Loveless Marriage

There's no way in HELL he kisses her the way he kisses me.

Francis and the Lights

Francis and the Lights is a band from New York City, led by Francis Farewell Starlite. The band was formed at Wesleyan University and their first show was a performance of the posthumous Otis Redding record “The Immortal Otis Redding” in its entirety. The current live incarnation of the band includes two drummers playing in conjunction with sequenced percussion.
On November 3, 2008, the band was incorporated as Francis and the Lights, LLC., and accepted an $100,000 investment from The Normative Music Company, who also issued their 2nd record. Cantora Records released a new EP from the band, LIME/WYN, in 2008.
Francis and the Lights has performed as the opening act for MGMT.


COMMENTS
This is one of the hottest little known pieces of art we have seen in a long time.

If you get a chance to see him live, do it.

I saw him live last Sat. in Philly....instant fan.

Hey, I know this guy, he went to Berkeley H.S. with my son and played piano (very well) in the school jazz band.
I like the video. Very unique and creative.


Francis and the Lights

Cantora Records Presents: Francis and the Lights - Solo Piano
"A performance by Francis and the Lights is like a master class in the art of sophisticated groove...gorgeous and unexpected"
-Time Out

"Insanely meticulous"
-Village Voice

"Francis' work is abnormally brilliant"
-Dazed and Confused

Backtalk: Francis and the Lights
Today’s guest is Francis Farewell Starlite, the charismatic, enigmatic crooner-songsmith behind local electrofunk group Francis and the Lights. We stumbled upon some of the band’s tracks online a few weeks back and were instantly hooked — sleek as hell, but also intricate and subtly brainy, this is the most wholesome sort of dance music. The outfit has received shout-outs from Kanye West, among others, so it seems primed to explode...

Can't Tell Me Nothing (cover)
A mix between Prince and Phil Collins , the band behind him remains nameless (”The Lights” refer to the lights on stage, not the band).
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NEW POST
Queen

Size Matters

PRODUCT
H&M - Spring 09

CAMPAIGN
Kate Moss for Roberto Cavalli Underwear (2006)

CONSUMERS
Cancan girls entertain the crowd prior to the First Test match between the New Zealand All Blacks and France at Carisbrook on June 13, 2009 in Dunedin, New Zealand [jezebel.com]

British Vogue Editor's Lame PR Coup: No More Size Zeros!
COMMENTS
I don't think it's lame at all, I think it's about time someone did SOMETHING. Considering that a size 6 to 8 was once considered healthy and attractive (Hello Cindy Crawford!) and now it's a size 0? Most women don't have that body type naturally because that's the size of a child. Is that what we are all supposed to admire and emulate? No wonder so many young girls have anorexia and or bulimia.
I say kudos to Ms. Shulman.

@__: Yeah, it's easy to design things for a size 0 or size 2--there is no art there and you don't have to pay experienced seamstresses to create garments. No draping, no darts, no tailoring at all, no craft; you just make a schmatte out of cheap stretch jersey, cut out some unflattering arm holes, and maybe throw a few beads on it. Designing for real women's bodies is much more time-intensive, challenging and, yes, expensive.

@__: You're right about it taking much more skill and not everyone can do it. The freak outs on Project Runway in the real woman challenges are legendary.

@__: Absolutely. When faced with the prospect of designing a piece of clothing for a woman with a markedly different ratio between her waist, her hips and her breasts, most high-end designers would just have an attack of the vapours and wake up screaming "The Horror!THE HORROR!!" for the the rest of their lives. When you think about it, they're not actually clothes designers, they're more like incredibly commercial "artists" who work primarily with fabric. And human beings have to find some way (by being fleshless) to fit into these works of "art".
It just so happens that the rest of the human race needs actual clothes.
It's pretty incredible that Schulman has thrown down. I just wonder will anyone else follow suit?

@__: You're right, fashion is a fine blend of art and commerce. Too bad so many houses have forgotten they are designing for actual humans.
I was a fit model in Italy in the early 80s. I arrived in Milan a largish 6, after a few months I was an 8 (anyone who has ever tasted the food in Italy knows why!), but it was fine--back in those days, women, and therefore models, were allowed to have curvy figures. One of the design assistants used to call me "the Cello," which he definitely meant as an insult. He would carry on about how impossible it was to drape fabric, etc. One day a seamstress came to my defense. She was mid-sixties, very old-school, she wore black every day, a big cross, a classic Italian widow. "You leave the American girl alone!" she shouted. "She is beautiful! You think she's so big, watch out she doesn't knock you on your fennel-scented ass!" That's a translation of course, sounds much nicer in Italian.

