Shot by freelancer Richard Lam, and licensed by Getty (with the version you are seeing courtesy of the Vancouver Sun), the photo was taken amidst police lines, flailing mannequin appendages, and the always predictable cars on fire. Lam has some great thoughts on the moment in the above link, which are summed up nicely in this quote.

I was trying not to get my ass kicked

There has been some controversy today that the subjects were staging the shot, and some people claim the girl was injured (which perhaps brings the level of romanticism so high the rest of us never have a chance), but either way no one can argue how absolutely powerful of an image this is. Wouldn’t be surprised to see it picking up some awards for photograph of the year.

For more from Lam and his thoughts on if they posed: The Atlantic Wire

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We got a big dose this year of how the fine art community has been affected by what sells with “Exit Through The Gift Shop”. Add to that the flow of art dealers being appointed curators that started with Jeffrey Deitch and MOCA, and we see the community finely embracing the idea that “great” art is only great because someone wants it on their wall. Commercialism was always in fine art, no one ever wanted to admit it. You want proof? Every single one of “The Masters” made a very nice living painting commissioned pieces. They weren’t the ultimate “artisans” creating only from passion and for their own release. They created for purpose, for money, as a job.

It’s an interesting debate when you move the same discussion over to music. People who write music to be commercially successful rarely seem to be commercially successful, and if they admit such things would be labeled “sell-outs’. Musicians are somehow supposed to be “artists” who only make music to express their emotions. It’s one of the most popular defenses towards why people think they should be able to steal music.

Art however, IS commercial. Art has always BEEN commercial, and that is what has made it brilliant and gorgeous and life-affecting. Yes, life-affecting, exactly the same way a brilliant marketing campaign can be.

So how do we start accepting that music made for a specific commercially marketable purpose is okay? How do we even know it can turn out palatable? Easy. Cudi, Rostam (Vampire Weekend), and Bethany (Best Coast) went out and proved it can. “All Summer” only happened because of Converse.

Converse challenged these artists to make something that would make Converse seem cool across 3 fan-bases, and these artists gladly did so, and did so with so much dedication and focus that they turned it into one of the best Summer songs ever written. They could have half-assed the job, they could have taken some crappy throw away ideas and done just enough, but they did their job as creators with excellence and wound up adding even more buzz to their already peaking levels. Is Converse selling more shoes for footing the bill? I hope so, because it means more potentially spectacular marketing driven music.

Good for Converse. Good for music. Well done.

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I’m not sure if Aillaud is considered as a post-structuralist, but to me I see that in his work and his inspirations for it. I’m not sure his motivations were purely post-structuralist, as I think he wasn’t so much rejecting structuralism as he was tired of the systematic approach that was architecture post war. I see much of the same motivations, ideas, and form that lead us into the LA/Santa Monica school and architects like Frank Gehry.

You can see some more photos of the Tours and some other Emile Aillaud designed buildings in this Flickr pool.

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Take it all in:

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So I’ve been busy, again. I got my tax extension turned in on time, so I’m doing better than some people, but it’s just an extension, so I’m doing worse than most. If you don’t appreciate the greatness of Twitter, and/or realise I don’t really say anything about what’s going on there anyway, and want to know what’s going on, this is your Huckleberry (I’mmm yuh Huhklebehhy).

I wrapped up a few MySpace re-designs for some great bands: My Favorite Highway (record was released yesterday, and you should own it), Green River Ordinance (FFO: The Fray, etc), The Urgency, and Young Love. I got up the website for a ska band from Boston called Westbound Train up, I’m not really into ska, and if you aren’t either realise these guys have much more of an old R&B sound to them. I also finally finished up the layout for a band I used to do a lot of work with called Parker Theory. I’ll get the cover up somewhere, sometime soon. I was also working a lot of sleepless nights on a secret logo project that I can’t really discuss yet, and don’t really know the outcome of, so you may never hear about it, but hey at least me writing this makes me appear “mysterious” right?

Other non-design things I have been up to include: Building an HD antenna with Kyle so we are one step closer to canceling cable, Finally fixing my Mail so that my Junk Mail will stay on the server (tip: don’t put periods in your account name), Got out to see the Ducks knock off the Sharks and fully reinvigorate my love for NHL playoff hockey, Bought more vinyl (still no turntable), and successfully got an external HD once deemed dead, back in the world of the living.

I’m off to get back into the work, nice seeing you again.

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Currently the Associated Press is upset that an image that they hold the rights to was the basis for Shep’s illustration. They want license fees, and profit, and credit, and probably one of his children. The issue is actually pretty interesting in terms of copyright law. However frankly this case has no legs, and I’m surprised the AP is this hard up for cash (though no one in the newspaper world is exactly thriving).

The AP owns the image, they don’t own the moment in time the image was taken.

Fairey started with their image, and then he applied his now famous illustrative style. He didn’t simply threshold the thing in Photoshop, he didn’t auto-trace something in Illustrator. His work is no different than someone painting the image in a cubsim styling. Copyright simply doesn’t protect deviations in such things. Someone at AP has to know such things. If anyone should be able to claim rights to deviations based on photographs, it should be the person in the imagery. Kind of funny how they get no share of the AP’s licensing fees.

