Culture
PIPPI ALL GROWN UP
An Interview with Inger Nilsson by Margo Fortuny for Buffalo
Children’s storybooks are home to a group of evergreen characters who might best be catagorised as the Forever Children: Peter Pan is one, and Anne of Green Gables is another, but one of the most famous is Pippi Longstocking, whose heroic deeds were later remade on celluloid with Inger Nilsson as her stand-in. Here, we speak to Inger about taking Pippi on her wildest and most unbelievable journey yet: her passage into adulthood. -P.S.
Alongside Abba and flat-pack furniture, Pippi Longstocking is one of Sweden’s most beloved exports. She is the rambunctious redhead created by the author Astrid Lingren. In the stories, unconventional Pippi lives with a horse and a monkey in a big yellow house, free from grown-ups. She shows her friends how to make everything an adventure. The books were translated into 64 languages and adapted into numerous television series and films, which were massively popular in the early Seventies and again in the Eighties and Nineties.
We tracked down the actress who brought Pippi to life to find out how Pippi Longstocking had changed her life. Currently based in Stockholm, Inger Nilsson remains a much-loved Swedish actress. Her first and most famous role was playing Pippi Longstocking. She transformed from a shy girl from a small town to a celebrated actress who appeared everywhere from talk shows to postage stamps, inspiring children to be free-spirited and imaginative. Inger rode horses, befriended a pony, dabbled in disco, loves salsa dancing, and continues to act today.
Pippi Longstocking was headstrong, outgoing, and a bit naughty. Were you like that as a child?
No, I was almost the opposite because I was very shy. Though sometimes I was spontaneous – I had that in common with Pippi.
What did you learn from playing Pippi?
The most interesting thing was that I got introduced to acting. I hadn’t done any acting before I played Pippi. Before I starred in the movies I did a television series too, made up of 13 half-hour episodes.
As a child star, how was your daily life? Was it pretty standard or did you feel like you were in the Beatles, with everyone running after you screaming?
I tried to have a normal life but it was very difficult sometimes because many people came over to my house and even my school. A lot of journalists were writing about me. I tried to be as polite as I could and talk to everyone but as I got older I learned how to say no or ‘yes, we can talk but only for half an hour.’ People wanted to talk to me all the time, but really they were more interested in being with Pippi than being with me.
What did you enjoy doing as a child?
I sang a bit… I had horses so I was in the stables all the time. In the place where I grew up there were a lot of girls too, so we rode together and took care of the horses. I trained the horses to jump, sometimes in competitions. I had a big horse named Maestoso and a little pony named Mirabella. I learned how to ride shooting the Pippi Longstocking movie when I was around nine or ten years old.
What period of your life has been the most enjoyable?
Now!
Is it because you’re doing interesting work, discovering more about yourself or making better friends?
It’s the best time because I want it to be the best time. Now and the future. I don’t want to feel that the best time has already been.
Would you say you’re an optimist?
Yes, you have to be if you’re an actress.
What are your other talents?
I’m rather good at dancing and love jazz and salsa. But perhaps I'm the only one that thinks so! I take classes at the gym where I train.
I read that you recorded a disco song called ‘Keep on Dancing’ in 1977. What was that like?
Oh my God, I wanted to forget that. Some people asked me to do it so I said ‘Yes, why not?’ It wasn't very successful but it was fun to do.
What kind of music do you like?
I like all kinds of music except for hard rock or rap because I can’t understand what they’re talking about. I listened to some salsa music today.
Do you have a favourite actor or actress?
I don’t have any favourites. I was very sad when Philip Seymour Hoffman died. He had so much left to do.
Suppose tomorrow a director called you up and said he (or she) would like you to be in his next film. Who would you like to be on the other side of the telephone?
I think it would be interesting to do a movie with the Danish director Lars Von Trier. But there are many interesting new directors too, and I'd be happy for them to call me.
Is there a role you’ve always wanted to play that you haven’t played yet?
I’ve always wanted to act in a Shakespeare production, maybe Lady Macbeth. I'd love to play a very serious role because that’s not what people expect of me. People think I can only do comedies but I’m very interested in dramatic theatre too.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
It’s mostly from everyday life. Also, from other actors I work with. Everyone inspires each other.
Do you write? Would you ever write a memoir?
Maybe I would write a book. I would really like to talk about everything that’s happened when I was playing famous parts but I don’t know if I will. Then again, you should never say never.
That's something to look forward to! Whenever I have an interesting experience or make a mistake I write down the lesson I’ve learned in a notebook. For example, ‘Bring money for a taxi if you’re going to be drinking a lot’ or ‘Don’t get into an argument over money with good friends.’ Do you have any lessons you want to share?
When you close one door another opens somewhere else. Sometimes you have to just turn away and do something else and think about a new possibility. That’s very important.
...To keep open-minded about new opportunities, about fate?
Yes, and of course you learn something new every day. That’s life. Every night before going to bed you should think ‘What did I learn today?’ There's always something.
If you think about three things that you’re grateful for as you go to bed it’s supposed to make you a happier person. What are the things you appreciate?
Today I was thinking about how the sun was shining – that hasn’t happened so far this month. And recently I hurt my ankle so I couldn’t train but now it’s healed, so I'm grateful for that.
How do you find the motivation to train?
Good music motivates me but sometimes it's difficult. Actually, this morning I had a debate with myself about whether I should go to the gym or not, and in the end I decided I'd give it a go and if it didn't work then at least I'd know I'd tried. I love to do it. It gives me a lot of energy.
What projects do you have coming up?
I’ve been involved in an ongoing performance with a pianist in which I sing and talk about Astrid Lingin (who wrote Pippi Longstocking) and tell stories about my childhood and the Pippi movies. We have a lot of bookings. I’ve been doing it for many years but I do other things as well. I also play a pathologist, the one who looks at dead bodies, in a German crime series, ‘The Inspector and the Sea.’ I hope to do some movies next year.
What else would you like to accomplish?
I’d like to go to the United States. I have some friends there who always tell me to come visit but I haven’t had time to. I’d like to go to the theatre in New York. I love theatre. I never get tired of it.
So when you’re 100 years old maybe we'll see you on Broadway?
I hope so!
Anything else?
