POSSESSION OF STOLEN GODS...

Notes to Headquarters
by T-Bone, Company Bailiff;
edited by Arthur Corey, Communications Officer:

"Among other things, I am mailing you a yellowing letter-pressed admonition. A reproach and accusation before the fact, thinly veiled as humorous and maybe folksy.

(photo by T-Bone)

"Because even the faintest impulse to shoplift had failed to cross my mind until I found myself poked in the ribs with this card, and because the proprietors of the general store saw fit to drag their god into it, I saw fit to steal the wretched thing.

(photo by T-Bone)

"As a matter of fact, I stole every one of the cards I could find in that musty emporium of China-made hillbilly souvenirs and mildly racist tributes to the nobility of America's Indian warrior chiefs.

(photo by T-Bone)

"The store is in direct cahoots with the motel here, and the cashier is a mean, lemon-faced old hen, doing double duty as the motel desk clerk. She'd tisked her dry tongue at us the night before, shaking her head throughout the extended check-in process once she learned Cotton and I were checking into one room, unwed. She'd seethed and judged us in false silence from behind the counter before turning to straighten the Barely Legal magazines on the rack behind her."

(photo by T-Bone)

* * *

THIRTEEN WITH DISASTER...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk:

T-Bone and Cotton are in Nashville, Tennessee. They were briefly joined by an additional hand-picked team of rag-tag Misanthropes, sent by Madame X to aid in the carrying out of yet another offshoot errand. The extra manpower was dispatched once it was learned that T-Bone's mission in the Music City coincided with the emergence of Brood XIX; a loud-buzzing swarm of cicadas that rises up by the millions out of the ground every thirteen years.

(Brood XIX in action)

Also known as the Great Southern Brood, this is the largest brood of thirteen-year cicadas, they're out in record numbers this year. The air is lousy with them. After over a decade of lying in wait as underground grubs, they have finally emerged; taking to the sky in the desperate hopes of humping and laying eggs in these last few days of their lives.

An overnight accumulation of dead bugs under T-Bone's
porch light (photo by T-Bone)

The streets are littered with big dead bugs. They're flying into people's faces, and bumping feverishly into streetlights all night. Cicadas are dropping dead, mid-flight, or raining down from the trees like autumn leaves, and the Misanthropes are collecting as many of the carcasses as they can.

Just as was the case with the Company's collection of ball moss in Austin, many of the local are thankful for Misanthropes ridding their properties of this perceived eye-sore, going so far as to make a financial contribution to the effort.

(photo by Reverend Aitor)

But all this raking up of expired insects is motivated by more than some sense of civic duty. The cicadas are being boxed up and shipped back to the Company's MVSEVM.

Already, there are five kilos of cicadas are on their way to Toronto, and the Nashville expedition is still gathering even more more.Madame X, the MVSEVM's curator, has plans for this bounty of specimens. Big plans.

* * *

NIGHTS of COLUMBUS...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

(photo by Erkuden Sakana)

Canada's postal workers are on strike. And despite the National Post's groundbreaking article, wondering if, in the age of e-mail, texts, and twitter, anyone will even notice, the absence of mail does infact affect many, including the M.S.Co.

(The news)

With much of the Company's work in progress stuck in transit, this marks yet another week that the M.S.Co. has failed to induct a single illustration into it's archives. A real thorn in the sides of those members hung up on routine and craving the bureaucratic sense of completion that accompanies the christening of finished drawings and voting on which ones make the cut. Needless to say, this only adds fuel to the harrumphing at M.S.Co. Headquarters.

But it isn't just Company protocols being hindered by the strike. This month's shipment to the Company's mail-order subscribers is also being held hostage by the striking postal workers; as are various, prints, cards and commissioned portraits purchased from the M.S.Co. through its Etsy shop and various other channels.

Even orgonite dealers are being affected by the strike

Rest assured, the Company is taking measures to minimize the impact of this hold-up. The wheels of production do keep turning, despite delays in the postal system. In the meantime, however, the Company has closed down its Etsy shop until further notice.

