More reason to love Conan O'Brien. Thanks to Neil for the link.

Labels: funny, star wars, video

Tonight, we celebrate a health outbreak as I describe the process of using a Nose Pot, explain what kind of superpowers I want, and Nora explains what a brain eating amobeas can do. Enjoy the show!

RUNNING TIME: 47:04

Music:
Homesick Alien | Jen Scaturro

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Labels: podcast

Oh BTW, if anyone is interested in some Halo multiplayer action on XBOX Live, my gamertag is jawbonelen. Yes, I succumbed and got Halo. My kids and I are having a blast playing it. Join us won't you?

Labels: videogames

Mark sends me this incredible art video this morning. I wonder how long it took to do something like this. Plus, I'd love to see the in between shots. Anyway, enjoy!

Labels: art, cool, video

Tonight, I drew the 800th Monster for Monster By Mail. This one comes from the Halloween Promotion and features Severus Snape of Harry Potter fame poisoning a batch of Starbucks coffee. Apparently, this is now Snape will destroy Seattle. Unfortunately, I didn't do anything to commemorate the occasion, since it would have been boring to watch me paint this on Ustream for an hour and a half. So, just the image. I don't know how many of these I will do, but it should be interesting to find out. Also, if you are interested, you can see the rest of the commissions here.

In any event -- 800! Woot!

Labels: art, monsters

Apparently, this is what ran in a newspaper according to my friend Steve. Click to see the headline, if you can't read it already. Remember, don't put together newspapers at 4:30 AM. kids. Here the real story online.

Labels: funny

Well, although the season finale last May left me a bit skeptical, I enjoyed the setup for this season's Heroes last night. With the possible exception of Nathan Petrelli turning into Zach Galifianakis, I thought it was very interesting and I'll be watching for the next few weeks to see what happens. Any thoughts from you?

Labels: TV

Just to let everyone know, there are still about 16 or so chances to win one of the Coffins on Ebay. Thanks to everyone who has bid on and won one. It's very humbling. Also, sometime this week, I will be drawing my 800th commissioned piece of art. I will make sure to make some fanfare about it when it happens. In the meantime, you can see the art I've done so far for the "31 Days of Halloween" promotion (including this spooky Jester) right here.

UPDATE: I just got my 800th order! I will post it later this week. Harry Potter themed, too!

Labels: art, monsters

As the description says:

"The swiss will no longer be know for their cheese and chocolate but for their rapping firefighters."

I agree. Move over, Falco. That's right roll over in your grave. Thanks Dan!

Labels: funny, video

Labels: caption

Those of you who are fans of this site and of LEN TV will probably remember my Man Vs Mild parodies from earlier this year. Based on some of your requests, I uploaded one of the videos to the Discovery Channel's You Spoof Contest. Well, imagine my surprise when this past week, I got a call from someone at Discovery who said they liked the video and they would like me to produce more.

So, I called my friend Jim Tews, (who incidentally helped me with the Glurn audio spots you'll hear on the show and at VoteGlurn.com) and he put me in touch with some very talented local comedians.

Long story short, I wrote a script, got a location and produced this short 3 minute film for Discovery.

An incredble amount of thanks go out to Jim, Michael Ivy, Ryan Dalton, John Wellington, Tim Cornett and mostly, my bro-in-law Mike, who allowed us film at his service station and was a good sport helping a few idiots like us make heads and tails out of the underbelly of a car.

Enjoy the show!

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Labels: vidcast

Some of the auctions are starting to end for the 31 Days of Halloween Promotion. This is the first one I did tonight, for the request "Vegan Cupcake Vixen". I put together the first full package tonight and I have to admit, they are pretty damn cool. I know I'd be excited to get it in the mail, but that's just me. Anywho, there are still plenty of chances to win, so head on over to Ebay today!

Labels: art, monsters

Sickness. Bad Week. Neck Pain. DJ Hojo's take on Nora's rant. 31 Days of Halloween. Barber Shop Quartets. Glurn and more. Thanks to everyone in the chatroom and thanks for listening!

