photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
its difficult to downplay the cultural impact of THE NATIONAL LAMPOON on MODERN HUMOR. what are now considered heralded comedic institutions such as SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (NBC, 1975-present), ANIMAL HOUSE (UNIVERSAL, 1978), CADDYSHACK (WARNER BROS, 1980) and even THE SIMPSONS (FOX, 1989-present), were built on the collective INSPIRED work of generations of WRITERS (PJ O'ROURKE, MICHAEL O'DONOGHUE, GEORGE W.S. TROW, ANNE BEATS, SEAN KELLY, MIKE REISS, AL JEAN, TONY HENDRA), ARTISTS (SAM GROSS, CHARLES RODRIGUES, M.K. BROWN, RICK MEYEROWITZ, BRUCE MCCALL, GAHAN WILSON) and COMEDIANS (JOHN BELUSHI, GILDA RADNER, BILL MURRAY, HAROLD RAMIS, CHEVY CHASE) famously associated with the publication. the publication, which was started by two preternaturally GIFTED HARVARD undergrads DOUGLAS KENNEY and HENRY BEARD in 1970, grew to be unrivaled in its INTELLIGENT deconstruction of cultural and political events, while simultaneously producing some of the RAUNCHIEST, borderline OBSCENE material meant to probe and titillate at the same time. its beyond INTERESTING that they had both poles so expertly covered during a period of such cultural and political turmoil in the UNITED STATES with the VIETNAM WAR sill very much in effect as well as the aftermath of the FEMINIST, ENVIRONMENTALIST and CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTS from the previous decade.
i feel i understand why the DRUNK, STONED, BRILLIANT, DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON (NETFLIX, 2015) documentary came out when it did almost a decade ago. the SAD reality is that those involved with THE NATIONAL LAMPOON are dying of old age. in fact numerous PROMINENT WRITERS interviewed for this film have passed away just in the past three years. in many ways this film is meant as a testament to their legacy in-their-own-words a la recent efforts to the same effect by other INFLUENTIAL upstart and/or legacy publications like MAD, CURVE, PLAYBOY, BIG BROTHER and CREEM. not to mention the surviving members of MONTY PYTHON, who are a comedic universe and institution unto themselves to rival that of THE NATIONAL LAMPOON. one aspect of this retrospective lens a work in this film that i found COMPELLING was how the HUMOR itself wasnt examined that deeply, i.e. all the SEX-CRAZED stuff from an obvious MALE GAZE perspective that would absolutely not play in recent decades. it feels that such an examination is meant for another film by another party as DRUNK, STONED, BRILLIANT, DEAD seems more concerned with faithfully explaining their mindset as they saw it. not how such somewhat RETROGRADE comedic tropes would fit into our current more INCLUSIVE era. given how influential films like ANIMAL HOUSE and CADDYSHACK have been on subsequent decades of comedic films, a cottage industry unto itself, that examination would be fruitful if pursued elsewhere no doubt. i appreciate this film for what it is: a timely reminder of the legacy of a major publication that helped mold AMERICAN HUMOR. interview participants beyond the surviving WRITERS, ARTISTS and COMEDIANS included numerous ACTORS (KEVIN BACON, TIM MATHESON, BEVERLEY D'ANGELO, JOHN GOODMAN, BILLY BOB THORNTON & MEAT LOAF) and DIRECTORS (JUDD APATOW & IVAN REITMAN). its an INSANE story but i still feel this film was a bit of a hagiography and a bit of a MISSED OPPORTUNITY to examine how their comedic perspective was reshaped, morphed or completely discarded down the line by subsequent HUMORISTS, COMEDIANS and WRITERS since the publication went under in 1998.
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photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
BRITISH author ALDOUS HUXLEY is far and away one of the most REVERED LITERARY MINDS of the 20th century, SCIENCE FICTION or otherwise. his enduring legacy was furthered not just with the release of his TRANSFORMATIVE and TRANSGRESSIVE DYSTOPIAN NOVEL BRAVE NEW WORLD (CHATTO & WINDUS, 1932), but likewise with his decades of ESSAYS and CRITICISM, of which were the basis for many PUBLIC DEBATES and SPEECHES, about some of the biggest topics of the modern era. such include then-novel subjects like the negative effects of OVERPOPULATION on our global ecosystem, the paramount danger of NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION (then in its infancy) and even the potential benefits of PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES.
this latter interest is of substantial focus in the documentary HUXLEY ON HUXLEY (BRAUBACH PRODUCTIONS, 2009) in which his surviving second wife LAURA looks back at her experience with her late husband. herself an ITALIAN concert violinist that played at CARNEGIE HALL in her teens, was stranded in the UNITED STATES when WORLD WAR II commenced and eventually found her way to HOLLYWOOD where she failed at being a film editing assistant in the burgeoning new industry. she was married to ALDOUS for only seven years from 1956 to 1963, but during that period he was involved with screenwriting efforts with the likes of ORSON WELLES and GEORGE CUKOR as well as holding court at his HOLLYWOOD HILLS home with cultural luminaries such as GERALD HEAD, CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD and IGOR STRAVINSKY among others. he also found himself at the cutting edge of a recent revolution in the CONSCIOUSNESS EXPANDING and THERAPEUTIC potential of newly synthesized PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES based on the CHEMISTRY of compounds PSILOCYBIN and PSILOCIN. this interest put him in concert with younger academics and EXPERIMENTAL practitioners like TIMOTHY LEARY and RAM DASS of HARVARD UNIVERSITY. in essence, the MEASURED, THOUGHTFUL and DELIBERATE METHODOLOGIES surrounding ALDOUS and his exploration of LSD predated and provided academic cover to what would later blossom in the counterculture of the 1960s almost a decade later. for LAURA, decades after the passing of her late husband in 1963, her life is still very much a continuation of this EXPLORATORY ETHIC, having written and published various self-help books related to her interest in PSYCHOTHERAPY. the DRUGS were just a conduit to understanding the internal capacities, mechanizations and functions of the MIND through bypassing the prefrontal cortex and getting to the heart of the matter. it would seem her such activities were conducted in order for her to achieve her real objective: HELPING PEOPLE. it would appear that such is in alignment with that of the ALTRUISM of her late husband and his adroit and DIRE WARNINGS for the future of HUMANITY. its UNCANNY how PROPHETIC his predictions bore out over time and how PRETERNATURAL his evolved understanding of the HUMAN CONDITION was back in the 1930s through his death on november 22, 1963 (note: yes, the same day as fellow author C.S. LEWIS and the JFK assassination). this HUXLEY ON HUXLEY documentary is a little WONKY in its editing and pacing but CHARMING and EDUCATIONAL nonetheless, which makes it well-worth checking out. RIP LAURA and ALDOUS HUXLEY photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
like a lot of my generation, my introduction to NOTORIOUS ENGLISH PUNK ROCK band THE ANTI-NOWHERE LEAGUE was via METALLICA's BLACK ALBUM-era cover of their INFAMOUS and humorously DEBAUCHED "SO WHAT?" track. that song in particular is so OVER-THE-TOP with its DEBASED lyrics that celebrate the perspective of being JADED with the world due to one's SERIAL COPULATION with everything from THE QUEEN her majesty to BARN ANIMALS, TEENAGE GIRLS and even ELDERLY MEN. not to mention PISS DRINKING and contracting various SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES for good measure. its the type of song that is so OUTRAGEOUS youd have to be an idiot to truly be offended by it, almost as if it was written specifically by VYVYAN BASTARD of THE YOUNG ONES to parody PUNK writ large. the old THIS IS SPINAL TAP (EMBASSY, 1984) adage of "its such a fine line between stupid and clever" definitely applies in this situation, no doubt. really depends on your mood which side of that divide this song and this band lands on.
but the documentary THE ANTI-NOWHERE LEAGUE: WE ARE THE LEAGUE (CLEOPATRA ENTERTAINMENT, 2019) itself is about how unlikely an event this band even forming was from the jump. for starters the main culprits, NICK 'ANIMAL' CULMER, CHRIS 'MAGOO' EXALL and CHRIS ELVY initially were all motorcycle enthusiasts and either started or were members of a BIKER GANGS in KENT. music, much less the recent emergence of PUNK ROCK, was not a part of their lives in any MEANINGFUL way as their existence was more about that rolling community of OUTCASTS as they meandered like a HORDE OF VIKINGS throughout the ENGLISH countryside and continental EUROPE. when MAGOO caught the PUNK bug via THE SEX PISTOLS, he wrote a few songs that he ripped off of EDDIE COCHRAN and recent PUNK bands and set off about starting a band. ANIMAL and ELVY were sought out due to their street reputations as PROPER RUFFIANS rather than studied musicians. the all agreed on THE DAMNED and got on the bill of one of their first national tours by bribing them to be their support band. for THE ANTI-NOWHERE LEAGUE, with their GAUDY onstage costumes and overly CONFRONTATIONAL demeanor (ANIMAL's shtick was to carry an AXE on stage), the stage was a better sublimation of their ANTI-SOCIETY instincts than mucking it up with police and rival gangs on the road. almost instantaneously they became the ALPHA DOGS of the NASCENT PUNK scene at the time. and those first few singles was their peak. subsequent albums saw them attempt to make a career of it which led them, unimaginably, down a path from the most stubbornly VIOLENT and COMBATIVE PUNK band imaginable to a NEW ROMANTIC DURAN DURAN wannabe band in only a few short years. i had no idea that they lost the plot that bad. going from touring with DISCHARGE on equal billing to effectively playing SYNTH POP with keyboards in tow is beyond SPINAL TAP, its actually difficult to believe it ever happened. after their disbandment METALLICA made their signature track VIABLE again and ANIMAL has been keeping the torch going ever since with younger true believers by his side. its a crazy story. much is made about the cultural impact of the PUNK movement in BRITAIN and how it prompted budding musicians to fully commit and make COMPELLING music a la THE CLASH, JOY DIVISION, THE DAMNED, THE BUZZCOCKS, THE SMITHS, X-RAY SPEX and THE FALL. but less told are the truly AWFUL bands that never made anything of note or taste a la THE ANTI-NOWHERE LEAGUE. i believe that is the niche of this documentary and by extension the legacy of the band in the greater scheme of things. i should also mention that NOTABLE interview participants include RAT SCABIES of THE DAMNED and STEWART COPELAND of THE POLICE. yes, that STEWART COPELAND. turns out he made a documentary on them back in the day for some unknown reason. who knew? photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
timing really is everything.
