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If there were a gun to my head pointed by an assailant who demanded that I describe the feeling of living in the USA using only pictures (hey, this is my unreal conditional—worry about your own), I’d simply point them in the direction of Michael St. John’s “Portraits of Democracy,” which are currently on view as “These Days” at Pio Pico gallery in LA (now extended thru Jan. 1). St. John is probably your favorite artist’s favorite artist: a lifelong student of the aesthetic form who cares more about the Big Issues than making big paintings just because that’s what someone said collectors want. He’s also a preternaturally gifted painter (by practice, no less!) whose every choice involves the deliberate reproduction of the very tension that makes life in 2020 one nonstop “Party in the U.S.A.” if you know what I mean. If you’re gonna look at art, why bother with anything you couldn’t spend your whole afternoon uncovering the intricacies of, anyway? Viewings are by appointment only, but don’t let that intimidate you—it’s literally a phone call, prolly even a DM away.
Nov 24, 2020
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If you’re in LA, you need to see his new exhibit at Residency Art. Or search his videos so you can watch him magically create Renaissance-inspired portraits up to ten stories tall using only spray paint - it’s bonkers.
Feb 4, 2024
Mar 19, 2024
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I saw this little painting, High Noon, in a museum and I stood in front of it until I felt like I was in the way of an old man. I don’t know much about the painter but his window series is hypnotizing to me.
Jun 11, 2025
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💃Anybody remember a clip show about banned music videos that, incidentally, ended up on one of the networks that banned them? It was either VH1 or MTV2, and they ran stuff like Nine Inch Nails’s “Closer,” Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy,” and Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up.” Anyway, I was glued to the TV whenever it came on and I think a lot of my aesthetic sensibilities came from that 90s-00s golden age, making me into (regrettably) a bit of a music video snob. No offense, but the VFX-driven spectacles of today just don’t hit when you cut your teeth on stuff from CANADA and the Directors Bureau (whose website sadly doesn’t even have their best stuff anymore). The unique exception is director Cody Critcheloe, who goes by SSION (pronounced like the latter half of *passion*), and his new video for Yves Tumor is nothing less than what I’ve come to expect from the multihyphenate: a hyperreal vision of Los Angeles replete with larger-than-life characters who are characteristically drawn up from real life, and handmade props that belong in a museum, but I’ll settle for a gallery. (In this case, it’s a smashed-up hand-painted sunburst convertible and a leather jacket with a The Cochran Firm logo.) It’s the stuff dreams are made of, cementing Critcheloe as one of the most exciting and visionary directors of our time (other notable mentions include Eugene Kotlyarenko, Anne Alexander, and Minister Akins).
Nov 24, 2020
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🎭What is, the best game show of all time? Oh, Alex. I hope you’re roasting nerds in Heaven with Grandma and Pop Pop. They were huge fans of you, too. These days, we end up watching like 2-3 episodes a night, which is okay because that’s barely an hour without commercials, and they’re only on Netflix until Nov. 27.
Nov 24, 2020
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🍸Well, we started drinking martinis. I guess it’s a cool drink. The whole point seems obvious now: it’s an easy way to get a lot of liquor down at once. The secret is that they’re cold, which makes it refreshing and not taste bad. Pretty simple. Then again, it is the simplest of cocktails, requiring only two ingredients. I’ve been using Wheatley Vodka, which is an imprint of Buffalo Trace Distillery (also the makers of Benchmark, which is a whole head and shoulders better than every cheap bourbon I’ve ever had… and I’ve had a lot, believe me), and Noilly Prat Extra Dry vermouth, which seemed like a good place to start. I’m extremely happy with the Wheatley, but as for the vermouth, I’d be willing to experiment (see also: shaking vs. stirring, and the length of time you spend on either). For science!
Nov 24, 2020