January 29, 1998 BeavHer was at Don Hill's, 511 Greenwich St., every Thursday, Frankie's famous, pioneering 80's revival fun-fest. Guests included model/actress Jamie King, at the time known as James [due to model-land confusion with fellow Next Agency stable-mate Jaime Rishar]. Top tunes from Frank's rotating 80s jukebox included included the Rolling Stones' "It's Only Rock & Roll (But I Like It)," "The Jeffersons" TV Theme "Movin' On Up," Blondie's "Hangin' on the Telephone," Prince's "PopLife," The Beatles' "Come Together," Stories' "Brother Louis" from 1973, The Go-Gos' We Got the Beat," and Andy Gibb's light pop "I Just Want To Be Your Everything.' I found the mid-1990's BeavHer play-list, including TV themes weekly, to be among the most refreshing I've enjoyed in about 3 decades of NYC club-going. *** of 5 stars

Jan. 30, 1998 "Twilo Classics" on West 27th Street with English Drum n Bass DJs GrooveRider, Jumping Jack Frost, DB, & Dara. Twilo had earlier been The Sound Factory, and later was Spirit, before being shut down about three years ago in the Chelsea Police crack-down. Supposedly Drum n Bass survives as an under-ground genre, but I don't know anyone who still listens to DnB this century- despite its worldwide popularity in the mid-90's.

• The same night Closer were at Brownies on Avenue A with BigMouth. BigMouth vanished by the late 90's, and Closer became the BlowUps, the Mirror People and finally WhiteLight Motorcade. WLM released two excellent CDs but never attracted the attention they deserved during the NYC 'Rock Revolution' circa 2001 or so.
• 
  
  Jan. 31 1998 The Mooney Suzuki were at Coney Island High/Green Door, 15 St. Mark's Place. The Mooneys started out as a credible garage/Mod act in the mid-90s, but several changes in image & labels did them no favours in the hard-scrabble rock trenches. Coney was a much-loved and dependable East Village rock dive seemingly shuttered during the Giuliani era.
  
  February 3, 1998 The weekly Subliminal house party was at 17 W. 19th st. Over the next 5+ years Subliminal boss Erick Morillo became one of the world's leading djs. Subliminal flourished at Centrofly until that club closed about 5 years ago. Now Morillo co-owns pacha on West 46th St., and he spends the summer in Ibiza.

  Feb. 5, 1998 Tiswas, Nick Marc's long-standing Brit-Pop shindig was at Coney Island High each Thursday, this night featuring Smitty's performing. The low-ceilinged and claustrophobic upstairs at Coney provided many a beer- and sweat-soaked Tiswas night. A bit later in 1998 Tiswas moved to Don Hill's on Saturdays.
  

• Then over to BeavHer, top songs: Bowie's 'Suffragette City' Bee Gees' "Staying Alive," Four Seasons' December 1963," The Who "I Can't Explain," and New Order's "Confusion."
  
• the same night, Steve & Pedro from Shout! presented 'The Bounce' at the Cooler on West 14th St., with bands the Charade, Mooney Suzuki, Sonic Mood Set, & the Panic. Meat-packing has completely changed in the last decade I was at Kiss & Fly last Thursday on West 13th I could not believe the wanna-be Euro atmosphere and loose Russian 'models.'
  
• And Paint was at the Continental on 3rd Avenue/St. Marks Place. Paint was another under-appreciated experimental-art rock act of the mid-90s.
• 
  
  Feb. 12, 1998 "I Love Fayva," Captain Kangaroo/lounge singer Johnny Fayva hosted an evening of Valentine's romance at Don Hill's BeavHer. "Join Johnny & Ricky as they take you on a journey to the heart. Valentine surprises with Frankie 'Cupid' Inglese." Russell "Fayva" Steinberg moved his act West to L.A. in the 21st Century. Fayva always looked a lot like Tony Clifton to me, some other Andy Kaufman obsessive will have to puzzle out that connection.

  Feb. 13, 1998 Tsuyoshi Suzuki, one half of the Psy-Trance production team Prana, made his first ever Manhattan appearance, at Vinyl in TriBeca I think. His previous tri-state performances were at the Matsuri party & the Liberty Science Center, as my techicolour rave flyer informs me. DJ Icey from Florida and MixMaster Morris were also on the bill. Vinyl has been known as Nasa/Shelter and later Arc before closing in 2003, one of the best under-ground dance venues of the house, rave & progressive eras. Some people still swear by Psy-Trance, but I haven't listened to Trance since 2002 at least.

  Feb. 19, 1998 Tiswas at Coney Island High featured Closer and Altra performing. Nick marc's best tune of the night was 'Shout to the Top' by the Style Council. Other Tis' classics incl. the Jam's "Start!" The Charlatans' "Weirdo," The Stones' "Satisfaction," Blur's There's No Other Way, " Pulp's "Disco 2000," The La's "There She Goes," Duran's "Girls On Film," the Smith's "This Charming Man," The Chemical Brosthers' "Leave Home," Stone Roses' "Fool's Gold" and "Elephant Stone," and the Ventures' "Hawaii 5-O" theme. Nobody doesn't love a 1970s TV theme !

  Feb. 20, 1998 Spacehog played the Westbeth Center, a showcase gig for their second "Chinese Album." Talk about yer 1 hit wonders.
  

• Afterwards over to Vinyl/Nasa for 'Beatbox' with Carlos from SF [one of my fave 90s rave djs ever], James Christian & Heather Heart.
• 
  
  Feb. 21 1998 The Upper Crust headlined Coney Island High/Green Door.

  Feb. 26, 1998 BeavHer at Don Hill's with guest Tamika & top tunes "Good Times" by Chic, M's "Pop Muzik," Rod Stewart "D'Ya Think I'm Sexy," Frankie Valli's "Grease," Rick Springfield's "Jessies Girl," J5 "The Love You Save," Bee Gees' "Staying Alive," Beastie's "Brass Monkey," Blondie Call Me," Iggy "Lust For Life," Til Tuesday "Voices Carry," Prince "Erotic City, MiJax' "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough," and the Specials' "Do the Dog." I've enjoyed several hundred nights at Don Hill's since 1994, but the party I definitely danced the most songs at was always BeavHer in the mid-late 90s. Even songs like Steely Dan's 'Black Cow' got me sweaty & percolating, if you can believe it. I hope you can.
  

• The same night the Charade headlined Tiswas at Coney. Another under-valued Mod revival band on the Tiswas- Staten Island circuit of the mid-1900's.

• Feb. 27, 1998 I attended the Omega rave at Vinyl/Nasa with djs Charles Feelgood, Scott Richmond, Micro vs X-Dream [Long Island Caffeine tag-team], Odyssey, I-Cue, Justin Time and a special performance by Richie Rich!! Feelgood still holds down the Baltimore house scene while Richie has impressed all his Limelight/Tunnel/Nasa co-conspirators with his 21st century Heathette success. No Heatherette show at last week's NY Fashion Week howevs, come back Richie!

