ISSUE #1 DEC 2007 $.25
Lead Stories Monday Program
Alex Baird talks about the band’s new CD and plans
FireAlarm + Stencil
A true story that shows the power of 7 sheets of paper
Photoshop Tutorial
A simple tutorial with lots of room for variation
Vile Album Covers
Gritty, dirty, and just plain offensive
Also Inside
Death Life Sticks, Jist Clothing, Poetry of Spiess
Coverart by Dunny
CONTRIBUTORS editor in chief entertainment editor web advice poetry art
mason balistreri chaz ludwig dan paquette andrew spiess
mason balistreri,
dunny, matt boroff, jack arnold
layout
mason balistreri,
isaac schwegman, kelsey elam
http://thejist.info
What’s the jist?
the JIST is an online magazine and zine which focuses on art, philosophy, and culture. We aim to connect groups of people thus changing the way people think. Philosophy will affect art will affect poetry will affect music will affect culture. To read more about how the site started and what the Jist actually aims to do, check out the opening article. To summarize, the jist is a place to inspire and be inspired, a place for the thoughtful to think, and the thoughtless to reconnect.
What about me?
theJIST differs from a normal publication because all people have the chance to contribute. If you register for an account (www.thejist. info), you are automatically made a contributor. This means that after review, your content can be shown as featured or lead articles. I urge you to do this – the community can only be as good as you let it be.
Difference between the website and zine
Although the website and zine will feature mostly the same content, there are some differences. The website will contain content specific to the web format - music and film. Also, the website may contain articles not featured in the zine. These articles will often be technical in nature, such as computer hacks, software tips, etc. The zine will feature more artwork than the actual website. We will have a different cover artist each month as well as a different artwork placed throughout.
Contact
The general email for the website is thejist.info@gmail.com but any contributor can be contacted via the address found in one of their posts online.
The New Jist
The New
What was...
What Is...
The Jist originally started in 2006 as a news letter passed out to students in my highschool. However, only the cover design of one issue was completed. It was a cool concept - I wanted to get the point out, the gist of important issues. The philosophy behind the jist at this point was to make people aware of what was important, instead of throwing meaningless garbage in their faces. When the newsletter didn’t pan out, a blog was released. I (with the help of Dan Paquette) put a ridiculous amount of work into the design and programming. It was my first time doing anything outside of simple html but the work paid off. Various contributors joined the site at this point and the overall philosophy changed. Instead of being very selective in topics, the site covered many (too many) topics. The site was basically an overstretched blog; a redesign was inescapable.
As you read the zine or see the site today, keep an open mind. We have to start somewhere right? I am very pleased with the contributors - Spiess submitted some poetry at the last minute, Isaac got a paper about his home town through, and Chaz reworked some of his previous stuff. You’ll notice that the design of the website is better, but not completed. It is missing a search function (still) and the store needs to be redesigned. Within the first week of each month, the site will update and display totally new content. This month’s issue is a little small and contains some articles already seen on the old site.
What Will Be‌
Soon the jist will be more than a blog and more than a newsletter - it will be a portal, a place to discover and share ideas. The Jist exists for people like you to share your ideas while at the same time be inspired by the ideas of others. I want everyone to get involved the music scene, the bmx scene, the design scene, the art scene. There are so many people in the world trying to do something special but they go unnoticed. The Jist as an online portal and monthly zine will connect these groups - a place for the thoughtful to think, and the thoughtless to reconnect.
bands’ music plays in the background. Now all these groups are connected in an articulate way. However, I do not want the jist to be some myspace-publicity-clusterfuck or scenester-trash-manifesto. We will not exclude. If you have a band, we will not ignore you based on social standing. If you have art, we will look even if it is drawn on napkins. If you write, we will read it, even if it has improper grammar. The Jist will only be as good as people let it be; do not to look at what we are doing and ride it off, look at what we are trying to do. And what we are trying to do is what everybody wants - if you can see it in this way, then you will help us make it that way.
