What’s up everyone?  I know we’ve fallen off the face of the earth these past couple months but shit has been crazy. I (Nate) moved out to Cali and it’s taken me awhile to get settled. I think Sam got attacked by a poodle and may or may not have lost a testicle. Kaia is hipstering it up in BKLYN starting her nights when the bars are pretty much closing, and Scot has been too busy fucking himself. Despite of all this, shit has been good for the us jackasses that try to pass off as writer, and we feel like writing again. It may not be frequent and sometimes it will be completely random, but at least it something.

Also, if there is anything you think we should check out let us know, we like to hear from you, we like to discover new things. We like to drink beer.

Go listen to El Ten Eleven for now, I saw them with Pinback the other night and the were pretty killer.

My friend Ian has been brewing up a few story ideas for graphic novels and has asked me to help him with his upcoming project. He wants to use photographs as the illustration for his story. Although this would take a lot of time and dedication, I thought it would be a fun thing to tackle.

There’s no script yet, but we have started on some character concepts. And I believe he’s looking for any “interesting-looking” people to cast in a carnivale-esque mystery graphic novel. (what?) So if anyone out there has a lot of time and has always thought of acting.. you just let us know.

Anyway– this character is a detective who incorporates tarot card readings in solving crimes.

This is the picture I used for the little comic edit above. Photoshop is getting to be a lot more fun.

Rest in peace Alexander McQueen.

A truly inspirational designer who showed the world that fashion can still be all about the art form.

McQueen’s death was a shock heard ’round the fashion cities of the world and was the tragic event to commence Fashion Week in New York. Although the presentation at Milk Studios for his more affordable pieces, McQ, was cancelled due to the timing of his death, his presence in the world of fashion will never be forgotten. Patti Smith paid tribute to McQueen during the LNA after party, and I’m sure all that Belvedere vodka was toasted to the air in his name.

For me, McQueen was the man who really turned me to the fashion at all. He’s the guy who made the runways seem a lot more like a performance art show than a presentation of recycled ideas. He was original, he always paid attention to detail, and his work was always so extravagantly and thoughtfully beautiful. He has certainly influenced many designers, musicians, and artists. He was the Michael Jackson of the fashion industry for our generation, and it is a real shame that such a talent couldn’t hold on just a little bit longer, and realize how much support he has. Thank you Lee Alexander McQueen for all that twisted beauty and inspiration.

The strangest thing happened to me earlier today (aside from kicking the fire water and saying I meant it this time). Continue reading »

I am writing you from the forgotten islands off the coast of Asia. A land where the corrupt government allows the rich and poor remain on their extreme ends of the economic spectrum. The beaches here are white-sanded and green-watered, the city is littered with both squatters and high-rise condos, and the most fashionable thing to do is save money.

This is where I was born. It’s the place I have almost no memories of and have only revisited once, 15 years ago. I have so many pictures and stories I want to share of my trip to the Philippines so far. I am going on week two and I have already taken over 3,000 photos. I’m going to have to pick only about 3 to share until I can return to the states, since the internet here is almost non-existent and extremely slow. Upon arrival at the NAIA airport in Manila, I was met with a million kicks to my senses and I wish I could truly share them all.

Enjoy what I can be patient enough with loading.

Mabuhay.

So Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth are going on tour together. Just fucking great. Exactly what the world needs. Nothing good will come out of this. Douchebags are going to think it’s cool to start rocking mullets again while drunk driving in their fucking Camaro’s and Trans-Am’s. I guarantee the reported cases of attempted rape at these shows is going to be in the high double digits.

The worst part about this tour is going to be the crowd. These bands were huge in the 80’s, which means the average attendee is going to be in their late 30’s/early 40’s trying to relive their “glory years.” This is going to lead to lots of older women dressing in shit they have no business dressing in, using 3 cans of Aqua-net in their hair, getting fucking wasted off the “king of beers” and showing their tits. I’m sorry but I don’t want to see some over-weight, floppy, chewed up titties.

Here is what I need everyone to do. Buy a ticket and a box of strike-anywhere matches. Walk into the middle of the crowd and start lighting the matches and just throw them anywhere. The resulting pyrotechnics will be even better than that Great White show from a couple years back.

There’s a reason Polaroid cameras came back down from attics and grew even more popular in the recent years than they were in the 70′s. For one, Polaroids are like black and white film: they can make anything you shoot look vaguely artistic. There’s also the instant nostalgia and gratification of seeing the old-looking photos that you took two seconds ago. Although Polaroid film is no longer available in stores, the Polaroid hobbyists have been clinging onto the remaining packages for as long as they can. I found “lost Polaroids packs” available at Urban Outfitters for 20 bucks a pack. That opens up a whole different can of worms and is a bit of a digression from what I really wanted to post about.

I use Polaroids for journaling purposes. It’s easy. Everywhere I go, I take a picture, and instead of waiting around to get it developed or printed, I have an instant and perfect-sized picture available for pasting onto notebook pages. In two days, I will be going back to the Philippines to rediscover my roots. This trip is the perfect journaling opportunity. I’m already packing my DSLR and an extra lens so I can have all sorts of photographic orgasms during the three weeks I’ll be there. But I’ve been teetering back and forth between wanting to pack the Polaroid camera and using up my remaining packs of film. The pros, in my mind outweigh the cons. It’s bulkiness makes it so inconvenient, and I’m not sure I’ll have many opportunities to bring it ALONG with the DSLR but goddammit, when else can I take polaroids of the Philippines? Right? or stupid to waste so much energy into packing this extra piece of equipment? help.

In the meantime, check out my little collage of my Polaroid past.

edit: something else to think about. Lady Gaga is the new face of Polaroid’s resurrection from the instant film cemetery. BUT it looks like we’ll be seeing more of these guys around after all! hoorah! This justifies me using up my remaining cartridges.
©Kaia Marie Balcos