Christie Brinkley. 1980 was a good year.

Sports Illustrated has an image archive of all their Swimsuit Issue covers, which I recommend checking out as a cure for mid-day boredom. I actually haven’t picked up a Swimsuit issue in years, but the re-up’ing of the annual swimsuit calendar is a tacky custom I’ve come to appreciate and cherish.

While we’re on the subject of girls in swimsuits over the past few decades, here’s a lil’ sumthin’ you might enjoy.

Not an Usher fan? If you’re like me, then just fast-forward to 2:34.

HAIL SATAN! HAIL SATAN!

Hail Flying Coffin’s new line!

One of our all time favorite comic book artists, Johnny Ryan, will be in Brooklyn tomorrow signing copies of his newest Fantagraphics Books release of Angry Youth Comix #14! If you have ever read any previous issues of AYC, and you are a fan of Mishka, then you know why we like him so much!

WHO: JOHNNY RYAN

WHAT: ANGRY YOUTH COMIX #14 release party!

WHERE: Desert Island Comics
540 Metropolitan, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

WHEN: Friday, June 13, 6PM - 9PM

I just found something Mike Jones and I can snicker over Gchat about for the forthcoming weeks!

Exporn is a blog made up of images that were, well, ex-porn. The blog author turns them into photoshopped [or MS Paint?] collages that are pretty fucking funny and still kinda NSFW.

Check out the best below!

So last night Amanda and I were watching CNN’s Larry King Live and the cover story was about the increase in brain tumors amongst cell phone users as of late. The segment was a debate entitled “Are Cellphones Dangerous?”

I think we have the culprit!

Check out this video: Microwave vs. Cell phone

Add to My Profile | More Videos

full size flier here

This weekend pops off proper tonight with the Bicycle Film Fest’s party entitled Bikes Rock! at Studio B

Then Tomorrow night is the Dear Velo art show!

…and Friday night is the beginning of the Film Festival!

Also on Friday is the Bootlegged Peel Sessions contest.

Sponsors Include [but are not limited to]:
RED BULL!
Profile Racing
Bootleg Sessions [FREE BLS 2 DVDS!]
Dave’s Quality Meat
Mishka
Affinity Cycles
Laek House
Superflot
Milwaukee Cycles
Continuum Cycles

Also DON’T FORGET to catch the World Premier of Bootleg Sessions 2 at the Afterparty Saturday!

MC Chris released a new album called MC Chris is Dead and to honor that accomplishment he threw a party at Passout Records in Brooklyn. It was an all day, outdoor drinking and eating while watching power-pop bands kind of a party and a third of the attendees were wearing zombie makeup, including Nicole (pictured above on the left) who modeled in the Kern Lookbook shoot we did.

MC Chris did a nice job performing songs and giving action figure gifts to the people in the audience. You can check out my full set of pics from the show on Flickr.

This guy with the devilock and zombie make up had a good time rockin’ to the nerdly sounds of MC Chris.

MC Chris web forum members traveled from all over North America to get to this show. Elysse, the girl in the cuddlemuffin shirt above, traveled all the way from Michigan in order to feel the magic. She made the Beetlejuice mask in art class and brought it to the show in order to give it to MC Chris. She told me that she was gluing the teeth on using toothpaste while she was on the plane. She put it on when a flight attendant asked her what it was. The guy sitting next to her woke up at that moment and screamed.

So unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve been unable to avoid the recent oversaturation of TV commercials and online advertisements for the 2 new movies by beloved and somewhat absent from acting (as of recently) ex-SNL cast members, Michael Myers and Adam Sandler. (I know I personally couldn’t avoid them a few weeks ago, when their trailers ran back-to-back before Iron Man.) Let’s just get this out of the way first: in all likelihood, BOTH of these movies will probably suck balls, but for whatever stupid reason, I’ve noticed a heated debate both online and in casual small talk about which of these two will suck less. In all of these little debates, I keep noticing one prevailing opinion: most people seem to think The Love Guru will suck less.

How wrong they are.

I’ll go as far as saying that You Don’t Mess with Zohan stands a chance–albeit a slight one–at actually being funny (especially while stoned). The Love Guru stands zero chance. Let’s examine, shall we…

From the commercials, it appears Michael Myers is still making the same midget jokes about Vern Troyer that stopped being funny 2 Austin Powers ago (or were they ever not corny?). Actually, he’s making all of the same stupid Austin Powers jokes, just with a pseudo-Indian accent instead of a British one. I actually can’t decide if at this point if he writes his movies’ plots first, or just pulls out his list of one-liners and then builds a new plot around them. (I can’t really blame him since he’s sold two franchises on catch phrases alone…) Now Adam Sandler, too, is basically relying on what works best for him: ethnic stereotypes and the most dumbed-down jokes humanly possible. But if I had to choose my poison, I’d at least rather see some of the things that made Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison so beloved, because at least it’s been a while. It’s been about 10 years since Adam Sandler made an enjoyable comedy of that ilk, and I don’t know why he completely abandoned this formula for his more straight up, dry comedic or occasional dramatic roles. I guess maybe he didn’t want to do what Michael Myers has done and run it into the ground, and instead was smart enough to save it and bust it back out when the time appeared right. And in conclusion… You Don’t Mess With the Zohan will be better because it has Rob Schneider in it, and I love me the Richmeister.

