Filed under: My Vocabulary Did This To Me | Tags: Derek Weiler, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Eve Sedgwick, Gus van Sant, J. G Ballard, John Clark Jr., John Wray, Lowboy, Mark Bowden, Milk, Nabokov, NYT, Rolling Stone, Sulzberger, Tom Wolfe, Vanity Fair
By Terese Saplys
Read the articles. Hear the news. Love MVDTTM.
It is the cruelest month. Last week marked the deaths of Eve Sedgwick, Derek Weiler and many others; this week, we marked the passing of mentor and postmodern prophet, British novelist J.G. Ballard.
A few weeks ago, we blogged a few reviews about John Wray’s Lowboy, a Manhattan tale told through the eyes of a schizophrenic protagonist. Everyone’s been raving (temperately) about Wray’s evocation of the everyday as a heroic struggle, but here’s another reason to praise: new medical evidence suggests that schizophrenics, not us, are the ones that see the world “as it is.”
The rumours are true: Nabokov’s unfinished novel will be published after years of secrecy!
Woe be Times: NYT is closing its much-beloved City Section. Not surprising, as it’s common knowledge by now that Sulzberger’s screwed the family pooch. Great article on it by Mark Bowden in Vanity Fair.
Tom Wolfe’s Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is destined for the silver screen, directed by Gus van Sant, director of Milk. John Clark, Jr. for Rolling Stone reports.
It could’ve been spring fever, cabin fever, or just plain fever, but I was rolling on my kitchen table laughing at Cracked.com’s collection of ridiculous spam subject lines.
HAPPY WEEKEND!
p.s. Photo courtesy of Hasisi Park.
Filed under: Because a Canvas is too Small., Film | Tags: Amber Varletta, Amber's Story, Brad Pitt, Clorox Blue, Madonna, Meat Packing Project, Ryan Snyder, Steven Klein, Tyson Ballou, Vogue Italia
By Nimo Awil Mohamed
From 'Amber's Story. A Film By Steven Klein', 2009
Photographer Steven Klein, known for his intensely private, unusually erotic and sometimes unflattering portraits of celebrities like Brad Pitt and Madonna, revealed his latest project online this week. ‘Clorox Blue’ is the short film version of his sex-charged, gritty April 2009 Vogue Italia editorial which was then confusingly titled ‘Amber’s Story. A Film By Steven Klein.’
The actual film, which also features the Madonna-esque Amber Valetta, Tyson Ballou (wearing a grill?) and Ryan Snyder, only runs for about three minutes but manages to show the dynamics between the trio in a way that still rings true to Klein’s provocative nature. The setting remains grainy and flat, so it is through the motions of the models within the series of vignettes that the story is told. The viewers immediately and unwittingly become voyeurs, seduced by the raw intimacy (one can almost smell rubber and nictoine) of a young bathroom stall prostitute who happens to sell her wares to very attractive men.
‘Clorox Blue’ is also available on Klein’s website (under ‘moving image’ natch) where I encourage you to check out his older work, ‘Meat Packing Project’.
Click for more shots of ‘Amber’s Story’.
Oh to be young… and British… and talented.
La Roux, described by some as electro pop-synth and by others as “a bit high and a bit like Marmite“ is comprised of the scarlett-haired (hence, “La Roux” which is French for exactly that) singer/synth player, Elly Jackson, and co-writer/co-producer, Ben Langmaid. If you were ever into the 80s (even ironically) the sound is unmistakeable: the band is a little bit Eurythmics, a little bit Depeche Mode and a lot amazing.
Filed under: My Vocabulary Did This To Me | Tags: Amazon, BNET Tech, Derek Weiler, Eve Sedgwick, Quill and Quire, Richard Nash, teacakes, The NYT, The Telegraph, The Washington Post, Twitter
By Terese Saplys
Tardiness comes easily to teenagers, sufferers of thyroid deficiencies, Amazon, drug addicts, and periodical literary bloggers like MVDTTM that need to support themselves with real jobs. Think of the delay as a subconscious protest (MVDTTM’s, not Amazon’s) against the demands of living as a new media junkie.
RIP Editor of Quill & Quire Derek Weiler who died suddenly over Easter weekend.
Sadly, gender critic Eve Sedgwick also passed away this week.
The Amazon gay lit FUBAR-everyone’s talking about it, but skip to the good stuff: BNET Technology for facts and analysis, The Washington Post for some sharp commentary on the algorithms being blamed for the ballyhoo (though, for a supposed techy, the formatting errors are rather uninspiring), Richard Nash on Amazon’s breach of social contract with the LGBQT, and a neat little schematic of how the whole thing played out on Twitter. Needless to say, the coincidence of this particular snafu with the deaths of a queer theory critic and an editing magnate strikes us as, well, queer.
More from the front lines of the tech wars. In love and cell phones: are telecommunications ruining writers’ resources*?
Let’s end on a high note: stunning interviews with Frederick Seidel in The New York Times and Seamus Heaney in The Telegraph.
p.s. Image courtesy of teacakes.
