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ORIGINAL WORK FOR SALE

Four of the New Depression Refuse series of works are currently for sale here on the Bend Press site. Click here for details. Thank you so much.

2/5/10




2/4/10

Happy birthday mom!


How cool is this scan of Steve McQueen's FIM license? 1964 was the year he represented the USA in the prestigious International Six Day Trails (ISDT) in East Germany. He looked pretty damn happy to be racing bikes in Europe.




2/3/10



Steve Brodner did this pen portrait of the late Howard Zinn and had this to say about his death and legacy;

"Howard Zinn, who passed away last week, was a hero to many of us and a pain in the neck to the right people. Basically, he devoted his life to seeing past mythology and getting history down to the brave reality. Romantic history can kill, he says. But the truth, while painful at first, is a powerful antiseptic, ultimately. His "People's History of the United States" is a classic that is a very useful reminder that history has many dark underpinnings and that movements of ordinary people have, from time to time, found the power to shine a light and prevail." —Steve Brodner


2/2/10

One of the nice things about Facebook (and on the other hand, possibly one of the worst), is finding old friends. Recently I re-connected with a bunch of guys I spent a lot of time with in my teens... my old BMX racing crew. I was obsessed with BMX racing as a kid and it was what got me to California and where I am now, believe it or not (a story for some other time). Getting reacquainted with all these guys had me digging through old piles of photos (actual prints!) and scanning them. I had almost forgotten how much fun those times where. A few of the old BMX shots are posted in a new group on Flickr. Please enjoy.


This was in 1980, my first full year of racing. You needed 5 wins to move up to expert — this was my 2nd. I moved up quickly only to realize how much harder the expert class was. Rick and Dave made up three of only four BMXers at Central, our high school — all the others went across town to East. Pretty sure my mom shot this. Laramie, Wyoming.


1/31/10

Shot this in the studio a couple days back. Sometimes I'm more intrigued by the peripheral damage than I am in the actual work.




1/29/10

There haven't been too many paintings that have really moved me so far in this life. But this one did. Jackson Pollock's "The Deep" at the Pompidou in Paris.


1/28/10

Rest In Peace J.D. Salinger. Just two weeks ago, my 13 year-old, Emmet, finished The Catcher In The Rye and we had a great discussion about Holden Caulfield before he sat down to write his book report. Thank you for that, sir.


1/28/10



Four of the New Depression Refuse series of works are now for sale. Click here for details. Thanks.


1/27/10



Received a nice letter from Jose Luis Paredes Pacho of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico for my participation in the "Concreto 2; Papel y Street Art" show in Mexico City at the Casa del Lago (Oct-Dec, 2009). The image above was on a nice CD of photographs documenting the show. These four pieces went directly from the "Weekend Pacifists" show at Subliminal Projects last fall, to Mexico City and I just recently got them back (packed perfectly — thank you Jose). If anyone is interested, they will be up for sale on my site shortly. Gracias.


All of Mark Searcy's web-things are worth checking out;
this dot com taken
this blog taken
the nowhere special
by something i mean nothing


1/25/10

Dave Carnie succumbs to gnarly gnostalgia over at King Shit...

"You know, back in the '80s we were so gnarly we didn't even read magazines — we MADE them." —Carnzig




1/23/10

Rain Respite. Perfect for coffee and cigarettes, but I don't smoke.


1/20/10

It's raining hammers and nails here in the Southbay. Storm drains are backing up, 15 foot waves are hitting, and buckets have been strategically placed around the warehouse. Glad I'm not riding a motorcycle today.


1/19/10

Gil Scot-Heron's newest. He sounds GOOD.






1/15/10

THIS looks sooooo epic. Can't wait for Machotaildrop.





1/14/10

Last Minutes with Oden.


1/10/10

Had my birthday gift last night. Kelley had gotten tickets for the three of us to Sonic Youth at the Wiltern. Honestly, I had sort of mixed emotions about going to the show when she gave me the tickets back in December. The one thing I was excited about though, was taking Emmet to his first "show." I don't really go out to shows much anymore, but back in the late '80s I did. I saw Sonic Youth on at least three different occasions and always left completely blown away and exhausted. The swirling and often hypnotic aesthetic of their "noise" was a pure delight for me. Almost out of body. For some reason I always felt and understood what they were doing. It made perfect sense to me.

Thinking of going to see them now was a difficult proposition. I'm much older, they're much older... and that energy and pure power of youth was gone. Right? That's what I thought before the show started, but as soon as they came on stage and hit their first notes backed by the powerful percussion, I was almost instantly mesmerized again. I looked back at Kelley in disbelief with pure joy starting to make my face flush. I had a powerful reaction to the show. Especially after the first song when I heard Emmet yelling right along side me.

My own first show was at 14. Kiss at McNichols arena in Denver, Colorado. I think it was 1979. Here was Emmet, my own son, a 13 year-old at his first show in 2010. I wondered what he thought of being there with his parents. Was it awkward for him? A little maybe, but I did notice a half dozen or so other young teens there with their aged, parentals — people like me, who, back in the day, knew they were witnessing something special with Sonic Youth. The difference on this night was stark — a beautiful theatre with seating. No punkers, no goths, no weirdos. No mayhem. Thurston wasn't throwing himself or his guitars around. But Sonic Youth laid it down thick and loud and tight, giving notice that they were as powerful, dynamic and original as ever. Almost three decades after they started. Made me feel good to be 46...

