Lostintranslation - ( Diaristic, that's all...)

Hands (Patti Smith), 2010

2010-07-07T14:36:00.006+02:00

PATTI SMITH in Berlin!!!

2010-07-07T13:01:00.010+02:00

FINALLY. The GREAT Patti Smith came to Berlin! She was just totally fantastic. She dedicated "Space Monkeys" to her friends, R.E.M. who are here in Berlin recording there next album (and im certain its going to be an another amazing album!!!)... thennnnnnnnnn a big bonus was Michael Stipe and gang joining her on stage a few times....so AMAZING! I took like over a hundred photos, here are a few...

★THE SET LIST★

1 Ask the Angels
2 Redondo Beach
3 Ghost Dance
4 Free Money
5 Play with Fire (The Rolling Stones cover)
6 Space Monkey
7 Dream of Life
8 People Who Died (The Jim Carroll Band cover)
9 Dancing Barefoot
10 Because the Night
11 Pissing in a River
12 People Have the Power
13 Perfect Day (Lou Reed cover)
14 Rock N Roll Nigger/Gloria

Düsseldorf & Köln

2010-06-24T13:45:00.012+02:00

a Mondrian @ K21 STÄNDEHAUS Düsseldorf

2010-06-24T12:17:00.005+02:00

Piet Mondrian, "New York City I", 1941

Mike KELLEY @ Museum Ludwig

2010-06-24T12:06:00.003+02:00

Isa GENZKEN @ Museum Ludwig

2010-06-24T12:00:00.007+02:00

Kolumba pt. 3

2010-06-24T11:50:00.004+02:00

"Dish with the Head of John The Baptist", early 16th century

Kolumba pt. 2

2010-06-23T17:43:00.020+02:00

Paul Thek's "Shrine" 1969, glass box with photographs, documents, magazines, wax, 2 fruit juice bottles, gold cord, and personal objects owned by the artist.

And early fashion illustrations by Paul Thek circa 50's

Cologne & Kolumba pt. 1

2010-06-18T11:14:00.014+02:00

Went to Cologne twice during my stay in Dusseldorf, and I really love it there...seriously if I had bank, I would move there right now! Okay, well, most likely would move there....anyhow went to the Kolumba (The art museum of the Archbishopric of Cologne)..absolutely FANTASTIC...The exhibition, "Bequest" is currently on view, it's great exhibition of archeological finds, religious artifacts, and contemporary art...My jaded self was blown away by the ways of presentation and works in general, especially the STUNNING excavation site, early fashions illustrations by Paul Thek in the same space as the vestments of Josef Cardinal Frings, the Crucifix from Erp, the head of John the Baptist, a room of monstrances housing beautiful crosses and crowns along with another Paul Thek piece titled Shrine. much much more to list here.....due to no flash policy, the images are a little hazy

http://www.signandsight.com/features/1550.html

Install of ANT!FOTO

2010-06-18T10:40:00.012+02:00

Install and etc..

Dusseldorf

2010-06-18T10:31:00.004+02:00

Dusseldorf was fantastic! Katja and Oliver were such super hosts!

It was a very nice relief from Berlin for sure, a nice little get away. Dusseldorf is a much, MUCH more mellow city than Berlin and has THE best Japanese food in all of Germany! Seriously ate amazing Japanese food at least once a day there…..fantastic! There is even an area in the city filled with Japanese restaurants, markets, shops, and even a store with Japan-popular appliances like the heated/singing toilet and air CONDITIONING, reminded me a lot of what Little Tokyo in L.A used to be.

Highlights : ANT!FOTO exhibition/opening
Hanging out with Oliver and Katja
Eating AMAZING JAPANESE FOOD!
Oliver’s exhibiton at Galerie Priska Pasquer
Kolumba in Cologne
Museum Ludwig, Cologne

Araki's Birthday...

2010-06-07T01:31:00.003+02:00

Thank you my dear friend Elisa Uematsu for sending super photos of Butoh legend AKAJI MARO performing at Nobuyoshi Araki's birthday...

ANT!FOTO - Dusseldorf curated by Oliver Sieber and Katja Stuke

2010-06-07T01:09:00.005+02:00

Tomorrow, or I should say later today, I am off to Dusseldorf....I cant wait! Never been there, and I need a bit of a break from Berin... I was invited by the amazing artists Oliver Sieber and Katja Stuke to participate in a group exhibition called ANT!FOTO...here are some images from my studio now packed up and ready for me to install...

http://www.antifoto.de/

I'm On to the Next One..

2010-06-07T00:33:00.007+02:00

yeah im a little (musically) late as usual...but...im sorry, Jay Z rocks!!! I can listen/watch this video over and over again...and i do...especially in the mornings with coffee! EVERYTHING about this video and song AHmazing!

This dance is brutal

2010-03-15T11:00:00.001+01:00

BRILLIANT

Mixed and Twisted.....bye bye

2010-03-15T10:33:00.006+01:00

Lil' Darling...

2010-03-07T02:21:00.011+01:00

Berlin winters are tough in many ways, especially for a native Californian like myself who has been through my 4th winter here....so far. Why do i continue... I was certain I was a sadist....but perhaps I'm a closeted masochist...

Do you know what I mean? After months and months and months of gloomy, cold, icey conditions (I even broke a rib this year..NEVER broke anything in my life till this year....) And now that the sun is shining, I don't know what to do this time, its been the most difficult transition, it's just been a f**cked up year in general for most, I think the toughest thus far, not just locally but globally and personally... I prefer the darkness over the light....I once did a series called "In Darkness There is Light"..I wish I can get back to that naiveté.......I want to enjoy the light again, lil' darling..

I MISS YOU......

2010-02-27T08:35:00.002+01:00

I HOPE YOU MISS ME TOO.....

I heart Isa, and I have sleeping problems...

2010-02-27T06:28:00.026+01:00

"Wind I (David)", 2009

“Wind II (Michael Jackson)”, 2009

GOD forbid, I just woke up and its 7am, OMG! anyhow...why not blog while watching American TV shows on the amazing, thank you Buddha for ninjavideo.net....

I believe it was a few years ago (7 years ago?????) here in Berlino I went to a collectors party, I entered this grand apartment, with waiters in line handing champagne upon entrance, and there was this hot/butchy woman near the entrance, just staring at/through people entering...just standing there, and I was like "who is that person that looks like she is just waiting to beat someone up"...eventually my friend told me it was Isa Genzken, and I was like, "UUUUUHH, she looks like she wants to kick someones ass....." scared me a bit........recently at Galerie Daniel Buchholz, I saw ONE of the most amazing exhibitions here in Berlin, titled "Wind".....it kicked MY ASS and beat me up in such a great way!!!!! she is amazing...especially her new wall objects!!!!!!!!

OH and recently I saw a piece of hers for auction I wish I could own, and not just cause of the title...."Schwules Baby" from 1997 (translation, gay baby, or gays baby)...I WANT THAT PIECE!!!!!!!! Well okay, PARTLY cause of the title, but its just yet another AMAZING work of hers...

Schwules Baby, 1997
Steel and aluminum. 43 x 16 1/8 x 13 3/4 in.

BUTT ...

2010-02-27T06:24:00.003+01:00

look..

http://www.buttmagazine.com/?p=6230#more-6230

R.I.P. ALEXANDER

2010-02-11T23:27:00.014+01:00

YOU WERE AN AMAZING AND INSPIRING GENIUS INDEED!!!!!! ONLY 40, what a loss.....

My first crush......

2010-02-08T03:34:00.008+01:00

Kikaida, the main character, is a humanoid robot, built by Dr. Komyoji to protect himself and his children from the dark Android commanded by the evil Professor Gill.

I came across a boxed DVD set i bought a few years ago from the Kikaida convention in Hawaii (YES there is still a Kikaida convention in Hawaii to this day, funny as it was produced in the the 70's) .... This was one of my FIRST crushes as a youngster....i would watch it weekly as a young young kid in the 70's.......strange that its mentioned in wikipedia that it was big in Hawaii, most of my family live there ..... i would go there at least twice a year since i was a baby (back when you could smoke on airplanes) AND MADE SURE I DIDNT MISS AN EPISODE, ....I would watch it on channel 56 religiously in Gardena (makes tons of sense as Gardena had one of the largest populations of Japanese Americans in California....my mom would take me to "Little Tokyo" in Downtown LA to buy the toys which i collected ( the now over-priced) tin/plastic figures, which my young bro and cousins eventually destroyed.... ) i made sure, sometimes beg, my parents so i could watch it when i went to visit Hawaii, as well, my dear granda made sure to watch it with me......and other shows like it...esp. "Go Ranger", "Raidean", "Robocan" and "Kamen Rider", etc..... was other favorites!!!!!!!! Not sure what that says about me...my first male desires was half android/robot......if you knew/know me, it makes tons of sense, i think, in an abstract way......I heart robots......

wikipedia....

