photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
as a film minor in college, i came to learn and explore EXPLOITATION FILMS via DIRECTORS from the 1960s and 70s like RUSS MEYER (FASER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!), JOHN WATERS (PINK FLAMINGOS, FEMALE TROUBLE) and JACK HILL (COFFY, FOXY BROWN, SPIDER BABY) among others. i paid particular attention to most every genre with the exception of one: HORROR. which is probably why i was a late bloomer to the FOUNDATIONAL cinematic work of WILLIAM CASTLE and his REVOLUTIONARY MARKETING and GIMMICK-LADEN PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS in support of such throughout the 1950s and 60s. more MASTER PROMOTIONAL MANIPULATOR and CARNIVAL-BARKING SALESMAN than FILM AUTEUR, the life of CASTLE is lovingly recounted and contextualized by his peers, coworkers, followers and family in the recent documentary SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY (AUTOMAT, 2007).
for those that are UNFAMILIAR with the term, EXPLOITATION FILMS were B-MOVIE MOTION PICTURES brazenly devised in order to take advantage of an ongoing trend or current event with often SENSATIONALIZED PLOTS and absolutely SHAMELESS use of GIMMICKRY. back in the day films were often showcased as DOUBLE FEATURES, with the FEATURE FILM being the big-actor, WELL-PRODUCED MARQUEE FILM and the B-MOVIE a more EXPLOITATIVE, CHEAPER, often LESS SOPHISTICATED film shown as an opener. there are so many sub-genres of such that have arisen since the 1950s that include everything form SEXPLOITATION, BLAXPLOITATION, SURFER FILMS, BIKER MOVIES, THRILLERS, WOMEN-PRISON-FILMS and so on. although not widely considered as such these days due to their perennial popularity, HORROR FILMS is itself an EXPLOITATION sub-genre. their HOOK or GIMMICK is that they are going after a demographic that specifically seeks the experience of being FRIGHTENED. and CASTLE, much like ALFRED HITCHCOCK (whose FILMS are often tagged with the more ESTEEMED title of SUSPENSE), recognized such early on in the game. it should be noted that the EXPLOITATION tag is not a DEROGATORY epithet by an stretch of the imagination, as JOHN WATERS even explains in the FILM, as all FILMS are in essence EXPLOITATIVE in some regard. CASTLE was born in NEW YORK CITY but became an OPHAN during his adolescence, which undoubtedly affected his sense of IDENTITY for the rest of his life, especially with regards to the DEVASTATING potential for loss with regards to success and family. his need for attention, validation and glamour found him interested in THEATER and he fought and crawled his way into working on BROADWAY as a STAGE MANAGER where he became a peer of ORSON WELLES. through the WELLES connection he was given a venue outside of the city where he put on a play he devised for a recently arrived GERMAN actress. this actress was called back to GERMANY shortly before WWII and CASTLE manipulated the PRESS twice to PROMOTE his production. the first was that he told them (falsely) that he wrote a letter to ADOLF HITLER stating that he would not allow his star to return home and the second was that he told the PRESS that he would not stop production in the face of recent NAZI graffiti plastered all over the front of the THEATER (apparently done by CASTLE himself). the PROPAGANDANDIZED PUBLICITY drew ENORMOUS crowds to the largely LACKLUSTER production. this ability to manipulate the PRESS was CASTLE's ace in the hole as a PRODUCER and served him well throughout his later FILM CAREER and is a major part of his continued LEGACY. upon arrival in LOS ANGELES, CASTLE worked under the wing of the universally REVILED, FEARED and RESPECTED head of COLUMBIA PICTURES, HARRY COHN. he worked his way up to B-MOVIE DIRECTOR where he specialized in making ON-BUDGET, ON-SCHEDULE FILMS of DUBIOUS quality that made MONEY. such a BANKABLE reputation as an EFFICIENT OPERATOR is not a negative in the least, but is what you want in a B-MOVIE DIRECTORS from the studio's perspective. under the STUDIO SYSTEM, proven DIRECTORS that could flourish given LIMITED BUDGETS worked their way up to making FEATURES. CASTLE was so good at it that he basically stayed at that level. during this period he found and bought the rights to a PROPERTY he thought would help him transition to FEATURES, a MYSTERY PULP novel by RAYMOND SHERWOOD KING entitled IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE (ACE BOOKS, 1938). unfortunately COHN optioned it from CASTLE and made it the next RITA HAYWORTH-fronted WELLES project THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (COLUMBIA, 1947), now very much considered a FILM NOIR classic. eventually he left the studio and went INDEPENDENT and made a two LEGENDARY HORROR FILMS, MACABRE (WILLIAM CASTLE PRODUCTIONS, 1958) and HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (WILLIAM CASTLE PRODUCTIONS, 1959) that garnered him fame and FINANCIAL SUCCESS before COLUMBIA PICTURES came back and backed his work thereafter. the reason this COLLABORATIVE arrangement with COLUMBIA PICTURES worked was that as PRODUCER, SCREENWRITER and DIRECTOR of his own FILMS, CASTLE controlled his productions and made everything on a SHOESTRING BUDGET and devised a series of GIMMICKY promotional campaigns aimed at kids that reaped in a FINANCIAL WINDFALL. these GIMMICKS included buzzers on seats (THE TINGLER), INSURANCE POLICIES collectible upon DEATH by next of kin from FRIGHT in THEATER (MACABRE), INFLATABLE SKELETONS flying in on wires across MOVIE SCREENS (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL), MONEY-BACK GUARANTEES and so on. it was a DIFFERENT era in the 1950s that basically ended with the collective loss of national innocence when JFK was ASSASSINATED in 1963. shit got real then and CASTLE did other things to DIMINISHING RETURNS throughout the 60s. in the late 1960s he found another PROPERTY that he bought the rights to that he hoped to utilize as a potential VEHICLE for another attempt to transition to FEATURES as a DIRECTOR but was again conned by PARAMOUNT PICTURES this time into relinquishing ROSEMARY'S BABY (PARAMOUNT, 1968) to ROMAN POLANSKI where he stayed on as a PRODUCER. this was basically his last hurrah as the 1970s found SLASHER B-MOVIES come into fashion that were more EXPLICIT and BRUTAL in nature to his decidedly OUTMODED HORROR FILMS of the 1950s and early 1960s. his CINEMATIC LEGACY is one of innovation in terms of bridging the fourth wall with his audience and providing a SHOWMAN's GOOD-NATURED human touch to his productions. both JOHN WATERS and ROGER CORMAN participated in this documentary and attest to the power of such PROMOTIONAL TACTICS in their own work. the TRAGEDY of it all is that CASTLE had a deep need to prove himself worthy of LOVE and AFFECTION and those GIMMICKS were utilized long after his name became recognized on the MARQUEE and were unneeded. the potential for the loss of such ADORATION by his audience and his family alike was the REAL FEAR that drove and defined his life. the documentary is a testament that such worry was UNWARRANTED given the ENDURING APPEAL and influence of his FILMS on a whole swath of FILM IRECTORS raised on EXPLOITATION FILMS from throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s of which his name is undoubtedly at the vanguard of. that CASTLE DIED not knowing such LOVE and AFFECTION existed on his behalf is much SCARIER than any haunted house or VOLATILE axe-wielding psychopath.
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photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
its mind-boggling to consider all of the effectively ANONYMOUS ARTISTS and MUSICIANS that have meaningfully and actively participated in the creation of ICONIC WORKS in the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, from CINEMATOGRAPHERS, SCRIPTWRITERS and EDITORS in FILM to PRODUCERS and RECORDING ENGINEERS in MUSIC. these UNSUNG PROFESSIONALS provide an absolutely INSTRUMENTAL service in the development and production of ART with little if not ZERO fanfare or POPULAR RECOGNITION by the wider public.
such an ASYMETRICAL DYNAMIC is also the case with SUPPORTING MUSICIANS, or SIDEMEN. the SIDEMEN: LONG ROAD TO GLORY (RED HAWK, 2016) documentary in particular focuses on this PHENOMENA with a close look at the life and careers of three LEGENDARY BLUES SIDEMEN in PIANIST PINETOP PERKINS and DRUMMER WILLIE "BIG EYES" SMITH (both of MUDDY WATERS fame) and the much CELEBRATED and singularly INFLUENTIAL GUITARIST HUBERT SUMLIN (of HOWLIN' WOLF fame). all three where close friends and BLUES survivors into their senior years before dying months apart from one another in 2011. post-RECONSTRUCTION, JIM CROW laws throughout the AMERICAN SOUTH effectively perpetuated the SEPARATE and very UNEQUAL TREATMENT of AFRICAN AMERICANS, which led to a MASSIVE MOVEMENT at the beginning of the 20th century to northern cities like PHILADELPHIA, NEW YORK CITY and CHICAGO for BETTER jobs and working conditions in what is known as THE GREAT MIGRATION. part of what was transported up to CHICAGO in particular was the DELTA BLUES, which became electrified in the hands of MUDDY WATERS and HOWLIN' WOLF in a NEW VARIATION promoted by CHESS RECORDS known as the CHICAGO BLUES. along with LABEL-MATE CHUCK BERRY, these three ARTISTS were an early triumvirate that INNOVATED and POINTED THE WAY to what would shortly thereafter become ROCK N ROLL. in fact, it is not hyperbole in the least to state that they effectively INVENTED ROCK N ROLL. the INCREDIBLE stakes of their CONTRIBUTIONS to the overall trajectory 20th century MUSIC HISTORY and AMERICAN CULTURE writ large is what makes the CRIMINAL OVERLOOKING of PERKINS, SMITH and SUMLIN outside dedicated MUSICIANS' circles so DEVASTATING. SUMLIN and his EMOTIVE, LYRICAL and ATMOSPHERIC GUITAR LICKS for HOWLIN' WOLF in particular was a DIRECT INFLUENCE on later GUITARISTS ranging from JIMI HENDRIX (who repeatedly stated such), JIMMY PAGE, ROBBIE ROBERSTON, ERIC CLAPTON and a generation of BRITISH INVASION GUITARISTS and SONGWRITERS. to date SUMLIN is still not in the ROCK N ROLL HALL OF FAME which is indicative of his CONFOUNDING STATUS being entirely OVERLOOKED despite IMMEASURABLE INFLUENCE on MODERN MUSIC. this documentary is an effort to change that narrative. the roster of ARTISTS participating in the interviews regarding these three SIDEMEN are full of cultural heavyweights from BONNIE RAITT, JOHNNY WINTER, GREGG ALLMAN (THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND), ROBBY KRIEGER (THE DOORS), KEITH RICHARDS (THE ROLLING STONES), JOE PERRY & BRAD WHITFORD (AEROSMITH) and ELVIN BISHOP (PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND) to more modern players like ERIC GALES, DERICK TRUCKS, WARREN HAYNES (GOV'T MULE, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND), SHEMEKIA COPELAND, JOE BONAMASSA, WALTER TROUT, GUY DAVIS, BOBBY RUSH and KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD among others. seems more than fitting that these well-known CONTEMPORARY MUSICIANS pooled their CLOUT and collective light to shine on these three UNSUNG fellow ARTISTS for the sake of correcting the record for POSTERITY. the SIDEMEN: LONG ROAD TO GLORY film is ESSENTIAL viewing in my opinion. definitely worth checking out irrespective of your INTEREST in the BLUES. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
ive never been able to get a read on JULIAN SCHNABEL. even before watching the recent JULIAN SCHNABEL: A PRIVATE PORTRAIT (BUENA ONDA, 2017) RETROSPECTIVE DOCUMENTARY that serves as a PERSONAL narrative regarding his CREATIVE OUTPUT, as well as the MEANINGFUL relationships he amassed along the way, i knew him through his UNCONVENTIONAL and highly PERSONAL FILMS. namely BASQUIAT (MIRAMAX, 1996), BEFORE NIGHT FALLS (FINE LINE, 2000) and THE DIVINE BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (MIRAMAX, 2007). each being its own UNIQUE CINEMATIC UNIVERSE unto themselves with the through line being his ability to defy audience expectations and invariably impress upon them a highly AFFECTING FOCUS on MOOD and the EMOTIONAL INTERIORITY of his character's PSYCHE. i have walked out all three of his movies with an ELEVATED sense of my own PERCEPTUAL EXPERIENCE as a human and how such affects my relationships and sense of SELF.
