It’s like editing all the bad stuff out.

I remember when the Beautiful Losers art show happened (still happening, actually, in other parts of the world) and I didn’t go. Not because I didn’t want to, but I guess I just never got around to it. Lame excuse, but true. That’s one of my recent regrets, and to be quite honest I would have rather experienced that show than Takashi Murakami’s at the MOCA. Anyway, I got excited when I was invited to a press screening for the Beautiful Losers movie and I jumped at the chance. I don’t even know where to begin. It was the most beautiful depiction of youth and art and everything that happens when you’re trying to be creative. It was a reminder of why creative people do what they do, whether it be painting, writing, drawing, or whatever it is that helps them understand their world and its surroundings. I was so inspired I cried. It’s about a group of artists including Mike Mills, Jo Jackson, Barry McGee, Ed Templeton, Margaret Kilgallen and others who found common ground in the 90’s, coming from the DIY world of art/punk/skateboarding/ and created art that communicated to outsiders. The director, Aaron Rose, is an amazing human being and I get the feeling that he’s one of those people that you meet and you never forget.  I’ve always followed his work, but it became much more clear to me what kind of a person he is after seeing Beautiful Losers. One of the things I’ll always remember from the film was him talking about being forced to shut down his gallery in NYC back in the day, saying he felt like it was the end of his work and that he didn’t want to start over. He went on to say that he realized “starting over is like editing all the bad stuff out.” I love that.

Barry McGee Installation

Margaret Kilgallen

Jo Jackson

Mike Mills

Beautiful Losers Show

Carla Bruni

I never knew who Carla Bruni was until Nicolas Sarkozy. All of a sudden this beautiful woman started popping up everywhere. On the arm of Sarkozy, on the cover of an album, in the media, etc. Little did I know that she was an Italian model back in the day, working with designers such as John Galliano, Yves Saint Laurent, and Karl Lagerfeld. She’s also a musician and has a few albums, mostly in French. I’ve recently become fascinated by her, mostly because of her effortless style and her attitude. Not to mention she’s absolutely stunning. Her reputation, however, is not so stunning. She had an affair with Mick Jagger, was in a relationship with writer Jean-Paul Enthoven whom she lived with, only to fall in love and have an affair with his son. While that side of her doesn’t impress me, the fact that she has the guts to date the President of France after all that’s been said and revealed about her does impress me. Somehow, it makes her style that much more impressive.

Yves Saint Laurent’s Memorial Service in Paris

No Promises Album Cover

I love this photo.