“The Memphis Movement” is something I was not familiar with when Valentino announced it as a design inspiration for the 2017 Fall RTW collection. David Bowie collected it and an exhibition was held on the movement that started in Milan back in 1980. It was definitely a THING. Writer Lauren Schwartzberg summed up The Memphis Movement as “loud colors and zany patterns.” It's very 80s. It inspired the movie set to Bette Midler's black comedy Risky Business and the The Saved By The Bell set. |
The odd geometrical and color combinations were arguably in response to the cold austerity of the clean lines of metal and leather of the times. The group got it's name from the Bob Dylan song, “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again”. How these nice Italians figured out the words to this song is beside the point. It's seen a reemergence into the sphere of commercial culture, since then. And, I may be remiss in saying this, but it seems like even the Hermes maison collection “A Walk In The City” borrows it's vibrant hues and right angles from a movement long thought dead.
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Vogue has for better or worse shaped American fashion. It's inspired feminist criticism, photo shop allegations, and included furs despite the objections of Peta. Current editor, Anna Wintour is best friends with Kanye, inspired The Devil Wears Prada, and would be unrecognizable without her trademark bob and sunglasses. The magazine has found spots in pop culture. Take Vogue's editor at large, Andre Leon Talley who reviews the red carpet and sat on the judge panel of America's Next Top Model. A proponent of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, the magazine offered hopeful words even with the unprecedented win of our current leader. Vogue plays both the realm of fashion and pop culture purveyor, and if 125 years means anything, it will continue on much longer then that.
The 182 room hotel was first opened by hotel manager Mr. Heiss in 1925. He was from Bavaria and if my reading from British detective fiction is accurate, the Bavarians are known for their service. Nothing seems to have changed in the past ninety odd years it's been open. The service was impeccable and the hotel was beautiful in all of it's retro glory. There were chandeliers, stained glass, white bed sheets, and a beautiful view of the hotel across the street.
On multiple occassions the hotel has been renovated, the most recent renovation changed it from the the Roberts Mayfair Hotel to the Magnolia Hotel. Originally the hotel was known simple as the Mayfair Hotel. The hotel was modern and the pipes had good pressure. The three elevators also move fast enough to make you spill your milk on the wood inlaid floors.
Other guests such as Irving Berlin, President Truman, and John Barrymore of the Barrymore family have marked the hotels intensive guest list.
Mariah Carey was one of the commercial juggernauts of the 90's and continued her success well into the late 2000's. It's hard to compile all of her relevant chart history, so I decided to focus on her number ones. Mariah Carey is the solo artist with the most number ones (18), trailing only The Beatles with 20.
Emotions (1991) Her second album only featured one single to top the charts, the other two hitting the top 5, and ending her streak of number ones. “Emotions” was the most lyrically bland and vocally soaring song to ever top the charts and was a testimony to her success as a singer. MTV Unplugged (1992) The EP featured live performances of some of her major hits as well as her fifth number one single a cover of the Jackson 5 song “I'll Be There”. Just like the original it hit the top of the charts. Music Box (1993) Music Box one of her most critically acclaimed albums and diamond selling albums found itself bolstered by two number one hits. First and second single “Dreamlover” and “Hero” were massive hits that anyone alive in the nineties will try to hit a high note on. Daydream (1995) All three of the charting singles for the icon's fifth studio album hit number one in the United States. If Mariah Carey wasn't already cemented as an icon this album went on to further that reputation. “Fantasy”, “Always Be My Baby”, and the duet with supergroup Boyz II Men “One Sweet Day” are among it's identifiable this. “One Sweet Day” spent 16 weeks atop the Hot 100, the longest leading single ever in the United States, and it was the most successful song of the decade. Butterfly (1997) Two more number one hits founds themselves attached to Mariah Carey's name with this album. “Honey” and “My All” found themselves into the hearts of little Lambs everywhere. Rainbow (1999) Mariah Carey was still at the top of her game when Rainbow was released. Two singles found themselves at number one. “Heartbreaker” with Jay-Z and “Thank God I Found You” with Joe and 98 Degrees. She continued her transition into R&B and hip-hop with commercial viability. The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) This album found Mariah Carey back on the airwaves of American radio. She'd gone a studio album and a soundtrack without a number one hit (the horror). “We Belong Together” was the biggest song of the 2000's and every single one of us still tries to hit that high note at the end. The equally memorable if not as successful “Don't Forget About Us” also scaled the charts.
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Each season takes place in New York during the summer. Speedos are on, bulges are out. It’s a cosmopolitan way to enjoy the gay lifestyle. They go to trendy bars, have cocktail parties, dress in drag, and go to Fire Island for the weekend. There’s too much plaid for them to be true trendsetters, but that can be forgiven.
The cast includes some innocuous people. The center focus season one was Reichen. The cast had this strange fondness for him. He’s pretty and he’s gay and he dated Lance Bass, so what’s not to love, but I never grew attached to him. He came across as scummy. Slimy if you want to go that far. But, believe it that I died when the nudes and the video of him masturbating were leaked on the internet.
Ryan and TJ make up the hair salon boys. Ryan is filthy rich in a gaudy fun way. He’s a true friend if non-confrontational. TJ is the voice of Ryan. His assistant, best friend, he flirts with everyone. Their friendship is what I aspire to have in my life. Their both perfect and I live for them.
