1
2
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
3
4
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
CREATIVE DIRECTORS / EDITORS IN CHIEF MOHAMAD ABDOUNI & RUDY SHAHEEN MANAGING PARTNER / CONSULTANT FATIMA M. EL MARINI SENIOR EDITOR KARL HITTI FASHION EDITOR CARINE LEMARIN EXHIBITING PHOTOGRAPHERS JINANE CHAAYA MYRIAM BOULOUS EXHIBITING ILLUSTRATORS FOUAD MEZHER TIMI HAYEK CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
ON THE COVER: BODY SUIT INSPIRED BY LOUIS VUITTON
CLARA ABI NADER JINANE CHAAYA NISREEN KAJ CARL HALAL CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS
BADARO, SAMI EL SOLOH BLVD. LABBAN BLDG . 2ND FLOOR INFO@FIMP-MAG.COM +961 (0) 1 38 17 73 +961 76 64 41 26 +961 (0) 3 71 90 86
RESPONSIBLE DIRECTOR PRINTED WITH
AHMAD AYASH
RAIDY | www.raidy.com
KAREN KLINK JAD EL KHOURY ALEXANDRA WARDEH DINA ABOU KARAM RAPHAELLE MACARON WISSAM EID AMEL TOUIHRI GHADI GHOSN EXHIBITING FASHION DESIGNERS LARA KHOURY DINA KHALIFE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
PROOF READER (AND LIFE SAVER)
MICHELLE WAZAN
MICHELLE WAZAN A.D RAPHAELLE MACARON SERGE KALANDI KARIM ABOU ZAKI LEA YAMMINE OLIVIA ALABASTER
5
LARA KHOURY
42
FOUAD MEZHER
24
90
TIMI HAYEK
The shining Lebanese talent lends her volume glory to a shoot inspired by The Virgin Suicides.
JEAN LOUIS SABAJI 50
Getting up close and personal with the new face of Lebanese haute couture.
DINA KHALIFE 64
6
A world of patterns and animal prints to have around your neck this summer.
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
KELIS 70
Wonder-woman gives a fantastic live performance and name-drops producers for her next record!
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
GENERATION GAP
LEAK
58 59 60 61 62 63
10
RONIKA YASMIN SAN CISCO STOOCHE THE VACCINES YOUNG EMPIRES
ON SET WITH MASHROU’ LEILA
INTERVIEW 22
ANDREW HRAIZ
INTERVIEW
FEATURE
86
97
EMILIE GASSIN
CORY, WILL & CARRIE TV SERIES
FEATURES
40 74 84
KURT vs COURTNEY The Battle MILLA JOVOVICH The Lost Gem GARBAGE The Comeback 103 FOR THE MODERN DAY ARTIST AND CULTURALLY INTRIGUED INDIVIDUAL
76
MYRIAM BOULOS
98
JINANE CHAAYA
7
8
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
G
rowing up in the 90’s was simply awesome, to say the least. Do you ever find yourself reminiscing and wishing you could bring some of the games, toys, TV shows, songs and sayings back from that decade? For many of us, we spent nearly half of our lives in the 90’s, so it’s only healthy to recall the sweet memories of childhood every once in while. Who didn’t love Boy Meets World? Every tween wanted a relationship like Cory and Topanga’s (maybe you still do), and a principal who cared as much as Mr. Feeny. Remember when staying up late to watch SNICK (Saturday Night Nickelodeon) was what you looked forward to every day? Even if we don’t want to admit it now – it was! What girl growing up during that time didn’t have a crush on one of the Backstreet Boys or NSYNC, and publicly wanted to be a Spice Girl? Remember plastering your bedroom with posters from magazines, listening to your cassettes, and watching Spice World over and over and over again? What about the Giga Pets? These virtual pets that you needed to literally devote all of your attention to for them not to die. Remember when they first started to get big, and you would see them everywhere (especially attached to your classmates’ backpack zippers)? They became so huge that they were banned from schools! Talk about 12 year olds walking around with Blackberries and iPhones these days, Giga Pets were ours. Furby! What started out to be such a fun toy, turned quickly into one of the most annoying ones to date. As if trying to learn “furbish” to talk to the thing wasn’t enough, it started babbling in the middle of the night asking you to feed it! It wasn’t long before these pests got stuffed in the back of our closets for good! Let’s not forget about one of the most embarrassing things from the 90’s. No, we’re not talking about the outfits our parents dressed us in, or how they did our hair for school pictures. We mean the most ridiculous phrases we used to say! “Da bomb”, “sike”, “if you love it so much why wouldn’t you marry it?” and countless others. All in all, the 90’s rocked and we thought we’d pay tribute to them. However, for the love of all things holy, please read carefully what we have to say about what did and did not make the cut*. Have a merry good trip down memory lane boys & girls! * Disclaimer: You might find that certain people, events and facts that have shaped the 90’s greatly, may not have been mentioned in this issue. You might also find it blasphemous that it hasn’t. Like Noel on the left, for example! Wait, or is it Liam? We don’t really know anymore. The point is, take this in the light spirit it was conceived in ... and may the force be with you.
COLLAGE BY ALEXANDRA WARDE
9
BEHIND THE SCENES A LA
DIRECTED BY JOWE HARFOUCHE
10
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
PHOTOGRAPHS BY RAMI HAJJ
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
BEHIND THE SCENES: MASHROU’ LEILA
11
BEHIND THE SCENES: MASHROU’ LEILA
12
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
13
14
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
BEHIND THE SCENES: MASHROU’ LEILA
15
BEHIND THE SCENES: MASHROU’ LEILA
16
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
BEHIND THE SCENES: MASHROU’ LEILA
17
ARTICLE BY A.D
ILLUSTRATION BY KAREN KLINK
WE ALL HAVE A PREFERENCE, A TREND WE RELATE TO OR IDENTIFY WITH. FASHION DRAWS ITS STRENGTH FROM ITS PAST, CHOOSING THE GOOD AND ICONIC WHILE WEEDING OUT THE BAD. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE. FASHION HAS BEEN AROUND THE 90’S, HAS FLIRTED WITH THE 90’S AND HAS BROUGHT BACK ALL OF ITS TIMELESS PIECES.
A
fter decades of excessive consumerism, the 90’s were the turning point to the way people bought and therefore, dressed. Fashion of the 90’s was greatly influenced by sociopolitical events of the time: unemployment rates were growing, HIV was rampant and the suburbs were expressing their malaise. As a result, the tendency was to move away from the human body and focus more on identity. Fashion of the 90’s was that of all trends. Since the 90’s, designers have been put in the spotlight, turning into iconic figures to the fashion houses they worked for. Indeed, the 90’s have witnessed the growth of luxury groups and with them, the most eminent names in fashion today: John Galliano for Dior, Jean Paul Gautier and the beloved Alexander McQueen for Givenchy. We can also mention, in another directory, Hedi Slimane who found fame at the end of the 90’s by revolutionizing men’s fashion with his androgynous and ultramodern figures, and his famous black tight tuxedos with cropped jackets.
comeback, as well as the overall, back from the 70’s. Messages on T-shirts, Hawaiian and tartan prints on shirts and animal prints on pants; sounds familiar? Well, we’ve all pretty much been there. One of the best references and sometimes extreme, was that of American sitcom fashion. Remember Beverly Hills and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air for the most iconic or even Parker Lewis’ famous shirt. Naturally, we had to run down to our favorite shops back at the time, Chevignon, Benetton, Chipie ,Vans and Doc Martens for shoes, Creeks for backpacks and the list goes on; to get the down jacket, the overall, the shirt with prints, the navel revealing cotton t-shirt and wear them all at once to get the total sitcom look. It was all about overdoing it to compensate for the lack of interesting things to say. A hybrid look between club extravagance and street wear comfort, carrot pants, large shirts and sneakers, and voila, you’re now ready to walk the streets of Harlem! Yes… it must be said, the 90’s were the Gilded Age of sportswear. Joggings were out of stocks, and were sold in every color possible. As for sneakers, they were ever-present with brands such as Nike and the success of its Cortez, or Adidas and its must-have Stan Smith.
Those years have been the stepping stone to these people, as they were able to show their value and abilities by innovating and especially by marking this period The 90’s are also with their touch, IT WOULD BE UNTHINKABLE an all-styles-friendly which has now TO SPEAK OF 90’S FASHION epoch. Whereas become emblematic. WITHOUT EVEN MENTIONING some people fuelled But that’s not THE INFLUENCE OF MUSIC. up on Caterpillar all; the 90’s are also and pop wave, and mostly, drawing others in the spirit of from renewable basics. Let me make this the 80’s wore prints and shoulder pads but clear: we take basics from the past decade most importantly the bell bottom jeans of and we renew them by accessorizing them. the 70’s adopted by Vanessa Paradis and Certain items such as the trench coat, the Lenny Kravitz. All that was great, but the navy coat, the striped shirt, the Levi’s jeans question is why? Well, it’s very simple: two and the K-way have become the flagships of years later, a phenomenon called “grunge” the 90’s. The bell bottom jeans makes its big happened.
18
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
It would be unthinkable to speak of 90’s fashion without mentioning music’s influence. But I wanted to save the best for last: Nirvana. With its legendary looks, the band was the turning point to everyday fashion. Although grunge claims to be, by definition, anti-fashion, its look has been adopted in the streets: ripped jeans, wornout sneakers and the essential checked shirt. In another directory, the influence of the Spice Girls has to be mentioned with their platform shoes and sequins, which have imprinted to this day on our wearing of leopard prints and the English T-shirt. But there was also Hip-Hop. If in France we wore NTM and IAM sweatpants, let’s not forget the iconic West Coast California Love style with XXXXXL jeans and Tupac inspired T-shirts. 90’s fashion was full of surprises; it wasn’t ruled by diktats and was surely untamed, as youth could truly express itself through its clothing, while luxury would carve its successful path. The 90’s would not be what they were without the most iconic figures of all, none other than the supermodels: Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell. They’re sublime and are the face of timeless authenticity. In a couple of words, the 90’s have been able to set their own trends and have become their own reference by mixing up the past and imposing on the present. Let’s face it, we’ve all been touched by the 90’s revival. Look around, there’s a guy with a checked shirt at every corner, a pair of Doc Martens on display at a trendy shop, a girl singing Nirvana’s ‘Come as you are’ down the street. There’s also waist pouches at the Marc Jacobs 2009 fashion show and the group Blur getting back together at a Hyde Park concert… the codes of this decade have infiltrated our time and are here to stay. WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
19
FASHION ITEM: SUPREME
ARTICLE BY A.D
S
ome of you might’ve already heard of Supreme, others might only recognize the red and white logo on some skater’s T-shirt around the streets of Tokyo or LA, but only true riders with a sick kickflip know what hides behind this pioneer brand of the 90s.
Supreme is New York (in 1994). Supreme is Skate culture. It all started on Lafayette Street in lower Manhattan where punk lovers, boarders and artists have built their temple. Supreme is iconic T-shirts, beautifully-designed skateboards and sweet kicks, where design meets comfort so famously for the sake of the sport. Supreme represents authenticity and is recognizable by its quality and raw style. You can find it all here: Mafia-like prints on shirts, oversized caps and customized Vans & Nike Air. It is a true paradise for Hip Hop lovers, pro skaters and punk addicts everywhere. Everyone has collaborated with the brand at one point, and we do mean everyone. We’re not normally the type to name-drop really but ... Terry Richardson, Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, Larry Clark and Takashi Murakami, amongst others, have all designed skate boards for the brand. What’s trippier than a well choreographed Ollie Flip on a Jeff Koon? Our favorite, however, would still have to be Ryan McGiness’ pantone Color Formula Guide. Supreme is also Fashion. Comme Des Garçons, Timberland, The North Face, Levi’s, A.P.C jeans and none other than miss Kate Moss herself have collaborated in one way or another with the iconic brand. Other big names that have made a cameo in Supreme’s history have been great figures in the world of music, such as Miles Davis and The Clash. It’s much more than a brand of skateboarding apparel. It represents street culture. It exudes attitude, expressed through different artistic means. Following almost eighteen years of success, you can now find it in New York, LA, London and in many hip corners around Japan. This culture is far from being a thing of the past. On the contrary, Supreme still stands tall as an authentic brand that is ahead of the curve, without even trying to be, which makes it quite cool in our book. If you’re a skater, an artist, a street freak, or just a lover of good fashion, it is crucial for you to have in your closet, on your feet, or on the asphalt a piece of Supreme. Now, you know.
20
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
21
INTERVIEW: ANDREW HRAIZ
INTERVIEW BY MICHELLE WAZAN
PHOTOGRAPH BY JINANE CHAAYA
THE BOOK GOD IS DEAD BY RON CURRIE IS MADE UP OF 9 SHORT STORIES ALL DEALING WITH THE SAME SUBJECT. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ‘INDIAN SUMMER’ FOR YOUR FILM?
IN YOUR FILM, ONE OF THE CHARACTERS IS VERY POWERFUL, ALMOST GODLIKE; HE CONTROLS ALL OF THE OTHER CHARACTERS AND CHOOSES WHO GETS TO DIE. WHAT WAS YOUR VISION FOR THIS CHARACTER?
All 9 short stories are potentials for short films. Those stories need to be treated in a different approach, as they are very heterogeneous. I decided to treat the one that was the closest to my approach of directing. Another factor that I usually don’t take into consideration is the limitations I have, time wise and budget wise. But most important of all, I found this story written by an American novelist that takes place in an American setting, which applies very well internationally and more importantly in our Lebanese society.
The answer is in the question. This character represents the god that controls the fate of his followers who are constantly scared of his decisions. But this god is flawed and that’s what makes it all go wrong.
PEOPLE MAY BE COMPELLED TO SEE IN YOUR MOVIE A CONDEMNATION OF ATHEISM, WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER THEM? It is a condemnation of atheism as much as it is of religion. My movie is more precisely a condemnation of believing blindly. By constantly looking for what we believe in, we have missed the essence of living. We are always trying to find a higher force to guide us or not to (in the case of atheism). This kind of thoughts is what pushes us to clash and be judgmental towards each other, instead of being what we naturally are… Humans. WHY WERE THE TOPICS OF GOD AND ATTRACTING FOR YOU TO PUT ON FILM?
SUICIDE
God is a question that haunted me throughout my childhood. It was something I questioned a lot. And with the question of God comes death. They say that religion was born the day the first human died. People started asking questions without answers. I found my answers not so long ago and decided to make a movie about it. I wanted to broadcast my “beliefs” to my audience. It is my first film and so I wanted it to be very personal.
22
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
AS FOR THE SURVIVING CHARACTER, IN CURRIE’S STORY, WE KNOW HE LIVES ON AT LEAST FOR THE TIME IT TAKES HIM TO WRITE THE STORY. IF YOUR MOVIE WERE TO GO ON, WHAT WOULD BECOME OF YOUR SURVIVOR? The survivor of Currie’s story is the writer, which means he is now in control of his world. It’s a cycle. The first god died because of a rocket, the second one died at the end of the film. The surviving character is now the new god. Gods come and go, but fate is fate. WHY DID YOU MAKE IT A BLACK AND WHITE MOVIE? The film is actually not in black and white. It is at the limit of desaturation. This was a choice for a more grungy feeling that best represents the characters and their interactions in the movie. It was also a way of giving importance to certain colors such as the color of blood. WHAT WERE YOUR INSPIRATIONS IN THE MAKING OF THIS MOVIE? Weirdly, one of my first musical inspirations in writing this film was the song ‘Hunting Bears’ by Radiohead, which happened to fit perfectly in the film. As for the choice of subject and the visual aspect, Terry Gilliam who is my favorite director inspired me in his most admirable way of treating the absurd. WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
23
24
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
FASHION DESIGNER
ARTICLE BY A.D
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MOHAMAD ABDOUNI & RUDY SHAHEEN
L
ara Khoury, today, is not only a household name on a local scale, but on an international one as well. She is hailed for being one of the shining burgeoning talents coming out of Lebanon. Her work is based on the female silhouette and consists of deforming it the way she sees fit. This ideology of hers is driven by a keen eye for aesthetics that may give the impression of fabric thrown around together, but in fact, reveals intricate detail, an eye for volume and a beautiful sense for delicate lines.
25
26
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
27
28
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
29
30
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
31
32
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
33
34
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
35
36
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
WRITTEN BY A.D
KARL HITTI
THE BLOG OF THE 90’s 90s 90s 90s FUCK YEAH UGLY 90’s CLOTHES! AL RAZ
37
THE MUSIC BLOG OF THE 90’s (90S-MUSIC.NET)
B
eing a student and having to learn a bunch of crap that you are never going to use through you whole existence is really not the best thing for one’s demeanor.You are constantly reminded that you will fail if you don’t get passable grades, so not only do you have to sit through seven hours of class everyday but also you also are expected to listen! And they say that our educational system is well thought out, what good does it do us to know the root of 213987854874? Especially if we could get the precise answer in a second with our fabulous cell phone! The history course on the other hand is interesting but simply depressing. You study the mistakes that our ancestors made, then you go home and watch today’s politicians do the same thing. And then you start popping pills and get addicted to Xanax. The worst part of this all is that“being smart won’t even get you laid”! How are you going to convince another smart individual to have a one night stand with you, is it with your skillful knowledge of Poland’s history? What can get you laid on the other hand is memorizing the history of music. (Unless you plan on having sexual intercourse with a deaf or ludicrous individual). Enter 90s-music.net, this blog is run by a Bulgarian guy named Daniel Yordanov and well that’s all we know about him. But what we can tell you is that you need this site in your life! What Daniel does is
that he shares bits and pieces of the music scene during the nineties. He picks out the elite bunch that shaped this era from a musical standpoint and every single day he releases a piece of information that helps you put everything together. In a way this is like school but actually interesting, minus the tests and the fact that you had to socialize with a bunch of twats. In fact the only test you will have to go through is when you’re going to try and convince a stranger to get down on all fours and obey your commands. Kids, one should always star the wowing process with a little bit of Red Hot Chilly Peppers, mention how ‘Scar Tissue’ is their most played song live.Throw in some Tupac and Dr.Dre a bit after. When you are done with that go for the kill lead with some Madonna then add a hint of Deff Leppard’s‘Let’s Get Rocked’! If all of that doesn’t get you some nookie then you probably are a pretty repulsive human being. And we suggest that you slip a roofie in your target’s drink. Everyone must take a moment and bookmark 90s-music.net. there is obviously nothing in this for us, all we want is to make the world a better place and in order for that to happen people need to be happy.The three simplest ways for someone to be happy are pills, alcohol or sex.And since we don’t want to see anyone throw their life away, you should opt for the third option.
