....looking like his heroes James Cagney and John Garfield.
From Greg Theakston's illustrated biography, Jack Magic Vol. 1: http://www.lastgasp.com/d/37897/
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Jack Kirby, New York, 1942
....looking like his heroes James Cagney and John Garfield.
From Greg Theakston's illustrated biography, Jack Magic Vol. 1: http://www.lastgasp.com/d/37897/
Kickstarter Incentivizin'
Pics posted online from Signifiers fans who've received their Larvae Boy, Emperor of the Insect World coffee mugs:
Rafer Roberts. Check out his ambitious comic series, Plastic Farm, here: http://www.plasticfarm.com/
Kate Sherrod. Purchase her new e-book collection, Suppertime Sonnets, here: http://www.amazon.com/Suppertime-Sonnets-ebook/dp/B0058KBNZ8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316539208&sr=1-1#_
If you didn't pledge for a coffee mug but would like to purchase one, please click here: http://www.nenoworld.com/Coffee_Cups.html
Central Ohio buyers can forget about the postage - we'll bring the cup to you!
We also have new Lovey Dovey and Quacky Pig cups available:
Rafer Roberts. Check out his ambitious comic series, Plastic Farm, here: http://www.plasticfarm.com/
Kate Sherrod. Purchase her new e-book collection, Suppertime Sonnets, here: http://www.amazon.com/Suppertime-Sonnets-ebook/dp/B0058KBNZ8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316539208&sr=1-1#_
If you didn't pledge for a coffee mug but would like to purchase one, please click here: http://www.nenoworld.com/Coffee_Cups.html
Central Ohio buyers can forget about the postage - we'll bring the cup to you!
We also have new Lovey Dovey and Quacky Pig cups available:
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The Five Worst Songs of All Time?
What are the five worst top 40 American songs?
By "worst", I mean maddeningly annoying, trite, clichéd, songs that get in your head uninvited and make you want to reach for an ice pick. To make this list, songs had to have a perfect storm mixture of an exceedingly lame melody and embarrassing lyrics.
Such is the quantity of bad songs that have become hits that if you ask me next week about it, I'll give you a slightly different list. One thing's clear, though: the '80s were by far the worst decade for bad top forty music.
In no particular order:
The Heat Is On, by Glenn Frey
Set against obnoxious saxophone accompaniment, Frey sings over and over about "the heat", but never tells us what the heat is. It must be something that brings out cliches - here's four cliches in two lines:
You can make a break, you can win or lose
That's a chance you take, when the heat's on you
Other sample lyrics:
Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
Caught up in the action I've been looking out for you
Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
It's on the street
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
Yeah it's on the street
The heat is on
Sometimes When We Touch, by Dan Hill
Is this the dorkiest, wimpiest song in history?
Sample lyrics:
You ask me if I love you
And I choke on my reply
And sometimes when we touch
The honesty's too much
And I have to close my eyes and hide
I wanna hold you till I die
Till we both break down and cry
I wanna hold you till the fear in me subsides
Sheesh!
And what's up with this sudden flare-up of violence?
At times I'd like to break you
And drive you to your knees
At times I'd like to break through
And hold you endlessly
Wimpiness mixed with misogyny: that's kind of creepy.
Sometimes When We Touch gets extra points for being covered by Donny Osmond on his album, Love Songs of the '70s.
Footloose, by Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins could make up this entire list. Footloose, though, masterfully sums up everything woefully wrong with '80s top forty music: dumb lyrics, a nearly non-existent melody, cheesy synthesizer...and it gets extra points for being created for Kevin Bacon to dance to.
Sample lyrics:
I'll hit the ceiling
Or else I'll tear up this town
Now I gotta cut
Loose, footloose
Kick off your Sunday shoes
Please, Louise
Pull me offa my knees
Jack, get back
C'mon before we crack
Walk Of Life, by Dire Straits
Featuring an incessantly moronic riff, Walk Of Life has been torturing unsuspecting souls for decades.
Sample lyrics:
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
He got the action, he got the motion
He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman
He do the song about the knife
He do the walk, he do the walk of life, yeah he do the walk of life
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, by Starship
This song for the movie Mannequin is possibly the one top forty hit worse than Starship's "We Built This City"
Sample lyrics:
Standing here beside you, I want so much to give you this love in my heart that im feeling for you.
Let the world around us just fall apart.
Maybe we can make it if we're heart to heart.
And we can build this thing together, stand in stone forever, nothing's gonna stop us now.
Special mention needs to go to Bob Seger for three of the most annoying songs ever written by anyone, We've Got Tonight, Like a Rock and Old Time Rock and Roll.
I also have to mention Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is, Air Supply's All Out of Love and Hello by Lionel Richie.