* * *

Meanwhile, south of the border, the touring misanthropes have pitched their camp in Ohio. The away team is on a procurement mission, combing Columbus' legendary thrift stores for much-needed supplies, and stocking up on pipe tobacco at Smokers' Haven.

(pressed and sliced flakes of delicious, delicious tobacco)

This is one of the Company's preferred brick and mortar tobacconists. Owner Premal Chheda's passion is pipes, and his shop caters primarily to enthusiasts of the brier. There is even a workshop in the back, where pipes may be brought in for repairs and refurbishing, and celebrated pipe maker Bill Shalosky can often be found hard at work on his handmade pipes.

(photo by Cottonwood Fields)

The Smokers' Haven gang was kind enough to bring the misanthropes in after hours. This week's away team meeting and illustration session was carried out in the indulgently smoke-friendly luxury of the the store's smoking lounge.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 43
Number completed: 10
Number inducted: 0
Carried over to next week: 27

* * * *

WHOSE THE MOSS?

by "Madame X", Head Curator of the M.S.Co. MVSEVM
of Natural and Artificial History:

(photo by Erkuden Sakana)

Today on the Company agenda, the preparation of new exhibits for the M.S.Co. MVSEVM of Natural and Artificial History.

(photo by Heywood McGillicuddy)

One of the benefits of having a greater number of misanthropes abstain from this year's tour has been the ability to not just to keep the MVSEVM open and running through the Summer months, but also to develop and advance the MVSEVM's programming and exhibits.

* * *

(photo by Cottonwood Fields)

Also in MVSEVM news, the Austin expedition has yielded a treasure trove of indigenous epiphytic air plants. Known locally as ball moss, tillandsia recurvata is a member of the bromilliad family, and close relative of Spanish moss. Despite its moniker, it is not a moss but a flowering plant.

(photo by Reverend Aitor)

The stuff literally grows on trees in central Texas, affixing itself to the shaded interior branches and drawing all of its nutrients from the moisture in the air trough their leaves and stems, rather than from soil, or the trees themselves. Their roots serve only to anchor them in place.

Ball moss has an unfortunate reputation among many of the locals. They are erroneously thought to be parasitic, damaging the trees they grow on. Commonly regarded as an unsightly pest, nobody objected to the misanthropes coming onto their property and climbing their trees to fill shopping bag after shopping bag of ball moss. One elderly homeowner even thanked the team, going as far as to bring out a pitcher of sweet tea and offering the Company five dollars for their troubles.

(photo by T-Bone)

Headquarters eagerly anticipates the shipment of what T-Bone insists on referring to as "a mean case of ball moss."

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 18
Number completed: 8
Number inducted: 3
Carried over to next week: 3

* * * *

PLAYING AGAINST TYPE...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

"Talkin' Trash Behind Blood Ghost's Back" by the M.S.Co. Part of the new Clubhouse
maze wall (photo by Arthur Corey)

The Company is once again taking advantage of their absentee slumlord's chronic neglect and doing a little creative restructuring of the layout in the M.S.Co. Clubhouse. Plans include a permanent maze leading up to the gallery space, complete with all manner of traps and pitfalls.
All week, the misanthropes have been knocking down old walls and putting up new ones using scavenged, freecycled and generously donated building materials.

The Clubhouse maze, in progress (photo by Lydia Caulpepper)

Today, however, construction was put on hold for the Company's regularly scheduled Sunday conference. Still, a large portion of the drawing session was spent decorating the exposed drywall; the objective being to provide a little atmosphere for next week's exhibition.

* * *

Those of you regularly in attendance at Clubhouse events may have picked up on the trend of a new instrument appearing the Company Orchestra's arsenal with every exhibition. It turns out this upcoming show will be no exception.

