Nan Goldin became obsessed with taking photographs of her friends and classmates at school—she says she became the class photographer. One of her first subjects was her best friend David Armstrong who was into drag. After they graduated from school, Goldin and Armstrong shared an apartment and he introduced her to the world of drag queens. Goldin spent time photographing David and his friends.
After years of experiencing and photographing the struggle of the two genders with their codes and definitions, and their difficulties in relating to each other, it was liberating to meet people who had crossed these gender boundaries.
Most people get scared when they can’t categorize others—by race, by age, and most of all by gender. It takes nerve to walk down the street when you fall between the cracks. Some of my friends shift genders daily from boy to girl and back again.
Misty and Jimmy.
Goldin was born in 1953 the youngest of four children to a middle class Jewish family in Washington D.C. Not long after she was born, the family moved to the suburbs of Lexington, Boston. She was a rebellious child and ran away from home, and was eventually fostered by several families during her teens. Goldin has said she was “full of raw energy, creativity and sensuality” and found the fifties and early sixties an oppressive, difficult time. Then she discovered photography. First she took Polaroids, then shot Super 8, before taking regular photographs that she had developed at the local drugstore. Her friends would stack the pictures in piles to see who had the most portraits. Though these pictures were her a kind of diary—documenting her life, her relationships, her sexuality and her friends who became family (“We were the world to each other”)—the photographs were created out of her relationships and not observation.
Actress, writer and friend Cookie Mueller.
The work has always been misunderstood as being about a certain milieu of drugs and parties and the underground. And although I’d say that my family is still marginal and we don’t want to be part of normal society, I don’t think the work has been about that, I think the work has been about the condition of being human—the pain, the ability to survive and how difficult that is.
In this beautiful short film, Nan Goldin discusses her life and career, friends, drug addiction and the “other world” she has documented.
A selection of Nan Goldin’s beautiful photographs, after the jump…
Next Saturday His Royal Badness himself, Prince, will be playing a concert in Louisville, Kentucky, but fascinatingly, the venue has not yet been disclosed. Tickets go on sale Monday, March 9, at 10 a.m. local time through Live Nation.
Prince made it known that a series of similarly scheduled dates on short notice are in the works. Dates and times will be announced and then it’s up to you to bust out the credit card and pounce. Suitably, he’s calling it the “Hit and Run” tour.
Prince spent a big chunk of 2014 playing similarly spontaneous shows across the UK and Europe to promote his new solo album Art Official Age and his debut with 3rdEyeGirl, Plectrumelectrum.
Prince has a knack for doing this his own way, but he’s incredibly savvy and his eccentric interventions have a way of enhancing either his image or his bank account—usually both. With this announcement he has guaranteed a huge dollop of adoring press coverage, and you know the tickets, when they’re announced, ain’t going to be cheap.
Here’s Prince’s enjoyable appearance on Muppets Tonight from 1997 (watch it before Prince’s lawyers yank it down…..):
For me, it’s difficult at this point to be surprised by anything David Lynch does outside of his cinematic endeavors. What’s that you say? He’s teaching the world his quinoa recipe? Of course he is. It’s probably delicious. And now he’s designing women sports wear? I’ll bet it’s great! I’d wear a David Lynch creation to Pilates in a heartbeat. But did you know that in 2006, he personally campaigned on behalf of Laura Dern so she’d get an Oscar nomination for Inland Empire on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea, with a live cow? (He was in other locations, too, such as the parking lot of the former Tower Records on Sunset.)
Luckily, some very excited Lynch fans managed a little impromptu interview with him at the time. He was very warm and diplomatic, obviously genuinely acting on behalf of Dern, but the presence of the cow was not made totally clear. His explanation for his bovine companion was, “Without cheese there wouldn’t be an Inland Empire,” (the same text on the banner he had with him) and then, “Cheese is made from milk. Get it?” (I do not.)
Dern didn’t get the nomination, but what a nice, supportive, and deeply Lynchian gesture!
This is totally amazing. Ronit Baranga is a ceramic sculptor from Israel, and she has come up with a set of tableware that will automatically call up images of Fester, Lurch, Wednesday, the Thing, and the rest of the Addams clan. Her website is a total trip, and I look forward to seeing more of her creations in the future.
Baranga’s high-minded comment on her anthropomorphic set runs like this:
The useful, passive, tableware can now be perceived as an active object, aware of itself and its surroundings – responding to it. It does not allow to be taken for granted, to be used. It decides on its own how to behave in the situation.
When regular household items become “active objects,” that’s usually what we call haunting, or possibly something like a Nest Learning Thermostat—either way, I won’t get too worried until one of these pieces actually starts nibbling at my lips or walking towards me!
If you haven’t already lost your appetite, there’s more after the jump…
Damnit, yesterday was The Fall’s frontman Mark E. Smith’s birthday, so happy belated birthday, Mr.Smith. He turned 58 yesterday.
In celebration of his birthday, Zoe Paterson of Face Cake made a delicious looking beetroot Mark E. Smith cake.
After discovering Paterson’s site, I got a little bit lost there. Bemused by the randomness of her tasty face cakes I thought I’d share a few of her creations with you.
If you’re interested in Paterson creating a face cake, you can contact her here.
This cake of Nigel Tufnel from the 1984 mockumentary film ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ turns the volume up to 11
Oh, how I love this. Apart from writing for DM, I make my living as a copyeditor, so I couldn’t help but appreciate the Replacements’ smart, sassy way of announcing the release of an eight-disc box set—a copyedited press release complete with proofreading markup—they insist that the original was sent to them for review (so they kinda threw Rhino’s publicist under the bus, no?). Not too surprisingly, they found a couple glaring mistakes and more than a few lazy constructions. They also used the occasion to bust out a righteous version of the KISS logo.
Here it is—click on the image to see a larger version:
The box set is called The Complete Studio Albums 1981-1990 and will be released on April 14 via Rhino. The box set will include the band’s seven-album discography, plus 1982’s Stink EP. You can pre-order the box set right now.
The Replacements will soon be hitting a bunch of locations in North America before traveling to Europe in late May. Here are their upcoming tour dates:
04-09 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
4/10: Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
4/13: San Francisco, CA - Masonic
4/16: Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
4/19: Denver, CO - The Fillmore
4/29: Chicago, IL - The Riviera Theatre
4/30: Chicago, IL - The Riviera Theatre
5/2: Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
5/3: Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
5/5: Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
5/6: Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion
5/8: Washington, DC - Echostage
5/9: Philadelphia, PA - Festival Pier
5/28: Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound
5/30: Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
6/2: London, England - Roundhouse
Below, the video press kit for Pleased to Meet Me:
“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” - e.e. cummings
Although they are known for their cover song videos, Bev and Bob Holwager of Newcastle, Indiana are no tribute act. They are never anything but themselves. They are the real thing. As real as it gets.
I first became aware of Bev and Bob four years ago when I was working as a karaoke DJ (that’s “KJ,” to those in the business), and I was looking online for some unique karaoke videos to post on a Facebook page to promote my own gig. As soon as I stumbled upon a handful of Bev and Bob’s blissfully un-self-aware YouTube clips, I was hooked. It’s been a personal treat to watch their channel grow in popularity over the last couple of years. Their persistence and enthusiasm, for the music, their fans, and especially one another, is truly inspiring. That persistence and enthusiasm has also paid off. Their collective videos now have well over a million hits and the cult of “Bev n’ Bob” is growing every day. Anything their videos might lack in technical proficiency, they more than make up for in heart.
I get legitimately thrilled whenever I receive an update that they’ve posted a new song. The authenticity of their performances cuts through all the phoney-baloney autotune bullshit of the music industry and lays bare the true reason why music even exists in the first place: to make a connection from one heart to another. Bev and Bob connect, and they have legions of fans to prove it. When I say they are “un-self-aware,” that comes with no snark whatsoever. Bev and Bob aren’t out to impress anyone, and there’s a good reason why many people prefer their versions of certain songs over the original versions. It’s all about not giving a shit, and having a good time while you’re doing it.
