truth for sale

11 Things: Truth for sale

Thursday, March 27, 2008

1. Definition: "Advertising is selling Twinkies to adults."
- Donald R. Vance

(sponsored by: Twinkies)

2. Nutrition: "If everything on television is, without exception, part of a low-calorie (or even no-calorie) diet, then what good is it complaining about the adverts? By their worthlessness, they at least help to make the programmes around them seem of a higher level."
- Jean Baudrillard

(sponsored by: fast food and pharmaceuticals)

3. Clarification: "Let me try and clarify some of this for you. Best Company Supermarkets are not interested in selling wholesome foods. They are not worried about the nation's health. What is concerning them, is that the nation appears to be getting worried about its health, and that is what's worrying Best Co. ..."
- "How to Get Ahead in Advertising"

(sponsored by: our sponsors)

4. Manipulation: "It is pretty obvious that the debasement of the human mind caused by a constant flow of fraudulent advertising is no trivial thing. There is more than one way to conquer a country."
- Raymond Chandler

(sponsored by: our leaders)

5. Deception: "The deeper problems connected with advertising come less from the unscrupulousness of our 'deceivers' than from our pleasure in being deceived, less from the desire to seduce than from the desire to be seduced."
- Daniel J. Boorstin

(sponsored by: our fellow citizens)

6. Condition: "The modern little red riding hood, reared on singing commercials, has no objections to being eaten by the wolf."
- Marshall McLuhan

(sponsored by: the wolf)

7. Function: "Advertising is the modern substitute for argument. Its function is to make the worse appear better."
- George Santayana

(sponsored by: reverse psychology)

8. Convention: "The very minute a thought is threatened with publicity it seems to shrink towards mediocrity."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes

(sponsored by: quiet modesty)

9. Perception: "I saw a subliminal advertising executive, but only for a second."
- Steven Wright

(sponsored by: the subconscious)

10. Fruition: "The caterpillar does all the work, but the butterfly gets all the publicity."
- George Carlin

(sponsored by: the caterpillar's publicist)

11. Seduction: "Society drives people crazy with lust and calls it advertising."
- John Lahr

(sponsored by: our society)

Tim Sullivan, tsullivan@sfchronicle.com

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/27/NSTVVPK94.DTL

This article appeared on page G - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle

madness

9. Craziness:

"'But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat. 'We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'
'How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.
'You must be,' said the Cat, 'or you wouldn't have come here.'"
- Lewis Carroll

9. Tenderness:

"Everybody's youth is a dream, a form of chemical madness."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald

9. Gutsiness:

"A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free."
- Nikos Kazantzakis

9. Joyfulness:

"'Now you understand the Oriental passion for tea,' said Japhy. 'Remember that book I told you about the first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy.'"
- Jack Kerouac

9. Drunkenness:

"Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness."
- Seneca

9. Pithiness:

"Madness is rare in individuals, but in groups, parties, nations and ages it is the rule."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

9. Harness:

"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."
- Robin Williams

9. Thoughtfulness:

"Madness is terrific I can assure you, and not to be sniffed at; and in its lava I still find most of the things I write about. It shoots out of one everything shaped, final, not in mere driblets as sanity does."
- Virginia Woolf

9. Truthiness:

"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it."
- John Lennon

9. Distinctiveness:

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad."
- Salvador Dali

9. Madness:

"Madness, madness, they call it madness ..."
- Madness (orig. Prince Buster)

- Tim Sullivan, tsullivan@sfchronicle.com

This article appeared on page G - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle

dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip

11 Things: dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Take electro dance beats, add some spoken word and what do you get? dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip. Take a few well-made videos, add 2 million YouTube hits and what do you get? A virtual phenomenon. We caught up with Scroobius Pip just before the band's current tour of the United States. 11 Things vs. dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip follows:


1. Scroobius Pip's name is based on an Edward Lear poem called "The Scroobious Pip." Other animals wanted to classify the Scroobious Pip, but the Scroobious Pip was unclassifiable. dan le sac's name is classifiable (but we're not going to go there today).

