Filed under: Art Files, Good Looks | Tags: bomb magazine, edwidge danticat, junot diaz, the brief wondrous life of oscar wao
As someone who admires the writing of author Junot Díaz, it brings me great pleasure to share an excerpt from BOMB Magazine’s dynamic conversation between Díaz and “the inimitable” Edwidge Danticat. To no surprise, I will highlight the exchange that deals with process – offering insight(s) into the various practices and approaches of each author to the production of writing. The advantage of having a small, focused readership (if any) is the absence of a paralyzing kind of pressure to produce. For instance, I maintain a positive relationship to blogging largely due to the fact that I have creative control — I decide when to publish a post as well as the contents of each post. The often unreasonable demands and expectations of publishers and popular audiences can produce crippling writer’s block and/or encourage mediocre work. Of course, for some writers (artists, musicians) pressure mobilizes and motivates. There exist an infinite set of permutations. Beyond the expectations of others, we each have to battle our own set of fears (the voices in our heads) that keep us from finishing what we’ve started. In the words of Díaz, “I always start with the best intentions and then end up screaming.” I am interested precisely in what happens between these places (best intentions —> screaming). I enjoy/ed reading their thoughts, read on:
Edwidge Danticat: I think most folks would want me to ask you, those of us who’ve been waiting with bated breath for this book: What the heck took you so long?
Junot Díaz: What, really, can one say? I’m a slow writer. Which is bad enough but given that I’m in a world where it’s considered abnormal if a writer doesn’t produce a book every year or two—it makes me look even worse. Ultimately the novel wouldn’t have it any other way. This book wanted x number of years out of my life. Perhaps I could have written a book in a shorter time but it wouldn’t have been this book and this was the book I wanted to write. Other reasons? I’m a crazy perfectionist. I suffer from crippling bouts of depression. I write two score pages for every one I keep. I hear this question and want to laugh and cry because there’s no answer. What I always want to ask other writers (and what I’ll ask you) is how can you write about something so soon after it’s happened? What’s to be gained by writing about something—say, the death of a father and uncle, as you do in your new book, Brother, I’m Dying — when the moment is close?
Edwidge Danticat: There are several factors for me. The first is that I’m totally compulsive. If something is on my mind, writing-wise, I have do it and do it in the instant. I have to at least put down a first draft. Otherwise, I am so afraid I will lose it. Like you, I live with the eternal fear that I am not supposed to be doing what I’m doing. Who do I think I am to be writing books and shit, as you might say. So I write when the moment is close so it won’t slip away. Writing is also the way I process things and when I am done with a piece I feel a lot closer to understanding the subject.
Edwidge Danticat: Finally, in spite of Oscar’s brief life, the narrator’s life—writing-wise—ends on a happy note. Yunior says, “These days I write a lot. From can’t see in the morning to can’t see at night. Learned a lot from Oscar. I’m a new man, you see, a new man, a new man.” Is Junot Díaz a new man?
Junot Díaz: I wish. I’m happier, no doubt about it, and less devoured by my fears, but I still have no handle on my talent. I don’t know how to make it work. I don’t write with any regularity or joy. I fear that it might take me another eleven years to write another book. But I did finish a novel that was threatening to break me, and I finished it in a manner that I feel reflects my hard work, and this finishing has been one of the happiest accomplishments of my life. Through all those years I never did think I would ever finish Oscar Wao, so the fact that somewhere inside me I found the strength to do what I thought was impossible…it almost makes me believe that one day I will be like Yunior: a new man, a new man.
:: Read the full interview HERE ::
Filed under: Art Files, Friends'n'Fam | Tags: mos def, def jam, roger bonair agard, survival, for trent lott
“Imagine what we hold in our corners” Roger Bonair Agard reminds me what it means to survive.