*In case the link doesn’t work, click here. The very first item is the relevant article.
Filed under: Because a Canvas is too Small., Quick-Fix | Tags: amuse-bouche, le gallery, nigel nolan, toronto, Wil Kucey
Nigel Nolan, Daniel 2009
Don’t let its name fool you. The newest installation by artist and graphic novellist, Nigel Nolan, is far from a tiny sampling. The full-gallery installation is an “environment” of sorts according to Nolan, and expresses every nuance of the vulagrity of art. Although wrapped with a disclaimer to the squeamish, prude and judgemental, AMUSE-BOUCHE challenges Torontonians to a new, fresh look at what it means for art to be graphic.
Opening in Tornoto tonight, AMUSE-BOUCHE will be hosted by Nolan and gallery director Wil Kucey.
To May 3rd at Le Gallery.
p.s. Image courtesy of Le Gallery
We here at Daily Value are poised to hit the Miss Rowe Sample sale for her easy breezy beautiful pieces.
With up to 75% off of samples and new merchandise from the Fall and Spring 2008 line.
Doors are open today and tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m., 285 Manitoba Dr.
Filed under: Beats and Bobs., Quick-Fix | Tags: Creature, Famous Players, Golden Girls, Musebox, The Carps, The Phoenix, Woodhands
We here at Daily Value are like the excessively doting grandparents you wish you had. We cannot seem to resist showering our lovely readers with all things free and fun, so once again with Musebox in our corner, we cordially invite (some of) you to the Woodhands, The Carps, Creature, Golden Girls and Famous Players show at the Phoenix this Friday. Tickets are up for grabs, so all you have to do is answer the facetiously easy question below:
Which of the following is not listed on a general Nutrition Facts label:
- total fat
- cholesterol
- your mom
- sodium
- total carbohydrate
Same drill as the last contest. Email your name, number and answer to dailyvalue.mag@gmail.com and wait with breath that is bated.
Filed under: The F word. | Tags: alexander mcqueen, bella freud, cozette mccreery, giles deacon, joe bates, jonathan saunders, knitwear, lanvin, london, menswear, Sibling, sid bryan
By Kiwi Awil Mohamed
Looking to give men’s knitwear “a good kick up the arse”, super friends Joe Bates, Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery decided to take matters in to their own hands and create their own London based label, Sibling. Blending together their love of traditional knitwear and experimentation, the trio are out to prove that woollies need not be boring. Between the three they have collaborated with several big name designers including Alexander McQueen, Lanvin, Giles Deacon, Bella Freud and Jonathan Saunders. And in a little over a year the brand has already garnered quite the following in Europe and Japan.
We at Daily Value have fallen in love with their sophomore collection featuring bold colors, intricate cuts and retina popping patterns and prints. What makes Sibling a label to watch is the strong combination of classic styles and bold ideas. Our favourites include the sequin camouflage neon twin sets and the black beaded cashmere jumper, which upon close inspection you notice glittering rats with red beaded eyes. We also love the bright printed scarves, the sequined biker jackets and ofcourse all the neon vermin. You can take a closer look at the collection here.
Filed under: The F word.
by Kiwi Awil Mohamed
Not to be out done, during the British leg of Barbie’s 50th birthday celebrations, Ken was shown a little make over love by London’s Gareth Pugh. Black patent leather a signature of the designer’s work, Pugh had chosen to dress his limited edition Ken in PVC coat, a scaled down version of the actual menswear piece, dark skinny pant and of course a shock of black goat hair as a Mohican.
“Ken came backstage at my Fall/Winter 2009/10 show and selected his favourite outfit for me to recreate exclusively for him.” G. Pugh
Other Barbie makeovers from over the pond included Roksanda Ilinic and Danielle Scutt.
Filed under: My Vocabulary Did This To Me | Tags: Anne Michael's, Ben Herr, Bookslut, Colby Cosh, Falkner, Judith Sensibar, The Ninja Turtles, The Walrus, The Winter Vault, Wells Tower
By Terese Saplys
It’s Easter, and where my family used to watch Ben Herr and The Ten Commandments taped from broadcast TV on VHS, we now rent Doubt and Jesus Camp on Blu-ray from Blockbuster. We also read MVDTTM.
Colby Cosh on unicorns in The Walrus.
Anne Michaels’s second novel, The Winter Vault, is out. It sounds promising, but looks as though it won’t tear the envelope of established Canadian writing in the genre of historical narrative.
Falkner’s women: behind every man who is a success is a mother, a wife and a black nanny. Despite the bad luck of an unfortunate name, Judith Sensibar’s Faulkner and Love: The Women Who Shaped His Art sounds kind of interesting.
New issue of Bookslut features an interview with dark charmer Wells Tower (we’re quite partial to Wells Tower).
Griffin Prize finalists announced! The authors shortlisted will not be listed here because they’ve already been listed and everyone knows but a half decent self-respecting literary blog can’t not at least mention something, can it.
The perversely funny: accidental masterpieces.
Dear Dan: I love The Ninja Turtles, and I can totally relate.
HAPPY WEEKEND!
