During my visit to NYC last week, my good friend and EM contributor, Emily Baines , sent me a link to this limited edition Barbie doll from Mattel, the Purveyors of Amerikitsch and anatomically incorrect role models. Presumably to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds , the corporation is releasing this doll modeled after Tippi Hedren in a memorable scene : where the lovely blonde sylph runs for dear life, shielding her perfect face from a murder of crows. On the Mattel website, they posted an absurd advertisement that stated the doll, “includes real fake birds.” Don’t ask me why, its not even worth puzzling over. Aside from the iconic pose and outfit, they couldn’t even make Barbie look remotely like Hedren, whose demure grin could melt the heart of a soulless man and whose limpid eyes could magically mist at cue.

Don’t get me wrong, of course I loved everything celluloid that Hitchcock molded with his brilliant imagination and we should be commemorating his heavy contribution to the world of cinema. However I beg to differ in the approach that is taken in celebrating his genius, or dare I say, in appropriating his classic masterpiece into this gimmicky representation. His influence on the American psyche is indelible, particularly the way in which he molded the suspense element in films. His stylistic approach affected the spirit of the 1970’s American film renaissance, especially noted in Brian de Palma’s psycho horrors and even to this day his techniques have been employed in countless scenes for numerous mainstream blockbusters. Yet, in spite of how groundbreaking his stylistic techniques were, he was never granted an Oscar during his prolific career. The only film that came close was Rebecca , starring the doe-eyed, wholesome Joan Fontaine and the debonair Lawrence Olivier. Even then, the film only garnered an Oscar for production, while grievously glossing over Hitchcock’s genius in using lights and shadows to such amazing emotional heights. Coincidentally this movie also happened to be inspired by Daphne du Maurier, the same novelist whose short story was loosely used for his later film, the Birds .

In her email regarding the Tippie Barbie, Emily passionately mentioned to me, “I saw this and had to share it with you. Is NOTHING sacred anymore? Hitchcock must be rolling over in his grave.” My response is: probably yes. Yet it may be more accurate to surmise that Hitchcock shrugged his shoulders to say, “Im more nonplussed from the limitations of rigor mortis, than from the sheer idiocy of this nation. After all, this is the America that wouldn’t give me one damn Oscar for movie direction, even when shooting masterpiece after masterpiece. How can I expect more?”

And after his posthumous reply, I would nod my head gravely in accordance…

HBO’s new mini-series, Generation Kill is an eye opener. A candid portrayal of the lives of US soldiers in the battlefield of Iraq. The screenplay is raw, direct and intelligent. A refreshing perspective of the intimate conversations that take place between the camaraderie of young men fighting for a war which at times leaves them equally perplexed and frustrated.

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www.hbo.com/generationkill

House of Cassette has recently released their look book online of their Fall ‘08 collection. We have been ardent supporters of Cassette from day one and we are impressed with the constant growth of the brand. This latest shoot called forth the styling talent of fellow EM writer - Josh Madden, as well as the photography of Robert Hamada; both dear friends of the Evil Monito family. Cassette Creative Director, Peter James Lee showcases new shirtings for men as well as woven knit dresses for women.

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www.houseofcassette.com 

Looky See: A Summer Show
Ben Maltz Gallery - Los Angeles
Event: 7/26/08
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This large group show features inspired work by 29 artists who draw, cut, film, pin, perforate, perform, and journal. This exhibition is organized by Meg Linton, Director of the Ben Maltz Gallery and Public Programs, and Curatorial Intern Nina Laurinolli, and is a selection of work made from dozens of studio and gallery visits and lengthy reviews of artists’ materials over a one-year period. The exhibition offers a mixture of representational and abstract work by a multi-generational group of dynamic artists. Artists in the exhibition: Emily Araújo, Eric Beltz, Barbara Berk, Joe Biel, Sandow Birk (‘89), Ann Diener, Roy Dowell, Erin Marie Dunn, Erica Eyres, Iva Gueorguieva, Penelope Gottlieb, Richard Keely and Anna O’Cain, Takehito Koganezawa, Dimitri Kozyrev, Tucker Neel (‘07), Claudia Nieto, Aaron Noble, Chris Oatey (‘06), Ruby Osorio, Ebony G. Patterson, Ronald R. Santos (‘01), Mindy Shapero, Fran Siegel, Coleen Sterritt (‘79), Fred Stonehouse, Randall Thurston, Elizabeth Turk, Xawery Wolski.

