Ghoul's Night Out!

Why did all the children in heat change their names to Chicago?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

My second annual Halloween Mix Tape is now available for download at the mighty Cosmic Hearse! I don't need to wax poetic here because unless your head is up your ass you probably already worship at the daily shrine that is Aesop Dekker's incredible music blog. I actually don't often download music but Aesop is a fantastic writer and I always enjoy his perspective. He's obsessive, reverent, generous and good-natured and I was thrilled to be invited to guest post again this year. My collection of songs isn't necessarily kvlt, grim, obscure, rare, or even out-of-print but hopefully you'll be exposed to a few new/old sounds while you're carving your pumpkins. And here's a link to last year's mix in case you missed out. Happy Halloween!

No Typical Girl

"Who invented the typical girl?

Who's bringing out the new improved model?

And there's another marketing ploy

Typical girl gets the typical boy."

-The Slits

I don't often drag my family into the blog but this one is for my daughter. Her first record was The Slits LP Cut and she really resonated with their weird brand of spastic rasta punk from an early age. I never really got it myself, but what do I know? A few years ago when The Slits briefly reformed and passed through Portland my daughter had the opportunity to meet these pioneers face to face and get her vinyl signed. They showed up to their all ages record store appearance very late but delivered a lively set for the small dedicated throng who stuck around and were very gracious with their young (and old) fans. Sadly, news has hit the Internet that founding member Ari Up passed away today at the terribly young age of 48 due to a mysterious "serious illness". She struck me as a feisty lady who didn't take shit from anyone and she was definitely not a typical girl. Blast some Slits in her memory this week and remember the day when punk meant breaking the fucking rules and thinking for yourself.

R.I.P. Ari Up!

The Sound of Fear Volume 1 & 2

I love this time of year! The air is crisp, the sunsets are inspiring and the veil between life and death is stretched thin. It's harvest time! To celebrate, I've assembled two volumes of horror soundtrack music recorded exclusively from vintage vinyl and available for a limited time only at Mississippi Records in beautiful Portland City, Oregon. Each cassette contains 60 minutes of pulse-pounding, blood-curdling terror...THE SOUND OF FEAR! Cheaper than razor blades and sweeter than candy apples. Your ears will piss their pants!

Mississippi Records
4007 N. Mississippi Ave.
Portland, Oregon
503.282.2990

CONTEST WINNERS!

THE CONTEST RESULTS ARE IN!

I guess all of my bitching proved motivational because this past week I was flooded with one stunning submission after another! In fact, there were so many excellent entries that I've decided to recognize first, second and third place awards. I've also been moved to acknowledge a few artists whose work deserves honorable mention. To those of you who created work that does not appear here on the blog, all I can say is that I am deeply honored that you devoted time and energy to this contest. You have boldly distinguished yourselves from the multitude of smug cunts who clutter message boards with dull anonymous commentary but contribute nothing. For your effort, I salute you! Now let's celebrate the winners...

FIRST PLACE:

Eglė Tamulytė

I just love this wildly imaginative drawing by Eglė Tamulytė from Lithuania! Her claustrophobic crosshatching almost obscures the entire composition in darkness but never detracts from the detail or compromises the oppressive mood. You get the feeling she's never actually listened to the Subhumans record that inspired this contest and she almost certainly doesn't have time for your "fun" punk rock bullshit. "The day the internet dies," she explains, "Humankind will be lost in chaos, afraid of uncontrollable situation. Unpredictable flow of information will go around in circles like predatory animal-hybrids with artificial intelligence. Despair. Humanity will be feeling their hands have been cut. Powerless, weak, helpless like infants." You win, Eglė. I'll be sending you a copy of Destroying Angels #5 signed by Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman of SLAYER! Congratulations.

SECOND PLACE:

Carlos Gonzalez

I wonder if Carlos is a tattoo artist because this nasty little zombie apocalypse would look great etched into George Romero's flesh. The lines are strong and clean, the shading is smooth and the composition is pleasing to the eye. I also appreciate how he took elements from the original reference material such as the priest, moon, crowds, and aircraft and re-imagined them in his own style. Well done, Carlos. I'll be sending you a signed & numbered/limited edition print for your effort. Total Necro Death!!!!

