Matthew Broderick's Ferris Bueller Ad + Starbucks Now Selling Booze = Eight Items or Less

January 27, 2012, 11:00 am

≫ Next: David Gensler on the State of Fashion: "The Youth No Longer Want to Rebel, They Want to Stand in Line"

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1. Matthew Broderick reprises Ferris Bueller for a Super Bowl XLVI commercial. We're not sure what he's selling, but we're excited! Chik-chikahchikah. [Moviefone] Meanwhile, Billboard magazine promises there will be brostep music played when NBC cuts to commercials.

2. Ridgewood, Queens, is the new Williamsburg!  The Wall Street Journal investigates the flock of young artists and new galleries moving there "looking for large studios and affordable rents."

3. There's a new art fair coming to Miami for those who just can't wait for the next edition of Basel. The inaugural edition of "Art Wynwood" is set for February 17th to 20th with a big VIP opening on the 16th. It's happening in the same gigantic Midtown Miami tent that housed last year's Art Miami and already over 50 galleries are signed on. Real estate developer Tony Goldman, one of the people responsible for the "preservation" of NYC's SoHo and Miami's South Beach, plans to exhibit the "flying murals of Wynwood" in the fair's VIP lounge.

4. Thirty-five pounds of cocaine were delivered to the United Nations in New York last week. Party! [Bloomberg]

5. Starbucks will start selling beer and wine at select locations in Southern California, Atlanta and Chicago before the end of 2012. [L.A. Times]

6. World's first atomic X-ray laser created. [TG Daily]

7. Crazy voyeuristic artwork on the Highline. [LaughingSquid]

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David Gensler on the State of Fashion: "The Youth No Longer Want to Rebel, They Want to Stand in Line"

January 27, 2012, 11:21 am

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Meet David Gensler, the brilliant and outspoken designer and strategist who has little patience for American fashion, and young creative people in this country, in general. He is the CEO and founder of the Keystone Design Union, considered to be the world's largest global design collectives, the creative director and founder of the menswear line, Serum Versus Venom. The outspoken Baltimore-born, Brooklyn dweller has acted as a strategic consultant to some of the biggest brands on earth like Nike, LVMH, MTV, IKEA and Hennessy, helping them launch new products and campaigns. On the heels of the recent release of his Mercedes Benz Avante/Garde Diaries video with Kostas Seremetis, he chatted with us about what's wrong with "the system," and how he's trying to fix it.
 
You have a very "screw the system" perspective in the way you approach your menswear line, Serum Versus Venom. Why?  Why does the fashion system need rebellion?

When I got into fashion I always thought it was the most rebellious part of the design world and I was shocked to learn to it's the most conservative. It's so unwilling to change and it's so fearful of adopting new methodologies.  It's quite sad actually.

So what is the philosophy behind Serum Versus Venom? We know you create everything in-house and that you only release products when they are ready to be released instead of following the fashion cycle. What else about it makes it different than everything else out there?

We started with a very simple idea, to create something original, and you start really examining that word and everything that it takes to really be authentic. And it's difficult.

It's not easy to create things when you are inspired by so many outside references and when so many people focus on the object, and the campaigns and the hooplah that surrounds it.  But no one focuses on the business of fashion, and the craft of fashion and the end object that is sellable.

The problem is that we live in an age where the image is consumed more than the object. And we were stuck with the paradox of selling images of our garments, rather than the garments themselves.

That's what led us to start our own factory, Brooklyn Sewn.  Roughly 20 independent New York brands and designers create their collections with us, including several CFDA designers.

You talk about punk rock and how the British have a better sense of what it takes to nurture creativity than us in the States. What do you mean by that?

The British got it right when they invented punk rock. Fashion and youth culture are supposed to go hand in hand, and fashion and youth culture are supposed to push up against the mainstream and challenge it, and where do you see that? The darling of the fashion world, Alex Wang, makes black T-shirts.

If you buy a 500 dollar T-shirt, then the proceeds from that T-shirt better go towards building a school somewhere.

We have no punk rock, New York has no punk rock. The mindset of rebellion -- we've lost it. The youth no longer want to rebel, they want to stand in line. They want to just stand there like in the army and wear a uniform.

You look at the British incubate brands, the media, the schools, different government agencies and funds, how they support young designers, and you look at how we do it in America, and you can't say it's less -- it's just nonexistent.

You've mentioned that people in recent years are happy to consume brands who offer things that are just new, rather than things with depth and thought. How do you incorporate depth and thought into what you do?

If you value individuality and have the desire to leave a mark, you have to be willing to step out of the traditional system. Everyone is so concerned with being accepted by the system and the status quo, that people are fearful of upsetting the old guard. Even the press is so afraid to say anything that is considered heresy against Vogue. 

So if you were asked to name your favorite designers, who would they be?

I like Visvim by Hiroki Nakamura, that's a pretty amazing brand. White Mountaineering is an outlandishly good brand and Denham the Jeanmaker. There are people out there who are independent who are doing overwhelmingly amazing things, and they are not recognized by the American guard, or even mentioned. These designers and the tactics they are using and the media they are communicating through isn't even considered. It's sad to see.

You are very pro-Brooklyn.

I am from originally Baltimore, Maryland and it feels the same to me.  It's very much about the neighborhood and an intimate community much more so than Manhattan, so for me Brooklyn immediately felt like home.

What is the one thing we need to know about fashion from your perspective?

The one thing I know that fashion is not about is Kanye West.

Portlandia's Carrie Brownstein Without Irony

January 27, 2012, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Caption This! Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin at Dinner in London

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Carrie Brownstein, one half of IFC's hit show Portlandia and member of band Wild Flag (and, before that, Sleater Kinney) admits that she over-shares. She does it at the bank ("I even mentioned a doctor's appointment"), at Whole Foods, and at the dog park. Yet by tapping into this tendency to provide unnecessary information and elaborate explanations she and Portlandia co-creator Fred Armisen have populated a whole TV world with lovably neurotic, hype-conscientious and occasionally irritating characters. PAPERMAG caught up with Brownstein in between her Portlandia Live tour and the start of her Wild Flag tour to talk more about how she and Fred come up with ideas for the show, what Portlandia-esque things she does in her own life and why she has to justify her goodness to the grocery store check-out lady.


Since you live in Portland and Fred lives in New York, have you ever noticed regional differences between the different sub-populations -- hipsters, latte liberals, yupsters -- that you portray on Portlandia?

For the most part, what we found is just a similar sensibility. The content is relatable and specific enough that people see themselves in the characters in those worlds [and] in those situations. The shading can be a little bit different, the context can be a little bit different, the names of expressions might be different from city-to-city but I think the most overwhelming sense that we get is the commonalities not the differences.

