listen!

Machine Gun in the Clown’s Hand

September 23, 1pm

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I did go to “Off the Wall” yesterday to check out their posters. They’re on Haight Street in SF, and have a reputation of stocking the most recent posters by the best artist. I saw a lot of great Emek and Rogers prints, along with others. No Kozic though. The prices were reasonable as well. I scoured and purchased a Chuck Sperry for $15. The salesman was a bit of a prick when I asked for a cardboard tube though. He wanted to charge me $2, I told him I was surprised, and that “Artrock” doesn’t charge for tubes. He says “we’re not Artrock.”

No shit.

They also do framing there, but it doesn’t seem to be archival quality. A customer was asking the guy if one “had to get these framed. Couldn’t I just tack them to the wall?” I almost went up and punched the guy in the throat. As my wife, an artist and archval framer, says “If you’re spending the money on a piece of art, don’t you want to preserve it for a long time?” It’s an investment, right? I want her to go to Artrock and get them to work out a deal so she can frame in their space.

The Sperry piece I purchased is a poster for a book release show, if I remember correctly (it’s at home and I just got it). you’ll recognize it though as the cover of a Jello Biafra CD from last year. the CD only has Osama on it. As you can see, the poster shows him along with that other wacky clown, GW. The piece I posted is not the exact one I bought, the text is differnt.

I checked out the Firehouse website, and was displeased to find so few posters to gave at in their gallery. I had to search around a bit to find something similar to what I bought to post here. Also, they scan their posters to look like they’ve been ages in an old west style. I understand copyright protection, but this did not make me want to order from their site.

Link

Wishing you my best

September 23, 1pm

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Dear Jermaine,

Although we have only spoken on the phone once, I regard you as a friend. Has this ever happened to you before? Me either. when I ordered that MC5 poster from you, I figured it would be sent, I stuff it away somewhere until I had the funds to frame it (sometime in 2015) and that would be that. But no! Instead it never got to me. I emailed you…emailed you again. You emailed me saying that you sent me three previous emails and that you only received one of mine. It went on like this for a few weeks. A few more lost emails here and there between the two of us, and then you got the smart idea of asking for a phone number exchange.

After three more lost emails between the two of us, I get a phone call from you. All I expected was a brief business conversation. What I got was beautiful, man. A twenty minute conversation about the fine art of silkscreening, how to get the band you love to allow you to make a poster for them, family ( I hope your daughter and wife are safe), and of course, talk about Hurricane Katrina, never once thinking about “what if it happened here”. Now it’s happening here…or should I say there. You live in Houston.

I still have yet to receive the poster, but what I’m most concerned about is the safety of your family. San Francisco may appear to be a world away from Texas and Lousiana, but in our hearts you are right next door.

Be safe, and be certain that you will survive and thrive. And when I do receive your fabulous work in the mail, you can bet it will be the next one framed and up on the wall. Even if that is in 2015.

Check out Jermaine Rogers’ site here.