WARWICK IS A DREAM

here's a little reminder of my fun & frolic in warwick, NJ. the quaint little town that lauren pine calls home.
lauren has captured me in front of a antique teapot collection @ the local cafe.... have you ever seen me so happy?!

DENNIS HOPPER~ RIP

Dennis Hopper, the maverick director and costar of the landmark 1969 counterculture film classic "Easy Rider" whose drug- and alcohol-fueled reputation as a Hollywood bad boy preceded his return to sobriety and a career resurgence in the films " Hoosiers" and "Blue Velvet," died Saturday. He was 74.
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THE MAU MAU'S YARD SALE

so i'm waking to the gallery this morning, i spot a mass pool of black on the sidewalk.. as i get closer i realize it's a huge goth yard sale, and then.... guess who walks up to me???
RICKY MAU MAU OF THE MAU MAUS!!! apparently he's my neighbor, (but not for long since he's having a yard sale). what a blast from the past. i haven't seen him since the masque days in 1978!... (actually i thought he was dead) there was so much goth and black going on @ this yard sale, RODDY VON SELDNECK, (TOALLY GOTH) would have been in heaven!

(ricky mau mau~ present day)

the most bizarre thing is that ricky was dressed exactly the same way he did at the masque...
like it was still 1978- black tights, black ankle boots with chains & scarfs wrapped around the ankles, black tuxedo jacket, with buttons & chains, make up, (i think?) and dyed white hair.... he looked all of 90 years old.. kinda like joan rivers.

here a little back story for the youngsters~
The Mau-Mau's were started in 1978 by Rick Wilder (formerly the singer of the Berlin Brats) after returning from a trip to London in 1977.
The original short lived line-up was Greg Silva on guitar, Rod Donahue on bass, and Rick Sherman on drums. They started out playing at The Masque in Hollywood. Greg was replaced by Mike R. Livingston in 1979 after Greg moved to New York and Rod was replaced first by Oscar Harvey and then by Scott Franklin (onetime bassist in The Cramps). Rick had been chosen to be MC of the Penelope Spheeris movie The Decline of Western Civilization but was dumped after he insisted he be able to say what he really thought of every act before their clip (it was probably not going to be too complimentary).

The Mau-Mau's are probably the only one of the original bands from The Masque era that do not appear in the film- The Decline of Western Civilization. Wilder’s somewhat eccentric attitude toward the record industry and the generally extreme lifestyle of the band members contributed towards a long period of obscurity despite being well known by most in the early Los Angeles punk rock scene.

GAY BOYS WITH BEARDS

do you guys know about GAY BOYS WITH BEARDS?
it's a cute little facebook page for people obsessed with gay boys with beards, hence the title.
the images they post are hot-hot-hot! at the moment they are presenting a Beard Challenge: Beard Doodles!
Draw your best beard doodle then post a photo of it. Those with 'GBwB' in them get top marks!
and you can also get your GBWB t-shirts HERE-

LITTLE JOE

direct from the UK- LITTLE JOE MAGAZINE!
this first magazine about queers and cinema, mostly.

Little Joe is a new biannual publication looking at film from a different perspective. It is a direct move away from the traditional method of reviewing all current and future releases towards a more selective and eclectic focus on films that inspire alternative discourse.

the premiere issue #1 will be available in june @ antebellum!

Featuring interviews with directors Jack Hazan (A Bigger Splash) and Tom Kalin (Swoon, Savage Grace), a profile of experimental pornographer Fred Halsted by artist William E Jones, essays on films including American Gigolo, Cruising, Song of the Loon, stunning photographs of cult actress Karen Black by filmmaker Cam Archer, and specially commissioned artworks by Stuart Sandford, Yvan Martinez and Joshua Trees.

