Wizard World Chicago Oh-Seven in a Series of Random Cuts

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Here is a rapid-fire overview of my recent trip to Wizard World Chicago as a guest of Accidental Comics and Ed & Red's Night Party. Quick Cuts = Rapid Fire

mastees.com commercial

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Mutual Adoration Society - they want to make a T-shirt about you. This woman's comments were not scripted. Her testimonials are real.

Restaurant Review - episode 2

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In this episode of the new show that's sweeping the nation, Kelly would love to tell you about her dining experience if not for some surprising distractions.

Restaurant Review - episode 1

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In this episode of the new show that's sweeping the nation, Shaun Downey reviews his favorite breakfast-after-a-night-of-partying place, NOON.

Ed & Red Do Cottage Comicon

Last weekend we went to Chicago, but the weekend before that we went to Lionshead Lakefront Resort & Yacht Club. There was a one-day comic book convention happening, and the resort was supposed to plan some things for us to do to get on camera. They didn't plan anything, so Steven (executive producer) told the CityTV camera guy to not bother coming. But my camera has a really good movie mode on it, so I started shooting stuff. Before long, a story began to emerge and I took the reins and started ordering everyone around. Next thing you know, voila! Instant classic short film.

Wizard World Chicago '07

Chicago this past weekend! What great fun. I was down with the Accidental Comics crew: Liana K (publisher) and Steven Kerzner (executive producer of Ed the Sock). We were in the Small Press area this time, instead of the Artist Alley. When we arrived and saw our spot in the corner across from Lou Ferrigno, we thought we were going to have a hard time attracting patrons as we were in a weird spot that was kind of awkward to get to. But, as we always do, we made it a party. Our booth was jumping all weekend. We even sold out of some of our items!

One of the most fun things was when we would go and take over the DC booth. Liana's got a few costumes that she likes to wear at these things, and the guys at DC Comics fall in love with her when she's got a DC character on. We went over when she was Bat-Woman, and she had a crowd for autographs like it was a scheduled signing. She went over as Power Girl and Dan DiDio himself (the boss at DC Comics) invited her to be a special guest of the DC Comics panel discussion.

On Sunday, after the con was over, we went out to a joint called Gino's East because we heard that they had great pizza (they do). When we got to back to the hotel, who do we see in the lounge? All of our buddies from DC again! Shout-out to Jim, John, and Steven from DC Direct, and Mike on the comics side. We hung out with them, and I think we're going to go get a tour of their office and shoot it for the show. They want to come up to Toronto and be in the hot tub too, but who wouldn't?

So all in all it was a fantastically productive and lucrative weekend. The new Ed & Red comic book (the one I edited, art directed, and drew the cover for) was a huge hit. I shot lots of video, and I've got photos on my Facebook.

Cottage Con

The weekend past was a lot of fun, and this weekend is going to be even cooler. Last weekend the whole Night Party crew (Ed, Liana, two dancer, a tub girl, and myself) went to Paradise Comics' Cottage Con at Lakefront Resort (apparently Hobbystar wants to take this over as well, from what I hear). We got there early on Saturday evening, took a walk around to see the place and think of some shit we want to shoot, and then it was party time. The gang headed into town for dinner, but me and Brandy stayed behind at the resort. We went swimming in the lake, then took it over to the pool and the hot tub, and then smoked some chronz-in-the-city and sat by the edge of the water. I had no bathing suit so I just swam in my underwear (the black ones with the stars on them) while Brandy went topless for fear of getting hair dye all over her white bikini top.

Sunday was the big event, and I spent the whole day taking videos of the con, Kat performing big production numbers, Mahleej getting acquainted with the locals, and commanding everyone hither and tither without actually letting anyone in one what my vision for the video was. I was just making it up on the fly and the movie I made is going to be damn cool, watch for it here.

Tomorrow I'm on an airplane to Chicago! I have a lot of errands to run today. I will take lots of pictures and videos and I'll have lots of stuff to show you when I get back from Wizard World!

On Ratatouille and Pixar generally

Last night I had the divine pleasure of being accompanied by two lovely ladies for a screening of Ratatouille. The movie was fucking fantastic, both technically and artistically. There are spots where you look at the hair on the rats or the people, or the water in certain scenes, and it looks dead-on. They nailed it. But that wasn't even the most impressive thing about it.

