Blotter Barn gives me flashbacks

Artist and LSD blotter art archivist Mark McCloud, in collaboration with digital artist/publisher Dana Smith present Blotter Barn, a series of archival, fine art digital prints derived from Mark McCloud's infamous blotter art collection called the Institute of Illegal Images. Each image is a photographic enlargement of a selected item from the collection, and depicts that item in forensic detail, revealing tiny elements that are normally invisible to the human eye. All images are issued as a Blotter Barn exclusive limited edition of 50 prints, signed and numbered by artist, Mark McCloud, and further authenticated by the presence of the 'Blotter Barn' and 'Dana Dana Dana' embossed impressions on either lower corner.

Each photo will cost you at least $1000 (smaller "personal" versions are available for $120 each).

Do not attempt to lick your photo... or your computer monitor.

Check out Blotter Barn for many more images.

A Very Brady Druggie? Maureen McCormick Spills

Growing up Brady wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Erstwhile Marcia Brady Maureen McCormick is telling all—and we mean all—about her formative years both on and off TV, revealing new details about her depression, drug addiction, unwanted pregnancy and what can only be described as an exhaustive history of suitors in her new memoir, Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice.

In addition to discussing an unusual string of relationships with Steve Martin, Michael Jackson and her TV bro Barry Williams, the actress and sometime country singer also reveals that she once traded sex for drugs and engaged in full-on binges at the Playboy Mansion and at the home of Sammy Davis Jr.

Marcia, Marcia, oh, Marcia.

"As a teenager, I had no idea that few people are everything they present to the outside world," McCormick, now 52, writes in the book, excerpts of which were released today. "Yet there I was, hiding the reality of my life behind the unreal perfection of Marcia Brady.

"No one suspected the fear that gnawed at me even as I lent my voice to the chorus of Bradys singing 'It's a Sunshine Day.' "

McCormick was 14 years old when the family sitcom began its four-year run in 1969 and apparently didn't have much personal experience to draw on for the character. In the book, due out tomorrow, the actress says she came to the feel-good show from an abusive family, with a father who abused and cheated on her mother.

When the show ended, McCormick says she turned to drugs, taking cocaine and Quaaludes among other illicit substances, a habit which failed to help her secure additional employment.

In the memoir, the actress also details a blown interview she had with Steven Spielberg, blaming the ill-fated meeting on her being high at the time.

What followed throughout the '80s was a battle with addiction and depression, including interventions and rehab stints galore along with various medications and therapies.

Despite her tumultuous road since then, McCormick seemingly has no regrets about her Brady gig and subsequent permanent place in pop culture.

"I'll always be struck by how much a part of people's lives Marcia is and always will be," she writes. "But now I'm not bothered by the connection. It took most of my life, countless mistakes and decades of pain and suffering to reach this point of equanimity and acceptance."

[EOnline]

Singer Corinne Bailey Rae's husband dies of suspected drugs overdose

The husband of singer Corinne Bailey Rae has been found dead from a suspected overdose, sources said today.

Jason Rae, 31, a saxophonist with the Haggis Horns - who have worked as a backing act for Amy Winehouse - was discovered at a flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds yesterday.

It is understood that Bailey Rae, 29, was not at the property at the time.

Tragic: Corinne Bailey Rae's husband Jason Rae, pictured with her at a London party last year, has died of a suspected drug overdose

West Yorkshire Police said officers investigating the death had arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs.

He was later released on bail pending further inquiries.

A forensic post-mortem examination was carried out on the body last night.

But a police spokesman said the results were inconclusive and police were awaiting toxicology test reports.

Fans posted messages of support on Bailey Rae's website.

Paul K, from London, wrote: "Our thoughts and prayers are with Corinne and family at this sad time. Such a tragic waste."

In action: Saxophone player Jason Rae performs on stage. He was found dead last night

At Corinne Bailey Rae's mother's house in Roundhay, Leeds, a neighbour confirmed her mother had returned to the house late last night but had left again early today.

A barman at The HiFi club in the centre of Leeds - where The Haggis Horns were due to play tonight - declined to comment but confirmed that no bands were playing tonight.