I hope I will never tire of spending time with my friends. And I hope I’ll never be the kind of person who sits at home alone and doesn’t want to go out anymore. But you never know.
Indeed, you could become a hermit in a cave in Greece.
If I did do that then at least it will be something I will have chosen, which is fine by me.
LUZ EN EL CAOS
Felipe Almendros es un pintor barcelonés que ha exhibido internacionalmente, un ilustrador que ha publicado varias novelas gráficas como Save our souls, RIP y VIP con Penguin Random House, un músico en el grupo punk Sex Shop Boyz, un artista que hace videoarte y, más recientemente, un actor galardonado por la película de Ander Duque, El arte de frío. Le gusta Fugazi y tiene una fobia inusual, nada mediterránea. Tomé una cerveza con Almendros y habló sobre perderse a uno mismo, cómo la creación puede ayudar a superar la depresión, y la película El arte de frío basada en sus cómics autobiográficos.
¿Cómo equilibras todos tus intereses y proyectos creativos?
Me encantaría tener una respuesta para eso, pero la verdad es que soy un puto caos. No tengo disciplina ni metodología de trabajo, así que me cuesta horrores compaginar esas aficiones. Tengo tendencia al desorden, y salto de una cosa a otra casi sin darme cuenta. Supongo que me muevo por impulsos, y tiendo a la desidia con algunas tareas. Por eso necesito hacer varias cosas a la vez, porque me suelo aburrir mucho cuando algo en lo que trabajo se convierte en una rutina y necesito investigar otras maneras de expresión.
¿Te concentras en un proyecto a tiempo completo durante algunos meses?
Solo me concentro cuando tengo algún encargo específico con fecha de entrega, animación, ilustración, videoclip... Pero si son proyectos personales, estoy desconcertado. La pintura es algo que me ayuda a centrarme un poco, y procuro sacar tiempo para volver al óleo siempre que puedo, porque lo vivo casi como una terapia, un mantra que me ayuda a dejar la mente en blanco por unas horas. Hacer música con mi banda, Sex Shop Boyz, también me ayuda a tener una rutina creativa, porque tenemos horarios de ensayo y la inercia de componer canciones nuevas. Cuando tengo las riendas del compromiso detrás, me vuelvo más pragmático, pero si voy por libre me disperso con facilidad. Aunque disfruto de esa falta de hábitos, porque es cuando surgen las ideas y los proyectos personales más interesantes.
¿Qué quieres comunicar en tus pinturas?
Mis libros son siempre autobiográficos, y parten de la realidad que me rodea. En mi obra plástica he querido trasladar ese mismo concepto de mis novelas, y dotar a mis pinturas de ese realismo cotidiano, retratar el paisaje y las personas que me rodean como concepto autobiográfico.
Has hablado de las diferentes partes de ti mismo que habías perdido y que surgieron cuando estabas creando tus libros, específicamente RIP. A lo largo de los años, ¿qué partes de ti se perdieron o quedaron atrás?
R.I.P. fue sin duda una obra catártica. Me ayudó a comprender quién era y, lo más importante, porque era así. Me ayudó a afrontar mis traumas y miedos del pasado, para mutar en otro ser. En ese proceso creativo y, sobre todo durante la realización del mismo, me conocí mejor y llegué a perdonar a personas muy influyentes de mi pasado, mi padre entre ellos. También me ayudó a soltar a todos los Felipes que llevaba dentro y hacer un reset general que me hizo avanzar poco a poco en busca de nuevos yoes. No fue una terapia de un día para otro pero sembró una semilla importante con la que dar el primer paso.
Desde niño fui muy depresivo, creo que es algo heredado de mi madre, que también sufrió de depresión durante muchos años. Eso marcó mucho mi carácter introvertido desde muy niño, y no me dejó crecer. R.I.P. me ayudó a viajar al pasado y darme cuenta de ese tipo de frenos personales. Nunca pensé en su publicación, o en cómo lo verían otros, simplemente lo vomité para quitármelo de encima. Curiosamente, esa sinceridad, aunque de estilo feísta, gustó a algunas personas. Aprendí que, si haces algo desde lo personal, seguro que nacerá algo original y, lo más importante, de lo que sentirte siempre orgulloso como autor.
Una vez soñé que mi depresión y sufrimiento aparecían en un espejo. En este espejo, eran una obra de arte. El horrible dolor se había convertido en algo fascinante. ¿Cómo crees que tus luchas personales han ayudado o inspirado tu trabajo?
Sin duda son parte de mi imaginario creativo. Todo parte de lo personal o autobiográfico, porque me parece lo más honesto y sincero. Creo que es la forma más original de crear algo sin estar tentado por las tendencias del momento y es una regla que procuro aplicar a todo lo que hago. No soy ajeno al mundo que me rodea, pero prefiero no ser muy permeable al trabajo de otros. Esa manera de narrar me ayuda bastante, pero siempre desde el humor. No me interesa generar narraciones dramáticas que no aporten algo más. Mi familia vivió siempre los dramas, que no fueron pocos, con cierta ironía y sentido del humor, esa forma de supervivencia es algo que heredé de todo ellos y que uso en mis novelas como desengrasante innato para las situaciones más dolorosas.
¿Qué es lo más meta (refiriéndose a sí mismo o a una obra creativa) que te ha pasado?
Lo más meta fue poder salvar a mi hermana, sin duda. Mi novela R.I.P. nace de ese momento en el que mi hermana necesitaba mi médula para salvar su vida...
¿Tu hermana tenía cáncer?
Sí, mi hermana sufrió Leucemia, y yo fui su donante de médula para superar la enfermedad.
¿Podrías explicar un poco más cómo superaste los desafíos que estabas enfrentando en ese momento?
En ese momento, yo me encontraba con una agorafobia que no me dejaba salir de casa. Tuve que superar esa patología haciendo un esfuerzo introspectivo muy profundo para hallar la raíz de mis traumas y poderlos superar. Mi novela: R.I.P. narra ese viaje introspectivo a mi inconsciente, visitando personas y situaciones con el fin de superar mis miedos del pasado. El libro narra esa simbiosis entre hermanos: yo le salvé la vida a mi hermana, pero ella me forzó a superar mi agorafobia. Todo ese proceso acabó convertido en una novela de 140 páginas en la que explico la salvación de ambos... y que firmé con el nombre de mi padre en vez de con el mío.
Aparte de protagonizar la película 'El Arte del Frío', ¿tuviste otros papeles en la producción?
La película fue concebida desde el inicio como un acto de franqueza con la realidad. Tanto Ander Duque como yo la planteamos como un experimento, una diversión, así que desde el inicio no hubo reglas. Mi papel en la película tampoco era el de actor, o por lo menos actor al uso, ya que no teníamos guión, ni había que memorizar diálogos. Fue uno de esos proyectos mágicos que empiezan medio en broma tomando una copa de vino y acaban convertidos en una película con trayectoria en festivales y difusión en Filmin.
A Ander le inspiraron algunas de las cosas que le explicaba sobre mi vida y, un buen día, se plantó con la cámara con la única premisa de narrar mi historia, pero como de costumbre cuando nos juntamos, acabó convertido en un sinfín de escenas y situaciones improvisadas en las que construimos el guión sobre la marcha. En toda la película no hay un actor ni actriz; todos son personas reales. Fue súper experimental a todos los niveles.
Hay un humor sobrio y absurdo en El Arte del Frío; vira entre el cine mumblecore y el neorrealista. ¿Improvisaste el diálogo basándote en tus experiencias?
Únicamente planeábamos escenas donde mi personaje pudiera entrar en algún tipo de conflicto, o situaciones en las que poder desarrollar diálogos que explicaran mi vida. Esa era la única premisa. Tampoco pretendíamos hacer una comedia de situación, nos interesaba más generar en el espectador la duda sobre la realidad y la ficción, lograr una metahistoria entre mi personaje y mi persona.
¿Podrías explicar tu personaje en la película? ¿Porque él está tan... loser? Yo sé que la peli está inspirada en tu vida pero tú no eres así...
Para no caer en el estereotipo de hacer un documental sobre un artista al que todo le va super bien y hay que admirarlo. Tiene una parte mucho más humana y que a lo mejor es como una parte más interesante, es como su día a día más cotidiano... Podría generar un personaje con muchos más registros, que no fuera un personaje tan plano.
¿Hay algo que la gente no sepa de ti?
Mis cómics cuentan todo. Está todo ahí.
Tiene que haber algo...
(La camarera trae un cuenco pequeño de aceitunas a nuestra mesa. Felipe retrocede horrorizado y coloca su bebida frente a las aceitunas, bloqueando la vista de su inesperado enemigo.)
¿Tienes fobia a las aceitunas?
¡Sí!
Felipe Almendras tiene un concierto con los Sex Shop Boyz en Badalona TV a finales de julio que se emitirá en diferido próximamente. En septiembre los Sex Shop Boyz tocan en dos festivales: Bergen Fringe Festival (Noruega) y Lahti Fring Festival (Finlandia). Felipe Almendras ganó el premio a Mejor Actor en el festival Cinespagna Toulouse 2020. La película 'El Arte de Frío 2' se estrenará en 2021.
Margo Fortuny, Metal
STRICT MACHINE
Picture this…a sight worth seeing, a vision of you… you’ve borrowed a friend’s car. You’re flying down a narrow road on the Amalfi Coast. Fingers slide over the leather steering wheel. How fast can this thing go? Didn’t the manual say 407 km an hour? Well that’s a bit swift for these parts, especially with Neapolitan drivers testing their mortality at every turn. You don’t want to end up like Brigitte Bardot in Contempt. Lemon trees quiver on the side of the road, above the cliffs and the Mediterranean. They are not cypress trees, merely arboreal mothers of limoncello. Accelerating is justified.
It began at the 78th Geneva Motor show (which ended on March 16th) when the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès premiered. The high-tech sports coupe with 1001 horsepower and a 16-cylinder engine was different from the old Bugatti. This one has the Hermès touch. The French saddler covered the interior with bull calfskin and embellished the machine with a horseshoe alloy radiator grille and air vents with the appearance of saddle stitching. When you saw the two-tone car it seemed like a Futurist dream: aerospace technology lined with rare beauty… Luckily that Swiss chap bought it and you became friends. He had an errand to run in the south of Italy. Perhaps you could do him a favour? Well, if it involved this automobile, yes, you could.
Words: Margo Fortuny, Exit Magazine
BIG CAT PROWLS THE SEA
There is beautiful boat with white sails billowing in the wind like crisp laundered sheets. She glides through the ocean, hosting a crew of hairy sailors. One fellow cooks baked beans, another tends to an inflatable alligator trailing behind the boat. There is a shirtless young man in faded blue jeans clutching a beer. Another bearded sailor strums a guitar as he sings Beach Boys covers. On the stern, a sarong-clad Prefontaine twin hand washes trousers on the warm deck, before using the tub in a game of low-budget bumper cars. Then the 1973-74 Official Film of the Whitbread Race shifts to another scene: the arrival in Rio. Locals swivel their hips, girls laugh, and then everyone sees how many half-naked people can cram into a small Zodiac. This documentary shows the Whitbread Round the World Race of the 70’s: clean boats dancing over the waves, as white-jeaned skippers dodge sea foam and enjoy the open sky and icecap sightings.
The early races are depicted as idyllic. The Polish crew in the first year had no previous sailing experience, but that didn’t stop them. The Mexican crew boasted a yacht equipped with an eight-track stereo system and 100 cassette tapes. Time for deck dancing… Chay Blyth, a hip sailor (of another crew) explained “You were not welcome on our boat unless you were into rock & roll.” On the French boat Kriter, crewmembers drank wine with every meal and stopped for fresh bread. Ahhh, the 70’s…
Later, the race became a modern Odyssey. Post-millennium, the Volvo Open 70 yachts are high-tech, serious sport vehicles. Logo-covered machines tear through the ocean. The race emphasizes the adrenaline-pumping debacles the sailors might encounter: 30-metre high waves hurtling onto the boat, the risk of being swept overboard and never recovered, speeding through choppy waters as the wind picks up to 110 km an hour… Has the race changed- or merely the depiction of it? Over 30 years ago, the race appeared to be about the pleasure of the journey. Now the race is marketed as a challenging quest, fraught with danger, excitement, and extreme physical exertion.
The Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread Round the World Race) began in 1973. The 2008 race begins in Alicante, Spain, and ends in June 2009 in St. Petersburg. PUMA is a major participant, having designed the boat Il Mostro. The PUMA Ocean Racing Team’s vessel will be skippered by Ken Read…The brand is debuting its new line of sailing wear, which ranges from performance gear for hardcore enthusiasts to lifestyle clothes and items including striped shirts, deck shoes, and barrel bags. The P.O.R.T. crew, handpicked by Read, will sail 37,000 miles and test the new clothes out.
Perhaps those moments of contemplative unfurling of sails have been lost to the current demand that everything must be swift, tactical, urgent.
Watch the early footage at www.volvooceanrace.tv and check out the gear at www.pumaoceanracing.com
Words: Margo Fortuny, Exit Magazine
EGO DEATH
Brian Butler is a filmmaker, musician, and expert in the occult. When he's not touring the world with Kenneth Anger, he lives in L.A., where he has 25 guitars and a dried llama by the front door. We talked to him about mind-altering and his new film Night of Pan starring Vincent Gallo and Anger, which screens in London this Saturday (February 20) at the Horse Hospital.
Vice: So how did you end up working with Kenneth Anger?
Brian Butler: Through mutual friends. At the time I was producing shows for Disinformation and I wanted to contact Kenneth about appearing on the show. The day before I left New York, I ran into an old friend who happened to be in touch with Kenneth so it just worked out.
How about Vincent [Gallo]?
I met Vincent through a producer in Los Angeles. At the time, he was going to be cast in the role of Charles Manson. He was somewhat in character, in costume. He had the whole Charles Manson look. I had just returned from Portland after interviewing Bobby Beausoleil, so we talked about that. We stayed in touch and became friends.
Have you worked with Vincent on anything else?
Not officially. We've worked on music together and I was around when he was filming Brown Bunny. Night of Pan is our first official collaboration.
Aleister Crowley wrote about the state of mind called Night of Pan. What first drew you to Crowley?
I felt he had a certain presence or magnetism that radiated from photographs of him. The way his books were published – one in particular, Magick in Theory and Practice – the way the type was set out, the layout, the way he wrote about magic, it was very powerful. I felt I could connect with his energy. He was a legend in his own lifetime.
Would you say Aleister Crowley is someone who united you, Kenneth Anger and Vincent Gallo?
Yes, definitely. We all had an interest in the occult, so there was this understanding on the set where everything flowed by intuition. They got it. They got into character. Vincent did an amazing performance. Everything was one take. He went somewhere with his character. He almost brought the crew to his headspace.
Did the experience of working on Night of Pan affect the crew members?
Definitely. They had never seen anything like it before. Vincent completely transformed. He was sitting there and when the cameras started rolling something clicked. It's a good example of how visually you can alter the consciousness of those around you. A really intense performance is like hypnosis.You go to a certain state of mind and your presence brings those around you to the same place.
Is the film designed to get viewers into that headspace?
That's one of its intentions, and it works on a level that might not be immediately apparent to the viewer. I've shown the film to several people privately and later on they have extreme experiences they connected to viewing the film. For example, one friend, who is a director of a large gallery here in Los Angeles, watched it and in the next few days she said, "This whole occult thing is freaking me out. I can't talk to you." So she didn't speak to me for months. Recently we reconnected and she told me that when she went home that night she envisioned a giant centipede on her wall. She attributed that experience to watching the film. To me it sounded like something out of a William Burroughs book, Naked Lunch or something. The film is designed to alter consciousness. In some ways it's a magical spell I guess.
Are there any other films that have inspired you this way?
Yes, quite a few: the original Faust film; Die Nibelungen by Fritz Lang; works by Harry Smith; and Kenneth Anger of course. These films create a really heavy atmosphere.
Is it safe to say that the occult is something you go in for?
If by the occult, you mean "the hidden" then I would say yes. The occult is defined as the hidden levels of the mind or the hidden information about how things work. That might not be understood from a scientific point of view at this time. So it's a way of the intuition, of going with your instincts. Interpreting things on different levels, a way of looking at the world. A lot of the work I do communicates to a hidden level of the mind, not so much to the ego or personality but more on a symbolic or subconscious level. The guy who lived in house where we shot Night of Pan had some strange experiences that he attributed to the film. Until we completed the film, a dybbuk, which is a demon appearing in the form of a person, kept manifesting itself in his life. So he went to La Paz to the witchdoctor market and brought me back a llama foetus that would protect me from the things that had been raised as a result of this film.
So what did you do with the llama foetus?
I put it by my door to protect my home.
Where? Do have it nailed to the door? Or do you keep it in a little bag?
It's small, just a little thing. It looks like a seahorse with yarn on it. It's next to my door, on a shelf.
Margo Fortuny, Vice
Versions of Night of Pan have been screened at Cannes Film Festival, and the Athens Biennale. The London premiere takes place this Saturday at the Horse Hospital at 7.30 pm. There is an exhibition of Kenneth Anger's film stills opening this Thursday, February 18 at SprüthMagers Gallery in London from 6-8 pm.
GREEN GRASS, BLUE SKIES
Tommy Hilfiger’s latest ode to America has just arrived in Europe. The star-spangled fashion designer has teamed up with art director/ advertising guru George Lois to create the book Iconic America. The coffee-table book is an image-loaded guide to America’s Greatest Hits: the heroes, the inventions, the monuments, and the clichés. In an era when America’s foreign policy has tainted its identity, Iconic America serves as a reminder of why this massive country continues to provide pop culture escapism for the rest of the world.
The book contains four hundred images, wittily juxtaposed, and accompanied by casual remarks and historic explanations. In the heroes department, you can read about Martin Luther King Jr., Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, Mae West, Groucho Marx, and Bettie Page, among others. Muhammad Ali is posed as Saint Sebastian across from an Oscar statuette. Roy Orbison’s Ray Bans face Abe Lincoln’s solemn countenance. The all-American Blonde Bombshell is glorified (almost) in the flesh: Playboy’s January pin-up of 1971 spreads across three pages. American creations, including the Eames chair, the Band-Aid, and the Wurlitzer Jukebox, are celebrated in Technicolor photographs. Of course, stereotypical items like hamburgers, electric guitars, and machine guns are present. Iconic America occasionally mentions the deliciously obscure, such as New York’s Rosario’s Pizza, but mostly it concedes to popular demand, with Jack Daniel’s whiskey, Al “Scarface” Capone, and Tupac Shakur splashed across the pages. Wedged between famous brand logos and movie stars are a few shameful symbols of the U.S.A.: slave chains…the Vietnam War. The volume also delves into the past to describe Native American warriors such as Geronimo, and African American legends like Billie Holiday and James Brown. Iconic America is a pop visual manual of the country that brought you Bob Dylan, Coca-cola, Jazz, and Hip Hop.
