“No one ever thought Clint Eastwood was funny, but he was.”
- Annie Leibovitz

I’ve been reading “At Work” by Annie Leibovitz lately. It’s a great read for a photographers, or any one who appreciates the arts. It’s a very casual read, like you’re just chatting with Annie over coffee. I love books like that. When a book is to formal it almost always comes off as pretentious.

I’m always fascinated to learn about how other photographers think about, and approach photography. The differences interest me, and the similarities surprise me. One of the most interesting things for me to realize is that people like Annie Leibovitz are just normal people with a passion and a talent.

They aren’t superhero’s or demigods.

They get nervous at shoots, they miss shots, and they are their biggest critic. They deal with the same obstacles, issues, and even insecurities as everyone else. They are people.

That’s why I used that stupid quote. It’s not profound. It’s just a person’s opinion.

Annie talks about this one shoot in the book where as she was getting the lighting right for some portraits, she shot a few Polaroids. They were terribly under exposed, but she absolutely loved them and did the whole shoot like that. The whole time, she says, her assistants and AD’s were begging her to shoot some with more light, that were properly exposed. They reasoned that she could darken them in print if she still wanted to. She refused, and was annoyed at their request.

What I found fascinating about that story was the thought that there were these people on the set, who would have been quite knowledgeable about photography and have good eyes. Yet, they were begging Annie to fix the picture. They thought Annie Leibovitz was taking bad pictures.

Now, I might stumble upon those same pictures and not even think about the fact they are under-exposed and have a sickly green light. I might (and probably do… did) immediately assume they are brilliant pictures just because Annie Leibovitz shot them (I really like her in-case that wasn’t obvious).  But I might not really be able to explain why I like them.

Without rambling on too much longer, here’s my point.

Art is subjective, and photography is an art.

If you treat photography as an art, and you commit to the process, engaging who you are with it, you will inevitable produce good work. Some people will love it, some people will hate it, and some people could care less. Welcome to life. For me, photography is a life long pursuit. And even though it sucks sometimes, I love the process. It’s like dating when you’re a teenager. You fumble around, and it’s awkward for a while. But its exciting! And you slowly start getting the hang of things after a while. And I love it.

Last week alan, this week ashley.

wonderful, wonderful people. married too each other by the way.

I think one of the things I have found doing this series on the white is that it’s hard to capture all of a person in one picture.

people are dynamic, complex, and layered.

Like Dodgeball

But I love trying to draw the characters of a person out of them.

ps: I stole those 3D glasses from Avatar. Don’t tell.

had fun at work taking hello kitty instax of compounders being festive…

my boss

Last night, I attended an old fashioned Superbowl watch party.  We gathered around the television, ordered a pizza, snacked on buffalo wings and watched the Puppybowl at halftime.  It was amazing!

There is something very special about Indiana athletes.  Let’s call it the “Rudy” factor.  Somewhere in the cornfields of Indiana, Hoosier athletes, including those who adopt the Hoosier state as their own, become competent leaders and find the heart of of a champion.  What does this mean?  I have seen the “Rudy” factor in Peyton Manning and, before him, Reggie Miller.  David Letterman explains this special quality in a 2004 interview with Miller…

David Letterman: “You were willing to step forward and [take the last shot] because you have the guts and the heart and the brain of a champion.  You said, ‘I’m going to do it.  It’s either all me or it’s not me, but I am going to step forward and take the shot.’”

Reggie Miller: “You’ve got a 50/50 chance.  Either you’re going to be the hero or the goat.”

This is true of Manning too!  Superbowl XLIV was a hard fought game and was so enjoyable to watch.  The opponents were well matched.  And Peyton Manning lead the colts, seemingly with the philosophy:

It is either all me or it is not me. In the crunch, when others are relying on me to step forward,  I will.

That is courageous!  That is inspiring!  That is heroic! In a time when it is rare to step up and put your name on the line, Manning did exactly that.  It is what he always does, win or lose, and as always it was a pleasure to watch.

Peyton Manning, it is such a privileged to have you on my team.  It is difficult when someone as good as you fail, but remember, the heart of a champion is much more important than any Superbowl victory.  You’ve got a 50/50 shot at being the hero or the goat, but you cannot be a hero unless you are willing, at times, to be a goat.

Thank you for stepping forward and leading my team to the Superbowl!

Congratulations to the Saints!  Congratulations to Indiana University alum, Tracy Porter, and Purdue University alum and NFL MVP Drew Brees.  I am so happy for the city of New Orleans!  A victory could not have happened to a more deserving town!  And with Mardi Gras only 8 days away (February 16th), I say to you NOLA: Go Wild!

I listen to Pandora radio.  My favorite stations are ELO radio and Leonard Cohen radio.  I watch all my television and movies on Hulu.  I rarely ride in cars in New York because I am always trying to save money by riding the subway.  Even if I were riding in a cab, I would not have control over the radio.  On a recent trip to Texas I was caught unaware when a friend asked me if I liked Jay-Z and Alicia Key’s song “Empire State of Mind.”  “It’s about New York,” she said, referencing the town where I live.  She waited for the look of recognition in my eyes, but no, despite the pervasiveness of pop music, I appear to be out of the loop!  How did I miss a popular song about New York while living in the city?  Let’s call it a cultural gap caused by ‘Get What You Want’ culture.

