Found.

I opened a sketchbook from many years ago and a small piece of paper fell out. On it is this verse from Upanishads:

We are like the spider.
We weave our life and then move along in it.
We are like the dreamer who dreams and then lives in the dream.
This is true for the entire universe.

UPANISHADS

Instant Classic.

Last night, Miss Riss and I saw the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In at the Angelika. If I could watch it again right now, I would. On one hand, it is unlike any other vampire movie you have ever seen: tender, subtle, remarkable for its distressing quietude and stirring portrayals of adolescence. However, it also embodies the mythology of vampirism with more authenticity and heart than anything since Bela Lugosi and Klaus Kinski. Sunlight, flight, crypts, and hissing cats: all of these traditional elements of the vampire story are here and each one will set off an alarm in your mind or a tremble in your spine. Hollywood treatments of the subject range from glossy kids' candy (Twilight) to the ham-fisted, abrasive CGI barrage (the Underworld series). So Let the Right One In was a gust of fresh air and a genuine thrill. It uses vampirism as a metaphor, and yet the horrific climax will leave you reeling. Fuck, go see it immediately.

The Scariest Thing of All Time

I know what you're thinking: the scariest thing of all time has got to be either the root canal, Tilda Swinton's face, or Camden, New Jersey. But nay. The scariest thing of all time is the subliminal demon face that assaults your very spirit for less than a second at a time during The Exorcist. One source reported that the face is fashioned after this mask from the 1964 Japanese film Onibaba.

Charitable Tees

Yellow Bird Project is a nonprofit that asks their favorite bands to design a shirt for them, prints and sells the shirts, and then donates all of the proceeds to a charity of the band's choosing. How cool! My favorite is the shirt designed by The National.

New Winterfresh Scent!

The brand-spanking-new version of www.magneticstate.com is online! Now with %100 more newness! Now available in winterfresh scent!*

Please stop by and have a look at the work. I built the site myself, and I hope anyone who needs a website will get in touch! I especially encourage artists/photographers/balloon-tyers who need their portfolios online to contact me at dan@magneticstate.com. And, of course, you should get in touch if you need a logo/t-shirt/poster design for your band/company/diabolical invention. Thanks and Happy New Year!

Also, if you haven't read them yet, here are the two most-read Magnet Cat posts of 2008: 'Great Design in Music Now,' and 'The Best of Thrash Metal Cover Art.'

*Does not apply in certain parts of most parts of everywhere.

Blue Sky Law on Uncensored Interview

My great friend Sean's band Blue Sky Law has been interviewed on Uncensored Interview. The band won this opportunity during a Battle of the Bands event that was one of the most exciting rock shows I've witnessed in years! The contest was declared a tie, Blue Sky Law was offered the chance to perform one last song, and their thrilling performance led the judges to declare them the winners. Congrats, dudes! Visit Blue Sky Law on Myspace.

Proof Pudding

They say the proof is in the pudding, and now you can get both online. My good friend Scott and I have collaborated on his new food blog, Proof Pudding. I designed the logo and the website (with Wordpress). Visit the blog and leave a comment!