Rusty's Electric Dreams, the "Let's Play" edition

Rusty’s Electric Dreams :: Issue #015 :: The “Let’s play” edition :: 01:07:2015

Rusty’s Electric Dreams, an inbox zine by pop culture activist Rusty Blazenhoff

Issue #015 :: The “Let’s play” Edition :: 01:07:2015

Well, hello there 2015

[NOTE: Rusty’s Electric Dreams looks WAY BETTER in your inbox.]

On January 23rd, I become “Rusty Blazenhoff” once and for all. I never meant to carry along this name for twenty years, but here I am, about to throw it on my driver’s license. Early on, the pseudonym was a joke, a temporary escape from a challenging past. Now the alter ego is mine all mine, no joke. Universe, you are so terribly funny.

A new month also means a new artist-in-residence. San Francisco-based Mirabelle Jones will be holding that spot for the next few weeks. She was recently published in Ms. Magazine, where she wrote about spending 12 hours in a glass case inside of a Mission storefront. I am thrilled to pieces to have her here this month.

Lastly, can I just state something obvious? Self promotion is a bitch. I do the best I can but what you may not realize is that you, dear reader, hold a significant piece in my future success. Can you think of a friend or three that might enjoy this zine of mine and ask them to subscribe? I would really appreciate it! 🙂

Let’s do this thing called 2015. Are you with me?

— Rusty Blazenhoff

p.s. If you’re new here, yay.

This space
intentionally left playful

As seen on the Internets

:: 70s Rock Stars In Their Parents’ Homes
:: http://peewee.com/2015/01/06/70s-rock-legends-parents-homes/

:: You have GOT to see the drinking straw lamp and chair on this page:

:: http://peewee.com/2015/01/03/national-drinking-straw-day/

:: Terrible Origami, an Etsy shop via seanbonner
:: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TerribleOrigami

:: “You have too much time on your hands”
:: http://geekmom.com/2015/01/too-much-time/

:: The Thing from the Future, a new card game
:: http://blog.longnow.org/02015/01/02/the-thing-from-the-future-prognostication-can-be-fun/

:: Weird Al has a new website
:: http://weirdal.com/

:: Alt-Valentines for alt-relationships (a super-popular Blazenfluff post from 2013)
:: http://blazenfluff.com/alt-valentines-for-alt-relationships/3994/

:: “Standing naked in front of an audience: Amanda Palmer…” by Cory Doctorow
:: http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/11/standing-naked-front-audience-amanda-palmer-and-new-way-make-art

:: OMG, a 747 is coming to Burning Man!
:: https://www.fest300.com/magazine/videos/a-747-will-go-to-burning-man

Real things you can actually buy: nay!

In 2009, online retailer ThinkGeek created this Playmobil Apple Store Playset, complete with a black-turtlenecked Steve Jobs, as an April Fools Day prank.They thought of everything, including the “Optional Line Pack” that features a bearded fanboy on a Segway at the front of the line. Because, of course:

Artist-in-residence: January 2015

Playing Dead, a photo essay by Mirabelle Jones

“I’ve learned from doing this a dozen or so times that an authentically dead pose depends a good deal on light and landscape. You can’t just take any old arms splayed, legs splayed position and expect it to look dead in each and every environment…” —Mirabelle Jones

:: READ THE ENTIRE STORY and SEE ALL THE PHOTOS HERE ::

Real things you can actually buy: yay!

To those who love chinoiserie, Hollywood Regency, and mid-century modern furniture and accessories; I have fantastic news for you. There’s a new-ish vintage and antiques shop located in the East Bay. It’s called Erin Lane Estate and I had the sincere pleasure of meeting the wife/husband duo behind it recently. They’re about a year into their emerging business and are growing fast.

Pictured: A set of mid-century modern Culver highball glasses (1950s), available at their Etsy store or in-person at their warehouse (near American Steel Studios). They ship to all 50 states.

[Yes, you have my permission to tell your interior designer friends about them.]

The 2015 Accordion Babes Pin-Up Calendar is available now from Smythe’s Accordion Center.

“No posers, these ladies really know how to play!”

A la Jack Chick

“Ever been handed one of those little books that tells the story of a story about how D&D is evil, or the pope is actually the antichrist? Yeah? Now imagine if some stranger handed you a little comic that looked the same and smelled the same, but was all about how superheroes are rad and dinosaurs are bad.

I made that comic, the one about the dinos, and I’d like to give away 1,000 copies to strangers. It’s part mini-comic, part social experiment.” —Doc Pop on his new “God Hates Dinosaurs” project

He’s started a small Kickstarter to fund the project, just $800. Let’s fund this!

~~ Playmobil Village People by Richard Unglik ~~

Folks, I’ve recently signed up for this thing the kids are calling “online dating.”Now, I don’t want to jump the gun, but I think I already found the “One.”His profile name is GiantKillerBear. Here’s a look at his life and what he offers the right partner (probably me):

I KNOW, RIGHT?

And here I was thinking I was going to be alone for the rest of my days. It ain’t over ’til it’s over, dear readers. I have found my exploding-rainbow-appreciating match.

