Saturday, December 31, 2011

Deuce/9LIVES - America

deuce, 9lives, hollywood undead, america, aron erlichmanI don't know what the hell Kudos are, but Dan Walker can have a lot of them for fetching me this image. Take as many Kudos as you need, little boy..

New single by Deuce. I pretty much have to review every single he puts out because he used to be the lead singer for one of my favorite bands, and while all of my past reviews have been negative, causing the fanboys and fangirls to yell at me, I don't think this will rattle their bushes.

First off, I actually like this song. It has Deuce singing throughout the whole thing, so none of this rapping is present. I think Deuce's voice has actually gotten stronger, and he's able to pack more anger into his vocals than before, as he sings about how messed up the great USA is. It's a catchy little tune, and I have to admit, I had the chorus stuck in my head for a while. It's well-written, and proves he still has the ability to write somewhat deep songs, like he did back when he was in HU.

The song isn't without flaws, though. The only thing I can really say that bothered me about it was that to me it sounds a lot like Hollywood Undead's 'Young' for some reason, but maybe I'm alone on that. Deuce's screams still sound lackluster too.

This part right here is nitpicking about the video, so don't mind me: A lot of his band mates look similar to Hollywood Undead members. A few times, I thought I saw Charlie Scene on the drums and had to double-take. His mask also looks kinda bad, because it looks like it was made out of clay, and just looks like it was the first mask he ever made.

Overall, I can't really hate on this. Deuce made a solid single, and I hope to see more stuff like this from him in the future.

7/10

But of course, different ears have different opinions..

"I'd rather spray myself in the eyes with lysol than listen to this crap." - Taylor Aragon. My opinion is now null.

A Tale of Two Diamonds



Dear Marina,

Marina on her first American tour -
we loved her use of Beyoncé's diva hair fan
We are true Diamonds. We have followed your artistic journey since the very beginning, admiring you both as an artist and as a person. Minna read your first blog before it was deleted & scrambled to buy the Crown Jewels EP the day it was released. We vividly remember seeing you at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club on your first American tour. Minna drove EIGHT hours that night just to see you, and we doubt she was the only one. How many artists have fans like that? It was a performance to remember; we loved your glow-in-the-dark lipstain and pointy-shouldered Hannah Marshall velvet gown. What we appreciated most, though, were your heart-felt words in between the sets. When we screamed, you said, “And they wonder why I love American crowds.” You stated that you knew “real diamonds [were] in the audience [that night].” We will never forget when you confided in us: “I don’t typically say this, but you guys are a special bunch. Whether you’ve followed me from the beginning or just heard of me yesterday, I want to tell you that you should chase after your dreams and do what you love, as long as you’re not hurting anyone in the process. Life is too short to be unhappy. You don’t know how many people said, ‘Marina, you’ll never make it! No one will ever love you!’” Marina, those words resonated with us. We will forever carry them in our memories and consciousness.

Marina at a Dolce & Gabbana party
 celebrating Naomi Campbell's
25 years in the fashion industry
However, we feel that your special relationship with your fans is going awry. The closeness and connection evident in your words that night seem to be dripping away. As truly devoted Diamonds, this pains us greatly. In this recent webcam chat, you said you’d do anything for your fans. You’d even die for them! Yet, when a fan asked if s/he could attend your birthday party, you responded with something like, “Well, I don’t know you, so no.” Marina, what happened to doing anything for your fans? Where did that special, intimate connection go? Of course, you can’t invite everyone to your birthday, and you may have feared that thousands of fans would ask to attend, but you could have said, “the first five fans to ask for an invite get to come.” That’s how you give back to those who support you.

Your twitter has become a way for you to network with your famous friends in London and Los Angeles, as opposed to a tool through which to communicate with your fans (as it used to be). It seems as though you are more enamored with the POP star lifestyle and your glitzy pals than with your true Diamonds, who aren’t chauffeured in Mercedes and don’t get free clothes from Vivienne Westwood. You’ve always said that your stage name, Marina & the Diamonds, represented a community - yet, as you’ve shot up the POP star ladder, you’ve forgotten about those who helped get you there. You live a glamorous life, and that’s fantastic! We've always hoped for your success! But why don’t you allow the fans who helped bring it to you participate along with you? You began as a woman who detested the elitism of the music and fashion industries, yet now, you’re enabling and enforcing the hierarchy by partaking in it. Why don’t you act more democratically by sharing the trappings with your fans?

Marina (on the far right) at London fashion week
We don’t mind that you’ve died your hair blonde (you look fantastic and the character of Electra Heart fascinates us!) We’re not bothered by your contract with Max Factor. In fact, your glamor and aesthetic is part of what drew us to you and your art.  We don’t care that you’ve changed your mind about many issues; before, you spoke against certain artists using sexuality to sell records, and you talked of never performing on X Factor because they supposedly dumbed down the show for viewers. Now, you’re friends with those aforementioned artists, saying that sexually forward female POP stars are empowering, and we agree (to a degree). You now claim that you’d love to perform on X Factor, and that’s fine. Really, that’s great! We'd love to see you on the show! As people live, they learn, and they change their minds. We do it all the time! You’re not a hypocrite. You’re simply growing up. Altering your opinions is only human.

