Jimmie Durham on Santiago Bose
Posted: October 31, 2012 Filed under: Home, my family is fucking cool, philippine culture | Tags: Jimmie Durham, santiago bose, University of the Philippines, Vargas Museum Leave a comment »
An excerpt from the artist Jimmie Durham’s work in This Long Century:
I’ve written a poem about the Filipino artist, Santiago Bosé who seemed irresistible to all women and wanted to love them all.
SANTIAGO BOSE’S POEM
Far in the (not really so cold!) north of Norway
But not yet Karasjok where I hope to go
Next year, I was not shocked but struck;
Surprised by a display of woodcut prints
By John Savio. “John?” I asked
Myself, “Why isn’t he called ‘Jan’ or ‘Johan’
Or even something close to the Cherokee
‘Tsani’?”
I want to ask Santiago Bosé.
In the whole world, not only the South Pacific,
There is no Santiago Bosé.
—
Santiago Bose’s first exhibit at the University of the Philippines! Abababa!
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Parker Jacobs and the Aquabats
Posted: September 20, 2012 Filed under: journalism, music | Tags: artbound, kcet, parker jacobs, yo gabba gabba Leave a comment »
Here’s a story I wrote about one of my favorite artists for KCET’s Artbound: Parker Jacobs:
From the beginning, Parker Jacobs’ life has been one roundabout path to fame after another. I like to think of him as the most influential Huntington Beach artist that you’ve never heard of. In fact, Jacobs has been quietly impacting the American skate-pop-punk aesthetic since 1993, when GOGO13, the ska band Jacobs formed in his garage so impressed his older brother Christian that he promptly went out and formed the Aquabats.
1. “I got into art because I had really poor vision as a kid — I still do,” he says. “But back then being visually stimulated was really important because of my bad eyesight, and drawing was my outlet and my way to express myself.”
2. As a child actor, Parker Jacobs was in five episodes of “The Wonder Years.” “I even had a catch phrase: ‘UNBELIEVABLE!’”
3. The Aquabats once sold live tarantulas as merch.
4. The Aquabats were dropped by their record label because the record label (AKA Goldenvoice) lost money on the first two Coachella Arts and Music Festivals. Reportedly (from a friend who once interviewed Paul Tollett, the founder of Goldenvoice), the Aquabats is the only band that still makes Tollett starstruck after all these years.
5. Aquabats lead singer Christian Jacobs told Parker that Yo Gabba Gabba would be “a way to get a company to fund a really good Aquabat monster costume, because we were never happy with our monster costumes. So we created this universe,”
6. Christian Jacobs is blind in one eye, so he kind of identified with this cyclops — who eventually became Muno, a cyclops Christian started drawing in the 1980s. Muno was the first Aquabats villain.
7. Yo Gabba Gabba is not influenced by drugs. WHAT, REALLY? Parker says, “I’ve never done anything — I’ve never even drunk coffee! But looking back when I watch it, I go, ‘That show is kinda weird.’”
8. Gogo13, Parker’s band, wrote our favorite YGG song.
9. Parker said, “I’m comfortable being compared to my older brother … maybe he’s not as comfortable being compared to anyone!”
10. Parker Jacobs is the second cousin of the guitarist of Maroon 5 … I found this out on Twitter. WHO WOULD’VE THOUGHT?!
I Wrote a Story on No Doubt; In Other News, “Don’t Speak” Still Gives Me the Chills
Posted: September 12, 2012 Filed under: Home, journalism, music | Tags: No Doubt, OC Weekly Leave a comment »
In 1995, I was obsessed with No Doubt. I wore bindis like Gwen Stefani, I tried to dress like Gwen Stefani, I watched that “Don’t Speak” video CONSTANTLY, I wanted to sing like Gwen Stefani. Today OC Weekly published my cover story on No Doubt. If it was 1996 it would’ve been like my biggest dream had been realized, but I’m 17 years older. So much is different — my priorities, my energy, my musical taste. Oddly enough, that’s also what I discovered about No Doubt. They’re older, wiser, with different priorities. To celebrate the fulfillment of a dream (however deferred) I watched “Don’t Speak” really closely tonight. The realness and the raw emotion in that video … I choked up and felt 17 again.
See also:
If You Could Live Anywhere But Here and Now
Posted: September 8, 2012 Filed under: all my friends are fucking cool, my family is fucking cool, philippine culture, travel Leave a comment »
I always used to choose 1980s Baguio. But I think Sebastopol and/or Humboldt in 2012 would be a great place to live in too, if I could get over the cold.
Valentina, Part 2
Posted: August 30, 2012 Filed under: milwaukee, music Leave a comment »A few years ago I was crazy for this singer that the indie radio station 88.9 was pushing in Milwaukee. Before “Guilt Trip” I had never heard of Valentina, and no one else ever had, either. As I was working as an arts and entertainment writer for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel at the time I tracked down the then-22-year-old from London and got probably one of the first profiles ever written on her for the U.S. media. Now Valentina is featured on a Joe Goddard (Hot Chip) track. It is awesome (listen below), but her own stuff is still better.
The Desert is Mine
Posted: August 30, 2012 Filed under: Home, travel Leave a comment »
In the Philippines I knew I was a tiny speck of nothing when I faced the sea. Here, the beaches are too full — of people, of things, of surfers — I could never find that finite sense of my self with a banana stand and a lifeguard post around. But I found that feeling in the high desert.
Sometimes I Am So Happy It Feels Unfair
Posted: June 19, 2012 Filed under: my family is fucking cool | Tags: Adam, jah Leave a comment »
Can’t complain about anything these days. Thank you, universe!
The Sound of Settling
Posted: May 22, 2012 Filed under: travel Leave a comment »
I used to say that I never felt present–or in the moment–unless I was in motion. Now this constant movement depresses me. I just want to take root, but how? I feel like we will never finish unpacking.
Goals, etc.
Posted: May 20, 2012 Filed under: testy cells, travel, Uncategorized Leave a comment »
I don't have a photo of the actual board--this is a photo of our To-Do list.
A few months ago, I had a faux chalkboard up in my tiny kitchen in Long Beach. (Actually we had two of them; one on the front door for reminders and the second one, the one I’m referring to, for general hopes and dreams.) On it: new digs, more $$$, and CREATIVITY in big letters, on top of the list. We just meant we wanted better ways to express ourselves artistically. And we’re incredibly happy that we got a lot of those items so soon after putting up that old list (it was January 2012 when we wrote everything down), so I feel a little silly for missing our tiny 2-bedroom (a mile from the beach!), my old job (I worked from home three times a week!) and just how familiar everything in Long Beach had become. So maybe I just have to work on the creativity part. I’m sure that will solve everything.
Oh, Coachella
Posted: April 13, 2012 Filed under: music Leave a comment »
Coachella, 2004. My first.
One day, when I’m working a desk job where I have to clock in, wear suits, pearls and heels, I’m going to look back on my days of covering Coachella and get really nostalgic. Maybe.