Walkin' the Dog

I'm gonna try to chronicle the evolution of some of my favorite songs for better or for worse. For some reason I have always been a sucker for a cover song and have tried to collect them as much as possible. Thanks to the internet that is so much easier now! I'm gonna try to keep these in chronological order but that can be difficult. I'm also staying away from most concert recordings because 90% of them suck! The only time I'll break this rule is if the quality is exceptional or the content is rare and/or unusual. And if you have any that I missed send 'em along!

I also recommend looking into some of these more obscure musicians. There's some great music out there just waiting to be rediscovered. I would link to the bands listed but I'm kinda lazy and why should I anyway? I gave you the band and the song. Do some work for yourself for once! I ain't gonna hand you everything on a blood splattered platter , y'know!

Startin' off with the classic Walkin' the Dog written by Rufus Thomas and released in 1963. I find it rather odd that after almost 40 years of being re-interpreted by mostly white singers the song has evolved into a more bluesy composition than the original.

My recommended versions:
The original by Rufus Thomas of course, The Sonics because it just rocks your f*ckin' face off, The Everly Brothers because it was more hip and garage sounding than what I expected, Aerosmith because early Aerosmith = good Aerosmith, The Roosters because those Japanese guys know how to do it, Green Day just so you can hear what they could have sounded like, Joe Deninzon because electric fiddles are awesome, Dizzy Cats to see how the Russians do it and Sweet Jam because...well...just because ;-)

Rufus Thomas


Jackie Shane


Rolling Stones


Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames


PJ Proby


Johnny Rivers


The Dennisons


The Sonics


The Everly Brothers


Davy Graham


Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels


Stevie Ray Vaughan


Randy California & Spirit


The Jam


Roger Daltrey


Aerosmith


The Roosters


Ratt (this EP was my first exposure to the song)


Steve Marriott & the DTs


Chris Wilson


Green Day


Dumpy's Rusty Nuts


Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius


Aerosmith Unplugged


Jörgen Falk and Inge Josephson


Hans Theesink


The Dizzy Cats


Sweet Jam


And if you think this is a lot just wait'll I get to Louie Louie!

Zombie Portraits!!!

Hey gang! We'll be in Newport at Art on the Levee, which is ironically (?) located at Newport on the Levee, tonight and tomorrow night. We are celebrating the Twisted & Talented Halloween Art Exhibit. That ain't the big news. The big news is that I'll be doing zombie caricatures while you wait, shop or drink! you'll get stuff like:

or

or

Stop by after 6 to get your zombie on!!

Also in other news: The Cincinnati Comics Expo was friggin' fabulous! It was a great turn out and thankfully they are doing another next year. 

 We were actually having a better time than we look like we are

Arthur who?

We just got back from Chicago. This time we had time to do some touristy shit...and we have the photos to prove it!

 Indiana Dunes

 I got to pull the finger of a dude named Octave

 Sears Tower...103 stories up!

They call me Sunshine...

Zombies are comin!! re-revisited

Several months ago, shortly after the earthquake in Haiti, I posted a blog that in part gave Haiti credit for the zombie phenomenon and in part made light of conspiracy theorists. You can read it here. A few folks took me to task for it telling me it was too soon to be getting a jolly at the expense of anothers pain and suffering. So in my defense I clarified my intentions here. I made a short list spelling out who I was making fun of in my original post. 


Please make note of entry #7 where I take a poke at authors and screenwriters. I ask "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?" Well ladies and gents we have our answer! 8 months.


In Las Vegas the Rainbow Company Youth Theatre is putting on a play called "The Zombies Walk Among Us". www.mynews3.com says "Written and directed by Brian Kral, the play is set in post-earthquake Haiti. The daughter of an aid worker dreams she has seen her sister walking with the zombies, and sets out on a mysterious adventure to discover the truth about the vodoun culture and zombification." The website uses what looks like an actual earthquake photo as a promo. 


So for the record, if you want to exploit, fictionalize, monetize or make fun at the expense of the suffering of another 8 months is the appropriate amount of time to wait. 


Honestly I don't care what others think and I see nothing wrong with the play. I just wanted to point out that I was pretty accurate in my prediction. If the play is holding auditions now it has probably been in the writing stages for a couple months which puts it firmly in the 6 month period. I'm like a Nostradamus or some shit. Tell your friends...

It ain't always about me...

Cincinnati Comic Book Expo, Cintas Center, Cincinnati OH, Sept 18! Be there!

OK, I got that outta the way I can get to the point which is this: I've noticed that my blog posts have become about where I was last weekend, who I hung out with, where I'm going next weekend and who I'll hang out with. That's all well and good but it leaves my blog lacking any substance or personality. That's about to change! Time permitting I'm going to be sharing some stuff that I find interesting. Stuff like music, art and so on.

Jack Kirby's birthday was on Aug. 28th and to commemorate this I thought I'd share this interview. Keep in mind that this interview took place at about the time the whole Marvel fiasco was coming to a legal ending so the wounds are still pretty fresh for Kirby. The interviewers did a good job of skirting the subject but the animosity is pretty evident in some of Jack's responses to caller's questions.

Note- When I'm asked why I chose a career in art my reply is a very honest "Because that was the only thing I was good at". My wife always rolls her eyes at this, telling me it minimizes what I do and why. In the interview Jack is asked the same question. His answer? "It was what I was good at"!

Chicago, St Louie, I been a lotta places, man!

I've been meaning to get this blog out for a while but have either been too busy or under the weather so here goes:

First of all I want to plug our next show which is the Cincinnati Comic Expo Sept. 18 at the Cintas Center. There will be folks like Josh Medors, David Michael Beck, Mark Kidwell, Mike Maydak, Jeff Preston, Tony Moore and legends like Allen Bellman, Murphy Anderson, Russ Heath and Craig Boldman. And if you don't recognize these names you owe it to yourself to go to the bio page and see exactly how much today's comics industry actually owes to these guys.

A few weeks back we headed up to Chicago for Wizard World's Comic Con. We met a lot of great folks and they really kept me busy! The first commission was from a group of guys that stopped by, one of which was holding a copy of a well known comic book. When I asked if he had the cover artist sign the book he kinda rolled his eyes and showed me the sketch and signature he had paid for. The following ad came from that interaction:

Here's how I feel about the situation: If a fan, or anyone for that matter, is going to pay you for a sketch you should at least give them something that resembles your style. Now if this had been a freebie? I still think one should do more but hey, you get what you pay for, right? But this guy was willing to shell out some bucks and this is what he got. And what are you gonna do, ask the artist to give you your money back for a crappy half-assed sketch? It kinda burns my ass to see someone treat their fans like that.Now that I got that off my chest...

Below are some of the sketches I did while I was there:

One of the more unusual requests, a book full of Strawberry Shortcake getting what she's got coming to her...my method of demise? Being eaten by zombies of course!

Cap was a favorite...this one turned out looking a lot like Tar Man!

Batman!

Zombie Catwoman and her camera shy owner!

Re-sketch of my classic Born To Lose pic

The Force is strong...just not very fresh!

Another Cap!

Oh, and then there were these guys! They didn't buy anything though.

And these last two are collages of sketches I did during some down time.

Zombie JLA...I discovered that a zombie Superman image just doesn't have the impact if you don't show at least his chest too.

And one more Cap for the road!

Lots of people we knew there like Chris Kuchta, Menton J. Matthews III, Mike Maydak, Marc Ballard, Nigel Sade, Mark Kidwell, RD Hall, Mike Holman, Morgan Mead, and...and...crap! I know there were more but I just can't remember. Unfortunately there wasn't much time to hang out but it was a great time...except that the hotel was out of Fat Tire...bastards!