THIRD PLACE:

Jack Mulkern

Of all the submissions I received, Jack played things the straightest with this hilarious parody of the original cover. He tells me he was inspired to enter the contest when he lost his Internet recently and was forced to watch ants parade across his table for entertainment. This is a classic case of raw spirit trumping technical ability. It's crude, loose and punk as fuck. Jack, I'll be sending you a double-sided Destroying Angels shirt which I expect you to immediately rip the sleeves off for maximum destruction in the pit. ONE, TWO, OUY KCUF!!!!

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Raquel Diez is a talented young tattoo artist/illustrator from Barcelona, Spain and I really enjoyed what she created for the contest. Stark, simple and fun. I appreciate that the 'banger she has portrayed has taken the theme of THE DAY THE INTERNET DIED into his own hands. Literally. Now that he's set all those monsters loose, how is he going to update his art blog???

Julien "Nagawika" Le Guennec is one of my favorite underground cartoonists out there these days. He has caused me to spit my beer out all over the computer screen on multiple occasions and his contest entry here was no exception. Be sure to check out the new issue of Destroying Angels for more of his work.

Here's a bizarre one from Michal Spryszak of Poland. What the fuck is going on here, Michal? The guy on the floor appears to have a dildo shoved up his ass and the priest seems altogether unfazed by the bullet that has just cast his brain out of cranial Eden. He even slipped in a funny Mayhem gag and if you look closely at the newspaper you'll discover yet another porn reference. You guys are a buncha' perverts!

This drawing by Carmelo Espanola looks like a splash panel from some weird underground comic that I'd love to read while listening to Voivod! I like the narrative flow. And the vomit flow. And the Leviathan logo on his neck. "We are connected. We are connected. We are connected..."

Thanks again to EVERYONE who sent in artwork. And a very special thanks to the mysterious Nick Lant who drew the original artwork for The Day The Country Died back in 1983! I'll post more contests soon! In the meantime...STAY ACTIVE!

CONTEST UPDATE!

So far I've only received a few entries for the Destroying Angels art contest and they look like they were created in Photoshop in about 5 minutes or less. If I don't receive any more entries I will have no choice but to select a winner from these decidedly lukewarm efforts. GET BUSY, ARTISTS! The deadline is September 30th so you still have plenty of time to crank out a winning submission. GOOD LUCK!

VOGLIO IL TUO TESCHIO!

MF GALLERY has taken their group exhibition I WANT YOUR SKULL on the road! The successful skull-themed exhibit opens this month at their Genova, Italy location! This is exciting news for me because, not only is my drawing being displayed alongside some very talented artists, but this show marks my second international exhibit and first representation in Italy! If you live anywhere near Genova, I hope you'll turn out and SUPPORT THE SKULLS!

MF Gallery

Vico Dietro il Coro Della Maddalena 26A

Genova, Italy

DESTROYING ANGELS #10 SOLD OUT!

DESTROYING ANGELS #10 is now SOLD OUT! The response has been tremendous and I thank everyone who supported the new issue with an order. If you missed out, try the following allies who may still have copies available:

United States:

AJNA OFFENSIVE
20 BUCK SPIN

Europe:

FORGOTTEN WISDOM

The Day The Internet Died

Check out this review of DESTROYING ANGELS #10 on the Invisible Oranges blog! Music journalist Cosmo Lee has offered up a thoughtful assessment of the new issue that illuminates some of the core values that keep me hunched over a crappy xerox machine at 3am. Although I'm certainly no Luddite, I like the idea that his Internet crashed and he filled the technological void by spending quality time with my latest hand-assembled publication. In fact, this review has inspired a new CONTEST!

While we're on the subject of invisible fruit, here's a photo of me devouring a giant invisible watermelon at Portland's East End last night when I realized how painfully few "die hards" would be joining me at the bar on a Wednesday night. Painfully few.

CONTEST!

