Born strong. Coney Island’s favourite son. A true legend.
‘It was astonishing how he was smiled upon by nature.’ - Retired NYPD detective Arthur Perry, New York City Golden Gloves
See also: Catching Up With Coney Island
Saturday, 16 January 2010
Thursday, 14 January 2010
UltraBrutal: The Spanish Have A Word For It
Just in time for a new decade in a new millennium, a copy of UltraBrutal, the latest publication from Spanish writer Mike Ibáñez, arrived in the post over the holidays – and my eyes are still stinging from coming into contact with it. UltraBrutal is described by its author as ‘una novella tabloide’: mainly because it is deeply sensationalist and written in the tersest possible prose but mostly because it has lots of repulsive pictures in it. Alien porn movies? Check. National Enquirer headlines? Double check. The theology of Mutually Assured Destruction? The sexual appeal of Anorexic Barbie dolls? The Nike swoosh as universal signifier of our godless global condition? Man, this stuff never gets old... I may have to learn Spanish just to keep up with it all.
Mike first told me about his novel when we met at Spectra 09 – the annual conference of conspiracy culture – in Spain last year. He even explained the plot to me while we were huddled together in the portico of Valencia Cathedral, queuing to see the actual Holy Grail, which is said to have resided there for centuries in all its bejewelled glory. Unfortunately, we had been huffing lighter fluid quite heavily all morning and were about to go onto the crystal meth – an activity which would see us both being refused access to the cathedral, and in Holy Week as well – so we were both stammering and slurring our words by then. Mike will probably say he doesn't remember any of that happening, but I still have his teeth marks in my arm to prove it. No, really. Whatever UltraBrutal is about, it’s bound to be real nasty, so click here to order your copy online today.
Mike first told me about his novel when we met at Spectra 09 – the annual conference of conspiracy culture – in Spain last year. He even explained the plot to me while we were huddled together in the portico of Valencia Cathedral, queuing to see the actual Holy Grail, which is said to have resided there for centuries in all its bejewelled glory. Unfortunately, we had been huffing lighter fluid quite heavily all morning and were about to go onto the crystal meth – an activity which would see us both being refused access to the cathedral, and in Holy Week as well – so we were both stammering and slurring our words by then. Mike will probably say he doesn't remember any of that happening, but I still have his teeth marks in my arm to prove it. No, really. Whatever UltraBrutal is about, it’s bound to be real nasty, so click here to order your copy online today.
Friday, 8 January 2010
Pathological Over-Sharing Panel on Vimeo
Pathological Oversharing Panel - Resonance FM media playground from alfie dennen on Vimeo.
Thanks to the very wonderful and ever vigilant Alfie Dennen, footage from Resonance FM’s Pathological Overhsaring panel discussion, which took place at the Foundry last December, is now up on Vimeo who, like, caption this stuff and everything. If I look a little dazed throughout, it’s only because I’m in such fast and loose company. Becky Hogge and Paul May really know how to play. My sincere thanks to Joe from the Vortex for keeping it all together - and to Alfie for filming it all despite having a chunk missing from one of his fingers: staple guns are fun but deadly, children. The panel was also recorded for broadcast by Resonance FM sometime in 2010 and will undoubtedly make better radio than it does a widescreen cinema experience. Details as and when – as always.
See also:
Media Playground Appearance
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Strange Attractor Salon
Strange Attractor is setting up its Salon for the first time since 2007, this time at Viktor Wynd Fine Art in mystic Hackney, and it looks like being the most ambitious SA event to date. As well as a permanent exhibition of graphic arcana from some of the best practitioners in the business, there will a whole series of live events to keep the public guessing. Confirmed contributing artists include:
Phil Baker * Joel Biroco * Richard Brown * Ossian Brown * John Coulthart * Rod Dickinson * Disinformation * English Heretic * Tessa Farmer * Blue Firth * Alison Gill * Doug Harvey * Josephine Harvatt * Ken Hollings * Stewart Home * Julian House * Ali Hutchinson * Alyssa Joye * Maud Larsson * Gary Lachman * Xtina Lamb * John Lundberg * Man From Uranus * Eleanor Morgan * Frances Morgan * Drew Mulholland * Bridget Nicholls * Oscillatorial Binnage * Katie Owens * Edwin Pouncey * Arik Roper * Gavin Semple * Martin Sexton * USURP * Robert Wallis * Catharyne Ward * Eric Wright
On January 22, I’ll be sharing an evening with the crowned and conquering English Heretic. ‘Astounding Stories’ will surely find us both plunging deep into pop culture weirdness of every kind. The following description is from Mark Pilkington’s recent post announcing the SA Salon:
Astounding Stories: Live performances from English Heretic and Welcome to Mars
English Heretic creates verdant, darkly humorous soundscapes for the darkest recesses of the English imagination. The magical texts of Kenneth Grant and the occult fictions of Sax Rohmer form an uneasy alliance, accompanied by a musical backdrop that glides effortlessly from Motown to 70s progressive horror rock. Ken Hollings reads from his book Welcome to Mars: Fantasies of Science in the American Century with a live, improvised soundtrack of 1950s electronica for analogue synthesisers, reel-to-reel tapes and theremin from Simon James and Bruce Woolley
Let no face be turned away.
