kv.

Konan sem klippir hárið á Eyþóri Inga, sigurvegara í Bandinu hans Bubba

As my semester abroad draws closer, I've been on the lookout for good fashion blogs based in the UK that also appeal to my sense of style. I'll admit to not being very familiar with the foreign blogging scene in general. As of right now, I've only been reading a tiny handful of British fashion blogs, one of which is so well-known that I'm certain everyone else interested in fashion blogging has already encountered it! If anyone has any recommendations for British fashion blogs, I would love to hear it.

That ultra-popular, and rightfully so, blog would be the one and only Stylebubble. Susie Bubble always puts together very exciting, original outfits and writes on inspirational though less well-known designers. I adore all of the pictures she posts, and even if her style is a lot more original and edgy than mine, she come up with a lot of things that appeal to my more conventional sense of style. One of my favorite posts of hers is this one, where she has put together some creatively re-imagined school "uniform" ensembles a la Gossip Girl.

One of the only other UK fashion blogs I now frequent is Kirsty's That's Just my Vibe, based in London. Her outfits seem deceptively simple at first glance, tending towards a lot of black and gray lately, but hey, those are some of my favorite colors in clothes and they work for everyone. I really like her sense of style, and could easily look to some of her outfits for inspiration. She also writes a lot of very introspective posts on how she views and relates to fashion (as does Susie Bubble and well, most other fashion blogs I count amongst my top favorites), and those are always very interesting to read as well.

I would love to hear if anyone else has any suggestions for UK-based fashion blogs, so I can get an early start on fashion inspiration derived from my study abroad!

10. Neil Young - After the Gold Rush - I feel like this is kind of a given, its a classic album by a well-respected rock musician. My first exposure to this album was a Radiohead cover of the title track, which blew me away. Can't think of anything amazing about it right now, but its well put-together and well-written, which says a lot. Neil Young plays some highly emotional and intelligent music.

09. 28 Days Later OST - John Murphy's score for this film is utterly amazing, not only does it capture the fear and isolation of the movie itself, but the tense moments displayed. Everything about this score matches the film, from the minimalism to the haunting melodies that creep in throughout. Honestly I could do without the other songs tacked on - as cool as Brian Eno's "An Ending (Ascent)" and Grandaddy's "AM 180." They're not bad songs, but to me they interrupt the melancholy flow and sense of disparity - although they work wonderfully within the film itself.

08. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation - Wasn't ever a big Sonic Youth fan, but I'd certainly heard of them because they've made quite the impact upon the music scene. Listening to Daydream Nation for the first time I was struck by the teenage angst of it all - and not in the cliche way either. It captures a moment in time; where everything is kind of confusing and doesn't make sense. Experimentation is the requirement, and the noise-rock of the album reflects this quite well. My least favorite track has to be "Providence" however; it seems more like a skit than a song. The bonus disc featuring a live concert is good, although I wish the audio quality was just a tad better - it doesn't sound like it was mixed properly.

07. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time - Seattle is well-known for its music scene. Band of Horses follows in that assessment and delivers a wonderful album. Its got a very classic "indie" sound, but at the same time features hints of alt-country twang. There's a great consistency about the whole thing, and the songs are well-written not only musically but lyrically as well. Sometimes an album just works, and it proves itself time and time again. I always find myself listening to this album when I'm in the mood for something relaxing and beautiful. Then again its also quite upbeat as well; always a nice mix.

06. Minor Threat - First Demo Tape - Minor Threat's entire discography can fit onto a CD; which says a lot about their song-length, and how short their career was. In the punk world Minor Threat changed how everything sounded by playing harder, faster and stronger. Fellow hardcore rockers Bad Brains also share their fast-paced-yet-intricate guitar-work - Bad Brains clearly the more articulate - but both have a ferocity about them. This demo tape shows a band barely out of high school completely decimating everything. Each song is a kick-in-the-face. Its hard and fast; just like it should be. When I hear this demo I can't help but imagine myself crammed into a basement recording studio watching some friends play - and knowing that something special is going on.

(5-1 after the cut). 05. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere - Pop music isn't anything to scoff at, but there's certainly a distinction between good and bad pop music. Gnarls Barkley, the brain-child of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse bleeds out amazingly catchy pop-music songs. Lyrically they can be dark and foreboding, talking about suicide and death. The glimmering surface of the music hides a tongue-in-cheek sort of attitude. It seems like both these men really love music in all its forms, and it shows on their album. Rarely have I heard an album that's so perfectly created, featuring a good tracklisting, great sounds and well-written lyrics. I avoided this for some time, but I certainly kicked myself for taking so long. The wait was worth it though.

04. Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool - Jazz is one of America's unique music forms. It joins the ranks of blues and hip-hop; a musical trend/idea that's criss-crossed the world and become a staple of nightlife everywhere. Davis is certainly a pioneer within the realm of Jazz music, and its easy to see why. His melodies are straight-forward yet complex, begging a closer listen. At the moment nothing spectacular stands out in terms of tracklisting, but its an amazing album. The flow of it is seamless; something I imagine Davis and his producers were thinking about. Its a chill album, perfect for those times when you just want to sit back and relax; good enough to groove a bit too as well. Certainly worth a listen.

03. Battles - Mirrored - Categorizing this album is a living hell. Its impossible to peg it down in any one genre or form. Instead the album weaves its way through classic rock riffs, electronic noises, song collages, heavy and calculated drumming and steady bass. It feels like going on some sort of strange journey, and its almost like video-game music. At least in the sense that its quirky, and you immediately get a picture in your head going, attached to emotions and feelings. Mirrored kicks itself off with "Race: In", slowly building to a nice crescendo, and matching that with closer "Race: Out." I don't think I fully understand the album, I don't think anyone really can, but its an amazingly unique album. Different from anything that I've heard before, or since for that matter, but clearly a piece of musical genius.

