Status 11 The Filmmaker issue - feat. Charlotte Gainsbourg by STATUS Magazine

STATUS MESSAGE

Marc Webb

Photo by Paul Jasmin

KEEPIN’ IT REEL

Chris Robinson

o here we are, the first issue of the new year. We wanted to put together a Filmmaker’s Issue because films, documentaries, and music videos excite our visual senses and take our minds on a creative journey that we never knew existed. Whether clearly or subliminally, they continue to inspire, touch hearts, give insight, or just entertain us. The amazing thing is, they have the ability to change our lives in just one sitting. From the moment we started STATUS, we have always considered ourselves more fashion/music/party people, so it was a little intimidating to enter the world of moving pictures. But all of us are very visual people (if you have not noticed already), so this gave us enough courage to enter uncharted territories. We started this issue right before the holidays, and I gotta tell you, it was tough trying to get interviews with everyone in the middle of their winter vacation. (Sheesh!) But we persevered and started locking in a lot of our interviews early this year. Charlotte Gainsbourg share how she rose from the dark pit of a skiing accident while making her latest music album IRM and shooting Antichrist for which she won as Best Actress in Cannes 2009. It took countless emails and phone calls to get this stunning beauty on our cover (Thanks, Thierry!), but it was worth all our efforts. Newbie to the Hollywood circuit, actress Greta Gerwig is stepping out of her indie shell with her latest film Greenberg and shares with us how it feels to transition to the flashing lights of Hollywood. On the other side of the camera, director Marc Webb, who started out as a music video director. graduated to feature films with his quirky romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer. He still has a hard time believing his success, but we’re pretty sure that being hired to be the director of Spiderman IV might be the reality check he needs. Joe Swanberg leads a pack of directors with this independent film movement termed mumblecore. We love this guy who keeps it real by portraying the characters in real-life situations complete with sometimes awkward dialogue. We also included rough and tumble documentary film directors Ty Evans and Jon Reiss for capturing raw skate and graffiti lifestyle. Of course, we couldn’t leave out music video directors VA$HTIE and Chris Robinson who add the glitz and glam in the music videos we rabidly consume. But with all the established and famous names we mentioned, we could not leave out the young directors featured in the New Kids in the Block section. They are the new soldiers on the filmmaking frontline fighting for their vision (and decent film budgets). Regardless, they continue to use filmmaking as a medium to release creativity. Beauty, truth, ugliness, and fiction—this bunch of filmmakers has the ability to transport you to another world, open up you mind, and enlighten your soul. We think there is not only a bit of genius in them, and with these geniuses lie some driving madness beneath the surface—that’s what we’re crazy about. Team STATUS 8 - www.statusmagonline.com

status ...likes cam action BRANDS........................................19 PLACES........................................22 SUBCULTURE....................................23 BEATS.........................................24 SCREEN........................................25 INK...........................................26

Noisettes

IGNITION......................................28 TECH PACK.....................................29 ABOUT FACE....................................30 BRICK & MORTAR................................31 GO SEE........................................32 SWAG..........................................35 HEELS.........................................36 SUNGLASSES....................................38 MINI SKIRTS...................................39 SNEAKERS......................................40 T-SHIRTS......................................42 JEANS.........................................44 JACKET........................................45

Mayer Hawthorne

IVY KIRZHNER..................................52 LAIDBACK LUKE.................................54 J-HOON........................................54 NOISETTES.....................................55 MEMORY TAPES..................................56 THE WEEPIES...................................57 THE GASLAMP KILLER............................58 MAYER HAWTHORNE...............................59 THE ALBUM LEAF................................60 THE WILLOWZ...................................60 OK GO.........................................61

Tech Pack: LG Chocolate

Status Invades: Ivy Kirzhner

61 10 - www.statusmagonline.com

Joe Swanberg

Ok Go

J-Hoon

DAE WON SONG

TO SEE DAE’S FULL SEQUENCE GO TO: WWW.MATIXCLOTHING.COM

status ...likes cam action TY EVANS......................................62 KEN DAVITIAN..................................63 SID LUCERO....................................63 JON REISS.....................................64 COREY SMITH...................................65 JEROME SALAYA ANG.............................66 JORDAN GALLAND................................67 WOO-SEONG LIM.................................68 KEITH SCHOFIELD...............................69 ADOLFO ALIX, JR...............................70 BORGY TORRE...................................71 MIKE TALAMPAS.................................71 SHERAD ANTHONY SANCHEZ........................71 FREEWAY HITCH BY JAYSON MOYER.................72

CHRIS ROBINSON................................74 JOE SWANBERG..................................76 MARK WEBB.....................................78 CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG..........................80 VA$HTIE.......................................86 GRETA GERWIG..................................88 SECOND BASE...................................92 WASTED YOUTH..................................93 BALLOON BALLOON...............................93 SNAP CRACKLE POP..............................94 NUBREED GLOBAL UNDERGROUND....................94 SINULOG.......................................95 SUPER BON BON.................................95 CHARLENE ALMARVEZ.............................98 THREE WOLF MOON FILM FESTIVAL.................101

VA$HTIE

Sid Lucero

Greta Gerwig

STATUSMAGONLINE.COM

Blogsphere Be on the pulse of fashion, music, design and anything that tickles our fancy through our community of bloggers worldwide.

aken by Britain’s fashion photography master Nick Knight, this black and white photo of our cover girl Charlotte Gainsbourg shows just why she’s one of the few members of motion picture royalty. Forget for a minute that she has more than 20 years of acting and 30 films to her name. Just note the seemingly lack of effort as she poses against a white backdrop with an almost eerie grace.

Go Sees Look to the streets for your fashion inspiration. From Manila to New York, we spot the stylish kids trotting the globe.

Night Vision Your personal pass to pool parties, barbecues, festivals and events. Now let’s party! Photo Diary A photo is worth a thousand words, so we decided to find out what these talented photographers have to say. Digital Magazine Get STATUS at a click of your finger. You can browse the full digital format magazine at the comfort of your computer. 12 - www.statusmagonline.com

Photographed by Nick Knight

CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS

JAYSON MOYER

MARLA CABANBAN

During the day, Jayson the world as TOFF travels DE VENECIA filmmaking gypsy. Aside afrom geeking out At night, he’s a pet on comics and Broadway, psychic has heart Toff works as who a marketer to heart conversations and writes a weekly with column. lonely animals on newspaper He the streets. He saw remembers an old photo a different way to of himself licking make films when he saw a bowl of instant Wongkar Wai’s Fallen spaghetti clean, which Angels This issue’s is just how .he is today— Diary “Freeway happy Photo and perpetually Hitch” features stills hungry. He interviewed from his Anouck videos. photographers Bertin and 13th Witness, the latter he watched sunset with at Union Square.

EDITOR IN EDITOR IN CHIEF CHIEF Rosario Herrera Rosario Herrera

A graphic designer, visualARNALDO merchandiser, MARTIN and is artbusy director for Martin shooting various companies, TV commercials right Marla also acts as now, but he can’t captain Team Lhabia wait to get of back into from No Geek Fight. fiction. wonder he This sucker forJoseph modern went back to classics canasked recite Conrad when we scripts of him to in the STATUS Screen Reality Bites his and to tell us about Singles by heart. favorite movie Alien Is it any whyhad (1979). In wonder 2001, he she’s the perfect fit this photo shooting toa interview artist, with Panavision 500 director, designer, in Paris, a big leap promoter, from his first and camera—a entrepreneur VA$HTIE? simple Nikon FM he used on his friends in Boston.

KRISTINE DABBAY Writer by profession, artist by nature, SARAH JESRI designer on theisside, Where good music at, and rock in that’s wherestar you’ll dreams, Kristine findher Sarah. That’s currently suffers part of her sonic from dissociative branding job. She’s personality disorder also busy realigning she doesn’t her(but universe while know it yet). She loves2012 fondly entertaining Woody Allen’s Anniethe theories. Meanwhile, Hall , making last photos she her took appreciate people’s were of underground endearing quirks. dancers during a clubHer semi-neurotic nature night she recently moved her cosmically co-launched. In this towards coverwhat girl issue, she our learned Anglo-French actress a “nollie backside flip” Charlotte is and fromsinger skating rockstar JimGainsbourg. Greco.

ANOUCK BERTIN As a fashion photographer, Anouck CHOLO DELA VEGA obsessed withCholo Onisthe first time pretty aclothes. As a handled pro camera, gourmand, hefilm “took” photosshe’s of into Jake Gyllenhaal gorgeous yachts. He and dark, underground figured out later on, teenagethat movies though, the film like Gregg Araki’s wasn’t properly loaded. . This SoNowhere he made sure issue, his she shotworking studdedand camera’s sandals, minihis batteries are skirts,when blazers, and charged he shot sunglasses that make Photo Diary during the girls Fashion so cute Week Philippine that you’d just want Spring/Summer 2010. to eat up like After thethem shows, he pinkback cotton candy. went to his job, making ads while having a healthy computer tan.

What’s your STATUS? What’s your Email us. STATUS? Email us.

Dela Vega de Saint Cyr Anouck Cholo Bertin Patrick McMullan Nick St. James Aaron Bondaroff Scott Munn Ellen Stagg Gabby Cantero ART DIRECTOR Mike quain Melvin Sun Elle Clay ART DIRECTOR EDITORIAL Revo Naval Scott Regan Steven Taylor The Cobrasnake editorial@statusmagonline.com Revo Naval Nuk Romualdez Niko Villegas Doug Coombe ASSOCIATE EDITORS Melvin Sun ADVERTISING Victoria Herrera Drake Vega Santos 13th Witness Cholo Dela ASSOCIATE EDITOR advertise@statusmagonline.com Nante Santamaria Teixeira Francis Cabal Chuck Zlotnick Neal J.Pascal Feldman Nante Santamaria Brad Walsh Nathaniel Dela Cruz Kai Huang CONTRIBUTING Editorial MARkETING MARkETING DIRECTOR Anthony Williams Twinkle De los Reyes editorial@statusmagonline.com FINANCE marketing@statusmagonline.com Patrick Jamora WRITERS MARKETING Jon HerreraDIRECTOR Toff de Venecia Eva Ventura Paul Jasmin Sarah Meier-Albano Jon Herrera Don Jaucian Advertising Yaj Sarah Asovlas Nick Knight GENERAL INqUIRIES ASSOCIATE MARkETING DIRECTOR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Jesri advertise@statusmagonline.com info@statusmagonline.com PUBLISHER Jonathan Mannion LucyMarq Arthur Mesh Villanueva Linda Lovemade Navarro ASSOCIATE Whiz Kids Francis Cabal Guy Mariano MARKETING DIRECTOR Marketing It’s also available digitally at ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Publishing Jayson FINANCE Moyer Marla Cabanban Mesh Villanueva marketing@statusmagonline.com Maita Baello Eva Ventura CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS WWW.STATUSMAGONLINE.COM Faustine Cornette Anna Canlas Casanova General Inquiries KarlBruce De Mesa ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS PUBLISHER The Cobrasnake info@statusmagonline.com ToffLorenze de Venecia Maita Follow us on Twitter PatrickBaello L. Jamora Whiz kids Publishing Buenaventura Patti Grandidge www.twitter.com/statusmagazine Nicole Bianca Po It’s also available Don Jaucian GRAPHIC DESIGNERS digitally at EDITORIALL. ASSISTANTS Sarah Jesri CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTING Patrick Jamora Status is published WWW.STATUSMAGONLINE.COM Tracy Collantes Shinji Manlangit Maita Baello PHOTOGRAPHERS Nicole Bianca Po by Whiz kids publishing. kristine Dabbay Kat CONTRIBUTORS Popiel Gio Dionisio Barry Ambrosio Darwin Manibog Reproduction without permission CONTRIBUTING Raydon L. Reyes Dionisio MiyoGio Sta. Maria Follow us on Twitter Bruce Casanova is prohibited. PHOTOGRAPHERS David Eirene UyMelgar Bruce Casanova Thomas Cristo Foletti www.twitter.com/statusEDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Miki Giles Anine Vermeulen magazine Alexander James Tracy Collantes Patrick Jamora L.A. Laguna Kristine Dabbay Nick St. James CONTRIBUTING Status is published Rengim Mutevellioglu Raydon L. Reyes PHOTOGRAPHERS by Whiz Kids Publishing. Nuk Romualdez adoborat Reproduction without Hector Santizo Joe Alimagno permission is prohibited. Sam Scholes Angelo Baque Melvin Sun Borbala Suto-Nagy INTERNS INTERNS krystel Coling Krystel Coling Laguna JakeLADolosa EricCONTRIBUTING Fernandez WRITERS Lalaine SarahLim Meier-Albano Bianca Sugay Martin Arnaldo Mario Banzon Sy Ernest Emmanuel

STATUSMAGONLINE.COM

STATUS ONLINE

14 - www.statusmagonline.com

st perfect for ride. The size is ju to sy ea d an n fu 2 We find the Mazda roads. ht tig d an c ffi city tra We even tagged along some DJ equipment in the trunk, and they fit perfectly. Most definitely, we got some stares on the road from the other drivers.

The front profile of the Ma zda2 looks awesome. It’s got these sculptured headligh ts that look sharp and mo dern.

I was quite surprised actually coz, for a small car, it’s very spacious, well-built, and not too cluttered in terms of dashboard control. The car rides really smooth and is easy to handle. It’s such a joy ride. Did you know that it’s also a certified head turner? The parking was awesome because it was right in front of the club, so it was super convenient.

They really abide by their no drinking and driving rule. And gave us personal chauffeurs going home!

ty much . Everything’s pret th oo sm r pe su s spacious. Mazda2 wa d it’s surprisingly an , be to ed os pp where it’s su I really liked the music control at the steering wheel and not on the dashboard. It’s closer to my gear shift hand, plus it has intelligent volume control.

The VIP Drive Experience fits like a glove, baby!!! (laughs)

this car I am about 6’3”, and honestly, I thought re I got befo was That me. would be too small for ed. look it than ier room inside. It was a lot more I was quite impressed by the way it handled.

It was like a little red dart, in and out of traffic.

giving me a chance to Thanks to Mazda for for a whole day! drive as fast as I can

It definitely looked mean! It was black and very stylish. Very easy on the hands, compact and room y interior. I was able to zip in and out of traffic, which is very important for me to get from one meeting to the next-very quick and agile.

of my fingers on I can control my music and tuner right at the tips M. the steering wheel! I love to surf the radio, FM/A

As far as the whole VIP Drive Experience, I’ve been dissed and told many times to never park my car in front of Encore (formerly Embassy), but since that night I parked the Mazda2, I felt like Tony Trillionaire!!!

18 - www.statusmagonline.com

HEAVENLY SOLE

COLOR CHUNKS

eave it to Joe Ponce to take on some five-inch heels, splash them with bold colors, embellish with buckles, and have every lady hooked. The former designer for Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers line unleashes the high-end and luxurious shoe line VELVET ANGELS. Since its Spring 2008 debut, fashion A-listers like Kristen Bell, Keri Hilson, and Rihanna have been spotted donning the brand’s footsies. With its close attention to detail and that hint of sophistication, you might want to slip on a pair or two yourself. www.velvetangels.com

ie low on the basics for a while because loud prints and patterns are back for the season with PAUL SMITH JEANS for men in their Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Imagine: fusion of warm and cool colors, Hawaiian shirts, checks, polka dots, and jeans in orange and purple. Add some classic wardrobe pieces such as shorts, denim jackets, and blazers to complement your style, and you have the perfect get-up to stand out during sunny days. www.paulsmith.co.uk

GOLDEN TICKET E

dgy and flashy, jewelry designer Jules Kim’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection for her line BIJULES makes golden accents the must-have supplement for every outfit this season. Adding a macabre twist, bird bones and skulls emphasize Jules’s themes of African King and Vampire Hunter. Ingeniously fusing it with trompe l’oeils, her pieces manage to trick the eye at first glance—the convertible Bam Bam bone ring can be used as a faux spetum, ear, lip or nipple ring. Going for the gold isn’t just for sports anymore. www.bijulesnyc.com

MAD HATTER D

esigner Corine A. Serruya has been defining new style directions since 1989 for OPHELIE HATS with her intricately-designed contemporary blocked hats and hair accessories. This Montrealbased brand combines revolutionary weaving and dyeing processes, delicate trimmings, and timehonored hand-finishing techniques to create pieces of amazing quality and style. While maintaining moderate retail price points, Ophelie combines a vintage feel with modern, avant-garde sensibility. Whether you’re going for that dramatic effect ala Ladies Day at Ascot or channeling the Queen B from Gossip Girl, you can never go wrong with an Ophelie headpiece to capture the right kind of attention. www.opheliehats.com

HIGH COMPLEXITIES I

n math, it’s the study of complex functions. In fashion, COMPLEX GEOMETRIES is the Montreal-based clothing brand of designer Clayton Evans. True to its name, the label’s covetable garments are characterized by its dramatic constructions featuring asymmetrical cuts and draping techniques that give a little more spice to a likewise plain white tee. Heavily dominated by muted tones of gray, white, and black, its Spring/Summer ‘10 collection includes loose cotton shirts, linen jeans, and silk jumpsuits that you can twist and rotate to your liking, proving that geometry can be used in real life after all. www.complexgeometries.com

www.statusmagonline.com - 19

STATUSPHERE

TOKYO DRIFT

ased between Brooklyn and Tokyo, street clothing brand ROCKSMITH TOKYO is that perfect mix of Asian eclecticism and American swagger. It’s been providing its mass of streetwear followers with classic and futuristic cuts, fabrics, and attitudes since its birth in the Tokyo club circuit in 2002. Check out their Spring/Summer 2010 collection featuring long-sleeved plaid shirts and jackets in bright and neutral colors. You’ll also love their “explicit sweater” with the Parental Advisory warning—surely taking influence from the street culture hubs in the west and the east side of the globe. www.rocksmithtokyo.com

SCRATCH THAT ITCH T

he f***ing Itch. Everyone’s got one,” so claims 13ITCHES, a collective of motivated talents—from designers, furniture makers, and artists—strung together to relieve that itch of creativity you’re yearning for in a realm of vast clothing labels claiming they’re oneof-a-kind. The brand has done collaborations with other streetwear brands by the likings of FreshIn. Using mainly neutral colors for their first collection of tees, the graphics on the shirts are a play on the 13Itches logo, transforming it into various images like a native American chieftain or a large grenade. www.thirteenitches.com.au

