Muttonhead

Commercial Art

The folks at the Gap clearly don't know their ass from their face anymore. Longtime CEO Millard Drexler quit almost six years ago to the date, and now they've unleashed their new T-shirt line with the Whitney Museum... yes, that Whitney.  I dunno why those classy people want to do business with a defunct and faltering faux boutique like the Gap, but they have.

So, in celebration of the 2008 Biennial, the Gap has a line of shirts by art stars like Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, and Kiki Smith. Best is Kruger's (pictured), which strangely makes a clear stand against commercialism. My friend Ben Ellis told me about this; we were both utterly confused as to why the Gap would even print such a shirt, and then sell it for $30. Granted, that's not a lot of money to some people, but when you're in a band or something, that's a lot of money. Not to mention the fact that everyone will know where you got it and how stupid the whole thing is.

Whatever. Nothing can beat their classic v-neck sweater.

A lot of people - especially the New York Times - think this is the future of art and maybe they're right. People like Takeshi Murakami, Wes Anderson, and Keith Richards have done work with Louis Vuitton, and Target did a beach towel series with Jeff Koons and Elizabeth Peyton, among others. Why should the Gap be any different?

This recent surge in commercial art is supposedly making art more accessible to people. But really, it's about corporations profiting from the Limited Edition aesthetic that the chic associated with these (I'll say it) mainstream artists can lend. I prefer art stay in non-commercial hands; of course, it will and it won't. But let's hope the good stuff stays underground.

Pyrite Radio

Thanks to everyone who came out to the zine release party, I certainly had a ball. If you didn't get a copy at the party you can order one from here (where it says BUY NOW) and we'll have it mailed to you. It will also be in a few stores in Austin really soon, but more on that later.

C&C #15: Muttonhead

1. Bill Withers // Ain't No Sunshine

2. White Williams // Fleetwood Crack

3. Billy Preston // Can't She Tell

4. The Strokes // Barely Legal

5. Atlas Sound // Phantom's Blues Again

6. Olivia Newton John // Physical

7. Stevie Nicks // Stand Back

8. Christopher Knowles // Tell It Like It Is

9. Terrestrial Tones // Day Parade

10. Bill Withers // Another Day To Run

11. Sparks // This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us

12. Donna Summer // Spring Affair

13. Paul Simon // 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover

14. John Zorn // Mow Mow

15. Cyndi Lauper // Rocking Chair

16. Jim Farmer // You Look Lovely In The Moonlight

17. Pop Levi // Dita Dimone

18. Spacemen 3 // Losing Touch With My Mind

19. Death Cab for Cutie // Bixby, Canyon Bridge

20. Bill Withers // Harlem