40 wpm

Trying to switch the TV off is a challenge. I just zone out and stare every night - so thought 'd go the other way and try to read 3 books at once.

It's not going well.

Comic book movies suck

O.k. not all of them suck - but most. They're never as good as the source material. There's a new Punisher film coming out which again, will poop all over the comics. The Punisher was sick, and apart from X-Men, was the only comic series I collected EVERYTHING from beginning to end.

Anyway, while organising I pulled these out, They're the No1 of the 4 issue limited series, and No1 of the War Zone series (which they've decided to name the new film after) The War Zone cover is rad as it's die-cut.

Star Wars toys that never came to be

Nuff Said.

It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God - but to create him.

The three laws of prediction:

1. When a scientist states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

"These are simple words, but in them exists a very singular hope: science can do anything that strong and able minds ask it to, and that a faith in science doesn’t remove one from a sense of wonder."

Arthur C Clarke, 1917 – 2008

Best Movie Soundtracks PT2:

O.k. this isn’t actually a soundtrack, but, I consider it a soundtrack album in that - like the new Nine Inch Nails instrumental album Ghosts the sounds go hand-in-hand with landscapes, both actual and mental/visual landscapes.
‘When’ does contain vocals but most are sparse and infrequent.

And even though the first track is - without any hint of irony - called ‘I wrote this song for the girl Paris Hilton’ like Trouble Man, it’s an excellent record for riding the train or sitting in the back of a car with your headphones on.
Click the title for the website(note: this site is NEVER updated so don’t expect any recent news.

Art pt2

Second in the list of artists I want to big up on here, is Derek Hess. A lot of people will have seen this work on T-shirts or record covers for bands like Clutch and others, and not know who the artist is, so check out the website. The piece above is ‘Burned Out’ and is one of three that I have at home.

Richard on Jimi

I was looking for a good live Little Richard clip to post because you don't actually need a reason, it's Little Richard. Anyway, I found this which basically kills anything music-wise I could've found - and probably anything else you'll see this week:

Best Movie Soundtracks Ever PT1:

This movie is by all accounts, a pretty average blaxploitation flick from around 1973. However the soundtrack is in the top 5 best Marvin gaye albums. Aswell as vocals, Marvin played drums, keyboards and piano on the record. Can you do that? No you can't. Find it - buy it - listen to it and it will make your days better. Trust me.

Robert Scott Carey

...so close - the infinitesimal and the infinite. But suddenly, I knew they were really the two ends of the same concept. The unbelievably small and the unbelievably vast eventually meet - like the closing of a gigantic circle. I looked up, as if somehow I would grasp the heavens. The universe, worlds beyond number, God's silver tapestry spread across the night.
And in that moment, I knew the answer to the riddle of the infinite. I had thought in terms of man's own limited dimension. I had presumed upon nature. That existence begins and ends in man's conception, not nature's. And I felt my body dwindling, melting, becoming nothing.
My fears melted away. And in their place came acceptance. All this vast majesty of creation, it had to mean something. And then I meant something, too. Yes, smaller than the smallest, I meant something, too. To God, there is no zero.

Here I am

If you want something interesting to do this weekend (or whenever you like really - up to you) wander up to the Broadbent Gallery near Westbourne Grove - and go skate Meanwhile if you fancy dodging the drunks and their scratchy dogs running around off their leads - but mainly to go and see Here I am, the most recent paintings from Teresita Dennis.

Art

I wanted to start sharing some art with you, the first of which is this dude's. Some people in this country may know of Jose Parla, but I’m pretty sure it wont be many…

His work – in his words - ‘Is inspired by the anonymous art found in the streets. The art is often in the form of calligraphy or the actions of torn and stripped posters. The inscriptions in my work are used as a form of drawing, and to maintain a record of my observations…’

I love this. Some things hit you the right way on initial contact - sometimes you absorb it organically, other times it creates conflict and has to be understood and slowly accepted as the great works of art that they are. I think either effect is a sign of the integrity of the work and will lead you to a better understanding of the concepts behind it, and also to hopefully discovering more of the same.