The couple while Bailey Rae was working as a cloakroom attendant at a Leeds jazz club. They married in 2001.

"I was Corinne Bailey. I added on Rae, my husband's name, when I got married," she said, "there's no hyphen - stops it being posh!"

She recently said of her marriage: "When I got married, I felt like I was older in my head.

"I knew Jason was the right one for a mixture of reasons. I really liked him, and I think that's a good place to start from.

"And I really liked hanging around with him. With Jason it was like I couldn't see enough of him."

She also revealed that she made Rae propose to her a number of times to make sure that he meant it:
Musical couple: Jason Rae from the band The Haggis Horns performing with wife Corinne

"I made him propose a few times. I wanted to check he was serious. And then I just wanted to make sure.

"And eventually, I thought, 'Yeah, it's a good idea.'"

Bailey Rae has spoken of how her marriage inspired her songwriting, saying previously: "I focus on the fact that it's not all just warm and fluffy feelings and that it's work.

"It's great to argue with someone and know that there's a real commitment underneath it all - it's not about slamming doors and walking away, but about working things out.

"I do write a lot about love, I guess, from all these different angles, because it's a complicated thing and I think it's worth a couple of songs."

She continued: "I feel really lucky that I found someone that I want to spend my life with at such an early age.

"It's great. We're both musicians and we have a lot of friends and feel part of a community - we're not just watching TV on our own together like a lot of people, so I think it's cool."

In an interview in May 2006, Bailey Rae said she had never tried drugs.

She told the Observer: "I'm not interested in manufacturing a high in an attempt to have a good time. It's not really a good time, is it?"

Leeds-born Bailey Rae is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who released her self-titled debut album two years ago.

The record went to number one in the UK charts and sold over a million copies in the US, as well as producing the hit single 'Put Your Records On'.

A BBC poll of music critics that year named her the number one predicted breakthrough act.

She became only the fourth female British act in music history to reach the top of the charts with a first album.

She was named best newcomer in the Mojo and Q Awards and picked up two Mobos.

Last month she was recognised at the Grammy awards for her contribution to the record that won album of the year, Herbie Hancock's 'River: The Joni Letters'.

She recently spent a week working on her new album at Warren House Farm studio near Scarborough, north Yorkshire, according to reports.

The Haggis Horns are described on the band's Myspace page as "an eight-piece live funk extravaganza" who combine funk, soul, hip-hop and afrobeat with jazz virtuosity.

The group has performed and recorded with top artists including Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Nightmares On Wax and Corinne Bailey Rae herself.

Ronson has called them the "best f****** horn section in the world", according to the website of the band's record company, First Word Records.

They released their debut album, Hot Damn!, last September. s were due to play tonight - declined to comment but confirmed that no bands were playing tonight.

Source [DailyMail]

FOLKS .... DRUGS KILL !!! DO YOU GET IT YET ?!?!

Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On


Corinne Bailey Rae - Like A Star


Corinne Bailey Rae - Trouble Sleeping



Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae (USA)


Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae - Rarities (USA)

Google Street View at it's best ...

Google cams seemed to have caught this bit of cash exchange happening on this busy Chicago street.

Wonder what this is all about?? Check it out here:
Busted on Google Street View

Dude in the car has his license plate clearly visible if you move around. Tons of people all standing around. This street is very notorious for drug infractions.

Source [Googlesightseeing]

An Estimated 3/4 of Musicians (including Classical) use Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Drugs to build up that mental muscle

Forget sports doping. The next frontier is brain doping.

As Major League Baseball struggles to rid itself of performance-enhancing drugs, people in a range of other fields are reaching for a variety of prescription pills to enhance what counts most in modern life.

Despite the potential side effects, academics, classical musicians, corporate executives, students and even professional poker players have embraced the drugs to clarify their minds, improve their concentration or control their emotions.

In the world of classical music, beta blockers such as Inderal have become nearly as commonplace as metronomes.

The drugs block adrenaline receptors in the heart and blood vessels, helping to control arrhythmias and high blood pressure. They also block adrenaline receptors in the brain.