How does this connection work? Well, obviously a little zine cannot change everything but imagine this scenario: A local film maker directs a video for the BMX scene. The riders in the video You are automatically made a wear the Jist clothing while local contributor if you register. This way you can give me what you
Death Life Sticks mason Balistreri
It kills 440,000 people a year, increases the individuals risk of cancer, and can lead to several severe illnesses: why would anyone smoke? The question is baffling to most non-smokers, including myself. The issue is esoteric, sure, but it is also valid. To answer the question one must do more than just ask, “Why?” The observer must look closely to find the hidden truth behind the burning ash. I see a girl, short and blond. She is nearly attractive despite her ugly slippers and camouflage pajamas. I realize that it is late out, why is she outside dressed like this? Suddenly, a pack of cigarettes emerges from her camouflage pajamas pants. She lights up despite the health warning on the pack. I am immediately turned off. Maybe she thinks she looks like Audrey Hepburn – a stunning actress, dramatizing her situation until it becomes a fashion statement. This cannot be true though; there is nothing dramatic about her situation. She is just a young woman in pajamas; the smoke from her mouth forms not a statement but something unseen She soon leaves and my attention shifts. A tall boy reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pack of Camel-Lights. It does not take him long to light it up – he must be a habitual smoker. He and I are alone outside of our new college “home”. I have heard that smoking has a social aspect, but this I do not see. He and I do no talk. Looking at him inhale I see isolation: an existential escape from the banality of life. I have heard that cigarettes have a calming effect; perhaps he is combating anxiety. He cashes the cigarette and begins to walk inside. I interrupt his return and test my hypothesis. He tells me that he is perfectly calm; he doesn’t know why he smokes. This observation is over I remain outside to contemplate what I have just observed. Smoking is not attractive, the girl demonstrated this. There must be more to
smoking than the medical effects because the boy I just observed cannot express his reasons. The real reason for smoking must be abstract. Another person walks out and sits on the bench and lights up. He too appears to be in a state of relaxation. There is something happening that I cannot see between the inhalation and the absorption into the lungs. I take a more active role in assessment and strike up a conversation. He tells me that smoking makes him feel good. I suggest that the feeling is from the nicotine absorption into the lungs. He explains that the buzz is different than the feeling of wellbeing that he receives. The cigarettes offer a sense of “closure”. I do not understand what he means by “closure”. What closure? Does this imply that something is coming to an end? The only thing that I can foresee ending is his life: smoking kills, that is a fact. Suddenly I am reminded of something I have seen: a documentary on the “lost boys” of the Darfur Conflict. The Lost Boys are young men displaced by the war who now live on the streets, barely surviving. Most of them are addicted to solvents. These boys also spoke of something akin to closure – death. The interviewer asked one of them if he was aware of the dangers. The boy said that he is fully aware but he will never stop – it is his choice. I wonder if the person I am sitting with is aware of the dangers of smoking. I ask him and he shows me the surgeon generals warning on the front of the pack. I now realize that smoking maybe an exercise in freedom. My companion seems unsure of my realization. He says that it isn’t freedom if you have to smoke something to obtain it especially if it leads to an addiction. He is right. This observation is over and I go to bed. I wake up the next day I try and reassess the original problem. People do not smoke for the buzz, the fashion, or the freedom. The people I have observed thus far seem to smoke for an intangible sense of “good”. I must act to understand. I take a cigarette from a person in my resident hall and head outside to seek the truth. It is cold outside and I am alone. I light up but the smell and taste is too horrible to continue. I feel do not feel a sense of good – as the carbon burns away so does my life. Smoking will only hasten the progress of death. I am not ready to die. I wonder, these people I have observed - are they ready to die? Now I realize it! Smoking may appear to be superficial but it is actually an acceptance of One’s own mortality. The people that I have observed all prove this; they are all throwing themselves at Death, taunting “Go ahead, Kill me!” The exhale of smoke is a roar of defiance. To smoke a cigarette is to acknowledge life and its eventual end. Smoking gives closure to a harsh existence, making life and death that much sweeter. I have heard people call cigarettes “death sticks” but I have only observed them to be full of life.
art by dunny
“Self Portrait” by Jack Arnold Graffiti
Designs
There is currently four finished designs all created by me. However one design was based on one of Dunny’s tattoos. I am looking for other people’s designs. Shoot an email to the website or register and we can talk business.
Material/sizing
All shirts are printed on 100% Cotton Anvil Organic Tees. These shirts feel and fit similar to the beloved American Apparel but have a much more organic quality.
Beyond clothing
Jist clothing also sells necklaces. Matt Boroff has some really awesome hemp necklaces that are for sale. Also Shannon Titus is getting together some earrings and necklaces. If you have anything you want to get out in the market, email or register for the site and get a hold of me.