"yeah half android half human...based in
Kikaider (人造人間キカイダー, Jinzō Ningen Kikaidā?, lit. Artificial Humanoid Kikaider) is a Japanese superhero created by Shotaro Ishinomori. The character has appeared in manga, tokusatsu, and anime.

Paying tribute to Astro Boy, created by his mentor Osamu Tezuka, Ishinomori used the stories of Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio (which was also the basis for Astro Boy) along with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as the basis for his science fiction action story.[citation needed]

The tokusatsu series from 1972 is especially popular in Hawaii. The complete DVD series is available in the west with English subtitles through JN Productions.

On my way home.....

2010-01-22T00:42:00.007+01:00

I am by no means financially wealthy, but i do know im wealthy in other ways, especially after watching CNN's news coverage of Haiti, and i did donate money to the disaster in Haiti.......and after Oliver and Katja's lecture last night, i decided to spread some love.....and hope it does indeed spread.....

Katja Stuke und Oliver Sieber's artist talk.....

2010-01-22T00:17:00.008+01:00

Tonight, despite the FREEZING cold weather, i ventured out to Mitte to see my friends' Oliver and Katja talk about their AMAZING projects, exhibitions, publications, etc... (the lecture was in German so i just stood there and looked at Katja's work, GREAT SHOW!)......they are not only fantastic artists but also publish amazing books mainly focused on photography...they are very cool people....we met for drinks last night and then ate great Thai food....check out their websites on my blog listings......see Katja's show at Galerie Loris. It's very good and sexy! ALSO i met two other artists after the Q&A...Andrea Winkler and Stefan Panahns. Good people...after a few drinks it ends up Stefan was the catalog designer for one of my first shows in Germany.....

GO Mo'Nique!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-21T03:44:00.008+01:00

To my DEAREST Erin and Lecia....and now Desmond! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-01-01T02:54:00.012+01:00

After the wonderful Danish New Year's dinner I attended, I came home, found this photo laying on my desk of the AWSOME birthday cake you made for Mike and I!!!
...and thought...WHAT is New Years without PULP, Suede, Belle and Sebastian and u two!!!!!!!! miss the good old days......hopefully we can do it again! love you guys soooooooo much and miss you!!!!!!! And me dancing to Pulp for a group of lesbian couples and Eve was eventful! That was a great New Years party...remember!? :-)

gosh there are still people firing fireworks at my building....hence why i cant sleep!!!!!!!

Where are you?

2009-12-27T09:18:00.010+01:00

TONS of remembrances, also im suffering from strange sleeping patterns here, sorry for my bad grammar and repeated words, etc...... Back in the early 90's I worked at the MOCA book store for, on and off, about 6-7 years....It was fun(ish) for the most part (I remember one night at the bookstore I had to work during an opening, Soleil Moon Frye walked in...I had a few drinks and went up to her and was like "OHMYGOD, I love you!" hahahahaha, she was very cool....) GO Punky Bruster!. Also, I remember once the staff in the shop took turns putting on our choice of music in the cassette player which layed on the floor under a bookshelf....one time I put on Madonna, and this butchy bitch came in and went right over and pushed the "stop" button...I was like BITCH! THE nerve to walk into OUR store and take the liberties to shut off OUR music! .. I then walked right on over and pressed "play" again, gave her a dirty look or "stink-eye"....ah I have fond memories of working there....MY POINT IS.....im always off track writing these days....

ONE of my favorite things to do was to show up to work early (yeah I know you all are gasping, thinking "Dean showed up early for work?!?!?") yes I did, only because the security would let me walk through the galleries ALL BY MYSELF without any people/crowds, and complete silence except for the sound of my foot-steps. It was AWSEOME! Viewing an Ad Reinhardt retrospective show, ALONE, was sublime for me....this was before I went to art school, I thought it was a privilege...BUT another installation in 1992 popped in my head, the Cady Noland installation (for some reason the MOCA website now only has one install shot now)...I would walk through her installation everyday/morning, before work, during lunch breaks....it struck SUCH a cord in me at the time and realized, SUCH an amazing installation!!!!....She/the installation hit me AGAIN.....hit me HARD! sublime......

There is something a bit creepy about this video...a little like NBC's "To Catch a Predator" about this...no?

.....and the 90's

2009-12-23T00:21:00.007+01:00

i love my Siouxsie and the Banshees......come on!!!!!!! i went to the concert at the Hollywood Paladium in the 90's....sigh again...... not knowing who the opening band was.......Love and Rockets!!!!!!! heller!......BUT damn i was shocked after realizing that was members of Bauhaus! i was in the front of the stage and didnt care if my Siouxsie book got SMASHED, Love And Rockets ROCKED!!!!!.......blew my mind!!!!!!!!! anyhow, YES just more boring stuff.......but what ev's......

i miss the 80's

2009-12-22T09:57:00.004+01:00

There are tons of Duran Duran songs i LOVE, come on that was my generation...along with the GREAT GREAT artist Nagel.... but i really love this one song tons, but the video SUCKS!!!! When i worked at the MOCA bookstore, John Taylor came in and i was SHOCKED ( I mean if it was Simon LeBon i would have fainted!) .......he was really bloated, perhaps like me at this point, but he was STILL sexy as all hell........my knees were all shacking like crazy, and i was sweating like a whore in church.....from my BAD memory i think i could barely ring him up, without acting like a fan......i think i gave him a BIG discount.........you are welcome John Taylor! :-)

SIMPLE..ONLY BLACK

2009-12-22T02:47:00.010+01:00

When I FIRST had MTV in America as a kid, this video changed my LIFE, it really did...not just the video itself, but their "look". It was like "WOW, its so simple, YET AMAZING! I even TRIED to find leather pants at this awesome thrift store in Torrance, Cali, but none fit me like it did the JAMC......THE amazing Vaginal Creme Davis got them to play at this tiny venue in Silverlake (miss my home) she hosted once a week, Sundays I think.

I HEART Bobbie Gillespie! (the drummer)......Lecia and I went to see Primal Scream in 2000 at the House of Blues, and they are known to be SO strict about cameras and shit that I left my camera in her car.....meanwhile everyone else were snapping away........f*ck! Bobbie was/is a dreamboat!

I'm a natural in the dark......

2009-12-16T18:54:00.003+01:00

is there no stopping when it's started

I have the skills, and the booty and the gorgeous hair but i DO NOT have the time...

2009-12-08T03:09:00.003+01:00

FECAL MATTER!

Where's Waldo

2009-12-04T22:24:00.009+01:00

So my cute and super cool friend from back-in-the day at CalArts, Bucky, who is super dupper talented and awsome, asked me to be in this Morrissey video, and i was like "HOLLY FUCKBALLS......FOR SURE!!!!" and he said i can bring a friend as well....Javier declined, but Lecia was SO into it....so we arrive, and there were a fellow CalArts peeps, Laura (MISS YOU) and others.... and i find out, that this is the 3rd day of shooting cause Morrissey didnt show up on the second day of shooting (..hung-over..), AGAIN it is a simple video, BUT now i realize how much actually goes into a video (OH BTW the idea/concept was "Morrissey in his studio hanging out with his friends").......so apparently he showed up on the first day, not on the 2nd day (hung-over) BUT the rest of the band did show up, so to clip all these 3 days of shoots to seem like one day was very cool on Bucky's part)......and finally showed up for the 3rd and final day......i must confess, when he came out of his SUV/limo i almost fainted, and i dont get star-struck often (jaded LA boy)......it was surreal, though me and my friends would see him often at the Cat and Fiddle bar in Hollywood...but to see him up close, in DAYLIGHT, I FREAKED! anyhow so, the stylists told us before hand to dress "mod-like"....so me and Lecia came prepared, we showed up "mod-like" so we didnt spend much time in wardrobe, and VERY little make-up, thank you....but since this was the 3rd day of shooting, all the others had to wear THE same outfits and stand in the same spots as they were filmed in the first shoot and 2nd shoot....anyhow...it was fun. BUT my fondest memory was 1: between takes, when Morrissey would rest, lay on the floor, and look at us, and esp. when he looked at Lecia, she would start to cry....it was so sweet.....i teared up too as i saw the last Smiths concert in LA......The Queen is Dead tour...i also got emotional and could not BELIEVE i was a foot away from him...OMG! 2nd memory: is that Bucky had me and Lecia dance by ourselves for the video in front of EVERYONE for like 10/15 minutes (seemed like FOREVER!!!!!) for the vid! we were so nervous AND embarrassed....but that scene didnt make the cut....boo hoo....3rd: Bucky's people placed me behind this HUGE/TALL Latina rockabilly gal...and i was like, "uhhhhhh, come on, can i get in front of her?????? she's a big gal".......but no, they put me behind her.....but during the shoot i tried my HARDEST to sneak myself in front of her or at least next to her...BUT she was not having it...so you can only see Lecia and I if you look VERY VERY carefully.......hahahahahha. good times........

