The "Extra, Extra" Edition :: Issue #220, Rusty's Electric Dreams

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“An artist is not special. An artist is an ordinary person who can take ordinary things and make them special.”

― Ruth Asawa

An inbox zine for positive deviants and the people who love them
Issue #220 :: The “Extra, Extra” Edition :: 05:22:2019

Extra, Extra…

Thanks to everyone who played along with the Ugly Postcard Project. All those hideous things have been sent out — so, if you ordered one, look for yours to hit your mailbox in the next few days. If you haven’t, I do still have a few more… Just pop a suggested $4 into my PayPal, along with your snail mail address, and I’ll get one out to you asap. They ARE oddly old fashioned and gently unpleasant to the eyes. You’ve been warned.

— Rusty Blazenhoff

P.S. Hope you all have a first-rate long weekend!

As seen on the Internets

Wish-makers: An anonymous art group based out of Los Angeles, simply called the Art Department, gave folks an opportunity to make secret wishes by blowing on dandelion puff-balls. Out in a decommissioned electrical substation in the city of Commerce, visitors to their two-day Dandelions installation “submitted their wishes for questioning and analysis before receiving a dandelion to send their wish in a whoosh down a chute of either slam dunks or long shots,” according to Colossal. Neat! [Learn more about this super-cool project from someone who was there at Hyperallergic.]

The Art Department is definitely a group to follow. All of their projects are free, open to the public, and, apparently, awesome! Can’t wait to see what they’ve got up their collective sleeve next.

photo by Michèle M Waite, Art Department

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:: LOVE this: MFA student intentionally “breaks” the Salesforce Tower’s video with an error message
:: https://twitter.com/djcap/status/1130337366780944384

:: “Forget about good”: An incomplete manifesto for growth
:: http://www.manifestoproject.it/bruce-mau Thanks, Marcia!

:: Wisdom from 84-year-old textile artist Sheila Hicks: “You should mistrust your culture.”

:: https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/sheila-hicks-artist-on-intuition-success-legacy

:: Imagining what Karate Kid trading cards would have looked like
:: https://www.brandedinthe80s.com/17697/these-should-exist-the-karate-kid-edition

:: The most efficient way to see all 48 U.S. state capitols in one road trip
:: https://www.sunset.com/travel/lower-48-road-trip

:: “Sheryl Crow’s ‘All I Wanna Do’ Updated For The Gig Economy”
:: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sheryl-crows-all-i-wanna-do-updated-for-the-gig-economy

:: Upside-down world maps
:: https://www.flourish.org/upsidedownmap

Real thing you can actually buy: yay!

Try, try again: In 2017, when John Waters published his last book, Make Trouble, he went out on a meet-and-greet tour. Green Apple Books in San Francisco was on that tour, so I decided to go and get a copy of the book signed by the legend himself. My friend Joyce and I decided to make an evening of it, meeting up beforehand for weed-smoking and Indian food. Alas, by the time we got to the packed bookshop, I was feeling really wretched (from the food, no doubt) and had to leave before it was my turn to meet him. To make matters worse, for me at least, Joyce got a terrific photo with him.

So, it’s exciting to hear he has a brand-new book, especially since it means he’s going on a national book tour again. The book is called Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder and it’s described as follows:

The book “serves it up raw: how to fail upward in Hollywood; how to develop musical taste from Nervous Norvus to Maria Callas; how to build a home so ugly and trendy that no one but you would dare live in it; more important, how to tell someone you love them without emotional risk; and yes, how to cheat death itself. Through it all, Waters swears by one undeniable truth: ‘Whatever you might have heard, there is absolutely no downside to being famous. None at all.'”

He also describes dropping acid at age 70.

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[5/30] John Waters presents his new book Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder at The Green Arcade, Doors 6:15 PM, Start 7 PM, $10 or free with book purchase

Real thing you can actually buy: yes way!

This one goes to Eleven: LEGO has made a really elaborate Stranger Things set. It actually flips over! ($199.99, available 6/1)

Featured Events

[Portland 9/5-9/8] XOXO 2019, the experimental festival for indie artists who “live and work online,” is ON! Here’s the deal though, if you’re interested in attending, you have to get in your registration survey in by Thursday, May 23 at noon PT/3 PM ET. Yes, that means tomorrow.
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USA and Canada
[various dates] Immersive listings

Austin, TX
[6/29-6/30] This is an event my dear friend Maggie Duval is co-producing and it looks terrific: True Fiction: The Art and Craft of Nonfiction — A Masterclass with Mark Dery

Bay Area, CA
[Walnut Creek 5/25 and TBD 6/29] The Wanderer’s Union, a long-distance wandering club, has announced the dates for their 2019 season (“You can travel by foot or public transit only. Wear comfy shoes.”), FREE

Berkeley, CA
[6/7] That Really Happened??? A night of true stories at The Monkey House, 7 PM

Hayward, CA
[8/18] Bell Plastics Annual Public Open House, 10 AM to 5 PM, Free, All ages thanks, Sandwichgirl!

