CITY PLANNING

The Zombies - “Gotta Get A Hold Of Myself” Live from...

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:15:00 -0400

The Zombies - “Gotta Get A Hold Of Myself”

Live from the Hippodrome during the summer of 1966. The only color footage of the band known to exist from this era.

“Private Views” by Barbara Crane 1980-1984 A series of intimate...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:51:00 -0400

“Private Views” by Barbara Crane 1980-1984

A series of intimate closeups taken in and around Chicago during the early 80’s using a Polaroid camera. Barbara Crane’s amazing “Private Views” captures small details that suggest something much larger. See them all here.

COLD WATER directed by Oliver Assayas (1994) Oliver...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:44:00 -0400

COLD WATER directed by Oliver Assayas (1994)

Oliver Assayas’s contribution to the anthology “Tous les garçons et les filles de leur âge”, which I referenced a few years ago in a post regarding Claire Denis’s U.S GO HOME.

This clip contains the epic and legendary party scene at the center of the film, which stands alone, and is easily one of my favorite filmmaking sequences of all-time.

“I Guess That Don’t Make A Loser” The Brothers...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:37:00 -0400

“I Guess That Don’t Make A Loser”

The Brothers of Soul

The Brothers scored a minor hit with this 1968 Boo Records release. They also served as songwriting team, most notably for Ruby Andrews, penning most of the tracks she cut for the Chicago based Zodiac Records. Including “You Made A Believer (Out of Me), sampled by Q-Tip on “Won’t Trade”in 2008.

“The Fire Last Time: LIFE in Watts, 1966” - by Bill...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:32:00 -0400

“The Fire Last Time: LIFE in Watts, 1966” - by Bill Ray

“The August 1965 Watts Riots (or Watts Rebellion, depending on one’s perspective and politics), were among the bloodiest, costliest and — in the five decades since they erupted — most analyzed uprisings of the notoriously unsettled mid-1960s. Ostensibly sparked by an aggressive traffic stop of a black motorist by white cops — but, in fact, the combustive result of decades of institutional racism and profound neglect on the part of the city’s power brokers — the six-day upheaval resulted in 34 deaths, more than 3,400 arrests and tens of millions of dollars in property damage (back when a million bucks still meant something). A year after the flames were put out and the smoke cleared from the southern California sky, LIFE revisited the scene of the devastation for a “special section” in its July 15, 1966, issue that the magazine called “Watts: Still Seething.” A good part of that special section featured a series of remarkable color photos made by Bill Ray on the streets of Watts: pictures of stylish, even dapper, young men making and hurling Molotov cocktails; of children at play in back yards and in rubble-strewn lots; of wary police and warier residents; of a community struggling to save itself from drugs, gangs, guns, idleness and decades of despair.”

For the rest of the series click HERE.

AUDITION directed by Miloš Forman (1963) Miloš Forman’s...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:10:00 -0400

AUDITION directed by Miloš Forman (1963)

Miloš Forman’s debut, generally credited with launching the Czech New Wave, is comprised of two short films, Audition and If There Were No Music. Both interweave footage of performance—brass band rehearsal and talent shows auditions—with a loose narrative. Like his work later in the decade both are playful, heartbreaking, and very funny as they chronicle youthful rebellion and the desire to escape the dreariness of every day life.

A production still from Robert Altman’s 3 WOMEN.

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:02:20 -0500

A production still from Robert Altman’s 3 WOMEN.

“On the East Side” Brian Hyland In 1970 the former...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:53:00 -0500

“On the East Side”

Brian Hyland

In 1970 the former teen pop star—best known for novelty songs like “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”—was twenty-seven and struggling to establish himself as a serious artist. He’d released Stay and Love Me All Summer the prior year and while it was still sunshine pop there was an unmistakeable melancholy and maturity not present in his early work. He hoped to continue his evolution and turned to Del Shannon to produce Brian Hyland, his self-titled effort on which “On the East Side” appeared. Shannon added a touch of psychedelica, pairing it with a power pop sensibility and sweeping string arrangements. The resulting album, which contained both covers and original material, sounded not unlike Shannon’s own records from the era. ‘On the East Side’, a collaboration between the two, would have seemed a cinch to become a huge pop hit. But the only track from the record to find any popular success was a cover of “Gypsy Woman” and so Hyland was dropped by his label and spent the rest of decade without a record deal.

