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Uncommon Wisdom #46

"A World of Pain" John Goodman As Walter Sobchak in "The Big LeBowski"

Goodman as Sobchak is irresistible material. This is my second go-round. Fingerpainted on the iPad with Sketchbook, dude.

2011 Slinks Into the Sunset

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Uncommon Wisdom #45

Still Another Advance Look at the Parkinson's Comic Manuscript

I'll be happy to take a few questions now. Yes ma'am? Yes, you in the funny hat... What the hell is this a picture of? It's an imagined dream to go with a bit about how people with Parkinson's Disease are different from healthy people in in how their bodies respond to dreams. Illustrating dreams are a wonderful opportunity to let your imagination have freedom to create something fun to draw and, I hope, to look at.

Triptych, London 1981

Three portraits and a reminiscence mostly drawn on the iPad, collaged in Photoshop while watching/ignoring TV

Yet More Tributes Buried in "Mixed Cursing " Manuscript

What can I say? I owe so much to so many. It's payback time. In this case it's R. Crumb, and Monty Python. Yes, I'm afraid Mr. Natural isn't boogieing, he's merely dyskinetic. And the Ministry of Silly Walks? Same story. So much to explain, so little time!

Screen Times and Locations for My Six (Close) Brushes With Death

The Grim Reaper will stalk the Anchorage International Film Festival so relentlessly that Tony Sheppard is considering going to court for a TRO. That's right, the ANCFF plans SIX, count them SIX screenings of the harrowing autobiographical film about how I almost had no biography to auto. There is a festival-generated Schedule here or you could just look at the table below: 3:15 Saturday, Dec 3, Out North Main Theater My Six (Known) Brushes With Death Peter Dunlap-Shohl 2010 Categories: Animation, Snowdance Run time: 7 min. | USA/AK The shocking true story of a young man's fragile existence. Starting at a very young age our hero faces death and hair-raising danger time and again. 12:00 PM Sun, Dec 04 Alaska Experience Theater - Large Theater As part of the Animation World-Wide program 7:00 PM Tue, Dec 06 Alaska Out North Theatre - Gallery As part of the Animation World-Wide program 8:15 PM Thu, Dec 08 Out North Theatre - Main gallery As part of Snowdance Mixed Shorts 1 7:20 PM Fri, Dec 09 Alaska Experience Theater - Large Theater As part of the Animation worldwide program 6:00 PM Sat, Dec 10 Out North Theatre - Gallery As part of the Animation World-Wide program I will try to get to as many of the showings as possible, to answer questions and to prove I'm still alive in spite of everything.

Flaming Marshmallows of Doom to Grace Anchorage International Film Festival

Once again, the gimlet-eyed judges of the Anchorage International Film Festival have suffered an inexplicable lapse of, well, judgement. That's right, they have picked another of my micro-epic blockbuster Studio Jupiter animated shorts (Studio Jupiter motto- We may waste your time, but not much of it.) as a selection for this year's festival. It's not clear if they actually like the work or fear some sort of dreadful reprisal from me if they don't take one of my offerings. Either way, I'm flattered. I haven't had word yet on when or where it screens in town. but you can see the whole thing right here. Warning: contains scenes of graphic violence that frankly, I find disturbing, especially as they happened to me.

Drawn on the iPad using Sketchbook. Getting the witch to hold still while I drew her is not something I am eager to try again.

Graphic "Novel" Project update

Yes, the book project lives. In fact in the case of this panel it took on a life of its own. I was working on the figure on the couch to project a stiffness that would say "Parkinson's rigidity" or "Rigid Personality" to go on a page about the so-called "Parkinson's Personality". Suddenly I realized that the character I had dawn looked much like Mr. Spock, as played by Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek. A tweak of the ears and eyebrows brought him that much more into focus. Suddenly Freud was analyzing Mr. Spock which is the kind of thing that amuses me no end. "Tell me about your father, Mr. Spock..." To top things off both Mr. Spock and Freud were/are heroes of my brother Dave. So is this an accidental homage to my younger brother or a Freudian Slip of the stylus? I hear my brother intoning "There is no free will" as I write this...

Uncommon Wisdom# 44

Have you hugged an orc today?

As Promised, a book update

Rather than blowing off blogging while concentrating on the shiny new project of converting my other blog "Off and On" into a can't-miss graphic novel, I promised to update you guys on how the work was progressing. So here's a new page. I'm up to 16. Feedback, agent inquiries and publishers welcome.

Click on image to enlarge it.

Souvenirs of a recent trip

A recent road trip through some of the most spectacular country in the South 48 yielded the following drawings rendered on the iPad while Pam drove.

And if you are craving a glimpse of what the view was like from the passenger seat...

Cross-Post From Off and On, The Alaska Parinson's Rag- A sneak Peek at a New Project

Drawings ©2011, Peter Dunlap-Shohl, Click to enlarge

For years people have been prodding me with the question "Why not turn your Parkinson's Disease blog into a book?" I usually counter-prod with the question "Do we really need another book on Parkinson's Disease?" Then several months ago I ran into two friends, Scott and Julia. Scott is a great fan of graphic novels, which is a highfalutin' term for fancy comic books. We were chatting about "LOGICOMIX" which is,among other things, a comics biography of Bertrand Russell we both read and enjoyed. "You have enough in your blog to turn it into a graphic novel", Julia suggested. I told her I didn't think so. The blog doesn't really amount to a narrative, the drawings aren't connected enough. The whole thing seems like a fragmented, episodic series of observations. Not enough graphic or novel. Or maybe I'm just lazy.

Later I was talking to my friend Steve. Again the dreaded book subject came up. I raised the usual objections. But he may have given me a way to focus that will work. "You treat Parkinson's Disease like an adventure", He said. Hmmmmm. With a massive, Herculean effort, a guy might be able to make that work. I've got about eleven pages so far. They appear above. above, in case anyone is curious.

One reason I have been reluctant to start a project like this is a fear it will interfere with blogging. Then it occurred to me I could post pages here from time to time, neatly killing two flies with one swatter. Page twelve calls, must run...

Mama, Trucks, Drinkin', Prison...and Zombies!

For some reason, there is a severe shortage of Country songs that feature zombies. A powerful tradition of ignoring the undead stretches all the way from from Hank Williams to Willy Nelson. Whether this is denial, bias or plain old ignorance is, let's face it, too trivial for critics and scholars to say. And the zombie just goes on being neglected by Nashvile, er..Nashville. Looks like it's up to me....
(Click individual pages to enlarge them.)

Hot Off the iPad

The epicenter of cool in the known Universe? That must be Cesar Rosas. No further questions, your honor. Case closed. (fingerpainted on the iPad.)

OMG! They CAN Fly?

Uncommon Wisdom #43

What all the chic riders are having cut off in emergency rooms nationwide!

Click image to enlarge

Beleaguered Bicyclist? Time to challenge the "Two wheels bad, four wheels good" mentality You can proclaim your membership in the Rolling Resistance by sporting this original design by yours truly on a t-shirt celebrating the few, the rash, the cyclists. Design available as a sticker, too.

Head Shots

Imaginary Fauna Spotted on a Recent Road Trip

For some reason, I was the only member of our party of 11 who managed to catch a glimpse of these spectacular and rare creatures. (Click on image to enlarge)

Abduction

A piece commissioned by the one-of-a-kind Chris Sparks for his personal collection. He left the whole the whole project up to me, from concept to final. I began brainstorming with the word "sparks" which led me to fire flies, which led me to...

Uncommon Wisdom #42

Murdoch, Shmurdoch. I Begin Taking the World Media Over Tomorrow on KSKA

In a bid for domination of the world media I will appear on KSKA, 91.1 fm Wednesday July 13 at 2:00, repeating the broadcast by tape delay at 7:00 that evening. I'll be hosting "Hometown Alaska" with an hour-log show on how Alaskans use social media. You can call in if you like between 2:00 and 3:00 or email hometown@alaskapublic.org

Guests will be blogger Steve Aufrecht and PR whiz Mary Deming Barber. And you if you want to pick up the phone. The less I talk, the better!

