Another State Of Mind

This documentary [1982] follows Social Distortion, Youth Brigade & a busted-up yellow school bus on their tour of 30+ cities in 35 days...or their attempt to. Near the ass-end of their tour they crash at Minor Threat's Dischord House, before calling it quits and heading home.

Outside In: The Story Of Art In The Streets

'Outside In: The Story Of Art In The Streets' documents a pretty monumental turning point in Graffiti & Street Art history. With limited screenings nationwide, fingers crossed...I hope this docu-flick goes to DVD soon!

Outside IN: The Story Of Art In The Streets

OUTSIDE IN Movie Trailer: The Story of Art in the Streets from Levi's Film Workshop on Vimeo.

YOYOI KUSAMA: THE POLKA DOT PRINCESS

Kusama: Princess of Polka Dots is a feature documentary work-in-progress about avant-garde artist Yoyoi Kusama. The paparazzi nicknamed her the Polka Dot Princess in the 60's when she lived in NYC. At that time, she rivaled Andy Warhol for press attention. Now in her late 70's, Kusama is considered Japan's greatest living artist.



A peek into Yayoi's Show at Gagosian Gallery, W. 24th St., NYC, Mar-Apr 2008

X: ADAM MICHAELS & GLEN CUMMINGS

I made another trip to Golden Age tonight (my new fave indie shop in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood) to grab myself a copy of 'X'. The shop is floor to ceiling 'zines, music, artwork and more.

The Golden Age staff? They're mad-cool! Not like those record shop pricks, in neighborhood near you, with their "yeah man, I used to dig German-Prog-Rock, that was before it got popular, man!"

A quote lifted from somewhere else in internet-land "This publication is an initial attempt to examine the trajectory of the X symbol in underground music culture. While the X is broadly associated with the punk scene—in particular, straight edge hardcore—the symbol contains a wide range of often-contradictory meanings. This document presents our ongoing research; we welcome comments, corrections, and criticism"

Glen Cummings and Adam Michaels, X
Softcover, 112 pp., offset 1/1, 130 x 190 mm
Edition of 1000
Published by Glen Cummings and Adam Michaels
Price? 10 clams



Golden Age
1744 W. 18th Street
Chicago, IL 60608

Wed-Sun 12-6pm

312.850.2574
contact@shopgoldenage.com

AGNES VARDA: LOS ANGELS GRAFFITI & GANGLIFE 1981

A note on IMDB explains:

"The French director Agnes Varda spent a couple of different years in Los Angeles, and this particular year produced her documentary "Murs, murs" and her fiction film "Documenteur". The title means "Walls, walls", but also puns with the word "murmurs." Varda located dozens of murals around LA and filmed them. Many of these are gone today, so this is a true documentary, documenting a wonderful aspect of southern Californian visual culture. She interviews the artists, a truly multicultural and multicolored group--and shows the paintings in their urban contexts. One memorable scene shows a mural at Venice Beach with young people dancing in front of it (probably near where their sons and daughters are roller skating or skateboarding now). An enjoyable movie by a European with deep aesthetic appreciation for marvelous, imaginative, colorful imagery that was considered throwaway pop culture at the time. "

See more videos by/ about Agnes Varda at YouTube.com.

GUMMO vs ADAM FREELAND

Harmony Korrine's 'Gummo' vs Adam Freeland's 'We Want Your Soul'

ADAM FREELAND: WE WANT YOUR SOUL from konec japonec on Vimeo.

UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US: A NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL DOCUMENTARY

2008, Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell, USA, 93 min.
http://www.blackmetalmovie.com

“As richly compelling and artfully shot as rock docs get.”--Aaron Hillis, LA Weekly

This riveting documentary is not a music movie but a clear-sighted investigation into the murky subculture of Norwegian black metal music, whose history, though distorted and sensationalized by the press, is still pretty sensational even in the undistorted version, strewn with the ashes of torched churches and the blood of murder and suicide victims. As the filmmakers note, black metal “blurs the line between music, art, activism and terror...there’s really no other art or music or ideological movement like it.” Focusing on three figures--self-destructive pioneer Dead (of the group Mayhem), convicted murderer Varg Vikernes (of Burzum), and the relatively moderate Gylve Nagell (of Darkthrone)--UNTIL THE LIGHT draws a deeply, disturbingly ambivalent portrait of a contradictory movement that is too complex either to endorse or to dismiss. In English and Norwegian with English subtitles. DigiBeta video. (MR)

Additional info can be found at:
http://www.myspace.com/blackmetalmovie and http://www.blackmetalmovie.com

HIGH TECH SOUL: THE CREATION OF TECHNO MUSIC

Plexifilm is an independent DVD label and film production company founded in Brooklyn, New York, in September 2001. Plexifilm produces original films, releases films theatrically, and produces, distributes and markets DVDs.

