Beardless and Painterly

This morning I shaved my beard off.
It's been about 6 months or so. I liked having it because it made me look tough. Like a Mountain Man, which is handy when you live in Tasmania.

It was also good, because shaving is boring. No-wait. I actually enjoy shaving. It just takes time and patience to do a good job. But I'm not such a big fan of the blood. And trying to get the sideburns to symmetrically match.

Anyway,now that I am beardless, I look younger. We'll see if I get asked for I.D tonight.
Douglas (holder of the greatest beard since God) tells me I have now lost my powers. We will also see about that tonight.

Samantha wanted photographical evidence. I don't have a digital camera and my Polaroid camera is out of film. So I put my face on the scanner. Again.

BEHOLD:


I've also gotten back to my painting. Acrylic on canvas is hard! But it's sorta coming together.

My next piece will be back to watercolours on paper. Something I'm more (well I used to be) comfortable with. And it's quicker.

Douglas wanted to see what I was painting.

BEHOLD:



The area between the sax and the trumpet player annoys me. If I was doing this digitally I would simply nudge the figures closer together. Anyone got any ideas to how I can fix it?

The Agenda of Finding Joy!

"Shout Sister, Shout!
....tell the whole world whats it all about!"

If a part of your mind tells you to stop, and your body gives you some pretty strong hints to slow it down, do you listen to it? Or do you dear reader, do as I, and listen to the heart?

It's way easier to listen to the heart when you're surrounded by totally cool friends, good music all around and the Agenda of Finding Joy!

Awhile ago I claimed that I was indestructible. That turning 30 somehow bestowed upon me invunerability. I still lay claim that I'm pretty tough. But I concede I may not be totally Godlike. Not THE God, but perhaps a god. Or a demi-god. (The temptation to use my Masters of the Universe gag here is almost to strong, but it must wait for the proper moment).
It's getting colder down here. Snow on the mountain the other day. Was 6 degree's the other night. So maybe thats why I'm feeling the pain. I woke up yesterday with a black bruise on the arch of my foot the width of a coffee mug. And I have NO idea how it got there!! My body is also racked with knots and stiffness. I was also sneezing a bit yesterday.

It's been a crazy week.
It started off big.

So big I've forgotten what I did last friday night. I THINK it started off with a bbq and breakdancing at my house. Then we saw a rock/ska band, then maybe some hippity-hop dancing. I know I got to bed at 6am.
Saturday night was a hens night which was excellant fun! What happens on a hens night, stays on the hens night. So I can't divulge what happened there. Lots of dancing I recall.

(NOTE- Dancing is the easiest and possibly your greatest tool in the Agenda of Finding Joy!)

SunDAY was house work. SundayNITE was swingdancing that turned into breakdancing.
Monday. Okay, so it seems my hypocrisy seems to know no limits and I've found myself in a "teaching" role. I'm "teaching" swing dancing on monday nights at Glenorchy. (for those who may not know, Glenorchy is considered "the wrong side of the tracks". I haven't been out there since I was helping street kids do animation films. But I am, after all, a man of the world and I go where I'm needed. We've got a good group of people out there.)
TuesDAY I got called into the studio as they had a press conference with tv crews and politicians at the last minute. The poli's where there, but the press decided not to turn up. Supposedly something more newsworthy happened else where. I think a dog got run over.
I then met up with Miss Jellybean for some dance practice. In particular a form of swing called "Shag". I kid you not. And no, the joke never gets old!
TuesdayNITE I went to swing classes. (I'm going back to beginners and beginner plus, as it's fun and important to go back to the basics and tidy it up. And it's good exercise).
WensDAY- I forget.
WensdayNITE- Lindyhopping. But I think I was in a mood, so I spent most of the night catching up with my mate Matty Miller.
ThurdayMORNING. As part of the bucks party we went and played Laser Skirmish. Actually THATS probally why my body is feeling stiff. 5 hours of throwing yourself into trees, tumbling over logs and using your rifle butt to beat your enemies into submission to save on ammo.
I then had a big steak for lunch and a couple of bevies at the Cascade Hotel (under Mt Wellington).
ThursdayNITE- We started the nocturnal Bucks celebration with dinner. But What happens on a bucks party, stays on the bucks party. So thats all I CAN say about that night.