Uncommon Wisdom #41

The Animation Page

Here are my favorite animations created for Frozen Grin. I came to animation late and am self-taught on Flash. I'm no Miyazaki, but there is something fabulous in a Frankensteinly way, about watching your drawings take on motion and sound.

Losing Laika
This is an early piece, Flash was giving me fits and bombing my little Imac. But I still like the story.


Susitna Story
From 2009, This story was written for We Alaskans Magazine in the eighties as an experiment with the comics form. It works much better as an animation, narrated by my pal Frank Gerjevic.


Oblivion 1964
A look back at the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964, seen through the eyes of a five-year-old me


Frozen Shorts
A collection of tragically brief videos that was runner-up for a Golden Oosik at the Anchorage International Film Festival two years ago. Damn you, Mary Katzke!


What it's like Having Parkinson's Disease
Big fat omnibus of shorts explaining what Parkinson's is like.



Parkinson's Disease and Exercise



My Six (Known) Brushes With Death

Uncommon Wisdom #40

Listen My Children and You shall Hear of a Pitbull in Lipstick Chasing Paul Revere

(Click on image to enlarge)

IN person. In Wasilla. In less than a week, it's...

SEE the talking CARTOONIST! ALIVE! ALIVE! He walks! He talks! He crawls on his belly like a REPTILE! Then, after Lee Post is done, I'll show three short animated films that view Alaska History from ground level. Saturday June 11 at the Dorothy Page Museum in scenic Wasilla. Lee is on at 1:30, I follow at 2:15, It's all part of the A Native Lad: Benny Benson Tells Alaska's Story exhibit

 

Full-length Version of the Salmon Opera "The Banks of the Rolling Kena"

Dance of Death 9: That was close!

Washington Post Interviews Obscure Cartoonist from Far, Far Away, and Famous Cartoonist Nearby About Parkinson's Disease

(Cross-post from Off and On, the Alaska Parkinson's Rag)

The Public Relations department here at Off and on and Frozen Grin Industries would be remiss if they did not call your attention to this and, more important, this poignant interview with master cartoonist Richard Thompson, whose Parkinson's Disease emerged as he was right at the top of his game. Thanks to Michael Cavna for his perceptive and wide-ranging look at how Parkinson's affects those it afflicts, and how they deal with it.

Rapture Special: What If It Were Rube Goldberg's Job to Design the Endtimes?

Okay, so this is a rerun. So are the predictions of imminent Rapture.

Poetry Cornered: On the Rapture

The prediction that the Rapture is coming May 21st seems to have gained a certain amount of momentum. The Rapture is the gathering to God of the faithful, who will be snatched through the air to the bosom of the Lord. I feel compelled here to point out that if you had to learn this from Frozen Grin, things are not looking good for you. On the bright side, as I write, you have a few dwindling hours to atone and set things right. How many hours depends, of course on whether the Rapture is on East Coast time or Alaska time.

Is this really going to happen? Don't be a Jackass. But if it did, what would it mean? That's a more interesting question...

"Heaven for climate, Hell for company"
-Mark Twain

The Lord has called home all his sheep

Too baa-aaad he knows you're just a creep

Look on with envy as to his maker

Goes that good ol' boy Jim Bakker.

Pat Robertson and Billy Graham

Are rising up to glory land

While you wallow in the dreck

It's harps and angels for Glenn Beck!

You were warned, but would not believe so

Say "Later, Dude" to Jerry Prevo.

As you're tormented by a demon

Overhead soars Loren Leman.

Be polite and quit your wailin'

Wave bye-bye to Sarah Palin

Rising upward all en mass

The flock ascends, they pass like gas

Add in the governor, Sean Parnell

And Father forgive me, I look forward to Hell.

Drawings From the iPad, Neither Fish nor Fowl, The Laughing Tree

Investigation Reveals Hidden Past

Intermission

Uncommon Wisdom #39