This past Friday was the benefit for Punk Island, taking place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There were bands which afterwards was an art auction. Local artists donated artwork to raise money for Punk Island 2013.
So not only have I not managed to make it to any of the Punk Island shows, I almost didn’t make it to this event. You see, I was exhausted and ready to call it a night. Yet my friend convinced me to go. Plus I had flyers to pick up and promote for the Welcome To My Nightmare show next month. Missed the bands but arrived just in time for the auction.
Rev. Wodka glitter painting. Created Fall 2012 by Michele Witchipoo. Mixed medium, acrylic and glitter. Sold May 2013 at the Punk Island art auction benefit.
I had donated a mixed medium painting created seven months ago titled Rev. Wodka. The acrylic and glitter painting was originally on sale at my Esty site, but I figured it would would be better off at the auction. In theme with all things Punk. So off went Rev. Wodka, who found a new home that night. I also included an old mini issue of my comic Psycho Bunny.
Phil Lentz starting the action at the art auction to benefit Punk Island 2013. Williamsburg, Brooklyn. NYC. May 2013.
There were lots of awesome artists who donated their time and talent to this benefit. There were original signed and numbered concert poster prints by Joe Simko, who did illustrations for bands like The Misfits and GWAR. Original concert photography was also donated to the cause. The best was saved for last, when Justin Melkmann, comic book artist and member of the band WW9 donated a personal letter from G.G. Allen to the auction.
Here’s a few other photos from that night. Can’t say I know of the exact date of Punk Island itself, but it’s usually free and takes place during the summer on Governor’s Island. Best bet is to do a search for info regarding the exact time date and location for the event.
Art auction/benefit for Punk Island 2013. May 2013 Williamsburg, Brooklyn. NYC.
Actual flyer and letter sent to Justin Melkmann from G.G. Allen, when G.G. was in prison. Donated to the art auction to benefit Punk Island 2013.
Actual letter from G.G. Allen. Donated to the art auction benefit for Punk Island 2013. Photo taken May 2013 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC.
You can always order your own copies of either the last Psycho Bunny mini issue #3.25 for $3.00 ($2.00 plus $1.00 S&H) or Babalon Babes issue 4, the astrology theme $4.00 ($3.00 + $1.00 for S&H). If ordering one or more issue shipping will be combined. You can order from the website:
Last weekend I did the Mocca Fest 2013. Might’ve mentioned this before, but originally I wasn’t planning to do the weekend event. Due to school and doing projects for other people, I hadn’t done any of my own stuff. In other words I didn’t have any new self-published comics of my own. Then a month before Mocca happened, someone offered me table space.
Overall I’m glad I took up on the offer. It had been over a year since I did any sort of comic book convention, so there was some rustiness. Through trial and error I discovered some facts. Also to my surprise I learned that people were still interested in my self-published comic Psycho Bunny. It’s this little zine/comic that I’ve been doing on and off for about ten years now.
What also took me by surprise was people were most interested in Psycho Bunny than my esoteric pin-up sketch book Babalon Babes. In the past, the interest in both comics/zines were sort of equal. This year, readers went more or less for Psycho Bunny, an ongoing tale about an alcoholic rabbit who dwells in urban chaos. It was also interesting because I had been thinking of dropping Psycho Bunny altogether. I’ve wondering about heading in a different direction. After all, I’ve been meaning to do this cat webcomic. Then came the Mocca show, and was proven contrary.
It also felt good to be back. Again, despite no new material of my own, there was still some interest in my work. I was trying to downgrade so I didn’t bring everything I had done within the past year/two years and a half. That would’ve been impossible to lug back and forth to the show. So this time around it was back to the basics. Besides, I kinda wanted to sell off some old material before setting forth on the new. A spring cleaning of sorts.
As for the weekend itself, the convention was packed. In the age of Nooks, Kindles and webcomics, people were still into buying indie hard copies. So in the end maybe it’s better to have a balance of everything. Perhaps readers are more interested in paper for the indie work, and digital for the more established. Time will tell.
Speaking of the more established, one of the guests of honor was none other than Ziggy the Pinhead creator Bill Griffith. Bob Fingerman was also there. Fingerman is known for various work, especially Minimum Wage and Skinheads In Love comic series. I was a huge fan of the one off comic book he did with Lydia Lunch. Too bad my copy is not only tattered, but it seems to be m.i.a. Here’s a link: http://mediachrist.blogspot.com/2011/09/lydia-lunch-bloodsucker-comic.html?zx=a37d470fcdbcac3a
One of the original Punk rock cartoonists was also there, John Holmstrom. Alas, I didn’t go meet neither Fingerman or Holmstrom. There was my own table to tend to, and not a lot of room to move around if you wanted to leave your space for a bit. Holmstrom was there promoting his new book The Best of Punk Magazine.