FriDAY I went for a nice walk thru town to the waterfront and the fish punts. Mmmmmmmm..... Tassie seafood!

FridayNITE, 2 of my absolute favourite Melbournites who're in town plus the other crew came over. Somehow Breakdance was put on AGAIN. And we somehow started breakdancing again. Lots of spins, flips and what-not. Lots of laughs until Samual actually kicked himself in the face and split his tongue. Lots of blood. So I'm banning Breakdance from visitors. Luckily we've still got Breakdance 2: The Electric Boogaloo. (btw did you know the Jean Claude Van Damme was IN Breakdance???)
We left my pad and went out in search of hippty-hop dancing. Not much was open, so we ended up at a club I'm not too fond of. BUT they had walls that were padded.
Padded Walls = Wall slamming fun!!

SaturDAY my houseguest arrived. The VERY lovely Helen. We all dig Helen! Then we hit the wedding of good friends Dave & Shan. It was a fantastic occasion. I ALMOST cried during the service. (I nice mix of traditional Chinese and Anglo customs). I managed to keep back the tears and proceed to drink.
Lovely meal & good company! (caught up with some interstate friends).
SaturdayNITE- the wedding shin-an-igans continued.
Here is a nice photo taken by MelbsDave of Julianne and myself as we gave the wedding guests a quick beginners class in dancing. See, it's a nice photo cos Julianne looks gorgeous, as does the Lovely Helen in the background, and I don't look sloshed. Needless to say i'd been drinking up to that point. Although I stopped about then.

After the wedding ceased, we hit one of my favourite gigs A really funky,groovy, swinging band who play late on saturday nights. Hammond Organ, xylophone, gee-tar & drums. Then WE hit the hippity-hop club, which was more beats then hippity-hop.

Sunday the Lovely Helen and I went for brunch, then read the paper in the park. We THEN checked out a jazz band in the early evening, had a nice Chinese meal, then hit another pub where a great band, The Cake Walking Babbies played their swinging/dixie-esque stuff! Lots of crazy dancing.
With the lack of any late night cafe action, we were not able to have coffee and cake so we called it a night.

This morning I woke to the sad news that Split Enz/Crowded House drummer Paul Hestor passed away at the age of 46. Crowded House were the first live band I ever saw. It was 1987 and I was about to turn 13. My older brother took me with his friends. While I don't dig hugely on Crowded House these days, I still have an immense fondness and appreciation for them. I recall being blown away by the gig, and especially impressed by Paul hestors on stage charisma, energy and showmanship. When they came back on stage for their encore, Paul flipped and cartwheeled his way to the drums.
A sad passing.


So, anyways, I do intend to take it a little easy on myself this week. Just enough to regroup. But not enough to miss any opportunities in my Agenda of Finding Joy!

Current Music: Franz Ferdinand. Also: Lucky Millinder.

The Cosmic Ballet continues...

At the whims and mercies of .... Merciless children.
Come see what they think and say of the games I did for the magnificent Hoota and Snoz website.

Currently The Pudding Game is number 1 on the ABC Rollercoaster site. But for how long??

Just 2 weeks ago (my favourite) The Boogie Picker was # 1, but has now been knocked out of the top 5. You'd never know it from the harse, harse comments left. Children can be so cruel.
"Jack Aston Says....
It was ok but very bad graphics.
... and rates it 1.5 out of 5"

Jack, you're NOT HELPING!

But The Dress Up Game seems to be an underground smash hit!
"it is da bome."

