WE'RE SUPPORTING

Says New York-based illustrator Yuko Shimizu on the work of artist Marilyn Minter: ‘I was extremely lucky to be able to study fine arts with Marilyn Minter as my professor before she became too busy and stopped teaching the course. She was brutally honest about students work, which sometimes made me cry but made me grow like nobody else did. I owe her a lot’. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Ok, so I’m a big fan of any show that features sparkles, feathers and nipple tassels. Which explains why I’m so excited about the London Burlesque Festival. Come April, the city will be taken over by scantily clad women, vaudeville acts, dimly lit evening burlesque performances, and more outright wackiness than you can poke an ostrich-feather tickler at. If you’ve never been to a burlesque show before, and are a sucker for a suspender belt flicking or two, get ready for some heavy handed glamour and an experience you’ll never forget. And if you, like me, love an excuse to dress up in full costume and then take it off again to crowds of appreciative fans – raid the London vintage stores now for a costume and apply through the website to put yourself on stage. Applications close 31st December. [photo by Lisa Kereszi]

WE'RE WEARING

No, Dorothy would have never come across these shoes in Oz, but she would have at Odin, a smallish men’s store in New York’s East Village. Read more

WE'RE THINKING

Our friends over at Australian website Sex In Art have posted a (very tastefully done) nude by London artist Kes Richardson, who uses soft colours to give his work a pop art quality.

WE'RE READING

Long before the franchise destroyed our fond childhood memories like Aunt and Uncle Beru on Tatooine, many of us born in the 70s were proud to own the many products associated with the Star Wars movies. Read more

Says Van She bassist and vocalist Matt Van Schie about the Bush Tetras track — Too Many Creeps — from 1982: ‘I LOOOVE this tune. It opens with a perfect snare roll, and then the counter bass and guitar rhythms make it so cool. The lyrics are even more valid today. They’re one of my favourite bands of all time, and so many people try to do what they did for real. What a time! I wish I was born back then in New York, hanging out with these kids. Ahhhh!!’

WE'RE LISTENING TO

One of the most dynamic new acts to burst into our eardrums in years, Brooklyn’s Vivian Girls have just released their debut self-titled album, which combines Phil Spector-ish Wall Of Sound harmonies with fuzzy melodies, as reflected on this track, Where Do You Run To. We have it available for free download in the Music Download section of Lost At E Minor. Hooray! [psst, it's in the third column of the site]