As I write this, a procession of fit and healthy people are trudging past our window — entrants in this year’s New York marathon — all looking resplendant in their matching lyrca bodysuits and beaming proudly at the piles of well-wishers lining the footpaths to cheer them on. Oh the humanity. It makes me realise how many better people there are in the world than me. Hmmm. I’m still comatose from a big night out at a seedy local bar. Yet rather than wallow in a haze of Saturday night cocktails, the fine folk before me probably rose at the crack of dawn — ate heartily — then stretched every damn muscle for all it’s worth. Meanwhile the rest of us hedonists sit back, breathe deeply and just take in the view. Sigh. [illustrations by Fawn Gehweller]
Also by ZOLTON
Maths explains the origin of superhero characters
I love the colours and simple reasoning in this clever series by Scottish illustrator Matt Cowen, which uses basic maths equations to explain how certain pop culture icons came to be. Read more
Star Wars Uncut: a fully crowdsourced version of Episode IV
The project of creative technologist, Casey Pugh, this full length version of the George Lucas masterpiece was created from multiple 15 second segments recreated from the original movie and submitted by thousands of Star Wars fans, which were then spliced together by editor Aaron Valdez to form the final product. Genius, as both a commentary on contemporary pop culture trends (there are references to LEGO, stop motion, memes and the like) and on the power of tapping your audience for quality material.
Filmmaker creates LEGO stop motion to propose to girlfriend
Now, this is one for the ages: back in 2010, Atlanta film-maker Walter Thompson created a jaw-dropping LEGO stop motion to propose to Nealey Dozier, his girlfriend of four years. The video took 22 hours of shooting and some 2,600 pictures to splice together, a small sacrifice to pay for years of happiness together. Right? Right! Oh, and she said yes. Bonus.
YOU'RE SAYING (1)
HAVE YOUR SAY
Alison Brady presents the human form as if it were either a strange plant or a plastic toy uncovered in a middle-American backyard. At once disturbing and whimsical, Brady’s images depict bodies ill-fitted to their environments, as if they were discarded, forgotten, or malfunctioning. Read more
In late 80s and early 90s, the Illustrated Laser Ray and futuristic grids aesthetic was a sensation, years before it began to diminish abruptly. But just like every fashion, it became mainstream and mutated into portrait backgrounds. A large amount of these pictures are documented on the Laser Portraits websites. Read more
Heavy metal and hip-hop are perhaps the most popular forms of rebellion for kids the world over. In Malaysia, metal — particularly black metal — has taken such a strong hold that the Fatwa Council there banned it, fearing that the music would compel listeners to rebel against religion. Contrary to the council’s intentions, black metal is as popular as ever in Malaysia, and is a recognizable cultural touchstone there, as indicated by the above clip from the 2005 film Filem Rock.
Attention Asian fetishists: Sanrio is about to open a Hello Kitty theme park in the city of Anji in Zhejiang Province, China. It will be the first of such parks outside of Japan.
The future, and how people imagined it back in the day, is the subject of the Paleo-Future blog by Matt Novak. Since Janury 2007, he has become what he calls ‘an accidental expert on visions of the future’, gathering a gigantic collection of retro-futuristic documents, art and media. Read more
The nice thing about black metal is that it’s so hard for it to be co-opted. Between its often extreme ideologies and its inherently abrasive sound, it’s hard to imagine anyone trying to sell you a pair of sneakers with it. Even as some bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth have wormed their way into the mainstream, the vast majority of black metal fans and bands out there are happy to stay in the filthy pits of the underground. Read more
When I first saw the freakishly long, beaded Ghostdancer earrings on a friend of mine, I was shocked to actually be looking at something undoubtedly inspired by Native American art that didn’t actually insult someone’s culture. Read more
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
A little infectious lollipop rock anyone? Feel free to embarrass yourself singing along at the stoplight. If the other drivers give you that look, roll down the windows and spread the love.
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Nerd-attack! Man, this TARDIS zipper robe is so much cooler than any Star Wars crap people are hawking this days. This is for the true gangsta nerd.
Benjamin Edminston’s psychedelic heads seem to have some fearful wisdom behind their blissed-out eyes. Read more
Matthew Dear’s Black City album totem
Our friends at Ghostly International are releasing Matthew Dear’s Black City album as a limited edition ‘totem’. A what? A totem – a limited edition metal bar used to access a private music chamber. Cool! Read more
Honest Food Preparation Instructions
Yes, we’ve all been there: the chinese food from last week that still looks edible amongst the bare surrounds of an empty fridge. But really, we shouldn’t. Just let it be. Or College Humor will expose you! Read more
The Arquebus Clothing Brand, based in Brooklyn, is dedicated to designs that are self-expressive and meaningful through imagery or typography. They are bold, positive, inspirational, motivational, witty, philosophical and very wearable. We love these pieces inspired by nature, history, and everyday living. Some favorites can be found in the Lost At E Minor store.
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If you have a Twitter feed that focuses on cool pop cultural things and you’d like to swap Tweets with Lost At E Minor and other like-minded Twitterers, drop us a note (with Tweet Swap in the title). We have a system in place and we’d like to have you in on it! [illustration by Brad Fitzpatrick]
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chapolito said | 9 November, 2006
but you know that you’d much rather be watching and when they see you loafing that’s got to be what they want to be doing!