Quite recently I was listening to the radio and by quite recently I mean practically every day when I heard a cover of Lesley Gore's classic hit, “You Don't Own Me”. It was reworked by this girl named Grace. I don't know her from Australia, but it's a very nice little update. The song also features a few rapped verses from G-Easy. I've listened to it a few times and I feel like he's missed the point of the song.
“You Don't Own Me” is such a vibrant song and it deserved to be reworked for a younger 21st century audience. It's all about telling your significant other that they can't control you. It's the song used to close the movie The First Wives Club, an entire film dedicated to the revitalization of women brought down by their husbands.
The biggest of these was “It's My Party”. Well known for it's refrain, “it's my party and I'll cry if I want to.” This inspired a “concept” album of songs that had to do with tears, which quite honestly is better in theory then in practice. “It's My Party” was her number one and breakout hit. It's what made her star.
The song also inspired a follow up hit “Judy's Turn To Cry” that followed the story arc of the previous song. Because, “now it's Judy's turn to cry, because Johnny's coming back to me”. Now why she wants him back is still up in the air, but needless to say she does. Who said love wasn't real.
Quite recently we've seen a wave of nostalgia come back on the radio whether that's in the form of eighties synths or Meghan Trainor's bright reincarnations, her latest musical inspiration being nineties Britney Spears updates. Voice contestant Melanie Martinez include a sample of “It's My Party” on her debut album Cry Baby in a song called “Pity Party”. Swedish duo Icona Pop even used it in a much maligned “My Party”. Lesley Gore's musical influence is impossible to deny.
Buy "Pity Party"
And, if that's not enough, she also guest starred on Batman back in her hey day. What more could you ask for?
The Patty Duke Show was a good sixties sitcom. It was in black and white. Patty Duke pulled some Haley Mills, Parent Trap voodoo, she played two identical cousins. They were Patty and Cathy. It was full of innocent, heterosexual reassuring past times. The comedy was classic and pure and child friendly. The show only had 3 seasons, but they packed in over a 100 episodes. It was a time to be alive.
Except, for her turn as Neely O'Hara in Valley of the Dolls. The movie is kind of shit if we're being real, but it's some good shit. It's trashy fun. I live for it.
I know Patty Duke hadn't been doing anything recently, but it's sad to see her go. She was a cultural staple of an earlier more racist, homophobic society. And, I for one loved Patty Duke. She will be missed.
That Saturday, the 13th I had a very R rated experience. Saw Deadpool in the morning. My father didn’t appreciate the profanity laced with sexual innuendo, but the musical for American Idiot topped it off.
There were swear words and hard rock moments and all of the famous ballads. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Wake Me When September Ends” were all present, peaking at number 5 and number 8 respectively during their chart runs.
Green Day is also home to everyone’s favorite bisexual Billie Joe Armstrong. Who if I remember correctly vowed to destroy the concept of “pop punk”. I’m hoping he hasn’t heard about 5 Seconds of Summer.
Female songwriters have had less of an impact on the music industry in recent times. People claim this has to do with declining record sales and the music industry’s unwillingness to invest money in female musicians. Both country and hip hop formats have seen a drop in female artists, since their peak in the nineties. Songwriting houses only need “one female writer”
That’s why musicians such as Diane Warren are important to the vitality of the music industry. Bonnie McKee and Ester Dean being some of the young blood in the game. Both of them writing hits for megastars Britney Spears, Rihanna, and Katy Perry.
The artists she’s had hits for just prove her diversity. She’s worked with balladeers as diverse as Michael Bolton (“Time, Love, and Tenderness”) and Christina Aguilera (“I Turn To You”). Pop artists Cher (“If I Could Turn Back Time”) and Taylor Dayne (“Love Will Lead You Back”). R&B icons Monica (“For You I Will”), Toni Braxton (“Unbreak My Heart”), and Aaliyah (“The One I Gave My Heart To”). Hard rockers Aerosmith (“I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”) and Chicago (“I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love”).
There’s not an icon that Diane Warren hasn’t worked with.
Currently she’s nominated for an Academy Award for the rape awareness ballad “Til It Happens To You” that she cowrote with Lady Gaga. The song was used in the documantery The Hunting Grounds that deals with the rape epidemic on college campuses. It’s her eight nomination for best original song. It shows if anything that Diane Warren is not going away and that women still have a voice in the music industry.
On February 6th 1950 an angel was born. She was a born and raised Los Angeles native. She lived, breathed, and eventually died there. She was sixty five when she passed away. That's why it took me by storm. I've always thought of her as so incredibly young. If Aretha Franklin passed away, I would have been less shell shocked.
During the seventies, Natalie Cole was a musical force. She had three top ten hits and a string of other charting and top forty entries. Her voice was praised and of course her musical heritage didn't hurt her chances at radio.
In 1987 she reemerged as a pop star with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's “Pink Cadillac”. I love this song and this version. I just love hearing her sing about a thinly veiled ode to the vagina. It's great.
Buy "Pink Cadillac"
The biggest success in her career came surprisingly late. At this point she'd been in the industry for close to twenty years. Longer if you included her guest appearance on one of her father's albums as a child. In 1991 she released a cover of her fathers songs on the album Unforgettable... With Love, it achieved wide claim critical and commercial success. Becoming her first number one album, eventually going seven times platinum and taking home six Grammy's.
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