Dog Faced Corpse update

As some of you know I was commissioned by an Iraqi death metal band called Dog Faced Corpse to create their CD cover. You can read all about that here in my blog post from August of '09. It's my understanding that some of the guys are in school and since that of course is priority the recording of the album is taking a little while. But they have released a teaser to whet your whistles! Enjoy.

Zombies are comin!! revisited

Now that I have the evidence to properly defend my post pertaining to zombies in Haiti I'l do so.


Below are links to some articles that are starting to float around. You don't have to read the article because I think the headlines speak for themselves.(HAARP stands for High Frequency Active Aural Research Program and is considered by some to be a potential weapon.)


UFO Or HAARP Over Haiti Night Before Quake
 'Haiti Full Of Oil' (1-28-08) - US HAARPs Quake & Grabs Oil?
US Army Takes Haiti - US Blocks Some Aid Flights
Why Is The US Military Occupying Four Airports In Haiti?
UN Said Haiti Is Full Of Gold Back In The 1970s!
Clincher! - US Says Will Stay In Haiti 'For Long Term'
Chavez Say US 'Weapon' Caused Haiti Quake
So. Command Just Happened To Be Doing Haiti Drill... 
Eurasian Minerals May Of Their Holdings In Haiti
Eurasian Minerals 5 Main Projects - Haiti, Etc
The U.S. Created the Earthquake in Haiti?

There is the intended butt of my joke. Here is a list of others that I made fun of in the post:

1. Those that debate fast zombies vs. slow zombies or brain eaters vs. flesh eaters without acknowledging the fact that the first Hollywood zombies were Voodoo type zombies.

2. Those that think Voodoo type zombies are the original walking dead.

3. Journalist that make leaps of logic without knowing much about anything. Explanation: The article I linked to with the headline Head Voodoo Priest Protests Haiti’s Mass Burials, Fear of Zombies. The article seems to be legit. It has shown up at various news sites but this version has one, very slight difference which is the erroneous statement "Many Haitians believe that the desecration of their loves ones could lead to the dead roaming the earth again as Zombies." So the head Voodoo priest does not mention zombies in the article. Nobody brings this up. And the fact that Haitian zombies don't come back for revenge but rather as cheap labor isn't mentioned either.

4. People who think there's a time limit before you can make fun of something. Because as we know time heals all wounds and makes shit funny as hell!

5. Pat Robertson and evangelicals that think the earthquake was because Haitians sold their souls 200 years ago. If souls were sold isn't an eternity in Hell proper punishment?

6. The French.

7. Screenwriters and authors. How long before zombie themed screenplays and stories start showing up using the quake as a backdrop if not a cause for the apocalypse? 6 months? A year?

I was taken to task because I was using the pain and suffering of thousands to make a joke. I was using the pain and suffering of thousands to make a point: American society is full of people who are sensationalist-loving, unobservant, media-consuming, gullible retards.

Was I really making fun of people or just holding up a mirror?

The quake in Haiti was terrible. My condolences goes out to those that have lost loved ones. But as an honest American my life is not affected. No one I know was affected. 13 days after the quake a Facebook status re-post thingy started making the rounds questioning why we as a country are so focused on Haiti when we still have victims from Katrina trying to put their lives back in order and homeless people dying on our streets everyday yet there is no outcry. I'm beginning to wonder why I didn't wait 13 days before making my post as well.

Zombies are comin'!! Zombies are comin'!!

Being the crude and insensitive person I am, not to mention I happen to make my living from zombies, I found it hard to believe that no one had mentioned zombies in relation to the disaster in Haiti. Well, there were some kooky comments about how the Haitians sold their souls to the devil in order to defeat the French. Pfft! Like supernatural assistance would be needed for that! But no mention of zombies there either.


How could this be? Haiti is the home of the zombie. Yeah, we know that the idea of zombies have been around for centuries (ghouls, revenants, and arguably vampires). The instances of a flesh-eating zombie apocalypse pre-dates George Romero by about 4,000 years! The goddess Ishtar/Inanna threatens, once in her descent to the underworld and once in the Epic of Gilgamesh!,
 "I shall raise up the dead and they shall eat the living.
I shall make the dead outnumber the living." 
The word "zombie" itself has roots in ancient Africa. Zombi is the name of Vodou snake Iwa Damballah Wedo...but of course you Marvel Comic readers knew that, right? It is akin to the word "nzambi" meaning "god".  But Haiti is where the two came together. Haiti is also home to some of the most (infamous?) famous cases of zombification including  Felicia Felix-Mentor and  Clairvius Narcisse whose zombie shenanigans were documented by Wade Davis.

 

So why is everyone avoiding the topic of Haitian zombies? Could it be too soon? Maybe because of the wounded the zombies are not so noticeable. But give it time. Soon medical personnel will take notice. Or maybe they already have. The Marines are there already. They were there first. Were they ordered to clear the area of the walking dead so that relief efforts could get underway? Maybe what seems to be confusion and lack of organization is actually strategy on behalf of the military? I smell a cover-up!

