Dastardly Innuendos

Live at Chaplin's

2011-10-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

If you femembered me in the winter of 2009 playing open mics at Chaplin's music cafe this cd represents some of the performances, and songs that were freshly written and performed in their early stages of crafting. I can only imagine who I would have played those songs now. But to be honest I would like to leave them all behind, and one day start fresh with new material

https://www.createspace.com/1960785

Michael D'Orazio's Sketchbook 1998-1999

2011-10-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

This book contains the sketches of Michael D'Orazio between 1998-1999. After the attending the University of the arts, Michael spent hours, and hours wandering around coffee shop to coffee shop lugging around his sketchbooks, drawing incessantly trying to build what he thought an art career might be. He felt he was leading up to something, and drew picture after picture trying to forge what he thought comics are about. Over a period of years all this work was stored in a plastic container until the day he found out how to publish himself. This book was thrown together at a fast pace. He wasn't careful about taking the pictures, although he was conserned with the pictures compositions, and to capture the best parts of the drawing. This book is the second revision where he added some of the pictures he felt were kind of abrasive, or blurry. This book captures the phase of a time, when there was a lot of time and energy to just express, and idea he had in his imagination. You can find his more refined drawings in the book "The World of Michael D'Orazio: Voyages in Illustration", and his graphic work in "Freak'in Out", and "The World of Michael D'Orazio volume 2, and "The World of Innappropriate things". This book is just a begining, and a memory of a time when life was carefree, and without responsibility.
You can find this book on Amazon.com, or Createspace.com

The Monster Who Wouldn't Leave

2009-09-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-monster-who-wouldnt-leave/7548649

After I graduated the University of the Arts(1998), I began hanging out at coffee shops all the time drawing the sketches for a children's book called "Hansel and Grethel". That project fizzled out, and I began writing lots of poems, and stories that I had churning inside of me. One of the stories was called, "The Monster Who Wouldn't Leave". It was more of a poem that ended up as a children's story. I thought it was kind of catchy, so I began drawing the sketches for a 12 page book. I completed all the thumbnails for the book, and started to begin to draw the book, when I was like I had no idea on how I was going to finish it. I didn't have any solidified techniques that I could rely on, or utilize. I finished six of the pages, and put the whole book away for when I could answer these questions.

In 2006 I began publishing my own books with the work I developed from 1999 to 2004. I dropped using real paint, and began to master the use of color on photoshop. It wasn't until a few weeks ago did I have nothing to do, so I took the book sketches and drawing out, and set out to complete the project. I inked everything up, and scanned it in, and colored everything on photoshop. The nice thing about photoshopping color is that it comes out very even, it is very easy and quick, you don't waste money buy paint, and you can find ways of making the color pop out, and become really intense. It is hard to manipulate paintings on photoshop. That is why I gave up with the whole paint thing. The only time i use paints is when i do framed artwork.

Anyway I completed the book and it is available at Lulu.com. It is very colorful. Thanx!!!

Michael D'Orazio Live at Chaplin's 07-03-09 CD.

2009-09-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.lulu.com/content/compact-disc/live-at-chaplins-07-03-09/7624971
When I got my first full length show at Chaplin's I was really excited, because I have been writing non stop since 1995, and have been doing open mics to keep me in practice. It wasn't until I went to Chaplin's that I sort of rested my feet from trying to find a venue that I could feel comfortable, and sort of grow into. I have been trying to get my vision out, or at least get what is eating at me for the longest time. I knew what I wanted to do, it's just that I didn't know how close I could get to this idea I had about music. My goal wasn't to get a hit song, or at least conform to what music is now. Of course I can't do that stuff anyway. I wanted to bring gloom back into the folk scene, creating what I remember from the early 80's goth, post/punk scene back in England. Some people think my music should be played at galleries, or art shows etc. I wouldn't want to limit myself to that.

They recorded the first show that I did at Chaplin's luckily, cause all the planets we're in line.
Along with doing a very dramatic performance, I had alot to say in between songs that fit the mood of the night. It was almost like i was on a radio performance in someone's studio, cause the show was very personable to the audience. I am happy that I have this recordings in my grasp, cause it proves to be my greatest achievement. I proved to myself I could do it on my own, and still have a inspirational sound of confidence. If I don't do another show I won't be sad, but there will be hopefully until I can write new material, and recapture the gloom that I once tried to find within me.

