Update! Somewhat Back to Sports
Posted on April 23, 2009 - Filed Under Uncategorized
Heyooh. Yep, been awhile I know… Just wanted to drop a note to say I started a lil’ part-time blogging gig with MSN/Sympatico Sports at The Cheap Seats. So if you’re into leisure, laughing, puppies, justice and ice cream, head on over and let the tears of joy begin.
When Vice is Virtue
Posted on March 29, 2009 - Filed Under Advertising, Creativity
When Vice is Virtue
The kings of cool take on big brands
by jeff beer
When a trio of self-proclaimed drug addicts and welfare cheats from Montreal launched a free newsprint tabloid called Vice in 1996, they wanted nothing less than to change the way media portrayed and spoke to youth culture. Over the last decade, that tabloid has spawned a burgeoning media empire in Vice Books, Vice Films, Vice Music and Vice retail stores. In 2007, the founders of Vice launched VBS.tv with the humble goal of exploiting “every utopian vision the internet has thus far failed to live up to.” Then they turned their attention to advertising.
So, just how do the debaucherous darlings of the hipsterati go from writing articles called “Grandma Blowjob” and “Interview with a Black Guy” to launching brand partnerships with global corporations like Dell, Pepsico and Nike? And will the wayfarer-wearing masses deem the increased intermingling with the mainstream a Do or a Don’t?
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Harmony Korine’s New Target
Posted on March 29, 2009 - Filed Under Creativity, culture
Back in 1995, I saw Kids and it was the first flick I thought really showed what it was like (or felt like) to grow up in the 90s. While this year, The Wackness played the nostalgia card for the same era, Kids was, for obvious reasons, more of its moment, offering up the grittier side of skateboards (Harold Hunter!), booze and shit talk. Sure, the whole AIDS aspect creeped out every one I knew for at least a week (paranoia!) and of course, being set in NYC, it all looked a lot cooler than Toronto, but the lifestyle and language seemed written by someone our own age. Turned out, it was. Ever since, I’ve followed Harmony Korine’s career and films, and while curveballs abound – Gummo, anyone? — haven’t been disappointed.
So, stroll down memory lane concluded, it was cool to chat with Korine about his (seemingly improbable) move to make commercials.
(This originally appeared in the April 2009 issue of Creativity.)
Harmony Korine’s New Target
Indie director talks about his recent foray into spots.
by jeff beer
Before the age of 26, he had a feature labeled “the worst movie of the year” by The New York Times, yet had also been listed among such esteemed directorial company as Godard, Herzog, Fellini, Jarman, and Cassavetes by Roger Ebert. Simply saying Harmony Korine’s had an interesting career is akin to labeling Gummo just another portrait of small town America.
Eight years after his last feature, having kicked a serious drug problem, gotten married and taken a big step back from being Hollywood’s bad boy indie auteur, Korine returned to the big screen in 2008 with the critically acclaimed Mister Lonely. This time around, The Times said the film confirmed Korine’s unique directorial ability, calling nearly every frame “an image of arresting clarity and beauty.”
Critical turnarounds aside, Korine, now 35, made another unexpected move last year, signing with MJZ for commercial representation. Whatever your views on his earlier work, it’s assured that any project Korine gets behind is certainly worth watching.
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Can the CBC Learn a Lesson or Two From NPR?
Posted on March 24, 2009 - Filed Under culture
Just read Anya Kamenetz’ Fast Company story on NPR and am convinced, in light of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s recent Parliament panhandle, that the CBC could learn a thing or two about combining quality programming with innovative and competent business practice from the American public broadcaster.
Now, if you judged things by just reading comment sections of Canada’s newspapers, you’d think half the country wants to sell it off while the other would sell their left arm to keep it as is. To those who want it dismantled — it costs you $12/year. That’s a pitcher of beer. Or a shot and a pack of smokes (if you’re lucky), so relax. To those who want to give our national broadcaster all it wants, take off the maple leaf-coloured glasses and step into reality. The network is, by many accounts, filled with complacent lifers and plenty of other wasteful policies.
Why can’t the CBC land somewhere between the goverment-funded BBC (which, by the way, costs Brits £139.50/year) and the publicly-supported NPR? Any ideas?
Is Squeak E. Clean the future of music?
