ALDEN ART – This Modern Life: Poetry and Image of Alden Marin

Venice Arts Club member ALDEN MARIN is a Los Angeles based artist – a poet, painter and musician who uses ‘remnants found’ to create his art. Marin is a weaver of ideas and tactical substance to form an artistic chronology of his day to day. His music provides enlightened depth to his dimension.

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THIS MODERN LIFE

You can say

what you want

about my fickle nature

indecisiveness

and uncertainty

about arrival dates

and departure times–

modes of payment,

credit lines;

whether to go with

day’s initial greyness–

or eventual sunshine;

Being enthralled

by birdsong outside

or irritated, in turns

by the same voices–

Hard to concentrate

in this modern life

with so much transpiring

on screens, phones

wireless devices

modes of communication

seen & unseen–owned

or in the frame

of acquisition mode–

everything ringing

with respective needs

And as many opinions

trying to register beliefs…

You can say what you want

about my actions and moods

and it’s probably true, but

I may or may not

agree with you.

ALDEN MARIN – Asparagus

ALDEN MARIN MUSIC – Fade To Blue

PHILOMENE LONG – Poet of Venice, CA

Posted: March 27, 2012 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: Philomene Long | Tags: poet, venice, venice beach, venice CA | Leave a comment

Philomene Long – Poet of Venice, CA.

TIME THAT’S LEFT – Alden Marin Poetry

Posted: March 21, 2012 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: Alden Marin, BRASS TACKS PRESS | Tags: alden marin, art, drawing, los angeles, poet, poetry, sketch | Leave a comment

From the poetry and sketchbooks of Alden Marin, Los Angeles poet, artist, musician:

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Time that’s left–

it’s shadow and cloud

nothing outwardly profound

and then, utterly so–

when–in simple moments

everything can be known

because nothing can

other than in elemental form–

No origin, no ending

all beginning

in constant unfolding;

the vigilant birds

in their flight paths;

the route of ancestors

well-worn–turned to cities

later down the life

of civilization–one

of walls that build & fall

like the light of day itself–

dawning, peaking, waning

to dark–and starting again

only to dim, then rise

in its routine–

since time began…

‘WRITE EVERYTHING’ – Alden Marin, 2012

JAMES MATHERS DECODED – Storyboard scenes from the animated short film, ‘The Parking Lot At The Center Of Time’

Posted: March 17, 2012 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: Bailey Rye, Cara Tompkins, Derek DeVries, Doug Lewis, James Mathers, Malia Luna, Pablo Capra | Tags: bailey rye, derek devries, doug lewis, james mathers, los angeles music, malia luna, pablo capra, parking lot at the center of time, post-paradigm, venice, venice arts club, venice arts club music, venice CA | Leave a comment

No one would ever accuse VAC founding member James Mathers of spreading it on ‘too thin’. Everything he does is spread thick, especially his paint. Many of these oil-stick drawing were completed here at the VAC. During this period, the script for Parking Lot was refined then recorded with an ensemble cast including DJ Lyf, Malia Luna, Bailey Rye, Pablo Capra, Dead Dave, Doug Lewis, Cara Tompkins, Derek DeVries.

These drawings form the groundwork for the produced version of Parking Lot. Approximately 80 drawings make up the storyboard for Parking Lot, here are a few choice selects. The complete collection will be posted on this blog, coming soon.

JAMES MATHERS – STORYBOARD SCENES FOR ‘PARKING LOT AT THE CENTER OF TIME’

PARKING LOT AT THE CENTER OF TIME – YOU TUBE

BRASS TACKS PRESS – Chap Books

Posted: March 15, 2012 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS, Pablo Capra | Tags: brass tacks press, chap books, life as a poet, topanga beach, venice arts club, venice CA | Leave a comment

Visit BRASS TACKS PRESS, the home of VAC member PABLO CAPRA, for poets, chap books, prose and media:

BRASS TACKS PRESS – Topanga Beach Experience

Posted: March 15, 2012 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS, Pablo Capra | Leave a comment

“Topanga Beach Experience: 1960s-70s”
by Paul Lovas & Pablo Capra
(Brass Tacks Press, 2011)