Yes, that is a dump truck full of bodies!

The Head Voodoo Priest in Haiti, Max Beauvoir, has spoken out about his concerns. Could this article be riddled with clues? I think so. Instead of China World War Z begins in Haiti. Good news is the fact that Haiti is an island that can be easily quarantined if the military can no longer deal with the influx of zombies. Let's just pray that it doesn't come to that!


William of Newburgh wrote in his Historia rerum Anglicarum "one would not easily believe that corpses come out of their graves and wander around, animated by some evil spirit, to terrorize or harm the living, unless there were many cases in our times, supported by ample testimony". Those words come to us from almost 1,000 years ago and they ring just as true today as they did then.


You may think I'm crazy but I take solace in the fact that when your undead, half-rotten and bloated family members are munching on your gray matter with sporks your last thought will be "Dammit! That Billy Tackett was right...AGAIN!!"

Vote fer me!!

I hate to be one of those folks that beg for you to vote for 'em...but I'm gonna be! I'm in a contest where the grand prize is chosen by Steve Buscemi, Chris Weitz (director of the Golden Compass & Twilight: New Moon), Helen Hsu (Curatorial Assistant at the Guggenheim Museum)  and a few others...but the People's Choice is chosen by you!  
No sign up or hoops to jump through, just go to the page and click on the little stars below my pieces. Thanks
http://www.artistswanted.org/htackett

New Year's Rezzalooshuns for 2010

In 2010 I...
...will not refer to art I don't like as "fecal matter"...especially in the company of the artist.
...will prove everyone wrong.
...will not wipe boogers on people at art galleries.
...will do everything in my power to make obnoxious people uneasy.
...will laugh and point at any middle aged woman that tries to dress more hip than their teen age daughter.
...will not roll my eyes as much.
...will sigh audibly more.
...will make new friends that I can alienate in new ways.
...will smack anyone in the back of the head that I suspect is wearing a bad hairpiece.
...will find beauty in things that are ugly...like your Mama!
...will not care about what people that don't matter think.
...will not visit websites that hijack my speakers with music and sound effects.
...will eat healthier by dining only on vegans and Peta supporters.
...will petition for the return of government cheese.
...will be nicer to stupid people by referring to them as mildly retarded.
...will be nicer to mildly retarded people by referring to them as Twilight fans.
...will not be nicer to Twilight fans.
...will not prance through Wal-Mart wearing a pink top hat yelling "Has anyone seen my giraffe??"
...will overcome my fear of orange emery boards.
...will not listen to people who do nothing but bitch and moan about politics.
...will not poke homeless people in the eye with a stick.
...will make up more boring and pretentious stories about my art.
...will not paint as many zombies.
...will not come out of his shell because it is there for a reason.
...will drink more.
...will paint more zombies.
...will care more.
...will act as though I care more.
...will find more ways to fit the word "sphincter" into casual conversation.
...will not stick pro-KKK stickers over "Coexist" bumper stickers...well, not as much.
...will punch more hookers.
...will not berate toddlers in Starbucks.
...will stop sticking the wrong end of the paintbrush in my mouth.

This is how I'll be making myself a better person in 2010. What will you do? Because God knows you need to do something.
Billy

yadda yadda Elfwood yadda yadda yadda

An update on my previous post about Elfwood. You can get caught up by reading it here but in a nutshell my painting When Giants Attack...Cincinnati was rejected because the moderator deemed it fan art. So I responded by informing them of the difference between a fan artist and professional artist and by removing my art from the website. That email was sent on December 8.

On December 23 I got this email:
*Hello Billy

firstly an apology for taking such a long time to respond to your email.
Normally Elfwood moderation responses are more timely, but unfortunately
Elfwood Support had quite a "spam" attack over the last ten days.

I take onboard your succint arguements, and agree entirely that Elfwood is
predominantly geared towards the "amateur" artist, in that Elfwood
moderation does not take into account the "artistic skill" of submission
(although we do draw the line at 'stick-art').

Elfwood does however enjoy the presence of a few professional/commercial
artists, if only to provide another internet presence to showcase their
talents.

With regards to the disputed artwork. I agree that the moderator in
question was perhaps too hasty in dismissing "When Giants Attack" as fan
art. Having viewed the artwork, I think it falls into the "parody"
category, given that the monster depicted in no way resembles Godzilla, and
as such, shuld have been accepted.

At Elfwood we have approximately 90+ moderators, of which approximately 50+
are processing submissions at any one time. Usually when in doubt about a
submission on any basis, opinions of other moderators are sought. This,
unfortunately, was not so in this case.

Not all of our moderators are as widely skilled as could be desired, and
sometimes items will be rejected when they should not be. I hope you
appreciate that this is in no way a reflection upon your skill and
integrity as a professional artist.

kind regards - Maxine Cox - Elfwood Support*


Interestingly this reply came not from the Head-Mod as it normally does but from Elfwood Support. Which suits me just fine because as I've noted and Ms. Cox points out (n)ot all of our moderators are as widely skilled as could be desired. 


