The Gut-Wringing Machine & The Book of the IS

 I'm moving to another city in a couple of weeks, and I've taken on two awesome, but time-consuming voluntary projects. The first is a film adaptation of Charles Bukowski's short story, "The Gut-Wringing Machine." This story is about an agency that literally wrings the guts out of people to make them more compliant and suitable for the workforce. The film is puppet-based, using a combination of Bunraku and rod puppets. The project is directed by Seattle-area musician and performance artist Ricky Gene Powell. At present, I am working on character designs and storyboards.


I also volunteered to make a book cover for "The Book of the IS: Failure......to WIN!"

by San Francisco-based mechanic and former mayoral candidate "Chicken" John Rinaldi. I just got it in the mail, so I haven't read through it yet, but the title is somewhat self-explanatory. This is a self-published, self-publicized endeavor by Mr. Rinaldi to save a warehouse/art space in San Francisco. Below is an excerpt of the email where he explains things.

"Go ahead. Tell me it's not gonna work. Blow your nose at me. Dance on my grave. 

You happen to be talking to a man who bought San Francisco real estate selling hub caps on ebay. I beat City Tow and cost them 54 million dollars. I ran for mayor for second place and people gave me over $40,000. I directed a circus where noone actually had an act and people are still talking about it. I'm single handidly making Dungeons and Dragons cool again. 

WE CAN TOTALLY DO THIS.

Here is the plan: we just do it. And it'll work. Somehow. Probably not in the way we can imagine, but it will all work out somehow. We just have to start. 

The release date for the book is September 19th. 

I am going to throw a dinner at the warehouse maybe on the 18th of september. I have a friend who owns an 1860's farmhouse on Bernal Hill, we will do a thing there in October. A picnic in Dolores Park. And a few readings for sure. I've never released a book before. I have no idea how to do this. 

So here we are, artists collaberating on a project. The way it should be. I will be in all of your debts for any help you can provide me with. I'm open to any and all ideas and suchlike. 

Please, respond to this email and confirm that you can do this by the 30th so your work can be part of the gallery show. 

Thank you so very much for being who you are, doing what you do and helping me be whoever I have to be, whatever that means...."

sincerly,  chicken