Random Shit I Like #1

Ahh, it is the return of the R.S.I.L.; that little "filler episode" post I make about things that manage to catch and hold my attention long enough for it to burrow into my brain like a boreworm from Splatterhouse 3.

If you don't get the reference, you've been playing the wrong video games.

At any rate, these were bound to pop back up at some point. Much as I'd like to have a great deal to talk about, the words just don't form up the way I'd like to and it takes time to get everything coherent and cohesive. So, I'll just use this time to share with you something I enjoy and hope you get some modicum of enjoyment from it, as well.

Music and animation have always been at the top of my "shareable jollies" list. It's even better when the two manage to come together in a way that creates something better than the two by themselves.

Case in point: the music video to Freak Kitchen's "Freak of the Week," directed by Juanjo Guarnido.

Here are some basic introductions for you...

Active since 1992, Freak Kitchen is a Swedish experimental rock/metal group fronted by guitarist and vocalist Mattias Eklundh. The band's lyrics, as humorous as some can be, usually revolve around criticisms of capitalist society, conformity, and racism. They have released eight studio albums, the most recent being 2014's Cooking With Pagans, with a new album scheduled for release in 2017.

Juanjo Guarnido is an illustrator from Granada, Spain, who is the co-author of the Blacksad comic book series. In 1993, he was hired by Walt Disney Studios as an animator and is credited as the lead animator for the character Sabor in 1999's Tarzan. His Blacksad work has won him and Juan Díaz Canales several comic awards, including ones from the Angoulême International Comics Festival.

In 2014, a Kickstarter was formed to fund a music video directed by Guarnido, with music from Freak Kitchen's album Cooking With Pagans being the subject. 426 backers, $142,674 pledged dollars, and seven months later...

I enjoy the song for its lyrics that reflect the insane desire for attention some people feel, strong enough to showcase themselves doing really dumb things for the enjoyment of others. Granted, one of my other "shareable jollies" is the public display of self-inflicted human misery, but that's another R.S.I.L..

As for the animation, you can just taste the Disney on each frame, can't you? I often think this is what it would look like if the studio had some balls and did something considerably edgier than its standard fare.

And now... some links!

Freak Kitchen - WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and YOUTUBE

Juanjo Guarnido on FACEBOOK and Blacksad's listing on DARK HORSE COMICS

Now say it with me, kiddies: Shareable Jollies!

P.S. - No cupcakes today!