If you poke around on Monster Fresh long enough you should be able to discover a couple of things fairly easily.  One is that we like art.  Another is that we really like the band WEEN.  Whether it comes from the guys being incredibly discriminate or just simply being incredibly fortunate, WEEN has -and continues to have-  some of the most consistent artwork from any band around.  Gig posters have proven themselves to be increasingly collectible over the years and the prints created to support and commemorate shows by the boys from New Hope have found themselves within the top tier of this phenomenon.  The true secret seems to be that the band often pulls from a very elite group of regular artists, all of which seem to be legitimate fans of the group.  Artists like Justin Hampton, Emek, Jermaine Rogers, and Gregg “Gigart” Gordon are not only loyal contributors to the WEEN poster art dynasty, but they are also some of the most respected poster artists in the game, altogether.  Another such artist is TODD SLATER, whose latest work involves a pair of posters for the back to back GENE WEEN New Orleans shows during Jazz Fest, which are guaranteed to become instant classics.

Through commissioning artists that are genuine admirers of the band, some of the most effective artwork has come from the designers having the benefit of enough knowledge to incorporate lyrical elements and specific WEEN-centric references directly into the imagery.  EMEK‘s Halloween print from last year and Gigart‘s two-part So Cal set that we posted about in Sept. 2009 are prime examples of when that integration is successful.  Other times, as with the artwork of WEEN coloring book creator THEA WOLFE, the best interpretations can come from an uncanny ability to capture both the incredible likenesses of Gene and Dean, as well as the unique feeling that their music and live performances can generate.  TODD SLATER has proven that neither of these angles would be difficult for him to take on.  In 2008 he manufactured a highly recognizable set of prints containing the boys’ images.  You may also recall SLATER‘s involvement in such pop-culture based group exhibits that we’ve covered as, IsThisThingOn? (stand-up comedian-themed), BAD DADS (Wes Anderson-inspired), and “Quentin vs. Coen (“An art show tribute to the films of Tarantino and the Brothers”).  It’s true that SLATER has proven his abilities in those areas, but he has also made a name for himself by tossing all of the typical principals aside and thinking outside of the box to create something that is truly innovative to the craft.  Not everyone can successfully abandon the direct connections to the artist from the poster for their gig, but he’s one of the few that can get away with it without coming across as lazy.  In fact, when TODD decides to venture into uncharted territories, he’s generally stepping up his game by trying to offer something truly unique for the artists, as opposed to printing out some corny random sketch from his notebook just to get it over with.  Where other artists often get called out for the randomness of their flier imagery, SLATER can construct a Wu Tang poster with images of DR J and LARRY BIRD choking each other out, that is so awesome that no one would dare t0 question it.

The set of prints below have been created for two GENE WEEN solo shows, which will be taking place tonight, Friday May 6th, and tomorrow, Saturday May 7th.  GENER will be performing at two different New Orleans locations in correlation with Jazz Fest and will be accompanied by WEEN bassist, Dave Dreiwitz.  Tonight’s show will be held at the Blue Nile and has a poster featuring a Frankenstein-style composite creature that’s comprised of features from various LOONY TUNES cartoon characters.  Tomorrow’s event, held at Tipitina’s French Quarter, features SLATER providing the same treatment to cartoon characters from the world of Hannah-Barbera.  Maybe it’s WEEN‘s own patented mutant pastiche of familiar elements rotated through their own murky brown filter to miraculously create something completely original and inspired or just the sheer twisted nature of the illustration that makes it work.  Honestly, I don’t know what it is, but something about the otherwise disconnected imagery just feels like it makes sense.

Based on previous experience, I would advise keeping tabs on ToddSlater.net, for anyone that is unable to get their hands on one or both of the prints, but wants to own them.  He often releases remaining copies through his site..

And… for anyone that’s in the New Orleans area and might actually be able to make it to either of these shows, we highly recommend doing so.  As usual, the shows should be amazing.

