Abdulkhakim Ismailov, the Red Army solider who at the age of 28 was photographed unfurling a Hammer and Sickle atop the Reichstag during the climax of the Soviet siege of Berlin in 1945, died in his Russian hometown this week at the age of 93. The flag was made of tablecloths and the moment was staged, but Yevgeny Khaldei’s ... Read More »
The relationship between the Van Goghs (Vincent and Theo) and Paul Gauguin was long and complicated. Theo purchased, sold, and commissioned the painter’s work while Vincent, then just a struggling artist and brother of a successful dealer, befriended and attempted to collaborate with the far more grounded and well-regarded Gauguin. It was a difficult relationship between the two, strained ... Read More »
The news today that Oren Moverman has started pre-production on a Kurt Cobain biopic has us just a little worried. See, for every “Ray”, “Amadeus”, or “Walk The Line” that captures the lives of musicians with faith and brilliance on celluloid, there seems to be a couple well-meaning duds like “Beyond The Sea”, “What We Do is Secret”, or ... Read More »
Columbia continues to try to switch its leading industry from cocaine production to tourism, sometimes with nasty overlaps. (Matador) Martin Scorsese’s next project will have him directing a short film for superbrand Chanel. (My Fashion Life) After seven deaths, thousands homeless, and hundreds of tourists stranded, Maccu Picchu is returning to normal after disruptive mudslides damaged nearby ... Read More »
This week we”re going sing of the unsung heroes, the musician’s musicians, bands that get mentioned in every “influences” column on MySpace but still, somehow, manage to sell a measly number of records next to their more commercially accessible rivals. We’re talking hardcore rockers who couldn’t make it on to the radio, the wacky iconoclasts who were just to ... Read More »
FLAG Art’s “Size DOES Matter” exhibition curated by Shaquille O’Neal (yes, THAT, Shaquille O’Neal) opens at their New York gallery this Friday. (Animal) Have all the various forms of time travel in movies over the years twisted your little brain into a Gordian knot? This infographic might just help. (Good) Attention, all you Pacific Northwest hipsters: Vampire ... Read More »
Think you’ve seen all the bloodshed, bullets, and baseball bats you were going to get from Quentin Tarantino for a while? Wrong. Thanks to an exhibit by West Coast streetwear and skateboard kings Upper Playground, you’ve got 12 new stomach-turning takes on Tarantino’s “Natzi Killin'” whopper, “Inglourious Basterds”, and a chance to help the people of Haiti. Read More »
Continuing today’s unintended theme of rock-and-roll real estate, a post over on Pitchfork brought to our attention these photos and sketches of the recently rehabbed Oklahoma City house of Flaming Lips frontman and OKC native, Wayne Coyne. Already we had thrilled to Coyne and co. enjoying a public bath on the premises via Google Earth. Now we get a ... Read More »
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