COLBY DAPPLE-GANGER: SOUND UNBOUND

This is a big one: "Colby Dapple-ganger", "Boner for Book", and "Bigshoe Tunes" all wrapped up in one post. . . and all thanks to Italian reader Barbara, who sent mea copy of DJ Spooky's Sound Unbound.

"Sound Unbound is about the remix-- how music, art, and literature have blurred the lines between what an artist can do and what a composer can create."

But why talk about it, when you can just listen.  A sample:

Visually "remixing" the cover:

Dapple me in sound: Erection. Dance, music, Cross. HATCH

Aftermath of Creations Dub (In Three Parts) -- Alter Echo/Ge-te Do-Pe

Poèm Électronique -- Edgard Varèse

Hommage À John Cage -- Nam June Paik

One Minute -- Ryoji Ikeda

Music in Fifths -- Philip Glass

Rozart Mix -- John Cage

Concrete PH -- Iannis Xenakis

Reed Phase -- Steve Reich

Scratch Battle -- DJ Spooky vs. Rob Swift

Jean Cocteau: "Le Buste (DJ Spooky Remix) -- Jean Cocteau

Imagination -- Sun Ra

DI PALO'S PANE DEL PENE

I SEE

I SEE "PAN-IS" courtesy of BSD Reader Edgar. 

MARXIST KISSES

What can I say?  It's a Gramsci kinda weekend.  If the boys won't kiss you, don't give up trying.  :-)  

DRAG QUEEN OR COMMIE LIBERATOR?: PATRICE LUMUMBA

Patrice Lumumba

One of the beauties of writing your own blog is that you can write just about anything.  The Congo doesn't have much to do with porn, gay sex, or penises (unless you count the Belgian crown and 80 years of colonial control-- 23 years of which included brutal nation-wide enslavement-- as one giant DICK).  The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) is the second largest country in Africa and the 11th largest in the world.  Only in Africa could a war that has claimed nearly 5.4 million lives since 1998 go virtually unnoticed in the West.  Some of the violence stems all the way back to independence, when Leftist leader Patrice Lumumba was assassinated with the help of the CIA and replaced by the ego-maniacal and equally flamboyant dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, whose full, self-imposed title: Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga means "The all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to win, goes from conquest to conquest, leaving fire in his wake".  Which is all to say, despite the horrible historical consequences, both men had otherwise great   drag names.

I mention the Congo, first because I have a long standing personal fascination with Africa and this region in particular (I highly recommend Michela Wrong's "In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz" if you're interested in learning more), but also because the Italian art magazine Mousse recently inaugurated an artist curated video site called Vdrome.org.  The first film to feature, Sven Augustijnen's "Spectres", tells more of this story.  

If the Congo isn't quite your bag, bookmark Vdrome now and check in weekly for updated artist projects.

Why?

Cause Colby "the un-poweful Cumyounist Dicktator who, because of his uncompromising love for his readers, goes from blog post to blog post, leaving commands in his wake" tells you to!!!

Gurrrl werk: Mobutu Sese Seko

I SEE PENIS: CASTRATION CHAISE

Finally a chair for that special eunuch in your life.  Who says a botched bris can't be beautiful?

The latest creation by Fabio Novembre, "36H 56H Driade", courtesy of BSD reader Boutriack. 

Additional Fabio Novembre furniture you might like:

 "S.O.S. Capellini"

ANDROID

Its amazing what fun things you can do with a can of spray paint, a quick trip to the thrift store and rocking abs.  Socrate Roma, the man behind Mousetrip recently took these beautiful pics in the Italian Countryside.  What I wouldn't give for some sunshine and a silver codpiece.

RICK SANTORUM, COMMUNIST?

Rich Santorum has been called a lot of things, but communist?  According to the Italian weekly magazine Oggi, Rick's political aspirations run in the family, but not in ways you might imagine.  Santorum often likes to tout his grandfather's battle against fascism in Italy, but leaves out a few convenient details.  Pietro Santorum fled to the United States in 1925, the same year Mussolini began using the title "Il Duce".  The reason?  The Santorums were "ultraliberal leftists" according to Oggi.  Several family members who remained in Italy went on to serve as pillars in the Italian Communist Party.  Many of Rick's homophobic and pro-life policy positions don't sit well with the 83 year old matriarch of the family, Maria Malacarne Santorum, " To take a stand against homosexuality or to oppose divorce is harmful.  Principles count, but in politics one must have the capacity to be open-minded."  One family member took an even stronger tack, reminiscing about the days when high ranking Communist Party officials would visit the family home, "There are Santorums who would roll over in their graves to hear [Rick's] rhetoric.".

Add that to the froth Rick.  For more, check out the Daily Beast.

SEX GAMES

Ever had the urge to change genders mid-fuck?  Or desperately needed objective proof to finally gauge your orgasm aptitude?  Operating under the rubric "Don't hate the media, become the media", Italian gamers Molleindustria.org design fun interactive games that challenge norms and promote political activism.  

In addition to games like "Operation Pedopriest" and "McVideogame" (where you learn to operate your own fast food franchise from the industrial farm all the way up the chain of command to the corporate board), the clever programers at Molle Industria have designed a video-game that lets you test your skillz at faking your way through sex, the "Orgasm Simulator" (pictured above), and a special video-game designed for all of us two-spirited boys and girls out there (and every gender designation in-between):  "Queer Power: Welcome to Queerland" where a spontaneous sex change or two will help bring your partner to orgasm (and deliver your genderfuck genitals to victory).  

To learn more about Molle Industria's operating principals, check out this brief review by hacktivist Alessandro Ludovico: "Video-game Rules as Political Activism". 

A special thank you to avid gamer and former goat farmer Kenny for sending along a fun list of online games to keep me distracted and for helping me test my orgasm skillz. :-)

GUYS WITH GLASSES: TORA PORNFLAKES

In addition to being a bit of an olive-skinned Colby Doppelganger, a "Boy with Beard" and a "Guy with Glasses" the stud above, Tora, also belongs to a queer Italian art collective: Pornflakes.  If you find yourself anywhere near Milan your should check out their fun parties-- evidence of said fun (and Tora's butt), below. 

According to the group's manifesto, Pornflakes is "a nomadic entity occupying spaces, metabolizing them, approaching to the limit of the obscene as obscenum, outside the official scenic space, out of sight and beyond the commonly acceptable.  Pornflakes is a collective of gays and lesbians.  Perhaps representative of a reality deliberately on the margins of the institutional artistic contexts and practices."

So throw some Pornflakes in your balaclava and join the ranks of the WHORE-king Class!  

FLICK U: IL DIVO

After there was Il Duce, there was Il Divo.

Nicknamed "Beelzebub", "The Black Pope", and "The Hunchback", Giulio Andreotti ruled over Italy for much of the late 20th century, elected Prime Minister 7 times since 1946.  Andreotti's alleged relationship to the Cosa Nostra and his connections to several mysterious murders are the compelling subject of Paul Sorrentino's 2008 film "Il Divo".  Nominated for the Palme D'Or, "Il Divo" won the Prix du Jury at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

I'll confess I couldn't follow everything . . . There are a lot of Italian surnames thrown around that start to blend together, but the movie is beautifully filmed with a fun soundtrack.  After you're done watching Colby MEGACRUSH Rachel Maddow this election night, check out "Il Divo".  Make Machiavelli proud. . .