The Holwagers were kind enough to take time out of their hectic production schedule to answer a few of my questions, in this Dangerous Minds exclusive interview:
First of all, you guys are the cutest couple in the world. How long have you been together?
Bev: Thank you, we have been together for ten years this March.
I’ve been following and enjoying your videos for several years. It’s clear you two are having a lot of fun with your work. Did you start out performing karaoke live in bars?
Bob: We have never done karaoke in a bar. When we met, Bev had a karaoke machine and we set it up along with a video camera. I had never sang karaoke before. Of course we were just sitting on the couch singing our own songs.
At what point did you decide to shoot videos of your performances?
Bev: We have always shot videos of our sessions. I found people on YouTube doing green screen karaoke videos and thought that it looked pretty fun, so Bob messaged a couple of people and asked about the videos.
There is a lot of layering going on in your productions with the green screen effects. Did you have prior experience with video production?
Bob: I have been a computer geek since the mid ‘80s. Once I bought some video software, its been a learning experience. I try to experiment with things and make advances in our videos.
My favorite videos on your channel are the ones that include multiple Bobs or Bevs. What gave you the idea to do that, and is it difficult to sync up the performances?
Bev: We have tried to include other people in our videos but everyone is too busy, so we make our own party.
Bob: Sometimes it is very hard to try to sync everything up, sometimes it just works out. “Sound of Madness” is my favorite proof of that. It was shot with the intention to cut back and forth, but I was shocked with the final cut.
I’ve read comments on some of your videos from people who think your version of a particular song is “better than the original.” Are there certain songs where you think you improved over the original artist? If so what are they?
Bev: We take that with a laugh because we don’t see that we are better than anyone.
Bev & Bob at yearly get together with Bob’s dad, at Montana Mike’s Steakhouse in Greenfield Indiana.
I find it tough to pick a favorite Bev and Bob performance, but “Africa,” “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and “Mother” are up there for me. Do either of you have a personal favorite video you’re most proud of?
Bob: I love Bev’s version of “Firework.” As for myself, “Blurred Lines” is the biggest production so far.
You guys cover a lot of styles from modern pop music, to heavy metal, to even more out there stuff like your Death Grips cover. Is there a favorite genre that you prefer to work in? Are a lot of your songs requested by fans?
Bev: I prefer to stay with rock music, that’s what we listen to ourselves. Almost all of our videos are requests from fans.
I’ve seen a few crude comments on your videos from “haters,” happy to hide behind the anonymity of the internet. What do you have to say, if anything, to your critics?
Bob: First of all, we make no claims to be anybody except “Bob ‘n’ Bev.” This is our hobby that we spend our time on together as a couple. If you don’t like us, turn off the video and move on.”
Perfect. Is there any song you haven’t done yet that you are just dying to cover?
Bob: Disturbed’s “Down with the Sickness”
We’ll be on the lookout for that!
In the meantime, we’ll enjoy these killer cuts from the “Bev ‘n’ Bob” archives:
Modest Mouse’s “Float On” gets the Bev and Bob treatment:
After the jump, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie à la Bev and Bob…
The comedy community of Los Angeles received a profound shock two weeks ago when Parks and Recreation actor and writer Harris Wittels was discovered dead of a probable overdose. Parks and Rec fans will forever remember Wittels as one of Pawnee’s two hilariously incompetent animal control guys. In 2012 he also published Humblebrag: The Art of False Modesty, a very sharp book based on a pretty genius idea.
I actually saw Wittels do standup once. It was 2007, he was just 23 years old, and he appared as part of a comedy show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in NYC called “Cavalcade” a friend of mine had organized—the show also featured Joe Mande, Jim Gaffigan, and Anthony Jeselnik. I don’t remember anything about his act. I confess that I found Wittels, as a comedian to follow, kind of confounding; in retrospect I didn’t catch him in his best contexts, and I mistook his giving-zero-fucks and deep hostility towards affectation and insincerity as a sort of laziness. On podcasts I was just beginning to tune into his deeply silly, low-key deadpan style when the news of his death hit the news.