The piece above is called ‘Between the earthly and the divine’ and is one of my favourites. Check out the website

Pope Bob

DJ Big Wiz

After sending the link to the blog out, I got a message from Jux DJ Big Wiz, re: my review of the Aes Rock Gig. So I just wanted to say thanks to Wiz for taking the time to read my stuff. Def Jukies:

'...It's good someone is actually paying attention to detail and the work we put in to it. Peace - WIZ'

Aesop Rock. Cargo. January 30 2008.

An unwelcome pattern seems to be forming at Definitive Jux Gigs...

While mid-set at Dingwalls last year while promoting his latest album ‘I’ll sleep when you’re dead’, label head EL-P was interrupted by a drunken middle class white boy, who invaded the stage and proceeded to wave to the crowd before being ‘asked politely’ to leave by the Jux crew (he was pushed off the stage).
Jump forward to Cargo, East London, 11.15pm on a cold January night, and Aesop Rock is in full flow hyping the crowd on his most requested encore track, Daylight – and that’s right, Aesop, Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz are joined onstage by a drunken middle class white boy. Totally breaking the MC’s flow.
I mean stopping the track dead.
Suffice to say no one was impressed, and the show went on to end on a high note after he had shuffled away.

But onto the tunes… the set mainly consisted of material from None Shall Pass, one of the best hip hop albums (or if you really want to play professional reviewer:
Alt-Hip Hop albums) of 2007. Big Wiz was amazing as always, and the larger than life Rob Sonic had his moments in the spotlight.
However it was Aes Rizzle who carried the whole night, even with the booming sound quality being just about passable in the tiny room. Even after admitting they were all suffering from massive jetlag, the energy from the stage had been absorbed by the crowd by the end of the night.

The set up was also well planned and executed, projections of music videos to accompany tracks, weird stock footage from the 1950’s somehow connected to Big Wiz’ turntables, being cut up during the DJ’s solo spot.
In fact all the tings sadly missing from the recent GZA / Liquid Swords debacle at KOKO, where the stage was empty – save for a rapidly disappearing bottle of Cognac next to the 1210’s.

After last years Mr Lif gig at Jazz Café, and the aforementioned EL-P at Lock 17 - this was a solid showing from real performers that continued to confirm that Def Jux are as much a hardcore touring crew as they are makers and innovators of top end studio tracks.
Now if we can only get some kind of Cannibal Ox reunion sorted.
www.definitivejux.net

D.

Book Launch / Show

Here is an image from the upcoming Valerie Phillips book 'I can't believe a girl is playing me Metallica', which my wife has done the production for. The Book Launch & Exhibition are at The Cornell Spaceship Gallery @ Exposure 3-4A Little Portland St, London, W1 on Thurs 10th April, 6.30–9.30pm.

Exhibition runs 11th April–9th May, Monday to Friday, 11–6pm.

New Booklet Soon

For the 5 or 6 of you that have actually read my work, I am aiming to get my 3rd booklet of collected poems out in the next month or so. This one will be free for anyone who would like one, and I will post when they are ready. If you would like a copy please mail: channelzerose4@hotmail.com  Click the image to embiggen.

ZIZEK!

Here's Žizek. A sociologist, philosopher, and cultural critic known for his use of the works of Lacan, and  topics including fundamentalism, capitalism, political correctness, globalization, subjectivity, human rights, Lenin, myth, cyberspace, postmodernism, multiculturalism, David Lynch, and Hitchcock. If you're a film fan, there's a great series called the Perverts Guide to Cinema that you should pick up too. This is a documentary that we saw at ICA last year.

Welcome to the blog

I have been using the name channelzero for over 8 years now, as an umbrella identity for numerous projects of mine including: photography, publishing of prose/poetry/short fiction and other things (forever) on the back burner.

I'm trying to juggle lots of things at once to keep it all fresh and keep moving forward. Even if what comes out of it ends up being repetitive or rambling or a bit involved and introspective – I don’t care. There are too many 'art projects' that re-use old ideas and rely on trends, and by not having a real format I'm trying to avoid that at all costs.

Please keep visiting. I have nothing else to do except skateboarding and it's wet and cold outside.

Dan.