A night at the opera, wicked games, vaccines and pop nightmares

A lot of friends and loved ones have claimed I have recently fallen off the radar, well instead of the usual fun and frolic and apart from cocooning in preparation for colder days and improving my cooking skills  I have had a culture packed week plus and thought I'd share and maybe give all you Brusselonias some fun ideas on what to do at night time!

A night at the Opera with Lulu!

A modern take of Alban Berg's Lulu by Mr Krzysztof Warlikowski. Kinky sadomasochistic imagery, ample amounts of glitter and heavy makeup, a plexiglass cage, video installations and a dangerously erotic atmosphere form the setting for this classic tale of eros and thanatos. The personification of  a femme fatale, Lulu is a porn star in lingerie and pointe shoes that seduces everyone that crosses her path and without fail leads them to a premature and tragic death. It's  only fitting that Jack the Ripper makes a sudden appearance at the end to restore justice. The show is aesthetically perfect and all the performances are breathtaking. One word of caution for those who arent't ardent opera-goers, the whole thing lasts a bit over 4 hours so be prepared for a long ride.

La Monnaie with post modern tree at night time 

Ceiling at La Monnaie

A Night at the Opera


Wicked Games and Blue Hotels!

You might remember him as the man in one of the sexiest videos of all time(!), cause lets face it, we have all fallen in love whilst listening to Wicked Games! Last Sunday I got to see Mr Chris Isaak at Ancienne Belgique and well he totally rocked it! An old school Elvis-lookalike crooner with a crystal voice! The man is a legend in a sequin suit! What a gig to mark the beginning of the new season! Amazing!

Random trivia: Chris Isaak grew up listening to Johnny Cash, Karl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis and well all these artists came out of Memphis Tennessee from an amazing little room  called Sun Studios and were all discovered by Sam Phillips.  Mr Issaks' new record "Beyond the Sun" is an ode to Sun Studios! So it was a real treat seeing Chris Isaak sing all those classic Rock 'n' Roll tunes!

Random trivia No 2: Mr Isaak occasionally graces the silver screen with his presence and has in fact starred in one of the trashiest and crudest movies ever "A Dirty Shame" by the infamous Mr John Waters. (I definitely don't recommend watching it!)

One of the sexiest videos of all times and both Cris Isaak and Hellena Christiensen fatal babes!





Cause it's all about elegance and pleats

Madame Gres!

After 5 years living in Belgium I finally paid a visit to Antwerp's Fashion Museum MoMu, currently hosting a retrospective exhibition of the sculpted elegance that is Madame Gres (1903-1993). A Parisien couturier known as the  pioneer of seamless garments that has been a major influence on the likes of Jean Paul Gautier, Yoshi Yamamoto and many more. Her minimalism, elegance and incredible drapes are timeless and always modern. Enjoy a sneak preview. 

Classical Antiquity Revisited

A Pop Nightmare

A Pop Nightmare by Mr Pascal Bernier

Botanique is currently hosting a retrospective exhibition of Belgian mixed media artist Pascal Bernier. Mr Bernier is out for blood, he paints a portrait of a disenchanted world in the brightest of colors. The destruction of the environment, the inevitability of death and urban decay are portrayed in the lightest and most amusing ways. On more then one occasion (skulls, stuffed animals and butterflies with military insignia) I though of Damien Hirst. A definite must!

Trails...

Cause we will never stop building castles in the sand

A valley of skulls

World War butterflies

Hunting Accident

The gym

Flowers and sadomasochism

Vaccines: the real pop nightmare

I also made the unfortunate mistake of going to a Vaccines concert this Friday and it was disappointing to say the least. Massive amounts of head banging and on stage freak-outs are not justified when you play pop music, neither is an absolute lack of charisma and stage presence and songs that all sound the same but luckily only last 1,5 minutes. What a massive waste of time! 

Enjoy the only Vaccines song I actually like! 