The Challenge: Do you remember the debut SUBHUMANS LP The Day The Country Died? It was a snide cautionary blast of irritating anarcho-punk with almost archetypal Limey vocals that inspired lots of 15 year old kids to pogo on their beds and stop eating meat. Your assignment, dear artists, is to reimagine this classic album cover with the revised title of The Day The Internet Died. Take that theme and do what thou wilt. Any media is acceptable. Submissions should be e-mailed to dennisdread@hotmail.com as jpg attachments. If it's too large to send as an e-mail attachment, make it smaller. Images larger than 5 MB will not be accepted.

The Deadline: September 30, 2010.

The Prize: The winner will receive a very special copy of DESTROYING ANGELS #5 (the Mad Marc Rude tribute issue!) autographed by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King of SLAYER!!!! The lucky winner will also have their creation posted on this blog on October 1, 2010 and earn the enthusiastic accolades of all five readers. Make that four readers. An anonymous Nuclear War Now! fan just unsubscribed.

The Reference: Here's a scan of the original SUBHUMANS art to get you started. Good luck!

"It's 2010 and it's all gone dead!"

Playlist!

A few of you requested the playlist from last night's The Sound of Fear horror soundtrack night at Portland's East End. Here you go...

• Day of the Dead 'The Dead Suite' (John Harrison)
• The Thing 'Shape/Contamination/Bestiality' (Ennio Morricone)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 'Warning' (Tobe Hooper)
• Black Sabbath 'The Telephone' (Les Baxter)
• The Amityville Horror 'The Axe' (Lalo Schifrin)
• Cannibal Holocaust 'Adulteress' Punishment' (Riz Ortolani)
• Breakfast at Manchester Morgue 'John Dalton Street' (Giuliano Sorgini)
• A Lizard in a Woman's Skin 'La Lucertola' (Ennio Morricone)
• Critters 'Critter Skitter' (David Newman & John Vigran)
• Friday the 13th Part VI 'He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask' (Alice Cooper)
• Grizzly 'Grizzly Attack!' (Robert O. Ragland)
• Piranha 'Dr. Hook' (Pino Donnagio)
• Mad Max 'Flight from the Evil Toecutter' (Brian May)
• Logan's Run 'Burn Out' (Jerry Goldsmith)
• Maniac 'Main Title' (Jay Chattaway)
• Bad Taste 'Coldfinger Summons the Boys' (Michelle Scullion)
• Halloween III 'Montage' (John Carpenter)
• The Fog 'Tommy Tells of Ghost Ships' (John Carpenter)
• Prince of Darkness 'Main Title' (John Carpenter)
• The Lost Man 'Main Title' (Quincy Jones)
• The Warriors 'Main Theme' (Barry De Vorzon)
• The Budos Band 'Budos Rising' (The Budos Band)
• The Devil in Miss Jones 'Walk With the Devil' (Alden Shuman)
• From Beyond 'The Resonator/Main Title' (Charles Band)
• Alfred Hitchcock 'Music To Be Murdered By' (Jeff Alexander)
• Martin 'Train Attack/Phased' (Donald Rubinstein)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 'Main Title' (Charles Bernstein)
• The Road Warrior 'Montage/Main Title' (Brian May)
• Piranha 'Radio Spot'
• Halloween 'Main Title' (Italian Disco Version!)
• The Terminator 'Tunnel Chase' (various)
• Robocop 'Van Chase' (Basil Poledouris)
• Recruits 'Recruit's Theme' (Thor)
• Omen II 'Main Title' (Jerry Goldsmith)
• Near Dark 'Caleb's Blues' (Tangerine Dream)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street V 'Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter' (Bruce Dickinson)
• 2000 Maniacs 'Main Title' (Herschell Gordon Lewis)
• She-Devils on Wheels 'Get Off The Road' (Herschell Gordon Lewis)
• Zombie 'Main Title/Escape From the Flesh Eaters' (Lucio Fulci)
• Less Than Zero 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' (Slayer)
• The River's Edge 'Lethal Tendencies' (Hallow's Eve)
• The Return of the Living Dead 'Burn the Flame' (Roky Erickson)
• Maniac Cop 'Radio Spot'
• Exorcist II 'Magic and Ecstacy' (Ennio Morricone)
• The Howling 'To Make You Believe' (Pino Donaggio)
• Rosemary's Baby 'Lullaby, Part I/The Coven' (Christopher Komeda)
• Stone 'Death Trip' (Billy Green)
• Godzilla 'Main Title' (Akira Ifukube)
• Cannibal Ferox 'Radio Spot/Cannibal Ferox' (Budy Maglione)
• The Return of the Living Dead 'Take a Walk' (Tall Boys)
• The Gates of Hell 'Irrealta Di Suoni/Apoteosi Del Mistero' (Fabio Frizzi)
• Susperia 'Susperia' (Goblin)
• Maniac 'Window Shopping' (Jay Chattaway)
• The Fog (Italian Disco Version!)
• Ghoulies II 'Scream Until You Like It' (WASP)
• Dawn of the Dead 'The Hunt' (Goblin)
• Stone 'Radio Spot'
• Recruits 'Iron Hammer' (Thor)
• Patrick 'Main Theme' (Goblin)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre II 'Goo Goo Muck' (The Cramps)
• Carrie 'Sue's Dream' (Pino Dinaggio)
• The Warriors 'In the City' (Joe Walsh)
• The Hunger 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' (Bauhaus)

