Sorry. Super busy. Don’t have much time. Working on multiple projects. Upcoming trip to Japan for movie release and art exhibition (more to come). Not much sleep. Need to do laundry. Hungry too. In the meantime, chew on this visual candy by PES. Sorry again. Be good.
If you’re not going to be lining up to see one of the thousands of sold out Dark Knight showings this Saturday the 19th, you might want to check out the Santa Monica Pier anywhere from 7pm to 7am for the event known as Glow. After perusing the website and checking out the scheduled events (DJ’s, live bands, parades, and a possible Grunion run sighting!), this fairly huge and ambitious art offering may not be right for me. Maybe if I had gone to a Burning Man or two I would be all over it. But lucky for me I’ll be enjoying a glow of another kind, namely the glow of a 60 foot Joker’s smile on an IMAX screen.
From the Glow website (not to be confused with the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling-G.L.O.W.):
Back in the day when Jackie Chan just started to Rumble in the Bronx and people still thought Chow Yun-Fat was a Chinese dish, I sent a letter to a (then) little known fledgling magazine called Giant Robot. I gave them props for highlighting the rise of Asian pop culture as they brought it to the attention of American audiences who wanted more. In return I got my first ever letter published in a mag I love and they also sent me the coolest Bruce Lee sticker ever (here in shirt form)! Today I get to return the favor as the awesome Asians continue their support of emerging artists with their latest group show at GR2.
Suggestion Box at GR2
July 19 - August 13
Reception: Saturday, July 19, 6:30 -10:00
GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
gr2.net
(310) 445-9276
Giant Robot is proud to present Suggestion Box, a group show featuring new works by artists selected by our own store and magazine staffs in addition to pieces by many of the staffers themselves.
We intend our publication and shops to be catalysts as well as showcases, and are excited to mix artists that provide inspiration with homegrown talent that is inspired by them. Pieces will include drawings, paintings, comics, sewn work, and other mediums.
Contributors will include (but are not limited to) the following:
Aaron Brown
Jeffrey Brown
Seth Drenner
Jordan Fu
Michael Hsiung
Benjamin King
Diana Kwok
David Magdaleno
Tru Nguyen
Molly Colleen O’Connell
Sidney Pink
Yumi Sakugawa
Emilio Santoyo
Eric Shaw
Ryan Jacob Smith
Mark Todd
Christiaan Van Bremen
Katie Vonderheide
A reception featuring many of the artists will take place from 6:30 - 10:00 on Saturday, July 19. For more information about the opening, the artists, GR2, or Giant Robot magazine, please contact:
Eric Nakamura
Giant Robot Owner/Publisher
eric@giantrobot.com
(310) 479-7311
(Flyer design by the Scharwath)
Like artist designed shoes? How about a mean espresso? Maybe you’re into motorcycles, mopeds, and vintage motorized bikes? If you answered a ‘yes’ to any of these then come down to Choke in Silver Lake this Thursday, July 17th for a DC Shoes release party for Aaron Rose’s new practical ortho-cools. Last year when we were still editing Beautiful Losers in the Manzanita house, Keith Scharwath would periodically stop by to work with Aaron on the extras (zine, fabric, and shoebox design) for this shoe project . What they came up with was a sharp looking package that’s as classy as it is creative. Come by and enjoy a cup of joe at this unique bike shop and check out the finished goods for yourself!
From A.Rose:
Hey Everyone,
This is kind of a strange invite, but for the last three years I’ve been working with my friend Damon designing a shoe for his company DC Shoes. Well they’re finally done so we’re gonna have a little party Thursday night at Choke Motorcycle Shop. If you’ve never been to Choke, it’s seriously one of my favorite places in the world. If you don’t care about some weird pair of shoes I designed (I know a party for a shoe is a weird concept), then come to see the place cause it’s awesome!
Thursday, July 17th, 7-9PM
Choke Motorcycle Shop
4157 Normal Ave (at Virgil)
Los Angeles
This Friday night, July 11th, at the Hollywood Car Wash on Sunset come get clean. Squeak E. Clean that is. One of LA’s finest party starters brings us another evening of Sudsy fun with ass-shaking, skating by the Girl Skateboards team, live screenprinting, more ass-shaking, and art and video installations created by Aaron Rose and edited by yours truly.
SUDS
Friday, July 11th
10pm-2am
Hollywood Car Wash
6200 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Last week I let my feelings be known on California’s new anti-idiot law. A few days later the good peeps at United Front let theirs be known as well via this viciously hilarious viral video. Please enjoy their brand of Blue Toothiness.
Thanks to my man Michael Abbott for producing this (ear)piece!
After watching one of (if not) the greatest Wimbeldon finals in the history of tennis this past weekend, I now have to ask, “is this the greatest sports year of our generation?” Think about it. Has there ever been a more compelling sports year than 2008 in terms of classics and sentiment? And we’re still only half way through the year! Here’s a brief rundown of some of this year’s highlights:
So aside from the Lakers/Celtics nightmare, this year’s sports calendar is turning into one of the classics. And we still have the final All-Star game at Yankee stadium (new ballpark coming next year), the upcoming Summer Olympics in Beijing (the U.S. basketball teams mission to regain the gold), the World Series (Dodgers vs. Yankees fingers crossed), and the perfect game I’m going to bowl the same day I hit a hole in one. With all that being said…Greatest. Sports. Year. Ever.
The day Americans won their independence from mannequins. And then proceeded to have the worst barbeque and fireworks show ever.
Huzzah! The days of dumb dialing drivers has come to an end! Hopefully reckless near miss car accidents as cell phone folk fumble with their phones will soon be a thing of the past. Hopefully. Starting today, July 1st, the new “hands free” law goes into full effect in California much to the chagrin of chatty Kathy’s (and everyone else for that matter) driving around the streets of Los Angeles. Although the penalty for first time offenders is a mere $20 and $50 for subsequent convictions, motorists who ignore the law and cause an accident “could face huge civil judgments or even jail if fatalities result”. Duh!
I’ll admit I may not be the safest driver behind the wheel (I’ve totaled a car or two, but they were unrelated to cell phone use! And I am still the human equivalent to K.I.T.T.), but those drivers I see trying to answer that all too important call while swerving into the next lane sometimes just makes me want to run them off the road myself. Luckily, we have what are called “laws”. And for more from Johnny Law himself, check out the CHP’s cell phone driving FAQ sheet and see what he has to say about “text paging”.
Happy driving and happy shopping for that shiny new Blue Tooth earpiece you’ve always wanted!
(click pics to see more of Mr. Brainwash’s brainwashing)
Last Sunday I was able to check out Mr. Brainwash’s (a.k.a. MBW) solo show Life Is Beautiful at the old CBS studios in Hollywood. I had seen MBW’s work on the street for some time now but aside from the pastings and stencils of the bug-eyed man with a film camera, I wasn’t sure what else this documentarian turned “street artist” was responsible for. Before entering the massive compound on Sunset blvd., you’re greeted by an equally massive Elvis cutout holding a toy machine gun. And as soon as you step in, you see more hugeness lining the courtyard; there’s an enormous pile of books with a laptop straddled on top which reads “Life Is Beautiful”, an over-sized paper bag with a Chinese food receipt stapled to it, and a cutout of an old-timey rendition of the Star Wars family. Very promising from the outside looking in.
The inside walls were lined with images of pop icons ranging from Hendrix to Run DMC to the Dalai Lama to of course, Elvis. Lots and lots of Elvis. The styles of Warhol, Banksy, and Shepard Fairey run rampant through MBW’s work, as is the case with many pop artists working today, but in addition to his emulation he has created an entire installation space that lives, breathes, and breeds pop culture and shaped it into his own thing. Even though that “thing” is derivative of what others have done before him, it’s still something to behold. The sheer volume of work is impressive, especially in putting together a 2 story art show, my only gripe is that it looks all too familiar and a tad redundant. Apparently, I’m still not sure what else Mr. Brainwash has done.
Exhibit hours and location:
June 27th-29th
1pm to 9pm
The show will be open Friday through Sunday for the months of June and July.
Show reopens mid-September with new art and installations.
6121 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028
