the artistocracy

NBC's GENIUS NEW LINEUP

2010-01-14T22:52:00.000-08:00

I love conan, my girlfriend, Jennifer, took me to see him w the Flaming Lips & Ice-T & it was fantASStic-I could ramble about how contrived and diluted his comedy writing is, but it's all been said through message board's & TMZ comment sections. Here is a fictitious NBC programming guide, via The Q

Also, check out the Q because Aziz is filling in as a guest blogger this week.

Czech my friend Paul's new video.

2010-01-14T22:40:00.000-08:00

Paul Rodriguez is a Photographer/Director from Echo Park/Texas, but more importantly, he's a dear friend. Sweetest dude I know. Here is his newest endeavor.

Former Ghosts Flowers from Paul Rodriguez on Vimeo.

the great discrepancy

2010-01-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

While catching up on the tragedy in Haiti, I came across a disturbing fact buried underneath the disarray of updates, unfortunate testimonies & wretched b-roll footage of lives lost to the forbidding mother we call nature. Although any timely aid is generous in a catastrophe as devastating as the Haitian earthquake, I was confused at the unsubstantial amount sent by the Chinese government(especially when compared to the amount given by the normally self-absorbed area I live in--Orange County, CA).

Today Chinese President Hu JIntao promised to promptly send a team of rescue workers, numbered at 50, to bring along $1 million dollars in aid. While this may be a preliminary pledge, I found it odd that as a world power, their first headline making offering was less than that of Orange County, California. This usually self-serving county, pledged 80 trained workers to aid in recovery efforts, joining 5,000 american troops and $100 million in initial American aid.

A great, albeit pathetic, indicator of pettiness is when Orange County exceeds you in of all things, charity. I bet there's plenty of Chinese business men who deftly throw down a million at the Spearmint Rhino yearly.

Google Streeview Art

2009-12-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

Like art, technology is progress, especially Google's offerings. Artist Jon Rafma melds the two together with a new series based on the oddities one finds while using google streetview-most of it being nude sunbathers. I'm not as fortunate as Jon, when using google streetview I've only discovered my girlfriend's ex's car parked in front of her house. Maybe I should search the beaches of Málaga instead. Either way, like Richard Kern, Jon is making a unique statement on our voyeurism culture as well as the state of our privacy.

Ed Begley Jr. on NYTVideo

2009-12-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Ed Begley Jr. talks about living green. I bought his book, Living Like Ed, last year, which included tips & suggestions that just ended up making me feel guilty as hell.

watch the video here.

Aziz and Sitek

2009-12-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

What happens when YYY's producer and TV on the radio guitarist Dave Sitek joins forces with Parks & Recreation's Aziz Ansari? A hip-hop record that promises to nut of your pillow of course.

Along with the next Arcade Fire record, Beach House, Fleet Foxes, The Strokes and others coming out with records in what will be a productive 2010, I will also be purchasing(torrenting) this mixtape, fo sho.

You can follow Aziz on his Tumblr.

Obama E better than Obama Kush?

2009-12-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

You choose.Rock the VOTE.

Story behind the ObamaE at VBS Blog.

Politically Incorrect Branding

2009-12-05T23:52:00.001-08:00

Was your hair with this.

Blackbird-A.P.C. Winter 10

2009-12-05T23:16:00.000-08:00

BLACKBIRD is a men's clothing spot in Seattle, WA that happens to have a very entertaining blog. They stock everything from every writer's favorite accessory, the Moleskin notebook, to tuna gift sets for all. Their latest post announces the arrival of French designer,A.P.C.'s, winter line.

Czech it.

The Band, 1970, Woodstock Studios

2009-12-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

Dinosaur Jr.'s Jay Mascis Drums for Sweet Apple

2009-12-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

Following in Jack White's footsteps, Dinosaur Jr.'s Jay Mascis is taking a break from years of groundbreaking guitar work by getting behind his first musical apparatus, the drums. Mascis will be drumming for Sweet Apple, with an album coming in March.

from Pitchfork.com

The Q's Q&A with Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman

2009-12-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Time Warner Cable is the most incompetent company I have had the displeasure of dealing with. Their ancient technology seemingly gets worse monthly, and I am constantly returning broken pieces of plastic to their drab storefront which could easily double as a holding cell.

It's nonsensical to spend thousands of dollars on high-def televisions, when you have to pair it with a product that even North Korea or Mexico wouldn't take credit for.

The nature of this post is, I hate Time Warner and stopped intently watching TV until I discovered Parks and Recreation on NBC. The show has picked up steam, and is the highlight of a week filled with reality scum and junkies. GQ's clever blog, The Q, sat down with P&R's Nick Offerman where he gives insight into how he mastered the art of the deadpan amongst revealing a love for carpentry.

Read it here.

Lightspeed Champion releases "Marlene" video for his second LP

2009-12-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

Two summers ago, in a very sweaty Pomona, California, I had the pleasure of co-producing a piece on Dev. He was more than gracious, giving us total access and even playing us a new demo at the time called "Marlene". Fast forward two years and Dev is releasing his second LP on Domino, with "Marlene" being the first single from the album. Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You, comes out on 2/1. Below are both his new video and my aforementioned interview.

Marlene

Poor Form

a return to form

2009-11-05T02:58:00.001-08:00

i haven't posted in a long while, but now that I am officially unemployed in a dry economy, I should be doing this more frequently.

Love In The Modern Age

2008-11-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

Here we have a piece from writer Jennifer Caddick, exclusive to TheArtistocracy. A take on the process of finding, experiencing, and maintaining love in a fast paced society. It's a delight, enjoy the read.

LOVE IN THE MODERN AGE
JENNIFER CADDICK

Jimmy sits next to me speaking sticky prophecies and taking one last hit. My lazy eyes silently flirt with him, facetiously testing how long he will talk without pulling a reaction out of me. He is so high tonight he doesn’t even notice my games.

I grab a red-tipped bottle of wine from between his crossed legs. Half a bottle left. I take a swig and bite my lip. We can only afford a $2 bottle, so it is pretty harsh. I sit on the floor and listen to how Vincent Gallo’s voice drones on beautifully in the background with his wonderful way of making the room feel fuzzy.

“Goodnight, baby… sleep tight here with me … we can lay in the bed, you and me … and I wont go away or leave you alone…”

I remember this song makes me cry even when I am happy. I take another drink to wash down the lump in my throat and stick the bottle back in the crook of Jimmy’s leg. He is still yammering away about the world. I lie on the wood floor of his room and stare at his face in the fluffy, peach candlelight. I love his eyes. But not in the way most people love eyes. I love them because they are soft and sad. His eyes feel the sadness of the world. I can see the hurt in the depths of his black pupils.

It scares me how attracted I am to this boy … this sweet, intense boy who wears a gold crown ring on his finger. He thought he lost the ring once. As he scoured the house I sat on his couch and meditated until he fished it out of the bottom of the washing machine. I told myself I helped him find it … or at least I summoned some type of higher power to help him find it. After he told me that the ring had been his late father’s wedding band.

Suddenly, I notice he is staring at me. I sit up halfway, propping my back up with my elbows.

“What?”

“It is just crazy that it is you … here with me right now”

“ Yeah, I know, but now that we are here, I can’t imagine us not being like this with each other.”

“I know…”

I press my bare back onto the cool boards of the floor and shut my eyes. I can feel the wine in my blood. Jimmy sits next to me and runs his hand along the ridges of my ribcage.

As he touches me all I can do is wonder why people lie to each other. We say we will always be honest, but it’s easy to say that when we are caught up in each other. It seems like it used to be so much easier for people to meet, get married, have children and still be in love 50 years later.

I sigh and think of my grandparent. They fell in love in Ecuador when they were just 19. My grandfather, a farm boy from South Dakota, was a Marine stationed at the American embassy and my grandmother, a wealthy, Ecuadorian girl, just so happened to catch his eye while he was on a break. My grandfather still remembers the yellow blouse she was wearing as she invited him over for tea. And now, after 52 years, they still fall asleep holding hands while they are watching TV on the couch.

Is it living in an age full of Internet dating, fast food, Tivo and reality shows that makes us incapable of being interested in someone for more then a few months? Instead of actually engaging ourselves in society, we double click an attractive face on the Web to see if they too like Mexican food and The Beatles. Instead of sitting down for dinner, we cruise through Taco Bell and scarf chicken soft tacos. And instead of talking to each other we flip on the TV and watch that episode of “Rock of Love” we missed.

It is easy to blame society and the media, but we need to recognize that we must take responsibility of our failed relationships. We consume love, or at least the idea of what love should be, and then defecate it out after our bowels become so disgruntled by us actually having to listen, respect and be honest to someone else, that we can no longer maintain a relationship that requires us to sacrifice being completely selfish. Then we start the whole process over again by signing up for Match.com, going to the gym or drinking. Is it possible to stop the churning machine that grinds love into tiny bits of bloody, word vomit? Or are we destined to continue spewing out programmed “I love yous” every few years to a person we know will fade away into a paradise lost?