02. The Clash - London Calling - Another utter classic. The late 1970s punk scene was ablaze with acts who paved the way for those who came after. The Clash were no different, blending together a wide range of musical sounds and political insight. London Calling captures not only the world of 1970s London, but also the angst of working-class people who weren't sure what to do. Strummer and company sing about an uncertain future, and about a government that throws its delinquents into military service to beat some sense into them. By writing about a wide range of experiences London Calling connects with many generations. Times have changed, but in some respects we're still dealing with the issues to which Strummer sings about; and The Clash continue to inspire rebellion and uprising - not only musically, but in real issues as well.

01. Cloud Cult - Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus - This album is correctly placed, and I have no issues with it being at #1. Happy Hippo is an album of diverse sounds. Much like Battles' Mirrored it can be hard to peg the album down to one single genre or sound. Frontman Craig Minowa shows himself to be a wonderfully introspective singer-songwriter; using the death of his 2-year-old son to challenge his music. Even though there's a sad undertone to the album it still manages to bring a smile to my face. Maybe its because the songs can be quasi-humoristic, but at the same time heartfelt. Here's an example of authentic song-writing, and willingness to experiment with traditional format. Happy Hippo is a perfect album in almost all regards. While I wish there weren't so many interludes - which bleed into proceeding tracks - they're not noticeable when listening. Considering that Cloud Cult is a truly independent band it feels great buying their albums, because you know that its actually supporting them - and they're getting the money. In a world full of corporate scandal and screw-overs Cloud Cult stands tall, because they've worked around the system. So please, on behalf of the band, buy the albums if you like them - support good independent music.

In exactly one month, I will be packing my bags and flying from SFO to London Heathrow for my fall semester abroad. I am so incredibly excited. I think it'll be an inspirational experience for me from both the academic and sartorial perspectives. The School of Oriental and African Studies seems to be a very specialized institution catering to many of the topics I hope to specialize in, and though it is a major research university, it's undergraduate population is not much bigger than at the liberal arts college that is my home institution. They offer several African and South Asian languages as well as Arabic, Chinese, etc. which you're more likely to find at your average American college or university. The fact that it will be academic inspiration, then, goes without saying.

I don't know too much about fashion in the UK except that if blogs like the always-interesting Stylebubble are any indication, there should be plenty of inspiration to be seen. Either way, it'll be the first time I've lived for any real period in a major city - Boston barely counts and I go to school in the suburbs anyway - which should offer some excitement all its own.

I ordered the Moleskine city notebook for London - and will soon be filling it with a personal list of must-see places and other must-experience things. Once again, the exchange rate is still such that I likely won't be shopping there, though I'll still want to explore that kind of thing.

[caption id="attachment_163" align="aligncenter" width="393" caption="Nevermind"][/caption]

Mais uma vez o nirvana aparece numa lista dos melhores. Dessa vez a lista das melhores capas de disco. O site norte americano Gigwise realizou um enquete que elegeu as 50 melhores capas de discos

1. Nevermind, Nirvana
2. Very Eavy, Uriah Heep
3. Never Mind the Bollocks, The Sex Pistols
4. London Calling, The Clash
5. Is This It, The Strokes
6. Licence to III, Beastie Boys
7. Abbey Road, The Beatles
8. Country Life, Roxy Music
9. Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin
10. The Velvet Underground & Nico, The Velvet Underground
11. Agaetis Byrjun, Sigur Rós
12. Breakfast In America, Supertramp
13. The Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd
14. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
15. Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones
16. Odelay, Beck
17. Unknown Pleasures, Joy Division
18. Aladdin Sane, David Bowie
19. Green Mind, Dinosaur Jr
20. Atom Heart Mother, Pink Floyd
21. The Libertines, The Libertines
22. The Holy Bible, Manic Street Preachers
23. The Cure, The Cure
24. Goo, Sonic Youth
25. Lovesexy, Prince
26. Revolver, The Beatles
27. Amnesiac, Radiohead
28. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Smashing Pumpkins
29. Fugazi, Marillion
30. Number of the Beast, Iron Maiden
31. Pink Moon, Nick Drake
32. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
33. The Division Bell, Pink Floyd
34. Melt, Peter Gabriel
35. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie
36. Different Class, Pulp
37. Ace of Spades, Motörhead
38. Rubycon, Tangerine Dream
39. Doggy Style, Snoop Dogg
40. Split, The Groundhogs
41. Surfer Rosa, Pixies
42. Henry¿s Dream, Nick Cave
43. Infected, The The
44. The Eraser, Thom Yorke
45. Alive!, Kiss
46. The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
47. Road to Ruin, The Ramones
48. In Utero, Nirvana
49. The Teaches of Peaches, Peaches
50. In The Court of King Crimson, King Crimson

by[|-DaRio-|]

Here are some photos I took at the Memphis Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago.

I had a long boring day at work yesterday and got home to find something good in the mailbox.  New patterns I ordered at market in JUNE!!!!  So far I've been able to create the page for Tree Knitter Designs.  I was so excited when I saw a really neat looking vest, "River Birch" in the Deep South Fibers booth.  Let me tell you my peoples, I DON'T WEAR VESTS.  Not any kind of vest.  No sirree, not me.  NEVER.  BUT, I have a lovely skein of Ozark Handspun that I just had to have.  Of course, it's chartreusey.  (Yes, that IS a word.)  Now my skein of Ozark Handspun finally has a purpose in life other than collecting dust in my home office!  Of course, I have that special chartreuse Misti Alpaca Chunky in stock in abundance.  Folks, I WILL wear this vest!  Without further ado, here is the photo:

On the pattern page I give MANY yarn choices for this garment.  I saw it in person on the designer, and believe me, it's adorable!  Here are some photos of some other patterns that have come in that aren't on the website yet.  Please check back often at yarnstudio.com for updates.  I'll try to post here (without posting too much) as soon as I get the others on the site.  In the meanwhile, don't hesitate to email me with questions at papatya@yarnstudio.com. 

