Guests: Comedians Gregg Gethard (Bedtime Stories, The Best Show on WFMU) and Jim Grammond (Reasonable Discourse with Jerks)

Topics: Failures! Trumpet Failure, Flugelhorn Failure, Work Failure, Greeting Card Failure, Comedy Failure, Matching Hats Failure, Mütter Museum, Marching Bands, Pica, Charlie Chaplin, Back on My Feet, Ben Franklin plus Stories of Triumph!

Playlist: “Oh Canyon” by Fenster, “Sail to The Sun off of Afraid of Heights” by Wavves, and “Bellio” by Dutch Uncles.

Play Now: http://www.usedwigs.com/pod/podcast99.mp3

iTunes: Download, Listen and Subscribe (more…)

Dither Me Timbers

Opening Reception: Friday, June 7th, 6ish – 9ish PM
Sweet Mabel Gallery
41 N. Narberth Ave. Narberth, PA

In the mid 90s, Bevan McShea and I shared a college room and, consequently, secondhand rubber cement fumes, in a Kutztown University dormitory known as Schuykill Hall. In the mid 10s, we inhabit two sides of the marginally mighty Schuykill River. Now, we’ve combined our aesthetic vision, multiple media, skulls, flowers and Trader Joe’s cookies to create Skullkill Spring. Conveniently, tees and original artwork will be available for sale AND make the perfect gift for dads, grads and Brads.

See you there.

Earlier this week, Welsh Valley Middle School 7th grade Challenge students explored South Street to enjoy and photograph the work of Philadelphia mosaic artist, Isaiah Zagar. While spelunking, students captured the following cityscapes, depicting the terms revolution, repetition, reflection, reading and recycling.

REVOLUTION


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16 years ago, a silly little 7th grade student made this silly little doodle of me as a teacher/crime boss. Now he’s a power lifter who taught me more, in three paragraphs, than I learned in grad school.

“Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Rhetoric, Reasoning, and Critical Thinking used to be taught as part of primary education, the obvious basic foundation for any further study. Those fundamental intellectual dimensions are now circumvented almost entirely, and it’s reflected in our society {see my art teacher/philosopher friend Todd Marrone’s The Necessity for Metamorphosis in the American Education System.

You should not have to explain to an adult, for example, what a “straw man” or “ad hominem” argument is in order to assert that their argument is guilty of it {to call bullshit in Murica terms}, but that is in fact the case. The ability for most adults to think in an independent, methodical, fluid, goal-directed manner is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL to the health of a complex society. Not having this capacity is crippling to the development of practical intelligence and functioning, and results in susceptibility to the cookie-cutter, follow-the-leader, groupthink bullshit that tragically characterizes our culture.

Modern politics in particular relies entirely on mass ignorance of basic reasoning as well as a carefully-cultivated public gullibility. It takes only the most basic, straightforward, motive-conscious, loose detective work to plainly see that the government is controlled by an oligarchy of bankers, but this is sadly beyond the ken of the average citizen, because they have not been taught or encouraged to think for themselves. They’re assured that it’s a simple case of Donkeys vs. Elephants and that’s it. I’ll go as far as to say they’re deliberately prevented to think critically, because that’s dangerous. As long as they can blame everything on the opposing political party, everything makes sense to them and they’re limited to aimless, irrelevant bitching. Think for yourselves.

Silkscreen Ink on American Apparel Tees • S-M-L-XL

Warhol + Franklin + Marrone + Formation = An Accute Paine’s on the Chest

• Mr. Marrone – At last night’s school board meeting, there was a proposal to reduce art, music, phys ed and foreign language at the elementary schools. Why do you think the district would propose something like that? Do you agree with the proposal?
• Colonel Mustard – I think that they choose to do this because of the funding, which i think is crazy because they fund things that we don’t even need.

• Mr. Green – It is so they have more time to do core curriculum material.

• Miss Scarlett – And to build fences.

• Mr. Green – I think they should just make no half days or movies in school and they would have time.

• Dr. Black – I agree completely with Miss Scarlett.

• Mrs. Peacock – I don’t think that LMSD has any problem financially. The only thing they are concerned about is the PSSA’s so they are focusing on curriculum classes. If they were concerned with money they wouldn’t have built the fence. I think this is absolutely disgusting because when you are young that is the most important time to learn about things other than core subjects-find out what things you like, like music. Cutting back on the arts is the first step to the world being controlled by robots.

• Mr. Marrone – The robots wait anxiously in the wings… (more…)

Computer Embellished Drawing

Here’s a graphic that I made for last spring’s TEDx presentation, There’s Not One Correct Answer. The image and speech is closely aligned with my recent yammering about high-stakes standardized tests and the state of our state’s Department of Education Stagnation. If you think it would make a lovely tee shirt, drop me a line and we’ll figure out how to make lovely tee shirts out of it.

In doubly-related news, my shirt-printing, music-making  pal, “Handsome” Ron Foligno, cooked up a song in the same vein.

Fellow Hill Dwellers,

I hope you don’t mind that I join the conversation regarding the proposed cutbacks of art, music, PE and foreign language at Belmont Hills (and other elementary schools). I’m the 7th grade gifted teacher at Welsh Valley Middle School Prior to that, I served as an art teacher for 15 years. I’m also an artist, designer, homeowner and father of two. My oldest will be heading to BH this fall. Consequently, I’m very invested in the issues that you’re concerned about and appreciate the community’s rally of support. My wife was in attendance last evening and mentioned that a recurring, unanswered, question continuously popped up; “Why is this happening?” (more…)