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.

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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.

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

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RHODE TO RICHES...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:
Though Hallowe'en has yet to come and go, it is already time for the members of the M.S.Co. to begin preparations for the Christmas shopping frenzy.

(promotional artwork courtesy of Craftland)

Among the motions passed at last week's meeting was the proposal to participate in the 9th annual Craftland pop-up department store. Consequently, most of this week's meeting was spent concocting an assortment of handmade goods to ship down to Providence, Rhode Island.

The Company busts out the embossing tape and sets to work on message cards (photo by Tallulah Lastname)

This will be the first time the Company will be peddling it's wares at Craftland. It's been whole-heartedly endorsed to the misanthropes by various friends over the years, so, after a bit of deliberating, the Company has finally decided to give it a go.

(photo courtesy of ann-dabney)

For those of you in the Providence area, Craftland runs November 26 through December 31. Stay tuned for further details as the date approaches.

* * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of projects initiated: 8
Number completed: 5
Number inducted: 2
Carried over to next week for completion: 3

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VISIONARY POSITION..

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

The AVAM (photo courtesy of Judit Bosár)

Though the Company doesn't officially reunite until tomorrow's Sunday meeting, many of the misanthropes are down in Baltimore, showing their support for Reverend Aitor, at the opening of
the American Visionary Art Museum's new exhibition, What Make's Us Smile?

The Reverend wows them with his mubled ramblings about ugliness (photo courtesy of thefrontrowe)

The Company is very proud to announce that the good Reverend's Unflattering Portraits form part of the museum's 15th anniversary show, curated by Rebecca Hoffberger, Gary Panter, and Matt Groening.

Matt Groening loves his Unfalttering Portrait (photo courtesy of the Baltimore Examiner)

The AVAM describes its exhibition as "a playful celebration of human joy", wherein visitors can romp through a warren of mini-galleries to explore different key aspects of humour. There's even a room dedicated to fart jokes throughout human history. It's been brilliantly monikered the Toot Suite, and features a surprisingly comfortably bench upholstered with self-inflating whoopee cushions.

Thats right: SELF-INFLATING (photo by Reverend Aitor)

Among the other featured artists Aitor's portraits have the honour of rubbing elbows with are Pedro Bell, Tom Wilborn, John Waters, Chris Roberts-Antieau, Patty Kuzbida, Anado MacLauchlin, and the late John Callahan. What Makes Us Smile? runs until September 4th, 2011 -- so if you find yourself in the Baltimore area sometime in the next year, be sure to drop by the American Visionary Art Museum.

the PBS News Hour has something to say about the show

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* * *

INTERIM JOB...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

The misanthropes are all finally back in Toronto; just in time to watch the season change from summer to fall.

Back in the safety of Headquarters (photo by Reverend Aitor)

Tonight's meeting was held in the familiar comforts of Headquarters for first time in moths. After so many Sunday meetings held in parking lots, noisy restaurants, illegal squats, other people's homes and an array of sleazy motels, the Company members can once again appreciate the comforts this designated haven of leisurely toil. There a plenty of chairs for everyone, full kitchen and bar, and smoking is permitted.

(nametag and photo by Tallulah Lastname)

Ofcourse, today also marked the last Misanthrope Specialty Co. meeting before a belated, but much needed hiatus. After months of touring together, it is safe to say the Company members all in need of a genuine break, and some distance from eachother.

* * *

(poster by the Misanthrope Specialty Co.)

Among the loose bits of business to tie up before closing shop for the month was the completion of a few commissioned works, including a poster for Levi Macdougall's upcoming intimate evening. Those of you who both live in Calgary and enjoy awkward, understated comedy would be well advised to attend.

(Unflattering Portrait of Levi by Reverend Aitor)

This isn't the first time the Company has been hired to do Mr.Macdougall's bidding. A chance encounter at a party promptly grew into a budding business relationship, which is presently blossoming into something resembling friendship. Now the Company is invited to sleep on his many sofas whenever in the Los Angeles area.