generations of musicians limited not to the PET SHOP BOYS, GARY NUMAN, THE MAGNETIC FIELDS, MARC ALMOND (SOFT CELL), DEF LEPPARD, HENRY ROLLINS (BLACK FLAG), THE SCISSOR SISTERS, JAYNE COUNTY and MORRISSEY (THE SMITHS) would fervently attest that the PRODIGIOUSLY TALENTED LYRICIST and SINGER-SONGWRITER BRUCE WAYNE CAMPBELL, who went by the stage name JOBRIATH, was indeed far ahead of his time. TRAGICALLY ahead. and that is UNFORTUNATE because his legacy is one of a PROMISING TALENT whose career was derailed and prematurely quashed by the OVERZEALOUS PROMOTION of his management and BITTER lack of support from the musical press and RAMPANT HOMOPHOBIA that marked that era. it should be mentioned that JOBRIATH was the first out GAY ROCK AND ROLL musician on a major recording label in a GLAM ROCK period where ANDROGYNY and hinted-at BISEXUALITY was the norm a la DAVID BOWIE, ELTON JOHN and MARC BOLAN of T. REX. it is one of the great FAILURES of modern culture that during this period it was considered HYPER-MASCULINE to take on FEMININE ATTRIBUTES when one was in fact HETEROSEXUAL, yet being HOMOSEXUAL and taking on those same qualities was considered REPULSIVE and seen as surefire CAREER SUICIDE. it should be remembered that ELTON JOHN didnt come out as being comfortable with his own QUEER IDENTITY until well into the late 1980s, no doubt i assume because he valued his career. in order to be a successful musician on a major label with widespread airplay, one had to play the game with a TOXIC HETERONORMATIVE CULTURE that could not handle or tolerate GENDER or SEXUAL POLITICS outside of the REDUCTIVE and CONSERVATIVE variety. JOBRIATH was a VICTIM of such a cultural heritage and has become a sort of ARCHETYPE to such SOCIETAL MISALIGNMENT right down the line to the present. thus there is a need to revisit and reevaluate his example in the recent JOBRIATH A.D. (EIGHT TRACK TAPE, 2012) documentary that follows his many transitions from the NEGLECTED child prodigy BRUCE WAYNE CAMPBELL to the space clown JOBRIATH to the after hours piano man COLE BERLIN. he was no doubt a TROUBLED man with deep issues stemming from his having to compartmentalize his IDENTITY and PERSONA and be different things to different people, namely his DIVORCED PARENTS who were both TRADITIONALLY-MINDED and never recognized their son for who he was. ever. in fact, after BRUCE's passing from AIDS in 1983, his father DESTROYED all his personal effects (stage costumes and paraphernalia save one journal) attempting in essence to EXPUNGE all trace of him from the earth. it was a different time back then, yet somehow seemingly people want to return to that HATEFUL era. one INTRIGUING thread that the film presents is the idea of the FAILED MARKETING CAMPAIGN conducted on his behalf. in ROCK AND ROLL there is this loose (often IMAGINED) concept of a MERITOCRACY at play whereby musicians elevate from the trenches of small clubs and bars after garnering a substantial INDEPENDENT following. once major label money is sprinkled on top of such demand then a true mutually beneficial partnership (of sorts) is born. JOBRIATH and his manager shorted that whole route and promoted his act not too DISSIMILIAR from an upcoming BROADWAY production, something he was familiar with as a former cast member of HAIR. with a play that sort of UBIQUITOUS promotion (TIMES SQUARE, subway, buses, etc.) makes sense both within a ROCK AND ROLL context it is a much dicier affair. people dont like being told what is AUTHENTIC or VITAL in music if it is not an established act already. it seemed such promotional efforts were DOOMED TO FAIL from the jump. in the current cultural marketplace there are countless musicians, artists and actors that run the gamut of expression related to GENDER and SEXUAL IDENTITY. from NON-BINARY (SOPHIE, JANELLE MONAE, SAM SMITH) to TRANS (LAURA JANE GRACE, MINA CAPUTO, KIM PETRAS) and so on its a different, more INCLUSIVE world in some aspects at the current cultural moment. where they are the most SUCCESSFUL is when that part of their IDENTITY doesnt take over their PUBLIC PERSONA. it seems like if someone is a GREAT COMEDIAN and happen to be HOMOSEXUAL than audiences dont really care, but if their whole act is centered around being a QUEER STAND-UP COMIC then their prospects are relatively dwindled in comparison. at least that is how i see the dynamic played out nowadays. for JOBRIATH the publicity was so entrenched with his identity as a HOMOSEXUAL and not his PRODIGIOUS GIFTS as a SONGWRITER, LYRICIST and COMPOSER. which in retrospect was a MISTAKE. or maybe his career was DOOMED either way. again, just too far ahead of his own time. JOBRIATH A.D. is a HEARTBREAKING film about how cultural blindspots can manifest themselves and render us all IMPOVERISHED for not seeing the GRACE and DIGNITY in each other's HUMANITY. BRUCE's gifts should have been given the opportunity to be CELEBRATED beyond a cult following decades later, but that is show business in a VILE, still-very-much HETERONORMATIVE AMERICAN culture. it makes you consider your own COMPLICITY in that enduring dynamic for sure. this film is definitely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
the SECRETIVE figure of the much REVERED author J.D. SALINGER is as COMPLICATED and ORNERY as his most FAMOUS fictional creation HOLDEN CAULFIELD and the latter half of the 20th century that grew in his image. his 1951 novel THE CATCHER IN THE RYE (LITTLE, BROWN & COMPANY, 1951) was the product of a DISGRUNTLED and MISTRUSTED mindset and CONTRARIAN perspective that grew out of SALINGER's INTENSE experiences as a COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AGENT during WORLD WAR II. that sense of understanding the daylight between official rhetoric and witnessing the unadulterated HARSH realities of war. the success and universal praise of his book resulted in a NOTORIETY and CELEBRITY that he was neither prepared for nor wanted. his retreat from NEW YORK CITY, where he grew up a child of immense means and PRIVILEGE, to rural CORNISH, NEW HAMPSHIRE was maneuver meant to ensure both his PRIVACY and CREATIVE PROCESS. he wasnt a hermit as he was a part of the fabric of the SMALL TOWN, whose inhabitants were fiercely LOYAL to him. but to outsiders and national press with questions related CATCHER or CAULFIELD he had no time for.
thus there is the somewhat personally INTRUSIVE documentary SALINGER (THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY, 2013) released shortly after his death that attempts to contextualize his LITERARY CAREER and CULTURAL IMPACT / LEGACY as well as provide explanations for his lifelong sabbatical from the limelight. participants include fellow novelists TOM WOLFE, GORE VIDAL, E.L. DOCTOROW and ELIZABETH FRANK as well as playwrights STEPHEN ADLY GUIRGIS and JOHN GUARE, not to mention actors PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, EDWARD NORTON, JOHN CUSACK, DANNY DEVITO and MARTIN SHEEN among others. probably most SIGNIFICANT are the many editors, confidants, lovers and peers that knew him in his earlier years that participated in the film, yet nobody seems to have a handle on the MERCURIAL figure. everyone was presented with a figure in command of himself to the point that he only revealed what he wanted to show and once one's usefulness or prying nature reached a point, were shut out on no uncertain terms. it would appear every relationship was on his terms post-FAME. pre-FAME he was in love with OONA O'NEILL, daughter of REVERED playwright EUGENE O'NEILL, who left him for CHARLIE CHAPLIN while he was serving in combat during WORLD WAR II. for the rest of his life SALINGER was preoccupied with young women in their late teens and early twenties, roughly the same age of O'NEILL when they were together. it would appear SALINGER was not comfortable with women once they reached the stage of INDEPENDENCE and/or motherhood, which is interesting but SAD. its as if his emotional and psychological development was stunted or irrevocably WARPED after bearing witness to the unendurable HORRORS OF WAR. he had participated in the D-DAY invasion as well as later discovered a sub-camp of DACHAU called KAUFERING IV where the NAZIS forced the sick and dying to work before being exterminated during the HOLOCAUST. due to his proficiency in both GERMAN and FRENCH, SALINGER stayed on after the armistice to hunt down NAZIs and bring them to justice as a COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AGENT. it should be noted that throughout this intense period SALINGER was writing CATCHER. it is no hyperbole to say that the figure of CAULFIELD and SALINGER's own views towards femininity were rooted in his WARTIME EXPERIENCE. in a sense you can view FAME and the burgeoning CELEBRITY CULTURE of the period as a new confrontational front to be weary of resist at all costs. its hard not to be intrigued by SALINGER the person. his life's narrative is one of INTENSE LITERARY AMBITION and punishingly BRUTAL personal disappointments. he lived a full life even if such was in the shadow of his fictional creations that were so adored, or in the case of three PSYCHOTIC maniacs, misunderstood, by many. SALINGER is worth checking out whether one is a fan of literature or not. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
any retrospective documentary on the career of FAMED DIRECTOR QUENTIN TARANTINO in a post-HARVEY WEINSTEIN era is fraught to begin with. its this IMPENETRABLY DARK and SEEDY UNDERBELLY of the HOLLYWOOD infrastructure, that always existed, that effectively trades on SEXUAL ABUSE and ASYMMETRICAL POWER dynamics. TARANTINO was able to make UNCOMPROMISING motion pictures in part because he had WEINSTEIN and his CORROSIVE power maneuvers as his ultimate backer and imprimatur.