Buy
To buy something you see in this magazine go to the website http:// thejist.info and click store, or go to the direct url: http://store.thejist. info. It should be also noted that you can buy these shirts at actual storefronts. Right now CBCB’s is the only place with jist shirts in stock.
Sellers
If you would like to sell these shirts in a store email us: balistreri@gmail.com
Pink on White Black on Pink White on Black
dead locks
B&W on Red B&W on Blue
watch & smile
White on Red White on Army Green White on Black
spread peace
the rise of fall
White on Blue White on Green
10 Vile Album Covers Chaz Ludwig
gritty, dirty, and just plain offensive By nature Rock and Roll has never been charming. Its’ founders were no strangers to controversy. Jerry Lee married his cousin, Little Richard sang about being in love with men, and Chuck Berry spent his spare time filming ladies restrooms and urinating on women. We are gonna take a look at the 20 album covers that are gritty, dirty, and just plain offensive #10 Amorica - Black Crowes This cover is from an Issue of Penthouse. The album was not allowed of shelves because it shows a girl’s pubic hair. If the thong would have been a nice pick lace or maybe something a little less patriotic it may have stayed on store shelves. But we can’t disgrace the flag with pubes now can we. #9 Nothing’s Shocking - Jane’s Addiction This is what happens when you microzap your brains on lysergic acid. You suddenly walk out in the living room of your parent’s house and see the Olsen twins, on a rocking horse, ablaze in cowprint. Nothing’s shocking. #8 Two Virgins - John and Yoko I bet it smelled really terrible in that apartment. Plus they are ugly, that’s why store owners had it pulled from shelves. #7 Blood, Guts, and Pussy - The Dwarves I can’t help but thinking of a shampoo commercial. PRESENTING! NEW! GARNIER CHERRY EXPLOSION!
#6 Yesterday and Today - The Beatles At the time, some of the Beatles defended the use of the photograph. Lennon said that it was as relevant as ‘VietNam’ and Paul McCartney said that their critics were ’soft’.” The Beatles didn’t seem to see any thing wrong with holding mangled babies. Like Paul said their critics were “soft” It’s not like the babies were real. Look at the smile on Paul’s face. #5 Tomb of the mutilated - Cannibal Corpse This cover is just gross. Look at what’s going on in this picture. A dead body is laying in between the legs of another dead body while they have no insides and are covered in blood. Cannibal Corpse did say however that if you look at their album covers like a work of art they aren’t so bad. They also stated that none of the things they put on their album covers could actually happen. #4 Blind Faith - Blind Faith This girl is only 13 years old, she looks like Robert Plant, and that airplane looks like a dildo.
#3 Virgin Killer - Scorpions This is real. This is a real 13 year old girl who actually posed for the picture. This is not only gross and disgusting but where were the parents? I am not sure what’s more vile, the facts that this was put on an album cover or the fact that the parents of this girl let them take the photo.
#2 Butchered at Birth-Cannibal Corpse Jim Carrey loves Cannibal Corpse. Jim Carrey also climbed out of a rhino’s ass.
See the gore and sex in high resolution on the website! http://thejist.info
#1 Anarchy - Chumbawamba Yes child birth. Having a baby is the most precious thing that can happen to a person. What is more beautiful and natural than having a new born baby? Babies are perfect creatures that connect a family and make everything a happier place. How perfect a newborn baby can be. Well this brings us to the end of our album cover gross out. Musicians are supposed to be artist but sometimes their art can be heinous. How vile rock and roll can be. Yet in spite of all the nasty, sleazy, and awful things that rock and roll has produced, I still love it.
Fire Alarm + Stencil = Awesome Mason Balistreri
Isaac and I had been cutting stencils and chalking designs around the BGSU campus to kill time. We tried to get people’s attention but usually our work would go unnoticed. However, this night was different. We created a life size rasterbation (the process of making an image huge) of a design I did called Watch & Be Happy. The finished print was nearly 7 feet tall and looked pretty damn impressive. We knew that this time, people wouldn’t be able to ignore it so easily and would have to look and think about what we were putting out there. We decided the best place to put the piece was above the main lobby in a glass hallway; no one really went up there, but anyone entering the building would be face to face with a skull man in a suit. We got up there around 12:30 at night and taped each piece of the design to the window. As we laid out last piece of paper down at 1am the fire alarm went off! It was insane timing; if we had started one minute earlier, the rasterbation wouldn’t have been completed. Isaac and I were a little freaked out by the coincidence so we were the first ones out. The exit door is
directly underneath the rasterbation; as people were coming out, I pointed to it and exclaimed, “what the hell is that?”. At this point, everyone started looking at it. More than a few thought it was like some cult thing. Isaac and I could only laugh. When everyone returned to the building they had no choice but to look… Most of them were very curious as to why it was there and who put it up. I heard one girl say it was “soo creepy”.