So at the show last Saturday at the Bowery Ballroom, when St. Vincent came onstage and sang Pearl Jam, she kept asking the audience to sing along because otherwise it was "too embarrassing."  Did you guys dare her to sing Pearl Jam?

I had heard that Annie [St. Vincent] had been a very avid Pearl Jam fan in high school and pretty much knew their catalog. So it was not a dare -- it was just a suggestion and certainly not an ironic one or even a humorous one. I thought it was wonderful. I think what's hard is once you ask the audience to do something [sing along], you want them to step up and not do it half-way. I don't think she was embarrassed to be playing Pearl Jam. She wanted the audience to join in because once you put it out there, you don't want to get stood up by the audience!

So talking about this season, the "we can pickle that!" sketch was a riot. Have you ever pickled something?

[Laughs] No, in fact I was just realizing that I must have an unsophisticated palate. I often find myself saying, "Here comes the pickle plate, it's beautiful." Everyone comments, "Oh, it's so beautiful" and I start eating it and I just find myself making a sour face and I always end up feeling like a child.  

Weren't you saying at the live show something about how you have the tastes of a kindergartner?

Yeah I have a kindergartner's taste in foods.  I actually do love great food but I find that there's a certain -- I think what I fall back on is very pedestrian.

When you and Fred first started writing and improv-ing together before Portlandia came into existence, what were the first characters that you guys came up with that then ultimately made it into the show?

Well certainly the "Feminist Bookstore" [characters] actually existed even before Portlandia in Thunderant. Honestly those were the only ones that existed before.  

Did they provide the germ for the idea or did you come up with the idea for Portlandia first and then fill in the characters later?

I think that [it was] the sensibility that we started to notice as the common through line in Thunderant. It was a series of sketches that were so absurd, they were barely funny. If anything they were silly. But we did notice a certain, at that time, very tenuous thematic content, which were these characters whose belief systems were riddled with contradictions and that totally mirrored my and Fred's own experiences as people trying to live by these new rules of being eco-conscious and environmentally conscious but feeling flummoxed by that process. So we started to put together ideas for that but when we went in and pitched the show to IFC, we kind of had that sensibility in mind but we didn't go into the characters. So the show came first and then we sort of populated Portlandia with residents that we thought would function well inside of that world.

Among all of the different characters, are there any that you particularly identify with?

Almost all of them. There is not a person that I portray that I don't find some minute or very broad commonality with. Someone like Kath, who in the first season, her and her husband Dave are incensed by the dogs outside the restaurant and in the second season, they're the "A-Oh River" people. They can make having fun so stressful because there are so many rules to having fun but they're still enjoying themselves and we just don't realize.  I definitely relate to that. And I think that's just being a slightly neurotic, high-strung person but I can suck the fun out of any situation by over-thinking it. I guess I relate to that and even the Jack McBrayer reusable bag sketch. I go to the Whole Foods near my house in Portland and I always forget to bring my reusable bag. I go through this whole performative [thing].  One thing I think we do a lot of on this show is people perform or enact these moments and you think "Oh, that seems heightened" but it's actually not. When I forget my bag, it's like I give a speech and I want to make sure that everyone can hear me. "Does everyone remember the last time I was here and had my bag?"  It's like I want the cashier to validate my goodness as a person. There's very little in the show in terms of what makes the characters tic that I don't have some kind of similarity to.

What other Portlandia-esque things have you done recently in your own life?

Aside from that grocery bag incident, I definitely have some dog park moments I think that veer into the Portlandia world. I find myself speaking on behalf of my dog at the dog park in order for other people to understand [its] behavior.  We're all standing around talking about our dogs as if their actions have a heightened sense of meaning and that we need to apply human traits and anthropomorphize [them]. It's a constant state of anthropomorphic behavior at a dog park. It's a constant stream of narration and it's so tedious. And I'll listen to other people do it and judge them and then do it a second later [myself].  [It's like] if someone's over-explaining, like if a dog is literally sniffing something and the owner will ascribe to that instance of sniffing some big meaning. "Oh, you know, Pickles loves to smell the feet of other dogs. He was rescued from a farm." You're just like, "What? Okay, he's sniffing, he's a DOG! He sniffs everyday, it doesn't have anything to do with his adoption story."  And then literally three minutes later, I do the exact same thing and I literally just want to leave the park, I'm so ashamed. So that kind of over-sharing, I think, is a really common theme. It's a way of forging a connection with people but it's [also] a way of assuaging guilt and discomfort in a given moment. And I did that at the bank the other day too. I over-shared so hard at the bank, like I maybe even mentioned a doctor's appointment at the bank.  

Right, and they don't care.

Yeah, they don't care! I feel like the show has a lot of over-sharing. A lot of the ways how the sketches become [generated] is a moment that has gone on far too long and has become so uncomfortable. But I find myself doing that all the time in real life and I think a lot of people do it. And then you leave and you're just kicking yourself the rest of the day.  It's very hard to be as poised as you want to be or as you aspire to be.

So I know today you're heading off on a tour for Wild Flag. Is it hard to switch gears, to go from Portlandia live shows to Wild Flag concerts?

To be honest there is a certain code-switching, you could call it, in terms of a language thing.  You're able to in some ways seamlessly switch from one set of rules and behavior to another just because you have to. It's like a survival instinct. But it can be jarring. But also I'm feeling more and more nomadic right now. I'm becoming more accustomed to a constant state of travel and I'm really enjoying it. I think there's nothing about it right now that I don't love. I feel like I have to, and I'm trying to, be very much in the moment with this. Both these things and both the fact that I'm engaged in two things that people care about or like or have any kind of connection to -- that can all end very quickly. It seems so rude or ridiculous to express any kind of complaint right now. It's very fun and it could all end tomorrow.  Yes, I'm busy but I will survive.

Photo of Carrie Brownstein by Molly Quan.

Caption This! Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin at Dinner in London

January 27, 2012, 12:37 pm

≫ Next: Superbowl Showdown: Giants V. Patriots -- Battle of the Super Fans

≪ Previous: Portlandia's Carrie Brownstein Without Irony

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Apparently, Gwyneth Paltrow and hubby Chris Martin had dinner with Taylor Swift last night in London at The Delaunay. What do you think Taylor was saying to Gwyneth and Chris in this photo? Comment below. If you're mind is blank, here's an example to get the juices flowin': "Gwyn, you were in Proof with Jake Gyllenhaal, right? Did he ever do that thing where he'd say he'd call you, and then not, and then the next day say his phone ran out of batteries even though you knew he was sending emails from his phone because my publicist would forward me emails he had sent to his publicist about sending exclusive photos of our manufactured relationship to JustJared?"

