Documenting
modern culture
as it manifests on
or near that
hotspot
on the surrealistic
power grid
known as
Spokane, WA
and/or
the known
or
unknown universe
What
I Learned from the Spokane Anarchists
We march with the young rebels during their July 4th March for Rights. Click here to
read an e-mail exchange I had with Travis Riehl,
"this Travis guy" from the above film.
The
Flood
A paranoid "documentary" about the Ice Age floods that
scoured much of Washington State around 15,000 years ago. I also
freak out about caves and hotel rooms and Indian spirits.
Ditching
Mr. D
I foolishly invite Mr. D to accompany me on my summer vacation.
The
Perfect
Haunted House
Mr. Needles, Professor Terrington and Stik Mann search for the perfect
haunted house to use in a zombie movie - but Stik Mann has ulterior
motives.
Fun
with Firearms
Jesse and I have fun with firearms on Fourth of July morning.
RetroViral
Village
Stik Mann attempts to escape an alternate reality (of his own making?).
Cuttin'
Onions with Zemek I try to show graffiti artist/gangsta-dude Zemek how to chop onions.
Weirdness ensues.
Arm
Chomping
Keeping the revered art of arm chomping alive at Mootsys Tavern.
Compliments
Randomly generated compliments with a rosemary/veal sauce.
Tat
Jesse visits the 2010 Spokane Tattoo Convention. I follow along with a
camera.
Darlin'
Local band Darlin' plays Prago cafe in downtown Spokane. Angela Landsbury
and Andy Griffin provide the subplot.
Vitt A moment at the sautee station with the inimitable Joe Vitt.
CORK
Mr. Needles and Professor Terrington instruct an inept waiter on proper
wine service.
A
Christmas Moment
James has a "moment" at the Leroy Lovegun Christmas party.
Drip
Shemaleiah's retelling of the Gilgamesh legend. Artsy bondage. Last hit
count: 44,650
GUNTher GUNTher and friends have murderous Halloween fun.
Texas
Tea I meet Ash, a "pumper" from one of the many oil fields
north of Pecos. He explains the mechanics of it all from pump jack to
wellhead. This is rural Texas.
OtherSpokane.com is
protected speech
pursuant to the "inalienable rights" of all men, and the First
(and possibly the Second)
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.
Don't tread on me, pretty-please.
Did Obama really say,
during his Mission Accomplished speech, that the invasion and
occupation of Iraq was to "disarm a state"? Did he really go
on to nearly praise the traitorous criminal George Bush? Maybe they'll
go on the road (ala Clinton/Bush Sr.) for their Rewrite History tour.
8/31/10
I just realized that next April I'll be 666 months old
- the birthday of the beast.
Ominous weather in
Spokane right now. Reminds me of Firestorm '91 (not a heavy metal
concert, but what seemed at the time an actual storm of fire). Temp in
the Eighties. Sustained winds of 35 to 40. Smoke and dust and strange
colors choking the sky.
8/25/10
An amazing (but unintended) psychological experiment
is being conducted right now in that mine in Chile where a group of
trapped miners will have to spend at least 90 days before being
rescued. Can you imagine being trapped with the people you work with?
Because of the Chelsea Clinton/Marc Mezvinsky wedding,
look for a Clinton grandchild within a year. But, if the ex-Prez
offers you a cigar - DON'T TAKE IT!
7/29/10
A researcher from John Hopkins reported that he has
found hidden
images of a brain stem and spinal cord in Michelangelo's depiction
of God in the famous Sistine Chapel painting. Across town, motel
workers found the image of Mary in a squished Hostess Twinkie.
7/28/10
So the US government
can't account for for 8.7 BILLION dollars supposedly spent in Iraq,
but they know for sure that I owe $370 in back taxes? I'm thinking
they'll recover neither.
Welcome to Earth John Jude Darley. TEN POUNDS, 22
inches. Granddude number five. Texan number two. The team is now
composed of Hazel, William, Bella, Jack, John. That's an infield.
Right field's on deck. Put's things into perspective.
6/29/10
And then a loud whoosh! and . . .
6/28/10
Besides the monumental
acts of rudeness, the body fluid soaked streets, and the gunfire, the
real tragedy of Hoopfest is that these thousands of brain-damaged
people come to our city and breed like chimpanzees, creating even more
Hoopfestered creatures, and perpetuating the madness for decades to
come.
6/25/10
Chef Dave with Kitchen Confidant.
6/22/10
If, on my last post, you would replace "bit
Fellini's boompole" with "chomped Sofia Coppola's matte
box," I would be much appreciative. Sorry for any inconvenience.
6/21/10
All of our ideas bit Fellini's boompole and we ended
up not submitting anything to the film contest. Still had fun failing
though.
6/18/10
Tonight is the beginning of the summer version of
North by Northwest's 48 Hour Film Contest. Wish us luck!
