Sakamoto Playing The Piano

Poster Art by Henrik Kubel

Dell Latitude Z with wireless charging!

Dell Latitude Z from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

[via Morten Lund]

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Copenhagen 2006

[via Martin Bender on BONGORAMA.DK]

Copenhagen 1953

[via Niels Fez Pedersen on BONGORAMA.DK]

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Interview with Charlotte Rampling

Der Tagesspiegel has an interview (in German) with the legendary and wonderful actress Charlotte Rampling about life in Saint Germain, Paris, making a television crime drama and being a different kind of star. Not only is she a talented artist, she also has a brilliant mind.

Here is an archived blog post featuring Ms. Rampling.

UPDATE! Just found this article about controversy surrounding an upcoming biography.

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Will Ferrell Answers Internet Questions

Will Ferrell Answers Internet Questions from Will Ferrell

Immortality is only 20 years away

Hold on! Just 20 more years!

The Telegraph has this story about this blog's very dear friend, Mr. Ray Kurzweil (yes, we loved the keyboard, too):

The 61-year-old American, who has predicted new technologies arriving before, says our understanding of genes and computer technology is accelerating at an incredible rate.

He says theoretically, at the rate our understanding is increasing, nanotechnologies capable of replacing many of our vital organs could be available in 20 years time (full article).

Mr Kurzweil adds that although his claims may seem far-fetched, artificial pancreases and neural implants are already available.

Mr Kurzweil calls his theory the Law of Accelerating Returns. Writing in The Sun, Mr Kurzweil said: "I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogramme our bodies' stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, ageing. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever.

Which organ are you going to change first? Please leave a comment.

UPDATE! More nanotechnology here!

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Foetus "Limb" (2009)

LIMB is an archival release of experimental and minimalist compositions recorded from 1980-1983, from the early days of Foetus and pre-Foetus. Though the material is largely unreleased, some of the pieces have been previously released on the compilation albums by Coil and United Dairies. Some were excavated and some of it was reconstructed or re-edited from compositions on cassette. One piece is constructed from an organ part written in 1982, which JG took the liberty of finishing in 2008. These pieces were made before the introduction of MIDI and sampling technology. It shows the lineage and genesis of some of the methods that JG is working in today.

LIMB is released as a deluxe double disc package. The music disc contains 12 tracks at 50+ minutes with an additional 20 minute bonus mp3 track.
The second disc is a DVD on which director Clement Tuffreau kindly allowed us to include his 2005 documentary about JG Thirlwell, NYC FOETUS with this package. The film features interviews with JG Thirlwell, Matt Johnson, Alex Hacke (Einsturzende Neubauten), Michael Gira, Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch, Martin Bisi and Elysian Fields along with a lot of never before seen footage of Foetus, Steroid Maximus, Manorexia and more. There is also 45 minutes of bonus extras, comprised of Steroid Maximus 18 piece ensemble live in France, Foetus live in Hannover, Manorexia live at The Stone NYC and a snippet of JG's LEMUR commission at 3 Legged Dog in NYC. The film is subtitled in French.

This deluxe package also contains a 48 page perfect bound book with minimal designs by JGT (all in his signature red, white, gray and black palette).
This is all held in an attractive sturdy plastic slipcase printed with another of JG's designs.

Dionisis Kavallieratos "My Wife With The Deck Boy" (2007)

Where does Mikhail Gorbachev live today?

Quick research on the Internet (Yahoo! Answers, WikiAnswer) does not give a clear answer and his home address is probably top secret. But it is not even clear if he lives in his home country of Russia or on a rabbit farm in Idaho, USA!

His foundation is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices in Moscow, Russia and Boston, Mass., USA.

Where do you think he lives today?

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Elvis burger with chopped salad and pickled gherkin

Fantastic weather in Denmark today = BBQ time!

Here is a cool recipe by Jamie Oliver:

Grind up the red chilli in a pestle and mortar, and mix it in a bowl with the onion, tarragon, egg, breadcrumbs, mustard, Parmesan, nutmeg and beef. Shape into four patties and refrigerate for half an hour or so to give them a chance to firm up slightly.

When you're ready to cook the burgers, get a frying or griddle pan nice and hot. Brush the pan with a little oil, season the burgers generously with salt and pepper, and cook them for 10 minutes, turning them carefully every minute or so, until they're nice and pink and juicy, or longer if you like them well done. Make sure they don't break up as you turn them.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the lettuce, tomato and cucumber, mix together and set aside. Once the burgers are cooked, split the rolls into two and toast them quickly on the griddle or in a toaster. Sandwich the cooked 'Elvis' burger between the toasted rolls and serve them on individual plates with the gherkins and some of the chopped salad (add a little extra virgin olive oil or dressing if you like) on the side.