2. "We come from a small town called Stanford le Hope in Essex, U.K. All the big towns are near enough to travel to, so it kind of forces you to."

3. "We've never been to San Francisco, although I (Scroobius Pip) intended to live there once. I moved to Santa Monica and knocked about at a few hostels, then went on to L.A. and Vegas and ran out of money."

4. "We mash spoken word with electro-type stuff. It's a bit hard to describe."

5. "We've supported Mark Ronson, Saul Williams, Billy Bragg, El-P, Basement Jaxx and RZA. It's been great to be picked by these people we really respect to open up for them and get in front of different crowds." (If you happen to be on YouTube, you might also want to check out I Shouted Gun, featuring Scroobius Pip.)

6. "We're on our second U.S.A. tour, which, to us, is amazing. We get to come halfway around the world before even releasing our debut album. We like it in America. It's hotter here and the food is bigger."

7. "We'll be playing Coachella. We're having thousands of beard-shaped fans made up as a way for people to keep cool."

8. "We're both very hairy (sideburns versus beard). We seem to have become quite known for this fact, which is weird. I guess it makes us memorable in a sea of skinny jean wearers." (Please note: They've never lived in the Mission or Haight.)

9. "We have a MySpace page ( www.myspace.com/lesacvspip). We also have a great U.S. artist (Gene Goldstein) working on a 'lesacvspip site' that should be up soon. Our debut album will be coming out later this spring."

10. "Thou Shalt Always Kill" always kills. If you're not familiar with it, check it out at www.lexrecords.com/lesacvspip.htm. (If you are familiar with it, check it out again.)

11. Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip play Cafe Du Nord at 8 p.m. Sun. 1865 and Pants Pants Pants open. $12-$14. 2170 Market St. www.cafedunord.com. Thou shalt not miss it.

- Tim Sullivan, tsullivan@sfchronicle.com

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/12/NS2LVH73R.DTL

This article appeared on page G - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle

jay howell

11 THINGS: Jay Howell

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Painter, cartoonist, author, publisher, DJ, cyclist, dog lover, art school dropout, record label co-owner, blogger and crazy eccentric, Jay Howell is 11 things to 11 people. To help kick off his first-ever solo show, "Punks Git Cut," he was kind enough to share 11 thoughts with us:

1. On politics: There is more of a need now to be kind to others. We are the peaceful warriors and we are awesome. We will look out for each other, make each other dinner and dance together. Also smash fascists and stuff.

2. On music: I DJ and buy a ton of records every month but when it comes down to it, I listen to Can every day.

3. On literature: I don't think there's a better book than "A Confederacy of Dunces." It's my life handbook.

4. On animals: Although I draw a ton of dogs, I have really bad asthma and can never own one except for Chihuahuas, which I've owned two of ... and lost them both to ex-girlfriends.

5. On health: I was attacked by a crazy person on my bike six months ago, shattering my collar bone. On the way to the hospital the ambulance ran over a curb and I smashed my shoulder even more.

6. On language: I don't ever swear in front of my parents. They're in for a surprise when they come see my show with all the naked people and f-words.

7. On art: I got a new animation about a motorcycle gang that only has one motorcycle. I find this very funny.

8. On food: I love candy. I love to eat candy. I eat peanut M&Ms every day.

9. On sex: Taking a photo of two people 69ing on a skateboard is the hardest thing I've ever done.

10. On work: I work in a cafe, making lattes. I don't know what to think about this.

11. On life: This is my first solo show and I'm wicked excited.

Jay Howell's "Punks Git Cut" Opens at 6 tonight at 111 Minna. The Jizz and various DJs perform. The exhibition runs through March 29. Noon-5 p.m. Tues.-Fri. and by appt. (415) 974-1719. www.111minnagallery.com

- Tim Sullivan, tsullivan@sfchronicle.com

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/06/NSICV91NB.DTL

This article appeared on page G - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle