Coachella Trading Company - recent posts from Creative Endeavors community

Goethe's Totentanz- Dance of Death

2009-06-04T12:21:57-07:00

Goethe wants you to know that, “flower organs are modified leaves.” (1790)

Which would you choose?

2009-05-03T22:09:31-07:00

What would happen if the $2.00 hugger wanted a hug from the free hugger? Would $2.00 man demand payment? Would it be based on hug initiation? Would the free hugger still feel like he was giving something to someone if he hugged $2.00 man, but had to pay him for the return hug. I find this video fascinating in the social/economic questions it brings up.

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Duct tape creativity and a sticky history

2009-02-08T11:55:54-08:00

Duct tape, or as it was originally nicknamed, duck tape, has been around since just before World War II. Invented by Permacell, a division of Johnson and Johnson as a way to keep moisture out of ammunition cases and came in an army green color. Being waterproof and manufactured with cotton duck inpsired the original ‘duck’ name (which became a Manco brand name – now Henkel Consumer Adhesives- for the ubiquitous adhesive in 1984). During WWII soldiers discovered the strength and staying power of the new tape and began using it to repair all sorts of things like vehicles, guns, and whatever else might need a quick fix. After the war the new boom in the housing market led to it’s use in installing heating and air conditioning ducts. Combined with the standard color switching from Army green to silver to match the duct work inspired the more modern name of ‘duct’ tape. (Read more duct tape history at the wiki and at IdeaFinder .

The original duct tape combined a cloth mesh similar to medial tapes. The cloth mesh is what makes the tape rip so easily and consistently. Using a stong rubber adhesive the cloth mesh was covered in a rubberized water resistant coating. (See MadeHow.com for some detailed information about Duct Tape is manufactured).

Duct tape still goes by many names with the modern U.S. military sometimes saying ‘100-MPH tape’ (because things that exceed expectations are ‘high speed’), Canadian military call it ‘gun tape’, and British armed forces can be heard requesting ‘bodge tape (for the common use of temporary bodge fixes over a more permanent proper repair). Humorously, the heating and air conditioning industry that gave the tape it’s common name have since deemed the tape ill-suited and ineffective for that purpose as over time the tape grows brittle and breaks.

Not only are there many names for duct tape, there are actually different types of tape around the world that use the duct (and duck) namesake. Australians and New Zealanders use a type of PVC tape with no cloth mesh and a much weaker clear adhesive which appears to be more like a vinyl tape, sometimes referred to as marley tape for it’s use by stagehands in laying vinyl marley-type dance floors. Where this type of tape is called duct tape, they typically refer to all other tapes containing a cloth mesh as gaffers tape which is cotton cloth pressure sensitive tape typically used in theater, film, and AV, leading to more confusion around the world.

In my experience though, not all duct tapes are created equal. Buying generic no-name brands of duct tape never seems to pay off, and even quality brands have different grades of duct tape for different applications (See Grades of Duct Tape at Duct Tape University). So buyer beware.

Through the years duct tape is certainly the most famous fix-all tape around, but it has also come to be one of the most common creative tapes around. Some of the pictures in this post are testament to that. This is best illustrated by the endless fashions and costumes that are being created with duct tape. Even fashion style guides suggest duct tape as one of many solutions to keep everything tucked in place in certain revealing outfits.

An entire cottage industry, with companies like DuctTapeFashion , have stuck to duct tape with all manner of goods being created from it. Things like wallets, roses, hats, bracelets, purses, backpacks, belts, ties, many of which can be made with tips from books like ‘ductigami’ . Sites like the DuctTapeGuys discuss everything duct tape including a special Stump the Duct Tape Guys page where folks attempt to provide scenarios where duct tape couldn’t help. You can learn more about duct tape and how to make various duct tape items at the Duct Tape Wiki . If you are planning on doing a duct tape prom outfit, why not take advantage of the Stuck at Prom scholarship opportunity?

So enjoy these various duct tape pictures and the video of how to make a dress form from duct tape . And then find a duct tape event near you like the Avon Duct Tape Festival , the DuctTapeGuys book store stand-up and signings, the Duct Tape Derby , or the Anchorage Duct Tape Ball – Dance of the Duckade .

I would love to know how duct tape has made your life better? Did it save you from terrorists? Did you have a duct tape prom outfit? Have you taken a duct tape training course at your local community college? I really want to know.

