So after the crazy of Burning Man, Tim and I decided that the best thing we could do was go to Napa and do nothing for a couple days. So, we threw Sky in a zipcar and the three of us headed up north for a couple days of Napa, which mostly consisted of putting delicious things in our faces. For example, these epic macarons from Bouchon. The PB&J one was my favorite.

Other noms not pictured: 4 course tasting menu from La Toque– which included the best Riesling I have ever had.
I am the only person in my friend group who drinks white wine. Every time I do it I think of that Tim & Eric Sketch.

We got this fucking epic hotel room, which I wish I had been able to enjoy more. I, sadly, had a comic book deadline, so I spent much of our stay bent over my wacom.
It was HUGE though. Also there was a bathtub in the bedroom. I wish I had taken more pictures.

The next day we visited Francis Ford Coppola’s winery. He’s turned it into a weird museum, showcasing a pretty random array of things. Some of his awards are on display, along with his first edition copy of Ulysses, and a bunch of stuff from the family that owned the winery before him.

Most importantly though, he had a huge collection of zoetropes and magic lanterns. These were actually really cool, and I was somewhat disappointed that they’re at a winery, where one wouldn’t really know to go looking for them.

More than anything, this visit made me wonder what I would do if I had the kind of money and wherewithal to open a museum.
Coppola’s collection was really little more than a bunch of stuff that he thought was cool, and a bunch of his personal history.
I think about this and I imagine putting every piece of sentimental ephemera I’ve ever gotten on display.

Over here is the first “do you like me, check yes or no” note I ever received.
To the left of that you’ll find the entrance to the breakup wing.

Here is my collection of mostly Boston area zines and poetry chapbooks, circa 1998–2003.
You can read them if you promise to be careful.

This is an absolutely terrible idea, so you will never visit, but I hope one day I’ll write some comics that will make you feel like you did.

As promised, here are the holga pictures I shot at Burning Man.
I can’t say they turned out as well as I was hoping, but I have a much better idea of what to do with my pinhole on the next go around.

I got pretty much an entire roll that looked like the above shot. Next time I’ll know that when I think I’m close enough, I need to get about a million times closer.

Slightly related, but not exactly, today on facebook I noticed that I’d been tagged in a couple things, so I’ll put them here as well.

Here are some shots by the excellent and talented Icka Boo:

I made the mistake of thinking that buying an incredibly cheap ebay cello to bring to the playa was a good idea.

Sadly it turned out to be more of a cello shaped object than a cello, and it was nearly impossible to make any pleasing noises on it.

Next year though, I have plans.

It is with great pleasure that I announce the release of This Can’t End Well’s brand new music video!
It is coming out TOMORROW!

Just to get you properly excited, I have a couple preview stills and some behind the scenes photos for you!

The above images are stills from the video, by the directors Chad Michael Ward and Niko Sonnberger.
I have a whole lot to say about working with these lovely folks, but I’m going to save that for after you can actually see the video!!
Suffice to say they are awesome, and professional– awesomely professional!

Here are a couple shots from behind the scenes– so you have a teaser of what’s to come.
Our lovely Violist Kristen shot the ones of me, and I shot the rest!

Come back tomorrow to see these pictures MOVE!

I will have a lot more to say about shooting with Katie whenever she has time to unload the pictures we took, but in the meantime, Lydia posted a bunch of shots of me that I thought I’d share.

You can see the rest of the shots at the end of Lydia’s Blogger collaboration set.
Thanks Lydia!!

This weekend, Kristen and I spent an afternoon in lovely Port Costa, CA.
More on our whole adventure later this week, but for now, enjoy this impromptu photoshoot we did.

I got a new camera.
Not just any camera, but the Pentax K-x, in RED.

I’ll be doing a proper Cute Tech review of it once I get a chance to shoot with it for a little while.

Mostly I just wanted to tell you how excited I am.

Photos for days, people. Photos for days.

He was only in the bay area for a couple short days, so we didn’t have much time to plan any on location shooting.

Instead, we just set up my studio lights and made do with what I had lying round the house.
I am SO PLEASED with what we came up with.

Flip is a great friend and an amazing photographer.

Many many thanks to him for a great time and a stunning set of pictures!

Public art.
14h street — San Francisco, CA.

Artist unknown.

I wish I had been able to take a better photograph of this.
I was having a terrible day when I stumbled upon it, you see, and it really moved me.
I took one of the little strips of paper & put it up on the corkboard over my desk.

“I like you.“
“Hey, I like you.”

I’ve been busy.

My cello has had a mind of it’s own lately & I’ve had to spend some time acquiring superpowers to keep up with it. However, these efforts have begun to bear fruit, and I am very willing to share it’s sticky goodness with all of you.

I am still working on my solo album, and I’m also playing in a band.
All of that deserves it’s own entry, very soon.
In the meantime, there is this:

Last month I played a show in Portland as part of Stumptown Comics Fest.
I shared the stage with Dame Darcy & Myrrh Larsen, respectively.

& so, here is some video from said show, of a newish song called Show & Tell.

Show & Tell from Star St.Germain on Vimeo.