FOREWORD
by Pablo Capra

As I delved deeper, I was impressed to learn how much Topanga Beach had contributed to surf culture. In the ‘60s, it was a place of refuge for Miki Dora (and Charles Manson!). “Surfer” magazine’s main competitor “Surf Guide” was based at Topanga Beach. Several pioneering skateboarders grew up there, including world champion Woody Woodward. In the ‘70s, the three best surfers in Malibu called Topanga their home break: Jay Riddle, Davey Hilton, and George Trafton. Topanga Beach was also home to three influential surf filmmakers: Hal Jepsen (“Cosmic Children”), Grant Rohloff (“Men Who Ride Mountains”), and Scott Dittrich (“Fluid Drive”). Surf films like “The Californians” by Jamie Budge and “Muscle Beach Party” starring Frankie and Annette were shot at Topanga Beach. The beach even had its own surf band, Blue Juice.

more at http://www.lifeasapoet.com

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CECI N’EST PAS PARIS – Alden Marin

Posted: March 15, 2012 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: Alden Marin, BRASS TACKS PRESS | Tags: alden marin, artwork, ink, pen and paper, poetry, venice beach, venice CA | Leave a comment

CECI N’EST PAS PARIS

At twilight, we saw Paris

at Rose and Lincoln

in his red Mustang, turning left–

across from the Tasty Goody

but he wasn’t savoring

their famous Yang Chow rice

or garlic chicken just yet;

artfully puffing a cigarette

looking to the western sky–

preoccupied with the appearance

of Venus and Mars, their nearness

undoubtedly–with his window down

and one arm out–he also sees

the last lavender from the setting sun at seven

and considers purple & magenta

perfect colors for his next work

about cherubic, smiling children…

or a surrealist trompe l’oeil

at the elegant restaurant

that trusts him with its walls–

the look he imparts of time and life—

of croissants, eggs and the

Magritte pipe—“Ceci n’est pas Paris…”

at Rose and Lincoln–

but yes, it is–

before he disappears, like Houdini might

into Venice–with his enigmatic smile;

a world of paint—

and compelling images on his mind….

Alden Marin ‘Counting’, pen on paper 6″x6″, 2011

New Lower Topanga slideshows w/ music by Doug Lewis and DJ Lyf

Posted: November 13, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS, Doug Lewis, James Mathers, Jean Batiste, Norton Wisdom, Pablo Capra | Leave a comment

Toylit published in 2 zines

Posted: October 29, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS, James Mathers | 1 Comment

Lot’s o’ Crap zine publishes art by Toilet from The Last Nowhere (2006).

Totally Mag! publishes art by Toylit from Craplexity (2006).

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5 new pics in the LOWER TOPANGA PHOTO ARCHIVE

Posted: October 29, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS | Leave a comment

Lower Topanga Photo Archive

(pic: Robert Herron) Bill, Mary, and George Van Noy at Dr. Schweiger’ s house circa 1963

(pic: Jim Fitzpatric k?) “The Topanga Bombers” in front of the Saenz house circa 1965

(pic: Jim Fitzpatric k) Topanga Beach reunion in 1969

(pic: unknown photograph er)

(pic: c/o West Valley Museum)

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“The Irish Vampire Goes West” by Pegarty Long

Posted: October 9, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: ANNOUNCEMENTS, EVENTS, Philomene Long | Leave a comment

A new film starring Venice’s late poet laureate Philomene Long (1940-2007).
Screening at Beyond Baroque on Sunday, November 1, 7:30 p.m.
681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
(310) 822-3006

NEW BOOK: Astral Dick by Toylit !!!

Posted: October 9, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: ANNOUNCEMENTS, BRASS TACKS PRESS, James Mathers | Leave a comment

Astral Dick is a “whodunit” involving a police psychic, Cap’n, and his “paranormal guinea pig,” Lieutenant Leo Fleck. Together they are investigating a string of brutal killings centered around the temple of a rogue religious cult and an artsy-fartsy, open-mic, poetry café.

A different print by artist Norton Wisdom is glued onto every book cover!

From “Act 2, Scene 6″

Leo – So what’s all this about an “operation”? Just the facts please.

Bunny – Well, it all began when Marlo hit puberty. Honey, show the man your tits.

Marlo reveals that one of her breasts is definitely larger than the other one. Leo doesn’t even look.

Leo – Yeah, yeah. One of her boobs is visibly larger than the other. I looked down her shirt as I was astrally projecting.

Marlo – He knows EVERYTHING!

Leo – I’m a dick. It’s my job to know stuff.

Bunny – So about a month ago, she went to the doctor to get her knockers adjusted. And before she went into surgery, I told her… what did I tell her?

