#Opus cactus

[pier-carlo-universe]

BACK TO MOMIX, l’atteso ritorno a Pescara dopo un’assenza lunga tredici anni

Dopo essere stata in tournée nazionali ed internazionali, la celebre compagnia conosciuta in tutto il mondo per l’eccezionale originalità e bellezza degli spettacoli, tornerà sul palco di Pescara, dal quale mancava da tredici anni. ,

Dopo essere stata in tournée nazionali ed internazionali, la celebre compagnia conosciuta in tutto il mondo per l’eccezionale originalità e bellezza degli spettacoli, tornerà sul palco di Pescara, dal quale mancava da tredici anni. La Patagonia Pictures è lieta di annunciare BACK TO MOMIX. In scena, presso il Teatro Circus, martedì 15 e mercoledì 16 aprile 2025 alle ore 21.00 e giovedì 17 aprile…

[xx-riffraff-xx]

~ the care and keeping of plants ~

premise; The N109 Zone has no plants. Except for the ones you brought for Sylus.

warnings; might be OOC, but other than that none this is tooth-rotting fluff.

a/n; been watching a lot of sylus' memories online lately and the part in captivating moment where he talks about the plants in the N109 Zone got to me. have this. promise i will make more not-sylus things eventually, he has me in a fucking chokehold rn and I WANT OUT.

It’s a well-known fact that there are no plants in the N109 Zone. The lack of sunlight makes it impossible for any growth whatsoever. Rain is rare and dirt settles in a thin film over all the fake plants. Most people in the N109 Zone don’t care, the fake plants are enough for them, but not for Sylus.

He has grown used to it, or he pretends he has. The flowers in his sconces wilt in the hallway and a lone dead cactus sits on his desk. Every time he visits you in Linkon, you make sure the two of you walk through the park together. Whether you’re looking at the spring blossoms or resting under a shady maple tree during the summer, pressing fallen leaves into books in the fall or making snow angels in the winter, Sylus always looks happier after he sees you.

It starts small, like most things do. You decide it would be nice if you kept more plants around your apartment for when he comes over. So you buy a couple hanging plants for your porch, then some ivy that creeps up your wall. He spends a few minutes admiring them every time. Once, you “forget” to water them and then you’re watching Sylus, leader of Onychinus and most feared resident of the N109 Zone, tenderly watering the plants in your apartment.

Naturally, you go further. You spend time researching grow lights and plants. Next time you’re at his base, you replace the cactus with a potted pothos plant. You leave a little grow light on a timer next to it. When the pothos doesn’t die, you take it a step further.

While Sylus is sleeping, you enlist the Trouble Twins to help you replace all the dying, wilted flowers in the hallway sconces with cherry caramel phlox. You plant the flowers, the twins position grow lights above the sconces.

Sylus knows, of course, that it’s you doing this for him. He pretends to be none the wiser because it makes you happy. He has scheduled an hour for the care and keeping of his plants. His base has become the most vegetated area in the N109 Zone.

Your magnum opus comes in the form of a commandeered corner of his base for an artificial sunroom. The twins help you set it up. The room is crowded with plants, a small pathway through the jungle snaking into the back corner. It’s brightly lit from all the grow lights hanging from the ceiling. Gentle trickling from the waterfall in the fish tank blankets the space. It’s comfortably warm. A desk sits pushed against the wall under a small potted mango tree, the potted pothos that started it all resting on top. You wanted a sanctuary for him. And you. But mostly him.

(Coincidentally, he gave you a credit card when you first started planning the project. He directed you to use it for “any big purchases.” You think he knows, but you’ve decided not to think about it too hard.)

When you finally show it to him, he’s extremely pleased. He doesn’t say this, but you can tell from the way he moves around the space. The stressed lines of his shoulders seem to soften into smooth curves. His typical threatening aura melts into something more gentle. He takes your hand and pulls you under the mango tree, laying in the dappled artificial sunlight with you on his chest.

“Thank you, sweetheart. It’s perfect.”

[joethetoonfanandoutcast]

This is the complete list of characters I would have cameo at a Universal Animation assemblage similar to Once Upon a Studio.

Felix the Cat: Felix the Cat

Woody Woodpecker: Woody Woodpecker, Winnie Woodpecker

An American Tail: Fievel Mousekewitz, Tanya Mousekewitz, Papa Mousekewitz, Mama Mousekewitz, Yasha Mousekewitz, Tiger, Henri le pigeon, female pigeons, Tony Toponi, Bridget, Honest John, Gussie Mausheimer, Warren T. Cat, Digit, Maus Street Maulers, Cat R. Waul, TR Chula, the Cactus Cat Gang, Miss Kitty, Wylie Burp

Land Before Time: Littlefoot, Cera, Petrie, Ducky, Spike, Littlefoot's grandparents, Chomper

Opus 'n Bill: Opus, Bill the Cat, the ducks

We're Back!: A Dinosaur's Story: Rex, Elsa, Woog, Dweeb, Louie, Cecilia, Vorb, Stubbs, Captain Neweyes, Dr. Bleeb

Casper: Casper the Friendly Ghost, Stretch, Fatso, Stinky

Babe: Babe, Fly, Rex, Ferdinand, the mice

Balto: Balto, Jenna, Boris, Steele, Muk, Luk, Nikki, Kaltag, Star, Dixie, Sylvie, Rosy

Rocky & Bullwinkle: Rocket J. Squirrel, Bullwinkle J. Moose (in their 2D/CG 2000 looks), Fearless Leader, Boris Badenov, Natasha Femme-Fatale (in their 2D 2000 looks)

