Pure Aesthetic Genius for the Day: Katsu's Graffiti Homage to the Mighty Eames' Powers of 10

Via Flavorpill—this clip is boundlessly charming! Dig! xo, B.

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Arrowtown Club House, New Zealand

I've just found my new dream home.... Enjoy! x, B.

Not Quite Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: A Bit of Doris for Thanksgiving

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Dark Nostalgia

Via Wallpaper's Facebook page I just came across what looks like a quite lustrously beautiful tome, Eva Hagberg's (I won't even get started on that name—it looks like the girl's got taste, so I'll let that one pass!) Dark Nostalgia. If I had an X-mas (or Hanukkah...) list, this would be certainly be on it (behind a few other things that I'll post on shortly)... but, then again, Philippe Starck loveliness is always most welcome and boundlessly appreciated as far as I'm concerned! (FYI, the negative images are just me taking a little artistic license for aesthetic sake—not in the book!) Enjoy... x, B.

Better Things—Random Godliness for the Day: Arthur Sales

When I need a bit of beautiful boy eye candy for a lovely distraction, Man of Austin often comes through. It's one of the only good things to come from my having ever been in that dismal city (finding the best band in the world, McAllen's mighty Dignan, would be the most significant, and my boys Will + Matt @ Maggie Mae's on 6th Street would be another)... Meanwhile the adorable Brasileiro Arthur Sales is more of a pretty boy than I usually fall for, but exquisite is exquisite, and this campaign for Butch Swimwear is a radiant distraction for the day! Thanks to MoA's Patrick Mark for all he does. x, B.

A Heart-Wrenching Decision, and Ineffably Beautiful Document from the Great Dominic Stanton... a.k.a. Domu

I have been going through a difficult time personally for what seems like far too long, and the debacle that was my move to Austin, and subsequently being forced due to lack of any other options to move back to Long Beach hasn't helped anything. The death of Gourmet magazine has hit me much harder than it should, like a death in the family, or more aptly as the end of an incredible era. But this week, the world suffered another great cultural loss, as Dominic Stanton—a.k.a. the mighty DOMU—decided to retire from music and completely withdraw—leaving a miraculous statement articulating beautifully, and in the most heart-wrenching fashion, the reasons why. I've decided to just reproduce it entirely, because it needs to be shared... You can also read it in its original home. Back and Forth also reposted an utterly radiant mix that Dom did in 2006 as a tribute, that serves as an absolutely apt score to reading this piece. Respect and much MUCH love and all the best to Dom!!! Dig:

"It’s over. I can’t go into the personal reasons, but of course will leave you some explanation as to how I got here. It feels a bit like walking away from a life of crime or the Mafia. I am Carlito, I have finally made the break from the old dangerous way of making a living. I just hope Benny from the Bronx doesn’t shoot me as I am boarding the last train out of here. The point is that I am no longer Domu. He is a character, always has been, and as of Friday 13th November 2009, he no longer exists. Neither does Umod, Sonar Circle, Bakura, Yotoko, Rima, Zoltar, Blue Monkeys, Realside or any of the other names I put out music under. I am cancelling all my gigs and not taking any more. My hotmail is closed, my Twitter is closed and my Facebook is closed. If any of you want to talk to me and know me well enough to have my mobile number then that is still the same, and please feel free to call any time. My other email address I mail from occasionally is still open to tie up any loose ends.

"I had started to change, for the worse I am now sure. My confusion was growing, my insecurity and bitterness getting out of hand, a lack of creative direction and focus were leading me somewhere very dark. I have felt so depressed by all of this. Believe me I have searched my soul long and hard this year to find the reasons again why I do this, but I can’t locate them. Too much of ‘me’ is mixed up into all of this, and no one should ever give so much of himself or herself to a job. I once believed in all of it, that I made and played music for a certain type of person, for people who didn’t want to adhere to the ‘normal’ way of life, the free thinker, the independent or open minded type who was bored of the genres, the staples, the blueprints or the formulae. The underground. But I just don’t truly believe I am needed in this battle anymore. It has been passed down to another generation, who are doing it their way, and I have no desire to try and edge in and start proclaiming to be fighting a fight that is no longer mine. I am a 31-year-old man. I can’t claim to be holding a torch up to something that meant so much to me at 15. At 21, maybe. But now, after ten years going full time, I think I have said all I had to say. My creative light has dimmed. Maybe because I started so early, who can tell? But I feel satisfied that this is it.

