Gårdagens tips i Dagbladet

Dagbladet spurte, jeg svarte:

-Hva gjør du nå?

-Sitter i et tomt klasserom og sjekker når neste tog til Helsinki går. Jeg har nettopp avsluttet en to ukers tegneserieworkshop i Lahtis, sammen med en koselig gjeng mistilpassa finsk ungdom.

Hvilken bok vil du anbefale?

-The Raw Shark Texts av Steven Hall.

Hvorfor?

-Låste skumle rom, hukommelsestap og konseptuelle dyr som lever av idéer og gir deg grisebank, hvis de ikke spiser deg, da.
Ellers er jeg veldig glad i Jonathan Lethem, Hanif Kureishi og Patrick mcCabe.


-Hvilken film vil du anbefale?

-Jeg er fortsatt imponert etter å ha sett In the Loop.

-Hvorfor?

-Jeg trodde ikke at britiske embetsmenn kunne banne så kreativt. De sverter så det svir i øra. Filmen viser også det politiske spillet i all sin styggedom. Jeg håper at det meste i den filmen er jug, hvis ikke er vi fortapt.

-Hvilken plate vil du anbefale?

-Den siste skiva som jeg gikk totalt bananas over var Love´s "Forever changes".

-Hvorfor?

-Det er en skive jeg skulle ha hørt på for ti år siden, men uhellet ville ha det slik at jeg snublet tilfeldig over den for to år siden og kunne ikke slutte å høre på den. Jeg måtte til slutt gå igjennom en sakte avvenning, fordi det finnes andre skiver der ute. Jeg er fortsatt ikke kurert.


-Hvilken tegneserie vil du anbefale?

-Dave Cooper - Ripple

-Hvorfor?

-Det er en happy-go-lucky story med lakk og lær, sadomasochisme, lolitakomplekser, halvgamle mannfolk, iskrem og gruff og fanteri. Samtidig en besnærende fortelling om hvordan en rimelig usympatisk mann går komplett til hundene og gir etter for sine verste impulser. For ikke å snakke om at den er fantastisk tegnet.


-Hvis du var kulturminister for en dag, hva ville du gjort?

-Hvor mye kan man få til på en dag? Tror jeg hadde slengt en million til i potten til kulturrådets produksjonsstøtte til norske serier, fått norske serieskapere inn i skolen, både som litteraturpensum og som foredragsholdere, etter det hadde jeg tatt lunsj resten av dagen.


-Hva er det som provoserer deg mest i norsk kulturliv?

-At Norges nest største parti er såpass smålige at de gjorde kulturfinansiering til en valgkampssak. De fleste kulturarbeidere befinner seg allerede på bunnen av inntektslisten, samtidig som de gjør et verk vi alle nyter godt av. Det er bare trist at det finnes folk som tror at lille Norge ikke har råd til å subsidiere litt kultur for skattepengene. At alle kulturarbeidere må være flinke kremmere for at de skal ha livets rett er stygt og feil.


-Hvilken internasjonal stjerne ville du spist middag med?

-Charlie Brooker, Dylan Moran eller Peter Serafinowicz, men jeg aner ikke om de egentlig er internasjonale stjerner. De er ihvertfall noen jeg tror hadde vært hysterisk morsomt og interessant middagsselskap.



-Hva er tittelen på boka om ditt liv?


-Veni, Vidi, Vomiti

New mike

New mike 1, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

Working on the record clearly shows we need half-decent mikes for future recording, so here´s the first, the Electro-Voice Blue Raven. Gotta love em names.

For you sound geeks out there:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/49913-my-electro-voice-blue-raven-mic-review.html

I am 138

I am 138, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

My significant other came home with these rather fetching gloves, setting the stage for a Danzig-y photo sesh.

Norwegian embassy bookmark

Norwegian embassy bookmark, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

The Norwegian embassy in Helsinki just issued a collection of bookmarks. One of the designs done by yours truly.

Hakaniemi metro station

Hakaniemi metro station, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

Just uploaded a bunch of pics from yesterday´s photo safari. Click the pic to go to my Flickr-stream.

It´s the economy, stupid!

It´s the economy, stupid!, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

Variation on my cover for Into pamphlet by Slavoj Zizek, on the topic of the credit crunch and its effect on economy.
www.intokustannus.fi

Wussup?

