Santa Plug

Now for something totally different head. It's amazing what you stumble upon while surfing the Internet. This is my kind of Santa Claus! 😉

Here is the intel:

The statue in question, officially named Santa Claus, is a provocative work by American artist Paul McCarthy that has become an unlikely symbol of Rotterdam’s modern identity. Installed in 2008 in the city's Eendrachtsplein, the artwork depicts a rotund Santa Claus figure holding what is ostensibly a Christmas tree. However, due to the tree's exaggerated, bulbous shape, locals quickly began interpreting it as something far less traditional: a butt plug.

This cheeky interpretation led to the statue being humorously nicknamed Kabouter Buttplug (Gnome Butt Plug) by the people of Rotterdam. While some residents and critics initially found the artwork controversial or even offensive, it has since become a beloved and iconic feature of the city, celebrated for its boldness and irreverence. The statue reflects Rotterdam’s openness to challenging norms and embracing unconventional forms of public art.

Paul McCarthy is known for his provocative and often humorous works that challenge societal taboos and conventions. In Santa Claus, McCarthy intended to explore themes of consumerism, commercialization, and the absurdity of holiday traditions. By embracing the playful nickname, Rotterdamers have added their own layer of humor and cultural identity to the piece.

Paul McCarthy on Wikipedia -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCarthy

Verloune

Verloune

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the art opening "Of Spirits & Sirens" at Galerie Lakaye in Los Angeles, CA.

Featuring prominent artists from Haiti and a jam session post the showing. 

Well there is one painting that I was particularly taken with, which I am hopefully going to buy. It's titled: Verloune by Levoy Exil the last of the Saint Soleil painters from Haiti.

It features the Haitian Goddess of the Sea La Sirene.

Above is a photo I took of it in case the work of art never becomes mine.

You should check out Galerie Lakaye online all the pieces from the show are for sale on their website.  

Personally I thought all them were great, but this one really spoke to me.

Galerie Lakaye online - 

https://www.galerielakaye.com/home

Cancelled

This always in fashion never out of style timely sentiment turned art piece is by the one and only Robbie Williams.

IMO this is what everyone needs to do from this day forward (if you aren't already) it's one of the best forms of self care you can administer to yourself. 

Cancelling someone, something or whatever it may be that is blocking you is not a negative thing in the least.

We all have a "You" that needs to not live rent free in our minds and once that "You" is cancelled well let me tell you how much lighter and free your bagge will be.

It will be the size carry on, no need to check anything in.

Robbie on IG -

https://www.instagram.com/robbiewilliams/?hl=en 

Turn And Face The Apparel....

David Bowie

 LA Pop Art Salutes David Bowie with unique line of Branded Apparel 

LA Pop Art proudly announces that it has entered into a partnership with The David Bowie Estate to celebrate his legacy with an all-new collection of “word art” apparel.

 

Bowies’ passion for visual imagery was the inspiration for this collection of unique LA Pop Art hand drawn word art designs. The distinctive apparel collection is launched with several of the most iconic images in David Bowies catalog. The first design of the collection reimagines the Classic Bowie logo using some of his most popular song titles. In addition to the Logo, LA Pop Art has also recreated the iconic Aladdin Sane album cover simply out of the word Bowie over and over resulting in a breathtaking artistic masterpiece.

 

“There are Rock Stars, and there are Rock Gods – David Bowie is one of the few artists in history that’s both”, said LA Pop Art company founder Joseph Leibovic “We are so honored to put this collection out for his ever-growing fan base. The words that create our designs are used to add another layer of an emotional connection for the fans.”

 

The deal was facilitated by Perryscope Productions, in collaboration with Epic Rights.

 

David Bowie is the latest addition to LA Pop Art’s Rock Legends Collection, which also spotlights such mega band partners as AC/DC and KISS.

 

LA Pop Art merchandise is available in Men’s, Women’s and Kids’ sizes at Lapopart.com, Macys.com, Amazon.com and other selected quality retailers.

