Just hit the shelf. CHECK OUR THESE NEW ALBUMS AND FILMS THAT ARE JUST IN OUR CACHE. THESE ARTISTS HAVE JUST CHECKED IN ON OUR RADAR AND WE WANT YOU TO KNOW. TELL YOUR FRIENDS.
them n A w o L e Th
me alive. d for it to co te en v in re r d to be songs, thei doesn’t nee on of folk ti ec Folk music ll co l a ition rmittently is is a trad tation inte en m ru st At heart th in s and lyrics of ard rhythm rgan, their o rw p o m tf h u p ig d stra cal saw an , with such with musi y startling ll a n o si a embellished cc e. death o rmaldehyd ption and a bath of fo in loss, redem le ib B a of ery as that vivid imag
Smart Flesh
J Mascis
Several Shades of Why oso ortion, excess wattage, and virtu Across his career, Mascis has let dist surbe for him, and the translation can technique do most of the talking of Why is different. It’s his first solo prisingly clear. But Several Shades it’s almost entirely acoustic. album of all original material and
Nico Vega
Nico Vega Covers Ni
co Vega And Rod Ste wart The EP features a ref reshed collection of the band’s select fam songs that have been iliar re-imagined as well as a brilliant cover Stewart’s, “Young of Rod Turks.” From the be at dropping electron of “Million Years” ica version to the twanging ou tlaw country, “So So Vega have transcend Fresh,” Nico ed sonically, deliveri ng an eclectic colle ction. PAGE
010
Life in a Day
United Kingdom (Director: Kevin Macdonald ) - Life in a Day is a historic global experiment to create the world’s largest user-generated feature film. On July 24, 2010, professional and amateur filmmakers captu red a glimpse of their lives on camera and uploaded the foota ge to YouTube, serving as a time capsule for future gener ations.
Bobby Fisch
er Against the World
U.S.A. (Direc
tor: Liz Garbu s) - The dram a of aster Bobby Fischer ’s care er undeniable, was as he careen ed from trou childhood, to bl ed World Cham pion and Col d War icon, to a fugi tive on the ru n. late chess-m
Reagan
Jarecki) - Rea(Director: Eugene m do ng Ki d ite red U.S.A., Un of one of the reve e enigmatic career th es in am ex n ga and icon, screen star, modern world architects of the . t Ronald Reagan two-term presiden
U.S.A. (Direc
Becoming Ch
tors: Fenton Ba
bato) - Born bi
iley and Randy
az
Barale, Chastity Bo no er into a deep ly personal jo as he transitio ur ne y ns from femal e to male, em bracing his true self, w hich is Chaz. invites the view
ologically fem
Brian Hart A VISUAL AND LIGHT ARTIST THAT UTILIZES SHUTTER SPEED TO CREATE “LIGHT DRAWINGS”. BEGINNING IN 2005, BRIAN STARTED EXPERIMENTING WITH THE TECHNIQUE USING DARK ENVIRONMENT + LONG EXPOSURE + LIGHTS.
WHAT IS ART?” IS CERTAINLY TOO BIG OF A QUESTION TO ASK HERE, BUT WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR AUDIENCE TAKES AWAY FROM YOUR ART? WHAT STATEMENT DO YOU HOPE TO MAKE?
I don’t have some grand statement to make
with my work. That being said, I hope my audience will view they’re world in a slightly different way after seeing my work - or
think about the medium of photography in a slightly different way - or get a rush of en-
dorphins to their system - or start a dialogue about image or process or technique or equipment or science or breakfast ... or have any reactio.
I hope my audience has these reactions
not because I’m trying to change the world
or the worldviews they have, but because these are variations on how my work makes
me feel; how it affects me - and really, I make work because I enjoy making it - and I show
work in an attempt to communicate un-
PAGE
001 012
known/intangible/incommunicable cable feelings/ideas/concepts with strangers; in an attempt to make some connection with them. What do I hope these strangers take away from my work? I hope they’re able to get a glimpse of who I am as a person, maybe; how i view the world and things around me, maybe; maybe see the world fresh through my eyes? hard to say, really. i have just always felt compelled to make images. i hope my audience gets something out of them. “Art” is a dialogue and although sometimes I intentionally make images that mumble, more often than not I hope the short sentences the other ones speak are somehow decipherable—on some level.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WORK, WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON? HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM PAST PROJECTS?
I have drawn since I was a baby. I’ve kept a sketchbook since I was 8. Drawing has always been an extremely important part of life. I have been exploring the technique of making drawings with lights and a camera since late 2005. [dark environment + long exposure + lights] Most recently, I’ve been working at combining my interest in composite images with this light drawing technique. In some ways, this isn’t completely different from past projects - I’ve worked with composite images before and I’ve worked with light drawings before, but have found that combining the two techniques has given me greater ability to create more highly detailed light drawings - which has been a constant goal of mine since starting down this path 5-odd years ago.