[caption id="attachment_143" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Falling Water - front"][/caption]

Falling Water - back

Well that's all for today folks.  Thanks for reading, and don't forget to watch Michael Phelps clean up in the Olympics!  I know the Chinese are being sneaky again (i.e. dog fud, lead-based paint, fake fireworks on TV, etc.), but please respect the US athletes and all of the hard work they've done. 

And this one's for you Peg!

[caption id="attachment_154" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The Seaside Shell"][/caption]

It's now August.  I haven't really noticed the passing of third of a year, except for a minor miracle, a hat trick of evenings off.

So what's changed?  Steve, who blogs here, has joined the folk in the Northern hemisphere and has engaged in his enigmatic way with London.  Elliot, who's supposed to blog here, has been in hospital and back.  Si is still in school, training to give hapless girls rejuvinating CPR.  Kiwi mate Steve has fled infectious disease, and burrowing mites by bussing through Europe and flying to China.  He can be found wondering around the taxi stands of Weihai taking Engrish photos.  I'm biking to work, and, oh yeah.

I'm getting married.

PS: I promise to write more.  As long as I can remember how to hack prose into something semi-decent.

The molecules bounce off one another in curious ways. Consumerism, the DIY ethic, the commodification of the underground, punk, hip-hop, and memory get mixed into a peppery post-20th century stew.

How exactly this mysterious process happens, at a molecular level, is under the Mikeroscope today.

LAB WORK: In his essay “Culture and Subjectivity,” the French philosopher Pierre-Félix Guattari proposed that the true function of the “mighty capitalistic machine” that is mass culture is the “production of social subjectivity that can be found on all levels of production and consumption.” Against this hegemonic machine Guattari posits a “singular subjectivity” that rejects mass culture in favor of “modes of creativity… and production that produce a singular subjectivity… that coincides with a desire, a taste for living, a will to construct the world in which we find ourselves.” DIY culture and its value-transfer exists in the space between these two modes: aiming for the latter, constrained by the former.

ZOOM IN: On a whim, I bought a T-shirt from my friends out in Olympia, Washington, who run a pretty cool little indie outfit. My new T-shirt says: PUNK ROCK SAVED MY LIFE. It's not, I think, literally true that punk rock saved my life. But in my high school yearbook, there's a picture of me holding my violin: I was an accomplished classical musician at the time. I'm seventeen, and I'm wearing a LONDON CALLING T-shirt, with the iconic photo of Paul Simonon smashing his bass onstage at the Palladium. I knew it was yearbook-photo-day ahead of time, and wore that shirt on purpose.

ZOOM OUT: I recently found a photo of the same electric bass, a Fender Precision with PRESSURE emblazoned across it in crude letters. The neck is splintered, broken nearly in half at the seventh fret. The photo is on the wall of my kitchen. The bass is now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, admission to which costs $22.00. This physical artifact – a broken electric bass – has completed the journey from a facet of “singular subjectivity,” in Guattari’s phrase, to one of “social subjectivity.”

MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST: Simonon’s bass met its demise on September 21, 1979. Sometime in the next month, according to Jeff Chang’s definitive book Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, New Jersey impresario Sylvia Robinson released a record on her Sugar Hill label of three young unknowns rhyming over the rhythm section of Chic’s “Good Times.” By the end of 1979, “Rapper’s Delight” had sold half a million copies. Hip-hop was on its way into the mainstream.

ZOOM IN: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, legitimate Bronx heroes whom Robinson had been trying to sign, were booed off the stage when they opened for the Clash in Times Square in 1981. (Chang notes dryly, “In 1981, the American punks clearly wanted the riot to remain exclusively their own.”) Guattari: “To base a micropolitics of molecular transformation on other foundations (than mass culture) involves a radical questioning of notions of the individual as a general reference for processes of subjectivation.”

All of these things — the two T-shirts, purchased decades apart, the smashed bass on the museum wall, the Sugar Hill Gang’s gold 12” record — are manifestations of the “micropolitcs of molecular transformation.” Meanwhile, we read in the New York Times how Flash now does corporate gigs exclusively, minimum fee $10,000.

More about Mike Lindgren

1.  Nevermind, Nirvana
2. Very Eavy, Uriah Heep
3. Never Mind the Bollocks, The Sex Pistols
4. London Calling, The Clash
5. Is This It, The Strokes
6. Licence to III, Beastie Boys
7. Abbey Road, The Beatles
8. Country Life, Roxy Music
9. Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin
10. The Velvet Underground & Nico, The Velvet Underground
11. Agaetis Byrjun, Sigur Rós
12. Breakfast In America, Supertramp
13. The Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd
14. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
15. Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones
16. Odelay, Beck
17. Unknown Pleasures, Joy Division
18. Aladdin Sane, David Bowie
19. Green Mind, Dinosaur Jr
20. Atom Heart Mother, Pink Floyd
21. The Libertines, The Libertines
22. The Holy Bible, Manic Street Preachers
23. The Cure, The Cure
24. Goo, Sonic Youth
25. Lovesexy, Prince
26. Revolver, The Beatles
27. Amnesiac, Radiohead
28. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Smashing Pumpkins
29. Fugazi, Marillion
30. Number of the Beast, Iron Maiden
31. Pink Moon, Nick Drake
32. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
33. The Division Bell, Pink Floyd
34. Melt, Peter Gabriel
35. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie
36. Different Class, Pulp
37. Ace of Spades, Motörhead
38. Rubycon, Tangerine Dream
39. Doggy Style, Snoop Dogg
40. Split, The Groundhogs
41. Surfer Rosa, Pixies
42. Henry¿s Dream, Nick Cave
43. Infected, The The
44. The Eraser, Thom Yorke
45. Alive!, Kiss
46. The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
47. Road to Ruin, The Ramones
48. In Utero, Nirvana
49. The Teaches of Peaches, Peaches
50. In The Court of King Crimson, King Crimson

Bem, é isso ae, se alguem tiver alguma sugestão, comente ae

Por Rodrigo

Edward Bloor, London Calling, Rizzoli oltre 2008, 328 p., euro 16,50.