The New World directed by Terrence Malick (2005) I remember when...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:13:21 -0500

The New World directed by Terrence Malick (2005)

I remember when I first saw The New World in a Brooklyn theater circa 2005 it struck that this final sequence, underscored by Wagner’s Das Rheingold, felt like something of a visual equivalent to t he final passage of The Great Gatsby. Perhaps it was simply the literal reference by Fitzgerald to the ‘new world’, but more than that both evoke a promise and endless possibility that remains forever just out of reach, that we fail to grasp and squander because of our own failings and frailties.

"Eventually I shook free of my self-absorption and came to grasp what she was saying, aided by how..."

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:54:15 -0500

“Eventually I shook free of my self-absorption and came to grasp what she was saying, aided by...

The Mask of the Cobra

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:52:42 -0500

The Mask of the Cobra

A Short Dictionary Of Misunderstood Words

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:37:58 -0500

Cemetery “Cemeteries in Bohemia are like gardens. The graves are covered with grass and...

“May, 1979” by Vivian Maier By now Vivian...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 03:09:00 -0500

“May, 1979” by Vivian Maier

By now Vivian Maier’s story has been told many times. A nanny in Chicago during the 50’s and 60’s, she was a prolific photographer, taking 100,000 + photos over the course of her life. But, intensely private she showed her work to no one.

It was only by chance that John Maloof stumbled across 30,000 of her prints and negatives at an auction in 2007, where he purchased them all for a mere $380. His discovery lead to international attention, shows acround the world, the publication of a book, and now a new documentary.

“Witchi Tai To” Harpers Bizarre This track from...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:47:00 -0500

“Witchi Tai To”

Harpers Bizarre

This track from Harpers Bizarre, known mostly for sunshine pop and Simon & Garfunkel covers, is a wistful little masterpiece. A perfect ephemeral moment.

ÊTRE ET AVOIR directed by Nicolas Philibert (2002) What makes...

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 02:43:00 -0500

ÊTRE ET AVOIR directed by Nicolas Philibert (2002)

What makes this documentary particularly wonderful is that it captures learning in action. Here in George Lopez’s one room school house in rural France we actually witness the children wrestling with new ideas. We see the sort of gentle dedication and patience that is required to teach, a long process of understanding and guiding and building relationships that goes well beyond a series of lessons or tests.

Freaks and Geeks: An Oral History

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:45:00 -0500

Freaks and Geeks: An Oral History

“(I Keep A) Close Watch” John Cale “(I Keep A)...

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:48:07 -0500

“(I Keep A) Close Watch”

John Cale

“(I Keep A) Close Watch” comes from Cale’s 1975 release Helen of Troy, which marks the end of a pretty remarkable run of post Velvet Underground solo records that began with Vintage Violence in 1970. In five years he recorded those two albums (the latter is a personal all time favorite) as well as Paris 1919, Fear, and Slow Dazzle.

Island Records, for whom Cale recorded Helen, actually released it against his wishes. He wasn’t thrilled with several of the tracks and considered other incomplete. Remarkably they didn’t even bother to issue this track as a single, which is a real shame as it’s one of his very best, up there with “Big White Cloud” and “Andalucia” as far as I’m concerned. It’s a big, grandly orchestrated, bitter sweet, love song (my favorite kind). Apparently Cale dreamed that Sinatra might cover it, although that unfortunately never came to pass.

I’ve started a new blog. The Invisible Library is an image...

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 22:41:00 -0400

I’ve started a new blog. The Invisible Library is an image archive. You’ll find photography, paintings, film stills, design, and much more. Click away, take a look, and enjoy!

A compilation of “pillow shots” from the color films...

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 22:18:00 -0400

A compilation of “pillow shots” from the color films of Yasujirō Ozu.

"We had a remarkable sunset one day last November. I was walking in a meadow, the source of a small..."

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 17:51:37 -0400

“We had a remarkable sunset one day last November. I was walking in a meadow, the source of a...