The local hot spots. OUR SPOTLIGHT THIS WEEK IS A FREELANCE DESIGNER / ILLUSTRATOR FRESH OUT OF KANSAS CITY WHO IS REALLY MAKING AN IMPACT IN THE INDUSTRY. TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HE LOVES ABOUT KANSAS CITY!
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?
TOP THREE PLACES TO EAT IN KC?
a. b. c. TOP THREE PLACES TO SEE A SHOW IN KC?
d. e. f. WHY IS KC THE BEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY?
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014
city expert:
TAD CARPENTER a
e OKLAHOMA JOE’S Oklahoma Joe’s has some of the best ribs I’ve ever eaten and as a native Texan (yes, that’s right, a NATIVE Texan) I’ve eaten more than my fair share of ribs. So, if you’re going to eat here, do NOT skip the ribs. You MUST order them.
HARRY’S COUNTRY CLUB Great drinks, with an extensive spirits menu, especially whiskey, scotch and Rum. The food is well above average for bar food and good service. Along with a real laid back atmosphere make this a must stop location downtown.
d
Tad Carpenter is an illustrator and designer living in sunny, snowy and forever changing Kansas City, Missouri. Tad has been lucky enough to work with clients such as: Macy’s, Chronicle Books, Target, Atlantic Records, Sunrise Greetings, The Corcoran Gallery of art in Washington D.C., Simon & Schuster, MTV, Anorak, Hallmark Cards, Kidrobot, Family Circle and Dave & Busters to name a few.
LE FOU FROG Our visit came with a surprise bonus: the singing pasty chef. You have not lived until you have been serenaded with Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” by the man who will make your dessert. Dude can actually sing, and it was quite fun.
STARLIGHT
c
I recently was here to see the Arcade Fire and I was really impressed by the venue. There is nothing better than seeing a show outside beneath the stars. The sound was great and the venue has a good layout.
KNUCKLEHEAD’S This is the quintessential “Road House” style live music venue. The walls tell the history and famous musicians that have graced the stage. I’ve seen Junior Brown, JJ Grey, and King Harvest here and have had a great time, each time!
RECORD BAR Love the bands, love the atmosphere. Love it that they have tea. Every time I’m at the Record Bar, I love it even more. The closeness of the bands, and the atmosphere makes me regularly visit.
b
There is nothing simple about Kansas City’s
Quixotic Fusion. If you ask members of the music and dance ensemble what it is
they do on stage, the explanation
becomes more of an extensive list of artistic genres than any real
description. If you ask them what
a typical show includes, they hem
and haw until eventually admitting they themselves don’t necessarily
know, because each of their shows
is catered to the venue they will be performing at.
“A show’s got really energizing music, it’s got lots of visual effects. There are so many elements happening at once: aerial, dance, lighting, music, costumes, make up and hair –– its got a bit of everything. The cool thing about the group is we can focus on different areas from show to show.
“There’s a lot of people who really like the per-
forming arts side of the group,” Thomas says,
“and the younger demographic likes the edgy music and fashion. We try to stay very current
and stay up on technology. Because the group has so many branches, we can be very dynamic in the types of performances we do.”
Thomas describes the group as a “full sen-
sory experience,” something many people with
different artistic interests can appreciate.
“A show’s got really energizing music, it’s
got lots of visual effects. There are so many el-
the goal in creating Quixotic Fusion was to inter-
ing, music, costumes, make up and hair –– its
signer and artistic director for the group, says
ements happening at once: aerial, dance, light-
twine multiple disciplines of art, creating some-
got a bit of everything. The cool thing about the
thing greater than the sum of its parts.
group is we can focus on different areas from
says. “I just wanted to create something that had
to a wide demographic of people.
types of disciplines and artists. It’s cool to see a
performing arts side of the group,” Thomas
ing with a dancer and a cello player.
edgy music and fashion. We try to stay very
a bigger production value and integrated more
projection designer and a 3D-effects artist work-
It’s all to make this big picture.
018
yond what an audience would expect to see.
Magliano, who also works as a sound de-
“My background is playing rock shows,” he
PAGE
Mica Thomas, co-artistic director for Quix-
otic Fusion, says the group’s goal is to go be-
show to show. That way we can really reach out “There’s a lot of people who really like the
says, “and the younger demographic likes the
current and stay up on technology. Because the
group has so many branches,
we can be very dynamic in the types of perfor-
ple hair!’ It’s a funny comment, because we’ll
mances we do.”
have those older, arts-loving people, and we’ll
people appreciate Quixotic Fusion’s grandiose,
ple hair. It’s definitely something very diverse. An
Magliano agrees, saying a wide variety of
eccentric performances.
“The best thing I’ve heard about who comes
to our shows, one lady was like, ‘You have pur-
have the 18-year-old punk-rock girl with the pur18-year-old girl will feel cool bringing her parents to this show.”
“The best thing I’ve heard about who comes to
our shows, one lady was like, ‘You guys reach
space. We have people flying around. We’d
rather perform less but pull it off the way that
out to the blue hairs and the purple hairs.’ It’s a
we visualize it.” Thomas says touring with this
arts-loving people, and we’ll have the 18-year-
limitless possibilities for show types and per-
funny comment, because we’ll have those older,
old punk-rock girl with the purple hair.
band will be a multi-faceted affair, with nearly
formance locations. He says the ensemble’s future will include incorporating more technol-
ogy into the show.
