#it would be like a concert in la and another one in san francisco basically

[ishikawayukis]

whenever artists tour latam and only add one date in one city in brazil i think that's just fucking insane because that country is huge and has over 200m people in it, like imagine them doing the same in the states you already have people throwing fits because they aren't going to cities near them, imagine them just going to la fucking wild

[strawberrielarrie]

Music Industry Stunts and why they happen

Stunts are a big part of the music industry, you may not know it, but they are.  The purpose of stunts is to push a certain narrative to the general public. Now this could mean many different things, PR relationship; coverups; or to peak the publics interest. Why? You may ask, why would the artist do this, why wouldn’t they just be truthful? Well, many don’t have a choice, the music industry is a place that I wish no one would have to be in, it is a cruel and awful place to be if you don’t know how to get around it, or if you don’t have the correct connections. In the past (and still now), many big brand music industries, such as Sony Music and Warner Music have controlled artists immensely.

George Michael

As a legend in the music industry, George Michael is a well-known name in the average household. From his time in the hit duo “Wham!”, Michael’s music was distributed through CBS, but in 1987 Sony took over and that’s when things went downhill. Michael reveled in the popularity of his hit album “Faith” in 1987, and so did Sony, because he was earning them money.

But that ended quickly with the news of his next album “Listen Without Prejudice” in 1990, Sony refused to promote the album and appear in the music videos for it. Michael in turn, disputed his contract with Sony, but he could not do close to anything, because Sony possessed the power of approval over everything that he put out. Meaning, George Michael could not release music without it going through the board of Sony, and if he did, he could get sued and fired.

(Sony is a whole other world of fucked up, they fucked MJ up so badly, Sony Kills)

During this whole time, George came clean, saying that the board of Sony, used many different homophobic slurs against him, and wouldn’t let him release any music that seemed to allude to the fact that he was gay.

George Michael brought Sony to court in 1993, claiming that between 1987-1992, he had made worldwide profits of £7.35 million ($9.8 million) compared to Sony making £52.45 million ($70 million). Ultimately, the case lasted till June 1994, and Michael had lost, the judge claiming that it was fair. Michael retaliated saying how Sony is “Professional Slavery”.

Suzanne Kessler, Entertainment attorney at Bone McAllester Norton and former in-house attorney at A&M Records and Universal Music Group stated, “There are two sides to this tale,” she said. “The music business is a relationship business, and he was uneasy with what was happening. A label often wants an artist to continue to trade on their established brand with the public. But after “Faith” Michael was trying for a new direction, to be taken more seriously as an artist instead of just as a pop star sex symbol.”

This brings me to my next point,

 Closeting in the Industry

(Now I could go on for day about closeting in the music industry, but I will only give you the basis and then I will link another post that goes further in depth.)

Closeting is not a rare thing in the music industry, it in fact happens more than you might think. Many different artists have come forward, saying how their management said they should remain closeted to the general public, in order to maintain the brand that has been established. A popular example of this would be Sam Smith, they were offered multiple times by their management to have a beard. More closeting in the industry comes from Colton Haynes, who has been open about how his management closeted him because he “could not be gay and work in the industry”.

Colton link

Beard: A woman or man who fake dates a person of the LQBTQ+ Community, to hide their real sexual orientation or identity

 The Types of Stunts and Stunt Songs

“Pap Pics”

Stunts are common, we all should know that. From the amount of staged paparazzi pictures and videos that get posted to twitter on the daily it is not surprising that stunts happen. One of the main reasons stunts happen is for publicity, I can tell you now, living in LA for as long as I did, the paparazzi aren’t at every corner just waiting for a celebrity to walk past. They are called to meet at a place where the celebrity is going to be, in order to get pictures. This call is made by the artists management normally, and many times it is done against the artists will.

“Relation-shit”

These types of stunts are the relationship stunts, normally it is two popular celebrities dating to gain publicity for a movie or song that they are doing. A popular reference to this would be Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, Joe was approached by a head of Disney, who asked him to date, at the time, co-star Demi Lovato. This stunt was to push the new Disney movie that both were starring in, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Now at the time Demi was unaware that Joe was approached to do this, so when Joe and hid dad approached her about it… wow that must have hurt.

Another example of a relation-shit would be Shawmilla. Now before you attack me for this, let’s look at all the facts. Everything that relationship has done has been staged, let’s look at the timeline.

 August 2015

-       the first time they publicly hung out (at the 2015 VMA’s), sparking rumors of them dating

September 2015

-       pictured together at the iHeart Radio Festival, sparking rumors of Camila branching off of Fifth Harmony

November 2015

-       “I Know What You Did Last Summer” was released and performed many different times, Camila was still in Fifth Harmony at the time

June 2016

-       Shawn and Camila win an award for IKWYDLS and accepted together

-       Camilla ultimately starts her solo career

December 2017

-       Shawn is pictured with Hailey Baldwin (Bieber)

February 2018

-       Camila is in a serious relationship with Matthew Hussey, confirmed by a trip to Mexico together

April 2018

-       Shawn and Hailey go to the Met Gala together (Iconic)

December 2018

-       Camila hints at music between her and Shawn on twitter (6 months before Senorita)

https://twitter.com/Camila_Cabello/status/1070381510740598785?s=20

May 2019

-       Matthew and Camila last spotted together, returning from a vacation in Italy

-       Met her family on May 14th

June 20th, 2019

-       Senorita is released, now this had been in the works for over 6 MONTHS, so this was all very planned out

-       On release day, the Senorita music video was also released, which is literally soft porn, I do not know how it is still on the internet, gross

-       But, Camila? Aren’t you still dating Matthew? Why would you release this very VERY touchy music video with Shawn, if you are still dating Matthew?

