through being cool

It’s been raining all day in London. My Korean friend...

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:18:00 +0100

It’s been raining all day in London. My Korean friend tweeted: ‘Don’t cry, London’, which is a sweet way of looking at the dreary weather. Speaking of tears, this is pretty awesome. (via ic-hi)

FFFFOUND! | vinnie in furs

It’s love. It’s two men - two strong, very virile...

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 10:44:31 +0100

It’s love. It’s two men - two strong, very virile men - finding that space in life where they can let go enough of their masculinity to feel the passion of love and respect and trust,

- Clarence Clemons, on his relationship with Bruce Springsteen in 2009.

So long, Big Man (seen here at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ 1978). A good friend of mine will be very sad today indeed.

via daveholmes.

Extra sugar! Extra salt! Extra oil & MSG! My once-favourite...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:07:39 +0100

Extra sugar! Extra salt! Extra oil & MSG!

My once-favourite band, Cibo Matto, have come together for a reunion tour and yet I live half-way across the world from any of the shows. To wit:

6/21 Seattle, WA - Neumo’s
6/22 Vancouver, BC - Fortune
6/23 Portland, OR - Doug Fir
6/25 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s
6/26 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
(w/Yellow Magic Orchestra)

7/12 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
7/14 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
7/16 Toronto, ON - Mod Club
7/18 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
7/19 Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel
7/20 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall

They’ve launched an amazingly named website, Yeah Basically Cibo Matto, teamed up with YMO & Buffalo Daughter (!) for the Big in Japan earthquake benefit at Hollywood Bowl, and even made a somewhat disappointing new track entitled Yeah Basically Cibo Matto Tour 2011.

But where’s the spark? The funk? The all-out kickass Cibo Matto style? I guess they’re getting on a little. Still, I haven’t been this excited since… since I was inspired to start Tumbling again. Cheers Minogame 5B.

Now, if only Russell Simins could jump onboard and get Butter 08 back off the ground…

Read more over at yeahbasicallycibomatto.com.

staff: In light of the recent disasters, our hearts are focused...

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:43:56 +0000

staff:

In light of the recent disasters, our hearts are focused on the vibrant and wonderful community in Japan. Your resilience is inspiring, and we hope that recovery will be swift and complete. 少しでも皆さんの力となり、一日でも早く日常の生活が取り戻せる事を願います。

As of today, Japanese is now the newest language available on Tumblr. We’re very grateful for our amazing members in the Japanese community, and we hope you’ll find the new option useful. You can change your language setting on your Preferences page.

You can also keep up with news from Japan via the #Japan tag page.

To aid the relief and emergency efforts, we’re asking all of our members to contribute to Red Cross International from your Dashboard. Look for the message on the sidebar. Members who donate will unlock the Limited Edition Japanese Tumblr Logo, and Tumblr will match your contributions up to $15,000.

日本の皆さま, 頑張ってください

Love, タンブラー

The pains of being george washington's penis

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:14:00 +0100

George Washington’s Penis (aka Brooklyn’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) headlined London’s tiny Buffalo Bar on Friday, effectively vaulting from one of the best band names ever to possibly the worst. Still… it was a secret gig and as a mere interloper*, I probably shouldn’t complain.

With no setlist, they churned through a variety of old and new tracks, including Lou Reed’s ‘Metal Machine Music’. Touring guitarist Christoph Hochheim (of The Depreciation Guild) was both a welcome addition to the lineup and a delightful piece of indie eye candy — if only he’d come out of the shadows a little more often. And the encore, ‘Kurt Cobain’s Cardigan’ (as seen below in Athens last year) was immense. Well played, George Washinton’s Penis.

*Frontman Kip announced quite sweetly that he could literally thank every punter by name, which could’ve been awkward as I was there under a friend’s name — one that just happened to work for boys & girls. (Cheers Alex!)

Never say no to Panda. (Click the picture for more). via...

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 12:53:02 +0100

Never say no to Panda. (Click the picture for more).

via jesuisperdu.

"Ha ha! Look at this country! U R Gay?! Ha ha!"

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:39:05 +0100

“Ha ha! Look at this country! U R Gay?! Ha ha!”

-

Look who’s laughing now, Homer Simpson. Uruguay’s win in tonight’s penalty shoot-out means Ghana is out and striker Sebastian ‘El Loco’ Abreu is not only a National Hero, but a rather good-looking soccer dad as well. What a dude.

Awww-inducing image from Stuff.co.nz.