Puesto número 65.

The Rolling Stones. Jumpin' Jack Flash.

Puesto número 64.

The Clash. London calling.

Puesto número 63.

Patsy Cline. Crazy.

Puesto número 62.

Led Zeppelin. Kashmir.

Puesto número 61.

The Beatles. Strawberry fields forever.

Finalmente assisti, no fim de semana, ao dvd do documentário "Joe Strummer: the future is unwritten", do diretor inglês Julien Temple. O filme é comovente e muito bacana não apenas para fãs de Strummer e do The Clash mas também como um retrato dos movimentos musicais e artísticos pelos os quais Strummer passou e viveu: contracultura dos anos 60, punk nos anos 70, o final do mesmo nos anos 80 e o nascimento das raves e música eletrônica nos anos 80/90 - no filme, há uma cena brilhante de Strummer contando sua primeira experiência em uma rave. 

A vida de Joe Strummer é contada através de fotos e filmes - desde a infância privilegiada como filho de um diplomata, aos anos de adolescência hippie, até imagens raras dos primeiros ensaios do The Clash - e depoimentos de amigos e pessoas que, de alguma maneira, foram influenciadas pelo The Clash. Uma das coisas mais bacanas do filme é que a narrativa é toda na voz do próprio Strummer, com trechos de antigas entrevistas e também locução e parte da trilha sonora tirados de London Calling, um programa semanal que Strummer apresentou para a BBC World Service, entre 1998 e 2002.

Temple mostra no filme que não foi fácil para Strummer se reinventar através da vida. De família privilegiada, conheceu o movimento hippie no final dos anos 60, quando foi morar em squats no oeste de Londres e fundou um movimento social para dar moradia aos pobres da região. Na mesma época, formou a banda 101'ers. Em 76, viu o Sex Pistols tocando e conheceu o movimento punk, mas como ele mesmo diz no filme "ou você era punk, ou era contra". Entāo, para se encaixar, parou de escovar os dentes "para ser aceito como punk, basta ser feio" e passou a ignorar os amigos de anos. Com a fama do The Clash, Strummer começou a questionar se eles ainda eram a banda que queriam ser e, muitas vezes, era um líder autoritário. 

O filme, claro, tem várias imagens do The Clash em shows e entrevistas durante os 10 anos de existência da banda. Com o final do The Clash, Strummer passou anos em reclusão, primeiro exilado em Granada e depois participando de filmes obscuros e tocando apenas como convidado em bandas de amigos, como o The Pogues. Chegou a gravar um disco solo, mas foi somente com o surgimento da sua última banda, os Mescaleros, em 1999, que voltou de vez à cena musical. Há um depoimento de uma amiga que conta como Strummer ficou deprimido em ver que, na Guerra do Golfo, soldados americanos pintavam a frase "Rock the Casbah" em mísseis antes deles serem lançados sobre o Iraque. 

Nos últimos anos de vida, Strummer fez as pazes com antigos amigos e sua origem hippie, quando fundou a mais famosa fogueirinha de Glastonbury. Em um bilhete enviado a um amigo que não via há 25 anos, Strummer escreveu: "Nada mudou. No fundo, somos todos hippies no coração. Venha para a minha fogueira, adoraria te ver aqui." Com Mick Jones, tocou apenas mais uma vez depois do fim do Clash, em um show em apoio aos bombeiros, em novembro de 2002. 

Strummer era um artista brilhante, mas também um cara comum, que errou, aprendeu com os erros e continuou a viver. No último áudio do filme, Strummer reflete: "as pessoas podem mudar tudo o que quiserem, e eu quero dizer qualquer coisa no mundo. As pessoas vivem com pressa, seguindo suas pequenas trajetórias. Eu sou uma dessas pessoas, mas nós precisamos parar... As pessoas podem fazer qualquer coisa, isso é uma coisa que eu estou começando a aprender. As pessoas estão lá fora fazendo mal uns aos outros, porque elas estão desumanizadas. É tempo de tomar a humanidade de volta ao centro do ringue. Ambição não leva a nada. Eles deveriam escrever isso em um grande telão da Times Square. Pense nisso: sem pessoas, você não é nada." 

Para quem quiser ouvir alguns dos programas que Strummer apresentou para a BBC e que foram usados no documentário, o Public Radio Exchange é um website bacana que disponibiliza programas de rádio para serem ouvidos via streaming. Tudo o que você precisa fazer é criar uma conta (é de graça) e procurar por Joe Strummer's London Calling. Eu recomendo.

Taken from my Last.fm page because as Johnny Rotten would put it, "I'm a lazy bastard". I selected the ten best album covers out of my pitiful iTunes Library and ordered them accordingly. Perhaps, we may be able to determine what makes a great album cover great, or perhaps I will totally waste your time. The latter certainly seem to be more likely . . .

10. Transformer, Lou Reed
A very iconic image. Reed in full glam regalia, guitar in hand and in stark black and white. What's great about it is that it makes a bold visual statement and communicates the notion to the buyer that Reed's music is going to have a sense of theatricality to it. Plus, it's just a damn striking picture.

9. "Heroes", David Bowie
Bowie was always avant garde but the "Heroes" cover is just something else. In grainy black and white, Bowie strikes a completely bizarre pose. I still have no idea exactly what he's supposed to be doing but it freaks me out. So y'know, job well done. (The cover for his next album, Lodger, almost made it on this list instead. It shows Bowie lying on the floor with a broken nose. It's so totally uncharacteristic for the fashionable Mr. Bowie that you have to love it.)

8. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, Arctic Monkeys
I'm actually not a huge fan of the band, but I'll be damned if that's not a great album cover. The guy is apparently a friend of the band's, I'm assuming after a long night of doing things primarily involving drugs, booze and exposed breasts.

7. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
The cover of Wish You Were Here is a perfectly surreal accompaniment to Pink Floyd's brand of dreamy, epic rock. Gotta love the way the edge of the picture is burning into the white. Fun Fact: the guy on the cover is actually on fire. Ah, the dangerous days before they invented Photoshop . . .

6. Teenager of the Year, Frank Black
I think the cover speaks for itself.

5. Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones
Another very effective shocker and an image that sums up what rock and roll is really all about. The original vinyl featured a real zipper that actually unzips, which is totally awesome, even though it apparently dented the record and ruined it. Fun Fact 2: They wouldn't let them sell the album with that cover in Spain, so they replaced with an image of a woman's severed fingers in a can of beans, which is obviously far more tasteful.

4. London Calling, The Clash
This is punk. Based off of the cover of an Elvis album, The Clash replaces The King with Paul Simonon smashing his bass on stage. The "fuck you" message is just so potent and so perfect. Just a defining image, for The Clash and for punk music.

3. Things Fall Apart, The Roots
There are five different covers for Things Fall Apart, all of which are designed to make white listeners feel guilty. The photos used are from the Civil Rights struggle of the 60s and show the Roots' connection to politics and history, giving you a clear idea of what kind of rap album this is. The only album covers I can think of that create such an impression and force us to question ourselves and society.

2. The Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Underground
A very famous cover for The Velvet Underground's first album, by Andy Warhol, who was their manager at the time. It's just a great piece of pop art and The VU should've counted themselves lucky to have such an artistic genius provide them with a cover. The banana is in fact a sticker that can be peeled off to reveal the pink banana underneath. (You can't see it but it says "Peel here and see" at the top.) Unpeeled copies of this album are big collector's items.

1. Abbey Road, The Beatles
Simple and sweet. This is my idea of album cover perfection. People love Sgt. Pepper's and it's certainly a classic but you just can't beat Abbey Road. The cover was apparently shot quite spontaneously. It's been parodied a thousand times and it's also been the source of many "Paul is dead" rumors, mainly claiming significance in the fact that he isn't wearing shoes, and that Lennon was dressed in all white, representing the undertaker or death or heaven or something. (Lennon was just really into minimalist design at the time.) It's inspired every idiot who visits Abbey Road to stroll across that zebra crosswalk and yes, I'd totally do it if I went there too. My favorite album and my favorite album cover.

- Sean
JULY 08

All from Topshop

In mid-September, I will be jetting off to London, England for about three months of studying abroad at the School of Oriental and African Studies! I am definitely looking forward to exploring African and Middle Eastern politics and history to an extent that my own school hasn't been able to offer (though I love my school nonetheless). I'm also looking forward to traveling through Europe for the very first time in my life. From what I know of British fashion, I might also be gaining a bit of style inspiration as well. I mean, if being in the greater Boston area has jump-started my interest in fashion to this degree, I can only imagine what my European travels will bring.

Unfortunately, with the dollar to pound exchange rate being what it is, I definitely know what my trip to London will not be bringing: new additions to my wardrobe. Alas, I will have to suppress my shopping urges for when I return home since even British high street prices are a bit too much for this student's budget. Oh, but some of their high street fashions are absolutely adorable.

We all know why record labels are pursing 360 deals as the traditional business model based on selling single units (i.e. CDs) is haemorrhaging in a big way. The labels argument goes like this; if they are investing in recording and marketing artists why should they not receive a piece of the pie from every single revenue stream from live, merchandising, publishing, management and recorded? To a certain extent this line of argument is valid.

However, questions need to be raised on four key levels: a) conflicts of interest in terms of the artists and what is in the best interest of the artist arise when all incoming revenue streams are owned by one entity; and b) ability to delivery effective and beneficial service to the artist across all areas tied up in a 360 deal; c) issues of income reporting transparency to artists need to be resolved; d) is it fair to extend a business model to all areas of an artists income stream that were traditionally untouchable by record companies, and were generally a life line to artists?

Examining issue a) above, what happens when an artist is against a tie up with a brand which the label wants to pursue yet the yet the live promotion side of the business does not? Which part of the business would get priority in the decision-making and would that necessarily be in the best long-term interests of the artist? Sometimes brand tie-ups can be good for a quick buck but what do they do in terms of credibility for the artist in the longer-term? Major labels have to report to shareholders and it is my view that artistic creativity controls may be taken away from artists in favour of a quick buck.

Also what if the label cannot deliver in all areas required to be serviced within a 360-deal structure? Yes labels have been buying-in expertise whether that is large management company’s a-la Universal, or live music promoter’s a-la Warner. Does this guarantee that this brought in human resource will deliver best practice in terms of service and deliver results, which matter to the artists. No it does not! It was noted on the "Major Label U-Turn" panel at London Calling on 20th June that indie labels have a success rate of seven out of ten in comparison to one out of ten for the majors labels – where does this leave artists in terms of a major label owning rights to every income stream?

Reporting transparency is of utmost importance in this realm and traditionally labels have not faired well in this respect. What checks are in place? One only has to look at the example where Snow Patrol sold 1.8 million records but still did not recoup. What checks and balances are put in place within the 360-deal structure to ensure transparency to the artist?

The fact that labels hand over raw assets to online and mobile retailers needs to change, as it is just unacceptable to not have checks and balances in place and thereby ensuring all digital asset sales are accounted for in a transparent manner. On a positive note though, if new methodologies were utilised by labels in delivery of content to digital retailers, traditionally “no go” markets would open up.