With This Rose...

A Rose By Any Other Name...
Marilyn Monroe

She could act, sing and dance, but did you know she could paint? One of the things I love about surfing the WWW is you start one place and inevitably end up at another. Thus you stumble upon many unexpected and interesting things along the way.

Case in point, while I can't recall what I started this journey researching, but here is a gem of a fact and piece of art I found by none other than Marilyn Monroe. How many of you knew she could paint? I for one was not aware of this talent, it does not however surprise me.

Guess who this watercolor of a rose was painted for? C'mon guess, oh OK I'll spill the tea. It was rendered for none other than President John Fitzgerald Kennedy! Woa!

So I leave you a little more enriched today, with this rose...

Marilyn on Wikipedia -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe 

Film Buff Friday - "Bloodlines"

I was made aware of Vincent via Margaret Cho, fascinating stuff...

"A morbid, fascinating, and remarkably inspiring new documentary about one of the most acclaimed artists of our time." - Metal Injection

Award winning Filmmaker / Author John Borowski's (H.H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer) fifith feature documentary film, Bloodlines: The Art and Life of Vincent Castiglia, will be released in North America on November 13th. The film focuses on artist Castiglia's painful life of abuse, addiction, and recovery while also exploring the reasons why the world renowned artist paints exclusively in human blood.

Vincent Castiglia paints surreal images exclusively in human blood. He began doing so as form of self-healing following a troubled childhood and painful existence. From darkness, however, came light, and Castiglia's story is one of inspiration and hope, providing proof that art can heal and serve to inspire others.

 

Margaret Cho, who commissioned Vincent to paint her portrait in her blood, is interviewed in the film as well as celebrities Gregg Allman, Damien Echols, Kerry King and Gary Holt of the heavy metal band Slayer, record executive Michael Alago, and numerous others including filming in the studio and museum of legendary artist H.R. Giger, who designed the iconic creature for the Alien movies.

After a successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign, production of the film spanned from 2014 to 2018, filming on location in the United States: New York City, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Chicago, Oregon, and internationally: Singapore and Switzerland.

Official Film Website: https://bloodlinesdocumentary.com/

Pre-order at MVDshop.com 

Just Because...Janelle Monae

Express Yourself
Janelle Monae

Just Because this image gives me life, Just Because she's an amazing talent & Just Because she Janelle Monae Bitches. Janelle belting out her hits during a performance on NBC's Today Show at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC is all you need for any given Sunday.

While Janelle is primarily known as a powerhouse vocalist, it was her performance as Teresa in the film Moonlight that really got my attention. She was truly amazing!

Janelle is one of the rare talents who can, and does do it all and nails everything she commits to. She is so alive when she expresses herself through her art, her passion for what she does is joyous. 

So, it's Sunday and you have a choice (there's always a choice) - play it safe or bend it like Janelle.

Which will you choose, I bet you know what I chose...

Mic Drop!

Janelle on IG -
https://www.instagram.com/janellemonae/?hl=en  

Back To "Earth" - David Bowie

"You're face to face with the man who fell to earth"

It's really no secret I am a huge David Bowie fan, I mean fuck, he was my first concert ever! Well guess what's happening now? The Man Who Fell To Earth is turning the big 4-0 and getting a restoration...!!!

For those of you out of the loop it's a cult/indie/critically acclaimed piece of art in which Bowie portrays an alien on earth, thus it's title.

Because of Bowie I became a Nicolas Roeg fan. This film was unlike anything I had ever seen before, I can't even begin to describe all of my reactions to it in a few words, but as an impressionable fan of cinema and David Bowie, the passion I feel for this production is to the moon and back.

Of special interest to fans of Ziggy Stardust, the 40th Anniversary of the Sci-Fi opus will see the release of the soundtrack for the very first time, like a virgin.

The Man Who Fell to Earth arrives in theaters on September 9 and will be released on DVD/blu-ray on October 24.

Watch the trailer after the jump!