needless to say, it is more than DIFFICULT to look away from that LEGACY. but the recent QT8: THE FIRST EIGHT (WOOD ENTERTAINMENT, 2019) documentary attempts to do just that, focusing on the AUTEUR approach and uncompromising vision to the humanity of his characters that made TARANTINO a first name WRITER / DIRECTOR of the same ESTEEMED echelon as MARTIN SCORSESE, ORSON WELLES, BILLY WILDER, INGMAR BERGMAN, JOHN HUSTON, PRESTON STURGES, JEAN-LUC GODARD, FEDERICO FELLINI and FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA that all came before him. attesting to such include various members of his longtime production staff and NOTABLE actors ranging from SAMUEL L JACKSON, MICHAEL MADSEN, TIM ROTH, ZOE BELL, CHRISTOPH WALTZ and KURT RUSSELL to JENNIFER JASON LEIGH, ELI ROTH, ROBERT FORSTER and LUCY LIU among others. much is made about his ability to write AUTHENTICALLY and IMAGINATIVELY from multiple perspectives with little to no filter for modern accountings of POLITICAL CORRECTNESS or the MERCURIAL whims of GOOD TASTE. his focus and objective is fidelity to the script, the characters and the choices of actors in bringing said narratives to fruition. being the WRITER and the DIRECTOR, arguably the most INTRIGUING aspect of his scripts is his portrayal of both RACIALLY and GENDER DIVERSE characters. women feature as power brokers throughout his films, most notably JACKIE BROWN (MIRAMAX, 1997) and the KILL BILL (MIRAMAX, 2003-04) series, without much attention necessarily being attributed to such. almost as if this was a natural occurrence in his CINEMATIC UNIVERSE which is arguably the most ENLIGHTENED manner to do such. direct actions rather than FEEBLE, WELL-INTENTIONED sentiments and words about gender and RACIAL EQUALITY. same could be said about his portrayal of BLACK PEOPLE in his films. much has been said about his use of INFLAMMATORY language regarding RACE in his films, such decisions make him CONTROVERSIAL. its an INTERESTING dialogue that is continuing unabated to the present and i will admit i am unsure of where i stand on such. all i can say is that having them not employ such HARSH and UNFORGIVING language in the intense CINEMATIC SCENARIOS depicted by TARANTINO in his films would seemingly come off HALF-HEARTED and ROLLED BACK. just my opinion but i can see the validity of the other side of that argument shared by the likes of SPIKE LEE most famously. all that being said, these first eight films in his FILMOGRAPHY will forever have the stain of WEINSTEIN on them as the audience is empowered to know the IMPOSSIBLE professional choices presented to key TARANTINO collaborators such as UMA THURMAN, ROSE MCGOWAN, ROSANNA ARQUETTE and DARYL HANNAH. either play ball with a PREDATOR or get blacklisted and watch your career drift away (dont believe me, just read any interview with SEAN YOUNG). UNFORTUNATELY for a film that was seemingly constructed to counteract the prevailing popular narrative of TARANTINO as the material beneficiary (over decades) of a professional relationship with a SERIAL SEXUAL PREDATOR whom he knew was SEXUALLY EXPLOITING his FEMALE CAST and STAFF, such is the real LEGACY of his work. he should have shielded and protected his co-workers. fought back. did something. if this film really wants to talk LEGACY, his LEGACY will be one of SILENCE when it mattered most in real life. when he had leverage to execute change in a CORRUPT hierarchy of men. his MORAL FAILURE was in real life, not some fantasy world of his own creation. such is his ACTUAL LEGACY. photo manipulation by nacrowe
most bands, whatever their AESTHETIC or scene affiliations, are involved on some level of paying homage to their own PUBLIC PERSONA. deep in there somewhere is a nugget of personality or marketing that separates them from their peers. for me the MELVINS HASTILY-EDITED tour documentary MELVINS: ACROSS THE USA IN 51 DAYS (IPECAC, 2015) is all about DISMANTLING whatever ROMANTIC notions you had left of the touring ROCK AND ROLL lifestyle.
shot on what has to be camera phones by various members and edited in the most RUDIMENTARY of styles with varying sound quality, this on the face of it is FILM VERITE gone HORRIBLE. it follows the band on their 2012 as they attempted to break a world record of playing 51 shows in all 50 states (and WASHINGTON DC) in 51 days. that sounds AWESOME in theory but what you find in practice is a BRUTAL, fiendishly FAST-PACED touring schedule that delivers them to CIVIC AUDITORIUMS, VFW HALLS, COMMUNITY CENTERS and TINY THEATERS the throughout the country. you get to see the firsthand the SKETCHY TRUCK STOPS and UNINVITING ROADSIDE RESTAURANTS along small FORGOTTEN faraway bastions of the continental UNITED STATES. which make you feel ISOLATED just watching it and questioning yourself over and over again: why do this to yourself? honestly, why? and that is why this documentary is VITAL. this is not BOB DYLAN in '66 or THE ROLLING STONES in '72 or even LED ZEPPELIN in '77, this is rural AMERICA up close and UNADORNED. reminds me of my two trips to IOWA (don't ask) and how the minute i landed their i immediately felt a surge of REGRET and FEAR of being deserted unlike anything else i've experienced before or since. and that includes traveling in remote villages in AFRICA, SOUTHEAST ASIA and THE BALKANS. there is nothing remotely SEXY or INVITING about this film, its all FRUSTRATION and huamn SUFFERING and that is why it is absolutely required viewing in my opinion. probably one of the more HONEST accounts of touring life i have seen in years if ever.
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
hindsight manipulates us all. a nearly universally CELEBRATED album like GREEN DAY's GEORGE W BUSH-era narrative paean to the domestic UNDERCLASS and UNDERREPRESENTED resistance, AMERICAN IDIOT (REPRISE, 2004), feels in retrospect almost INEVITABLE. at the time of its tracking back in 2003-2004, as depicted in the documentary HEART LIKE A HAND GRENADE (CRAZY COW PRODUCTIONS, 2015), this was hardly the case. the band had a rare mid-career miscue with WARNING (REPRISE, 2000) that saw them supposedly loosing a step with the POPULAR ZEITGEIST to a new crop of POP PUNK bands they essentially helped initiate (i.e. BLINK-182, NEW FOUND GLORY, SUM 41, GOOD CHARLOTTE, etc.).