First, California boycotts Arizona. Yesterday, Arizona
- whose power plants provides one fourth of Los Angeles' gluttonous
electrical needs - threatened to pull the plug in retaliation. MAYBE
THEY'LL DECLARE WAR ON EACH OTHER! I'm sorry, but this level of
surreal potentiality excites me greatly.
Tonight is the Armed Forces Torchlight Parade,
Spokane's annual glorification of militarism. The theme is - believe
it or not - FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. This misleading, ridiculous slogan -
which was first popularized while we were invading a non-threatening, sovereign
country - is a slap in the face to Thomas Jefferson who wrote that
people are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness." That means free.
5/14/10
The innovative band The Hold Steady was on The
Colbert Report last night. I saw them at The Big Dipper last
October. Scroll down to 10/22/09 to read my mini-review.
5/12/10
No kidding, just now, on KXLY local news:
"Manhunt for a Mother."
5/6/10
Bankers of the world
repent, or come up with a real good disguise.
Greece is the word.
_____
When KXLY local news reported
on the Picasso painting - "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust"
-that sold for a record 106.5 million, they actually put black bars
over the "naughty parts."
5/4/10
The band Black Happy
will reunite in Spokane, Friday, August 6, at The Knitting Factory.
The band graced the cover of issues #1 and #8 of The Scene Magazine in
the early '90s. We should schedule a Scene reunion on Saturday for any
non-deceased, non-incarcerated ex-Scene editors, writers and artists.
Yes? No?
_____
Did you see the video of the kid getting tasered
during the Phillies game? This is what we've become: tasers of children
- which can and does kill people - for good ol' non-threatening,
American rambunctiousness. Local newsreaders all made light of this,
saying things like "Guess he won't be doing that again."
Pathetic. Pathetic. Pathetic.
5/3/10
All it would take is a
few altered traffic cones and tens of thousands of Bloomsday runners
would tumble into the Spokane river like lemmings. I'm surprised
nobody's thought of this before.
5/2/10
Spokane would be more tolerable today if you could get
all 50,000 Bloomsdayers to dress up like zombies.
5/1/10
Happy May Day, comrades!
To celebrate this overlooked holiday, may I suggest
two films about the wild man of philosophical theory: the eminent
Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek. "Zizek"
explores his eccentric personality and esoteric work in general (much
of it drifting far over my humble head). But in particular, I highly
recommend "The
Pervert's Guide to Cinema" - his interpretation of David
Lynch, Hitchcock, the Marx brothers, and more, from a psychoanalytical,
Marxist, pie-in-your-face perspective. A true intellectual
maverick.
4/29/10
I'd believe the whole 2012 scenario if it was 10 or 12
years away.
Only a cook would see the irony in the fact that
recipes for Puttanesca call for extra virgin olive oil.
4/24/10
I just watched "Naboer,"
(English title: Next Door) a Norwegian, erotically charged,
psychological thriller by Pål
Sletaune. The protagonist, John, becomes acquainted with his super
hot neighbors who seem to know way too much about him. It becomes
clear that he is victim to a twisted game. Maybe. "Naboer"
received an over-18 rating (essentially an X), which has been issued
to only four other films in the history of Norwegian cinema.
You know, the thing that bugs me about Earth Day is
this: We'll buy Earth a present made in some sweat shop in
Indonesia, spew mega-carbon getting it to us, wrap it in paper with
multi-images of Bugs Bunny planting a tree which will end up in a
landfill, and ultimately Earth will end up re-gifting to Neptune
or Pluto. Still, happy Earth Day. I guess.
4/21/10
The Balch-man is back! Check
out the book from my friend and former Scene magazine
collaborator, Darren Balch, rock photographer extraordinaire. Scrape
up some cash; there's room on your coffee table.
4/19/10
Just watched a wonderful movie: Special
(Specioprin Hydrochloride), about a humdrum dude who takes an
experimental antidepressant and realizes he has "special
powers." Some people might argue that this is not a great film
because of some script problems, but it's not enough to deter this
excellent story, good acting, and inspired filmmaking. An unknown Indy
gem. This is why I love cinema.
4/16/10
Shots from The Great Tax Day Tea Party Party 2010:
Yes, it's an actual art exhibit in downtown Spokane.
But someone scratched out "-erflies" at the end of
"butt." The art team, "Boys Who Like Butterflies,"
is working with Lutheran Community Services, Odyssey Youth Center and
Partners with Families and Children on this exhibit about gender and
sexual violence.
So, that clears it up, right?
4/13/10
4/12/10
Wow! Where did this guy come from? Check
out this episode of The Dylan Ratigan Show on MSNBC. The banking
scam explained. He essentially calls Alan Greenspan the world's
biggest criminal. (I wonder how Ratigan gets along with co-worker,
Andrea Michell, NBC's Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent and wife of
Alan Greenspan?)
