Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
By the time we arrived in Venice, it was already mid-afternoon. Actually, that was perfect because at dusk the sunlight shifts from accentuating the classic architecture to flickering off the canals. The effect is unreal… And besides the lattice of traditional buildings and squares connected by zig-zagging bridges and alleys, there's also the fact that there are no cars. Yes, Florence had the narrow roads as well, but they were always buzzing with mini cars and scooters. In contrast, Venice has a real laid-back feel, forcing you to slow down and be hypnotized by its atmosphere. But although I felt Venice's pace was more laid-back than Florence's, the city felt more modern and alive, culturally. It probably had something to do with what we chose to do. The first thing we did the next morning was visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. In contrast to the Ufizzi or Accademia, the Guggenheim is filled with works she collected from artists that she believed in. The pieces were purchased to keep in her house, chosen from artists that she wanted to help. It just happened that she was in the middle of many cool movements… Picasso, Braque, Degas, Giocometti, Miro, Mondrian, Cornell, Ernst… Above, Calder. Below, Mirko. A later, interactive addition by Yoko Ono. Guess which wish I added to the tree? On the way out, we noticed a wheatpasted poster for an exhibition of early photography by Stanley Kubrick. It wasn't far away–practically right across the Grand Canal at the Academy of Science, Letters, and Arts. Even in his early twenties as a photographer for hire, the master director had a cinematic eye. His depictions of a young shoeshine boy, a traveling circus troop, and other subjects were perfectly composed, had a powerful narrative voice, and were tack sharp even blown up to be shown as framed pieces. I can't believe we stumbled on a show like this. We also checked out the Architectural Biennale. Most of the international pavilions were at the Armory, but we found Taiwan's entry right on the boardwalk. It consisted of an air-conditioned room with cushions and projected imagery of nature. Pleasant, but it's hard to beat the ambience of Venice itself. I could see why Wendy would fall in love with it when she was a college student studying abroad… Below, her old apartment. Window shoppping–not buying, because we aren't in the market for Murano glass or in the right tax bracket for the designer boutiques. And her old Italian professor, Paolo! I saw a lot of cool scooters everywhere but only heard cheesy pop until we met Paolo at a bar, where The Style Council was on the stereo. Nice, and a super nice guy, too! Later on, we went to Harry's Bar. Yes, it's touristy but Hemingway used to hang out there and we had to try the 8-Euro hot chocolate. The richest ever. Great place to get lost, wander around… I'm horrible at relaxing, yet I had no choice but to ease up...
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I've been collecting records put out by Frontier since high school but didn't even realize it for the longest time. Maybe it's because the label was all over the place in styles. Sure, Adolescents, Suicidal Tendencies, and Circle Jerks are all legendary parts of the early L.A. punk canon, but there's also the darker, gothy punk splinters of T.S.O.L. and Christian Death. And what about spiraling psychedelic pop offshoots as represented by Redd Kross, Three O'Clock, The Long Ryders, and Young Fresh Fellows? Or Heatmiser, featuring a very young Elliott Smith? What about the vintage Rat Music for Rat People comps, amazing Weirdos anthologies, or even the pop genius of Flop? Too much to list! So I was stoked to hear the label's founder Lisa F. on the Part Time Punks radio show yesterday, talking not only about the 30th anniversary of Frontier (which was originally going to be called Frontierland because she is a big Disney fan); signing the Adolescents and coming up with the generic packaging way before PiL's album (but not that much before Plain Wrap's!); and trading releases with Ian Mackaye, Jello, and other punk label peers (but Kickboy Face thought she was stealing Slash's bands) but also about keeping all her records in print because they all deserve it. Of course, they also discussed Sunday's show, which will feature a reunion of the Middle Class (who released the first HC vinyl on her label, and members went on to form Eddie & The Subtitles who sang “American Society”)… Amazing lineup. Just look at the flyer. I'm going because I donated to Part Time Punks/KXLU during Fundrazor and got on the list, but you can buy tickets for 20 lousy bucks. For a show that starts at 4 and ends after midnight, that's like a killer all-you-can-eat buffet but with gourmet food and only awesome people around you. Thanks to Michael S. for putting on the show and getting us listeners geeked by playing Frontier songs for weeks now (for example, Adolescents “Amoeba,” TSOL's “WW3“…) and Lisa F. for flying the flag for 30 years. See you at the show!
