Slavoj Zizek on James Cameron’s Avatar:

“Cameron’s superficial Hollywood Marxism (his crude privileging of the lower classes and caricatural depiction of the cruel egotism of the rich) should not deceive us. Beneath this sympathy for the poor lies a reactionary myth, first fully deployed by Rudyard Kipling’s Captains Courageous. It concerns a young rich person in crisis who gets his (or her) vitality estored through brief intimate contact with the full-blooded life of the poor. What lurks behind the compassion for the poor is their vampiric exploitation.”

The rest is here

You probably have heard mention at least somewhere of Slavoj Zizek.  He stands out as one of the most provocative critics of the accepted liberal/post-structuralist norms of contemporary thought, and uses a curious mixture of Lacan, Marx, Hegel, and the apostle Paul to draw some pretty dire conclusions about the permissive global society we live in.  His arguments often seem thoroughly contrarian: he inspires a funny mixture of awe, fear, and ire in rank-and-file “theoretical” leftists, ironically because of his unflinching espousal of the values they purport to hold.  In a nutshell, contemporary Marxists hate him for taking Marx “too seriously”, Christians shudder at his insights because he takes Paul “too seriously”, for contemporary (since Derrida) philosophers he takes philosophy “too seriously” (by way of Hegel), and he blasts psychoanalysis  out of the green pastures of cultural studies and into political/social theory by taking Lacan “too seriously”.  I can’t claim to be cognizant of the effects his ideas will have, and can’t speak to the validity or invalidity of his detractors.  But I can say that Zizek is at the very least a voice in contemporary ideas that is struggling to protect the radical from complete gentrification, and that without a doubt, is a cause worth fighting for.

This post is not really a review, but a recommendation of one of his more accessible and recent works titled Violence.  In it he assesses the role of violence in today’s society, and comes up with some interesting (if refreshingly counter intuitive) appraisals.  One of his least technical, more condensed volumes, it’s an interesting read and provides a good introduction to what his work is all about.

Purchase Violence (Verso Books) from Amazon

If you read my post about this past week being free at MOCA and The Geffen then you know how excited I was to see Chris Burden’s, The Big Wheel. Well the God’s were on my side when I notice a crowd around this woman struggling to start an old blue Triumph that powers….THE BIG WHEEL. It is a display of power and fluidity that most be felt in person. You become the moth to the flame forgetting all about the power it wields. Until the security guard reminds you that it’s a bad idea to be two feet from a 3 tons of kinetic energy.

I was told that twice a day someone starts the motorcycle up, I was around 3:30, F.Y.I.

More of my favorites when you read more…

Pre-Kick Start…

Post-Kick Start.

After walking up two flights of stairs I noticed this well lit white object and at first I couldn’t tell what it was. Naturally, I read the placard and it said as follows: Yutaka Sone Hong Kong Island, 1998 Marble. After a proper head scratching I went in for a closer look…

Erie post-apocalyptic energy, like frozen time.

Fred Tomaselli Hang Over, 2005. Beautiful resin based piece looks like an open shutter photograph by Hieronymus Bosch, of “A pill and eye-ball throwing contest at midnight.”

Toba Khedoori, Untitled (Seats) 1996. This triptych is double over head, it’s incredibly haunting.

Ahh last but not least one my favorite living artist, Kara Walker, About the title—I had wanted to title this “sketch after my Mississippi youth” or “the Excavation” as I pictured it a sort of introduction to the panorama to come. However the image, which is partly borrowed, is of an Indian mound—painted by Mr. J Egan in 1850—is meant to remind the dear viewer of another place altogether, from which we suckle life. Perhaps my rendering is too subtle… 2002.

That’s the title by the way, this is a non-paper cut-out piece of hers that is not as striking but just as moving. The softer side of Kara Walker if you will, well soft for her (see image below of nipple bound to arm-strap.)

Two formulaic, theory based shows are running parallel at the Sci-Arc Gallery and Sci-Arc Library respectively.

The gallery is hosting Deegan-Day Design’s, Blow X Blow is clever usage of a gallery space that in the past has felt forced and fallen under the umbrella of “art for art’s sake,” I’m looking at you Greg Lynn. I won’t go on further because they were kind enough to make the movie above, painful elevator music and all, that does a fantastic job of breaking down the reasoning behind it looks the way it looks. But, I have to mention that structurally the piece is well put together. They used soft plastic bee-hive panels, for lightness and rigidity, and joined them thin clear acrylic fins, after the break a close up photos, lastly the vertical posts that support the projection screens double as supports for the whole structure. Smart problem solving and materials choices all around.

Up the stairs and around the corner from the gallery is where you will find, Drawing as Thoughts the work of Jean-Pierre Hebert. I really wasn’t thrilled with the majority of the pieces in this show. An example being the last image after the jump, but the ones I did like were striking. Hebert, uses algorithms and texts that he considers important and enters them into a computer to create a one off piece of work not knowing for sure what will the outcome will be.

It’s a great idea and sometimes the results are mind-bending but more-over his vibe is just a little too “new-age” for me. Reminded me of walking around Laguna Beach a sunny day, only no Taco Loco. I just gravitate towards simple, stark patterns rather than that flat fuzzy images that over-complicating the formulas would yield. It’s still worth checking out but his website is more interesting to be honest.

Blow X Blow.

Above is a model on the gallery wall of a design-scheme for a prison, pretty impressive craftsmanship!

Drawing as Thoughts.

Kinda blah, right??

