Working on a new 2 page story...

Page 1 done.

I'll post up a readable view when the second page is complete.

Should be in the next few days... so check back!

100% of Your Noise - Nosebleed Mashup

Here's another mashup I did for my "Nosebleed Sessions" mix tape. It's slightly different tot the others and I wanted the song to play a bit in it's own right before the mashing.

The backing is Sonic Youth, and around halfway through I drop a Public Enemy vocal. I think it has a real synergy to it, as both bands were noisemakers and had punk ethics.



I'm stoked on the photo I made for it as well, it really looks like they are actually hanging out. haha

"Bionic" Eye fitted to blind man

Electronic sight... The stuff of Sci Fi?

When I was around 12 or 13, I learned about the organic structure of the human eye. The way it worked, and why it worked. I also started learning about AI etc in my technology/computers class. Of course that caused me to draw hundreds upon hundreds of schematic drawings for Bionic human parts... limbs/eyes etc.

Anyway, my adult brain has almost given up hope for these things to ever be developed in my lifetime.... (which is a total bummer as it would be badass to have a bionic arm.) That is... until now.

Check out this Article sourced from the Mail:

"A blind man who thought he would never be able to read again has had his vision partially restored after being fitted with a ‘bionic’ eye. Peter Lane, 51, is one of the first people in the world to have electronic receivers implanted into his eye which send signals mounted in a pair of glasses to the brain.

The technology has allowed Mr Lane, from Manchester, to see the outline of objects, such as doorways and furniture, and to read letters through a series of dots of lights for the first time in almost 30 years."

Restored sight: Peter Lane, 51, with his 'bionic' eye device. Electronic receivers implanted in his eye send signals mounted in a pair of glasses to his brain

He's a Badass.

Source: Mail


P.s. One thing I thought about Levar Burton (the actor who played blind-man Geordi Laforge in Star Trek) It must've been a complete ball ache to act like he was a blind man who could see, when in fact he was a seeing man who was blinded by his headband eye prop all those years.

Ironic Method Acting.

Beach Boys over Jose Gonzales. Another Nosebleed Mix

Here's another Mashup I did for my "Nosebleed Sessions" Mixtape all those years ago. Basically, only about 5 people have ever heard the tapes. So I figure this is an easy way to share all those hours I wasted alone in my house while I was ill.

FEEL MY PAIN. haha

This is the spooky result of putting the Beach Boys over Jose Gonzales.



I included the Segue at the end into the next track (which was the Bright Eyes/NIN/Quannum Mash) to both cheer you up after the melancholy, and to give you an idea of the mix flow.

A Quick MPC Schooling...

M. Sayyid of Anti-Pop Consortium gives a quick & interesting schooling on how to use an MPC / Synth.

WATCH THAT HERE

RIP Record Savings

Around 1996 was when I first discovered the joy of an indie record store. The relaxed atmosphere, the difference in personality to bigger mainstream shops, and most importantly... the discoveries that could be made.

I spent the majority of my teens visiting as many indies as I could, to try and educate myself on everything that was out there. I personally have over 1800 CD's and I really hate the modern era's inability to understand the beauty of actually saving up and BUYING albums... The pride in the holding the physical item in your hand, that you have earned. The beauty in that medallion of music. Anyway... I digress. It was in indie stores that I learned of my voracious appetite for music of all types. Mainstream stores like HMV etc never gave me the same ability to discuss and learn about new things from an 'expert'... nor did they allow me to select something I simply liked the look of off of the shelf and have it played while I looked around. Record Savings allowed me that freedom, and I basically lived in that shop.

In fact, I spent so much time there and learned so much, they offered me a job. I worked there for about 3 or 4 years. Ordering in stock, buying and selling secondhand CD's, and continuing my education. Also I learned the joy of influencing people to try new things. I'm a very extroverted person and enjoy talking to people about my passions. So I found the job to be really fun... every single day. Not many people can say that about their jobs.

A few years back, the sales of CD's started to decline as people began downloading music or just listening to it online, and this resulted in me being made redundant. Since then I have continued to shop at Record Savings with the vain hope that it would continue forever. It was one of the last true indie record stores in the country and I hoped it could last.

In the last few months I noticed they got less and less new releases in, and then today I found out that it had closed as of earlier this week.

Truly the end of an era, and quite saddening for me.

(W)Hell, (W)Hell, (W)Hell.... what have we got here then?