Tommy Hilfiger has also designed Americana influenced tee shirts and sweatshirts called the Capsule Collection, to coincide with the hardback’s release. This is Hilfiger’s fifth book. George Lois is famous for his classic Esquire covers in the 60’s as well as a large body of graphic work. Lois has graced the Art Director’s Hall of Fame, the Copywriters Hall of Fame, and has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Society of Publication Designers, in addition to writing several critically acclaimed books.
I think I’ll go dig out my Beach Boys records and that dog-eared Ginsberg collection.
Words: Margo Fortuny, Exit Magazine
BOOKS
The 4th Sex: Adolescent Extremes, edited by Francesco Bonami (Charta)
Candid shots of youth-the ignored, the punished, the randy, and the average-rampage, dance, and lounge through this book. Bright photographs address the radical in various arenas, from politics to sexual identity. Teenagers from Tiananmen Square, the G8 Genoa riots, Raymond Pettibon's album covers, and independent film stills break conventions. In additions to images of extremists, Lolitas, and manga figurines, The 4th Sex contains rich text. Dave Eggers, Jim Carrol, Bret Easton Ellis, among others grace the pages. Song lyrics by artists from Lou Reed to Nirvana complete the study of the delectable and the transgressive.
Words: Margo Young (AKA Fortuny), Flaunt
BABY LET ME TAKE YOU HOME
An interview with Ryan Korban by Margo Fortuny for Exit Magazine
Downtown New York scenesters are calling on 24-year-old Ryan Korban to spruce up their flats. In addition to designing and co-owning the posh Tribeca accessories boutique Edon Manor, he decorates residential and commercial spaces. James Franco, Alexander Wang, DJ AM, and Charlotte Ronson are all fans. Ryan tells EXIT about style and ambiance.
How did you get started in interior design?
I have always been interested in design my entire life, I just didn't realize that it was interiors that moved me most. I’ve always been drawn to fashion, art, architecture, flowers, and the idea of collecting. It wasn't until I opened a store and did the design that I realized interior design was the ultimate culmination of all of my design interests and from there it kind of exploded.
What do you think makes a home inviting?
The feeling of collecting makes a home inviting. Whether its cheap art from flea markets, books, china, stacks of organized magazines, or tons of frames, people respond to the feeling that collections evoke. A collector creates warmth, intrigue and the idea exploration. It makes you want to stay in the space and learn something.
What do you think is the best way to create ambiance in a space?
Ambience is something you feel not something you see and when I am designing a space I apply that idea to everything I do. When I am looking for color I go with shades that you can feel, not ones that you can see this way you aren’t looking at a color all day, but rather feeling a hue that you cant quite put your finger on. This is also why I am so draw to metals and stones: the reflection of them creates a mood and an experience. The feeling of touch and smell are key elements to ambiance. Soft fabric, an exquisite smell from a fragrant flower like lilies, a perfect color, and captivating sound are four definite factors that can create an enchanting ambiance for anyone. I also believe that ambiance is the people you surround yourself with.
What is the most essential thing to have in your house?
The most essential thing to have in your home is fresh flowers and books. Flowers and books make any space. When I first moved into my studio on Spring Street the only thing I had was fresh flowers in vases on the floor, stacks of books and a mattress and I loved it more than I do after four years of renovations.
Living in a city with high rents and small spaces, what do you think is the best way of making a small space seem bigger?
My philosophy is that no space is too small to be polished or professionally decorated. Decorating small spaces is what I do best and what I am most passionate about. Make grand statements; that is the best advice I can give when decorating a small space. Nothing bulky, but go extreme with height. Height always makes a space feel bigger. I go all the way to the ceiling. Hanging a light fixture in a small space draws attention to the ceiling too. They best trick is to hang curtain rods at the ceiling instead at the top of the window, it creates the illusion that your space is taller.
I've read you like to mix 70s Italian style with 18th century pieces. How would you describe your style?
My style is a comfortable mix of Italian design from the 70s and a very traditional European 18th century influence. I love the shine and heavy fell from Italy in the 70s, I am always drawn to stone and metal: chrome, nickel, brass, Lucite, glass, bronze and marble. The heart of my work and inspiration comes from the traditional designs of the 18th century from England, France, and Sweden. The craftsmanship and the idea of completely customized pieces could be compared to the idea of couture in the fashion world. I love that. The unique aspect of my work is that I take all theses influences and create youthful spaces for relatively young people who live in New York City. So the idea is bringing to bring tradition to a youthful urban setting.
BALLET PRÉCIEUX
It is a frosty morning in the winter of 1961. A slim man, outfitted in a scratchy overcoat tied at the waist with a string, strides down Fifth Avenue. He pauses in front of a boutique and studies the jewels in the window. His eyes glide over the massive cut diamonds glinting in the dappled sunlight. Such intense concentration arouses the suspicion of the salesgirls. One fetches her boss, Claude Arpels, who runs the famous boutique. As Claude approaches, he recognizes the character in the overcoat. It is one of Claude’s favorite choreographers. Quelle chance! They introduce themselves. As it turns out this choreographer and co-founder of the New York City Ballet, George Balanchine, often stops by to admire the precious gems on display. Claude frequents Balanchine’s ballets. At that moment, Balanchine dreams up a new dance opus: Jewels.
“I realized that the emeralds were meant for Fauré, the rubies for Stravinsky, and the diamonds for Tchaikovsky. All this will form a single ballet,” the choreographer recounted. The jeweler, Van Cleef & Arpels, would provide the first sets, as well as aesthetic inspiration.
