[silence]

nd favorite ed droste was interviewed in nymag today, and while i recognize nd has become a somewhat unofficial extra outlet for culture vulture this undoubtedly merits posting.


You've been opening for Radiohead all week. What was it like meeting them?
It was great. They immediately came up to us on the first day of the festival and introduced themselves; they were super gracious and made us feel comfortable and at home, which was a total relief. It was really surreal too, since we’ve all been such fans of theirs since we were, like, in high school. So we all just sort of tried to not dork out and be as normal as possible. We sorta talked about … the weather.

Some of the bands who open for Radiohead go on to bigger and better things — Sigur Rós, for example — but lots of them just sort of drop off the face of the earth (the Beta Band, Kid Koala, Remy Zero, etc.). Do you have any particular strategy for breaking the curse?
Honestly, I have never heard of the Radiohead curse! I would hope that this wouldn’t be a curse. I think the audiences have been really receptive. We’ve sold the most merch we've ever sold in our lives so I think it's going over really well. Hopefully we can be following in the steps of the Deerhoofs and Sigur Rós, not Kid Koalas. I'm sorry, Kid Koala. I don’t even know Kid Koala. What kind of music is Kid Koala? It sounds electronic.

Maybe if they hadn't opened for Radiohead, you would know more about them?
[Silence.]

And how was Lollapalooza?
It was great. I think we’re still kind of figuring out how to play as an outdoor party band. We’re a good afternoon, sitting-in-the-grass kind of band. If you've been dancing too much, you can come over and hang with us. Our friends CSS are like the ultimate festival band. They definitely thrive in festivals.

They’re also playing All Points West…
I think we’re playing around the same time as them, and they’re on a different stage, so now they're our competition. Damn them! Grrrr. We’ll have to throw in some beats. We’ll just play the cover of "Knife" that they did from the loudspeakers.

Your band's done some great covers. Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart," Jojo's "Too Little Too Late," Phil Spector's "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)," Paul Simon's "Mother and Child Reunion" … Who's next?
I want to cover Sparks. They’re from the eighties. I can’t remember the name of the particular song … it's on our blog. To be honest, I’m kind of covered out. We’ve done a lot of covers, like you said. I think it’s time not to make covers for a little bit. Make new music. No covers on the new album.

You’re also playing a little benefit show in Brooklyn in between your two appearances at All Points West. How did you pick the Grand Cedar Rapids charity for that show?
There’s this blog called Daytrotter, which does these really great sessions when you go through Iowa at this old vintage studio, and we’re friends with the guy that runs it. He wanted us to come out to Iowa to do a benefit, but it was in the middle of this tour, and so we were really bummed that we couldn’t so we decided to add on a show in Williamsburg and have it officially benefit the organization.

So not because there were bears in Iowa.
No — I don’t think there are bears in Iowa. There are no mountains! Do they live in the cornfields? I don’t think so. I would be really shocked to learn that there are wild bears in Iowa. Actually when we were upstate in Woodstock recording there were these black bears all around the house, like eating berries. It was unbelievable.

Were you scared?
No. It was a mother with three cubs. I mean, I wasn’t going to go up to them but … they were just enjoying some berries. It was awesome.

you're so modern

novel designs attended this last night and it was amazing.

to commemorate:

write it on a postcard: dad they broke me

pitchfork does it again via mtv. unearthed pavement vids from 120 minutes in 1994. i'd give anything to see a reunion show.

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

tantarella

mary ellen bute was a pioneer animator who specialized in "musical films." this was made in 1940.

haikus all night long it's time to party

check out the novel designs flickr site for updates



here are some images courtesy of ffffffound and international patrons of the internet

what it is will rise again

band of outsiders has a new line and bobby birdman appears to be the model of choice for the fresh wares (wears?). these polaroids make me want to buy it all.

innermost limits of pure fun

since bailing on a dawn patrol session this am i've been jonesing for a wave slide and spending too much time on the mollusk websites. luck for you here are some solid finds.

this is marc andreini, the famed shaper, surfing in 1973. hands down one of the coolest surf photos i've ever seen.


just released is a remastered edition of surf classic "innermost limits of pure fun"



"a cinematic masterwork of the highest magnitude. George Greenough chronicles ground zero of the shortboard revolution as it evolved in 1968. Track the inside out with George in groundbreaking point of view sequences that are utterly unique. Experience remote Australia and hidden California as ridden by Mac T, Ted Spencer, Baddy Treolar, Chris Brock, Gary Keys, Russell Hughes and a brigade of the underground's best. Revel in the morphic hand hewn artwork of Patty Hennick. Hear the distinctive improvisational soundtrack which was scored on the spot by Dennis Dragon, (before the Surf Punks), his brothers Doug and Daryl, (the Captain before Tennille), and Denny Aaberg, (before Big Wednesday)."

