A conversation between Apollo and Dionysus

[imomus]

"I think what I love with photos is the moment when I'm just beginning to twig what someone's style is about, what their eye is seeing," I mused on Saturday. That doesn't just apply to photography, of course. Pattern recognition applies to everything which uses a style. We're aware, subliminally at first, of generics, continuities, similarities. They begin to get repeated, to gel. People pick up a meme, repeat it. Someone gives the style a name. And at that point, of course, the pioneers are already disowning it.

Here are three styles I've recently been thinking about. First of all, these brightly-coloured jackets. The images are from StreetPeeper. As far as I know, Bape started this trend for candy-coloured jackets with childish designs on them. The first jacket you see here is by Jeremy Scott. The second is one the model bought himself at Tokyo Disneyland. The third (worn by my friend Mario) is from CassettePlaya (Mario designs their website).



How to nail this style down? I guess it's brash and acidic, old skool hip hop inspired, bubblegum and kiddy. But it also overlaps with the scatty psychedelics of Eye Yamataka, whose 90s work -- visual and musical -- continues to fuel subcultures across the world. His visuals from ten years ago still look fresh as a daisy.



Jamaica and drugs and spirituality inform Eye's aesthetic, and when his bandmate Yoshimi Yokota takes the style in a more poppy, Matsuri-kei kind of direction, the results are more my cup of tea:

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OOIOO's style was pinned in a recent Pitchfork pan as a blend of Sonic Youth, Don Cherry, Fela Kuti, Patty Waters, Sun Ra, Miles Davis, and Neu!

My own aesthetic veers uncertainly between that kind of self-indulgent Dionysian ostentation (without the drugs!) and something much more restrained and Apollonian. Unsurprisingly, it's graphic designers who seem to be working this look at the moment.



There you see Tyler Brulé's new magazine Monocle (designed by Richard Spencer Powell), a Fischli and Weiss catalogue designed by James Goggin of Practise, and some catalogues by Benoit Robert (of Paris design group Event 10). Also in this "Times serif Apollonian" style is Jop van Benekom's design for his own Fantastic Man magazine.

Perhaps we can trace this new restraint back to the 90s, where it started with the surprisingly understated Purple Journal. It may very well have come about in a direct dialectical opposition to the kind of tribal acid excesses of the Super Roots school.

Right now, the Eye style seems to be big with people in their 20s, whereas the Monocle style is more for 30somethings. Once you get into your 40s, perhaps, you can enjoy them both as two sides of a dialectic, a conversation between Apollo and Dionysus that started ten years ago. And thousands of years ago.

Comments

[fishwithissues.livejournal.com]

OOIOO!!! is OOIOO onomatopoeia for the sound my brain makes watching that? gosh, that is a brilliant moving picture!!

I noticed you used the word "childish" non-pejoratively. do you make any distinction between childish and child-like? my brother thinks the latter means playful and free and the former means emotionally immature; i think common parlance isn't so tightly schematized, but it might be soon, because I think he based his definitions on a book by a guy who was a guest on the daily show.

oh kay, no, it was the colbert report. here's the wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rejuvenile:_Kickball,_Cartoons,_Cupcakes,_and_the_Reinvention_of_the_American_Grown-up

it's interesting stuff, might be related to the current style you're seeing.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

It's funny how that OOIOO (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/42007-interview-ooioo) video (for "Umo" off their new album Taiga) reinforces the themes of yesterday's entry about global warming. There are people cutting down trees, and soil eroding, and so on. And Yoshimi's angry chant comes clearly from the 97% of the Japanese population concerned about global warming. There's a similar track called "Uma" on the album (uma is a horse in Japanese, umo I suppose means man, huomo, homo sapiens):

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It's all rather redolent of The Slits, tracks like "Earth Beat".

As for the "rejuvenile" thing, I suppose I'd rather see being adult and being childish as a dialectic. We could do the old "recursive" trick with that too:

1. Being adult is being good, being childish bad.
2. But I want to say that being childish is good.
3. So I say that being adult isn't all it's cracked up to be.
4. And that actually children are more grown-up than many adults!
5. Which is good, because being adult is good, being childish bad!

