Gizmodo.com gave me an honorable mention today (that honestly, as you can see, I kinda begged for. No shame) on their site today. If you can’t link to the article, here’s the original Vine. Note to self: Mike, you gotta learn to edit yourself. For f’s sake…
Yeah, yeah, I’m pretty damn late to the party, but this band is my (and Summer’s) personal soundtrack when exploring Portland. The band, an English indie-rock quartet, was formed in 2007, and their debut was released here in the states in September. Most of the tracks on their album, An Awesome Wave, are great soundtracks when you have just vanquished your enemy and you are walking (in slow motion) away from the massive fireball.
Here’s a milder one, set in a modern interpretation of Raphael’s “The School Of Athens” (yes I found this out from the comments).
(Click through for more from Alt-J) Continue reading
On New Year’s Eve, 22 years ago, my big brother passed away of a drug overdose. This past year, I experienced a staggering personal, romantic loss. I believe the grief with the latter has to do with unresolved issues from the former. This series is an attempt to move past both of these losses, and start healing. The stakes are never higher than when you take a stand for your own happiness (autocorrect almost changed that to “steaks”, and I almost kept it).
If you haven’t yet, please click here and read the first post in this series. Seriously. It’s like a reality show. Sorry, I mean “unscripted drama”. Maybe a telenovela.
So this is what has happened: My sister Linda, who has been an invaluable partner in this search, helped put me in touch with Melecio and Grace De La Garza, parents of Gilda De La Garza, who knew John for about ten years. She was one of his closest friends at the time of his death. I reached Gilda by phone (she lives in Arizona with her family now), and the conversation was a revelation. She described John as being like another brother to her, in addition to her two biological brothers. She mentioned that they think of John often, and have many pictures of him…she described him as a sort of “missing link” of her family, and that his charisma and charm had not only won her and her siblings over, but that her parents were taken with him too. She told me many stories, many associated with good emotions, some with bad. Continue reading
The good folks over at Boing Boing curated some bizarre Christmas videos last week. This is by far my favorite, from 1963.
No matter what you celebrate, I hope you have a Christmas filled with joy, family, and peace. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back in the New Year!
Ok, ok, so this is a little late, but better late than never. I went from feeling a couple of weeks ago like I didn’t want to decorate at all this year, to going full-out (full disclosure: my mom convinced me to do it. I’m glad she insisted)! Here’s how I decorated at the last minute, without it looking last-minute. If you haven’t seen what my place looks like the rest of the year, here’s a link to the Apartment Therapy tour from earlier this year.
FIlter: Hefe
The rest of the pics are after the jump! Continue reading
Last night, I was watching a movie. (Okay, it was “Beaches”, a favorite from my high school days. Don’t judge). But all of a sudden, I heard a sweeping, loud, wet noise, and as I paused the movie and jumped up I realized it was a sudden rainstorm. I haven’t experienced a rainstorm that came on that quickly and forcefully since I lived in New Mexico. I went to the porch, reached my hand out, closed my eyes, and grabbed the rain. It was a sacred moment for me. Then I went inside and finished the movie (natch). And then I went to my desk and started on my novel again.
Oh, yeah, I started a novel. I’ve told maybe enough people to count on one hand. And I’ve given some chapters to read, to even fewer. But now you know, too. I stopped writing a couple of weeks ago; I had lost it. But I found it again, and it’s pretty great.
I thought of this song during the rainstorm, and then played it a few times while writing. It’s from 2007, by Great Northern, an LA-based band. You probably know their song “Home”. That’s great, but this one’s better.
Sometimes you can’t force inspiration, you have to be a leaf on the wind of it. Or pull it right out of a rainstorm.
(Lyrics are after the break)
And thus ends the strangest, most confusing, alchemical three months of my life. Starting August 27th, the day of the Apartment Therapy spread, and ending this past Sunday, I had a life-changing experience. And yes, I live my life transparently, but this story is just for me, for now.
Woke up this morning in such a great mood, and with breathtaking clarity. I am starting a new chapter of my life with a clear head and tabula rosa. No, recovering from this won’t be easy, or quick. As always, will keep y’all posted on the artistic, creative consequences. In the meantime, here is a fan-made video, set to Radiohead’s “Motion Picture Soundtrack” from their Kid A album. It’s directed by Jay Eckensberger. It’s muddy and low-res, but I love it. I’m feelin’ the lyrics, except for “I think you’re crazy”…I don’t think anyone’s crazy for saying what they need.
The guys over at John Neeman Tools nailed it again, with the follow-up to their “Birth Of A Tool, Part 1”. Incredibly detailed and beautiful piece of film, with a killer song.
And yeah, it’s time to live up to my name. Currently looking for blacksmiths in the LA area who will take on a pretty green apprentice. And no, I’m not joking. If you know of any, drop me a line at mkschndr@gmail.com.
Sometimes it takes seeing my city through new eyes, to realize how much I love it.
After the jump is another, more recent one of Colin Rich’s: Continue reading
Stumbled across this video by John Neeman Tools. It’s a simple and profoundly beautiful example of the process of making an axe. And dear Lord I want to live in this cabin please.
Entrance to the Garden of Flowing Fragrance
I’ve decided to make “4 Things…” a regular series! I’ll publish it monthly, and eventually bi-monthly. Why? Well, no man is an island, and no one can be expected to create art in a vacuum: I need inspiration from other sources to keep me fresh, to keep my voice relevant. Here are a four things that stayed with me, long after I experienced them.
1) The Huntington Gardens are over 120 acres of carefully maintained collections of botanical curiosity, in San Marino, California. I’ve gone there a few times, and this time was ostensibly to see the recently restored and reopened Japanese Gardens, but I found the Chinese Garden, Liu Fang Yuan (“The Garden Of Flowing Fragrance”), really breathtaking. Check it out for both the botany and the architecture.
And then I found a giant baby. Continue reading
Sometimes my brain needs a jump-start. Here are a few things I checked out this week, to fan the flames of my imagination.
1. Made In LA at The Hammer Museum
Meg Cranston’s California (2006), photo by Jeff Sturges
This was pretty great. Made In LA is what it sounds like: a show of artists living in Los Angeles. There was some cool stuff, including Liz Glynn’s Anonymous Needs and Desires, an installation of a huge cabinet of brightly colored drawers, with cast-lead everyday objects that patrons could place in, take out, and manipulate however you want. Another highlight was the app for the show, the Soundmap. You turn it on your phone, drive around, and it plays music curated by local collective DUBLAB. But then you hit a “hotspot”, and an artist briefly interrupts to tell you something specific to that area of town that inspired them, or just a random observation. So cool!
I loved finding this today. If you create, if you want to create, if you have a nagging voice telling you you’re not worthy to create, watch this.
We are all blacksmiths. (If the Vimeo doesn’t show up for you, try this link)