The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, art by Stephen Hansen, courtesy of ZenethGallery.com

Here we are. Again. Mired in the muck of the worst kind of political warfare the swine and insects can muster. I, of course, can stomach it because I'm demented and have a penchant for intellectual bloodshed. Indeed. I know it has been a sweet minute since I scribed anything of value on the election and the repulsive circus it has conjured, so allow me to make it up to you, as only I can. Please note that virgin eyes unaccustomed to my venomous diatribes should divert now and go about their business. This is grown folks territory. Wild, uncut. Indeed. 

To the meat.

I would just like to begin by stating, unequivocally and without remorse, and after much deliberation and scrutiny:

 "F--k You, John McCain - you are an intellectually dishonest, spiritually defecating, embarrassment to American politics. You are a liar, a hypocrite, and the worst kind of swine opportunist." Read more...

"I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately." — George Carlin

It is with heavy heart and boundless respect that I dedicate this week's entry to the late, great, comedian-philosopher George Carlin. He was one of the few that could shock, entertain, and educate all in the same sentence. He was a master of "analytical thinking" and his words offered a fresh, sometimes startling, view on everything from sex and psychology to all things taboo including politics and religion. He, along with Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, was of the last pure social provocateurs.

Carlin made us think about our culture, our flaws, our hypocrisies, and excesses. He fought for freedom of expression and individuality. I may not have always agreed with him or his positions, but he always made me think. Read more...

This week I've decided to open the blogwaves to you, dear readers, and answer some of your questions and inquiries. I received so many great questions that I will have to do this in two parts. Thank you for participating, and now, TO THE MEAT!

Is it difficult being in the music industry, and identifying as a lesbian? I'm so curious, and I respect you so much because of that. It's good to know, that one of the best female vocalists is open about her sexuality. -- Holly

Hi Holly. It hasn't been that difficult for me personally, but I do live in Los Angeles where the weird and wild seem to flourish. However, it's hard for me to think of living any other way. On the road, most of our fans don't seem to have a problem with who I am or who I pick to be my lovers. I am very grateful to have found so many free-thinking folks who also love our music.
========= Read more...

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” — Hunter S. Thompson

Nary a day, nor an hour goes by that I do not receive an email, a MySpace message, or some other form of communicado asking (sometimes pleading) what (if any) suggestions or advice I might have for a band, artist or poet just starting out and hoping for some perceptive form of success.

I’m not sure I’m the right person to ask, but, I am honored some of you feel strongly enough to place your trust in my aggressively eccentric mind and I will answer to the best of my abilities. Read more...

Those dedicated Otep fans -- the same ones who post gushing comments about frontwoman Otep Shamaya's weekly "Might Makes Write" column -- have done it again. This week, Otep's faithful swarmed in and delivered spam-like levels of comments electing the band's "Crooked Spoons" video for a return trip to Headbangers Ball. Read more...

“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.” – Francis Bacon

Friends. Foes. Everyone in between. Welcome and salutations to another entry into the sick & twisted chronicles, celebrations, salacious travels, and secret adventures of a free-thinking, bohemian scoundrel (marooned in plastic-land) on the verge of a radical and stunning breakthrough. Indeed, to the meat.

Today, I scribe this from the dazzling white beaches of Aruba. The sun is high in the deep blue sky and a soft warm, southern breeze whispers softly through the vegetation. And next to me rests a sleeping vision of beauty. I met her last night in the hotel bar after we discovered each other admiring the same Basquiat painting. Her name is Ocean and she’s a design student from San Francisco. We had a few drinks, a few laughs, discussed politics, reality television, alternative music, the war, the U.S. economy, and then staggered to her room where a variety of sins were explored, examined, and exposed. If the Holy Roman Church were hip to our intimacies, I’m sure they would be aware of a few more we invented. But I digress. Read more...