It’s the feeling that you don’t necessarily fit within your own time. You’re drawn to the past in ways you can’t quite understand… Jared Joslin

Two of Jared Joslin’s recent oil paintings, The Panther and the Zebra and Moonlit Starlet

My admiration for the visionary Joslin posse knows no bounds. If there were any way for me to make the reception for Jared’s solo exhibition in Beverly Hills tomorrow night (August 14th), I’d be there with bells on (as well as a pair of schmancy silk stockings with seams up the back, and possibly one of those vintage, beaded cloche hats). Alas, in a strange twist of fate, I’ll be in the Joslin’s own city of Chicago, no doubt weeping disconsolately into a plastic cup of draft beer in the corner of some rock club. So glamorous.

Metropolis by Jared Joslin (2008)

I urge our readers in Southern California to attend the reception in my stead. Don’t miss the opportunity to bask in the breathtaking elegance, mystery and nostalgia of Jared’s recent work, a collection of oil paintings entitled Shadow of the Silver Moon. Quoting the press release:

In the Shadow of the Silver Moon, a spectrum of intriguing characters spring to life. There is a Dietrich-esque emcee, striking her silver-tipped cane against the parquet floor. An alluring chanteuse beckons with her sparkling eyes and an elaborately costumed fan dancer strikes an elegant, sinuous pose.

Performers and patrons are caught in the swirl of the evening, yet remain lost in their own private reveries. Under the Shadow of the Silver Moon, while the band is playing, mysteries hidden behind the eyes linger in the air, like fireflies in the night.

The exhibition runs through September 13, 2008 at the Yarger/Strauss Fine Art.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself when she woke at dawn
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

– excerpt from There Will Come Soft Rains, a poem by Sara Teasdale, 1920

There Will Come Soft Rains is a Soviet era animation made by Uzbekfilm and based on the 1951 Ray Bradbury story of post-apocalyptic desolation. A fully-automated household is shown going through the motions of a daily routine in the year 2026. Service robots, with “faces” vaguely reminiscent of gas masks [or Storm Trooper helmets], prepare breakfast and declare wake up time as usual to the ashen remains of their masters.

One of those visceral experiences that has stayed with me until today, this beautiful vignette portrays the aftermath of senseless atomic destruction and human impermanence almost as well as the story it’s based on. Though the loneliness of the Ray Bradbury piece doesn’t quite come across as acutely, this animation never, ever failed to make me cry and substantially furthered that childhood Bradbury addiction. Edit: if by some chance you haven’t already, might we recommend reading the original story prior to watching the animation? You can do so by clicking here.

First, headlines screaming about giant flying inflatable turds descending on innocent children… and now, word that Werner Herzog and David Lynch are joining forces to make a slasher film?! Comrades, this is either the beginning of the end, or The Best Day Ever. Let’s dance!

Herzog + Sophocles + Lynch = EPIC WIN

The two reigning iconoclasts of modern cinema announced at Cannes that they’ll be teaming up to make a digitally shot, guerilla-style murder drama called My Son sometime early next year. Based on a true story, My Son will tell the grisly tale of a “San Diego man who acts out a Sophocles play in his mind and kills his mother with a sword” with the narrative jumping between the murder scene and direct accounts from the matricidal maniac.

Lynch has also announced plans to collaborate with Jodorowsky on an NC-17 “metaphysical gangster movie” starring Nick Nolte, and featuring Marilyn Manson as a 300-year old pope.

What next? Matthew Barney and the Mekas Brothers unite to reinterpret the Ramayana starring Soupy Sales as Hanuman? A pristine print of Welles’ original cut of The Magnificent Ambersons is found under a rock in a Brazilian rain forest? Jerry Lewis finally consents to release The Day the Clown Cried? GIT ‘ER DONE, COSMOS.

(Yeah, we know. This is already yesterday’s poos. Don’t care. Must blog for sake of prost… er… posterity.)

Via the Nainamo Daily News (and ten gazillion other websites): “A giant inflatable dog turd by American artist Paul McCarthy blew away from an exhibition in the garden of a Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and breaking a greenhouse window before it landed again, the museum said Monday.”

OH SHIT! Photo via LiveNews, Australia.

A strong gust of wind carried the gargantuan pile of crap several hundred yards from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it touched down again on the grounds of a children’s home, where it broke a window. No word yet on whether or not the home’s inhabitants have been traumatized for life. Museum director Juri Steiner claims the piece of art has a safety system which normally makes the cacadoody deflate during stormy weather, but something went wrong.

Vaguely related items of possible interest:

• The Adventures of Algie (Pink Floyd’s havoc-wreaking inflatable pig)
• George Bush poop flags
• Ed the Happy Clown (man’s anus becomes inter-dimensional poo portal)
• “Weiner Poopie”
• Student Says Vomiting on Art was Artistic Act

Andre Perkowski, YouTube’s mixologist of camp and horror, presents Silent Shadow of the Batman, a new classic in two parts. Borrowing scenes from such beloved silent films as The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, The Bat and The Man Who Laughs, he’s cobbled together a chilling exquisite corpse. Watch the first part, in which Bruce Wayne’s fate is cemented by the murder of his parents and his decision to become something truly horrible to the simple, superstitious minds of all criminals is made.

Silent Shadow of the Batman, Part 2 can be seen here. Other shorts by Perkowski can be viewed on his YouTube profile page.