Curious George: Curious George, Ted the Man in the Yellow Hat, Maggie Dunlop

The Tale of Desperaux: Desperaux, his parents, Chiaroscuro "Roscuro", Chef Andre, Boldo

Despicable Me: Felonious Gru, Lucy Wilde, the Minions, Dr. Nefario, Margo, Agnes, Edith, Kyle, Vector, Mr. Perkins, Silas Ramsbottom, Eduardo Perez/El Macho, Antonio Perez, Scarlett Overkill, Herb Overkill, the Nelsons, Balthazar Bratt, Dru Gru, Marlena Gru, Fritz, Clive the Robot, the Vicious Six, Master Chow, Wild Knuckles' henchmen

Hop: EB, Easter Bunny, the Pink Berets, Carlos, Phil, bunnies, chicks

The Lorax: the Lorax, the Once-ler, Ted, Audrey, Mrs. Wiggins, Granny Norma, Aloysius O'Hare, O'Hare's bodyguards, Sy the Delivery Guy, the Hummingfish, the Swommee-Swans, the Barbaloots

The Secret Life of Pets: Max, Katie, Duke, Gidget, Snowball, Mel, Buddy, Pops, Tiberius, Rooster, Chuck, Liam, Daisy, Hu, Sergei, wolves

Sing: Buster Moon, Miss Crawley, Herman, Rosita, Norman, their piglets, Gunther, Johnny, Marcus, Stan, Barry, Ash, Lance, Becky, Eddie Noodleman, Nana Noodleman, Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman, Hobbes, Meena, her mother and grandparents, Mike, Nancy, Suki Lane, Porsha Crystal, Jimmy Crystal, Jerry, Nooshy, Darius, Klaus Kickenklober, Clay Calloway, the Q-Teez

The Grinch: the Grinch, Max, Fred, his mate and calf, Donna Who, Cindy-Lou Who, Bean, Buster, Bricklebaum, Mabel, Groopert, Axl, Izzy, Ozzy

Super Mario Bros.: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Bowser Koopa, Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong, Kamek, penguins, Giuseppe

Migration: the duck family, Delroy, Pigeon, Erin

Characters I'm unsure would make the assemblage:

The Veggies of VeggieTales

The Jetsons, Mr. Spacely and anyone involved in Jetsons the Movie

And for real-life people:

Steven Spielberg, David Kirschner, George Miller, and Chris Meledandri as themselves.

What do you think?

[johnkatsmc5]

Alan Jack Civilization "Bluesy Mind" 1970 + singles, France Heavy Psych Blues Rock

full musify

https://musify.club/release/alan-jack-civilization-bluesy-mind-1969-327539

Alan Jack was an organist, pianist, composer and singer of (primarily) French blues. Jack fronted several different bands over his career, including Alan Jack Civilization from 1969-1970. The band only ever released one album, 1969’s "Bluesy Mind". The excellent “What You’re Gonna Say” can be found on this album. -...~ Alan Jack Civilization is one of Jacques Braud's many bands. Born in 1969 in Tours following the closure of Alan Jack Group and his desire to play with Richard Fontaine (bass), the duo recruited Claude Olmos (Guit) and Jean Falissard (drums) to perform immediately in Paris at La Locomotive, at the Golf Drouot (with the Variations) and at the Alhambra. Everything happened very quickly because 15 days after the formation the band recorded the album "Bluesy mind" which imposes with talent their bluesy rock under an English drip between Cream and Cactus. The time to release a 45rpm, to enter the studio again for a new opus and Alan's comet burned in 1970, marked by the release of a last SP in French with other musicians, including two future Martin Circus, Alain Pewzner and René Guérin. Note that the album and their two 45s were released by BYG, a jazz label that diversified into rock and prog....~ Credits Bass Guitar, Percussion, Flute, Vocals – Richard Fontaine Drums, Tambourine, Percussion, Vocals – Jean Falissard Lead Guitar, Percussion, Vocals – Claude Olmos Piano, Organ, Mouth Organ, Vocals – Alan Jack Tracklist I've Got To Find Somebody 2:48 Shame On You 2:30 What You're Gonna Say 3:10 Baby Don't You Come Back Home 3:30 The Way To The Hells 4:58 What's Wrong 6:15 Some People 2:05 Middle Earth 9:36

Alan Jack Civilization "Bluesy Mind" 1970 + singles, France Heavy Psych Blues Rock

https://johnkatsmc5.blogspot.com/2025/05/alan-jack-civilizationbluesy-mind-1970.html?view=flipcard

https://johnkatsmc5.tumblr.com/post/782610709037170688/alan-jack-civilization-bluesy-mind-1970

[votava-records]

MF DOOM - The Man Behind The Mask Documentary

Legendary rapper and producer MF DOOM is covered in this documentary. Your favorite rapper's favorite rapper. DOOM is a British-American rapper. He performed and released music under several stage names, most notably MF Doom (stylized in all caps). DOOM debuted during hip hop's golden age of the late 1980s and became a major figure in underground hip hop of the early 21st century. Upon his death, Variety called him "one of the most celebrated, unpredictable and enigmatic figures in independent hip-hop". People have called him The Phantom of the Opera of Hip Hop.

Born in London, Dumile moved with his family to Long Island, New York, at a young age. He began his musical career in 1988 as a member of the trio KMD, performing under the name Zev Love X with his younger brother DJ Subroc and another MC called Rodan. After hearing about the group from 3rd Bass, A&R Dante Ross signed KMD to Elektra Records and their recording debut arrived on 3rd Bass’s song “The Gas Face” from The Cactus Album. Their debut album Mr. Hood was released in 1991 and attained modest success with the singles “Peachfuzz” and “Who Me?” KMD disbanded in 1993.