Marlo – “The problem is all in your HEAD! If somebody loves you, they are going to love you, lopsided titties and all.”

Bunny – So off she goes to get a boob job, and what does she come home with? A LOBOTOMY!

Marlo – ACTUALLY, I just had ONE lobe done to see if I liked it. So it’s only HALF a lobotomy.

Leo – I see. And how has it affected her performance?

Bunny – Well, her motor skills are okay, but it seems to have affected her “initiative.”

Leo – Meaning?

Bunny – She makes a passable waitress, but sometimes she gets stuck.

Marlo – Sorry! Sometimes I get stuck!

Bunny – Except for her poetry. That’s gotten UNSTUCK. It just flows and flows. All this bizarre amazing imagery just pours out of this hole where her brain used to be.

Marlo – Poetry is my LIFE!

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Toylit drawing…

Posted: September 30, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS, James Mathers | Leave a comment

…for the cover of his play Astral Dick.

BRASS TACKS PRESS

Posted: September 27, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS | Leave a comment

New pics uploaded to the Lower Topanga Photo Archive

Posted: September 25, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS, Pablo Capra | Leave a comment

LOWER TOPANGA PHOTO ARCHIVE

There are about a dozen more from pro photographer David Blattel, circa 2002 (I mixed them in with the ones that were already there — sorry!):

And a few cool surf shots from recent years by J. Murph:

Penny-Ante: Three @ Stories Books & Cafe

Posted: September 15, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS, James Mathers, Pablo Capra | Leave a comment

Penny-Ante: Three event @ Stories Books & Cafe in Echo Park (9-15-09)

Flyer 1

Flyer 2

Toylit

Toylit’s poem

Mick Farren

Tearist (w/ Douglas from BIRTH! and Bestial Mouths)

Julia Holter

Sharon Cheslow and Julia Holter

Echo Park cowboy

(pics by Pablo Capra)

BTP praised in “Foxy Digitalis” online magazine

Posted: September 1, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS | Leave a comment

From “An Interview with Penny-Ante Publisher Rebekah Why”

by Jon Lorenz

I read that you initially started Penny-Ante with a focus on poetry and you said at the time that you “saw it as something that was completely dead,” could you elaborate on that?

Poetry has never died and I find is hilarious that the first time I’m misquoted is by one of my own editors! (Laughs). I think when I said that I was referring to my own surroundings and friends, who don’t really find contemporary “big name” poetry as something they connect with… But with that said, there will always be poets, and people interested in poetry. Byron Coley’s been doing it with the Ecstatic Yod’s poetry journals, or BRASS TACKS PRESS OUT OF TOPANGA (!!!)… There are people carrying the torch from one generation to the next and with that, it’s not completely dead, and thank goodness….

Penny-Ante website

Foxy Digitalis website

Brass Tacks Press website
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NEW BOOK: “Rohloff’s Snake Pit” by Chris Rohloff (as told to Pablo Capra) and Toylit (illus.)

Posted: August 15, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS, James Mathers, Pablo Capra | Leave a comment

From “The Snake Pit”

The Snake Pit… was basically the armpit of Malibu. If Malibu had a hood, Topanga and The Snake Pit would be it.

As kids, we were proud to call our neighborhood The Snake Pit because we were all dirt-rat, creeker degenerates. So it was pretty cool!

The Snake Pit was a place that the surrounding community didn’t want to have too much contact with. Even to the police, it said, “Keep out!” Police and firemen tried to avoid going there as much as possible because there was weird stuff that happened down there back in the ’60s and ’70s. Everybody knew about Charles Manson’s connection to The Snake Pit, and that they shouldn’t deal with those people. The Manson Family lived across the street from us. I was three or four years old, and I’d be on the dirt road playing with their kids.

(See Toylit’s drawings on the website!)

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New ’70s-’80s-era Topanga Beach pics uploaded to the Brass Tacks Press archive

Posted: August 8, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS | Leave a comment

LOWER TOPANGA PHOTO ARCHIVE

Photo by J. Murf

Photo by John Clemens

The Last Bastion — a new Lower Topanga documentary

Posted: July 27, 2009 | Author: Venice Arts Club | Filed under: BRASS TACKS PRESS, James Mathers | Leave a comment

Click to watch The Last Bastion by Anastasia Fite, a new documentary film about Lower Topanga starring James Mathers, John Clemens, Carole Winter, and John Judge.