Contributors: Cam Archer, Jack Barnes, Paul Burston, Rick Castro, Fritz Haeg, Stuart Henderson, William E Jones, Hynam Kendall, Michael Linington, Feargus O’Sullivan, William Maltese, Yvan Martinez, Frederico Pellacin, Ryan Powell, John David Rhodes, Stuart Sandford, Joshua Trees.

limited edition of 500. pre-order your copy now!- $16

antebellum@earthlink.net

THE MASTER OF SURREAL

JEAN COCTEAU BY PHILIPPE HALSMAN~ CIRCA~ 1948

ADULT BABY RUNS AMOK

an AB, (adult baby) was spotted @ a stratford conneticut shopping mall yesterday, asking women to change his diaper and burp him.

A 41-year old Stratford man is facing charges after he was seen allegedly wandering around a parking lot wearing only a diaper and sucking a pacifier.

An officer reports finding Thomas Wellington parked in the lot sitting in his SUV and seeing baby pacifiers all over the vehicle. "When he questioned him about what happened he really didn't answer," said Capt. Kenneth Bakalar of the Stratford Police Department. "When he asked why he was wearing a diaper he said he had problems with his intestines."

A woman told police she was in the parking lot with her three young grandchildren when Wellington came over in a diaper, asked her for baby wipes and asked her to wipe him.

When shoppers in the area were asked about the incident where Wellington was spotted wearing 'baby attire', people were totally stunned. "It's totally weird, totally gross," said Mabel Mason of Stratford. "I mean how can you do that?"
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PiN-UP

PIN-UP

photo by gregory moon

THE END OF POT

the last remaining relics of the 420 cannabis exhibit were removed yesterday to make room for our next exhibition~
NARCISISSY~ THE ART OF BARRY MORSE.

NARCISISSY

Antebellum Presents

Narcisissy~ the art of Barry Morse

Friday, June 4 – Saturday, June 5, 2010

Antebellum Gallery is pleased to present NARCISISSY, Barry Morse’s new collaborative exhibition of paintings, photography, and video.

The two-day exhibition opens at Antebellum Gallery June 4, 2010 and continues through June 5, 2010. The opening reception is Friday, June 4, 2010 from 7 – 9pm. Included in the exhibition are collaborations with Los Angeles artists, including noted photographers Austin Young and Rick Castro, and painter Miguel Angel Reyes. Opening reception admission is $5.

Aunt Connie, (Morse’s artistic muse and alter ego) will also be present June 5, 2010 to host & judge the first annual Klaus Nomi tart contest ~ 4pm at Antebellum.

Admission, which includes tea and tarts, is $10.


Multimedia artist Barry Morse employs paintings, films and videos, installations, performances and photographs to draw on a private, hermetic world of queer surrealism, self referential imagery, psychedelic colors, and fantasy and nightmare - beckoning the viewer to join him on a vivid journey into his mysterious and private gay subconscious. Some of his images are oddly familiar and childlike, while others are mysterious and full of internal meanings.

Morse’s body of work critiques and explores gender / sexual identity and body image through multiple themes and subjects: gay adolescence, surreal childhood fantasy, bodybuilding, and manipulation of the the male body through the artifice of performance, costume, wigs, makeup, and plastic surgery.

In this exhibition, Morse creates a collaborative body of work that alludes to and is inspired by his recent videos Ookie Cookie (2009) and Mouse’s Birthday (2010, West Coast premiere in this exhibition), both of which will be screened.

Ookie Cookie (2009) Morse’s strange and whimsical video homage to the late underground filmmaker Tom Rubnitz, stars Jackie Beat as Lady Bunny, Morse as Pickle/Aunt Connie, drag artist Willam Belli, and other Los Angeles performers playing RuPaul, Sister Dimension and assorted New York club kid icons.

Mouse’s Birthday (2010, West Coast premiere in this exhibition) is a wholly original gay fable, set to original music and lyrics by Morse, featuring the vocal talents of Jane Weidlin (Go-Go’s), and stars Morse, LA drag icon Tammie Brown (RuPaul’s Drag Race) and a host of Los Angeles underground artists, including filmmakers Dino Dinco and Daniel Eduvijes Carrera, musician Ara Thorose (electro band MYNX), club diva/performer Jean Spinosa (Wigout!) and butoh dancer Sherwood Chen.