Superbowl Showdown: Giants V. Patriots -- Battle of the Super Fans

January 27, 2012, 12:45 pm

≫ Next: Watch Azealia Banks Peforming "212" at Karl Lagerfeld's House

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In anticipation of the Super Bowl and the upcoming Boston-New York showdown, our thoughts have moved from Eli v. Tom to the fans themselves. Social-media analytics firm Colligent took a look at the Giants and Patriots fanbases and compared which brands and musicians the two cities were "mutually engaging" on Facebook, Twitter or Myspace.  Basically what this means is that the firm not only looked at what artists and brands Pats and Giants fans liked and reached out to on social media but also, on the flipside, whether fans of those brands and musicians engaged either of those teams. 

Here's a rundown of the cultural preferences for each team.

Music

Patriots Fans                                                             Giants Fans
1. Steven Tyler                                                            1. Joell Ortiz
2. Bret Michaels                                                        2. DJ Envy
3. Sam Adams                                                           3. Styles P
4. Rob Thomas                                                          4. Jadakiss
5. Joey McIntyre                                                        5. Bruce Springsteen
6. Lloyd Banks                                                           6. Ghostface Killah
7. Jordan Knight                                                         7. Q-Tip
8. Dropkick Murphys                                                 8. Lloyd Banks
9. Travis Barker                                                          9.  RZA
10. Ice-T                                                                     10. Pusha T


Movies

Patriots Fans                                                             Giants Fans
1. The Other Guys                                                        1. 30 Minutes or Less
2. Inglourious Basterds                                              2. The Green Hornet
3. Star Wars (Franchise)                                             3. Dolphin Tale
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World                                     4. Star Wars (Franchise)
5. The Muppets                                                          5. Despicable Me
6. The Green Hornet                                                  6. Zombieland
7. Cowboys & Aliens                                                   7. Ghost Rider (Franchise)
8. Dolphin Tale                                                            8. Our Idiot Brother
9. Captain America: The First Avenger                      9.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes
10. Rise of the Planet of the Apes                              10. The Muppets


Brands

Patriots Fans                                                             Giants Fans
1. TD Garden                                                                 1. Adorama
2. Madden NFL                                                            2. Madison Square Garden
3. Newbury Comics                                                     3. StubHub!
4. Harpoon                                                                   4. Citibank
5. Dunkin' Donuts                                                        5. Madden NFL
6. Mohegan Sun                                                          6. Pepsi Max
7. Foxwoods Resort Casino/MGM                               7. DirecTV
8. Boloco                                                                      8. PETCO
9. Friendly's                                                                  9.  NY Metropolitan Transit Authority
10. EA Sports                                                                10. Reebok


What's most interesting is the localism in Boston's brand choices.  Smaller brands like Boston-based Harpoon craft beer and Boloco (a small Boston burrito franchise that's like a healthier version of Chipotle) are in the Patriot's column whereas all of the Giants' picks are for massive entities (with the exception of Adorama--a camera store--that is interestingly the #1 mutually engaged brand).

As for music, both cities are interacting with pretty, er, local talent.  We know Boston's a fiercely proud city but you're still hanging on to Joey McIntyre and Jordan Knight?  Really?  And Giants fans are tweeting/Facebooking/Myspacing (does that still exist?) Joell Ortiz and DJ Envy but not Mr. Empire State of Mind himself, Jay-Z (is it because he's a supposed Jets fan)?  Ultimately it's a pretty strong lean in favor of 80s hair bands and arena rock for Pats fans and hip-hop for Giants folks. Movies-wise, there was nothing terribly striking: it makes sense that the movies these fans most engage with skew toward the Action/Adventure genre with a few family-friendly flicks thrown in for good measure (it's kind of nice that the same folks who tweet about Ghostface Killah and Q-Tip may also watch Dolphin Tale).

Was there anything on these lists that surprised you?  We, for one, were also surprised that the only artist that made both lists was Lloyd Banks.  Go figure.

Watch Azealia Banks Peforming "212" at Karl Lagerfeld's House

January 27, 2012, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: John Roderick of the Long Winters on His Next LP and Touring with Aimee Mann: "She Might Come Out and Throw Tangerines at Me"

≪ Previous: Superbowl Showdown: Giants V. Patriots -- Battle of the Super Fans

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A major thanks to Derek Blasberg for sneaking in to Karl Lagerfeld's dinner in honor of his new Net-A-Porter line and managing to record this awesome video of Azealia Banks performing "212" at the shindig.  We didn't know Uncle Karl was into dirty rap but we like it!

Enjoy.

John Roderick of the Long Winters on His Next LP and Touring with Aimee Mann: "She Might Come Out and Throw Tangerines at Me"

January 27, 2012, 1:20 pm

≫ Next: CBGB's Planning a Summer Music Fest?

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By the time Barsuk Records released the Long Winters' debut album, 2002's The Worst You Can Do is Harm, its mastermind John Roderick had already been through the rock 'n' roll ringer. As a touring member of Harvey Danger he'd briefly ridden the wave of their alterna-hit "Flagpole Sitta," and his pre-Winters band had faded away after an abortive Sub Pop deal.

But Roderick's first album proved that there are second acts. Like the two that followed, Harm is somehow epic and intimate, meandering and fiercely focused all at once; "handcrafted pop music," as Roderick calls it. He arrives in New York this weekend -- playing the Williamsburg Hall of Music with Aimee Mann tonight, and headlining Mercury Lounge tomorrow night -- at an indeterminate point in the creation of his next album. Not that he's been idle: in the years since 2006's Putting the Days to Bed, he's sired a kid, gigged with John Hodgman, co-founded the podcast "Roderick on the Line" and worked up such a robust Twitter presence that a year's worth of his tweets were collected in the book Electric Aphorisms.

PAPERMAG phoned Roderick in his hotel room in Alexandria, Virginia, where he's struggling to conjure that warm, vintage vibe on his iPad's GarageBand app.

What're you up to right now?

Trying to compose a song on an iPad, fumbling my way through making this little hip-hop jam. I'm not finding a very soulful performance from my swiping finger.

How long have you been out on the road with Aimee Mann?

We just started, actually. She's been playing all the barns of New England for the last couple of weeks and I just joined her last night. Seemed like a good way to get me out of the house.

When was the last time you played New York?

I came out and played one of Wesley Stace's shows at the City Winery [i.e. John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders]. That was probably a year ago. I did a few songs, and I dressed as Santa Claus, and girls came and sat on my lap.

What about with the Long Winters?

The last Long Winters show we played was at the Castle Clinton. It was now, what, three-and-a-half years ago? Whatever it was, it was a long time ago. In a castle. On a hot summer night.