_____
Later today I'm playing the part of "Man Reading
Paper," for something Jesse's shooting. Sounds like yet another
thing I'll have to beg him not to put online so to prevent future
death threats.
4/11/10
Bizarre timeline:
August 2008: A top Russian general warns that U.S. missiles
near Polish/Russian border "won't
go unpunished."
January 2010: Poland agrees to deploy U.S. missile on
Polish/Russian border.
April 2010: Polish plane crashes near Russian border,
killing nearly 100 of Poland's elite politico, including the president
and his wife, the army chief of staff, the navy chief commander, and
heads of the air and land forces. Russian soldiers arrive at the
scene minutes after the crash. Putin personally takes charge of
the investigation.
April 2010: U.S./Russia sign treaty to cut nuclear
weapons.
4/9/10
Just watched an amazing movie called "Funny
Games," with Naomi Watts and Tim Roth. It seeks to challenge
the way we look at violence in cinema. It's extremely violent; yet
it's not. It's an excellent script; yet it's not. The acting is great;
yet it's not. I really liked the movie, except that I hated it. I
never want to see it again; yet I'm gonna watch it again right now.
I'll let you know what I re-think. Or not.
4/8/10
dewD wrote:
Giant
Fetus walks into a bar with a steering wheel in his pants. The
bartender says, “Hey, Giant Fetus, why do you have a steering wheel
in your pants?” and Giant Fetus says, “I don't know but it’s
driving me nuts.”
_____
I
returned:
Giant Fetus lives
a long, happy life so he takes his wife to a fancy restaurant to
celebrate. Next day he's telling his friend about how great it was:
excellent food, phenomenal prices, wonderful service. Naturally his
friend asks the name of this amazing restaurant.
"The
name?," says Giant Fetus. "Ah... Um... Oh, dang. Okay,
what's the name of that one flower, it's really pretty, smells really
good, and has thorns on the stem?"
"A
rose?" says his friend.
"Oh, yeah.
Hey, Rose, what's the name of that restaurant?"
4/6/10
I heard from my old friend,
dewD. Here's some
background.
Warning: What follows is an actual letter.
Stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiik:
Long time no taco. Say, have
you see Pan’s Labyrinth? He left it around here somewhere.
Seriously, a good film for you to add to your list of
documentaries. Others should include The Piano, China Syndrome,
The Late Great Planet Earth, and Debby Does Dallas (have you
ever seen this film – perhaps one of the most referenced?). I
hear they’re combining the remake of DDD with No Country for
Old Men. Seriously, I don’t care what you say, Cormac McCarthy
is a freaking genius – I am reading The Road at this point.
During fueled conversation
amongst FaceBook chatters, I somehow was designated as the
“guy who holds the candle for Obama,” even though, as one
chatter acknowledged, I “appear to be a libertarian kind of
socialist”. BTW, I am also a large reptile that eats
dinosaurs. The take home message? I feel your pain. I have come
to the conclusion that Obama is merely Richard Nixon without the
Watergate mess. The guy is so damned moderate, he’s almost an
extreme moderate. I think the “Right” in the country have
gone so far right they’re over the edge. For example, would a
good libertarian (or even a conservative) want legal or illegal
wiretapping? For some reason the Right in this country have all
become the right-wing nutjobs they snickered at all along the
way. Eagerly they give up their rights and vote for tax breaks
for the extremely wealthy, labeling any benefit for themselves
or the rest of us as socialist. The everlasting battle for the
hearts and minds of men, is the way Chomsky put that. It has
everything to do with corporate media. Who says you can’t fool
most of the people all the time?
dewD
_____
I responded:
dewwwwwwwwD,
If eons were burritos it's been a Juarez Gut
Bomb since I've seen you. How's it fan-danglin'? BTW, you forgot
to include in your recommended documentary list: Bambi, all
blacksploitation films and Saving Ryan's Privates (another
classic).
I've been thinking a lot about Giant Fetus
lately, so I wrote this story about him: Giant Fetus takes to
chewing tobacco and eventually becomes the evil dictator of the
world. As it turns out, these two guys are really pissed off and
decide to kill him. They
know that Giant Fetus drives through this one
particular intersection every day at 1:30 pm, without fail.
So the two guys finalize their plan, synch their watches, set
up their assault rifles, rig the explosives, sharpen their
machetes, etc., etc. Next day, 1:30 comes and no Giant Fetus.
Then 2:15 - no Giant Fetus. 5:00 - no Giant Fetus. Finally
the one guy turns to the other and says, "Gee, I hope he's
okay."
Anyway, I told you that story to make this point
about Obama: at least he's not some evil, dictatorial,
tobacco/spit dripping Giant Fetus who's not on time.
Stik
[Editor's note: dewD did a
comic for The Scene Magazine called Giant Fetus. Very
psychedelic, yet astonishingly poignant.]
