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Tracey Thorn on John Martyn

I'm "friends" with Tracey Thorn on her MySpace page, which has been pretty great as she's written about production on her new album (bit more folky, less electronic, much of it recorded in Berlin) and she's quite frank and real-not surprisingly, but still. And she posts new work there from time to time. Just got notification of a post from her on her thoughts on hearing of English singer-songwriter John Martyn's passing today, and it's a simple, evocative piece that recalls her first exposure to his music with a bittersweet beauty. As Thorn has talked about her inspirations on MySpace I've checked them out and it's been a gift to be turned onto artists I'd never heard of. Knew a bit of Martyn's work, but not well. Very inspired to explore that now.

.....was just in the kitchen at lunchtime eating a sandwich with ben, when the news came on radio 4 that john martyn had died today....now this couldn't truly be said to be "shocking" news, in the true sense of the word, but still, what a sad day....i remember the first night i met ben, over in the student union building, and we had a few drinks in the bar and then went back to his student bedroom....and of course the first thing i did was to rifle through his record collection, and discovered that we had precisely TWO records in common (vic godard, and the durutti column)....at which point he pulled out an album i had never even heard OF, let alone heard, and it was john martyn's solid air.....ben had only arrived in hull earlier that afternoon, same as me, but he'd already re-arranged his room to suit his preferences....the desk, that item you might imagine being central to a student's bedroom, if not very existence, he had stashed away safely out of sight on top of the wardrobe, and in its place now stood an old, battered trunk with a record deck on top, and to either side a huge pair of speakers, the like of which i hadn't seen before....on went solid air, and it filled the room, and that was that.....the first record we listened to together, cheers to you john martyn, bless you and the weather....xx

TRACEY THORN MYSPACE PAGE

Ultimately Meaningless As Always, Awards Season Reedeems Itself.

Popularity contests applied to art are appalling, in my book, although now and then I get sucked in at this time of year-I am American, afer all. "Oh, Penn really deserved it." Sure he did, but so did Richard Jenkins--The Visitor was the most subtle, authentic film I've seen in years and Jenkins' performance was so deeply felt that I've been quixotically rooting for him and growing ever more bitter as he is, quite predictably, overlooked. But Poehler and Krasinski at the SAG Award make me forget the grating hype cycle and red carpet static--and, for a moment, I almost dare to open my heart, just a little, and maybe, just maybe, I can learn to love again.

Photo Portfolio Launches

Well, "launches" might be a little grand given the chilly climate for marketing expenditures, but I've just put an online photo portfolio up at jasonrowanphotography.com. The other day a friend who is a menswear designer launched a new website the day after one of the apocalyptic congressional hearings (Banks? Cars? Hard to keep track anymore.) and we were laughing at the non-event of it, contextually speaking. Funny thing is, the site has done well, and despite the slew of layoffs and cutbacks sweeping the nation I keep getting little flashes of sunshine--another friend who works at a major Chelsea gallery said that the day after the inauguration the art was moving.  So anyone who wants some softcore lifestyle porn marketing campaigns conceived for their destination or hotel, check it out! I also shoot cocktails. But only if I'm able to drink them after. Many thanks to my guys John Hunt and Greg Needham for putting this together for me, and thanks to Carolina (above) and Ben (below), recent subjects.

Friday Music Cue: Stand Back (Eli Escobar Remix)

Now, I post this 80s classic without the detached, ironic, blank posture that afflicts the hipster community as described in horrified detail in Adbusters here. These hipsters have helped keep all this 80s music in the cultural mix long past when I, who was a teenager the first time it rolled around, would have imagined. In 1984 there was a sharp divide between bubble gum pop and hair metal, and the cool stuff like Bowie, X, The Smiths and The Talking Heads. Pop was a guilty pleasure at best, insipid and grating at worst. Sometimes those two aspects overlapped, of course. See: Madonna. But the synth heavy hits that MTV persuasively sold with narcotic visuals felt trifling even if they were catchy, and I figured history would soon discard them, along with my adolescence. But after a brief respite in the 90s bars and parties welcomed Corey Hart and Pat Benetar and post-Fleetwood Mac Stevie Nicks back with open skinny arms, creating a bizarre musical Groundhog Day for those of us who lived through it all the first time around. A lot of catchy tunes, to be sure, but the layer of froth on top relegates much of it to mere nostalgia. Then I discovered Eli Escobar, who may be rewriting musical history and redeeming an entire decade.