E from eels learns quantum mechanics

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:12:00 +0100

Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives is a brilliant 2007 film that follows Mark Everett (aka E from Eels) as he traces his late father, Hugh Everett III, from Princeton PhD to the Pentagon, until his death as a businessman at 51.

Hugh Everett III’s 1957 paper on parallel universes was barely acknowledged until decades later, with many physicists now proclaiming themselves as ‘Everettian’ (or not). His work on quantum mechanics is considered as groundbreaking as Einstein’s theory of relativity and yet he died without knowing fame nor, as E explains, his family:

He was in his own parallel universe. He was a physical presence, like the furniture, sitting there jotting down crazy notations at the dining room table night after night. I think he was deeply disappointed that he knew he was a genius but the rest of the world didn’t know it.

By meeting his father’s colleagues, friends and students, the self-proclaimed kid who flunked out of high-school algebra comes to understand the basics of his father’s theory of many worlds – and thanks to cute illustrations and simplified explanations, the audience can too. (For a basic idea of parallel universes, think Donnie Darko or Gwyneth Paltrow’s dual existence in Sliding Doors).

At one charming point, E meets a lanky Princeton physicist who had devoted his academic life to proving Everett’s theory after finding an ancient copy in a used bookstore while studying at Berkeley. He is visibly overwhelmed to meet the son of the man who he had respected for so long and gushes like a groupie - which may lead E to his conclusion that his father was like a ‘rock star of the physics world’.

While exploring his dad’s belongings – which had been boxed and long-forgotten since his death – E finds a cache of Dictaphone recordings, which give him further insight into the man he barely knew. Listening to the tapes in an empty hotel room, he even finds a little bit of himself.

With an Eels soundtrack and beautiful production, Parallel Lives, Parrallel Worlds is a fascinating look at physics, fatherhood and of course, E. And the best part? It’s available free in the UK on BBC iPlayer until next week.

Or check the preview below:

You can also read more about the theory and previously unseen works from the Everett archives at the Parallel Lives, Parallel Worlds PBS site.

Navigating the best movies of all time with designer David...

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 17:57:21 +0100

Navigating the best movies of all time with designer David Honnorat. Click on the picture for more detail, and maybe someone can tell me how Tim Burton’s Big Fish made the lilac romance line? Then again, with Crash and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button making the cut, I’m guessing my map would read a little different.

via The Word.

Exploring the cove

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 15:28:00 +0100

I’ve just finished watching ‘The Cove’ and suggest you do too. Unless you have seen the controversial Academy Award-winning documentary already, in which case you’ll probably agree that herding thousands of dolphins into a secluded cove in Taiji, Japan, before harpooning them to death is both brutal and unnecessary.

Taiji, in Wakayama, is often regarded as the birthplace of Japanese whaling, with evidence revealing coastal hunts as far back as the 1600s. The picturesque small town boasts various monument to cetaceans, including a rather grand whale museum, as well as restaurants serving both whale and dolphin meat. Every year, Taiji fishermen herd more than 20,000 dolphins into a small cove where representatives from all over the country wait to select a small amount for the world’s marine parks and aquariums. The remaining dolphins are moved to the now-infamous cove for slaughter. Due to increasing international scrutiny, the shallows of the cove are now largely covered by bright tarpaulins , which merely highlight the sea of blood beyond.

Despite testing dangerously high in mercury levels (hello jeremy piven!), Taiji dolphin meat is distributed to shops around Japan (above right, selling for a mere 200 yen per cut) and quite often falsely labelled as other seafood or whale meat to increase sales. In their defence, the Taiji fishermen are quick to assert that their catch is well within IWC limits, which may have led the activists to focus on the issue of mercury in the meat, rather than the barbaric manner in which the dolphins are killed.

With a trailer that’s more spy thriller than animal rights crusade and ongoing distribution problems in Japan, it’s quite easy to dismiss the film as some sort of anti-Japan propaganda flick. There’s been all sorts of responses which question the accuracy of the film’s claims, but no-one can doubt the vivid red sea, nor the footage of dolphins flailing in the shallows while blood trails behind them.

One Japanese new report shows a rather unbiased look at the cause and the foreign protesters, after which a commentator declared:

There is a clash between culture and emotion.