4/2/10
April Fools! The Kepler's Jazz Club sign was put up
when a movie was shot at the Otis Hotel. Also, I didn't really have
1.2 trillion web hits last month. Sorry for the inconvenience.
4/1/10
Past history revealed at the now defunct Otis Hotel.
_____
Total hits for last month: 1, 230, 358, 593, 021
3/27/10
JJH's film picks:
Conversations
with Other Women
Best example of what you can do with a solid script, 2 actors, a
couple of digital cameras and a vision. The ending is amazing in
its simplicity.
Good
Dick
Another great example of a solid screenplay with a small crew, and an
ending that changes the way you look at the whole film.
[Ed note: I finally saw this. And it was good. But
I dare you to tell someone you like it.]
11:14
Good Pulp Fictiony type of film. Intertwining stories.
The
Girlfriend Experience
A neat little surprise. Plus I've been watching the leading lady's
porno for a few years now.
While the libertarian in me
forbids any leap onto some socialist party boat, the combo of
cynic, survivalist and Bob Dylan in me sees that some big change is
gonna come.
The monster that capitalism has become - with its
subversion of democracy and common decency - is on its way out.
Replacing it will be either whatever political/economic yearnings claw
to the top of the angry masses; or, by the outright tyranny of the
super rich.
The rich and powerful are united in their goal of
taking EVERYTHING and turning us into their serfs. And they have the
jump on us - as well as 95 % of the money. The rest of us (at least
those not too sedated) are mired in relatively petty
differences.
Common ground must be established between the so
called right and left. So, how about this: at least we can agree that
the international bankers who just robbed us of hundreds of billions
(or is it trillions?) of dollars are in fact irredeemable souls, and
only worthy of being dragged into the streets by their Gucci ties,
beat senseless with rubber hoses and hanged upside down like Mussolini.
Text from Me: "Hey, I feel snow coming."
James: "Gross. That's Mom's dog's name."
_____
Here's my take on the whole Toyota Mysterious Acceleration
thing: The problem is not mechanical, it's spiritual - the cars are
being possessed by ANCIENT JAPANESE SAMURAI DEMONS!!!
I'm simply asking you to consider it.
3/9/10
This Netflix thing has to stop.
For the past month I've done NOTHING except watch
documentaries and movies. Which was fine, for the first three or four
thousand hours. But now it's time to pay whatever's month rent is due,
shovel out the kitchen, see if I still have a job, etc.
I saw:
Fitzcarraldo
- Just one of the great works of art directed by German genius Werner
Herzog. Film students who deny themselves this film and Herzog's
earlier Aguirre:
The Wrath of God are crippled among us enlightened ones who have
suffered his bug bites and come out of his films wanting to kill and
eat some slithering, disgusting reptile. Burden
of Dreams - A film about the making of Fitzcarraldo.
Yeah, they really did pull that ship over the mountain. Yeah, Kinski
really was a dick. (So much so that the actual native chief in the
film offered Herzog to have Kinski killed for him.) My
Best Fiend: Klaus Kinski - Herzog's documentary about the maniacal
actor Klaus Kinski, who played the lead role in Fitzcarraldo and
Aguirre and other Herzog classics. The
Silence - Perhaps the greatest filmmaker of all times, this is
Ingmar Bergman nearing the height of his creative genius. Following
this film he did Winter
Light and after that Persona,
which is on my list of the 10 Greatest Films of All Time.
CSA: Confederate States of America - What if the South had won
the Civil War? This mockumentary nearly gets mired in its own
cleverness toward the end, but it's definitely worth watching.
Caligula - A ridiculous attempt by Penthouse Magazine
editor Bob Guccione to merge porn and Hollywood. This Netflix version
cuts out much of the hardcore porn shots which, sadly, was the only
things that made this pig worth watch waddling.
Antichrist - One of those films you can't get out of your head.
Willem Dafoe stars in this surreal bellyflop into the collective
psychic goo. A film by the amazing Danish auteur Lars von Trier. Inside
Deep Throat - An in-your-face (sorry) documentary about the social
implications of the film.
The Story of O - Oh...
Dead Snow - Nazi zombies. What more do you want?
Snuff - A mildly interesting documentary about snuff films.
Maid-Droid - If you thought the Japanese were weird before... Sex
and the Cinema - a documentary about... The
Pervert's Guide to Cinema - Slovenian philosopher and
psychoanalyst Slavoj Zizek puts David Lynch, Charlie Chaplin, Groucho
Marx and others on the couch in this heady, enlightening and
entertaining essay.
Fausto 5.0 - A wonderful Spanish surprise. Never heard of it
before.
M - Fritz Lang's first "talkie" from 1931. Peter Lorre
as the cinema's first serial killer.
Examined Life - A collection of philosophers talking mostly over
my head.
