...And I Need All The Love I Can Get

This track so sums up my mentality today...Yearning.

Who knew 1990 could reveal so much about 2008

The Wiz

...can someone please invent a time machine so that we can all go back to 1975 and relive this magick on The Great White (?) Way...

Request From The Universe

Sometimes you just have to simplify the message...in this case up-and-comer Chris Caccamise visually delivers the message I am directing toward the heavens.

Mantra du Jour

The phrase I keep repeating over and over and over in my skull today is:

Don't Judge...Be Open

I need to keep this thought at the forefront of my thinking because, sadly, it is often absent from my approach to life.

Mantra du Jour

The phrase I keep repeating over and over and over in my skull today is:

Don't Judge...Be Open

I need to keep this thought at the forefront of my thinking because, sadly, it is often absent from my approach to life.

Designed Out

There is no doubt that Nicholas Kirkwood is delivering it to The Children. Keep it up...

Eminent Domain

On Thursday I finally checked out Ethan's photos in the Eminent Domain show at the majestic main library.

The show has been well received and justifiably so. All of the photographers look at the City in a different light and from a different angle. These varied perspectives, I believe, mirror a New Yorkers experiences with the city. In the blink of an eye one can go from hating every facet of this concrete monster to savoring it's extraordinary gorgeousness.

Rarely can you walk more than a couple of blocks without having some emotion provoked. The photographs in this group exhibition reflect that diversity of experience.

YouTube What Hath Thou Wrought?

At certain points the YouTube videos I post here will not show up...sometimes they won't appear on the blog until weeks after I post them. It is pure insanity I tell you...

Be Your Man

Shout to Minneapolis...Shout to Prince and all his disciples.

Cuttlefish Are Rad

...I could watch footage of cuttlefish for hours. Their beauty is inspirational.

Thank you Moms Nature!

Witness Genius

...the term "Genius" gets bandied about a lot lately, but Zach Galifianakis is a true genius. Anyone who can manufacture the concept of a Norah Jones Laser show deserves such praise

Fade to Grey

...It is just one of those days that you HAVE to take it back to '81. This is what we thought the future would look like.

Suprisingly the New Romantic/ Blitz Kids thing never got a stronghold in the heartland of the U.S.

Old Way vs. New Way

...the Daft Punk classic transcends generations. Bring it to the floor

Daft Punk A Capella

...a different take on the Daft Punk classic

Can't Agree More.

"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes." —Henry David Thoreau

Perpetual Lesson

One of the big lessons in my life is learning the necessity of Patience. I did not grow up in the internet age, I legitimately remember a time when things, people, information moved at a drastically slower pace.

However, as an adult I am plagued by impatience. I yearn for the world to move as fast as the ideas that spin in my head. When this does not happen I get frustrated. Part of what I am going through right now is the need to slow down and reperspectivize.

I need to learn how to pace myself so that I am in sync with, for lack of a better term, the rhythm of life...

If Sleeping Is An Art, This Is My Canvas

I don't know where Nicolas Matheus took this photograph, but this is my ultimate dream bed. Outside, in a blue glow, and no visible distractions. What else do you need for slumber?

Killer (Mc)Queen

Janet delivering Alexander Mcqueen at the opening of Lee's L.A. flagship store. Work the functions sweetie...

Appreciate Small Moments

A torrential downpour outside...a surprisingly delicious homemade lasagna...the latest episode of Mad Men. Put them all together and for that span of time life is bueno...

How It Is

This is one of those truths that I need to remind myself of on a daily basis.

Had lunch at Dojo today with Alyssa and this was pretty much the topic of conversation. We both described our struggles with envisioning the path that lies before us...How do you get motivated to get out of a rut?...isn't the rut part of the Universe's plan?...

Is It Real Or In My Skull?

Now bear in mind that I don't have a mortgage in default and I haven't purchased a gallon of gas in years, so the following comments may be extremely late to the scene, but the sense of economic dread amongst my fellow citizens seems to be more palpable by the day.

Perhaps it is the realization that there is absolutely no easy answer to our predicament, and unlike past crises we cannot fool ourselves into believing one will appear.

Earlier today I thought that the central question that should arise in the upcoming presidential debates needs to be "What are you prepared to ask the American public to sacrifice in order to get the country back on track?". Unlike after 9/11, we can't suggest that going shopping will pump enough money back into the ecomomy to change the course.

I must admit that I am a little scared at how two politicians would answer this question with an election in the balance...

One More Try

Decided to give Sean Wilsey's Oh The Glory Of It All another chance. I started reading it when it first came out and for some reason it just did not grab me. Usually, if I decided that I do not like something then it is dead to me.

Having had so many people praise this book influenced me to give it another chance. We'll see if I can commit this time.

Thought From The Quote

George Eliot's quote "It's never too late to be who you might have been." is really kicking my ass lately.

I am trying to decipher what lies on the road ahead...psychologically, spiritually, physically. My thought is that the answer rests within early childhood hopes, dreams and perspectives...stuff that got glossed over on the way to adulthood.

Postmodern Hardcore Megazine

If you are a devotee of well-edited magazines filled with pretty and pretty interesting people, you must pick up Kaiserin. It bills itself as a magazine for "Boys With Problems". One of my problems is justifying the 23 dollars U.S. that my local vendeur gouged me for a copy. Fortunately it was worth every penny.

Glorious Discomfort

Thank G-d Tim and Eric have returned. It finally feels good to go insane again.

Times Square South

The 'Hood gets nasty again.

Advice From A Pro

In these difficult economic times maybe we just need to take to heart some lyrics from Ms. Foxy Brown...

If you go broke, it ain't the end
Remember how you did it before?
Let's do it again

You could start from the bottom
Take it to the top
Start it from the Hoopty, end it in the Drop

You are not going to this positive message from reading The Wall Street Journal, that's for sure...

Fighting A Social Ocean

Ninety-nine percent of the time I think that David Brooks is a tool. Unfortunately there is that 1 percent of the time that he is right. This Op-Ed is one of those times.

Please

...God if you love your children in The New York, turn down the heat. I think my soul is melting.

Successories

The first person I spot wearing any of these accoutrements from G&G's show in San Francisco will receive one complimentary kiss (avec tongue). Someone must take me up on this offer.

Beach Look 08

Demanding readers want to know what look I am delivering on the Atlantic Riviera. I am giving much Comme des Garcons collabo...

If You Can Design One Subway Map...

A Shout to Massimo Vignelli for serving up this gorgeously graphic MTA map.

Wherever You Call Home...And Especially When You Travel

Keep Your Sh*t Beautiful People...

The Right Now

Having an extreme Guy Bourdin moment. Feeling detached and disembodied...Ouch

May You Live In Interesting Times...

From today's New York Times business page...

IT’S dispiriting indeed to watch the United States financial system, supposedly the envy of the world, being taken to its knees. But that’s the show we’re watching, brought to you by somnambulant regulators, greedy bank executives and incompetent corporate directors.

Buckle up people...it is just starting to get bumpy.

Deconstruction And Inspiration

Although it has since been removed, I am still drawing much inspiration from this PosterBoy mashup that hung in the 23rd St. A/C/E station.

This cat has technical prowess and great ideas.

Please Give To The Aesthetically Needy...

July is not too early to get your Christmas shopping done. Especially since I already know what I want to find under my tree...

July 7th...A Quarter Of A Century Ago

Twenty-five years ago today, New Order plays a show at Paradise Garage. Although my New Order worshipping period was still a few years away, I would have killed to have been there.

Hate...Random But Real

From a MySpace art forum comes the following comment:

yes i know who he is and I LOATHE HIM. i hate him so much it makes me crazy. i really do hate ****** ******* and everything he stands for. i most of all hate how much of a phenomenon he was. i hate that he was a model. i hate that he was a football player. i hate that he is straight and he was heral...

Anyone who correctly guesses who the object of this rant was will receive a shiny nickel...

All Eras

Put together Broadway legend Gwen Verdon, choreography by master Bob Fosse, beats by DJ Unk and a touch of Andre 3000 and you get this slice of heaven...

Overheard On Bleecker Street

As I walk down Bleecker Street I hear one homeless person say to another:

"There's lesbians, there's idiots, there's the nuts, and then there's the animals!"

I have no idea what this idea shard could be referring to, but the first person who writes a novel revolving around this bit of language will get this shiny nickel...

Virtual Word-A-Day Calendar

The word-of-the-day is Fossorial. If you can use drop it into a casual conversation today I will give you this shiny nickel.

Flip Your Wig

If Henrik says that you wear a wig, then glamdammit you will wear a wig. No questions axed!

Fran Lebowitz On Night In The City

...a clip from a really great documentary PBS has been showing lately called "HOME". The film has New Yorkers talking about why the city is home to them.

A nice love letter to the city...and a great excuse to have Fran Lebowitz offer her insights.

A Plea

Can we all agree that something has to be done about Eddie Murphy? He seems to remain in existence despite my mental attempts to stop him from making movies.

Alienation, Loneliness And No Wisecracking

You haven't lived until you have lived life without Garfield.

There is no funnier comic strip.

View daily for joy.

All This Brutal Beauty

As many of you know my taste in contemporary music runs the gamut from House to Deep House with occaisional forays into Deep Deep House. However a few months ago Laurent Garnier contributed an astounding mix to the Beats In Space series.

Amongst the tracks he included were a couple of devastating Drum&Bass tracks. Admittedly my knowlege of this electronic sub-genre is very limited, but these songs were unignorable in there power...

Somewhere I came across a stellar review of this compilation. Not being a huge D&B fan, I was unfamiliar with DJ/Producer Andy C.

Finally I tracked this mix down and let me say it is absolutely brutal in it's intensity. It is simultaneously perfect for walking down the street in a disgruntled mood and for when you desire some exhiliration in your life. Aurally, every button gets pushed....Not for the faint of heart or mind.

People Made Of Glass

Tim seemed to have it all.

He was a trainer at a chic gym. His girlfriend was gorgeous. He lived in a two-bedroom apartment in New York. Plus, he got to have me as a neighbor.

Many times we would connect on our rooftop, usually when there were fireworks bursting over the Hudson River, which happened surprisingly often throughout the year. We would talk about the weather, he would give me some pointers about working out or we would gossip about our mutual neighbors.

The conversations never got too deep, but his laid-back attitude made these interactions more than enjoyable.

Tim was a couple of years my senior and appeared to have his life "together". Because my life was frequently not "together" I was mildly jealous of him.

Because our interactions were irregular, I didn't notice when seeing him became less frequent. At a certain point I think I assumed that he had moved out and I had not been aware...casual relationships dissolve in the blink of an eye in the city.

One afternoon I heard some commotion outside my front door. I looked through the peephole and saw that there were some cops congregating in the hallway. While I would have loved to be anonymously voyeuristic, I abandoned the peephole in favor of getting dressed for work.

Fifteen minutes later when I opened my front door I was greeted by the sight of Tim strapped to a gurney and being transported down seven flights of stairs. Even if I had wanted to inquire to the nature of the situation, the batallion of E.M.T.s and police officers would have thwarted me.

A couple of days later I came across Kevin, a neighbor at the other end of the hall.

"So, did you hear what happened to Tim?" he asked.

Kevin proceeded to inform me that Tim's girlfriend had moved out a few months prior, he had returned to some heavy drug use after years of being clean. Eventually the situation devolved into Tim slashing his wrists. Thankfully, help came in time to save his life, but he was going to be hospitalized for quite a while.

Many months after the attempted suicide I came across Tim in the hallway. Needless to say it was going to be an awkward interaction.

In a perfect world Tim would have had a life-changing epiphany following his attempt to kill himself. Sadly it became apparent to me that Tim was strung out on some kind of drug. His once robust physique was gone. The wounds on his wrists were healed, but still obvious.

He asked if I could spare twenty dollars so that he could take a train to Long Island. I gladly obliged as it would mean a quick end to the interaction.

Maybe a week later we had another hallway encounter. He asked for money once more. Sensing that I was being taken for a ride, I lied and said I had none to spare.

Not too much later a sherriff appeared outside his apartment and slapped some sort of eviction notice on the door.

I never saw Tim after that, but I frequently think about the fragileness of our day-to-day existence because of my encounters with him. What appears strong on the outside may also have a core of weakness that can be debilitating if released.

Obligatory Weather Post

We used to have an old saying in the Midwest..."If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes it'll change."

Of course they used to say this in Florida and New Hampshire and Montana and...okay they say this everywhere and it is probably true everywhere. It has definitely been true in The New York City this weekend. It literally has reverted back and forth from clear-blue sky to torential rain at least four times today.

This situation just drives me crazy. While I don't exactly look forward to rainy days, they don't trip me up too much....What does throw me for a loop is when it goes from sunny to cloudy or vice versa. I guess I like having one outlook per day, having it influence my mood and then sticking with it.

Getting Real Real

In all honesty I have not been a big Thomas L. Friedman fan the past few years. Probably it was due to him beating that "world is flat" metaphor to death.

But today's Op-Ed brings him back to the forefront of editorial awesomeness. The sole reason is that it is brutally honest.

This country is facing an economic and social crisis. The longer we put off the unpleasant, yet necessary, solutions the tougher those solutions will be to implement and endure.

When we celebrate Independence Day this Friday, will we have the strength to look deep inside our collective citizenhood and commit to making some sacrifice to get this nation back on track, or will we remain mute and powerless to the future.

"Gainin' On 'Ya!"

As with most things, George Clinton was 30 years ahead of his time in prophesizing a Black President.

Let's hope the Obama reign is half as fun-kay as Bootsy Collins' bassline.

Help Save Controversy

Unfortunately I will be unable to comment on the Marc Jacobs Rebel Pride T-shirt until the beatings cease. That is, until I stop beating up the tools that buy this dangerous corporate rebellion.

Dirty Is Back

Happy (hopefully) Perversion Day!

Viva La Negative Space

For some reason all the youtube videos I have posted are showing up as blank spaces. Instead of watching the images, I suggest we all just quietly meditate and imagine what pictures could be on view.

Remembrances Of Things Past-ish

A curious reader stimulates my insight regarding random ideas:

Describe the 90's with a color...

Originally I thought there would be two responses, one cultural and one personal. After careful examination of the data it turns out the color that describes the 90's is Silver.

On the personal side, silver is represented in my desire to get my hair that color. My colorist could never acheive the shimmery shade I wanted. Instead I had to find other ways to grow into my individuality...to learn how to make "statements" that broke me out of my introverted self.

Culturally, silver says "Space Age" and the 90's were a time when people began to believe in the future again. Primarily this is to due to the increased access to the internet. But also, technology as a whole became more prevalent in people's day-to-day lives.

Shout Out: Vidal Sassoon

Unfortunately, a lot of people associate the name Vidal Sassoon with shampoos available at the local Walgreen's.

It is important to remember that he also destroyed the hairstyling world in the way-back with his revolutionary asymetrical cuts. Styles were simple and streamlined and anticipated a clean and radical future.

A Further Widening Of The Mind

Had to shag my ravishingly beautiful ass out to Bayonne New Jersey for a soiree last night...what I won't do to be social.

Now, as everyone knows I am a totally Manhattan-centric. Rarely do I leave the island and to say that it is the center of the universe still undersells it's importance.

Nonetheless it has come to my attention that there is life outside of my city. I witnessed this first-hand on this visit to the Garden State.

Mr. Tim's party had some very interesting down-to-earth attendees. There was delicious food prepared from scratch in a kitchen that at least eight adults could stand in.

All in all a great evening despite being surrounded by drunken thirty-year-olds on the PATH train home.

The Winner...

...of the best ironic cover image for an album of dancehall versions of 1980s hits. Available along with a buttload of other gorgeous music, books and clothing at the Turntable Lab Annex.

Yellow Magic Orchestra Tightens Up For Don Cornelius

Holy Sh*t! Yellow Magic Orchestra serves up their version of the Archie Bell and The Drells classic "Tighten Up"...on Soul Train no less.

Although the song is fantastic, stick around for the interview with Don Cornelius. They shout out Kraftwerk, New Wave and Soul Music.

Ouch!...1980 was on fire y'all.

It Is Summer...Bring The Yellow

Galliano still delivers pretty things at Chrissy's House

Out In Front

In the Public Relations racket there is an approach called "getting out in front of a story". Basically, instead of having a scandal revealed and responding defensively, you reveal the tawdry information and can therefore influence how it is perceived. The scandalized is in control instead of being dominated by the story.

The other day I had to employ this approach. I had made a completely stupid and embarassing mistake with someone I report to. Instead of having them potentially reveal my momentary lack of sanity, I called everyone of any import and told them the story about how I acted retardedly.

In doing so I avoided looking like a fool by un-self-consciously revealing my foolishness.

Giving The Talent

Shout to KAWS for his aesthetic editorialization of the July issue of i-D magazine. The look is great and the completeness of his input is fantastic.

...And Now A Word From Our Sponsor

I can't imagine a time before European Styling Foam. Thank you Alberto

My Neighborhood

Around the corner on Bleecker Street. As a wee lad I never imagined I'd live this close to a Picasso.

Wicked!

There is no doubt that Gareth Pugh is delivering what absolutely everyone should be wearing this l'automne

The influence of Wizard of Oz will never lose it's strength.

Dance With The Lords

If you are an Artiste that works in the medium of video, why don't you go ahead and just give up. Submit this visual awesomeness to your gallerypimp and just call it a day.

Stiv Bators envisioned everything you want to accomplish years ago, so lets all just sit back and enjoy.

It's Not Where You're From It's Where You're At

If you want to know where United States-ian politics is at right now, you have to read this New Yorker article by journalist George Packer.

My archnemesis Ronald Reagan popularized the phrase "It's Morning in America"...but now, with the eventual death of conservative movement, it truly does feel like the country is about to be reborn.

Ete d'amour 2008

The Parisian masterminds behind the revered "Respect Is Burning are going to turn up the heat in the New York with Thursday night parties this summer. Santos Party House will earn it's status as THE place to be.

Get ready to fall in love, New York.

Ab-sense

Been quite a spell since I posted anything...Probably due to a combination of laziness, a flurry of social activity, and the planet Mercury being retrograde and causing chaos.

Ending The Weekend

Although not as eventful as last Memorial Day when my brother Clay was in town, this holiday weekend was delightful. The only phrase to describe it is "care free". Sometimes my care-freeness can slip into the denial of reality. But the past couple of days were a beautiful blend of activity, duty and restfulness.

As usual, another upside is that it will only be four days until the next weekend. Although with Mercury being retrograde, those four days will likely seem like five.

Living My Life Nightclubbing

The visionaries at Clam magazine AND Metal magazine both realize that the future is focused on Miss Grace Jones

Icon For Now People

At the moment this album should be the inspiration for everything in your life.

The merits of "Glam Slam" and "Alphabet St." need no further justification...Miss Thang serves it album wide.

The cover image must guide your every sartorial decision. Combine flora and nakedity and you have aesthetic dynamite.

Fronthanded Compliment

As a way of relieving the pressure within the work environment, myself and a couple of select co-workers have developed a game we play late in the afternoon. Basically, we pretended to be pissed off at each other and we come up with completely comically miniscule flaws in the other person.

For example the other day I was ranting about how some of the younger employees knew nothing about popular music...and why was I burdened with the responsibility of educating them about the significance of The Jets or even DeBarge.

Of course I take my rants and turn them into performance pieces that eventually force those within earshot to assume I have lost my mind, am retarded or both.

After this pop culture diatribe, a co-worker said to me "I tell my friends stories about you and they don't believe me...some of them don't believe you exist, that I am making you up"

This is the calibre of compliment that absolutely warms my heart...or maybe they are right and I don't exist.

Let's Go Crazy

My block.
Around the corner.
Back in the day this is what my neighborhood was like.

The Results Of Pressure

It is human nature to avoid stress. Who wants to endure it needlessly? Yet if one reflects on their life they may see that those stress-inducing experiences produce, for lack of a better term, growth.

In an attempt to put a positive spin on the scars (physical, psychological or spiritual) that painful situations can manifest, I am now going to use the quote below to re-perspectivize my view. The quote is from the Orson Welles character Harry Lime in the film noir classic "The Third Man"

In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.

Get Modern

Mummenschanz is the real deal people... Respect is due!

By Myself At The Disco

Little did I know that when I strut my fun-kay stuff down the streets with the iPod cranked to 11, that I am actually personalizing a cultural phenomenon.

Resignation At The Ultra Vivid Scene

Last night I had Part II of a nightmare that I first had several months ago... All the usual dream-reciting caveats apply (which basically sum as "you had to be there")

The gist of the nightmare was that I had to navigate these lush green suburban neighborhoods in order to escape packs of rabid pitbulls. The dogs all had disfigured faces as if they had been in countless scuffles (and won). The dogs were absolutely vicious and the assumption was that if caught, you would be ruthlessly ripped to shreds.

After what seemed like perpetual escapes from the dogs, I came to a point where I concluded that if their attack on me was inevitable, I might as well just get it over with. From that point on I would come in contact with the dogs and they would growl and generally frighten the Hellz out of me, but they did not really seem interested in destroying me...basically we came to a place of peaceful coexistence.

I was relieved that the stress I had manifested did not go away, but was kept at bay.

New York Is Back

The other day I was in the vicinity of the Empire State Building when I saw a genuine game of Three Card Monte be run on the street. The people who were being parted from their money were not some rubes from Peoria, but rather legitimate New Yorkers...who were not wise enough to realize the were being conned.

It has been at least a decade since I have seen this scam in action. Maybe it is a sign of the economic times that such a con can be run successfully...