After taking a hiatus from music, Dumile reemerged in 1998, when he began performing at open mic events while wearing a mask. He adopted the MF Doom persona and rarely made unmasked public appearances thereafter. His metal mask resembles that of Marvel Comics super-villain Doctor Doom, who is depicted rapping on the cover of his 1999 debut solo album Operation: Doomsday. DOOM’s most prolific period was in the early 2000s, when he released four studio albums and two collaborative albums between 2003 and 2005, using the MF Doom moniker as well as the pseudonyms King Geedorah and Viktor Vaughn. In the 2010s, he relocated to London, where he recorded more music.

MF DOOM frequently collaborated with other producers and rappers, most notably Madlib, under the moniker Madvillain. The duo's 2004 album Madvillainy received widespread critical acclaim upon its release and has been cited as DOOM’s magnum opus and a landmark album in hip hop. DOOM’s other notable collaborations include Danger Doom (with Danger Mouse), Doomstarks (with Ghostface Killah), JJ Doom (with Jneiro Jarel), NehruvianDoom (with Bishop Nehru), and Czarface Meets Metal Face (with Czarface).

In 2003, MF DOOM released the King Geedorah album Take Me to Your Leader. Geedorah is credited as producer, but only appears as an MC on four tracks. The majority of vocal tracks feature guest MCs, and the album features several instrumental montages of sampled vocals from old movies and TV shows—a technique employed on most of Doom’s albums. Later in 2003, DOOM released the LP Vaudeville Villain under the moniker Viktor Vaughn (another play on Doctor Doom, whose "real name" is Victor von Doom). In 2004 he released a follow-up LP under the Viktor Vaughn moniker, Venomous Villain. Later in 2004, the second MF Doom album Mm..Food was released by Minnesota-based label Rhymesayers Entertainment. DOOM’s first commercial breakthrough came in 2004, with the album Madvillainy, created with producer Madlib under the group name Madvillain. Released by Stones Throw Records, the album was a critical and commercial success. It has since become known as a MF DOOM masterpiece.

[bramblepatchart]

...and after years of Opus being the only magical thing in this desert, the jackalopes have started to come back. Real ones, not the sad fungus-ridden rabbits. He's found a whole nest of kits with their antlers just coming in, in the shade of the cactus at the south end of town.

Opus Palmer is my character of the month for May! He's a good sweet solarpunk cactus boy. You can find more of his story on my Patreon - and for a few dollars a month, you can see exclusive bonus art and vote on future characters of the month.

If you'd like to support my art but long-term commitment isn't your thing, you can always leave something in my tip jar on Ko-Fi. I'm still saving to replace my laptop so I can get back to doing digital art as well as traditional media!

[theliterateape]

History is a Puzzle Box of Rashomon

by Don Hall

I’ve often said that the scariest thing to ever come out of my mother’s mouth was the declaration “Let’s go on an adventure!”

For my mother an adventure must include a lack of preparation, potential for danger, and a sense of I can’t believe we just survived that! She once decided she wanted to do a charcoal sketching of a gravestone from the grave of one of our Appalachian Baptist fire-and-brimstone preacher ancestors. My dad drove her up into the mountains and they started seeing patches of purple paint on trees and rocks.

Turned out that was the locals’ way of telling outsiders they'd get shot if they trespassed. My dad clutched his pistol the rest of the way.

Mom got her charcoal sketch. I can’t believe we just survived that!

When I was a kid and we lived in Arizona, mom decided we were going on adventure. My little sister, mom, and I loaded up in her brown Gremlin, a bag of sandwiches, some sodas, and all of our swimming gear and headed out for an afternoon at Lake Pleasant.

All was copacetic until she thought she saw a shortcut to he lake. It was not a shortcut. It was simply desert. It started out as a bit of a dirt path that sort of petered out about an hour into the drive. We were driving in the open desert in the vehicle equivalent to a Pinto.

Of course we blew a tire. Of course we didn't have a spare.

Being a melodramatic kid, I went into a full-blown faux-survivalist panic. After a few minutes of wailing about our imminent demise I set out to figure how to get water out of cactus, the thorny testaments to the heartiness of desert foliage fending off my un-callused hands and delivering exactly no water.

This being decades before smartphones, we were stuck. We had no clue where we were in terms of the comforts of civilization and while mom put on a brave face (and occasionally got the giggles at my histrionics) our fate was sealed. Unless someone miraculously drove into the middle of the desert to save us, we were doomed.

And then the miracle occurred. A beat-up red Ford pickup truck coming from the other direction popped up on the horizon. I shrieked in relief; mom flagged the truck down.

We were about a mile from a highway but we couldn't know that. The driver of the pickup was taking a shortcut from the highway.

Here's where the story gets odd. To this day, my mother's version of this adventure and mine are identical. Word for word the same until we get to the driver of the Ford. On my life, I swear it was an older Native American man who stopped, hitched up the Gremlin to his vehicle, and towed us the mile to the highway and on to a gas station. 

My mother will go to her grave insisting it was a family of four Mormons.

What?!

We’ve had family arguments about this story. Both my mother and I are intractable in our insistence of our specific endings of either Native American man or family of Mormons. We both were there. We both can see ourselves in the tale. The endings are as different as could be.

There is conclusive scientific research that demonstrates how the memory of an event subtly changes the actual memory as it is retold. The more you tell the story, the more it transforms into something similar but wholly different in the margins.

