaks all melted into one. He manages to give a face to extreme sex, freakish creature, sexual and religious symbolism. Makes surrealism made of flesh. ANd most importantly he kicks you in the guts. Its world is made of mutilated doll-women, dead natures made of body parts, decaying rooms filled with diasafigured objects, deformed deities and sexualized corpses. Its hard to explain.

I was left speechless and sweaty. staring at said pictures for hours. CHeck him out and go see his expos. Bring some friends. It will make some of them mad and make you look like a weirdo and that, trust me, is good. Weird is awesome.

One Of the many galleries of JPW: http://www.edelmangallery.com/witkin.htm

The Amazing World Of Josh Latta (Special Post)

I am proud to say that i have one of the greates comic artist i know in my friend-portfolio and he designed already two depictions of my persona and the amazing n ew banner you're staring at. His name is Josh Latta.

He will try to skewer away any compliment you make towards him, even if its just a FACT that hes talkented beyond belief. He'll probably just falsh you his Buddy Holly-like smile and then say that you're too kind. Huh, artists. Watchagonnado.

Fact is that Josh not only has turned his influences (that are rooted into the classic cartoon strips from the 30's and 40's and the work of Carl Barks, to say a couple) into something unique and gorgeous to look at. He also manages to make FUN comics. Lately he's turned the singlularly depressing idea of internet avatars, mixed it with his cartoonish sensibilites, added the classic art of caricature and created the Avatards.

By simply supporting his work, you can get a represantation of yourself, that is not only great to look at on an artistic/emotional level but is also usually a perfect rendiution of YOU. and by YOU, i'm not talkign about the simple looks, i mean the deatils that make you special, the quirks, the tiny funny things. He makes the more real than re4ality by drawing them.

And what shall i say about his Rashy Rabbit comics? Well he created a cartoon character and moved it through Robert Crumb-like grit to eye popping Donald Duckish beauty in a bunch of collector worthy stories.

He's a friend, a good one. But pushing him, to me means just pushing a great artiust that deserves to be huge and keep being depressed while being famous. If you lik good stuff, contract him. Trust my word.

http://lattaland.com

Random Amazing Piece Of Beauty: Nine Inch Nails - "Closer"

All the alternakids love to brag about how they lost their virginity to this songs or usually have sex to it. Understandable.

Also This song appears in many, many weirdo sex clubs as a recurring background to debauchery. Perfectly understandable.

Still, listening to it in the glorious context of the whole "Downward Spiral" album (one of the greatest msucial achievements of the century: fact), i am always appalled at how many layers of raw power this song has.

We all know how it's about loosing yourself into savage sexual pleasure and abandonig any control to be reborn (and god even thinking of the lyrics makkes me feel all frisky and dirty in the good way). But the point is that evrything in the song SOUNDS like what it says. Its a mass of pulsating blood and flesh that screams to fuck it hard and make it bleed. It grabs your inner animal thorugh your ears and speaks the secret language of music, to say things that word cant say.

And that video is.... well.

Reznor should be worshipped forever, even only for this. I need to make angels cry, now.