Note: we meant to get something done on this show before it goes down, but alas it's going down today.  Anyway, if you are out and about tonight, hop into the Hudson's always challenging, most often delightful Feature Inc. gallery across from the New Museum on Bowery in NYC.

Kinke Kooi, Let Me Comfort You

Kinke Kooi’s drawings possess a quality that is at once visceral and transcendent, filling the page with delicately textured lines that give way to voluminous forms. Her show at Feature Inc. consists of drawings and paintings, the mediums coupled together on most of the pieces. Kooi also often paints on photographs, which gives her work a lovely layered quality as her brush strokes collide the smooth surface of the photos. The images vary from drawings of octopuses to orifices, strands of pearls and curling braids of hair appearing in nearly all of her pieces. Kooi’s drawing style is awe-inspiring, each piece endowed with an overwhelming sense of tenderness as she explores femininity. Her images are cuddled together on each canvas, bubbling volume expanding to fill each space and seems poised to burst off the surface. Each painting deserves a careful look up close, as the gorgeous quality of her lines and small, barely noticeable elements, like tiny writing on the bottom of one drawing, are what makes her work so wonderful.  The show is small and intimate, which works perfectly with Kooi’s aesthetic and reflects the deeply personal sense one gets from her images. It ends on April 25th, so get yourself over there before it goes down!

-Alyssa Bianca-Pavley


*Image above is "I am a Believer" (2008). For further information and images, please read the excellent interview with Kinke Kooi on Feature’s site: http://www.featureinc.com.

Man, I gotta throw out some love to The Onion. With Casey out in LA, I've been catching up on some playoff hockey, and then today I saw this from America's Finest News Source. From their early season sports bit "Flyers Defensemen Ceremonially Checks Sarah Palin into Boards" [one might recall my blog post last year about Sarah Palin ceremonially dropping the first puck at the Flyers home opener] to the headline "Gary Bettman: I Have Never Watched an Entire NHL Game," The Onion's sports writers have always been spot on and timely. Now we're graced with the above, with the accompanying text reading thusly:
 

NEW YORK—Addressing reporters yesterday in an unnervingly calm tone of voice, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman—his hands, face, and white-collared shirt covered in blood—said that any obstacle standing in the way of both Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin playing in the Stanley Cup Final has been "taken care of." "Sometimes you have to put the greater good of the league ahead of the fact that the [Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals] are in the same conference. Unfortunately for some, that point needed to be made...how should I put this...more clearly," Bettman said as he removed black leather crimson-splotched gloves from his hands and what appeared to be an ear from his jacket pocket. "Needless to say [NHL Players' Association executive director] Paul V. Kelly, [New York Rangers General Manager] Glen Sather, and Mario Lemieux will not be attending this press conference as was originally scheduled." When Bettman asked if there were any questions, no reporters raised their hands.

As a lifelong Flyers fan, I can't help but listen to the conspiracy theories other fans have about refs pushing the agenda to keep Sidney Crosby and company in the playoffs. The satire above is shockingly somewhat accurate. I can't put too much stock into the theories though, otherwise I might just have to give up hope in this year's Flyers-Penguins opening series—but I will say that game 2 (which the Flyers lost in OT) was largely determined by the referees. The series is currently 2-1 Penguins, but we'll see what's up in Philly again in game four.

Needless to say, I'm not in the FFXI hockey playoff pool again like I was last year [since I don't have any FFXI money to play with], but most of my analysis comes late as usual. There's been some great hockey played so far, and some pretty surprising uhh.... surprises. The seventh-seeded NY Rangers are stunningly up 2-1 on the third-seeded Washington Capitols and Ovechkin. In the West the Anaheim Ducks (seeded eighth) are up 2-0 heading back home to the first-seeded, and President's Trophy winner for best regular season record San Jose Sharks. I gotta say I'm still rooting for Roenick and the Sharks to make a comeback though. Mostly for JR's sake. The Boston-Montreal series is interesting as well, if for nothing else reversing the roles and Boston exacting revenge for last year's blowout loss to Les Habitants. There will not be a first-round-playoff-victory-riot for the All-Star-Ballot-Stuffing Canadiens fans this year.

Tomorrow night (Tuesday) is game 4 of the Flyers-Penguins series. You can bet I'll be watching intently, and yelling at the TV probably more intensely. I can only hope Bettman keeps his greasy, bloodstained hands off the game, but that'll be a lot to ask.  —mkl

Well even though it's––what?––his 3rd Coachella now? and Coachella has an unspoken policy of always having different bands, I have to say Morrissey was the best last night.  He's like my generation's Elvis or something, and unlike "the King" he's stayed fit over the years, and proved it with his usual shirt removal at some point in the show, after he got grossed out by the smell of burning flesh. "I hope that's human," the long time vergetarian said referring to the aroma of various barbecue drifting through the desert air.

Paul McCartney and Leonard Cohen also rounded out the great older team, and among the younger hits were Los Campesinos (pictured above), who heartily closed a set with Pavement's "Box Elder," the lyrics of which include the must be bellowed lines, "I've got to get the fuck out of this town."  Speaking of which, I'd write more this morning, but gotta get the fuck out of this hotel and over to the polo fields so we don't stand in as long of lines as we did yesterday, our mistake for arriving a bit on the late side.