The Man Who Fell To Earth on IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074851/?ref_=nv_sr_2  

Curb Your Pup: Colton Haynes

Colton Haynes
"I'm Going To Chain You Down Puppy"
Photo: Tyler Shields

Coming out does a Colton Haynes good. It makes me want to adopt a pet, of the three legged kind.

The Arrow star and Teen Wolf alum posted some photos to Instagram of his upcoming book collaboration with one of my favorite photographers Tyler Shields. While some news sources have described them as shocking I think of them as just another day in Los Angeles. Hey, I heard a guy in the locker room at Gold's Gym Hollywood inquiring inquiring to another dude: "I'm out of town this weekend if you want to borrow my pup?" Case rested.

Haynes says of the shoot:

"Every single time we work together we push boundaries & make incredible art, Our photography book is gonna be pretty shocking to say the least..."

Colton Haynes
Masochist
Photo: Tyler Shields

Your Turn Tyler Shields: 

"There are few people who understand what I do as much as him, so we have quietly been shooting a book of just him for a little while now," 

While the book will mostly be of Colton solo, there may be some other guest stars they tease...need a Daddy? Sing me up!

They plan on pushing boundaries - watch out Madonna, your Sex Book has got some stiff, ahem, competition. 

Colotn's Instagram: 
https://www.instagram.com/coltonlhaynes/?hl=en

Tyler's Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thetylershields/?hl=en   

Antebellum Art Opening

This Must Be It: Antebellum Gallery in Hollywood

Last night I attended the opening of the exhibit of 21st Century Gay Man at the Antebellum gallery in the heart of Hollywood, CA in support of my artist friend Kent who had pieces in the exhibit.

It was a good time, not only was there plenty of art to view, there was also DJ Renato Teroy spinning in the gallery window, a performance by a punk band called Thinpins and eye candy in the form of bartender Jayk Knight in a barely there booty bearing underwear.

It's photo time, enjoy!

Kent and His Art

Art Lovers Unite!

Let's Talk About Art

Not Kent's But I Liked It Too

Check out more of Kent's Art at: 

http://kentartwork.com/

Keep up the happenings at Antebellum at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Antebellum-Gallery/186318498063392?fref=ts

Dudley Saunders - "Zero Out"

Dudley Saunders
Photo: Dean Carpenter

Dudley is back with his fourth video from IN THESE BOXES, Zero Out, here is a message from the artist::

Here is the fourth lyric video from IN THESE BOXES.  This is actually the beginning of the piece.  So, in a more perfect world, it would have been the first video I uploaded, not the fourth.  But life is messy. Art is messier. 

​Here's the text that opens the performance:
"When I was 19, I moved from Kentucky to New York’s East Village.  And I began to see something on the street I didn’t understand.

I’d see boxes, full of the contents of someone’s entire life, stuffed in the garbage cans of tenement apartment buildings.  Boxes full of things, like a twenty year collection of playbills, black leather harnesses and unframed paintings, posters, clothes still on their hangers, handwritten letters and spiral notebooks and bills and the odd objects that could only be someone's mementos.  All of it, stuffed into the garbage.  I saw this over and over again.

                                                                       Zero Out

Then years passed.  And in the summer of 1991, my two ex-lovers died within three months of each.  And this was bad, of course, but it was something else that had my attention. 

I realized that all the people who had witnessed our lives together were also dead.  These were the Plague Years, and my life had just become extinct.

And I finally understood about those boxes in the garbage: people had died of AIDS, their families had abandoned them, and their friends were all dead.  The objects I still owned were the only evidence that we had existed.  I alone knew the stories inside them.  And I wanted to reach back through time, into that garbage, into those boxes, and save the objects and find a way to tease out their missing stories.  To keep them from disappearing."

