R.I.P. Bettie Page 1923-2008

"With deep personal sadness I must announce that my dear friend and client Bettie Page passed away at 6:41pm PST this evening in a Los Angeles hospital. She died peacefully but had never regained consciousness after suffering a heart attack nine days ago.

She captured the imagination of a generation of men and women with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality. She is the embodiment of beauty."

Statement by Mark Roesler, business agent for Bettie Page

April 22, 1923 to December 11, 2008

A private funeral service is planned for Tuesday.

Page will buried at Westwood Cemetery in Los Angeles, just a few feet away from Monroe.


Source: http://www.bettiepage.com/obit/index.html

The Garter!

The Red Garter....I use to pass this bar to and from the Marina del Rey Skate Park when I was knee high to a grasshoppers butt!!
We would always wonder what it was they did in a place called "The Red Garter"?? Sounded nasty! When I was high school we tried to get in but were shut down at the door making the interest even that much worse! "What could they be doing behind the closed door of "The Red Garter"? As I became of drinking age I quickly stopped in to see all the nastiness that lied all these years behind the door of "The Red Garter". Nothing....nothing....nothing....it was an oldman bar blue with smoke...not a women in sight...not a person under 60 years old. It was nasty all right...but not in the way I had imagined. Years later this became a sort of trendy dive hang out, mainly because of the 2 pool tables in the back. This was also one of the only bar in Los Angeles you could still smoke in years after the "No Smoking" law went into effect.

The bar has since changed hands, been fully renovated, and had the Red taken out of it's name! Now "The Garter" attracts a plethora of clients....from the ever so hip Hollywood "Hipsters" to the derelict drunk degenerates!
I met the Garter Crew through The Big Geezers art Crew form Amsterdam and beyond. So almost 30 years later the circle is complete and I was asked to paint the entrance door to "The Garter"!

Check out the animation here!!!

Scion Presents: Big Geezers

Like i said before...this is gonna be a great show!!
Don't miss it!!

Happy Samhain!!

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

The Big Geezers are coming!!

Amsterdams most creative crew will be in Los Angeles to open their show at the Scion Gallery on Nov. 8th!!
This will be a show NOT to miss!
Bring your camera and eat well before you come to the opening, cause these guys like to party!!
Skin Up!!!

REMI GAILLARD puttin' it in!!

This is a crazy video...that is if you like soccer!! Or even goals!

Murs - L.A.

This is such a hot track!
Murs is a bit underground...but he just dropped his first commercial album on the 30th of last month
Don't sleep on this one!!

Hip Hop's Crown Jewels Auction

TUPAC: Estimated at $10,000-$20,000(right)MISSY ELLIOT: Estimated at $6,500-$8,500 (left)

Phillips de Pury & Co., New York has announced details of the first-ever hip-hop jewelry auction, which will be held March 5th. Titled Hip Hop’s Crown Jewels, the event is being produced with the support of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and “Godfather of Hip Hop” Russell Simmons.



BIZ MARKIE:Estimated at $8,000-$12,000


PHARRELL: Estimated at $200,000-$250,000


BIZ MARKIE CASSETTE: Estimated at $75,000-$95,000

A historic selection of custom-made pieces from some of hip hop’s most illustrious musicians, rappers and jewelers will be offered, including those worn by:

50 Cent
MC Lyte
Biz Markie
Missy Elliot
Busta Rhymes
Nas
Diplomats
Notorious B.I.G.
Gnarls Barkley
Pharrell Williams
Ja Rule
Rihanna
Jay Z
Sean “Diddy” Combs (a.k.a. “Diddy”)
Kanye West
Slick Rick
Lil’ Jon
Swiss Beatz
Lil’ Wayne
Tupac Shakur
LL Cool J
Wyclef Jean

Find more info here!
Auction 5 March 2009
450 West 15th Street
New York, NY 10011

La Princesse

La Machine is a French production company based in Nantes, France, which is famous for the preformance called Sultan's Elephant, a which appeared in 2006 in London, England.

