Making Movies, For the Hell of It

June 10, 2018June 16, 2022 Mike Nobody alternative, america, Andy Warhol, anxiety, art, blues, country, creativity, depression, detroit, diy, electronica, entertainment, experimental, fiction, funk, gospel, grunge, hardcore punk, harsh noise, heavy metal, Influences, internet, island of misfit noise, jazz, LGBT, LGBTQIA+, liberal, libertarian, life, lo-fi, mash-up, mental health, metal, michigan, Mike Nobody, money, motivational, Movie, movies, music, musique concrete, new wave, noise, noise rock, OCPD, outsider art, outsider music, Pen Pals, plunderphonics, pop, pop art, prog, progressive rock, psychedelia, punk, punk rock, puppets, R&B, sci-fi, science fiction, space, stupidity, television, theater, Uncategorized, united states of america, usa, YouTube, zines

I don’t remember how long I have been interested in filmmaking. I’ve always loved movies, of every kind. You can combine every other artform together into it, if you are creative. I never had ambitions to be an actor, though. I fell into that by accident.

As a young child living in Detroit, I fantasized about becoming a stuntman. This could be because of the then-popularity of daredevil Evel Knievel, action films like Hooper (1978), and TV shows like The Fall Guy My favorite stuntman was the legendary Dar Robinson. His untimely death after shooting Lethal Weapon (1987) permanently put an end to that idea, for me. Though, I had become far more interested in playing music by then.

The size of a film’s budget or the skill of the actors involved were never really a big deal to me, if the script was still good. A bad actor in a great movie will still get by. But, a great actor in a bad movie is totally screwed (That philosophy can be applied to so many other things). Nonetheless, I still watch a lot of cheesy bad movies, seeking out their redeeming qualities.

I don’t remember how I got into underground independent films. It may have been through watching funky old horror, science fiction, and grindhouse movies on local UHF stations as a kid (before cable TV came along). The VHS revolution in the 1980’s also opened up a whole new universe of adventurous filmmakers, no longer restricted by studio gatekeepers. My mom would bring home all sorts of insane stuff she found at mom & pop video stores. Her taste in low-budget weird movies probably rubbed off on me a lot. I grew an increasing appreciation for DIY directors / producers making their visions a reality against all odds.

The Island of Misfit Noise has evolved from a 1990’s rock band into a 21st Century multimedia project, based around making videos and movies instead of performing live. I guess, in that way, it shares some similarities to The Banana Splits, The Archies, or Green Jellö. Not having a permanent band makes it an ideal vehicle to try new things out and bring in different collaborators. There is also less pressure figuring out how to do everything onstage, in front of an audience.

I have no idea how to do film distribution or anything technical. It is all learn-as-I-go. I have no budget or crew. I use whatever stuff I can get for free. Does it look like cheap crap? Probably. Will anybody ever see it? Maybe. Maybe not. But, it will get done and be out there for those who are curious. It may take awhile to finish without access to those things, though.

My short video “I Dream of SpaceCat” was a good learning experience, not just in producing content. But, also in presentation to an audience. I hope to do more.

Gear Geeked

August 25, 2017August 21, 2017 Mike Nobody alternative, america, Andy Warhol, art, creativity, diy, entertainment, experimental, gear, grunge, lo-fi, metal, michigan, Mike Nobody, money, music, noise, noise rock, outsider art, outsider music, pop art, psychedelia, punk, rock, technology, Uncategorized, usa

I was going through my hard drive, looking at designs for new guitars and custom instruments. I didn’t know if anybody would care about this sort of thing, except other musicians… maybe. Of course, lacking any money, I build these things as opportunities come along. I can probably work on the cheaper ones for awhile.

I always liked the customized design of Jimmy Page’s Les Paul Guitars, with push-pull knobs enabling coil-tapping and phase-shifting. But, I like baritone guitars a lot, too. The first draft at my version went something like this:

I kept making further refinements. Although Les Pauls have a nice tone, the original construction needs work. The headstocks are notorious for breaking easily. So, I changed it to a Zachary Guitars “samurai sword” style headstock. Also, I prefer guitar bodies with an offset waist, for comfort. So, I would keep the maple top mahogany body, just shape it more comfortably like a Fender Jazzmaster or Jaguar.

I played around with different pickup configurations, different woods, a graphite reinforced neck, etc.. I gave a Fender Bass VI style body a try.

Then, I moved on to basses. I want to combine a Fender Jazz, Precision, and Rickenbacker style tones together. Maybe a Gibson Thunderbird. Maybe not. But, I know it would not sound like any of them if I tried to do that. A close approximation would be nice, though.

It is possible that the only way around this is to build a different one for each specific tone. But, I thought about including Line 6 Variax Bass wiring hooked to a piezo pickup for variety. Not sure if it would work.

This is all out of my price range, for now. I considered having the body made, then adding parts as I go along. The neck is the most expensive piece. I don’t know to what degree solid graphite necks can be customized. Having a comfortable neck is very important. I think a “Soft V” contour is the right shape for me. But, I’m not sure. If a pro shop could work out details like that with me it would be extremely helpful.

