vampyr ii

edvard munch vampire ii 1902i celebrate edvard munch everyday, although maybe halloween is more appropriate for the masses. by sv

CATEGORIES: art

two boys

two boys operai am an operatic neophyte; fresh-faced and open-armed to the medium that dates back to the late fifteen hundreds. being fortunate enough to attend two operas in the past several weeks (the first being a twin peaks-ish, almost proto-cubist interpretation of britten’s a midsummer night’s dream) i have been hypnotized by these stunning librettos. this past weekend was two boys, nico muhly’s (genius boy) groundbreaking interpretation of an enigmatic disaster that takes place largely in internet chatrooms. paul appleby as the lead exudes the quintessence of an awkward teenager; portraying normalcy with his varsity jacket and aloof attitude, meanwhile scavenging through the doldrums of adolescence with his webcam. with alice coote’s unnerving intensity as a wounded but dauntless detective, the show’s lowly pulsating rhythms juxtapose seamlessly, while dropping internet slang and making references to fellatio. perhaps not what you would expect in an opera, but what do i know, i am a newcomer after all. i strongly recommend going to see this if you are in new york at any point before november 14th. you can read more about the despondently true tale that inspired muhly’s composition in the vanity fair article here. by sv

CATEGORIES: ny places

Glenn o’brien remembers lou reed

Lou_Reed_avedon-largeHey Lou, it’s me. “I wished I talked to you more when you were alive…”

You wrote that to Andy when he bought it. Well, fucking ditto.

I just wanted to say that you went out well. You went out on top. And the whole fucking thing…your um, oeuvre, is like, scintillating and mind-boggling and thrilling and scary. Thrills and chills, fear and loathing, and then, just when we least expected it, you pulled out a big fat heart.

I first saw Lou Reed when I was in college. It had to be the summer of ’67 because the first Velvet Underground album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, had come out in March.  The one with the Warhol peel-able banana on the inside of the LP. I had seen it in the record store. I think I didn’t have enough money to buy the album right off but I knew that the band was involved with Andy Warhol and they looked more interesting than anybody I’d ever seen before, and that was good enough for me.  There was Andy on the back cover, staring through a tambourine.  Lou was the guitar player in wraparound shades and a cop hairdo holding a guitar with his fingers bent in a weird posture, possibly resulting from taking a pill.

So I went to see The Velvets play at La Cave, a folk club on the East side of Cleveland, Ohio. I had gone there numerous times to see gentle folkies like Bob Gibson, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, and Ian & Sylvia, but I was especially psyched to see the weird band managed by Andy Warhol that had a songs called “Heroin,” “The Black Angel’s Death Song,” and “All Tomorrow’s Parties.” With the incredibly beautiful German singer who was in La Dolce Vita. Nico!

…..

  read more here

by pp.

CATEGORIES: music, read

the corvette-mobile

batmobile corvette
chuck jordan’s 1967 batmobile corvette. ring of fire in the rear, and some hood ornamentation that leaves little to be desired. by sv

CATEGORIES: cars

seeing red at sotheby’s – thanks to Sir Jonathan Ive, mr. newson and bono

Screen Shot 2013-10-29 at 6.10.11 PM Screen Shot 2013-10-29 at 6.13.26 PM Screen Shot 2013-10-29 at 6.17.41 PMyes, that is a ‘snoopy’ lamp by achille and pier giacomo castiglioni and not a mushroom. yes, that is a vintage dieter rams hi-fi by braun. yes, that is a personal watchmaker’s tool kit by petitpierre sa. and yes, you can satisfy indulgent desire for beauty and precision while satisfying your desire to do good and help humanity in one go at the upcoming sotheby’s red auction.  by kl

CATEGORIES: design, perfect gift