Loose lips sink ships
but I’m navel deep
& I’ve had way more
than my fair 3 sheets

& oh god I’m gushing
& I think I’m blushing even in my sleep
these day I can’t rely
on counting sheep

despite the weather this week
i’m on a hell of a streak
& I’m feeling so bleak
despite the company I keep

if this is show & tell
& I know you so well
but not as such
(I know this much)

if I could see your face
in that moment of grace
my body stops to brace
& see you flush

except you aren’t here
just buzzing in my ear
& I’m all fantasies & fear
& I should hush

cause I’m spilling my guts
between the clicks & cuts
with all my ampersands & ifs
or is it whats?

this is show & tell
& I know you so well
but not as such
(I know this much)

I think It’s fair to say
that I’m losing ground
Is this all sinking in?
am I just making sound?

but try as I might
rehearsed I’m trying to recite
all poise & painfully polite
I’m fret & fuss

i’m good at holding my breath
& scaring myself to death
& giving compliments by accident
& pretending I’m quite content

if this is touch & go
should we just say hello
because it’s all for show
this much I know

loose lips sink ships
but I’m navel deep
& I’ve had way more
than my fair 3 sheets

My Madonna Inn video:

Madonna Inn Fall ’08 from Star St.Germain on Vimeo.

Also, here’s a bunch of the shots I took.

Thanks to MaryBee, Audrey, Ramon, Larissa, Baby D, Peter, Evan, Grey, Reed, Flip & Marie!
We will go back soon!

Also, hello new readers from Drawn! I hope to see a lot more of you in the coming weeks.

Design That Kills Photoshoot with Agent Lover from Star St.Germain on Vimeo.

I had so much fun hanging with Marie and Kristin & I hope we all get a chance to spend more time together really soon.
Here’s a small sampling of the photos we shot:

Marie came to visit me for New Years!
You’ll get to read all about our adventures very soon, but for right now, suffice to say we RAGED for her entire visit. This girl rules so hard. <3<3<3!

Top photo by Designthatkills.

P.S.

Last week, my friends and I went to the Psychotronix Film Festival.

The Psychotronix Film Festival shows only 16mm films, the vinyl of visuals, an archaic medium that brings us wondrous images of a near forgotten time. Antiquated commercials, neglected cartoons, previews from old movies, various short subjects which may have been intentionally educational then that are now just unintentionally funny.

This is the third time I’ve gone, and I know that in 6 months I’ll be back for more.
They have the screening in a college lecture hall. We were passing notes.

We also went to see Why? together at the Independant. Yoni didn’t have the rest of the band with him, so he just played a Rhodes and acted nervous. It was adorable.

Later in the week, my work went on a field trip to the California Academy of Sciences.

The Living Roof reminded me of teletubbies.

This albino dude is my friend.

He totally just had epic noms.

The lettering on these labels made me swoon.

That’s all for now!

I am asymmetrical.
This is a great thing.

[Click for bigger!]

Page 4 of the 24hour comic I did with Miss Mary Bee!
Writing by her, illustration/layout by me (after a photo, of her, by Alan Davis).

Got all that? ha.

This series was thought up in New York when I was at Economy Candy with Marie & Lola.
It was there that I purchased the 1 pound sugar daddy that you see before you.
Clearly this giant candy was made to cover my nekkid.

Marie was nice enough to transport said candy from New York, to LA, to the Madonna for me.
Thanks Marie!!

I had originally planned on getting a ton of regular sized Sugar Daddies for the rest of the photo, but I learned it’s incredibly difficult to find Sugar Daddies in bulk. At the last second I grabbed two giant bags of candy at Smart & Final that weighed in at 7 pounds.

Thanks to Evan Hayden for assisting me in shooting these self-portraits. We shot all Annie Liebowitz style with me telling him how to frame it & he was more than patient with me as I rolled around on the carpet. Also thanks to my whole crew for making me laugh and helping clean the giant mess of candy off the floor.

More pictures from this amazing weekend soon!

Page 3 of my 24 hour comic with writer, Mary Bee.

We holed up at the Comics Outpost for a full day of drawing, along with fellow 24hour participants Doctor Popular & Mike Hales.

What is 24 hour comic day?

put simply: 24 pages in 24 hours.
Here’s my second page (the first is the title page, and I’ll be posting that last):

It was a departure for me. I’ve been pushing the amount of textures and collage stuff in my work for a little while,
partly influenced by the non-digital work I’ve been doing (which deserves a post one of these days)
& I did a few sketchbook/collage things digitally recently that people responded well to.…
So for the challenge, I decided to really embrace that collage aesthetic and let go of illustration a little if the page or time limits called for it.

I’ll be posting this comic a page or 2 at a time over the next couple weeks.

I am both satisfied and shocked that I made it through all 24 hours, and left with 24 pages in hand.

Extra thanks to my writer, Mary Bee! I couldn’t have done it without you!

fix·ture (fiks-chər)
n.
1. Something securely fixed in place.
2. Something attached as a permanent appendage, apparatus, or appliance: plumbing fixtures.
3. Anything which has become ubiquitous or permanent.
4.
a. The act or process of fixing.
b. The condition of being fixed.