June 21st, 2019

-       Shawn and Camila in V Magazine, still very touchy

June 26th, 2019

-       Breakup articles about Matthew and Camilla, Weird since he met her family only a month before.

July 3rd, 2019

-       Staged photos of Shawn and Camila out and about

4th  

-       more staged pics

5th

-       Camila at Shawn’s Concert

6th

-       Shawn denies that him and Camila are dating

 https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1147700409919778816?s=20

7th  

-       Shawmila in San Francisco all day

12th

-       That god awful making out pics that shook the entire internet

-       More pics in SF

 Ok you get the point, they are pictured together only when one of them has music to promote, In this case its Senorita. Now for more recent proofs of this entire relationship being a sham. Shawn just released an album called “Wonder” and guess what we wonder Shawn? Why do you not post any pictures of Camila until you have an album to promote? And now you have a puppy? Pulling an Elounor are we?

Senorita is a total stunt song to “prove” to the public that they are together.

“Style”

Now this type of stunt gets its name from the queen of stunt songs herself, Ms. Taylor Swift. The notorious song Style, supposedly about “Ex” Harry Styles, is probably one of the most stunty stunt songs I have ever heard. Like come on! “James Dean Daydream look in your eyes” if you didn’t know, here is a short recap on the icon himself James Dean.

Taylor has time and time again written amazing songs, I would be lying if I did not call her one of the greatest lyricists on the 21st century, the woman can write extremely well. So why would she put a nod to James Dean, a famous actor, who was a closeted, RAGING bisexual in a song so clearly about Harry Styles? She knows what she is doing.

Talking more about the “Haylor” stunt, can we please end that? It was a 3-month PR stunt that happened 5 years ago, please just get over it, they never really dated. And to the hardcore Haylor fans, there is no chemistry between them.

Haylor; The Stunt

“I hate you because I’m getting paid to!”

Now I do not go into this one much, but basically it is when you see two artists publicly fighting and releasing diss tracks. A popular example of this would be, Machine Gun Kelley and Eminem, with their songs called “Rap Devil” and “Killshot”. Their “beef” was totally staged to boost views on both sides, its even more prominent because they have the same record label, INTERSCOPE.

Eminem v. MGK

 I will be adding to this the more things happens, but it you have and questions feel free to ask them!

[iamtheroger]

Sheer Heart Attack Tour of the USA

Back in the days Queen tours weren’t run as smoothly as in the 80s. It was after this tour Queen really set about building their own crew and everything else became more professional as well. Not the case yet, and with some other unforeseen circumstances thrown into the mix, this tour was quite an interesting ride.

5 Feb 1975 - Columbus, Ohio: Not much of note happened as far as I can tell.

6 Feb 1975 - Cincinnati, Ohio: This one got cancelled because the venue was deemed unsuitable for Queen. The 30 people or so that were there did get to see the support act (Mahogany Rush) for free! There’s more to it, but I’ll get to that soon.

7 Feb 1975 - Dayton, Ohio: Not much known here.

8 Feb 1975 - Cleveland, Ohio: The first of several double gigs were Queen played two gigs on the same day. These kind of shows would tear Freddie’s voice apart so on subsequent tours they didn’t happen anymore.

9 Feb 1975 - South Bend, Indiana: As you can tell, the 6th concert in 5 days, which is very taxing on both band and roadies. Nowadays you won’t see more than two or three shows in a row.

10 Feb 1975 - Detroit, Michigan: 2nd cancelled concert this tour, unsuprisingly after doing so many in a row due to illness of one the band members (I think it was Brian). Kansas (the support act for most of the tour) played one song and then got booed of stage and that was it.

11 Feb 1975 - Toledo, Ohio: Still no day off. Apparently this concert was played to a whopping audience of 200 people! Not the first, last or only time those days Queen concerts didn’t sell very well, especially in an area where their music perhaps wasn’t played very much on the radio.

12 Feb 1975 - Cincinnati, Ohio: Apparently the earlier mentioned Cincinnati concert ended up being re-scheduled to what must have been this day. Not confirmed, but it does seem like that if you go by the stories. Of course, on such short notice not many had bought a ticket so it’s curious why they would have chosen to do that.

