S.R.T.P.!!!

Fur/Fur Envy

Cat Sketches 9/20/13

Take Me To Your Leader

A Child's Fragile Eggshell Mind

When one is a young, impressionable child, many things such as movies, TV shows - even commercials - and of course songs, can have an extraordinary effect on us. They can take us on Looking Glass trips that upset us and shake up our cloistered view of the world. They can be unsettling and scary, but can also open our eyes and free us to become more daring and creative. Here are ten songs that for various reasons disturbed my complacency as a child/adolescent and made the world seem both more frightening and more interesting. The title of this post comes from a Doors song (not on this list):

'In Every Dream Home a Heartache' - Roxy Music.
The sinister music pulled me into a dark world. The lyrics (about a sex doll) are darkly comic, but the music is pure horror.

'Woman Is the N%^&#$r Of The World' - John Lennon.
This appeared on his infamous 'protest album' The title itself seemed so audacious; I couldn't believe someone would write something like that. And the lyrics, about worldwide female oppression, really opened my eyes.

'Ticking' - Elton John.
Very jarring to have a song about a guy that snaps and shoots 14 people to death (based on a true event in Queens) appear on an Elton John song that I purchased because of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". Not ready for that one! It frightened me so much I avoided listening to the album. I wasn't quite ready to deal with the horrors of this world.

'American Pie' - Don McClean
Long before I had any idea what the song was really about, the references to 'Satan laughing with delight' and the Holy Trinity catching 'the last train for the coast' made it seem so apocalyptic and sinister that it absolutely transfixed me.

'Eleanor Rigby' - The Beatles.
What else to say? I can still remember the puddles of tears that flowed from my eyes the first time I reaallly listened to this song.

'Aqualung' - Jethro Tull.
The song - or the whole album. The album is an existential, atheistic manifesto of sorts. But the title song's brash imagery; 'snot is running down his nose', 'eyeing little girls with bad intent', etc., pushed boundaries, and changed my ideas about what it is 'okay' to say in a song

'Don't Fear The Reaper' - Blue Oyster Cult.
Pretty obvious. This song weirded everybody out.

'A Day in the Life' - The Beatles.
The strange, eerie melody and skewed arrangement sets this song apart, and of course raises it to the pantheon of all time great rock songs. But the lyrics, 'he blew his mind out in a car' which had been preceded by 'but I just had to laugh; I saw the photograph', made the Beatles seem very dangerous and scary to me.

'Angie Baby' - Helen Reddy.
This wasn't a song I liked by any means, unlike the others here. But it got a lot of radio play when it first came out, and I was quite young. The story of a strange 'special' lady, who captures a man and shrinks him into her radio, where he remains her prisoner, really creeped me out, and I remember that creepy feeling returning each time the song happened to come on the radio.

'Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner' - Warren Zevon
This song introduced me to a world I didn't even know existed as a budding teenager, the world of mercenary soldiers. The proper nouns in the song, 'The Bantu', 'The Congolese', 'The Land of the Midnight Sun', 'Biafra' etc. spoke of a world so much bigger than I had ever considered from my shelter in Columbus Ohio. And the story of a ghost, moving over the landscape of the various insurrections and civil wars taking place all over the world (which I had thought/known very little about) was so absurd and surreal that it was truly unlike any song I had ever heard before. What sort of mind creates a song like this? I wondered.

Part of the reason I am an artist today, and one who creates in the way I do, is attributable to the effects these ten songs had on me.

Lory's Dreams; 'The Ladder'

The Adventures of Legman!

Miley's Tongue Comes Out

Interviewer: Unless you've been living under a rock, on Mars, without wifi, you know that the biggest news in the entertainment world over the last few days has been Miley Cyrus' tongue's brave decision to come out, on stage, before millions of viewers, at MTV's Video Music Awards. And then come out again. And again! Miley's tongue has consented to join us for an exclusive interview. Tongue, thanks so much for being here with us today.

MT: Sure! My pleasure!

Interviewer: Would you tell us a bit about the process behind your blockbuster reveal? What made you choose to come out at the VMAs?

MT: Well, I guess the biggest reason was the 'twerking' thing. See, I knew that that Miley's Butt was going to be getting a lot of attention, and I was afraid the booty shaking was just going to swallow up everything else. I've never been one to suck up to anyone, or to kiss ANY body part (well, not in a figurative sense), and so I just felt like it was my time to make my stand. You know, like, 'you want it? Take it away from me, bitch" And I have to say, I think I licked her pretty good!

Interviewer: Tongue, I think a lot of people who watched were surprised by how many times you came out at the show. What was that about? Was it that liberating?

MT (laughing): That was unplanned. In fact, I have to admit, it was a bit of a 'lip malfunction'. See, when I first came out, just after Miley stepped out of the giant teddy bear robot, I thrust out with a bit too much force. Miley's lips just kinda flew open after that, and she couldn't keep them shut. So, I just kept on popping out. 

Interviewer: Wow, that must have been embarrassing for all concerned. I know it was for the audience! Is Miley okay now? I mean, are her lips back in place?

MT: Sure! Miley's fine. The lips are fine. But they're, like, Sooo jealous of me now. I mean, let's face it, after that performance, I'm the one who's got everyone's tongues twerking!

Interviewer: You are indeed! They say all publicity is good publicity, but Miley's performance has received heaps of criticism. It seems that a lot of other celebs, her parents, and even Robin Thicke, with whom you performed on stage, just felt like things got a little OTT. You, being such a big part of the overall performance... how much of that are you willing to own? Do you think you pushed the envelope a bit too much?

MT: Hell, no! I didn't push, or lick, any envelopes! Or stamps! I'm a grown up tongue, and a major star. If I can't come out without a bunch of people getting all weird about it, then I, like, blame society!

Interviewer: There you have it, folks; Miley's tongue, defiant and unashamed. Any last words for your millions of fans?

MT: Follow your dreams! Don't be afraid to stick out!

A Preview of Something Exciting On Its Way.....

Miley, Miley......

Waterfall

I did this more than ten years ago, and the whole thing took less than an hour to finish. But it's one of my favorites, ever. It just came pouring out, and I've never really done anything like it, either before or since. I tried to capture the same energy, with varying degrees of success, from time to time. But this one still stands alone in how it was created.

Where There's Smoke......

Futuristic Cityscape

Looks like some kind of hypergalactic convention is set to commence....
Not sure where the location is, be it Empire, Federation, Romulan territory, etc. etc. I hope they settle a lot of issues so peace can rule the planet and love can guide the stars!

Elf Girl & Faeries

International Ferret Day (Unofficial)!

I decided to declare today International Ferret Day, or International Ferrets' Day, pretty much just as a spur of the moment decision on Facebook. But, since the illustration I drew to kick things off already has 19 shares on FB, we may as well just go ahead and declare it official, I say!

Official or unofficial, the partying has already started, as you can see....

Reading Time

The Lowest Form of Humor

The Three Bears decided to eat Goldilocks, but first, they wanted to fatten her up. They presented bowl after bowl of porridge to her, but she refused to have even a bite. Everything was too hot, too cold, too mushy, too dry, etc. etc.

Finally, exasperated, the bears relented and decided to release her.

As they watched her dance off towards home, they shouted out after her, 

"You! You're......imporridgible!!"

The Ferret Says (8/8/13)

With Apologies to Hal David

Giraffes