If my mother and I can have such divergent differences within a memory of an event we both shared, how many splinters are there in a collective re-telling of a larger event encompassing many more tellers? How many completely incompatible versions of the attacks on New York on September 11, 2001 are there? How many versions that don’t quite line up with one another are there of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?

Moving forward and backward in history, if we are to accept (and I do) that our memories are more Silly Putty than Lego Bricks, how much does film, television, books, and social media come into play in the constant morphing of objective truth to the collection of subjective memories and finally commonly accepted reality?

There is conclusive scientific research that demonstrates how the memory of an event subtly changes the actual memory as it is retold.

Back in the olden days when one could watch something horribly incorrect in the political sense without it becoming a ringing endorsement of your personal "brand" or a scathing indictment on who you are as a fellow human, I went to a screening of Griffith's The Birth of a Nation. It was at an esoteric video shop/screening theater on Fullerton Avenue in Chicago called Facets Multimedia and there were six or seven others in attendance. I was the only white person in the room.

Historically, Griffith's opus is significant in several ways. 

First, it was among the earliest epic uses of film. Released in 1915, it was the first blockbuster Hollywood hit. It was the longest and most-profitable film then produced and the most artistically advanced film of its day. It secured both the future of feature-length films and the reception of film as a serious medium.

Second, it was the first modern popular culture example of an artistic achievement attempting to force a certain perspective on the larger culture (the idea that the KKK were the heroes of the Civil War) it was initially released with the title "The Clansmen" and reframed the war, Reconstruction, and white hooded sheets in tandem with lynchings as the preferred story of American history.

Third, while propaganda has been around since men could talk and write, it was the most pervasive use of a medium that communicated on a newfound mass level to promote a horrifying ideology and was embraced by President Woodrow Wilson as a personal favorite.

Following the three-hour screening, there was a sense of discomfort as the lights came back up. My guess at the time it was the other viewers in the room wondering if I, the sole white person in the room, was as offended by the revised perspective the film espoused as the rest in the small cadre. I suppose I wasn't as offended because I wasn't black and I knew what I was getting into when buying my ticket. I can imagine seeing the film without some context would be like a slap in the face.

One of the things I learned doing stage combat around the same time was that a slap in the face never hurt as much as you'd think. It wasn't the pain of the blow but the surprise of it that gave it impact. Going in cold to see the KKK presented as the true patriots wouldn't hurt but the surprise might be a shock.

In a very different way but in the same vein, I remember being the only white face in a crowded theater in Fayetteville, Arkansas at the opening night of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. The looks of inquisition for my reaction to the film from the predominantly black faces followed me out into the lobby and into the parking lot.

I read recently that one of the reasons the scars of that Civil War in America have never fully healed is that we’ve never, as a nation, agreed on a single narrative of why we fought the goddamned thing. The subjectivity of truth in the re-telling of that dark period is confounding and subsequent attempts to force one perspective or the other or multiple angles on the causes of the War of the States has only confused the issue. Thus the recent beheadings of statues glorifying Southern generals and the re-naming parties of public schools to eliminate anyone associated with slavery.

I understand and empathize with this impulse to reverse the whitewash of history from our streets and schools. So much of our literature and symbols in real life have been created with, maybe not a D. W. Griffith subjectivity, a revisionist historical perspective that paints over the ugliest parts of our history to re-tell the narrative and erase those most subjugated by it. I expect over-correction (like the New York Times 1619 Project which casts our history as steeped in nothing but racism and slavery without acknowledging the contributions set apart from those stains) and, after reading that San Francisco schools are eliminating Abraham Lincoln's name, I decided to re-watch Spielberg's Lincoln.

I don't know if it was actually Lincoln or screenwriter Tony Kushner who came up with the following analogy but I found it instructive in the push to reframe the story today.

A compass, I learnt when I was surveying, it'll... it'll point you True North from where you're standing, but it's got no advice about the swamps and deserts and chasms that you'll encounter along the way.

If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead, heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp... What's the use of knowing True North?

The film paints the fight for the 13th Amendment as a dark political game, cajoling and persuading the legislators of the day to codify in the Constitution a formal revocation and rebuke to the forced enslavement of other human beings. It also portrays Lincoln as a deeply pragmatic leader. The speech is one he gives to Thaddeus Stevens, a zealous abolitionist, who rightly sees true north but, up to that point, would rather be righteous than successful in abolishing slavery.

Both men are long dead so the question of whether both men would tell the same story, in their re-telling of those pivotal moments leading up to the vote, or if their stories would radically diverge, is wholly academic. That’s where the trappings of art collide with authenticity. This is the version Spielberg and Kushner decided upon and it will be the version millions who watch the film and decide to simply accept it as the one true version.

This is not to say there is no objective truth. It is to suggest that our inability to separate fact from our subjective fictions makes us pretty fucking lousy arbiters of that fact.

On the other hand, we have celebrated author Mark Manson, whose book Everything is F•cked: A Book About Hope is being banned in Russia by Putin because it speaks directly to atrocities committed by Stalin. Putin is looking to re-write Stalin's history. 

There is a big difference between revising a history shown to diminish the effects of overt racists in one country and purging a country’s history of established monstrosities but the mechanism remains the same: reframe the story and tell it enough times that the meaning changes over time. Keep pushing the new narrative (right or wrong) until the soft memory of an entire nation bends to the will of the teller.

