Pitchfork

All those tongue twisters weren't for nothing. Aesop Rock has just been warming up for his magnum opus: a "children's" book. The Def Jux MC has collaborated with visual artist Jeremy Fish on The Next Best Thing, "a short story about the creative process," according to a press release. This "children's book that's not for kids" is 24 pages long and comes with a 7" picture disc that features a song with lyrics corresponding to the book's images.

According to an email from Aesop Rock, "The song is a rap song that incorporates a 'chimes' sound into the beat. At the top of the song, the reader is asked to turn the pages with each chime. The song is a full rap song in which I describe the steps, in chronological order, to this writer's block cure." 

Further explaining the relationship between the book and the song, Aesop said, "I tend to grab a lot of imagery from different places in my writing, so Jeremy incorporated many of the scenarios I was using to describe this ‘writer's block cure'... The book has a main character who goes through the steps I describe in the song."

The MC also had this to say about the motivation for the project: "After talking for a while, me and Jeremy came up with this way to manage 'writer's block' or 'creative block' that we both had used and felt that other artists probably employed and could identify with. The unfortunate ending to these types of writer's block cures is that they never REALLY totally work, which we also incorporate into the song... It kind of plays on people who will sell a miracle cure for anything, only at the end of our pitch we are saying 'Hey, this probably won't actually work; you're screwed.'"

Fish's July 6 solo exhibition at San Francisco's Fifty24SF Gallery, presented by Upper Playground (who are putting out the book) and also titled "The Next Best Thing", will mark the official release of the project. Following the exhibition, there will be a benefit concert after-party at the Independent with a performance by Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic with DJ Big Wiz in addition to sets by Murs and Blockhead. Proceeds from after-party ticket sales go to Dave Eggers' 826 Valencia tutoring organization.

The after-party will also feature a screening of Fish's short film Fish Tales, which features an Aesop Rock song as its soundtrack. According to Aesop, Fish Tales "is being released by Element Skateboards on DVD as a limited edition that will accompany an artist-series skateboard that Jeremy did with them. [It's] a short film about a fisherman, old, drunk, big beard, etc., who goes out fishing every day in search of the fabled big fish. Hilarity ensues. I believe the DVDs will be ready [the] first week of July, same as our whole project. Since the song would have only been available on that DVD, we decided to put it on the B-side of this 7" so that some more people could get it."

Books, art projects, films, skateboards...what's next for these guys? iPod cozies?

As for where you can pick up a copy of the limited-edition The Next Best Thing, it will be on sale at the art exhibition and after-party as well as online at Upper Playground's website, for those of us who don't live in the Bay Area. The book will also be available from select stores and online vendors.

Don't forget: Aesop Rock is performing at the Pitchfork Music Festival. If you go, maybe you can get him to help you cure your writer's block.