I will use the following analogy to demonstrate the strangle hold artists are in terms or record label deals. Say a bank loans you money to purchase a house (recorded music copyright). You pay back the loan and you own the house (recorded music copyright). However in a record deal you are loaned money by the label to record an album, as an artists you are only paid a 16% royalty on the wholesale price of that album. The label makes 84% of that wholesale price, but deducts your whole royalty to pay back you initial loan before you as an artist see a cent. Even when you have paid back that high interest loan the record label still owns you house (recorded music copyright).

No other business in the world would get away with such a double-dipping scam. Is it the artists problem that the label stuffed up its marketing and could not sell enough records? Of course not! So why should the label still own the artists house (recorded music copyright)? If 360 deals are forced onto artists and extend the rip-off scam across all possible income streams what benefit does it bring to the artist? I can see the benefit for the label, but not the artist.

I also understand the argument that since labels spend so much on marketing that they should be entitled to all areas of an artists income stream, as after all it is the labels marketing spend and expertise which makes an artist a star and provides the ability to maximise all income streams. However, is it morally justifiable to take all income streams without, sales reporting transparency across all income streams as well as the right checks and balances in place to ensure the artists best interests in the long term are safe?

On a final note the emerging markets are where the real opportunity lies in terms of exploitation of recorded music. 90% of global mobile subscriber growth in 2007 was in these emerging markets, which are leapfrogging fixed line broadband straight to 3G-network Internet access and content consumption. For example Nigeria traditionally known as an extremely dodgy country to do business with has an average monthly mobile content ARPU of $20 USD. This is more than in the UK or the US for that matter.

What labels are actively exploiting their music content in these emerging markets? If not, why not as the technology is their where labels no longer have to hand over their content in raw asset form? This technology from numerous suppliers enables real-time reporting. With physical sales dropping in traditional markets and digital sales increasing in all markets particularly mobile in the emerging markets, artists need to be sure that if they are going to give away rights to all income streams to record labels then labels need to be able to prove that they can robustly exploit and transparently report on all of those income streams.

Passées les joies Londoniennes, le moment est venu de se remettre à l'heure parisienne un court instant.
Quatre jours si courts dans la capitale anglaise que j'apprécie tant...
Une ville où chaque élément s'est donné le mot pour me plaire... à l'exception peut-être du coût de la vie (ceci dit je ne compte pas le prix de la bière, nettement plus abordable !).

Musées en tous genres (au programme : Tate Britain, National Gallery, Tate Modern), aux collections plus folles et époustouflantes les unes des autres... marchés (Borough, absolument appétissant - mais très touristique -, Brick Lane & Spitalfields), restaurants, parcs (peuplés d'écureuils fous peu farouches !! et d'une multitudes d'animaux en tous genre très friendly), longues balades sur les bords de la Tamise et vers Greenwich...
Une fête de la musique toute aussi ratée que les précédentes dans l'Hexagone... pour cause de timing (nous avons failli voir Arthur H... what a shame, we failed !) ainsi que d'incompréhension générale : il fallait réserver des billets le matin pour les concerts du soir, mais ce n'était indiqué nulle part !! Chou blanc, donc, pour nous et quelques autres touristes mécontents.

Ceci dit, nous aurons eu la joie de visiter le quartier français de Londres, où se battent différents musées aux architectures absoluments magistrales et surtout démesurées.
Quelques petits contretemps en cours de route, mais une note générale toujours élevée... en espérant y retourner au plus vite.

Bref, bref, bref. Un grand merci à Corinna & Nick pour leur hospitalité hors du commun... etc.

Pour les nouvelles brûlantes, nous noterons l'arrivée très attendue de Paul-Arhur. Après un peu plus de huit mois d'attente, il n'a pas pu attendre plus longtemps et a souhaité faire son entrée en soirée un certain 21 juin 2008. Un très beau jour pour arriver... marquant le début de l'été dans une ambiance endiablée par la musique...
Bienvenue donc à toi Paul-Arthur. Puisses-tu profiter des joies les plus simples et les plus belles !

De retour sur Paris pour une très courte durée puisque dimanche je devrai m'éclipser pour deux mois.

A très bientôt, pour de nouvelles aventures !

Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon, Bath, England

(photo by Mindful Writer, 2008)

21 June 2008

LONDON CALLING

JOLLY GOOD

At Minerva Graphics, which is just off Old Bond Street in Bath, England, I bought a sketch journal and a folio. An elderly couple were watching me as I fumbled with my umbrella and my backpack, fishing for pounds in the pocket. When I spoke, they nodded in recognition, as if to say, “I knew she was an American.”

The couple asked me where I was from.

“New Mexico,” I replied.

“How do you like this weather?” the woman asked. “A pity,” she said, answering her own question by way of apologizing in that way the British have of taking their national welcoming committee responsibilities seriously. She said “pity” like it had two t’s.

“I love it,” I said.

There was rain in my hair and a dampness soaking through my raincoat. My umbrella glistened.

“In New Mexico, all we get is warm and sunny. Or hot and sunny. Sometimes we get hot and sunny and windy. Or warm and sunny and windy.”

Her husband trained a steady gaze on me. I detected a slight turn of a smile.

The woman waited for me to indicate I was joking.

“Really,” I said. “It’s so rare that it rains in the desert that when you get a day like this, it’s refreshing. A joy.”

Turning to the man, I said. “We have 330 days of sunshine a year. We wish for days like this.”

The woman fluttered a forced smile. The man stood like whittled wood. I was aware of being a curiosity.

Finally, the woman said, “I guess when you live with one, you yearn for the other.” She spoke more certainly now, having located the solid ground of politeness. “We’re always thinking about what we have too much of.”

“It’s really wonderful,” I said. I noticed the rose in the man’s cheeks, which hung long from his cheekbones. His eyes were blue and watery. He was starting to look like a teacup. “I plan to enjoy it as much as I can.”