That’s all history is, after all. A slew of stories we tell over and over to indoctrinate a sense of national pride. It grows more perilous when those revising the stories weren’t present. The source of the tales becomes less reliable and the reframe more suspect. When the source is a film or video of an event, we feel as though we’ve experienced it but our perspective is entirely subverted by what the camera shows us and the narrative promoted when we watch it.

One of the techniques that Griffith practically invented was the camera’s use to tell the story from his view. Frame things in a certain way, in a certain order, and our very eyes are deceived, our minds accept the deception, and we believe.

In 1950, Akira Kurosawa gave the world the reigning example of individualized subjective point of view. Rashomon shows us three different perspectives on one specific event. The film makes the point so clearly that the term used popularly to label the he said/she said/they said dilemma is a rashomon.

This is not to say there is no objective truth. It is to suggest that our inability to separate fact from our subjective fictions makes us pretty fucking lousy arbiters of that fact. Show me someone absolutely 100% certain of the sort of events they've only seen on an iPhone video moderated by Faceborg and spun by both the media and some random stranger and I'll show you someone deluded and quite probably dead wrong.

Even when we're there to witness events in person we get it wrong so the concept of getting it right through the mediation and manipulation of amateur videographers and activist pushing a narrative is nothing short of lunatic fringe.

Bizarrely, we all know this to be true.

We know that social media is almost entirely unreliable. We know that film is a highly manipulative art form. We know that Robert Downey, Jr. never flew in a suit of armor, that Keanu Reeves is not Neo, that as much as he embodies who I hope Abraham Lincoln was like, Daniel Day Lewis is an actor and couldn't possibly know what the man was actually like in person.

We know this to be true but we need to be right. We need to believe and so we take that leap of faith, that gut level adherence to what makes some sort of sense in the story and run with it. More so, if the fiction supports things we already have chosen to believe in, we are adding it to the arsenal of defenses against any other sort of view of our story.

We know there's more to the story of the Antifa takeover of Seattle. We know there's more to the January 6th breach of the Capitol. We know there are more sides to the story of Michael Brown. We know that with everyone filmed in a Walmart screaming about her right to forego a mask there is something else before and after that moment that may demonize her just a bit less.

We know but we don't care. Context and considering the framing takes too much work. Too much time. In an existence flooded with too much information, too many stories, too much video, too many opinions, it's just fucking easier to settle on the story that suits you and roll with that.

That's why—no matter what my mother says—it was definitely not a family of Mormons and I'll go to my grave with that.

[larryland]

Mahaiwe Announces July Events - MOMIX, Buddy Guy, Free Fun Friday, and Two Classic Films

Mahaiwe Announces July Events – MOMIX, Buddy Guy, Free Fun Friday, and Two Classic Films

Great Barrington, Mass.—The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center will present dance performances by MOMIX, a concert by Buddy Guy, and Free Fun Friday in July, as well as screenings of the films Woodstock and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.

“July represents a quintessential example of the Mahaiwe Mix—breathtaking movement by MOMIX, blues legend Buddy Guy, a Free Fun Friday for families with…

[strazcenter]

Soul Soil: A-List Choreographer Moses Pendleton and the Alchemy of Turning Human Bodies into Saguaro Cacti and Other Odd Things

Choreographer Moses Pendleton & the Alchemy of Turning Human Bodies into Cacti & Other Things

MOMIX Opus Cactus. (Photo: Charles Azzopardi) When Moses Pendleton, the superstar co-founder of Pilobolus and dance maker extraordinaire, was a wee lad, one of his jobs on the family dairy farm was to feed the veal calves a nutritious milk supplement. The name of the supplement? Momix. Pendleton returned to this physical memory later when he choreographed a solo for the 1980 Moscow Olympics…

[lioninsunheart]

Insomnia-Opus XXIII

Have you ever taken a walk in the desert at sunrise? Only the fearless and aware hiker knows to keep their distance from the “Jumping Cholla Cactus”...if you are unfortunate enough to have one impale you--my best course of action is to find two large rocks --press them on the cactus--and pull them out quickly..you will notice a silent moaning escape your lips as you do..and you learn not to tease them...LSH  (P.S. you will find small little barbs left in your skin for about 3-4 days later--and you will have to take tweezers to pull them out--I swear--I learned to walk through them and never be attacked-the beauty that was beyond and around them inspired my bravery and courage)

Facts: 

This plant can be found in the Mexican Sonoran desert and southwestern parts of the USA. 

The spines of the Jumping Cholla are covered with a thin, paper-like sheath that can be tan, gold, silver or white colored. This layer reflects light and produces a beautiful, colorful effect after illumination of jumping cholla with light.

Easily detachable spines are responsible for an unusual name of this plant.

 Spines are able to jump and attack humans and animals that are brave enough to approach this plant, hence the name - jumping cholla.

Jumping cholla has barbed spines. Barbs are microscopically small but they easily penetrate the skin and additionally complicate and impede removal of the spines from the body.