[fishwithissues.livejournal.com]

And a lot of the more interesting "childish" pop stars like Bjork and Joanna Newsom, or artists like Glenn Ligon, are really playing with a dialectic, where they're simultaneously childish and adult, or childish and elderly.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Childish and elderly is the best mix of all! Like the man said, "An old young man becomes a young old man."

[(Anonymous)]

As you are echoing yesterday's theme, how exactly in practical terms does that 97% demographic manifest 'concern' beyond that of other nations.
I am always curious just what exactly 'concern' constitutes and what are the results of a lip-service expression of it?
Concern, it's hardly a word ripe with potency, with proactivity...
Thomas S.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Widespread concern about an issue is essential, that's where everything starts in a democracy. It then becomes easy to pass legislation and roll out technology which meets that concern. In Japan, recycling is more advanced and stringent than in other countries -- you can only throw out certain trash on certain days. Energy efficiency in, for instance, transport is very good in Japan -- public transport in the Tokyo area, for instance (the most energy-efficient way of getting people from A to B) is used for big majorities of all journeys. And Japan has the best energy consumption to economic output ratio of any nation in the world.

[(Anonymous)]

That is very commendable, needless to remark the caveats I have voiced about media depiction, armchair punditry and government reaction regarding the global warming issue are quite separate to my opinions on recycling and energy efficiency.
We had a very similar recycling system when I lived in Toronto with a system of colour to refuse type coordinated bins, unfortunately the two bin household waste/ recycling system we have in Ireland passes the separation process on to the waste disposal company when all this could be so much easier done at source.
I similarly am a huge advocate of efficient public transport, aside from the obvious reduction in pollution and the conservation of fuel, it means that some people who do not need a vehicle for purposes other than a work commute and do not want to shoulder the cost of vehicle ownership can have that option. Sadly the public transport system here in Ireland is woefully inadequate and I am sure that manifests itself in the correlation between our energy consumption and economic output.
Regards - Thomas.

[akabe.livejournal.com]

i'm glad you balance appolo and dyonisus here. Your other essays on the subject often left me with the image of Herbert von Karajan in mind (but i always refrained from commenting.)

was Bape before Bernhard Wilhelm ?? i forgot my 90s.

i think many people don't realize that the look of most magazines nowdays can be traced to Purple.

as we're about to put out a new/old issue of our ta ke ha ra retroactive antizine we're wondering whether to keep the purple-ish cover we did 2/3 years ago (now that everyone's doing it).

[minimalrobot.livejournal.com]

I'm really interested in checking out Monocle. Beyond the design, how is the magazine?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

I've just leafed through it at ProQM. It's sort of like a hip version of the Financial Times, with features on, you know, the Norwegian Navy and so on. Good for people who think there's nothing on earth cooler than a waterproof Rolex.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Crown Prince Haakon (http://www.monoclemagazine.com/affairs/hrh_crown_prince_haakon.php) is weaing a very nice spread collar. That's all that matters.

They need more articles on 30-year scotch, submarines, and polar exploration.

NO MOMUS NO

[electricwitch.livejournal.com]

"How to nail this style down?"

Oh, Blue States Lose do it pretty well.
http://www.gawker.com/news/blue-states-lose/

[electricwitch.livejournal.com]

Urban Outfitters do a good job, as well.

[blackmoth.livejournal.com]

I kind of wish "wild graphic neon" was in every year, all the time. I'm happy it's back but I'm afraid it'll disappear once more and turn me into a washed up raver all over again. (Not that I've ever stopped wearing it)

[werdtoyourmoms.livejournal.com]

it's crazy how much of resurgence times is having!

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

More of a Garamond holdout, myself. Working with that face always makes me happy. Times makes me uptight and anxious.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

James Goggin wants to clarify:

"Just a quick note: it was my Swiss friends Norm (http://www.norm.to) who designed the Fischli Weiss catalogue, not me! I designed the posters, printed matter + exhibition design, but Norm knew F&W already and made the nicely understated catalogue."

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

Those brightly coloured/patterned jackets have been really big here in London with the nu-rave scene, along with skinny jeans and Nike dunks of various colours.

Nu-rave has been a victim of its own success to be honest. You cant pull off the 'Neon-coloured top + skinny jeans + nike dunks' look without looking like a bit of a trendy fashion victim, and people have already started mocking it with parodies, being highly cynical about it all.