“You do that,” said the woman, cheered now. “Have a jolly good day.”

I’ve always wanted to hear someone say that.

Martin was very keen to street the importance of the music industry changing its current strategy and focus ion investing in lots of new business models. It was stated that there was a 20:1 ratio in terms of illegal P2P versus legal downloads. It was also made clear that a tendency to only look at one solution at a time is not good and that music content owners, handset manufacturers and operators need to look at all options and not focus on only one.

He then went on to outline how Sony Ericsson was addressing the consumer ease of use equation. The Sony Ericsson track ID in partnership with Gracenote on first look seemed like a great new service, especially when it was tied into the ability to find out what the track is (similar to SHAZAM in that sense) and then listen to the track from Sony Ericsson music store with a third click to purchase. In my mind it does seem a fully integrated service.

The panel included Andrew Fisher the CEO of Shazam, Richard Wheeler the Head of Music at Orange, Luke Magnuson International category manager at T-Mobile, Scott Lyons Director Ecosystem Market Development Team, Gareth Currie, Director at Gulp Marketing and finally Gerard Grech, Chairman MEF EMEA.

So the panel was chock full of operators, handset manufacturers and mobile service providers and industry bodies. However since its focus was on the future of mobile music, I was surprised that there was not a record label on the panel and to me this was a gap. It would have been good to hear a record companies view of the future of mobile music.

Richard Wheeler made the following key statement; “the fundamental difference between operators and [record labels]. Let’s be clear, the reason [operators] are involved in music is because we see music as valuable property that can attract and keep customers. It’s a retention device, whereas labels are looking to build a retail business". But I have to question if using music as a retention device is a s effective as Richard's statement implies and actually stops churn?

The issue of UI and the fact that ease of use has been a problem both at handset manufacturers and operators was discussed. The iPhone was widely praised for pushing the standard of user experience in the mobile realm. Interoperability between operators and handsets alike was also discussed. Scott Lyons made a very key point that we “need less formats not more”. Gareth Currie also made the key statement that only 20% of music content on mobile phones is purchased via retail services with the remaining 80% being side-loaded.

A discussion ensued focusing on subscription models and how the online experience of such models had been “difficult”, but that new mobile services were evolving and there was much confidence that they would prove to me more successful then the online version. In Martin Blomkvist views mobile music subscription will work if it is offered in a “convenient environment”.

Overall in the exhibition area footfall seemed to be down in comparison to 2007. Yet the panels were visibly busier than last year. I think this a sign that the conference programme is getting traction at London calling. A run down of Friday 20th June at London Calling will be posted soon.

Moonrise at Stonehenge

(public domain photo)

18 June 2008

LONDON CALLING

STONES THAT SPEAK

The stones speak to me. I knew they would. It’s in my line. I’m Celtic, and I was born on Winter Solstice, the day they mark at Stonehenge as the sun sets, when the winter sun sets in the sky, the shortest day of the year. On this day, our group from Spalding University has stopped at Stonehenge, just a few days shy of Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. A man sits at the Summer Solstice stone with a tripod and a camera, lining up a shot.

I have come here to England to write, to be with writers who are committed and inspired and who will share with me as we carve out our life’s work. We are at the midpoint of our trip, and yet I’m still waiting for my muse to arrive.

At Stonehenge, the otherly navigation that has marked this trip snaps into alignment. I know my muse, its wicked ways of arriving and departing, its silly jokes that I’ve heard a million times. Memories of my father are the trumpet call. When he knocks on my heart, I know there will be tears and ink spilled. He knocked yesterday, when everything was a supreme struggle. Though London had become familiar landscape after five days, yesterday all land markers of the conventional kind confounded me.

Next to me on the bus leaving London for Stonehenge this afternoon was a writer in full flush of her muse. She scribbled on the back of paper after paper. “Quick, get me the laptop,” she said, like an emergency room surgeon, to her boyfriend. This was the writer who was three years in love, writing poetry with him that they read aloud to the group of writers; I am four months in love, webbed in a primordial love-state of poetry, a dance of love and fertility, seeds and songs and words whispered. I sit between the writer’s lover and the writer’s muse. Her muse had arrived; mine was less than hours away. Like the Jackson Browne song, “Fountain of Sorrow,” I think, I’m one or two years and couple of changes behind her.

This how my muse comes, meeting me at the windswept Salisbury Plain where ancient Britons held ceremonies for births and deaths. I am attuned to my muse in a time, earth, bluestone way, as were the ancients who heard something in the way the bluestones of Welsh shore spoke to them from 250 miles away. I am attuned to my lover, who is 5,000 miles away, back in New Mexico.

I stand at the Winter Solstice stone, opposite from the photographer who prepares for the longest day. Archaelogists believe that someone standing at the entrance to the enclosure of trilithon stones facing the center could watch the setting sun on Winter Solstice, the light dropping rapidly through the narrow gap between the 40-ton sarsens. Like a Celtic ceremonial dancer, I’m near the membrane between earth and imagination. The muse invites me into the circle as the wind whips my auburn hair in ribbons above my head. To what place did the builders of the henge of stone want us to come? I cross over.

Globe Theatre, London, England

(Photo by Mindful Writer, 2008)

14 June 2008

LONDON CALLING

THE MAD KING

“When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools.”
-- King Lear

At lunch, the Texan tells us that she walked her little white dog through the streets of London and because of the smog, now he’s a little gray dog. The Texan is not really a Texan but a New Yorker. That’s where she lives now. Her dog is a Maltese terrier, not a bichon frise, like my little white dog, who’s often a little brown dog because she lives in New Mexico, which is where I live now but not where I’m from.

