Yesterday I went out and did some shopping in order to proceed with my resolutions. First I bought a new set of strings for my guitar. I came home and strung her up and she sounds mighty fat let me tell you. There’s still a slight buzz in the jack, but I’ll fix that later. I fired up the computer and laid down an idea that was floating around in my fat skull. Three guitar tracks and a drum track later, it was sounding pretty cool. It’s still just a riff, but it’s inspiring. I also downloaded the EverNote app and started making notes of riffs and stuff as they come into my head. I already have some more stuff to work on.

I bought some cool ink pens and a sketch book as well. I started sketching yesterday and finished one, and started a new one this morning. My goal is to sketch something every single day. It doesn’t really matter what it is, it’s just gotta be something. That way I can experiment with techniques and get my chops back up without stressing over the result. honestly, it felt good to do some drawing. A bit frustrating because I don’t like to suck at stuff and I definitely suck right now, but I can feel it coming back quickly. My ultimate goal is to come up with a dozen or so t-shirt designs and start my clothing company. We’ll see how I progress.

So I’m off to a good start. I’ll check in and post some songs and drawings once I feel comfortable enough with them.

I’m learning a lot about the art of restoration as I go through this bike. Every day is a roller coaster ride of emotion as I flip from excitement, when I think of what this bike may look like when it’s all done, to complete despair when I realize how much work needs to be put into it and how much it will cost.

Today I cleaned two more carburetors (out of four) and that felt really good. I have just one more to go and then I can actually try and start this beast and see if she runs. I think just knowing that the internals actually function will give me a real emotional boost. If she fails to work properly, well… then I need to break the engine apart, dig even deeper, and learn a whole new set of skills to get her running, but that’s both exciting and discouraging at the same time. It’s so much work, and parts are getting rare for this model.

This is the excitement of restoration. I have no training as a mechanic, but with the help of the internet I’m learning fast and it’s been incredibly rewarding. Honestly, there’s nothing like taking something that is complete crap…. I mean real crap…. dirty, rusty, nasty, abused, neglected, forgotten crap… and cleaning and polishing and working it until it’s beautiful and meaningful and cherished again. The feeling of looking at a shining piece of metal that was just a few hours ago a rusted piece of scrap is bizarrely pleasing.

Anyway, I’m only in the beginning stages of this bike restoration, but already I feel energized and excited about what this dirty, rusty piece of crap will become someday down the road. I’m determined to make her a beautiful, road worthy, piece of art. Stay tuned.

First, The 52 Cameras Project. Everyone with a smart phone has head about Instagram, the app that makes digital photos look like they were taken with cameras from the 70′s. It’s hugely popular. Well, photographer Jodi Bates has 52 old cameras and is taking pictures with each of them to create a book. Her photos are on Flickr and so far it’s pretty fantastic. She’s only $150 away from her funding goal, so go on over and drop her a few bucks and let’s see this book become a reality.

The second project is called Highway Child, and it’s going to be an art film set in the motorcycle culture of the 70′s. This one looks really cool. Everyone knows I’m a biker, and I just love the idea of this movie. I can’t wait to see it made. If you like bikes as much as I do, head on over and help them get this movie made.

Check out some of the other projects on Kickstarter as well. There’s a boatload of creative ideas out there folks, just waiting to become reality.

First off, I found a site called Kickstarter which allows people to promote projects they are working on and let others pledge fund money so the creator can make it happen. Great idea.

On that site I came across this little project called The Funklet. It’s a book that details 20 of the greatest drum riffs, and does it in an artistic, cool way. I think this is a great idea and I’ve funded it.

Check it out here and help the guy out.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461914303/the-funklet

Now Bansky is the king of street art because nobody has ever seen his face and his “work”, or graffiti if you will, has appeared on structures all over the world. So there this huge mystique around him. Well, Thierry befriends Bansky and becomes his sidekick, documenting his work.

At one point, the street art culture hits mainstream and street art starts selling big. Bansky tells Thierry it’s time to cut that video together and finish the documentary. So Thierry goes away for six months and comes back with an atrocious piece of video that really doesn’t document anything. It’s basically garbage, because Thierry really wasn’t anything more than some guy who could afford a camera. So Bansky tells him to take off and persue his own street art and let him cut the film together. This is where the documentary gets interesting.