Posted on March 11, 2009 - Filed Under culture
When a copy of NASA’s The Spirit of the Apollo hit my desk a few weeks ago, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t that interested. Sure it’s got Ol’ Dirty, Kanye and George Clinton, but it’s also got Tom Waits and Karen O. It’s a noble goal to bring music worlds together but sometimes certain ingredients just shouldn’t mix — like bananas and steak. (Remember Judgment Night? Look no further when looking to place blame for Limp Bizkit.) As it turns out, I’m more interested in the process behind this album and its commercial connotations than listening to it again. And perhaps you should be, too.
NASA is Squeak E Clean and DJ Zegon. The former being Sam Spiegel, also proprietor of Squeak E Clean Productions, a commercial music production shop that’s done everything from commercials with Michel Gondry and (Spiegel’s brother) Spike Jonze, to scoring EA’s Skate 2 video game and David O. Russell’s latest flick, Nailed. Spiegel uses the commercial work to fund his personal projects (NASA’s record was put out on Anti-) and relishes the idea of licensing tracks even before the album is done. In his ideal world, he’ll license a track from an upcoming album before it’s release to a brand and then integrate the two with events to promote them both. I spoke to Spiegel about this for Creativity and while it all sounds like a decent business plan, it does seem to toss more mud in the waters between art and commerce. Is this where things are headed in commercial music? After hearing Spiegel’s plans, some folks are quite concerned about this path, and rightly so. Where is the line between music-as-art and music-as-sales-tool? Are we destined for a Demolition Man future? While pondering these and other heady questions about the future (food in pill form? jet packs?), distract yourself with the sick animation in this video for the NASA track “Waydown.”
Feedbag 3.10.2009
Posted on March 11, 2009 - Filed Under Creativity, culture
The festival of links continues…
(originally published at Creativity)
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The always interesting Kitsune Noir serves up this fine lil’ interview with the design director at Dwell magazine, Kyle Blue. One more reason to keep mags alive.
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If you’re a connoisseur of the sandwich arts, get ready for a mouth waterin’. This site celebrates the beauty of a meal betwixt slices of bread with tasteful scans of the sandwich cross-section. An inspiration for lunch fans everywhere.
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Fecal humor is often pushed into the realm of distaste, but this product offering steers the stool away from laughs of the flaming-bag-on-a-rival’s-porch variety and instead creates a heartfelt chocolate greeting.
Shepard Fairey’s Supply & Demand has Beer
Posted on February 28, 2009 - Filed Under culture
Ok, a shameless act of self-promotion here… but wanted to drop a few photos of my interview included in the anniversary edition of Fairey’s “Supply & Demand” book that was sold exclusively at the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art show.
Purchase Brothers Go Big with Half-Life
Posted on February 25, 2009 - Filed Under Creativity, culture
(Originally appeared on Creativity-Online.com)
Purchase Brothers Go Big with Half-Life
Young directors talk about their short film adaptation “Escape From City 17″ and more
by jeff beer
When’s the last time you spent $500? What was it on? Penny stocks? Designer clothes? Piano lessons? A since unused gym membership? Last week, the Purchase Brothers, a pair of young Toronto-based directors, uploaded a short film made for five Benjamins (or Sir Robert Bordens, depending on the currency) based on the popular Half-Life video game. And instead of looking like a Gondryesque sweding, the video, shot in and around Toronto, has been getting rave online reviews and a collective question, Who are these guys?
Man on Wire Director to Walk Ad Tightrope
Posted on February 20, 2009 - Filed Under Creativity, culture
(Originally published on Creativity-Online.com. If you haven’t seen the film, be sure to check out the trailer.)
Man on Wire Director to Walk Ad Tigthrope
James Marsh, director of Oscar-nominated documentary, sets his sights on the commercial world.
by jeff beer
As director James Marsh navigates his way around all the pomp and celebration surrounding the 81st Academy Awards this weekend in Los Angeles, he says that given his film background it feels very funny to be there. Though it may seem a bit strange to him, no one who saw his Oscar-nominated documentary Man on Wire would be surprised he’s in contention for a Best Documentary statue.
From Creativity: Feedbag - 2.20.2009
Posted on February 20, 2009 - Filed Under Creativity
Originally from Creativity-Online.com.
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When evolution just isn’t fast enough, sometimes you’ve got to grab the funnel by the horns and get things done yourself.
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Somewhere — maybe it’s up on the wall in your grandma’s house, maybe it’s buried deep in an old shoebox underneath a pile of old yearbooks and a generous scoop of shame — everyone has a picture worthy of this site.
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The folks at Incase continue their impressive run of product collaborations with artists, this time with Steve Harrington. In addition to a pretty slick Macbook sleeve and iPhone case, be sure to check out the video interview action with Harrington.