Kurt Cobain by Scott Fife

One of the most effective exhibits in the Kurt exhibition is not the larger-than-life and somewhat morbid rendition of Cobain’s cranium, by Scott Fife (2006). It was fairly impressive and haunting; with large bloodshot eyes staring through you, off into space. It also wasn’t Jordan Kantor’s Untitled (2006), a painstaking collaged rendition of crime scene photos – “perpetuating an air of mystery.” Truly, one of the most striking pieces may not be linked to Kurt at all, in that it could be anybody’s séance – Cobain, Morrison, Hendrix.

Standing Wave Séance by Hadley and Maxwell (2010) was one of the most effective pieces at the exhibit, giving the viewer a chance to enter the “pathos of Cobain’s disembodied voice” both “celebrated and destroyed by the same crowd”. It’s a conspicuous exhibit – fiberboard walls, padded with egg crate on the outside give the artwork a sort of humble appeal. Walking into the piece takes the viewer to a whole different level. A feedback loop plays through the mounted speakers next to a red Fender amp, and a microphone is the central focus, set on top of duct taped mats. This is the artist’s world, lit by a solitary bare bulb. Around the room, the viewer might find a number of artifacts, origami boxes and an accordion cut matchbook could have been a way to relieve the tension before recording or before a show. All these things represent a larger lifestyle, a lonely ascent from a “normal” reality. Clinging to that reality and to a sense of normalcy – taped to the mic stand – sits a lonely wisp of a plant in a plastic cup might suggest the artist’s rise towards the light, towards stardom and fame. The lonely little plant also suggests a wish to stay grounded. As the viewer circles the sound room, the roar of a crowd rises, replacing the feedback loop. The pressure is on, to tune up, to play a show, to impress crowds. Standing behind the mic, the viewer has a glimpse towards the gritty and well-known photos of Cobain crashing into the drum kit behind him at the Rijn. Kurt looks dazed as onlookers stand back and watch. The entire effect of the tiny sound room is haunting, even giving the viewer a sort of trapped feeling – the room is a little too small, too dark. In the background, beyond the room this exhibit stands in, Nirvana’s music floats through the rest of the exhibit with a note of tragedy.

Banks Violette - Lines of Wreckage (Love Songs for Assholes #2)

While many of the pieces in the exhibit are striking – including Banks Violette’s heavy-handed graphite work, some of the pieces seem trite and forced. They’re there as if to say “I want to ride this wave of stellar death.” What’s fashionable in art will always be copied whether through subject or technique and the topic of Cobain’s early demise is definitely still a sore subject.

Slater Bradley’s Marijuana (2004) is one such piece – taking on an air of textbook simplicity and attempting to grab the viewer’s attention through the title. It’s the kind of artwork we’d see taped to a dorm room wall, not from an artist who can get himself into the SAM with pieces like Silver I Love You So Much it Makes Me Sick (2008). It feels forced, showing off the covers of three different magazines, including High Times and Rolling Stone with the same photo of Cobain plastered across the front. The title and the subject matter show an obvious drug reference, but with all the triteness of an illogical connection between marijuana and premature celebrity expiration. It reads almost like a drug-free commercial, where marijuana is the gateway to Cobain’s death. Were the piece titled something different – Heroin, maybe – the connection would be believable. The main focus of the piece – noted from the placard on the wall is that Kurt’s face is used a number of times in different ways, with the only cannabis reference being the magazines featured. Sitting next to Silver, Marijuana definitely shows the gap in Bradley’s evolution as an artist.

Overall, the Kurt exhibit is melancholy, especially if you skip the derisive affront to Cobain’s fan base through Bradley’s elementary rendition of the passing of a rock legend. More so than not, the exhibit will leave you with a sense of loss, and loneliness representing the inner world of someone so tortured.

Or have you ever been afraid to tell people exactly what you’re worth – much for the same reasons?

Carta - Letter, by Makia 777 on Flickr

Too many women undervalue their skills, their charms, and their business worth – and it’s been highly cited that women don’t ask for what they deserve.  Studies cite gender programming (giving boys nerf guns, and giving girls dolls as toys) and the gender gap as a major source of womens gender-role problems, undervalued status, and the implied struggle for equality.  Women have historically been told that being sweet, pretty, smart, charming, alluring = success, and so many girls want to be so much more.

“Considering that women make up half the world’s population, “over time,” the authors write, “a nation’s competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilizes its female talent.” That’s just part of the reason why even incremental strides toward eradicating gender inequity should be hailed. But while more than two-thirds of the 115 countries covered in the report since its inception in 2006 have posted gains—particularly in educational attainment and quality of health—females worldwide still lag far behind in economic participation and political empowerment. The report underscores yet again that while women have won critical battles in the struggle for equality, the war is far from over.”