The group was formed by artists, designers, fabricators and technicians in early 1990s and is currently led by François Delarozière, Artistic Director and creator of La Princesse. They are known by its extraordinary theatrical machines, permanent installations, and also its own theatrical productions.
The huge 60 foot mechanical spider named La Princesse, visited Liverpool in on September 6th 2008, as one of the main parts of the city's Capital of Culture 2008 celebrations. This spider was operated by a number of operators, controlling the 8 legs and other movements of the spider. It investigated the city, visiting landmarks such as St George's hall and the Albert Dock, and walking down streets and climbing onto the side of a derelict tower block at the end of each performance.

Obama Lego's

By now everyone should be fimiliar with Shepard Fairy's, Barack Obama "Hope" image.

Well some creative Lego Builder named "Legoman28" has recreated the portrate using lego's and has put it up forsale on Ebay.

The piece was constructed over 10 days using 8,000 multi-colored bricks, in a framework of 30 x 30 inches. With a reserve price of $600, the seller claims that 70% proceeds from the sale will go towards Obama’s campaign.

Design Your Own Bottle!!

This is a fun looking project...

The chance of winning anything looks slim...

But fun none the less...

Go check it out!!

http://www.1800tequila.com/

JR vs. Rio's Favelas

French photographer/street artist JR is traveling the globe as part of his ongoing photo-mural series of site-specific installations about women. The project is aptly titled Women are Heroes.
Right now JR is in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil where the context of favelas has encouraged him to meet women for whom crime, violent loss of loved ones and arbitrary repression are part of everyday life.

Favela da Providencia was chosen to host the project for its strong historical relevance – it was the first favela of Rio de Janeiro and carries the title of the most dangerous one of all. It also has a recent history of murders of innocent people in the war between a local corrupted army and drug dealers.

This art project is completely independent and not sponsored by any institution or brand.
The technique used is simple – the portraits become oversized prints which are pasted on the architecture with the help of the community. The photographer Mauricio Hora, born and raised in Providencia, has been responsible for the realization of the project locally together with Rosiete Marinho, another local leader.

Portraits of the women, coming from different origins and generations, unite hill and asphalt to give a face to the favela. More photos appear nearly every day on JR's website.

THE ADVENTURES OF DARIUS AND DOWNEY

THE ADVENTURES OF DARIUS AND DOWNEY and other true tales of street art, as told to Ed ZipcoLeon Reid IV, Brad Downey, and Ed Zipco
An unparalleled book on street art and artists, the first to be entirely narrative-driven

Through a series of true stories, this unique book reveals the tight-knit, exciting world of street art. Darius (aka Leon Reid) and Downey (aka Brad Downey) did their first piece together in Brooklyn in 2000—a life-changing experience marking the birth of a partnership that would go on to revolutionize street art.
Ed Zipco, an acute and empathetic commentator on urban graffiti art, relates their most memorable experiences, from their early exploits and brushes with the law to their work internationally in London and Berlin. Along the way, we witness their artistic evolution from conventional graffiti tagging to ambitious street installations that are both wittily entertaining and startlingly subversive.
The introduction is by renowned street artist Swoon, famed for her intricate paper cutouts.

More info can be found about Darius and Downey here: http://www.braddowney.com/

Also a great interview with Brad here!!! : http://whatyouwrite.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/brad-downey-interview/#more-1467

Another interview can be seen here: http://str33t.hobnox.com/sidsv6p77kod73ciucjnsuprnt303/index.html?episode=1251

The book can be purchased through Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Darius-Downey-other-street/dp/0500513953

So hurry up and order one...i know i just did!!

Made in Queens

This is some crazy shit i would have done when i was a kid!!

