The "Hot dog!(?)" Edition" :: Issue #222, Rusty's Electric Dreams

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“Art is anything you can get away with.”

― Marshall McLuhan

An inbox zine for positive deviants and the people who love them
Issue #222 :: The “Hot dog!(?)” Edition :: 06:05:2019

Hot dog!(?)…

This past week, someone in Bakersfield listed on Craigslist that they had a high-mileage Oscar Mayer Wienermobile for sale. $7K.

Except it wasn’t actually for sale. In fact, it didn’t exist at all. It was a prank.

But I didn’t know that right away. For about 12 or so hours, I really believed there was a big, 27-foot piece of wheeled pop culture with my name on it. I’ve ridden in one before and have a humble display of Wienermobile collectibles in my home, so it made sense that, after a friend’s prompting, I would start a GoFundMe to try and buy it. In fact, I was downright jazzed to do so!

It wasn’t live for very long but the campaign managed to amass $675 of the $10K I was asking. Not bad! Now, I knew if I started a campaign, it could very well get funded. And, if it did, I might just be the proud new owner of a magnificent yet completely ridiculous and terribly oversized vehicle. That was, well, a little scary. I’d be responsible for a giant mobile hot dog and all that entails (a lot if you start to break it down!).

But I had faith that it would all work out. I really did. If everything we want is on the other side of fear, then I found something that I wanted more than I feared it. That made it easy to just run with and that was a good feeling. As it turned out, this was just a test run, the next campaign I start will be the real deal. (Alas, it won’t be for a Wienermobile.)

— Rusty Blazenhoff

P.S. Special thanks to everyone who spread the word and to all the enthusiastic donors who believed in my silly dream!

As seen on the Internets

Take the shortcut: To walk from 2:00 to 10:00 the long way takes 89 minutes, according to this Redditor. The short way only takes 37 minutes.

——————-

:: Tig Notaro has a new talk show. Except that she doesn’t know who she’s interviewing.
:: https://youtu.be/OO1Sfb-j9FU

:: Assquatches are a thing
:: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zm8473/taxidermists-are-seriously-turning-deer-butts-into-assquatches

:: And speaking of asses…
:: http://www.hintmag.com/wigs-on-asses-ana-hell–february-27-2017-2326-fashion

:: Amateurs vs. Professionals
:: https://fs.blog/2017/08/amateurs-professionals via

:: Podcast: Conan wants to be Hannah Gadsby’s friend
:: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/29-hannah-gadsby/id1438054347?i=1000440419920

:: Now there are Ellsworth Kelly USPS stamps
:: https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/ellsworth-kelly-S_478604

:: Gareth Branwyn on “How to be a better writer”
:: https://medium.com/better-humans/how-to-be-a-better-writer-a3c877f67a5c

:: Oldie but a goodie: The music video for Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You”
:: https://youtu.be/LiXg_70rMeM via

:: Am digging these hand-painted storefronts in Somalia
:: https://designyoutrust.com/2019/06/the-native-beauty-of-somalias-hand-painted-storefronts/

Real thing you can actually make: yay!

Before and After: People are transforming ordinary dollhouses into haunted houses and I couldn’t be happier. Soap Plant Wacko in LA writes: “If you should find a saccharine sweet, plastic doll house at the Goodwill, don’t dismiss it. Repaint it as a gothic mansion suitable for dolls or Halloween decor.” Yes, do that!

Featured Events

[San Francisco 6/13 – 6/15] The San Francisco Dungeon at Fisherman’s Wharf is hosting a pop-up Rat Bar. Your $49.99 ticket gets you an “Ama-RAT-o Sour” cocktail, a 60-minute interactive show about the Dungeon and 30 minutes to play with rescue rats. Cash Bar afterwards. Stay weird, San Francisco!
——————–
Anywhere
[6/15] Attaboy’s Game of Shrooms, leave and/or find fun(gi) art

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
[TBD 6/29] The Wanderer’s Union, a long-distance wandering club will embark on their 24-hour event known as “Raccoon” (“You can travel by foot or public transit only. Wear comfy shoes.”), 12 PM to 12 AM, 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

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

Marin, CA
[7/3-7/7] 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-to events in the Big Apple

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

[Six dates between 6/8-9/21] Kasey Smith’s Tenderloin Ghost Sign Walking Tour

[6/7] Head Trip – A Doggie Diner Dog Head Cross-Country Documentary, 3 PM only at The New Parkway, $10

[6/7] 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

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

[10/17-10/19] Autumn Lights Festival at Lake Merritt Gardens
[7/30] Artist submissions deadline

Ross, CA
[Until 7/21] Exotic Aquatic, After losing everything in the wildfires over a year ago, light artist Erick Dunn is back with a new show at the Marin Art and Garden Center! Save the date: On July 13, he’s hosting a closing party.

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

San Francisco, CA
[6/8] Enter the Multiverse, dress up for this one-night-only immersive party spectacular collaboration with Scott Levkoff’s Mystic Midway, Onetime, and Epic Immersive, 9 PM to 2 AM, 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

[6/28] Lea Redmond of The World’s Smallest Post Service is speaking at Creative Mornings SF, 8:30 AM to 10 AM, Register on 6/24 at 11 AM

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

[7/4] Three Day Stubble at SF Eagle, 9 PM to 2 AM

[7/9] Conversation with Justin Oliphant and the Explorer’s Guild at 3264 Mission, 7 PM to 9 PM (Go on adventures with the Explorer’s Guild!)

[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

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

:: The original Muppets: Sam and Friends, 1955-1961 ::

(They now live in the Smithsonian.)

Rusty’s Electric Dreams is a (mostly) weekly inbox zine by Rusty Blazenhoff for positive deviants and the people who love them.

Described as, “One of the most inspiring, weird and off-kilter collections of curated kitschy ephemera for the big-brained.” People like it.

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Publisher and Editor-in-Chief: Rusty Blazenhoff

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