not sure i wholly buy into that narrative, but that is the popular MYTHOLOGY surrounding the creation of AMERICAN IDIOT, which was REVOLUTIONARY and UNEXPECTED upon release and is arguably GREEN DAY's crowning achievement, even more so than their debut DOOKIE (REPRISE, 1994). part of such ACCLAIM was rooted in the fact that it was perceived to be a STRIDENT middle finger to the BUSH ADMINISTRATION and their REGRESSIVE political agenda. in the early 2000s SYSTEM OF A DOWN and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE were on the outs and ROCK music was in a weird place in that it was attempting to recreate the past a la the backward-looking INDIE ROCK REVIVAL bands such as THE STROKES, WHITE STRIPES, INTERPOL, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM and the like. nobody, and i mean no one, thought that GREEN DAY would be the band to create something as AUDACIOUS and thematically COMPLEX as a ROCK OPERA that was likewise brazenly POLITICAL at a time of war. it really put everyone else to shame in retrospect and influenced the style and scope of their catalogue from their on out. whats compelling about HEART LIKE A HAND GRENADE is how DETERMINED, COMMITTED and CONFIDENT band leader and main songwriter BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG is in the studio. this was a major risk. GREEN DAY were considered relative LIGHT-WEIGHTS that in essence filled a psychic and industry VOID left by NIRVANA in the wake of their TRAGIC mid-90s implosion. in comparison to the SOMBER and POETIC directness of KURT COBAIN's lyrics and persona, ARMSTRONG was by comparison a more JOVIAL and UPBEAT character that wrote songs about the banality of everyday life. AMERICAN IDIOT changed all that in one swell swoop. its just incredible that this recording process was documented. i have no doubt itll be parsed over decades from now by musicians inspired by ARMSTRONG's GALVANIZED response to a fucked political inflection point in AMERICAN history. lord knows what we will face in the next few decades in the wake of proto-fascist DONALD TRUMP. here's hoping he never returns to power. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
THE STONE ROSES: MADE OF STONE (WARP FILMS, 2013) documentary is a INTRIGUING cultural artifact of sorts as it presents an insider's view of the LEGENDARY MANCHESTER ALTERNATIVE ROCK band's reunion in the early 2010s after nearly 15 years apart. in the history of BRITISH music, THE STONE ROSES were a bit of a TRANSITIONAL band between INDIE scene of the 1980s and what would become BRITPOP, especially as it relates to fellow MANCUNIANS in OASIS. LIAM GALLAGHER's brief cameo backstage at the first reunion finds him adamantly attesting that THE STONE ROSES are the greatest MANCHESTER band ever (which is saying something given that THE SMITHS, BUZZCOCKS, JOY DIVISION / NEW ORDER and THE FALL are from the northern city as well). their initial fall is the stuff of ROCK AND ROLL cliche, given that fighting their label and then management inevitably manifested in them turning on each other as well during the recording of their second album. for a brief SHINING moment in the early 1990s, especially their CELEBRATED gig at SPIKE ISLAND, the band was on top of the BRITISH music world and critical darling abroad in AMERICA. they basically set the table for OASIS, no question about it.
for me the most interesting part of this documentary is not the capstone 2012 performance footage of the band at HEATON PARK in MANCHESTER (mirroring their SPIKE ISLAND gig), but rather the more INTIMATE coverage of their initial rehearsals at remote home in WARRINGTON. it was during this rehearsal footage that you very much got a sense of the MUSICAL CONNECTION between the four players with all the unspoken nods, looks and grins that come with long embedded musical cues that manifest themselves physically and psychically with past compositions played to perfection in the present. the ENERGY is palpable. its that special ALCHEMY that only GIFTED musicians with a strong musical bond and chemistry bring to the table, which for the listener is nothing less than pure MAGIC. case in point is their rehearsal performance of "WATERFALLS." watching it you could feel their MUTUAL EXCITEMENT and ELATION. i like to view that core SPARK as the central feature of this documentary. seeing how it ebbs and flows when outsiders and hangers-on and even technical difficulties come into the picture, such as their disastrous warm-up gig in AMSTERDAM when the drummer departed the gig pre-encore. this mirrored his similarly SPONTANEOUS departure from the band more than a decade before, spurring their demise as a band and creative entity. such would ultimately be the case a few years later when the band split again. i feel that just like JANE'S ADDICTION, these long stretches of indefinite hiatuses only make the inevitable reunion that much more POTENT and SPECIAL. my hope is that they do so with some shows stateside next go around. they are definitely a SEMINAL band well worth checking out. IAN BROWN is a CHARISMATIC, ICONIC frontman and a BRITISH original. here's hoping they figure it all out again. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i feel like i joyously spend an INORDINATE about of my free time running around to small INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOPS in NEW JERSEY, places like STATION 1 BOOKS & VINYL in POMPTON LAKES, VINYL ADDICTION in NORTH ARLINGTON, REVILLA GROOVES & GEAR in MILLTOWN, LOFIDELIC RECORDS in BELMAR, PRINCETON RECORD EXCHANGE in PRINCETON and even JACK'S MUSIC SHOPPE in RED BANK. its all a part of a sickness i believe, a sickness to explore and discover new sounds. i feel strongly that music is a SOCIAL ACTIVITY in nature, as most of the TRANSCENDENT stuff i have come across was through close FRIENDS, FAMILY and knowledgable RECORD STORE OWNERS and CLERKS.
the decade-old documentary LAST SHOP STANDING: THE RISE, FALL, AND REBIRTH OF THE INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOP (BLUE HIPPO, 2012) really gets at the heart of the matter, providing a BRITISH perspective on the RECORD BUYING EXPERIENCE and its rollercoaster history throughout the decades. interview participants include countless stewards of SMALL RECORD SHOPS from across the island as well as NOTABLE ENGLISH musicians like PAUL WELLER (THE JAM), JOHNNY MARR (THE SMITHS), NORMAN COOK (aka FATBOY SLIM), BILLY BRAGG, CLINT BOON (INSPIRAL CARPETS), RICHARD HAWLEY (LONGPIGS) and NERINA PALLOT. in a sense, the history the RECORD STORE in the UNITED KINGDOM, is one of the environmental, technological and social forces that have disconnected the public from the VINYL LP, the CELEBRATED gold standard of global music collectors and enthusiasts. from early ROCKABILLY and ROCK N ROLL in the 1950s through the 1970s, the industry was on a skyrocketing trajectory to the point that PAYOLA and CHART MANIPULATION became the norm, SMALL RECORD SHOPS being the focal point of such underhanded activities. by the 1980s the COMPACT DISC was introduced and promoted as the new industry standard, with record companies even utilizing INFERIORLY produced VINYL to help push the transition forward. this coupled with SUPERMARKETS cutting in on the action, often with much wider marketshare than NEIGHBORHOOD RECORD SHOPS and at loss-leading pricing schemes, pushed more than 90% most into bankruptcy during the decade. the end of the 1990s wasnt much better as DIGITAL DOWNLADING and PIRACY became rampant and basically killed COMPACT DISC sales, which had been price gouging for nearly two decades at that point. what saved the LOCAL RECORD SHOP was the return of VINYL as a sought-after CULTURAL ARTIFACT in the age of DIGITAL MUSIC and later STREAMING. STORES also diversified their inventories with RELATED PARAPHERNALIA like BOOKS, TICKETS, INSTRUMENTS and CLOTHING to supplement their revenue. some even use their space for live performances by local musicians. by 2012 when the documentary was filmed, the INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOP INDUSTRY was in fairly good shape, with record labels seeing them once again as partners and providing them with exclusive releases and workable margins to help ensure their longterm viability. i can only speak for my EXPERIENCE stateside, but their seems to be a healthy informal mutual support network between these INDEPENDENT RECORD STOPS. you can see such by way of how many EMPLOYEES of the recently shuttered NEW JERSEY cultural landmark VINTAGE VINYL of FORDS, a seminal RECORD STORE that had past in-store performances and signings by everyone from OZZY OSBOURNE, DESCENDENTS, TAKING BACK SUNDAY, ROB ZOMBIE, BOUNCING SOULS, TYPE O NEGATIVE, LESLIE WEST, SLAYER, JIMMY EAT WORLD, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, NEW FOUND GLORY, THURSDAY, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and THE SHINS among many others, still working at the other aforementioned local RECORD SHOPS. that expertise is still valued and HUMAN TOUCH still sought after by STORE OWNERS, which is HEARTENING. its nice to know that in a world of ALGORITHMS and CURATED PLAYLISTS, there are still ways of discovering new art via ACTUAL, not simulated SOCIAL INTERACTION. for me that is the crux of the RECORD BUYING EXPERIENCE and what differentiates GREAT RECORD SHOPS from their IMMENSE DIGITAL COMPETITION. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
honestly, before watching this documentary id never heard of the 1990s NEW JERSEY METALCORE band DEADGUY.