For the record, this is the sort of song a New Yorker should have on their iPod as they traverse the city!

This incident reminds me of an NPR story about Cultural Gaps…

Will ‘Get What You Want’ Leave A Cultural Gap?

by Laura Sydell

Get what you want, when you want it. That’s the phrase that has dominated the entertainment industry over the past decade. New technologies have given us access to countless channels for music, television and film — and we can sample them whenever we find it convenient. But as the options multiply, are we losing our sense of a common culture?

What Makes A Touchstone? Or: Would Jerry Seinfeld's puffy shirt make it into the Smithsonian today? In 2004, Jerry Seinfeld donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington the famous "puffy shirt," from the Seinfeld episode in which Jerry gets talked into wearing a pirate-like shirt designed by Kramer's girlfriend.

Take “The Outing,” the Seinfeld episode in which a reporter thought Jerry and George were lovers. Even if you didn’t see it — not that there’s anything wrong with that — you heard about it: at work, at school, in the checkout line at the grocery store. And suddenly the show about nothing, says Stanford University communications professor Clifford Nass, meant something even to people who didn’t watch it.

“That’s really what marks cultural touchstones,” says Nass. “Things that people are aware of; that they can share; that they can make reference to — that they don’t actually have to consume themselves.”

More than 40 percent of American households saw the final episode of Seinfeld in the spring of 1998, according to the Nielsen ratings company. Fast-forward about 11 years: American Idol may be the most popular program on television today, but only about 16 percent of American households saw this year’s finale.

Too Much To Share?

Over the past decade, the number of television channels has more than doubled. There’s Lifetime for women, Spike for men, the Syfy channel, Comedy Central, yadda yadda yadda.

Add on YouTube and Facebook, Twitter and FunnyOrDie, and there’s just a lot more stuff to keep track of than there was in the days when there were three main TV networks.

For better or worse, the likelihood of another Seinfeld gets smaller with each new source of content. And that, alongside similarly fragmenting landscapes in news, politics and culture, has social scientists worried.

“In history, as far as we can tell, there have never been cultures or societies in which there weren’t a very large set of shared ideas — norms, values, stories” and so on, says Nass. “We’ve just never seen that before.”

As the monoculture fragments, social-media platforms and other wired and unwired communities are creating new kinds of connections — connections that are building bridges between people in ways that watching Seinfeld never could. But Nass says they’re not likely to be the kinds of connections that will hold a nation together.

“The problem is, the things that tend to glue society together are people who share a number of things together,” Nass says. “It makes it easier to mobilize, to bring people together behind a cause, behind an issue” — health care, say, or war.

Just look at the fractured response to health care overhaul proposals at town hall meetings across the country. Could it be that former President George W. Bush understood this when, rather than asking the country to pull together in shared sacrifice at the advent of the Iraq war, he instead told us to go shopping?

Read more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121986877

And to that I say: GO COLTS!

The Sidewalks of New York (1925 and 1929) are two cartoon short films made by animation pioneers Max Fleischer and Dave Fleischer, both films using the 1894 song "The Sidewalks of New York". Both films feature the "Follow the Bouncing Ball" gimmick, and are also known under the title "East Side, West Side" -- which is the informal title of the original song.

“The Sidewalks of New York” is a popular song about life in New York City during the 1890s. It was created by lyricist James W. Blake and vaudeville actor and composer Charles B. Lawlor in 1894. The song proved successful afterwards, and was once considered a theme for New York City. Many artists, including Mel Tormé, Duke Ellington, Larry Groce and The Grateful Dead, have performed this song. Governor Al Smith of New York used it as a theme song for his failed presidential campaign in 1928. The song is also known under the title “East Side, West Side” from the first words of the chorus. The song was also recorded, with slightly altered lyrics, by the Kidsongs Kids.

Broadway poster by the Strobridge Lithograph Co., Cincinnati & New York, ca. 1896.

Shannon Quartet – The Sidewalks Of New York

Filmed on Twenty-Third Street, New York City (1901)

Words and Music by James W. Blake and Charles E. Lawlor

The song “The sidewalks of New York”, performed by Robert Sean Leonard.  From “New York: A Documentary Film”, Ep 3, ‘Sunshine and Shadow’

Lyrics

While variations exist depending on the artist performing the song, the chorus has been consistent. The original lyrics are as follows.

