The Communist Manifestival
Transcription
The Communist Manifestival
may 2001, volume 1, issue 1 FREE - PLEASE REPRODUCE the communist manifestival ART DOMANTAY TAKES THE CAKE STINKY RESTORES HIS LANDROVER TALKER_MOANER_ SCREAMER LIL MAN ANDY LAWRENCE FAN MAIL a joint publication by dosmasks.com, stinkyninja.com, and weapon-shaped.com www.dosmasks.com * ! * the communist manifestival 4 8 3 2 3 4 7 8 11 12 14 16 17 STINKY NINJA OUR MAN IN MINDANAO ARTIST PROFILE: ART DOMANTAY MELANIE WOOD CYBER-SEX FICTION: TALKER/MOANER/SCREAMER GIZMOS LAND ROVER RESTORATION MUSIC PROFILE: LIL MAN INTERVIEW STEAL THIS LIST: MP3’S LAPDANCE IN SWEATPANTS CUBE-DWELLERS UNITE! The history of all hitherto existing workplaces is the history of struggles between duty and expression. A spectre is haunting the workplace — the spectre of boredom. All the powers of the human spirit have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: joke e-mails, message boards, personal phone calls and instant messengers. Where is the employee in the workplace that has not been decried as lazy by their immediate supervisor? Where is the cube-dweller that has not been overwhelmed with insults, condescension and menial tasks to drain all opposition to their compliance. Two things result from this fact: I. Boredom is already acknowledged by all powers to be itself a power. II. It is high time that cube-dwellers should openly, in the face of the whole world, publish their views, their aims, their tendencies, and meet the spectre of boredom with a Manifestival of our own. To this end, cube-dwellers of various nationalities have assembled in cyberspace and sketched the following Manifestival, to be published in the English, French, German, Italian, Flemish and Danish languages. the communist manifestival is a joint publication of dosmasks.com, stinkyninja.com and weapon-shaped.com. Reproduction encouraged. © 2001, Communist Manifestival and respective artists Submission inquiries, story ideas and commentary should be directed to man@dosmasks.com Give up your day job. stinkyninja FAN FICTION OF THE MONTH – From www.stinkyninja.com/leonardo_dicaprio The sun begins to set. A young girl smiles in her rocking chair, her feathered locks flowing in the light breeze. A wind chime echoes in the distance. New Mexico, 1978. Three song birds wail in unison as the young girlish child takes to the meadow, frolicking among the majestic poppies. Her parents look from a distance, holding each other. “What a fine young girl we have produced, what a fine young girl.” The New Mexico sky turns a turquoise crimson as the small hand on the grandfather clock strikes five. Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong. It continues. Supper is in its final stages of preparations. The family is seated. The young girl drinks her milk without so much as a whimper, then proceeds to consume her fruiten mash. Mom and dad look on with delight. “I think we should name her Leonardo,” said the father to his wife. “Leonardo is beautiful,” his wife agrees, a tear slowly forming in her eye. After dinner, the DiCaprio family took a walk through the streets, glowing, for their first and only child had finally been given a name. -jamieflam@yahoo.com SUPER NACHOS! All of us at stinkyninja.com have varied and exciting interests. This ranges way past our favorite celebrities to such topics as travel and adventure, contemporary music, and discussing our favorite foods. One item that everyone I’ve ever met can not deny a craving for is Super Nachos. They are known by a variety of names, but the one thing that can’t ever be denied is just how super Super Nachos taste. Really super! There’s nothing quite like them, whether you’ve just gotten out of bed, just finished running in your first marathon, or just want to put a fun twist on the Thanksgiving turkey tradition. America loves super nachos! Fun. Fresh. Refreshing. Super Nachos. Yum. 2 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL APRIL 2001 REMEMBER HOW THINGS USED TO BE This is Stinky Ninja. I’m here to discuss three guys who somehow slipped a fast one on all of us. Of course, I’m talking about Kirk Cameron, Jason Bateman, and Michael J. Fox. Are they all secretly the same person? How did they become cool american icons? Especially Jason Bateman??? Anyways, these three guys don’t really deserve a page of their own each, but combined together they are almost worth it. So I present to you: All American Salute to Kirk, Jason, and Michael J. (www.stinkyninja.com/all_american/). Once upon a time things were so much clearer for american guys. You knew what was right and what was wrong. It was there every night on your television set. Guys like Alex P. Keaton, Mike Seaver, and whatever Jason Bateman’s character was named on “The Hogan’s.” Classy, clean American guys. Good Christians too, I would be willing to bet. Nowadays kids don’t have it so easy. The lines between good and bad have become blurred and what was once “cool” is now “not cool.” So lets take a moment to try to remember how things used to be-how they are SUPPOSED to be. our man in mindinao CITY PRISON, FILIPINA SCHOOLGIRLS AND THE BISHOP I went to Mass with the Bishop yesterday in a City Prison. Prison. (pri-zun) n. a place where pot smokers learn to be criminals. In addition to the prisoners, there were about 30 Catholic schoolgirls in blue skirts and white blouses on a social studies field trip attending the Mass. Filipina Schoolgirl. (pur-pil). adj. naive. In true Filipino style the students provided some entertainment after the Mass to honor the Bishop and the Prisoners. The first presentation was a song about Jesus. The second was a hip swinging, shoulder shaking dance and pop song by four girls. The stage area was small, so the dog laying on the floor made it difficult for the girls to move as freely as the prisoners would have liked. The dog refused to leave the room because she just got her ass kicked outside in the prison yard by another dog that bolted out of one of the prison cells as they were transferring prisoners. FILIPINO NICKNAMES: JoJo. Dinky. JikJik. Bong. Bing. BingBing. Bubu. (These are all people I work with). Last weekend, the big media event was a live broadcast marriage between two filipino actors: DingDong and Buba. (Buba’s nickname is not incidental.) She’s stacked. Ironically (to me only), Filipinos really like to mock my last name. My Dad had a good friend several years back, a cook from Guanajuato, Mexico. I actually worked with Javier in my first job as a busboy in a restaurant. He happened to be at the house one day when my filipina girlfriend was visiting. Later, he was asking me about her. Dicen que las chinas son sabrosas. Es verdad? he asked. Looking at my dad, feeling