As soon as a look becomes a uniform for a subculture, I'm not that keen. Fashion on the whole is fucking stupid anyway, Thats one of the reasons why I love Japan so much -- Tokyo's streets dont really have a prevailent zeitgeist like London and New York; it's just a giant mish-mash of crazy styles where people are only conerned with expressing themselves, and thats whats so great about it.

Also, I recently bought myself a pair of white jika-tabi, and while I was looking for online retailers, I found a picture of you wearing some next to some japanese guy dressed as charlie chaplin. I think on the whole your dress-sense is pretty on the ball... just stay away from the uber-trendy psychedelic neon hoodies, or you'll end up on the dont section of Vice magazines fashion critiques ;o)

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I don't plan on wearing the psyche-hoodies, that would really be mutton dressed up as lamb. As for Vice, I think I have compromising photos of Jesse Pearson which ought to keep me out of the Don'ts column!

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Poor hygeine, a hoodie and tats will do the same.

[zzberlin.livejournal.com]

Your friend Mario's sneakers compliment the jacket beautifully. His whole ensemble looks smart, even the clashing garment he wears under the jacket

[mouvements.livejournal.com]

other than a few oversized colorful hoodies, i dont see many people sporting the nu rave style during the day, mostly on nights out. maybe that has to do with new york's preference for black on black. i can see this kind of thing poping out during the summer, though.
i've definitely seen the the effect of 90's resugence in graphic design, illlustration, and motion graphics. it's kind of cool to look at i suppose, but a bit garish for me.

it's funny that you mention streetpeeper, my friend is the owner/creator and we're the main ny photographers. i'm so happy the site is circulating!

[imomus.livejournal.com]

I've just been emailing with him!

[thehakujin.livejournal.com]

Yoshimi is still a member of the Boredoms! She is awesome live in both bands (in different ways).

I just heard Iggy Pop talking about the Apollo/Dionysus thing in an old Tom Synder show from the early 80s. He was for the latter. I think he was trying to prove he wasn't an idiot.

Those old shows are great. People actually gave a shit, real questions were asked, etc.

[never-the-less.livejournal.com]

I always thought that Purple was just imitating the sober aesthetics of academic journals (as an editorial statement of course). ESP. since the size is one that is very common amongst academic journals, rare in fashion....

too beautiful not to add

[never-the-less.livejournal.com]

[akabe.livejournal.com]

absolutely, and that surely relates to their place being called the 'purple institute' but the context leap was big enough to be something more than imitation.

[intergalactim.livejournal.com]

those hoodies seem in the tradition of hypercolor t-shirts: http://www.4afriend.com/pics/hypercolor.jpg

also, maybe it was just a new zealand thing, but early 90s there were these "kosmik" sweaters with insane swirly fluorescent splotchy designs, worn by 45 year old mums on holiday. they don't seem to have an online presence, but i did find this: http://www.trademe.co.nz/nz/auction-77363178.htm

i must say that the cover of Taiga borders on something classical, and some of eye's covers (VCN especially) are a very formalist type of psychedelic, which i think in infinitly better than some of the other "psychedelic" album covers in the world http://www.rafanetz.com.br/1200mics2004.jpg

[intergalactim.livejournal.com]

and you've *got* to do an edit for that "ex bandmate" thing, they are both still married, and both still in the boredoms (right?).

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Very cute, fun video/song, I think. Made me chuckle, anyway.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

What, no reference to your orchids today, M'Lud?

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Oh look over there, Nick--a square grid!

(runs away)

[intergalactim.livejournal.com]

On Ian Hamilton Finlay: "Subversion, in his eyes, comes from the rational severity of Apollo, not the boozy party ethic of Dionysus."
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/visualart/story/0,,2053444,00.html

and with regards to yesterday's topic:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2053521,00.html

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

What he revered in the ancient world was what David before him had read in the terse patriotism of the Roman republic: a selfless civic virtue, a belief in self-sacrifice for the common good. He was a revolutionary gardener - what a fantastic paradox! Of course, he saw the joke of it: "Garden centres must become the Jacobin clubs of the new revolution," he said.

Man after my own orchid.

[telephoneface.livejournal.com]

Those jackets are really big in Atlanta hip hop culture right now. It's pretty awesome to see a gangsta wearing something so bright and shiny!