F*ck It Friday... About The Man

For F*ck It Friday, keeping with the “posting whatever I feel like” type theme the day has turned into, I wanted to share this wicked video that is probably one of my favorite Tom Waits performances. He is THE coolest cat around… that is all.

Say Whaaaa? Wednesday... The Somber of Sober Artists

I found this fantastically interesting article regarding the coincidental downfall of writers after they sober up. It seems there is a common trend in the quality of art, music, and literature after the artist becomes sober; temperate rock n’ roll, poetry and paintings just aren’t that great.
Look, I get that drugs and alcohol has robbed us of a score of greats – Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Keith Moon, Dinah Washington, John Bonham. I know a lot of artists have converted to a clean and sober life and continue to rain in the success of their creativity, however, the absence of that “self-destructive art” leaves out the romanticizing and soul-crushing feed we all want to indulged in; Highway to Hell type gig you feel me?

There is a famous quote by Symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud about making oneself flourish by “an immense, long, deliberate derangement of all the senses,” and it appears plenty of artists follow that handbook. Gregg Allman even said “just leave your mind alone and just get high.” Whatever side your on you can’t deny the fact that some of the greatest music of all time came out of the maddened minds of artists under the influence.
Whether their creative product was amazing may have just been a coincidence but its fun reveling with the devil; sometimes we want to believe living a straight life leads to another destruction of the body besides death and sometimes that is much worse.

(Link: "When Novelists Sober Up" By Tom Shone; moreintelligentlife.com)

http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/content/tom-shone/when-novelists-sober

(Photo: Jack Kerouac)

Alexander McQueen’s Final Collection

Following McQueen’s unfortunate suicide, 16 of his final creations were showcased in a dignified setting to honor the designer’s couture accomplishments throughout his fashion career.
The collection seeped renaissance nobility while highlighting the art of the Dark Ages. Beauty and radiant passion emitted from the rich fabrics and structured tailoring; the pieces were anything but a representation of a “Dark” era. The collection was minimal but the poetic and medieval splendor was still translated through religious iconography and subtle baroque artistic styling. As is typical for McQueen’s genius, he was able to transmit the grace of a period that generally is associated with aggression and hostility.

(Photos: Courtesy of style.com)

Serene Saturday... I dream of Spring Today

This is a boring post to simulate my boring Saturday. It was a gorgeous day; the shinning sun was giving us a reminder of the ever approaching spring! However, I was uninspired to do much of anything, specifically working on a term paper that has been resting ever so pleasantly on my desk for the past week. I decided to record my sensations for the day...

Seeing: The sunshine illuminating a wintered earth ready to bloom into spring

Touching: Beautifully loose fitting, black silk tapered trousers I bought!

Hearing: “Old Habits Die Hard” The Rolling Stones

Smelling: White Chocolate Brownies I baked

F*ck It Friday... Flippin' the Bird to the Conventional

I have never been to Asia, however, the fashion of Japan and China has always fascinated me. Asian culture has this remarkable ability to stretch beyond the conventions of fashion and create something truly magical. It seems even their punk street style has a delicate technique that is illustrated through cut up leather, sky high Mohawks, purple Dock Martins, safety pin vests and eccentric make up. Whether it is only one with a “fashion eye” who can detect, or appreciate for that matter, this tactful and creative collection of brilliant entities that drift amongst the streets like real life animation, no one can deny their distinctive style!

So this weeks “F*ck It Friday” is in recognition to China’s Fashion Week 2010 held in Beijing. The beautifully peculiar clothes with unusually attractive head pieces made me want to get the “f*ck its” when it comes to taking risks with fashion! Some days I just want to go to school wearing a top hat and rings on every finger; after viewing these photos, I think I may just do so!

(Photos from left to right: TONI&GUY Trends Release; Model poses for a cosmetic show; Qi Gang- all lines showcased in Beijing at China's Fashion Week S/S Collection 2010)

Say Whaaaa Wednesday... Art in Action

I am not one to be a fan of "pop culture" art but this creative venture truly is amazing. I am aware it is possible to have constructed this film through animation, but the source where I retrieved the video claims it was all done in brief seconds of film and continual painting and repainting the figures. Some incredibly impressive radical fusion going on in this video!

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

The Stone of a Poet- By Jenna Reimer

What should I know of death?
Drawing in a light breath,
Feeling life in all my limbs,
I stand single.
In the midst of greater shadows
I become a form beyond my solemn;
My fingers birth twisted fibers
Of coiling vines that threaten
The green-blue grassland I stand upon.
Shedding dead bark from my lips,
Red hued leaves from my hair,
My pillared body becomes a purposed bough.
Fear and forgotten trust, silence and solace
Skulls and death becomes an altar
Within my undisturbed mossy roots.