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independent

Revel in the Joia

by Ben Van on October 14, 2011

When I stop by The Strip Club Meat and Fish, Dan is usually behind the bar with a greeting and quick quip. The first time I met him he suggested that I try a drink containing Baileys and bacon whiskey. I was skeptical. I was wrong. Delicious. He’s a master of the mix – he even won best bartender of the Twin Cities a few years back.

As I enjoy my drink, he always asks about our movies and makes a few viewing suggestions of his own. Needless to say, we consider him a loyal Vaniard whether he likes it or not.

A few weeks back he threw a pack of four bottles in front of me – Joia natural soda. He tells me he created the recipes in his kitchen. Dan then combined his wicked recipes with the ingenuity of his partners Bob, Steven, and Carleton. Now Joia has arrived and distribution is growing.

I thank him for the gift and head home. Since they don’t contain caffeine, I crack one open before I retire for the evening – Black berry. Kick ass. I’m not a soda expert but I know what I like. Kick…ass.

The next day I drank all three of the other sodas. I’m not a fan of grapefruit but the Joia grapefruit soda rocks it. I even liked the coconut soda and I HATE coconut. I’m not sure how this is possible but I’ve learned to enjoy the magic instead of questioning it. I’m blown away.

Dan and his partners are definitely showing some cube with their creativity and passion. Vanish loves the fact that they’re doing the work and putting it our there for the world to enjoy. So is this a plug? Absolutely. Dan and his crew have earned it by doing their thing and producing a great experience.

So where can you pick some of this up? Currently Joia can be found at Lund’s, Byerly’s, Kowalski’s, and most of the co-ops in and around the Twin Cities, along with a generous handful of restaurants, coffee shops and delis. Check out joialife.com to get the full details.

So grab a Joia soda (or 4) and taste what it’s like to show some cube.

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Priorities

by Ben Van on August 30, 2011

During the Second World War, Winston Churchill’s finance minister said Britain should cut arts funding to support the war effort.

Churchill’s response: “Then what are we fighting for?”

 

Show some cube.

 

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Summertime Blues

by Ben Van on August 3, 2011

Greetings Vaniards –

You may have noticed our lack of productivity as of late. We blame the economy! Ok, it’s not the economy. We blame the Euro! Ok, it’s not the Euro. No wait! It is the Euro! Alright, it’s not. We blame the heat! Actually, that’s part of it. Summer is a crazy time for Mike and I in our pursuit to be responsible grown-ups. However, we can’t help thinking about ideas for the radio show or new movies, even while we’re busy with grown-up stuff. So we’re hoping by fall you’ll have more Vanish nonsense thrown in your face.

So thanks for checking in from time to time. In the meantime, feel free to explore our back catalogue of movies and radio shows.

If you don’t, at least check this out:

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One Favor

by Ben Van on June 29, 2011

Please read this. All of it.

Thanks Johnny. And thank you, Vaniards.

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Make a Mistake

by Ben Van on June 8, 2011

David Lynch is a genius. I love his movies although I don’t fully understand half of them. Comprehension isn’t the point. Pushing the limits of filmmaking and the subsequent viewer reaction – that’s where it’s at. As big a fan as I am, I’ve never seen Twin Peaks. Well, now I’m diving in. I was fascinated to find out that there are several moments in the series that were actually mistakes. A misunderstood line by an actor, a faulty light, a grip in the background – and Lynch loved them so much that he kept them in. I’ve already experienced a couple of them and he was absolutely right. Life is full of mistakes, and they’re usually more interesting than the script.

In Sweet Damnation, Brody is all of a sudden holding a wine glass and a beer bottle after a cut. (Casey was just transporting the wine glass for Trista between shots). Mike and I thought it was funny so we kept it. That is still one of our favorite scenes.

So make some mistakes. And show some cubes….I mean cube.

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Nostalgia

by Ben Van on May 26, 2011

Nostalgia literally means the pain from an old wound. It’s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone. – Don Draper, Mad Men

I was 4 years old, going on 5. Life in the town of Forman, ND was big to a young kid but small to the rest of the world. On this very afternoon, my world was going to get much bigger. I was going to the movies for the first time.

Forman’s movie theatre only showed movies on Friday and Saturday. New movies didn’t swing around until months after the release. Except for this one – the biggest, baddest, rockin flick this side of the Mississippi!
And mom found it in her heart to let me go with some neighborhood kids and their babysitter.

We walked into a dingy but familiar array of cushioned seats. Teenagers were flirting and throwing popcorn at each other. Just when we thought it was safe, the lights went down. The subsequent trailers were getting in the way. My excitement rose to a fever pitch. And then the screen went black…then the heartbeat thumps of a baseline……….and the blackness turned to this:

The wound still pains me but I ache to return to it. Life is strange my friends. So is Flash Gordon.

Well, who wants to live forever?

DIIIIIVE!!!!!!!

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Here’s Looking at You, Vaniards

by Ben Van on April 26, 2011

To the crew at Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Let us know when we need to cough.

To the ladies down at Spectrum services. Be still our beating hearts!

To our Canadian allies. Come on down and enjoy sunny Minnesota when you have a chance.

To the Mothman Professor. Our intense emotions are distorting our memory.

To the crew at The Strip Club Meat and Fish. Your delicious steaks inspire us to make movies…about steaks.

To our Vanish Old Time Radio call-ins. Thanks for the booty and not-so-booty calls.

