this blog is a visual notebook of inspirations for a group of bandit bloggers. we post things we see and like. our lives don’t revolve around singular topics and neither does our blog. sorry! nothing is in-or-out of context here. enjoy xx
shelter bar an audiophile venue on the quiet outskirts of tokyo japan – all blues bar new york city
resident advisor exploring japan’s rich culture of listening bars and audiophile venues. it’s a culture rooted in the joy of discovering music, and listening to that music in the best possible environment—that means precision-made speakers, amps, turntables and mixers. tucked away in basements, back-alleys and high-rise buildings, these bars come in different shapes and sizes, but they are united by their pursuit of quality, with owners endlessly fine-tuning their audio setups to create an enriching experience for anyone who visits. these are wonderful settings for people to share their love of music, serving as a “third place”—somewhere to unwind in between their time at work and home. though they’re the result of long-standing traditions, listening bars offer a glimpse into progressive japan, one of the world’s most vibrant places for music discovery. by dd
“4 more years, 4 more years…” of this, do you remember?
captain kirk and the crew are examining radio signals originating on earth and become confused by the messages broadcast by president trump. enjoy. by cm
– “not so much. it is so personal how people react. i don’t know if i can have any control over that. skateboards beg for artwork and inherently with skateboards, it’s going to be used and destroyed. it’s not meant to last.”
mike giant x FTC skateshop skate series
mike giant with his tatoos
very cool print that belongs on my wall…. sold out look for it on ebay – media: 1 color screen print on natural 100# cover stock, size: 24″ x 18″ edition of 100, signed & numbered by mike giant year: 2021 printed by x bloom press / oakland, CA. by nk
“everything is wrapped in mystery… the arrogance of the human experience to think we can dominate nature”
“who are the “savages”?”
“…these elections are a form of choreographed escapism, for the public to avoid and evade facing the real problems of the society… its like a safe place you take children to when they are frightened by real issues in their lives, and you give them something to focus on..”
georg wilhelm friedrich hegel – just observing
hulk hogen “…its a way of calming a population that’s getting increasingly nervous… the show changes nothing, it calms the public, it distracts, you hope that they forget, and then its over, and pretty quick, like trump, biden, bush obama…”
richard wolff is a professor emeritus of economics at the university of massachusetts amherst, wolff has also taught economics at yale university, and the sorbonne in paris, and more – click here if video not available richard wolff: the final case against donald j. trump
henry kissinger – war criminal
this interview reminds me of adam curtis’ incredible documentary called “hypernormalization” which i am sure richard is a fan of too… if you have not seen that, it means you’re new to TS, so here is the link to that post from some years ago – more relevant today than ever – must watch a work of art in its own right. enjoy this interview, its genuinely thought provoking… by dd
“…most people learn to deal with life and relationships… the artists doesn’t, because he is unable to spend the time to do that…”
“my personal life tends to remain in a state of chaos – and i never seems to have the time to put it all together…”
“i understand people more, before i was incredibly naive, i would fall in love at the drop of a hat, or give myself fully to people… i now know the way of the world these days”
this was the first ever authorized nick cave documentary directed by nanni jacobson
nick cave with iggy pop
above – nick cave and anita lane. the film spans nick caves career from birthday party onwards.
above – a young brad pitt and nick cave in and early film : johnny suede
nick in berlin
this docu was broadcasted on tv stations in various countries (germany, australia, israel, switzerland, austria, italy)
nick cave straight to you documentary – if not available here click here
the macabre crooner documented here with his favorite outfits and gorgeous lyrics, the highs and lows of life are all captured here… some nice insights on an intimate level with nick cave. nick reveals how he has finally aged and knows the world a bit better, burned by love, still unable to manage his personal life, and disappointed by the outcome of his rehab, he still finds himself in his depths of darkness, but he feel he has now a good grasp on life and is finally a well-adjusted citizen of sorts. the footage is not beautifully shot but the substance and insights are all there. recommended for any nick cave fan. by xy
stars ralph fiennes, walter murch, and winston churchill amongst others
ralph fiennes reads the transcripts of norman darbyshire who was a british spy who worked for the SOE and the MI6. he played a key role in the 1953 coup d’état that overthrew mohammed mossadegh, the democratically-elected prime minister of iran.
