Lifes Rich Pageant

Lehnert & Landrock

In the early 19th century Lehnert & Landrock became famous for their photographs of the Arab world. In romantic images they captured a culture which was seen as pure and exotic, and that was at the point of disappearing.

Rudolf Lehnert (born in Austria in 1878) and Ernst Landrock (born in Switzerland in the same year) were 26 years old when they met in Switzerland. They shared a passion for photography and for the Orient, and in particular, the Islamic region around the Mediterranean Sea. Like many Europeans at the time, they saw this region as a paradise where nature and tradition had still not been contaminated by the modern West.

The pair saw it as their mission to preserve this culture with the aid of photography. In romantic images they recorded the monuments, people and traditions of countries like Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria. They were famous for their portraits of the Ouled Nail, an Arab tribe whose women earned their dowries as a geisha for a rich patron.

Although the names of Lehnert & Landrock are linked as photographers, it was in fact Lehnert who produced the photographs. Landrock acted as manager and ran their joint store, first in Tunisia, and later in Egypt. The work of 'L&L', as the photographs were signed, found a ready market in the West, passionately interested in the Islamic world of North Africa. The arrival of the picture post card at this time, which immediately became wildly popular, contributed to this popularity.

After years of successful collaboration Lehnert & Landrock split up in 1930. Lehnert became a portrait photographer in Tunis. Landrock continued to run a shop in Cairo. With the outbreak of the Second World War Landrock decided to leave the business and spent the rest of his life in Germany. He died in 1966, twelve years after the death of his former companion Lehnert.

The shop Lehnert & Landrock established is still to be found in Cairo. In Sherif Street the photo, postcard and book store is still run by Landrock's heirs, in its original state, and still under the name of L&L.

US Open 2008

The Open started again last night in Queens with just a bit more pomp than usual as it was the 40th Open 

As usual Mayor Bloomberg opened proceedings, then Forrest Whittaker (why him?) introduced the galaxy of former champions strode onto the courts to be re-introduced to their adoring fans after the Jersey Boys had lead us through the 4 decades in music and photo memories.

In honor of that special moment in tennis history, Whitaker introduced a procession of 25 past champions of the tournament including Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe and her daughter Camera Ashe as well as Virginia Wade, the first women’s singles US Open champion.

The Champions entered the stadium in chronological order of when they won their titles. Rod Laver, the only man to complete a Grand Slam in the history of tennis followed Wade. Billie Jean King, the winner of the US Open in 1971, 1972 and 1974, the winner of 39 Grand Slams and revolutionary figure for women’s sports entered Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to rousing cheers from the crowd. Chris Evert and John McEnroe were also hometown favorites as they took the stage. Martina Navratilova, the winner of 59 career slams, was present as was Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Monica Seles.

Champions still in the game – Lindsay Davenport, Marat Safin, Serena and Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer, the only man to win four consecutive US Open titles – were all introduced to the fans at Arthur Ashe.

Monica Seles was by far the hottest of the lot.

After Earth Wind and Fire performed and the obligatory fireworks over center court it was onto a lackluster Woman's match made just a bit easier by the cheap champagne (although it cost an exorbitant $10 a small plastic cup). Amongst the celebs their were Martha Stewart and of course Anna Wintour, looking a little mousy and "Roger-less".

Then the main draw Blake and Young - a tough five setter that proved that Young (trained by his mom and dad) is a star of the future. This was a long, long night but what a great start to the end of the summer.

Number (N)ine

Japanese designers seem to currently have a passion for Americana.

Yesterday ambling around Tribeca after visiting the disheveled perfection of Stevan Alan, the ultra cool Thom Browne and the surprisingly cutting edge preppy of the new J Crew Mens store (in the old Liquor Store ala CBGB's), we arrived at Number (N)ine hidden away like a gem in North Tribeca.

Here Japanese designer Takahiro Miyashita has drawn inspiration from the Pacific Northwest - infact Portland Oregon. Previously his creativity has been driven from many iconic American sources. Curt Cobain and Johnny Cash were cited as inspiration for a recent collection of grunge layered texture and print in black and white (that looked like 80s Japanese meets Boy George run through a plaid wringer).

