Tosh Berman's Blog, page 120

Tosh for ARTBOOK/D.A.P. on Félix Fénéon: The Anarchist & The Avant-Garde

Tosh for ARTBOOK/D.A.P. on Félix Fénéon: The Anarchist & The Avant-Garde

BOOK MUSIK No. 25: "My British Invasion by Harold Bronson

Book Musik 025 – My British Invasion by Harold BronsonPosted on July 1, 2020 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss My British Invasion: The Inside Story on The Yardbirds, The Dave Clark Five, Manfred Mann, Herman’s Hermits, The Hollies, The Troggs, The Kinks, The Zombies, and More by Harold Bronson. Bronson is one of the co-founders of the legendary Rhino Records label. This memoir/travel journal is his unique behind-the-scenes take on many of the most influential British Invasion bands. He has worked as a music journalist, a label rep in his college days and, of course, as the guy who just wants to put out some seriously good vinyl on the much-loved Rhino Records. But rock stars and/or their managers don’t always want to cooperate…

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Tosh For ARTBOOK/D.A.P. on "Offline Activities" (The Ice Plant)

Tosh talks about Jason Fulford and Tamara Shopsin's "Offline Activities" (The Ice Plant). The ultimate book of activities. Here I have fun with "Offline Activities."

"Wrong: A Critical Biography of Dennis Cooper" by Diarmuid Hester

"Wrong: A Critical Biography of Dennis Cooper is a much-needed study on this author and filmmaker's works and life.  Cooper is very much a verb and still extremely active in writing in various forms and formats.  Diarmuid Hester has an excellent grasp on what makes Cooper a great writer, as well as a thinker, and dwell into each part of his past novels and projects.  Like Raymond Roussel, one has to take Cooper's entire works because, in a sense, it's all part of his world that he constructs very carefully and skillfully. Like Jacques Demy's filmography, one movie leads to another. There is a pathway or string that attaches the entire film works.  The same goes for Dennis Cooper's writing and film projects. The beauty of Dennis's work is that it is very much part of contemporary culture. His collaborations with other artists are always of great interest, and true to the nature of his work. 
Hester also writes about the culture around Cooper, and that is equally fascinating as well.  The Beyond Baroque in Venice California years are explored as well as Gay/Lesbian culture of the 1980s,  90s, and beyond.  My only (very) little disagreement with the author is how he sees Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center becoming unimportant after Dennis leaving his post as Readings Director.  The institution has a long history before and after Dennis. It deserves a full-length biography (or oral-history) of Beyond Baroque.  Benjamin Weissman, who became the Readings Director after Dennis, did a magnificent job of organizing readings for the center and connecting to poets/writers from Europe, New York, and beyond.  Without a doubt, Dennis's importance to Beyond Baroque was essential, but the organization rocks on in its manner and ways to this day. 
"Wrong" is an essential read for anyone interested in Dennis Cooper's work. Still, also on a more significant landscape, it's about literature in the late 20th and 21st-century.  He's one of my all-time favorite writers, as well as a person of great taste.  This book opens up Dennis's world to others who are starting to get their first step into the works of this prominent figure in the arts. 

Tosh For Artbook/D.A.P. on Edward Hopper : A Fresh Look At Landscape (HATJE CANTZ/ Fondation Beyeler)

Tosh Berman on the American Painter Edward Hopper

BOOK MUSIK PLAYLIST : The Association and Others

Book Musik did a focus on The Association and their little planet of goodies. We put together a playlist of hits and deep cuts from the Fab 6 (or 7), as well as others in that world. Enjoy!
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1iP...
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/b...

Tosh For ARTBOOK/D.A.P. on Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things & Cocktail...

BOOK MUSIK: Along Comes The Association by Russ Giguere & Ashley Wren Collins (Rare Bird Books)

Tosh and Kimley discuss Along Comes the Association: Beyond Folk-Rock and Three-Piece Suits by Russ Giguere and Ashley Wren Collins. The Association had several enduring top-40 hits in the 1960s but were a bit of an anomaly. While performing they typically wore suits and they sang lush harmonies on songs like “Cherish,” “Windy” and “Never My Love.” This was during a time when guitar-heavy rock was dominating the music scene and the cool kids had a proclivity for outrageous attire and social upheaval. But as an integral part of the Los Angeles music scene, The Association was in the thick of things, opening the Monterey Pop Festival and hanging out with all those cool kids.

Book Musik · Book Musik 024 – “Along Comes The Association” by Russ Giguere and Ashley Wren Collins

Tosh for ARTBOOK /D.A.P. on "Philip Guston Now" & "Poor Richard"

June 5, 2020 (In The Year of the Trump Virus)

June 5, 2020 (In The Year of the Trump Virus)

Today there are 1,445 new cases, and 36 died today from the Trump Virus.  Atwater Village, my neighboring community, is remaining the same with 52 cases total, but where I live, Silver Lake now has 204 cases.   It was under 200 yesterday for Silver Lake.  Glendale, not that far from me, has 1,040 cases total, and today there are eight more who are confirmed to have the virus. Another person died as well, so now the death is 92.  The total in the County of Los Angeles is 61,045 cases and 2,565 deaths.

For me, this reads stay at home and keep away from people. Yet, people do need to live and eat, and therefore they take chances by going back to work and opening businesses.  People who do go out in the world are not only endangering their health, but also others.  Dog eats dog, but do they like the taste of the virus in their mouth?

Lun*na, throughout the afternoon, has been working on the Philip Guston video I made for Artbook / D.A.P.   That should be finished by tonight, and then I will send it off to their main office in New York or their remote workspace.  Do offices even exist in this world?

I'm dismayed in hearing about the Police in Buffalo New York and how they are handling the demonstrators.   There are reports that the Police knocked down a senior citizen who found himself on the pavement with blood coming out of his ear.   The attitude of the Police was to walk past him, but a police officer or two were called for their actions.  Amazingly enough, the entire police squad resigned in support of their fellow cops.  Does one wonder if they work for the public's behalf or support their family, the gang, known as the Police?