"I have had an amazing time. I’ve travelled the world, drank and partied and made a decent living out of entertaining people throughout all of my 20’s. I met some incredible people in cities I never dreamed I would visit, shared my thoughts and collected wisdom from a huge range of deeply profound and lovely people. But I have also met some real arseholes, and I could feel I was becoming one. Playing records I wasn’t sure I liked to people who had no idea who I was. I had gone cold, cold to the music, to the reactions and to the point of it all. I was changing what I thought I liked, so that I would be liked. I am not a chameleon. I am not Madonna, I can’t stay abreast of the current styles and keep changing with it just to stay in fashion or retain some kind of credible status or career. I have had my moment. If you know me well, you would have sensed a change in me over the last two years. I have always suffered with problems of confidence, but I know that’s not why I am throwing in the towel. I feel like I have to change so much of what I think is ‘me’ to carry on. What I believe in, how to talk to people, how to behave. I just don’t think I can be so arrogant and harsh to stand out anymore. There is so much noise out there that people have to shout louder and louder to be heard. And for what? I am beating myself up over something I no longer believe in for an income that is stressfully patchy and more often than not, very low.

"I used to say I owed it to ‘the fight’ to keep going. My belief in that has waned over the last few years too. Yes we needed Coltrane to go against the grain, to sacrifice his well-being and life to create beautiful art. We needed all of them, creative and unique beings burning brightly in our souls, our influences and idols that created the music and the movements that can provide us with sanity, sanctuary and meaning through our confusing lives. But music has lost some of it’s meaning to me as a medium. It’s everywhere; everyone is making it, playing it, giving it away, and trying to make a living. So many people have a voice in it now it is hard to pick out what is cutting edge from what I actually truly feel. I have gotten numb to my life’s biggest passion, and I need to leave it for a while to see if I can ever get it back to how it was.

"Some have attributed meaning and understanding to my some of my work. I know it is special to some people, and my message was understood by a few, which I am very grateful to have come to know over the years. I was lucky enough to catch a ride in it for a while, was recognised by some very special and talented people and I earned the respect of my peers and achieved a hell of a lot in a short space of time. There have been huge highs whilst playing music to all sorts of crowds, creating an atmosphere and being in control. I have felt the joy and adrenaline rush of the success, alongside the emptiness and despair of the empty club or the unresponsive floor. Now I recognise I have done all that, I need to put it all behind me and move on, and the only way to do that is to disappear. It has to end sometime, and as I keep saying, everything is finite. I don’t want to lose everything else in my life for this. I just don’t believe in it enough to make that sacrifice. The kids are fighting the battle now. I hope I influenced some of them, I know I have, and that gives me a sense of ease doing this. I haven’t wasted 10 years, I know I have bought joy and hope to many of the disenfranchised, the open-minded, the musical outsider or the devoted dancer. There are people creating things and using technology in a way that I am having to try and catch up to, but I no longer feel the desire to. They are doing it better than I ever could now. It’s their time, and mine has passed. You can either think I am being incredibly brave by admitting it or incredibly weak and stupid for stopping. But it’s just how I feel. I was going wrong in many aspects of my life, and I need to start making a change. I have no idea how long this piece will stay up, but this site won’t be here forever. Please feel free to copy and paste and pass on to preserve it, to let others know why I left, assuming anyone cares.

"I have tears in my eyes now. I have so many people to thank for all the personal and professional support they have given me over the years, but I shall do that personally in time. But I want to thank everyone who has bought a song, paid an entrance fee, had a dance or just come up and spoke to me about life, music, the world or whatever. You have given me a dream-like blessed existence for many years. If I have inspired anyone, then I am a happy man. You all have certainly inspired me, and I want to use those years of travelling and sharing to good effect, not this anger and confusion I feel towards it all now. I need to find meaning to the next phase of my life. So I bid you all farewell. I am just too sensitive to keep up the façade of something that doesn’t feel right. I knew it would come someday, maybe some of you that knew me saw it too. I have so much love and respect for my peers and teachers that are carrying on with the struggle, and want the next generation to achieve the best they can for themselves and their art. I am just not a lifer. I’ve traded up, and I’m out.