and thats not particularly surprising given the fact that when they were at their peak i was out of the country, more than that the hemisphere, given that my family as abroad in WEST AFRICA and the MIDDLE EAST for most of the 1990s into the early 2000s. that being said, what drew me immediately to DEADGUY: KILLING MUSIC () was the fact that members of some of my favorite EXTREME METALCORE / POST-HARDCORE bands of the last two decades were interview for this film, from LAMB OF GOD, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and THE LOCUST to CONVERGE, EVERYTIME I DIE and BOTCH among many others. if DEADGUY has their collective imprimatur of QUALITY then i am all in on investigating and learning more about them. whats interesting is that the band was part of the same collective northern NEW JERSEY scene that i participated in, just a decade and a bit earlier. this included cultural and educational entities like the late former INDEPENDENT record store VINTAGE VINYL in FORDS, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY (my alma mater) in NEW BRUNSWICK and 89.5FM WSOU out of SETON HALL UNIVERSITY in SOUTH ORANGE. when i attended RUTGERS, it was just after THURSDAY broke out, themselves influenced by the likes of LIFETIME, THE BOUNCING SOULS and DEADGUY before them, all stemming from the same NEW BRUNSWICK HARDCORE / PUNK ROCK scene. according to the many interview participants, what seems to differentiate DEADGUY from their cohort of peers was their sheer INTENSITY and BRUTALITY. much energy and time from the film is devoted towards explaining the POWER and INFLUENCE of their most celebrated album, FIXATION ON A CO-WORKER (VICTORY, 1995), as well as its place within the broader national HARDCORE movement of the period. in essence, their sound and stage presence has been described as UNINHIBITED, CEREBRAL, UNHINGED, CATHARTIC, EXPRESSIVE and COMBATIVE in the film and to the uninitiated, they come off like the primeval PRIMAL SCREAM of BORED suburbanites seeking an IDENTITY and PURPOSE past the COOKIE-CUTTER EXISTENCE and DRUDGERY of approaching PROFESSIONAL CAREERISM and ADULT RESPONSIBILITY. as the film elucidates, its a rage and anger that is UNBRIDLED and UNCONFINED, rather than the more PERFORMATIVE and fashion-conscious HARDCORE of the period. its just interesting that the band splintered while on their first national tour for VICTORY RECORDS, which was haphazardly planned and executed to the point that band essentially FRACTURED into two warring factions, which later manifested in the RECONSTITUTED DEADGUY and KISS IT GOODBYE. there is a long history of groups BREAKING UP on the road, especially in the INDEPENDENT circuit. it happens to the best of bands, just look at OPERATION IVY a few years earlier which DISINTEGRATED under similar circumstances. i cant imagine having to travel long distances in an era pre-smartphone and online mapping services. sounds like an absolute LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE and INTERPERSONAL MINEFIELD. for such a singularly INTENSE band, its very much INTRIGUING that the financial and emotional GAUNTLET of the road is what ultimately DISMANTLED them. at least 25 years later they are all able to laugh at themselves over the whole thing. im especially glad that they didnt succumb to the "getting the band back together" film cliche. just another CONTRARIAN decision much like the ethos of their catalogue in one group action. notable DEADGUY: KILLING MUSIC interview participants include the likes of RANDY BLYTHE (LAMB OF GOD), BEN WEINMAN (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), JUSTIN PEARSON (THE LOCUST / DEAD CROSS), KEITH BUCKLEY (EVERY TIME I DIE), JESSE LEACH (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), TREVOR STRNAD (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER), JACOB BANNON & NATE NEWTON (CONVERGE), SEAN INGRAM (COALESCE), STEVE AUSTIN (TODAY IS THE DAY), BRIAN COOK (BOTCH / RUSSIAN CIRCLES), DIC COYLE (GOD FORBID / BAD WOLVES), DUSTIN PERRY & DARYL TABERSKI (SNAPCASE) among other musicians from SNAPCASE, TOUCHE AMORE, DOC HOPPER, CABLE, BREATHER RESIST, SHAI HULUH, MONSTER MAGNET, THOUGHTS OF IONESCO, SAETIA and SWEET DIESEL as well as representatives of various INDEPENDENT POST-HARDCORE, EXTREME METAL, PUNK ROCK and HARDCORE record labels. thats a hell of a lot of community involvement from a band id never head of. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
to call BILL HICKS a COMEDIAN is a bit REDUCTIVE. its also misleading because his work at its peak functioned on an entirely different plane of consciousness than mere jokes and cheap laughs. i liken him more to a PROPHET. or even an ORACLE marking the cultural path for humanity to evolve as a species. if that all sounds a bit HOIGHTY TOIGHTY and PRETENTIOUS, its probably because to his legions of fans, HICKS was a ONE-ONE-ONE. a true AMERICAN original.
AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY (VARIANCE, 2009), is a documentary that attempts to uncover and inform the viewer regarding the personal experiences and motivations that informed his legendary CONTRARIAN and CONSCIOUS-EXPANDING stand-up routines. this is done through archival footage of HICKS, as well as more recent interviews with his peers and collaborators and most of his surviving family at the time of production. HICKS grew up and went to school for the most part in HOUSTON, where his parents settled after a few years of peripatetic existence around the AMERICAN SOUTH when he was very young. his family was part of the SOUTHERN BAPTIST church and he was raised in an EVANGELICAL community. after a brief dalliance with the idea of becoming a veterinarian, HICKS discovered COMEDY while watching JOHNNY CARSON on television and subsequently thereafter reading a book about WOODY ALLEN. HICKS being the force of nature that he was, he very much took concept of being a COMEDIAN to heart and self-taught himself as well as local friend DWIGHT SLADE to write and perform at school. this led to them trying out and becoming regulars at the recently built COMIX ANNEX in nearby HOUSTON as teenagers. SLADE's family didnt like this and moved to OREGON abruptly, leaving HICKS to find his voice in isolation. a failed stint in HOLLYWOOD where he couldnt get off the ground as a scriptwriter and a bought of alcoholism after returning to HOUSTON later, HICKS took his drug intake to the extreme and somehow walked it back. that sense of SELF-DISCOVERY and SELF-KNOWLEDGE gained through experience, both physical and chemical (as well as a healthy sprinkling of EASTERN PHILOSOPHY), informed his new material that transcended the form. this is the period of his career for which he is much CELEBRATED and has become something of a CULTURAL ICON and FOLK HERO for his acolytes, including ALTERNATIVE METAL band TOOL whose album AENIMA is an extended MEDITATION of sorts on the METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS in HICKS' routines regarding the NATURE OF REALITY and the COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS being the manifestation of a single expression, a single vibration. that WE ARE ALL GOD and that we are all of each other. HICKS in his later years was causticly POLITICAL in his STAND-UP, being unnerved by the televised wanton death of the first GULF WAR and the ATF's alleged overreach in firing first on the nearby WACO BRANCH DAVIDIAN compound headed cult leader DAVID KORESH. for HICKS, who had recently been diagnosed with late-stage PANCREATIC CANCER and had a failed appearance on LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (of which his brilliant turn was excised from broadcast due to supposed "standards and practices" by LETTERMAN himself), the two examples of government overreach for him translated to an infringement on FREEDOM. we armed IRAQ during their war with IRAN and then turned on them when they got in the way of our oil interests. footage shows that the fire that took out the BRANCH DAVIDIAN compound originated with the ATF contrary to reports at the time. for HICKS, this all meant that if you were POLITICAL and monetarily WEAK, you had no voice or rights worth defending in the UNITED STATES. in the years since its difficult to not see our current predicament with CLIMATE CHANGE, ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM and POLITICAL CORRUPTION in a HICKSIAN light. in the aftermath of the 2008 economic meltdown, homeowners got screwed and thrown on the street while powerful banks restored despite their insatiable GREED being the root of the disaster. and dont get me started on the second GULF WAR in the aftermath of 9/11. the continued prescience of his ideas regarding the AMERICAN culture and politics is remarkable to say the least. but his insight into the sad VANITY and stale MYOPIA at the heart of the AMERICAN DREAM is the dagger that continues to pierce the veil of our collective national SELF-DELUSION. the ILLUSION that we are a force for good in the world, that we are somehow EXCEPTIONAL or WORTHY of the power and influence we've nurtured through the past two centuries. for me, his pointing out and evisceration of that extended FALLACY for what it is, a DELUSION, is what cements his cultural legacy as a COMEDIAN of the first order and modern MORAL PHILOSOPHER in my humble estimation. he is someone i continually check in on and reacquaint myself with his ideas, as they are always relevant to my identity as a QUESTIONING and INQUISITIVE AMERICAN. photo & text by nacrowe
the severe TRAUMA and PAIN involved with sustaining a major LOSS, along with the GRIEVING PROCESS thereafter, can be a seemingly ALL-ENCOMPASSING and an immeasurably TORTUROUS experience. i cant even begin to imagine or empathize with the sheer depths of SORROW that musician ALAIN JOHANNES went through when he lost his wife and CREATIVE collaborator NATASHA SHNEIDER to CANCER in 2008.