Just as I suspected this email shows that not everyone at Elfwood has their heads up their asses! Thanks to Ms. Cox for the professional response. Unfortunately this does not change my feelings towards Elfwood.


The problem does not lie with Elfwood itself. The problem is with the concept of a moderated art gallery. Moderated art galleries are very much like Communism, they both look good on paper but human nature manages to screw everything up. Let me explain: Simply put Communism is a system in which there are no rich people, no poor people and the government takes care of you in a worry-free Utopia. We all know how that turned out! Moderated art galleries are similar because when you visit one of them you can rest assured that the art you are viewing has been approved by a moderator that has been trained to only accept work that meets certain standards of quality...except that the moderators are humans. Flawed humans. 


Art is subjective. There are no hard, fast rules that apply. One person's art is another's garbage. Example: I don't think Andy Warhol was an artist, just a screenprinter that was a marketing genius. I'm sure there are those that would disagree! Another example: As mentioned in the previous post Epilogue has a rule that art on a plain white background will not be accepted. I recently met an artist that does work for major gaming companies. Work that is of the highest quality. Work that consists of characters on a white background because it is interior art with wrap-around text. Work that even though anyone that has glanced at a game would recognize it wouldn't be accepted because it is on a white background. 


And then there's the fact that humans tend to be a bit more lenient to their friends and a bit more strict on enemies. It's natural. Or fans of vampires may be more receptive to allowing lower quality vampire art. Or art that is predominantly blue will appeal to moderators whose favorite color is blue. I think you get the picture. That's why moderated art galleries will fail. 


I have a simple solution to the moderated art gallery. Moderate the artists not the art. Have artists submit a body of work and if they are accepted they can put whatever the hell they want after that. Or stop moderating all together! 


And as I said before, if you're an artist a moderated art gallery will do nothing for your career. They will only cause you stress. Set up your own gallery. Learn to moderate yourself. And keep track of what images get views. The public will tell you what you're doing right. 


Happy New Year everyone!
Billy

2009 in review

2009 is almost gone and what a year it's been. I remember going into '09 was scary as hell. The economy had tanked and folks were losing their jobs and their homes. What was in store for Billy Tackett Studios? I was afraid that relying on the sales of prints and sinking so much time and money into the line of shirts may have been a bad move. But from our first show of the year, Con Nooga, to our last one, Who ARTED?, you guys have shown us that we're doing the right thing. You have welcomed us into your cities and towns and treated us like family.  You've shown us that you appreciate what we're doing and for that we are forever grateful!

You can never have too many Fannies! ConNooga

Heather with Samantha Newark

On the subject of towns and cities, some folks have commented on our 2009 schedule and to be honest it amazes even me! Going to shows every weekend can be pretty grueling but it is worth it. We zombified 17 cities at 25 shows!

Dead White & Blue forever! Imagicon

David Michael Beck, Rocky Karlage & me

Along the way we got to hang out with some old friends and make a buttload of new ones. We've had the opportunity to hang out with some legendary figures in music, movies, literature and art! (Anybody have any advice on keeping the inner fanboy in check?)

Impaler, bitches!

Heather & Kane Hodder

Shane Moore's Abyss Walker series continues to gain momentum with a new book launched this year as well as other news that promises the series will only get bigger and better.

Forces to be reckoned with!

Me with Richard Green

Dead White & Blue series has really proven to be a fan favorite. The graphic novel is still a work in process as well as my art book For The love Of Monsters. With the busy schedule and more commissions than I could shake a stick at these projects have taken a back seat. But we have promised them and we will deliver! 2010 will bring some news related to these publications that promises to take Billy Tackett Studios into some new territory.

Sharin' space with living legend Larry Elmore

Us with the mastermind behind ZP International, George Bonilla

The charity art show we sponsored, Who Arted?,  was a huge success (which I still need to do a write up about) that got a lot of attention. So much that we will putting together another next year.

Heather with the slightly creepy Sean Taylor

Ami & Daniel Taylor, John Dugan and us

2009 shaped up to be a great year. Things have begun to move in a direction that will make 2010 to be the "Year of the Zombie". This year we have laid groundwork for some projects that could turn out to be huge for us. We are working on new merchandise as well as some high profile commissions. We've already added several shows to our calender. And I am always trying to come up with that next super-duper art for a t-shirt or art print. Billy Tackett Studios will continue to zombify America. Who knows, maybe Fannie the Flesheater will start her campaign to become the first female President?

Us with Gunnar Hansen

Jim O'Rear loves him some Zombie Sam!

We're expectin' a lot more of this...

...and this...

...and this...

...in 2010!!

Once again we would like to thank everyone for making this year so great. So to all the old friends we miss, the new ones we made and the ones we haven't met yet...

We wish you a Scary Christmas and a Happy New Fear!

Billy & Heather Tackett