Anyway, that is my take on this whole thing, and I really hope Shep doesn’t back down or make a settlement. He deserves to stand alone as the source of such iconic imagery, and he is just the right person to stick it to the old media.

Also if I may rant…
I find it hilarious how the old media has talked about him as this “L.A. street artist”, like he is some ruffian who slums through streets stealing bread and spreading wheat paste wherever he goes. Do they not understand the guy went to THE premiere design school in America (RISD), do they not understand the guy owns his own clothing line, do they not understand the guy’s first studio he formed is responsible for such things as the Mt. Dew logo and the Mozilla logo, do they not understand his current studio is responsible for the “Walk The Line” poster and the cover art for The Smashing Pumpkins comeback album? This is no “street artist”, this is one of our generations most heralded graphic designers, this guy will be included along names like Bass, Lubalin, Rand, Glaser, Carson and Sagmeister.

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Sidenote: I once told a girl who I was dating, or had dated, or was going to date (I’m really not sure the time period in it all) that I was working on being mysterious, she laughed at me. She was right.

So if you are up to be a part of something that may require a few minutes of your time now and again, possibly a postage stamp, and will make 2009 better (or at the least more interesting) shoot me an email (you should have it) and include your postal address.

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So anyway, in May I returned a 5 month old email to John and he only waited 6 months to reply to me. Way to out do me, John. I’m really horrible at getting back to those kind of emails, because I feel like I can’t just fire off 3 sentences like I can with family and friends I see all the time, so I hold no ill will. John let me know about a project he had recently compelted after teaching himself how to screenprint. The concept was a series of art prints that represent each state as a plate of food. I think it came out pretty spectacular, of course it will be 6 months until I let John know that, but for now check out his work. The United Plates.

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Two Pacific Northwest film makers decided to start experiencing the life their cat lives. It’s becoming an ongoing project tht has garnered a bunch of press, and more importantly has returned some absolutely gorgeous photographs.

You can check out the Flickr of the Cat Cam here.

Sadly I may have to contend that anyone with a camera really is a photographer.

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Here is the wrap-up:
I was sick for a good solid 2 weeks, most of it came from breathing pure ash from some of the lovely fires in Southern California, I finally recovered the week of Thanksgiving, but was way behind on work (thank you to everyone whose project was delayed, your grace is wonderful).

I got back on the ball and wrapped a ton of stuff up the past 2 weeks, including a 3 day trek to San Diego to see family/friends whom I love, and a 2 day trek to AZ to ride along with Tell as he played ASU. It was all great, and we officially decided AZ may be the best food state ever. Think about it, they get the west coast (In-N-Out, Del Taco, etc) and the Middle America (Waffle House, Chick-Fil-A, Sonic) along with other random things from states far off. Put a White Castle out there and my vote is in.

I just wrapped up William Tell’s MySpace the other day, if you haven’t been by lately he has quite a few new songs up that you should listen to. This little project was a fun nightmare. Lots of work overwriting MySpace and figuring out stupid little one line code issues, but it’s only the first time that this will kill me.

Also not too long back I finally got up a semblance of a website for Department Three. I have been promising this for years, and now finally some of my recent work is up to view at the studios site.

I’m working on a ton of other things, filing away files, getting caught up on emails, do if you are wondering why I haven’t replied to something, be patient. In the works are a few websites, some branding work, and a few more MySpace re-designs.

In other news, my friends at Hozell are having a warehouse sale this weekend. It’s today and tomorrow, and it also includes WeSC another great brand I’m a huge fan of. Info is on the MySpace linked there (because they didn’t want to put it on their MySpace?), and i’ll be there in a few minutes. If you are in LA/OC you should head down and hang.

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It’s an exciting and challenging time, and I will surely be hitting up each and every one of my friends about anyone you might know who could be my next client. It’s tough out here in the design game, but so refreshing to be scrambling over something and having to sling my trade everywhere I go.

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Just thought I would fill you all in on some places my photos are appearing lately. Thanks to all the people who let me capture their souls on electronics.

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He will be reading from his book “What It Is: What It Is” and Filter Magazine is presenting the events, so it should be quite a wonderful literary event. Check out Flavorpill if you are in LA or NYC for all the event info.

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Well I decided to go ahead and fill everyone in on what I would be contributing to the show. I take a lot of pictures, it’s a big part of my life. However I’m not one of those people who shows up everywhere with my Canon and looking kind of weird trying to take pictures of everything I see in my life. I miss more good picture opportunities than I take good pictures, but for the first time I will be showing a few of these pictures. 5 images, 30″ x 20″, taken in Boston, MA, Los Angeles, CA and CBGB’s in NYC, NY.

Here they are:

I hope this event is a marvelous success, not for myself, but because the people involved in this, and the other artists contributing are some of the most amazing people I know on this planet. They constantly inspire me, challenge me, and humble me. I am so thrilled to be involved in anything they do.

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All the prints of my photographs will be 30×20, and I will post the day of the event the pieces that are there, maybe. I’m really excited for everything Chad is doing with Panda, I’m absolutely in love with the musicians he is working with, I’m thrilled to be a part of an art show where my work will be completely showed up by some of the most amazing artists out there today who I am also honoured to call my friends (therefore, such as.

