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Plus, Avrigle uses the rhyming scheme:
Dead
Said
Lead
Dead
Head
Dead
Dead

and that's in the space of one verse.

I'm surprised sh didn't work in the words Bread, Med and Shed in there to really finish it off and make it extra specially shit.

Of course, her real problem is that she dumped (read was dumped by) her production team, who, incidentally, also happen to be the same team behind a number of Britney Spears' hits, and were responsible for tracks like Sk8ter Boy (they've now moved on successfully to producing Natassha @sister of Daniel' Beddingfield). As a result, the new album is bereft of anything even vaguely resembling a major hit, and beyond the typical teenagerish whining, hasn't even really got even a decent strory, song or tune to help sell it to the public. Even the fanbase seem rather lackluster. This has certainly been reflected in the American charts, where the record has not performed nearly as well as record execs had hoped. If she fails to have a sleeper hit off the current album, and if her singles after tha bomb, then she probably only has maybe two years left, tops.

Unless of course she stars wearing belly tops and a thong and gets a breast enlargement.

Persoanlly, I think that boy has the right idea: you like what you like, and don't give a shit what anyone else says. Make your own, informed, decisions people. it's what raises us above the apes (well, most apes anyway. Not your fancy jungle-bought apes, we can't compete with them).

On that note: STEREOLAB KICK ARSE!
(and they're fucking great live too)

"Avril Lavigne, as far as I'm aware, has never claimed to be punk, and has even flat-out denied she's punk in several interviews, prefering the term 'new country' - whatever that may be. It seems to be other people assuming she's punk because of the way she dresses and nothing more."

Oh dear, I really didn't want to get into this...

Avril may claim many things about her music, like the fact that her current album is much more personal than her last, and that she had a much larger hand in creating the music, and that it is 'new country' (which actually is an accredited musical style, as typified by the likes of Shelby Lynn and Aimee Mann, but not Garth 'Achy-Breaky Heart' Brooks). I may claim that I look like Ben Afleck (if i was mentally retarded) and that I can shoot the knees off of tramps with nothing but a single glance of my eyes. It would not stop the above statements from being the biggest pack of lies since Henry Kissinger made his Nobel Peace Prize speech.

Avril's record company, who, to all intents and purposes, ARE her, being that they own her and decide what they will and won't release. The official press release for the latest single describes her as  a 'Punk-rock chick', and says that she 'inspires' skaters the world over by, erm...wearing some clothes that they might conceivably wear (presumably the concept of skateboarding had never really caught on before Avril and ODP's Heaven is a Half-Pipe/Hash Pipe).

She claims that her music is new country, but is more a case of new-sic: watching the video for her turgid, poorly shot new video, I could only think of the lack of any real emotion and depths that some people will lower themselves to in order to get on the telly. I've heard about prostituting yourself for your art, but she's a twenty pence a trick hooker with no teeth who fits in a hundred johns a night easy. Frankly this woman has about as much to do with genuine country music by the likes of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, as a dogs arse compares favourably with the image of the Queen (okay, bad example).

Of course, the most notable thing about Avril's new single is the fact that they chose this track at all. It seems completely devoid of any hit potential at all, and must make you wonder what the record company are up to, to allow this Frankenstein's beast of a creation to shamble embarassingly into public like this. Balads are never the young teens most favourite form of music.

You sad old bastards!

The only good stuff the Sex Pistols did was written by Glenn Matlock. Sid Viscous didn't even know how to play bass (which is probably why he was the first drummer for Suzy & The Banshees).

Much as I love Keith Moon, he did produce the godawful Two Sides of the Moon solo album with the cream of America's West Coast session musicians, and only goes to show that an album that features Keith Moon but doesn't feature him drumming can only ever be a bad thing.

I don't hold with the notion that all new music must be inherantly shite. There was tonnes of shit music in the past, we just forget all that as we romanticise our past history. I wouldn't even go as far as to say that all pop music is cack (something I'd 've never believed I'd hear myself say ten years ago). When The Who started out, they were POP, and that's a fact.

However, Busted and McFly, much like acts like Avril Lavigne from accross the pond, are manufactured pieces of shit and should be despised as such. The fact that 'Avril' refers to her music in press releases as Skater-Indie-Punk-Rock means that much more time has been spent deciding on their target market than there has been on any of the music. This is music specifically aimed at kids just before or reaching their early teens (11-14), just before they reach their grumpy Nirvana/Pearl Jam/NWA/Eminem/whatever rebelious phase, and want to entertain the idea that they are listening to really rebellious, angsty music, without actually having their illusions shattered about what such music might actually be like. They want their rebellion corporate sponsored and with swingin', inoffensive tunes. Sort of like Hanson, but with better haircuts.

Of course, the people who really mastermind the success of the missed abortions are the producers and song writers who actually make the tracks. Of course, some people say that these are acts who write their own music. To those people, I would make the point that the Spice Girls got a writing credit on their first release, Wannabe (which I, foolishly, thought was the name of a Japanese actor), for coming up with the word 'Zigga-Ziggah'. Anyway, in the world of pop, it's all about the arrangement, not the tune (as anyone who lost out on the arrangements for House of the Rising Sun or Scarborough Fayre can attest).

Esssentially, by all means enjoy whatever music you like. Just make sure taht it's not shit.  

Now that is nice.

Seriously, I really appreciate that, and they look much nicer without those big lumps of scanner in the way. More what i had in mind when I decided to post them.

Cheers, thanks a lot for that one Ming. You're nothing like I expected from your fiercesome reputation. I might even consider spending my next holiday on Mongo...

It's better to call the police, and impress upon them the urgency of the situation, rather than wading in yourself without knowing the situation.

I saw something similar once, when I lived in Canterbury. I was walking along with a mate when this tough looking middle aged guy starts walloping this young, twenty something kid, whilst what appeared to be his daugther and wife looked on, both shouting at him to stop. The lad, however, did nothing to defend himself, and just stod there and took it, even when the guy puposely smashed his phone on the ground, and he had blood pouring down his face. We just left it then, assuming it to be some kind of internecine family feud, but still feel bad about not intervening.

On the other hand, a mate of mine was leaving a club last year when he was attacked by a load of wankers, simply because he was leaving a gay club. Someone else, who he vaguely knew (he was over for a couple of weeks from Brazil), and who incidentally happened to be straight, tried to step in and stop them, and ended up getting stabbed numerous times, and had to spend the rest of his holiday recovering in hospital.

I think, in the circumstances, you did exactly what you should have done, and what was best for all concerned.

Yup, they are pretty big, although one is rather small. i think it must have been something to do with the way I saved 'em when I scanned them in, or something (to be honest, I'm just making wild stabs in the dark here).

i quite like having big pictures - it's much better for people to see things in detail. However, I do think these are a tad too big - it'd be much better if they were life size.

Well, as I now know how to host images and how to post them into a message, I thought I might as well post some of my sketches that I've collected and had hanging around for ages. Unfortunately, some didn't copy that well in the scanner, so I might need to get them re-scanned. So there's only three at the moment, but if any wants to use them for anything, please feel free. Likewise, if anyone else fancies posting some of their sketches in this thread, I for one would be interested in seeing them.

First up is a lovely rendition of the elephant Karmic Lord Ganesh driving a mini in an unsafe way by Black Siddha artist Simon Davis:
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/ganeshinamini.bmp>


Oh my poor heartses! it's a thoughtful gronk, by the hard working mr Calos Ezquerrases:
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/gronk.bmp>


Finally, a rather beautiful picture of a youthful Adolf Hitler (the words 'Beautiful' and 'Hitler' do not usually) sit together happily:
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/younghitler.bmp>

Cheers for the kind words of encouragement guys. To be honest, I've not ever really considered myself to have any kind of artistic ability whatsoever. I hadn't even picked up a pencil to draw since I left school until the beginning of this year. To be honest, after embarassing myself at school I was terrified of putting pencil to paper again.

However, I think I should point out that I was attemting to copy other peoples pictures, which does help a lot. I was quite plesed with the speed - the pencils only took about twenty to fourty minutes for each, although the inking took an hour or two (with spliff breaks).

As regards the oval thing: that's exactly what I used to try to do, and I tried to record exactly what I saw in front of me. I have now realised that this is practically impossible, and if you manage it, it looks like something a crazed monkey would draw. Much better to carricature and just represent the most prominant features in your own style. And don't worry about keeping things in the oval - after all, things don't in real life do they? My face juts and protrudes all over the plcae like Piccaso's worst nightmare.

As for drawing sequentially:
No, I haven't, but that's never stopped me before...

Oh, well that was the bloody dodgy work scanner that I had to travel all the way there to use (as I'm off work today). Sorry about the size (s' not that big in real life). I would have made them smaller had i realised.

Ahhh, I've gone and bollixed it all up again, haven't I? Shit! Oh well, apologies again, but I am new to this sort of thing.

ADmnitt, and really wanted some responses as well. I think I'm a bit tired and emotional now.

Huzzah!

Okay, so the following is the version based on the Leandro Fernandez cover to Queen & Country Operation Crystal Ball tpb:

Pencil
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/EB_04c_001.jpg>

Ink
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/EB_04d.jpg>

Original (for comparison)
http://www.sourcecandg.com/images/queen%20and%20coutnry%20tpb.jpg>

The followin was based on an Eduardo Risso character (unfortuantely i can't remember what reference i used for this, so I don't have anything to show it in comparison to):

Pencil
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/EB_04.jpg>

Ink
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/EB_04a.jpg>

Okay, I'll be pissed if this doesn't work:

Pencil
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/EB_04e_001.jpg>

Ink
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/EB_04f.jpg>

Oh arse.

Something's gone wrong.

Let me have a look...

After feeling rather chipper on a previous thread, I'm now feeling rather ojaah cum spiff, as i've figured out how to post my crappy scribblings online. So here goes, and let me know what youthink, good or bad...

First up is a picture of Paul Crocker, the characrter from Queen & Country, and was based on several sources:

Pencil rough
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/th_EB_04e_001.jpg>

Inked
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/th_EB_04f.jpg>

The one based on Leandro Fernandez' cover to Operation Crystal Ball tpb:

Pencil
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/th_EB_04c_001.jpg>

Ink
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v328/BVirgo01/th_EB_04d.jpg>

Original for comparison
http://www.dynamicforces.com/images/qandc3tpb.jpg>

I got some old copies of the Eagle (v 2.0) the other week, and some of them still had their free Woolworths Pick n' Mix bags still attached. I was considering taking them in, until my brother pointed out that they expired in 1989.

If only I could find a copy that contained a free Double Dipper: those were the best!

Bonjo from Beyon the Stars versus Doomlord!

(you know this has a decent spin-off potential...)