Easy Rider - Opening Credits

RIP Dennis Hopper

Rolling Stones Cocksucker Blues Movie Part 1

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Walk & Don t Look Back - Peter Tosh & Mick Jagger

The choon that launched a longtime fascination with the Caribbean and more particularly Jamaica. Mick looking mighty mithered, I dare say he got collared by some heavyweight collie weed.

Proud Scum - Live 1979 - I am a Rabbit

Hey hey one of the first gigs I ever attended at the YMCA, in pure D65 Kelvin and not a village person in sight.

Roadtripping

Merc and I used to make many road trips together. We never had any Particular Place To Go. He usually drove, me looking for photo Ops and him seeing symbolism in every grain of sand. Much water has passed over the iron beach since those days, yet there is a collective memory in each of our workings secreted away against tide and time. Merc always said don't hide your bushel and Dali said Life's too short to go unnoticed, so I've been reshooting/resurrecting notebook doodles in an effort to create some continuity of process in these quietish days.

Since I was a nipper I've always been on the road. I lay no claim to being either world weary or a road warrior. I'd like to kid myself and say I was both but if I'm honest, I am nothing more than a tourist. Just passing through, here or overseas.

Ok, as part of my work I do get to indulge in some pretty long-winded postcards home, but hopefully they are true reflection of a place.

Sometimes said notes get filed in the journals to be Dada'd by endless layers of ephemera and idle scribbles that I paste in, in moments of reflection, doubt and projection.

And sometimes great imagery gets defiled and derailed by endless experimentation and the only tenuous link I can make between this picture and what I just wrote, is that it is a shot of a steamroller nose, that built a new section of the North Western Motorway in Auckland, a stretch of bitumen that has launched all number of travels.

©burgseye 10

Dig 2: the lost files

With the first edition of DIGzine under our belts way back in the early naughties, the Rev n I thought we'd go large on issue 2 with an all colour second edition. HA! That is until the print estimate arrived. Not wanting to take advertising dollars we decided to shelve the project until we could we afford to release it. But now we're gonna revisit it on the web and post some pages from all the peeps who contributed. But first we'll begin with the cover that never was. Above is the Rev's beautiful Dia de la muerte cut, cos we were originally looking at an All Saints Day release.

These two are my sketchy sketches doodled in an old note book for further exploration at a later stage. The one above pretty much sums up the Rev and I's attitude to self publishing back then and below a kind of back cover ad for herbal inspiration.

Needless to say none of the above made the cut and I'm still racking my brains as to what did. It was a Reverential piece as I can remember. Rev?

©DIGubet

No-Yeah!! by spikedevildisco

an electrocumbiaspace take on the kiwi Yeah-Nah! Sit back, relax and close yer eyes....

Captain Beefheart documentary (Part 1 of 6)

In the spirit of Whanganui's current backdoor blues scene thats blowing up at Stink Magnetic and particularly the Rev's new beat at the House on Haunted Hill- I found this fantastic six part BBC doco -with John Peel narrating- on one of the dirtiest of all the white boy swamp monsters, Don Glen Vliet aka Captain Beefheart.

Picasso's Guernica Deconstructed

the roadrunners - lsd

while doing a quick bit of research for mr mal macca sporran, I came across this wonderful version of the pretty things tune LSD by a Lower Hutt posse called The Roadrunners on the mysterex blog. This version just thrashes the bejeebers out of the original. Hard arse punked guitars, 1966 fuzz the Cramps would be proud of.

Anyway I send the link through to Malheureuse and this is his inimitable response: I knew Chaz Burke-Kennedy(guitar/vocals on the roadrunners cut of lsd)when he was Blerta's lead guitarist...in fact, on the occasion that keyboard/sitar playing legendary casualty, Chris Seresin lost his mind, he and Chaz had arrived at my Coromandel house,tripping. It was 1973. They left for our commune at Colville, crashed the car, Chris flipped...and never came back. He has been a dero around Wellington ever since. And I remember the uproar when the Pretty Things toured NZ in 1965. Drummer Viv Prince was sufficiently out of it at departure time for the TEAL Electra pilot to have him arrested and taken from the plane. The good burghers of Napier - where I was at school - and other provincial outposts, were outraged. We loved it. I didn't go to Wellington for the concert but my mate, Colin Lum,did (later to die of an od in an Auckland motel,1974. A doctor and one of those bright young ones I referred to...in 1969 he won a scholarship to do his post grad thesis at Stanford on...wait for it...LSD. We all took our first trips that year with Owsley acid he sent back). Memories...mammaries. And I bought Chris's sitar for him in Calcutta in 1970 while undertaking phase 2 of the great ginseng scam...talk about the endless highway...

