When I was traveling around Northern Italy in the Spring of 2004, I kept seeing a book by this American con. Thus began my introduction to Edward Bunker. I read a few of his books soon after, including The Animal Factory. I knew Steve Buscemi made a film version in 2000, but I only recently got around to seeing it. Why this film, with Willem Dafoe and Edward Furlong, wasn’t better received I can only count to the prison subject matter. But I thought it was really well done, including a soundtrack from the enigmatic John Lurie. One IMDB review I saw complained of the plot being “unbelievable”, but it’s completely true to the novel…I think the real complaint was Furlong was too good looking to not get punked, but whatever.

When I was traveling in Northern Italy in ‘04, I came across a great used bookstore in Venice. There were all sorts of prints and small press comics among the books displayed on tables spilling out into the piazza. Typical of the city, the “courtyard” was entirely in stone – lots of marble and slate, this one centered around a church. But such a contrast between the events going on inside those walls and those depicted in these cheaply printed pages! Since they were used and fairly inexpensive, I picked up several to give away as gifts.

The stories were simplistically drawn, and while my lack of understanding Italian prevented me from really judging the quality, there was no doubt I was in possession of smut. But a style of smut one finds themselves challenged to find elsewhere – sexy horror, boobs with zombies and vampires. I have since learned the genre to be referred to as fumetti neri. The French and Spanish have their own versions of such books, but the Italians seem most over the top.
Though the artists often shamelessly steal source material and images, it is the covers of these little gems that are the most intriguing. The Groovy Age of Horror has done some great analysis and archiving of various examples, including more Zora La Vampira and so I will refer you there.

This is an engrossing, but long, French psychological thriller adapted from the Harlan Coben novel. The many twists and turns keep the pacing taught, and though you may get lost once or twice, everything is essentially wound up at the end. The was one shot with a “shaky cam” that nearly made me nauseous, but it was quickly followed by one of the greatest multi-car pile ups I’ve seen in film. If that was CG, consider me completely fooled. I also loved the sympathetic gangster thug angle, a homely organ grabbing interrogator, and soundtrack with included 60’s soul, ambiance and Sigur Ros style instrumental drama ballads. A great foreign film to see!

I’m not sure when I first became aware of this female artist, current resident of Seattle, but I’m definitely a fan!

Bio

Yumiko’s first ever drawing, at the age of four, featured a hyena devouring a zebra, while a vulture looked on. Her obsession with wild animals hasn’t abated – her Infectious Car Art is populated by pandas, octopi and tropical fish – but her style has certainly developed. These days, Yumi’s animals share the spotlight with her pretty and punky Japanese girls, intertwined with traditional Japanese imagery and American pop art stylings. Yumi’s art has hung on museum walls around the world, and is collected by celebrities and rock and roll legends. But she says “I’d rather my paintings hang next to rock star pin-ups than on museum walls. Ultimately I want to connect with people all over the world on that level.” What better way than on the blank canvas that is your car?

Interview

What’s the name of your Infectious art pieces?
Strawberry Milk, Grip, Impossible and Matching Geeks.

Describe your style in one sentence:
A mix of Japanese tradition and Western pop input, with the natural world intertwined to share the spotlight.

Your beautiful ladies really look like you! Are you drawing yourself over and over again in different scenarios?
I’ve never drawn myself in my work. They are someone else, but all with long black hair and dark eyes like me.

Why do you weave so many animals into your art?
I’m a big animal lover or maybe I should say, I’m an animal fan. Wildlife is the most passionate thing for me. It’s something I always learn from and it opens my eyes. My curiosity for wildlife never ends. It inspires a passion inside me to recreate what I see in my work.

What animal do you find most fascinating and why?
I have much love for predators, especially wolves and tigers. They are being hunted and I paint them because I have a passion to share their plight.

Who are your heroes and what are your inspirations?
My heroes are action stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Tony Jaa and Mirco Crocop, a martial artist. My inspirations are music, movies, old yakuza films, manga, American cartoons (Tom & Jerry, Disney), martial arts and wildlife.

Has the slightly erotic nature of your art – the bondage, the cosplay -ever got you in trouble?
That has been an unintentional aspect of my work that others have brought to my attention. It’s never gotten me in trouble, but I’ve always been thoroughly amazed by what some people see in my work. I don’t know what to say…

You’ve painted girls wearing Van Halen colored white, red and black dresses and have titles of paintings like (The Scorpions) “Rock You Like a Hurricane” – do you harbor (a not so) secret passion for hard rock hair bands?
Those guys are my heroes! I’m happy to be the one female artist that I know about who brings on the hard rock.

Could you describe your typical day?
I wake up at 5:30am, have breakfast, exercise, etc. I start painting at 7:30. Lunch is at 12:00. I go back to painting at 1:00 until dinner at 8:00. After I eat, I paint a little more for as long as I can. I’m in bed at 11:00.

