i wish god were alive to see this

You Tell Me More And I'll Tell You More.

Jesse made me a New Years Starter Kit.

And this is a painting of me.

MIA and Sublime. The two best bands of 2008.

Tonight is New Years Eve. I still don't know what I'm going to do, and I'm ready to get 2007 behind me for good.

The New Year looms large. Let's go.

You Left Me Shattered.

Goodbye Washington, goodbye Gus.

My Mom's darkroom.

Send me some of these amazing pictures Mom. Goodbye Family.

Hello home. Hello Jesse. Hello weed hats.

Welcome home to you as well Randy.

Hello boys.

Flattered / Shattered.

Happy birthday Mama C. That hat looks smashing!

Duh.

I Did Not Become Someone Different.

I saw 'The Diving Bell And The Butterfly' yesterday, the new Julian Schnabel movie. Do not hesitate to do the same. Afterward I walked downtown with Spencer to watch Triumph Of Lethargy Skinned Alive To Death rehearse.

Zoloco on drums.

Goth Joel on bass and sax. He was heard cursing Clarence Clemons the night before for destroying the reputation of the saxaphone.

And Corey and Spencer on guitar. I added some new links, one of which is Corey's blod of movie reviews. Go to it.

Empties.

I guess there is a rug thief at the rehearsal place.

I was psyched to be at the rehearsal. Their new songs will be etched into hundreds of minds by this time next year. Very important stuff!

I had planned on keeping all Teardrops releases LA based this year, because with all the great stuff coming out of my mother city my hands are already full. However, I can't pass up the chance to put out a record as daring and wonderful as this new TOLSATD full length.

It is my duty to do so.

Saying Goodbye To The Old Jail.

On Christmas Day it snowed.

Which is like the fantasy, right?

Inside the Cupcake.

Sound puzzle/Whispering fist.

Magic is real.

A one day winter wonderland.

Brim Brim. Of course.

Last night we had this idea to pack everything people really want and crave into a food. It's called a Slam Burger, and crushed into the patty would be - Xanax bars, goji berries, electrolytes, Viagra, Oxycontin, Diet Coke, Red Bull, Monster Energy Drink, and a smoothie from Jamba Juice. For every Slam Burger you eat you get a point towards a luxury townhome in Capitol Hill, Williamsburg or Echo Park. If you just go ahead and buy the condo outright, free Slam Burgers for a year.

This is Bill McKenzie, my best friend from 5th and 6th grade. We hadn't seen each other for over 20 years until last night. We reconnected via the magic of the interweb, and last night he took a clipper ship to Seattle from Victoria, and we had dinner and a quick catch up before he caught the last bus back up north. Crazy! It was excellent to see him, and to hear him tell me stories of our childhood that I've all but forgotten because my brain is made of clay and his is not. Bill, thank you for coming down. Excellent to see you!

I went down to the Rendezvous to see some other old buddies.

Like Goth Joel. Joel is the only person I know who is from Alaska.

A hell of a table. Julia, Zoe, Jordan, Dann.

"I could really use a Slam Burger."

This guy, Powerful Power played. I liked him.

Zollo is laughing because she is remembering that Nick screams when he pukes. He can't help it. Scream puker.

Every year I love this big old star.

Goodnight.

I'm Not Gonna Sing That Song Anymore.

I Sleep In A Great Big Bed. I Sleep Right On The Edge.

Baby Jebus.

Talking About it, Not Talking About It.

Santa came yesterday, two days early, so that we could have gift day and Baby Jesus day with Gus before he left to go have it with his other grandparents. He got the biggest toy truck on Earth, among other things. I am the proud owner of new sheets! Thanks Santa!

Late in the afternoon, Nicky and I chopped firewood.

And look at Bobby's new head lamp! He loves 'hands free lighting'.

Walking the woods after night fall demands that you carry an axe. Just in case.

It is supossed to maybe snow tonight. We'll see. It's cold enough!

