Chris & Cosey: Logo #283

This amalgam of sperm, king and egg was designed by Stephen Gilmore in 1984. Chris and Cosey go under the name Carter Tutti now; here's what I wrote in the L.A. Weekly after one 2005 live action: "Nostalgia is a bit like going to the dentist: past sensations are felt so acutely that their anticipation is nearly equals original sensation. So it is with Carter-Tutti, formerly Chris & Cosey, they of the previously submerged Throbbing Gristle until its recent revivification campaign – and what better space in which to play for these wreckers of civilization than a building whose reflective panels inflict sunburn in ten minutes for those standing before it? Slowed footage of children at the seaside and amusement parks segue into animated hands altered to resemble Kirlian photography by way of jewels and honey. Carter manipulates various inscrutable dials from his left-side laptop / mixing desk, scoring footage in which Cosey’s veiled head turns into a pomegranate. Her almost subliminal croon subsumes below the music, much of which is propelled by her gentle picking at an echoing guitar before occasional harmonica and trumpet blasts. There’s an overriding sense of revelation – from Carter’s unblinking eyes to the repeated images of wide-eyed children. Over time, naturally, revelation happens in one’s life in more gentle ways – for instance, under the idyllic gaze of Wozniak’s apple and the rapt applause of a literally full house rather than gallery-destroying milk-and-blood enemas."

The Descendents: Logo #282

Milo here was designed for the Manhattan Beach punk band by Jeff "Rat" Atkinson in 1982 for the "Milo Goes to College" LP. He's a caricature of Descendents lead singer and chemist Milo Aukerman. I could say that I haven't heard much of their music, but in these days of YouTube and MySpace, being instantly turned-on to any music about which one might be curious seems to be the natural order of things - so I'll just say that I'm lazy, which makes me efficient if not terribly informed right now. To put it another way: think of all those bands you've always wanted to get to but need a few years in a sanatorium to really do the job right. And that's my impression of Descendents: always there, perennially adolescent and sophomoric and hoisting the flag of discontent and good humor.

Judas Priest: Logo #281

Designed by Roslav Szaybo for Judas Priest's 1980 "British Steel" LP. Livin' after midnight? Rockin' 'til the dawn? Lovin' 'til the morning? Then I'm gone...I'm gone? What an incredibly wistful song! For all the sordid aspects that Judas Priest outwardly embrace, it should be remembered that they know how to write rather good pop songs here and there. Motorcycles, spikes and studs - so to speak - notwithstanding, of course. And lest anyone labor under the illusion that Judas Priest has it easy in their world of metals both literally and figuratively heavy, imagine how you'd feel if someone told you that your art led people to commit suicide. Heavy, head, crown, etc.

The Song of the Moment is "Light Powered" by Deastro.

Wu-Tang Clan: Logo #280

"The original Wu-Tang stickers when RZA was on Tommy Boy (came out in) 1991. The "W" as we know it (appeared in) 1992." So says the creator, Wu-Tang Clan logo designer Allah Mathematics. You might not see eye-to-eye with the Wu-Tang on everything, but you can at least talk about martial arts movies and spirituality with them. They seem like they'd be up for it.

This Day in Death:
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931)
Walt Kelly ("Pogo"; August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973)
Dwain Esper (October 7, 1892 - October 18, 1982)
Henri Michaux (May 24, 1899 - October 18, 1984)
Lucky Philip Dube (August 3, 1964 - October 18, 2007)

The Rolling Stones: Logo #279

The Rolling Stones had their logo designed by John Pasche in 1970, the original drawing of which sold in early September of 2008 to the Victoria & Albert Museum of art and design in London. Saith the BBC: "The logo, originally designed in 1970 and used by the rock band ever since, sold in the US for $92,500 (£51,375). Artist John Pasche, who sold the artwork, was originally paid £50 for creating the design. The Stones were so pleased with the logo that, in 1972, they gave him a bonus of £200. Pasche was studying at London's Royal College of Art when Stones frontman Mick Jagger, disappointed by the bland designs put forward by record label Decca, began looking for a design student to help create a logo. The singer went to see Pasche's degree show, which eventually led to the iconic pop art design's creation, first used on the Stones' "Sticky Fingers" album in 1971." Which is more rebellious and offensive: the lips, or the tongue? Rarely are the splashes of white on the tongue and lips mentioned; rarer still is the flipside of the icon observed: the tongue, forever licking out to taste and consume. Stones bassist and history detective Bill Wyman makes metal detectors now, Keith Richards gave one of the best interviews GQ ever published, Mick Jagger's drone soundtracks are some of the best yet recorded, and Brian Jones will always be Brian Jones.