I think you mentioned at that show that some of your bandmates were moving here.

Yeah. In fact, two of the members of that incarnation of the Long Winters are now New Yorkers. Our drummer Nabil [Ayers] took a job as the American head of 4AD Records. And then our guitar player Jonathan [Rothman] went to I think Hunter College and got a teaching certificate in high school mathematics. I think he's teaching math in the city someplace.

Have far along are you on the next Long Winters album?

We've put a ton of work into it, and those guys were the band that we recorded the basic tracks with. We've been monkeying with it for many, many months. And I've had a kid and bought a house, so there've been a lot of lifestyle changes. There's a lot of great music on the record as recorded; I'm just trying to figure out what form the next incarnation the band should take.

Your first album, The Worst You Can Do is Harm, came out ten years ago, right?

Yeah, that's very right. In fact, ten years ago next month.

Any reflections? Have you listened to it lately?

I haven't. I probably should. The funny thing is that I was already 33 years old when that record came out. And a lot of people, their first record comes out when they're 23. At 33, I had already had a music career in Seattle that had kind of run its course. I'd been in several bands, I'd been called the Next Big Thing, and then it turned out I wasn't the Next Big Thing. So I made that record, and there was almost a finality about it: Here are my songs, world. And kind of against the odds, that record connected with enough people, but it kind of gave me a new life as a musician. Normally you would reflect back and go, Oh, I was so young and I knew so little. But actually the feeling around making that record was very different. I feel younger since then, because I was given this second chance to make music and go on tour and be a musician. I might be in need of a rebirth again, actually.

Would your 33-year-old self have been surprised to learn that ten years later it was still going strong?

I grew up in an era when musicians either got signed to a major label and made a big production, which I never really felt was an option for me, [or] you were a punk rocker and you played in people's basements. It was only by doing it that I realized that there was a tremendous audience for handcrafted pop music. There's not a tremendous audience for it in any one city, but around the world, there's a very wide audience of people who are really listening and care that their music is made well, and care that their lyrics mean something.

What's the oldest song you still play?

Oh boy, let's see. Probably "Mimi." That song predates that first record by probably six or seven years. I don't play it all the time, but I do pull it out when I feel like there are fans in the audience that have been with me a long time.

How are you arranging your solo sets--taking requests? Trying out new stuff?

Opening for Aimee...it's much more of a theater setting than a rock club. I'm not really testing out new material with this audience. I'm giving them a brief and concise look at the history of the Long Winters. But the show at the Mercury Lounge, I'm assuming that everyone there is a Long Winters fan, so I do feel like I need to give people a glimpse behind the curtain of what I've been working on. Most of the songs I've been working on for the new record are still kind of unglued. So whatever glimpse behind the curtain I might give, it could potentially just end with, "Well, I don't know what else happens, so...anyway, thank you!"

Has Aimee Mann made any cameos in your set, or vice versa?

We are playing a song together in her set at the end of the night. She hasn't made any cameos in my set yet, but anything's possible. She might come out and throw tangerines at me.

Or rip up pictures of Sarah McLachlan, kind of like that Portlandia episode.

She could come out and clean the stage!

CBGB's Planning a Summer Music Fest?

January 27, 2012, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Courtney Love Googles Herself and the Words "Drunk" and "Sexy"

≪ Previous: John Roderick of the Long Winters on His Next LP and Touring with Aimee Mann: "She Might Come Out and Throw Tangerines at Me"

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We mentioned yesterday that CBGB is looking to re-open its graffitied doors once more although the location is still a mystery.  Today new gossip has emerged that CBGB might be planning a summer music festival!  The Shepard Fairey-esque poster only reveals that the dates are July 3-7.  If you have tips on the festival, send 'em to us at wordup@papermag.com.  Who would you like to see play?

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Courtney Love Googles Herself and the Words "Drunk" and "Sexy"

January 27, 2012, 2:20 pm

≫ Next: Tips for Today: A$AP Rocky + Touré Debates Khalil Gibran + Handle With Care at Film Society of Lincoln Center

≪ Previous: CBGB's Planning a Summer Music Fest?

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Here's a clip, via Motherboard, of Courtney Love speaking at the Guggenheim as part of the museum's recent seven-hour series of lectures and readings on "voluntary endings." The evening, held last Saturday night, marked the ending of Maurizio Cattelan's Guggenheim retrospective, "All," as well as his plans to retire from art, and, here, Love talks about her decision to stop acting despite her late '90s Hollywood ascent after The People vs. Larry Flynt. (But she also says she plans to return to acting.) Anyway, if you have 18 minutes to kill, go ahead and watch the whole thing because it's very entertaining, but the best part of Love's talk comes in the first minute, in which she admits that she Googles herself and the word "drunk." Love says the search returns over a million results despite her claims that she's only been drunk 10 times in her life. When she Googles "Courtney Love" and "sexy," however, (you gotta respect her honesty) she gets "one mention." This is total b.s., Courtney Love, because, 1) look at your gams. You look fantastic and we love you with glasses and 2) that search produces over 3 million results. Whether they all lead to positive things is something else, but we think C.Love's never looked sexier and not-drunker. And we eagerly await her return to the big screen. 

Tips for Today: A$AP Rocky + Touré Debates Khalil Gibran + Handle With Care at Film Society of Lincoln Center

February 1, 2012, 5:30 am

≫ Next: Don Cornelius -- Rest His Soul

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A$AP Rocky, Danny Brown at Irving Plaza

"Indie rap" darlings A$AP Rocky and Danny Brown play Irving Plaza along with openers Flatbush Zombies and G-Eazy.

Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Plaza, 7:30 p.m., Sold Out


Stage for Debate: Touré and Khalil Gibran at Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Culture commentator, Rolling Stone contributor and author Touré will debate scholar Khalil Gibran on the topic of "post-blackness" in Obama's America.  Columbia professor Dorian Warren will moderate.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Blvd., 7 p.m., Free


Handle With Care and Melvin and Howard at Film Society of Lincoln Center

Two of Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme's films play at Film Society of Lincoln Center.  Handle With Care a.k.a Citizen's Band (1977) tells the story of a group of oddballs (including a cheerleading coach/seductress, bigamist trucker and a white supremacist) who use a citizen's band radio to express their alternate personas.  Melvin and Howard (1980) is based on the true story of a Utah gas-station owner who was named a beneficiary in Howard Hughes' will.

