It simply hasn’t been a good year for me (I
can’t force myself into “it’s been such an amazing year”), but let’s crop the
crap... Many “presents” I have been sent or invited to have helped me through
the year. The list contains only what I have received – been invited to – (not
what I paid for) and I want to share my luv of the best”est”. There is a credit
list at the end to thank those who have shown trust, belief and support. Selected
links of previous posts are at the bottom. Please don’t feel you have to return
the happy wishes... I don’t celebrate the bearded Coca Cola Michelin geezer.
But job (ask for my CV please), money (lots... preferably but I’ll settle for
less), sustainable and organic love or a drink are accepted. Chocolate and
flowers are a no no! Now you know!
Best exhibitions =
David
Bowie
is @ V&A
Isabella
Blow -
Fashion Galore @ Somerset House
(running until March 2014)
BRiAN
WhAR
– Come Dawn @ hopefully in a better
place next time = Beware! Artist to
follow
Other exhibitions in the mood for love too = Derek Jarman, Black Painting + Waiting
for Waiting for Godot @ Wilkinson (extended until 22 December – see
post tomorrow), The Lady from the Sea
@ Wapping Project (running till 22 December), Sarah Morris, Bye Bye Brazil
@ White Cube, Lindsay Seers, Entangled2 (Theatre II) @ Matt Gallery, Bodil Furu @ Beaconsfield, Richard T Walker, In Defiance Of Being Here @ Carroll/Fletcher
Best films =
Silence by Pat Collins = DVD now available @ New
Wave Films
Kneel
Through the Dark
by James Batley @ WWII Dalston’s
bunker – great place for a special film = Beware!
Filmmaker to follow
Best albums =
Willis
Earl Beal
– Nobody knows = XL Recording –
gigging in LDN in Feb.
Bruce
Gilbert and BAW – Diluvial = Touch
Scout
Niblett
– It’s Up to Emma = Drag City
Las
Kellies
- Total Exposure = Fire records
Best DVDs =
London
Trilogy
by The Films of Saint Etienne 2003-2007 =
available on BFI
In the
Fog
+ Blockade, Revue and Landscape by Sergei Loznitsa = available on New Wave
Films
Night
Train
by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Here, Then by Mao Mao = available on Second Run
The
Wall (Die Wand)
by Julian Roman Pölsler = available
on New Wave Films
Riddles
of the Sphinx by Laura
Mulvey and Peter Wollen =
available on BFI
Best gigs =
Disappears
+ Vision Fortune @ Lexington
Scout
Niblett
@ St John Bethnal Green
Best - new contemporary art, Pop Surrealism, Lowbrow, Mid-Century,
Polynesian Pop, illustration, modern folk, tattoo artistry and Naive Pop – shop in UK (+ a great selection of
books) =
Atomica
= based
@ 75 Berwick Street, W1 + they have a special PV on 5th of December
– 6-9pm = 'Life & Lives', the
first UK solo show from Spanish artist Ricardo
Cavolo. Running till 29
Best 1st time Event =
London
Analogue Festival = celebrating
analogue photography, film and sound art – early September.
Best music+images videos = all videos have just been retwitted
Savages – Husbands = Pop Noire label
FKA
Twigs
– Water Me + Papi Pacify = Young Turks label
Crows – Frankish Empire = Dolphinarium label (not
on Pop Noire as I was naughtily misled for their DCR gig / one member works for
PN though – French journo says me) great energy and alchemy on stage! Beware! Band to follow
Algiers – Blood = one of those artists I have strongly
promoted, for their political “battle”, to Time Out, The Guardian, Metro,
abroad and more. Their video just got selected for the Marc Burrows Guardian’s
list! Shame they were very-very “shy” @ their DCR event... Nice guys though!
Next film release and being posted soon = The Innocents by Jack Clayton @ BFI Southbank + selected cinemas = 13 December
Books
ISABELLA
BLOW: FASHION GALORE! - Edited by Alistair O’Neill - Principle Photography by
Nick Knight - Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. On blog soon
Book by Joe
Bank aka Disinformation = Rorschach Audio – Art & Illusion for
Sound – Strange Attractor – Joe is Disinformation @ GV Art, W1 – running
till 14 Dec
In 2014
3 January 2014 = two essential film releases
(posts to come)
- The Missing Picture (L’image Manquante). A film by Rithy Panh. Released on New Wave Films
- La Belle et la Bête. A film by Jean Cocteau. Part of Gothic season @
BFI Southbank
2014 will mark the 20th anniversary of Derek Jarman death (Feb 1994) = there
will various events running through the year, including an exhibition Derek Jarman: Pandemonium - Thursday 23 January - Sunday 9 March 2014 @ King's College London, WC2; a film
season @ BFI Southbank from February to March + Serpentine gallery (TBC)
Jan-Feb @ GRAD, W1 = Soviet film posters of
the 1920s. The exhibition will mark the opening of the UK/Russia year of
culture.
Since it’s wishing time = apart from
wanting a job, money, love and a dolphin... I want the moustache ridicule to
stop! 2014, bring on the cow-boy/motorbike boots and let’s Walk on the Wild
Side!
Post is being sent to Press Officers,
artists or their agent, rec labels, film distrib’, galleries, Time Out /
Guardian / Metro / NME / ST Editors (music, films, art + some worldwide loonies
in the media or not). Link on FB & Twitter. As usual, happy to edit for the
correct info.
THX to those showing beastie luv for
bbldnrbtl
= worldwide readers, BFI Stephen Street’s ladies, New Waves Films ladies, Senhor
Obrigado from Drag City, Somerset House ladies, MS, JR, Mr Hutchie, Alice @
music inde, Aliya @ GRAD, Anna Goodman, LLD @ Time Out, Lilly @ Beaconsfield, (AB/TJ,MB
@ Guardian), Lauren @ Lexington for sorting in two quick emails the Russian
prison issue, Spikey my favourite cat but not my cat, all
Clapton dogs, and all swans for making me laugh @ breakfast for being so
bleedingly stupid!
Selected links from previous posts =
David
Bowie = is @ V&A, click here
Isabella
Blow - Fashion Galore = still running @ Somerset, click here
The Lady
from The Sea = still
running @ Wapping Project, click here
Pat
Collin’s Silence = DVD now available on New Wave Films, click here
Willis
Earl Beal = Nobody knows, click here
Bruce
Gilbert and BAW = Diluvial, click here
The
Films of Saint Etienne 2003-2007 = London Trilogy, click here
In the
Fog
+ Blockade, Revue and Landscape by Sergei Loznitsa = click here or here
Here,
Then by
Mao Mao = click here
The
Wall (Die Wand)
by Julian Roman Pölsler = click here
Riddles
of the Sphinx by Laura
Mulvey and Peter Wollen = click here
Scout
Niblett’s
It’s Up to Emma = click here
Disappears
+ Vision Fortune @ Lexington = click here
Las
Kellies, Total exposure = click here
James
Batley’s
Kneel Through the Dark = click here
DCR
event related =
James
Batley, Crows, Algiers = click here
Interview
with Algiers (a plethora of topics - DCR hardly mentioned though) = click here
Xmas Lullaby = Death is not the end = Nick
Cave & co version = on twitter