“COMMAND PERFORMANCE”
The Arthur Magazine Email Bulletin
No. 0074
May 10, 02007
HOT BLOG:
http://www.arthurmag.com/magpie
OURSPACE:
http://www.myspace.com/arthurmag
COMMENTS:
Hey lovers,
1. BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE ROCK AND ROLLED
From the LACityBeat…
http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=5406&IssueNum=203
Arthur Lives Again
Issue 25 won’t be the last!
This particular Arthur saga has a few chapters left in it. Despite being declared dead by co-founder and editor Jay Babcock back in February, the much-mourned Arthur magazine announced its return earlier this month to the already too-small world of long-form counterculture journalism. Babcock’s negotiations with publisher Laris Kreslins to buy out Kreslins’ half of the mag had reached a seemingly hopeless impasse, but a recent breakthrough finally pushed the deal through.
“The main thing is that he came back to the table and we reached a deal, and I got loans from friends and family which allowed me to buy him out,” says Babcock, who has run the magazine from his home in Atwater Village since its inception in 2002. “I have now gained 100 percent control of Arthur, and I intend to resume publishing the magazine as soon as all the financing is in order.”
Babcock denied rumors that Arthur had received last-minute financial help from some of its high-profile friends, among them Rick Rubin, Dave Eggers, and Matt Groening. “When I reached out, it was to a close circle of family and long, longtime friends,” he says. “We probably will do a benefit or two or auction off one-of-a-kind items to help me pay back all the people who loaned me money.”
Founded in 2002, Arthur found success as a haven for long-form journalism and criticism that covered music, art, and politics with underground sensibilities. Editorial contributors have included Alan Moore, Byron Coley, and Thurston Moore. The magazine also spun off into a series of well-attended festivals, such as ArthurFest, which drew major acts such as Sonic Youth, Yoko Ono, and Sleater-Kinney.
Babcock is currently trying to get the publication’s momentum rolling again before he can set a date for the next issue. “It’s not time yet. All the ducks are getting in order, and then we’ll go for a swim,” he explains. Issue 26, which was all but completed before the negotiations breakdown, will never be published, and most of its features have either found homes at other publications or been posted on the magazine’s website. Nevertheless, his outlook remains optimistic.
“We’ll be back, bolder, brighter, bigger, and freer,” he jokes. “It’ll probably be a little more aggressive. We’ll name names. I think we’ve been pulling our punches to this point and we’re not gonna have to do that anymore.” (Alfred Lee)
2. WITHOUT WHOM
A big public THANK YOU to Jason McGuire who has been working pro bono as Arthur’s attorney. He came to us in our time of need and offered to help out of the goodness of his heart. And then he did exactly what he said he would do. Thank you Jason for helping straighten out Arthur’s affairs — and for deejaying at our recent night of beer at Little Joy with the Built by Wendy sweethearts.
3. Q: WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? A: WELL…
Arthur is now considering proposals from investors so that we can do what we used to do on a bigger scale. Hang tight, we’re going as fast as we can.
4. MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE INTERCAVE…
Thanks to the efforts of Will Swofford and others, Arthur’s “Magpie” blog is now officially out of control. John Coulthart, Gabe Soria, Eden Batki, Paul Krassner, Steve K, Charles Potts and others have all been posting recently. And this afternoon, we posted Arthur’s first “commissioned” podcast — a half-hour audio mixtape put together for the computer listener by Plastic Crimewave of Chicagoland back in frigid February. Hideously rare gems and mellow voiceover await you at:
http://www.arthurmag.com/magpie/?p=1818
5. DID YOU KNOW? OR EVEN SUSPECT?
* The long-awaited feature-length documentary film about ArthurFest 2005 by director Lance Bangs is nearing completion.
* A benefit for Arthur Magazine at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax in Los Angeles is in the works.
* A concert to benefit various counter-military recruiting programs and veterans’ advocacy organizations, curated by Arthur Magazine, is in the works.
* We’ve sold out of Complete Sets of Arthur Vol 1. Issues 4 (Alan Moore) and 5 (David Cross/”Arthur Against Empire”) of Vol 1 are now sold out. Other issues from Volume 1 are still available for purchase via the website:
http://www.arthurmag.com/store/index.php
* Pre-order sales for our “The Invasion of Thunderbolt Pagoda” film DVD reissue out June 1, 2007 have been (shall we say) very strong, and we are anticipating a quickie sellout of this widely acclaimed package produced by Will Swofford of Saturnalia. Details on the 1968 Ira Cohen-Angus Maclise psychedelic knockout film are available at:
http://www.arthurmag.com/store/dvds.php
* The sold-out “No Magic Man” album by Sunburned Hand of the Man, originally released on Arthur’s Bastet label, is going back to press and should be available in mid-June.