Here’s the ticket info:

The Backbeat Jazzfest Series presents Gene Ween, w/Dave Dreiwitz

Fri, May 6 at the Blue Nile (TIX)

and

Sat, May 7 at Tipitina’s French Quarter (TIX)

This morning we discovered the work of a Ottawa, Toronto, Canada-based cartoonist by the name of Nick Cross.  Since then, I’ve spent my day watching his various animated shorts and work-in-progress clips, sifting through his print work and reading his blog.  While finding employment through larger animation companies, Cross has managed to make the time to create quite a few gems of his own.  His personal work has been nominated for numerous awards; often transcending the animated world and infiltrating  larger independent film festivals world-wide.  For someone such as myself, who has a very limited vocabulary when it comes to this type of work, Cross seems to utilize a very “classic” style of cartoon illustration in the vein of the New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, Ren and Stimpy, and The Powerpuff Girls.  The dialogue is minimal, if present at all, and the artist is much more inclined to use silent era dialog cards, if anything, to “illustrate” his points.  Beyond the occasional foley sound-effect, the audio is mostly comprised of old stock music, which is used to set the tone and pace.  In other words, the actual animating and the detailed movements of the characters are relied on to relay the storyline and to move it forward.

The video that originally ignited our interest in Nick Cross was his latest animated piece, “The Pig Farmer” (posted below). The video, which we discovered via the great Canadian illustration blog DRAWN!, was created by the cartoonist over the last 10 months and financed through private donations.  It is similar to Cross‘ previous work in that it focuses on such issues as rural innocence and nature vs corporate greed and industrialization.  Another aspect carried over from his past shorts is it’s graphic nature, adult themes, and the fact that this is NOT a cartoon for the children.  Don’t let the cutesy header image we’ve used fool you, this shit gets pretty hardcore.  Plus, it’s chock-full of clever pig-related puns and references (Cops, The Pen, Manson Family, etc.)

View it yourself, after the following description from the vimeo page:

“The Pig Farmer is a short animated cartoon by Nick Cross. A simple tale of a wayward soul, awash in an ocean of tragedy and regret.

Animated using Flash CS3 and a Cintiq 21UX tablet.
Backgrounds done in Photoshop CS4
Composited using After Effects CS5 and Final Cut Pro 5.“

Click here to view the embedded video.

Make sure to view the following videos and links:

VIDEOS:

YELLOW CAKE

-”A lamentable tragedy mixed full of pleasant mirth.”

The Waif of Persephone

-”Persephone, the goddess of spring, is abducted to the underworld, causing an eternal winter to descend over the earth. It is up to the goddess’ servants to rescue her. However, they soon learn that to get help they need to compromise; and compromise does not always lead to an equitable solution for one and all.

Six years in the making, The Waif of Persephone was completed in 2006 and has screened in festivals around the world. ”

Angora Napkin (pilot)

- An Eisner Award winning graphic novel picked up as an animated series by Canadian cable animation channel Teletoon.  Angora Napkin is based on 3-piece all girl rock group that get into hijinks (again NOT for children).  The project was co-created by Cross and friend/fellow animator Troy Little and the pilot is a 2-parter involving zombies, Evil Dead references, violence, and erotic moments with sea life.

LINKS

Nick Cross on VIMEO
Nick Cross on YOUTUBE
Pyatyletka.blogspot.com (Nick’s Blog)
Official Angora Napkin production blog

2010 marks 12 years since Blur frontman, Damon Albarn and cartoonist, Jamie Hewelitt (Tank Girl) first teamed up to create their world famous “virtual band” Gorillaz.  Since then, the animated music project has gone through various changes, lineup and otherwise.  Albarn has remained the only consistent musical contributor to the group, with the projects self-titled debut incorporating the talents of Del The Funky Homosapien and producer, Dan the Automator, of which Damon had collaborated previously on the Deltron 3030 album.  2005 brought the sophomore release Demon Days, featuring appearance by such artists as De La Soul, MF Doom, and Dennis Hopper with production work by Danger Mouse.  The incorporation of fictional animated characters with the reality of the live musicians who’ve created them and rotating guest musicians has been a lofty concept since day one and has forced the group to make numerous adjustments in a variety of areas since their inception.

