The new Gnarls Barkley video for their song “Mystery Man” is crazy dope. It looks like it was made from hand drawn cut outs. I love it. Mystery Man rides his bike and flies around the world, then has to save it from some giant typography monster.

The song’s not too bad either.

Michael Franco

It used to be that a funeral procession consisted of a line of mourners solemnly following the pall bearers who carry a beautifully ornate wooden box, the final resting place of a loved one’s earthly remains.  Then, behind that line, was a second line, this one of onlookers who could not resist the smooth scream of the trumpet, the deep thump of the tuba, and that sassy trombone that made up the brass band following the funeral procession, “funkin’ it up” all the way to the cemetery.

While the popularity of the jazz funeral has fizzled, that second line has become a staple of New Orleans culture.  In case you didn’t know (and I sure didn’t until I was told by my cousin, Gip-the guy in the picture), this is “Second Line Season.”  Lately, on Sunday afternoon, around 1 o’clock at the corner of Louisiana and Claiborne, you will find men, women, and children watching a parade of men dressed to the nine’s in colorful suits and pants with a crease so tight you can cut bread with it, fedora hats complete with a turkey feather that matches the feathered fan that completes the outfit, topped off with some Blues Brothers-esque black sunglasses.

This is the new Second Line, preceded not by a funeral procession, but only by a brass band playing everything from “Do Whatcha Wanna” to an all-brass rendition of my personal favorite, Levert’s “Casanova.”  The Second Line is how we get the party started at a Saints game and always the very last song played at a party, serving as a polite way to say that it’s time to go.  It’s so much fun to lose control of yourself and throw around a handkerchief (or a napkin, whichever’s handy) while yelling “Reeee-birth” and doing dances you didn’t know existed.  Some of you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, just listen to this song and pretend to be in this picture.

http://www.imeem.com/diamonddiva69007/music/WZOf2mWP/rebirth_brass_band_cassanova/

I was surfing Good Magazine and I saw a pretty interesting FEMA trailer prototype that has some potential. Its called the “EXO” or Emergency Housing Unit.

“Each unit can be set up in two minutes by a team of four people with no tools, they can be airlifted or stacked on a flatbed truck, and they’re made with durability and shelf life in mind (storing the mechanical components separately, for example, makes maintenance a breeze). The target cost is $5,000 per unit, about $60,000 cheaper than a FEMA trailer.”

They’re created by Michael McDaniel, a Mississippi native and senior designer at frog design.

http://www.reactionhousingsystem.com/index.html#home

Signs of New Orleans: An evening with Tom Varisco and Jackson Hill

When: Monday, November 17, 2008
Time: 7pm
Where: CANARY, 329 Julia St.
Who: Tom Varisco & Jackson Hill

Tom Varisco will share the vision and inspiration behind his newest book, “Signs of New Orleans”. Tom will be selling and signing books (at a special one-night-only discount), and photographer Jackson Hill will have images from the book available for sale.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of “Signs of New Orleans” will benefit AIGA New Orleans.

About “SIGNS”:

As a designer who deals with the integration of type and image on a daily basis, I have always been interested in the city’s “sign language.”

I think a city’s signs give us a sense of place. This book, though not a complete record of New Orleans’ signs, is a record nonetheless. It is an attempt to preserve some of the city’s unique words and images before they get painted over, destroyed or forgotten. These signs tell us something about their own environments. The book contains many recognizable signs like City Park, Tujaque’s Restaurant and Dew Drop Inn, but it also pictures obscure and humble neighborhood signs and markings that are an integral part of the city’s sense of humor and sense of self. Ultimately, it’s a picture book meant to entertain.

I was very fortunate to enlist some formidable talents to complete this project: John Biguenet, Anne Gisleson, Jackson Hill and Nick Marinello. The book would not be what it is without them.

About Tom:

Tom Varisco, a charter member of the local American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), is proprietor and creative director of Tom Varisco Designs, a full service, award winning studio in New Orleans.

The studio was the first ever chosen outside the New York region to provide all creative for one of Manhattan’s main cultural events: SummerStage in Central Park.

In 2007, Tom was awarded the first “Fellow Award” by the local chapter of the AIGA. The award recognizes designers who have made a significant contribution in their field.
Since 1985, Tom has taught design to fourth year students at Loyola University.

Desire, his award winning publication of observations and opinions about New Orleans, is in the permanent collection of Tulane University Library and New Orleans Public Library.

His first self published book, “Spoiled”, about the refrigerators left out after Hurricane Katrina hit, was a local best seller and was selected one of the best 50 designed books of 2005 by AIGA national.

More of his work can be seen at http://www.tomvariscodesigns.com.

About Jackson:

Jackson Hill is a still photographer who offers a signature style of imagery that pushes boundaries beyond the obvious and conventional. Tom Varisco and Jackson have collaborated on both artistic and commercial projects for over ten years. Jackson travels on professional assignment nationally and around the world. He frequently exhibits his work at his studio/gallery Southern Lights, located on the streetcar line in downtown New Orleans. He taught photography for 12 years at NOCCA and gives seminars about photography and digital imaging.

More of his work can be seen at http://www.southernlights.com.

Sorry. No new posts until tonight or tomorrow. work is kicking my butt right now.