"I’ll leave you all with this. Life isn’t the X-Factor. No one has a God given right to his or her dream or ambitions coming true. I have worked hard and had some great luck. I followed some opportunities, squandered others. I have no regrets, other than not stopping when I knew I should have done this time last year. The only thing you have to guide you through your life is your instinct. Sometimes the right decision isn’t the easiest, but between your conscience and your intuition you will find the answer. Please listen to it. It’s you."

The Perennial Genius of Honor Blackman...

Random Pensive Loveliness for a Saturday Night: Classic Funky Lowlives...

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Anthony Pappalardo's Circle Board, Furniture + General Loveliness...

My Creation for 1.800.Tequila (Aesthetic Exercise)

Far from Random Aesthetic SUBLIMITY for the Morning: New Lisa Adams BRILLIANCE!

An absolute Technicolor STUNNER from my ineffably brilliant friend Lisa Adams!!!! "In Anticipation of Aberrancy"—lustrous, radiant, resplendent, exquisite and beyond—even I don't have enough adjectives... how apt that I was (and still am...) listening to Sabrina Malheiros' New Morning as she posted it via Facebook! My early morning need for epically saturated color (a thirst that's perennial @ every millisecond of the day, but never more so than after sunrise—especially on a grey morning...) has been more than quenched now that I'm soaking here—congratulations girl!!! xo, B.

At Last: Draco's Paraiso Prometido—the Complete PV in All Its Loveliness!

The Second Oh My Fucking Damn Moment of Technicolor Disbelief Today: Yma in the Forest—Epically Burnished

Far from Random Aesthetic Loveliness Redux: Another Blindingly Stunning Take on a Classic

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day Redux: OH MY DAMN (My Reaction...)

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Technicolor Shimmer via Bacardi of All Things—Crass Commercialism Done Right

Not Quite Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Emigré #70

I can't honestly claim that I gave Emigré enough of a chance or say that they had a profound influence on my formative years as a budding designer for one simple reason—I for the most have a completely different type aesthetic. The ubiquity/omnipresence of their fonts was always so much more pronounced than the loveliness and luster of their grander design scheme of things. BUT, that said, I know that that's too glib a dismissal + that I most likely missed a lot of loveliness that I'm glad to now go back and reconsider. They gave respect to my early design idols (the godly Vaughn Oliver, Chris Bigg, Neville Brody...), so I always knew their heart was in the right place. Now thanks to this lovely new tome—Emigré mag issue 70: the last issue that never came out/or has been newly devised as a retrospective. Dig! xo, B.

Sonic Sublimity for the Morning: In a Brit Jazz Mode (a.k.a. John Dankworth is a God—Drawing a Lineage)

Not Quite Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Stunning Advert for the Massive Monareta

As many of you already well know, I essentially worship Monareta, and view any chance to glimpse/partake in their massive live spectacle is a gateway to instant blissful lustre—especially if the ineffably beautiful Checho is guesting on drums. But this particular Bogota gig—launching for La Otra Feria de Arte Contemporáneo 2009, on a bill w/ Kompakt's DJ Koze—looks to be an even more radiant endeavor than usual if this exquisite flyer is any indication. Hell, I'd love to live in that building—especially if Monareta were my house band!!!! xo, B.

Not Quite Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Advert for Bobbito in Vienna

The Most Achingly Exquisite, Crushingly Sublime + Indefatigably Radiantly Beautiful Boy Alive: LUKE PASQUALINO

My dream husband, my ideal boy in every way—the achingly exquisite, crushingly sublime + indefatigably radiantly beautiful Luke Pasqualino! I've come to live by Skins in recent months ever stumbling upon + falling in love with Luke, but it is a brilliant series in most respects—whether or not I'm a teenage Brit, which clearly I'm not, I identify character trait-wise with Luke's Freddie (although heaven knows I'd give anything to look like him (well, I'd give everything I've ever owned to marry him (or most certainly less), but that's another story), Emily, Jay J, + even Thomas in many differing respects. With the season end coming tomorrow night (on BBC America, natch), I thought it apt to finally post some Luke in all his godly beauty...

Far from Random Aesthetic Loveliness Redux: Sabrina Malheiros in Honor of Rio 2016

Posted on Facebook by none other Sabrina herself!—a new take on her own beautiful bossa instant classic in honor of the Rio 2016 Olympics that I just had to pass on because it's too damn radiantly lovely!!! xo, B.