Ingredients and additional information on his web site here.

UPDATE! You may want to try a "tweaked version" where you change 200g of the minced beef with smoked bacon. This version we call the "Elvis In Stockholm" burger.

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Werner Herzog has two new movies out

With his two movies at Toronto—both police procedurals set in the United States—Werner Herzog proves to be as prolific as he is inconsistent.

Take an existing movie about a corrupt cop, in this case, Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant, starring Harvey Keitel. Peel off the title and discard the rest. Add one Nicolas Cage and give him full license to do his “thing.” Bring to a boil. That’s pretty much Werner Herzog’s recipe for The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. [See the trailer for the original film here, ed.]





(...)

His other film showing at the festival is My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, starring Michael Shannon, Chloe Sevigny, and Willem Dafoe—as well as a bunch of the character actors from Bad Lieutenant—and produced by David Lynch.





(...)

UPDATE! Here are the official links on Criterion Collections' cool social network, The Auteurs:
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done

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Gry Records

I used to work in and later bought the record store, Gry Records (eventually changing the name three times to: Gangster Music, Ronnie Rocket Music & Beyond and Club Roskilde, respectively!).

Here are Christian Shannon and friends in front of the store in Sankt Peders Stræde 35.



Here are Gitte 'Bondo' Jørgensen, the shop assistant in the store in Lars Bjørnstræde 8.



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One in seven Germans want Berlin Wall back

BERLIN (Reuters) - One in seven Germans want the Berlin Wall back because they were better off when the country was divided, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday ahead of the 20th anniversary of its collapse on November 9, 1989.

The survey of 1,002 Germans by the Forsa institute published in Stern magazine said 15 percent of the country's 82 million long for the days when there were two Germanys. Some 16 percent pining for the Wall were westerners and 10 percent easterners.

The survey found that many westerners are bitter about higher taxes to pay for rebuilding the formerly communist east, where some 1.2 trillion euros ($1,762 billion) worth of state funds has been transferred in the last 20 years.

Eastern Germans are unhappy about income levels that are on average only 80 percent of western levels and that due to higher unemployment depopulation is decimating parts of the east, where the population has declined by about two million since 1990.

The poll found 55 percent of Germans believe unification could be helped if a "solidarity tax" to help fund the costs of rebuilding were abolished while 50 percent believe higher pensions for easterners would help ease east-west tensions.

Photo credit: Berlin101.com.

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David Lynch @ Griffin Gallery, Santa Monica

DAVID LYNCH: New Paintings

September 12th - December 12th, 2009

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12th at 8 PM

GRIFFIN is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new monumental paintings by David Lynch. This will be his first exhibition with the gallery and his first solo exhibition of paintings in Los Angeles in over a decade.

David Lynch: New Paintings is presented in collaboration with James Corcoran Gallery, whose relationship of more than twenty years with the artist has led to numerous exhibitions, including three solo shows at the James Corcoran Gallery, Santa Monica in 1987, 1989, and 1993, as well as museum shows at the Touko Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan in 1991 and the Sala Parpallo, Valencia, Spain in 1992. Lynch was also the subject of a 1989 solo exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery, New York, and more recently, a 2007 retrospective at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, which showed 40 years of his paintings, drawings, and photographs. [See my blog here, here, here and here.].

Lynch was born in Missoula, Montana. He is that rare phenomenon of an artist who transcends mediums to produce a distinctive and consistent vision of the world. Today he is known as a moviemaker who in the past three decades has produced critically acclaimed films such as Eraserhead, Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire and the television series Twin Peaks.

At the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Lynch studied painting and live animation. He then entered the Masters Program at the American Film Institute in 1971 that allowed him to develop and complete his first feature film, Eraserhead, in 1976.

While many film directors have made forays into the other visual arts usually as filmmaking aids, Lynch’s paintings, cartoons and photography are integral to his vision and comprise a body of work in their own right. Yet ultimately Lynch is unique in creating works that touch a nerve in the narrative of the American psyche no matter the medium.

Gallery Web Site / Article in The L.A. Times

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Just found these photos of Suicide @ Webster Hall last year

Wolfram Alpha

Audi Type C Streamliner (1937)

This car is from 1937. Racing driver Bernd Rosemeyer drove this car to 253 M.P.H. at AVUS Speedway in Germany. The secret was a 5-speed auto transmission with a 757 h.p. V16 engine. This car is mid-engined (engine behind the front wheels & cockpit, but in front of the rear wheels. What you may mistaken for a hovercraft is really fender skirts (plates that go over the wheels for more aerodynamics).

Budweiser Light Web-Only Commercial

Take the Monorail to Mecca

Wired.com just published this article:

The Saudi government is building a $1.8 billion monorail to ferry pilgrims among the holy sites of Mecca, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. Once complete, the Saudis estimate 53,000 buses will disappear from the city’s crowded roads, promising a safer, more comfortable pilgrimage.

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ANDREW W.K. "55 CADILLAC"

RELEASE DATE: September 8th, 2009.

Andrew's first ever new-age instrumental solo piano concept album. "55 CADILLAC" showcases Andrew's spontaneous piano improvisations, as well as the visualized manifestations of his car.

"55 CADILLAC" will be released on September 7th, 2009 in the UK, and on September 8th, in the USA and the rest of the world. Special edition gatefold vinyl by Ecstatic Peace!, and special edition CD by Skyscraper Music Maker.

The "55 CADILLAC" recording process began in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, January 23rd, 2009. Andrew played his very own Steinway Concert D piano, set up for optimum tape recording by F.F.V., using a mobile triple cassette sound system.

Photographer, Andrew Strasser, has completed a comprehensive photo shoot of AWK's prized 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine, which features heavily into the album's artwork. Mario Dane mixed the album at Skyscraper Music Maker in Manhattan, NYC.

Comme des Garcons Homme Fall/Winter 2009 Shirts

I rarely post fashion links, but Comme des Garcons* shirts have been my favourites since I discovered them very early as a young man in Paris in the eighties. I remember wearing these shirts until they literally fell apart. This morning, I 're-discovered' these new cool shirts from the Japanese fashion powerhouse.

*They - in true Japanese 'hidden & secret is good'-style - don't have an official web site, but can't hide from Wikipedia. (Their hidden & semi-secret guerilla stores used to have one!)

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Interview with Mads Mikkelsen (In Danish)

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[via winnerslab]

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Zlatko Buric in Hollywood Action Movie

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

[via Peter Stenbæk]

Leroy

German writer and director Armin Völckers' debut film "Leroy" is a romantic comedy about a mixed-race boy with an Afro hairstyle falling in love with a blonde-haired girl whose brothers are neo-Nazis.

Homage to De Stijl

De Stijl was a Dutch group of painters, architects and designers whose ideas have not just had an impact on the fine arts and architecture, but on furniture and industrial design as well. De Stijl artists pursued an aesthetic of geometric forms and colour simplicity. Their distinctive design principal was order and clarity. Their objective was to move past outmoded art styles and create a new, pure art with formal aesthetic pretensions.

In homage to the group around the painter Piet Mondrian ELAC is releasing a limited edition of their successful model FS 247 in the “De Stijl dress”

The motive is depicted in mirror images for the left and right loudspeaker.

Sean Lennon and Kemp Muhl Channel John and Yoko by Terry Richardson

The Fall issue of Purple Fashion Magazine may raise a few eyebrows after Terry Richardson, with the aid of Sean Lennon and his model/actress/musician girlfriend Kemp Muhl reappropriate Annie Leibovitz's iconic Rolling Stone cover featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Ricky Gervais meets Larry David

Mellowdrone "Angry Bear" (2009)

Mellowdrone's first record in three years is what frontman Jonathan Bates calls a "perfect snapshot of imperfection." Angry Bear, free from the constraints of a major label, is the sound of band entering it's prime. This album was recorded late in 2008 in a predominantly live setting and at various friends houses.

IKEA Catalog Typography Change on the Frontpage of The New York Times

Seven TV commercials by Roy Andersson

I hate TV commercials. They are killing TV. But put them into the hands of Swedish director Roy Andersson and they are little pieces of art. His works are currently on show at MoMA.

Jeffrey Silverthorne "Rhonda Jewels and Chili Con Carne" (1971)

I sold this amazing photograph by Jeffrey Silverthorne in our new web agency-cum-table-tennis-club-cum-rock-bar-cum-art-gallery space yesterday. We currently have seven works left for sale. They are €2800 each (framed), but we have a special offer of €2400 (+ a free book!) until September 30, 2009. Feel free to drop by during opening hours (9-17, weekdays).

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12 cool music blogs in my feed reader

Crosby Street Hotel

My favourite London hotel group will open their first New York hotel this month. I hope to review the Crosby Street Hotel on this blog later this year.

Situated on a quiet cobbled street in the heart of New York’s vibrant SoHo neighbourhood there are 86 bedrooms and suites over 11 floors. Each is spacious with high ceilings and full length warehouse style windows. Interior design by Kit Kemp reflects a fresh, contemporary style. There is a ground floor bar and restaurant, leafy garden, sumptuous drawing room, several private event and meeting rooms, a 99 seat screening room and gym.

Related blog post here.

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