PBF is the work of Nicholas Gurewitch, and blends all of life's cruel lessons into a variety of satirical comic strips. Gurewitch started his strip for the Syracuse University newspaper, and it has blossomed into an award winning webcomic. The style progresses from simple drawings to highly detailed, beautiful artwork; the subject matter is mildly to extremely offensive. The comics are unapologetically blunt and crass, and fill my daily need for cleverly controlled cynicism (try saying that 3 times fast).
Coconut Records is the painstakingly simple and quirky project of indie god Jason Schwartzman, best known for his films (such as Rushmore, I ♥ Huckabees, The Darjeeling Limited) and as the drummer for Phantom Planet. That aside, Coconut Records just released second album Davy, and I have eaten it right up. No track is longer than 3 minutes, each is a little burst of melancholy with music that lets you bounce along and lyrics that make you ponder whether you'll ever know what to do with your life. It's all of life's questions concerning love and what it is to be young. Plus there is xylophone, which is hard to resist. I bought my album from Amie St, because I hate iTunes. Schwartzman's one artist I don't mind paying full price for.
Start with tracks 'Saint Jerome' and 'I Am Young.' If you're as indie as you think you are, you'll enjoy Coconut Records.
I had the pleasure of meeting the guys from Drive By Press in the fall when my printmaking teacher invited them to stop by our class. Drive By Press is a good example of a graduate thesis gone WELL(!), and this I find very inspiring. Greg and Joseph wanted to find a way to bring printmaking out in the open and out to the public so that it could be better understood and appreciated- and especially so that other people could participate. They tour the US year round visiting different schools, events, and concerts where they make shirt after shirt on-site. They are able to do this by creating their own woodcuts, and toting around a giant beauty of a press attached to the back of their truck. Somewhat guerilla and fully participatory, I love that these guys have opened up the world of printmaking to everyone. Normally you won't find any printing presses that can be moved around, much less from city to city. They've got an idea with a purpose, to mention some great style.
As a printmaker myself, I am very grateful there are people out there continuing to find ways to make the art form relevant. I'm also proud to have two of their fabulous tees, fo free!
Jack Bauer's man-bag is so badass, it has it's own Twitter.
The man-bag says few words, but so far my favorite tweets are as follows:: 1) Chewbacca sports an impressive Man Bag all that fur must tickle I prefer Jack's hip mmm Jack's hip: 2) @real_jackbauer What would you do without me? 3) Glad jack ditched the trench coat, it was seriously clashing with my fashionable accessorizing. 4) Jack, you better not have dumped me in the basement along with @JacksInspectorGadgetTrenchCoat
I still wonder show after show what Jack keeps in his reliable tote... A gun? A PowerBar? Those elusive weapons of mass destruction?
The Filthy Youth. Where do I even begin? I first heard them knowing I would hate them. Then I listened, and can't get them out of my head. A very british pop punk band from Stevenage, London, they're the kind of band that makes you need to run your fingers through your hair at a show. His voice adds the perfect amount of grit and distaste to keep it punk and with the right level of intoxication the combination of authentic British punk, impossibly disintrested singer, and low-fi pub cellar sound make it impossible to be still. You don't know whether to kiss someone or punch someone first. When I'm feeling especially angsty, the line "she goes to Uni for free and I don't know what she studies, fuck knows what she plans to be" from song 'Come Flash All Your Ladies' strikes a chord, while 'Pirate' is almost a nod to The Doors.
Not only that, but for those of you that care about this kind of thing, The Filthy Youth's lead singer is Ed Westwick, a star of the show Gossip Girl (and also apparently the new face of K-Swiss?) Like, wow. Busy guy.
I've found myself much more aware of pop culture in different media lately, and am inspired knowing that all different kinds of people are able to create art and express themselves to a very wide audience. It's amazing how everyday people are suddenly able to entertain millions of people, at any time. Now that's 'all men are created equal' if you ask me. YouTube has changed everything.
Space Potatoes from comedy troupe The Whitest Kids You Know. Not too slick, but still satisfies the basest humor desires. I also really enjoyed their We Buy Drugs as well.
Reppin the KVDU shirt, post-graduation. Yes yes yes.
My favorite alpha males are coming in hot and keeping us up on the fresh. They're celebrities in their own eyes, and it looks like pretty soon they might be famous for reaaal.
Anthony Bourdain is exactly the type of celeb I can't help but notice. He's written memoirs and novels, traveled the globe (no really, I am sick with envy when I see the places he goes to), and starred in two successful television shows (on Travel Channel & Food Network)... did I mention he's a world renowned chef? I first came across him after picking up a copy of Kitchen Confidential, which chronicles his life as a chain smoking, doping dishwasher up to his infamy as a critically acclaimed French chef. Then much to my delight, I realized he is on television, for me to enjoy in hour long segments. No Reservations follows his tall, skinny, greying self as he eats food in the dirtiest kitchens and the most beautiful unknown travel destinations.
