October 7, 2008 | Illustration | by Jo Spurling |
Tyson McAdoo is responsible for depicting these salacious bombshells, taking seemingly ordinary situations — like sitting on a couch, riding a motorbike or riding an invisible horse (things I am sure we’ve all done at some stage) — and adding some sassy young minx as the focal point, creating a playground for your eyeballs. Apparently McAdoo is imprisoned within his creative universe, or some dungeon according to his bio, accompanied only by ‘two pathetic ghetto rats, Squeezie and Pocket’, and forced to draw the Empress of Ink over and over each day so she dare not fade. You can pick up prints of his work online, and they are damn reasonably priced compared to what some prints go for these days.
- 2
- 0
October 6, 2008 | Photography | 
by Alison Whittington 
|
He may have played Kipland Ronald Dynamite (Kip) in Napoleon Dynamite, but Californian photographer Aaron Ruell is much more comfortable behind the camera. We interviewed him recently: You’re an actor, filmmaker, and photographer. Is there a continuous theme or tone in your work across these mediums? ‘I think there is a connection between my photography and what I do in film as a director. I notice a similar tone between the two. I’m not sure that I set out for consistency between the two, it just happens. I still have issues with calling myself an “actor”. I’ve only done two films, and it’s not something that I’m out there actively pursuing. Those projects just happen to find me, so I can’t say that there’s a connection there’.
- 4
- 1
October 6, 2008 | Websites | by Andres Colmenares |
Have you heard about Scour yet? If not you will. It is quickly emerging as the most serious competitor to the Google search engine, with an approach based on votes and comments from users focusing on relevance. It delivers search results from Google, Yahoo and MSN, and the best feature is that each time you search, vote or comment, you receive points which can be exchaged for VISA gift cards. Sour gives you one point for each search, two points for each vote and three points for each comment. With around 6,500 points, you will receive a $25 VISA gift card. Not bad for doing something you’re doing now anyway for free.
- 2
- 0
October 6, 2008 | Design | by Zolton |
New Zealand-born, New York-based artist and designer BEMODERN has updated his site with some work showcasing his new interest in the vernacular of digital distortion, creating pixelated static motion with a cut up montage from Google earth’s crude renderings. There is also a selection of new commercial work with motion boards for various broadcast and advertising clients. Read more
- 0
- 1
October 6, 2008 | Places | by Andres Colmenares |
Mozzarella is the new sushi in New York since the opening of Obikà (pronounced Oh-bee-KA), Manhattan’s first mozzarella bar, at 590 Madison Avenue. It’s like a sushi bar that uses buffalo mozzarella instead of fish, and has been a hit in Rome since 2004. Obikà, from the word obiccà, means ‘Here it is’, in Neapolitan. Its innovative concept focuses its offerings on the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, a premium cheese, along with recipes and artisanal products from Italy. The minimalist and modern style of the Obikà kiosks also throughout Rome, Milano, London, Turin, and very soon, in Kuwait City.
- 1
- 0
October 6, 2008 | Music | 
by Francis Andrews |
Like a packet of perfectly seasoned pistachio nuts, I can’t put this album down until it’s well and truly finished: until every last morsel of taut, snappy percussion and hypnotic vocals have been digested. They’re like Animal Collective at the wind-down hour - slightly more stabilised and with the psychotic fits tempered into a soothing, trance-inducing pace. Somehow it’s also immediately catchy, laced with subtle hooks and soaring backing vocals. It’s the sort of sound that sucks you into their warm world, likely to cause you to miss your bus stop if your mind sinks too far into the rich chasm of tracks like Red and Purple [below] or The Ball. Listen closely, because this might well be one of the releases of the year.
- 0
- 0
October 6, 2008 | Art | by Ilana Kohn |
I’ve long been a fan of Brooklyn artist Katy Horan. With a folksy old west, native american aesthetic, Horan creates paintings rich with narrative, like old campfire stories, come to life. Having recently opened her first solo show at the Anno Domini Gallery in San Jose, Horan has created a haunting new body of work filled with abstract lacy patterns and narratives that will most definitely hit your storytime sweet spot.
- 2
- 0
October 6, 2008 | Events | by John Malloy |
The Grind 2.0, a charity auction show to fund construction of the Swift-Cantrell Skatepark in Atlanta, opens on Friday, October 10 at Atlanta’s The Rabbit Hole Gallery. The show features more than 60 hand-painted skate decks painted by some of today’s top underground artists from across America and Europe, and I couldn’t be more excited to be part of it! Other artists include Amy Sol, Dave Kinsey, Chris Stain, Jason Limon, Tara McPherson, Tessar Lo, and many more. The gallery is even offering an online bidding through their website.
- 0
- 0
October 6, 2008 | Video | 
by Yuko Shimizu |
I love Sarah Silverman’s borderline offensive dark and bold sense of humour. Marcos Chin sent me this short video on The Geat Schlep site, which makes me want to vote and convince my grandma to vote too. Well, I am not Jewish, not a US citizen, and my grandma is not in Florida. But at least you should watch. And vote.
- 1
- 1
October 2, 2008 | Products | by Alison Whittington |
I can’t wait for it to get cold so I can dress my puppy Selma Lou in her new cable sweater from Dogs Department. Made from wool imported from Italy, it’s ultra warm and fits her like a glove. Like a kid wanting to wear their new fall clothes on the first day of school, she’s tried it on a couple of times (with hood and without hood) and has assured me she won’t gain anymore weight and that it will fit next year as well. Now, all the Brooklyn dogs are going to want to know her and sniff her butt. Good times!
- 4
- 1
October 2, 2008 | Eco | by Yuko Shimizu |
Is it green? Is it funny? Is it Halloween? Or is it just a bad luck? I actually think they are super smart and stylish, and would not mind getting one of these beautiful couches next time I move to a new apartment. They are made of recycled (but unused) coffins, after all. Fantastic. Read more
- 4
- 0
October 2, 2008 | Trends | by Gerry Mak |
I’m tired of t-shirts. They’re utilitarian and comfortable in the summer, but I’m beginning to feel that they’re really lazy. They’re just billboards for brands, bands, and ideologies, and there’s usually not much thought put into their design. They’re the textile equivalent of the obnoxious status messages on Facebook. If I have to read one more clever slogan or look at one more badly-silkscreened image on someone’s chest I think I’m going to crawl into a hole. T-shirts add to the feeling that everyone is just screaming at everyone else in this overgrown, over-stimulated, anti-intellectual, throw-away culture. I like the idea of getting older and maturing. I look forward to grey hair and wrinkles. I like the idea of showing respect and dignity through your clothes. I like suspenders. Look at the above image from Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger Than Paradise to see what I mean. Read more
- 16
- 14
October 1, 2008 | Fashion | by Laura McWhinnie |
Luxury goods have been getting a bad rap lately, and for good reason. Now I don’t know how you roll, but we don’t know many people who enjoy covering themselves head-to-toe in someone else’s initials. Yet for some reason designers think that diamante logos and monogrammed tapestries are the best mediums to communicate their brand. So it’s just as well LA based eyewear label Barton Perreira doesn’t play by the rules. Starting out less than a year ago, you won’t find their designs getting over-excited by insignia. Instead, these guys hand make their frames in Japan to rely on precision, fit and design. And that’s the way it should be.
- 3
- 0
September 30, 2008 | Architecture | by Snell |
Located on a mountain in country outside Mudgee, in New South Wales, Australia, a permanent camp designed by Casey Brown has been set. A timber structure clad in copper has been designed to have a closed state and an open state. From the closed position, the flanks of copper are hoisted and capture views across the valley. With an imagery of structures, materials and mechanics of old, there is something romantic about this foothold on the hill.