OH and what surprised me was that there was this HOT tattooed Latin boy, who i would ASSUME Morrissey would want to be featured in the video (you know he loves his latino boys!).....but they just made him walk in circles behind us so you cant ever really see him, cause its just a blur.......he was hot..im sure Moz wanted some of that!

OH also they told everyone NO cameras (sucked) and no talking to Morrissey.....but he was actually cordial and approachable.....and talked to a few people, his sexy band-mates were VERY friendly....Lecia and I are on the right side of the video....BEHIND the bigger folks (Where's Waldo!)......hehehehehe.....i will remember this forever!! Thank you lecia and bucky!!!!!

WHO is that hot Japanese-American dude with the blond girl???????

2009-12-04T21:29:00.008+01:00

okay so, im exposing myself more and more these days...not sure why? But in 1993, YES eons ago....a friend of a friend suggested me for a music video......i was like COOL! BUT once we met with the director of the lame-ass, low budget video, he said we would all have to be nude! I was like "f*ck that!!!" but THEN they said "we will give you $500 in cash"...then i was like "okay! BOOM, pants down".....i can be easy that way... The video was banned from MTV....BUT a friend of mine back in the day (Jeffrey Hilbert) gave me a copy of a Playboy magazine with an article about the censorship of the vid of me and the blond woman (who i was friends with at that era, and totally forget her name, sorry gurl) where our photo was shown with a stripe covering our genitals.....i guess at that time, it was considered "risque"...1993...damn i wish i could find the article clipping.......

FYI, as lame and ghetto as this video was, believe it or not, we were there for about 12 hours PLUS!!!!! NAKED walking around and waiting...by the 11th hour i told the director i NEED to leave.....diva...i thought he would then delete my "scene".....but no he didnt. AND i got paid...

SHOES!

2009-12-04T21:15:00.003+01:00

Dedicated to Ms. Gavlak......"I Don't know yo life".....KFC! shoes......

My Amount is Little, but my Support is Sincere

2009-12-04T06:45:00.020+01:00

Brian Jones, "Death by misadventure", and noted his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse.^[22] He was 27 years old. I dont know about Europe, but in the states it is known that many many men and stars died/committed suicide at the age of 27....apparently that is the age that is the toughest time for men......i had the same feelings at 27.......Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain....well Ian Curtis killed himself at 23 the morning that Joy Division was to fly to the states for their American debut....i highly recommend reading his wife's bio "Touching From a Distance"......

Posthumously

It took seconds of your time to take his life....seconds...

2009-12-02T05:11:00.006+01:00

Dreaming of a time when you are free from all the trouble you're in

2009-11-27T20:11:00.008+01:00

This is my FAVORITE B&S song. When i'm listening to it, it seems to give me a glimmer of hope...a glimmer

GO MONICA!

GO Monica Queen!!!!!!!!!

i heart Ai

2009-11-27T18:06:00.005+01:00

miss you....

2009-11-27T17:24:00.008+01:00

It's strange, I seem to be scared to go to bed and sleep, but once i do sleep, i dont want to wake up...

These are the days it never rains but it pours

2009-11-27T08:11:00.009+01:00

LET ME OUT

Love is for the lucky ..and the STRONG......

2009-11-27T07:31:00.016+01:00

to the special people whom will ALWAYS have a place in my heart and mind always: to S.M., R.H., D.M. and M.L.

It's the dream afraid of waking......that NEVER takes the chance......tis I.

p.s. why was this scene edited out of the film? UH HELLO????????? It was/is called "The Rose"....

Sankai juku - Berlin

2009-11-27T04:54:00.014+01:00

FYI again, my blog is full of "stuff", things i want to share to the few who may care.....ANYHOW, this is what i do when i cant sleep, and dont have to work the next day. HAPPY Thanksgiving to all in the states. I miss stuffing.... :-( .......so my postings are so random and not in any linear order

SO anyhow, here are some images of THE amazing Sankai juku performing (Hibiki) here in Berlin at the "Clam Shell" at Haus der Kultur der Welt this year...(i have seen them 5 times now, Tokyo, LA, here) and after leaving EVERY one of their performances i feel high as a kite...an amazing drug to see them......before EVERY performance, there is a announcement in various languages, depending where they are performing, you know like.. "Please turn off all your cell phones and no cameras or videos allowed"....BUT, i knew, from seeing them perform in the past, they do at least 5 amazing bows at the end of each of their performances...so i was like "f*ck it, its the end of the show and what are they (berlin security) going do to me? kick me out?....it was their final bow.........i was ELATED to capture the legendary.........Ushio Amagatsu (天児牛大 Amagatsu Ushio), though since i was the only one at this performance taking photos, i think i did see a bit of "stink eye" from Ushio and the security, but what ev's....he ROCKS....THANKS John for getting us 3rd row tickets..... :-)

Born in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan in 1949) is a Japanese choreographer known for the creation of the Butoh troupe Sankai Juku (山海塾). Amagatsu formed the internationally celebrated and innovative modern dance group in 1975. He was also co-founder of the equally seminal Butoh collective Dairakakudakan in 1972. i love them AND the Dairakakudan as well......but seems Dairarakudakan seems to only play in Japan...they are amazing as well.....hey they have DVDS on their websites BTW

CONFLICT, 1985

2009-11-23T22:23:00.018+01:00

OKAY, so i am still going through the boxes of "stuff" my sweet mom recently sent me from LA....and there was an old photo album in one of the boxes, one of which had my early punk/ska/"alternative"/Goth, etc. photos and flyers i kept from the 80's-early 90's......Earlier in my blog i mentioned getting a tattoo of my favorite punk band EVER, Conflict. So i did it last year here in Berlin...... (while walking to my FAVORITE (BEST in Berlin) DVD rental shop, Videodrom, was a tattoo parlor).....always walking past the parlor, it would remind me of the tattoo's i have been thinking of getting about forever)....here are images/the flyer and video of them playing at the legendary Fenders Ballroom, Long Beach, 1985......do you remember the "disk camera?" that's what i shot these images with (ALSO i was in LOVE with Colin, the lead singer as well! i have a personal note from him somewhere (this was way before the internet, which i'm still trying to find..urgh).....of that amazing night! It was CRAZY....all these Nazi "skinheads" or, as we called them, "balled punks"..... cause real skinheads weren't into punk (see the Duffy video i posted)....anyhow, Colin bitched out a few Nazi's that showed up that night.....strange, as Conflict and their music is SO anti-fascist, why would those repressed/white-power assholes dare to pay and show up at a Conflict show....well, they would come to all the punk shows at Fenders Ballroom actually to just stir up trouble.......no matter who was playing......fuckers

CONGRATS to my BFF's Erin and Lecia

2009-11-23T19:29:00.003+01:00

I just got an email with fantastic news...my best friends, Erin and Lecia just gave birth to an amazing and cute baby boy, Desmond!!!!! Welcome to the world dear Desmond!!!!!!! much love to you 3 from berlin....xoxo Uncle Dean

thinking of my first love...perhaps if i can hold you i can win again

2009-11-22T09:49:00.027+01:00

knowing i'm the one who fucked it up........."In darkness there is light"..... tattooed on your arm... hope.

So last year when YAZOO played Columbiahalle, a 10 minute walk from my apartment here (it was funny, as Columbiahalle has 2 venues next to each other and as we were approaching the first venue, there were all these youn goth/Avril Levine looking kids, and we were like, uh, WOW didnt know Yazoo was known to the young generation of teens....strange, then we said this cant be righ can it? then we look ahead to the main halle and well, we realized those kids were seeing another show, as in front of the main halle were all older gays....which ALSO baffled me, as i never thought Yazoo had such a gay following...maybe its a european thing...).......I tried to digi/video the opening song, "Nobody's Diary", as Jeppe already knew the set-list, and this was their opening song (one of my FAV songs EVER!)....so i was prepared and got out my digi/video/camera, but while taping it i kept shaking roo much from crying during the song, then good ole Javier took my digi/video/camera and held it for me during the song, as i was crying my ass off and couldn't even (well barely) hold my beer, i think i was almost on the floor with tears... was thinking of the person mentioned above......i can watch it over and over again....and it still makes me cry

btw, this isnt the video i/Javier shot...this is from another source from the same night

I MISS Traveling!

