tuesday, july 31
Wild Style DC
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monday, july 30
Wild Style 25th Anniversary
At noon, the skies opened up and the showers came down, washing away my dreams of a Wild Style 25th Anniversary spectacular. Ahh but ye of little faith, don’t you know it’s a summer shower, and come seven in the evening, it long passed. And though the astroturf was soggy with muddy puddles, the true school came out in full force to represent hip hop’s most important cinematic event.
The line up was outrageous: Grand Wizzard Theodore on the ones and twos, scratching it up like he do. I’m sayin, honey was working it with his elbow. And when he dropped that Wu sample, the crowd went mad. Wild Style Clan ain’t nothin to fuck wit. And my man Busy Bee, the Master of Ceremonies, my lil husband to be !! Ohmagod, can’t no one rock a party like he do. Except maybe the Cold Crush, it’s all love, honey they had the tracksuits going, the harmonies flowing, the lyrics y’all be knowing. Ohh. And that Caz, he is the Casanova Fly. My my my, but his wife is a lucky lady ain’t she?
And let me tell you, when Rammellzee came out, he ripped it apart, only don’t know know heads weren’t ready for him? But me, I’m sayin, where can I get his album ?
Everyone was up in the place: The Fantastic Romantic Freaks, Rodney Cee, Fab 5 Freddy, Patti Astor, Marty Cooper, Joe Conzo, all my peoples !! And Charlie Ahearn was running things, telling me about his plans for France, sayin Wild Style was spreading like a disease !! As his publicist, I thought, well, that might be a lil virulent, but fuck it, if they gonna catch that shit, might as well get it direct.
Up Next: London drops September 10; DC gets wild September 14. And wait, wait, we ain’t even told you the best part yet. Just you wait and see how hot it is ..
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friday, july 27
If you haven't gotten down to DUMBO to visit the Arena, here's what you're missing.
thursday, july 26
The Walls Belong To Us
From large to small works of art, skate decks to canvas, the Ket exhibition at The powerHouse Arena is being installed as I type.
Featuring artists such as Lee Quinones, Toofly, Dondi, Zephyr and much more, this collaboration of graffiti-inspired art will make your brain bug out just trying to comprehend how so much good stuff can be crammed into one sweet space.
The exhibition is part of a fundraiser for Alan Ket, a Brooklyn-based artist that deserves the community’s support. You can read more about his accomplishments and an overview of his court case and all other things Ket at SupportKet.com.
Join us August 1st from 6-9pm at the powerHouse Arena to show your support and avoid giving yourself a good beating for missing out on such a rare collaboration!
     
wednesday, july 25
The Bicycle Film Festival and Alan Ket Represented
The Bicycle Film Festival
July 1 - August 1, 2007
Paris, France
This summer, Paris destination boutique, colette, collaborates with the 7th Annual Bicycle Film Festival to bring a two-month mini-festival to the city for the first time. The show, which will last from July 1-August 31 will highlight films and art from the past seven years of the BFF. colette, which is also celebrating its 10th anniversary, will open for the first time ever on a Sunday (July 29) to celebrate the BFF and host a massive block party just one block away from the finish of the Tour de France. From July 26-29, the shop will hold a series of events showing bike shorts and work from artists including Peter Sutherland—author of Pedal, the book and DVD package released by powerHouse Books, which will be screened as part of the Bicycle Film Festival. Read on.
bicyclefilmfestival.com
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Check this out! Wild Style super link!
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Alan Ket is represented! Learn more.
tuesday, july 24
This just in from Texas-
MY LAST MILE: THE STORY OF BILLY MCCUNE
On Tuesday [today], KUT News and Sound Portrait Productions will take you on an audio trip back in time to introduce you to Billy McCune, a mentally ill inmate from Waco, who had his life spared in 1952 not by a court, but by a song. KUT will broadcast never before heard excerpts of tapes recorded by photographer Danny Lyon in the prison cell of Billy McCune.
Listen to KUT’s special airing of My Last Mile here.
monday, july 23
The Fur is Flying! Stuffed Animal Rights Activists Over Bears by Kent Rogowski
The hackles are up! The fur is flying! Stuffed animal rights activist all over the internet are in a frenzy, crying foul about the seeming mistreatment of baby’s best friend by scissor-wielding photographer Kent Rogowski, who literally turned Teddy inside out for his first monograph, Bears, which was released powerHouse Books in June 2007.
Calling it “blatant brutality,” Brian Sibley reports on his blog, “Mr Rogowski has become the Damien Hirst of the toy cupboard by taking teddy bears (or—as he calls them "ordinary stuffed animals"), turning them inside out and then—I can scarcely type the words—re-stuffing them!”
Bloggers have gone to the trouble of staging peaceful protests, shots from which are attached here. “I am sick of being threatened by bloggers and their teddy bears,” counters Rogowski, who rightly points out, “The images of these teddy bear protests are total fakes. What kind of disturbed person would do something like this?”
friday, july 20
Sweet wii shots
Making music with wii. Yes you read that correctly... the mobile dj, check it out:
 