[bobbylongnews]

2019 'SULTANS' TOUR

NEW ALBUM AND TOUR COMING MARCH 1, 2019 I’m excited to announce the March 1, 2019 release of my fourth album called SULTANS from Compass Records and a tour to support it. The initial tour dates are as follows: March 1—City Winery Loft, New York City https://citywinery.com/theloft/bobby-long-at-the-loft-3-1.html March 2—World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA https://www.worldcafelive.com/event/1797690 March 6—Café Nine, New Haven, CT https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1796886 March 7—Portland Empire, Portland, ME https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bobby-long-empire-live-music-events-tickets-53540127964 March 8—Club Passim, Cambridge, MA https://passim.secure.force.com/ticket/#details_a0S6A000003N6PoUAK March 16—Jammin Java, Vienna, VA https://www.jamminjava.com/event/1782231 March 22—Fat Tire Friday, New Belgium Brewery, Asheville, NC https://www.newbelgium.com/brewery/asheville/events/ March 24—Eddie’s Attic, Decatur, GA https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1797599 March 26–Terrapin Tuesday at The Foundry, Athens, GA https://bit.ly/2Dnd38x April 5—Fat Tire Friday, New Belgium Brewery, Fort Collins, CO https://www.newbelgium.com/events/event/2019/04/05/live-music-bobby-long/ April 11—Cactus Café, Austin, TX http://cactuscafe.org/events/bobby-long/ April 12—Poor David’s Pub, Dallas, TX https://www.prekindle.com/event/87161-bobby-long-dallas April 13—Blue Door, Oklahoma City, OK https://www.ticketstorm.com/event/bobbylong/bluedoor/oklahomacity/22269/ Monday, April 15—SamJam Festival fund-raiser, Anchor Inn Tavern, Carlinville, IL https://samjambobbylongconcert.brownpapertickets.com April 16—Duck Room at Blueberry Hill, St. Louis, MO http://blueberryhill.com/event/bobby-long-041619/ April 17—Gaslamp, Des Moines, IA https://app.tikly.co/events/3246?fbclid=IwAR2WX5X9hoTPh25yDddI5xsX-HFLuVtFZ7AtPwSGHFQdOUId3HNOZx-kKuo April 18—Raccoon Motel, Davenport, IA https://www.songkick.com/concerts/37723874-bobby-long-at-triple-crown-whiskey-bar-and-raccoon-motel https://www.moellernights.com/ April 19—Café Carpe, Fort Atkinson, WI http://cafecarpe.com/event/bobby-long-3/ (call venue for reservations at 920-563-9391) April 20—House Concert, Jackson, MI https://www.facebook.com/events/2162402987357332/ April 23–Club Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA https://www.ticketweb.com/event/bobby-long-club-cafe-tickets/9040125?pl=opus April 24–Rumba Cafe, Columbus, OH https://www.ticketweb.com/event/bobby-long-rumba-cafe-tickets/9094685?pl=celebrity April 25–Lo-Fi Lounge, Indianapolis, IN https://bobbylongatlofilounge.eventbrite.com/?aff=BobbyLong Tickets are now on sale.

[mattdeford]

Befoam- to cover with foam FOR SALE! $45 ($100 framed) free shipping US and Canada. Comment or message if interested. Rohrer & Klingner Sketch Ink Black Lamy Al-Star 1.5 nib TWSBI Eco 1.1 nib Opus 88 Endless Trail EF nib - - - #cactus #shaving #art #artist #artistsoninstagram #illustrationartists #comicstrip #doodle #doodling #drawing #watercolor #ink #comics #penandinkchallenge #fountainpen #cartoon #word #wordofthedaybymatt #wordoftheday #instaart #buyart #collectart #dailyart #inktober … https://www.instagram.com/p/CpfU09yuGfp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[cooltivarte]

Momix se presenta en el Auditorio Nacional del Sodre con su espectáculo Viva MOMIX , que creó y estrenó para celebrar los 35 años de la compañía, reuniendo un conjunto de dos actos que combina las mejores piezas de las obras más reconocidas de Pendleton: Alice (2019), Botánica (2009), Alchemia (2014), Remix (2011), Opus Cactus (2001) y Lunar Sea (2005).

[lucidlucy]

Any tips for accepting beta critiques? I find myself getting defensive and blocked up when someone gives me a good criticism.

Take a deep breath and remember that critiques are meant to help you, not hinder you, and that in the end you as the creator can pick and choose which critiques apply to what you’re doing. All constructive criticism is good, but not all of it will be relevant to your vision. If you specifically went out of your way to ask for criticism, I’ll tell you the very same thing my professors told me: shut up and listen.

No, really. It’s painful to shut up and listen, but that’s the fastest way to learn from whatever CC you’re being given. So shut your brain up, listen to what’s being said, take notes, and then think on what you’ve been told and how you can use it to improve.

If it’s unwelcome CC and somebody just came out of the woodworks, it’s a lot easier to get defensive because you weren’t expecting to just sort of run face first into it, but that’s okay. Just remember to be kind and courteous in how you address it, because ultimately nobody gives a true critique unless they’re trying to be helpful, and those who are not it’s pretty easy to tell them apart. In which case, if they’re being rude, they can go sit on a cactus :) but unless somebody’s being rude, just remind yourself that any and all feedback is useful, and 99% of the time it’s not aimed at your skill but at the product. Put some distance between yourself and your art and remember that somebody’s feedback is not a reflection on you as a person, and it becomes a lot easier to handle. 

EDIT: I should mention, if they’re your actual beta... trust me, they want to help. They’re probably a friend of yours and are just as invested in this thing being the best thing it can be, and anything they say will be said with the betterment of your fic/art in mind, so pay close attention and check the ego at the door. it’s easy to get defensive because you have this mindblowing idea in your head that’s probably your magnum opus and it’s brilliant, but 9.9 times out of 10, what we have in our head will never translate perfectly onto the page, and so it’s easy to feel down when you get critique. but your beta’s job is to be there to get it as close to that magnum opus level as possible, so take the time to listen. think of it as a collab, and go.

[bramblepatchart]

Opus won this month's poll on my patreon, so stay tuned for more good sweet solarpunk cactus boy content!

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #177 - The Emperor’s New Groove

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: No.