but that could all just be me projecting unto his WORK. which i believe might be the point of any TRUE ARTIST. although still INDECIPHERABLE, this documentary showcases a REFLECTIVE PROCESS with his WORK that finds him EVER-AWARE and even HYPER-VIGILANT for new opportunities and avenues of EXPRESSION, whether such be 'mistake' on CANVAS or in the EMOTIONAL pull of a CINEMATIC SCENE. everything is mined for its emotive potential in service of ITSELF. this ability to both improvise as a COMPOSITIONAL COMPONENT to his FILMS is partly what draws such TALENT and ADMIRATION from actors such as WILLEM DAFOE and AL PACINO, both participants in this FILM. arguably the moment in the FILM where these threads of EXPRESSION (MUSIC, ART and CINEMA) come together is in MULTI-MEDIA PRODUCTION surrounding LOU REED's late-career PERFORMANCE of his MUCH-HERALDED but famously DEBAUCHED BERLIN (RCA, 1973) album. what REED does with WORDS and MELODY, EVER-SHIFTING around his catalogue to his latest ARTISTIC PREDILECTIONS irrespective of audience expectation is essentially the model of SCHNABEL on CANVAS and CELLULOID. for me that moment was more INSIGHTFUL and MEANINGFUL than past FAMILY memories of NEW YORK and TEXAS, where he grew up. the SPONTANEOUS act of CREATION and being completely FEARLESS about such is what makes this FILM COMPELLING, if not entirely MYSTIFYING and OPAQUE. im still not sure entirely what i make of SCHNABEL or what i learned given this FILM, but at least it makes me aware of how perplexing the PROCESS of ARTISTIC GENERATION actually is since it comes from a place of INCREDIBLE INTENT, FOCUS and EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITY. such a state i'll likely never fully appreciate. JULIAN SCHNABEL: A PRIVATE PORTRAIT is an EVER-INTRIGUING FILM that i will no doubt revisit in the future. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
it was a bit hard to get a decent read on the intent behind the brief DAMIEN HIRST: MORBID FASCINATION (ENTERTAIN UK, 2022) documentary, which focused on the NOTORIOUS BRITISH PAINTER and CONCEPTUAL ARTIST. the most FAMOUS of the YBAs (Young British Artists) that came out of GOLDSMITH'S COLLEGE in the late 80s and early 90s, which coincidently rose to CULTURAL PROMINENCE around the same time as the BRITPOP movement of young INDIE ROCK bands, DAMIEN HIRST is the embodiment of BRITAIN's return to CULTURAL RELEVANCY in the EUROPEAN ART scene and beyond.
and for that he is much BELOVED and HATED. some see him as an ABSOLUTE CHARLATAN whose WORK is POMPOUS, SUPERFICIAL and highly OVERRATED. others see him as a MODERN conceptual extension of the likes of CONCEPTUAL ARTISTS such as MARCEL DUCHAMP, ANDY WARHOL and JEFF KOONS in how he isolates innately PROVOCATIVE objects and ingeniously RE-CONTEXTUALIZES them to spur popular discussion and critical evaluation of COMPLEX and INTERRELATED EXISTENTIALIST themes such as NATURE, MORTALITY, RELIGION, IMPERMANENCE, BELIEF and CONSUMER CULTURE. like i said before it is difficult to get a sense from where MORBID FASCINATION stands on this issue as it doesnt seem to advocate for either side, more just presenting both sides as equally RELEVANT. this is FRUSTRATING since the fact that there is interest enough in HIRST in the first place to take the necessary TIME and ENERGY to film, edit and manufacture this product proves his INHERENT VALUE enough as an ARTIST to be considered WORTHY of being critically analyzed and dissected. somehow this line of inquiry feels so TRAGICALLY BRITISH, since only they will seemingly go through the effort to produce a documentary about the merits of making said documentary. i dont much care about your reasoning, just get on with the task at hand already. there is an UNFORTUNATE preoccupation in this film about HIRST's MARKETING PROWESS and preternatural ability to PROMOTE and SENSATIONALIZE his WORK in the press and thus draw a SUBSTANTIAL PRICE for such at auction. again, that is a BORING topic since such a discussion doesnt confirm or deny the MERIT of his WORK, just its current MARKET VALUE. my hope when watching this documentary was to get a better sense of his ARTWORK and how its THEMES interplay with the work of his PEERS, both preceding him like FRANCIS BACON or concurrently such as fellow NOTABLE YBA SARAH LUCAS. regrettably most of this short film was dedicated to his NOTORIETY and supposed CONTROVERSIAL STATUS within the ART COMMUNITY without naming names. it all just comes across as SUBPAR and lacking any real DEPTH. not gonna lie, DAMIEN HIRST: MORBID FASCINATION felt like WASTED OPPORTUNITY on a subject that is innately INTRIGUING and whose WORK is demonstrably WORTHY of a critical eye. the never-ending UNCRITICAL focus and SUPERFICIAL preoccupation with MONEY was the TRUE "MORBID FASCINATION" of this film, and not HIRST or his ARTWORK. probably best to search for better fair elsewhere since this film is definitely not worth checking out. photo manipuation & text by nacrowe
i didnt have cable in the 90s as a kid and neither did any of my friends, so animated NICKELODEON shows like RUGRATS, DOUG, HEY ARNOLD! and THE REN & STIMPY SHOW were never a part of my childhood. when stuff got put on DVDs in the 2000s was when i went back and sought out some of the more ADVENTUROUS stuff that came out during my youth including PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE, DARIA, MR. SHOW, DEXTER'S LABORATORY, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, THE STATE, JOHNNY BRAVO and THE KIDS IN THE HALL among other titles. becoming acquainted with THE REN & STIMPY SHOW in my twenties i was pretty SHOCKED by how SUBVERSIVE and TRANSGRESSIVE some of the material was, especially the lovingly depicted GROSS-OUT HUMOR as well as the PAINED expressions that bordered on the TORTUROUS.
i was floored. HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY: THE REN & STIMPY STORY (LADIES & GENTLEMEN, 2020) is a recent documentary about the origins of the show and the rise and fall of its CONTROVERSIAL creator, JOHN KRICFALUSI. in terms of LEGACY, it is difficult to not seen the influence of KRICFALUSI and his WARPED ANIMATED SENSIBILITY in the later work of likewise VISIONARY creator-centric and deeply PERSONAL projects (and not of the market-researched excuses for toy lines variety) of MIKE JUDGE (BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD), MATT STONE & TREY PARKER (SOUTH PARK), VAN PARTIBLE (JOHNNY BRAVO), JHONEN VAZQUEZ (INVADER ZIM), CRAIG MCCRACKEN (THE POWERPUFF GIRLS) and STEPHEN HILLENBERG (SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS) among countless others. during its peak popularity after the first season, when THE REN & STIMPY SHOW was a absolute runaway success and CULTURAL PHENOMENON, its appeal was the result of a SINGULAR CREATIVE VISION that could only be achieved from an extremely HANDS-ON CREATOR who ruled over a small cabal of GIFTED ILLUSTRATORS and ANIMATORS with an IRON FIST. KRICFALUSI, undoubtedly the emotionally and psychologically STUNTED victim of a NEGLECTED childhood where his emotional needs were not met by an OVERBEARING and AUTHORITARIAN father, likewise ruthlessly DOMINEERED his employees at the SPUMCO animated studio. when NICKELODEON ordered twenty episodes for the second season (due to overwhelming demand) the increase in production ruined KRICFALUSI since he could not control three times the personnel with the same attention. he caved in on himself and effectively ALIENATED his allies within corporate and was eventually dismissed from his creation. that hands-on LOVE and ATTENTION, albeit misaligned and executed with the BROWBEATING PRECISION of a drill sergeant, worked to an extent at the BOUTIQUE level but could not be replicated at scale, which is how most if not all animated productions function. in that sense the whole enterprise was DOOMED from inception. whats tragic is how the story plays out for KRICFALUSI post-THE REN & STIMPY SHOW. cocooned in his SELF-PITY and alienated from his peers, some of which summarily quit SPUMCO after his departure which further divided the once somewhat COHESIVE community to date, KRICFALUSI got a second swipe at the apple in the early 2000s when SPIKETV ordered six episodes from him of a series called REN & STIMPY ADULT PARTY CARTOON. gone was the balance of emotions and DIGNITY that marked the original show and on full display was a more RAUNCHY and SEXUALIZED HUMOR that did not fit well with the network. only three episodes were ever aired. i dont think people look at MICKEY MOUS and psychologically make inferences about WALT DISNEY's mindset, much less CHUCK JONES and BUGS BUNNY. but REN & STIMPY as characters largely were aspects of KRICFALUSI in animated form, which is why his REAL-WORLD ABUSE of those characters is so MISGUIDED, PATHETIC and just SAD. KRICFALUSI during this later period allegedly SOUGHT OUT RELATIONSHIPS WITH UNDERAGE TEENAGERS and GROOMED them. no other way to say it. that alleged fact has essentially TAINTED the whole REN & STIMPY franchise. makes IDIOSYNCRATIC behavior and EXTREME emotions emanating from the screen instead of coming off ECCENTRIC and WACKY seem emblematic of something much DARKER and VIOLENT. it feels like all of those TALENTED PRODUCERS, ILLUSTRATORS, WRITERS, LAYOUT ARTISTS and ANIMATORS interviewed for this film were negatively affected by KRICFALUSI and his fall from GRACE. it reframes a REVOLUTIONARY and intensely CREATIVE period of animation into a basic footnote for an alleged DEVIANT's WARPED scheme of SEXUAL DOMINATION over the YOUNG and VULNERABLE. it is just TRAGIC. you feel for everyone involved. except KRICFALUSI. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
its always intriguing to consider why certain DISTRICTS and CITIES develop into ECONOMIC CENTERS and CULTURAL HUBS from an purely urban planning perspective. usually one person starts a business that becomes SUCCESSFUL and then another does something similar nearby and then a few more rounds of that equates into the emergence of the GARMENT DISTRICT in midtown NEW YORK CITY. that ORGANIC sense of a COLLECTIVE expression over time in the creation of CULTURAL NEXUS sites is what makes the recent THE RAINBOW () documentary such an INTERESTING proposition.
this longtime family-owned and operated restaurant on the FAMED SUNSET STRIP in WEST HOLLYWOOD has been an ICONIC CULTURAL INSTITUTION going back to even its pre-RAINBOW incarnation as the VILLA NOVA, when it was a DISCREAT haunt for celebrities like MARILYN MONROE and JOE DIMAGGIO (who had their first date at the restaurant). since the 1970s THE RAINBOW has been the central locus of all things ROCK N ROLL in the ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL of LOS ANGELES (and arguably the world), given its walking proximity to CELEBRATED venues THE ROXY, WHISKY-A-GO-GO and GAZZARRI'S (now defunct). with its longtime management in CHICAGO-transplant MARIO MAGLIERI (and later his son and grandson), who also ran the day-to-day operations of the likewise ICONIC WHISKY-A-GO-GO, the restaurant for all its INEBRIATED HEDONISM and DEBAUCHERY through the decades was somewhat of a family affair. and that sense of COMMUNITY radiated out into the musicians that frequented it, both famous and completely UNKNOWN. in fact, throughout the film numerous FAMOUS rock musicians from LITA FORD (THE RUNAWAYS) to MATT SORUM (GUNS N ROSES, THE CULT) spoke about how the MAGLIERI family gave them free soup on the house in their DOWN-AND-OUT, PRE-FAME days as a STRUGGLING musician. THE RAINBOW as a nexus point of the ROCK N ROLL COMMUNITY writ large is the main theme of the film. and that goes back to its early years in the 1970s as the watering hole for an exclusive drinking club that was ALICE COOPER, KEITH MOON (THE WHO), RINGO STARR (THE BEATLES), HARRY NILSSON, MICKEY DOLENZ (THE MONKEES), JOHN LENNON (THE BEATLES), BERNIE TAUPIN (ELTON JOHN), MARC BOLAN (T. REX) and KEITH EMERSON (EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER). just the idea that such rock royalty sought out this establishment to let their hair down back in arguably what was the heyday of ROCK N ROLL music as the pinnacle of the cultural ZEITGEIST is pretty REMARKABLE. that such momentum carried through the 1980s with HAIR METAL and on through the 00s with the NU METAL scene (albeit the 90s were a bit of a lull as the focus shifted to SEATTLE), it is crazy to consider what makes this place so special to so many for so long. it is also what makes one wonder about its fate moving forward as the LOS ANGELES REAL ESTATE MARKET devours addresses up and down the SUNSET STRIP, including MUSIC VENUES, to create LUXURY APARTMENT and CONDO COMPLEXES. there is also the matter of MUSIC PRODUCTION and RECORDING TECHNOLOGY that allows users to create product alone without a need for a COMMUNITY of musicians. record companies have followed suit with these ELECTRONIC and HIP HOP acts and the whole ECONOMIC underpinning of the ecosystem has largely collapsed, leaving ROCK N ROLL in a DISADVANTAGEOUS position. it is an open question if the ZEITGEIST can be recaptured in the same way that it did for decades before or the CULTURE has moved on. along with the aforementioned FORD and SORUM, this LOVINGLY-CREATED documentary included the engaged participation of ALICE COOPER, LEMMY KILMISTER (MOTORHEAD), GENE SIMMONS (KISS), SLASH (GUNS N ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER), OZZY OSBOURNE (BLACK SABBATH) and even JAMES PANKOW (CHICAGO), as well as generations of the MAGLIERI family. you really get the feeling that irregardless of the state of the music industry or ROCK N ROLL's roll in it, THE RAINBOW will last and persevere because that CORE COMMUNITY of fans persists and will support this institution because they believe in it. RIP MARIO MAGLIERI photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
it is very difficult to fathom empathizing with or even comprehending the depths of AVARICE and EGOMANIA that are at the root of a TORTURED mind like that of the late LOU PEARLMAN. this is since it is not merely about the fact that his crimes of confidence both DEFRAUDED elderly retirees of their life savings (or an estimated $250 million), as well as that of lending banks (also an estimated $250 million) in one of the most callously orchestrated PONZI SCHEMES in recent memory pre-BERNIE MADOFF, it is the fact that he did it with such a BRUTAL level of INTIMACY. and it is that CHUMMY FAMILIARITY which the main focus of this recent THE BOY BAND CON: THE LOU PEARLMAN (1620 MEDIA, 2019) documentary which attempts to elucidate on and showcase not just the extended FRAUD itself, but more importantly the real-world ECONOMIC and PERSONAL DAMAGE that lay in its wake.
PEARLMAN often met with his victims, personally CHARMING and OVERWHELMING them his success and close association with commercially POPULAR BOY BAND groups like THE BACKSTREET BOYS and NSYNC as part of his CON. his showering of attention on his new "clients" belied a COLD-HEARTED RAPACITY that knew no ethical bounds and obeyed no CODES OF CONDUCT or COMMON DECENCY. PEARLMAN was a particular breed of SOCIOPATH who preyed on the less advantaged and UNDERSERVED with a smile and it is that level of EMOTIONAL RAPPORT with his victims is what makes his case so INTRIGUING. not his eventual capture by the FBI on the run in BALI in 2007, or his much-publicized trial and 25 year sentence, or even his DEATH in prison in 2016. as aforementioned, in and amongst all that FRAUD PEARLMAN hit absolute pay dirt with THE BACKSTREET BOYS and NSYNC, both of whom he literally created and groomed with funding from his ILL-GOTTEN gains. unsurprisingly, his penchant for MANIPULATIVE and PREDATORY behavior worked well as a controlling SVENGALI-like figure in the establishment of both BOY BANDS. his contracts with both FINANCIALLY RAPED all involved, to the point that the members had to sue him and his company to vacate their signed deals. PEARLMAN throughout the process leveraged his seeming FRIENDSHIP and GOODWILL against the band members individually, many if not all saw him as a SURROGATE FATHER, UNCLE or BIG BROTHER figure. he psychologically wanted the band members to know that they owed everything to his GENEROSITY and that their ungratefulness was a BETRAYAL of sorts, in spite of the unequivocal fact that it was in fact him that was his treachery that instigated the legally WELL-FOUNDED lawsuits. this narrative throughout the film is attested to as his modus operandi by the likes of A.J. MCLEAN of THE BACKSTREET BOYS, LANCE BASS, J.C. CHASEZ and CHRIS KIRKPATRICK of NSYNC, ASHLEY PARKER ANGEL of O-TOWN and lesser known members of PEARLMAN-constructed POP groups like INNOSENSE, TAKE 5 and C-NOTE. there is also the sinister subtext surrounding PEARLMAN's sexuality, as his mansion had interior cameras nearly everywhere. TIM CHRISTOFORE of TAKE 5 even attests that PEARLMAN even tried to show him ILLICIT videos of GIRL GROUP INNOSENSE undressing in a room with a suntan machine. ANGEL likewise speaks of another group, LFO, whose main singer was solicited by PEARLMAN for SEXUAL FAVORS. the film has a DIFFICULT time pinning down these LONG-STANDING GROOMING ALLEGATIONS since those specific members at the center of such rumors didnt participate in the film. it is INTERESTING that solo artist AARON CARTER (RIP) felt the need to defend PEARLMAN in EMOTIONAL and PERSONAL terms that were not convincing in the least. CARTER towards the end of his life (when this documentary was filmed) was not well and in the midst of a serious battle with DRUG ADDICTION that he eventually succumbed to, so i dont fault him personally. if anything he is another DAMAGED soul in this ever-present, slow-playing TRAGEDY with PEARLMAN at the center. watching this you are constantly asking yourself how this could all happen. just in basic legal terms. why werent laws enforced and where were the lawyers? then you realize this FLORIDA and this story is CRONY CAPITALISM run AMOK. the documentary makes a point to mention that despite internal interest from FLORIDA authorities regarding multiple allegations of FRAUD by investors, PEARLMAN was successful in cutting off any investigation at the pass by helping fund the CORRUPT gubernatorial campaign of one CHARLIE CHRIST. you get the sense that in FLORIDA this is how private enterprise functions as a matter business. and to me that is the REAL TRAGEDY of it all. the fact that traditional guardrails in this country are so MANIPULATED and WARPED in the service of the POWERFUL and the WELL-CONNECTED. i dont care about PEARLMAN as a fat child with no friends who saw money as a means of being loved. he mercilessly PREYED and FUCKED OVER INNOCENT people and effectively ruined their lives, including a WORLD WAR II veteran who fought valiantly and literally SUFFERED at the hands of the NAZIs. PEARLMAN's psychology is IRRELEVANT in the face of such widespread financial CARNAGE and widespread personal TURMOIL. i was not expecting much from this LANCE BASS-produced documentary on YOUTUBE, but it was pretty COMPELLING and very much worth checking out irrespective of your interest in the late 90s BOY BAND craze. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
after reading guitarist GRAHAM COXON's recent ENGROSSING VERSE, CHORUS, MONSTER! (linked HERE) memoir i sought out the relatively OBSCURE BLUR tour documentary STARSHAPED (PARLOPHONE, 1993) from the earlier 1990s. the band at the time were rather GREEN and touring in support of their early releases LEISURE (FOOD, 1993) and MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH (FOOD, 1993) while participating in music festivals such as READING and GLASTONBURY for the first time. aside from the performances, most of the FLY-ON-THE-WALL road footage showcases the band in some stage of INEBRIATION. im sure when this film was haphazardly recorded by their friends there was some hope of this footage being ENTERTAINING, but what comes across most prominently is the inanity and BOREDOM of being a TOURING MUSICIAN. ALCOHOL seemingly dulled social and performance ANXIETY while also bringing out a more EXTREME (and frankly EMBARRASSING) version of each of the bandmates. such was being YOUNG.
interestingly, this early 1990s era also predates MODERN widespread internet-enabled TELECOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY by at least a decade, so you get the PALPABLE feeling that these YOUNG MUSICIANS felt like they were out to sea on an adventure with nothing to document such but the film itself. my family moved to AFRICA in late 1995 and calling friends stateside was an EXPENSIVE and incredibly TRICKY thing. this was all well before EMAILING, TEXTING, FACETIMING, POSTING, DM-ING, SKYPING, ZOOMING and all that. it felt initially like i was deserted on an island. i can only imagine what being an INTERNATIONAL TOURING MUSICIAN for the first time must have felt like during that period. everything is NOVEL, EXHILARATING and UNKNOWN. touring now is different since SOCIAL MEDIA makes everyone OMNIPRESENT and APPROACHABLE everywhere, all the time. obviously, the ALCOHOL backfired further down the line as the COXON / DAMON ALBARN creative relationship was ultimately STRAINED for a number of years because of the dual accumulated toll of MISCOMMUNICATION and INSECURITY that was masked through DRINKING. COXON himself describes how the bottle was able to numb his DEEP ANXIETY and drowning sense of DEPRESSION, which gave excuse for the EVER-CURIOUS ALBARN to seek other artistic collaborations and projects (i.e. GORILLAZ, THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE QUEEN, ROCKET JUICE & THE MOON, etc). what is COMPELLING about STARSHAPED is the ability to watch those dynamics organically metastasize seemingly in REAL-TIME. STARSHAPED is not the most ENGROSSING or WELL-EDITED documentary, but that is also its charm. it was obviously a product meant to cash-in on the ascending popularity of both BLUR and the emerging BRITPOP movement writ large. you very much get to witness a band coming into their own and arguably project themselves for the last time with MINIMAL ARTIFICE. that would soon change as the band grew in popularity and the downside of FAME and its pressure caught up. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
ROCK N ROLL seemingly came to MATURITY in the 1970s. the 1950s with the advent of mass produced solid-body guitars (and amplification) and televisions presented the world a with an early HYBRID ROCKABILLY / R&B form with the likes CHUCK BERRY, THE EVERLY BROTHERS, LITTLE RICHARD, BUDDY HOLLY and ELVIS PRESLEY among others. the 1960s STREAMLINED the sound, presentation and recording of such with ENGLISH BLUES aficionados in BRITISH INVASION acts like THE BEATLES, THE KINKS, THE ANIMALS and THE ROLLING STONES reintroducing such back to an AMERICAN audience. the 1970s in comparison was a bit of a CULTURAL FREE-FOR-ALL with the TURMOIL from the late 1960s coming to fruition in the form of CHAOTIC proto-PUNK bands like the MC5 and THE STOOGES, as well as later HEAVIER acts like LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH was well as the whole PUNK MOVEMENT at the end of the decade. the originally DETROIT-based CREEM MAGAZINE is an artifact of that period and channeled the REBELLIOUS ETHOS of that UNSETTLING period. the recent CREEM: AMERICA'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL MAGAZINE (BOY HOWDY, 2019) documentary is an attempt at explaining and contextualizing the publication and is somewhat of a love letter to such as it is produced by the son of the late founding publisher BARRY KRAMER.
at the center of that magazine during its peak years was the ever-CONTENTIOUS TRIUMVIRATE of the aforementioned KRAMER, EDITOR DAVE MARSH and LEGENDARY CONTRIBUTING WRITER LESTER BANGS. the push-and-pull dynamics between those three saw the magazine overlap into POLITICS, CULTURAL CRITICISM and SOCIAL COMMENTARY with a SARDONIC, IRREVERENT flair that would not be tolerated into today's polite society. and not without good reason. some of the content was outright TOXIC with INAPPROPRIATE and UNBRIDLED HOMOPHOBIA, SEXISM, FAT-SHAMING and RACIALLY-MOTIVATED NATIVISM being the UGLY norm. all seemingly done in an effort to be EDGY, CONFRONTATIONAL and seemingly attempting present a highly REDUCTIVE "every man" perspective. but hey, it was the 70s, right? errrrrrrrr. im glad that they didnt choose to gloss past such, but it is quite embarrassing to witness in hindsight. CREEM was consciously very much in contention with the SAN FRANCISCO-based ROLLING STONE. they viewed themselves as channeling the ETHOS of the COUNTERCULTURE and the WORKING CLASS, whereas the independently wealthy JANN WENNER-led ROLLING STONE in comparison was above the fray and not engaged with POPULAR CULTURE at a STREET-LEVEL. this thesis has only been openly discussed fairly with WENNER's propensity to whitewash coverage of AFRICAN-AMERICAN artists as well as consider them (as well as WOMEN) intellectually insignificant cultural actors as evidenced by his recent much-maligned book. to get a sense of his inability to be in tune with the ZEITGEIST, consider for example that as ROLLING STONE was repeatedly promoting JAMES TAYLOR, at the the end of the 1960s as the future of ROCK N ROLL, CREEM was in contrast championing THE STOOGES. enough said right there. for me the most COMPELLING aspect of the CREEM narrative is the fact that it was started by complete AMATEURS with no training or supervision in a distinctly WORKING CLASS environment, with all that such entails. it was BRASH and UNREFINED and no doubt broke with JOURNALISTIC (and some would say MORAL) STANDARDS, but it was also honest and spoke directly to an emerging audience in a way that came off as distinctly AUTHENTIC. thus it became throughout the decade the perfect vehicle for ARTISTS to champion and in turn bring them closer to their public on a HUMAN LEVEL. and that is essentially the LEGACY that is claimed in the film. the other being the tragic and sadly PATHETIC passings of both KRAMER and BANGS, victims of the ROCK N ROLL lifestyles they so fervently and eloquently championed in print. notable interview participants include MICHIGANDER MUSICIANS such as WAYNE KRAMER (MC5), JAMES WILLIAMSON (THE STOOGES), ALICE COOPER, NIAGARA DETROIT (DESTROY ALL MONSTERS), DON WAS, CHAD SMITH (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), TED NUGENT, SUZI QUATRO, MITCH RYDER and SCOTT RICHARDSON (SRC) as well as other ARTISTS of the period like JOAN JETT (THE RUNAWAYS), GENE SIMMONS & PAUL STANLEY (KISS), CHRIS STEIN (BLONDIE), PETER WOLF (J GEILS BAND) and LENNY KAYE (PATTI SMITH GROUP). also worth mention are other later MUSICIANS that were influenced by the magazine that were interviewed including MICHAEL STIPE (R.E.M.), KEITH MORRIS (BLACK FLAG, CIRCLE JERKS, OFF!), KIRK HAMMETT (METALLICA), JEFF AMENT (PEARL JAM), PATRICK CARNEY (BLACK KEYS), STEVE & JEFF MCDONALD (REDD KROSS), SCOTT KEMPNER (THE DICTATORS) and THURSTON MOORE (SONIC YOUTH). the list goes on to include VISUAL ARTISTS SHEPARD FAIREY and LAMAR SORRENTINO, DESIGNER JOHN VARVATOS, ACTOR JEFF DANIELS, MODEL BEBE BUELL and NOTABLE WRITERS / EDITORS / PUBLISHERS like CAMERON CROWE (ROLLING STONE), GREIL MARCUS (ROLLING STONE), LEGS MCNEIL (PUNK / SPIN / NERVE) and JOHN HOLMSTROM (PUNK). all that being said, CREAM: AMERICA'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL MAGAZINE is a FEARLESS film well-worth checking out as it presents the narrative of a major CULTURAL publication with a particular VIEWPOINT, warts and all. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
SHOT! THE PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL MANTRA OF ROCK (MAGNOLIA, 2016) is an absolutely FASCINATING documentary about the TRANSCENDENT and often MERCURIAL mystery that is the state of being an ARTIST. the late ENGLISH PHOTOGRAPHER MICK ROCK of course is a cultural legend, mostly due to the GROUNDBREAKING visuals he produced during the 1970s GLAM ROCK scene in the LONDON as well as the work he created for PROMINENT MUSICIANS in SYD BARRETT, DAVID BOWIE, IGGY POP and LOU REED. in particular BOWIE and REED were close confidants and collaborators during that period. THE STOOGES' RAW POWER (COLUMBIA, 1973), LOU REED's TRANSFORMER (RCA, 1972), DAVID BOWIE's PIN UPS (RCA, 1973), QUEEN's QUEEN II (ELEKTRA, 1974), RAMONE's END OF THE CENTURY (SIRE, 1980) and SYD BARRETT's THE MADCAP LAUGHS (HARVEST, 1970) are some of the ALBUM OVERS ROCK is most famously associated with, but he went on to have a lasting IN-DEMAND career right up until his passing in 2021 that saw him create ICONIC PORTRAITS of everyone from DEBBIE HARRY, JOHN LYDON, MADONNA, ROXY MUSIC, JOAN JETT, R.E.M., OZZY OSBOURNE, TALKING HEADS and BOB MARLEY to MILEY CYRUS, JANE'S ADDICTION, SNOOP DOGG, THE MISFITS, JOSH HOMME, MOTLEY CRUE, KAREN O, DAFT PUNK and LADY GAGA. ROCK was a SINGULAR VISIONARY whose vast CATALOGUE speaks for itself.
but that is not what makes this film so COMPELLING. ROCK was a CAMBRIDGE-trained STUDENT of modern and medieval languages who was absolutely obsessed with SYMBOLIST POETS such as ARTHUR RIMBAUD, CHARLES BAUDELAIRE and LORD BYRON. in DAVID BOWIE, IGGY POP and especially LOU REED he was drawn to their COMBUSTIBLE energy that was both intellectually STIMULATING, yet completely DEBAUCHED. they were this generation's truth-sayers and poets in the flesh and ROCK's PHOTOGRAPHY would essentially come to serve as the PROPAGANDA arm of that movement. what i found INTERESTING about ROCK's process were the lengths he went through, namely yoga and drugs, to get outside of his CEREBRAL mind and get INSTINCTUAL. the CELEBRATED mid 20th-century FRENCH photographer HENRI-CARTIER BRESSON wrote and spoke effectively about capturing what he called 'THE DECISIVE MOMENT,' when the ARTIST adroitly manipulates the MEDIUM to the extent that they bend it to their will unconsciously. ROCK talks in the film about how his subject by definition is the most INTRIGUING thing in the world, irrespective of the ACTUAL REALITY differing. he is almost channeling the SUBJECT and taking what is being given, and guiding them in the process without being CONSCIOUS of such, as evidenced by the PHOTO SESSIONS filmed for this documentary. the fact that a man so WELL-READ and EDUCATED felt compelled to pursue a PROFESSION that is about being immediately RESPONSIVE and IN-THE-MOMENT sans intellectual forethought is an absolutely CAPTIVATING dichotomy. the film delves into his inability to turn off the forward momentum and the chasing of said muse through late night cocaine benders, orgies and crazy nights that turned into days or even a week of SLEEPLESS bodily abuse. it all caught up when he had several heart attacks in his early 40s which saw him re-evaluate his life choices and pursue a more MODERATE path forward, which found him married and with a family in STATEN ISLAND of all places. much like DAVID JOHANSEN, ROCK was a fixture on the north shore but was given his space and privacy. i know he sold signed copies of his ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHS of DEBBIE HARRY, DAVID BOWIE, FREDDIE MERCURY, IGGY POP and LOU REED and i believe even donated a few for a fundraiser for the non-profit internet radio station i am involved with in STAPLETON. i never met him but i know people from the station that did. he was just another guy. a dude with a monster talent and one of the most coveted and INTIMATE back CATALOGUES of CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT PHOTOGRAPHS ever, spanning everything from PROGRESSIVE ROCK, GLAM ROCK, PUNK ROCK, NEW WAVE, GLAM METAL, POP and so on to the present. it should also be noted that the CINEMATOGRAPHY is also absolutely STELLAR throughout. a fitting first-hand testament to the late great creator of IMAGES. SHOT! THE PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL MANTRA OF ROCK is most definitely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i was introduced to DINOSAUR JR through my dad who had their WITHOUT A SOUND (SIRE, 1994) album largely on the strength of the single "FEEL THE PAIN" that was on the local ALTERNATIVE ROCK radio station KROQ 106.7FM in LOS ANGELES. in fact, there are photos of me in elementary school wearing a DINOSAUR JR shirt from that period. much later on i attended a boarding school in WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS in a small town just north of AMHERST, where the band hailed from. i took comfort in that for some reason. that even though i was surrounded by STRANGE MASSHOLES all the time, at least i knew some of them in theory were on the level.