(Source: Time.  Read more here!)

It’s not hard to find blogs, directed at women, discussing how important it is to love and support yourself – first and foremost.  The “Self-empowered woman” has been such a buzzword for so long that it makes me wonder why we’re still struggling with it.  In many of the blogs I read, young women face self-doubt and often, a quiet insecurity on where they’re headed in life, and how to get there.  We (as young women) are worried about how to define our success and measure it.  We struggle to define – for ourselves – our worth.

Take a moment to sit and write down your positive traits – categorize them.  For example, write down your strengths in business, your academic merits, or why you’re an amazing person.  If you find it difficult to write this list, stop and imagine you’re someone you know who loves you.  Or alternately, as Barbara Sher suggests, pick a family of influential people and write the list as they would see you (Ch 3 – Creating your own Cheering Section).  Write down those reasons you took that leap – why you sent out your resume, or why you’re an excellent candidate for anything.

Stratejoy has some fantastic prompts on the more personal (less business) side – and being able to practice this for your personal traits will improve your skill in defining your business traits:

Questions To Ask to Connect with Yourself:

• What do you have to offer?
• What makes you extraordinary?
• What repels you?  What attracts you?
• What makes you feel alive?

The next time you’re immediately doubtful of your skill, your experience, or your worth, pull out this list and ask yourself what you can add to it.

Sometimes we’re bogged down by the voices of those around us – even their actions and how they live their lives seem to outdo even our strongest efforts.  With this little mental list of what makes you great, of what makes you tick and what thrills you, you can look right through the feedback that doesn’t fit you.  If you’re unsure where to start, it might be helpful to write out your life job description.  Write out the great things you do – this often helps you realize just what you’re worth, and often you’ll see that you do things of extraordinary value that you didn’t even know about.  Surpass and rise above the doubts and fears – this year … this decade, it’s all about transcending that.

To those people who make monikers for years, I say we call this one Two-Thousand and Transcend. �  Cheesy?  Probably.  Fun?  Of course.  Now take it and run with it!

Deco Modiste will be participating in the Boutique Culture Warehouse sale this Sunday, December 6th.  Prices will be slashed on Spring/Summer 2009 and there will be great deals on our Fall/Winter 2009.  Come down and start your Christmas shopping.  A wrap skirt for your sister, Sailor skirt and Paris blouse for you…

We’ll have some goodies from Totally Blown Glassworks, which we offer at our showroom location, as well as a few handmade accessories!  Come down,  shop and say hi!

Date: Sunday December 6th

VIP Shopping: 9-11am

General Admission Shopping: 11-6pm

Clothing Swap: 11:00 am – 4 pm

(Fantastic Photocollage found on The Other You)

Diane Keaton’s outfit here – fantastic.   I’ve seen some Polyvore sets that recreate this look with wonderful feminine detail – right down to the floppy hat.

Menswear is fun, because as a girl, you get to give it a little sex appeal.  Sockdreams offers sock garters that will do just the trick:

My general look, lately, has involved long shirt-dresses – like long men’s shirts, but tailored; feminine and masculine layers – like lacy slips under work shirts; blazers with a slim cut; tall, thick socks and sock garters.  I love this style, because something about that hem has an allure that says “this should be tucked into some guy’s slacks”.  Hello, lover!

The McQueen Knockoff Motobooties were the perfect complement to a recent outfit:

This was my: “We’re going to eat a massive Thanksgiving Feast in like five minutes” outfit.

In the past, I’ve been known to pair skinny ties with off the shoulder tops, rock ties as belts and rock military inspired jackets/bags that offer a feminine edge.  My last outfit post offered a skirt, paired with a boys’ suit vest.  I definitely love the look of suspenders and tough-looking ladies booties.

With the blazer closed, it does look a little like shirt-cocking, don’tcha think?

Some chickies doubt the look – saying that the clothes are not as feminine as we’d like.  I’d agree – blazers and pleated pants for women were the runway look for fall 2009 – but a lot of the styles weren’t tailored for a woman.  If they’re too shapeless you might end up lookin’ like a hot mess.  Find things with form – darts are your friend.  You’re going to look good in things that accentuate who you are in there – if it’s shapeless and sack-like, get thee to a tailor, and have her put a few well placed tucks in it.  I ended up doing that very thing with a Boyfriend blazer from Charlotte Russe.  The blazer was cut so it’d fit a myriad of ladies, but it was just too shapeless, so I put some darts in the back and took it in a little at the waist.  Also remember – accessories are your first go-to and the easiest way to make it work.

