BarryTaylorBlog

Ziggy Commemorated

Ziggy Stardust is almost forty, and in honour of that game-changing work by Mr. Bowie, he has been granted a plaque, well, Ziggy has been granted it actually, only the second fictitional character to be honoured with one of these familiar London markers(Sherlock Holmes is the other one). Amazing really. I came across this on Richard James' blog--a sartorial diversion of delight!!

radio radio

 

At the end of the 70s, while Elvis Costello was at his most bile-spilling, vitriolic, lyrical brilliance, he released a little gem, Radio, Radio--a rant against corporate control in the radio and music industries--censorship, and the power of those who were able to determine what got played on the radio and what did not. For much of the rest of the 20th century radio seemed to slip farther and farther down the scale of media-interest as television and particularly the visualization of music via MTV etc. reduced radio to a product of a bygone era. Actually, radio has remained a constant and viable source of communication, it seems to have a long and productive lifespan, it just slipped out of view a little. It used to be the communication centrepiece, but was eclipsed by tv, video and all the other visual media that emerged in the 20th century. But...radio has returned, risen from the ashes, but also, like the 'return of God' it is not a return to the same radio as the return to the sacred can hardly be characterized as a recovery of old forms. In fact, radio, probably isn't radio in the strictest definition of the word anymore--it's quite often digital and it's new nexus point is the Internet. Digital technologies and environments seem to have re-vitalized radio and once again it is finding its way back into peoples living rooms--not as the centrepiece perhaps, but as a component of a multi-mediated, multi-technological communication frame that people create to meet their particular needs and fancies. Internet radio, podcasts and iPad apps have allowed radio stations large and small to find new audiences--global audiences in some cases. Shows like Radiolab and apps such as KCRW's Music Mine are helping to bring the idea of radio back on our horizons. Of course it could be argued that radio has remained constant and viable during the entire late 20th century communications revolution--it just had to find new ways to insert itself into the cultural psyche...there might be a lesson there for religious practitioners, or not.

rocket juice the moon

Rocket Juice the Moon, otherwise known as, Damon Albarn's latest musical musing, is a blend of pretty much everything he has been toying with the past few years--bits of the Good the Bad and the Queen, Gorillaz, Mali Music. This time he ropes in Flea--Tony Allen, Fela's original groovemaster, and others to create a spotty but delightful soundscape--it's anglo-african-hip-hop-pop-rock-folk-melodic-groove--with a healthy amount of what soubd like unfinished jam sessions--but it has enough good bits and pieces to make for some great listening. Albarn has come to be one of pop's bright lights the past decade or so--his creative energies seem to know no end. It was released here in the U.S. today.

Networks without a cause

I am very committed to critical reflection on things, and am also a great believer in the need to explore both the losses and the gains that attend any new artifact or technology. That said, i find that all too often the highlighting of the potential negative aspects of various cultural artifacts, especially in the digital realm of social media, tend toward a bit of fear-mongering in my mind and are often riddled with a certain nostalgia for elements whose cultural cache has been diminished (i.e. mp3 vs. CD vs. cassette. vs. vinyl etc.or rock vs. punk. vs. grunge--you get my drift I hope).

But I find the work of Geert Lovink, though it tends towards a negative critique of technology, to be a compelling and enlightening read. Lovink teaches in the media programme at European Graduate School and is Director of the Institute of Network Cultures at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences--i.e. heavily embedded in media and its effects. His latest book, Networks Without A Cause, is an examination social media and asks some very interesting questions related to our fascination with social media. He wants to question the consequences of media-saturated lives and examination our obsession with identity and self-management. The opening line is,

"Once the internet ruled the world; now the world is changing the internet." If that piques your curiosity then this might be a book for you. This is definitely going to make its way onto the reading list for my theology and media culture class next time around.

bookskull

I came across this remarkable piece of work at Colossal, a great site for art and design stuff. There is something every day that warrants commenting on.

The artist is Maskull Lasserre and here is the link.

I love this, it is crafted from old computer manuals, which gives it an even deeper significance I think--artisinal craftsmanship and digital knowledge in artistic relation.

sigur

Sigur Rós - Ekki múkk from Sigur Rós on Vimeo.

 

new music forthcoming.

newsweek 1965

In advance of the long-awaited return of AMC'S MadMen, Newsweek has gone retro. Not only did they feature the cast on their cover, they decided to return to 1965, the year which will apparently feature in this new season of the show. They have brought back typeface from that period; utilized old ad images and language and done an all around great job of connecting the magazine to the show's sensibility. I sort of gave up reading Time and Newsweek on a regular basis a long time ago, but this one is worth the journey, just for the fascination aspect.

This book from Taschen is also worth a look it would seem.

water

 

This past Thursday was World Water Day and on Friday I participated in a conference at Woodbury University. The Drylands Conference was a one-day gathering to explore design, sustainability and general issues related to water in the Los Angeles area. It was fascinating, opening me up to ideas (and a literal and conceptual dictionary of words I have never heard before) about how to think about water in the 21st century. I was asked to speak on different aspects of water--to bring a wider focus to the conference--my topic was Water Utility: Mystic rivers, sacred springs and primordial oceans. I spoke about the uses of water in lfe and religion--the way water becomes a metaphor and a symbol of so many things in our various cultures. I opened with the above video--just for a laugh.

italian music

 

My local coffee spot is the Euro Caffe--great coffee and lots of football on two flatscreens. it's a morning ritual to go and read the paper and associate with all the ex-pat euro fashionists who live and work around Beverly Hills--you will see lots of tasty and impeccably dressed men starting the day with fine dress and espresso. When there is not football on the tv we are cosseted in Italian tv-which is pretty wild-cooking shows, and music videos. I used to think they were showing videos from years gone by--sort of like VH1--but apparently most of them are pretty current...hence the above video which I saw today and could not resist posting here. Slightly pervy Bear and Barbie moments--a pixelated Barbie body on the tv? wtf?!! Too good not to watch! Enjoy.

he didnt win though

One competitor you might think would have done better this past weekend in the marathon:) Oh wait, the first shall be last?