  

  • Top Media Events in Feb. 1998 included El Nino & Global Warming, Monica Lewinsky, the UnaBomber's shack, and Peter Gatien was acquitted in his drug dealing case at Limelight nightclub.
    
  • Sadly the Beach Boys' guitarist & founder Carl Wilson passed away at 51. In a somewhat lesser death, Falco [Johann Holzel] died when his SUV crashed into a bus in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Also Antonio Prohias, who drew "Spy Vs. Spy" in "Mad" magazine, died at 77.
    
  • My favourite film in Feb. 98 was 'Gia' on HBO with Angelina Jolie. I also saw 'SpiceWorld' on 86th St.
    
  • Art shows in Feb. 1998 incl. Penelope Umbrico at Julie Saul, and Marc Quinn & Nicolas de Stael at Mitchell Innes & Nash, 1018 Madison Ave. .
    
  • The US Post Service issued a cool cross-word puzzle stamp.
    
  • And my Horoscope Lucky Colours incl: sky blue, navy blue, purple. & pink.
  
  
  - The Earl Grey -
  10021/ 19103

  
  Currently listening:
  Aja
  By Steely Dan

#1: W FEB 2007:
MariaCarla shot by Juergen Teller in Venice. Just amazing, Fabulous. Teller's 2006 W shoot with Shalom, Malgosia & Dondoe was one of the very best of the year [#2 in my ranking] and this Venice edit has a lot of the same attributes. While 06's was shot in a beautiful Paris apartment, this is in a stunning Venetian manor that looks like it could date to the 19th century. Also, remember another Teller W shoot with Gisele in Paris, climbing the walls & generally at a high emotional pitch [much sexier than Iselin's dumb faces in above edit]? Well in this shoot, MariaCarla's poses simply out-model Gisele's in that great edit, with the added environmental beauty of the classical Venetian palazzo, mixed in with the hyper-real, slightly bizarre set-pieces & psychological paces that Teller puts his models through. MariaCarla is a very famous model of this century, but even with her fame & success, she does not get the plaudits she so deserves. Her performance here is so charming, so alluring, Teller & stylist Camilla Nickerson chose her perfectly for these haunting & off-kilter pictures. There is nudity here, but more importantly a sensuous magnetism from MariaCarla that is totally enrapturing, I don't know any other American magazine that features sophisticated, nuanced sensuality of this calibre & that's why W is the best American mag of any genre. I'll just describe a few standout pics here that have to be seen to grasp the full impact of Mariacarla's beauty & Teller's unique artistic gift:* Maria topless in an Armani silk skirt & huge McQueen hat with an antique rug, marble walls & candles.
* cool wooden wolf mask & circus ringleader sculptures - Teller photographs lots of the decor & artworks of the palazzo & it adds so much atmosphere
* Maria in Etro dress with hands behind her back; a Jesus crucifixion oil painting above her. Notice how this story and the D&G shoot share certain themes of religion & ancient Italian culture - and bondage for Maria in this pic - these shared themes make the photos & stories in this magazine so much deeper, truly Classical in their aesthetic & emotional impact.
* there are some still lifes of ripening pomegranates, lemons, and other fruits arranged in a bowl, again like a 19th century artwork.
* Maria in a huge, tall, panelled library with ancient books, on all fours atop an ornate carved-wood table, in Versace swimsuit & high heels, under an amazing chandelier. This Is HOTT!!!! One of the pictures of the year.
* 1940s oil painting, framed on wall, of an elegant woman applying lipstick - elongated, almost Modigliani-esque, super chic portrait & atmosphere
* Maria in Tahari & Givenchy, underneath a 30 foot high ceiling with bold exposed beams, stunning 19th century European architecture & warm wood-tones.
* Maria topless, legs spread atop a side table in white caftan and Kiki black panties. Maria's legs & bearing here are OUTRAGEOUSLY sexy- too much. One of the sexiest pics of the year.
* 2 coffee cups on an antique wooden table, cappuccino foam still inside- I love Teller's use of found props & atmosphere here!!
* Maria sitting in thick mud pool in silk Moschino dress, her hands are so cute like she just sat down in the mud & can't believe Teller is putting her through this. <3
* close up on Maria's face, from the Etro Jesus page, wearing Ellen Christine lace as a veil. Maria's eyes are the most amazing shining brown, her beauty & expression are supernatural, translucent. Camilla Nickerson's styling here is off the charts, transforming every look & picture into pure art. Like Weber's Kate Moss Detroit W story [my #1 of 2006], Maria's modelling here is spectacular, throwing herself into each set piece & image like a total pro, yet transforming each documentary picture into something more. It truly is acting in still images, directed by Teller and costumed by Nickerson.
* Maria on the bed in D&G gold bodysuit & Treacy hat, shot from above, her legs & ass look so hot here.
* a bizarre & sexy full page of scissors, olive forks & OTHER SCARY & NAUGHTY SUGGESTIVE CUTLERY. many are phallic, all are scary & suggestive of ancient & draconian uses or even torture. Hotness.
* Maria in LV blazer, Chanel short shorts & Agent garters & hose. Posed against tapestry wallpaper, rich marble & stone floor, a fantastically sensuous image.
* Maria in pretty white Valli muslin/organza dress, like a perfect brunette pastry standing on pebbles in the driveway. The contrast of girly Maria & the unusual driveway setting is exactly like the surreal '06 edit with Dondoe & Shalom- Teller contributes some of the most striking images in any fashion magazine.
* Maria on the bed, her legs open wide, in Marc beaded silk organza dress. Impossibly sexy Maria with tousled hair.
* Maria apparently nude, only her pale perfect legs are shown, as she rides a flame-painted skateboard on the cold marble floor!!
* Maria sits on the floor, smoking a cigarette in cute Pejoski white silk satin dress.
* Maria in Prada cream nylon shirt & black cotton panties, her legs open as she sits on a radiator with grapes in her hand. This might be the hottest of all of these awesome pics. Maria's performance & the storyline of this edit are similar to Gisele's acting up in the Paris apartment 2 years ago, but truthfully Maria is a seductive, intelligent woman here, while Gisele was a manic, deranged animal in her shoot. Maria simply models rings around Gisele, but hasn't she always ?* Maria sits on a table in Blumarine dress with LV corset on top - Camilla Nickerson's styling here is so brilliant, I can only imagine how much Anna Wintour misses her, since her defection to W 2 years ago. There's nothing like this in US Vogue on a photo or styling basis, the clothes, the atmosphere. Dick Page's genius messy hair & dramatic, vulnerable makeup here are just worlds beyond what Wintour gives the mass public monthly.
* Finally Maria's gorgeous bare back in poetic, flowing YSL silk organza white/purple dress, shot in what looks like the wine cellar of what must be a 100-200 year old palazzo. Teller made great use of the architectural details here, as worn as they are, they achieve a theatrical and palpable environmental affect which renders the pictures so much more effective. The apartment in Paris in 2006 W Dondoe/Shalom benefitted from a similar vibe, but this is even more pronounced. I really can't say enough about Maria's beauty, sensuality & modelling here, nor Teller's distinctive pics, Camilla's ultra-forward styling, and the general details & conception and realization of this edit overall. I was excited opening up the Feb. W, seeing klein's D&G shoot, but upon thorough investigation, this edit is considerably better. As soon as I saw Teller's Shalom/Dondoe 2006 edit, and Weber's Kate/Detroit edits, I knew they would end up among the top 5 or so of 2006. Something tells me that very few edits in 2007 are going to eclipse this one. Bonuses all around to Maria, Teller, Camilla & Page. rating 11 of 10.

#2: W MARCH 2007:
sasha by thompson. 50s/60s resort.swim suit looks. sasha is the best model by a considerable margin in this ish. i LOVE this retro surf bunny idea, [there was another spectacular NYLON edit in this idea about 3-4 years back with valerie avdeyeva.] i think this is cali/malibu, dramatic pacific ocean blue setting. karl templer styled, its as great as white's styling in b&w edit, maybe even better. best look/pic in ish is sasha in hot chloe swimsuit & topless, sexy sexy rear view. missoni & burberry swim looks also fabulous,. the retro flavour here, thompsons pitch perfect beach bunny pics & templers equally perfect retro swim styling are a major Wow. one of best edits of 2007 easily. 10 of 10
* oh its st barts. I'm crazy about sasha & this edit.

#3: BAZAAR SEPT:
coco by lindbergh. wow theme of 'bauhaus' - actually kasemir malevich's suprematist compositions- is absolutely stunning contrasted to brana wolf's fall looks. many pics have projections of malevich's artworks behind them. the most important abstract artworks in art history. kl used some of these designs a few years back on his dresses. wolf styles lots of sharp fall looks: narciso, molinari, missoni, etro, dell'acqua, ch, p/s, marc, val. every pic with the malevich backdrops is incredible, art & fashion together is so so strong! lindbergh's pics show this brilliantly— its at least as great as that mariacarla factory girl thing he did about 2 years ago. and coco is at her absolute best here- shes not always great, but shes cute & vulnerable here, amazing in these looks. narciso molinari marc & val pages are absolutely incredible. one of best edits Ive seen in 2007. 9.5 of 10.

#4: W FEB. 2007:
Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana, Shannon Click & Eva Herzigova shot by Steven Klein. Remember Klein's Tom Ford W edit with the plastic showroom dummies that was supposed to be 'sexy/bizarre' but was just ridiculous & dumb? Remember Klein's big W edit with Brad Pitt & Angie Jolie that was supposed to be risque & deep but actually just took 2 of the most famous, good-looking actors in the world and set them in a dark & senseless edit where the furniture & decor was the best thing about it? Well at last Klein has shot a major W edit that recalls the innovative & sexually-charged scenarios that made him famous in the 90s. This shoot, "Dolce & Vita" is perhaps the best-realized version of D&G's mindset & aesthetic ever captured in a fashion magazine. And as opposed to the silly Ford shoot and the drab Brad/Angel edit, this edit packs a serious sexual wallop, including overt homo-erotic images & true surrealist mystery, or even spiritual iconoclasm. And D&G themselves are in every picture here, thoroughly legit as models or actors in these very eye-popping and actually sexy set-pieces. It's a quite a contrast to the white-washed supposed 'lifestyle' D&G pieces in US Vogue where you see their sumptuous southern Italian getaway, but there's not even a hint in the text of the debauched, orgiastic, wanton, pan-sexual parties you just know they are hosting. [the Bazaar Batman cartoon stuff was cute but more juvenile than anything dangerous or sensuous.] Along with excellent turns by Shannon & Eva, there are 3 male models used here, each handsome & muscular, but the peroxide blonde one is the star of most of the set pieces. I'm not much of a fan of any male models, but these 3 are great & actually function as much as actors as models; also Stefano, particularly, is hotter here than I've ever seen him- he's really buff & in shape & he's the best male model of all. I guess I'll just briefly describe each photo as I interpret it - others are going to have their versions of the storyline here, but merely my surface version will be enough to explain how hot and suggestive each of these pics is:

* Stefano in tiny D&G black briefs, with his legs open on the bed, and wearing sparkly woman's high-heeled shoes! This comes off as both humourous & sexy, not an easy balance!
* Domenico is nude in a chair, sitting by a bed with a muscular peroxide blonde male model in white briefs & a Sgt Pepper military jacket
* peroxide male in a black suit squeezes Shannon's bare tit - she's in nude panties & her body is awesome. While Eva is on her knees, kissing Stefano's chest as he reclines on the bed.
* on the beach in Portofino, model's high heel stabs into domenico's chest as he lays on the beach . Looks more like Shann's leg to me.
* bare ass Shannon [again such a hot body!] squeezes Eva's bare tit, as Eva rubs Shann's bare ass. Stefano massages crotch of peroxide model in black suit. [this is a lot more dramatic & also a lot more real/sex than anything in the Ford or Jolie edits & that is an understatement. Theres a dramatic boudoir lighting to many of these pics that is much better stage-craft than the Jolie edit - that shoot was too dark & the pics even seemed blurry at times.* peroxide male stradles Shann [nude except for panty] on the bed while nude Eva watches, & besuited Domenico watches too. I LOVE the black suits, white shirts & black ties on the men in this edit- it's a standard D&G uniform but somehow contrasts brilliantly with all the pink flesh - & theres a LOT of flesh here !!!
* D&G bare chested in hot white jeans seem to be binding Shann, in a hottie black corset, like tightening her corset to a painful degree? This may be an allusion to some movie or something, but anyway it's really HOT & really kinky - the corset ropes are a clear bondage-type fantasy- sure looks like 2 on 1 s&m to me ! I think submissive Shann is being tied up it looks very naughty. In the context of this edit, this scene seems to suggest abduction and even a final scene for Shann, a murder scene?
* super buff Stefano in tiny black bikini flexes on the beach, with 2 muscleboys admiring in the distance. This is WAYYY more homo-erotic than the Ford edit ever got & I am loving the idea of the squares at Conde Nast getting a look at what the kooky, reprobate, bad boys & girls at Fairchild cooked up for them in 2007 ! In the context of this edit this seems to suggest Stefano's living in some type of super-male-dominated world, he's a very strong male figure here.
* some type of religious/cinematic scene, maybe a funeral? A Pope Benedict character [very close approximation in clothes, face & gesture] seems to either be conducting a blessing, or forgiveness for Dolce, who wears black jacket, tie & white jeans. DD's gesture looks like seeking forgiveness. Peroxide male is bare-ass at left edge. Eva in mournful black with funeary shroud. Stefano sits on the right in white with cel phone ! This also looks like a famous Renaisance painting, or film scene,,,anyway it's mysterious, iconoclastic, cinematic & effectrively spooky- again Klein tried to go much deeper with this edit than he usually does & it totally succeeds- these are much more evocative & surreal, arty images than one normally sees in a fashion mag- almost like a film scene or even archetypal images from a painting in the history of art. Very Fellini- Bergman- esque too. Is it a funeral? Or Domenico seeks forgiveness but the Pope says there's nothing he can do ?? Looks like DD asks forgiveness, Pope can't do anything for him, and Eva is mourning a death- Shann's from earlier image?
* 2 male models, super buff , and Shannon, all three totally nude but covering their privates with their hands, and Stefano in black suit & tie & hotty glasses. Did i mention that Shann's body is amazingly hot in this edit? Her face might be made up, doll like / death mask [hello Lisa Cant] but her body is banging !!
Hard to place specific meanings on this edit but this final image appears to be some type of an after- life or a rebirth or new beginning for Stefano with born-again type nudes of Shann & 2 males. Looks like Shann has been brought back to life- reborn, there is a Garden of Eden allusion with the modesty pose, and Stefano looks super hot again in the suit & glasses.