Also, because I am a geek who likes lists, please email me your 2007 top 10 lists. They interest me. Top ten whatever. Moments. Ice creams. Crying jags.

And in truly exciting news, hot off the presses, I have just gotten word that Jesse Spears, in an effort to give the whole world a gift, has punched Mick Jagger in the nose. Well done!

And When I Looked, The Moon Had Turned To Gold.

Went into Seattle to visit Spencer at The Anne Bonny.

Leslie leaning on one of Coco Howard's giant Denizens.

Jesse and I are curating a show here in May. Purchase plane tickets now.

Sing us a song, you're the piano man.

Sing us a song tonight.

Perhaps the bext clown painting of all time. NFS.

Spencer's lair.

Spencer's current band, Triumph Of Lethargy Skinned Alive To Death have just finished recording a new record that has to be heard to be believed, and it is with a matter of great pride that I announce here, now, that Teardrops will be releasing it this Spring!

Zollo, also a member of TOLSATD. We went down to a Vietnamese restaraunt called The Tamarind Tree for dinner.

I knew right away that my palate was not going to be as adventurous as my friends.

For instance, here Spencer is about to eat escargot stuffed with minced pork. Everyone gladly took a bite. Not me. No thanks.

There was a powerful foot smell in there. Everyone loved it but me. Maybe I am a wimp.

But then, Derek will eat anything.

Goodbyes.

And hot chocolate and crossword puzzles on the boat home.

Here I Am.

I'm here.

Without A Dream In My Heart, Without A Love Of My Own.

Invisible burger in Edmonds, Washington.

Back in Poulsbo, Washington's own little Norway.

Meal disguised as a sandwich.

Old Natalie visited us all the way from Jersey City.

We decorated the tree, and are actually having Christmas tomorrow, because Gus has to leave on the 24th to have second Christmas.

Everyone has a cold but me.

And this little animal is fully aware of Santa Claus.

I wonder what he will get?

I Sat Up And I Looked Out The Window.

Hi.

Patrick deWitt and Gustavo deWitt, shopping at Borders.

It's 34 degrees outside right now. I kicked my electric blanket off in my sleep and I woke up freezing.

The Little Maniac.

This Great Disconnect.

From this,

To this,

To this. Here I am, in the great State of Washington. 10 days. Let's go.

And Heard An All Night Rain Begin.

Broccoli Spears!

It rained yeaterday. Jesse and I celebrated this rare occourance by running errands, and running around all day.

We dropped off records at Ooga Booga. Support Ooga Booga. Love Ooga Booga.

We went to the Murakami show at MOCA and were greeted by closed doors.

No matter. We had other partying styles to attend to.

Like going to the container store.

Aid Helper.

I need a rest taken for much more than just a moment.

(@!@)

At dinner the power went out up and down the block mere seconds after our food landed on the table. Eating Brazilian food in the dark in the rain. Awesome.

Really, it was one of the finest days I've had in a long time. Thank you Jesse Spears.

You're the bext.

Tell Me About It, Don't Tell Me About It.

I had 57 copies of the No Age 'Dead Plane' 12" left over without covers.

I got some blank black covers from Roach, gave them and the design to my skull buddy James Ross who then silkscreened them all.

And there you have it. Do NOT message me for these. I have already given them all to the band, and to Ooga Booga. They are exclusive to those fine folks and available from them NOW.

You Walked Into The Party Like You Were Walking Onto A Yacht.

Sunday afternoon, Aaron and the rest of The Sads set up and played at Family.

What a nice day it was!

Christmas shoppers. I'm a Christmas shopper too.

And for a band that is such a big and familiar part of my life, it is funny to think that this is only their 3rd show ever.

Impromptu.

Mmmmm Welch's Strawberry, food of the Gods.

Weiss.

Justin Regan.

Beauty mark.

And a future gallery baron.

Angel I Will Walk You Home.