HIGH TECH SOUL is the first documentary to tackle the deep roots of techno music alongside the cultural history of Detroit, its birthplace. From the race riots of 1967 to the underground party scene of the late 1980s, Detroit's economic downturn didn't stop the invention of a new kind of music that brought international attention to its producers and their hometown.

Featuring in-depth interviews with many of the world's best exponents of the artform, High Tech Soul focuses on the creators of the genre -- Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson -- and looks at the relationships and personal struggles behind the music. Artists like Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Eddie Fowlkes and a host of others explain why techno, with its abrasive tones and resonating basslines, could not have come from anywhere but Detroit.

With classic anthems such as Rhythim Is Rhythim's "Strings of Life" and Inner City's "Good Life," High Tech Soul celebrates the pioneers, the promoters and the city that spawned a global phenomenon.

The film features: Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Eddie (Flashin) Fowlkes, Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, John Acquaviva, Carl Cox, Carl Craig, Blake Baxter, Stacey Pullen, Thomas Barnett, Matthew Dear, Anthony "Shake" Shakir, Keith Tucker, Delano Smith, Mike Archer, Derrick Thompson, Mike Clark, Alan Oldham, Laura Gavoor, Himawari, Scan 7, Kenny Larkin, Stacey "Hotwax" Hale, Claus Bachor, Electrifying Mojo, Niko Marks, Barbara Deyo, Dan Sordyl, Sam Valenti, Ron Murphy, George Baker, and Kwame Kilpatrick.

The film's soundtrack includes: Aux 88, Cybotron, Inner City, Juan Atkins, Mayday, Model 500, Plastikman, Rhythim Is Rhythim, and more.

"Bredow's cast of alumni -- the holy trinity of Atkins, May & Saunderson at the front -- fill out this tale with passion, pride and, oddly for music of the future, nostalgia too."
- Dazed and Confused

"An enjoyable education into the music, the city and the main players past, present and future."
-DJ Magazine

"Defines the myths and the magic of Detroit techno from its beginnings right up to how it has evolved to become High Tech Soul."
-Derrick May

High Tech Soul: The Creation of Techno Music from Plexifilm on Vimeo.

WATER TOWERS: FROM THE CHICAGOLAND AREA

So, if you've ever read my blogs or viewed my Twitter, then you'd know that I have a bit of a have a thing for water towers...honestly don't have a clue why I'm so damned infatuated with them, but clearly, I am.

These days, water towers are like visual 'white-noise' to most of us. Many of us are surrounded by them just about every living, breathing moment of our lives. How many of you out there in blog-land can see one from the computer where you're reading this blog this very second? We see them, but we don't see them. You probably can't tell me if there's one on the building you are in right now, can you? They compete for rooftop spaces nationwide. They get crowded out by high tension power lines. Trees don't get pruned and push up against them. Stripmalls, discount cigarette stores & car washes are packed tightly around them. You might even have one right outside your apartment, work or school window. Sadly, I do not. Maybe when it comes time to pack up and move, my new digs will have a water tower, I'll definitely make sure one's on my checklist when that time comes.
They obviously serve a very useful purpose, don't they? They must, mustn't they? Why else would these rooftop structures be strewn all across the landscape, from coast to coast? The bigger question should be, why can't we decide on one common design style? They come in far too many shapes and sizes. Some are way too structurally & aesthetically complicated for their own good.
Do you have a favorite shape or construct? I mostly do, I dig on the classic oak timbered breed, but I'll drop what I'm doing to get a good gander at any of the older varieties made of steel...funnels on stilts or something that looks like an extra from that movie starring Tom 'Mission Impossible' Cruise 'War of the Worlds'...those damned ill mannered Martian 'Walkers'!
Drive through an older suburb near you. Did they see a building boom in the late 70's or early 80's (before the bubble popped), with their fauxe marble and stucco finishes, dark greens, brown and beige painted boxes trimmed in Roman and Spanish arches. I will put money down that you will be staring at an example that looks about as outdated as a Donald Trump building, with it's useless marble and brass bells and whistles.
Do yourself a favor, the next time you're jetting past a water tower, slow down and just look up at it...for a second or two. Don't over think it, just take a mental picture (or better yet, pull out your cell phone a snap one) and be on with your day. Is it a dilapidated oak structure? A bulbous steel phallus decked out in cell phone antennae? A monstrous 10-legged bell shaped beast?