Other games for edumacation:
Hoota's Music Factory
Hungry Hoota. (Jessica rates it 3.5 out of 5)
Pudding Race
SnozBall

We be up against stiff competition from likes of The Saddle Club & The Ferals.

In a slightly related news flash, The other BIG project I was apart of last year, which involved the ABC and the AFI will be launched shortly. The big shin-dig opening will be in Sydney, early April.
Since I was going to be up there for a wedding & an engagement party and perhaps a bucks party (all 3 events are for 3 seperate couples!!) I kinda put my hand up to represent the studio. What I thought was going to be free drinks and the opportunity to hit on more celebs may turn out to be a meeting the politicians and giving a speech!

Certainly an opportunity for another sin-tilating Diggsville expose!!!!

Head arrangements

Does it seem like things have been going a little crazy in your neck of the woods lately? Couples breaking up? Strange people hooking up? Weird stuff happening at work? People getting hitched? Cars rolling off the road for no apparent reason? Dogs and cats living together? Mass hysteria?

I was told the other day that there is an astrological reason behind it all. Something about Uranus (heheheheheh) being somewhere it shouldn't.

But things should be settling down in April. Which would make sense for me anyway. I'm due to hear some big important news that'll dictate how and where I'll be spending the rest of this year.

But in the meantime heres something quite nice and potent I read last week. Something for those of you in some sort of romantic bind.
"Love doesn't conquer all, but it's because love is so fragile and fleeting that it's so precious and important."

I used to think that love was forever but I'm thinking now that often it's not. Sometimes you have to say goodbye. Goodbyes are always sad, but, like the great prophet Conan The Barbarian (the movie) says "What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger".

And you won't find any words truer then that.

That is why Conan was king.
And he wore his crown upon a troubled brow.



....and he ended philosphical arguements by chopping peoples heads off and burning their temples to the ground.





.....and lots of other cool stuff!

Wheels

This be the car I want!


1973 MERCEDES 450 SLC. 4.5 litre. V8.

I've seen nicer models around, but this one is more in my price range. And it very well could be mine!! Just gotto get my arse into gear and do a thing. Paperwork/finance stuff that I've been putting off.

Then, OH YES, I will no longer have to mooch rides of people!

Illustration Friday: FRAGILE

It's early, but I figure, if I don't do it now, I won't do it at all. Just something I scribbled out in about an hour and a half.
It's me. I'm not a morning person and feel "fragile" until i have a cup of tea.
Illustration Friday.