Choke turned one yeaterday! The bbq was going, the espresso machine was hot, the launch ramp was in the middle of the street, Alexis was set up to give homemade tattoos. A real family affair.

Aaron was working on his Lambretta.

Cristina Costa and the man behind Choke, Jeff.

Twins.

Amazing, amazing twins.

This kids shirt said 'King Of Los Angeles'. Total ripper.

This kid was a ripper as well, obviously.

Bare spot on my forearm.

Homemade gun.

Here we go.

I consider it an honor to get a tattoo from Alexis, and since he rarely does it, when the opportunity arises, I show up.

It was around this time that one of the kids kicked over a gas can, spilling copius amounts all over the shop. It smelled great in there!

Hmmm, a skull in a top hat. Better throw an ascot on that sucker.

Robert and Juan showed up.

And Kate and Michael.

"It's in the water."

Shading.

And then my skull buddy James Ross showed up.

Ah! The finished product! Thank you Alexis!

James opted out.

Transfer.

Sailor Dan. Los Angeles in 2007 has a varied and fantastic community.

And I'm really grateful for it.

Whistling In The Darkness, Shining In The Night.

By early last night Jesse's pom curtain was up and ready in the Ooga Booga window. It was...Breathtaking! If you were'nt there last night, be sure to go this month and check it out while spending all your Xmas money.

Harmony Korine showing off the ANP with his own likeness on the cover, and Clavin and Spunt. Also, as if I need to tell you this, but the new ANP is incredible. It is, hands down, the bext and most important magazine of the times.

I DJ'd with Aaron. Having found someone that can play Grace Jones after I play The Partisans is a rare and wonderful treat.

Oh here is Nate Walton, and for locals who are familiar with 'Nate's Bookstore', it has moved to The Smell. Look for it, tell Nate what you like, let him make some recommendation's for you, trust him.

Abe Babes played. Did I mention that it was cold outside? Like, 50 degrees cold! Brrrrr.

I know, Chicago, I know, Maryland, I know that is like springtime to you, but that is COOOLD here.

Triple threat.

AV record almost totally finished being recorded, totally incredible, what will happen, what will happen? I listen to it everyday.

Pull up to my bumper.

They had to leave to go and play a second show at that house on Vermont. Young energy!

Only Jesse and I know why she is at the bottom of these stairs, laughing.

And we all went home and dreamt of pom poms.

Badlands.

Apomalypse Now.

Do not sleep on Ooga Booga tomorrow night. Frolic in a pom forest! Read the new ANPQ! Listen to The Sads DJ skills! Watch Abe Vigoda play live! All tomorrow night!

Tonight I'm Swimming To My Favorite Island.

It's Been Done So Many Times I Hardly Know What It Means Anymore.

Breakfast with Babel and Audio.

My baby brother Nick is in town for a week.

After food time Nick, Hotdog, Leona and I drove up to the top of Mt. Wilson. It was snowy! Kind of!

Falling rocks.

The Mueller Tunnel. Angelenos, do you know you can leave Echo Park and be up on Mt. Wilson in about 30 minutes?

4:20.

Doobie Brothers.

On top of the world!

Coming down the mountain.

We drove down, and drove over to Family where DSS was playing.

In fact, you lucky locals, he is playing all week at Family. 4-8pm, everyday. He is writing for a future Teardrops 12", and various guests will be joining him. Today at 6:30 he will be playing with John Weise. So go to Family, do some Xmas shopping, and have your mind blown David and his modular synth.

Robert Live Long and Michael, later on at The Echo. Robert officially lives here now, which is lucky for us.

Reggie and David and David.

David's head is everywhere these days.

Smokers.

And then the Abe Babes brought us home.

Goodnight.

This House Is On Fire.

Good old Betsy was in town for a minute, and I got to take her to lunch at the ever delicious Soul Veg. It is finals week for her up in Berkeley, and I imagine she will be kicking ass, as usual. Break a leg, Adams!