Check it out: "Last summer in a rented garage on the outskirts of Queens, NY something incredible was happening. A group of imaginative tinkerers from Trinidad were working late into the nights creating something nobody had ever seen before: enormous stereo systems jury rigged onto ordinary bmx bikes. Traveling together, each behind the handlebars of his or her own massive homemade creation, they treat the neighborhood to an outrageous impromptu music and dance party on wheels. Directed by Randall Stevens, Made In Queens is a film celebrating America's first stereobike crew."

Check out the trailer and more photos and info from this short film here

Os Gemeos!!

This is a little video i found of Os Gemeos, who if you don't know already are twin brothers from Brazil who have the most amazing feeling in their artwork!!

Check out more here: http://www.lost.art.br/osgemeos.htm

from KR on 12oz

David Choe's Dirty Hands!

I know this is a bit "Old News"...but if you didn't know or have never heard...David Choe's Documentary ..."The Art and Life of David Choe" is finished and ready for viewing!!

It's been over 5 years in the making...but i've heard it's worth the wait!!

"Harry Kim puts it together with tons of footage from all over the world. He's been following David for years. It covers his story from the days before I met him which was in maybe 1997. It's been a while, and somehow there's photos and footage from that period of time."

If you're not fimiliar with David Choe or his work...check out his website here: http://www.davidchoe.com/

If you want to see the trailer from the film...check out:

http://www.dirtyhandsmovie.com/

Happy 4th of July

Hope everyone had a safe and sane 4th!!

Dirty Car Art

Similar to the "Reverse Graffiti" post i made last week, this is also a form of art created by the act of cleaning. Well Kinda...

"Like any reasonably creative and curious human, Scott can't resist a dirty rear window. We suspect that Scoot started off with the cleaver sayings, like, "Wash Me" or "Is your wife this dirty too?". Probably his first was the ubiquitous smiley face. Unlike most folks however, Scott lives on a mile and a half of dirt road - caliche, as the locals call it, road-base: a blend of limestone dust and gravel and clay. Driving over this surface results in a fine, white dust that billows up behind any vehicle driven faster than a galloping turtle, coating the rear window. Being an experienced artist, it wasn't long before Scott was experimenting with techniques to achieve these amazingly detailed and shaded drawings."

Check out more...they're amazing!

http://www.dirtycarart.com

Soda Play Constructor

Some may remember this site from long ago!
Soda Constructor is the Java based physics engine, central to Soda Creative's collaborative learning environment Sodaplay.com. It was created by Ed Burton, Soda's Research and development Director, in April 2000 and won an Interactive Arts BAFTA Award in 2001.

With the Soda Constructor users create and share "models". These models are made of "masses" and "springs" and follow strict physical laws. By turning springs into "muscles", models can be animated and made very lifelike.

At times it can be very frustrating...but fun once you get the hang of it!

Go check it out here @ http://www.sodaplay.com/

Reverse Graffiti!!

The British artist Paul Curtis is not sure what to call his version of vandalism. “People call it ‘reverse graffiti,’ ” he says, “but I prefer something less sinister: ‘clean tagging’ or ‘grime writing.’ ” Curtis, a.k.a. Moose, selectively scrubs dirty, derelict city property (tunnel walls, sidewalks) so that words and images are formed by the cleaned bits.

On April 15, 2008 in San Francisco, Green Works brought together an English
reverse graffiti artist and a critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker, to create an environmentally friendly work of art and a film about a philosophy of clean.

Check out their site for more info http://www.reversegraffitiproject.com/

Roots of Breakdance

This is where it all started!!
Some of these moves are still too advanced for today!!

M-City Constructor

M-City is a very interesting street art collective from Poland.
They do amazing city scapes using stencils. Every building, road, person, statue, is a seperated stencil. The end results are amazing!!
www.m-city.org





At http://www.m-city.org/m-city/konstruktor/konstruktor.html you can find an interactive application for constructing the cities on your own, from the same elements as were used in the real world.

Venice Locals!!!

