Help Sam Billen Fund His New LP Via Kickstarter!
I HAVE A FRIEND NAMED SAM. HE IS BALD. HE HAS FRECKLES. HE SINGS. If Jesus is the Bread of Life, Sam Billen is the Toast of the Town. Or at least a slightly charred crouton who imagines himself to be part of a larger salad. That’s what I like about Sam. He is a...
The Tragicomedy “La Femme”: FREE Album & “Behind the Music”-esque Retrospective
ABOUT “LA FEMME”: Tracks 1-9 were produced by Scott Patterson. Tracks 10-12 were recorded live at the Nu Brew Coffeehouse in Springfield, MO by Bryan Carlstrom. Tracks 13-15 were recorded as demos to cheapo boombox by one Chad Thomas Johnston. All lyrics and music were written by Chad Thomas Johnston except 1) “Grace” (Lyrics/Music by...
The 15 Minute Blog Challenge: “Billie Jean”
At 1:25 p.m. I posted a tweet that read “As a child, I thought#MichaelJackson was trying to convince someone that #BillieJean was not his son. Really didn’t understand. Ha! ” This is the truth. At 4:27 p.m. I received a tweet from @ang_merrick that read, “@Saint_Upid Can I get a blog post on that? Maybe a sketch of your...
IMAGE Essay: “Songs Everyone Can Hear”
My latest IMAGE Journal “Good Letters” blog essay, titled “Songs Everyone Can Hear,” is available to read here. It a tale from the musical confession booth, in which I own up to loving (Heaven forgive me) pop music. Here is an excerpt: In 1990, when the New Kids on the Block were so popular that...
Shawn Smucker’s “Building a Life Out of Words” is Available!
Buy Shawn Smucker’s “Building a Life Out of Words” here. Who Is Shawn Smucker? Shawn blogs (almost) daily at http://shawnsmucker.com. He is currently traveling the country for four months with his wife and four children in a big, blue bus named Willie, looking for service opportunities as well as other writers to meet up with....
What Werner Herzog Got in Zee Mail From Us
In 2008, I pitched a documentary idea to New German Cinema director Werner Herzog via snail mail. I sent the same pitch via email. His office completely ignored my snail mail, but replied to my email. In a tone that was both kind and playful, his employees explained that Mr. Herzog was otherwise engaged with...
CTJ Designs “Building a Life Out of Words” Book Cover
Just finished my first ever paying book cover design! It’s nice when dead presidents can validate your meager attempts at art. Thanks to Shawn Smucker for giving me a chance. It was a pleasure, despite the fact that it took me around 30 hours to create from start to finish. I began by creating fonts out of...
The Innocence Mission: IMAGE Essay + the VHS Tape We Sent the Band
My latest essay, “The Flowering Dark,” is now available to read on IMAGE Journal’s “Good Letters” blog. Read it here. The essay looks at Lent through the lens of the Innocence Mission’s Birds of My Neighborhood LP, or at least how this record impacted a solemn season of my own life. At the end of...
Virtual Gallery: Danny J. Gibson’s “Mouth Breathing at the Wick to the Apocalypse”
A Word from CTJ: My very good friend Danny J. Gibson has done it again. This March, he wants to land his flying art saucer in your head-space and set up an outpost there. Enjoy this virtual gallery, and consider it a foretaste of what you will experience in the event that you should be...
NOW ACCEPTING: Art Submissions for “Nightmarriage” eBook
As if you artists already don’t already make zilch for all your hard work, I am now offering you another opportunity to create something out of nothing for nothing. Starting today, I am accepting art submissions for my “Nightmarriage” eBook. If you’re wondering what that means, it’s pretty easy to explain: Throughout my short career...
“The Cannibal and the Eucharist” Essay on IMAGE’s “Good Letters” Blog
Today my essay “The Cannibal and the Eucharist” is available to read at IMAGE’s “Good Letters” blog. It describes my none-too-brave encounter with singer-songwriter Michael Knott’s song “Kitty” as a sophomore in high school. “The Cannibal and the Eucharist” is my first essay for IMAGE. I hope to write many more for them if...
Mark Van Dyk (Virtual 7″): “My Stupid Heart” FREE MP3
My cousin Mark Van Dyk is releasing a virtual 7″ on my site today, although he does not know it. I am just releasing it for him, stealing it out from underneath him like a true record company mogul. It’s called “My Stupid Heart,” and it’s a lovely, wintry song. The best thing I have...
A Radio Broadcast Featuring CTJ & DJG (Right-Click & Save Target)
Follow Me and Give Me Reason to Issue a Restraining Order