New Urban Developments

A recent shot (through a window reflection) of a colossal wall of graff colouring up an otherise grey section of Auckland's CBD by a crew known as Urban Development .

Check here for a little on one of the protagonists and some choice cuts from the wall itself.

Bukowski Stamp

One Week Left To Sign Petition Supporting Writer Charles Bukowski's Postage

Stamp

LOS ANGELES- In 1969, when the 49-year-old underground poet and columnist

Charles Bukowski quit his job at the Terminal Annex US Postal Service

sorting facility, he was one step ahead of a pink slip. Offered $100 a month

by an editor who believed in his work, Bukowski took the leap to become a

professional writer, and in just a few weeks produced his first novel, the

autobiographical "Post Office."

Bukowski never held a day job again. He would go on to write six more

novels, the screenplay to "Barfly" and thousands of poems, and to find

international acclaim as one of the truly distinctive voices of Los Angeles

literature. Although he died in 1994, his literary output continues with

posthumous anthologies, and he is widely known among American booksellers as

the most shoplifted author on their shelves.

In 2006, Bukowski's archives were acquired by the Huntington Library, and in

2008 the modest East Hollywood cottage where he wrote "Post Office" was

named one of the Historic-Cultural Monuments of the City of Los Angeles.

But one perfectly apt honor still eludes Bukowski: shouldn't the second most

famous American postal worker after Benjamin Franklin have his own postage

stamp?

Richard Schave and Kim Cooper of the L.A.-based literary bus tour company

Esotouric think so, and have launched a petition asking the Citizens Stamp

Advisory Committee to consider recommending that a commemorative Bukowski

stamp be released on the 20th anniversary of his death (March 9, 2014).

Currently containing more than 350 signatures, the online Charles Bukowski

Stamp Petition will remain active until March 1, 2010, when it will be

printed out and submitted to the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, the

volunteer group that advises the postal service on appropriate choices for

commemorative stamps.

To view or sign the petition, visit:

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/bukowskistamp

If you're heading to LA any time soon check with http://www.esotouric.com

Esotouric's celebrations of Bukowski's life and work include the bus tour

"Haunts of A Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's LA" (next scheduled on April

24), working on the campaign to have his home landmarked, and inviting

journalist Marco Mannone to host a Bukowski Salon at the October 2009

Downtown LA Art Walk. They also spearheaded the successful campaign to have

the corner of Fifth and Grand, at the LA Central Library, designated John

Fante Square, after the writer who Bukowski called "my God." (Fante Square

signs will be erected sometime in Spring 2010.)

Sourced from http://www.explosivepr.com

A New Dawn for Old Work

A New Dawn
Oil on Canvasboard
1994-95?

Another one from the vaults. This was the last oil painting I did before I went to Art School (When I still enjoyed Oil Painting)!

The Sky was done from the memory of a particularly vivid sunset I saw with a friend, one evening coming back on the train from London to home. The figures depict, idealised, early-human forms, communing with nature and seeing the dawn as if for the first time. So a bit hippy and a bit colourful, but still quite pleasant and hopefully it is still in the safe hands of a good friend.

Not Half-Hearted

Well back from holidays and imagine my suprise when I find myself included in an excellent local exhibition ...






Half Heartedh
WHolehearted
WHanganui



Jan 16 - Feb 19? 2010
WHMillbank Gallery
Whanganui



An impromptu exhibition to celebrate the historic decision to recognise the 'H' in Whanganui puts the issue to the fore in an eclectic and substantial show. Featuring artists such as Matt Pine, Emma Camden, Marty Vreede and Michael Tuffery and a host of locals, the show includes print, glass, paint, sculpture and photography.

It is my privilege to be included in this show. The work featured is 'Read it in the Paper' a one-off unique print featuring the 'H is of for History' series andother elements on handmade 'Wanganui Chronicle' paper. Only exhibited at the Serjeant Review Show 2008.... and on my living room wall! It will be a welcome opportunity to show this work again in a relevant forum, especially considering that the change the decision earlier this year to recognise both spellings has made.