I fully understand the desire to maintain cultural traditions, but after viewing the film, the activists should probably play on Japanese emotions and seek wider support from within Japan itself. More so than just one man standing in the crowded Shibuya crossing with a tv screen showing the atrocities, they need to make Japanese youth aware of what happens in Taiji and ideally, inspire them to take action. Casting aside the ongoing issue of ‘scientific’ whaling, Japan is, after all, the same nation that bestowed residency on Tama-chan, a bearded Arctic seal that turned up in Tokyo’s Tama River in 2003. By appealing to the country’s love of cute creatures, there may be some way to maintain cultural traditions while finding a more humane solution to the culls. …Hell, anything would be more effective than this two-minute celebrity-filled PSA which, while great in theory, pretty much just preaches to the choir:

Although when Tony Soprano tells you his friend doesn’t belong in captivity, you can’t help but want to do as he tells you…

If you don’t have time to watch the film, try photojournalist Boyd Harnell’s chilling article from 2007, Eyewitness to Slaughter in Japan’s Killing Coves, which reads much like the film unfolds, or check the Guardian’s photo gallery.

Photos: Dolphin meat from Aisha_n, Meiji-era whalers from Julian Cochrane. Robert Gilhooly has a wealth of Taiji photos here.

Colouring with kozyndan

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:11:00 +0100

Well, just Kozy, actually. The Yamanashi-born illustrator (real name: Kozue) is in town this weekend with her husband, Dan Kitchens, as part of their first solo UK show And Then There Were None at the tiny Nelly Duff gallery on Columbia Road.

Kozy is pictured above with The Best Sushi in Town, an all-new panoramic which debuted simultaneously at the show and at a group exhibition in New York. The 1.7-metre-long work is their 17th panoramic piece and shows seafood masquerading as sushi chefs serving humans to their unsuspecting customers while a giant octopus (squid?) traps divers for dinner, all in a sushi bar under the sea. The true beauty’s in the detail, such as a tiny bunny-faced fish on a sushi-train plate, the fact that one of the fish is dressed as a sumo wrestler or even the tanned gyaru (blonde Japanese surfer ‘gal’) dining on her own. All of which you see better here.

According to Kozyndan:

People don’t know what the secret ingredient is and they don’t really care. All they know is this is the best sushi in town!

It actually comes from a rather despairing feeling we have knowing that people are literally eating fish species to extinction, particularly blue fin tuna…because people have taken to consuming huge quantities of sushi.

And Then There Were One also includes two limited edition silkscreen prints, other prints including the brilliant Takadanobaba on Acid and a new selection of Kozy’s abstract kaleidoscopic paintings. These works mark quite a change in direction from their most famous prints, although similar themes still abound (are they sharks? and possibly amoeba?) and there’s still plenty of detail to get lost in. When I asked Kozy why the new paintings were so different, she explained that if you keep doing the same thing over and over, you just get bored.

There was also a dreamy and somewhat whimsical colouring book from 2004 called Lactaid Dreams (£8), which they had apparently wanted to make for some time. In response to people questioning the themes in their work, the book opens with a kind foreward: …This is a colouring book, damn it! It isn’t supposed to be analysed. It’s supposed to be coloured!

There’s lots of Japanese imagery (both modern and traditional), crazy animals, and simple outlines just bursting with detail. Oh yes, and there’s plenty of bunnies:

As for Kozy, she was friendly, warm and keen to get started on signing all the prints for their London fans. She was very positive about the exhibition, although she did seem a little perplexed about London’s low-brow art culture:

The response to the brief exhibition has been great, but it’s different here. In the US, or even Australia, low-brow art is much more popular.

She also told me how Kozyndan produce their work. Generally, Kozy produces the initial outlines, which Dan then fills in with the smaller details and characters. The pair work in layers on Photoshop, rather than Illustrator which she said ‘many people use, but I find too difficult!’.

Each piece goes back and forth between the pair with both Kozy and Dan adding their own touches in a composite process to produce each Kozydan piece.

The only sad note of my visit was discovering one of my favourite works, the SARS-inspired Chinatown panoramic - where citizens of Chinatown fight an approaching virus with what looks like dumplings/steamed buns, while Peking ducks stroll casually away from a knife-wielding chef - is no longer available. Why didn’t I buy it at Melbourne’s Outre gallery, so many years ago? Here’s a taster of the full print:

After And Then There Were None finishes on Saturday, Kozyndan are off to Barcelona before heading home via a few other stops. You can find more of their work at their website or much of their back catalogue (and personal travel shots) at Flickr.

Check it, LA-based illustrator duo Kozyndan have brought their...

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:52:00 +0100

Check it, LA-based illustrator duo Kozyndan have brought their crazed minds to east London for a brief pop-up exhibition at Nelly Duff. According to their bio:

Kozyndan are Los Angeles based mad scientists. They are working on a secret formula for controlled nuclear fusion, and are creating a line of edible chickens. For fun they like to take long deep breaths and dip their heads into bowls of raspberry jelly and lemon curd. They live indoors and don’t paint on walls. The couple also moonlights as freelance illustrators.