I´ve had some well-needed rest and I´m starting to get into the swing of things again.

Been doing a bit of tweaking to Vollewelt too. If you look to your right, you´ll see a Google calendar over public appearances I´ll do this autumn. Also, there´s a Twitter-feed, a shop and the RSS-feed from the blog I keep over at Suomen Kuvalehti. Pretty nifty.

I´ve been sketching, writing, mixing music and eating monster painkillers due to a wisdom tooth removed. Losing wisdom hurts.

And hey, look what I found in the archives!
Nazca live at Nosturi in 2000. A song we never bothered to put on Non Grata, even. Just for you.


And as always, there´s the Suomen Kuvalehti-blog. Check it out.

Choosing children

Choosing children, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

For a forthcoming Into pamphlet. Click on the pic for more fun.

Another post at Suomen Kuvalehti

Just rock on over here to find out everything you ever wanted to know about the miracle of commuting.

Fleamarket Clown

Fleamarket Clown, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

In other words, more travel pics up on Flickr. Go look!

More pics up on flickr

landland, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

Just click this pic and enjoy the flick.

Trekking around Europe

Blogging from phone at Caz and Darrens flat in Edmonton, London. Left Helsinki Monday morning, watched a norwegian marching band in Pärnu, slept in a guest house close to Kaudas, Lithuania, got stared at in a spooky village in Poland, ate half a duck and slept on a boat in Gdansk, made comics in Berlin, blogged from the car close to Düsseldorf, watched Holland, Belgium and France swish by from the car window, saw the cliffs of Dover while smoking cigarette on a boat, saw three bands and went clubbing in Soho.
It's been a pretty interesting week, to put it mildly.
Check out Flickr for more.

Fingerpori

Check out today's Fingerpori!
Who could that guy with the moustache be?

Come to Bukra galleria!

Tonight is the last chance to see our exhibition at Galleria Bukra. Show up after 18:00 and enjoy the art, get the chance to win free artwork and see us play an acoustic gig. All free. Don't miss it.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122204267039&ref=mf


-- End of phone blog transmit --

Wussup?

I´ve been having the most hectic six months since... whenever.

Promo work with the book has been hardcore but fun, me n Vesa Kataisto informed the people of Kemi at the Kemi Comics festival some weeks back. Big thanks go out to the arrangers of the festival, they made sure we had the best of times. Thanks are also due to the arrangers of Maailma Kylässä-festival in Helsinki for giving us a spot, where I again misled the masses.

At the moment, there is in Turku an exhibition of Facts from the World comics at Cosmic Comics café. It will hang there until the end of June.

Cosmic Comics Café is anyway a place you would like to check out, not only for good drinks, food n wifi, but also for their extensive comics library, free for all visitors.

In Tampere, mine and Pete Korhonen´s Personal Politics-exhibition will hang until the end of June at Bukra Galleria. We have thus far received fantastic feedback on this one, so don´t miss it if you are in the area.
The limited edition A2 posters are also available for sale, 20 euros a pop.

My favourite Helsinki shop Pitkämies reports on their blog that the new Facts from the World compilation has been in their top bestseller list for two months now. Yay!

I just spent a couple of days in Oslo, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones along the way. Big thanks go to Mikkel for putting me up for the period. Check out his band, Happily Ever After!

Also, TV-season is over for this spring. Boktid will be back on finnish TV screens this autumn, featuring new comics from yours truly.

Spam spam spam

Back in the early ages of the internet, you would sometimes receive emails like "YOU COULD ALREADY BE A WINNER" or "Amazing offer!".
Fair enough. Back then we spent our workhours hitting the "delete"-button a lot.

Then someone invented the spamfilter.

Things got easier, we didn´t have to hit the "delete"-button so often.

Then things got weird.

Since the spamfilters were removing the usual buzzwords, the spammers had to become innovative
Nowadays the spammers are trying to sell me stuff through the medium of poetry!
Just check out my spamfolder from the last couple of days:

From: angewed
Subject: They sailed to the Western Sea, they did

From: tut10983
Subject : Wash away, wash away‎
Body: How charmingly sweet you sing Where the early pumpkins blow pmg http://ushatechindia.com/rmhz …

From: me
Subject: Clowns raped cops

From: me
Subject: Bum kicked Condolesa‎

From: gummert.bdba.bvbc
Subject: Maybe you’ll be forgiven or maybe not‎
Body: Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo tell the moon above me rqmmz

From: me
Subject: At 10, white cap with duck‎

How am I supposed to get the desire for enlarging pills by reading Dada Modernist poetry?