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Last night's Paul Weller show was almost like a Giant Robot production team outing, with the Minister of Color Pryor, designer Wendy, and me, the production assistant (and my brother/GR contributor Greg and OG GR lounger Shammy coming up from San Diego, to boot). Nice, because we put a lot of work into GR68 and needed a break. If you read my blog, you know about my unhealthy obsession with the Modfather and all the band's he's been in, and read reviews of his shows as well. Last night's set was roughly 1/3 from his last two albums, 1/3 Modern Classics, a number of Jam songs, and a Style Council single and Marvin Gaye cover added for good measure. Just a few things to note: - The really fit-looking Weller sang without holding a guitar or sitting behind a keyboard more often than usual. - Extra jammy version of “Into Tomorrow.” - Dubby version of “Wild Wood”–more like Sly & Robbie than Portishead! - After-75 minute set, which was heavily psychedelic and soulful, the band came out for two rocking encores, rounding it out to a full two hours. The setlists: Aim High /
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My friend Lance used to tell me stories about touring with his punk band in Europe. They'd have the hairiest time loading all their gear onto trains during the few minutes afforded them at stops, deal with customs, and then worry if their contact was going to show up when they got wherever they were going. Our trip was pretty cushy, since there were only two of us with one piece of luggage each and we made reservations online. We also took the high-speed rail. By the time we arrived in Florence from Rome, it was mid-afternoon. After checking in, we had time to walk around at dusk, eat, and walk around some more. The picture above says a lot about the area: cute narrow streets, hoards of tourists, bikes and scooters, gelato. Not shown: high-end boutiques, expensive meals, smoking and graffiti everywhere. We woke up early the next morning to make our appointment at the Galleria degli Uffizi. Wendy booked several museum reservations so we could walk right past the long lines (or get in at all). The museum is world-class, but is somewhat low-budget when it comes to preservation (you can sneeze on important pieces of work) and crowd flow (we got to the exit and realized we missed Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Spring). When the guard wasn't watching, we walked in through the out door, retraced our steps to the top floor, and found out that we also missed some da Vincis and Michelangos. Astounding. You can see key works by each of the Ninja Turtles' namesakes here. No photos were allowed inside, but the construction boards showed some of the works. Of course, the oversized canvases were used as canvases by locals… Just outside the Uffizi were some galleries with classic statues. No, the David is not real but you can't take pictures at the Galleria dell'Accademia, which houses many of Michelangelo's works. (That was later stop in Florence.) In between museums, we tried to find some food, crossed the town's oldest bridge in an unfruitful quest for a Michelin-recommended gelato spot, and wound up eating fruit from a street vendor. Produce is quite expensive in Europe, but we ponied up since so much of our meals consisted of pasta, bread, and cheese. The pears, figs, and grapes were typically the best. Apples, not so good. Besides (before?) museums and shopping, the Duomo was the center of action in town. We decided to climb into the gigantic cathedral's dome, which entailed steep stairs, narrow hallways, and log-jammed corridors. The picture below is one of the nicer, breezier parts of the ascent, which was more often dark, humid, and musky. There were payoffs, though. First, an excellent view of the mural at the top of the dome–worthy of a Slayer album cover! Then, a panoramic view of the city. Besides the old art and old buildings, Florence has plenty of living charm going for it. The architectural arrangements and details make Disneyland look like Magic Mountain....
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Sorry I've been away from the blog. It's nothing personal. It's just that my cousin got married in Paris and my wife and I decided to visit Italy for a week before celebrating with the family. We barely had access to email and only sporadic some Facebook action, so there's some catching up to do… Wendy and I landed in Rome, where the train from the airport dropped us off in Italy's equivalent of Chungking Mansions with a ton of Chinese fashion knockoffs and Indian fast food joints. Totally cobbly sidewalks and streets meant no skateboarding but there was still a ton of graffiti everywhere (like above). We walked up to our hotel mid-afternoon and I asked the counter guy where Grinderman was playing. It turns out seeing Nick Cave's band would have required 50 Euro taxi rides both ways, so it was off to the monuments–probably the right thing to do anyway. After hoofing it for a mile or two, Wendy and I wondered if we were going the right direction to see the Coliseum. Then we looked up from our map and saw the historic structure peeking out from the modern buildings, roads, and traffic. It wasn't that different than the L.A. Coliseum where the Raiders used to play. Or at least the bathrooms were about the same. It was already dusk, which meant we were just in time to take it in during the Magic Hour. It was easy to imagine the sounds of the spectators, lions, or even Bruce Lee. The time of day also meant that the tours had stopped and the rush of tourists was waning. As we walked around the building, we could see the souvenir hawkers, dudes dressed in gladiator outfits posing for pictures, and fruit trucks. Back to reality. We walked further from the hotel, passed people dressed as Egyptians looking for handouts, and saw rows of red lanterns that had something to do with Italian-Chinese relations. It wasn't long before we reached the Forum, or what's left of it. Floodlights indicated where columns once stood, marking where Roman orators did their thing. The trinity of high school Western Civ was complete when we made it to the Pantheon, which was obscured by scaffolding and construction. Still, a ton of people, both local and tourists stopped there to hang out on the steps and smoke. By the time we arrived, we were tired and starving, and I had my first pizza in Italy… I had at least one a day while in the country. It's a meatless, relatively cheap, and easily accessible meal in a nation where meals are a lengthy, expensive ritual with a ton of courses that usually entail meat and wine. It was good, but I was also really hungry. Wendy's spaghetti came with wine, and it was the only time we had to stop ourselves from saying, “When in Rome…” Re-energized and with plenty of adrenaline to fend off jetlag, we walked to the Fountains of Trevi....
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