Lodoga, CA
[6/20-6/23] Camp Tipsy

Marin, CA
[July 3-7] Marin County Fair (the best one in the Bay Area, imo)

New York City
[7/8] Lost Horizons Night Market

Also, see what RED pal Oriana Leckert has picked as the must-go events in the Big Apple

Oakland, CA
[TONIGHT 5/22] Closing party for Instructions On How To Be A Person – Richie Rhombus Solo Show, a new collection of interconnected drawings, experiences, and games that activate thought and interaction

[5/25] Lost & Foundry Studios open studio, 11 AM to 4 PM, 319 Center Street

[6/6-6/7] Burger Boogaloo, Tickets

[6/21] Garden of Memory at Chapel of the Chimes, 5 PM

[7/7] Opening reception (6 PM to 9 PM) for SIGNMAN: John Law, a retrospective of John Law’s work at Pro Arts Gallery, show will run through August 24

Related events:
[6/21] Mark Pauline and John Law in conversation at Pro Arts, 7 PM to 9 PM
[6/27] Don Herron and John Law in conversation at Pro Arts, 7 PM to 9 PM
[7/16] Julia Solis, Ron English, and John Law in conversation at Pro Arts, 7 PM to 9 PM
[7/25] William Binzen and John Law in conversation at Pro Arts, 7 PM to 9 PM
[8/24] Closing reception, 8 PM to 10 PM

[7/28] There’s going to be a Monster Bash and Municipal Band Concert at the bandstand near Lake Merritt’s Mid-century Monster, 12 PM to 3 PM, Monster tees and schwag will be available for purchase

[10/12-2/16] The Smithsonian’s No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man exhibit is coming to Oakland Museum of California

Port Costa, CA
[5/25] Port Costa Town Wide Yard Sale, 9 AM to 3 PM

San Diego, CA
[8/7-8/11] Tiki Oasis: Catch the New Wave, Tickets

San Francisco, CA
[5/25] Walking on Water, a film about Christo with a Q&A with the artist following the 7 PM screening at Landmark’s Opera Plaza Cinema, Tickets

[5/30] J.R. “Bob” Dobbs and the Church of the Subgenius, this new film doc will be playing at the Roxie at 7 PM, filmmaker Q&A to follow the show

[5/30] John Waters presents his new book Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder at The Green Arcade, Doors 6:15 PM, Start 7 PM, $10 or free with book purchase

[6/2] A Very Strange Evening (of music and entertainment) at Raining Chainsaws warehouse, 6 PM – 10:30 PM

[6/2] Burning Man Desert Arts Preview 2019, 6 PM to 10 PM, Tickets

[6/4] Long Now presents David Byrne: Good News & Sleeping Beauties at Castro Theatre, 7:30 PM to 9 PM, Tickets

[6/13] I Want My MTV, ’80s documentary film showing at Roxie Theatre, 7 PM, VJ Alan Hunter will be in attendance

[6/14 & 6/15] Calling All Choir’s The Bonnie Black Rose, a celebration of Irish & Scottish music at The Mission Dolores Basilica, 8 PM each night

[Dates in July] Flower Piano at SF Botanical Garden, 9 AM to 6 PM, More info

[7/9] Conversation with Justin Oliphant and the Explorer’s Guild at 3264 Mission, 7 PM to 9 PM

[8/2] The return of indie pop group Imperial Teen at Rickshaw Stop, 8 PM, Tickets

[8/4] James, along with the Psychedelic Furs at Stern Grove (free concert), 2 PM to 5 PM

Sausalito, CA
[6/1] The artists formerly known as the Elsewhere Philatelic Society (now known as the Erstwhile Philatelic Society or, simply, EPS) are hosting a new stamp window. Meet at the big fountain at Vina Del Mar Park in Sausalito at 11:15 AM. They write, “From here we’ll go on a bit of an urban exploration, remarking on the views of the bay, the unique terribly pun-y names of the shops and even get treated to a special exhibit.” Take the 10:40 AM ferry from the SF Ferry Terminal to ride with fellow adventurers.

Know about a cool happening? Send me the info and I’ll share it with the class!