Down in front of Casey’s old brown wooden stoop
On a summer’s evening we formed a merry group
Boys and girls together we would sing and waltz
While Tony played the organ on the sidewalks of New York

East Side, West Side, all around the town
The tots sang “ring-around-rosie,” “London Bridge is falling down”
Boys and girls together, me and Mamie O’Rourke
Tripped the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York

That’s where Johnny Casey, little Jimmy Crowe
Jakey Krause, the baker, who always had the dough
Pretty Nellie Shannon with a dude as light as cork
She first picked up the waltz step on the sidewalks of New York

Things have changed since those times, some are up in “G”
Others they are wand’rers but they all feel just like me
They’d part with all they’ve got, could they once more walk
With their best girl and have a twirl on the sidewalks of New York

About the Authors: “Died. James W. Blake, 72, author in 1894 of the words of Al Smith’s latterday campaign song, ”The Sidewalks of New York”; of cancer; in Manhattan. Mamie O’Rourke, Nellie Shannon, Johnny Casey and Jimmy Crowe, who “tripped the light fantastic” in Blake’s lyric, had been his childhood playmates. Though the song still sells 5,000 copies a year, it brought only $5,000 to Blake and Composer Charles Lawlor, who died penniless in 1925. Pensioned by the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers, Blake was hospitalized during his last illness through the offices of Citizen Smith.”  Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,883418,00.html#ixzz0eskPD0AD

I Shampoo the Sidewalks of New York

A bright idea and home town pride prompted this ex-sweater manufacturer to beautify the city’s neglected pavements. Now he reaps the reward.

By Louis Schwartz

EAST Side, West Side, all around the Town . . . my Sidewalk Sanitation Service has made its debut and though it doesn’t cover quite as big an area as the song does—yet—I hope S.S.S. will be just as familiar before long.

I started this business a year ago by convincing one department store manager in New York City that scientific, mechanized methods could restore beauty to his sidewalks, at less expense than old-fashioned wash-’em-down methods. Today many of New York’s leading stores and hotels, stretching over some 40 city blocks, have signed up for my beauty treatment.

Where did I get the idea for a business as unusual as this? Well, having seen men scrubbing sidewalks by hand a hundred times without giving if much thought, one day I wondered: Why should people use such primitive methods outdoors while. they operate by pushbuttons indoors? Right then I started dreaming of a practical method to give stores and hotels better and cheaper cleaning service. Street cleaning is the city’s responsibility but sidewalk shampooing is left up to the property owners. Why couldn’t I relieve them of this responsibility—and make a few dollars doing it? I also wanted to have a hand in beautifying New York, my home town.

Then the fun began. Aside from watching my wife clean house, I had no background at all for my proposed occupation. Before the war I was in the ladies’ sweater manufacturing business. Then I became a navigator on a B-24 and served in the South Pacific where the girls don’t wear sweaters. No sidewalk sanitation in the picture yet. But I have always liked to tinker and I went to work on my new idea wholeheartedly, experimenting and doing research, checking with city authorities and consulting manufacturers.

I concocted several cleaning compounds and tried some of them out on the Fifth Avenue sidewalk in front of Bergdorf Goodman, one of New York’s ritziest stores. There are many different types of cement pavement. I wanted to discover the compound best adapted to all types. Every night for a couple of weeks I stationed myself in front of Bergdorf Goodman, poured on the detergent, then scrubbed away with a brush. After scouring for a while and noting the effect on the pavement, I’d go home.

There were always some taxicabs parked across the street from the store and the drivers would watch my antics with vast curiosity. I used to see them wink at each other when I made my nightly visits but I tried not to let it upset me. Much later, when I was ready to give a real demonstration of my cleaning service to some city officials, one of the hackies came over to me and confessed: “Gee, brother, am I glad to know at last what you’re doing! Confidentially, we used to think you were a little . . . ah . . . you know. As I say, I’m sure glad that things are cleared up now.”

But that was much later. First I spent considerable time helping to design our special scrubbing machines. Then I had to get permission from the city to use the machines on the pavements while working out the most efficient cleaning techniques. All told, it cost about $15,000 to get started.

As we finally worked it out, through trial and error, there are three separate steps to our cleaning technique. The first operation consists of general debris removal. You’d be surprised, as I was at first, to see how much dirt accumulates on those famous sidewalks of New York. The worst offender is chewing gum. But we evolved a high-pressure steam machine which, together with my compound, goes to work on the pores of the cement and does a first-rate cleaning job. This machine also restores the original color of the sidewalk.

After this initial conditioning, our big baby goes to work. I’m very proud of our two three-wheeled monsters which resemble tanks as they lumber up and down the sidewalks. Actually, they’re patterned after the city’s own street cleaning machines, adapted to our own special use. Each holds a 150-gallon water tank which, since the water shortage began in New York, I fill with chlorinated river water mixed with my chemical detergent.

Nozzles strung across the 5-1/2-ft.-wide bottom of our tanks spray the treated water on the sidewalk. This mixture attacks the dirt in the cement and a big brush attached in front of the rear wheel sweeps and scrubs. The operation is very effective. It also pleases the city officials, as well as our customers, since all litter is actually picked up—sucked into a hopper—and not just tossed aside for someone else to pick up. Some of the stores take this service five nights a week and the hotels usually subscribe to it seven days a week.

On the busy sidewalks of the world’s largest city, our little “tank” arouses great curiosity.

When we first tried it out about a year ago, it was quite a traffic stopper.

One woman onlooker recently told one of my men that she was tremendously impressed with what he was doing and that she would personally go and speak to the mayor and ask him to duplicate our service on all the streets of New York. Who knows, maybe she did! Anyway, I do know that good will always pays off.

