THE NEW POP

Going Back To Cali: A Tale of 2 Tracks

TREVZ — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:42:20 +0000

One of my favorite Hip Hop music videos of all time LL Cool J’s Going Back To Cali is one of the lesser known landmarks in Hip Hop music. It integrated East Coast Hip Hop with that care free West Coast sensibility. This track was used in the 1987 film Less Than Zero which probably didn’t help its street cred, none the less it was and still is one of the more sophisticated Hip Hop videos of all time. Hip Hop audiences at the time were used to that gritty NY aesthetic in their videos, so when this video came out with its Art Deco architecture, California GoGo dancers, and cruising convertibles, it was a bit of a shock. The video actually feels more current in today’s homogeneous culture than it did back then. Of course all the credit goes to L.L. Cool J as it is the track that dictated the visual vocabulary.

Ironically about 10 years later another landmark event in Hip Hop would define a generation. The murder of The Notorious B.I.G. on the West Coast. Shortly before this murder The Notorious B.I.G. produced a track by the same name which came to epitomize the West Coast/East Coast rivalry that dominated the mid 90’s. Biggie’s version was a half hearted attempt to mend the rivalry, but instead he fueled it. Ultimately it was his literal “going back to Cali” that left him vulnerable and contributed to his murder. According to wikipedia “The following lyrics were thought to be a big turning point in the infamous feud.”

“If I got to choose a coast I got to choose the East

I live out there, so don’t go there
But that don’t mean a nigga can’t rest in the West
See some nice breasts in the West
Smoke some nice sess in the West, y’all niggaz is a mess
Thinkin I’m gon stop, givin L.A. props
All I got is beef with those that violate me I shall annihilate thee.”

Today with all of that behind us I can only imagine an alternative world where the spirit of the LL version would have defined the East Coast/West Coast relationship in the 90’s. That spirit of camaraderie and appreciation is now a part of our newly connected world, and as they say better late than never.

Enjoy

TrevzNewPop

In the LL video keep an eye out for cameos by Martha Quinn, Kari Wuhrer & Rick Rubin.

No official video made so I posted this video which has allot of weed references.

POP .29 ED NewsLetter

TREVZ — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:00:12 +0000

They say that The Scene will be the death of me. I say I am already dead. Which isn’t a bad thing, it gives me a new perspective. Check out our latest Newsletter POP .29 ED

Or you can register for our regular email blast Here.

The Enigma that is Ralphy Boy

TREVZ — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:59:39 +0000

I recently shot a video interview with the F.C gang’s Ralphy Boy for the track “How You Like Me Now?” Hailing from my childhood neighborhood of East Flatbush Brooklyn, Ralphy has some of that mid 80’s showman’s ethos that permeated hip hop during that time. Evoking the spirit of old school legends like Slick Rick, Doug E Fresh, Dana Dane & Kool Moe D, Ralphy is on a mission to make sure his audience has as much of a good time as he does. In this world of Hipster rap where looking cool often seems to trump moving the crowd, Ralphy’s audience first approach is refreshing to say the least. There are times when Ralphy’s preference to let his music do the talking can give the wrong impression. In this video Ralphy discusses the enigmatic side of his character and gives us a little insight into who Ralphy Boy really is.

Enjoy

TrevzNewPop

Armory Arts Week & Artlog

TREVZ — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:48:35 +0000

From Fashion to Food it seems like every industry has their week in the NYC sun or snow depending on what day it is. MY favorite week of them all, The Armory Arts Week started this past Thursday. The week’s main event, The Armory Arts Show takes place at Pier 94 exhibiting contemporary art from more than 30 countries. In addition there are dozens and dozens of smaller events and parties happening all around the 5 boroughs. So how does anyone know what are the best places to go, what parties are hot, or what exhibits are cool? The answer is artlog.com. Their slogan “Art and Culture in Real Time” says it all. This is the ultimate destination for real time updates on what is going on during Arts Week. They utilize social media via their Artlog live link where peoples tweets about Armory Art Week are redirected directly to the live section of their site. Recently as a part of the Pernod Creator Of series, I interviewed the founders Manish Vora and Dylan Fareed about Artlog.com and got a first hand demonstration of Artlog Live in action. Check it out.

Enjoy
TrevzNewPop

Digitilism

TREVZ — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:57:16 +0000

Razor Face an Exercise in Storytelling

TREVZ — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:29:33 +0000

In all mediums of art arguably the most important skill is the art of storytelling. Everything else is just window dressing. A couple of days ago I blogged about the film The Legend Of 1900 calling it one of the greatest films you never heard of. It is about a Piano virtuoso named 1900 (Played by Tim Roth) who is born on a ship and never steps foot on land. 1900 has a single minded approach to his art. An idiot savant kind of perspective in which little else mattered beyond his music. In one scene I found particularly fascinating, 1900 gives the his best friend Max Tooney (Played by Pruitt Taylor Vince) a glimpse of what is going on in his head. What is revealed is a world where everyone moves to his soundtrack. A world where a woman sitting at a table becomes the main character in a scandalous murder mystery. Or a man walking across the room is the centerpiece in a thriller about the immigrant experience. It is a world where everything becomes foder for drama, intrigue, comedy and all the rich elements that color our lives.

For my first 21 years due to my Seventh Day Adventist upbringing I wasn’t allowed to take part in any secular activities from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown. No TV, no radio, no magazines, just church in the morning and religious music until sunset. For my first 21 years I would routinely spend my Saturday afternoons looking out the window at people walking by. I would entertain myself with imagined stories of what went on in the lives of these total strangers in a way very similar to the scene posted below. It was fun and a great exercise in the art of storytelling. Below the 1900 post I embedded a live performance of the song Razor Face performed by Elton John and written by Bernie Taupin. One of the greatest storytelling teams in recent memory. It is the type of song that is full of storywriting potential. Give it a listen and observe the world around you. Observe yourself. Create stories the way 1900 did.

Enjoy

TrevzNewPop

The Scene Episode 2

TREVZ — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:49:07 +0000

My first stab at fiction was a tough haul. I was going to bury this episode and pretend the idea for this series never happened because I wasn’t happy with the piece. Documentary filmmaking is a very organic process that is challenging and incredibly rewarding. Fiction on the other hand is a methodical process where each decision can affect the entire crew. I erroneously thought that shooting a few music videos prepped me for this, I was dead wrong. Dozens of script rewrites and numerous rehearsals later I found myself spinning on set just trying to keep the entire production from spiraling out of control. Add the fact that it was the first time I was shooting with the Canon 5D MK2 which in itself was a huge challenge and the ending result was an edit that didn’t match up to the vision I had in my head. However instead of burying it I thought it was important to finish what I started, learn from my mistakes, and do it again. So for better or for worse I cut the piece in half and decided to go forward and publish it.

This episode stars Nate “Igor” Smith of Driven By Boredom fame and the lovely model/actress Carolina Ramirez. The title of the series is The Scene (I love creative titles). It is about the downtown scene which I documented weekly for about 4 years. As jaded as it made me I am also fascinated by the colorful and talented people who inhabit this world. I hope that this series gives you a more entertaining look into that world. Technically this episode may not live up to my original vision but it is still an important part of what will hopefully be a very interesting series.

Enjoy

TrevzNewPop

The Legend Of 1900

TREVZ — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:50:09 +0000

The Legend of 1900 is one of the best films you’ve never heard of. Directed by the Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore of Cinema Paridiso fame, it tells the story of a piano virtuoso named 1900 who is born on a ship and never steps foot on land. Told in flashback form this film deals with the fear of change through the immigrant experience. To 1900 played by Tim Roth this ship is his life and the thought of stepping into a seemingly infinite world mortifies him. This quote by 1900 courtesy of Photo-Art-Life blogspot sums it up the best.

“Take piano: keys begin, keys end. You know there are 88 of them. Nobody can tell you any different. They are not infinite. You’re infinite… And on those keys, the music that you can make… is infinite. I like that. That I can live by…”

You rolled out in front of me a keyboard of millions of keys, millions and billions of keys that never end. And that’s the truth Max, that they never end. That keyboard is infinite… and if that keyboard is infinite, then on that keyboard there is no music you can play. You’re sitting on the wrong bench… That is God’s piano.

Christ, did you… did you see the streets, just the streets? There were thousands of them! Then how you do it down there, how do you choose just one… one woman, one house, one landscape to look at, one way to die…?

Tim Roth’s performance as one of the least rounded individuals in cinematic history is endearing and will pull at your heart strings. This script is so well written that it is hard to believe this is Giuseppe Tornatore first English language film. The musical score by Ennio Morricone is simply genius and garnered a Golden Globe for best score. The clips embedded below illustrate the virtuosity of the musical score, cinematography and the writing. Clip one which takes place halfway through the film is a duel between 1900 and the real life inventor of Jazz Jelly Roll Morton brilliantly played by Clarence Williams III. The ships passengers who are rooting for and in some cases betting on 1900 are disappointed by his lack of effort. Unaware that he is just toying with Morton they proceed to boo him. Morton fully aware that 1900 is mocking him pulls out all the stops. What proceeds is one of the best duel scenes in cinematic history. In clip two 1900 serendipitously finds inspiration for his first and only recorded piece. Strictly from a musical standpoint, the story telling in that composition is powerful. Play both clips if you have time, but if you don’t I recommend viewing clip two “Playing Love.” It is a moving piece of filmmaking. The Legend of 1900 is on my top 5 list of the best films you’ve never heard of. If you get a chance pick it up on Netflix.

Enjoy

TrevzNewPop

Radiant Child: Basquiat Unseen

TREVZ — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:23:35 +0000

The trailer for the documentary Radiant Child about the 80’s post-punk artist Jean-Michel Basquait was just released on youtube. 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.

TrevzNewPop

Digitilism

TREVZ — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:15:57 +0000