Ernest Hogan's Blog, page 7

CHICANONAUTICA FACES SUDDEN CHANGES, GONZO STYLE

When the going suddenly changesChicanonautica gets gonzo, over at La Bloga.

The changes keep coming:

More than we can handle:

Some folks think they have afinal solution:

You just gotta laugh:

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A SINISTER URGE

 

It’s hot. And surreal. And transmogrifying into grotesque.

 

Basically, I’m an artist—a cartoonist, if you want to get persnickety—passing for a writer. I start with images, then arrange the (“compose” of you pardon the pretension) them into stories. Nobody has ever noticed this, but it may be why some folks think I’m doing it all wrong.

I never could land a lucrative art/cartooning gig. It's amazing how people want you to knock yourself out making stuff for them, then weasel their way out of paying for it. Especially if your stuff ain’t pretty.

Still get the sinister urge to draw.

It’s coming a lot in this summer of grotesque spectacle. Some folks get horrified, I get inspired.

So, I’m making an effort to stop neglecting my sketchbook and cultivate my long-lost habit of compulsive, spontaneous cartooning. What the hell, I can always post it here and on the social media.

Could be fun. Heh-heh.

Are we grotesque enough yet?

 

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CHICANONAUTICA CELEBRATES AN APOCALYPTIC INDEPENDENCE DAZE

. . . on Chicanonautica, at La Bloga.

The U.S. of A is another yearolder:

We avoided traditionalrituals:

Do we need cosmic impacts to changeour society?

And the evolution goes on:

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BACK TO ARTSY-FARTSY COWBOY LAND

Emily and I went out on an overnight jaunt to get away from thesoaring temperatures in Phoenix and the all-night setting off of explosivesthat have become an Independence Day ritual in our neighborhood. Why notArtsy-Fartsy Cowboy Land, Sedona, the New Age Mecca? It was cooler than theValley of the Sun. We could go to some of our favorite restaurants, and pokearound the streets that seem more like a theme park every year. 

There were flags, but they seemed subtle in this town wheresurrealist Max Ernst once lived and the ghost of P.T. Barnum would feel athome.

The big night was quiet. Not a sparkler or firecracker.

What do arty-farty cowboys do on the 4th?

We passed a place called the Vortex— not the Vortex, but aplace that sold “activated” tonics, juices, smoothies, and coffees. I wonderedhow they activated them. I imagined a device out of Dr. Frankenstein’s lab.According to their website, “Adaptogenic herbsand superplants” are activated with a “Proprietary Hand crafted ultra highvibrational substance” that has “Rose Vibes, Shilajit, Love, Magic, and someother powerful ingredients.”

Like the Firesign Theater said, “there’s a seeker born every minute.”

After breakfast at the fabulous Coffee Pot, we cruised Oak CreekCanyon, checked out the Midgley Bridge stickers and graffiti (an interesting21st century tradition), and stopped for iced tea at Indian Gardens. NothingAdaptogenic, but great for the blood pressure.

Then we headed for Cottonwood. Em’s phone rang. We had left a bagof clothes at the hotel.

We groaned, but decided not to let it get to us, turned aroundwith smiles on our faces. Turns out it wasn’t our bag—it contained swimsuits wehad never seen before. The universe may have had a reason for us to go back.Maybe it was just a reminder not to take shit so seriously.

Finally, made it to Cottonwood, a genuine, hippie-dippy, artsy-fartsycowboy town complete with an Iron Horse Hotel, a Hippie Emporium, antiquestores, and much, much more. There was a meditation center next to a Mexicanrestaurant, but if you’ve got good Mexican food, meditation isredundant.

And there were murals!

It was a lovely drive back. Only a little bit of anend-of-the-holiday-weekend traffic jam.

We’ll return to Artsy-Fartsy Cowboy Land in the future, beingseekers of a sort.

In Chicanonautica, over at La Bloga, I’ll do something about thedarker, political implications of what we saw . . .

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CHICANONATICA SPIES ON THE WILD, WILD BORDER

Chicanonautica, at La Bloga,is about trouble at the border.

As fantasized in an old TVshow:

The proto-steampunk, Wild,Wild West:

James Bond in the Old West:

With “Hispanic” villains:

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AMERICAN DREAMING ON THE EDGE OF THE ABYSS

Happy Fourth, folks! When you read this, I’ll be on a romp acrossthe wilds of Arizona with Emily. A great way to celebrate the signing of theDeclaration of Independence. I’ll be taking photos and notes for a travelogue.Stay tuned.

But it’s kind of bittersweet now, with an especially bizarro electionlooming. What’s with all these people calling themselves patriots but wantingto trash the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights? Do theyknow what the words they’re throwing around mean? Do they understand English?

And it’s not just here. All over the planet, people are warming upto the dictators.

Raging ignorance. Cult thinking. Argh.

And the world is in the hands of people who can’t make up theirminds. At this point the election is about winning them over. Working with people who don't agree with you. Y'know, democracy.

I understand. There never seems to be a candidate that is in linewith my view, but I’m a wild and crazy vato with far-out ideas. I learned longago that me and politicians aren’t going to get along.