NOTE: The pictures shown here have been borrowed from around the internet from the following locations. Most of them seem to have already been virally spread around. However, if you see a picture here that is yours that you would like removed just let us know!

Tractor Trailer truck: http://ccaconnections.wordpress.com/2006/08/28/duct-tape/
Tie: http://davidzinger.wordpress.com/2007/04/23/tie-into-employee-engagement-monday-morning-percolator-10/
Prom: http://blog.westervillelibrary.org/teens/?cat=20
Prom: http://growabrain.typepad.com/growabrain/2005/05/duct_tape_prom_.html
Prom: http://phillybits.blogspot.com/2005/05/duct-tape-boy.html
Prom: http://www.oleantimesherald.com/articles/2008/05/18/news/doc482e44b86ea24721854650.txt
Prom: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/popup?id=547701
Prom: http://www.bestpicever.com/pic-214-Duct-tape-clothing
BW corset: http://ducktapebandit.deviantart.com/art/Duct-Tape-Corset-79488163
Batman mask: http://www.instructables.com/id/Duct_Tape_Batman_Mask/
Wallet: http://www.ducti.com/proddetail.asp?prod=10101SL
Pringles/Duct tape iPod dock: http://www.instructables.com/id/PringlesDuct-Tape-iPod-Dock/
Baseball cap: http://www.instructables.com/id/Duct-Tape-Hat/
Top and Skirt: http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/life/student_life_culture/mit_nightlife_part_ii.shtml
dress form: http://www.michondesign.com/jewelry-blog/2008/09/21/duct-tape-dress-form/
Gun accessories and beer holder: http://uses4ducktape.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html
Military outfit: http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~walter/pictures/duct-tape.html
Cat suit: http://www.dailyhaha.com/_pics/duct_tape_suit1.htm
Baby holder: http://www.daddytypes.com/2007/01/23/diy_uh_duct_tape_baby_bjorn.php

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And maybe you would like some camoflauge duct tape in our store .

Improv Everywhere: Human statues in Grand Central Station

2008-11-30T13:08:52-08:00

While waiting for your train to arrive at Grand Central Station, the crowd is bustling and seemingly getting thicker every second. Then out of nowwhere hundreds of people stop dead in their tracks. You look around with countless others witnessing human statues, frozen in place, where otherwise typical looking travelers were walking, talking, or enjoying a snack.

The scene described and in the video above occurred on February 24, 2007 at exactly 2:30pm. This was another fantastic “mission” by the performance art group Improv Everywhere

From the Mission page at their website:

On a cold Saturday in New York City, the world’s largest train station came to a sudden halt. Over 200 Improv Everywhere Agents froze in place at the exact same second for five minutes in the Main Concourse of Grand Central Station. Over 500,000 people rush through Grand Central every day, but today, things slowed down just a bit as commuters and tourists alike stopped to notice what was happening around them.

As you can see in the video above, the mission was a smashing, or should I say halting, success. The crowd was intrigued, watching intently, waiting to see what would happen next. You can hear folks in the video trying to figure out what is going on as they survey and describe the scene. My favorite is the utility cart driver near the end who radios someone to say that he needs help, “I can’t move my cart.”

In 2006, Improv Everywhere pulled a similar stunt with some 200 people shopping in slow motion at a Manhattan Home Depot.

About Improv Everywhere:

Improv Everywhere causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Created in August of 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 80 missions involving thousands of undercover agents. The group is based in New York City.

Visit the Improv Everywhere official site

Unlikely musicals…in the lecture hall. Hey teach, I've got a question.

2008-11-28T21:59:20-08:00

Were you paying attention in class?

I just posted the Food Court Musical by Improv Everywhere and my intention was to post some more of their “missions” for your amusement here. But then I found this great Musical Reach – Lecture Hall musical by Prangstgrup over at YouTube and had to share it.

From the description at YouTube:

A student stands up in the middle of class and starts brilliantly singing a broadway style musical.

Even the Professor (James Valentini) was laughing at this!!!!

Starring Mike Barry
With Kate Berthhold, Trey McArver, and Patrick Young

Lyrics (written by Brian Jacobs)

Hey teach!

I’ve got a question—what I mean is. . . it’s just. . .
We come to class everyday it seems, we all fall asleep we’ve lost all our dreams.
There is no inspiration.
But when did we become this way, so disillusioned? So blasé?
I can’t make the calculation.
Can I borrow your TI-83?

