MY SoCal LIFE...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

It's official. Last week's motion to summon the wayfaring Misanthropes back to Headquarters' choleric bosom has been debated and subsequently quashed today. The Away Team's odometer will keep turning, us-stymied by the opposition. As a matter of fact the travelling contingent is extending its stay in Los Angeles, and now it's the Toronto-based coalition that's being called to join their colleagues across the the boarder. There is a gig in the works.

This latter turn of the tide stems from a liquid brunch earlier in the week with one of the Company's Hollywood patrons. It seems Mr. B, the owner of Screaming Hell Hogs Eat Shit and Die, wants to parlay the Company's visit into a private screening party and wants the Misanthropes in attendance. All of them.

(He who owns the Company's 35mm motion picture masterpiece (photo by Pepper, Polaroid by T-Bone)

Now, it isn't easy to convince all of the Misanthropes to drop everything, all at once, and pack their bindles, paid expenses or not. Especially now, with the post-postal strike backlog only just cleared up. But the visionary Mr.B knows how to sweeten the pot. He's enticed the Company with an exciting new commission none of the members could vote against.

The details still need hammering out between Mr.B's lawyers and the Company's legal department, but all will be revealed soon.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 34
Number completed: 19
Number inducted: 11
Carried over to next week: 2

* * * *

COCK-A-DOODLE DUDES...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

Alone of Valentine's Day? Come and cry on the Company's shoulders.

Today is the day. The Valentine's Day. And the Company has been working double-time making, selecting and hanging work for this evening's Clubhouse exhibition. Last nights meeting ran well into the wee hours. A number of new pieces were completed and voted on, and last-moment curatorial arguments pertaining to which older pieces belonged in the second floor gallery were finally settled. It turns out there is no shortage of art adhering to the themes of love, heartache and sexy times in the M.S.Co. archives.

Sexy Doodles line the Clubhouse maze wall

Then, ofcourse, there was the the persistent distraction of the Sexy Doodle Pads. Few of the misanthropes were able to resist filling in "just one more" of these strange naughty novelties. Indeed, there is a small faction feverishly churning out fresh doodles to this very moment. The Clubhouse doors are scheduled to open in a few short hours, and the maze wall doodle exhibit continues to expand.

As of noon o'clock this afternoon, the Company Clerk tallied one thousand eight hundred and fourteen completed Doodles.

And the hits just keep on coming.

Of those counted, almost half were submitted by contributors outside the Company. But the aforementioned Company doodle addicts have been working up a storm ever since, and contributions continue to trickle in. Already, the exhibition boasts more variations of that blank-groined pencil-toter than anyone needs to see. And yes, in the spirit of overkill, there will be blank doodle pads available for those wishing to participate in tonight's festivities.

* * *

What future film projects lie dormant in the Company vault?

Meanwhile, deep inside the M.S.Co. Bunker, thirty hours' worth of shot footage lies in a basement vault. Offcuts and leftovers from the editing of last year's motion picture extravaganza, Screaming Hell Hogs Eat Shit and Die.

The Company had various long-standing schemes to make use of the surplus footage, but first had to establish whether the reels rightfully belonged to the misanthropes or to the film's purchaser. Hell Hogs had been sold part and parcel to a private collector well before its completion, but the outtakes and assorted byproducts had not been considered and therefore no stipulations had been made for them in the purchasing contract. A lengthy correspondence between the Company's legal department and Hell Hogs' owner's attorneys ensued.

Some of the contents of the film cans

As it turns out, the extra footage is the sole property of the Misanthrope Specialty Co. The Company is free to do with it as it pleases "provided it does not use the suffix 'Eat Shit and Die' in the titling or promotion of any film, video, media or print project(s) that may result thereof." Fair enough.

Editing of the new, not yet titled, project is slated to commence next week. The project's parameters and objectives were hammered out at last night's meeting. The reels are to be reworked into a series of twelve films; each based on the story of one of Christ's apostles. A little something to release this coming Easter.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of projects initiated: 18
Number completed: 8
Number inducted: 6
Carried over to next week: 2

* * * *

I LOVE BUSEY...

Notes to Headquarters
from T-Bone, Company Bailiff:

"The deed is done. We handed Hell Hogs over to Gary and his goons last night. The matter's out of my hands now. Finally. Amen.

"I'd been sent detailed instructions on how the transaction was to be played out. I had to be go foot, unarmed, and place the film cans in a trunk between the two O's in the Hollywood sign. Cotton accompanied me part ways but it had been clearly stipulated I was supposed to arrive alone. I deviated from the established trails. We had the sense we were being watched from afar.