* Bastet’s “Million Tongues” and “Golden Apples of the Sun” compilations are now sold out. We hope to get “Golden Apples” back in print shortly on the Arthur label. And we’ve been talking with Devendra about… Well, we should save something for next time. (Everybody likes a tease–they just won’t admit it. Suspense rules, dude.)
6. WE LOVE THE GARDEN ROSE TOO.
Lavender Diamond at Amoeba Hollywood
Friday, May 11, 7pm
A live performance celebrating the release of their splendid debut album, “Imagine Our Love”
Hey dude here’s that video they shot in the Angeleno Heights neighborhood that we invited you to…
http://www.arthurmag.com/magpie/?p=1805
7. AH YES, THE MAGIC AND MYSTERY OF HUMAN/PLANT COMMUNICATION…
“Psychobotany: Revolutionary Breakthroughs in Human/Plant Communication”
proudly supported by MACHINE PROJECT & The CENTER for TACTICAL MAGIC
May 12 – June 16
MACHINE PROJECT
1200 D North Alvarado Street
Los Angeles, CA 9002
213-483-8761
Opening Reception:
8pm May 12
Featuring a presentation by MOLLY FRANCES (Arthur Magazine’s “NEW HERBALIST” columnist)
Psychobotany: psycho (from the Greek psyche meaning mind or soul); botany (the study of plants).
Psychobotany cultivates a cultural terrain that includes a wide array of efforts at human/plant communication. Artists, scientists, subcultures, religions, activists, and visionaries all share plots in the field of Psychobotany. Combining elements of scientific truth, spiritual beliefs, aesthetic savvy, and social expression, Psychobotany is a fertile ground where the diverse cultural roots of human/plant communication can take hold.
Psychobotany blazes a meandering trail between the strict constraints of objective, peer-reviewed, rationalism and the unrestrained embrace of uncritical idealism. Along the way, one can expect to find military scientists rubbing shoulders with druids; tree-sitters cavorting with tech wizards; and conceptual artists conspiring with herbalists.
EXHIBIT FEATURES…
“Tea Leaf-lets and Potion Corner” by Molly Frances
Molly Frances (author of Arthur Magazine’s New Herbalist column) encourages communion with our mysterious herb friends, so small and unassuming, yet so powerful. For the Psychobotany exhibition, magical herbal elixirs, balmy tonics, sweet nervines, or simply tea will be shared with all. Additionally, “tea leaf-lets” and plant propaganda will lead visitors down the primrose path to herbal enlightenment.
“Vital Psigns” by The Center for Tactical Magic
Vital Psigns is a social experiment that seeks to address individual mind power and the potential for human/plant communication. The Vital Psigns installation includes three plants (positive, negative, and control) receiving equal soil, water, and light. Visitors are invited to take a few moments to relax in the presence of the plants and attempt to affect their growth using their mental energies. The cumulative effect on the plants over the course of the experiment is assessed at the close of the exhibition. Additionally, the Center of Tactical Magic (authors of Arthur Magazine’s Applied Magic[k] column) presents a performance lecture exploring the magic and mystery of human/plant communication. Ranging from Moses’ consultation with a burning bush to the Pentagon’s recent development of “sentinel plants,” the CTM provides a brief history of plants as purveyors of knowledge. Audience members also participate in a live demonstration of extra-sensory perception mediated throug
h the cooperation of living plants. For more info: www.tacticalmagic.org
Also featuring the efforts of:
Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
Botanicalls
Cleve Backster
Peter Coffin
DARPA
Earth Films
Marc Herbst
Denise King
John Lifton
Richard Lowenberg
Jim Wiseman
Tom Zahuranec
plus Moses, Druids, and More!
For further details, including screenings, performances, and presentations:
Psychobotany is curated by Aaron Gach.
8. MEANWHILE, BACK IN NEW YORK CITY…
The artist/writers Sacha Jenkins SHR and Livingroom Johnston are teaming up to exhibit their works in a show entitled “Write On Bros.: Paintings and Words by Sacha Jenkins SHR and the Legendary Livingroom Johnston.” Hosted by the Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery, the show is up through Saturday, June 2, 2007. The Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery is located at 516 W.25th Street, Suite 306, in Manhattan.
“Write On Bros.” will be devoted — in Jenkins’s words — to works exploring “New York, slavery, clandestine emancipation, and the notion that God is one of us.” For the most part, these works are paintings on canvas (Johnston) and on wood, canvas, and corrugated plastic (Jenkins).
