Carpet Farm

Release

2012-02-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

Release from Nate Otto on Vimeo.

In my newest animation, I present a solution for your rodent problem.

Electric Magic

2012-02-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

Electric Magic by Carpet Farm
Scott Be Shredding! New song. Download for free.

Bulls Best

2012-01-29T19:47:00.000-08:00

Best of the Bulls since 1984

In 1984 my family moved to Chicago. That was also the year the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan, and the year I became a die-hard fan. I have compiled my “Best of the Bulls,” a 12 man roster of players who have played for the team since then. Keep in mind that players are eligible for this team based on the merit of who they were when they played for the Bulls, so no George Gervin for his ‘85-'86 swan song at Chicago Stadium. Also, I have tried to compile a team, not just a group of individual players. I tried to imagine how they would work together.

The Starters:

Point Guard:
Derrick Rose
Rose is a beast in every way. He wants nothing more than to win, and he will work his ass off to make it happen. Everything about this kid is great. At 23 he has already outdone any previous Chicago point guards by a mile. On top of his incredible game, his humility and personality are like nothing I have ever seen. He is truly unique. He was the league’s youngest MVP and he has a new rule in the collective bargaining agreement named after him. The fact that he is from Chicago is icing on the cake.

Shooting Guard:
Michael Jordan
Duh. Jordan was the best player ever. End of story. He may be a dick, but that helped make him the player he was. Six titles wouldn’t have happened without him. I could list all of his other accomplishments here, but it’s unnecessary. Anyone that claims Lebron or Kobe are superior players are either twelve years old or they live in Miami.

Small Forward:
Scottie Pippen

No tippin’ Pippen was more than the perfect compliment to Jordan, he was one of the best twenty players to ever play basketball (Bill Simmons rated him 24th). He redefined his position, especially from a defensive standpoint. People forget that Pippen almost led the Bulls to the Finals while Jordan was playing baseball. The term “point forward” could have been invented for him. He was a joy to watch. Some people may dismiss him by asking what he would have accomplished without Jordan, but I ask what would Jordan have accomplished without Pippen?

Power Forward:
Elton Brand
The first three picks were no-brainers. This one is probably controversial. Brand played his first two years in the league in Chicago (the beginning of the lean years), averaging a nearly identical 20 and 10 in those seasons and splitting the 2000 ROY with Steve Francis (where is he now?). He was then traded away for Tyson Chandler. Since leaving Chicago, Brand has had a solid but unspectacular career. Brand earns the starting nod for his ability to score from the post. There have been some solid fours in Chicago, but most of them excelled in other areas. I figured the team should have one viable post option, and that is where Brand comes in.

Center:
Joakim Noah
Woah! What am I thinking? Let’s face it, there haven’t been many franchise centers in Chicago. Luc Longley held down the anchor for the last three championships. Ben Wallace was mostly a bust. Tyson Chandler didn’t reach his full potential until leaving town. Curry? Puh-lease? I like Noah. Sure, his numbers are down this year and he may never average more than 12 points a game, but he is athletic, plays defense, hustles, rebounds, and his teammates like him. He is a goofball and he probably spends his offseason smoking blunts at the beach in the French Riviera, but he is a winner. Two NCAA titles in Florida prove that.

The Bench:

Toni Kukoc
Kukoc pretty much got shat on and overlooked during his six and a half years in Chicago. That was mainly due to the fact that he was a foreigner and Michal Jordan is a dick. Let’s not forget that Toni was an essential part of three championship teams. He had a unique and complete offensive game and he was a pioneer who helped make the game global. He may not have had what it takes to lead a team on his own, but he did average nearly 19, 7, and 6 after the deconstruction of the championship teams.

Dennis Rodman

The Worm was a colossal douche-bag. His appearances on reality shows and in the police blotter since his retirement have shown that he remains as such. That much was known about him before the Bulls picked him up for their final three rings. He played offense like a disabled spider and he was a constant pain in the ass with his clearly damaged persona, but he was probably the greatest pound-for-pound rebounder in league history. His smothering defense also complimented Jordan and Pippen perfectly. There is room for him on the bench.

John Paxson
BJ Armstrong hit a greater percentage of his 3 pointers. I was surprised by that fact. The Bulls had a hard time choosing between the two from ’89 to ’94 and I’m finding it difficult as well. They were very similar players and there is only room for one of them on the roster. Paxson gets the nod for being on the floor to hit the game winning shot in game six of the ’93 finals. Paxson was the ultimate role player. He was the Bulls’ second best player during Jordan’s early seasons. He was also a feisty locker room presence who was willing to stand up to Jordan (because Jordan was a dick). He was a class act and a consummate professional, a role he has continued in the Bulls front office.

Horace Grant
Grant came to Chicago in the draft that also netted Pippen. These were the seeds that would grow into a title tree (groan). Grant was a strong all around player. He was their best rebounder during the first three-peat and a solid defender. Grant also had the ability to drop key jumpers. He never made waves and I don’t recall anything about his personality beyond the goggles and the fact that his twin Harvey also had a good NBA career, but I’m assuming he didn’t last fifteen years in the league by being a jerk.

Bill Cartwright
I remember Cartwright mostly for his elbows. I’m sure those weapons were responsible for more than a few concussions, but nobody cared about that in the late eighties. He was an ungainly clod but he was effective. When the Bulls traded Charles Oakley for Cartwright, that was the hair-brained scheme that put them over the hump. It was never pretty watching Cartwright, but he got the job done. I once delivered a pizza to his house. His wife was not very happy that it took me 45 minutes. He didn’t do well as a coach for the Bulls, but his players were terrible. We will put aside those facts. He gets the nod over Tyson Chandler for the backup center spot.

Luol Deng
Deng is that constant presence that you don’t appreciate until he’s gone. He is like hot water. You take it for granted but you rely on it. This is his eighth season with the Bulls and he has amazingly never made the all-star team. How is it that the current Bulls team is one of the three best teams in the league and they only have one star? It is simply not the case. Deng is a star and a pro and a fill-in-the-blanks-all-around player.

