Hello there. My heart is racing. I have sworn to never-again defend late-era Metallica to anybody ever forever and recent events are trying the steel of my resolve. I must resist—I will resist—and move on. As always, Crook finds a way to get the water boiling with his fantastic Choice is Yours. For the record: I have made the same promise to myself regarding Trent Reznor and Primus. You either like them or you don’t, and I am fine with either.

Let me tell you what I’m not fine with. I am not fine with you not thinking that the currently hanging ‘This Fear You May Know‘ show by Sacramento’s very own Skinner Davis is anything but an epic and brutal odyssey through the pulsing bowels of all that is awesome and unholy in all this wretched land. Forever.

I had chance to check this show out a week ago, and my mind is still blown. I am reading this through a brainstain on my monitor. That is how blown my mind is. My business partner and I were so shocked and fucking awed, that we—for some reason—decided to send Skinner this text from the gallery floor. He has it. Probably pinned to his bedroom wall. With all the others:

Skinner is no newcomer to the Mishkaverse…as a matter of fact, a fantastic painting of his hangs in the Echo Park store, last I checked. He is awesome. And we all know that. But this…this is something….else.

The colors. The lines. The scope. The fucking IDEAS that are present in this man’s work are just. fucking. incredible. I feel so lucky to have gotten my nose as close as possible to these paintings without touching them, and if you’re anywhere near San Francisco, I would highly recommend that you go check this amazing show out. It is at Whitewalls. (here are more tight-crop detail shots from me)

What else does this week bring us? As if that’s not enough. Oh nothing…just the hugely colossally epic release of Gargamel’s standard-size Deathra. Gargamel often takes it on the nose for being too ‘cute’; their idea of kaiju does just happen to be more streamlined and polished than many other companies out there. That said, this thing is terrifying. Never mind the all-seeing eye of Zolnak. Never mind the leathery bat wings of the night. This thing has two thumbs on each hand.

Two Thumbs. Just like the little one. And the teeth. OMG the teeth.

I am so excited about this toy…so excited that I’m doing my best to look at it as little as possible. I want it to terrify me. I want to walk by it and be completely grossed out. I want it to give me goosebumps. And it is. It is.

Last but not least, I spent this weekend huffing dog farts and putting together this little video for you. Well, I actaully made it for Skinner and laid it’s bloody carcass at his swollen feet in hopes that he would be pleased. A token of my thanks for making such hideously righteous scarescapes. But! I figured I’d share it with you too…he’s sucked all the magic out of it…the soul is gone, sorry…but you are of course free to sit here for a few minutes and chew on the fat that’s left over.

Until.

- Hateball