One of the best episodes of any comedy podcast in 2014 came last November, when Wittels made his second appearance on Pete Holmes’ podcast You Made It Weird. After a half-hour of goofing around, Wittels suddenly revealed to Holmes that after “successfully” going through rehab a couple years earlier—which Holmes already knew about—he relapsed pretty badly and had to undergo a whole second, more serious round of rehab, which Holmes had not known about. That comment sparked a wild, hour-plus-long narrative of Wittels’ grueling second descent into addiction hell, a story that is (of course) made all the more powerful and moving because of Wittels’ passing.
Since his death I’ve become increasingly convinced, based on the testimony of Aziz Ansari, Dan Harmon, and others, that we did lose some kind of comic genius last month—one thing I never understand before was just how highly regarded his scriptwriting skills were. Sitcom director Rob Schrab did us all a favor by making a single video out of all of Wittels’ Vines—it takes just a few of the stupid things (there are dozens and dozens of them) to realize how brilliant, in an offhanded way, the guy was. He was clearly a master of the form, much as Humblebrag proves that he was a master of Twitter. Prepare yourself for a barrage of silly accents, facial expressions, loopy puns…. the man was truly a wellspring of cockeyed mirth, and he will be sorely missed.
As tribute records go, 1991’s indie-rock salute to Leonard Cohen, I’m Your Fan, was pretty okay. The high point of the album remains Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ surprising take on “Tower of Song,” which switches from one musical style to another every verse or so.
The six-minute version of “Tower of Song” the Bad Seeds submitted to the tribute record was apparently edited down from a very long, drunken jam on the song. According to the account in Ian Johnston’s Cave biography Bad Seed, the original DAT of the session was nearly an hour-and-a-half long:
When Cave had first been approached to contribute to the record his initial reaction was that the idea was appalling and flatly refused to be involved. However, during a rehearsal in west London earlier in the year, after a prolonged drinking session in a nearby pub, the group had spontaneously started hammering out a half-remembered drunken rendition of Cohen’s ‘Tower of Song’. Their eighty-minute irreverent assault on the composition, which portrays the pitiful lot of the songwriter, was played by the group in every conceivable musical style and was recorded to DAT by engineer Victor Van Vugt. Later the track was reduced to a more conventional length in an abruptly cut-up form, to highlight the fact that The Bad Seeds in their rendition had covered every genre in rock music. [...] When asked about the tribute album in an interview with Q magazine, Cohen himself would praise The Bad Seeds’ ‘really intelligent approach’ to ‘Tower of Song’, considering that Cave had ‘thought about it, and caught the spirit of the song’. Cohen was unaware of the circumstances under which it was recorded.
I’ve never come across a copy of the 80-minute tape, but here’s over half an hour of the Bad Seeds playing “Tower of Song.” As the band switches from style to style, Cave is faithful to the spirit if not the letter of the lyrics–at least, I don’t remember Cohen bragging about his “great big dick” in the original.
If you have to take a leak in the St. Pauli party district of Hamburg, Germany, be sure to take the time to find a bathroom. To discourage drunk people from taking a public whiz in the neighborhood, a group of local community activists have applied a special liquid-repelling (superhydrophobic) paint to its walls. When someone pees on the specially-coated wall, it bounces back on the tinkler and gets them wet.
This pissed-off German said about his community’s problem with peepee, “I’m really pissed off that people pee everywhere.”
Watch the video the anti-public-urination group made which shows some pee-bodies getting sprayed with their own piss. It’s called “St. Pauli Pees Back”:
Want to stop public urination in your own ‘hood? You should, but you’re going to need a kit like this first.
In the immortal words of Twisted Sister, “We’re not gonna take it anymore!”
