Kevin Marshall's America
As mentioned previously, there’s also going to be a Silent Auction with some great items from artists all over to benefit the local chapter of the Ronald McDonald House.
See you there!
Check out Metroland’s preview of Laughs on Lark next Wednesday!
This month: Thomas Attila Lewis, William Hughes, Bill Nettleton, and plenty of other surprises (and surprise guests!) as we bid a fond farewell to co-producer and co-founder Matt Kelly.
Next Wednesday, June 13th, 9pm, Elda’s on Lark, corner of Lark & State St in Albany, NY!
present:
HOORAY FOR THE U.S.A.
A comedy show about how awesome America is
because America is awesome!
Friday, July 6th, 8pm
@ 51 3rd St.
(address: same as the name!)
Troy, NY
FEATURING
William Hughes
Ethan Ullman
w/s/g Henry Phillips
hosted by Kevin Marshall
$5 suggested cover price
The Albany Comic Con goes down THIS SUNDAY at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road in Albany.
Guests include:
- Ron Marz
- J. M. DeMatteis (who wrote one of my favorite comics of all time, Justice League International, amongst many others)
- Matthew Dow Smith
- Jim Starlin (legend and creator of Thanos)
- Fred Hembeck
- and many many many many many more.
Plenty of booths as well with great deals on trades and such. (I’ll certainly be scouring them for some stuff, in particular the second TPB volume of Gotham Central, which is becoming harder and harder to find and is sold out even among online vendors like Amazon who can’t keep them in stock. Which is frustrating but also great, because that book always struggled commercially when it was being published in monthlies but was adored by critics and its small but fiercely dedicated fanbase.)
But enough about comics.
One of the things I’ve learned in dealing with guys like Ron and especially the Con’s organizer, John Belskis, is how pathologically selfless they are. It’s all love and little money, as is evident by the incredibly low five dollar admission fee.
But their generosity goes far beyond a love for the industry and its fans and towards higher callings. To that end, the silent auction at the Con this year will benefit the local chapter of the Ronald McDonald House. Sketches will include work from Joe Sinnott, Paul Abrams, Fred Hembeck, and many more. It’s going to be their biggest collection yet for a silent auction, and there’s no fee to enter.
The press release for the silent auction (along with more details) is after the jump. And be sure to visit the official site of Albany Comic Con for more info.
As a former actual curator, of like, actual art and whatnot, I think I’m fairly well positioned to say that you folks with your blog and your Tumblr and your whatever are not actually engaged in a practice of curation. Call it what you like: aggregating? Blogging? Choosing? Copyright infringing sometimes? But it’s not actually curation, or anything like it. Your faux TED talk is not going well for you if you are making some point about “curation” replacing “creation” because, well, for starters, “curation” is choosing among things that are created? So like there’s nothing for you to curate without creation? This precious bit of dressing-up what people choose to share on the Internet is, sure, silly, but it’s also a way for bloggers to distance themselves from the dirty blogging masses. You are no different from some teen in Indiana with a LiveJournal about cutting. Sorry folks! You’re in this nasty fray with the rest of us. And your metaphor is all wrong. More likely you’re a low-gradecollector, not a curator. You’re buying (in the attention economy at least! If not in the actual advertising economy of websites!) what someone else is selling—and you’re then reselling it on your blog. You’re nothing but a secondary market for someone else’s work.
Enough of the bullshit. Having a blog is and means nothing. You are not contributing to anything. You are not adding anything. Fucking around and smelling your own farts on Twitter and WordPress is not an accomplishment or unique talent, and the sooner people learn that the better.
It’s actually almost sickening: people who have accomplished little to nothing and have never put themselves out there for any sort of craft or practice prescribing depth and importance to themselves and their shitty, meaningless aggregation. See also: many reviewers on sites like Yelp. You have an interest and an opinion, not expertise. But that becomes easily confused with social media on the internet, which is to people with little in the way of self-awareness and personality what alcohol is to an alcoholic: a destructive escape for the reality they can’t deal with and Hell for everyone else around them.
