SHADY TOUR Vol2.
The second annual Shadowscene US Tour is lining up with a kick off of October 8th....yip yipppper. Last year's was a blast; more details to come!

WAKING GLOOM
It's really refreshing to wake up to an overcast morning sometimes. I feel like it takes the rest of the world just as long as me to actually wake up. No cheating because of the sun. Tomorrow is Nocturnal...and boy oh boy is that name oh so appropriate.
Digitalism are in town so I'll be running around with Isi and taking photos at the festival with all the So Sweet artists as well. The fest starts at 7pm and Digitalism don't even play until around 2am. Ptao and I are planning on hiding back and sidestage ducking around all the neon that will be flying around our faces. It promises to be an interesting night for sure. Tote bags are almost complete, tees are in printing (half printing which means still rolled up in boxes with a jug of ink beside them) and new stickers and goodies are in the process. Now it's time to run off to a hike before the sun sets sail.
Video!!!!!

UNDERSTANDING
A night...tonight. Where I wander off on my solo mission as usual. And make discoveries so profound, I wish I shared them with you more often. Sometimes headphones are my bestfriend...but outside of them, I have three people that really rally my thoughts and emotions. Three. Out of a million people that I've laughed with, giggled, drank, drunk, tickled, played, fooled, messed, witnessed, accused, forgiven. Just three.

I live in the muckiest and most interesting of places. And I see so many things. And I backstep retreat just so I can fully encompass what is happening, even when I am not photographing. There is so much that is unseen, even though I am ShAdowSceNe. There are some things I file away for people; to protect and hide...in little shadows.

I miss stuff. I miss people. I miss the days of writing. I miss the days of disappearing in a non electro flashing-light singing my heart out and breaking my fingers on an E-string. That's why lately I choose to divide my time a bit differently. There are a couple people who bitch at me for this but damn. If I can't make myself happy, then I can't make you happy.

I live in a day to day world where I hear an abundance of words. I freestyle. I sing. I dance. I echo what I hear and feel within. No, I don't need anyone to make me feel these things, although they do. But I quite easily see them when I look around. I feel them when I wander around. I hear them when I try not to listen. I'm over-observational. I'm too caring. I'm self doubting but at the same time wreckless. I'm too smart for my own good. I think too much. I just spilled a bit of my guts on a bright white screen. Can you feel blue energies writhing in your eyes?

I used to write a lot. And then someone told me I wasn't doing anything for a good cause...and that art wouldn't change anything. Someone's an idiot. However, I shelved nearly five books of text that now sit in a dusty closet. I live to live. I live for all the amazing people that send me messages saying I inspired them...to move to Germany...to learn a new artform...to not care what people think...to be real.

Are you still reading this? Oh, okay. Hai.

I meet amazing people. I meet people that you may have tossed your change to. I tossed them a day of my life by spending an afternoon to really learning what it's like to be someone else. I've had drinks with a homeless man because he protected me from the "unsafe zones". I then was thrown out of a bar for trying to buy him a drink. I've slept in a cemetery. I've slept on a train. I've not slept for three days straight. I'll change my contacts in the dark. I'll cuddle with a stone. I'll recite songs in my head because they'll hit harder than your words. I'll echo your tone with a shotgun lyric and you'll still be prone...to read this...and think about how you could change a wrong. How can you make something right? Why are you so upset? Why so many questions and a wandering mind. Just stop. Have you tried to make yourself smile? It's awkward...and refreshing. Push your skin up and vibrate to something that's not familiar.

Share something today. Make yourself uncomfortable. I promise you'll laugh about it later.

It's a bright day, even when it rains. Find something and lose it. I told a best-friend tonight...that when when things are stolen, they come back twice as amazing.

CAMEL BLOWS
I'll soon give the full update/write-up on why Camel is too corporate for their own good. Get out of the party scene and stop infiltrating my fun. Your filters are useless.



Tonight I'm heading down to Santa Ana for TRUST at Proof Bar. Classixx are djing and last time I was there some chick projectile vomited all over the bathroom. It somehow hit everyone but me. Goooood times tonight for sure! Rawr!

NYC BOOMS
So I'm in NYC again...just shot the final BBQ party for Finger on the Pulse and Dinner with the Band. Sam is a sweet chef. My tummy was well pampered. It's amazing out here in New York right now. I forgot how perfect end of summer weather is on the east coast...well it's basically like year round Los Angeles weather. But somehow different and refreshing. Two more days here in the city before I go to Philly. I think a crew of us are going to head to Coney Island...maybe tomorrow since my jet lagged self woke up way later than planned.
But if you're in Philly...head to The Barbary Saturday night for the return of Live Forever with JHN RDN and Designer Drugs. The Finger on the Pulse boys will be heading there with me and a few of the NY crew will be tagging along for the adventure as well.
I just finished a huge batch of the designer tote bags I secretly spent working on all summer long. The release date keeps getting pushed back but it looks like the first couple weeks of September will be the official launch. More info on that to come.