RUNNING TIME: 36:46

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Labels: podcast

Scott Johnson sends this one in:

"I went to dinner at the Applebee's in Woodland, CA a couple nights ago and ordered their bruschetta burger. As soon as I saw my order, I immediately took a picture and thought Consumerist needed to see it because it fits so well in the ad v. reality posts. The burger itself was a bit sloppy, but still looked similar to the menu picture. The fries, however, were a different story. In the menu photo, "garlic parmesan fries" are served in a ramekin and look quite tasty. Instead, I was served a cylinder of slimy, greasy fries with a couple pieces of parmesan cheese on top."

Nora and I are convinced that everything at Applebee's is microwaved. See the whole story here.

Labels: food, funny

...but it might be a little bit later than 9:30 PM EST ON THURSDAY. Both Nora and I have a function to attend and we plan to do a show when we get back. So hang in there if we haven't started by the regular start time! Thanks for bearing with us.

Labels: site news

With the birth of the baby right around the corner, I finally pulled the plug and cancelled my WOW account. I hadn't had any time to play since March and I felt it was time to cut back some. You'll still be able to see me on XBOX (username: jawbonelen) and of course on the Wii. It was a good time in Azeroth. Hope to be back one day.

Labels: WOW

Argh! How are you celebrating? Also, if you answer to this post, it must be in "pirate talk".

Labels: funny

Wow, the Johns have released yet another wonderful video from thier album "The Else". This time for the song, "I'm Impressed. Check it out here.

Labels: music, video

On this episode of Len TV, I take a day trip to nearby Columbus, Ohio to meet with Monster By Mail collaborator, Liz Rosino of LuckyKat.net. I make a quick stop to meet her and pick up the 31 coffins from the Monster By Mail Halloween Promotion, "The 31 Days of Halloween." Liz talks a little about her work, shows off some of her new projects and also shows you exactly what your Monster By Mail art comes delivered in if you win one of the auctions. Sorry for you who got the Artsfest Len TV by accident

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Labels: art, monsters, vidcast

Sorry so late! Just got back into town from a quick side trip. More on that later. Thanks to Julie for this week's Caption This!

Labels: caption

Keeping on with the music videos, I give you probably the most wonderful guitarist I've heard in a long time, Andy McKee. I was turned onto this guy my The Eye-bott and I can't thank him enough. This song makes me happy when I hear it and amazes me when I watch it. You can pick up Andy's music (and I highly recommend it) here.

Labels: music

Rejoice TMBG Fans! The new video is new online for the song "The Shadow Government" off the album "The Else". Enjoy the premiere!

Labels: music

Sometimes its good to be passionate about a subject. It's cathartic. In this case, not so much. Although his screaming did clear my sinuses a bit.

On another note, DJ Hojo, Shawn? Care to remixizzle this one?

Labels: funny, sad, video

Tonight at midnight PDT, the 31 Days of Halloween - Art In A Coffin promotion will go live. Over the next two weeks, I'll be posting 3-4 new auctions every day. Bid on a chance to commission a 6x9 piece of artwork by me and have it delivered to your doorstep with a bunch of other creepy, cool surprises. Spread the word! Digg it if you can. And you can keep checking back at my Ebay profile to see what's what.

Happy bidding!

EDIT: It's live! Woot!

Labels: art, monsters

Meet Zeno. Thanks to Mark (who looks a little like the inventor) for this link.

Labels: news, weird

Thanks to Dan for this.

Labels: funny, video

Well, I pre-ordered The Orange Box yesterday. Apparently being sick with the flu doesn't hinder my interest in videogames at all, which is an indication that I wasn't completely down and out, I suppose. The Orange Box includes Half Life 2: Episode 2, (which I have never played), Team Fortress 2 and Portal (which rumor has it has an interesting musical surprise at the end of it). I got even more excited about the Orange Box after I saw this trailer. There are a few more here. They are funny as hell and help flesh out the characters a bit more.

Anyone else out there getting the Orange Box?

Labels: videogames

Asians are funny. Thanks Sandyun! And yes, the inevitable cover here.

Labels: funny, video

Just a quick note to let you all know, that yes, I am AGAIN sick. This time with a dreadful flu that has been hopping from person to person in my household. I've slept about 27 hours of the last 48 and I'm hoping I feel better tomorrow and this dreadful pain that is flling my skull and throat will move on.

That being said, I'm not sure if we're going to do a show tomorrow. I guess it all depends on how my voice sounds, how I'm feeling, etc.