Tunes Part 2

douglas says:
is your brain okay?
scott fraser says:
yeah, I slurped most of it up from the floor.
douglas says:
good. Can't have you sitting around like a brain dead mental retard now can we?
scott fraser says:
hey, thats what I do BEST!
douglas says:
hmm...good point
scott fraser says:
..... and I haven't finished my first cup of tea for the morning, so I'm kinda looking like a dead mental retard...
douglas says:
AWESOME!! The Zombie plague begins at home
scott fraser says:
slowly.......wak...ing......... up...
douglas says:
heheh. wake UP MAN!! SLAP....SNAP OUT OF IT SOLDIER!! SLAP!!
scott fraser says:
The bachelor lifestyle is a hard taskmaster.
scott fraser says:
We had a public holiday yesterday.
douglas says:
yeah so did we
scott fraser says:
oh, cool.
douglas says:
i drank red wine and painted while jen sewed and sewed
scott fraser says:
cool. I seemed to drink alot of beer. Actually I had a jammed packed weekend.
scott fraser says:
Saw the Violent Femmes on friday night. Do you like them?
douglas says:
Yeah...i saw them years ago...seriously like Year 12 ages ago
scott fraser says:
I've never seen them, or owned any of their stuff.
scott fraser says:
But I know the singles.
scott fraser says:
It was a good gig. Lots of old people..
douglas says:
yeah. I've got one album...
scott fraser says:
Really good musco's.
douglas says:
yeah they were good fun...the drummer broke his kit when we saw them and started playing on a cardboard box
scott fraser says:
yeah, the drummer was fantastic, as was the bass player. And the lead singer (Gordon?) has a great voice.
douglas says:
yeah. Did they sing blister in the sun?
scott fraser says:
of course.
scott fraser says:
I was actually surprised at how many songs I knew, or had heard before.
douglas says:
yeah. They're one of those bands i think. You kinda know they're back catalogue if you have been around the indie traps long enough
scott fraser says:
I went with my friend Duncan. They're one of his all time favourites from back in the day, so he really dug them. They're the type of band that make alot of peoples top 3 list.
scott fraser says:
I'm thinking about writing about it on my next expose on diggsville.
douglas says:
heh. yeah...they're alright...i had mates at high school who really dug them. They're fun...but i don't think they would make my top 3
scott fraser says:
nah. I've borrowed a cd from duncan. It's good stuff, but I think unless they were there for you back in High School, they won't mean as much to you.
douglas says:
yeah pretty much...you should blog about this FOR SURE!!
scott fraser says:
I might just copy and past this conversation. I still haven't woken up yet and I've got lots of errands to run today.
scott fraser says:
and then I'll go into the Pixies...
douglas says:
hehe. I don't like the Pixies
scott fraser says:
See, I know atleast 4 people who have them as their all time favourite. And these people all have great taste.
scott fraser says:
I bought a Best Of recently to try and see what it was all about.
douglas says:
i like 2 pixies songs...and one of them they released just last year after they got back together.
douglas says:
the other is Debaser...but the rest...meh. I don't get it. A bit like Sonic Youth...don't GET IT PHRASE!!
scott fraser says:
Don't get me started on Sonic Youth. Man, I tried to see what was good about them. They have 2 songs I really dig, but the rest.... nah.
scott fraser says:
Debaser is a great song tho!
douglas says:
yeah Debaser is great...so is the one they released last year...but i don't get the rest. Sonic Youth are New York indie art rock bollocks
scott fraser says:
Monkey Gone to Heaven is a fantastic song also.
scott fraser says:
Kool Thing by Sonic Youth is a brain-oozing good song.
douglas says:
Bull in the heather? IS that the song? I like that one
scott fraser says:
Yeah, thats the other one. I've even SEEN Sonic Youth live. And i don't like 'em.
scott fraser says:
It's not that I don't like them, I just don't dig them.
douglas says:
so you don't like them.
douglas says:
you hate them personally
scott fraser says:
I don't hate them.
scott fraser says:
Whats the guitarist's name?
douglas says:
They said something about your mum i thought
scott fraser says:
Him, I hate.
scott fraser says:
I mean, after that whole throwing the church pew at his head incident...
douglas says:
you threw a church pew at his head?!
scott fraser says:
After he dissed my mum.
douglas says:
oh yeah...thats right...the power of christ compelled you
scott fraser says:
I'm listening to the Pixies now.
douglas says:
...and for what?!
douglas says:
(I'm listening to the Mars Volta)
scott fraser says:
I'm actually digging the Pixies. I can ......almost..... see... the light...
douglas says:
don't go to it Phraser...it's just sleep deprivation
scott fraser says:
But no goosebumps. Thats what Pixie fans tell you. They get goosebumps when they hear the Pixies.
douglas says:
bah. Thats the heroin
scott fraser says:
They're all smack addicts??
douglas says:
yeah...ALL of them
douglas says:
All pixies fans are smack addicts
douglas says:
pinko art student commie tree hugging fascist
douglas says:
...clucking they're tongues and saying "Oh the Pixies...they so GOOD...puff puff puff....Smack me HOMBRE!!"
douglas says:
sigh...well...i SUPPOSE...i should get to work or something
scott fraser says:
yeah, me to. Hey, I think I will cut and past the above conversation into the blog. It says pretty much what I wanted to, and it's funny.
scott fraser says:
Is that cool?
douglas says:
yeah...do i say anything stupid and controversial?
scott fraser says:
thats when you're at your best!
douglas says:
I grossly generalise all pixies fans as smack addicts...thats pretty cool

Bones Heal. Chicks Dig ...Swing!