Kia ora

Read it in the Paper
Neil Buddle 2008
Lino print and collage on handmade paper (Whanganui Chronicle)

Art Attack in LA

Kim Cooper and Richard Schave

Esotouric and Downtown LA Art Walk instigators.

© Burgseye 08

Kim Cooper and Richard Schave run bus and walking tours like no other in their native Los Angeles City. Their celebration of LA captures the imagination. Not only do they bring history to life, they bring a rare sense of place to a town whose repute extends largely to Hollywood and fast buck makers. Along the highways and bi-ways they uncover literary and cultural heroes that endow the basin with integrity and a richness of life beyond the glass towers and theme parks. Their portrayals of the bizarre, the ludicrous and the myriad quirky denizens -that manifest exponentially in the City of Angels- are as important to the social fabric as stories about high flying exec's or movie stars. Equally the access they provide into the studio's and creative minds of arty Angeleno's is a rare gift for any stranger to a new place to be a party to.

But apparently even the worthy and good are not immune to the likes of the over zealous Russell Brown whose civic profile, ego and weight of power he brandishes is particularly scary, especially since Kim And Richard set their attentions to exposing the double standards and duplicity of roles he performs and calling for his resignation also backed by a local newspaper.

Check here how their non-profit labours of love -restructuring and managing their own initiative, a Downtown Art Walk- has landed them in a potential lawsuit with a man who has a wealth of big business funds, big budget lawyers and the LAPD at his disposal.

If it moves you get behind them here and express yourself.

By Order El Presidente

on his way to the beach

so there the Rev was, pre xmas dreaming of the waves lapping the beach, his kids dipping and diving, running amok with other campground kids, him cooking dinners of fresh caught snapper on a solitary outdoor gas stove and him gently nodding off to the inner tuneage that abounds deep within his soul. as it happens it all panned out but on his way to the beach the Rev's ailing motor coughed one least time and spat the dummy on the hill over to Tairua pulling short before the crest.

of course no amount of rapid response was going to move it. he was puckerooed and in the summer heat, the kids fried from a previous six hours of driving on such a blistering day. the first car he waves down is a beamer with a lady driver who wouldn't know a jump start from a false start, she's never had to learn. she doesn't want to appear unfriendly, thats why she stopped but she doesn't want to crack the bonnet cos she doesn't know where the hood lift is. thats the way of this planet. she accelerates onwards towards her holiday home and the rev stands jumper leads in hand awaiting and praying to his funk god for a kindly soul...

as is the way with the rev an extra strength saviour rolls into frame, Pauanui's very own "Builder With The Bedford." not only is this godsend the salt of the earth, he's also got some machine nouse, driving skills and practical know how. his verdict is not great. needless to say a dubious looking tow rope is produced -barely two metres in length- and suddenly the rev finds himself freewheeling within a gnats breath of a '78 CF Bedford's towball. For the next 20 or so perilous clicks up and over the Coromandel Range the Rev holds his breath until the crippled mazda is delivered to a workshop and is given the once over by the local mechanic who pronounces it dead, one of five that died the same way this day and he wants to take no responsibility for any of the carcasses. so it's off behind the CF back to the BWTB's homestead, where the murdered mazda now lays awaiting a wrecker with a sense of humour. and as if the call of duty wasn't already exceeded, the Rev and family are invited to camp the night in the BWTB's orchard (its camping they're here to do) and then the next morning the Rev hits the dog and bone desperately seeking solace on the end of the BWTB's handset. then the BWTB transports the Wanga Family Reverend to the hallowed sands of Hahei (a sixty plus Km roundtrip) where the Rev gets to make real his daydream and rekkie some fresh ideas for 2010 projects. and the BWTB goes home and carries on like none of it happened. goodwill is alive and well on the Peninsular and he's best known in them there parts as the BWTB.

pics © burgseye 2010

stories are all the rev's.

Kia ora, key aura, quay oarer!

The Reverend is going ol' school and lo-tech for the holidays, which means I dont have a PC at home, so I wont be able to communicate for a few weeks.

So in lieu of next time......

Seasons Greetings to Hamilton Taight, Mercurius Bradburn, Dr. Benway, all DIGloggers and friends, family and followers of the Reverend Y El Presidente.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported DIG and Neil and Jase as individual artists throughout the year, whether by support, encouragement, inspiration, networking or buying some of our creative outpourings - Kia ora

We look forward to next year, meeting new friends, reconnecting with old ones, ranting, raving, making peace, makingh war and making some new art for this ol' world.

