The Radiant Child: Basquiat Unseen
The trailer for the documentary The Radiant Child about the 80′s post-punk artist Jean-Michel Basquait was just released. It is directed by Tamra Davis who was a friend of Basquiat. She shot this when the artist was at the height of his stardom and two years before his death. After his death of a drug overdose in 1988 she put her footage away in a draw. As she explains it on this youtube interview, she knew Basquiat was upset that his friends were selling his art when he only intended them to be gifts. She didn’t want to be another person who just exploited him. It wasn’t until his 2005 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum when she realized how little footage exists of Basquiat that she decided to make the footage public. As Davis states ‘representations of Basquiat in video and literature did not capture the Jean-Michel Basquiat she knew.’ The trailer looks great and I can’t wait to see the film. It is sure to be an art-house classic.
Theatrical Release date July 21st, 2010
TrevzNewPop
Artist Slash ________.
Recently I was looking for a remedy for my friend who suffers from an identity crises as a result of her status as a writer who spends far more time working in her 9 – 5 than being an artist. Going through this same struggle myself a few years back I wanted her to embrace the artist inside the way I did but I didn’t want her to be irresponsible in the process and do anything rash like quit her job the way I did. (I’m still paying for that little bit of impulsivity.) During one of my regular visits to Barnes & Noble I was drawn to a book cover with a whimsical illustration that just screamed ‘Pick Me Up!” so I did. To my surprise the book dealt with the very issue my friend was struggling with. The book is titled The Artist in The Office: How to Creatively Strive and Thrive Seven Days a Week by Summer Pierre. It is a refreshingly realistic approach to living as a struggling artist. Lets face it, many artist will never make a living doing art full-time. Most books dealing with this reality imply that the artist vs. non-artist dilemma is an all or nothing proposition. This book debunks that thought process and illustrates the fact that life as a part-time artist can be just as exciting as life as a full-time artist. In an interview with the Creative Times the author states “The more permission you give yourself to do the things that delight you, your life goes through the roof. Start noticing what nurtures you.”
As I mentioned I to went through the struggle of working a “day” job while still calling myself an artist. When asked what it is I do I found myself trying to convince myself as much as anyone else that I was an artist. The excerpt below courtesy of Etsy.com describes this dilemna perfectly.
“Once, at a party, I was asked the inevitable question: “So, what do you do?” I replied that I was an artist. After we covered exactly what “artist” meant, my new acquaintance asked me, “So, do you do that full time, or are you just a wage slave?”
I hate the term “wage slave.” To me, it implies a sort of victim relationship to having a job. It’s as if, as artists, we are shackled to our regular paychecks. This is utter crap. Nobody pointed a gun to my head and said, “March into that job interview, make a good impression, and take the job.” No matter what I’d rather do or not do, I made a choice to go after my day job. I’m also paid for it.”
This isn’t your typical motivational book. It doesn’t guilt you into leaving your comfort zone with herculean tasks that you know will fade with time. Instead this book suggests easy and fun to do tasks that enhance your current situation and nuture a fertile enviroment for creative growth. One example can be found in the following illustration.
So go out and get the book. If for no other reason than the delightful illustrations by Summer. You won’t regret it.
TrevzNewPop
The Formula For Success
Recently while browsing the Tuner magazine blog TunerLifeStyleTV, I ran across a video by the folks at Honda titled Failure: The Secret to Success. It features Danica Patrick and many others discussing the concept of failure. I find this a fascinating topic considering the struggle I face everyday to survive as an artist. In the downtown scene I work in the mantra is “Fake It Until You Make It.” It’s hard to find anyone to identify with during the inevitable struggles that we ALL face. If one were to believe half of what folks in the scene tell us about their “triumphs,” one could easily think that you are the only one who hasn’t figured out the formula for success. Well surprise, surprise, the formula for success is a long and winding path on a road called failure.
