अवलोकितेश्वर

ओं मणिपद्मे हूं






















Oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ

Groovy Man 2

Groovy Man 1

Cafe' Frankenstein Laguna Beach CA

How I wish I was a Beatnik... Here's the scoop on an old Beatnik hangout in my old home town.

The Café Frankenstein was a coffee house in Laguna Beach, California, USA.



From 1958-62, the Café Frankenstein was seen as sort of a "den of iniquity" amongst the semi-conservative Orange County, California art community of Laguna Beach. Located at 860 South Pacific Coast Highway, Cafe Frankenstein boasted a steady diet of beats, surfers, folkies, teens and all manner of weirdos, and was suspected of harboring drugs and other debauchery. For two years straight, a pair of undercover cops were regulars at the Frankenstein, looking for a bust. But according to the last owner, Michael Schley, they instead became avid supporters.

Artist Burt Shonberg, Doug Myres (the Gateway Singers) and writer George Clayton Johnson (Twilight Zone, Logan's Run) were the proprietors. Shonberg provided a Frankenstein stained-glass window and cubist mural art for the club. Shonberg also painted murals for Hollywood's Purple Onion, Cosmo Alley, the Bastille, the Seven Chef's and Pandora's Box, as well as advertising art for Fairfax Avenue's Sandalsville, Don Brown's local surf movie events and a coterie of album covers (including Arthur Lee & Love's 1969 LP Out Here).

The Frankenstein's steady diet of controversy started early, with police busts for spiking the espresso with brandy and for allowing a woman to be photographed nude against the inside murals. Both charges were eventually dropped, but the damage had been done. The last straw was when the local ladies Church League came down on them for creating a stained-glass window of the Frankenstein monster. The Church League claimed that stained glass was only for use in the church, and rallied the community against the Frankenstein. Owner, Burt Shonberg, threatened to erect a crucified Frankenstein dummy in front of the coffeehouse, if they didn't back off. They did back off, but it became harder to get kids in the door, as parents forbade them from going in.



Folk and Jazz music emanated from the inside out onto the porch, with singers such as Judy Henske, Steve Gillette (who later wrote songs for the Stone Poneys) and Lee Mallory (later with Sagittarius, Millennium) performing here during the early '60s. Dave Myers sang folk songs at Café Frankenstein before forming his Del-Fi surf band, Dave Myers & the Surf-Tones. Comedian Lord Buckley performed here. Famous photographer Lewis Baltz was also an early regular. Sid Soffer managed the Café Frankenstein from 1958-59, before starting his own beat café, Sid's Blue Beet (Newport Beach).The Frankenstein had a bookstore inside, specializing in banned books. There was a sandal shop in the back, as well.

In 1960, Cafe Frankenstein was sold to Connie Vining and her husband, Michael Schley (who previously ran the sandal shop) and became the 860 Club. All of the murals remained intact, and the club continued to host folk music and various beat performance art, but its proto-punk antics were no longer a part of the 860's panache. In 1962, the land was bought out by the owner of the next-door restaurant, who instantly demolished it and turned the space into a parking lot.

Taxi Fort'n Around

Where's my chippy Bradlee?

Ruth White - Seven Trumps from the Tarot Cards (1968)

Ruth White - Seven Trumps from the Tarot Cards (1968)



01 - Wheel of Fortune
02 - Magician
03 - Hanged Man
04 - Sun
05 - Tower
06 - Lovers World
07 - Beginnings
08 - No Wings
09 - Wings Clipped
10 - Wanting Wings
11 - Love Gives Wings

Get it Here

Drink N Draw TONIGHT! Theme: Cryptozoology

Ooh! I can't wait!

I can't wwwwaaaaiiiitttttt...!!!

Here's some Cryptozoology inspiration:

RUTH WHITE - "Flowers of Evil"

RUTH WHITE - Flowers of Evil: An Electronic Setting of the Poem of Charles Baudelaire (Creel Pone)

Label: Limelight
Catalog#: LS 86066
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US Released: 1969
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Experimental
Credits: Composed By - Ruth White Other [Liner Notes] - Ruth White Other [Translated By] - Ruth White Producer - Ruth White Vocals, Electronics - Ruth White Written-By - Charles Baudelaire

Track-listing:
A1 The Clock (3:00)
A2 Evening Harmony (4:02)
A3 Lover's Wine (2:57)
A4 Owls (2:45)
A5 Mists And Rains (2:06)
B1 The Irremediable (4:55)
B2 The Cat (3:27)
B3 Spleen (2:50)
B4 The Litanies Of Satan (6:50)

To me, Baudelaire's poems are of such unique power that they always seem to rise above the level of the personal and sometimes existential nature of their content. In this composition, I have attempted to parallel the transcendental qualities of the poetry through electronic means.

