StinkFight.com

Here’s high-rez page scans from Charlottesville, VA zine “Live Squid”, from October 1984. Sent to me by Michael Buck. Mag was run by Maynard Sipe. One of the writers was John Beers, and Charlie Kramer came up with the name. Has reviews of, among others, Baby Opaque, The Landlords, Lackey Die, REM and (!) Jerry Falwell.

Great wallpaper of me editing a podcast, taken from behind by Debra Jean.

Click on the image to get the big image, right click on big image, “set as desktop background” or save to computer and set as desktop. Enjoy, and tell two friends!

(Photo: Wendy Lady of electro-goth group Mind Static, which performs at the Crowbar After Party)

Article here.

The single-day Free Media Art & Film Festival takes over two Ybor City venues

with its multi-media entertainment schedule and First Amendment message. The “Benefit for the Expression of Independence and Free Thought” kicks off at Ybor Cigar Theatre Saturday afternoon with an exhibit of artworks by Nico, Isiah Perkins, Christine Galas, Greg Latch, Xzanthia, Treza Bettencourt, David Rothman and several others. The featured film is D.I.Y. OR DIE: How to Survive as an Independent Artist by Michael W. Dean, director, author, pop culture blogger, podcaster and musician. In his low-budget doc, Dean focuses on a diversity of independent American artists who work in different genres and media — like Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye, cartoonist Keith Knight, Mike Watt of the Minutemen, filmmaker Richard Kern, and performance artist/writer Lydia Lunch — and sheds light on the ways they make a living at what they love doing most regardless of its monetary rewards. The festivities continues into the evening with an after party at Crowbar featuring live music by The Rukus, Mind Static, Super Secret Best Friends, and Guilty By Design as well as spins by DJs ElliotNess, Sumatra71, Nudieboy, Pascal Vetiac and Souixsie. Aug. 30, 3-7 p.m. Film and Art Fest, Ybor Cigar Theatre, 1704 17th St., and 8 p.m. Crowbar After Party, 1812 N. 17th St., Ybor City, $5 in advance per event, $7 day of show, $8 all-day pass (a portion to benefit local charities).

So, Michael Buck, who is fast becoming my official historian, sent me a CD of Baby Opaque’s last show, July 4th, 1985. It’s a tape off the board, and pretty good. (Though since it’s a board tape and I used a big bass amp there’s not a lot of bass guitar in the mix.)

Baby Opaque was Michael W. Dean (me - on vocals, lyrics, bass, keyboard), Todd Wilson (guitar, lyrics), and Professor Michael Bérubé (drums).

I did some fluffing and folding on this recording in SoundForge: lowered the pitch by one semitone plus 7 cents (a cent is a hundredth of a semitone.) I had to do this because the tape recorder that Trax had recorded fast. Then I did a bit of EQ, raised the low bass and mid treble a little. Other than that, it’s pretty much as it sounded that day: great performance, and small happy crowd, and inane banner from me. (It wasn’t until I formed Bomb that I figured out it’s better to “Shut up and play my guitar.”

Here’s an MP3 of three lost songs that were never on a record, “Springtime”, “I’m Uncomfortable” and “The Armless Child.” All three of them are a lot more pop-punk than most of what we put on the records.

Here’s an MP3 of the whole show (These MP3s encoded at 160 k for better sound.)

Looking back, this was a pretty troubled time in my life, but I sure got a lot done (I always do). One year to the day before this show, I was meeting Peggy Tully in DC (at the Rock Against Reagen show on the Capital Mall.) In that year I started a band with her, wrote a set (while homeless), recorded a tape, we broke up. I moved to Charlottesville, formed Baby Opaque, wrote a set, recorded an EP and an LP, played gigs, and broke up.

====

Here’s a couple photos DJ took of me mastering this recording:

And here, for no good reason, is me in my dorky new glasses. Picked ‘em up today. I haven’t worn glasses since 1996. It’s quite an adjustment, but I need ‘em. Gettin’ old.

Download 10-meg zipped PDF of magazine.

or

Download torrent.

This is the complete “Guns” magazine from Sept. 1957. Has lots of photos of family bonding over guns, advertisements for mail-order 20 dollar Remington shotguns and mail-order 40 dollar fully automatic machine guns, as well as an interesting  article (starts on page 22) called “Why Not a PRO-Gun Law?” (in which the author also admits he’s a felon, having purchased confiscated guns from cop friends.)