the cia is quoted acknowledging the coup was carried out “under cia direction” and “as an act of u.s. foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government”.
watch how the MOSAD worked with iran in helping the shah to remain in and grip to power.
coup 53 documentary directed by taghi amirani – if unavailable click here
must watch… riveting, provocative and revelatory, coup 53 plays out like one of john le carré’s spy thrillers and is one of the most important and relevant documentaries of our time. 10 years in the making, the film – a meta textual account – seeks to uncover the past and expose the underhandedness that went into staging a coup d’état, by british and american forces, in 1953 iran- overthrowing the democratically elected government of prime minister mossadegh, reinstating the shah as head of the state, and ultimately leading to the revolution.
through a series of video interviews and transcripts – some aired as part of a documentary-series ‘end of empire’ and some that never saw the light of day, but were carefully preserved – the film’s director – taghi amirani – stitches together an intricate yarn that is gripping, powerful and extremely detailed in both its analysis and its cinematic scope. this is what documentaries need to be. riveting, provocative and revelatory, coup 53 plays out like one of john le carré’s spy thrillers and is one of the most important and relevant documentaries of our time.
10 years in the making, the film – a meta textual account – seeks to uncover the past and expose the underhandedness that went into staging a coup d’état, by british and american forces, in 1953 iran- overthrowing the democratically elected government of prime minister mossadegh, reinstating the shah as head of the state, and ultimately leading to the revolution.
through a series of video interviews and transcripts – some aired as part of a documentary-series ‘end of empire’ and some that never saw the light of day, but were carefully preserved – the film’s director – taghi amirani – stitches together an intricate yarn that is gripping, powerful and extremely detailed in both its analysis and its cinematic scope. this is what documentaries need to be. by nw
gilles peress’s seminal publication documents life under the iranian regime during the late 1970s including the american embassy hostage crisis. telex iran is an extraordinarily personal document of a public event. the photographs peress took over a five-week period during 1979-1980 focus on the seizure of the american embassy and a number of hostages in tehran by student proxy groups of the new iranian regime. however, the book forms neither a study nor an analysis of that singular event. peress’ photographs do not purport to tell the story – any story – but are the nearly seismographic record of the photojournalist’s perceptions, encounters, and not least, his emotions as he moves through the city and the countryside of a nation in upheaval. involved one day, alienated the next; insightful in tabriz, at sea in qom; attracted to one subject, repelled by another, telex iran beats out the raw rhythms of iran’s dislocations, both historical and individual. first published in 1984, this exceptionally designed book established gilles peress’ reputation as a documentary photographer. originally published by aperture and contrejour in 1984. this is the scalo edition from 1997 published in the same trim size but in hardcover. price $1,250 signed at dashwood books. by ar
less rasta more rude-boy – margaret thatcher’s england fueled the fire behind the two tone ska back in 1979 – with a distinctive look and an original sound
anti racists, all inclusive, with a jamaican influenced british made beat
“two tone britain (2004) – ska 2tone documentary” if not available click here
the two-tone music genre and movement originated in the late 1970s in coventry, england, when young musicians combined reggae, ska, and rocksteady with punk and new wave. the term “two-tone” was coined by jerry dammers, the keyboard player for the specials, one of the most prominent bands in the two-tone movement. the name represented the racial unity and harmony that came from black and white musicians working together. by dd
and the other gem of a set on the bible form the the “animals”
we love this man… just brilliant. watch him take apart the old testament in the funniest of ways. and don’t worry the bible is next. all that’s missing is the qur’on followed by the adventures of pinoccio to finish the set. by uh
fascism may be defined as a form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victim-hood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy, and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion. – robert paxton
with the recent surprise win for the left in the french elections, some may be tempted to think fascism is on the back foot. unfortunately, that’s not the case. let’s take a look at the state of rising fascism in europe. second thought is a channel devoted to education and analysis of current events from a socialist perspective. listen away. by bb
“…i mention my girls already they’re my they’re my stepdaughters i’m a stepdad stepdad took over the lease on a couple of girls few years back. thank you very much other other step parents here any other broken homes? few? go ahead you were able to come out where’s the where’s the step that out somebody raise your hand your stepdad right back there thing i said raise your hand you clap i mean yeah still appreciate. how many stuff kids you have sir one grand you are you and your wife gonna have more do you think got one on the way congratulations good for you is that amazing it’s amazing. i think that’s fun i would love to have more — i would love to have more enough i would probably love him more than the old ones do you think that that would be true i mean probably. of course not on purpose, of course you would do your best to love them exactly the same. and they would never even know unless they watch this special.