If you are in the Atlanta area, you should make it out to this. I was trying to work out an appearance myself, but I think I will wait until the fall to fully experience the ATL.

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Mark Penxa, interviewed by Uni Watch about the “Stealing Signs” project. Mark and I worked together on a few projects back when I was with TMG, when I say worked together, I mean I took brilliance he did, and probably diluted it. However we had great fun, and still have some pretty amazing email conversations about life. Mark was kind enough to sell me some of the early versions of the “Stealing Signs” project, and they are absolutely moving in person.

Another fun thing to know about Mark and I is that I once tried to commission Mark to paint me a kind of 3 colour tribute to one of my ex-girlfriends. His complete panning of me and such a ridiculous idea proved more therapeutic than anything else had and has on said topic. Moral of that story is that Mark rules, nd I am valued to have him as a friend, and that I am a sap who fortunately has friends who don’t let him do utterly foolish things (most of the time).

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I also have an iPhone gallery set up where I will upload pictures straight from the iPhone. I guess that means I will no longer be utilising the Flickr account, but we shall see how that goes and if adding the iPhone gallery RSS to the live section actually works. I’m just not committed to Flickr, Apple and I have far too strong of a relationship for some floozy to come in and pull us apart.

I also, also have a selected gallery of Live Noise. It is, what you thought it was.

Special thanks to; Lindsay Strannigan and Kyle Davidson who each helped me whittle down the Portfolio, and a certain lady friend who used the word “floozy” so much that it is forever attached to her in my mind, for better or worse.

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There will be bands, Paul, other people, stuff and things. See you there, more info here.

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Svilen Dimchevski did this brilliant series of photographs of Tangerine rinds after they are peeled off. It’s quite lovely imagery, and makes you want to find the duality in what we perceive as everyday objects.

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Check out the rest over at his MySpace as well as some great pop hits.

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London Map Table

Steel Coffee Table

Exploded Coffee Table

London Street Sign Table

In conclusion, what is Etsy? I dunno, but it has some great tables.

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The LAist recently ran a story about the renovation of the “Elliot Smith Wall”, which was of course the mural which is forever attached to Elliott due to it’s iconic presence alongside him on the cover of “Figure 8″. This mural is on Sunset, I drive by it now and again, and it was really in a sad state for a while. Solutions owner Stephon Lew even discusses some plans he has to further tribute Elliott.

Stephon Lew

These are my dreams: I plan to place an electronic object of importance….a 5 foot 7 inch tall monument (of Elliott’s size–with two loudspeakers at the base of the monument to represent his two big shoes) formed from crushed electronics parts —to play and to identify Elliott’s musical influences (Elliott’s hobby, I hear, was to experiment with electronics to make music tone)—to have the monument –emanate new energy and the many solutions that music can provide.

I am thrilled to know in future times as we all pass by we will see a familiar friend once again. It’s all kinda like a Figure 8.

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The Daily Mail

They may look like pin-sharp photographs – but these amazing pictures are actually drawings created with the humble ballpoint pen.
The stunning pictures, measuring up to 10ft high, were drawn by a rising star of the art world, Juan Francisco Casas.

Casas, 31, can use up to four 14p ballpoint pens for a canvas and his works are already a sell-out at exhibitions.

Formerly a traditional painter, Juan began the drawings three years ago based on photographs of nights out with his friends.

He seems a little obsessed with the blonde he keeps drawing, but these are none the less impressive.

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Paul G. Maziar

“Banning AIM is like so ’01.”

That however is a different story, for a different day. Paul wrote a book of words called What It Is: What It Is, and the best way to describe it is to write down your train of thought while your mind is reflecting upon a million things at once, while reveling in a few thousand other things, all while processing your immediate surroundings far too intricately, only more intelligent than all of that.

The following is either an excerpt from his new book, something he randomly emailed me because I sent him a picture I took of him in Mexico, or all of the above:

Mexico City Blues

Half-sunken steamboat with barking, oofing sea lions—all rusted, green and dirty-white
in the trash-workman haze off the coast of Mexico. While panicking in the midst of
crowds of average Americans and foreign stewards, quieted the too-fast breathing and
thought of my timing-life from well-knowing intent—I became momentarily comforted in
my own decisions. We can kick our bodies to the curb and wonder why later—in any
clothes upon any soil—or wash our faces with humble hands, then paint the fences of all
the blasphemous buildings—or souls really never are confined. – December 17th.

December 18th and Lindsay feels drunk on herself in our rooms on the ship—with T-Rex
on the speakers—lulling through the hours with others—other consciousnesses spilling
into her head, but she’s sweeter than she is dirty, and thirty minutes in the shower keeps
her spinning on the slow-side.

We spent 30 minutes in our separate showers contemplating and both came out in
stripes.

A tiny white bird, anonymous and swooping finds the only thing to do—one thing to
suffice and that’s finding food.

Are we the only beasts on earth who poison ourselves mostly out of haphazard
circumstance?

You can find out more about Paul’s book, which is a collaboration with Matt Maust (of the Cold War Kids) supplying visuals, at the MySpace and you can order the book from Write Bloody directly. I also recommend heading over to the MySpace and grabbing the audio recording “Lost In Begginings” which is Paul reading over some music by one of the guys from Goddamn Electric Bill, it’s quite a great introduction.

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Photo courtesy of Stuck In Customs

High Dynamic Range

In computer graphics and photography, high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range of exposures (the range of values between light and dark areas) than normal digital imaging techniques. The intention of HDRI is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to shadows.

I am absolutely in love with the effect HDR gives to a scene. It’s so non-traditional that I know a lot of photographers don’t feel it is true to the art of photography, but I think it is a rare opportunity to evolve the artform. I think back through history when the invention of the photograph brought the practice of framing and perspective into use in finer arts, digital photography could leave a similar mark with HDR.

Interested in more on HDR? You can read up a bit more on the techniques of HDR at an amazingly informative article Stuck In Customs has. You can also check out this flickr page of a photographer who does some great HDR works as well as some very cool experimentations with HDR and Stereographic Projections (My favourite being here and here).

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May I introduce you to the portfolio of Bryan Katzel.

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Notable about this film is that a large portion of the music is by El Ten Eleven (with some The Album Leaf thrown in for good measure). El Ten Eleven is a band Kyle discovered a few years ago at some random show that is comprised of two men who loop guitars on the fly in unbelievable ways, and were the rhythm section of The Incredible Moses Leroy, whom I was quite fond of, whom were last performing as The Soft Lighties. Did you get all that?

David Carson also did the movie poster for the film, and guess what font he didn’t use? Helvetica of course, gotta admit that whole unpredictable thing is getting rather predictable. Anyway, you can now view the entire film right here, in this post. Go grab some popcorn, we will wait for you.

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I think the best description of what to expect of this film was by Abrams himself:

JJ Abrams on Cloverfield

“A Cameron Crowe movie meets ‘Godzilla’ meets ‘Blair Witch Project’…”

I absolutely love a movie filled with characters whom you see parts of yourself in, even their darker moments, and this movie does that to me in a way I haven’t experienced since “The Rules Of Attraction”. It’s innovative in a myriad of ways (amazingly so), but it’s backed up by the solid foundational elements most big budget films miss. This is the sort of genre shifting film that shows Hollywood; there are more talented actors out there than the regular big name stars they shove down our throats, there are more talented thinkers, writers and producers out there who still want the art of cinema to evolve, CGI and effects don’t have to be the main focus of a shot and can seamlessly fit with the live footage.

If you haven’t yet seen it, you need to; if you have already seen it, geek out over Slusho, jamieandteddy.com, and Tagruato and call me up for Round 2.

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Christopher Walken Mask By Brandon Bird

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Firstly, what made this girl so captivating? If you are a guy, and a guy who is into Apple, you totally were into her simple look, her being a ballerina, her using Apple. It was a great decision on Apple’s part because she is exactly the kind of girl you hope will randomly appear in your life to help with your addiction to Apple. Her website got a huge rush of traffic to it, which is weird because: why would people go to a “behind the tu-tu” ballet website? My excuse was that I have dated a ballerina or two, so I am allowed to revisit these things as some kind of healing process. Right, right? Anyway, the surprising thing is her website is pretty spectacular; Well designed, unique idea, loyal niche following (Sidenote: I am really into colons/semi-colons today, even if it means using them incorrectly). I feel like a lot of people visiting her site might have been drawn into it because of similar-to-my-own second hand ballet experiences; crushes on ballerinas, dreams of being a ballerina, crushes on the girl in the iPhone commercial who happens to be a ballerina. It’s a very interesting concept in a marketing sense. Could the NYCB could have paid for more exposure? Probably not, and kudos for realising her abilities and rewarding her with her new position.

The secondary cloud spinning in my head is about the story of her and her boyfriend. I’m sure this story crushed a few people hoping to somehow sweep Miss Sloan off her feet, but it in and of itself says so much about how our world has changed. I had no idea what dodgeball.com was, until this story. It looks interesting, but I am yet to cave into the world of telling everyone where I am at the time I am actually there (I much rather prefer hearing people tell me I was someplace I never was at). The truly interesting thing is the ease that this seemingly “everywoman” has of discussing meeting her boyfriend on, in simpler terms, the invisible world. I know people who have dated people they met online, I know some truly amazing people that I met through the Internet (in varying degrees).

It really makes you think of how you “meet” people, and people’s hang ups on meeting people in “non-traditional” ways. People still get caught up in admitting their significant other was once just a MySpace message, random IM, or fellow website visitor. I decided to mentally list out how I met the people in my life who make regular appearances (meaning I talk to them on a regular basis, stemming over years) to see where I fit in. The summary is that of 10-12 people who are regularly in my life I; met the one’s I am the closest to in a way not involving technology (unless going to college for graphic design counts), stay more in touch with the ones I can email/IM than those I have to call, only one of them was I ever “buying dinner” (those who know me well, know this is what I call the purgatory between full on dating and being friends) on a regular occasion, I have met people because of music websites and online video games who are now very good friends (such a dork).

