Thursday, April 30, 2015

Peeping! A Proud Male Tradition!

Spying has always been fascinating to boys.
From holes in fences to watch baseball,
stories of The Hardy Boys pressing their eyes up to keyholes
to James Bond using his 007 skills to save the world.
Joining that illustrious group, I made the cardboard pericope
from my 1967 Childcraft book and happily
spent the day hidden behind the
living room couch scoping out whatever my family was up to.
It turns out they weren't involved in any criminal activity.
That inclination could become a little awkward as those youngsters became shy gentlemen who didn't purchase the helpful
"How to Pick Up Women" book.
For those bashful men lacking in social skills the ads in the comics and magazines of the 50s/60s and 70s gave "up pericope" a new meaning
(fyi- I'm available to spice up your speeches with similar comedy zingers).
It was a dream opportunity to secretly see the only thing on their minds,
the fairer sex, buck naked.
So ladies, before slowly changing into your Fredrick's of Hollywood lingerie, look for holes in the walls, 2-way mirrors and eager faces pressed against the window, because, as you know, men are out of their minds.
























Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Nation Shocked at 2-Way Mirror in Woman's Restroom!


Only the most notorious women's restrooms in Berwyn
display M.O'C tattoo flash!

Full disclosure- 

I love the Cigar and Stripes Bar in Berwyn!
http://www.cigarsandstripes.com/
It's rumored to be haunted, the decor is eccentric

and sideshow/house of horrors crazy fun,
every night has some sort of entertainment, music/movies/dj/etc,
the food and drinks are delicious and Ronnie Lottz, the owner,
has always been top notch to me.
Even more importantly, there are at least
6 sheets of my tattoo flash hanging
in the now famous woman's bathroom

Why is it famous?


Because over 3 million folks have viewed the
YouTube video of comedian Tamale Rocks
(who I've enjoyed many times hosting Chicagoland burlesque shows)
"discovering" a two way mirror on an unlocked door between the woman's
bathroom and a storage closet.
My first reaction was the same as any right minded American,
"Lock that pervert owner up NOW!
I've brought dates there!! I'll kill that SOB myself!!!"
But I was hoping that Ronnie could come up with an explanation,
though I had no idea on God's Green Earth what it could be.
 But he has.


It was made for laffs.


There's often a dummy monster behind the 2 way mirror,

and when the unsuspecting full bladdered patron switched on
one of the lights in the bathroom,
it would instead light up in the closet making the monster 'appear'
through the jagged cut out opening in the door behind the mirror,
scaring the crap (thank you) out of whoever was in the bathroom.
In fact, he says, it was no secret to all the regular patrons,
who would wait at the bar for the screams.


 I looked for a few old posted examples to add weight to the story,

which is difficult, because at the moment 99.9% of the
internet articles are about the newest "shock",
but I'm told the funhouse mirror has been common knowledge on Yelp for years and
this blogger from 2013 hints at the surprise by saying

that they're not going to give
away what happens when you flick the light switch-

https://beerdoggingaletotheburbs.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/ale-to-the-burbs-beer-dogging-cigars-and-stripes/.
Also, superstar artist Kymm Bang

(who also has art on display right above that notorious mirror)
posted a pic of how the halloween creature looked
when illuminated (below).

Of course, common sense (in fact, any sense) says you
really, Really, REALLY shouldn't have a 2-way mirror in the women's restroom,
but he police checked it all out and no charges are being pressed.

Maybe because you can only get to the closet by entering the bathroom first,
and the closet door can't be locked from the inside,
making it unlikely that you could hide in there undetected.
And, I'm guessing, Ronnies story rang true to them.

So, let's all relax and calm down.
And a good way to relax is taking a trip to 6715 Ogden Ave in Berwyn,
and place your rear end on the biggest tourist attraction in Illiniois, the woman's toilet!
Now there's no second guessing that a Cigar and Stripes employee might be pantless behind the 2-Way mirror, because as soon as the door closes behind you the room lights up and the monster always appears!

But more importantly while you're there,
have some chicken wings and a beer (or 3)!

EAT! LAFF! DRINK!































Wednesday, April 15, 2015

"Mitch O'Connell the World's Best Artist" is now an ebook!

And now, the official Last Gasp press release!

We're excited to announce that Last Gasp has partnered with Humble Bundle to deliver a pay-what-you-want book bundle.

This Humble Book Bundle collects unique art books featuring renowned visionaries from all different walks of life including Skinner, Frank Kozik, Ron English, Diane di Prima, Mario DiGiorgio, Basil Wolverton, Mitch O'Connell, Toufic El Rassi, and many more.

Please take a look, and share the link if you have time:
http://www.humblebundle.com/books


Readers can name their price for Revolutionary Letters, A Cynic's Guide to a Rich and Full Life, Pop Surrealism: The Rise of Underground Art, The Original Art of Basil Wolverton, and Mitch O'Connell: The World's Best Artist.

Those who pay more than the average price will also receive Arab in America, Gangsta Rap Coloring Book, Forbidden Activities for Neglected Children, Man's Ruin: The Posters & Art of Frank Kozik, and Status Factory: The Art of Ron English.

Customers who pay $15 or more will receive all of the above plus Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society and Hi-Fructose Collected Edition Vol. 1-3.


Additional titles will be unveiled mid-promotion on April 22.

As with all Humble Bundles, customers can choose how their purchase dollars are allocated, between the publisher and charity. The Humble Underground Book Bundle presented by Last Gasp supports both Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The Humble Underground Book Bundle presented by Last Gasp runs from now until Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at 11 a.m. Pacific time.


About Humble Bundle

Humble Bundle organizes pay-what-you-want plus charity promotions for awesome digital content and puts the power directly in the hands of the consumers, offering them fully-featured titles at prices they set themselves. Consumers pay what they want and decide how to allocate their money between content creators, charity and a humble tip. Humble Bundle also offers the Humble Store, a digital storefront that features great games at great prices with a portion of sales going to select charities. Since the company's launch in 2010, Humble Bundle has helped empower its community to allocate more than $55 million toward charity to date. For more information, please visithttps://www.humblebundle.com



Monday, April 13, 2015

A Visual Delight in Denver!

When I can be in a gallery with Kirsten Easthope and Shaunna Peterson,
I'll drop my strict "Museum Shows Only" policy in a heartbeat!
So if you' find yourself in the Mile High City on May 22nd, please stop on by!
http://sallycentigrade.com/