That's it for now...just a tiny update. Now go outside and play.

COOL AND FUN?
First of all, I can't stop laughing. Second of all, does this really work on people? This could be a new singles ad, no? Look at this shit that I just got in my messages. Click the photo to enlarge.

Oh...and in case you're curious. You can find Mr. Eric Surfer here.

I guess he likes to play golf too...

OH VIMBY
So for a few months now Katz from VIMBY has been following me around at random parties, lending me his camera for tour footage and interviewing me hour after hour all for this interview here...thanks VIMBY.

VIMBY - Shadowscene

It's 100 degrees out today. I woke up at 7am and beat the heat! Haa ahah! I beat you!

DOWNTOWN BITS
Apparently, the last three months have been nonstop. There's been so much I'd love to have written about but the time lapses and the memory is gone. Hooray for all the thousands of photos I shoot on a daily basis. Japan, Austin, SXSW, Coachella, Hangover tour with Party Shank and now onto summer. I have lots of art shows and new events coming in the next couple of months so prepare yourself!!
This week we will be launching artist interviews starting with The Presets and Cut Copy...so check back on the blog for those new goodies as well. I'm also now working on some limited edition fashion goods with Tyler Alexander which you'll hear about in the next month or so.
This weekend was another pool party "weekend warrior" style at The Standard. This hotel is literally my second home in the summer, and I mean in that in the most non-sleaziest way possible. Sunday I cut out early in need for a fresh adventure and that's exactly what I did. Somehow I managed to get lost downtown looking for the metro and I met James. Yeah it's nutters. I spent four hours with a homeless dude and bought him snacks and a sixpack. I also had a couple drinks with him and learned about his 2 times in prison, being born and raised in Ohio and the years spent in the US Navy. James is rad. We danced the Irish jig on the sidewalk, Kodee joined us for some street mayhem and was there to assist in our after dark photo shoot on the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Hopefully I'll run into James again soon.

Ironically
My favorite video of the day...hooray for 4mile long hikes and then 2 hours of Adult Swim. Hot diggity!!!! Watch Stewie be a...high school pimp.

Oh yeah...

myspace.com/photobot

420
Todays adventure : lunch at 10am.
C-star rolled outta bed to come have lunch with me this morning. Yes, lunch this morning. That's what happens when you get up and start your day before 7am. Quite a mind fuck especially when I'm used to going to bed at that hour. Regardless, it's hot as hell outside and we skipped over to the crepes joint where I could fill up on latte and scrambies. As we're paying, I notice that the dude who is making my latte is picking at it...making circles and stuff. Dude, 'I think the guy is making a picture in my latte' I told C-star. So rad!
And yes...he brings me the to go cup and places it down on the counter, placing the lid next to it. Inside the white frothy foam is an intricately drawn "420". What the fuck? The dude is stoked, smiles at me and I look at C-star. We both just start laughing immediately and then walk to our picnic table. 'Do I look like that much of a stoner' I asked him. Like really? Regardless of whether or not I looked, or look, like one I'd say the fact that I spent 10 minutes laughing at foam pretty much sealed the deal for the barista.
From there our adventure continued down to Hollywood Blvd where I swear I saw a pregnant dude walking around with his belly hanging out, Jim Beam (as I call him) polishing the stars and then was attacked by a bunch of shit flying out from a bus. C-star was fortunately wearing sunglasses. My eyes were blitzed. Next we spent some time in iguana surfing the vintage duds where I made an amazing score and then back to my office...to restart the work day. Early Monday morning adventures are fun...and crucial indeed.

INDEPENDENCE
Such a huge thing right now...here's my current favorite video. I wish I could watch it on the rooftop of a building scaled 1,000 times larger to life size fullfillment. Anyone?




SXSW is next week..Shadowscene needs helpers. If you'll be heading to Austin, or already in Austin, and wanna hang out and run around for a week with me..email us asap!!!

LA-TOKYO-OSAKA
The last 35+ hours have been nonstop travel. Ouch. From hot sunny Los Angeles to freezing cold Tokyo to pouring rain to snow to windy ass Osaka. And three hours of sleep. But I'm here, I made it! Also, with the nonstop travel I'm now super accustomed to changing pants on planes and buses. It proves to be quite interesting when scrambling in my seat to change my leggings in a dash. Since I've only really settled for about an hour there's not too much to tell yet other than there are lots of cute vending machines here and free tea and ice cream. Deliciousness. And the chocolate is great. Especially since I don't like chocolate. What's in these candy bars out here!!?

Here are a few recaps posted previously...
(from Wed night/Thurs in Tokyo)
I finally made it to Tokyo where I'm staring at the weirdest concoction of food in the large (by Japanese standards) but cutest lil apartment in the city. The best is the sweet view of the Tokyo tower I have.

45mins from now and back to traveling...8 hour bus ride to Osaka and then a day of bath houses until the party tomorrow night. And by tomorrow I mean Friday...because it's already 9pm on Thursday here. Ouch.