13 Feb 1975 - First real day off

14 Feb 1975 - Waterbury, Connecticut - Valentine's concert :P

15 Feb 1975 - Double gig in Boston. Apart three attempts, they finally get to play there! There was a party afterwards and there’s an article about that here: x

16 Feb 1975 - Double gig in New York. Four gigs in two days! The intended support act (Mahogany Rush again) couldn’t make it in time for the first gig, so they got some random young folk singer (John Quarn) to open for them for some reason 😅 It was a bit odd, apparently. Here’s an interesting article: x and above’s the poster from Queenconcerts.

17 Feb 1975 - Trenton, New Jersey. Dunno, it happened.

18 Feb 1975 - Day off. They went clubbing in New York apparently.

19 Feb 1975 - Lewiston, Maine. As happened in the gold ol’ days the fans ended up trashing the place. The local upstanding citizens weren’t happy about it... A photo can be found at the end. Read more here: x

20 Feb 1975 - Another day off

21 Feb 1975 - Passaic, New Jersey. Fucking Argent! They opened for Queen, got a technical problem that delayed the concert for hours, then dared to come back for an encore after being booed throughout. Queen only started playing 1 AM and finished at 2:30 AM! For the few young fans this wouldn’t have made their parents very happy. The theatre they played in was used as a porn theatre during the day btw 😁 

22 Feb 1975 - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Ah, the famous Cow Shed in Harrisburg (dubbed the ‘State Farm Show Arena’), known for the venue were Brian May was drunk on stage after drinking with Joe Perry. You know what I’m talking about. Not a very glamorous place and dirty as well.

23 Feb 1975 - Double gig in Philly. The pic below is from the many radio interviews they did pre-gig in those days. This one’s at Radio Philadelphia 106.5 FM. Roger looks soft and cuddly. Freddie’s voice is gone by now, he would see a specialist tomorrow.

24 Feb 1975 - Washington, D.C. Freddie saw a specialist this day, who recommended him to rest his voice for three months because of nodules. This gig still needed to be played however and Freddie almost ended up missing it after being stuck in Baltimore because the train wouldn’t go any further and other means of transport weren’t available. He almost made it in time though, so the concert was only slightly delayed.

25 Feb 1975 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Freddie sees another specialist, who only suggests a couple of weeks off (he thinks it’s just swelling, the first one was right). Not wanting to cancel half the tour again, the band only cancels a week of concerts, risking Freddie’s voice in the process. This was probably that week Roger spent wasted in a hotel room with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith as what else would he have done?

26 Feb 1975 - Kutztown, Pennsylvania. I find the name of this town quite funny, but you’ll have to be Dutch for that (it would basically mean Shit Town here).

27 Feb 1975 - Buffalo, New York

28 Feb 1975 - Toronto, Canada

1 Mar 1975 - Kitchener, Canada

2 Mar 1975 - London, Canada. It’s twice in a row cancellation for the fans in London and Toronto. Bad luck for them, Queen would never come to London in the end (unlike Toronto of course).

3 Mar 1975 - This was a day off already.

4 Mar 1975 - Davenport, Iowa.

5 Mar 1975 - La Crosse, Wisconsin. First concert in a week.

6 Mar 1975 - Madison, Wisconsin. This concert Queen played as a support act for REO Speedwagon, probably because the venue was too big for Queen to sell out at this point (most Queen gigs on this tour were played in venues up to 3000, but this gig had an audience of 8500).

7 Mar 1975 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For a comparison, this gig sold out, but was only played in a 1700 capacity venue.

8 Mar 1975 - Chicago, Illinois. Another sold-out show. Queen’s fortunes seem to have turned a bit.

9 Mar 1975 - St Louis, Missouri. No idea.

10 Mar 1975 - Fort Wayne, Indiana. Idem dito.

11 Mar 1975 - Another day off after playing 6 days in a row.

12 Mar 1975 - Atlanta, Georgia. Little is known.

13 Mar 1975 - Charleston, South Carolina. There are in the south by now, a place that took a bit longer to warm up to Queen and the first to drop them in the 80s.

14 Mar 1975 - Day off, marks the first time they’ve been in Miami.

15 Mar 1975 - Miami, Florida. Outdoor concert, got cancelled due to rain and rescheduled to the 17th.

16 Mar 1975 - Day off.

17 Mar 1975 - Miami, Florida. The rescheduled concert. Quite neat they managed to reschedule it on such a short notice.

18 Mar 1975 - New Orleans, Louisiana. One of their favourite places. The concert didn’t take place in NOLA itself, but in some town called St Bernard, on the outskirts. During the 70s would frequently play in small towns in the outskirts of big cities.

19 Mar 1975 - Day off, spend in NOLA probably.

20 Mar 1975 - San Antonio, Texas. You can find an interestin fan story from this gig here: x. The place wasn’t very full during the concert. There was a Texan band opening for them, which could have both helped and harmed them in connecting with the audience.

21 Mar 1975 - Day off. By this point in the tour day offs were more frequent as the distances between gigs were getting bigger.

22 Mar 1975 - Dallas, Texas. Another concert that wasn’t sold out, evens at 2400 capacity. However, this fan got to meet the band as he went to the soundcheck: x. Read it! It shows the differences between the 70s and now at concerts really well.