This mag, and all the photos, somehow kinda make me miss my grandfather.

==

“Guns is a magazine for the recreational and competitive shooter, hunter, collector, and firearm owner. Each issue features new products, shooting competitions, history, and trade show coverage. From handguns to shotguns, this monthly magazine provides the ultimate coverage in the field of firearms.Features proper gun use, hunting techniques, collecting, firearms legislation, and new guns and accessories.

“Since 1955, sportsmen and enthusiasts have turned to Guns Magazine for the latest news on firearms, training, hunting, accessories and more. In the field or on the range, you’ll find the information you need to make the shooting sports more enjoyable.”

September 1957

I just finished reading Black Man With a Gun by Reverend Kenneth V. F. Blanchard. It’s a short primer on gun ownership, great tips on choosing and using a weapon, with very interesting parts on the racist roots of gun control and a Christian take on self-defense vs. the “thou shall not kill” commandment. (The author is a Baptist minister, as well as a Harley rider and ex-gov shooter.)

Reverend Kenn is a great guy, we’ve been e-mailing and exchanging books through the mail. He does two wonderful podcasts, one on gun rights called “The Urban Shooter Podcast“, and one about sex, marriage and God called “Naked but Not Ashamed.” I’m subscribed to both. I’m happy to have this cat as a friend.

The second book I’m digging is ex-cop Massad Ayoob’s “The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery.”

Great book, with a mindblowing amount of information. Aimed at training cops, but useful info to civilians, especially about disarming armed people if need be. This book also has enough smarts and class to mention Reverend Kenn.

Here’s a PDF scan of that section. (Excerpting covered under US Copyright law under “Fair Use of short excerpts for Literary Critique.”)

Michael W. Dean

Little side note: Anyone who thinks that legal gun ownership is a white-boy sport, I have to point out that I’m learning more from a black guy and an Arab-American then from anyone else at this point.

Debra Jean and I bought two new 9mm handguns today. We went to buy one, but couldn’t decide on which to get, so got one for her and one for me.

She got the “girly gun”, the Smith & Wesson Model 908S semi-automatic pistol. It’s a small concealed carry model. (We’re gonna apply to get carry permits. Wish us luck. We live in California.)

DJ’s gun (expanded photo size not actual size. They’re small, but not that small, and are pretty hearty):

I got the 910S semi-auto pistol. It’s basically the same gun, but an inch longer, a little heaver, with a larger-capacity magazine. (10 shots max in California, hers holds 8.)

My gun:

We have to wait ten days to pick them up, but we bought ‘em. They were on sale. They list for 650 each. We spent 1200 Including the testing, the background checks, tax, and a book on self-defense laws and technique, and a book on first aid.

We had to pass a state-mandated written safety test. It’s got 30 questions, you are allowed to get 6 wrong. We studied on the car ride there. DJ missed none, I missed one. Here’s the PDF of the California government study guide we used.

We’re psyched! Can’t wait to play. (And practicing at the range will be much cheaper than with the shotgun.  9mm parabellum ammo is about 30 cents per shot, shotgun is a dollar a shot.)

We bought them now instead of later, because if Obama gets elected, he plans to make it LOT harder to buy a gun. He’s got a bad record on legal gun ownership and gun rights.

The Simple Pleasures of a Complex Girl
Copyright ©2005 Michael W. Dean

–Download free eBook

–Buy this beautiful paperback book from the publisher online.

Description:

Sex. Anarchy. Rock ‘N’ Roll. (and a Naughtie Nursie or two.)

The Simple Pleasures of a Complex Girl is literary fiction with a strong narrative, written in the second person from a female POV.

Plot outline: Conservative young woman joins Texan anarchist polyamorous collective that takes down an evil corporate scheme to ruin the world.

Cover photos by Chas Ray Krider. Model: Ginny Hogan

Here’s an 8-minute video blog I did about gun rights, teachers with guns, self-protection, gun ownership, presidential candidates, the NRA and the Second Amendment.

Most people who are against personal gun ownership argue that “The police will take care of you if you’re in danger”, but like the saying says, “When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.”

Full text of my rant is here, if anyone wants it for anything.

