Laura Minquini – Somethings

This is what mattered today. I wrote “sort of” because some of it I thought of before, and most of it only mattered to me.

First, my editor-at-large is now also art directing the “Eat Cake” party posters.

Concept: Kevin Ritchie and Candy Samples
Photography: Graydon Sheppard (I miss the Dragony)
and others…

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If I was in Toronto the poster would be candy to my eyes on my walks down Queen St West.
The night of the party I suggest they play M.I.A.’s Paper Planes to my memory; the Laura at the party memory, when she used to wear gold leggings.
I don’t know anyone in Paris who likes M.I.A., I think she might be too “ghetto” for this crowd. “Bonafide hustler making my name…”

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The summer of 1968. I am so lucky to be in Paris the summer of the 40th celebration of this historic year. The French take it, to say the least, very seriously.
I will advise you if I witness any commemorative riots.

I want to point out that that same year in Mexico thousands(unofficial), 300(sort of official),4 (government) students and workers were killed by the government in “La masacre de Tlatelolco”. Since the Olympics took place in Mexico city that year the government, with the help of the good neighbours from the north, took care of hiding it from pretty much everyone. Lucky Tiananmen Square, at least the world cared for them.

On a lighter note, Louis Garrel from “The Dreamers” and “Les Amants réguliers” -both movies are set in 1968- is oh la la la la…dreamy?

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My Produzentin friends looking great sliding on the snow.

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Blog I discovered recently and like: Dejour Magazine.
The Woody Allen suing Dov Churnet post is pretty funny.

An add for a internet/telephone/cable server I saw that made me think I would love to say to my friends in Toronto: “I have a Darty box in Paris”.

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And finally, another Canadian in Paris who so many of my friends in Toronto know but I only see in posters in the Metro.

P.S. Comme des Garçons for H&M this November. AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!
Rei is such a good business woman.

www.stevenkleinstudio.com
Research reasons brought me to this site first thing in the morning.
Note: turn up the volume in your computer speakers. It’s eerie; such great way to start your day.
I love Steven Klein’s photography. He makes me think of a David Lynch of photography, (He was compared to Cronenberg in a recent New York magazine article.)
Without getting into the merits of his precise photographic style, something has to be said about someone who can make his subjects look so beautiful in dark contexts.
If I were a celebrity I would want him to play with me too. Personally, I think I would be really well cast in a fire starter photo shoot.

This is a post concerning my friend Kevin. He should be considered my editor-at-large.
About Kevin: Other than many personal attributes Kevin used to host wonderful dinner parties at his home in Toronto’s Ward Island. True, I had to slave cooking, but alas it gave me a chance to dress day-glo Mexican. He was also kind enough to gift me an inflatable boyfriend for my birthday; never mind the subtle hint. How many people in Toronto can say they have attended a pagan festival of lights, or taken an almost life size inflatable doll to the beach? Kevin serves as an editor when he points out my embarrassing writing errors; like putting advert in lieu of avert, and such atrocities. If he did not have a full time job as a writer and video watcher he could seriously have a great blog; half the good tips come from him. Most importantly, he reads my blog all the time.
Thank Kevin!
What mistakes did I make here?

I have been reading “Me talk pretty one day” by David Sedaris. Coincidentally enough-I am living in France at the moment-it was translated into “Je Parler Français” for the French market. If I could write a collection of short stories as a tribute to this book it would be “Me talk without an accent some day: My adventures on speaking every language I know with an accent.”

One chapter would take place at a nice Paris restaurant where the Spanish server claims I am a “gringa” because I am speaking in English to an English speaker! Never mind that I spoke back to him in Spanish or that that I look as Mexican as la Malinche (she was a famous native, a bad one, unlike me, but you get the idea). If Americans knew I was being called gringa they would expand the Minutema man program to Europe; any Latin looking person speaking English wold be deported back to their country in order to avert any confusion on who the real gringo is. It would be funny to see the shock in their faces when they have to deport me to nice and hip Canada.
The fact that I make grammatical and spelling mistakes, and have run-on sentences in this blog should automatically give me away as an ESL laureate.

Another chapter would take place in a too cool for school ad agency where a fellow Mexican also calls me a gringa because of a curious sounding “s” when I speak Spanish. Trust me, I am getting spared by no one, not even from Mexicans from my own city!!! Hmm, I was polite,but I think next time I see him I might practice some of my my bad sounding Mexican swear words on him. If anything I can tell him his comments encouraged me to improve my speech.

The saddest chapter will be the one where I come to the realisation that I speak French the way Jean Seberg did in Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, that is when true despair sets in…I do sound like a North American. (note I am not saying a certain other word). My only consolation would be the dream of becoming David Sedaris’s stagiere in Paris, and then maybe, I can talk funny one day too.
And with that said, and because I somehow imagined this to be a blog about fashion, I leave you with some style tips by David Sedaris.

Maybe. Perhaps I should have tittled this post: Someone is working out their being called a “gringa” issues.

Who was the genius who thought of an antiquity looking video for the Hercules and Love Affair [ft. Antony] hit song “Blind”? Are they for real??? I love this song but this video blows: bad make up, bad costumes, bad storyline. Is there one? I think his is one of these videos that people will look at in 20 years from now and laugh at it. I am laughing right now. Or is it me?
Apparently it is me, this video is full of so much
“symbolism”   they should start a video analyses course at colleges. I for one would fail. No matter, it is bad.

Let’s compare: here the Justice vs. Simian video that Kanye so sourly lost to at the European MTV awards. A classic no doubt; so smart and ingenious that no Pamela Anderson cameo or a million dollar budget could beat it (I wonder if this is what I said to Kanye that night?).
Just watching it again makes me so happy.

Bonus: New Justice Release: DVNO  (They do have the best videos.)

The game of Lotería is defined as a Mexican game of chance, similar to Bingo, but using images on a deck of cards instead of plain numbers on ping pong balls. It is actually very nice to look at as the illustrations are interesting and it is good to learn Spanish vocabulary. It is a very family oriented game played by children and adults. In France this can change radically. A la Française you need alcohol; something very French and very sweet like Napoleon Mandarin, some Cognac, perhaps some vodka.

The best ratio for the game is three gay man, one straight guy and one straight girl.
A full “luna”

and a mistral would be great to increase the “chance” and “randomness” factor or shall we just call it the “fou-ness”.
The new French rules are as follows: the winner not only gets to call the cards, picks who will ingest a shot, fortunately the lucky person can chose their poison. The girl tends to go for the mandarin, slowly warming up to the vodka, never cognac, she has to stay “la estrella”.

The straight guy does cognac and the other boys range in choice. If you have a “borracho”

in the group he will probably want vodka and to be picked at all times. To add more Frenchness to to the game the rules change once more and clothing has to start coming off, mais nudity is so normal in France. Non? Now the winner can also pick a piece of clothing to be removed by whoever they want. And voila! This is how it is done when in France. Be warned: serious hangovers and complete nudity might be involved. Worst case scenarios involve total black outs of moments you want to remember and some you want to forget.
¡Lotería!

Little Bit by Likke Li. Her voice is so sweet. The song is so sweet. I love her.

I am reading an article about Nico Muhly. He is very interesting.
“The pathos of the Renaissance astronomer’s situation appeals to Muhly, and speaks to the composer’s task of creating emotional resonance through the mathematical arrangement of notes”

The art world is for sure lacking a higher percentage of reconginized female artisits, so when museums like the Centre Pompidou have major restrospectives on one of them, one must take note.
Louise Bourgeois at Centre Pompidou: “Art is a Guaranty of Sanity”
Isn’t it so?