Solaris - The Russian sci-fi classic from the early 70s.
2/27/10
I just watched the documentary "Zoo."
Later, I went for a ride out in the country where I encountered this
group of horses and I noticed that this one was, like, totally
checking me out. So I said, "Hay."
_____
This website set a new daily record last Monday: 1607
hits.
2/25/10
I can't believe everyone's freaking out about this
woman who was killed by a KILLER whale. She got into the water with a
KILLER whale - a KILLER whale who had killed before. Gee, what a
surprise; she was killed by a killer KILLER whale.
2/19/10
I'd tell Tiger Woods to kiss my ass but I wouldn't
want him to mess up his "therapy."
2/18/10
Yo, Joe. Why didn't you just write a song about flying a plane
into the Austin, Texas, IRS offices instead of actually doing it? Huh? Think
about it from your purgatorial perch. You would have gotten lots of
attention. No doubt some gun ho, mid-level, governmental administrator
would have made it his personal mission to rid society of your likes
by abusing his power to make things even tougher on you than they
already were, which would have undoubtedly went bad and been exposed
by some equally gung ho, young Austin journalist - and you would have
gotten even more attention. Having read your
manifesto, it's obvious you were relatively sane and quite articulate. You would eventually have become a regular on the Alex
Jones Show, and/or you could have written a book, or at least you could
have sold survival packets or water purification tablets or some other
dumb fucking thing on the side and you would have reached thousands,
maybe hundreds of thousands of people who, like you, have a bona fide
bitch about the IRS.
But, furthermore, your daughter would still have a
father. Your wife would still have a husband. And you, Mr. Andrew
Joseph Stack, would be 100 percent less dead.
Still, you selfish, misguided son-of-a-bitch, may you
rest in peace...
2/10/10
D'oh! I just realized that Donald Sutherland
played Homer Simpson in John Schlesinger's cinema classic "Day of
the Locust." (And I shop at Boo Radleys to boot.)
2/6/10
I've long been saying that video games are one of the
signs of the collapse of world culture and general sanity. Here's
more proof. _____
Arp and I built my super-computer last weekend, but he
won't give it to me yet. He claims it's "a bit unstable." I
told him that I'm also a bit unstable at times and that he shouldn't
sweat it. He says there may be a fairly simple software fix (for the
computer, not me). I'll keep you posted.
_____
Also, been pumpin' some iron...
2/1/10
Yes, I know it's obsessive, but I can't help it. It's
a phase; bear with me.
More amazing films I've seen lately:
"C'est
arrivé près de chez vous (Man Bites Dog)," by Remy Bevaux
(1992). A black and white, French film which was strangely billed as a
comedy. (Well, maybe a very, very dark comedy.) As a serial killer
creatively applies his "art," a film crew records the
exploits and eventually becomes intimately involved. Very
entertaining, but with some truly horrifying scenes.
"Julien Donkey-Boy,"
(1999) by Harmony Korine. The surreal exploits of a schizophrenic teen
and his ultra-dysfunctional family. This film is similar in style to
Korine's amazing film, "Gummo,"
from two years prior. "Gummo," impressed me like no other
movie since Fellini's "8
½." (The sound you just heard was the collective gurgled
chagrin of professional film critics.) Even if you don't like Korine's
bizarre style, you should see "Julien Donkey-Boy" if only
for the performance of legendary German director, Werner Herzog, as
the abusive father.
"Quarantine,"
(2008). While shadowing L.A. firemen, a reporter and her cameraman get
trapped in a quarantined apartment complex with a slew of
rabies-infected zombies - while the camera rolls on. Okay, okay, it's
yet another zombie flick. But this one rises above the fray in that
the entire movie is seen through the lens of the entrapped
cameraman.
_____
OtherSpokane.com total hits for January: 16,206
1/25/10
I just got NetFlix, so I've been watching A
LOT of movies lately.
Here are the ones that really impressed me:
"Following,"
(1998) by Christopher Nolan. A beautiful, complex, black and white
film about a man whose obsession with following random people draws
him into a dangerous criminal underground. Few people have seen this
film, maybe because it was overshadowed by Nolan's next movie, "Memento"
(an even better film). Both projects are similar in their use of a
non-linear timeline.
"The Brood,"
(1979) by David Cronenberg. Violent and grisly, but intelligent - one
of his early horror films, and his first film using quality actors.
This film is currently being remade by a different director.
"Inglourius
Basterds," (2009) by Quentin Tarantino. A mad, ingenious, new
kind of fairy tale by a mad genius/fairy tale character.
"La
voie lactée (The Milky Way)" - by Luis Bunuel. (1969) His
uber-original take on religion. I don't understand the charges of
blasphemy against this film. The portrayal of Jesus is right on, as
far as the gospels are concerned, and (smilingly) refreshing.
