Hallelujah Chicken Run Band

Afrofunk band from Zimbabwe that inspired the likes of my favourite band, Vampire Weekend. Worth a listen, most definitely.  




For the youtube playlist click me.

untitled (2010) helvetica on screen

After researching the Mudd Club era this morning, I came back later in the day lusting for more details. I'm infatuated with atypical-type legends of underground/emerging art scenes who knowingly or not, created waves of artistic revolution, reinventing originality and designing new forms of perception. As Diane von Furstenburg so mildly comments regarding her impact on forever changing pop culture alongside Warhol in FASHION's March 2010 issue:

"You can't tell history while you're living it. It's only when you look back, and even then you don't say, 'Oh, look at what I have done.' You just live it."

Just thought I'd throw that in there since I just finished reading over the glossy pages and it feels fitting, as well as, part inspirational, part redundant. If I could hang with an underground arty avant-gard crowd forever changing the face of pop culture history - don't you think I would just do that and live it myself? Isn't that why I go to small indie concerts at Reverb on Queen W. and attend parties like "The Rager" at Sneaky Dees, duh. Or I think I'll just settle with finding my place in this universe and balance the act with some soul and artistic expression.

Speaking of artistic expression... while fulfilling my lust for everything Mudd-related, I veered down the avenue of artist Keith Haring, you know the one who curated the rotating gallery for the club... since you're following my blog so diligently... @smtwtfs. 

  

untitled (1982) marker ink and acrylic on found canvas

untitled (1987) acrylic on canvas

untitled (1990) sumi ink on board

Turns out, I'm far from alone in enjoying the work of Haring. Keith Haring is everywhere - literally! From Swiss water bottle brand SIGG's special limited-edition collectors' series (released in July 09), to Jeremy Scott/Schott collaboration result: 'The Perfecto' motorcycle jacket with all-over b&w Keith Haring inspired design, to Kanye's head at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

 

SIGG "Celebrate America" special limited-edition collectors' series

'The Perfecto' by Jeremy Scott and Schott.

Kanye West @ 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

I guess no one cared too much about his hair after his appalling antics of the evening.  

At the beginning of this year, Keith Haring Journals was inducted into Penguin Classics as a Deluxe Edition with 90 b&w images of his art, Polaroids (never-before-published) and "a remarkable glimpse of a man who, in his quest to become an artist, instead became an icon." That was so unsubtle and lame, I couldn't resist. Still, I'd be interested in flipping through the pages, wouldn't you? 

Mudd Club Moment - Freedom, Opportunity, Subversion

I was estatic to open my inbox this morning and see that Elizabeth and James had sent some big news! MK & A's Spring '10 collection is now available in stores and online. I decided to do some finder window shopping. Sad but true.

The collection is descibed as:

A gritty 80's vibe reminiscent of New York City's Mudd club era with pop embellishments, tonal tie-dye, leather panels and washed down fabrics.

The Mudd Club was a TriBeCa nightclub (1978-1982), a hub for underground music and counterculture scene in NYC. It was the anti-Studio 54 until downtown celebrities took over the scene and the club establised an elitist rep.

It had gender-neutral bathrooms and a rotating gallery curated by Keith Haring, live new wave and experiemental music performances - I'm thinking it was to NYC what CiRCA is to T.O., maybe in the later years?

Nearly a decade ago, Tim Blanks chronicled the Mudd Quake in The New York Times Magazine, in an colourful account of living in this fashionable, avant garde moment.

Mudd Quake: "The Mudd Club meant something: freedom, opportunity, subversion, all cosseted by the nurturing insularity of a genuine underground scene."

...

 And once you distill the elements of the look from Maripol's Polaroids, you see it everywhere for spring, from prom dresses, cocktail sheaths, pedal pushers and leather jackets over slips to fur stoles, rhinestones, red, red lips, black, black eyeliner and bad-girl hair.

The apotheosis of thrift-shop chic, Mudd fashion was embodied by Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper and early Maripol-styled Madonna, and eventually entered the fashion vocabulary of the wider world. Which makes the current revival inevitable, since what goes around comes around.