Thanks Kelley, it was beautiful. And thanks Emmet, for putting up with the old folks.



Photo by Rodger Bridges. 1988. Check the story behind it here.


1/8/10

Wallride No.19, the biannual Girl brands catalog, has been shipped. Here's what the art staff does after the grind (so to speak);

1) Have an extended movie lunch. Or...

2) Visit the Agenda show in Huntington Beach. Or, the best idea...

3) Hit up the Wilmington park on an extended lunch. Eric Anthony used his phone to film fellow Art Dumpers, Jeremy Carnahan and Hershel Baltrotsky. Shit... guess, I shouldn't have gone to see The Road... fucking depressing (but somewhat inspiring after exiting the theatre to blue skies and birds chirping).





1/7/10

The new Color issue with my interview is out... I haven't gotten the print copy yet, but there is a little preview on the newly revamped Color website. Looks nice.



Thank you Isaac and Sandro for your interest in the tinkering life.


Rory Markas... you will be sorely missed. An awesome game caller with a real "smile" in his delivery. Rest in peace.


Fearless in the 20-10. Join me.


12/31/09, 9pm

2009 is over. This is my boy, Emmet, skating at the GTF and in Pedro;



All the best for 2010, Benders. Thank you.


12/23/09

Another little peek into 2010;



Click on individual graphics for details.


12/22/09

A little peek into 2010;



New issue of Color out in January.


12/19/09

It the holiday break for Pedro schools. No baseball camp this winter... we'll be doing a lot of this;




12/17/09

Tod Adrian Wisenbaker at THIS.



Photo: Jeremy Weiss, Day 19.


12/16/09




12/15/09

There's not a lot of time left before the Big Day, but if you've got little ones to gift, my lady Kelley Hart is having a 25% off everything sale at her webstore. The crochet bird beanies are the coolest — they're not in the webstore, but she has some available... I know because she works on them every night when we're supposed to be relaxing. Drop her an email, she'll set you up. Shipping can be expedited to make it to you by the 24th.



Lucy Jane is modeling the crochet Owl Beanie. Remember; 25% off thru December! Just type in the coupon code "HOHOHO."


12/10/09

Another cool Honda we won't see here in the states...




Are young kids ignoring the dangers of getting "stoked?" Apparently.

"People don't want to be told things are so TIGHT over and over and over!"




12/6/09

The makers of the Beautiful Losers movie have found a decent way to recycle the footage that was left on the cutting room floor. Check out DIY America. it's very short with very little explanation. A little vague, maybe?



The footage of me and Emmet is from back in the summer of 2005 when Aaron Rose and Tobin Yelland came to Pedro to shoot the interview for what was to become the Beautiful Losers film...




12/3/09

FOB, Isaac McKay-Randozzi recently interviewed me for Canada's Color mag. Check this post about his trip to the Southbay...



...by the way, many years after I received this doll I met the maker in Sydney, Australia — Monster Children Gallery's Joseph Allen. The funny thing is that he didn't tell me until after a few days into my trip... did you think I'd be creeped out, Joe? Naaaah.

Not at all. It's just a voodoo doll of my likeness wearing a Dodgers cap.


The Cave Singers. Thanks Jordan.


12/1/09






I was reminded by Bob K that the publication of "I Check the Mail..." will be 15 years old in a few days.

Trivia question: who is that pictured on the cover?



VISIT "OLD NOWS"...

#1 / #2 / #3 / #4 / #5 / #6 / #7 #8 / #9 / #10

#11 / #12 / #13 / #14 / #15 / #16 / #17 / #18

#19 / #20 / #21



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I REMEMBER THIS ONE TIME...

It was about 8pm and raining like crazy. We were supposed to go out that night, so I kept looking out the front window for Jeff's Aerostar. When the van pulled up across the street and put on its hazards, I took off with my jacket over my head, ran in front of the vehicle, got to the passenger door, opened it and jumped in. It took me a second to realize all the people in the van were very large Samoans... not at all my regular crew of misfits. No one said a word. They all stared at me, I apologied, jumped out and ran back into the house. Jeff showed up 10 minutes later.

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“You begin saving the world by saving one man at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics.”
—Charles Bukowski


“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”
—Howard Zinn


“The only thing new is you finding out about something.”
—Mike Watt


“The strangeness will wear off and I think we will discover the deeper meanings in modern art.”
—Jackson Pollock


“I hate Disneyland. It primes our kids for Las Vegas.”
—Tom Waits


“To me John Coltrane was like an angel on earth. He struck me that deeply.”
—Elvin Jones


“It is best to read the weather forecast before praying for rain.”
—Mark Twain


“I'm not crying, it's just been raining... on my face.”
—Flight of the Conchords


“I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.”
—Kurt Vonnegut


“Until the other guy starts beating you with consistency, it’s not a rivalry.”
—James Stewart


“You've gotta be slightly stupid.”
—Joe Strummer