"Trixie, the Schizophrenic Girl" the book.

2009-09-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/trixie-the-schizophrenic-girl/3225205

When I wrote "Trixie, the Schizophrenic Girl" I had just got done reading, "The Bad Seed", the biography of Nick Cave, and "Living with Kundalini" by Gopi Krishna. These two ingredients made up the fabric of the book. I wanted to stress how sometimes suffering, alienation, or rejection can make someone an artist, or drive them to find victory through personal strife. Mental illness is often a key ingredient in great art. I have found that some of the best artists suffer from schizophrenia. I let some people read this book after I was finished, and I got a lot of feedback that there are a lot of people out there who are like Trixie in many ways. I myself have struggled with my own illness, but I have found that there is a beauty in being weird or strange on the inside. When someone calls me "weird", I say to myself then I should be an artist, because weird art is the best. I always knew I had something, and when I did this book, it flowed out of me like a river. It took me literally a months worth of work. After I did it I was artistically, and personally satisfied. As an individual with an illness myself, I realized at an early age that I wouldn't have the chances other people had in the working world. It wasn't until later was I diagnosed with schizophrenia. Along side of having uninteresting jobs did I work on my art, and music. I never stopped believing I could be someone in society, and had to suffer personal emotional scars along the way to make me strong enough to cope. My motivation behind creating the book came when I was in high school, I was in a goth/punk band called "The Burning". When the band broke up I was left feeling disatisfied creatively, and decided to go back to art school. I attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia for three years, and recieved my B.F.A in illustration. After I graduated I went on to try to write and illustrate children's books, but ran out of steam or felt maybe it wasn't getting out what I felt was appropriate to me. It wasn't until later that the whole Trixie thing came together. It took eight years for the Trixie concept to metamorphosize into what it is now. If I wanted to be remembered for any book it might be this one.

"The World of Michael D'Orazio volume 2 in color, Deluxe edition, hardback.

2009-07-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

As of last year thanks to my friend Dan Pevar who introduced me to Lulu.com after he did a book of his poetry. I began compiling all of my artwork in paperback books. I thought about doing it before, but my girlfriend thought it was a good idea and a perfect time to do it. I started off trying to put together the most outragious book I could with a balsy cover. I wanted to do a black and white book, cause I thought the color books we're too expensive for me just yet. So I took all of my favorite work, you know the bold graphic dark images. I chose this picture that I thought was appropriate for it, and hopefully the most memorable, and I put together a 56 page book with a glossy cover.

After I finished the book I began to show them around to my community to see what kind of reaction I would get. Generally people we're pretty pleased with what I did, and I did sell at least ten copies to people who wanted to support me. I found that people we're not at all shocked by what I did, or appalled. Although a few people said it was disturbing, but hearing that did not make me want to take it to the next level. The next step was to do a paperback, but color everything that was in the original book. I began using photoshop to color the images. This system worked very well with simple black and white graphic illustrations. I did all of the pictures, and included some hand painted pictures that we're relevant to the book. I also colored the cover, and vuala. It was "The world of Michael D'Orazio" volume 2, in color.

The last phase of this series of books was adding literature to the pictures. Some of the pictures corresponded, or we're inspired by things that I read, wrote myself. I thought just having pictures was not enough to capture peoples interests, or make a good book. I also chose to have this book in a hardback cover, and also an alternate color for the cover. Writings included are works from "Marqui de Sade", Gopi Krishna, and song lyrics, and poetry by the illustrator himself. So here it is "The World of Michael D'Orazio" volume 2, in color, deluxe edition, hardback.

My show at Chaplin's

2009-07-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that I have been drooling for a show at Chaplin's music cafe since I
have been attending the open mics since they openned 2 years ago. Since then I have
been plugging away at songs, and refining my stage performance. I really didn't have
it in me to ask Liam Reid directly for a show, cause I kind of feel like if I was worth it
they would have asked me. I did hint around a while, and I was frustrated, feeling like when do I get a shot. So I waited and waited, and waited, and then finally I was like, "I am taking my artwork of there walls". I don't like my work to hang around too long anyways, cause it should be rotated from time to time. So anyways after a short while I stopped attending Chaplin's for maybe a month. But then the "Caberet Red light" came around and I really appreciate there shows, cause they are decadent, and they play good music, and have good costumes. So I went, after I got done working on a piece, and I came late. Liam let me in for 5 dollars which was nice and I caught the end of the show, which definitly turned me on, with the strippers. After a week or two, I got a call from Colin Pound asking me if I wanted to play a show with him on the 4th. At first I said yes but I realized the 4th is a bad day, so they changed it to the 3rd.