"Unser täglich
Brot (Our Daily Bread)" by Nikolaus Geyrhalter. (2005) A
dialogue-less documentary about modern food production. Amazing
digital filmmaking. Who'd of believed that industrialized hog
slaughtering could be a thing of beauty?
"Bruno"
(2009) - It's possible that I damaged myself internally from laughing
at the final scene. _____
Here's the computer that Arp and I are building. (We
don't actually have it yet - the parts are in the mail.) Any thoughts?
¶ GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 ATX Intel Motherboard
¶ CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V
2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
¶ Intel Core i7-920 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W
Quad-Core Processor
¶ CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory
¶ Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB
7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
¶ SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 100283L
Video Card
¶ Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
1-Pack for System Builders
1/15/10
My prediction regarding the late night talk show war:
LETTERMAN WILL RETIRE! and will bring Conan in as the complementary
butt cheek in his Worldwide Pants - pitting him chin to chin with Leno
at 11:30.
1/13/10
Early this morning.
New Year's Eve (?)
The last time it was really, really cold.
1/12/10
So, I asked my friend Arp Xigar to do some research
into building a new computer for me. Revelation: Be careful what you
say to a computer nerd. I need something to edit HD video, but Arp is
considering the long term probability that I might need to someday
travel back in time, or hack NORAD, or control hurricanes. Knowing I
have the technical wherewithal of a salamander, here's some of the
links he's sent me:
Here's something I shot a few weeks ago when I first
got my camera. It's not HD, and I really didn't know what I was doing;
and still, it's clearer than anything I shot with my other cameras.
1/05/10
1/03/10
We're preparing to shoot something very dark and very
creepy. Most of the story takes place in Riverfront Park (the working
title is "RiverDark Park") with a few scenes to be shot in a
local coffee shop or tavern. If you've worked with us before and/or
you want to be involved, get a hold of me
or Jesse.
_____
(Shhh! I'm trying to get my friend, Arp Xigar, to
build me a computer so I told him I'd publish his web recommendations.
Just play along 'til I get my riggin'.)
Omniscience
For Everyone, Let’s begin the New Year with an
overwhelming appreciation of those that make our everyday lives a
little more exciting... Here’s
a tune to get into your head Monday morning... And remember to be
Joyous in your Industry; they are watching you and your productivity: Get
‘er done! And as Friday comes around, how about a grateful
indebtedness towards our benevolent
overlords. Also, Stik Mann needs a new computer! Let’s all help
him build the greatest
ENIAC we can! Punch cards and vacuum tubes are a must. Here's
to the New Year! Your Humble Servant, Arp Xigar
People's Choice - Prove It Runner Up - Exposure _____
Duuuh Department:
It's been brought to my attention that 0 plus 9 equals 9, not 10.
That's right, this website - which was born at 11:59 pm on 12/31/99 in
the midst of the Y2K scare - just celebrated its NINTH anniversary,
not the TENTH. So, all that stuff I wrote earlier - forget about it
until next year.
_____
Total hits to OtherSpokane.com on New Year's Day: 991
Total hits for December: 11,488
1/01/10
Happy New Year!
First, the bad news: The Spokane 48 Hour Film Fest's
Best Film award went to someone who wasn't us. Similarly, the People's
Choice award went to other non-us participants.
The good news is that it was nonetheless an AWESOME
experience. There is nothing like the rush of hearing people enjoy and
applaud your work. I was at the first showing and the City Hall
auditorium was packed full. The line waiting to get into the second
showing stretched up the stairway and into the street. Well over a
thousand people must have seen the eight finalist films throughout the
course of the evening.
A big tip of the official OtherSpokane artsy-fartsy
director's beret goes to North by Northwest Productions for the
expertise, time and expense that must have been required to make this
extraordinary event possible.
This just in: Because of the popularity of this year's
contest, there's going to be a SUMMER 48 Hour Film Fest. Sincerely and
ominously we say with our best Arnold scowl, "We'll be baaack."
12/31/09
If you're going to First Night in downtown Spokane
tonight, be sure to visit the auditorium at City Hall to watch the
finalists in the Spokane 48 Hour Film Festival. Our film,
"bag," is one of the eight to be shown - repeatedly -
starting at 7:00 pm. Happy New Year!
_____
As of 11:59 pm tonight, this website
celebrates its 10th anniversary!
12/29/09
Wow! There's something to say about persistence. For
the first time in 10 years, this humble website has topped the 10,000
mark for monthly hits. Yesterday set the record for daily hits with
731.
_____
More fun with my camera...
(Click for a larger pic.)
12/28/09
Here's Jesse's new video in celebration of the new
year.
Come get your LOVE
JOB.
