Customer Reviews

An Alphabetical Ballad of Carnality: A BLAB! Storybook

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

David Sandlin is a true East Village artist and has remained true to his neo-punkish-folk-art vision, surfing through waves of commercial trendiness. There is no one who sees the world and language quite like Sandlin. This is a beautiful and thought-provoking book, somewhere in the land between cartooning and social satire with both feet firmly planted in a neon-colored hell on earth.

I keep my copy on the coffee table. It's sparked some very interesting conversations with my adult godchild, my mother-in-law and my republican neighbor. Over the top pictures coupled with iconic themes and provocative allegory get the conversations hopping in a hurry. Highly recommended for those that grew up in the Bible belt but somehow departed the text. Live a little. Discover a great American artist for less than $15 bucks.

Sandlin's vision is unique and this book is a visual treat. The illustrations are outrageous, fun, creepy, depraved, nasty, and disorienting. Sexuality is depicted as an obsession driven urge fueled by drugs and especially alcohol. When Sandlin depicts the human nude body, it is usually images of middle aged drunks falling all over each other in hotel rooms swimming in alcohol. The text floats on the images, sometimes rhyming or sounding like the lyrics of a country song. There is a central theme or story but it is loosely woven. It appears to be about a middle aged drunk who gets involved in all forms of depravity and adultery and alcoholism who finally through the fear of hell fire finds salvation in the Lord and becomes a preacher man. It is Sandlin's strength that he is able to mix images of sordid stripper-town popular culture with melodramatic Southern decadence and creepy ghost-like aliens that look like sperm. His compositions are crowded with devils and ghosts haunting the living as they engage in all forms of sexual adventures. Despite the contemporary pop culture aspects of his images, hints of Bosch come through. Sandlin's sense of humor is most evident in the wonderful monsters that haunt his hell on earth. I think the book is much fun and the more you look at his images the more witty fun it becomes.

A book that mirrors a small childs writing. Graphics were not up to any particular standards.