Just a reminder that the 31 Days of Halloween Promotion officially starts this Friday. You'll have 31 chances to bid on and possibly win a coffin filled with my art, the Monster By Mail coloring book and an assortment or weird, Halloweeny type goodies. Plus, there are chances to bid on some of my pre-made monster art prints. You can't lose!

As soon as the link on Ebay goes live, I'll post it here. And if people could help me get the word out on boards, social networking sites, etc, that would be uber cool.

Now, on to feel my brain get jackhammered again.

Labels: site news

Labels: caption

Thanks to some e-mail magic by fan Shawn, Monster By Mail is on the front page of Coast to Coast AM. For those of you who aren't familiar with Coast to Coast, it's a pretty big deal, as far as aliens and conspiracy go. I took a screenshot of this momentous occasion and if you're quick you may be lucky enough to see me on the homepage. In any event, here is the direct link.

Thanks Shawn! Woot!

Labels: art, monsters

Thanks to everyone who sent this in. Looks like Glurn is scoping out the White House well before his official campaign begins. Check out behind Bush's shoulder. Here's a link to the video.

He is definitely getting ready to dole out the suffering. Or picking up where the suffering left off.

Labels: aliens, monsters, weird

Tonight show rocks! And I'm not saying that because I'm on it. I'm saying it because it ROCKS! More new Paul and Storm, Scott Johnson's apology, laying the groundwork for a Filipino uprising, talking about crazy people, Richard schools our audience on pimping URLs and much more. Thanks for listening! Enjoy!

RUNNING TIME: 52:18

Music: Oh No! | Paul and Storm

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Labels: podcast

A great article came out today in our local paper, The Lakewood Observer today about - what else? Monster By Mail. It was written by a young woman named Arlie Dorsch and I feel it's the best article written about MBM so far. Anyway, you can download the PDF version here or just read the article below:

Lakewood Artist, Len Peralta, Shines

Every young artist shares a common dream: to make their living doing what they do best. But that dream can be elusive, even for the supremely talented. Many artists give up in frustration, before they ever see a financial reward for their work.Others, like local artist, Len Peralta, are proof that hard work and perseverance often pay off when you least expect it.

If you’re a Lakewoodite, chances are you’ve seen Peralta’s drawings without realizing it. He’s a former employee of Marc’s, where he helped create their signature artwork and signage. He’s also the artist who brings us the “Deweys,” the cartoon family of the Lakewood Public Library (look for them on the cover of the fall library mailer). His most recent project, Monster by Mail, has launched him well beyond the borders of our city, however.

“I feel lucky,” Peralta says. “I’ve stumbled onto something that’s turned out to be really popular.”

Monster by Mail had its first stirrings in early spring when his wife found out she was pregnant. “This will be our sixth child,” Peralta says. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how I was going to pay for the baby’s health insurance.”

All that thinking led to the idea of a fundraiser, and Monster by Mail was born. Peralta set up a website explaining the concept: send $20.00 and a good monster name, and he’d send you an original four by six piece of art and a video of your monster’s creation.

Peralta sold 150 monsters the first week, and put a “sold out” sign on the site so he couldn’t sell more than he could create. When the site was back up, he changed the theme to fictional monster movie names. He sold out again. Next came cryptozoology (Bigfoot, Cyclops, etc.) followed by Summer of the Undead. Each time Peralta sold out, he came back with a new variation on the theme.

“At first I felt like the site was controlling me,” he says. “I was working from 8 am to 2 am everyday. Now I’ve gained some control, and I’m proud of what I’m doing.”

Peralta has a lot to be proud of. There’s the work itself, of course (one of his favorites is “Vincent Van Zombie,” which he liked so well he almost offered to buy it back from the customer). There are the special orders that keep coming in from all over the world—Japan, Canada, the UK. One of his monsters ended up in the collection of a Pixar artist; another is going to the Museum of Modern Art. Peralta is creating original art that’s affordable, and forging alliances with other young artists along the way. For example, he actively seeks unsigned musicians for the videos that accompany each of his monsters. But perhaps he is proudest of the positive impact his art is having on his family. “My drawing table is in the main family room,” he says. “My kids come by and watch over my shoulder. I love that. My dad was a doctor, and I never got to see what he did.”

When asked about his plans for the future—more kids? More monsters? Peralta just laughs and says, “We’ll see what happens.” If his recent success is any indication, a growing number of fans will be watching to see what happens too.