Over the years there has been repeated talk about making an animated film, but that was eventually abandoned, then pursued temporarily, and then abandoned all over again.  Around the time of DEMON DAYS, the duo took on a larger-than-life venture, attempting to perform “live” shows with 3-dimensional holographic versions of the characters/band members that they’d created.  Their abilities to manifest these visual-centric performances were first demonstrated at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Novemeber of 2005, with a follow up performance at the 2006 Grammy‘s, which included an aging Madonna writhing in a leotard.  They announced plans to embark on a full-blown holographic world tour in 2007 – 2008 but, due to cost issues and the unreliability of the technology, that entire idea was eventually bagged.  In fact, by 2006, Albarn announced his intention to scrap the entire idea of Gorillaz as a  functional “band” altogether.  With the help of Terry Gilliam (Monty Python, Brasil, 12 Monkees, etc), the idea for a movie had resurfaced again, with Albarn focusing on that film as the primary vessel for the Gorillaz project.   “As far as being in a big band and putting pop music out there, it’s finished.” He Stated, “We won’t be doing that any more” (Uncut Magazine, Nov. ’06).  Of course, the animated film idea was scrapped yet again and the group did, in fact, release another pop album for the masses this year.  Now Gorillaz has even taken to the road to begin promoting the release but, after over a decade-plus of ups and downs, left turns, and the creators themselves losing interest, should we even be paying attention to this generally, overly-ambitious project at all anymore.  Based on their recent Oct. 7th appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman and the following 45 min. multi-media performance that they treated the audience to [featured below], the answer to that question is a resounding “probably.”

For their latest concept album, Plastic Beach, Albarn and Hewelitt have recruited such varying talents as Mos Def, Bobby Womack, and Lou Reed, while reuniting on a song with former collaborators, De La Soul.  The title track even features Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash, who have now both become part of the official touring band.  My only reference to Gorillaz as a live act, is from their abandoned holographic performances, so I was thoroughly intrigued about how elaborate their live shows would be and what they would actually consist of?  Plus, with an album that is so heavily reliant on guest appearances, what would they do about their absent collaborators?  Last Friday, October 8th all of those questions were answered for those who were lucky enough to attend the groups highly anticipate performance at New York City‘s famed Madison Square Garden, which actually did include appearances by Mos Def, Lou Reed, Bobby Womack, and more.

On the night prior to this, now-critically-acclaimed, MSG performance, however, Gorillaz treated the audience of The Late Show with David Letterman to a full 45 minute show at the famed Ed Sullivan Theater.  With additional Late Show guests Stephen Colbert and Johnny Knoxville, this was arguably, one of the most impressive lineups that the show has ever seen.  I watched the episode when it aired and remember that, as Dave attempted to announce the group, he was humorously interrupted with the squawks and noises from them trying to organize their extensive setup.  I had wondered why they would go through such elaborate lengths for a simple late night TV performance, but the answer is obviously that they intended to pull off much more than a one-song routine.  The following “mini-concert” is a full 9-songs in length and includes guest appearances by De La Soul, Yukimi Nagano (Little Dragon), Bootie Brown (Pharcyde).

First off,  here’s their performance of “Rhinestone Eyes” that originally aired.

Click here to view the embedded video.

…and here’s the 45 min. performance that went down later.

SETLIST

Kids With Guns

O Green World

Superfast Jellyfish

On Melancholy Hill

Empire Ants

Dirty Harry

Glitter Freeze

Feel Good Inc

Clint Eastwood

Upcoming Tour Dates

Earlier today, I noticed a substantial jump in site views for an old article that I wrote a little over 2 years ago.  The post was about the notorious UK street artist, BANKSY and an animatronic pet store that he had set up in NYC and made available to the public during that time period.  Not unlike his other work, the project was a remarkable and innovative effort, charged with abrasive tongue-in-cheek social commentary.  Sure, it was a fascinating endeavor, but why all of the interest now?  Why today?  I didn’t know myself, until the latest episode of The Simpsons aired and the introduction had BANKSY‘s name written all over it (literally).

According to a post today on Wooster Collective, the artist is responsible for both storyboarding and directing the intro.  In BANKSY‘s typical irreverent fashion, the elusive stencil-master utilized this “unheard of” opportunity to design one of the most legendary opening sequences in television history to take jabs at the program itself.  References regarding heartless and unapologetic capitalism/consumerism are addressed through biohazard containers, a sweatshop unicorn, and kittens in a woodchipper.  Serious subject manner?  Yeah… but, BANKSY‘s strength has always lied in his ability to fuse these loaded topics with light-hearted humor and biting wit.  Judging by our own search stats alone, seeing BANKSY‘s name on Matt Groening‘s program was enough to intrigue unfamiliar viewers and set them off on a Googling mission.  We’re sure that this latest platform will result in some additions to the graffiti hooligan’s fan base, but we’re also confident that it will, undoubtedly, rouse up quite a few more haters… as usual.  He seems to have that  polarizing effect on people.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For additional info on BANKSY and to view footage of the Village Pet Store & Charcoal Grill CLICK HERE

For a solid chronicle of information and images from BANKSY, we highly recommend picking up a copy of the hardcover book,  BANKSY Wall & Piece.