And its coooold!

(from Thurs afternoon/Friday morning in Osaka)
So.....I'm finally here in Osaka...and it's snowing and raining and so cold you forget you haven't slept in 32 hours.

Thanks for all the good wishes and stuff...and hopefully there'll be a ton of pics to post tomorrow. Haven't done much yet other than jet set and steal blankets along the way.

And I'm drinking like corn juice soup or some shit. Everything comes out of an automatic dispenser here...



xoxoxoxo / Miss you guys!

SOMEONE GOT STABBED

And this is what i wrote tonight::

hi.
this is my life and it sucks sometimes...

This is my life
someone got stabbed
on a saturday night

tear the shirt from your back
to wrap round his neck

but no good
no life
no pulse in his lifeless-ness
lying in a penny cent lot
full of parked fucks who
know nothing more than dance
rave.
dance.

prance in your knickers around a 22
year young soul
that only tried to test himself
in a crowd of mush much hush

death by stereo
in utero
and no breath by doubt
in a sea of false glittered dreams

this is my night
this is not my dream
this is somewhere so very very far
in between

someone dies
i ache
and someone else has a heart attack

and i get tattered worked and worn
someone find my loose coins
cuz shit is spilling to the left and right
blowin up sans dynamite

too many wrecked tarts on the floor
got a penny but no whores
gonna finally sleep
no sores
for months i deplore
such a sap for prior bores

this is not my dream
this is somewhere
so very very far
in between

TWO DAYS 'TIL JAPAN
And this is what I wrote last night:

Cause why not?

I once had a Professer named Whynott. I always said, errr asked,...'cause Whynott?! And then I got funny looks in class.



tonight i fall asleep with headphones on
because the world is a dark blurry mess
sometimes you see everything
sometimes you're blind to what's right
in front
of your face
and then a hard slap wakes you up
and you wonder
why?

why a smog of delusional fun can last long enough
to drag you around by the weaves of your own
crocheted existence and then you remember
to remind yourself that you
are you and only you can clearly focus on what
is truly important

but may mean shit to others.

see what is illuminated
and focus on what is hidden in corners
and dark shadows of false bliss.

and then...wake up.

HERMIT
January 2008 is officially the month of Hermitage for me. I feel like I've hardly stepped out of my office or apartment and I work in 12 hour shifts. But it's sort of nice to actually spend time in the place that I pay to be in for once; seeing as I'm accustomed to being here for an average of 18 minutes a day minus the three hours of sleeping. Oh and get this, I've been sleeping more than 3 hours! What the fuck is going on!? 'Hermitage Hibernation', that's what. One more week of this and I call it quits. Although, seeing how everyone in LA is sick and I'm in serious efforts of barricading viruses out of my habitat, the lockdown is a necessity. And hey, along with the confinement comes lots of great movie watching, going to the movies, dvd'ing it, late lunches, double breakfasts, noon naps, really getting to know what my cats do when I'm typically not home and designing some new Botwear and comics and oh yeah, drinking double time on the coffee.
Oh well, Happy '08 and cheers to a productive three hundred and fifty something days. Here's a funny from a guy named Rob.

YIP, YIP
That's it.

GUMBY MST3000
Okay..so that video from yesterday...just literally went up a thousand more notches in the amazing-ometer.
Check this out:

HOLIDAYS and SHIT
Ok really? Really guy? As of the past month I've finally settled back into Los Angeles and had about one day off to rest up. Hmmm. Nice. And I've also come to the conclusion that the joy of robots has taken over. Robot calculator, robot slippers, robot dogs, robot books, robot toys, robot robot robot. Better yet, I'm a huge fan of Gumby and Pokey. My friend Rae and I have a joke about me being Gumby and her being Pokey and...well regardless, it would just sound retarded if I tried to explain. But in that vain, this...thiiiiis, is the best damn video for today.

F$#% MORE
I'm home, finally back in Los Angeles after nearly two months of cruising around and photographing the country. I met some of the raddest people and uncovered some kick ass scenes and dance parties. Check Shadowscene's Fiesta section for all the photo coverage and URB's blog hosting for literary goodness. I'll be sure to give you some tidbits and notes from the journey...but for now, here's a video featuring a shit ton of my NYC friends and Lauren Rocket. Radness indeed:

BLOOMINGTON 4AM
I'm sitting at Fluffy's house...and the family of five is fucken starving. Fluffy says he's gonne make us pasta...with special sauce. I'm guess the special sauce is ketchup and sugar. And my ass is starving. So it better be.
After a nine hour drive from Kansas...where the party was fucken dope ass media funtastic, I made it here where my breath freezes in the midnight air. Bloomington went off...by 2:30am...and some dude dressed up as a silver devil shot torches across the stage and made some girls panties fall off on stage...and of course right in front of my camera.
I'll be in MILWAUKEE tomorrow with THE GLAMOUR...and stuffs. Damn it, where's my breakfast pasta?