The most impressive thing about the movie was the way it just dripped with passion for the message, the story, and the desire to please the audience. About half-way through the movie I got to thinking that this is a staple of all of Pixar's output. They blow the competition away every time out. When you look at what the competition is doing, there's a different feeling. Those movies are entertaining enough, and they end on an up note more often than not, but there's just an inescapable feeling that it's product. But Pixar is able to maximize their output as capital-A Art every time out. They take chances, they go the extra mile, and the work stands out as something really special while the rest are content to produce something that's 'good enough'. John Lasseter (the boss at Pixar) is never content with 'good enough', he's not even content with great. He doesn't rest until it's The Best.

This got me really passionate last night, as it's a subject I can relate to. I've alluded before to a big project I'm undertaking that's under wraps. The thing's been in-process for over a year now, and we reached a major turning point just over a month ago. The last year has been one long conversation between me and the (now former) producer about how one needs to go the extra mile I've just described if one wants to create something truly special. The milestones when the project leaped ahead and saw real, sudden progress were all when the work was coming from the heart, when we were willing to stay up late, to work through the weekend, to just do whatever it takes to do the job right. Unfortunately, most of the last year was spent working from the head, trying to outthink what some potential prospect was going to want to see down the road, and thinking that 'good enough' is good enough. Thankfully my business partner and I have control back, and may we never forget that creating something timeless is just as important as creating it in time.

Behind the Scenes - Ed & Red's Night Party

This a documentary film I directed and edited that gives you a look at the silliness and goings-on backstage at the show.

It's hot outside

I totally need to get my own microphone. My very own cordless microphone. Even just rehearsing on a corded mic last night was ass. And I look at like my microphone is like any other musician's equipment: a guitarist doesn't borrow a guitar from the club, right? So that's it. I need to buy a microphone.

But microphones are expensive! I guess I'll have to get it financed. And just weeks ago that would not have been an option, but last week I just got a credit card! My first one! For most people it's just a matter of course, but for me this is a big deal. With all of the mayhem and chaos in my past, I feel pretty proud of getting my situation sorted out to this degree. Now I wonder if my credit is good enough to get approved for the financing on an e-bike. That would be fun to ride around on, composing new raps in my head.

Fuck, it is so hot today! I remember when last summer was like this every single day from June to September but this summer has been pretty tame where the heat is concerned. Which is just the way I like it. I'm not a big fan of the heat, I like the milder temperatures. My favorite is mid-Autumn when you've first got to start putting a jacket on.

publish test (robot)

I am a robot.

Up and down

There are times that make you feel like right proper rock star, and there are times that remind you that in the grand scheme of things, you ain't but a speck of dust in the breeze. You ever had one of those nights when everything that can go wrong does, and you can't really be upset about it because you're just in awe of the sheer magnitude of the fuckery? That was my night last Thursday at the U.S.S. CD release show. That just made me double my efforts and give an even more slamming performance, but it still took a couple of days to shake it off.

Sunday was a different story. I sat for a photo shoot with Ana Cop (sorry Ana, I don't know how to do the C with the accent-thing on top!), one of the greatest discoveries I've made in ages. She's really good. And I was lucky enough to have her photograph me in... well I don't wanna say what the concept was because the pictures are going to knock you out. But I will say that the abundance of leg and ass was a real treat.

Staying up late

The show's tomorrow. I am so ready. I want it like a vicious cartoon dog wants an exaggerated T-Bone steak, and I will tear it up exactly the same. The energy in the room at rehearsal just blows the roof off!

Weights and fifty minutes of cardio today. That was pretty fun. There's TVs on all of the machines so while everyone else is watching stock quotes, I'm watching cartoons.

Just for kicks, I went to an audition for voice-over work. That would be fun to do once in a while, a voice-over job.

I've been shooting all kinds of great footage and I so badly want to edit it into something fun for the blog and the podcast. I've gotta make time for that.

Girlfriend pt. 2

OH, look! It's Avril's new single! It's... Girlfriend. Again. The remix this time. Is this like Street Fighter 2 back in the day, where they just keep trotting out various versions of SF2 instead of moving on with Street Fighter 3?

Talking with a couple of friends after seeing Transformers the other night about future Batman movies. You know who I would pick for Catwoman? Fairuza Balk. Know who I would pick for Poison Ivy? Gwen Stefani.

I also mentioned how I can't wait until the current fad of casting kids as superheroes passes, and then they go back to casting grown-ups.

On 'going out for a smoke'

I am working most of the time, and I am very busy. So when I go out, it's typically an outing I've organized. When I get asked "Wanna go out for a smoke?", I would usually go out just to be good company but now I don't do that. Now people ask me "Wanna go out for a smoke?" and since it's an outing I've arranged, the thing we're going out for is something I want to be a part of so my answer more and more is "No, I don't want to go out for a smoke." Going out for a smoke makes you change gears, and it almost seems like it's a release valve to make sure one doesn't have too much fun. It always feels like the mood of the situation is just getting good when someone wants to go out for a smoke. And when I don't go, I always get a look like it's a surprise or like I'm a jerk. I've always said that a smoking habit is a thing that keeps you from thinking too hard because your thoughts will only go so far before something makes you think of a smoke, and you go "that's a good idea!", and it's smoke time again. If something's important enough to interupt my work for, I'm interested enough in it to pay it my full attention, not five minutes worth at a time.