George Greenough - Innermost Limits Of Pure Fun (intro)


i'm heading to MV this weekend. hoping for some waves. things don't look good.

heaven knows it's got to be this time

what stars have aligned for there to be so many incredible musical happenings coinciding. it's almost overwhelming.

first off there's boredom's in la and then dr. dog playing on the same night.



then there's news of the new avalanches album (be still novel designs heart).


then there's the fact that you can prebuy the new walkmen album if you give five bucks to a worthy cause which sort of trumps radiohead. oh and guess who's opening for them in nyc? the nd-backed muslims. who, incidentally are playing with mezzanine owls at the tales of 45 vice party.

then there's tv on the radio announcing tours


and new grizzly bear?


new vw vids?
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa


then there's of montreal announcing tours with love is all.



then there's just a smorgasbord of new bands i want to listen to such as..
golden animals:


and rumspringa:


honestly. when is this nonsense going to stop?

you take your car to work. i take my board.

some cool typography in this volkswagen campaign for their new gear shift technology. here's to driving stick shift like cap.

art for art's sake

just announced that austin based the strange boys are gonna be touring with crystal antlers. in la they will be crushing it at the f*ck yeah fest. these guys look about fifteen and play music that sounds like it's from about five decades ago. definitely check them out.

bert and ernie up the ante

art-decko

starting today good wood is moving to williamsburg and teaming up with all day buffett to auction off about 50 custom made boards. some pretty stellar work on display here. a few to wet your whistle...

pause for relieved laughter and applause from the crowd

from novel designs friend sarah walker. the text below appears on mcsweeneys today.

HOW TO PERFORM
A TRACHEOTOMY.

BY SARAH WALKER
- - - -

First, go to a fancy restaurant that has waiters with accents who wear tuxedos and a rolling dessert table. Be with a significant other and clink your glasses of red wine while staring lovingly at each other, across the single tapered white candle in the middle of the table. Then, notice a person who is choking on food, probably a fancy meat. This person should be a husky middle-aged man, preferably balding, whose equally husky, curly-haired wife is looking on, horrified, clutching her pearl necklace and screeching, "Somebody help him! He's choking!"

Excuse yourself from your date, throw your white linen napkin down on the white linen tablecloth, and rush over to the choking man. Attempt to give him the Heimlich, but when this fails, calmly realize what must be done. The fancy meat is lodged in his throat and this man requires a tracheotomy. Always address the wife as Susan.

"Susan, Earl requires a tracheotomy."

Always address the choking victim as Earl.

Assure Susan that you are a doctor and be sure to have made up a doctor badge that you can show her. It should be made of pure gold with something like five snakes engraved on it. You probably aren't a doctor. If you are, good for you. That must've taken a long time. You must be very proud and possibly wealthy.

Susan will nod her head in assent, too scared to speak. Place the back of your hand on her cheek and say, "Don't worry, Susan. I didn't go to doctor school for 11 years to let Earl die."

Then lay Earl on his back on the floral-carpeted floor.

Make sure a hushed silence falls over the restaurant as waiters and diners and kitchen staff peeking out of the kitchen look nervously on.

Remove from your breast pocket a custom-engraved Tiffany sterling-silver pen, which was given to you on your 17th birthday and which you always carry around for such occasions. It should say something like "Happy Birthday, [your name]" and then the date of your birth.

Before you go to the restaurant, but only after you've secured your paisley ascot, replace the pen tip with an X-Acto knife.

Raise the pen above your head and click the button so that the X-Acto knife pops out and wait for a gasp from the crowd and for a young boy to drop his fork and have it clatter on his plate. Twist the "penknife" just so, so that the candlelight gleams off it. It would be nice if, when the light hits it, there could be a ding sound effect. Maybe you could arrange to have your significant other tap a wine glass with a fork at that moment.