FUCK YEAH UGLY ‘90S CLOTHES! (FUCKYEAHUGLY90SCLOTHES.TUMBLR.COM)
H
ere’s a tumblr page with an exquisite sense of humor towards the “beautifully atrocious” fashion of the 90’s.You can find a lot to tickle your funny bone and your nostalgia from this extensive batch of pictures taken from cult TV shows, R.L. Stein book covers and fashion magazine spreads.The blog portrays all the horrid style trends of the 90’s that we once mistakenly thought were cool. Skip over the Missy Elliott portrait shot (that falls under the“it’s so bad it can’t even be funny”category) and relish in the evolution of Grunge and Hip Hop as well as the rise of the supermodels, all within an ironically kitsch purple plaid crust. Hide behind those giant hipster glasses all you like, but we know you’ll identify with a few of our dear characters damned enough to be featured on this blog. Remember that jean skirt you wore over fluorescent leggings to your first house party? What about that time you thought it’d be totally radical to buckle only one of your overall straps? Ironically, these trends are making a comeback, to catastrophic outcome at times. Remember boys and girls: It doesn’t make it cool just because it’s vintage… It also takes a bit of taste.
38
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
90’s 90’s 90’s (90S90S90S.COM)
I
t seems completely normal to not want to grow up. When you look around you all you can see are a shit load of diseases some of them deadly, others simply annoying. No one wants to end being sexually impotent or having to stick a needle in his or her face in order to slow the physical aging process. At some point you’ll find someone get married have kids then suddenly you won’t be able to take a shower on your own! And if you don’t get married people will give you dirty looks at wedding call you a slut behind your back make you sit on the kids’ table! Now we aren’t big fans of living in the past but sometimes it is a good thing to reminisce. Old memories can conjure up joyful emotions; you simply need to know what to reminisce of. It is pretty simple to discover what 90s90s90s.com is about, unless you are a victim of strong dyslexia then this address looks like a slut train. This blog is the most random collection of images and sounds from the nineties. Instead of paying a shrink staggering amounts of money in order for them to explore you subconscious and try to solve all your childhood related problems, you can simply cruise through this site. Anything you might have forgotten from this past decade is present on it. And any person with a hint of sarcasm will understand the obsession we have developed towards it.
The music ranges from Weezer’s ‘Buddy Holly’ to every single Disney you can think of, and you will obviously be humming the hook of TLC’s ‘Scrubs’ by the time you decide to log off your computer. An homage to the nineties fashions we all long to forget is also present; you will be cringing with embarrassment and there ain’t nothing wrong with that. The Disney side of life isn’t only present when it comes to music; all the series that were so popular at some point are referenced through GIFs and pictures. TV shows like The Jerry Springer Show and Ricky Lake will also occasionally pop out. Models, Walkmans, Pokémon, Vengaboys, Scooby Doo, Barbie Magic Hairstyle, Girl Talk, Street Fighter and Nintendo 64! It’s like every single piece of media that affected your development and maturation without you knowing are all present in one place! Next time you feel like practicing the act of procrastination, don’t smoke a cigarette while spying on your neighbors. Make the best of your time take a pen and paper visit this lovely blog. Take a step back down memory lane, and make the effort to try and discover why you like to shove random objects up your rectum. Is it because of you always wanted to be a part of the ‘Sailor Moon’ bunch? Or is it because you grew up watching a baboon constantly sniff his bum in the most inviting manner?
AL RAZ (AL-RAZ.TUMBLR.COM)
G
o make yourself a cup of black coffee since it must be nearing 3:45 AM for you to be reading this and get yourself ready for a visual treat. Words disappear in this realm in favor of the captivating visuals that you will want to print out and stick on your wall like you did with that Erotica (Madonna) poster back in 93! It’s a tasteful collection of beautiful images and graphics from that era, along with a few iconic shots of acts such as TLC, Spice Girls and Tupac. Some pictures you will recognize, others you won’t. Some belong to pop culture history, others are buried in cult comic books. It’s the equivalent of going through your mother’s old box of pictures, really. Well not exactly, unless your mother was an arts student with a turquoise bob cut who started off her career as David Lachapelle’s assistant photographer and went on to become Lil’ Kim’s best friend, following her on the road and eventually hooking up with some onehit rapper (who happens to be your daddy). Oh, your mother would also need to have a penchant for Christian iconography as well. It all sounds very ghetto-chic, and in some aspects it is, but now that it’s almost 3:47, do you really have anything better to do than to give your imaginary mum’s old box of treats a try?
39
KURT COBAIN VS. COURTNEY LOVE
I
“
hope we’re the band of the 90’s, so if we’re not the band of the 90’s, I’m gonna fire my band and get a new one, and then we’ll be the band of the 90’s”. Andy Wood (legendary lead singer, of the legendary Mother Love Bone) knew damn well what he wanted out of the Seattle grunge Era. Many say he would’ve been the spokesman of the generation if he hadn’t overdosed three years after his rise to fame. Grunge had just been born; Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Green River you name it! And there they all were, mourning the loss of what would’ve been the 90’s spokesman. It had to fall on someone else. They all had it coming. So yeah, it’s common knowledge Nirvana got grunge “out there”, little girls were shouting to Kurt Cobain’s dirty blond allure and torn fainted jeans. But what made it this way? Seattle was pouring with van-touring, exciting new bands… but what was it that made Nirvana so special? When Kurt Cobain first listened to ‘Love Buzz’ on the radio, his exact words were: “It was instant success and fame, beyond my wildest dreams, more than I ever wanted. Once I got a taste of it, I thought it was really cool and that I’d like to hear more of my records on the radio and eventually pay my rent with this band.” Little did he know that his financial shortcomings would be the least of his problems once he got propelled into public domain with Bleach
40
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
(Nirvana’s debut album) and achieved superstardom overnight. And that wasn’t really what the young anti-icon was about or grunge music for that matter. Grunge was about making music sound real. Grunge came from the heart. It had something to say. It was angry, it was bold, it had attitude and many will say it changed their lives. Grunge was about being yourself, but most importantly, being your own. Layne Staley said it loud and clear, at the top of his lungs; “If I can’t be my own, I’d feel better dead.” (‘Nutshell’-Alice in Chains) And there he was – Kurt - singing for the lonely, shouting for the angry, writing for the compassionate, slamming his guitar for the frightened, screwing the system for the anarchist, giving grunge its true meaning…He came from the people, and isn’t it always more satisfying when it’s one of the little people who succeeds? No wonder he gave his face to the 90’s generation, Kurt Cobain’s greatness was his humanity, his vulnerability. He would’ve hated anyone talking for him or giving self-explained meaning to his lyrics; it doesn’t really matter because he was real. He was true, and it killed him. “And so remember, it’s better to burn out than to fade away. Peace, Love, Empathy”. Kurt Cobain. (Excerpt from Cobain’s suicide note) WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
KURT COBAIN VS. COURTNEY LOVE ARTICLES BY RAPHAELLE MACARON & MOHAMAD ABDOUNI
I
t’s quite easy to cringe at the thought of Hole’s frontwoman Courtney Love. In fact, it would be unhealthy not to. Any decent Nirvana fan would not be able to sit through her 1995 interview with Barbara Walters without finding themselves clenching a pillow and grinding their teeth. Scratch that, Nirvana fan or not, no one can sit through that interview without rolling their eyes so far back into their own heads that they eventually get stuck inside. Let us clarify. Said interview took place after Kurt’s death and the ill-timed release of Hole’s second album Live Through This (only four days after Cobain’s passing). Throughout the whole ordeal, Love reeked of bad acting down to her fake tears. She unconvincingly blamed herself for her husband’s death in a transparent attempt to play the victim and win the sympathy of his fans that had since, been treating her like the witch that forever deprived them of their musical prodigy. Please let the record show that I have acknowledged that fact, therefore granting me an objective point of view on this matter. Thank you. Rolling Stone said, “Love delivers punk not only as insinuating as Nirvana’s but as corrosive as the Sex Pistols’. More significantly, Live Through This may be the most potent blast of female insurgency ever committed to tape, while Spin magazine gave it a rare 10/10 rating and named it the #1 album of the year. Tears you can fake,
ILLUSTRATION BY RAPHAELLE MACARON
but music deemed this good by such publications, you cannot. However, it isn’t just Courtney’s music that makes her an icon. The reasons she’s such a legend go beyond that. Now of course, the fact that she’s got genuine emotion and uncensored sorrow and angst catapulting her music right out of the park sets the base for iconic status, but it is what she so comfortably allows herself to do with her personal life that makes her the marvel she truly is. Courtney’s epic-caliber comes from the persona she still, to this day, embodies so greatly: The female version of the ultimate Rock star. The alcohol, the drug abuse and the constant-tabloidworthy lewd behavior. This is where her appeal lies. It lies in the fact that she is no longer a mere human being. She became this wildly addictive and curiously entertaining symbol for debauchery within the professional world of music; a warning sign for youngsters, long before the likes of Winehouse & co. Even her disintegration has us watching in awe at every critically acclaimed yet sadly-overshadowed effort she rolls out. Most would love to see her follow in the footsteps of those she has clearly outlived, yes, but some ... still believe in Love.
41
42
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
ILLUSTRATOR TELL THE AWESOME PEOPLE READING THIS A BIT ABOUT YOU AND WHAT YOU DO. I’m drawing something most of the time so there isn’t really much that defines me beyond that. On rare occasions when I’m not drawing, I’m either driving someone insane with my Batman obsession or an overly intellectualized discussion of a horror movie featuring a talking anus or something like that.
WHAT INSPIRED THE SERIES YOU CHOSE TO EXHIBIT WITH F/I/M²/P? I spent most of my childhood watching Cartoon Network so that was my experience with the 90s. I decided to draw it in such a way that resembled my influences now (mostly basing myself on Mike Mignola). IF YOU COULD TRADE PLACES WITH ANY OTHER PERSON FOR A WEEK, FAMOUS OR NOT FAMOUS, LIVING OR DEAD, REAL OR FICTIONAL. WITH WHOM WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
IF HOLLYWOOD MADE A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHOM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE PLAY THE LEAD ROLE AS YOU AND WHAT SONG WOULD MOST PROBABLY BE ON THE SOUNDTRACK? They’d need to take a lot of liberties to make my life interesting on screen so might as well make me German (and a zombie-hunter) and cast Michael Fassbender. If the soundtrack consisted of anything by Trent Reznor, it would kick ass.
PROFESSIONALLY, WHAT IS THE PROJECT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO ENGAGE IN BUT HAVEN’T GOTTEN THE CHANCE TO YET? I’d like to direct a feature-length movie some day.
WHERE DO YOU MOSTLY DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION FROM? I’d say Batman. Whenever I’m stuck on something, the first step to a solution always comes from some iteration of Batman.
It’s a tough one but right now, I’d settle on Ridley Scott when he was shooting Alien. I can’t imagine a better job than that.
43
44
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
45
46
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
47
48
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
49
50
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
INTERVIEW: JEAN LOUIS SABAJI
INTERVIEW AND ARTICLE BY A.D
PHOTOS BY TAREK MOUKADDEM
J
ean Louis Sabaji will soon be the words on every fashion enthusiast’s lips. He’s already built quite the name for himself after having taken over his father’s fashion house in 2011.His designs are stark and breathtaking, his approach to fabric is fresh. His first collection to come out under his new label is a feast for sore eyes. We got to sit down with Mr. Sabaji and chit-chat about it all.
51
52
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
INTERVIEW: JEAN LOUIS SABAJI
HOW DO YOU BEGIN YOUR DESIGN PROCESS ? DO YOU SKETCH OUT YOUR COLLECTION FIRST OR WORK DIRECTLY FROM FABRIC AND A MANNEQUIN ?
I know that most people see it as reptile-like fabric, but in fact, if you look closely it has a feather pattern. And to tell you the truth, it no longer exists; I found it after it had been buried for almost 30 years beneath layers and layers of fabric in the stock room. It has struck Having had an experience in Italy with international designers and me as the most precious piece of fabric and I had to incorporate it in professionals from the fashion industry during my studies in Milan, my designs. I learned that concept comes before the process itself. So to answer your question, I just improvise. It also depends on the design itself. CAN YOU GIVE US A QUICK IDEA ABOUT THE DUEL BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARKNESS THAT YOU DECIDED WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR THIS COLLECTION ? TO GO FOR HERE ? WAS THERE A PARTICULAR MOOD OR FEELING YOU WANTED TO INVOKE ? I could never pinpoint the way my designs would turn out. I would always go along with my state of mind or mood at a precise moment. After evolving from student to designer, I had a strong feeling that I have two perceptions in life that I always like to explore:The dark I had to develop the concept of my thesis since it always reflected in side and the soft side. my design and thoughts. I felt I could give it, with my new experience, a strong feel and new identity. I always consider it to be my starting WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE WITH YOUR LABEL? point. An everlasting spark. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE WOMAN YOU WOULD MOST WANT TO WEAR ONE OF YOUR DESIGNS? IF YOU COULD MODEL YOUR CAREER AFTER ANY DESIGNER, WHOSE CAREER PATH WOULD YOU LIKE TO She could never exist. FOLLOW? WHAT IS YOUR COLLECTION?
FAVOURITE
PIECE
FROM
THIS
It is really hard to answer this question. But say there were to be a fire in my studio, I would instantly grab the small black gold and silver feather pattern dress. For me, it represents a small piece of jewelry.
I look up to many designers that have passed away or still alive and I have observed their long path as they grew.As for me, I hope to find my own. BEFORE WE WRAP THIS UP, COULD YOU TELL US WHAT YOU FIND MOST INTRIGUING ABOUT THE FASHION WORLD TODAY?
THE REPTILE-LIKE FABRIC YOU INCORPORATED IN A FEW PIECES WAS A DETAIL WE ESPECIALLY ENJOYED. I watched designers rise and fall all through my childhood and career. WHAT IS THE MATERIAL YOU USED FOR IT, AND Nowadays fashion has become very accessible so I think designers WHERE DID THE IDEA OF INTEGRATING IT INTO THIS should always stay on their toes and give their all. COLLECTION COME FROM?
53
54
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
55
56
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
ARTICLES BY KARL HITTI
ILLUSTRATIONS BY AMEL TOUIHRI
57
RONIKA
C
ritics have been describing Ronika as a reworked early 80’s Madonna. No person in his or her right mind would ever overlook such a compliment. But if you take a moment to actually look beneath the glittery washed out surface, you would discover that this bleach blond singer has a whole unsalvaged side to her.You see, when Kylie Minogue entered the 90’s, she signed to a label known as Deconstruction Records. And the events that ensued after the confirmation of that contract were the releases of two of the best albums of her career (things are about to make sense in a minute be patient). And what little old Ronika is doing with her music is taking a big chunk out of that offbeat era and reinterpreting it her own way.And by her own way, we mean the 90’s club kid special K drenched way, right down to the phantom drag queen make up. One might doubt that she has done this on purpose, although we would applaud her if she did. But either way, her cluster of drowned out synth beats is well worth the listen.
DOWNLOAD: ONLY ONLY, AUTOMATIC.
58
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
YEASAYER
W
YASMIN
hen a 22-year-old girl from Glasgow can impress Pharell Williams with her nifty DJ skills, she must be doing something right. Fresh-faced Yasmin decided to move to England three years ago so that she could give her singing career a go. With the big mass of over-produced beat jammed electronic music that is dictating our airwaves, some good old Massive Attack inspired vibes are long overdue. Yasmin doesn’t care about throwing hissy fits and shade at other singers. She doesn’t pay that much importance to physical appearance. (Although once you take a quick look at her mind blowing gorgeous Iranian tinged face, it is pretty obvious that that’s a big load of bull.) Having already worked with the likes of Ms Dynamite, Shy Fx, Labyrinth and Devlin, it seems that the music industry has this up-and-coming musician’s back. We can but only hope that the general public will follow soon. Not one to be put in a box, little old flower girl threw a complete 180 for her third single ‘Light Up (The World). She sampled Baby D’s 90’s hit‘Let Me Be Your Fantasy’ into a Reggae Breakbeat inspired jam. Everyone needs a ray of sunshine and it certainly doesn’t hurt if it comes packaged in a visually alluring model-type physique. DOWNLOAD: FINISH LINE (PEGASUS AFTERHOURS MIX), ON MY OWN.
59
SAN CISCO
S
an Cisco is like a modern version of Hanson. Think what would have happened if the three brothers decided to suddenly add a female singer to their band and all got bitten by a plasma infected time traveling hipster.That bite would have eventually resulted in them growing older once every seven years, while always being dressed in awesome nineties apparel.We can all agree that Hanson didn’t actually do anything that helped with the advancement of our civilization. Well, so what! Who doesn’t like to blaze through their house every week or so while singing the words to the groundbreaking hit ‘MMMBOP’? San Cisco obviously don’t feel that there is any shame in admitting that, since almost all of the songs featured on their already released EPs Golden Revolver and Awkward contain some simple childish hook or chant. From“Eh Eh Eh”s to“Oh la la la la”s followed by some“Ta ra ra ta”s your IQ is almost surely going to take a stumble, and we don’t see anything wrong with that.These top notch musicians scooped six awards at Australia’s WAMI’s, and that surely is a premonition of better things to come. DOWNLOAD: AWKWARD, ROCKET SHIP.