ANYWAY you get the idea: W has once again pushed the boundaries of fashion & art photography in a mass-market US magazine. Klein has delivered his best shoot I've seen since his Vogue robot/Conservatory Garden stuff like 4 years ago. When Shannon Click debuted like 3 years ago I liked her, but then she disappeared? Well with Richard Kern's awesome Click edit in Dec/Jan Nylon, & now this being even better,, Shannon is suddenly back in the fight as a major US/world model for 2007. She is wayyy hot here & even Eva, who I really thought was dead, is used brilliantly here. The male models are 3 of the best I've seen in years [I usually hate male models] and Stefano is a better male model than they are. A brilliant depiction of the glamorous, dangerous, sexy and perverse D&G aesthetic- best I've ever seen in any magazine. Makes last year's US Vogue D&G Portofino travelogue look like pathetic, fake kid's stuff by comparison

** Additional thoughts: Patti Wilson edited, presumably she collaborated with Klein & D&G on these set pieces & clothes- I'm very impressed with the psychology & clothing/non-clothing here, it rises above a Versace, Vegas-y cheap-nude glamour to a deeper sensuality & sophistication that I see as more-Armani-esque. W's notes see this shoot as a reflection of D&G's Italian roots & mindset & it truly succeeds in that - much more so than earlier versions in US Vogue & elsewhere. Also W pinpoints allusions to Fellini, Visconti & Passolini- 3 great italian art film figures, & given the evocative & Classical stagecraft here, I think that ambitious cinematic aspiration has been achieved brilliantly. Great, great edit, I love it. rating 9.5 of 10 .

#5: JULY W:
lara stone, irina & larisa kulikova by juergen teller in kiev. Teller is shooting the best work in W in 2007, with this edit, & even better his mariacarla venezia edit which i think is the best of 2007 so far in a u.s. magazine. W also has inez/vinoodh, mert/marcus, weber & some good mcdean, but teller is out-doing all of them with these radical & individual shoots. there's a lot going on here: a fascinating tourist-underworld travelogue of kiev russia. extremely erotically-charged poses & storyline with these models and clothes [mariacarla edit had it too]. truly forward styling/editing by camilla nickerson [you can only imagine how anna wintour seethes when she sees camilla rocking this hard in W monthly, running rings around trite commercial us vogue editing]. and teller's unique framing, mindset, & imagination, which is very newton-esque in many cases. and lara & the kulikova's rock really hard here, in eye-catching bodysuit/lingerie looks coupled with luxe jackets/tops - nickerson just thinking outside the box and the girls making it work. lara is at her best here, when shes at this level she looks like easy top 5 model of 2007. beautiful, wildly sexy, and poised even in these unusual looks & some outdoor settings. with the russian theme, the kulikovas work great too, particularly irina i think is just about as great as lara here. every picture is awesome & adds to the story/visual effect. lara is out of this world in every pic, incl prada/eres; balenciaga/agent [amazing!], versace/vagin pouvoir [maybe best pic in issue], herrera/D&G, & armani/eres/agent. also love irina in BV, landau/chloe, CH/american apparel [and I HATE american apparel!], cdg, & Ralph/aa. its amazing how everything works here, and in a challenging script. teller's photos are exemplary 2007 or beyond fashion pics, lara & irina excel, and camilla also takes the styling to a whole other universe than one sees in any other US mag. really superb RATING 9.5 of 10.

#6: W MAY 2007:
lara stone & sheila marquez by sorrenti. sorrenti can be inconsistent but he's great here. this is exactly the type of shoot he excels at: a sensuous shadow lit set piece with sexy looks, here its body suits. W deserves a lot of credit for its pushing the envelope with nudity here, but as always its tasteful and totally succeeds within the terms of this shoot. lara stone is totally rocking she is basically already a top 10 girl of 2007 and lets see how much higher shell go by years end., shiela marquez also pleasant surprise here, she looks a lot like freja and thats a complement, with maybe a bit of lilliana dominguez thrown in. alex whites styling here as usual some of the best in the world. i cant get over how hot stone is here, elegant yet primordially sexy at the same time. every pic & look is great but especially these: lanvin shoes. herrera turtle. LV sweater. marc gloves, burberry sweater. marc sweater. cant say enough here about dappled atmospheric pics, bravura models & creative & involving styling. one of best edits Ive seen in 2007. RATING 9.5 of 10.