This video is a refreshing look at folks who HAVE achieved success discussing their failures. It is beautifully shot and edited. After watching this video you won’t feel like you are the only one struggling to reach your goals despite what your colleagues lead you to believe. Below that video I embedded a video interview with Lady Gaga from my friends at GakCity. This was shot in a relatively small downtown bar a few years ago before Lady Gaga was the mega star she is today. It’s inspiring because she talks about being persistent in her pursuit for fame. I will end this blog entry with this famous quote also included in this piece from Thomas Edison; When asked about the numerous failures he encountered when inventing the light bulb Edison said ‘I never failed, it just didn’t work 10,000 times.’
Enjoy
TrevzNewPop
Lady Gaga interviewed by our freinds at GAKcity before she blew up.
Futura & The 151 Wooster Wildstyle Wall
A couple of years ago I documented a story about the 151 Wooster Wildstyle Wall. As Paper Magazine put it “a wall covered with the tags of old school superstars Fab Five Freddy, Futura 2000, Jean-Michel Basquiat and others. Believed to have once belonged to art critic Edit Deak, the apartment became a hang-out, a let’s get high spot where the walls became a canvas for the aerosol artists.” This story got a ton of press and I found it hard to present it with a unique perspective, consequently the project got put on hold.
Recently I found myself watching a video on HypeBeast on artist Kenny Scharf who was a part of the 1980′s Post Punk Art scene in NY. A scene that I was totally fascinated with ten years ago before I was “plugged in” and jaded. Kenny Scharf was a roommate of Keith Haring, who was a friend of Fab 5 Freddy, who collaborated with Futura 2000. These guys were at the center of what was the coolest 10 year run of art and music in NY. You had the uptown hip-hop scene, coming downtown to the Post Punk/New Wave scene, and at the center of it all were the street artist. Among them, Futura 2000. In books like Keith Haring The Authorized Biography, The Keith Haring Journals, & Basquiat A Quick Killing In Art, Futura 2000 was referenced numerous times as one of the best artist of this period. Veiwing the Scharf piece combined with a broader perspective as a result of time inspired me to dig up the old tapes and reconsider the footage. I thought that it might be cool to tell the story of the 151 Wooster Wall through Futura’s eyes. A risky approach considering I am excluding the interviews of folks like Fab 5 Freddie, Lee Quinones, and several others involved with this amazing discovery. In the end I was pleased with this approach. Futura seemed to be instantly transported back to the days when this movement was at it’s zenith and that enthusiasm translated well in this piece.
Enjoy
TrevzNewPop
The Digital Magazine War is On!
Thanks to the folks at HypeBeast, for the third time in a month I have seen some prototype of the future of the Digital Magazine format. So I am making it official, I am calling it… The age of the Digital Magazine has officially arrived! You heard it here first. This week Adobe throws it’s hat in the ring with their version of the Digital Mag. How it matches up against the contenders remains to be seen? Will the front runner iPad take the title? Will underdog Bonnier steal the throne? Or will Adobe make another splash? (You flash geeks probably caught that reference.) Personally my favorite is the Bonnier device. It’s more elegant, smaller, has better graphics, and had the best video presentation. Yes that counts in my book. Check out the Adobe video below and do your own comparison. I included links to the other devices beneath the last embed. I also included a scene from Minority Report 2002. It’s the first time I remember thinking how cool would it be if they could invent a Digital Magazine/Newspaper like the one in that scene. Who Knew?
Enjoy
TrevzNewPop
The Graduate is Too Funky
Until this past weekend The Graduate was a film that I only knew about through it’s famous quotes and scenes. Somehow I felt like I had already seen this entire film, heard all quotes and laughed at all the jokes, when I actually never watched it. My unfounded perception of this film as an irrelevant relic of another time discouraged me from actively pursuing this as a rental or purchase. Thank god for TCM where I am a passive participant of timeless gems from Hollywood past. This weekend I sat down and watched the entire film and to my surprise I was able to appreciate it for its cultural significance.
