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.

* * *

THE PENN IS MIGHTER THAN THE SORE...

by Erkuden Sakan, Company Secretary;
A North American tour simply wouldn't be complete without a couple of weeks of business and pleasure with the Company's friends in Philadelphia.

ART STAR CRAFT BAZAAR
Saturday, May 15th & Sunday, May 16th
11-6pm
Philadelphia, PA @ Penn's Landing Great Plaza
(on Columbus Boulevard between Walnut Street and Chestnut Street)
click here for directions
* * *

Along for the ride is the Good Reverend, once again bringing his Unflattering Portraits to the clamouring hordes at Penn's landing.

Try as you might, you can't hide your double chin from Reverend Aitor's acid pen

Anyone interested in being unflattered is advised to reserve a sitting well in advance, as history indicates Aitor's dance card tends to fill up when in the City of Brotherly Love.

UNFLATTERING PHILLY
Saturday May 15, 2010:
1:oopm - Dylan
2:oopm - Lisa+ Colin
3:oopm - Lisa + Colin
4:oopm - Available

UNFLATTERING PHILLY
Sunday May 16, 2010:
1:oopm - Arizona
2:oopm - Caralita
3:oopm - Dawn
4:oopm - Mariam

To book an appointment, simply click on the comments section at the end of this posting and claim any hour that isn't already claimed. Portraits take about thirty to forty minutes per person (couples, oddly enough, count as two persons, so book accordingly ) and are done by donation. Pay what you think it's worth.

* * *

NOVA ERA...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk;

Citizens of Arlington, the Misanthrope Specialty Co. is heading your way to participate in the Ballston Arts & Craft Market this coming week-end. This will be the Company's first visit in you fair city, so it's up to you to make a good first impression.

* * *

The Company's own Reverend Aitor will be minding the Company table. He has graciously agreed to make himself available to bring out the ugly in four lucky Virginians.

UNFLATTERING BALLSTON
Saturday May 8, 2010:
1:oopm - Available
2:oopm - Gina
3:oopm - Abbi + 1
4:pm - Abbi + 1

To book an appointment, simply click on the comments section at the end of this posting and claim any hour that isn't already claimed. Portraits take about thirty to forty minutes per person (couples, oddly enough, count as two persons, ) and are done by donation. Pay what you think it's worth.

* * *

SUBWAY OR THE HIGHWAY...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary;

By all accounts, misanthropes' whirlwind visit to Flour City was an enjoyable one.

Today the Company split up into factions, in a hurried dash to cross several tasks of the members' respective to-do lists during their few remaining hours in town.

While the Company's Chairman and Impresario were striking up a business deal with the Center at High Falls, some of the others set out to procure a sampling of another local delicacy, the garbage plate.

Though only Nick Tahou can lay claim to being its originator, and has trademarked the name, the celebrated local dish can be found at various eateries under a number of pseudonyms. Those in the Company who partook in the greasy taste test agreed Dogtown's junkyard plate was the tastier of the bunch; going to show that, even in matters of artery-clogging gluttony, the quality of ingredients counts.

* * *

(photo courtesy of Skip Holden)

Almost as exciting as the aforementioned gut bomb was Lydia and Cotton's discovery of Rochester's long-abandoned subway system. Unfortunately, the time to push off arrived before they could carry out a thorough examination of the subterranean passageways, but the Company's predeliction for damp tunnels suggest that the Misanthrope Specialty Co. will likely return for a closer look sooner than later.

* * *


"Jerks at the Bar" 1 and 2

Later, after putting in a few hours on the road, the Company reconvened in Harrisbug, PA for a slightly truncated Sunday session of business and collaborative drawing.

(photo courtesy of the Subway Cafe)

The meeting was held at the olde-timey Subway Café, on the recommendation of some fellow vagrants Tallulah encountered at the Pennsylvania Welcome Centre. It seemed appropriate enough a location, in keeping with the theme of the day's urban exploration and given the fact that beer there may be purchased by the fishbowl.

* * *

SALES FROM THE UNDERGROUND...

by Heywood McGillicuddy, Chairman:
This year the Company opted to ease in to the tour, targeting a smaller and not-too-distant show across the lake as the first official stop on the tour.

Today's Mayday! Underground Craft Fair, held in the shadow of the mighty Genesee brewery, was a moderate success. Though it might not make sense to drive the four hours specifically to hustle Company vendibles in Rochester, the fledgling event made a for an ideal stop en route to the next show, and a good time was had by all.

(photo by Rufus Spaulding)

The Company wishes to congratulate the event's organisers for a job well done. This was the show's first year, and we wish them all the best as they continue to grow and evolve in years to come.

* * *

In food tourism news, the Misanthrope Specialty Co. was introduced to white hots, a tasty local member of the hot dog family.

(photo courtesy of superape)

Richer tasting and less smoky than traditional hot dogs -- or red hots, as they are known in these parts -- the pale German-American piece of charcuterie made for a perfect treat after a first day South of the border

***

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.

* * *

EASTER PROMISES...

by Heywood McGillicuddy, Chairman;

Easter dinner, as prepared by Tallulah
(Illustration by the Misanthrope Specialty Co.)

Although it was officially a long holiday week-end around these parts, the members of the Misanthrope Specialty Co. does not take Easter Sunday off. Instead, the Company marked the occasion by convening at the Clubhouse for a little afternoon croquet, followed by an exquisite meal of wine-broiled rabbit with hand-painted eggs before getting down to the business at hand.

* * *

Most of Sunday's drawing session was spent on work for the Company's exciting new bedfellow, letterpress visionaries, Trip Print Press.

Where the magic happens.
(photo courtesy of Trip Print Press)

Proprietor and head compositor Nicholas Kennedy is a master of hand-set type. The Company has long admired the eschewing of typographic trends, his encyclopedic knowledge of antiquated heavy machinery and his distinctly solvent-based scent. Nobody combines salvaged typeface, tint blocks and engravings into
contemporary design the way Mr. Kennedy can. In the small bubble that is letterpress nerdom, he is a punk rock star.

One of the Company's contribution to The Trip Print Press' arsenal of custom stock images.

Now he has enlisted the Company's help in the creation of an exclusive catalogue of custom stock images. A welcome alternative to exhausted clip art and vintage illustration, the Company is creating a fresh pool of contemporary images to compliment an arcane artform. And only Trip Print Press has the goods.

* * *