Not Quite Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Soundwalk

I'm cautiously optimistic about the prospect of checking out Soundwalk here in Long Beach this evening, and if nothing else am glad just to have something to do in the LBC other than biding my time @ the usual fag bars waiting for somebody intriguing to come in or something (welcome +) unexpected to happen. I've always dug sound installation as a medium, in no small part because I grew up as an industrial boy, with the ambient pastoral soundscapes of (the mighty) SPK, Hafler Trio, Zoviet France et. al... Besides it's lovely enough just to have an excuse to post their brilliantly lustrous graphic (of which I'm more than a little jealous!)! xo, B.

Sonic Sublimity of the Most Miraculous Kind: Nortec Transmuted by Orchestra

Dope + Accurate as Hell Bitchery on the Plight of Us Freelance Starving Graphic Orchestrators

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Technicolor Loveliness from... Kobe? Kyoto? Uncertain But It's Resplendent

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Type by Jeff Rogers for How + Metropolis

A rather sweet type exercise by Jeff Rogers for Metropolis (along with a mightily dope gig poster) that makes me jealous once again that I am not a typographer, but thankfully I have lovely/spot-on sense in choosing fonts + orchestrating their interplay. Thank goodness for little favors! Still, jealous or not, I get a little giddy inspiration from typographers this brilliant!

Far from Random Aesthetic Loveliness Redux: Gilles P.'s Havana Cultura

Exquisite footage, sounds like a mightily lovely project, + is it just me or Gilles (ALWAYS my sonic god of the world, the reason I became a DJ 15 years ago) starting to once again look slightly adorable as he did when I first saw him spin @ a Galliano/Brand New Heavies showcase @ the Village Gate 16 years ago? A night that changed my life + gave me a lifelong love for Gilles! Thanks Gigi Lau for the link!!! xxoo, B.

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Charley Harper for the Kids

Loveliness from the immortal Charley Harper via Canadian House + Home by way of Poppytalk. Ostensibly for the "kids' rooms," I say fuck that, I want them for my room!!! Charley's work for me is tantamount to the visual equivalent of Swing Out Sister or Saint Etienne: pure unbridled giddy Technicolor bliss! If I could own a print of every piece he ever created I'd be a mightily happy boy (at least for a little while)... xo, B.

Swing Out Loveliness Redux: HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORINNE!!!!!!

More Sonic Loveliness for the Morning: The Brilliant Nicola Conte + the Beautiful José James

Sonic Sublimity for the Morning: Marlena Shaw c. NOW

After seeing this clip I'm pining to be back in NYC to see the brilliant Marlena Shaw @ Dizzy's tonight, particularly since I could then go on to see Chico Hamilton @ Le Poisson Rouge. As if I wasn't pining enough to be in the city next weekend to see the goddess Marva Whitney. Yes, I'm theoretically seeing my husbands, the beautiful ones—that'd be KINKY for those of you who've just met me—but after hearing the crushing news of Roc Raida's passing, seeing Marlena + Chico feels more than a little apt. As always, I'll be looking to Swing Out Sister + Saint Etienne to get me through another rough patch, with a dose of dancing till I break a hip under the sublimity that is Kinky's Gilberto... Trying to stay strong here, or some such. x, B.

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Pure Genius (Frequency Response) + 2 Lovely Fukutomi Chasers

Far from Random Aesthetic Loveliness Coupled with an Essential Message

Clearly I love the immediacy of my technology, but nothing can erase the fact that print will always come first and foremost, and needs to be cherished. From a design perspective, there is NOTHING more beautiful than the tactile sensation of holding something luxurious and opulent in your hands—and that doesn't just apply to precious art book projects: I'm still despondent that Straight No Chaser, Playgirl, + Latin Inches are all strictly digital now!!! (And just a note—calling it an environmental coup is bullshit, there are plenty of recycled paper + eco-friendly inks options widely—+ cheaply—available now (a fact that I do love)!) CAN I GET AN AMEN??!!??!!??

via http://blog.howdesign.com/2009/09/16/LongLivePrint.aspx.

Perennial Loveliness for Those of Us Up Too Early...

Far from Random Aesthetic Loveliness Redux: New Epic Exquisiteness from the Ever-Brilliant Draco Rosa

Hello all,

Just a quick note on a day that begs for distraction—to offer one of the most epically transcendent, immaculately burnished, and flawlessly sublime sort, from a perennially lovely man who also happens to be a sonic GENIUS: Robi Draco Rosa. "Paraiso Prometido" is an epic, sun-drenched Technicolor vista that indefatigably demands to be soaked in... a turbinado, mint and tropical-sake infused kaleidoscope of Valaparaiso... San Juan... Veracruz... Punta del Mar... and Fortaleza, all luxuriously muddled into the most beautiful brew I've doused myself in in YEARS!!! Take a soak, + enjoy the scent, the vistas, + the pure f**king brilliantly potent sonic loveliness! xxoo, B.