The vibe was completely different at Mocca since merging with The Society of Illustrators. For starters, the fest was a lot more organized. I remember Mocca when it used to be at the Puck building, but the fest outgrew that venue a long time ago. For now Mocca still calls The 69th Regiment Armory its annual home.
Now I don’t know if it was me, but the crowd itself seemed to be a bit more conservative…? Not sure how to put it quite in words. Again, maybe it’s a sign of the times. Who knows. With Mocca there were always parents bringing their children, but this year there seemed to be more families there. I could be wrong but that was just my observation. Again, I think it’s a reflection of what’s been happening in New York City itself, as it slowly develops into a more suburban mindset. Much to my chagrin.
The highlight of the event was when someone asked me for a quick commission. I’ve grown to love these sort of commissions because it presents a challenge. It’s a combination of executing a replica of a someone else’s character, but throwing in your own interpretation as well. So this guy asks for a sketch of this comic book character called Beauty Blaze. I hadn’t heard of Beauty Blaze until that show. She’s a DC character from Legion of Superheroes. Initially I wasn’t too thrilled with the results due to nervousness, but he was. Here’s a link to the sketch:
Maybe I’ll do another post about Mocca Fest 2013. I’m still processing the event somewhat. In the meantime, here’s some photos courtesy of Paul Curtis, one of the publishers who complied the book on cartoonist Luisa Felix.
To be continued…?
Photo taken by Paul Curtis. Mocca Fest 2013.
Photo taken by Paul Curtis. Mocca Fest 2013.
Photo taken by Paul Curtis. Mocca Fest 2013.
Photo taken by Paul Curtis. Mocca Fest 2013.
Photo taken by Paul Curtis. Mocca Fest 2013.
Photos by Paul Curtis, who was nice enough to let me use his pics for this blog post.
As urban legend would have it, it’s assumed that back in the 1970′s rock bands had all the best drugs and booze. Some of you might have heard stories about Led Zepplin’s backstage shenanigans.
I concur.
I don’t think it’s true that all the mega superstar rock bands had the best nose candy and liquid courage. No. That ‘honor’ goes to many 1970s game shows.
Ah those wacky hazy ’70s. Only in the 1970s would you have such programs like The Match Game and The Gong Show. The stuff of televised legend.
Cause really, who needs cable when all you have to do is search on YouTube. There you will discover gloriously grainy gems, badly transferred from VHS onto the digital age. Why there’s already many clips from “The Gong Show” to choose from. Who can ever forget the Unknown Comic, The Worms, and of course, Gene Gene The Dancing Machine! Just in time for New Year’s Eve, here’s a clip of Gene doing his thing:
That’s right everybody! Party like its a tacky ’77 game show! You go Gene! Check out his swagger with his trademark green jogging jacket! Have everyone throw crappola at you in wild abandon! That’s how you celebrate.
I’m leaning towards Gene nowadays. Back in my childhood, The Unknown Comic was my favorite. In fact, back in 2008, I kinda-sorta did a tribute to him. A parody of a parody. The one where The Unknown Comic posed for a publicity photo sending up the famous Burt Reynolds shot published in Cosmopolitan magazine:
Actor Burt Reynolds. In his heyday, he did a centerfold for Cosmopolitan magazine. April 1972 (Vol. 172, No. 4)
Parody of the famous Burt pic by The Unknown Comic.
A parody of a parody. My character Psycho Bunny in a similar pose. Created in 2008. Cartoon by Michele Witchipoo.
For those who never heard of the Unknown Comic, here’s a clip via YouTube. If you thought your jokes were bad, try this:
Ah, those wacky 1970s. The jokes were corny as hell. Still, it was a bit of magic captured on the small screen. Dropping F-bombs without hostility in a drug-induced haze. Drinking and smoking as if nothing. This TV party was silliness personified. Yet it’s nowhere as mind-numbing as today’s reality shows.
Another thing that The Gong Show had over today’s so-called ‘talent shows’ such as American Idol or The Voice. Despite half of the Gong Show’s antics being staged, there was an organic realness to the freakishness. Whenever the talented, the not-so talented or just plain bizarre walked on stage, it was all in good fun. If an act was just outright odd, their inner freak was embraced. In no way were they weren’t trying to conform to a manufactured Hollywood fantasy. They were proud of being odd. They owned their inner freak. That was the beauty of The Gong Show.
The real star of course, was the host himself Chuck Barris. Personally I think he’s a genius. On his resume he lists American game show creator, producer, songwriter, and of course the emcee of The Gong Show. Although claims about working for the C.I.A. can be seriously doubted.
As a producer he was responsible for such tacky treasures like The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and The $1.98 Beauty Show.
The $1.98 Beauty Show logo. Only in the drugged included 1970s could such a show exist.
Back to The Gong Show. To this very day this program remains a cult classic. In fact, there’s a very rare film, created after the first cancellation. In the tradition of The Monkee’s Head movie. It’s not available on VHS, DVD or BluRay. If you’re lucky, you just might catch it on cable or grab scenes from – of course – YouTube.
Oh yeah, the gong itself. Usually the judging panel usually consisted of three b-list celebrities. Jamie Farr and Jaye P. Morgan were regulars. Comedians like Soupy Sales and Joan Rivers also judged.
The studio audience could also be rowdy at times. When I was a kid, I caught a few episodes of The Gong Show here and there. That is, if my mother allowed it. My favorite was usually when the audience would start booing. Meanwhile the judges fought among themselves as to who was gonging first.
Yet strangely, or maybe not strangely enough, many entertainers got their first break being on that show. Many actors appeared under an alias. That was a backup plan because one bad appearance could actually ruin a career. Among the Gong alumni were PeeWee Herman, ’70s Disco singer Cheryl Lynn, musical theater actress Andrea McArdle and a very early incarnation of Oingo Bongo.
No report on The Gong Show would be complete without talking about The Popsicle Twins – a.k.a. “Have You Got A Nickel?” Not only did this segment get Barris and company in trouble with the censors – Phyllis Diller could not comprehend what the hell was going on. She gave the twins a score of zero. Guess she didn’t see Deep Throat.
Since Chuck Barris was a producer, sometimes contestants from his other shows occasionally crossed over to The Gong Show. If you read my blog post from yesterday, you might recognize the name of Cheryl Bradshaw. She was a “bachelorette” from ‘The Dating Game’ – the same one who narrowly missed a date with death. She had won a date with serial killer Rodney James Alcala. (http://witchesbrewpress.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/a-date-with-death/)
Besides another dark incident, (death of a dancer who had won on The Gong Show just hours before) The Gong Show was fun. Over the years The Gong Show has been revived. Yet somehow it always failed to capture the magic that the very original program had. The Gong Show itself is nothing without Chuck Barris as host. Sure, “The Dating Game” could always have a revolving host door. Ditto for “The Newlywed Game.” Come to think of it, the time might be ripe to bring back “The $1.98 Beauty Show.” In this day and age of instant gratification and entitlement this show could work. But “The Gong Show” itself? Nah. In my humble opinion, it could only work with the charms of Chuck. ‘Cause even with all the mayhem surrounding him, he was the glue that kept all the chaos together. He grasped it. He understood it. Like the freaks on stage, he owned it. “The Gong Show” was his show.
I could go on, but the blogging curtains are about to close. Before getting gonged myself, I’ll leave you with one final clip. One of a ‘Punk Rock’ band. Never heard of them until now. They were called Static Cling. And yes, they were gonged.
Since a heatwave was upon us, I did the next best thing. Stayed home, sat in front of my AC, and finally worked on my website.
*Sigh* Long story about this website. I had an ex who promised me the world and then some. I already had html knowledge under my belt, but he insisted he would produce a much better page for me. Look, he claimed – I even got webspace for you. So I waited.
Of course, his promises went up in a cloud of pot smoke. As it turned out, the webspace he claimed he got for me turned out to be under his brother’s account. An account that someone trying to establish some kind of presence with cartoons and illustration should probably have some control in regards to content, etc. On top of that, he would get annoyed whenever I would remind him of his promises. Finally he relented and designed some kind of website – using Adobe Photoshop as a platform.
Adobe Photoshop as a way to design a website? As you can guess, it didn’t come out that good. The product wasn’t even finished. As it turned out, he jumped ship to design another website for someone else – with much better results. What a slap in the face…or at least a blackeye.
In my frustration, I went ahead, called the hosting company that his brother’s account was under. Had all my files switched over to a brand new account, this time under my name. I did this all on the phone to customer service. Meanwhile, as I was on the phone, my ex cruelty taunted me, laughing at my frustration. Due to this, I lost my temper while speaking to customer service. Score one for him. Then because of life, and the confusion of the mess the website had become, the pages sat there unfinished for years.
In the middle of all this unnecessary rubble, my original .com was brought out by another company. I was in between residences. Quite frankly, I was homeless during this point because me and ex had reached a boiling point. This is a completely different story but one day I will blog about these wretched experiences. Anyway, for the spring and summer of 2007, I was homeless for a while. Crashed on my parents’ couch a bit, but mostly while I had to take care of some issues, was couch surfing between two states. Not a good time, but the experience has made me a much stronger person. In the middle of all these ‘chaos’ my .com was brought out by a porn company. I found out about this incident just weeks before I was about to show my work at a NYC indie comic con. (A table I had reserved months before all this hit the fan.) The website I had listed was about to be printed in either a program listing, or some magazine. I had to call the person doing the listing and nipped it in the bud, just in the nick of time. Luckily the person doing the listing was completely understanding.
