skin and bones

For those who are prepared, Guttervision offers viewers the opportunity to devour the glorious, fascinating, sometimes frightening terrain of today's counter-cultural landscape, all from the sanctity of their own living rooms.

Every week, Guttervision patrols the art trenches across the United States searching for the sights and sounds of alternative art, drama, film, poetry, and humor. With a flexible format, and a firm commitment to showcasing performers' visions intact, Guttervision maintains an artistic freedom unavailable to other so-called "cutting edge" programs.

Producer Frank Czajka is a post-modern Renaissance man: ferreting out material, doing the grunt work, and synthesizing it all into stunning 28-minute segments. He knows the lion's share of the audience is eager to be challenged; is more than ready to see something other then the latest "Friends" rip-off.

Most alternative programming is far from pioneering: anything vaguely "unconventional" is powdered and preened to poodle-perfection, thus satisfying every yes-man in the company (art by consensus, anyone?), but ultimately leaving the viewer unaffected. Czajka is committed to showing groundbreaking material as is. He believes that culture is our salvation, a stage on which the audience can watch, and be affected by, independent, unconventional work. In a word, by art.

Every week, Guttervision's no-host format focuses on what is riveting, unusual, and out there now. Because the art world is fluid, so is the program. Episode 10, for example, is completely devoted to body fetishist Ron Athey, in performance. Episode 19 is more characteristic of the Guttervision format, a phantasmargorial mix of video, short film, spoken word, art and more, edited with bits of cultural flotsam and jetsam, i.e., nano-clips of recently-indicted evangelist Robert Tilton prophesying the end of the world dubbed to the sound of flatulence, or Janet Reno proclaiming, "Cartoons are evil," intercut with that week's animated short.

You may not like everything you see on Guttervision, but you are certainly not going to forget it.

Art

It's difficult to know what's going on in the often clandestine world of the visual arts. What gallery do you go to? What listing can you trust? Guttervision has an inside line on what's happening in Los Angeles and across the country, giving you access not only to the art, but to the artist, in candid interviews and performance. Some recent artists profiled include Robert Williams, Todd Schorr, body caster Morrie Cramer, videographer Dean Karr, illustrator Caesar Martinez, and erotic photographer Todd Friedman.

And sometimes, Guttervision just talks to interesting people, like Traci Lords, Timothy Leary, and Howard Hollis, giving the viewer an intimate audience with some of the figures who shape counterculture.

Music and Musician Interviews

If they don't have a record deal, you ain't gonna see them on most stations. Guttervision seeks what's happening right now in the music business in L.A.--and your town--giving local up-and-comers airplay, and conducting interviews with the band members.

Each week, Guttervision breaks new bands like Drance and Crash Worship, usually before MTV's even heard of them.

Short Film

Because Guttervision embraces the alternative, it's become a popular outlet for short films of every kind. Committed to premiering new work, as well as plumbing the filmic depths for hidden gems, Guttervision showcases a short film almost every week. Recent films include Hugli "On Breasts and Politics," a short by Jeff Valencia that compares breast-size of the political parties while occupying the White House (Republicans beat Democrats when it comes to cup-size), and N.Y. Underground Film Festival and Chicago Underground Film Festival winner "The Operation," by the Pander Bros. Overall, a cornucopia of weird stuff.

Poetry/Spoken Word

Almost every Guttervision episode features poetry/spoken word, commentary on the trials and tribulations of everyday life, without any high gloss commercialism. Recent readings have focused on censorship (Mona Jean), and bad dogs/boyfriends (Nancy Agabian).

Music Videos

Other music video stations are enslaved to record companies and advertisers, sharply curtailing what they can offer in terms of programming... which often turns out to be this month's pop slop. Guttervision breaks the mainstream barrier with music videos that aren't in heavy rotation, and that often don't fit a proscribed format. Featuring never-before seen/never-to-be-seen-again music videos by Dead Can Dance, My Life With the Thrill Kill Cult, Danzig, Garbage, and many others, Guttervision offers a comprehensive look at what's out there today, challenging and satisfying viewers who demand more from music videos than flavor-of-the-month music-bites.