What does all this tell us? That I am apparently not hip to the times. I utilise technology to meet new people and stay in contact with people I already know constantly, and don’t have many reservations about it. However, I still tend to be pretty “traditional” for as much of a tech-dork as I am. In reality, I think this world is changing, while staying the same. For people to have a lasting effect on us we need to see, hear, feel, smell and touch them, not just read them. I know for many the “invisible world” presents interaction in a more convenient way, and perhaps we find it just as convenient to walk away from people we meet that way.

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Sheet of paper that is shrink wrapped to One Hundred and Forty Five Stories in a Small Box

I dont know why it came down to me to tell you about this, but anyway, here goes: if you don’t buy at least ten books a year, you’ll be struck by lightning, or maybe a bus. It’s the new rule. Yeah. You’ll probably be sent a more official notice in the mail pretty soon, but for now, you’re hearing it from me. Ten books a year, or the bus or lightning, each of them very painful and likely deadly. Is the rule a bit harsh? Well, maybe. Some people might think so, but then again, those people won’t be with us very long, because anyone who complains about the rule will be disemboweled by bears. Again, not my idea–I’m just the messenger here!–but that’s the way it is. I don’t know why you’re worried though. Just buy the ten books a year, and don’t whine about it, and you won’t be struck by anything or have your insides ripped out by a grizzly. Doesn’t seem so complicated, really. Also, make sure you buy the right kinds of books, or else someone in a cardigan will push you off a building. Again, nothing to worry about: just buy the best kinds of books, not the bad ones, or else you’ll be looking over your shoulder pretty much forever. And you can’t read that way, anyway, so it all works out.
–DE

David Eggers is one of my all time favourite human beings on this planet, and that ladies and gentlemen, is one small slice of why.

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Wednesday I made my way to the Roxy in Hollywoodville to see Holiday Parade play their first LA show ever. Kate Beckensale and her family were even out to see the band. Underworld 3 soundtrack? Maybe. The show was great, and being able to finally spend some time with these guys was even better. I cannot stress enough what amazing people these guys are, talented musicians and class acts through and through. If you are able, catch their path around the States that we call a tour, Scotty their merch guy will honestly make your life 500 times better on his own. I took the following picture on Wednesday, I do things like this on occasion.

The real entertainment came after the show when we headed over to the after party for The Format’s show. Brandon Chamberlain was aces as usual, and I told Chavez I expect to see him out at the next march. I gave these two scholars a ride back to Long Beach because Brandon lost his car… and Lindsay… who was in his car… passed out… and no one could find her… or the car… sorry Linny.

Thursday was back at it again with the HP guys, this time in Santa Ana. The venue seemed newer (read: it was interesting) but the kids there sure do support the bands, good to see. We got in some great conversation at various times in the evening, and _____ (name witheld to protect further damage to his ability to pull) definitely stole the show with his stories of romance. His absolute finest moment came when he told us a story about how he had an “encounter” with a young lady who later went on to tell her sorority sisters that he wasn’t good in bed. What did _____ do to rebuke such claims? Tell the sisters that he just couldn’t get it up, of course.

I will basically miss anyone who currently resides in Georgia for the rest of the weekend. Thank you all.

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Quentin Tarantino

“New Italian cinema is just depressing. Recent films I’ve seen are all the same. They talk about boys growing up, or girls growing up, or couples having a crisis, or vacations of the mentally impaired.”

I love Quentin, and if I had the time in my life to watch movies about people growing up and having a crisis about being mentally impaired on vacation, I’d agree with him. People in Italy who make movies about people growing up and having a crisis about being mentally impaired on vacation however, don’t seem to agree with him. Sophia Loren had the following to say….

Sophia Loren

“How dare he, how dare he talk about Italian cinema when he doesn’t know anything about American cinema.”

The really important part I took away from all of this is… Sophia Loren is still alive?

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P is for Panda cares about artists (and hey look at me I’m an artist!), which is actually a rare these days. Perhaps more rare, P is for Panda cares about our world, and backs it up with real monies. One of my other good friends (oh, look at me and all my talented friends) has designed all of the items currently available, so not only are you supporting one of my friends, you are supporting two! I’m gonna just go ahead and pull this off their Virb site, so I get you all the facts.

What is P is For Panda?

After leaving The Militia Group – a company that I founded over 9 years ago – I still don’t really know how to respond to that question. However, I do know this: P Is For Panda is and will always be a company that supports the artist and the community.

For now, we are a clothing company. It may not necessarily seem revolutionary, but we believe that it takes small steps to incite change. Our clothing will be completely based on artist submissions. If we choose to use an artist’s design, the artist is then allowed to choose the item price, the size of the clothing run, and a charity to donate a portion of the proceeds to. World Wildlife Fund is the charity we will suggest to them, but again – it is the artist’s choice.

From there, the profit will be split three ways.
1. The Artist. We thought it was unfair that when an artist designed a shirt they simply got paid a flat fee. If the shirt goes on to sell thousands, the company makes all the money and the artist is left trying to pay rent. With this model, if the shirt sells well – the artist actually sees some of the cash!
2. A Charity. We want to give back. And what better way to give back than to give 1/3rd of our profits to a charity that is trying to better the world we live in? It’s a hell of a lot better than just making some cool shirts.
3. Us. We need cash to keep this thing rolling!

Many people in the “business world” have said that this model cannot and will not work. My question is: “Why?” Because we are thinking about someone other than ourselves? Because we are not concerned with a bottom line? Because we would rather help save a life rather than pad our pockets? People in the normal business world simply do not understand how a business can succeed while “giving away” 2/3rds of its profit. My simple answer is “Why not?”

If we fail – at least we failed while trying to do something meaningful. We would rather die trying than sit around on our butts complaining about the war, the worsening situation in Africa, the lack of aid in New Orleans, or the staggering number of people that are dying right now because they need a new kidney while most of us have one we don’t even need.

If you want to support Panda – thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We believe this can work and we want to show the “business world” that together, we really can change things.

Lets change the way business works.

Chad Pearson and P is for Panda

Who can argue with proving narrow minded suits wrong? Not me, and not Billy Walsh either.

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Everyone knows I’m a huge fan of Bay, I think he does action the way it should be done. He isn’t artsy enough for most people it seems, but he knows cinema. I really liken him a lot to Quentin; both make films their own way, are very successful in what they do, love making things over the top beyond reality, and are met with sharp criticism about almost every film they make. If he’s good enough for Tarantino, he should be good enough for all you pseudo-artistic types.

Michael Bay

“Quentin Tarantino called me once. Someone had written ‘Is Michael Bay the Devil?’ Quentin said, ‘Don’t worry, last year they called me the Antichrist.’”

I have a point, stick with me. Bay is doing something which I find to be spectacular, premiering Transformers on four screens in Westwood at the LA Film Festival. Now some might think, “yeah you need four screens for all those blockbuster hollywood types,” but you would be wrong. Transformers will be premiering on four screens so we can all have a chance to be a part of the premiere and the after party. Tickets go on sale for the Transformers premiere next weekend, and package tickets for the LA Film Festival (which include the premiere) are already on sale. See you there.

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Ice Cube’s new film “First Sunday” is shooting on my street. Incidentally, according to IMDB, I moved to Baltimore, MD. Baltimore is a gorgeous city on the shore of the Pacific… oh wait, that’s Long Beach. Anyway, Ice Cube rolled into town and is making some comedy about a crime inside a Church. Unfortunately, this isn’t gonna come close to the greatest “crimedy” (get it, a crime and comedy?) inside a Church ever, Sister Act. Honestly, what could? Fortunately this crimedy takes place on a corner that has a Church and a Liquor Store, which should bring a whole new dimension to the Church crimedy genre we all have come to love.

Kyle and I jumped a few barricades to bring you all some images of the set:

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After the long journey, some interesting appetizer’s and a run of the land we headed off to revive our singing careers. If you have never been to Dimple’s, you are cheating yourself out of a good time, and potential fame. I’ve heard this place was where Record Industry A&R signed pop stars before American Idol existed. They even snap pictures and film you.

Edit: Kyle has a longer description of the evening, with less metaphors and more promise of our DVD and allusions to internet infamy (that’s right, Dimple’s has a live feed every night) on his blog.

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David Eggers, Author/Designer
taken from an interview conducted for “YSKOV(Sacrament)” release.

“You actually asked me the question: “Are you taking any steps to keep shit real?” I want you always to look back on this time as being a time when those words came out of your mouth.

Now, there was a time when such a question – albeit probably without the colloquial spin – would have originated from my own brain. Since I was thirteen, sitting in my orange-carpeted bedroom in ostensibly cutting-edge Lake Forest, Illinois, subscribing to the Village Voice and reading the earliest issues of Spin, I thought I had my ear to the railroad tracks of avant garde America. (Laurie Anderson, for example, had grown up only miles away!) I was always monitoring, with the most sensitive and well-calibrated apparatus, the degree of selloutitude exemplified by any given artist – musical, visual, theatrical, whatever. I was vigilant and merciless and knew it was my job to be so.

I bought R.E.M.’s first EP, Chronic Town, when it came out and thought I had found God. I loved Murmur, Reckoning, but then watched, with greater and greater dismay, as this obscure little band’s audience grew, grew beyond obsessed people like myself, grew to encompass casual fans, people who had heard a song on the radio and picked up Green and listened for the hits. Old people liked them, and stupid people, and my moron neighbor who had sex with truck drivers. I wanted these phony R.E.M.-lovers dead.

But it was the band’s fault, too. They played on Letterman. They switched record labels. Even their album covers seemed progressively more commercial. And when everyone I knew began liking them, I stopped. Had they changed, had their commitment to making art with integrity changed? I didn’t care, because for me, any sort of popularity had an inverse relationship with what you term the keeping ‘real’ of ‘shit.’ When the Smiths became slightly popular they were sellouts. Bob Dylan appeared on MTV and of course was a sellout. Recently, just at dinner tonight, after a huge, sold-out reading by David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell (both sellouts), I was sitting next to an acquaintance, a very smart acquaintance married to the singer-songwriter of a very well-known band. I mentioned that I had seen the Flaming Lips the night before. She rolled her eyes. “Oh I really liked them on 90210,” she sneered, assuming that this would put me and the band in our respective places.

However.

