Animation Upgrade

Image: FX

Imagine a show with the impeccable style of Mad Men, story lines of international Bond-like intrigue and the crude, observant, intricate humor of Californication or Family Guy. It almost sounds too good to be true... but it's not.

Archer on FX might be the best kept secret on TV. Having now seen the full 10 episode first season, I can attest to its razor sharp wit and culturally laced references. This is only a "cartoon" with regards to production genre. The writing is superb and stylistically it trumps 95% of the live action comedies (or dramas for that matter) that exist on the telly. The artists create a fictional wardrobe worthy of envy down to the tie bars and pocket squares.

Image: FX

Sterling Archer, the show's leading man is an archetypal misogynist... an egotistical, pretty-boy prick. He resembles the bastard love child of Don Draper and Pierce Brosnan's Bond - an obvious carrier of a mutated form of the awesome gene. He's demeaning and despicable yet equal parts debonair and dumb... an all around delight to watch! Sarcasm pours out of him, like the booze into his mid-day cocktail. With his mother (voiced by Arrested Development alum Jessica Walter) at the helm of ISIS, the CIA-esque bastion of espionage, he can't help but be a spoiled, entitled douche. Part of you wants to be him and the other part wants to hit him in his squared-off, line-art jaw.

Image: FX

"And where the hell are you going!!!!?" yells his ex-lover/ curvy, abrasive partner Lana after discovering a palette of explosives on board the "rigid air ship" [read: blimp] Excelsior.

(Archer: in a white dinner jacket and bow tie, running to his room)

"I've gotta get my turtleneck... I'm not diffusing a bomb in this!?"

Image: FX

A similarly smug clothing reference comes during Episode 8 as he claims to have invented the idea of spies wearing black turtlenecks during covert ops: "I didn’t invent the turtle-neck, Lana, but I was the first to recognize it’s potential as a tactical garment. The tactical turtle-neck, Lana… the tactle neck!"

The tactle-neck in action

The job will always comes second to his own narcissism, mocking and selfish gain.  He is a much better smart-ass than he will ever be a spy.  Something I can relate to.   

Ruggedly crude-humored, stylistically refined. Archer is in my top 5 shows to watch.

For more on Archer:

Official Archer Homepage: Full episodes and a slew of other insight.

Hulu: Currently offering 7 of the 10 episodes.

The GQ Verge: Interview with Archer co-creator and writer Adam Reed.

Toss Me a Cold One

Image: Lovely Package

I realize more and more that not everything advances over time.  Take a look at a modern suburban house: thin plywood sheeting, vinyl siding or brick veneer, cheaply hung sheetrock, contractor-grade carpeting and laminate floors.  The Home Depot in a box... some assembly (and many repairs) required.  Compare these "McMansions" to homes built back in the 19th or early 20th centuries.  Solidly constructed with ample detailing: tongue and groove hardwood floors, plaster walls, ornate mouldings and exterior ornamentations, carved wood banisters, etched glass, fireplaces... that work... with wood... and actual fire!

"The Bushwick Castle" - Brooklyn, NY.
Image: Scouting NY and Article: New York Times

Discovered during a walk through Carroll Gardens, BK.
Solid brick construction with hardwood detailing.
I was in awe of the iron girder over the doors.
The perfect rugged/refined house.

Same house - top floor window ornamentation. 

For all of our progress in science, technology, medicine and engineering, I look at the arts and craftsmanship and wonder... are we really any better off?  Will there be another who can paint like Michaelangelo, write like Shakespeare?  Sing like Sinatra or dance like Astaire?  Design like St. Laurent or dress like Agnelli?  It's said that all art comes from other art - but perhaps there is a law of diminishing returns.  The talent of today seems to lack the potential to reach iconic status.  The sheer volume and clutter of "contributions" make most creative endeavors nothing more than trends - quickly passing and easily forgotten.  Because of this we always want what came before us... a constant yearning for the past... for the tried and true, the tested and timeless.