I guess one can chuckle about it now. At the time though, it was a time when nothing seemed to be going right for me. I was extremely vulnerable, and surrounded by vultures who I thought were my friends. Parasites who claimed to wanna help me, and in fairness, some did – with a price. (Yet I did meet some genuine people during this time, and those are the ones I kept in touch with after my crisis was subsiding.) In all though, what most of these people did was take advantage of me, and the situation I was in at the time. Vulnerability is a dangerous thing indeed.
Back to the website. I’ve had people look into the site for me. A few of these peeps commented something about how messy the site was. Yeah yeah, I know I would nod back. However, I had also become hesitate to let anyone touch it. Part of my reasoning was that if anything went wrong, I didn’t want to burn bridges or lose friendships. Another was my gut instinct was telling me otherwise. Always go with your instincts. They never fail – unless you go against those same instincts. Which is what I did when I hooked up with the ex. Had I followed my gut instinct, I would’ve never hooked up with him. Thus would’ve saved me three years of trauma. Two years being with him, and another for getting my life back together. Oh, and the expensive fallout afterwards.
Let’s put it this way: as soon as I was back in NYC, and my temp holiday gig was over…I was exhausted.
So let’s hit the fast forward button to June 29th, 2012. I had an odd dream. May sound kooky to some who’s reading this entry, that is, if you even made it this far. Not getting into details, but it was enough to light a fire under my ass. I sat down in front of my lovely air conditioner, praised the Goddess of The Air Conditioner, and banged out this site.
Finally I felt a sort of victory, taming this monster of a website. It’s not as professional as I would have liked it to be, but it’s still better than staring at a black page. Doing this website was also another nail in the coffin which contains my calamitous past. In a way, it was another subconsciousness step of taking my power back.
Hopefully by reading this blog post, the reader will get some sort of idea of where I’m coming from, and why I’ve developed into the person I’m currently am. A form of catharsis.
Perhaps this quote by writer James Baldwin could explain it better: “The victim who is able to articulate the situation of the victim has ceased to be a victim: she has become a threat.”
Here’s a link to my new ‘official’ website, as of July 2012. You can finally order copies of my self published comic through PayPal, and contact me for commissions. : www.witchesbrewpress.com. It also mirrors to www.witchesbrewpress.net.
My new ‘official’ website as of July 2012. WitchesBrewPress.com. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
The title says it all. There’s a new Psycho Bunny story in the latest issue of IF-X, issue 8, vol. 2.
Cover of IF-X, issue 8, vol. 2. New Psycho Bunny story in this issue. Published by Hamtramck Idea Men. Psycho Bunny story and art done by Michele Witchipoo.
Latest Psycho Bunny story in IF-X issue 8 vol. 2. Published by Hamtramck Idea Men. Psycho Bunny story and art done by Michele Witchipoo.
Published by Hamtramck Idea Men. Psycho Bunny story and art done by Michele Witchipoo.
You can order your own copy before it sell out by going to this link:
February here already? Time flies whether or not you’re having fun.
Last night was fun though, and here’s a brief review of last night’s event. Titled “This Is What We Do,” it took place over at the HillTap Tavern located in Elmhurst, Queens, NYC. The second annual event was created and hosted by fellow creator Sergio Zuniga. (Website: http://www.beernutcomics.com/)
This Is What We Do Flyer 2012
There were art, comics and prints for sales. Besides me and Sergio on the bill there was work from Amy Chace, Justin Melkmann (from the band WW9), Steve Pavlovsky, Thomas Doerrer, and Paul Benincasa.
Merch table and artwork
Artwork for sale
Sergio Zuniga's artwork
My Shuï Rhys painting. Originally exhibited in the The 2011 West Coast Eisteddfod: Welsh Festival of Arts in Los Angeles. Also published in the 2011 book "A Welsh Alphabet."
The three bands listed were The Barrens, Hidden Trax. Vol 1, and Losing Constitution.
The Barrens performing at HilltapFor the second year in a row, Liquid Light Lab put together awesome visuals for the show.
The Barrens live at This Is What We Do/Hilltap Tavern. Feb. 2012.
For the second year in a row, Liquid Light Lab put together awesome visuals for the show.
Liquid Light Lab aka, Steve Pavlovsky doing his thing, as Thomas Doerrer observes.