More press for Destroying Angels!

Check out this killer article about DESTROYING ANGELS courtesy of journalist Jeff Tandy and the Austin Examiner! "Dread loves all the trappings of '80s-era hessianism, with comic books, horror films, fantasy novels, and old school speed metal in attendance. What sets this zine apart is the involved multi-paged articles and thoughtful interviews..." I couldn't agree more.

Destroying Angels on Fantagraphics Blog

The new issue of DESTROYING ANGELS received mention on the Fantagraphics Books blog today!

THE SOUND OF FEAR

~THE SOUND OF FEAR~

an evening of nonlinear analogues

featuring Dennis Dread

& DJ Sacrifyx

August 9, 2010

MONDAY

EAST END

203 SE GRAND ST.

PORTLAND, OREGON

9PM

FREE

New Interview!

Remember that contest that Invisible Oranges ran a few weeks ago? Well, I've answered the reader questions and they are now posted as a new interview here! Thanks to Invisible Oranges readers for asking such thoughtful questions.

GIANT ROBOT PRINT SHOW!

The good people over at Giant Robot have asked me to make some prints for their upcoming Print Show! The exhibition opens July 10th in New York City but here's a peak at the very limited edition signed & numbered prints I made for the occasion. I went with my tribute drawing to 80's crossover thrashers Sacrilege B.C. but had it converted into 3D and each print comes with its own 3D glasses! The Giant Robot Print Show is a special event that features micro-edition prints by tons of diverse artists and it is "cash & carry", which means you can purchase art right off the wall. It's a fun and affordable way to get into collecting art and your purchase directly supports the artist. Don't miss the opening reception on Saturday July 10th from 6:30-10pm!

Giant Robot New York

437 E 9th St

New York, NY 10009

(212) 674-GRNY

"The napalm is dropping, it's never stopping

Demon's breath, slow burning death

The searing heat, stench of rotting meat

Crush their revolution, corporate pollution!"

Robert Crumb's GENESIS exposed!

"...And now a great dark dread descended upon him."

If you haven't already attended the Robert Crumb exhibit at the Portland Art Museum, I highly recommend you take some time this summer and plan a visit. At least buy the damn book! This is an amazing body of work drawn over the course of five years by one of America's most celebrated, prolific and perverse comic artists. For those of you who can't possibly come to Portland for the show, I offer the following 100% unauthorized and illicit photos as something of a glimpse into the inspired and inspiring spectacle that is Robert Crumb's Illustrated Book of Genesis...

This huge banner of Crumb's frontispiece greets you to the north wall as you turn the corner and enter the exhibit. I love how he drew this like an old EC Comic with all the major characters represented. Instead of the "Old Witch" we get "Eve", instead of the "Crypt-Keeper" we get "Adam". It is reproduced for the exhibit like a huge carnival sideshow banner and provides something of a table of contents and key for navigating the more than 200 panels of art as each section of the exhibit is marked with a plaque of the chapter's corresponding major character. I also appreciated the fact that Crumb's Abraham looks an aweful lot like Charles Bukowski.