Labels: art, monsters, site news

I posted about this last week, but so much was going on with aliens, that I felt I should give this its proper due as well.

So here's the deal on the Halloween Promotion. I am calling it "The 31 Days of Halloween". Why? Because there are 31 days in October and it seemed like a pretty good random number to use. Here's how it works:

Starting on September 14th, I will start posting 31 Ebay auctions of chances to commission me for original art. The art will be a little larger, 6x9. There will be an autographed copy of the Monster By Mail Coloring book with the package and a bag full of weird, creepy toys including sticky brains, body parts, vampire fangs and buttons. Plus - and this is the cool part - the package will show up at your door in an 18" tall coffin! The coffin was created especially for this promotion by artist Liz Rosino of Lucky Kat. They are original, hand-crafted, signed, numbered and painted and very, very cool when they show up at your doorstep.

In addition to the 31 chances to win, I will also be posting prints of my artwork that will be up for grabs, including my famous triptych of Monster Cereal mascots, my Vampire Waitress and my WereSkater.

On a personal note, I don't have to mention to readers of this blog and listeners of this podcast that we are in the home stretch of the pregnancy. If you can do what you can to get the word out and let people know that these auctions are happening, I would be more than grateful. If someone would be cool enough to Digg this promotion, I can add the link to the page on Monster By Mail.

Thanks again for all your support. Please remember the auctions start next Friday. So plan accordingly.

ON EDIT: Took out some whining on my part.

Labels: art, monsters

I think that Adam Koford may very well be the new Bill Watterson.

A bold statement to be sure, but hear me out.

In case you have been living under a proverbial rock for the past few months and have not seen the brilliant comic adventures of the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats by hobo contemporary, friend and inspiration, Adam Koford, then stop reading this post right now, do yourself a flavor and flip through his incredible collection of single panel comics on Flickr.

I'm serious. Go now.

Ok, now that you've been sufficiently schooled on the world of Kitteh and Pip, we can talk intelligently on the subject. I know there are some of you, (and when I say some, I mean Nora) who don't get this whole concept. Why are they talking Leet Speek? What does it all mean?

Admittedly, it can be sort of confusing reading the punchlines to the panels. Sometimes it feels as if you've been transported to another world that is solely reliant on inside jokes and obscure references. And I'm here to tell you that it's perfectly fine if you don't understand this meme within a meme. Beyond the strange language of the cats, there is something even deeper going on here. And that's why I'll say it again.

I think that Adam Koford is the new Bill Watterson.

Over the past few months, thousands upon thousands of people have been exposed to the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats. (Just look at the views of the Flickr set I sent to you earlier of the Clustrmap at his official site for proof) Many found them because of their love of the original LOLCats meme, a practice of adding cryptic sayings to photos of cats. Others found them through link sites like Boing Boing or Metafilter. He has gotten worldwide exposure like no other cartoonist that I personally know has.

But I think that Adam has turned a corner with this project. Adam has unwittingly managed to fill a void in the collective psyches of the internets that I'm not even sure they were necessarily aware needed to be filled.

One can argue that since Watterson's departure in the early 90's, the daily comic page has been struggling to recover. No artist or strip has stepped up to the plate and delivered a homerun of a strip that is a must-read. Not just by a group of solid fans, but by everyone. A strip that isn't just a daily stop on the comic page, but one that is the stuff of books and collections and, dare I say, treasuries. Yes, there has been a deep void that just needed to be filled. And for many around the world, the Laugh-Out-Cats is filling that void.

Upon closer inspection, you can see it in the varying line work, the details that are so reminiscent of Watterson's work at its best, or even Walt Kelly. When you peel back the veneer of temporary internet memeish-ness, you have true brilliance in its rawest form. The brilliance of an amazingly entertaining daily cartoon. And it's something that we, as lovers of comics and comic art, have been craving for over a decade. This inspiration is something that I have seen demonstrated over and over again in Adam's work in the past few years. But with this project, I think he has outdone himself.

Like a good daily strip, I look forward to each and every installment. And like the thousands of other rabid fans, I demand more. I'm excited to see where else Kitteh and Pip to go. More to the point, I am excited to finally see the moment when Adam takes rightful ownership of his much-deserved spot in the dailies.

Adam Koford is the new Bill Watterson.

KTHXBAI!

