Friday 30 May 2014

Found picture of the day

This looks like a big city part. I love urban pictures like that one...



Tuesday 27 May 2014

Art is everywhere part 18

Here's some more flyers I got from the good old unreliable obsolete but still necessary post office. 






Art is everywhere part 17

This time around I have two nice homemade stamps just for you fine folks out there...





Saturday 24 May 2014

Friday 16 May 2014

Hiroshima Yeah! # 111 (May 2014) (zine)


A  monthly 8.5 by 11 inches black and white, cut and paste, five pager,a mighty impressive zine if you ask me. There`s  a beautiful logo cover drawing by virtually unknown Montreal artist: François Marceau. Let`s begin with poetry to read as  `the dreams malfunction`. I admire Mark`s poems. Here`s a couple which caught my attention:
Hypocrites
Most of us are hypocrites
In one way or another:
The leather wearing vegetarian
The homophobic homosexual
The intolerant liberal.
Nothing is as simple
As it may appear.
And our contradictions
Make us human.
And
Easy trap
It`s an easy trap to fall into:
Torturing yourself
By replaying awkward moments
Instead of pleasant ones.
But try to remember this:
Most of the time,
Other people are too wrapped up
In their own lives
To give a flying fuck
About you.
Regarding the poem `hypocrites`I could also add the following:
The pervert preaching about abstinence
Intolerant people giving lessons in tolerance
Disrespectful assholes demanding respect
Corrupt politicians giving honesty lessons
Liars hating …liars
The world is so full of various hypocrites, look around man. Next there`s  Gary Simmons insane monthly ramblings about `1.5 years on probation`. After reading this I almost feel normal here. We have a plethora of music, concert (Withered Hand – CCA, Glasgow, 18-04-2014), book and zine reviews. Kudos for the `Minimal Frank – imaginary soundtracks`CD review. 



We finish reading the zine with some short stories from: Rob Hayler`s `Leeds zine fair – Wharf Chambers, Leeds, 16-03-2014` (wish I was there), Gary Simmon`s `last 48 hours of Kurt Cobain` (what the hell is this stuff department) and Mark Ritchie`s `driving away`(drink + sleep and drive after getting sober i.e good idea). Contact address: 
Mark Ritchie
94 Main Street
Forth
Lanark
ML11 8AB
UK

Hiroshima Yeah! # 110 (April 2014) (zine)


A 8.5 by 11 inches black and white, cut and paste, monthly, five pager zine. We open things up with poetry from `the absence pit. More amazing poems from  the man himself: `Mark Ritchie`. My favorites include:
Words gathering dust
All those words we wrote,
Filling up boxes,
Bags,
Cupboards,
Garages:
Where did all those words get us?
Did they make us rich?
Happy?
Slightly less  alone?
Or where they all for nothing?
Merely a waste of space,
Time and effort?
All those words we wrote
They seemed so vital at the time
Are now simply
Words gathering dust.
And also;
Here  Forever
I`ll be here forever,
Through drunkenness,
Through embarrassment,
Pity,
Shame,
Lust,
Lost loves.
I`ll be here forever
Because some of us
Have nowhere else to go.

Good stuff, it makes you recall those forgettable nights of drunken oblivion. Next there`s a plethora of music and book reviews. Gary Simmons writes his monthly installment of``the great rock`n`roll tolchock` (he`s out of jail but unfortunately still on probation). There`s a picture of Gary inside. Man I`m jealous he`s got hair!!! I`m at the ripe old age when you have hair growing everywhere except on your head. And no I mean the thinking head on top, not the receptive one downstairs dumbass!!! There`s more poems from the likes of Mitch Hell, and some short stories by Kyle Nonneman, Gary Simmons and head honcho Mark Ritchie. Contact address: Mark Ritchie
94 Main Street
Forth
Lanark
ML11 8AB
UK


Shy Rights Movement – self-mythologisers anonymous (CD)



This is Mark Ritchie`s  (Hiroshima Yeah! Zine)  solo music project.  There`s ten songs on this here CD. The music consists mostly of acoustic / electric guitar mixed with some singing and some percussive elements now and then. After listening to a lot of experimental  music and tons of harsh, ear ripping noise this is definitely what the doctor ordered. An  easy listening (ear candy material) and highly relaxing album. Now you`re thinking folk music I bet. Not at all brothers  and sisters. This is intimate, foreboding, melancholic, lo-fi, stripped to the bone (guitar + vox + sometimes percussions) music. You can feel various influences at work: Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Terry Lee Hale, Johnny Cash and perhaps Eric`s Trip (the isolationist side of things maybe).. I love this album. It`s a good mixture of indie (I mean that in a good way, for once), stylish, lavish, folk (more urban than rural, groovy baby!!!) with lots of country elements at work (Neil Young anyone?). My personal favorite song is `what we become`. A haunting, country ballad with wailing, almost slide guitar i(extremely hypnotic material) . The perfect track for broken hearted lonely hearts club band people out there (forget The Beatles this is the real thing). I highly recommend this album. I`m not saying this because Mark gave `Minimal Frank`s `(my solo project) latest full length an amazing review I owe you one bro, just kidding ).  Contact address: 
Mark Ritchie
94 Main Street
Forth
Lanark
ML11 8AB
UK