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...

"Life sucks & then you die." - Anonymous.

Banks are collapsing, our economy is tumbling, we have salmonella & e. coli outbreaks, unemployment is rising, our military is waging two wars in two countries, wages are stifled, Mother Nature has tuberculosis and skin cancer, working class folks are losing their homes, and the government apes still jump to bail out Wall Street before they offer any relief to those of us on main street.

It's enough to make even the most daring of hero want to crawl into the bottom of a cheap bottle of something (anything) alcoholic and drown our sorrows and woes until our minds perceive nothing but the warm comfort of absolute blackness. 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.
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“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...

photo by Ivar Nikolaisen, courtesy of flickr.com

Last week you voted for Shai Hulud's "Misanthropy Pure" to return to Headbangers Ball for an encore airing on "Headbangers Ball" (which took place on Saturday). This week, Shai are ineligible, as are our other past winners (Dead Child, Opeth, Pelican, Danava, Behemoth). But there's till lots of stuff to chose from, including Arsis' "We are the Nightmare," which we debuted on last Saturday's show, Children of Bodom's "Hellhounds on My Trail," Machine Head's "Halo" and Unearth's "March of the Mutes."

Click "more" for the complete list. Votes must be placed in the comments section. Selections will be tallied at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11. Readers who vote more than once will be disqualified: 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...

Video director Thomas Mignone, who has worked with Slipknot, Sepultura, Testament and Mudvayne, will screen his first feature film "On The Doll" on June 11 at The Annex in New York City. Regular showings begin two days later.

The movie features an original score by ex-Tool bassist Paul D'Amour as well as new music by his new band Feersum Ennjin, Otep, The Black Heart Procession, Crystal Method and Miss Derringer.

"On the Doll" is a dark drama that stars Brittany Snow ("Hairspray," "Prom Night") as a vengeful prostitute indelibly scarred by childhood sexual abuse. The title of the movie comes from a question asked of victimized children: "show me on the doll where you were touched."

Click "more" to watch a scene in which Snow repeatedly punches a tied up john in the nuts just for fun: Read more...