Was she aware that The Flaming Lips had composed an album requiring the simultaneous playing of four separate discs, on four separate CD players? Was she aware that the band had once, for a show at Lincoln Center, handed out to audience members something like 100 portable tape players, with 100 different tapes, and had them all played at the same time, creating a symphonic sort of effect, one which completely devastated everyone in attendance? I went on and on to her about the band’s accomplishments, their experiments. Was she convinced that they were more than their one appearance with Jason Priestly? She was.

Now, at that concert the night before, Wayne Coyne, the lead singer, had himself addressed this issue, and to great effect. After playing much of their new album, the band paused and he spoke to the audience. I will paraphrase what he said:

“Hi. Well, some people get all bitter when some song of theirs gets popular, and they refuse to play it. But we’re not like that. We’re happy that people like this song. So here it goes.”

Then they played the song. (You know the song.) “She Don’t Use Jelly” is the song, and it is a silly song, and it was their most popular song. But to highlight their enthusiasm for playing the song, the band released, from the stage and from the balconies, about 200 balloons. (Some of the balloons, it should be noted, were released by two grown men in bunny suits.) Then while playing the song, Wayne sang with a puppet on his hand, who also sang into the microphone. It was fun. It was good.

But was it a sellout? Probably. By some standards, yes. Can a good band play their hit song? Should we hate them for this? Probably, probably. First 90210, now they go playing the song every stupid night. Everyone knows that 90210 is not cutting edge, and that a cutting edge alternarock band should not appear on such a show. That rule is clearly stated in the obligatory engrained computer-chip sellout manual that we were all given when we hit adolescence.

But this sellout manual serves only the lazy and small. Those who bestow sellouthood upon their former heroes are driven to do so by, first and foremost, the unshakable need to reduce. The average one of us – a taker-in of various and constant media, is absolutely overwhelmed – as he or she should be – with the sheer volume of artistic output in every conceivable medium given to the world every day – it is simply too much to begin to process or comprehend – and so we are forced to try to sort, to reduce. We designate, we label, we diminish, we create hierarchies and categories.

Through largely received wisdom, we rule out Tom Waits’s new album because it’s the same old same old, and we save $15. U2 has lost it, Radiohead is too popular. Country music is bad, Puff Daddy is bad, the last Wallace book was bad because that one reviewer said so. We decide that TV is bad unless it’s the Sopranos. We liked Rick Moody and Jonathan Lethem and Jeffrey Eugenides until they allowed their books to become movies. And on and on. The point is that we do this and to a certain extent we must do this. We must create categories, and to an extent, hierarchies.

But you know what is easiest of all? When we dismiss.

Oh how gloriously comforting, to be able to write someone off. Thus, in the overcrowded pantheon of alternarock bands, at a certain juncture, it became necessary for a certain brand of person to write off The Flaming Lips, despite the fact that everyone knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that their music was superb and groundbreaking and real. We could write them off because they shared a few minutes with Jason Priestley and that terrifying Tori Spelling person. Or we could write them off because too many magazines have talked about them. Or because it looked like the bassist was wearing too much gel in his hair.

One less thing to think about. Now, how to kill off the rest of our heroes, to better make room for new ones?

We liked Guided by Voices until they let Ric Ocasek produce their latest album, and everyone knows Ocasek is a sellout, having written those mushy Cars songs in the late 80s, and then – gasp! – produced Weezer’s album, and of course Weezer’s no good, because that Sweater song was on the radio, right, and dorky teenage girls were singing it and we cannot have that and so Weezer is bad and Ocasek is bad and Guided by Voices are bad, even if Spike Jonze did direct that one Weezer video, and we like Spike Jonze, don’t we?

Oh. No. We don’t. We don’t like him anymore because he’s married to Sofia Coppola, and she is not cool. Not cool. So bad in Godfather 3, such nepotism. So let’s check off Spike Jonze – leaving room in our brains for… who??

It’s exhausting.

The only thing worse than this sort of activity is when people, students and teachers alike, run around college campuses calling each other racists and anti-Semites. It’s born of boredom, lassitude. Too cowardly to address problems of substance where such problems actually are, we claw at those close to us. We point to our neighbor, in the khakis and sweater, and cry foul. It’s ridiculous. We find enemies among our peers because we know them better, and their proximity and familiarity means we don’t have to get off the couch to dismantle them.

And now, I am also a sellout. Here are my sins, many of which you may know about already:

First, I was a sellout because Might magazine took ads.
Then I was a sellout because our pages were color, and not stapled together at the Kinko’s.
Then I was a sellout because I went to work for Esquire.
Now I’m a sellout because my book has sold many copies.
And because I have done many interviews.
And because I have let people take my picture.
And because my goddamn picture has been in just about every fucking magazine and newspaper printed in America.

And now, as far as McSweeney’s is concerned, The Advocate interviewer wants to know if we’re losing also our edge, if the magazine is selling out, hitting the mainstream, if we’re still committed to publishing unknowns, and pieces killed by other magazines.

And the fact is, I don’t give a fuck. When we did the last issue, this was my thought process: I saw a box. So I decided we’d do a box. We were given stories by some of our favorite writers – George Saunders, Rick Moody (who is uncool, uncool!), Haruki Murakami, Lydia Davis, others – and so we published them. Did I wonder if people would think we were selling out, that we were not fulfilling the mission they had assumed we had committed ourselves to?