Kirk Hinrich
This is the last slot on the active roster. I thought about giving the team a three-point specialist (Hodges, Korver, Kerr) or another wing player (Ron Harper, Jalen Rose, Artest) but I opted for another guy to fill in the blanks with his all around game. Kirk can play both guard spots. He is a strong defender, and a team first guy. He was arguably the best player on the roster from ’04 – ’08. Acquiring Hinrich was what allowed the Bulls to rebuild from the doormat they had been since Jordan’s retirement into the contender they are today. It’s too bad he can’t be around now to enjoy winning it all. It’s also too bad that he couldn’t consistently hit shots from downtown.

Honoratble Mention: (roughly in order)
Jalen Rose, Charles Oakley, Ben Gordon, BJ Armstrong, Ron Harper. Tyson Chandler,Ron Artest, Taj Gibson, Ben Wallace, Brad Miller, Cliff Levingston, Jay Williams, Randy Brown

Silver

2012-01-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

The silver set... There is a box full of comic book sleeves with backing boards in my "art room," but I don't collect comics. I started this collection because I like them as an art surface. I also like that they are neat, salable, protected objects. I draw something on them, slip them back in the bag, tape it up, and throw them in the box. Soon there will be 100. Occasionally, I get around to scanning them in. Check out the set at my flickr.

Stuff Blows Up

2012-01-15T19:02:00.001-08:00

I don't understand why I find this so soothing. I have only watched it on mute, so I apologize if the audio is something terrible.

What you Say

2011-12-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

What You Say by Carpet Farm

New Song! Scott and I recorded this a month and a half ago. We just released it five minutes ago. Enjoy. Download. Share.

Michael Jordan is a Dick

2011-12-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, the NBA lockout is over and the season will happen. If Michael Jordan had his way this wouldn't be the case. Jordan is now the owner of one of the league's worst franchises, The Charlotte Bobcats. He was reportedly the most vocal of the owners that wanted the players to give up even more in the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. What a dick. He already made his as a player, so it's time to stick it to the next generation. I grew up with Jordan. I loved him as a player. I've always been pretty diehard Bulls fan, but I knew from an early age that this guy had a destructive ego. Michael deserves credit for being the best and most entertaining player ever (he was really really really good), and there is no doubt that he knew how to win, which is what athletes are judged by above all other things, as if "winning" was a character trait. But he always put himself ahead of the team (they won a lot). People always forgave him for that because he was just that good, but now that he is retired and has that fat face and the hitler mustache, the hero worship can end. Derrick Rose is the new deal. He will never be Michael Jordan on the Court, but he seems like much more of a class act. Since I don't have a video of Jordan not tipping caddies and cheating on his ex wife, I posted a highlight video.

I just watched the video again and I regret everything I just said. Michael Jordan is the saint of Chicago.

Don't Eat the Snow Show

2011-12-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

I put this art show together for this Friday at the infamous Happy Dog Gallery. It should be interesting. It features, Nate Otto, Jeremy Pettis (he made the flyer), Tom Gallagher, Adam McIver, Kyle Harter, Uriel Correa, Abra Adduci, A Light Sleeper, and much much more. 1542 Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago Il. Friday Dec 16th 7:30 to the wee hours...

Brandon Roy

2011-12-09T19:08:00.001-08:00

One of the great young players in the NBA, Brandon Roy, had to retire at the age of 27 due to medical reasons. He was cursed by bad knees. While it's sad that such a great player and a classy individual had to hang it up before his time, at least he has his youth and his millions of dollars.

Chicago Style

2011-12-08T18:30:00.001-08:00

New Chicago Style from Jeremy Pettis on Vimeo.

The first 3 minute movie thing at Rodan was a success. Check out Jeremy's entry. Well done.

Chicago Animated

2011-12-06T20:19:00.001-08:00

A new Video.

Long Shadows

2011-12-02T15:09:00.001-08:00

Long Shadows by Carpet Farm

Hey there. Here is a free song. Get it! We may begin releasing a monthly free song. What do you think of that?

Sleeping on a Fire Video

2011-11-15T08:20:00.001-08:00

We shot this video two years ago, and we just completed it. Seems like the appropriate timeline.
You can download the song here for name your price.
Living in the Future EP by Carpet Farm

Scott Walker

2011-11-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

Scottie is coming to town! Scott Walker, not to be confused with the evil Wisconsin Governor or the creepy crooner that sings about Elvis' stillborn twin, is my collaborator in Carpet Farm. He is coming to Chicago next week to record some music with me. He has a wife, Kristina, and two lovely young daughters, and with that comes a host of responsibilities that make it difficult for him to plug in his guitar. I love the way Scottie plays a guitar. Nobody else sounds like him. Here is a Carpet Farm song that he made entirely on his own.

A Rough Night by Carpet Farm

The picture at the top of this post is of Scottie ripping with his old band, Crown Vic. He is also either singing or screaming in pain in that picture, something I don't let him do in Carpet Farm. Something he is allowed to do while in town is to sip whiskey until he passes out on my floor, as I imagine that behavior wouldn't go over well back home with the girls. At any rate, I'm excited to have Scottie coming to town, and to record our next album, the "arty" one. Look out!

Jeremy Pettis

2011-11-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

So I've been feeling rather productive art-wise lately. After a few years of not doing the work, I've been cranking it out for the last six months. I have a few shows coming up and just as I was feeling pretty good about myself, this kid Jeremy had to come along and ruin it. I met him at Atomic Sketch. He was making these great little doodles and charging a mere dollar for them -- an insult to himself. I traded some work with him and I've become acquainted with him. He seems to have a really positive attitude. The kid has done a ton of work and he is brimming with talent. He is ten years younger that me and I am finding myself a little envious. But I had to give props. Check out his stuff.