“Cartilage” by Matt Boroff Pen
The Monday Program Mason Balistreri
What is The Monday Program, when did you start? The way that we interpret The Monday Program is a feeling of comfort at contentedness, being with the people you love doing what you love. Which for us is making music. Jeff, John and I started TMP in August of 2005, and Dan started playing in…September of ‘07. As far as the members of the group, what is the dynamic? Where do you see yourself in it all? Well, Dan and I are the creative inspiration. As far as creative composition, lyrics and the standard dynamics of every song, that’s where Dan and I step in. Jeff is the closet case prodigy. His style is very laid back, but he knows exactly what he has to do, and he gets it done. John is the soul in our music. He really gets the feel and emotion out in our music with his guitar. I like John because he really feels what he’s playing. Is there a music scene in bowling green? Where does TMP fit in to that? We believe that Bowling Green is the musical hub for this entire area. Many musicians, including ourselves like playing in Bowling Green more than anywhere else in this area. So yeah, I’d say that BG has a huge scene. We fit into that scene, but not too much to be considered “just another scene band.” We have
our only style of music that we’re bringing to this area, that will hopefully shine some light on the other great artists from this area that really deserve it too. What other great artists do you speak of? There are so many great artists from this area. The Tapes, Phantasmagoria, The Gibbs Brothers and what they’re doing with Smile Sinister and Nate Baker. You can walk down Main Street and see people sitting on the street corners playing great music. It’s all around us. We’re really blessed to come from such a musical city. What can a person expect at a TMP show? The best damn show they’ve ever seen. Our songs have an energy to them that you won’t feel anywhere else. The songs are written straight from the heart, you feel the lyrics; like they’re written about you. There’s never a dull moment.
T M P
People will be reading this in December, what can fan’s expect from the band this month? December is a great month for us. December 1st we are going into the studio to record our next album JOIN The Monday Program. We have a few out of town shows, promoting our album. Tell me a little more about the record, is it your first one? Yeah, it’s our first full length album. We recorded a demo in the winter of ‘06, but the recording wasn’t too great. We’ve done a lot of writing since then, and we have 15 fresh tracks we’re ready to lay down now.
That’s awesome. Any plans for selling the album? Or will this be one of those sell them outta the car - burn them as you need them affairs? We got a full press contract, so the album will be professionally pressed and sold. We will be doing a lot of underground sales, but the album will be in stores for sale. What’s the fan favorite song (so far)? That’s a funny question. The first song TMP ever wrote “Impostors” was a fan favorite for years. Then we wrote a song almost two years later, and it sounded great when it was looped to Impostors. So we called it “Impostors:Phase II.”When people heard the song together they knew we had accomplished something great. It’s our most known song, and a fan favorite now.
“Addiction” by Mason Balistreri Graffiti
Andrew Spiess Poetry Hey kids. This is a sort of poetic protest that I wrote, mainly inspired by the media. I wanted it to be very satirical, shocking and even scary. Enjoy and keep an open mind.
Spread Written in wrinkles are senseless obsessions printed like incurable diseases. And on a need-to-know basis, words become contagious killers, saturating the air like graffiti on a wall. Our minds are easily infested with laughing pests, speaking of false intelligence and very few would rather rot in the corners of sterilization until it’s safe to move on. We have been told that our heads are full of sin and viruses and disability. Give me pills. Quickly fix me. Forgive me. We are force fed the newest diet plan. We have been diagnosed with profitability syndrome. They tell us we are sick bugs who need them. One-thousand dollar burial box. Headlines and controversy and commercials fed intravenously into our veins. Catheter full of excitement and concern. The nurse vigorously licks the bottom of a coffee cup in front of a beeping screen. Entertainment is the late breaking news on the lives of our most well-known, notalent alcoholics and cokeheads. This stylish exploitation is a fashion statement. What they’re looking for is blood on the pavement. These filthy, self-proclaimed professors wade in shallow wastewater and don’t bother to wash their feet sensibly. Even as we migrate, the spread bites us. Our only solutions come in silent syringes blinding sight and attention. Focus our wrath and cold apathy and see what’s happening. Take the vaccine, a suppressor in a subtle shot. Wipe the insecticide from your eyes! This is the apocalyptic lecture of social skin spots.
