The "Independence Yay" Edition :: Issue #040

Rusty’s Electric Dreams :: Issue #040 :: The “Independence Yay” Edition :: 07:01:2015

Rusty’s Electric Dreams, an inbox zine by pop culture activist Rusty BlazenhoffIssue #040 :: The “Independence Yay” Edition :: 07:01:2015

Independence YAY…Holy fluffballs!! I sent out SO MANY stickers for the top of Fluff jars to friends all over the United States. In fact, I RAN OUT.I KNOW…!

I just ordered some more if you’d like to help me with Operation “Culture Fluff.” I am especially interested in getting stickers on jars in the Midwest, Southwest, the South, and the East coast. Ping me if you want to help the “cause”: rusty@blazenhoff.com

OMG it’s July! I’ve been wanting to add a new section out and I’m finally getting around to it this month. Better late than never, as they say.

Artists/cool people/other Others will share a “Suckcess story,” a time when they failed before a success…get it, SUCKcess? (Side note: You may remember I bought the domain “suckceeding.com” a while back.)

The first “Suckcess Story” comes from Oakland illustrator Michael Wertz (who I most definitely like in real life*). I think you’re going to enjoy it.

Thank you to Erika Jane Amerika for holding June’s Artist-in-Residence spot here at Rusty’s Electric Dreams! This month I am super happy to usher in Victoria Heifner of Milkfed Press as July’s A-in-R!

— Rusty Blazenhoff

p.s. GUESS WHAT? THEY DID IT!!

“One of the most inspiring, weird and off-kilter collections of curated kitschy ephemera for the big-brained.”–Mighty on Product Hunt (upvote!)

[Have something nice to say? Say it and I’ll include it on my Press page.]

This spaceintentionally left ‘MURICA!

As seen on the Internets

OG Uncle Watermelon, a vintage slide circa 1976 via Charles Phoenix

:: Uncle Watermelon

:: http://www.blazenfluff.com/uncle-watermelon

:: The 5th Annual Fairyland for Grownups (!!!!!!):: https://oaklandish.com/oakblog/save-the-date-5th-annual-fairyland-4-grownups:: J.P. Patches air freshener

:: http://mcphee.com/shop/j-p-patches-air-freshener.html

:: LSD: The Opera

:: https://www.vice.com/read/behold-the-worlds-first-opera-about-lsd-

:: “Combating Depression with a Year of Free Theater” DONATE

:: http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/combating-depression-with-a-year-of-free-theater/

:: Stop judging a book by its cover, have a “blind date with a book”

:: http://www.blazenfluff.com/blind-date-with-a-book

:: “A psychologist reveals how to get rid of negative thoughts”

:: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-get-rid-negative-thoughts

Real things you can actually buy: no way!

Suckcess Story: Michael Wertz

The year is 1986. I am a freshman at UCSC. I had declared Math as my major and various “extracurricular activities” (such as chasing Camper Van Beethoven around town) as my minor. I then drove the Math car into the pool. I studied French as well, but didn’t have the drive to continue studying language. When I graduated, I was completely adrift. Luckily, you could live in San Francisco in 1990 and drift and still survive. I decided to turn around 180 degrees, and got an illustration degree from CCAC. I’ve been making images now for 20 years. My life work is a constant battle against perfectionism. I will always be imperfect, and I am learning to embrace it.

—Michael Wertz

Editor’s note: Michael now designs posters FOR Camper Van Beethoven!

Hey you! Ever failed before doing something successfully? If you’d like to share a “Suckcess” of your own, email me your story. They should be roughly 75-100 words long. Include an image (570 pixels wide) that best represents you and/or your story.

Real things you can actually buy: nay!

Artist-in-residence: July 2015

“I used to work at the San Francisco Public Library, repairing old books. This was my art school, and how I learned to design. Eventually, curiosity got the best of me, and I sought out a letterpress printer who would teach me how to print. I was hooked. I started out doing show posters for bands I liked that would play at my friend’s club. I didn’t know how to turn on a computer the first five years of printing–everything was hand-set with lead or wood type. If I didn’t have the right artwork or letters, I would create them by carving out linoleum blocks. These were some of my favorite years of printing.

I made this print about a month ago; fifteen years into this, and I still have days where I feel like a total imposter!

More of my work can be found at http://www.milkfedpress.com.”

—Victoria Heifner of Milkfed Press

Ask your friends to subscribe.Tell the Others.It’s not a cult. YET.

Events of note

Berkeley

[7/23] Willie Nelson & Family plays the Greek Theatre with Alison Krauss [Tickets]

Black Rock City, Nevada

[8/30-9/7] Burning Man

Brooklyn, New York

[7/3] Stars & Strips Forever: Coney Island Celebrates America, a beachy burlesque bash [Tickets]

Fairfield, California

[9/26-9/27] Candypalooza at Jelly Belly Factory

Germany

[8/16-12/16] The World of Tim Burton at Max Ernst Museum BrÃ¼hl des LVR

Gilroy, California

[7/24-7/26] Gilroy Garlic Festival [Tickets]

Henderson, North Carolina

[8/27-8/30] Camp Grounded, “Where Grownups Go to Unplug, Get Away, and Be Kids Again.”