A cool young man named Sam Richardson contacted me recently by e-mail, he lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, where I lived a long time ago. He’s involved with the hardcore punk scene there. Sam wanted to interview me for a local zine called “Got Myself”, because he’d done his research and discovered that I was one of the “OGs” who helped start the scene there in the early 80s.

(If you are young and don’t know what a zine is, here’s a good explanation.)

It was really touching to be asked to do this, I was very honored, and got the finished interview back to him within 48 hours. I’m psyched that there’s still a scene there, and that something I had a small part in starting is still happening. (Though if I hadn’t, someone else certainly would have done the little bit of work I did. And a lot of people other than me were as involved, and more involved, most of them are mentioned in the interview.)

I love how much this zine looks and feels almost exactly like zines from back then. It’s a blast from the past, from the not-too-distant present.

This zine could be from 1984, and that’s a good thing. The band names have changed, but the format and mood is the same. The only minor differences I could find between this zine and zines from back then is there’s the occasional Web address next a band name, and the bands are complaining about George W. Bush, whereas we were all complaining about Ronald Reagen.

Here’s the whole interview:

=====

Interview with Michael W. Dean about  early 80s Charlottesville music scene. Interview by Sam Richardson

URLS for Michael W. Dean: Blog: www.stinkfight.com Baby Opaque: www.babyopaque.com The Beef People: www.kittyfeet.com/beef.htm Bomb (Michael’s later band in San Francisco, that was signed to Warner Brothers): www.hitsofacid.com

1.) What shows do you remember playing at Muldowney’s or Trax?  What kind of regional acts played in Charlottesville?  Any especially crazy moments from those shows?

Thanks man. First, I wanna say I’m psyched that there’s a continuing scene in Ch’Ville, and honored to be asked to yack about it. I’ll be “grandpa punk” to tell you about the old days, where we had to walk 20 miles through the snow to practice, barefoot, uphill both ways. Lol….

Let’s see….. Muldowney’s Pub. Muldowney’s was a gay Irish bar on the Downtown Mall. Back then being gay or punk in Virginia could get your ass kicked, so they let us play there…outcasts hosting other outcasts. We did shows on their off nights, they made money on booze, we helped clean up after each show, it worked out nicely.

I played shows at Muldowney’s with my bands Baby Opaque and with the Beef People. I played bass and sang lead in Baby Opaque, played guitar and sang backup in the Beef People.

I first came to Ch’Ville with a DC (Arlington, actually) band called “The Day I Lost My Virginity.” I’m still friends with Peggy, the bass player. Four years ago, I introduced her to her boyfriend (now fiancé), Tad, of the Subpop band by the same name. The Day I Lost My Virginity had two different drummers during their existence, Franklin Molin (now a lawyer) who played with Iron Cross and Michael Salkind (now also a lawyer) who played in No Trend.

The drummer for Baby Opaque, Michael Berube, is now a college professor at Penn State. He’s also an author.

I liked Ch’ville so much  that I moved down there after The Day I Lost My Virginity broke up. Started Baby Opaque, put out two records on John Beers’ “Catch Trout” label. The same label also put out The Beef People E.P. (Which is actually being re-released this year in the UK on Vinyl, with some unreleased tracks, by Damaged Records.)

Bands I played with at Muldowney’s: Circle Jerks (amazing show, Muldowney’s was tiny, I think the fire code max was like 69 people, though that night we went well over. And the cover charge was 4 bucks, a dollar more than we’d ever charged before), Gwar, Honor Roll (came from Richmond with White Cross and the Prevaricators in a rented Greyhound bus, brought about 50 paying customers with them too). Scream (someone gave me a black kitten after the show, I named it Skeeter after their Scream’s awesome bass player. Dave Grohl was in the band too, later went on to play in Nirvana, and later to be, well, Dave Grohl. Scream where SO good. They were unreal live. Probably my favorite DC band.)

As for Ch’ville bands, there was a great punk/hardcore band of sweet good ole boys called “Lackey Die.” There was a cool Paisley Underground / 60s punk group called “98 Colors.” There was a noise band called “LCD” (Lowest Common Denominator). And a nationally popular noise band called “The Happy Flowers” - that was John Beers and Charlie Kramer from the excellent hardcore band, “The Landlords.” (I’m still friends with John, and still very close friends with Charlie.) The drummer of The Landlords, Tristan Puckett still lives in Ch’ville, teaches chemistry at Charlottesville High School. The bass player, Colum Leckey, is an anthropologist.