Sonic Sublimity for the Morning: The Noisettes Cover the Killers

London Loveliness: Vibe Bar Hosts Tru Thoughts' 10th Anniversary

My first of today's inevitable 862 reminders that everything lovely happens in locales that aren't mine... A kaleidoscopically beautiful montage in rapturous Technicolor of Tru Thoughts' 10th anniversary party @ Vibe Bar in London, with Alice Russell, TM Juke, Nostalgia 77 + more. Check the godly lovely + slightly Boricua-looking new boy serving as Alice's guitarist starting @ 2:16 in. The first of today's inevitable 4,484 times today that I'll say I'm in love... xxoo, B.

Far from Random Aesthetic Loveliness Redux: The Ever-Radiantly Beautiful Nickodemus @ Afro-Funké

How is it that the pure transcendent beauty that is Nickodemus just keeps getting lovelier/more adorable with age? We all knew—or should've known—long ago that he's a sonic genius/capable of all manner of hella brilliance (musical + otherwise), but this radiantly filmed + edited reel from Nick's 7.09 guest @ the also-indefatigably-wise Jeremy Sole's Afro Funké, is a shimmeringly lovely testament. This spot proves without a doubt that Afro Funké is stronger than ever @ Zanzibar, although I only know this via word of mouth, since getting to Santa Monica was an impossibility even when I was still located in Los Feliz—let alone stranded in Long Beach. But I digress—I just wanted to spread this sun-drenched love, + always want to share the boundless charm + loveliness of Nickodemus. It might be frowned on in some circles that I've been in love with him since the early Giant Step days (When did I first meet him/hear him spin? '93? Dunno...), but if loving him is wrong... you know the rest! Soak in this Technicolor splendor, aesthetic + sonic... Dig! xo, B.

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Havana Opulence

Andrew Zimmern asked via Facebook for some suggestions on all things Cuban to help him create a Facebook album + Youtube playlist in honor of the Havana episode of his new Bizarre Worlds (which I'm skeptical about—love Bizarre Foods, but that's about as much Andrew as I can take (although as anyone knows I'm always starving for quality armchair/vicarious travel, since I'll seemingly never have the funds to actually visit any of the places I long to go)... Nevertheless it's always nice to have an excuse to dig), and while I'm feeling foggy + not terribly vibrant this morning—having to miss Os Mutantes tonight will do that to a boy (SIGH!!!!)—but I did flash on this lovely stock photo of a Havana street that I've always loved, whether inverted or not (I love it both so I thought I'd just post it here as a duo—it was the invert that I used on the cover of one of my DJ comps, Rare Mint Nectar). Other Cuban things I love that have come to me off the top of my senile head: Alberto Korda (not only the Che photos but also all of his early editorial work, and even the fashion photos—I scribed an exhibition review of a Korda retrospective for the L.A. Weekly circa 1998 that I was always rather proud of), Perez Prado, Beny Moré, for anything else it's poco un demasiado temprano (a little too early—love my Spanish-English translating widget, + heaven knows I need it...)! But of course the most immaculately burnished/indefatigably and ineffably LUSTROUS Cuban artifact will always be Mikhail Kalatozov's 1964 masterwork I Am Cuba. Dig!!! xo, B.

Swing Out Loveliness Redux: An Utterly Sublime Essay on Filth + Dreams!

Hello again all,

Thanks to a link from Andy posted on the Swing Out Facebook page, I was directed to a remarkable—to say the least!—essay by one Thomas Cooney on the 10th anniversary of Filth + Dreams. Now anyone who knows me knows that Swing Out are essentially my religion, and that F+D, Somewhere Deep in the Night, and Shapes + Patterns, are all aesthetically immaculate and resplendently flawless masterworks as far as I'm concerned, essentially gospel, but Thomas took it leagues further in a beautifully thought-out treatise. I thought about just reposting the whole damn thing in its entirety, but thought it better to just link to it. Dig... this ESSENTIAL reading!!! xo, B.