DJ and remix artist Escobar strips these glossy pop concoctions of that synthesizer pulse that, too me, dates the material badly, and he brings the beat forward, crafting a more timeless, and certainly a more funky version of the original. I first heard his work on this insane mix of Janet Jackson's 'The Pleasure Principle', where he used the existing beats like a weapon against the keyboard hum that undermined the radical edge that drove the Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis produced jam--making it harder, stranger and certainly funkier. On Stevie Nick's 'Stand Back' he's outdone himself--the 7:46 verion here is tight, driving, fresh--he keeps the signature synthesizer hook but anchors it with a tighter, angrier beat and bassline. All these 80s artists should just commision Escobar to go back and remix their stuff, peeling away the sacharine icing and revealing the true song, and the true beat, beneath it. Escobar DJs Wednesdays at Bang! on Rivington Street in NYC; his website with other cheese--and irony--free remixes is here.

Last Shot

This was towards the end of the 'return to key west' shoot, and we were all sunburned and weary from too much work and even more play. We'd spent the day in the back country--anytime you get on a boat you get so nice and tired after. We drank through it, naturally, and after dinner at 915 we headed upstairs to their cool little lounge called point five. Of course I was shooting pictures the whole time, obeying my urge to somehow bridge the staged scenario with a spontaneous snapshot sensibility. "Never not being watched," observed Ryan, wryly but also good-naturedly. After we were "done" we retreated to the back porch where my assistant Che promptly fell asleep, and Ryan sort of reclined against him. I pulled out my G9 and snapped it. I finally broke through the preconceived image and found something 100% real.

Friday Music Cue: A Funky Space Reincarnation

Just saw this Charlize Theron perfume spot for the first time-pretty hot. Love how voluptuous she is, and the choice of music is inspired. Marvin Gaye's 'A Funky Space Reincarnation" is from his dark, strange, seriously funky "Here My Dear". The story is that when he got divorced (from Berry Gordy's daughter) he was broke, so the judge decided that all the profits from Gaye's next album would go to her. A pretty good deal, except that Gaye put out a very non-commercial, fairly gloomy album that was all about the break up and the judge, an elaborate kiss-off explained in intricate detail. It's Gaye's 'De Profundis'. It didn't sell many copies, which was part of the plan. The upside to the story is that it's one of Gaye's most uninhibited albums, super confessional and very jazzy and live-sounding. You can hear "A Funky Space Reincarnation" at lala.com from the link below. It's the new online music store I'm very into. One of the virtues is that you can listen to any song all the way through before you decide to buy it or not. In fact, you can listen to entire albums from start to finish once. The downloads are DRM-free too.

A Funky Space Reincarnation - ...

Moving Photographs

About 400 photos in about 4 minutes. For all 'return to key west' posts click here.

Discuss!!

Went to see James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and his friend, novelist Sam Lipsyte "In Conversation" at Joe's Pub tonight. I love the whole "In Conversation" construct-even when it doesn't work, as this one sometimes did not, it's still intriguing to watch people really talk, awkward patches and all. (This is a big part of why I am totally inot  'Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...' on The Sundance Channel-real conversation between two artists, about their shared passion, not an interviewer and a 'star' and which is bluntly all about that star). They projected some of  their notes, suggestions for topics to get into-you'll get a better idea of the topics from this than from any of my paraphrasing. Click on the image to see it bigger.
 

Murphy made a comment about hearing a song coming from passing cars in his neighborhood, saying that now that radio was dead this was the new radio--and that those cars were hired to drive through "hot" neighborhoods (Williamsburg in his case) and saturate the air with selected singles. Brilliant marketing move but a very disturbing trend, this steady, subtle encroachment of advertising into all spaces--both private and public,  like Bedford Street in Williamsburg. It reminded me of an interview I read with LL Cool J years ago. When asked when the moment was that he realized he'd achieved success. He said it was the first time he heard one of his songs coming out of a passing car-"because that's one big radio station".  When that highly democratic station is co-opted by viral marketers and becomes about buying airtime I'd say we're losing something that belonged to all of us--even cars blasting music at all hours can certainly be annoying it was, in a very real way, the voice of the people..

Man Walks Into A Bar, The Sequel

Roommate Kyle (above, after shaving his head this weekend) and his 15 minutes of fame that came after his accidental overnight stay in Trophy Bar was chronicled in the New York Times has a second act. Well, Act 2.5 is all the blog coverage was Act 2. Maybe blog coverage was 1.5, come to think of it. Anyhow, New York Magazine honors Kyle, sort of, in the annual Reasons To Love New York issue. (Do ignore the inexplicably sour review of Trophy Bar that the story links to--one wonders just how bad the writer's day was.)

Oddly, along with the morning batch of e-mails that included news of this was the invite for my next DJ gig with Samo. The last time we DJed together at Trophy Bar was the very night Kyle got locked in there. We return to the scene of the crime Sunday, December 21st.
 
 

Vote Levi

My go-to model Levi Poulter is up for Mate of the Year at DNA Magazine. More reasons from 'return to key west' why he should get your vote below. (NSFW)