Okay, I’m doing an asinine thing: blogging about this fiction website called Dollar Dreadful, despite the fact that I’ve not read a single piece of writing on it. I’m not even going to try to fool you guys; I don’t think I’ve read more than 5 words on this page since I first discovered it over a year go. I come back to this website again and again with the full intention of reading the stories, but the layout just hypnotizes me. Before I can download a single PDF, the brain starts going: “DESIGN! Must look up fonts! Need to buy vintage Sears catalogue on Ebay!” and then before I know it, I’m on Flickr drooling over somebody’s grandma’s scanned corset ads. Also, I love the fact that they designed the ads at the bottom in the same exact style as the rest of the page. If only all websites worked this way!

As we recharge and make our way through hundreds of party photos, allow me to draw your attention to a few worthwhile endeavors worldwide. Art, music and costumes galore await!

A night at Dr. Sketchy’s, as envisioned by Molly Crabapple

An international whirlwind of glitter, booze, babes and art can only mean one thing: Molly Crabapple has taken Dr. Sketchy’s on the road. Tonight’s festivities take place in Edinburgh at And The Devil May Drag You Under. On Wednesday, our London readership can welcome this juggernaut of a lady to Madame JoJo’s. You’ll be treated to salacious burlesque, an opportunity to draw expertly [un]dressed cabaret beauties and even prizes! Hosted by comedy heartthrob Dusty Limits and Molly herself, this is sure to be a spectacular night. Next up – Berlin and Helsinki! More information about the cabaret-meets-art phenomenon here.

DoV denizens

Certainly you’ve noticed our weakness for beautiful men in makeup, flamboyancy of Rococo fashion and high tales of adventure. Even my blackened heart goes pitter-patter at the rustle of a masterfully layered crinoline. Throw in a dress-up picnic and we’re in heaven. If you’re in or traveling to New York this month you can expect just that. Dances of Vice has cooked up a truly decadent spread for August 22 through 24. A nuclear blast to the senses, this event’s lineup boasts live music, fencing, theater inspired by time travel, Münchhausen and Marquis de Sade, art exhibited and performed, absinthe, and, god yes, a picnic at the New York Botanical garden. Damn right I’ll be there, taking part in the fashion extravaganza. If you’re an undercover dandy, courtesan or just a filthy strumpet in search of a good time, this is the ultimate place to be in two weeks.

On a completely different note, as the Olympics rage on in Beijing, my Flickr stream is being flooded with new photos from Kris Krug. He’s been on location for a while now, uploading huge batches of wonderful images, some of which I have a feeling you’ll enjoy.

A stern, last-minute reminder from M.A.D.D. (Muftaks Against Drunk Driving): all ya boozers attending the launch party tonight need to BRING A DESIGNATED DRIVER, or use a taxi service. That goes double for anyone who so much as sips the Electric Lemonade. We don’t want to see your drunk ass behind the wheel of anything besides the gorgeous carousel horse Roxy‘s lending us for the photo booth.

Cheers!

Prepare to do the Hippopotamus Polka this Saturday night.

It’s past midnight on Friday. Tomorrow, Saturday, is the Big Day – the launch party for Coilhouse, Issue 1 here in LA. Every muscle aches from scrubbing, sweeping, lifting, polishing, arranging. If my co-editors are awake, most likely they’re like me: an exhausted bundle of nerves, awaiting a night that we’ll all remember for the rest of our lives.

As much as tomorrow’s party is for us to celebrate finishing Issue 1, at its heart, it’s really a party for you, dear readers. We built you guys a photo booth that looks like a set from the kind of film we’d blog about. There are special-made bottles of Coilhouse-flavored wine. On the stage, a theremin awaits.

We’ll be short on blog posts this weekend as we run around making last-minute preparations, but we did want to answer some common questions that have popped up under various posts in the past week.

Is there a cover charge for the launch party?
Nope, it’s free. Wine/cheese/fruit/sweets will be free, too. There will be a charge for hard liquor, though.

Will magazines be sold at the launch party?
Yes – we’ll be able to take credit cards (note: the bar will only take cash).

I can’t make it to the party. Boo! How will I be able to get an issue of Coilhouse?
It will soon be available to buy here on this site, and we’ll ship to anywhere in the world. It will also be in stores, but we don’t have the full list of store locations yet.

Very, very soon, all will be revealed! There are a lot of surprises ahead – like the fact that there are actually two different versions of the magazine (and no, it’s not an alternate cover). But more about that later. For now, it’s party time.

Hope to see many of you tomorrow. Dress in your finest, bring friends, and let this be our treat!

122 Glendale Blvd. LA, 90026.
Party starts: 8:00.

Model wearing one of René Cigler’s apocalyptic adornments.

Sad news from BoingBoing: artist René Cigler has passed away. Cigler’s many talents included illustration, sculpture, costuming, toy design  and running her own shop, Strange Monster, with partner Cameron Smith in Portland. My favorite works by Rene were always her apocalyptic costume designs, many of which were worn by dancers in Ministry’s stage performances, as well as in the film version of Tank Girl.

Gareth Branwyn once described Cigler’s costume work as having a unique sense of play:

Cigler does a great job of creating a strong field, a believable fiction, around her work. Even though this type of industrial/post-apocalyptic/Road Warrior art has been done to death, René’s work still seems fresh and interesting. One saving grace is that her sculptures have a sense of humor – they don’t seem to take themselves too seriously … hub cap necklaces, hats made out of barbecue grills, purses made out of cereal boxes and rubber car mats. This is the kind of high fashion one might imagine wearing after the world has run out of oil, the rainforests are gone, and the local supermall offers nothing but mountains of rubble (fashion accessories?) and lurking blood-thirsty mutants.

Among her many publications (which ranged from Penthouse to People to Heavy Metal), there is one very striking cover:

Boing Boing Magazine, Issue 11

René, you will be missed.

• Rene Cigler’s Website
• Obituary on BoingBoing
• Article/Interview in Gothic Beauty 18