Black Eyed Peas' My Humps certainly meets the criteria listed above. I'm guessing it'll be on someone's similar list twenty years from now.
By "worst", I mean maddeningly annoying, trite, clichéd, songs that get in your head uninvited and make you want to reach for an ice pick. To make this list, songs had to have a perfect storm mixture of an exceedingly lame melody and embarrassing lyrics.
Such is the quantity of bad songs that have become hits that if you ask me next week about it, I'll give you a slightly different list. One thing's clear, though: the '80s were by far the worst decade for bad top forty music.
In no particular order:
The Heat Is On, by Glenn Frey
Set against obnoxious saxophone accompaniment, Frey sings over and over about "the heat", but never tells us what the heat is. It must be something that brings out cliches - here's four cliches in two lines:
You can make a break, you can win or lose
That's a chance you take, when the heat's on you
Other sample lyrics:
Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
Caught up in the action I've been looking out for you
Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
It's on the street
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
Yeah it's on the street
The heat is on
Sometimes When We Touch, by Dan Hill
Is this the dorkiest, wimpiest song in history?
Sample lyrics:
You ask me if I love you
And I choke on my reply
And sometimes when we touch
The honesty's too much
And I have to close my eyes and hide
I wanna hold you till I die
Till we both break down and cry
I wanna hold you till the fear in me subsides
Sheesh!
And what's up with this sudden flare-up of violence?
At times I'd like to break you
And drive you to your knees
At times I'd like to break through
And hold you endlessly
Wimpiness mixed with misogyny: that's kind of creepy.
Sometimes When We Touch gets extra points for being covered by Donny Osmond on his album, Love Songs of the '70s.
Footloose, by Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins could make up this entire list. Footloose, though, masterfully sums up everything woefully wrong with '80s top forty music: dumb lyrics, a nearly non-existent melody, cheesy synthesizer...and it gets extra points for being created for Kevin Bacon to dance to.
Sample lyrics:
I'll hit the ceiling
Or else I'll tear up this town
Now I gotta cut
Loose, footloose
Kick off your Sunday shoes
Please, Louise
Pull me offa my knees
Jack, get back
C'mon before we crack
Walk Of Life, by Dire Straits
Featuring an incessantly moronic riff, Walk Of Life has been torturing unsuspecting souls for decades.
Sample lyrics:
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
He got the action, he got the motion
He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman
He do the song about the knife
He do the walk, he do the walk of life, yeah he do the walk of life
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, by Starship
This song for the movie Mannequin is possibly the one top forty hit worse than Starship's "We Built This City"
Sample lyrics:
Standing here beside you, I want so much to give you this love in my heart that im feeling for you.
Let the world around us just fall apart.
Maybe we can make it if we're heart to heart.
And we can build this thing together, stand in stone forever, nothing's gonna stop us now.
Special mention needs to go to Bob Seger for three of the most annoying songs ever written by anyone, We've Got Tonight, Like a Rock and Old Time Rock and Roll.
I also have to mention Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is, Air Supply's All Out of Love and Hello by Lionel Richie.
Black Eyed Peas' My Humps certainly meets the criteria listed above. I'm guessing it'll be on someone's similar list twenty years from now.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Nix Comics Quarterly #3 Release Party Tonight!
The debut of Nix Comics Quarterly #3, Columbus, Ohio's Rock N Roll Horror comic magazine, is set for tonight at 6:00 pm at Elizabeth's Records in Clintonville.
There'll be food, beverages and a Nix-related trivia contest with a chance to win big Big BIG prizes!!!
In addition to the excellento array of cool comics published in Nix #3 (I penciled, inked, lettered and colored the short, "Here Be Dragons"), many of the other artists involved will be there and available for signings and head honcho publisher, writer and all-around cool guy Ken Eppstein will be the master of ceremonies.
PLUS - you can peruse Elizabeth's Records' wide array of vinyl, 45s, music books and more.
The Nix Comics Quarterly #3 Release Party Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=222360301148541
Elizabeth's Records: 3037 Indianola Ave., Columbus, OH 43202. (614) 569-6009
Khmer Comics
A good friend of mine recently returned from Cambodia, where he purchased stacks of Cambodian comics and graphic novels.The artform is flourishing there. This is a fascinating world of comics to discover and I wish I could read the untranslated issues.
More on Cambodian comics:
Justin Hall on Cambodian Comics: http://zinewiki.com/Cambodian_Comics
A Comics Cambodia blog: http://jinja.apsara.org/cambocomix/exposition/
The Cambodian Comic Book Challange: http://khmernz.blogspot.com/2009/06/cambodian-comic-book-challenge.html
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