Summertime in New York or How to be a hot child in the city

"September: it was the most beautiful of words, he’d always felt, evoking orange-flowers, swallows, and regret."

— Albert Camus

Welcome Back! 

As reality takes hold and the summer holidays seem like a distant dream that may never even have occurred I decided to share a belated post I started writting about a month ago and  just managed to finish  (I blame being lost in a summer haze and the rough return to reality). A guide to New York (mostly) in the summertime enjoy...hope it makes dream, pack a bag with a bikini and a toothbrush and book a ticket to anywhere where the sun is still shinning!

I just came back from 10 gloriously fun days in The Big City, the city of my dreams, New York. Though I missed a day and a nights' sleep getting back to Europa and hence feel all jet laggy and dazed my head is still in the clouds from all that fun and frolic we had and all the beautiful people I met. My bestest friend now lives in New York and though it was my third visit in the past year and a half, the city always seems new and never ceases to take my breath away. Enjoy some tips on what to do and see and of course some photos from our fantabulous journey, oh yes and a song or two. Big summer love to you all, hope you are dancing somewhere under the sun...

Warming Up at PS1 MoMA 

I can't think of a better way to start our summer tour than the MoMA PS1Warm Up Party, which has become somewhat of a summer tradition for us. EverySaturday, during the summer, MoMA PS1, conveniently (!) located in Queensthrows a daytime party which includes gigs, DJ sets, exhibitions, a largeoutdoor installation (this year it was a fully recyclable, air purifying andvery refreshing meteorite called Wendy!) and last but not least James Turrell's Meeting, a site-specific installation that has been at PS1 since 1986 and consists of a very relaxing room with a subtle orange glow that has a rectangular window/ceiling to the sky,  which is by definition a completely new place every time I visit it and makes me feel want to lie in the middle of the room and let time slip away. Another definite highlight was the projection of Jack Smith's 1963 film "Normal Love" a riotous combination of Dionysian debauchery and horror kitsch to be cherished! 

Yayoi Kusama Exhibition at the Whitney 

A lady that was born to be artist and defied all conventions and stereotypes to be one, a Japanese woman emerging in the Western, male dominated art world of the late 50s early 60s to become Japan's most celebrated living artist. Whether its her signature polka dots, her psychedelic octopus trees, her obsessively phallic furniture pieces, her self-obliteration photos, her intimate mourning collages, or her Body Festivals organized in the fluorescent free love spirit of the late 60s, this lady has left her mark on art and on our public consciousness. Battling with metal problems she voluntary lives in a psychiatric clinic in Japan and continuous working at a manic pace. It was such a real treat to get to see this retrospective exhibition. A useful tip: In case you want to visit "Fireflies on the water" go to the Whitney at opening time as tickets get sold out within the hour. Enjoy some of my favorite pieces. 

Lincoln Center The Clock   

Few things in life are worth over 2 hours of waiting on the sidewalks of New York, "The Clock"by Christian Marclay might just be one of them, a truly hypnotic 24 hour (only during the weekend) video montage of clips taken from thousands of movies, of all genres and periods, that take place in real time, a cinematic memento monti where art and life are fully synchronized I got to enjoy an hour and a half between 1 and 2:30 am, and as we know nighttime is the right time when all the monsters go out and play and when magic happens so my advice is go as late as possible and BE PATIENT, admission is free and you can stay in for as long as you like! 

As you might be more patient than me you might also want to check out Shakespeare in the Park, one of New York's favorite summer traditions, admission is free and people start queuing in Central Park from 8 in the morning to get the precious tickets. 

Definitely visit the Williamsburg flea market, on every Sunday with ample hidden vintage treasures, records, Victorian mourning jewelry and food, pick a sunny day as the river is near and the grass is green! 

La Bonbonniere for lunch

A West Village dinner favored by the likes of Ethan Hawke, the spaghetti with broccoli comes highly recommended. 