23 Mar 1975 - Day off. This was originally the date of the Dallas gig.

24 Mar 1975 - Another day off.

25 Mar 1975 - Tulsa, Oklahoma. Not the first place you’d expect Queen to play.

26/27/28 Mar 1975 - All days off. On the 27th they went to see Led Zeppelin at the Forum, a place they would often play later on. This was the first time they were in LA. The band would also play spontaneously at the famous Rainbow Bar, which really impressed Roger at that point in time.

29 Mar 1975 - Santa Monica, California, double gig. For now though they were playing the smaller venues. This is the gig Deaky split his trousers. Article here: x

30 Mar 1975 - San Francisco. Initially to be played on the 28th.

1 Apr 1975 - Day off.

2 Apr 1975 - Edmonton, Canada. A really popular sold-out gig at 5000. Played at a sport centre.

3 Apr 1975 - Calgary, Canada. Just another gig.

4 Apr 1975 - Day off.

5 Apr 1975 - Vancouver, Canada. With the Japan Tour ahead some more gigs get cancelled to save Freddie’s voice. In total 12 concerts would be cancelled during the whole tour, the most after the previous tour.

6 Apr 1975 - Seattle, Washington. The last concert of this tour. Queen and Kansas would do an extensive set together (maybe not the best idea for Freddie, but he survived!)

7 Apr 1975 - Portland, Oregon. Cancelled. The band would go off to Hawaii instead for a short family holiday.

Thanks to Queenlive & Queenconcerts. I hope anyone likes it!

[jeremystrele]

A Stylist’s Guide To Downtown Los Angeles

A Stylist’s Guide To Downtown Los Angeles

Travel

Sarah Ellison

A travel guide to Downtown LA from stylist Sarah Ellison. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

The iconic ‘Jesus Saves’ sign in LA. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Golden hour. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Local style! Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Taco stands abound in LA. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

$1.50 roadside tacos. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Sarah’s first trip to LA was to visit the sole stockist for her line of furniture and homewares. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

As a self confessed longtime lover of ‘Cali cool’ interiors‘, this was surprisingly my first trip to Los Angeles! With the opportunity to launch my brand with luxury homewares and lifestyle retailer Hawkins NY, I found myself based in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) in close proximity to the Arts District, where their LA store is located. Here I discovered a different side of LA – a raw and gritty version of the California experience that was eye-opening, interesting and at times confronting.

It’s easy to imagine the glamour of Los Angeles. The one that we have grown up seeing in movies and TV, and we certainly experienced this as we worked through our list of things to do in LA. Gentrification and dilapidation in equal measure is the best way to describe DTLA. It’s a city of juxtapositions – culturally rich but with some serious social issues, with homelessness being the most confronting of these. Breathtaking Deco architecture, in some cases transformed into abandoned parking lots, exists on the same block as new boutique hotels. A thriving global food scene with some of the best cuisine I have ever experienced is alongside $1.50 tacos on street corners. European designer fashion brands open their retail spaces next to pawn shops, a proximity that would be unimaginable in most major cities around the world.

If you’re looking for more of a travel experience than just your standard holiday, then add a few days in DTLA to your trip. Rather than get caught in traffic visiting on day trips, I would suggest staying here to really soak in the full experience.

Stylist Sarah Ellison in Downtown LA. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

The iconic Orpheum Theatre. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Downtown LA Theatre District

Stretching between 3rd and 9th on Broadway, the Theatre District houses 12 theatres built between 1910 and 1931. What struck me most about this area was the incredibly ornate Art Deco architecture. The glamorous facades that once welcomed Hollywood royalty are set against the now raw and gritty streets of DTLA.

There was some serious Marquee sign appreciation going down making it feel a bit like the set of a movie!

DTLA Theatre District Between 3rd and 9th on Broadway 

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Another diamond in the rough, the Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by revered architect Frank Gehry was a gift to the city of Los Angeles from Lillian B Disney. Located at the corner of First Street and Grand Avenue, the concert hall is recognised as an architectural and acoustic masterpiece that has forever changed the musical landscape of Los Angeles. If this city had a heart, this is it! It has revitalised the area socially and is an exciting architectural statement built in Gehry’s signature ‘silver sails’ style. Well worth a visit.

Walt Disney Concert Hall 111 S Grand Ave Los Angeles, CA 

A street mural on Sunset. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

San Francisco export Tartine bakery is internationally acclaimed. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Tartine

In short this place is basically ‘bread porn’. I mean, who doesn’t love a good bakery!

The Tartine team are some of the most influential bakers in the US. Opening first in San Francisco in 2002, they recently opened their newest manufactory at ROW DTLA (a smattering of retail spaces, pop-up shops, restaurants and offices) where they bake the most wonderful selection of wood-fired artisanal bread and pastries, pizza and ice cream.

Set within an elegant open plan industrial building, the venue transitions between bakery to restaurant, bar and marketplace where they sell cute local ceramics, cookbooks and charcuterie. With its pink facade and elegant, relaxed interior brightened by loads of natural light filtering through large warehouse windows, Tartine ticked the interiors and culinary boxes simultaneously!

