A bicycle rack on 9th + 39th designed by David Byrne.
Category: Culture
After hearing much criticism of the film’s excessive beauty, I finally saw Tom Ford’s A Single Man the other day and, quite frankly, loved every frame, every word, every sound. Many people, as well as paid critics, bash the rigorous “handsomeness” of the film. The film is, without a doubt, very beautiful to look at and is impeccably designed – a quality that can alienate or intimidate people who might not have Tom Ford’s knack for… well… making things look beautiful.
Without going into detail about my own experience, I would argue that a true appreciation of and identification with the film almost requires personal experience with the paralyzing loss on the scale experienced by the lead character, George, played so exquisitely by Colin Firth. So when I hear someone say, “Oh, it just looked like a melodramatic perfume ad,” I want to tell him to bury someone he’s very much in love with, see the film again, then get back to me.
But one of the things that struck me as I saw the film was the score. I have a keen ear for certain types of music. There are certain film scores that are among my absolute favorite music selections. At a certain point in the A Single Man, I heard startlingly beautiful yet very familiar notes in the film’s score. Almost immediately, I knew that the notes were from Bernard Herrmann’s score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
When I got home, I did a brief investigation. On the soundtrack for A Single Man is a track by Shigeru Umebayashi called “A Variation On Scotty Tails Madeline.” In the film Vertigo, Scotty is Jimmy Stewart’s character, and Madeline is Kim Novak’s character. Then, of course, I looked at the Vertigo soundtrack from 1958: there is a track called “Scotty Tails Madeline.” Beautiful. And the gorgeous notes, in both Vertigo and A Single Man, played underneath stories of broken men mourning the loss of a true love, are breathtaking. I bought them both…
Dieter Rams design
I recently pulled a Dylan and went electric. I’d been using disposable razors for years, relying on those inexpensive 10-pack single-blade disposables from Duane Reade. My skin has always been extremely sensitive, making daily shaving torturous, no matter what the razor or cream. And Gillette has gone so far with whatever Mach they’re on (5 blades?) with a design so pumped that it looks ridiculous. So I went on a hunt for the same type of electric that my father got me when I graduated from high school: the classic Braun electric shaver.
My original Braun (1989) was similar to the original Dieter Rams design for Braun. It was smart and simple design that fit comfortably in the hand during a shave. The design was in perfect keeping with Dieter Rams’ 10 principles for good design:
- Good design is innovative
- Good design makes a product useful
- Good design is aesthetic
- Good design makes a product understandable
- Good design is unobtrusive
- Good design is honest
- Good design is long-lasting
- Good design is thorough, down to the last detail
- Good design is environmentally friendly
The result was a pretty close shave without the burn, all with a tool that was easy to use and easy on the eyes.
2010 Series 1 design
Unfortunately, the sexy simplicity of Rams’ design was nowhere to be found. In keeping with the design of so many things in our current cultural climate, the Braun series of shavers has sadly gone the way of so much “now” design, like cars (SUVs), furniture, clothes, tits, lips, hair and even websites, i.e. pumped-up, over-thought and over-produced. The end result is like an aging heartthrob, desperately trying to look so very young, so very hot, so very right now.
While I’m perfectly happy with the shave that I get from my new $44 Braun Series 1 shaver, I look at it and see a design that is just trying way too hard.
Tom Ford
Back in December, Tom Ford appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Ford was an extremely interesting interview, touching upon the choices he made when writing, directing and designing his debut film The Single Man.
Even more interesting – prompted by Terry Gross’s questions – he details his theories behind his debut collection for the nearly bankrupt Gucci in 1994 and the ensuing provocative ad campaigns. Ford’s views on sex and sexuality in a given cultural climate in our country are right on. And when he talks about the grotesque “pumped up” monsters we’re creating today at the gym, at the plastic surgeon and at the auto manufacturers, he nails it on the head.
Enjoy this extremely interesting interview with an extremely interesting man…
Listen to the interview with Tom Ford on Fresh Air
The older Bond films have always been a kitschy bit of business, with the hilarious gadgets, the ridiculous Bond girl names (Honey Rider, Pussy Galore, Holly Goodhead), the even more ridiculous Bond girl acting, and the misogynistic ass-patting humor. From this kitschy vintage Bond oeuvre, I’ve always preferred the Connery Bond (except Never Say Never Again, the 1983 Thunderball remake misfire starring a young Kim Basinger).
The Roger Moore Bond has eluded my interest. Moore was certainly debonaire, suave and always winkin’ at us, but he wasn’t hot, like Connery. Also, Connery was someone you wanted to be. Moore was rather someone you just wanted to observe, sort of. But last night, I was in the mood to revisit what I’d been avoiding for so long.
