Remember My Forgotten Man?

"Remember my forgotten man? You put a rifle in his hand.

You sent him on his way, you shouted "hip hooray!", but look at him today....."- Joan Blondell, Gold Diggers of 1933.  

The song was set in a time when life was poor and soldiers were just faces, is it still true for the men and women who give up their time ans lives in the 21st century?  

As i watched the movie Gold Diggers of 1933, with all of its comedy and romance, it was the finale of the movie that grabbed my attention so much that I watched it multiple times;

The character played by Joan Blondell walks the streets in a pencil skirt torn to pieces at the end and gives her lit cigarette to the poor man who scoured the ground for a already lit one that a man just tossed over his shoulder.  The finale goes on as extravagant and strong as any movie musical done by Busby Berkeley.  This scene ran through my head over and over and my mind would repeat; 'remember my forgotten man?'

My brother is an army soldier of the 101st airborne and is currently stationed over seas, and he with many others, are the forgotten men.  Maybe not to the wives and mothers who lie in their beds wide awake in the morning, hoping to hear their phone ring or the husband and fathers who proudly show off their child and talk highly of their dedication.  It is the higher power that I believe have truly forgotten these men and women who would rather sit by a bon fire with their near and dear friends and family rather than in a desert that is dry and vacant.  It seems that the men and women who are dedicated to fighting are the ones who get the bad deal and it does not sit well for many, especially for someone who had walked along side a soldier.  

On YouTube, a father of a soldier posted the conditions of North Carolina's Fort Bragg.  Pictures that makes a fraternity look like a 5-start hotel.  The father expressed his anger that the conditions and was quoted by CNN, " This is embarrassing ,  it;s disgusting, and it makes me mad as hell."  After the publicity of the conditions on YouTube, the fort is now receiving the attention needed to improve the living conditions of army troops.  This is only one of the fort, but what about the others?  For Ed Frawley, he was not pleased with the lack of comfort and lack of hygiene that is son had to come back to after being stationed in Afghanistan for over a year.  

100 year Dame

The 2008 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Cirticism was Boston Globes' Mark Fennery who is being reconized for his reviews and praises of the arts and film.  

The articles that were listed of his on the Pulitzer Prize were all interesting from his talk of the DVD box set of the legendary films by Stanley Kubrick and the photographer Leibovitz, but the one article that stood out was the article on film legend Barbara Stanwyck.  On July 16th 2007 would of been Miss. Stanwyck's 100th birthday.  

What appeals to me about this article at first is that I myself have a love for the movies that were created before even my mother was born.  There is something so appealing about these old moives from the 1930s and 40s that keeps my televsion on Tuner Classic Movies.  It is a love for these old moives and legendary actors I developed from my father.  

I have to be honest, I have not seen many films with Barbara Stanwyck, but from the tribute to her by Jennifer Jason Leigh and the article by Mark Feeney, she was a talented dame.  She played women that were somewhat the same, but the type of women that did not need to sex appeal to get men to fall to their knees.  She was a smart woman as well as beautiful.  She was Ruthie Stevens from Brooklyn before she became Barbara Stanwyck.  She was the type of woman that died in the world of Hollywood moives. 

That is another reason this article attracted me.  These screen legends are forgotten in my generation that praise more on the ones that are famous but not talented.  That when I tell people that one of my favorite screen legends is Katharine Hepburn they respond, "Oh, yeah she is in Breakfast at Tiffanys!" (no offense so Audrey Hepburn I adore her also!)  That women who did not need to be half naked to get a man to fell in love with them.  They did it with thier eyes and walk.  These actresses and actors just brought something to the screen and there personal lives never interferred.  

Its something i cannot explain about these old moives that have kept me from the theaters for such a long time.  Its the mystery i think that i am so attracted to.  That when you watch these moives, you see a character and you are can easily be dragged into the moive from start to finish.  To read Mr. Feeney's article on Miss. Stanwyck makes me happy to know that these legends are not totally forgotten.

Tote Friendly

Everything is a bit more green these days.  Al Gore has informed the world in his' well known documentary that our earth is slowly going into apocolyptic mode.  Leonardo and various other A-listers are using there status to make the world a more eco-friendly world.  The Eco-bug has bit almost everyone and everything in out media and cultural atmosphere.  But what about fashion, can something be fashionable and also eco-friendly?  It turns out that eco-fashion is the newest trend.  There have been amazing developments in fabrics from the use of organic cottons to bamboo (yes, panda food!), and plastic bottles are resurected into a pair of jeans.  And totes, yes totes are getting a makeover and can be used for more than just hitting up the grocery store.  Totes can not only carry out day to day items, but are being created to encourage people to use plastic bags less.  In the April 2008 Issue of Nylon Magazine, the magazine features some totes that are cute and friendly.  John Liberson and Ethan Trask are graphic designers behind the totes Helicopter which feature, a helicopter on the tote.  Another company is Loyalty and Blood owned by Maggie Dolye and David Denosowicz.  Everything they create is created in Brooklyn.  Their totes rang around $26-$22 and feature nature images printed on the tote.  So do your share and bring your own bags to the grocery store! 