Only some of this day is making sense, because it’s my second day in London, and I’m still jet-lagged, trying to tell my stomach that it’s lunchtime, not sleepy time. Those of us who have arrived in London for the Spalding University MFA in creative writing program are having a gala luncheon on the first floor, which is really the second floor. That’s how they do it in London. What Americans call the first floor is the ground floor. After that is when the Brits start counting floors. We are at The Peasant, a gastro pub in Finbury, which seemed like it was just around the block from our hotel, but it wasn’t. To tell you the truth, I don’t know where we are. I am armed with a Tube map and an Oyster card, but the buses are another story entirely.

The Texan who’s a New Yorker now announces that many of the streets will close tomorrow because President George W. Bush is coming to visit The Queen, who really is a queen meeting the man who is not really a president. He seems to have taken the lame duck jokes as a serious charge and have abdicated any leadership responsibilities during the subprime meltdown and energy crisis. Or maybe he’s just been afraid to come out in public and we’ll find him naked and wandering the heath, which is to say that several of us are going to see “King Lear” tonight at the Globe Theatre and I can’t help see a few parallels.

Our program coordinator confirms that the arrival of our fearless leader will affect us, announcing the names of Tube stations that will be closed tomorrow, right at rush hour. Names like Russell Square, Green Park and Leicester Square mean nothing at this point, but they surely will over the next few days as we navigate our way to Picadilly Circus, which isn’t a circus, and Westminster Abbey, which isn’t a church but a national peculiar. A clipboard gets passed around for us to sign up for a taxicab.

* * *

To get to the Globe Theatre, the best way is to take the Tube to Blackfriars Pub. When my companion and I emerge onto the street, we see there’s a pub wedged onto a street corner, and just above the sign, written in Old English, is a statue of a squat black friar. I think he’s smiling. He’s sort of a hood ornament for the building. He doesn’t seem to mind. He seems sort of merry.

This black friar has a link with the history of our destination. The Blackfriars priory nearby had a hall that in 1596 was used as an indoor theater. When the lease expired, it was decided that a theater would be built. Members of the acting company were offered the opportunity to buy shares in the new building, which became the Globe Theatre in 1599. One of those actors who owned the place was William Shakespeare.

The Globe Theatre where we’re going isn’t the real Globe Theatre where Shakespeare’s plays were staged in the late 16th century but a replicated theater that was built authentically to the time. Authentically means there are two thick columns that block some views, the seats are wooden and some people stand at stage’s edge. In that time, a flag would go up in the street announcing that a play was starting. For one pence, you got to stand. For two pence, you got a seat on a wooden bench. For three pence, you got a cushion. The flyer that circulated through the streets to announce the play had M. William Shak-fpeare at the top. It says, “HIS True Chronicle Hiftorie of the life and death of King L E A R and his three Daughters/ With the vnforunate life of Edgar, fonne and heire to the Earle of GlosFter, and his fullen and afflumed humor of Tom of Bedlam:”

It is with afflumed humor that we find our way across the Blackfriars bridge to the Southwark area of London. On the river walk that leads to the Tate Museum of Modern Art and the Globe Theatre, my companion and I strike up a conversation with two Brits who are enjoying cups of beer in the street. We do this mostly because we don’t quite know where we are going. I ask if the bridge above us is the Millennium Bridge, but it’s the train bridge, painted cherry red and apple green, like something out of Thomas the Tank Engine that might lead us to the Isle of Sodor, if only that was where we were going.

Farther on is the Millennium Bridge, which was supposed to be a bridge of wonder, a cutting edge suspension bridge design that featured a four-meter aluminum deck and stainless steel balustrades. It was supposed to have a shallow profile, supported by eight highly tensioned cables on each side of the deck, with two river supports. It was supposed to open in 2000, but I read later that it had such a sway to it that elderly people were clinging to the handrails and people were getting seasick while crossing it. After two long, embarrassing days for the architects, it was closed and re-engineered, re-opening in 2002.

I tell our new Brit friends I’m from New Mexico, and the eyebrows go up because they only hear “Mexico.” But this is all cleared up rather nicely, and the gent says he’s been the United States, and oh yes, he certainly knows where New Mexico is. I ask him if he knows where Santa Fe is, and he says, “Oh, that’s near the water, right?” with a smirk. “It’s in the Appalachians, right?” A wink. The lights switch on the Millennium Bridge. It looks like a silver bullet train captured mid-streak.

Farther on the river walk, we see the Globe. The replicated theater is a 20-sided polygon 100 feet in diameter, authentic to the dimensions of the original. The facade is plastered with a white lime wash, authentic to the time, with Tudor-style squares and triangles marked off with green oak timbers. The roof is made of water reed thatch and is open to the sky. When we walk in, a small band of dancers and musicians is clustered at front-center, playing a Celtic tune. It is twilight.

During the play, in another authentic 16th century moment, a woman faints, thudding to the ground. The actors don’t miss a beat. The play proceeds on until one of Lear’s daughter gouges out the eyes of the Earl of Gloucester at center stage, sitting atop him like she’s doing a lap dance. She tosses the bloody globe to the ground. With that, the first act is done.

One of my companions asks, feeling a sense of finality with that scene and not remembering her Shakespeare clearly, “It’s not over yet, is it?” I don’t remember it clearly, either, but I remember this much: “Cordelia comes back. And it’s not over until everyone’s dead.”

“Howl, howl, howl, howl,” rants the incapacitated King Lear as he’s lost in the heath with a fool and a beggar in the final act. “Had I your tongues and eyes/I’d used them so that heaven’s vault should crack/She’s gone forever.” The program points out the plays rich linguistic range, full of mad babblings, gaudy rhetoric and courtly viciousness – an ocean of language. “Pray you, undo this button,” King Lear pleads as he wishes for death. And then everyone is dead, the stage of fools littered before us. After the final bows, the company returns to the stage, performing a haunting Celtic dance. They are like ghosts emerging from the mists of madness. We leave the 16th century not by the way we came, but on foot, riding the gleam of the Millennium Bridge.