With the final episode of Entourage drawing to a close, I have found hope in whisking away more time into TV after watching last night’s season premiere of HBO’s new comedy Bored to Death. Protagonist Jonathan Ames played by Jason Schwartzman, is a struggling novelist desperately looking to complete his second book, and due to an addiction to white wine and weed has just been left by his girlfriend Suzanne. Ames seeks therapy in the notion of immitating heroes from his collection of detective novels, and posts his services as an “unlicensed” private investigator on Craigslist looking to kill time between his bouts of writer’s block. When he gets his first call from a distraught Brooklyn woman concerned that her sister has gone missing after breaking up with her methhead boyfried, Ames is thrown into a mystery that ends up with in a run in with the law.

Great casting with Ted Danson playing a suave magazine mogul and editor of Edition magazine, Danson is also Ames’ part time boss with an addiction to weed. Zach Galifianakis plays Ames’ best friend Ray Hueston, a budding cartoonist who is dealing with his own issues of sexual frustration with his current girlfriend. Aside from the clever storyline and cool cast, it was also interesting to find out Schwartzman contractually required that all his outfits for the show were from his favorite brand Band of Outsiders.

The movie is based off of author Marquis de Sade’s book Salò, originally written in the 18th century, and  has been banned in many countries due to its graphic violence and sadism. The film focuses on four wealthy, corrupted facist libertines who kidnap 18 boys and girls and subject them to 4 months of extreme violence, sadism, and mental torture. Set in Nazi controlled Italy in the mid 1940s, film director Pier Paolo Pasolini has drawn much of the film’s storyline from Sade’s novel as well as from his own personal accounts of living in the Republic of Salò during the rule of Mussolini’s Fascist regime.

Often heralded as one of the most important films of the 20th centurty from film makers such as Martin Scorsese and Michael Haneke, this extremely graphic tale of perverse consumption connects the brutality of Fascism to what Pasolini saw as the brutalizing effects of the modification of sexuality under late capitalism.

Aside from lending some of their rich soulful sounds to artists such as Amy Winehouse, Cee Lo and Antibalas, our friends at Truth & Soul have been pioneering the production of classic soul and love ballads that have come to make up one of my favorite albums this year. 

For their latest release, they brought back the vintage vocals of once forgotten Lee Fields and produced a record that has managed to capture the timeless sound of acts like The Delphonics, with the rich baritones of Fields belting over melodic string arrangements and rich bass lines.

Now there is no need for me to break down each track of this record (Pitchfork has done a good job at that already), but I wanted to highlight the standout track  Ladies, which coincidentally our friend Danny Miller is designing the artwork for their slated 12″ release. Download this jem, blast it in your room, and harmonize with Fields as you get dressed for your night on the town.

BONUS: Founder Leon Michels has also decided to give us an unreleased Aloe Blacc remix of My World, dubbed Truth, Deception and Lies. Get that.

Did you know that the Truth & Soul produced a track for Phenomenal Hand Clap Band who is also performing at Cinespace on Tuesday? Go watch them and buy Jason a shot of Cabo Wabo.

A review of one of Bad Beat’s favorite restaurants, the Oinkster in Eagle Rock:

“First time I came to this place I loved it.

Second time I came to this place it wasn’t nearly as good but I chalk it up to having directly in my line of sight a few tables away probably the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen, so ugly that I lost my appetite but I couldn’t look away, especially considering that the mom was rather attractive.  I don’t know why ugly babies make me lose my appetite but I was too grossed out to finish.

Third time I went there were no ugly babies as far as the eye could see, and it was once again butt fucking delicious.  I had the 1/4 chicken with the garlic ailoi sauce and black beans and fries.  I love the embarrassment of riches in the way of condiments and the fact that they have a happy hour and great beers on tap.”

Remember when reviews (and written things in general), had to be good enough to print?  Those tyrannical days are over, and now just any old you-n-me can delight readers with such beautiful catches of free democratic speech as “butt fucking delicious”.  We can even nestle such magnificent shapes of phrase into seemingly wanton, backhandedly glowing reviews of a pastrami restaurant.  Eww.

Sorry to get your hopes up folks but this show was for one night only and that night was last Saturday. Major bummer, I would have liked to have gone back for some juicy magic hour shots. For those of you that don’t know Matt Goldman is a man of many talents. The nights he does under this monogram MFG are always on point and his flyers for Dance Right @ La Cita make you feel like every party, weather you know the djs or not, is something you don’t want to miss. His talents lie in the ability to trick you into think everything is hand made, and you could argue that to a degree they are, but that’s making head spin. The majority Matt’s contributions for the evening were from a past works. Older flyers for shows and partys, Jane’s Addiction at the Echoplex cool enough for you. Plus prints from a show at the 55DSL Store at the end of last year are all worth a second more meaningful look at the gallery, The Artery in Costa Mesa.

If i had to pick I’d say my favorite piece of the night is the image above. It’s one of the two collaborations of the night Goldman does with Tim Biskup, thought I forgot about the man himself didn’t ya. It’s not too big not too small, eye catching but not overwelming color palate and is an accurate extension of the seamlessness the duo possess’ throughout the show. Their use of playfulness and repetition is what draws people in the most, you can’t help but think who wouldn’t be into to this, my mom is now a fan by the way. And you gotta love the usage of an emoticon, maybe because I’m kinda feeelin’ the iEmoji app right now.

Ahhh and then there’s Tim Biskup. Who for those of you not familiar him, with his work falls some inline with Shag and Charlie Harper. Not as goofy and sometimes empty as Shag, ya i said it and lacking the rigid draftsman edge of Haper’s work. He’s been around for quite some time with his clothing line Gamma Go taking off in the Giant Robot world of t-shirts and toys. What struck me at this show of Biskup’s was a series of prints that were dead ringers for original water-color paintings. The balance and control of the medium is impressive and worth a closer look to say the least. It was a wonderful look at what has been and what is to come of two artists at different stages of their careers.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW.