The “Build a giant Rube Goldberg and they will come” Edition :: Issue #104

 

:: :: If you don’t like clowns or bongs of John Waters’ head, don’t open this week’s issue  :: ::


Rusty's Electric Dreams

Rusty’s Electric Dreams, an inbox zine by Rusty Blazenhoff
Issue #104 :: The “Build a giant Rube Goldberg and they will come” Edition :: 10:05:2016

Build a giant Rube Goldberg and they will come…

I’m excited to tell you about a really great event my pals at New Creatures are planning. It’s called The Deconstruction and it’s right around the corner.

Make:‘s Caleb Kraft describes it as a “choose your own adventure style hackathon” and writes, “The Deconstruction is vague. It is meant to be that way. It is an event whose sole purpose is to bring people together to create something, anything, during the same 48 hours. Yup, make anything. A video, a song, a poem, a giant robot. Anything goes!”

It happens October 14 through 16, online and IRL.

One cool thing to note: During the last five minutes, they are going to set off “Common Ground,” a Rube Goldberg-inspired installation ACROSS. AMERICA. using gospel choirs, text messages, marbles, flamethrowers, and other oddball methods.

Want to create something, anything? Registration, which is free, is open now. Do it!

Still on the fence? Watch the video. There’s pie throwing and faceless US flag onesies.

Can’t participate? Dog ate your homework? Kick down some dough instead so it can happen!

A big warm thanks to Julie Casson for coming into “pinch hit” as September’s Artist-in-Residence.

This month, our A-i-R is Kevin Evans. If you have a copy of Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society, you will already be familiar with his gorgeous work!

Rusty Blazenhoff
p.s. Foma Labs has a zine now too!!

“Rusty! HUGE FAN of the newsletter. I’ve been reading for a *while* and you should be proud of what you’ve made this baby into.”
Sam Couch, RED reader

This space intentionally left deconstructed

As seen on the Internets

 

Michael Gump

Michael Gump

:: The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil, a new book by Al Ridenour & designed by Sean Tejaratchi (I KNOW!)
:: http://amzn.to/2dAB7rc

:: Wait! Stop the presses! Canned pumpkin IS pumpkin! Thanks, Sam!
:: http://www.snopes.com/canned-pumpkin-isnt-actually-pumpkin/

:: “Roadside Curiosities: Things That Make You Go ‘What the Heck?'”
:: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/roadside-curiosities-things-that-make-you-go-what-the-heck/

:: ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ played on a 1929 theremin via Boing Boing
:: https://youtu.be/K6KbEnGnymk

:: LEGO hair helmet Thanks, Andie!
:: http://www.moef.dk/blog/cases-single/article/prototype-af-en-ide/

:: FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL 415-529-6057
:: https://www.popupmagazine.com/phonestories/

:: Throw, an inspirational documentary about yo-yo champion Coffin Nachtmahr
:: http://www.blazenfluff.com/throw-an-inspirational-documentary-about-yo-yo-champion-coffin-nachtmahr/11317 Thanks, Doc Pop!

:: INCREDIBLE (and difficult) READ: “Meet the Woman Who Cared for Hundreds of Abandoned Gay Men Dying of AIDS”
:: http://www.out.com/positive-voices/2016/5/19/meet-woman-who-cared-hundreds-abandoned-gay-men-dying-aids Thanks, Dennis!

Real things you can actually buy: Hooray!



Real things you can actually buy: Hell No!


Scary Peeper

Thanks, Greg! 

Artist-in-Residence: Kevin Evans



Illustrated the writings of H.P Lovecraft. 

My imagery is a concoction of influence from the natural concealed world, instinct, and the cavernous depths of imagination and subconscious. The process is a provoking push and pull journey within medium and self with sporadic introductions of chaos to ensure an unpredictable voyage towards the concluding outcome.

When working, I deposit symbols, characters, and texture -following an intuitive voice leading to unanticipated and surprising consequences. The creation first begins as a sequence of visual ramblings in sketchbook. Intermittently, unsystematic rudiments and marks of disorder are introduced; on occasion regions destroyed or erased acting as a reaction trigger. It’s a procedure of embracing an atmosphere of unpredictability and Memento Mori.

When the illustration has attained a condition of termination, it is then transmitted to canvass, panel, or printed in the intaglio method.

Kevin

—-

Kevin Evans is a native Californian, born in San Luis Obispo, and resident of the San Francisco Bay Area since 1985. His chosen mediums are painting, printmaking, sculpture and digital media.

Since 1994, Kevin has worked as an artist in the CGI/computer games industry. He holds a BFA in illustration and painting.

Kevin co-authored, co-edited, art directed and was the primary illustrator for Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society.

Kevin’s artwork has been featured in various publications including “A Lovecraft Retrospective: Artists Inspired by HP Lovecraft.” Centipede Press, and Reader’s Guide to the Cthulhu Mythos, Gakken, Japan.

Events of note

 

John Waters bong by John de Fazio

“John Waters Bong (Fleshtone)” by John de Fazio, on display at Venus Manhattan until 11/2 (John Waters is on tour from 11/27 to 12/21)

California
[10/28-10/30] Explorers Guild Caravan Rally 2016, “an epic journey crossing hundreds of miles, locating checkpoints, accomplishing outlandish tasks and doing so all in the company of some of the weirdest / greatest people in SF” [Register your team]

SF Bay Area
[10/7-10/9] The 20th Anniversary of ArtCar Fest
[10/8] ArtCar Fest Bash at NIMBY, 6 PM to 2 AM [Tickets] (Spy Emerson’s Hook-Up Truck will be there!)

[10/29-10/30] Treasure Island Flea Market, Treasure Island, SF

Various Cities
[Ongoing] Silent Book Club

[Until 2/9/2017] Mortified Live! “Witness a night of adults telling stories about their lives by sharing their most mortifying childhood artifacts (diaries, letters, lyrics, poems, home movies)… in front of total strangers”

[2017] Adam Ant goes on tour, playing his 1980 album, Kings of the Wild Frontier, live

Alameda, California
[10/8] BlackLight Art Show & Night Market at Studio 23, 7 PM to 10 PM

[11/5] The 23rd Annual Le Bal des Vampires at Alameda Elks Lodge [Tickets]

[11/10-11/13] Shoot The Moon! Pacific Pinball Expo #7 [Tickets]

Austin, Texas
[10/22] Austin Skipathon, 10 AM [Register]

Berkeley, California
[1/6] The Lookouting: A Celebration of Lookout! Records at 924 Gilman

Black Rock City, Nevada
[8/27-9/4/2017] Burning Man 2017

Boston, Massachusetts
[12/17] A John Waters Christmas at Berklee Performance Center, 8 PM [Tickets]

Denver, Colorado
[4/8-4/9] DINK: Independent Comic Expo, “Urban art with literature, zines, small press publishers, underground comix and cocktails!” Thanks, Mike McDaniel!

[12/7] A John Waters Christmas at Boulder Theater, 8 PM [Tickets]

Detroit
[April 2017] Allee Willis’ The “D” premieres at the Fisher Building, party to follow

El Cerrito, California
[10/16] Down Home Music Store’s Community Parking Lot Sale, 8 AM to 1 PM

Fallon, Nevada
[10/11] Coyote Goes to Burning Man: “an exploration of the historical roots of tricksters, pranksters and surrealistic art at Burning Man” by Michael Mikel (Danger Ranger), at Churchill County Museum, 6 PM

Las Vegas
[Ongoing] Akhob, an immersive “Ganzfeld effect” experience by artist James Turrell at Louis Vuitton [by appt only: 702-730-3150]  HIGHLY recommended!

London
[Until 10/30] Dinner At The Twits: “Join Mr & Mrs Twit in their windowless house and ghastly garden for an evening you will never forget.” [Tickets]

[10/6-10/8] “The Joy of Bees” by Bompas & Parr, an “immersive experiential art installation and gastronomic tasting of honeys”

Los Angeles
[Until 10/23] Creep Los Angeles

[Until 10/31] Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s “Halloween Spooktacular” [Tickets]

[Until 10/31] Queen Mary Dark Harbor at That Big Ship in Long Beach

[Until 11/27] Guillermo del Toro exhibit at LACMA

[10/8-10/9] David Lynch’s Festival of Disruption at Ace Hotel via

[10/15] Charles Phoenix: This is Americana, Long Beach, CA, 8 PM [Tickets]

[10/15] Let’s Do the Time Warp (Again!)A Dance-a-thon Benefiting 826LA at iam8bit [Register]

[10/15-10/16] Taxidermy class: Lifesize Young Red Fox & Grey Fox

[10/28, 10/29 & 10/30] “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”: Danny Elfman Halloween show at Hollywood Bowl with special guests, including Paul Reubens (second two shows are sold out!)

[10/30] Alone: The Rite of the Anthropocene at an undisclosed location, 8 PM [Tickets]

[11/5 &11/6] Krampus mask-masking workshops, 1 PM to 5 PM [Register for 11/5 event]

[11/10-11/11/2017] National Beard and Mustache Championship

[11/19] Publication party for The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas at La Luz de Jesus

[11/26] Krampus lecture with costumed characters, slides, and video at the Goethe Institut

[12/2] Fourth Annual Krampus Ball with D’Oberlandler Bavarian dance troupe and others TBA

[12/5-12/8] Henry Rollins at Largo

[12/8] Los Angeles Krampuslauf at Downtown Art Walk.  After-party with Rosemary’s Billygoat at the Regent

[12/10] TORRANCE: Krammpstein at Alpine Village

[12/11] St. Nicholas-Krampus Play,  Austrian folk songs and stories by Michael Kaufmann, from Styria, Austria.

