Listener: Wooden Heart

Listener "Wooden Heart" from Nathan Corrona on Vimeo.

A rare opportunity when visuals match the raw tone and spirit of the music and words perfectly. Shot and directed by my brother-in-law Nate. Music by Listener.

Watch it big. It's worth it.

Watching Artists Work

I don't know about you, but I love watching artists create, whether it's drawing, painting, sketching, doodling, pasting, sculpting, whatever. I love it. There's something about the process - the in-progress piece of work - and seeing it come about as it happens that totally appeals to me.

So, here's some videos of artists doing their thing:

Jackson Pollock:




Jean -Michel Basquiat (he's shown painting around :45):




Basquiat with spraypaint (From DOWNTOWN 81):




The great Picasso:




More Picasso:




Henri Matisse drawing:




Henri Matisse cutting out shapes:




Now, this is interesting. In 1985, Quantel invited David Hockney to try out painting on their Paintbox. Here's part 1 (of 5):



Part 2:



Part 3:



Part 4:



Part 5:

Monster Cereals Disco

Okay, so I'm trying my best at not getting riled up by the fact that General Mills (the company behind such wonderful cereal products as Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp and more) seems to completely ignore the Monster Cereals. Even though the cereals are still being made (evidence here), the powers that be at GM still won't make any new animated commercials for the cereal line. Why is that? Look, guys. It's a no-brainer: three cereals (originally five: Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy aren't made anymore) that have a built-in audience - an audience, mind you that is now grown up and has children of their own. This audience ("Gen-X"ers, I guess you could call them) share a deep devotion to their childhood (well, who doesn't, right?). I'm pretty sure there's a story to be told from anyone who grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons during the 70's and remembers these three colorful monsters gracing their television set: Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry. For me, I was a big fan of Franken Berry (never liked how Count Chocula tasted). However, what I really, REALLY wanted was Boo Berry. But it was not to be. For some reason Boo Berry was never available in the metropolitan area of Atlanta. Why? What was so bad about Atlanta that General Mills deemed it Boo Berry free? I had no idea. With each viewing of every Monster Cereals commercial, my anger raged at the fact that Boo Berry would never be in my grasp. It was my white whale. I know, obsessive Ahab tendencies at such a young age.

Back to the moment at hand: there are some who want the Monster Cereals back on the small screen and have started a blog totally devoted to the ghastly three: Monster Cereals Blog. There, you can check out lots of images and movies and anything related to Count, Frank, and Boo. If you're an artist, it might be of some interest for you to know that October is Fan Art Month. I'm thinking of participating. Once I find the time, of course!

Anyway, what I want to share with you all are a couple of videos that these particular Monster Cereal fans have made, each sharing the same audio (with voices taken from various commercials and from a flexi-disc record that was free on the back of boxes in 1979 - hence the disco reference), but having two entirely different visuals. The first features original animation by...well, I don't know. Anonymous? Checkit out:



For those who remember the commercials, you'll dig the second, "classic animation" version, featuring a wide assortment of clips throughout the years. Ahh, yes:



I want to see the Monster Cereals back in action on TV. Badly. So, here's the thing: word has it that if there's enough interest in these videos, in the blog, in the Monster Cereals Facebook page, etc. - if there's a big enough ground swelling of Monster Cereals Mania, then there's a possibility that General Mills might cave in. I want them to cave in, see. I want them to cave in BIG TIME.

Pass the word on.

Hooray for Snow Days

Been laying low lately because of a freak snow storm that's pretty much paralyzed Portland and the Northwest. It's been a lot of fun. See for yourself:



If you can't view it here, you can always check out the YouTube version. Same thing, lesser quality.

Of course, this was about a week ago when it was all fun & games. Now that we've been hammered (pummeled?) with over 10 inches of snow, cabin fever has kicked into high gear. Fun!





After it's all said and done, I'm happy to report a couple of firsts for myself: 1. First time shoveling snow. 2. First time experiencing a white Christmas (assuming that the snow will stick around for Thursday, and so far, all signs point to yes).

I've got some vintage ephemera scans to share with you all, but first I need to stir up a fire in the hearth. It's a good thing.

Post-Thanksgiving B-Boy Animation

Break Dance Stop Motion from ben wheatley on Vimeo.

Because we all need some dancing after the Big Feast. And it's stop-motion, too! Well, pixilation, actually. But still just as cool.

(Via Celebreak.net.)

Bikes and animal heads

I need to post more about things that interest me, that intrigue me, that give me a chance to look at things in a new light. I've got several posts in draft form that are just waiting to go live, but I can't seem to find the time to tweak the content. I'll see what I can do to get these little tid-bits of thought and inspiration out in the open.

In the meantime, here's a video that I really dig:


Bats for Lashes: "What's a Girl To Do"

An interview with the director about making the video. When I read about projects or film shoots that went awry, where things had to be re-shot and redone, I don't bat an eye. I nod and think to myself, "yes, been there, done that." It's all part of the artistic process. Sometimes you have to redo everything in order to see your vision through, even if cameras, computers, or the most basic technology happen to work against you.

All this talk of bikes and kids with animal heads reminds me of this bit of freakish-ness:



One Got Fat, a bike safety film from 1963. Directed by Dale Jennings and narrated by Edward Everett Norton, of "Fractured Fairy Tales" fame. You know, we need more safety and instructional films like this. Freak the kids into submission.