#7: W DECEMBER 2007:
raquel and suvi by mcdean. this is an absolutely superb studio shoot. it really makes all the Vogue 'girls jumping' studio shoots look dumb. when mcdean is on top of his game, he's about as good as any editorial fashion fotog, and this edit is at that level. the models help a lot, raquel of course is so often fabulous, but actually suvi pretty much equals her here, in fact some may give suv the edge. plus alex white's styling here is equally world class, i pretty much love every look incl CDG, ysl, chanel, undercover, mcqueen, ralph, D&G, V&R, its just all top shelf. raqu in mac might be best pic so thats why i give her the nod. but suv in valli & ralph also great so hard to say. notice the way a simple prop like a light bulb moving from ceiling to floor makes this interesting, the lighting, the makeup, all the diff angles, its just a fab edit in every way. its one of the best ive seen in 07 and the girls might be even better than mcdean but its so close. 9.4 of 10

#8: W APRIL 2007:
hilary rhoda by inez & vinoodh. this edit really blows away anything else in this ish. its simple: its rhoda by the pool at night in the hollywood hills. alex white styled another incredible story but these looks are just better than the rest in this ish- its tip top level couture evening looks. and rhoda shows something here Ive never seen from her. she simply throws herself into the looks & the picture motions like Ive never seen before from her. when rhoda first came out i thought she was a finely-cut american model, recalling an ali macgraw type sophistiocation yet wholesomeness. well shes just more vivid & sexier here than before. once again everything works here- white's styling is just amazing- great great evening looks like valentino couture, chanel couture [hottest pic], ralph bronze lame dress, saab, chanel, JPG, and a beautiful lilac blumarine. inez & vonoodh take the sweet ingredients of the poolside setting, the lights of hollywood behind, rhoda's exertions/sesnsuousness, and stunningly arty couture clothes, and make it work even better via these photos - interesting horizontal compositions. whatever sushi they ate that night worked wonders cos its the best rhoda has ever been & I am blown away by the colours of these pics. it also recalls a teller-like documentarianism with the pool chair & in your face familiar setting, but maybe its unfair to even say its juergen teller-like - its just inez & vinoodh being as great as they have ve so often been. this edit really kicks ass & it shines above the rest of the quality stuff in the mag. bonuses all around to rhoda, inez & vionoodh & espec white for their fantastic work here. 9+ of 10 an exemplary evening/couture edit.

#9: AUGUST W:
alana zimmer, irina kulikova, anna maria urazhevskaya & olga sherrer shot by thompson. now THIS is why W is america's best magazine. a fab group of 4 new-ish girls, made up, wioth hair, and posed like mature ladies, maybe 50 or more years old. and in age appropriate clothes that also look like some of the most sophisticated & forward fall looks that youre going to enjoy in any fash mag this year. karl templer styled, he's sooo much better than white just comparing these two edits in this ish. and thompson really stepped it up with a classic studio style that recalls Horst & Penn circa 1940s/50s. its THAT great!!! every look is great but ultimate standouts incl: ck dress. dior purple silk. gucci, ysl, armani jacket/dress [best look?], marc, jil/val, agnona/marc/lim, lv purple jacket [wow!!!], and ralph purple taffeta blouse. the jewel tones here are out of this world grown up top level fall 2007 looks !@!!!! as much as i hated edit #1 this edit brings me back around to LOVING W & thompson outdoes himself!! LOVE the girls casting & templer's looks 110%!!!! wowo!!!! 9+ of 10 one of best edits of 2007 !!!!

#10: :VOGUE DEC. 2006:
trentini in montauk, elgort shot it, peter beard story. trentini makes a great cheryl tiegs , chris clarke looks exactly like peter beard & ive met peter beard. awesome fully realized shoot. grace coddington again, its just brill with trentini evoking tiegs' loose 70s casual airy natural style, the montauk seetings breathtaking, and trini wearing all these nautical looks that are fucking top. also the art direction with collaging various images on the page is a lot like beard's photo/collage style. big props to beard for his animal-love & conservation since 1960s in africa. hes the thinking mans prep, i love him. elgort is booming here, pics are just as great as webers similar kate moss amagansett shoot this fall in vogue. like penn & coddington, elgort is another total MVP in vogue that turns in the best work every month while others like liebowitz get too much attention. this edit is so fucking good from the pics to the clothes to trentini to the beard/tiegs story to the art direction. subtle & understated but still one of best us vogue stories of autumn 2006. 9 of 10 . and I LOVE trentini shes my #3 model of 2006 after sasha & julia. <3

- The Earl Grey, 10021

What A Difference A Year Makes

Part One: IVANA TRUMP 12 October 2007 4:00 pm Madison Ave. betw. 63rd & 64th streets.

4:00 pm, 12 October, 2007, I'm strolling down Madison on a perfect autumn afternoon. IVANA TRUMP walks towards me, accompanied by a 60-ish looking man of short stature. Ivana is quite tall, I would say close to 5'10" without wearing any kind of high-heeled shoes. I understand she was a model in Canada in the mid-1970s? It's not impossible to believe, she has the right body-type still. It's all in the genes. She was also an alternate on the Czechoslovakian Olympic ski team in 1968? Her resume sure beats mine, what have I been doing with my life?

Ivana's hair is well-coiffed, kind of an elaborate, tousled beehive style, Priscilla Presley meets upper Madison Avenue. It's so well-arranged I suspect she's had her hair done just today. Her hair is blonde, but it's kind of a brassy, medium-to-dark blonde, it's clear that her natural hair colour is closer to brown, and you can see lots of darker hair showing through her medium blonde beehive. To me, she has too much makeup on. She has thick red lipstick on, I think it gives an effect of 'wanna-be sexy' that is just too much. Remember that SPY Magazine cover with the brutal close-up of Ivana's mouth? Gosh, that was a vicious image, and her bright red lips today are not too far off from her cracked and bloody SPY cover shot. She appears to have a covering of brownish-olive makeup all over her face, it looks like she might have caught some sun recently, she sometimes resides in San Tropez? The dark tone of the makeup has the odd effect of actually darkening her skin colour, perhaps not to an Al Jolson-like opacity, but on the way.

Ivana is wearing a lime green jacket, and a matching lime green blouse, I'm not sure who makes these but it looks like it could be Valentino or Ungaro or that type of designer. I think Versace used to use this acid-y, lime green colour a lot, there's that 90s super-model visual memory again, and there was a certain sheen to the fabric. Oddly enough, as Ivana approached, I noticed that the fabric on her blouse was bulging at 2 or 3 of the button closures- she is slim, in no way was her tummy protruding, and yet the shirt front opened slightly at the buttons on her tummy area. Maybe the blouse doesn't fit right? Is it too small? She had on light brown slacks, a full cut trouser, kind of a Katherine Hepburn look.

Ivana's shoes were my favourite part of her ensemble. They were emerald green leather, a fairly basic flat shoe shape, but the leather had a kind of a sinew and delicacy to it that bespeaks quality. At the toe of the shoe, there was a little rosette shape decoration, a jewel-like leatherette sculpture, a happy little emerald green pinwheel shape, a cute little leather lollipop. I thought the combination of the lime green blouse & jacket with the emerald shoe was a jaunty and rakish fashion look, she's thinking.

Ivana's companion looked to be about 60 or 65. He was substantially shorter, maybe 5'6" or so. He looked like he was Italian, I know Ivana has had a few Italian bfs in recent years, but I thought he looked more like a friend. Perhaps even a relative or in-law? He had on tinted aviator sunglasses, kind of a brown tint to the lenses. He most resembled Yogi Berra, but a trimmer, desiccated version, not as solid & stocky as the great Yankee catcher, even the slimmer Yogi of recent years. He wore a beige hacking jacket, the kind that Beretta sells just across the street. Madison Avenue shopping really can't be beat. I think Ivana prefers men a bit younger than herself for dating, and this fellow seemed at least 5 or 10 years older....