12/18/09
This just in. Our film "bag"
was one of the eight selected - from the 27 submitted - to be shown at
Spokane First Night! Here's a list of those eight in alphabetical
order:
1. Blackbox Pictures - "Prove It"
2. Breakfast Productions - "Exposure"
3. Brundlefly - "The Abomination"
4. Gonzaga Film Club - "Gotcha"
5. OtherSpokane Productions - "bag"
6. Seasoned Eagles - "Dust to Dust"
7. Shorty Heaven - "Project Greenman"
8. Wool Knit Cap - "Half the Battle"
These films will be shown in five different screenings
on New Year's Eve in the City Hall Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m.
They'll be awarding First Place and Runner Up in two categories:
Judge's Choice and People's Choice. Show up and vote for your
favorites! The winners will garner a spot in the nearly-illustrious
Spokane Film Festival.
12/14/09
Click here to go to Jesse's
YouTube favorites for a collection
of currently posted Spokane 48 Hour Film Fest entries.
Some images emerging from the haze of those fateful 48
hours:
Jesse explaining why we need three different types of
fake blood.
"One is mostly non-toxic so you can put it in your mouth in case
we need gurgling and spitting..."
The reaction of the bookkeeper at Luigi's when she
walked in the back door and came face to face with Brynne covered in blood and holding a large knife.
John's on-camera rendition of "That's
Amore."
Which we didn't use (yet).
12/07/09
Here's our entry to the 48 Hour Film Fest. God help us
all.
12/06/09
Just turned in our entry to the 48 Hour Film Fest.
Look for the short film from OtherSpokane Productions entitled
"bag." It's so bad it's good. It's insane and inspired. It's
so good it's bad. Jesse was up all night doing the final edit. When I
last saw him he said something about angels in drag and ended the
sentence with something about Nazi death camps. We could all use some
sleep.
12/05/09
We're in the middle of the Spokane 48 Hour Film
Contest!
All twenty or so teams must include the following in their movie:
Prop: A zip lock bag
Location: A restaurant (!)
Dialogue: "It is your head, arms, legs, what? Just tell me!"
Each team drew a separate genre. We drew HORROR!.
(Wish us luck. The clock is ticking.)
12/03/09
I was having a drink with John after work when he
morphed into one of the alien creatures from that Twilight Zone
episode where the humans find one of the alien's books and translate
the title "How to Serve Man" only to later find out
"It's a cookbook! It's a cookbook!"
12/02/09
A local restaurant gets an
unintended boost to its advertising buck.
11/25/09
Police divers practicing in Riverfront Park.
11/24/09
Jesse just entered us in the Spokane
48 Hour Film Festival. A contest where participants are given a
universal theme, a prop and a line of dialogue that must used. Teams
then have exactly 48 hours to write, shoot and edit a 3-5 minute short
film.
11/23/09
Been playin' with my camera...
Jesse
Nikki
Matt
Kelly
WillWill
11/22/09
The last thing I remember last night is working eleven
hours without a break, stressed out, running up and down stairs,
people tossing pans, people screaming, babbling, bleeding. (I work in
a busy restaurant.)
No, wait... The last thing I remember last night is
leaving work, dazed and confused, and having two drinks too many at
Mootsys tavern.
No, wait... The last thing I remember last night is
staggering home through the cold and the wet and laying in a very hot
bath. Oh, yeah. Finally, life is good...
No, wait... The last thing I remember last night is
being in the Arctic regions, snow and icy wind whirling about me,
chilling me to the bone. A herd of penguins surround me. One of the
horrid creatures says to me, "Dude, you look like shit." It
never occurs to me that penguins can't really speak.
No, wait... The last thing I remember last night is
waking up at 3:30 in the morning in ice cold bath water, shivering,
shivering, shivering...
Here's Jesse's Halloween video offering: A
Leroy Lovegun Halloween. Leroy goes on an epic trick or treating
adventure. Goofball awesomeness abounds. For more Lovegun goodies, click
here.
10/26/09
Skull Studies (with smoke and mirrors)
I found this skull while on a bike ride in
the Turnbull area near Cheney...
GUNTher and friends come to
realize that it's possible to party themselves...TO DEATH!!!
Featuring Professor Terrington and Mr. Needles as their inimitable
selves.
10/24/09
James' new ride - the Lite
Foot Bike. He drives around Texas on this.
10/22/09
Unless you were at the Big Dipper last night, you
missed out.
The Hold
Steady - a Brooklyn-based, riff-heavy, post-punk band - rocked a
relatively small group of Spokanites and groupies in an intimate
setting that few are likely to ever experience again. (So intimate, in
fact, that lead singer, Craig Finn, stopped the show to apologize to a
girl who he whacked in the head with his mic.)
High volume, sweat and steam, bizarre religious imagery, wide-eyed
groupies, an animal lib freak who stormed the stage, a lead guitarist
with an array of impressive weaponry, a keyboardist who looks like
Gomez from The Addams Family, and tight, hyper-fun, upbeat, lyric-heavy
rock and roll - what more do you want for a Wednesday night in Spokane?