"I hadn't realized access to the sign itself restricted. Fenced off and closely monitored by security cameras. In order to deposit the reels in adherence to the plan I would have to scale the fence, on camera, in broad daylight, negotiating my way over razor wire. Gary must have known this. I didn't doubt it. My blood began to ache.

"All the same, I'd agreed to the job. And things looked like they might work out with the help of my puertoricans. I had a leg over, then the razor wire snagged my sock. It only got worse the more I worked to get unhooked. A voice barked at me over the security loudspeaker. I'd been spotted trespassing and I was stuck there sure the police were coming to take me off in chains.

"An audience of thicknecked goons emerged. Some in uniforms. All of them hooting, chucking, snapping photos with their telephones. Even the voice on the speaker was laughing at me. Gary and Jake were there too. Applauding. I wanted to set them all on fire."

* * *

SURPLUS MAXIMUS...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary;

"Fatty Jim's Been Working Out"

The countdown to launch has officially begun. With Post No Bilge slated for next week and the Company's departure less than a week later, the Misanthrope Specialty Co. is busily whipping itself into shape. This summer once again promises to be a long and arduous one, full of marathon drives, long nights, road food rotgut and waking up in cornfields.

Noses are being pressed ever further into grindstones in the effort to produce enough merchandise for the next four months.

* * *

Finally, as editing for Hell Hogs Eat Shit and Die winds down to mere tweeking and fine tuning, it dawned on the Company only last week there is an impressive amount of leftover footage. Nearly thirty hours's worth, to be more specific.

How many more films can be picked up off the cuttingroom floor?

Admittedly, the entire Company had its blinders on. With everyone so singularly focused on the production at hand, nobody stopped to consider the whopping surplus of shot footage, much less its implications. Now the Misanthrope Specialty Co. finds itself sitting on a treasure trove of potential 16mm movies already half made. It's a giddy development to say the least.

With a lengthy tour just around the corner, preparations for Post No Bilge and Hell Hogs not quite polished, now is perhaps not the moment to embark on any more film projects. Rest assured, however, that informal schemes are already being hatched. In the meantime, every loose end of film is being diligently catalogued, archived and stowed safely in Bunker vaults until the Company has time to discuss what is to be done with them in the fall.

* * *

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

* * *

TITLE BORE...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:
The film, as they say in the motion picture business, is in the can. Shooting for the Company's film has finally wrapped up. Soon begins the daunting task that is the editing process.

Deep in the Company Bunker lies a mountain of exposed film awaiting splicing

With the active days of running through graveyards and subway tunnels in costume behind them, and no new rushes to anticipate once this week's footage comes back from the lab, editing comes as something of an anticlimax to some of the misanthropes. There is approximately thirty hours' worth of mostly extemporaneously shot footage to whittle and shape into a cohesive ninety minute movie.

* * *

In related news, Headquarters recently received a letter from the attorneys representing the project's chief bennefactor. In it Mr. Busey requests, among other things, that the phrase "Eat Shit And Die" be tacked on to the film's title.

Miss Lastname makes her screen debut

Not surprisingly, the list of demands was met with varying degrees of outrage and opposition among the Company's the rank and file. Nevertheless, it was determined the addendum to the title would be honoured after matters were put to a vote.

So while Company has yet to decide on a first name for its picture in progress, atleast it has a last name.

* * *

MOTION [PICTURE] SICKNESS...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:
Principal shooting has finally begun in earnest on the next Misanthrope Specialty Co. production.

Heywood and Cotton shoot their contributions to what will
eventually be spliced intothe Company's next film
(photos by Reverend Aitor, D.D.)

The members' excitement was palpable as they all took advantage of the unseasonably warm weekend in their respective attempts to get a few scenes under their belts. Adding to their current giddiness is the novelty of working in 16mm; a privilege few in the Company had known before.

The Montréal contingent gets in on the action
(photo by Heywood McGillicuddy)

As is usually the case, this work in progress remains untitled. A fitting moniker will be voted on once editing is complete [hopefully] early-ish in the new year.

* * *

Speaking of being in pictures, the always awkward Reverend Aitor found himself on the other side of the camera some time ago, as the subject of a short profile by Aaron Vincent Elkaim and Jason Quinton.

(Aitor smokes and fidgets through a short documentary
about his Unflattering Portraits)

The piece, shot last winter, was long unavailable due to the hacking of Mr.Elkaim's website the cyber-thug known to his victims as rudeboy. It is now up and running once more.

* * *

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.

* * *

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.

* * *