Making of The Shining

Saw this on the Arab Parrot's site and I just had to repost this rare footage. The Making of the Shining by Stanley Kubrick.

Jack Nicholson is either crazy or just a trained actor and always in character. Watch at 4:35 as he preps himself for the scene. That is fuckin awesome.

Jay and Jack

Jay-Z and Jack White of The White Stripes seem to have something in the works. Presumably it's the still unreleased song "Ray Bans". Courtesy of Nah Right

Luciens new kicks

These new HUF footwear commercials put me back on an old Tribe favourite. The smooth bassline of Luck of Lucien seems a perfect pick for the skateboards leisurely ride down San Francisco's Chinatown corridors. The song tells the story of a frenchman named Lucien who has come to America in search of love and fortune. In his pursuit of the former he relies heavily on the misguided notion that all American women will be mesmerized by his Parisian accent falling head over heels for him. It's a pretty funny song if you take in all the adlibs and the bassline is tres smooth...

I'm disgusted that I just used tres smooth in a sentence but in my defence I was simply keeping the French theme going.

That is all.
************

Inspiration

I really like uncensored photojournalism. It's so different from what we are used to seeing on CNN and Fox news. To let a series of pictures tell a story on their own is a daunting task and requires an artistic eye as well as a politically informed mind. I previously showcased some work by Cristian Movila. These photos are by Marc Wattrelot from his trip to Balochistan. See more here

The resemblance is uncanny

Jimmy and the Cop w/ James Franco from James Franco

This is ridiculous and hilarious! Around the 1:55 mark James really blows up. My favourite part is at 3:33.
"End of the line Franco. Say yur prayyyeeerrrrrrrs."

I was here first

You might think that the underground world of graffiti artists is one that admits to no rules yet ever since it began to gain popularity in the late 70's in New York graffiti has always had certain unwritten rules and protocols to abide by in order to preserve the integrity of the art form. One of those rules was not to go over another artists work yet recently I've been seeing more and more cases in Toronto's graffiti scene where this rule is being broken, even by some of Toronto's graffiti elite. With limited wall space perhaps it should be expected that every now and again a writers work will get clipped or even gone over once its had a sufficient run but here is a recent case I found that was totally unnecessary. You might have heard of Banksy by now. The elusive British street artist who opts for politically themed and satirical art work which he displays in his wheat paste posters in major cities all over the world. Banksy`s work has come to be renound by the art community and original pieces sell in the hundreds of thousands. Recently Banksy hit Toronto with a series of works across the city and ignited a scavenger hunt among street art enthusiasts to find all the spots he hit. This particularly clever one depicting a business man holding a sign saying `will work for idiots` has sadly been painted over, but not by some random kid playing with the Canadian Tire spray cans he found in his parents shed, but one of Toronto`s graffiti kings: MANR.
I was truly disappointed when I saw this. MANR was and to lesser extent now still is one of my graffiti idols. It wasn`t really his artistic merit I was interested in but the shear number of spots this guy hit up. He managed to hit up really public and dangerous spots that no one else could instantly cementing his status as a legend in the Toronto arena.
But after seeing this I`m starting to reconsider the whole ``I don`t give a fuck`` hardcore attitude I`m seeing among some of today`s bigger names. It`s completely devoid of the mutual respect among artists that graffiti writers had in the 80's. In fact Banksy recently went over a long standing Robbo hit that was later reclaimed by Robbo.
Original Robbo piece.
Robbo piece gone over by Banksy
Robbo incorporates Banky's character and reclaims the wall.
Just goes to show even legends don't play by the rules anymore and the whole thing is becoming one giant free for all. I'm not a fan of the direction graffiti is heading. On the one hand you have artists getting corporate sponsorships and being paid for their work, selling out more or less, and then you have those same guys running around the city going over anyone they feel like. It's not for me anymore.

Style Icon: Nas

Check out this feature from Complex magazine on the style history of Nas. Quoting directly from Complex.com

"Though more known for his lyrical skill than fashion sense Nas's threads game should not be overlooked. From the rugged, distinctly QB appeal of over-sized army jackets circa Illmatic to his partaking in the brief resurgence of the iconic “dookie chain,” Esco has always managed to stay true to one of the golden rules of hip hop: staying fresh from head-to-toe. This week, in our continuing effort to chronicle the style history of different celebrities, we dig into the long and illustrious career of God's Son and take a detailed look at how his apparel choices have changed and evolved over time."
I mean just check out the nylon snowsuit overalls paired with the combat boots. That my friends is called flawless execution. Nasir Jones, I salute thee.

You gotta put me on

My soundtrack this morning. Feeling real mellow today. Might roll me a nice fat one and just kick back on the patio with this playin in the background.
Bonita Applebum, you gotta put me on. You know who you are.

Battle of the Boatshoes

Summer is upon us and that means its time to pack away the parka's and goose downs and bust out the lightweight casual wear for the rest of the season. I am sure by now some of you are sick of seeing this particular shoe around the sockless ankle of hipsters in your local downtown core but I for one am still obsessed with boat shoes. I already bought a couple Sperry's that have treated me very nice but I think it's about time for a change. I saw a feature like this on Street Etiquette a while ago and had to have my own take on it. Whatever your choice it's still the perfect summer shoe, whether your on starboard staring out at the endless expanse of ocean before you or on the street car staring out at the busy summer streets it just works. I present the competitors for this summer.
Sperry Topsider
Sebago docksides
Yuketen deck shoes. I'm leaning more towards these joints myself. Slightly different from the traditional silhouette and from what I've seen from this brand over the years they really produce some quality footwear.
So there you have it. Whatever your choice please boat responsibly and always make sure you have your boaters license with you whenever on the high seas. Until next time..

DAAYUMM!!

WHooooooo!! * Rick Flair.
I thought I was off my Jordan craze but I need these joints right here before I close the coffin on my sneakerhead phase.

Large on the Streets

>Harlem!! My dude Vado is killing it right now. Lyrically he's the best new artist out point blank period. Big L is looking down on you with much pride right now my dude. I like how he flipped Big L`s`ebonics in the third verse and made it his own.

True homage to a Harlem legend from a strong new comer. This dude got Toronto man's yellin that Harlem slang. Like I see my nigga and first thing I be saying is SLIIIIMMMMEEE!!.
HUUH!!
And that jean jacket Vado has on at the end is too sick! Patches for daaayze...
Pay attention to this dude right here.

Polo bear

I'm starting to catch the vintage bug. My most recent obsession has been these old school teddy bear polo crew necks. Super hard to find and mad expensive for the real deal. Fruition has a couple every now and then. And if your unfamiliar with lo-head culture and the obsession with everything polo then watch this video below for a briefing on the far extremes of what this movement stands for.

I am by no means a lo-head but I gotta say vintage polo collections are fresh and I'm feeling to get my hands on some Rugby joints or even Indian Point. Some people really take this Polo obsession to an extreme though.
Take 88 keys for instance, he's only worn Ralph Lauren Polo everything head to toe since 1993! Some call that dedication. I call that fuckin crazy, yet admirable in a way.

Local Inspiration

Hello world. Haven't posted in a minute. Let me start with some photography from a dude I'm truly inspired by.





A fellow Torontonian on the move. Greg Washington was heading creative design for Inquiring Mind before moving over to Van city to work with Academy. Just from following his blog and a couple of his other projects you get the sense that he doesn't really set boundaries for himself as far as producing and creating is concerned. This guy is literally all over the place, have a look at his site and you'll know what I mean. I was a pretty loyal follower of Inquiring Mind for their Buyers Bible editorials and in depth interviews before I chose to look a little closer into the people behind the scenes.
That's when I stumbled upon Greg's blog which I kept coming back to not for the popularity of its posts but for the rare and obscure postings of works from artists I would otherwise have never heard of. Very interesting stuff indeed and always inspiring to see someone from your own city, own part of the city for that matter (Scarborough SON!), prove that creativity is not only good in the art world but is a marketable skill and something that can be applied in virtually any setting. My hats off to you sir.