Happy Birthday Andy Warhol
Artifacts And A Personal Story:
The Cure - Lovebox (1989) • Rebel Rebel Shopping Bag (1990s) • Last year I reorganized my storage room, creating safe storage for 150+ sketchbooks from 1988 to the present and 130+ diaries from 1985 to the present. Ever the archivist, I purchased new portfolios to hold artwork dating back to my ARTLAB days of 1985 up through my college years at Parsons (1991-1995) and other things created since. In the midst of all of this activity, I unearthed a surprising artifact that stopped me in my tracks: my last remaining shopping bag from Rebel Rebel, which was my favorite record store for years. Situated on Bleecker Street in the West Village, Rebel Rebel sold myriad vinyl import releases during the time when vinyl had been devalued. This continued to be the case through the rebirth of vinyl until the store’s closing in 2016. I’ve paired this artifact with my first Rebel Rebel purchase at age 17 in 1990: A limited edition 7” of The Cure’s “Lovesong” in a numbered box containing a linen print of the cover art. In the ensuing years, over the course of numerous regular visits, I purchased too many records and CDs to count however when I pull a record or disc from a shelf, I can pinpoint which ones were purchased there. Dave, the store’s friendly and knowledgeable proprietor, would see me approach the door (marked with a clear decal for The Smiths’ “Rank” LP) and buzz me in to the shop with a big hello. He would point me in the direction of a new album or single he thought I’d like and he was ALWAYS CORRECT. I have Dave to thank for being my introduction many artists and bands and for always sending me back out onto Bleecker Street with a smile and one of these beautiful blue bags with one or more treasures inside. These blue bags became a ubiquitous staple in my life for years yet somehow they all fell away… except for THIS ONE. It’s now stored in one of the many boxes which house my magazine archives. I’ll be sharing more of that collection soon but for now, I’m just happy to have (and share) this totem from a space that both informed and formed me.
The Cure - Lovebox (1989) • Rebel Rebel Shopping Bag (1990s) • Last year I reorganized my storage room, creating safe storage for 150+ sketchbooks from 1988 to the present and 130+ diaries from 1985 to the present. Ever the archivist, I purchased new portfolios to hold artwork dating back to my ARTLAB days of 1985 up through my college years at Parsons (1991-1995) and other things created since. In the midst of all of this activity, I unearthed a surprising artifact that stopped me in my tracks: my last remaining shopping bag from Rebel Rebel, which was my favorite record store for years. Situated on Bleecker Street in the West Village, Rebel Rebel sold myriad vinyl import releases during the time when vinyl had been devalued. This continued to be the case through the rebirth of vinyl until the store’s closing in 2016. I’ve paired this artifact with my first Rebel Rebel purchase at age 17 in 1990: A limited edition 7” of The Cure’s “Lovesong” in a numbered box containing a linen print of the cover art. In the ensuing years, over the course of numerous regular visits, I purchased too many records and CDs to count however when I pull a record or disc from a shelf, I can pinpoint which ones were purchased there. Dave, the store’s friendly and knowledgeable proprietor, would see me approach the door (marked with a clear decal for The Smiths’ “Rank” LP) and buzz me in to the shop with a big hello. He would point me in the direction of a new album or single he thought I’d like and he was ALWAYS CORRECT. I have Dave to thank for being my introduction many artists and bands and for always sending me back out onto Bleecker Street with a smile and one of these beautiful blue bags with one or more treasures inside. These blue bags became a ubiquitous staple in my life for years yet somehow they all fell away… except for THIS ONE. It’s now stored in one of the many boxes which house my magazine archives. I’ll be sharing more of that collection soon but for now, I’m just happy to have (and share) this totem from a space that both informed and formed me.
Rest In Power
Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
Olivia Newton-John rose to fame in the 1970s and was an international
pop icon for her music and acting, most notably in the blockbuster
hit Grease and the cult classic Xanadu. She fought cancer for 30
years and used her global platform to open The Olivia Newton John
Cancer Research Institute, which gave healing and therapy to
countless individuals. As the song says, we have to believe we are
Not Zoh Matzoh
My view as I've been working steadily on
the new book entitled The Times Of The Times.
More on this later.
SPOTTED: The rare fox / deer hybrid!
Driving through the nights of August to somewhere else