Jim Hightower: Modern Day Will Rogers

Jim Hightower Audio Archives

Jim Hightower simply cracks me up with his wit and wisdom on politics. He points out hypocrisy in such a charming way you have to love him. The site above contans tons of his audio commentary, so check him out for yourself.

Jim's 2 minute soapbox critiques of our leaders is a great way to put a smile on your face and educate yourself about some of the lunacy being practiced by Democrats and Republicans. Everyone's fair game.

...and for those of you not familiar with Will Rogers check out this site.

Here's a sample:

"If you ever injected truth into politics you have no politics" Will Rogers
WA # 31, July 15, 1923

Ready to Inflict Pain

Seppuku Tattoo is officially open for business!


Well, 5 months of dealing with arcane zoning laws, & tattooing regulations, & a few grey hairs later, Seppuku Tattoo & the Drowning Creek Gallery has passed inspection and is now OPEN FOR BUSINESS. And not a moment too soon as Johnny was starting to consider a back piece for that hairless Chinese Crested pooch that he and Shannon have taken into their home. The dog is breathing a sigh of relief.....


How about that beautiful signage? The shop is looking quite professional, don't you think?


The new Drowning Creek Studio/Gallery print as store sign works pretty well, too.

If you are ever in the Savannah, GA area, give Johnny & Matt a call at (912)351-0565 for directions to the shop. If you're really brave, get in one of the chairs.....

Are You Experienced?

I have joined in the Blotterati project. A traveling sideshow of blotter art (undipped of course) that will be appearing at a festival near you (formally debuting at Burning man, no less!). Other artists with work in the exhibition include Mark McCloud, Mikio, Luke Brown, Robert Craig, Nemo Boko, Mike DuBois, Alex Grey, Sinnet, Mouse and many others

Curated by psychedelic art collector, Shady Backflash.

Check by the Drowning Creek Gallery booth at festivals this summer to see all the eye candy about mind candy.

New blotter art will be appearing on the site in the very near future.

Remembering Peter McWilliams

The Death of an Activist


Peter McWiliams, 50, best selling author, poet, photographer, publisher, libertarian crusader, medical marijuana activist, AIDS patient and cancer survivor, was found dead on the floor of his bathroom, apparently having choked to death after vomiting, for want of medical marijuana.

There will be an autopsy, but whatever the immediate cause of death may have been, he was murdered by the United States Government as surely as if they shot him. Indeed, it would have been much more humane if they had just put a bullet in his head. No one should have to go through what he suffered at the hands of his country.

This is a time of profound moral crisis. Peter McWilliams is dead. Are you?
--Richard Cowan

I had an ongoing email exchange with Peter in late 1999 --early 2000. Peter's health was starting to fail and death was on his doorstep and he knew he was fighting a losing battle. the most important battle of his life, the right to use medical marijuana. He lost and we all lost as a result.

I wrote an article in The Black Market Manifesto (Johnny, Judy and I's online zine) back in 2000 when I heard of his death. I was crushed. What a loss to humanity. I'm sure Peter's soul will be around to inspire us all when things get rough, none the less I still miss him terribly.

Peter McWilliams archives

Please click the link above to read about Peter and remember an honorable man with a soul of gold.

I can only wish that someday our leadership in this country will have the heart and soul Peter possessed. The world would be a much nicer and just place to live.

James Arthur: Mushrooms & Mankind

JamesArthur.net / Mushrooms & Mankind Part 1


James Arthur --1958 - 2005

James Arthur was a renowned mycologist that researched the ties between religion and the psychedelic experience. Interesting reading, and he does raise quite a few important questions about how Europe's religions were originally conceived by the "Church". It seems those fun lovin' Pagans played the most important role in developing some of our most modern religious icons and festivals.

I believe the psychedelic experience IS the reason we have religion. Research has shown that most of the world's religions are tied back to annoiting oils, flying potions, fruits of knowledge etc.

The only explanation in my mind is that early man stumbled across these plants and "Saw God". This sacred experience was shared with others and organized in loose fashion. When the rulers started using relgion to control the people the psychedelic "sacrament" was removed from practice. It was said to be "of the devil" because people who "tripped" tended to be more open minded and have a closer association with their God and not the religion itself... and that is not what the Church wanted. I get the feeling that is exactly what is happening in today's churches.

