Posts by Billy McCall

Being an artist means putting yourself out there. The deeper and more real your expressions are, the more you set yourself up for criticism. Sometimes it’s tough to sift through which criticism to ignore, and which to pay attention to.

Billy McCall interviews Charissa Lucille about closing, then reopening Wasted Ink Zine Distro: “I have emotional whiplash from feeling so down — and then feeling so extremely excited and hopeful. So many community members stepped in and helped.”

Let me start by acknowledging the fact that I never thought I would be this upset by an angry mob storming the Capitol. I mean, isn’t that the ultimate American dream? Name one person in this country who has never at some point in their life thought to themselves, “Ya know what we oughta do? We oughta go down and storm the Capitol. Show those lawmakers who’s boss.”

Understanding social acceptability is important when creating art in the public sphere, such as political signs, street art and graffiti. Every time and place has its own set of rules.

Singing the words to our favorite song is a way to interact with the art we love, a way to feel like we are part of it… But some songs are so good that we love them even if they have no lyrics.  Some songs are able to communicate a full range of human emotion without a single word.  Here are five of those songs, and what makes them so iconic.

A society in which not all members are free is not truly a free society. Pussy Riot understands that and Pussy Riot stands in resistance. They stand for resistance.

This scary world is suddenly a lot scarier now, I know. But there are punks and hippies and counter-culture DIY types all over the place. Find the progressive like-minded people in your community and become friends with them. Strengthen those bonds.

America has chosen this. America voted for a racist, a misogynist, someone who claims global warming is a hoax. Maybe not all of America, but enough. That’s who you want? Well, there ya go.

Roles are easier to understand when you understand the ultimate goal, which is heat. Heat translates to popularity. The same things that work in wrestling work in presidential politics and state elections and high school president elections.

What is art, and what makes a person an artist? If Kaepernick were a poet, he’d write, or if he were a painter, he’d paint. But he’s a football player.

We walked in, sat down, and just opened ourselves up to whatever art was about to envelop us.

A rap video shot on a zero budget? What a concept.

Sometimes art is all about being silly. Creating nonsense. But sometimes art has to be serious. It needs meaning and worth, it needs a message.

When I asked the drummer about his hand, which was wrapped in gauze and a splint, he just shrugged and said, “Fuck it, punk rock.”

The more known you are, the more people expect from you. At least all us struggling artists have the freedom to do whatever we want and be whoever we are.

I’ve been writing that newsletter every month for over three years now, so I thought I would share a few tips on how to create and maintain a mass mailing list.