Stephen Kasner
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NOTE: Complaints have arisen in a number of places about failure to receive merchandise/art/music paid for as a result of donation drives on behalf of Stephen Kasner.
We have been unable to reach Kasner, despite repeated attempts through many avenues. He appears to have cut off contact with everyone except his immediate family.
Please forward complaints about this matter to malsonus at yahoo dot com, who will continue attempting to contact Kasner.
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If you read this site, you’ve probably partaken of Stephen Kasner’s work. He has done album covers, artwork, and posters for Integrity, Sunn O))), Isis, Justin Broadrick, Runhild Gammelsæter, Khlyst, Darsombra, Suma, and many more. His haunting style is unmistakable. I have spent much time gazing at his work. Here is an interview I did with him, in which he discusses specific pieces that he’s done. Below are some of my favorite works of his.
Now Stephen needs your help. He is extremely private, so circumstances must be dire for him to reach out like this. Out of privacy considerations, he asked that his medical condition not be named. Below is his statement.
Stephen Kasner has recently been diagnosed with some serious medical issues. Like many artists who lack the benefit of medical insurance, he pushed the situation aside until it became unavoidable. Emergency care has been initiated, but he is not out of the woods yet, and his continued care is extremely necessary – hence this call for aid to friends, admirers of his art, and comrades alike.
There are two ways to help.
1. The first is a direct donation by PayPal to kasner@stephenkasner.com. Times are tough, so no amount is too small. If 1,000 people give $5 each, that goes a long way. Depending on his health, Kasner will do drawings/sketches for all who donate.
2. The second is to purchase merch from Kasner. He has two stores, a main one and one for his Blood Fountains musical project. You can buy books, album art prints, CD’s, silkscreens, posters, and more. They make great gifts for this holiday season.
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BOOK GIVEAWAY
All people who email me (invisibleoranges at gmail dot com) a screenshot of their donation to or purchase from Kasner will be entered in a random drawing for a hardback edition of Stephen Kasner’s career retrospective book WORKS: 1993-2006. 160 pages, foreword by Dwid Hellion – it’s a beautiful thing. (See details here). Kasner will autograph the book and sketch a one-of-a-kind drawing on the inside cover. International entrants are welcome. Please email me all screenshots by a week from today, midnight PST, Friday, December 17.
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BLACK SLEEP OF KALI GIVEAWAY
Black Sleep of Kali have graciously donated 5 t-shirt/CD packages to this cause. All donations to and purchases from Kasner above $20 will be entered in a random drawing for these packages. (We reviewed their CD here.) International entrants are welcome. The entry protocol is the same as with the above book giveaway – email me screenshots of your donations and purchases by midnight PST this Friday.
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Please help soon, as Kasner is undergoing emergency care at this very moment. And please spread the word. One of the great artists of our time needs our help.
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Suma - Ashes (inside artwork)
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Justin Broadrick/Final - Dead Air
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Blood Fountains - Floods
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Subarachnoid Space - Eight Bells (layout)
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Khlyst - Chaos Is My Name (layout)
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Without knowing the circumstance, I wish him the best. I’ve been a fan since his cover art for Integrity’s “Seasons in the Size of Days”. Just sent a donation via paypal.
I didn’t know this is the guy who did Integrity’s SITSOD! Great stuff. I also sent a donation. Hope whatever he’s going through gets treated.
Sent a donation. Hopefully he makes a full and quick recovery.
Done and done. I too first saw his work with Seasons In The Size Of Days, hope he is well soon!
My wife bought me a print of his Khlyst artwork a few years ago for my birthday, and somehow it got lost in the mail. He was super cool, and sent over a second print, autographed as well as 2 other signed prints with our names on them, no charge. When the first print showed up, I sent it back to him and we emailed back and forth a bit. Super cool guy, and my favorite painter, hands down. Off to Paypal. Get better Stephen!
Cosmo, I’ve reposted Stephen’s statement and information about the drawing on HSS: http://hammersmashedsound.blogspot.com/2010/12/stephen-kasner-needs-your-help.html
Thanks, Chris, for the repost. You did a good interview with Kasner that people would dig:
http://hammersmashedsound.blogspot.com/2009/08/stephen-kasner-interview.html
Those of you out there with blogs, please spread the word!