Part Two: The RAVEONETTES at Bowery Ballroom 12 October 2007 11:30 pm:

I saw the Raveonettes Friday night at Bowery Ballroom, a marvelous show previewing their third LP.
They played all their established styles from Jesus & Chain feedback pop, to Cramps-like psycho-billy, to 60s-esque girl group pop.

The new songs are more light pop with harmonies and really smart orchestration/arrangements that actually reach a Cocteau Twins-like kind of spiraling ethereal beauty.

The set highlight was a cover of StereoLab's "French Disco," which sounded like the archetypal dance-rock template - the Rapture & even LCD wish they could write such a good melody as StereoLab's, & play it as sleek & punchy as the Raveonettes did.

Based on last night's preview concert the Raveonettes third LP sounds like its their best work yet, very much classic 60s girl group pop with a smart post-modern edge and sophisticated arrangements that recall orchestral pop like 1960s Beach Boys or St Etienne circa "So Tough."

Part Three: IVANKA TRUMP, 16 September, 2006:

IVANKA TRUMP: 2:15 p.m. I'm heading up Madison to check out some fall art shows. As I cross 69th St. on the East side IVANKA TRUMP and a girlfriend turn the northeast corner of Madison and head south. I've seen Ivanka before and she is a tall young woman, I would say today she was about 5'10" in ballet flats. She presents herself impeccably well. Her hair is a very light shade of blonde, peroxide white-yellow blonde actually, and it had that ironed-straight look that was so popular about 2-3 years ago. Even on a Saturday afternoon, when most of us are more casual or even sloppy, her hair was beautifully cut & coiffed, hanging as white-golden curtains below her shoulders, long straight & lustrous. She has fantastic skin, a peach pink shade, and absolutely clear. She had the faintest, subtlest covering of light makeup on her cheeks & forehead but it was barely perceptible until I was close up. Her lips, which are a bit thin & pursed, had the faintest, palest colour on them, also perhaps a very light peach or pink. Her styling & beauty look was highly evolved & yet also girly & natural this afternoon. She wore a black dress with shoulder straps in an interesting fabric pattern, appearing to be a light delicate silk. Imagine the Chase bank logo, the 4 linked lines with cut corners at the sides and a small square hole in the middle? Ivanka's dress had that repeating graphic pattern over & over on the dress, each one about the size of a penny, over & over on her dress in black. And the inside square of each little silk element was sheer, you could literally see through the center hole, which created a lightness & also a subtle peek a boo effect all over the dress. There may also have been a faint light coloured lining to the dress, Ivanka looked supported at the bust and waist, but still the feminine peepshow effect existed on this artfully patterned black silk dress. There was also a dark blue hem of perhaps 2 inches at the bottom of the dress, which fell just at her knees. I love the interplay of black with midnight blue, and the designer of Ivanka's dress worked in that palette and also with the girlish, free feelng of the lattice-worked, basket-woven, Chase pattern, all over in the black silk. Ivanka wore ballet flats, they were leather, I believe of a silver tone, possibly with a very small bow. The design & shape reminded me of a Belgian loafer design, but since I'm not Chuck Jones, I don't know that much about women's shoes & I don't fetishize over various Trump family members' footwear.

Ivanka was accompanied by a preppy looking blonde friend. I would estimate Ivanka's age at about 22. I would guess her friend more like 25-26. They looked like they might work together, her friend had a very 'young banker' vibe to her, serious, stable, in control & precise. Her friend looked fairly stiffly preppy, her blonde hair was pulled back on her head. Her clothes were neat in a Connecticut manner but definitely unspectacular, as opposed to Ivanka's ensemble, which was truly stylish, flirty & impressive. If I had to guess the brand of Ivanka's black/blue silk shift dress, I would say Louis Vuitton first, then maybe Stella McCartney, or even Marc Jacobs or YSL, but again some of you out there are going to know ladies' clothing significantly better than myself, understandably.

Ive seen Ivanka before, more than 2 years ago, and I am going to make a personality evaluation here. I last saw Ivanka at Sin E on the Lower East Side, December 2003, when we attended model Karen Elson's spine-tingling solo singing performance [followed by Secret Machines blowing the roof off]. At Sin E, no one recognized Ivanka & her brother Eric, she was simply standing at the bar complaining about something in his ear, looking supernaturally radiant, but no one approached her at all, including myself. Fast forward almost 3 years later, Ivanka is hugely famous on "The Apprentice." She was acting that way this afternoon. Her head was tilted back high in an arrogant manner. She knew I & probably hundreds more were recognizing & checking her out on Madison today. Her friend more or less revelled in my attention and smiled as I sized up Ivanka's high fashion look. Between the harshly fake blonde hair & her arrogant, The Donald-like self-satisfied complacency, I found Ivanka, just 2+ years later, far less attractive in a real-life way than that night at Sin E when she was pretty much unknown. When I saw her in an ivory silk dress & cream cashmere overcoat at Sin E, I thought to myself, it's amazing that beasts like The Donald & Ivana could create such a sweet creamy-complexioned cherub like Ivanka. Well, post-"Apprentice," Ivanka is suddenly acting much more like her arrogant & egotistic [short fingered vulgarian] father The Donald, and it affected her over-all beauty vibe & personality appeal.

That's just the way I saw it this afternoon on Madison Avenue.

- The Earl Grey, 10021

Thursday, July 26, 2007. 7:45 pm. I'm on the Hampton Jitney, Montauk Highway, Route 27, we pull into the forlorn Southampton Jitney HQ/Health Spa parking lot. I'm drowsy from a full afternoon on Main Beach, when I notice famed New Journalism author & bon vivant TOM WOLFE walking slowly to his car in the parking lot just beneath my bus window.

Wolfe's owl-like visage is unmistakable, but I'm very put off by the rag tag outfit he's wearing this mid-summer evening. Normally of course one imagines Wolfe dressed to the nines in his signature ice cream white suit, custom dress shirt, silk tie and jazz-age spat shoes.

Shockingly, Wolfe is wearing faded, worn navy sweatpants, ill-fitting and slovenly, as one might wear for a touch football game on the Great Lawn. He has on a royal blue shirt rolled up at the sleeves. The cut and hue of the shirt actually has a sloppy cowboy denim shirt quality to it. Wolfe has balloon-like white sneakers on his feet, most like the casual Reebok white aerobic shoes that my father sported in South Beach a couple of years before his death. Wolfe's famous parted grey hair is all askew, splayed across his forehead and touching his eye and nose like some gator-trailed, drunken Brooklyn hipster at Studio B's closing time.

