OBSOLETE! #2 Featured Contributors: Gary & Debra Parky

OBSOLETE! #2 features a photo essay by New Orleans residents Gary and Debra Parky. Their photos vividly capture to impact of the BP oil spill on the social environment of the gulf.

From the intro:
"...In Larose we found an entire side of a building covered with a protest collage (complete with a rendition of Shepard Fairey’s Obama profile); further down Route One we came upon a piece of plywood painted with relevant images that was somewhat reminiscent of R.A. Miller’s work. As we got into Grand Isle it became apparent that this was were we wanted to take this (article), as there was no shortage of homemade, hand painted protests against BP et al that were basically in people’s front yards…"



About Gary & Debra Parky;

"We reside in New Orleans. Every now and then we do something interesting, like the time we had a band that played obscure R&B and Rock & Roll from the late 50s & early 60s, complete with go-go dancers. We called ourselves the SophistiCats and the SophistiKittens, and we released 2 full length CDs and did a lot of cool gigs. Another time we opened up a store on Magazine St called Sputnik Ranch that sold stuff like Western Wear, cowboy boots, designer vinyl toys, lowbrow art and other fun stuff. That was pretty crazy! Sometimes we even ride around the French Quarter on vintage 1950s bikes dressed up like cowboys (the Roy Rogers/Nudie/Manuel suit wearing kind…yes, we have the suits) with our friends. We also like to drive around our neck of the woods and take photos of cool stuff that we’re afraid won’t be around too long. Unfortunately, we’re often right about our choices. Our favorite dogs are Border Collies; we have two. Their names are Bunny and Lux.

Check us out at SputnikRanch.com  & TheSophistiCats.com."

Featured Contributor:Marina Deb Ris

Marina Deb Ris has been picking up trash along Westside beaches and creeks for over a dozen years. Her mission began when she moved from Bondi Beach, Australia to LA’s Westside. “In the beginning I would just pick up stacks of Styrofoam cups and bring them to the local 7-11, but I soon realized that this wasn’t really attacking the root problem. I needed a creative way to draw attention to it. The whole idea of making beach detritus into art started just over two years ago from the realization that the waste we create always comes back to haunt us."

Her work has been regularly on display in juried shows in the Los Angeles area and often lends her artistic talents to Sustainable Works, Heal the Bay, Friends of Ballona, Surfriders and other environmental organizations.

Trained as a graphic designer at the Rhode Island School of Design, Marina’s interest in the intersection of art and the environment has been a constant. “My first goal is to provoke viewers into thinking about the consequences of our habits, and how we can change them. My second goal is to get rid of all the garbage in my garage! In a responsible way, of course.”
Marina Deb Ris' website: http://www.washedup.us/

OBSOLETE! #2 Featured Contributor: Jonathan Shaw

Jonathan Shaw is a many things; tattoo artist, writer, world traveler and "whorehouse philosopher".  Son of jazzman Artie Shaw and Hollywood starlet Doris Dowling, he has worked as a merchant seaman and a writer at the legendary underground paper, the LA Free Press in the 60's, where he befriended Charles Bukowski. He is the author of several books, including "Narcisa, Our Lady of Ashes" and "Lovesongs to the Dead." His upcoming release is "Scabvendor: Confessions of a Tattoo Artist."

His writing is tough and edgy, sometimes romantic and often brutal. We are proud to be publishing Jonathan's "Night in the Zone" in OBSOLETE #2, due out in October. Until then, check out Jonathan's amazing blog, SCABVENDOR.

OBSOLETE! #2 Featured Contributor: JD King

Fond Memory: In 1983, I met J.D. King at a release party for STOP! Magazine at the Park Inn. As a fledgeling zinester I was excited to meet him and co-creator John Holmstrom, two of the punk eras great underground cartoonists and godfathers of 'zine culture. I still have that signed copy of STOP! around somewhere....

I have followed J.D.'s work ever since, and it is a huge pleasure and honor to have him as a contributor to OBSOLETE! #2. We are featuring his illustration and short story,  "Just a Mirage".

Check out his website at: http://jdkingillustration.com

J.D.'s Bio:
J.D. King is a freelance illustrator, active for over two decades. His work has appeared in many national publications (The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Forbes, The Village Voice, New York, The Progressive, Business Week), as well as ad campaigns (Master/Visa Card, Absolut Vodka, Seybold Seminars), and CD and book covers. Previous to illustration, he was an underground cartoonist with work appearing in several titles including R. Crumb's Weirdo magazine. His avocations are experimental music (J.D. King & The Coachmen, two albums on Ecstatic Peace) and writing fiction. A collection of short stories is scheduled for Water Row Books, and a novel is completed and searching for a publisher. He lives in Remsen, NY and his interests include jazz, reading, bicycling, hiking and cats.

ISSUE #2 is APPROACHING!

Due out in October, issue #2 includes original writing and artwork by JONATHAN SHAW, J.D. KING, JOOLZ DENBY, QOJAK, DEB RIS, GARY AND DEBRA PARKY, ALISSA BADER, WILDGIRL, an interview with sci-fi writer and futurist KARL SCHROEDER and a special tribute to the late great illustrator PETER ASCHWANDEN.

CAN YOU HELP US MAKE THIS HAPPEN? A small contribution will help us give our contributors a modest payment for their work and pay for the printing and mailing.

Zero History by William Gibson - T minus 24 hrs.

Book tour dates are available on William Gibson's Website.

  
photo by Fred Armitage