Dogs and Balls

2011-11-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

I convinced my friend, Chris, to post this video on Youtube. People love dogs and goofy stuff and short videos. This should be his ticket to a million views. Let's start now!

Train West Side

2011-10-25T17:14:00.001-07:00

This is a great ride.

Pant Stain

2011-10-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this for no reason whatsoever. Nothing like this happened to me, especially Friday night while I was climbing the stairs in a panic to get into my house.

Carpet Farm Free

2011-10-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

We have made arrangements to record our next release. In honor of that I have made all of our previous material available for download at "Name You Price." Go ahead and take it.

Vacations by Carpet Farm

Living in the Future EP by Carpet Farm

The History of by Carpet Farm

Dichroics

2011-10-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Growing on me rapidly. I used to know the bass player, Charlie, years ago. He made bugs into jewelry. The album was recorded by Jason Lowenstein, who was responsible for some of the best music of the 90's via Sebadoh. Give it a listen. These gents know what they are after. I have no idea how to pronounce the name.

Dichroics by Dichroics

The Origin of Love

2011-10-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

I always loved this movie. My friend, Chris, sent me this link and said the animation reminded him of some of my new art. I can see it a little bit. Great song. Cool animation.

Graffiti News Network

2011-10-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

I support smart graffiti that adds to the city and I deplore pointless tagging and destruction. This guy knows the difference and he adds some pretty funny commentary. I'm not part of the scene, but I know that Chicago often isn't in the conversation when it comes to graffiti art. This video is a good step in the direction of celebrating the good.

Theo Jansen

2011-09-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

These sculpture creatures are amazing.

Santa Fe

2011-09-24T09:38:00.001-07:00

Beirut makes great songs. This one has been on repeat in my head.

Marvin Gaye

2011-09-05T08:13:00.001-07:00

There is nothing quite like this in this day. I love the old footage of Chicago.

Etsy

2011-09-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

I have opened up an etsy store. We'll see how this goes.

As He Enters the Water

2011-08-24T18:39:00.001-07:00

I just put up my third micro-EP for Interludes of Duck. Quack...Goes the Duck...As He Enters The Water...

As He Enters the Water by Interludes of Duck

Tiny Houses Part Two

2011-08-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

I like this little house from Jay at Tumbleweed houses.

Some really cool stuff - stacked shipping container apartment buildings - at this blog.

There are a number of prefab options out there, but all of the websites look four years old and the prices don't reflect mass production. They simply don't seem to match up to the pricing. Here's a post that lists some interesting links.

After a little more digging, my favorite is the C3 cabin, a design from an architecture firm first built in 1999 and it won some fancy design award in 2006, sparking new interest. You can buy the plans for $850. I can't figure out how much it would cost to build it, but they designed it with cost and ease in mind. It looks really cool. 352 square feet plus loft space. I would totally live there. My biggest concern would be climbing down the ladder in the middle of the night. The architect's site is flash-laden and I couldn't wait for that stuff to load. Here is a post. All the posts about this say the same thing. I want to see one of these.

Maurice Sendak

2011-08-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

I watched a little featurette about "Where the Wild Things are," author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak, the other day, and I was very impressed by him. I couldn't find that one called, "Getting to know Maurice Sendak," online, but there are others. He is impressive by how humble and open he is. I think it is amazing how he was able to let Spike Jonze make it his own when he made the movie. He spoke about how it was initially called where the wild horses are, but he wasn't good at drawing horses. I want to make a children's books. Maurice Sendak is a good model.

Tiny Homes

2011-08-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Do I like to imagine living in a tiny home, or do I just like thinking about designing one? The micro compact home is a cool solution. Living in an iPod shuffle. The design hasn't evolved since it came out in 2005 and it looks like the website hasn't been updated. They refer to 2008 as the future. Maybe it is. the $50,000 price tag is ridiculous. I know it's the design you are paying for, but in order to be a real option, that price has to be closer to ten grand. For $50,000 you could get a really nice van with similar amenities, and then you could drive away in it.

I found this video of a more realistic option for micro-living. Yes Wee Cabins. This guy, Tim Guiles, seems very thoughtful and kind and I'm sure he has strong political views that he argues well. But he clicks his tongue whenever he starts speaking and that would quite possibly drive me to violence within 48 hours if I had to share that space with him.

If someone could marry these two tiny housing options and make a new baby house with the combination of the modern high tech austrian solution and the hippie professor cabin tongue clicking path, I think I would want to live there... for a little while.

Thumbs Up

2011-08-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon the TV show "Thumbs Up" on Netflix. There was no description but I was intrigued by the image so I watched an episode. Turns out it is Dave Choe hitch-hiking and train hopping around the country with his cousin who never speaks. I had heard of Choe before from the hipsterverse. He is some sort of street artist ruffian character. I also have an affinity for train hopping left over from a brief adventure I had a dozen years ago. I love this show! He does things that reasonable people simply don't do. I eat a pizza from my couch and watch. Dude is a crazy madman adventurer. There are nine episodes on Netflix at 22 to 27 minutes per. Watch some. It's on the interwebs. This is his blog. Go Choe!

Cloudbirds

2011-08-07T12:02:00.001-07:00

I like this song and the video directed by my buddy Chris Batte. I think that these guys used to be the band the M's

A Light Sleeper

2011-08-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone is in a band, right? I'm in two imaginary bands and I can't even play anything. I have this buddy, Dheeru, from the bar. I expected to like his band because he seems like the sort that would have good taste (he likes my art) and the most important part of being a good artist is having good taste. But I didn't expect to like his band, A Light Sleeper, as much as I do, because, you know, everybody has a band. Megan went to a show of theirs last week and brought home a CD. I totally dig it; sax, guitar, breathy chants and yelps, drums. I won't diminish it by comparing it to stuff or classifying it. Their record, Amicability, came out two years ago. Go listen to it at their website. I am particularly enamored with the first track, For Lovers, All is Beauteous.

