THE ONLY WAY OUT IS THROUGH
Maya's eBay roundup, Rothko's homage to Matisse, and Integrity in DC
MY TURN TO WIN
Ending a relatively boring week at work with my eyes glued to Instagram because Mike Bullshit is auctioning off rare hardcore demo cassettes. It’s the most thrilling experience I’ve had in a while and I’m not even a participant, merely a spectator.
Mike posted earlier in the week that he was going to be auctioning off twenty of the rarest hardcore punk demos in existence and that interested parties could bid against one another in the comment section. I was elated by this.
Amongst the lot were some cassettes I didn’t think existed anymore, if at all. The Krakdown demo, the NY Hoods demo, and even the Bustin’ Out demo (wow!). There was shit that took my breath away, like his copy of the Turning Point demo which is basically akin to the Holy Grail to me and a few of my friends. There are only a few sales on the music resale site Discogs, including one upwards of $100, so I wasn’t surprised that one of the first bids was $300.
Turning Point is your favorite band’s favorite band and being so close to a copy of the demo was magical.
THE HUMAN PSYCHE IS SET UP TO EXCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF ITS OWN REMOVAL
Everything I do is influenced by what I’m listening to - what I’m wearing, reading about, listening to next…etc. etc. I’m usually using eBay to find rare antiques and vintage but lately, I’ve been finding all kinds of items related to music I love. Here are some items from my watchlist inspired by my current On Repeat playlist, filled with true 90’s emo, Mind Eraser, Elliott Smith, and skramz.
– @maya
90s ball & chain choker, from seller abcultra
When I think Bjork, I think trip-hop - I adore Portishead and this overpriced vintage beanie + this eBay seller that specializes in older rave and techno wear.
Rare Lip Service “Slut” top, from the ‘04 “You slut - you bitch” collection.
I’ve been watching this top and anything from this collection for years, it’s unsurprising how high people are pricing them now. Anything related to Lip Service reminds me of my idols in Kittie 🖤
Sitting in my watch list for a bit now, always remind me of my beloved…Elliott Smith and that picture of him in a similar-looking pair.
Don’t really listen to CIV, but I love Texas is the Reason and this flyer is cool. Some other emo-ish favorites on my playlist include Far Apart, Cursive, Superdrag and Hazel.
Blake Babies is the best, love anything Juliana Hatfield-related.
Arthur Russell has a ton of variety in his discography, from house music to more “folk-ish” classics like, “Love is Overtaking Me.” I recently learned he founded now-defunct Sleeping Bag Records with Will Socolov in the early 80s. This compilation cassette is one of the byproducts of it, which includes one of my favorites, “Your Life” by Konk.
I’ve been listening to Mind Eraser and Cement.
SYSTEMS OVERLOADING FEAR ENVELOPES ME
Someone on Instagram reposted this video of Integrity playing DC in the 90s so I decided to take some notes. This show follows the release of Systems Overload and features the infamous Chubby Fresh back on drums. In between every song Dwid takes time to shout someone out or dedicate a song to someone. Shoutouts went as follows:
One Life Crew, Rick ta Life, Brian from Catharsis, Tom Bros1, Raphael the camera man, Kevin their roadie, the entirety of Salt Lake City for some reason, anyone who is oppressed and introed the song No One by saying
My friend keeps jumping in and out of my heart, this song is called No One because he’s a fucking nobody
Aaron Melnick dedicated Armenian Persecution to his grandfather and Dwid told the crowd to read up on the Armenian genocide, expressing frustration with American history textbooks.
Live it Down goes out to everyone who wants to give animals a fighting chance
Followed by a shout-out to Mike from Brothers Keeper.
Taking time to address rumors as a string was being fixed, he said
If you want to be stupid and believe the things said about our band before talking to us… that's your prerogative. Contrary to popular belief we have no affiliation with ‘zombies’ or dead babies, or the devil. Don’t mean to break your hearts.
Dwid then goes on to shout out Damnation, saying they haven’t met nor played with them but they are going on tour soon.
The video then ends abruptly.
THE ROAD TO SALVATION IS LONG AS WE ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD
I'm constantly being served ads for new bars around Phoenix and they all seem to have one common denominator: a theme. A jungle, a bowling alley, a speakeasy, an arcade. Why can’t bars just be bars again? The fake grass on the walls, the LED signs with something crude written on them, a place for you to take selfies. We have strayed so far from God's light.
ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT IS REVENGE THE SLAUGHTER IN MY MIND NEVER ENDS
In 1953 Mark Rothko finished a painting titled “Homage to Matisse”, a shocking deviation from his usual titles which were primarily comprised of various combinations of colors or numbers.
Once Rothko developed his mature painting style, he would typically title his work something like No. 7 with colors sometimes following – it was an odd occurrence to see him produce something so glaringly different.
Some say this was a public declaration that Rothko thought he owed Matisse; it was very rare for artists from the New York School to pay their respects to their European counterparts as they wanted to be seen as completely independent. Some even went so far as to say that they opposed the French School in particular for “lacking political and moral conscience”.
Rumor has it that in 1949, Rothko would visit the Museum of Modern Art multiple times a week to sit and study Matisse’s The Red Studio. You can see the influence this piece had on Rothko and the ways in which it impacted his approach, eventually developing into the style of painting for which he is known. Henri Matisse passed away on November 3rd, 1953.
You became that color, you became totally saturated with it as if it were music …You remember when I used to pass my days at the Museum of Modern Art looking a Matisse’s Red Studio? …..why always that and only that picture? You thought I was wasting my time. But this house you owe to Matisse’s Red Studio. And from those months and that looking every day all of my painting was born.
WHY DO YOU COME HERE WHEN YOU KNOW IT MAKES THINGS HARD FOR ME
If you ever want to discuss anything featured in these dispatches, please email me hello@tylerhasagun.com
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