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Art & Copy

“Art & Copy” is a documentary on the advertising creative heroes of the ‘70s. Names such as such as Hal Riney, Lee Clow, George Lois and Mary Wells; these people did some great stuff. I'm not sure when it is being released here but I'm looking forward to it.

Yes

& No

Chav Rotalty Plates

Pick up any weekend newspaper magazine supplement and you will find a chavy ad for commemorative china plates. You know the ones, with paintings of royals or spitfires or for some unknown reason - packs of wolves? (actually I quite like those ones)

If the market is chavs I think there should be a 'Chav Royalty' series.

And why bother using china - just draw on paper plates, it's more chavy.



- I'd love to hear what you think of this idea -


P.S. I know that's a crap drawing of Kerry Katona

Jeff Koons

I've always been fascinated by kitsch and the notion of good and bad taste, it's probably a British thing.

I first discovered the artist Jeff Koons when I was fourteen and he's had a massive effect on me since. I was flicking through some art magazines in the art room at school when I was shocked to stumble across a picture of Jeff going down on his then wife the Italian porn star / politician Chicolina. I couldn't believe it, I was in a classroom looking at porn. Was it porn? I asked my art teacher, he said he didn't know but I should check out Jeff Koons's work as he thought it might appeal to me. I thought he was having a laugh and sort of expected it to all be porn or something... Guess what? I checked him out anyway. To my surprise and to be honest initial disappointment my teacher was being genuine and I soon discovered there was more to Koons than pornographic imagery.




Jeff Koons started out his career on Wall Street working as a successful stock trader. But he soon realized that he knew enough about the American art market to make more money as an artist. And the best thing was it really didn't matter if he was any good or not. Well that isn't really true because for him to have any credibility as an artist it was quite important he had to be very bad or perhaps better phrased as 'noticeably bad'.




By making noticeably bad art everything he did would become a comment on the art world.
Now if you are anything like me you will be seriously sceptical of, 'comment on the art world' type art, there's a lot of it about after all. It's what you do when you are shit, (believe me - I've been there). But what I really admire about Koons and what I love about his work is the underlying simplicity of his actions. He needs to make noticeably bad art so he takes something bad and makes it noticeable, like in this sculpture of Michael Jackson and Bubbles which started out as a tacky souvenir. Koons bought it and posted to craftsmen in Italy with the instructions to make it life size. It sounds so easy but we all try to complicate things and it takes a certain mindset not to try and do so.

Q

Those of you who read this blog regularly will know that my Inspirational leader is Quincy Jones. Way back in July 2008 I wrote about Quincy's generosity and genuine commitment to giving something back to society.  This is just one reason Quincy is my inspirational leader and here's another.

Quincy has the quality I most admire in people, the ability to overcome adversity and turn it into something positive. In 1974 Quincy suffered a cerebral aneurysm that almost claimed his life. This of course prevented Quincy from ever playing the trumpet again and Quincy 'the jazz trumpet player' could have easily become bitter however instead he reinvented himself as Quincy 'music mogul'. This action is best described by Quincy's friend Clint Eastwood who puts it like this - "Something beyond mere human tenacity helped out there", Clint's a smart guy with a way with words.

This quality really matters to me and I believe it is at the heart of greatness. It is a thread which runs though many people I look up too. And I wonder if it is a coincidence that behind three of my favorite albums lie similar stories of persistence, (although in each case under varied circumstances and expressed through very different musical styles).

Michael Jackson - Off The Wall 

Produced by Quincy Jones

Less than five years after suffering from the aneurysm Quincy began work producing the 'Off The Wall' album for Michael Jackson. Michael and Quincy had become friends while working on the film The Wiz . While on set Michael discussed his ambition to break away from Motown Records and the 'Jackson 5' sound and build a new sound and change his image. In Michael's words he, 'wanted to be pop' - Quincy's took him literally.  The album has sold 20 million copies to date.

50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Trying

50 Cent's breakthrough album is as remarkable as the story behind it. In his early days 50 Cent was as well known for dealing drugs as he was for music, and by his own admission was making more money from the former of the two.  In 1996 he was introduced to Jam Master Jay who taught him how to write better and progress his music  but any attempt at commercial success failed and he made little impact as an artist. Then in 1999 it looked as though he may finally get his break following growing popularity of his his song ' How to Rob' which he wrote in half an hour on the way to a studio, the track comically describes how he would rob rich artists. Following its success he was due to be release a second single 'Thug Love' featuring Destinies Child. Two days before he was due to make the music video he was shot 9 times outside his grandmothers home in South Jamaica. Of those 9 bullets 3 went into his chest, 2 in his lower torso, 1 in his bum, 1 in his leg, 1 in his hand and 1 in his face. The 1 in his face hit his jaw and had a permanent effect his voice.

Following the shooting he persevered with his music career and against the odds released his debut single 'Guess Who's Back'. The single got the attention of Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg, who introduced 50 Cent to Eminem and Dr Dre. What resulted was a formidable collaboration and the ' Get Rich or Die Trying' album. 50 Cent's voice gives every song credibility and the album is tonally different from anything I have ever heard, although many have tried to copy it since.

Rollins Band - Weight

In 1981 Henry Garfield quit his job at Häagen-Dazs, sold his car, Changed his surname to Rollins and joined the American punk rock band Black Flag. ( I like him already )

The problem Rollins had was with the die hard fans of Black Flag who didn't like the direction the band's music was going and blamed Rollins for alienating them. Black Flag fans aren't like boy band fans, they'd rather fight than cry. And they focused their displeasure on Rollins at gigs where they would often attack him. Rollins would often fight back dragging members of the audience on stage and assaulting them. This made for bad customer relations and in 1986 Black Flag broke up. 

Rollins continued making music as a solo 'spoken word' artist.

In 1991 Rollins and his best friend Joe Cole (no not that Joe Cole!) were accosted by a gunman outside Rollins's home. The gunman shot Joe in the head and he died on the seen, Rollins escaped without injury although he was traumatized by this event. 

Weight was not the first album released prior to the shooting, nor is it all about that one event. But in my mind it sums up Rollins tenacity in coping with animosity felt towards him both on stage with Black Flag and in the world that surrounds him everyday. 

There should be a self help section in HMV and this album should be in there. Listen to it, it has the power to change your life.