Theirry goes off and begins doing street art. Now mind you, Thierry is not an “artist”. He’s never done street art. But he’s watched all the best guys do it. So he copies their techniques. Eventually he starts getting publicity and he decides he’s going to have a giant art show like the big boys. So he mortgages his house, rents out a giant building in L.A., hires a bunch of artists and starts having them put together prints and art pieces. He creates a buzz so big that by the time his gallery opens there’s thousands of people in line to see his “work”. The guy makes millions of dollars and even ends up creating the album cover for Modonna’s greatest hits album.

The funniest part of all this is that the “real” artists, are totally pissed at Thierry. Basically this guy comes out of nowhere, with no talent whatsoever, other than extreme confidence, and becomes the biggest artist in L.A. in less than a year. He didn’t even make his own art! He paid other guys to make it for him based on his “vision”.

It’s hilarious because Bansky and these other “artists” really were doing the same thing, they just hadn’t done it as well. Thierry was simply able to cut through the artist ego holding those guys back, and just go for pure market manipulation. The guy is really brilliant.

So basically what I came away with from this movie is that art is crap. The art itself means absolutely nothing. It’s not about talent, or vision, or technique or any of that. What it really comes down to is the image of the artist and what’s hot and trendy right now. Because people in the art culture just want to hang with the cool kids. They want to feel important, and smarter than everyone else. They want to gossip about the latest and greatest. So if an artist creates enough buzz around himself to be considered super cool or mysterious, he could sh*t on a plate and put a cherry on top and it would sell for a million dollars. Thierry proved this without a doubt because that’s exactly what he did.

So I know I gave a lot of the movie away, but I suggest you rent it anyway. Then, go out and start making “art”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now I’ve never been to any type of orchestra or opera or anything of that sort. My only conception of this type of show is what I’ve seen in movies, so I fully expected this really stuffy atmosphere with a snotty, arrogant conductor leading a bunch of snooty musicians through some really boring music. That’s a pretty bleak outlook isn’t it? In fact, my buddy called me as we were walking in and invited us to have a beer and cigar across town, and as I was looking at the predominantly over-60 crowd, I nearly took him up on it. But we were there and we went in anyway.

What I experienced was actually one of the most thoroughly entertaining shows I have ever been to. Honestly, I’m still blown away. Andre Rieu is not some snooty conductor, he’s actually incredibly funny and works the crowd extremely well. He’s a guy who seems to honestly love playing music for people, and completely lacks the arrogance that so many musicians at his level have. His orchestra has 50 pieces and because of the way his show is designed, they aren’t just sitting there playing like robots, but they are actually rocking out and playing to the crowd.

The music was widely varied. Rieu played all sorts of pieces and I was surprised at how many I recognized. The musicianship was of course impeccable and honestly it would have been killer just to sit and listen to such great people play, but what really made the show dynamite was the stuff happening around the music. Often times throughout the show, there were sight gags going on, related to the music. For instance, he introduced a spanish bull fighting piece and told a “random” lady in the audience to be careful because she was wearing red. Then during the piece, two guys in a bull suit, complete with smoke coming from the nostrils, romp through the crowd and end up chasing the lady in red out through the back doors. It was very clever, and pretty funny.

At other times the musicians would interact with each other during the music depending on the theme of the piece. One guy pretending to get sick into another musicians tuba, another lady downing a glass of champagne and acting drunk through the rest of the song, it was just really, really clever and entertaining. Far more than just a music recital, it was a full on theatrical production.

I think my favorite parts though were the two pieces that each featured a female opera singer. I’d always envisioned opera singers as fat girls with viking horns singing some crazy songs in Italian or something. The girls were not fat! They did sing in Italian, but also in English, and I was blown away at the clarity and beauty of their voices. The incredible range these women have, and the control over thier voices was mind blowing. It was definitely the best part of the evening for me. in fact, I think I’d like to go see a full on opera at some point now.

I can’t say enough about Andre Rieu, and the experience reminds me that it’s important to stay open minded, and be willing to be exposed to new things in life or risk missing out on some really fantastic experiences.