10/20/09
What is this?
I found it on the South riverbank, a few
miles
downstream of the Bowl & Pitcher
Aboriginal net weight? A relic from Spokane's
industrial past?
10/15/09
Okay, dudes, get a grip. The following video - HR
8791, the Homeland Security Preparedness Bill - is a hoax: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlvxIdSI7V4 It's from The Onion - a satirical "news agency."
POTUS to-do list:
1. Win Nobel Peace Prize
2. Expand war in Afghanistan
10/08/09
Yet another stuck truck. Downtown. About 3:00 pm.
Maybe not all that dependable.
10/07/09
Begins here account book of Chuck Palahniuk
"Pygmy" by editor me. Easy read no. Style English broken.
Boy Pygmy with group spies sent evil America so instigate Operation
Havoc. Esteemed Palahniuk typical wallow in own cleverness perhaps
excessive so yet wondrous still work much. Much enjoyed by editor
me.
I'm still amazed at the lack of press coverage of the
violence at the G-20 conference in Pittsburgh just over a week ago.
Few people are aware that police used sonic weapons on American
citizens, or that a
scene like this could happen on an American street.
I just watched
a lecture by one of my favorite Northwestern personalities, Pastor
Chuck Missler, from Coeur d'Alene, ID, about UFOs, and how the
Nephilims of the Old Testament could actually be extra-dimensional
beings. Awesome.
10/04/09
Text from James:
I am at the site where David Bowie
and the Spiders
from Mars successfully defended
a pile of rubble from one million
Vietnamese.
10/03/09
Upon seeing that I had befriended (on MySpace) the
criminally insane, convicted murderer, Phillip
Paul (see 9/29), my non-murderer friend Jesse James Hennessy
had a revelation. Last year he and my daughter-in-law Karen
were out doing some promo work for his film "Leroy
Lovegun" when they interviewed an unusual man playing guitar
on the streets of Spokane.
Check
it out here at 1:46. The video was taken on August 10, 2008.
Shouldn't Philly Willy have had some kind of Hillbilly supervision?
10/02/09
10/01/09
The Hardin story just gets bigger and bigger. (Sorry,
I can't help it - see 9/30.)
Alex Jones claims that American Police Force (APF) in
Hardin, MT is a Blackwater
Front Group.
(First of all, let's be careful how we pronounce
Hardin - it's "Hard-in" - despite the fact that it's near
where Custer had his "last stand.")
Neil Katz at CBS
News reported that "American Police Force, a little known
company which claims to specialize in training military and security
forces overseas, has seemingly taken control of a $27 million,
never-used jail, and a rural Montana town’s nonexistent police
force."
Google for yourself. (And don't miss the videos.) It's
all quite unnerving.
9/29/09
People are already lining up to buy Sarah Palin's
memoir, "Going Rogue." Scheduled to be released November
17th from publisher HarperCollins.
___
Remember Phillip Paul, the criminally insane
escapee from the Spokane County Fair? He just accepted my friend
request on his MySpace page: Philly Willy and the
Hillbillies.
I can't get his very poignant song out of my head:
"Rockin' and a rollin' in a mental institution. God only knows
it's against the Constitution."
9/28/09
I wrote to Jennifer DeRuwe, from the Spokane Police Department's
Public Information Office, about an extraordinary claim by Austin,
TX,
radio talk show host, Alex Jones, during his 9/23/09 broadcast.
After bemoaning government opposition to personal gun ownership, and
the
rise of warrantless searches - which he called "knock and
talks," he
claimed that Army officers have been assigned to the Spokane Police
Department "intelligence office" to investigate local
threats to
security.
Here's the quote:
"Three or four or five Army liaison officers from the regular
army, from
Homeland Security, have been given as a federal grant to Spokane WA
to...the police department, and they're gonna be assigned to the
police
intelligence office, looking for local threats."
I asked DeRuwe if there was any truth in this. Have armed service
personnel of any
sort been assigned to work with the SPD in any capacity whatsoever?
She wrote back:
"After checking, there really is no truth to
those statements. We do not
have any Army officers working for us."
9/27/09
New cool tool!
AM/FM, weather channel, powerful flashlight, cell
phone charger, solar or crank powered. $30 @ rei.
9/26/09
I tried, I tried to kill Stik Mann. But he wouldn't
stay dead.
Blame this guy -
- the first cop, for the first time on American soil,
to use the LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device), a sonic weapon -
previously reserved for Iraqi terrorists and Somali pirates - on his
fellow citizens.
On us.
His THOUSANDS of buddies - shipped in from all over
the country to "keep the peace" at the G-20 summit in
Pittsburgh - joined him in the Benedict Arnold-a-thon, spraying tear
gas, firing bean bags from shotguns, and tossing flash-bang grenades -
at their fellow citizens.