CAT SWEATERS

Photos that Clancy Dennehy took of me in my cat sweaters.
It was taken then never used for an article on sentimental fashion objects for some Canadian fashion mag. The article ran sans pics. Another mag was gonna re-use the article but I dunno what happened. Should I run it here?
This is 2002?2003? I was experimenting with a pencil-thin at the time (mixing up the 'stache) but it's tooo high maintenance, if you don't shave every 3 hours it looks nasty and you need an eyebrow pencil to highlight it (a tip that John Waters has written about somewheres).
Anyways these sweaters were knit from a Mary Maxim pattern by my Mother and given to me over ten years ago. I still regularly wear them. The pink one is of my childhood cat Precious. My Mother under-recognizes some of her own talents (she's also a really good writer, I used to run a column of her TV Movie Reviews in The Drippy Gazette). Clancy interviewed her at length for a never completed documentary on July Fourth Toilet.
Sadly she can't knit anymore due to arthritis.

CAT POSTCARD

Found while filming a European eyewear ad in Mackenzie, B.C.

CARAMEL HAS A TALE

This may be my most favourite Bob Bolling tale yet. Your heart will murmur. Bolling created Little Archie but his stories in the early issues were far different and far more nuanced than the later oft-reprinted adventures. This one comes from The Adventures Of Little Archie #22 from 1962.

SCAT SCAT

Found this old children's book in some sorta thrift shop somewhere sometime ago,it's inspiring...

TURDS

The Toronto Comic Art Fair was really something special. So much quality work and wonderful people, old pal peers and heroes and new pals. It spurs me on to keep on creating and to deepen that creative focus....

Okay.

Too many turds in the blog pool lately. Had to change my comment settings. I am just too sensitive. I even got on the defense to someone who I thought was pseudonymous but probably wasn't. My back was up.
This is a common problem in blogland. I am so used to zining (Grampa Blog) or writing a newspaper column where some anonymous/pseudonymous commenter can't come on and be all mean and nasty without any responsibility or explanation whatsoever(no name to back it up). No, one actually had to post a letter! (and I did get some amusing and creative hate mail in those days)
I've been told by Hal Niedzviecki, who wrote The Peep Diaries: How We're Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors, that studies have been done on these anonymous and pseudonymous commenters which show that they really are at an emotional disconnect. Due to the technology that they are using they feel a distance, they don't think that they'll be hurting anyone's feelings. It ain't the case. I was talking to ______ (someone-ahem- famous) who was actually upset at something mean that someone wrote about them on a blog. See,it gets out there and it does have an emotional effect on people. So glad that all those catty reviews I wrote in my early 20s for a weekly are just flotsam drifting away now....
I love blogging, I love this aspect of communication and having discourse. I can get pretty personal and honest. I know folks can relate, most everyone goes through stuff. And it's been quite the year. My skin gets thicker but it may still be too thin. But I may have to ease up even more on exposing my inner dialogue because of said turds. No more confessionals? I know that these are sick (who isn't?) and cowardly people- not even standing behind what they say with their true names- but I may have to be more careful.

PRISON FOR BISCUITS

It has been another eventful week. The Nilsson tribute was a blast, met up with Henri Faberge on the day of, met sweet musicians Dana and Morgan for the first time, and we blasted through it in rehearsal. Show ready! It felt great to rock out on those songs! I miss rockin' out, it's been a few months. How can one just pick two Nilsson songs to sing? We chose "I Never thought I'd Get So Lonely" and "You're Breakin' My Heart." I pulled out my VHS copy of Nilsson and Terry Southern's ill-fated collaboration that Rip Torn directed "The Telephone."It was obvious that everyone there truly loved Nilsson, lots of great covers, Ron Sexsmith played as well as a surprise guest.
I also got briefly name-checked by one of my favourite directors Guy Maddin on a Toronto blog. Man, I been a fan of his since I was a teeny bopper. He directed Frank Gorshin, who also starred in Skidoo, a movie that Nilsson did the soundtrack to!
I also had some good ice cream, sang karaoke at a co-worker's birthday, and found issue two of Fatman, the Human Flying Saucer by CC Beck and Otto Binder! !!!!!!! I'd been looking for this comic book for over ten years! I've written about Fatman twice. Obesessed. Only three issues were ever made, my copy of number one is dog eared from numerous readings and you can find out more about this unusual comic here I purchased it and a reprint of Rainbow Batman (why can't Batman be as good as he was in the 50s and early 60s? Such slick cartoony Dick Sprang art and wonderfully absurd stories) from m'man Keith Jones, who has a new book coming out, check it and see.
The past few days have also had some lows, blunders, inadvertently hurting people's feelings without wanting to, etcetera. I really just want to stay home and recharge. But I can't. I can't. I am sitting at a table at TCAF in The Small Press Schooner Room on Saturday May 8th, at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge from 9-5pm along with:
Adrienne Kammerer
Jesjit Gill
Amanda Sampson
Alicia Nauta
Brian Evinou
Alex Mackenzie
Laura Mccoy
Reid Jenkins
Jacob Horwood
Andrew Baily
Peter Kalyniuk
Kyp Harness
Mark Connery
The Schooner Room is located on the second floor of the reference library.
And if you look at the TCAF link you'll see just how exciting it looks this year (like the previous ones weren't, ha!). Jim Woodring's going to be there! Jim Woodring! Man, I used to write him fan letters as a teen. And he wrote back with the most amazing advice, I still have those letters, man, that guy is an inspiration! I believe that I've gone on about how important he is to me before.
The great Fiona Smyth is also unveiling issue 2 of her compilation comic "The Wilding" at TCAF. Here's a sneak peek of my pic for it:



As well, the upcoming "PRISON FOR BITCHES" Lady Gaga fanzine edited by Michael Deforge and Ryan Sands will make its' debut, here's my comic:

NILSSON TRIB

Thanks to my pal Serena giving me a heads up,I was able to piggyback on to dapper musician Henri Faberge's slot with him and a couple other fine people who I'll be meeting very soon and get in on singing a couple of songs for a Nilsson trib show happening Sunday,May 2nd at the Magpie (831 Dundas St. West),you know how much I love the Nilsson and love to pay tribute to the Nilsson (this'll be the third one I've been involved in...seriously:Kier-la Janisse did one a few years ago in Vancouver at the Blinding Light where she played The Point and Canned Hamm performed with kotexes on our heads ala Lennon & Nilsson's Lost weekend and Destroyer played along with other fine acts, and I DJed an all Nilsson night at FEELINGS a coupla months back, I wonder how many Nilsson tribs there's been around the world? I mean, his back catalogue is so rich,there should be weekly Nilsson). I wish I knew more (in everything) for details on this night but I think it's at 8:30 or 9 PM and there's lots of acts.


In other news: I have some drawings to make but I lost my pencil- damn! Gonna have to freestyle nib and ink it! I wish David Lee Roth was here, he's the kind of fellow who always brings his pencil, he just needs something to write on. Reminder:buy pencils.