The Bubblegum Sequencer

BLOG JUMP

As much as I hate even mentioning this dood, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton is doin his thing. In an article published yesterday by the New York Times, Perez Hilton, aka Mario Lavandeira, is in negotiations with Warner Brothers that would give him his own imprint at the label, and an A&R position with $100k yearly advance.

Although his celebrity gossip has attracted over 2.8 million visitors a month, it was his reviews of rather obscure music talent and the direct correlation it has had with itunes sales and web traffic to band's sites that brokered this deal.

Setting aside my disdain for celebrity gossip, it reveals the widening power and influence that a single person is able to command through digital and online media. This cornball was scribbling jizz on Kate Moss pictures, and now he's repping his own Warner-backed imprint. Not too shabby, eh? Big corporate money is starting to give tangible influence and power to bloggers and other non-traditional culture makers and mavens. If you can't feel the slow, but inevitable flow of power into the hands of our generation, then it's because you are living in the moment. Believe me, we will continue to see more and more deals being brokered like this, this is only the beginning.

Old School - The Last Calligraphers

I have a personal affinity for typography and letterforms, and I have always been fascinated by calligraphy, one of the oldest art forms, and to me it is like the forefather to graffiti and the idea that the style of medium can say just as much as the message. A part of what we do at Vane is bring things back, to reintroduce people to an older, more traditional way of doing things, be it classically tailored garments, localized production, or vintage chains and jewelry.

The Musalman is on a whole other level. It is a tiny newspaper in India, is entirely written by hand in Urdu, the native language to Pakistan and parts of Southern India. Running since 1927, the Mussalman is the last remaining handwritten newspaper in all of Asia. See the story in The Last Calligraphers, a documentary by Premjit Ramachandran.

Spring Jewelry Collection... Coming Soon

BLUE PROPHECY TEE NOW AVAILABLE!

The Blue Prophecy is finally available! After taking care of some production difficulties, we present you with the 3M reflective print featured over a clean blue and white colorway available in both Men's and Women's. Spring is just around the corner, make sure you head over now to our online store and cop this tee before it's gone!

JAMES TOP'S AFROLOGY

Come out this Friday to peep OG New York graf legend and original writer, James TOP, aka JEE2, for the opening his first solo show, Afrology, an exploration of the African-American male identity.

In 1973, James started bombing in the Cypress Hills Projects of East New York, and emerged as one of the most instrumental New York City writers in the history of the art form, dominating the train lines and creating a precedent for writers to follow. He was also a founding member of the legendary crew, The Odd Partners, which has become a stable of some of New York's most notorious writers over the years, including the likes of MICKEY, HURST, and DONDI.

James has since moved his work onto canvases and into classrooms, teaching a controversial graffiti class at Bronx's Hostos College. Come check his work and his message, peep below for details.

Afrology
Essex Street Gallery
Friday, February 22nd, 2008 Opening
6:00 pm - 12:00 am
New York City 10002
p. 1.917.4474028

"The exhibit debuts seventeen variations of the 1970’shairstyle, the “Afro”, that illustrates humorous and serious messages about being an African American within the United States and in New York City. As an additional treat, Top will be joined by Jamel Shabazz for this event there both artists will collaborate on one canvas. It will be an exclusive piece and one of the most expensive at the exhibit. Afrology will also serve as an example to young aspiring artists, provingthat graffiti art can be legal, well received and above all, respected."

P.S.1 Presents: WACK!

P.S.1 presents the highly anticipated WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, the first comprehensive historical exhibition to examine the global foundations and legacy of feminist art. WACK! includes work made between 1965 and 1980 by 120 artists and artist groups from all over the world.

"Comprising work in a broad range of media—including painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, and performance art—the exhibition is organized around themes based on media, geography, formal concerns, collective aesthetic, and political impulses. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue." - PS1

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
2225 Jackson Ave at 46th Ave.
Long Island City, NY 11101

February 17 - May 12, 2008

V is for Vendetta

I am generally one who fights these over-hyped, commercially-generated "holidays," especially one that promotes traditional male romanticism in an age in which chivalry is dead. Pardon my French, but Fuck Valentine's. Now we get guilt-tripped by the retail world into buying flowers, chocolates, or jewelry for the significant other. Sweet.

BUT, in my bitterness, I realized that although Valentine's may be an incredibly arbitrary holiday, it's equally as pointless as the rest of our holiday celebrations. New Years falls on the 1st of January, but the Roman Calendar no longer correlates with seasonal or lunar patterns. Christ's actual birth date is probably somewhere in late summer. Hanukkah celebrates a re-dedication of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem after Judah defeated the Syrians in 165 BC, which is probably far removed from popular conscious. Note: NONE of these occurrences involved gifts, presents, cards or the likeness thereof.

Yet at the end of the day, it is not what these holidays are about per se, or the reason we celebrate them. They're about spending time with people you care about, so make sure you call the people that matter to you in your life. Be it your moms, your best friend, your crazy uncle, or your significant other. Screw the romanticism, it's the appreciation that matters the most.

And without a Valentine's Day, most doods would probably never have the balls to buy their girls flowers or do something nice. There are times when we never get the second chance to say the things we always wanted to. Life is short, who gives a fuck why we celebrate. Just be thankful for the people who give us a reason to.

Happy Vag day bitches.

Kanye West: Flashing Lights Video

I'm curious to know what you guys think of it so please discuss in comments!



Also this

LAST CALL!

Our final sale of the season is in effect. Each garment was limited to about 75 pieces per style, and once they're gone, it's a wrap. We are making room for our next round of inventory, so shop now if you are still waiting to cop some Vane, this is your last chance.

The entire collection is 30 to 60 percent off, head over to our online shop to check your size before it's too late!

Juergen Teller at Lehmann Maupin Gallery

Regardless of what I thought of the work I have to say I enjoyed the presentation. I liked the minimalist walls and glass tables with prints in them. Usually people are looking up at artwork and seeing people looking down at it made it a bit more 'real' if thats the right word. I guess I would have to say that some of his pieces were great and some just didn't work.

His style of photography is definitely trendy right now and I'm starting to see it everywhere. Sometimes I cant tell if people shoot like this because they have no knowledge of photography and exposure or that they truly believe in people and objects lit by a straight, hard on camera flash as an aesthetic choice. Too many people are biting this Terri Richardson style of shooting, its time to move on. I'm not speaking of Juergen Teller specifically, I think his images are great and really successful for the Marc Jacobs campaign but at one point everything starts to look the same.

Presidential RACE

Politics can be a touchy subject sometimes. Debates about our candidates get heated and touch upon people's values, beliefs and basic concern for the future. With the amount our country has gone through the past 7 years, theres no wonder why this election is turning out the most voters and media coverage of any election in US history. And speaking of history, our Democratic hopefuls are a woman and a black man. America wants change, and it looks like either way we go at it, change is something we're going to get... change that will go down in history.

Today is Super Tuesday. Its "Super" because out of the entire primary season today is the day most (about 3/4) of the delegates needed to win a nomination are decided. So will it be decisive? On the Republican side, probably, with McCain showing a healthy lead in every poll. But its anybody's guess whether we'll be looking at our chance for the first woman president, or the first black president ever.

The Democratic candidates have the most progressive stance on issues like health care, the war in Iraq, the global environment, and immigration. Even if you are a republican you may find yourself aligned with many Democratic goals in this election. And with Obama gaining national momentum every day, this presidential race may actually see a fresh new presidential race. Pun intended.

So, to say the least, no matter who gets your endorsement, make some history today. Go out and VOTE.

We won't say who the Vane team supports. But if it isn't obvious already, we'll leave you with an uplifting little video, courtesy of our friend Will.I.Am:



link here.

Happy Groundhog Day

We carved the traditional Jack-O-Pepper, and wanted to wish our family and friends a safe and happy Groundhog Day.