The story would be nearly apocryphal had it not been documented with such fervor – Lester Bangs, loaded up on barbiturates, walks into a hotel room for an interview with his idol Lou Reed, the pasty, belligerent lead of The Velvet Underground, who was at the time releasing a body of solo work bordering on misanthropic. →

An Ecstatic Post-Grammy Event Starring Mos Def
The Key Club – Hollywood, CA
1/31/10

Grassroots Production, The Service Company and Freestyle Session proudly presents Mos Def’s Official Grammy afterparty.  If there’s one event to quell the musical appetite worked up after the Grammy’s, this is the place to be.  For there is no denying that the ever-talented and hottest emcee in the game is Mos Def.  He will be throwing a bumping session with special guests on the mic.  Music will also be provided by ED SKI on the turntables. →

Boogaloo Assassins & Chico Mann | JOE CUBA RELEASE PARTY
The Mint – West LA, CA
2/12/10

FANIA RECORDS in conjunction with WAX POETIC MAGAZINE proudly presents Fania’s Latest Joe Cuba Release entitled “El Alcade Del Barrio”. The stage is set for a remarkable show w/ West Coast Spanish Harlem’s very own Boogaloo Assassins & good friends from East; Chico Mann. Both will be paying tribute the late architect of Nuyorican Latin Soul…Mr. Joe Cuba. →

If you are a fan of vanguard art, this may be an event you won’t want to miss. There will be 34 works presented by 19 artists from the Guggenheim Museum’s collection showcased at one of the last exhibitions of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s 50th-anniversary celebrations, Paris and the Avant-Garde: Modern Masters from the Guggenheim Collection. The exhibition will include significant sculpture by Constantin Brancusi and Alexander Calder as well as early 20th century paintings and works by Braque, Léger, Miró, and Picasso. →

Greenscreen Remix Sample by Casey Opstad from OK Go on Vimeo.

So if you haven’t checked out Ok Go’s WTF? Video in all of its ridiculous awesomeness, sorry to say but you’re already a step behind. Don’t worry, you can reclaim yourself and be ridiculously awesome too by taking part in the WTF? Video remix project. To all you creative Ok Go fans out there, you now get the chance to use raw footage as shot by filmmaker Tim Nackashi and import this into your video editing software to create your own version of the video. Check out the legit sample video above made by Casey Opstad. The whole video uses a greenscreen background so you can use the chroma key effect to remove the background play around with →

Aperture Foundation and Instituto Cervantes have joined forces to put together two concurrent exhibitions on February 4th and 5th to celebrate the art of flamenco through photography. Aperture Foundation and Instituto Cervantes are both non-profit organizations that aspire for cultural advancement of Spanish-speaking countries. The exhibition will take place right before the 10th annual New York Flamenco Festival, which will take place on February 11th. →

Floating World Animation Fest V. 3
Show Cave Gallery – Los Angeles, CA
1/30/10

Floating World Animation Fest makes its first Los Angeles appearance at Show Cave gallery on Saturday, Jan. 30th! Local and lo-fi, international and extrasensory, hand drawn, stop motion, cgi and puppetry, electricity and torches. This will be a brand new mix featuring the best of the past 3 shows, plus… you guessed it: some new shit you haven’t seen before! →

The Bloggomist: Three Times a Trend
Fashion Opinion

When I was younger I wanted to be an actress. A full-blown Hollywood star. I’d have nice cars, a couple of houses, maybe a boat and most important of all: a closet that would be the envy of every girl from New York to New Zealand. In other words, I wanted to be an actress because of the clothes. Don’t get me wrong I had a love for acting too, →

Photo Credit: Piper Ferguson

Inspired by the Minutemen song, Evil Monito’s “Tour Spiel” highlights the musician’s life on the road. Each week, we’ll check in with some of our favorite artists touring stateside or abroad. We’ll provide an intimate look into what it’s like to be packed in a van or waiting for a flight with the same people for hours on end. It takes a certain state of mind to survive any lengthy tour. Yet it’s the memorable experiences that makes touring ultimately rewarding, if not interesting. This week we highlight romantic troubadours, The 88, who had their share of ups and downs.  Whether it be experiencing a spiritual moment with Pink Floyd or a rowdy bar brawl during their set, life on the road for these guys is anything but predictable. →

iva cukic – lollipop

And Sony World Photography Awards
Cannes, France
04/ 22-27/10

Sony and the World Photography Organization (WPO) are delighted to announce that the city of Cannes will once again provide the location for the annual Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA) and World Photography Festival. Running in April 2010, the Awards and Festival is set to be the global photographic event of the year. Welcoming professional and amateur photographers, photography students and the general public, the Awards and Festival is a five day celebration of the craft of photography. →