@__: Wowza. I did some modelling about a decade ( a freaking decade ago ) and my sister is doing some now to make a few bucks through university, as I did and the difference in entry-level requirements now are...unbelievable. My test shots from '99/00 wouldn't get me a job marketing cheese, let alone couture. My sis is closer to a 0 than I ever was, she's much taller and she's genetically that rangy, runner-bean, ''modelly'' build that I got away with for a while before I said fuck it, show me the Guinness, but even she gets serious grief now. And she's only doing it part fucking time. She says quite apart from what the sample sizes have become, the actual photographers only seem to book models who have the whole lollipop beheaded/alien/big-eyed/bug-eyed thing going on. And apparently you get paid more if you allow them to throw food/liquid on you, which is de rigeur for a lot of editorial shoots.
Fashion. It's a fucking palaver.

Scouting NY

About
I work as a film location scout in New York City. My day is basically spent combing the streets for interesting and unique locations for feature films. In my travels, I often stumble across some pretty incredible sights, most of which are ignored every day by thousands of New Yorkers in too much of a rush to pay attention.
As it happens, it's my job to pay attention, and I've started this blog to keep a record of what I see.

I love traveling down Flatbush Ave past Prospect Park because there’s so much history to find hidden on every block. I noticed this Oldsmobile ghost sign (ghost sign: a business sign remaining from a long defunct business) at the corner of Avenue D and Flatbush above a liquor store. God knows how long ago this was put in, but I’m guessing at least 50 years. Was there an Oldsmobile dealership on or near this spot? Or was it just a neon advertisement to interest Flatbush passersby? [...]

I was on Roosevelt Island recently, and was absolutely blown away by the blooming trees on the south-west side of the island, opposite the entrance to the Coler-Goldwater hospital. Really, really beautiful. The petals were falling off the trees and amassing in these huge piles...Definitely worth a look if you’re in the area.
On a related note, if anyone is wondering about the smallpox hospital ruins, you’ll be glad to know that the recent stabilization project was in full swing when I was there, with crews erecting scaffolding that will hopefully save this beautiful relic from falling down. New Yorkers who have never ventured outside of Manhattan have at least probably seen this lit up from the FDR-North. Non-New Yorkers may recognize it as the final battle location in the first Spiderman movie.

One of the most beautiful and pleasant places in the city is the campus of Columbia University. It is simply incredible that such a place exists in the tightly packed metropolis that is Manhattan, and I never pass up a chance to visit.
Located in the center of campus is the statue of Alma Mater (actually the goddess Minerva), by Daniel Chester French. Now known as a symbol for the university, Alma Mater’s arms are raised invitingly toward the campus, as if she is welcoming in the knowledge surrounding her. As it turns out, Alma Mater has a secret: an owl, hidden somewhere in the folds of her robe. I won’t tell you exactly where it is - half the fun is taking a few minutes to search for the owl and being surprised at how cleverly it is hidden. Also, there are a number of legends about what happens to those who find the owl on their own (marry a Barnard student within the year, get straight A’s, etc.), and I’d hate to deprive you of any of these rewards.

I was eating lunch in my car at 113th & Riverside when I noticed an interesting sign on this beautiful apartment building. Next to the gate on the right side of the building is this sign: “Servants & Tradesmens Entrance,” complete with one of those great old-fashioned directional hand illustrations. Servants? Tradesmen? I imagine it’s been quite a number of years since this sign has had any applicability for the building’s tenants, but I love that it still exists as a fading relic of a bygone era.

For those that have never been, Bethesda Terrace in the middle of Central Park is one of the most beautiful spots in New York. A two-tiered plaza leads to an incredible fountain and a lake beyond, in which people row boats around. The area is lush with foliage, and on a warm, blue-sky summer day like yesterday, nothing compares to it.
When you walk into the plaza, your eye is immediately drawn to the fountain, which might cause you to miss the incredible design work on the sides of the staircase (something I only noticed for the first time today). It’s really amazing: a three-dimensional stone rendering of animals and plantlife, all of which I imagine can be found in the park. If you get close, you’ll see that the craftsmanship is incredible - every animal looks perfectly frozen in time...Definitely worth a look if, like me, you’ve been to the Bethesda Fountain a million times and never noticed.

