I have not been able to shut up about the outrageously amazing Grace Jones show and the Eiko Ishioka created costumes that graced the amazonian Diva. Musicslut has a great gallery of photos to blow your mind.
Ishioka is well known for her costumes in Bram Stoker's Dracula and The Cell as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Merce Cunningham, worlds “greatest living choreographer”?died last week, a few months after celebrating his 90th birthday and seeing to a Legacy Plan defined as “a comprehensive road map for the future of the Cunningham Dance Foundation, as envisioned by founder Merce Cunningham.”
I have never seen one of Cunningham's pieces in person, though many clips on youtube can enlighten one to what he's all about, and even today it's pretty avant garde.
An extensive obituary detailing his career and life can be read at the New York Times. Be sure to view the slide show to see him as a mad looking genius sharing the stage with Mikhail Baryshnikov on his 80th birthday.
Gentle James Taylor has aged quite well but was particularly lovely to look at as a young man with long hair, a mustache, deep intelligent eyes and Carly Simon on his arm.
As big a star as he ever was today after years of outrageous success and the turmoil of drug addiction, Taylor is also a visible activist for the environment.
The dramatic, sweeping Make It Easy On Yourself could only be the child of Burt Bacharach, the Walker Brothers and a full orchestra under the inspiration of Phil Spector.
Exclaiming that breaking up is so very hard to do, Scott and pals made it to number one in the UK with this one and a none to shabby #16 in the US. The Brothers (who are not really brothers), who hail from LA always got more love and attention from the Brits.
Here's an adorable polite and lovable Gary Walker explaining the song choice “we thought it would be good all around” and a performance from 1965.
Hurricane, Grace Jones’ tenth album that sparked her recent (freaking amazing) tour is a strange one. Not only in the music too. I mean, how many times have you been to a concert of an oldie and found yourself actually moved and excited by their new material? More over, how often does a former disco star’s comeback result in anything interesting? But most strangely, why is this album not released in the US?
I am working on getting a copy, hoping really that it will come to itunes soon, but in the meantime, there are several videos online. Her single, Corporate Cannibal has a visually simple but enthralling morph effect. Her other single, William’s Blood, which she dedicated to Michael Jackson at Hammerstein, does not have an official video, but you can see a video of live performances here. I also loved the bold, rhythmic song she opened with, dressed as a silver alien ghost, This is Life.
Jones told the audience that music had broken her heart. She had cried and screamed over it and walked out on it like a good Diva should. Thankfully producer Ivor Guest convinced her to get back in the game after she took him to bed, and the result is an impressive musical accomplishment.
Now if someone could just give it some distribution!
A little while back, I mentioned a naughty little pop up book that I have fond memories of as a child. I believed, through the wonders of the internets, that I had found it in a book called The Roaring Twenties: A Spicy Pop-Up Book for Adults Only. But wait! Upon further searches while writing this, I believe the one I am truly remembering is author Peter Seymour's other book: Naughty 90's Pop-up. Oh what a fun journey this search has taken me and I will soon have three excellent new books to enjoy because of it (including The Curious Sofa).
I've posted images of the 1920's book over on Rotating Corpse and promise to follow up with the 1890's one just as soon as it is delivered.
Seymour, it may interest you to know, did not make his living entirely on revealing ladies knickers. His other titles include The Pop-Up Book of Big Trucks, Learn About Safety, and Learn About Wheels.
The atmosphere of the appropriately named Hideout bar in Fort Greene is mellow, dark, inviting and snug. Unfortunately the bartender is none of these things. Why any self proclaimed mixologist would find it becoming to bitch about having to shake three fizzes in a row or bemoan a couple that dared to leave their empty 12 dollar a drink glasses on the table is beyond me, but the din of regular and clinking glass can drown him out, and hey, maybe he was just having an off night.
I won't let it mar the total drinking experience, an experience that included fig tinted cocktails and flowery strong punches. The impressive menu (you'll have a terribly fun time choosing a drink) are courtesy of onetime U.K. Bartender of the Year, Charlotte Voisey. ?br/>
You find the faux speakeasy behind unmarked wooden garage doors on Adelphi St.
It's been years since we have indulged at the amazing Aquavit restaurant. Since then, it's changed locations and gone is the Rockefeller indoor waterfall. It was not missed in the face of their 48 dollar epic buffet brunch.
As you go through the offerings, one plate at a time, you'll start (if you follow the suggested order explained in the menu) with eight different kinds of herring. The pickled and the garlic were my favorite. Next comes my favorite section: both hot smoked and cured salmons with sauces. Move on to cold cuts including a supreme salami and cheeses including a sharp swiss. Next are the hot entrees and no matter how full you are, the meatballs and lingonberries are no to be missed. But you won't be done until several of the bite sized and larger desserts are consumed.
It's decadent and indulgent. We had to rest between platings and left stuffed with the cuisine of Sweden to the brim. A crisp beer or a danish mary (made with dill infused auavit) accompany the breakfast.
The atmosphere is sophisticated but more laid back than I expected which was nice. You'll be sharing space with tourists with more adventurous palettes and old moneyed people who embark on this pricey brunch regularly. For us it's a once a year extravagance that I hope to turn into a yearly tradition.
Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant was my introduction to Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and it was an introduction long time coming. I've always been intrigued by the covers in video stores of beautiful pained women and the titles like Beware of a Holy Whore and Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. Still, I hesitated for years to watch one of his films, but once most were available to me on netflix on demand, I no longer had any excuse.
I've learned that the controversial director with a complex personal life (check out the drama on his wikipedia profile) has a certain style of directing which equals twenty five minute scenes of people talking. It may sound trying, but because the characters are talking about the gossip of their lives as their relationships rise and fall apart, and the acting is so superb, the visuals so stunning – it's riveting.
Fashion wise, the film is beyond incredibly inspiring. See a collection of stills here and long for theatrical wigs and makeup, intricate dense beading, and wild necklines. Petra's apartment bedroom/workspace too,?in which the entire film takes place will haunt your aesthetic dreams. A fully covered floor with white bear skin? I've certainly heard worse ideas.
Even if the setting is stunning, the limited scope gives a claustrophobic portrait of a manic woman locked in her own mind and world with little interaction with reality. It's hard to interpret who you are meant to have sympathy for, if anyone at all. Even Marlene (played by Irm Hermann, once Fassbinder's lover and victim of abuse), the movie's most beaten down and enigmatic (especially when we learn she's been packing heat the whole time) is not wanting for your pity.
It's a slow and challenging movie if you're not in the right frame of mind but it's a rewarding and haunting experience. My curiosity to see more of his prolific career has been piqued.
One of the most appealing features of the Avalon in Beverly Hills is there outdoor pool with cabanas for lounging and drinking. It becomes kind of a hot spot on weekend nights (the noise of which seeps in a bit to your room) but for guests it's a fabulous way to relax – an ice latte and some cucumber water in the morning, a cocktail or two in the evening.
The service can be lax, and the drinks themselves are good but not outstanding. Still, such an environment, one that makes you envious of west coast living, is magnificent.