It is ironic when a work of art has such a strong cultural impact that its iconic status becomes a detriment to its viewership. Case and point, the scenes posted below have been played ad nauseum and as a result they have become greater than the sum of it’s parts. Most of us are aware of this film through bits and pieces. The relationship between the younger man and the cougar Anne Bancroft, the plot twist where he falls for her daughter, the chart topping soundtrack by folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. This familiarity takes away from the novelty that might otherwise draw in an unsuspecting viewer, robbing them of the experience that won over audiences when it first opened.
Upon my own viewing of The Graduate, what I found most compelling were the layers of pop-culture references that when viewed from the cultural landscape of the time were quite revolutionary. The seedy strip club scene, the references to “Agytators,” and “Plastics,” the stunning shots of the “Alfa Romeo Spider” on the freeways of California. This film directed by Mike Nichols ushered in the new wave of Hollywood directors and captured the spirit of the times. It reflected the changing of the guard in Hollywood and in society. According to Filmsite.org “two California settings (Los Angeles and Berkeley) and S. and N. California cultures (materialistic vs. intellectual), There was already a growing dissatisfaction with the status quo and middle-class values, and the breakthrough film mirrored that anarchic mood perfectly for America’s youth of the 60s during the escalation of the Vietnam War.” This quote explains why it resonated then, and why it resonated with me.
I included two popular clips from The Graduate below that I look at now with a fresh perspective. They are no longer meaningless clips from an irrelevant film, I look at them now as cinematic landmarks of a shift in American pop culture. I highly recommend renting this on Netflix or watching it whenever it plays on TCM again.
Enjoy
TrevzNewPop
I also sandwiched the 1992 George Michael video “Too Funky” where they use a sound-byte from The Graduate in the very beginning. Try to catch the soundbyte without getting too distracted by the very young Tyra Banks and Linda Evangelista.
Spoiler Alert!
Theophilus London in Complex Mag
Theophilus London The Hip Hop Crooner who has hosted a couple of episodes on New Pop has a feature in the February/March issue of Complex magazine. It’s a fashion feature so there isn’t much substance in terms of the Q & A, but the photos are great. Also there is a cool little widget where you can mouse over the fashion pieces and see a pop up window that tells you everything you need to know about the gear. Check it out here.
TrevzNewPop
Sophomore
I recently came across a short film shot as a look-book for the Downtown label Sophomore. Beautifully shot by LA-based photographer Cass Bird. It’s a fascinating look at local NY kids hanging out in Coney Island. This short bypasses the nauseating trend of spotlighting hipster transplants that many contemporary artist (present company included) seem to be fascinated with. Instead Sophomore focuses on the genuinely cool locals that make this city the hipster draw that it is. There is a unpretentious unapologetic confidence that jumps off the screen and draws you in by giving us a refreshing look at a city many of us only know from movies like KIDS. These kids remind me of the mid 70′s multicultural East Flatbush I grew up in. A place where Blacks, Puerto Ricans and a diminishing Jewish population lived side by side always looking for mischief always looking for love. There is a restlessness that Cass captures in ten plus minutes with ease.
Sophomore will inevitably draw comparisons to KIDS. I find it even more compelling because the story-line does not get in its own way. In Sophomore we see the characters talking to the camera with all their quirks in plain sight and without inhibition. Unlike KIDS we don’t get the feeling that there is an agenda that needs to be pushed on you to justify the otherwise superficial story-line. Sophomore allows itself to be itself. Between the quirky sound-bytes and delightful b-roll it is compelling and engaging. The best scene captures a couple of girl-friends (who can easily be mistaken as twins) talking about sharing everything including boyfriends. The sound-byte and visual in this scene are priceless.
Now I mentioned that this is a Look Book video for the Downtown label Sophomore. The Viral Look-Book as video short is a trend that has been gaining momentum over the past couple of years. In this case I had no idea what items were from the fashion line Sophomore and what was not. I think this was intentional evidenced by the title where there is also no distinction. Some may say that this is bad marketing I say it is genius. The fact is I never heard of Sophomore until I saw this piece. Now that brand is imprinted in my memory. A brave product placement strategy that I find very difficult to sell to my clients. Next time I will show them this video as a shinning example.
Enjoy
TrevzNewPop
Sophomore Spring 2010 from SophomoreNYC on Vimeo.
