BÖC

.

Blue Oyster Cult "Burnin' For You" from Fire of Unknown Origin (1981, Columbia)

Admit you love it

Image of the Day

.
Jane Birkin photographed by Ezra Petronio for the new issue of Self Service Magazine. Age ain't nothin' but a number.

Guest Cat

.
Winston

Prepare for the Future

.
Free Time Industries' 2012 Naturalist Almanac (Offset print, 23.5" x 23.5"), $43.

Starting at the center, the almanac tells you how to find the North Star, length of daylight, solstices, seasons, daylight savings, important days, living via the astrological signs, and keep track of moon and menstrual cycles. The almanac also gives seasonal information on topics such as hunting, fishing, foraging, building, health, gardening, raising ducks, weaving, raising bees, starting fires, and natural cleaning methods. The almanac is meant to be rotated at each season, creating a new ritual for the passing of time.

Order it here.

Sylvia Robinson

.
Kind of a controversial figure depending on who you ask, but no one would argue her influence on hip-hop, being the founder of Sugarhill Records. She died yesterday at the age of 75.


Sugarhill Gang "Rapper's Delight" (1979, Sugar Hill 12")
It's not what the song is known for but I could listen to the intro on loop for about three days.

Robinson had a bunch of hits of her own and with the duo Mickey & Sylvia, but to me she's most significant for the labels she founded with her husband Joe and the talent they engendered. Here are a few favorites from All Platinum Records, the label they founded before Sugar Hill.


Willie & the Mighty Magnificents "Funky 8 Corners Pt. 2" (1969, All Platinum 7")


Retta Young "Sending Out and S.O.S." (1975, All Platinum 7"). What can I say, I like those little telegraph beeps.


Wood, Brass & Steel "My Lady" from Wood, Brass & Steel (1976, Turbo Records, a subsidiary of All Platinum). Wood Brass & Steel was basically the backing band for the Sugarhill Gang – before samples the labels would hire bands to play music for MCs to rap over. The double-snare in this song kind of kills me.

I think Sylvia Robinson may have also co-founded Stang Records, which deserves its own post. Read the New York Times' obituary here.

Best Foot Forward

.
Dries Van Noten Spring/Summer 2012. Really cool with shorts or short pants and a tan, IMHO.

Images via style.com. I haven't had time to check out a ton of shows – and Emily has been completely swamped or she'd be posting this, or something like it – but Dries is one of my favorites so far. Here's the whole thing:

Proof

.
Draw Blood for Proof is a forthcoming book by photographer Mario Sorrenti, to be published this December by Steidl.

Initially conceived as a personal project on the walls of Sorrenti’s New York loft, the material in Draw Blood for Proof eventually found its way onto gallery walls as a large-scale installation piece in 2004. Papering the site from floor to ceiling with layers of collected snapshots, contact sheets, prints, Polaroids and ephemera drawn from over fifteen years of work, Sorrenti’s collection was a unique look into the artist’s diaristic creative process, going beyond ideas of public and private production.

Sorrenti is one of my favorite photographers, but he has published very few books, so I was excited to find out this is on the way. More info at Steidleville.

A few views of the 2004 exhibition at Andrew Roth gallery are below.

Breakfast

. This doesn't look like much but I was kind of proud of this morning's invention – 2 eggs + oats + canned jalapeños & carrots (a gift from Jillian and Corey but you can use La Moreña). If I had some scallions I would have put those in too.

If You Just Sit Tight I'll Be There Soon

.

Real Estate "Green Aisles" from Days (10/18/2011, Domino)

(photo by Emily: Liberty, WA, Sept 2011)

Image of the Day

.
Milton Resnick: Last Elephant, 1979 (Oil on canvas, 51 x 81 inches) – at Cheim & Read Gallery in New York through October 29th.