I can’t take credit for the interview, which was done by Beau before Harold and I took over the blog for him. But, yes, it is a good interview and I hope your readers enjoy it.
I just added Stephen Kasner merch to my XMas list, so maybe that will help. What’s more Christmas-y than giving me a cool gift and helping someone out in the process?
i’m selling some stuff in these hours and i will donate everything to stephen.
good luck
and here’s me trying to boycott PP… money sent, get well soon &c…
Just posted about this on the CultMetal Blog and will be on my way to PayPal to donate. Thanks for bringing this to peoples attention.
http://blog.cultmetal.com/2010/12/12/help-stephen-kasner/
I reeaaaaaally want one of those aluminum framed prints… if I end up with any cash post-holidays I’m definitely ordering one. In the meantime a donation will have to do.
Stephen is a great person, and an amazing artist. I hope everyone donates what they can.
His contribution to our ‘Reprisal’ album is still among my favourite album art I’ve ever seen (but maybe I’m biased).
http://ken-mode.com/img/Reprisal.jpg
http://ken-mode.com/img/KM_back_final2.jpg
Thanks for posting this.
Hey brother, obviously I don’t know the issues you are going through, but you have helped me with your art in some of my darkest days, my donation is sent, wish it was more, but it is all I had, hell it is all I have period, stay strong!!!!!!!
sent a donation and soon i buy the blood fountains,i hope Stephen will ok my prayers for him
Stephen Kasner and his wife, Rebecca, are con artists. They are frauds and they have been scamming and ripping people off for YEARS. Stephen’s “illness” is supposedly an upper respiratory issue that is only at the stage that it is at because he chose to ignore it and not seek medical help until it got worse – if he is even sick at all. I have known these people for years and I have kept my mouth shut long enough. They recently ripped off someone for several thousand dollars and are in the process of being sued and have criminal charges pressed against them. You don’t have to believe me, but go ahead – purchase something from them and see how quickly you get nothing and all contact is cut off completely.
It’s time that Stephen and Rebecca Kasner are exposed for the FRAUDS, CON ARTISTS, SCAMMERS, and LIARS that they are!
That’s a really serious charge, WARNING. What evidence do you have to support it?
I am the second person to be ripped off by Stephen. He is a lier and so his Rebecca. They recently just moved into a very nice house. He is scum and so is his wife. His art means nothIng to me anymore. I feel the same
As I do when I see shit in the toliet.
These are all serious charges that deserve more than anonymous comments on an Internet blog.
Someone with business ties to Kasner is currently structuring a more formal way to organize complaints and claims against him so as to make further action possible.
So to all potential complainants/claimants/etc., your next step is to find and organize your paper trail regarding your transaction(s) with Kasner – paper and electronic receipts, printouts, emails, invoices, etc.
Once the details of how and where to submit them become clear, I will make them available, and you should pursue your query that way.
REPEAT: Leaving anonymous comments on blogs and Internet forums will make you feel better for several minutes. It will do nothing to actually solve your situation, so please wait until the mechanism for such a solution becomes known.
I can just tell everybody NOT to send any cash or donate to Stephen Kasner. I ordered several prints in 2009 and he still owe’s me art worth around 900 USD since then. After months of “soon I will send something” he cut off all communication. I offered him several ways to get our deal done somehow in many many mails and he just made empty promises.
And as you might noticed his website is down and all his social networks are not open to write him anything in public. For a good reason as I am not the only one who is waiting for any response.
I have been ripped-off badly and can now just warn anyone to send him any money.
chris
I’ve purchased Blood Fountains CD but I received nothing since last year. So, I assume that I have been ripped off too.
Do you have any current news about his illness or about him personally?
I’ll forward your inquiry onto his camp. All this business is getting ridiculous, so I really hope they come forward with some official statement.
NOTE TO ALL WHO ARE STILL AWAITING MERCH FROM KASNER:
Please contact malsonus at yahoo dot com, CC kingnerd at sbcglobal dot net to resolve the matter.
Hopefully an official statement will come from the Kasner camp.
Still in hiding. These f***ing rotten cowards. I hope their whole life is destroyed forever. They stole from everyone, friends and strangers alike. $50 to $5000. Low life, Rebecca even tossed her own daughter away to go live with her father. Nothing is shocking to me anymore but I still say I can’t believe how shameless and disgusting these people are.