He chose to depict the serpent as an anthropomorphic character, which actually makes perfect sense since the bible itself states that it is only after "The Fall" that the serpent is made to slither on its belly for all eternity. Crumb's portrayal is in stark contrast to most of the classical representations of the serpent such as the image above by the German master Albrecht Dürer.

Every meticulous panel was so well rendered that it was hard to choose a favorite page but this one naturally stood out for its violence and bloodshed. My kids were slightly disappointed to see that the wicked sinners are depicted as silly horned viking types but, nonetheless, we were impressed by that last panel of the psuedo-Aztec sacrifice. "You are in a position unsuitable to give orders, Dr. Jones!"

This panel just struck a cord for its insane detail and lush textures. This could be a textbook study for how to compose an engaging comic panel. The historical accuracy and emotional expression is worth noting as well.

"Shrill cries, angel dies...OUTBREAK OF EVIL!!!!"

Ding! Ding! We've got a winner! We knew Crumb's depiction of the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah was gonna rule! This is possibly my favorite page in the entire book/exhibit. Have you ever seen Basil Wolverton's biblical drawings? Highly recommended. Wolverton's drawings demonstrate a similarly unflinching and grand obsession with destruction and tragedy of epic proportions.

AUTOPSY! Well, actually an embalming.

I snapped this one right before being busted by a museum volunteer who sternly informed me that photos are strictly forbidden. Woops! It's one of the last panels in the entire 242 piece exhibit and I love this one because it shows lots of white-out, erasing and cut and pasted lettering. This is the sort of messy production detail you miss in the published work. Crumb's lettering is as impressive as his rendering of anatomy, architecture, historically accurate clothing, landscapes and animals. My kids seemed to think God's hair and beard got bigger as the story progressed but I'm not so sure. I'll have to pay more attention next time.

This is the sign that greets you as you enter/exit the museum. So what are you waiting for? This show rules so get your ass to Portland and get a bit of that ol' time religion. Next Friday (July 2) they'll be showing Terry Zwigoff's 1994 Crumb documentary in the museum theater!

ZOMBIES ATTACK BROOKLYN!

Following the success of the recent SKULLS exhibit, I am displaying two drawings in this collection of ZOMBIE themed art at Brooklyn's MF Gallery next week! In fact, I am displaying the original art from the DARKTHRONE LP's F.O.A.D. and Black Flags and Dark Thrones. This will be the first public display of these drawings outside of my own neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. The Opening Reception takes place on Saturday June 26th from 7-10pm. Many artists will be in attendance and they promise an actual ZOMBIE ATTACK! Admission is free and open to all ages. Anyone 21 or older who arrives in full zombie makeup gets free beer all night (and my unequivocal admiration).

"The boat can leave now. Tell the crew..."

GENESIS TO GENOCIDE

photo courtesy of Patrick Rosenkranz.

Calling all Saints and Sinners! I occasionally receive impulsive feedback from readers who wish to denounce my alleged evil views and aesthetics. These comments are generally incoherent one-liners that are swiftly rejected in the name of decent grammar. I received two such comments just this morning. Well, this post is for all you chumps that have nothing better to do than attempt to share your unsolicited opinions regarding "good" and "evil" on a blog. Robert Crumb's Book of Genesis opens TODAY at the Portland Art Museum! If you live in the North West you know we are starving for culture, especially anything that deviates even slightly from well-established "high brow" posturing. That all changes today when the Portland Art Museum opens its hallowed gates for a display of the complete 50 chapters of Robert Crumb's ambitious illustrated Genesis collection. I know, I know. What could be more well-established than the Old Testament? But Robert Crumb's interpretation should prove challenging (or at least funny) and marks one of the first formal nods to an underground artist at the otherwise pedestrian Portland Art Museum. Don't miss it! Check out a sneak preview courtesy of comix historian and all-around-solid-dude Patrick Rosenkranz here. Godspeed! Amen.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Rosenkranz.

666

BRITISH STEEL

While we're on the subject of birthdays, let's wish a happy belated birthday to Judas Priest's 1980 masterpiece BRITISH STEEL! What a great excuse to post this amazing centerfold from their 1980 tour program (thanks, Stew!).