The News

This what's ridiculous...

Icky Thump

OK, so I'm finally ready to share my thoughts on the new White Stripes album. In brief, it's fucking amazing. There are not many bands or groups out there that can get me excited for the release of new material like the Stripes. I'm not even a rock fan, but I hang on every word that Jack has to say through his work. The thing that comes through each time out is that Jack is a capital-A Artist who understands the responsibility that a creative person has to his work. No one is writing lyrics that affect me the way Jack White's do.

But the songs themselves; these little gems of composition, arrangement, and production. There were several moments on this album when I thought I was in for a rude awakening, that Jack & Meg had gone off in some direction I didn't care to follow. But each time, they bring it right back to where I first fell in love with them. An example: You Don't Know What Love Is. It starts out with some guitar that makes me think it's gonna be like a country kind of thing, but then the organs come in and the guitar fucks off for Jack to start singing and the song is right where I want it to be.

Even when the record gets it's weirdest on the Irish drinking song-sounding Prickly Thorn But Sweetly Worn or on Conquest, two numbers that clearly tell us that the Stripes are going off in directions we would never have imagined, it works within the context of a singular whole. Jack seems to be aware of the dramatic continuity of his albums more than most other artists out there today. It reminds me of the rap records of the early- and mid-90s, but without the skits.

And will all of this praise for Jack, I have to mention Meg. People give her shit for her drumming style, but it's jut that: her own style. And it's an integral part of the Stripes sound, which is why I didn't get into the Raconteurs when that was happening. There's something about the magic that these two people create together that's greater than the sum of the parts.

So there is it. Icky Thump: brilliant. A great time. Perfectly harmonious flow from Elephant, through Get Behind Me Satan, and into this. Jack will easily make whatever 'greatest artists of the century' lists that get compiled in 2099.

EDIT: I do have to admit that I was disappointed at the absence of a song where Meg sings lead. After the ones on Elephant and Get Behind Me Satan, I was really looking forward to it!

ODB represent

This morning I was interviewing Aaron Brophy, 'the boss' at Chart Magazine. He's cool. I knew we were homeys when, apropos of nothing, he quoted Ol' Dirty Bastard in one of his answers. After the interview, I told him how my two biggest musical influences are The Beatles and O.D.B., and then we daydreamed together about how great it would be if Ol' Dirty would have lived longer, and if he and Paul McCartney teamed up on a remake of Say Say Say!

Off to Peterborough for the first out of town performance for Sean Ward & the Realness!!

Nothing much, really. Just some home decorating and computer talk.

I got the new White Stripes album yesterday, the day it came out. I went to the store early, I might have even been the first to get it that day! Anyway, I am not ready to share my thoughts on it yet, and I am still up in the sky just taking it in. I'll come with that soon enough.

My bed is finally the crayon box that I wanted!! I bought new pillows, new pillowcases, and a bunch of cushions. All of it is bright crayon colors, and the little Spider-Man cushion sets the whole thing off!!

Here is the most exciting news of the day: I think I am ready to kick my PC to the curb! Thanks to a new friend whose acquaintance I only recently made who has packed my Macbook with all of the programs I need to get work done, I don't think I need my PC tower for anything any more, and I am looking forward to packing it away and being a full-time Mac enthusiast!! It did not take long for me to turn into a big Mac nerd. I am looking forward to Leopard coming out like it's a big movie that I want to see real bad!!

Taxicab Driver

So last night, after spending the evening laughing and bullshitting with Human Kebab and Ebony and Chris B. Chicken, I caught a cab home. The guy's driving was crazy, I felt like I was in the backseat of a racing car. I loved it, it was great fun. By the time he dropped me off, the meter was at $17 and change. I complimented him on his driving skills and handed him two twenties, and said I needed $15 back (I'm a big tipper, it's just something I enjoy). He handed me back $25, my $15 with an extra ten. I noticed it, said to myself "score!", and shoved the bills in my pocket. But after he handed me the receipt, I pulled the bills back out and brought attention to his error. He was very thankful as I gave him back that extra ten bucks. The old me would have kept that ten, but that's not what I'm on about these days. The feeling of good karma going out was worth way more than ten dollars.