Life's a Bitch and Then...

My grandfather is 90+ and has been in an old folks' home for nearly a decade after suffering a stroke that paralyzed half his body and fucked his brain. Fortunately, the one liners he now spits out on a daily basis are void of any societal filter and will put you on the ground with their biting and witty humor. It's one of few benefits (to his audience at least) of growing old. I can only imagine that old age is a complete bitch and a half. Young Barcelonian (not sure if that's a word) Salva Lopez documented the lives of some old Spaniards in his series called Roig 26. Interesting work:

Philippe Ramette

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Gotta Love a Good Tumblr

from This Isn't Happiness

Crushed

Paper sculpture from Greg Lauren - Ralph's nephew:






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At Least You'll Have The Western Sky

One of my favorite bands of the last five years or so is Richmond Fontaine. I did a piece for REFUELED Magazine on them a while back, and they just released a new record this week, We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River. Love the title. Love the band. And I love this song. A forlorn plea to a friend (presumably living in New York City) to return home to Portland. Neither city is ever mentioned, but the band resides in Portland and the imagery is all Pacific Northwest-y. A good one. "You Can Move Back Here."

Vintage Billboards

Uber Americana via A Time To Get:

Gimme Gimme

via A Time To Get

Lost and Found

Lost Found Art in Connecticut is one of the best at turning seemingly mundane relics into gallery-worthy art:

Bloody

Can You Say Skills?

Dmitry Ligay possesses them.

Old Photos Score

Working at Uncommon Objects for close to five years gave me the luxury of having thousands of vintage photographs at my fingertips. Here are a few I found - and purchased - recently.

The Man Who Got Me Into the Business

I moved to New York City in August of 2000 and lived there until the winter of 03'-'04. A relatively short stint by most New Yorkers standards, but it was the first city I lived in post-college and therefore holds a very, very special place in my heart. I lived with 5 other guys my junior and senior years in college but wanted to strike out on my own when I got to the city. I found a tiny little place in Little Italy (Mulberry between Broome and Grand to be exact), began to explore the neighborhood, and eventually found the steel-doored vault that is B-4 It Was Cool. I never knew until that day that I was attracted to old stuff - especially of the American industrial variety that B-4 happened to specialize in. Run by Gadi Gilan - a big, burly Eastern European badass - B-4 It Was Cool started my fascination with old America and eventually led me to leave the music industry, move to Austin, become an antique dealer, and the rest is history. I don't ever plan on leaving this business. It provides an amazing insight into a bygone America that will never, ever return, and everyday I'm thankful I found it. I have this man to thank for the introduction.

Gadi Gilan Presented by ACL x Cole, Rood & Haan Co. from Michael Williams on Vimeo.

Out The Door...

to see my favorite band on Earth. The one and only. The Drive-By-Truckers. Y'all have a good weekend.



p.s. - This video's not so bad for Halloween either

Fineliners and Markers

On book pages. By Louis Reith:

Me Wants

But of course it's for the Japanese market only. The stuff Lee makes for the U.S. market is, in all honesty, pretty lame. The pieces they make for Europe and Japan, however, are really great looking. I want this jacket: