Bittersweet Birthday...

As everyone must know by now...he would have been 51 today. So sad. :(

May he finally find the peace of mind in death that always eluded him in life.

I can't wait!

Sometimes, I seriously think that I was born in the wrong decade.

I really can't wait to finally see Ang Lee's "Taking Woodstock" (which hits theaters tomorrow).

Sure, I may have been born a little late to experience the original Woodstock concert firsthand.

(F.Y.I. --I was born in 1984. Okay, so maybe I was way late ;)

In any case, thanks to the fact that I'm technically a child of the '80s, I missed out on this particular piece of pivotal rock n' roll history. However, thanks to the miracle of film, that original festival of peace, love, and music is now a living diary of a serene oasis amid the end of the otherwise tumultuous 1960's. It is also the source of some of my all-time favorite music and live performances.

Speaking of which...

Happy Birthday, Moonie!

Today would have been Keith Moon's 63rd Birthday. A wild man who happened to come equipped with drum sticks, Moonie will always remembered as much for his lunacy as he will be for his artistry and genius behind the drum kit. Behind not only one but TWO full drum kits he seemed to be a hyperactive flash of waving limbs. He seemed to approach the rest of his life with the same type of reckless (and ultimately, self-destructive) abandon.

However, the unique rhythmic structure and personality that he gave to The Who is something that is often imitated but never faithfully duplicated. "Moon the Loon" was truly one of a kind (in more ways than one). He was the Jackson Pollock of the drums. More than all that, he was the heart and soul of The Who.

Despite having only lived a tragically short 32 years, Keith left behind an undeniable musical legacy that will continue to influence and challenge musicians for decades to come. His unchallenged acrobatics behind the drums and incredible showmanship are just a tiny percentage of why his contribution to the music world will live on for years and years to come.

In celebration of Keith's birthday, I am posting a pretty quick (but nice) summation of Keith's life by non other than the members of The Who. It's a pretty good glimpse into why Keith wasn't just your average percussionist. My favorite part of the first clip is where they break down "Behind Blue Eyes" to just Roger Daltrey's vocals and Keith's drum fills. You can hear how Keith really turned basic drum fills into little works of art.

The second clip is the recording session for "Who Are You?" from The Who rockumentary, "The Kids are Alright". This was one of Moonie's last recording sessions with the band and I think it's a beautiful way to remember his incredible warmth, humor and genius.

"Takin' Out the Trash"

So Monday morning marks the beginning of my last semester on campus as an undergrad.

It's all over but the intership, dah-lings. ;)

Wow, is it really the middle of August already? Damn...

Actually -- despite the fact that the next 10 or so months are going to be beyond busy and hectic as I fight and claw my way towards my projected graduation date (May 25, 2010), I'm pretty excited to get back into a regular college/work routine.

That's not to say that there aren't still plenty of funky n' fabulous things up my sleeve this fall for "Out the Other Side". I've still got a couple of aces left for the future which include --

- More original illustrations for your viewing pleasure!

- Original motion graphics pieces to be featured on the blog (both new and old)!

- More of my commentary and ramblings on music, movies, and everything else that inspires me to do my thing!

- The grand opening of the brand shiny new "Out the Other Side" official website!

- The grand opening of the brand shiny new "Out the Other Side" online store! (Coming Soon!)

- and Much Much MORE!

In other words -keep your eyes glued to "Out the Other Side" for all sorts of new fun content ! ;)

In the meantime, here is one last new illustration before I pack my bags to head back to uni for one last go-round. It's entitled "Takin' Out the Trash". It's vibrant, funky, and bloody and it was a hell of a lot of fun to work on. I hope you guys dig it as much as I loved working on it. ;)

(Feel free to click on the image to see a larger version.)

Typography Tastes Good

Now why couldn't they just show us this video during my typography class? ;)

Oh, Coco ...

This one never really gets old for me! :)

Between this and the well-recieved "Twitter Tracker" segments (also a favorite of mine), you can certainly tell that the motion graphics geeks over at the new "Tonight Show" are plenty busy helping Conan bring good old fashioned silliness to the masses.


Looks like a super-fun gig! ;)

"Last Day of Magic"

So here is my newest artistic contribution to this little blog o' mine. :)

(Click on the image to see a larger version )

It's entitled "Last Day of Magic" (as the blog title implies;) and was inspired VERY loosely (conceptually) on The Kills song of the same name.

At the very least -- the song was looping in my head quite a bit while I was creating this. ;)

I had originally planned on making this into a much darker piece both conceptually and in terms of color pallet.

(Believe it or not, this whole thing started out in shades of dark olive green and black)

 However, after a little bit of experimentation (and after deciding that my characters were looking more "sickly" than anything else under the weight of all of that green) , I ultimately began playing with a more sunset meets pretty apocalypse color theme and the outcome of said experimentation is the end product you see above.

Below is the song that inspired this piece: "Last Day of Magic" by The Kills.

Also -- I'm throwing in a little Regina Spektor for good measure.  Her recent video for "Laughing With" is just a beautiful exercise in surrealism  and a perfect way to (musically) round out the beginning of the end of the summer

I have certainly had iton repeats quite a bit in recent weeks. 

I encourage everybody to pick up her most recent musical contribution, "Far", (if you haven't already).   It truly is an incredibly beautiful and compelling album from start to finish :)