Interview Mag brings in 40 on the iPad
I am still not convinced that the Apple iPad will have anything near the type of market penetration as the iPhone did. As I stated in a previous post which you can read here “I’ll use my iPhone as my mobile device, and my laptop for the heavier lifting. This has no home.” However today I ran across a video that caused me to take a second look. It is a preview of the Interview magazine 40th anniversary edition as demonstrated on the iPad. I have to admit it is supercool! What stood out is the integration of the video elements with the written elements. It is definitely a big jump forward in how we can consume media. However I’m not jumping on the bandwagon yet, I still think this will be a device that will appeal to a very niche art techie demographic. We will see.
TrevzNewPop
“How To Make It In America,” The Next “Entourage?”
So I just finished watching the pilot episode for the much anticipated “How To Make It In America” starring Bryan Greenberg & Victor Rasuk. It is produced by the same team that brought us “Entourage” currently my favorite show on TV. Based on the pilot episode I think Entourage may soon become my second favorite show on TV. According to wikipedia “How To Make It In America” follows two enterprising twentysomethings as they hustle their way through New York City’s fashion scene, determined to achieve their version of the American Dream.
The pilot was very well written and had some laugh out loud moments. I suspect that many of the folks in the New York/LA/Miami art, music and fashion scenes will strongly relate to this series. It captures the swagger of this current generation of artist and entrepreneurs in a refreshing and insightful way. The references to nightlife photography and videography which is how I plugged into the scene were accurate and convincing. They even took a page out of TheNewPop handbook, freely incorporating photography with video footage. A technique introduced to this generation on the pages of this site. I hope my consultation check is in the mail, thank you very much.
I must admit my ties to the scene made it difficult to view this episode without bias. Considering many of those feelings are negative that could have been a bad thing. However I was impressed when even the love hate relationship many of us have with “nightlife” was addressed. In one scene, the Brian Greenberg character expressed his need to withdraw from “nightlife”. This leant me to believe that the producers are doing their job to keep the story-line true to life.
Of course I can’t wrap this up without mentioning Kid Cudi’s role. The #1 selling hip hop hipster we documented in our “Day With Kid Cudi” webisode also has a regular supporting role in this series. His character had a brief appearance in this episode that did not distract, which is to say he held serve. Eddie Kay Thomas also appears as “Kapo” in a memorable role that is analogous to that finance guy wanna be insider we all know and hate. Luis Guzman also has a memorable role as the tough guy neighborhood hustler.
More than just being a commentary on this generation, it is a contemporary take on that universal desire to achieve the American Dream. It speaks to every person and every generation that has ever had to make it in America. It’s hard to declare a series a hit based on one episode, but this one comes close.
How To Make It In America premiers on HBO this Sunday Feb 14th at 10:00pm. If you can’t wait, or will be too busy with your valentine that night you can check out the entire episode by clicking this link. I also posted the teaser in case you want to get a taste before you commit. Is that Bronques from Last Nights Party in the teaser?
TrevzNewPop
Teaser
Erica & David at it again
A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of meeting stylist Erica & David of LP Fashion Philosophy when I was crewing up for my short film. We never got to work together due to scheduling conflicts but we have kept in contact ever since. Erica and David were like two peas in a pod and had a keen eye for fashion and a unique point of view on trends. Check out this video post they did with Nando (@Nandoism) on What NOT to wear, and HOW TO Edit Your Closet. It’s their version of “Queer Eye For The Straight Guy”. It might not be an original concept and I would have loved to hear more from David but overall it’s still a pretty interesting video.
Enjoy
TrevzNewPop
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TrevzNewPop
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Top 3 Super Bowl Commercials
So the big game is over and it was a good one. I was rooting for the favorite Colts only because they beat my favorite team The Jets. Usually I would root against any team that beat my team, but since this is the Super Bowl The Colts winning would have granted me consolation bragging right status. Which means I could say The Jets got knocked out of the playoffs by the best team in the league. As it is we got knocked out by the second best. The Colts lost to The New Orleans Saints. Congrats to them, God knows if any team or city had a tougher history than The NY Jets it would be New Orleans.