Far from Random Aesthetic Loveliness: In Praise of Ida Lupino + Fritz Lang's While the City Sleeps

When searching for an image to post alongside a Facebook note on TCM's 24-hour Ida Lupino marathon all day tomorrow, I came across this rather resplendent Italian poster for one of my favorite Hollywood b+w films—Fritz Lang's ultra-bitter, cynical as all hell...+ hilarious and brilliant While the City Sleeps. I have many reasons for loving this black-hearted epic—not the least of which is that it's roughly based on the story of "Lipstick Killer" William Heirens, via Lucy Freeman's classic true crime account Before I Kill More... (one of my favorite crime books, bar none)...+ that the teddy boy killer is played by one of my perennial cinematic loves/one of the most beautiful men in history in his youth: John Barrymore Jr. JB had already started losing his boyish loveliness by this time (to find him at his most sublime you have to go further back to Joseph Losey's 1951 The Big Night). But back to this particular epic, it also includes Ida at her loveliest + bitchiest as a proud/admitted opportunistic slut + gossip-monger, with the ever-brilliant George Sanders as her equally opportunistic fishwife cohort, + young Vincent Price in cute-dolt mode (Price was so much more in non-horror mode than he ever was as the ridiculous caricature that he turned into... age-old story). Never mind that Dana Andrews + Sally Forrest are both as hideous/tedious + painful to watch as ever—there's more than enough to make them forgettable here! One of Lang's best Hollywood bitter diatribes, and, with The Blue Gardenia, probably Lang's best for my money (yes, I do love the Hollywood films more than the German ones)...

Also on TCM's line-up + every bit as bitchy + even much more grim, is Robert Aldritch's The Big Knife—another absolute masterwork that I don't have time to even begin to do justice to at the moment, suffice it to that Ida stars as the wife of a young—+ honestly pretty fucking lovely—Jack Palance as a Hollywood star/part-time boxer, with Shelley Winters along for the ride (no pun intended—as her starlet (yes, she was almost thin at the time) gets drunk + run over by a bus!!!), + at the film's ultra-bleak end Ida gives forth with one of the most blood-curdling screams in the history of film. All this + a bile, piss + vinegar-drenched screenplay by Clifford Odets that puts the film version of Sweet Smell of Success to shame (Ernest Lehmann's novella is another story). Just seek it out!

And the goddess Ida's role as one of Hollywood's earliest female directors isn't slighted either, with her Bigamist also included. While this one might be a little too gritty/faux-verite/drab for my taste in some respects, there are other things I love about it, most notably the combination of Ida + Joan Fontaine...

The marathon runs all day tomorrow, August 27, on TCM, but all of these films are findable in some form of another, + testament to a great + beautiful woman... Now if only they had the cojones to include The Trouble with Angels!!! Dig! xo, B.

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Cocktail Brilliance via Food2

Two beautiful new cocktail jewels via Food2...

Summer Soltice Sake Sparkler
Prep Time: 5 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 1 drink

Ingredients
1 fresh basil leaf, chopped
6 fresh mint leaves
2 lemon twists
2 orange wedges
1/4 English cucumber, seeded and diced, very cold
1 1/2 ounces orange flavored liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)
Ice cubes
250 ml bottle sparkling sake
Directions
Put the basil, mint, lemon, orange, cucumber, and orange liqueur in a cocktail shaker. Add the ice, cover, and shake vigorously, or stir, until combined and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, the drink is ready when the shaker mists up.) Pour into a chilled Collins glass and top with the sparkling sake. Drop in a pair of chopsticks to pick out the cucumber and oranges, if desired. Drink.

Easy Mellow Melon Margarita
Prep Time: 5 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: serves 1 - 2

Ingredients
1-1/2 oz. Patron Silver tequila
1 oz. fresh lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 oz. orange juice
1 Tbs. agave nectar
5 watermelon cubes
1 small watermelon wedge
Directions
Here's a cocktail my good friend Tom Drelles discovered on one of his many spiritual journeys.

Muddle the watermelon cubes in the bottom of a shaker glass. Add ice, Patron, lime juice, orange juice and agave syrup. Give it a good shake for approximately 10 seconds. Strain and pour into large rocks glass. Garnish with a watermelon wedge.

*

There's also a Peach Cobbler cocktail on the same page that could also be a lustrous prospect. Elsewhere I was intrigued this morning by a RareDaily Miami mention of RA Sushi's "Wonderland Mojito"—white rum, blueberry purée, triple sec, 7up (they say "lemon-lime soda," but there's ONLY one!!!), + fresh blueberries. Dig! xo, B.