60
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
W
STOOSHE
ith all the cheesy prepubescent boy bands that came out this past year, Stooshe (pronounced Stoosh-ay) have made it their mission to bring back our faith in humanity. Armed with the feistiness of the Spice Girls, the chameleon like capabilities of TLC and the soulfulness of En Vogue, these three coochie popping females seem to be destined to take over the music scene. Girl bands are almost never a bad idea especially when the members can conjure up a curse storm while rapping and hitting every note you throw at them. Imagine if a bunch of English non-hairy sailors decided to paint the planet in bright tiger-printed neon colors while driving from country to country in a bright pink bus.Their first official single was titled‘F**k Me’ but their label, fearing they’d be shunned by radios, decided to tone it down and turn it into ‘Love Me’. If life has taught us one thing, it’s that you might be able to take the girl out of Slutville, but you can never and we do mean never take Slutville out of the girl. Forget about World War III, Stooshe have declared war on all the sticks that are up your bottoms and it looks like things might get a bit frisky.
DOWNLOAD: BLACK HEART, LOVE ME.
61
THE VACCINES
E
ver since buzz has started building around these boys, they’ve been tipped for pretty big success. Just like Adele’s addiction to cheeseburgers or Ozzy Osborne’s penchant for little fury bats, The Vaccines have been a pretty badly kept secret.And just like sweeping a dead corpse under the rug, it has been quite hard for them to fly under the radar. Maybe it’s their visceral talent for composing oscillating, emotionally driven melodies that are paired up with very gutsy and insightful lyrics. Or is it the fact that they have the alternative rock look all panned out, right down to the extremely greasy hair. Either way, there is no questioning their skillfulness. We think everyone should join in a circle of prayer and thank these musicians for at least trying to keep post grunge and post garage rock alive. Lord knows we are missing a heavy dose of guitar driven music in today’s mainstream scene; The Vaccines might just be the right people to pull off that injection.Their sophomore album The Vaccines Come of Age comes out this September, we would suggest that you keep your eyes peeled for that. DOWNLOAD: POST BREAK UP SEX, WHY SHOULD I LOVE YOU? .
62
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
E
YOUNG EMPIRES
ver wondered what it would feel like to run through the tropical forests naked while on an acid trip? Monkeys would be serving you bananas and other fresh juicy fruits while the sun sets, and panthers would offer you their delicate fur so that you could feel fabulous while you boss the untamable beasts that surround you (hopefully the always-levelheaded people at PETA don’t get a hold of this). Young Empires are a Canadian based band; they describe their musical style as being “world beat haute rock”. What is that you may ask? It is a more practical way of describing an orgy between Morcheeba, Jamiroquai, The Cure and The Rapture (just imagine the amount of STDs that would be contracted).And well, as you can imagine, getting signed to a label while having a musical style equivalent to an ever spreading crabs infestation can be pretty difficult. What’s a musical ensemble to do? Simply choose not to put their artistic integrity in harm’s way and look for alternatives to get their name out there.This is exactly what the boys did by working with Toronto based designers and featuring their music in movies and commercials.Their debut EP is entitled Wake all my youth and ya’ll should smell the coffee. DOWNLOAD: RAIN OF GOLD, THE EARTH PLATES ARE SHIFTING.
63
INTERVIEW: DINA KHALIFE
INTERVIEW BY A.D
WHO IS DINA KHALIFE EXACTLY? IN WHICH CREATIVE FIELD CAN WE CATEGORIZE HER? I started as a graphic designer. I worked several years in Beirut, until I decided to shift my career and pursue a master in textile design and surfaces in Madrid. When I graduated, I got the opportunity to work in a prominent fashion company in Spain as an accessory designer. This marked a turning point in my life, as I entered the fashion world. If I were to categorize myself, I would say: I am a textile designer, in love with colors, illustrations, patterns, and tiny details. YOU HAVE A VERY DISTINCTIVE AND PECULIAR STYLE. WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
64
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
I love looking at the different shapes of trees, leaves, flowers, bugs etc… Nature is a great source of inspiration. I also get inspired by walking in the city, looking at colorful objects, arabesques. WE SEE A LOT OF ANIMAL PRINTS AND PATTERNS IN YOUR WORK. IS THERE A STORY TO BE TOLD BEHIND IT? Yes, it’s true. I do have lots of animals and patterns. I often draw my inspiration from nature. I like to tell a story through my pieces, and I like to have the story told through my characters/animals. GIVE US AN IDEA OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS THAT TOOK PLACE
BEFORE YOU BEGAN WORKING ON YOUR LATEST COLLECTION, THE SCARVES TO BE MORE SPECIFIC. “The animal parade collection” is inspired by a trip to the Spanish island of Minorca, a heavenly destination where endless stripes of soft golden sand are sheltered by crystal clear turquoise water. The collection narrates a journey of a group of animals as they wander around the island, discovering its gorgeous beaches, sublime landscape and serene nightlife. It consists of scarves, silk tops and dresses, accompanied by a small collection of jewelry and leather pouches. Characterized by its intense colors, brightness, freshness and overall cheerfulness, the collection recalls the memories of the days spent on this special island. WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO TAKE PART IN THE STARCH PROJECT? The Starch experience has been great. Having the opportunity to work with Rabih Keyrouz and Tala Hajjar is incredible. I think it is really tough for young designers to start their label on their own. Starch is an important opportunity to introduce young talents to the audience. With all the support and exposure we get, it makes things easier. WHAT FASHION TRENDS FROM THE NINETIES DO YOU STILL HOLD CLOSE? Neon colors, leggings, oversized T-shirts, sneakers, and wedge heeled shoes.
YOU ALSO HAVE QUITE AN INTERESTING BLOG. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT? My blog, was born when I was still doing my master’s degree at the IED in Madrid in 2010. My boyfriend (now my fiancé) was encouraging me to start posting my work online. I was very hesitant at the beginning. I finally accepted and it turned out to be the best thing I did. The fact that I was studying at the same time, helped a lot in constantly updating it. Every time we finished a class, a drawing, a silkscreen, an embroidery, etc… I used to post it online. I got so many freelance jobs from the blog: a lot of people contacted me because they saw my work online.
ALLOW US TO ASK YOU ONE OF THE MOST CLICHÉD QUESTIONS EVER TO BE ASKED: WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS? I see myself with a bigger team, designing scarves and other clothing items, for a wider audience with multiple shops around the world.
65
66
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
67
68
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
WHAT NEVER TO REVIVE FROM THE 90’S
ARTICLE BY OLIVIA ALABASTER
ILLUSTRATION BY JAD EL KHOURY
IN SOME WAYS, THE TENS, OR THE TWENTY-TEENS, OR WHATEVER WE END UP CALLING THIS DECADE, HAVE BEGUN TO LOOK EERILY SIMILAR TO THE 1990S. PASTEL BACKPACKS ARE BEING BRANDISHED BY GIRLS WEARING SCRUNCHIES IN THEIR HAIR, AND BUTTON DOWN FLORAL COTTON DRESSES, CUT ON THE BIAS.
A
typical night out will feature at least a few girls in neon tube tops and bodycon mini skirts, with boys in hi-top trainers, baggy flannel shirts and maybe even a sidey baseball cap. This cyclical appropriation of the past is natural and all well and good. But it must not be done indiscriminately. There are many things which appeared in the decidedly unclassy 1990s which we would all do well to forget, and relegate to the annals of history forever. Here they are.
gratuitously over-designed, in an attempt to look clever, or something. Worn by the sort of girl in your class who also had one of those fake plastic heads they used to practice doing make-up on in their bed room. The 1990s was a very “poppy” decade. Pop music ruled the airwaves, and while some of it was undeniably fantastic (Ace of Base were lyrical geniuses -- “Life is a flower, so precious in your hand, carry on smiling, and the world will smile with you” -- and Britpop and its Blur and Pulp were actually genuinely good) a lot of it was offensively awful.
Sure, as a pre-teen girl, I loved the Spice Girls. But their misuse of “Girl Power” and their laughable alleged philosophy of standing for something even vaguely resembling feminism is, in retrospect, hugely insulting, and, if I’m going to really take Looking back, the 90s seemed to be very the fun out of this, potentially damaging to much a decade devoid of originality. People young girls. Yes, they taught us to ask for started doing, and wearing, weird combinations what “I want, what I really, really want,” of things in a vain attempt but ultimately all they ever to create a new look. At LOOKING BACK, really sung about wanting school we went through a THE 90S SEEMED was finding and getting a guy. period of wearing a skirt over TO BE VERY MUCH Not exactly aspirational. Pop trousers. Why would that A DECADE DEVOID Tarts and Push Pops are also ever be a good idea? I have OF ORIGINALITY best forgotten about. The photographic evidence of former just because, really, a 10-year-old me, circa 1997, wearing double breakfast food, really? And Push Pops stonewash denim. Yes, a jean jacket, with because their annoying tagline, “don’t push jeans. Absolutely no need for that unless you’re me, push a Push Pop,” will sadly remain in actually a farmer in the southern U.S. There my memory for the rest of time. was also a proliferation of cheap plastic crap, sold as designer items, in the 1990s. As with fashion, the decade was littered Remember Baby G watches? Oversized with cheap and nasty looks that seemed to rubber monstrosities in sickly sweet colours. proliferate. For girls, think naval piercings, glitter gel, hair mascara and bindis. I may Apparently they still exist, and Ke$ha have been guilty of wearing three out of four is their cover girl. Kind of summarizes their of those at once... “Rachel haircuts,” as in, whole vibe. Thankfully I never fell for them, that which decorated Jennifer Aniston’s or for Skechers, the trainers so ugly I had character on Friends, were also prolific, to turn the page every time I saw an advert leaving their victims looking like shaggyfor one in a magazine. Again, just sort of haired dogs with large heads. One of the biggest sins of the decade was undoubtedly fashion. A sartorial hangover seemed to maintain all that was garish and gaudy from the 80s, but without the New Romantic soundtrack to legitimize the look.
For guys, I think it’s safe to say no one wants to see a reprisal of Kangol caps and rats’ tails. I want to find the first man responsible for this latter look and sit him down to understand just what his thinking was: “Oh, I know, I’ll cut my hair short so I look like a normal guy from face on, but then I’ll leave this straggly piece of crap to grow down the nape of my neck. Yep, that’s a great idea.” When we weren’t busy finding quirky combinations for clothes, pushing Push Pops, and searching for the “girl power” message in “I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah” there were plenty of inane things to do with our time. Certain 70s era items which were best left in that decade resurfaced in the 1990s, hopefully for the last time. In bedrooms bedecked with lava lamps, behind beaded curtains, the youth of the 1990s played on Tamagotchis. The precursor to Farmville in terms of mindless time-wasting hidden behind a veil of “learning how to look after animals” were Tamagotchis, tiny screens inside which lived a small pet or dinosaur you had to feed to keep alive. They were eventually banned from my school so I forced my mum to look after mine. It lived to 93 days until a hairbrush in her handbag accidentally killed it by pressing the reset button. A low point for everyone involved. Scatch was another fantastically boring waste of time. Velcro hand mitts were used to catch a tennis ball from your opponent. You’d catch the ball. And throw it back. A commercialized version of catch, really. Basically a boring neon mess.
69
COVER STORY: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH KELIS
ARTICLE BY KARL HITTI
ILLUSTRATIONS BY MOHAMAD ABDOUNI & RUDY SHAHEEN
L
ong before product placements became a prominent figure in music videos, Kelis took it upon herself to educate the world on the importance of consuming dairy products. This hell raiser burst onto the scene back in 1999 kicking and screaming (Literally). She is to the music industry what Linda Evangelista is to the fashion circuit; an ever-changing chameleon that is always a step ahead of its rivals. The most noticeable changes that occurred in Kelis’ life happened in the past couple of years. She (while seven month pregnant) decided to file for divorce from her husband of four years, rapper Nas, and took a completely different course when it came to her music. The dance oriented Fleshtone was released in 2010, and as any sane minded individual would surely admit, it was a home run. When we randomly came across a website revealing that the singer would be making an appearance in a club near us, we started making plans on how to ambush her. Once the foreseen day arrived, we drove our asses to Whiskey Mist, a club renowned for bringing Hugh Hefner’s bunnies to the Lebanese masses. With everyone drunk, Kelis walked in at around 1:30 am. She was donning a short, shimmery gold dress that hugged her in all the right places, paired with her usual nose ring and lovely printed matching heels
70
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
that had a tiger’s face in the front. (Did we mention that her afro is back? Equipped with a mellow yellow spot.) She grabbed her neon microphone stand and immediately jumped into her collaborative hit ‘Bounce’. Her set was rather small but included two awesome mash ups of ‘Milkshake; with Madonna’s ‘Holiday’, and Blur’s ‘Song 2’ with ‘Party Anthem’. Just as she sat down, we immediately approached her; she enthusiastically agreed to have a talk with us and told us to follow her when she was done with her appearance. Thirty minutes later, we found ourselves in a backroom filled with costumes. She sat, looked at us, patted the empty sofa next to her and said “come, sit, sit!” We proceeded to ask her about her thoughts on Lebanon and the Middle East since she was touring the region. Her answer was: “There are a few things; the first thing is, as a female, you definitely have to puff up. You have to. If not, people are going to walk all over you (while bursting into laughter). And being an American woman, that’s something I don’t take lightly. I think it’s the way you walk into a room, and I don’t think people are used to seeing a lot of people like me here. Honestly I can’t complain, the reception has been very good, I’ve gotten lots of love from Dubai to Egypt, and I’ve been here before. It feels good and I obviously keep getting invited back so I must be doing some…people seem to like me. (Bursts into laughter again) I don’t offend anyone too much.” WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
71
72
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
We then tried to get the dirt on her new album; the release date was said to be mid 2012. She interjects us and says: “end 2012, or maybe beginning 2013. I don’t know let’s say by the end of 2012.” The obvious follow up question was about the style of the album, and its producers. To our delight, her reply was: ”Uhhm…well I didn’t change the direction but I feel like a lot of the people I was working with before were kind of considered really authentic, you know dance kind of electro DJs. I love them, I still think they are amazing but I think a lot of people have started to work with them, which is great for them. But for me (looks to her left with a smirk on her face) personally, I like up and coming, I like young, fresh and exciting, I like finding new people… “This is Nicky by the way”. She points at the blond woman that was DJing while she sang. “We love Nicky; the only person I’ve worked with again is Burns who did the first track on the record. And I worked with Casper and SC. There’s a lot of like, dub, it’s fun it’s sort of darker and just deeper I think.” We then discussed her shift from the R&B/Hip-Hop route towards dance music. “Honestly, I’ve always done dance music even if it was in the beginning of my career. Whether it was Richard X or Timo Maas. As far as which way to turn, I just felt like I hit a plateau there. It’s like I wanted to do something else. I feel like you have to keep it fun, I always want to love what I’m doing. And if it gets mundane, and if you can put yourself on autopilot, then you need to make a change.” Notable producers that she has worked with in the past included The Neptunes, Raphael Saadiq and Scott Storch. When we inquired if the energy and mood changes when dance producers are added to the mix, she confessed: “To be honest, I work by myself so I record alone most of the time. I will say that dance producers are calmer, they are more relaxed sort of, less… umm I don’t know what the word is. They’re just easier I think, they’re like less imposing, you know. So I work in my house, I write in my house, I record in my house. They just send me tracks and I record them and I send them back. It’s more laidback, easier.” At this point, a crazed woman with poufy hair ran into the room and tried to attack her. Her manager panicked and asked us to cut it short. We tried to pick her brain about the evolution of women in Hip-Hop and how she helped change that scene. What were her thoughts on the slew of females that were ravaging that side of the industry now… Her reaction was pretty interesting:“It’s quite funny, you know? Number one, I will say this: the kind of artist I am called or referred to just depends on the country. It’s true, like it’s all perception. My first or second record, or was it my first? Was considered electro before they knew what electro actually was. I never paid attention to these titles, but when I looked on iTunes, that’s what they had it under, (Laughs) and I’m like (raises her hand in a dismissive manner). Honestly, I’ve never been a Hip-Hop artist, I don’t rap, I’m black and I’m proud to be and I guess that’s where you get put in that category. And I think that’s where that title came from, it was never actually from the music itself; I’ve always stuck out, I’ve never blended with anything else that was really happening.” She then pauses, smiles and whispers: “And as far as the females that are out there right now, umm I mean, I don’t know I’m just excited about other things I’ll say that.” We had to bow out after that but right before we left, she hugged us and pointed at her heels: “No one said anything about my new shoes, I’m very happy with my new shoes! Aren’t they awesome?!” For someone who is constantly portrayed by the media as being a complete bitch, Kelis is a total sweetheart. No one would have thought that full-on dance would end up becoming her direction at any point, but predictability is never the best choice... Unless you plan on releasing a sex tape.
73
LOST GEM: MILLA JOVOVICH’S MUSIC CAREER
ARTICLE BY KARL HITTI
ILLUSTRATION BY RAPHAELLE MACARON
M
odels making music, musicians taking on acting, actors giving us their take on fashion; the concept of branching out, a somewhat overused theory, whose spunky results are in steadfast effervescence. The public has always been obsessed with celebrities stepping out of their comfort zones. The risk taker is quickly dismissed if his work isn’t equipped with auto-defensive missiles. It may be out of spitefulness from our part, but how much recognition does one person need? Leave something for the rest of us struggling Homo Sapiens! When will your bloody greed end?!