Ran into bud Brandon Stosuy from Stereogum last night, which was cool.  I'd recommend hitting their site for more detailed updates today.  Okay gotta roll...  Check Robin's or my facebook today too if you know us. -CM

To see this band (Throbbing Gristle, with a much changed Genesis P-Orridge) among others. Other rarities are the ever elusive Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine, Paul McCartney (rare for me, never seen a Beatle live), etc. Too many to mention, more soon. -CM

Let's give Lindsay some more Google clicks (I'm sure she is getting a million today).  As she says here in her new Eharmony profile, she never loses any G-clicks, only her underwear sometimes. I have to say I've always loved Lindsay, and even better when she started getting into trouble.  Yeah a celeb crush okay (Robin don't get mad).  But of course, like Rivers Cuomo of Weezer in his song "Pink Triangle", I'd only be spurned for said crush. In any case, she's single again (she "think"s), and is looking for love, or at least someone to spend "the rest of her probation with." Check it. -CM

 
And no white shoes after labor day! Here's a bit from John Waters from an old New York Post article on Easter: "John Waters considers those big life-size Easter bunnies 'pitiful' because 'They're not true. Even babies know they're fakes and hate their parents for it, and as a result the kids grow up and take heroin.'"  

Here's some different kind of holiday magic - a few of the great Easter Eggs in the history of gaming. -CM

For the second week in a row, am planning to attend another presentation and documentary about the leading figures in underground cinema at Whitespace gallery here in Atlanta.  Last week Brad Lapin did a thorough and spirited focus on Jack Smith, and screened Mary Jordan’s documentary Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis.  This week Lapin is back to talk about the work of Guy Maddin.  Mr. Maddin is flooding my unconscious this week.  I know from DC’s blog that tonight at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Marie Losier, who has directed a documentary on Maddin (which I assume might be shown here in Atlanta tonight?), and whose latest film is about the musician and filmmaker Tony Conrad (who was all over Jordan’s Jack Smith's doc last week), is showing (I guess has shown by now, since it's 1 am in Paris) twenty minutes of a film tonight on musician Genesis P-Orridge, a work in progress titled “Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye.”  

Well there’s a lot to talk about in all of that, besides synchronicity and the genius of Genesis, but the other reason Guy Maddin is on my mind is that he has the prominent blurb that crests the back cover of Derek McCormack’s last book, The Show That Smells which has been out a little while¹, but which I finally read last night.

There’s no simple way to describe this book, which is amazing (will go ahead and spoil it that much).  But then again it is supposed to be a “screenplay by Derek McCormack” directed by Tod Browning, the director of Freaks and Dracula, and so in that sense it is easy to summarize (what’s the old Hollywood adage? if you can’t sell a script in two sentences forget it).  So as not to be repetitive, see the back cover of the book, which I scanned above for the synopsis (and the Maddin quote of course).

What struck me initially about this book is its structure and incredibly taut use of language (no surprise if you are a fan of McCormack’s prior work).  It begins in a (oh sing songy is the wrong term, but then look at some of the characters involved in it) incantation, a repetition of names, starting with country singer “Jimmie Rogers, Jimmie Rogers, Jimmie Rogers...” etc “in a Mirror Maze.”  As time goes on other characters are introduced, and are added to the cauldron of incantations, Carrie Rodgers, Jimmie’s wife, The Carter Sisters, fashion designers Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, who play out a kind of magical battle of scent potions, Coco I guess trying to save Jimmie from a bout of Tuberculosis, the other well, you’ll see Elsa’s nefarious (well is it nefarious?  not for “freaks” anyway) plots.  Elsa wants to, once all the women of the world are dressed as freaks, to make them become freaks and then eat their children as snacks. In a grand Circus. One with Animals, that's where the name comes from.  An animal show is a "show that smells."

Oh I am doing a terrible disservice and have to get ready for this thing soon, so let’s call this part 1 and we’ll see part 2 tomorrow, Sunday at the latest? (next Sunday? writing quick is one thing, writing quick about something you love, well, that's often a dirty shame. I want some time to ponder. In any case, there's time for publicity, see fotnote below) Maybe more on Maddin too, Lapin and Susan's great place Whitespace, yes def, by next weekend.

Okay... more...later  -CM

<sub>1. ...in Canada, the U.S. edition of The Show That Smells comes out in June as part of The Little House on the Bowery imprint of Akashic Books. New cover is also by David Altmejd, but the book is designed by Joel Westendorf, and is beautiful.

P.S. yeah and there's a bunch of new articles coming this weekend, a new Talk Show, #23 (magical number), a piece on Sci-fi mag pioneer Clarke Ashton Smith, a Busdriver profile (the hip hop artist y'all) and new personal "job" story by Robyn Weisman</sub>

I don't even know what day Colbert did this (that's some newsiness for you huh? guess I was too lazy or either too caught up in other news, like the G20 etc; did this air two days ago?)  Anyway it's still funny.  And you thought O'Reilly's absurd ante couldn't be upped? Fact is I don't have cable and a DVR anymore, but now almost wish I did, as this Beck dude's almost more (sick and) hysterical than that preacher farts guy. Oh lord.  -CM