“The idea is to go on tour more –– do more
An 18-year-old girl will feel cool bringing her
stuff all over the place,” he says. “We want to
hit festivals, performing arts centers, hopefully
parents to this show.”
get a residency somewhere so we can do things
says, will be stretching out from its home base
show really quick for a place, you have a really
The next phase for Quixotic Fusion, Magliano
in Kansas City and playing to new audiences
for longer periods of time. When you load in a short run, but with a residence show you can
around the country. The group has been so busy
kind of dig into the space. Artistically, we’ve
proved difficult at times.
lighting and projections. As we build more as
with just their home city, however, that this has
“Logistically, we’ve been trying to get out
and do more, but with our setup everything’s
a bit more complicated. We require a bit more.
We’ve done shows in smaller venues, but to do the shows the way we want, we need the
been playing with dancers’ moving, triggering
a group, I think we can build with our technology and move forward.”
Sonya Tayeh
has always been known as a dynamic whirl-
wind of movement and energy onstage, but her career has taken on a new level of intensity as of late. Born in New York but with deep roots in Detroit, Tayeh’s
recent work has found her bringing her unique style as both a choreographer and a judge to the primetime television masses via the FOX Network’s reality dance
competition SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. Yet as they say, a body in motion will stay in motion, so it’s no surprise that Tayeh also continues to lend her talent to crafting new and exciting work for the stage, including Quixotic’s up-
coming production LUX ESALARE, set to debut at Kansas City’s Spencer Theatre on June 19th. Catching up with the daring dancer and renowned instructor dur-
ing a recent rehearsal break, Tayeh answered a few questions about working with the Quixotic ensemble and the preparations for LUX ESALARE.
What was your first exposure to Quixotic and what sort of impression did that make on you? Sonya Tayeh: “When Quixotic contacted me I was very intrigued. Their team of artists is very inspiring and very talented. They are all individuals with an amazing talent to provoke and maintain an essence of quality work.”
PAGE
022
When you consider everything that could potentially be happening on stage, what’s your approach to managing all of these many elements? I make every detail as clear as I can in the rehearsal process.
So when it hits the stage it’s no
What’s been the most interesting thing about working with Quixotic? Choreographing dancers with more of a bal-
let influence was very challenging for me. But what came out of it was so impressive. They brought fluidity and softness to my ‘rough’ elements.
longer my responsibility to take
What do you want the audience to take away from your work?
meant to happen happens.
I want the audience to ask questions, be
care of it anymore. I trust what’s
What’s the most important thing you try to instill into your choreography? The words I constantly use in the
rehearsal process are ‘conviction,’ ‘details,’ ‘trust,’ and definitely ‘intention.’
provoked and affected by my movement. I’m not looking for everyone to love it. I’m look-
ing for everyone to wonder about it. I want to challenge the mind and spirit.
could well be the weather report from the world of Monsters, one of the most startling movies of our new do-it-yourself filmmaking culture. British FX designer Gareth Edwards, making his feature debut as a writer and director, took a tiny team – himself and four other crew members, plus his two stars, Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy – to Central America to improvise an off-the-cuff, onthe-road journey through a world, not very far removed from our own, in which aliens have arrived and settled in and humans barely pay attention to them.
HERE’S THE SCOOP SIX YEARS AGO... NASA discovered the possibility of alien
The film was devised, storyboarded and di-
launched to collect samples, but crashed
as the visual effects artist. Allan Niblo and
life within our solar system. A probe was
upon re-entry over Central america. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and grow. In an effort to stem the destruction that
resulted, half of Mexico was quarantined as an ‘Infected Zone’. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain the
massive creatures... Our story begins when
a jaded US journalist (Scoot McNairy) begrudgingly agrees to find his boss’ daughter,
a shaken American tourist (Whitney Able)
and escort her through the infected zone to the safety of the US border.
PAGE
026
rected by Gareth Edwards, who also worked James Richardson of Vertigo Films work
as producers on the production. The filming equipment cost approximately $15,000, with the budget coming in at under $500,000. The film was able to be made on such a low
budget due to the use of prosumer cameras
to capture digital video rather than the more expensive 35mm film. Any settings featured in the film were real locations often used
without permission asked in advance, and the extras were just people who happened to be there at the time.
When developing the idea for his first feature
The film was shot in Mexico, Guatemala, Cos-
he wanted to start where Hollywood monster
For about 90% of the filming the crew com-
Monsters, director Gareth Edwards knew that movies leave off, with the people left picking up the pieces and cleaning up the rubble.
