I've always enjoyed the massive amounts of sub-cultures that permeate Tokyo society. At least, from my viewpoint it seems like that's a thing. I'm sure most of the country is just regular folks doing regular things but if you're interested in digging up some wildly devoted group of people connected to a niche interest - Anime, Furries, Rock-a-billy, - Tokyo isn't the worst place to start.
I've known about the Rockabilly Gangs for awhile but never took a deep dive into it. I didn't realize it was kind of a dying art. Watching this James Partridge short, Johnny Jeana: Portrait of a Tokyo Rockabilly, was a nice re-introduction to the style and lifestyle of that particular group. I'd forgotten how fascinating it is to see a group of grown men dressed to the nines performing dance moves from the 50's.
It's six minutes. You have six minutes of time to indulge in Johnny's tale. Just be prepared for a Google deep-dive afterwards to see more.
Simple and straightforward - Fruit Stickers is a feed of those tiny little labels you find on your favorite natural sweet treat. I love the diversity of legitimate great designs and hilarious advice that pop up throughout.
My question is, how old are these? Are they found on 2017 fruit or is this pulling from an archive of the 60's? It's often difficult to tell.
Way back in 2013, Alex Myung funded a Kickstarter for an animated short film to be entitled Arrival. I've posted about this undertaking a fewtimes in anticipation of the Miyazaki influenced, hand-animated, piece and now it's finally available to view in full online.
You can watch the entire 22-minute piece on their site and I recommend doing so with the volume cranked up. There is no dialogue throughout the piece, only highly orchestrated musical movements provided by Upright T-Rex. It's a fantastic combination and I'm glad it's finally out in the world.
Freddy Mamani Silvestre is a Bolivian architect that doesn't draw formal blueprints, doesn't use a computer or even have an office he calls his own. What he does have, however, is an incredibly distinct style and a drive to create a memorable mark on his city, El Alto. There's a lot of cultural and political history wrapped up in his design decisions - primarily to establish a name for his native people, the Aymaras.
To me, it looks like what I imagine Emerald City would be if you got the full tour. The saturated colors, the 70's influenced patterns and atypical lines are mesmerizing. Treat yourself by reading more, diving into a gallery or watching a featurette on Silvestre.
I am terrible at being professionally legible and enough people have shamed me about this that I'm making an effort.
I had no idea she made these Lenticular Map Prints as part of an art exhibit entitled Reconnaissance or that she wrote regularly for a number of publications I enjoy.
Long story short, I was happy to see a Patreon setup to make it easier to keep up with her creations and help support her in doing so. If you're not into that, check the Instagram for regular updates.
If you're around the Nashville area this weekend, go see Jay Leo Phillips and Tower Defense play at The 5 Spot. Jay's only played one previous show and it was a spectacle. I imagine the follow-up will be even better.
New Order - The Perfect Kiss - I don't care that I just posted this two days ago. How often do you encounter a 10 minute music video worth watching multiple times? Almost never! Soak it in.
If you're around the Nashville area this weekend, go see Jay Leo Phillips and Tower Defense play at The 5 Spot. Jay's only played one previous show and it was a spectacle. I imagine the follow-up will be even better.
New Order - The Perfect Kiss - I don't care that I just posted this two days ago. How often do you encounter a 10 minute music video worth watching multiple times? Almost never! Soak it in.
The Cassini-Huygens satellite is a NASA / ASI collaborative space probe that's been orbiting Saturn since 2004 sending back gigabytes of images of the planets surface and surrounding moons. It was recently decided to be retired and has begun a series of "dives" into the atmosphere of Saturn to take images of the planets surface and weather from a closer view than we've ever seen before. The mission will actually end in mid-September with Cassini piloting itself directly into the planet, burning up in the atmosphere.
I read the unfortunate news yesterday that Jonathan Demme had passed. The Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia are probably his most widely known directorial works but there are many lesser known gems that should be noted.
While certainly not unheard of, I can't recommend the Talking Heads documentary Stop Making Sense more emphatically. I'm not one for concert movies or re-watching live performances but I've seen this multiple times and it never gets old. I'll even go with some hyperbole and say it's probably the most perfectly executed concert film out there.
You can read David Bryne's Rest In Peace note to Demme here.
Also take 20 minutes to day to watch the New Order video for The Perfect Kiss which Demme directed. It's 10 minutes long and you'll want to watch it twice.