I’ve long considered voting to be like a pinball game. You whackaway, hoping the ball will go where you want. Sure, often it doesn’t, butif you don’t whack, the assholes win and you didn’t do anything.

I’ve already made up my mind to vote for Biden, or whoever  may be running against Trump, who does more tomake me want to vote against him every day.

Yeah, I know about the wars, and Biden is starting to look likethe new LBJ, but Trump–who ain’t no peace freak and hates protesters–is worse than Nixon ever was,and is promising a full-blown dystopian nightmare if he wins.

Did I mention that Democracy is teetering on the edge of theabyss?

I know about protest votes–I’ve done them. They don’t do any good.I’ve always regretted it afterward.

Don’t worship politicians–I honestly don’t believe you shouldworship anything–they are pawns in this important game. Vote for them, but youdon’t have to follow them. More important, vote against them, don’t invite thebatshit crazy vampires into your front door, much less into the White House (again). Sacrifices must be made, as the Aztecs knew well . . .

And the day after the election, feel free to protest your ass off.One shitstorm at a time. Think strategically.

It’s awkward, and difficult, but far better than letting themonsters run the world.

Meanwhile, try to have some fun. I’ll be back with some weird,silly stuff soon. I promise.

 What's that? Immunity . . .

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CHICANONAUTICA HANGS WITH ALIENÍGENAS AMERICANOS

Don’t know how legal they are,but they’re out of this world, from a book reviewed in Chicanonautica, at La Bloga.

We’re talkng UFOs:

Over South America:

And Mexico:

Plus chupacabras, and more:

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THE GONZO SCIFIISTA TEACHES AGAIN!

Are you a writer in theLatinoid Continuum with a dangerous imagination who missed my “Gonzo ScienceFiction, Chicano Style” class at the Palabras del Pueblo Writing Workshopin the Spring, or even if you know such a person, good news–I’m doing it again in the Fall!

It’ll be the first twoweekends of October: October 5, 6 and October 12, 13 at 9am to 1pm Pacific. And it's on Zoom.

 

I’m sticking with thegonzo title because I figured I could keep plugging Guerrilla Mural of a Siren’s Song: 15 Gonzo Science Fiction Stories, and I can keep it freeform,centering it on what the students want.

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I could even talk aboutcreative nonfiction with mentions of my piece in Our Creative Realidades,and Chicanofuturism, as in the upcoming Chicanofuturism: El Porvenir,¡Ya!  II that will feature a new story about Paco Cohen, Mariachi ofMars. Yeah, it’ll get weird.

Just another way to helpencourage fantastic fiction from brains infected by the Lationoid virus, to makeculture on this planet spicier!

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CHICANONAUTICA CHERCHEZES THE WHITHER GOEST THOU AMERICA WEIRDENESS

 

What’s Chicanonauticacherchezing over at La Bloga?

The election in Arizona:

Remember Trent Franks?

 

Who the hell is Abe Hamadeh?

And meanwhile, across theborder . . .

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INSTAGRAMED AND WIKIPEDIAED

A publisher once dismissed myaudience as a “noisy minority.” Since then I’ve been advising all minorities tomake more noise. I make a lot of noise myself.

The recent post here featuring JanKarlo’s post about Guerrilla Mural of a Siren’s Song: 15 Gonzo Science Fiction Stories on Instagram shows how this can make things happen. Karlo has since postedanother one about High Aztech, with another great quote:

Another great trippy sci-firead that takes you to different cities and planets, painting a psychedelicworld similar to blade runner. The virus that acts as the real main characteris a great vessel for the theme and message of the novel.

When I put it on Facebook, itgot more quotable reactions:

And it's true. You created an entireGenre! And will be remembered. Now if they could just heap that pile O cash atyour feet now, that would be great! - Selina Phanara

And:

This novel is so f*&^%g good I oncelet two stoned guys at a Con talk themselves into believing that *I* hadwritten it under my pseudonym of Ernest Hogan.” - Don Webb

I will be exploiting them allsoon . . .

And that’s not all, I’ve alsobeen written into a Wikipedia article, Speculative Fiction by Writers of Color,in the section on U.S Latino Authors Contributions of Speculative Fiction:

.. . Ernest Hogan comments on how being Chicano helped his speculative writingbecause being a Chicano is a science fiction state of being, since Chicanosexist between two cultures. Hogan integrated his Chicano culture into his workto reflect how different worlds can collide into stories while highlighting thestruggle of trying to feel connected to a specific culture.

 Andin the Chicano Futurism Theme/Authors section:

Chicanofuturism is an emerging and vibrant community within U.S. literature and media.Latino speculative fiction, in particular, has witnessed a remarkable surge inpopularity and creativity. An illustrative example of this phenomenon is foundin "Smoking Mirror Blues" by Ernest Hogan. This work not onlycaptivates readers with its imaginative narrative but also delves deeply intothe complexities of Western rationalism, which is deeply entrenched in thepatriarchal history of modernity and colonialism.

Again,very exploitable, and fitting into my diabolical plans with my being in theforthcoming Chicanofuturism Now anthology . . .

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