I moved to Santa Monica in 1979. Although some of these pictures are a bit before my time, most of them are of the Venice kids i grew up with. This site features tons of black and white pictures taken by an obvious Venice Local!!
Some great historic shots!!
Check it out here http://www.pbase.com/venicepix/root

Dirt Nasty

Too Funny!!!

The Street Art Game!!

This fun little game was created as part of London’s Tate Modern Street Art exhibit. The highly anticipated show opened last weekend, featuring work from legendary artists: Blu, Faile, JR, Nunca, Os Gemeos, and Sixeart in the first commission to use the building’s iconic river façade, and the first major public museum display of street art in London.

Check out the game: http://kids.tate.org.uk/games/street-art/
or
Read more about the show: http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/streetart/

The Last Laugh

Mister Cartoon, Estevan Oriol and Upper Playground have collaborated in the opening of four seperate retail expieriences in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
Each storefront will offer customers a unique fashion and fine art expierience. In celebration of the new project, the group will host an open house on Saturday, May 31, 2008 that will feature a special art exhibit from the likes of Sam Flores, Jeremy Fish, David Choe, Ron English, San, Retna, Saber, Alex Pardee, Doze Green, Slick Armsrock, David Ellis and more.

Grand Opening: Saturday May 31
From: 1 - 8 p.m.
125 E. 6th Street (between Main and Los Angeles)
See you there!!

Here We Grow!

The London Police, Flying Fortress, Galo and Pez will showcase their individual urban aesthetics with the opening of Here We Grow @ Black Maria Gallery on Saturday May 17th (7-11 PM).

In conjunction with Aphrodisio records, the show will feature original work from all four artists, a live painting session, and two new Flying Fortress giclees produced by Aphrodisio. During the opening, the artists will collaborate on a painting which will later be auctioned on eBay with 10% of the proceeds going to Monkey Sanctuary, a charity working to protect primates. Both Flying Fortress Gicless measure 18" x 24" and are limited to 150 signed and numbered pieces.

Battle of the Record Covers

This is an old video...but it's still fun!!
Enjoy!

Yo Homie, You got knocked the %$@& Out!!

Looks like former Death-Row Records CEO Suge Knight got chin-checked at an Los Angeles club last weekend!
Read more and see more pics @ http://www.tmz.com/2008/05/12/the-pics-suge-would-kill-for/

Sounds like the guy that did it was 5'10" and weighed in at 170 lbs.

Happy Mother's Day!!

I've been on vacation.
Sorry for the lack of posting!!


Don't forget MOMS!!

Me and jesus the pimp in a 79 granada last night

This is an old school track...one of my favorites of all times!!
Listen to the spit!!
"microsoft motherfuckers let bygones be bygones
but since i'm macintosh i'm gonna double click your icon"

I Get High!!

T.G.I.F.

Frosty Freeze R.I.P.

Frosty Freeze, also known as The Freeze To Please (born Wayne Frost on 8 December 1963 died April 3, 2008 in New York City, New York, U.S.) was a legendary old school hip hop B-Boy best known worldwide as a member of the second generation of the acclaimed hip hop/Breakin' crew, The Rock Steady Crew.

As a member of RSC, he was known for his comedic, highly acrobatic but yet fearless and inventive style, due to his trademark move, "The Suicide", also known as "The Death Freeze Drop" (a move that he created accidentally by attempting a poorly executed backflip and landing on his back).

His talents with the crew were featured in movies such as Flashdance, Wild Style, Style Wars and The Freshest Kids and made history as the first b-boy to appear on a magazine cover (The Village Voice, 1981). He was also featured in early hip hop music videos like Afrika Bambaataa and The Soulsonic Force's "Planet Rock" and Malcolm McLaren's "Buffalo Gals".

In 2004, he along with several other members of RSC were honored at the VH-1 Hip Hop Honors.