Don’t be afraid to play with the boys (or play in … their… closets??  Haha!).

(Image via the KEXP blog)

Exceeeept… We bought them months in advance… And had inadvertently gotten tickets to the all-ages show.

We got them so early that I almost forgot about the concert (since I’ve been buried under a mountain of homework – yuck!) until Mister came around on Saturday night, and asked when we should head down.  Gasp!  Horreur! I threw something on, on the fly, and came up with this:

Top: Spun Sangria V-neck
Layered over: American Eagle beater tank
Shorts: H&M
Tights: From the Rack.
Boots: Blowfish
Scarf: Moksha (On the Ave)
Tatted cuffs: Totus Mel
Necklace: H&M

Oh yeah, and I’ve got a new hair color.  I needed something new for fall and my roots had grown out tremendously (we’re talking like 2″) so I had to do something, stat!  I went with a nice red, which ended up being super bright over the bleached (pink) parts, and overall, gave my ‘do a nice depth.

The show itself was fantastic.  We got there for the opening DJ who played some excellent cuts – including a remix of Heads Will Roll by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  LOVE that song.

GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY’s set was AMAZING.

(Image via AlmightyLiveStudio)

There were lasers and people dancing their asses off.  Aaron of Ghostland bounced around on the stage screaming into the mic in all his braided glory.  And props to Thomas’s fantastic silver cape!  Of course, they played “Sad Sad City” which had the entire crowd bouncing around to the echoes of their unique brand of electro-funk-dance-pop.

At the end of the night, it seemed those boys didn’t want to quit, and the crowd loved it.  Aaron would say “Okay… this is the last song…” and then they played again… and then Aaron said, “Okay this is REALLY the last song…” and burst out into song as the crowd cheered them on.

I snapped some quick photos from the event, from the corralled off 21+ section.

Hello, laser show!  It felt a little rave-y, but mixed with the beats Ghostland Observatory cranked out, it was definitely an awesome night!

With a little practice and this easy tutorial, you’ve got it covered! Instant gorgeous eyelashes: voilà!

Read the entire post over at Dramatis Personae!

This weekend, Mister and I donned our respective 80′s childhood character costumes and set out on the town!  I bet you’ll never guess who we were….

Mister spent all week putting together a papier maché shell… and I set out to find something I could use to become TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS!

The process:

I’m Aja from Jem and the Holograms!!

And my date:

Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (a child’s rendition… haha)

Cute, eh?  What were YOU for Halloween??

PS

For some reason, GIMP is blurring the images when they render from RAW to JPG.  If you know how to fix that (until I get CS4) please let me know.  It also mangled my colors so they look really orange/oddly exposed when uploaded.  Sorry about the quality, for now.

♦ ♦ ♦

It all started when Rez (Trent Reznor) announced that Nine Inch Nails would not be touring after a last round of shows titled the “Wave Goodbye” tour. He said that after 20 years, Nails needed a break from the hardcore tour circuit, but that he’d still be making music. Fans were shocked, but still supportive of a man who’d come so far in the music world and in his own creative process. We had watched his musical endeavour grow, just as we had grown. 1989-2009 – it seems like they’ve been around forever and this tour marked the end of an era.

Image via BrooklynVegan

The day the tickets went on sale was excruciating. We reserved our virtual place marker on the ticketing website (NIN @ MusicToday) at 9am, and waited for sales to start at 5p – an 8 hour wait. We were buying for the Los Angeles shows – the closest the tour would come to Seattle.  It was an exhilarating experience, because we knew that we were one of a few to get tickets to this monumental last tour. We booked our flights around the ticket date. We rented a car, we called our families and friends and told them we’d be in town, and we waited.

The day before we flew to Los Angeles for the Wiltern show, the NIN site announced that Rez had been sick in New York and Chicago. Then they announced that the LA shows would be rescheduled. I crossed my fingers for our show – and to no avail.

The night before we flew out, they rescheduled the show at the Wiltern, and much to my dismay, the rescheduled date would fall the day after we’d left LA. We were crushed.

They say that where there is a will, there is a way – but willpower didn’t get us far enough. On the front page of the NIN site, Rez said they’d honor refunds for the fans who were unable to switch things around. The forums on NIN.com were ablaze with notes to and from users, attempting to swap tickets, and trying to find ways to get into shows because they wouldn’t be in town for their rescheduled show. We all waited. We expected them to be to help us out in trying to get to these shows. It didn’t help that MusicToday closed at 3p PST, for the Labor Day holiday weekend.