Ever since the 1950‘s, when folks like Ken Kesey began stealing LSD from controlled scientific experiments and leaking/distributing it out to the masses, adolescents and young adults everywhere have made the determination that they could learn more by eating paper than writing one.  Often, previous interests like sports fall to the wayside and are replaced with hiking, dance, and/or a more intent focus on exercising one’s mind.  Mental and spiritual “advancement” may overtake the desire to become a creature of physical dominance.  For the most part, it has become widely accepted as a “truism” that psychedelic drugs and sports are not to be mixed.  Fortunately, those of us who have digested an adequate amount of the blotter and cube have realized that the mass acceptance of a concept doesn’t have much bearing on “reality”.  In fact, in the early Seventies, former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, Dock Phillip Ellis, Jr. disproved the theory that psychoactive drugs and sports should always remain mutually exclusive, once and for all.

In 1971,  Ellis gained a championship ring with the Pirates and performed as the starting National League pitcher for the All-Star game but, as is often the case, the MLB pitcher is more well known for his actions of controversy.  Among these incidents is a 1976 episode where he intentionally beaned Reggie Jackson in the the face (said to be in retaliation for a homerun that Jackson hit on him during the ’71 All-Star game), his 1974 attempt to bean the entire Cincinnati Reds roster before getting pulled from the game, and a 1972 altercation with a security guard in front of Riverfront Stadium that resulted in him being maced.  Arguably, his most infamous feat took place on June, 12 1970, when he pitched a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres, while hopped up on speed and dosed out of his gourd on Acid.  In fact, Ellis actually obtained his very first stolen base in the Major Leagues, during this game.

The following statements from Ellis, regarding his no-hitter, was printed in an issue of Lysergic World from 1993

“I can only remember bits and pieces of the game. I was psyched. I had a feeling of euphoria. I was zeroed in on the (catcher’s) glove, but I didn’t hit the glove too much. I remember hitting a couple of batters and the bases were loaded two or three times. The ball was small sometimes, the ball was large sometimes, sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn’t. Sometimes I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned to powder. I started having a crazy idea in the fourth inning that Richard Nixon was the home plate umpire, and once I thought I was pitching a baseball to Jimi Hendrix, who to me was holding a guitar and swinging it over the plate. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought was a line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn’t hit hard and never reached me.”

As somebody who has unsuccessfully tried to go bowling on LSD, I can only imagine how difficult and bizarre pitching a Major League baseball game can be.  Shit, I’ve experienced enough paranoia by just thinking that people were watching me, let alone knowing that thousands of them actually were.  But, as I’ve stated in the article Worst Places to be High on Acid in Seattle (Volume 1), previously, “The ‘best’ places to trip out are also often the “worst” and vice-versa“.

Drugs and alcohol played a huge role in Ellis‘ life and he eventually became a drug counselor in his later years.  Unfortunately, the former All-Star died last December due to cirrhosis of the liver, related to his own alcoholism.  The year before his death, Dock was recorded explaining the LSD no-hitter in detail during a radio interview.  Now, NYC‘s “Sport and Culture” web-mag, No Mas has teamed with artist James Blagden to transform Ellis‘ story into a animated video short.  This amazing and highly entertaining video was created by using the original audio from the Ellis‘ radio interview and combining it with Blagden‘s original animation.  The music heard in the background is taken from Rufus Thomas‘ classic track, “Do the Push and Pull“, also from the year 1970.

The video is posted below, after the following YOUTUBE description provided by No Mas:

“In celebration of the greatest athletic achievement by a man on a psychedelic journey, No Mas and artist James Blagden proudly present the animated tale of Dock Ellis’ legendary LSD no-hitter. In the past few years weve heard all too much about performance enhancing drugs from greenies to tetrahydrogestrinone, and not enough about performance inhibiting drugs. If our evaluation of the records of athletes like Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Marion Jones, and Barry Bonds needs to be revised downwards with an asterisk, we submit that that Dock Ellis record deserves a giant exclamation point. Of the 263 no-hitters ever thrown in the Big Leagues, we can only guess how many were aided by steroids, but we can say without question that only one was ever thrown on acid.

