2002-06-10
LET’S NOT BE ALL MOUTH AND NO TROUSERS. HELLO AGAIN TO MY “STRAWBERRY RIPPLES!”

A friend taught me this phrase…“Jemandem nach dem Mund reden. Halt’s Maul oder ich polier der die Fresse.” I have not forgotten you; I just wanted to let everyone collect their emotions.

I am excited and relieved to have finished recording all of Ginger’s drum tracks and we wrote one new song this week as a bit of a therapeutic fire extinguisher. I welcome my new bandmember. I don’t really feel the sting of insults anymore but I care about my friends (new and old) so I hope this community can contain their pointless prejudices.

It was nice to hear Jonathan Davis complimenting our album, and showing support. I also got a surprising call from Gidget (Brad Stewart), who has always been like a brother. He is truly talented and I hope to help him with his new work. It would be surreal to play a song together again, since we have put the past behind us.

This weekend I photographed 40 to 50 of my paintings (from ‘97—‘02) to update the gallery and I will have the date for the exhibit this week; it will be in late September.

There seems to be different opinions on my influences these sunny days. While most come from French Surrealism, Dada and the atmosphere of Weimar Berlin, I also find this record so much like making Portrait of an American Family. Reckless, Du kannst mich mal am Arsch lecken! I had to get back to the reason that I wanted to begin with.

Cabaret is thought to have its origin in France in 1881 and the first Cabaret that represented the spirit I find most inspiring, was in Berlin in 1901. The city was considered devoid of Kultur and a breeding ground for evil. At times of censorship and soulless art turned into simple products, creativity rises. Rome! Nachtlokals! Oppression impression obsession. This is not a statement, this is an observation translated into real-time choreography. Fashion changed, the world shifted its axis. Sounds like today.

Burlesque provided eroticism and sexscape. Cabaret and Vaudeville were satire, parody and the theatre of grotesque. Each has had an impact on everything we see today, but I aim to revive the attitude of chaos and reckless disregard for tomorrow, in order to make today’s creations as genius as possible. If it shocks, it is only because it grabs your attention in a clusterfuck of mediocrity. “Shocking” is a juvenile attempt to describe well-crafted art.

TO CLARIFY: I did sing in the first version of Moulin Rouge, but a certain loving “woman,” had my vocals removed. While I enjoyed working on the film, it was not my sole inspiration, but an exciting element in this puzzle.

For the crib biters and der Flunkies-- You certainly can’t be a fascist when you are into fashion. So let’s put on our best suit, here comes the GOLDEN AGE.

MM

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