The Parking Lot Movie

2011-07-31T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is a scene from The Parking Lot Movie. A good performance. Mark Schottinger is his name.

Closing credits song...

Collect Art Updated

2011-07-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

My most popular post has been this Collect Art post. I updated it a tad. I took out the vague insults of people I don't know, because what is the point of that Nate? Really dude! I added a few more. I'm sure I'll update it again later. In an unrelated note, I'm watching "The Parking Lot Movie." I recommend it and I can relate, but I'm feeling guilty about the time I didn't pay at the movie theater parking lot because the gate was already up and the movie I saw sucked, like that justified it somehow.

Um.... Baquiat

Jamie Elizabeth

2011-07-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

When I was at Columbia College I was a fan, friend, and peer of someone I knew as Jamie Elizabeth. She and I were often in our studio spaces at the same time and she was da bomb, as a painter and as a lady. Apparently she has added Hudrlik to her name, or maybe it was always supposed to be there. I'm not sure why she lives in Iowa City either. It could be that she got married. At any rate, she was an amazing painter and by the looks of things she is even better now. Looks as though she also has a thriving etsy vintage biz going on. I might try to navigate those etsy waters more thoroughly soon (here is my feeble opening entry). Jamie can paint and she is cool. 'Nuff said.

Goes the Duck

2011-07-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

My little side project has a new little EP. I plan on making about 18 more of these little
EPs. So far there is Quack... Goes The Duck. This one hasn't been mastered yet but I'm inpatient. This one is instrumental, but the next one will be overloaded with my voice. Give a listen... as long as you can stand it.

Goes The Duck by Interludes of Duck

You Are Beautiful

2011-07-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

For years in Chicago these "You are Beautiful" words have shown up in the most not beautiful locations. This image isn't the best example, but I pass it every day on my way to work. Some of the letters have gone missing. It is street art at its best if you ask me. It is not graffiti. It enhances its environs. They send free stickers for a SASE. Check it out.

Pitchfork

2011-07-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

music festivals usually aren't quite my speed. Standing in a big field in the stifling heat, hearing muffled music from the stage a half mile away while shoulder to shoulder with the tripping masses whose average age is ten years my junior. But I will make an exception for Pitchfork. It is a manageable size and easy to get to, and due to my dubious volunteer pass with the perks of comped food and drink, absolutely free to me. Tonight I will see Animal Collective. This is a non-video. Just an image and a nine minute song. But I do love this song. Close your eyes.

Bolt

2011-07-12T20:48:00.001-07:00

This is old news, but still amazing.

nongallery evolution

2011-07-12T20:08:00.001-07:00

Please check out nongallery. It's been evolving.

Dimetrodon

Square Feet Set

2011-07-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

I have now done twenty five square foot panels. This number will continue to grow. I created a photo set for them.

Crank Ass Easter

2011-07-02T21:40:00.001-07:00

SNL is still funny sometimes. I love these Crunk Ass spots.

Escapology

2011-07-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

Carpet Farm got a nice review. I like this site and they have wonderful taste.

http://escapebadmusic.com/post/7110295549/carpet-farm-takes-some-extremely-compelling-beats

highlights

2011-06-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

I love these Youtube videos of European basketball draft prospects. Booty rap and cheesy fades over a Czech teenager shooting free throws. Great stuff.

Square feet

2011-06-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been doing well about keeping up on this on a daily basis, but I have been good about making art. I'm about to change my approach once again. Over the course of the last two weeks I have made a dozen 12"X12" panels. I have 50 more cradled panels coming in the mail. They are bright and cheerful and once I get to a hundred I'll try to start selling them off. I'm just cranking them out and not over thinking the process. I am guilty of being a thinker and a naysayer but not always a doer. This new series is a step in the right direction. Here is a pic of the four latest.

The Manipulators

2011-06-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

Andrew Jeffrey Wright

2011-06-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

I just learned about this guy and now I'm a fan...

Survivorguy

2011-05-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

Liam Lynch! This is great. Get the FREE Lynchland podcast.

Nongallery Part 2

2011-04-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I started nongallery in an attempt to show off my art. The initial idea was that everyday I would post a new image. Some of them were going to be illustrations of other people's twitter posts.

The thinking was I would start a new twitter @nongallery and perhaps I'd start to illustrate the tweets of the Twitter bigwigs. You know, maybe @thesulk would retweet my post of an illustration and it would take off like crazy. It's an idea, and not a bad one. I quickly relearned, however, that Twitter drives me fucking nuts! I'm not really that into it. It doesn't even work on any of my three browsers 90% of the time. I'm also not really into following creepy people just because they follow me. The other day I decided to add a line to nongallery that everything is for sale. Almost immediately I got an email from someone who was interested in buying a piece. Awesome! but the problem was that the piece was a heavily photoshopped (or pixelmatored in my case) version of a scanned drawing. see below:

A bunch of the other images I had posted were no longer mine, drawn on the backs of other images, or otherwise nonexistant. Hmmm, time to fine tune this thing. How do I collect payment? How do I signify the price and the specs? I have some figuring out to do. This thing is only a couple of weeks old but I like where it is heading. I think going forward all of the posts will be of smallish salable items that exist in three dimensional reality. That much I have figured.

If anyone has advice as to how to collect payment, (paypal, Intuit?) I'm all ears.

To those two individuals who immediately expressed interest in purchasing items. I sincerely thank you for your interest and I ask for a little bit of patience. My thinking is that most of the drawings on there will be $20-$30 with the rare piece (Gary Indiana) going for closer to $100 because it's an extra special object.

Go check out nongallery !!!!

