Visiopoetics

This song is about my great great (if not good) Uncle Dan. The Italian crowd is laughing at the beginning because the Boss mispronounces city (”chee-TAH”) as summon (”CHEE-tah”) when he tries to say it’s good to be in their very beautiful city. Like “Hey guys, it’s good to be in your very beautiful lawsuit” — but not that smooth.

Also: reports indicate Tucker “died with a toothache in his heel.” Rattlesnake? Dermoid cyst? Damn genes.

(Artwork is oils on 16″ x 20″.)

Is it another baby pepper noumenally, or just a phenomenal production of my disoriented brain?

“What is rational is actual and what is actual is rational.” Also, Hegel was a beat poet.

I’m pretty sure Lady Ella would’ve been nicknamed Super Ella had she been born 50 years later. (Artwork is oils on 16″ x 20″.)

Kumbaya.

Artistry comes in so many forms. One of them: remixing audio and visual footage to create seamless satirical hilarity.

Artwork is oils on 16″ x 20″ stretched canvas.

Still don’t understand the financial crisis? Or perhaps you understand it, but still don’t think it’s funny? Worry not — watch the opera.

Sadly, I have missed my calling as a Sesame Street translator.

Click on “Russia,” and then on “Ulitsa Sezam” to hear the Sesame Street theme a la Rusky. This raises the question: why does everything sound sad in Russian? Not in the language (which is “A Fish Called Wanda” sexay), but in the preferred musical arrangements. If you listened without watching the video and you knew none of the words, you would think this was a sad song from the melody and accompaniment alone.

It also sounds suspiciously like “Antiochus,” but I can’t find an online copy with which to properly underscore the exquisite irony of this similarity.

Exhibit B that happy Russian children can make any song sound tragic. Here they are singing, “We wish you happiness.” Not, contrary to the sound of it, “You shot my dog.” Who knew?

In happier news, I think I want to move to Egypt. Look at all those bright, happy kids on Alam Simsim! Bonus points for most fun-sounding translation of Sesame Street.

Gil Scott-Heron is new here, breaking the ice blossoms.