Can you describe your process in creating a piece of art?
First, I make a sketch on a thin paper. Second, I trace it on canvas or wood board. Third, I paint with acrylic using a paint brush. Last, I draw in small details like animal hair with a drawing pen.

What was your last memorable dream?
I was Michael Scofield from “Prison Break”, captured in an office room by some bad guys. I fought with them to escape. Then I ran to a train station and jumped onto a moving train.

If you had to draw yourself a tattoo design what would it be and where would you have it?
I would get a tattoo of my cat Teddo who I had for ten years. We were like mother and daughter until she died from cancer. I would probably get her on an arm.

Would you mind telling us something about you that makes you blush slightly?
I feel a little embarrassed when I have a misunderstanding with English. I’m still learning so it can be difficult at times.

Are there any interesting projects coming up that you can share with us?
I’ll have some merchandise available soon and I’ll also be in some art books.

car decals from Infectious

myspace

and her personal site

I just finished and am really excited about this novel Out from Japanese writer Natsuo Kirino. I’ll let the english translation speak for itself, but as a teaser, here are excerpts from a few interviews she’s given.

From Japanreview:

-Tokyo is a bleak and joyless place in your books. Is Japan doomed? Or is it a condemnation of suburban life in general? Is there such thing as redemption in this day and age?

I don’t this the situation is cause for despair. Rather, the suburbs are interesting in that human desires are transparent and in the forefront. In case of the suburb where Out was set, the small houses all in row are a product of what people desire. It can be seen as quite typically Japanese. I don’t think there is such thing as “society”. There is that much more freedom in that looseness.

In terms of redemption, the question is, redemption from what? I’m not quite sure what you are referring to, but if you return to the former question, the Japanese rarely recognize the sense of redemption because they lack the concept of the “society.” That’s to say, one doesn’t know how to be redeemed, and what you have to do to accept it, and how and who should accept it.

-What influences your work Japanese literature, western literature—or do you read other mystery writers? Are there any books of this genre you feel strongly about? Or are your influenced by other mediums—TV, movies, music, and news events? What current Japanese writers do you like?

When I was a child, I read magazines indiscriminately and I read a lot of foreign juvenile and children’s fiction—mostly books like Adrift in the Pacific, The Three Musketeers, and Little Women. I think that that they may have influenced the way I tell stories.

I don’t really like mysteries so I don’t read many of them of late. I quite like Patricia Highsmith, among others. As for Japanese authors, I would say Ryu Murakami and Fumiko Hayashi. I also read non-fiction. I love movies, especially Scorsese and Lynch. As for music, I am a fan of seventies soul.

From Metro.co.uk bookclub

The sexual violence in the book is very disturbing – did you ever have any qualms about writing those scenes?

It’s very disturbing to write about violence. However, as long as there is such violence in reality (that’s often beyond our imagination) I feel it is my responsibility as a writer to write about them. It’s unfortunate if anyone is disturbed or feels uncomfortable with these scenes (especially the ending), but I actually wrote the book in an effort to eliminate violence from society.

and Booksense.com

-What reaction surprised you the most?

Men were very shocked that a wife could kill her husband. That was really a provocative idea. Japanese men felt so threatened by it. They also never imagined that a woman could write such an aggressive novel. The most shocking part of Out for a lot of people is that it’s written by a married woman who has a family and a child. If the book was written by a man, people wouldn’t be as surprised, and they’d look at it as fiction. But because a woman wrote it and it’s realistic to a certain degree, people were surprised.

-Your novel and many Japanese films from the last few years depict contemporary Japan as an unsettled society whose outward calm masks an underlying current of severe physical and psychological violence. Is this the case?

The old family system is collapsing more and more. Although the division between men and women remains — men still go out and women still stay in — a man now cannot sustain the entire family. We have reached the point where women have to put the children into childcare so that they can work to help support the family, too. Then, the children themselves are under extreme educational pressure. So everybody is making the best effort to sustain him or herself. It is a very confusing time for our society. I have the feeling that people don’t know what to do to get out of their situations.

-Do you think this is creating a culture of violence?

Some of the violence depicted in the media is a metaphor for frustration, but there are more and more cruel crimes happening — and the people who commit these hideous crimes are getting younger and younger. A few years ago, there were a lot of crimes committed by young women. Now it’s kids murdering people. Japanese adults are completely astounded, and don’t know what to do. That’s the reality that we are getting into, and it is getting worse.

Also, thanks to mll3 for turning me on to this novel in the first place.