transparent as water, I did what I usually do in this kind of situation: I giggled stupidly. Tonight I got a McFlurry (Buko Blast is an option: coconut) and Fries at McDos. When it came out of the machine, melted and oozing over the rim of the cup, the lady attendant apologized: Sir, sorry sir, it’s melted. Would you like to wait, sir, until the machine is fixed? Dili, okey lang; mas ma-ayo na, I say, exhausting all the Cebuano I know. She’s impressed, asks my name, and shakes my hand. Now this is rare, because usually young Filipinas giggle in this kind of situation, every kind of situation. What’s your name, sir? she asks. I tell her. Nice to meet you, she says, and tells me her name. Pausing, thinking I misunderstood her, then looking down at her name badge: Yummy. APRIL 2001 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL 3 IF HE CAN CAKE IT T H E R E by jeff hurlow ONE MONTH AFTER TRANSPLANTING FROM LA TO NY, ART DOMANTAY IS READING ABOUT HIS WORK IN THE NEW YORK TIMES. PLEASE DON’T BE JEALOUS. I T ’ S A QU I E T T U E S DAY N I G H T I N E A G L E R O C K . Another gorgeous LA sunset; Who says smog is bad for you? Art Domantay’s in town checking on the progress of his piece being fabricated for his upcoming LA exhibition. The piece is a ten-foot diameter table. A life-size replica of a model he made a couple of years ago. It’s not just an ordinary round table. The best way to describe it would be to imagine a thirty foot long table. Then imagine that table being curved around so that the ends are almost butting up together. 120 Degrees, a shop specializing in set fabrication for the entertainment industry, is building it. They’re not quite sure if it’s going to work. Art stops giving details about the industry that has sprung up around him and starts making funny faces at my four-month old daughter, Hanne. She’s amused and begins to giggle with delight. Another person impressed with Art Domantay. Up until October of 2000, Art had been living in his family home on Hartwick Ave, just down the street from where he’s visiting me now. In late September, Marie Ucci, his girlfriend, called him and said she found a loft space in Brooklyn. It was $600 a month (his share), with a four-year lease, and he had a week to decide. “You don’t turn that down.” In the next month, Art gave notice at his job, packed up over 3000 lbs. of carpentry equipment and moved to New York. Two months later I am reading about him in a New York Times clipping he’s sent me. It was bizarre to see my friend’s name fit to print in “the paper of record”. It seems like 4 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL APRIL 2001 a big joke. Then again, Art has always been a practical joker. This trait crosses into his work making his pieces instantly accessible, like the feeling that you have just been had. He continues, “...essentially the Project is funding my table piece. They just acquired a new space in LA and wanted me to open for the show. One of the pieces they wanted was this model table I’d built two years ago. What was incredible was that they wanted to build a life-size version of it. So rather than having something that is twelve-inches in diameter it’s ten-feet in diameter. And I guess the other incredible part about this piece is that not even the fabricators or engineers really know if it’s going to work. But I have complete faith in John Doloszky’s (the project manager at 120 Degrees) abilities.” Art’s ideas have always been large, but the scale of his pieces have gone up significantly since his move to NY. For most artists, large scale pieces are impossible due to the high costs involved with producing the piece. But in this case, with the Project footing the bill, Art’s freed up to make what he truly envisioned. I ask him what the gallery thinks they can sell it for. “I’m not quite sure. Maybe it’ll sell between $15,000-30,000. But the gallery is willing to eat all the cost. It’s literally a collaboration between a number of people wanting to have the table built...at any cost. The gallery knows they may not make any money from it. Even the fabricators are only getting about $800 over cost. Sometimes great pieces cost time and artist profile money, and it’s not about how much you make.” With his write up in the NY Times one month after his arrival, it’s pretty obvious moving to NY was a good thing for Art. “It’s a different world that I live in now. It’s much faster paced, and at the same time it’s so impractical for anyone who wants to make artwork to live in NY. It’s a great city to see artwork, but it’s a terrible city to make it. There’s no space, everything costs a lot and it’s a big struggle to get anything done.” “Right now, the work seems to have a bigger stake. I think in NY people want it now, fast and in editions of three.” Traditionally Art’s work has always been one of a kind pieces. “Certainly there are some pieces that are supposed to be one of a kind, and I don’t think they should be made into editions. But then I guess if the gallery can sell three then that cancels my rule out.” He grins. About two years ago, my wife Jen and I went to a group show Art was in. It was in downtown LA and the theme for the show was self-portraits. We get there and the work on the walls are pretty standard, group show pieces, and then there was Art’s piece. It was a carpenter’s 36-inch ruler, completely extended and secured to the wall. On the ruler were a series of pins pushed into it, labeled with hand written numbers, positioned on various measurements. Underneath the ruler was a cheap, gold frame holding a typed note. The note consisted of a number followed by a definition. So you would look at the ruler and see a pin labeled 4 at 2”, you’d then look down and see that this corresponded to the distance art could stick his finger in his asshole before it stopped feeling good. Jen immediately tracked down the curator and purchased the piece. It was $100.00. “Right now a replica of that piece sold for $2000. I think you got a good deal!” Yeah. “You know what, I think after living in NY, $2000 may seem ridiculous, but it’s all part of the fair market. And I think when I originally put the piece up, I was planning on you guys getting it, so it was more like a gift.” One of the pieces that put Art on the New York map was his life-size replica of a sidewalk curb, made entirely of cake. “Who would’ve ever thought that people would like me, or that I would be considered the cake maker of New York? I’m always interested in materials that are in between different states. For instance, a curb as a concrete form, but the materials being cake mix... and it literally was a three-layer cake, eight buckets of butter cream frosting and eighty full sheets of white