One might have expected preferential ticketing to those who already had tickets, or the possibility of trading tickets with other NIN fans. The result was much different than expected. Fans like myself were told that there would be no trades, no swaps, nothing but a refund if you replied by a certain time. I was lucky I was able to access mobile email or I might have missed out on my refund. There was no “switching things around” like Rez had mentioned on the site – there was nothing offered to those of us who’d spent a day waiting for tickets, and whose plans had been shattered by Trent Reznor’s illness. There were fans who’d flown over from the UK, and while it was apparent those fans had the ability to make other plans, they’d still flown to the US to be sent home empty-handed.  Many fans had a life to get back to, that wouldn’t allow the necessary flexibility to try to catch a rescheduled show.  The Music Today employee who handled my refund was entirely unsympathetic to the circumstances.

The refund process was fairly disconcerting as the entire refund was handled via email. I don’t have a smartphone, and I’m lucky to be able to access my email through my phone since I had to respond to the refund email by 9p the night we flew in. If I hadn’t been able to access my email, I may have never seen my refund for the $130.00 it cost to buy those tickets in the first place.

We had no luck at the venue… everything was “sold out”.  We could have gone through scalpers but at what cost?  NIN’s ticketing policy is directly aimed to stop scalping on tickets.  Still, the system doesn’t always work the way it should – especially in cases like this, where the bids for the last round of shows is so high.

Mister stopped me at going down to the Henry Fonda, on Tuesday, to try to get tickets at the venue.  “Honey,” He said, “Let it go.  There’s nothing you can do.”  He could see that I WOULD stand outside the theater from 5 to 9, trying to find tickets, and I think he didn’t want to see the agony of not being able to find tickets for both of us.

I couldn’t take the rental car down, because I wasn’t on the rental agreement… I had called to find tickets and there was nothing available.  I couldn’t log into the NIN site through my phone to read the 13 messages I had offering tickets for the show.  I think, that day I lost a little faith in the music industry to really cater to fans.    Music is less about the people who love the music, and more about the money to be made on reselling my tickets to the last NIN show. Some may say I’m bitter about losing my seat – which is partly true; but more importantly, I understand that those people throwing a show don’t care about me, as a fan.  They care about getting heads in the door.

ps – Dear Trent Reznor – No hard feelings, but your ticketing situation sucks.  Get well soon!

Let’s talk about Spygirl, who played the International Pop Overthrow Festival:

I’d never been to the Mars Bar before, but I know it’s not a big venue.  When we got there, Spygirl had been playing for about 3-4 minutes.  When I walked in, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect but on a quick survey of the room, I noticed that t was moderately full for something I’d heard very little about.  Everyone who  was there knew the band, knew the lyrics and knew exactly who they’d come to see.  It seemed like the same crowd that would stand, starry-eyed (while ironically drinking PBR or Oly), while Ben Gibbard lead Death Cab for Cutie on a series of break-your-heart-to-make-love tracks.  I felt sort of out of place with my New Belgium brew, taking notes on my phone.  I came to rock out and the scenario was nothing of the sort.  What did all these people have in common besides knowing all the words?  Mister astutely pointed it out: we were probably the youngest people there.

Maybe Spygirl is a “before my time” sort of thing – they’ve been making music for 12 years now, but in that 12 years, they’ve only put out two albums.  I suppose that’s how they missed my radar.  They play well together – they harmonize, they crescendo – you can tell they’ve been at it for ages.  Their sound had a very Neko Case, sort of melancholy, alt-pop, almost country twinge that isn’t normally indicative of my musical repertoire.

When Koralee Tonack crooned “It’s been awhile…”, lyrics to the song “Feeling Fine”, I could see how a girl with a good ear might fall for the well harmonized hook.  Still, it lacked something substantial behind it – as if the vocalist had never really felt those words in her own life (to be fair, the lyrics were written by keyboardist Jane Gowan).  The song held up better live than on the album, but there was such a rehearsed feel to it that they almost seemed bored, plugging through it.  Like maybe they were a little TOO rehearsed.

They played well, they sounded tight, but when it came down to the wire, Spygirl was a little square for my tastes.

You know what wasn’t square though?  Me.  Check this shit out:

Shorts: H&M
Tee: Flaming Lips – from the concert!
Double Fence Fishnets: Banana Republic
Shoes: Fluevog
Jacket: Trendy Wendy
Unicorn Necklace : Destroyed by Design on Etsy
Earrings: Carpedraco on Etsy

Fierce, non?  I thought so.  It’s too bad the occasion didn’t befit the outfit, but you can bet there was mischief later!