ROCK’N FALL

lrika Lundgren launches her Fall/ Winter 2009 collection with a little kick of vintage rock and roll. It all started when RIKA did a photoshoot in Spain, and she asked a local craftsman to make her a unique tote bag that she would use as a prop for the shoot. With a touch of her influences as an interior stylist, her designs include a fine-looking handcrafted collection that uses silver stars against leather or canvass in black and different shades of grey, not unlike that night sky that has inspired more than its fair share of badass rock songs over the years. www.rikaint.com

20 - www.statusmagonline. com

KICK AND PUSH S

traight from Hawaiian streets, IN4MATION was launched in 2002 by Rhandy Tambio, Ryan Arakaki, Todd Shimabuku, and Jun Jo. But their gears are inspired by a mix of both Hawaiian and New York culture— from surfing to skateboarding. Taking its name from Rhandy’s militant observation as he saw a team “ready to go in formation,” the brand’s footwear, clothing, skating gear, decks, and hardgoods are every sneakhead, surfer, and skateboarder’s dream. www.in4mants.com

statusphere

TOUCH OF GOLD H

HERE COMES

THE SUN T

he finest Italian Lycra emblazoned with galloping stallions, hungry lions in the wild, and eighties pin-up glamazons. No, we aren’t describing paintings here, but we might as well be. Australian swimwear brand WE ARE HANDSOME embodies “Less is more” with its limited exposure. Designers Indrha Chagoury and Jeremy Somers show a classier approach on the itsy bitsy beach staples. All handmade and in limited edition, these one-piece wonders definitely beat two-piece string bikinis any day. www.wearehandsome.com

FINE FRENZY

hriving jewelry design brand E.G. ETAL makes it big with its unique and intricate pieces designed to “delight, intrigue, and inspire.” Its white-on-white gallery/store up in Little Collins Street, Melbourne exhibits over fifty of various Australian and New Zealand artist pieces such as the coveted Carnation necklace made from rubber and sterling silver by Lynn Kelly. It’s a place that most definitely fits the jewelry wear seeking whimsical-though-wearable pieces. www.egetal.com.au

istory shows us that no one does bling like the Egyptians. Further proofs are GIZA accessories, the brainchild of singer, MC, and DJ— Mademoiselle Yulia. When she isn’t on the decks with Steve Aoki, M.I.A., and Justice, or busy whipping out words for Nylon Japan, she lashes out her creative juices to create Egyptian-inspired jewelry. Her pharaoh pendants and lion statue two-finger rings give new meaning to the phrase “decked out in gold.” Adorned with rhinestones and crystals, each piece has that unique finish, hopefully no reason for the return of the mummies. www.myspace.com/giza_tokyo

LOLA’s GIRL B

rought together by their love for vintage finds that don’t burn a hole in your pocket, Dani Alip and Rosanna Aranaz started LOOKING FOR LOLA, a Manila-based label for one-of-a-kind, previouslyloved, reworked, and fabulously thrifted items. Very feminine and chic, the brand’s inspired by clothes that date back from, yes, grandma’s time but with that renaissance twist. Their floral blazers, reworked shirt dresses fused with elastic waist and that unmistakable lace collar, and polka-dotted jersey shift dresses top every girl’s list for unique and elusive garb finds. www.lookingforlola. blogspot.com

SOMETHING

DIFFERENT S

easoned designer Natalie Wood’s SOMETHING ELSE blends art, street fashion, and feminine sophistication in her Summer 2010 collection Sunrise of the Dancing Shadows. The sunrise part definitely captures how her clothes can brighten your mood with its large, colorful prints on loose-fitting basic tops, harem pants, and short skirts—creating a contrast between brightness and dark shadows, hardcore edge, and subtle fragility. If you wanna be different, wear Something Else. www.something.net.au

www.statusmagonline.com - 21

THE CAFÉ ON 3RD STREET ZEN HAVEN W

ith the breathtaking sceneries from its famous mountain monasteries, COMO SHAMBHALA ESTATE is the new icon for Zen. Imagine yourself lying on powderlike white sand as soft sunset light embraces your body being massaged with exotic herbal oils. While a personal butler attends to your needs, expect to see Balinese smiles as you go around this paradise—an adventure that’s just out there waiting for you. www.comoshambhala.como.bz

You may be wondering what sort of ruckus is being caused to draw a crowd on the corner of 3rd Street. Don’t worry, it’s just parties of hungry people to be seated at Toast. There are always people standing around the umbrella-shaded tables that wrap around this corner cafe. Also a bakery, it makes it easy for diners to come in for a quick bite, a sweet-fix, a full lunch, or just the daily cappuccino. Be brave if you are planning to venture to Toast on a weekend although an outdoor brunch is sure to relax you. You will be lured inside by the deli cases that house jumbo cookies, tempting brownies, pastel-frosted cupcakes, cakes and pies the size of one’s face—always something for everybody. www.toastbakerycafe.net

Raise

me up

DRINK UP!

erlin’s nocturnal hideout RIVABAR will surely give you a different kind of experience. Named after the ‘70s Italian football star Luigi Riva, its tunnel-like interior design, curved ceiling painted in bright yellow, red, and purple squares, and dark and thick curtains set a unique mood for your darker nights. Take the best seats on the leather benches near the walls if you’re into lounging around. But if you want to get noticed, the stools around its oval-shaped bar that serves an exotic selection of martinis and champagne cocktails like “Sailor’s Dream” and “Pipe of Peace” would be the perfect place for an after-party glow. www.riva-berlin.de 22 - www.statusmagonline.com

here’s nothing like taking your date out for dinner at a restaurant suspended fifty meters up in the air. Talk about leaving a lasting impression, DINNER IN THE SKY gives you that unique dining experience. Whether you’re hosting an important business breakfast or VIP dinner, you won’t find a more original and convincing way to make your statement fly high. Operating in numerous locations around the world, sessions are booked in 8-hour blocks that can be enjoyed any way you see fit. Location, menu, and company are entirely up to you. Not for those with fear of heights, but then again, you gotta conquer your fears to live your dreams, right? www.dinnerinthesky.com

FILM IS LIFE

Way before YouTube and pirated DVDs, there were video stores that provided the common person’s movie needs. VIDEO48 was and continues to be one of them. Founded by Simon Santos in 1988, it became home to hundreds of films in different media through the decades—from Betamax and VHS tapes, laser discs (yes, they still exist), VCDs, and DVDs. In the mood for a James Dean’s bad boy marathon or maybe some Kurosawa/Hitchcock/Bergman classics? How about a taste of local films starring FPJ and Dolphy from the ‘70s? Video48’s extensive line-up of hard-to-find films has attracted a myriad of excellent directors like the late Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal, writers Nick Joaquin and Pete Lacaba. Toys adorn the white walls and wooden shelves as much as posters. A life-sized model of Master Yoda even takes the space at the store’s entrance, as if inviting passers-by to come inside and join the Force. Because as Simon has proven, watching films is more than just a fun activity you do to get away from real life. It is life. www.video48.blogspot.com

street, always street

From smirks, sarcastic laughs, and moments of silence that end with “No, nothing,” I guess we’ve found an absolute truth with the DVS Skate Team—when you’re doing something you love, there’s absolutely nothing that will get you to stop. This is CHICO BRENES, and skating street is how he lives. Flippin’ tricks on a board for the past 20 years, he’s been all around the world and still looks forward to hitting everywhere “Anywhere, anywhere besides the US.” A Nicaraguan who gets his rhythm from his roots and salsa beats, Chico’s humbled awesomeness translates flawlessly into his ride. 20 years seems like a minute with him because, when asked about the hardest trick he’s ever mastered, a snicker and two whispered words made all the difference: “Still trying.” www.chicobrenes.com

one-click moviehouse

There are days when you just wanna open your laptop and watch all the action while lying on your bed. Combine that with great film finds, social networking, and stimulating discussions with fellow film addicts in one place, and you get THE AUTEURS—your oneclick online cinema screening cult classics from Godard, Fellini, and Kubrick to Wes Anderson, Wong Kar-wai, and Sofia Coppola. Unleash your inner critic, and make your own weekly festivals. As their mods say, “Watching movies is never passive—when you’re with a crowd like us!” www.theauteurs.com www.statusmagonline.com - 23

MUSIC REVIEWS

ON THE SPOT J-HOON

www.hoonsjoint.tk Slum Village - Fantastic Vol. 1 Jazz…is fused well in every song. [It’s a] breath of fresh air from the crunk and junk in the trunk…and engineered by the figure of modern hip hop, J Dilla. Alex Kid - MINT Sooner or later, DJs will be playing real sirens, trust me. But some cats just know how to blend the “now” factor with a jar of class and integrity. Flying Lotus Los Angeles Hip-hop, electro, and IDM. A smooth and seamless mix of hiphop, electro, and IDM, [it’s] very playful but the simplicity resonates a sound that you just wanna go back to. Kapatid Kapatid To make it short, this debut album (and 2 Step Marv) has been the soundtrack of my life for the past decade. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall Way before MJ was casted all sorts of allegations, [This] was already imprinted in my archive of influences. Drums were manually programmed by taking different hits from different parts, kinda like how hip hop heads constitute their beats these days.

24 - www.statusmagonline.com

THE WEEPIES

www.theweepies.com

MAYER HAWTHORNE

www.myspace.com/mayerhawthorne

Martial “Cette Fille” The former lead singer from French hip hop group Manau goes solo... We listened to it on repeat for a few days straight when it got cold.

Hanne Hukkelberg - “The North Wind“ My favorite artist of this decade. The kind of music that you don’t even understand at first but can’t stop listening to.

The Beatles - “Eleanor Rigby” Our two-yearold heard this and dropped everything in his hands, staring at the speakers. A modern classic that we’ve been rediscovering.

Phoenix“1901” A brilliant song that is both extremely catchy and strange.

Beth Orton “Central Reservation” [Ben Watt Mix] We’ve been fans of Beth Orton and her cohorts for a long time. We had the good fortune to work with her string player Oliver Kraus on our last record and on our upcoming one. The Streets“Geezers Need Excitement” We were touring across the US when a fan handed us a copy of Original Pirate Material and instantly made our drives more fun. Mike Skinner rocks! Rober Johnson“Come on in My Kitchen” Recorded in a hotel room in 1936. One guitar, one take. Possibly based on the Mississippi Sheiks’ “Sitting on Top of the World,”—is there such a thing as complete originality? Probably not, but who cares? Spooky brilliance.

Dam-Funk “Kill ” Raw, electrofied, nasty dance funk. This joint is like a charging rhino. Move, bitch! Get out of the way! Drake “Fear” Front all you want on the former Canadian TV star. The kid can rap. Well. And DJ Khalil is one of hip-hop’s last hopes.

MILAGRO

elieve it or not, music just met its newest miracle makers with MILAGRO. Their electrifying rhythms and verses disturb the humdrum of your current sound sphere. From solid strums and bangs of drum, Jobim Javier (vocals), Miguel Rabat (guitars), Gab Aguila (Drums), and Jeric Valmonte (Bass) mix their musical influences like Incognito, J-Hoon, Sinosikat?, Incubus, Michael Jackson, and Maroon 5 to create a stirring fusion of funk, blues, jazz, hip-hop, and rock. If that’s too much to handle, then their songs “Turn to Move,” “I Don’t,” and “Oversoon” live up to this exciting musical wordplay. In case you’re wondering, Milagro didn’t happen overnight. Getting a band name that translates to “miracle” in English, the word just came out from their mouth and clicked. Though pretty young in the industry, they’re set to have multi-platinum albums, worldwide tours, rule the North Pole, and bring about the “metalocalypse.” Kidding aside, they are currently working on releasing an album, which hopefully will be out next year—a long way from their start as freshmen students who have met in an English Literature class. But whatever it is that’s in store for them, their unique sound is one study we’d love to listen to everyday. So that’s Milagro 101 for you—an awesome school of sound to watch out for. www.youtube.com/jecjecoi

LISTEN UP

OUT FOR THE GOLD I

f you just can’t get the electronic shock of LCD Soundsystem’s music out of your system, then this is your lucky year. Watch out for frontman James Murphy as he scores Noel Baumbach’s upcoming movie Greenberg where the band’s dancy “All of My Friends” is played behind Ben Stiller’s midlife conundrum. But it doesn’t stop there as the band is also up to release a new album this March. Will it reach the same heights that Sound of Silver achieved? Nobody knows yet, but we sure hope they’re out for the gold one more time. www.lcdsoundsystem.com

MOVIE REVIEWS

di b idi

Drugstore Cowboy (1989) M

c ine m a nti c s

oving and sounding like beat poetry, this Gus Van Sant classic follows Bob (Matt Dillon) and his wife Dianne (Kelly Lynch) as they lead their family of bandits across America in search of a drugstore to gyp. Along with Rick (James Le Gros) and Nadine (Heather Graham), this ragtag group of junkies try to get by one drugstore at a time, paranoid over the cops and bad hexes. Highlighted by a jazz score by Pulitzer Prize winner Elliot Goldenthal, the film is an MOVING AND SOUNDING unflinching look at LIKE BEAT POETRY drug abuse in the early 70s, reminiscent of similar themes in the works of the Beat Generation. Bob’s narration flows like a beat rapping under a constant drug daze. Aside from the great performances coming from its young cast, the film also boasts a rare appearance of William S. Burroughs playing an aging junkie priest named Tom which was the basis for Burroughs’ collaboration with the late Kurt Cobain. The film may have celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, but it still remains one of the wellregarded drug films due to its raw and realistic account of addiction and alienation. While it’s certainly not as scary and depressing as Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, Drugstore Cowboy still plays out like a fucked-up cautionary tale that begs you to put the needle down—or not. As Burroughs wrote in his cult novel Junky, “Junk is not like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life.” SHINJI MANLANGIT

Director’s Cut:

Downtown Calling (2009) W

hen the “sovereign nation of New York” in the 1970s was a city in decay of crime, a dead economy, and warzone housing, the underground worlds of downtown Manhattan were seeking a home. Looking to the streets and nightclubs such as Roxy, Danceteria, Paradise Garage, and the Mudd Club, Downtown Calling portrays how the Lower East Side and East Village became physical manifestations of culture in incubation. The club scene was “an art project” fusing theme parties amidst drug marathons and thriving productions of hip-hop, graffiti, fashion, and street art. Music was the refuge and vehicle to combine movements unrealized at the time. Anchored by interviews with Wild Style’s Charlie Ahearn, DJ-producer Arthur Baker, Henry Chalfant from Style Wars, hip-hop impresario Bobbito Garcia, New York Mayor Ed Koch, and the late DJ AM, the film is enhanced by interspersed archive footage and a narration by Debbie Harry. It undercuts the romanticism often seen in current montages of the era, describing the true renaissance of culture that paved the way for much of today’s cultural production. This was when conceptual artists were born; you were a painter/ photographer/musician/writer because as a clip with party promoter Patti Astor divulges, “ You are what you believe you are.” Director Shan Nicholson and producer Ben Velez draw from a direct experience of this island when rebellion was cheap, a distraction from poverty, producing a visual culture that kept the community breathing and making life through their artistries. KAT POPIEL

REBELLION WAS CHEAP, A DISTRACTION FROM POVERTY, PRODUCING A VISUAL CULTURE THAT KEPT THE COMMUNITY BREATHING

Todd P Goes to Austin (2009)

n an age when the majors are struggling to stay relevant, Jay Buim presents to KAT POPIEL an insider’s view of how independent labels remain a necessary lifesource for the future of new music.

A year or so before I started making the film, I had a party at my old space Rage Mountain, and I asked The

Death Set to play. During their set, while the place got turned upside down, I realized that this was something I wanted to make a movie about. I guess this was the moment I knew I had to make my film. Two of my favorite documentaries are Salesman by The Maysles Brothers and Let’s Get Lost by Bruce Weber. They are really beautiful, well-told stories that feel timeless and honest. It is how I feel a good documentary should be and something I strive to do. Todd P Goes to Austin includes footage shot by the bands themselves, adding an authenticity to the content. We had a lot of time on tour where there is nothing to do as you drive between towns. Since boredom always leads to interesting things, I was sure that there would have be some

great stuff sent back by the bands, and there was. There is a montage as everybody makes their way to Austin, and when the music cuts out, for a moment, there is a shot of Todd taping the side view mirror onto his van with some duct tape. To me, that represents the film in that it says whatever you have to do to make it work, do it. I am currently doing research and raising money to make my next documentary. It is about people who left bands before they got big. I’m not sure how I would change things the next time around, but I definitely have a different understanding of the entire process that I didn’t have before. JAY BUIM

WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO MAKE IT WORK, DO IT www.statusmagonline.com - 25

BOOK REVIEWS

R E A D I N G GR O U P

TWISTED 8 1/2

O ne - S ittin g s

By Jessica Zafra

The 90s was Jessica Zafra’s decade: acerbic, neurotic, and rowdy but still in tune with the weight of the world whilst feigning insanity. Then came the noughties, and we all had to grow up. In her latest outing Twisted 8½ (because she likes Fellini, and it’s just half the usual Twisted volume), Zafra retains much of her usual charm, if you can call it that: the usual dose of humor, although slightly subdued this time, but never bereft of wisdom. But the thing is, Twisted 8 ½ deals mostly about gadgets culled from her Sunday broadsheet column Emotional Weather Report. The book starts out right with an essay about typewriters, word processors, and the horror of life before Google; it’s a wispy romance for a bygone era sans the angst and heavy grousing that you usually associate with her style. The essays are brisk and funny, which is also the downside of the book; most of the pieces will leave you wanting for more. What is greatly evident here, apart from her slightly skewed world-view, are her insistent geek-outs while discussing gadgets and other technological quirks such as requiems for devices gone by. Tapping into the obfuscations of memory and the current zeitgeist, Zafra’s sentiments echo the notions posited by Golden Age Science Fiction stories: how machines greatly affect our daily lives, extending their ramifications into our sociological consciousness. DON JAUCIAN a wispy romance for a bygone era sans the angst and heavy grousing

LAST WORDS: A MEMOIR By George Carlin

With George Carlin’s passing last 2008, we have lost not only one of the world’s most important thinkers but also feel more bogged down by the complexes of religion, politics, and political correctness. But this is not about George Carlin, the radical thinker. This is about George Carlin, the man. Started in 1993 when he asked his friend, satirist Tony Hendra, to help him write an autobiography, countless conversations between the two were recorded, most of them Carlin talking about his childhood, his worship of comedy legend Lenny Bruce, aside from his career as a stand-up comedian. But Hendra had to finish the book by himself. More up close and personal than his other books, he talks about his family, most notably his brother who was abused by their alcoholic father. He also talks about his drug addiction, his countless run-ins with the law, his rocky marriage with wife Brenda, and his relationship with daughter Kelly. This is more than just “a book about a comedian.” This is a portrait of a man who pushed the envelope and pushed a few buttons in the process. And while he does have his share of regrets, he was ultimately content with the life that he led. This is a fitting tribute to both the man and the legend who said “Inside every cynical person, is a disappointed idealist.” May Joe bless him. FRANCIS CABAL a portrait of a man who pushed the envelope and pushed a few buttons in the process

PICTUREBOOK

FACE HUNTER By Yvan Rodic

While the literati loves Carson McCuller’s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Face Hunter is fashion’s most sought after book this season as we see the prize of his urban chases: the beautiful images of the style-hungry. And as hungry as his chosen prey, he catches them in their full glory, through his weapon of choice, the camera. Finally, after four years of blogging, London-based Yvan Rodic aka Face Hunter publishes more than 300 photos from his blog. Certainly, there’s nothing like the tactile experience of having a book containing fashion inspirations from stylish globe trotters. Eloquently verbalized, “In a digital world, there is something romantic [about printing] photographs.” What’s great about this “romance” is that it breaks free from the proverbial, almost-cheesy. scenic representations of big cities. Instead, we are set to glimpse the everyday style icons whether they’re wearing oversized cover-ups, sporting asymmetrical haircuts, or shaking up a subdued monochromatic outfit through a shock of shiny, pointed ankle boots in patent blue. Face Hunter presents a world of people mixing up dandy style with a Sherlock Holmes twist, those who can still carry cohesive looks by mixing Rei Kawakubo and Damir Doma sensibilities. These days, you are your own brand. You deconstruct to create. The sum of all parts must always produce a staggering, exponential cool factor. Yvan knows this. It’s through his hunt that we are all called to shine in our fiercest selves. KRISTINE DABBAY These days, you are your own brand.