Hey teach!

Have you thought for a while
about the impact that you have on us?

Teach!

I think it’s high time that you tried
to extend your learning on to us and reach!
Are you with me classmates?

YEAH.

(One person)

What about that guy over there? Why aren’t you taking notes? Don’t you even care?
This is your education.
This girl sitting over here, she talks a lot in class but her thoughts are never really quite clear.
So much mental masturbation
Is it we..who are to blame.

Hey TEACH!!!!

All the professors in movies and TV
like “Dead Poets Society,”
and they risk their very professions for the chance
to be inspirations to kids like me!

Hey teach!

It’s no wonder why we’re here.
You must think we only party and drink beer.

But all we need is just one chance…
to be treated as your equals and to dance.

Hey teach!

It’s no wonder why we’re here.
You must think we only party and drink beer.
I think it’s high time that you tried
to extend your learning.. on.. to.. us.. and REACH! TEACH! ...

Unlikely musicals...in the food court. Can I get a napkin please?

2008-11-28T21:50:13-08:00

What do you when you are ordering a corn dog at the food court in the mall and the girl behind the counter starts singing?

Just sick back and enjoy it. It’s probably any number of comedy cum prankster groups out there these days.

This particular musical is from a group called Improv Everywhere and they have pulled some great stunts. The thing I like about this group is nearly everything they do is fascinating and mostly victim-less. The joke, or the point, or whatever it might be that day is thought provoking and enjoyable for everyone involved. I’d describe these stunts in more detail but I’ll save it because I’m going to share as many as I can find here.

So sit back and enjoy the work of Improv Everywhere

Scragz as Eek? A natural fit, in my opinion!

2008-10-20T22:17:13-07:00

Scragz!

You and one of your increasing number of bands should cover this song! You could dance and imitate Eek-a-Mouse SO perfect! Can’t you just see it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG0SDc2Hjz4

desert wild flowers

2008-10-15T18:09:55-07:00

This is a photo of desert wild flowers at night using the Pelican 9450 remote
area lighting system as the sole light source.

The amazing 3-D chalk art of Julian Beever. A CBS expose.

2008-10-12T20:59:28-07:00

After Stacy posted these amazing pictures of the 2008 Little Italy, San Diego Gesso Chalk Event I was reminded of the brilliant 3-D chalk work of Julian Beever.

I’ve been seeing his 3-D chalk work pop up on the internet for years now.

From the CBS video description on YouTube:

Artist Julian Beever has a knack for allowing his works to literally pop off the ground. Hari Sreenivasan speaks with Beever, whose 3-D chalk works have spawned a great deal of internet interest. (CBSNews.com)

Julian’s work besides being absolutely amazing, is an example of how I think the internet is changing the world of art. With a few clicks of the mouse we can wander see the most astounding bits of creativity and art and I’ve often wondered if it is somehow devaluing the arts in some way as we can blitz through breathtaking creation one after the other despite the fact that much of the ‘good’ stuff could take days or years to create (but that is a whole other discussion). I was amused an interested that the CBS expose embedded above makes passing reference to this phenomena in how they frame the piece from the start (though they aren’t making any judgements). Either way I feel lucky to have experienced Julian’s work and glad that I could find this neat expose to share his talents. From the video I get the impression that Julian would disagree with my assertion since as he put it, “If it weren’t for the internet, his work would be unknown.”

Stacy: Thanks for posting those great pics of the San Diego Chalk event and reminding of Julian Beever.

Check out Julian’s official website here.

2007 Gesso Italiano Chalk Painting Event, Little Italy, San Diego montage

2008-10-12T20:32:50-07:00

Gesso Italiano Chalk Painting Event, Little Italy, San Diego

From the video description at YouTube:

Gesso Italiano Chalk Painting Event at the 13th Annual Little Italy Precious Festa in San Diego, CA, October 14, 2007. In the Madonnari art form, all artists create Italian-themed renditions on the street.

Some of the streetpainting artists in my video are Dawn Morrison Wagner and John Heimstra. If you are an artist in my video, let me know and I’ll add your name.

I created this movie to thank Madelyn and Mark G. Picascio for a great time.

Music: “Mambo Sun” by Marc Bolan & T.Rex (1971)

T. Whitley

Remember playing with Chalk??

2008-10-12T19:42:22-07:00

When I was a kid, I used to love drawing chalk pictures on the sidewalk. In San Diego’s, Little Italy they just had there 14th annual Little Italy Festa. Along with that is the Gesso Italiano (chalk event). I was fortunate this year to be able to check out both days of the event. Yesterday when we walked the street I was wondering just how it was all going to come together. Each artist is given a block about 8’ square which is marked by blue painters tape. It literally is in the middle of the street, so as you can imagine the surface is pretty rough, uneven and with cracks. Each of the artist had pictures of what they were going to do. Looking at those pictures and the pieces of blacktop they each had to work with I had my doubts. Saturday started out cool and windy! All of the artist had some form of knee protection, water and a ton of chalk. Most were just marking out there area into what seemed to be about 12×12 squares which they had also done on there pictures. Then they began just roughing out there drawings. Some had started to get color down, but as I mentioned I had my doubts! Today when we revisited I was amazed! Talk about talented people! Most had them completed, a few were still finishing up! The artist looked tired yet proud. What a great accomplishment for all of them. I am afraid my pictures will not do justice, but I hope you all enjoy! And trust me when I tell you my Chalk Paintings looked nothing like these!

The dark side of Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen)...you need a sense of humor

2008-10-12T15:32:43-07:00

If you don’t like black comedy don’t watch the video above.

If the feel-goodery of my previous post, Reminded (again) of the beauty of life…Everybody’s Free was just too much for you to handle, this skewed, stilted, and cynical interpretation of the Baz Luhrmann song Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen by John Safran will have you laughing (and cringing).

One of my favorite quotes from this piece is…

Shoplift as often as you can. Shopping centers factor shoplifting into their prices, so if you don’t do it, it’s like their getting money for free.

Or maybe…

Remember you can wear your underwear four times without washing. Forwards. Backwards. Inside-out forwards. Inside-out backwards.

And this video is so dang cynical I don’t have any compunction about letting you know that we sell sunscreen in the trading post store, for industrial/organizational needs we have the “SunX line of sun screen”: and the individual/outdoor adventurer line of Beyond Coastal sunscreen and skin care.

Always wear sunscreen, but only if it has that coconut oil that gives you cancer, and smoke Winnie Blues.

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Why are those people swimming with their clothes on? (Video)

2008-10-10T08:31:37-07:00

What is wrong with this pool?

Wait. They aren’t swimming. Is this this the twilight zone? Wait just one minute, I think I’ll have to beat the comments and call this fake!

In fact this is an art installation from Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich entitled Swimming Pool. In September 2004 the 21st Century Museum of Art opened with The Swimming Pool as one of 3 permanent installations.

Now the creative piece is appearing at P.S.1 MoMA in New York City from October 19, 2008 through April 13, 2009. From the P.S.1 Erlich page:

Leandro Erlich is known for his installations that seem to defy the basic laws of physics and befuddle the viewer, who is introduced into jarring environments that momentarily threaten a sense of balance or space. For P.S.1, the artist has been invited to create an installation for the unique, double-height Duplex gallery. Swimming Pool is an extraordinary and visually confounding installation.

But I can’t help but ask what some of the folks at YouTube were asking, “What if somebody jumps in?”

See more pictures of the Swimming Pool at http://www.leandroerlich.com/

Happy Halloween

2008-10-02T17:38:57-07:00

Boo!

One Simple Life. More music and video from Mazanti Music.

2008-09-30T13:16:16-07:00

In a previous post (Mazanti. Weird Ones. Aren’t we all?) I shared a video from Mazanti Music that I wandered into at YouTube.

At the time the song and video that I shared was the first thing that Mazanti had posted and he had only just signed up at YouTube in that past week.

I just discovered that Mazanti at YouTube has added several more songs and videos and I wanted to share them here for folks who may have enjoyed the first one.

This particular piece is entitled, ‘Not So Simple Life’ and is described in the more info as:

Conflict, adolescence, social programming, life. Growing up in America in the second half of the twentieth century; not always like Ozzie & Harriet. Images of the American experience set to the underground indie rock song, Simple Sinistry by Mazanti from the 1979 album, Philosopher.

Enjoy.

thompson

2008-09-28T15:00:44-07:00

I dug up a couple of more photos of Thompson. No one other then me wanted to get out of the car or look around. Great place for Haloween.
Dave

Japanese landscape in a jar...made with sand

2008-09-22T19:53:20-07:00

Nifty landscape scene made with sand in a jar!

This piece is by Ako Tsubaki, proclaimed sand-artist. Visit Ako Tsubaki’s site

symbolism

2008-09-22T15:18:23-07:00

This is a photo of a sign outside of a modern ghost town. I would be interested in your reaction to it.
Dave

Kinetic steam punk sculpture installations

2008-09-18T13:27:38-07:00

While combing YouTube for some resource videos from UK Underwater Kinetics cases, lights, and dive accessories I stumbled onto this amazing video of kinetic steam punk sculptures and installations.

If you are unfamiliar with the term or phenomena of steam punk, it is the concept of an analog computer. The genre of art, sci-fi, and computers that fall under steam punk embody a world where the industrial revolution began but electricity is either not invented or in widespread use yet. Steampunk stories are often set in a Victorian-era or styled world where dirigibles are the primary form of air travel and technology is centered heavily on various types of non-electric mechanical power.

As a literary form, Steampunk was influenced by, and often adopts the style of the scientific romances of the 19th century, by Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Mark Twain, and Mary Shelley (from the wiki).

Within the subculture of steam punk are craftspeople who convert modern objects into steam punk versions. People convert modern computers to look like Victorian-styled typewriters and view screens akin to the technology seen in films such as Brazil and 12 Monkeys or even in the famous adventure puzzle game series Myst.

The sculptures in the video above go one step further adding new life to steam punk.

You might also be interested in a post I shared previously of a fellow building wooden computers.

Visit the wiki to learn more about Steam Punk.

And see some steampunk devices on google images.

Have some steam punk devices or images you have created? Share them with the CoTradeCo community.

The embedded video Interactive Kinetic Steampunk Sculptures is by Marque Cornblatt

steam punk treehouse image used under a
Creative Commons License
courtesy of tornatore at Flickr

Terrific!

2008-09-11T16:13:05-07:00

Introducing my braaaaannnnd neeeeewww musical project, Terrific!

More: more more!

trading post

2008-09-07T16:15:06-07:00

I miss the old trading post motif. So I posted this.

Pinback, everything by Pinback, maybe

2008-09-06T14:45:20-07:00

Pinback is a local San Diego band making it’s way around the world with great music.

The singer and guitarist Rob Crow is an old friend of mine, the second person I met after moving to California so many years ago. I hadn’t seen him in forever then I randomly stumbled across him playing with Physics at the Smog Shop in Chula Vista, as well as some other old friends from High School.

Like my Cake post this is another test of the imeem embed code for music playlists. But you should really go out and buy all the Pinback stuff today !

Cake, a short playlist to introduce you

2008-09-06T14:31:50-07:00

Cake is among my favorite bands of all time. Happy, cynical, and smart-ass enough to satisfy the depths of my personality.

If you aren’t familiar check them out and see what you think. Thanks to chad hunter for putting together this “short play long flavored” playlist at imeem for me to share with you all.

Memories of my patriotic attempt after Sept. 11

2008-09-06T13:33:30-07:00

While going through some old photos to find the porpoise pics I posted earlier and I found these pics of a folk art flag installation I made after September 11. After watching the planes hit the towers over and over I was deeply affected and had to do something, so I started an art project.

The flag was constructed from cardboard and various types of paperboard.

The frame is simple two by fours intentionally left raw and assembled to appear haphazard and conjure images of the wreckage I kept seeing on the TV.

At night red and blue flood lights gave the flag more depth and richness.

I was invited to show the flag for a few weeks at a local Starbucks on their patio in San Marcos.

Just thought I would share. If I can find pics of it lit up at Starbucks I will post those as well.

The Burning of Rome: Sunday Sept 07, Casbah, San Diego, CA

2008-09-05T15:21:51-07:00

This is the flyer and info for the show on Sunday. Come check it out and say hello.

Live at the Casbah Sunday, Sept 07, 9pm

The Burning of Rome

with The Feelings Mutual, Tapedeck Mountain, and Tsushimamire

2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Casbahmusic.com or The Burning of Rome official site or MySpace for more info.

photos3

2008-08-05T13:14:05-07:00

Here are some more of my photos.

photos2

2008-08-04T13:31:24-07:00

pictures

2008-07-31T14:23:41-07:00

I lkie thes photos and thought I would share.

