Nas + Alife

(Last night: DJ Green Lantern spinning pre-show Nas)

Nas is about to drop his new record with another controversial title which I’d rather not type on this blog. What better way to create attention than hold a word of mouth small secret show? And what better spot than Lower East Side’s alife Rivington Club — the sneaker ambassadors of the scene. Great night. Artists KR and ESPO were in attendance. I must say Nas did meander on some politics in between songs, of which I truly respect his energy in the matter. I will have to hear the entire new record before I fully expand on his new state of mind.

(Nas steps to the mic)

The highlight of the evening (in addition to hearing new tracks) was when he busted out some of his classics in the tiny backyard of the sneaker store — “NY State of Mind” and “Made You Look”. Simply brought the house down. One of those reasons you love living in New York City.

As far as the term “viral” goes for the party last night — all the footage, photos, and clips are ALL OVER the internet today. Well done guys.
J

Dwarf Bullfighters

Enanitos Toreros

Livia Corona is an extremely talented photographer from Mexico. In between her other hectic work gigs, she managed to escape whenever she could in order to document a community within a community in her native country. For a span of 10 years, Livia lived with these cast of characters — she woke up with them, spent the day with them, spoke to their families, visited their shows, etc. The result is a new retrospective book published by powerHouse Books available next week.

Jauretsi: Why Dwarf bullfighting? How did you bump into this niche?

Livia Corona: Enanitos Toreros started in a very casual way when a woman, who is a little person, invited me to tour with her team of dwarf bullfighters, after I made her a headshot. Through her I met other little people who also invited me to their shows and to their homes. With time I realized that there is not a great deal of common knowledge about dwarfism and, consequently, there are many false ideas and much discomfort about the subject. I was interested in the space between these two factions.

What aspect of their lives did you find the most surprising in all your years of documenting them?

I was, and am, struck by how dwarfism, in a sense, remains a sort of “last minority” which culture can discriminate against. Seems that the blanket of political correctness skipped this part of our society altogether. We became accustomed, through handed-down outlooks, to think of people with dwarfism in a very specific and limited way. In the interviews for my book, many people say they feel just fine with themselves. Recently one of the Enanitos Toreros told me, “My normal side is myself reflected in the mirror.” Tallness could be the outsider in this case. It’s relative, and irrelevant in the end. The book is about a lot of things, but mainly an effort to get past the spectacle and re-portray dwarfism in a way that made sense to me, having people with dwarfism as friends.

What is your next project?

I am finishing a documentary film about the Enanitos Toreros which I started along with the photos for the book. I am also working on a second book, “Two Million Homes for Mexico.” It is about definitions of family patrimony and cultural legacy via real estate.

(Enanitos Toreros, the book)
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The Book launch party is this Friday July 18, 6-10pm at powerHouse Arena in Brooklyn — 37 Main St., BK, 11201. To RSVP, email icumexny@sre.gob.mx.

To see more of Livia’s body of work, go to liviacorona.com

Graphic of the Day: Dog

Dogbehindthefence
Mark Delong
10 x 13 inches
pencil on paper
$150.00

Today’s graphic just made me laugh when I saw it. The drawing is actually available for $150 at TVBookShop, or email tim@tvbookshop.com

Wired Mag goes Global

Taking it around the world now…

Conde Nast International has officially announced it’s taking on the magazine Wired. They are expecting to launch a UK edition of Wired during the first half of 2009.
J

Obama’s Big Stadium Speech

Barack is making things harder for the networks…. but oh so much better.

(Denver’s Stadium: 80,000 seat strong)

The presumed Democratic Presidential nominee said last Monday that he would accept the nomination at Denver’s 79,000 seat Invesco Field (where the Bronco’s play). The convention lead-up takes place at the 21,000-seat Pepsi Center arena, where all the news stations are already parked, so of course they’d all prefer the speech stays in 1 place.

“Sometimes our conventions don’t feel like they are open to everybody,” Obama said. “For us to be able to do it in Invesco Field is an opportunity for 80,000 people who might otherwise not have been able to participate to get involved.”

All the networks are freaking out now about logistics of covering this. Due to the crazy expenses involved, they will probably “pool” coverage now. Loads of conference calls are happening now to figure out the reality of shooting this right. The first three nights of the convention, which run Aug. 25-28, will be held at the Pepsi Center. The final night will shift to the stadium for Obama’s acceptance speech.

Things that are good to know about this historic moment:

(1) Good Practice: Obama has already wowed a HUGE crowd. In May, a record 75,000 jammed into a riverside park in Portland, Ore., to hear him speak shortly before that state’s primary.

(2) Upgrading to a Stadium: It won’t be the first time a presidential candidate has accepted the nomination in a stadium. On July 15, 1960, John F. Kennedy gave his acceptance speech before tens of thousands at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

(3) Anniversary Night: Obama’s acceptance speech on the final night of the convention will coincide with the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.

Source: Variety.com.
J