I also worked out a little patrol machine which constitutes the third phase in our service. We have ten of these machines now. They resemble carpet sweepers and my men use them during the day to pick up cigarette stubs, fine dust and any other debris that doesn’t belong on a sidewalk. Stores take this service at least three times during the day, hotels more often.

In winter, S.S.S. is also in the snow removal business. We are the only private snow removal company in the city, equipped to give service on a large scale. We’re on call day and night, Sundays and holidays, with gasoline-driven snowplows. The Weather Bureau notifies us when a storm is brewing and we have on file the names of some 500 college students who are willing to pitch in as soon as the flakes begin to whirl.

Our quest for cleaner sidewalks doesn’t confine itself to New York. We are in the $100,000 business bracket and are negotiating with men in other cities who will join Sidewalk Sanitation Service on a franchise basis. These men, whom I screen very carefully, buy all the necessary equipment through me. For approximately $20,000 they get the machines and complete instructions. I make the contacts for these men, getting in touch with civic groups as well as merchants, because we must have the complete cooperation of everyone concerned. A franchise operator’s income depends on how much ingenuity he puts into the work. He should earn somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 the first year.

Often our men are asked if they ever find anything valuable as they scour the sidewalks. Beyond an occasional “clink” which indicates that the machine has picked up some metal (which usually turns out to be a nail or perhaps a penny) we haven’t had any exciting finds. But I am thrilled that our work has found such quick acceptance, which is the really valuable find I’m looking for. The future looks bright. I can visualize sparkling, shampooed sidewalks stretching across the U.S.A. In the words of a little white-haired lady who was watching our tank in action, “It’s about time.”

L. Schwartz, Brendan Gill, and Gordon Cotler, The Talk of the Town, “Agleam,” The New Yorker, March 11, 1950, p. 19

ABSTRACT: Talk story about a new service which claims to be the first outfit ever to contract to keep the sidewalks clean by mechanical means, steam-cleaning and a mechanical scrubber It is also the only large-scale private snow-removal company in town, guaranteeing service day and night seven days a week. The founder of Sidewalk Sanitation Service is Loui Schwartz, a former sportswear manufacturer, with offices at 516 Fifth Avenue. He signed the 1st contract last summe with Bergdorf Goodman and now has more than 60 other customers. The Weather Bureau alerts his office whenever a snowstorm is approaching, and SSS maintains a file of some 500 Frodham, Columbia, and N.Y.U. students with notes as to their free time. For late-at-night he keeps a list of volunteers.

What happened to Loui Schwartz?  Nine years ago we reported on his private pavement-cleaning outfit called Sidewalk Sanitation Service. He sold this business 5 years ago, & has picked up a BS degree from Columbia & has nearly completed work toward a Master’s degree in political sociology.

Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1950/03/11/1950_03_11_019_TNY_CARDS_000223581#ixzz0esqTZoLM

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1962/11/03/1962_11_03_046_TNY_CARDS_000273195#ixzz0esrJvyE6

A Contemporary Interpretation:

Chewing gum has become a real problem on our streets with chewing gum litter being present in 95% of areas surveyed in town centres. Not only is chewing gum the most persistent type of litter to deal with it is the most difficult and costly to remove. (http://www.wigan.gov.uk/Services/Environment/StreetCleaning/ChewingGumLitter.htm)

I have seen the New York City Gumbusters in action and I have to admit, beyond the obvious “buster” reference, their gum busting machines remind me of the Ghostbusters Proton Packs.

Ghostbusters Proton Pack Replica on Ebay Searching around on ebay i found a highly detailed replica of the Proton Pack from the movie Ghostbusters. It has 2 bids and current bid is a little over $1,000.00 which proves you can make good money building props if you are good at it.

A Gumbuster in Action

i am in love love love with these photos! they’re beautiful in every way. all of sicoactiva’s photos are absolutely gorgeous; the lighting, the hues, the locations, the emotions – such beautiful work. my favourite set has to be the polaroids, everything has such a fresh eye. (p.s. these adorable faux polaroids are also a personal favourite!)

LOVE LOVE LOVE. ENJOY!

images courtesy of sicoactiva.

Ivan Civic - threatening threads performance

Dear Family and friends,

here a selection of some polaroids I have been producing during my latest chalenge… a 14 day performance in the cellar of the Solitude castle… in almost total loneliness and isolation… an interesting project, involving other 6 people, among designers, architects and artists…  I was on a stage 2×2 meters big and 40cm elevated from the ground… surronding me were 6 white tables on which the other participants were producing the ultimate anti-hero super hero outfit for me. In the entire period of about 5 and a half hours daily for 14 days, I was at their disposal, performing and inspiring them to produce whatever they thought suited me. I also was their mannequin… and as much as I hate the position and definition of the stupid word, I still have to say that the experience was interesting because I had to focus, perfom and transform the image the public got of me and make everybody see a vision of a sort of fallen anti-hero… standing still as he dies, in the middle of ruins… so… more info will come… enjoy the pix….

kisses,

I.

This awesome snap shot was sent in by Michael Munday from Portland, he’s wearing the new “Obama Hopes” Tee available for wholesale Feb 10th… we think he looks like a mini Drake.

Exhibitions to Catch:

Michael Landy’s  Art Bin at the South London Gallery in Peckham (29 Jan – 14 Mar 2010).  A really interesting concept in which artists (famous and non) are asked to submit their creative failures.  Cue works (probably worth a lot of money from famous artists (Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst) being but on the scrap heap.  It was satisfying to see a large print of Damien Hirst’s For the Love of God skull torn and shattered among the splintered debris of other less well-known artists’ floundering collective defeats.  Landy is actually sitting at the back at a little table watching the progress of the bin.  I’m going to go back a couple of times before the 4th March to see it get fuller.

William Eggleston’s  21st Century Exhibition at the Victoria Miro gallery in Old Street (15 Jan – 27 Feb 2010).  It’s a small exhibition but Eggleston takes such sublime photographs it’s worth going to.  It’s on my best art exhibitions list (which includes Moonmilk by Ryan McGinley, Twilight featuring Gregory Crewdson, Bill Henson and other photographers, and a recent Raymond Pettibon’s exhibition at Sadie Coles.).

Past (and Vaguely Recent) Exhibitions:

The Polaroid Project at the Photographer’s Gallery (1 Dec – 31 Jan 2010) featured polaroids taken by Harry Borden, Nan Goldin, Tom Hunter, Mary McCartney, Martin Parr, Rankin, Lord Snowdon and Sam Taylor-Wood. The Nan Goldin ‘roids were my favourites, because they were fun and not contrived; snapshots taken in the moment (it seemed) of her friends (animal – there’s a zebra on her sofa – and otherwise).  I had the chance to see Rankin in action when he exhibited Rankin Live at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane last summer.  Dazed & Confused recently gave away some of the guides featured in that exhibition.  That man is like a machine.  The polaroids he took of PM Gordon Brown removed the awkwardness  usually visible in most press shots.

Saam Farahmand’s The xx: A Sculpture Of The Album in Phonica’s basement (Jan 8-12 2010) was a short-lived exhibition in which he attempted to create a visual representation of The XX’s (self-titled) debut album, moving beyond the music video format.  The three monolith video/audio units weren’t interesting.  These three units were arranged in a triangle shape that you had to stand in the middle of, (they each showed audio and visual footage from one band member of The XX playing songs,) but it was awkwardly placed in the middle of a big, empty room, and you ended up stood next to strangers all worrying about your shoes squeaking and making a noise on the (very squeaky) floor, which distracted from the experience.  The experience itself was dissappointing because it was a bit boring, honestly – the whole set-up was meant to be minimalist (the shape of the monolith units, the non-interesting lighting of the band members and their plain black clothes in the video) and it didn’t strike up much visual interest.  Saam Farahmand is an incredible music video director so I’m suprised that when he tried to move beyond this medium he didn’t try to make more use of the extra senses added to the new format.  Maybe It’s because I’m a synesthete and have more interesting abstract forms and shapes in my head when I listen to music, but I was really excited about this exhibition and I was disappointed, but I won’t lose faith in Farahmand.

20/01/10 Berlin

There you have it.  My first official oldskool chase and hunt story for 2010.

Oh? You probably think it was:

Think again.

THEOPHILUS LONDON

What? That name doesn’t ring a bell?

That’s not completely wrong,  because Theophilus London is everything one can understand as Fresh (To Death)

Let me enlighten you about Mr London.

Not so long ago, only a couple of months even, while youtubing from one stream to the other I clicked this:

Like always, when I get triggered I want to know as much as possible about this individual with a cardboard camera hanging around his neck. The man knows how to accessorize.

Theophilus London, from Brooklyn, New York (where else?)  popped out around 2008 with his first mix tape JAM! Mixtapes are a common thing nowadays to get your music out there for an unsigned artist but this mix tape stood out because of its diversity in music and a flow that personally was very new to me.

This mixtape is the embodiement of a new generation with an open view towards hiphop, electronic music and stone hard classics put together with an ease by producer MACHINE DRUM ready for the liking of your ears.

But it was not after I downloaded his 2nd mixtape ‘This Charming Mixtape’ that I was completely convinced that there was nobody else around doing what Theophilus London is doing.

I did the ultimate test at a girls dinner party at my place by playing this amazing Whitney Houston remix.

At first they thought I completely lost my mind blurring out Whitney Houston out of my second-hand speakers at 2 in the morning but after a couple of seconds more they practically went ballistic in my appartement. However, that might be due to the amount of lavishly flowing dark rum in the room aswell.

Turned out that Theophilus music was becoming a daily soundtrack for me with the following re-push-play songs:

With some Amadou & Mariam Sabali moods in Grey X Sage

Bongo playing ‘Crazy Cousins’

Electronically Sexy ‘TNT’

The Breathtaking

Pull My Heart Away- Jack Penate/Theophilus London The XX re-mix

and his first and official video debut, ready for the world (and the karaoke bar close to you)

Versatile is the least you can say about the above. I never heard a sound like that before. Period.

SO. That should do for the homework part. Let’s get to business.

When I planned a trip to New York a couple of weeks ago I did not only contact Mike Schreiber and VASHTIE, but Theophilus London aswell.

How? Facebook ofcourse.