Morse’s work has been presented internationally in art galleries such as Santa Monica Museum of Art, Cohan Leslie Brown Gallery (New York), and the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, and venues and film festivals, including MIX NYC, MIX Brasil, Outfest (Los Angeles), Tel Aviv Fest, New Fest (New York), Frameline (San Francisco), Boston LGBT Film Festival, and Homo A Go Go, Morse received his BFA and MFA from California Institute of the Arts in 1993. He lives and works in Los Angeles.

Antebellum Gallery general hours: Wed – Sunday 1-7pm. 1643 N. Las Palmas Ave, Hollywood CA 90028, www.antebellum.us.ms

KINK CRUSADERS

If you are attending International Mr. Leather this weekend, Third Rail Media will be having the first public screening of the documentary "KINK CRUSADERS".
The screening is free and is a tribute to Chuck Renslow, who will be in attendance, (chuck was gracious enough to write the forward for my book- 13 years of bondage) Who knows, you may see yourself!

"Kink Crusaders" free screening
Chicago Hyatt Grand Ballroom
3:00 pm - 5:30pm

AIRPORT SECURITY OVERKILL

oh and i forgot to tell you.....
my last moment in new york was at la guardia airport, where they scanned my small suitcase 3 times.
i then had 5 security guards look at the scan, then another 4 guards rummaged thru the suitcase using a spoon-like devise that tests for anything combustible or poisonous(?)

after numerous back & fourths they decided that my KEY LIME CURD purchased @ tea & sympathy british emporium was suspicious and was over the ounce allowance of gel materials.

THEY CONFISCATED MY JELLY JAM!!

i'm soooo depressed and dishearten. the jelly was supposed to be a present for my neighbors flavie & clayton for taking care of my plants, or my rope yogi emilie odelie.

i should've just left it with LAUREN. at least she could've enjoyed it will her vanilla tea from mariage freres @ warwick ranch aka 13 colonies farm.

IN HONOR OF WILL MUNRO

i was informed that artist WILL MUNRO died on may 21st.
although i knew he was ill, this comes as a shock. will was legend in the toronto art scene and so very young.. i am very sad.




here is the official obituary~

Toronto artist and scene impresario Will Munro dies of cancer

Tributes are starting to pour in for Toronto artist and promoter Will Munro, known throughout the city’s music, art, DJ and gay scenes (he was frequently the catalyst for bringing those very scenes together under one roof, often for one party), who lost a two-year battle with brain cancer on May 21. For bands and artists such as The Hidden Cameras, Peaches and Crystal Castles, Munro provided the push to larger audiences that would eventually make them household names beyond Toronto’s borders. For those who just wanted to dance, he was a party-thrower extraordinaire. Long before Circa invaded Toronto’s scene, Munro was throwing parties that would live on in legend for weeks and months after being thrown, anchored most notably by his Vaseline (Vazaleen) monthly series. Munro was also an accomplished artist, and was even staging new work this year, and he-owned the Beaver Café on Queen Street West.

We remember some of the early days of Vaseline at El Mocambo, mostly because they were the most relaxed, best-DJed, most-packed-with-beautiful-people parties we’d ever been to at that point in our lives — and they certainly left one with a huge smile and sore feet the next day.

although i never met will in person i had the pleasure of photographing his ONE-OF-A-KIND UNDERWEAR for numerous publications.

here now are photographs from our collaboration dedicated to the memory of will munro- february 11th, 1975- may 21st, 2010-
RIP, baby, RIP.