Scouting NY

RELATED
The Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums is Wes Anderson’s visual love letter to New York. Though never explicitly named, the film presents a stunningly constructed pastiche of the quirky, the kitschy and the dreamy details that make this city so magical. Spend a day following the Scout trail and visit five stops that magnify the innocuous beauty of New York through the Anderson lens.
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NEW POSTS
Best Business Hotels 09
Shoes - Fall 09
Quote
Christopher Conte
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LINK
The End

Let's Talk

PLAYLIST
1. Burt Reynolds - The Tonight Show
That's the worst skin condition I've ever seen in my life.
2. Dean Martin & Bob Hope - The Tonight Show
My doc sent me a note, he said "Stop smoking". I rolled it and smoked it.
3. Johnny Carson Tells a Joke No One Gets
Attention Kmart shoppers...
4. Jerry Seinfeld - The Tonight Show
Isn't that Johnson from sales?
5. David Letterman's Second-to-Last Appearance on The Tonight Show
Just how pissed off are you?
6. David Letterman Gets Pissed
Here's a little something for you...
7. Madonna - Late Night with David Letterman
Here's where I keep my socks, here's where I keep my panties.
8. Johnny Carson's Last Appearance on Television
Like I'm going to continue after THAT?!?
9. Matt Damon Does Matthew McConaughey
We'd probably get more chicks if we took our shirts off.
10. Borat - Late Night with David Letterman
You understand???

This Just in...

I occasionally watch DEA. The action's tight, and the narrator (actor Lance Henrikson) and the music ramp up the suspense. Also, where else are you going to hear lines like "We don't get paid to get killed.", "I'm out there to win." and "Our guys are ready to come out, guns blazing."? Ok, there's Cops, 48 Hours, the SWAT series, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Wanted and many more of the same genre, but this one's GOOD.

Nothing says "Flying Refined" like tippling vermin in a strikingly graphic Porter Airlines print ad

Crappy sign...

...cute display

Bloor St. W. (of Bathurst)

These shoes are MINE__$100__Zara

Paving Bloor-Yorkville's sidewalks in granite is a go-ahead...

...though whether the stone will be heated from beneath (as originally planned) remains to be seen

Harry Rosen looks great since they took down the scaffolding__Bloor St. W. (of Yonge)

2006

2008



Teatro Verde's beautiful new location is now officially open...

...as is its brand new, fresh-outta-the-box neighbour...

...Diesel__100 Yorkville







Mellow yellow for spring__Vivian Shyu__Yorkville Ave.

Lovely detailing on this blouse__TNT__Hazelton Lanes

Unusual jacket fabrication__Contrasta__Hazelton Lanes

Who will move into Teatro Verde's old digs?__Hazelton Lanes

If they had a new address, wouldn't they put it on the sign?__Hugo__Hazelton Ave.

White__(dress and bridal boutique)__Hazelton Ave.

This Ferrari is impervious to birds, kids and vandals__Yorkville Ave.

One of many pedestrian-looking waterfront condo buildings__Lake Shore Blvd E.

Stellar example of a beautiful condo building__Richmond St. E.
__________________________________________

NEW POSTS
Sebastián Errázuriz
Scott Elrod

Print is Dead

[theawl.com]
Sorry, Sam. You get zero sympathy from this journalist.

Do what the rest of us did when we graduated from J-School…get off your ass, get in your car and find a damn job. Most of the world isn’t “handed” a job…they have to actually FIND a job. I’m curious about what is actually taught at Harvard that you are just figuring that out, on the cusp of graduation. At my cheap, state school, it was drilled into our heads EVERY SINGLE DAY by all of our journalism professors that WE had to find a job…and it wouldn’t be easy. And all of us did find jobs(except for the marketing girls who just married rich guys and it turns out that was the best career path of all).

Yes, I know. The world has changed. And you are LUCKY, you big goof. All the 40 somethings, toiling away in print in a dying medium are rightly panicking. Their kids are approaching college age, their 401Ks are gone and the future is bleak. YOUR future is wide open. Employers aren’t hiring them, they’re hiring YOU.