On closer inspection, I find that they are sent from myself? When did i do this? Am I supposed to buy enlarging pharmaceuticals from myself? How? Why?

Who are these spammers? Are they insane? Are they even human?

What can we do about them?

Well, Elliot Burford makes art from them. An example to follow, surely.

Aaaand at Maailma Kylässä on sunday!

Come and listen to me at 16:20 at Maailma kylässä festival in Helsinki!

Kemi Festival

I will be in Kemi from friday on.

At 16:00 Stop by, get a drawing, a book and a chat.

Then come to the small auditorium at 18:00, so I can tell you everything you need to know about the Facts, The World and everything else in between.

Personal politics - exhibition opening this weekend at Bukragalleria, Tampere

Karstein Volle and Petri Korhonen has pooled their talents and will exhibit photography and illustrations at Bukra galleria, Tampere.

Volle will exhibit cover artwork done for Into Kustannus and Korhonen will exhibit photos taken from over a decade of material.

More info:
http://www.bukra.fi/galleria

Sneak peek:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/volle/sets/72157618314962613/

http://rok.possu.org/photos/gallery/personalpolitics/

More stuff over at Suomenkuvalehti

I´ve been letting vollewelt high and dry for a while now, so I really urge you to go here.

They even made this cool looking graphic:

Book and rose day

If you want to come and say hi, or check out my interview, stop by Book and Rose day tomorrow, 5th of May.

It´s in front of Kamppi Metro at Narinkkatori.
I´m on at 18:00 sharp and I will be signing books before and after the session.
Seeya there!

Suomen Kuvalehti

More blogging action over here.

And if you can read Finn, then check this one out!

Pictures from the book launch is up on Flickr

Book release fri 17/4- Norwegian Embassy presentation III, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

Check it out.

New blog @ Suomen Kuvalehti!

As Facts from the World is starting in Suomen Kuvalehti this week, I´ve also started a blog within the parnasso of Finnish Media. Just point your browser to this adress to follow the excitement:
http://suomenkuvalehti.fi/blogit/facts-from-the-world/

Pacifism

Pacifism, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

More into covers for your viewing delight up on flickr...

It´s out!

First of all, I would like to thank everybody who showed up to last friday´s three shows.

The embassy show went really nice, thanks to beautiful surroundings, quality wine courtesy of the Embassy, plus a lab coat and a pipe. I will put up pictures later, great rejoicing was made.
Then the Pitkämies acoustic gig, thanks to Tommi and Jelle for providing the PA and the premises. There were loud discussions amongst the band what gig was the best.

In the end, Nousu provided us with the real party, with loud music, proper drinking and good vibes. Great rejoicing was made, at least the part I remember.

Seeing Helsingin Sanomat´s interview and review cheered up my hangover the next day.

And now, the book is out! Run to your local dealer! Get it before it gets you! Believe me, I am happy as a pup about this one.

Facts from the World Release party Helsinki poster

Facts from the World Release party Helsinki poster, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

Fri 17th! Kickoff at 20:00 Ravintola Nousu
Be there or lie to your friends about it later!

Scum

Background

Further reading

I´m nominated for a Sproing Prize!

I was happy to find out I had been nominated to the Norwegian Sproing prize. It´s a huge honor and I thank the jury in all their wisdom for picking out "In the Future" for a nomination.

The verdict is done partly by voting, so if you would like to give a little support, go here.
Thanks!

Balder i bloggform

Balder - Bladet for sivilarbeidere har i skrivende stund starta en blogg. Balder har vært hjem for Fakta fra Verden siden 2003 og huser for tiden ymse som Sivile serier og I Fremtiden.
Med andre ord, sjekk det ut.

Sunday sketch

A facts from the World idea sketch, which I never did, because I was already featuring to many Idols jokes at the time. I guess by now it´s an anachronism. I sure hope so.

It´s about ordinary people jumping the Idols bandwagon and pandering for SMS-votes, so they won´t get expelled from society.

No future

Og der var det slutt for denne gang med I Fremtiden. Takk til alle lesere og støttespillere som har vært med på veien.
Vi skal nok ikke se bort i fra at det kommer mer, men for nå har Fremtiden en pause. Nyt arkivet.
Takk for nå.

