Friday, December 27, 2002

• Photographer/ Video Director Herb Ritts Dies At Age 50
  Celebrity photographer Herb Ritts died Thursday morning of complications from pneumonia. He was 50. I can't really put into words what his signature style looked like, but you could always tell it when you saw it. The best way to derscribe it is crisp, clean and very sensual. Here's his "videography":
  
  1989 Cherish • Madonna
  1990 Love Will Never Do (Without You) • Janet Jackson
  1991 Wicked Game (version 2 : beach) • Chris Isaak
  1992 In The Closet • Michael Jackson
  1994 Please Come Home for Christmas • Jon Bon Jovi
  1998 My All • Mariah Carey
  1999 Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing • Chris Isaak
  2000 Telling Stories • Tracy Chapman
  2001 Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know • Britney Spears
  2001 Ain't It Funny (version 1) • Jennifer Lopez
  2001 Gone • 'N Sync
  2002 Underneath Your Clothes • Shakira
  XXXX Let it Flow • Toni Braxton
  
  Pick up a copy of his Work by clicking here.
  

posted by Randy on 1:57 PM | permanent link to this entry

Thursday, December 26, 2002

Thanks to everyone who came out for the The Low Rent Holiday Super Sale. A fun time was had by all as booties were shaking and the art was flying off the walls.

Things I Got For Xmas That Can Be Ordered From Amazon.com:
-Snoop Dogg, Paid Tha Cost To Be Tha Bo$$
-The Donnas, Spend The Night
-Orchestra Baobab, Specialist in All Styles
-Da Capo Best Music Writing 2001: The Year's Finest Writing on Rock, Pop, Jazz, Country, and More
-Century: One Hundred Years of Human Progress, Regression, Suffering and Hope

The Rocktober.com Gift Guide will be going under some re-tooling, concentrating less on holiday gift ideas and coming back just as a "Rocktober Reccommends" page.

• Despite a Marketing Blitz, CD Sales Continue to Slide
  Surprise, surprise. Sales are down nearly 11% when compared to last year. "Industry executives blame the decline on Internet file-sharing and counterfeiting, while consumers complain of a lack of exciting new talent and uninspired music from older artists. Further, a weak economy has forced people to become choosier about how they spend their money and some have decided to spend it on video games and DVD's, music industry analysts say." In my opinion, they're all correct. Weak product leads to customers only wanting to get the few hot tracks on an album-- and the only way to do that is by grabbing the files you want on the Internet and spending your money on stuff that is worth your entertainment dollar.
  
  
• Rapper Slick Rick Hoping to Rebuild Life
  Too much, too little, too late-- but the mainstream press has finally written about Slick Rick's imminent deportation back to England. And just as I suspected, it looks like he'll never be able to perform in the U.S. again-- aliens removed or convicted of an aggravated felony are not allowed to re-enter the United States unless they obtain permission from the U.S. Attorney General. Something tells me that John Ashcroft doesn't own a copy of The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.
  
  
• The Band Roots Wait for Music's Payoff
  Nice AP profile of The Roots. Why is it again that you don't own a copy of Phrenology? You have no excuse. Pick it up as an extra Xmas present to self.
  
  
• Weezer's Turtles Cover Rejected By Former Video Director Spike Jonze
  I saw "Adaptation" and liked it *a lot*, but I was a huge freak for "Being John Malkovich", so maybe you should take that reccomendation with a grain of salt. Anyway, it turns out Weezer recorded a version of "Happy Together" for the movie, but director Spike Jonze decided the original by The Turtles fit better.
  
  In semi-related news: here is a neat story about the special effects in "Adaptation" and a cool profile of Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief and one of the main characters in "Adaptation."
  

posted by Randy on 2:16 PM | permanent link to this entry

Monday, December 23, 2002

DJ MC Hesher @ The Low Rent Holiday Super Sale Tonight 6-10pm!
Come hear me spin the platters that matter while looking for last minute art gifts made by El Rey, Deviant Goods, Richard Kadrey and Dyche Mullins. The event will take place from 6-10p.m. on Monday, Dec. 23 @ BUILD (483 Guererro Street, near 17th street) in San Francisco. Peep the flyer, tell all your friends and support the arts!

I'll be back on Dec. 26.

In the meantime-- R.I.P. Joe Strummer.
posted by Randy on 11:33 AM | permanent link to this entry