Pollock strikes again

I know a lot of you readers go to SAIC (whattap you artsy fartsy fuckers?!) with me and love a good artistic debate. Ezra Salzman Gubbay (who I have noted earlier) has had a few wonderful posts recently about Jackson Pollock and the entire "I could do that" scene. 

I think it's a good read because his points are tasteful and (even as someone who disagress strongly, I must still admit) well backed up. 

More beautiful are the comments it has provoked. A fine example of how the Internet(and the blogosphere in particular) can easily become an arena for us to all voice our beliefs. 

Check it out here. Please, leave your opinion.

Light Smash

Film sets are dangerous places. Sometimes, dangerous things happen and if you are lucky the camera will be rolling to catch them. That is always the best. Like when they were shooting the "Twilight Zone" movie and a helicopter sliced up some dude and a kid. Sucks for John Landis, awesome for youtube.

Same thing happened to us. Carlos didn't get a shape up from some rotary blades but we did lose equipment and the reaction caught on film was that of truly terrified and scared boys:

I will protect the name of the poor bastard who let out that shriek. Only the men in that room know who it was. We will all take that to the grave.

Musical Debut

Everyone knows I'm a rennasaince man but for those who need actual proof, here you go:

CD hits stores this fall.

Poor, Mabel

I love word verification images. Whenever I see a funny one I do a screen grab and put it in a folder I have on my desktop devoted to the collecting of the little guys.

Yesterday, while updating my status on facebook, I came across the greatest one yet:

Greenpeace

I'm pissed off. When I was living in Chicago the loop was filled to the motherfucking brim with Greenpeace streetwalkers pestering me for money. There were always two in front of my dorm (one for each direction of foot traffic) and two in front of my classes. That means, every day, I would have to deal with some schmuck and his clipboard four times.  

What grinds my gears about these people is that they usually don't even really give a shit about the environment. They are kids who (just like me) need money to buy shit. They get jobs, plaster on a smile and look into the mirror every night practicing giving a shit. To them, I'm a quota. Not a CFC spewing threat to humanity. 

What upsets me even more about them is how bad they are at their jobs. Often they are rude and confrontational. They must be on a different time system than the rest of humanity because they alway say "it will only take a minute" but hold you there for 15. More importantly, the only way to please them is to give them some cash or a credit card number so they can take it from you every month. Nearly every conversation I have had with one of these assholes goes as follows:

Me: Hey, sorry, I don't have any money.

Greenpeace: Oh, that's totally fine, would you mind listening 

to what you can do instead?

Me: Sure.

15 Minutes later:

Greenpeace: So, do you have any money yet?

Me: No.

Greenpeace: Peace.

When I came to New York I thought I had left it all behind. That is until today. I was walking across 14th street and I realized these morons had infested the last stretch of sacred land I have left. They have set up shop on the most walked down block in my routine (again). 

One poor girl made the mistake of walking up to me and starting her shpeal. I was super rude and a major dick. I feel bad about that because I'm usually never a super dick to anyone in life. I just couldn't help myself. You know what gave me a little piece of mind: she was even more of a dick.

I hate film shoots

I love movies. Everyone knows that. I consider myself a filmmaker and I like to think that all of you know that, too. I just got home from a two day shoot and I'm exhausted. Like every other shoot in history of film, a lot of shit went wrong. I don't know why this always happens but for some reason it's just never easy. The apartment we were in was sweltering hot and the lights made it worst. Most of our actors went AWOL and nearly every shot took longer than expected.

Don't get me wrong. I'm most certainly not bitching. Why? Well, because this seems to happen on every shoot I have ever done. Maybe it says something about me as a filmmaker, maybe it says something about filmmaking in general but I accept that it's hard and that shooting sucks. 

Yes, you heard me. I said shooting sucks. 

See, somewhere between sweating off the last 20 pounds I gained this summer and trying to find a misplaced Shotgun mic I had a conversation with a few people on set. I realized I have never said this out loud to anyone and that most artists and filmmakers would be upset to hear this.

Frankly, I don't enjoy shooting. I love coming up with a film, I love writing it, I love planning it, I love editing it, I love showing it and I love talking about it but I really, really do not enjoy actually making it. I only make it so I can enjoy doing all of the other steps. 

Does that make me a bad filmmaker?

I don't think so. I think it just makes me an honest one. 

More importantly, I had a breakthrough as to what sort of films I want to make over the past few days. All I can say is tomorrow I'm going to go on a Maysles binge. More on that later.

Not homeless

Well. After a long four days I am back from Chicago. More importantly, not only will I have a roof over my head this coming school year but I will be sheltered in style as my new apartment is sleek, large and sexy. 

Right in the middle of Wicker Park, Preston and I will enjoy the luxuries of life from a dishwasher to a fireplace (yes, I said it, a working fireplace). I really just want to move in to that place now and live it up but I have a life here in New York I can't leave behind. Instead, I have these photographs to hold me off until the big day comes:

Exterior of the palace. We have the first floor.

Living room facing kitchen and bedrooms.

Fireplace for me and Preston to burn pieces that "just don't work" like madmen.

I really dig the new place and hope that I will have many of you over at one point. Be you a Chicagoland native or a die hard New Yorker, this place is for hardcore chillers.

AWOL

Miss me?

That's because I am not around. I'm in Chicago with my main man (and soon to be roommate, Preston) to find a sleek crib to live in this coming semester. 