I guess we’ll all know the answer to this heated question in a couple of weeks.

BE THERE!

FRIDAY MAY 30TH
9pm
Meeker at Jackson
Come After the first screening of the Bicycle Film Festival on Friday!
sponsored events
prizes

Footdown
Skids
Sprints
Freestyle
“Prolly Says”
Freestyle event will be broken into two groups: ‘new jacks’ and ‘jackasses’

working on the sponsors, expect a small entrance fee - like $3… Afterparty TBD

So a lot of great things have come from Mishka forming the DART cycling team. I’ve met a lot of people through various outlets, got to hook up my friends with clothing for doing what they love and have made some really awesome connections! One of these connections is Milwaukee Cycles out of, well Milwaukee. Also known as Ben’s Cycles, Milwaukee Cycles have been making more and more moves to supporting this exponential growth the Fixed Gear “scene” has seen over the past few years. Hell I bought my first wheel set for my fixed gear a few years ago.

After the Monster Track Side Events and Velocity, Peter from Cog Magazine approached me and wanted to know if I’d be interested in testing out Milwaukee’s CRUSHER! When I first heard about the Crusher, I thought to myself “who would chainring grind on a fixed gear?”… After talking to Peter and hearing of the Bootleg Sessions hookup that they worked out earlier, I decided to give it a try. I have to admit, it’s a bit jarring to hear and feel what this does to your bike. But damn, it’s fun as shit.

Below are pics of my Crusher after about a month’s worth of hard riding. It’s pretty much thrashed. I’m working with Milwaukee on a few new prototypes and they’re sending me another one this week. Reminds me of skateboarding in so many ways.

and a pic of it in action

… bike check!

and finally, here’s a video of the action. I apologize for the shitty quality. I have better video, it’s just going to be used in a project and I can’t post it quite yet!!

Chainring Grinds from John Prolly on Vimeo.

Pics by Dancing Weapon of Mass Destruction and myself on Flickr

Burd just dropped the Bootleg Sessions 2 Trailer. It’s pretty epic. Catch the World Premier at this year’s Bicycle Film Fest! Pre-order the DVD here!

“Bootleg Sessions v.2″ Fixed Gear DVD Trailer from Ride/Relax Productions on Vimeo.

Uhhhh count me in! Who’s gonna go to this with me?

TRUE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL
By Peter Beste

Exhibition May 9–June 7, 2008
Opening Reception: May 9, 6:00–8:00 pm
Steven Kasher Gallery, New York
521 W. 23rd Street, New York
Gallery Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 11am to 6pm

Exhibitions in London, Stockholm, Oslo, Berlin, Los Angeles to follow

In the last two decades a bizarre and violent musical subculture called Black Metal has emerged in Norway. It has its roots in a heady blend of splatter movies, heavy metal music, Satanism, Pagan mythology and adolescent angst. In the early-mid 1990’s, members of this extremist underground committed murder, burned down medieval wooden churches, and desecrated graveyards. What started as juvenile frenzy came to symbolize the start of a war against Christianity, a return to the worship of the ancient Norse gods, and the complete rejection of mainstream society.

American documentary photographer Peter Beste has spent the last eight years working in the milieu of this insulated and secretive community. Beste’s access and insight has been absolutely without precedent, resulting in an amazing photographic journey. Beste has earned the respect and trust of this impenetrable, suspicious and often elitist community. With each visit Beste saw more, photographed more and eventually accumulated enough material for this book. True Norwegian Black Metal is a visual testimonial to this subculture. Peter Beste and editor Johan Kugelberg have created a unique photographic narrative that explores black metal from a truly visceral perspective.

With extensive contributions from the personal archive of Jon “Metalion” Kristiansen, publisher of the original Norwegian black metal publication Slayer Magazine, a unique opportunity is here presented to see original artifacts and ephemera from this secluded rock community, and to read accounts of these events in the words of the people who were actually there at the time.

True Norwegian Black Metal offers confrontational live performance photographs of a savage subculture set alongside the stark beauty and natural allure of a landscape often shrouded in darkness.