No. I did not. Nor will I ever. We just don’t care. We care about doing what we want to do creatively. We want to be interested in it. We want it to challenge us. We want it to be difficult. We want to reinvent the stupid thing every time. Would I ever think, before I did something, of how those with sellout monitors would respond to this or that move? I would not. The second I sense a thought like that trickling into my brain, I will put my head under the tires of a bus.

You want to know how big a sellout I am?

A few months ago I wrote an article for Time magazine and was paid $12,000 for it. I am about to write something, 1,000 words, 3 pages or so, for something called Forbes ASAP, and for that I will be paid $6,000 For two years, until five months ago, I was on the payroll of ESPN magazine, as a consultant and sometime contributor. I was paid handsomely for doing very little. Same with my stint at Esquire. One year I spent there, with little to no duties. I wore khakis every day. Another Might editor and I, for almost a year, contributed to Details magazine, under pseudonyms, and were paid $2000 each for what never amounted to more than 10 minutes work – honestly never more than that. People from Hollywood want to make my book into a movie, and I am probably going to let them do so, and they will likely pay me a great deal of money for the privilege.

Do I care about this money? I do. Will I keep this money? Very little of it. Within the year I will have given away almost a million dollars to about 100 charities and individuals, benefiting everything from hospice care to an artist who makes sculptures from Burger King bags. And the rest will be going into publishing books through McSweeney’s. Would I have been able to publish McSweeney’s if I had not worked at Esquire? Probably not. Where is the $6000 from Forbes going? To a guy named Joe Polevy, who wants to write a book about the effects of radiator noise on children in New England.

Now, what if I were keeping all the money? What if I were buying property in St. Kitt’s or blew it all on live-in prostitutes? What if, for example, I was, a few nights ago, sitting at a table in SoHo with a bunch of Hollywood slash celebrity acquaintances, one of whom I went to high school with, and one of whom was Puff Daddy? Would that make me a sellout? Would that mean I was a force of evil?

What if a few nights before that I was at the home of Julian Schnabel, at a party featuring Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, and at which Schnabel said we should get together to talk about him possibly directing my movie? And what if I said sure, let’s?

Would all that make me a sellout? Would I be uncool? Would it have been more cool to not go to this party, or to not have written that book, or done that interview, or to have refused millions from Hollywood?

The thing is, I really like saying yes. I like new things, projects, plans, getting people together and doing something, trying something, even when it’s corny or stupid. I am not good at saying no. And I do not get along with people who say no. When you die, and it really could be this afternoon, under the same bus wheels I’ll stick my head if need be, you will not be happy about having said no. You will be kicking your ass about all the no’s you’ve said. No to that opportunity, or no to that trip to Nova Scotia or no to that night out, or no to that project or no to that person who wants to be naked with you but you worry about what your friends will say.

No is for wimps. No is for pussies. No is to live small and embittered, cherishing the opportunities you missed because they might have sent the wrong message.

There is a point in one’s life when one cares about selling out and not selling out. One worries whether or not wearing a certain shirt means that they are behind the curve or ahead of it, or that having certain music in one’s collection means that they are impressive, or unimpressive.

Thankfully, for some, this all passes. I am here to tell you that I have, a few years ago, found my way out of that thicket of comparison and relentless suspicion and judgment. And it is a nice feeling. Because, in the end, no one will ever give a shit who has kept shit ‘real’ except the two or three people, sitting in their apartments, bitter and self-devouring, who take it upon themselves to wonder about such things. The keeping real of shit matters to some people, but it does not matter to me. It’s fashion, and I don’t like fashion, because fashion does not matter.

What matters is that you do good work. What matters is that you produce things that are true and will stand. What matters is that the Flaming Lips’s new album is ravishing and I’ve listened to it a thousand times already, sometimes for days on end, and it enriches me and makes me want to save people. What matters is that it will stand forever, long after any narrow-hearted curmudgeons have forgotten their appearance on goddamn 90210. What matters is not the perception, nor the fashion, not who’s up and who’s down, but what someone has done and if they meant it. What matters is that you want to see and make and do, on as grand a scale as you want, regardless of what the tiny voices of tiny people say. Do not be critics, you people, I beg you. I was a critic and I wish I could take it all back because it came from a smelly and ignorant place in me, and spoke with a voice that was all rage and envy. Do not dismiss a book until you have written one, and do not dismiss a movie until you have made one, and do not dismiss a person until you have met them. It is a fuckload of work to be open-minded and generous and understanding and forgiving and accepting, but Christ, that is what matters. What matters is saying yes.

I say yes, and Wayne Coyne says yes, and if that makes us the enemy, then good, good, good. We are evil people because we want to live and do things. We are on the wrong side because we should be home, calculating which move would be the least damaging to our downtown reputations. But I say yes because I am curious. I want to see things. I say yes when my high school friend tells me to come out because he’s hanging with Puffy. A real story, that. I say yes when Hollywood says they’ll give me enough money to publish a hundred different books, or send twenty kids through college. Saying no is so fucking boring.

And if anyone wants to hurt me for that, or dismiss me for that, for saying yes, I say Oh do it, do it you motherfuckers, finally, finally, finally. “

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