DIG!!!

Postcards from Aotearoa

The Reverend (Aka Neil Buddle) has completed a new set of 3 prints, for sale exclusively through Pauanesia Store, Auckland, New Zealand.

The 3 prints show contemporary New Zealand beach life and reference early postcards. Here follows low-res images and the accompanying blurb.

Postcard
The island nation of New Zealand is defined by its coast. From its location, between the mighty Pacific Ocean and the feisty Tasman Sea, to its native mythology, the power, and importance of the elements are celebrated and acknowledged.

The thin strip, where land, sea, and sky meet, is never far away. Here on the beach, New Zealanders are most at home. Whether fishing, surfing, swimming, or just relaxing, New Zealanders relish every opportunity to enjoy this ephemeral landscape; Where the big sky and the roaring surf are reflected in the shimmering sands and the headlands fade like a dream, into the distance…

These prints evoke this environment and the enjoyment of it, referencing the style of postcards, from the 19th and early 20th century – The 1st golden age of New Zealand tourism.

Beenie Man or Batty Boy?

Legendary dance-hall performer, Beenie Man, is in the news this week, having been excised from the Big Day out line-up. Groups and individuals, including Rainbow Youth protested at his inclusion on the bill, because old Beenie Man tunes contain 'homophobic' lyrics. This was further inflamed by an impromptu Facebook group, emerging to condemn the decision. The Facebook group, surprisingly consisted of many people, who did not look like dance-hall fans, or likely to have heard of Beenie Man or dance-hall at all, before this drama erupted .

The furore over these lyrics is old news, he has already given reasons for their misinterpretaion, apologised for any hurt and made a commitment to positivity in Jamaican music. Frankly what he said or his reasons are unimportant to this argument because we are talking about free-speech. The notion of which it seems has become greatly confused with the 'Right to say what you want as long as no-one previously disenfranchised gets upset, and as long as no-one disagrees', which is a far inferior right and frankly not worth having.

What is worrying is the move towards left-wing censorship of ideas, speech, acts that express anything resembling right-wing, intolerant or offensive notions, however deep and wide those notions may go. The idea that a civillised and democratic nation cannot allow certain combinations of 'words', because of their danger to society is both frightening and indicative of a grave insecurity in the concept and the realisation of democracy. Personally I want all ideas, notions and thoughts out in the open, however unpalatable, illogical or apposite to my own views they are. That is how I can learn to understand the issues, the motivations and sometimes the logic of other people who like the rest of humanity are only trying to refine their own instincts and look after 'them and theirs'. That is also how as a society we can deal with issues, through discussion, through debate, through intelligent discourse, not through censorship and definitely not through denial and ignorance.

New Zealand was one of the last western countries to legalise homosexual relations and even then it was opposed by a majority of the public. Homophobia along with racism is alive and well in New Zealand right now, are recalcitrant Jamaican musicians, really the best place to start the fight?

Of course like many of the Facebook group, I too have too much time on my hands at work, allowing me the opportunity to wax philosophical and critique events, as if I had a clue. Maybe this is part of the problem? We have become too used to knowing a little about lots and not much about anything. Now it is so easy, you're at work it's 10am, your friend forwards you some subjective rant about something really facile and PC to side with, animal cruelty, homophobic rappers etc. You are bored and in an effort to dissipate your own frustration at your own life and the world, you start a Facebook group before lunch and lo and behold by hometime, 1000 people have joined it, they've all spewed their guts out about how shocking, appalling, obscene, offensive etc. it all is and you have become an activist and committed leader of a powerful lobby group. Imagine the surprise the next day, when the lobby group gets it's man. No hand printing pamphlets and handing them out on cold Saturday mornings in the high street, no long letter writing campaigns to government, no actual effort beyond a bit of typing and a bit of cut'n'paste from Wikipedia (Cos' you've never heard the songs and wouldn't get the lyrics if you did). In the old days you had to really fight for your cause, pay some dues, walk the talk. Now with modern technology, we can all be activists, and all without leaving our desks, doing our bit to make the world a better place or at least able to dump our crap anywhere in the world but here on anyone but us!

New Manifesto for Artists in the Business of Being Artists

The Fine-Art world is rapidly becoming anachronistic, in it's effectiveness as a means of communicating ideas or as an occupation of worth. New mediums and new forms are replacing some of our traditional and even our 20th century modes of expression. More people play computer games than buy music CD's, more people watch Youtube than go to the movies, more people enjoy publishing imagery, than fine-art.