2009-11-22T09:27:00.008+01:00

and a sense of humor here in Germany!........."delicious you are welcome!"

1989

2009-11-22T07:49:00.010+01:00

So this week i received 3 random boxes of my belongings from my wonderful mom in L.A...... books, photos and collections of stuff collected over the years....im still going through the boxes of stuff...and i found this zine that first published my photographs in 1989 in a punk/straight-edge zine called POSITIVE INFLUENCE...photos i took of Operation Ivy and Reason to Believe.. in L.A.. hahahahahaha.......i was also in love with the editor of the zine, Buster, so cute.....sigh. Operation Ivy ROCKED...look them up. they were KIND of like the late 80's/early 90's version of The Specials (mix of punk and ska), but more hard-core......LOVED them and still do (though "Lint" is now in the lame band Rancid)....looking at the zine i realized that early on in my life i ALWAYS carried a camera with me to take photos of all the cute guys in bands, and just had a love of taking photos in general (OBSESSIVE)...AT THE TIME i didnt realize why i always brought a camera with me to all the gigs i went to........now it makes sense. :-)

MERCY

2009-11-22T06:06:00.012+01:00

Now im not so up to date with current music i must say, im an old-timer who is stuck in what i like and liked during elementary-high school and some grad school...and keep listening to that stuff over and over. IF there is something current its usually by suggestion and usually it bores me. BUT i actually saw a video on MTV, yeah, an actual music video on MTV as opposed to all them reality shows......which i love too....but anyhow, i LOVE this song and video. NEVER heard of Duffy...but the video reminded me of my "Mod era" in the 80's L.A. - going to Mod Rallies, concerts, clubs, i even had a burgundy Vespa P-200. When i saw the video, and how the guys were dancing it brought back very fond memories of those years (i remember this one Mod gal who was a bit of a bitch, i forgot her name but we called her "Judy Judy Pumpkin Booty" but she would win all the Mod dance contests at the club Peanuts "Soul Night" in Long Beach)......its a style of dancing that is so cool and no one dances like that anymore, well at least not here in Berlin....there is NO Mod scene that im aware of.....this is how the REAL Mods/Skinheads danced back in the day....in LA, me, erin, lecia, mike, matt would go to BANG and there was a "mod" room there were a few people kept the tradition alive....ah i miss those days....

Mod (originally modernist, sometimes capitalised) is a subculture that originated in London, England in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Significant elements of the mod subculture include: fashion (often tailor-made suits); pop music, including African American soul, Jamaican ska, and British beat music and R&B; and Italian motor scooters. The original mod scene was also associated with amphetamine-fuelled all-night dancing at clubs.^[4] From the mid to late 1960s onwards, the mass media often used the term mod in a wider sense to describe anything that was believed to be popular, fashionable or modern.

There was a mod revival in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s, which was followed by a mod revival in North America in the early 1980s, particularly in Southern California.^[5]^[6])

For some reason it reminds me a bit of the GREAT Eleanor Rigby...BTW check out my BFF's film "We Are The Mods".....http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125297/ GO ERIN!!!!!!

DADDY, THE SHOP!!

2009-11-20T17:13:00.009+01:00

Hey come by and say hello. I'm kinda working/volunteering at DADDY, THE SHOP tues-saturday, 11-6pm, though im there only on friday and saturdays.... It's a cool shop in the back space of Peres Projects here in Berlin....Schlesische Str. 26...cool stuff like posters, limited editions (books/shirts, etc), a photo wall I did for the shop and of course all the DADDY magazines.....

Back to Blogging...

2009-11-20T15:51:00.020+01:00

Yup im back to blogging after a 2 year absence....by not so popular demand, but was sparked by very very dark and sad news today I received from Nick, about the suicide (she hung herself) of one of my favorite models Daul Kim. From watching her interviews online and reading her blog she was a bright and successful gal (did almost every major show and was considered Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld's new muse) and seemed to have a strong head on her shoulders, somewhat. She was HUGE but said she wanted to leave modeling (she was known NOT to answer the calls from her agencies) and wanted to return to being an artist....she suffered from insomnia, lonliness, love-hate relationship with her home in Seoul, Korea...and was quoted "I'm usually very miserable, so I reward myself with a fur coat every year"

...Her last entry to her blog was "say hi to forever": i guess fame, beauty and fortune doesn't equate happiness.....hmmmm.

http://iliketoforkmyself.blogspot.com/

R.I.P. Daul

dakis joannou collection #1

2007-12-04T23:56:00.001+01:00

yes, THE first thing you see when you walk into his home in Athens...is, well....Duchamp!

2007-11-13T04:26:00.001+01:00

thinking about a few tatts here in Berlin...Thoughts?

2007-03-04T04:26:00.001+01:00

ok, so Sarah thinks they suck ass for tatt's, BUT its my FAV punk band EVER! and i have continued to think of them for a while now, well over a decade by now, that should mean SOMETHING! right?

this one above would NOT be sideways, but upright.

this one would be the old English text 'Conflict" but all in RED!

this would be just the dagger/banner/wings and text...

DAMMIT!

2007-02-24T08:44:00.000+01:00

so every once in a while, me and my BLOCK neighbor, Kathleen Johnson, walk around the reservoir...exercise pals....anyhow one day i noticed these signs made by Yvonne Rainer sparwled on her lawn (she lives 2 houses from Kathleen). kinda funny, and last night i was reading about Kippenberger and for some damn reason i thought why not photograph AND take the sign........when drunk i tend to steal/borrow posters/signs....anyhow here is the result of las nights adventure......:-)~

more pics...

2007-02-18T11:18:00.000+01:00

yes that is me passed out with Dan. not sure who took that pic. the others mainly taken by bobby the night before his b-day and on his b-day. had a blast. my boohead Jason came from Virginia, as well as my London homies Pablo and David. love them!

more Ny pics

2007-02-18T11:09:00.000+01:00

from the Whitney and the pre-performance at Deitch

sorry gang for lacking in posts...

2007-02-18T10:15:00.000+01:00

so HOPEFULLY there are still a few of you folks still cruising my blog. BUT i can understand if not. its been far too long since i did post something. anyhow, been busy. as soon as i got back from japan, i had to finish more work for my solo at Peres Projects/Berlin (opens March 10th).

Also i was in NY for a bit (for my asian brother's solo at the Whitney). NY was INSANE! (whats new) what happens in Ny, stays there....well kinda..i got photos, but wont publish most of them...hehehe. lets just say it was INSANE! i arrived with Sarah on a monday night, thanks to javier i got to stay at the Hotel on Rivington. nice hotel. i got to see the group show i am/was in at Participant Inc. which was like 20 steps from the hotel. met Lia Gangitano, she was super nice and the show looked tight!
what else? oh, the insanity of it all. from the night i arrived, monday-thursday it was non-stop parties, after parties, openings, after after after parties...you get my drift. night one: Bruce laBruce had a gathering at a bar. night 2: Terence and Garrick's lobster dinner/party at there pad. night 3: the Gold Party at Mr. Chows. night 4: Whitney opening, then a performance at Deitch, then after party at some bar, then after after party at A.S.S....then back to the Hotel on Rivington with Blair, Dan and Javier.... but i did have friday, saturday and sunday to hang with my non art-world peeps!! it was a bit of relief i must say. Jason stopped by from Virginia for Bobby's B-Day. also i got to finally meet Joe Maida. very sweet and cool guy. he will be in Tokyo later this year for the same JUSFC residency i did.

what else? getting a book published which should be done in april. oh, and i will be living in Berlin for 2 months...kinda scared, but excited too.

well if nothing else here are some pics for you all to enjoy.

Life is NOT fair!

2006-11-03T06:17:00.000+01:00

as i (unfortunately) suspected, of COURSE TR Knight's BF is a typically/OBVIOUSLY HOT guy...the son from the show Brothers and Sisters...what ev's!

Last day in Tokyo

2006-10-21T05:02:00.000+02:00

shot on the last day in Tokyo....

Pig Bottom....Tokyo day care...

2006-10-21T04:59:00.000+02:00

Taken by Jason as we walk back, uh, or stumple from the AMPM to my apartment. there is a daycare center (a loud one at that!) where they have these cartoon animal tiles on the driveway....

Grey's Anatomy...

2006-10-21T04:27:00.000+02:00

YEAH! T.R. Knight (Dr. O'Malley) is GAY! yup just came out. AND funny enough, from the FIRST episode I ALWAYS thought he was THE cutest guy on that darn show. Not "McDreamy" or, now, "McSteamy"...YUCK. its all about Dr. George O'Malley!!!!! he, or at least his character on the show is just sooo super sweet, quirky with those puppy-dog eyes and cubby cheeks....i HOPE he doesnt do some lame ass Lance Bass bullshit and has some freakin' typical model type boyfriend!

i always wondered why no "tabloid type" TV shows, talk shows or the news NEVER focused on him, but mainly on the others....like Patrick Dempsey. enough with Dempsey already!

T.R. you are HOT!

2 days left...and

2006-10-17T08:03:00.000+02:00

here are some images at the end of the closing reception of my exhibiton at Sora Gallery in Tokyo. it was 2 days before i had to leave...i also gave a nerve-wracking lecture with a translator, so it was a bit strange to have to speak about my work in short sentences...still thinking about wanting to live in Japan....for real! i miss ALL my peeps and just wish could live there.....someday...

a TAD of Mito, jus a bitty

2006-10-17T07:56:00.000+02:00

AWSOME restraunts...........but a bit of a ride from Tokyo.....

DOUG

2006-10-17T06:20:00.000+02:00

My fav/loyal collector in Japan, Shoji-san, an amazing architect, took us out for dinner at a FANTASTIC restraunt and then invited us into his home...Doug was with his trainer at Shoji's apartment. Shoji-san then invited us up to his apartment where he has a great art collection...and some amazing Prouve furniture to boot.....anyhow, it is RARE in Japan for people to invite people/"strangers" into there homes, so it was a GREAT honor. HERE is his new aquisition, Doug, named after ONE of his fav artists, Doug Aitken.....i think Doug should have been named DEAN! maybe the next one...

In Yokohama...

2006-10-17T06:16:00.000+02:00

in Yokohama with Jason, Jeffrey and Misa.....went to the Museum, and Chinatown where we had THE BEST Chinese food!!! also visited an old Chinese temple...

Abstraction

2006-10-17T05:59:00.000+02:00

okay, so it would take me about a half an hour or so to walk to my nearest train station.....on the way, near my last days, there was this artist who would paint overlooking the river....kinda cool i thought. i wonder now what gallery he shows with, or if he already shows. at any rate i loved his kohones to paint in Waseda let alone IN public. this was probably the closest i got to an artist "studio" throughout my stay in Japan...seriously...AND especially in Waseda! its not the most liberal/art-friendly area in Tokyo.....

FINALLY...#3

2006-10-17T05:15:00.001+02:00

Misa, Jeffrey and Kosaku-san took me to Mito (2 hour bus ride outside of Tokyo...)...my dear friend Akira the Hustler was in a group show at the Mito Contemporary Art Center (TRY and get your hands on his book: "A Whore Diary", its AMAZING and super positive and touching..)..... along with Akira there was also work by super star painter, Hideki Kawashima (shows at Tomio Koyama), who i met at the Yokohama Museum where he had a temporary studio in the museum where he was making paintings for a solo there...VERY cool dude.

FINALLY...#2

2006-10-17T04:33:00.000+02:00

so my gallerina hottie Sarah came on over to visit me in Tokyo, we had a great time! (we did, right Sarah?) here are images with Sarah at the Shin-Edogawa garden and at the Asakusa Temple tying her fortune to the bars, with my other hottie gallerina Elisa helping us translate our fortunes....you see there are these canisters where you shake, then you tip it over to the small opeing where a stick comes out with a number, then you go to this shelving unit where you take out your paper fortune....this was my last visit at the temple and i got the "worst" fortune (i got the "Best Fortune" on my first visit!)...there are these stations/counters in the temple where you can purchase goodluck items just in case...Elisa helped me after i FREAKED OUT! OH, also after we went to about a hundred stores to look for those Goldfish lanterns (to no avail) wanted sooooo badly we stopped for some noodles. we ended up at this small place where i could NOT stop looking at the cook! he was just so HUNKY and cute!!!! it was hard to finish my meal...i swear i was sooo wanting to take his photo. SO, again thanks to Elisa and Sarah we came up with a scenario...Elisa told him that i was a visitor and wanted to take photos of the chiefs whose quisine i really liked...the meal was decent to tell you the truth, BUTT he was so Uber Sexaaay! if you disagree, F*#k off...hehehe....okay not the BEST angle...still freakin hot

FINALLY ....

2006-10-17T04:28:00.000+02:00

so after a month plus...i FINALLY developed 4 rolls of film, some from Japan....here area few...and i SWEAR i have lost a roll or 2...anyhow lets start out with the HOTTIE Nakata taking photos! :-)~~ A man after my own heart!

I LOVE NAKATA!!!

2006-10-06T06:22:00.000+02:00

So as many of my Japanese friends know, Hidetoshi Nakata retired from pro soccer (pro soccer right?) AND is buying a penthouse in NY designed by Tadao Ando. He's also a VERY stylish dude....he loves his fashion (i have a pic of him with the Stephen Sprouse/LV bag, which, the only other dude i know that has one is gay). in Tokyo, during the World Cup, there would be articles on him and what designers he was wearing (well, okay the Japanese are pretty obsessed with fashion and style). Now, as you can see by my last entry, i seem to have very bad gaydar...BUT...i think it's just wishful thinking, BUT i did have a few of my Japanese friends who seemed that him being gay wasn't out of the question......but who cares, he's HOT!!!!! i love NAKATA!!! he's been photographed at A LOT of fashion shows/parties. i think its great that style.com/fashion recognizes a hottie Japanese stud. I'm just curious on how he got so super connected with the industry and is hangin' with Astrid Munoz and Anne Watanabe (well she is from Japan..)... he speaks fluent Italian, Japanese and English.....sigh

Survivor, with a twisssst...part 2: revised

2006-10-06T06:01:00.000+02:00

DAMN! JP just got voted out...there goes my theory. hmmmm........

Survivor, with a twisssst...part 2

2006-10-06T05:37:00.000+02:00

So all the 4 tribes were asked to drop their buffs and combine into 2 tribes, the Raro and Aitu. Brad was chosen as the first person to choose for the Raro tribe of a different race, and who does he choose FIRST....JP! yup. AND tonight, there was a shot of the the Raro tribe sleeping and a quick shot showed Brad and JP sleeping very closely next to eachother. My friend Kurt thinks that he has a feeling that Brad and JP may have and are still boyfriends...is that the twist? lets all stay tuned!

ALSO SOOOOOO glad Monique got the freakin' ANTM boot last night! hated her! AJ ROCKS!!!!

Survivor, with a twisssst...

2006-09-15T05:18:00.000+02:00

Okay so earlier today Jeff Probst from Survivor was questioned about the different tribes in this season's Survivor, all broken up in racial groups. And there has been all this uproar about this issue in the press. BUT what he did mention is that there will be the MOST UNUSUAL romantic twissst in reality TV history!!! okay, come on. 2 dudes are gonna fall in love. i KNOW IT! okay so i think out of all of the dudes there are 4 who's "favorite flowers" are freakin orchidsssss. here are the 4 i think that may be possible, Yul and Brad from the Asian-American tribe, and JP and Ozzy from the Latin-American tribe. ALL hot too. i just think Yul is HOT, but not gay, i think just wishful thinking. but i am CERTAIN Brad is gay (he mentioned a SPECIFIC type of orchid: White phalaenopsis (what the F*CK?!?!), i know it's such a BAD stereotype but he is a fashion director AND his fav TV shows are Will and Grace, Project Runway, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and American Idol....okay maybe not so much of a "bad" sterotype, he's TOTALLY gay. and they arent focusing much right now on the African-American tribe who just lost the first immunity competition, but there are 2 dudes, and one just got the boot, and on the first night in the Caucasian tribe all the dudes where making excuses to cuddle with the girls "for warmth" and there was a lot of touching going on. anyone wanna place some bets??? MORE LATER. THOUGHTS?

SO super sorry for the delay...

2006-09-14T14:29:00.001+02:00

i am sooooo lacking on my Blog! my homegurl, Lecia reminded me re: my blog and asked if it was over, or if i would continue. i had to think about it. now that i have DSL (as of yesterday) i think i will keep it going. thoughts, after thoughts, etc....so keep in touch ya'll let me tell you all this. i came back to "wonderful" L.A. with a threat of a litigation suit by a student loan collector. a broken cell phone. no email. no car insurance, hence couldn't/should'nt drive, no email, etc........what a WELCOME BACK!?!?! anyhow, i am slowly getting used to American/L.A. life, i sort of feel like a social retard in public. one person at a time. lunch, a dinner, then home.....i can't quite explain it yet. this week has been the FIRST time that i have time to EVEN start to absorb my 6 month stay...and believe me there is A LOT more to absorb. I'm taking my time...no offense. and i still have yet to develop at least 5 rolls of film. AND i just got DSL for the first time in LA! its kinda a big deal for me. NEVER EVER had it in LA in my life. makes a big diff. anyhow, so last night i saw the TYDE at the NME club down the street at Spaceland...they are rockin' harder than ever. ALSO as were about to leave i hear the opening notes to "COMMON PEOPLE"!!!!!!!!! yipppeeeee. so i said "fuck that, we're staying!"... i asked for another Whiskey/soda, and danced my ass off! this guy who had a sort of Jesus Christ look was very entertained by my moves...kept pointing, smiling and clapping at me. what can i say, dancing to PULP does something to me.....i know this is one of the more boring entries, BUT hey, i just want the people who did read it to keep in touch! so email me! i am back.....

mucho grande love,

Same-chan

p.s. the GoldFish lanterns (Kingyochochin) hanging in my apartment are from Yanai where every August they have a yearly Goldfish Festival (i TOTALLY forgot and realized THE night of the festival that Yanai was 5 hours away and it was about 9pm....a bit too late, esp. considering all the subways close at 11:30pm) . Long story, i have a love for fish, esp. goldfish, i grew up with about 7 aquariums in my bedroom and a LARGE tank outdoors for my Koi fish collection. anyhow EACH lantern is constructed and painted by hand and this festival and lantern making tradition goes back to the 1800's. NO ONE i talked to, who were born and raised in Japan, knew about this festival nor how i could find these lanterns (Elisa and i searched and asked ALL over Tokyo a few days to no avail). i researched online and there was a site for THE lantern makers, but it was all in Japanese, BUT my dearsest Elisa went online and helped me order them. Jeffrey kepy making fun of me for being so obssesed by these lanterns and laughed at me, but i think they are AWSOME!....

7 days and counting...

2006-08-19T15:44:00.000+02:00

So I have 7 days left here in Tokyo. It’s been a great journey in many, many ways. As some of you know I was initially depressed (somewhat severly where I could'nt get out of bed nor eat), in fact it took a few months to get over the culture shock, obstacles, and home/friend-sickness (like I have mentioned many of times, I have NEVER been out of LA for more than 3 weeks). Now that the days are coming closer for my journey back to America, I have been looking back on my time here in Tokyo. It's strange and somewhat hard to explain, but it kind of feels like it’s the beginning of something new for me, not to get all new-agey on your asses, but though I was here mainly for art purposes AND to observe the culture, I think my life, well I know my life has changed. I am SO grateful to the International House of Japan for granting me this life changing experience. Recently everyone here has been asking me what I gained from my experience here…and I tell them, I think I could probably give a somewhat clear answer after a few months back in America. I will have A LOT to absorb and reflect upon.

I have met some of the most amazing people here and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart to you all for being so kind and generous. FAR too many to list, but THANK YOU! ALSO mucho grande thanks to my American and European friends for helping me with their encouraging words, advice and therapy via many, many,many emails and phone calls!

In the past month I have noticed a change in myself, probably due to the fact that I will be leaving so soon. I walk around with a smile now and not a frown of frustration. Sometimes I cry, but its now tears of joy and gratitude.

MUCHO-GRANDE and sincerest DOMO ARIGATO:

Jeffrey and “Mama Misa”
Elisa
Nobu
Taka
Shoji-san
The WONDERFUL staff at Taka Ishii Gallery
Shinsuke
Josh
Sato-san
Kosaku
Akira
The whole Hysteric Glamour crew
Miho
Christopher
Manami
Keiichi and Marni
Maryline
The Japan Esquire magazine crew
Tokion Magazine
Eiko
RICHARD
and to Andrea, Sarah and ESPECIALLY my boohead Jason who came from LA and Berlin to visit me!
The super GREAT and friendly people at Natural Lawson in Kayabacho

Im sure the list will grow…my memory is sooo super bad!
i HATE good-byes, as i am certian i will see you all again, so i will say "till we see eachother again..."

Yakuza scare!

2006-08-04T18:12:00.000+02:00

okay so today started out lovely...went to Gallery Sora to work on my show: PRESS RELEASE BELOW..made some artist books, had a great lunch and had to do an interview. meanwhile, jeffrey had to leave early for some business with a collector. BUT there was a car that was blocking the gallery car that was there to pick Jeffrey up. we were a bit preturbed as the other the persons car was parked sideways and haphazardly behind the gallery SORA car. we all got all pissy and said we should write a really nasty note on how the guy parked his car and not to park there ( of course, i was like, cant we call the police or parking officials to get it towed). so we write a BIG note for the car not to park there, as its the gallery SORA's parking space. so this big note is taped with bright green masking tape and Jeffrey puts it right on the windshield of the car. Jeffrey and a Yusuke from Taka eventually SQUEEZE through and past the guys car carefully....about 20 minutes go by and the other persons car is still there. i go out for a cig and a Japanese man across the street is looking at me kinda funny yet concerned. finally he walks over to me and is speaking in Japanese so luckily Kyoko from Taka's was there at Sora with me for the interview to translate. the man across the street eventually ends up explaining to her that we should not put that note on the car, even though its parked illegally AND badly. and the man was kind and helping us out cause it ends up the car belonged to....get this..one of the heads of the Yakuza! we immediately remove the note and are FREAKED that maybe the man may have seen us put the sign up, or maybe get us beat up or something. i was FREAKED!!!! scarey-ass stuff!

Dean Sameshima
Obsession, Retribution, Appropriation, Obliteration, Depression, Distribution, Confusion, Collaboration, Isolation, Annihilation
August 3 - August 26, 2006

click each image to enlarge

Taka Ishii Gallery and gallery.sora. are pleased to announce a new project by Los Angeles based artist Dean Sameshima. Presently in Japan on a 6 month US / Japan Creative Artist Residency, Sameshima will spend his final two months working on an exhibition within the space of gallery.sora.. From Thursday, August 3, gallery.sora. will be open to the public during regular gallery hours (2-7pm) ; prior to this time, throughout the month of July, Sameshima will utilize the gallery as a space within which to create work. This working process will continue during August and visitors to the gallery may happen upon the artist at work, may find an installation in progress, or, perhaps, view a completed body of work; exhibition content will not be fixed in advance of or during the exhibition itself. There will be no opening reception; artist talk and a closing party to celebrate the conclusion of Sameshima’s residency in Tokyo as well as the close of the exhibition, on Saturday, August 26.

Dean Sameshima’s work is firmly rooted in a West Coast conceptual photographic tradition. Sameshima utilizes a conceptual vocabulary to mine intimate terrain. The artist’s structural / conceptual devices include repetition, seriality and appropriation; a selection of past photographic series includes the documentation of anonymous landscapes and architectural facades (in fact sites of covert sexual activity), the re-photography of images published in fashion magazines (objects of idealized self-identification), as well as the appropriation of “self portraits” from internet websites.

Dean Sameshima’s work has been featured in museum exhibitions including “Log Cabin”, Artists Space, New York (2005), “Will Boys be Boys?”, a traveling exhibition organized by Whitney Museum of Art curator Shamim Momim (2004-present) and “LA on My Mind : Recent Acquisitions,” Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2002). An artist’s monograph, “Dean Sameshima” was published in Japan by fashion label Hysteric Glamour (2002).

Saturday, 26 August : closing party 6:00-8:00pm, artist talk : 7:00pm ~

Double take...

2006-08-02T15:25:00.000+02:00

So i was showing Jason around a few department store basements that are infamous for all the awsome and amazing food, drinks, desserts, etc....and on our way up to see the clothes on the upper floors i had to do a double-take. as we were heading up i see this lightbox of a Bottega Veneta ad, and my dear friend Liz Goldwyn was in it!! Liz is an amazing woman of many traits, jewelry designer, writer (one of the first people to write an article about my art), film maker. she was also instrumental in introducing me to some of the coolest people in Tokyo! THANKS LIZ! much love darling! im sorry but i had to take a photo with your ad, you look AMAZINGLY gorgeous!!!!

xo Dean

Jason in Tokyo!