However commenting on the warped world of reverse sport psychology is not the purpose of this post. Instead I want to recap the real reason many of you watched the game; Yes, the cool commercials. Adblitz posted all the commercials from yesterday’s game on YouTube with the option to vote on your favorites. I listed my top 3 along with a rating in the categories of concept, photography & writing. I tend to prefer the conceptually cool as opposed to the haha funny which is reflected in my rankings. I also listed a few honorable mentions. See where your choices match up or just enjoy them for the heck of it. They were pretty funny.
TrevzNewPop
#1 Kia : Concept 8 / Photography 9 / Writing 6 = 23
#2 Budweiser Bridge Concept 8 / Photography 4 / Writing 9 = 21
#3 The Journey – Concept 5 / Photography 9 / Writing 6 = 20
Honorable Mentions
Kids These Days – Concept 7 / Photography 5 / Writing 8 = 20
Your Tires Or Your Life Concept 7 / Photography 6 / Writing 6 = 19
Voice Box – T-Pain- Concept 5 / Photography 5 / Writing 9 = 19
Mans Last Stand – Concept 6 / Photography 6 / Writing 6 = 18
Snack Attack Samurai – Concept 6 / Photography 5 / Writing 5 = 16
VW Beetle “Bubble Boy”
This is one of my favorite commercials from the early 00′s. It is titled “Bubble Boy” and was a teaser for the new Volkswagon Beetle convertible. I love the soundtrack “Mr Blue Sky” by ELo. It is such a catchy upbeat tune that evokes memories of 1970′s Pop culture. For every office drone that ever wanted to break out of that “Groundhog Day” like routine this commercial is for you. The lighting and set design is very post-futurists, an effective way to convey the banality of corporate culture and the restraints of living a structured predictable life. Lots of 90° angles which I am compulsively drawn to and include often in my own videos. This adds to the feeling of being trapped like a mouse in a maze. It is as beautiful as it is depressing. Also take note of how the vintage retro pop music, vintage lighting and props directly contradicts the corporate setting. Evoking memories of the 60′s and 70′s when the VW craze was at it’s height. A time when Hippies embraced the brand as a symbol for “Free Love” and “Flower Power”. This corporate setting is just the setup that makes you want to break the routine, jump out of that maze and into a Beetle. What a masterful ad.
Enjoy
TrevzNewPop
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Young Guns: The Minds Behind FRSH Pulp
Last week I spent the day with the Dynamic Duo from I.M.G and FRSH Pulp. When I first met these guys I must admit I was a bit of a skeptic due to their young ages, but I was so impressed by the way they handled themselves that I became a believer in The I.M.G. way. Not only are they grinding, but they are doing it with class and a smile. These qualities came across loud and clear in the video footage. A good time was had by all. I will be working with I.M.G. again, you can be sure about that.
Enjoy the video and photos posted below.
TrevzNewPop
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URB Mag Special Edition feat Amanda Blank & Maluca
URB magazine teamed up with the girls at Mean Red and put out a special edition Digital Magazine featuring Maluca and Amanda Blank. It was styled by Valissa and photographed by my former partner King Texas. The photos are great, some of the best I have seen from Texas. The interviews are also informative and easy to digest. I do have issues with the Digital Magazine format, and more specifically the page navigation which just doesn’t feel natural. I just think the Digital Magazine format is something that will find it’s home on mobile devices like the one by Bonnier that I blogged about a few weeks back. I prefer to scroll through information traditionally on a web page rather than toy around with the phony page turn and magnifying features. And I wish they had an embed function for the Digital Mag so I wouldn’t have to hyperlink you. Come on coders start slinging. Regardless it’s great to see the folks at URB mag taking chances and pushing the envelope. It’s well worth the read. I posted some screen grabs below, to check out the full feature click here.
TrevzNewPop
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http://www.urb.com/2010/01/29/meanred-special-edition-with-amanda-blank-maluca-presented-by-urb