In the Bolsky Gallery:
Two Madmen: The Art of Clive Barker and Myron Dyal
Through August 30, 2008
Opening reception for this exhibition is in conjunction with Looky See: A Summer Show on Saturday July 26, see info above.

Clive Barker and Myron Dyal are two artists who have a similar fantastic vision of a seemingly diabolical world that they are feverishly compelled to render. Their drawings, paintings, and sculptures illustrate alternate realms filled with archetypal figures and places that have littered human consciousness for centuries. Clive Barker, award-winning director, screenwriter, playwright and poet, is also an accomplished artist. His art has, in the last ten years, become a more fundamental part of his written work than ever before. Myron Dyal is a modern mystic, classically trained musician, and a self-taught Southern California artist. He has spiritual visions that are the catalysts for the vast oeuvre of his work that spans nearly three decades and includes more than 6,000 drawings, paintings, and sculptures.

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www.otis.edu/benmaltzgallery

One of our featured EM illustrator, Carson Mell, written and directed this terrific short entitled, Bobby Bird: The Devil in Denim. It showed at the 2007 Sundance Festival and was also featured in the third issue of Wholphin , a DVD magazine that focuses on independent and experimental short films and distributed where any McSweeney’s or Believer magazine can be found. This clever film shortly thereafter became a pictorial novella he wrote called, Saguaro.

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Check out Carson’s other work: short films, music videos and other projects at: www.carsonmell.com

From the Evil Monito archives:
Editorial on the Triads - Chinese Crime Syndicate
Originally published January 2001.
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www.evilmonito.com/archives/001/triads.htm

Theme Magazine continues to up the bar with each issue. For their latest installment, themed as the Beijing Olympics issue, coverage of residents of Beijing as well as notable artists such as Cai Guo-Qiang is generously discussed. We particularly enjoyed the piece on conversations with Beijing’s taxi drivers as well as the well designed graphic chart of Olympic factoids. A very comprehensive read that gives you great context of the cultural backdrop that is Beijing.

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www.thememagazine.com

My boy Ryota (Cinpila) was so kind to grace me with these fresh pairs of Vans. These shoes are a Japanese exclusive and is the result of a collaboration between Junya Watanabe (Comme Des Garcons) and Vans. The feel of the leather feels like sandpaper. You can’t go wrong with wingtips on a vulcanized sole. The side zipper is a nice touch as well.

Story: Random asian guy wearing cycling shorts follows attractive lady into Sephora to ask for a photograph.

Cardigan: Burberry
Blouse: Gucci
Skirt: Gucci
Shoes: Gucci
Belt: Gucci
Tights: Wolford
Bag: Marni

Kimberley Isaac Moyes is the drummer and keyboard/synth player of the Australian electronic duo The Presets. On his own, he makes some enchantingly brutal, unorthodox dance music under the moniker K.I.M. He chatted with us on the phone from his hotel room in downtown New York before gearing up to DJ some gigs across the country. In September, The Presets and fellow Aussies Cut Copy will co-headline a North America tour (see dates below). We dug the last time they swung by Brooklyn, and for the record, so did he: “We had such a blast at that show, besides the fact that we were both sick as dogs. It was fucking great.”

EM: If you could have anyone remix one of your songs, who would it be?
KM: We’ve had some pretty good luck so far with the remix guys that we’ve chosen. We pretty much get whoever we pick, except we’ve been trying to get Maurice Fulton. We’ve asked three or four times. I would for him to say to yes once.

EM: How do you approach your remixes? Do you try to transform the song into something new or do you try to refine what’s already there?
KM: We’ve stopped doing remixes for other people—if we spend time doing music, we’d rather be doing our own stuff. When we did do remixes the plan was to grab the vocal or the acapella and build a brand new track underneath it. It’s not even remixes—it’s kind of covering the song, in a way, or writing a completely new bed for the vocal.

EM: What about remixes of your own songs—what makes a good one?
KM: It depends on the song, but generally we try to get a couple of different people to do different vibes. That’s the main thing for a remix, is to get DJs to play it. Because a DJ will generally not play an original—they always want to play a remix. It’s good to balance it out. We’ll try to get someone who’s got, like, a big club sound, something that’s kind of deeper and more spaced out, something you could imagine a mainstream DJ playing. Then smaller club remixes, which you could imagine more cooler DJs would play. More chin-stroke-y, sort of. Then you have sort of more clever—not necessarily dance—more artsy remixes or whatever. Get all those things kicked off in a 12-inch. It’s a pretty good package.

EM: How would you say the music you make as K.I.M. is different from the music you make as The Presets?
KM: Well, it’s very different. It obviously doesn’t have half the input from Julian [Hamilton] that it has as The Presets. It’s pop music in The Presets, so it’s geared towards that kind of goal—traditional song structures, choruses, a little bit of vocals. I guess the stuff that I do by myself is kind of like sketches, or like experiments that become fulfilled ideas. And it’s generally geared towards the dance floor. There’s no particular one sound that I’m going for. I’m trying to experiment with production styles, and musical and creative ideas that I have. Yeah, it’s quite different…I’m not following any rules when I do my own stuff. It’s really like absolute vomit.

EM: Did you just call your music vomit?
KM: Yeah, absolute vomit. Like the perfect spew.

EM: Haha, okay. How did you learn to play the drums?
KM: Well, when I was growing up, my mom was a crazy, crazy Pentacostal Christian and she would take us to one of those fucked up Christian church places, where they speak in tongues and fall on the ground. There was a rock band there and different players would teach different instruments. My sister decided to learn the drums. She’s six years older than me. I said I wanted to learn the drums too. We went to two classes and she stopped going. I found a teacher and I learned and learned and learned. I’ve been never played drums in a band until The Presets, actually. Like, I switched over to classical percussion and vibraphone and stuff like that. That’s what I learned when I went to high school and university.

EM: So a bunch of Australian bands are huge right now, like The Presets, Cut Copy and Midnight Juggernauts. Do you think there’s such a thing as an “Australian sound”?
KM: Not really. If you asked the other guys—who are all really dear friends of ours and we’re really big fans of—they’d probably say the same thing. They come from Melbourne and we come from Sydney. I guess we’re similar in the kind of clubbiness of all of these three bands, but musically it’s pretty different. And, yeah, it’s weird, for us guys in it…if you take away two bands in those three then you don’t have an Australian sound. I guess it’s just like one of those weird timing things. The more I talk and think about it, actually, The Avalanches—they had a big record about 10 years ago—I think they really had an impact on bands like The Presets and Cut Copy and Midnight Juggernauts. They are an amazing band that came out of nowhere in the time of, like, DJ Shadow and great sample music and pop music or whatever….It’s just like far out and great, and we kind of look at them as the real torch-bearers of what we do. It’s not really even similar music, but it is in a way because it’s kind of like pop music gone wrong, but done right.

EM: What are the top three songs that get you dancing right now?
KM: 1. Guy Gerber and Chaim—It’s kind of really spaced-out techno chants, which I really love.
2. A remix of one of our songs, “Talk Like That,” by Optimo Espacio, that will be out soon.
3. “What What (In The Butt)” by Samwell—It’s pretty gay.

The Presets and Cut Copy
Joint Headline Tour Dates 2008

SAT 9/13 - Monolith Festival - Denver, CO
MON 9/15 – The Record Bar - Kansas City, MO
TUES 9/16 - Fine Line Music Cafe- Minneaplis, MN
WED 9/17 - Metro - Chicago, IL
FRI 9/19 Sound Academy - Toronto, Ontario
SAT 9/20 - Club Soda - Montreal, Quebec
SUN 9/21 - Webster Hall - New York City, NY
MON 9/22 - Webster Hall - New York City, NY
TUE 9/23 - Paradise - Boston, MA
THURS 9/25 – The Trocadero Theater - Philadelphia, PA
FRI 9/26 9:30 Club - Washington D.C.
SAT 9/27 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
MON 9/29 - Emo’s Alternative Lounge - Austin, TX
TUES 9/30 - Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
FRI 10/3 – The Glass House - Pomona, CA
SUN 10/5 - Mezzanine - San Francisco, CA
TUES 10/7 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
WED 10/8 - Showbox At The Market - Seattle, WA
THURS 10/9 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, B.C.

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www.myspace.com/kimberleyisaacmoyes

www.myspace.com/thepresets