It’s finally here! Here’s episode three of my puppet webseries This Ends Badly.
The production values keep improving, and we keep learning a lot. One big takeaway recently was how to streamline scheduling so that we can produce quality episodes faster. So stay tuned for more This Ends Badly sooner than you think! Thanks for watching.
To get caught up, here’s episode one, and episode two.
At long last, we’re all very pleased to present the second episode of my single gay puppet dating webseries (I never said I wasn’t “niche”). Fun fact: this episode combines footage taken over almost three years!
In this episode, Mike loses a bet and has to delete his dating apps. But is the real problem the apps…or is it Mike?
Thanks for watching! If you haven’t seen the weirdly-quiet episode1 yet, check it out here.
I’m wishing you the very best of holiday s this year. This past year has been a hell of a ride for everyone, but I feel like there’s good stuff on the horizon for 2018. I’m taking my usual December off from writing/posting here, but lots of projects are simmering in the pot for next year. Thanks for being on this journey with me!
We’re hard at work on Episode 2 of This Ends Badly! It’s titled “From Bad to Worse” and people familiar with the classic 2014 post The Date With Myself will recognize a particular sequence.
In the meantime, please enjoy this short, “How To Get Ready for a Date”! Thanks to Colt Schafer and Hannah Brady for their help making this.
I’m happy and grateful to present Episode 1 of my webseries, This Ends Badly! It’s the result of a large group effort, and we all learned a *lot*. For example, I learned that sound is somewhat important. Who knew? (Everyone did, Mike. Literally everyone.)
It’s Pride Month, so here is a super helpful tutorial on how to get ready to celebrate it:
I made this super-helpful tutorial on how to make your headphones into wireless ones. I hope it helps you out.
Ugh, I did it again. In this video, I talk about minimizing triggers while my cat Ned upstages me. It’s a huge subject to cover in only three minutes, so how do you think I did? (Transcript is under the break)
I made my first YouTube video! Wow I’m only like, 10 years behind the trend. In this video, I talk about the “empathy void” we seem to have found ourselves in lately, and what we can do about it in the future. Please take a look, and let me know what you think. The transcript of the video is below the jump. Continue reading
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEyiUw1ujSJ/?taken-by=blcksmth&hl=en
“What? Another webseries announcement?” A few years ago I came up with the idea of pulling some of the dating horror stories from the blog and making them into an original series. It would take place in three cities! It would involve a cast of thousands! Well, then reality hit as I did the math and realized that this was a really ambitious project for my first time out of the gate. I’m still in love with the idea of How To Save Your Own Life, and it’ll always be percolating in the back of my mind until I have the resources to execute it properly.
In the meantime, I’m thrilled to present “This Ends Badly”! Continue reading
I was happy to direct this 4-minute short for the Shorty Shorts Film Festival in Portland, but I was even more thrilled to work with this talented, generous cast (credited at the end of the short). Thanks much to Gula Delgatto for including my short, and Donovan Edwards, Ace Hotel Portland, and Pepe Le Moko for donating their resources and locations. Hope you like it!
Think you’ve had the worst date ever? Compare it to ours:
Once in a great while, an artist comes along who pushes boundaries, gives viewers opportunities to rethink their paradigms, and creates bold, brave art that’s sometimes not fully appreciated in its time. Occasionally, that artist is honored with a retrospective, and given a chance to participate, bringing their beautiful creations to a larger, more mainstream audience. That artist was Marina Abramovic.
But now, we have been graced with the Björk retrospective at the Museum Of Modern Art. This quirky singer, originally the lead singer of The Pixies The Treaclies The Sugarcubes, debuted her solo album in 1993. It was called Debut. She’s known for her unconventional style and eclectic production design of her music videos. She’s also known by basics-at-large mostly for wearing a dress that looks like a swan to the Academy Awards in 2001 (seriously, people can’t let that go). I visited New York last month in balmy February, and was given early access to what is by all accounts definitely a retrospective. Continue reading
“Workout Buddies” (screencap by Shawn Jackson)
I was interviewed by Reggie Aqui at KGW, the local NBC affiliate here in Portland, about dating apps. I managed to make Scruff sound almost respectable! To see the full video, click this link. UGH WHY IS IT NOT EMBEDDABLE.
BLCKSMTH first talked to Michelle Lesniak last year for our Princess Mononoke-themed photo shoot. To say she’s a force to be reckoned with is an understatement. This talented Portland-based fashion designer makes bold choices, has clear vision, and is humble about her successes. 2014 looks to be a banner year for her, with her recent engagement and her studio/retail space opening up in SE Portland this month, with a trunk show June 13th and 14th from 2 to 9 both days.
Michelle’s song contributions this month were dark and moody, and inspired me to make similar choices for my picks. We went up to the Pittock Mansion for a Gothic-inspired photo shoot from the masterful Chase Person, with makeup by Jill Greenseth. Michelle is modeling looks from her own current collection. This month’s soundtrack knows what scares you: Continue reading
photo by Chase Person (from l. to r. Michael James Schneider, Nick Mattos)
One thing opening up these soundtracks to guest collaborators has done is allow BLCKSMTH to work with intelligent and inspiring artists. Nick Mattos, a columnist with PQ Monthly, has curated a soundtrack that’s both complex and accessible, and the photography of the talented, skilled Chase Person complemented the music choices perfectly. Nick’s also a co-creator of our upcoming webseries *How To Save Your Own Life. Be sure to check out Nick’s 18-song playlist on Spotify for BLCKSMTH, and check out more of Chase’s photography on Instagram at @chasepersonphotography.
Nick’s Pick: Banks, Change Oh man, Banks is so wonderful. She makes electro-infused R&B that sounds like a seance hosted by Sade, the xx, and Jamie Woon. One of the things I like best about her is the amount of emotional intelligence and insight she brings lyrically; in “Change,” as one example, she transcends the R&B trope of being dedicated to someone who doesn’t treat you well to instead consider the ways that people excuse others’ behavior in difficult relationships. I love her so much, I can’t deal with it:
I just celebrated my first 6 months here in Portland, and (finally) moved into my permanent pad in NE…I can get down to posting more frequently than ONCE A MONTH. I’m finding that there are so many brave, talented artists here it’s scary, and Wayne Bund is no exception. He’s a Portland-based photographer and performance artist who can also host a damn fine party. He braved an 8am call in the freezing cold (I may be losing a toe) to channel his inner Ewok with me in the Forest of Endor Mt. Tabor park, and Tucker Cullinan added a little magic, like he’s expertly done in previous posts.
The force was totally with us.
Mike’s pick: Stepdad, My Leather, My Fur, My Nails Listening to this is like watching bears at a circus. Nope, the other kind of bears:
“Eating Disorder” (from l. to r. Logan Lynn, Michael James Schneider)
For this month’s soundtrack, singer/songwriter Logan Lynn stopped by to help supply a cure for the common holiday tune. You’ll know him recently from his killer cover of Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” (featured in the October soundtrack)…and then Miley herself performed his arrangement on Saturday Night Live on October 5th! Here’s a video for his follow-up single: “Tramp Stamps And Birthmarks“.
As always, you can find me and the BLCKSMTH playlists on Spotify. Find a few more of Logan’s picks on my “BLCKSMTH in December” playlist, and you can also follow Logan on Twitter and The Facebooks. I’m really loving Logan’s picks, and our pics we took (with the digital magic of Tucker Cullinan). This is a soundtrack that’s all killer, no filler:
Logan’s pick: Brontez Purnell feat. Jason Kendig, He Never Knew What Kissed Him Former Gravy Train!!! member Brontez Purnell is making really cute indie R&B songs these days and he just released this track a few weeks ago. It makes me feel good.
October was a bit of a roller-coaster for me, but here’s a rousing cheer for November. I went to LA and NYC for a couple weeks, and autumn was in full swing when I came back to Portland! I’m loving my first fall in the PNW: leaves changing color, comfort food (butternut squash anything), and the layering, oh! the layering. Summer Olsson is back, with her usual killer contributions to the soundtrack, and she collaborated on a ridiculous photo essay, too. Click through to see the whole story.
As usual, the titles in red are Spotify links (I’m Michael James Schneider on there, you can find the “BLCKSMTH November” playlist there,too), and enjoy autumn, damnit.
