Monday, June 29, 2009

Iz-The-Wiz RIP



When I first came to NYC in the '80s every once in a while these fully painted subway cars would pull in to the station...they were amazing! One of the leaders of that gang recently passed away.

Graffiti artist Michael Martin—Iz the Wiz—died on June 17 in Spring Hill, Florida, where he had moved a few years ago, according to the New York Times. Iz the Wiz was a legend among graffiti artists, by almost all accounts “the longest-reigning all-city king in New York City history,” as the graffiti Web site At149st.com puts it. Iz put his name, or tag, on subway cars running on every line in the system more times than any other artist.

Though he began with the A subway line, in the late 1970s he branched out to other lines, spray-painting top-to-bottoms (graffiti displays extending from the top of a train to the bottom), burners (complicated works intended to dazzle the competition), and fully realized scenes, like his homage to John Lennon, painted after Lennon was shot to death in 1980. He also appeared in the role of a transit police detective in the cult 1983 film Wild Style.

Billy Mays RIP


I have to admit, I had the biggest crush on this guy, sorry he won't be making any new infomercials!

Gay Equality




Wednesday, June 24, 2009

BUTT@ASS




BUTT Magazine @ Asia Song Society, NYC 6/20/09 FEATURING VIDEOS BY: KATHRYN GARCIA PAUL PFEIFFER ELY KIM CHRIS MOUKARBEL WAYNE YUNG JEAN GENET PAUL LEE KALUP LINZY SLAVA MOGUTIN & BRIAN KENNY ISAA...

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Vince Aletti The Disco Files


Who knew that New Yorker photo critic (and co-curator of The stunning ICP show of Avedon's fashion work) Vince Aletti was one of the earliest chronicler's of disco! Well truth be told, I did because we have been friends ever since I turned my studio in the basement of what is now Pimps and pinups into a gallery called "The Stanlow Ludston Gallery" (its at the corner of Ludlow and Stanton...get it?!)

Aletti's weekly column for record world, including top ten lists from dj's all over the country began in 1974, and every one is reproduced here along with an articile Aletti wrote for Rolling Stone in 1973 called "Discoteque Rock". Its a must have more info here on the publisher's website

You can also read a brilliant review of the book by Jon Savage here I've been reading it in my studio ever since receiving it from Vince two days ago and I highly recommend it!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Jennifer West



Nirvana Alchemy Film (16mm black & white film soaked in lithium mineral hot springs, pennyroyal tea, doused in mud, sopped in bleach, cherry antacid and laxatives - jumping by Finn West & Jwest), 2007 , 2 minutes 51 seconds

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Josef Albers



I was thinking of a way to describe how in order to see the many facets of a person we need to put them in different situations and see how they fit in . The closest analagy was the work of Josef Albers and I came across a page on the Tate's webpage where Victor Moscoso, Gabriel Orozco, and Robert Mangold write a little bit on Albers seminal book "The interaction of color". It's short and fascinating and you can check it out here

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Sonia Sotomayor Reads MY COMRADE!


Judge Sotomayor ruled on a porn case involving my friend Linda Simpson's My Comrade Magazine....you can read all about it on his website here