Day085: Live From The New York City Subway 2!

Day 084: Kid606's "Phoenix Riddim"

Another music video, from electronic musician Kid606. Still love this song and animation.

Day 083: Shrag's "Pregnancy Scene"

Shrag was a cool band minding its own business in Brighton, UK when the world's first MP3 blog, Fluxblog, posted this song, their first single. It generated major (by 2005 standards) Internet buzz, and they ended up coming to New York City to play a few shows. I saw them at Cake Shop, and met them and they were so cool, and so amazed to be in New York City. And it's STILL a great song. Two more missing animations--I took a second weekend off and posted two pre-Bateman365 animations: Day082: Classic Batemanimation: The Elvis Room, and Day081: Classic Batemanimation: Latex Lobotomy. They are now both lost forever. Pour out a 40 for them today!

Day080: Live From The New York City Subway!

MISSING: Day079: Jeremy Scahill's Speech at the NYC Anti-Bush Rally 11/2/05. It's OK; the political stuff doesn't age super-well, anyway. The birth of another recurring series of animations--I carried a portable digital recorder around my travels across NYC and captured weird moments like this. There were a LOT more subway musicians in 2005 than now.

Day 078: Mike Lebovitz & His Roommate Watch Ted Leo's "Maps"

This is kind of the best: someone watched the Ted Leo "Maps" animation and sent in a recording of their reaction. SO GOOD.

Day 077: Will Durst's WMDs

A few missing Bateman365 animations: Day076: Zombie Grrrl 2, Day075: Autumn In New York, and Day074: Homies Theatre Troupe Presents Henry V. Really sorry about Zombie Grrrl 2, because #1 was wonderful. Will Durst is the best political comedian out there. And he's STILL out there. The best.

Day 073: Jandek's "I Went Outside"

Since he wasn't on the Internet yet in 2005 (he just started taking online orders for his CDs in June of 2014), I sent the Corwood Representative a DVD of this animation, hoping for his blessing. He wrote back: "Your film is superb. I watched it and thought it captivating and seems to reach all ages. I envisioned 5 year olds entranced on Saturday mornings watching it. It could be expanded to a 30-minute TV show." The Man From Corwood was prescient: in early 2007, the Bateman365 indeed DID become a TV show, "Scott Bateman Presents Scott Bateman Presents" on PlumTV. It ran for three episodes.

Day 072: Ted Leo's "Maps"

The second music video of the 365, from Ted Leo!

Day071: Colleen AF Venable's "Death Row Baby"

I'm pretty sure Colleen did this song for her podcast, Fluff In Brooklyn. She was pretty much the only person in the world with a podcast in the fall of 2005. She's always been ahead of her time, that one.

Day 070: Scurvy Steve, Pirate Accountant 4

A moment of silence for the missing Bateman365 film, Day069: Homies Theatre Troupe Presents Hamlet's Soliloquy. Honestly, I'm glad a few of these are missing.

Day 068: Classic Batemanimation: Human Guinea Pig

This was the second day of two that I took off. What I love about the pre-Bateman365 animations: the long, long lading sequences. You needed long loading sequences for large file-size (at the time) animations like this back in 2003 or so--literally NOBODY had broadband yet. Oh, it was supposedly coming, in some glorious, far-off future. But at that time, if you didn't want the animation to freeze up part of the way, you needed a loading sequence long enough so that at least half of the animation was downloaded before playback started. Man, what a time.

Day067: Classic Batemanimation: The Charlton Heston Story

Missing from the 365: Day066: George W. Bush's So. Really, it's just as well--the political stuff doesn't age well. I took a few days off from the 365 and but so I put up this animation that I had done earlier, in 2004 maybe. Still fun!

Day 065: Deerhoof's "Spirit Ditties of No Tone"

The first music video of the Bateman365! I really liked this new (at the time in late October 2005 or so) Deerhof song, so somehow I reached the band (or their label?) and got their official okey-dokey. Many more music videos are to come in the Bateman365, and I would go on to do official music videos for Clinic, Low, Sarah Shannon from Velocity Girl, and more!

Day 064: Bob The Damn Bunny 3

Day063: Stoner Dude 4

More missing animations, lost forever: Day062: Jenna G.'s Do Not Try This At Home and Day061: DeathCo 2. SHame about Jenna: that was a fun animation. She was a student in New Zealand who was following the 365 and sent me the sound clip. Loved it. Wish it still existed. Still: SToner Dude. It's funny cuz he's stoned!