26 - www.statusmagonline.com

TOREY PUDWILL FRONTS I D E H E E L F L I P B I G S P I N . S E Q U E N C E : G I O V A N N I R E D A

ANTHEM THE

ANTHEM

S H O W N I N B L A C K SUEDE.

F O R M O R E I N F O R M ATION GO TO: D V S S H O E S . C O M / S K ATE

9 5 5 F R A N C I S C O S T. TO R R A N C E , C A 9 0 5 0 2 D V S S H O E S . C O M / S K AT E ZERED BASSETT STEVE BERRA CHICO BRENES ANDREW BROPHY DANIEL CASTILLO JIMMY CAO KERRY GETZ KENNY HOYLE TOREY PUDWILL ROBBIE RUSSO DAEWON SONG JERON WILSON EU TEAM: MARK BAINES LUCIEN CLARKE FLORENT MIRTAIN PAUL SHIER A V A I L A B L E T H R O U G H : CYCLONE DISTRIBUTION

IGNITION

PROWLING IN THE WILD

It’s time we hit you with these rides that keep us purring for more,

WHEN THE CAT’S OUT T

he Brits take vehicle seduction to another level with their newest four-door sports car, the JAGUAR XJ. The Supersport model hosts a 5.0-litre, Petrol V8 engine supercharged with 470 horsepower that reaches 250 at top speed and a max torque of 575 lbs/5,500 ft. It’s styled even hotter than your favorite dream ride, with chrome and piano black detailing that provides contrast to the leather and veneer interior surfaces. A panoramic glass roof comes standard, pumping up that feeling of bright lights and big spaces with three personalities but one dominant gene, the models are bold and sophisticated in all forms of the word. www.jaguar.com

MSRP: Shaking in the knees waiting for your first million, eh?

CHEVY SS-SEXY T

he 2010 CHEVY CAMARO COUPE 1SS is a mouthful to say but a definite pleasure that will take your breath away. 20-in sterling silver wheels, 6-speed manual and automatic transmission, and a 6.2-liter V8 engine with 426 horsepower, reaching the max torque 273 lbs./5,200 ft. 2-doors, slits, and a rear spoiler that comes standard, yup. Keeping this one short and sweet, 2010 Chevy, pretty damn sexy. Now if only we could make it transform too. www.chevrolet.com

28 - www.statusmagonline.com

MSRP: Not your average ride but set at that average price.

TECH PACK

Lego Digital Camera

Yes Zulu Watch

- Displays local time, times for sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moon-set, lunar phase, length of day/night - Pre-programmed for 583 cities up to 2099 - 24-hour Stopwatch with Lap Time - Water Resistant up to 333 feet

- 3 megapixel, 4x digital zoom. - Built-in flash and fixed focus. - 1.5” LCD screen for viewing photos. - 128MB capacity SRP: $49.99-$59.99

SRP: $795-$1095

LG Chocolate - 4-inch, 21:9 HD LCD - 7.2 HSDPA - Dual screen UI - Touch screen - Slim shape with glossy black finish and red highlights SRP: $563.94

TOYS IN SPACE We may not be living in outer space yet, but with these gadgets, visualizing being afloat out there just got a whole lot easier.

Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones - Backward-spinning ear cups - Distortion-free clarity - Light yet rugged industrial aluminum frame - Washable ear cushions - Monster ControlTalk (iPod/ iPhone compatible, handsfree calling) - Extra long cable SRP: $349

Harman Kardon GLA-55 Speakers - Input Requirement: Main connection – 1/8” (3.5mm) mini stereo jack - cool, diamondlike design with clear and chrome accents - bass reflex enclosure -custom copper tubing - Atlas woofers SRP: $999

www.statusmagonline.com - 29

About face

SPF LIST

YOUR INNER GODDESS

It’s time to let the sun back in!

Every lady is a goddess and should always be treated as such. These bronzers will make you golden and enhance that worship-worthy status.

DOUBLE standard STANDARD double

sun kissed LAURA MERCIER Bronzing Gel has a light and sheer formula that will en hance your tan and leave your skin luminous.

URBAN DECAY’s Baked Bronzer is a powderbased bronzer that can be used dry or applied with a damp sponge for a creamy finish.

KIEHL’S All-sport “non-freeze” face protector, SPF 30 $ 18.50 (1.4 oz jar)

CREME de DE la LA creme CREME creme NARS Highlighting/ Bronzing Blush Duo combines blush and bronzer in one compact.

For a glowing look, apply bronzer to the areas of the face the sun would naturally kiss.

JACK BLACK Intense therapy lipbalm, SPF 25 $ 7.00 (0.25 oz tube)

MOROCCAN-INSPIRED SEPHORA’s Moroccan Sunrise Pot of Gold Loose Bronzer shimmers, is easy to use, and keeps you golden all day.

LIGHTWEIGHT AND PURE TRUBLEND Mineral Bronzer is enriched with nature’s best finely-milled mineral beads that apply effortlessly on your skin.

BEAUTY BITE:

JURLIQUE S

ourcing ingredients from their self-sustaining, biodynamic farms in South Australia, JURLIQUE definitely got it right on the nose with its alternative skin care products highly concentrated with nature’s own greatness. And now, they’ve already made their mark in Powerplant at Rockwell, Makati City. Decorated by everything green, from wood shelves to potted plants, this boutique is the perfect home for specialty

30 - www.statusmagonline.com

AVEENO Continuous protection active sunblock spray with SPF 70 $ 10.99 (5 oz bottle)

products like Botanical Remedies, Purely Age-Defying Serums, and Face Perfectors like the Citrus Silk Finishing Powder. Its marble flooring and dark-wood wall give you that welcoming feel. How can you resist going down under? www.jurlique.com Archaeology Area, 2nd Level Powerplant, Rockwell, Makati City

OPENING CEREMONY, tokyo Shibuya Seibu Movida 21-1, Udagawa-Cho, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 150-0042 Tel: +81-3-6415-6700 www.openingceremony.us

PENING CEREMONY has crossed the oceans from downtown New York to Shibuya District in Tokyo and brought their hip style with them. (Their launch party had the Olsen twins for Christ’s sake.) But this growing boutique is no stranger to entering fashionable cities and making their mark; they already have a shop in LA aside from the one in NYC. However, this is Opening Ceremony’s first venture outside of the US. With an eight-level department store, they offer highlyconceptualized spaces to showcase their designer labels. Taken a few notches up with the fanciful design, the moment you enter the building, you will find yourself in highly energetic floors with unconventional merchandising and fun displays. What’s not to like about their white brick wall that shows an elephant’s shape or the staircase banister leading to, well, nowhere? But of course, Opening Ceremony is known first for its unique and well-edited fashion selections. Among the designers and labels offered are Alexander Wang, Other Music, Nom de Guerre, Boy/Band of Outsiders, Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony, Pendleton, Heath Ceramics, and The Row. This extraordinary selection is what sets this boutique apart from others. Not only is Tokyo a perfect city for this latest location; they will love it and indulge in it. The mix of labels with their creative environment makes it perfect for the fashion-forward customers of Tokyo.

OTTE, TRIBECA 37 N Moore St New York, NY 10013 Tel. 212 431 8501 www.ottny.com

ou can never get tired of discovering new shopping places you fall in love with and want to keep to yourself. Well, we found one that we are willing to share with you. The boutique is called Otte, a neighborhood women’s shop that caters to the young fashion set of downtown New York. Originally from Williamsburg, they crossed the bridge in 2003 and started planting their seeds of style in Manhattan. Of course, Otte isn’t a secret anymore because they have now grown into a mini-chain opening their doors in West Village, Madison and, just recently, in TriBeCa. Their latest space is bright and open with an airy feel. The first thing you’ll notice when you walk in the shops is their clean white walls that frame the styled outfits hanging from it. Next, you will see racks overflowing with clothes. And they’re not just racks of ordinary clothes. We are talking about racks and shelves of a very tasteful, unique selection of covetable brands like 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent, Alexander Wang, Comme des Garçons, 3.1 Phillip Lim as well as See by Chloe. On top of that, you will find items by hard-tofind foreign designers like the Swedish-based Rika and the Australian label Something Else by Natalie Wood. They also support up-and-coming designers like Bijules, Garnish, and Ophelie Hats. Yes, this is a destination shop that every fashionable girl must visit. And just because they have grown doesn’t mean they have lost their touch; Otte still maintains the style and charm of a neighborhood boutique. www.statusmagonline.com - 31

GO SEE

GOSee Express yourself. These style savants show us how its done.

Classic Blazer

Tuxedo Stripe Pants

Studded Mini Skirt

Sun Glasses

Patent Leather Tote Leather Overcoat

Lace-Print Leggings

Statement Neck Piece

Plaid Scarf

Checkered Shirt Dress Skinny Jeans

32 - www.statusmagonline.com

New York

Los Angeles

Las Vegas

Singapore

Tokyo

Manila

New York Los Angeles

GO SEE

Blazer

Leather Jacket Polka Dot Poncho

Gloves

Off the Shoulder Dress

Satin Pants

Graphic Hoodie

Saddle Shoes

Sheer Top

ngeles Las Vegas Singapore

Plaid Shirt

Boyfriend Blazer Peep Toe Bootie

Tokyo

SEND THEM GOSEE PHOTOS TO GOSEES@STATUSMAGONLINE.COM - www.statusmagonline.com - 33

SWAG f ebru a ry/m a rch

20 1 0

Spring

Fling

STATUS picks the coolest heels, accessories, minis for the ladies and graphic tees, sneakers, jeans, and jacket for the gents.

Blazer by Balmain Denim Shirt by G-Star Denim Jeans (cut to shorts) by Diesel Bra by Calvin Klein

Photographed by Anouck Bertin Styled by Charles Manning Hair by Frederic Birault Make up by Viktorija Bowers

Dress (worn as top) by Karen Walker Jeans by G-Star Shoulder Bag by Alexander Wang Sandals by Balmain Earrings by Rachel Gilman

Products Photographed by Gabby Cantero

Michael Kors [P8,650]

36 - www.statusmagonline.com

Topshop [P4,995]

Topshop [P2,895]

STAR STUDDED Glamour and glitz go hand in hand with studded sandals.

Lyn [P2,895]

Michael Antonio [P3,400]

Lyn [P2,795]

Michael Antonio [P3,700]

Lyn [P2,795]

Dolce Vita [P5,230]

www.statusmagonline.com - 37

Vogue [P4,990]

Macbeth [P4,795]

Kenneth Cole [P3,250]

Miu Miu [P4,490]

Vogue [P4,990]

SUNNY DAYZ From basics to vibrant colors, sunnies are the must-have accessory for Spring.

Top by Veronique Branquinho Skirt with gold zippers by Preen Sunglasses by Dries Van Noten Sandals by Stella McCartney Socks by Falke

Charles & Keith [P1,499] Charles & Keith [P1,699] Ray Ban [P8,890]

Ray Ban [P7,790] Kenneth Cole [P3,650] 38 - www.statusmagonline.com

C. Luce [P1,550]

Topshop [P2,790]

Zara [P1,990]

Trunkshow [P950]

MINI ME

Every girl needs a sexy little mini skirt in her closet.

Dorothy Perkins [P1,745

Pink Manila [P1,890]

Denim jacket - Acne Pink sweater top - Chanel White corset skirt - Zac Posen Pale blue mesh sandals - Stella McCartney White socks - Falke

Trunkshow [P850]

www.statusmagonline.com - 39

Vans Half Cab LX [P5,498]

Generic Surplus Mid Deck [P3,465]

STEP UP Put your best foot forward with these wardrobe staples.

DVS Gavin CT [P3,065]

Sebago Docksides [P3,999.75]

Clae Khan [P6,450]

Photographed by Nick St. James Modeled by Jon Hall Shirt by Obey Jeans by WeSC Shoes by Generic Surplus Products Photographed by Gabby Cantero

40 - www.statusmagonline.com

Clae Thompson [P6,450]

Cushe [P3,990]

Lakai Biebel [P3,865]

Vans Half Cab LX [P5,498]

Clae Thompson [P6,450]

Royal Elastics Icon [P4,450]

Adidas Vespa PX Mid [P5,295]

Nike Air Max 90 [P4,295]

Globe Haslam-Sabaton [P2,865]

Vans Era LX [P2,498]

Puma Cabana [P2,870]

Adidas Vespa S [P4,495]

Clae Khan [P6,450]

Nike Lunar Everyday [P4,995]

Royal Elastics Icon [P4,450]

Sebago Docksides [P3,999.75]

www.statusmagonline.com - 41

CLASSIC COOL From loud to laid back, great tees never go out of style.

Stussy [P1,215]

Tshirt by Obey Products Photographed by Gabby Cantero

Nike [P1,295]

Hurely [P1,750]

Topman [P945]

13 Itches [P1,350]

Sneaktip [P1,570]

Obey [P1,100]

Adidas Originals [P1,995]

Stussy [P1,215] 42 - www.statusmagonline.com

Billabong [P1,650]

Billabong [P1,950]

Leviâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s [P899.50]

Adidas Originals [P1,250]

Volcom

Von Zipper [P1,950]

Zara [P1,690]

Bones [P1,200]

Stussy [P1,215]

Nike [P995]

Von Zipper [P1,950]

Topman [P1,095]

Insight [P1,695]

Leviâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s [P899.50]

Ezekiel [P1,850]

Sneaktip [P1,600]

Volcom

[P1,595]

[P1,095]

www.statusmagonline.com - 43

BLUE HUE No matter what cut or color, jeans are always great to chill out in.

Levi’s [P3,599.50] 7 for all Mankind [P14,498]

Levi’s [P3,599.50]

Levi’s (P3,599.50)

7 for all Mankind [P12,998]

Billabong [P4,000]

WeSC (P6,320) 44 - www.statusmagonline.com

Viktor Jeans [P6,500]

THE REMIX Nike brings back the N98 track jacket from 1998 with new rib collars and cuffs, bonded seams, and double-welded, zippered pockets.

Photographed by Kai Huang Nike N98 Jacket

www.statusmagonline.com - 45

Field

Day

N ik e S p r in g ‘ 1 0 X C h i c o s c i

N ik e i n t r o d u c e s t h e N 9 8 J a c k e t and the Air Max BW Gen II, fresh fr o m it s S p r i n g /S u m m e r 2 0 1 0 Co lle c t io n . A n d w h o b e t t e r t o rock ‘em than punk rockers C h i c o s c i, w h o j u s t c a m e o u t w it h t h e i r la t e s t a lb u m Fly Black Hearts . Ca t c h t h e m d o n n in g these Nike badges as the band o p e n s fo r G la s sj a w i n H o n g K o n g t h is m o n t h .

Photographed by Kai Huang Styled by Rosario Herrera Makeup by Xeng Zulueta

M IG G Y

MACOY

ARIEL

Vocals Hobbies: Collecting masks, getting tattoos Interests: LA Lakers, Twitter

Drums Hobbies: Going to the gym, watching DVDs Interests: Air Max, caps

Guitars Hobbies: Playing PSP, watching music videos Interests: Denver Nuggets, tattoos

Nike Light Weight Polo P1,495 Nike Dunk Low P3,995

Nike Grand Slam Pique Polo P1,495 Nike N98 Jacket P2,895 Air Max 1 P5,295

N98 Jacket P3,695 Nike Dunk Low P3,995

MONG Guitars and Vocals Hobbies: Skateboarding, basketball Interests: Nike kicks, vintage keyboards Nike Sportswear Tee P995 Nike Rejuven8 Mid P5,595

CALDE Bass Hobbies: Basketball, going online Interests: NBA, rock and hip-hop music Nike Windrunner P4,295 Nike Lunar Everyday P4,995

Clockwise: Air Max BW Gen II P6,295 On Mong: Nike Grand Slam Pique Polo P1,495 Nike Dunk Low P3,995 Nike N98 Jacket P3,695 Nike Lunar Rejuven8 Mid P5,595 On Macoy: Nike Grand Slam Pique Polo P1,495 Nike N98 Jacket P2,895 Nike Air Max 1 P5,295 Nike N98 Jacket P2,895

Clockwise: On Miggy: Nike Light Weight Polo P1,495 Nike Dunk Low P3,995 Nike N98 Jacket P2,895 Nike Dunk High P4,595 On Calde: Nike N98 Jacket P2,895 On Ariel: Nike N98 Jacket P3,695

On Ariel: Nike Sportswear Tee P995 Nike Air Max 90 P5,295 ON CALDE: Nike N98 Jacket P2,895 Nike Dunk High P4,595 On Mong: Nike Grand Slam Pique Polo P1,495 Nike Dunk Low P3,995 ON MIGGY: Nike Stripe SS Tee P1,195 Nike Air Max BW Gen II P6,295 ON MACOY: Nike N98 Jacket P2,895 Nike Air Max 90 P5,295

dear reader,

Thank you for reading this issue. we heart you. you can see more of us at

statusmagonline.com love,

status team

: PRS Hollowbody I Guitar

One of my absolute prized possessions. It’s what I use to narrate stories into songs. The sound— crystalline yet warm and full-bodied.