I practiced in the Native American Church for several years during a post graduation walkabout to find myself. The church uses peyote as sacrament and many of my personal beliefs about the whys of life were formed while being in a shamanic state of mind. You see, I was raised Fundamentalsit Holiness Baptist, one of the most backward forms of Christanity praticed today. I was in the church from the time I was born until the age of 12. It seriously screwed my head up for many years. I left the church when it was found out my pastor was molesting his adopted son. The church also taught me of hypocrisy.

That incident crushed my belief in the Christian church, but not Christian beliefs in peace and love. If Christ was a real person he was a hippie that hung out with thieves and whores, not religious folk. I never particpated in organized religion again until I attended my first NAC (Native American Church) meeting while wandering around finding my native roots. Although I no longer practice in the NAC, due to my inability to incorporate Christian beliefs that the NAC has morphed into a unique Christian belief system, yet those meetings changed my life, and opened my eyes to new way of thinking and believing in spirituality.

Overview of The Native American Church

I believe that James' research is very viable due to my own personal psychedelic religious experiences. I can't explain how these "sacraments" open the portal into a understanding and insight, I just know they do.

New Official Studio Print

Drowning Creek Studio, LLC


Here is a new Drowning Creek Studio print. A Griffinesque piece with visionary overtones. I haven't done a studio print since the alien back in '99. I figured it was time to whip out a new piece of eyecandy since the old prints are just about gone. In the future we plan on doing a new studio print at least once a year.

Print Size: 15x22
Colors: 6
Signed and Numbered
Paper: Living Tree Hemp
Screenprinted Edition: Yes--Edition size to be determined
Giclee Edition: Yes--Edition size to be determined
Canvas Edition: Yes--Edition size to be determined

Prints will be available at Bonnaroo and Wakarusa and released on the site after we return from the road trip.

Terence McKenna: Visionary Prophet

Audio Archives : McKenna

For those of you who have not "experienced" a Terence McKenna lecture, may I invite you to stream one or two and see why Terence is reguarded as the Leary of my generation. Terence has amazing insights into psychedelic experiences and their meanings.

He died several years ago and it broke my heart. I am an avid listener to Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell. Art interviewed Terence many times and I eagerly awaited each new session. The last interview he gave with Art was right before his death. He died of a rare brain tumor and accepted death as him moving on into the Mass Consciousnes on another adventure. I was very sad about our loss as was many others in the psychedelic and academic world.

I have listened to many hours of Terence and even though some of his theories are out there, a lot of what he speaks about really hits home. Not to mention it's just fun to listen to some royal weirdness to expand your mind.

Enjoy.

Where does this fall under "Homeland Security?"

So the govt has the general population scared of their own shadows these days.... every time you turn around, there's some new measure or bill being passed under the guise for a need for more security in this country to "protect you" from terrorists.

And then I read the news and see something like the one linked above.

Level 3 sex offenders are getting Viagra, and it's coming out of the taxpayers money? Are you effin' kidding me? Men who have committed first degree rape have been acquiring Viagra gratis Medicaid?

What is wrong with this picture?

Far be it for me to go on a witch hunt for sex offenders, as I am well aware that not all men (or women) who bear that label are dangerous, but this is just common sense stuff here. You don't give a pyromaniac a friggin' Bic lighter, you don't give a homicidal maniac a gun, and you don't give someone who's suicidal a razor blade. So how is it that 198 Level 3 sex offenders have been able to procure Viagra between 2000 & 2005? And they have not even begun to look at Level 1 or 2 sex offenders....


Oy vey.

The Visionary artwork of Luke Brown

Luke Brown's work is amazing and when you actually see it up close and personal, it's mindblowing.

I've been fortunate to see a couple of his pieces as canvas giclees...simply amazing.

We are currently working on doing some projects with Luke in the near future. Stay Tuned!

Make them pay the postage!!

Anyone else get like a bazillion pieces of crap mail every day at the post office? For the longest time, I have been shredding, recycling, or just throwing out all the junk mail we get, but Melba, one of the ladies behind the counter at our local PO, tells me that the companies sending this volumnous pile of crap only have to PAY for the postage if the inside envelope gets mailed back to them.