Marina looking luminous in
one of our favorite Max Factor ads
We don’t care that you’re going more POP on your second record – we’re counting down the days until its release. We think it’s great that you’re working with people like Dr. Luke and Stargate. We adore Dr. Luke and can’t wait to hear what you two have come up with. Radioactive is fantastic. A true artist changes with time, and it’s understandable that you wouldn’t want to make The Family Jewels again – that would be artistically stagnant, not progressive.  However, there’s a difference between working with a hit-maker because you love his music and working with a hit-maker because you want to be famous. You admire Madonna, and we do, too. However, while Madonna may be an iconic POP artist, she is a vile and unappreciative human being. Madonna may have more fans than you numerically, but her attitude is the reason why most of them are fans-LITE. Marina, what you don’t understand is that to your devoted fans, you are already FAR more iconic than Madonna will EVER be to hers! What you have is a human touch. This is the rarest, most invaluable gem that a POP star can possess - worth more than any sum of money, any arena stage, and any amount of fame.

As we feel the gap between Marina and her Diamonds growing... all we want to say is this: "Please don’t forget about us, Marina."

Unapologetically,

Gregory & Minna


Minna's motivational wall when she taught English abroad.

For New Year's Eve, The Party Hat In Art by 16 Artists From Jeff Koons to Redshift.




With New Year's Eve tonight and a new year of birthdays coming up, I was inspired by the notion of 'Party Hats' and wanted to see what was out there in terms of fine art that incorporated the classic pointed hat. I was not disappointed and I hope you won't be either.

So, in honor of New Year's Eve, here's a round up of 16 contemporary artists and sculptors who have made various works of art in which the party hat appears. I took a few liberties in the sense that some included are dunce caps and Will Cotton's are edible creations rendered in paint - I hope you don't mind.

Party Hat Paintings

Jeff Koons

above: Jeff Koons, 'Party Hat', 1995-97, oil on canvas, 114 3/8 x 127

Kathi Olivas:

above: The Spectator

above: Regenerate and Girl with Cat

above: conjoined rabbit boys

above: upside down boy and boy with braces

above: Bird sculptures by Kathi Olivas

Mark Ryden:

above: Jajo, Patron Saint of Clowns, 1994, Oil on Panel, 15" x 20" and detail

Will Cotton:

above: CROQUEMBOUCHE, 2010, oil on linen, 54 x 39 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Mary Boone Gallery

above: KATY, 2010, oil on linen, 34 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Mary Boone Gallery

above: RIBBON CANDY PORTRAIT, 2008, oil on linen, 36 x 32 inches

above: COTTON CANDY HANNAH, 2009, oil on linen, 47 x 32 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Mary Boone Gallery

Matthew Feyld (aka Driftwould):

above: Untitled (Grey Shirt Party Hat), Acrylic on wood panel,24 x 24" 61 x 61 cm

Dog Party oil paintings:



Party Hat Sculptures

Sarah Troper:

above: Party Hats, 2007. steel, elastic cord, 11.5cm x 10cm x 16cm (each)

Kate Mitchell:

above: Social Sculpture, 29kg Party Hat, 2011, Lead, archival quality watercolour paper, 26 cm x 9 cm radius

Amanda Louise Spayd:


above: little mixed media handmade creatures donning party hats

Darla Jackson
limited edition sculptures (also available in bronze)

above: Surprise Party (Birds), 2009,Gypsum Cement, 4”h x 5”w x 5”d

above: Surprise Party (Crow), 2009, Gypsum Cement, 6”h x 5”w x 12”d

above: Surprise Party (Rabbit), 2009, Gypsum Cement, 9”h x 6”w x 12”d

above: Surprise Party (Cat), 2009, Gypsum Cement, 15”h x 20”w x 14”d

above: Surprise Party (Raccoon), 2009, Polyurethane Resin, 14”h x 18”w x 12”d

above: Surprise Party (Fawn), 2009, Polyurethane Resin, 16”h x 18”w x 8”d

above: Fish out of Water..., 2008, Mixed Media, 24"h x 72"w x 36"d
her etsy store

Cart Before The Horse - Contemporary folk art by Dylan and Jo:

above: handmade dolls and skellies, complete with party hats

Flora Art Studio:

above: Chimerical Six Series, low fire clay, 12"h x 6"w x 6" d (30.5cm x 15cm x 15cm), each sold separately

above: Algorithm Dunce Ghost Baby, low fire clay, 11" x 4.5" x 3.5" (28 x 11 x 9.5 cm).

above: Autophobia, low fire clay, 15" x 8" x 5.5"

Jeffrey Augustine Songco:

above: Party Hats, 2011, cotton and paper in locked case 6" x 4" x 4" (15cm x 10cm x 10cm), edition of 83

above: party hat installation, 2011

Kimberley Henessey:

above: BANG! parade of fools (detail) , art installation, foam and paper, 2009

above: BANG! parade of fools , art installation, mixed media, 2009

Jackie Mock:

above: Pigeon, 2010, taxidermy pigeon with party hat constructed of paper, yarn, and acrylic paint

Kristin Mariano:
Redshift leather and feather party hats by Kristin Mariano for Rick Owens




above: Selling in sets of three at Rick Owen's New York store are these wonderful back leather party hats and white feather party hats

And some Party Hat links for you:

There's even a "Keep Calm" poster available of which you can customize the color:

buy it here


Cool ugly dolls party hats by David Horvath:


buy them here

...and the prettiest party hats you can buy. Bejeweled party hats by Sereni and Shentel:

buy them here

and lastly, an easy to follow tutorial to make your own.

Happy New Year!