2006-08-02T14:53:00.000+02:00

Hurray, Jason made the trek to Tokyo!!! It was a nice "farewell" to my boo, as he heads to Virginia. It will suck to be at Akbar or Gauntlet ( Sorry i mean the EAGLE) without him, NOT the same! I'm pretty bummed but happy that he is making a big change in his life. We had a blast, unfortunately we didnt make it to the Mishima Museum, but hey we did go to the shrines in Asakusa, went to Yokohama, saw some amazing art, ate some GREAT food (will always remember the amazing Sapporo curry soup/stew!) and OF COURSE went to ni-chome a few times!

Sankai Juku in Los(t) Angeles!

2006-07-12T17:07:00.001+02:00

so i JUST found out that the Sankai Juku Troupe is coming to LA.....okay so they arent performing till November @ UCLA, BUT i am going to BOTH nights, and i SWEAR to you you will be dumbfounded by this particular Butoh troupe! again, as stated in the archives, they are based in France BUT absolutley THE best Butoh troupe!! its the SAME performance (KAGEMI: Beyond The Metaphors of Mirror) i saw here in Tokyo and would see it again and again and again (the DVD will come out in the Fall, i'm buying ALL of them!), it's like an AMAZING concert (of movement and sound) that will blow your mind!..... if you are interested email me and i will get tickets ASAP as soon as they go on sale! YOU WON'T REGRET IT! (Erin and Lecia you are coming!)

Handsome past...#2

2006-07-04T16:33:00.000+02:00

These photos are just SO inspiring in their simplicity, composition and scale. Just can't get enough....

Handsome past...

2006-07-04T16:15:00.000+02:00

Met up with Josh from Bondi Books yesterday....check out his site and store if you are in Tokyo. It's in this really cool area called Kichijoji (kinda reminded me of old Silverlake...sigh), its AMAZING what he has in stock, he knows his shit, ESPECIALLY when it comes to RARE photography books! (http://www.bondibooks.com/). He took me around an area in Tokyo where there is an amazing array of used/vintage/RARE books/posters/magazine shops....i scored an AWSOME 1994 150 page Smiths Japanese catalogue/photo album (with 6 color/b/w photos too!), RARE Japanese Araki books i have NEVER seen and other Japanese photographers i never heard of, AND so inspiring!!!!! Also some Yakuza type posters for cheap! he took me to his friends store Kagerou Bunko where the owner Sato is SUPER cool! i found the following vintage photographs at his store...and got a free Daido Moriyama poster too!

Bye bye Nakata

2006-07-04T15:44:00.000+02:00

SEXY Hidetoshi Nakata retires at the age of 29!!! DAMN! I have bought most all the mags and newspapers i could find of him crying today...so sad!

Mumble jumble...#2

2006-07-02T16:30:00.001+02:00

So i went out today, a bit of a gloomy day, eventually the sun did appear. anyhow, i went to Tower Records AGAIN. browsing around (they have EVERYTHING!) i stumbled upon the "Go-Renger" series on DVD. i grew up watching this show as a happy kid in the 70's...channel 56. i bought Volume #3, now watching it, it brings back fond memories of my happy childhood and JUST now realizing that it was THE first Asians i saw on TV....DUH! Though i didnt understand the language i eagerly awaited every weekend (or was it Thursdays?) to watch each and every episode. I also watched Ultra-Man, Raideen, Robocan, and when in Hawaii visiting my grandparents watched Kamen-Raider!! Also i collected ALL the die-cast and plastic figures. I awaited the once-a-month venture to Little Tokyo with my mom to buy the toys as a little boy. The stores are long gone, as are most of my toys, as my little brother and cousins destroyed ALL of them to some capacity. no monetary value left, BUT i will still hold on to what's left of the pieces and just glad i still have the remaining pieces to remember the happier days. OH, But i DO still have the Go-Renger LP and 7" and a Robocan book still intact.

to re-discover/appreciate what i somewhat forgot in my childhood past was fantastic! ALSO Kikaida/Jiro was my first crush as a boy to think about it...ahhhhhh the memories are just flooding in........

there is even a website, produced from 2 guys in Hawaii! AND the shows are now being re-aired due to its huge fan base there, mainly in there 30's like me...i REALLY do believe it was a relief/affirmation in some way for Asian-americans to see other Asians on TV other than other action shows like Batman, Superman, etc....

Ban Daisuke, who played Kikaida is still alive and has his own website! here are both the Kikaida, Ban, and Kamen Raider site:

http://www.generationkikaida.com/index.shtml

http://www.bandaisuke.com/profile/index.html

I also emailed Ban to see if i can meet him while im here in Japan. I'm sure IF it would happen i would just start to cry like a baby....stay tuned

Mumble jumble

2006-06-30T17:12:00.000+02:00

So I have been trying to stay up and watch the tennis matches lately..they start like at 1am(ish) and ends around 4 am(ish)....I BARELY got through last nights with Agassi. BUT I did see the night before with Andy Roddick! I NEVER miss a Roddick match! HE IS HOT! AND he has a routine: after wiping the sweat off his forehead with his arm sweatband he tends to lift his shirt to wipe off the extra facial sweat AND you can see his stomach and treasure-trail! YUM! ALSO the other night he changed shirts on camera....sigh

Anyhow, so this morning I was awaken by the doorbell, it was my neighbor leaving back to the states. He kindly handed me his DVD player, a Japanese version. So needless to say, after a long day at my new studio here, I put it to the test. Now im watching Ally McBeal: Season 4. YES Ally McBeal! ALL seasons were on sale at Tower and I just happened to score the season I liked the most, Season 4 (good guess on my part): looong story, but I just relate to her. BUT the first episode of the DVD set made me cry (as it did when I first saw it YEARs ago), as I remember it well and have quoted and written it down MANY of times. In the end Ally thinks to herself after dumping a nice guy:

"Maybe I will share my life with somebody, maybe not. But the truth is, when I think of my lonliest moments, there was usually someone sitting there next to me.."

OH I also bought "Blow Up"...one my Top 5 Favorite Films! Also REALLY like how the title looked in Japanese..thinking of another tattoo! hmmmmm...........

Night of the i-D photo-shoot

2006-06-26T08:24:00.000+02:00

So i was asked by i-D to do a shoot for an article called "We're Here We're Queer" for an upcoming issue on "Global Gay Issues" . With MANY thanks to artist "Akira The Hustler", he asked a group of his friends (a WONDERFUL and fun crew!!!) to stop by the HIV center they have created and organize. See links below. Also I met the wonderful female Drag-Queen: Madame Bonjour/ John J (pictured). who is also a performance artist. she let me see an AMAZING video of hers, she's lypsynching to "The Rose" by Bette Midler all the while blood is dripping from her mouth...pretty sick and funny! After the shoot we headed to a really fun club for a night of dancing.

www.rainbowring.org
www.living-together.net

One final dream...

2006-06-11T09:20:00.000+02:00

May 28th...Birthday #2

2006-06-08T11:50:00.000+02:00

okay...well, the following sunday Jeffrey and Misa set up an amazing b-day dinner at a Mexican restraunt...that day i warned Jeffrey..PLEASE, NO b-day songs, NO special attention, no b-day cake or flan with candle...PLEASE....we arrive and the food is GREAT! FISH TACOS AND GUACAMOLE, margarita's and some awsome seafood rice!!! it was strange it was like birthday night there...we heard at least 4 tables singing and being sung to by the Mariachi band the happy birthday song...i glare at Jeffrey just to make sure it wont happen at OUR table....i just want to be with friends, eating good food and nice conversation....mellow. WELL.....as im finishing opening up my gifts, my table decide to sing anyway....THEN when i get back from the bathroom, guess who is at the table waiting....YUP, the Mariachi band! i gave Jeffrey a glare....and then they blare out the song....you can see in the pic im a bit embarassed, terrified and also i think im giving Jeffrey a dirty look....hahaha

funny thing, one of the birthday tables near us were all queens, cute ones too! hahahah..

