Matthew Stone: Optimism as Cultural Rebellion @ Britweek 2013
It’s a great honor & privilege of mine to be able to act, in a small way, as an art patron from time to time and it gave me great pleasure to sponsor Matthew Stone’s recent trip to the West Coast. We brought Matthew out for BritWeek 2013, and were delighted when the interest in...
This Charming Baker Man
The opening night of Charming Baker’s art show at Milk Studio’s in Hollywood was a roaring success. Well attended, great atmosphere + world-class art. The state-of-the-art hanger style gallery space was packed to the gills + furnished by new works from the artist who many are saying is currently the hottest British artist in the...
Eyes Wide Shut
On Saturday I was invited to a Black Tie Goth party in honor of my friend Justin Barco w the theme of Eyes Wide Shut up in the Hollywood Hills. It was a gorgeous evening in a lovely house overlooking a breathtaking view w iconcically dressed beautiful people, great tunes and a performance by the...
The King
Elvis was a trendsetter, a cultural icon & was the leading figure of the newly born sound of Rock & Roll & who’s classic hits paved the way for the cultural collision of the fifties. Popular culture owes a huge debt to the King… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ6yAYHsHqg (A young Elvis sining Stuck On You stunning 1960 with his...
Delia Derbyshire: Beat Matching Virtuosa
I love how pioneering Delia Derbyshire was. She innovated fundamental sound & beat matching techniques & advanced electronic music at a time when men dominated the music industry. Delia was told by Decca Records that they didn’t allow women in their recording studios, which were a pretty clinical place at the time with workers wearing a...
Guest Blogger: Burning Man
As Director of Visual Marketing for the Hotel Shangri-La I’m a sucker for visual spectacle’s, so this year for my summer vacation I witnessed the cultural phenomenon known as Burning Man, it proved to be quite an intense & demanding experience filled w/ mysticism, music, magic, art and a lot of “spiritually enlightened” elitist vibes...
Coachella 2012: Anglomania
Anglomania took Coachella by storm this year, quite literally on the Friday… (Tamie Adaya in Coachella Garb) Perhaps my favorite anecdote was Pulp frontman, Jarvis Cocker, quipping “of course you’re going to get rain when you have 2 bands from Sheffield playing back-to-back sets (Arctic Monkeys & Pulp) on the main stage!” (Arctic Monkeys) The...
Frank Farian: Daddy Cool
(Frank Farian & Boney M.) Frank Farian started Boney M. in 1975 with his remake of Prince Buster’s 1960′s single “Al Capone” (Boney – Do You Wanna….) By 1976 Farian had written the acclaimed album, “Take The Heat Off Me,” with the single “Daddy Cool” holding steady at #6 on the UK chart for 13...
The Unerring Eye Of Richard Young
(Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton – the iconic photo that launched Richard Young’s career) Richard Young has photographed a distinguished & staggering range of famed celebrities, capturing genuinely unique moments, with an exceptional eye & unique approach as both a portraitist & photo journalist. (Richard Youngs keen eye was able to encapsulate the clean, crisp...
#AVERAGEJOE
(Tamie Adaya, Josef Valentino & Paul Nugent, overlooking the pacific from the rooftop bar, Suite 700 at Hotel Shangrila) Josef Valentino, is a rebel, a free spirit, an artist, & he has travelled the world on behalf of the #AVERAGEJOE to complete the Damian Hirst ‘Spot Challenge’… (Josef’s fun video describing the #AVERAGEJOE project) Shangrila...
Some Of My Favorite Words
Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure believed that language is arbitrary, that there is no organic reason that any particular word be affixed to any particular concept. (one of Saussure’s examples of the arbitrary nature of language) Not sure if I agree with him, but arbitrariness can be what gives language its vitality! Here are ten...
The Master of Modern Cinema
(Jean-Luc Goard) A single film by Jean-Luc Godard seen without comprehension, or at the least a realization, of his larger body of work is a perplexing, discombobulated, and at times a daunting experience, but once immersed in his world you are quick to realize that, as Godard put it, “a story should have a beginning,...
