Juergen Teller: Fashion's provocative photographer reveals all

He got Charlotte Rampling to cuddle up, Victoria Beckham to climb into a carrier bag and Kate Moss to play guitar. How does he do it? Susannah Frankel meets Juergen Teller, the snapper the stars trust.

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It is the stuff of fashion folklore that the photographer developed a taste for hot pants while shooting the spring/summer 2004 Marc Jacobs campaign with the actress Charlotte Rampling. "I was thinking, Charlotte Rampling, she has to have a grand environment," Teller says. "And I knew she wouldn't be interested in just doing merchandising for a fashion house. I had to come up with something that went beyond that, something that would interest her, otherwise she would turn it down."

To complicate matters – and fortuitously, as it turns out – Teller, a busy man by anyone's standards, had been briefed to shoot both a womenswear and menswear campaign for the designer in question. Why not combine the two? And why not – or "fuck, why not?" as he puts it – cast himself in the male role?

"I was very selfishly thinking: I'm going to be the man. I want to be with Charlotte Rampling." What guy wouldn't, after all?

"Then, I got to Paris," – having agreed on a suitably grand location, a suite at the Hotel Crillon – "and to my complete horror I couldn't fit into any of the clothes. I was too fat."

His eyes widen. "I was really stressed out about it," he says. "I thought, oh God, what am I going to do now? My desire to be with Charlotte, that drive, had overtaken me to the point where I had overlooked that problem completely and it just wasn't going to work." Salvation came in the form of a pair of silver satin pants – "they are quite like these ones", he says, pointing at his shorts, "they were the only thing I could get into". Rumour has it, he wore them religiously from that day forward.

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Young Japanese Raise Their Voices Over Economy

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES:

A group of young people recently gathered in a darkened park here. Holding placards and megaphones, they chanted slogans condemning the Japanese government and a lack of jobs and opportunity. The scene, which is repeated often in the gritty Tokyo neighborhood of Koenji, is nothing close to the protests that have recently shaken Iran. Indeed, the protests would hardly raise an eyebrow in most parts of the world, but in this country, which values conformity, they represent a stark departure from the norm. Since the 1960s, when youth protests turned violent, even the mildest form of protests by young people has been viewed as taboo.

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After so many decades without a grass-roots movement, protests are so rare here that many who wish to take part require basic training.

The Tokyo-based Pacific Asia Research Center, an institute that typically runs seminars on social issues like poverty, organized the recent march. After a surge of interest from young people who said they wanted to get more involved in social issues but did not know how, the center started offering what it says is Japan’s first activist training program. The sessions include poster-making and campaigning on the Web.

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Hajime Matsumoto, an activist who operates from a thrift shop in Koenji, has amassed a large following at his protests and rallies. Some like-minded Japanese have opened their own stores alongside Mr. Matsumoto’s, huddling after hours to help hatch protest plans, turning Koenji into a center of activism.

“The poor man’s revolt has finally begun!” Mr. Matsumoto shouted at a recent demonstration, banging on a full set of drums perched atop a piece of plywood on wheels. His message: even poor people deserve a good life. “If we all get together, we can bring about change!”

Lou Reed from "Thinking XXX"

Black Sabbath 2009

Filipino prisoners honor Jackson with 'Thriller' show

The Sad News Of Michael Jackson's Death Breaking On Facebook

Ornette On Tenor

The Gossip on “Lesbian Processing” With Rick Rubin: The Story Behind “Music for Men”

Beth Ditto says on the first day in the studio she nervously asked Rick Rubin to lay down the process and he told her, “We don’t know what it is yet, but we’ll know when it’s done.” Ditto says, “It was a perfect answer.” [New video "Heavy Cross" here, listen to the new album on Spotify here].

Depeche Mode in Rome

autoKratz "Animal"

autoKratz highly anticipated debut album will be out on June 22nd In Europe (Kitsuné / Cooperative) and June 3rd in Japan (Kitsuné / Traffic).

North Korean Heir Apparent Remains Mystery to West

There is only one photograph available outside North Korea thought to be that of the man South Korean officials believe will inherit the world’s most unpredictable regime, one that is armed with nuclear weapons. In that picture, the man, Kim Jong-un, a son of the ailing North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, is an 11-year-old.

The city of your dreams

By Tyler Brûlé

“Could you live here?” and “would you live here?” are two of the most common questions colleagues ask each other at the end of a business trip. Responses rarely take the form of a shrugged “I don’t know” or a half-hearted “I guess so”. Rather, they typically come in vehement declarations suggesting that considerable thought has gone into the topic already. Here are a few I’ve heard over the years.

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Copenhagen dropped to second place, reflecting a less impressive airport experience and a loss of flavour in its city centre, although it remains clean, green, cultural and virtually crime-free, while Tokyo held its number-three position, with big improvements to its main rail station and Haneda airport in the works on top of its already impeccable service-based economy. Oslo entered the top 20; Auckland returned after a one-year absence; and both Fukuoka and Berlin advanced several spots.

Netanyahu calls for Palestinian talks

I am an atheist, a futurist, an internationalist and a pacifist. I have been waiting for this news all my life. I hope Fatah and Hamas will embrace this opportunity. UPDATE: The good news keep pouring in tonight :-)

Peugeot 908 HDi FAP

Zenvo ST1

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Zenvo ST1 is a real supercar.

It's raw power is supplied from a 7 litre V8 engine with both a supercharger and a turbo. The Zenvo ST1 develops 1.104 BHP of power which is controlled at the flick of a switch. Producing a massive 1.430 NM of torque.

The car is 100% Danish design.

Denmark has always been known around the world for its cutting edge designers and for the first time "Danish Design " has been applied to a Supercar! The Zenvo ST1.

HIDEYOSHI HASHIBA

Banksy Vs. Bristol Museum

Best seats in the house

I'm with the band. (Cool aftershow party. There is actually a discoteque inside the stadium). Good to see the boys again. Daniel Miller was there, too:

Yes. That's my seat. Right there in the middle. 1936: Der Führer. 2009: Bongorama Chairman:

Ehrenloge @ Olympiastadion, Berlin:

http://twitter.com/ronnierocket/status/2114529112

Depeche Mode - "Peace" (music video)

Depeche Mode - "Peace"

First look inside of the barely-open, much-hyped Ace Hotel NYC

Yes, the flightcase is the minibar of this brand new budget boutique hotel. Read the photo heavy blog review here and an early video of the not-yet-open, mysterious and dark lobby here.

David Lynch Launches Interview Project

David Lynch has launched a documentary series called "Interview Project" in which regular Joes from all over America get, well, interviewed.

Lynch says of the series: "Interview Project is a road trip where people have been found and interviewed. There was no plan for the Interview Project. It’s a twenty-thousand mile road trip over seventy days across the USA. The team found the people going into bars, going into different locations and there they were. The people told their story. It’s so fascinating to look and listen to people. What I hope people will get out of the project is a chance to meet these people. It’s something human and you can’t stay away from it."

Moon Hoax By Stanley Kubrick (Part 3)

Moon Hoax By Stanley Kubrick (Part 2)

Moon Hoax By Stanley Kubrick (Part 1)