Ukrainian native Milla Jovovich indulges herself by participating in activities set out by that clan of people with an inexhaustible appetite for achievements. Girlfriend has even made the short list of individuals that have decided to venture into the dark side and that have actually had success. After being chased out of her native country because of her family’s involvement in politics, the youngster and her parents moved to Los Angeles. Once there, the 9 year old was discovered by Gene Lemuel and the rest is a list of achievements that range from an extremely fruitful career in modeling, notable roles in cash cow movies such as The fifth Element and the Resident Evil franchise and an “intimate” clothing line venture entitled “Jovovich-Hawk” that ultimately had an annual turnover exceeding 200 million dollars. (Did we fail to mention that she stopped working on the line because she couldn’t meet the staggering amount of orders?) The multitalented money making powerhouse has also tried her hand in music. Although a darling of the critics she never actually took off in terms of sales. Not one to give up easily she has contributed to a big number of soundtracks, and regularly posts free demos on her website. In Early 1988, a thirteen-year-old Milla was signed to SBK records on the back of a demo she had been circulating around. After a couple years of struggling over creative control, the aspiring performer came out victorious. Poems she wrote at the tender age of fifteen served as the basis for her debut album, The Divine Comedy. The album’s name came from a meeting she had with up and coming Russian illustrator Alexis Steele, who helped her realize after she saw his proposition for the cover, that this album depicted her own struggles. Following that encounter, the Dante inspired title was chosen. Unlike other models that have already tried their hand at music, she rushed away from the predictable mainstream pop formula and scampered in the opposite direction. This collection of songs cites Kate Bush, The Cocteau Twins and Sinead O’Connor as inspirations. Always true to her roots, Miss Jovovich’s infuses time-honored Ukrainian folk songs with an array of different pop elements. Airy melodies are met with a multitude of different instruments that vary from mandolins to flutes. Numerous themes are also explored through haunting
74
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
lyrics. First single ‘The gentleman who fell’ deals with the ever popular subject: the mourning of a past relationship. While ‘Clocks’ deals with the existential questions that haunt a normal individual’s everyday life. ‘Ruby Lane’ and ‘Bang your head’ serve as more light cuts that guide the album’s mood towards a more trippy lane. Closing track ‘In a glade’ also deserves a notable mention since it’s a cover of a traditional folk song that Milla sings in her native tongue. No other official LP releases were ever made available by the zombie slayer. Although in 1998 she worked with Emile Bloch, during several late night sessions on an album that would end up being christened The People Tree Sessions. It was released by Bloch’s then label The People Tree from which it draws its name. Once it was made available to the public, vocalist and producer disagreed over the wrongful image it portrayed of Milla’s thought out and discussed vision. But because no legal actions were ever taken, Cherry Red Records reissued a remastered version of the album to her obvious disapproval. This musical journey is easily compared to taking a long ride in your car while having your windows open. The heterogeneous ambient sounds that you journey through pleasantly melt with the music playing through your speakers. You might end up feeling slightly threatened, like you’re on a date with a bipolar individual since the tonality of each song dramatically shifts with no prior notification. Standouts include the Beck inspired ‘Dj Puppy Ink’, and the dark trip hop jungle driven ‘Queen Electric’. These sessions are a voyeuristic inside look at the latex themed S and M parties that float through every dashing businessman’s mind. We advise you to not overplay this album since it might awaken the deep paranoid thoughts that lurk in your subconscious. Milla still dabbles in music, after working with former Nine Inch Nails bassist Danny Lohner, and experimenting in the studio with U2’s front man and occasional mother Theresa, Bono, she formed an experimental group called Plastic Has Memory. Although they played dozens of shows on the Sunset Strip and in New York (some of which were attended by musical veteran Mick Jagger), the band’s efforts never actually got released. As a result of surviving most of her life in the modeling world, Milla has developed like any successful model a multiple personality disorder. And well, she has forgotten to take her meds this past year (to our obvious delight) and as a result, she released the single ‘Electric Sky’ which is presumably going to be followed by an EP in august. We pray that the public won’t take much notice of this electronic masterpiece, which would make it another lost gem in Milla’s marvelous portfolio.
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
75
76
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
PHOTOGRAPHER TELL THE AWESOME PEOPLE READING THIS A BIT ABOUT YOU AND WHAT YOU DO. So, my name is Myriam Boulos, I’m 20 years old and I’m studying photography at ALBA. I draw and I’ve been playing the flute ever since I was little. And for 5 years now, photography has been taking a larger part in my life and is now overshadowing music and drawing WHERE DO YOU MOSTLY DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION FROM? I’m not inspired by anyone in particular. When I take a picture, I never know what the outcome is going to be. I take a picture accordingly to what the model and the space are giving me, and from there I enter a world that never fails to surprise me and in which I discover my pictures. When taking the pictures, I may associate them to other images that I’m familiar with, whether they belong to a famous artist, a friend, a dream, a memory or even an image that was simply described to me. But the two photographers that I admire (although they have completely different styles) are Nan Goldin and Helmut Newton. PROFESSIONALLY, WHAT IS THE PROJECT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO ENGAGE IN BUT HAVEN’T GOTTEN THE CHANCE TO YET?
WHAT INSPIRED THE SERIES YOU CHOSE TO EXHIBIT WITH F/I/M²/P? When they told me that the theme of this issue was 90’s revival, I immediately thought of a series of pictures of my friends at night, at the beach with very contrasted colors. Images that are not especially conceptual or intellectual, but images that I deem esthetically interesting.
IF HOLLYWOOD MADE A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHOM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE PLAY THE LEAD ROLE AS YOU AND WHAT SONG WOULD MOST PROBABLY BE ON THE SOUNDTRACK? If Hollywood were to making a movie based on my life (haha), Charlotte Gainsbourg would play me and the soundtrack would be…. ‘I Want You’ by Bob Dylan! IF YOU COULD TRADE PLACES WITH ANY OTHER PERSON FOR A WEEK, FAMOUS OR NOT FAMOUS, LIVING OR DEAD, REAL OR FICTIONAL. WITH WHOM WOULD IT BE AND WHY? I would never think of trading places with anyone, not even for a week. I’d never leave Myriam to anyone else!!
I’d like to direct a feature-length movie some day.
77
78
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
79
80
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
81
82
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
83
THE COMEBACK: GARBAGE
ARTICLE BY KARIM ABOU ZAKI
ILLUSTRATION BY RUDY SHAHEEN
“I CAN’T USE WHAT I CAN’T ABUSE, AND I CAN’T STOP WHEN IT COMES TO YOU”, THOSE WERE THE MENACING WORDS OF VIOLENCE AND REVENGE UTTERED BY GARBAGE FRONTWOMAN SHIRLEY MANSON PROWLING THROUGH A WALL OF DISTORTED AND SLITHERING GUITAR RIFFS ON THE BAND’S 1995 DEBUT HIT “VOW”. THE SONG CATAPULTED THE BAND INTO STARDOM GOING INTO HEAVY ROTATION WORLDWIDE AND SETTING THE SCENE FOR THEIR MUCH NEEDED ARRIVAL.
W
hile record labels were busy jumping on the alternative bandwagon, signing bands that would emulate the latest music craze, Garbage were readying their unique self-titled debut that would then prove to be way ahead of its time. Chiming in an era heavily marked by grunge music (that was quickly turning primitive and stale), the band strove to break the cycle and usher in a new age of music. Trying to pigeonhole Garbage in one particular genre is a fruitless effort. Spearheaded by producer extraordinaire Butch Vig (Nirvana’s Nevermind-‘nuff said) and pals Duke Erikson and Steve Marker; Garbage managed to create a seamless dichotomy of loud noise and addictive melody effortlessly blended together. Their fusion of pop, electronica, industrial music, guitars, and everything in between redefined the boundaries of the alternative genre. By breaking apart and then piecing together thick layers of sound, they created a rich soundscape that continued to reveal fresh qualities listen after listen; a sweet pop dream jolted with industrial nightmares. Their lyrical content lived up to their epic sound with Manson giving raw and powerful deliveries, frolicking with themes of obsession, anger, longing, pain and all that other fun stuff. Shirley resonates with listeners because she has darkness and depth to her, like no other, she is also a badass bitch that exudes real girl power and refuses to be homogenized. Whether she was singing about burning down your house (‘Not My Idea’) or commanding the stage in leather
84
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
boots and a mini dress declaring that she’s ‘Only Happy When it Rains’, Shirley took control of her sexuality and was never afraid to speak up and make herself heard. The debut went on to achieve double platinum status generating a string of successful singles and solidifying the sci-fi pop band’s place in the music industry. For their follow-up, Garbage did not stray from the same formula that made them famous. The satirically and aptly named Version 2.0 saw the band pushing overdubs and technology even further, reaching ridiculous high-tech levels that made Windows ’98 seem obsolete. Try playing the album now (or their debut for that matter) and it will still sound fresh and nowhere near as dated as some 90s music does today. Version 2.0 went on to receive two Grammy Award nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album and added a couple more millions to their accolades. The early 2000s, however, weren’t as pleasant for the band. They regrouped in 2001 to record their third album, Beautiful Garbage. Released three weeks after the September 11 attacks, the album’s sales fell short as the first single ‘Androgyny’ stalled and promotion was hindered by current events. The album sold a meager 400,000 copies and was met with mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. 2005 was a bittersweet year for Garbage fans. It saw the release of Bleed Like Me–the band’s fourth record–the recording and promotion of which eventually led to the announcement of an “indefinite hiatus” in the midst of their world tour. The “break” was attributed to exhaustive touring, communication breakdown and the band’s
utter frustration with suits pressuring and demanding radio friendly hits. It wasn’t fun anymore; they parted ways and pursued other projects. The following years were a musical drought for Garbage fans that were dangerously treading into Fiona Apple territory. A Greatest Hits album was released, Butch won a Grammy, Manson played an ass-kicking Terminator on TV and recorded an album that was never materialized due to record execs deeming it “too noir”. Things were looking grim. February 1, 2010 at 4:16am – hope for humanity is restored. Shirley Manson’s Facebook records the following sizzling information: “Guess who I just spent a week in the studio with? Would you be pleased if I said one of them was called Steve and one of them was called Duke and another was a Grammy winning producer?” And the angels wept. They were at it again! The Garbage flame was re-ignited by the redhaired goddess who initiated the reunion and ended the long silence. They met up, told stories, chatted, drank, set up all their equipment and as Manson put it “started fucking around”. How did present day Garbage approach music making? The same way they did it every time: by not reinventing themselves and focusing on perfecting their craft. They embraced exactly who they are updated it sonically for 2012. Realizing how much the music industry had changed since their debut, they paid for the album with their own money and started their own label. They also kept regular correspondence with fans through social media networks, constantly posting teasers and giving insight into their world. WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
Not Your Kind of People, the band’s first album in seven years, was the result. They once again revisit a world where heavy soundscapes and dark lyrics intertwine. It is very much the same energy and feel of their previous records, especially their first two. The lead single, ‘Blood for Poppies’, has all of the elements that remind listeners why they fell in love with the band in the first place. The catchy hook, the atmospheric film moments and the bloody distortion reinforce
the vibrancy and meticulousness of a band that continues to deliver what their fans have come to expect. Garbage has their own unique sound and there isn’t anyone out there that can match it. They have come to embrace their outsider status and continue to stay true to themselves and clear from all the phonies. And if you ever think they will conform, they will be the first to tell you: “we don’t want to be like you, ever in our lives.”
85
INTERVIEW: EMILIE GASSIN
86
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
PRESENTED BY INTERVIEW BY KARL HITTI
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CARL HALAL
P
opularity doesn’t always mean quality. McDonalds is the most popular food chain globally, and we rest our case. The people at Beirut Jam Sessions seem to abide by this rule. They have made it their mission to enlighten us when it comes to distinctive music. And if their first venture is any indication, it seems that they will be doing a damn good job at it. Australian native Emilie Gassin graced us with her melodies on the 6th of June. Needless to say that the talented sweetheart is the whole package and then some. We had the utmost pleasure of joining her for breakfast the next morning.
87
INTERVIEW: EMILIE GASSIN IT’S YOUR FIRST TIME IN LEBANON. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS SO FAR? I really really like it, I thought I would be surprised when I got here because there’s a lot of “idées recues”, preconceptions because of the media etcetera. It never worried me to come down here because I was in contact with Beirut Jam Sessions who are friends. If they don’t have any problems coming here neither do I, it was easy. Beirut is what I imagined it to be in my head. It’s impressive. I’m very pleasantly surprised. YOU ARE FAIRLY NEW TO THE MUSIC SCENE; TO US AT LEAST…WE HAVEN’T KNOWN YOU FOR VERY LONG. WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO MAKE MUSIC YOUR JOB? I guess… I guess it was in Australia because I lived in Paris with my parents when I was sixteen to eighteen and I finished school. And while I was there I was writing songs and trying. When I returned to Melbourne it was for university and while I was doing my studies I also started singing in bars. I think it was from that moment that I realized that that was what I really really wanted to do. It was kind of an epiphany being on stage. And I realized as well that I didn’t want to be studying *bursts into laughter* Awkward! HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC? I would describe my music… um as Happy music. I guess… yeah Happy music, optimistic colorful emotional talking about lots of different things. I don’t know I wanted to make an album that was varied. Cause I don’t enjoy buying to an album and listening to it from start to finish and not knowing when a song starts and another ends. I guess I call it happy music because I can only write when I’m happy. I have a lot of trouble writing when I’m not feeling good about myself, about my life. THAT’S VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE USUALLY IT’S THE OPPOSITE... I know! Usually it is. I guess it’s a little bit logical because when you don’t feel good you don’t appreciate and like yourself so you don’t like what you produce. And that’s the case for me. When I’m happy I can’t stop writing I have melodies in my head and otherwise it’s harder. MOVING TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, ANY IDOLS? INSPIRATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC? WHO DID YOU GROW UP LISTENING TO? I grew up listening to a lot of Jazz, and Jazz singers, Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole, Some Bossa with Astrud Gilberto. And then I have two older sisters, so I listened to all of their music of the eighties and nineties, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Cindy Lauper, The Doors. YOU BASICALLY COVERED EVERYTHING... Haha yeah, and if I have to name two of my favorite artists I would say Feist and Fiona Apple, ‘cause I find them very original. They stay very true to themselves as artists, and are constantly evolving in their music, so I respect them a lot. It’s been seven years since Fiona apple’s last album and I’m waiting for the one coming out now. IF WE HIJACKED YOUR IPOD RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD TURN OUT TO BE IN YOUR TOP 25 MOST PLAYED SONGS PLAYLIST?
88
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
Ouw! I’m not sure exactly, but If I have to guess, from what I’ve been listening to lately, Donavan‘s ‘Season Of The Witch’, The Moody Blues, Amy Winehouse, Fiona apple and Ben Howard. WHAT SHOULD YOUR FOLLOWERS EXPECT IN THE COMING YEAR? If all goes well, the release of my album, lots of shows, I want to go everywhere, see new places play to everyone I possibly can that’s the goal. More songs maybe… ARE YOU PLANNING TO RELEASE ANOTHER SINGLE, BEFORE RELEASING THE ALBUM? Well ‘Curiosity Killed The Cat’ is not actually fully released now, the aim for it is to be the official single; no official single has been released yet. It’s a special “cadeau”, a present for Beirut. ARE YOU SIGNED TO A FRENCH LABEL? ARE YOU PLANNING ON GETTING SIGNED TO AN AMERICAN LABEL? I am not signed currently, I’ve got a production team behind me, but signing to a label would be the next step. To stay independent, or to sign with a label, we’re not sure; we’re still in the middle of negotiating with people. But whatever it is, the music is important, I really want that to be considered. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TODAY: ILLEGAL DOWNLOADS, AND ARTISTS HAVING TO WORK THEIR ASSES OFF IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MAKE ENDS MEAT? I think it’s a hard time for everybody, not just musicians but for everybody in the artistic field. Everything is very ephemeral it doesn’t last for long you know we don’t have artists that are timeless anymore, or don’t seem to be. And there is a lot of importance based on having a single that everybody listens to for two weeks, it works amazingly but then everybody forgets about you. I think it’s sad that it’s much harder to have a career in the arts, in music because people just want more and more whether it’s from you or from somebody else. But we can’t let that discourage you, you‘ve got to work hard and that’s what we’re trying to do. The good thing about that though, the fact that there’s illegal downloading, and people wanting more, there’s a lot more importance placed on live performances. So in retrospect, it’s exciting and interesting because if you can handle your live performances, see many places and touch as many people, normally it’ll work out for you. FINAL QUESTION, LAST NIGHT YOU COVERED GALA’S “FREED FROM DESIRE”. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT THE NINETIES? The nineties. My favorite part, Ouuuuuw Mixtapes!! Making mixtapes for you friends, your boyfriends, and recording of the radio on to a cassette, I guess that’s what I like the most about the nineties. One of my favorite memories is doing this in my room ad waiting for the song to come on the radio. WELL THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME; WE’LL LET YOU ENJOY YOUR MAN’OUSHE! *Laughs* Thanks I will.
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
INTERVIEW: EMILIE GASSIN
89
90
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
ILLUSTRATOR TELL THE AWESOME PEOPLE READING THIS A BIT ABOUT YOU AND WHAT YOU DO. Currently graduating from Central Saint Martins with a BA in Fashion Print. I love cats. I love to draw.
IF HOLLYWOOD MADE A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHOM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE PLAY THE LEAD ROLE AS YOU AND WHAT SONG WOULD MOST PROBABLY BE ON THE SOUNDTRACK? Woody Allen (he would make the perfect blond), with a smooth intro of ‘I want to break free’ by Queen.
WHAT INSPIRED THE SERIES YOU CHOSE TO EXHIBIT WITH F/I/M²/P? 90s reflections and childhood obsessions.
PROFESSIONALLY, WHAT IS THE PROJECT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO ENGAGE IN BUT HAVEN’T GOTTEN THE CHANCE TO YET? Drawing drag queens in soho!
IF YOU COULD TRADE PLACES WITH ANY OTHER PERSON FOR A WEEK, FAMOUS OR NOT FAMOUS, LIVING OR DEAD, REAL OR FICTIONAL. WITH WHOM WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
WHERE DO YOU MOSTLY DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION FROM? Graphic growths and cosmic pokes.
Zeus! He gets to live in the clouds.
91
92
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
93
94
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
95
96
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
TV SERIES: BOY MEETS WORLD / FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR / SEX AND THE CITY
ARTICLE BY STEPHANIE KOYESS
N
othing compares to television series from the nineties. Names like Boy Meets World, Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Sex and the City are the most prominent of the bunch.