They’ve done everything from Converse ads to Coachella tshirts, even cover art for the Postal Service. Most famous though, is probably the Hokusai-inspired bunny wave used in the flyer above.

Only ‘til 6pm tomorrow though, folks.

156 Columbia Rd Shoreditch
London E2 7RG
http://www.nellyduff.com

Mogwai's burning

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:13:00 +0100

Mogwai: Burning, a new concert film shot in New York by Vincent Moon and Nathanael Le Scouarnec premiered at London’s Scala tonight, accompanied by Mogwai & Fuck Buttons DJs and a live set from Glasgow’s Remember Remember.

All black & white and atmospheric all over, Burning is more concert than film, although perhaps that was just the venue. The crowd were respectful throughout, all seated on the dancefloor to watch the film on two giant screens - with plenty of slow-motion nodding on the final few tracks. (Maybe that’s moshing for Mogwai movie fans?)

Parisian filmmaker Moon is the guy behind the French music blog Blogotheque (which looks really cool, if only I could read French) and REM’s Supernaturalsupersious series of short clips, which you can watch for free here.

His collaborator, Le Scouarnec, is a director/editor who also works for Blogotheque and filmed the above track, ‘Fear Satan’ in Reims. You can see more of his work at Vimeo.

Burning is due for wider release in August 2010. In the meantime, check the trailer at the top, watch the footage from France and enjoy these two pictures of Mogwai, my ever-cold cat who’s no doubt listening to post-rock in the sky.

Shonen knife... forever?

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:08:00 +0100

Banana chips for you!
Banana chips for me!
In the afternoon, Banana chips and tea.

They came, I saw, I showered them with banana chips. Literally. My plans for a banana chip taste-off (chewy! chili! chocolate dipped!) were dashed when another journo turned up, so I ended handing over a load of dried banana treats like some kinda crazed fan.

I guess I am though… There’s something about their catchy melodies, nonsensical lyrics and infectious rock posturing that gets me every time. They even have a new tune about one of my favourite coprophagic animals, the Capybara.

Enjoy the show below, or click here for the interview at Artrocker where Naoko declares after three decades, she’s in it for the long run. It’s Shonen Knife forever, my friends!

Rockin’ photo from Ryry9379, yawnin’ capybara from g-na.

SATC 2... my eyes, my eyes!

Mon, 31 May 2010 01:38:00 +0100

There’s many great reviews of the misguided Sex and the City sequel out there (incl. here), so I’ll keep mine brief…

Carrie:

Is but a shell of the neurotic and slightly kooky gal she once was. She’s now obsessed with redecorating her fancy yet soulless apartment, even chastising her husband (who must’ve paid for the whole place) when he puts his feet up on the couch. But worst of all,
She’s kind of a bitch.

Charlotte:

Makes cupcakes in vintage Valentino.
Struggles with said cupcakes and her two young children until – phew! – the hired help arrives, all bra-less and badly accented.

Miranda:

Generally looks pretty smokin’ (despite the bowl-cut above).
Although… Cynthia Nixon seems to have forgotten how to act. Unless of course, Miranda’s forced whoops of glee in Abu Dhabi suggest more to her character than we ever get to see.

Samantha:

Has lost all sense of class.
Endures a much-publicised hot flush in a crowded souk that ends with yelling and the throwing of condoms. Even more insulting, though, is witnessing her sat at her desk, knickers around her calves as she applies some kind of menopausal potion to her pussy. (Eww!)

The rest:

Liza does Beyonce.
Penelope Cruz does a sexy impression of a banker.
Mr Big has been going hard on the Fake’n’Bake, and…
Carrie gets a big fat black diamond. You can buy it here for $10,000.

Oh yes, and there’s cringe-inducing ‘I Am Woman’ karaoke singalong to boot.

Speaking of boots, I still can’t believe I missed the Japan vs England friendly for this*.

80s photo from OOooOOh I want all of those.

*Ok it wasn’t that bad – SATC2 fans bring great snacks. Cheers, ladies.

Hatoyama's shirt: how did it ever come to this?

Sun, 30 May 2010 13:58:00 +0100

Japanprobe today reported Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s hideous plaid shirt of many colours is now on sale for US$500. Presenting…

It appears Shanghai-based shirtsmyway.com has latched on to the disastrous piece of work, labelling PM Hatoyama a ‘fashion hero’ for ‘daring to be different’.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear you. Props to him for daring to wear something so hideous at a televised event. But in offering a limited edition run of these ‘hatoyama shirts’, the bespoke shirt company is effectively inflicting another 50 of these shirts onto the world.