The book is comprised of 160 pages of photographs of the following bands/individuals: Nocturno Culto and Fenriz of Darkthrone, Necrobutcher, Hellhammer, Blasphemer, and Maniac of Mayhem, Samoth of Emperor, Frost of Satryicon, Enslaved, Abbath of Immortal, Gaahl, Infernus, King, and Kvitrafn of Gorgoroth, Nattefrost of Carpathian Forest, 1349, Dimmu Borgir, Ildjarn, Aura Noir, and many more. Interviews/Quotes from Frost (1349), Abbath (Immortal), Fenriz (Darkthrone), Gaahl (Gorgoroth). Essay by authors and Jon “Metalion” Kristiansen.

32 Pages from the personal archive of Jon “Metalion” Kristiansen. also includes original artifacts, photographs, ephemera, and personal accounts by Black Metal’s key figures.

VICE Books is pleased to release this incredible document in America on May 15th 2008. VICE Books is distributed by powerHouse Books.

Just caught wind of this. If you live in NYC in the summer, one thing you always avoid are the subway grates. Nothing like having shorts on with your genitalia sticking to the inside of your legs and getting blasted with 100 degree air from the subway tunnels. It seems Joshua Allen Harris has taken it upon himself to construct a garbage bag monster on 21st in Manhattan.

Pretty cool hot idea.

I’m a total Ducktales fan boy, even though it’s been two decades since the show first aired. I suppose at this point that I really don’t have a choice about liking it since Uncle Scrooge indelibly spans the length of my forearm, but that’s not really the point of this post. Apparently someone constructed this scale model of Scrooge’s vault back in ‘02/’03, using blueprints created by Don Rosa and Dan Shane, and now you can see the fruits of his labors on Flickr. This model is really pretty fucking sick in my opinion, and I kind of wish we had it here at the office.

Check it out in detail here.

BTW, who else thinks the music on the moon stage from Ducktales (NES) is the fucking jam?

I’ve been spending a lot of time with my sketchbook lately.

SIKE!

*Editor’s Note: My alternative title to this blog post was going to be “The Gun is Good. The Penis is Evil.”

This dude plays Guitar Hero.

P.S. There are too many categories. Proceeds from this picture will go to all the charities and benefits found on the bloglin.

P.S.S. Feel free to protest. :D

A week ago, My Pal the Crook posted about Trevor Paglen’s Book I Could Tell You, But Then You Would Have To Be Destroyed By Me. I thought it was pretty interesting, those conspiracy theory/X-Files type things always catch my attention. Last night I was flipping through the channels and came across Trevor Paglen on The Colbert Report. Check it out!

Remember when you where a kid and you bought X-Men: Discord? That short story arc where Mystique plans to seduce all the X-Men individually but finds them cheating on each other with Wolverine fucking Jean Grey in the ass and Cyclops fucking Psylocke and Colossus making Rogue’s pussy bleed because his cock is made from living metal and Storm fucking Mystique with a strap-on and then making Mystique morph her vagina into a penis so she could return the favor which all eventually culminated into one huge mutant orgy? Remember that issue? No?

That’s cause it only just came out now.

I discovered Trevor Paglen’s book I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to be Destroyed by Me: Emblems from the Pentagon’s Black World some time ago and picked it up because frankly it was awesome design inspiration. A collection of mysteriouso Black Ops military patches. Patches that looked so ridiculous I just assumed this was a design book that had a slew of artists invent these patches and try to pass them off as real but I didn’t really give it much thought and filed the book away on our office bookcase. Well how wrong I was!

After taking a nasty spill on my bike yesterday afternoon and being forced to spend the rest of the afternoon/evening indoors I comforted myself by flipping through whatever few cable channels I have. And of course at the most unexpected of channels, C-SPAN’s Book TV I found my evening’s entertainment. Trevor Paglen was discussing this very book at a very small reading (even though the book had little to read) at Brooklyn’s Melville House.

I was amazed to find out that all the patches were indeed real and he had been collecting them for quite sometime. Paglen makes his living as a military journalist specializing in reporting on all things that should be classified! So trying to decipher the clues of the symbols and iconography on these patches plays heavily into his reporting! Most of the talk was spent pointing out how certain graphics can easily now be related to recently declassified operations, programs or ships. While others were probably hinting to military programs or organizations still under wraps! It quickly started turning into some real X-Files level shit and was quite eye opening and amazing! If any of this remotely interests you (I know it does most of us at Mishka) then you should check out this book and see if you can catch a repeat of his talk on C-Span’s Book TV. Or better yet just frequent his excellent website for all sorts of details and updates!

Like Mulder… I want to believe!

**UPDATE 4/1/08**

The NY Times has a great article on Trevor Paglen and his patches in today’s Science Section!