To our Italian listeners. We’ll trade you some Grainbelt Premium for some red wine.

To the Wisconsin crew at Andis Company. My hound dog needs some biscuits!

To the Minneapolis Underground Film Festival. We concur that big screens are nice.

To the radio show sponsors. Thanks for the complementary Kazoo pants and bucket bamboo shoots.

To the Dubliner. Your popcorn and Guinness are the best thing since toaster strudel.

To our viewers at Concordia University in St. Paul. Hell, at least you’re not in Moorhead.

To the legend known as “The Dane.” The preacher did it – case closed – I’m out!

To Big Baby Titan. I appreciate your wide eyes and confused looks when we FaceTime.

To Spindrift. You should offer Mike’s solo cover of “Afternoon Delight” for the Twins 7th inning stretch.

To our secret admirer at the New Jersey Department of Transportation. We thought the flowers were lovely.

To our friends at Dennis Kirk. Ride motorcycles or die tryin.

To the French Vanish Resistance. Leave us a message in French and we’ll translate to our own liking.

To the Legends. Thanks for watching yourselves at least 3 times a week.

To the Danish 10 Gallon Gang. It’s all about respect.

To the Rock Solid crew. Don’t try to talk shop when me and Mike are talking shop!

To the Denver Dre. Why don’t you get married? Helllll yeah!

To our friend Wally. Thanks for putting a smile on Lisa’s face.

To all of you reading this post. Show some cube.

And now ladies and gentleman, the human beat box…

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Surprise! You’ve Been Van Dammed

by Ben Van on March 23, 2011

Last year I heard rumblings about the movie “JCVD.” It starred Jean Claude Van Damme and he played himself, obviously in the twilight of a strange career. People said it wasn’t the usual fare and he was quite good. Yeah yeah yeah. This guy was good?

So I went on with my life but then one day I ran into it at a Redbox station. Nothing else grabbed me so I forked over a dollar for it. The movie started with a vibe I wasn’t expecting and continued throughout. However, I was completely surprised halfway through the film. The following scene is a bit surreal and it doesn’t advance the story (Jean Claude being held hostage in a Belgium post office). But it makes the whole movie.

Maybe your opinion varies from mine but I thought he delivered in spades. According to Science Daily, unexpected events are more likely to be remembered than typical events. Remember the ending to “Seven?” Most people tried to forget without success. I still think about this scene from JCVD and how much I respect the filmmakers and star.

My point? The element of surprise is very sticky. No matter if your audience loves it or hates it.

So surprise us. Show some cube.

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Vanish Old Time Radio #29

by Ben Van on February 20, 2011

Gut checks, first time callers, Valhalla Rising, the Sheiks, and Middle Class Rut

Standard Podcast [ 47:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Seth Does It Again

by Ben Van on February 18, 2011

Another killer post from Seth Godin -

Art is what we call…

the thing an artist does.

It’s not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human.

Art is not in the eye of the beholder. It’s in the soul of the artist.

Show some cube.

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Warts and All

by Ben Van on February 16, 2011

My friend Lisa and her daughter were recently listening to the Vanish Old Time Radio show. Her daughter turned to her.

“Do you love your friends?”

“Yes I do,” Lisa responded.

“Good. Because they are really weird.”

Sounds about right. We laugh as we criticize ourselves. I can’t finish a sentence to save my life. Mike thinks his laugh sounds too high-pitched.  We constantly interrupt each other. We can’t keep a consistent microphone volume level because we move when we talk. We have a ton of inside jokes. And on it goes…

But the number of listeners are growing. And we’ve never felt more comfortable about the show and Vanish as a whole. It’s who we are, warts and all.

Welcome to our weird little world.  Show some cube.

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Vanish Old Time Radio #28

by Ben Van on February 8, 2011

Oscars, 7 action up, Grinderman, and Tallahatchie blues

Vanish Old Time Radio #28 [ 55:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Vanish Old Time Radio #27

by Ben Van on January 16, 2011

Ghost hunters, chow mein, The Town, Southern kisses and Holly Golightly.

Vanish Old Time Radio #27 [ 51:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Vanish Old Time Radio #26

by Ben Van on December 30, 2010

Film festival recap, Mars bubbles, Film School reality, Skippy Whippy, and A Silent Film

Vanish Old Time Radio #26 [ 52:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Vanish Old Time Radio #25

by Ben Van on December 3, 2010

The Return, MUFF, cheese blocks, and Louis Barbeque

Standard Podcast [ 40:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Rumbling to a Roar

by Ben Van on December 1, 2010

Hola Vaniards -

The dust hasn’t settled but our minds are made up. We couldn’t stay away from your beautiful faces. The Vanish train is rolling down the tracks again with growing momentum. The pace is slower so we can enjoy the views a bit more.

Here’s the deal. Mike and I recorded a new podcast last night. It was fun and chaotic as usual. Look for it tomorrow night. We’re going to try every other week and see how it goes. I’ll try to put up a post of my rants on a weekly basis.

As for movies, something could happen when the snow starts melting. We have no idea yet. We’ll see where the train takes us.

Thanks for hanging in there Vaniards. If you’re in the Minneapolis area on Saturday around noon, swing by the Minneapolis College of Art and Design to see “Sweet Damnation” on the big screen. It’ll be a hot time in the old town.

Now a little something for all those evil doers out there. I’m talking to you, pal!

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