Dead Shoe Revival by MonkeyBoy Dan
July 19th, 2009 10:14 AM / Location: 53.427374,-2.224436I think my feet or more accurately, what my feet produce, could be evidence that I am a mutant. I believe that some of the sweat making genes got mixed up with their gastro-intestinal digestive equivalents with the result that my feet eat shoes. The latest victims of this evolutionary quirk are a pair of brown Lacostes that you may have seen in Colouring [The first four pics below document their lamentable fate]. I resolved that their sacrifice would not be in vain and they would rise again in the pursuit of art (and points)
The fabulous Fred Aldous* art and craft supplies shop was having a sale so I went to see what I could pick up for spare change to artify frugally. For two of the good Queen's pounds and four bad pennies I got three sheets of gold (effect) foil outline stickers and a pack of genuine imitation peacock tail-feathers [pic 5]. Bargain!
In due course the fallen footwear was beautified [six through eleven] but I felt something was missing ...... SOCK BEAGLES!
The next challenge was to find a suitable location to display my rarified (re)creations. Where would their aesthetic value be properly appreciated?
COTTONFEST 2009
of course.This third annual day/night shindig organised by my good friend Laith (possibly manchester's only Welsh/Lybian hybrid) was in need of a sign to direct funseekers to the right house as it's had a bit of a makeover recently. The front door and garage door are black where once they were a tasteful bitish racing green and the ivy that covered nearly all the front wall has been slaughtered mercilessly. The beagles felt this was a task suitable to their noble station.
Check the rest of the pics and vids below for some highlights of this delightful day. You will notice that as time goes on my documentation gets worse and worse. I turned up at about 2pm to help decorate and get the BBQ going. Drinking commenced. The first act didn't start until 6pm. Drinking continued. Need I say more?
The acts:-
Takahashi's Shellfish Concern
Skamel
Black Jack Barnet
The Lone Taxidermist failed to show - Shame on you Natalie Sharp GRRRR!
UPDATE MADNESS!
I was round Laith's before the Fuel pub quiz on Tuesday and they were still there, a little soggy perhaps, what with The Rain and all - but still there.
Fallen Heroes
Little visible damage from this angle: split sole, ground-in dirt.
ZE GOGGLES, THEY DO NUTHINK!
The brown insoles are leather. Good quality leather. The white bits are where the leather has been digested and my feet have eaten through down to the manmade core.
Hole
The seam stitching is intact, once again it is the leather that has given way in the face of relentless biological assault.
Wear
Tread completely worn away under the ball of the foot. The inevitable result of hurrying to a great many Very Important Business Meetings.
Materiel
Three different flavours of sticker - stars, funky and retro. Three feathers. Trionic resonances abound, coincidence? You decide.
Front
Back
Righty right
Or right starboard maybe....?
Righty left
Lefty left
Lefty right
Sock Beagle Giblets
Sock over cardboard with deodorant can for a solid base.
Sock Beagles?
They look angry. I don't know why I made them angry.
Fuck yes, Sock Beagles
The tongues are handles from an old gift bag.
Close up
Even more close up
COTTONFEST 2009
AW YEAH! WOOHOO!
Preparations #1
Amplification
Preparations #2
Rodrigo indulges in a little kitchen capentry to make a frame for Angela's canvas.
Preparations #3
Angela and her canvas in the street. The house is really quite small, just big enough for 40 or so people to rub up against each other for a mini-festival that is 100% mosh pit. Not that there was any moshing at this jazz-flavoured event. Copious skanking to Skamel later on but no moshing, pogoing, helicoptering or Important Business Meetings.
Preparations #4
Anton would have been more help in securing the canvas against the wind if he'd put down his beer. But that would have meant putting down his beerr. Unthinkable.
TAKAHASHI'S SHELLFISH CONCERN
Rod, Ange and Anton kicked off the festival with an improvised (Anton prefers the term de-composed) music and live art collaboration.
TAKAHASHI'S SHELLFISH CONCERN
Anton and Ange get funktastic in multimedia.
TAKAHASHI'S SHELLFISH CONCERN
Anton's intimidatingly complex bank of pedals. At one point I think he had every single one of these effects going simultaneously.
TAKAHASHI'S SHELLFISH CONCERN
Rod is a multi-instrumentalist genius. In this pic he's playnig with four sticks at once. He was playing the cymbals with a violin bow like when people play the saw a bit later. He had the bridge and stirings from a viola set up across on of his drums to play percussively like a mutant piano. And he had circuit bended (read physically hacked) electronica apparatus I couldn't begin to describe. Much respect to the big man from Miami.
TAKAHASHI'S SHELLFISH CONCERN
Download FLV
A two minute exccerpt from the 20 minutes of audiovisual exploration.
TAKAHASHI'S SHELLFISH CONCERN
The finished article. Due to the effects of many pints of Cider (trans-atlantic clarification:- HARD cider) I failed to capture the touching scene at the end of the night when Angela started to rip it up with the intention of burning it - she wasn't pleased with her work. Aussie Kelly was practically in tears begging Ange to let her buy it instead.
BLACK JACK BARNET
One third of the excellent Doctor Butler's Hatstand Medicine Band and a capital T Talent in his own right.
BLACK JACK BARNET
Download FLV
I was too busy singing along and laughing at the best of his self-written comical ditties to take vids of the best if them but this one is still top class. Visit his myspace NOW! I COMMAND IT!http://www.myspace.com/blackjackbarnet . Blood and brine is my absolute fave.
SKAMEL
Too busy dancing to take any video. The annoyingly talented Anton on guitar again :) Rod moves to bass duties.
Still there
I did offer to take them home with me when I left but they insisted on staying at their post.
Update
Sentinels, proud and resolute.
Update
Update
