You're So Fine You Blow My Mind

* Hey Ricky * Uhh Uhh * Hey Ricky *



(PS: this is NOT me .. I would not be rockin a grey cardigan a la Mista Rogers but, you know, Ricky's ladies are old school)

Yea You Get Props

Rickford J. Powell is the man. He's a lot of man, ladies, a lot of man. More man than you can handle. I know you know the lyrics, but that ain't the point.

A couple of years back Ricky introduced me to his next door neighbor, Lawrence Quirk, an Old Hollywood biographer, and according to Ricky, Jayne Mansfield or Jane Russell's publicist. Or maybe it was Joan Crawford. So we were sitting in his backyard garden and Ricky, being a gentleman, introduces me.

Mr. Quirk asks, "Are you an actress?"

I get that question a lot. And I hate it. But when Mr. Quirk asked, I was flattered. Humble. Gracious. I mean here is a man who knows from goddesses. I had to decline. "Publisher," I told him. "Yea, my publisher," Ricky added proudly if somewhat proprietarily.

So Ricky calls me the other night and leaves a message which was landmark, cause honey usually hangs up then gets all "Why don't you answer your phone?" But this time he left a message saying, "Yo! I got you something! I got you a copy of Larry Quirk's book on Bette Davis" (He knows how I love me that killer bitch. Talk about a role model). "I'll leave it with your doorman."

So the next day I go downstairs and the doorman hands me the book and I see it is is signed:

"Stay fierce. Love Ricky."

Don't Front Like Ya Heard, Just Act Like Ya Know

No Sleep 'til Brooklyn
October 13-November 19, 2006

The powerHouse Arena

37 Main Street
At the corner of Water and Main streets in DUMBO
Brooklyn, NY 11201

The inaugural exhibition, No Sleep ’til Brooklyn: A powerHouse Hip Hop Retrospective, will be held in conjunction with VH1 Hip Hop Honors Week. The show will feature works by artists including Bob Adelman, Charlie Ahearn, Patti Astor, Janette Beckman, Peter Beste, Boogie, Henry Chalfant, Vincent Cianni, Claw Money, CYCLE, Martha Cooper, DAZE, DR.REVOLT, Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Carol Friedman, Lisa Kahane, LADY PINK, Maripol, NATO, Charles Peterson, Mark Peterson, Ray Potes, Ricky Powell, Carlos “MARE 139” Rodriguez, Joseph Rodriguez, Randy “KEL 1st” Rodriguez, Thomas Roma, Jamel Shabazz, Stefan Simikich, STAY HIGH 149, Peter Sutherland, TEAM, TOOFLY, QUIK, and Craig Wetherby, among many others. Also planned during the run of the show are a series of events such as film screenings (including Wild Style, Style Wars, Infamy, Scratch, Redder than Red, and Rappin’ with the Rickster), panel discussions, slide shows, artist talks, and weekly breakin’ classes with renowned b-girl Rokafella.

(photo by Boogie, who's back from Serbia)

Or Does It Go ..

"...there you have it, now get dramatic. Creating drama when I'm on the scene, and I got it in me like Bruce Springsteen" ??

I expect someone else out there is also obsessed with Warm It Up Kane .. (Whoa Whoa Yea Yea)

Perhaps John Z would know—he is the lovely man who read my blog and brought me a copy of Nice & Smooth's first album. Can't top that honies. I've been wanting that album for 17 years (I'm a lil slow, okay) and all it takes is the right man to make it happen. Gives me some faith in this world, that's for damn sure.

Come Get Some

(ya lil bum, I take the cake but you can't get a crumb...)

YES I love me some Big Daddy Kane. Almost as much as I love me some Banksy. But I'm not the only one. My dear sweet partner in pr, Ryan Davies, writes:

I noticed from your blog you're a fan of Banksy. Well, I thought I'd make you a little jealous and let you know there is a bit of his work not 2 mins from my house. It's called the Hitchhiker and is on the corner of a massive roundabout. It's not one of his best by any means—but it's never a bad thing to have a Banksy to look at every morning as you go to work.