But let’s face it. Unless you were a Disney crazed youngster, whose popular older brother let you hang out with his friends, and had parents cool enough to let you watch something, anything for that matter, with the word sex in it (a word you giggled simply at the idea of pronouncing), there is no way you watched all three shows. While Boy Meets World followed the life course of Cory Mathews, from high school to his marriage, it portrayed every single problem you could ever face as a teen. The lessons the characters got in the classroom, spilled over to their lives, and even out of our screens, which is why, we related to them so badly. Of course, we don’t all have the opportunity to turn our professor/ next door neighbor’s house into a bed and breakfast when he’s out of town and get away with it. Although the characters grow up throughout the seven seasons, the series itself never will. Learning went both ways in The Fresh Prince. While Will was being taught about responsibility, he initiated the Banks family (including the precious Jeffrey the butler) on how to loosen up their bourgeois ties and get down, from their high horses. When we say get down, we mean getting down, 90’s style. (Humming Backstreet Boys now aren’t you?). Because if ‘The Feeny call’ was Boy Meets World’s trademark, The Fresh Prince had a trademark of its own that was more of a birthmark, an ugly but adorable birthmark at that: the Carlton dance. The dance has the power to make anyone crack up to this day and Carlton is your typical awkward goofy cousin. The one you are always embarrassed to be with, but love way more than you admit. Will Smith’s outrageous fashion (tailored and handpicked by the three blind mice) is very well compensated for in the larger-thanlife Sex And The City. Based on the book by Candace Bushnell , Sex And The City
(not the movie… *crazy eyes *NOT THE MOVIE), is a turmoil of fashion, cosmos, raging hormones, relationships, clubs, testosterone, shoved in a column about Sex, the common denominator for all the components stated. Who wouldn’t want to drown herself, or himself for some, in designer heels and bags, delicious men such as the oh so perfect Aidan (yes, as shocking as this may sound, we’re not big on Mr. big), and complain about it to a crazy, fun loving, foursome of middle aged stunning and successful girlfriends? No doubt about it, every woman on the planet who watched the show played the “Which sex and the city character am I” game with her friends. If you hoped to hear “Carrie!” and got “Miranda…” instead, we hear your pain. Although highly acclaimed, the show was also extremely criticized for supposedly portraying women as vapid, and promiscuous. But to those buffoons’ surprise, we say the show was written by women (17 out of 21 to be precise); for women, and their empowerment. Wild MC Hammer-like fashion in a Bel-Air mansion, a white picket fence separating a legendary mentor from his everlasting students, and a cigarette break at a New York window, to blow off a sex columnist’s writer’s block. These shows couldn’t be more different. And yet, they’re all as attaching, and as evocative to each and every one of us, as the other. It is undeniable that they are epitomes of life. Nothing airing these days can compete with them. If this were a jumping in bag competition, series of today would be resting comfortably in the mud, with scraped knees and a chipped tooth. They might be wicked and absolutely gorgeous graphically, but they’re far from being as heartfelt as those we tackled above. And if we happened to have triggered a stay-at-home-all-day marathon, here’s a round of applause, to us of course. Oh and one last thing, make sure to suck dry the re-runs like they were eternal youth potions, because, well, they kind of are.
97
98
F/I/M²/P - JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
PHOTOGRAPHER TELL THE AWESOME PEOPLE READING THIS A BIT ABOUT YOU AND WHAT YOU DO. I’m a little bit of everything all rolled into one.
IF HOLLYWOOD MADE A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHOM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE PLAY THE LEAD ROLE AS YOU AND WHAT SONG WOULD MOST PROBABLY BE ON THE SOUNDTRACK? Rachel Weisz. I think she’s nice. For the soundtrack, I’ll use ‘Facing the Sun’ by Fritz Kalkbrenner, I’m stuck to this song so I can’t think of anything else right now; oh or ‘Buffalo Soldier’ by Bob Marley.
WHAT INSPIRED THE SERIES YOU CHOSE TO EXHIBIT WITH F/I/M²/P? The 90’s was this issue’s theme, so I decided to focus on the elements that influenced me from that decade. A big influence for this series are the pictures of Lorenzo Agius and the portrait pictures of Richard Avedon during his visit to west America. IF YOU COULD TRADE PLACES WITH ANY OTHER PERSON FOR A WEEK, FAMOUS OR NOT FAMOUS, LIVING OR DEAD, REAL OR FICTIONAL. WITH WHOM WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
PROFESSIONALLY, WHAT IS THE PROJECT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO ENGAGE IN BUT HAVEN’T GOTTEN THE CHANCE TO YET? I want to write a song.
WHERE DO YOU MOSTLY DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION FROM? Awkward humor, young talent, music, Nicolas Jaar, my friends and driving around in my car.
Forest Gump.
99
100 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
101
102 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
FOR THE MODERN DAY ARTIST & CULTURALLY INTRIGUED INDIVIDUAL 104 ALBUM REVIEWS
115 MOVIE REVIEWS
128 SOUNDTRACK REVIEW
130 LIVE REVIEWS
136 THE MIXTAPE
PHOTOGRAPH BY CLARA ABI NADER
103
ALBUM REVIEW THE NINETIES ARTICLES BY KARL HITTI
THE RAZORS EDGE (1990): There aren’t many musical legends that still have a pulse. Most of them have already crossed over to the other side. From drug overdoses, to suicides with the occasional drowning in their own vomit, it seems that there is no shortage of ways for these icons to be taken away from us too soon. AC/DC are undisputedly part of that restricted category, and they gladly haven’t decided to wave their goodbyes just yet. This band’s mountainous chords became one of the most influential parts of the 70’s rock scene. When brothers Angus and Malcolm Young decided to form their own group in 1973, it was because the eldest’s- Malcolm- then band had collapsed. Not knowing what outfit to wear for their first gig, their little sister suggested they put on their school uniforms. This, as most of you know, would become the band’s trademark look.
become one of the highest selling albums of all time. For the next couple of years, AC/DC maintained their status as one of the most notorious rock bands in the world. Until they put out Flick of the Switch, which marked the beginning of their commercial decline. The slump was maintained all through the 80’s, until the release of The Razors Edge in 1990. This return to prominence was warmly greeted by the rock world. It seemed that in the public’s eye, the troupe had regained their inspiration. A call to action is declared with first track ‘Thunderstruck’. It’s absolute guitar mania, with a riff that remains unchanged for two minutes, cultivating your impending doom. Gritty unapologetic testosterone scented lyrics take shape with a swerve of hooks in ‘Shot of Love’ and ‘Got You By The Balls’. Finally, right before releasing you back into the hands of society, a final taunt is made, with the suggestive ‘If You Dare’. Brian’s voice is backed up with a heap of howling jabs that have one single aim, taking a chance encounter to a more physical level.
It isn’t common knowledge that Brian Johnson isn’t AC/DC’s original singer. At the beginning, there was Bon Scott, who was originally their driver. The position landed in his lap after the band’s original singer, who remains unknown, decided he was too much of a puss to actually get up on stage right before a show (God that was What’s ironic is that it doesn’t matter how old they confusing). Scott eventually died of alcohol poisoning get. The members of AC/DC will always make acting like when the boys were starting to make it big with ‘Highway beleaguering twenty something year olds more believable to Hell’. than any other rooky band out there. And the somewhat unorthodox part about all this is that they seem to only 1980 marked the release of Back in Black that would be getting better and better at it.
104 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
ALBUM REVIEW: THE NOW ILLUSTRATIONS BY DINA ABOU KARAM
AUDIO, VIDEO, DISCO (2011): On the fifth day, God
created Daft Punk. And God blessed them, and God said to them “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.” But after a brief moment, God realized that the species God had created couldn’t actually make babies. God then had an idea; God took a piece out of one of the robot’s mechanical heart and mixed it with sand. And there was evening and there was morning. God came back on the sixth day, God looked at his new creation; and God saw that it was good. And thus Justice was born.
successful ‘D.A.N.C.E’. Almost every single song on that album was used in the mainstream media, from video games to TV series and advertisements you name it. It was thus agreed upon that they now had a lot to measure up to. So when it came time to work on their follow up, the Opera Disco concept was left in the dust in the favor of a Stadium Rock route. Audio, Video, Disco is, as far as we can recall, the precursor of the 90’s revival era that is upon us. Like AC/DC did before them, Justice went full on against the current, all guns blazing. High-octane riffs are used in hopes to bludgeon the overused glossy house beats. Flurries of heavy guitar influenced tracks are spread out throughout this album. ‘New Lands’ marches to the beat of the aforementioned AC/DC, while the swirling ‘On’n’On’ draws from Led Zeppelin, right to the grandiose post chorus melody. Intimidating stompers ‘Horsepower’ and ‘Civilization’ take the chord distortion to extremes and still manage not to slip down the space filling electronic route.
Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay are two little French boys (as you might have already deduced from their names) whose music has been overplayed in every soirée since 2007. In a nutshell, they are what every hipster should aim to be. A great example of turning something miserable into something awesome, they based the music video for their single ‘Stress’ on the 2005 riots that took place in the French suburbs. In the beginning, the boys were bashed for being racist and almost got sued by the country. But as we all know, there ain’t no such thing as bad publicity (unless you’re getting carried out of your house on a stretcher). The scandal only helped their A dark horse is usually overlooked by the public, its already popular music proliferate throughout Europe like influence disregarded and its reach cut short. But in time, the plague. gathered momentum will give it the needed ripple effect to outrun its competition all the while turning the tides of Right before the shit hit the fan, the duo had released what modern society judges as being in demand. their first debut LP Cross (†) which spawned the overly
105
ALBUM REVIEW THE NINETIES
MOON PIX (1998): Happiness is a tired hope that is sold to us by the glimmering lights that surround us. Most selfquestioning individuals have a hard time letting it sink in. Some try to find answers in what surrounds them, they spend days analyzing sometimes meaningless details. While others, burdened by the rhetoric that constantly troubles them, decide to drop everything and run away. That is exactly the decision that was taken by Cat Power on a gloomy June night in 1996. Chan Marshall has lived through a somewhat rocky journey. After her parents divorced she found herself constantly moving through the southern United States. Finally, after becoming estranged with her mother, she dropped out of High School and moved in with her dad where she experienced a semblance of stability for two years.
her composure. On that heavy June night, she decided to retire from the limelight and move to a South Carolina farmhouse with her boyfriend. November 7, 1996 marked the night when the specters she thought she had buried, reappeared. Fearing for her soul, she instinctively grabbed her guitar and started recording songs on a tape recorder, hoping to shut her hallucinations out. During that stormy night, she wrote five eerie, mournful songs. This experience would lead her to get back to work and give shape to Moon Pix, a melancholic collection of sung exorcisms that would ultimately lead to her breakthrough on the indie scene. This record falls around you, and sends everything flying in a backwards motion. The Beastie Boys’ ‘Reverse Paul’ is used as a sample to create the reversed drum kit in the opening track ‘American Flag’. The natural progression of the tracks is somewhat haunting. Cat recalls painful memories from an African trip in ‘Cross Bones Style’ while she draws you in with the drowsy yet transparent ‘Metal Heart’. Minimalistic guitar riffs back up her doubled voice and her soul is stripped bare for the whole world to see.
Cat started gradually migrating towards the music scene after she made a couple of friends in New York who introduced her to free-jazz and experimental music. At first, her melodic trials were fuelled by social reasons, but the writings on the wall were made obvious when she released her first two albums in 1995 and 1996. During Moon Pix will forever be a revered beacon from the that same lapse of time, she was signed by Matador nineties. Cat Power’s fragileness has indeed been her records, on the back of that deal she put out her third strongest quality. After a four-year hiatus, she plans on musical effort, What Would the Community Think. While releasing her ninth album Sun this September. on tour, past demons and insecurities caused Cat to lose
106 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
ALBUM REVIEW: THE NOW
DARK ROOTS EP (2011): The Blonds are an obvious example that tortured music doesn’t always come from tortured souls. Cary Rae and Jordy Asher have been dating for quite a while now. Jordy composes tunes for a living; he’s the lead singer of a group called Young Circle. One random day while the pair was going through their usual couple activities, he discovered that his girlfriend was a gifted natural vocalist. After expressing his awe for his lover’s voice, Jordy started writing records that she would eventually sing. They recorded their debut EP that following Thanksgiving. The five songs on Dark Roots started garnering the lovebirds a fair amount of online buzz that has been gradually building over their short 10 months lifetime as a band.
tortured tree. Where Moon Pix sinks into a deep eclipsing pool of self-doubt, Dark Roots mirrors a couple’s relationship and surroundings. On the other hand, the latter one seems like an easy, definitely not forced progression of its predecessor. Introductory track ‘Kites’ shoves your imagination into the heart of the action. Cary’s voice is paired up with a number of heavy distortive elements. Notable standout is the repetitive xylophone notes that give an added spice to the whole cocktail. A weird combination of feelings gets a hold of you, it’s like sitting in the desert on a dark night icy night while you try to warm yourself up with a bonfire that you set up for survival purposes. Things are then slowed down with ‘206’, a drum driven electronic ballad, characterized by gorgeous doubled lamenting vocals. The distinctively more acoustic ‘Sunshine Hate’ employs both members’ amber toned voices, and conjures up images of Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros on crack. Radiohead’s B-side ‘Talk Show Host’ best known for its usage on the Romeo+Juliet soundtrack, can also be found on this EP. The voraciously reworked version remains somewhat mildly faithful to the original.
Cary Rae’s voice bears a striking yet disturbing resemblance to Chan Marshall’s. It hasn’t been made official yet but it seems that Chan’s bluesy father ran around the country impregnating random women, so we will have to get back to you on that. If you actually play Moon Pix and Dark Roots back to back it would actually be pretty hard to pinpoint where the first one ends and This hard to categorize duo can be described as a mix the second begins. of sadcore and dream pop all sautéed in a heavy Hip Hop undertone. Their debut album is due this august. It is obvious from their lyrical packages that both Explosive first single ‘Run’ has already been released; records don’t draw their inspirations from the same expect an equally appealing video to go with it soon.
107
ALBUM REVIEW THE NINETIES
THE MISEDUCATION OF (1998): The concept of soul
in a relationship with Rohan Marley and was carrying the grandchild of the late Bob Marley. She credits this pregnancy for giving her a surge of energy that led her to pen tracks that would in turn shape her Debut record: a raw collection of combustible and confrontational songs that would find common ground under the name The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. Thematically, the name is drawn from Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s book The MisEducation of the Negro and Sonny Carson’s autobiography turned movie The Education of Sonny Carson. By mixing her own struggles as an African American with When this New Jersey native was once asked to her ponderings over Love, God and Society, she found an comment about her childhood she said: “I always had endless slew of truthful and relatable insights. this duality. I went to school with a lot of white kids-it was really like a suburban environment--but I lived From a musical standpoint, it ranges from a hardened with black kids”. When your early memories are those of concrete Hip-Hop to a smoother outpouring Soul. the harmonious melodies of Gladys Knight and Curtis Interludes depicting classroom conversations between Mayfield (to name a few) as a musical accompaniment, a teacher and his students serve as an accompanying your parents must have done something right. It seems narration throughout the record. Opening Rastafarian that Lauryn was always bound to be part of musical Reggae flavored track ‘Lost Ones’ sees the singer sending history. During the early nineties and with the help out a warning about the impending threats that circulate of some friends, she formed a band called The Fugees- all around. Meanwhile, the uplifting ‘Everything is Tranzlator Crew. They would later be simply referred to Everything’ sheds a different light on life’s unexpected as The Fugees, or the biggest selling rap act in history. changes. will never be one that is clearly defined. With all the metaphysical and none spiritual beliefs that surround us, this idea has been made into an almost baffling sense of wonder. What makes Lauryn Hill so unique is that she clearly mirrors this theory, well at least when it comes to her music. This tumultuous artist has set the standard so high with her debut that even emulating half its artistry would be considered an immense feat in any other female vocalist’s case.
Fast forward to 1997, a three-month pregnant miss Questioning society’s education became Lauryn’s Hill and The Fugees performed at the Grammies. After inspiration and through it a new legacy came to fruition. a period of tabloid speculation, she revealed that she was
108 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
ALBUM REVIEW: THE NOW
ALL OF ME (2012): A couple of years back, almost all
of the world’s population was humming the words to Estelle’s ‘American Boy’. Some were annoyed, others were obsessed. But since then, the English siren seems to have faded into the one hit wonder limbo. Unlike her accompaniers in that tragic state of stagnation, the woman is quite frankly very underrated! (Yes Vanilla Ice we’re looking at you.) It seems that nowadays, if you’re an African American and your name isn’t Beyonce, you shouldn’t expect to get a crossover hit on the charts. Estelle Fanta Swaray made a splash in the UK when it was discovered that she is one of the handful of people that can spit cutthroat rhymes while charming you with sweet honey conjuring vocals. Like every other passionate musician out there, music was a big part of her childhood. Her recording career got its first adrenaline shot when she met Kanye West in 2000 while dining in a restaurant in LA. He eventually introduced her to her future mentor John Legend who incidentally, was on the team of people who were working on Lauryn Hill’s debut. Come 2004, Estelle’s coming of age album The 18th Day was made available to the public. The urban effort failed to set the charts ablaze although it spawned two top fifteen singles. Her sophomore effort Shine succeeded where its predecessor failed, since it was backed by the Kanye West assisted monster hit ‘Amercian Boy’. When
the time came to start working on her third album, Estelle released two singles that sadly failed to catch on. The Guetta produced ‘Freak’ and her joint effort with Nas and John Legend ‘Fall in Love’ didn’t ended up making the final tracklist. (On second thought, the sad part only applies to the latter one.) All of Me, got its release in early march of this year. A big palette of producers collaborated on this record; the most notable one would be former Fugees member Wyclef Jean. On the downside, thematic richness isn’t this album’s strong suit as love becomes the omnipresent subject. Plus, featuring Chris beat-yo-ass-Rihanna Brown on any song isn’t a bright idea, especially if it’s a generic club record. But gladly, the highlights drown out these negative points. Similar interludes to the ones heard on Hill’s landmark record are present, but this time they illustrate conversations between friends. Glimmering Neo-Soul ballad, ‘Thank You’ is also a clear nod in Lauryn’s direction. Estelle even raps: “I just want them to pull out ‘The Miseducation’ again.” on the thumping ‘Speak Ya Mind’. Closing track sees Estelle teaming up with Janelle Monae. Both ladies affirm their independence and singularity xxxxxxego trip for a woman who’s bringing back the true nineties artistry to today’s mainstream society.