Sadly, the great Dock Ellis died last December at 63. A year before, radio producers Donnell Alexander and Neille Ilel, had recorded an interview with Ellis in which the former Pirate right hander gave a moment by moment account of June 12, 1970, the day he no-hit the San Diego Padres. Alexander and Ilels original four minute piece appeared March 29, 2008 on NPRs Weekend America. When we stumbled across that piece this past June, Blagden and Isenberg were inspired to create a short animated film around the original audio.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

PEEP OUT THE FOLLOWING LINKS:

The No Mas website
No Mas on Youtube
JamesBlagden.com
Do the Push and Pull (audio)

Cereal Killer

30 x19, Framed, Giclee on Canvas

$675.00

Los Angeles artist, Patrick Ballesteros isn’t a household name yet, but he may be on his way.  Over the last few years, he’s exhibited with some of the most prominent artists and rising stars in the underground, pop-surrealism, low-brow, and street-art movements.  Such artists have included Munk One, Luke Chueh, Chet Zar, Brian M. Viveros, Yuka Yamaguchi, and Audrey Kawasaki, among others.  Group shows are a great way to get your work noticed, but it’s also easy to have it overlooked, when placed amongst a sea of so many other strong pieces.  This month, Ballesteros is showcasing a collection of new work in his first solo show at San Diego‘s SUBTEXT gallery.  The exhibit, titled “Cereal Killer“, is a solid effort that will, hopefully, help to springboard the illustrator a little further into the fine-art spotlight.

Like much of his Ballesteros‘ work, the subject matter, the Cereal Killer show is rooted in Pop-Culture references.  The title piece (pictured above) originally appeared last year, as part of the ISM gallery’s group exhibit, “Hello My Name Is_.”  Patrick recognized the potential to explore the concept further and, subsequently, used the that original piece to establish the theme for the rest of his solo debut.  Maintaining the dark, pun-centric inspiration, the rest of the exhibit was created with the objective of operating as segments in an unfolding storyline.  Each of the newer works features a pair of Homicide detectives, exploring the crime scene of a fallen childrens cereal mascot.  The film noir imagery is presented like a cross between a Saturday morning cartoon and the movie Se7en.  In fact, the crime scene detectives even resemble Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt‘s characters from the film.  By including the muderer (aka: “Sugar Bear”) somewhere in the composition, all but one of the prints (“Out for the Count”) provide an additional Where’s Waldo-style interactive element.

The opening night festivities took place on October 2nd, but the exhibit will remain up until November 1st for anyone who’s able to make it down to see it.  Unfortunately, the gallery doesn’t seem to have set hours, so viewings are only available through private showings, held Monday-Saturday.

Here’s how Ballesteros explains it on his blog:

“It’s not fancy shmancy or a big deal, it’s just that the gallery has a limited number of staff and making appointments makes sure someone is there to open the door for you plus this means you check it out based on your schedule instead of set gallery hours!”

To arrange a viewing purchase and/or purchase any of the artwork below, please contact SUBTEXT gallery director, Dylan Jones through the email address, dylan@subtextgallery.com.

{A limited number of prints may also still be available.}

Subtext

2479 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, California 92101
(619) 546-8800

DETAIL

Cereal Killer (Original Drawing)

16.5 x11.5, Framed, Graphite on Bond Paper

$200.00 SOLD

Turkey in the Straw

24 x18, Framed, Giclee on Canvas

$575.00

Turkey in the Straw (Original Drawing)

16.5 x13.5, Framed, Graphite on Bond Paper

$200.00 SOLD

DETAIL

Dead Men Tell No Tales

24 x 20, Framed, Giclee on Canvas

$600.00

DETAIL

Dead Men Tell No Tales (Original Drawing)

16.5 x13.5, Framed, Graphite on Bond Paper

$200.00

DETAIL

Stone Cold Cocoa

24 x 20, Framed, Giclee on Canvas

$600.00

DETAIL

Stone Cold Cocoa (Original Drawing)

16.5 x13.5, Framed, Graphite on Bond Paper

$200.00

DETAIL

Bitter Bear

24 x 20, Framed, Giclee on Canvas

$600.00

DETAIL

Bitter Bear (Original Drawing)

16.5 x13.5, Framed, Graphite on Bond Paper

$200.00 SOLD

DETAIL

Snapped, Cracked, and Popped

24 x 20, Framed, Giclee on Canvas

$600.00

DETAIL

Snapped, Cracked, and Popped

(Original Drawing)

16.5 x 13.5, Framed, Graphite on Bond Paper

$200.00 SOLD

DETAIL

Out for the Count

20 x16, Framed, Giclee on Canvas

$550.00

DETAIL

Out for the Count (Original Drawing)

11 x 8.5, Framed, Graphite on Bond Paper

$150.00

DETAIL

187 Special

20 x 16, Framed, Giclee on Canvas

$550.00

DETAIL

187 Special (Original Drawing)

12.5 x 8.5, Framed, Graphite on Bond Paper

$150.00

Sketchbook

50 Pages on Watercolor Paper, Mixed Media
Contains a variety of thumbnails, character studies, and watercolor sketches for the development of the Cereal Killer show.

