Sunday 31 January 2010

(swift)Cover your eyes kids... The man got to Iggy.

So... first of all, this is a Blog I wrote last year which was up on my band's blog. I thought I'd import it over since I haven't had much time to post new stuff.

It's about the effectiveness of capitalism.


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Does anyone else think that Iggy Pop doing those insurance TV adverts is a little bit like the death song for the ethos of punk rock?


I mean, here was a guy who, in the past, was almost the physical embodiment the vitriolic spirit of punk ethics and credibility. Even telling death to get bent by spitting fire well into his old age, and doing it WELL! And now.... He's on TV in the ad breaks using some of his lyrics to help shift insurance policies.

WHAT?!?

Can someone please explain to me how this all happened? This is madness on quite an astounding scale! I mean, who wants to see/responds well to/can stomach former punk icons trying to shift units of anything for big business? The reason people liked them in the first place was for their two-fingers up to the establishment, their gritty 'in-the-dirt' realism. But now they are just props on a screen to encourage 'alternative' people to get a great new phone or toothpaste that "stands out from the crowd".

Gimme a break.

So.... the Iggy thing, coupled with Johnny Rotten's recent foray into butter (???) advertising has just really hurt me on quite a deep personal level.


Look, I'm not saying music has no place in advertising. By all means put cool music in adverts... it makes the time in between TV shows more bearable... But selling your actual image to a company is pretty dark, and verging on a cardinal sin. That's all I'm saying. Just ask Bill Hicks.



I mean... yeah for ages you've been able to buy Sex Pistols and Motorhead shirts in TopShop etc... but I don't expect Lemmy to knock on my damn door with an Avon booklet and try to sell me tupperware. You know? It's just wrong.


Apologies, but I felt I need to vent on this issue. No disrespect to Iggy's past work as some of it has been incredible. I just wish he'd continued his work as an artist rather than persuing this particular choice of revenue generation.

Friday 22 January 2010

Teaser for Chris Morris's "Jihadist Comedy"

Last year, plans for a TV show about a rubbish terrorist were scrapped for being "too risky for TV audiences". The script, penned by comedy genius Chris Morris, was then taken back to the drawing board to possibly create a film version. Well... it looks like he succeeded.

This clip is absolutely hilarious.

Chris Morris is most well known for his TV work with Armando Iannucci (Brasseye, The Day Today) but has made many other notable contributions to UK Comedy. This may just be his masterpiece though.

Chris Morris Makes A Point

Monday 18 January 2010

Two Page Comic - Dimensional Adventure

This Comic is sort of my response to the 3-D craze we are currently in the throes of. Click on each of the images to enlarge the page. Hope you enjoy.

Page 1

Page 2

Sunday 17 January 2010

Three-Second Fish Memory is a Myth.

fish

Fish can remember things for months, according to researchers who have dismissed the myth that the animals have a three-second memory.

The traditional view that fish lack the brain power to retain memories is “absolute rubbish” said Dr Kevin Warburton, an adjunct researcher with Charles Sturt University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society in Australia.

He made his conclusions after studying the behaviour of Australian freshwater fish such as the silver perch, which can remember a predator for several months after only one encounter.


Source: Telegraph

Tuesday 12 January 2010

Comics on Canvas - Example 1

For Christmas this year I did a few paintings for people as gifts. Inspired by Gary Larson's one-panel comics, I decided to see if I could achieve the same effect within my style.

Here is a piece I painted with Acrylic, Ink, and Emulsion on canvas.

It's called "Abduction" and is now owned by Emma Witwicki, and Christopher Robin.

Click the Image to see a larger view


I will post up more as and when I find out where I documented them!

Friday 8 January 2010

Muslim attacks cartoonist with axe for offensive drawings

Danish police have shot and wounded a man at the home of Kurt Westergaard, whose cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad sparked an international row.

Mr Westergaard scrambled into a panic room at his home in Aarhus after a man wielding an axe and a knife broke in.

Danish officials said the intruder was a 28-year-old Somali, who they did not name, but said was linked to the radical Islamist al-Shabab militia.

The cartoon, printed in 2005, prompted violent protests the following year.

One of 12 cartoons published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten, it depicted the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban. In 2006 the paper apologised for the cartoons, but other European media reprinted them. Danish embassies were then attacked by Muslims around the world and dozens killed in riots.

Mr Westergaard went in to hiding amid threats to his life, but emerged last year saying he wanted to live as normal a life as possible. His house has been heavily fortified and is under close police protection. Police said the man had entered Mr Westergaard’s house armed with a knife and axe and had shouted in broken English that he wanted to kill him. Mr Westergaard ran to a specially designed panic room where he raised the alarm.

Read more at BBC News


Mental Note: No Racist Cartoons.

Wednesday 6 January 2010

Snow Day funny videos...

I haven't really gotten into the swing of bloggin yet in this new year. But to kick things off I'm gonna give you a bunch of short YouTube clips that I find really funny.