Ben Gazzara – The Last Husband

The actor Ben Gazzara has died. He may be best remembered as part of that great trio with John Cassavetes and Peter Falk that made the film ‘Husbands’ as sort-of promoted above. I thought I had run this video before, but can find no evidence of it. This is one of the most insane talk show appearances ever. I could never get quite as behind the rat pack or the beat crew of Bill, Jack and Al as I could with these guys.

Power Animals Transmission Device 2012

Jason Martin brings his Power Animals to Florida today, Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2012…

POWER ANIMALS TRANSMISSION DEVICE 2012 (video projection w/sound, runtime: 1 hour, looped) @ Orlando Museum of Art, event curated by artist Johannah O’Donnell: “From Robots to Warlocks: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Art in the 21st Century.” Power Animals screening 6-9PM @ SunTrust Auditorium, Orlando Museum of Art, 2416 North Mills Avenue, Orlando FL — Features new videos, strange raw footage, works made for the internet, previously screened videos, all remixed and scored with original music for this particular screening.

Ringo Starr Loves His Suit

In 1977, Ringo Starr did four commercials hawking Simple Life Leisure Suits for Japanese TV. They contained variations of the song, “I Love My Suit” – sung by Ringo, featuring background vocals by Harry Nilsson and Davy Jones of The Monkees.

I can’t begin to say how awesome I think this song and video are. Would love to see a higher quality copy of the commercial. Info here.

Download the song from backup singer Davy Jones.

UNREST Perfect Teeth deluxe 7″ Box Set

UNREST Perfect Teeth / 7″ Box Set from Teen-Beat on Vimeo.

UNREST’s landmark indie-rock album, Perfect Teeth, has been out of print for 15 years. Their last, and widely considered their best album. Featuring M.T.V. hits “Make Out Club” and “Cath Carroll”, the other 8 songs, plus 6 non-LP tracks.

it is being re-released in it’s original 7″ vinyl box set format, revised with a 7″ 24-page booklet filled with photographs of the band by Erin Smith and recording session photos by Mark Robinson, six records all on color vinyl, full-color labels, replicas of the Unrest and Teen-Beat stickers, and a download coupon. Just like the original, the box will be printed by Independent Project Press, this time with metallic gold ink. Each box will be numbered.

You may pre-order it today at http://teenbeatrecords.com It will ship in Spring, 2012.

It is no secret that we at Wow Cool *heart* Unrest all over like a cheap suit.

We Lost Dara Greenwald

Media artist Dara Greenwald has been a close friend to many of the people involved in Wow Cool on both coasts for many, many years. I am sad to report that she lost her fight with cancer on Monday, January 9th, 2012. Although I have never met Dara in person, I feel her loss greatly and have never heard so many great things said about someone by so many people involved in my life and work from so many different areas. She contributed much to this world and I invite you to explore her work at http://daragreenwald.com/

This post will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

Scientific Maps – People Love Their Troubles

This is a couple years old, but somehow I totally missed it. The Empire State’s favorite sons The Scientific Maps present a video loveletter to Albany, New York(!!!???). Starring ace designer Philip Pascuzzo as the bubblegum bandit. Makes a nice follow up to the Andy’s Chair 4 video zine posted here awhile ago – see the same settings virtually unchanged after over a decade and a half. Look for a special appearance by my Brown Cuts Neighbors “Make Room” poster featuring Frank Beam, towards the end of the video. Thanks to all the folks that shared this on facebook this week.

Ralph E. White in Austin, Summer 2010

Pieces of Ralph E. White performing his original tunes “farewell to the river daughter” & “no stranger” live at the United States Art Authority. Video by Neil “Cloaca” Young of Yeay! Records and Fat Worm of Error. This is an astounding performance.

…and that’s it!, Pat and Mat

Please do watch the above and have your mind gently blown before reading the following. But you might want to wait…

I had never heard of the Czech-born International cartoon legends Pat & Mat until today. It’s very likely that you had not either. I discovered them while trying to find some fun new games for my son to play – browsing the offerings in the Steam Autumn Sale. He’s five, and he loves Pajama Sam and puzzles. There do not seem to be a ton of age-appropriate point-and-click adventure games for him out there currently. We mostly pick up older games that will still run in the classic environment on his iMac. It’s one of the last ones that Apple made that will still support it. So, at some point I stumbled on the Steam page for the Pat & Mat game. Oh no! This doesn’t seem to work right! Can we fix it?