GARETH EDWARDS DEVISED, STORYBOARDED AND DIRECTED THE FILM WHILE ALSO SERVING AS THE VISUAL EFFECTS ARTIST. Allan Niblo and James Richardson of Vertigo
Films work as producers on the production. The filming equipment cost approximately
$15,000, with the budget coming in at under $500,000. The film was able to be made on such a low budget due to the use of prosumer cameras to capture digital video rather than the more expensive 35mm film.
ta Rica and Texas in the US, over three weeks. prised seven people transported in one van: Ian Maclagan (sound operator), Jim Spencer (line producer), Verity Oswin the Mexican ‘fixer’, Edwards, a driver, and Able and Mc-
Nairy, the stars. As the low-budget production
didn’t run to a camera dolly, Edwards made do by sticking the camera out of the van win-
dow, cushioned on some bundled-up clothing. It was also shot entirely on location: any
settings featured in the film were real loca-
tions often used without permission, and the extras were just people who happened to be there at the time. As most of the extras were
non-actors who were persuaded to be in the film, their action was improvised.
Certainly offering more than a few “how did they do that?” moments, Monsters is,
if its claims are true, an absolutely fascinating work of so called cheap-as-chips cinema; given Edwards’ exhaustive war stories of the project’s production, an informed viewer
will instinctively scan the screen constantly, searching for those desktop-produced digital effects, and sneaky, rushed shots obtained
without a permit. Either Edwards had the best location scout known to man, encoun-
tered several incredibly fortunate bouts of
luck, or astoundingly, has actually managed to render complicated objects like derailed trains with scarily convincing verisimilitude.
Each night during the shooting period, the
editor Colin Goudie and his assistant Justin
Hall would download the day’s footage so the memory sticks could be cleared and ready for the next day’s filming. While new footage
was being captured, the previously captured
footage was being edited back at the hotel in which the production team was staying.
AS A RESULT OF ALL THIS RANDOM BEHAVIOUR, THE IDEA OF SCRIPTING THE FILM WENT OUT OF THE WINDOW. INSTEAD I HAD A LOOSE PARAGRAPH DESCRIBING THE SCENE WITH JUST THE MAIN POINTS THAT HAD TO BE HIT; HOW THE ACTORS CARRIED THIS OUT WAS LEFT UP TO THEM. Back in the UK, Edwards had over 100 hours
of unique, ad-libbed footage (rather than re-
peated takes of scripted scenes) to edit into a coherent film. Edwards did all the special
effects himself using off-the-shelf Adobe software Z_Brush and Autodesk 3ds Max. The
first assembly was over four hours long, but
this was trimmed to 94 minutes after eight months of editing. Once the film was locked, Edwards had five months to create all 250
visual effects shots, a process that he undertook in his bedroom.
I WAS CHURNING OUT ABOUT TWO SHOTS A DAY, UNTIL I GOT TO THE FIRST CREATURE SHOT...
Then suddenly two months had passed and
Challenging,
to be the hardest part of the entire process.
Monsters should secure
still, not a single creature shot; it turned out Due to time constraints, the sound effects had to be produced before the special effects
were undertaken. Edwards claimed that the
advances in computer technology in recent
years made it possible for him to create the films visual effects on such a low budget;
“ TODAY, YOU CAN LITERALLY GO INTO THE SHOP AND PURCHASE A LAPTOP THAT’S FASTER THAN THE COMPUTERS THEY MADE JURASSIC PARK ON!” Nonetheless, Gareth continued on so that he could finish the film by the premier. Mon-
sters premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival, as part of the SX Fantastic screenings, on 13 March 2010. On 17 March,
Magnet Releasing acquired the rights for the North American distribution.
PAGE
030
frustrating,
and absolutely intriguing, more work for the evidently talented Edwards, and despite a general lack of
direction, as well as some questionably stagey, forced characterisation, this is a
great-looking, well-acted, phenomenally
achieved
production which plays as
though made for several times its apparent budget.
Invariably, it gains another star for that blinding end-
ing that intentionally blurs ideas like good vs. evil and
what’s right or wrong. In
the end, Monsters tells us an intimate story in a huge and very unique way.
MONSTERS’ CRITICAL ACCLAIM HAS PROPELLED EDWARDS INTO THE MOVIE INDUSTRY’S ATTENTION, AND OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, HE’S BEEN DEVELOPING A SCI-FI PROJECT WITH RUSSIAN FILMMAKER, TIMUR BEKMAMBETOV, AND MOST EXCITINGLY, DEVELOPING A NEW ADAPTATION OF THE BIGGEST MONSTER OF THEM ALL, GODZILLA.
N W O N K RE A Y E H T for several things: They
excoriate the rap blogs Nah
Right and 2dopeboyz, because
those sites refuse to promote OFW-
GKTA’s music. They hate the Los Ange-
les hip-hop dance movement called jerkin’ and all practitioners. Their mantra is “Fuck
Steve Harvey.” Thewy have re-appropri-
ated swastikas for their visual palette. One of their members, 16-year-old Earl Sweatshirt, is currently in boot camp, or prison, or boarding school, or he’s on a long vaca-
tion-- it’s difficult to tell. They worship the
streetwear brand Supreme’s box logo hood-
ies. They have a Tumblr. On that Tumblr, active since February, they have self-released
solo albums, EPs, and mixtapes. All of their music is free. They rap about raping women.