Anyone who saw the brilliant documentary film "Religulous" (A critique on Religion by Larry Charles/Bill Maher), will have possibly been shocked by the American priest in Vatican city who openly criticized the many contradictions of Christian/Catholic life. Not because his views were particularly radical, but because he was an 'insider' of a right-wing belief system, residing in it's Headquarters, who seemed to have a very left-wing perspective.

Well, the following video is equally amazing. It features Bishop John Shelby Spong openly stating that he believes "Hell is an invention of the church and people don’t need to be born again, they need to grow up..."



Absolutely amazing.

Does this mean that the church actually has as wide a range of views within itself, as exist outside of it? Or are there just one or two 'rogues' operating within the church?

And more importantly...

To what point can one reject the core traditions of a religion, before one simply no longer actually practices that religion?

Mantyhose...

No. Just... No.

http://e-mancipate.net/

Multi Genre Mash Up

Here's another track from my "Nosebleed Sessions" Mix tape.

It's Quannum Spectrum (on the raps) over Bright Eyes, Mixed into NIN. Good fun. There's a little blend over from the previous Beach Boys Track as well with the initial "God Only Knows" drop.




Please Buy Any and All Albums made by these artists, (All influences of mine)... Support good music.

The Jackson Quints - Nosebleed Sessions

A few years ago I had to get an operation on my nose, which had been broken a couple of times, and the operation had complications. Complications which led to me having another operation to fix it afterwards, resulting in about a month and a half off work.

During this time I wasn't allowed to really leave my house either, for fear of it getting infected, So I bided my time watching films and TV, writing music, and making what I believed to be the best mix-tape the world has ever known.

This mix tape "The Nosbleed Sessions" seamlessly mixed songs I liked with mash ups and rarities. Listening back on it now... I realize some of the mashups are fairly evil...

But then again I was basically locked up for a month so there.



This is what happens when you mix Aphex Twin with the Jackson 5.

Enjoy.

P.s. If anyone's interested in owning a copy of the mix tape... contact me.

Rapper Slash Actor, Actor Slash Singer, Someone Slash my wrists

There is a modern phenomenon which I'm sure all you film enthusiasts will be aware of. It is called the "Rapper Slash Actor" phenomenon, and it is what I've chosen to Blog about today.

If you are gleefully unaware of this cinematic infestation, the issue at hand is that every bigtime rapper in the music industry seems to think that they are good at acting. Obviously, their names are well known, (and name recognition gets asses on cinema seats), so the bigtime rappers do get employed to act in bigtime films.

Now, my problems with this are many:

Firstly... All the good parts for black males in Hollywood are taken up by rappers. (With the exception of films with Denzel Washington, Lawrence Fishburn, Samuel L. Jackson, or Morgan Freeman.)

NOW, THERE HAVE GOT TO BE MORE DECENT BLACK ACTORS OUT THERE...

...and those guys are getting screwed by people who are already earning a decent living in a completely different field. It's almost like, if you want to be an actor in Hollywood, and you are Of African lineage... you should probably learn how to rap... And that is just ass backwards.

Secondly... A lot of these rappers suck at acting. Look... I like Ludacris, I think he's funny when he raps, I don't need him to be a comedy character in a film to get my Ludacris RDA. So I have to sit through some ironic performance by someone who is a lot better at their day job.

And 50 Cent.... don't get me started on that guy... He sucks at rapping AND Acting. The only thing he's good at is having muscles.

It's stupid and it brings too much of an amateur hour vibe to film-making. Cinema has come so far in terms of getting honesty from actors, so why should we all take a hit for a bunch of rappers on an ego trip?

Thirdly... The believability factor, and the marketing of Rap music, demands the building up of an image... a persona. "Keeping it real", "Real Recognise Real", rap is built on that!

Conversely, Acting demands a certain amount of sacrifice of one's persona. Therefore the two disciplines cannot really work together successfully. (Unless you plan on always playing a role that is similar to your Rap Image. i.e. gangster etc)

So either: Your lack of scope as an actor is of detriment to the films you act in. Or your openness to transforming yourself is detrimental to your image as a performer.

Either way it's a loss of something.

There is only one rapper/actor out there that I think is of value in both his fields. That artist is Mos Def. A critically acclaimed lyricist, and star of some excellent films (notably 'Be Kind Rewind' & 'Cadillac Records'). He is someone who is not afraid to show great scope in his acting, and continues to release great records. His new Album, 'The Ecstatic' is one of his best since his debut album 'Black on Both Sides' (which is a Hip Hop CLASSIC).