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“Open Lights and a Woman” by Mason Digital
Image Mosiac Tutorial Mason Balistreri
This is a photoshop tutorial that will show you how to make one of those really cool image mosaics with a large image composed of smaller images. It is a very easy process but allows for a huge amount of variation and experimentation. So even if it is your first time using photoshop, feel free to give it a try! Step 1: Finding a photograph The first thing that you’ll need to do is get your photograph(s) ready. For the tutorial I am a photograph of Jimi Hendrix for the large image, and repeating him throughout the design. If you are planning to use a large image comprised of an array of smaller images, then make sure you have them also saved. A few important things to look for: * High Resolution – you’ll need a fairly high resolution image to see all the details of the smaller images composing the larger. * Raster – You shouldn’t use images that are illustrations or images that have been vectorized. They will not work as well. Try to find an image with many values. To find a good picture I suggest the stock from http://www.sxc.hu/ or http://deviantart.com. If you would like to follow along with the tutorial using the same image, download this jimi_hendrix.jpg. Step 2: Prepping the photograph Crop the photo Open the photograph in Photoshop and crop any excess off. To use the crop tool press the “C” on your keyboard or click the crop icon from the tool bar (highlighted in picture). Once you have the crop tool on, drag across the area you want to keep. Also, make the photograph black and white by pressing SHIFT + CTRL + U (optional, keep it colour if you want). Step 3: Photograph adjustment You will need to use a filter called cutout to make the image more poster-like. Go up to the file bar [Filter –> Artistic –> Cutout]. Adjust the slider until you get a balance of detail and clarity. I used the settings, “8 – 0 – 1”.
Mosiac Example
Step 4: Smoothing photograph Diffuse FilterThe previous filter will often make the image appear rough so it is good to smooth it out. The easiest way to do this is by applying a filter called “Diffuse” with the setting “Anisotropic”, [Filter –> Stylize –> Diffuse, Setting - Anisotropic]. Step 5: Making the grid Note: This is the step where you can start customizing your image past what is described in this tutorial. To follow along and make it easy, we will just use the same image for the grid but to see other techniques, skip to the “additional steps”. You are going to need to make the grid for the mosaic. The grid will be made up from your original layer except there will be 100 images 1/10th the originals size. This may sound complicated but believe me, it isn’t. Just follow this process: 1. Copy original layer. CTRL + J . 2. Resize image to 1/10th size by pressing CTRL + T and adjust ing the H and W (displayed below file bar, check picture) to 10% and press ENTER. 3. Press ” v ” to select the drag tool and drag the image to the top left so that it is flush with the corner. 4. Duplicate this layer by pressing CTRL + J and drag it to the right of the previous layer (hold shift to keep it lined up). 5. CTRL + E to merge layers. Repeat step 4 and 5 until picture is filled up. When you are done it should look like this: (bottom image) Step 6: Nearly done Layer blend mode set to OverlayThis step is very easy. Change the layer blending mode on the top grid layer to “Overlay”. With overlay on, you can see the image as it will be. The grid is a little bit too big and it would look better if the images within it were smaller. This is easy to fix. Press CTRL + T and drag the corners to a better size while holding SHIFT to keep the aspect ratio right. Then Duplicate the layer and drag it over again to cover
the whole canvas. Don’t forget to press CTRL + E to merge the grid together. Step 7: Finishing touches If you followed the instructions then you should have a pretty good looking image mosaic. However, there are some things you can do to spice it up a bit: * If the image just does not look right, go to your background layer and play around with Levels (Ctrl + L) * Try adding additional layers between the grid and the background with various blendmodes. Try a nice rainbow or red, white, and blue gradient for the Jimi Hendrix picture * For colour mosaics, add the original photo (in colour) between the grid and the background. Then change its’ mode to “colour”
more examples
for the thoughtful to think and thoughtless to reconnect Art - poetry - philosophy - culture zine