Day060: The Bobo Bear Show 3

And then, several in a row went missing: Day059: That One Guy On The Subway. Day058: Meet More Of The Fleezles. Day057: Blind Mango Jehosophat's "Talkin' Head Blues." Day056: Dad. All gone forever. Don;t worry, you won't miss them much!

Day055: Momus Tells A Joke

Two more Bateman365 animations lost to the sands of time: Day054: Fadila The Entertainer, Iraqi Stand-Up Comedian 2: Fadila vs. Jeff Foxworthy and Day053: Meet The Fleezles. I really don't remember either of them. Momus is a musician, and back in 2005, he was huge on LiveJournal. I asked him to record something I could animate, and he came back with this: professionally recorded, different character voices, and sound effects throughout. Incredible guy.

Day052: My Mom Had A Stroke

Missing from the line-up: Day051: Ari Lesser's "Vote Liberal Rap," Day050: How To Draw A Political Cartoon, Post-Katrina Edition, and Day049: Blind Mango Jehosophat's "Chilly Willy Bite My Foot." Of those, "Chilly Willy" is the biggest loss to humanity. My mom has since passed, but she loved this animated thing I made of her.

Day048: Zoe Trope's Who Can You Count On?

Zoe Trope is the author of Please Don't Kill The Freshman, a memoir/novel she wrote while she was still in high school. Today, she's a grown-up and a college graduate. Yay!

DAY 047: Turning Japanese 2

And then four days went missing: Day046: Numbers Stations, Day045: Christopher Martiny Goes To The Principal's Office, Day044: The Bateman Lectures On Physics 1, and Day043: Bush ABCs. it's just as well, really. Turning Japanese 1 also went missing. But luckily (?), the sequel is here.

DAY 042: Stoner Dude 3

Day 041: Colleen AF Venable's Brand New Holiday

Missing: Day 040: How To Speak Cat 3. Now we'll never know how to talk like a cat! This animation is kind of huge. Colleen actually gathered several of us to celebrate Talk Like A Lumberjack Day later that month, in September 2005. Since then, Lumberjack Day has become an annual tradition every September 26 in Brooklyn--it even has its own web site! And it really, truly is simply an excuse to eat pancakes.

Day 039: Pierre's Guide To Football

No character was more fun to voice than Pierre.

Day 038: Zombie Grrrl

Zombie Grrrl was voiced by Colleen AF Venable. Can't remember which of us wrote this?

Day 037: Elyse Sewell's Ultra-Glamorous Party!

Elyse Sewell returns to the Bateman365, and this time she's way better animated! Yay! Also: I love this story.

Day 036: The Bobo Bear Show 2

Day035: Fadila The Entertainer, Iraqi Stand-Up Comic is missing. I believe this was a female Iraqi stand-up, voiced by my wife?

Day 034: Scurvy Steve, Pirate Accountant 3

Day 033: Buried Alive In 1995 is missing. It was a person who made a LOT of 1995 references about 2005 stuff. That's it. Scurvy Steve's parrot is voiced by Amy Stephenson, who was an awfully good sport.

Day 032: Bob The Damn Bunny 2

Day 031: The Bobo Bear Show

Day 029: Kirsten Eidsmoe's "Cats" and Day 030: Turning Japanese have disappeared. I don't fully remember what either of them were now. As for Day 031, I love these new, experimental vector-style characters, especially Office Bunny.

Day 028: Anonymous' Acid Trip

Sadly, Anonymous has passed away in the nine years between September 2005 when this was animated and today. I'll respect his wishes to remain anonymous.

Day 027: Subway ABCs

Day 024 is missing--it was my director's commentary of Day 023's animation. I am really sorry it's not available, because it was so, so funny. Day 025 is also missing. It was something called "GWB, PI." I think I may be glad it has disappeared. Also, Day 026 has gone missing. It was "How To Speak Cat 2," a sequel to the also-missing Part One. But Day 027 is a good one, an Edward Gorey-style ABCs of the New York City subway. I did all the original music for these animations myself, and I'm really pleased with this film's soundtrack.

DAY 023: Terry Bain's Proof Of God's Existence

Day 021: Meet The Lithium League is missing to the fogs of time. It was an animated version of a mini-comic I had done earlier in 2005. Also missing is Day 022: Pierre's Guide To Back-To-School. This is sad--Pierre is a character that pre-dates the Bateman365 and is still one of my favorites. Terry's logic is difficult to argue with here.

