wojtek (you say voytek) - the soldier bear

I'm upset guys.

I'm also really happy! Happy to finally learn of a certain Syrian Brown Bear that pulled his fucking weight (they're usually lazy, picnic trashing hooligans). But upset that it isn't a more well-known story, as it happened some 60 years ago. Wojtek was an abandoned bear cub, discovered by a local boy in Hamadan, Persia (present day Iran) in 1942. He was sold to a group of Polish soldiers stationed nearby in exchange for some meat tins. Please don't me ask what kind of meat because I don't know. But safe to say the kid got a shitty deal.


The rest of the story goes basically like this. Polish soldiers trained Wojtek, feeding him a diet of fruits and more imporantly, beer and cigarettes. He soon became the unofficial mascot of all polish units in the area where he was stationed. Like any smart military would, they drafted him into the Polish Army, listing Wojtek as a soldier of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps. Amazing idea. Imagine the public relations nightmare for the Nazi's commanders trying to spin to their men why the Poles had a fighting Brown bear. During the Battle of Monte Cassino in Southern Italy, Wojtek "the badass" aided his fellow comrades by carrying crates of ammunition to them, never dropping a single crate or shell. Disney movie anyone? Or at least a Saturday morning cartoon. Screw it. There's only two things I need to say. One, is that the following picture will be going up on my wall:


And two, the last time I heard about an animal this cool, it was a dolphin named "Jones" in a fictional movie entitled, JOHNNY MNEUMONIC (post to come later with my extremely well formulated thoughts on this soon to be relevant again picture, directed by Robert Longo who eerily enough never directed any feature film before or after).

A short historical video on Voytek.



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putting the rickroll to rest

We probably know someone who's been rickroll'd. Or, we personally have been lucky enough to unknowingly click our way to the ginger heartthrob's video for his hit song, "Never Gonna Give You Up." We might even be aware of some of the more public rickrolls to date, such as the one that took place during a 2008 New York Mets baseball game or the use of the rickroll as a song of protest during a 6 city anti-Scientology demonstration last year. Doing my part to try and stem the proliferatiion of the rickrolling practice, I'm crowning the Muppet's gang as the Kings of the RickRoll. There. Crowned. Enjoy. If you haven't already.



Thanks Nani

For more on the RickRoll phenomenon, click here.
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your skeletons revealed! on 3x5's

Postsecret is a blog that functions as a community for people to anonymously mail in postcards that in some way depict or tell the story of a personal secret. However, as it's loyal user base grows, so do the number of users who check the blog daily only to come across a secret that actually refers to them. Haven't sent any of mine in yet. Thinking about it though. Don't worry, I'll make sure to make mine real obvious. Though I do know some people who would do well to come clean on their inner demons, if only to an electronic notecard.






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His Praetorian guards: tomas maier

Tomas Maier is the Creative Director at Bottega Veneta and the man responsible for the brand's rebound from a once imminent bankrupcy in 2001 when he first took over. He's since launched his own line, now sold in over 30 countries and also owns/ operates 3 boutiques under the Tomas Maier moniker (miami - pictured above, palm beach, and the hamptons) housing his label alongside other important odds and ends, from imported Italian shaving creams to Neil Young albums. Brilliant.










What I respect most is that the man doesn't just take the most exclusive products/ garments he finds and house them in what could be nothing more than a for-profit retail shop. Rather, upon walking inside, one could think it more a museum gallery where each item is chosen for an important reason, as a bastion of cultural heritage and then arranged just as methodically, with some grander purpose in mind. That's my thought anyway. Every city deserves an "installation" like Mr. Maier's.

Photos via The Sartorialist
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welcome to osaka

The city where you can walk up to complete randoms on the street, point your finger at them, say "bang" (no translation necessary), and they'll pretend you shot them. Beautiful people those osakans. Always ready to take a joke.


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spring campaign: burkman bros.

Enterprising Canadian bros Doug and Ben Berkman take their gap-honed skills to the next level with a their new line, Burkman Bros. appropriately using their surname as a label. Inspired by their own travels, as one might guess, each season of line will aim to take its influence from a different region, while still maintaining a considerable level of cool.





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1990 gave us: robot jox

Directed by Stuart Gordon, and starring Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Paul Koslo, Robot Jox takes place fifty years after a nuclear holocaust. Conflict in the form of open war is forbidden by the surviving nations who have merged into two socio-political super-nations- the American-influenced Western Market, and the Russian Confederation. To resolve conflicts over land and resources, the two factions agree to hold gladiator-like matches where human "robot jox" battle each other in giant robotic warrior machines. I'm convinced this film simply suffered from being before it's time. What kind of world do we live in where society no longer accepts theatrical product that pits giant warrior robots in battle to decide national disputes? Dudes were on to something.


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los angeles: angelyne

Last night my cohorts and I spotted the billboard queen gunning her pink corvette down the strip. Fortune smiled on my roommate, who was driving, as she happened to be momentarily stopped in the lane next to us. With as much excitement as a little boy surprised with a new puppy, he quickly lowered his window to speak but could do no better than, "Angelyne! I grew up on you!" Still, the ageless (she's somewhere between 44 and 54) sunglassed (it was 8:30 PM) beauty asked him for his name before making a quick left onto some hollywood sidestreet. Nuff said.



click here for more Angelyne
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"when you're strange" doors documentary

The film premiered at this past Sundance Film Fest. Johnny Depp, best known for his turn as John Wilmot a.k.a the Earl of Rochester in The Libertine, will narrate for theatrical release. And so I wait with baited breath...Andrew and Dines, if you'd be so kind.
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woolrich woolen mills

A rediscovery of traditional quality american manufacturing. Woolrich celebrates its heritage as an a textile icon with a new project that pays homage to it's roots, constructing american workwear. Essentially, these are hand-me-down that will look as good 30 years from now as it does off the rack..."garments with purpose". I says, any article of clothing that can serve as a topic of conversation for grandpa and I is worth owning.




Click here for more info.
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spring campaign: skiv or die with these

Harry Smith Shorey was a handsewer for L.L. Bean in the early 1900's. Nestled in downeast Maine, near the shores of the Passamaquoddy Bay, his family carries on his name as a purveyor of fine moccasins and other time honored footwear with Quoddy Trail. Cutting, skiving, stitching, and handsewing all done...by hand, of course. I've always hankered for shoes that required good skillful skiving. I'll be springing for the gum soles as well.
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march to: the soft pack "extinction"

dir. by Russ Finklestein & Matt Lamkin
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spring campaign: warriors of radness

tapping your inner surf punk
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