FREAKSCENE: THE STORY OF DINOSAUR JR (VIRUS FILMS, 2021) is a particularly INTIMATE portrayal of the INFLUENTIAL INDIE ROCK band and its DEFINITIVE lineup of guitarist J MASCIS, bassist LOU BARLOW and drummer MURPH. famously OBLIQUE and INDECIPHERABLE in interviews, i was stunned to learn recently that a film on the band even exists, but in fact the documentary is directed by MASCIS' brother-in-law. which makes sense, because FREAKSCENE very much attempts to understand the INTRIGUING and COMBUSTIBLE mix of CREATIVE ENERY, EGO and CONFLICTING PERSONALITIES that made the band so internally VOLATILE while maintaining such an ELEVATED ARTISTIC STREAK throughout the 1980s and early 90s. its just amazing that three even agreed to discuss such for public consumption, but such is the state of their career and INTERNAL RESPECT for one another that seemingly all of it is water under the bridge. basically DINOSAUR JR is MASCIS. he started the band with fellow DEEP WOUND bandmate BARLOW after transitioning away from HARDCORE and the drums to guitar. over several album cycles BARLOW grew into his own as a songwriter and felt confined by his role in DINOSAUR JR and started to allocate material for his SEBADOH side project (itself another SEMINAL and much BELOVED INDIE ROCK band). feeling he wasnt fully committed to the band, MASCIS fired him. MURPH lasted another album cycle. by the time i heard the band via WITHOUT A SOUND, MASCIS was the only remaining founding member. its and absolutely INTRIGUING dynamic that a band with such a DISTINCTIVE and UNSPOKEN, ON-STAGE CHEMISTRY had such a difficult time with INTER-BAND COMMUNICATION and basic HUMAN INTERACTION. MUSICAL RELATIONSHIPS can be WEIRD like that, but that IDIOSYNCRATIC core relationship is the crux of the film. how they lost such and regained it later as adults. and you can tell no one is more POSITIVE about the re-emergence of DINOSAUR JR as a VIABLE CULTURAL ENTITY as that of his IMMEDIATE peer group. the interview participants for this film is quite DEEP and INCREDIBLE with PUNK ROCK and INDIE ROCK luminaries such KIM GORDON (SONIC YOUTH, BODY/HEAD), BOB MOULD (HUSKER DU, SUGAR), KEVIN SHIELDS (MY BLOODY VALENTINE), HENRY ROLLINS (BLACK FLAG, ROLLINS BAND), THURSTON MOORE (SONIC YOUTH), FRANK BLACK (PIXIES), SONIC BOOM (SPACEMEN 3) and KURT VILE attesting to their continued GREATNESS. FREAKSCENE is ESSENTIAL viewing for anyone interested in the evolution of UNDERGROUND ROCK AND ROLL from the 1980s onward. most definitely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
the almost ALCHEMICAL interplay between the VISUAL and the AURAL is one of the most POWERFUL relationships i can think of. look no further than the INDELIBLE film scores of RENOWNED composer BERNARD HERRMANN devoid and in complete isolation from his association with the cinematic work of collaborating filmmakers in ORSON WELLES [CITIZEN KANE (RKO, 1941)], ALFRED HITCHCOCK [PSYCHO (PARAMOUNT, 1960), VERTIGO (PARAMOUNT, 1958), NORTH BY NORTHWEST (MGM, 1959), THE BIRDS (UNIVERSAL, 1963)], BRIAN DEPALMA [SISTERS (AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL, 1972), OBSESSION (COLUMBIA, 1976)] and MARTIN SCORSESE [TAXI DRIVER (COLUMBIA, 1976)]. the key concept is that score complements the film and the POWER and MAGIC comes from the two working in tandem.
the same dynamic is at play with ALBUM ARTWORK, which arguably was at its zenith in the 1960s and 1970s when the cultural ubiquity and embrace of vinyl records allowed for an ACCESSIBLE format that presented as an ARTISTIC CANVAS. it was during this period that the ENGLISH firm HIPGNOSIS, made up of the collaborative duo STORM THORGERSON and AUBREY POWELL, emerged out of CAMBRIDGE came to dominate the market with wildly IMAGINATIVE and ICONIC visual images for LEGENDARY acts of the period including PINK FLOYD, LED ZEPPELIN, T. REX, PETER GABRIEL, AC/DC, WISHBONE ASH, 10CC, DEF LEPPARD, YES, ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA, UFO and BLACK SABBATH among numerous other artists. a quick rundown of their most CELEBRATED COVERS include numerous PINK FLOYD [A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS (EMI COLUMBIA, 1968), ATOM HEART MOTHER (HARVEST, 1970), THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (CAPITOL, 1973), WISH YOU WERE HERE (COLUMBIA, 1975), ANIMALS (COLUMBIA, 1977)] and LED ZEPPELIN [HOUSES OF THE HOLY (ATLANTIC, 1973), PRESENCE (SWAN SONG, 1976), IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR (SWAN SONG, 1979)] and PETER GABRIEL [CAR (CHARISMA, 1977), SCRATCH (CHARISMA, 1978), MELT (CHARISMA, 1980)] releases as well as T. REX's ELECTRIC WARRIOR (REPRISE, 1971), GENESIS' THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY (CHARISMA, 1974), AC/DC's DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP (ATLANTIC, 1976) and SYD BARRETT's THE MADCAP LAUGHS (HARVEST, 1970). all that being said, the recent SQUARING THE CIRCLE: THE STORY OF HIPGNOSIS (RAINDOG, 2022) documentary centers around the UNIQUE working relationship of THORGERSON and POWELL and the cultural moment their WORK embodied and defined. the narrative is told largely from the PERSPECTIVE of the surviving POWELL, as THORGERSON passed away in 2013, as well as FAMOUS clients such as PAUL MCCARTNEY, PETER GABRIEL and PROMINENT members of PINK FLOYD (ROGER WATERS, DAVID GILMOUR and NICK MASON) and LED ZEPPELIN (JIMMY PAGE and ROBERT PLANT) as well as NOTEWORTHY non-clients GLEN MATLOCK (THE SEX PISTOLS) and NOEL GALLAGHER (OASIS). what is presented is that the INTIMATE yet CONTENTIOUS artistic collaboration between THORGERSON and POWELL was one of UNCOMPROMISING vision that repeatedly took big swings and big risks, and at times took big losses, that effectively stationed them as the vanguard CREATIVE VISUAL FIRM of the era. oftentimes they were ahead of the audience, as well as their clients. this INSULAR CREATIVE PROCESS is in stark contrast to today's more MARKET-DRIVEN and research GROUP-TESTED approach that puts a premium on riding current trends then innovating and pioneering new terrain. GALLAGHER functions as a later-generation fan of HIPGNOSIS and the era they represented, as well as the living embodiment and surrogate figure for the disappointment of what e-commerce and social technology has done to the quality of ARTWORK and the ALCHEMICAL POWER and MAGIC of such that has seemingly dissipated in decades since. to a degree, HIPGNOSIS was always dealing with the creation of a commodity that was to be sold in a marketplace, but there was a real connection to an audience that elevated said VISUALS to a sense of raised CONSCIOUSNESS and aesthetic appreciation. i do not believe fans are looking for that same connection to the VISUALS (and arguably the MUSIC) anymore in popular music that has widespread appeal. everything seems more geared towards entertainment with the shelf-life of a TIKTOK feed, which is all kinds of SAD and TRAGIC, but that is the current state of affairs regarding such. ultimately the partner of THORGERSON and POWELL didnt last through the 1980s as tastes changed and their era was seen as BLOATED and PRETENTIOUS. owing money to their creditors, THORGERSON didnt pay his end and the personal relationship of both soured irreparably. this emotional and psychic WEIGHT is adroitly visually evoked and represented by director ANTON CORBIJN in STARK, high-contrast black-and-white with POWELL physically laboring to carry his creative work in a large, CUMBERSOME over-the-shoulder bag through an abandoned side road somewhere in a NAMELESS, MISTY ENGLISH countryside. this film seemingly represents an attempt at putting the past into context, all the professional triumphs and the personal toll extracted along the way, in an attempt to excise such from his conscious. i should give mention that CORBIJN is the perfect director for this type of project, himself being responsible for ICONIC IMAGES, ALBUM COVERS and MUSIC VIDEOS associated with everyone from JOY DIVISION, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, DEPECHE MODE, U2 and NIRVANA. CORBIJN, much like HIPGNOSIS is a fellow alchemist in this POWERFUL and deeply MAGICAL interplay between all things VISUAL and AURAL. i was blown away by this film and heavily recommend it to anyone interested in the intersection of ART, IMAGE and COMMERCE. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
by the time the I'M NOW: THE STORY OF MUDHONEY (KING OF HEARTS, 2012) documentary came out more than a decade ago, the much REVERED SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK band MUDHONEY had become somewhat of an ongoing UNDERGROUND cultural institution similar to their likewise NOTEWORTHY local peers in the MELVINS. both bands predated and were early PROGENITORS of the ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion and ultimately became SURVIVORS of it as well, with all that entailed including a dalliance with the major label system. what is apparent from the film is that MUDHONEY, like the MELVINS, did everything on their own artistic terms, damn the COMMERCIAL CONSEQUENES. which is why they are still much BELOVED and arguably more INFLUENTIAL in the long-run then their BETTER-KNOWN contemporaries in SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS, PEARL JAM, SCREAMING TREES and NIRVANA.