Filed under: Art Files, Friends'n'Fam | Tags: francis and the lights, the fader, francis starlite, piano, creative process
The blogging (pronounced: BAHLAWGING) gangsters should issue me a late pass for my failure to keep up with the lightning speed of Internet updates. I’ve officially abandoned the daily update grind — you can keep up with Rap Radar and Nah Right for the new news. One of the many things I have slept on lately is Francis and The Lights. After a quick visit to their website, I discovered an interesting project that involved Francis posting videos of himself rehearsing the piano for two hours minimum per day for nearly two weeks in preparation for a solo piano showcase at Joe’s Pub on July 11th. Francis created a tumblr page archiving each recorded rehearsal for the purpose of transparency and “keeping him honest”. He (or someone he hired) compressed each video session into manageable 2 minute segments showing the passage of time (and intensity of focus). Francis reminded me how much I respect artists who occasionally reveal glimpses of their creative process (which is often purposefully obscured — what and why are we hiding?!). While I understand the function of fantasy and magic in creative output (and showmanship), there is something to be said for sharing one’s practice beyond the final product of a song, album or performance. In my experience, projects such as Francis’s deepen audience’s pre-existing relationship to the music making process. That is, one should never assume their listeners are not also musicians (or producers or composers etc.) I’m particularly sensitive to this assumption because oftentimes men position me statically as a “fan” (an unfortunate by-product of ego tripping…and patriarchy). I digress (although you can expect a more comprehensive entry on the gendered myth of mutual exclusivity soon)…Initially, I wanted to call attention to Francis’s work ethic. I aspire to the level of discipline Francis demonstrates in these videos. Somehow, I always manage to derail projects before they’re completed (self-sabotage? letting the “little hater” get the best of me?). Ever since graduating from Wesleyan, I’ve been hungry for structure. In truth, artists and writers need strict regimentation to evolve their craft (it’s not just athletes, y’all!) In fact, this entire blog is an exercise in writing regularly…a small gesture of transparency. Similarly, the homie Sam Han recently started posting drafts of his essays (another bold example of sharing ones works in progress). Blogs have tremendous potential to be interactive platforms that invite the exchange of ideas and skills. Why battle writer’s block and paralyzing procrastination alone? Let us freely expose the messy chaos of our internal processes! I have no idea how this entry turned into a defense of vulnerable and self-conscious creative production but no matter, enjoy these videos and drop me a comment or two:
Watch more practice videos HERE. Listen to Francis and the Lights HERE. Follow Francis HERE.
Filed under: Art Files, Friends'n'Fam | Tags: san francisco, mos def, jay electronica, erykah badu, buggin out, the ecstatic tour, rehes creative
Filed under: Art Files, Hip Hop | Tags: japan, okayplayer, the blueprint 3, phonte, nicolay music, shibuya, city lights volume 2, carlitta durand
DOWNLOAD: NICOLAY MUSIC “CITY LIGHTS VOL. 2: SHIBUYA” SAMPLER
What can I say? With Nicolay, I always expect something different, dynamic and beautiful and that’s exactly what I receive in return. Another example of how we are each other’s expectations. Today I have been swimming in an expansive ocean of new music — it’s refreshing to move from the shallow waters of BP3 to the risky territories of Raekwon and further beyond into the quiet chaos of Shibuya. It is this place where I choose to tread water — inhaling “Omotesando” and exhaling “Bullet Train”. As a “deeply personal homage to the Tokyo district of Shibuya that illustrates both the grandeur of Japan’s age-old heritage as well as the hectic city life of one of the world’s busiest metropolitan areas,” I have no doubt that one’s first-hand travel experience in Japan (particularly to Shibuya) would enrich and inform one’s listening experience. However, as a listener who can only dream of this place, I use the complex sounds and moods to conjure forth juxtaposing images — a blueprint for a city whose streets I have yet to wander. If the sampler is any indication of the quality of the 8 other tracks, we can and should expect big things. According to OkayPlayer, “[In Shibuya] the instrumental pieces are book-ended by several vocal songs written by Phonte and performed by Durham, North Carolina vocalist Carlitta Durand“. Shibuya drops September 15. Download now!