"Not one of his best." — Apparently Mr. Davies is discerning whereas I myself go in for a more unseemly sort of idolatry.



(...ultimate and all that good shit. I'm the original Asiatic, acrobatic, there you have it—now get your hand out.)

Boogie Wonderland

Got an email from Boogie who is gettin' up in Belgrade ..



He got upset with me today cause I called him a fucked up Serb but I don't think he was ~really~ mad 'cause when honey is feelin for melodrama it's more like a pitbull comin atcha ..

Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl

Tell me you read this .. I know, I know, people don't read anymore, maybe blogs, but not books ..

Check my girl Tracy Quan, author of Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl.. A story of a woman who runs her shit while her man is completely clueless (for a brilliant change of pace) .. It's the perfect combination of sex, shopping, and city living that makes "Sex in the City" an embarrassment of bitches ..

ohh yea, and Tracy also wrote the text for Orientalia: Sex in Asia by Reagan Louie, a collection of photographs of prostitutes throughout southeast Asia that caused an uproar when the book was released in 2003 ..

~meow~

A couple of weeks ago I went to the opening of Vincent Cianni's We Skate Hardcore at the Museum of the City of New York (check their gift shop, it's my favorite) and I saw this photo ..



(Vince emailed it to me yesterday .. I still can't take it)

From Across the Pond

Meanwhile in London, the lovely Ryan Davies emails me:

I was at a party a couple of days ago and, as the booze flowed, someone spilt their drink. I looked at the floor and it totally reminded me of PEES ON EARTH. So I took a photo. Thought it might also amuse you too, so please find it attached. I'm calling my version "Pissed on Earth."

just another manic monday

have you ever had the feeling that in order to learn something new, something old has to fall out of your head ? i think this is called the saturation point .. too bad it's only 3:07pm on a monday afternoon ..

five lil words are all it takes

.. several years ago I was in London, walking around taking photos of graffiti because I find this to be most vibrant element of urban art and culture .. something between the here today/buffed tomorrow and the illegal-yet-innocent qualities of vandalism gives me butterflies ..

now I don't mean that I get giddy over every Tom, Dick, and Harry getting up .. More like those who take it to the next level, putting out something that really makes you stop short like, holy fuck who is this who did this .. and it's the fact that chances are I will never know who it is that makes it all the more romantic because I become a fan, enamored of the work, keeping my eyes to the sky checking for new pieces and often ecstatic when I find something I had not previously seen .. so I was going around London, photographing all sorts of spots, when I found this one guy who had it goin on ..

Banksy

there's a place in my heart for artists who get me open and Banksy has a fully furnished duplex in there .. I picked up his self-published books at Magma and nearly fell over when I read them .. aside from the fact I am like youbettafuckindoit I noticed he bombed a cow .. he bombed a fuckin cow .. he bombed a fuckin cow with the Wild Style logo and I was like, YES YES I have a reason to contact him !!

so I sent him an email a couple of months ago, asking if we could use the image in Charlie Ahearn's forthcoming book, Wild Style: The Sampler, the 25th anniversary book planned for release in Spring 2007 which will feature never-before-seen images and stories documenting the making of Wild Style and it's influence on hip hop and pop culture for the past quarter century .. trust, you will be hearing more about this for months to come ..

so I sent Banksy an email introducing myself, asking if we could use his photo and he said yes !! now mind you I wasn't about to send him a follow up then and there like, umm would you mind sending it a 10x10 300 dpi tif file cause I was just in awe that he replied to me .. I had also mentioned I was a great admirer and would love to work with him on a book should he be so inclined ..

little did I know he had actually done a full on art book til I picked up Tuesday nite at Urban Outfitters .. This time I was caught somewhere between complete and utter awe for his work and blatant envy of his publishers .. but happily there was a full page of the Wild Style cow so I dropped him a lil follow up note, asking if he was down to send us a scan, and also to congratulate him on the book which raises the bar for all graffiti and art monographs (seriously, if you do one thing with your life, please go get it .. you'll see what I'm talkin about)

so I get a reply from him this morning saying: you're a real charmer, thanks .. and that he'll send the scan

and now I am like a big puddle in an office chair, sitting at my desk trying to type with fingers made of melted wax ..

