Many people know conceptual artist John Baldessari as “the guy who puts dots on people’s faces.” But did you know that he is 6’7″ and that his wifi password is 123456789B? This short documentary tells you all you need to know about Baldessari, crammed into 6 minutes, with gravelly narration by Tom Waits. The film was commissioned by LACMA in 2011 for their “Art + Film Gala” honoring Baldessari and Clint Eastwood, and was directed by Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman.

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This creepy Bic Shaver commercial from 1977 suggests using their razor is like getting “stroked”. Fred, the young groom in the ad, is told on his wedding day to “stop shaving,” that it’s “better to get stroked in the morning.” He tries it and proclaims, “I’m going to get stroked like this EVERY morning!” Later his bride awkwardly announces (at his wedding no less) “that he really got stroked this morning.” The woman in the blue dress seems to be the only one who understands what getting “stroked in the morning” actually entails.

Get Stroked in the Morning.

via Everything is Terrible

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image via Nancy Sinatra blog

Nancy & Lee in Las Vegas is an hour-long Swedish documentary TV special that follows Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood both onstage and behind-the-scenes during their 1972 concerts at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. This often candid film was directed by Torbjörn Axelman and was produced by Sinatra’s late husband, Hugh Lambert. It also features scenes with Nancy’s mother, Nancy Barbato. As a longtime fan of both Sinatra and Hazlewood, I really appreciated this look at their sometimes less-than-glamourous time on a casino stage (and their jazzy live version of the song Jackson). It is available to purchase on DVD from The Video Beat.

According to the Nancy Sinatra blog, Sinatra performed in Las Vegas from 1969 to 1982. Billboard reviewed the Riviera Hotel show in February 1972:

“Gowned in a backless, silver pants outfit and banked in a magnificent stage set with white light she knows how to sell hard, man type songs to the cafe crowd. Opening with ‘Let Yourself Go,’ she goes immediatley into ‘Candy Man,’ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine When He’s Gone,’ and a country arrangement of ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’ which had heavy use of the steel guitar…[Lee Hazlewood's] duets with Miss Sinatra are solid and strong. The RCA recording team did their hits plus the new ‘Arkansas Coal.’”

Torbjörn Axelman also directed the 1970 TV special starring Hazlewood titled Cowboy in Sweden. Here’s a clip from that special that features Hazlewood’s song, The Night Before:

image via The Centre of the World

via Dangerous Minds

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Gulf War veteran Arthur Boorman became disabled after injuring his back and knees during his time as a paratrooper. Fifteen years later, he had packed on pounds and was unable to walk without the use of crutches. He sought out help and got it from the folks at Diamond Dallas Yoga who helped him change his life. Never, Ever Give Up is the progress video that tells Arthur’s amazing and inspiring story.

via Viral Viral Videos

images via Diamond Dallas Yoga

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Paul Celentano of Etsy shop Celentano Woodworks handcrafts his maple-wood Atom Ukuleles. Each one of these beauties features the atomic symbol, are custom made-to-order by Celentano and available to purchase on Etsy.

via Boing Boing

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Now in its 13th year, the How Weird Street Faire returns with the theme of “Time” and brings live music and performances to the streets of San Francisco. The event takes place in downtown San Francisco (entrance at Howard & New Montgomery Streets) on Sunday May 13, 2012. The Faire is a project of, and fundraiser for, the local non-profit World Peace Through Technology Organization.

The 13th annual How Weird Street Faire will have 13 stages of world-class music and performances spread throughout 13 city blocks. This year’s theme is Time, in honor of 2012. Come join thousands of people in colorful costumes, as we celebrate peace and the 13 moons we’ve all been waiting for. All ages are welcome. Costumes are highly encouraged.

New this year is a performance stage hosted by members of Vau de Vire Society, a Beat Box Poetry stage on Natoma Street, and an entire alley of live and exhibited art on Minna Street.

poster art by Brad Olsen and digibob

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Legendary prankster Joey Skaggs is back with his latest project, Mobile Homeless Homes, featuring a “Trojan house” in the form of live-in garbage cans on a trailer behind a bike that will be accompanied by outraged homeless muppets who will all be parading to Goldman Sachs starting at 11am on Monday, April 23. Here’s the full press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Outraged homeless muppets to converge on Goldman Sachs

NEW YORK, April 21, 2012 — Homelessness is a great American tragedy. Our financial system and government have let us down and we, together, must take a stand to change the way the system works. With over 11 million homes underwater and millions in foreclosure, people are frightened, distressed and angry.

Although not a cure, Mobile Homeless Homes (MHH) offers a temporary solution — low cost alternative living spaces for the millions of upside-down, underwater or foreclosed homeowners who have lost their houses due to the banking crisis that caused the real estate collapse. The MHH centerpiece is a camouflage, stealth, mobile home made from a series of connected plastic garbage cans, propelled by a tricycle, that will be undetectable by authorities. It blends into any urban environment.

Designed by artist Joey Skaggs, this Trojan house has been created to focus attention on the disastrous effects of government deregulation on the welfare of the general public and to underscore the fact that people are not powerless to create change; that people should not be afraid to use their First Amendment rights to denounce actions they believe are unethical and criminal.

On Monday, April 23, 2012 beginning at 11:00 a.m. at 287 Spring Street (between Varick and Hudson) in New York City, Skaggs will parade his Mobile Homeless Homes prototype down to Goldman Sachs. He will be accompanied by his troupe of costumed muppets including the Fresh Juice Party band, performing their original “Mobile Homeless blues” ballad (lyrics). They will head from Spring Street to West Street and then down West Street to Goldman Sachs at 200 West Street. Other targeted sites will be announced at a later date on the MHH website.

Goldman Sachs has been selected as the destination for the MHH debut as it is one of the primary companies responsible for causing the housing crisis. The muppets are there to help hold them accountable, because Goldman Sachs employees commonly have disrespectfully referred to their clients as muppets. The word muppet in British slang is a derogatory term commonly used to mean idiot or loser.

“I’m not a bank regulator. I’m not a legislator. I’m not a politician. I’m an artist. I believe it’s my responsibility to do what I can to bring attention to the issues and inspire our lawmakers to make the critically necessary changes to protect the public from greed and fraud,” says Joey Skaggs.

The MHH performance has been designed to be a fully legal public expression of individual rights. With the current rash of arrests of Occupy Wall Street protestors and the forcible removal of personal belongings from people sitting peacefully in parks, Skaggs says the MHH procession will be on the move at all times, except when waiting for street lights to change. And, since Mayor Bloomberg just the other day kissed Ms Piggy and announced that the Muppets (of Sesame Street fame) are now the official New York City family ambassadors, it might prove embarrassing if the police arrest Ms. Piggy as she exercises her First Amendment rights.

For more information, contact:
Joey Skaggs, 212-254-7878
info@mobilehomelesshomes.com
http://mobilehomelesshomes.com (coming soon, check back)

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Things Don’t Seem Wonderful If You’ve Seen Them All Your Life was illustrated in 1912 by political cartoonist John T. McCutcheon and it’s as every bit true today as it was back then.

via Dan Shick and 100 Years Ago Today

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This stern view of the Titanic was taken as the ship came came to a stop having dropped anchor. The head and shoulders of a seaman can be seen above the rear funnel, which was in fact a ventilation shaft, he climbed up to get a grandstand view of Titanic’s arrival at Cobh.

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland and on April 15, 2012 the “unsinkable” ship sank killing 1,523 passengers. Prior to its fateful voyage to New York City, the ship traveled from Southampton to Cobh (Queenstown) in Ireland. For that short trip, Father Francis Browne was gifted a first class ticket by his uncle, Robert Browne (Bishop of Coyne). An avid photographer, Fr. Browne snapped a series of photographs of the Titanic that give insight to life onboard and are an important part of its history. The entire image gallery can be found at Titanic Photographs and more of the history behind the photographs can be found at the Father Browne website. A commemorative book of digitally remastered photographs titled Father Browne’s Titanic Album: Centenary Edition is available to purchase at Messenger Publications. Yes, the Titanic tragedy was real and not just a movie.

Inside the Gymnasium
Mr. TW McCawley the physical educator poses at a rowing machine and Mr. William Parr, electrician who was travelling first class, is seated on some form of exercising machine, hold still for the duration of a time exposure. Both men were lost.

This interior view of the Titanic’s First Class reading and writing room conveys some idea of the opulence of the liner’s grand interiors

This man standing on the boat deck close to the gymnasium is believed to be Jacques Futrelle the American short story writer who was lost with the ship.

Father Francis Browne, 1939

via Isik Mater

photos by Fr. Francis Browne & Fr. Michael Garahy

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The Glutton by Jason Levesque

Seven Deadly Sins is a group art exhibition featuring artist interpretations of the seven deadly sins and it happens at Rothick art haus in Anaheim, California. The show’s opening reception is Saturday April 14, 2012 from 7 pm to 10 pm and the exhibition runs through May 5, 2012.

The show features Casey Weldon, Jason Levesque, Aaron Kraten, McEvoy &Rodriquez, Apricot Mantle, Nicole Bruckman, Jophen Stien, Krystopher Sapp, Amy Kaplan, William Zdan, Candy, Jose Carabes, Craig Skibs Barker, Quyen Dhin, Ron Pete, Jennifer Cotterill, Jackson Rott, Veronica Lyenn Harper, Cody Raiza, Maritza Torre, Dustin Myers, Sara Haase, Marlon Mcwilliams, Danny Schutt, Irene Garcia, Alex Gardner, Jiame Jimenez, Max Bare, Mimi Yoon, Lisa Moneypenny, Michael White, Richard Perez and more.

Red Lips and Gentle Hands by Brad Barker

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