The description makes a big point of playing up the international brand recognition of these two schlubs that I had never heard of nor seen before. Google power to the rescue and it is little wonder why. Despite having logged 78 episodes in over a quarter of a century and being shown worldwide (apparently being quite popular in most of the middle east and even Iceland!), they have somehow skipped any sort of US TV programming or video release. You can score More Pat & Mat – Series Two [Region 2] on Amazon, if you want to spend a bit… or the show is available through YouTube and the other usual sources.

The shorts are astounding. They are mind-rendingly funny. The two clear animated decedents of the show in both style and content are Bob The Builder (Which could be read as an elaborate apologia of it’s Slavic ancestor) and Wallace & Gromit, which pays clear homage in several moments, especially Wallace’s chin-grabbing pondering.

The short I picked to show above brought many great attempts at audio art to mind, including the various vinyl-de(con)structive releases by the Haters. Remember the slab of vinyl, needle and set of instructions LP they did? No? Ok…

Seriously, whoever can sell me the North American distribution rights to these cartoons, please get in touch soon. Oh, was that too crass? Sorry. Have a happy Macy’s Day.

Jason Martin POWER ANIMALS, at Good Kids Party

With music by Burial! Archangel from Untrue, even! Jason used to make fun of me for liking that kind of stuff! Hey!

RIP Heavy D – Actor, Singer, Producer Dwight Arrington Myers Gone at 44

I used to play the shit out of We Got Our Own Thang back in ’89. It was such an amazing time for music and this was a great bridge between hip hop and the emerging House music scene. Godspeed, brother.

LA Times: Heavy D dies at 44; singer who shaped rap music

Stealth Bastard & The Monday Links Assassin Squad

OK. To get started. This game looks fun and gruesome. Stealth Bastard: Tactical Espionage Arsehole is free to download and play. It’s Windows only, but may run fine on Mac and Linux through Wine. Read the write up on Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

Serious funnyman Michael Kupperman is the subject of the latest Gweek podcast over in Boingerland. We just recently got a stack of Mike’s bit of awesomeness he did for Timely Comics a couple years back in the shop – All Select Comics #1 featuring MARVEX!

Theo Ellsworth gives strange interview over at Don’t Panic. In further related, ‘hey go buy stuff from the Wow Cool Shop’ news, there is now a page of Theo art on there. Yup, Capacity, Sleeper Car and two anthologies with bonus Ellsworth are on sale now.

The guests and exhibitors for the 2011 Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival have been announced. Wow Cool won’t be there in person, but, about sixth tenths of the artists whose books we carry will.

You must go watch this wild Salvador Dalí documentary narrated by Orson Welles! “A Soft Self Portrait” from 1967 on Ubu Web.

Paul Pope talks about teaming up with Legendary Comics (publishing arm of the film studio that produced Inception, The Dark Knight and others) to finally get some more books out, over on CBR.

Susie Cagle has posted a report on AlterNet about her experiences with the Oakland Police Department while trying to cover Occupy Oakland as a journalist. “Oakland has spent more than $1 million on Occupy policing, but nearly all of that overwhelming force has been used against innocent people.”

Doctor Mordrid Master of the Unknown

Once upon a time, Charles Band, director of such personal favorites as Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn and Trancers, got the option to produce a film based on Marvel Comics’ Doctor Strange… and then the rights expired. He braved on with the project, changing various odd details, and created “Doctor Mordrid Master of the Unknown”, which was released in 1992. I had never heard of it before I picked up a promo copy VHS tape of the film for 99 cents today. The whole thing is viewable online, of course. It’s quite entertaining. you can also get it on DVD.

Jack Kirby allegedly did concept art for the film.

Susie Cagle is my Hero

I’ve been wanting to write something here about Susie Cagle’s coverage of Occupy Oakland for a couple weeks now. But, given the occupation’s escalating nature and Susie’s work on it being ongoing observation and documentation for an eventual full report, there was not an easy way in to hang a post on. Recent events and the press attention given them makes this seem like a good time to jump in. Occupy Oakland has been a strange story to try to follow, from the reports that make it all sound like a raging riot in the Guardian to the feel good piece in the LA Times on Thursday morning about protesters grabbing breakfast burritos from a food truck with the dockworkers Union boss. Add to this the such mindblowing events as solidarity protests in Tahrir Square and it’s all just a bit much to take in. One thing is certain, however, The Oakland Police Department is deeply fucked up. That’s not a big surprise to anyone, but it is shocking that the press has repeatedly been on the direct receiving end of their repressive measures — from their dusting off the riot playbook last Tuesday to this weeks imprisonment and intimidation exercises. Susie Cagle has been one of the most visible targets of their insane anti-journalist campaign — catching an exploding can of teargas right in front of her face (video above) to her arrest, imprisonment and the holding of her personal belongings by the police over the last few hours. As of this writing they are still holding her stuff, including her apartment keys. Yet, she is determined to follow this story until the end despite all of this. That level of commitment is a true inspiration. Just be safe out there, Susie. I don’t ever want to see you added to this roster at CPJ.