Just a little heads up.
This saturday, 12th, 2-4pm (East Australia time), point your internet radio to www.edgeradio.org.au
I used to co-host a radio show for the above community station. We called it Well Swung and we played everything swing, lounge, jazz & rock-a-billy and we did it for over a year. We're currently on a "hiatus".
But our friend has asked us to jump in on his "Bones heal, chicks dig.. stuff" show while he's away.
My comrade Duncan and I will be joined by the shows regular spunky co-host Jordan. Our aim is to educate and win her over to the swing side of the street.

Saturday 12th March
2-4pm.
Edge Radio 99.3 fm
www.edgeradio.org.au.

ALSO, another quick housekeeping- check out http://www.blue-rocket.com.au/. I do a lot of work for these guys and they've just updated the website. Lots of cool stuff. Most of the interface alien animations were done by some spunky dude you may know.

Dude Can't Chat Nuthin'

In the 6 years that Doug Holgate and I have been working with Christian Read the longest running (and probally the funniest) gag is the "Chicks dig artists" bit.
This FACT always gets C-mans goat. He's a sucker for it!
Thinking about this, you'd find it hard to believe that the fairer sex finds the pencil-pushers more attractive then the wordsmith. I mean, do you think Shakespear ever had problems picking up?
But it's true! Sooooo many times and soooo many stories that illustrate this FACT.
Maybe it's the C-mans material. Perhaps girls don't really dig stories about guys in tights punching each other and shooting laser beams from their mouths, or stories about squid animals and hill-billies?

What ever the reasoning, it's funny to poke fun of him. We disrespect him cos we respect him!

But C-man is actually a very talented writer and a good sport. As can be seen in the story he wrote for me to illustrate. It's called "DUDE IN THE COAT CAN'T CHAT UP NUTHIN" and it continues the semi-autobiographical adventures of C-mans Dudecoat.
It's like..... fuck, it's like Senfield with swearing and booze and punk rock and smoking and chicks and stuff.....

I honestly think he writes his best when he does this stuff! (although his Eldritch Kid was pretty fantastic!)
The story is being published in and anthology called Dee Vee. Dee Vee has been around for awhile and is a pretty special book. Internationally distributed, highly acclaimed, great talent contributers, heaps of indie-comix cred.
So it's a bit of a privelage to be doing something for them.
This panel from said story nicely illustrates the FACT:



Here are some details from Dee Vee publisher about the book:
"Sixty four pages of monochromatic lurve for $10 from:
Eddie Campbell;
James Kochalka;
Mandy Ord;
Daren White;
Michael Evans;
Christian Read;
Scott Fraser;
Daniel Best;
Andrew Finlayson; and
Lee Slattery.

This book will be exclusively available from our table at the Brisbane Supanova, on 9th and 10th April, and from the Top Shelf table at the San Diego Comicon in mid July. Myself, Eddie and Dan will be present at both conventions to sign, deface or give legal and financial advice (the latter two services attracting prevailing hourly rates).

The book is also available by mail-order from www.deeveepress.com , where there should be preview pages shortly. "


ON another related note, C-man left Australia yesterday to go and make it big in New York! He plans to hit that town and get into many adventures! All of which is tax deductible as it's research for future Dudecoat stories!

All the best Big Daddy. Hope you have an enjoyable year. Get yourself a comfy couch and we'll see about me popping over to mooch for awhile!!

Current Song: "There Goes The Neighbourhood": Ice T/Bodycount

New Scanner

I got a new printer/scanner.
Thought I'd test it out. By scanning my face.


