12/30/09

TWENTY TEN

Here is the cover of the Tracy + the Plastics cassette Turn Video. I guess there are a couple different versions of the cover art for this, this version is by the mysterious 1774, who also remixed Tracy's first proper album for it's vinyl release on Thin The Herd. (If anyone can get me a copy of those remixes I would love them forever). I bought this cassette from Wynne for $5 in August of 2000, at the first Ladyfest in Olympia Washington, at the Thekla. I talked with Wynne right after the show and asked about her old band MeMe America. She said that they had broken up after putting out a VHS tape. I asked where I could get one, and she left the show to go to her house and came back a few minutes later with one for me. This was, for me, meeting someone really famous, and Wynne's generosity in getting me that little video cassette really had an impact on 15 year-old me. I have listened to this cassette tape so many times that it's worn out.



A quick look over at the Tracy + the Plastics Website reveals that you can buy an mp3 version of this cassette and a bunch of other Tracy rarities directly from Wynne. Awesome!

Here are some stills from the forthcoming video for "Pick-Axe & Shovel" which we began shooting a few weeks ago. It is directed by Ana Veselic and Tate Nova.





Cute, no? I can't wait to do more on this. Very exciting. Joe Gregori plays the romantic lead in the video.

2009 was a good year, more or less. I had a lot of ups and downs. 2009 was a big year for Billy Cheer. That's funny to me, but probably not to anyone else. I've been very lucky this year.

I got some really nice press at the start of this year. I sort of got scared that I would have to spend the rest of the year apologizing for it. I didn't have to. I really lucked out. Even with the weird nastiness that it brought about, I think I came out okay. In the green. I fell in love this year. I should say, I rediscovered capacities within myself this year.

I think the big turning point came halfway through the year, when I was set to perform as backup in La JohnJoseph's performance at this year at the Hot! Festival. At the last minute, days before his show, there was a slight scandal, La JJ became a political prisoner and was summarily sent back to the UK. I was devastated. I woke up the following morning and went to the dentist for a filling, and there was a very bad accident and a fairly innocent tooth (not the one I was getting the filling on) was broken. I stumbled to work, and Earl Dax and Joseph Keckler called me to let me know that I would be filling in for La JJ at the New Museum, opening for Joseph, in just a week's time. The Novocaine had barely worn off by the time my work day ended, and I smoked a joint in Chelsea and took myself out for pizza (I hadn't eaten all day). I could only chew with the left side of my mouth but it was the best fucking pizza I'd ever had in my life. I stumbled to the Highline Ballroom that night, where I saw Justin Bond give maybe the performance of the year. I was a little stoned and a little dazed and missing a fucking tooth, but he shimmered and for a few hours all was right with the world.

That was a highlight. So was getting to perform my piece at the New Museum.
Please watch the video if you haven't already.

Trying to gather some ideas for my 2010 slogan. Of course, my first thought is:

ENCOURAGER

but my room mate Ptrck the Witch prophesied something really astute the other day, his is:

2010: FIND YR TWIN

Which I always translate to 2010: FUCK YR TWIN
Which of course makes me think of the piece "WSNO" from Miranda July's early days, in which a caller to a radio show ("The Secret Believer's Walky-Talkathon") is revealed to be mind-controlled, and she states that her goal is to "FIND. YOUR. BODYDOUBLE." So I like that too. Fuck yr twin. Find yr twin. (Though, of course, twins and twinning as a verb implies a binary, and it implies that there is one perfect match for every person and of course in this day and age we know this kind of thinking to be repressive). Taking, as always, cues.

Gathering some information.
This will be my last post for the year.

Much love to all.

1 comment:

Larry-bob said...

I have a version of the tape that looks like the green one on the tracy + the plastics website you link to. It seems like the two versions are rather different - mine has Honeyface/Aint’ Never Gonna Die/We Want Her Back/Maradon/Spine-Eater/Oh Maria.