1963 lincoln continental: suicide doors

what happened to american cars? let’s take the continental, they used to glide about, moving the kennedy’s around… now they have turned into some plastic junker, hauling budget passengers to the JFK airport? no wonder they’re all going bankrupt! to make things worse, they came up with the brilliant idea to launch guzzlers like the hummer when the world was… how can i say… warming up to global warming. now of course they have a ‘green version’ – right! no matter what you run it on; be it battery, gas or arugula, to move over six tons of weight (that’s the small H3) you will be polluting. boeing is another one in the crossfire… it better shape up, airbus the frowned upon “french/german/british socialist machine” is turning out to be the real gang of creative cowboys.  that is, despite their tailored suits. read the latest vanity fair article about the airbus that landed in the hudson river and its praise for its engineering and design. america needs to spend money on education and ideas, or it will lose all its past prestige for good. by dd

CATEGORIES: cars

ras kush: New yorks finnest

unknown gem. to me, ras kush, remains one of the greatest dj’s and preachers of reggae/rock/roots/dub music in brooklyn and new york (you can also catch him in tokyo where he has a specific following – that is if you happen to be there). his group black redemption is only one part of his persona. (Kush at joes pub) I met him the first time at jammyland in NY and attended many of his sets in new york and brooklyn alike. i pushed to publish an interview on him and we ended up eventually recording together many years ago. tonight as I selected songs at a set I thought of him and his wealth of knowledge, so many people came up to me to ask what I played and many of them thoughts went out to ras kush, his kindness and genuine love will always remain with me. by dd

CATEGORIES: music

for george

this short film by fellini is a masterpiece for me, with actor terence stamp, ray charles on the sound track and a spirit that is more punk than the pistols themselves. this particular scene simply never left me! you have to understand what she says to appreciate the gravity of the scene. find an italian immediately. the other two shorts by vadim and malle in the spirit of the dead (3 tales by edgar allan poe) are to be discarded. read more about it in this article by george porcari. by dd

CATEGORIES: clips, must see films

so sad!


sharon tate: this is one of the saddest pictures ever. if you don’t know the story, it’s best that you don’t. by dd

CATEGORIES: read

roman polanski & Sharon tate


polanski is one of my favorite directors. i finally saw the latest documentary on him made in 2008 (wanted and desired) which made me rather sad. of course, as the case is with most ‘good’ directors, he’s done his share of terrible films; ‘bitter moon 1992‘ is just one of them. bitter moon was almost as bad as bertolucci’s last tango in paris.  in that film, i felt embarrassed for the actors and the director. but his ‘knife in the water 1962‘, ‘chinatown 1974‘, ‘rosemary’s baby 1968‘ (starring another favorite director of mine, john cassavetes), ‘the tenant 1976‘ (a lovely film about france in general) and of course ‘repulsion 1965‘. all of these films remain to be what “polanski” is to me. his later film ‘the pianist‘, which received so much attention, wasn’t that terrible, but by no means did it deserve the given status to be the defining moment of his career. of course, hollywood is always late in awarding great talent. maybe they were just catching up for lost time. by dd

CATEGORIES: must see films

what your last $20 should buy!


i don’t know what to say about the second issue of tar magazine beside the fact that my mouth was watering when i saw it in the newsstands and that 20 bucks seems pretty fair considering the crazy printing work, production effort and content featured. a must have. cover kate moss by damien hirst. by pp’

CATEGORIES: eye candy, perfect gift

rick owen’s rules of style

1.
I’m not good at subtlety. If you’re not going to be discreet and quiet, then just go all the way and have the balls to shave off your eyebrows, bleach your hair, and put on some big bracelets.2.
Working out is modern couture. No outfit is going to make you look or feel as good as having a fit body. Buy less clothing and go to the gym instead.

3.
I’ve lived in Paris for six years, and I’m sorry to say that the Ugly American syndrome still exists. Sometimes you just want to say “Stop destroying the landscape with your outfit.” Still, from a design standpoint, I’m tempted to redo the fanny pack. I look at it as a challenge—it’s something to react against.

4.
When a suit gets middle-of-the-road it kind of loses me—it has to be sharp and classic and almost forties.

5.
Hair and shoes say it all. Everything in between is forgivable as long as you keep it simple. Trying to talk with your clothes is passive-aggressive.

6.
There’s something a little too chatterboxy about color. Right now I want black, for its sharpness and punctuation.

7.
Jean-Michel Frank, the thirties interior and furniture designer, supposedly had 40 identical double-breasted gray flannel suits. He knew himself and is a wonderful example of restraint and extravagance.

8.
I hate rings and bracelets on men. I’m not a fan of man bags, or girl bags either—or even sunglasses. I don’t like fussy accessories. Isn’t it more chic to be free? Every jacket I make has interior pockets big enough to store a book and a sandwich and a passport.

9.
With layering, sometimes the more the better. When you layer a lot of black you’re like a walking Louise Nevelson sculpture, and that’s pretty attractive. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is also one of the most attractive things you can do.

10.
It’s funny—whenever someone talks about rules, I just want to break them. I recoil from the whole idea of rules.


when you look at the other rules of style from previous post, it’s funny to see that some guys think exactly the opposite than others. borrowed to “style.com”, belongs much better here by pp’

CATEGORIES: rules of style