It didn’t last long untill Theo (can I call him Theo to save some letters?) responded very politely that It was best to contact his management for these sort of requests. I am a good girl, I try to play by the rules, so I did. 3 times actually.

I left for New York without a reply. And I came back from New York without a reply.

However. If you have read the V for Vasthie, Violette & Va Va Voom story you probably already know that I actually saw him while I was sipping (again) on some dark rum at Santos, entering the club with Vasthie.

But like I said before. If I don’t get a personal agreement from the artist, I try to respect that. So, I told myself, to let it be, wait for another opportunity and danced the night away. And yes. The fact that I was too chickend to step up to him played a role as well.

So big was my surprise after I posted the VASHTIE story, the first comment I got on my blog ‘forum’ was from the man himself!!?

Giving me props on the story I did of Vashtie, telling me he had some busy times and asking me to contact him for a feature.

Now thàt, I didn’t see coming at all…. But. Imagine the thrills in my spine and you’ll understand I was pretty happy with this.

He informed me that he was playing 20 JAN in Berlin and FEB 6  in London.

After mailing back and forth and back and forth it turned out that the place of the first encounter would be London.

Wich made sense, London is only a breath away and less complicated ànd cheaper than Berlin travel-wise, and my P.I.C. Jules got to come along since it was on a saturday. (Yes I am a freelancer now, and there should be a more sexy word for that job description)

But…there was something about Berlin. It attracted me more than London. But, then I had to go alone, without the lovely support of Jules so I quickly let that idea go. London. period.

Call me crazy, but Berlin kept slumbering through my mind, and I made a very big effort putting these silly thoughts away but I finally let my gut feeling speak and decided to put it in a status feed on Facebook asking if there wasn’t nobody heading for Berlin the next couple of days. If it led to something? Great. If not? No harm done and I could let it go.

And so it did. Turned out I got a free ride (yes a very long 8 hours drive) ànd a free bed in Berlin from my buddy Mike.

So. Now I had to decide. I was practically broke. And going to Berlin without a last-minute confirmation of Theophilus London was simply suicide. I told myself, I was only leaving for Berlin if I had an A-OK from Theophilus.

I pushed SEND and waited it out. Not long after, I got the golden reply with: Sure! Come on over!

And off I went. To Berlin. With exactly 130 euros in my pocket. Which might explain the title a bit more although I could have named this story ‘Broke Back Berlin’ but that might have the wrong connotation to it.

The minute me and Mike arrived in Berlin I got back to my nervous self. My cellphone wasn’t working. No more words of Theophilus. I took a shower, put on my favorite TOPSHOP dress and waited for a sign.

Finally I got an email from Theophilus asking me to come ‘here’. Where’s here…? Ever been to Berlin? The Germans have the tendency to see it BIG.

He didn’t reply to my question of what exact location he was at, so me and Mike put one and two together. Since he was playing at the DIESEL party, that was probably related to the fair, where a lot of parties where going on right that minute.

THANK GOD we had a car, because when we arrived at Tempelhof, home of the international fashion fair of Bread&Butter we quickly found out that the Diesel party was NOT where we were but at a place called ARENA at Treptow.

THANK GOD, we speak both German.

So, back in the car, heading for hopefully the right location.

20minutes later we arrived at the right spot, parked our car and headed for the for this occasion very appropriate entrance:

When we finally entered, I went straight for the guest list. Theophilus confirmed me in his last mail that I would be on it. apparently we were not and we were kindly asked to go back outside. You know, the nice Berlin -6C° outside.

Okay…

This was something I was avoiding for the last-minute, so I reached for the phone number Theophilus gave me where he could be contacted. Let me tell you something. I HATE calling to people who I don’t know. It makes me nervous to the point I can even pronounce my first sentences right. When both my phone aswell as Mike’s decided not to recognize the number that was given to me, I was practically ready for a nervous breakdown. What The Fuck? In despair I decided to call Jules, and ask hèr to send him a text that he better phone ùs because we can’t get through with òur phones.

Complicated enough for ya?

Jules, in bed, relaxing in her pyjamas, thrilled she still could be an important link in this story did what I asked her to do.

And indeed. Her text arrived and he got the message.

Apparantely we’ve been pushing all the time 001 for the international USA number but turned out, things  work just fine if you push +1.

Is the title of this story starting to make more sense for ya?

A couple of minutes later I have somebody calling Mike’s phone carrying the name of Theophilus.

I tried to answer in the most layed back normal way;  as if he would call me – everyday all day – but my heart was pounding in my throat.

He told me to wait a couple of minutes more, just untill the runway show was over and then “dkskdjfdjfdmqjdfldjfdjfdjfdm.”

Yes. That’s my cryptic interpretation of a phone call I could not understand a word off, because of surrounding noises.

But hold on. Runway show?

Man! I’m stupid! Of course there was a runway show! It was Fashion Week! We were at a DIESEL event!

How come I couldn’t put one and two together?

Stupid!

So at our second attempt for the guest list, it appeared I was on it, but only me and not Mike. I could not bear the thought of leaving Mike alone in the Berlin  -6C°, so I told Mike to hold tight and I entered the enormous venue that was ready to entertain a couple of 1000 people, having no idea where to go and what to look for.