For the words, I used my own voice as the generator of the original sound to be altered or "dehumanized." This seemed practical since my experiments with the medium were too time consuming to have been easily accomplished with a collaborator.

To modulate my voice, I used a variety of techniques. Changes of timbre were achieved with filters. Tape speed changes were used to control pitch. Into the shape of some words, I injected sound waves and white noise, thus changing the quality of their sound hut not the flow of their delivery. by adding reverberation, I varied atmospheres and decreased or increased space illusions. To accent special words or phrases, I used controlled tape delays. choruses were created by combining slight delays with multiple track recordings.

The musical settings around the voice were made with music concrète materials, a Moog synthesizer, other electronic generators and conventional instruments, which were usually altered electronically.

In the translations, there was no attempt to rhyme the verse as in the original french poems. I tried only to keep the language as direct and simple as possible, for I always found that the dominating power of Baudelaire's ideas 'were in themselves of electrifying force.

- Ruth White

Get it Here

So So So Sleepy...

Here. That's all for now. I'll call you later.

Rorschach My Life!

10" x 10" Rorschach styled photos I have taken of friends. Copyright 2010

Bradlee

Carl

Dan & Aron

Dan

Dave

Dillon

Josh

Julian

Robert

Sunshine

Wendy

I can bake! So far...

Coconut Meringue Cookies



Ingredients
1 & 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
2 egg whites (Room temperature)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of Creme of Tartar
Dash of salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions
Beat egg whites and dashes of salt & cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
Gradually add in sugar and vanilla extract while beating until peaks are stiff and glossy.
Fold in coconut.
Drop by rounded teaspoon onto greased baking sheet.
These guys are sticky! So really grease that sheet!
Bake at 325 F 16-20 minutes until set and very slightly browned.
Center will still be soft and yummy.

Number of Servings: 20, but I make mine a bit bigger. So more like 10-15.

Pulque UPDATE - La Pulqueria Costa Mesa

Well folks I finally got my Pulque. And it was good!



However I did not get to try the strawberry (fresa).
I will say stay away from Piña Colada. Unless want old vomit after taste.



What better way to enjoy my Pulque then with Julian and Bradlee. Not to mention by the light of the full moon. Mind you this full moon was the closest to the earth it has been in years. This caused such a bright moon light that it hurt to look at it. Oh sweet lunacy.



So how does it taste? Well... Like Pulque I suppose. There's not to much I can say.
Bitter? Yes. Sweet? A little. Did it get you drunk. You betcha! Diarrhea? NO!!
I will definitely be buying this again. And again.

"After the rains, my father is going to start harvesting again".
Julian had told me.
I really want to document this before Pulque and the art of harvesting & creating it is gone forever.
I really hope to put up a blog on that subject. Stick around and see what happens.

I must give a shout out to the super friendly staff at:

El Toro Carniceria-Meat Shop
1340 West 1st Street Santa Ana, CA 92703-3723(714) 836-1393

That is where I got the stuff. They also carry many other great beers, tequila & mezcal.
Super cheap. Super nice. Give them your money!

'Nuff Said!

4 Hits From Hell! Err... Drink N Draw 01.26.2010

"eat Beat eat"



"Monster Mash"



"Runny Noses"



"Drunken StinkO"

Mexico Remix

Julian in Mexico!

Randomality

I was over at Rite Aid and I'm pretty sure these new toys are called "Azwhole Pals".

I think Taxi would have liked one. But black is more his color.


I am really REALLY liking Orange Marmalade now.
I don't know why. I think the taste buds updated.
That is all for now.

Drink N Drink N Draw

(Bradlee & Melinda)
So here we are again at Drink N Draw. I didn't think I was gonna make it due to TORNADO WARNINGS! But alas I hath! Or Doth? Do-Id? ANYWAY... So the Drink N Draw has been turning into Drink N Drink. I think this is due to (ugly) women loading country on the jukebox.

Bad music = Bad art.

Or at least an apathetic approach. The dollar Coors-Lite helps little. Enough to put pen to paper.
Here are some quick sketches I came up with. I think the alternate theme was "Ugly Women Putting The Cunt In Country", to be the LEAST offensive.

Enjoy.

"El Pollo Loco"



"Fist Fist Fist"



"Up Down All Around"



"Eye See Pyramids"

Some High School Art

I was at my parents house this last weekend. Man was some of my high school art bad! Some was not so bad. I actually saved some. Here are two pieces I was happy to save.

Breakfast With Bailey (1997)




Zebra Toaster (1997)

Eye Don't Need No Photoshop!

Photo-Cut-Face



Eye Don't Need Photoshop



Brer Josh and Brer Julian



Goatse Lives!

2010 is here

Ready. Set. STOP! Well that's how it feels so far. Got stuff to do, but being held back by... $tuff. I don't have anything to say about 2009. Not sure about 2010 yet. Come back next Thursday after I get paid. Until then, here's a Taxi wallpaper.