Film Society Lincoln Center, 165 W. 65th St., 6 p.m., $9-$13

Don Cornelius -- Rest His Soul

February 1, 2012, 6:42 am

≫ Next: The Funnies: Peter Dinklage in a Red Chair + What Donkey Semen Tastes Like

≪ Previous: Tips for Today: A$AP Rocky + Touré Debates Khalil Gibran + Handle With Care at Film Society of Lincoln Center

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We were saddened to hear this morning that Don Cornelius, the original "Cat Daddy" and legendary host Soul Train died this morning of apparent suicide. Back in 2010, the imitable Bevy Smith wrote a tribute to Cornelius to correspond to a Soul Train-inspired fashion story, which we've pasted below:

As a kid growing up in Harlem in the 1970s, there were television shows that fell into the category of "must-see TV" for me -- and the The Bob Newhart Show wasn't one of them. My TV viewing centered on shows that gave life lessons: Good Times taught me about the highs and lows of project living; The Jeffersons inspired me (if George could "move on up," maybe I could, too); and The Love Boat proved that black people didn't have to fear being on a boat (contrary to urban myth, The Love Boat wasn't a sting operation that Captain Stubing hatched to send Isaac back to Africa!). These were all valuable lessons, but the show I learned the most from was the "Hippest Trip in America," Soul Train!

Soul Train offered dance lessons, fashion tips and elocution training from the always articulate and debonair Don Cornelius. Don was the original MC, the epitome of a Master of Ceremonies. Don was old school even back then. A true "Cat Daddy," he presided over the
show, part of the action but always a bit aloof, looking down on his kingdom from his train-shaped podium. I remember Don breaking his ice-cold facade only once -- when Mary Wilson of the Supremes convinced him to go down the Soul Train line. Don was doing just fine, swiveling his hips to the beat of James Brown's "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time" until he attempted a split and tripped. However, in true Don Cornelius fashion, his recovery was smooth; he drifted out of the camera's range, laughing.

Yes, I had a little crush on Don. I know, it's a bit Lolita, but my sister had dibs on Gordon from Sesame Street... Hey, even back then, black women had slim pickings when it came to dating. Don was the man in charge and as sharp as the blade on Foxy Brown's knife. From his powder-blue hot-pants suits and knee-high boots to his Brooks Brothers ensembles, he was an urban Beau Brummell.

Watching the show, I dreamed of growing up to become a Soul Train dancer and often imagined what I would wear. When performing the "loose booty" or the "bump," a mini-skirt or hot pants was the appropriate look. However, if I was going to be heading down the Soul Train line and ending with a split, gauchos would be the perfect style accent--no chance of a "wardrobe malfunction."

A featured Soul Train dancer's style was just as important as his or her pop-and-lock skills. A pair of satin pants provided a divine sheen and reflective background when performing the "back slide," later known as the "moonwalk." I suspect we have Soul Train re-runs to thank for the satin spandex leggings craze that we are currently experiencing. Ladies, everything ain't for everybody, and some things should stay in the time capsule.

Hair was equally important. A downy soft Afro could channel Angela Davis; Afro puffs gave you the look of little sister Dee from the TV show What's Happening!!; and cornrows identified you as righteous soul sister number one, a cross between Nina Simone and Cicely Tyson. All of the above looks could be achieved by using liberal amounts of Soul Train's title sponsor, Afro Sheen. If you opted for the press and curl, Ultra Sheen gave you the shiniest, "bouncing and behaving" hair. Twan, my current weaveologist, uses old Ultra Sheen ads as a litmus test for how "natural" his weaves look.

Of course, the shoes on the show were crucial. Not just for comfort, but also how they looked as a dancer was doing a cartwheel or spinning on his or her head, legs akimbo. If Louboutin had made shoes back then, just imagine how many dances would have centered on kicking up one's heels! However, the red bottoms hadn't been created, and the featured dancers had to settle for plain old stacked, wedged and spiked heels. I followed their lead. I may have been a little young for high heels (and for Don Cornelius, for that matter), but I was a girl with a dream. Every Saturday morning I watched as the Soul Train girls shimmied, shook and split in high heels, and I was determined to do the same. I debuted my very first pair -- royal blue
sandals from Bakers -- on Easter Sunday, 1978. I was 12 years old and instantly labeled "fast" by my friends' mothers.

Did I care? No, I instinctively knew that real style is a personal choice, a reflection of how you live your life! Even as a pre-teen, I had no use for sneakers, T-shirts and jeans. I clearly wasn't going to lead an average, comfortable life. To this day, I wear high heels, dresses with heaving cleavage and bangle bracelets that jingle a tune as I walk. I look like I'm having a good time and I feel like a modern day Soul Train dancer. Thank you, Don Cornelius, for teaching, inspiring and showing me how to live life with love, peace and soul!

The Funnies: Peter Dinklage in a Red Chair + What Donkey Semen Tastes Like

February 1, 2012, 9:19 am

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≪ Previous: Don Cornelius -- Rest His Soul

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1. Here is a very odd video of Peter Dinklage (aka The Dink) sitting in a big red chair as a sexy lady takes pictures of him. Obviously, this was for an Italian television show. [via Videogum]

2. 23 Classic Movies Remade as Lighthearted Romantic Comedies. [via Cracked and Vulture]

3. This person got a butt-tattoo of Eli Manning giving Peyton Manning a noogie.  [via Buzzfeed]

4. "It's the sickest thing you can ever imagine. And it has a little hint of hay." -- Brynne Odioso on drinking donkey semen on Fear Factor. [via Gawker]

5. A behind-the-scenes look at the Piglet Pep Squad from the Puppy Bowl. [via BuzzFeed]

Downton Abbey Stars On-Screen Vs. Off-Screen

February 1, 2012, 9:45 am

≫ Next: Peace, Love and...Soul: The Fashion of Soul Train

≪ Previous: The Funnies: Peter Dinklage in a Red Chair + What Donkey Semen Tastes Like

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Papermag was poking around on PBS' Downton Abbey website recently, when we noticed a video Q&A with actress Siobhan Finneran (who plays meddling maid O'Brien) and were struck by how glamorous she was in real life. This got us wondering what the rest of the cast looked like out of their 1912 frocks and waist coasts, and, below, we've rounded up some off-screen versus on-screen photo comparisons for your viewing pleasure. (All we'll say is hello actor-who-plays-Mr.-Bates Brendan Coyle! We'd let you help us dress for dinner any day of the week)  Check out all the pics below.

P.S. Spoiler-ish alert: If you haven't seen any of season 2, you're about to meet some new characters. Also, this list does not include new season-three cast member Shirley MacLaine. You'll just have to guess what she looks like with a giant hat on.

On-screen: Mr. Bates, played by Brendan Coyle

Off-screen:

BONUS PIC: Holding a baby.
 

