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04-01-2009
Obsses-SSION
Posted by Matt

hey grrrrlz, i'm back. Lots of exciting news from Lndn, but i'll save that for later. Ruck up much of this while I was gone....?





03-31-2009
Jiraiya
Posted by Zach

I recently discovered the work of Japanese artist Jiraiya. For several years in the mid 00's, Jiraiya was producing amazing covers for a Japanese gay men's magazine, G-Men. I have linked to a cover gallery, (he did issues 63-on), but my favorite pieces are the ones he did with men and their dogs. I should probably not relate just how much I love these pieces. Not only are they erotic, but the ways in which Jiraiya appropriates Japan's cultural history as a means to explore homosexuality is truly amazing (you have to look at the cover gallery to get a sense of this). Plus, there are all sorts of questions about what it is to create an ideal that is maybe just 10% larger than most actual (meat-head) men could ever attain. Not to mention the oddly just barely Caucasian look that most of the men have. But I do not mean to analyze that which is clearly just meant to be spanked off to. Right?

G-Men cover gallery! Many more drawings!














PS- There is a book of Jiraiya's work available from a French publisher, H & O. I think that these dog drawings must have been done for the most amazing calendar ever. But I haven't found it anywhere.

G-Men cover gallery! Many more drawings!



03-30-2009
WETWARE
Posted by Zach

I have a love/hate relationship with urbandictionary.com. I signed up to get their word of the day every day, and I seriously suggest that they fire whoever chooses those words. "Bromance?" "Zombie Bank?" Is that really the best that they can do? NO! You have to lead yourself through the site to find gems like this:



Upon finding out about Wetware, you'd better believe I did a little research. Here is what I found:

Rudy Rucker's Blog


With that first cover, I was hooked. I ordered that shit ASAP off of Amazon, and I seriously couldn't put it down as soon as it made its way to me. I don't want to ruin the story for you, but it involves a future where robots built a city on the moon, Einstein. This was later taken over by humans, which led the robots to reteat to an area below the surface of the moon. Of course, war sort of starts after some of the robots figure out how to impregnate a human with a robo-baby that is flesh but has a computer-mind. This is all aided by the use of a new drug, Merge. Merge is used to liquify yourself into a puddle, usually with a lover.


03-26-2009
Dick's R U Crazee? Calumet City, IL
Posted by Zach

I have to give another shout out to Rose on this one. While I haven't been to Dick's R U Crazee?, or even to Calumet City, I have a feeling that I just figured out a solid component to a memorable weekend sometime in the future. Field trip anybody?

The Dick's R U Crazee? Home Page





03-26-2009
20 East Jackson Street Chicago,IL
Posted by Zach

When Rose and Jon first introduced me to this gem, I never would have imagined that I would be so lucky to work near it. But, lucky I am. And now, lucky are you. Prepare for a brief Tour d'Arby's.



I had lunch here yesterday. The upstairs is pretty shitty, but I should probably just let the downstairs speak for itself. Follow the triangles and squiggles.








03-25-2009
It's Spring! It's Summer!
Posted by Zach

Spring is upon us! But I don't have time to wait for Summer. When I think of Summer...

PS. Does anybody remember the DQ commercials from the early 80's that were all about "the land of Dairy Queen"? They featured a landscape made of craggy chocolate, raspberries floating down a chocolate stream, and curly-Q-topped mountains of soft serve. Now when will that finally make its way to the internet? I wouldn't be too disappointed if this was all a dream, but I don't think it was.





03-25-2009
Thank You. Thank You-oooo-ooo! Woo Hoo!
Posted by Zach

Look! James Brown, Michael Jackson, and Prince all take the same stage within 5 minutes of one another!

I love this video so much. I once found it about 5 years ago on a direct connect hub dedicated to MJ. But now it is on Youtube and people get to write stupid comments over the video as if they actually feel that they are being congratulated for being one of several people to post the same thing to Youtube. Well I saw it first. I just didn't tell anybody.

By the way, this is amazing.





03-24-2009
Party With Me In London
Posted by Matt

I'll be giving a presentation about Eye Rocket at the Beaconsfield's Gallery in London on Thursday night. Free entry. Here's the write-up:

Beaconsfield's Writer in Residence Neil McQuillian presents his first book-based event in the Ragged Canteen, introducing young publishers whose work celebrates the book as an interface between form and content. Present will be a special guest from Chicago, Matt Kessler, co-founder of Eye Rocket Books and creator of Works Cited, a publication composed of papers 'found' in a high school, from grade cards to notes passed in class. Also Mike Topping, illustrator of the covers for Penguin's recent series of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books, and Chloe Luxford, a paper engineer extraordinaire,​ and protege of Robert Sabuda. Bring your most troubling existential questions, too, and consult our oracle book. Beer and wine will be available as well as delicious food from the Ragged Canteen. Free entry.


03-18-2009
Off To London
Posted by Matt

Smell you later. I'm off to London. But I think the blog should stay active-ish.

AND, there's some fun news. Zach & I are gonna present at The Show & Tell Show at the Whistler on May 20th with Jay Ryan, Paul Hornschemeier & David Barringer. Gonna be AWSM!

Also, I might be doing something Eye Rocket related at Glasgow superstore Mono next week if we can get the details worked out quick enough. Very last minute, but it should be great!

So, here's the itinerary:

FRIDAY NIGHT (performed in its entirety)



SATURDAY NIGHT (performed in its entirety)



SUNDAY NIGHT



FRIDAY NIGHT




Jealous much?


03-11-2009
Party With Us This Weekend!
Posted by Matt

SATURDAY: Come join us at No Coast at 11 am for a screening of Saturday Morning Cartoons. Eye Rocket teams up with No Coast and Bike-In Cinema to present a collection of favorite vintage cartoons and advertisements. Start the morning off right with some Bob Clampett and Fleischer Brothers shorts, some Dungeons & Dragons and Duck Tales episodes, and perhaps a pawn shop commercial or two. B.Y.O.C. - Bring Your Own Cereal, fool!

Sat, March 14th; 11 am - 3 pm; FREE; www.no-coast.org; 1500 W 17th St; PILSEN





SUNDAY: Please join us for an evening of hilarity at the Slides of March, a benefit for 826 CHICAGO. Hosted by Anne Elizabeth Moore, The Slides of March will feature short slide show presentations by Jennifer Brandel, Joe Zarrow, Laura Pearson, Shannon Stratton, Liz Mason, Ms. Moore and Matt Kessler. It's a benefit for youth literacy education, folks! You have no excuses!

Matt Kessler's presentation will be about baseball players' bodies and how that correlates with American foreign policy from like 1985 - 2005. (HINT: BASEBALL PLAYERS WERE REALLY HOT BACK THEN!)

Sun, March 15, 7:30 PM: $8.26; www.826chi.org; 1331 N Milwaukee Ave


A photograph from Friday, March 6th.





03-10-2009
Truth Be Told
Posted by Matt

This clears up a lot of stuff.





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