There was a local band called Rude Buddha (not the hardcore band that later stole the name) who were astonishing, and kinda defied description. Put it this way: sometimes the woman who sang, sang in Russian. They were very popular in Ch’Ville back then. Rude Buddha moved to NYC, and broke up because of drugs. I moved to San Francisco, started Bomb, got signed to Warner Brothers, and Bomb broke up because of drugs.

There was another cool club, across the street from Trax, in the basement of the post office, called the Mineshaft. They had a lot of hippie jam bands, but also had alternative bands sometimes. I worked there as a bar back. The place was always packed, but went out of business because of drugs. The owner snorted all the profits up his nose.

Trax: I promoted shows with 9353, helped out with and/or played shows with Battalion of Saints, TSOL and others. Trax was huge, a big blues, country and metal joint that had cheesy reunion bands on the weekends, bands like Grand Funk Railroad with no original members and such. Sometimes on off nights they had punk. Big place, lousy treatment of punk bands (and audience) from the management, but very good sound system and lights. I never cared so much about lights, but always felt it was a treat to play somewhere that I could actually hear myself in the monitors.

Also, there was another place, on the mall, the C&O. It was sort of a dinner restaurant bar. Kind of more a family-friendly place that catered to more upscale college students. I think it’s still there. They had shows too.. Baby Opaque, the Landlords, Rude Buddha, 98 Colors and LCD all played there.

I can’t finish without mentioning that there was a hardcore band of high school students called “The Bloody Crotches.” They were really good. The Beef People played a few shows with them.

2.) I hear there was a punk/hc show on WTJU, could you tell me about that?

John Beers did it, he can tell you more. It was great though, and he’d play almost anything on it, not only punk. It was cool. I used to go down and hang out and watch him spin.

John was my roommate. He loves music, and is an avid record collector. One thing I remember about him was his quest to have hardcore punk music from every state in America. I remember the day he completed his collection, after buying a two-song cassette by mail order from some unknown band in Hawaii. He was so happy that day.

We had a neighbor next door to that house who was really sweet, and always sat on his porch reading books and sipping lemonade. He always said hi to us. One day, the FBI came and took him away. Turns out he’d murdered his wife and kids in North Carolina years earlier, moved to Ch’ville and assumed a new identity.

I had a show on WTJU for exactly one night. Got kicked off for destroying a Madonna record on air. Unfortunately the music director at the time liked Madonna. A lot. And the record belonged to the station.

Dale from 98 Colors got kicked off WTJU too, but he was on for years and years. It’s a funny story: he was doing a 2 AM to 6 AM shift. No one was calling in with requests. After repeatedly asking people to call in, finally begging people to call in, he decided there was NO ONE listening. He stopped a record in the middle of a song and issued a fake news alert. Said, “Yes, people. It’s true. Elvis Costello is dead.” And then played a bunch of Elvis Costello songs as a “tribute.”

Well, apparently someone WAS listening, and they told some other people, and the story got reprinted as true in newspapers all up and down the East Coast. Dale got kicked off the air, because it’s a violation of FCC rules to broadcast untruths, especially anything that will panic people in any way. (Though it is my opinion that I’m not sure how Fox News stays on TV….)

There was a story I heard that a few years before I lived in Ch’ville, a WTJU DJ who was moving to Europe said on the air “Russia has attacked the US with nuclear missiles”, locked the station door, took a taxi to the airport and split the country for good.

3.) Did any bands from Richmond like White Cross, Graven Image, Honor Role, Unseen Force, Absence of Malice, Prevaricators every come play in Charlottesville?

I covered White Cross, Honor Role, Prevaricators above. I saw Absence of Malice, dug them.

How about bands from Roanoke like MNP and Eggbert?

Don’t remember them. Remember a band from somewhere in Virginia, maybe Blacksburg, called “The Non-Dairy Screamers.” Don’t remember the band, just that I liked the name, and the stickers. (A cow with a red line through it.) I thought that was pretty funny.

Unseen Force, Graven Image,

Yeah, not my thing, but I remember them.

Mostly I liked and remembered Gwar, who grew out of Death Piggy. Death Piggy were GREAT! And Dave Brockie hit me in the head by accident with his bass at a Death Piggy show at Muldowney’s. I had to have three stitches. Still have the scar. Good times, good times.

I remember a Bomb show with Death Piggy in Raleigh, NC. Was the first time either band played there. There were more people on stage that night total than there were in the audience all night. Mike Dean from COC was there. I’m not him, in case anyone is wondering. Though he did get kicked out of the band that night, and the band told me they were going to do it, I knew it a couple hours before he did. They later got him back, when they realized they sucked without him and were awesome with him. He also came to a Bomb show when he lived in Atlanta, and we were both bike messengers a the same time, and hung out, when he later lived in San Francisco.

4.) Were there any stores that sold punk or hardcore records at the time?

Yup. Plan 9 had a store there. There was another one, ask John Beers. He’ll remember the name. I don’t. I was too busy with my own music to buy music by other people much. Sounds kinda selfish, but I was on a mission. I’m still on a mission. I don’t read a lot of books because I’m too busy writing books for a living now.

5.) Were there ever any confrontation(s) between the UVA frat types and punks back then?

Ah….not much with me, but I kept to myself. Someone threw a bottle out of a truck at me once, but they missed. I got thrown out of a few frat parties, but I probably deserved it. I used to drink a lot, and was not a pleasant drunk. And was probably only there for the free beer.  I do know of confrontations that other people had, but mostly people yelling sexual rude stuff to women out of moving cars. I think frat boys were afraid of punkers. At least when they were outnumbered, which they usually were when the two groups mixed.

I usually looked like a hippie back then, had long hair much of the time, looked more hippie (or maybe metalhead hesher) than punk. A lot of the frats, at least the ones I hung out at, were kinda hippie in Ch’ville back then. Sigma Nu got busted for having an LSD lab in their basement in the 80s.

A lot of frats wanted John to join because his last name is “Beers.” We thought that pretty ironic, since he’s straight edge.

I wasn’t a UVA student, John and Charlie and most of the other people in bands were, except me and Lackie Die. (And the rest of the Beef People, and the Bloody Crotches, who were high school students).

I remember I wanted to put “One dollar off with UVA student I.D.” on a Muldowney’s show flyer, but the guys in Lackie Die talked me out of it. There was a good bit of townie vs. student animosity back then. Not sure if that still exists, but it did then, maybe even more than frat boy vs. punker conflict.

6.) Any other venues besides Muldowney’s and Trax?  Any other local punk/hc bands besides Beef People, Baby Opaque, Lackey Die, and the Landlords?

Covered above.

7.) Do you remember anything about the Beef People and the Landlords being on a comp. tape called “War Against The States: South”?http://youbreedlikerats.blogspot.com/2008/05/war-between-states-south-tape.html, does that ring a bell?

I’ve heard about it, but only recently, from a friend sending me an e-mail. I do so much art in so many mediums that I don’t have time to track down places it’s used. I’m too busy doing new stuff.

Anyway, thanks man. I’m pretty amazed at the staying power of these “little bands that could” and the “little scene that could” that my friends and I helped foster 25 years ago. I’ve done more interviews about that scene lately than I used to do back then. And I’m really glad there’s still cool stuff happening there.

Keep up the good work, sir.

P.S. John Beers was the man. He really made the scene happen more than anyone, in my recollection.

– Michael W. Dean, Los Angeles, summer 2008

Michael W. Dean waves goodbye and puts Clone The Homeless to bed for good. And he invites you to enjoy him and his talented wife Debra Jean Dean for their new podcast, RADIO FREE NESTLANDIA!

This is a photo of the path that used to be solid ivy. It’s from two years of me walking every other day or so to fill the birdfeeder on the back of our house. I’ve beat a lot of metaphoric paths in my life, but this is my first literal path.

I’ve lived with Debra Jean for two years today. We call it our second “nestiversary”, i.e. two years to the day from when I moved in with her (I moved in with her on 8/7/6, we got married shortly after that, and had been together almost a year when I moved in.)

It’s been a wonderful time. I love her, and I love living with her, and I love being out of the hood - being where it’s safer, and quiet enough for me to think.

I finally beat my own path in life, with someone I’m loving being with.