Mazanti. Weird Ones. Aren't we all?

2008-06-13T21:36:47-07:00

Just stumbled this fascinating video entitled, Weird Ones, and this is exactly what I love and hate about the internet.

The video as you will find out in a moment, or are currently discovering, is a montage of 50’s-ish footage set to a fairly mellow but pointed indie-style rock tune about how, ”...they are the weird ones, not me.”

Good song, nice montage. I am a sucker for atomic age media and was immediately sucked in to the hypnotic David Byrn-ish anti-anthem and imagery. Love it, and that’s why I hate it so much.

I long ago gave up television. Cable and broadcast media have been conspicuously absent from life for quite some time. Not entirely out of loathing for the medium, but more due it’s ability to suck you in, poach your brain, and never let go like your lover heroin. When a television is on I shut off, people speaking directly to me, and I completely unaware of all.

At some point between the advent of broadband and the divine appearance of the stumble button, in doses too incremental to notice, the internet has become my television. How many hours have I used/spent/squandered watching random snippets of video, reading news, articles, white papers, research, books, gliding through tag clouds, image after image, lectures, movies, cartoons, porn, and who knows what else.

For some reason all of these thoughts exploded while watching this video. I nearly turned it off (er, hit the stumble button again). But I didn’t. Something brought me back, but not to the trance. More like waking up. Who made this song? Who did the montage?

I automatically assumed that it was some piece of new music that had been overlaid to black and white surrealism of historical poignancy as piece of digital folk art. But I had to know, who wrote the song?

A quick google for “weird ones” brought up thousands more eclectic results that I could muster scanning, so I opted to head to YouTube and see if the poster had left any background in the comments. Sure enough:

Stranger in a strange land. Public domain video over song from 1979 indie underground album,”Philosopher.”

I was grateful. While I am a supporter of non-linear globbed information, I am also extremely frustrated when I encounter a two minute clip of astounding thought, knowledge, or entertainment, but completely out of context with little hope of finding the source for the information. Which is exactly why I bookmark videos I would like to share here at CoTradeCo, at least until I have the time to include some meaningful information or links, believing that if I’m going to repost something that can be found 50 other places online, I at least owe you some context or background to what I’m sharing.

Fortunately the poster, mazantimusic felt the same way, or at least cared enough to say something. While cryptic, it gave something to go on. Often the poster of videos at places like YouTube are not the creators of the works, but I took a chance and headed to their profile page to see if they had created anything else, or at least found/mashed up some other interesting stuff only to discover that mazantimusic hasn’t posted anything else at all. In fact under their stats there were nothing but zero’s. Zero videos watched. Zero comments. And they had signed up yesterday!

Cynical zoe kicks into action. This is obviously some lame ass viral marketing stunt in phase 1 by a firm that hasn’t learned enough to at least pretend to be a real person.

Then I notice the blurb for the channel:

Underground artist. Continuously working on life as conceptual art.

While still suspicious, I started having more pleasant thoughts of someone working their way towards Guy Maddin genius, toiling away in front of iVideo or Windows movie maker making mashups.

Then in the next moment I see below the blurb a link to a website (what a novel idea). Landing at http://www.mazantimusic.com/ I quickly realize that this was no viral marketing stunt, this was not some strange SPAM trip to get a few cents or dollars out of me (or via me). This was a bonafide artist website. The very same artist whose band had recorded the song I was seeking in the first place.

It turns out that Weird Ones is the third track on the album entitled, Philospher by a band called Mazanti, recorded in 1979. Go figure.

Apparently Lewis Mazanti has been making music and art for a while now, and is still at it. After thousands of stumbles that have more and more begun to feel like little more than corporate lo-fi versions of what used to be on television and other commercially driven material (I exaggerate) it’s just a guy. Just a guy, making stuff. A guy with no wiki page espousing his seminal influence over life as we know it but I hadn’t heard of before. Just a guy making stuff and sharing it freely on his website. It’s like 1997 again.

Literally, just like 1997. His website will barely stream the music, and my quicktime crashes the entire browser when it begins playing—ah how I long for the days of RealPlayer, and when did I make Quicktime my default player anyway? :)

Anyway, Mazanti Music and Lewis Mazanti have revived my faith in life and will be my short duration personal saviors for the next 23 minutes (last known short duration personal savior, The Burning of Rome )

Watch the video above, send me $5, and visit http://www.mazantimusic.com/ to go back when things were better…back to 1997.

