Anywhoo, on to business. I'm not gonna have a mission statement 'r nuthin', but I think I'd like this thing to be partly focused on selling-myself-out and trying to get me, and my work [paintings, drawings, etc.] out there, no matter how degrading and career-minded that may be, and partially devoted to just bein' my online play-thing [posting stuff that I may be interested in, or just wanna talk about, blabbidy-bla. Most of which you will never care about.].
To start off with I have some very old junk that I did at the beginning of the semester before last. Just a few...
Portrait of a young Mao a la WW2/Sino-Japanese War era.
Done in oil and colored pencil on illustration board.
Another portrait. But instead of a highly influencial, but slightly crazy, Stalinist dictator, it's of a big-headed turtle. And yes, there actually is a whole variation of turtles that are known as "big-headed" turtles.
Painted with acrylics on illustration board.
Mock illustration for some article on gorilla poachers in Africa. I kinda focused mostly on how they mentioned the poachers ritualistically [I think] eating the gorillas. The guy in the background was the head of the rebel militia who was known for killing the buggers.
Pen and ink.
...Oh, and this month's album is "Taxi Fare" by Sly & Robbie. I picked it up on cassette recently, and I highly recommend it. Released in '87, it is by far some of the best I've heard from this humungously prolific duo. Although it is strange that I dig this stuff, 'cause I've always been an adamant believer in the power of Jamaican music right up to the mid-70's, and everything after was shit. But I guess it's finally waring on me. It's still difficult for me to get into anything since electronic music took hold of that little isle, besides say Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Isaacs, my main-man "Delroy", or Michigan & Smiley. But you can't over-generalize.
To me, West Indies-style music; calypso, mento, ska, burru, rocksteady, bluebeat, reggae, roots, dancehall, dub, skinhead reggae, etc., etc., whatever you may call it [and maybe some old Motown or early 60's British junk], is the perfect background music. If I'm planning on getting something done, there's nuthin' I like more than throwin' on my Johnny Nash LP, feelin' the groove, and whippin' some HW out. When I'm listening to some faster tunes, I usually wanna get pumped or hang-out maybe. As a result, I tend to not actually listen to the Irie music's lyrical content as much because my mind is elsewhere when I usually put it on. This could be why I tend to support the earlier-the-better theory; after the 60's, everything was less instrument driven, and more and more about what they were saying or the crooked beat that you couldn't quite shake your booty to as well. And that's why I listen to this sweet soulful music, because of that beat that could only be played by someone w/ rhythm in their blood. [HUGE DIGRESSION]But, that's why this album struck such a chord with me I think. It's the unstrumental songs that really get me, i.e.; "Taxi Connection"'s infectious bass line, or "Triplet"'s driving rhythm. Also though, there are some other good jams, like "Sitting & Watching", or "Those Tricks". All in all, I think the B-side's a lil' better, but it's all good.
4 comments:
Corey, you're amazing.
Thanks gals!
hey, lets talk 80s dancehall. Im into it, but its so vast Im daunted by trying to collect.
I have a couple DJ mixtapes that I'm fucking intttoooooooooo
...That stuff's definitely cool. I just have a harder time with it 'cause their mostly just talkin' about how slick they are, and it's less about layin' down a PHAT beat with a bass guitar and some drums. Much less soulful, to me. Same thing was goin' on here w/ the rap thing, which stemmed from rhythm and blues if you go way back. I like it all, just for the most part I'm not gonna listen to it on my own time.
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