19th Century Remington typewriter

This is where I type all of the love notes for every special someone I meet. It instills eloquence... and a witty British accent!

Pheasant Taxidermy

Vintage Band Jacket

Beauty in nature is fleeting...but can be preserved. A ceremonial gift from a most cherished and wisest friend.

To fight the bitter winter cold while trotting around NYC’s Lower East Side.

Bonkers, the Holland Dwarf Bunny

My beloved companion, best friend, and sidekick. Bonkers always gets himself into mischief. He makes me smile and laugh everyday and is a constant reminder of all precious things in life.

Lace Bustiers

It is never about what you wear on the outside but what you wear underneath. Slipping into one these under your favorite T can totally change your mindset and vibe.

St. Germain Elderflower Liquor

Paris is my absolute favorite city. If you can take all of it and pour it in a bottle, this is what you get. A shot of it poured into hot tea can transport you to Les Tuileries.

Erickson Beamon Crystal necklace

I have worn these to death— literally, as some of the stones have already chipped or fallen off. I love Erickson Beamon for their smokey-glam yet organic aesthetic.

Hardwares on footwear

I’ve always wanted to become a rockstar... Now, at least my feet can look like one as I work on the rest of myself.

ivy kirzhner A girl can never have too much pairs of shoes, and Dolce Vita shoe designer IVY KIRZHNER knows it. This multi-tasking Gemini’s also a hard rocker and photographer—making her the ultimate patroness of the shoes every chick would wanna walk a day in.

www.saintandlibertine.com

52 - www.statusmagonline.com

MAESTRO

SOUL OOZES

During gigging days with the band, J-HOON tore up a drum set like no other. And now he’s back with a new mind, body, and most definitely soul. By KC Coling Photographed by Nante Santamaria

SUPER YOU? SUPER ME! Yes, LAIDBACK LUKE has a weakness for robots, but this melody maker declines to answer anything about latex and leather. By Marla Cabanban “

es, I’m really laidback as a person… But when I’m spinning, I’m not,” Laidback Luke tells us. Born Luke van Scheppingen, he is Dutch by name and nationality but possesses a chilledout temperament that can be attributed to his tropical birthplace of Manila. “I didn’t even realize the Philippines is known for that, but come to think of it, yes, that’s true!” this he exclaimed after recently making a stop at his motherland late last year. Primarily a DJ and producer, he has a laundry list of singles under his belt and an even longer list of remixes (of the likes of Coldplay, Nas, Daft Punk, Depeche Mode) that has pumped many a dance party. From his 2002 debut album Electronic Satisfaction, he has added numerous feathers on his cap through collaborations and

production work for other beat-shaking contemporaries. His label Mixmash launches this early 2010, and fans will be rejoicing with his new mix CD. Also scheduled is the release of Luke’s own album, and throughout all that, his Super You & Me party series. Luke will be attempting to bring his talents all over the world— definitely a sight for sore eyes. A great chunk of this decade has been devoted to his touring around Europe, North America, and Asia. But amidst the jetset lifestyle, he’s as normal as they come. To be laidback also means keeping things simple. He takes pride in the fact that he pares down his gigs to the venue, the crowd, and a “crazy DJ setup.” He doesn’t care about the booze and the chicks, this one. That’s as pure and earnest as it gets.

“Yes, I’m really laidback as a person… But when I’m spinning, I’m not.” 54 - www.statusmagonline.com

ast name Balbuena, first name Marinito, J-Hoon exudes humility that you don’t usually expect from a dude who played and kicked-ass with headlining bands that got him from Manila to Macau in faster-than-you-can-blink speed. His days gigging and partying with Kjwan and Kapatid seem like a lifetime ago as he describes the drunken adventures, screaming fans, and parking lot jam sessions he’s had over the years. “I just needed a breath of fresh air,” he says, “I wanted to focus on something I loved.” And he does just that with his newest adventure, Soul Noodles. J-Hoon describes this forthcoming album as all beats (as this drummer is most known for) with a little bit of reggae and jazz. He covers everything from relationships, family, and most especially missing home. “It’s not just

“ When there isn‘t any

other way to share it… it‘s about the music, a nice melody, a little sexy, nice soul music.”

my bedroom emotions. It’s all my beats, a lot of the stuff I wrote…my noodles, my soup. Get ready to slurp!” But don’t get it twisted; he doesn’t claim to be a one-man-show. He revels in a number of intriguing collaborations including Gloc9, Nyko Maca, Julianne, and NimbusNine. He continues, “[Everybody I’ve worked with] brings in their own taste, but it’s definitely yummy and digestible.” As cheesy as it sounds, he’s much influenced by his parents and especially inspired by the past eight years he’s spent in Manila. But this isn’t all about him, and J-Hoon says it best: “When there isn’t any other way to share it…it’s about the music, a nice melody, a little sexy, nice soul music. If people like it, it’s cool.”

www.hoonsjoint.tk

MAESTRO

HEARTBREAKS AND CITYSCAPES London-based band NOISETTES talk about short-lived loves and recording for Rob Marshall’s Nine while swimming in an ocean of blues, soul, and rock in their latest album Wild Young Hearts. By Don Jaucian

ity life is both volatile and deliriously trippy. Records come and go, but still there are those that stand out and capture the perfect vibe of urbanoia, something that would break the dissonant spell that city life sometimes casts on us. One of these albums would be Wild Young Hearts, the second outing of London-based trio Noisettes. Singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa, drummer Jamie Morisson, and guitarist Dan Smith have created an evocative soundtrack on broken hearts and expectations that usually come with urban existence. In “24 Hours,” they detail brief encounters which may have been culled from the

band’s experience on the road. “All three of us have been there… Sometimes, you find a deep connection with someone in a very short period of time, but you just don’t get to ever see them again,” Dan gushes. Taking cues from her experiences growing up in Malawi, where she had to hunt her own food and battle it out in the fields, Shingai’s (which means “perseverance” in the East African Shona language) voice propels the album’s hybrid of soul and rock. Her sultry style and voice have earned comparisons to the likes of Grace Kelly and Billie Holiday. As a plus, their live shows are always something to look forward to, especially with Shingai’s circus antics. “We have to work out whereabouts amongst the audience would be a good place for her to get to during a song and make sure that there are lights ready for it,” Dan explains. “Shingai usually walks around and checks out what’s safe enough for her to climb on, and some venues allow us to use the light ladder, and some allow us to use the fire stuff, but it’s always different from venue to venue.”

Recently, the band contributed a song to the soundtrack of Rob Marshall’s Oscar bait Nine featuring powerhouse actresses Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, and Penelope Cruz. “It started out with us receiving a call from the record label while we were on a UK tour. Apparently, Harvey Weinstein had heard some of our songs and flipped out and wanted us to contribute a song for the end credits. One of his assistants flew up to Oxford where we were playing and rented a suite at the fancy Malmaison Hotel with a video projector and showed us an edit of the film. We recorded it in a couple of days,” Dan recounts. With almost seven years of existence, the band has managed to establish a solid foundation in the music industry. Wild Young Hearts was recently included in Time Magazine’s top 20 albums of 2009. With their charming swagger and snarling gaze, Noisettes continue to push the boundaries of pop music, delivering a range so distinct—from the spiritual to the charged forays of modern living.

SCRATCH YOUR NAME Guitarist Dan Smith imagines what they would be as wild animals. Dan=cat “Coz I keep slinking in and out of situations with subtlety and grace.” Shingai=a Bird of Paradise. “One of the spirits that look after her is Chirri Chenna who is bird-like, and [Shingai] has a tattoo of her on her shoulder.” Jamie=a very truculent bear. “With the excessive facial hair and his propensity to turn a drum kit into matchwood, this is a no-brainer.

www.noisettes.co.uk www.statusmagonline.com - 55

MAESTRO

NEW DREAM IN

LO-FI

We have choice words with Dayve Hawke— reclusive producer, the genius behind the celebrated MEMORY TAPES and one of 2009’s best albums: Seek Magic. By Karl R. De Mesa

ayve Hawke never really felt comfortable onstage. So when Philadelphia postpunks Hail Social (which Hawke sang and did guitar duties for) broke up, he breathed a long withheld sigh of relief. In the years that followed, he holed up in his New Jersey home and became a full-time dad. But he had accumulated so much solo music that he released them online, by theme, under two separate monikers in late 2008. Thus was born Weird Tapes (sample-based and very dancey) and Memory Cassette (shoegaze learns postpunk). Tracks circulating in the blogosphere got so much attention that Hawke eventually had to claim responsibility and acquiesce to interviewers knocking at his inbox. By this time, he’d gotten bored of making tracks under the two pseudonyms, so he dropped them in favor of the amalgamated Memory Tapes. Seek Magic is the debut album of Memory Tapes under London’s Rough Trade Records. Hailed as one of the best albums of 2009, it is a swirling canvass of lush, dance-infused tracks that still contain a strong post-punk persuasion with a shoegaze garnish. Tracks like the 80s nostalgia-laced “Green Knight” and “Swimming Field” (a song

eject the tape “My fear,” Dayve reveals, “is that the overwhelming amount of product [in music] leads to an overwhelming sense of cynicism.” We only see brighter things.

56 - www.statusmagonline.com

Processing 3, 2, 1 “I always have a guitar lying around, or I may sit at the piano and write the songs in a pretty traditional sort of way. Once I have a basic idea, it gets fleshed out during recording. The album was recorded on my home computer. I really just use it as a tape machine, doing a bunch of passes and completing the arrangement with live overdubs.”

where Hawke wanted to “capture strange afternoons in a field near the house where I grew up…where I would convince myself I could hear voices”) are something the Up-era REM would likely spit out in a jam with New Order and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It’s a coincidence that bears thought since Hawke’s also done remixes for Karen O and company as well as for Peter Bjorn and John and Britney Spears. Because Hawke belongs to that very small niche that doesn’t have a mobile phone or can drive, media has painted a picture of him as an hermetic Kevin Shields type armed with audio editing software. So the irony of a shy, full-time dad, and part-time musician pushing thirty, garnering massive acclaim via the Net is not lost on him. He’s still trying to get to a grip on all that praise for Seek Magic and suggestions that he might actually be persuaded to do a full-on tour. Though he green-lighted a couple of club dates, it hasn’t alleviated his stage anxiety one bit. While we wait as he completes his sophomore opus, he’s decided a cellular might come in handy on the road— “So I can check in with my daughter,” he says.

www.weirdtapes.blogspot.com

Sophomore Flight

Monkish in NJ

“As far as a second album, no one needs to pressure me into that; it’s almost finished already! Honestly, I’ve been listening to Rhythm Nation a lot as well as Mary J. Blige, so maybe the second one will sound a bit like Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis?”

“Well, it makes some things a bit awkward, but ultimately, I really don’t feel I’m missing out on much [being a shut in]. Most people in the US think of New Jersey in the lowest regard. A day in my life is spent mostly bouncing between my daughter and music.”

Whether it’s making folk music or leading sweet, normal lives, THE WEEPIES show how to use our good ol’ tear ducts for the right reasons. By Raydon L. Reyes

teve Tannen and Deb Talan are big criers. But don’t think this folk duo is into the sort of music and lifestyle that remind you of screaming teenagers, clinical depression, and selflaceration. Their affinity for turning on the waterworks at the right time just means that they draw inspiration from that intense emotional place where tears come from—be it blissful joy or miserable sorrow. Hence, their band name: The Weepies. “[We cry a lot] at weddings, at movies, even at commercials. It’s humanizing to be connected to emotion. We want to make music in that direction,” Steve confesses. Then again, folk music has always been about connectedness, and it was in 2001 that bona fide New Yorker Steve and red-haired Deb from Massachusetts first formed that bond. They met during one of Steve’s solo shows in Boston, and the initial rapport over rhyming family names eventually led to their debut album, Happiness. “The first meeting was electric! We were both a little freaked out by the immediate intensity of the connection. Deb literally ran away. We got together soon afterward, stayed up all night writing songs, and we’ve been doing that ever since,” he says. It was not surprising that such a good mingling of personalities became something more than just the reflective tunes. After signing up with Nettwerk Records and releasing two studio albums

and an iTunes EP, they got hitched in 2007 and marked a quiet spot on the hills of Southern California as their own. Listening to their music would immediately convince you of this chemistry. They’re known in the indie-pop world for blending relaxing acoustic sounds, pleasant melodies, and existential lyrics that make you stop and think about what’s really going on in your life. Think William Fitzsimmons and Rosie Thomas joining forces, with the soothing harmony that their voices make as the perfect trigger to put you in a warm, contemplative daze. Take “Living in Twilight,” from their second album Say I Am You, with a hopeful persona who speaks of the loneliness and uncertainty that come with transitioning into adulthood: “You look darkly on the day/ with memories to light your way/ a little sad but it’s all right/ we are always living in twilight.” If you’re a tube

fanatic, you might have already heard their singles playing in Gossip Girl, Scrubs, and How I Met Your Mother. Their music video “Can’t Go Back Now,” which featured puppet versions of Steve and Deb singing optimistically about the future, was also used prominently in Obama’s ad campaign. Contrary to their name though, The Weepies actually lead “happy, normal lives.” Remaining grounded to what goes on in real life assures them of material for creating authentic music. “We’re extra normal! We do the dishes and laundry, pay rent, raise our baby boy Theo, and work every day. We generally take a pretty modest view of what we’re doing,” asserts Steve. The Weepies have just finished the final touches to their next studio record which they’ll be releasing this year. Expect it to deliver the same subtly intoxicating folk songs that you’ll be listening to in your car, on your bed,

or even inside your bathroom all year. And when the time is right, let yourself shed a tear or two. They won’t mind.

www.theweepies.com

“the first meeting was electric! we were both a little freaked out by the immediate intensity of the connection. deb literally ran away.” www.statusmagonline.com - 57

MAESTRO

“For me, it’s all about sharing creative passions with the world, translating my energy through music.”

POSERS BEWARE

Loaded with a whole lotta hype, today’s “freshest” music invade the airwaves and molest our senses with clingy beats, cheap rhymes, and formula starlets. Run to the dancefloor ‘cause THE GASLAMP KILLER has had too much! By Sarah Jesri Photographed by adoborat

ut your motherfucking cameras down for five fucking minutes, and let me do my thing!” The Gaslamp Killer clamors on the mic just as he begins his set in Manila. Not quite the warmest of greetings from a worldrenowned DJ on the last leg of his Asian tour, but the crowd roared in delight nonetheless, anticipating the madness to come. DJ, turntablist, producer, and ehm, Gaslamp Killer? I prod hoping he wouldn’t mind answering that question for the nth time. “I come from San Diego, and the Gaslamp District is where you’re forced to play ‘cause there’s nowhere else. It’s basically a bunch of fucking retards getting down to Britney and that sort, and when I drop my shit, I would kill the dancefloor.” (And by

58 - www.statusmagonline.com

“kill,” he means “clear.” Obviously, kids, he does not mean that literally!) “There is definitely a great scene in San Diego, but it’s tiny,” which could be the reason he has since moved to LA, home of his label Brainfeeder together with other innovative beatsmiths including Flying Lotus, Daedelus, and Dr. StrangeLoop. He is resident of Low End Theory, a space where DJs, producers, music lovers, and geeks come together to share new music and go berserk on the dance floor. As a featured act, you’re expected to innovate and educate given the kind of heads that roll in there. Not everyone can dig his wild permutations of “Beats. It’s all about beats. World music, dubstep, hip-hop…that’s where these

newer forms evolved from.” An acquired taste, so to speak. As for his early influences, he lists “Acid rock. The likes of Hendrix, The Doors, Black Sabbath, and Led Zep. Then I got into hip-hop. Dre, Snoop, Bay Area stuff, Blackalicious... That’s what started it [for me].” In his recent 10” EP My Troubled Mind, he weaves hip-hop beats, rockin’ licks, organic percussions, jazz accents, and synths emanating glitchy theatrics. “For me, it’s all about sharing creative passions with the world, translating my energy through music… You’ve got to keep moving, let your soul out through expression, art, and movement. This is my way.” I ask if it has always been music for him. “Yeah, one way or another. I was a breakdancer before I was a

DJ. That can explain why I always have the urge to move. I’m also into graffiti and collecting records.” He certainly does come on strong because of his rabid head banging, reminiscent of a death metal rocker, and his taunting quips on the mic, like “Do you know what this face means? This face means you have no idea what track I’m playing!” Followed up by a “Fine, maybe five of you.” But there really is nothing to be afraid of. After his set, he’s likely to join the crowd to give out stickers, sell CDs, and to thank the heavy groovers for sharing their energy. See, the thing is, if he does bust your balls, it isn’t ‘cause you didn’t dig his shit: it’s because you didn’t have the mind to hear it out.

www.thegaslampkiller.com

MAESTRO

FROM DETROIT, with soul There’s just too much magnetism surrounding MAYER HAWTHORNE that people are not only enthralled but utterly confused. Here’s to this man of two other names, 9099 Twitter followers yet, and one very apparent destiny— music, sweet music. By Sarah Meier-Albano Photographed by Doug Coombe

his story begins in Michigan—the state that cradles Detroit, “both beautiful and ugly—very diverse and creative,” our man describes this location gaveled as the hub for all automotive American bigwigs since Ford’s founding in 1904. But in 1959, another Mecca of sorts was erected in those parts as the coined term “Motor Town” sprouted a musical phenomenon that came to be known as Motown. The dynasty of soul that Berry Gordy, Jr. built, the early playground of vocal greats such as Smokey Robinson, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and The Supremes found its home in the 313. White American Cars and Black American music, an unlikely combination, but Detroit has never been apologetic about its variety, and rightfully so. Adopting his hometown’s ability to slither out of stereotypes and into something unexpectedly but intrinsically familiar, it was here that Andrew Cohen began the journey towards piecing what would become his debut album A Strange Arrangement. He only recently adopted the name Mayer

Hawthorne, you see. “It’s whatever I want it to be,” he says of this latest moniker derived from combining his middle name with the street he grew up on, also a persona that has skyrocketed this three-decade-aged boy wonder into international music domination territory. Prior to the smooth, 60s-sounding crooning he has become so decidedly recognized for, Mayer also went by the name DJ Haircut, garnering accolades for his song selection and his connoisseurlike musical buffet offerings. It was also within this period that his repertoire as a producer was solidifying, and his quest to be a rapper spun on its wheels. “It’s all me, just different sides of my personality,” he insists. The close-your-eyes, sway-your-hips, snap-yourfingers-ness of Mayer’s piece de resistance “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” is so fluid; some may gawk at hearing that Mayer’s discovery as a soul artist was completely by fluke.