Tartine ‘The Manufactory’ 757 Alameda St, Suite 160 Los Angeles, CA 90021

Outside Bestia. Photo – Sierra Prescott.

Left: An LA streetscape. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor. Right: Fresh pasta at Bestia is the best Sarah has ever eaten! Photo – Sierra Prescott.

Bestia

Bestia is literally, the BEST Italian I have ever eaten! This restaurant is a must-visit and all about the food, but you will definitely need to make a booking a couple of weeks in advance to get the time you want. Our setting was at 9.30pm, but hey! We were on LA time.

Located in the Arts District, you kind of feel like your Uber driver doesn’t know where he is going when you drive around the industrial streets. All of a sudden, you arrive to find a thriving eatery with as many staff as customers. The industrial space was the kind we dream about in the Australian property market but can seldom find anymore. We ordered a shared-style menu of antipasti, pizza, pasta and meat and then proceeded to eat way more than was necessary! Of course.

The service was impeccable and the vibe was loud and exhilarating. The most memorable part for me was the hand made pasta – I had never experienced pasta that fresh and tender. A foodie’s heaven!

Bestia 2121 E 7th Pl Los Angeles, CA 

The Firehouse Hotel is housed in – you guessed it – an old firehouse. Photo – Laure Joliet.

The bar at the Firehouse Hotel. Photo – Laure Joliet.

An interior space at The Firehouse Hotel. Photo – Laure Joliet.

A room at the Firehouse Hotel. Photo – Laure Joliet.

Firehouse Hotel

Situated in LA’s Arts District, The Firehouse Hotel is as the name suggests – a boutique hotel built within an old Firehouse. With just nine rooms and an adjoining restaurant, it has a warm and laid-back feeling to it. The interiors are trendy, unexpected and fun, celebrating local designers with each room themed a different colour.

We had two lovely meals at the indoor/outdoor restaurant which focuses on American style dishes. A great place to enjoy a cocktail in a cool and relaxed setting. It feels kinda local.

Firehouse Hotel 710 S Santa Fe Ave Los Angeles, CA

The Gothic facade of the Ace Hotel in Downtown LA was inspired by the Segrada Familia in Barcelona. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Ace Hotel

The most exciting thing about the Ace Hotel DTLA for me was the 13 storey Gothic architectural icon in which it is housed! Built in 1927 as a film studio founded by Charlie Chaplin the building was inspired by La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Such a pleasant surprise, particularly once I learnt about its history.

The rooms feel like you are staying at your ‘cool LA artist friend’s’ apartment. With a vintage/industrial aesthetic, they are small but cosy with a moody colour scheme, concrete columns and chipboard walls. All the little details that make you realise you are staying somewhere that has real vision for the styling and art direction.

On the rooftop, there’s a very busy plunge pool and Insta-worthy rooftop bar, situated high-up within the Gothic facade of the building. You’ll enjoy panoramic views out over the city. It’s is definitely a must-visit at sunset for a cocktail.

Ace Hotel 929 South Broadway Los Angeles, CA

ROWDTLA is a curated shopping experience. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Hawkins NY is the sole US stockist of Sarah Ellison’s furniture. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

Shopping at Hawkins NY. Photo – Rhiannon Taylor.

ROW DTLA

A creative district thoughtfully re-imagined for creative spaces, retail and art. The antithesis to the American Mall, ROW is a conceptual shopping experience, located within an architecturally impressive row of former industrial buildings. The businesses here have been carefully curated as a unique shopping experience full of exciting young creative brands in fashion, interiors and art, as well as great cafes, restaurants and bars. You can take a ceramics class, do yoga or even get a facial!

Well known sneaker store Bodega is worth a visit, hidden behind a ‘fruit market’ facade which pays homage to the former produce factory the store is located within. It’s a hidden gem.

Hot tip! If you go on a Sunday you can also experience Smorgasburg LA. An artisanal local LA food market, that is adjacent to ROW.

ROW DTLA 777 Alameda Street Los Angeles, CA

Hawkins NY @ ROW DTLA

Hawkins NY is the exclusive retailer for my brand in the US – so I may be biased – but they really are one of my favourite homewares stores, which is why we ended up there! Offering a beautifully curated collection of ethically sourced, high-quality pieces at reasonable prices. Originally from New York, Hawkins are famous for their gorgeous bed linens in earthy tones, which they merchandise impeccably alongside local lighting design and handmade glassware.

When it comes to homewares stores in LA this is one of the best. You will certainly find something to bring back in your suitcase. My credit card statement is proof of that!

Hawkins NY 767 South Alameda Street Los Angeles, CA

[davedimartino]

NEW THIS WEEK 10.28.08

Holy smokes! Usually when I spotlight new album releases each week, there are three or four major albums of interest, a few more that seem promising, and one or two with nice covers!

But this week there's simply too much great stuff!

And of course if I were to simply say that every new album was great, what sort of critic would I be?

Give up?

Tall!