The next weekend we headed to St. Louis for a mini vacation. Visited City Museum and the Arch. Stopped for a bite to eat on a great little street before we left and had this little incident:

Heather shoots a great photo of the street we were on, carriages and everything! Except that just a few short moments later I hear someone call my name...

The carriage driver just happened to be our old friend Alicia!

Heather's Big Brown Beaver...I never get tired of saying that!

Finally! A Fat Tire!

Ruby's first encounter with a horse.

If you've made it this far I shall give you your reward. I hereby present to you...

Justin ZOMBIEber

You're welcome...

Filler

I thought I'd post this filler blog while I gather the photos from the Chicago Comic Con and our shenanigans during out mini-vacation. 


First I'd like to give a sneak peek and the almost finalized cover for the upcoming book The Call of Lovecraft from Papercut Books. 

Here is the list of the astounding authors taking part in this anthology: 
 Ramsey Campbell
John F.D. Taff
William Meikle
John B. Rosenman
Carol MacAllister
J. Travis Grundon
Jacqueline Seewald
Lee Clark Zumpe
Brian Barnett
Gregory L. Norris
H. David Blalock
Scott Lefebvre
H.P. Lovecraft


Next up in the Shameless Self Promotion Agenda is Jonathan Maberry's new book is out. Wanted Undead or Alive: Vampire Hunters and other Kick Ass Enemies of Evil is the latest non-fiction book by the NT Times best-seller and multi-Bram Sotker Award winning author. It was co-authored by Janice Gable Bashman features interviews and art by some of the best in the business like Menton J. Matthews III, Sam Flegal, Chad Michael Ward, Mike Mignola, Peter Straub, Jack Ketchum, Don Maitz and more. Oh, I'm in there too! 

In the Who Knew? section I have this tid bit: I was contacted by a person asking if I was related to someone who was big into sci-fi by the name of Roy Tackett. All Tacketts are pretty much from the same stock which makes us all cousins to an extent but no, I am not closely related to this gentleman. But to find this out I did a Google search on him. lo and behold he had a Wikipedia article on him. He didn't just found a convention or two. He didn't just write short stories and reviews. He is credited with introducing science fiction to Japan! And for his work with Japanese fandom he was one of only two Americans awarded the "Nippon SF Fandom" award, Forrest J. Ackerman being the other. So a Tackett is in some way responsible for Godzilla...and anime...Who knew? 

Chicago Comic Con

I'm in the process of packing for Chicago Comic Con. There will be tons of  phenomenal artists in attendance like Arthur Suydam, Mark Kidwell, Jason Craig, Bill Sienkiewicz, Mark Texiera, Menton J. Matthews III or Chris Kuchta. This will be our very first show in Chicago so I'm really anxious the get on the road. We'll have some new prints in stock as well as our new-ish shirt designs. Stop by booth # 3431 and say "Hey, ain't you the zombie guy?".

In other zombie related news I have a small spot in NY Times best selling author and multi-Bram Stoker award winner Jonathan Maberry's new non-fiction book Wanted Undead or Alive: Vampire Hunters and other Kick Ass Enemies of Evil. Below is the page in which I appear. I blurred out the text so you'll have to find a real life copy in order to read it! I'm such a dick...

What's right with anime?

Before I get into it I want to say that Gencon 2010 was pretty damned awesome! Thanks to everyone that stopped by and supported us. It was great seeing everyone again. I got some cool commissions so the next few months should be interesting as far as art goes. I was also approached for a project that I'm pretty jazzed about although I can't say anything about it. Yet. And as always one of the highlights was dinner with Abyss Walker author Shane Moore and Tracy...and the other Shane ;-)


Now, on to the topic:
I think maybe the best way to get to what is right with anime and manga is to show what is wrong with...uh..er..OK, so what is anime exactly? Anime is "is animation originating in Japan...(characterized by) large eyes...a "vein" or "stress mark" effect, where lines representing bulging veins will appear on their forehead (to denote anger)...a massive sweat-drop (which has become one of the most widely recognized motifs of conventional anime) or produce a visibly red blush or set of parallel (sometimes squiggly) lines beneath the eyes (to show stress or embarrassment)" and so on. From Wikipedia. So anime describes an art style...Hmm. So lets look at manga.