When it comes to art and design, regardless of the year, vintage is always "in".  It seems that no matter how hard the current crop tries, our predecessors have always done better.  As I perused the interwebs earlier in the week, I discovered this photo of vintage beer cans on Lovely Package and it serves to prove my point.  I was immediately captivated by the image, like a 13 year-old to a centerfold.  The cans held such a clean design, devoid of eye-sore metallic swirls and comic iconography - one with no branding at all, only LITE BEER.  Their stark shapes and muted attempts for my attention only make me covet them more.  My favorite of the group features a derby!  Can you image the jersey-clad, sneaker-footed men of today drinking a beer with a derby on it? Updated to current times, the lager might be called "Gangsta Brim" with an uncreased New Era ballcap as the logo... gold foil sticker and all.

Perhaps my affinity for these cans reinforce Draper's ideas in my previous post. During the Kodak Carousel pitch he states that creating nostalgia can be paramount in advertising... finding that sentimental bond that ties us to an object.  I don't just look at these cans and see simple throw-away items, rather I see my grandfathers and great-grandfathers with their buddies sharing "a cold one" after a long day on the docks or at the office.  The designs themselves carry with them a link to people I never really knew.

Image: Copyranter (one of my favorite blogs)
Speaking of good design, vintage advertising can be spot on
...well maybe not the copy. 

As the vintage craze of today continues to flourish and uniquely American classic work wares are in fashion (see Woolrich, Red Wing and Levi's), how exciting would it be to see a resurgence in clean design across the board... starting with beer cans?  I would fully embrace a throwback to a square cut can, and happily hang the triangle-carving opener from my fridge. Ad men and designers continually try to dazzle us with color and shape when Occam's razor should still be the golden rule. 

I wonder what future generations will look back on and envy during this time - things that I stare at every day that hold no real stylistic value at present?  Crocs? The Snuggie? Ed Hardy? Bluetooth headsets?  I can only hope that the future spawns smarter, more style-minded humans.

Bottom line: these cans would offer the perfect accessory to any stylish gent in a bar.  Rugged in shape, refined in design.

Asking for a Miller Lite bottle just got a little more depressing. 

More beer can pics: here, here, here and here

Rugged: Cupcakes

Image: ButchBakery.com

Because nothing says "I'm a man" like a cupcake.

The new shop will feature 12 varieties on their menu... some of which will have you questioning if you are in a bakery or a bar. The list includes:

A Rum and Coke
Sidecar
Old-Fashioned
Mojito
B-52
Driller
Homerun
Campout
Jackhammer
Beer Run
Big Papi
Tailgate

Who would have ever thought rugged would meet refined sugar?

Butch Bakery: Storefront coming to NYC - Spring 2010.

Rugged/Refined: Weather

The great monsoon is upon us.  New York City has been drenched in rain over the past 48 hours. According to wunderground.com this is now the wettest March on record with 9.18 inches measured over the span of the month at LaGuardia Airport.  3.92 inches alone have fallen in Central Park just from this storm!

However, foul weather is still no excuse to look schlubby.  I actually awoke in an excited state this morning.  Living on the top floor of a 6th floor walk-up that is nestled between buildings generally makes judging the weather near impossible... except for rain.  Like Poe's Raven, I can hear it tap, tap, tapping on my ceiling in a rhythmic ploy to lull me back into a deep slumber.  But not today - I had been waiting for rain like this - the first true test of my new Bean hunting boots.  Strings taught around my ankle, I grabbed my navy raincoat and faithful dandy umbrella, all but skipping out of the door.  As I approached the corner of 3rd Avenue, I spotted a devilishly tempting beast staring at me - a puddle so big, Nessie could have been roaming its deepest fathoms.  Now I wasn't a kid even when I was a kid.  I've always had a sense of control and propriety, BUT I'll fully admit that at the ripe old age of 27, I wanted to romp in that bad-boy like a 4-year old on Red Bull just to see what my foot Zodiacs could handle.