Making experimental “noise machines” is a lot easier for me to put together on a low budget. The most common that I like making are basically stringed instruments built from scrap wood and junk.

Anything that makes a sound is fair game, though.

One thing that I thought about getting, for a long time, is a DJ rack case & table. It could store all sorts of effects, make room to operate small devices, and give me something to stand behind. But, they aren’t cheap. This is at the very bottom of my wishlist.

So, there it is. That is just some of the things I’ve been working on, for a long time. I’ll probably build the noise machines sooner than the rest. It would great if I could scrape together enough money to do the basses / guitars, though. I’ll just continue doing what I’m doing until then.

Making Something Out of Nothing

August 18, 2017August 15, 2017 Mike Nobody alternative, america, Andy Warhol, art, creativity, depression, diy, experimental, independent, internet, life, lo-fi, michigan, Mike Nobody, music, outsider art, outsider music, pop, pop art, psychedelia, punk, sale, Shepard Fairey, Uncategorized, united states of america, usa

I’ve been drawing & painting since I could walk. My parents even tried persuading me to turn professional and go into advertising as a career. PFFFFFFFTT! Fuck that. I cannot think of a more surefire way to suck out and destroy any enjoyment from creativity than having a boss tell you what to do, and when. Furthermore, selling your soul to marketing agencies adds insult to injury.

Usually, my artwork was given to friends or destroyed and discarded. I started selling my art locally in the 1990’s. But, not really understanding how the professional art world works, I only sold items in person at music venues or record stores (wherever I happened to be). I have been reluctant about taking it any further than that.

I don’t really have a lot of room to keep anything. I rented a storage unit for about a year, until I could no longer afford it. So, if no one wants what I make, it often goes into the garbage. Maybe the rats and seagulls at the landfill can use it for a nest.

I’m finally dipping my toe into the “real” art world. I was offered to showcase some paintings. So, I figured maybe I should sell some. I have an account online at ArtPal. There isn’t much there, yet. I’m only beginning, just now. But, I will continue to put pieces up there if it interests anybody. I thought about it for a little bit and decided to do commissions, too. If it doesn’t work out, I will stop.

I made a few updates to my Patreon account rewards, since I’m doing this. Patrons can get discounts on merchandise and original artwork. Details will be listed with items as they are posted.

We will see where this goes, then.

Mike Nobody Eating A Hamburger

August 6, 2017 Mike Nobody alternative, america, Andy Warhol, art, creativity, detroit, diy, entertainment, experimental, fast food, fat, free speech, freedom, independent, internet, Mike Nobody, Movie, movies, music, outsider art, outsider music, pop, pop art, psychedelia, punk, Tribute, video, vlogging, YouTube, zines

This is my tribute to Andy Warhol, on the 35th anniversary of his scene in the movie “66 Scenes From America” by danish filmmaker Jorgen Leth. The movie was shot in 1982 and has a total duration of 39 minutes. It consists of a series of shots (or moving postcards) that outline daily life across the USA in the 1980’s.

Jorgen Leth did not know Warhol, but he was a bit obsessed with him so he definitely wanted to have him in his movie. Friends told Leth that he “should forget about it” and that he could never even approach Warhol.

Anyways – Leth was stubborn so when he came to New York for his movie he simply went to the “factory”, the building Warhol had rented to work at and despite all other claims simply managed to get to Warhol’s studio inside where he met Andy Warhol while he was currently working.

Leth just told Warhol about his movie and the idea of having Andy being one of the 66 scenes along with the highly “symbolic” burger. Warhol immediately liked the idea and agreed to the scene. Andy liked the scene as he said because it was such a real scene, something he would like to do.

So Andy Warhol agreed to come for filming a few days later.

Jorgen leth was a bit afraid that Warhol would not come. He had invited him to a photo studio in new York at 14th street/5th avenue that belonged to a friend of him.

Leth had his assistant buy some burgers and directly advised him to buy some in halfway neutral packaging as Leth was afraid that Warhol might reject some brands (Warhol always had an obsession with some of his favorite brands).

So Andy Warhol finally did arrive at the studio, of course along with his bodyguards, and when he saw the selection of burgers the assistant had brought he asked “Where is the McDonald’s?” and Leth – slightly in panic – was immediately like “I thought you would maybe not like to identify… “ and Warhol answered “no that is the most beautiful”. Leth offered to let his assistant quickly run to McDonald’s but Warhol refused like “No, never mind, I will take the Burger King.”

Directing the video was pretty simple. Leth said to him: “You simply have to eat this hamburger. And then after you finished, you have to eat it, after you finish you should just tell the camera, to the camera, my name is Andy Warhol, I have just eaten a hamburger. “

Leth was worried during the taking as he forgot to give Warhol a glass of water and the bottle of ketchup was brand new, so it was hard to get it out. But being a real Warhol there was only one take, one try, so Warhol pulled it through in just one take, roughly 5 minutes.

So, why a whopper from burger king?

A quote from Andy Warhol:

“What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it. “

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Mike Nobody
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