On-screen: Anna, played by Joanne Froggatt

Off-screen:

On-screen: Ethel, played by Amy Nuttall

Off-screen (Image via The Sun):

On-screen: Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, played by Hugh Bonneville

Off-screen: (Photo by Patrick McMullan.com)

On-screen: Cora, Countess of Grantham, played by Elizabeth McGovern

Off-screen: (Photo by Patrick McMullan.com)

On-screen: Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by Maggie Smith (GIF via)


 Off-screen:

On-screen: Mrs. Hughes, played by Phyllis Logan

Off-screen:


On-screen: Lady Mary Crawley, played by Michelle Dockery

Off-screen:

On-screen: Matthew Crawley, played by Dan Stevens

Off-screen:


BONUS PIC: Stevens and Dockery hot-scowling in the Evening Standard's ES Magazine.


On-screen: Lavinia Swire, played by Zoe Boyle

Off-screen:


On-screen: Mr. Carson, played by Jim Carter

Off-screen:

On-screen: Lady Edith Crawley, played by Laura Carmichael

Off-screen:

On-screen: Lady Sybil Crawley, played by Jessica Brown Findlay

Off-screen:

On-screen: Tom Branson, played by Allen Leech

Off-screen:


On-screen: Sarah O'Brien, played by Siobhan Finneran
 
Off-screen:

On-screen: Molsely, played by Kevin Doyle

Off-screen:

On-screen: Daisy, played by Sophia McShera

Off-screen:

On-screen: Mrs. Patmore, played by Lesley Nicol

Off-screen:

On-screen: William, played by Thomas Howes
 
Off-screen (with Sophia McShera):

On-screen: Isobel Crawley, played by Penelope Wilton

Off-screen (photo via the Telegraph):

On-screen: Thomas, played by Rob James-Collier

Off-screen:


On-screen: Dr. Clarkson, played by David Robb

Off-screen (Photo by Matt Writtle for the London Evening Standard):

On-screen: Pharaoh, played by Roly (Photo by Matthew Lloyd for the Daily Mail)

Off-screen:

On-screen: Isis, played by Ellie

Off-screen:

Peace, Love and...Soul: The Fashion of Soul Train

February 1, 2012, 11:00 am

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This article was originally printed in our Summer 2010 Music Issue. We're re-publishing it, along with this tribute to Don Cornelius by Bevy Smith, in remembrance of the Soul Train host who died today. R.I.P.

The bell bottoms, platform shoes and afro puffs of seminal '70s dance and music show Soul Train was the inspiration for PAPER's fashion spread in our Summer Issue. Below, check out behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot as photographer Jake Chessum captures the show's stylish shimmying, peace, love and soul.

Hair: Chuck Amos for Bumble and bumble at Jump 

Hair assistant: Megan Cost for M. Mcleod Hair 

Makeup: Merrell Hollis for Make Up For Ever and Camille Thompson for Make Up For Ever

Makeup assistant: Ana Perdita Casting: Alina Zakaite for PRODn 

Producer: Luigi Tadini 

Market editor: Zandile Blay 

Stylist's assistant: Clayton Coleo 

Fashion coordinator: Diane Drennan-Lewis assisted by Brittaney Barbosa 

Models: 

Denee Baptiste (Bloc NYC) 

Khadija Nicholas (Bloc NYC) 

Sessilee Lopez (Major Model Mgmt NY) 

Lucci (Trump Model Mgmt) 

Claudio Monteiro (Request) 

David Vega (Request) 

Pablo Contreras (Request) 

Simone Awor (Basic Model Mgmt) 

Trent Crews (Models International) 

Laurence McCrea (NEXT) 

Bettine (Muse) 

Alejandra (Muse) 

Dinara (Muse) 

Adesuwa (Muse) 

Henry Watkins (Red) 

Abiah Hostvedt (Red) 

Wendell Lissimore (Red) 

Ibrahim Baaith (Red) 

Alisha Giles (MC2 Model Mgmt NY ) 

WILLIAM "RED " CROKER 

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancers: 

Akua Noni Parker 

Tiffany Lee 

KIRVEN BOYD 

Antonio Maurice Douthit 

Choreographer/dancer: Abdur Rahim-Jackson 

Dancer/choreographer's assistant: Olivia Bowman-Jackson 

Photographer's assistants:
Kevin Trageser 

Andrew Sutherland 

Lola Lalic 

Derek Draper 

Special thanks to Lisa Retouching: Primary Photographic 

Head Intern: JJ Maxwell 

Interns:
Amanda Pichardo 

Carolydia Lindo 

Jeremey Williams

Rumer's Tour Diary, Part 1: California Dreamin'

February 1, 2012, 11:01 am

≫ Next: R.I.P. Mike Kelley

≪ Previous: Peace, Love and...Soul: The Fashion of Soul Train

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Rumer, a British-by-way-of-Pakistan artist, sings dusky ballads reminiscent of 70s chanteuses like Carol King and Karen Carpenter; her talent has even caught the eye of Burt Bacharach, who invited the artist to perform at his home.  With the U.S. release last month of her debut album, Seasons of My Soul (which was already a hit in the UK when it came out in 2010), and a North American tour to coincide, we've asked Rumer to record her thoughts and impressions for PAPERMAG while she's on the road.  

As we hit the tarmac at LAX, I spared a thought for the chaos I had left behind: I just moved apartments and books and papers and cups of coffee were everywhere... I just finished my new record and the mixes were still up on the desk next to studio notes strewn around... Seasons of My Soul was being released in the US and I was here to promote it.

My mind was like a toy shop. The day after we flew in, we all met for breakfast at the 101 Diner, and Roger Klein went to put some tunes on the jukebox when he noticed my CD in there next to Sly and the Family Stone. That was so cool.

In San Francisco we played Bimbo's 365 Club, which is an amazing venue. It is like a museum.  It has to be seen to be believed.  Frank Sinatra played there as did Count Basie and Smokey Robinson. It harkens back to a golden era.  I was glancing up at my name on the bill when a cute delivery boy wandered past with a large bunch of flowers and a box. Inside the box was the whole series of "Tales of the City". The gifts were from Bill, a local, wonderful man who has supported me and my music for years, back when I was a hustling young singer trying to promote myself on MySpace and working at the Apple Store. It was so kind of him to send me a gift!  Here is a pic of the cute delivery boy and the package when it arrived...


Later, it was time to sound check at Bimbo's:

The best thing about my job is meeting people after the show.  I love to connect with people I haven't met before. They are always warm and friendly. It takes me back to years of working behind the counter, whether it was a retail store or a coffee shop. I stand behind the counter like I am greeting the next customer. I like to sign things for people, talk about music, take pictures. We all love music. It's great to connect. This lady, Dolores Sampson, is 85 years old.


