I attended the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this past weekend.
I met Aaron McGruder, Shepard Fairey, Jared Diamond (who, unbeknownst to me, teaches geography at UCLA) and Kevin Smith.
Kevin Smith is "ear delicious" in person. He should quit making bad movies and just tour the lecture circuit for a living like former Real World cast members. I'd totally draft him as an impromptu speaker for my speech and debate team.
During his hour-long engagement, Smith touched on Cleveland steamers in Cincinnati, Christian crusader Kirk Cameron, the children's book Stone Soup, Virginia Woolf, a one-legged Pope, how Return of the King should have ended with Sam fucking Frodo in the mouth, his wife's nickname for his cock ("Mount Doom") and September 11.
I woke up late and missed Jonathan Safran Foer.
I often confuse Jonathan Safran Foer with Jonathan Franzen and Jonathan Lethem. I had to check IMDb to remember which bestseller Foer wrote.
Everything Is Illuminated.
Directed by Liev Schreiber (Scream 3).
I think arts and wine festivals are stupid.
There's absolutely nothing worthwhile about them unless you're an old white person with season tickets to the local repertory theatre.
How to improve an arts and wine festival:
1. change the phrase "arts and wine" to "arts, buffalo wings and dollar pitchers"
2. replace the jazz bands with the Harlem Globetrotters
3. exhibit art that's more interesting than paintings of nature and scrap pieces of copper welded together
What kind of art would I like to see at an arts and wine festival?
"Deviant Ar.c"
Today: Carlos Segura
Q101 is a radio station in Chicago. Every year, the station sponsors two music festivals — a summer festival (Block Party, formerly: Jamboree) and a winter festival (Twisted Christmas).
Carlos Segura designs a lot of the peripheral material for Q101 events.
For Jamboree 1999, he conceived a retro comic book motif and designed personalized comic book covers for each band performing at the show. These covers are amazing.
Hole, Blondie, The Flys
Silverchair, The Offspring, Local H
Kottonmouth Kings, Blink 182, Lit
Puya, Orgy, 2 Skinnee J's
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Similarly, for Twisted IX in 2002, Segura conceived a Communist propaganda motif and designed personalized propaganda posters for each act on the bill.
Moby, 3 Doors Down, Sugarcult, Public Enemy
Boxcar Racer, The Vines, Disturbed, Jimmy Eat World
Very cool.