[12/17 & 12/18] Charles Phoenix’s Retro Slide Show, “Live Comedy Performance Celebrating 50s & 60s Holiday Life And Style!, Brea, CA

[Starts 10/2017] Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at The Broad

Malden, Massachusetts
[Ongoing] Boda Borg

Maxwell, California
[6/15-6/18/2017] Camp Tipsy 2017, “an annual rotten boat building contest and campout”

Minneapolis, Minnesota
[10/14-10/15] Nerd Con: Stories

New Orleans
[7/18-7/23/2017] Tales of the Cocktail

New York City
Quirky NYC by Oriana Leckert:
:: “From Bumper Cars to Torah Taxidermy: A Guide to 25 of Brooklyn’s Most Unusual Museums”
:: “From Elevators to Outsider Art: A Guide to 16 Under-the-Radar Museums in Queens”

[Ongoing] Sleep No More at The McKittrick Hotel
[Ongoing] Jungle-Ized by Sound Collective, Free
[Ongoing] The Ferry Play on the Staten Island Ferry, $1.99
[Ongoing] More NYC events
[Ongoing] Madame Tussauds New York hyper-reality Ghostbusters Experience

[10/7-10/9] Future of Storytelling Fest

[10/26] Opening night for Wilderness, a “multimedia, documentary theatre experience that illuminates the quest for connection within the 21st century American family”

[11/10]  55th Annual Gala for La MaMa experimental theatre (with a live performance by Allee Willis)

[11/27] A John Waters Christmas at City Winery New York, 8 PM

Oakland
[Until 12/11] Root Collection: 20 Years of the Patti Smith Collection at Mills College Art Museum
[10/12] Mills Train [Schedule]
[Until 10/14] Submit your #PATTIGRAM Thanks, Sonia!
[11/16] #PATTIGRAM opening reception

[10/7] ArtCars at Oakland First Fridays at Telegraph Ave at 23rd, 5 PM to 9:30 PM

[10/8] ArtCar Fest Bash at NIMBY, 6 PM to 2 AM [Tickets]

[10/8] Mortified Live at the New Parish, 8 PM

[10/12-10/15] 5th Anniversary Autumn Lights Festival at the Gardens at Lake Merritt

[10/15] Depressed Cake Shop Oakland, 3:30 PM to 7 PM

[10/22] Opening reception for Parts & Labor, a solo show by Nemo Gould

[11/13] An Afternoon with David Sedaris, 4 PM to 7 PM [Tickets]

[12/13] Tig Notaro at Fox Theater, 8 PM [Tickets]

[4/19-4/24, 2017] Psychedelic Science 2017 at Oakland Marriott Center [Tickets]

Oregon
[8/17-8/23] Oregon Eclipse 2017, a “total solar eclipse gathering”

Palm Springs
[10/20-10/23] MOD Palm Springs at Caliente Tropics Resort [Tickets]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thank you, Stefan Jewett!
[Until 10/31] ERASERHEAD FOREVER exhibit at Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art

[11/9] Diane Coffee at Boot & Saddle, 8:30 PM

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
[10/22] El Vez, the Mexican Elvis at The Warhol Museum

Plains, Georgia
[Sundays] (Former President) Jimmy Carter’s Sunday School Class

San Diego
[12/15] Presentation on The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas at San Diego Art Institute, Balboa Park

[3/4-3/11] JoCo Cruise 2017, “a whole cruise ship full of music, comedy, and general nerdery”

San Francisco
:: “Best storytelling events in the Bay Area”
:: Upscale vs. Frugal SF
[Ongoing] Elsewhere Philatelic Society
[Ongoing] More SF events
[Ongoing] Prelinger Library events

[Opening in Oct] The William Blake Gallery at 49 Geary

[Through Oct] San Francisco Neon Survivors and Icons From the Archives, SF Library, Main Branch, 4th floor

[Until 10/30] Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition at The Contemporary Jewish Museum (highly recommended!)

[Through November] Come Out and Play SF 2016
Some highlights: Thx, Albert!
[10/8] Journey to the End of Night, 5 PM – 11:30 PM [Register]
[11/20] The Dance and the Dawn: Dreams of Ice and Ash, “An improvisational theater LARP, with high drama and emotional investment.”