There is nothing wrong with having a blog or a twitter. But there is something wrong with having a blog or a twitter and going on and on and on about it. ENOUGH!
Anthony Bourdain has the swagger of a 14-year-old talking shit on the playground, especially the part where he constructs an imaginary conversation and acts proud of his pre-planned witty retort.
In addition to the rant below, Bourdain also said he would “eat a unicorn” and talked about deep-frying Dick Cheney. DAT’S SO EDGY AND TIMELY DURRRR HUR HUR!
Please explain to me why I’m supposed to like this twit.
What’s worse, his insipid rant went down at GoogaMooga, which as far as I can tell was a festival that celebrates and promotes interest in the mundane. Hall & Oates headlined (you wish I was joking).
Fucking A I hate white people.
As you may or may not know, I have another blog called Mixed Marshall Arts covering the world of combat sports & entertainment: MMA, boxing, and pro wrestling. Here’s a list of what’s gone down recently…
- Future Endeavor Friday: Kenny Florian Retires, Floyd Mayweather Goes to Jail, Randy Orton Suspended
Kenny Florian has officially announced his retirement from the sport, citing a lingering back injury. Florian, as I mention in today’s article for Spike MMA & Sports (coming later today), is one of those fighters who has plenty of reasons not to get punched in the face for a living. He’s a … Continue reading →
- Why Lord Tensai Didn’t Work
There’s been a bit of reshuffling in WWE Creative lately. As Dave Meltzer’s reported, the Big Show turn was done because the Lord Tensai character went over with the WWE’s audience like a lead balloon, except a lead balloon would at least make a noise when it hit the ground. … Continue reading →
- UFC 146 Fat Boy Fallout – JDS Retains, Varner is Back, What Mayhem Did(n’t) Do Backstage, Lesnar Meets with White, and more
What a card to miss. I was at a friend’s apartment for his birthday and, because I’m not an anti-social creep, didn’t deign to suggest that all forty people who weren’t fight fans chip in to order a pay-per-view. I read the results on Twitter, though, and throughout the night … Continue reading →
- New article for SpikeTV MMA-Sports: on Sonnen and TRT
This week’s essay on Spike.com‘s #MMA-Sports site is on Chael Sonnen’s TRT exemption and the troubling precedent it sets: Like so many other people reading this, I’m a fan of Chael Sonnen despite my best intentions. It’s the old pro wrestling fan in me. The guy is a brilliant self-promoter; crazy like a … Continue reading →
Iconic? Yes, but not in the way many expected.
DC Comics made it official: the character they teased (shamelessly) as being gay under the new revamped “52” reboot is Green Lantern Alan Scott, who in the previous continuity was the Golden Age version of the Green Lantern character. In the New 52 continuity, he’s a character in the present that exists only on “Earth 2,” which is an alternate reality Earth that revamps but is not to be confused with “Earth-Two,” the old version of Earth where the Golden Age characters resided that was combined with Earth-One (DC’s primary Earth) in 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Got all that?
Probably not, unless you’ve been a comic fan for a long time. And that’s the problem.
Look, it’s great that they have a gay character. Actually, let me rephrase that: it’s about goddamn time somebody did it and acknowledged that it’s something that should be seen as acceptable in today’s society. But to tease that it’s going to be an iconic character and then make it an alternate version of a character living on an alternate Earth? To the mainstream casual observer, it’s going to look like a cop-out.
It speaks to the problem that DC and Marvel has when it comes to everything they do that’s related to the actual comics themselves: they cater to an older and shrinking base of fanboys that excludes a larger potential base. I personally don’t think their press release announcing the “iconic character” was written with the intent to deceive. No, the problem is that the guys in charge over there are fanboys themselves who seem to write and speak only in fanboy. You see it in the comics and you even see it in the press releases. To them, Alan Scott is an iconic character on par with Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and so on, and they don’t and won’t understand why the people they sent the press release to won’t understand or get it and they’ll scoff.