Often. They live by a code-- if something is cool, it’s swagged out. If it’s not, fuck it. Talented, hilarious, villainous, immature, pre-
cocious, and viral-- they are at the vanguard of modern hip-hop.
Odd Future arrive at a fascinating time
for micro-rap movements. In February, the storied underground label Definitive
Jux, co-founded and run since 1999 by ElP, announced it would temporarily shutter operations. The news confirmed something
that has been obvious to many for years:
Underground rap is dead. Or is, at least, not a useful way of describing music anymore. In its stead, a different brand of homespun
rappers have taken hold. Consider Lil B and Soulja Boy, who have been prolifically
working the web and diametrically opposed strands of hip-hop to achieve their own kind PAGE
034
of teenage heroism.
Soulja entered on the strength of a local dance
song that became a genuine national phenom-
enon-- he’s proved a surprisingly durable and in-
inspiring dozens of young kids to do likewise everyday.
This is all happening amid a somewhat me-
novative pop song creator. The minutiae of his ca-
dia-invented renaissance for Detroit’s painted
series to recent accusations about cocaine abuse,
year’s installment of ICP’s annual Gathering
reer, from his now-defunct “Rich Nigga Shit” web
has become fodder moralizing about young wealthy teens. Still, detractors may have noticed that Soulja Boy continues to
crank out hits, 15 minutes be damned. Lil B, the adenoidal member of Bay Area rap group the Pack, has
become a cult figure with a low pop profile but a vo-
cal fanbase, turning out literally hundreds of songs
in a short period of time,
sons of outsider rap, Insane Clown Posse. This of the Juggalos was alarmingly ubiquitous.
It wasn’t simply reports of the
Over time they public degradation of Tila Tequibecame oft- la, or the aftershocks of the group’s silvideo, or even underestimated lyThe“Miracles” Village Voice’s artfully owners of a tiny impressionistic report from festival. There did piece of unwanted the seem, finally, an honest subculture: affection for the subculture Violent J Shaggy 2 Dope built from the ignored and and the ground up. Over time they humiliated. became oft-underestimated owners of a
pushing the boundaries of what could reason-
tiny piece of unwanted subculture-- the
ably be called mainstream with his Based music,
ignored and humiliated. But put enough un-
consciousness flow. He is always creating-- a new
the enduring ICP to the insurgent Lil B, Soulja
a spacey, New Age-influenced sort of stream-ofLil B album could be dropping at this exact moment. Lil B’s breathless absurdism defies Soulja’s
hit-at-any-cost sensibility, but they have become allies, united by attitude and prolificacy. Both are
fascinating, hard-working, loyalty-demanding,
capable of greatness, and young. And they are
washed together, and the masses rise. From
Boy and their youthful contemporaries-- Danny Brown, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y, Big K.R.I.T.,
Mac Miller, and others-- underground rap is changing every day, more by individual personality than by an all-encompassing ethos.
ALBUMS TO DOWNLOAD RIGHT NOW
BASTARD
Tyler, The Creator
MANIA PacDiv
BLACKENEDWHITE Mellowhype
SLEEPING IN CLASS Casey Veggies
Odd Future, therefore, are right on time. Their
de facto leader is a 19-year-old who calls himself Tyler, the Creator AKA Ace Creator. He is a
rapper-producer. His album, Bastard, is among the most stunning things released in the past 12
months. He possesses a charred, viscous groan of a voice; sometimes he manipulates the frequency to make it even deeper and darker. Earl and Tyler
have been the most visible, and talented OFWGKTA members to emerge, and they collaborate often. Tyler’s production appears on several of the
studio-dwelling teenager. But Tyler, though he
album. In a recent interview with cool’eh maga-
hip-hop. Consider this recent comment on his
songs on Earl’s Earl, a brief, often mesmerizing
has unusual taste, is no champion of abstract
zine Tyler cited Stereolab, James Pants, Liars, Twitter account: “Who the Fuck Is Antipop British composer Alan Tew, and Erykah Badu as Consortium? Can People Compare Us To Cool musical influences. He also noted, perhaps playfully, “Grizzly Bear swags their shit out.”
Tyler’s productions do have flecks of those art-
ists in his sound-- highly musical chord changes,
Musicians? Fuck.”
