20th Century Fox

Kicks on Fire or Fairies Wear High Tops (and you gotta believe me)

Last week dragged to a halt as it got a bit slow going. We went to another funeral last week-- three so far this year-- so I was not in the best of moods to end the week. J. has a report due for a class she was taking (she is simultaneously taking a class and teaching a class) so I was busy with the girls all weekend, giving J. some peace and quiet to work. That was good and kept us busy.

But now on a Monday, I am surprisingly enthusiastic. It did snow a bit this morning and it is cold. The office is usually cold on these Monday mornings during the winter. But I have a habit of dragging in on Monday morning, working up to a Wednesday peak, and them coming down towards the weekend. But today I am ready to go. I think because I have some design work to do and not just paperwork- that helps. Running your own business comes with many hats to wear- I just like putting the design hat on more than the others, most of the time. And no, the 'design hat' is not the Slash stovepipe hat as you may have been thinking... though it sure is hat weather today.

I saw an ad for these Converse Doors sneakers and some Black Sabbath "We Sold Our Souls For Rock and Roll" sneakers. I thought it was kinda cool, but who is wearing these? Not the kids, the kids don't like the Doors and Sabbath do they? Converse must be catering to us old guys... And I guess this point was proven to me as I was shopping in Weggys yesterday AM with the girls. This old dude came up to me, looked at my red high-tops and said,"You can judge a man's character by his footwear." I looked at his feet and he was sporting similar high tops, ratty old and punk rock pink ones. I smiled and sharing in his attitude, simply stated "rock on." He grinned and continued on his way to the deli section.

Paradise City

Event posters and rock posters are some of my favorite things to design. Now I don't get to create and print cool silk screen posters (which is awfully popular these days), but I have spend over 20 years designing posters for various fund raising events, to raise awareness for causes and to advertise rock shows, CD release events and DJ nights. These of course are for little, and often no money at all, which lends a sort of creative freedom to the designer.

When you are not getting paid, this means you can often do what ever the heck you want. Dealing with bands is often the 'battle of the egos' though, musicians and graphic folks are both artists- often head strong, knowing what they want. Many bands will give some direction and let you go nuts, some will pick and pick and make you redesign and redesign which can suck. I try to put forth the proposition (little Doors for ya there) that, "Hey, if I am not getting paid, you are going to get something cool that I like." Works every time. Well, mostly.....

When dealing with a not-for-profit, like Literacy Volunteers, they just love whatever we do for them unconditionally. We have created the poster and accompanying graphics for the last seven Coffee and Chocolate fund raising events for LV and they let us do what we want and they like it... they truly like it! Now if only I could get paid for working like this, eh?

There are a few design companies (i.e. Modern Dog in Seattle) who do just that- they do whatever they want, sometimes crazy ass projects and the client knows what they are getting, they take the chance and they love it. Mostly. That would be Paradise City, baby! It seems they can actually make money doing this? Have I not been taking enough chances in my designs? I don't know.... maybe I have to work harder...

I took some photos of our new hallway poster gallery that includes the first 7 Coffee and Chocolate posters, some Variety Rocks event posters from the nineties and 3 Americanarama posters which have been great to do for local alt-country rockers the Steam Donkeys.

It is cool to see all these posters on permanent display.

Where It Began

A peek into the past sometimes can drop into your lap. Literally!

As my appetite for rock biographies deepens (I am on by 3rd bio this year!), I have moved on the 'Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky By David Henderson. It is a book I have owned for ages, purchasing to read probably back in 1982-83 or so. Not a very good book, but I'll try and slog through it...

I found the book tucked away with a few others that I had forgotten about. As I open the book to begin reading, the homemade, yellowed bookmark fell out. It was a pencil sketch that I did when I was a lad (early 80s) of Jim Morrison! When I was a rock loving youth I used to spend a lot of time drawing. The budding artist that I was, that was all I did. Finding this Lizard King drawing was quite a blast from the past- so you can see my love of all things design/art and rock had started at a very early age.

I guess this was a sign that the next bio I have to re-read will be Danny Sugarman & Jerry Hopkin's No One Here Gets Out Alive. This is the book that was my bible as a young impresonable lad. Maybe my love of excessive excess was born because of it- who knows?

I am the lizard king, I can do anything!