It was a genre he tinkered around with in the privacy of his own abode until a friend was treated to a listening session and immediately oneeightied to the Stones Throw label’s big kahuna Peanut Butter Wolf. Legend has it that PBW heard two songs and immediately knew the bespectacled chap from Ann Arbor, Michigan, had to be signed. “PB Wolf puts out music that he genuinely loves, and he doesn’t worry about whether it will be commercially successful. That’s a really rare thing,” Mayer relates. But well-received it has been. Mayer’s recent microblogging spills of tales of surprise at being recognized buying flip-flops in Australia, signing Hennessey bottles in Berlin, being interviewed by FHM in Spain, and digging for vinyl in Switzerland. Not to mention, not only does he have fansworthy themselves type fans

like Mark Ronson, Justin Timberlake, John Mayer, and Lily Allen, but this is one artist that both you and your 50-year-old mother may share an immense liking for. Speaking of mothers, he shares, “I learned bass from my father and piano from my mother.” Drums were selftaught, and though he claims weakness playing the guitar, the mere fact that most of the instruments on his album were played by the singer himself is reason enough to understand that there would have been a great injustice served had this fellow not plodded down in the musical limelight. And so, as I let the needle hit the B-side of his heart-shaped record and listen to the man serenade me about saying goodbye, I bid adieu to my cynical belief that the music of 2010 would have no soul. I mean, shoot, there goes my Momma slow dancing like it’s 1972 all over again.

www.myspace.com/mayerhawthorne

“…this is one artist that both you and your 50-year-old mother may share an immense liking for.”

www.statusmagonline.com - 59

SCORED IN REAL LIFE With their sans-vocals music, post-rockers THE ALBUM LEAF were way beyond their time when they started ten years ago. Now, they share how they’re taking things even further. By Raydon L. Reyes

ike a musical score that perfectly captures what movie characters are going through, The Album Leaf gives you the music to match your own decisive moments. Fans and critics commonly dub it as “post-rock,” which originally meant non-rock instrumentals played using rock instruments. But even though that’s where they started, band founder Jimmy LaValle (vocals, lead guitar), Drew Andrews (keyboard, bass), Matthew Resovich (violin), and Andrew Pates (visual projections for

their tour) don’t really dwell on which genre their music falls under. “I don’t really have a definition of post-rock, and I don’t really feel I’m in that category. It seems a little funny to me,” ponders Jimmy. Labels aside, the band has been popular for the past decade for fusing mellow acoustic and electronica sounds with random atmospheric reverberations. In their song “Last Time Here” from their album One Day I’ll Be On Time, you can

almost feel seawater drenching your ears as you mentally get carried off into the middle of the ocean. “Something comes up like a melody or a drum beat. Then I essentially build on it. I record everything I possibly hear to the song, then I start to dissect it, take things away, let things come in when they need to,” says Jimmy of their creative process. He had the case of the nerves when Jimmy started singing to their tracks lately, but this is just part

of their artistic growth. “I needed to reach out to people who were not familiar with instrumental music,” he explains. This year, they’re releasing their new album A Chorus of Storytellers and, to anyone who shows up in their shows with an Album Leaf tattoo, giving free concert passes. Check the sked at their MySpace page ‘cause you never know. You might finally hear the ultimate musical score of your life—live.

www.thealbumleaf.com

“when you are young, nothing can really break your spirit, [so] you just keep pushing through all the bullshit.”

DREAMCATCHER

Conceived in a bedroom in Anaheim, California, named from a dream about a willow tree, THE WILLOWZ is literally the stuff that dreams are made of. With stellar tracks for Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, their sound travels in supersonic speed—pushing forward to R.E.M. scapes. By Kristine Dabbay Photographed by Faustine Cornette de Saint Cyr 60 - www.statusmagonline.com

f there is a doctor that could forge memory, frontman Richie Follin still wouldn’t erase anything. “The memory is what keeps you from making the same mistakes,” he says. While starting out as a band in their teens, members Richie, Jessica Reynoza (vocals, bass), Loren Humphrey (drums), and WilliamLewis McLaren (guitar, vocals) had their own share of naiveté. But that didn’t deter them in any way. “I think people try to take advantage of you when you are young… It didn’t really matter though because when you are young, nothing can really break your spirit, [so] you just keep pushing through all the bullshit.” But it was Michel Gondry who truly discovered them, wishing “to be to The Willowz what Warhol was to the Velvet Underground.” The band’s punk-inspired sound and Gondry’s “untamed mind” make raw cinematic pleasure

accessible. Who can forget skimpily clad Kirsten Dunst dancing on a bed to the tune of “Something?” But besides their soundtrack success, their albums Talk in Circles and Chautauqua have proved them strong. Rolling Stone even called them “the only thing in the O.C. cooler than Walt Disney’s cryogenic chamber.” In late 2009, they released Everyone, a more restrained record that nonetheless maintains their sunny vibe. Sensitizing the rawest of impulses, The Willowz shows us that the way to dreams need not sound like a lullaby—it’s more of a howl mixed with brash strums that seem to loosen our nerve endings until we’re all caught in reflex—dancing, shouting—a real visceral experience.

www.thewillowz.com

MAESTRO

HERE WE GO AGAIN

OK GO let rip about the past, some altruistic project involving burritos, living after almost being demolished by a train, and the things we can expect from this diverse, geeky, power pop band. By Anine Vermeulen

K Go have been busy, busy boys; non-stop touring, recording a new album, making new hit videos for their two latest singles, contributing to the New Moon soundtrack, and helping people affected by hurricane Katrina are just a few things that have been keeping these guys on their toes. We caught up with bassist Tim Nordwind as they release their new single “WTF?” and found out wtf we can expect from the band this 2010. Like their phenomenal 2006 single goes, “Here It Goes Again.” Yessir, the treadmillscrambling band in this 49 million-viewed music video just launched their new album Of the Blue Color of the Sky last month. Off this new compilation, “’WTF’ is a messenger sent from our new record to alert people that something different,” like its video with them frolicking as if on the screen of a hanging computer, “is coming from OK GO,” Tim declares. This latest offering is taking him, frontman Damien Kulash, percussionist Dan Konopka, and keyman Andy Ross in a different direction, guided by an 1876 book that says blue light has healing power. And Tim raves, “I love this record; it’s our best effort to date. It’s the happiest and saddest—anthemic and minimalist—dancey and folksiest— most surreal but also honest record we’ve ever made.”

The boys, as you will cheese on his breakfast sammich. have realized by now, make “At this point, it’s been a very convenient way to let fans know definitely not your typical when we’re playing, putting out musical quartet. After Katrina new music, making videos, doing devastated the shores of New charitable causes, etc,” Tim Orleans, the band raised funds to rebuild Al Johnson’s home and sends his love to the interwebs. also ran what The band toured their they called “[Of the Blue Color of the last record for The Burrito Project, approximately Sky is] the happiest and two and a half where they saddest—anthemic and got eager years and have, for the most fans to bring minimalist—dancey and 15 burritos part, come out folksiest—most surreal each that unscathed. “Touring that they then but also honest record handed out long almost we’ve ever made.” to homeless killed us, people. literally.” Tim recalls the horror of an Tim explains, “Being incident in Denton, Texas. “Our in a band means a lot of selfpromotion, so as to not feel like bus stalled in the middle of a total self-promoting douchebags train track, and we could see all of the time, we try to help the oncoming train about half a others and give back to the mile out. I remember looking out community whenever we can to be the window from the back of the more well-rounded human beings.” bus wondering what was going on Altruism at its finest. and thinking to myself, ‘I hope The band, indeed, this bus moves before that train demolishes us.’” realize that they would be But they’re OK, and nothing without their fans and music goes on for them. What can keep them updated regularly via we expect from the band this their Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace pages. That’s right, boys 2010? More touring—in Europe, Australia, Japan, The United and girls, OK Go tweet. A lot. States—and of course, making more So when the band is touring, videos that get them noticed and another aspect of their lives maybe parodied more, if there’s that they’re OC about, you can anything that could top The always know where they are in Simpsons’ strike that is. Sydney, for instance, when they just did sound check, who had www.okgo.net www.statusmagonline.com - 61

SKATE, ROLL, SHOOT Photo by Guy Mariano

Skater-filmmaker Meister TY EVANS points to the coolest spot to roll on, shares the pains of being detained for hours, and drops the “possible” release date of his next explosive film. By Yaj Asovlas

“

aybe 10 years,” Ty Evans replies with a laid-back chuckle when asked about the buzzed release of his upcoming film. “It still needs a lot of work,” he continues, but in Ty’s time, this is just enough if not necessary. His teaser featuring the much-hyped but elusive graf artist NeckFace, throwing a Molotov cocktail to a wall scribbled with his humor-horror art combo, clearly states at the last second how unpredictable the premiere can come. “Even when I do skateboard films,” like Fully Flared which he made with the critic-loved Spike Jonze, “I don’t know what they’re gonna be until they’re finished,” Ty reveals. It was a collection of skating footages over a long period of time and travel. You can say that waiting for his next film is something like anticipating a comet’s visit: the sheer awesomeness all worth the wait. Having made numerous skateboard films since the ‘90s, one cannot doubt his skills. Like the way of the streets, his process is a mix of technical know-how and improvisation. “The cool thing,” he says “is there are no rules...[but] I think the standard has always been the video camera and the fish eye with the wide angle lens, and you go out with your friends and go filming.” On shooting in various locations, he recalls how awesome it was to be in China, Barcelona, and Russia. “A lot of those amazing cities are great when you go there for the first time, and the

people there aren’t annoyed of skateboarding yet,” Ty remarks. “They actually wanna sit there and watch you and appreciate it…” As for the coolest skating spot, so far, he points out Raging Waters, a pool park which sounds like a secret level in a Tony Hawk videogame. “We got to skate on these huge water slides, big tubes, and big pools, which was the same place that I’ve been when I was a kid... I remember sitting there just in awe that I was actually skating on that stuff.” But as a skaterfilmmaker, not everything is easy. “I had my photo gear taken, got handcuffed and thrown to the ground, got talked to like an animal, been detained for hours. All these had happened to us, and it sucks…” And although filming could be long and painful, Ty keeps his passion rolling. Being a veteran in his field, he’s been conducting workshops and talks to kids. Ty also hopes that one day, his works could reach out to more people, with a possibility of inspiring one to become the next pro-skater or, perhaps, the next Ty Evans. “Skateboarding has given me so much,” he sums up since his start in 1986. “It has taken me all over the world, paid me, put a roof over my head, supported my family, gave me peace of mind, and made me the person that I am. It’s really cool to give back to it.”

"I had my photo gear taken, got handcuffed and thrown to the ground, got talked to like an animal, been detained for hours."

Photo by Aaron Bondaroff

www.skatefairy.com Photo by Guy Mariano

62 - www.statusmagonline.com

mastermind

A FRUMPY FAVORITE KEN DAVITIAN’s mix of cultures makes him a human melting pot, and with movies like Borat and Get Smart—we get a potful serving of humor as tasty as your favorite exotic dish. By KC Coling

“

have a disease. It’s called neurolensia. It’s a disease that requires you to be in front of the camera,” says Ken Davitian, known best as Borat’s Kazakh producer, full-on naked, bed wrestling rival. He’s overweight, hairy, and looks stereotypically perfect as a frumpy Eastern European. But these qualities prove differently with Ken. As a character actor, he’s always tied up in projects, and albeit playing mostly of the same role, his love for his job is absolutely present. It started in high school but got serious when he took Theater Arts in college.“If you can do the work, and if it’s in the field you like, and it’s good work, and it makes people laugh, then I’m happy.” There should really be a defining word for someone like him, whose

dedication and commitment to character roles jump off the silver screen. He doesn’t just rely on his frumpy goodlooks either because he truly embodies that other person whether he is a mobster, terrorist, ancient emperor, or a Ukrainian drug lord just like in his upcoming film You May Not Kiss the Bride. And if there was anything else that kept him going besides his pure love of craft, it’s the desire of portraying his real persona. “I haven’t had a lot of parts that I played me, and I’d like to do a lot more of that.” He’s a character actor, yes—and one hell of an actor too. But just like everyone else, he just wants to be completely himself sometimes, onscreen or not. With acting chops as his, he’ll surely deliver the meat.

“ I have a disease. It’s called neurolensia. It’s a disease that requires you to be in front of the

CAMERA ...“

BEYOND MATINEE Actor SID LUCERO, one of the very few Philippine ambassadors in Cannes 2009, is a prime example of why taking risks and making your own path are always worth it. By Raydon L. Reyes Photographed by Nick St. James

eing born to a family of actors, it’s easy to equate the career of 26-year-old Sid Lucero as a way for him to follow his parents’ footsteps. Born Timothy Eigenmann, he even got his screen name from his father Mark Gil’s character in the 1982 movie Batch 81. But Sid immediately tells us otherwise. “Although I can never match what [my predecessors] have accomplished, I’m trying to make my own footsteps,” he declares. And he makes good on his word. While he may be more known for his roles in primetime soap operas, what really earns him his mark and respect in the industry is his performance in independent films recently produced in Manila. There’s Donsol, Selda, and most especially the Un

Certain Regard selection Independencia, which is pretty cool considering that he admittedly started out not knowing what to do with his life when he first delved into acting. But instead of lying around and asking existential questions, he got on his feet and began working on commercials. His turning point was when he joined an acting workshop by multi-awarded

filmmakers Peque Gallaga and Gabby Fernandez. “That’s when I realized I’m gonna be doing this for the rest of my life,” says Sid. Couple that epiphany with his experience and breakthrough performance, swimming with whale sharks in the 2006 film Donsol, which he claims was “God’s way of talking to me,” and he soon found his way to becoming the Philippines’ indie golden boy.

Since then, Sid has won Best Actor in the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece for his role as an accidental murderer in Selda and the Gawad Urian Best Actor Award—a title also won by his father at the same age. Humbly, he vows to do his best in removing the line between mainstream and indie cinema and to “get as much sleep as I can in between acting gigs.” www.statusmagonline.com - 63

“Any time you can affect people’s perceptions and perhaps alter their preconceived notions, you’ve done something GOOD.”

OUTSIDE THE BOX

JON REISS is the type of filmmaker who has blended both the soulful and practical sides of his craft. Fortunately, for those of us who can only do either, he shares how to do just that. By Raydon L. Reyes

ommerce is an art; art is commerce. There are few who understand this statement other than Jon Reiss. Of course, having studied Economics in the University of California, Berkeley might have helped him in that department early on. After graduating, he found a way to relate that knowledge to making videos when he interned for Target Video, a place that “blended my political interests, my interest in music, and my growing interest in the power of media.” He literally started at the bottom—by sweeping floors during his first days on the job. But real talent rarely went unnoticed. In six months, he was already shooting a documentary of punk rock band Black Flag. Jon took that as the sign to seriously ask himself what he really wanted to do in his life. Needless to say, filmmaking won. “Stanford offered me a full scholarship for grad school in economics, [but] I turned them down to live in a rat-infested loft in San Francisco’s Mission District to work for Target for free and make minimum wage selling popcorn at the Strand Theater. My parents weren’t pleased,” he narrates. Driven by his love for underground culture, Jon went on to direct more documentaries about the West Coast punk explosion for Target, featuring bands and artists like The Dead Kennedys, The Circle Jerks, and Iggy Pop. He also came up with his own short narrative film about anthropomorphic robots, graduated from film school in California, and directed music videos for Slayer, the Black Crowes, and other musical groups of the time.

64 - www.statusmagonline.com

But it was in the 2000s that he would be known for his most recent masterpiece. Jon had successfully proven his expertise in documenting urban subcultures with the 1999 feature documentary Better Living…, where he gave us a glimpse of the rave lifestyle in the US. He went even further with 2007’s Bomb It as he tackled the explosion of the graffiti movement throughout the world. Shot across five continents, he exposed the war for public space waged by visual artists in different areas around the globe—from New York, LA, Japan, Brazil, to even Africa. Some of the prominent graffiti writers he featured included Tracy 168, Cornbread, Blek Le Rat, Zephyr, Ron English, among others. “They provide a creative outlet, a sense of community, and a form of protest for people who don’t fit in society,” Jon relates. “We tried to to make it informative and to appeal to the general public so that they would view public space through new eyes.“ His penchant for creating and selling films eventually led him to come up with Think Outside the Box Office, a book he wrote about film distribution according to a film’s different needs and audiences. Right now, Jon’s working on a multiplatform narrative film and web series and a second series of Bomb It—all these in the name of propagating real art that’s relatively under the radar: “Any time you can affect people’s perceptions and perhaps alter their preconceived notions, you’ve done something good.”

www.jonreiss.com

“so yeah ,I’d basically redo Kenneth Anger’s

Lucifer Rising

FRONTAL

starring Paris Hilton,the Olsen twins, and myself

as Satan.”

Photographer, painter, sculptor, friend of Satan— COREY SMITH’s profane portfolio is a straight on trip. By Anna Canlas

leach blonde, bags under the eyes, and a portfolio of “skanky photos” (namely: kissing girls liking it, health-class porn, shoot-em-against-the-wallwith-a-hard-flash mugs, and oh—a preggers self-portrait in drag) all seem to make LA-based painter, photographer, and sculptor Corey Smith a stupid, skeezy Peroxidite. But it’s not like there’s zero thought behind the former prosnowboarder and band member’s superflat paintings and stabs at celebrity. He’d just rather play dumb. How did you get into photography and painting? I could never really afford a camera until high school when I was able to take classes. [Also,] I’ve always been into painting and drawing. I was into making plastic models of military aircraft when I was a kid. It was a super nerdy situation… Not to brag, but I was turning out professional models at like 12 years old! [Laughs] What’d you take up in school? I have a BA at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, OR and studied photography and graphic design. What did you get from Portland, and what did you get from Californ-I-A? Portland is a magical town of debauchery and denial of reality. California is the same thing, only 10 times worse. I live in Southern California, which is very different from anywhere else on earth (Not in a good way)… Everyone’s a photographer these days—true or false? Absolutely true, and I think it’s wonderful on every level. Everyone’s shooting photos and the stuffy overpaid pros are pissed!