Early Morning Loveliness: A Lustrous Jewel from the Mighty M-Flo circa '01

Once More with Feeling: The Mighty Lady Bunny

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day Pt. 2: The Ever-Brilliant Fussible in Stockholm

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: House Industries

I'll freely admit that as much as I still love House Industries, the time when their name commanded my instant respect and awe are gone, partly for financial reasons (I don't see how anyone can still pay hundreds of dollars for fonts (I don't think any freelancer without a company expense account can), especially when the quality of available free ones has skyrocketed leagues + miles further into the stratosphere than I EVER thought it could—I've gotten hundreds of brilliant + beautiful fonts in the last year without paying a dime—and all legally), partly for others, but I'll always inherently love what they do + have boundless respect for their genius mod-Eames/Neutra aesthetic! Case in point—these resplendently lovely case study pics from the current House Industries home page. Dig! xo, B.

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Rare Daily +

Today's random loveliness is of a less specific source... in fact I don't even remember where this cocktails photo came from, but it is radiant nonetheless... The bottom photo is of the mod lovely Hotel Erwin in Venice, and came to me via the consistently eye-candy-providing Rare Daily e-newsletter. Enjoy! xo, B.

Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day: Lisa Adams

Today's bit of loveliness comes from a new Facebook friend referred by several other FB friends — the mightily brilliant artist Lisa Adams. Dig this in all it's ineffably radiant loveliness! xo, B.

New Loves: Giles Coren

I've discovered countless new loves in the past months (since I've been posting regularly) but the newest that I'm swooning over is what might seem to be an unlikely one — + one sure to invoke the scorn of all my Brit friends: Giles Coren: UK food critic + regular fixture on hideous Gordon Ramsay's The F-Word (CAN'T help loving that as a food show title!). With lustrously beautiful eyes + an equally lovely wit — whether milking a horse ("Ugh, it feels like warm scrotum!") or grilling an upscale grocery store dietician about detox products — I've found Giles to be a honey indeed... But that's just me. xo, B.

New Feature: Random Aesthetic Loveliness of the Day

Hello again all,

Being as how I've been so neglectful for so long... and more significantly find aesthetic eye-candy (+ not just of the beautiful boy sort, though I'll start catching up on that again soon as well) on Facebook + elsewhere virtually everyday, I thought loading the blog up with random loveliness when I find it seemed in order. Today, a lovely Charley Harper-esque illustration by Ernst Haeckel, and an ingenious photo of 4Hero + crew recreating the Abbey Road stance. Dig. xo

Another Brief Interlude @ 5AM — Eye Candy/Sonic Loveliness via Mo' Horizons

Left Austin Behind to Come Back to Southern Cali... But Not Before Finding Dignan

Yes, I'm back in Long Beach — and have nothing nice to say about my unfortunate time in Austin apart from time spent @ the beautiful lake, and having found a new pick for the best band in the world — the mighty + utterly, resplendently + ineffably sublime Dignan, from McAllen TX. It's late + I'm not for rhapsodizing enough to do them justice right now, but take my word for it — they're not a band, they're A RELIGION!!! Or don't take my word for it... just watch and LISTEN for yourself...

As for the rest of my happenings, part of the reason I've been so sadly neglecting this blog is that I'm spending all my time on + posting to Facebook. Feel free to hit me up @ facebook.com/eleganthoodlum, but I do intend to catch up here on the Liq Blog as well, about Austin (the parts I haven't blocked out), being back in Long Beach + much more when I get time... Thanks for bearing with me! xxoo, B.

Mightiness – The Mighty Monareta w/ Mad Professor!!!!

Who would've thought that my favorite group in the world would end up being Colombian? Monareta are just godly like that.... and with Mad Professor?!? Damn, that's beautiful... My dream boy Checho ain't on drums here, but this is still BRILLIANT!!!

More Aesthetic Jewels via Eri Nobuchika Redux!

Swing Out Loveliness – Sonic Sublimity from the Loveliest + Mightiest in the World

Still trying to figure out how to get back to L.A. or to San Francisco in time for the early June shows, but I must!!!! A move to either city (back to L.A. or to SF for the first time) is in the works, but it surely won't be in two weeks, so it'll have to be a quick jaunt! In the meantime for all else, check the loveliness!!! xo, B.