Another highlight of this leg was taking a boat trip:


--Rumer

---

R.I.P. Mike Kelley

February 1, 2012, 11:40 am

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PAPER was saddened to hear the news today that acclaimed L.A.-based conceptual artist Mike Kelley had passed away of apparent suicide. Known for a multi-medium style that included everything from punk performance art to stuffed animal sculptures, we dubbed Kelley "the quintessential L.A. artist" in this 2011 piece by Jesse Pearson. We've re-printed the Q&A between Kelley and Pearson below. Mike Kelley and his contributions to the art world will be greatly missed.

It's difficult to describe the output of any great artist in one breath, but in the case of Mike Kelley, it's virtually impossible. The conceptual art veteran's big, slippery oeuvre encompasses stuffed animal sculptures, noise music, comic book-style drawing, architectural models, expansive installations and an array of both loosely and meticulously staged video works. In his January 2011 show at L.A.'s Gagosian Gallery, Kelley interprets Superman's birth city of Kandor: illuminated resin-constructed, Moorish-looking landscapes in blown-glass bell jars attached to gas tanks pumping artificial atmosphere. These are accompanied by a life-sized Colonel Sanders unveiling a miniature Sigmund Freud in a box, and video scenes of gnomes circling a cell, and Arabian queens emasculating a male servant, and... yeah. Mike Kelley is a trip and a half.

He has been making art in Los Angeles since graduating from CalArts in 1978. Now, here's what we're wondering: Is Mike Kelley an L.A. artist, or is he an artist who lives in L.A.? And, setting that whole mess aside, what does he even think of L.A.? We dispatched writer Jesse Pearson to address this pressing issue.

JESSE PEARSON: Are you an L.A. artist?

MIKE KELLEY: I've never thought of myself that way. I didn't grow up here. I came out
from Detroit to go to graduate school. Coming up in the era that I did, I felt more a part of an international scene. My teachers were mostly conceptual artists. That wasn't a localized art form.

JP: So does where you live figure into your work at all?

MK: I wouldn't say so. I'm nothing like Ed Ruscha, whose work is really about a kind of L.A. mindset. My work is more Middle American, or class-oriented in general. It's not specifically caught up in regionalisms.

JP: What was your first impression of L.A.?

MK: Growing up in the Midwest, I thought of cities in terms of metropolises. The scale
of Los Angeles -- and the landscape and vegetation -- was not like anything I'd experienced before. When I first got here, I was going to school out in the desert.  A lot of people there weren't even going to L.A. But I was into the music scene, so I'd go to clubs. I started meeting local artists and I started to feel connected to it all. But  I also knew people in other places, and so I never felt like, "Oh, I'm an Angeleno."

JP: You must feel like one by now.
 
MK: Well, I do feel particularly connected to the group of artists here that I've met over the years. I stayed here after grad school when that wasn't a very common thing to do. People would immediately go to New York.

JP: Is there a particular part of town that you feel closest to?

MK: I think that I'm much more East Side-connected than West Side-connected. I lived in East Hollywood for many years. I left right before the explosion of the Silver Lake area, before the hipsterization. When I was there, it was primarily Armenians, Filipinos and Mexicans. There was a gay scene there, too.

JP: Downtown is maybe the most intriguing part of L.A. The first time I saw Skid Row, I was totally astonished.
 
MK: It's horrible. It's what SoHo was like many years ago. Downtown has all of the street people because it's where the missions are, but then right next to that is this fake zone of culture -- MoCA, the Music Center, all of that. A lot of artists used to live downtown until the real estate prices went up in the '80s and they were all forced out. Now there's a little zone of hipster-ish restaurants and loft-dwellers right near the bus station.

JP: Growing up on the East Coast, L.A. to me was surfers and 90210. 

MK: People from out of town, all they ever think about is the beach and Hollywood. But the reality is that Hollywood is a slummy area. It's a factory. Hollywood Boulevard is just a tourist street. People are very surprised when they see how crummy it is. And it's sleazy. All you have to do is read Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger.

JP: Exactly.

MK: There's also this idea that Los Angeles is all sun and fun. But in many ways L.A. is
a giant slum that goes on forever and ever. Now, from the beach all the way to West
Hollywood, there are enormous pockets of wealth. It's hard to think of that much money in one place. But it's balanced off of abject poverty in the rest of the city.

JP: What's an underappreciated aspect of L.A.?
 
MK: It's kind of an intellectual center. This is where the art schools are. It's where people come to learn about art. It has less of a business orientation in relation to art than New York does.

JP: Do you have any instinct as to how your work might have developed differently if you'd stayed in New York?

MK: It's hard to say. I almost went to Yale. I'm so glad I didn't. It was so formal and caught up in these New York traditions of technique.

JP: What do you predict for the next few years in L.A.?

MK: A lot of the city is immune to economic changes because the entertainment industry does well no matter what. I do see lip service being paid to trying to make the
city more comfortable for non-car users. I mean, Europeans come here and they're
shocked.

JP: It's insane how much a city of L.A.'s size has to rely on cars.

MK: That's the saddest thing about this city. There are a lot of sad things about it, but that's the saddest.
 
Jesse Pearson is a New York-based writer. He is the former editor of Vice magazine. Before that, he was an editor at index magazine.

R.I.P. Mike Kelley

February 1, 2012, 12:03 pm

≫ Next: MyBlockNYC's Video of the Week: "Sam Sopchek: Pigeon Man"

≪ Previous: R.I.P. Mike Kelley

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PAPER was saddened to hear the news today that acclaimed L.A.-based conceptual artist Mike Kelley had passed away of apparent suicide. Known for a multi-medium style that included everything from punk performance art to stuffed animal sculptures, we dubbed Kelley "the quintessential L.A. artist" in this 2011 piece by Jesse Pearson. We've re-printed the Q&A between Kelley and Pearson below. Mike Kelley and his contributions to the art world will be greatly missed.

It's difficult to describe the output of any great artist in one breath, but in the case of Mike Kelley, it's virtually impossible. The conceptual art veteran's big, slippery oeuvre encompasses stuffed animal sculptures, noise music, comic book-style drawing, architectural models, expansive installations and an array of both loosely and meticulously staged video works. In his January 2011 show at L.A.'s Gagosian Gallery, Kelley interprets Superman's birth city of Kandor: illuminated resin-constructed, Moorish-looking landscapes in blown-glass bell jars attached to gas tanks pumping artificial atmosphere. These are accompanied by a life-sized Colonel Sanders unveiling a miniature Sigmund Freud in a box, and video scenes of gnomes circling a cell, and Arabian queens emasculating a male servant, and... yeah. Mike Kelley is a trip and a half.

