Tomata Plenty (3 results)

[36] pp.; 24.8 x 17.2 cm.; staple bound; black-and-white; edition size unknown; unsigned and unnumbered; offset-printed; First issue of the adults only comic book "Hoo-Be-Boo." Contents include: "Mutant Rats in Space," by B. Ehringer; "If Judy," by Rich Potts and Gary Panter; "Antichrist," by Christopher Lissner; "I Peabo," by Tit & Tat; "Kill Joy," by James Cotner and Will Amato; "Percy," by Matt Groening and Gary Panter; "Uncertainty Principal," by RxCx; "heaven and Earth," by Eddii Rucha; "A Night on the Town," by Tomatâ du Plenty; "Mr. Kent," by Vincent-Michael Edwards and "Occurence at Oki Dog," by Kent Moorman. Very Good / Fine. Light rubbing of covers and mild edge wear. Contents clean and unmarked.

Rare original artwork by the artist and musician Tomata du Plenty. This piece depicts a green-haired, topless woman performing on stage with a cigar-smoking man seated in chair in foreground. Du Plenty, born David Xavier Harrigan (1948-2000), fronted the groundbreaking 1970s Los Angeles synth-punk band The Screamers. He was also a member of the counterculture theatre troupes Ze Whiz Kids in Seattle and the Cockettes in San Francisco. A multi-talented performer, actor, and artist, Du Plenty greatly influenced arts and music scenes wherever he lived, whether in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, New Orleans, or Miami. In 1982, after finding an old set of brushes and paint in an alley off Hollywood Boulevard, Du Plenty dedicated the rest of his career to painting. His work was classified as folk or outsider art; he did not mind the description, and often sold his paintings for only ten to twenty-five dollars each at local bars. He first worked with watercolors on found sheets of paper, and later moved almost exclusively to paintings on wooden boards, often wood cut outs. The subjects of his works were often pop culture heroes, artists he admired, local characters, and friends. A cult hero both during his life and after his death, his paintings still resonate as documentation of the vibrant queer punk counterculture scenes he traveled in throughout the US. Acrylic paint and rhinestones on cut-out plywood board. Approx. 23 x 15 in. Signed and dated "Tomata 1989" on verso. Near fine.

Condition: Fine. Tomata Du Plenty et al. Palm Casino. New York: Bowerie Lane Theatre, 1972. 8 1/2 x 14" poster, offset printed. We've handled two states of this poster - this is the somewhat smaller format, in what we suppose is the second state, with the cast listing and the moon redrawn to resemble the Georges Méliès moon. Poster for the previews and debut performance of this multimedia performance, organized by Tomata Du Plenty along with members of the Cockettes and other downtown performers associated with Off Off Broadway and Andy Warhol's Factory, including James Morfogen, Mario Montez, Kate Parker, Paul Ambrose, Fayette, John Flowers, Gorilla Rose, Joujouka, Sweet Pam, Carla, Jose Rafael Arango, Tish and Snooky, Kiki, Bob Diaz and His Girls, Antonio de Almeida, Joaquin [La Habana], John Heys, Emilio Maldonnado, Steve Lawrence, and Shelly Slater. The backgrounds and sets were done by Steve Lawrence and John Flowers, with lighting by Jan Kroeze and David Watts, and sound by Jacob Burckhardt. The revue continued for 2 years, and became one of the most important productions of the early punk and off broadway scenes. It was in this play that Debbie Harry discovered Tish and Snooky, and asked them to join Blondie, and the production eventually moved to CBGB's, spawning the infamous Savage Voodoo Nuns with Arturo Vega and Dee Dee Ramone. The moon depicted here quite clearly drawn to reference Georges Méliès and his early film A Trip to the Moon, replacing the more generic moon found on the larger format poster that lacks the cast list. An interesting connection to queer theatre of the era and the earliest history of cinema. Fine. [32625].