Archive for November, 2009

While I still sort out my brain from the blur that was the last week (about which I will undoubtedly spill here soon), I have come up with a mildly brilliant, completely unoriginal idea for making this blog a bit more interactive while forcing me to write about something. So begins:

CHOOSE YOUR OWN (BLEEDING NEON) ADVENTURE WEEK

Here’s how it works: You give me a topic, any topic, and I’ll blog about it. I’m not saying what I write will be intelligent, informed or otherwise worth reading, but it’ll somehow be related to your topic. You are in control, dear reader. It’s like “Whose Line is It, Anyway?” without Greg Proops.

So leave your topic of interest in the comments below, tweet it to me on Twitter, or e-mail it to me directly. Let’s do this.

I love reading and watching process pieces, when an artist opens a window to the creation of works we’d otherwise not see until they were finished and ready for public consumption. Whether it’s a comic book illustrator’s blog, an in-the-studio music video or even a behind-the-scenes feature on a film, I find the nuts and bolts of the artistic machine to be fascinating. And I think as a culture we do as well — that’s why you kids love the Blu-Ray things with 14 hours of bonus features, right? Right.

So I was quite pleased to have the opportunity to follow an artist at work a few weeks ago for my latest Examiner.com piece. When photographer Kenneth Lamug pitched me a story on his upcoming street photography show at the College of Southern Nevada, I instantly thought this would make a great entry in my series of videos about the Las Vegas art scene. Unlike painting or sculpture, where the artist isn’t as camera-friendly in the midst of his or her work, Lamug’s photography approach — roaming the streets of Sin City letting his camera lens spontaneously capture life as it’s happening — is perfect for moving pictures.

I think the video turned out to be one of the best I’ve cut so far, and I’m still pretty sure I’m one of the few — if not only – folks at Examiner.com generating original video. Hope you enjoy:

Las Vegas Street Photography from Pj Perez on Vimeo.

Guys, it’s November 3. I know in various parts of the United States, that means it’s Election Day. The fine people of Virginia and New Jersey are deciding on their next governor. New York and Atlanta are weighing the options for their respective mayors. And in Maine, voters will decide whether or not gay marriage is legally upheld in that cold, Northeastern state.

But around here, today is a special day for a whole different reason. Because today is the official release date of the latest book from our friends at Alert Nerd Press:

Yes, One Con Glory is available for you to get into your grubby hands. Written by the lovely and talented Sarah Kuhn, One Con Glory tells the tale of an obsessive fangirl and her all-consuming quest for a particularly precious action figure. But more importantly, it features an illustration by the one-and-only Pj Perez. Yes, in the good company of such webcomics auteurs as Benjamin Birdie and Max Riffner, artwork by THIS GUY helps propel this “twisty romantic comedy for the obsessive fangirl in everyone.”

But of course, the only way to read this funtastic tome and see what art I wrought upon the world this time is to buy the book. Sarah needs money. Probably to buy comics or movie tickets for New Moon or whatever.

I thought for sure this was taken by my pal Geoff Carter, but it turned up on the Flickr stream of “Defooliant,” so I don’t know for certain who shot it. But let me set up the scene for you: This was the Vegas Magazine anniversary party in 2007, at which time I was managing editor of Racket Magazine, a (much more rad) competing publication. And just six months earlier, I was an employee of the Greenspun Corporation, which publishes Vegas. So what did I do while enjoying a killer bash on my former employer’s dime? Totally tagged the temporary graffiti wall at the party with the Racket logo.

In case you needed a reminder of how badass I am.