MARIPOL'S POLARIODS

And that's where the story would stop if all we were talking about was a renewed appetite for fingerless lace gloves and crinolined party frocks. But Mudd redux is much more than Mudd reduced to fashion nostalgia. After all, the Mudd Club meant something: freedom, opportunity, subversion, all cosseted by the nurturing insularity of a genuine underground scene, perhaps the last real one New York had. Après lui, le déluge: AIDS, MTV, recession, crack, Reagan's war on drugs, yuppie gentrification, celebrity culture, each in its own way restricting individuality and creativity. Is it any wonder that people should now be lending totemic significance to the Mudd moment? It has been more than 17 years -- a generation -- since Mass shut his club down. Nostalgia tends to run in cycles. Muddites were as attracted to the 50's and 60's as we are today to the 70's and 80's.

But the Mudd Club's studied rejection of disco culture has an even deeper resonance. When Maripol goes to clubs now, she sees a void. "The Mudd Club was not something that would leave you empty," she says. "It wasn't only about dancing. It was a merging of artists. There was a lot of intellectual exchange in art, literature, music, films.* "


In other words, the Mudd blazed trails. It created a liberating environment, most singularly and romantically in the way it exalted art as a way to set yourself free. The club was the first downtown venue to celebrate graffiti art and rap, to give significant exposure to artists like Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf. It was a magnet for free spirits from all over America. Even if you weren't an artist, musician or filmmaker, it offered the empowering possibility that you could be.

(This article is amazing... I want to include the entire thing, but you can just go read it yourself here if you want).

Nine years later, designers including MK & A are drawing inspiration from the Mudd moment one more time.

These two looks are my favourite. The tie-dye doesn't scream hippie - but hot grunge. The dress on the right is gorgeous - it is actually a deep rich blue. I like the full shoulder detailing, reminiscent of 80's but still very modern.

I liked most of the pieces except for the hideous beaded Dietrich Tunic and matching mini - normally I like embellished beadwork, at least on models, but this is just wrong. With red and green sporatic beads - I wouldn't even wear this at Christmas time. Take away the red and green top layer of beads and it would be a beautiful piece IMO. 

Kristen Stewart wore Elizabeth and James to the New Moon premier in Madrid - simple but an awesome piece. I like the model's shoes better though, sorry Kristen.

xxx

TUT @ AGO

I feel comfortable admitting that mostly all my knowledge of Ancient Egypt, acquired in grade five history, disappeared long ago. Recently my mum and sister came to visit me in the city and we spent a highly educational and culture-filled day becoming reacquainted with King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs - currently on display at the AGO (until April 18, 2010). 

It was pretty spectacular.  

The lineup went fairly quickly to enter, however, because it was a Saturday, admission was $18.50 for students, $32.50 for adults and the exhibition itself was quite crowded and slow-moving. (It's cheaper to go during the week and I'm sure less busy).

Harrison Ford narrates the introductory short film which gave me chills... (HAHA) Honestly though, Ancient civilizations really just boggle my mind! And the preservation of their belongings from THAT long ago!? HOW?! (Not to mention it's Han Solo himself, total babe. Likely making me, a total dweeb! bahah). Anyways, moving along...

Tut became king at age nine and died mysteriously at age 18. Although his reign was brief, his was the only tomb found in the modern era, mostly intact. The exhibition showcases 50 objects found in his tomb, including his bed made of woven reeds, a ten-foot tall statue of the Pharaoh and my favourite - jewellery and footwear!

The gold, lapis lazuli and red palette was beautiful - each piece unique and exquisite. It's no wonder designers have been drawing inspiration from this ancient wonder for their modern day collections continuously, season after season. 


John Galliano was hugely inspired by the antiquities for his Spring 2004 Couture collection.

Alexander McQueen channeled Nefertiti and Cleopatra hair and makeup, alongside an abundance of gold in Fall 2007.  Cleopatra (below) with the same elongated black eyeliner. 

Sophia Kokosalaki was inspired by tomb paintings for Spring 2009, pairing strong-shouldered jackets with A-line skirts. She chose patterns derived from early hieroglyphics and mimicked the colour palette of ancient Egypt. 

Most recently, Diane von Furstenberg was inspired by antiquity for her Spring 2010 rtw collection - gorgeous beadwork.

They say to draw inspiration from everything you do and see in the world around you - King Tut tells me I'm going to be seeing some ancient Egypt in my spring and summer wardrobe for 2010.  


Runway Images from Style.com.

"I want to be a living work of art."

