This Business of Criticism By Erin Irvin

Okay, this is something that’s been on my mind for a while.  Years actually.  I’ve imagined myself getting on a soap box and ranting about this several times over the years, and now I’m finally following through.  This might be a little thick, but just bear with me.

Okay, so I’m just gonna dive right in here.

The Purpose of Art:

The purpose of art is simply to be.  Anyone can experience any form of it, whether literary, visual, musical, or whatever, and apply it to their worlds and feel.  As a multi-tasking artist, I can tell you that the purpose, in large part, of creating, is to figure out who you are, and to reach out and make connections with other people.  The purpose of the product is to be, in some form or another, emotionally resonant.  Period, end of story.  Whether something is good or great is an impossible question to answer—and the question itself is irrelevant and misses the point.  The beauty of all art is its subjectivity, its versatile nature, its ability to make two different people feel the same thing, or, dually, to make two similar people feel different things, but most of all, its ability to just make people feel.

Advice I Wish Someone Would Have Been Given

Let’s say you know someone who’s best friend happens to be dying.  Let’s say this person tells you, after spending an afternoon with this best friend, that the two of them cracked jokes, talked sports, and watched “Meerkat Manner”, just as they did before all the hospital rooms and tracheotomy tubes changed things.  Let’s say this person tells you that his best friend seemed to be feeling the best he’s felt in quite some time.  That his best friend seemed carefree, hopeful, and happy.

Do not, under any circumstances, tell this person that it was probably just all the medication that was making his best friend behave this way.  It will deflate his spirit. 

-Justin Bristow

Go Wes Young Man

Looks like 2012 is going to be one heckuva year—with a little help from Wes Anderson

Do you love Wes Anderson flicks? Of course you do. We all do. Silly question.  Moonrise Kingdom, starring Bill Murray (yay!), Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzmann, and Frances McDormand, is set to hit theaters this year. Watch the trailer here. Did your day just get a little better? That’s the healing power of Wes Anderson.

Marc Usery's Album of the Year Pick: Morning Teleportation’s "Expanding Anyway"

Have you ever had a first impression about something that turned out to be completely wrong?  That is what happened to me when I first tried listening to this band.  A link to their video for the song "Expanding Anyway" was posted by Modest Mouse's facebook page so I thought I'd give it a listen.  I figured if Isaac Brock liked them enough to sign them to his label (Glacial Pace Recordings) they had to be amazing, right?  So I pressed play on the video to get it loading and waited in anticipation.  The only problem is that I live in the sticks where I am still condemned to dial-up internet.  Yes, it is 2012 and I still have dial-up.  Don't laugh...  Anyway, After the first 30 seconds or so loaded, I pressed play to get a preview.  As the instruments in the intro were playing I was thinking "not to bad, so far so good," then the vocals came in I wasn't really feeling it, so I quit letting it load and went on with whatever it was that I was doing to begin with.  Now keep in mind that I had only heard around thirty seconds of the song, so not near enough to form an honest opinion.

What We Like: Mark McNairy

Go-to-hell has become a prominent adjective in the world of men’s fashion as of late.  Wear your trousers a bit shorter and go sockless to show off your “go-to-hell ankles”.  Chilly?  Just throw on a pair of brightly hued and ironically patterned “go-to-hell socks”.  Just make sure the color of your “go-to-hell shades” does not clash with that of your “go-to-hell cords”.

  

Anything that would slightly embarrass your mother, were you to wear it to a Sunday morning church service, can be considered “go-to-hell”.  I’m not the biggest fan of the phrase, but I am a very big fan of the movement.  (I was just recently reprimanded by my mother for sporting my very own go-to-hell ankles at a wedding shower).  With prep-culture reaching the peak of it’s reemergence, designers are feverishly churning out new and inventive twists on classic American wardrobe staples.  The basic navy blazer is now being made available in not-so-basic reds and plaids and plumbs.  You can get a pair of chinos in just about every color under the sun these days.  And now, thankfully, finally, you can wish people to eternal damnation with your dress shoes as well.  

A Quick Thought About Occupy Wall Street by Marc Usery

As 2011 drew to a close and the media began listing their top stories of the year, many listed Occupy Wall Street at the top or near the top.  That made me draw a similarity to OWS and a scene in the film Hot Rod.  Never seen it?  Here is the scene I am talking about:

Like the scene above, I think OWS started out with good intentions.  They were there to mostly protest the special treatment Wall St. got with the bail-outs and such.  As a conservative with libertarian leanings, I couldn't agree more!  After all, the Tea Party was started by protesting the exact same thing.  Maybe OWS didn't have a strong central message and consisted of mainly college-aged kids, but hey, if they were waking up to the problems that we, as a nation, face, good for them!  Sadly, as we heard more from them, we realized that it was less about "the government shouldn't be in the bail-out business," and more about "the government should bail us out too!"

Best of 2011! [Some cool things I viewed multiple times last year] by Erin Irvin

Dreamer/Dubstep

   Skip to 30 seconds in and he gets started.  It’s unbelievable, trust me.

Rose

   If you’re a fan of CG film and Sci-Fi—especially when those two collide—you’ll love this.  It’s worth the 10 minutes.

http://www.rosamovie.blogspot.com/p/see-rosa.html

Rookie Mag

   It’s another brainchild from the brain-child herself, Tavi Gevinson, the young teen fashion follower, who is anything but a Style ‘Rookie’.  Oh, that’s the name of her blog—Style Rookie.)  She started blogging when she was thirteen and soon got swept into the fashion world with interviews in major magazines and invitations to some of the most prestigious fashion shows around the globe.  As if going to high school and her über-popular blog weren’t enough, she also started her own magazine in September!  I love it and check it twice a week.  It has style elements and a design and format that match the energy of her blog, but it’s got all kinds of other stuff, too—movies, music, real life stories, TV…well, just go see for yourself.  Even if you don’t care anything about how you dress, this chick’s story and spirit are a true inspiration.

http://rookiemag.com/

Mayan Motivation: New Year, New Goals by Justin Bristow

The Mayans tell me that 2012 is the last year I will have on this earth.  With that being the case, I have decided to forgo the typical “resolution”.  With the world’s demise now just under a year away, I see no need in eating better or cursing less.  Instead, I have decided to set a list of lofty goals that I hope to accomplish before our time here is done.

Here’s what to expect from me in 2012:

Play Matthew McConaughey’s little brother in a romantic comedy

Invent something better than Facebook