So much much music, so little time

With the wealth of music available now, I realise I will always be a latecomer to great bands. Just check out this clip, it´s AWESOME!



Here´s another band which recently blew my mind, thanks to the miracle of Spotify:

Sunday sketch

Sketch for a panel in an episode of Metro. I drew this one at Tor Ærlig´s house. It´s a train conductor who flips and start stripping.

Alison Bechdel tells us how she made her book

From the formidable drawn.ca-blog

Wussup?

Not much happening on the blog the last coupla weeks, apart from soundart n sketches. Thing is, I been busy putting the finnish Facts from the World-book together, plus TV-season has started again, so new comix for Boktid are due. Add to that the nice people of Fjord asked me to do a little thing for them.

So, the Facts-book might be the nicest one yet. 100 facts, culled from over six years of production. Also featuring a smashing intro-text from the one and only mr. Ville Hänninen.

The book will be out on publisher Arktinen Banaani. We are aiming for a release date at friday the 17th of April, so mark that day off in your calendars. Exact times and venues are still to be confirmed, but I heard a rumor that something might happen sometime at the Norwegian embassy...

Apart from that, I just handed over a four panel version of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn´s "A day in the life of Ivan Denisovitch" , it will be aired on FST5 the 31st this month. It´s a goodie, if I may say so myself.

Last but not least, Do check out this week´s edition of NYTliite, it features artwork from yours truly.

Sunday sketch

Sketch for a forthcoming collaborative project.

Tuesday night soundart IV

Leon Theremin, the inventor of the first Theremin AKA the first electronic instrument EVER, takes his invention for a spin.

Sunday sketch

Polio skeleton at the Berlin Museum of Medical History, summer 08

Tuesday night soundart III

Where would we be without John Cage?

Most probably in the exact same place we are now, but slightly more bored.

4,33. Just listen to that.

Sunday sketch

A portrait of my mate Kivi Larmola, Paris, spring 07

Tuesday night soundart II

This time, Otto Luenig and Vladimir Ussachevsky performing early musique concrete, or Tape music, if you will. Delia Darbyshire and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop took this form of composing later to still unmatched standards.

Shoutout: Finn comix blogs!

I would really recommend you to take some time to explore the finn comix blogosphere.

This is a nice starting point.

If you want me to do the picking for you, I would recommend Olli´s and Mari´s blog.

If your finnish ain´t too good, don´t worry, they even translate their stuff now and then.

Sunday sketch

sketchbook doodle, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

A doodle from my sketchbook with a discussion on how to become manly.

Tuesday night soundart

This time:
Alvin Lucier´s classic I am sitting in a room.

Fremtid med Flu og Karstein

Fremtid med Flu og Karstein, originally uploaded by Karstein Volle.

Seriejam med Flu Hartberg en bedugget romjulskveld i Oslo

Internet meme time

There´s a meme going around. It´s to write 25 little known things about yourself and tag 25 people. Thanks to Juri Nummelin and Reetta Laitinen, I can finally get this off my chest.

25 little known facts about me.

1. I have received two years of education in flute playing.
2. I once starred as a red blood vessel in the norwegian children´s film "The hunt for the kidneystone"
3. I have been a tour musician with Halden grungers the Cornflakes.
4. I have only hit one person except my brother and that happened in the sixth grade.
5. By verdict of Moss city court, all my paintings were worthless until I had finished my art education.
6. I have abused drugs in the name of art.
7. I have painted my student flat black.
8. I have never done civil service. I was supposed to start on december 99, but I moved to Helsinki and has since never heard anything.
9. I spent four months making the short film "i was abducted by aliens" only to have the master tape stolen just before final edit.
10. I have never been to Poland. Although one of my all time favourite bands is half polish.
11. I have painted angels on the ceiling of Drammen City theatre.
12. I am addicted to playing Solitaire.
13. My favourite comic artists when I was 10 was John Byrne, Hans Lindahl, Kari Leppänen, Frank Miller and Nestor Redondo.
14. The first instrument I really got into was the bass guitar.
15. I do most of my scripts on collective transport.
16. I have made a 30 minute opera in bullshit russian with a friend.
17. I had my appendix removed at 14.
18. My left eye is more short sighted than the right.
19. My favourite comic at 12 was Watchmen and "The Masked Cucumber" .
20. I still have a lot of love for The Phantom and Mandrake, in all their white male suprematist cheesy colonialist glory.
21. I own a vacuum cleaner robot.
22. I have ambivalent feelings towards my blog, my illustrations, my comics and my music.
23. I made with Tritone the demotape "Anton´s car", where each song title came from a button in Antons car, like "Rear demist" and "Emergency". The songs had nothing to do with neither cars nor Anton.
24. My first band was a synth duo called Dreamscape. My first proper band was called Yggdrasil FT.
25. A girl got her nose broken on our first Tritone gig. A swedish guy flipped.