if you are unfamiliar with the name JOHANNES, you may be more familiar with his work writing and supporting ALTERNATIVE ROCK juggernaut QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE as well as THEM CROOKED VULTURES, MARK LANEGAN, PJ HARVEY, ARCTIC MONKEYS and CHRIS CORNELL's early solo career among other NOTABLE projects. interestingly, while still in high school in LOS ANGELES he led an INFLUENTIAL group called WHAT IS THIS? that had fellow classmates and future RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS musicians HILLEL SLOVAK, JACK IRONS and FLEA as members. after meeting SHNEIDER, he started a new duo called WALK THE MOON and then later, after the PASSING of SLOVAK from a HEROIN OVERDOSE a few years later, IRONS left the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and joined JOHANNES and SHNEIDER in a new group called ELEVEN. more so than his high profile gigs, ELEVEN is the DEFINITIVE project of his career as a musician given the deep TELEPATHIC and almost ALCHEMICAL INTIMACY that he shared with his wife on a PERSONAL, EMOTIONAL and MUSICAL LEVEL. that INTENSE RAPPORT is understandably why he felt so severely BEREAVED and spiritually ISOLATED from the world and his formerly whole self. having lived an extremely PERIPATETIC existence myself as a child moving from hemisphere to hemisphere, there is something about being a THIRD CULTURE KID that makes you extremely ADAPTABLE with the uncanny ability to make HOME anywhere. yet at the same there is a ROOTLESSNESS that takes hold, the idea that you may be a citizen of everywhere but in reality NOWHERE. i implicitly understand that perspective and how finding such a POWERFUL partner intrinsically grounds you on so many levels, many unspoken and unconscious. JOHANNES being a polyglot and having lived in eight countries growing up while not knowing his birth father feels even to me like a heavy BURDEN to bear. it makes sense that he grew to be such an EMPATHETIC songwriter and sought after musical collaborator. its all very in keeping with truly being a THIRD CULTURE KID. the documentary UNFINISHED PLAN: THE PATH OF ALAIN JOHANNES (GRAVITAS VENTURES, 2016) is very much centered around that AGONY and his road to finding SOLACE and MEANING anew in the world, even after the DEATHS of his partner, his mother and his birth father. participants in this film include close friends and collaborators including every member of SOUNDGARDEN (i.e. CHRIS CORNELL, KIM THAYIL, BEN SHEPHERD and MATT CAMERON) as well as JOSH HOMME (KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, THEM CROOKED VULTURES), MARK LANEGAN (SCREAMING TREES), DAVE CATCHING (EARTHLINGS?, RANCHO DE LA LUNA recording studio) and ALEX TURNER (ARCTIC MONKEYS). what i found interesting was that JOHANNES discovering CHILEAN roots and being immediately embraced by their artistic and musical communities was both grounding and a REJUVENATING wellspring of HOPE, OPTIMISM and INSPIRATION in his life during what was undoubtedly a BLEAK PERIOD. that warm embrace of a country he had no connection to outside of being born there and speaking the language provided a sense of CONNECTION when i can only imagine his instinct was to RETREAT and ISOLATE himself. its all very moving and in keeping with what i have experienced about the people having lived in SOUTH AMERICA. ultimately music is about CREATION and CONNECTION. its such a uniquely human enterprise in that regard. the greater community that supports such endeavors (musicians, recording engineers, concert promoters, independent radio, fans) at least provide a framework for REINTEGRATING oneself not only with a global audience, but with themselves and their own emotions. this film in my opinion is more about that search for CONNECTION and MEANING in spite of tremendous GRIEF and PAIN, rather than the TRAUMA itself. music can do that. or at least start the conversation. RIP NATASHA SCHNEIDER, HILLEL SLOVAL, MARK LANEGAN & CHRIS CORNELL photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i was made aware of the widely-revered AUSTRALIAN CINEMATOGRAPHER CHRISTOPHER DOYLE while taking a film elective sophomore year of high school. it was a cinema appreciation class where an english teacher at the boarding school i was attending in MASSACHUSETTS essentially had students watch his personal favorite films, things like BILLY WILDER's SOME LIKE IT HOT (UNITED ARTISTS, 1959), INGMAR BERGMAN's WILD STRAWBERRIES (AB SVENSK, 1957), ORSON WELLES' CITIZEN KANE (RKO, 1941), MICHAEL CURTIZ' CASABLANCA (WARNER BROS, 1942), ROBERT WISE's WEST SIDE STORY (UNITED ARTISTS, 1961) and so on.
it was in this educational context that i found myself absolutely floored by the EMOTIONALLY EVOCATIVE look, tone and feel of the VISUAL ARTISTRY present in WONG-KAR WAI's CELEBRATED film CHUNKING EXPRESS (JET TONE, 1994). to me that movie felt like a love letter to all things HONG KONG, the tight-knit VIBRANCY of its PEOPLE, the FOOD, the ARCHITECTURE. despite the seeming OVERWHELMING scale at play in describing a city of that scale, it is an INTIMATE portrayal of young people navigating their way through the narrative of their personal lives, an internal geography just as complicated as HONG KONG itself. that INTIMACY is due to the uniquely LYRICAL nature of DOYLE's COMPOSITIONAL and TECHNICAL DECISIONS regarding his craft that come from a place of EMPATHY and RISK-TAKING on set. as DOYLE himself explains during an interview in the recent documentary concerning his career, LIKE THE WIND (PINNACLE FILM & MEDIA, 2021), his goal is to manifest "what is intended as opposed to whats written." there is a near infinite ways in which a scene can play out on camera that require an unspoken collaboration between the subject and the artist, the actor and the cinematographer. UNSCHOOLED, UNBIASED and verifiably UNSHACKLED by CINEMATIC CONVENTION given his unique background as a transient AUSTRALIAN that left his homeland to discover adventure and artistic nourishment in CHINESE culture first in TAIPEI and later HONG KONG. given his lack of cinematographic training and status as a foreigner working in the greater CHINESE film industry, his PERSPECTIVE and CHOICES regarding use of LIGHTING, SHUTTER SPEED, MOVEMENT, ANGLE and so on is completely SINGULAR unto himself. that JOY and EXUBERANCE in the EXPERIMENTATION and familial TRUST between collaborators is what makes his films work. and utterly UNIQUE relative to HOLLYWOOD projects. it is why he was unable to find a similar artistic voice when called upon by WESTERN directors; the process was different and the scale and occupational stratification of the crew bogged the process down. the nearest analogue i can find to DOYLE is the director JULIAN SCHNABEL (BEFORE NIGHT FALLS, BASQUIAT, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY) who was a RENOWNED painter before he got behind the lens and has a similarly EPHEMERAL and highly LYRICAL VISUAL STYLE and VOCABULARY. for SCHNABEL, if something works on camera he is aware of it immediately. if not, like DOYLE, he makes other choices in the moment until it works and showcases an EMOTIONAL TRUTH that was intended but UNSPOKEN in the script. LIKE THE WIND very much gets at that STRANGE dynamic whereby it takes the creative efforts of a foreigner to make art that is truly LOCAL and NATIVE to its environment. reminds me of what E.B. WHITE once said about there being three NEW YORKS: "There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter — the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. in essence there is no verifiably TRUE or AUTHENTIC anything. all PERSPECTIVES regarding a culture or location are equally VALID. sometimes it takes some distance to truly appreciate what is in front of oneself by someone who is less emotionally connected or familiar it on a daily basis. such acknowledged distance from his subject and the COURAGE to implement a vision and perspective regarding such is DOYLE's gift to HONG KONG and by extension WORLD CINEMATIC CULTURE, as much as he seemingly despises such accolades.
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
there is something special about HIP HOP whereby the artist is an extension of their COMMUNITY. everyone by definition has to be from somewhere, but in HIP HOP that special role of the artist is often one of defining the STRUGGLES, HOPES and DREAMS of those they came up with in the narratives of their lyrics and being the living embodiment of such for the broader CULTURE. in some ways its an extension of the GRIOT TRADITION in WEST AFRICA, wherein traveling musicians and storytellers transmitted news and stories by foot from one neighboring VILLAGE to the next, transmitting information as gatekeepers and definers of CULTURAL IDENTITY. modern MCs, especially that of NASIR 'NAS' JONES, has that level of special relationship with his QUEENSBRIDGE PROJECTS home base and the NAS: TIME IS ILLMATIC (TRIBECA FILM INSTITUTE, 2014) documentary is an extended meditation on such through the stories transmitted through his debut album ILLMATIC (COLUMBIA, 1994), which many consider the greatest HIP HOP record ever.
end stop. i think what this film does an INCREDIBLE job of is present ILLMATIC within a HISTORICAL, POLITICAL and CULTURAL context that is positioned well beyond his QUEENS NEIGHBORHOOD, or even NEW YORK CITY for that matter. NAS as a person sees his roots in that of his father's side of the family in the DEEP SOUTH where they struggled for generations to get ahead, fighting through SLAVERY and then RECONSTRUCTION & JIM CROW right on through the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT to modern times. his family utilized music as a coping mechanism as well as a tool to maintain familial cohesion in the face of overwhelming STRUCTURAL RACISM intently designed to pull them apart from each other and eviscerate any sense of IDENTITY or COMMUNITY. there is a definite through line between this overt utilization of STATE AUTHORITY and related POWER STRUCTURES by white racists in the SOUTH to racially obstruct a community and the modern day STRUGGLES of blacks in NEW YORK CITY in the later half of the 20th century. you have phenomena like REDLINING, WHITE FLIGHT, the CRACK EPIDEMIC, LIMITED JOB OPPORTUNITIES and UNDERFUNDED SCHOOLS along with the MASS INCARCERATION of black males that results in a long-suffering inner-city community on the decline during NAS' childhood. NAS himself throughout the film talks about his dual role as being an extension of and expression of his COMMUNITY and it is something he obviously takes great pride in, giving a voice and platform to the QUEENSBRIDGE PROJECTS he was raised within. there is a particularly POIGNANT moment when he is told about a DANNY CLINCH photograph taken on the premises with people from his specific block, learning that most of them were DECEASED or INCARCERATED in long-term bids. this included the kids photographed as well. its reality and it is harsh. NAS figures he'd be a statistic as well, much like his close childhood friend WILLIE 'ILL WILL' GRAHAM who was struck down right before ILLMATIC was recorded. its obvious this all weighs heavy on him and that he is SERIOUS about maintaining and being a physical embodiment and manifestation of the POSITIVE aspects of his COMMUNITY. this is the broader context for his involvement with the HIP HOP ARCHIVE at HARVARD UNIVERSITY where his lyrics and RELEVANT personal effects will be stored for posterity for future generations for research and educational purposes. for NAS this immense honor is not about his greatness as an artist per se, but more a vehicle for honoring his COMMUNITY and those that were lost along the way, such as his mother FANNIE ANN JONES, that undeniably were intertwined in his personal narrative. it is quite POWERFUL. it goes also without saying that there were many interview participants in this documentary, including NAS' father OLU DARA and brother JABARI 'JUNGLE' FRET, along with producers associated with ILLMATIC like LARGE PROFESSOR, Q-TIP (A TRIBE CALLED QUEST), PETE ROCK, L.E.S. and DJ PREMIER (GANG STARR). also present were early benefactors like MC SERCH (3RD BASS) who executive produced ILLMATIC and the record executive FAITH NEWMAN (COLUMBIA RECORDS) who signed him. also cant go without mentioning the involvement of the local QUEENSBRIDGE mc ROXANNE SHANTE who pushed a gifted but unknown NAS to initially perform and put him and his crew in front of her audience as well as ILLMATIC collaborator, rapper ANTHONY 'AZ' CRUZ. lastly the many admirers that participated by provided CULTURAL context include that of noted professor/activist CORNEL WEST, DJ MARLEY MARL, BUSTA RHYMES, ERYKAH BADU, PHARRELL WILLIAMS, KENDRICK LAMAR, SWIZZ BEATZ, J COLE and ALICIA KEYS. in summation NAS: TIME IS ILLMATIC is an EXCEPTIONAL introduction to a staggering cultural achievement as well as the UPLIFTING nature of HIP HOP and its INDELIBLE relationship to the here and now of a particular COMMUNITY. that sense of poetry rooted in AUTHENTIC experience is what defines the genre and gives it its RAW POWER and ARTISTIC WEIGHT. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
not gonna lie, watching the recent documentary WHITE RIOT (SMOKING BEAR, 2019) about the inner-workings of the ROCK AGAINST RACISM movement in late 1970s BRITAIN, it echoed and reminded me quite a bit about the outright LUNACY of the modern day MALICIOUSLY MISINFORMED BREXIT crowd and even FLORIDA's culture war against education, specifically AFRICAN-AMERICAN history and GENDER / LGBTQ STUDIES. it all feels the same.