See also:
Welcome to Mars Phlight Reading Philm
Welcome to Mars – Welcome to the Future
Welcome to Mars at the Other Cinema
On January 22, I’ll be sharing an evening with the crowned and conquering English Heretic. ‘Astounding Stories’ will surely find us both plunging deep into pop culture weirdness of every kind. The following description is from Mark Pilkington’s recent post announcing the SA Salon:
Astounding Stories: Live performances from English Heretic and Welcome to Mars
English Heretic creates verdant, darkly humorous soundscapes for the darkest recesses of the English imagination. The magical texts of Kenneth Grant and the occult fictions of Sax Rohmer form an uneasy alliance, accompanied by a musical backdrop that glides effortlessly from Motown to 70s progressive horror rock. Ken Hollings reads from his book Welcome to Mars: Fantasies of Science in the American Century with a live, improvised soundtrack of 1950s electronica for analogue synthesisers, reel-to-reel tapes and theremin from Simon James and Bruce Woolley
Let no face be turned away.
See also:
Welcome to Mars Phlight Reading Philm
Welcome to Mars – Welcome to the Future
Welcome to Mars at the Other Cinema
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Michael Jackson: A New Face in Hell For 2010
Mark Fisher, editor of The Resistible Demise of Michael Jackson has been in touch over the Christmas break with a quick update on the book’s progress. In Germany Westdeutscher Rundfunk has given the book an excellent review both on its website and on radio: the on-air discussion of the book with its reviewer is available by clicking at the bottom of the selected WDR page. Mark also very kindly sent on a link to a Google translation app, which has a rough poetry all of its own:
‘The Resistible Demise is suggesting to never in embittered cultural pessimism,’ reviewer Uh-Young Kim observes. ‘The authors have read their Marx, Adorno, Deleuze and Negri. But they also bring their own fascination with the genius of Jackson and the beauty of his music - and a detailed knowledge, which brings the nerd in the intellectual to the fore.
‘The Resistible Demise is one of the best non-fiction on pop long ago. It is his object in scope and excessiveness absolutely fair. And also answered the question about a different death, which lately had often talked about: the death of music journalism. Here he comes to life again, and connect with it the ability and passion to draw criticism and explain life on the basis of a song.’
Such informed enthusiasm might prove helpful to Amazon’s US subscribers, who seem to be having trouble coming to grips with the book. In the meantime the Guardian’s Maggoty Lamb seems to have had a good time with the book as have the majority of its Amazon’s UK customers. As Captain Eo might well have appreciated, it is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven – until his ride was cancelled of course. It seems, however, that even now Disney is threatening to bring it back again. Small children should be accompanied at all times.
‘The Resistible Demise is suggesting to never in embittered cultural pessimism,’ reviewer Uh-Young Kim observes. ‘The authors have read their Marx, Adorno, Deleuze and Negri. But they also bring their own fascination with the genius of Jackson and the beauty of his music - and a detailed knowledge, which brings the nerd in the intellectual to the fore.
‘The Resistible Demise is one of the best non-fiction on pop long ago. It is his object in scope and excessiveness absolutely fair. And also answered the question about a different death, which lately had often talked about: the death of music journalism. Here he comes to life again, and connect with it the ability and passion to draw criticism and explain life on the basis of a song.’
Such informed enthusiasm might prove helpful to Amazon’s US subscribers, who seem to be having trouble coming to grips with the book. In the meantime the Guardian’s Maggoty Lamb seems to have had a good time with the book as have the majority of its Amazon’s UK customers. As Captain Eo might well have appreciated, it is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven – until his ride was cancelled of course. It seems, however, that even now Disney is threatening to bring it back again. Small children should be accompanied at all times.
See also:
‘Utter Trash’: The Resistible Demise of Michael Jackson Denounced by Fan
The Resistible Demise of Michael Jackson (They Don’t Really Care About Us)
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Salve Valeque: In Memoriam 2009
A belated hail to The Belbury Parish Magazine, the instructive new blog from Jim Jupp at Ghost Box, which has been in print since November, and a premature farewell to 2009, along with that traditional form of punishment meted out to old and departing years: the list. The Vicar of Belbury very kindly asked me to compile my Cultural Top Ten of 2009 sometime before Christmas, and I was most happy to oblige. You can find my contribution, along with truly marvellous lists from Woebot and Jonny Trunk, by clicking here. There are also equally great Top Tens to be had from Ian Hodgson and Jon Brooks by clicking here; and things of commemorative beauty on offer from Julian House and Mark Pilkington here.
So there you have it: loved, listed and now limping into human memory: 2009 – may we never see the like again. See you all in 2010.
The above image: ‘Janus: Potato Shaped Moon of Saturn’, courtesy of Astronomy Picture of the Day, first posted on November the seventh, two thousand and uh...six. A very happy New Year to everyone.
So there you have it: loved, listed and now limping into human memory: 2009 – may we never see the like again. See you all in 2010.
The above image: ‘Janus: Potato Shaped Moon of Saturn’, courtesy of Astronomy Picture of the Day, first posted on November the seventh, two thousand and uh...six. A very happy New Year to everyone.
Monday, 28 December 2009
Biting Tongues Live Gallery # 5
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The above images come courtesy of the charming Peter Staessens. Taken during the recent Biting Tongues performance as part of Factory Night at Plan K in Brussels.
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