Media Studies: Take Cover

-The American Society of Magazine Editors just presented the list of nominees for the year's best magazine cover. Our personal favorite is the above Interview cover, which is the only non-political nominee for Cover of the Year. Winners in eight categories will be announced at the American Magazine Convention on October 6th. In the meantime, check out ASME's Top 40 Covers of the Last 40 Years here.
-As for our favorite regional publication, The Stranger recently released their annual Back to School Guide, an all-purpose instruction manual that details everything from "How to Drink Like an Adult" to "How to Be a Lefty Without Being Annoying". Consider it a must read for every incoming college student. more

Field Trip: Great Jones Street

-While Great Jones Street makes up only two New York blocks, they are truly two of the city's most interesting. Great Jones is currently home to the stellar streetwear boutique Memes and the Acme Bar & Grill, where you'll find some of the best Cajun food you'll ever eat outside of New Orleans.

-I snapped the above mural on the corner of GJS and Bowery simply because it caught my eye. However, a few days later the New York Times ran a feature on the mural, which is actually a recreated version of a piece by the late Keith Haring. His protege, Angel Ortiz, repainted the wall and added his own flourishes as a fitting tribute to Haring's life and work. Parallels have often been drawn between Keith Haring and Andy Warhol: both were revolutionary gay artists who died young and hailed from Pennsylvania. Much like Haring, Warhol had his own protege, one who made his own mark on the history of these two blocks.
-In 1988, Jean Michel Basquiat died in a carriage house at 55 Great Jones Street, which he rented from Andy Warhol. Like Ortiz, Basquiat had used his graffiti inspired art to modify the work of his mentor. There is no plaque to honor Jean Michel, just an upscale sushi joint that now occupies the building's downstairs. Ortiz's mural is truly all that is left, the street's lone remnant of the three artists who left much too soon.
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Econ101: The Warhol Economy

-After one remarkably shitty quarter as an Econ major, I promised to never think about the subject again. I was ultimately forced to go back on my ultimatum upon discovering Elizabeth Currid's book, The Warhol Economy. The book traces the economic roots of New York's downtown art scene all the way back to the days of Warhol and Basquiat, focusing on fashion, art, music and their respective and combined effect on the city's economy. Don't worry, the book is more about name dropping than it is about supply and demand. However, the economic aspect puts an interesting new spin on the downtown scene, and serves to remind young creative types that there really is a way to make money doing what you love.
-In related news, only two weeks remain until the first official Class Act Field Trip. I will be bringing the NW to NY for a few days, so if you know of any can't-miss shit that's going down, let me know in the comments section. For snaps, clothes, news and reviews straight from the Big Apple, stay tuned... more