109
ALBUM REVIEW THE NINETIES
TRAVELLING WITHOUT MOVING (1996): Let’s get one thing straight, long before pop’s trash queen Ke$ha was running around insulting every Native American out there, Jay Kay made paying homage to this culture his forte. The flamboyant lead singer owes his peculiar style to an array of kitschy headgears and hats that he has been known to casually don when performing or stepping out in public. Regardless of your taste in music, if you were part of the MTV generation, (you know when they were still a music channel) you were at some point captivated by a peculiar video with a small white room. Even with all the shifting floors and sliding furniture, your attention couldn’t be diverted from the smooth gravity defying booty shaking Jay.
pollution. After the negativity died down, the cover for Jamiroquai’s third release Travelling Without Moving was revealed. It depicted a reworked Ferrari logo that incorporated their signature Buffalo Man silhouette. This record would go down in history as the best-selling funk album ever made.
A diverse number of musical styles guide you through this musical road trip. The usual concrete Funk foundation is always present but shades of disco and reggae give it a more colorful ring. The race starts off with three groovy songs that include the equally infectious hits ‘Virtual Insanity’ and ‘Cosmic Girl’. A pit stop is then granted with the starry ballad ‘Everyday’ and the chilled ‘Alright’. But right before the listener gets too comfortable in his seat, Jamiroquai’s world domination got its initial start on the mood is shaken up with a slew of organic and offbeat the other side of the pond after they signed with Sony Music tracks like ‘Travelling without Moving’ and ‘High Times’. Entertainment. Debut album Emergency On Planet Earth was released in 1993. It dealt just like its title suggests The epitome of cool during the nineties took a with issues of the world. Follow up record The Return of surprising detour, since it was embodied by a white boy the Space Cowboy exposes subjects of a more “spacey” from England. He was, for a brief period of time, dubbed nature. After this second venture, critics really had the the ambassador of funk. boy’s back, always comparing Jay’s talent to the likes of Stevie Wonder and Mandill. Following news that he had an uncontrollable obsession for sport cars, the press had a field day. Jay was labeled a hypocrite for not following his own preachy views on
110 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
ALBUM REVIEW: THE NOW
RETURN TO PARADISE (2012): “Sam is the openly gay white soul boy sitting at No2 in the charts”, reads like a headline in a dream. This was in fact the actual header that was used by the English tabloid The Sun to highlight Sam Sparro’s success in April 2008. Born and raised in Australia, Samuel Frankland Falson never expected that one day, he would rule the European charts. Sadly, the well-mannered boy is now sipping tea with Estelle, in the one hit wonders club for the criminally underrated.
stage of his life. This inspired him to write his signature hit ‘Black and Gold’. Although the album didn’t generate any other hits, he delved deeper and deeper into his artistry. This helped him cultivate a cult following and pushed other prominent musicians in the U.K indie scene to want to collaborate with him. Return to Paradise is the title of Sam’s sophomore effort, and it seems destined to deliver Funk back to the masses after a long drought that lasted for about thirteen years. Named after a renowned late seventies club The Paradise Garage, this eclectic collection of gems will certainly take you back in time. Campy ‘Yellow Orange Rays’ gives the perfect image of what a mass in a rainbow church would look like. A more unguarded side of the singer is shown through the cosmic synthy mid tempos ‘I Wish I Never Met You’ and ‘Shades Of Grey’. The magnificent ‘Happiness’ is also not to be overlooked. The smooth stomper sounds like something right out of Jay Kay’s playbook.
Sparro’s father is a gospel minister and eventually, when the family moved to Los Angeles, he became a recording artist. His mother played the organ at a Baptist church while his brother is a professional guitar player, and finally, his grandfather was a well-know jazz musician and played with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. in a television orchestra (Do you see where we’re going here?). One fond memory Sam always has of his time in L.A is when his 10-year-old self met with legendary diva Chaka Khan. After hearing him belt out one of her tunes, she said a sentence that would forever be engraved in his It is unclear if Return to Paradise will mark Mr. mind: “Damn! That white boy can sing!” Sparro’s return to the top of the charts. But no matter the outcome, he will go down in history as the peculiar Just like Jay Kay, Sparro has become a somewhat godfather of modern wild grooves. unexpected fixture in the funk scene. When he released his Eponymous debut, the success was like an Indian summer in the middle of winter. He had been working in a coffee shop and was in a somewhat stagnant, unsure
111
ALBUM REVIEW THE NINETIES
HARD CORE (1996):
Before Lil’ Kim signed an exclusivity deal with Michael Jackson’s plastic surgeon (bless his soul) she was rap’s lil’ queen bee. Homegirl didn’t always look like Courtney Love’s sister, she didn’t walk around insulting other female rappers to get to stay relevant and she certainly wasn’t deliberately ignored by the general public. Born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, the petite powerhouse didn’t have what some would call a white fence top of the chain childhood. After her parents split up when she was nine years old, Kimberly Denise Jones moved in with her dad. Papa Jones raised her for a couple of years, but ended up throwing her out of the house when she was a teenager. Having to fend for herself, she managed to live with her friends for some time but had to settle for the streets during some darker phases. Her knight in shining armor would be known under the name The Notorious B.I.G and would help steer her life in a completely different direction. Because of his relationship with Bad Boy records, the rapper was able to fully introduce her into that world. Kim’s first official outing was as a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A. Biggie was their mentor and manager. They released their debut in August 1995 titled Conspiracy. The success that followed put Lil’Kim in the limelight especially since she was the only female member of the group. With a
112 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
gold album and two successful singles under her belt, she immediately started working on her solo venture. Hard Core got its release on November 12, 1996. In the months preceding that date, posters of the female MC in a bikini wrapped in fur could be found all over the USA. Lil’ Kim turned the tables on every male rapper out there. This was the first time a woman was explicitly rapping about sex and wasn’t making any excuses for it. The record’s intro tells the story of a man named P.diddy, who goes to the movies (obviously not the normal kind). He buys tickets for a film called “Hard Core” and proceeds to masturbate while watching Kim get her porn on. ‘Not Tonight’ which samples Georges Benson’s ‘Turn Your Love Around’ sees the rapper spitting rhymes about a boy who don’t treat her right and contains the anthemic chorus “I don’t want dick tonight, Eat my pussy right.” ‘Dreams’ illustrates a pretty nasty slumber party and borrows its guitar riff from the one and only Jimmy Hendrix. Lil’ Kimmy might be small in stature, but she packs the punch of a bazooka while nursing a Tiger Wood libido. The FemC might have lost her knight but it seems that she may have found a way to protect her kingdom on her own.
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
ALBUM REVIEW: THE NOW
1991 EP (2012): The use of the word “cunt” isn’t usually
greeted with a smile. But there is a certain je ne sais quoi that comes with this word. It has a nice ring to it, kind of like “hello”. In fact, it would be appropriate if people stopped saying “hello” and started using the word “cunt” instead. But sadly, we live in a world where “cunt” is frowned upon especially if you decided to upgrade the word and add a K to it. “Kunt”. Look at it now, it sounds and looks nice! What struck us as odd when we first heard Azealia Banks’ debut single ‘212’ was the fact that not only did she use the word “Kunt” with a K, but she also referenced a lovely activity called cunnilingus. Way to go girl making the world a better place, all the while maintaining your dignity and grace.
for a year. She bounced back with the release of her single ‘212’ through her own website.
Capitalizing on all the buzz she garnered, the firecracker started to work on her debut EP 1991. Unlike most of the other female rappers trying to make it big, this extended play only reflects Banks, no high profile features are found. And she clearly doesn’t need any assistance to catch anyone’s attention. A surge of 90’s rave club beats accompanies a tornado of rhymes that are spat faster than a machinegun’s bullets. Title track “1991” will most certainly get you moving and school you with the help of a ton of metaphors on the singer’s background. The energy keeps on intensifying once the doggy styled ‘Van Vogue’ and the puritan ‘212’ barge in. Closer ‘Liquorice’ is Miss Banks got her debut in Harlem, New York; she as vital as a cigarette after rough climax, just let Azealia was brought up by her mother after her dad passed away do the post-sex talking. when she was only two. Even as a child, the potty mouth was interested in the performing arts and enrolled in the A formal education might be essential to making it prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & big the orthodox way, but thrusting your pelvic area in Art and Performing Arts (notable graduates include Liza a sexual manner can be just as effective. Azealia Banks Minelli and Robert De Niro to name a few). But Azealia seems genetically predisposed to be the next Lil’Kim, decided that High School wasn’t for her; she dropped out hopefully this time around she remembers to use rubber. and released a demo recording in February 2009 under the name Miss Bank$. The song caught the attention of XL records executives who then signed her. Sadly, that relationship fizzled faster than you could say “cunt”. Unsigned and depressed, the aspiring artist disappeared
113
114 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
MOVIE REVIEW
ARTICLES BY SERGE KALDANY
ILLUSTRATIONS BY GHADI GHOSN
115
D
“
o you know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in Paris?” If you’re eager to find out, you could book a flight to France and go to McDonald’s, or you can go the cheaper way and just watch a little movie called Pulp Fiction. Actually, scratch that, Pulp fiction is not a movie; it’s a whole culture. The experience one would get from that precise yet simple succession of images and sounds is equivalent to the excitement and adrenaline rush from skydiving. So here’s the deal, you can read on, see what I have to say about it, or you can take my word for it, save yourself a few minutes and rent/buy/stream/ download it now. No? Fine…
116 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
In this movie, his second, Quentin Tarantino grouped a mishmash of homages and movie clichés, except; he managed to do it bloody, and brilliantly. Of course, Tarantino didn’t disappoint; you will get a face-full of gory satire. He single handedly mile-stoned the violent humor and created a masterpiece that would go on to become an inspiration and reference to many later movies. So, what exactly is it that you look for in a movie? Good actors? A collection of astonishing soundtracks? This movie has it all: it features the talents of an all star cast, from the paired up John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson to Bruce Willis, without forgetting, amongst others, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
MOVIE REVIEW
Amanda Plummer, Christopher Walken… the list goes on during the opening credits with the bone chilling ‘Misirlou’ track that, up until now, still makes me want to watch the movie again every time I hear it. ‘Surf Rider’, ‘Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon’, ‘You Never Can Tell’, ‘Son Of a Preacher Man’ also join the elite soundtracks lucky enough to make the list and enrich this movie… Plus, any movie where John Travolta is going to dance is destined to be a good movie. And speaking of Travolta, this is the part that led the actor to his emancipation from his previous roles and into the star he is today. Danny Zuko (Grease) and Tony Manero (Saturday Night Fever) were no more. Tarantino wrapped his hands around a nobody and turned him into one of the most recognizable American mobsters of the 1990s. Granted, Travolta was cast for a measly 150 000 $ to play this role, but he got an Oscar nomination in return. The movie soloed his revitalization, by putting a new face on the beached actor and jump-starting his career back to the born again actor that we all know and love. Pulp is a complete movie without a single dull moment, it is simply excellent, not only as a whole but also in its particular moments. Excitement is all around, nothing is plain, even coffee is “serious gourmet shit”, and milkshakes are “pretty fucking good”. The brutal and vicious nature of the multi-plot story shows the imagination of a man who doesn’t have a sense of boundaries or limitations. The movie immerses you in a world where “powder my nose” literally means shooting powder up your nose, a world that has no notion for time, with all the clocks conveniently stuck at 4:20, a world where money doesn’t just talk, it commands, dictates, cons and even, for the most part, insults. A panoply of bold, gripping and unrivaled scenes will duct tape you to the screen and project you into a day rushed by heart pumping action, bizarre occurrences, and blood gushing confrontations. However, the movie relies more on the time in between this action; another magic aspect of this movie: the dialogue. You’d think that with all the action going on, there would be an explanatory and thorough dialogue. You couldn’t be more wrong, the dialogue is rendered to mere chitchat between people, hoisting the movie to a more than realistic scenario. You’re not watching a movie; you’re actually there, standing with them. You time-machined yourself back to two decades ago, talking nonsense about stuff that doesn’t really matter. Basically, these common thugs talk about their personal life and everyday issues that turn into long debates. A bombardment of philosophical and yet ludicrous conversations come your way, you even take sides and try to let them know your own opinions. The screenplay is also blasted with monologues, people making love to the language, without any bounds or restraints, revealing their true personality and emotions. But enough slacking around, let’s get to the point. You want to know what this movie is about, don’t you? It’s about nothing, it’s mayhem, mischief and chaos. For two and a half hours, you witness a snippet of the life of Los Angeles mobsters and their interactions. Mainly, the story follows the everyday jobs and encounters of mob boss Marsellus Wallace’s (Rhames) duo of hit men: Jules Winnfield (Jackson), a god-fearing man and Vincent Vega (Travolta), a goodnatured thug loyal to his employer but mostly, to the laid-back sex, drugs and rock n’ roll era. Jules and Vincent go about to retrieve
a briefcase containing a mysterious content, whilst having several discussions revealing their diverging opinions on all subjects, from the religious, to the nutritional. Vincent finds out that he later has to take out Mia (Thurman), the boss’ coke crazed wife, and show her a good time, dinner, dancing and an eventful nightcap. On the other hand, a boxer, Butch Coolidge (Willis), refuses to throw a fight and punches his way out of a planned dive. In order to avoid the consequences and the wrath of the people he cheated, he decides to rally all his money and valuables and skip town with his French girlfriend. The movie, however, starts with a married couple, “Pumpkin” (Roth) and “Honey Bunny” (Plummer), on the verge of making a big career altering decision. Following the Tarantino trademark, the story offers several points of views, in an a-synchronic timeline cut into seven scenes with no logical order whatsoever. Do not look for a beginning or a traditional ending. Nothing about this movie is traditional: simply look at the way it was shot, the camera seems like it was controlled by a brain dead chimpanzee having a seizure. The flawless error-free writing is ruined by a bunch of off-center pictures, long eventless empty shots of buildings, and many more ‘styles’ that were considered faulty; well, not ruined per say, it’s these imperfections that make the movie what it is, perfect and beautiful, more than just a good movie. Without it, it would be plain and empty. Since then, this breakthrough filming method has been poorly mimicked in recent movies, some of them were good tries, but to no avail of course. Tarantino tells the story of the Los Angeles mob while showing that the story isn’t fundamental or even vital to his plot; the events shouldn’t be taken as a succession of a major body, but more as independent entities. Each scene can stand as a short story of its own. It just so happens that they occur simultaneously and they clash in a circular continuous pattern. Here’s an amusing piece of trivia: When the movie hit the screens in Lebanon, these seven scenes were rearranged in a chronological logic, thinking that someone might have mixed up the reels. That still cracks me up… In a sad, sad way.
S
o, in a nutshell: genius writing, insane directing, amazing actors, jaw-dropping scenes, and unforgettable cool music make this, Pulp Fiction, a multi-award winning movie that is out of this world. A critique always shows the good and the bad sides of a movie; well I dug and dug, and then did some more digging, but couldn’t find any. This movie is true art, sensational, flawless, art. To those who haven’t watched the movie yet and are still hesitant, let me prevent the unavoidable; it’s rated among IMDB’s top 5 movies ever made. Now, if you’ve made it to this section of the review, there’s a big chance you’re not preparing the popcorn yet, so what are you still waiting for? Go and join Jules and Vince and see what they’re about to do and what they have to say about it. And after that, I challenge you: “say you hated the movie, I dare you, I double dare you motherfucker! Say it just one goddamn time!” Until then, I’m going to grab a Quarter Pounder (yes, just mentioning it made me have a craving) and watch the movie yet again. PS: Tarantino’s next movie Django Unchained is coming to the screens this Christmas. Be sure not to miss it!
117
118 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
MOVIE REVIEW
W
hat can anyone say about Edward Scissorhand’? I’d like to be honest, here’s what I thought before I saw it: What is wrong with this guy? Who creates a character with scissors for hands? What was he high on when he wrote it (and where can I find this substance)? This is freakishly disturbing, even by Tim Burton’s standards! Oh, he looks depressed? You don’t fucking say! He doesn’t have any hands! He has big ass scissors instead! But then I got to see the movie… And I still have the exact same thoughts… But somehow, not entirely unexpected, the movie goes deeper than that. Before I get to it though, here’s an explanatory plot summary: It’s about a guy with scissors for hands. Moving on… When you move past the scissors, you see a man with something missing in him. Considered a freak by “normal” standards, because of his uniqueness, he is doomed to loneliness, alienated and cast from society; a black sheep lost in a colorful life. However, he finds himself thrown in that same society, a society that isn’t adapted to his needs and habits. What makes him unlike any other, transforms him into an attraction. He goes from being feared to being treated as special when all he wants is to feel human, be like anyone else, fit in. As time goes on, he shows us that no matter how different you are, you can always find a purpose, be happy, have friends and even, fall in love. This misunderstood creature is sublimely embodied by the extraordinary Johnny Depp; who else to perform this role but one of the rare and greatest chameleons in the business, in his first of a multitude of the future unorthodox roles, for which he is reputed. It is indeed a movie with a lot of firsts. This is the first project uniting the two great men, Burton and Depp. It was the starting point of a love story, a match made in heaven, or in this case, “hell” being the more appropriate term. The extravagance of Tim Burton is all around the movie, from the concept to the minor details. A black and white character steps into a suburban area, with no trace of black or white; pink roofs, yellow cars, blue walls… The habitants of this psychosomatic neighborhood have eerie haircuts, some of them with nails as long as scissors, ironically. In this new creative world of his, Burton lands an innocent character in the jaws of a cynical, plastic society. It’s a tale with the recurring message to find the inner beauty, and not judge a book by its cover. But can society truly abide by this morale? So you get a children’s tale that is not really appropriate for kids. This bittersweet touching story is told in magical simplicity with a profound philosophical underlining, a piece of art. A small part of me believes that this is the reflection of Tim Burton himself in the actual society, represented by the cute and sad “Edward”. Let me tell you something, if I’d met him, I would applaud him… I mean… shake his hand… um… high-five him… play thumb wrestle… odds or evens… rock, paper, sciss… screw it, you know what I mean…
119
120 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
MOVIE REVIEW
Drug [dɹʌɡ] - noun. 1. A medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body. 2. A substance taken for its narcotic or stimulant effects, often illegally.