cake. I just like the fact that it doesn’t exist anywhere in both the material sense or the form sense. And when the cake was there at the gallery opening, it didn’t exist until someone accidentally stepped in it. There’s a gigantic footstep in it at the opening. Maybe someone just wasn’t paying attention or thought it was a hard surface and stepped in it. That’s when the piece was finished. It started to exist then. It went from a curb cake to a wet cement curb with a footprint.” “Speaking of breaking things, you had mentioned that another piece broke at the show.” “Yeah, there was a ten-foot long table that went through a wall. It was uncut, weighed about three hundred pounds, and was installed about twelve inches off the floor. It was perfectly balanced so it acted like a teeter totter. There were four place settings on either side. It took about an hour or two to get everything balanced; the silverware, glassware and plates. We had to move it back and forth, back and forth until it was perfectly centered. I thought it would last at least four hours at the opening. It didn’t last more than fifteen minutes. Someone took something off the table and wasn’t able to put it back fast enough; so that whole side came crashing down and two or three seconds later the other side came down.” “How does that change the way artwork is looked at? In a museum that wouldn’t happen, essentially someone has destroyed or changed your piece.” “I think I allowed the artwork to change.” (goto page 7) APRIL 2001 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL 5 An open letter to those who criticize this site Dear fellow JTT fan, For some time now I have been receiving a number of messages, either by email or on my exciting message board, regarding the pictures I have posted of me and my friends with JTT. Many unkind words have been used to describe this section. Some of you “sleuths” have gone as far as trying to determine the exact manner in which I could create a pictures as wonderful as the ones I have here. Well I have some news for you guys who think you are so smart. The pictures are REAL. There they are in front of your eyes! I don’t get how you can be so close-minded that you aren’t able to accept what you see. Beautiful pictures like these aren’t created, they can only happen in the real world-and if you have a problem with that, you can go and cry to your mommies. In fact, I haven’t seen any pictures of YOU with JTT. The truth is, you are jealous and amazed that I’ve had the overwhelming good fortune to be in my situation. That’s the bottom line. Now that we have that straightened up, I’d like you to continue enjoying my exciting website and hope that you continue to visit for more updates, and more great pictures of me and JTT! Sincerely, Stinky Ninja www.stinkyninja.com (from page 5) “And that’s okay?” “More than okay, it actually finished off the piece. It made something that was completely static into something and theoretical into something real.” Art’s completely modest about all this attention in NY. It’s not a fake modesty, but rather an attitude that he’ll take things as they come. “I call it lucky a little bit. And I think that everything was there, the gallery that represents me had a big part. Christian Haye and Jenny Liu are great supporters of their artists.I could say that I moved there and got noticed within a months’ time, but I prefer to think of it as ten years in the making. I’m still relatively unknown there. I did have some good breaks, but I’m still relatively unknown. I think in NY it takes a long time to get recognized. People in NY are interested in a lot of different kinds of work, and I’ve been making the same kinds of work for a number of years. I haven’t changed so being the flavor of the month will hopefully last longer than a month.” Art Domantay is represented by the Project. www.artdomantay.com artdomantay@mindspring.com melanie wood ATOM AND THE SAILOR Atom and Karl Marx sat on the edge of the pier peering down into the swirling sea. Atom could see the reflection of Marx’s copper beard on the water. Atom closed his eyes and Marx began to speak in a voice as deep and dark, and as smooth and lyrical as a cello; My soul is fading. The watercolor sea around me is rinsing my soul from me. Above, the electric light of the sun casts gems across the ocean surface. The coast is a thin line behind me as the tiny wooden boat floats further and further into the enveloping expanse of waves. The sea embraces the boat. The sea is a palimpsest of blues and greens and greys and clouds. The sun is in the sea. Once there were many of us in the boat. My soul slips into the sea and the sea embraces the boat. The sea pulls the boat into its depths. The sea claims the boat and the bodies that once worked the sails, dodged the boom, hung over the bow catching fish. The bodies that once squinted at the myriad sunrays sparkling on the waves, that once licked sea-salt from parted lips. The sea is full of souls and fish-bones. Seagulls screech and swoop in the sky casting dark fleeting shadows on the slippery surface of the waves. The air seems cluttered with white wings and sharp beaks. The air is heavy with sea-scents and sea-spray. The boat is anchored to the seabed by tight tendrils of seaweed and sharp talons of coral. A crab scuttles over the stern, fish glide between the floating folds of the sail. An eel slithers through the loops of the anchor chain. The sea is full of music and art: full of poetry and sunlight. When Atom opened his eyes again Marx had gone. Lights from a seaside cottage shone in yellow strips across the darkening water. Lights from the seaside cottages shone like phosphorescence beneath the darkening waves. To: jeff <jeff@dosmasks.com> Date: Thursday, April 26, 2001 6:43 PM Subject: RE: words On wednesday night, i drank beer and played pool with a group of Europeans,went to bed at 1 AM and had a tired day on Thursday. I read this ‘poem’on Wednesday night bewildered. Last night, I slept. And this morning I like this poem. But I don’t understand why it is Marx and Atom. And that is probably the part to understand: Here’s a guess: Marx is an atheist. Atom is the foundation of physical science/reality (the opposite of religion from some people’s perspective), but obviously a reference to Adam of Genesis. But this poem is spiritual to me. The sinking into the abyss at first sounds tragic. But it’s actually beautiful. Which is what the mystics profess. We are so important to ourselves; what we do, what we think. But reality and time absorb that into something different. Marx’s ideas transformed the world! - but only for a brief time in history, for some people... and then it fades. I don’t understand it, but I like it. It