Dear Obama

Okay, you´ve had the job for a week now and have already pledged to close Guantanamo, lifted the gag rule on US aid, implemented stricter emissions regulations for auto makers, made numerous diplomatic initiatives to the muslim world, as well as pledged to negotiate directly with Iran.

You are making the rest of us look like lazy gits. Can you chill a bit?

2008 in review

Inspired by brilliant guys like Mesq and Roy, here´s my year in review:

January

-Gokk, my hillbilly alien invasion miniseries hits Larsons Gale Verden.

-The exhibition I made at Serieteket autumn 2007 goes on tour.

-I write another comix article for Balder, the magazine for conscencious objectors.

-I go to Angouleme for the first time. Highlights: Angouleme city, Chat noir, meeting longtime hero Ben Katchor, drinking with Jason, meeting Guy Delisle, fantastic cuisine.

February

-Paris, highlights: Toy comix exhib,

-Start making comix for FST5´s program Boktid.

-Norwegian comix site Serienett gives Gokk a fine review.

March

-Boktid premieres on finnish tv-screens.

-Finish Gokk series. 5 episodes a 4 pages of Deliverance meets Night of the Living Dead meets Plan9 from Outer Space

-I go to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

-In the future returns to Aftenposten

-Illustrate book by Saliven Gustavsson

April

-Nazca turns 10 years. We put up for one day mixes from forthcoming album Out.

-I get to the Batu caves, Malaysia´s largest hindu shrine.

-I make In the Future strip 100

-Stockholm and SPX 08 Highlights: Meeting Ulli Lust, checking out Nou nou hau

May

-In the Future-blog is started. Tells the future six times a week in norwegian.

-Into Kustannus starts publishing their pamphlets, covers by yours truly.

-Electrocomics.com starts publishing Facts from the World every week.

-I make the jump from Schibsted to Egmont.

-Oslo Comics Expo. Highlight: Partying with the norwegian comix posse and Killoffer.

June
-NYC and MOCCA. Staying on the 25th floor Jersey penthouse with Marshtin and Stine. Watching Manhattan getting nuked while drinking Urquell beer.

July

-More covers for Into Kustannus.
-DT writes about in the Future.


August

-Spend a week with Tanja in Berlin at Mesq´s flat. Meet Ulli Lust and Kai Pfeiffer. Check out the Museum of Medical history. Chilling stuff.
-I turn 34.
-In the future ends it´s run in Aftenposten.

September

-Tour with New Model Army
-Make jingle for Söderströms publisher

October

-Play two gigs with Nazca.
-Metropolia zine workshop
-Helsinki Book Fair, we have a presentation with Arktinen Banaani, Boktid is on site and Into presents their stand with pamphlets all done by yours truly.
-Design banners for Vaasa University´s Hamsun anniversary celebration.

November
-In the Future is guest strip in Dagbladet.
-illustration work for Nyt Liite.
-Festival artist at the Hamsun festival, Vaasa

December
-Did the cover of NytLiite
-Illustration work
-Enjoying a new year bluegrass singalong with Ed Pettersen, Freddy and the Corazon-boys. Check out their new project The Black Country, btw.

A little shout-out

I am, as most thinking people should be, absolutely horrified by the atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza. It´s easy to feel numb and powerless in these situations, but there is at least one thing you can do:

Give money to Medecins Sans Frontieres or The Red Cross.

I would also like to ask you to sign this petition from Avaaz.

Happy 2009!

Sitting once again in Halden, starting to come back to life after a brilliant new years eve party. It´s been a great year, more busy than ever. I´ll return with a recap once I get my bearings and a stabile internet line.
But for now, to all of you, have the best 2009 ever!