Beauty of Soul: Oscar Wilde

"Stephen Fry discusses why Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales continue to exert the same pull over the imagination and emotions as they did when he first read them to his children in the 1880s." [Stephen Fry]

My Bloody Valentine - NME Interview

On the heels of their very much anticipated reunion, the band's first interview for more than 15 years.

Giorgio Morandi

Giorgio Morandi (Italian, 1890-1964), Still Life (Natura morta), 1956

Giorgio Morandi, 1890-1964, September 16, 2008-December 14, 2008, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Often referred to as a "painter's painter," Giorgio Morandi is considered among the greatest of the 20th century. Shrouded in a mythology of solitude, his paintings, watercolors, drawings and etchings manifest a transcendence in their deceptive monotony. This is the first major retrospective of the artist in the U.S., and it is well worth the trip.

The Model

Kraftwerk, The Man Machine (Kling Klang, 1978)

Very excited to find Die Mensch Machine digging for records in Hamburg a few years ago. Strands of Constructivism, Futurism, Bauhaus...the best of the avant-gardes.


Señor Coconut, "We Are The Robots," 2008

For those of you who still need to know...Señor Coconut's El Baile Alemán (Emperor Norton, 2000) was among the more creative homages to the aforementioned groundbreaking Kraftwerk album - the classics reworked with Latin instrumentation and rhythms.

Fashion Plates

British Vogue, November 2008

Loose yourself in the glossiest, most au courant fashion coffee-table books. By Harriet Quick

"So you've got the Rodarte dress and the Shaun Leane diamond vulture-skull brooch, but perhaps you lack the academic credentials to be a true urban goth? If so, start with Gothic: Dark Glamour (Yale University Press, 2008). One half of this dark tome is devoted to fashion, the other to rock music, so slide on that Sisters of Mercy album and a Rick Owens jacket, and let your nerves be tingled."

Temptation - Live, BBC Radio 1

New Order, "Temptation" (Factory Records (FAC 63), 1982)

Touched by the hand of God: Dave Simpson's memories of New Order...poetic memories recalled against the backdrop of rumors of the band's split in 2007. "Temptation" is one of my favorite tracks of all time.

"Tonight I think I'll walk alone
I'll find my soul as I go home"

Probamaburg

2008 U.S. Presidential Election Aftermath. Celebrating in the hood. Thank you fellow Americans...you have restored my faith in democracy.

Nevermind the Buzzcocks - Stephen Fry, Guest Captain

"I'm a national fucking treasure!"

Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures (Factory Records (FAC 10), 1979)


Anton Corbijn, Control, 2007

Anton Corbijn's film Control re-introduces the short-lived, yet highly influential band Joy Division to a new generation of hipsters. Compare the stylized must-see flick from last year to a vintage clip of the band performing the film's theme song "She's Lost Control."

Dave Simpson says: I love Iggy Pop BUT...

I love Iggy Pop, but he must stop making music
"Iggy's records from the 70s, like The Idiot and Lust For Life, mean more to me than some of my own relatives. But Pop, please stop now..." [Guardian UK]

Love is a Mix Tape

Rob Sheffield, Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time (Random House, 2007)

For anyone who's ever started a conversation by saying, "Let me make you a mixtape." For anyone who's ever received one. Music journalist Rob Sheffield's first book is a touching autobiography that delves deep into two things that really matter in this life: love and music. Through personal tragedy, and in its wake, Sheffield takes us on a journey defined in part by the various soundtracks that made it into his own life...one song at a time.

MOPEY - INDIE

MOPEY: I choose Merriam Webster's second definition...I give myself up to brooding.

INDIE: I am independent.

Mopey Indie - a term I'd use to describe the genre of music that most influenced my life. The melancholic side of post-punk and some of its offshoots, perfected in the early 1980s. This blog is a collection of random musings and finds by a fashion historian who lives and works in NYC. Maybe there are more mopey indies out there too.