[Until 12/18] Home Land Security at Fort Winfield Scott and the Presidio, Wednesday through Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM, Free

[10/13-12/31] Real Housewives of Macaroni, New portraits by Jason Mecier at Dog Eared Books Castro, 489 Castro Street
Artist reception on 10/13, 7 PM to 9 PM

[10/5] DorkbotSF 90 at Gray Area Art + Technology, 7 PM [Details]

[10/6] Cory Doctorow at SFMOMA, 7 PM [Tickets]

[10/8] Gonzo: 50 Years of Hunter S. Thompson at Swedish American Hall, 8 PM to 10 PM [Tickets]

[10/9] Burning Man Decompression: Heat the Street Faire, 12 PM to 12 AM

[10/9] Bikes to Books Three-year Anniversary Bicycle Ride, a literary cycling tour, 1 PM to 4 PM, 16+

[10/9] HIGHtoberfest, 2 PM [Code: FRAULEINCHEF420]

[Until 10/9] The Way You Look (At Me) Tonight: “a social sculpture—a sensory journey for two performers and an audience” [Tickets]

[10/12] Fireside Storytelling: “Games People Play” at Chez Poulet, 8 PM

[10/13] Brian Wilson presents Pet Sounds: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary, 8 PM [Tickets]

[10/14] Drunken Dino Happy Hour OMG Sketchnotes! at General Assembly, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

[10/13] Mark Bittman on baking at JCCSF, 7 PM [Tickets]

[10/15-10/23] The Natives Are Restless: “From overthrow to uprising, an epic tale of Hawaiian resilience” at The Palace of Fine Arts [Info]

[10/16] UnPresenting workshop with Heather Gold: “Giving talks that are more fun, require less preparation & leave your audience feeling awesome.” [Register]

[10/22] 7th Annual SuperHero Street Fair 2016, 1 PM to 11 PM [Tickets]

[10/22] Opening reception for Radioactive Swamp Art Show at JOY Gallery, 7 PM to 12 AM

[10//22-10/23] Internet! A Retrospective, a “gallery exhibition organized by Helen Tseng and Tim Hwang, celebrating the spirit of possibility and experimentation in the technology and early web of the 1990s and early 2000s.” [Tickets]

[10/23] Publication party for The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas at the Elbo Room

[10/25] Mark Frost / The Secret History of Twin Peaks at the Roxie Theater, 7:30 PM to 9 PM [Tickets]

[10/25] Llamas and VR at Upload Collective, 7 PM to 9 PM [Tickets]

[10/25] Odd Salon: Justice at DNA Lounge, 7 PM to 10 PM [Tickets]

[10/27-11/6] Secret of the Cursed Chapel (site-specific escape room) [Tickets]

[10/31] The Night Circus Halloween Soirée, 7 PM to 12 AM [Tickets]

[11/9] Fireside Storytelling: “Caught in the Act” at Chez Poulet, 8 PM

[11/19] The Artumnal Gathering, 5:45 PM to 2 AM

[11/19-12/18] The Great Dickens Christmas Fair at the Cow Palace [Tickets]

[11/30] A John Waters Christmas at Great American Music Hall, 8 PM [Tickets]

[12/7 & 12/8) “Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show Parts 1 & 2” at the Alamo Drafthouse

[12/14] Fireside Storytelling: “Hot!” at Chez Poulet, 8 PM

[10/2017] 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love

San Jose, California
[10/4-10/7] Big Ideas Fest, “designing the future of education”

[10/14, 10/15 & 10/16] One-Day Taxidermy Workshop Series [Sign up]

[10/14-10/16] Large-Scale Immersive Experience: Matthew Briar and the Age of Resurrection, 7:30 PM to 11 PM Thanks, Albert! 

Santa Fe, New Mexico
[Ongoing] Meow Wolf [Read this] [Tickets]

Scottsboro, Alabama
[Ongoing] Unclaimed Baggage Center Thanks, Farrah!

Seattle
The Obscure, the Charming and the Odd: Mark Pahlow’s Guide to Seattle

[10/27] Bawdy Storytelling: Wicked at Re-Bar, 8 PM to 10:30 PM

Sebastopol, California
[10/15] ThinkTank Stage Show with Spy Emerson and Dr. Hal

Sun Valley, Idaho
[3/19/2017-3/22/2017] Dent 2017, a creative retreat for people who want to “put a dent in the universe,” as Steve Jobs once said. (Highly recommended!)

HEY YOU, YES YOU

Know about a cool happening, soiree, and/or event? I can’t be everywhere and know about everything, so share it with me! I’ll do my best to include it in the next issue.

“Ordinary persons, he said, smiling, found no differences between men.
The artist found them all.”

I want to be sure that future generations of weirdoes, misfits, and freaks have a voice and that we’re celebrating what’s good about alternative cultures.”
Rusty Blazenhoff, Alameda Magazine

Rusty’s Electric Dreams is a weekly inbox zine by Rusty Blazenhoff.

Rusty has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the quirky-cool corner of pop culture, including Pee-wee Herman, Allee Willis, Laughing Squid, and Archie McPhee. Her offbeat zine is chock full of art, unusual products, worldwide event listings of note, and other fun surprises.

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