FREE GUITAR!!!

One more no-headphones-required post, then back to the music next week! 

I posted this to craigslist the other day:

As you might have already guessed, I did not actually find this guitar on 53rd St, but rather, snapped this picture of it at the small but excellent Picasso: Guitars 1912-1914 exhibit at MOMA.  I thought it would be fun to see what kind of responses I might get from unsuspecting browsers of the sometimes entertaining free stuff category on craigslist. (Disney Funsicle Kits anyone?)  I got about 30 emails quickly before the posting was "Flagged and Removed."  Apparently I have befouled craigslist's pristine reputation, and I hope they can forgive me.  Meanwhile, here are some highlights:

from Michael T:

hi, I'd like the guitar.  I'm decent with a soldering iron and I only date women that appreciate my guitar collection hobby.

from Adam Z:

hey saw your ad and wanted to know if you still have it in your possession and just had one question, is that how the guitar looks or is the pic a bit distorted? thanks for your time

from Dale K:

Could you send me the larger pic of this guitar?  I'd come to astoria to get it, but I can't make out in the little craigslist pic if I think I can work on it or not, please let me know.  thank you.

from Sergiones:

Hello!
Can you please specify dimensions for the guitar? and do you have
better picture of it?
Thank you.

[There were lots more like this.  I did have one fan though!]

from Melissa:

Hahahahabahaabaha ur post is funny mr. Picasso
U made my day

[and only one hater!  Well, other than the people who flagged me]

from Austin B:

sounds great. i feel badly though. why don't we make it an even trade. you can have this vintage urinal.

Well played, Austin B, well played.  Not that this experiment was so deep, but I do think it's interesting to wonder if we can recognize art outside of the museum context.  I happen to think this sculpture (the guitar, not the urinal) is beautiful and fragile and somehow embodies a musical spirit beyond the form that it suggests, but I can't deny that it has a slight elementary-school-art-class feel (which I love).  Is that only special because it was made by Picasso, and in this case in particular because you can really feel the hand of the artist?  Or would it still be special if you didn't know what it was, and saw it sitting next to a trash can on 53rd St?

Chocolate Maple Porter

I'm on a ski trip in beautiful Colorado this week, so no new music for this post.  I've been drinking some excellent Colorado beer, especially the Breckenridge Brewery Vanilla Porter (the cream soda of beers), so I'm inspired to share pictures of my recent adventures in beer-brewing.  I just finished my first batch of ZILWAUKEE'S BEST, Chocolate Maple Porter, which turned out great.  Malty, a little sweet, and delicious.  Hooray beer! 

Cooking the mash.

Straining the mash before boiling. (note homemade lauter tun)

Giving the wort an ice bath.

Young beer in the fermenter, with blow-off tube.

4 weeks later, first pour!

Radiohead vs Schoenberg

Here's a little mashup to add a some atmosphere to your Friday.  Radiohead's hyper-rhythmic "Feral" from their excellent new album "The King of Limbs" gets put in the Delorean and sent back 100 years to mingle with a pre-12-tone Schoenberg piano gem.  (Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19, no. 2, 1911)  I played the keys for this one, which took me a few more takes than it should have.  Watch/listen above, download the free mp3 here, and check out the original Schoenberg sheet music below.  Enjoy!

Oh yeah, the choreography is by the extremely creepy, Teletubbies-esque, Boohbahs. 

The Boohbahs are five furry, gumdrop-shaped creatures.  Their thick, shimmery fur sparkles with tiny lights; their Kewpie doll style heads are hairless and feature big eyes with rows of lights for eyebrows. The Boohbahs do not speak, but instead make noises like squeaks, oohbahs can retract their heads into their furry necks.  Their names are: Humbah (Yellow), Zumbah (Purple), Zing Zing Zingbah (Orange), Jumbah (Blue), and Jingbah (Pink).

River Rouge

Here is another glitchy fuzzbass groove--a follow-up of sorts to THUNDERSNOW--this time paired with a quasi-scandalous Debra Paget cobra dance from the Fritz Lang's 1959 low budge-epic, "The Indian Tomb."  I'm pretty sure this was filmed in Germany and that no one involved was Indian.  Huzzah!  Music and all instruments by moi.  As usual, watch/listen above and/or download the free mp3 here.

I also have two new ZILWAUKEE logos to show off, updated from my little graph paper sketch.  I got some stickers printed (so I can label my home-brew, ZILWAUKEE'S BEST!), so if you want one, send your address to eday@monsieurjour.com and I'll snail mail a couple to ya!