(photos~ rick castro-2005 & 2006, one-of-a-kind underwear by will munro- published in AXM, MANNER)

THE SIGHTS & SOUNDS OF NYC

during my last days in NYC, i had the pleasure of~
TEA WITH FRIENDS, TOUR OF JERSEY CITY WITH BILLY MILLER, STUDIO VISIT WITH ROBERT RICHARDS, TEA & SYMPATHY WITH ROBERT DIAMOND, VISITING THE SHOWROOM OF MAO, LIVE PERFORMANCE OF LEOTARD WITH SEAN STRUB, A TOUR OF GENTRIFIED WEST SIDE PIERS WITH MATT LEVIN, PACE GALLERY TOUR & VISIT WITH MARC ARRANAGA, MORNING TEA WITH JOHNNY ROSA, LUNCH WITH DAVID FRANK RAY, DESERT WITH BASIL TWIST, QUICHE WITH NICOLAS WAGNER, PHOTO SHOOT FOR CRUSHFANZINE, VISIT TO ENVOY GALLERY, MIDTOWN BAR WITH WILLIAM JOHNSON FROM MARY, CURATING FOR NELSON SANTOS @ VISUAL AIDS, CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFIN & TEA WITH MICHAEL ALGO, DINNER WITH CHARLES LESLIE & JOHN PALATINUS, AND A WONDERFUL LAST NIGHT WITH MY LONGTIME BF/FB~ DANIEL.

(lauren & i, post~opening dinner party)


(william johnson of MARY)


(billy miller of STH)


(keith haring swimming pool)


(the highline park- west side)


(revealed curator- robert diamond & hotmess blogger- jae boogie)


(jairar tries on hand-me-down corset- approving parents- buck & lauren look on)


(nosegay bouquet for GF- lauren pine)

all in all my trip to NYC was incredible. like a fine red wine she gets better with age..... and i miss her already.

THE HUG MACHINE

autistic heroine TEMPLE GRADIN, sometimes referred to as, "The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow" created a devise to help people who cannot accept affection, but desire comfort. now you too can create your own
HUG MACHINE!

DO YOU BELIEVE IN NUMEROLOGY?

mobitel suspended the number 0888 888 888 – after every single person assigned to it died in the last 10 years.

Bulgarian mafia boss, Konstantin Dimitrov, was gunned down in 2003 by a lone assassin in the Netherlands Photo: ANP
The first owner Vladimir Grashnov – the former CEO of Bulgarian mobile phone company Mobitel which issued the number – died of cancer in 2001 aged just 48.
Despite a spotless business record there were persistent rumours that his cancer had been caused by a business rival using radioactive poisoning.

The number then passed to Bulgarian mafia boss, Konstantin Dimitrov, who was gunned down in 2003 by a lone assassin in the Netherlands during a trip to inspect his £500 million drug smuggling empire.
Dimitrov, who died aged 31, had the mobile with him when he was shot while eating out with a model.
Russian mafia bosses – jealous of his drug smuggling operation – were said to have been behind the killing.
The phone number then passed to Konstantin Dishliev, a crooked businessman, who was gunned down outside an Indian restaurant in Bulgaria's capital Sofia after taking over the jinxed line.
Dishliev, an estate agent, had secretly been running a massive cocaine trafficking operation before his assassination in 2005.
He died after £130 million of the drug was intercepted by police on its way into the country from Colombia.
Since then, the number is understood to have been dormant while police maintained an open file on Dishliev's killing and his smuggling ring.
Now phone bosses are said to have suspended the number for good. Callers now get a recorded message saying the phone is "outside network coverage."
A Mobitel spokesman would only say: "We have no comment to make. We won't discuss individual numbers."

BASIL'S WORKSHOP

my dear pal & puppeteer~ basil twist was kind enough to loan me his workshop for a photo shoot i'm creating for crushfanzine.

i ended up concentrating on the back alley outdoor space of basil's shop, but thought you guys would enjoy viewing the space where basil creates.

here are some rare pics from basil twist's puppet workshop.





(basil's kittie caught a sparrow during our photo shoot)