Woops! In the midst of everything else I missed the anniversary of Rod Serling’s death. The man was hugely influencial in the history of ‘good television writing’, such as it is… Here’s an interview by Mike Wallace in ‘59, interesting stuff about the nature of censorship. You can find part 2 through linkage.

I often bitch about the ATL film scene (and Athens is even worse…) and people tend to not believe Portland’s to be superior when I try to explain this to them. That’s their problem: I definitely know better. Having seen some recently released powerful stuff before I left, I wasn’t surprised to find the same things playing here, plus various lingering gems now in Portland’s $3 theatre circut, but it’s really about the vast number of small but great films that also run here. TWO D+D documentaries have come out in recent months? WTF!
So I read about the Floating World Animation festival going on at the comic shop and headed down. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but imagine my surprise when I found the event not only free and connected to another gallery full of illustrative art, but also with a free liquor bar! Goddamn, I love this town*

The program broke down into a first set of jewels under 10 minutes, then a retrospective on the influencial Adam Beckett, Hooliganship played live in front of a pseudo-Mario Bros. animated set, then another group of shorts put together by e*rock, but by then I was mostly tanked and talking with Pam Turner, Beckett’s biographer.
I can’t recreate the entire experience for you obviously, but here’s some info I was able to get on several of the animators presented: Joanna Priestly, Christophe Blanc, Howie Shia, Mariola Brillowska, Aidan Koch, Graham Annable, the supercool Rob Chiu, Vivian Wong and that’s all for now. You fuckers can do more research if you’d like from the FWC info provided, I’m too hungover…

So I’m heading out to Portland, OR to housesit for several weeks. I made my flight in ATL to Vegas, but the plane took off late – storms in the midwest. Sure enough we missed the connection. So after waiting in a huge long line, turns out the best the airline can do is get me on the same flight tomorrow night (1st class) and some meal vouchers. Also a number to call for a discount room, but that’s bullshit on two counts: $69 is not a deal room rate in Vegas, AND checking in at 3 AM is destined to screw you, as you must check out by 11AM. And then there is the ‘toiletries’ pack, including deoderant, a comb, toothpaste, and a trial sample of woolite – if I wanted to wash a sweater in an airport sink, or attempt suicide by minor ingestation of woolite.

But there are some highpoints. In the long line to get this dismal info I met a guy I recognized to be Thai, so we are buddied up for the duration. Spence also originated in ATL, is a GA Tech student going out to visit a friend in Portland. We have quickly discovered free airport wifi, and have $50 in vouchers to split between us once the fucking airport restaurants open at 5, not to mention it is Vegas, and there are other ventures into gambling, and possibly The Spearamint Rhino later in the day. It’s unclear at this point if we’ll try to power through the day sleeplessly (could be many expensive gambling mistakes in my future, as I have several hundred $ on me right now) or get a room after 11 and crash a bit. So it’s 4:30am right now and I imagine I’ll be doing some delerious posting later in the day. Since I have the mic on me as well, I’ll probably get an interview with Spence, though he is claiming shyness with his accent.

If you are chuckling at my current predicament, I’ll mention this is NOT uncharted territory: attempting to come back from Beijing in Jan ‘06, my flight was delayed 27 hours, the actual flight is 16, then missed the connetion in Newark, and finally arrived in ATL in the midst of a full on flu outbreak and HAD to be at work within 48 hours – jetlag, flu and fuckall. Vegas in summer trumps Beijing in winter. Legalized gambling and prostitution trump all the pirated DVD’s you can buy. I’m sure the poor groom I’m housesitting for and animals I’m suppose to be feeding will shit their pants when they get all this news in a few hours, but I personally have been in much worse spots…

update 7:15am – there are an incredible number of hot chicks in airports, and it’s not just a ‘hot vegas, not much clothing’ thing. But the very nature of the situation is counter-productive to meeting any, much less scoring. “Hey, I’m trapped here for the day. Wanna get a room in a few hours and fuck ourselves silly, sleep a few hours, then cab it back here?” What’s the deal with the ‘mile high’ club anyway? Presumably you knew the person you were gonna fuck before the flight originated, correct? And I guess in the 70’s some of the stewardess’ where hetero and actually attractive too.
Spence is out cold, that fucker. I think I dosed a few minutes under the bench but it smelled terrible down there and the carpet is wet everywhere else from the late night shampooing.

update 9:45 have met, loaned laptop too, and myspace joined with Crystal, en route from Bakersfield to FL, who is also a writer. Unfortunately I don’t know how much overlap there is in our musical lives.. but I’m willing to fake it.
Also have eaten with Spence, and updated the PDX peeps on my waking nightmare.

update 8:30pm went on a field trip to The Strip, played the ponys in Luxor in AC and drank free Budwiser all day long. Vegas ain’t bad! Won $166.20 in all but am only actually ‘up’ a quarter of that (great exacta hits like ‘Deadly Dreamer/Fanfest’ – actually hit two bets on that combo and ‘Bad Bet/Morgantown’ – I’m not being deep, just tellin’ true stories), tipping each free beer to the Jersy trash waitron (not Adriana, but I wouldn’t kick her out of bed for eating crackers out of Adriana), caught the shuttle back, am through TSA, to eat last free meal, drink in 1st class a few hours from now, and possibly sleep more than the three hours I have since god knows when. Found Crystal again, but she’s just babbling on her phone like she’s 18 or something. Oh wait…

“Deadly Dreamer”

I’ve been coming across some heavy hitters lately, like the stark Jock Sturges (who I first thought to be NAMBLA, but quickly realized he was presenting something far more challenging to our culture), and the japanese great Nobuyoshi Araki; as well as subject matter, like the abandoned island of Gunkamjima. And here’s another sex freak found through Flickr, Peter Klaushorst, does photos and paintings of either whores/models, or has had a phenominal amount of girlfriends…

But I especially love this emerging age of social networks that brings you in contact with people like Akif Hakan Celebi.

You can see his Deviant Art profile, also an interview he did with Ukranian MAX magazine. Also don’t neglect his main site and spend some $ if you can!

I am pleased to report I believe I was among the first general admin. audience to view this film in ATL. Thanks CL. It’s not Miyazaki, but on par with that stuff: amazing plot with elements of childishness, quirky creativity, and all the tentacles and sacrine technopop you’d expect from quality SF anime. It also strangely links to my previous post, eveidence that I am either losing my mind, onto something, or both… See it!

I’m always interested in the “bread and circus” arguments. Do violent video games nuture psychotic behavior in game players, or allow them tension release? I can’t completely argue either side of this coin, but do recognize a serious division between free speech and action – one is guarenteed by the constitution and the other holds the individual to complete accountability.

Anyway, the UK and Ireland have banned what they see as an inappropriatey disturbing game from the envelope pushers at Rockstar, called Manhunt 2. Others are attempting to defend the game’s artistic merit and both sides end up looking sort of silly.
I can defenitely picture a future situation in which mental deviants are counciled through VR therapy, exploring darker recesses of their minds without anyone actually being injured. How long before America starts televising executions either through cable or online access?

No, this isn’t a post about the Michael Faber novel, but since I appropriate the title for that of this post, I’ll go ahead and urge you read it.
This is just another macbre post inspired by recent musing on tribe.net concerning things to be done with skin after the mortal coil has been shed. Some solid info comes from an article published through an indie paper of the Harvard Law school about anthropodermic book binding. Also sites Ken Kipperman, subject of a doc I have yet to see – Shadows of Silence, debunking the ‘nazi lampshade’ myth.

OK, so everyone has enough bad news in their life. I hope I can present the following in the name of ‘information’ rather than ‘downer’, but the following links are definitely a downer. Evidence of human slavery still going on in our modern era, mysogynistic acts of random violence, and the beginning of genocide trials. Things are tough all over, always have been, always will be.