MEW! We’re so very happy.

(Photo by Becky Haycox.)

=========

Me and the wife seceded today. Not from the USA, but from the WORLD. We’ve declared our property a sovereign nation called NESTLANDIA.

Does anyone know what it takes to get a top-level domain? We really want .nest

After shooting our new gun for a while, I decided to join the National Rifle Association. I’m now a card-carrying member. You damn hippie unkempt youngster liberals still gonna talk to me? My friend once told me “The NRA is good to join. But don’t tell any girls at an art party that you’re a member, or you’ll never get laid again.”

That doesn’t matter, I’m married, and I’m probably gonna get the wife a membership as a present anyway.

Btw: Filmmaker Michael Moore is also an NRA  member, and George W. Bush quit his lifelong membership when the NRA called the government “jackbooted thugs.” Michael Moore was a member to spy on them. I joined because I’m curious, and also very interested in protecting Second-Amendment rights, and that’s most of what the NRA does. They are a lobbying organization for  Second-Amendment rights. They also offer members a discount on everything from life insurance to car rentals to hotels.

I like how the card kind of looks like the Stephen Colbert show (it’s the other way around, actually.)

The NRA are in favor of background checks to help keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. They’re also in favor of stricter penalties for people who use a gun in the commission of a crime. I’m very for that. (Statistics show that legal ownership by law-abiding citizens do NOT increase crime, and often save lives when criminals use guns. It’s really true what they say “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” Another pro-gun saying I like, that’s been true in my experience is “Order a pizza and call the cops. See who gets there first.” Another gem I like is “When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.”

And remember: politicians who want to take away people’s guns to gain votes are still protected by armed bodyguards themselves.

And remember: over 1/3 of the adults in America own guns.

And if you think “Guns are for rednecks”, know that the counties with the highest per capita gun ownership rates in the US are  Los Angeles County and Kings County (Brooklyn). Los Angeles and Brooklyn are geographically about as UNredneck as you can get.

MEW!

By the way, I’m probably going to get on a watch list with the jackbooted thugs for saying this, but I don’t believe the Second Amendment was that much about home protection from buglers and about hunting. (Back then, it was a given that you owned a gun for hunting, and of course you’d protect your home from  criminals if they broke in through your window.) I believe that the Second Amendment was mostly about citizens protecting themselves against the possibility of the government stepping on your rights. It’s dangerous to say that out loud because almost every example of anyone doing that has been dealt with by force by the government (think Ruby Ridge or Waco.) But dig these quotes from the founding fathers:

“Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.”
–James Madison

“The great objective is that every man be armed. . . . Everyone who is able may have a gun.”
–Patrick Henry

“To disarm the people is the most effectual way to enslave them.”
–George Mason

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms…disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes…Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.”

–Thomas Jefferson

“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.”
–Thomas Jefferson

“No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.”
–Thomas Jefferson

I am not going to take up arms against the government, I’m just going to practice shooting at the target range, and if need be, protect my home. But I am very intrigued about the above information.

No, Charlie isn’t dead. She just imitates a lump sometimes:

Peanut’s a member too!:

(P.S. - You know you live in LA when the shooting range you go to has signed framed head shots on the lobby wall of the b-list celebs who shoot there, as well as a photo from when they shot a scene there for the movie “Crash.”)

=======

=======

On the subject of conspiracies and people taking up arms, Saw a great flick this week that takes place where I used to live, Northern Virginia. It’s called “Arlington Road.” It’s great, and stars two of my favorite actors, Tim Robbins and Jeff Bridges.

Basic premise of the flick is that “the gov boils all conspiracies down to a single man, and when that man is dead, they spin it that the problem is solved.” (Think JFK’s killer, Sadaam, the Anthrax guy’s suicide this week, etc. etc. ad nausum.)

Julie Peasley (who is a good friend, and also taught me how to use Quark, which is what I use to lay out my books with) has come out with a line of plush toys that are subatomic particles. They’re doing so well that she’s had to hire people to help keep up with the orders. I’m very proud of her.

This just goes to show what I have always believed: that if you just do art for the sake of art, and you’re good, eventually, something will catch on commercially, create a zitegiest.

Here’s an article about her company in the Denver Post.

Here’s her company’s website: ParticleZoo.net

(Photo above by Sean Maytum.)