ROCK AGAINST RACISM was a group initiated as part of a DIY cultural reaction against growing widespread BRITISH ANTI-IMMIGRANT sentiment during that late 70s period (famously spearheaded by notorious bigot MP ENOCH POWELL of NORTHERN IRELAND) and the subsequent rise of the NATIONAL FRONT. much like TED NUGENT, LIL WAYNE, KID ROCK, LIL PUMP and KANYE WEST provided cultural air cover for DONALD TRUMP during his DISASTROUS regime, ERIC CLAPTON, ROD STEWART and even DAVID BOWIE did the same during this period with regards to POWELL and his RACIST public declarations advocating for the forcible repatriation of generations of immigrants (i.e. THE WINDRUSH GENERATION) and their defendants back to their ethnic nation of origin, irregardless of their visa or citizenship status. in recent years CLAPTON has been outed publicly for his history of VILE RACISM and ETHNO-NATIONALISM, which is truly BIZARRE given the effort and extent to which such was covered up and looked past for decades. i mean the dude literally was globally celebrated for being a SAVANT BLUES guitarist of the first order, a musical form with deep roots in the AFRICAN-AMERICAN struggle against slavery. for him to be a WHITE NATIONALIST is still head-scratching in terms of its sheer audacity. CLAPTON is always will be a phony to be ridiculed and pitied. the NATIONAL FRONT was essentially a REVANCHIST, FASCIST movement that preyed on the FEARS of the WORKING-CLASS WHITE men who felt emasculated in the wake of the fall of the empire and the perceived weakening of the UNITED KINGDOM's global standing. this movement sought to reimpose an ETHNIC PURITY to the nation and establish exclusive economic ties with the likes of APARTHEID regimes in RHODESIA and SOUTH AFRICA as well as other satellite nations in AFRICA and SOUTH EAST ASIA. much like modern PUTIN wishes to reimpose the territorial and economic claims of the fallen USSR, the NATIONAL FRONT sought to reimpose COLONIALISM at home and abroad. and in terms of growing WHITE membership and waging FEAR through VIOLENCE against minority groups, for a period they were successful. such is the backdrop to a famous concert in the heart of the NATIONAL FRONT's stronghold in EAST LONDON at VICTORIA PARK that included the likes of X-RAY SPECS, STEEL PULSE, the TOM ROBINSON BAND and THE CLASH. such a show was the capstone event after a day of protests through the streets that showcased the SILENT majority of BRITISH citizens from across the nation who showed up in droves to protest not only the NATIONAL FRONT, but the COMPLICITY of the police and political classes in tolerating such HATRED and ANTI-DEMOCRATIC SENTIMENT. the fact that the COUNTER-CULTURAL movement represented by ROCK AGAINST RACISM as well as the ANTI-NAZI LEAGUE, as well as the music press (NME, MELODY MAKER, etc) that adopted and actively promoted its political objectives, worked is an INCREDIBLE achievement. makes me wonder how such would work now in a world rife with digital platforms that perpetuate MISINFORMATION and state initiated DISINFORMATION campaigns at a PERVASIVE clip even GEORGE ORWELL could never have imagined. modern FASCISTS now like governor RON DESANTIS of FLORIDA are attacking the education architecture that underlies INDEPENDENT THOUGHT in his state. if voters keep reelecting him despite such ANTI-DEMOCRATIC tactics, where is the opposition going to come from with an equal and identifiably massive force. today feels different, but maybe it shouldnt. WHITE RIOT seems to be a clarion call for today's youth to get involved and push back, whatever the odds or sacrifice. it is a genuinely UPLIFTING film that i highly recommend. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
ANONYMITY is an attention grabbing device that has been used in ROCK N ROLL for decade now to the point that it is beyond a cliche. ARTISTS ranging from KISS, DAFT PUNK and GWAR to DEVO, MF DOOM and SLIPKNOT have utilized this technique for varying AESTHETIC, POLITICAL and PERSONAL purposes over the years. arguably THE RESIDENTS have pioneered the choice of OBFUSCATION into an ART form. for them this SELF-DETERMINED ARTIFICE that separates their true IDENTITY from the world is ironically about maintaining a relationship with their audience and is the central premise of the recent THEORY OF OBSCURITY: A FILM ABOUT THE RESIDENTS (KTF FILMS, 2015) documentary. if having a documentary about an ANONYMOUS SUBECT seems like a farcically ABSURD concept, worry ye not, for it absolutely is.
for THE RESIDENTS, the theory of obscurity centers around how audiences perceive NEW ARTISTS, in that expectations are LIMITLESS until confronted with the actual work itself. after that something becomes attached to ARTIST and essentially defines their subsequent creative output. THE RESIDENTS, who apparently came out of the BAY AREA psychedelic movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, essentially sought to subvert this relationship by basically presenting as a NEW BAND with every release. this entailed DRASTIC shifts in CONCEPTS, MUSIC GENRES, COSTUMES, INSTRUMENTATION, etc. that UNIQUE perspective and ability to maintain their PERSONAL IDENTITY more than 40 years later has resulted in a highly INFLUENTIAL discography that has affected the likes of generations of musicians, authors and ARTISTS alike, such as those interviewed for this film including JERRY CASALE (DEVO), LES CLAYPOOL (PRIMUS), DEAN WEEN (WEEN), CHRIS CUTLER (HENRY COW), JOSH FREESE (DEVO, THE VANDALS), JERRY HARRISON (TALKING HEADS), DAVE EDWARDSON (NEUROSIS), ERIC DREW FELDMAN (CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, PIXIES), JOE HASSELVANDER (RAVEN), ROB CROW (PINBACK), JOSHUA BRODY (CLUB FOOT ORCHESTRA), MATT GROENING (creator, THE SIMPSONS), GARY PANTER (ARTIST), ADAM WELLER (ARTIST), JIM KNIPFEL (novelist) and PENN JILLETTE (magician, PENN & TELLER) among others. the core of there legacy seems to be centered on their RELENTLESS creative EXPERIMENTATION which takes them into EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES related to the MUSIC and VIDEO PRODUCTION, COSTUME and SET DESIGN, and even MODERN COMMUNICATION and SOCIAL MEDIA apps. they always seem to use technology as a method of confronting and subverting the expectations of their audience. its INTERESTING because they have a huge discography but remain a band of the moment and are NOT NOSTALGIC in the least. if anything, their embrace makes diehard fans feel that their best work is yet to come. i want to say just as an aside that i found it real INTERESTING to watch current and past members of THE RESIDENTS' INDEPENDENT label RALPH RECORDS and its superseding likewise private entity THE CRYPTIC CORPORATION speak of them in third-person. i am not sure if these members of the board of the corporation were the band, but it sure felt that way given how much they spoke about the INTIMATE inner-workings of the band over the decades. maybe that was the band hiding in plain sight? maybe? maybe not. does it matter? i always welcome learning about ARTIST that challenge and provoke and THE RESIDENTS vary much fit into such. although i was familiar with them before, i plan to delve into their extensive discography unsure of the RELEVANT knowledge i picked up from this documentary. perhaps i am being misled, but then thatll work itself out if i come to the music with an OPEN MIND, which is all they or any other band could hope for with their audience. THEORY OF OBSCURITY: A FILM ABOUT THE RESIDENTS is most definitely worth checking out, irrespective of your familiarity with their IDIOSYNCRATIC ARTISTIC legacy or AVANT-GARDE music. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i took this PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS my senior year. it was at a public school in a SACRAMENTO suburb that my uncle taught at and i was there in the wake of 9/11 as my family decided it was better for me not to be with them in KUWAIT during that tense GEOPOLITICAL MOMENT. i remember being beside myself with boredom in this class and feeling ISOLATED. there was this assignment i had to complete which entailed taking someone's portrait. now at the time i didnt know anybody so i turned that relative ANONYMITY to my advantage. right before the shutter opened id gently toss a candy bar or tennis ball i stole from physical ed at my subject. what i got were these looks of genuine SURPRISE and/or FEAR in my photographs. funny enough i won an award for them at the end of the year.
