Tag: New York

Women of the 80s and 90s (my annual post of great things from the 80s and 90s)


I keep waiting for pop culture to stop talking about the 80s and the 90s, but every year I easily find a handful of worthwhile articles that touch on that time in different ways.

Recently I watch “Mau”, which was a short documentary on Bruce Mau, who I first encountered in the 80s. In fact I have one of his Zone books, and I’ve often considered buying more of his publications. They are dazzling and dense. Mau went on do work on everything from Coca-Cola to Mecca. He’s a fascinating person and designer, and if you get a chance, I recommend you watch the documentary. Meanwhile, check out this review: Mau Review: A Book as Good as Its Cover – POV Magazine. It has a trailer in it too.

On the topic of 80s design, check out this: Toronto Penthouse by Dvira Interiors Celebrates 1980s Architecture. Very beautiful, and very unlike what you might think 80s architecture is (cough, Memphis).

The 80s has that reputation, though. Consider this piece: Dua Lipa and a new era of Boom Boom fashion. Certainly the 80s could be very…boisterous. But for all that loudness, the 80s could also be understated To make my case, I give you this: Giorgio Armani is reissuing some of its most iconic pieces.

Besides fashion and design, the 80s and 90s gave us some great photography. Consider this photo essay: 16 Photos That Captured the Dawn of Punk in The New York Times. Or this piece in The Guardian: ‘I wanted to capture the range of British culture at the time’: the photographer who documented late nights on the 90s London tube. And I highly recommend you check out this story about how these  80s Headshots of Famous Artists came about. It’s Cindy Sherman like you’ve never seen here (and that’s saying something).

Of course with artists like Madonna still releasing music, we will always be reminded of her hits from the 80s and 90s too. Here’s a recent interview of her in Interview magazine. (A very 80s mag.).

Another band from that time who had hits was EBTG. Here’s the Guardian with Everything But the Girl’s 20 greatest songs – ranked! (I like the exclaimation mark). Another hit maker from then was Cesária Évora. Here’s a story on the efforts to ‘keep her name alive’. I approve of that effort. I’d add Seals and Crofts to that list of musicians whose name should be kept alive, especially after Dash Crofts of Summer Breeze rock duo Seals and Crofts recently passed away. Fine musicians, all.

Finally, here’s a story on how Talking Heads and Brian Eno Wrote “Once in a Lifetime”. On the topic of 80s films, here something on the film “Barcelona”: Fated to become a cult classic’: why Barcelona is my feelgood movie. Last but not least, here, a piece I think of often: THE IMPACT OF AIDS ON THE ARTISTIC COMMUNITY – The New York Times.

Somewhat lighter is this piece, Speak, Yuppie.

On Giorgio Armani, Kate Moss, and other great things from the 80s and 90s

I don’t write as much about the 80s these days, possibly because the media has shifted their nostalgic articles and stories from that decade to the one that follows. So I have decided to combine both decades in this one post. Hey it’s my annual indulgence, so bear with me. 🙂

The fashion giant Giorgio Armani passed away last week. While his greatness spanned decades, he really dominated the 80s with his flowing and beautifully cut clothing. There was a number of things written about him on the day of his death, but this piece in Wallpaper I found was the best. I’d also recommend this older piece that explains why 80s Armani still matters. And while I was a huge fan of his back in the 80s, as this piece in the New York Times showed, the man never stopped.

I was not the only fan of Armani obviously. Scott Schuman a/k/a The Sartorialist had a special Instagram account dedicated to him. Worth visiting.

If you are in the mood for more great photos of the 80s, I think this photo essay is excellent:  the 1980s turned out to be magic… david bailey on the era of excess in pictures.

Not as many photos in it, but this essay on  The Cameron Public House and 1980s Toronto is a fine remembrance of the beginning of an era at that famous Torontoian establishment. Another famous Toronto establishment, By the Way cafe, also began then. Sadly that restaurant will be closing after 40 years. It won’t be quite the same on the corner of Bloor and Brunswick with it gone.

If you want to know what we were eating in the 80s, read this. If you want to know what were listening too, go here.

One of the people I was listening to back in the day was Tracey Thorn. Nowadays she has a reoccurring column in The Independent where she writes about our current times, such as this: seeing endless faces in the city brings me comfort and relief. Always worth a read. Check out her books too.

Did Tracey Thorn go to clubs like the Limelight in London? Possibly. Did I go into one of the clubs that Sharon Smith captured with her polaroids of NYC nightlife in the 1980s? Definitely. Was I happy to see ‘The Breakfast Club’ stars reunite for the first time in 40 years? You know it. Am I glad that Giancarlo Esposito found happiness and success after a difficult struggle? Most certainly.

Moving from the 80s nightclub scene to the 90s, I give you this story on the famous cafe tabac in NYC. If you had gone during that time, you might have seen Kate Moss there. Zara had a special collection devoted to her not so long ago: Collection Kate Moss. This led to coverage in places like British Vogue and  The Guardian. It may be the reason why someone decided to write this: why fashion keeps selling us the 90s.

PeeWee Herman was another celebrity who rose to the top in that era. Even if you are not a fan of the 90s or Herman, I recommend a recent documentary on him…it’s brilliant.

Finally, here’s a piece on technology that was big at the end of the 20th century. Also big at the end of the 20th century: Friends. For fans of that 90s show, here a recent review of  friends at 30…inside story writers and producers tell all. More friends at 30 sitcom cultural phenomenon here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the chocolate cake at Claud and what we can learn from it

The Claud chocolate cake can be a lesson for any restaurant in this day of social media and influencers.

Claud in NYC is a highly respected restaurant with subtle and sophisticated cuisine. Yet if you go to social media sites like Instagram, what you’ll often see is their chocolate cake, shown above. (And yes it is mine and I ordered it.)  Just looking at it and you can see why it is popular: it is an eye catching slice of dessert.

I hesitate to call it a gimmick, for it’s delicious and well made. But it is definitely an attention getter, and in this age of social media, getting attention is key.

There are many ways to attract diners. If you want an easy and low cost way to do that, get yourself a menu item like Claud’s cake.

 

 

The limits of wine bars in North America cities as compared to Paris and why this is interesting


We have tons of upscale coffee shops, and wine is more popular than ever in North America, so Eater asks what seems to be a simple question: Natural Wine Is Everywhere in America. Where Are the Wine Bars?

I say “seems” because the answer is long and fascinating for a number of reasons: economic, cultural, and gastronomical. It’s a smart piece. I highly recommend it.

Here’s a snippet of what I mean:

It’s sad to see something so ostensibly simple become another exclusive pleasure, so I keep looking for the neighborhood wine bar of my dreams — which is honestly just a cramped room with bottles of interesting, affordable wine on the wall and, like, a cheese plate? Yet this seemingly simple thing is stupidly hard to find. It’d be sort of funny that cosseted American wine bars struggle to attain the loose charm of Paris, given that France is stereotyped as the place that’s snooty, rules-bound, and tradition-obsessed, if the result wasn’t such a bummer. While yes, there are a lot of rules, France also has a more open culture of public life; you don’t need to make plans to go out to drink wine. And though wine signifies many things in French culture, an air of sophistication because you drink it is not one of them. The appeal of enjoying wine in France, at least as the kind of person who’s moved by wine but still needs bolds on the list, is that French wine culture feels so much less precious than in America.