Besides playing with new toys, simply experimenting with functional style and accessories can turn out to be the bright spot in an otherwise dreary day.

Now if I could just find myself a decent rain suit...

It takes a rugged man to sport this outfit.
Now you know why we should trust him.

L.L. Bean Signature Waxed Canvas Hunting Shoe, $129 
(from previous post)

Brooks Brothers New Stick Umbrella: $60

Blasphemy! The New Sunday

Image: Warming Glow

Happy Palm Sunday!  An exciting purchase and the looming pinnacle of the church year started swirling together in my head this morning, making me analyze what a Sunday has come to mean.

I can almost feel my father's chest tightening as I begin to write this.  A panic pouring over him like bath water in a baby's eyes as the Divine alerts him to the words of my sacrilege from three states away.  Each tap of the keys, another stab to his God fearing soul.  He is a fervent Catholic who regularly attends weekly mass and I represent the red-horned heathen that strayed from the flock.  It's not that I don't believe, I just choose not to attend a repetitive sanctioned ceremony to outwardly display my beliefs.  While he looks at it as a lack of sacrifice and respect to God, I see it as streamlining and efficient time management... masked as laziness.  I package all the praying, singing and kneeling up, strap some ambition to it and approach the world each day trying to be a good, honorable, respectful person.  He says - "that doesn't count".

Let's face it, my decades in purgatory are locked in and not attending mass is the least of my worries.  My generation is wrought with sin and living in NYC only doubles it.  I live in the mecca of retail and consumerism - even St. Patrick's Cathedral has a gift shop.  Consider the entire city a big Solomon's Temple and the merchants have long term iron-clad leases.  We can't leave our apartments without coveting our neighbor's possessions or... errr, "wife".  My lust for material items and women would send me to confession - Every. Single. Day.  Probably more than once.

However, if Christ is to return - he is going to need a style upgrade and I'm praying that this can buy my ticket back into the pearly gates.  I'll be the first to admit, Jesus is one rugged fellow - the beard, the ripped physique and those carpentry skills... if and when he returns, I'm going to bet he's setting up shop in Brooklyn.  I can see the sign of the new "IT" restaurant now - "Loaves and Fishes" - drawing hipsters in by the droves with a BYOW policy... "you bring the water, we'll take care of the rest".  I mean, his disciples were the original Urban Woodsman.  But Lord, come on! The mandals, the blousy robes, the long hair?  Pick up a GQ once in a while... this is NOT how a Savior should be attired. Swap out the robes for some plaid button downs or airy Irish linen.  How about a nice pair of Wolverines and burnished brogues?  See if Dad can swing a divine intervention at Tom Ford.  Don't underestimate the power of a good suit in selling eternal salvation.  Look at Don Draper. He could sell hair gel to a bald man.

"I need your help..."
"I'll tell you what, you overlook my infidelity, 
I'll teach you how to look this cool. Deal?"

With this being said, Sunday's are still religious in my apartment but for blasphemous reasons.  During the summer, once the clock strikes 10 p.m. silence is to be observed as the celebration begins.  Although we are still a few months away, it's Mad Men time once again in the land of Rugged/Refined.  Sterling Cooper my Cathedral and Don Draper my officiant.  Season 3 has arrived on DVD and I can't wait to re-watch every advertising-related, flannel-wearing, chain-smoking, bourbon-soaked second of it.  While I have to wait until July for new episodes, reliving past seasons will certainly fill the void until Season 4 arrives.

A tryptic of envy.  

Days worth of entertainment.

I find it no coincidence that the show normally airs on Sunday - it's devilish plots filled with questionable morals and tragic figures are the perfect counter to the piousness of the day.  Despite their sinister lives and foul misgivings, we could all learn something from Draper and the gang about style and persuasion... even you Son Of Man.  Crisp white shirts (masking their dark hearts), clean-lined suits, skinny ties, cuff links, pomade and fedoras - if biblical figures had dressed like this, I might have paid more attention.

"What are you looking at? Don't judge me."
"I haven't said a word, have I?"