*There may be spoilers ahead…but I’m gonna try not to focus on that and remain appropriately vague*

So I’m sort of caught up in McCarthy fandom and decided I definitely had to read this novel before I saw the film. I have also been a serious fan of Cohen bros. dramas, as opposed to the comedies. Nothing wrong with their comedic quirkyness, but I would argue if you ask the average viewer to name a one of their films, they’ll give you ‘Raising Arizona’ or ‘OBWT’ before ‘Miller’s Crossing’ or ‘The Man Who Wasn’t There’, which I find disappointing. Anyway, from my first learning of this project, I had a strong inclination I was going to love it, and I essentially did.
Reading some sneak peak reviews, I quickly came across a complaint from blog reviewers who hadn’t read the book and are so weened on common suspense arcs that rely on over-the-top sensationalism to outdo one another: Tarrantino style, if you will. But this isn’t about that. Period. There is a very specific reason I have chosen the title of this post from the films tagline and a very specific reason I have chosen this image. Go watch a Tom Cruise, or Vin Diesel vehicle if you cant handle post modern tweaking of the thriller genre. This film comes from a pulp work from a literary mind. Yes, there is a “kick ass” psycho (and after being so compelled by ‘Before Night Falls’, I sensed Bardem was gonna nail this role – I think the fact that he is also the lead in the current Marquez classic speaks volumes about his power as an actor) and there are even over-the-top nifty devices you’ve never seen in a film before – straight from the mind of C McCarthy. So go see it. In a way it’s like getting to see another Peckinpah film, but much of that had to do with the period and location. Here are my two minor and one major beefs…

Because the locations and authenticity are so dead on, even while reading, I have to admit their authenticity stumped my imagination, despite the fact I can recall images of 1980 (OK, not central and west Texas…) I have to get finiky and picky. 1) I don’t remember the girlfriend mentioning she worked in a WalMart. It sort of struck me as a modern jab, and as a nomad, I don’t have my copy of the book here and now to reference, but a search reveals Walmart did hit Texas in ‘75, so it is plausible. It may very well come straight from the text, as so much of the dialogue does. 2) Having ridden lots of Greyhound buses, I’m doubting that semi-southwestern style with the bold blue through the other colors that still adorns the apolstry of many of the seats now, did so then. Total nitpicking I know, but the authenticity is dead on in every other way – I think it bears mentioning.

And the major thing I didn’t like: the young hitchhiker character is reduced to a poolside beerswiller with only a few lines of dialogue. I think there was a lot of revelation about Lwelyn’s character in those passages with her in the novel, as well as more of McCarthy’s foundation about what overtly changed about (our) culture at that time, which isn’t exactly what I mean to say but – the big picture stuff about society and individual. As the film is a bit long as is, I fully understand why the reduction stood, but I’d argue it also built suspense for the story, even though, as stated, that’s not the point. I further admit, I didn’t picture Lwelyn’s wife to be as attractive as the actress they picked, during my reading. I guess I was strung out then on the sexual suspense as well as violent suspense – i.e. semi-loner guy with a bunch of money has beat the devil once or twice, THEN runs into some hot free ass on the road. What now? And there is no sexual suspense at all in the film.

Other than that, every bit of acting worked or excelled. The Cohen bros. excerted their style without being “cliche Cohen bros”. The bleak beauty of the desert was perfectly captured. The moments of gallows humor blended seemlessly between the styles of novelist and filmakers. Was there even a single bit of music in this film? I can’t even think of a song on a radio right now, much less soundtrack…wait, there is a major instance of music I’m recalling, and it’s comedy. But a sort of “slap in the audience face” comedy: the audience wants to go ‘oh irony, ha, and we could use a laugh’, but as the scene lingers there is sort of a feeling of ‘yeah, this is unusual, but what the fuck is funny about it?’. More defiance of easy expectations-

“Paging the ghost of HG Wells, white courtesy telephone please…” I’ve often pondered how completely sad it is that humans are still squabbling over really simplton issues like gay marriage, when we are in fact living in the early years of the genetic revolution. The splitting of the genome is gonna make the splitting of the atom, and all of the trouble that followed, look like child’s play. More evidence from Britian, fusion of human and animal embryo’s for purposes of research. Before I get too “yellow journalist/sensational” on you, realize they are talking about the smallest percentage of animal make-up to go into the embryos, which supposedly will be destroyed within 14 days of creation. Really, not that far off from using pig arteries to save a human heart patient – or eating animals for their protein content (not now vegitarifucks…I’m dealing with bigger issues-).
But my mind quickly goes to inherent human curiosity, “let’s do it just ’cause we can” logic, ‘mad scientist shit’ if you will. For all the above board science that will be legit and force itself to answer to laws and civilized standards, there will be a small percentage of those who will pursue knowledge for it’s own sake – and ethics come second. Korean scientist and Raelians lying about having developed clones come to mind. Indeed, why should great minds allow themselves to be hampered by moral majority morons who want to pretend the earth is less than 10,000 years old? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the future is going to be freaking weird!
When are we gonna get around to genetically breeding people with gills to again repopulate the oceans, as mentioned in Alvin Toffler’s ‘Future Shock’? Make that really amazing filter gills to deal with all of the crap that will be in the water by then…

On this day 80 years ago, two Italian immigrants were executed by the state of Massachusettes for their alleged involvement in theft and murder. Many believe the case was actually about anti-immigrant and anti-anarchist sentiments in the community. Ancient history, right?
Additional thanx to the late Kurt Vonnegut JR. for first turning me on to these events through his novel Jailbird.