Events of note

Alameda
[1/18] Beatles Thingy* with Joshua Raoul Brody at Fireside Lounge, 21+
[Psst…He has an e-newsletter too.]

Austin
[1/18] Midge Ure at Cactus Cafe

[2/10] Lloyd Cole at Cactus Cafe

[3/15] The first SXSW panel I’ve ever been on happens. It’s called “The Greatest Geek Moment in History” and I’m honored to share the stage with Chris Taylor of Mashable and Daniel Terdiman of VentureBeat. 5 PM

Denver
[Until 4/12] Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver

Los Angeles
[1/8] Marc Maron [Sold out]

[1/11] The 7th Annual No Pants Metro Ride 2015

[1/12] An evening with Judd Apatow and friends, like Lindsey Buckingham

Menlo Park
[1/28] Armistead Maupin, celebrate the end of Tales of the City series [Tickets]

New York City
[1/9] Kiddie Flamingos: a 74-minute video of a “defanged and desexualized” script reading of John Waters’ Pink Flamingos. Happens in conjunction with Waters’ new exhibit, “Beverly Hills John,” at Marianne Boesky Gallery through February 14th.

Oakland

[1/7] Suki O’ Kane’s Silence on the Sevens

[1/9] Hot Couture at The Crucible [Tickets]
[1/10] Hot Couture at The Crucible [Tickets]

[1/11] â€œMade in Oaklandâ€ Inaugural Festival, a free arts and community celebration at American Steel Studios. It’s part of the inaugural for Oakland’s newly-elected mayor, Libby Schaaf.3 to 7 PM

[1/16] The Calling All Choir Season Finale [Tickets]

[1/25] Oakland Museum’s White Elephant PREVIEW Sale [Tickets]

[2/5-2/18] The 17th San Francisco Independent Film Festival takes place at the Brava and Roxie Theaters in SF and the Humanities Hall in Oakland.

[3/7-3/8] Oakland Museum’s White Elephant Sale [Free]

Palo Alto
[1/13] Cheryl Strayed will tell stories at Stanford as part of their storytelling project [Free]
[1/28] So will Maria Bamford [Also free]

Paris
[10/10] Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton

San Francisco
[1/8] Artist reception for Paige Saez’s exhibit hosted by Institute of Possibility at Chez Poulet, 3359 Cesar Chavez from 7 to 10 PM

[1/9] I Didn’t See That Coming: S. Bear Bergman tells an evening of stories at Center for Sex and Culture

[1/10] First Annual Sex Culture Book Fair

[1/16-1/25] Noir City: The 13th annual San Francisco Film Noir Festival

[1/18] Crashfaster, Doctor Popular, and Curious Quail at Brick and Mortar Music Hall

[1/20] Mathieu Victor @ The Interval: Artists with Lasers

[1/22] City Of Women, Erik Blood, and Steely Nash work you at The Hemlock

[1/22-2/8] SF Sketchfest: The SF Comedy Festival. This year’s lineup is fantastic. [Tickets]

[1/23] I legally become “Rusty Blazenhoff.”

[1/24] The Calling All Choir Season Finale [Tickets]

[1/30-2/1] Pancakes & Booze Art Show with an all-u-can-eat pancake bar

[1/31] Fallen Cosmos

[2/5-2/18] The 17th San Francisco Independent Film Festival, the Brava and Roxie Theaters in SF and the Humanities Hall in Oakland

[2/7] ArtPoint’s Annual Gala: Art is for Everybody at deYoung Museum

[2/8] Cultivated Wit’s Comedy Hack Day Finals, 7 PM at Marines Memorial Theatre [Tickets]

Vancouver, BC
[1/29=2/14] Pinata, an art show featuring Meaghan Kennedy and Ali Bruce at Hot Wet Art City gallery
[1/30] Artist reception for Pinata, 7 PM, details to come

~~ Tickets ($140) are now available for Camp Tipsy 2015 ~~

~~Burning Man pre-sale tickets are available on January 14, 2015 for $800 each.~~

~~Help me fill this section out. Email me with a cool event you know about. Yes, you.~~

What I need from YOU!

If you are hosting an indie event, have a cool site, business, or project, we can help each other by swapping digital space. You promote my project and I’ll promote yours. It’s really that simple.

“All the things I could do…If I had a little money…”

If you are unable to offer financial support, would you consider asking your friends to subscribe to my zine? C’mon, let’s find the Others.

Know about something cool that would be a good fit for this zine? Lemme know about it.

NEW: Send me your recommendations on offbeat places to go/see/eat in Las Vegas. I’m visiting in a few weeks! [Am already clued in on the Penn & Teller show, KISS mini golf, Akhob, and the Neon Boneyard.]

“When she transformed into a butterfly, the caterpillars spoke not of her beauty, but of her weirdness. They wanted her to change back into what she always had been.

But she had wings.”

—Dean Jackson

Rusty’s Electric Dreams is a weekly inbox zine by Rusty Blazenhoff. These personally curated missives are beacons to signal and celebrate the global tribe of weird, wonderful, and “different” people (“the Others“).
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