Format: DVD

1) With the benefit of hindsight, The Emperor’s New Groove is seen as the first film to be released post Disney Renaissance. Financially speaking it performed weaker than most Disney animation films of the Renaissance period (The Little Mermaid to Tarzan), a trend which would continue for a large junk of the 2000s. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE FILM WAS POORLY RECEIVED BY CRITICS; currently on Rotten Tomatoes the film has an 85% fresh rating, and I personally love it (which will be reflected in this recap).

2) Opening on Llama Kuzco is actually a unique opening.

It is a markedly different opening from most Renaissance films which would have a big grand opening number of sorts and surprisingly somber in imagery considering the film which is about to follow. That doesn’t mean it isn’t filled with wild amounts of humor though, something else the film will show off.

3) “Perfect World” - as an opening number/scene to Kuzco and his life - works for a number of reasons.

(GIF originally posted by @lovethaws)

For one thing, it shows off what is without a doubt this film’s strongest quality and that it is INCREDIBLE energy which seeps through the entire thing. Everything is kinetic, lively and fun. It is almost impossible not to enjoy what you’re watching because of this energy which breathes off of EVERY moment of this film (a testament to the entire filmmaking team). But even beyond that it introduces us to Kuzco’s egotism (“This perfect world begins and ends with ME!”) and the world built around it, things which will be very important moving forward.

4) This film is so freaking funny.

5) Okay, whenever I see the scene with Kuzco’s brides this is all I can think of:

Thanks Tumblr.

6) David Spade as Kuzco.

Spade is able to bring everything that Kuzco needs to life. His ego, his humor, and - when needed - his heart/warmth. Spade is able to make Kuzco’s lines jump off the page, with each one funnier than the next. The energy which the animators bring to the character Spade matches with his voice, making for a perfect union of actor, script, and animation team. All in all, it makes Kuzco a wildly fun protagonist to follow.

7) So many of these notes are just gonna be amazing lines from this film.

8) Eartha Kitt as Yzma.

Honestly, while David Spade is great as Kuzco, it is the villains who steal the show in this film. Namely: Eartha Kitt as Yzma. A wildly stellar villain, the energy from Kitt’s voice tops even Spade’s (and THAT is saying something). She embraces the cartoonish villainy and the funny wholeheartedly, making Yzma a wildly enjoyable and fun villain. In tandem with the filmmaking team, Kitt helps give Yzma a wildly strong personality and character. Everything about her is unique and fun, increasing the enjoyability of the film tenfold. Yzma is a freaking star!

9) Part of the fun of Yzma though is that she brings along her second hand man Kronk into the picture.

Played by Patrick Warburton, I honestly have no idea who the bigger scene stealer is: Yzma or Kronk. I’m inclined to say Kronk though, because holy cow Kronk is awesome. For me (and I think many others who grew up on this film), Patrick Warburton’s most iconic role will always be Kronk. It’s the first time I heard the actor’s tailor-made-for-animation voice and it fits just so perfectly with the character. It’s his magnum opus, I think. Kronk is a lovable dimwit at the trope’s finest, with pretty much every moment of screen time amounting to pure gold. He’s technically a villain, but we as the audience are never particularly rooting against him. Totally lovable and just a laugh riot, I do think Kronk helps make this film as freaking fun as it is.

10) John Goodman as Pacha.

In a lot of ways, Pacha is the beating heart of this film. The warmest character, the kindest character, and the moral compass for Kuzco, Goodman is able to bring all these qualities to the character and the animation also reflects this. The pair of Pacha and Kuzco have a fun chemistry, because even when they’re at odds we’re invested in that relationship. All in all (and I’ve said this a few times about a few characters), The Emperor’s New Groove wouldn’t be the same without Pacha.

11) I never caught Yzma’s last line in this exchange before.

Yzma [after Kuzco fires her]: “How could he do this to me? Why, I practically raised him!”

[She smashes a bust of Kuzco.]

Kronk: “Yeah, you would’ve thought he’d turn out better.”

Yzma: “Yeah, go figure.”

12) Am I wrong in thinking some jokes from this film are just totally iconic now?

(GIF originally posted by @fly-away-when-things-get-crazy)

13) I love how Yzma’s first plan is all crazy complicated - like that of a Bond villain’s - before she just goes, “eh, let’s poison him.”

14) The dinner scene.

Comparatively speaking, the dinner scene is probably the slowest of the film. But it works because of that reason. The more paced humor and occasional awkwardness (like when Yzma and Kuzco are waiting for Kronk to bring back his spinach puffs) is right up there with the film’s wilder scenes. It also helps flesh out Kronk by showing off his abilities as a cook.

14.1) At one point in the dinner, Kronk - forgetting which drink is poisoned - poisons all the drinks and tells Yzma so she doesn’t drink. Yzma then throws the poisoned drink into a nearby cactus. But when after Kuzco starts turning into a llama, we get a look at the cactus again by Yzma’s side. Did you ever notice what happened to the cactus?

15) Not only is Kronk singing his own theme music hilarious, but at least partially improvised. According to IMDb:

Patrick Warburton improvised when Kronk hummed his own theme song when he was carrying Kuzco in the bag to the waterfall. Disney legal department had Warburton to sign all rights to the humming composition over to them.

16) One of the cleverest jokes in the film (and that is saying something) are Kronk’s shoulder angel and devil.

While surprisingly brief, like the rest of the film it carries with it an incredible energy. The back and forth between the shoulder angel and shoulder devil is wildly clever, making the whole moment just fun.