T
his one, though, is ingested visually. The Big Lebowski is one extensive long-lasting trip, literally and figuratively; it ought to be illegal. Prepare to be mesmerized and hypnotized by people and events that seem extraterrestrial. Owing money to a lot of people, a millionaire’s wife gets kidnapped. In a plot where a funny and weird succession of events take place, a guy gets himself in the middle of a world of freakishly bizarre mishaps because someone peed on his rug. He now has to come to aid to every party and side of the dilemma: the millionaire husband of the kidnapped woman, her family, the kidnappers themselves, the ex-associate, a private detective and the obstructing daughter. But in his defense, that rug “really tied the room together”. He then goes to a friend to develop plural assumptions regarding the identity of the true kidnappers, given the number of people who want her harm. The story, supposedly a comedy, surprisingly takes more twists and turns than a thriller, but I’ll let you check that out for yourself, wouldn’t wanna spoil the movie for you. The Big Lebowski relies mainly on its quirky, to say the least, colorful characters, executed to perfection by amazing actors.
First off, you have Jeffrey “the dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges, in one of his most surprising roles), but you can just call him “Dude”. He simply is the summit of laziness, a self-proclaimed pacifist who writes checks for 0.67 $ and only wants to mind his own business. He is soon confronted to his homonym, and yet antonym, the other Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), the “big Lebowski”. A quid pro quo mixing two completely opposite characters. On the one hand, Dude, a modest man living his simple happy life, and on the other, Mr. Lebowski, the picture perfect businessman, obstinate about work and image. Which answer to “What makes a man” would you pick? “Always prepared to do the right thing” or “a pair of testicles”? Walter Shobchak (John Goodman), the kosher one, is a pompous guns-a-blazing skeptical cynical anti-pacifist Jewish Vietnam veteran and a maniac. This is a person who doesn’t hesitate twice before charging people or taking out a tire iron to bash their cars with, yelling infamous lines like “Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules?” and “See what happens… see what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass?” He’s up for anything, any activity, from bowling to explosive ride alongs, anytime, except when it comes to the Sabbath; you do not mess with the Sabbath, unless it’s a matter of life and death, and then some…
Walter, she doesn’t believe that Bunny, her stepmother, really got kidnapped but rather faked the kidnapping to get some extra change off her husband. Second role characters are just as important as main ones. The movie is submerged with odd and hilarious personas that do not exactly fit together: the mistreated Donny (Steve Buscemi), third member of the 3-man bowling team, a ‘special’ man played by an actor with a unique face, “Bunny” (Tara Reid), the kidnapped nymphomaniac trophy wife, Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman) the peculiar and more than devoted butler, Karl (Peter Stormare), a German “actor” with a nihilistic delusion and Jesus (John Turturro), the bowling team’s main competitor, an extravagant pederast who cannot go a single minute without nasty sexual allusions. Drugs never actually show up on the screen, they float around during the whole movie as subtext. Dude’s dreams approach the trippy aspect of a high state, flying about, but not too far and somehow always relating back to bowling. This ambiance is also portrayed in the soundtracks. Bob Nolan’s ‘Tumbling Tumbleweed’ plays, as does Bob Dylan’s ‘The Man In Me’ and Kenny Roger’s ‘Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)’… not exactly people notorious for their dissociation from narcotics. Aside from that, the Coen brothers effortlessly covered any and every aspect of adult content: drugs, drinking, nudity, profanity, pornography, violence, guns, smoking, fanatic behavior, blasphemy… this movie should be rated W, for ‘what the fuck is wrong with you’. The Big Lebowski’s writers and directors, the Coen brothers (Ethan and Joel) are renowned for the absurd and dark humor aspects in their movies. They are the masters of shocking in an astonishing mild manner. They don’t make serious movies, they entertain and divert. Luckily, in The Big Lebowski, they haven’t drifted from this path: they exhibit a zoo of people in a human train wreck, and an explosion of timeless directions, never actually converging to a point. Don’t scratch your head trying to find any sense of logic, you might just dig through your skull. This is a movie to be taken lightly, something to enable the escape from reality for a little while, 110 minutes worth of a while, with no other purpose than to sit back and enjoy the ride; it’s a drug.
Maud Lebowski (Julianne Moore) is the daughter of the other Mr. Lebowski, the big Lebowski. Manipulative, feminist, hyper extrovert, erotic, artistic and sharing the same pessimistic idea as
121
122 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
MOVIE REVIEW
H
entire movie. He was not acting, he was living the role, and in a manner so convincing that it’s a miracle he wasn’t institutionalized after it. If “the cannibal” were to be real, he would be less terrifying than Hopkins.
For research purposes on criminal behavior, special FBI agent Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) sends young cadet Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in his cell. After a frantic first time, Clarice goes back to seek Dr. Lecter’s counsel, finding that “the cannibal” might come in aid with the case of Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), a prolific serial killer who skins his victims, and shoves bug cocoons down their throats. He kindly offers to help, for a small something in return of course. As a result, Clarice starts handing out pictures of the victims to Dr. Lecter. He manages to solve the case with just a glance at one of the pictures, a case that had been fruitless for months. Being the playful and manipulative psychiatrist that he is, he gives Clarice the answer in the form of an enigma, hence concluding his promise, all the while challenging the young cadet.
Outside this particular role, Sir Anthony Hopkins is indubitably one of the greatest actors cinema has ever known; he was even knighted for it. When asked how he played Hannibal with such success, he answered that he “just didn’t move. He scared people by being still”. He might be most recognized for his role in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Oscar for best actor, but Hopkins’ résumé surpasses most people’s in the industry. Be it for his major roles like Titus Andronicus (Titus), William Parrish (Meet Joe Black), Pr. Van Helsing (Dracula), and Frederick Treves (The Elephant Man), or his smaller ones, Hopkins effortlessly discloses his omnipresence over anyone and anything else. For example, in this two hour movie, he only appears for a miserable total of 16 minutes. However, it doesn’t seem like it, this didn’t stop him from being the movie’s main character, by far. The mere look in his eyes provides a stance that demands fatherly respect. The actor often merges with his movies’ personas. Hopkins doesn’t play a character; he is the character. I could go on and on about this immortal icon, but I wouldn’t want to drift more out of topic than I already have.
annibal Lecter M.D. is a fictional character, thankfully, created by the novelist Thomas Harris. Having said that, he is no ordinary psychiatrist; he’s also a sophisticated, cultured and brilliant man. As far as his profession goes, Dr. Lecter gets inside the head and into the mind and thoughts of his interlocutors. Oh, and it’s worth mentioning that he kills human beings so he can feast on their organs, a quirk that granted him the nickname Hannibal “the cannibal”.
The Silence of the Lambs has won 1992’s best picture, director, adapted screenplay, actor and actress. Needless to say: it’s a pretty fucking awesome movie. Director Jonathan Demme shot the movie in a slow motion effect, especially the scenes with Dr. Lecter, thus giving the bone-chilling feeling that, even though “the cannibal” is locked up, you’re never really safe being in the same country as him, let alone the same room. The heart-stopping hair-splitting thriller also offers the performance of two remarkable actors. Jodie Foster delivers an Oscar winning interpretation of the passionate feminist FBI trainee. The role of Clarice was practically written for her. Her trademark intellectual and to-the-point attitude was complemented by a curiosity that pushed her to lock eyes with Hannibal, all the while hiding a repressed but evident fear. They form a mysterious bond together. Ted Levine plays the impressive role of the estranged serial killer who appears to kill overweight women and skin them for some queer and peculiar reason.
When Dr. Hannibal “the cannibal” Lecter says he’s “having a friend for dinner”, it doesn’t mean quite the same thing you would expect. We want to tell you to go and watch every single movie in which Anthony Hopkins appears but we guess we’ll have to settle for The Silence of the Lambs… for now. To tell you the truth, it’s not exactly ‘settling’ since this is one of the greatest movies of all time, a movie that turned a serial killer into an acclaimed celebrity.
And then there’s Anthony Hopkins… They say that there’s a fine line between genius and insanity. Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal is that line. This movie takes place post Hannibal’s arrest. He is now in custody at Dr. Chilton’s (Anthony Heald) maximum-security asylum. He is as eerie as he is scary. Even the simple hissing and clicking of his mouth will get your stomach churning and your veins pumping. He keeps an icy emotionless smile on his face and seems to never blink, as if focusing to attract his prey. His main asset is the fact that he is a seductive psychopath. Hannibal, as portrayed by Hopkins, features among the greatest movie characters of all time and could possibly be the greatest and most feared villain. Every hair of your body will stand up the first moment he appears on screen, and will remain up throughout the
123
124 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
MOVIE REVIEW
I
n an effort to wrap up a decade filled with successful movies, Sam Mendes, an unknown director until then, 1999, unveils a groundbreaking drama depicting and denouncing the hidden yearning in all of us. American Beauty reveals what really goes on in a poster American neighborhood. Love knows no gender, no age, no bound, no distance, no time… yeah, but that’s no excuse for incest or pedophilia. Love is not blind, it’s retarded and demented.
The story is about Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), a soon to be fired family man going through an unsheltered midlife crisis. We’re not talking toupees and convertible Porsches; we’re talking full on rejuvenated man-child with an exponential misguided sex appetite growth. Not too surprisingly, Lester has grown tired of his sexually frustrated real-estate agent wife Carolyn (Annette Bening), and starts cultivating a crush towards his daughter Jane’s (Thora Birch) flirty friend Angela (Mena Suvari). In their neighborhood, a gay couple (Scott Bakula and Sam Robards) welcomes a family that just moved in to the neighborhood, a homophobic marine corps (Chris Cooper), his wife and their spooky and very curious boy Ricky (Wes Bentley). Over the next few months, the Burnhams throw away their picture perfect family for their true nature, a havoc of a madhouse. In this modern time bordello, Lester decides to grow a pair, confront his wife on their marital issues, befriend an alleged younger version of himself thus raising heavy amounts of suspicions, and ignite his hunger for his under aged flame. Carolyn engages in an affair with her competitor, the real-estate king (Peter Gallagher), Jane warms up to Ricky, and a surprise customer comes out of the closet. This is the mother of all love triangles. It’s a fucking myriagon (don’t bother looking it up, it’s a 10 000 sided polygon). This movie’s scenes are shot at a very slow frame rate. It plunges you in some sort of never-ending comatose dream, some of which are Lester’s. His existence is colorless and lifeless except for the red petals of flowers teasing him, slowly, coming out and surrounding the object of his lusty desire, Angela. Let’s take a moment to peek into this illustrious metaphor. Red… slow… flowered… hmm… I wonder… Another aspect of it is watching life go by, without really being able to grasp it. It’s free and volatile, like a plastic bag dancing for uninterrupted hours with dead leaves in the wind. It’s filled with simple moments, which makes you realize that happiness lies in the pursuit and not the achievement. This graphical display is a reflection of our true inner selves in a dictator society of fakes and posers. Lester is the let-out pervert in all of us. The sick, twisted and fucked up animal in all of us. Don’t you want to unleash that overwhelming beast, go crazy, and get out of the boring routine? We’re no religious men, but here’s the list of the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride; seven orgasmic temptations that, once you give in and let them take over, will nourish your every desire and satisfaction. Each one of them is explicitly and grandly incarnated in a dirty, vulgar and drooling manner spread out all across this picture. Sam Mendes made a name for himself in the 7th art, and went on to direct an awful lot of great movies like Jarhead and Road To Perdition, but none even remotely comparable to American Beauty.
125
126 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
MOVIE REVIEW
The 90s have brought us Pulp Fiction, American Beauty, The Big Lebowski, Silence Of The Lambs and Edward Scissorhands. The 90s also brought a movie called Clueless, thanks to writer and director Amy Heckerling. Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) is a popular high school girl. This might come as a shock to you, but she’s a “me me me me me” blond rich daddy’s girl who goes shopping whenever she feels down. When a new ‘clueless’ chick (Brittany Murphy) enters the picture, Cher and her best friend, Dionne (Stacey Dash), decide to play makeover and matchmakers. Apart from that, Cher struggles with finding a boyfriend of her own, helping Dionne out with her relationship issues with boyfriend Murray (Donald Faison), dealing with her annoying stepbrother (Paul Rudd), keeping a fashion lead over her nemesis (Elisa Donovan) and with handling her overprotective father (Dan Hedaya)...
“Turk” from Scrubs, “Mike” from Friends, and a class full of many future stars, Wallace Shawn, Jeremy Sisto, Breckin Meyer, Justin Walker, and many more… All mocking aside, I was set to bash this movie back to the 90s, 1590s that is, but found that the writer already did it for me. Clueless turns out to be a movie full of surprises. I’m mocking it because Heckerling wanted me to, more than that; she gave me every opportunity to do so. If you’re looking for a romantic chick flick then this is the movie for you, however, if you’re looking for a comedy then this is still a movie I’d recommend.
Humans build an urge to control people and life from an early life. As they grow up, they find out that they are mere helpless pawns in a mechanism that keeps in uninterrupted motion. They either admit it or react to it. This movie stumbles upon this notion. Well not exactly… This movie reflects on a jungle-like society where power is king. People get drunk with it, forget their friends and grow to be selfabsorbed. It can be found in today’s politics as well as a high school environment… Let me try this again… You know when you try to play god, realize you inadvertently created a monster? And you get a taste of your own medicine?... Fuck it! I can’t! I made major efforts to look up a decent angle to this movie, a message, anything... It’s simply impossible! You know what, maybe I do get it. It’s just a parody of the portrayal of high schools, and a brilliant one at that. As soon as you get past the stereotyping, you get into the stereotyping; the characters are all satiric clichés. Heckerling uses a tone with no edge, so bland it verges on idiotic. Surprisingly, it’s a very funny movie. One of the funniest aspects of the movie is the narration. I won’t describe it, I’ll just let the narrator, Cher herself, fill you in with her profound thoughts about friendship, love and the important aspects of life: “She’s my friend because we both know what it’s like to have people be jealous of us” “My mom died when I was just a baby, a fluke accident during a routine liposuction” “Getting off the freeway makes you realize how important love is” “On top of everything else, I was going to take the driving test, so I had to find my most responsible looking ensemble” “I had an overwhelming sense of ickyness” “Life really… Ooh, I wonder if they have that in my size!” On another note, this movie did bring other surprises. I could spot a couple of then up-and-coming actors I know now. There’s
127
128 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
SOUNDTRACK REVIEW: BAZ LUHRMANN’S ROMEO + JULIET
A SYNONYM AND SYMBOL OF LOVE, THE STORY OF ROMEO AND JULIET MUTATED INTO DIFFERENT FORMS OVER THE YEARS. STATING THAT THE MOTION PICTURE ROMEO + JULIET IS AN ABBREVIATED, ECCENTRIC AND UNUSUAL VERSION OF THE STAR-CROSSED LOVERS’ TALE WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT. IN THIS SOMEWHAT OFFBEAT INTERPRETATION, THE YOUNG LOVERS ARE NINETIES TEENS CAUGHT IN A MOB WAR BETWEEN THEIR FAMILIES, AND DESPERATELY FALLING IN LOVE LIKE IT WAS THE RENAISSANCE.
W ARTICLE BY STEPHANIE KOYESS
COLLAGE BY ALEXANDRA WARDE hat’s striking in this piece by Baz Luhrmann, and definitely against the grain at first is the original Shakespearian dialogue spoken by “MTV” teens and flamboyant characters, in a Californian-beach-like gang-war extravaganza context.The soundtrack is accordingly cooky, as it compliments the fiery movie. The album chosen to supplement this film was the album William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture, released in 1997. It contains songs by a big array of artists such as Garbage, The Cardigans, Radiohead, and Mundy to name a few. It helped put some tracks in the spotlight and push them to become hit singles like ‘Lovefool’ and ‘Kissing you’ (the theme song). This record is for a wide part of the public, a must-have that is part of the classics. The combination of the selected songs is however, far from being traditional. While you are puzzled at first by how some tracks go along with others on this OST, we promise you that the people behind the soundtrack were not victims of the mad cow disease. A second listen is recommended since it will help everything fall into place. If Elvis Presley were to show up today, out of a time machine, wanting to learn about music of the decades after his death, this collection of tunes would be a great embodiment of the nineties. Just like Paris Hilton’s genitalia, there is something here for everyone! From soul tracks, church-choir like anthems, alternative rock, grunge, to disco diva music, what has become indie pop rock, and a hint of Arctic Monkeys gone folk on Mundy’s ‘To You I Bestow.’ While some say ‘Lovefool’ by The Cardigans is the star tune of this record we beg to differ. Des’ree’s haunting ‘Kissing You’ might rub you the wrong way when you first listen to it, especially if you are not a big fan of chocolate divas. Ironically, you find yourself indulging in this ballad when you play it again. The haunting music and the trembling vocals grow on you fast, as it’s the ideal music to fall in love to. (Suffice to say Beyonce’s Hallmark-Valentine-Card version of it is just a shame.) The Irish Mundy, and Gavin Friday deliver two very different pieces that are as addictive as alcohol to their leprechaun-loving people. ‘Pretty Piece of Flesh’ by One Inch Punch is a grunge meets hip-hop track, sort of a mellow bastard child of Daft Punk and The Prodigy. Each song conveys a different emotion; nevertheless they all depict an era of liberation, a rising youth, alternative perceptions, an evolution of the world, of love. It is a troubling and very intense record that you will fall for instantly. Just remember you are no Capulet, or Montague for that matter because we’d hate to find you laying face in the ground arms around the album, with a dagger in your heart.