Here he is performing "Quiet Dog" on Letterman:



However, I would definitely argue that he's lost some of his bite as a lyricist, not because his lyrics aren't as good, but because my perception of him has been altered. I now have seen him as a sweet and gentle character in 'Be Kind Rewind', as a sidekick in 'The Italian Job' etc etc. It has taken away his ability to exact braggadocio in the same way with his words.

In layman's terms... I kind of like him too much to think he's badass.

On the flip side of this coin, you have Jamie Foxx. An actor who I greatly respected until the release of his first major R n B album, "Unpredictable" in 2005. It's an album filled with vapid references to dancing in the club, sexy women, and drinking. A shallow, flimsy & insubstantialrecord from a man who I thought had real depth. His choice of roles certainely suggested that. But now I find it increasingly hard to take him seriously as an actor, because I just think of him as a cheesy, vacuous RnB pop singer.

Both Jamie Foxx and Mos Def have been acting for many years, and there is no denying that Jamie Foxx has some singing talent. His Performance as Ray Charles in the biopic "Ray" showcased that to great degree. But there is something to be said for a time and a place. Just because you want to have it all, doesn't mean you should.

I know it's a status thing, like, "You haven't arrived as a Bigtime rapper until you've been in at least one film" but that's not really good enough, for us the viewing public.

And I'm positive that a lot of these guys think of themselves as modern day "Rennaissance men". But they need to step back and have a real look at the art they are involving themselves in, and the real effects of it on their legacy... rather than their bank balance.

Everyday Art - Example 1.w - 1.y

It's been a while since I've had a chance to do any more of these at work, as it's been crazy busy. But here's some new Quick Comic Panels I've done. Remember, I finish all of these generally in under 10 mins.

Example 1.w - Fast And Furious

Example 1.x - Crossing Over

Example 1.y - Terminator Salvation

Out.

My Birthday/Christmas Wishlist for 2009

Yes indeed... both Christ's and my birth dates approach... and rather than have to repeat the stuff that I would like to fifty different people, I thought I'd post up a little note of it all. With links, where possible, to be extra helpful. Jesus would do the same thing, were he on Blogspot. (He prefers Twitter.)

So here is my 2009 List:

Random Bits and Pieces:

Glenfiddich Scotch - Bottle or Bottles thereof. (Do not worry about someone else getting me one. I could do with more than one anyway.)
H&M, M&S, Boots, and River Island vouchers

Specific Albums:

Anything by "Gravenhurst"
Anything by "Cold War Kids"
Rufus Wainwright (Judy Garland Live album)
Elvis Costello - il Sogno
Saul Williams - Inevitable Rise of Niggy Tardust
Alicia Keys - The Element of Freedom
Anything by "Elbow" (Links below for this:)
LIVE
Asleep in the back
Seldom Seen Kid Special Edition
Leaders of the Free World
Cast of Thousands

DVDs:

Lost Series 5
Heroes Series 2 & 3
Dexter Series 1
Flash Forward Series 1
Family Guy Seasons 5-8

Art Items:

Process Paid Super 8 Film Stock
Ink Set <------ Important
Oil Paints (Like a beginners kit or something.)
Brushes and related painty items

Comics (You can probably find these easily in a comic store):

Astonishing X-Men Graphic Novel

Wolverine: Old Man Logan

X-Men: Civil War X-Men

Jelly Fist

Software:

Final Cut Pro
After Effects
Flash
Adobe Illustrator
(One of those drawing pad interfaces for my mac. So I can draw straight into the computer.)

Thanks.

Is this Turtle A GOD?

The Hindu villagers of Bhubaneswar, India seem to believe so.

The rare turtle found it's way into a temple in Kendrapara, A coastal district in East India, and it has been kept there ever since. Villagers are claiming that it is an incarnation of God, and that they will not release the reptile. Meanwhile, literally hundreds of worshipers are traveling from surrounding villages to the temple, chanting and bearing gifts of fruit, rice and garlands.

Local authorities have, so far, failed to persuade the worshipers to give up the rare sea turtle, while the crowds continue to grow to an unmanageable size.

P.K. Behera, a senior government wildlife official stated, “We have asked the villagers to hand it over as it is illegal to confine a turtle, but they are refusing.”.