DAY 020: Scurvy Steve, Pirate Accountant 2

More Scurvy Steve.

DAY 019: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's Actual Comments On The Bush Administration's Disaster Relief Efforts

The audio for this animation was also ripped from the headlines, as New Orleans struggled to deal with the aftermath of Katrina.

DAY 018: Stoner Dude 2

Day 017 is missing. It was about George W. Bush and Hurricane Katrina, which was happening that day.

Day 016: Terry Bain's Star & Buck 2

Sadly, the first installment of Terry Bain's Star & Buck is lost forever, but enjoy the further adventures of Terry's baristas. Terry is the author of You Are A Dog and several other books you should read.

DAY 015: Amy Stephenson's NYPD

Amy Stephenson was my wife in September 2005 when this was recorded, and is still my wife today. I can't believe it, either.

DAY 014: Colleen AF Venable's The Giraffe Project

Eventually, Colleen AF Venable found her childhood giraffe, but not before cataloging hundreds of incorrect giraffes. She even became Internet-famous for her connect-the-dots giraffe tattoo. Nine years later, Colleen is an award-winning book designer at First Second Books. Plus, she wrote the also award-winning graphic novels for pre-teens, Guinea PI, which are super-delightful!

DAY 013: Fawn Fitter's Red Eye, Yellow Puddle

Day 011: How To Speak Cat, is missing. It was probably a cat meowing, with improbable subtitles. Also missing: Day 012: DeathCo. If memory serves, it's Death in a business suit using corporate jargon. And when isn't death funny, right? But Day 013 features Bay Area writer Fawn Fitter, who recorded this true story somehow just for the Bateman365. Animating weird-but-true stories would become a regular feature on the Bateman365.

Day 010: Elyse Sewell's Fabulous Hong Kong Apartment

Oh man, Elyse Sewell! Elyse Sewell appeared on season one of America's Next Top Model. She was the "edgy pre-med student," and she was awesome. She placed third, which, not bad! She went on from the show to do a ton of modeling in Hong Kong, which is where she was when she recorded this for me to animate. Later, she came back to the US and used her modeling bank to go back to medical school. As near as I can tell, she is back in Albuquerque and still in med school? I should really get caught up with her, and apologize for how I made her look here.

DAY 009: Actual Excerpts From The President's Speech of 2/6/03

The first Bateman365 animation to use actual audio of a politician. This idea of riffing on the actual audio of actual speeches by actual politicos would go on to form the basis of the work I did for Salon during the 2008 presidential election and DailyKos back in 2009-10. This is where all that started!

DAY 008: Scurvy Steve, Pirate Accountant

The debut of another character. As I've said, the Bateman365 was originally to be mostly character-based and not guest-based, and but so the first 60 or so animations feature lots of goofy characters like this. And I promise the upsetting color style goes away eventually!

DAY 007: Mayzie Hart's Cat In A Bun

Day 006 is missing. It featured author Terry Bain (You Are A Dog) talking about Starbucks, I think. Day 007 features Portland resident Mayzie Hart, who I knew from LiveJournal (which was still a thing in August 2005 when this animation was made). We still follow each other on all the social media, but I believe we have yet to meet in real life. What? I know! But: I love this story.

DAY 005: Stoner Dude

The animations for Day 003 and Day 004 are lost forever. Day 003 was called "Trapped in the Closet." Day 004 was called "Puffy's New Name," and featured the 365's first guest star, Colleen AF Venable. Day 005 introduces another favorite character, Stoner Dude. He's a dude who's stoned. So that's a thing.

DAY 002: Bob The Damn Bunny

Before I realized I could collaborate with others for sound bites to animate, I figured I could simply come up with a dozen or so rotating characters. Some of these characters are better than others, but I still kinda love Bob the Damn Bunny.

DAY 001: Politics Schmolitics: Karl Rove

This was the animation that started the Bateman365, a project where I made an animated thing a day for a year. Oh, such humble beginnings for a project that would change my life.

Since I was transitioning from being a print political cartoonist to a web animator, it makes sense I would start with politics. Luckily, I would soon turn to more pressing topics.

The style: for the first several Bateman365 animations, I drew line drawings on paper, colored them in with colored pencils, then scanned them in and digitized them in Flash, which produced the weird color effects you see here. Luckily, this eventually goes away, too.