Frosty Freeze resided in New York City, regularly making appearances at many hip-hop events throughout New York City metropolitan area and elsewhere in the country. Unfortunately, he fell extremely ill during early 2008, and went on life support on March 27, 2008 and passed away on April 3.

Inverted Graffiti

Reining from L.A.'s own Seventh Letter Crew is El Mac, who has been dropping style since the mid 90s. He has been commissioned to produce murals around the world, has exhibited in museums, and his work has graced the cover of numerous publications. Mac has gained increasing notoriety for his almost photorealistic portraits, in a style that is uniquely his own.


This piece was painted in some new fangled photo negativestyle, inverting the light colors for dark. The image above is the original, the image below is the inverted version, This is some of the most innovative sh!t i've seen in the graffiti world since NOAH TFP & PURE TFP's inside-out letters back in the early 90's.

Take a peek at more of The Mac’s work at www.elmac.net.
or
Try out a few of these selected photos for yourself!!!

For Mac users try the following trick to invert screen:
control-option-command-8

For PC users try the following trick to invert screen:
Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow: Invert screen.
Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow: Undo inversion.

The Town I Live In-(Original Version)-McKinley Mitchell-1961

Rising Son: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi

Finally got to see this GREAT Movie!!
3 Thumbs up!!
Having grown up in Venice this was like watching a high school yearbook.
A must see for over 30 skaters, tweekers and rock stars!!
Reminds me of the "Good Ol' Days!!"

Boston Dynamics Big Dog Robot

Check this robot out!!
I've heard about robots...but one that lets you kick it?!?!
I'm sure he'll eventually learn to fight back!
Then look out!
Sounds like the end of the world sci-fi style!!

Handz Off Products!

Just stumbled across these products from a company called "Handz Off" which is a line of Antimasturbatory Products. (Like we need these!?!?!)
First we have the "HandzOff Antimasturbatory Gum - 6 pack " the site quotes " Two HandzOff chews offer 4 to 6 hours of relief. You may chew up to 120 pieces daily as needed."
Secondly is the "HandzOff Car Air Freshener " "Masturbating while driving is dangerous. Please keep both hands on the wheel. Don't jerk and drive"

And last but not least is the "HandzOff Antimasturbatory Cream " i just have one question about this product...how do you know when you've applied enough?!!

So if you feel like you're having a problem keeping your hands off yourself...this might be just the products for you!

Not me!! LOL!!

Rick Ross Pendant!!

Was watching a few videos this morning when i noticed Rick Ross' new pendant!
This has got to be the best one i've seen so far!
Crazy Ass Rappers with too much money!

CHUNKY PAM DIRRRTY JERZY!!

Lets hear it for Dirrrty Jerzy!!

Vegas Baby!!

Sorry for the lack of posts this week!!
I was in Vegas for the Magic Trade Show...no not bunny rabbits and tigers...apparel and models!
I won't bore you with the details...but lets just say a good time was had by all!
Made some new friends, saw some old ones, but most of all it was Vegas!
Shouts out to everyone that was hanging with the crew...you know who you are!


I promise to get back on the posts this week!

Banking on Banksy!

After a wall was sold on Ebay for £280,100, it looks like sell Banksy walls has become a trend. Yes the whole damn wall! And that didn't include removal.
It looks like a London businessman is selling a wall featuring Banksy graffiti following the online sale.
The painting, on a wall on the side of a motorcycle shop in Clerkenwell road in London, features four old people in typical hip hop poses.
It originally read 'Thug For Life' before being changed to 'Old Skool' after other graffiti artists defaced it.
Sources say a metal makeshift shelter went up roof and all, about a month ago. One another website i found it tells more of the expensive professional removal of the wall which is said to be done brick by brick! It also says the businessman already has a buyer for the wall!
This is getting kinda ridiculous! If people are spend thousands to remove these walls covered in what is in fact graffiti, why are there people going to jail everyday for donating these works of art??? Huh?

Read more about the wall removal and see more photos here!!