I hadn’t seen a Moore Bond in some years. I think the last one I saw was A View To A Kill in 1985, Moore’s last in the series, starring Christopher Walken and Grace Jones. On Apple TV, most of the Bond canon is available to rent in standard definition or HD. I decided to rent Moonraker in HD, since I hadn’t seen it since it was in the theaters back in 1979. I can sum up the experience in one word: ridonkulous.
The wheels had come off the Bond franchise by this point. The world domination plot was dumb. The faux dominatrix girls were dumber. There was absolutely nothing to take seriously in this movie. The re-experience of Moonraker was an all-out, over-the-top, totally boob-o-licious comedy, with Bond babe scenery chewing that made the Austin Powers trilogy seem subdued. (Though I do have to give credit to Michael Lonsdale for a cool and nuanced performance as the villain, Hugo Drax.) Words completely fail me as I try to come up with a way to describe what this film asks us to take seriously. Several times throughout the film, I found myself giggling to myself ‘you’ve got to be effing kidding me.’
As a huge fan of the Bond idea, starting with Dr. No in 1962 and ending with Connery’s last in 1971, Diamonds Are Forever, I was blown away by Casino Royale in 2006. Though critics didn’t like its follow-up, Quantum of Solace, I thought it was rough, sexy, raw and even smarter than Casino Royale, giving Bond some very heavy weight to carry. Daniel Craig and the team behind him have taken it to a whole new level, giving Bond a tough visceral urgency akin to the Bourne series. For the first time as a decades-long Bond fan, I almost have sympathy for the character and what he goes through as a man. And Judi Dench? I always loved Bernard Lee as the original M. and his dismissive treatment of 007, but Dame Judi gives M. a whole new shade, getting better with each turn.
All that said… I’m sticking with Connery and Craig so far. The rest? Not so much.
I’m anxious to see what Bond #23 will bring us in 2011…
WNYC’s Sara Fishko covers the fascinating tale of New York’s first fashion week. In the audio is an over-the-phone chat with the amazing and hilarious Polly Mellen, who was the Creative Director of Allure when I worked for Garren in the 1990s. She was bar none my favorite industry client.
And here’s a link to the article on WNYC’s website, which includes a couple of photos and some YouTube video:
http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/150034
One of my favorite local Hell’s Kitchen jewels is Domus on West 44th between 9th and 10th Avenues. Owned and operated by two sensational women, this intimate shop features a beautiful eclectic mix of tidbits for the home. Whether you’re looking for something special for the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom or the living room, Domus has a carefully chosen collection of wares ranging from kitchen tools, rugs, lamps, linens, candles, cards, soaps and even clothes and toys for babies and toddlers.
Now, Domus has temporarily added baked goods to the collection. To benefit Stand With Haiti / Partners In Health, the ladies of Domus have personally baked amazing cookies, biscotti and peanut brittle. Their delicious efforts are available in the store for a suggested donation of $5 per item. The other day, I dropped $20 for a chocolate chocolate-chip cookie, an oatmeal raisin cookie, biscotti and peanut brittle. I was carrying a coffee at the time, and immediately indulged in the biscotti, then later huffed the life-changing peanut brittle. Deee-licious, and all to help the people of Haiti.
Get over to Domus at 413 West 44th Street (betw. 9th/10th) to help out and get an amazing treat.
Patti Smith (photo by Jean Baptiste Mondino)
Patti Smith was on The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC on Tuesday January 19th. She was there to talk about the book she’s written about the early days of her friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who died of AIDS in 1989.
The book is called Just Kids: From Brooklyn to the Chelsea Hotel, a Life of Art and Friendship, and covers Patti’s life with Mapplethorpe in the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. The 25 minute interview on Leonard Lopate’s show was fascinating and left me wanting more (which means it was good press for the book). This was a time in NYC that has always fascinated me. Patti was great to listen to.
The platform at 59th Street Uptown 1 train was filled with the most beautiful music from an extraordinary cellist tonight. The piece I heard him play was classical (I didn’t recognize it), and the cellist got applause from everyone on the platform, which I’ve never seen in my fifteen years in the city.
If I didn’t have to get to get to Barnes & Noble before midnight, I would have stayed on the platform a little longer. It was a beautiful New York moment.
Photo taken by iPhone and posted with WordPress iPhone app.
Photo and post by the WordPress iPhone app
Having just spent a fantastic evening with Aunt Julie and cousins Alexandra and Mike Hahn, I dropped Julie and Mike off at their Gramercy Park hotel and strolled westward on 17th Street. Between Park & Broadway, my eye was caught by bright red Eames originals: fiberglass (not plastic like the current Herman Miller issue) shell armchairs. A row of them, like a 1960s airport or bus terminal, in the lobby of the Gramercy Park Animal Hospital. The walls of the reception area inside the glass door are lined with them. Ten in all: 7 in red and 3 in mustard yellow. Pretty retro-chic for a pet hospital.