sounds as if Monet had painted a moving mural. My two cents. who wrote it? peace. APRIL 2001 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL 7 talker_ moaner_ screamer_ The “Yes” did not vary. The pace did not increase. The tone neither rose nor fell. Hardly able to contain himself, he climbed on top of her and switched on all of her physical movements. He set her shoulder and then locked her pelvis at an exact angle. He left her mouth function on. Her voice continued, “Yes.” Then it was done. He had never lasted long. Sometimes he would count how many Yeses he would last, but it was never many. Finished, he immediately Cyber-sex Fiction turned off the voice and collapsed on top of her, praying by Jason Sattler he’d fall asleep. If he didn’t within a minute, he would become agitated and leap to his feet, dripping himself every“An inexorable law: Only that where. He’d stare at the dirty pile of fake flesh for a few secthat is absent can be onds. Then he would grab it and put it in the closet, vowing to imagined." never use it again. Sometimes he wanted to - Proust scream at her, but he was so weakened by her streamlined shine that he could only manage to punish her with a hasty toss in B L A C K S O C K S L I T T E R E D T H E C L O S E T the closet’s corner that would knock a human out of consciousfloor where she was kept when she was kept in the closet. More ness. Then she was back in bed in time for his night’s sleep. often she would be left lying on the bed with her arms prone, legs This went on daily as he saved for a new female simulator. He posed out slightly. He would come home from work most days decided he wanted two and collected money diligently, amassing and find her lying in his bed and be unable to do anything with- 3,000 dollars in a relatively short period of time. It was enough for a down payment. But paying on installment was a taboo he out first using her. She was two years old. Like with any female simulator, the had inherited from his father. “Don’t drive it unless you own it.” moment he bought her, she was almost obsolete. The mouth As his savings grew, his post-coital guilt became increasingly pepaction and software on the newer versions were next-generation pered by fantasies of what he could do with all that money. He developments for the industry. While he had paid over 15,000 could have real girls, he reminded himself. But still he ended his dollars for her, today she would sell for just 2,000 new. She nights with her in his bed, talking himself into sleep by counting would only sell because she was a Talker/Moaner/Screamer. He his saved money. He came home from work one day and found a letter from the bought the “Real Human” voice upgrade, so she would sound just like the salesperson he bought her from. She could say over IRS informing him that he owed 1,000 dollars that would begin to accumulate interest if he didn’t pay immediately. A former 600 words, but he had only used one so far: “Yes.” As always, the moment he saw her in his bed, he drew in and employer had updated his books and now the IRS was demandturned her voice on. As programmed, the simulator spoke a ing its share. He walked up the steps to his apartment, wanting to meek, un-emphasized “Yes,” repeated at intervals of two and a kill that old fucker. Then he wanted to cry. He went into his bedroom and stared at her lying in his bed. half seconds. Her shoulders rotated slightly, while her pelvis moved subtly up and down. He watched for thirty seconds or so. Her eyes were on screen saver. He wished that he didn’t want it. 8 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL APRIL 2001 He picked her up and tossed her into the closet. A brutal thud announced the breaking of plastic or metal. He felt slightly vindicated and shut the door. He crashed himself into his bed and tossed and turned, hating himself and imagining beating his exboss. An hour later, he opened the closet. She had never looked so inhuman. Wrapped inside of herself with an appendage pointing each way, she seemed defeated. He picked her up by the hands and dragged her to the bed. He laid her prone and turned her voice on. It didn’t work. His breathing tightened and sped up—he was hyperventilating. He stood up and shook, arms flailing out of control. He fell to the floor of the closet. His heart rate slowed beneath his pressed hand. He held his heart and that made him feel normal. Finally, he watched the woman walk into the back of the store and decided he should act. He took the box awkwardly out of his car, entered the shop, and set it on the counter. There was no one to help him and no other customers in the store. The huge box took up the whole glass case of the counter. Before he could silently practice what he would say again, the saleswoman walked in. “Shit!” she screamed. He jumped back. “Shit. You scared me. Did you just walk in?” “Um, yeah. I did.” She took her head in her hands and breathed deeply. Stepping up to the counter, she leaned against it. “I’m really sorry. You just scared me.” THE NEW MODELS WERE AMAZING. IN ADDITION TO THEIR MOUTHS THAT HAD BEEN CONFUSED WITH REAL FEMALE MOUTHS IN LABORATORY TESTS, THEY ALL HAD “INTUITION” INSTALLED. He wished he could sleep but he couldn’t. Eventually he got back up and walked over to her. He wanted to cry, so he closed his eyes tight and visualized himself covered with tears. But his tears wouldn’t fall, so he just kicked her slightly and then lied down next to her again. Eventually, he dozed off for a few minutes until he woke with a start, grabbed Windex and paper towels, and began to clean her. The night lasted forever. He turned his TV on and off, got in and out of bed, and at times ministered to his simulator with real regret and compassion. When morning finally came, he had slept minutes. With the store about to open at last, he packed her up in her box and gathered the receipt and the nearly-expired warranty. The warranty had a few stains, but only he would know that they were from his semen. Just in case, he dabbed at them with a wet paper. Then he drove the box, the papers, and himself to the minimall where he purchased his simulator. The lot was empty except for one car. Looking inside the store, he saw the woman who had sold him his simulator so long ago. He had hoped she would be there but now felt unable to deal with facing her. This was the woman whose recorded “Yes” was the single most erotic word he’d ever heard. And if she remembered him liked he hoped, she would know the sick things he had involved her voice in for two years. Sinking into his car seat, he stared at her. Her hair was different and her style in general had changed with the times. Same walk, he thought. He wanted to exchange the busted