I’m not sure if the internets reach Harvard, but you might have heard about something called THE INTERNET. Print is dead. I have NO idea how content is going to be delivered to folks in the next two, five or 10 years…but the thing is, Sam…YOU will be delivering it. Get a job with Twitter (they’ll be doing some sort of news, soon), get a job with The Awl, call Murdoch and be his web czar,figure out how to edit and become a backpack journalist…whatever.

My point is, the world is open in front of you. If you really want to be a journalist, step out and explore.

@__: The salary shouldn’t be the thing at 23. The opportunity is the prize. And hopefully Sam is smart enough to realize that.

And Sam, if you are reading this…I am not attacking you personally. Graduation without a job is the beginning of your career, not the end of it.

So get out there, slugger and make us all proud!

That is Why

$2 Million McLaren F1 Self-Immolates

[jalopnik.com]
You see, usually when I see a supercar go up in flames... actually just supercars in general, I shrug and then move on without bothering to read the article.

Seriously, why should I care? Supercars are toys for the superdickery portion of the population, are completely impractical, poorly built; and at least in the older ones, usually trying to kill you.

But this is a McLaren F1 we're talking about! This wasn't a supercar that was built simply for people with small dicks, it was a supercar built on the principle of engineering pwnage, a car so exclusive that the only people who actually own these cars are at least 63% less likely to be dicks and 90% more likely to be actual car enthusiasts. It's a car that was actually well thought out in design, a car that won't beat the shit out of you and one that you can take to the grocery store (and load it up with your boxes of Krispy Kreme). It's a fascinating historical footnote for when a company's vision for ultimate performance at a time when there really was very little performance to be had at all was fulfilled and exceeded. The toils and troubles of designing the whole car, the early use of carbon fibre, the whole saga involving trying to convince Honda to produce the engine (only to end up with MB) is something that all car enthusiasts should appreciate.

I mean, the only car that comes close nowadays is the Bugatti Veyron, and it will never be as cool because it's a fat luxury car with a $15K turn signal lever that is mostly owned by patrons of Dubai. A car whose only trick is going really fast in a straight line (and it's already been beaten at that game by a small American manufacturer).

In these eco-mental and recession-omic times, you will be hard pressed to see such ambitious, high performance and liveable supercars again.

And that is why you should care.

Brit Invasion 2.0

Myers Twins__1968

Mary Quant__1966

Ossie Clark & Chrissy Shrimpton__196_?

Burberry campaign__2007



PLAYLIST:
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Animals (1965)
Suspicious Wit - The Rascals (2008)
Standing Next to Me - The Last Shadow Puppets (2008)
Brainstorm - Arctic Monkeys (2007)
My Generation - The Who (1965)
My Generation - Oasis (2006?)
___________________________________

RELATED
Sheree North - Vintage Sexy Tiger Dance
Turn down the volume at 0:59 and play Suspicious Wit at the same time - hot stuff!

Sheree North
(17.January 1932 - 4.November 2005)
Best known in later years for her prolific television work, she played Lou Grant's spunky girlfriend on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and was Kramer's mom on "Seinfeld" who was the first to announce his first name to fans: Cosmo. She also earned Emmy nominations for appearances on Marcus Welby, MD and Archie Bunker's Place.
Used as a bargaining chip by Fox against an unreliable Marilyn Monroe, she was found to have Monroe's exact weight and measurements at the time. She later played MMs unbalanced mother in Marilyn: The Untold Story (1980) (TV).
Married four times, she had two daughters, Dawn and Erica, from different marriages.
Hollywood insiders originally whispered that 20th Century Fox hired her only as a threat to the troublesome Marilyn Monroe who was often late or did not show up on the sets. She went on to span a career of over 50 years until her death.
As a young woman she sanded floors and parked cars to pay for her ballet lessons.
Born in Los Angeles and trained in dance, one of her early jobs was as a chorine at the Greek Theatre.
Appeared in such stage musicals as "Can-Can," "Irma La Douce" and "Bye Bye Birdie.".
Was discovered in a Santa Monica night club by a famous choreographer who enticed her to New York for a role in a Broadway musical, which in turn began her stage career. [YouTube.com]