A surprising number of arguments can be won with the words “it’s obvious you have never owned a cat.”

For some reason my alternate poster for Mulholland Drive is getting a lot of attention on Tumblr. Not sure why but it’s nice to think that the movie itself is getting more much-deserved attention. By the way I also did some posters for Donnie Darko, Blue Velvet, and the bonkers Japanese film House.

Make sure to catch the recent episode of This American Life to hear filmmaker Trent Harris talk about his Beaver Trilogy. This ultra-indie meta-film features the finest method acting from young stars Sean Penn and Crispin Glover. In fact it seems to set the template for much of Crispin’s quirky repertoire of awkward tics and social awkwardness. Trent and Crispin went on to make Rubin and Ed, the cult classic that inspired a friend and myself to produce the Crispin Glover fanzine Mister Density through the 1990s. It could just as well have been a Trent Harris fanzine as we obsessively analyzed and gushed over his aforementioned films in practically every issue. We even published an interview with the director before ever attempting to make contact with the zine’s central subject. I strongly encourage you to check out Trent Harris’ distinctly odd and visionary work as I continue to pester The Criterion Collection to add his films to their roster.

One of my favorite podcast discoveries in the past year is The Projection Booth. The hosts invest a ton of research into a lot of phenomenal cult films, and often get great interviews with people involved in their making. Many episodes have inspired me to revisit old faves with freshly appreciative eyes. My only frustration is when they cover titles that sound mind-blowing but simply aren’t available to view. They’re on a roll in 2013 with their coverage of Reservoir Dogs, Blue Velvet and Guy Maddin’s Careful. Their interview with Maddin is particularly insightful and hilarious.

Wow, it’s been incredibly busy between work, music projects and a big move. Sounds familiar, looking back at the past few years(!) of blog posts. I’m still here yipping and yopping. Fear not, a site redesign is in the works and should be here before too long!

Much of my time so far this year has been devoted to the release and promotion of my latest album of toytronica. For the past month or so I’ve been working on tracks for the next album, which I’m pretty excited about. This poor blog has been neglected for short thought-bursts on Twitter.

On the subject of me me me, here are some music videos I made using vintage cartoon clips. And here an interview with me about my toy piano band in the May 2012 issue of Performer Magazine, along with some funny promo pix.

I’m thinking about looking into Kickstarter or PledgeMusic to try rallying support for the next CD. (Speaking of PledgeMusic, check out Erin McKeown’s great project video. Love that tiny record!) When I started this musical mission about 10 years ago I never guessed how much would change for indie musicians in that time. I’m happy to experience it first-hand!

Whew, it been a long and busy year. Seems like a lot of people I know and am close to went through hardships in 2011. I’m quite thankful that they are picking up the pieces and gearing up for a better 2012. (Mayans be darned!)

In spite of life’s foibles I found time to make a new album which I’m quite proud of. The process was fun and I think that shows in the final results. Still not sure how to find an audience for my zaniness but I’m eager to get started on the next one.

I didn’t get to see as many friends, exhibits and performances as I’d hoped to in 2011, though not from lack of want. That’s something I’ll try harder at in the months ahead.

Still have to give this site a refresh some time. I’m spending more and more of my online time at Twitter, Facebook and the like. Drafting longer posts is difficult after getting used to the limits of haiku-like expression.

Happy holidays all and may your dreams come true in the new year!

Here’s a new video! My toy piano tribute to Nyan Cat. Please don’t hate me.

I’m still figuring out where I stand on the Jay Maisel vs. Andy Baio incident that Andy broke the news about yesterday. As expected, forums for sites commenting editorially on the issue exploded with people taking extreme positions for or against either party, and a mob mentality led to the disappearance of Mr. Maisel’s Facebook page.

As a fan of and participant in remix culture I appreciate both sides of the debate. I released my own album of audio collage in homage and celebration of an often-overlooked genre and period of music. I do not claim creative proprietorship of the sampled material. But I strongly believe in the fair use of transforming and juxtaposing it in the spirit of exploring new contexts and facets of appreciation.

My knee-jerk reaction is to take Andy’s side for his experimental intent. However one thing sticks in my craw. Andy took pains in securing rights for his album’s reinterpreted music. Yet he admits neglecting to do the same for the cover art, and is paying a frighteningly heavy price. As a designer and musician who frequently has to justify the worth of my work, I’m very sensitive to how much artists and their contributions are taken for granted. It’s one thing for someone to transform (or “steal” as many would call it) an artist’s work and think it’s fair use or just hope they don’t get caught. It’s another thing to completely overlook the fact that a cover image is as much an artistic work as the music it packages. I’m a little surprised to see that concept slip by someone involved in so many professional and personal creative projects.

As much as I sympathize with Andy and his family’s huge financial and emotional loss, not to mention the blow to creative culture in general, I don’t blame Mr. Maisel for defending his work. Looking forward to hearing his side of the story when the villagers finally lower their torches.

I broke down and got Korg’s iElectribe for the iPad. Instead of actually making music with it yet I was compelled to put together a custom interface skin. Inspired by the cool Gorillaz edition.

If you use the app feel free to download the skin here.
See how it looks with the actual controls.

Tip: Use it as the background image and set the Print alpha to zero. Please do not redistribute it or claim it as your own.