His fall 08 collection now in the store “My Own Private Portland,” (hello Gus Van Sant ala Curt Cobain) draws specifically on the fantastic Ace Hotel in Portland. In fact his Paris show opened with an Ace Hotel voicemail message and Portland-made Pendleton wool blankets (the same ones found in the Aces Hotel rooms with the Thompson elk motif) were folded on each seat at the show. They are also available at the Number (N)ine NYC store.  See the entire collection here.

Miyashita incorporates many American classics like distressed leather jackets, suede coats, letterman jackets, 70s cardigans, all layered wonderfully in mix-n-match glee with vests, zip-cardigans (the suede-front cardigans are killer), and yes, the grunge classic plaid shirts but only in context of an assortment of print shirts. And every piece has been updated and detailed to make it completely contemporary.

I especially love the sneakers and the wooden glasses frames.

Ever since this highly cultish, street-inspired Japanese men's line opened shop on a quiet back street in Harajuku, a youth-catering district of Tokyo equivalent to the Lower East Side, Takahiro Miyashita has set his sights on one thing and one thing only—going west. So much so that only months after its western debut in Paris six months ago, the label has opened up the gorgeous Tribeca store based on century-old carriage houses, the kind used to house horse-drawn coaches on their way to distant outposts. Complete with a wood interior and conspicuous displays of velvet, all I can say is Miyashita and Number (N)ine is somewhere I want to spend my money this fall. Check it out.

Text Messages

My text message arrived a little later than most and certainly well after the MSM had broken the story - at around 4-30am the "crackberry" buzzed with the Biden news. I was a bit disappointed by the choice of VP, but also that they waited so late to send the message. What you wnated to waqke me from my slumbers?

However I have subsequently received two further emails - including one "directly" from Joe Biden which is so well crafted and hits all the right points. It is pitched along the lines of him joining a successful team of which I am a member and how he is willing to piotch in learn and contribute. It's personal, its humble, its praising and it exudes team work. It is as finely a crafted piece of politics as I have ever seen.

And it shows the the innovative use of new technology and communication methods by this campaign is simply mind blowing.

A Warm August Night

I know my friend JR doesn't like it when I stray into sports here, but I am sorry it really is a late summer feast - from the Olympics straight into the US Open.

Another exciting showdown between Rafa and Roger is looming out in Queens.

Tonight is Opening night which is always a touch jingoistic and the fireworks will never live up to the Beijing spectaculars, but there's not much better than sitting in Arthur Ashe Stadium on a warm late-summers night lazing back with a cold beer and watching some good tennis.

Tonight, apart from the festivities there are two good games:

1 Women's Singles - 1st Rnd. Coco Vandeweghe (USA) v.   Jelena Jankovic (SRB)[2]

followed by 2 Men's Singles - 1st Rnd.   James Blake (USA)[9] v.   Donald Young (USA)

JG Riposte - as subtle as his flavors, as spot on as his concept

After the NY Mag's Adam Platt's poor review of Matsugen (one star and constant refernces to his wife's tastes), JG has in his blog today gently but effectively scolded the reviewer.

It's done in a sophisticatedly gentle but unmistakeably pointed manner - much as you could say about the cuisine at Matsugen. Subtle but sure.

Perhaps Platt and his wife should go back to the Outback Steakhouses and Street Meats where they can get the robust flavors and tastes at a price they appreciate. He obviously cant get it after 5 visits to Matsugen. Or at least he could at least post a comment on JG's blog to explain his position further - a culinary WWE..

See also Eaters views here>

Dissent

Huelga - The on line dictionary transalation is so strange: "Strike - they are a common phenomenon in some Latin American countries"

Running Again

Sometimes it takes a kick or a slap to get you back on track - not pleasant but effective.

Thumping along the Hudson this morning again watching the sunbeams play off the river, my thoughts turned to that trite saying :  every cloud has a silver lining. Well I can do without the clouds thanks. But in this case the silver lining is that I'm back running and this time for a purpose - initially to raise funds for Breast Cancer Research. I've enrolled in the Komen Run on September 14th in NYC. 5 kms - its not the marathons I used to do, but its a start.

Any support is welcome. And if one morning you happen to see me struggling along the Hudson River Park - just give me an encouraging smile. Promise I'll smile back.

Download race_evergreen.mov

STP @ Borgata

The strangely mesmorising but disembodied woman's voice guided us through the backroads of New Jersey garden suburbs and gritty tired industrial towns, avoiding those parkway  "traffic disruptions" towards our 5-30pm dinner reservation. Every time the estimated arrival time slipped the tension grew. Why did we stop at the dunkin donuts for the bathroom and pizza? Why did we insist on the extra six pack of heinies...its actually an offense to have an open bottle in the car anyway? Why did we take that backroad?

