Dark Arts of Asia

Step by step revelation of ancient secrets of printmaking from Asia as they enter in unholy matrimony with the dark arts of western Cartoonism...
Mats!? reveals "my"signature technique...
(soundtrack from Sublime Frequencies' :Thai Pop Spectacular.)
Buy this painting
Buy the book 'Asiaddict'

Burma Blur...

A photo montage clip from a recent trip to Myanmar, set to the tune of Princess Nicotine...

Hong Kong with Love (Bons Baisers de HK)

Before Austin Powers spoofed the genre , the french comedy group "Les Charlots" did their take on the Bond mythos with some degree of success, at least in the impressionable mind of this 11 year old... I'll have to give it a second viewing three decades later to find out if it still holds up. If the title song is any indication ,the prognostic is good.

Neung Phak, Asian Pop Spectacular!

Neung Phak,a pop collective from Oakland, dishes out some authentic South-East Asian flavored Pop and Molam tunes.Check them out "LIVE" as they put their unique spin on some Thai, Cambodian and Lao classics!
They appear on Thurs. July 12th. 2007 at the aptly named "Rickshaw stop in San Francisco.On this date they'll be accompanied by Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls,Sublime Frequencies) as well as "Apocalypse Puppet Theater" who'll present their latest shadowy play "Man-Killers of India!"
When not performing, Mark Gergis and Alan Bishop scour The Asian continent like Pop Archeologists for some neglected musical treasures with which they cast spells on unsuspecting audio starved junkies...
Poster Print by Mats!? available for sale.

RocKINGjazz

Before the U.S sent military Advisors to Vietnam, they sent the King of Rock'n Roll over to Thailand to scout it out...Here he is seen observing a traditional dance re-enacting the opening of a bottle of Coca Cola the non-traditional way... America and South-East Asia would never be the same!

Vertical Moustache Bros.

The outlawed burmese vaudeville act "Moustache Brothers" in a performance at their house in Mandalay, Myanmar.
Their show is a mix of Traditional Burmese dance theater laced with social satire aimed at the military Junta.Their act cost
one of the brothers a 5 year prison sentence. GULP!



That shit is Off the wall!

POL POT POP!

A track from the soundtrack to the book "Asiaddict",performed by the late great Sin Sisamouth.
The Film clip is made up of modified stills taken straight out of the pages of the book.





More Mats!? Art...

Thai Tintin

The Pirated Tintin book that appeared in Thailand about a decade ago and got its creators in a tight spot,due the characters having sexual intercourse
throughout...Capt. Haddock with some Bangkok Bargirls and Tintin finally consuming his relationship with "Tchang" from the album "the Blue Lotus" and Tintin In Tibet".

A much rarer pirated Tintin appeared in Turkey in the early 60's when the live action film "The golden Fleece" was being shot in Istanbul.
Although extremely difficult to find ,the T- shirt depiction of the cover is easily picked up in the old Bazar.


See more of my work at:

www.comicartcollective.com/mats

Made in USA

I'll plug it here once and for all. "Asiaddict" The Blog is named after the book and not vice versa.This book covers a far-out trip through the tourist mine fields of...Buddhisneyland!Thailand,Laos and Cambodia...By the way this shows a study for the cover ,not the actual cover.This one has the feel (I hope) of an E.P Jacobs drawing. In the end I sobered up the cover to an Herge style...Could be the belgian Beer trip I'm on...
I just returned from a trip through Myanmar(formerly Burma) I'll upload some images and observations from there soon...

www.comicartcollective.com/mats
www.sparkplugcomicbooks.com
www.matsicko.com

Simian Gold

An apparition on the tracks at Lophburi...

Mandalay train...

Creeping over the Gokteika Viaduct ,the train from Mandalay makes its way to Lashio...The steel structure creaks and squeaks while the passengers anxiously roll their prayer beads between their sweaty fingers...
The track is from "Guitars of the Golden Triangle " from Sublime Frequencies.

Tintinbuddhaaah...

Who's going to sit in Tintin's lap?

Radio Rangoon

I picked up these audio jewels in Mandalay.All you can find of the good vintage Burmese POP is on cassettes alas.The only thing available on CD is the new schmalzy karaoke junk it seems.And Coffee Mix was the daily norm... I miss the stuff...

Luckily,the folks at Sublime Frequencies have released some dynamite music from Burma,notably "Guitars of the Golden Triangle".