P!nk: Funhouse (La Face/Zomba) It's hard not to admire P!nk for her sheer ability, sense of fun and daring, and literal ownership of a part of the color spectrum! Her new album features the single "So What" and includes a heady batch of collaborators including Max Martin, Butch Walker and Billy Mann, among others. It's kind of neat! As always, P!nk skirts the outer limits of danger here--but perhaps wisely has avoided the tempting trap of following her previous album I'm Not Dead with one called Oops, Now I Am for kicks! In sum, any woman who knows full well that by calling herself "P!nk" she will force any potential male fan to utter the words "I like Pink" is OK by me!

Toby Keith: That Don't Make Me A Bad Guy (Show Dog Nashville) Getting a new album by Toby Keith is always cause for celebration in my house, especially when we all try to interpret the meanings of his great songs! In this case, I’m kind of bowled over by the title track, which as far as I can tell was the result of his getting an overdue notice from his local library for keeping If I Ran The Zoo and Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus well past their due date! Dude, I'm sure all of us agree that you've got a lot on your plate, and having an overdue library book is much less of a big deal than, say, not telling your cable company that you're getting extra channels you're not paying for! They're all winners, but "You Already Love Me" may be the most gripping track!

 Queen + Paul Rodgers: The Cosmos Rocks (Hollywood) It's difficult to argue with the title of this, the first new album to bear the Queen name since Freddie Mercury's death, since by all indications, the Cosmos does rock! But though "Queen" comes first, it's the vocal talent of Paul Rodgers--formerly of Free, Bad Company and the Firm--that's up-front and center on most of these recordings! Fans of Rodgers' singular talent will be overjoyed by what they hear here, but those who admired the multi-tracked excesses of Queen at their best might find much of this more basic than they'd hoped for. But as many have noted, had the band called themselves "King," "Prince" or even "Rex"--as some were hoping--more than a few German Shepherds might have taken offense!

  John Legend: Evolver (G.O.O.D. Music/Columbia) I’m a big fan of John Legend and think he's one of the most talented musicians playing music at the moment, and I'm pleased to report that this album yet another step upward for the man. Featuring such talents as the marvelous Estelle, Andre 3000, and Kanye West--whom I'm told is quite good--this is polished, well-played music that bears the stamp of sophistication in the figurative sense and approaches the perfection of the Beatles' Revolver in the alphabetical sense! Plus, you've got to figure a guy named "Legend" who makes records for a label called "Good Music" can't be bad or there'd be a lawsuit!

Snow Patrol: A Hundred Million Suns (Polydor/Fiction) Though one-hit wonders come and go, bands like Snow Patrol--who've really been at it for some time now--continue to show increased strength with each and every new record they make. This, their fifth--which doesn't even count singer Gary Lightbody's work with the Reindeer Section--is packed to the brim with wonderfully textured, melodic songs that carry with them a sort of understated sense of drive that truly makes them unique. Plus, after hearing about this album for several months, many longtime fans are pleased to discover that "Suns" is actually spelled with a "U." They may be more famous than ever, but using an "O" would've been unseemly!

 Lady Gaga: The Fame (Interscope) I’m a bit taken with Lady Gaga, whose blend of pop, dance and R&B carries with it a high level of sophistication both in terms of influence and application. Plus, she's hot! Though her bio mentions such names as Peggy Bundy and Donatella Versace--whose albums, I must admit, I've never heard--and her album contains tracks like "Boys Boys Boys"--which, candidly, you should be careful listening to when driving around with your windows open--she's accessible in the very best sense and often wears sunglasses! Marry her!

 The Cure: 4:13 Dream (Suretone) Having been a fan of the Cure from the get-go, I was a bit puzzled when I found no need to listen to the many singles that preceded the release of this album! Had I grown tired of this great band after all this time? Had in fact the mixture of melody and subtlety that marked all of their early, best work up to, say, The Head On The Door slowly and inexorably faded, leaving nothing but a meager, thrashing husk of what once was? Nope, I was just fixated on the first three Hawkwind albums! I’m over it now and plan to get into this new album as soon as this movie's over!

 Kaiser Chiefs: Off With Their Heads (Universal) Though I've always given the Kaiser Chiefs credit for being a brash and catchy, popular newish Brit band, I've never quite made the leap to total fandom, But this new disc gets top marks for the enormously catchy track "Addicted To Drugs," which boasts the compelling lyrical couplet "You might as well face it / You're addicted to drugs" and repeats it gloriously, interminably, and, in all, quite admirably. It's catchy!

Various Artists: A Technicolor Dream (DVD)  Anyone hip to the UK underground scene of the '60s will enjoy this documentary, which details the events leading up the near-legendary "musical happening" which took place at London's Alexandra Palace on April 29, 1967. Contemporary interviews with Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and Nick Mason, the Soft Machine's Kevin Ayers and the Pretty Things' Phil May and several influential Brit writer types mix with historic footage and lay down a history that's admirably thorough--especially for Americans, who were more enmeshed with the San Francisco music scene at the time, for the most part. Though there's a scarcity of live footage from the concert itself--which had one of the most incredible lineups in pop history--there's plenty of interesting early Pink Floyd performances and a significant emphasis on former Floyd leader Syd Barrett. Highly recommended.

 Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: Cardinology (Lost Highway) Today's new Adams album seems a bit better than yesterday's, but not as good as last Friday's! Word is, though, that this Thursday's is really going to be hot! This is getting great!

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Joshua Paul (BFA 97 Photography and Imaging)

Joshua Paul: My first car was a 1976 BMW 2002. I was inspired  to buy that car because my dad had a 1973 2002 TII which I kind of became  obsessed with when I was 14 or 15. My parents gave us a budget, each one of us, a budget of $4,000 for a car. That fit right in that frame of about $3,600.

ArtCenter: How did you find it?

Joshua Paul: Well, I lived in Fresno, so of course I went right to the papers, the Fresno Beat to the classified sections. And unfortunately I bought the first car I saw. As you do when you're 16, you just can't wait to  get a car and I bought a bit of a... it needed a lot of work! It hadn't been taken care of very well so it required about $200 every 3-5 months. But I kept it, stuck with it -- it became my car. 

ArtCenter: Was it a great car? Did you become attached to it? How did it work out for you?

Joshua Paul: I absolutely became attached to it, it was my first car. It was cool, it was a hip car and no one had one. I wasn't into muscle cars, I kind of wanted this, I was into European cars and it fit the budget. Everyone loved it, it was popular. Wasn't the fastest car, it was very heavy but it was durable and, I loved the car. I'm absolutely attached to it.

ArtCenter: What did you love about it. 

Joshua Paul: It was rock solid and the door, just when it closed, it went “ka-chunk.” The windows didn't have frames around them. So when the doors open it was just wide open. You could put your arm out the window without being obstructed with the frame. It had big comfortable seats. I mean it was just, I think it was more just remembered what my dad had and wanting to be cool. 

ArtCenter: What did you love about your dad's car?

Joshua Paul: My dad, my parents were divorced when my brother was 2, I was 4, my sister was six. They both bought sports cars, and he bought a '73  2002 TII because his friend was going to buy one. So we went into the dealership, his friend bought a green one and my dad bought a red one. And the car was, we knew it was a cool car. It was small and sporty. It was fast, had a sunroof, had black leather interior. We knew that it was a special car.  Everyone, whenever we stopped the car in a parking lot somebody asked "What is that? Where'd you get it? What year is it?" So there's always a dialogue around the car.

ArtCenter: Because it was already kind of a vintage, like a classic at that point right?

Joshua Paul: It was 2002, was becoming, it wasn't imported until about maybe 1972 or 3 I think. So it was still a rare car and in fact when he sold it, people offered him more than I think a thousand dollars more than he asked for. He made more money than he paid for it.

ArtCenter: Wow.

Joshua Paul: Someone came from LA to buy it, they bought it sight unseen. Said, "I want your car" and that was it. Someone came and picked it up on a truck.

ArtCenter: What color was it?

Joshua Paul: Red. Beautiful red car.

ArtCenter: That is my favorite car by the way.

Joshua Paul: Are you serious? Okay, so I bought a brown one. I just wish I, it's always you know, hindsight is 20/20 but I just bought the first car I saw. I wanted it and I wanted it on Monday you know. No regrets of course but still, I wish I'd had the other body style, the other, just a  sexier car. It's a more svelte, had better lines and the engine was, I think, much better 

ArtCenter: How did it impact your life? Good or bad? At that point.

Joshua Paul: My car or my dad's car?

ArtCenter: Your car.

Joshua Paul: Oh my god, well it's, I mean a car gives you freedom. I grew up in Fresno California so we were on our bikes or skateboards up until that point. We were playing sports because we had nothing else to do. We'd finish school, and go play sports and take the bus home. Or bike or skateboard. Once you have a car you kind of lose interest in sports. You start meeting girls, you have independence, you can start going out and come home a little bit later, get into a bit of trouble. But you're also free to go to the coasts. I was from Fresno so we'd go to San Luis Obispo or Santa Cruz. Or we'd go see concert in San Francisco. So we really were free.

ArtCenter: What's like your most vivid memory involving the car?

Joshua Paul: My most vivid memory of the 2002 was, I took auto shop  in high school, I think I was in 11th grade. And part of the problem was the car was always costing $200 to fix this or that. I mean the car was a bit of a lemon. Again, I wish I'd waited a little longer to pick a car. But I decided to, I think change the brake pads myself. And so I went to BMW, I ordered the parts, had the instructor help me fix the, take off the rotors, change the rotors, and get the brake pads, and fit the brake pads, and adjust  the brake pads.

And then I couldn't find the cotter pin anywhere in auto shop. So I thought, I'll just use a nail, not understanding that metal isn't just metal. So anyway, put the car back together, go out for a drive. And as I'm going down Highway 41 at about 60 miles per hour, suddenly the rear end, left rear drops. The wheel passed me on the left. And I just sprang a tail, a rooster tail of sparks down the freeway. I love that I gained control of the  car, we pulled the car over, I had to run out into the center median and chase this tire which was coming, just picking up speed. Finally got my wheel, brought the tire back to the car. Called the tow truck. And that was the last time I worked on that car. And of course it was a $500 repair so we  saved no money in that do-it-yourself auto shop class. 