What creative projects are you working on now? I’m working on a big group show called Experiments in Occultism and Parapsychology. I’m also working on a large energy pyramid that will be part of an interactive video installation. Any reason why your photo site’s called HIGH POWERED STREET DRUGS? “Titties and Ice Cream” was the other name I was thinking of because those are two things everyone loves. But then I thought

if I named my site that, it would be all sweet and soft, so I opted for highpoweredstreetdrugs.com. You tend to shoot your subjects face-on. Is there a conscious effort to create an aesthetic of flatness as in your paintings? Well I’m just kinda lazy, and I think most people who would look at my stuff are lazy too… If you wanna dig deeper, surf the web. You seem to talk a lot about the apocalypse. If you were to make an apocalypse movie, how would it go? Well, I don’t worship Satan; I just listen to a lot of the things he tells me… And listen, he’s hyped on the way things have been going down lately. So yeah, I’d basically redo Kenneth Anger’s Lucifer Rising starring Paris Hilton, the Olsen twins, and myself as Satan. You say, “Everyday a new pop culture development represents the official arrival of the apocalypse… I anticipate a world where no one has to think, learn, have talent, or be responsible for their actions.” Is it time to run now? I think it’s time to get an electric “Sunggie,” order a “Panormous” pizza, pound a “fuck yeah bro energy drink,” bask in the glow of a 90” plasma screen, and twitter about the UFC fight you’re watching.

www.coreysmithtimetravel.com

BEST FOR LAST What was the last… picture you took? Of my lovely lady, Brooke Sandoval-Banker. visual in your head? Rainbows and pink dolphins, duh? person who blew your mind? Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann [aka the first person to make and take LSD -Ed] shot you missed? I forget…and that’s why I shoot photos. band you pressed repeat to? Brian Jonestown Massacre www.statusmagonline.com - 65

OUT OF EDEN Right at the heart of the old capital, he designs the story of a disenchanted Eve, clothed in what seems to be fallen leaves and other tougher variations. JEROME SALAYA ANG creates to deviate.

By Anna P. Canlas Photographed by Cholo Dela Vega Runway photos by Bruce Casanova

find myself in front of a red door with a beat-up knob. After getting lost for 30 minutes, I am at the heart of Manila. Inside—tangerine walls, multiple mirrors, a dressing room behind a curtain, next to a couch seating a wedding entourage this close to the sewing machines, vibrating from the car horns one wall away—and there’s someone knocking. “My philosophy is really about order in chaos,” shares Jerome Salaya Ang—designer of the dark and twisted and owner of the busiest atelier I’ve been to. Refer to his Spring/Summer 2010 collection—The Garden Beyond Paradise—and you get a similar allusion. While summer typically connotes flowers and other more feminine powers, Jerome’s firstever 45-piece opus tells the story of a disenchanted Eve walking away from Eden and out into a world of volcanoes, sea, snow, calamities—in other words, death, and ironically, a much more enchanting life. The idea came to him after reading The Garden by Elsie Aidinoff. “As she goes outside the garden,” Jerome narrates, “she picks things up along the way and drapes them over her body.” Such is the reason for his garments’ handmade quality—as if hinting at the protagonist’s new, self-made life. To mimic fallen leaves, the designer wove the indigenous material lugtu to create a tougher sort of volume on the shoulders of his textured frocks. Owing to his interior design background in the University of Santo Tomas, followed by a fashion degree from Raffles International College in Bangkok and pattern making and design courses at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines, the designer played mad scientist: blowtorching and molding leatherette on a bust form to create gaping corsets while giving chiffon a hard edge through hand-dying, stripping, paint-splattering, and ruching; in effect, creating distressed-chiffon dresses that, by sheer coincidence, resemble his current idol Alexander McQueen’s own S/S Atlantis-inspired line. 66 - www.statusmagonline.com

He admits that the manual techniques are a bit messy. “Of course, I’d love to try things like nanotechnology…but it’s just not available here.” This ambition, on the other hand, is the domain of another couture favorite, Turkish designer Hussein Chalayan, whose solar-paneled dresses of seasons past channeled the Transformers: twitching, folding, and reconfiguring by remote control into increasingly space-age realizations. Though not relying on technological theatrics, Jerome’s other couture favorites John Galliano and Viktor & Rolf are just as deviant. Sending out pursedlipped neo-flappers and Kabuki-faced city dwellers down the runways, the two influences are fond of creating highly conceptual, character-driven collections in the same strain as Jerome’s disheveled biblical progenitor, perhaps even a 50% dead, 100% fierce handspan-skirted zombie in the near future? “My next collection is called Necronomicron,” reveals the bookworm. Inspired by another one of his favorite reads The Book of the Dead, the collection continues to ride on Jerome’s flights of fantasy. “Life begins after death,” intuits the designer. “Of course, there’s also the fact that vampires and all those other creatures of the night are really big right now.” Whatever the inspiration, though, any of Jerome’s endeavor’s is bound to bear the mark of his edgy aesthetic—that is “structured, avant-garde, and experimental,” says Jerome. For this collection slated for Holiday 2010, that next big experiment would be a foray into accessory design as the designer plans to work with felt paper—turned sculptural—and collaborate as well with shoe designers Maco Custodio and Kermit Tesoro for what promises to be a dream collection inspired by nightmares. “Everybody has their own skeletons,” says Jerome—the twinkle in his chinky eyes getting their signals crossed with a sly smile. “I want to know what’s hiding in people’s closets. That’s what makes them interesting.”

THE DEVIL ADVOCATES… Graphic Novels by Yoshitaka Amano

Korean Cup Noodles Madonna’s “Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You”

mastermind

FINER THAN FICTION Thousands of titles can be made for multi-talented people. We call them “jacks of all trades” or “renaissance men.” In the booming indie film industry, we can summarize it in one name: JORDAN GALLAND. By Kristine Dabbay

ike an amazingly great read, it’s amusing to see a young director come to terms with his craft. Literature might have Moby Dick’s Ishmael but the film industry’s answer to that is Jordan Galland whose talent is also a grand plot in the making. Having been the frontman of the band Dopo Yume while collaborating with Sean Lennon and NYbased Japanese duo Cibo Matto, he shines most in his solo album Airbrush and debut film feature Rosecrantz and Guildenstern are Undead where his indie spirit soars through eclectic tunes and offbeat humor. “I laugh at literally everything,” he says. With his recent dark comedy, this writer, musician, and filmmaker makes sure that we’re laughing with him, not at him. Trust me, he’ll tickle not only your funny bone but also your desire to flesh out knowledge down to the core. What field do you actually want to master, and why? I find myself changing

gears a lot…[but] as far as deciding which field I want to master, that would be film because it’s a master art form…it allows you to examine every possible aspect of life— food, exercise, painting, sculpting, emotions, dancing, and politics. But I will never stop making time for music. Can you tell us how NYC shaped your talents? After I saw Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives in the theater—I think I was twelve—I went home and started writing dialogue in a play format. I think I didn’t stop writing one act plays until I started my band when I was 18…I liked the cocktail he mixed together of different New Yorkers—shrinks, private eyes, art dealers, journalists, university students, and all that. You studied Film in NYU. But what lessons did you learn that weren’t taught in school? I had to learn to relinquish my desire for total control—even when the idea was entirely my

creation. You have to learn to steer the ship but accept that you can’t control the ocean around you. When you do that, the universe opens up, you find you are capable of much more than you ever imagined. You mentioned before that you are “fascinated by the idea that classical literature can be explored in new ways.” Which characters in literature can you relate to the most? When I was a teenager, I related to Ishmael in Moby Dick. I was kind of a loner and always somewhat depressed about something and trying to understand. My goal was always to be more like Queequeg and just simply accept things the way they are. I think I’m in between characters at the moment. But I’m reading this great kid’s book which is not really for kids called The Hunger Games, and I totally relate to the sixteen-year-old girl in that. Complete the sentence: If I can live forever, I will… make a decent film version of Nabokov’s Ada.

www.jordangalland.com

Surreal Meets the Reel Jordan cites the 5 greatest movies never made. 1. Stanley Kubrick’s version of Umberto Eco’s book Foucault’s Pendulum

2. Sequel to Twin Peaks

3. Wes Anderson’s version of X-Men or Fantastic Four

4.Interview with the Vampire ala Barry Lyndon by Stanley Kubrick

5.Chris Nolan’s version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Sarah Jessica Parker www.statusmagonline.com - 67

FILMS THAT

mastermind

FROM e.t. to SUNDANCE California-educated, Seoul-based director and screenwriter WOO-SEONG LIM chooses the camera over existential angst to transform pain into films. By Eirene Uy

ny film whore wouldn’t be able to brush away this thirty-something reel pusher who believed in his little movie which was screened at the Sundance Film Festival on the first month of the new decade. But back in 1982, when he was 11, Woo-Seong Lim was only awed by screen magic in E.T.’s iconic final scene. “After the experience…” he recalls, “I became a film maniac.” He devoured films, music, and literature—eventually flying to America to study Film at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. WooSeong relished the chance to work with design majors in various fields such as graphics, illustration, and photography. With a Fine Arts degree in Film, he returned to Seoul and set to work on several short films. But it was 68 - www.statusmagonline.com

a piece of literature that set up the tracks for his current career. “I read this novel (Vegetarian) in 2005. As soon as I finished reading the novel, I called the writer and said ‘I want to make a film with this novel,’” Woo-Seong shares. Armed with persistence and a vision, he sought to secure funding for adapting the book into a film. It took him four years and countless rejections from production companies before finally getting the Korean Film Commission to finance the project. Vegetarian was shown last October at the Pusan International Film Festival and now just competed in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Themes of pain, grief, internal conflict, and psychological drama compel Woo-Seong to tell stories—first

through the script then onto the screen. “Everyone has his/her private traumas. I want to put a camera to the dark side of a human being. What I do as a storyteller is cutting a piece of someone’s life and showing the details to the audience. I think that’s the storyteller’s role. It doesn’t have to be moral or a warm, happy ending.” Being both screenwriter and director, he gets to see the characters he creates in the word processor burst to life on the camera. “Writing and directing is like flipping a coin. They are so attached and live together as a destiny,” he says. Though educated and influenced by Western films, Woo-Seong is now among the new movers of the independent film scene in South Korea. He expresses a mixture of lament and hope over the state of the Korean film industry, formerly known for their charming romantic comedies. “It has been depressed for about two years. It’s being revitalized again with big budget blockbuster movies. At the same time, there are lots of small independent films coming out. However, independent films in Korea are still having a hard time to meet general audiences. It’s hard to be in theaters, and art house theaters have disappeared,” he shares. But Woo-Seong is undeterred. He is cooking up a thriller, a love story, and an animation project for the future. For the director, it really all boils down to passion. “The most important thing is that I like the story which makes my heart beat. If my heart is not beating, how can I make the audience’s heart beat?”

MAKE THE

man cry E.T. (1982)

silent Lust, Caution (2007)

wanna be in the setting Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind (2004)

laugh Inglourious Basterds (2009)

make more films Let the Right One In (2008)

I m completely unknown to MTV VH1 and BET I

FORGIVE his trespasses Keith Schofield bursts into the music and commercial video scene with his distinct brand of delirium and disorder. By Don Jaucian

here exists a different kind of visual mathematics in Keith Schofield’s universe: it is mind-bending, random, and it happily makes up its mind as it goes along. Yet despite numerous citations for his groundbreaking work (he has been featured in Esquire’s Best and Brightest of 2009 and Creativity’s Directors to Watch for 2009), he still thinks of himself as a small blip in the radar. “I’m still completely unknown in so many aspects of filmmaking. Even in videos, I’m completely unknown to MTV, VH1, and BET,” the NYU-bred director explains. Schofield’s works are infused with a delirious glee of sort. His video for Diesel’s 30th Anniversary— “SFW XXX” catapulted his reputation as one of the future heavyweights of the music video/commercial business. Weaving vintage porn and animation that looks like it was made in MS Paint, it unravels like the brusque imaginings of a ravenous madcap. It’s pretty easy to see Schofield’s influences in his videos and commercials. For his career path, Keith has been inspired by Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry because he thinks “They always kept the videos fun.”

This is evident in his video for CSS’ electroclash single “Move,” a brilliant testament to the colorful verve of CSS’ rabid art posturing and breezy postdance-punk meanderings. But despite the hardedged whimsy of his works, Keith hates its grandmother: the circus. “I really hate Circus imagery. It’s so played out; so many artists have done it over and over again,” he rants. “I hope I never have to recreate a Circus.” Recently, Keith hooked up with actress/ singer Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck for the video of their collaboration “Heaven Can Wait.” He recounts, “The Charlotte Gainsbourg video was fun because there was no continuity and we could make up a fair amount as we went along. Then again, it was a three-day shoot, and the second-half of the last day sort of blew.” You’ll have a hard time looking for “Heaven Can Wait” in YouTube though. Numerous links to the videos have been pulled out due to infringement issues. “Yeah, I don’t know what happened; they seemed to take down the one they put up themselves. I never know why labels are so

slow to put stuff on YouTube. There’s no such thing as an exclusive window anywhere; the second it shows up on any site, it will show up on every site within an hour,” Keith observes. Unbeknownst to many, Keith has also co-directed a scene in Sascha Baron Cohen’s Bruno, his bawdy trip into homosexuality. “I merely codirected a few scenes in the music video part at the end— and it was assembled along with footage from two other shoot days. We also shot a bunch of green screen footage which never made it in.“It was fun!” he remarks. “Sacha Baron Cohen really is a genius.” Hotdog suit-wearing babies, Polaroids coming to life, and rooms swinging like pendulums—these are some of the weird and fantastic images that you’ll encounter when you wind down Schofield’s avenue. His galvanizing virtuoso promises bold and better things to come. “A long time ago,” he recalls, “I wanted to make a Vietnam war film video—but it would be awesome and exciting. I still wish I could work more with guns and stunts.” Now tell us when to jump.

www.keithschofield.com

TOO WILD TO HANDLE Keith shares us a few videos he pitched for but didn’t get to work on.

Boys Like Girls “The Great Escape”

The BPA ft. Iggy Pop “He’s Frank”

The Cribs “I’m a Realist”

Eminem “Crack a Bottle”

www.statusmagonline.com - 69

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Behind the hookiest commercials to Cannes-caliber work, here are some of the young blood pumping the latest uprising in Philippine cinema.

ADOLF ALIX, JR.

NEWWAVE Behind the hookiest commercials to Cannes-caliber work, here are some of the young blood pumping the latest uprising in Philippine cinema.

ADOLFo ALIX, JR. Bicycle Pictures Check out: Donsol (2006), Adela (2008), Manila (2009) The best actor you’ve worked with: Having worked since the 1940s with some of the Philippines’ great directors like Gerry de Leon, Lamberto Avellana, Ishmael Bernal, and Lino Brocka— [Anita Linda’s] work ethics is really admirable. The most important thing you learned in film festivals: The more honest the films are in depicting their own realities, the more the audience respond to it. The most challenging shoot you ever had to do: Shooting in Batanes… We had to bring in everything— the equipment, the generator. etc. Worse, we had to transport them by boat as we shoot in different islands. What your next films will be like: Presa is about the life of an octagenarian in the women’s correctional, Porno is about the intersecting lives of individuals connected by porn, and Kalayaan is about the lonely life of Filipino soldiers in the Spratlys.

70 - www.statusmagonline.com

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

BORGY TORRE Sagasak Productions Check out: Yanggaw (2008), Bonsai (2009) The best actor you’ve worked with: Richard Somes… He has [only] a few commercials and short films, but what he did in my short Bonsai was amazing, very natural, amusing, sweet, and cool… The most challenging shoot you ever had to do: Shooting in a bus… I didn’t know how to attack it; I really wish I could have that one back and shoot it again properly. Your distinct mark: I’d like to be known as the guy who could…make the audience feel a certain emotion at a particular time… It’s like having them on your palms and playing with them.

MIKE TALAMPAS

The reward of making movies: Besides the awards… the long nights in the location or in the editing suites, the brainstorming, the debating, the delicious meals, everything about filmmaking is fun.

Revolver Studios Inc. Check out: Mundonino? (2004), Heroes TVC (2008) Robot-Lego TVC (2009), How you got started fiddling with a video camera: Sophomore year, high school. Didn’t want to speak in front of the class so I convinced my group to make a video instead. Had to shoot-edit a presentation about amoebae with my friend’s old camcorder. The most challenging shoot you ever had to do: Shot a video with girls jumping on trampolines. Extremely hard work. Really. How being “indie” has been rewarding for you: I think working hard in any and every project you do makes the output rewarding, indie or not. Budgets and technological limits aside, what your next film will be like: Maybe I’ll make a movie about blue alien beings fighting for their motherland!

SHERAD anthony SANCHEZ Cinema One Originals Check out: The Last Priestess of Buhi (2006), Sewer (2008) How you got started fiddling with a video camera: Years after I decided to be in Film...only when I worked on my first short film for a class. The most important thing you got from film festivals. Festival. Market. Damage. The most challenging shoot you ever had to do:

Everything I do should challenge me. How being “indie” has been difficult/rewarding: [It’s been] a continuous learning experience... Budgets and technological limits aside, what your next film will be like: I’ll be expecting my twin.

www.statusmagonline.com - 71

PHOTO DIARY

FREEWAY HITCH BY JAYSON MOYER

72 - www.statusmagonline.com

PHOTO DIARY

www.jaysonmoyer.com www.statusmagonline.com - 73

HEavy hitter

“It’s sobering when some 14-year-old kid comments on your work and says it sucks or is a cliché… and it’s gratifying when they love it.”