Jenkins is variously known as the editorial director of Mass Appeal magazine and co-founder of the ego trip collective, whose most recent project was the reality television series “The White Rapper Show” for VH1. His first show at Eyejammie, “Writers Convention: A Collaborative Study of Pigments,” ran in November and December of 2005.
Johnston is a pioneering skateboarder, self-published novelist, and painter. In 1989 he became the first black man to grace the cover of Transworld magazine. Since March of 2004 he has written six well-received hand-made novels, beginning with “Harlem Remembers the Bronx.” Johnston’s first one-man show of paintings occurred in New York in July of 2006.
9. BRING THE CAPLOCK, HOLD THE HEMLOCK
The Echo Park Social(ist) and Pleasure Club
at Little Joy
1477 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles
EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT
9:30pm-2am
It’s pretty much a guaranteed good time, or at least a good listen.
Why, just have a look what happened on May 3…
Oliver “Dr. Caplock” Hall played:
BIZARROS — “YOUNG GIRLS AT MARKET”
MC5 — “BABY WON’T YA”
CHUCK BERRY — “ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN”
PINK FAIRIES — “DO IT”
AVENGERS — “THE AMERIKAN IN ME”
SONIC YOUTH — “TURQUOISE BOY”
MISS ALEX WHITE & THE RED ORCHESTRA — “PICTURE MY FACE”
BLACK FLAG — “THE PROCESS OF WEEDING OUT”
SUICIDE COMMANDOS — “I DON’T GET IT”
SPIRIT — “COLD WIND”
NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE — “WELFARE MOTHERS”
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL — “GREEN RIVER”
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE — “THE BALLAD OF YOU & ME & POONEIL”
THIN LIZZY — “COLD SWEAT”
BLACK FLAG — “THE BARS” (LIVE ’84)
D.O.A. — “WAR”
NEIL YOUNG W/ CSN — “WAR SONG”
GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR — “STICK TO ME”
MC5 — “SISTER ANNE”
BIZARROS — “YOUNG GIRLS AT MARKET”
His Burly Happiness Joseph Mattson played:
Dug Dug’s – Lost in My World
Froggie Beaver – Bring My Children Home
Cactus – Parchman Farm
Grand Funk – Got this Thing on the Move
The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – 25 Miles
The Mighty Hannibal – The Truth Shall Make You Free
Aretha Franklin – The Weight
Charles Taylor – What a Friend
Roy Harper – Don’t You Grieve
Flamin’ Groovies – Slow Death
C.A. Quintet – Smooth as Silk
Detroit with Mitch Ryder – Gimme Shelter
Merry Clayton – Southern Man
Rashaan Roland Kirk – Ain’t No Sunshine
Creedence – Effigy
Six Organs of Admittance – It was Written
Creedence – Hideaway
Scott Walker – Black Sheep Boy
Tomorrow – Strawberry Fields Forever
Erkin Koray – Istemem
Butthole Surfers – Kuntz
The Head Shop – Head Shop
Gray Matter – Walk the Line
Link Wray – La De Da
Waylon Jennings – You’re Gonna Wonder About Me
Linval Thompson – Six Babylon
The Upsetters – Scratch the Dub Organizer
Lungfish – Sex War
The Litter – Codeine
Larry Young – Khalid of Space Part Two
Ocrilim – Anoint
Doris Duke – I Can’t Do Without You
Belita Woods – You Do Your Thing
Otis Clay – That’s How It Is
Alton Ellis – Whiter Shade of Pale
Barbara Dane and The Chambers Brothers – It Isn’t Nice
Exuma – Dambala
And everyone’s pal Smilin’ Aaron Aldorisio played:
group doueh – untitled track
smashchords – brand new rambler
ooioo – eye mix 1
the human instinct – black sally
jerry garcia – sugaree
the only ones – another girl, another planet
wire – outdoor miner
the fall – fit and working again
th’ faith healers – this time
spacemen 3 – sound of confusion
the monkees – as we go along
mama cass – disney girls
the velvet underground – ocean
max romeo – chase the devil
Tonight (Thursday, May 10), we help celebrate the launch of Dublab’s spring sprout proton drive with DJ sets by Dublab Super Selectors ALE (LANGUIS), HOSEH and MORPHO.
10. “Nature Trumps: An L.A. River Blog Compiled by Jay Babcock”
http://naturetrumps.wordpress.com/
Make Levees Not War Dammit,
Arthur’s League of Responsible Drinkers
Los Angeles, California
Arthur Magazine 