$1000.00

One advertising method being used, in conjunction with Burger King, is something called “Simpsonization” . Theoretically, you can go to a website called Simpsonizeme.com and upload a picture of yourself, which will then be transmorphed into a version of you as a Simpsons characature. You may have seen this advertised on sites like Myspace.com. Tom even finally changed his avatar to make it a Simpsonized version of himself. To those who have spent time turning ourselves into cartoon versions of South Park characters or a goofy ass Zwinky, it must sound like an upgrade. You may be wondering, “So you just put in the picture and it does all the work?” The answer is to that is a resounding “NO!” It really isn’t that great.  In fact, it takes twice as long. After uploading a picture, you still have to type in all of the information for your appearance and then wait forever while it loads. Even then, you have to manually alter your appearance step by step. Another issue is that your photograph must first adhere to specific guidline, such as pixelation. It’s ridiculous, because you can pretty much upload a picture of anyone and it still wouldn’t make any difference. Now you might be wondering, “How come your picture at the top of this article looks so crazy gangsta fresh then?” It’s called photoshop. Sorry kids, if you want a blood stained wife beater, 357 Magnum and fistfuls of loot for yours, you’re gonna have to add those yourselves. I even added the clouds to the background, but the most interesting thing about that picture isn’t the Simponization at all.

The Kwik-E-Mart that my “character” appears to have just jacked, is from an actual photograph that I took of a converted 7-11 at 362 Denny Way, in downtown Seattle. It was a bit alarming when I saw this cartoon mini-mart turned real-life.  All of the signs and exterior have been covered to simulate the cartoon likeness of the fictional convenience store.  There are characters from the program displayed in various locations, both inside and out.  They even carry Kwik-E-Mart products.  The Slurpee machine is now labeled a Squishee machine and they even sell products like Buzz Cola, but if someone tells you that they are selling Duff beer they are full of shit, it’s not part of the promotion.  They do have a limited edition #711 Radioactive Man comic book that you can purchase though, if they haven’t sold out.  This is a fascinating new take on product placement for films.  Instead of packing the movie full of products from established companies, products which were formerly only fictional, have actually been created for sale in real life.

The first time that I stepped into the “Kwik-E-Mart” I was sleep deprived from working since 4am.  It was surreal to be greeted by a Middle Eastern man in an actual Kwik-E-Mart shirt.  “Look at you” I said, “They even got you all dressed up like a cartoon in a Kwik-E-Mart shirt, huh?” Without missing a beat, he responded in his natural East Indian accent, “You want to buy it, how much?” He was even trying to hustle me like his animated counterpart.  I asked if a lot of people have been trying to buy it off of him and he confirmed my suspicions with a simple nod.  Although most 7-11 locations are selling Simpson related products, it turns out that there are only 11 across the United States, none of which are located in any of the 14 actual cities named Springfield, and one in British Columbia that have been transformed like this through the end of July.  Believe it or not, this marketing campaign was an incredibly cost effective one for the Simpsons promoters to take on.  The campaign, which is reportedly costing somewhere in the single millions, is actually being funded the 7-11 corporation itself.

The best promotion that I have seen so far is for a line of custom Simpsons footwear from Vans.  A dozen artists were chosen to design Simpson inspired footwear which was then released to the public on July 14th.  The shoes were premiered at the Bodega Store in Hollywood on June 12th to rave reviews and sold out rapidly.  This, of course, makes these shoes the next likely candidate to go for large amounts of cash, along side the Kwik-E-Mart employee uniforms which are already selling for upwards of $300 on ebay.