thursday, july 19
Amniotic Reaction, multimedia art opening tonight from 6:30 to 9:30
wednesday, july 18
Jamel Shabazz: Back in the Days, A Time Before Crack, The Last Sunday in June and forthcoming title Seconds of My Life
The semi-candid, straight-on nature of Jamel Shabazz’s portraits helps the viewer digest the late ‘70s-‘80s fashion pictured in the photos as if it weren’t fashion at all. This isn’t a glossy style magazine and the looks start to feel a little too attainable: Back in the Days made me blow two weekends' pay on a pair of gold spiral door knockers. A Time Before Crack (see p. 30) (and a little bit of Angostura rum, to be honest) convinced me to chop off my shoulder-length hair so I could grow it back into the short-cropped curly style two girlfriends sitting on the train are rocking.
I don’t have any more hair to cut off and definitely no money to burn. In truth I’m a little scared about what I’ll have to do in order to keep up with the styles in this next Shabazz book.
tuesday, july 17
Boogie in Shellac
Boogie holds it down in the far east. Japan's Shellac put together a bold display for our black & white marauder.
  
monday, july 16
Bears at B & N
Chelsea loves itself some Bears. Not only are the photos on exhibit at Foley Gallery, but they are now decorating the window of Barnes & Noble on Sixth Ave. You see that guy in the window—that’s MY bear. That’s right, my honey, big daddy longlegs. I have been in love with him ever since I first discovered the project at my Marketing Workshop last summer. One glimpse of that creature and I was hooked; I signed up the book then and there. Well, ever since then I’ve been harassing poor Kent Rogowski into giving me that bear, only Kent left their carcasses in a landfill somewhere out in Jersey. Can you imagine my pain?
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thursday, july 12
Boogie, It’s All Good
Back in high school I was big on sneaking around and taking pictures, and getting myself into questionable situations. I used to walk out to Hasidic neighborhoods on Friday nights with my camera or follow stealthily behind press people at parties to get past security. For Spring Break during my senior year of high school, I took a 33-hour Greyhound bus ride to Miami to bum around the Winter Music Conference and take pictures. I didn’t book a hotel room because I figured it’d add a tiny bit to the absurdity.
But coming across www.artcoup.com, Boogie’s website, when I was 16, was a good look for both of us. I admired the relentlessness it must’ve taken for an outsider to get such beautifully stark shots of life in Brooklyn’s Bushwick and Bed Stuy projects. And I got mom off my back and put her at ease a little by convincing her that I’d be fine if he got away with taking those pictures.
Those photos are a book now, and I’m thinking of buying it for my mom to keep on her bedside table next to the African American Woman’s Study Bible.
wednesday, july 11
Nike and Claw, Claw and Nike, could it be!
Nike has teamed up with New York graffiti artist and fashion designer CLAW Money for a limited release Blazer sneaker, to be released this summer at select retail accounts. The style will feature an eyelet pattern that is feminine, graphic, and subtly incorporates CLAW’s three-taloned “mark.” Colorways will include Zest/White and Pink Fire, Flame Red/White and Ice Blue, and Black on Black with Anthracite. “I thought the Blazer would be a perfect canvas since it’s the brand’s first sneaker for playing basketball.”
tuesday, july 10
This just in....
Word on the street is Obama's all about Leora Kahn's new Darfur book.
saturday, july 7
Re-Run launch
An unforgettable affair, with sweet kicks, cool kids, and some mellow 70s tunes.
Photos © Terraplane Marquez
Have you seen these? They're hot.
Sole Provider, 30 Years of Nike Basketball
Where'd You Get Those, New York City’s Sneaker Culture, 1960-1987
tuesday, july 3
Re-Run under construction!
Nike Re-Run: Installation unveiled, inspired by vintage Nike running collection from 1970s running boom.
On display July 7 - 22, 2007
monday, july 2
Sole Provider
Cracking open Sole Provider immediately took me back to the time, sitting in back of my parents’ blue 1985 Buick Regal, when my ma and pa drove big bro and I around in search of a purple polo shirt, parachute pants, a Kangol, and a pair of Air Jordan 1’s. These were must haves for my brother and goddamn if my folks didn’t try to hook the little dude up.
After much hunting, my brother was able to cop the AJ 1’s and he became the envy of all 4th grade haters everywhere. I preferred the Georgetown Hoya Legends with the HOYA insignia on the back. These were for players only though, which broke my heart. My fall-back was AF 1’s, which are, of course, butters for a little homey.
Anyway, back to the book – pH and Nike have created a testament to the genius that is Nike basketball shoes and their uncanny, dead-on marketing. It sort of makes my head cave in looking at the posters for Stormin Norman, Moses Malone, and, of course, the picture of MJ (that was on my bedroom wall forever) which inspired the famous “Jumpman” silhouette.
Sole Provider will make your eyes bug out and have you spastically grabbing for your wallet hoping to cop. Well…bug no more! pH has unearthed a limited number of copies for purchase. Contact the store for details, don’t sleep!
JUNE'S BLOG ACTION |