Jewels opened in 1967 in New York, Chicago, and Paris. The full-length storyless ballet is comprised of three sections: Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds. The first part, Emeralds, is romantically French. The dancers float across the stage. Each pas de bourrée couru lyrically seams into the next move. Rubies is a tribute to American musicals. The steps are staccato, jazzy, and energetic. Diamonds features an impressive corps dancing in the style of 19th century Russian classicism. The ballerinas convey a discreet grandeur with their graceful movements. Jewels is considered a triumph of beauty and challenging steps executed with a distinctive Balanchine flair. Each part echoes the mood of a different city that influenced his choreography. In 2007, London’s Royal Ballet performed this seminal work for the first time at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with the patronage of Van Cleef & Arpels.
The iconic jeweler, favored by legends of glamour including Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, Maria Callas, and Jacqueline Kennedy, has returned to the premise of dance. The very first ballet-themed pieces were the fruit of the work of Louis Arpels and two French emigrants: designer Maurice Duvalet and jeweler Jean Rubel. Van Cleef & Arpels created the Ballet Précieux collection around four themes: the ballet, the emerald, the ruby and the diamond. Lithe brooches, delicate rings, and spectacular necklaces reflect the visual harmony of movement. Van Cleef & Arpels has introduced the new collection as homage to their longstanding appreciation of dance.
Words: Margo Fortuny, Exit Magazine
YOUR BOOKSHELF SAYS EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU
The Librairie is more than a bookshop; it is an art space. Situated on the first floor of the Louis Vuitton Maison on New Bond Street in London, it contains a plethora of texts about the best of contemporary British Art from the twentieth and twenty-first century, rare books, and frequently updated exhibition catalogues. One of the most thrilling aspects of the Librairie is The Curated Shelf. Artists, musicians, and filmmakers are invited to fill a shelf with the books that have influenced and changed them. The artist can also customize editions with his or her own creative additions. London-based Marc Quinn was the first person chosen to pick out his favourite volumes, which included Andy Warhol’s Diaries, The Meat Buyer’s Guide, and The Brutality of Fact – Interviews with Francis Bacon, among others. On November 26th YBA star Tracey Emin is the next artist to fill The Curated Shelf.
Words: Margo Fortuny, Exit Magazine
HAPPENINGS/ In London: Food With a Heaping Side of Gimmick
Cereal Killer Cafe
Two identical bearded brothers, Alan and Gary Keery, opened Cereal Killer in December 2014. In small quarters outfitted with old wood floors, a brick fireplace, ’60s furniture and ’80s kitsch, they serve over 120 kinds of cereal, 30 varieties of milk — and toast, Pop-Tarts, teas, soda pop and flat whites. There are numerous cereal “cocktails” — mixes of cereals, toppings and flavored milk — and the gratuitous bowl of healthy granola with plain yogurt and fresh blueberries. On view are cereal boxes from around the world and vintage memorabilia for sale. Cereal Killer recently opened a second cafe in Camden Town with arcade games — and beds.
139 Brick Lane, cerealkillercafe.co.uk.
Supper Tub
On a canal in Hackney Wick, hungry diners sip Pisco Sours and nibble Peruvian tapas in three wood-fired hot tubs. Upon arrival, guests slip into suits in bamboo-covered stalls and rinse off under an outdoor shower before being led to a hot tub — where others may already be “seated.” (Tickets must be booked in multiples of two, and reservations are required for entry.) During rounds of grilled halloumi and watermelon skewers, the sun sets over the ArcelorMittal Orbit, Britain’s tallest public artwork, designed by Anish Kapoor.
90 Wallis Road, suppertub.co.uk.
The Last Tuesday Society
The Last Tuesday Society in Hackney is an imaginative cocktail joint housed in a museum of curiosities. Downstairs, the founder Viktor Wynd’s collection of strange and delightful things boasts saucy pulp novels, vintage erotica, a 19th-century shrunken head, one jar of prophylactics used by the Rolling Stones, surreal collages and a lion skeleton. Upstairs, the bar menu includes kangaroo meatballs — and absinthe. And fittingly, on occasion, the joint hosts literary salons, séances and lectures.
11 Mare Street, thelasttuesdaysociety.org.
Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium
Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium is London’s first crowd-funded cat cafe, where cakes and afternoon tea are served in a minimal setting scattered with feline amusements — and cats (but you can’t bring your own). If the creatures like you, you’re allowed to pet them. And of course reservations are required; the ratio of cats to humans is a delicate balance that must be respected so as not to disturb the, um, very large assortment of cats.
152-154 Bethnal Green Road, ladydinahs.com.
Words: Margo Fortuny, The New York Times T Magazine
When I lived in London, I cofounded a magazine with a tech friend. I interviewed DMX Krew, Jeremy Scott (again), and various writers and local characters. I created a section called ‘Fine People’ to hear unfiltered stories from interesting people. Here are some of the interviews I conducted.
FINE PEOPLE
Margo Fortuny lured Fashion P.R. Sarah Sabner to an empty flat on Hackney Road to talk about hanging out topless in Shoreditch, working for a mysterious designer, and when serendipity sends you to Ibiza.
Sarah: I’m an original East End Hackney girl. I’ve lived in Hoxton most of my life. When in London, I’m always around this area. I live in Broadway Market ; it’s a stone’s throw from where I grew up.
I decided I wanted to do fashion after studying a really boring degree: politics and philosophy and economics. In order to study fashion I had to take a job. I went for an interview in a really tiny college in West 1. It was the most bizarre interview because as soon as I walked through the door she told me I had the job. She gave me freedom to run the whole of the college. She was very trusting and gave me free reign in terms of marketing or business ideas. It was called the Central School of Fashion, on Great Titchfield Street.
This woman who owned the college was incredible. She was a couture designer. She was super tiny, 70 years old, she had this bouffant of white hair and sparkling blue eyes. She looked like a child. She was an aristocratic German lady. She would spend hours on the stand, creating really poetic pieces. Her hands were magical. At the same time she would sing soprano in the most beautiful voice. I found out later she was actually crazy.
She was interesting because she was a dreamer. She wasn’t for this world. She was for a world of beauty, which I found fascinating. She cut everything else off. It showed…if you really have a vision or aesthetic, you can create that. Her name is Ingel Wrigley. She had letters from Vivienne Westwood acclaiming her work. Any time I would come in she would look immaculate. She always wore leather trousers in amazing colours like olive and wine. She had made them herself. Watching her create while singing was incredible. She sang as she sewed. She forgot anyone was in the room. She was in another world, a world of beauty. I found her fascinating because of everything about her: her energy, the way she looked, and also her crazy ways.