Filed under: Art Files, Hip Hop | Tags: album artwork, bloggers, blueprint 3, death of autotune, fwmj, janelle monae, jay-z, kanye, nas, rappers I know, rogery riley, teddy troutman, the fugees
With the blogosphere buzzing over the latest leak of the artwork and rumored tracklisting for Jay Z’s Blueprint 3, I’m caving under pressure to offer my two cents. Truth be told, I’ve never been much of a Jay-Z head and witnessing the way fools jock his every move isn’t propelling me into fandom. For some odd reason, very few hip hop bloggers are commenting on the contrived artwork (though making astute observations on the tracklisting). While I understand that the quality of music should stay in focus, I want to highlight the new direction of hip hop album artwork. First, I think we can all agree that album artwork is on the decline as Internet downloads have pushed record stores and thus CD sales further and further into obscurity. *To clarify, I am not arguing the quality of artwork is declining but rather the overall emphasis (and interest) is diminishing at the mainstream level. However, for artists with as much clout and hype as Jigga, CD sales and by extension album artwork remain relevant. Second, there is a tendency developing to big up artists who flirt with “conceptual” ideas that break away from the so-called canon of hip hop iconography (money, cars, clothes, hoes etc). I argue that this emergent trend of adopting abstract faux-avant garde artwork such as Kanye’s kitschy Warhol inspired “pop art” exposes a seriously underdeveloped (and undiscriminating) visual vocabulary. I have observed that people often praise artwork they feel they don’t “understand” for fear of missing some hidden “deep” meaning. Indeed, many mediocre contemporary artists rely heavily upon the depth popular audiences project onto their “conceptual” (read: campy/unimaginative) works of art. While diversifying images is necessary, we need to remain critical of what we’re looking at! One should be weary of artwork that is only reactive (read: when something is defined by what it isn’t – THIS is not that) or when something is applauded only for being “different”. We know what it isn’t but what is it? For instance, Kanye has a fetish with being “different” or “unique” in all his pursuits without recognizing the impossibility (or at least the paradoxical nature) of his ambition. How do we collectively define what is new? As I’ve illustrated before, Kanye is notorious in niche NYC based artist communities for explicitly jacking/selling ideas and re-branding them as his own. I wouldn’t make a fuss over this if he wasn’t building an empire on the backs of creative folks hustling everyday just to make a dollar. (I recognize that “Kanye” represents a brand that includes teams of image consultants, PR people and record execs). I’m also not arguing that any idea can be traced to one pure, singular source (i.e. these niche NYC based artist communities). However, matrices of money, power and fame complicate already messy politics of ownership and “intellectual property”. Let’s not act like this is a recent phenomenon (in light of ancient debates over Elvis eclipsing the Rock’N'Roll legends of color who paved the way for his success). I digress…in my opinion, simple and straightforward album covers like Nas’s “Illmatic” or The Fugees’ “The Score” are in fact more powerful, memorable and complimentary to the music itself and ultimately trump failed experiments in hip hop album artwork like Jay Z’s Blueprint 3. There is an arsenal of innovative artists who use album art to push their music (and overall image) in interesting directions. For example, artists like Madvillian pull from more theatrical elements while the likes of The Coup reserve their covers for clever political satire to animate their record’s narrative. Janelle Monae goes as far as creating an entire visual world to house the alternate universe she (Cindi Mayweather – her alter ego) inhabits. This is to say, album art has the potential to enrich hip hop and the popular imaginary so long as we stay critical and honest with what works and what falls short. At the end of the day, if you can’t name or identify specific ways in which Jay-Z is revolutionizing hip hop with his cover artwork, you should re-evaluate your opinion. Lastly, to