i would do my best to love them exactly the same we’re just admitting that i’m a human and there’s a small chance that i would love the new ones more and there’s nothing that i could do about it. and for those of you looking at me being judgmental right now, why don’t you pretend for a moment do you spent your whole life wanting to have a boat you wanted to grow up and be a boat owner and then one year you married someone the had a boat it was everything you thought it was gonna be when you loved that boat and you helped take care of it and then the next year you made your own boat using nothing by your genitals. which one are you gonna be more excited about? it’s all i’m trying to say it’s not i don’t i don’t even think it makes you a bad person i think is just a pride of workmanship, i think.” enjoy by sv
having just seen these boys in NY on their farewell tour we felt this was an apt post.
“every era has its heroes and every scene has its legends. the 80s had the stray cats and today they are the indisputable icons of neo-rockabilly. when the us trio stormed the top of the charts in their adopted country of england, punk still reigned in the united kingdom. but brian setzer, slim jim phantom and lee rocker brought that certain something that the mohawked men also had: a feeling for danger and rebellion. impressive footage of this time include two performances in germany: one in 1981 in cologne and one in 1983 at the loreley which were recorded by wdr.
these are genuine recordings that make the trio’s fascination still accessible today. both concerts will be released for the first time in a good quality and with a superb sound on dvd and cd. the stray cats can come to live at home just as they were at their best: young, raw and wild! brian setzer, today an “older statesman” of rockabilly and a platinum holder with his successful brian setzer orchestra, works passionately but was perfectly groomed as he struck the strings on the stage of the cologne satory halls.
he was a “rebel without a cause,” similar to the young james dean. but this guitarist has a desire: he wants to bring rock n’ roll back to life. he wants to play his guitar as eddie cochran did. no question that he has succeeded; he is still loved for this today and this is whyhe is the first guitarist after the legendary chet atkins to have his own signature gretsch model which he plays exclusively. the stray cats aren’t only made up of setzter with his phenomenal guitar playing and his “crooning”. lee rocker and slim jim phantom are responsible for their special sound, too: phantom’s simple drumming became an example for rockabilly drummers worldwide and his wild screams in the songs belong to stray cats exactly as brian setzer’s licks and lee rocker’s clattering bass do. he treated his instrument like a lover which he hugged or like monkeybars on which he did gymnastics.
the bad boy attitude was internalized by the “street cats.” both concerts also underline how rapidly stray cats’ career progressed. between both recordings were filled worlds. in 1981 they were rockers and by 1983 they had become known as tender teddy boys in part of the scene. and internally not everything was at its best, leading the band to a break up one year later. there is nothing to feel about the current performance on the rhine. the band rocked the mixed audience as usual and were even honored by their discoverer dave edmund. next to stray cats were acts such as u2, joe cocker and steve miller. the influence stray cats had on music and fashion is in hindsight unmistakable.
where would psychobilly legends such as meteors or demented are go!, who were founded as a counter movement to rockabilly, be today? would the sound of the 50s still be so popular today if the stray cats had not brought it back to life in the 80s? and what would bands such as duran duran or culture club have carried if the us trio had not established creepers, snake and tigers patterns, or knee-long coats? today we enjoy classics such as “stray cat strut,” “runaway boy,” “rumble in brighton,” and “rock this town” like they will never be heard live again with two concert recordings for eternity.” by uh
a visual collective outlet of inspiration