merchandise, just like every customer deserved. But his anticipation was marred by the guilt of breaking the simulator and his plan to lie about it. He just stared inside and reread the warranty. “Oh it’s ok. I just walked in. I’m sorry.” She looked at the old box and started to place his face. “Oh I know you. You bought this here.” Her attitude had changed but her voice hadn’t. “What can I help you with?” His practiced speech came out perfectly, “Yeah. My simulator’s voice and movement functions won’t work. It’s still under warranty.” “Oh, OK. That’s fine. It will just take a few days,” she said. He was slightly stunned by the idea of being without. “But she’s kinda old. Aren’t you interested in a new one?” He looked up. “I am. I definitely am. Very soon. But not now.” He couldn’t believe that she was about to speak again. “Oh, OK. Well you can leave this here. Would you like me to show you some new models while you’re here?” “Sure,” he mumbled. He followed her lead and stepped into the showroom. As she talked, he studied her body like a coroner, absorbing her voice until it became white noise. The new models were amazing. In addition to new and improved mouths that had been confused with real female mouths in laboratory tests, they all had Intuition installed. Intuition software allowed the simulator to learn what movements and words its user preferred. Informed by human emotional patterns, they acted on the data. Since he had bought his model, three versions of the Intuition software had come and gone. Version 3.0 was a blockbuster. Simulator sales tripled and the industry had its first billionaires. He nodded and crookedly moved his eyes to avoid real contact as she spoke. Her words were a routine sales pitch and she finished quickly. “I can’t wait to get a new one,” he said. APRIL 2001 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL 9 “You don’t have to. We finance.” He shook his head and tried to smile with pride. “Nope, not yet.” “OK, well here’s what I can do. I can add Intuition 2.0 to your current one for $100.” It was a typically amazing deal on outdated software. “Then you can buy the upgrade for less than a thousand dollars whenever you want to move to 3.0.” He stammered, shifting his weight. “Sure.” “Great!” She quickly conducted the transaction and he was out the door. He climbed into his car in the parking lot and became furious. He kicked the dashboard and slammed his fist into the steering wheel. He didn’t want Intuition at all. Visualizing the 100 dollars added to the 1000 he already owed, he wanted to go back in but couldn’t muster the courage. A long guttural scream as he drove home. “Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!” That night he sat in his car in front of an adult bookstore, deciding whether to go in. He had tried to find something on the Internet but he couldn’t stand being home. He watched a video in a booth for about five minutes, then drove home. He went back to the bookstore the next night. When he left, he decided that he would never do it again and he felt certain. All the men in the bookstore disturbed him. They stared and commented with their facial expressions. He hated them and imagined great violence if any one of them ever approached him. The next morning, he was sleeping when he heard her voice on the answering machine. “You can pick up your simulator whenever you like.” He erased the message, dressed, and was outside staring at her through the window in no time. She saw him parked in the lot and waved as if it was normal that he hadn’t gotten out of his car for ten minutes. He walked in and tried to be quick and say little. She obliged and finished by handing him her card and saying, “As soon as you are ready for a new one, let me know.” He smiled; he would. Back home, he spilled the contents of the box onto the bed. Then he felt her body everywhere just to make sure she was the same. She was, except for a sticker on her stomach that said “Intuition Inside.” When he turned her on, instead of just opening her eyes as she usually did, she shook her head as if she was waking up, then sat silent. Within minutes, she was ready to go. He listened to her say “Yes” for a few minutes, and then undressed. He finished in less than a minute. The “Yes” stopped a few seconds after he was done. He fell asleep with her in his arms, processor still running. In the morning, he awoke and became angry when he realized that she was still on and her voice wasn’t going. He hadn’t turned the voice off. He looked her in the eye and she said, “Yes.” He turned her off. That night, he came home from work and resumed his routine. Weeks went by. He was saving again and everything was fine 10 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL APRIL 2001 except she was doing new things. She smiled; she moved her arms while he was on top of her. It was definitely because of the new software. He didn’t like it and spent hours trying to disable it. He couldn’t figure out how. The company’s web site recommended that he take her back to the service center for disabling. He couldn’t face the sales girl again, especially not to tell her that her great deal wasn’t so great. One night, he held her arms down hoping she would learn. She adjusted, her body moved more. He pressed her harder with his body and she turned her neck as she repeated the one word, “Yes.” He began to lose his erection. Finally, he just turned her off and quickly finished. He lied still, changed by his orgasm. He decided to turn her back on and experiment with the new features. Without exception, she would resist when restrained and adjust to his body all the while saying “Yes.” She had a response for every action he made. He felt powerless to control her. With sudden force, he slapped her. She lied still and then slightly writhed with a sensual, different “Yes.” He turned her off and put her back in the closet. As he slept a few hours later, he had a dream that he accidentally turned her on. In the room’s darkness, she adjusted herself until she was on top of him. He was erect and she slid him inside of her. She said “Yes” louder with each maneuver on top of him. She was having an orgasm. He woke up and sat in bed. After a minute he turned the light on and stepped into the closet. She was on and a flash of light made it seem as if she were staring at him. He pushed her into the corner. Instead of collapsing, she resisted. She raised her hand and slapped his face. The blow dropped him to the floor. The momentum forced her to the ground landing directly on top of him She repeated “Yes” directly into his mouth over and over. gizmos W H E N I WA S YO U N G E R , I S P E N T T H E Y E A R S between junior high and high school living in an apartment complex