"The genre includes a broad range of subjects: action-adventure, romance, sports and games, historical drama, comedy, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, horror, sexuality, and business/commerce, among others". Also from Wikipedia. The article seems to describe manga as a type of creative medium. Maybe that's how I'll approach the subject...


To get to what is right with anime and manga is to show what is wrong with us, the western world. We have to label everything! It has to fit into some sort of genre in order for our brains to process it. For instance there are the genres of fantasy, sci-fi and horror (and never the twain shall meet according to some!). And these genres are further divided into sub-genres. For instance under the horror umbrella we have gothic, splatter punk, torture porn, slasher etc which can be further divided into or grouped under vampires, zombies and so on and on and on. The same holds true for sci-fi and fantasy. And when you have a movie like Alien come along it causes many (usually laughable) debates. 


My art is usually categorized as zombie art, horror art, and the new and frustrating mash-up. I hate the term mash-up, BTW. The others I don't really mind even though it irks me a little when someone walks up to me and says "Hey, you're the zombie guy". Yes, yes I am but I am also much more than that. I consider myself a fantasy artist. Why? I don't do many dragons or elves or unicorns. But what I do is make shit up. I create scenes and creatures that didn't exist until I came along. It's all fantastical therefore it's fantasy. 


I know there are some out there that are hardcore fantasy fans and that the whole zombie/horror things is "beneath them" or "too gross" or whatever. Fantasy is full of undead creatures and horror is full of magic! Fantasy and horror should go hand in hand! And that, kiddos, is what is wrong with us.


The Japanese and the creators of anime and manga have none of the hangups we do. Whatever it takes to make an interesting story will be thrown in there. There is no steampunk or horror or sword and sorcery or post-apocalyptic anime. It's just anime that may have a little bit of each thrown in there. There are no explanations (apologies) either. The story just happens. And the reader/viewer just goes with it. But we here in the west feel the need to explain (apologize) by calling it alternative history. Or a parallel dimension. or a mash-up. So why do we not have genres that are just based upon art styles alone instead of subject? Good question. One that I don't have an answer to.


Granted labeling stuff by subjects makes it easier for us to find what we like but are we missing something? I think we are. I know as a creator (yes, I think I am going to lean towards the term "creator" more than artist) trying to create something within a specific genre can be stifling so I'm not going to do it anymore. Not that I really worried too much about it in the past but I am now going to worry about it even less. I may even take to the streets with my message...which will be..."Down with labels"?...or "Genre specificity is for those that can't think outside the box"...Too wordy? Perhaps. Maybe I'll work on that but you get the picture. 


And for what it's worth I am not a fan of anime or manga generally speaking. There's a few good additions to the genres here and there but I am not a fan. But I think we can learn a lot.


And speaking of mash-ups...Egad! I hate that term! So speaking of non-genre specificity here is the cover to the epic final installment to Shane Moore's Abyss Walker series. Fantasy and horror. This proves the point I made earlier.

GenCon and more...

First of all I would like to say that we know there is a major retail chain selling Zombie Sam t-shirts that look a whole lot like mine. We're looking into it now and I'll give more info when I can. Secondly: A big rotten thanks to everyone who gave us the heads up. When we get an average of one message a day for over a month it means only one thing: You love us! You really, really love us!! But seriously it does mean that not only do we have fans but we have fans who care enough about us to watch our backs which makes them friends as well! Thanks everyone!

We're gettin' geared up for Gencon which starts Thursday. Love this show. This will be our third or fourth year for this show and it keeps getting better and better for us. We'll have a bunch of new prints and shirts available that we didn't have last year so stop by and say hi. We'll be in the art show somewhere.

