NYC Man

On my way to work this morning...posters of the man I was coincidently listening to ("Candy Says"). Is Lou Reed really Supreme's spokesperson? I hope they are worthy of the association.

Grupdom?

Photo: Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek

Up With Grups By Adam Sternbergh
"He owns eleven pairs of sneakers, hasn't worn anything but jeans in a year, and won't shut up about the latest Death Cab for Cutie CD. But he is no kid. He is among the ascendant breed of grown-up who has redefined adulthood as we once knew it and killed off the generation gap." [NY Magazine]

Will this be the fate of everyone I know?

Breakin' and Poppin' with Alfonso Ribeiro

Carlton can dance?

Dior's Road Trip

Vogue, May 15, 1950

The best finds are often accidental. I recently came across this delightful article from a 1950 issue of Vogue magazine where couturier Christian Dior details a motor trip from Paris to Cannes, taken "with an eye for the worthy detour." Along the way we rediscover Dior's love of antiquities, art, architecture, landscapes, wine and dining, and easily see how his impeccable taste influenced and shaped his iconic collections.

Valentine's Day with Pierre Bonnard

Pierre Bonnard (French, 1867-1947), Work Table, 1926/1937

Pierre Bonnard: The Late Interiors, January 27, 2009-April 19, 2009, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Finally got the chance to see the Pierre Bonnard exhibition at the Met on Valentine's Day (it seems many in the city had the same idea). Known for his use of luminous color and deliberate brush strokes, the 80 paintings, drawings and watercolors on display solidly reaffirm Bonnard's vaunted reputation. This is the first exhibition to focus entirely on interiors and still lifes from the artist's later years. Of particular note is the room devoted to his drawings...Bonnard's little sketchbooks containing studious renderings reveal poignant snapshots into the artist's mind.

Morrissey Meets Russell Brand

Wrestle With Russell - Part One


Wrestle With Russell - Part Two

Let's Tell the World...

Bruce Weber, Let's Get Lost, 1988

A haunting portrayal of Jazz legend Chet Baker - from 1950s idol to derelict. Weber's characteristic grainy black and white photography comes alive in this documentary that begins near the end of Baker's life on the beaches of Santa Monica. Tracing his fantastic journey in his own words and through the people he touched the most, this film serves as the perfect eulogy to this rebel without a cause. Originally released in 1988.

1968: The year that changed the world?

1968
"In this four part series, using archive recordings and music from the time, Sir John Tusa examines what made 1968 such a climactic year. Student protests, Soviet might, assassinations, war and famine - although these dramatic events took place more than a generation ago they seem incredibly immediate and astonishingly relevant today. Recapturing those events through the voices of those who made them, Sir John investigates if 1968 really did change the world." [BBC Radio]

This series was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and aired on BBC World Service on 1st December 2008.

February's Soundtrack

Stereo Total, "Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais"
Pixies, "Here Comes Your Man"
The Breeders, "Regalame Esta Noche"
Elvis Costello, "I Want You"
Marlene Dietrich, "Falling in Love Again"
Suede, "Everything Will Flow"
Prince, "When Doves Cry"
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, "I'm Losing You"
Morrissey, "I Don't Mind If You Forget Me"
Wire, "Three Girl Rhumba"

Chalayan at 15

"Hussein Chalayan marks 15 years in fashion with a solo exhibition at London's Design Museum. Here, the avant-garde designer reflects on his most memorable moments." [Style.com]

Raymond Pettibon

Political Cartoons: Patty Hearst & the Presidents on PBS art:21

Art in the Twenty First Century profiles Raymond Pettibon - first recognized for his ink pen drawings that were associated with the L.A. punk rock scene. In the candid interview above, Pettibon discusses the art critical dialogue surrounding his work and dismisses many of its findings...among them, conceptual ideas rooted in anger, social criticism and self reflexivity.

Jarvis Cocker Speaks

"Everyone is middle class and boring..."
Interview from the Britpop documentary Live Forever (2003).

A Sci-Fi Lullaby

Suede, Sci-Fi Lullabies, Nude Records, 1997

From a double album of b-sides that shaped my early undergrad years. Anderson's falsetto is as dreamy live as recorded.

The Allure of Chanel

At the end of World War II, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel invited diplomat and writer Paul Morand to St. Moritz and offered him the opportunity to write her memoirs. His notes of their conversations were put away in a drawer and only came to light a year after Chanel's death in 1971. They included candid memories and thoughts on diverse subjects - from her childhood to the men in her life to social issues. Originally published in 1976, The Allure of Chanel has been reprinted by Pushkin Press (2008). A must read.

Happy New Year Soundtrack

The Smiths, "There is a light that never goes out"
Queen, "Another One Bites the Dust"
Placebo, "Every You Every Me"
Radiohead, "Stop Whispering"
Ride, "Vapour Trail"
Lush, "Ladykillers"
Erasure, "Oh L'Amour"
Siouxsie And The Banshees, "Arabian Knights"
Pulp, "Pencil Skirt"
Diana Ross, "I'm Coming Out"