This was my shot. I had a week to prepare, and I was nervous that I wasn't going to
play well, or I was going to be bad, cause I haven't practiced that much, and I play like
two songs a week live. So I paced back and forth at home worrying about this. I made a flyer on the fly, one that I constructed for a failed show a few years ago. Since I had photoshop I could easily alter old illustrations very easily. It changed as followed:

The night before the show I was crazy, and of course I started a fight with my girlfiend via text. And that night she was preparing food for the show, cause it was a potluck. I realize that I am an asshole, but I was so nervous about this thing I had to vent in some way. I am crazy. She came anyway with the food with her daughter, and her dad, and one of her friends showed. I have to say everything went smoothly, and when I got up on stage, I played 200%. I gave it more than I ever gave before. I must of played for an hour of all originals, and one cover. Good news when they told me that they recorded the whole show, so anyone who didn't make it, can hear what I did on stage that night. I know that I don't do whats popular, and that my show is really original, so you cant really compare it too much. But I hope it merits on it's own. I have to thank Liam Reid, Colin Pound, Jeff Mastroberti, Frank Wolfe, my girlfriend Katie Lightcap, her daughter, her father Bob Lightcap, and everyone else who came and made that event happen. I hope there will be many more.

My Card

2009-07-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend Katie gave me an assignment, cause I am always complaining that I have not much to do, especially in my field of illustration. It is true that I am a renegade artist, whose rebellion against commercial art and advertising has definitly made me no friends in my field at all. I do get some jobs from people but I don't get money, and I am not sure if they even use the work. I know though that there are some people out there who do appreciate the darkside of my work, and that every once in a while someone does use my work for something important, such as my

friend J.D Malone. He is a great local talent, and he used one of my Dia de los Muertos pictures for his cd cover, and his show posters. Thanx!!

Anways my girlfriend gave me this assignment along with a sketch, and some old classical paintings such as "Triumph of Death", and a few others. So I sat down in a wicked frenzy, and I sipped Jim Beam on the Rocks, and I finished the sketch, then later inked it up with black india ink, and vuala. A 20"x30" big piece of work. I did deviate from one of her ideas, that was to cross hatch the ground, but like always black dominates the whole piece. This is how I balance the white and the black. I call this piece "Triumph of Darkness". The dimensions of the piece we're similar to a business card, so I shrank it down to 3 1/2"x2", and vuala I sent it to the nearest print shop and now I have a new business card.

Welcome to my Blog

2009-07-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well I guess it took a while but here I am creating a blog for current works of art, or music. I will keep everyone updated as to what I am up to, and where I am going, and where I am hanging, and everything else. Right now I am basically just doing projects for random people that I know.
I am seriously just trying to stay put, for now I am 38 years old, and I still look youthful, but on the inside I am kind of weary about leaving the house and hanging with hostile people in bars around where I live, etc. I need to kill time sometimes, and I always find myself at the mercy of someone who is jealous or hateful that there life sucks in to comparison. I can't help where I came from, it's not like I live in New York or something. I worked 23 years at jobs slaving away. The older I got the more my jobs demanded. So I gave up. Now all I do is sit around, and sip coffee, and draw, or compose music, which I have always done. I try to frequent outside of my town, cause my town is so ghetto, or so low class. I don't judge people on how they look, but I do judge them on their actions, or behaviors. The good thing about getting older is you don't have to look forward to applying for jobs, except the ones that will benefit your career, and such.

The last piece that I worked on is a piece I did say I would do for a band called "Psychedelphia". It took me a while to get off my ass and do it. It didn't take me long. I scanned in the black and white line drawing, and I colored it on photoshop. I don't paint anymore cause all my paints dry up when I am not using them, and they are expensive. Photoshop always makes the color really even, and I can manipulate different versions of the original color piece. Photoshop is my most used program for my art. I hope those guys like this piece. Here they are: