JO$HUA WITTEN

2013-03-07T17:41:00.000-10:00

The cover of David Bowie's new album The Next Day is actually the cover of Bowie's 1977 album Heroes, with a white square placed over the singer's face. It's a brilliantly simple yet shrewd piece of appropriated art, a gesture announcing that Bowie will not try to break with his past, but instead will transmute it, refract it and, if he's lucky, deepen it. Because depth is something David Bowie has usually, often wisely, resisted. In taking on, over the decades, different costumes and guises — Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke — and in gliding across the surface of genres such as glam rock, hard rock and disco, Bowie has proven a surprisingly durable artist. He's someone whose best songs allow him to make emotional, even moving music without becoming maudlin or melodramatic or, heaven forbid, sentimental.

The song "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" proceeds from the title pun to suggest that stars — celebrities — haunt the lives of us ordinary folk, and that they're as jealous of our lives as some of us are of theirs. The video for the song, co-starring Bowie and Tilda Swinton, finds them playing a happily aging couple who shop for groceries and chuckle unironically at TV sitcoms, even as their mundane activities are observed by young, glamorous people literally dying for such contentment. The music of "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" is all guitar- and drum-driven urgency, with Bowie yelling with deliberate hoarseness over the instruments, his voice a metaphor for the exhausted dread contained in the lyric.

By contrast, the lovely croon he uses in "Where Are We Now?" evokes life in Berlin, a reminder that the album itself reunites Bowie with producer Tony Visconti, with whom Bowie made his so-called "Berlin trilogy" of albums: Low, Heroes and Lodger. But Bowie and Visconti don't merely reconnect with some of the sounds of that late-'70s period, extending even to the use of some familiar Bowie musicians, such as guitarist Earl Slick. No, they also acknowledge other albums, including what I consider Bowie's finest, Station to Station, and other producers who've helped in Bowie's evolution — most notably Nile Rodgers, who guided the star through one of his best albums, Let's Dance.

You can hear this confluence of influences in a jittery, hammering song such as "Love Is Lost." "Wave goodbye to the life without pain," Bowie sings there, and in a song that offers a mock-hymn to that ceaseless modern quest for "the new," it's also an acknowledgment of the physical pain of aging, as well as romantic agony.

In general, I find the structure of The Next Day significant, because it plays like a collection of discreet singles — songs each in a different style, genre, mood — very much in the current mode of consuming music, downloading one hit (or potential hit) at a time. Yet the music also coheres as an album in the classic-rock sense: a unified statement that can be listened to at full length, to tell a story about one man's progression through innocence, experience, arrogance, cynicism, doubt, redemption and inspiration. Yes, that's overstating it a bit, but not much. Yes, some of these steps falter in melody, or in sustaining the desired effect. But in general, The Next Day is a thriller, not merely a return to form — partly because David Bowie never took one form to begin with. This is his now-continuing contribution to pop music: the notion that restlessness and melancholy can yield more pleasure than anyone might reasonably expect.

-Ken Tucker

Tell Me A Tale (Live At Hackney Round Chapel, 2012)

2013-02-20T16:39:00.002-10:00

splash

2012-04-02T18:44:00.001-10:00

the illusion is that you are simply
reading this poem.
the reality is that this is
more than a
poem.
this is a beggar's knife.
this is a tulip.
this is a soldier marching
through Madrid.
this is you on your
death bed.
this is Li Po laughing
underground.
this is not a god-damned
poem.
this is a horse asleep.
a butterfly in
your brain.
this is the devil's
circus.
you are not reading this
on a page.
the page is reading
you.
feel it?
it's like a cobra. it's a hungry eagle circling the room.

this is not a poem. poems are dull,
they make you sleep.

these words force you
to a new
madness.

you have been blessed, you have been pushed into a
blinding area of
light.

the elephant dreams
with you
now.
the curve of space
bends and
laughs.

you can die now.
you can die now as
people were meant to
die:
great,
victorious,
hearing the music,
being the music,
roaring,
roaring,
roaring.

Charles Bukowski

In kazakhstan we release dog-rat to fight the gypsie!

2012-03-23T17:38:00.003-10:00

but then there is Redman...

