San Diego’s
Blind Owl Records who continue to push the ever-blurring boundaries between art and rock n’ roll have released the collaborative spoken word EP
Sounds from the Shadow Factory, inspired by the book of poetry and narrative prose Saturday Night Sage by Noah Lekas, released on Record Store Day of 2019. The EP is available in multiple formats including vinyl, CD, and a number of bundles, that include signed copies of the vinyl (by Noah, Ethan Miller of Howlin Rain, and artist Alan Forbes), the book, EP art, and incredible poster were all drawn by legendary artist Alan Forbes (Faith No More, Queens of the Stone Age, The Melvins, Mudhoney etc.).
My favourite novel is Kurt Vonnegutâs The Sirens Of Titan.
Aside from his use of humour to make compelling (and heart-breaking) statements about the âusefulnessâ of life, I think Vonnegutâs genius here lies in the brevity he affords his really good ideas â of which there are a constellation.Thereâs a three-page aside in which he casually explains that Stonehenge was built by humans under the telepathic influence of a distant planet, just to send reassuring messages to a robot stranded in a broken ship on Mars; viewing Stonehenge from above, the robot reads the arranged shapes in his home planetâs language as âthe parts are on their wayâ.
MacDevitt created this exhibition almost as an act of desperation. His institution, Cerritos College, has been particularly strict about following COVID-19 safety protocols, banning all in-person activities on campus. While construction proceeds nicely on their new performing arts center, MacDevitt has had his hands tied in terms of being able to organize any shows or events. He finally came up with the idea of a boxed exhibition as a means of offering “a physical alternative to the online exhibitions that have become the new normal.” Two hundred boxes were produced and offered for free to the gallery’s mailing list; whoever wanted one was instructed to come to the college during certain designated safe pickup days. I picked up my box the week before Thanksgiving.