And while it’s accessible, their music can be
awfully difficult to listen to. These are shame-
less kids, trying to one-up each other in order
slithering funk lines-- but they’re mostly dank, to amuse themselves. The videos for “French!” constructions.
and “Earl” reveal a cracked charisma that’s hard
He produces them with Apple’s Logic Studio
one laugh is a standard in the ritual emptiness of
cated, but surprisingly sophisticated for a home
sire to rap about rape as much as it explains their
claustrophobic,
synth-driven
Think MF DOOM meets Mobb Deep meets Eno. to articulate. How far will you go to make someand Fruity Loops software. They’re uncompli-
teenage life. Which explains their deplorable deslapping contests. What makes Tyler such a fascinating figure is how he pairs these indefensible
expressions of depravity (From “French!”: “I’m
“WHO THE FUCK IS
opening a church to sell coke and Led Zeppelin/
To fuck Mary in her ass”) with a wounded emotional clarity. When Bastard isn’t about screwing around with his friends or violating women,
ANTIPOP COSORTIUM?
it’s about the father he never met. The haunting
opening song on the album, the title track, ends with this: “I just want my father’s email/ So I
CAN PEOPLE COMPARE US
can tell him how much I fucking hate him in de-
tail.” Tyler is clearly a loving son, aware of how his mother has been both
TO COOL MUSIC? FUCK.”
crucial male and female figure in his life. He raps moment. Who the fuck knows, next week I can about both of his parents often. His screeds to be rapping about oatmeal if that’s what
his father make this otherwise ghoulish teenager I’m into. And for the record, I don’t worship the sympathetic. devil, I just hate religion.” That godless outlook, I was told by a prominent manager currently for Tyler in particular, is defining. There is no circling the crew that Eminem’s violent, outland- compass, other than, maybe, the Internet-- and ish 2009 album Relapse, is their favorite in recent the Internet has no compass.Tyler and Earl,
memory. They are not fans of this year’s more while the most notable of the crew, are also the popular “return to form,” Recovery. On Tyler’s most divisive. Hawthorne’s Domo Genesis, the “AssMilk”, Earl raps, “I’m the reincarnation group’s delegated stoner, is more approachof 98 Eminem,” a line notable because 1998 is able. His recently-released Rolling Papers is less one year before the release of Eminem’s break- accomplished-- it recalls Wiz Khalifa’s recent through The Slim Shady LP. Marshall Mathers blunted-for-life output. is an important guidepost for Odd Future, but even at his most debased, Eminem never quite made skin crawl the way Tyler can. So what
makes them like this? What turns a teenager’s mind so dark? Not much, really. Tyler explains
himself flippantly. “It’s the first shit that comes to our heads, seriously. I’m interested in serial killers’ minds and shit, so I rap about it at the
EVEN AT HIS MOST DEBASED, EMINEM NEVER QUITE MADE SKIN CRAWL THE WAY TYLER CAN.
PAGE
038
OLLY
MOSS
>
THREADLESS
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ou’ve seen them. Videogame Classics made retro and simplified, the Now Panic and Freak Out sign, and yes, even a lobster with human hands. Real good stuff, real good. And it’s all over the place,
to
these picture sharing sites like ffffound, dropular, and even the upencoming We Heart It. But where do they all come from? These supercharged pictures are all done by designer Olly Moss, master of the internets. Everything you will see in the following pagstuff! It’s simple, it’s beautiful, it’s custom made for today’s internet arena. It spreads like wildfire through the internets because of this reason above all: it’s all so very much fun to share.
>
>
es is by Olly Moss. It’s just a bunch of fantastic
HOLLYWOOD
aracte
asked
about
h
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n& a W i “Ob when Moss,
ded:
respon
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Du
With his upcoming art show approaching
posters. The new posters show colorful silhou-
ing on the net, this art wunderkind is in great
are filled in with detailed imagery from Star
quickly and the many big projects appear-
demand by the pop culture defined public.
At the age of 24, Moss has worked with and
for people and companies many only dream
of meeting. In just 2 years, he has worked
hand in hand with Galleries 1988 and Alamo
Drafthouse, created official posters for Duncan
Jones’ movies, and created exclusive commis-
sioned imagery for Marvel. He has also worked
on secret projects, that have his work as the OF-
FICIAL poster for a HUGE movie. To sum it all up quickly... Olly Moss is becoming a huge deal.
Moss shows his nerdy love for the original Star
Wars trilogy in a trio of new posters he created
for collectible art house Mondo. They are the first
in Mondo’s wildly popular Star Wars series to be PAGE
042
crafted as traditional, theatrical one-sheet movie
ettes of C-3PO, Darth Vader and Boba Fett that
Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
To create original artwork for such rabidly
adored films was daunting, Moss said, especially since so many of the visuals are already iconic. “It was so intimidating!” the artist told Wired.com in an e-mail interview. “There is
such a wealth of great Star Wars art out there already, from paid professionals and from en-
thusiastic fans. I suppose my main aim was to make a set of Star Wars posters that were a little different from what people are used to
seeing from the franchise, but still retained
that essential Star Wars feel. I started by rewatching the original movies with a sketchbook on my lap, and just sort of went from
was no backing away from the challenge. “If you’re as big a
nerd as I am, you just can’t say no to Star Wars,” Moss said. Justin
Ishmael,
Mondo’s
creative director, said Moss often nails his poster concepts on his first attempt. “Olly does
sketches and will e-mail them
to us and ... a lot of the times, they are exactly what the finals
look like!” Ishmael said in an
e-mail. “It’s almost like seeing the inner workings of a genius’ brain in real time.”