An Haunting.

Amazing, amazing news today. Patrick deWitt, author of the best selling Teardrops release 'Help Yourself Help Yourself' has gotten a book deal for his first novel, 'Ablutions', with mammoth publisher Harcourt. How incredible is that? More news on this as it unfolds, but I believe you will be able to hold a hard cover copy in your very own hands by this time next year.

From Dennis Cooper's blog - "One of our own, Patrick deWitt, whose book 'Help Yourself Help Yourself' was recently spotlit here on the blog just had his first novel Ablutions, a piece of which was included in the Userlands anthology, accepted by the major publisher Harcourt. So this is great for him, for us, and for new adventurous fiction in general. The future is really beginning to rule."

A Pom Pom Wonderland.

Amazing times this Friday at Oooga Booga.

Come and get it!

You're Tiredness And Sadness Keep My Spirits Up.

And the picture you've all been dreaming of, Arlie fixing his toilet.

Tonight @ The Echo, Abe Vigoda around 10:30, I'm guessing.

I Came Here For The Music.

The pace of 2007 is catching up with me.

I need a nap.

A Good And Perfect Gift.

Monday madness.

And I Loudly And I Proudly Lost Control.

Car crash.

So long phone booth.

Over at James' house, he is showing off the new shirts he made, and we prepped the area to screen some No Age 12"s. They are 'Dead Plane' 12"s, there will be 50 of them, and you can only get them from the band, and Ooga Booga.

But a bigger issue/question is this - Why is Damien Hirst sending James Ross gifts?

All My Life I've Been Looking For The Magic.

Abe Babes on Sunday night! Whoop!

A Kiss And A Cough, Now Everyone's Gone.

Off the plane and directly to Flore for dinner to go on the way home. I saw Babel there, and she told me that I smelled like poo and pee at the same time.I went home and ate with Jesse, and then another formally internet only friend, Shayla Hason, came over with her brother and we went out.

Down on Echo Park there was a band of little kids playing at Flounce. They were covering Stray Cats and Kinks songs! Awesome! The store was full of kids, like little kids, four year olds.

The name of the band? Nerd Army! Holy moly!

There's Kime Buzzelli! She is recovered from surgery and healthy as a horse. Also, she dyed her eyebrows black.

Shayla Hason live and in the flesh is a real whirlwind of energy. Check the link to her photo blod on your left at pdx pix. All these new friends, man, lucky me!

We drove over to the Garage Gallery for the Amanda Viettta opening. The Garage Gallery is in an actual garage in the backyard of a house. This is an excellent idea and if you have a garage it is your duty to do something simliar.

I was really psyched by Amanda's show. Really good.

You will remember her work from the cover of the No Age 'Dead Plane' 12". She also did the lettering on the Smell for the 'Weirdo Rippers' cd.

And there she is. Hi Amanda!

Then down to the Smell. Clavin and Hall.

And here is some very big news. After many years in the making, there is a new bathroom at The Smell! If you've been here, then you know, on a crowded night this is going to make a huge difference.

And kids, try not to annialate the walls with grafitti too fast.

Cool?

You Move Through Me.

Highly important happening next Thursday.

Squash Every Week Into A Day.

My flight from NYC to SF, because of some kind of magical wind, took 9 hours. That is a harsh toke, sitting in a seat for that long, but when I finally got there it was a beautiful day and all was right in the world.

I met this dude at the RVCA store. What a filth monger!

And I saw old Meggo there as well.

Down in the basement.

Cosmic Dog is my new favorite grafitti artist. For obvious reasons.

Then I went accross the street to Booksmith to see Bryan speak about his new book, Punk Is Dead-Punk Is Everything. It is an incredible tome, bigger than his first book, Fucked Up And Photocopied. This is the first of many release talk/signings centered around this book to happen in the next year. I have watched him work on this monster for the last three years, and I am very proud of him.