The fine art world has always had it's idiosyncracies and it's avoidance of engagement with the business of communication, is largely self-constructed. The false proclamation of creative altruism, provides many artists with the opportunity to avoid critique, the accountability to the audience and the challenges of commercial production, through an establishment-endorsed aloofness. This perceived, moral self-elevation, paradoxically illustrates the lack of esteem amongst many fine-artists, in relation to their cousins in the design and media worlds.


Although commercial success is not a measure of credibility and vice-versa, it can be said, that money and commerce are a useful tool in the assessment of worth of a product/service/idea, to the general population based upon, supply and demand. Fine-Artists sometimes act as if the work they produce is both priceless (i.e. Morally and spiritually above definition by the base tool, that is money) and worthless (Not adequately appreciated by the base collective that is the general population). This is despite many artists not producing work that communicates effectively with the general population or work that is not presented in a form suitable for appreciation by the general public. This view stems form a deep-seated doubt and resentment about their own artistic self-worth and a fear of rejection by the audience.


As always it is a case of horses for courses and the trouble only begins when an artist expects recompense for something they don't do and expects no recompense for what they do - this contradictory approach sets up art and artists to be undervalued, misunderstood and unsuccessful. Bizarrely this is completely enshrined and endorsed by the artists own establishment. Whilst this establishment is not a union, guild or other such over-arching organisation, it is this strata of the art world, that could make a difference. Alas it is this very strata, that is either involved in the collection, sale and promotion of art, or the teaching of art, that serves neither to profit nor gain from any revision of basic art business practice.


So here below are a few 'new' ideas for Artists in the Business of Being Artists. Try them, adapt them, do them well and stroke by stroke, we might just paint a new picture...

• You are professional, capable and creative - Act accordingly, be smart, punctual, pragmatic, decisive and dynamic.
• Art is about communication of ideas/concepts/feelings - Decide who you want to communicate with, how many and to what level?
• Money is the best tool yet devised for valuing apples against oranges - It has widely understood rules, standards and units - Use it.
• People don't value what is free or cheap - Charge realistically and optimistically for all of your services/products, then add 10%.
• Don't Undercut Yourself - Establish a retail price for a product, (this price should be at least 3 x the cost of production and in line with other similar products). Whatever outlet, you sell work through, the price is the price. You receive that price minus the commission (Commission is an agents fee for selling your work), whatever that is? - If you sell the work privately - YOU are the agent, you get the commission! Do not attempt to speculate on the retail price in relation to the demographic of a location, it is not possible.
• In Fine-Art, the 'viewing' experience is the most commonly enjoyed - Charge for it! (Yes that means people paying a small fee to view art - think about it!). The viewing experience does not require the artist to intoxicate the viewers at his/her own expense - Charge for drinks (That is how money is made in the performance world).
• Marketing and Promotion are Creative Opportunities - See these activities as a creative challenge and an opportunity to describe yourself in a way that incoprorates your visual language and your 'personality' as an artist.
• Be Realistic and Modest - Art is a wonderful, beautiful thing, we are privileged to be a part of it - Artists are not inherently better, more spiritual, morally superior, deeper-feeling, smarter, wiser or more altruistic than, plumbers, lawyers, traffic wardens or the unemployed (That is about how good you are at what you do, not what you do).
• Don't Understate/Overstate Yourself - Art is not brain surgery/Art is not junk-mail; Dont make extravagant claims for your work (it does not explain the universe and everything in it) and do not understate it either (You are communicating an idea, not illustrating a catalogue).
• Have a Sense of Humour/Be Robust (Thanks El P!) - As stated earlier, Art isn't brain surgery, it may depict life and death but it isn't life and death. Have a sense of humour about art and about being an artist, it will make it much more enjoyable, make you more fun to deal with and will stop you from dissapearing up-your-own-picasso! Be robust too: Art is personal to the artist but don't take it personally. Critique, criticism and dislike of your work will tell you more about your work than a 1000 compliments, take it on board or not, thats your decision.
  
  This is only a collection of loosely formed ideas at present, it contains most of what I want to say and have said on this subject, to various people at some point or other. As I like to say about words at least, 'Untried Ideas - free to a good home' so take these thoughts and propogate them, let me know how well they grow?