Sunday Loveliness of the Perennial/Eternal Sort

One thing I love about Facebook – was reminded of this mighty classic by the goddess Liane Carroll (who I'm jealous got to see the lovely Madeline Bell last week)! Yes, I've been posting all my best on there + neglecting here, but I'll be dividing my time better shortly... The long + short is that I hate Austin, but a move is in the works, even if it's back to sad old L.A. Thank god it's gay church day ($1 mimosas + $1 drafts)... xo, B.

It's Better to Travel Redux – M-Flo + Dragon Ash loveliness...

I know it's been far too long since I last posted on here but that's the curse of Facebook – it's distracting + addictive + fuck it... rather enjoyable! All the better to keep distracting me from a certain godly sublime and lanky but sadly unavailable Austin bartender... But I digress as is often my wont! I'll have more to catch up on here shortly, about the few things I love about Austin + the slightly more than a few that I don't (ideally before my birthday next week) along with much eye-candy per my many obscure new actor loves. In the meantime...
Leave it to M-Flo to provide a radiantly lovely vicarious trip – and an unexpectedly more earnest + fuck-all lush + magnificent one at that! As I said elsewhere, put this between Eri Nobuchika's "Lights" + Mondo Grosso + BoA's classic + almighty "Everything Needs Love" + you've got a flawless excursion most definitely ahead... xo, B.

Kinky Loveliness Redux Part 8 – Hasta Quermanos

Hello all,

While I'm sad and bitter today (even more so than usual (xo)) that the beautiful ones have gigs throughout Texas this week (McAllen and Laredo were postponed, but Dallas, Houston and San Antonio are still getting the boys in all their sublimity) but NOT playing in Austin (ugh!!!)... I was hoping it was because they'd be doing SXSW but alas, it's not to be. If any of my Austin people care to offer a ride to San Antonio for their Club Rio gig on Saturday I'd be ETERNALLY grateful. Meanwhile, stay tuned for my breakdown of the best of the SXSW schedule (Monareta! Zoe! Primal Scream! (The goddess) Alice Russell!) as I brace for my first one and ponder how I'll make it through without getting plastered (Xanax anyone?), and take solace/enjoy the godly ones last week (I assume – miraculously for once I wasn't alerted to it by 18,000 different sources) on Jimmy Kimmel. I was under Gil getting drenched in (his) magnificent sweat at the front of the crowd for their last Kimmel appearance (wait a moment while I calm the vapors and the necessary swooning (xxooxx)), but unfortunately I couldn't be there for this one (one of the only things I'll ever miss about hell-A – not being in the same city as Kinky and Volumen Cero (a.k.a. the illimitably resplendent Lucho and his boys)). I'm also tossing in a lustrous Kinky photo I hadn't yet seen for good measure. As always, dig!

Best and xo, B.

More Aesthetic Jewels via Eri Nobuchika!

I first found Eri Nobuchika while hunting for Shinichi Osawa/Mondo Grosso spots, and found the utterly absolutely fucking resplendent "Yumenokakera". Now after my boy Remi sent me the most definitely lustrous trailer for the new Nintendo Muramasa: The Demon Blade (see below), I got inspired to go back and hunt for more, only to find the two above-cited spots for Eri's sublime in all aspects "Lights." Dig!

xo, B.

Yes We Did... But We Still Need to Hear the Original Mantra on This Beautiful Day

Once again the atmosphere feels lustrous and lovely as this (formerly? I doubt it, but...) half-ass country steps up for our man's swearing in, and of course the original (and now seemingly rather prescient) Pointer Sisters' shout-out NEEDS TO BE HEARD FROM THE ROOFTOPS – and what better conveyance than this MIGHTY MIGHTY 1974 breakdown?!?!? Hope Collective just has the same beautiful spirit and, though I've posted it before way way back, it's always sublime to hear it again...

(And I just dig this opulent Bluefly graphic, as far as red, white and blue go, so as always I had to add some further aesthetic lustrousness...)

My plan for the day (severely tempered by the fact that as usual I am a broke-ass boy!)? A hike up to Zilker Park, a glass of Vinho Verde (my new favorite white wine... and it's Portuguese (also lovely)) at Halcyon, than settling in when OCH (Oil Can Harry's, my Austin fag bar home) opens at 11AM CT for the swearing in and Barack's speech... Should be radiant...

Whatever your plans, have a lovely one and enjoy... xo, B.