74 - www.statusmagonline.com

heavy hitter

THE ROBCORP

INVASION

Director CHRIS ROBINSON addresses criticisms from 14-year-olds, defines what the heck “procreagency” means, and tells us what keeps him chasing for Super Bowl moments. By Miyo Sta. Maria Photographed by Neal J. Feldman

ou’d think all the elements of a good hip-hop/R&B music video are narrowed down to girls, clubs and more girls, with maybe a flashy car or two rollin’ on the side. But as director Chris Robinson describes his work, recently including Usher’s you’ll realize that these kinds of videos are more than just overflowing Krystal and bouncy bumbums. “For me, if there is anything that should be addressed, it’s the quality of the visual and how we as directors can take that genre and make it feel fresh and innovative,” Chris says loud and cool. This is the same craftsmanship he has brought to the tables of Alicia Keys, Diddy, and Wale to name, yes, too few. When not preoccupied with making videos, this man from Maryland gets busy with ROCKCORP., a project he describes as “one of the most important things in my life right now.” They provide free passes to concerts—featuring the likes of Kanye, Lady Gaga, and John Legend—in exchange for community service. Here, he talks with us while waiting for his turn to have Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Day Lewis, and Denzel Washington in his next films. What was that moment in your life where you knew you wanted to be a director? [The] first sign was in second grade, I have a…teacher [who] said “Chris is disruptive in class, but he writes these stories that the class really loves….” At 10 years old, I used to see survey crews looking through their Abney levels which, to me, looked like cameras. I...told my dad “It’s how they make movies.” That vision caught up with me when I was 16 and read Spike Lee’s book She’s Gotta Have It… When all those things came together…I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Your Grammy-nominated video for Nas’ “One Mic” talks about racial bias. Do you always work a certain theme into your videos? I’ve also done videos…[that] are very different and don’t really have an

advocacy so to speak. I have always felt that staying true to an artist and the music while creating something fresh or unexpected was the mission. Critics describe your work as subtle and classic. Would you say they’re right? I’ll take subtle and classic all day... Comments on YouTube or other blogs cut straight to the realness. It’s sobering when some 14-year-old kid comments on your work and says it sucks or is a cliché…and it’s gratifying when they love it. Your feature film debut ATL was nominated for several awards, including Best Director in Black Reel Festival. How did that feel? What makes me happiest is when someone walks up to me on the street and expresses how they received the film. I have had the opportunity to speak to people all over the world…who saw the film and appreciated it artistically. Do you compromise often with producers? The filmmaking process, as a whole, is a compromise. In the early part of my career, my relationship with producers was more adversarial... With experience…I realize they play a vital role in bringing your vision to the screen. Which video are you most proud of? For me my true favorites are more about when everything clicks artistically, and the magic happens. It’s like winning the Super Bowl or something... Those moments are rare, but that’s the feeling you keep chasing as a director. What’s the future for Chris Robinson? ROBOT IS THE FUTURE! ROBOT is the company that houses all my artistic endeavors. We started off as a production company, and we joke that we have evolved into a production company-creative agency mash up—the “procreagency.” It’s like a creative Frankenstein…in a good way!

www.robotfilm.com

www.statusmagonline.com - 75

HEavy hitter

M THE

word

In an industry where larger than life is the status quo, Mumblecore affirms that in fact, life is just the right size as it is. Darling of the genre JOE SWANBERG talks about giving his audiences a reality check. By Lucy Arthur Photographed by Ellen Stagg 76 - www.statusmagonline.com

heavy hitter

“ I wanted to represent myself and the people around as i saw them. “ L

et’s face it: we are a generation of unabashed voyeurs. Watching a Joe Swanberg film is a confronting confirmation of this fact. In what is traditionally an escapist medium, Swanberg’s films stand out for their refusal to conform. His plots and dialogue meander with the same aimlessness as his characters themselves, lighting and cinematography is stark, and the sex is real. Swanberg’s films make no attempt to gloss over the unflattering, tedious bits of reality; in fact, they seem to amplify them. “I wanted to represent myself and the people around me as I saw them,” he muses. And so he did with his first project Kissing on the Mouth, financed by his web designing forays and fuelled by his desire to produce something real. In 2005, he presented it at the South by Southwest Film Festival, amongst a number of other films of the same ilk. It was here that the dreaded ‘Mumblecore’ sobriquet was coined, denoting a new wave of lo-fi, character-driven, microbudgeted films. This name,

dismissed by those at the center of it as too reductive, has become a favourite buzz word amongst bloggers and cinephiles alike. The genre, garnering its fair share of praise and criticism, has nonetheless fast become a festival staple and a download favourite among generation wi-fi. The core ‘Mumblecordians’ were a community of twenty-something, post college malcontents, trendily poor in a middle class sort of way, artistic but by no means bohemian. And what are Mumblecore movies about? Just that. The cinematic equivalent of compulsive navel-gazing, these films were made by, for, and about a particular demographic. Dedicated to portraying characters and situations almost excruciating in their awkwardness, these films are so real they can be unnerving to watch as their characters bumble and amble around in all their blemished, hirsute glory. Long, lingering extreme close-ups are devoted to subtleties usually considered entirely too

commonplace for the silver screen: fidgeting, silences, and nonevents eventually build themselves together to form a decided ambience. In a time where there is more reality TV than you can poke a stick at, Mumblecore films succeed in actually approximating reality, where conversations are tangential and characters don’t always arc. Plotless, yes, but certainly far from pointless. Swanberg affectionately, and somewhat euphemistically, calls these films ‘challenging,’ and maintains that they shouldn’t be lumped into the indie category: “The majority of ‘indie’ films that reach a wide audience are essentially Hollywood films made with a smaller budget… There are a limited number of movie screens, and accessible, escapist indie films often push the challenging films out of the art theaters.” As audiences tire of stale, formulaic rom coms churned out by Hollywood, however, it is inevitable that studio execs are going to be knocking on the doors of these fresh auteurs who

seem to have a much better grasp on the nuances of young relationships. But will this signal sell out territory for the likes of Swanberg? “I would love to pay my collaborators better. If I had a bigger budget, I wouldn’t work in a different way, but I would make sure to pay everyone well.” Humblecore indeed. Times change fast, and Swanberg acknowledges that this type of cinema is becoming far more mainstream: “I don’t feel frustrated anymore, and I feel like an overwhelming number of people are making realistic narrative films now, so my interests are changing… I am still trying to make truthful films, but I’m trying to get at the truth through different channels.” His new film Silver Bullets is billed as a quasi-horror film and confirms this transition. If you have every intention of illegally downloading this film, here is the best part—Joe Swanberg couldn’t care less.

www.joeswanberg.com

www.statusmagonline.com - 77

HEavy hitter

A WEBB OF LIES Music video and film director MARC WEBB is articulate, passionate, and coming of age…a lot like his critically acclaimed masterpiece, (500) Days of Summer. By Toff de Venecia Photographed by Chuck Zlotnick

t was, perhaps, one of those priceless, unforgettable moments in a man’s life—when a web of genius is spun across pockets of exhilaration, anticipation, and climactic validation. Imagine this—a budding film director enters the inexorable arena of the Sundance Film Festival, gets largely applauded and embraced by his nowadays oyster and audience that is the world, becomes the director of the next Spiderman movie and possibly two more. That’s pretty fuckin’ amazing! “A few months ago, I got an email from Mike Nichols (award-winning director of The Graduate) who’d seen and enjoyed the movie,” relates Marc Webb who is reeling in from the overwhelming ripple effect of his directorial debut, (500) Days of Summer. “We ended up having lunch, and I walked out of it feeling like I belonged.” 78 - www.statusmagonline.com

Summer was one of those movies that made our A.D.D. generation get some serious reality check on the not so la-la loopholes and lasciviousness of love, apart from the conventions of your typical romantic comedy. In fact, Summer was everything but a typical romantic comedy. And it sure as hell wasn’t a love story, as Tom, the protagonist or antagonist (whichever way you see it), and a tagline of the movie would later attest. Marc continues excitedly over the conversation he had with the Academy award-winning director, “What was extraordinary about it was that Mike Nichols articulated all the anxieties and excitements that I thought were ineffable and unique to my experience. I guess we just rapped about what it meant to be a director,” a reality that is sinking in quite comfortably with the young

Hollywood maestro. As early as he could remember, Marc had always wanted to do full-length films and in present progressive thinking, earned his stripes by doing “shorts” and a slew of music videos for the ranks of My Chemical Romance, Weezer, and Good Charlotte. “They’re all memorable in their own ways,” he insists when asked about the artist who made the most impact on his career. “But Regina Spektor is always fun. I always liked her. And she just texted me wishing me a Merry Christmas.” Anchored on art’s natural course, true artists tend to cut across mediums in order to gauge their imaginative steel. “Summer managed to conjure up some pretty old feelings [for me]—it was personal,” he shares of his transition to film, adding, “I also felt like I could work out my filmmaking muscle with the

different techniques. It seemed like it would be fun to make.” Naturally, Summer would star Hollywood comeback kid Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the lovelorn Tom Hansen and indie scenester Zooey Deschanel as the quirky but cynical Summer Finn—actors who weave some great offbeat chemistry with Webb. He would later collaborate with the two on a promotional “short” for the movie—role-playing, dance numbers, and all. As a filmmaker, Marc is tasked to narrate a story with his own point of view while trying to reconcile his lens with that of premeditated commercial constructs. But he seems to think otherwise, saying “I think there’s an artificial dichotomy that separates what’s ‘commercial’ and what’s ‘art.’ I don’t use those words very often.” What he wants is for his work to connect with people as a form of communication in as much as it is a form of expression. For Summer, the director toys with the conventions a bit, invoking weddings, karaoke scenes, the token “narrator,” and the hyper-intelligent sister in order to seduce the viewer into thinking that it was a certain kind of movie. “And it is,” he exclaims briefly. “We just arrived at a different conclusion.” Furthermore, Marc was able to transpose Summer’s original setting, San Francisco, with a more romantic side of LA in order to appease the film outfit’s budgetary concerns. After all, the script is set in San Francisco and Tom (Levitt’s character) likes to find beauty in the

past and in things that others have forgotten. “Music, ideas of love, the architecture in downtown—it’s a different part of Los Angeles that you normally don’t see.” Marc adds, “From a design perspective, I was able to create a world that felt hermetically sealed. All the buildings were built before 1950, which had a worn-in texture and faded classical feel—perfect for the conceit of the film.” Music also seems to be a huge part of the movie, in as much as it is the foundation of Marc’s career. “Because of my background in music videos, it’s forever connected to the way I think about imagery. Of course, music needs to support an existing narrative, but it can also, for moments, define it.” If, however, sometime in the future, God hands him a piece of paper with the meaning of life written on it and it said, “The meaning of life is to dance and make music,” then according to the director, that would make perfect sense. “I can’t really imagine a life without music because, on some level, it’s impossible to separate the two.” Finally, while his lunch with Mike Nichols was one of those lifedefining moments, for Marc, Kieslowski’s RED and Peter Weir’s Dead Poet’s Society come close seconds. “The former invoked a humanism, a skill and a warmth that still inspires me. And Dead Poets Society gave me courage to be an artist, to believe, and to seize the day. It changed the way I think—I believe that.” Yes Marc, we believe you!

www.marcwebb.com

heavy hitter

WEBB-STER’S DICTIONARY Can you spell me an A-M-E-N?

(M)IND OVER MATTER: On being a story teller: “Apart from reality, I want to be a very good looking storyteller.” (A)LITTLE WHITE LAMB ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB: “(The White Lamb on my website) comes from the Brand New video, “Sic Transit Gloria.” It means something specific, but that’s all I’m gonna say.” (R)EALITY SHOW: Tell us a lil’ something about yourself: “I come from the Midwest where we find it difficult to talk about ourselves.” (C)RY ME A RIVER: Choose one: video or film director? “Superhero.” (S)HARI HAD A LITTLE LAMB: Lowdown on Lamb Chop’s Play-Along? “When I was a kid, I thought Lamb Chop was curious.” (W)ORDS OF WISDOM: For budding film directors: “If you ever get the chance, have lunch with Mike Nichols.” (E)RGONOMICS: Thoughts on Sundance Film Festival? “I loved every second of it.” (B)EST THING ABOUT JOSEPH GORDONLEVITT: “You might think he’s fancy, but he drives a very modest car.” (B)EST THING ABOUT ZOOEY DESCHANEL: “She can bake. For real.”

www.statusmagonline.com - 79

WORKING GIRL

MIND TEASE A muse for the term “je ne sais quoi,” 2009 Cannes Best Actress CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG can sing with the lyrical lightness of a chanson but can shock you with her bare-all acting prowess. Hers is the subtle appeal that teases, that mystery you’d be happy to revel in. By Kristine Dabbay Photographed by Paul Jasmin

80 - www.statusmagonline.com

WORKING GIRL

www.statusmagonline.com - 81

WORKING GIRL

82 - www.statusmagonline.com

WORKING GIRL

“I guess every actor reveals himself, but it’s not to be revealed to other people; it’s also to reveal yourself to yourself and to discover things about you that you find interesting.” I

t’s 12:40AM, and I’m catching through my IPod some of Charlotte’s tunes from her latest album IRM. I am listening to “Le Chat du Café des Artistes” when the phone rings. I grab it right away knowing for sure that the moment has come to shift my aural reality. So I asked her how she was. “I’m good. I’m good. I just came back from New York for a few weeks because of a few gigs,” she replies with an accent, reminding me that she was in Paris—the land where Catherine Deneuve and Brigitte Bardot came from. But certainly, it’s not just her Gallic lineage that opens up a warm gush of nostalgia because she is, after all, the daughter of singer-provocateur Serge Gainsbourg and iconic English actress Jane Birkin after whom the famous Hermes bag was named. Their romance became a historic love affair frozen in time by the song “Je t’aime...moi non plus” that had the sound of a simulated orgasm causing a stir in the late sixties. It’s within this creative environment that Charlotte grew up. “I think even if your parents tell you about things, you have to look them on your own to really understand it.” Though not exactly treading the same path as her father and mother, she made a name for herself in the same industry. “They never pushed me to do anything. I wanted to do it on my own,” she says. Whether she’s singing clad only in underpants and a shirt with Serge in “Lemon Incest” or courting controversy by mutilating her genitals in Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist, she carries her roles with grace that they never become in-your-face performances. “I think that’s what I’m looking for. It’s not to expose myself, really. I guess every actor reveals himself, but it’s not to be revealed to other people; it’s also to reveal yourself to yourself and to discover things about you that you find interesting.” Such is the power

of her craft because it finds a fine balance between giving and holding back, resulting to a tasteful, almost candid act. Perhaps it is being in the limelight since she was little that enabled her to refine her skills until it was polished with an impeccable sheen that always glints to please our senses. From L’effrontée where she won a César Award for Most Promising Actress to Michel Gondry’s Science of Sleep, Charlotte’s portrayal of an aggrieved mother in Antichrist is, so far, the most astonishing as it presents the disturbing depths of female sexuality that surprisingly can border into explicit violence, to the point that the film was suspected of misogyny. But her success in the film business has also blossomed into music with her collaboration with Air and finally with Beck through the recently released album IRM. It took her almost 20 years to make another compilation. “I had the courage to do it again [although] I thought that, without my father, there was no point and that I couldn’t do it without him… [but] very gradually, I realized that I did want to do something again, so it’s really when I met Air that it became possible.” In 2006, she produced an atmospheric masterpiece 5:55 followed this year with the strangely bewitching album inspired by MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) which she had to undergo successively after a brain hemorrhage caused by a skiing accident. “Antichrist happened while we were recording, and I went back to Europe, and I shot the film, and then went straight back to LA to continue the record with Beck…the fact that I started working again helped me a lot. I just need to forget about that experience that I had. I had to start focusing on myself and stop being in a panic because I was always panicking about my health when something starts to go wrong again. The fact that I was

www.statusmagonline.com - 83

didn’t have the time to think about myself anymore,” she shares. With more than 30 movies now, it is a pleasure to hear her speak about her creative process. When asked about the difference between making films and making music, she recounts that “With films you plan everything, you know what you’re about to shoot, you learn your lines for the next day… It’s planned and then you hope for little accidents to happen. In music, you don’t know what you’re about to do when you get up in the morning…you just let things happen, which is more panicking because you don’t know if things are going to happen or not, and you just go with the flow and go with your inspiration.” No doubt that she doesn’t believe in overthinking. “I’m very instinctive. I don’t think about the way I do things. I don’t analyze what I do. It’s difficult to put words after words because I don’t explain it to myself,” she says. Whichever way she chooses, her actions have already proven more than enough of her talent. Even if it was Beck who wrote the songs for the album, it was Charlotte who gave life to the melodies and lyrics. She rendered it with an intimate touch that soars with her airy vocals. The same goes for film where she realized that the “most important [factor] is not the script but the director.” When asked about the director she wants to collaborate with, she answers, “I like the fact that I admire people and then it’s a surprise to see if we’re able to work together.” Her quiet intensity is overpowering. How can someone so successful be so spontaneously down-to-earth? Having said that her ultimate goal is to learn new things, she remembers that when initially recording IRM, she really didn’t know anything about musical styles. “When we first started, he asked me what kind of style I wanted, and I told him I have nothing planned. I just want to experience different things.” It might have taken a longer period for her to delve into music, but her cinematic and musical leanings are here to stay. “I’d like to continue both because I miss films when I don’t do it, and I miss music when I don’t do it.” Just like her favorite track in the album “La Collectionneuse” or “The Collector,” which always had the power to activate her mood—her music so as her films are hotlines to memory. She might be reciting a breathy rendition of Apollinaire’s poems or simply capturing the overtones of her fears and yearnings through her acting, bottom line remains that she survived a hemorrhage and turned it into hypnotic performances, which is a metaphor or simply an example of how we sometimes bleed for the things we love.

www.charlottegainsbourg.com

84 - www.statusmagonline.com

“I’m very instinctive. I don’t think about the way I do things. I don’t analyze what I do. It’s difficult to put words after words because I don’t explain it to myself,” www.statusmagonline.com - 85

WORKING GIRL

For someone who detests being called “sweetheart,” proud New Yorker Vashtie Kola radiates just that. Insightful and conscious about bringing her vision of the world, the more recognizable VA$HTIE has gone a long way from being the alienated high school misfit. By Marla Cabanban

Photo by Jonathan Mannion

s she juggles her roles as music video director, party promoter, fashion designer, and all-around artist, this Trinidad-American beauty has more than enough tricks to saunter through the multifaceted demands of the modern creative industry. Vashtie was fortunate enough to possess the gift of self-awareness at a time when most of us were grappling with requisite teenage angst. As such, being a wise twentysomething, Vashtie has already made her bones either working along or directing videos of the likes of Common, Island Def Jam, Stussy, Q-Tip, Lupe Fiasco, Pharell Williams (whom she also dated once upon a time), Kid Cudi, Armand Van Helden, and as of late, even tween heartthrob Justin Bieber. She also worked the party scene with the creation of a party series called 1992 with her bestfriend Oscar Sanchez. The title speaks for itself; the parties featured only music from the early ‘90s, most of them converging into the age of hip-hop. The

86 - www.statusmagonline.com

lady knows how to party. With her unassuming oversized t-shirts and mop of curls, her energy is akin to that goofy girl friend of yours who lives down the street and who’ll drag you to a Patrick Swayze movie marathon with maybe a bottle of wine. This self-proclaimed tomboy muses and reminisces using honest truths and a storyteller’s eye. At the bottom of it all, Vashtie may be this fierce shaker decked against a stunning graffiti backdrop, but she’s also someone you can troll the Internet with for inconsequential, ridiculous pictures while laughing and poking each others’ ribs. If her moniker “Downtown’s Sweetheart” is all about that, then it’s really not such a repulsive, girly thing after all. The moniker “Downtown’s Sweetheart” suggests a duality within your personality; do you sometimes think separate personalities exist? What are the funniest things about it? “Downtown’s Sweetheart”

represents, for me, a girl who is off the beaten path that is easy to get along with. I’m into a real range of things: hardcore shows, wine tastings, gay parties, vegan restaurants, and steak houses. I have such a range of influences that I’ve never had a hard time conversing with the different kinds of people I meet. [But] as super sweet and friendly as I can be, I can also hold my own and be tough as nails. It’s funny for someone like me to have that nickname because I absolutely detest nicknames like “baby doll,” “babygirl,” or “sweetie”… I’m a girl, but I’m not delicate. To this day, is there something about the way you carry yourself that echoes your roots to Trinidad? Absolutely… When I was in art school, I realized I didn’t have to finish to pursue my dreams. Interning and working in the industry had a greater impact on my career, but when I thought back to my mother and the other women of my family—I realized they didn’t

have that luxury of attending college...so I stayed and graduated… There are times in work when I’m so frustrated and I’m whining, then I think back to my parents...working two jobs, getting their GED’s, raising three children and not a peep. That’s when I get it together and work 10 times harder. What’s the creative process like when you conceptualize your videos? How do you break yourself out of your comfort zones? I usually have to listen to the song over and over again with my eyes closed. I like to visualize the picture and then write. Sometimes, I’m given direction of what the piece should be, and I try and incorporate that if it makes sense. Then I write. If I take too long to get started, the process becomes harder. To break out of my comfort zones, I have to get started right away. How did the creative light bulb click on when you were younger?