Follow Susie’s regular updates from the occupation on Twitter.

Susie’s homepage “This Is What Concerns Me“. You will want to also check out her Copyright Explained cartoon and her investigation of Bay Area faith-based ‘pregnancy centers’ What Every Woman Should Know and the accompanying Behind The Scenes report.

UPDATE: Posted late today on YouTube, Susie’s video from the plaza raid right before she was arrested. Yes, the footage is a bit rough. If I was ever in a situation where a large group of people were being told “Get on the ground, you’re under arrest”, I would probably try to run, break into a building, something–all Gordon Freeman style–because I would assume the alternative was far worse…

Moebius & Jodorowsy’s The Incal

Found via Jeff Newelt on Twitter

A movie trailer project inspired by the graphic novel “The INCAL”, from Moebius and Jodorowsky.

A while ago, I reunited a bunch of the artists from the original “Heavy Metal” movie, to produce a trailer based upon this great work. Then I got busy building my company and it sat on shelf until a few months back, when I decided to revamp it with today’s digital punch.

Two sequences from the original “Heavy Metal” movie were borrowed from Moebius’s work; “The Long Tomorrow” story and “Arzach”. Given that till this day, Moebius and Jodorowsky are heralded as some of the world’s greatest Sci-Fi visionaries; it seems to me that a film, based on their work would be even more successful than one inspired by it.

Bringing these incredible artists’s work to the big screen, I am convinced would be a great success…so much so that I animated and directed this piece with other like artists.

-Pascal Blais

Casper The Friendly Ghost in There’s Good Boos Tonight

Happy Hallowe’en!

Go Halloween Crazy on the Travel Channel with Psycho Donuts

Tune in to the Travel Channel tonight, Sunday October 30th, 2011, for their new special “Halloween Crazy”, which includes a segment on San Jose’s Psycho Donuts. The spot features photos and videos produced by Marc Arsenault and Wow Cool, largely as part of the Psycho Nurse Calendar project.

From $1000 pumpkin carvings to a terror fest in a former prison, we’ve dug up the most spine-tingling, wacky and festive Halloween traditions in the nation.

Halloween Crazy debuts at 9pm Eastern/Pacific Sunday, October 30. Repeats are at 5pm and Midnight on Halloween.

Jason Martin in the New York Times

The New York Times talked to Jason Martin about his Power Animals installations, videos and performances as part of a longer piece on Brooklyn’s Microscope Gallery and the live birth that recently happened there. A version of this article appeared in print on October 30, 2011, on page MB1 of the New York edition with the headline: For a Gallery at the Edge, Fame Is Born Tuesday. Jason’s Power Animals Systems NYC Windows installations run through January 14, 2012.

THESE risks include screenings and performances by emerging local artists, like Jason Martin. Mr. Martin, 38, makes what he calls “power animal videos,” in which he dresses as a wolf or dog and conducts séance-like rituals intended to contact the half-animal, half-human creatures that visited him in dreams as a child.

Read the whole article online.

Oh yeah, we got the Ganges four

And much else as well. At least seven titles by Kevin Huizenga and a few hundred other fairly awesome comics, zines and records. Many more on the way. Do come explore.

Jason Martin’s Power Animal Systems NYC Windows

Power Animal Systems, an installation by Jason Martin will be on view through January 14th, 2012. A solo show in windows on Broadway and Washington Square in Manhattan. Viewable 24/7. Works in photography, video, sculpture, and teleportation. Presented by 80WSE Galleries.

Power Animal Systems asks you to please assist in transmission. There are many creatures beyond our perception, but we have technologies to evoke some. These are attempts to bring inter-dimensional, species-queer, animal/human hybrids into a collective reality. They appear here staring intently at us. What do they want? To live! It is only with your participation and contemplation that we can make them come alive. Please assist us in transmission.

The World Did Not Get Enough Rammellzee

http://www.gothicfuturism.com/

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