all the notable hip hop bloggers out there, I challenge you to critique artists’ artwork and finally dispel the myth that you have to be an “expert” to offer an opinion. That said, what are your thoughts on the Blueprint 3 design? Please leave a comment! ***Update: An old friend (and impressive illustrator/musical encyclopedia, Billy Jacobs) elaborated on the subject of Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 by linking me to legendary designer Frank Olinsky’s blog where he points out that: “the cover of Jay-Z’s forthcoming album, The Blueprint 3, may have “borrowed heavily” from my concept and design for the Secret Machine’s 2004 album Now Here is Nowhere. See and read more here.” Upon further investigation, it appears as though Jay-Z’s design team appropriated elements from a (random) array of sources: Olinsky’s cover for Now Here is Nowhere, U2’s most recent album No Line On The Horizon and the “stark background with striking red element” motif of Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak (though I’m not as sold on this point and I don’t care much for U2). Coincidence?:
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for interesting and clever juxtapositions however haphazardly collaging other people’s work with no footnotes or citations to speak of is an entirely different story. In spite of my best efforts, I can’t seem to find any information from the person or people responsible for Jay-Z’s artwork to help clear the air. However, I did stumble upon Jay-Z’s take on the meaning of his cover that fails to mention any of the aforementioned influences. I must say, my skepticism is only growing.
Before I go, I will share two final Jay-Z mis-steps that bolster my arguments. When everyone was applauding his “Death of Autotune” single, a number of us were vigorously shaking our heads at the obvious hijacking of Roger Riley and Teddy Troutman’s earlier “Death of Autotune” release poking fun at the plug-in’s ubiquity. FWMJ over at Rappers I Know was the first blogger to call it out and re-post Riley and Troutman’s official statement. Revisit that exchange HERE. Last point: why is Jigga making an exception for Rihanna’s blatant use of autotune in “Run This Town” ??? Consider your point thoroughly undermined. Phew! Thank you to those of you who are actually reading this post. En Fin.
Filed under: Art Files, Friends'n'Fam | Tags: youth speaks, brave new voices, 2009, chicago
Footage from a late night cipher at Brave New Voices 2009! Support these young poets.
Learn how to sign with NYC based artist JK Keller’s clever matchbox guide. Via BOOOOOOOM.
Half The Battle, a collection of handmade wooden G.I. Joe figurines by artist Caleb Beyers.
Installation View ( Mo:Le ) Joe Team
Installation View ( Habit ) Cobra Team
Cobra Shadowbox ( 1 of 4 ) 36″ x 9″ | wood/LED/GI Joes
Fairway ( edition of 5 ) 50″ x 18″ | lightjet print
Gordreau Apts ( edition of 5 ) 50″ x 18″ | lightjet print
Via BOOOOOOOM (the superior design blog)
Filed under: Art Files | Tags: jonathan yuen, singapore, graphic designer
“To touch someone’s heart with design” –Stefan Sagmeister
My girl Christine put me on to the personal portfolio of multi-disciplinary graphic designer, Jonathan Yuen. Based in Singapore, Yuen is unparalleled in his mastery of graphic design and intuitive user interaction (in my humble opinion). Yuen uses his website to present four seperate but interrelated design narratives in a fluid and devastatingly beautiful manner. The images look like ink drawings that have been scanned and photoshopped (though they could’ve been entirely digitally created). Yuen takes a less explicitly commercial approach by subtely encouraging the user to explore the world he has created. As the user, you can frame a picture of a frog with your hands, watch hummingbirds and butterflies fly and koi fish swim, and listen to a meditative soundtrack of classical guitar and nature sounds. (Yes, I know, “very asian” — don’t hate!) The fact that Yuen launched his site back in 2006 proves how advanced and ahead of his time he is. Yuen poetically illustrates the tremendous potential graphic design has to create alternate worlds for users to explore and inhabit. No screen shot would do proper service to his work, please visit JonathanYuen.com to experience it for yourself. Look on:
