Heads Will Roll

Calçotada

Catalan people are take extreme pride not only in their nation and language, but also in their innovativeness. In the arsenal of Catalan inventions we have Chupa Chup lollipops, bread with tomato (smeared squashed tomato, not to be mistaken with sliced tomatoes), Castelles (many stories high human pyramids where the smallest person risks their life at the top), and an oil dispenser that prevents oil from dripping on the table. At this time of year the pride and joy of most Catalanes are invested into a little onion called the calçot. It’s special because some Catalan person a long time ago figured out that if you keep on burying the tip of the onion that pokes out of the dirt the onion gets longer and longer, and bam, the calçot was born. So of course, every year this is celebrated in the spring when the calcots are harvested with a calçotada: a big lunch party where you burn the onions to a crisp on the BBQ, get your hands dirty, dip them a sauce and then deep throat them. Any socially accepted excuse to eat with your fingers is usually a good time, especially when you get to slap onions around. This nice old lady here was kind enough to give me a demonstration:

Step 1: Peel

Step 2: Dip

Step 3: Swallow

Artist Interview: Patryk Stasieczek

Artist Interview: Patryk Stasieczek from shouldercat on Vimeo.

The Philosopher's House

El Aeropuerto del Sur

On my way to Berlin for New Years this year, I had the most surreal airport experience. My flight ended up getting delayed for 7 hours or so, a total of 9 hours in the airport, plus the flight itself. Sound horrible, but it turned into the most amazing human experience. It was amplified for me by the extremely manic mood I was already in and my constant comparison of the real experience to Julio Cortazar's short story La Autopista del Sur.

Me and my airport friends

La Autopista del Sur is about a traffic jam that ends up lasting a really long time. Weeks turn into months, and maybe years, all the people in the traffic jam get to know each other and fall into their societal rolls according to what they did in their real life, but a certain level of social anonymity remains. Barriers never really break down, people only get to know each other very superficially and when all of a sudden traffic starts moving again, their world gets torn apart and they lose all their ''friends'' whose real names they didn't even know.

So here in the airport, the same thing was happening but instead of keeping barriers up, people were having a damn good time and making friends all over the place. By the time we landed in Berlin there was a definite comradeship in the air and people were exchanging phone numbers, making plans and saying good bye. It was really heart warming. I made two really awesome friends who appear in the photos below which I took to show the passage of time. They didn't really work out that well. It's impossible to say exactly why because I opened the stupid camera in broad day light and damaged the whole roll. These are the salvaged pictures.

Ricardo

El chico con la camisa violeta

La familia

Lali

English speaking Spanish speakers

Tall German Tranny

This is a Test

I finally made a new more legit stencil series. It's been a while. I'm gonna try to put it up in the street next week but until then I got impatient.

...do you know a place that's more fun than here?

The results of temporary insanity moments before my new camera broke which may be why the video is kind of weird quality.

...do you know a place that's more fun than here? from shouldercat on Vimeo.

Just for Decoration

I have a studio space now in my friends' apartment. For payment, I am to decorate the hell out of their apartment. I'd been there for 2 weeks without putting anything up so I started getting harassed and then forced to do the following:






Fun little anecdote: I originally made this stencil for 3 Acadian boys who wanted a naked girl for their giant over sized RV they bought in the middle of the planting season. Told them I needed an image for reference so they handed me a play boy magazine.

This was a horrible undertaking. I had to remake these stencils cuz they were falling apart. I hate revisiting something that's done, plus it's such an anal, rigorous process. My mother is making me send them to some gallery in England where she apparently has a connection so they needed a freshening up. Now I might as well try to sell some and make some euros. Also, I never got around to putting them on the street legit, so I gotta do that too.

A Classic

Today I gained a new appreciation for a classic game, actually it was my first appreciation and I feel like my whole childhood was a lie for never having tried it before. It almost feels worth it that the back wheel of my bike got stolen. Otherwise, I would never have been bringing home a replacement. Chance also had it that it was junk removal day in the area I was hanging out in so sticks - or the curved leg of a broken wooden chair - were readily available. The chair leg was slightly damp quite possibly from dog urine - I know the dog I'm living with would have pissed on it- but I didn't even care I had so much fun. I did my usually 30 min walk in half the time, running along like a little old fashion school boy (or children in a variety of countries where factory made toys are hard to come by). Practice is of vital importance, and by the time I was three blocks away from my house, I could do a whole block without the wheel falling down! I think all kids should revert back to this classic game, put away their non-versatile plastic toys and videos games. At the very least it should be introduced to gym class. I may start exclusively exercising this way - wheel with stick game.

El Tió vs Santa Claus

http://www.viceland.com/blogs/en/2010/12/27/el-tio-the-shitting-christmas-log/

Wow, this is the first time anything I've written has been edited and completely changed by an editor. Weird feeling. But I got published again on Vice! Now to mastermind how to get paid...or something...

Here´s the original text too. Maybe it was too politically incorrect, but I thought that was the whole point...

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