17) The whole film is pretty much a madcap comedy for the first twenty minutes, but it slows down when it matters. Specifically, with Pacha and his family. As mentioned above, Pacha is the beating heart of this film and giving the audience the time to get invested in him and his life helps not only to raise his stakes but also give the heart a little more of a pulse.

18) I just need to take a moment to appreciate that KUZCO STOPS THE FREAKING MOVIE to remind us its about him!

19) This is when the chemistry between Kuzco and Pacha really starts to shine, when they’re able to bicker with each other.

Pacha [after he’s accused of turning Kuzco into a llama then kidnapping him]: “Why would I kidnap a llama!?”

Kuzco: “I have no idea! You’re the criminal mastermind, not me!”

Pacha: “WHAT!?”

Kuzco: “Hmmm, you’re right. That’s giving you WAY too much credit.

They’re not holding back anymore. There’s no more forced respectfulness from Pacha since Kuzco is the emperor, their conflict is able to shine through and that’s what makes it fun to watch.

20) The jungle scene is a continuation of the film’s fun. It’s born from Kuzco’s fear and a darker tone than say the palace, while still being mixed with that wild mayhem we’ve come to expect from this film.

21) This. Freaking. Moment.

22) I’m actually surprised by the subtlety of this foreshadowing Maybe I only think it’s subtle because I didn’t see it as a kid though.

Pacha: “You know what: someday you’re going to end up all alone and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”

23) This is very telling of Pacha.

(GIF originally posted by @animated-disney-gifs)

Pacha [holding his hand out to Kuzco after making a deal]: “Don’t shake unless you mean it.”

He’s a trustworthy guy. He sees the best in people and to him a handshake is the ultimate agreement. To go back on a handshake would be below awful. It is this kindness that allows Kuzco - at times - to manipulate Pacha but also lets the audience care for him.

24) The bridge scene.

(GIF originally posted by @aboutaseven)

First of all, I think the way the characters hang from the ropes for their brief fight scene is pretty creative. Their suspension from this ties leads to some unique visuals as opposed to them just having it out on the bridge. But more than that, after the ropes break we see them working together to save themselves. This is both fun and helps form the basis of the friendship to come. Not to mention Kuzco saves Pacha from a crumbling bridge.

(GIF originally posted by @2000ish)

25) I love this film, but I can’t help but wondering if there’s a deeper reason for Kuzco’s selfishness and apathy we never get a look at. Is it just because he was raised being told he was the beginning and end of a perfect world, or is it more than that? Kuzco’s parents ARE gone and he’s only 17/18 in the film. Could that have something to do with it?

26) Okay, let’s recap: Kronk is an evil henchman who cooks, has his own theme music, a pair of shoulder figures, is a bird watcher, and talks to squirrels.

(GIF originally posted by @animated-disney-gifs)

Kronk is amazing.

27) Mudka’s Meat Hut.

The extended sequence in the restaurant works for a number of reasons. For one thing it’s a nice bonding moment between Kuzco and Pacha, while the fact that Yzma and Kronk show up at the same place at the same time leads to some great comedy (particularly when Kuzco and Yzma are trying to both take orders from Kronk, which feels very “Abbott & Costello” to me in the best way possible).

All in all, it’s wildly funny. And ends in a glorious fashion.

28) And THIS is what sends Kuzco back to the start.

Kuzco [overhearing Kronk, after ditching Pacha]: “No one really seems to care that he’s gone, do they.”

Except narrator Kuzco is now different from the actual Kuzco. Our Kuzco - at this point in the film - finally sees how awfully he messed up. How much of a total egotistical jerk he was. So much so he tries to live as a llama. That alone shows that he’s resigned to his fate. He was a crummy person, so he thinks he deserves to be a llama.

29) This freaking movie...

Yzma [after being locked in a closet]: “Tell us where the talking llama is and we’l burn your house to the ground.”

Kronk: “Don’t you mean or?”

Yzma: “UGH! Tell us where the talking llama is OR we’ll burn your house to the ground.”

30) And then what is definitely a contender for funniest scene in the film.

31) I keep laughing as I’m typing up this recap!

(GIFs originally posted by @kpfun)

32) Did I mention this film is hysterical?

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

33) The ensuing chase through Kuzco’s palace is very fun. It continues the madcap energy the film has been showing off well, with the added device of Kuzco’s ever changing animal form adding a nice dose of humor and creative conflict.

(GIF originally posted by @animated-disney-gifs)

34) Hmmm, how could this film get any crazier? I know...

(GIFs originally posted by @animation-edits)

I know. How about we have the main villain turn into a cat at the end! I love it.

35) I mean, it’s a Disney movie so it’s not totally surprising that this happened, but I still smile every time Kuzco decides to save Pacha over the potion.

36) Sometimes I’m just baffled by the fact that this movie exists. In a good way.

37) I’m a sucker for a good bromance.

Pacha [after Kuzco says he’s not building his summer home on their hilltop]: “You know, I’m pretty sure I heard some singing on the hill next to use. In case you’re interested.”

The fact that the film ends with Kuzco appreciating smaller things and becoming a member of Pacha’s family in a lot of ways makes me smile.

The Emperor’s New Groove is amazing. It is just a wild ride of comedic brilliance and sheer joy/fun. You have to grab on by both hands and prepare for the craziest things to happen, which is where the fun comes from. With a talented voice cast (such as David Spade, John Goodman, and ESPECIALLY the pair of Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton) and animation which reflects the energy/heart of the film, The Emperor’s New Groove is just a greatly enjoyable film from beginning to end.