That said, let's take a look at the man. He's a chef, without being pretentious. He smokes 2 packs a day and drinks any alcohol he can get his hands on throughout each show. He travels everywhere, (and paid to do it) eating the best of the best. He's sarcastic and has the mouth of a sailor. Even one of his tattoos is the same symbol I've been considering getting for a long time (I won't tell you which one, he has a number of them). He's tall, dark and handsome. He's what Humprey Bogart probably wished to look like. And he talks trash about vegetarians like you wouldn't believe.
Plus he has a sense of humor. Check the photo below. Too many piece-of-meat innuendos to even bother.
Yes, I still love him, after all these years. And will probably immediately visit the cologne section next time I hit the mall. I won't call him Diddy, though.
If you haven't seen Notorious, you should. The soundtrack makes up for everything and more.
Also, check the poster I found at Amoeba last summer on Haight St. One more reason to love San Francisco.
To the Urban Outfitters' frequenter, this is nothing new. But I see no wrong in the 'popular,' especially when it's European. Sébastien Tellier's newest album, Sexuality, came out just a few months ago, and it definitely continues Sébastien's trend of increasingly sexual songs. Aptly named Sexuality, this album is jam-packed with driving, thrilling beats coexisting with a breathy French voice. Not to mention, the lyrics that can actually be understood are straightforward advances (I'd say the repeated "sexual ideas, sexual ideas" in 'Fingers of Steel' is one of my favorites). He explains the inspiration song-by-song of each track in this Clash music article. The music itself ranges from the genius poppy 'Divine,' winner of EuroTV's 2008 song contest, to 'Kilometer's pulsing beat and suggestive lyrics, to the intense 7+ minute instrumental 'Sexual Sportswear.' Some of the moaning seems a little excessive at times, but overall this just might my favorite album of 2008.
Did I mention the vinyl is pressed in baby blue?
I was lucky enough to catch one of his shows this winter on his 5-city US tour (why Denver was one is something I'll never know, but always appreciate). Larimer Lounge is a tiny, intimate space with just the right amount of low stage and christmas lights. The opening act, Astra Moveo, was fantastic, and Sébastien didn't even come on stage until midnight. He sang his best songs and made love to the entire crowd with each track. He also borrowed my lighter without returning it, but I figure it went to a greater cause.
So during a conversation questioning what Furries are possibly thinking, animal-dressing turned to animal videos. One in particular was the infamous YouTube phenom "Hamster on a Piano (Eating Popcorn)." A 1:08 minute song with few lines and a tinny electro beat is, for whatever reason, absolutely captivating; even a tough man would soon smile when that little hamster keeps being shifted further and further upside down as he enjoys his kernel of popcorn. And with a suspenseful and quick ending involving the hamster seeming to be flipped off of the keyboard- and then suddenly he's back on the piano with the help of a giant hand. I was even a little worried when that chubby little bundle of cuteness lost the kernel before the fall- it was very clear his biggest worry was losing that delicious snack.
As someone who doesn't play video games, I have never had any interest in the strangely named Wii, much less the WiiFit. Not only does it continue the trend of fully white colored technology devices, but it also screams 'anti-social.' You don't even have to leave your house to work out anymore, nor is it even a piece of gym equipment. No, the WiiFit is a plastic scale that you stand on. Doesn't sound much fun to me.
Well...until last night. I was over at a friend's apartment with a few people, and none of us had hung out as a group before. A few sake bombs and PBR's later, and the WiiFit was suddenly the obvious activity to move on to. It took me a little convincing, as the idea of standing on what is essentially a scale in the front of people I was meeting for the first time didn't sound appealing to me. That aside, we skipped the weigh-in, and there arrived possibility. The creation of characters was thrilling enough to keep us going for at least an hour, and then the perfect use of the WiiFit was seen: the ideal drunken activity, in the safety of your own home! Hula hooping, skiing, swimming, balances, racing- your friends can all sit and watch you sway your hips with true intent, or lean forward uncomfortably as your 'Mii' goes about the actual physical exertion.
Just make sure you don't jump on it. WiiFit does NOT like to be jumped on.
Granted, I don't see myself going out and buying a WiiFit any time soon. But I did meet some insanely cool people last night, and it was the series of awkward movements on display for everyone to see that brought us together. That makes the WiiFit good in my book. Now who wants another PBR?
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