UPDATE: Check out this cool slideshow of Adam's Laugh-Out-Loud Cats by Dj Hojo!

Labels: comics

DJ Hojo sends in this weird site that apparently is a new Cadbury commercial. I can't make heads of tails out of it. Maybe you can. Thanks DJ!

Labels: advertising, weird

Have you ever wanted to see what Ashton Kucher and Ann Margaret would look like if someone put their DNA in a blender? Well now you can at MorphThing. Try it out - it's free and no download is required. If you want to morph your own photos, you need to register. Pictured here is Liv Tyler and Adolph Hitler. Found this cool link via Linker Barn.

Labels: cool

A company called Ahilida has created swimwear and sportswear for the active Muslim female. See it here.

Labels: advertising

Check this out. Hasbro has introduced a killer Transformer in their Star Wars line - a Transforming Darth Vader who can turn into a Death Star. Via Laughing Squid.

Labels: cool, star wars, toys

Something Awful held a photoshopping contest of the most boring video games ever. Really great stuff. Check it all out here. Via Neatorama.

Labels: funny, videogames

Happy Labor Day! This week's Caption This is sent in by Ben. Enjoy your picnics, Americans!

Labels: caption

I have to admit, it feels a bit weird to be drawing something other than zombies after all this time. But I'm sure that in a few days I will be in full swing and hitting a stride. Regardless, here is one of the first videos for the new theme. I have a soft spot for Macs, as you may know. And I am rather proud of this one. Also, I think the young lady who ordered this may have a crush on me. But that's neither here nor there. Enjoy the alien!

Labels: art, monsters

If you got an e-mail from me about Quechup, delete it. I got three invites from people I trusted. I didn't even think twice and joined. But what the site does is grab your gmail address book and spam the people in it.

The long and short of it: Don't join. And sorry for the upset.

Damn social networking groups.

See more on this lousy, crap-smelling company here.

Labels: crap

It may be hard to believe, but Monster By Mail is back again with a brand new theme, new t-shirts, a new gear store, and a incredibly different way to send even more monstrous cool things through the mail to yourself or to loved ones. And when I say this is a pretty big deal...well, you'll see.

First off, as mentioned previously on this blog, the new theme is Aliens. If you have been following the show and the blog, you have seen and heard the Vote Glurn campaign for 2008 is in full swing. And you can get behind our alien overlord in a myriad of ways.

Only 175 original alien drawings will be created for this phase. Each order will get a FREE Vote Glurn bumper sticker and campaign button to show your support. Not only that, but you have the option of purchasing either a Vote Glurn Tee or a Roswell Class of 1947 Tee with your order. (It is, after all, the 60th anniversary ofthe incident in New Mexico, in case you were following.)

As if that weren't enough, the first 100 orders (not counting multiple orders) will get a free CD of 50 old time Sci-Fi radio shows courtesy of OldRadioFun.com. (Rumor has it that a cool promotion is in the works for those lucky enough to receive one of the CDs, too. So hang on to 'em!)

ALSO! In case you were the kind of person who doesn't care for my art, but would love one of my tees, I have finally opened The Monster By Mail Official Gear Store that not only has the two new alien designs, but also the See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Eat Brains design from the Summmer of the Undead. There are plenty of buying options for people overseas and Canada, as well as sizes up to 4X. So there is plenty to make everyone happy!

And finally - (I told you this was a pretty big deal) Monster By Mail is proud to partner with another Cleveland company, ZenDot3D. Zendot is like a sister to MBM in the sense that they also send cool things through the mail. Well, I am pleased to announce that the Monster By Mail store at Zendot is now open for business. Right now, you can send a personalized test tube full or gummy brains or some freeze-dried alien ice cream to the person of your choice. And the stuff arrives to your recipient sans box! It's totally unique, totally cool and totally Monster By Mail-approved. We're hoping to add more products as MBM continues to grow so, get over there and show your support for our first real partner!

Phew...it's a lot to digest I know. But I'm looking to make Monster By Mail as cool as I can. I owe it all to you for supporting this project and making it an enormous success. Thanks much to Dan Coulter and Jim Tews who have been incredibly helpful for me during this process. I cannot thank them enoigh. I'll be spilling more details about the Halloween Promo in a few days, so stay tuned for that as well.

But in the meantime, head on over to Monster By Mail and get an alien for yourself!

Labels: art, monsters