Atomic Sketch

2011-04-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Above: Kyle Francis Harter

A couple of months ago I heard about this thing going on at the Green Eye where people would draw pictures and post them on the wall of the bar for patrons to buy. Because I'm a curmudgeon and not a joiner I figured that this was not for me. But I went last month to check it out. I have a pretty serious home field advantage. I am a regular at the Green Eye and my paintings were on the walls in there at that time. I decided to participate in the event. I made four or five drawings and sold all but one. I'm glad I participated. It's a cool event and I will take part int he Atomic Sketch again tonight. The last Thursday of every month, starting at 6:00 at the Green Eye Lounge. Come buy my art for cheaper than you would ever be able to otherwise.

No Free Art

2011-04-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Recently I was given the "opportunity" to do some art on tables and benches at a new local restaurant, but I turned it down. Why would I turn down having my art permanently in a great restaurant? Money, or rather the lack of any of it at all. Yup, it turns out I'm a capitalist. I was considering hanging my art there instead but they said they would take a commission on sales. I had to turn that down on principle. It is a wonderful restaurant run by really cool people, but why would they expect art for free? They wouldn't ask someone to wait tables for free or supply eggs for free. Why is it enough to offer "exposure" to artists? I think taking such a job in exchange for "exposure" devalues the work of artists. They should make meals for me and a bunch of friends and I'll pay them in exposure. As for the commission... In my opinion the only place that has the right to get a commission from sales is a gallery. Artists are doing bars and restaurants a favor by hanging their art, and in exchange for that they should keep 100% of the revenue from sales. That's how it works. It is mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship like that of the hippo and the birds that clean their teeth (I'm not sure if this is a real thing). Taking a cut of sales is straight up exploitation. I understand a new restaurant owned by non-millionaires probably wants to squeeze out every dime they can, but not my dime and not my art. Sorry. But I hear that their grilled cheese is the bomb.

Nongallery Launch

2011-04-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

I started a new site to promote my art. it is called nongallery.com. I will update the new site with an image daily. I will confine my music/movie opinions and insults of Irish people to this page. Go check it out.

The second wall

2011-04-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago I did a second wall for 37signals. Here is a peek.

ScArY LAdY

2011-04-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

I like the enhanced Afrobeat element of the new TuNeYaRdS material. The lady that fronts/is this band is kind of frightening, but great artist should be kind of intimidating and scary. She seems like the type of person who might poop on the middle of your floor if you let her stay at your house. I mean that in the best possible way. This is great stuff.

Wonder Woman

2011-04-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

When I was a little kid I used to watch wonder woman on our nine inch black and white tv. I remember being convinced that I saw purple, but everyone said it was impossible because the tv was black and white. Wonder woman made me see purple. I think she also taught me that I was hetero. You're not going to believe this but there's some broad on a skateboard coming after us.

Misguided Irish Pride

2011-03-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

I attended a Notre Dame basketball game last night, a NCAA tournament drubbing at the hands of Florida State. It was at the United Center in Chicago and pretty much a home game for Notre Dame. The fans kept yelling "Go Irish!" It struck me as odd. Can you imaging people yelling "Go Japanese!" or "Africans!" without some sort of backlash? The whole Irish pride thing has always seemed strange to me. They get a whole obnoxious drinking holiday and the best color in the rainbow. What is the difference between Irish pride and white pride? I'm part Irish. I'm also part German, part English, etc. I'm a white guy. I don't need a parade. Pretty much all of history has gone in the favor of people that look like me. The Irish pride thing is tacky and bizarre. So is being drunk in public at noon in a plastic green hat.

Worn Walls

2011-03-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a wall. I like walls. I like walls that were behind other walls and then the other walls fell down revealing the wall that wasn't meant to be seen. This particular wall is at Racine and Madison. I like scraped up billboards, worn down and peeling paint jobs, and cover ups that didn't quite cover. In unrelated news: I can't sleep. I feel like I haven't slept in years.

Elephant Six

2011-03-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

Years ago I lived for a winter with Elf Power frontman Andrew Rieger. His band is part of the so-called Elephant Six Collective. We collaborated on this song, The Cracks (one of their least popular songs ever). This is not an official video. I don't know the identity of the odd Asian fellow dancing on the rooftop. I made the head splitting beat and the crazy digital noise in the background. I think I was credited with "electronics."

Andrew is coming to town tonight as part of the Elephant Six Holiday Surprise Tour. It sounds like it should be fun.

Andrew is the one next to Abe Lincoln. Supposedly, there is a chance that recluse Jeff Mangum will show. I will be in attendance to find out.

iPhone Scanner

2011-03-12T17:12:00.001-08:00

I was searching for a device that I could use to make hi-res scans of drawings, then dock to my iphone and send off. I was picturing a little hand held scanner with a little cord that I could plug into my phone. I didn't find that gadget but I did stumble upon this invention.

I didn't download the specs, follow the directions, and manufacture this design, because that just isn't my style. I decided to rig up my own. I found a little shipping box in my closet, pulled out a kitchen knife, a ruler, and some scotch tape. Voila, fifteen minutes later I had this.

It could use some improvements, but it's not bad for a prototype. I think the fact that it was made from the cardboard of one box is pretty cool. Here is the first important document to be "scanned."

Nowhere Boy Sucks

2011-03-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

Nowhere boy sucks.

Here is the IMBD blurb: "A chronicle of John Lennon's first years, focused mainly in his adolescence and his relationship with his stern aunt Mimi, who raised him, and his absentee mother Julia, who re-entered his life at a crucial moment in his young life."

Terrible. Don't be fooled by it's mediocrity. This was the worst movie watching experience I've had in recent memory. Don't do it.

Phone Pix

2011-03-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of some disposable art that I made. There are a bunch more in this new set. This particular pizza box drawing was started at the Piece logo and then I worked out from there. This image later served as the initial style template for the 37signals job. I'm going back there on Thursday to do another wall. In other news I got the go ahead from Alderman Moreno to start painting on the Bloomingdale Trail. I have to jump through a hoop or two to get the permit in my hand, but it will be a go. You will find me painting a big ass wall in Humboldt Park as soon and the weather breaks.

