#ryanspahr

[old1eye]

Merry Krampusnacht! Ethanol Inks on paper 8.5x17

[letterstomrblock-blog]

On Mike Rowe as Mr Block or 'Always Low Expectations, Always'

Part One

A number of years ago I purchased a record called ‘Rebel Voices’ from an Industrial Worker of the World (I.W.W.) member. The entire record is worth listening to, but there are two songs in particular that I want to highlight: Mr Block and Power in the Union.

  Mr Block is a cartoon/comic character that was created by IWW member Ernest Riebe. Mr Block is “a common worker,” as the Joe Hill song goes, who “thinks he may be president some day.” Mr Block is suppose to represent the one-dimensional or block headed thinking of common workers who identify with their bosses or believe that anyone can become president. A type of person who does not pay attention to the the conflict between what workers want and what bosses want and without paying attention to the structural barriers (or blocks) that marginalized groups/people face that may prevent them from obtaining certain political, economic, and social positions, i.e. becoming President. In one cartoon, “Mr. Block: He Tires to Be a Union Scab” (Rebel Voices: An IWW Anthology by Joyce Kornbluh p.171) Mr Block can be seen reading a IWW notice stating that they are on strike. Mr Block, an A.F.L. member at the time, says he will go to work because the AFL is a union that “believes in Harmony between capital and labor.” This cartoon is intended to point out the problem with unions and ‘common workers’ who do not make common cause with other unions and do not respect picket lines thereby hurting fellow workers and strengthening the bosses, capital and business. In the introduction to the song “Power in the Union,” Utah Phillips talks about a union member (who is just like Mr Block) that complains about people coming to the US and ‘stealing’ jobs from American workers. Instead of getting angry at this xenophobic remark, Utah turns inward and reflects. He asks, “What did he get in school? What did he get in his work experience?...What did he get even from his own union…?” The assumption being that in each of the cases this clouded thinking-fear of foreigners and praise for the homeland was present, and unquestioned. Utah retorts that, “If he had grown up with the true and sure knowledge of who he was and where he had come from, he would have been a lot more pissed off than he was and he would have known exactly who to be pissed off at, too.” The purpose of the story is that this union member seems to miss the point of the (general) idea of the union, at least as envisioned by people like the IWW.

  Now, of course, one does not have to subscribe to the IWW’s vision to be empathic to many of things described in the song. Such as wanting to put an end to ‘wage-slavery,’ alleviating starvation and misery, obtaining housing for everyone, and reducing wealth disparity/inequality among other things. The larger purpose of describing these two songs is to highlight an obstinate attitude often exhibited by people who fail to see beyond these base stereotypes or develop a more complex understanding of history generally. The result being that this worker fails to see how their struggle at their job relates to the struggle of other workers in other parts of the country and the world. Put differently, this worker is more heavily influenced (perhaps, blinded by his patriotism) by his veneration of his country of origin, rather than, identifying with a worker who he has more in common with than his (American) boss, business in general, politicians and numerous others.

Mike Rowe as a Factory

Mike Rowe, known for hosting and participating in Dirty Jobs, recently narrated an add for Wal-Mart called “I am a Factory.” It is a passionate and inspiring ad. It begins, “At one time, I made things, and I took pride in the things I made.” It becomes apparent, if you didn’t know the name of the ad, that it is a dialogue by an out of use factory that, despite being out of use, will “rise again.” Close to the end the narrator states, “Its time to get back to what America does best,” followed by a dramatic pause by the narrator with a message on the screen from Wal-Mart that states: “Over the next ten years, we’re putting $250 billion to work to help create new manufacturing jobs in America.” After this message, the ad shows two families embracing and then a child looking out his door at a car in the driveway, which we are suppose to assume is a parent coming home from work, while the narrator ends with, “because work is a beautiful thing.”

There is much to say about this ad, about Mike Rowe and about ‘Work’ in general. In part two, I plan on briefly summarizing Rowe’s responses to both the positive and negative feedback he has received in an attempt to encapsulate his particular view as it reflects a more general worldview. I know there is much that has already been said about Rowe and this issue, so I will try to be brief and draw on others work where possible to avoid being redundant. Part two to follow soon! p.s. i was inspired by a comic done by the artist Ryan Spahr who was kind enough to allow me to repost the comic he drew. Enjoy

[old1eye]

One of the coolest and most fun commissions I’ve ever had the pleasure of drawing. The entire image is based on a dream the client had. Ethanol Inks on Paper, 18x24.

[old1eye]

Quasiperiodicity, or, Waltzing Mephisto. 16x20 Ethanol Ink on Bristol. #ryanspahr #theblackshrine #alwaysdrawing #markerlove

[old1eye]

I have a new tutorial up on The Copic website if anyone is curious how I go about making my marker drawings. @copicmarker #ryanspahr #markerlove #tutorial (at The Black Shrine)

[old1eye]

"Metal Person" Marker on Paper. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to find out how you could win this piece. 😃 #ryanspahr #markerlove #contest #ironman #copicart #copicwide (at The Black Shrine)

[old1eye]

New marker jam. Made this for the two coolest people in Savannah, @kenny_ward_ @irenemccollamceramics 11x14 Ethanol Ink Markers on Paris Paper. #ryanspahr #theblackshrine #markerlove #copicart #copicwide #springwide (at The Black Shrine )

[old1eye]

New commission. Got to break in a couple new markers with this one. 11x14 Ethanol Ink Markers & Acrylic Ink Marker on Paris Paper. #ryanspahr #theblackshrine #markerlove #copicart #copicwide #winterwide (at The Black Shrine )

[old1eye]

Commissioned piece. Super challenging, but super fun! Ethanol Ink Markers & Acrylic Ink Marker on Paris Paper. 12x12. #ryanspahr #theblackshrine #markerlove #copic #copicart #copicwide #winterwide (at The Black Shrine )