P.J. Clarke's for Oyster Happy Hour 

A New York classic. Tip: add a dash of Tabasco to your oysters, it will cause a miniature gastronomic explosion! 

David Burke's Townhouse for a gastronomic real treat on the Upper East Side

American elegance at its best, if you're on a budget they have a pretty awesome set lunch menu. 

Drinks on the rooftop of the Standard Hotel, especially on a Thursday for Le Bain, the view is breathtaking, the people are beautiful and be warned there is a serious chance that some young stranger or some good friend might end up dragging you in the hot tub after-hours. 

The Beauty Bar

Cause for 10 dollars you get a cocktail and a manicure, also the music is fine and you might catch a stand up comedy show.

The Back Room 

A real blast from the past located in the Lower East Side. A speakeasy tucked away behind the faux facade of a toy store. The music is rocking and booze is served in teacups as a reference to clandestine drinking during the Prohibition era. 

St. Jerome's 

A Lower East Side divebar, the music is good and the beer is 2 dollars before  midnight! Random useless piece of information: the bars owner is Lady Gaga's ex-lover!

Home Sweet Home Totally awesome smoky basement bar with goth barmen, different parties every night and live music, beware of dancing all night, drinking 16 beers and starting up a fight, things can get messy in there! Tip: every Wednesday Weird Records throw a party with 5 dollar entrance and guaranteed fun! 

PRAVDA 

A Russian speakeasy located on the edge of Soho, for its over 70 different tastes of vodka and its delicious borscht.

Bergdorf and Goodman 

Definitely worth passing by if only to admire the gorgeously opulent store windows. 

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop

For a real treat, I definitely recommend trying a "Salty Pimp" delish! 

A summer must: Get HIGH on The High Line, a perfect specimen of organized urban gardening (preferably during sunset as the view is breathtaking!) 

Patricia Field

All things camp, glam and fabulous hand picked by the Patricia Field, the lady that styled Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw and Meryl Streep in the Devil Wears Prada in her store at NoHo. Warning: you might have to dig a bit under all the studs to find a real gem!

Beacon's Closet for vintage shopping

You can find some really under priced  gems!

 Reunited 

Pedo Glasses
 

 MoMA PS1 and a bit of Wendy

Wendy

 Loved this movie, a riotous combination of Dionysian debauchery and horror kitsch, a must see for any self-respecting cinephile

Club Kids

Warming Up at PS1

Park Life 

Giant Bubble Snake at Central Park

 The High Line Zoo

Highline

Guggenheim

Love

Loving Yves Kleins' International Blue

HEAT aka Melting Salty Pimp 

ACE Hotel 

When in doubt spray paint it gold!

At PS1

How at the Standard Hotel the night ended in here!

Sexy pool table

Colours in Brooklyn 

The art of coffee making in Brooklyn

Surf Bar

Surf Bar 2

Bergdorf and Goodman

Dressing Up Guess Who?

Kusama for LV

Kusama 2

Kusama's Body Festival

At the Whitney

Stan the Man

And now something fun for all you Brusselonians and a perfect way to hide from the incessant rain. A man who needs no introduction, with a mere 13 films he managed to revolutionize cinematography (all the scenes in Barry Lyndon are lit solely by natural candlelight), to push boundaries (with the emotional and sexual odyssey that made us keep our Eyes Wide Shut) and to shock like no other filmmaker (with the tagline A Clockwork Orange: being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultraviolence and Beethoven, the film  was banned  in England after a series of copycat crimes based on the film, and was not re-released until 2001). Stanley Kubrick has left a mark on our public consciousness and through the Stanley Kubrick photography exhibition at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels, which is on until  1 July 2012, you get a glimpse at how it all began. Before Lolita, Dr Strangelove (which I consider to be one of the most hilarious movies of all times!) and 2001 A Space Odyssey, Mr Kubrick used to roam the streets of New York and take photos of strangers on trains, young lovers, boxers, starlets and shoe shine boys. Enjoy a sneak preview.