I have personally gone through the cycle a good three times. My first real relationship occurred when I was 16. He was a control-freak who managed to manipulate my whole life to revolve around his. I was sucked in to believing he was a God and that I needed no one else in my life but him. Luckily, I was able to be slapped back into reality and realize that I was becoming his personal robot. I finally was able to work up the courage to end it. That was probably one of the scariest things I ever had to do in my life.

Then I met a boy who was the complete opposite of scary. He epitomized everything cute and sweet with his Eeyore eyes and playful imagination. But his refreshing innocence eventually lost its charm and I could see him for what he really was- a little boy who still needed his mommy to do everything for him. I discovered I couldn’t be his caretaker. I wanted someone who didn’t just want me, but wanted to care for me.

I thought I found that person a few months after the breakup. He was laid back, liked to party and liked me for me. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have finally found a guy who genuinely loved my personality as it was. It turns out I wasn’t so lucky. After two years, this person, the person I trusted with everything, ended up being a complete fake. He had cheated, lied and manipulated … and I had fallen for it. I told myself I was done with love. Done with it forever. Well, until I met the boy with the crown ring …

My heart pounds as I watch Jimmy’s fingers slide over my powdery white skin. I secretly repeat to myself that he would never lie to me. We are different … right? I get up and sit on the brown comforter covering his bed. He smiles at me from the floor. He likes when I wear his red plaid pajamas. He begins to sing as he smiles into my eyes. Jimmy always has a song in his head.

“Make no mistake she sheds her skin like a snake. You're going to walk the plank again …”
I like the way he sings “plank.” He flicks his tongue when he says certain words. He picks up the bottle of wine and hands it to me while he continues singing. I giggle, but it isn’t the alcohol; it is because he genuinely makes me blush with his cute gestures. I gulp the rest of the bottle. I peer through his white, wooden blinds and see that it is raining. His dogs are happily rolling and digging in the mud. I have an urge to do the same thing, but instead I look back at Jimmy and tell him to get into bed.

“Do you think you will ever leave me?”

“I don’t ever want this to end in any typical sense.”

I like hearing him say that. The music has changed to “The Virgins.” I laugh as I scratch Jimmy’s beard.

He told me once that his last girlfriend hated when he wasn’t clean-shaven. all the time. My last boyfriend hated when I drank, I think that was because he hated himself when he drank. I wonder if Jimmy’s ex hated herself? I hate myself sometimes, but I still would never force someone to stunt their personality into something easily manageable to make me feel better about my shortcomings.

People seem to forget they fall in love because they are attracted to the original qualities the other person exhibits. It is interesting how those same qualities are usually what cause couples to end their relationship. They become more and more self-involved and concerned with being comfortable that any slight quirkiness that they haven’t already beaten out of their significant other becomes a sign of how different they are and, yet, another reason to break it off. What people need to realize is that those differences are what creates beauty and inspiration.

That’s why my grandparents found such lasting love- they had less distractions. They had time to discover, not only each other, but life's mysteries as well. They had to focus on real issues, or they wouldn’t have been able to be together. My grandparents’ love was forbidden. Her mother prohibited her from marrying a jarhead and the U.S. government would not give permission for a marine on duty to get hitched. They secretly pledged their love at a civil ceremony. Once her mother found out of their marriage she was furious. My grandmother was not allowed to see her husband until they had a wedding in a church. Eventually a small service was held and the teens were allowed to be together. Today, this same situation would have many onlookers whispering, “I give it three months.” But, for my grandparents, they recently celebrated their 50th anniversary in Hawaii.

I snap myself out of my obsessive thoughts by biting Jimmy’s shoulder as hard as I can without breaking the skin.

“Dammit, Jenny! That hurt!”

“Sorry … I just wanted to make sure this was real.”

I bury my body in the tiny space between his side and his arm, playfully pouting. I can feel him grinning as he outlines my chin with his pinkie. My lips curl up with foggy contentment. Never have I felt closer to a person in my life. I don’t even care if this is going to last - I can’t quit it yet.

Riviting Reads: With McCain's Health in Question, is Palin Eyeing for the Top Spot, and How Desperate Will She Get in Hopes Of Getting It?

2008-10-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have often questioned McCain's health and the fact that the topic is constantly swept under the mat and filed under "irrelevant". Here is a great opinion piece, by the NYT's Frank Rich, about McCain's well-being, and whether or not his running mate is indeed vying for the top spot.

Palin's desire to become the country's lead heroine is clear, from beauty pageant ambitions in the 80s, to the accidental verbal slip-up of declaring this as the Palin/McCain administration last month, instant celebrity with little toil is obviously her preferred method.

In the coming weeks I'm interested in seeing how desperate and venomous the attacks will become, and after seeing today's headline of "Palin connects Obama to 60's terrorist radical", I guess I wont have to wait very long. Converse.
(Image from Egotastic.com)

Designer Thomas Feichtner's Filio Ring

2008-10-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

Feichtner's ring is hollow and made out of steel. It resembles a geometrically cut gemstone. This blog is getting really design-oriented lately. I promise more politics and all around crazy republicaness this weekend.

Oh, The Spanish Moss interviewed in the OC WEEKLY

2008-10-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Artistocracy contributor Tom Madden and his bandmates Ian Caddick and Jason Tennies were interviewed by The OC Weekly this week.

It was a cheeky time, chalk full of some belly laughers.

Give it a go by clicking here.

and download there ep off their myspace page.

www.myspace.com/ohthespanishmoss

Night Vision 2.0

2008-10-01T01:48:00.001-07:00

When I was 18 I worked like a slave in my ex-girlfriend's father's hellish warehouse. In the mundane month spent there, my job was to fold and box his bogus night vision goggles. Not only did I suffer numerous paper cuts, get food poisoning from the food truck while my ex-gf's Dad went out to lunch without an invite(way to show me the values of hard work douche), but I also had to listen to his annoying brat son (who appeared as Jared the cougar-loving twit on Housewives of the O.C.) spew never-ending nonsense.
Oh well, story short, the Dad was later arrested for beating his wife after his affair with S.F. Giant's pitcher, Barry Zito, sister was exposed. His son also recieved two D.U.I.'s that summer and was rewarded with a Desert Eagle Handgun for his 21st birthday.

Gotta love republicans!

Oh, I almost forgot--these are called the Cyclops and they are pretty insane.

Handsome Furs on Practice Space

2008-10-01T01:44:00.000-07:00

It's old but cool. Canada's best electronic/rock band. enjoy.

New Chrysler side company introduces the Peapod

2008-09-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

A company called GEM, which was founded by Chrysler in 1999, debuted an Electric car called the Peapod recently. The zero-emissions vehicle will be put into production next year and will come complete with ergonomic seating and I-pod integration.

The car will have a 30 mile range per charge, with a top speed of 25 miles per hour. Recharge time is 6-8 hours.

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom.

Airport Security Fun!

2008-09-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

We all know that going through Airport security(especially the intellectually inept one at LAX, that seemingly only hires screaming jerks that find speaking at the decibel level of a Who concert normal) is a tad frustrating.

That's why artist Evan Roth is currently creating pieces, that when placed in carry-on luggage and scanned, give the guards a change from the normal vibrator/whip and chain set that's normally seen in most Republican Senator's baggage.

Truth Be Told At The Pump

2008-09-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

This is right up our alley, a little political protest through truth.
enjoy.

Ksubi designers mix into the music world

2008-09-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Artistocracy Contributor, Jennifer Caddick, wrote this fine piece for BigShotMagazine on the men of Ksubi, and their entrance into the music scene.

Convergence is taking over son.

Read it here

One big ass fumigation job

2008-09-25T20:18:00.001-07:00

So, S.Palin may not have much international experience, but she sure is training on being able exterminate the world's creatures. A requirement in every republican administration, apparently.

The Governor is involved in a campaign to exterminate a rat infested island off of Alaska with Dog-food sized poison and a crew of 18 of the most intelligent exterminators Alaska has to offer.

In an official document from the Governor's office, one of our favorite blogs, animalnewyork.com, pointed out the greatest portion of the document

When reading I remind you to remember these are rats she's talking about, not Iranians, North Koreans, or Gays.

"Rats are highly effective as invaders: They are secretive, intelligent, and reproduce at very high rates. They are also ravenous predators that eat the young, eggs, and sometimes adults of birds and other small animals. Well known as carriers of serious diseases in humans, rats are also responsible for diseases that can adversely affect wildlife and, potentially consumers of those wilflife species."

After this it's pretty hard not to be for the Palin/Johnny McCain Administration :)