brilliant: surf punk and a whole lot of kitsch to go with that…

cindy cruz of B52’s

the B52’s: “dance this mess around,” downtown cafe in atlanta, georgia in 1978 – now you know where the talking heads took their cues…

fred schneider of the B52’s

the B52’s “planet claire,” and its exceptionally brilliant long intro, a total fu to the rules of pop radio – november 1980 capital theater

cindy cruz and fred schneider

the B52’s “give me back my man” – early years… you may have to watch this one on youtube sorry!

…and if by any chance you are not into politics, and simply want to escape to a time when all we american had to worry about was how to party, here is the ultimate kitsch punk band that never got the credit it deserved.

these guys clearly didn’t take themselves too seriously, but i must say that in hind-site, they were punk as f#@k, more punk than the circle jerks and definitely more punk than the sex pistols. they were cool without trying to be cool, punk with out claiming to be punk. they had fun and did what they wanted until of course fame took over, and as the saying goes, radio killed the real super stars. i’d give my left arm to see them live in some santa monica venue back in the late 70’s… although i just learned they were not even from california, but rather from athens, giorgia!!! who says a dead man cant fart? (some of you may understand that better than others). by ac

oliver stones granted exclusive access to putin

following up on the political thread, after you have watched citzenfour and risk you should definitely set a side time for the up and coming four part mini series by oliver stone on showtime. oliver stone was granted exclusive access to putin, we cant wait to see the whole thing..  by kt

when in london…

untitled XIX, 2015, 1 of 16 from “a lexicon of paisley” – by leonora hamill: mixed media collage, printed matter and jacquard fabric, 25 x 31 cm, unique

love the series by our artist/photographer friend leonora hamill, currently on display in london at the podbielski contemporary. “a lexicon of paisley” is a series of twenty-six collages that constitute a visual index of the paisley motif. the works return to the persian origins of the motif called botehwhich encapsulates a variety of botanical forms. against a backdrop spanning the british industrial revolution, the napoleonic era and the summer of love, the series pays homage to paisley fabrication techniques as well as to early photographic processes. it evokes the simultaneous conflict and symbiosis between east and west, past and present, and craftsmanship and manufacturing processes. podbielski contemporary somerset house, strand, london WC2R 1LA. if you are there check it out. by uh

balenciaga vs. ikea

ikea/balenciaga homage. its a gas… but two thumbs up to those who “bite the hand that feeds them”. its pretty punk of demna gvasalia especially for a georgian who studied in antwerp! this is a TOTAL fuck you to all rich people. and we love it for that idea, but no clue if that is indeed even close to what demna had in mind? more like something from tobias wong R.I.P!!!  by xy

kingston jamaica: the harder they come

“dat don soun rite”

the harder they come with jimmy cliff

filmed in jamaica and directed by perry henzell in 1972

the harder they come is possibly the most influential of jamaican films and one of the most important films from the caribbean. this film was followed by “rockers” in 1978 directed by theodoros bafaloukos which is, in my opinion, a much better version of the film simply because of what it has documented of jamaican street life in the 70’s and their super cool gitups which has influenced everything from hip hop, down to even this latest gucci campaign below. we did a post on “rockers” several years ago which you can see here. enjoy. by dd

Tribeca film festival: advice from the master

guillaume canet “rock n roll” with model camille rowe


marion cotillard

uh: “any suggestions on what to catch at the tribeca film festival or am i right to dread the unavoidable?”

pk: “i’m not that big a fan of ‘indie films’ so i stay away from them unless someone very reliable recommends something. the only ones i’ve seen are guillaume canet’s “rock n’ roll” and “hedy lamarr: bombshell”. both are available via the world of academy bootleg but wise to support the film makers. totally different films but both excellent takes on their subjects – aging and fame respectively. rock ‘n roll might be of interest to you as you are (like the real life people in the film) very much involved with keeping up with the youth culture… for survival’s sake if nothing else. the hedy lamarr film is a more straightforward doc. interesting feminist take on lamarr’s seriously brainy side that would be of possible interest.

uh: “damn… thanx alot!!! bloody hell…” by uh+pk

Director Daniel Askill

i remember seeing these videos when they came out and even though i never watched one all the way through at the time the visuals haunted me…

part taboo, part innocence, but all good. i’d take this over any beyonce video.

saw them again the other day and thought to say a word or two as they are still relevant… i am not a fan of the music in any way, i actually find the visuals to be a disconnect with the type of pop music sia has been putting out since 2014, but we live in an age where high meets low, and not always by choice, but rather by need and design. its an age where vanessa beecroft’s work ends up in kanye west’s videos, and where marina abramović battles with jay z in a gallery (every one needs to eat i suppose, and bread alone wont do no more, they all need caviar) in this time all bets are off, unless you can decipher for yourself. all that said and regardless of why and how, daniel askill did create some amazing and haunting imagery that questions the best of us on what it is in these that works on such a deep level. i prefer to watch these without the audio and just take in the amazing choreographer ryan heffington’s play with space and askills beautiful cinematography. much credit also to the little girl and “dance moms” (what a strange thing) talented maddie ziegler… part taboo, part innocence, but all good. i’d take this over any beyonce video. by xy

a love letter to cinema: from caligari to hitler and onward to holly motors

from caligari to hitler – german cinema and how it lead to nazi rule, narrated by kyle kallgren.

i was researching the german films pre WWII and specifically robert wiene’s the cabinet of dr. caligari and came across this. i somehow like this guy, kyle kallgren, and i agree with so much of what he says if only he would pronounce the names of some of these greats just a little bit better. but that didn’t stop me, i wanted more and look what i found… what i consider to be one of the best films of the last decade… saw it in theaters when it came out and i even have the dvd hah!

from the man with a movie camera to leo carax’s holly motors!

ok this boy has some taste. well done kyle and i thoroughly enjoyed watching your rants. let’s have a coffee soon. by uh