Where High Gets Low.
Spent last night at Secret Project Robot in Brooklyn watching some inter-gender lucha libre — complete with an intermission performance of the Mexican hat dance and a Pee Wee Herman-inspired rendition of Tequila. I also voted in the guacamole contest. A note to whomever made guacamole #1: Never, under any circumstances, or for any reason, must you put curry powder in guacamole. I believe that this is governed by the Geneva Convention. Look it up.
The group shot. Taken well before the kegstands got everyone crunky. (Image courtesy of Fluent Collab and Santiago Forero.)
Remember that conceptual art frat party I went to Austin? Well, the group shot is out — and we’re in it. (And I think my hair is bigger than my head. (Dang humidity.) Anyhow, it’s all pretty darn collegiate-looking if you ask me. And all I gotta say is that New York could use more stuff like this (aka free beer and chips and salsa in someone’s backyard). Larry Gagosian, please get on it.
Thanks to the folks at Test Site for the good times (and the photo).
Apparently, in the deep parts of Fox News Country, it has become customary to decorate your truck with a pair of dangling testicles. (You know you want to see this LARGE.) I’m deeply hoping this trend makes it all the way to New York. (Photo by C-M.)
Alls I gotta say is: Sweet. God. Almighty. (Photos by C-M.)
I’m not ordinarily a Whole Foods shopper, but I just HAD to visit the corporate HQ of America’s most blinged out supermarket chain while in Austin — and thankfully, my efforts were amply rewarded. The Whole Foods here is truly out-sized, with colors that are hallucinogenic and a baby boomer soundtrack that keeps the senses on total overload. I realized that it made perfect sense that this is a company that would emerge from Texas, a state that revels in doing everything on a larger-than-life scale. The whole experience was like entering an Andreas Gursky photo. With smells. And insane amounts of disposable plastic. And a three-foot tall chocolate fountain.
As totally insane as the whole place is, I have to tip my hat to the folks in corporate for the presence of the Bowie BBQ stand in the middle of the store. Their brisket sandwich KICKS ASS.
Continue reading ‘Visiting the Mother Ship: Whole Foods, Austin.’
Partying hearty with the faux fraternity types. (Photos by C-M.)
While in Austin, @ktsmither gave us a tip that Test Site, a city arts lab, was hosting an event by artist Michael Smith (a.k.a. Baby Ikki). He and curator Jay Sanders had transformed a tony home in a well-to-do neighborhood into an art frat house — ΟΣΦ, Omicron Sigma Phi — and were staging a “reunion” party (complete with keg). From what I heard, the neighbors got slightly ruffled at the idea of some possibly vomitous revelry moving into the area. But fortunately this was a gentlemanly fraternity, channeling an a-capella-group-from-Amherst kind of vibe. So, we spent a pleasant afternoon drinking beer in the name of art — and then everyone gathered for a group shot on the front lawn. An all around excellent afternoon, made better by the fact that it’s now been enshrined as art.
Learn more about Test Site here.
Continue reading ‘Roadtrip Diary: Partying like a frat star in Austin.’
Which is the Donald Judd sculpture and which is the old livestock watering trough?
Forget museum gift shops. The LA County Coroner’s Office can fill all your merch needs. (Photos by C-M.)
In between running errands for Road Trip 2010 (which officially starts tomorrow), I met up with my homegirl Vidalia for a quick field-trip to a couple of important L.A. sights. First stop: the L.A. County Coroner’s Office, so that we could patronize the gift shop, where we stocked up on all manner of Coroner department merch. (Because a girl’s wardrobe isn’t complete unless she has a blingy tee with a body outline on it.) The added bonus is that the shop is located inside the building that once housed the old L.A. County General Hospital. Built in 1878, it has been beautifully restored, and comes complete with graceful Beaux Arts facade, dramatic staircase, mosaic tile floors and frosted glass doors. I half expected to see Jack Nicholson running around in Chinatown garb.
Because buying T-shirts with toe tags builds up an appetite, we followed this excursion with a visit to the infamous El Tepeyac, where we dined on the infamous Manuel’s Special Burrito, a behemoth machaca monster that was bigger than an airline pillow (remember those?) and weighed more than a small dog. It’s even bigger than the infamous porno burrito from El Atacor. So big, in fact, that the restaurant staff helpfully supply you with a pie server in order to be able to eat the thing. And yes, it was damn good. Special props go to the kick-ass house hot sauce, which has just the right amount of punch and smoke.
Special thanks to my former colleague and Twitter pal @russelltrombone for the tip on the Coroner’s gift shop. It is, indeed, as spectacular as described.
BONUS C-MON GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA: Leave a comment below to be entered to win an L.A. County Coroner’s office lick-n-stick tattoo. Estimated value: 25 cents.
Continue reading ‘L.A. Trip Diary: Coroner’s Office Gift Shop + Gigantor Burrito. Hell yes.’
Let me pull out my digital chalkboard to explain: Glenn Beck recently showed images of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson rendered in an artistic style reminiscent of…
…the Obama/Hope poster…
…which was created by Shepard Fairey…
…who was influenced, artistically, by Constructivism…
…a movement that was born in Russia, just after the Revolution…
…which was led by Lenin, who once reportedly said, “a lie told often enough becomes the truth” — which makes Glenn Beck a…
…a card-carrying big-C Commie.
There you have it, folks. Now everybody run around like chickens with your heads cut off.
Image credits, top to bottom: Screengrab by C-M, Thomas Hawk, Strifu, Alki1, LLlyxep, Délirante bestiole, John McNab.
