The "I need everything in black and white" Edition :: Issue #071

Rusty’s Electric Dreams :: Issue #071 :: The “‘I need everything in black and white” Edition :: 02:10:2016

Rusty’s Electric Dreams, an inbox zine by professional free spirit Rusty Blazenhoff
Issue #071 :: The “I need everything in black and white” Edition :: 02:10:2016

I need everything in black and white…

So, a funny thing happened this weekend.

I drove a convertible Maserati on Sunday afternoon.

But that isn’t the funny thing.

It was an absolutely beautiful Spring-like February day here in the Bay Area and a new friend invited me to command his fancy-pants rental down Highway 1. It was a gorgeous drive. We detoured into the forest and stopped for lunch at Alice’s Restaurant (yep, named after the song) in Skywood. Then I got to drive again, zooming through the winding road, hugging all its curves.

Here’s the funny part: I didn’t feel guilty for the experience. In fact, it was downright fantastic.

Not that long ago, I couldn’t have imagined myself doing something so… decadent. So… luxurious. *Me*

I spent the last two years suffering, emotionally and financially. Ask anyone close to me, it got hairy on both fronts for most of my 2014 and 2015. I had this gnawing feeling that I was fundamentally bad. Well, as it turned out, a job loss at the tail end of 2013 triggered PTSD which stemmed from traumatic childhood events.

When I realized it was too much to handle on my own, I got help in a variety of different ways. I faced my demons head on and finally broke through.

I recently made a conscious choice to be a thriving artist, instead of a starving one. If you are currently in the latter category and unhappy, I highly recommend working through your suffering. If you can’t do it alone, get some help. It’s not shameful to ask for help. You’re not crazy or broken, you’re human. There is a way out.

As Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re going through Hell, keep going.”

A-freakin-men to that Mr. Churchill.

So, in an attempt to be more than “ok” with wealth in my life (see: “thriving artist” above), I’m forcing myself to be around it more. Maybe the shame of having it will be erased by enjoying it. Maybe it’s that easy.

So, I drove a convertible Maserati on Sunday afternoon.

Do I want to own a Maserati? No, I do not. But, dang, the total lack of suffering Sunday afternoon felt divine.

— Rusty Blazenhoff

p.s. Why do we have to suffer for our art anyway?

“Thank you for providing the BEST email I get each week. I’m always inspired to click links, buy tickets, invite artists to visit! Your signal and celebration of the weird & wonderful is mighty. Thank you!”

— Elliotte Bowerman,
founder of The Unicorn Estate and Project Unihorn

This space intentionally left with no gray areas.

As seen on the Internets

Alex Markow

:: “Living out of a van is the new American dream”
:: https://www.vice.com/read/living-out-of-your-car-is-the-new-american-dream

:: Invisible shoes
:: http://andsewingishalfthebattle.com/invisible-shoes/

:: TED Residency [apply] Thanks, Andie!
:: http://blog.ted.com/introducing-the-ted-residency/

:: The San Francisco snowfall of 1976
:: http://blog.sfgate.com/blizzard-of-awesome-the-san-francisco-snowfall-of-1976

:: “Don Letts: ‘Punk is not mohawks and safety pins. It’s an attitude and a spirit'”
:: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/07/don-letts-this-much-i-know

:: Strung Out In Heaven: A Bowie String Quartet Tribute by Amanda Palmer
:: http://amandapalmer.net/strungoutinheaven/

:: Bouquet of Doritos roses
:: http://www.eater.com/2016/2/9/10950002/doritos-roses-valentines-day-canada

Real things you can actually buy: yay!

via SF Slim

Artist-in-Residence: Benjamin Wachs

Rusty Blazenhoff at Forbidden Island

photo by David White, shot at Forbidden Island NOT the horrible bar below

For two years this week’s artist-in-residence, Benjamin Wachs, was the bar columnist for SF Weekly, and his weekly adventures-in-drinking was the first thing people turned to in the paper.

The story of how he and I first met at a bar was chronicled on Aug. 26, 2014 – and it was a horrible bar. Just awful. So awful that they did everything they could to get kicked out of it … but couldn’t because the service was so bad.

This week he’s replaying that story here: http://fascinatingstranger.com/will-lie-for-punch/

You can read all his bar columns for the SF Weekly (HIGHLY recommended reading) here: http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/ArticleArchives

He’ll be continuing the series for Broke-Ass Stuart’s website beginning in March.

Follow Benjamin on Twitter to keep up!

