I am always on the lookout for fun websites, aren't you guys?
While it's easy enough to descend into a K-hole of Facebook-status-likery or YouTube gawking (lately I've been on an Electric Company kick), there's other stuff out there I plan to herein enjoy bringing to your attention.
Surely you already know Jezebel, Glasstire, Emvergeoning, Television Without Pity (yeah, Bravo owns it now, but the brilliant Jacob still writes for it), Etsy, artlies, and AlterNet.
Here are still others.
1
Ed is a brilliantly talented artist here in SATX. with a brand-spanking new website on (in?) which you can get a good look at his politically impassioned, technically accomplished, deeply-felt work. Saavedra's work never relies on knee-jerk shock value or easy irony, but is instead animated by a spirit of gritty, thwarted romanticism. The titles are often slyly double-entendre. His portraits of Fela Kuti, Ramsey Lewis, Harvey Milk, Lenny Bruce and Oscar Wilde truly illuminate, his appropriation of signage is surprising and deep, and some of it is for sale. Go see.
2
A freaking treasure trove archive of art resources founded and edited by poet Kenneth Goldsmith. Non-commercial, almost ridiculously exhaustive. Contains perusable images, sound, video, and text. Recent items made available (for free!) include a downloadable PDF of Hurricane, the poetical collaboration between (star curator and former Artpace guest curator) Hans Ulrich Obrist and Thai artist/ "Utopia Station" creator Rirkrit Tiravanija; Derek Jarman's short film In the Shadow of the Sun; and Agnés Varda's 1976 video Plaisir d'amour en Iran. You can also find some tracks from Toshimaru Nakamura's "Improvised Music From Japan!" Warhol Factory eccentric/poet-comic Taylor Mead reading his own poetry! And a new 24-hour non-stop UbuWeb radio stream!
3
This is a fascinating bit of online art by Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries that combines text/typography, music, and gender/political/sexual satire. I hope you read fast.
4
**NOT SAFE FOR WORK! I REPEAT, NOT SAFE FOR WORK! NOT. SAFE. FOR. WORK. AT. ALL.**
(I mean, unless you work where I do.)
But Dios mio, is it ever hysterically funny. Photos of (usually at least semi- naked, often at least semi-excited) men posing lasciviously in their very unfortunately-decorated houses. Sometimes, uh, more than one man. Think shag carpet, stuffed animals, bizarre tchotchkes, and naked-ass boners. (Word to str8 guys: almost-guaranteed to make you feel uncomfortable. Also, there are some explicit advertising images for gay adult sites on there.)
I'm guessing the images are taken from hook-up websites, or maybe submitted by readers from saucy e-mails? Each photo is accompanied by priceless commentary/critiqueâ?? not only from the site's founders, but from an astoundingly witty Greek chorus of regular reader-commenters. If you can withstand looking at peen and fugly decor without suffering a panic attack, check it out. FROM HOME.
5
Finally, here's the Flickr stream of a blazingly experimental hair salon in Lisbon, Portugal. I don't know if I'll ever have the courage to adopt such a hairstyle, but I admire the hell out of them.
I mean, look at this! And this role model person, in my opinion!
And this awesome lady!
I like this very much also.
Let's see, what else...I feel I've gone maybe too far in the frivolous direction. I started out all "terrific local artist" and "arts archive" and then "gay men making fun of naked gay men and bad furniture? and "hairdos."
6
OK, so here, teach yourself some French. (Why, it's free streaming eps of French in Action, which may be familiar to you if you took high school French in the
'80s-'90s or watch a whole lot of late-night PBS).
E-mail me any neato website suggestions you may have. Or, you know, whatever. Photos. Recipes. Your life story in under 200 words. I bet I'll post it! You can even cuss.