As it is a protected species in India, anyone found keeping a turtle of this sort without permission can be arrested and jailed for over a year and/or fined. But as yet the villagers have refused to release the turtle. Convinced that the turtle bears holy symbols on its shell, and is an incarnation of the Hindu deity, Lord Jagannath.

Ramesh Mishra, a priest of the temple, said of their refusal to give up the reptile: “Lord Jagannath has visited our village in the form of a turtle. We will not allow anybody to take the turtle away.”

I once had a turtle, when I was a child. We found it wandering aimlessly through the California desert and took it home. I loved that turtle. One day someone left the fence open in the yard and it left.

Do not propose on television.

Found on my friend, the author, Mark Jackman's Blog

Twitter Comic...

It's been a long time coming, but I've finally completed my background for my Twitter page. It's a silly little comic I made to promote the page, and this Blog. Here it is below:

CLICK ON THE IMAGE AND ZOOM TO SEE IT CLOSER

Might work? Ba Dum Pish.

Steve Martin... Awesome at Banjo you say?

Cool Points Officially Restored to Maximum Capacity!

Did these two birds die in a Brutal fight to the death?

Taken on the bleak streets of Banbury... No one really wins in war kids.

Retrospectivism - Anti-Pop Consortium

I've decided it's about time to have a few regular features on this blog. So that regular readers can know what to expect, and so that I can have a few points of focus for people scanning through old blogs.

The first feature I've come up with: "Retrospectivism" is all about promoting music that I like, that people may not know about. I'll post up a few choices of a band or group's back catalogue for people to check out. In the hopes of spreading the word about great music.

And Yes, in the manner of Stephen Colbert, I have completely invented a word in order to make it sound a bit catchy.

Today's Subject: Anti-Pop Consortium

"Heatrays" off of APC's debut album "Tragic Epilogue"

"What Am I" off of APC's debut album "Tragic Epilogue"


"Ping Pong" off APC's Album "Arrythmia"


"Mega" off APC's Album "Arrythmia"

"Slow Horn" off APC's Album "Antipop Vs. Matthew Shipp"


"Volcano" off APC's Album "Fluorescent Black"


"Capricorn One" off APC's Album "Fluorescent Black"

Those are my picks from the vast array of incredible songs this band has to offer. If any of these tracks interest you please look further into Anti-pop Consortium's Back Catalogue, and try to catch them on tour.

James Gandolfini has ACTUALLY got some Soprano in him!

"I'm gonna break your fucking face."

James Gandolfini Assaults photographer from Guest of a Guest on Vimeo.

Awesome.

Pretty amazing short films about beauty made in 2006...

Funded By Dove.

The revealing:



And the powerful:

Spots & Stripes Flyer Design

My girlfriend Kate & her twin sister run a handmade crafts company. They make dresses, bags, jewelery etc..... you know.... girl stuff.

Anyway, I try to help them out when I can. So I stayed up last night making them a flyer to hand out at their next craft fair this weekend. Their stuff is all vintage looking, so I reflected that in the design.


To visit their web page. Click here.

Awareness test...

This video made by transport for London will BLOW YOUR MIND

Click Here

Star Wars Uncut - My Finished Scene

Today I joyously finished my first animation for the Star Wars Uncut Project.

Look away now, if you don't wish to see the results:

Star Wars Uncut - Scene 218 from Patrick Currier on Vimeo.

My Scene

The Original Scene

Voice over dubbing for Star Wars Uncut.

Here's me attempting to do the voice over for my animation.



Putting the 'Pro' into 'Project'.

Star Wars Uncut - Preliminary Sketches

I wrote a blog in October about a collaborative Film project I was working on. Called Star Wars Uncut.

(You can read that blog by clicking here)

I thought about many different ways I could approach my portion of the film, Acting it out, Doing Photos with narrative, Stop frame animation with toys, Painting or drawing it as stills (I mean, it's only fifteen seconds but... hey.... I'm a perfectionist.) In any case, I settled on the idea of trying my hand at drawn-animation.


I did a bit of claymation back when I was studying film at college... but never had a chance to do real animation. So I'm pretty much making it up as I go along. I mean, I certainly don't have the correct equipment! haha. But there's a lot that can be done with a macbook and a bit of determination.


There's a couple of the initial sketches for the scene. They are just the backgrounds, and the moving characters have been drawn separately. I'll load the full video up once it's finished.

I'm pretty stoked about finally doing this. Being able to animate will open a lot of doors for me.

Went out last night for Halloween.

I'm pretty good with face paints.