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

Faculty Retirement: RIP DFW

-According to The LA Times, novelist, essayist, and philosopher David Foster Wallace was found dead of an apparent suicide Friday night. Wallace published several novels, along with musings on everything from porn to infinity, and was considered by many to be the best writer in America. He was 46.
-A film version of DFW's collection of short stories, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, was adapted by The Office's John Krasinski, and features the likes of Lou Pucci, and Death Cab's Ben Gibbard. The film is currently in post-production.
-DFW is not to be confused with fellow philosopher DPW, who is very much alive as far as we know. more

School Supplies: Supreme Goods

-Hypebeast tipped us off to the re-launch of Supreme's web store earlier today. While I was fairly disappointed with my own visit to Supreme, in part due to their lack of original gear, they really pulled out all of stops with their new collection. The new emphasis on throwback gear and cut and sew items has me trying to go back as soon as possible. Here are a few of our favorites...
-Despite their upscale SoHo roots, Supreme based several of their new items on blue-collar classics. Overpriced boutique flannel has become much too prevalent as of late, but Supreme's renderings are distinctive enough to warrant a second look.

-As for throwback gear, Supreme has gone back to the year of their inception, 1994, to resurrect the two items that defined 1st grade. If you can pull off the fannypack nowadays, then more power to you, but that is one relic that even a Supreme logo can't salvage.

-Lastly, Supreme decided to jump on the Obama-tee bandwagon with the following shirt, which is certainly more subtle than the others.
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Faculty: Dennis Wilson

-While the Beach Boys were defined by the songs they wrote about catching waves, Dennis Wilson was the only one who actually knew how to surf. Thus, his drowning death at the age of thirty-nine was about as ironic as John Denver's plane crash. Wilson was easily the most intriguing member of an already eccentric group, cavorting with Charles Manson and starring alongside James Taylor in Two-Lane Blacktop, one of the most underrated films of the 1970s.
-When I was in Brooklyn earlier this month, I came across Pacific Ocean Blue, Wilson's only finished solo album. I was drawn to the album initially by its iconic cover, but it quickly found a home in my summer rotation along with The Infamous, Love is Hell, Pt. 1, and various Nas records. Wilson himself claimed the record had "no substance", but he was clearly mistaken. Pacific Ocean Blue showcases the sincere pop that defined the Beach Boys, but without the pristine, unwavering perfectionism that Brian Wilson demanded. The record was reissued in June, and includes parts of Wilson's unfinished follow-up, Bambu.
-If you get a chance, see Two-Lane Blacktop. Though it was their only film, Wilson and Taylor are naturals. The film was recently re-released as part of the Criterion Collection, and
while it was often overshadowed by films like Easy Rider, some call Two-Lane Blacktop the best road movie ever made.
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Faculty: Ben Gibbard

-We apologize for the lack of posts this weekend, as we were temporarily drawn away by an eclectic mix of concerts. The biggest event of this weekend was, of course, Bumbershoot, the Seattle arts festival that acts as an annual reminder of why I love this city. Having worked their way up to the Mainstage over the years, Death Cab for Cutie proved they had earned it. They were truly the highlight of the weekend when they closed this year's festival with a set that included a seasonally apt "Summer Skin" and a euphoric Sigur Ros-ian jam during "Transatlanticism". 

-Judging by the fact that they are probably our school's most famous alumni, Death Cab hasn't gotten nearly enough love from this site. Ben Gibbard is one of the Northwest's best songwriters, and his prolific career shows no signs of slowing down. While Death Cab is a great band, its no secret that some of Gibbard's best work has been with other people. The Postal Service's Give Up is one of the highest selling albums ever put out by Seattle's best record label, and his work with Styrofoam was pure electronic gold. 

-While those projects were defined by heavy production, Gibbard is still at his best with an acoustic guitar. Home, his split album with Andrew Kenny, was a brilliant collection of folk songs that Gibbard (somewhat disingenuously) vowed to write more of. The above track, entitled "Broken Yolk in Western Sky", was supposed to show up on Plans. While it apparently didn't make the cut, Gibbard decided to contribute a performance to the Seattle edition of Burn to Shine, a series of concerts played in old houses waiting to be destroyed. It plays like a somber version of Dave Chappelle's Block Party, and features the above video along with performances by the likes of Eddie Vedder and Blue Scholars.

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Faculty: Albert Hammond Jr.

A lot of people don't realize the extent to which Albert Hammond Jr. has influenced their "personal" style. The Strokes' guitarist was the mastermind behind the group's disheveled minimalism, which, according to CityFile, "redefined contemporary hipsterdom". Hammond's stylistic choices were also the driving force behind the Converse resurgence and the overwhelming success of Urban Outfitters and American Apparel, and the millions of kids who look like they woke up on a couch in the East Village have him to thank.
While his stylistic and musical contributions to The Strokes are continually overlooked, Hammond's solo work has been receiving high praise as of late. His 2006 solo album, Yours To Keep, stripped away some of the pretentious lo-fi fuzz that made his band famous, replacing it with earnest pop hooks that conjured images of a downtown Brian Wilson. The July 8th release of his second solo record, Como Te Llama?, brought about a diverse handful of new tracks that finally showcase the true depth of Hammond's talent. We'll see if it gets him the recognition he deserves. more

PoliSci: WTO x EMO

Lately, most of the focus on our neighbors to the south has been based around immigration. However, infamous hipster rag Vice has devoted its latest issue to all things Mexican. They even found time to weigh in on the most horrific/depressing/comical riots in recent memory: Mexico City's Emo Wars. A few weeks back, 200 Emo kids and an equal number of police gathered to protest a recent spike in Punk-on-Emo violence. Various "lame subcultures", as Vice so eloquently portrays them, have apparently been fighting for control of the city for years. Bar up the Hot Topic windows, 'cause this could escalate into a full-scale siege reminiscent of the Battle in Seattle. At least ours had a decent soundtrack.

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