He has been making art in Los Angeles since graduating from CalArts in 1978. Now, here's what we're wondering: Is Mike Kelley an L.A. artist, or is he an artist who lives in L.A.? And, setting that whole mess aside, what does he even think of L.A.? We dispatched writer Jesse Pearson to address this pressing issue.

JESSE PEARSON: Are you an L.A. artist?

MIKE KELLEY: I've never thought of myself that way. I didn't grow up here. I came out
from Detroit to go to graduate school. Coming up in the era that I did, I felt more a part of an international scene. My teachers were mostly conceptual artists. That wasn't a localized art form.

JP: So does where you live figure into your work at all?

MK: I wouldn't say so. I'm nothing like Ed Ruscha, whose work is really about a kind of L.A. mindset. My work is more Middle American, or class-oriented in general. It's not specifically caught up in regionalisms.

JP: What was your first impression of L.A.?

MK: Growing up in the Midwest, I thought of cities in terms of metropolises. The scale
of Los Angeles -- and the landscape and vegetation -- was not like anything I'd experienced before. When I first got here, I was going to school out in the desert.  A lot of people there weren't even going to L.A. But I was into the music scene, so I'd go to clubs. I started meeting local artists and I started to feel connected to it all. But  I also knew people in other places, and so I never felt like, "Oh, I'm an Angeleno."

JP: You must feel like one by now.
 
MK: Well, I do feel particularly connected to the group of artists here that I've met over the years. I stayed here after grad school when that wasn't a very common thing to do. People would immediately go to New York.

JP: Is there a particular part of town that you feel closest to?

MK: I think that I'm much more East Side-connected than West Side-connected. I lived in East Hollywood for many years. I left right before the explosion of the Silver Lake area, before the hipsterization. When I was there, it was primarily Armenians, Filipinos and Mexicans. There was a gay scene there, too.

JP: Downtown is maybe the most intriguing part of L.A. The first time I saw Skid Row, I was totally astonished.
 
MK: It's horrible. It's what SoHo was like many years ago. Downtown has all of the street people because it's where the missions are, but then right next to that is this fake zone of culture -- MoCA, the Music Center, all of that. A lot of artists used to live downtown until the real estate prices went up in the '80s and they were all forced out. Now there's a little zone of hipster-ish restaurants and loft-dwellers right near the bus station.

JP: Growing up on the East Coast, L.A. to me was surfers and 90210. 

MK: People from out of town, all they ever think about is the beach and Hollywood. But the reality is that Hollywood is a slummy area. It's a factory. Hollywood Boulevard is just a tourist street. People are very surprised when they see how crummy it is. And it's sleazy. All you have to do is read Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger.

JP: Exactly.

MK: There's also this idea that Los Angeles is all sun and fun. But in many ways L.A. is
a giant slum that goes on forever and ever. Now, from the beach all the way to West
Hollywood, there are enormous pockets of wealth. It's hard to think of that much money in one place. But it's balanced off of abject poverty in the rest of the city.

JP: What's an underappreciated aspect of L.A.?
 
MK: It's kind of an intellectual center. This is where the art schools are. It's where people come to learn about art. It has less of a business orientation in relation to art than New York does.

JP: Do you have any instinct as to how your work might have developed differently if you'd stayed in New York?

MK: It's hard to say. I almost went to Yale. I'm so glad I didn't. It was so formal and caught up in these New York traditions of technique.

JP: What do you predict for the next few years in L.A.?

MK: A lot of the city is immune to economic changes because the entertainment industry does well no matter what. I do see lip service being paid to trying to make the
city more comfortable for non-car users. I mean, Europeans come here and they're
shocked.

JP: It's insane how much a city of L.A.'s size has to rely on cars.

MK: That's the saddest thing about this city. There are a lot of sad things about it, but that's the saddest.
 
Jesse Pearson is a New York-based writer. He is the former editor of Vice magazine. Before that, he was an editor at index magazine.

MyBlockNYC's Video of the Week: "Sam Sopchek: Pigeon Man"

February 1, 2012, 12:30 pm

≫ Next: Prada's Retro S/S '12 Video With Sleigh Bells and Ariel Pink

≪ Previous: R.I.P. Mike Kelley

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The fine folks at MyBlockNYC, a new interactive mapping project, are picking their favorite MyBlock videos to show on PAPERMAG every Tuesday. Here's this week's.

TITLE: Sam Sopchek: Pigeon Man
USER:  R_CENTENO

LOCATION: 31st Ave between 37th and 38th street, Queens 

DESCRIPTION: This short film on "pigeon man" Sam Sopchek was inspired by the film "Paul Tomkowicz: Street-railway Switchman," by Roman Kroitor, Stanley Jackson, and Tom Daly, which was part of the National Film Board of Canda's "Faces of Canada" series. This is a "portrait of those unsung, unnoticed people who keep the community running".

Prada's Retro S/S '12 Video With Sleigh Bells and Ariel Pink

February 1, 2012, 12:50 pm

≫ Next: Die Antwoord Slams Into the U.S. With a T by Alexander Wang Video and North American Tour

≪ Previous: MyBlockNYC's Video of the Week: "Sam Sopchek: Pigeon Man"

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Prada's retro-minded S/S '12 collection features shoes with tail fins and flames shooting out of them paired with flouncy, full skirts, pastel-colored vintage-style frocks and floral rompers cut like '50s bathing suits. It's very Betty Draper meets Cry Baby and, today, we get the video for the campaign. It was directed by photographer Steven Meisel and features snippets of songs including "Written All Over Your Face" by Ariel Pink and "Kids" by Sleigh Bells. Check it out, daddy-o.

Die Antwoord Slams Into the U.S. With a T by Alexander Wang Video and North American Tour

February 1, 2012, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: How I Learned to Drive, The Total Bent, Rx and More in Our February Theater Round-Up

≪ Previous: Prada's Retro S/S '12 Video With Sleigh Bells and Ariel Pink

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The South African rap-rave zef* group stars in the new T by Alexander Wang campaign video, which features some of their new track "Fatty Boom Boom."  Though we can only understand every third word they say (the group raps in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa, an indigenous language), we like the in-your-face track and even more in-your-face video.  Moreover, their zaniness is a nice counterpart to the simplicity of Wang's collections for T. 

If this video doesn't satiate your Die Antwoord craving, you can check out their live show during their upcoming North American tour, which kicks off February 9th in Philly.  They'll play New York's Irving Plaza two days later on February 11.

*The South African term for people with trashy, extravagantly flashy style and taste.  Related: Guido (US), Chav (UK), Bogan (AUS)