ArtCenter: That was like an action hero moment. Did you get another car after that or did you, were you carless for a while?

Joshua Paul: No we fixed it. But my second car was a Honda Accord, and basically my parents said, "You know you have to sell this thing.  It's too expensive." Every month it cost $200. So I was convinced to  take a Honda Accord that my grandparents bought. And because they could no  longer drive it was this brand new car with maybe 10,000 miles on it. And  what I sold the car for we just exchanged the price, the money over to them.  But as my friend said to me, he said, "You made the biggest mistake ever  because this car's never going to die and you're going to have it  forever." And it was a baby blue Honda Accord LX, and it was like the  least sexy car I ever had in my entire life. But the heat works and the  defroster works and it always started. And it was a penniless car, the tires  lasted well over 50,000 miles. Great gas mileage. Very expensive. But it was  terrible for my image.

And not only that, I was hit by a motorcycle at a stop  light and it dents the rear bumper. And so we settled the payment, it was  about a $700 repair. But I couldn't justify spending $700 on the bumper, so I  kept the money. But I had a dented light blue Honda Accord. So again, just  not sexy.

ArtCenter: Did you keep it for a while? Was it sorta like an  albatross, like it kept working and that was kinda the problem?

Joshua Paul: Oh absolutely, there was no logic to getting rid of that  car. It was perfect. It lasted forever, it drove well. It was comfortable,  the heat worked, everything worked. It always worked. But luckily I finally,  my mom bought a new car. My mom had BMW 535I, an '85. And she had very few  miles on the car and she upgraded to a 548 and sold me that car. And that was  right after I finished Art Center. So now I was cool again. Was a  photographer, had a cool car. And that again, it makes a big difference. It  changes the way you feel about yourself. And especially being in LA, where  everyone had a great car. And I was again in this light blue Honda Accord. Which,  no one wanted to ride in my car, so.

ArtCenter: So it changed your social options when you were in LA?

Joshua Paul: Well I think a good car, I think a cool car gives you  confidence. I think it's like wearing a great coat, or wearing great shoes,  or wearing fitted jeans. And if you think you fit that car, which I think I  did, I mean it wasn't brand new. It was still kinda the older style car. Had  great power to weight ratio. It was a sexy cool car. It was charcoal gray,  had a sunroof, tan leather interior. I loved it.

ArtCenter: Tell us about the cars in your life now.

Joshua Paul: I can't tell you everything because things are happening in such a strange way. So I started a magazine called Lollipop, it's about Formula One and it's only Formula One. And it happened by chance where I was heading to Europe, a friend of mine just became an editor at Road and Track, so I asked him if I could shoot the race for them. And he helped me get the  accreditations which is very difficult. And we wrote letters and we sent a portfolio and we sent links to my website. And only a few days before I got  to the race was I approved to shoot the race. I asked the head of the FIA which is the governing body of Formula One, they had looked at my website and liked my work and liked my sensibility and what I was doing. And he invited me back to more races.

ArtCenter: Did you feel like the kind of stuff you were photographing has shifted this time, now that you're more invited into the inner fold?

Joshua Paul: No, I'm trying not to do that. When I got into Formula  One I simply asked to shoot a race and asked for try to help me accreditation. And I thought this would be so cool, I'm on holiday in  Barcelona, I'll shoot a race that would be really great. And when I got there  I was invited back. And the reason they said, I mean they wanted, they invited me back because they thought I shot things a little bit differently. And when I shot the race I kinda just treated it like a travel story, and shot big environmental landscapes. So I was at the Spanish Grand Prix and the hills are brown and there's a tree in the distance and clouds over there. So shooting with a wide-angle lens, just a big landscape, with the Ferraris kind of driving through the frame. And I just did that.

ArtCenter: What car do you fixate on now? Is there one car where you think, “that is the most beautiful machine on four wheel?”

Joshua Paul: I'll give you two. I'm obsessed with a late 80′s Porsche 911 Carrera. I think it's a perfect car. Like an '88, '89, with the G50 transmission, it's perfect. It's small, it's sexy, it's just meant to drive. You can hear the engine, it's so distinctive, the sound. I grew up with those cars and a lot of my parent's dads had those cars. And I never  drove in one, we just went and looked at them, or they'd let us wash their cars. Seriously. We'd roll the out and we'd wash them and we'd roll the back  in. They wouldn't even let us start them up. So I've always been obsessed with having a Carrera. Even when I live in New York I'll justify finding a parking place and find nice roads for it.

But the car that changed my life about 15 years ago was the Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic. And I think it's the most beautiful car ever  made. And I'm sure many other people think the same thing. It's just this  incredibly gorgeous, long, sexy car that has a rough edge which it's riveted.  It's two side of the cars are riveted together down the center of the car. So  it gives it almost a three inch fin with rivets. Yet the windows are rounded,  it's wood interior and leather inside. And it just, I think it has six black  matte tailpipes out the back. It's just so sexy.