— Rusty Blazenhoff

———

Praise on his book, A Guide to Bars and Nightlife in the Sacred City:

â€œA collection of provocative, brain-teasing and magical short stories,â€ â€œsassy, brainy, soul-searching, sexy, longing, yearning â€” and risk-taking.â€

— Leslie Katz, San Francisco Examiner

“Benjamin Wachs reveals a distinctive and highly personal flair for storytelling that will engage the readerâ€™s total and rapt attention throughout. As thoughtful and thought-provoking as they are solidly entertaining, the short stories comprising “A Guide to Bars and Nightlife in the Sacred City” are highly recommended and rewarding reading.â€

— Midwest Book Review

Events of note

Lost Landscapes

[3/2] Lost Landscapes of Oakland, California with Rick Prelinger, Berkeley, California

Netflix
[3/18] Pee-wee’s Big Holiday premieres on Netflix

Online and IRL
[3/21] Patience, a new graphic novel by Daniel Clowes

Various cities in the USA
[Until 4/23] Lily Tomlin

[Soon] Neko Case is on tour

Austin, Texas
[3/18] Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion

[3/11-3/15] SXSW Interactive

Berkeley, California
[3/2] Lost Landscapes of Oakland, California with Rick Prelinger, 3:10 PM

[3/26] Heather Gold’s “Everything Is Subject to Change” – One Night Only

East Park Reservoir in Colusa County, California
[5/20-5/26] Camp Tipsy

Gibsonton, Florida
[Until 2/13] International Independent Showmen’s Tradeshow Thanks, Joyce!

Houston, Texas
[4/9] The 29th Annual Houston Art Car Parade

Lake Iseo, Italy
[6/18 to 7/3] Christo’s Floating Piers

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

Desert beyond Las Vegas
[4/29 to 5/1] Further Future Festival: Music Technology Speakers Wellness Art Gastronomy & Community [Tickets]

Lisbon, Portugal
[11/7-11/10] Web Summit 2016

London
[2/11-2/13] Atmospheric Aphrodisiacs, the worldâ€™s first aphrodisiac breathable cloud at Alcoholic Architecture in Borough Market

[July 2016] EVA London 2016

Los Angeles

“Cool Places to Buy Weird Shit in Los Angeles”

[Dates in Feb.] Year of the Monkey at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre

[2/10] Serial Killer Speed Dating: Valentine’s Edition, 8 PM to 10 PM, BarFood LA

[2/13] Pink Unicorns Pink Champagne, Valentines Day at The Velveteria, 7 PM – 11 PM, 711 New High, Chinatown

[2/14] The Los Angeles International Pen Show Thanks, Michael!

[2/18] FREE ADVICE, at the Ace Hotel Downtown L.A. rooftop, 12 PM to 6 PM

[2/18-2/20] Pez Con Thanks, Jovino!

[2/19-2/21] The Antigone Project

[2/27] The Edwardian Ball

[2/29] Bob Baker Day [Tickets]

[2/29-3/1] A L O N E i n c . A C H E L A N D, undisclosed location in LA [Tickets]

[3/19] Crispin Glover Live! 10th anniversary Part 1 and Part 2 of IT trilogy

[3/24] Cat Art Show LA 2: The Sequel at Think Tank Gallery

[4/1-4/3] Roaring Twenties Weekend 2016 [Tickets]

[5/3-5/4] ROUGH SLEEPER at Think Tank Gallery

Marble Falls, Texas
[10/7-10/10] Camp Grounded

Melbourne, Australia
beinArt Gallery opens in early 2016

[2/20] White Night Melbourne

New York City
Quirky NYC by Oriana Leckert:
“From Bumper Cars to Torah Taxidermy: A Guide to 25 of Brooklynâ€™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] The Ferry Play on the Staten Island Ferry, $1.99

[Dates through March] 8Players, an immersive roleplaying experience, Secret locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan, 21+ [Tickets]

[2/19-2/23] Insignificance by Terry Johnson, Langham Place Hotel, Manhattan [Tickets]

[Until 3/27] Then She Fell, An immersive theater experience combining a hospital ward, the writings of Lewis Carroll, and only 15 audience members per show [Tickets]

Oakland

[2/12 and 2/13] Hot Couture: Alchemy & Ardor at The Crucible, [Tickets]

[2/14] Romance in the Redwoods at Redwood Regional Park at Canyon Meadow Staging Area, 2 PM to 5 PM, drop-in program

[3/5 and 3/6] Oakland Museum’s White Elephant Sale, Free

[4/17] MAPS 30th Anniversary Banquet & Celebration at Scottish Rite Center

[6/25-6/26] Burger Boogaloo, Mosswood Park [Tickets]

Palm Springs, California
[2/13] Charles Phoenix Space Age Slide Show at Palm Springs Art Museum, 10 AM [Tickets]

[7/8-7/11] Yes and Yes Yes (YxYY) at the Ace Hotel, a “summer retreat for anyone who considers themselves a thinker, maker, creator, nerd, or weirdo.”