In many ways Mad Men and Christianity are one in the same and deserve to share the day.  Advertising and religion are both about the power of persuasion... relying on a story to communicate a point, be it salvation or "brighter brights and whiter whites".  We, as materialistic consumers are subjected to the Drapers of the world telling us what we need and, in essence Jesus and the disciples were too - spiritual ad men spreading the word via "PR" to those in search of something higher to believe in.  Their hope being to forge a connection with a brand.  Jesus was the original Orvil Reddenbacher, a spokesman and logo of his own brand.  A symbol of redemption, forgiveness, compassion and sacrifice for millions of followers.  Without His early marketing efforts, He may have simply been considered weird, odd, or unbalanced - His story lost over the years to other "fanatics" with a better campaign.

Religions are probably the most successful campaigns in history and they flourished without modern communication.  Passion, writing and oratory were their main outlets... skills used by Draper himself:  Kodak Carousel Pitch (I still get goosebumps watching him speak).  Just like Draper's pitch, Jesus and his disciples had to captivate and elicit an emotional connection in their audience.  They had the "new" philosophy but needed to create the sentimental bond.  People had been fed belief systems since the dawn of time - the wheel that the client speaks of - all He and the disciples had to do was sell the Christian "carousel".

Draper and Jesus.  Closer than one might think.

My soapbox is wavering so I must step down.  Evening is upon us and I am eager to get episodes underway.  I must prepare my chalice... three fingers of Balvenie... my cup runneth over.

Of all the DVD season sets, I am enamored by the season three graphic.  Stark yet glistening, it takes its style cues from the show itself.  Easily the most refined cover of my collection.

 Through the eyes of a mid-day Mad Man.
How did so many good campaigns come from so many inebriated minds?

Pray for me.

Rugged/Refined: Coffee

Simply the best coffee I have ever had.

Robust, yet smooth - like a burly lumberjack in a Henry Poole suit.

Stumptown Coffee in NYC:

Manhattan -
The Ace Hotel
McNally Jackson Books
Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Brooklyn -
Apt. 138
Breukelen Coffee House
Cafe Pedlar
Frankie's 457
Marlow & Sons
Prime Meats
Sit and Wonder

Queens -
Sweet Leaf

For location information see the NYT article:
New York Is Finally Taking Its Coffee Seriously.

Long Live the McQueen

Image: Life

I feel like a fraud admitting this, but I have never seen a Steve McQueen film.  I only know of the man from his sartorial heritage - being a rugged bad-ass.  He was named as one of GQ's 50 Most Stylish Men of the Past 50 Years, initially putting him on my style radar.  They deemed the most fitting description of him as a "surf, bum, hippie... McQueen was at his best when he looked like he'd just washed up on the beach." Each day we are assaulted with an overabundance of casual attire, yet some can make it look downright enviable. McQueen was one. Simplicity reigned with regards to his wardrobe, proving to be as functional as it was cool in order to accommodate his robust hobbies, namely racing, aviation and marital arts. Confidence was his best accessory.

I recall giving my uncle The Magnificent Seven one Christmas in my youth and his subsequent disgust having heard that I'd never seen it. "Steve McQueen man! He's the coolest". One of my favorite style publications, The Rake, turned me on to his refined side in the lead role of the original The Thomas Crown Affair, in which he was outfitted almost entirely in custom British tailoring. Form fitting suits, waistcoats and pocket watches transformed the gritty hired gun from a life of dusty horses to elegant Rolls Royces.

Earlier this week I stumbled across a new series of pictures just released by Life showing various aspects of his short life.  Bear witness to his bad-ass ways:  Steve McQueen: 20 Never-Seen Photos  

Image: Life

And for the refined McQueen, sink into The Rake's online version of the Thomas Crown article: Crowning Glory 

Image: IMDB

Here's hoping Bullit or The Great Escape is playing OnDemand this weekend so that I can correct my McQueen-less shortcomings and earn the right to continue lauding ruggedness.