2012-03-16T16:51:00.001-10:00

syriana

2012-03-15T17:00:00.002-10:00

mercy killing arabian nights
street fighter style

my father is a kalashnikov
my mother is an unmanned drone

the golden child remains silent
choking on a tin spoon

i'm going to get a tattoo on my face
that says, "for you're amusement"

exactly why I'll be voting for him again:

2012-02-02T18:13:00.002-10:00

Stormy the Rabbit - Andrew Jackson Jihad

2011-10-19T15:21:00.000-10:00

magic

2011-09-15T08:57:00.004-10:00

Come see the magic happen this Saturday at Oranje 2011...

http://www.oranjeindy.com/

KANYE WEST LYRICS

2011-09-15T08:30:00.000-10:00

"Lift Off"

(with Jay-Z)
(feat. Beyonce)

(All engines running)

[Beyonce:]
We gon’ take it to the moon, take it to the stars
How many people you know can take it this far?
I’m supercharged
I’m ’bout to take this whole thing to Mars

Now we gon’ take it to the moon, take it to the stars
You don’t know what we been through to make it this far
So many scars
‘Bout to take this whole thing to Mars

[Kanye West:]
Lift off
Lift off, takin’ my coat off
Showin’ my tattoos, I’m such a showoff (Huh?)
I feel the pain and then rolled off
I got the whole city, they about to go off
How many niggas wit’ me up in this bitch?
How many people wanna roll with me now?
Like you know na na na, you know me by now
Know me, know me by now

[Beyonce:]
We gon’ take it to the moon, take it to the stars
How many people you know can take it this far?
I’m supercharged
I’m ’bout to take this whole thing to Mars

Now we gon’ take it to the moon, take it to the stars
You don’t know what we been through to make it this far
So many scars
‘Bout to take this whole thing to Mars
(Lift off, ahh, ahh)

[Kanye West:]
Like you know na na na, you know me by now
Know me, know me by now
You know me know me by now
Know me, know me by now…

[Jay-Z:]
Lift off
Rappers hear watch the throne
They gon be pissed off
Earth is boring to em
Shit is making my dick soft
When you Earnhart as me eventually you hit a big wall
5-4-3-2 we need fuel
Lift off

[Beyonce:]
We gon’ take it to the moon, take it to the stars
How many people you know can take it this far?
I’m supercharged
I’m ’bout to take this whole thing to Mars

Now we gon’ take it to the moon, take it to the stars
You don’t know what we been through to make it this far
So many scars
‘Bout to take this whole thing to Mars

(20 seconds and counting)
(T-minus 15 seconds, guidance is internal)
(12, 11, 10, 9)
(Ignition sequence start)
(6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
(Zero, all engine running)
(Lift off, we have a liftoff)

(We gon’ take it to the moon, take it to the stars)
(We gon’ take it to the moon, take it to the stars)
(How many people you know can take it this far?)
(Take it to the stars)
(How many people you know can take it this far?)
(Now we gon’, now we gon’, now we gon’…)

OMJ

2011-08-23T11:19:00.002-10:00

my space for oranje 2011

2011-08-15T18:02:00.004-10:00

This is where the magic will happen...

http://www.oranjeindy.com/

Fly pelican fly...

2011-08-13T18:33:00.003-10:00

The Art of Kyle Ragsdale

2011-08-04T14:19:00.003-10:00

I recently discovered this artist, Kyle Ragsdale who keeps a studio behind my Apt. building on Delaware. His studio kinda blew my mind a little bit...it's filled with all kinds of stuff and paint and things and amazing art...and the smell of oils was thick. It was beautiful. He's got a show tomorrow night. I'm stoked:

BOUND

Friday, August 5, 6 to 9pm

The Harrison Center and the Herron Art Library of the IUPUI University Library present the 4th annual group book art show, Bound. Also that night, in Gallery No. 2: paintings by Lon Hall; in Hank & Dolly's Gallery: A Day in the Life of a Very Bad Person, book signing and reading by Tim Harmon; City Gallery grand opening with paintings by Kyle Ragsdale; in the Gymnasium: Bicycle Polo. Bring a book to donate for reuse/recycling.

http://www.kyleragsdale.com/

http://www.harrisoncenter.org/home.php

inviction

2011-08-01T18:20:00.002-10:00

out of the black that covers me,

black as the pit from pole to pole.

i thank whatever gods may be

for my unconquerable soul

but i forgot what day it was,

and i forgot the time on my watch

i'm too bohemian to care

i'm lightning in a bottle

Lost my shape, trying to act casual...

2011-04-20T08:33:00.001-10:00

occam's razor sketchbook page 38 (the last page)

2011-04-04T12:12:00.004-10:00

click on image to enlarge

occam's razor sketchbook page 37

2011-04-04T05:30:00.001-10:00

click on image to enlarge

William S. Burroughs : A Man Within

2011-03-23T06:23:00.004-10:00

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within investigates the life of the legendary beat author and American icon. Born the heir of the Burroughs Adding Machine estate, he struggled throughout his life with addiction, control systems, and self. He was forced to deal with the tragedy of killing his wife and the repercussions of neglecting his son. His novel, Naked Lunch, was one of the last books to be banned by the U.S. government. Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer testified on behalf of the book. The courts eventually overturned the 1966 decision, ruling that the book had important social value. It remains one of the most recognized literary works of the 20th century.

The film features never-before-seen footage of William S. Burroughs, as well as exclusive interviews with his closest friends and colleagues including John Waters, Genesis P-Orridge, Laurie Anderson, Peter Weller, David Cronenberg, Iggy Pop, Gus Van Sant, Sonic Youth, Anne Waldman, Hal Willner, James Grauerholz, Amiri Baraka, Jello Biafra, V. Vale, Wayne Propst, Diane DiPrima, Dean Ripa (the world's largest poisonous snake collector), and many others, with narration by actor Peter Weller, and soundtrack by Sonic Youth.

William Burroughs was one of the first to cross the dangerous boundaries of queer and drug culture in the 1950s, and write about his experiences. Eventually he was hailed the godfather of the beat generation and influenced artists for generations to come. But his friends were left wondering if he had ever found contentment or happiness. This extremely personal documentary pierces the surface of the troubled and brilliant world of one of the greatest authors of all time.

Yony Leyser is a 25-year-old filmmaker living in Chicago, Illinois. He has directed several short films. After being kicked out of film school, he moved to Lawrence, Kansas, and began shooting William S. Burroughs: A Man Within, his first feature film.

Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008)

2011-03-12T19:39:00.003-10:00

Short, majestically coiffed, with hooded eyes, an orange-tinted tan and the peevish impatience of an absolute monarch: that is Valentino Garavani, the Italian couturier known simply as Valentino, as he appears in Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary portrait, “Valentino: The Last Emperor.” Watching the movie is a little like gorging on chocolate and Champagne until that queasy moment arrives when you realize you’ve consumed far too much.

STEPHEN HOLDEN

In 1907, Schiele sought out Gustav Klimt.

2011-03-01T18:59:00.002-10:00

Egon Schiele (German pronunciation: [ˈʃiːlə], approximately SHEE-leh; June 12, 1890 – October 31, 1918) was an Austrian painter. A protégé of Gustav Klimt, Schiele was a major figurative painter of the early 20th century.

Schiele's work is noted for its intensity, and the many self-portraits the artist produced. The twisted body shapes and the expressive line that characterize Schiele's paintings and drawings mark the artist as an early exponent of Expressionism, although still strongly associated with the art nouveau movement (Jugendstil).

File:Non Interactive Gandhi.jpg

2011-03-01T17:35:00.001-10:00

Mohandas K. and Kasturba Gandhi at Eternal Gandhi Multimedia Museum, Gandhi Smriti (Birla House), Tees January Marg, New Delhi.

fight the power

2011-02-24T14:38:00.001-10:00

solidarności z Libią

The Art of Jeff Sonhouse

2011-02-22T07:50:00.002-10:00

Jeff Sonhouse’s latest exhibition, “Pawnography,” at the Tilton Gallery in New York explores the role of the black male in today’s shifting socio-political climate. His vivid portraits, rendered as mixed media paintings or drawings, depict a variety of political and anonymous figures, their faces sometimes masked or completely obscured. In the case of the latter (examples below), the effect is reminiscent of Francis Bacon’s harrowing representations of authoritarian politicos. These often colorful works ask the viewer to consider the dark undercurrents of our cultural and political landscapes. As the exhibition title suggests, both we and the subjects in Sonhouse’s paintings are instruments in a game we may never fully comprehend. (Source: www.coolhunting.com)

Filed under: African American, The Americas & The Caribbean by Akuaigar

solidarności z Libią

2011-02-22T06:01:00.002-10:00

JO$HUA WITTEN

Tell Me A Tale (Live At Hackney Round Chapel, 2012)

splash

In kazakhstan we release dog-rat to fight﻿ the gypsie!

but then there is Redman...

syriana

exactly why I'll be voting for him again:

Stormy the Rabbit - Andrew Jackson Jihad

magic

KANYE WEST LYRICS

OMJ

my space for oranje 2011

Fly pelican fly...

The Art of Kyle Ragsdale

BOUND

Friday, August 5, 6 to 9pm

inviction

Lost my shape, trying to act casual...

occam's razor sketchbook page 38 (the last page)

occam's razor sketchbook page 37

William S. Burroughs : A Man Within

Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008)

In 1907, Schiele sought out Gustav Klimt.

File:Non Interactive Gandhi.jpg

fight the power

solidarności z Libią

The Art of Jeff Sonhouse

solidarności z Libią

In kazakhstan we release dog-rat to fight the gypsie!