Given Moss’ talent, he was a blueprint of R2-D2 and a series coveted artist for Mondo’s Star of six bounty hunters. Many of Wars series, a high-stakes pro- the prints sold out within minject for the art house. George utes. Lucas is notoriously protective
Beyond the retail success,
of his Star Wars images, and it the featured artists and Ishmatook Ishmael and Mondo a year el have a personal stake in Star
to woo Lucasfilm into licens- Wars. “We’re fans first,” Ishing the characters and worlds mael said. “I couldn’t think of a
that would grace the posters. reason to choose something, if Instead of flowers, Mondo sent it wasn’t because we liked it. I over poster prototypes made guess we could get licenses for with metallic and glow-in-the- Twilight because it’s hot. We’d dark ink. All that work paid make a lot of money, but Twioff. Mondo has released 17 light is lame, and we only do
posters — and counting — in stuff that we personally like.” its Star Wars series, including a Moss, when asked about his
“ I guess we could get licenses for Twilight because it’s hot. We’d make a lot of money, but Twilight is lame, and we only do stuff that we personally like.”
most beloved Star Wars character and film, responded: “Obi-
Wan and Empire Strikes Back. Duh.”
The secondary market on
his work is incredibly expen-
sive. The first editions for his Star Wars art prints sold online for 50 dollars a poster; they
are now seen on eBay at $659
per poster or nearly $5000 for the set of three. Collectors are
scrambling for these prints with a furvor that is usually set aside for the films themselves. Moss states that money is not a good motivator for work,
citing that the jobs that he has done for money have turned
out badly. And it shows. On
Moss’ flickr account there is an image of an invoice he sent a client. This invoice was in response to the assertion that his
OLLY SPEAKS HI OLLY! WELCOME TO THE COOL KIDS TABLE. OM
Thanks, it’s great to be here. WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING TALL, HANDSOME AND BRITISH? ARE YOU REALLY JAMES BOND?
OM
Thanks, but I’m more Mr. Bean than Mr. Bond. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE WORDS THAT THE BRITISH SPELL WRONG, LIKE “COLOR” AS “COLOUR” ETC?
OM
I have lots of FAVOURITES. WAY TO BE A CHAMP, OLLY. I BET YOU WON ALL THE SPELLING BEES IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SO ENOUGH ABOUT YOU BEING BRITISH AND ME MAKING FUN OF YOU FOR IT. I HEAR YOU HAVE PLANS TO COME STATESIDE FOR A WHILE.
OM
Yeah, I’ll be coming over and staying at Ross Zietz place again. Do you know how long that guy spends in the shower? It’s a little frightening. RIGHT. I’LL PASS ON THAT MENTAL IMAGE. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT YOUR LAST TRIP HERE?
OM
Bob’s party was pretty fun, but also the thing I remember the least about. I’m almost sure Joe gave me a piggyback. THAT’S IT? YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR TRIP WAS RIDING AROUND ON JOE’S BACK?
OM
He has a glorious back. And it’s low enough to the ground that I wouldn’t get hurt if I fell.
You’re a strange person. You’ve been around Threadless for a long time. How old were you when you first got printed? I think I was 16. Maybe 17. It was so long ago I can’t really remember. YEAH, RIGHT. YOU’RE LIKE 25 NOW? HAVE YOU GOT ALZHEIMER’S OR SOMETHING?
24 and a quarter. My knee hurts when it gets cold. GOOD ONE, OLD MAN. ANYWAY, CONGRATS ON YOUR BESTEES. TELL US WHAT THAT WAS LIKE, FINDING OUT ONE SHIRT EARNED YOU TWO TROPHIES.
I’ll pay you three thousand dollars not to answer the question you just asked. DONE.
Send it to me via money order, please. HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH ALL OF YOUR DESIGNS? HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT THEY’RE ALL GOING TO BE SO SELL-ABLE BEFORE YOU EVEN CREATE THEM? WHAT I’M TRYING TO ASK IS, WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL SECRET DESIGN RECIPE? SERIOUSLY... I NEED TO KNOW.
I come up with some of my best ideas in the shower, or in bed. Clothes obviously confine me. You just inadvertently told the entire internet that you sleep naked. Congratulations! It’s the only way to go. Don’t you agree? I’LL GIVE YOU BACK THE THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS NOT TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
Done!
PAGE
046
invoices were incredibly boring. It includes a monster truck, a
velociraptor, an exploding vehicle and a bacon cheeseburger. Who is boring now?
This quick fame had everything to do with the website Threadless and the opportunity they present for getting your name out
there. Users submit t-shirt design to be voted on by other users
and the minning designs get printed and sold on the website. Moss has been getting printed here since he was 16, with dozens
of his designs having been printed. Each design printed gets five
thousand dollars, not to mention reprint payment which Moss the “Free Beer... and art show” that the second has recieved several times. This sort of interest is different than poster promises. He is quoted as saying of the
that of a poster. If a person likes his design they can choose to show,“It’s incredibly nerdy, by far the nerdiest wear it, like a walking advertisement for Olly Moss. This interest things I’ve ever done.” The show consists 150 has translated into designs created for other venues, like Urban one-of-a-kind pieces that work together to create what has been described as “a massive pop culOutfitters.