As producer Frank Czajka says, "Most kids are not going to get the beauty of a 'Dead Can Dance' video. They're gonna look at it and go, 'Oh, this must be a Skittles commercial." Some recent videos include Nine Inch Nails' "Happiness and Slavery", Jane's Addiction's "Mountain", Danzig's "It's Coming Down", and King Missile's "Detachable Penis."

  Performance Art

Performance art can be a dicey area. Often kept out of the limelight, people usually don't hear about performance art until it's been banned by the NEA. Guttervision is perhaps the only show on television with its finger on the racing pulse of this thriving artistic arena. Recent segments include footage of and interviews with Liz Young, John Fleck, and the late Bob Flanagan.

Animation

Remember that animated cigarette ad back in the 60's featuring Fred and Barney smoking Winstons? No? That's okay, because Guttervision has it, and many other atypical animated shorts, avant-garde works like "Starship Spacehustle," and, "The Mighty Thor."

A typical Guttervision episode looks like this:

Opening: Evangelical Gas (Robert Tilton)

Animation: Space Brat

Short Film: How to Be a Successful Serial Killer

Interview: Blake, of Nomads (body modification)

Guttervision ID#; Accept No Substitute

Artist: Mark Colman (computer artist)

Music Video: Morphine, "Buena"

Strong Words: Steve Abee; Al's Bar

Los Angeles's most culturally-attuned newspaper, The L.A. Weekly, chose Guttervision as its Television "Pick of the Week" this year, and the UCLA Film and Television Archive has included Guttervision's first 22 episodes in their collection.

Viewers are hearing the clarion call, and Guttervision is currently being seen in nine different markets (New York City, Jersey City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Philadelphia, Columbus (Ohio), Chicago, and Austin). Every day, Guttervision receives requests from viewers wanting to tune in.

Guttervision has only just begun to chew up the cultural landscape. Future potential segments include interviews with linguist Noam Chomsky, artist H.R. Geiger (of Aliens fame), Camille Paglia, "and anyone who interests us," according to producer Frank Czajka.

"We have no limitations: surgeon, politician, punker. If they're doing something interesting, they should be on Guttervision."

Which is why Guttervision should be on your station, challenging the status quo, pushing the envelope, making people think, and helping to create the next generation of informed, interested viewers and citizens.

Frank Czajka is "one of those dissatisfied customers who puts his money where his mouth is. I think I can build a better mousetrap, and I'm willing to try."

Guttervision

P.O. Box 16343

North Hollywood, CA 91615

(818) 753-6668

guttervision@aol.com

"Guttervision is what MTV would be if there were no censorship," The Los Angeles Cacophony Society

"Guttervision... produces what is undoubtedly the most accomplished programming ever seen on public access. Noted for its penny-pinching paucity and Warholesque production values, Guttervision's bracing inventiveness and sophisticated zaniness can hold its own with the best of network or mainstream cable," "Guttervision... produces what is undoubtedly the most accomplished programming ever seen on public access. Noted for its penny-pinching paucity and Warholesque production values, Guttervision's bracing inventiveness and sophisticated zaniness can hold its own with the best of network or mainstream cable," "Guttervision... produces what is undoubtedly the most accomplished programming ever seen on public access. Noted for its penny-pinching paucity and Warholesque production values, Guttervision's bracing inventiveness and sophisticated zaniness can hold its own with the best of network or mainstream cable," "Guttervision... produces what is undoubtedly the most accomplished programming ever seen on public access. Noted for its penny-pinching paucity and Warholesque production values, Guttervision's bracing inventiveness and sophisticated zaniness can hold its own with the best of network or mainstream cable," Detour Magazine.