Wolfe walks the few steps to his car [perhaps he was dropping off a friend for the ride back to Manhattan; I caught the bus in Amagansett at 6:50 but it took us an hour to reach South]. His choice of automobile was the only aspect of the experience that seemed suited to the great author. Wolfe's car was a Cadillac, in the pristine ice cream white that one sees in his custom three-piece suits. It's a Caddy of fairly recent vintage, big and boxey and somewhat inflated like his white Reebok sneakers. It has a similar design quality to the Escalade, but it's a luxury 4 door Cadillac, big and puffy, not like the classic long, sleek Lincoln Towncar that I prefer; more like a sawed-off shoebox Rolls Royce design, but still impeccable in the whiteness of the paint and the opulence of the high suspension.

The other Wolfe-ian aspect were his rims: Wolfe had installed full white-walled wafer-like ice cream white metal disc rims inside his fat tires, with a showy Cadillac logo in the center. Very Palm Beach or Beverly Hills, I thought to myself. He inched out of his parking space, so, so slowly, a foot at a time, haltingly, perhaps wisely avoiding a collision with the huge lurking Jitney Prevost bus that has taken more than a few lives in past summers on Montauk Highway.

I suppose in the city Wolfe takes pride in his immaculate three piece suits and manicured Southern Gentleman profile. But like certain East Enders, he dresses way down in the country—yet making sure his choice of car bespeaks a man of over-arching, even intimidating, refinement, accomplishment, taste and means.

The Earl Grey -
11937 / 10021

Thursday, May 24, 2007, 4:30 pm, East 72nd St., I'm heading to Central Park to catch some rays, and skim the Book Review, when 10021 socialite JENNIFER CREEL slipstreams right by me just West of Lexington Avenue. It may seem like an eternity that I've been filing these detailed fashion bulletins to Gawker Stalker, but in fact, it's just about 17 months now. My first report was Lizzie Jagger, 24 January, 2006, she of the puke-green Converse, at Tower Records on West 4th St. Tower Records is sadly no longer in business, but I am, and today marked my third sighting of Jennifer Creel since November, 2006.

Each of the three times I've spied Jennifer Creel, I've noticed that there is a theme, or an over-riding design principle that I could grasp to each of her outfits: she does not dress by chance—each of her ensembles makes a definitive statement to the sartorially-aware. When I first saw her last November 1st, also on East 72nd St., she wore a shiny, gold down vest—thoroughly in keeping with last autumn's prescriptions in Vogue and Bazaar that "metallics" were the keynote for fall.

I next saw Jennifer during the winter 2006-07, this time on 73rd Street, once again just West of Lexington Avenue. Her outfit that chilly, grim winter Saturday was most impressive: a full black ski costume that would have fit in perfectly in Aspen or Gstaad: Sleek, skin-tight black ski pants, of a glistening neoprene. A matching black ski vest, also of high-tech polymers. And a chic black turtleneck, evocative of the Beatniks or Audrey Hepburn, but with a modern , urban, cyborg twist, further electrifying her city-ski look. Jennifer is fond of wearing sunglasses: in each case I've seen her she has sported shades; last November her shades were on her head, holding back her Jackie O. brunette crown. In the winter she wore the most modern, tinted, smokey black ski glasses, almost goggles, curved across her sharp cheekbones and domineering brow with a glassy reflection not unlike that of Lever House at high noon.

Jennifer Creel's ensemble this sun-drenched Thursday afternoon just before Memorial Day week-end also seemed smartly put-together, with a theme of tasteful thrift-shop vintage; let me describe it. She wore a light blue cap-sleeve tee shirt, truly clinging closely to her perfectly slim arms. The cotton tee shirt was nearly shrunken on her frame, giving the appearance of a well-lived-in, vintage tee shirt. In fact the tee appeared so well-worn that there was actually a patina of slightly-dingy brown on its surface: surely you too have noticed that with age, lighter-coloured cotton fabrics gain a surface of yellow-y or brown? Jennifer wore equally form-fitting chocolate brown tights, [very Mary Tyler Moore on the Dick van Dyke Show, youthful ballerina], once again clinging close to her sinewy and certainly slim legs. The chocolate tights descended to her mid-calf and stopped there. Some might accuse Jennifer, and so many other well turned-out, fashionably prominent Upper East Side ladies, of being "social X-rays," and too thin, but I would definitely not make that pejorative judgement. Imagining that Jennifer has had 1 or 2 children [Ed Note: Three!], she really maintains an admirably slim and trim physique, which is readily noticeable in her colt-like legs, graceful arms, and slightly-hollow, but striking, cheekbones. The mid-calf tights exposed her skin all the way down to her slipper-like flat shoes with a cute rounded toe, again somewhat ballerina-like. Her shoes were a light brown mahogany colour, an interesting contrast with her darker chocolate tights, but perhaps not exactly the colour shoe I might have selected (maybe a more traditional Buster Brown loafer colour?) [If you read from November, Jennifer wore taupe green corduroys with a yellow/orange shoe, so she is known to mix it up with her legging & footwear palette]. I was taking my time on a leisurely stroll over to 5th Avenue and the Central Park entrance there, but Jennifer breezed right by me on her way to a taxi at Park Avenue—she was motoring in those light mahogany-toned ballet flats.

Around her waist, Jennifer had tied a thick-cabled sweater or sweat-shirt in the exact same chocolate brown as her tights. As she whipped right by me, I could see from behind that she had tied the sweatshirt perfectly around her middle as to expose the the embroidered logo decoration from the front of her sweater. The logo design was the word "California," in a thick, textured design, with several layers of fabric such as yellow, red, black and green all building up the outlined California text logo. Next to the word California was a large, blooming palm tree in green. Her thick, decorated California sweater reminded me of several things. The traditional 1950s/1960s "Letter Man" sweaters that are familiar from "Happy Days" and other nostalgic reference points. [My late father had a similar letter man sweater in burgundy with a huge gold and cream letter on one side of the cardigan.] Jennifer's California sweater with the verdant green palm tree on it also reminded me of a late-1970s vintage tee shirt that I own from L.A.: "Duke's at The Tropicana," some kind of a famous restaurant/bar in LA that is likewise illustrated with that same green palm tree and luscious, curving letters. These authentic cultural/temporal allusions led me to believe that Jennifer's California sweater was itself an authentic vintage item, both its thickness and the construction of the logo, as well as the actual symbolism of the embroidered yellow letters/ script typeface and the culturally-familiar green palm tree. This thick chocolate brown sweater would have been much too hot to wear on this 80+ degree Thursday afternoon.

Jennifer had a bag slung across her left shoulder which also looked quite worn-in. It was an off-white leather bag with one thick, funky arm strap, and as old leather will, it seemed lined with age and even some crackles in the otherwise sleek, supple surface. Both the somewhat-70s shape of the bag and it's late Space Age off-white colour made me think it's vintage, perhaps circa early 1970s, and the type of bag that might be Courreges or Pierre Cardin, but I don't know enough about actual vintage period bags to tell you precisely who manufactured it.