Voting on the name for this newfangled instrument remains deadlocked (photo by Heywood MacGillicuddy)

The Company's Chief Engineer and Musical Director surprised their colleagues with the unveiling of their latest development: A line of old typewriters modified into a variety of odd-sounding musical gimmicks.

Some are electrical, some accoustic. There are seven variations in total, though only two of the Orchestra members know how to play any of them thus far. And with Hallowe'en only one week away, it appears the misanthropes have their work cut out for them.

(music for unmodified typewriters)

* * *

Typewriters in need of some Company love (photo by Reverend Aitor)

It should be noted that Company policy strictly opposes the wanton destruction of typewriters [article 289A-2002]. These particular instruments were made using parts from some of the irreparable machines the Company keeps on hand for spare parts.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of projects initiated: 10
Number completed: 8
Number inducted: 4
Carried over to next week for completion: 4

* * * *

THRIFT SCORE...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary;

The duties slash passions of the Company's Minister of Acquisitions include sniffing out every flea market, pawn shop and thrift store along the tour route in search of supplies, equipment and sundry treasures on behalf of the Company and its members.

One man's ceramic hot dog is another man's treasure

Yesterday the Company's intrepid scavenger made an exciting find during his expedition to Mechanicsburg, PA.

The PoleStar Do-It-Yourself Image Transfer kit pictured above was stumbled upon at a Volunteers of America thrift store for a bank-busting seven dollars. It is used to transfer 8 and 16mm film, slides and photos to video by means rigging a camera to one end of the box and projecting the film, or sliding the slides or photographs through the other end.

The Company is delighted by this novel find. It's sure to come in handy in future film projects.

* * *

BLAME IT ON THE NAME...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary;

Editing the Misanthrope Specialty Co.'s 16mm motion picture extravaganza draws closer to completion every day. The tour's April 30th departure date has set a concrete deadline for this endeavour, coaxing great sweaty strides in the efforts to have it finished on time.

A clear narrative has finally emerged and the film is taking form nicely. Armed with a better understanding of what this story is shaping up to be , one of today's main orders of business included determining the next few steps in post-production.

* * *

The Company's Musical Supervisor presented her proposal for the musical score. It's a loose outline, naturally in preliminary stages; to be fleshed out and refined according to how the film continues to evolve throughout the rest of the editing process.

The Soundtrack promises to be an fun one to work on, as it seems Caulpepper's recent acquisition will be featured prominently therein.

* * *

Perhaps the easiest item tackled on tonight's agenda was the proposal and debating of possible titles for this classic in the making. The Company had been putting off naming its baby until it could be certain whether it was a boy or a girl.

The votes are in and the film has officially been dubbed Screaming Hell Hogs. Or rather, Screaming Hell Hogs Eat Shit and Die. Lest we forget the Company's agreement with the project's patron

* * *

A DYMO DOZEN...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk:
Someone (or someones) in Texas likes us -- though we still haven't a clue who it might be, because they're not telling -- and, frankly, it's giving some of our members the creeps.

(photo by Reverend Aitor)

True to what seems to be a fledgling tradition of disconcerting packages containing delightful gifts, this vintage Dymo carousel store display turned up on the Bunker doorstep yesterday. How this can be remains a mystery unto itself. Unlike Headquarters, where the Company conducts most of its business, including shipping and receiving, or the Clubhouse, where the Company holds its shows and sundry events, the Bunker's location is top secret. We don't disclose its whereabouts to the closest of friends, family or bedfellows.

Included in the box was this unsigned note

We presume this gift can be credited to whomever sent us those 800 popcorn bags last summer. Though this package is postmarked, believe it or not, Bigfoot, Texas, a quick search on Google maps reveals it to be relatively close to the origin of the first mystery package.

Arguably the holy grail of labeling tapes

While there is some uneasiness among the ranks about accepting gifts under such circumstances, the issue will be put to a vote at the next meeting, since other members are eager to put these offerings to use. Enclosed with the carousel were a number of rare gems, including woodgrain, and a roll "property of" tape. The latter being the most seldom seen of the Dymo brand tapes.