WORKING GIRL

“ I’m into a real range of things:

hardcore shows, wine tastings, gay parties, vegan restaurants, & steak houses.”

Photo by 13th witness

New York

“ It wasn ’t that brought something out of me that didn’t exist before but rather that I felt more alive and more compelled than ever when I moved to this city. ” Photo by Elle Clay

In middle school, I went through a horrible period of being “the misfit”… [So] I started skating, listening more to rock and alternative music, getting into fashion and art magazines (pre-blog and Internet). In an allblack school in the hood, that was not cool then. The kids at school played me, and I hated being there… I spent so much time alone that it probably helped me truly find myself. Experiencing that at such a young age was a bit of a blessing; it made me have no interest in ever “fitting in” which gave me the room to think and do as creatively as I wanted with no rules. When you cannot be bothered to think about what to wear, what does your outfit usually end up looking like? Life is already too hectic, and for me to work up a different look for everyday is exhausting… I’m usually in denim cutoffs, boots, a flannel, or maybe leggings and an oversized t-shirt. I saw those fetish Nazi Girls

on your blog; can we assume that you’re a fan of bizarre things on the Internet? What have been your favorites? I went to Catholic school and wore a uniform from kindergarten to senior year of high school. Being a lazy Taurus that likes to wear the same thing everyday, it worked out for me. Nazi uniforms intrigue me like other uniforms do. Through researching them, I found out about Nazi Fetishism. I guess I do have a few bizarre interests: pro-eating disorder sites, before and after plastic surgery pictures of celebrities... Nostalgia for the ‘90s seems to be the easiest way to feel a sense of communion and warm, fuzzy feelings these days... Do you think it’s a trend or there’s something else more to it? What are your favorite memories of the ‘90s? Everyone is nostalgic for their childhood, and for me that’s the ‘90s. I think every generation reaches for the one prior to what’s happening currently… I’m

sure it’s a trend for a lot of people, but for me, it’s a nice way to reminisce on the “good old days.” I was so young in the ‘90s; all I wanted was to wear bamboo earrings, rock Jordans, and go to clubs… I can remember my older brother voguing to house music and talking about his trips to New York, going to parties, and hanging out with club kids. I remember watching my sister get ready to go out with her boyfriend and putting on her Depeche Mode t-shirt and denim jacket. Since I didn’t get to have those things myself, it’s manifested itself in my adult years. Where would you take me in New York if you wanted to show me what you’re all about? Possibly, Santos Party House where I do my weekly Open Party with Q-Tip. It’s just so old NYC... The crowd has such an eclectic mix, there is no current music played, no dress code or bottle service wackness, and when the dance circle opens up and

it’s full of b-boys, voguers, and more, it’s just cool. That’s kind of like me...I have such a range of friends and interests… Looks like you really found yourself in New York. What exactly did New York bring out that never used to be there? It wasn’t that New York brought something out of me that didn’t exist before, but rather that I felt more alive and more compelled than ever when I moved to this city. Growing up in Albany as an “artsy” and “weird” kid, I was often the subject for ridicule, and when I moved to the city, I was celebrated for my difference. That’s the beauty of this place. In any other place, you are a weirdo, and when you come here, there’s always someone else more weird.

www.vashtie.com

www.statusmagonline.com - 87

GREET THE NEXT

Art house favorite GRETA GERWIG finally breaks out of her indie circuit’s shell as she stars opposite Ben Stiller in Noah Baumbach’s latest comedy drama Greenberg. By Nante Santamaria Photographed by Steven Taylor

“I care more about the movie I’m making than personal vanity...”

88 - www.statusmagonline.com

t is her new year break. We catch up with Greta Gerwig as she stays with her parents who are only impressed, she confesses, “if I make my bed and wash the dishes.” Last December, she just finished shooting 40 Day Dream—another production with one of the suspects behind Nights and Weekends (2008), a film for which she has all screenwriting, directorial, and lead actor credits. That was just one in a streak of festival successes, sufficiently successive for Greta to be hailed muse, dare one say queen, of an indie film movement awkwardly referred to as “mumblecore”—roughly, twenty-something angst filmed on practically thankyou budgets and, at times, rolling with documentary-like quality. But the tide changes this March as she debuts in Hollywood with no less than Ben Stiller as a midlifeanguished lead in Greenberg. Unlike with her former art house flicks, her folks have seen the trailer in “real” movie theaters, so she’s relieved “It has made them stop worrying, at least a little, about my life as an actress.” Just the kind of thing anyone’s ten-year-old self would be proud of. She’s wide-eyed “to be surrounded by people who are drop dead amazing at what they do—from make-up, to lighting, to sound, to cinematography.” “When I reflect on it,” Greta muses, “I realize that a lot has changed…” That’s since she started getting involved in the grassroot filmmaking circuit in New York. She can only be glad as “Brooklyn is still there for me any time I want a Peter Luger steak or a slice of Grimaldi’s pizza.” And just as comforting, fellow New Yorker and frequent Wes

Anderson collaborator Noah Baumbach is directing. With her impressive filmography and remarkable talents, it’s not a bad time at all to step out onto paparazzi-laden red carpets.

Greenberg is almost out in the theaters. How excited/nervous are you right now? I haven’t been this anxious and amped-up since turning in my senior thesis. I’m all nerves and hopes and silliness. I’m very, very proud of the film. If I were not in it, it would be the kind of film I would go see and love. I have to ask how it was working with Noah Baumbach who has been Oscar-nominated and has this major indie following. Noah Baumbach is the antithesis of anything mumble. He is exacting and precise and careful. There is no need to improvise for him because he is a genius—I’m using this word quite literally and with no hyperbole—and his words provide worlds of material for an actor. Each scene reads like a short story, and it is the job of us actors to try to bring each nuance to life as best we can. And then there’s Ben Stiller. How is it like to be initiated into Hollywood with him? Ben Stiller is a brilliant actor and creative force, but he never made me feel out of place or over my head. He was incredibly kind and supportive and I cannot imagine a better actor to share my first “real” movie with… We were both physically uncomfortable for most of the movie as he had to lose weight for his character and I had to gain weight for mine. The first day, he sent me

a burger. I sent him apples. You, of course, have a lot of things in common with these two people, being writers and actors. How did that make this collaboration easy/difficult? I think the hardest part of the collaboration for me was just getting myself to speak up the first few days. Collaborating with Noah Baumbach and Ben Stiller and Jennifer Jason Leigh is like making suggestions in a chess game with Bobby Fischer. But they trusted me and helped me, and I was fully supported in creating [the character] Florence as I saw her. I think working with people [like them] who wear many hats has always worked out well for me probably because our brains function along similar channels. Your comfort as an actor will have now changed a lot since working with Joe Swanberg in LOL, Hannah Takes the Stairs, Nights and Weekends. What do you owe to him most? [Working with Joe] allowed me to explore a part of myself as an actor and a filmmaker that I otherwise would not have. I have grown and changed as an actor and a writer since…and I think I have found myself along the way. It is a tricky thing to figure out what you like and what kind of actor or creator you are and even

WORKING GIRL

trickier to allow yourself to change… In a way, watching mumblecore feels voyeuristic as they are “barely movies.” How do we know when you’re lying? Even though we are speaking naturalistically and improvising, almost nothing I say is “true”—meaning that it doesn’t come from my real life. It all comes out of the situations that the characters are in. It isn’t even that deliberate on my part not to use my own life; it is simply that the characters wouldn’t talk about what I would talk about because their circumstances are so different from mine. Your director in Baghead (2008) Jay Duplass says the camera just wants to go to you. When do you like it to go away? Probably when the most interesting stuff is happening, film-wise. I usually don’t want to be filmed when I feel ugly or petty or angry, but luckily, I care more about the movie I’m making than personal vanity, so I power through… Greta Gerwig’s next movie will be… A superhero type movie where she gets to be the superhero, not the superhero’s girlfriend.

GRETAEST HITS Hollywood’s latest indie sweetheart bares what’s topping her playlist.

Discovery - LP It is poppy and addictive and sexy. Especially how the chorus of “So Insane” slows down and changes time signatures. The Voices of East Harlem Can You Feel It It just sounds like late sixties/early seventies New York to me. I very much regret not being alive then.

Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds This is a terrific anthology, and it has a lot of his older, sadder songs. I find his voice heartbreaking.

Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion Shimmery, bouncy, crazy noises music. It is really good to write to. The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa This is another “play it ‘til it’s broken” record. It is the answer I’ve always been looking for to Paul Simon’s Graceland.

www.statusmagonline.com - 89

night vision

NIGHTVISION SECOND BASE Photos by The Cobrasnake

92 - www.statusmagonline.com

night vision

WASTED YOUTH

Photos by The Cobrasnake

BALLOON BALLOON

Photos by The Cobrasnake

www.statusmagonline.com - 93

night vision

SNAP CRACKLE POP

@ENCORE

Photos by Melvin Sun

NUBREED GLOBAL UNDERGROUND @ALCHEMY

Photos by Joe Alimagno

94 - www.statusmagonline.com

night vision

SINULOG @Cebu

Photos by Melvin Sun

Super Bon Bon @UNION SQUARE LOFT

Photos by lastnightsparty.com

www.statusmagonline.com - 95

Where to find stuff in this magazine

13 ITCHES Available at Greyone Social, Greenbelt 5, Makati City, Tel: 729-0945 7 FOR ALL MANKIND Available in Greenbelt 5, Makati City ACNE JEANS See www.acnestudios.com ADIDAS Available at Adidas stores and shoe departments nationwide ALEXANDER WANG See www.alexanderwang.com BALMAIN See www.balmain.com BILLABONG Available at Stoked, Power Plant Mall, Makati City BONES Available at Stoked, Power Plant Mall, Makati City C. LUCE Available at Trilogy Boutique, 110 Alvion Center, Rada St., Legaspi Village, Makati City, Tel: 328-1071 CALVIN KLEIN See www.calvinkleine.com CHANEL See www.chanel.com CHARLES & KEITH Available in Greenbelt 5, Makati City CLAE Available at Greyone Social, Greenbelt 5, Makati City, Tel: 729-0945 CUSHE Available at Shangri-La Mall, Mandaluyong; Trinoma, Quezon City; SM North Quezon City DIESEL See www.diesel.com DOLCE VITA Available at Trilogy Boutique, 110 Alvion Center, Rada St., Legaspi Village, Makati City, Tel: 328-1071 DOROTH PERKINS Available at Power Plant Mall, Makati City DVS Available at Aloha, Power Plant Mall, Makati City;

SM Megamall, Mandaluyong; SM Mall of Asia, Pasay; Trinoma Mall, Quezon City EZEKIEL Available at Stoked, Power Plant Mall, Makati City FALKE See www.falke.com.za GENERIC SURPLUS Available at Trilogy Boutique, 110 Alvion Center, Rada St., Legaspi Village, Makati City, Tel:3281071 GLOBE Available at Aloha, Power Plant Mall, Makati City; SM Megamall, Mandaluyong; SM Mall of Asia, Pasay; Trinoma Mall, Quezon City G-STAR See www.g-star.com HURLEY Available at Stoked, Power Plant Mall, Makati City INSIGHT Available at Aloha, Power Plant Mall, Makati City; SM Megamall, Mandaluyong; SM Mall of Asia, Pasay; Trinoma Mall, Quezon City KAREN WALKER See www.karenwalker.com KENNETH COLE EYEWEAR Available at Power Plant Mall, Makati City LAKAI Available at Aloha, Power Plant Mall, Makati City; SM Megamall, Mandaluyong; SM Mall of Asia, Pasay; Trinoma Mall, Quezon City LEVIS Available in Power Plant Mall, Makati City LYN Available in Greenbelt 5, Makati City MACBETH EYEWEAR Available at Aloha, Power Plant Mall, Makati City; SM Megamall, Mandaluyong; SM Mall of Asia, Pasay; Trinoma Mall, Quezon City MICHAEL ANTONIO Available at Anthem, Greenbelt 5, Makati City MICHAEL KORS Available in Greenbelt 5, Makati City MUI MUI EYEWEAR Available at leading optical shops and depart-

ment stores nationwide NIKE Available at Nike stores and shoe departments nationwide OBEY Available at Trilogy Boutique, 110 Alvion Center, Rada St., Legaspi Village, Makati City, Tel:328-1071 PINK MANILA See www.chictopia.com PUMA Available at Puma stores and shoe departments nationwide RACHEL GILMAN See www.rachel-gilman.com RAY BAN EYEWEAR Available at leading optical shops and department stores nationwide ROYAL ELASTICS Available at G/F Entertainment Center, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City SEBAGO Available at Festival Mall, Alabang; Gateway Mall, Cubao; SM City, Cebu; SM Mall of Asia, Pasay; SM Megamall, Mandaluyong; SM North Edsa, Quezon City; Trinoma, Quezon City SNEAKTIP Available at Greyone Social, Greenbelt 5, Makati City, Tel: 729-0945 STELLA McCARTNEY See www.stellamccartney.com STUSSY Available at Greyone Social, Greenbelt 5, Makati City, Tel: 729-0945 TOPMAN Available in Greenbelt 3, Makati City TOPSHOP Available in Greenbelt 3, Makati City TRUNKSHOW Available in Gloreitta 3, Makati City VANS Available in Vans boutiques, SM Department Stores, Landmark department store, Urban Athletics, Toby’s, Olympic Villafe, American Rag,

Athlete’s Foot, Sports Warehouse VIKTOR JEANS Available in Greenbelt 5, Makati City VOGUE EYEWEAR Available at leading optical shops and department stores nationwide VOLCOM Available at Stoked, Power Plant Mall, Makati City VON ZIPPER Available at Stoked, Power Plant Mall, Makati City WESC Available at Trilogy Boutique, 110 Alvion Center, Rada St., Legaspi Village, Makati City, Tel: 328-1071 ZAC POSEN See www.zacposen.com ZARA Available in Greenbelt 5, Makati City Creative Artists ANOUCK BERTIN (Photographer) See www. anouckbertin.com COBRASNAKE (Photographer) See www. thecobrasnake.com JASON MOYER (Photographer) See www. jaysonmoyer.com KAI HUANG (Photographer) See www. hungryalien.com MELVIN SUN (Photographer) Mobile: +63917794-3704 NICK ST. JAMES (Photographer) Mobile: +63908-726-800 PATRICK JAMORA (Photographer) See www. behance.net/padraick XENG ZULUETA (Makeup Artist) Mobile: +63915-983-6581 Photo Studio TRYPTYCH STUDIO G/F Sarmiento Condominium, 177 Yakal St., San Antonio Village, Makati City, Email: miguelmiranda42@yahoo.com

FORD,

FERVOR, AND FORTUNE By Raydon L. Reyes Photographed by Niko Villegas

“I thought that discovering artists or models only happened in movies.”

98 - www.statusmagonline.com

t’s no surprise why 16-year-old CHARLENE ALMARVEZ stands out among the other runway girls on the globe. With her towering 5’9” height, long legs, prominent bone structure, and natural sun-kissed skin, this new find from Manila placed second in the Ford Models Supermodels of the World contest held in Brazil last January. But besides her good looks, Charlene credits her recent success to two very important things: luck and discipline. After all, it was by chance that Philippine Fashion Week’s fashion director saw her during a go-see. “I wanted to be a model ever since I was in second year high school, but I thought that discovering artists or models only happened in movies. Surprisingly, it happened to me,” she exclaims. Despite her almost instant rise in status, Charlene still likes to keep

her style simple. You’d usually see her donning a simple tee, pants, and two ballers on her wrist (which she considers her lucky charms). “I like comfortable clothes that are not too girly. And when I wear [my ballers], I feel more confident that something good will happen…,” she shares. She practices the ‘discipline’ part by fulfilling both her roles as a model and a Business student in La Salle. And when she’s not working or studying, she’s watching cartoons and playing volleyball. That may reveal that she’s still a kid at heart but her dreams are definitely those of a full-fledged woman who’s now ready to take on the globe: “I’ll work hard, hopefully get a campaign, and do runway shows this upcoming New York Fashion Week and other fashion weeks around the world.”