A short guide to my interests list..

Many people have unique items on their LJ interest list. Perhaps no one else thought to include them, perhaps those interests are genuinely specific to the individual. Here is an attempt to write a brief introduction to some of my interests that did not show up as anyone else's selection:"Damaged Goods"I was horribly late in discovering Gang of Four, and am entirely indebted to a former girlfriend who now lives in Oakland for forcing me to listen closely. "Damaged Goods" is my favorite song from the Entertainment! LP, and was in heavy rotation at my house this summer.Romantic ConceptualismI found a link to the article I described in an earlier post that coins the term "Romantic Conceptualism" to describe the art of many of my favorite artists.Benjamin H.D. BuchlochProfessor of Modern Art at Columbia University and also the subject of an earlier post. His Neo-Avantgarde and Culture Industry</i>, a collection of essays on American art of the period 1955 to 1975, is a critically important book in my collection. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys tackling difficult ideas (both in presentation and subject matter) in modern and contemporary art.Eduardo Souto de Moura (Link 2)A Portuguese architect who is difficult to find information about on the web. His works are often compared with Alvaro Siza, who is much more well known and with whom he collaborated on the Portuguese pavilion at the Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. If you find yourself in a library with a good collection of architecture books, I recommend browsing through a monograph. Beautiful, simple forms.Homemade bikesI built my bike with spare parts at a place called Bikes Not Bombs near my old house in Boston, MA. I highly recommend that other people patronize places similar to this one, either to build their bikes themselves or to have them custom-built from salvaged parts. Bikes Not Bombs also organizes bike rides and activist interventions, rides with Critical Mass, provides job-training for neighborhood teenagers, and donates bikes to persons in poorer countries. Several great reasons to support them.Labyrinth BooksAlthough new books are generally beyond my price range, this store - on 112th St. between Broadway and Amsterdam - has all the ones I could possibly want. An academic and independent press specialty bookstore, it's the place to go when you want that new critical anthology of texts about _____ (insert subject here.) Conveniently located about two blocks from the Hungarian Pastry Shop, many of my Sunday afternoons have been spent buying a book at the store and then devouring it - and some cookies - at the Shop.Michel and PatriciaThe two main characters in Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, which is perhaps my favorite movie. I have the enthusiasm for French New Wave films of another ex-girlfriend to thank for getting me to watch this one for the first time. I came this close (insert fingers-just-barely-parted gesture) to writing a paper for the graduate seminar I'm attending about Godard's treatment of the urban environment in this film. Simply gorgeous (for example, the scene when Patricia kisses the journalist while Michel looks on, and after they drive away there is a shot of Michel against a Boulevard's traffic right at the moment when the streetlamps turn on for the night. A lovely detail that evokes a specifically Parisian moment.)Neil LeachAn architectural theorist from Britain whose writing I like. Especially his essay "The Aesthetic Cocoon," though I can't quite find the book its in right now. I remember reading it while sitting in one of the comfortable chairs at Labyrinth Books, though. They all weave together.Steffen Basho JunghansA German guitarist who became obsessed with Robbie Basho, adopted his last name as a middle name, and began playing gorgeous Minimalist composer-inspired works on the steel-string guitar with no accompaniment. I've only come across a handful of songs, but if others are anything like "Inside the Rain," I'm sure I'll like them all.SANAA ArchitectsAn architecture firm run by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa. Some of my favorite works include the M-House, Apartment House in Gifu, O-Museum, and their multiple pachinko parlors.Stephan MathieuA German improv drummer and electronic musician. Some of my favorite releases of his are the Sad Mac Studies limited edition 12", the Gigue live 3" CD, and the Touch mp3ep. He also records as Full Swing (with a series of 12" remixes on Orthlong Musork) and Stol. His production on Ekkehard Ehler's (also on my interest list) "Plays John Cassavetes 2" makes it one of my favorite Ehlers tracks.Vegetarian Dim Sum HouseCheap and plentiful. On Pell St. in New York's Chinatown. I've gone there with my friend Jonathan so many times that when I show up alone, or with other people, the waitresses ask where he is. We also get free food. I can never have too many steamed sesame paste buns. I wish I could end every meal with them.