All photos were taken with my cell phone, almost always from the drivers seat of a moving vehicle.

The soundtrack to this slideshow is by: Dengue Fever titled 'Seeing Hands/ Sleepwalking Version'. Grab it off of iTunes.

All photos were taken with my cell phone, almost always from the drivers seat of a moving vehicle.

The soundtrack to this slideshow is by: Dengue Fever titled 'Seeing Hands/ Sleepwalking Version'. Grab it off of iTunes.

JIM JARMUSCH: THE LIMITS OF CONTROL

The Limits of Control is the new movie from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (Broken Flowers, Down by Law). The film is set in the striking and varied landscapes of contemporary Spain (both urban and otherwise). The location shoot there united the writer/director with acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love, Paranoid Park).

Isaach De Bankolé stars in the lead role for Mr. Jarmusch; this marks the duo’s fourth collaboration over nearly two decades, following Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and Coffee and Cigarettes. The Limits of Control also features several other actors with whom Mr. Jarmusch has previously worked, including Alex Descas, John Hurt, Youki Kudoh, Bill Murray, and Tilda Swinton; and actors new to his films, including Hiam Abbass, Gael García Bernal, Paz De La Huerta, Jean-François Stévenin, and Luis Tosar.

The Limits of Control is the story of a mysterious loner (played by Mr. De Bankolé), a stranger, whose activities remain meticulously outside the law. He is in the process of completing a job, yet he trusts no one, and his objectives are not initially divulged.

His journey, paradoxically both intently focused and dreamlike, takes him not only across Spain but also through his own consciousness.

A Focus Features presentation in association with Entertainment Farm of a PointBlank production of a Film by Jim Jarmusch. The Limits of Control. Isaach De Bankolé, Alex Descas, Jean-François Stévenin, Luis Tosar, Paz De La Huerta, Tilda Swinton, Youki Kudoh, John Hurt, Gael García Bernal, Hiam Abbass, Bill Murray. Casting, Ellen Lewis. Costume Designer, Bina Daigeler. Sound Designer, Robert Hein. With Music by Boris. Production Designer, Eugenio Caballero. Editor, Jay Rabinowitz, A.C.E. Director of Photography, Christopher Doyle, H.K.S.C. Executive Producer, Jon Kilik. Produced by Stacey Smith, Gretchen McGowan. Written and Directed by Jim Jarmusch. A Focus Features Release.

CODY HUDSON aka STRUGGLE INC, CHICAGO

Cody Hudson better known to many as Struggle, Inc. has a new gig that opens on May 11th.

For Let’s Do Some Living After We Die, emergent artist Cody Hudson will create a new collage and sculpture installation. Hudson’s art work will explore feelings of euphoria and doom, community and solitude through the combination of found materials and media images, paintings, and drawing. The installation will change and grow in three intervals, May 11th, July 19th, and August 19th, during the six month exhibition period. Installed in the Foyer Project Space of the Art Center, this volatile mixture of optical information inspires visitors to consider the relationship between hopefulness and tragedy upon entering the building.

Hudson’s art work will explore feelings of euphoria and doom, community and solitude through the combination of found materials and media images, paintings, and drawing.

