on powerful monkeys and headless unicorns

I’m sitting at the kitchen table, exhausted from a weekend of working outside in the sun, filling the Monkey Power Trio and Severed Unicorn Superstore orders that I’ve been avoiding. It didn’t translate to tons of sales, but the 4-hour MPT special that ran on KFJC seems to have resulted in at least one order. I’m sending off some t-shirts and records to a guy in Oakland. I wasn’t expecting any orders as a result of the show, though, so this is nice. And, thanks to the marketing genius of my friend Melissa, one of our stuffed unicorns heads just appeared in the new issue of the magazine “Venus”. I don’t know if it’s responsible for any sales yet (the orders I’m filling tonight are kind of old), but it would be nice if it translated to a sale or two.

Speaking of that 4-hour Monkey Power Trio special that aired in San Francisco, you can now hear it online. My friend Dave, the thumb of the band, just posted it in four one-hour chunks. (1, 2, 3, 4)

Why not start a new tradition and gather the family around to hear it? Thanksgiving has delicious turkeys, parades and football – something for everyone. Memorial Day, though, as far as I can tell, just has the military thing. Maybe that’s why it isn’t bigger… Why not spice it up by popularizing the idea of a “Memorial Day pot roast” and 4 hours of MPT?

Anyway, if you do listen to it, skip the first song. It was an unsuccessful attempt at being funny. It was never released. The KJFC producer who put the piece together found it somewhere, though, or coaxed it out of one of the weaker members of the band. Things get better from then, though.

And, as for the severed unicorn heads, Melissa and I decided that we wouldn’t be having a Superstore table at the upcoming Shadow Art Fair. Instead, we’re channeling our creative energy into a party at Ypsilanti’s Dreamland Theater on June 22nd. So far, all we’ve done is written an announcement for their site, but I’m sure that we’ll pull something interesting together. Here’s the write-up:

It’s a Happy Birthday party for a seething pile of pulsating Severed Unicorn Heads… Luxuriate in this steamy, bloodbath of unicorn whimsy. Play pin the head on the unicorn. See documentary footage of unicorns shedding their heads. Gasp open-mouthed at walls chock full of painfully beautiful artistic renderings of unicorn heads. Listen as people open their hearts and tell of their personal history with severed unicorn heads…

And, yeah, it’s birthday party themed… I’m sure there will be lots of severed unicorn heads with party hats and noisemakers.

It’s my job to make the film, something which I have absolutely no idea how to do… The results should be interesting.