THE INCOMPARABLE ROSE HARTMAN (GRAVITAS VENTURES, 2016) follows the NOTORIOUS celebrity photographer ROSE HARTMAN, known for her ability to take exquisitely COMPOSED and EMOTIVE photographs under less-than-stellar lighting conditions at OPENINGS, GALAS and PRIVATE PARTIES, some she was invited to and others not so much. in some ways her objective was not dissimilar than my own, capturing that PERFECT MOMENT when the subject has UNVEILED themselves and made apparent, however briefly, their TRUE SELVES and not some PREPARED MASK or PRACTICED PUBLIC PERSONA. the details of the NYC NIGHTCLUB, GLITERATI and HIGH SOCIETY events is not something i find terribly interesting or COMPELLING, but the idea of subterfuge and pressing forth into EXCLUSIVE SPACES where one was not invited to capture a FLEETING MOMENT perfectly seems absolutely THRILLING. it should be noted that HARTMAN is not a member of the PAPARAZZI in that she is not looking to embarrass, diminish or expose her subject for short term gain in a low-brow tabloid. she is much more interested in documenting the nighttime FANTASY WORLD that she has come to term the "CHIFFON JUNGLE" of which she is involved in but a exactly a part of. its quite an INTERESTING dynamic at play. the other COMPELLING dynamic on fully display throughout the documentary is her unrelentingly DOMINATING personality. HARTMAN comes off as a force of nature as she browbeats the director as well as revelers at her own showing, making sure full well that she and her work at the forefront of everyone's attention. its a personality quirk that is easy to mock and betrays some deep need for CONFIRMATION, as if controlling people is a substitute for AFFECTION. there is something DISTURBING and even TRAGIC about that dynamic, as if HEISENBERG's UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE is put into practice in the SOCIAL SPHERE, i.e. she can affect people's behavior but at the core is still on the periphery never really connecting in any sort of INTIMATE sense. ive looked through her work and it is beyond INCREDIBLE, almost HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON-esque in capturing that "DECISIVE MOMENT." its just at what price? it all feels like a distraction from some deep UNSPOKEN personal TRAUMA. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
its difficult for me to watch the highly AFFECTING GOODNIGHT BROOKLYN - THE STORY OF DEATH BY AUDIO (GRAVITAS VENTURES, 2016) documentary, it being a lovingly INTIMATE eulogy to a performance space that brought CULTURE, JOY, MUSIC, ART and COMMUNITY in a DILAPIDATED WILLIAMSBURG warehouse to a new generation of MUSIC fans, and not think of the similar real estate-related demise of my cousin's nearby [the end] recording studio in nearby GREENPOINT. in both cases the property values went to high for landlords not to convert the land into high-end retail office and/or residential buildings. if anything, both facilities were playing with borrowed time.
i learned about DEATH BY AUDIO via their TOTAL SONIC ANNIHILATION guitar pedal that i heard about but couldnt secure until i took a trip up to MAIN DRAG MUSIC in WILLIAMSBURG. the pedal basically sends the signal back into the previous chain and all i knew was that combined with my PROCO RAT and DIGITECH WHAMMY pedals it made everything sound like an ornery pterodactyl in its final death throes. i still love that pedal. at the time i knew nothing about the band A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS or their headquarters which doubled as the focal point for DEATH BY AUDIO's manufacturing efforts or the INFLUENTIAL performance space that shared the same name. GOODNIGHT BROOKLYN basically documents the final few weeks of the DEATH BY AUDIO performance space and showcases the ART and MUSIC that made it such a VITAL part of the BROOKLYN CULTURAL scene for its 2007-2014 run. it very much concerns itself with two main threads. the first and far and away the most important is the scene itself that the nonprofit live venue integrated and ingratiated itself into, as manifested by the quality of the EXPERIMENTAL bands DEERHOOF, THEE OH SEES, GROOMS, LIGHTNING BOLT, FUTURE ISLANDS, LES SAVY FAV, PROTOMARTYR, DAN DEACON, JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD, TY SEGAL BAND and (of course) A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS that played there over the last few weeks as a proper send off to the venue and the COMMUNITY DEATH BY AUDIO built. likewise interview participants for this film ranged from various former EMPLOYEES, music JOURNALISTS and AUTHORS (BILL PEARIS, MICHAEL AZERRAD), as well as PROMINENT MUSICIANS (KYP MALONE, SAM HERRING, LAUREN STERN, BRIAN CHIPPENDALE and TY SEGALL) , ARTISTS (NICK KUSZYK) and local CONCERT PROMOTERS (TODD P). all make self-evident the impact of the whole venture. the second thread deals with VICE MEDIA, who while expanding their reach soon after its influx of major capital investment in 2013 form the likes of RUPERT MURDOCH and DISNEY, decided to rent out the building and effective push DEATH BY AUDIO out. VICE likened itself as an outsider publication that had its ear to the CULTURAL UNDERGROUND. its lost on no one that by snuffing out DEATH BY AUDIO they were effectively smothering an artistic and musical DIY COMMUNITY that they were supposedly championing. safe to say that if you take money from the likes of FOX NEWS executives, you have no credibility or cultural urrency to effectuate any change and are essentially a vulture. but such is BROOKLYN. and NEW YORK real estate in general going back to the likes of JACKSON POLLOCK in CHELSEA. cheep rent and real estate cycles are what draw artists into new COMMUNITIES which are in turn swallowed up by the money and investment set. no more CBGBs. no more DEATH BY AUDIO. same story, different decade. its PAINFUL nonetheless. when [the end] closed it very much took a toll on my cousin. a few years later when the physical building was demolished it left a deep PSYCHIC and EMOTIONAL scar i have no doubt, even though his POSITIVE temperament and default mode was to push forward and seek out new opportunities elsewhere. the DEATH BY AUDIO pedal company moved to QUEENS and is still very much part of a new breed of mutually SUPPORTIVE boutique small pedal manufacturers such as EARHQUAKER DEVICES, OLD BLOOD NOISE ENDEAVOURS, MR BLACK, CHASE BLISS, JHS PEDALS, WALRUS AUDIO and so on. it may be me, but i feel that this CREATIVE network of like-minded, EXPLORATORY sound engineers carries the same DNA of the celebrated former performance space. although technically in competition, these brands all seemingly promote each other via their social media accounts. venues come and go, but for me that sense of COMMUNITY and LOVE of NOVEL ART and MUSIC for its own sake is the cool lasting legacy of DEATH BY AUDIO. you really get the sense that their pedals are tools for nurturing and promoting future CREATIVITY and independent SELF-EXPRESSION out in the ether. just pushing that EMPATHETIC energy forward. its a good thing. photo & text by nacrowe
not sure why but i recently watched the documentary DYE HARD (SKY ISLAND, 2022), which effectively promotes the idea of TIE DYEING shirts and related paraphernalia as an ARTISTIC recruit worthy of COMPETITION and critical assessment. going into this film i was more than SKEPTICAL but then i am the wrong demographic. i have never owned a TIE DYED shirt or had any inclination to procure one, furthermore i am not a fan of PHISH, THE GRATEFUL DEAD, WIDESPREAD PANIC, MOE. or THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT despite having been in and around VERMONT during my FORMATIVE years as an underclassman in high school. i was exposed to the MUSIC, DRUGS and SUBCULTURE and promptly rejected all of it. including the TIE DYE.
but on some level what interests me about this brief film is the ARTISTRY and TECHNIQUE, specifically the MATH involved, to create DIZZYING MANDALAS and impossibly COMPLEX FRACTAL PATTERNS by hand. the idea that you spend up 8, 10 or 20 hours preparing a shirt, tying it up with varying materials and dousing it in specifically procured DYES and PROPRIETARY chemical solutions, only to have a rolled out canvas that is largely a MYSTERY is particularly FASCINATING. DYE HARD, which i must admit is a great title, AGGRESIVELY attempts to promote specific ARTISTS that are a part of the COMPETITION at the focus of the film. the fact that some take TIE DYEING very seriously above and beyond a hobby is more than a bit COUNTERINTUITIVE, especially given the ANTI-COMMERCIAL ETHOS of the JAM bands that support such designs for decades. the COMPETITIVE ego-driven CAPITALIST mindset that has set in for a few of these ARTISTS is more than a little JARRING and UNFORTUNATE, since undoubtedly the vibe of the COMMUNITY at large is one of mutual COLLABORATION and SUPPORTIVE and EMPATHETIC COMMUNICATION. then again, some of the most SUCCESSFUL VENTURE CAPIRALISTS in SILICON VALLEY have long been deadheads so maybe that ETHOS was BULLSHIT all along. probably. others look at the competition as a family reunion where they get to share their art with close FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES and potential future COLLABORATORS. definitely a compelling look at an EMERGING SUBCULTURE that since the pandemic has found new interest from a younger generation that has already innovated on TECHNIQUE, materials and overall ARTISTIC COMPLEXITY. all that being said, i would still not be caught dead wearing one of these rainbow monstrosities. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
April 2024
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