Wild Bill Ketelhut provides the "blog" to this anti-blog
He has a radio program on WXOU out of Oakland University
Wild At Heart
Win tickets to see Semi Precious Weapons & Von Iva @ the Magic Stick. The first person to email me at doramu13@yahoo.com will win a pair of tickets to see this show this Tuesday at the Magic Stick. Semi Precious Weapons is a glam-rock outfit out of NYC while Von Iva is an all-girl electronic soul-punk group out of San Francisco. Also, visit the WXOU table at the event for free swag including concert posters and lots of fun items.
This past Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the Dirty Show which is always an odd day to go because the sun is shining and most of the freaks aren’t out yet. This is the day that seems most like a regular art exhibition and not an attempt to mirror the reign of Caligua. That said, it was nice seeing the Derby Girls out and about and seeming to blend in nicely with the scenery. They are promoting their new season and told me their next bout is already sold out proving chicks hitting each other on roller-skates might be the closest thing to recession proof in the area. That, and the fact that their shows are very entertaining and reasonable for the value. You go girls!! As for the art itself, I enjoyed last year better but like always there are a few pieces that really stand out. My favorite artist in the show is HR Giger (of Alien fame) and they had a nice signed print of “Biomechanoid” which I was bummed out to find somebody already bought the piece (which is why getting their opening night can be worth it). I also like the cheesecake photography of Viva Van Story. For $250, you can be the owner of one of Clive Barker’s erotic photos. Not as disturbing as I thought they would be (esp after seeing movies like Hellraiser) but they are going more towards a gay bondage theme. As of 3PM, their was only one left that wasn’t sold so if you dream of owning a picture of a naked punk dude photo’d by Clive Barker, you better hurry. Erotic art is basically any artistic work, be it painting, photographs, sculpture, etc that is intended to evoke erotic arousal or that depicts scenes of lovemaking. The works you see here usually tend towards the more disturbing or edgy. I tend to enjoy B&W photography with interesting composition, works tending to be inspired by Victorian sensibilities or those of pop culture and Japanese art. I also like comic pieces like John A Martin’s
“Poppin’”, a kitschy look at a sexy Mary Poppins. My top three include Aunia Kahn’s “Undisclosed Deviation” (a woman in a sexy blue corset shares a secret with a similarly dressed doll), Ben Her’s “tachiaagere” (lushly painted sexual scene for fans of the Transformers) and Ka Xiong’s “01” (a robotic woman). I always wonder about the what happens to the art that is sold, like trying to figure out where someone will hand a plaster cast of a person’s face with a red ball gag in their mouth. Not exactly front hall material. Anyway, the show always shocks yet makes you thankful we live in a society where we can explore these types of themes (like them or not). The show is open this weekend from 7PM-2AM on the 13th and 14th. Enjoy!
On a different front, Cranbrook Art Museum opened two new exhibits this week starting with “Superheroes In Action” by Mark Newport, Artist-in-Residence and Head of the Fiber Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. While Mark never really collected comic books as a kid, he did have fond memories of the characters. After the events of recent years, he got inspired about finding new heroes to help us get through the tough times and protect his kids from danger. He started out designing and knitting Superhero outfits of famous (Batman, Spiderman) and not-so-famous (Rawhide Kid) heroes until he eventually found a more creative outlet for new creations such as Argyleman, Sweaterman & Flamer. Flamer came from an idea when he saw this bright red, yellow and orange material and thought it would make a great costume and eventually became Flamer. Don’t be surprised to see Mark actual don the costume when you are at the museum and he will be giving a talk on Feb 22nd about the exhibit. The exhibition Mixed Signals is also open which focuses on artists from the mid-1990s to the present who question the notion of the male athlete in American culture during the preceding decades. Like the costumes in Mark’s exhibit, this looks at the way athletes can also be looked at as heroes or images of masculinity. I find it hard to really give a good explanation of the exhibit but you can tune in to my show Sat morning (online at www.wxou.org or at WXOU 88.3FM) or to hear Emily and me talk about what you can find at the exhibit. For more info, you can go to www.cranbrookart.edu and look for yourself.
The Cranbrook Institute of Science also has a wonderful new exhibit, which I can’t recommend enough. It is called “Hatching The Past” and takes a detailed look at the life of dinosaurs through their eggs, nests and embryos. You can see and touch real dinosaur fossils while kids can dress up in dino costumes (they were to small for me) and go on little excavation digs for eggs. While there, one kid was very excited to unearth some of the fake eggs as he screamed “I found some! I found some!” with a big smile on his face. The exhibit also has some gorgeous art along with some mini-movies about excavating. If you are into dinosaurs, this should be a popular exhibit to attend and make sure to be there this Saturday at 1PM as Institute Geologist John Zawiskie presents a special lecture in honor of Darwin in honor of his 200th birthday. I’m excited because they will have a first edition of Darwin’s “Origin Of Species” on display for this day only.
Sports fans this weekend can go to NBA All-Star Saturday Night for a 3-D presentation of the events, such as the Slam-Dunk contest, etc at MJR Theatres. With the problems with the economy, Mike from MJR says this might be the way of the future to view sports. People can forgo the costs of parking at a venue and paying high prices for a seat when you can go to a theatre and see the action in 3-D action with your friends for a lot cheaper. While the technology has been around since 1922’s “The Power Of Love” or for the first feature, 1952’s “Bwana Devil”, the technology has been getting better. Recent movies like “Coraline” and “My Bloody Valentine” or IMAX shows like “U2 3D” are showing how much better the technology has improved with lighter glasses and less problems with tracking. Mike sees a number of 3D movies coming out including James Cameron’s “Avatar” which might be released only in 3D and seeing more in the
sports entertainment field such as the chance of NASCAR and other sports. The event will take place at 8PM this Saturday so if you are looking for a new experience, this might fit the bill.
Liam Neeson is starring in a new action picture, “Taken” where he plays a retired CIA agent who is trying to get closer to his daughter after years of being in the field. His wife is newly remarried and can’t see why Liam is so distrustful of situations and gets him to allow their daughter to go with a friend to Europe. With his job, he worries about letting her go but eventually breaks down and relents though he keeps finding out little details about the trip where they have lied to him. When they arrive in Europe, the worse happens (or else no film) and they are kidnapped by slave traders. Liam mobilizes and goes to Europe using his skills to track down the kidnapers and bring them down. Lots of action and belief in Liam as a trained weapon keep this movie afloat and allow us to forgive some of the weaknesses in the script. Overall, a good popcorn flick and I give it a grade of B-.
This weekend, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre will return to the Detroit Opera House for 5 performances (Feb 12th-15th) with a special guest appearance by Sweet Honey On The Rocks at the 7:30PM Saturday performance. They have been coming to the Opera House for years and their interpretive dance compositions are always entertaining even for those who might think they don’t like dance. The troupe is known to merge ballet and modern dance to great effect at times and I have never been disappointed in their work.
For those looking for good music, there is the Toronto based synth-pop singer Lights performing at Clutch Cargo’s on the 12th along with a band known for intense live performances, Marah, who will be at the Crofoot that night also. The Sea And Cake will put on a special show at MOCAD on the 13th and Shirock will play at the Majestic while Fujiya & Miyagi will be upstairs at the Magic Stick. Have a good weekend and take advantage of this wonderful weather we have been having, despite the fact it made it really hard to figure out what the ice sculptures at the Winter Blast were supposed to be.
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