As always, Jennifer was sporting sunglasses, this time a modern Aviator shape with black lenses and metal construction of a shiny silver that glittered in the sunlight. Jennifer seems to wear sunglasses all the time, and she knows how to pick out a modern, even imposingly-fashionable design that also suits her angular cheekbones and face. In her right had she clutched a black and silver cell phone, the squared off, trim shape looked to me most like a Razr, but as with handbags I am not enough of an aficionado to tell you the precise manufacture and model of her phone. It was sharply-designed, though, I can tell you that, and she held on to it firmly in her right palm. By the time we reached Park Avenue, she was a good ten feet ahead of me. A taxi deposited its passengers at the corner and Jennifer quickly flagged down the driver. I waited at the red light there on Park Avenue, as Jennifer hopped into the yellow cab and accelerated, heading North.

- The Earl Grey, 10021

About 12:30 or 12:45, early Wednesday morning, 16 May, 2007, Stereo on West 29th St. CANDACE BUSHNELL and 2 women pull up in a cab. Candace is what, mid-40s? Her companions look about 25-ish. One of them is quite attractive, maybe a Jennifer Love Hewitt type but with honey blonde hair? She's wearing a baby doll mini-dress in light tan and she has nice legs. Candace & friends survey the seething line of about 100 people straining to get into Stereo for the "Laverne & Shirlee" DJ tour- which is Steve Aoki & Danny Masterson + guests. Candace & friends are very put off by the throng, and don't even attempt to push their way through to get the attention of a doorman/bouncer.

After a few minutes just standing there, they see that line is not moving, in fact more people are joining in so the disorganized line bulges. Stereo's bouncers are pretty rude although the actual doormen, when you do speak to them, are human beings & do seem to be letting some people into the club. Candace asks her friends 'Why are we doing this?" While the crowd is basically early 20-somethings, and some of them are dressed ok in an attempt at glamour, the other half of the crowd looks like Jersey or Queens and ironically very influenced by Sex & The City, but a poor version of that show's clothes & style.

Candace's hot friend pulls out her cellphone & calls someone inside. "We're standing outside right next to this big bus," she says. Aoki & Masterson made up a special big tour bus with their Laverne & Shirlee promo pics all over the bus.

About a minute after making that call, Candace & her friends go over to the main entrance & presumably someone whisked them inside.

I was inside about 10, 15 minutes later & I never saw Candace again all night. I did see Calvin Klein model Jaime Burke, he was kind of greasy & sweaty looking and wore dirty rock & roll clothes but I suppose his facial bone structure is good- he does photograph well, although he was much less impressive in person.

One of his friends told me that Lindsay Lohan was there to see Jamie's band Bloody Social, but they played like 12, 12:15 and I didn;t get there til about 12:30-ish.

Candace was wearing a short beige trench coat with wide lapels, a dress shirt in a nice French blue unbuttoned about 3 buttons, and glen plaid trousers that were very wide in the leg. I thought her outfit was nice & very appropriate for her. I thought she had too much makeup on but looked about the same as she does when you see her on TV. She does have big hair—almost a Farrah Fawcett cut. It looked like she'd had her hair blown out that day. She was a little shorter than I imagined she would be; is she 5'6" or so? I've seen her in pictures with her dancer husband and she always looks lean and long cradled in his arms.

I'm not exactly sure why this Laverne & Shirlee DJ tour was so popular with the Tuesday night crowd. Is it cos of Danny Masterson's TV work? I saw him arrive & about 5 or more nightlife photographers were shooting him. His music didn't make much of an impression on me, I guess he played mainly 90s hiphop? And when Danny & Aoki DJ-ed there were a few photographers right in front of the booth shooting them all night—I can't imagine those pics are particularly great? Maybe it's Aoki's personal photographer recording the event. Is Steve Aoki becoming a big DJ name? It was my 2nd time hearing him, he has a pretty exciting style where he jumps around from record to record every 2 minutes or so, and lets the tracks play over one another. For example he played Mims "This Is Why Im Hot" but it had a hot deep house beat under it. He played that Outfield song that was on MTV a long time ago. He played Modjo's "Lady" mashed up with a hip hop song, Lady sounded great. Aoki wears these colourful hoodies he sells with these cartoons all over them, looks like a dinosaur print but I didn't really study it. Masterson just wore a white tee shirt and maybe a hat? He looked kind of sweaty and debauched.

Also Stretch Armstrong came on after Aoki and he played his established hip hop set. Stretch has long been a quality NYC hip hop DJ. I remember when he spun at "PayDay," this early 90s hip hop club really far downtown. Also when I was clubbing a lot in Sag Harbor in the mid-90s he was resident at Amazon on the long wharf there, those were some nice nights of summer revelry. Stretch played a lot of hip hop hits last night, Fat Joe/Lil Wayne "I Make It Rain," 50's In Da Club, Dr Dre G Thang, Naughty's "Hip Hop Hooray," Chamillionaire/Krazy Bones' "Ridin Dirty," There was a pretty good atmosphere and energy to the night, the hip hop seemed to be pleasing the crowd but I'm much more of dance music/house fan. Aoki did play one song that had more of a twisted hard house vibe, but not enough of that for my taste. I also thought Masterson's rambling shoutouts on the mic were pretty retarded, he sounded quite drunk & simply reciting your friends names in a Brooklyn 'hood accent isn't terribly energizing. But I guess his TV fame makes that babbling exciting for his fans.

Stereo seems to fancy itself some kind of chic club, this was my first visit there, but the crowd was generally a Jersey or Borough throng, some dressed fairly stylishly, others tried but ended up looking like the aforementioned Jersey mall version of Sex & The City- not hot. The bulging crowd was more of a hassle than I expected. In the end the head doormen did treat me well, giving me free admission, but some of the bouncers outside were quite rude & having these Jersey & 718s pressing up against me from all sides as I'm getting the attention of the head door people was irksome to say the least. Aoki had some good music and it was okay hearing lots of hip hop hits from the last 10+ years, but I could do without hearing those songs again for a few months now. I wish I'd caught Bloody Social, some say they're good? I will check Jaime's band out sometime soon i hope. I wish I'd seen Lindsay Lohan, maybe she left after Jaime's set? He left for a bit after his set but then came back like an hour later. The bartenders & bathroom guy were all really polite & friendly, I was much less impressed with the bouncers outside but then again it was a teeming, seething mob and clearly more than half of those people did not get in. It was pretty good for Tuesday night; I will check Aoki out again in the future but I'm undecided about Stereo. Although my night was decent on the face of it, it wasn't that great of a club night that I'm eager to return there, at least not for several months. I stayed till past 3:00, not bad for a Tuesday night out clubbing.

The Earl Grey- 10021