TMACTION

Hunter S Thompson at the Aspen Golf Club in 1984.Photo: Jodi...

Sat, 17 Feb 2018 12:53:32 +1100

Hunter S Thompson at the Aspen Golf Club in 1984.
Photo: Jodi Cobb

The Paris Review Podcast is a new favourite:
Episode 11:

Shotguns, peacocks, golf, acid. Editor Terry McDonell recounts his 1984 visit, along with George Plimpton, to Hunter S. Thompson’s home in Colorado, including never-before-heard archival tape; a poem by Pablo Neruda, translated by Alastair Reid and read by Antonio Gueudinot; and actor Paul Heesang Miller reads “William Wei,” a short story by Amie Barrodale.

Angel Valodia Matos, of Cuba, kicks referee Chakir Chelbat after...

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 11:22:20 +1100

Angel Valodia Matos, of Cuba, kicks referee Chakir Chelbat after being disqualified from his +80kg quarterfinal against Arman Chilmanov of Kazakhstan. 2008. Photo: Issei Kato.

“He got injured in the bout. To me it was obvious he was unable to continue. His toe on his left foot was broken,” said Arman Chilmanov, who went on to win the bronze medal.

Ah Man, Chill Man.

Tokyo Idols 2017A new documentary by Kyoko Miyake, now...

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 11:21:05 +1100

Tokyo Idols 2017
A new documentary by Kyoko Miyake, now on Netflix. Her follow up to My Atomic Aunt.

Kyoko Miyake:

Recently, I was deeply disappointed to see the male “locker room mentality” gain a renewed validation. And yet it ignited something in me. I want “Tokyo Idols” to serve as a mirror — an uncomfortable mirror to look at. And if it becomes part of the ongoing discussion and fight, that would make me incredibly happy.

John BrysonErnest Hemingway kicking a can of beer 1959The...

Sun, 11 Feb 2018 00:55:39 +1100

John Bryson
Ernest Hemingway kicking a can of beer 1959

The original captions from LIFE magazine reads:

At 60 and still full of the Old Nick, Papa Hemingway booted a beer can high in the air along a Idaho road. This was, he said, “the best picture I ever had taken.”

I was just listening to the Paul Thomas Anderson interview on the Adam Buxton podcast and they discuss a letter that 21 year old Gregory sent to his father Ernest in 1952.

“When it’s all added up, papa, it will be: he wrote a few good stories, had a novel and fresh approach to reality and he destroyed five persons — Hadley, Pauline, Marty [Martha Gelhorn, Hemingway’s third wife], Patrick and possibly myself. Which do you think is the most important, your self-centered shit, the stories or the people?”

Cold blooded.

Tom SachsChabako (Tea Utensils) 2015Sachs:I want labor to be the...

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 11:25:42 +1100

Tom Sachs
Chabako (Tea Utensils) 2015

Sachs:

I want labor to be the point, because everything in our lives is miraculously made with no idea of how it’s done. As an active and critical consumer, and as someone who has attempted to make the flawless and failed, I wanted a transparency of construction here. If we know how it is made and how it falls apart, we will know how to rebuild it.

Here’s a clip of him showing how his new exhibition works.

Tom Sachs’ art is so much fun.
I love this video, and there’s many more.

The reference to The Shining is ingenious.

How is the assistant director dodging Jack’s axe right here? he he.

Timothy McNealyEasy, Easy, Easy from Funky MovementHere...

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 11:08:34 +1100

Timothy McNealy
Easy, Easy, Easy from Funky Movement

Here the Spotify link.

This is the song to go with today’s surrealist The Bus strip by Paul Kirchner.

Have a look through here for some more.

Long distance runner Cliff Young jogging near Beech Forest,...

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 18:34:16 +1100

Long distance runner Cliff Young jogging near Beech Forest, Victoria.
Photo: Newspix

Today I learned of Cliff Young. A potato farmer from Beech Forest Victoria, who at 61 ran from Sydney to Melbourne in five days, 15 hours and four minutes. His trick was to not sleep like the other runners.

Wikipedia:

Before running the race, he told the press that he had previously run for two to three days straight rounding up sheep in gumboots. He claimed afterwards that during the race, he imagined that he was running after sheep and trying to outrun a storm.

There are some more photos over here.
Here’s Cliff having a sleep after the race.
I don’t think i’d bother having a shower either.

Machines 2017Rahul Jain:As soon as you enter this environment,...

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 00:49:03 +1100

Machines 2017

Rahul Jain:

As soon as you enter this environment, there are many conflicting feelings, but the first primary one is of extreme wretchedness. The factory smelled like an absolute vat of ammonia, the chemical. I’m serious. It was my sincere desire, in many ways, to bring ammonia to the screen, so that people can really feel the stench while they’re watching this. Of course, that’s not possible. But there’s just this extreme sensory overwhelming nature of the way things are done there.

File this away for viewing next time you’re complaining about your day at work.

Christo One Million Stacked Oil Drums (Project for...

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 00:17:53 +1100

Christo
One Million Stacked Oil Drums
(Project for Houston-Galveston Area Texas)
Collage 1970

In other husband and wife team news, Christo, now working on his lonesome, is going ahead with a titchy floating version of their Mastaba in Hyde Park London. Is it worth building a Mastaba if it’s not going to be 150m high and make the Pyramid of Giza look like a three bedroom West Heidelberg townhouse with no aircon?

Probably. Nice colours.

In case you missed it, the Floating Piers videos from 2016 are amazing.

Laissez Bronzer les Cadavres! (Let the Corpses Tan)Written and...

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 00:17:29 +1100

Laissez Bronzer les Cadavres! (Let the Corpses Tan)
Written and directed by husband and wife team Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani. Their follow up to The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears.

If you’re going to reference Tarantino so hard, is putting a song from one of his films in right the trailer step too far?

Probably not. Anyway, it looks fantastic. I love the careful composition.
I read that they didn’t record any sound as they were filming which seems nuts to me but I guess it is true to the tradition of Spaghetti Westerns and Giallo films.

Don’t expect this at a cinema near you.

The album of Summer 2017.The Mighty Sparrow AKA Slinger...

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 15:38:54 +1100

The album of Summer 2017.
The Mighty Sparrow AKA Slinger Francisco.
The Mighty Sparrow Sings True Life Stories of Passion, People & Politics.
Mace Records, 1964.

That’s a name.

The other hit is A Death Of Kennedy

When dis Texas gunman shot him in de head and he dead
I said de Texas gunman shot him in de head and he dead.

Simply an excellent chorus.

I could have sworn I found this album in one of these fantastic Vinyl Factory lists, but now I can’t find the post. Ho Hum. Another great way to find new tunes if you’re in a drought is to find the rarest/priciest soul albums on discogs. (PS according to this study, the more expensive something is, your brain will appear to enjoy it more. To think I’m giving you that information for free, I guess means you will not enjoy it one damn bit.)

Jules BretonThe Song of the LarkOil on canvas, 1884Art Institute...

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 12:22:42 +1100

Jules Breton
The Song of the Lark
Oil on canvas, 1884
Art Institute of Chicago

A reminder that you too are a person and you get a chance every day the sun comes up.

The title of the video is a bit much though huh.
Bill seems to be enjoying promoting The Monuments Men very much.

Ben SextonThe World Is YoursSilver gelatin printEdition of 318 x...

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 10:57:49 +1100

Ben Sexton
The World Is Yours

Silver gelatin print
Edition of 3
18 x 22cm

Come to Benno’s show Keen, opening this Wednesday 31 January at c3 which is a part of the Abbotsford Convent. That’s tomorrow people.

There’s a Q&A with him over at Chapterhouselane.com about his show
I will give everything I have.

Christopher Day Untitled 2016Come to Chris’ new show New Reading...

Thu, 04 Feb 2016 16:32:23 +1100

Christopher Day
Untitled 2016

Come to Chris’ new show New Reading Order opening tonight at CCP.

New Reading Order brings together imagery from the artist’s own photographic archive, combining myriad unexpected historical and contemporary ideas that do not function as a narrative or series. Rather than seeking to communicate one reading, the artist asks viewers to interpret each image according to their own reading of it without the need to find clear rationale or logical reasoning.
New Reading Order defies easy categorisation, presenting the viewer with images that sardonically resist glib understanding or summary appreciation. Photo-collages sit alongside photographs. Visual puns may be found. New Reading Order fosters a certain ambiguity through elements of surrealism and humour to form an allegorical vision with a sophisticated, nonsensical edge.

Go Chris! I mean Christopher.

In unrelated but equally brilliant news, today I have learned the best trick if you need drinks chilled in a hurry. Just wrap your tinnies in wet paper towel and pop them in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Some cool things to note about this new movie, it’s the first...

Thu, 27 Aug 2015 23:02:25 +1000

Some cool things to note about this new movie, it’s the first western Ennio Morricone has scored in 40 years and they filmed it with the same lenses they used to shoot Ben Hur.

Q: Who do you see as your competition right now? Are you competitive with someone like Paul Thomas Anderson?
A: No. It’s a friendly thing. This might come across as egotistical, but I don’t really feel in competition with anybody anymore. I’m in competition with myself. David O. Russell can have the biggest hit of the year, and that doesn’t take anything away from me. I couldn’t have been happier that Rick Linklater was at the Oscars this year.
The last time that I felt competitive was when I was doing Kill Bill and my competition was The Matrix Reloaded. That was the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. I saw Matrix Reloaded at the Chinese Theatre the day it opened, and I walked out of the cinema singing that Jay Z song: “S-dot-Carter / Y’all must try harder / Competition is nada.” I was like, Bring it the fuck on. I was worried about that? Ho-ly shit.

For other filmmaker battles see Godard vs Truffaut:

For more mean Godard see, ‘A bunch of clips of Godard being ornery’
I didn’t know being ornery was a thing, it’s pretty much the goal for winter now, all this mindfulness and tolerance is a bunch of baloney.

Fred’s furniture show opens Today!Thursday night 6-8pm, 68...

Thu, 13 Aug 2015 01:24:08 +1000

Fred’s furniture show opens Today!
Thursday night 6-8pm, 68 Gwynne St Cremorne

I’ve seen a sneak preview and it’s looking amazing.

Anyone down for making a kickstarter for a Fred Ganim billboard in this exact style? just with Fred doing that face…

Well this doesn’t look at all stressful.I looked it up and it...

Sun, 19 Jul 2015 11:31:12 +1000

Well this doesn’t look at all stressful.

I looked it up and it said: ‘A revenant is a visible ghost or animated corpse that was believed to return from the grave to terrorize the living.’

It’s partially based on the life of frontiersman Hugh Glass who loved fighting bears. Man in the Wilderness was another.

I’d agree with the Casual Optimist on this video:The set up of...

Fri, 17 Jul 2015 05:18:00 +1000

I’d agree with the Casual Optimist on this video:

The set up of this interview with artist Geoff McFetridge is a little too cool for school, but the artist himself is disarmingly nerdy.

He simply uses the best colours ever.

Episode one was on Jason Lee.
Did you know he is a scientologist?
Also wikipedia says he’s playing Stanley Kubrick next year, but I can’t find out any more info… Weird.

CourtDirected by Chaitanya Tamhane, India, 2014I think this...

Wed, 15 Jul 2015 22:26:39 +1000

Court
Directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, India, 2014

I think this looks great, how does he get his hair white at the roots and brown at the ends? I want in.

Poster:
Artist: Nishikant Palande; Designer: Pigeon & Co

Nice to see a Euro series cross over that’s not a gritty Danish...

Wed, 15 Jul 2015 22:13:18 +1000

Nice to see a Euro series cross over that’s not a gritty Danish police procedural full of deeply flawed characters trudging through the snow, inevitably revealing their massive boring hearts of gold.

Deutschland 83 was created by Anna Winger for German audiences, but is also being shown on Sundance TV.

The other two shows i liked recently were Catastrophe and Doll & Em. They’re similar in that they’re were created and written by the actors themselves.