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August 29, 2006
Sideshow USA / Coleman at Jack TiltonThis weekend, in Wilkes-Barre, PA, the 5th annual Sideshow Gathering takes place. The brain behind this fun-filled event is Franco Kosso, who every year has managed to get an impressive roster of perfomers to show up. An event which is, sad to say, celebrating a dying art form. Although the sideshow tradition has found a home in rock venues and night clubs during the last two decades.
 There will be fakirs, sword swallowers, two two headed turtles -- and more! Confirmed artists are Zamora The Torture King, Red Stuart, Sideshow Benny, The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, Roderick Russell, Natasha Verushka, Matt The Knife, John Shaw and Travis Fessler. When in NYC, check out the Sideshow on the Seashore at Coney Island.
Next week, on Sept. 7th, Joe Coleman opens his biggest exhibition of paintings so far. Thirty-three(!!!) paintings are on display at the Jack Tilton Gallery. The show closes Oct. 4th with a concert by Hank Williams III. Just seeing one Coleman painting is a delirious, near psychedelic experience. Seeing so many in one place is a chance not to be passed up if you're in NYC during this period.
17:20
August 26, 2006
The Devil and Daniel JohnstonThe documentary on "outsider" musician Daniel Johnston has been making the rounds at film festivals and countless favourable, even ecstatic, reviews have been heaped upon it. A few days ago it was released on dvd in the UK (USA release to follow soon.). I received my copy today and watched it right away. 
The film is an intricate jigsaw puzzle of old super 8 footage, Daniel talking on old tapes and audio letters, his MTV appearance, animation, artwork, photos, new footage and interviews with Daniel, his parents and various collaborators like Gibby Haynes and Jad Fair. The way this is meticulously put together is highly reminiscent of "Capturing The Friedmans", also about a family fairly obsessed with self-documentation. It also reminds me of "You're Gonna Miss Me", the docu. on another mentally disjointed musician located in Texas, Roky Erickson. Both subjects find some kind of chemical balance towards the end of their films, and are set to produce new music without being overcome by the tribulations of mental disorder.
In the special features, Daniel meets Laurie again, for the first time in 26 years. She went off and married an undertaker, and Johnston's unrequited love inspired several hundred songs, in fact most of the artist's output.
We get to hear the story of how his manager negotiated a very good deal with Elektra Records, which took his mental state into consideration, and didn't demand that Johnston promote his albums at all. But Daniel Johnston nixed the deal. He couldn't sign to Elektra, 'cause they had Metallica already, and he was convinced they were satanic and out to get him. He also fired his manager, got a new one and signed a deal with Atlantic. He then sold 5800 copies of his major label debut, "Fun", and was dumped like a hot potato.
After four years of not talking, his old manager kind of came back into the fold and helps arrange shows of Johnston's artwork, and he still sells his old tapes.
The dvd at amazon.com // The dvd at play.com // Official site for the film // Official Daniel Johnston site: Hi, How Are You? // Hi, How Are You? - the book // Daniel on wikipedia
Other outsider music documentaries:
"Wesley Willis: The Daddy of Rock'n'Roll"
"Jandek On Corwood"
"Derailroaded" (on Wild Man Fischer)
22:23
August 25, 2006
Shameless Cinema Sleaze!!!Robin Bougie is, like clockwork, ready with a new issue of the highly unique, hand-written & illustrated with drawings, sleaze, horror, cult & porn-zine CINEMA SEWER.
 This time around:
Page after page of:
•An utterly breathtaking 3 page comic by drawn by sequential narrative up-n-comer D. J Bryant about fake celebrity nudes.
•Phil Barret illustrates a story from Robin’s childhood about his fascination with Heavy Metal vixen Fiona and her appearance on an episode of MIAMI VICE as a teenage prostitute who kills her Johns! See what happens when Robin tracks her down and tells her how she messed him up as a kid!
•An interview with Eon McKai about his artistic dominance over the world of alt-porn! With haaaawt illustrations by the talented pen of Anton Bogaty.
•Josh Simmons churns out another incredible fuck-fueled 2 page comic, this time about Celebrity sex. Ever wanna see Stephen Colbert and Ileana Douglas bust orgasmic caps into one anothers asses? How about Benicio Del Toro and Scarlet Johansson?!? WELL NOW YOU CAN. Simmons makes all things possible.
•An interview with Ernie Pysher, that freaky dude who sucked that naked girls brains outta her skull with a straw in 1978’s BLOODSUCKING FREAKS! Wow!
•Chris Eng stabs you in the excitement muscle with the final fucking word on Chuck Norris, via his amazing review of the 1977 theatrical trucker movie, BREAKER, BREAKER. This is the kind of film journalism they create religions around.
•Robin Bougie and Colin Upton team up with a two page comic detailing some of the most ludicrous porn/obscenity trials to ever take place in in the repressive dungball known as the city of Cincinnati. INFO-RIFFIC!
•An incredible retrospective of the porn film Career of Roger Watkins, the man who directed the infamous LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET
•Bougie interviews classic porn film star VANESSA DEL RIO, and she totally makes him blush! Read all about it! Sinister Sam digs deep into his foul soul and ushers forth a cool spotlight on Skull Faced killers throughout cinema history! Creeeeeepy!
•Mike Myhre gives a hilarious comic book account of the first porn movie he ever saw (Kirdy Steven’s TABOO) and the untimely end that befell the poor vhs tape, much to his horror.
•PLUS: Continuing coverage concerning Bougies obsession with adorable cock-smocker Ashley Blue, and piles more reviews of films such as NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER, COMMUTER GAME, THE SHINING, SAPPHO DARLING, SISTERS OF DEATH, and more MORE MORE!!!!
Robin Bougie's blog of weird links, drawings and comics: http://bougieman.livejournal.com
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