- 2
- 0
September 29, 2008 | Film | by Xavier Toby |
Dalton Trumbo was the first blacklisted writer to win an Academy Award. However, he could not claim the award until years later because he had been forced to write under a pseudonym. Trumbo was one of the Hollywood Ten and even spent a year in jail as a result of investigations into Communist influences in the motion picture industry. This documentary is fascinating not just for its examination of a bizarre period in American history where fear replaced reason and innocent men were jailed, but also for how Trumbo dealt with these hardships. Read more
- 1
- 0
With their improvisational, pyschedelic sound, San Francisco band Wooden Shjips are putting the proverbial finger to the formulaic output of much of the current chart toppers. We interviewed guitarist Erik “Ripley” Johnson recently. Read more
I haven’t been this excited by a band in a long time. Florida’s Black Kids have crept under — and now over — the radar through a demo and some serious internet buzz from NME and Pitchfork. Not only are they ridiculously good, they’ve also offered their four-song demo — Wizard of Ahhh’s — for free on their MySpace page. Sweet.
Ok, so superlatives aren’t really my thing but, damn … the Meet Lincoln t-shirt from emerging fashion label, Klaus Industries, is the coolest tee I’ve seen all year. Who would have thought that America’s finest would make such a striking print graphic. Read more
Katy Smail’s illustrations are kind of like candy floss sticking to wind blown lips — sweet, tempting, yet always just a little bit out of reach. Read more
We have a bunch of new playlists up on our sister site, My Secret Playlist, a music discovery website and weekly email publication in which we invite our favourite bands and musicians to give us the rundown on their eight favourite songs right now. Over the past few weeks, acts such as The B52s, Team Genius, Pivot, Jukebox the Ghost, Moby, Katy Perry, and the Dandy Warhols, among many others, have written about the music that inspires them. To sign-up to receive the weekly My Secret Playlist publication, just enter your email address into the website’s subscription box.
The Highline railway track is a 30 foot high, 1.45 mile long disused piece of infrastructure threading its way through 22 blocks of downtown Manhattan. Read more
This interview with James Lavelle gives a fascinating window into the making of the latest UNKLE opus, End Titles, Stories for Film.
WE'RE RESPECTING
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
I’m so digging the work of Santa Monica artist Andrew Hem. Painting seems to have become relegated in the illustration world these days, so I’m pleased to see Hem rocking it in a big way. His bold brushwork, lush colors, puppet-like figures and painted type make for a body of work that really hits the painted spot.
The Grind 2.0, a charity auction show to fund construction of the Swift-Cantrell Skatepark in Atlanta, opens on Friday, October 10 at Atlanta’s The Rabbit Hole Gallery. The show features more than 60 hand-painted skate decks painted by some of today’s top underground artists from across America and Europe, and I couldn’t be more excited to be part of it! Other artists include Amy Sol, Dave Kinsey, Chris Stain, Jason Limon, Tara McPherson, Tessar Lo, and many more. The gallery is even offering an online bidding through their website.
Swiss manufacturer Peraves has recently introduced the Monotracer, a two-wheeled vehicle that’s remarkably similar to the lightcycles in Tron. Buckminster Fuller would be proud.
When it comes to making an entrance, nothing says rock star quite like a pair of leather pants. If you’ve tried this look at home, you’d know that finding a flattering leather statement piece is much harder than it looks. So it’s lucky for us that leather is Melbourne label Shadows & Dust’s specialty. Designer Stephen Jones sources skins from all over the world to create butter-soft ruffled jackets, skinny trousers, vests and shorts. And what makes this label stand out from the rest is that it takes three workers an entire day to create each unisex leather garment. In a society of mass manufacture, that’s what we like to call a rarity.
The directorial debut of John August, a writer who was worked on films such as Go, Big Fish and Corpse Bride, is a complex and thought-provoking arthouse feature crowned with a spectacular performance by Ryan Reynolds in the lead role. Like most films, it is in three parts. However, these are three distinct parts with the same actors all playing different roles. Read more
This beautifully soft, handmade and dyed scarf is by the New York-based designer, Ryan Sullivan. They can be purchased through the Lost At E Minor store. Read more
UNKLE’s new album, End Stories … Music For Film, comes in a limited edition gatefold vinyl gloss with sculptured panel embossing. We have three copies to give away to randomly selected Australian Lost At E Minor subscribers who leave a comment under this post.