PiL at Coachella

Although I didn't venture out to the logistical nightmare known as 'Coachella', PiL did and it appears they played a great 80 minute set. Cynicism aside however, I am really happy (and thankful) that I did venture out to Hollywood a few weeks ago when they played a 30 minute set in the parking lot of the Kimmel Show. (Besides being the first time I had ever seen them live, reliable reports from industry insiders that also attended the Kimmel Show performance state that this is undeniably the best incarnation of the band to date; Johnny and the guys were musically tight and full of passion).

Above is a clip from the live Coachella webcast, featuring the songs Public Image (one of my favorites) and Rise. Check out more at PiL's site here.

Six Stair

It's been a while since I've hung out with the boys at Six Stair....I just happened to be in their neighborhood today (Fairfax/Melrose) so I stopped by to catch up (and tell them how stoked I am on the Pool School shorts, set to air on Fuel TV very soon.) The East coast transplants have been searching/destroying secret pools, editing a lot of footy and generally trying to keep the vibe alive. Check the above excerpts from Fuel TV's Daily Habit for a little more in-depth info...and peep the official Six Stair site/blog here.

Be sure to check out this great series of shorts for Red Stripe in Jamaica a few years ago, including a few moments with local sign painter/graphic artist, Mobay. Beautiful stuff...

Keep on keepin' on, boys!

Charno, Buddy & Lord Salba

My friends at Six Stair, Buddy Nichols and Rick Charnoski (responsible for Deathbowl to Downtown), recently met up with the legendary Screamin' Lord Salba at a secret spot somewhere outside of LA. Listen to Charno get heckled hard by Salba after bailing his stair carve...but fear not, Charno hopped right back on, rose to the challenge and pulled the stair carve next try.

Check the whole blog entry by Mark O'Meally over at TWS. I can't wait to see the footy that Rick and Bud end up putting together...and Rick, I hope your head is OK.

Friends of Type

The folks at Friends of Type just posted this great typographical homage to McLaren...what a fantastic tribute.

Rest In Peace Malcolm

The legendary personality known as Malcolm McLaren, most well known for creating/managing/destroying the Sex Pistols, has passed away at age 64...what a bummer. McLaren was also involved with fashion pioneer, Vivienne Westwood, with whom he was partnered with the seminal London retail fixtures that became Sex, Seditionaries, World's End, etc.

Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to meet McLaren on a number of occasions and found him to be a relatively likable fellow, even though he bummed a few cigarettes off of me...RIP Malcolm.

Public Image Limited

I ventured into the heart of Hollywood last night to catch the legendary PiL doing a free outdoor show for Jimmy Kimmel Live. It was their first concert in 15+ years, essentially 'warming up' for their upcoming gig at the Coachella Festival.

Although the musicians backing him (Jake Phelps is moonlighting on percussion?!) aren't part of the original line up, the band sounded great. It was a fantastic mix of traditional and synthetic instruments and their signature 80's 'new wave' sound was quite refreshing to my ears. Old man Johnny Lydon seemed much less irascible than expected, and his 'PiL voice' (that Jonesy despises so much) was heroic. The band performed Rise, This is Not a Love Song, Albatross, and Flowers of Romance, which was the unexpected highlight of the evening.

And for the record, the classic PiL logo is still as amazing as it was twenty five years ago...

Banksy's 'EXIT' Trailer

A new trailer is circulating this week, showing us a little bit more about Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop...and even though I adore Thierry/aka MBW (as a person), I am kinda rooting against him in the film. Can't wait to see how it plays out, and I will be getting a sneak peek in just a few days.