Mike’s pick: MS MR, Hurricane Okay, so you told me that you’re into Lana Del Rey and Lorde, but you haven’t heard of MS MR? Let’s correct that immediately:
“Private Eyes” -photo by Rachel Rosenfeld (from l. to r. Summer Olsson, Michael James Schneider)
This month’s soundtrack is pretty damn great, thanks in no small part to guest music contributor Summer Olsson’s influence. Click any of the song names highlighted in red to listen on Spotify, too!
Summer’s pick: The Boy and Sister Alma- Brightly This Montana duo makes music that sounds simultaneously retro and futuristic. It’s like an 80s movie about the future. It’s dreamy and feels perfect for gliding along the highway, looking out a rainy car window:
Mike’s pick: James Blake- Retrograde Creepy, soulful, and more than a little “off”. The synth just destroys me, and there isn’t a speaker invented that can reach as loud as I need to listen to this song:
“Metallic Aftertaste”, photo by Summer Olsson
Life is weird. Choices often take you in directions you never would have considered before, and lead you to go places and meet people you otherwise might not have. This month’s soundtrack is inspired by the strange serendipity I have experienced recently, and the awesome new friends I made. It’s a little more pop-y and mainstream than my other soundtracks. Deal.
When you wake up the next day and think, “I’m getting too old for this shit”, you’re doing it right. I had a night like that a few weeks ago in Seattle:
photo by Summer Olsson, duplication by Tucker Cullinan
Between touring and writing/recording his music, Aiden James probably wishes there was a few more of him to go around! He’s a Philly-based, emerging singer/songwriter who headlined Portland Pride a couple weeks ago. His story kind of inspired me, since I’m a little obsessed with connecting with people who have made the choice to leave their day job for creative pursuits. I got a chance to hang with him a bit after his gig, and he was charming, gregarious, and transparent. The fact that he was down for a fun photo shoot was icing on the cake. Here’s an interview with the guy; expect big things from him coming up:
BLCKSMTH: What did you do before what you do now? AJ: Find a way to do what I’m doing now.
What was the job you hated the most? High school … (pause for seriousness)
I was never trapped behind a desk or a slave to the man. That’s not my story. It’s nothing like Dolly Parton in 9 To 5. I’ve been involved with music, even during the early parts of my life. I was a karate instructor for a large chunk of my adolescence, a barista (while I worked the open mic circuit and small coffee house gigs, taught guitar, and then released my first album). Then later down the line… Continue reading
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
Have you ever discovered a secret world that was right under your nose, maybe even right in your neighborhood? It could be a speakeasy that shouldn’t be there, a great band that no one knows about (yet), or a person who creates breathtaking art that very few people have seen. I’m a little obsessed with finding those in Portland lately…one of my favorites in Los Angeles is The Museum of Jurassic Technology, check it out if you’re there.
In the meantime, here’s my soundtrack while sleuthing around Portland, looking for hidden worlds and new experiences. Shoot me an email at mkschndr@gmail.com if you know of any I should check out (or! Use my email to SPAM THE SHIT OUTTA ME).
And if you like these, check out the soundtracks for April and February.
So much right with this it’s scary:
Portland in April
Discovering, relishing, interviewing, meeting, embracing. Loving this city. Making my decision deliberately, carefully, gingerly. I have a playlist, much like Alt-J during my February visit, that is the soundtrack to my life this visit. Mostly old stuff, some new. Hope you dig these.
Who reading this hasn’t had a labor of love, a creative project that they’ve been thinking about for months, or years, or their whole life? Well, designing (in Part 1 of this series), then creating the model (in Part 2 of this series) for the set of the West Coast premiere of Robert Kauzlaric’s masterful stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, directed by Scott Leggett, was that project for me. And this week, that dream got even better when I connected with Mr. Kauzlaric, and asked him a few questions about his writing process, Neil Gaiman’s fanbase, and what role staging plays in his imagination when he’s writing.
After the break, check out our chat, a great “teaser” video with some of the people who helped bring this production to life, and a first look at the finished set!
Michael James Schneider, in London Below