Finally in the distance the mirage loomed real and true. AC's purple palace (the Borgata) and the promise of that juicy rare porterhouse, so large it flopped over the sides of the outsized serving platter, washed down with a smooth Oregonian pinot noir seemed so tantalizing out of reach. As we negotiated the grey gloomy roads and overpasses entering the las vegas of the east coast, our frustrations only grew. The BMW's on-star connections to the reservations desk yielded only a minor compromise - if we were more than 20 minutes late we had lost the reservation and would have to settle for a buffet. 

Not the way to start the night of a Stone Temple Pilot concert followed by some casino fun.

We made the reservation by just minutes and had time, as we slurped the oyster starters, to wonder whether August was an appropriate month to eat them (no "r"). We then pondered at the enormous girth of most of our fellow diners - was it bovine growth hormones or just the good life in the Garden State?

We scored tickets at face value and escalated up to the Ballroom. The bleachers had been placed at the back of this large, square, character-less room. It still had that sad feel of a sales convention. All brown tacky carpet, a strange perfumed air common to all casinos and a wired staff of oldies who were bewildered and really didn't know how to cope with the "Girls Gone Wild", stilletto teterring crowd.

After a fairly lackluster performance by Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club, Weiland and the STP served up a raucous tight two hour set to a wildly appreciative audience. Recent STP performances have apparently been erratic in quality - sometimes with him drunk or drugged or both, forgetting lyrics and mumbling incoherent intro's or even stumbling across the stage and into the drum set. However this night he was perfect. A truly stunning set that touched on and emphasized all the reasons why american rock is king.

A perfect night.

Booker Long List

It's that time of year again...the long list was released the other week. I have spilt the purchases this year and we've started the reading...

Hopefully we get through them before the shortlist is announced. Quick reviews as i finish them.

The ‘Man Booker Dozen - ("Bakers" Dozen)’ 2008

Aravind Adiga

The White Tiger

Atlantic

Born in a village in heartland India, the son of a rickshaw puller, Balram is taken out of school by...

       Gaynor Arnold

Girl in a Blue Dress

Tindal Street Press

Alfred Gibson’s funeral has taken place at Westminster Abbey, and Dorothea, his wife of twenty years, has not been invited....

     Sebastian Barry

The Secret Scripture

Faber & Faber

Told through their respective journals, the story that emerges - of Roseanne’s family in 1930s Sligo - is at once...

      John Berger

From A to X

Verso

In a dusty, ramshackle town lives A’ida. Her insurgent lover Xavier has been imprisoned. Resolute, sensuous and tender, A’ida’s letters...

     Michelle de Kretser

The Lost Dog

Chatto & Windus

Set in present-day Australia and mid-20th-century India, here is a haunting, layered work that vividly contrasts new cityscapes and their...

A Amitav Ghosh

Sea of Poppies

John Murray

In a time of colonial upheaval, fate has thrown together a truly diverse cast of Indians and Westerners, from a bankrupt...

     Linda Grant

The Clothes on Their Backs

Virago

In a red brick mansion block off the Marylebone Road, Vivien, a sensitive, bookish girl grows up sealed off from...

     Mohammed Hanif

A Case of Exploding Mangoes

Jonathan Cape

This playful and bold debut novel explores the conspiracy theories surrounding the mysterious plane crash that killed General Zia. The...

     Philip Hensher

The Northern Clemency

Fourth Estate

Set in Sheffield, The Northern Clemency charts the relationship between two families: Malcolm and Katherine Glover and their three children;...

     Joseph O’Neill

Netherland

Fourth Estate

Lost in a country he’d regarded as his new home, Hans sought comfort in a most alien place -

     Salman Rushdie

The Enchantress of Florence

Jonathan Cape

The Enchantress of Florence is the story of a woman attempting to command her own destiny in a man’s world....

    Tom Rob Smith

Child 44

Simon & Schuster

In Stalin’s Soviet Union, millions live in fear. Death is a whisper away. The mere suspicion of ideological disloyalty sends...

    Steve Toltz

A Fraction of the Whole

Hamish Hamilton

As he recollects the events that led to his father’s demise, Jasper recounts a boyhood of outrageous schemes and shocking...