Abyss Walker author Shane Moore will be in the author's alley so make sure you stop by his booth and give him shit. And my friends are screening the film My Bloody Wedding there so if you like horror and comedy mixed up together check the schedule for the show time.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Zombiestock.....

Friday I took part in Zombiestock and it was great! Usually Friday afternoons are slow for conventions but this one was pretty well attended. Met some cool people and got to hang out with some old friends. Thanks goes out to Jason and everyone involved. Look forward to next year's event.

Afterwards I got to hang out at the Fright Night Film Fest's after parties. Not sure if there are words to describe the shenanigans that went on but suffice it to say I returned to my room at around 3:30 am! Too many folks to list but it was cool hanging out with everyone. Can't wait to do it again.

But I will share my highlight of the night: Being called a "wanker" buy Jason Carter...

Next stop: GENCON!!!

New news!

First up: Zombiestock. This Friday. 12 noon - 7. Check out my last post for all the gruesome details http://billytackett.blogspot.com/2010/07/zombiestock-dead-white-blue-and-you.html or go to http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106427192729697&ref=ts. And just to clarify: Zombiestock is taking place inconjunction with Fright Night Film Fest but is separate. I will be at Zombiestock on Friday but I will not be set up at Fright Night.

Next: I just scheduled a new show here in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Comic Expo on September 18. It's a one day event with a ton of guests. For a $7 admission you can't go wrong!

Thirdly: New art! Again! This one may end up being an oil painting...maybe...

Zombiestock, Dead White & Blue and YOU!

Salutations! A little plug for my upcoming show in Louisville KY, ZOMBIESTOCK! Zombiestock runs in conjunction with Fright Night Film Fest from noon to 7 pm this Friday. The event is free, did'ja catch that? FREE!! And if that wasn't enough if you come dressed as a zombie you will get to be in Feathered Italian Films' next movie which is called Zombie Movie for some weird reason... And if THAT wasn't enough to make you want to get yer zombie on get a load of the guest list:


Friday the 13ths FIRST Jason Voorhees ARI LEHMAN
WWF/WWE/ECW legend AL SNOW
Award winning zombie artist BILLY TACKETT
Deadlands director GARY UGAREK
5 time MMA champ and Hall of Famer DALE MILLER
Wrestling Diva/ actress & director RONI JONAH
The Crow's ROCHELLE DAVIS
PLAYBOY models/actors APRIL HUNTER and MEGAN MOONEY
Dead Moon Rising stars TUCKY WILLIAMS, JASON CROWE and many more including special guests like TJ Moreschi, David Fultz, Cory Stringer, David Pollard, The Wingman cast & crew, Madhouse productions and more! 
Don't forget music and performances by Ari Lehman's FIRSTJASON, SACRED SORROW, TRISTA RAY and DJ LEPREKON


Zombiestock runs from 12 noon to 7pm Friday July 30th at the INN PLACE HOTEL in Louisville KY. After "ZOMBIESTOCK" attend the FRIGHT NIGHT FILM FESTIVAL and meet all your favorite STARS! FNFF does charge a fee for entry to their festival. Zombiestock is FREE. But if you donate you can get some cool crap. Check the info here: http://www.indiegogo.com/zombiestock


Oh, And I mentioned new art didn't I? I didn't? Oh well. Here's my newest piece title Zombies of the Universe anyway!

Billy Tackett Studios' ToZ (Terms of Zombification) *first draft*

This may come as a surprise to some of you but a lot of people know me for my depictions of zombies. I know, I know. This day and age it seems as though everybody and their retarded brother is jumping on the zombie meatwagon. "Zombie this, zombie that, I can do zombies! Zombie stories, zombie movies, zombie clothes, zombie art, blah blah blah". Yes, zombies are everywhere. Unfortunately there's more bad than good and that goes for zombie art.