I will be back soon. Until then, you will have to do without me.

Cookie Cuts?

Let's face the music people. I need a hair cut. My ringlets are knotty, it's getting hot outside and people are starting to stare. This morning I was eating breakfast and noticed something fishy on my box of Cookie Crisps:

A free hair cut? Are you fucking kidding me? This is clearly an example of some rich dude who owns a haircutting chain hanging out with his best friend who owns Cookie Crisps. They probably had a bet and the loser had to give away free shit to the winner's customers.

Oh, capitalism. 

Introducing: Kevin Gannon's Meatheads!

A few days ago I was walking down the street with dear friends and other two thirds of Broke Toe, Carlos and Robbie, when we passed a Jamba Juice that really wasn't utilizing space well at all. 

This picture doesn't do it justice. The place was absolutely huge. There was one small table on the left which some freeloading girl was using as an office. Another chair on the right with a person awkwardly sitting drinking juice and then a long corridor leading to the register. 

For paying as much rent as they do for a space in New York City as big as this and then leaving it almost completely fucking empty, these people get my first "Kevin Gannon Meathead" award. 

Expect many more. 

Irony, baby.

I was watching a video on YouTube of Richard Dawkins (atheist extraordinaire) doing what he does best: completely deading and denouncing all forms of organized religion. That's when I noticed a pretty hilariously ironic ad pop up near the video...

I feel bad for the Scientologists, here. All that hard earned, alien endorsed money tossed out the window.

Guys: you can always advertise on my blog. Just hit me up with whatever mind reading devices you have. Email works too.

HELP US MAKE "SPIRIT GUIDE"

You may remember us putting up a promo a very long time ago for our next epic adventure: Spirit Guide.

We shot some scenes but college made us part ways. Our goal was to regroup during the summer and finish what we started. Better, faster, funnier and prettier.

The "prettier" part is where things get complicated. Robbie, Carlos and I (A.K.A Broke Toe Productions) need to rent out camera equipment to shoot this sucker. 

We checked and none of the rental facilities in the city take hugs and kisses in exchange for an HD Cam so to put things frankly: we need money. Bad, baby.

That's why today is the first day of our "Support Young Artists" fundraiser. We have designed a sexy, sleek logo that will tell the world what you do with your money during this difficult economic time. 

Sure, it's a little pricey but 100% of the profit goes towards out next project. It would mean the world to us if you could buy a shirt, tote-bag, beer stein or mug to help us make some wonderful art. 

Thank you for reading and if you do contribute to the cause, thank you for being awesome. Then, pat yourself on the back and say:

"Nice job. I helped those boys make a movie"

When's the last time someone you know got to do that?

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR STORE!

Home Depot: Party Poopers

Today Robbie Cline dragged me and Carlos into Home Depot so he could buy some electronic devices needed for a gigantic, uber stage light he is putting together. 

Obviously, I was bored shitless because I know nothing about building lights so while he was rummaging around I saw this cart and thought to myself "Holy shit I can't wait to get in that basket"

As I got closer I saw they were a step ahead of me:

Damn.

Jackhammered out of bed

Of all the people in the world to ever complain about growing up/living in New York I am the absolute last. I love it here and always have. Sure, some things are a pain in the ass but usually I overlook them and instead focus on the positives that vastly out number the negatives.

Every die-hard New York fanboy, however, does have his boiling point. For me, it's when I wake up to fucking jack-hammers pounding the earth. 

I had a doctors appointment and needed to get up early (which already, I was pissed about). These fucking construction workers made me wake up earlier than waking up early! I know it's confusing but let me elaborate:

1. I had to wake up early.

2. Some schmucks woke me up earlier than I had to wake up.

3. I sat and waited until it was time for me to originally wake up (which was early).

Whew. Worst thing is, according to the laws of New York these guys aren't doing anything wrong. 

I guess this city is designed for the employed. 

Gift!

The other day Carlos and I were shopping at C-Town and we both saw an incredible product:

If you can't tell, it's a set of sink strainers. Four of them, actually. Each a different size so you don't have to deal with shit clogging any of your drains. 

Best part about this is that nowhere on the package does it say what the product is. Instead it just says "GIFT!" implying that it would make a wonderful present for a loved one. 

That's funny though, because this would be a terrible fucking gift.

Beautiful country, beautiful holiday.

Song a day keeps the Doctor away (even if you are sick)

My buddy Ludwig Persik has started something pretty groovy. We were walking down the street talking about life n' shit like that and he told me about this huge stockpile of songs he has recorded since he was about 16. 

For any artist in any medium, works starts to pile up and get dusty. Usually no one ever sees them and because of that the creators think they are of no value. This is not true at all. Ludwig and I both agreed it's very therapeutic (and artistically motivating) to re-visit works that had no intention of seeing the light of day. 

Next thing I know, he's posting a song every 24 hours on his site. Gotta' give it to him, it's a pretty awesome idea and it's nice to always have a good listen just a click away. 

Enjoy his tunes here, yo!

In spirit of Ludwig kicking up some artistic dust and throwing it in our faces (blinding us), I thought I'd do the same. Here is something I did during one of my first weeks in school. I think of it as "art school overload" art.

Lamebook

I have been on this site all day. It's a gallery of the worst moments to ever grace facebook (and, ironically, I found it through facebook). 

I would post pictures but I feel like it's sort of cheap when I can just link you to the site...

...here.