Throwback Thursdays: Video - Jonathan Lethem Speaks With Raymond Pettibon About His Work

This week’s Throwback Thursday is for all the art nerds out there.

Jonathan Lethem, the Roy E. Disney Professor of Creative Writing at Pomona College, is the critically acclaimed author of "Motherless Brooklyn," "The Fortress of Solitude," "Chronic City," and "Dissident Gardens". Back in  2013 he collaborated with Raymond Pettibon on a monographic survey of the artist's work, which embraces a spectrum of American "high" and "low" culture, from the deviations of marginal youth to art history, literature, sports, religion, politics, and sexuality.

Raymond, who is most well-known for his iconic punk rock graphics, is as relevant as ever, although not the best speaker. In fact as of late his work has been licensed to NYC trend setters Supreme. The conversation starts out a little awkward but as things move along Raymond becomes more comfortable and opens up more about his process, collaborations, comics, film making and more. 

Video: El-P Lecture New York, 2013

A wealth of content is coming out of the Red Bull Music Academy today with this latest video of producer/emcee Jaime Meline, aka El-P, sharing some thoughts on his life and career. Topics discussed include but are not limited to: what the process of recording his albums is like, the drawbacks of being branded “Independent as Fuck,” his current relationship with one-time sworn enemy Rawkus Records, reflections on producing Cannibal Ox’s classic Cold Vein LP, and of course his latest project with Killer Mike, Run the Jewels. Grab some popcorn and a comfy seat as this one is just shy of two hours long.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Video: Ian MacKaye Highlight Real from The VERA Projects in Seattle WA

Ian MacKaye, co-founder of Dischord Records and vocal proponent of all ages shows, visited The VERA Project for a special question and answer session on September 7^th where he discusses such things as what punk means to him, file sharing, the straight edge movement, marriage equality, and more.

The VERA Project aims to be a place for youth and people supportive of an all-ages atmosphere to create social change, strong community ties, and education opportunities through music and visual arts, placing importance on a non-hierarchical internal structure and "participatory culture." 

Check out the 25-minute highlight real below….

Video: TED Talks USC – Rodney Mullen –“How Context Shapes Content”

Rodney Mullen is the bomb, no other skater has done as much for street skating as Mullen and his vast bag of original tricks. Notoriously shy and also kind of goofy it is with excitement that we share this TED talk with the skate innovator at USC campus. Rodney discuss’ inventing some of the most fundamental tricks used today as well as (as the title suggests) how context shapes content. Rodney also likens skateboarding to hacking and open source computing communities where individual’s take something and through a deeper understanding of it make improvements and give it a new context. 

“What do skateboarding and innovation have in common? More than you might think. A successful entrepreneur and innovator, Rodney Mullen is widely considered the most influential street skater in history, inventing most of the tricks used today. By the time he was 23, Mullen had already set new milestones for skateboarding winning 35 out of 36 freestyle competitions. He studied engineering at the University of Florida before co-founding World Industries, the largest skate company of the 90's, which was acquired for more than $20m. He continues to skate, innovate, and design some 30 years after he won his first world championship at the age of 11. Mullen spends his spare time thinking about open source communities, hacking the urban terrain, and transforming the mundane into something new. He'll be featured in the upcoming documentary, "The Bones Brigade: An Autobiography."

Video: Steve Powers at the PSFK Conference NYC

Artist Steve Powers recently gave a lecture at PSFK Conference NYC and we got the video to share. Espo takes us through his recent public and private art projects. He explains love-letters to the neighborhoods he painted on the sides of buildings in Brooklyn. He also talks about his one-a-day art “Daily Metaltation” pieces that he paints on 8×10 pieces of metal. When you’re presented with any day you’re presented with a blank slate he says and as an artist it’s his job to find some form and boundaries and distill his experiences of the day onto that canvas. Enjoy the 15 minute video below….

Video: Jeremy Fish Lecture at SFAI- May 2, 2012

SFAI alumnus and local artist Jeremy Fish returned to Chestnut Street to celebrate the end of the 2011-2012 academic year and discuss the development of his career as a painter and illustrator. In the 40 minute video Jeremy discusses how he got into illustration, the influence of skateboarding and his ongoing relationship with the industry, his time studying and working at SFAI, the relationships he developed early on in SF’s gallery scene, the city’s rich history, the stories behind some of his works, his collaborations with Indonesian wood carver Nyoman Sedayatana, an amazing story about Mike Giant and much more. I’ve met Jeremy several times and he’s a super sweet and interesting cat to talk to, the lecture is well worth your time so grab a drink, kick back and do your self a favor and watch the whole thing. Presented by The History and Theory of Contemporary Art Department.

Video: Ben Weinman from The Dillinger Escape Plan talks business

Ben Weinman has long  been the principal creative force behind The Dillinger Escape Plan, doubling as the band’s lead guitarist and as well as their manager. It was due to this that Loyola University New Orleans invited Weinman along for a 45-minute long interview about the obstacles and challenges that The Dillinger Escape Plan have faced as professional musicians in the span of their careers.  The video is very informative and well worth watching.

Wooster Collective at TED Bloomington "Gaming The Streets: Uncommissioned Art and its Relationship to the City"

Marc and Sara Schiller run the highly influential Street Art site Wooster Collective and earlier this summer they travelled to Indiana to give a talk at TED Bloomington. The theme was "The Wisdom of Play" and in their lecture Marc and Sara discuss Street art and it's roll in culture, advertising and more with visual examples from all the heavy hitters. Here' the final edited video....