You know sometimes you get a letter saying you’ve won a million pounds, like a sweepstakes? I once went into her room and found all of these files. One thing about her was that she believed everyone. In her world deceit or mendacity wasn’t real. When these letters came to her she’d believe them. It was like a horror film when I saw it: I pulled out one letter, then another one, then another. I thought “Oh My God, they’re all from different companies and she’s been sending them thousands of pounds to these people…” I was doing her bookkeeping. I had wondered where some of the money was going. I had this realization. It was really upsetting because there were so many. Then I realized she was actually quite vulnerable. I found out hat she had remortgaged her house several times. She was in a real financial mess.
Her husband was a professor- he was equally crazy. She wasn’t with him anymore. I heard she would take out the babies in the pram and then return home and the husband would be like, “Where are the children?” She’d be like, “Oh my God!” She had left them at a traffic light. She went back and they were still there. She wasn’t typical in any way. Her mind was distracted somewhere beautiful.
I left to do my degree and I found out six months later that the school had closed and that she went to a mental asylum.
One time I got a really amazing job. I got a call from a friend out of the blue: a guy who works for Elle magazine. I met him partying. He called me and asked if I wanted to do a styling job. I was really surprised because I had just started styling but I had never told anyone about it. (laughs)
I thought, wow I just got a call from Elle to do a job in Ibiza. How did he even know I was a stylist? You know when you’re quite young you think, maybe when you decide to do something all these things happen just out of the blue… So I got to the airport and there was this amazing make-up artist that I looked up to, high-up hairdressers, and then there was me. I couldn’t quite work it out.
We got to Ibiza. We were staying in a billionaire’s apartment. I had never actually stayed in a billionaire’s apartment before. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was the most amazing apartment. There was a green house and a cactus garden. There were ten bedrooms, a fridge full of Cristal Champagne. There was a chef flying out the next day to cook for us. There was an infinity pool that led to an amazing view. I thought, wow this is really good. And I’m getting paid. But, how did anyone know that I’m a stylist? So we did the job. It was really easy. It was an editorial shoot for the billionaire’s girlfriend, who was a pretty model. It was such an incredible experience. We went to some amazing places.
I was in Space the next day, chatting to the guy who got me the job. He got me confused with Sarah Richardson. He had called the wrong Sarah. I was just 21. We just laughed. It was too late. We were laughing heavily ‘til the whole team was crying with laughter. They were like, “Oh you did a better job.” It was a money job. It wasn’t for an important editorial; it was to launch a model. I pulled it off. And it led to a lot more work. But then I wanted to do something else.
One of the more outrageous things I’ve done was Tit Club. Two of my friends, Susi Mehr and Lisa Honey went to Brown’s strip club in Shoreditch. We were a little bit merry. We decided we wanted to get naked with the girls. So we went to the loo and got naked.
Well I got totally naked. The rest of them just got their boobs out. It was nice cause we’re not perfect. We walked out and we were so reprimanded. “You cannot be naked in here!” They were outraged. We literally got carried out, naked, onto the street. To that corner (Hackney Road and Kingsland Road.) We got dressed. We were banned, told never to come back. We were insulted. We felt we were in a church.
So we decided to do an experiment because of this amazing response. We wanted to see if we’d get the same response elsewhere. So we decided to get back undressed. We had our boobs out and just walked down Kingsland Road. Nighttime. We saw a group of typical lads from the area who were eating chips. They were like, “Oy! Hey! Hey!” We looked at them puzzled, and we were like ”What?” The whole point was to act natural, as if it was completely normal. There’s nothing wrong with it. It was almost denial. Then they were puzzled. We walked on. One of them pitifully called, “Would you like a chip?” We almost convinced them we weren’t naked.
Then we walked into Catch 22, still topless. We got let in which was surprising. Part of the experiment was that the strip club was really conservative and everywhere else was pretty chilled. That was quite interesting. When we got in people’s reactions were so surprising.
We proceeded to order a pint of lager at the bar. It was weird because we thought we’d get loads of letchy guys at the bar but we didn’t get many. There was this one guy with Asperger’s who had the confidence to talk to us, he was a really talented artist at the Slade. Because he’s got Asperger’s he’s got the ability to not react conventionally. He was the coolest actually. The most unusual thing was everyone wanted to know why we were doing it, which was pretty boring. It’s like everything has to be political. It was an experiment. It the end it was the same question over and over. It makes you realize there’s not many outrageous activities going on. You think at Catch 22 everyone’s being outrageous but there’s so many conventions and rules.
We started to talk about it as Tit Club. Someone from Vice magazine wanted to do a shoot on us and wanted to know if this is the stuff we do quite a lot. We said, “We do this from time to time, waiting for the bus…” They were like, “Whoa. We want to do a story on Tit Club.” We’re like “Okay, yeah,” we got their cards and stuff. That’s how Tit Club came about. We were talking about doing it again but before it was really good because it was spontaneous. It’s not something I’d like to be known in the press for…too much.
It wasn’t sexual. That’s the point. We didn’t get any sexual responses. There was guys checking us out but it wasn’t like they were leching. It was quite innocent. Everyone was quite shy. We got left alone pretty much. People didn’t show they were shocked. You can get away with a lot.
FINE PEOPLE
Rodney Henderson tells Margo Fortuny about stepping into the jaw of the music industry and what it’s like getting signed, getting famous, and losing it all before turning nineteen.
Rodney: Suppose you say to somebody, “You’re going to have all of your dreams come true. And then you’ll be cast aside.” If you knew that going in, you would potentially not do it. ‘Cause I was so young I just went for it. One thing that my dad has always said to me because I didn’t finish my education, “You know what? If you don’t do this now it doesn’t matter what you achieve you’ll always wonder what could’ve happened. At the end of the day in terms of your education you can go back, you can redo things, you can change your career.” I got this opportunity. That’s probably the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me.
