Photos By Gail
One of my favorite museums to visit when I am in L.A. is the Autry Museum of The American West, located in Griffith Park, which was co-founded by singing cowboy actor Gene Autry. Autry built the museum, which opened in 1988 (ten years before his death) to exhibit and interpret the heritage of the West and show how it influenced America and the world.
Continue reading Pink Thing of The Day: Pink Silk Western Shirt Worn by Gene Autry
As the past is reinvented to serve present needs, ’70s guitar Rock meets Disco’s irresistible call to shake your booty in this week’s Video Clip: “Hard Times” from Randy Jones — best known as the Cowboy from the legendary Village People. With a beat borrowed from Bruno Mars‘ global hit, “Uptown Funk,” this track about beating the blues is lyrically uplifting at a time when we could all use a little encouragement, and harnessed by a rhythm that is virally contagious. Directed by Mikhail Torich, the accompanying visuals are heavy on the glam, delivering sassy back up singers, buff disco boys, mirror balls and everything you need for an immersive club experience. No parking on the dance floor.
The title track from Randy’s brand new album, “Hard Times” is presented here in its super-groovy Studio 54 Mix (courtesy of Mark Saunders). Hard Times is available wherever fine music is procured. Enjoy!
All Photos By Gail
Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, who were Michael Jackson’s longtime costume designers, were asked to create a pair of Metal Cowboy Boots (circa 1990) for Jackson. The designers found inspiration in sabatons, the part of a knight’s armor that protected the foot. The singer wore these boots to the White House in April of 1990 to received the Artist of the Decade award from President George H.W. Bush.
Photographed in the Autry National Center in Los Angeles.
All Photos By Gail
Mike Weiss Gallery is pleased to present RRRGGHH!!!, Jerry Kearns’ first solo exhibition with the gallery and the artist’s first show in New York since 2006. RRRGGHH!!! features 8 new paintings on canvas as well as 5 wall murals.
RRRGGHH!!! restages the elemental conflict between hero and villain in the template tradition of this type of narrative, good versus evil, begun over 2000 years ago with The Book of Revelations and continued in different iterations today. The paintings present a layered dreamscape inhabited by a recurring cast of characters that have their roots in both the artist’s personal and our public histories. The narrative is organized around scenes from a hero’s journey, the hero himself an amalgamation of some of the most influential archetypes in culture. Continue reading Jerry Kearns RRRGGHH!!! at Mike Weiss Gallery