The trend seems to be that the good gets better while the bad gets worse. Now don't get me wrong, just because I think some art is bad doesn't mean the rest of the world should think it's bad as well. Art is truly in the eye of the beholder. Zombies on the other hand...

The influx of people trying to cash in on the popularity of zombies has muddied up the waters terribly. Those of us who are and have been in love with the genre for years or, as in my case decades, are being pushed to the side by fly-by-nighters.

In order to show my sincerity to you, the general zombie-lovin, gore-whorin', freaky-speakin' general public I have decided to create my own TOS (terms of service). I will call them my Terms of Zombification (ToZ) and they will consist of my own little code of ethics that pertain to zombies in general and zombie art in particular. The ToZ here is just the beginning. I will be adding to these as the need arises.

1. The Zombie Genre is not a fad and I will not treat it as such.

2. I will not take the Zombie Genre too seriously but I will treat it with the respect it deserves. And I, as a Zombification Specialist, ask to be treated with respect as well.

3. I will not use Photoshop to add textures or otherwise manipulate photos to make zombies. All my zombies will be lovingly handcrafted.

4. I will strive to make each zombie a unique and interesting creature.

5. Zombification involves more than just removing lips, adding blood to the face or clothing, making someone look like they were on the business end of either a shotgun or great white shark.

6. I will strive to make my zombies appear to obey the laws of physics yet I realize that at times artistic license must be taken for the greater good.

7. I do not compete with other zombie artists. There is enough room for all of us.

8. In my eyes the Zombification process is not a form of derision but a sign of  respect. I hold all subjects of the process in the highest regard. After all, there ain't nothing cooler than a zombie.

9. Gore will not be used gratuitously. All gore will have a purpose.

10. Slow zombies vs. fast zombies is a dumb argument and I will not take part in it.

Billy Tackett

my monsters are more FAMOUS than your MONSTERS CON!

Famous Monsters of Filmland. Those words are legendary. Taking part in Famous Monsters Con in Indy was a great honor and I feel as though the magazine is back with a vengeance! It was pretty freakin' awesome to be around such legends as Basil Gogos and William Stout. I missed my chance to meet them properly but sharing the same room with them was a humbling experience. And the sheer number of horror movie icons roaming the building was staggering. I won't go down the list but here's a rundown of some of the folks that made FMC a great weekend:

We had great booth neighbors with Cinema Wasteland and Pirate Pictures with the folks from Kitbuilders Magazine across the way. On Friday we had dinner at Chili's with a group that included Jim O'Rear, Bryan Wilson, Cerina Vincent (I didn't know at the time but Cerina was a Power Ranger!), Danielle Harris, and William Forsythe.

Saturday was an awesome day which concluded with dinner with Sam Flegal, Matt Essary, Johnny Bopp and Dick Starr at a restaurant called Indy's, which I would not recommend if you like draft beer...long story. After that we headed to the hotel to check out the after hour shenanigans...of which included witnessing the star of a classic zombie movie make a girl in a tutu get outta his chair, sharing a beer with the write of Night of the Living Dead, hanging out with the great conversationalist Eric Butts, the discovery that one of William Stout's entourage has a wet ear, finding out the Billy Gram is a hoot and a half and Dragonfly is a damned good IPA!

Some other folks that we got to hang out with over the weekend was Jason Crowe, Roni Jonah, Bob East, Bradd Parton, Lydia Burris, Chris Kuchta, Mike Christopher, Terrance Z'dunich, Dave from Con-tamination, Marc Ballard, Sal Lizard and the tons of friends that stopped by the booth. Thanks to Gypsy and the volunteers for the hospitality and we look forward to next year.

Dinner @ Chili's

Dinner@ Chili's

Cerina, Danielle, Angela & Heather outside Chili's
Photos courtesy Wickedbeard

Don't forget: this weekend we're going to be hanging out at Loveland Castle for the Masked Cabaret and then the next week Zombiestock! Get you VIP pass for $100 and up and get some cool stuff! Tell 'em I sent you.