The point of a concert is for everyone to flock to a venue to rock the fuck out to their favorite band.  Now, I understand that some people’s version of “rock the fuck out” is different than yours, but take a cue from the girl standing in front of you or the guy standing next to you.  If they are not mosh-pit thrashing, but instead bopping along to the music, you probably shouldn’t be thrashing and throwing elbows.  SO to the tiny Asian girl who kept jumping on my heels at the Lips show – this means you.  You were exhibiting poor concert etiquette.

Along the same vein – I want to make a shout out to the obviously trashed guy.  Dude, how on earth can you enjoy a good concert when you’re wasted?  Being wasted at a concert is a giant waste of your money and our time.  I could do without you elbowing me on the top of the cranium and at that point, you could do with about 4-5 hours of really decent sleep.  When you’re so wasted at a concert that you can’t keep your balance, you’re in danger of hurting someone around you and you’re probably not going to remember the giant confetti balloons, or elbowing me on the top of the head the SECOND time.  If you can’t stand up straight, like a normal person, you probably need to get to the back and sit down.  It’ll keep you from vomiting down someone’s back too!  While you’re at it, keep an eye on your elbows; if you elbow someone, you are asking for a fight and I don’t want to be the one to have to knock you out because you elbowed my friend in the face.  I can understand a bubbly drunk… But if you can’t remember what song the band just sang, go sit down and get a hold of yourself.

OH!  And sweaty, drunk, no-shirt-guy?  You’re just as bad.  Put your shirt back on because I don’t need your body sweat all over my bare arms.

Good concert etiquette is knowing the appropriate time to mosh or to crowd surf.  It’s being respectful of others’ personal space.  If you’re a “shorty” and you can’t see and you feel like you’d die if you didn’t, go ahead and ask the person in front of you NICELY, instead of jumping all over them to try to budge them out of the way.  You have no idea how many taller people are totally okay with you standing in front of them because you’re so short, they have NO problem seeing over you.  Pushing into people to get them to move doesn’t work when you’re driving around in your car, it rarely works in line at the DMV, so what makes you think it’s any better at a concert?    And if you’re jumping to see over me, stop it.  I’ll make room for you if you’re shorter than me.  Sadly, your tall boyfriend can stand back there – but if you’re shorter than I am, you don’t need to jump all over the place to see over me, because generally you’re that jumping girl that’s stomping on my heels and I sort of want to choke you.

For the moshers out there – I know who you are, and I can tell if you’re experienced.  When you’re in the mosh pit, everyone is moshing and everyone in a good pit keeps an eye out.  Nobody gets punched in the face; if someone falls, your main goal is to get them up off the ground so nobody gets hurt.  I’ve seen limbs stepped on and people have had to be carried out by friends when the pit got too rough.  Just think – what would happen if you got pushed hard enough to hit the ground?  You don’t want your ankle busted because some asshole stomped on you instead of helping you get up off the ground.  Nobody is out to hurt each other and nobody moshes for the sake of moshing – it’s really about the music.  If the band is playing a slower jam, chill out and catch your breath.

(For bonus reading on Mosh Pits, go here!)

If you’re in a crowd with drinks, keep your drink down, instead of above the short chick’s head.  I’ve worn so many people’s drinks that I feel this one needs to be restated.  I’d rather have your beer on my shoes (I wear my Chucks specifically for concerts, for that reason because I can hose them off later) than in my hair.  If your drink is super full, you need to drink some off the top before pushing your way through the crowd.

About crowd surfing – if you’re crowd surfing in a skirt, you’re going to get a finger to the bum.  It probably won’t be on purpose, but if you’re crowd surfing in a skirt, you’re doin’ it wrong.  The same goes for people who wear boots to crowd surf.  I could see if they were soft cotton, but big old hard boots suck when someone’s crowd surfing and they catch you in the face.  I know a few taller guys who’ve caught a Doc to the face.  It’s about as fun as you can imagine.

There will always be some lech out there grabbing ass in a crowd, so keep an eye out for each other.  Don’t let each other get too drunk or get lost at a festival show (like Sasquatch – apparently some guy got separated from his friends and locked in a port-a-potty).  Keep each other hydrated and if your friend is getting too rowdy, tell them to chill out.

As with anywhere, if you wouldn’t do it in an open and public place, don’t do it at a concert – includes spitting on people, throwing gum at people or whipping out your unmentionables.  Don’t ruin the fun for everyone by being a douche.

If you can think of anything I forgot, leave us a comment!