Oh, and don’t even get me started on the concept of rebooting continuity with “The New 52″ to make it more accessible for new readers only to immediately start re-introducing the multiverse and alternate Earths that are and aren’t connected to previous versions of alternate Earths that were wiped out because things got too confusing and convoluted. Oy vey.
By the by, writer James Robinson says he won’t be the only gay character in Earth 2. Which is good, but – and this might be unfair but it’s a question that’s going to be asked – is Earth 2 going to be the dumping ground for gay heroes they’re not brave enough to put in their main titles?
Previously: Is DC Comics’ Approach to Unveiling a newly Gay Character the Right One?
I’m going to get a bit serious about comedy (I know, I know).
Someone sent me video of a local comedian’s youtube video of a character I’ve seen him portray once before. To call it infantile and racially insensitive would be a gross understatement. For the targets of his ridicule, it’s every bit as offensive as a mean-spirited performance in blackface. But because it’s against one of the few groups for whom bigotry, hostility, and ridicule is still acceptable (Chinese Americans and others of Asian and/or Pacific Island descent), it’s seen as okay by most and even encouraged by other local comedians.
But it’s not. To the point where I not only felt disgusted by the video, but was reminded of how ashamed I felt to have even sat through a live performance of the character.
I’m in an awkward position because of the nature of comedy and especially this local scene, which makes calling it out publicly a murky proposition. So I won’t, and perhaps it’s for the better, as I’d rather not call attention to it. All I can do is refuse to name the person in question and refuse any offer of a shared bill, for what little that may be worth since we haven’t run into each other yet, haven’t met personally, and probably never will. In fact, I almost guarantee he won’t ever even read this.
And in case you’re wondering, no, it’s not even funny.
When someone talks about a comedian’s offensive material or attitude, there’s always the cop-out counterpoint of comedy as expression, art, and/or satire. But there is a line. One could argue it’s subjective but it’s still easily defined. It’s crossed by tone, degree, context, and especially when something cannot be construed in any way as ironic or satirical and simply propagates harmful stereotypes while belittling an entire people. There is a big difference between racial humor and racist humor, and anyone with even a modicum of intellect at his or her disposal should be able to discern the difference whether they’re performing the material or preparing to defend it.
I don’t purport to be anything approaching enlightened or greater than. I do have the benefit, however, of having my eyes opened in a very real way from a college course I took with a man named Amnat Chittaphong who, in addition to being a teacher and Director of Multicultural Affairs for Siena College, was himself the victim of racial antagonism in his undergraduate days. But it wasn’t merely enrollment in his class and completion of a few readings that did it. It was the other members of that class, many but not all of whom fit the category of being of Asian and Pacific Island descent, who shared their experiences with me. I did not become close friends with them and their names are lost to the haze of my memory, but I remember distinctly how they felt about this sort of thing and how crushing it was to them to have to see and hear it and, especially, to have it tolerated. And so, because of that experience, I am slightly more aware and conscious than I otherwise might be about the damaging effect that stupid, racist bullshit that doesn’t advance any dialogue and only insults and/or ridicules a race of people can have on the intended target of a person’s ridicule. That’s why I wouldn’t do anything that approaches Mickey Rooney’s racist portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi in the film adaptation of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” for a cheap laugh at the expense of others, simply because I’ve seen first-hand what that’s done to the targets.
But, again, I have the benefit of context. Which is to say that hearing people and especially kids get emotional about this sort of thing gives me pause about it where it might not others. So take that for what you will.
On another note, and perhaps to provide some karmic balance, check out this video Todd Glass recently did for GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network). Glass, whom I’ve always been a fan of, surprised a lot of people recently when he came out after decades of exposure on the WTF podcast. His message on that show was that he didn’t want gay youths to think that it wasn’t okay to be gay. Really powerful stuff. Check out the video and, if you get a chance, give the episode a listen.
It's supposed to be a broken heart. Maybe it's a gang sign. Okay, new item: don't put gang signs on your dating profile.
I’ve been hitting OKCupid hard of late in an attempt to lure some unsuspecting person into a romantic relationship.
As I should expect at this point, I’m not having any luck. What few exchanges I have are brief and tend to die off quickly. That’s when I actually receive a response; for every ten messages I send out I’ll get a reply to maybe one. If that. I’ve tweaked my profile a bit, had other people look at it, etcetera. No dice. You’d think my credit score was posted on my profile.
Well, anyway, I’m a shitshow and don’t think I’m capable of hiding it and/or it’s written all over my face. I’m sure there’s stuff in my profile that says “AVOID AT ALL COSTS” in calligraphic lettering encircling my family crest (a sad lion crying onto a broken bottle) and my friends who have looked at my profile are just too polite to point it out. That’s fine; I’ll accept and own that.
On the flip side, there are some whacky things I see on a lot of profiles that make me dismiss them immediately. A lot of it is, admittedly, a matter of personal taste, and this might say more about me than it does them. Still, ladies, if you’re looking to score with Kevin Marshall on the internet, here’s what to avoid.
- UNNECESSARILY DEFENSIVE PROFILES
“Listen,” began one profile I came across on Plenty of Fish. “I have a three-year-old daughter and she is VERY important to me and her approval is JUST AS IMPORTANT if not MORE SO than mine.” There’s a simpler, softer way to convey that you have a child and s/he is a big part of your life. You really don’t even need to state that she’s important to you because uh, yeah, I would fucking hope so, but that’s besides the point. The problem here is the tone. I’m always surprised when I come across profiles like the one I mentioned before where the tone is aggressive and accusatory. I’m a stranger, why are you yelling at me?! Think of it like me walking up to you at a party. I say hi, and then you respond with “you BETTER respect my child!” Whoa! I, along with everyone else with any sense, is going to just throw up their hands and walk away. - USING THE PHRASE “EPIC FAIL”
I absolutely loathe internet slang and phrases that started as 4chan memes. Not only are they incredibly lame, I consider them an assault on the English language. Especially the phrase “epic fail,” which I see used not only to describe something that isn’t that big of a shortcoming but, more and more frequently, is used by someone to dismiss a point or fact that’s actually valid. Worse, every person I read (and hear – my God, when people actually say it) comes across like a thirteen-year-old ignoramus. Talk like a goddamn adult. Stop using “fail” and “epic fail” and “ftw!” and “winning!” and…. - AN ENTIRE PARAGRAPH DEVOTED TO “DRAMA”
It’s a known fact that the frequency with which a person explicitly states how much s/he hates drama is directly proportional to the drama they cause. Doing it in a Facebook status update is enough to make me hide all but your most important status updates. Doing it in a dating profile just makes you look like a complete lunatic. Also, using the word “drama” in that context, unironically, is a bad sign in and of itself. See item 2. - BAD TASTE IN MUSIC
Okay, this one’s on me, and I actually don’t mind if a person’s taste doesn’t jive with mine, so long as I know ahead of time. But when I’m on a date and a woman tells me she loves Toby Keith or Puddle of Mudd or LMFAO, that to me is like reaching under her skirt and finding a big, throbbing cock. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal if she’d at least told me first! - TRYING EXCESSIVELY HARD TO COME ACROSS AS CUTESY/PIXIE-ISH
Please. Act. Like. An. Adult. I cannot stress this enough. Manic Pixies Dream Girls are the new Ditzy: it’s an affectation that stems from a male’s idealized construct of a woman bereft of actual thoughts and preferences (swapping out juiced-up jocks with alarmingly skinny geeks) . - BEING TOO SNARKY
This isn’t just reserved for women, actually. Being repeatedly snarky or sarcastic and especially bragging about it isn’t a charming personality trait, it’s a defense mechanism and a huge turn-off. It’s also exhausting, particularly when it’s clearly unfounded. At least give me the chance to get to know you before I dislike you.
Now I have to go re-write my profile. I bet I have something in there that would make me disqualify myself as a potential partner.
STALK ME