My Image Theory class met at the AGO last night for our first and only field trip of the course. If it's not too obvious to state, this is my favourite course that I am taking in my Image Arts, specialization in New Media certificate program @ Rye high. My professor Rhonda Abrams is the interesting and inspiring art teacher I wish I had first year studying art @ Western U., rather than the misogynist SOB that I did have!!! Freshman art school bitterness aside... the trip was recreational yet meditative. Our assignment involved selecting an artwork and taking a fictitious leap into the imagination of the artist and creating a background theory as to why he chose to create the piece, alongside a sketch of the artwork.

I chose: The Marchesa Casati, Augustus John, 1919, oil on canvas.

Always captivated by this painting when visiting the AGO, I dragged my friend Drew on a mad hunt to track it down. I wrote a ridiculous account of beauty and seduction, intriguing Augustus John to paint this femme fatale. I decided to do some background research on her true identity, later that night. 


"She was the most scandalous woman of her day," according to marchesacasati.com. "The Marchesa Luisa Casati was Europe's most notorious celebrity, and its most eccentric. For the first three decades of the twentieth century she astounded the continent. She travelled to Venice, Rome, Capri and Paris-collecting palaces and a menagerie of exotic animals. Nude servents gilded in gold leaf attended her. Bizarre wax mannequins sat as quests at her dining table. She wore live snakes as jewellery, and she was infamous for her evening strolls, naked beneath her furs, parading cheetahs on diamond-studded leashes." 


I came across a compelling blog (fascinatingpeople.wordpress.com) in which Toronto writer, Lorette C. Luzajic vividly encapsulates the essence of Luisa Casati as madly eccentric, immortalized through her many, many artistic representations (supposedly ranking third EVER behind Cleopatra and Virgin Mary). 

"The Marchesa has been criticized for the bottomless well of her vanity. Would she have been so outrageous if she attracted no attention? Furthermore, she had hundreds of portraits made of herself in ink and oil and photograph. Her motivation, hardly original, yet clear as a bell, was simply this famous statement: “I want to be a living work of art.” Luisa wished to make herself immortal, and so she made herself memorable, with portraits that would bring her to life centuries after her passing." 

...

"The Marchesa was a patroness extraordinaire who valued the arts above all else, even, I believe, above her own image. I am certain that the meaning of her vanity was rooted in her absolute devotion to the creativity of the human imagination," suggested Luzajic.

Written by Shakespeare on her tomb, in 1957: “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety.” 

Eccentricity in the name of art, is there a better method to madness? I think not. 

OctoberFest - Autumn in T.O.

If you know me, you know that I live for spring and when September hits, I become slightly less chipper than my usual self. Last year, I temporarily cured my autumn blues with a trip overseas to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – but upon return with a sun-kissed glow, all I wanted was to be back under the hot sun, lying on the sand beside the turquoise ocean, rather than in the midst of an increasingly frigid Canadian winter, only making matters far worse.


This year however, my plan is foolproof. Instead of visiting a beach for a week, I’m moving into an apartment in the beaches for the year, with my bf. Our place is newly renovated, adorable and begging me to put my many years of watching TLC design shows to good use. Accordingly, my first calling to find pleasure in October will be settling in to my new digs, decorating, exploring the neighbourhood and housewarming celebrations!


While this is proceeding, I’m also keyed up for a few October events in the city: a possible Matt & Kim concert tomorrow night at Reverb, Nuit Blanche this Saturday and Halloween, which I missed out on last year.


Also, I’ve come across numerous movies recently that I can’t wait to see, including: The Invention of Lying, Whip It, Where the Wild Things Are, Coco Before Chanel, Capitalism: A Love Story and John Krasinski’s Directorial debut, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.





The film received mixed reviews at Sundance, but I'm a huge fan of John Krasinski and am eager to see it either way. Plus Ben Gibbard plays Subject #20 and I adore him - him and his new wife Zooey Deschanel, that is (I didn't even know they were dating)! From afar, they make the perfect couple. Last summer, I saw both She and Him and Death Cab for Cutie perform in Toronto and both Gibbard and Deschanel were equally charming, immensely talented individuals.

I'm actually slightly jealous of how perfect this match is.

'The Hills' have eyes, not brains

Guilty.

I gave in and watched the season premier of The Hills last night… and I want that half an hour of my life back, please. 

Yes there was a time when I considered myself a regular viewer and may have – don’t judge me – even included the faux reality television series among my Facebook favs, but let’s put that into perspective, shall we. 