Paris, France
Editor’s note: Last January I had the good fortune to spend the night in an artist’s yurt. My photos from that visit will be included in this show…in PARIS!
[4/13-8/29] Habiter le Campement, Cite de l’architecture & du patrimoine au Palais de Chaillot

Portland, Oregon
[Until 4/3] Kenny Scharf: Cosmic Cavern Thanks, Michael! Great one!

[8/11-8/15] World Domination Summit [Tickets]

Provincetown, Massachusetts
[8/13-8/19] Carnival 2016: Back to the 80â€™s

Riverside, California
[5/20-5/22] Beyond Brookledge at the Galleria at the Mission Inn

San Francisco
[Until 2/26] Ellingson & Wertz at Mule Gallery

[2/11-2/25] SF Indie Fest, various events around the city

[2/10] Pussy Riot at the Warfield [Tickets]

[2/10-2/13] Fog City Magic Fest at EXIT Theatre

[2/11] Digital Detox’s Analog Dating Night, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM, Soma Street Food Park [Tickets]

[2/11] Playful Get-To-Know-You Experiences: Tangible Possibility (Lea Redmond) & Appetite Obscure, 6:30 PM

[2/11] Monica Lewinsky at JCCSF

[2/13] Bawdy Storytelling’s NINTH Anniversary Shows! Congrats, Dixie!
Bawdy Storytelling: Unforgettable, early show 7 PM at Verdi Club [Tickets]
Bawdy Storytelling: The Best of, late show 10 PM at Verdi Club [Tickets]

[2/11-3/5] Miss Behaveâ€™s Game Show at Greek Star Theatre [Tickets]

[2/13-2/14] International Cannabis Business Conference, discounted tix available at BASA, 1326 Grove

[2/12-2/14] Reveal All Fear Nothing: A Journey in Sex, Love, Porn and Feminism at SF Armory

[2/17] Nerd Nite #69: Sutro Baths, Psychedelic Data Science, and Blowing Up Bridges! at Rickshaw Stop, 7 PM [Tickets]

[2/24] A Tribute to Aunt Charlieâ€™s “Beautiful by Night”, 6:30 PM

[2/26] DeepDream: The art of neural networks at Gray Area, 6 PM – 11 PM [Tickets]

[3/4] Dead Kennedys at the Fillmore [Tickets]

[3/19 and 3/20] San Francisco Pop-up Ball pit Bar at the Romper Room

[3/24] Comedian Maria Bamford at Nourse Theater

[4/14-4/15] The Chocolate and Art Show at SOMarts

[4/16] SFMOMA to reopen

[4/21-4/24] The Gray Area Festival, a conference, performances, workshops, and an exhibition surveying culture through the lens of art and technology

[6/12-6/13] Season finale of Calling All Choir at Mission Dolores Basilica

[6/24-6/26] New Games with John Law

[7/10] Cocktail Robotics Grand Challenge at DNA Lounge [Tickets]

[7/23] The Murray Invitational. A Bill Murray Art Exhibition and Golf Party at Public Works

[8/5-8/7] Outside Lands, Golden Gate Park

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

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

San Mateo, California
[5/20-5/22] The 11th Annual Maker Faire Bay Area [Tickets]

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

Sun Valley, Idaho
[3/20-3/23/2016] DENT

Spain
[7/4-7/10] Nowhere

HEY YOU, YES YOU
If YOU would like to co-curate an issue of Rusty’s Electric Dreams, I’d love to hear your idea! Please email me: rusty@blazenhoff.com.

Know about a cool event? Share it. I’ll do my best to include it in the next issue.

“Organizations are by nature conservative, but to survive and prosper they also needed to indulge in the creative flights of fancy that may foresee the need for, or produce, great new products or concepts. The ideal workplace would be like a reflection of the self-actualized person’s creative nature: a childlike inspiration to truly create something new; and the maturity to see a vision through to reality.”

— Tom Butler-Bowden on Abraham Maslow’s self-actualization research

“To live creatively is a choice. You must make a commitment to your own mind and the possibility that you will not be accepted. You have to let go of satisfying people, often even yourself.”

— “Inside the Box, People don’t actually like creativity.”

“I like to be a free spirit. Some don’t like that, but that’s the way I am.”

— Diana, Princess of Wales

Can you hear it?

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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