THE FILM:

There was already a huge line outside when I went to see the film on it’s Friday release date at Seattle’s Cinerama.  Some people wondered, and even more of them hoped,  “Perhaps there is a line for people who already have tickets.” There wasn’t.  There is no wait with the new automated format they’re using, so if you bought you’re tickets last week, its still too damn bad.  I thought back to the Simpsons episode where Bart was forbidden to see the Itchy & Scratchy movie.  This actual Simpsons movie is definitely falling short of the hype from a fake movie in one of it’s own episodes.  Waiting in line, however, I could sense a little excitement growing from the people around me.  It was a lot like when we went to see Transformers, but the main difference was that, instead of everybody talking about the new Harry Potter film, they were all talking about the new Harry Potter literature.

The intro of the film, as well as parts of the beginning immediately address what everyone is thinking.  They reference the fact that the audience has been watching a film in a theater that they have been watching on television for 2 decades already.  Another nice touch is the resurrection of the old abandoned formula of starting a movie with a short cartoon.  The difference here is that this one, which starred Itchy & Scratchy, actually merged into the movie as opposed to being played before it.  The audience is able to get their Itchy & Scratchy fix without having it arbitrarily tossed into the film in some unwarranted location.

You may be wondering if this film is appropriate for your children and, although it does begin with a violent cartoon, which is even viewed as morally suspect on the program itself,  I would still answer yes.  There was a time when the Simpsons were regarded as one of the more crass and inappropriate shows on television for the family, and, although I almost hate to admit it, times have changed.  With the additions of cartoons like The Family Guy and South Park over the years as well as Matt Groening’s other project, Futurama, The Simpsons have become a relatively tame program in comparison.  If you took your kids to see Transformers,  I wouldn’t worry about this one. The first Transformers movie released in 1986 shocked many of us when they used one classic line of profanity, however, skip to 2007 and you have an autobot speaking fluent ebonics and shouting out phrases like “What’s up bitches!” There has clearly been a shift in what is being deemed acceptable.  There are a few adult themes addressed in this film, but they will most likely go right over a youngster’s head, just like the classic cartoons always did.  You know, like the Warner Bros. cartoons featuring Hitler.  He was just a zany character that had the same moustache as in the Charlie Chaplin parodies which were such a staple on Sesame St. during my childhood years.  I couldn’t even tell the difference.

Not only have these newer animated programs added more of an edge to television in recent years, they have also edged out the The Simpsons in the quality, wit, consistency, and relevance departments. It seems that, as soon as people began to comment on the amazing consistency of the show and, right after FOX signed an extended contract, The Simpsons began to lose that very consistency immediately.  I don’t know if they’ve been stocking up on punchlines and saving them for this film but, in my opinion, the first 10-15 minutes was packed with more entertainment than the last five seasons of the Sunday night program.  I really did enjoy the humor and the jokes.  That is, I enjoyed the ones that I could actually hear over the extended laughs and applauses from the people searching for comradory and a human experience in a theater of random movie goers.

If you are a long-time Simpsons fan you will definitely enjoy this movie. They throw in all of the classic themes such as Homer being a less than adequate husband and father, but they balance the plot really well.  They touch on each and every aspect just enough without forcing you to sit through and entire episode that’s solely based on some cheesy Lisa love interest or global activism storyline to fill tape.  Sure, all of that’s in there, but it isn’t overdone.  There is even a point where they manage to tug on the old heart strings for a brief moment, but it is done well and effectively so it didn’t make me want to shoot my self in the face.

What I especially enjoyed was that they didn’t try anything too new or overwhelming for the script.  Although, there were brief cameos from the likes of Tom Hanks and Green Day, they didn’t run it into the ground.  Joe Mantenga does the voice Fat Tony, of course, and Albert Brooks does the voice of a government official, but how many box office dollars are they gonna realistically bring in?   They don’t pull that shit where they bring in a new character to spice it up or add anything that is too unnecessary that would, most likely, have alienated their loyal audience.

Years back when Matt Groening gave an alumni speech at the college I was attending, he mentioned that the school paper wouldn’t print his comics.  I liked hearing that because they had banned my comics as well. The major difference was that he became editor just so that he could print them himself.  This is something that he wanted for a long time and worked at.  Over time the art has become a beast of its own and has, no doubt, become more difficult to control as more and more trusted writers and contributors come and go.  I don’t feel that this is a mind-blowing epic production, but I do feel that it does bring back some of that spark that has been lost.  The Simpsons franchise has hopefully re-inflated some of the air that has slowly seeped out over the years through excessive merchanding and misguided projects like “The Simpsons Sing The Blues” .

-Dead C
(added note: the credits are laced with little additions, so, if you are into that sort of thing, don’t leave early!!)

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