And that can’t be good.

Patrick bateman does david byrne

Sat, 29 May 2010 13:25:00 +0100

Miles Fisher - This Must Be The Place (Cover) from Miles Fisher on Vimeo.

Do you like Miles Fisher? His latest EP marks a new peak of professionalism. This is his take on David Byrne’s ‘This Must Be the Place’.

In case you missed it in 2009, Popmatters has recently rediscovered Fisher’s version of the Talking Heads hit (below), which in a brilliant tribute to American Psycho, examines how ‘even monsters love pop music’.

According to a little research, Fisher is a former Texan with a penchant for a capella (he took his Harvard troupe, the Krokodiloes on a tour of 24 countries). He does a mad Tom Cruise impression and played Kinsey’s preppy Princeton drug-pushing buddy Jeffrey Graves in Mad Men, below. (You may recall uptight Peggy’s defiant introduction: ‘I’m Peggy Olson, and I want to smoke some marijuana’).

The fact that he bears an uncanny resemblance to both Tom Cruise and Christian Bale, combined with his mum sitting on the board of the National Film Institute, makes me think he’s pretty much cut out for a life on screen. However, his Ivy League education and the almost excruciating level of detail he’s gone to make the Byrne cover work shows there must be something more to him than just looking like an early-80s Cruise/Bale hybrid.

But then… maybe he’s just riding on the fact that two formerly respected actors are now almost universally known for being either difficult or virtually insane. Plus he’s probably demanding a much, much lower rate for the charming yet slightly sleazy prepster roles.

Hell, it’s a great, great song. And a personal favourite. I say more power to him. You can check him out at Milesfisher.com, read a mega interview with American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis over at Vice (just don’t blame me if the photos of his smug face make you want to retch/never read a BEE novel again) or enjoy the original David Byrne track below:

Fish story's going to save the world one day

Sat, 29 May 2010 12:20:00 +0100

Well, maybe not. But it is a catchy song… and I do like a Karate Kid homage as much as the next person. It’s just a little long for a sci-fi/comedy/drama about a punk song saving the world. Although since I missed it at the Terracotta Film Festival earlier in the year, I’m glad it’s getting a limited release (try London’s ICA). Read more on Fish Story over at Little White Lies.

Japanese Casey Ryback shot from Third Window Films.

Goodbye, gary coleman

Fri, 28 May 2010 22:51:00 +0100

An inter-cranial hemorrhage has taken Coleman at 42. He may be gone, but we’ll always have this:

The solitude of ravens

Wed, 26 May 2010 02:33:59 +0100

The British Journal of Photography has named Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase’s 1986 Karasu (Ravens) as the best photobook of the past 25 years*. According to the BJP:

The book is a mournful reflection on Fukase’s past relationship, but has also been interpreted as an allegorical critique of modern industrialised society.

Through dark, grainy images of karasu, Fukase chronicles a lonesome trip to his hometown in Hokkaido in the late 70s while deep in the throes of divorce from his wife/former muse.

Fukase is said to have first become engrossed by the brooding karasu as he sat aboard the train from Tokyo, not knowing his collection would one day be hailed an obscure masterpiece by British critics. Despite three sold-out editions and a revised, slightly more impressionistic name (The Solitude of Ravens), Fukase’s work has remained largely unknown until this recent accolade.

Karasu are plentiful in Japan, particularly in the cities where special anti-karasu nets are used to protect domestic rubbish from being strewn about the streets. In Japanese mythology, they are said to represent foreboding and dangerous times ahead. I had always translated the word karasu as simply crow, rather than the more mysterious raven, but the Japanese word can apparently mean both black birds. It will take someone far more ornithological than me to know which is actually represented in Fukase’s book.

On a melancholy note**, Fukase has remained in a coma since the early 1990s. He is said to have fallen down stairs while drunk, which merely adds another level of sadness and solitude to his work.

*The Guardian subeditors may have been skeptical about the BJP’s choice of Kurasu. Their article by Sean O’Hagan, Masahisa Fukase’s Raavens: the best photobook of the past 25 years? is a pretty clear example of poorly-chosen punctuation, considering the overall positive tone of the piece.

**On a totally geeky linguistic note, did you know the collective noun for ravens is an unkindness? I did not, until I heard The Unkindness of Ravens, a cool little London two-piece who tend to hang out in Camden.

Images from The Guardian and Mass Observer.