Important Comics

2011-02-26T16:03:00.000-08:00

I found this site through Abra's page. As soon as I went there my eyes went "yum." I don't know who she is or what she stands for or why the font is so small, but the images make me happy. This looks like album art for somebody I don't know. For all I know this Dina person had nothing to do with it. What is going on?

A Doozy

2011-02-24T15:01:00.000-08:00

Have you ever met a young woman who, five minutes after becoming acquainted, told you about her various issues and the disgusting things that she did with some guy last night? You met Abra! Her particular brand of train wreck is entertaining because she is intelligent and witty and she has a distinctive writing style. I've known her for years and I've even had the unique pleasure of living under the same roof as her. Now I'm happy to read about her antics on the interweb. Have you ever heard of someone getting suspended from their grad program at an "elite" art school due to the contents of her blog? It's ridiculous, right? It happend to Abra. I don't know why she didn't start a blog years ago, but now that she finally has I am happy to read about her life from a safe distance. The rambo pic was the third option when I googled her name. She still has a Friendster page, too. That's pretty cool, or maybe not. Anyways, read her blog.

The title of this video made me laugh before I watched it. It's Abra.

Dunk Balls

2011-02-20T06:59:00.000-08:00

Did you watch the dunk contest last night? Me neither. I went to see Motorhead and then I danced under lasers. Clippers rookie, Blake Griffin, won. This was how he started the night... After that dunk, things got really interesting when Porkins from Star Wars flew in with a bucket of chicken. He proceeded to put down his patended "finger licking" dunk. Another unexpected contestant, Undead Abraham Lincoln, put down his monster "top hat" dunk while eating a bowl of soup. Then, Benny the Brontosaurus that never existed, immortalized in this song, emerged from his time machine and laid an egg at half court. Blake Griffin took the egg and dunked it by jumping from the free throw line and passing over a fleet of rented Ford Escorts on his way to the hoop. After that everyone died. It was equal parts amazing and unexpected, or so I hear. I was busy dancing under lasers. Oh yes, and there were adopted ducks.

Drunk babies

2011-02-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

Oh Youtube... The only thing cuter than kittens and puppies is babies, especially a baby cast as a drunk middle aged lady with a fanny pack. Megan has been watching this video over and over again. She has single handedly made it go viral. It is rather brilliant.

Super Art Fight

2011-02-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

I have to get better at selling myself. Last night a guy wanted to buy a painting from me and I essentially talked him out of it by doing a lame job selling myself. I have to rectify this problem. Stop this false humility BS. Look. I am the BEST. Other people are charging more and making more off their art, but I am THE BEST. A friend of a friend is making five grand today to paint the hood of a Fiat at the auto show for a couple of hours. I could kick his ass. I just learned about something going on in Baltimore called Super Art Fight, competitive doodling before an audience. I could seriously kick all of their asses. This has to come to Chicago. I will win, because in case you weren't paying attention; I AM THE BEST!

Turbo and Easy

2011-02-14T16:27:00.000-08:00

Does iTunes work? Sometimes. Follow this link and find out. I put up a song for Interludes of Duck on there a week or so ago. Check it out. This song is named after a pair of bartenders that always compliment Megan's boobs. I'm never sure how I'm supposed to react.

Turbo and Easy - Single - Interludes of Duck

MVP

2011-02-13T08:13:00.001-08:00

Derrick Rose! Before this season I thought D Rose was a great player, an all-star, and one of the best point guards in the league, but I never thought he would have developed into the player he is today. I never thought that he would become the type of player that could lead a team to a championship or be among the top ten players in the league, but my thinking has changed. In back to back games this week he schooled Jeron Williams and Chris Paul who had been considered his superiors. Now I think there is little doubt that Derrick Rose is the best player at his position. If he keeps progressing at this rate, he will be one of the best to ever play the game. That was crazy talk not long ago, but nobody who follows basketball is laughing now. There is no weakness in his game. His defense and his outside shooting were suspect before this year, but he has become solid at both. He is the strongest point guard I've ever seen. He rarely makes mistakes. He's insanely humble and he lives and breaths basketball. He doesn't care about the hype. He blows off tv shoots so he can get his rest. He is a home town kid. He may not be the best public speaker yet but how many kids that went to Simeon are. He is a smart, hard working guy that was born with a gift and he's using it to the fullest. How many people really do that? There is no other player in the league that I would rather have on the Bulls. The kid is 22! Forget Lebron. The Bulls have Rose! Cue cheesy hip hop laced highlight reel.

Travis Takes a Wall

2011-02-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

This is the one and only Travis Millard doing a wall piece in 2004 in recently uncovered footage. The dude is/was a beast.

TRAVIS MILLARD | THE PACT | 2004 from ARTHUR MOR on Vimeo.

Groupon Commercial

2011-02-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

Chicago based Groupon, one of the fastest growing companies in history, messed up in their Super Bowl commercial. They got to where they are without any advertising whatsoever, relying on word of mouth and their ever growing email subscription list, but when they attempted to make a big splash at the Super Bowl, they managed to turn off more people than they brought in. I know the adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity, but they didn't need the publicity. When GoDaddy first put on their trashy, tacky commercials, they were an unknown. Groupon, on the otherhand, was thriving and growing at an unreal rate. Why potentially mess with that. The ad... well just watch it.

I don't personally find it offensive, but I think it's a joke that doesn't work. They say that they are making fun of themselves and the trivial nature of their deals, but it comes across like they are making fun of people who believe in such causes. Why risk the misinterpretation? They should have gone the safe route. Google doesn't generally advertise, but during last year's Super Bowl they hit the right notes. While I'm second guessing Groupon, I think they should have sold to Google when they had the chance.
Here is Google's ad for comparison. Notice the difference in tone.

iTunes never works

2011-02-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

I buy stuff. Why does the iTunes store never work? It drives me bats. It costs them money. Apple wants my money. I want to give it to them. For instance, right now I want to buy four episodes of Portlandia. I'm dying to give them my hard earned cash, but now I'll probably just go watch a crappy version streamed illegally from Korea. AHHRRRRGGGHHH!!! Anyways, the dream of the 90's lives on for me, even in Chicagolandia.