Get more Dudley at: 
https://www.facebook.com/DudleySaundersMusic
https://twitter.com/dudleysaunders
http://www.reverbnation.com/dudleysaunders

Madonna "You Don't Want To Be The Smartest Person In The Room"

Credit: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

"You don’t want to be the smartest person in the room; you want to be the dumbest in the room. You want to be surrounded by other thinking people who are going to say something that makes you think, 'Oh, my God, that's an amazing idea. Why didn't I think of that" - Madonna to David Blaine Interview Magazine 

Wow I love this! Welcome back Madge it's been a while since you have been relevant and said something with your inner voice that was actually ineresting. Oh and by the way this statement is something I 100% agree with. It sucks being that person.

Don't get me wrong. When I was eighteen I will never forget being a young impressionable gay boy seeing Madonna's Burning Up video playing at club in Seattle, WA.

She was inspiring and edgy. Madonna has always been able to blend pop culture, artistry and commerce seamlessly throughout her entire career. Until the past few years...

Yep, she has faltered in a quite epic manner. Her last two albums have been really lame and the singles off of them have been yawn fests. 

Her current chat with Magician David Blaine in Interview Magazine is inspiring. It reminds me of why I liked Madonna in the first Fucking place. 

Credit: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

Her intelligence and savvy are on full display here: 

"I remember having conversations with Keith Haring and with Basquiat about the importance of your art being accessible to people," she recalled. "That was their big thing—it should be available to everyone. It was so important for Keith to be able to draw on subways and walls. And Basquiat used to say to me, 'You're so lucky that you make music, because music comes out of radios everywhere.' He thought that what I did was more pop, more connected to pop culture than what he did. Little did he know that his art would become pop culture. But it's not like we really had discussions about the meaning of art. I remember hearing them talk about those things." - Madonna to David Blaine Interview Magazine 

Welcome back Big M. You suddenly became important,interesting and relevant again by being honest and not desperately trying too hard. 

You Go! 

Go Madonna at:  

http://www.madonna.com/

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/

A "Stalker" Romance

Maggie Q & Dylan McDermott

Sometimes life and art bleed together and it's hard to tell the difference, apparently such is the case with Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q who co-star on the new hit series Stalker on CBS.

Neither of them have confirmed it, but the stalkerazzi have caught them with their all seeing lenses out and about together looking thisclose.

Hey they have great chemistry on the show so this really should not surprise those who have seen it.

I have met Mr. McDermott he attended a play I was in once because one of my co-stars was his waiter at a restaurant where he was a regular. What a cool guy he is and if you think he looks good on TV you ought to see him in person.

Fact: Stalking cases have gone up 400 percent since the Internet boom, only two more days until Halloween!

"Stalk" Dylan & Maggie at: http://www.cbs.com/shows/stalker/

Portrait Of Margaret Cho - In Blood

Margaret  Cho: Portrait, Bloody Portrait

"I think it's very primal, very ritualistic.” - Margaret Cho

That's Margaret Cho talking about the Dorian Gray like portrait she has hired artist Vincent Castiglia to do of her with 18 millimeters of her own blood. That's right Margaret is going to have a portrait of herself in blood, how truly wonderful!

And I did not make that comment in jest, referring to the quote from Cho above I am completely on the same page as her...I once had a primal piercing done because I wanted to experience something that raw. It was a huge rush!

It was in my ear, they put a sharpie mark on my lobe where they wanted the hole to be, numbed it with ice and then took a double headed hollow needle aimed and jammed it through my ear, the adrenaline rush not to mention the shooting blood was a pretty amazing and an experience I will never forget!

Margaret has known Vincent for a couple of years, but was a fan of his macabre collection of work, painted exclusively with the artist's own blood — long before the pair even met.

"I loved what he was doing, his art is so finely detailed. This is exciting to go through this process of collecting my blood and getting a portrait painted.”

Ms. Cho expects to use her bloody portrait for album covers and tour art once completed.

As a footnote this is the first time Mr. Castiglia has used anyone else's blood other than his own in his work, the piece should prove historical.

Hey, Vincent I am up for it if you ever want to use my blood sometime!

Go Cho!: http://margaretcho.com/

Enjoy Vincent's Work at: http://vincentcastigliaart.com/