* * *

NOTICE
* * * The Misanthrope Specialty Co. is hereby on hiatus * * *
* * * the Company reconvenes Sunday October 10, 2010 * * *

Please be advised that calls, letters and electronic mail to the M.S.Co. and it's members
are likely to go unanswered until such time
AND
The Museum of Natural & Artificial History will remain closed in the interim

* * *

(See you in October)

* * *

WALL TO SCRAWL MARKETING...

by Heywood McGillicuddy, Chairman:

"Yukon Honeymoon No.2" by the men and women of the M.S.Co.

Yes, the Company is back in Chicago; now only days away from home. The anticipation is almost unbearably palpable.

As much as the members enjoy spending half their year living like carnies, they are also eager to sleep in their own lumpy beds, with their own lumpy lovers. There is also only so much time the misanthropes can spend cooped up in cars and motels together, breathing in eachother's b.o. day in and day out.

* * *

(photo by Rufus Spaulding)

It has been the Company's unofficial custom in previous years to open up the Clubhouse present a homecoming party and exhibition promptly after a lengthy tour. This year, however, the decision to push the usual summer hiatus back to September will keep the Company Clubhouse doors closed until October. Same goes for the Museum of Natural & Artificial History.

The M.S.Co. assures it's loyal friends and eager followers that it will make it up to them just a little further down the line. Yesterday's motion to host a Hallowe'en / Dia De Los Muertos party and event was passed unanimously.

More details will be forthcoming, pending further deliberation at next week's meeting. There are many a detail to iron out.

* * *

Paperboy's interim exhibition. A work in constant flux.
(photo courtesy of Paperboy Chicago)

Though Toronto audiences are going to have to wait, citizens of the windy city are invited to stand in awe at the Company's contribution to the impromptu group show at Paper Boy.

The misanthropes dropped by the boutique-slash-gallery's yesterday to the staff taping hurried doodles and half-finished sketches up in the gallery space. The scheduled exhibition had fallen through at the last minute, so the intrepid women of Paper Boy were mounting their own eleventh-hour show in its place.

Selected highlights from the art wall thus far (photos courtesy of Paperboy)

The doodles were only there to get the ball rolling. A basket of magic markers and a stack of virgin paper were place conveniently nearby, along with an invitation for one and all to complete the drawings, and/or start their own. It was too much to resist.

The Company spent the rest of the day gleefully scribbling in the gallery, embellishing on or otherwise defiling the groundwork the fine folks at Paper Boy had laid. This fast and loose collaboration was a refreshing departure from the more rigid and protocol-laden work the misanthropes had become accustomed to in their regular Sunday sessions.

The Misanthropes get in on the action (photo courtesy of Paper Boy)

Why not drop by and make your mark? The wall will only continue to evolve and expand over the course of the show's run.

PAPER BOY COMMUNAL WALL
September 1 to September 30, 2010
1351 West Belmont Avenue
Chicago, Illinois

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Limited edition message card by the Misanthrope Specialty Co.

And while you're at it, why not check out the latest in M.S.Co. ephemera? The Company has restocked the store's inventory with all manner of freshly made goods, including a few limited edition cards made using some ultra-rare vintage embossing tapes.

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B.C. BUDDIES...

by Rufus Spaulding:

(photo by Rufus Spaulding)

Though still weeks away from home, the Company is back in the homecountry for the next little while, after a pleasantly uneventful border crossing into British Columbia.

(photo by Becky Johnson)

The Company's reasons for being in Vancouver are twofold: a round table discussion of secret business with their contact at Little Mountain, and the gluttonous consumption of ridiculously tasty sushi at suspiciously low prices.

How to eat sushi in the Japanese tradition

A deeply rooted Japanese population and the abundance of salmon, tuna, prawns and crab fished off the B.C. coast have made Vancouver the only city in North America where sushi joints outnumber burger shacks three to one. This abundance, means restaurants are forever competing to outdo each other by offering better quality sushi at lower prices. The sashimi-crazed misanthropes have been banned from more than one all-you-can-eat establishment over the years.

If only the members of the Company could get over this city's apathetic mock-liberalism and conservative hippie snobbery.

* * *

APP of GOD...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk:
The good folks at levimacdoogall.com didn't waste any time putting the Company's work to good use.

(photo courtesy of Levi MacDougall)

The beta version of the Bullet in a Bible i-phone application is ready. Keep it near your heart. This little technological miracle fits right in your breast pocket -- so it's always handy when you're in need of some divine intervention.

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