Getting a record deal was very surreal. We were about 14, 15 and we played some local gig for young people. It was terrible. It turned out one of the parents was the manager at a publishing company. It all kind of snowballed from there. It seems so long ago and because I’m not involved in that anymore it seems like some weird dream. It ‘s so different from my life now. It was a hard experience to go through at that age because you just had education and then you don’t tend to appreciate it as much because you’ve just gone through what you now think is normality. You do a lot of growing up when everything falls apart and you have to go to work. In a way it was a good experience because it builds you up to be a lot stronger.
I was touring and recording for about three and a half years. When I was 15-18. It was really strange to readjust to the world afterwards.
The one thing that I found out about myself is that even if you’re achieving your dreams you always want more. Maybe it’s just me. People wonder why some people are unhappy when they’re successful. It’s because they don’t see themselves as successful. They don’t look at things with that sense of banality. I had big issues with finality a while ago, because when you’re on top you don’t think “This is the best it’s gonna be” or “ I have to remember this.” You take it for granted.
There’s going to be a point where you’ve got the best job possible and at the end of the day, you don’t think of it going downhill. You don’t think, “This is the last time...” That whole experience teaches you a lot. Even if you’re a superstar you want to be bigger. It’s kind of sad. At our peak the only thing I was concerned about was the other bands on the label were getting more press time, we weren’t getting enough money for tour, we wanted bigger venues, rather than thinking “Wow, I’ve achieved something great.”
When I was 13 or 14 my dreams were get a record deal, put an album out, make a music video, and play at a historic festival. By the time I was 18 I had done all of that and I felt even more disgruntled, having met all my ambitions and learned what I wanted to. You have this notion that as soon as you achieve what you think you want, things are going to be great and it really isn’t. Say Fine becomes an international magazine in five years. Do you think that when that happens you’ll say “Brilliant, that’s it”?
A lot has to do with our culture and how success is romanticized in the media. You don’t realize you’ve reached the top until you’re on the way down. That’s the truth.
After my band had disbanded I was working as a waiter. In your hometown you’re quite a prominent person in your community and (after being successful) to have to do something like that is quite hard. The only time it got to me was when this family came in and the kid recognized me; that was fine but then the father came up and said, “Excuse me, can you speak to my kids and tell them what a waste of time music is? It didn’t work out for you, cause you’re just waiting tables.” If you’re an entertainer you’re some sort of public figure so people see it all right to say things like that. You wouldn’t go up to somebody who had been divorced and ask them to tell someone else not to get married out of the blue. It’s a waste of time. If you’re somebody in the spotlight, even locally, people think you’re impervious to everything. I didn’t get that upset. I just thought, What a knob. When I read things about people in the papers I take everything with a grain of salt. Everyone is a person.
You look at your idols and you realize they’re people as well. The most fascinating person I’ve ever met was Steve Jones (the guitarist from the Sex Pistols.) I spent a lot of time with him. We worked on a record in 2002/ 2003. He was incredibly interesting because he was still so young when the Sex Pistols came about. He’s basically a fifty-year-old sixteen-year-old boy. He was very immature and good fun. When I asked him about what was it like being in the Sex Pistols he said, “I can’t remember I was just so fucked all the time. “
The music industry is actually quite small. I met all the bands that were big then, Linkin Park, the guys from Good Charlotte- really really nice. I hung out with Greenday for a few hours, they were really cool… Blink 182 were cold… The most disappointing thing is when you meet someone you really respect and they turn out to be a cock.
When you’re in the industry everyone’s got their own agenda.
Twenty-five year old Rodney Henderson had several Top 40 hits as the lead singer of punk/metal band Violent Delight. Now he lives with his girlfriend in Greenwich and works in Central London. (Archive, 2010)
FINE PEOPLE
Last week Margo Fortuny interviewed Karley Sciortino about squatting, the magic of Matthew Stone, and subtle anarchy.
Karley: I was born in Poughkeepsie in upstate New York, about an hour away from Manhattan. It’s close to the city but quite rural. It’s a small town. My first kiss was in an apple orchard during a keg party in junior high. It was so American. We used to go into the orchards and play Spin-the-bottle. I was up against a tree; we both shoved our tongues in each other’s mouths and that was it. We just wanted to get it over with.
Now I live in (a squat in) Elephant & Castle. We always move. We had this one place Squallyoaks for two years. We’ve moved a lot recently. In the past six months we’ve lived in four different houses. We lived in a nice terrace house, about ten of us. Then we moved into this amazing old building that was used for shipping. It was four floors, a mansion. Then we got kicked out of there. Now we live in an apartment. It’s weird because it instigated everyone to disperse. Before we were lucky to have amazing houses, then we had to move into this shitty place so now a few people have started renting and a few have moved in with boyfriends. Now there are five of us. We need to find a new cooler place because right now we’re on top of each other. I share a bedroom.
My friend Matthew Stone is the person I met when I came to London who got me into squatting. He’s really open-minded, creative, and productive. When you’re around someone like that it really rubs off on you.
London is my favourite place in the world. When I moved here, it was so different, it was the first time I lived somewhere where I felt constantly overwhelmed by everyone I meet and everything I do. It’s one of those places. Every time I get bored of it and think I might want to live somewhere else I stumble upon a new group of amazing people or I discover a new club night or some new scene. There’s endless creativity here. In New York it didn’t feel like that to me. People here are just weirdoes. In a good way.
I know a lot of people who are from London and still live here. Even talking to people from different European cities. Berlin, Barcelona…they have their own thing, but London has the most diverse culture, art, music, which is why everyone wants to live here. London has better youth culture.
On anarchy’s relevance, after interviewing two famous political activists: Talking to (political activists) John Hopkins and Mike Lesser made me think about anarchy differently. It’s not just cut and dry as No Rules. It’s about separating yourself from a government that is run in a way you feel is wrong. Living an alternative lifestyle, living in a squat, or not spending loads of money, or sneaking on the subway, or stealing from Tesco’s…those are ways of separating yourself. All these things fall under the wider umbrella of anarchy. It’s fighting for freedom from feeling under control. A lot of people feel this way and have these beliefs and fall somewhere on the left. We need these extreme people to inspire people, because they actually do something instead of sitting around, thinking, this sucks. Be more active. Stand up instead of just talking about it.
Karley Sciortino writes for several publications including Dazed & Confused, and Vice. Her interview credits include Courtney Love, the Gossip, John Hopkins , and Mike Lesser. Check out her blog: slutever.blogspot.com (Archive: 2010)