Check out the sites here:

www.hellochopper.com

www.loyaltyandblood.com

The CBGB Spirit Lives on Thanks to Varvatos

Afros with sideburns, the suit that just will not wrinkle known as the leisure suit, and disco balls.  The 70s a time known mostly for all the dreams of love and peace when one is not dancing to the BeeGees feeling high thanks to certain substances.  A time that one can understand when they watch the 1973 movie Godspell; that people were high on more than just the holy spirit.  With all this love one another going on; where could the young adult filled with rebellion and a taste to smash things and people?  Something that was not the popular but meant something because it refuses to be tainted by the mainstream.  

Punk music became a cultural uprising in the 1970s and many say it was born in a little venue in Manhatan, New York called CBGB.  CBGB, which means Country Blue Grass and Blues, was a place where the young teen filled with angst could go and listen to some bands who were unsigned and sang about anything but love and peace.  CBGB opened in 1973 and was to feature bands that played Country and Bluegrass but then became the place that introduced Patti Smith, Blondie, The Dead Boys, one of my favorites Sleater-Kinney, and the more infamous band The Ramones.  A place well known not only for their music, but the atmosphere that had walls covered in Graffiti and posters.  A landmark for the culture of punk that had to shut its doors in 2006 because of the increase in rent.  

Manhattan now does not have the same vibe it once did back in the day.  A place where all the hip underground kids would hang, is now a place where the uptown kids can shop for top designer duds.  With the vacant CBGB having this upscale atmosphere built around it; will it lose its historical value to a SoHo-like shop?  

In 2007 fashion designer John Varvatos bought the CBGB space to open his new store.  John Varvatos made sure that the history of his place would not vanish.  Varvatos preserved the walls from the graffiti right down the a cracks and holes it he walls.  The posters that once advertised the bands that were to play there are now framed in the store along with a drum set and guitars.  The store has old Victorian furniture that looks like it was picked up at a flea market and the floor is dark hardwood.  The spirit is brought back not only in the store decor, but in the clothes as well.   In the Ads of John Varvatos' 2008 summer collection is long time rock band Cheap Trick that have preformed on the CBGB stage.  

John Varvatos clothes feature worn out leather jackets so you can be just like Johnny Ramone.  Worn out jeans and a hoodie that looks like it has been in a tub mixed with water and chlorine.  Also some nice V-neck shirts that make you look like you don't spend to much time finding what to wear just how men are known to look.  Varvatos also maintains a more sophisticated look with his blazers and dress pants that reflected his days working for Polo Ralph Lauren and Clavin Klien.  The only thing that makes this store blend in with its upscale surroundings is the price tags on these vintage-like garments.  A leather jacket that has that worn out touch can cost around 2,000 dollars.  So it is not at a punk kids price range who rather scour a second hand shop.  

Though Mr. Varvatos clothes that are sold at all the Big Department stores such as Nordstorm and Saks Fifth and small boutiques, they are not in the budget of a college student who works a part time job who wears their clothes over and over again until they go home where the laundry machine does not require quarters to function.  But one thing that is affordable for a college student who adores the works of this winner of the CDFA designer of the year award, are the shoes he made for Converse.  Converse, which celebrates it's Centennial this year, had joined forced with John Varvatos for a few years and he designed some converse shoes that can be purchased on the Converse website.  

John Varvatos' work with Converse is interesting because Converse shoes are the shoes that are essential for the grunge rock and punk attire.  Famous punk band The Ramones matched their Converse shoes with their worn down leather jackets and grunge king Kurt Cobain also wore the converse shoes and both bands have preformed on the CBGB stage before they were mainstream.  A man who respects and love the footwear of these bands also respects the place that they preformed when they were just an unknown band.  No other designer would do this old rock place justice like Varvatos did.  A designer that respects the space that shunned the fashion world and that the fashion world was inspired by.  It is true what they say, that fashion trickles up as well as it does down, and Mr. Varvatos preserves a culture where fashion and music are hand in hand. 

 v To check out the boutique click that v

  http://www.johnvarvatos.com/#/shop/john_varvatos_boutiques/