their narrative is very much intertwined with the emergence of the INDEPENDENT local SUB POP label as a cultural force in the late 1980s and early 1990s. after releasing their first single on the CASH-STRAPPED LABEL, a GERMAN promoter flew them out to BERLIN for a showcase that effectively introduced both the EUROPEAN public and the foreign music press this AMORPHOUS fuzzed-out-beyond-oblivion sound termed "GRUNGE" by some critics back stateside. this initial foray into the EUROPEAN market setup not just MUDHONEY and SUB POP RECORDS, but the entire scene for future success. but in the short-term the LABEL was operating in the red due to a lack of funds and it wasn't until the UNEXPECTED ECONOMIC WINDFALL that was NIRVANA's NEVERMIND (DGC, 1991), that the LABEL was able to find its financial footing. by that point MUDHONEY had already left for REPRISE RECORDS a year earlier, fearing the very real POTENTIAL FINANCIAL INSOLVENCY of SUB POP. this MAJOR LABEL PERIOD for me is the crux of the film, as it showed a band that operated at arms length from their LABEL both financially and artistically, exploiting it for their own decidedly MODEST aims. afraid of having their sound polished in the process a la THE REPLACEMENTS and HUSKER DU before them, the band shrewdly did not change their recording process despite the new BLOATED BUDGETS. they consciously recorded on a shoestring and collectively pocketed the rest, which effectively led to DOWN PAYMENTS on houses and other invidually VALUABLE LONG-TERM ASSETS. for me it seems extraordinarily ASTUTE (and PUNK ROCK) to utilize the MAJOR LABEL SYSTEM to shore up their individual long-term financial interests instead of plunking it away on RECORDING and TOUR PRODUCTION BUDGETS. again, the only other examples of bands i've heard of doing something similar were the MELVINS and the likewise REVERED LOS ANGELES based MELODIC HARDCORE band BAD RELIGION. by the time MUDHONEY came back to earth and returned to SUB POP for the third phase of their career and they left the MAJOR LABEL SYSTEM for good, they were rendered effectively UNSCATHED. this is exceedingly RARE, as most bands caught up in the post-NEVERMIND major label feeding frenzy that didnt "make it" came out the other end dismantled, discarded or shells of their former selves. not MUDHONEY, and at this point SUB POP was for years on solid financial and cultural footing, making the reunion work to present day. much is made about the DIY ETHIC in PUNK ROCK and INDIE ROCK circles, but their is something to be said about going into the lion's den, especially during this period, and not getting torn to shreds. with MUDHONEY they had a strong vision of who they were as individuals and what they wanted to accomplish. in effect, they saw themselves decidedly NOT as an ARENA BAND or as ROCK GODS and basically wanted to be the next link in the chain of CELEBRATED bands like THE STOOGES, THE RAMONES, MOTORHEAD, BLACK FLAG, THE DAMNED and the MC5. and they accomplished such with their INTEGRITY intact which is quite the SINGULAR achievement given the body count that came out of that scene from drugs and the pressures of the RECORDING INDUSTRY. more than a decade since the release of this film, such is still very much the case. and they do such by remaining in the PRESENT MOMENT. for some they might be a nostalgia act from a bygone era, but they view themselves as a VITAL CREATIVE ENTITY entering a new phase and continuing to ENGAGE and influence the next generation of ROCK AND ROLL musicians, much like their heroes in IGGY POP and the late LEMMY KILMISTER. this documentary is ESSENTIAL viewing for fans of ALTERNATIVE ROCK, PUNK ROCK and INDIE ROCK, especially from the CRUCIAL late 1980s / early 1990s period in the PACIFIC NORTHWEST. NOTABLE interview participants in this documentary include KIM THAYIL (SOUNDGARDEN), KIM GORDON & THURSTON MOORE (SONIC YOUTH), STONE GOSSARD & JEFF AMENT (PEARL JAM), KEITH MORRIS (BLACK FLAG / CIRCLE JERKS), TAD DOYLE & KURT DANIELSON (TAD), BOB BERT (PUSSY GALORE), JOHN WAHL & CHRIS BAGAROZZI (CLAWHAMMER), WAYNE KRAMER (MC5), producer JACK ENDINO (SKIN YARD), photographer CHARLES PETERSON and RECORD LABEL founders BRUCE PAVITT & JONATHAN PONEMAN (SUB POP). photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
"sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. he fits right in there. and that's the dude." - THE BIG LEBOWSKI (POLYGRAM, 1999)
it is difficult to watch the recent RICKY POWELL: THE INDIVIDUALIST (TIME STUDIOS, 2020) about the much BELOVED late PHOTOGRAPHER RICKY POWELL and not come off astonished at the CASUAL CHARISMA and INTUITIVE EFFORTLESSNESS with which he interacted with his SUBJECTS and life in general. his PHOTOGRAPHS, especially those that showcased the early HIP HOP scene of the 1980s (RUN-DMC, LL COOL J, BEASTIE BOYS, PUBLIC ENEMY) as well as the concurrent modern art scene of the period (JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, KEITH HARING, FUTURA, ANDY WARHOL), showcased a level of fly-on-the-wall, BEHIND-THE-SCENES INTIMACY that made them have a sense of URGENCY and feel forever IN-THE-MOMENT. the moment is FLEETING, but POWELL's POWER as a PHOTOGRAPHER was his ability to project through his work a SEAMLESS level of integration between ARTIST and SUBJECT that can only come with the later feeling truly SECURE and COMFORTABLE in the former's presence. his gift in other words, was his (like THE DUDE) ability to be SIMPATICO with his surroundings. one of the UNIQUE ironies is that although as a PHOTOGRAPHER who primarily shot CELEBRITIES, he was constantly not on his own turf, being on tour buses, backstage rooms, restaurants, art galleries, museums, but through his PHOTOGRAPHS these CELEBRITIES were really in his world. somebody in the film makes the comment that the purpose of these MUSICIANS and ARTISTS very existence was for him to document them, so respected was his TALENT and EYE. i remember a relative of mine that has long worked in the FILM INDUSTRY once told me about an upcoming MUSICIAN that befriended a famous ACTOR in the 1990s. this ACTOR had access to a private jet and took his new friend on a world tour of sorts as part of his entourage which apparently lasted a few years. the musician effectively stopped writing new material and eventually returned back to a reality in which he had rent due and bills to pay. so he asked the actor for money and that was it. he was cut off. the whole experience set him back and whatever momentum his career trajectory he was on a few years prior was irreparably dashed because of his temporary dalliance with the jet set crowd and that lifestyle. watching RICKY POWELL: THE INDIVIDUALIST made me think of that scenario immediately. yes, POWELL was TIGHT with the BEASTIE BOYS and was undoubtedly part of their crew for almost a decade, you know, UNTIL HE WASNT. instead of transitioning from that experience into the next phase of his career, he instead became a HERMIT in his downtown studio apartment and effectively separated himself from society for a few decades. the film gets into his HORRIBLE upbringing by a single mother who cherished her animals more than her son, but it doesnt take a psychologist to realize that these ARTISTIC and MUSICAL COMMUNITIES POWELL so effortlessly surfed between were SURROGATE FAMILIES of sorts. and when those RELATIONSHIPS came to a natural end, he was left to make sense of the pieces. i found this documentary to be very MELANCHOLIC with this highly CHARMING yet unbearably VULNERABLE figure of POWELL. the fact that he dies alone from cardiac arrest shortly after filming is almost too TRAGIC to take in. he had such a UNIQUE GIFT and such a preternatural EMPATHETIC ability to connect with STRANGERS, FAMOUS or otherwise. its too much to bear that he seemed to be LONELY sans a family his whole life. he almost came resigned to the fact that the search wasnt worth it. again, just DEVASTATING. in the past two years i have been lucky enough to secure copies of both of his much SOUGHT-AFTER PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTIONS OH SNAP! (ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN, 1998) and THE RICKFORD FILES (ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN, 1999), so i was very much motivated to seek out this documentary once i learned of its existence. i see the film as ESSENTIAL and definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the beginnings of HIP HOP or the UNDERGROUND graffiti art scene of 1980s NEW YORK CITY. NOTABLE interview participants include PROMINENT rappers such as LL COOL J, DARRYL "DMC" MCDANIELS (RUN-DMC), CHUCK D (PUBLIC ENEMY), FAB 5 FREDDY and MIKE D (BEASTIE BOYS), producers MARIO "C" CALDATO and MARK RONSON, publishers DAVID HERSHKOVITZ (PAPER MAGAZINE) and JODI PECKMAN (ROLLING STONE) as well as NEW YORK actors like NATASHA LYONNE, LAURENCE FISHBURNE, DEBI MAZAR and VIN DIESEL, and artists like FUTURA, ZEPHYR, KAVES, MAX PERLICH, CHERYL DUNN, CEY ADAMS, SUE KWON and PATRICK MCMULLAN. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
in the popular history of PUNK ROCK, the LEGENDARY BOWERY dive bar/ music venue CBGB'S gets a lot of shine. and that is partly for good reason, as its doors remained open for decades, from 1973 through 2006. it was by default the resident PUNK venue of NYC throughout the ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion of the 1990s, when the UNDERGROUND music of the 70s and 80s (i.e. the PUNK ROCK, NO WAVE, POST PUNK, INDIE and HARDCORE scenes) gained a POPULAR national following. even at the dawn of the new millennium CBGB's was a VITAL venue in support of the NASCENT POST-HARDCORE and METALCORE scenes. its cultural cache is a testament to its relative longevity.
whats INTRIGUING is how MAX'S KANSAS CITY, another earlier venue with roots in the 1960s AVANT GARDE art and music scenes, has largely been remembered as a footnote to CBGB'S as the birthplace of PUNK ROCK when arguably it was the other way around. the film NIGHTCLUBBING: THE BIRTH OF PUNK IN NYC (CHIP BAKER FILMS, 2023) is basically an argument for MAX'S KANSAS CITY being the true breeding ground for what became PUNK ROCK and aims to correct the narrative. notable participants interviewed for the film include ALICE COOPER, FRANK INFANTE (BLONDIE), H.R. & DR KNOW (BAD BRAINS), JIMMY ZERO (DEAD BOYS), BILLY IDOL (GENERATION X), JAY JAY FRENCH (TWISTED SISTER), HARLEY FLANAGAN (CRO-MAGS), JAYNE COUNTY, BRIAN SETZER (THE STRAY CATS), LENNY KAYE (PATTI SMITH GROUP) and SYLVAIN SYLVAIN (THE NEW YORK DOLLS) among others. and its hard to argue against them as MAX'S KANSAS CITY in its first incarnation under the ownership of MICKEY RUSKIN was essentially a restaurant frequented by the nearby ANDY WARHOL crowd of superstars and models that sometimes held special events in its EXCLUSIVE back room. in this context, WARHOL was able to showcase THE VELVET UNDERGROUND at the restaurant in some of their earliest performances. this in time led to other groups and artists like THE STOOGES, PATTI SMITH, WAYNE COUNTY, DAVID BOWIE and ALICE COOPER among others to follow suit. a new wave of bands, most notably THE NEW YORK DOLLS, then started utilizing the venue around the time that ownership switched to TOMMY DEAN MILLS and the upstairs space was expanded from fifty to a hundred person capacity. right in time for ECLECTIC bands like BLONDIE, THE RAMONES and TALKING HEADS to popularize the venue. what marked MAX'S KANSAS CITY from CBGB'S was its owners support of the scene, paying more of the gate to performers and providing them with food, as well as the INCLUSIVE nature of the live act and audience which blurred every line of GENDER, SEXUALITY, RACE, CREED and CLASS. CBGB'S was a dirtier affair that relished its SQUALOR (i.e. the notoriously DISGUSTING bathroom) and owner HILLY KRISTAL was famous for screwing over performers with his share of the gate proceeds. in essence, the venue took advantage of its good fortune in being the right venue at the right time. over time, however, CBGB's promoted a HYPER-MASCULINE culture that came off a bit XENOPHOBIC and HOMOPHOBIC at the very least and attracted a certain lug-head following. much of the case for MAX'S KANSAS CITY seemed to circle around its ability to invite EXPERIMENTATION and publicize and celebrate the AVANT GARDE elements of society, as it could trace its lineage right back to THE VELVET UNDERGROUND. which is pretty INCREDIBLE. sadly the venue ended in 1981 after the owner sold the building after some shady business deals in ATLANTIC CITY went south. the loss to the arts COMMUNITY basically guaranteed its status as a footnote in the story of ROCK AND ROLL and PUNK ROCK in particular, as its name receded from view before the ascent of the UNDERGROUND scene in the POPULAR mindset a decade later. makes you wonder about what other past CELEBRATED venues ended before their time had arrived. the MUDD CLUB (NYC)? the MASQUE, the COCONUT TEASZER, and MADAME WONG's (LOS ANGELES)? photo & text by nacrowe
with the advent of the INTERNET, AUTOMATION, SOCIAL MEDIA and the future of promise of ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE right around the corner, i can honestly attest that in my short lifetime there has been much SOCIAL DISRUPTION and POLITICAL UPHEAVAL that has come at the expense of an UNPRECEDENTED rate of TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. in essence the world i grew up in no longer exists.
in essence the late 19th century in the UNITED STATES represents a similar pivot away from old methods of traveling and communicating with the completion of the TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD and the advent of massive STEAMSHIPS, TELEPHONES, INCANDESCENT LIGH BULB and the PHOTOGRAPH. growing up in ENGLAND in a world with horse-drawn carriages and gas street lamps to that of ELECTRIC GRID-ENABLED CABLE CARS and STREET LIGHTS is quite REMARKABLE and represents a psychic jolt as well as TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE. it means that the manner in which people lived and thought of themselves shifted arguably for the first time in generations. what makes the EXPOSING MUYBRIDGE (INSIDE OUT MEDIA, 2021) documentary about the FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHER is how his life and career provides a familiar example of the apparent disconnect between the OPTIMISTIC PROMISE of TECHNOLOGY and its DESTRUCTIVE CAPACITY to alienate us from ourselves. EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE only became a PHOTOGRAPHER after years spent occupying various modest occupations in the new AMERICAN WEST after departing ENGLAND at first opportunity. his early adoption of the cumbersome TECHNOLOGY found him shooting lots of shots of nature throughout the MOUNTAIN WEST and PACIFIC NORTHWEST as well as the recently purchased ALASKAN TERRITORY and many of his locations were later REPHOTOGRAPHED by the likes of EDWARD WESTON and ANSEL ADAMS more than a half century later. one of his quirks was having figures in the foreground, sometimes to showcase scale, and often such showcased himself in precarious positions on cliffs with sheer drops and the like. but often these PHOTOGRAPHS were MANIPULATED with preferred (and reused) cloud formations and drawn distant mountain ranges. seeing was not believing, even at this early FORMATIVE state in the evolution of PHOTOGRAPHY. MUYBRIDGE himself had an IDIOSYNCRATIC and highly ERRATIC personality. in his forties he married a young woman in her twenties whom he subsequently ABANDONED at home while he went on PHOTOGRAPHY trips at the behest of clients (including war propaganda photos for the government and family portraits for captains of industry like railroad magnate LELAND STANFORD). after learning of an insinuation that he was CUCKOLDED in his absence, MUYBRIDGE sought out his wife's reported amour and shot him dead point blank. controversially he was found not guilty. post-trial he went to CENTRAL AMERICA and took ETHNOGRAPHIC and NATURE PHOTOGRAPHS around the region. on his arrival back in CALIFORNIA he worked with STANFORD on a problem of providing UNDENIABLE PHOTOGRAPHIC proof that a horse had all of its hooves in the air at the same time. this proved DIFFICULT given the REDIMENTARY CAMERA TECHNOLOGY the time and the non-existence of things like shutters that allow for very short exposure periods and chemical concoctions that allowed for such. MUYBRIDGE was able to make it work and prove that such existed with an array of PHOTOGRAPHS taken in succession by separate CAMERAS with quick shutters that showed the change in position of the horse over time. this was REVOLUTIONARY and the basis for MUYBRIDGE's subsequent fame. but STANFORD took credit and largely DISCREDITED him as a mere TECHNICIAN in a subsequent publication, effectively ruining MUYBRIDGE's reputation, who had became something an early celebrity at the time. his work was picked up a few years later by the UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, in spite of his reputation as a MURDERER and an ERRATIC, who allowed him to conduct his "motion studies" at the behest of a committee of ZOOLOGISTS, PHYSICISTS, ANATOMISTS, and ARTISTS that hoped to gain insight into the invisible world of kinetic mechanics. the film goes to great lengths to showcase how these "SCIENTIFIC" studies were marred by INGRAINED CULTURAL BIASES of the period along the lines of RACE, CLASS and GENDER. such was the case that the majority of these scholars were seeking to secure data to prove their racist preconceived notion that WHITE MEN were SUPERIOR to their FEMALE and NON-WHITE counterparts. men are PHOTOGRAPHED performing feats of STRENGTH and ATHLETIC prowess while WOMEN are shown being GRACEFUL or reenacting DOMESTIC pursuits (like sweeping the floor). there are also series utilizing local prostitutes in baldly erotic movements and scenarios. even in this PRE-CINEMA ERA, interestingly the basic BIASES of FILM CULTURE ("stories and sex") were firmly established and entrenched. the MALE GAZE indeed. MUYBRIDGE died in obscurity, a cultural anachronism during the age of early CINEMA dominated by subsequent ARTISTIC and TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION by likes of the LUMIERE BROTHERS and GEORGES MELIES. his MOTION STUDIES, in spite of their embedded PREJUDICES, have proven to be quite INFLUENTIAL to subsequent generations of SCIENTISTS and ARTISTS. everyone from FRANCIS BACON, WILLIAM WEGMAN, DAVID HOCKNEY, SOL LEWITT and even RICKY & MORTY and U2 have explicitly referenced his material. i found this film to be endlessly FASCINATING given its examination of the DISRUPTIVE POTENTIAL of new TECHNOLOGY and how such leaves the public open to being manipulated en masse. MUYBRIDGE was thoroughly HUMAN with HUBRIS, EGO and IMPERFECTIONS to spare and his adoption and manipulations from a new INVENTION only further the evidence of such. despite such it is hard to argue against the idea the he ELEVATED MANKIND, FLAWS and all, and maybe that is the takeaway from his example. while making us SUSCEPTIBLE to new forms of VISUAL MANIPULATION, his gift to us was making us a little more aware of the HIDDEN realm of MINUTE, RUDIMENTARY PHYSICAL MECHANICS that we all take for granted in a THREE-DIMENSIONAL SPACE and govern and influence our experience of such. in this manner he was an REVOLUTIONARY figure. EXPOSING MUYBRIDGE is a deeply INTRIGUING film that is most definitely worth checking out. ESSENTIAL even. photo & text by nacrowe
the EMOTIONAL INTIMACY that paradoxically comes with SCALE is something of a central feature in the CREATIVE WORK of globally revered SCULPTOR URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD. as the daughter of UKRAINIAN and POLISH immigrant parents to the UNITED STATES who was born in GERMANY and spent her early youth in a GERMAN detention center during WORLD WAR II, her work is undoubtedly influenced by her EXPERIENCES between cultures and continents. the recent URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HER OWN (ICARUS, 2019) documentary explores her career and personal history and exposes an artist with a deep sense of COMPASSION and value in COMMUNITY, both familial and adopted.
the film goes to great lengths to relay the idea that VON RYDINGSVARD did not have an ideal childhood, even after her families relocation to suburban CONNECTICUT. her father had an INDOMITABLE WORK ETHIC but a very real sense of INFERIORITY to his new compatriots that he tragically sublimated on his children quite mercilessly with long-lasting consequences. the FRUSTRATION and RAGE at the physical and psychological ABUSE inflicted by her father was something of a motivating catalyst for VON RYDINGSVARD and her CREATIVE WORK throughout her development well into career. her work, which historically is based in CEDAR but has in recent years has expanded to include COPPER and BRONZE commissions, is often of a MASSIVE SCALE with minute LABOR-INTENSIVE, HAND-CRAFTED TEXTURES and SURFACE MANIPULATIONS. the result is an IMPOSING monument with distinctly ORGANIC UNDULATIONS that doesn't mimic, yet takes key inspiration from nature. one can project the seeming PERMANENCE of trees or the EPHEMERALITY of clouds onto her WORK, which feel both ABSTRACT and distinctly AUTHENTIC and rooted in the ENVIRONMENT of their installation, wether such be in a BUCOLIC pasture or a CONGESTED urban setting. the film makes the point of connecting the BILLOWING FORMS of her scale work with that of WHEAT STACKS in POLAND, a land she was connected to through BLOOD and GENEALOGY but had never visited when being made aware of the connection by her second husband, the LATE NOBEL PRIZE-winning NEUROSCIENTIST PAUL GREENGARD. their seems to be an affinity for FORMS and MATERIALS that brought her COMFORT as a child, as she remembers being in a small makeshift wooden room with her CLOSE-KNIT family in GERMANY during the WAR, the structure providing SECURITY and SOLACE from the HORRORS outside. in this sense her use of WOOD as a MATERIAL seems anchored in a subconscious desire for a state of BALANCE that was never achieved on either shore. as a young woman having moved out to the BAY AREA, VON RYDINGSVARD had a child from a DISASTROUS first marriage with a partner that had a PSYCHOTIC BREAK and was later institutionalized with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. she made the decision to return to the EAST COAST in the mid 1970s and started pursuing her CREATIVE WORK in a SOHO loft (then absolutely not a chic address) with a young daughter in tow. she also took classes at COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, where she earned her MFA. it feels like her success was HARD-EARNED with much STRUGGLE both financially and psychologically given her INTENSE family history. for VON RYDINGSVARD, NEW YORK CITY during this period was something of a revelation with many female artists making a name for themselves. she took inspiration from an EXPANDED sisterhood of in fellow SCULPTORS (EVA HESSE, LOUISE BOURGEOIS, LYNDA BENGLIS), COMPOSERS (MEREDITH MONK), PAINTERS (HELEN FRANKENTHALER, LEE KRASNER, JOAN MITCHELL), PHOTOGRAPHERS (CINDY SHERMAN) and CONCEPTUAL / MULTI-MEDIA / PERFORMANCE ARTISTS (JOAN JONAS, NANCY SPERO, YOKO ONO, ANNA MENDIETA, CAROLEE SCHNEEMANN, HANNAH WILKE, TRISHA BROWN, YVONNE RANIER). in NEW YORK CITY she found a home that allowed her the FREEDOM to reach her full potential through her CREATIVE INSTINCTS and the INDOMITABLE WORK ETHIC she inherited. the film makes the point of commenting that her WORK in some aspect is also about the idea of LABOR, of the TACTILE nature of INTENSE BODILY MANIPULATION of MATERIALS. its almost akin to the labor exhibited in the NATURAL WORLD with the ELEMENTS quietly eroding rock into EVERMORE COMPLEX MANIPULATIONS, whether such be through the vehicle of OCEANIC WIND GUSTS, ICE SHEETS, ROLLING RIVERS or SAND-BLASTED FURRIES of RISING AIR. that ever-constant process of becoming seems to be the point to some extent. you can see her joy at the final CONSTRUCTION of her installations as the realized form of the work of her and her close team of associates becomes apparent. all that minute WORK and hours of DECISIONS and DELIBERATIONS manifest in a PERMANENT FORM. those choices feel like a process based in a deep appreciation of NATURE and the complex systems that exact physical changes on ROCK FORMATIONS, GLACIERS and RIVERBANKS. its a deeply INTRIGUING dynamic to watch in isolation and URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HER OWN provides a COMPELLING glimpse of such. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
with DECONSTRUCTIVIST fashion designers like REI KAWAKUBO (COMMES DE GARCON), YOHJI YAMAMOTA (Y-3) and the late VIRGIL ABLOH (OFF-WHITE) being the current exalted avatars of a distinctly MINIMALIST AESTHETIC, the timing seems correct to reappraise the lasting and continuing cultural relevance of BELGIAN designer MARTIN MARGIELA of MAISON MARGIELA and his INNOVATIVE approach to FASHION DESIGN and PRESENTATION. NOTORIOUS for not granting interviews or appearing on camera, in the recent retrospective documentary MARTIN MARGIELA: IN HIS OWN WORDS (AMINATA PRODUCTIONS, 2020), MARGIELA functions as an of-sorts narrator to his own story while maintaining his complete anonymity.
the conceit of the film is in essence in an INDUSTRY where FAME and CELEBRITY are fleeting come and go with new collections each subsequent season, MARGIELA was able to construct a NOVEL VOCABULARY and DESIGN AESTHETIC that has lasted far beyond his twenty year reign at his former namesake fashion house, which ended in 2009. he was in COMPLETE CONTROL throughout and resigned only when the business side, due to expansion and the success of the brand, began to inevitably dictate and encroach on his ARTISTIC VISION. in this manner his departure maintained the PURITY of his collections, which were his legacy. and that focus on the product was INTENTIONAL. famously, MARGIELA left the press alone to make sense of his COLLECTIONS, providing no input, direction or CONTEXT as is the INDUSTRY PRACTICE. in this manner he cultivated an EXPECTATION of INNOVATION and spurred fierce discussion, expression and enabled free thought with regards to his critics. he let them decide on their own how to approach and evaluate his work, with no pushback or encouragement on his end. this is basically unheard of in the FASHION WORLD where HYPE is inextricably part of the game. for MARGIELA, THE WORK AND ONLY THE WORK was what mattered. period. and what about the actual clothes? MARGIELA is so REVERED because he essentially INVERTED all sorts of explicit and implicit EXPECTATIONS in the INDUSTRY. for instance he was CELEBRATED for REPURPOSING, RECYCLING, RE-CONTEXTUALIZING, discarded NON-PREMIUM MATERIALS with an almost MARCEL DUCHAMP-ian ability to RECONSTRUCT and REDETERMINE their VALUE and UTILITY through the power of CONCEPT. a MARGIELA item had value because of the IMAGINATIVE idea behind it, not the SCARCITY of the MATERIAL itself. similarly, his GARMENTS provided an almost META-NARRATIVE regarding their creation, DECONSTRUCTING for the wearer the process by which they were conceived and constructed. even the labeling was UNIQUE and somewhat of an ANTI-LABEL statement, with four RUDIMENTARY corner stitches along a rectangle of light FABRIC, sometimes unmarked itself. the result was four corner stitches exposed on the outside of the GARMENT, making it appear INCOMPLETE and still in the process of being manufactured. MARGIELA even confronted the PRESENTATION of his work, often casting NORMAL women as models (known as street casting) and utilizing UNCONVENTIONAL off-site venues (such as parking garages, beneath bridges, vacant outdoor lots) to unveil his work in UNEXPECTED CONTEXTS. in summation, his work was highly CONCEPTUAL and played around and CHALLENGED LONG-HELD IDEAS concerning the INCEPTION, CONSTRUCTION and PRESENTATION PROCESSES involved with the design of clothes. virtually anyone today that is SUBVERTED EXPECTATIONS through DECONSTRUCTING such in a NOVEL way is taking a cue from the playbook invented by MARGIELA, which is why he is still more than a decade later into his retirement such a REVERED figure. my interest is not so much with FASHION itself, but with visionaries that CHALLENGED, TRANSGRESSED and ultimately SUBVERTED the STATUS QUO to their will and invented a NEW LANGUAGE unto themselves in the process. people like FRANCIS BACON, HUBERT SELBY JR, PATTI SMITH, BILL HICKS, LOU REED, JENNIFER DOUDNA & EMMANUELLE CHARPENTIER, FRANK ZAPPA or MARLON BRANDO. MARTIN MARGIELA: IN HIS OWN WORDS is beyond compelling and most definitely worth checking out regardless of your interest in haute couture. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
who knew QUEENSLAND was such a SHITHOLE back in the 1970s?
the fact that a band as LEGENDARY and SEMINAL as first-wave AUSTRALIAN PUNK ROCK band THE SAINTS came out BRISBANE, which at the time was in the throes of an ARCH CONSERVATIVE and unrepentantly CORRUPT government led by premier JOH BJELKE-PETERSEN, is something of a MINOR MIRACLE. this politician, who ruled from 1968-1987, rose through the ranks of the police force and welded it VIOLENTLY like a CUDGEL against all elements of SOCIAL DISSENSION or ACTIVISM. in essence JOH ran an AUTONOMOUS POLICE STATE that made the business of live music an UNDERGROUND affair, which in turn ironically resulted in establishing in time BRISBANE as a musical and culturally INNOVATIVE city. the documentary STRANDED (WILDBEAR ENTERTAINMENT, 2015) is very much as preoccupied with the evolution of the music scene in BRISBANE as it is with the narrative of THE SAINTS and their first three ESSENTIAL releases, (I'M) STRANDED (SIRE, 1977), ETERNALLY YOURS (SIRE, 1978) and PREHISTORIC SOUNDS (HARVEST, 1978), before the breakup of their ICONIC initial lineup. along with local contemporaneous PUNK ROCK scene-mates such as the LIKE-MINDED PENETRATION, NOTABLE bands that emerged shortly over the next few years such as THE LEFTOVERS, THE GO-BETWEENS, RAZAR, XERO and THE RIPTIDES diverged dramatically in STYLE and SOUND, but were bound both by their passion for music and their steadfast commitment to the scene and the COMMUNITY that literally bled, suffered and vigorously fought it into existence. there is a bit of synchronicity with the emergence of PUNK ROCK across the english-speaking world in the late 1970s, with THE RAMONES in NEW YORK CITY, THE SEX PISTOLS in LONDON and THE SAINTS in BRISBANE all emerging more or less at the same time (i am aware THE SEX PISTOLS was unambiguously after THE RAMONES). all three bands were influenced by the sheer SONIC POWER and POLITICAL FORCE and will behind those early records by SUBTERRANEAN bands like THE STOOGES, MC5 and THE VELVET UNDERGROUND. what is INTRIGUING about THE SAINTS is that they are the only PUNK ROCK band of that period that had to will themselves into existence despite a VOLATILE governmental security apparatus hell-bent on maintaining a STRANGLEHOLD on the population. sorry, RONALD REAGAN and MARGARET THATCHER had absolutely nothing on SIR JOH and his BRUTAL cronies with a badge. testimonials to that end come by way of JEAN JACQUES BURNEL and JET BLACK of THE STRANGLERS as well as JELLO BIAFRA of DEAD KENNEDYS who all had adverse experiences touring during the early in the late 1970s and early 1980s respectfully. in both cases the police acted overly aggressively without restraint or respect for basic human rights, arresting band members on trumped up charges designed to intimidate. THE STRANGLERS for their part wrote "NUCLEAR DEVICE (THE WIZARD OF AUS)" off of THE RAVEN (UNITED ARTISTS, 1979) as cheeky send-off to the JOH regime. the example of THE SAINTS proved to be internationally INFLUENTIAL as bands, in addition those from BRITAIN and the UNITED STATES, emerged at the time from war-torn places like IRELAND (THE BOOMTOWN RATS) and NORTHERN IRELAND (STIFF LITTLE FINGERS) that saw PUNK ROCK as a vehicle to speaking their truth about the UNFORTUNATE predicament of their COMMUNITIES. if an OBSCURE band from AUSTRALIA could do such, literally why not them? its a FASCINATING and POWERFUL PHENOMENA when you consider that this SELF-IDENTIFICATION and SELF-ORGANIZATION of a cross-border INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY of music fans, artists and advocates self-generated in a pre-internet age. again, a SMALL MIRACLE of sorts. notable participating interviewees for STRANDED include PAULINE MURRAY (PENETRATION), NICK CAVE (THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, THE BAD SEEDS), JELLO BIAFRA (DEAD KENNEDYS), STEVE DIGGLE (BUZZCOCKS), BOB GELDORF (THE BOOMTOWN RATS) and JEAN JACQUES BURNEL & JET BLACK (THE STRANGLERS). AUSTRALIAN PUNK ROCK is generally not included in the mainstream conversation or history of PUNK ROCK, so i consider this film ESSENTIAL viewing and most definitely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i only recently came to be aware of the early 20th century SELF-TAUGHT ARTIST BILL TRAYLOR of ALABAMA. born into SLAVERY, his family stayed and worked for their former owners as sharecroppers for 30 years after EMANCIPATION. little is known about his life other than he raised several children and had a few marriages throughout a long life sharecropping in the YELLOWHAMMER STATE. it was only in his 80s that he moved to MONTGOMERY and took up DRAWING, resourcefully repurposing whatever LEFTOVER MATERIALS he could find. in time he was a cultural fixture of the main thoroughfare of MONROE STREET with his deceptively SIMPLISTIC yet deeply EVOCATIVE FIGURE DRAWINGS of life both REAL and IMAGINED, past and present, ETHEREAL and disturbingly PALPABLE.
for decades after his passing in 1939 in OBSCURITY, TRAYLOR's work was likewise FORGOTTEN about and UNCELEBRATED. his work now is seen as a uniquely UNFILTERED link to a world long passed in which AMERICAN HISTORY saw one of its most CONSEQUENTIAL fulcrum points, i.e. the RECONSTRUCTION era and the uneven cultural and economic transition from SLAVERY in the AMERICAN SOUTH. a transition still in motion, with WIDE-RANGING consequences to present day. despite the dearth of PERTINENT information outside of state census records, the recent documentary BILL TRAYLOR: CHASING GHOSTS (BREAKAWAY FILMS NY, 2021) attempts to give voice to TRAYLOR by CONTEXTUALIZING him and his experiences within the greater tradition of AFRICAN-AMERICAN playwrights and poets of the era. its an INTRIGUING JUXTAPOSITION to see these scenes from NOTEWORTHY DRAMAS played out by actors with TRAYLOR's drawings interspersed in the mix. it provides a possible CONTEXT to material that otherwise is ironically almost OBTUSE in its DIRECTNESS, like witnessing an ANCIENT EGYPTIAN RELIEF PAINTING in a tomb out of CONTEXT. it is quite something that these INDELIBLE IMAGES TRAYLOR created were done utilizing the most MODEST of materials, mostly pencils with BASIC colors on the backs of used cardboard print advertisements or discarded scrap paper. the vast majority of his work was done on MAKESHIFT canvases of IRREGULAR shapes, which he resourcefully and ingeniously incorporated into the COMPOSITION. part of the reason that his WORK hits the way it does is the fact that it is UNSCHOOLED and retains a certain PURITY of PERSPECTIVE for a REALITY and WAY OF LIFE that even at the time of its creation post-1939 was of a bygone era. it mixes COLLECTIVE and LIVING MEMORY with the HOPES and DREAMS of a time to come that as an old man TRAYLOR must have been acutely aware of MORTALITY and inability to experience said progress. there is also a bit of mystery regarding the SUBLIME and more than a little HOODOO ICONOGRAPHY thrown in the mix, which again informs his individual and the wider cultural PERSPECTIVE of his COMMUNITY. that something so PROFOUND is wrapped up in something seemingly so RUDIMENTARY is quite an achievement in its own right and he deserves his just praises, even if such are posthumous and decades after the fact. it is a testament to the QUALITY and INTENT of his WORK that TRAYLOR's ART resonates right now in our era with our amassed COLLECTIVE MEMORY and HISTORICAL and CULTURAL BAGGAGE. its one of the mysteries of ART that such teaches us anew as CONTEMPORARY conditions evolve and reveal themselves, presenting new CONTEXTS and opportunities for GROWTH. here is hoping that TRAYLOR is a permanent part of that continuing NARRATIVE and discussion regarding the AMERICAN EXPERIMENT, with all of its acknowledged PAINFUL SHORTCOMINGS and CELEBRATED virtues alike. BILL TRAYLOR: CHASING GHOSTS is a COMPELLING documentary about a REVELATORY ARTIST that deserves further attention. i found it ESSENTIAL and is most definitely worth checking out. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
March 2024
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