"You still have adrenaline flowing in your body, but you don't feel that adrenaline rush so you're not distracted by your own nervousness," said Dr. Bernd F. Remler, a neurologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

That's why Sarah Tuck, a veteran flutist with the San Diego Symphony, takes them to stave off the jitters that musicians refer to as "rubber fingers."

"When your heart is racing and your hands are shaking and you have difficulty breathing, it is difficult to perform," said Tuck, 41, who discovered them when she began performing professionally 15 years ago.

A survey she conducted a decade ago revealed one-quarter of flutists used the pills before some or all of their performances or in high-pressure situations like auditions. She believes use is now more widespread and estimates that three-quarters of musicians she knows use the drugs at least occasionally.

Full story at LA Times via Fark

Popular Circuit-Party DJ Gets Busted On Drug Charges

Popular DJ faces meth charges

Rob Harris accused of conspiring to distribute drugs

Robert Harris, a popular local DJ, was arrested last month and faces charges of conspiring to possess and distribute 50 grams of crystal meth, according to police sources.

An Oct. 16 affidavit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia spells out the charges against Robert H. Harris of T Street, N.W., though an exact address wasn’t given. Harris spins at Apex and Cobalt and was voted “favorite DJ” by Blade readers for three consecutive years from 2003 to 2005.

A police source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to the Blade that the man named in the affidavit is the local DJ. Attempts to contact Harris were unsuccessful. Harris’ public defender, Geremy Kamens, declined to comment.

A motion to extend filing the indictment against Harris was signed by both his attorney and U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg. It gives the court until Jan. 11 to indict Harris, which extends the 30-day limit from the time a defendant is arrested until formal charges are filed. Harris was arrested on Oct. 16, court papers said.

The motion said concerned parties are exploring a pre-indictment plea as the reason the delay was requested. Officials in the U.S. District Court office confirmed that the motion to extend the period for indictment was approved.

A five-page affidavit against Harris was prepared by Brian Miers, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. It indicates Harris was cooperative with federal investigators upon his arrest. Among Miers’ findings as reported in the affidavit:

Around Oct. 12, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration San Diego Field Division arrested Paul Latiff at the San Diego International Airport and seized about seven ounces of a meth mixture from him.

Latiff told the agents he frequently went to San Diego to purchase drugs for himself and others.

Latiff told DEA agents he had sent a package to Robert Harris of Washington, D.C., and provided them with a New York Avenue address and a tracking number.
Agents intercepted the package the same day from Federal Express at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. The name and address were as Latiff had indicated to agents.

Law enforcement K-9s trained to detect illegal narcotics indicated the presence of drugs in the package. It was opened the next day and found to contain a meth mix weighing about 3 ounces (or 84 grams).

On Oct. 15, agents delivered the package to Harris while undercover to the New York Avenue address, which houses the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Harris was arrested upon taking possession of the package.

Harris told agents he’d known Latiff for about eight years and had bought illegal drugs from him before on at least six occasions.

Harris consented to having agents search his T Street, N.W. residence where they found and seized additional drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Miers said he suspects Harris intended to distribute the meth.

DJ Rob Harris has been featured at many popular D.C. area events, including Pride and Cherry.

Joey-O, a DJ and manager at Apex, said he was unaware of Harris facing drug charges and that, as far as he knew, Harris was still on the DJ roster at the club.

Dave Perruzza, manager of Cobalt, referred the Blade to Jason Royce, who oversees the DJs there but Royce couldn’t be reached for comment.

The Blade profiled Harris in 2002 after his first “Best of Gay D.C.” award. Harris claimed to be 30 at the time and a Chicago native. He told the Blade he’d been in the U.S. Navy where he became an electronics technician, was stationed for two years in the Persian Gulf and spent two years in San Diego before coming to Washington where he spent five years working as an audio-visual director at the White House under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

He started mixing tapes and CDs for friends but eventually mastered the craft enough to go professional. He once worked as a DJ for a national dinner for Human Rights Campaign and has also spun at Rehoboth Beach, the Cherry benefit circuit party, Capital Pride and several local clubs.

Source [Washington Blade]