They'll Love it in Pomona....................... —They'll Love it Everywhere.

I was contacted about a year ago by the lovely Miss Eve Therond to write a column for Whitewall, a new super glossy art magazine published twice yearly .. I had pitched her a few ideas, keeping them rather proper, if not a bit stuffy, until she told me she wanted something more informal, something effervescent, something charming and nonchalant, or as I might call it, my usual nonsense ..

So I sent her a story about my lusting after Dave Choe during an exhibition of his work of drawings and paintings done in a Tokyo prison of his own piss and blood (really, they were much sweeter than they sound) .. She loved it, and thus a column dedicated to my crushes was born ..

But I can't force attraction where it does not exist and after going to a couple of opening that were absolutely flat, I mean nothing exciting at all, not even the work, I was a lil desperate .. Fortunately my honey Jim Jocoy was showing a selection of his work at Queens Nail Annex in the Mission, San Francisco, that I had planned to attend for the weekend, because there is something a bit glamorous about a cross country flight to attend an art opening .. And you might imagine my surprise to walk in and see a photo of me on the wall ..

Okay, you might not be so surprised. You might even know Jim is my personal photographer, and has taken some of the best photos of me over the past 5 years. And I am rather pleased to be in the same company as John Waters, Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Johnny Thunders, Thurston Moore, Michael Jackson, Sid Vicious, and Iggy Pop—as well as countless fabulous people whose names are only known within their circle.

The wonderful thing about Jim is that he feeds my vanity, like an old lady feeding squirrels. He just keeps peppering me with these lil bon mots that have me thinking I'm the greatest star. It's really quite lovely. And while I really did not like the photo of me he had in the show, because I know how I felt when he shot it (half dead, which is why everyone says I look so peaceful), I am honored he had included me in the show. Although, Jim sweetie honey, next time you know: I get photo approval.

So yea, I covered the show in the new issue of Whitewall, which is due out June 20th. It debuted in Cannes, where Eve tells me everyone from Bono to 50 Cent to Liz Hurley was reading it. Imagine that. They are reading all about me declaring my true love for—me, me, Norma Desmond.

Sweet Dreams are Made of This ..

.. so last summer Martha Cooper and I are at my favorite spot on earth, the garden at Cafe Asean, chatting about the launch of We B*Girlz and I told her this little fantasy I had ..

Do you remember the historic battle between Rocky Steady and Dynamic at Lincoln Center? I asked, spacing out on who I was talking to.

Yes, I photographed it, Martha reminded me.

Yes Yes right. Okay .. I've have this crazy lil dream that we could do something for We B*Girlz at Lincoln Center, like an anniversary event, only this time we're honoring the ladies.

You know, Martha pointed out, the first event was in 1981, so that 25th anniversary would be in 2006. August in fact.

Ohmagod, that would be incredible, I drooled. But I mean, it's so good but it's so unlikely.

Not really, Martha decided. Let me work on this..

..low and behold I get the call in January. WE GOT IT !! Martha exclaimed. I almost fell out of my chair. I thought, No way. No No No way !! how could this little dream I had one balmy afternoon become reality? But it did and it is.

And so it is and will be ..

Lincoln Center Out of Doors, powerHouse Books, and Martha Cooper are pleased to announce

WE B*GIRLZ

A 25th Anniversary Breakin’ Event at Lincoln Center Out of Doors

Thursday, August 10, 2006, 6:00–7:10 p.m.
Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center, New York City

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 212-LINCOLN

Twenty-five years ago, the first breakin’ battle for a large public audience was held at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. Henry Chalfant organized a battle between two New York break dancing groups to introduce breaking to the public. The original breakin’ battle event, of all male dancers, held on August 15, 1981, was photographed by legendary hip-hop documentarian Martha Cooper who is now coordinating the 25th anniversary event, We B*Girlz.

