"It Either Works or It Doesn't"

Splitsider's posted a great conversation with Pee-wee's Playhouse artist Wayne White about his pre-Pee-wee cartooning (among other subjects). Give it a read, and if you haven't seen Beauty is Embarrassing, please correct the error of your ways.

I'm a Mitzvah

Comedy Bang! Bang! director Ben Berman's great short film I'm a Mitzvah just landed on Vimeo and we're all the better for it.

Well written, well shot, well-conceived all around. Plus: penises.

Artists Authors, Strand, AV Club

On February 6th at the Strand, I'll be signing copies of my new portrait collection, Artists Authors Thinkers Directors, of which The Onion's AV Club recently gave a nice review.

The details for the event are rumored to be:

Thursday, February 6th at 7pm
The Strand Bookstore
828 Broadway
212.473.1452

If you're in the New York area, come by, say hello, and have me scrawl your face without looking at the drawing. Apologies in advance for making you look so melty.

Forlorn TV

As was announced on yesterday's episode of Comedy Bang! Bang!, I've launch a YouTube channel, Forlorn TV. This will be an ongoing series of animated monologues, shorts, and occasional bumbling buddy cops. In other words, it'll be a mix of things. But probably a little sad, and a little weird. Seems a safe bet.

So Subscribe! And I'll see you next Monday...

Blobby, Blobby Blobby (Blobby)

I only recently discovered Mr. Blobby from Noel's House Party and I'm sorry that my life has been lacking that particular nightmare.

LAs of the Recent Past

Thanks to everyone who came out to the LA Art Book Fair. And thanks to Boing Boing for the shout out and Secret Headquarters for hosting me. I was blown away by the attendance and scope of that event, and I'll hope to be in town for the next one.

Dragons of Comedy

It was a great pleasure to be on the most recent Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast, especially with two of my my favorite CBB guests, Doug Benson and Matt Besser. Have a listen.

Thanks to Scott for having me on. And more on what I was plugging soon...

Like a Tweet to the Groin

I made the grave mistake of offending the juggernaut that is America's Funniest Videos, saying that (in realizing that they were even still producing the program) they might just possibly be irrelevant in the post YouTube age. Completely disproving my point by taking the better part of three days to respond to the tweet, they seem to take offense. At which point it just got silly and wonderful.

Giant Robot posted about the story, so you can read a bit more there. Thanks to everyone who chimed in. This is why the internet exists. But don't tell AFV. They're busy flipping to side B of that Bananarama cassette.

40 Iterations of Irby

Part of me wishes I'd just found these in a shoe box at some random flea market, having no idea what was going on. The other part of me is really glad I know the story:

Dallas Phys-Ed teacher Dale Irby wore the same outfit for 40 years of school portraits. Starting by accident, building into one of the best, longest jokes ever told. Which should automatically win him either Funniest Teacher of All Time, or a job as spokesman for his local dry-cleaners.

Hats off to you, Mr. Irby. You made me feel nostalgic for high school. For about a minute.

Of the Varied Lines and Lives of JL Hudson

This profile of John Hughes (and his secret writing life as JL Hudson) is nearly as exhaustive as the collective love everyone even remotely aware of the 1980s has for him. It serves as a touching eulogy for the man who made every brain, beauty, jock, rebel and recluse ultimately feel like they had a place they belonged.

Those Eyes

Kemi Mai is well worth following on tumblr. Or you can just stare at this image all day. You could do worse.

Go Retro

I stumbled across Go Retro via this Rankin/Bass post and was hooked. Pam has great taste and can wax curmudgeon with the Rooneyest of Andys. Get thee to the retro!

Frozen Ghosts

Given that most of the country is looking like this at present, it seems a good time to post about these 100 year-old negatives, recently unearthed from a block of solid ice in the Antarctic. Believed to be from the failed Ross Sea Party of Shackelton's 1914-1917 Trans-Antarctic Expedition, the images reveal a chilly glimpse into a bygone age of exploration.

Floating Flora

You may ask yourself: how do I paint a floating, severed tree? This is how.

Mueck's Hyperreality

London artist Ron Mueck creates captivating hyperrealistic sculptures of figures ranging from the massive to miniature. Their jarring detail is akin to a three-dimensional photography, every wrinkle, fold, and pore captured beautifully, often heartbreakingly, in resin and fiberglass. (That he was part of the team who brought us Ludo in Labyrinth doesn't hurt either.)