129
ARTICLE BY LEA YAMMINE
130 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
PHOTOGRAPHS BY NISREEN KAJ WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
LIVE REVIEW: LIVE AT LEEDS
SAMANTHA URBANI FROM FRIENDS
131
LIVE REVIEW: LIVE AT LEEDS
L
ive At Leeds is my first experience of a British fullday music festival. As lead singer of Los Campesinos! Gareth Campesinos (or Gareth David, according to Wikipedia) called it; it’s an “urban festival”, as opposed to other English festivals that take place in a forsaken field for a few days. Well, this is a one-day festival which takes place in a city. It has been on for the past six years, have featured bands like Bombay Bicycle Club, Mumford& Sons, James Blake, and their “ethos has always been to celebrate the best in upcoming local bands alongside more established national acts” (from their site liveatleeds.com). Ok, so this covers our introduction. This year, headlining the festival was: Ladyhawke, The Enemy, Marina & the Diamonds (who sadly cancelled due to ill health), and Friends among others. I really wanted to kick off my day with seeing Swiss Lips who were set to play at 2pm (if you don’t know them, do yourself a favor and go listen to ‘U Got the Power’). We had our lunch in the Student Union, then set off to the venue in the same building, a tad late but we thought they were probably still setting up, right? They weren’t! The place was packed and there was no way to get to the front. I resorted to jumping up and down to catch a glimpse of them, and still enjoyed the few songs I heard. They closed off with ‘Danz’, and I dare anyone to listen to this band without dancing. They have such a feel-good-move-your-ass vibe to them. The band scheduled to play 30min after them was Citizens! This time, there was no way we could be late or far away. The band took to the stage on time, dressed in their clean ironed shirts and pants, and their attitude that screams “British Indie Super Cool Hipster Glam” (that was a long one, but I had to go there). They beautifully went through songs like ‘Reptile’ and ‘True Romance’, their energy translating smoothly into the crowd. The group, which first comes off like proper English lads, managed to demonstrate some cheeky-sneery attitude with the delivery of their performance. Especially palpable when the lead singer closed off the set thanking everyone who made it and dedicating their last song to everyone who was there with their girlfriends, “really from the heart”. The last song was ‘(I’m In Love with Your) Girlfriend’. Ah! Good ol’ British humor! Needless to say, I lolled. Also, this band knows its craft and did not fail to deliver. The day promised to be good! The next show we really wanted to see was Niki & The Dove, performing in the O2 Academy, a few minutes’ walk away. We made our way to the venue only to be stopped by the girl posted at the door, who found bottles of water and food in our bags. We were informed that it was forbidden to take these into the venue, and as we did not want to part with all of it, we ran back to mine to drop our goods and hit the road again. Unsurprisingly, we missed most of Niki & The Dove and decided not to stop there altogether, since it wouldn’t be worth it. So we checked out earlier the next venue on our itinerary. Stooshe, a colorful R&B trio of young women, was set to play in an hour, and I was telling Nisreen how I first heard them with a friend in a club in London. We later found out that they dropped out (please refer to point 2 above). The band set to play before them, however, was there and on time. Worship was my discovery for the day and newest crush, so allow me to linger a bit here. As we were watching the not-so-bad looking band members set up, we tried to gather some background info about them and get a rough idea of what to expect, scanning descriptions in the LAL catalogue and online. Admittedly, words like “atmospheric” put us off a bit but we decided to stick around. Good decision it was! True, the name Worship has a funny sound to it, but the band’s songs are not particularly happy or upbeat. However, trust me on this one, you will be very happy if you checked out their soundcloud. Paul Lester from The Guardian accurately described their music as “mourn-rock”, not gothic or EMO at all.
132 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
“Instead, they offer their own take on what New Order did in the 80s and Radiohead did in the 90s: boyish existential angst coolly dramatized by waves of swelling synths and clattering man-machine rhythms”. Three members were on stage, one behind a drum kit, one with a guitar behind a microphone and the last one, behind a table where rested tech boards of buttons and a laptop with a gleaming apple. They started their set and man, was I glad we stuck around! Yes, it does sound kind of atmospheric, but they managed to fuse together so much more in a beautifully sounding end result that my body could not be indifferent to it. This is music you can dance to, but that you can also listen to alone at home or while driving. It has the same enigmatic mood that you felt when you first listened to The XX. Although I’m afraid to stretch this comparison any further, because they are deeply different. While The XX have a minimalistic feel to them, Worship’s electronica has a rock punch to it, maybe due to the guitar or the powerful drums. Thumping synth merged somewhat holistically with good electro beats, clapping keyboard sounds on top of snaring drums, enchanting esoteric vocals and a guitar that found a way to fit in nicely in this mix. (I think I just exhausted all of my vocabulary in one weird long sentence, but it needed to be said). Their songs would really go well in some Beirut party scenes, I thought I would love to see them live back home. I was a bit tired, not drunk at all; yet, in this dark venue, with that strange new sound glaring, all I wanted to do was dance to the hypnotic beat.. We stayed through a whole perfect 30 min set, out of which we came out completely enchanted. (I recommend listening to ‘Leviathan’ and ‘Collateral’). The next band on my list, Friends, wasn’t set to play for a while, so Nisreen and I cruised though the venues catching a glimpse of punk with Savages, then heading to watch the eclectic-looking Toy, who delivered good loud rock music. Given that we took the marathon approach to the festival, we decided to catch the first part of Ladyhawke’s show before running to catch Friends’. Neither one of us had ever seen her live, and I guess we were both expecting a big electric show. It was set in the O2 Academy, one of the bigger venues, and it was really packed when we got there. At this point, performances started a bit later than stated (point 3 above). We couldn’t manage to move through the crowd, and could barely see the stage, but we were there! ‘Back Of The Van’ was the opening song, which sparked a lot of enthusiasm, on my part at least. But somehow, the vibe was lost on us. Maybe due to the distance away from the stage, but I felt like it lacked some glitzy presence. Having ticked off Ladyhawke, we went on to the next show on our list, the Brooklyn band Friends. (I’m sure the indie music savvy people reading this have already heard ‘I’m His Girl’ and are familiar with the band, or they had someone hammer them already, and quite rightfully, with how great this band is). We made it there a few minutes before they were due to start and band members Lesley Hann, Nikki Shapiro and Matthew Molnar were doing the sound check. While we were watching them, Nisreen and I pondered upon that sensed difference between British and American people. It’s something that we couldn’t really put our finger on, but it’s there, something in these Americans’ attitude reeks of laid back coolness. And the band is effortlessly cool! Their first time performing in the Leeds Union’s underground, and yet they managed to make it their own, take over and feel completely comfortable, which in turn, put their audience at ease. If I am to trust my memory, they opened with ‘Mind Control’. In any case, the opening track definitely showcased their infectious, percussionfuelled “weird pop” as they described their genre on their Facebook page. On a side note, in terms of style and fashion, the Brooklyn band gets this jury’s special mention. These different individuals were coherent as a band, almost instinctively (makes sense since they are actually friends, before being the band Friends, please WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
LIVE REVIEW: LIVE AT LEEDS
WORSHIP tell me you’re not confused). Their glittery, but unpolished sassy RnB-ish sound is made to make you dance. You will witness no rock stage dives here. Instead, Urbani gracefully came down the stage while performing ‘Friend Crush’, and proceeded to dance with the audience and walk around through the crowd while singing “I wanna be your friend”. After which, she declared that she wanted to join us. Indeed, Friends live make you want to jump in and join the fun. This is what good friends do, if you ask me! Urbani’s vocal performance was captivating and the sharp sounds and “cha cha” calls (I have no idea what else to call them, forgive my failing lexicon) she kept making, add to the urban aspect and borderline grittiness of their music, but the performance remained genuine and unforced. In a nutshell, Friends made good use of the space they had, and made it worthwhile for everyone who was there. They went through songs of their upcoming album, communicated with the audience and gave their show an intimate but festive feel. From this block party atmosphere, we moved to the rock world of The Enemy. Seeing The Enemy live in this day and age has got to be the next best thing. If anything, it is the perfect revival and continuation of that 90s rock legacy. To set the tone from the get-go, they walked in on stage to an Oasis tune ‘Fuckin’ In The Bushes’ (if you don’t know it, go listen to the first 20secs and you’ll know what I mean). Wasting no time, the band dived right into an energetic performance of ‘Aggro’, and carried on performing three songs in a row before stopping for a while and greeting the crowd. Obviously, the crowd loves them. And I mean loves them! Even before they were on stage, you could see how excited they were and from the first note they heard, everyone went mad. And I was very thankful, I was watching from the upstairs level rather than getting squashed in one of the many mosh-pits I was seeing. One thing was clear: this is an energy-fuelled performance. The band was dressed in typical Britpop gear, the sport sweaters zipped up till the end. Just them their guitars , the drums and their utter swagger. The O2 is a big venue, and they managed to fill it up to its rims with rock power. The audience was singing their songs in unison, dancing, moshing (we’ve been over that), just feeling it. And here’s the thing, you don’t have
to be in the front row or to see the band or feel it. It was just there. And it was amazing! After that, we went on to another energy-fuelled performance that has less of a nonchalant rock attitude. I’m talking about Los Campesinos!, the band that has made its name in lively Indie Pop. A different kind of energy filled the smaller venue in the Leeds Union. The 7 piece band is known for channeling all kinds of feelings in a cheerful way. ‘Hello Sadness’ is one example of that. With lyrics like “It’s only hope that springs eternal / And that’s the reason why / this dripping from my broken heart / Is never running dry”, the song is bleak, yet somehow effervescent. The live delivery of that song is perfect technically, and you can’t help not singing along to it or jumping up and down smiling. Los Campesinos! are fun live, and they make you happy no matter what. Add to that their British humor, and it’s a perfect show. The lead singer stopped to tell the crowd how he loved Leeds, the city, but absolutely hated the football club (maybe you don’t care about football, but in the UK, it’s serious matters). Their vibrant melodic tunes did not leave the ears of folks at Budweiser unmoved. Introducing ‘You! Me! Dancing!’, Gareth described it as “the theme for the FA Cup” since the beer company sponsoring the event used their song in one of their ads. Something he said he was very proud of (again in reference to how important football is around here). That song is like a pill of caffeine, vitamin c, your favorite kind of chocolate, and a trampoline. It will inject happy ebullience into anyone! And witnessing it live is even better. People are dancing, jumping, smiling. This is the Los Campesinos! effect. It leaves you with a light heart and a smile. The (great) day came to an end. At the end of something like that, you go to bed exhausted, your head rushing with scattered sights and sounds, your legs tired and heavy, and your ears ringing. And that tinnitus should be universally recognized as the sweet sound of a successful music event.
133
134 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
LIVE REVIEW: YASMINE HAMDAN
ARTICLE BY KARL HITTI
PHOTOGRAPH BY CARL HALAL
A
s Lebanese citizens, we tend to be very critical of everyone but sadly not of ourselves. A multitude of reasons have led to our transformation into such a judgmental country. A prime example of that would be when people found out that their little indie darling Yasmine Hamdan was turning to dance music. One would think that with all the oblivious Lebanese entertainers roaming around our culture circuit, we would be more supportive of people with substance, but sadly we aren’t... Well most of us at least. Yasmine’s eponymous solo album is a collection of songs that are inspired by classic Arabic records. They aren’t remixes or covers, they’re rather somewhere in between. You could even call it a Déjà vu, the tracks evoke a certain feeling of familiarity but you’re not quite sure where it’s coming from. While promoting this release, she took the stage on June the 7th. It was a simple purified acoustic set, with the crafty piano goddess Rosey Chan on keys. Right down to her chosen attire, red shimmery top and black pants, a laid-back mood was eminent during the whole performance. Dimmed lights and all, the venue was packed with every avant-garde enthusiast. She opened with what was the highlight of the night ‘Beirut’, a melodramatic song about the gradual deterioration of our Lebanese society. There was something about those specific three minutes that was haunting; a bittersweet energy was floating through everyone. Yasmine’s raspy voice mixed perfectly with Rosey’s notes, it all exuded a certain warmth. She simply stood on the balcony, swayed her hips and gently purred through her microphone. What’s peculiar about this woman is that she might be rippling with voluptuous sensuity one minute then she would stop singing out of nowhere and demand everyone’s silence (since she was being filmed). Kind of like an 8 year old who’s putting on a show for her family on Sunday lunch. An obvious manifestation of that overbearing sexuality took place during her performance of ‘Coit Me’ (a cut from her previous album with Mirwais Ahmadzaï). The lyrics at some point were garnished with delectable fast paced moans that sent the listeners into a crazed frenzy. The raven-haired singer has never given the public something expected during her live performances. Some are put off by it, while others learn to appreciate her individuality and spontaneous reactions. You could easily say that we are part of the latter team for almost all the right reasons.
135
COMPILED BY THE PEOPLE BEHIND F/I/M²/P
136 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
CAPTURES COURTESY OF A NIGHT OUT WITH OUR FRIENDS
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
01
‘Thinking About You’ Frank Ocean
08
Newcomer Frank is our new Drake. In Thinking About You, he laments over a relationship that’s out of his reach. Gloomy neon lights would compliment his delectable falsetto tone perfectly. 02
‘Never Be The Same Again’ Melanie C feat. Lisa Left Eye
‘Come Along With Me’ Titiyo
09
‘Androgyny’ Garbage
10
‘If’ Janet Jackson
11
‘Just A Girl’ No Doubt
12
‘Do You Know’ Robyn Before becoming the epitome of cool, Robyn was a little bubble pop singer trying to make it big. Not much came out of her nineties, but we hold this confection as an exception.
17
‘Run On’ Moby
‘Alarm Call’ Bjork
13
‘Anything We Want’ Fiona Apple As if Fiona could get any better. This latest offering off of her newly released LP is quite the treat. Funny enough, the tourniquet composition of the song strangely opposes its actual meaning.
14
‘Van Vogue’ Azealia Banks Rhyme-spitting Azealia does it so perfectly. She uses all the best of loops reminiscent of the melody-driven pop gems of the nineties. Let the doggy howls sway your hips in a lateral motion!
18
‘Put Me To Sleep’ Porcelain Raft Mauro Remiddi shows you how to appropriately use autotune. Enjoy these three minutes that clearly describe a gradual descent to hell.
19
Iceland’s ambassador of music stretches her vocals to inhuman length over a classic New Jack beat. It’s a rare occasion to be able to sing-along to Bjork, this is one of them.
Feminist anthem 101, all hail the godparents of Ska Punk. Ironically enough, this is perfect for you boys to run naked through the house singing to the top of your lungs (this theory has been tested). 07
‘There Goes The Neighborhood’ Sheryl Crow
‘Sandcastle Disco’ Solange Beyonce’s Little sister gushes out soulful vocals set over an old school breakbeat. This is exactly what you need to brighten up your day.
The reinterpretation of the folk song God’s Gonna Cut You Down issues a multitude of warnings through this electronic gospel infused classic. You’ve got to hand it to Moby for this one!
Never one to censor herself, Ms. Jackson explicitly flashes her sexual desires over a violent riff backed by a pulsating beat that will have you shaking your shoulders by the time the chorus rolls in. 06
16
‘Drag queens and the freaks are all out on the town’. There’s nothing like a Crow jam to make you feel like summer’s here. Something about her just reeks of salty beach water.
Shirley’s vocals pirouette through a sexy & sweet guitar flick crunchedup with touches of carefully added electronica. Boys in the girls room?
05
‘Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town’ Pearl Jam
‘Black Coffee’ All Saints William Orbit works his hazy magic once again and blesses us with one of his best pop masterpieces of the decade (Guess which decade).
This vibrant acoustic ballad displays Eddie’s marvelous vocal abilities. A big round of applause for the Seattle Grunge scene, everybody.
The Swedish pop rocker (and somewhat one-hit wonder) utilizes an array of looped western-tinged hooks that would push anyone in her direction.
04
15
This Madonna classic gets reworked with a gritty country edge that will have you singing this oh-so-famous tune on a different note, and you’ll fall head over heels for it.
This is slinky R&B at its best! Mel C turns her back on the classic Spice Girl formula and grabs a hold of Lisa for a couple of rhymes. It’s just what you need to raise your street cred (or not). 03
‘Beautiful Stranger Blues’ Golden Animals
‘Seven Stars’ Air feat. Victoria Legrand With Ms. Legrand on vocals, Air have hit a soft spot with this dreamy cut taken from their soundtrack of the re-released Georges Méliès flick Le Voyage Dans La Lune.
20
‘Confide In Me’ Kylie Minogue Pop’s other queen takes a whole different route with this eclectic mix of riveting Middle Eastern influenced alternative pop perfection.
‘Ruins’ Friends An eerie vibe is projected here by Samantha Urbani’s lyrics over the backdrop of a euphoric melody that will leave you feeling ... strangely OK for no particular reason.
DOWNLOAD THIS MIXTAPE SOUNDCLOUD FOR FREE!
FROM
WWW.SOUNDCLOUD.COM/FIMP-MAG
137
FINAL THOUGHT
ARTICLE BY RUDY SHAHEEN ILLUSTRATION BY MOHAMAD ABDOUNI
T
he media refers to her as the “rising indie pop singer”. We call her the bewildered, exuberant, fierce-meetsfilthy twenty-year-old ex Calvin Klein model who will rock your world and set up a new standard for fantasizing about young blonds. Sky Ferreira is what she goes by. She first burst out on the scene as a 15 year old model who then chose to build an electro-pop empire, like feathery sophistication behind her 2010s ‘One’ or most of the songs on her As If! EP. Not much different than her previous breakthrough material and with the help of Garbage’s lead lady Shirley Manson’s core rocking writing skills, the video clip for ‘Red Lips’ was revealed with the stamp of Mr. Terry Richardson and a more alternative sound. “Let’s put me in a bra top underwater with nothing else on but the red lipstick and I’ll sing about coating your mouth” was Sky’s vision of the video. She starts smearing lipstick all over her face as the video progresses until it encompasses all of it. “Let’s throw in a Tarantula in there”, Ferreira added. And so be it. The spider was there crawling all over her half naked body. After quite a few record label drawbacks, Ferreira decided to put an end to it and trust her own instinct with the release of this single as an artistic endeavor more than a clout that you can come across just anywhere and bloody hell, she did it perfectly! Verdict: Are you a fan of a young blond smearing red lipstick all over her face making her look like a red-faced devil? Then this video is a must see. Are you afraid of spiders? Might as well go watch JLO feat. Pitbull. You may wanna be the next coolest thing since sliced bread but this video is so fantastic that it makes you wanna die *Taylor Momsem gasps*.
138 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM
139
140 F/I/M²/P
- JULY 2012
WWW.FIMP-MAG.COM