"On Tuesday 9/13 the Marc by Marc Jacobs women's boutique on Bleecker Street in NYC will transform into a pop-up Blondie store! There will be all kinds of Blondie products, from the new album to Blondie fan packs and books, and special Blondie T-shirts, which will benefit Riverkeeper. Blondie will be stopping by in the early evening!

The new album is out Tuesday. Blondie plays shows at Highline Ballroom in NYC on Monday (tickets) and Tuesday (tickets) night. The shows are part of an ongoing tour that continues to Boston, NJ, CT, and many more places.

A "child" of Andy Warhol, friend of Debbie Harry, buddy of artist Keith Haring, inspiration to Marc Jacobs and collaborator with them all, Stephen Sprouse was among the first generation of artists who didn't distinguish between fashion, art and rock. Mostly known for his upscale version of downtown street fashion, Sprouse's artwork extended from design to silkscreen to paper. Before his premature death in 2004, Sprouse had been preparing for a retrospective of his life's work. And this January, five years later, it will be ready for display in a full-blown Sprouse-esque exhibition called "Rock on Mars" -- a futuristic, pop-influenced smorgasbord -- at Deitch Projects.

"Hopefully people saw his fashion designs when people were wearing them out," says Suzanne Geiss, director at Deitch, "but I'm excited to see what he did on clothing extended to total installations. Seeing these things together will be a first." Sprouse often incorporated musicians into his work -- in this exhibition, designed and curated by long-time collaborator Jamie Boud, there will be paintings of a crucified Iggy Pop and a rarely-seen Sid Vicious with his pants down. In conjunction with the exhibition, Rizzoli is set to release a book of Sprouse's work by Roger and Mauricio Padilha, The Stephen Sprouse Book; and Louis Vuitton has created a new line of clothing and accessories based on the original Vuitton-Sprouse 2001 collaboration.

The exhibition runs from Jan. 9 through Feb. 28, 2009, at Deitch Projects, 18 Wooster St., New York.
[Paper Magazine]

The exhibition at Deitch coincides with Louis Vuitton's "boutique on SoHo's Greene Street [being] transformed into a Sprouse destination in time for the collection's arrival." AND IN HONOR OF THAT:

Vuitton will honor the late artist with three events this Thursday [January 8th/today]. The night will kick off with cocktails at the Vuitton boutique on Greene Street, with a simultaneous event at nearby Deitch Projects' Wooster Street Gallery for the opening of the "Rock on Mars" Sprouse retrospective [see above]. Afterwards, Vuitton and Jacobs will host a bash at the Bowery Ballroom, featuring a performance by Sprouse's friend Debbie Harry, followed by DJ Jus Ske. The venue is expected to have a Sprouse feel, with a special graffiti-and-neon decor.

That is one of two big private shows in NYC tonight. The other, as pointed out by someone, is a performance by Cat Power at Union Pool in Brooklyn...

Continue reading "Stephen Sprouse remembered @ Deitch, by Louis Vuitton, Debbie Harry plays Bowery tonight, Cat Power @ Union Pool"

The Cool Kids @ NYU (more by Bao)

Kanye West & Marc Jacobs @ the Brooklyn Museum (Eric Weiss) (via)

* comedy @ Union Hall
* Gary Higgins @ Cake Shop
* Weston is plauying Europa
* Testament is playing BB King's
* Soft Circle are playing Union Pool
* The Cool Kids are playing S.O.B.'s
* Explosions in the Sky in Farmingdale, NY
* The Dirtbombs & Kelley Stoltz @ Maxwell's
* Dodos, No Kids & Silje Nas @ Mercury Lounge
* Kimya Dawson & friends are playing Webster Hall
* Sharon Jones for kids @ the Brooklyn Masonic Temple
* Modern Life is War play their last NYC show ever at Knitting Factory
* Handsome Furs, Violens & Jon Benjamin are playing Bowery Ballroom

The Cool Kids play a show at S.O.B.'s tonight which makes sense since they are a hip hop group and that venue hosts a lot of hip hop shows, but for some reason it still seems more random than their recent match-up with the danicer Crystal Castles at NYU.

Kanye West was playing inside while protesters were protesting outside.

What else?

"I’m not sure how they managed to pick the most unflattering pictures of her as possible, but they’ve gone and done it." [The Modern Age]