While running I bumped into this:

Looks like somebody at the DIESEL ad-campaign department and I have a lot in common…

I quickly figured out that there where 2 venues with a stage each, so when I saw nothing interesting in the small first one, I entered the second big one, looked at the stage and there he was…

I think I arrived out of breath, soaking wet from the stress, giving him the ‘Yup, hellowww, it’s me, the Polaroid chick’ wave and shaking his hand. Immediately I asked him for another bracelet for my friend Mike and before I even got to finish my sentence he gave me another one. Waw…that is. Quick. And nice.

I thanked him, ran to the exit and got Mike in. By the time we both arrived at the stage ,Theophilus London was starting his set.

I was amazed… This person sticked to his promise of getting us in untill the very last minutes before he was going to perform…I mean, certainly there are other things you would like to give your attention to being an artist right before you perform, right?

I was so curious to see him play. It was his first time performance in Berlin and besides him there was nothing but an empty stage.

No Dj. No Band. Nothing.

Just Theo and a Mac Pro.

It was very interesting to see the crowd react to him. I already knew a couple of songs, but most of the audience was not familiar with his music. I really looked around and people where really lòòking at him. Like looking to something you have never seen before.

As a performer he is unique in a way, especially his moves, and although you can not judge him from that specific performance in Berlin, he definitely got the attention of the audience.

When he started to pull some girls on stage Mike asked me very concerned: “Why is he pulling all the weird ones out.’

He had a point, but I told him: “I see what you mean…maybe we should come back next year and see the girls front row. For some reason I think we will see a complete different picture. frenzy front row shit. I’m telling you.”

Theophilus finished his set and I decided that Mike had suffered long enough, since we didn’t have a decent drink or meal since we arrived in Berlin, it was all about the hustle untill then.

So, I suggest to go to the free bar and get us some rum. (yes. again) Mike looked at me and said: “Uhm, is this not the time for you to ask what you have travelled 8 hours for….? I mean…Seriously.”

He was right. I felt naked without my Jules and therefore I was stalling. I took a deep breath, and went for the curtain I just saw him disappear in.

I stuck my head behind the curtain and asked him: “‘Hello….please do not forget lil’ old me….”

Theophilus looked up: “No, that’s right. Hold on. I’ll just grab my stuff and we make sure you have your picture.”

While he was putting everything together I looked around and noticed 3 other girls to whom Theophilus gave each of them a pin and a mixtape cd. I noticed the girls putting the badge on as we speak. Great promo. I have to give him props for that.

“Where would you like to take the picture, there are some white walls upstairs if you like?”

Is this a dream? Since when start artists suggesting white walls themselves? Aren’t they supposed to react difficult towards changing space in according to satisfy ‘Mademoiselle Ouni’ with a nice perfect white wall?

The only thing I could bring out of my troath was a sore “Ok…”

So together with the girls we went upstairs. When we entered the room it looked like we were in the H&MU rooms for the models, that might have explained the high amount of very tall drop dead gorgeous women and skinny looking boys hanging around, surrounded with mirrors and lightbulbs and stuff.

I immediately went to work. Took of that blazer, because the heatflashes were doing their thing as usual and asked a girl if she could be my instant-assistant, explaining the ‘picture of me taking a picture of subject’ thingy. (if you are reading this, THANK YOU)

Meanwhile Theophilus was asking questions about who the coolest artist was that I snapped on Polaroid and giving me props on the Pharrell Williams one. I admit it was very hard for me to both focus on my job and answer his questons at the same time.

I put Mr Theophilus against the wall, explained my demands and asked if there was a possibility to take off his glasses.

Which he declined, since, so he explained, then it was a personal picture and that was not what this was about.

Point taken.

I framed. 3.2.1. Flashing.Lights….Bingo.

Exhibit I :

Exhibit II :

After that was done, I put them together and waited for the results, hoping he would be satisfied. (and I framed right)

“So”, Theophilus asked me with full enthousiasm, “are we going to do an interview?!”

Uhm. Hold On…Wait a minute. Since when do artists ask themselves for an interview? After their performance?

Ok. This man was making me more and more nervous.

“Uhm….I don’t know, I mean…”(I did not prepare SHIT) was the only thing that came out.

Theophilus continued: “Well, I’m just saying, I feel like doing one now, so this is your chance, do you have your recorder with you?”

(recorder? recorder????)

“Uhm. Nope. I’m more  of a oldskool pen and paper type of girl I presume.” I asked him to give me 5 minutes, and that I would be back asap.

I think I was going to FAINT while I ran out of that room. Interview??? Recorder??? WHERE IS MY ASSISTENT WHEN I NEED HER!?

I was feverishly looking for something to write on in the rooms upstairs and ended up finding the complete productionsheet of the DIESEL fashion show (like written out, right untill the moment Renzo Rosso is sitting down and the show can begin.) grabbed a pencil from the floor (how oldskool can you go) focused and searched in my inner hard disk for every little detail that was back-upped in my personal memory disk about Theophilus London.

I wrote a couple of questions down, checked if I didn’t have the sloppy journalist look and went back to the room where he was waiting.  When I entered the room he looked at my miserable piece of paper and said:

“Wow. Did you do that just now?”