Here’s a link to Andre’s website where you can check out some YouTube videos and such.

http://www.andrerieu.com/

This is not normally my kind of event. There’s no metal there. There’s no hard rock. There’s a lot of happy sounding indie bands, folk bands, techno and house DJ’s, and a spattering of rap. But I gotta say I had a good time. The art displays were really cool and there’ so many people to watch that there’s never a boring minute. I did get to see some bands that I would never have heard otherwise and that was cool too. It’s always good to be exposed to something out of the ordinary.

I would say the highlight of the weekend was a DJ named Zane Lowe. I’m not a huge techno fan, but I do like to dance (yeah, I admit it). So we were walking along and I hear the typical techno pulse in the distance and then I hear a Metallica riff dubbed over the top. What? I headed over to the tent and this dude was totally shredding metal riffs over dance beats and making it work! The crowd was going ape. So I grabbed my daughters hand and said let’s go dance! So we pushed our way right down to about 5 feet from the stage and for the next hour we became part of the throbbing crowd, dancing to a constant stream of really clever beats. It was way cool.

The worst band had to be an act called My Bloody Valentine. I’m telling you right now they should change their name to My Bloody Eardrums. My first impression of these guys was “hey this is pretty cool, but kinda boring”. They had a good sound; Heavy rock guitar with fast beats and really creamy smooth vocals, but they just stood there on stage, stone faced. They didn’t move, they didn’t smile, they didn’t show any emotion whatsoever. One of the guitarists looked like my third grade teacher in a red dress and pumps and bobbed hair-do, but yet here she is playing really loud guitar and holding this emotionless gaze. It was bizarre, but tolerable. Then they came to their last song. Not a bad song really, but about 3 minutes in they hit a big power chord and just started strumming it like all bands do at the end of their show, you know? I figured the show was over and they were going to make some noise for about 15 seconds or so then finish off with a big bang, say “thank you Coachella!”, and walk off. Well, a minute later and they’re still going. Then two minutes.  Then three. These guys are still just wrenching on that final note and I’m starting to wonder what’s going on. FIVE minutes later and now I’m starting to take it personal. Are these guys just trying to drive me crazy? Are they trying to piss me off? TEN minutes later and now my ears are starting to give out. The power chord has turned into a stream of straight up static and booming noise. I’ve pulled my hood over my head, plugged my ears, and folded into the fetal position to just try and ease the torture. FIFTEEN minutes later and I’m wondering if I’ve died and gone to rock and roll Hell. People are walking away in droves, holding their ears. One dude is flipping them the bird. I would have left by now but I figure this can’t be real, it’s got to end any second now, right? RIGHT??? TWENTY minutes later, the band actually goes BACK into the song! Holy crap, there’s more of this???? Luckily, a few bars later they end the song, simply set down the guitars and walk off.

I’m telling you, I’ve never been so angry at a band in my life. I spent the next 24 hours secretly wishing their tour bus would crash or somebody would see that gal in the red dress on the street and deliver a karate chop to her trachea. Absolutely ridiculous. My Bloody Valentine; YOU SUCK! You suck like nobody ever has or ever will. You have taken suckage to a whole new plateau. You are the King, the Queen, and the Duke of Suckinborough. Your suckiness goes to eleven!

So after that mess was done, Robert Smith and The Cure came on and they were really good. Though I have to say that watching an overweight man in his 50′s wearing eye shadow, teased hair, and red lipstick made me feel a little weird.

Some other big names included Paul McCartney, who we didn’t stay for. I’ve never been a fan. We did catch Morrisey though and except for his stupid ranting about the smell of cooking animals coming from the vendor booths, he was good.

All in all it was a really fun time despite some of the weirdness and lack of real rock bands. But I really didn’t go for the music anyway, I went to hang with my girls and make some memories. I think we did that.

Pictures are posted on my picture site.

You can check out my highlight video on my YouTube site.

Well, our bible study group has been reading “The Heart of the Artist” and so I did a quick search on the net for bible quotes with regards to artists. The first page that popped up had a partial verse that really kind of struck me in a cool way. It’s actually the first half of the very first line of the bible. “In the beginning God created…”. God is an artist! How cool is that?

So I went looking for images that show off God’s artistic side. After looking at thousands of paintings, tattoos, and taking into account the specialty of my tattoo artist (asian designs), I came up with the following sketch. I have two weeks to nail this design down, or postpone my appointment, but I’m feeling pretty good about it. Check it out.

Oh and since I’m feeling artistic today, I posted some of my more recent designs on my Flickr page.