Then, in one swift movement, jab the pen into Earl's neck, more or less around the throatish area.

Earl will pop up, gasping, the pen dangling comically from his neck. Do not be distracted by this, as you will have to catch Susan, who, with her hand on her forehead, will be falling into a swoon.

Wait for applause, then pull the smelling salts out of your other breast pocket and revive Susan.

Then signal to the waiter and say, "Check, please!"

Pause for relieved laughter and applause from the crowd.

Be prepared for a bear hug from post-smelling-salts Susan. And for an endless pumping handshake from Earl, who will also give you $200 because he's a wealthy industrialist and carries hundred-dollar bills in his pockets.

Wear an extra shirt so the hearty pats on the back from the kitchen staff and waiters don't hurt you too much.

Develop calluses on your hands beforehand by doing a lot of pull-ups, so all the handshakes you receive from your fellow diners don't chafe your carefully manicured hands.

No need to bring your wallet, as dinner will obviously be on the house, so make sure you've ordered the most expensive things on the menu. Plus, you have two hundo from Earl.

Don't forget to ask for your pen back.

porter un beret lorsque surfer...

et les waves se faire plus gros!



a preview of designer alexandra cassaniti's summer two collection is up. some of my favorites from summer one:

lightening bolt surfboard


face it sunglasses. the frame color changes depending on the intensity of the light!




summer two:

ich bin ein berliner!

in '68, nixon's campaign team concluded that potential presidents are "measured against an ideal that's a combination of leading man, god, father, hero, pope, king, with maybe just a touch of the avenging furies thrown in." looks like mccain has the god part down:



tv coverage, however, has not treated the mccain campaign quite as well. yesterday, as obama prepared to address a crowd of 200,000 at the victory column in berlin, germany, mccain talked to the press at schmidt's sausage haus in columbus, ohio. we know it's hard to compete against a candidate who's considered all of the above and has indie/street cred to boot, but mccain's gonna have to try harder than that.

check out danish photographer hans nyberg's panorama of the berlin crowd here.














via TPM

you look like the silent type

time has some photos of Dylan from his excessively documented tour of the uk. highest eschelon of cool.

well if i lived in india...

harder better faster stronger

nike certainly doesn't need any help with publicity, but it's worth mentioning that they are putting on two pretty sweet events in august. tomorrow, tickets go on sale for the 88 boadrum event (for angelenos it's at the la brea tar pits on 8/8 at 8:08 pm; for brooklynites, same time on your coast at the williamsburg waterfront). 88 boadrum is an 88-min composition from japanese psych/noise group boredoms played by 88 drummers. i was in the vicinity of the 77 boadrum event in brooklyn bridge park last summer, and it appeared to be a pretty crazy/awesome spectacle. don't forget your earplugs.





nike's second august event is a 10k billed as "the world's largest running event." the human race takes place on 8/31 in 25 cities around the world and is followed by a free concert for participants. here in los angeles, the musical entertainment will be kanye at the la coliseum. don't forget those shades.

by the people, for the people: part deux

in addition to commissioning the graphic design posters below, the wpa employed writers to create a series of thematic travel guides. the list of (mostly unattributed) contributors includes literary heavyweights like saul bellow, john cheever, zora neale hurston, studs terkel, ralph ellison, richard wright, and eudora welty. though some of these writers weren't exactly proud to be associated with such prosaic work, their collective efforts paid off. in "travels with charley", john steinbeck wrote that "the complete set comprises the most comprehensive account of the United States ever got together, and nothing since has even approached it.'' w. h. auden called the project ''one of the noblest and most absurd undertakings ever attempted by a state.'' plus, the covers are pretty sweet. check out william yardley's column in the nytimes as he revisits some states and landmarks from the american guide series in an ongoing travel feature.

by the people, for the people

fdr's works progress administration (wpa) was the new deal's largest agency, employing 3.3 million americans at it's peak in 1938. through derided by critics as "we poke along" or "we putter around", the wpa nevertheless funded artistic and literary endeavors on an unprecedented scale and the output is well worthing checking out. here are some of the posters created from 1936-1943 to promote various government programs. go here for more

absolutment

absolut has had some classic ads over the years. not exactly groundbreaking statement, but i don't seem them as much as i used to. here are some pretty stellar ones from past places and artist series. and drink reponsibly kids.