(l-r) @seanward Me, @NaughtyByNature Vin-Rock, @pixeladdikt Greg
Greg, with Mobicartel, made Naughty By Nature's Android app. Now they're working on... well let's wait a bit before we reveal that.
Vinnie gave Greg the heads-up that he was in Toronto and told him to bring whoever could
UPDATE: Winners have been drawn!
JW
Amy Wong
Phillipe Escayola
Pratik Parmar
Elizabeth Liu
Remember when I told you I went to see The Adventures of Tintin last week?
Well let me tell you, it's better than I was even ready for (full review coming this week!). And after the ov
It's almost time for your favorite annual Toronto hometown Christmas tradition to return to the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern. Electric Christmas Freak-Out 3: A Very Harth Christmas!
This year Electric Christmas Freak-Out is supporting Free the Children. They do amazing work with kids in the 3
It's time to vote for your favorite villains! Teletoon Retro is having a big contest where you vote for your Top 5 villains and you can win a Super Villain Prize Pack that includes round-trip airfare for four to New York City, three nights' hotel accommodation and $500 in spending money plus loads
Greg, with Mobicartel, made Naughty By Nature‘s Android app. Now they’re working on… well let’s wait a bit before we reveal that.
Vinnie gave Greg the heads-up that he was in Toronto and told him to bring whoever could make it from the bnotions & Harth TV family to meet him at the hotel bar. Greg and I were the ones who could make it out, so Vinnie brought us along to a private charity gig that Naughty By Nature was headlining at the Royal Ontario Museum. Also on the bill: Sugarhill Gang, Rob Base, and Young MC. It was amazing. The whole roster of artists met in the lobby and went to the Museum together. We walked down Philosopher’s Walk to a back door at the ROM. We were led down a few halls and then took an enormous freight elevator to the backstage area where Vinnie and Kaygee encouraged Greg and I to enjoy the feast of treats and drinks that were waiting for them.
They rocked the show, and then Vinnie and Greg and I went back to the hotel to get into a long session of talking about the Internet, Naughty by Nature, and Harth TV, and then started cooking up schemes to collaborate on.
Naughty by Nature were my heroes in high school. I had a full-page magazine ad for 19 Naughty III cut out and posted in my locker. I had all of their tapes and even tried to shop for clothes at the mall based on what Treach had worn to a MuchMusic Rap City interview.
To be part of their entourage for an evening was a thrill. I know how to play the game so I was cool on the outside but inside I was geeking the fuck out. It was also a big moment of pride for me to look at it as a symbol of the trajectory my life and career have taken.
You can imagine my chagrin at my phone dying early in the evening. These performance pictures were all I got.
But you needn’t worry, dear reader, my commitment is to you. That’s why we’ve got a couple of epic collaborations on the horizon. Stay tuned…
Check out the trailer for the new movie ROUGHRIDER! This is awesome!
Remember my friend Rand Shuler, AKA Rando Calrissian (to my Sean Solo)? This is my friend who got married in October and brought me down to MC and perform at the wedding in Austin, Texas. I got to party with pretty much everyone he worked on this movie with, including the film’s star/writer/producer/director Will Martin.
We got spoiled this year in Toronto. It was so nice out that it felt like the whole city took advantage and came out to play.
What was New Year’s Eve like in your part of the world?
My New Year’s Eve was nothing short of magical. Maybe I was caught up in the moment but taking in the night in the wee hours, it felt like the streets were electric.
Let’s see if I managed to capture a snapshot of the vibe…
I posted a few of these photos earlier to my Tumblr and my Twitter – follow me there for instant gratification.
Remember when I told you I went to see The Adventures of Tintin last week?
Well let me tell you, it’s better than I was even ready for (full review coming this week!). And after the overwhelming show of enthusiasm for that screening, I am thrilled to be able to announce that my friends at Paramount Pictures Canada have booked another advance screening and…
You could win one of 5 double passes to see The Adventures of Tintin on December 17!
***Please note that this is an extra-special 10AM screening on Saturday December 17, strictly for the hardcore people who really want to see it early.
I’ve got 5 double passes to this exclusive advance screening of The Adventures of Tintin taking place at 10AM on Saturday, December 17 at SilverCity Yonge & Eglinton in Toronto. If you want to go, just leave a comment below telling me which was your favorite Tintin book and why. All eligible entries will go into a draw and winners will be announced early on Friday, December 16.
Thanks so much for your continued support, and see you at the movies!
Christmas Flows, performed at the inaugural Electric Christmas Freak-Out
Want to know a little secret?
I’m actually really nervous about playing at Electric Christmas Freak-Out 3 next week. I don’t really get nervous about being in front of people, but right now I feel like I did the first time I ever played live.
At that time, back in 2004 or 2005, I had a bunch of songs that I had recorded in my bedroom and only let a few people hear. Outside of a small group of friends, no one had heard these songs before and this was going to be the moment of truth when I find out if I’m on to something or if I was dreaming all along that these songs were good.
Now it’s been a couple of years since I’ve done a performance like this and I’ve got some new songs I’ve been working on. Before, I just wanted to make hot party music. I was hiding the DHM (Deep Hidden Meaning) all throughout it, but this time I’m getting way more personal. I’m coming way more overt with certain things I’m not quite so open about on the Internet, and then I follow that up with lyrics where I bare my soul about certain true-life experiences. In a couple of cases, the people involved know that those experiences are in the songs.
I was feeling really nervous about the show next week until I remembered what this felt like. Then I remembered how I killed it then, so I’m pretty pumped to kill it now.
Back then, I developed a strategy on the spot to get the audience on my side. I had a bunch of buttons on me for a comic book I had just released so I went around before my set to all the groups of friends in the audience, buttered them up with buttons, and then got talking to them and ‘let it slip’ how nervous I was about performing. I asked them to please help me out and go to the front of the stage and cheer real loud so I don’t have to feel like I’m all by myself up there. It worked like magic and it was a great show for me and for them.
Now it’s years later and people read my blog and watch my videos and I know more people than I did then. But it’s still important, if not more important than ever, to maintain that kind of personal touch with people.
I remember the Tintin books from my elementary school days. The teachers tried to pretend like different standards applied and the Tintin books didn’t belong in the same pile of reading material as Batman, Spider-Man, or any of my other favorite characters. But I knew better. These were comic books, same as the rest of them. They were just much more artfully crafted and elegantly presented.
I loved these books when I was a kid, and I hated the cartoon show because it was a quickly produced throwaway thing. It did not convey the elegance and grandeur of the source material.
I was fortunate enough to see a 10-minute preview of the new movie The Adventures of Tintin during TIFF this past season and this movie looks like the most ground-breaking animation since people started knowing who the eff Pixar is. It totally looks like it’s going to take the newly-developing art of comics-to-screen adaptations to a whole new level. And if this is successful, we’re one step closer to a Pixar Spider-Man movie.
I’m dying to see this movie and thanks to my very good friends at Paramount Pictures, I’m going to see it almost a month early…
…and I want to take you with me to see Toronto’s first look at the new Tintin movie tomorrow night (November 30) at AMC Dundas Square.
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To enter, just leave a comment below telling me which was your favorite Tintin book and why.
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I’ll draw five winners late tonight who will each receive a double pass to the advance screening of The Adventures of Tintin, Nov. 30 at AMC Dundas Square.
It’s almost time for your favorite annual Toronto hometown Christmas tradition to return to the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern. Electric Christmas Freak-Out 3: A Very Harth Christmas!
This year Electric Christmas Freak-Out is supporting Free the Children. They do amazing work with kids in the 3rd world as well as at home, and it’s important to think about them at Christmas time. Click here to check out Free the Children’s amazing work.
Electric Christmas Freak-Out this year is starring:
Have you seen what the guys at Biz Media are up to?
You’ve seen me collaborate with these guys on a variety of projects but their new series of videos has Andrew from Biz Media making custom videos for people who donate to his Movember campaign.
These are hilarious. Check out his progress:
Week 1, kicking off the whole thing
His video for the ladies of Pixel Dreams (the firm who designed the HarthFEST poster)
In Kensington Market with Adam Garone, CEO & Co-Founder of Movember
It’s time to vote for your favorite villains! Teletoon Retro is having a big contest where you vote for your Top 5 villains and you can win a Super Villain Prize Pack that includes round-trip airfare for four to New York City, three nights’ hotel accommodation and $500 in spending money plus loads of super villain swag.
Since I’m a comic book creator, and a guy who generally lives with his head in the clouds twenty-four-seven, I felt compelled to campaign for my favorites. Vote for these awesome bad-asses!
#5: The Riddler
The Joker gets more time in the limelight, but at least Batman knows what to expect: the Joker is going to launch a massive prank and Batman’s going to have to stop it. But the Riddler is all about messing with Batman’s mind. I’m really disappointed that Christopher Nolan is not using The Riddler in his movie series because The Joker pushed Batman to the limits of his ethics and worldview but The Riddler would have made him question his mind and his grip on reality. It takes a great writer to write a good Riddler story. For a little skinny guy, he’s bad-ass all the way.
#4: Destro
It’s enough that he’s an entrepreneur with a strict code of ethics, kind of a cartoon Tony Montana. But get a look at the guy! Between those clothes, that metal head, and the hottest babe in the HQ – the Baroness – as his little missus, Destro is the baddest man in the entire G.I. Joe universe. In real life Destro might have done just as well as a rapper or a pimp where his metal head would alert you that he’s bad in the hip hop sense. But in cartoon world, it lets you know that he’s not to be trifled with and I’d kind of rather have to tussle with Cobra Commander himself than with Destro.
#3: The Misfits
The Misfits had swag before there was even such a thing as swag. I can’t speak for 1986 when the Jem show was originally on TV but if The Misfits came out today with the exact same look and act, they would be your new favorite group. You would go to their show and fall in love with them because they’re such bad bitches on stage. You wold try to chat them up after the show and get made a fool of. And then they’d be on their way to hatch their next plot to knock the Holograms off the scene. They added some much-needed bad-assery and flair to the proceedings on Jem, and they’re still the most interesting and memorable part of that show. I even took The Misfits as my inspiration in this comic strip.
#2: Darth Vader
I battled over whether or not I was going to include this man just because he’s such an obvious choice. But if you look at Star Wars as just three really great movies like I do, Darth Vader is the baddest man to ever fly around the galaxy. His is one of the greatest cautionary tales ever. He teaches us the dangers of power and obsession, but also that no matter how far we’ve gone there is always hope of redemption.
#1: Doctor Doom
I have always thought Doctor Doom was the greatest bad guy ever. He’s crazier than Kim Jong-Il or Gaddafi. He’s got the Lex Luthor thing where he’s driven to show up his foe. He’s got the Andy Warhol thing where he sends in doubles himself whenever possible. He’s got the supervillain thing because his armor gives him great power. And he’s got the sympathetic and relatable origin story. Something about that mask has always captivated me, and as I grew up and got to know the character I realized he’s just the most interesting and he’s got the total package. We still have yet to see Doctor Doom portrayed on screen in any truly iconic way, and still he’s regularly at the top of most ‘greatest villain’ polls. How about a Doctor Doom movie, kind of like Scarface on a much more epic scale?