Oh look, it's Creepy Chris from the Teenage Meats.

Signing the fruits of his labor.

And this is Sammy Winston and his wife Krisi. Formally only an interweb friend, he is now a living and breathing animal to me. They felt like old friends right off the bat AND I got to see him nearly pummel 3 drunk crusties who insisted on punching their dog in front of us. Punching their dog? Yes. There are dog punchers on Haight St. Afterwards I got to have some dinner and hang time with Betsy, who I hardly ever see now that she lives up there. She made me an apple crisp, and gifted me some tea and honey. Thank you!

In the morning Bryan room serviced for me.

Sausage.

Good morning Dayna and Ralston.

Good morning Ford.

On the way to the airport I was obsessed with finding the Hamburger Eyes store/studio, and I did. It's down an alley, you ring the bell, and they throw a key down to you from a window.

Hamburger Eyes crew. That is Ray Potes, who I am just meeting for the first time, and I had just met his brother in NYC the day before. Crazy. I bought a bunch of excellent photo zines and took a quick look around their amazing space. Full color printing studio, darkroom facilities. I was impressed as hell, and they were really welcoming. Thanks Hamburger Eyes!

Throwing the key back up.

I found a baby hand in the alley on the way out.

And now it lives in LA, because at 34 I still pick up trash and play with it.

The Honk Honk Bonk Mobile.

Folks in the South East, it's lucky time for you. Soiled Mattress and the Springs will be touring by land and sea starting tomorrow.

5 Dec 2007 Tampa, FL @ New World Brewery
6 Dec 2007 Backyard Bash Tallahassee, FL
7 Dec 2007 Miami, FL @ NADA Art Fair Party
8 Dec 2007 Miami @ NADA Art Fair
9 Dec 2007 Atlanta, GA w/ White Magic @ The Drunken Unicorn
10 Dec 2007 Athens, GA @ Caledonia
11 Dec 2007 Asheville, NC @ Gourmet Perks
12 Dec 2007 Chapel Hill, NC @ Night Light Club
13 Dec 2007 Charlottesville, VA @ Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar

A Crack In The Sky And A Hand Reaching Down To Me.

This guy here? This is the guy.

Day of the silent show, hours of preperation, including the great untangling.

I tried that blanket outfit headwrap that Aska has on, and it really does feel great. I want one for around the house.

I didn't know DSS is such a ripping drummer, though I wasn't suprised.

Soledad Brother.

Soundchecking for 40 people / 40 headphones.

And finally the room is ready, everything is ready, total art damage.

The room filled up quick, it was freezing outside, but only 40 people could come in at a time because there were only 40 sets of headphones.

The girl behind Aaron is this awesome artist, Aurel Schmidt who I kind of geeked out on secretly when I saw. She's an incredible painter.

In the end, they had to play three shows to accomadate everyone. This show is furthur proof that you can take an idea, no matter how unconventional, and make it a reality. This show happened, it was real. How many ideas do you have that you never follow through on? Make it real! Do it! I have felt inspired by them and proud of them for days.

David Potes and Melissa Ip. David does the great photozine Hamburger Eyes, and in his hands he holds the Hamburger Eyes book! Congratulations to the H.E. crew! This was my first ever in the flesh meeting with David, who was previously only an internet friend. I met a bunch of internet friends this week, like, one everyday. It was crazy futuristic.

And my old friend Yohanna Logan was there.

The Journal Gallery kept filling up. Thank you to them for hosting the show. They were really a fine crew.

I needed this night, and this trip. I am endlessly psyched on the people around me and the energy they give me.

Thank you. Thank you, all of you.

Well I Cried So Much For You, Baby That's Nothing New.

My computer just ate my blod about The Sads show and I'm too tired to redo it tonight. So all you get is this one measley picture from last week. I will do the lost post tomorrow morning. In the meantime, go read Jessica Hopper's recent posts about how LA is possibly the positivity capitol right now.