Just got the email that I’ve been waiting for: Jennifer and Justine are moving forward on what will be the last major draft of Stencil Nation before it goes to print. I got thrown in the loop and now know that this version will be done March 3 at the latest. Jennifer found a great cave pic that’ll go in the book, and got permission from the nonprofit that owns the book to publish it. That’s exciting! I recently read over the edits for the last third of the book and approved them, so Justine now has that copy to drop in. All the edits from Jan. are being done. The book should go to press in March or early April. Still not sure how many copies will be in the first print.
On the tour side of things, June is looking great. Still stuck in Victoria, BC but working at least three angles there at the moment and should have something to show from it all this week. The book opening party got booked for June 6 at the Revolution Cafe. Tobias from Rev Cafe is totally into the project and wants stencils all over the place for the night: slides, DIY, on the sidewalks, on the walls, etc. Rev Cafe has a Mission Dist./Mediterranean vibe, so is a scene in and of itself. Throwing in the stencil scene will create a magical night there. It’ll be a fun party! Window displays are moving forward for Toronto, Seattle, Portland and maybe Newark. Have yet to move forward on the SF window project. Stencil Nation’s Budget Gallery will happen June 7. A winter East Coast tour is brewing, and early rumblings for a European tour are beginning (need the funds for the EU trip to happen). Again, this is all a dream come true, no matter what happens as it plays out. I hope everyone gets to feel the love along the way….
When late turns later, and the sun is a mere two hours away, Cookie Monster hits the spot. I guess it was Frank Oz, one of the greats, that allowed Cookie Monster to get interviewed by NPR’s Elizabeth Blair. And it was Cookie Monster that didn’t disappoint. Always good for a laugh, and stuck in a one-joke bit that always gets pulled off, Cookie Monster’s comedic timing ranks among the greats. Watching him improv, whether he knew the questions beforehand or not, is a special highlight. Like those moments on Sesame Sreet where the Muppets improv interviews with kids, you can’t miss the sharp skills of Oz, or David Rudman, behind all that blue fur. And, in good timing, the cookie eating bit was a “throwaway,” done in the first third of the interview and not the main focus of the bit. I could go on about Cookie, and write just as much for Oz’s other character Grover, but I’ll just let the monster speak for itself. And eat its way out of every tough question.
Just happened to be at the same location as the phoenix from the two 2007 Burning Mans this Friday. During last year’s second burn, I noticed that head didn’t burn, and then someone from my camp exclaimed that a friend had taken the bird out of the head. She had it at Decompression, and DPW wanted it, but the artist plans on creating an elaborate temple for the bird this year. It was amazing to touch it and read the DPW messages on the back. The burn scar is from the Eclipse burn.
Olafur Eliasson’s Glass Walkway at SFMOMA, Looking Up from the Stairwell Below
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Not much to report on the production side of things. Things have been quiet on the book production side this past month. Too quiet sometimes. Had to write a few small bits to fill some holes. I expect some rewriting for the latter part of the book will come my way, but nothing so far. On the promotional side of things, I have begun to work out a Pacific Northwest tour in June. So far, Portland, OR; Olympia, WA; and Vancouver, BC bookstores are in the process of booking my presentation. Will most likely premiere the presentation this April at CounterPULSE’s Wednesday talk series. Just wrote a proposal for doing a window at Modern Times here on Valencia St., and windows are in the process of being developed in Toronto, Portland, and Seattle. Next week, I will continue to try to book shows up North, begin to design a promo flyer, and finally get some solid dates for San Francisco events. A few other surprises are in store soon, but I don’t want to jinx them. Finally, two things happened today: Laura told me that the book is on preorder on Amazon (some of the information about the book is incorrect), and is being paired with Shepard Fairey’s Obey book. And, Jonathan called me from CELLspace tonight to tell me that the Negative Spaces mural was partially destroyed when someone pulled off about a quarter of the mural’s masonite. I was planning on adding to the mural this month, but now will make a new one. I’m not sure what the mural will be, and will have to make brand new stencils for it. Should be fun and hopefully collaborative (my favorite way to create).
2/8/2008 AM dream
As I show up to a building by the ocean, I look through a window into a room, and notice a young woman taking her clothes off. I go to the WC, come out, and, back in clothes, she gives me an embarrassed look. “I took antidepressants while you were away,” she tells me, “and they make me jittery.” “Nudity doesn’t bother me,” I reply, “except while eating at the table.” I then walk to the ocean-side where a party is happening.
While there, the ocean current sweeps a flooded viking ship towards us a several times. I take out my phone and try to make a video of the ship. “You should pull the ship out!” someone yells at me. I laugh at the thought.
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Jonathan is working on a crankie for the Big Tadoo Puppet Crew, and it is not motorized like I recently thought. I helped him work on primering the canvas for two crankies that will run a scene on two sides of the performers. Was at his place last night after the painting, and grabbed a few cell pix of the K’Nex crankie that he made. It actually works (see the second photo)! (K’Nex also has a set building blocks for carnival games.) Outrageous.
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