Hmmmmmmmmm........

So let me get this straight.... if I just simply fill the little "No Postage Necessary If Mailed In The United States" envelope with the contents of their own junk mail, and send it back, it costs them money?

Heh. I have a lot more out-going mail these days.

BTW, Melba is a funny lady. She often tells me jokes while I'm standing there as they are processing all my packages. Here's a joke from Melba -

Q. What is the difference between a Northern fairy tale, and a Southern fairy tale?

A. A Northern fairy tale starts off, "Once upon a time....."
A Southern fairy tale starts off, "Hey! Y'all ain't gonna believe this shit....."

Seppuku Tattoo & the Drowning Creek Gallery

Well, nothing like heaping on the workload, eh? Not content just to have an online gallery, we've undertaken a real brick and morter gallery that is housed in the brand-spanking new Seppuku Tattoo located in Savannah, GA and run by partners-in-crime, Johnny Thief DiDonna & Matt Lukesh.

Right now, the gallery is being stocked with prints we have had tucked away in the flat files and DCS work, but we're planning on adding other artists as we are able to expand the venture. Also, we've recently purchased a very nice mat cutter, and will be creating one-of-a-kind framed delights to be displayed in said gallery. It may be July before we get the first framed pieces to Seppuku, but, anything worth having is worth waiting for. To give folks an idea of what we are doing in the studio, here's the skinny:

Can you say "16 hour days, 7 days a week?" We are frantically packaging prints for 3 major shows and the gallery - Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, the AOMR CMJ show, and there is another show at the Museum of Design in Atlanta that will need some prints as well. Each of these major shows combined requires packaging of 100's of posters and handbills. We have to ship posters to CMJ, and for B'roo & Wakarusa we are packing a trailer for the 14-day adventure of camping, music, and fun. It will be a ball buster, but nothing we can't handle. Oh, I forgot to mention that we will be participating in a gallery booth that is going to be on Zooma Tour, too. That means packaging more prints. All of this has to be squeezed into the next 2 weeks, and on top of all of the regular biz in the shop of designing, printing, retail, and other stuff going on.

It's good to be busy.

Why biodiesel is so important to America

A picture is worth a thousand words and I think this one says it all.

Anybody who voted for this criminal needs to really look at this pic and ask themselves some serious questions. He's staring at this Saudi theocratic dictator (remember MOST of the 911 hijackers were Saudi) with such a loving look that it makes me physically ill.

I can only hope that someday soon the American people will rise up and toss him and his crime family out of office.

America, what have we become? Whores to a bunch of Arab oil Barrons?

This picture led me to the decision to buy a diesel truck and start using 100% Biodiesel so as little money as possible from me goes into their pockets. I invite you all to look into switching to clean diesel technology. The more people that start using it, the cheaper it gets and it's far better for the enviroment and economy that refined gasoline. Less pollution, cleaner air, a stronger economy and less reliance on foreign oil sounds good to me.

Learn more about Biodiesel

It's up to us to free ourselves from a Saudi oil addiction. From the look on GW's face, if it's left up to him, the Saudis will be running America's energy policy for years to come.

The Universe is a Baffling Place....

You know what I don't get? People who wear "uniforms" who make fun of other people who wear "uniforms." You know, when the indie kid makes fun of the hippie kid who makes fun of the emo kid who makes fun of the hardcore kid who makes fun of the punk kid. Get over it. You're ALL wearing uniforms whether it's striped socks and funky sunglasses or thrift store clothing or patchwork.

Artists who rehash work that make fun of other artists who rehash work.

People who say freedom of religion is a good thing and then bash religions other than their own.

Nations that call other nations terroristic who then act like terrorists themselves.

Preachers and politicians who talk about ethics and morality who then get caught with a prostitue or schtooping their secretary.

And the thing I don't get most of all.... why people can't see through the hypocrisy of their own BS.

Help Me Make It Through the Right.....

The religious right, that is. Link is to another blog with an interesting set of rules for those who are trying to make rules for the rest of us.

"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." - Nietzsche