* * *

TIGHT ARSENAL...

by Heywood McGillycuddy, Chairman:
Shooting for the Company's new movie is slated to begin shortly, and our members have been spending every spare moment at the Bunker and Clubhouse, studying and conducting workshops in a concerted effort to hone their filmmaking skills. This is the Company's first foray into analogue film in a long time.

(photo by Reverend Aitor)

It's been several years since T-Bone and Cotton had their Super 8 equipment stolen at gunpoint one shitty night in Tangier. Since then, our members have grown shamefully accustomed to the much more forgiving medium that is video -- what with its auto focus, instant playback, limitless shooting ratios, and the ability to fix things up in post-production. Mistakes made on video are relatively inexpensive compared to mistakes on film. The latter is far more costly and fragile a commodity, requiring more care and forethought than we'd been investing in our quick and dirty video productions.

The Company's amassed collection of 16mm cameras

And so, our members are putting their all into mastering the new old hardware before shooting begins next week. Our Minister of Acquisitions has outdone herself yet again, almost singlehandedly building the Company's motley collection of donated, borrowed, purchased and otherwise procured equipment into an arsenal to behold.

* * *

TOMO ARIGATO MONSIEUR COURTEMANCHE...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:
The Misanthrope Specialty Company has recently made a number of significant acquisitions in Lower Canada; not the least of which is a new place for members to lay their hats and friends when in Montréal.

photo by Reverend Aitor

The new Company branch, overlooking scenic Parc Lafontaine has been tentatively been dubbed "Hindquarters" by the Headquarters staff. Though its christening won't be put to a vote until Sunday's congregation, unofficial consensus indicates the moniker will in all likelihood become official.

* * *

Another interesting addition to the Company assets comes in the form of a most extravagant. housewarming gift from recent ally, Michel Courtemanche.

New additions to the family (photos by Heywood McGillicuddy)

While not quite as advanced as Courtemanche's own Hawk robot butler, having one's coffee brought in via vintage Omnibots does a lot to console one after getting a glimpse of what luxuries one is missing when choosing the life of a cash-strapped Toronto artists over that of a French-Canadian entertainer.

* * *

CAMERAS IN ARMS...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:
Headquarters has just received word of a most generous surprise, courtesy of our Hollywoodland benefactor.

For those of you not currently subscribed to the Misanthrope Specialty Co.'s Epistolary Service, below is a taste of what you're missing. The following is an excerptfrom the e-mail T-Bone sent this evening.

(photo by T-Bone)

"I'm staying in an ugly little place just outside Rolla, Missouri. Hiked into town for a beer and a couple of tins of beans to cook on the hot plate. When I came to in my room I was greeted by two things I knew weren't there before I left. The ominous stink of fresh bug poison and an equally ominous cardboard box placed in the exact center of the room.

(photo by T-Bone)

"I sat on the lumpy bed for what must've been hours. A tin of beans in my hand, breathing in the insecticide fumes, staring at the plain brown box with no return address or markings of any kind. Ready to smash it into the carpeting at the first sign of sound or movement from within."

And that's all you get from the horse's mouth. Rest assured, the box that had Mr.Bonaparte so perturbed contained not bad news but great news.

(photo by T-Bone)

As it turns out, T-Bone's new friend tracked him down to his motel and had a gift couriered over to further assist the Company in it's motion picture-making endeavors. A vintage Bell and Howell 16mm camera is nothing to sneeze at.

(photo by T-Bone)

The Company wishes to publicly thank Mr. Busey once again for his invaluable allegiance to its cause. Much of what's to come would not be possible without him.

It should also be pointed out that T-Bone would never have gained entrance into Busey's world had it not been for that fateful night that Mr. Van Hest helped him and his comrades interlope their merry way into that L.A. party this past summer. For this he, too, is owed a world of gratitude.

* * *