Cody Hudson is a Chicago-based artist and graphic designer who produces work under the name Struggle Inc. Known for the production of clean, multi-dimensional and geometric graphics, Hudson’s design aesthetic is part urban modernism, and part organic visual deconstruction. His drawings, installations, and paintings have been exhibited throughout the US, Europe and Japan including the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), New Image Art (LA), Rocket Gallery (Tokyo), The Lazy Dog (Paris), & Bucket Rider Gallery (Chicago). In 2006 he was commissioned by the City of Chicago Public Art Program to create a permanent installation at the Sox/35th CTA station as part of the Arts in Transit Program. Hudson’s work has been featured in numerous magazines and publications including idN, Arkitip, Anthem and Juxtapoz. He is currently represented by Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago.

This installation takes place in conjunction with the upcoming exhibition Signs of the Apocalypse/Rapture curated by Front Forty Press, offering a provocative look into the current trend of blurring the line between annihilation and bliss in contemporary art, thought, and sound, held in Galleries 1, 2, and 3 at the Art Center from July 19 until September 29, 2009.

DARK DAYS: NY SUBWAY MOLE PEOPLE

Deeply moving and surprisingly entertaining, Dark Days is an award-winning documentary by Marc Singer, who abandoned his life on the outside to live in the tunnels beneath New York City for two years. It is an eye-opening experience that shatters ... Full Descriptionthe myths of homelessness by revealing a thriving underground community and capturing their resilience and strength as they struggle to survive.

DARK DAYS, a groundbreaking documentary from British director Marc Singer with a moving soundtrack from DJ Shadow, shows a way of life that is unimaginable to most people. The film focuses on a group of homeless people that live deep underground in an abandoned New York City railroad tunnel. During the daytime they scavenge for food on the streets of New York. At night, they retreat to the tunnel where they have built homes out of scrap metal, plastic, and plywood. They have electricity, furniture, and working kitchens, not to mention community, comradery, and the support of each other. Some of them have lived in the tunnel for 25 years. Shot in vivid black and white, capturing both the grit (chicken wire, concrete walls, all precisely detailed) and the honesty (the residents have hit rock bottom and admit it) of the tunnel, Singer's film consists of candid conversations with tunnel residents, who are intelligent, funny, optimistic, and above all, human. One man confesses that he once had a wife and a child, and that he lost both to his drug addiction (crack cocaine), while one teenage boy living in the tunnel explains that he was abused by his family in Florida and simply ran away, finding life in the tunnel more redeeming. In the film's emotional, understated conclusion, Singer turns to New York City's Coalition for the Homeless for help.

Theatrical release: August 25, 2000 Filmed on location in a tunnel underneath Penn Station in New York City. Singer, who was working a regular day job in the fashion industry and had no prior film making experience, became fascinated by the people living in the tunnel and decide to move underground himself. After two years, he convinced his friends--the tunnel residents--to help him make the film, which was done entirely with borrowed equipment and donated film. Because of the extreme conditions of the tunnel--pitch blackness and rat infestation, primarily--director Marc Singer had the tunnel's residents serve as the crew for the making of the film, as he decided they were most familiar with the tunnel's terrain. When Amtrak tried to evict the residents of the tunnel, it was Singer who intervened, going to the Coalition for the Homeless for help. They cut a deal with the federal government and got funding to relocate the tunnel's residents. Each of them was given an apartment and a job in a work program. DARK DAYS was named Best Documentary of 2000 by the Village Voice and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

CATCHING OUT dvd TRAIN HOPPING HOBOs:

The phrase 'Catching Out' describes the act of hopping a freight train. In the documentary film "Catching Out," several contemporary hobos dissent against mainstream American consumer culture by traveling for free on freight trains. The film features a seasoned eco-activist named Lee, a young nomad named Jessica, and a tramp couple known as Switch and Baby Girl. In three interwoven stories, "Catching Out" follows these trainhoppers as they navigate between the constraints of society and the freedom of the road.
Newly released and available direct from MicroCinema or at your neighborhood Amazon.com
FOUNDED IN 1996, MICROCINEMA INTERNATIONAL is a leading international rights manager, exhibitor, and specialty markets distributor of the "moving image arts." Microcinema International specializes in the acquisition, exhibition, and distribution of independently produced works of an artistic and socially-relevant nature.
Their mission is to seek out, curate, exhibit, promote, and distribute compelling works to a broad audience via existing and emerging mediums. This mission is realized through exhibition-based events, web-based platforms, educational outreach, modern marketing techniques, and digital and physical distribution.