princessification part ii

If you are a devoted reader, and I'm sure you are, you might wel recall BC-HF's antiquated post about a state we call being "Princessified."  Well, that basically entails anything overly saturated and ridiculous.  It is the offspring of "civilized" society, which has a constant need to suck more and more into its gaping maw.  This results in things being shit out in ever-increasingly froth.  More detail, more gold and jewels.  This is a very appealing style to us here at BC-HF headquarters, and we have been looking long and hard for even more examples to show you.

Princessified wrought-iron Voltzwagon Beetle. 

 The clock at Gare D'Orsay is a standard example of princessification, ornate, gilded, and probably very difficult to clean.

 Louis Vuiton Hello Kitty bong - this falls into an extra-princessified category of the languid art of smoking weed coupled with the highly ridiculous and therefore highly appealing notion of expensive designer bongs.

Another curious subset of princessification that has been spawned from our saturated culture is in the realm of pornography.  One can find porn of almost any nature you could fathom, including cartoon porn featuring anything from family guy to Disney characters, and sometimes the two inter-spliced.  The most common female characters from American cartoons tend o be Disney princesses.  Already in the film they are highly sexual, but easily accessible to us on the internet are thousands of more direct images of various encounters with the ladies.  The above image, in case you didn't register it right away, is pornography of a more rarely seen princess, insect royalty princess Bala, from the Dreamworks picture Antz, with the vocal talents of Woody Allen. 

DeLarge

Alex looking especially evil, obviously due to the pageboy mop.

Our lives run on culture, and here at Bellacozy/Holdfast,  our minds lean more towards cult, movies specifically.  We consume movies voraciously, and our favorites are the ones that leave us bamboozled.  We crave intensity, visual and emotional.  One film we like to viddy in particular is Stanley Kubrick's 1971 adaptation of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange.  

Obviously, this is an extremely popular film.  I can't count the number of times I've heard people rave about it, and in my google search for images related to this post, I found hundreds of documented Alex costumes.  But I must not be thwarted by something's popularity, especially if I feel passionately about it.

I could go on and on about the production design, my love of the language used, or how I feel about the whole book v. movie adaptation, but instead I will devote this post to something more chilling to me - the impossibly strong attraction Holdfast and I both feel toward Malcolm McDowell as Alexander DeLarge.  

This scene provides proof of the power of the very intense gesture of sitting on someone's lap.  It is a very deliberate and commanding move, and I'm surprised it hasn't been employed in more leadership camps, because I do believe one could become a tycoon this way.  Although, they very well could be teaching young business people this practice and I wouldn't know it because I am an artist and a dropout, and have never attended a business seminar.

Why go to the local coffee shop when you can drink here? Milk with Vellocet, milk with Synthmesc; whatever suits you. Plus, you're likely to catch a Devotchka or two ;)

On the same note, it didn't occur to me until I lent my Russian History Nerd brother the book that all of the other atrificial coloquialisms and idioms used in the film are Russian as well.  Even "horor show" is a derivation of the Russian word for good.  In my brother's opinion, Anthony Burgess' book appears to be set in a Soviet occupied Russia, and, being that the novel was written during the Cold War era, this hypothesis is not easily ignored.

It is hard to pick just which part of the elaborate sets I like the best, but really this "Dancing Jesus" sculpture by artist Herman Makkink, who did a few other pieces for he film as well.

I'd feel satisfied without the droogs.  In the words of Tyler Perry, some can do bad all by themselves.

There is a particular facial muscle that is more pronounced on some people and I am very attracted to it.  It is located just outside the dimples, and this man has it. Not to mention, I love a man with nice lashes...

It is in this situation that I would be most likely to come under attack.  If any man anywhere approaches me in this getup I will most likely follow him home.  The ensuing romp is fast-forwarded in the film, but if anyone knows where I can get a real-time version of the shot, I will be highly appreciative and go watch it by myself.

You'd think that wearing a full-body jumpsuit would deter one's being raped at least a little bit, but in this scene they come prepared with scissors, and cut the devotchka's clothes right off her.

Ever smirking in spite of spit and a broken nose.

Last year Holdfast meticulously carved this as her halloween pumpkin. 

'Ta

The light and wonderful hand of Matt Gibson

I met a man by chance about 5 years ago. His name is Matt Gibson. Little did I know that for years to come, he would learn my tastes, create beautiful original artwork for me, and become a friend.

Tattooing didn't become legal in the backwards state of Oklahoma until 2006. There were shops open in pseudo-secret. Everybody knew someone who knew someone who would tattoo you in a kitchen or outside of their trailer, but needless to say, things could get sketchy, and I do not mean that as a pun. There were no health standards in place. People were getting shitty tattoos or taking their money out of state.

Exreme? Totally.

Liger? Tigon? Piece of shit?

And then it came, November 1, 2006, the day we joined every other fucking state in the union and made tattooing legal.

I called the fanciest shop in town. Then I called one that I could afford. I met Matt at First Amendment Tattoo when it was near the Paseo (my then current home) on NW 23rd St. My first tattoos were a gift, as many of mine have been. Thanks Krissy! I payed homage to one of my favorite artists, Edward Gorey, and had a bat tattooed on each calf. And so it began.



For a while, I was away from Oklahoma City and was tattooed by a chump or two, but when I came home, I was determined to find Matt again! His laid back demeanor was reason enough to want to work with him. After much googling, I found him. He cleaned up my tattoos that other pricks had done and even added a little extra love to my little bats.

Since then, I have gotten more tattoos from this man, and have NEVER been disappointed. Matt has a professional attitude, a good sense of humor, and, especially importantly, a very light hand.

photo by William Woods

TA-DAH!

Anniversary Diamond

Razor handle

Razor blade

Modeling At Midwest Ink and Metal Fest

Not only is Matt super cool, but he has a degree from the Art Institute, for those who believe in art school, and for those who don't care about art school, Matt's artwork has won awards and been featured in tattoo magazines! Matt's demeanor is totally chill. He'll never bore you talking about his awesome car or porn stars he supposedly met like some tools do. He'll never make you feel like a sex-object. He's not an alcoholic who's gonna blow your money at some vomit-covered bar. He's a husband and a father. He's a friendly Star Wars nerd with an immaculate shop filled with excellent artwork done by everyone from himself to Shephard Fairey.
Here are some of his works on other folks:

Sexy Lincoln - A Dazed and Confused reference

The weapon we have is LOVE!

versatile much!? Check out his cover up tattoo that isn't even complete!

Recently, the BC/HF team visited Mr. Gibson, or "MatGib" as we affectionately call him.

 Both of us had artwork hand drawn by Miss Audrey tattooed on ourselves.

Sketch for Dusan Makavejev tribute tattoo

Pleased as punch!

Matt Gibson can be reached at 15th St Tattoo in Edmond (405 513 8886) which is right off the highway.