in Foster City, CA. It was a lower income area in a fairly middle, upperclass neighborhood. Originally the complex was called “Shelter Cove,” but I think the new management wanted to get away from the shelter image. It’s now called “The Shadows” which is a much more mysterious name. We just called it “the ghetto.” This is probably a bit of a stretch on our part. I mean we all ate regularly, got new clothes at the beginning of the school year, had cable; but we knew we were definitely “poor” in relationship to our peers. Most of us came from singleparent homes or both parents worked full-time in a blue/grey-collar job. That meant that we had each other to kill time with until dinner was ready. My friends, both the guys and the girls, were mostly minorities: blacks, latinos, asians, and a few whites. It’s kinda funny how, the places most intermingled and evenly distributed (ethnically) are usually the poorest. Anyway, the commonality of poor seemed to be a strong enough bond for us back then. One of our favorite pastimes was dumpster diving. The most memorable excursion happened on a hot, summer afternoon. I think I must’ve been about thirteen. About six of us were foraging around a giant container that had been brought in for large trash removal. People were throwing away old stereos, couches, etc. (a child’s goldmine). Wading through all the crap and debris of urban life, we happened upon a spot which held the greatest treasure any of us had ever seen up to that point in our lives. It was a rubber, two-foot long, two-headed penis. Looking back on this now, all I can think of is how nasty that was, but back then you didn’t think about it; you just picked it up and held it up as if you had found the Holy Grail. It was by far the most incredible thing I had ever seen in my life. We speculated at who could’ve owned such a thing; better yet, who could discard such a thing. How sad to be a huge rubber penis left to rot under a heap of plaid sofa-beds. Our bets were the lesbian couple that lived in #710 owned it. Over the course of that summer day, the two-foot long, two-headed rubber penis was thrown around the parking lot like some sort of organic boomerang. I distinctly remember chasing my friends with it and hitting them with it. Tag with a dildo. By the end of the day the poor, giant penis had seen better days; much better days. I think it would be easy to look back at this and say this was about sexuality with no outlet, but I think it was about kids that were bored and found a fun toy. WHAT’S TWO FOOT LONG, FLESH COLORED, RIBBED AND LOTS OF FUN? (Reprinted from www.dosmasks.com/diary/archive/jh.03_13.html) APRIL 2001 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL 11 LAND ROVER RESTO RATION por-15 I ’ M R E PA I R I NG T H E RU ST E D OU T section of my frame. Over the last few weeks I have been grinding the paint off of the frame and preparing to weld the new replacement crossmember on. Before I weld the new piece on, I want to do everything I can to address any rust from attacking this susceptible area in the future. I was debating between two options: • Galvanizing (where they dip the piece a molten zinc mixture that coats and rustproofs the frame, used on almost every piece of exposed metal you’ll see outdoors. Like light posts, etc) • Por-15 (a paint-like rust inhibitor that bonds to rusted or etched metal and doesn’t soften with exposure to moisture like ordinary paint does. It dries to a rock hard, super glossy finish that needs to be topcoated in areas that are exposed to direct sunlight, otherwise it will discolor, but won’t lose its effectiveness.) I decided to go with the POR-15 after getting upset with the galvanizer who wouldn’t give me a figure on the price without seeing the part first. He told me that when it comes to doing auto parts, he throws the price figures out and makes a decision from how complicated it looks. That’s not good enough for me so I ordered some POR-15 (which I planned on using for the frame anyways) and started planning my order of attack. The replacement crossmember had a few issues to clear up before I painted it: the exhaust hanger was on the wrong side, there weren’t reinforcement plates strengthening the area where the extension rails entered the crossmember, and it came coated with a light spray of paint that would have to come off (it provided almost no protection as it was). I slathered some “Citristrip” paint stripper on it, let it sit then brushed it with my wire brush, which pulled off all the paint with almost no effort whatsoever. If anyone else is replacing a crossmember, I highly recommend removing and recoating the new piece prior to installation. This paint would have been useless for protection on the road and trails. Once the paint was stripped I used my grinder to cut the exhaust hangers off of the old frame, cleaned them up and then took the pieces to a welder closeby to have them attached. At the same time I had had the welder cut 3"x3" angle iron and weld it to reinforce the rail/crossmember union. This is how the standard LR frames come so I felt it was necessary. In the photos above you can see the piece as it came originally, and after I stripped the paint and had the welding done. Once the part was ready to be painted, some prep work is required to make the POR-15 effective. First, the piece needs to be cleaned. They have a product called “Marine-Clean” which is a heavy-duty degreaser. I diluted some in a spray bottle then used a scouring sponge to get at everything. This needs to be rinsed off, then the part has to dry completely. After it has dried, an etcher is used to “key” the metal so the slick POR-15 can grab on to something. Their product is called “Metal Ready” and it also dissolves rust-supposedly you can place your old rusty tools in it and leave it overnight-they’ll be new and shiny in the morning. All of the POR-15 products require you to use heavy-duty gloves. Old clothes, a respirator and eye-mask aren’t bad ideas either. Once the metal ready has sat for 20 minutes or so, it has to be rinsed off as well. Just a light rinse, not a soaking, because as it washes off it leaves a white, phosphate coating that inhibits flash rusting and provides a surface to paint the POR-15 onto. Again, you have to wait for it to dry entirely. When the part is dry, you can apply the POR-15. It has a consistency similar to olive-oil and spreads very easily. They recommend two coats. This stuff can be very messy and if you get any on yourself, make sure to remove it before it dries, or you’ll wear it until your skin sheds the old cells, about 2-3 weeks I hear. I’ll let you know. I got some on my knee, from kneeling in it. It soaked through my pants. They sell a thinner product, but