A new series begins with a gorgeous, young and naive LC living out her big break as an intern at Teen Vogue (I was an avid reader of this zine and was thoroughly disappointed on my 20^th birthday at which time I cut myself off from purchasing it any longer). I became interested in the show roughly around the time when I, young and surely naïve, began interning at FASHION Magazine.

It was never the drama that primarily appealed to me, but gaining some insight on a similar situation I had in common with Lauren. Plus, while at FASHION, a regular Hills blog was being featured online and I fact checked it each week – meaning yes, I watched the episode the following morning to check facts – strictly business related.

When Whitney left the show, I quit the habit. She was my favourite of the cast: sweet, stunned and always wearing something noteworthy (not always a positive note, obviously). I didn’t stop watching out of spite, but because I was merely uninterested or too busy and didn’t care enough to make time. I did watch an episode or two of The City, Whitney’s spinoff and then, never, ever again.

Now Lauren’s gone. The girls pursuing careers in the magazine/fashion industries were the one draw, for me at least. So we’re left with the return of Kristin “The Bitch” Cavallari stirring up drama with Audrina and Steph Pratt (who is still not even receiving a starting title credit! I actually feel bad for her – as if being appallingly dumb wasn’t degrading enough). The entire episode is based around the girls bitching at each other for not even one apparent reason and I was left embarrassed for these people and for myself, for time horribly, horribly wasted. But why would any of them care taking home insane paychecks for, well basically nothing. Kristin makes $90,000 an episode and even Brody Jenner is bringing home $45,000 a show, which I will admit grants recognition for successful money-grabbing strategies, even if it stands for everything that is wrong with this world.

I started thinking about all the self-proclaimed, (at least I considered it a guilty pleasure) obsessed Hills fans living their lives according to the Gospel of Heidi Montag. A devout religion with the holiest of sacraments: boob job, lip augmentation and Botox, and commandments swearing to lead lives of absolute egotistical materialism, alongside self-depreciating, douche-bag boyfriends. Can I get an Amen?

When I stopped laughing in disgust of the ridiculousness of it all, it made me sad.

I think back to when I was an adolescent and TGIF wasn’t just an acronym expressing weekend excitement, but the fabulous Friday night lineup that included classics such as: Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World and Teen Angel. These shows had substance, comedy and a moral lesson to learn in each episode. OK fine, “the perfect child” is the very last thing my parents would describe me as, but at least I was given the opportunity to have a childhood and not grow up too fast.

It goes without saying that my parents, grandparents and great grandparents all felt this way about the upbringing of their children. With limits being challenged and borders broken down everyday, which in most terms is revolutionary, but in relation to young Hollywood is tremendously frightening. How far will that line be pushed back and considered the norm when/if I decide to start my own family? And so I reach the moral of this story: the direction we’re headed causes me to consider alternative lifestyles that don’t involve bringing human beings into this twisted, degenerate society – that is, if global warming, nuclear bombs and/or aliens don’t kill us all off first.

Or in simpler terms, since I feel slightly less intelligent after watching the premier episode:

Hills = bad.

Pages Epilogue

Pages Books & Magazines is officially closed today after 30 years - it is a sad day.

---

Planning a minitrip to Ottawa, leaving tomorrow - notes & pics to follow.

It started with Full House...

Interview March '09

Guilty pleasure or not, I was among the millions of frivolous tweens who were Olsen obsessed since day one, following their horribly scripted, over-acted career like it was my job. Despite rants and raves bashing the Olsen's style, the "Trollsen Twins" nickname bestowed by PETA, and topping worst dressed lists on a yearly basis, Mary-Kate and Ashley will always be among my top style icons. Their styles are defined by individualism, and more than ever is that something I am intrigued by, especially in this day and age when it seems to be much more challenging. The March 2009 issue of Interview features an albino-esque Mary-Kate on the cover - I'm astounded and slightly doubtful that it is in fact even her. The shoot is quite unique and the interview to match, is a fulfilling read. MK also graces the cover of FASHION's March '09 issue, and it breaks my heart a little that I am not still interning there for an occasion such as this. Beyond the twins themselves, what I'm really jonesing for is their Spring '09 Collection for Elizabeth and James. If I wasn't so penniless, the entire collection, jewellery very much included, would be mine! Here are some of my favourite looks from the very wearable, 100% Olsen inspired collection.

Robert Lee Morris for Elizabeth and James, Snake Wrap Ring, $100.00.

I cannot wait to see the new Elizabeth and James, in collaboration with Steve Madden, shoe collection - set to be unveiled in mid 2009.