Lake Ladoga, California

[6/29-7/5] Camp Tipsy, all ages [Tickets]

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 9/27] Secret Cinema Presents Star Wars [Tickets]

Los Angeles

[Dates in June] Uncle Impossibleâ€™s Funtime Variety & Ice Cream Social, 18+

[7/12] UnCabaret with Allee Willis at Au Lac, 8 PM [Tickets]

[7/19] “Around the World in 80 Sips” Summer Soda Tasting 5 at Galco’s Soda Pop Stop, 5-8 PM [Tickets]

[7/20] The Groundlings improv night (70s night with Cassandra Peterson) [Tickets]

[7/25] Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory showing at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 7:15 PM door [Tickets]

[TBD August] ALONE | Refraction

[8/3] Janeane Garofalo at Largo [Tickets]

[8/22] Pee-wee’s Big Adventure showing at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 7:15 PM door [Tickets]

[TBD September] ALONE | Reflection

[TBD October] ALONE | Absorbtion

Nevada City, California

[7/24 & 7/25] Bread and Bones at Polly’s Paladar [Tickets]

New York City

[7/7-8/16] Penn & Teller on Broadway [Tickets]

Oakland

[7/4-7/5] The 6th annual Burger Boogaloo, hosted by John Waters [Tickets]

[7/10] Big Dick’s House of Big Boobs, a DIY strip club at a secret location

[7/12] Appetite Obscure‘s 17th potluck: RED, 7 PM at the New Normal Brewery [RSVP]

[8/14] Fairyland For Grownups at Children’s Fairyland

[10/24] FIGMENT Oakland, a free, inclusive, participatory art event

Paris

[Until 8/8] Vik Muniz at Xippas Gallery, Paris

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

Pleasanton, California

[Until 7/6] Alameda County Fair

Riverside, California

[9/18-9/20] Boing Boing’s Weekend of Wonder at Mission Inn

San Diego

[8/13-8/16] Tiki Oasis (SPACE-THEMED!)

San Francisco
SF’s POPOS (privately-owned public open spaces) :: guide

[7/1] LOUISE JARMILOWICZ COLLAGES at Chez Poulet, 6 – 9 PM

[7/7] Odd Salon: Infamy at DNA Lounge, 21+

[7/8] Fireside Storytelling: Sink or Swim, 8 PM, Chez Poulet, $15

[7/9] Chuck Palahniuk and Lidia Yuknavitch: A Night of Mayhem at INFORUM, 6:30 PM [Tickets]

[7/10-8/8] After Life, an exhibition that “probes the possibility of life after death through the work of Fernando Orellana and Al Honig”

[7/16] Buzzed Bee, a spelling bee for tipsy adults, Stage Werx, 7 PM, Free to attend, $10 to compete

[7/18] The Real Numbers at Amnesia

[7/18] Night Light: Multimedia Garden Party at SOMArts Cultural Center [Tickets]

[7/19] Dark Garden Annual Corset Rummage Sale, 11 AM to 6 PM

[7/24] Steve Poltz at Doc’s Lab [Tickets]

[7/29] Fireside Storytelling: Confessions, 8 PM, Chez Poulet, $15

[8/2] Undercover Stratego, 3 – 6 PM

[8/4] Odd Salon: Myth(os) at DNA Lounge, 21+

[8/22] The Real Numbers at International Pop Overthrow Festival, Hotel Utah

[9/9] Fireside Storytelling: Storyteller’s Choice, 8 PM, Chez Poulet, $15

[9/27] Folsom Street Fair

[10/7] Fireside Storytelling: Saved the Day, 8 PM, Chez Poulet, $15

[10/29] TEDxSanFrancisco at Pier 70

[11/4] Fireside Storytelling: Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, 8 PM, Chez Poulet, $15

[12/3] Fireside Storytelling: Mind. Blown., 8 PM, Chez Poulet, $15

[12/31] PATTI SMITH & HER BAND perform Horses in its entirety this New Year’s Eve at The Fillmore! [Tickets]

Santa Fe, New Mexico

[9/4] Zozobra

Seattle

[7/9] Bawdy Storytelling: Dirty Little Secret at Re-Bar Seattle, 8 PM

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

Heads up!~~ [10/9-10/11] Kinky Salon. DEEP HEDONISM. Secret location

Want to speak for Odd Salon? Fill out this form.

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.

Apply to the DENT conference scholarship program.

â€œEverything you want is on the other side of fear.” — Jack Canfield

*Did you get a blue ribbon from me that reads, “I Like You, In Real Life”?

Yes, I did thank you.
No, but I would like to. I believe you like me IRL. Email me and let me know.
No, and I’m not sure you like me IRL. I want one for $2.75 each. Paypal: blazenhoff@yahoo.com. Send: your name (that you would like on the ribbon) and mailing address
Yes, and now I’d like to gift one (or more) at $2.75 each. Paypal: blazenhoff@yahoo.com. Send: your name and mailing address. Ribbons will be blank.

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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