a rep told me that acetone actually works better, I bought some and it does a good job. Good for cleanup. For the hard to reach places I took a sponge and attached it to the end of a broomstick with a cable-tie. I soaked some POR into it then swabbed those areas. I used this technique for the inside of the extension rails. I’m also considering spraying it through the holes to try to coat the inside of the crossmember where it is blocked off. If you spray, you need to have a respirator that will protect from organic vapors. I bought a 3M one in the paint department of Home Depot. As it stands now, I’m impressed with the gloss and hardness of the stuff, but it dries pretty tacky in a short period of time and I have some dust and crud stuck into mine. Glad it is just the frame and not the body, I’d have to be more careful. APRIL 2001 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL 13 the lil man interview Chances are, you haven’t heard of Lil Man yet. That could all change soon, as the 15 year old rapper from New York is finishing up his new album “Rebel without Applause,” due out in early Summer. One listen to his tracks on mp3.com (http://www.mp3.com/lilmanrap) and you will have to agree, this kid has star quality. At what age did you start freestyling? I started freestyling at 13 years old. I liked making parodies of songs. I made a really nice parody of “The Real Slim Shady” at age 14. I also did some smash mouth and LFO parodies (never recorded, only written). Now, did you base the title of your album “Rebel Without Applause” on any true-life situations? I based RWA on the fact that I am not your typical white suburban kid. I am quite unique when it comes to all my talents (DJ, Rapper, Juggler) and, at the moment, I feel like I am not getting recognized . I have a feeling that I will gain more fame in the near future! (hopefully) I couldn’t find any production credits for your songs-Do you want to give a shoutout to your DJ? Hehe actually, believe it or not, I am also my own DJ! I got some programs, samples, turntables, midi piano, etc. Who would be your musical dream collaboration? Nice question. My dream collaboration would consist of either of the following, completely different people: Will Smith, Eminem, Lil Bow Wow, or Aaron Carter! Would you rather make it big now and risk being a short-lived teen celebrity, or struggle for 10 years and then break through with a greater chance of achieving more perceived artistic integrity? I have to say that I would like to make it big now and risk being a 14 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL APRIL 2001 short lived celeb, because I think I have what it takes to stay on top! So, of course, my dream would be to be a famous celeb throughout the rest of my life! Don’t rappers swear? Why not you? Like Will Smith, I don’t believe you need to swear in your music. I have actually written songs with curses, but I edit them later on (I usually write curses when I am angry:)). For me, there would be few things more embarrassing to have relatives hear songs of yours where you swear in them! That is basically the bottom line, I don’t want my music to fall into the wrong hands. What do you think about the whole “internet-rap” movement? This is one of my favorite questions! The internet is such an overlooked useful tool for music. It is the FUTURE of music. Let me explain. Soon, when all the start ups with bad products die out, companies such as amazon, Voyetra, etc. will all advertise right from sites similar to MP3.COM set up by record companies. This money that is made from the ads will act as Pay for Play just as mp3.com. This is more convenient for both the consumer and the artist because, the web sites can help artists reach their target consumers (e.g. if you are a jazz fan, you can search for jazz and a list of artists will come up). this proves more useful than scour, gnutella, napster, imesh, or any other file exchange service. You can get music for free and the artist will get money! So, in conclusion, I feel that time will heal the blindness of the record companies in to seeing that the internet can help sales! Do you foresee yourself exploring other genres? Do you like rock and roll? I partially foresee myself exploring other genres, such as, yes, rock and roll (I was in a band for a while as the DJ). Hip Hop will always be my main thing though. I wish I could sing well :) then maybe I would have a better chance in other areas of music. We’ll have to see what happens. What’s your most prized possession? My most prized possession must be the music program that I use, which will remain nameless because it is my secret! I admit to spending too much time in the studio when I should be doing more homework. I love music! Seriously, tell me your favorite ice cream flavor. I was thinking about this one today for a while. I would have to say either Vanilla or Reeces Cookie Cup! If you had a 128-track recorder, would you really be able to http://www.homestead.com/lilmanrap/index.html WWW.DOSMASKS.COM WWW.STINKYNINJA.COM WWW.WEAPON-SHAPED.COM use all those tracks? Never thought about that one before... I suppose I could if someone dared me. Otherwise, I probably only need 32 tracks at the absolute most. Do you feel anything special about Aaron Carter? As I said before, I would love to perform with him cause we have a very similar style, especially in the song “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It!).” Yes, he is a talented kid! I know lotsa people think he’s a dork, but I don’t pay attention the them. Will your juggling abilities enhance your rap career, or do you think they might take away from it? Juggling only enhances. I am glad I have this skill. I will never be broke because of it. I can always juggle for money! It will improve my raps, because if you have ever seen a real juggling act, it is very powerful stuff! What’s your own fave song? My favorite song is “The Hit Factor” because it is a nice, light song and, people seemed to really like it when I finally allowed people to pass it around. It was my first hit! N-Jule’s part on “Party” really makes me smile- “I’m here with N-Jule, I’m not a fool, we’re actually both pretty cool”. What’s N-Jule all about? N-Jule is my 10 year old neighbor hehe! His family comes over to the house sometimes. He has a good rapper voice. He needs to work on it though, as do I. We are both vegetarians, not that it has to do with anything, but I wanted to let you know that. We just like having a good time, hence the name “Party.” How much would you pay for a REALLY good burrito? For a really really good one I might pay 5 bucks. I have to at the ski resorts. No kidding, I went to one that sells burritos. They were yummy. If you could have