It's not the first time I've done this. I don't know if the technology has changed, but the bright light hurt less on my new scanner.


There are some nice tones and colours.




Does anyone know if this will give me cancer?

Tunes

There's a nice stack of cd's gathering next to my desk while I've been working today. Warts and all it goes a little something like this:

DANDY WARHOLS: COME DOWN
DANDY WARHOLS: 13 TALES FROM URBAN BOHEMIA
JAMES BROWN: SEX MACHINE/THE VERY BEST OF..
COUNT BASIE: JUMPIN' AT THE WOODSIDE (LIVE)
BIG TOWN PLAYBOYS: NOW APPEARING
PRODIGY: THE FAT OF THE LAND
PORTISHEAD: DUMMY
THELONIOUS MONK: KEN BURNS' DEFINITIVE
GEORGE WASHINGTON: THE TWANG DYNASTY
OSCAR PETERSON TRIO: NIGHT TRAIN
COUNT BASIE: JAZZ MOODS/HOT
DINAH WASHINGTON: THE SWINGIN' MISS D
WYNTON MARSALIS: BIG TRAIN
BENNY GOODMAN & HIS ORCHESTRA: RIDIN' HIGH
LEE PRESS-ON & THE NAILS: SWING IS DEAD
STONE ROSES: SECOND COMING
LOUIS ARMSTRONG MEETS OSCAR PETERSON
RAY BEADLE: THE GOOD LIFE
CRY BABY- SOUNDTRACK
PRODIGY PRESENTS: THE DIRTCHAMBER SESSIONS VOLUME ONE
PUBLIC ENEMY: IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD US BACK
ROYAL CROWN REVUE: KINGS OF GANGSTER BOP
ICE-T: GREATEST HITS: EVIDENCE
FRANK SINATRA: SONGS FOR SWINGIN' LOVERS!

(on reflection no big surprises. Swing, bebop and hippity-hop with a splatter of indie-pop just for old skool value).

The worlds fucked.

So I have these 2 old friends. They were high school sweethearts,and got married at the age of 22. They were my best friends for awhile. A few years back, my life was pretty shitty, and they were always there for me. I practically lived at their house.
In the past few years we drifted apart. They moved to the Blue Mountains, I moved to an island at the bottom of the world.

At xmas I received a letter from them care of my parents. They'd given birth to a 2nd child. A boy, Hugo Maximus.

A few weeks after his birth, they found out he was suffering from a mega rare disease that affects one in a million. Only 4 other kids in Australia have this condition. They know next to nothing about it. It's a genetic disorder that affects the brain. I don't really know too much about it, but it fucks you up. Big time.
Poor little Hugo will have a very limited live span. We're talking months. While he's mind is firing on all cylinders, nothing else is. He is 7 months old and only weighs 4.5kgs.
The mothers younger brother had the same condition and died from it.

So anyway, I spoke to them today. They said today was a good day for them. I could hear him in the background. The father told me this is the hardest thing in the world he's ever had to go through. My heart broke for them.

About an hour later I got a call from another old, old mate. Some of you may know him. Daniel Ip. One of Sydneys premier playboys and party guy.
When he was in Europe over the Christmas period he called my mobile at 5am so I could hear him shoot a berreta pistol into the hotel toilet bowl.

Anyway, hearts are breaking all around the world as he is now engaged to the only woman who can keep up with him and keep in line. The totally hot chick Anna!

Tonight at the pub I'll be quietly raising the glass to my friends in celebration and commiseration.

Oh yeah- almost forgot. Somehow I stumbled across the website for my 10 year High School reunion. Class of 92. So these photos were from 2002. I wasn't in the right city to attend, and I'm kinda glad I didn't.

North Sydney prats. They all have a hollowed look to their faces. Thats what you get for selling your souls. (Actually there were about 3 people there who I'd love to catch up with.)


Current song: "10 Storey Love Song", Stone Roses