Duncan Jones Alamo Drafthouse and Mondo selected direc- ture installation.” In addition the works in the gallery for sale, there will also be screenprints tor Duncan Jones to be profiled in its next “Direc-
of many of his previous works and some new
tor’s Series” with a couple of posters from his past and upcoming films. He is the second director to be profiled after director Guillermo del Toro. The art-
work for “Source Code” and “Moon” posters are from world renowned artist, Olly Moss. “I’ve been a
huge fan of Mr. Moss since I first saw his mock game
I’ve been a huge fan of Mr. Moss since I first saw his mock game manual for ‘Half Life’, what feels like an eon ago.
manual for ‘Half Life’ what feels like an eon ago,” said Duncan ones as well. Moss also states “I want people Jones in a press release. “I’ve been desperate to own one of his to have fun. I think people will get a lot out of
pieces ever since. Getting that piece to be based on my films is being there on the opening night. I guess I’m even better!”
shooting for a comprehensive exploration of my
His art show is shrouded in mystery, with only a few details favourite parts of pop-culture - movies, tv and,
having been shared with the yearning crowds of fans across of course, video games. I’ve put months of work LA. His blog has posters available to print out depending on into it, and it’s a totally new medium for me. But
the viewer’s preference on poster type, whether your motive it’s designed to be fun, and I really hope people is interesting vernacular type with an old time sensibility or enjoy it.”
What’s Olly saying? @ollymoss
@ollymoss
@ollymoss
@ollymoss
watching It’s a Wonderful Life
ise his DVD collection is more
made for the cast/crew of the
Cosby sweaters.
Feels almost blasphemous to be Watching Kevin Tong alphabetthis far away from Christmas.
entertaining than watching his DVD collection.
Remember the Thor poster I
movie? Well there will be ONE available at my show with the money going to charity!
t
This morning I research
Whether you are buying a red vintage polka dotted apron, a bar of handcrafted lavender soap, or earrings in the shape of donuts. Etsy has a seller for you.
Buy Handmade.
We’re using the power of community-based design to call attention to the good guys: non-profits, world-changing organizations, and important social movements.
Learn more @ http://causes.threadless.com/
The inside scoop. INTERESTING PEOPLE TELL YOU A BIT MORE ABOUT HOW THEY THINK AND HOW THEY HAVE ACHIEVED THEIR DREAMS.
SLEIGH BELLS DEREK E. MILLER
When you first started working with Alexis
what music common ground did you share? Pop music, really. We’re both huge fans. We both like Motown and soul, but beyond that, we’re pretty different. We never talk about
music except when we’re making it. I think it was exciting for her because, she’s been doing
music for almost her whole life, this is very different from anything she’s done before. It was also challenging. She had never done
anything as hard or as rhythmic as what I had written, and it had more of a percussive de-
livery and less vocal acrobatics, which she is more than capable of. It was crazy for me to finally be able to share these ideas I had. They’d PAGE
050
been kind of driving me crazy for a few years.
How did your group form? I had been looking for a vocalist for a long
time. I was asking everyone I knew to help me find someone.
I was working in a Brazilian restaurant in Brooklyn. I waited on Alexis [Krauss] and her mother, who was/is really nice and talkative, and I mentioned that I was looking for a singer.
Alexis’ mom recommended her. That’s how it got started.
Have you ever gotten into any mischief when you’ve on tour?
I realize there are artists who romanticize a de-
generate lifestyle, but it’s not really for me. I try to keep it simple so I can make it to the next
show. Beer before and after the set, I guess. When I’m at home I’m a little less responsible. What are your musical vices? I don’t believe anyone should associate guilt with pleasure! If you like it, f--- it. The Beatles or The Stones? I love both groups but I have to say that the Stones are less cerebral than the Beatles and
more appealing in some ways. I think some Beatles music is very heady, deliberate and cer-
ebral. When the Stones are at their best, which for me is ‘Let It Bleed,’ they are pretty untouch-
able. No idea. though. You could debate this for days and never get anywhere.
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If Bonnaroo ever comes up in conversation
Amidst all the chaos, Coyne, lead singer of The
same thing:
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with anyone, I just always tell them the exact
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Austin City Limits is the yearly music fes-
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night of our first year there. Yes, the porta-
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potties are usually nasty unless you know how to synchronize your bowel movements. But the festival is flat out unforgettable.
052
love of all the bands they heard with them
Yes, our tent had collapsed and flooded when
we got back to the campsite at 4am the last
PAGE
to take all the joy, pain, misery, confusion, and
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Wakarusa
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about partaking in this years fest. Winding
issue with any review that says anything about
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but I saw nothing but great interaction between
There were many attributes to this years
I think my mom’s spidey senses were surely
Lawrence, Kansas.
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pearances by the acts who made it possible or the behind the scene workers who pulled this
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festival goers and talked to so many strangers keeping her up at night. Pitchfork music festival is an essential and fantastic part of both indie music and Chicago’s total culture!
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