1. Dockers - yes, Dockers! - is doing something really cool. It's called the Wear the Pants Project, & through it they are offering $100k "Man Grants" to big thinkers with a plan. It's seed money for men to finally be in the position to do what they want to do in life. And I've thrown my hat in the ring for one. If you've got a minute, please vote for my plan! Here's the short pitch: It's 1927. My nature-loving conservationist grandfather leaves NY in a 1910 Model-T Ford & sets off on a road trip around a young, pre-interstate America, documenting the whole trip in a journal. My plan is to retrace his drive, mile for mile – preferably in a retrofitted classic Studebaker or some other zero-emissions vehicle – meeting ordinary people along the way & writing about the journey.
2. Sneakerheads, you're on notice! Amsterdam-based OAT Shoes are simple, stylish & BIODEGRADABLE! No, seriously. When they've worn out their welcome, you can plant them in your yard. How cool is that?! Props to these dudes, who recently won second prize in the Green Fashion competition at the Amsterdam International Fashion Week.
3. Have you ever taken a moment to consciously notice all the litter you pass by in your daily life? Most people don't even see it, but I do (constantly). And it really burns my britches. As a species, we have a very unhealthy relationship with garbage. In fact, most of what we buy is of the single-use variety, designed to be torn through & thrown away ("away" meaning that it is shipped off to a giant, smelly landfill somewhere). Beyond that, plenty of people don't even have the common courtesy to throw something in an actual trash can, opting instead to drop it on the ground. Just recently, we saw a little kid tear open a candy bar & drop the wrapper on the ground while standing next to a trash can. What's more, her mom was standing next to her & said nothing. Anyway, if Japanese Inventor Akinori Ito has the last laugh, our trash may one day be fuel for our cars & homes. Ito has created a machine which converts plastic bags into fuel. And if he doesn't mind me saying so, it's very Doc Brown. Yes, that's a "Back to the Future" reference. Honestly, it's been long enough since the "flying car which runs on trash & travels through time" idea. You would think we could at LEAST have figured out the Runs on Trash part by now, right? Ito is doing his part.
4. If you wanna see an interesting & cool example of creative re-use, you've gotta check out Dutch designer Patrick Schuur, who created a giant closet made of cassette tapes. While it would be nice to think your old mixtapes will get some airplay in the future, it's time to get real. This is probably the best you're gonna do with them.
5. The other night we were playing Wii & listening to records (aww, how cute right? but really - I'm getting to the point). Our record collection is pretty small & mostly consists of thrift store & dollar bin finds at this point, but, as it were, this is actually a great excuse for us to dive into bands we wouldn't normally spend money on (i.e. Berlin, Eddy Grant, The Human League, etc). We put on Squeeze's "East Side Story", which I bought a few years back from Amoeba's always excellent dollar bin, & I honestly don't think I'd listened to it yet. Imagine our surprise at the Elvis-Costello-meets-Spoon-&-has-a-Lovechild element here! Well, go have a listen & you be the judge...
I know, right? We've been pretty bad about keeping up with new music, but have a few opinions on things.
a) Congrats, Arcade Fire! Well deserved Grammy win. We know who you are & love you!
b) The new PJ Harvey record - "Let England Shake" - is SICK. Give it a listen!
c) Did everyone hear Radiohead's putting out a new record this Saturday? That's the rumor.
d) Speaking of hotly anticipated records, T.A.T. HQ is pumped to wrap our ears around Puro Instinct's debut record "Headbangers in Ecstasy". Listen to "Stilyagi" (feat. Ariel Pink!) & you'll see what we mean.
An excellent find. East Side Story was my favorite album growing up. I went through three tapes before I was 10. Tempted is a top 10 fave to this day. I have several others, but this is by far their best album.
ReplyDelete