To honor the rise of the b-girlz, as well as pay homage to the b-boyz who paved the way, Lincoln Center Out of Doors will present We B*Girlz: A 25th Anniversary Breakin’ Event on Thursday, August 10th on the Josie Robertson Plaza at 6:00 p.m.

In the past 25 years, women have become a strong, driving force in the hip-hop scene. As documented in We B*Girlz (Miss Rosen Editions/powerHouse Books, 2005), the first book to showcase the b-girl scene worldwide. Cooper partnered with text editor Nika Kramer to speak with old and new school b-girlz around the globe about their work to redefine the role of women in a traditionally male-dominated field.

The We B*Girlz Lincoln Center Out of Doors event will feature an all-star international line-up of female performers, participants and judges. Emceed by Toni Blackman, New York, and featuring music by DJ Sparkles, Philadelphia. It will feature a 3-on-3 battle between four crews: Dynamic Rockers and Fox Force, both New York City; Style Comes First, Philadelphia; and Flowzaic, London. There will also be performances by popper/locker Rowdy of Flowzaic as well as a group show by members of Keep Risin’ to the Tops, a dance troupe based in Spanish Harlem. The judges include Rokafella, New York; Asia One, Los Angeles; and Aruna, Rotterdam. The backdrop will be painted by graffiti legend Lady Pink along with Toofly and Muck.

Prior to announcing the winner of the battle, Henry Chalfant will introduce original b-boys from the 1981 event, bringing them on stage to take their bows. When the winner is announced, Toni Blackman will freestyle with two members of her Cipher Workshop, in a grand finale, with everyone on stage taking part in a jam that recognizes the achievements of both b-boys and b-girls, as well as old school and new school styles.

One of New York’s most anticipated summer traditions, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, now in its 36th year, is enjoyed annually by thousands of people who come to its FREE music, dance, spoken-word, special events, and interactive family programs representing traditional and contemporary arts and culture from around the world, and the rich cultural diversity of New York City.

For a complete listing of Out of Doors 2006 events, visit Lincoln Center's website or to request a brochure, call 212-LINCOLN.

We B*Girlz: A 25th Anniversary Breakin’ Event at Lincoln Center Out of Doors is funded by National Endowment for the Artsand co-sponsored by City Lore, Inc. in collaboration with The Point C.D.C.

Dirty Thirties

was at Scrap Yard a couple of weeks ago with Martha Cooper (which was like being with Angelina Jolie at the Cannes Film Festival) and met Robert of www.bboy.com who gave us passes to a battle he was organzing for last Saturday nite .. So I pass along his info to Wes thinking we could sell some We B*Girlz books for the website, and Wes tells me Robert says come through and bring my peoples so how can I resist being put on the guest list for a b-boy event, if only because ohmagod these things are 95% men ..

okay, not men .. boys .. like this one guy, wow, he was amaaazing. Seriously. The more you watch the more you see. Power moves are boring. You gotta have that flow. Light as a feather. Never hit the ground. Be like that and I will watch you all night. Which is what I did. Shamelessly.

I was like, Yo where my man go? Everyone else was getting all aggressive, all (you know) how big my dick is (umm no I dont really care), and my man was just chillin, smiling even, jumpin in the cipher all the time. Flying. It was a sight to behold.

So my girl Sharon gets all curious. How old do you think he is? Illegal in 17 states, I say. But that's not good enough for her. So she goes up to him. Wow, you're really good. How long you been doin this? 8 years, he says. Really? How old are you?

16

Fuckin' hell. I am twice his age. I never felt like such a dirty old lady. But when I told Roka the story she was like, girl you know it: Dirty Thirties.

goddamn it !!

i have spent days trying to post those UFO photos to this blog to so that my last story makes some semblance of sense but i's not working .. @#$%#^%$^& .. i can just imagine UFO laughing at me for even trying ..

If You See Me Walkin Down the Street ..

.. you know, I have this secret crush on UFO .. Umm .. okay, it's not such a secret anymore but honey let me tell you .. I met that boy last year and was like Whoa .. I need a cigatette .. And mind you I had quit smoking months before but he has that aii dios mio kinda thing thank makes me speak Spanglish ..

.. so I've been harboring a harmless lil crush on this hottie for awhile, writing him here and there to say hey what's up and whathaveyou when Whoa .. I was walkin down Sixth Avenue over the weekend and I saw this truck ..



.. and I was like AHH SHIT YEA !! my honey is back at it !!



.. I was walkin past the tuck checkin it out like it was a piece of chocolate cake and I was a girl who had not had sugar in years (accurate depiction), drooling and dragging my jaw across the sidewalk while no one else on the street seem to notice ..

they all just went their own way, they would walk on by like their name was Dionne Warwick .. aii no entiendo nada ..

photos courtesy of UFO ..

Gettin' Higher Baby .. and Don't Ever Come Down ..

More adventures with Rokafella ..

So I hook honey up with a hot Versace spandex skirt which she wears to a show at the New Victory Theater in Times Square, all fly girl style .. But when homegirl gets to the after party she tells me:

"I got tipsy and did windmills in a skirt I tied into a knot—baby diaper style—oh my god... I couldn't help it... They played White Lines... I had to rep... The other girls there were tryin to battle the guys and were losing horribly... So I was like f it—I got the goods even if I am in a skirt..."

Yo !! Windmills in a Versace skirt !! That's legendary ..

Get On Up, Get on Down

Y'all don't know. But you might figure it out. Rokafella is my hero. Seriously. I wanna be her when I grow up. Or slim down. Or shape up. Or boogie down.

You're probably kicking yourself for missing her anniversary party. And if you're not, you should be. Cause shit was inSANE. For real. I have never left a show feeling like I was the one on stage. We talkin' African drums, Bronx Burlesque, Spanish Harlem hotties, Jewish b-boys, Salsational singers, and the DJ was spinning hits—I got my chair dancing down to a science. And let us not forget the catering. What? Those giant shrimps was gone in one minute. Ohmagod it was MADNESS.

So now you like, Damn. What was I thinking? How can I get down?
I'm sayin—Roka and Kwikstep are going to be teaching Full Circle Soul Workshops this month at Alvin Ailey. Now is your chance to redeem yourself. Take a class. Learn a couple of steps. Show off to your friends. You know most people can't dance. It's somewhere between tragic and hilarious. Don't be one of them. Get it together kids !!

Thursday June 15 & Friday June 16, 4:30–6:30 pm
Da Breakdown: learn the fundamentals of breakin, uprockin, poppin and lockin.

Friday, June 23 & Saturday June 24, 4:30–6:30 pm
From Da Street to Da Stage: a unique fusion of hip-hop and theater, fusing movement with text/lyrics.

$20 single class
$35 single workshop
$60 both workshops

Damn, that's like less than the price of one Nike.

For more information, call 212-405-9500 or visit www.alvinailey.org

Don't Stop * Get It * Get It *

“Most people relieve themselves in private. But if you’re a card-carrying member of the lefty arts-and-croissants crowd, you snap photos,” begins celebrated right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh's earnest protest, “P…is for Pathetic,” in the May 2006 edition of The Limbaugh Letter against the publication of Pees on Earth: Photographs by Ellen Jong.

“Many years ago, Ellen Jong was forced by a long Manhattan line to take an, ahem, outdoor bathroom break,” Limbaugh recounts for his readers. “Being a self-absorbed lib photographer, she was struck by the astonishing beauty of what trickled down the sidewalk. So Ms. Jong decided to relive that glorious moment over and over again, all around the world, capturing each tinkle on film. Naturally, she figured this would make a wonderful coffee table book.”

Amaazing !! Rush gave us a quarter page in his 16 page newsletter—not bad for a book not appearing at your local Barnes & Noble. The anti-Pees piece appears alongside stories on Swedish Hell's Angels, thieves of Victoria's Secret bra technology, and suicide clinics. Clearly, Mr. Limbaugh has his finger on the trigger, firing off on issues people care about most! I could say that ‘he doth protest too much’ but I don’t think he’s protested enough!

TV!
Radio!
In the words of George Bush: Bring it on !!