one wish, but that wish had to be “I wish to dunk on a professional basketball player,” who would it be? I would have to dunk on Jordan. I want to meet that guy. I hear he doesn’t like rap though... Oh well. I don’t think he would object to my stuff cause I have good messages. Are you happy that you’ve already made $17.23 on your mp3.com page? Actually, today I made over 3 dollars, so ya I am happy. I think this is just the beginning! If you want to visit the site, it is at http://www.mp3.com/lilmanrap. APRIL 2001 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL 15 WWW.WEAPON-SHAPED.COM SAYS Steal this list Aceyalone - The Hold Air - Playground Love Andrew Oldham Orchestra - The Last Time Art Ensemble of Chicago - Theme De Yoyo Arthur Brown - Child Of My Kingdom Arto Lindsay - Ridiculously Deep Baby Huey - Hard Times BDP - My Philosophy Belle & Sebastian - TheStars of Track and Field Big Daddy Kane feat. Kool G Rap - Raw (Demo Version 1987) Blonde Redhead - In Particular Broadcast - Come On Lets Go Buck 65 - Wildlife 1-3 Cal Tjader - Aquarius Chocolate Genius - Life Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions - See the Real Me Cymande - Bra Danzig - Mother (Live) David Bowie - Modern Love De La Soul - Eye Know Divine Styler - Sound Quest Don Julian - Theme From Savage Donovan - Sunshine Superman Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band - Sun Shower Duster - Heading for the Door Dyke & The Blazers - Funky Bull (Part 1) Earth Wind & Fire - Sweet Sweetback’s Theme Flaming Lips - A Spoonful Weighs A Ton Frank Cunimondo Trio - Feelin Good Gescom - Keynel Grant Green - Down Here On The Ground Harlem Underground Band - Smokin’ Cheeba Cheeba Her Space Holiday - Freedom Fighters Herbie Hancock - Death Wish Horselmat - In Den Var Ice Cube - Wrong Nigga to Fuck With Iggy Pop - The Passenger Isotope 217- Moonlex James Brown & Dee Felice Trio - Sunny Jungle Brothers - My Jimmy Weighs a Ton King Crimson - I Talk to the Wind Kostars - Hey Cowboy Lambchop - The Old Gold Shoe Latyrx - Latryx 16 THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL APRIL 2001 Louis Prima and Keely Smith - That Old Black Magic Love - Alone Again Or Luke Vibert - No Turn Unstoned Malatu Astatqe - Yekatit Mandrill - Afrikus Retrospectus Mark Hollis - A Life (1896-1915) Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack Marvin Gaye - Trouble Man Massive Attack - Teardrop Matthew Sweet - We’re The Same MC Lyte - 10% Diss Modest Mouse - Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine Mogwai - A Cheery Wave From Stranded Youngsters (Third Eye Foundation Mix) Motherlode - When I Die Mouse on Mars - Yippie New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle Nina Simone - See Line Woman Odetta - Hit Or Miss Phillip Glass and David Bowie - Heroes (Aphex Twin Mix) PJ Harvey & Thom Yorke - This Mess We’re In Posies - Coming Right Along Radiohead - Talk Show Ras Kass - Jack Frost Resident Alien - Ooh The Dew Doo Man Scarub - Savvy Traveler Sergio Mendes - Let Me Siah And Yeshua Dapo ED - A Day Like Any Other Sigur Ros - Svefn-g-englar Skull Snaps- It’s a New Day Souls of Mischief - Cabfare Stereolab - Pop Quiz Stevie Wonder - I Believe Stratford 4 - Rebecca (Edison Victrola Mix) Talking Heads - Once In a Lifetime Tezetaye Atchi Lidj - Baby, My Unforgettable Remembrance Theme from M*A*S*H - Suicide is Painless Tom Waits - Sea of Love Tortoise - Seneca Van Morrison - Astral Weeks Wu Tang Clan - Gravel Pit Yes - Heart of the Sunrise Young-Holt Unlimited - Soulful Strut Zombies - I Want You Back Again lapdance in sweatpants MY FEAR OF BEING ARRESTED I keep thinking about all the awful ideas for comedy and how most of them are fueled by my fear of being arrested. In a desperate attempt for catharsis, I complied a list of the worst things that I could be arrested for, 1. Asking for a hand-job from a male masseur 2. Downloading Everclear MP3’s 3. Attempting to use one of those fake magazine covers as identification at an airport. 4. Pirating vintage porn DVD’s. 5. Buying pot from a nine year old. 6. Selling pot to a nine year old. 7. Making jokes about wanting to push the trains over at a train station. 8. Walking in on my Aunt and Uncle having sex, stealing the jewelry box and selling the contents to buy vintage porn. 9. Downloading “Weird Al” MP3’s that turn out not to be “Weird Al”. 10. Biking without a light. 11. Importing counterfeit Leonardo Di Caprio memorabilia into the country. 12. Suspected of transmitting Hoof and Mouth disease. 13. Pirating cable and caught watching Cinemax at 1:00 am on a Friday night. 14. Saying false things about politicians in “My poetry.” 15. Harassing my dance instructor. 16. Trying to extort Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tickets out an acquaintance. 17. Reckless canvas stretching. 18. Trying to bring back the Macarena in the Mayor’s office. 19. Yelling, “I’m a dirty bitch,” directly in a crossing guards face. 20.Masturbating at the Zoo. 21. Sneaking into the backyard of friend’s house that he just moved out of to use the pool, suddenly needing to take a crap in the grass as the new owners, a District Attorney married to a Police Detective, show up. 22.Taking pictures of my self sticking toothbrushes up my own ass when the cops burst in with a warrant for all the harassing phone calls I have been making to local Tri-Deltas sorority house. 23.Trying to cash my friend’s unemployment checks. 24.Dry humping a statue of a horse. 25. Stealing female hormones from my friend’s dad’s pharmacy. 26.Selling stolen tickets to a 98 Degrees concert. 27. Pimping a female relative on ebay. 28.Trying to develop pictures of hamsters doing naughty things to each other. 29.Committing a false citizen’s arrest on an angry taxi driver. 30.Getting a lap dance in sweatpants. APRIL 2001 ANDY FAN LETTER OF THE MONTH From: Darkshadowsr@aol.com Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 19:53:40 Subject: Mail for Andy Lawrence To: ninja5000@geocities.com yo. listen, you may not be that popular now since your brothers are taking most of the spotlight. but soon you will get to the top. man, i have total faith in you. good luck. IDLE CHAT MC Jason Sattler: amy is reading something MC Jason Sattler: and says, “that didn’t take long” MC Jason Sattler: i say, “that's what she said.” No Nerds Allowed: wakka wakka! MC Jason Sattler: I ALWAYS MESS THAT JOKE UP MC Jason Sattler: fully intended to express prowess, MC Jason Sattler: the “that’s what she said” joke was designed to be a boon to male sexuality No Nerds Allowed: nothing like an attempt at female objectification that ends in a stunningly embarrassing admission of your own lack of sexual skill THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTIVAL 17