May 24th...My Birthday

2006-06-08T11:09:00.000+02:00

So my birthday...where to begin....Andrea visits from Berlin, wonderful to have a friendly and familiar face and friend visit and not be alone. AND she treats me to every meal we had while she was here....AND an amazing massage at the 4 Seasons Hotel the day of my b-day....then a typhoon hits...we jump in a cab, frazzled...went back to my apartment to clean up a bit and figure where we are going for my b-day dinner....well there is now lightning and TORRENTIAL rain. THEN i realize in the apartment i freakin lost my wallet!!! im certain it was in the cab as i was looking for the map to my apartment, as NO cab can ever find it without the map that was drawn out for me....URGH! pain in the buttocks! needless to say, we dont go out. instead my b-day is spent FREAKING out and in panic and having Andrea trying to calm me down, chain smoking, drinking, calling my japanese friends who's FIRST question was "Do you have the receipt from the cab?" ..."no"..."OOOH you should ALWAYS ask for a receipt!"...I KNOW!!!!! it was THE first time i didnt ask for a receipt as that would have had the number of the ACTUAL company...UUURGGH! ( i have NEVER lost a wallet before!) and making a list of everything that was in there to report to the police. also had a friend call the cab companies and give them a description........anyhow...bummersville. i HOPE this is not a of sign of my year of being 35?

Racial Profiling in Ikebukuro

2006-06-08T09:49:00.000+02:00

So today I was running some errands and was headed back to the train station with bags in both my hands...i pass by 2 cops and just thought, wow they were kinda cute..then all the sudden they are RIGHT in front of my face speaking in Japanese..i take off my earphones and say "sorry i dont understand, whats the problem?"....it was a "random" thing they said they do. they asked for identification and i show my passport and ask them "what IS the problem did i do something wrong??" the one officer spoke english and tried to explain that im not the only one, and that they ask a lot of people for identification, in case of knives (knives???? OH come on! they didnt even ask me to open my damn bag!), drunkeness (OKAY i know some of you bitches are laughing at that one!), etc....criminals basically. i was like, well fuck this!!! if life gives you lemons you make lemonade, and i made a BIG ass batch of it too! i took off my sunglasses and began to ask THEM a BUNCH of questions, hey, they took up my time (while people were all staring) i decided i will take up theres. "Do i look drunk? i mean its only 2pm!", "do i LOOK suspicious?", "did you stop me cause of my tattoo?", "is it my hair cut?", "Did you know i lost my wallet and STILL havnt found it yet, could you help me with that?".....i kept the questions rolling as i think they knew i was one damn offended bitch. "do you think the bags im holding are stolen?", "well what about the group of people smoking in the non-smoking area, shouldnt you ask them to not smoke there?", "is it cause im wearing sunglasses?"....i kept them questions rolling....ahahhahaha!!! finally they stopped me to say they greatly appologize for bothering me and for taking up my time...OH and get this...they said "PLEASE, please have a nice day.." ...uh yeah.....kiss mah ass!

Slave to the rythm....

2006-06-08T09:35:00.000+02:00

So the party is packed, great music and most everyone is dancing....the lights dim, and HUGE bodyguards clear the floor and you hear Grace Jones singing "Slave to the Rythm"...no where to be seen...then these doors open and she struts on the dancefloor from a door where the catwalk was, donning a Phillip Treacy hat/mask (im certain it was his hat/mask, as he was there)...and makes her grand entrance to the dance floor!

Louis Vuitton and Ai!

2006-06-07T18:30:00.000+02:00

went to an amazing Louis Vuitton party! It was THE first time the House of Louis Vuitton did a show outside of Paris. They brought THE same models over for the show as a "thank you" to the popular Japanese market here...met my Japanese SUPERMODEL HERO Ai Tominaga!!!! (SUPER tall and skinny as hell!) Actually was introduced to her by Nobu (we were standing in this lounge area and i had to do a double take and ask Nobu.."is that REALLY Ai?" then he just grabbed my arm and introduced me) She politely stood up from her seat and i was like "damn YOU ARE REALLY TALL! i feel like such a midget next to you" she laughed...SHE ROCKED and was so SUPER SUPER sweet!!!!! She was actually interested in what i had to say, as i just gushed (I mentioned that she ROCKED and i was proud to see a Japanese model on the catwalks!) and she asked where i was from and why i was in Japan: actually engaged in conversation...DREAM come true!!! she spoke great english, and had an accent, kind of a mix of british, japanese, french, etc. i asked her where she was based most of the time..and she rolled her eyes with a slight pained groan, almost like she wished she could say one city, but she said mainly Paris and Italy for now) and before she was grabbed for an interview, she shook my hand said "It was nice to meet you.." and i said "Asian REPRESENTATION!", with my fist in the air..she laughed...Gemma Ward was there, but what ev's..and Trish Goff who was kinda bitchy and busy showing off and making out with her either here-nor-there boyfriend..another HIGHLIGHT was GRACE JONES!!!!!!!!!!! she rocked the house..insane! then i began to throw up profusely in the magical outdoor settings from all the Veuve Cliquot..again photos to come when developed (NOT of me pucking!) check in soon.

Belle and Sebastian

2006-06-03T16:34:00.000+02:00

just got back from Belle and Sebastian's first of 2 shows here in Tokyo with Jeffrey and Elisa!! AMAZING...sang mainly older stuff..opened with THE best live version of Stars of Track and Field i have heard yet!!!...and i shouted out some requests to no avail (Legal Man, Lazy Line Painter Jane)..BUT when Boy With The Arab Strap came on i CRIED and danced my ass off (memories of the good ole days of me, erin, lecia, mike, vanessa, etc...dancing at the Los Angeles B&S gigs, and clubs like Pop Superstar and Cafe Bleu in Los Angeles!!)! though NO CAMERAS allowed i snuck in mine...took a few...will post when developed....ALSO after a while i asked this dumb-ass wall-flower bitch next to me who just stood there the whole time to DANCE WITH ME during a song just looked at me like i was either trying to pick on her (she wished) or a nut case and tried to ignore me....i was like...you dumb bitch, why are you here taking up my dancing space!!! fuck off...

hopefully tomorrow's show will be just as good if not better!!

United Bamboo "Yankee Doodle" Flea Market

2006-06-01T15:33:00.000+02:00

So United Bamboo had an AMAZING 2 day event called the "Yankee Doodle Flea Martket" where they not only had on view the up-coming season's clothes on display, and runway video, but also an art sale (way too many artists to list!) OH and FREE HOTDOGS and beer too!!!! OF COURSE i had 2 hotdogs. AND nearby, at the store, they had a sale! got two AMAZING button-down shirts with removable collars....Also they had bands play as well, like Gang Gang Dance. AWSOME!! AND i ran into an old Brit-Pop bud from LA, Mike Joyce! he was supposed be in Tokyo for a year, and he's been here for 4 so far. So that was pretty nice to see a familiar face that i havn't seen in years. anyhow, i scored 2 Hiroshi Sunairi collages (i couldnt decide out of the 2 so Nobu says "buy BOTH!"...so i did) and 2 Ben Cho prints!!! well one is for Javier. BUT the one i got is pictured here....its Dash Snow in the infamous Mapplethorpe pose... SUPER hot! also the 2 Hiroshi collages above....

and...my shirt

2006-06-01T11:39:00.000+02:00

ARAKIMANIA

2006-06-01T11:26:00.000+02:00

been busy!

2006-05-26T19:25:00.001+02:00

ok more to come! i know its been a while gang. but here is a photo taken by the gallery of Araki signing my t-shirt (he explained that the hearts/flowers stemming from his hair he drew on my shirt was for the hot summer coming up) the opening was amazing....HUGE bouquets of flowers at the enterance. also, as soon as he walked in he was shouting out loud in japanese so im not sure on everything he said, BUT there was a TV crew following his every move for the hour he was there....ALSO it was a great show, great work of multiple colorful paint on B/W images! ALSO upon arrival he demanded that another work be put on the wall! so the taka staff had to rush and put another piece up during the opening! CRAZZZY! he is SUPER energetic and very boisterous! i think he is like that all the time! drunk and happy! i will soon upload my photographs of the opening. 2 women who posed for him from his favorite bar showed up in kimonos....AWSOME!

Done!

2006-05-17T14:03:00.000+02:00

Cute Hapa boy..

2006-05-16T16:21:00.000+02:00

so after my tat meeting, i wandered around Shibuya and saw THE hottest Hapa guy walking around...so i tried an followed him and photograph him as much as possible...without him knowing or turn around, after the 3rd close-up, he turned around!...others were staring but i didnt care about them...he had THE hottest neck, cute butt, the perfectly messed-up/i-dont-care/just-got-out-of-bed kinda hair and sweet arms! (sorry no face pics..too chicken to ask)...dont you think! he was like a nerdy/slight atlerna-guy with glasses.