Actual Bird Song

The newest publication from Lemon o Books is the first to be totally unrelated to the ongoing Famous Hairdos of Popular Music project. I am incredibly proud of this one.

A "field guide and audio companion," Actual Bird Song is a short visual zine and a two track, 30 minute compact disc. I designed and produced the book, while Milwaukee musicians Lucky Bone and Slow Owls each contributed a track. These three parts were created in isolation but, I think, complement each other in interesting ways. Together they comprise an open-ended meditation on bird song and humanity’s relationship to the natural world. They are waiting for readers and listeners to join the conversation.

Below are some more images, a brief explanation, and information for obtaining a copy through the mail.








Writing here as the book designer, I can only explain my own motivations for the visual component of the project. Despite the title’s implication of scientific rigor and accuracy, Actual Bird Song is an exercise in pseudo-science-- book design and illustration as a vehicle for abstractly considering our relationship to nature as outside observers, our frequent inability to contain and grasp the wildness from which we have secluded ourselves and for which many simultaneously yearn. I tried to avoid using birds as a ready metaphor for human desires and ended up doing just that anyway. Taking the idea of a “field guide” literally, Actual Bird Song is an attempt to visually depict the sensation of standing in a field surrounded by the sounds of avian activity using the language of textbook illustration.

The books and CDs were produced in an edition of 100. The covers and endpapers are beautiful French Paper products, milled in the Midwest with hydroelectric power. The fore-edge corners are rounded to resemble the pocket field guides on my nightstand that never seem to make the trip to actual fields. The printing was done at Milwaukee’s own Clark Graphics, where their professionalism is matched only by their patience. Thanks to them and to Lucky Bone and Slow Owls for making this project real.
Anyone who wants a copy should mail $5.00 well-concealed cash to:

P.O. Box 11872
Milwaukee, WI 53211

Shipping costs are included in the price for anyone living in the contiguous United States. International friends should email for more information. Update: This title is sold out.

Three New Drawings or Back to Life, Back to Reality

Welcome back, everybody! Above is one of three new drawings submitted over the weekend to The Famous Hairdos of Popular Music project by a fine fellow named Zach. You can scroll down to see the other two (please do...I like them a lot). If you then scroll a little further down, you can ascertain by the date of the last post that almost two months have elapsed between those drawings and these. In that time the humid days of August have given way to a fleeting Indian Summer, and winter is surely on its way. Sorry, folks. But don't worry because there is exciting news on the horizon here at The Famous Hairdos HQ and Lemon o Books!

Before the end of October, this space will have news of a brand new zine for you to cherish. This publication will have nothing to do with hair, but it will be beautiful. I am very excited to share it with the world. The grand public unveiling will occur at the Madison Zine Fest on October 22nd, 2011. If you happen to be in Wisconsin's fair capitol that day, I highly recommend you attend this event. And then, on December 10th, before the full force of winter strikes the Midwest like a linebacker at the Ice Bowl, I'll be making an appearance at the Milwaukee Zine Fest with boxes of zines for sale and trade.

Check back here for more information about all these doings. I promise it won't be as quiet as it has been. Thanks for looking, and thanks again, Zach, for these great drawings! Best wishes, all.

Check out these new drawings. They're done by a friend named Joe who has had drawings featured here before. Thanks, Joe!

Drawings from Utah

Here are just a couple drawings from a stack of images that were waiting in an envelope in the Famous Hairdos P.O. Box this morning.

The drawings came here to Milwaukee from a state prison in Utah, and, as you can see, the url for the artist's blog is written around each picture. Please check it out at brandongreensblog.blogspot.com. Thank you so much for the drawings, Brandon.