Cave Drawing

2011-02-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

Last week my friends at 37signals had me in to draw on their walls. It went well. I'm quite happy with what I did and I love the feedback I've gotten. They have another wall for me to attack next month, and I'm eyeing the nearby bloomingdale trail, which I'd like to paint in a similar style come spring. Check out their much more popular blog post on the subject.

Don Hertzfeldt

2011-01-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

rough animation

2011-01-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

This is an early draft of a little animation I'm working on. I'm making up the process as I go. The sound effects were put in there at the last second. Enjoy. It's a self-portrait.

Bigfoot Birth

2011-01-29T07:37:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why this sasquatch is giving birth from a tree, but nature works in mysterious ways. At any rate this is a beautiful and rare event.

Interludes of Duck

2011-01-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

I finally relented to the pressure from the press and put out a little solo project.... No really, due to the fact that I don't have kids, I have more time on my hands to make unprofitable art for art's sake than Scott does. Carpet Farm will do something this year, but this was my chance to do something a little different. I am pleased with the results. Scott was kind enough to master it for me. He would have been appalled by my recording techniques, but here it is in all of its high tech lo-fi glory... Presenting: Interludes of Duck.

Nate Otto

2011-01-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

I MADE A MUCH BETTER ABOUT NATE PAGE. CLICK HERE.

Who is Nate Otto? He is the man standing behind that painting. He's the guy who released an album two hours ago. He's the Nate that is waiting for his Megan to get home from teaching ballet so he can open this bottle of wine. He is the man who is writing about himself in third person. This is his blog. Which Nate is this? He is the guy who went to work today so he could teach people with developmental disabilities. He is not a designer. He is not a budding star. He is an artist, and a teacher. He wants to do more art for people. Please contact. Nate says thanks.

ottonate@gmail.com

Vivian Maier

2011-01-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

I'm not usually a huge fan of photography, but these images by Vivian Maier are really striking, and I love the fact that she was completely undiscovered as an artist until her work was stumbled upon in storage. I like this work as a documentation of the city I know in a different time. Check out this.

Two Images

2011-01-18T17:56:00.000-08:00

2 images...

Double Dream Hands!

2011-01-17T15:24:00.000-08:00

I'm going to choreograph a similar dance for Come in Alive.

Face Tat Part 2

2011-01-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

Nothing says "I'm crazy" like a face tattoo of an ice cream cone. This guy is a rapper by the name of Gucci Mane. He was recently hospitalized for being wacko after entering a plea for mental incompetency at a probation hearing. He was there for driving down the wrong side of the street and general bizarre behavior. Time to get a face tat. Keep up the good work, Gucci.

Ok. I didn't know about this guy. Not only is he crazy but he really sucks! This song is terrible. 15 million people have viewed this crap, and we can't even get our families to buy our album.

2010 in Review

2011-01-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

2010 was a big year for Carpet Farm. We released two albums: Living in the Future...

And the full length, Vacations...

Learn more about the history of Carpet Farm

and the History Part 2

This blog has also picked up some steam. There were 153 posts in 2010, after 14 in '09. Please continue to come back and see what we are up to. There will be more in 2011. We love you. Thank you for listening and reading and paying attention.

Sign my Cast

2011-01-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

This song is catchy

Crash and Go

2010-12-21T16:23:00.001-08:00

Here is video of someone crashing into Megan's car and then parking fifty feet away. Her car is pretty much totaled. They then go into our neighbor's house and stay there until 9:00 am, but we can't get the plate number from the video so the cops say that they can't do much. The first cop that came to the scene sucked ass. He accused us of being racist for simply describing the people in the video. He was completely disinterested and rude. Megan told him to go get a donut, then went to the precinct where we received proper attention. The car is old and we only had liability insurance, so until we figure out who these assholes are, we are out of luck.

Not Public

2010-12-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

Scott Walker, my friend and partner in Carpet Farm, is an odd bird. He put these images In a folder labeled not public in one of the many web applications with a carpet farm log-in. I am making them public and leaving them without explanation.

Ad Song

2010-12-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

After seeing that Christmas commercial for Hyundai 10,000 times, I got to wondering, who are these indie rock hucksters? Turns out they are called Pomplamoose, and they have lots of videos. They have also had millions of views and they don't need my help. Regardless, this is a pretty great Christmas song. It's not an easy feat to pull off a good Christmas song (but not as rare as a good Beatles cover). They are not selling the Christmas album but giving it away for free if you donate a book to the needy. That is a luxury you can afford if you are rolling in Hyundai money. That's no joke. Hyundai has come a long way since that Beck song, "Debra."

And speaking of Christmas songs, here is a free album of oddball obscurities from Sound Opinions

Kiel Johnson

2010-12-14T18:26:00.000-08:00

Some artists work really hard, and others, like me, just sit around thinking a lot about what they are going to do, occasionally putting those thoughts into action. I am in awe of the true hard workers. This guy, Kiel Johnson, is a maniac. We were at KU at the same time, but I don't remember him. I have become a fan. Check out the man in action...

Kiel Johnson's Cardboard Twin Lens Reflex Camera Time Lapse from Theo Jemison on Vimeo.

Vacations, the Song

2010-12-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

This song was started back when I lived in the fire hydrant house on that ghetto corner in Logan Square. There was one of those old electric organs in the basement. One of the wooden pedal beams was permanently depressed so there was an ongoing bass tone in that key. Scott came to Chicago for a few days and we recorded the organ part then. I made up the part pretty much on the spot. Scott did some looping surgery with the beat. He came back some months later and we recorded the keyboard and the guitar and the whistling. Come in Alive and Time Machine were also done then. I recorded vocals for this song too. I really liked the vocal version but Scott preferred it as an instrumental. The song was called "Kenya" for a while, after this gangsta douche that was always hanging out in front of that house. He is now doing life in prison for murder. He and one of his little gang buddies shot across a playground aiming at a rival douche across the way. The bullet hit and killed a thirteen year old girl. We changed the name to "Vacations," making it the title track, because who wants to honor a murderer.

Face Tattoos

2010-12-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

Face Tattoos are always a great idea. Nothing can enhance a person's likelihood to be remembered by strangers passing on the sidewalk more than a face tattoo.

Time Machine

2010-12-04T06:50:00.000-08:00

An interesting thing happens when you make an album available for streaming on the internet. You get diminishing playbacks. Every song on the album gets played fewer times than the previous song. If you put some of your best songs late in the album, they will only get a fraction of plays as the first few songs. The second to last song on our new album is one of the strongest. Give it a listen.

Vacations

2010-12-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

The History of Carpet Farm pt. 2

2010-12-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

(From Scott)
We should also mention the "Studio 7" days, when I had my recording stuff stashed at Shawn Lamoreaux's house (and Shawn Hill's). Those were my itnereant couch-surfing days and the deal was I would leave my set-up there and they could have first dibs on using it, as long as I could come crash on the couch any time. The equipment btw was a Tascam 464mkII 4-track, an AKAI S-20 sampler (floppy disks, y'all!), and a gen-1 Line6 POD, as well as some pedals and my guitars. This was also the stuff used a few months later to record "Tape".

The equipment was set up in an L-shaped bar with shelves that I think Shawn L's dad built, which we christened Studio 7. Several worthwhile projects came out of this. There was Shawn and Shawn's set of demented covers called the Webelos, and Lamoreaux's amazing mega-EP Spazeghost. Carpet Farm and Spazeghost swapped a little DNA in that some of the samples I grabbed ended up as the basis for some great SG songs, and I used some stuff Shawn grabbed to record a Rough Night, which made it onto "Tape" and is currently up on the History of... page. There was some other stuff which got lost, like an after-the-bar ripoff of Dr. Octagon's Earth People called Interstellar Doublewide, and an acoustic song with the same crazy fx bending as A Rough Night. Only one true Carpet/Ghost collaboration survived: an acoustic/casio instrumental version of War Pigs, which may surface someday.

Studio 7 ended up in somebody's garage, some of the tapes disappeared, and then there was that addled night with my video editing board and the sound effects that still haunts me to this day, but there was a ton of good stuff that came out of there.

SW

Megan Dancing

2010-11-30T14:38:00.000-08:00

The beautiful woman dancing in this official video is my lovely and talented girlfriend Megan. What a lucky feller I am.

The History of Carpet Farm

2010-11-17T15:55:00.001-08:00

Carpet Farm was born nearly a score ago when Scott and I would go to record experimental four-track music at these dude's (names forgotten) house. We were six years old and full of bad habits.

Those recording were all likely quite terrible. Slightly less terrible were the recordings done on Lance's four track the next year at the little yellow (nasty roach infested) house. Some of those recordings had some charm. There were moments when the recording of the TV flipping channels somehow synced up with whatever shenanigans were recorded on the other three tracks. There was a percussive Pringles can involved. Lots of flipping the tape and twiddling the pitch knob. There were moments, but in between those moments were vast deserts of unlistenable racket. We thought it was amazing but other people didn't get it.

We formed the band, Wendigo, shortly after that, along with Kai Gilbert on the skins and Lance Loethen filling out the dual axe attack. Wendigo was very unique, but unfortunately our best stuff was never recorded. We achieved some very small measure of local Lawrence Kansas notoriety, playing with the likes of Panel Donor and June of '44. We played some basements and a barn art show in the cold. I played bass and sang and Scott played guitar. The stuff I liked the best was a sort of fusion of Sonic Youth, Black Sabbath, and bluegrass that I have never heard anywhere else. It was a grand mess. Someone told me that it looked like we were all soloing at the same time.

I moved to Chicago. Wendigo carried on briefly without me, but I didn't have anyone to play music with in Chicago. Nobody took me seriously and perhaps they shouldn't have. I still didn't really know how to play an instrument. To fill that void I visited Scott in Lawrence for a month in January '00. At this time we recorded, "Tape," an acheivement we are still proud of. This was the real birth of Carpet Farm, although we called it "The Johnson Family" for a minute. It was never released beyond some tapes that I gave people. It was available for download for a long time, but it was a well kept secret.

Scott was a part of a mighty Lawrence based band name Crown Vic for a number of years. Kai played drums and Carpet Farm contributor, Jarrod Fobes, played bass. Scott sang and played guitar. They rocked MUCH louder and faster than Carpet Farm.

Over the course of the next ten years Scott and I have taken many a brief vacation (hence the name "Vacations" for the upcoming LP) at each other's homes recording music. We even FTP'd files to each other, and sent stuff back and forth through the mail. Initially, the project was considered a collaboration of a larger group of people, but Scott and I were the only ones who really had any energy for it, so we now consider it a duo with some contributions here and there from others. After recording several albums worth of music, we belatedly decided to give some of it a proper release. In February we put out "Living in the Future."

Then, recently, we put of the stream only treat, "The History of," as a way of explaining where this all came from. Soon, sometime before beginning of December, "Vacations" will be available. I figure at some point in late 2045, someone will take notice.

Band Photos

Ohh!!! The new album in now available. Listen to it.

Norm

2010-11-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

We cannot forget about how funny Norm Macdonald is/was.

The Books - Take Time

2010-11-13T16:02:00.001-08:00

More and more I am beginning to think that The Books are the greatest thing ever.

Chris johanson speaks

2010-11-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

I Like this artist and I like the way he talks about his work. I can relate.

black cab bill callahan

2010-11-08T16:01:00.000-08:00

With Bill Callahan in your backseat every drive would be much more poignant and melancholy.

Thought about a thought

2010-11-08T15:57:00.001-08:00

I like round stuff...