“Uhu” was the only thing I could get out.

So here it is. My mini Q&A with Theophilus London. If this story wasn’t already long enough as it is.

IMPRO  I’VIEW WITH THEOPHILUS LONDON

How is Europe treathing Theophilus London?

Europe is great! My greatest response is coming from Europe. You guys are the early grabbers! Putting my music on blogs and stuff, and picking me up like that. It comes with some pressure aswell, I have to deliver, there are so many expectations, and the pressure is on me to live it up.

How does your hometown Brooklyn respond to you?

(big smile) Brooklyn is my fam. Brooklyn love is simply amazing.

Biggest influences for you at the moment?

Marvin Gaye. I’m working on a song as we speak, I’m covering Marvin Gaye covering Nat King Cole. Kraftwork. Gill Scot Heron. So great to see that somebody like him is still out there.

The summer and festivals are coming up. Looking forward?

Uhm. Yeah, definitely, but, I will only do a couple of them. I think it is more important to finish my album. You can only make a good impression once. I don’t want to mess that up with an overexposure on festivals.

Personally I am a big fan of the  Solange remix for Sand Castles, tell me how did this happen?

Thanks! Me and Solange we just have a great vibe together. It’s hard to find a (girl)friend that understands the industry, the game and the situations you get in, being an artist. She is from Houston, and we just connect in a pure way. We actually performed that song for the first time, unprepared at SXSW FADER FORT festival. We just did it and it turned out great. She’s just grounded and a great friend.

Any cultural ‘Euro’ shocks?

Haha. Portugal and them starting so damn late to begin a party. Shit starts at 3AM. I performed at 4AM over there. Crazy, how Europe parties so late.

And. The girls behind the windows in Amsterdam… I mean. That’s just insane.

(surprised) Really? Don’t you have that in the states?

Are you crazy! Hell no. We have to call a secret number or something.

I’ve noticed that you are well supported by BBC I’s godfather Gilles Peterson. You are playing at his World Wide Festival in London february 6. How did you become his ‘The One To Watch’?

Man. Gilles Peterson was there from the early beginning, he is just one of the early adapters. He played Cold Pillow in his show, Enjoy The Sun. Which is pretty huge, Gilles show is on global time. Meaning. When his show plays, London club kids that are coming home are listening to  it, Japan is listening, Australia. It’s a big deal to get that kind of airplay. Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw played my songs aswell. Basically radio BBC I is giving me a lot of love.

All of the sudden, Theophilus interrupts me in my next question, excused himself, walked away from his chair and I hear him say:”

“Come on guys, you can’t do that, that’s her Polaroid, put that back.”

To my complete SHOCK some model dude ( shaved hair, Ash/Josh Beech look-a-like, arm sleeved tattoo and a hat) was holding MY polaroidcamera in his hand that was laying on my purse, taking Polaroid pictures from his famous model friends. Apparantely Theophilus heard the Polaroidcam going off and went to rescue for  the few pictures that were left in my cam. The Model Dude was very apologetic so I forgive his mistake and we got back to business. See what I have to go through!!??

ANYHOW. What can we expect from your first official album?

An inspiring album. couple of collaborations. Mark Ronson is on it. So stay tuned. It’s coming and I am very excited about it.

You have a very specific style and dresscode, out of the ordinary. What’s up with the cardboard camera?

I found that camera in a secondhand store, bought it for practically nothing and it has a kaleidscope in it. Turned out people really responded to my necklace, so I contacted the company that made them and now I wear them all the time.

Last question. If I say Belgium, which 3 words pop up?

That’s Easy.. Marvin Gaye. Waffles. And… Grey skies.

That’s all folks, the conditions in that dressing room where to bad to get any more content plus I should travel with a recorder taped to my body because I could not read my own handwriting for at least 1 question. (The Jamie -XX one)

Who knows maybe one day I’ll get a more profounder interview with better questions. (on a recorder) You never know…

I thanked Theophilus for enduring my stalkermails and his patience and his coöperation for this little blog. Because at the end of the day, he did all this for a total nobody.

He gave me that american hug type of thing, on which I still don’t know how to respond. You know the hug/tap on the back kind of greeting.

I left the backstage going straight to one place and one place only -THE BAR- heading for this:

It took me 10 emails, 2 days, an 16 hour drive, 5 phone calls, 5 texts, 3642 words and blood sweat and tears to finish this story.

Smart has the brains, but Stupid has the balls.

Right?

Love,

Ouni.

PS:  A big thank you for my personal driver and friend MIKE for helping me out with this hunt by driving me around in Berlin, enduring my nervous breakdowns and listening for hours about my hiphop addiction. Mikie. You rock. ❤

Please Check:

Theophilus London Myspace ,  Blog, and Twitter

so i’m not a mall kind of girl. but i looove paying a visit to the cute local stores in downtown phoenix. my heart jumped when i spotted this mini box of goodness at frances vintage [btw they're having a 75% off winter sale right now. whoot!]. i’d been dying to get my hands on the polaroid notes after seeing them on a blog this summer.  it’s seriously the cutest collection of dreamy, vintage and nature-inspired note cards out there.