Your the weird one. Not me. Now just stumble on out of here…

You might also be interested in:

A man, a case, and the worlds biggest drawing...but not really

2008-06-05T13:08:08-07:00

ARTIST: Erik Nodenankar

TITLE: SELF PORTRAIT

TECHNIQUE: GPS-TRACKING

DIMENSIONS: 40 076 592 M * 40 009 153 M

As part of his graduation project in Advertising and Graphic Design at Beckman’s College of Design, Erik Nordenanker created the Biggest Drawing in the World. In cooperation with DHL, a global shipping company, Nordenanker created Self Portrait , by mapping out specific coordinates for DHL pilots and drivers to follow while transporting a Pelican case containing a GPS system that would track the route and create the drawing.

It took 55 days to “realize” the drawing; a single-line self-portrait that spans the entire globe, spread over 6 continents and 62 countries covering a distance of nearly 70,000 miles.

Only one problem, it never happened.

While it is unclear when or how the school project became of public interest, though I suspect Erik stumbled and promoted it in the hopes of his project going viral; He is an Advertising major after all. Gizmodo picked up the story on May 25, 2008 in a post by Sean Fallon, via a story from Hack a Day by Elliot Phillips via a link from Waxy.org by Andy Baio via zefrank blog, only to be simultaneously and subsequently discussed further and referenced at places like Wikinomics by poster Denis Hancock and countless others.

Apart from graduating, who knows what other motives Erik Nordenanker had when this project was released into the wild, but after garnering some worldwide fame with his project, Nordenanker felt compelled to disclose the truth behind the project in a disclaimer added to his site…

I think it’s possible to realise the project for real, but due to my extremely limited budget (about 20 000 SEK = 3 370 USD) that was not possible. Therefore, I have realised the idea in a fictional way. So, to be clear:

This is a fictional work.
DHL did not transport the GPS at any time.
DHL has kindly allowed me to film parts of their facilities and distribution.
This is a personal graduation project.

And apparently according to his statement he was also accused of copying another project at theworldismycanvas.com which he denies, asserting that his project was live before theworldismycanvas went online. Was it a sense of ethics that made him come clean? Or maybe tough investigative journalism from a typically cynical blogosphere suspicious of the dubious project claim and supposed result?

Regardless of how it happened, suddenly all of these places who were so kind to do a write-up on his project in the first place were forced to run retraction articles (gizmodo, wikinomics, telegraph.co.uk ).

In the end though I have to wonder how this differs from other types of guerrilla marketing, especially fake ad campaigns from Snickers, fake blogs from McDonalds, and Sony including a spray paint graffiti campaign tactic. All of these practices, which are mild in comparison to some, have the intent of deceiving the public just long enough to get some promotion and build brand trust.

It is unclear when these activities depart from the realm of performance art and enter the deceptive and misleading. Is it okay to pay someone to walk around busy streets talking about your product so that others will think they are genuine fans? Is it more or less acceptable to do the same in a forum or in blog comments?

In the UK the TimesOnline reports that fake bloggers and individuals, “falsely representing oneself as a consumer,” could be, “named and shamed…[and] face criminal prosecution under new rules that come into force next year.” While U.S. “consumers” may not be offered that type of protection in the near future, they are getting more and more cynical about the practice.

Nordenanker has taken a small beating over his “stunt” but other than anti-consumerist groups, people aren’t really making that big of a deal about real world corporate guerrilla marketing techniques that may be less than ethical.

Regardless of what anybody might think about the project, or even a shifting tide of frustration and disapproval from the public at large, I somehow see Erik having a leg up on the competition at interviews. Not everybody makes themselves “internet famous” with their graduation project.

All video and images are from Erik Nordenanker’s project site

See Erik actually make the biggest drawing in the world in this behind the scenes video at YouTube.

Should Erik have disclosed the fiction behind his project up front? Are similar and even more nefarious guerrilla marketing techniques used by corporations and marketing firms acceptable practices? Let me know what you thing.

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Buying the Pelican case Erik virtually used to virtually realize his project (you knew there had to be a shameless promotion in there somewhere!)