Significant Objects is a project where writers and artists try to attach significance to a thrift store object there by creating something of greater value.  After the object as are written about they are placed on eBay at their original price and then their added value is determined by how high the price goes over the minimum bid.  As of Wednesday, 35 objects valued at under $50 have been sold for over $1000.

Significant Objects teamed up with the design blog Design Observer last week.  Several of Design Observers bloggers signified about some significant objects this week.  My friend and musician Teddy Blanks is a pretty regular contributer to Design Observer and he was asked to do something for the project. Teddy decided to write a song called “Figurines” about a small Porcelain Scooter that he was assigned.  The scooter cost $1 at a thrift store and is currently selling for $2.38.  That is a 138% increase! But don’t worry, you still have time to bid!

Check out the song below, and read the lyrics by clicking here.

Teddy Blanks – Figurines

This is absolutely happening tonight.  I will have booze to give away.  Free entry too.  Just look kinda hip if you are a dude.  They don’t let  bros in.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnZhi5gaX8g[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opTfPmN0YEM[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyYhdY-A_Hs[/youtube]

Sorry for the break in updates, I was getting a portfolio together for a meeting I had with a stock photo agency today.  I think it went well, and I am going to be shooting a test for them soon.  It will be nice to get to do a real shoot for a change.

Anyway, despite my interview today I went out for a bit last night.  I ended up over at Happy Endings for Poppin’ Bottles but it was so hot inside that I spent most of the hour I was there outside. The real party seems to be on the corner of Broome and Eldridge because everyone gets kicked down the block instead of being allowed to chill out front like every other night of the week.  I mentioned this bullshit the other week and Jah thanked me for mentioning it, so I will mention it again.  I also want to say that it is not Happy Endings fault.  The cops make HE move everyone off the block Wednesday nights because it is an “urban” party.  Of course way more fucked up shit goes down on other nights, but whatever.  The family that comes out on Wednesdays is a tight community that seems all about inclusion rather than some of the more close minded hipster folks I chill with more regularly.

Continuing on, I wasn’t really planning on shooting, but I had my camera with me and Gilly was gettin’ daggered outside so I took some shots and once the camera comes out, it stays out.  I also met this bad ass Asian dude who told me he teaches dance and could fix my bad back.  He wanted to get in pictures with everyone.  He told me he had a photo of him and 50 Cent.  I sort of love the guy now.

Anyway, you should just look at the photos now.  There are only like 40 of them, so it shouldn’t take too long.

Dan Baxter made a new nightlife video. This time it is a mix of footage from Trash at Webster Hall. A lot of this footage is from the makeshift shoot I did with the Trash go-gos and burlesque dancers last week. There is several shots of me in it including some footage at the end of me shooting Alex Magentic, who is featured prominently in the video. Frankly I hate seeing myself on film because I realize how bad my posture is and it makes me want to stop going out in public… but what can you do? Check out Dan’s new video below.

Last week I went to see Teddy Blanks perform at Bar Nine Hell’s Kitchen.  I had no idea why he was playing a show at a bar in the 50’s. Turns out the show was booked by our old friend James Wallace who lives in Nashville and clearly had no idea that I don’t travel north of 21st street.  Fortunately his band, The Naked Light, was pretty good so I am going to forgive him this time.  You should check them out and then click here to see all the photos I took of them. Good times.

So I am a bit behind on the photos from Trash at Webster Hall last Friday.  The reason for that is because I wasn’t planning on taking any photos, but I got tricked into it.  I went down to Webster to work on these night club video interviews I am doing.  When I got there DJ Jess had hired two go-go dancers to play pool in their underwear in the recording studio that is behind the bar downstairs.  So he asked me if I would take some photos in the studio of the go-go and his two burlesque dancers for the evening, Magdalena Fox and Harvest Moon.  Since I had done that, I figured I would shoot the burlesque numbers as well.  So, here, without further ado, here are the half naked girls of Trash for your viewing pleasure.

High Voltage is back and last night I was there hosting and sort of taking photos.  Between hanging out with old friends and pouring my bottle of Svedka on new ones I didn’t focus too much on taking photos.  A lot of old High Voltage kids came out as did a bunch of people that I mass texted who I rarely see.  It was pretty awesome.  It was also good to hear some hip hop for a change.  I can only stand so much electro.  Not that HiV just spins hip hop, but it was good to walk in to some Biggie.  It was a damn fun night and even though my pictures are suspect I got a bunch of my friends drunk and I actually got paid BEFORE 4am.  You can’t beat that.

Anyway, check out the fun times by clicking right here.

I am always finding videos I want to blog about and most of the time I just Twitter them or something but some times I get a nice batch of videos and they are worth a full post. So yeah, here are three videos that caught my attention recently.

Let’s start with the new episode of Creepy Touch from Mishka and my friend Nick Gazin AKA the Toilet Cobra. Nick is joined in this by his father who is amazing. They go to a horror convention and talk to Tom Savini and got to join in a sing with Hershel Gordon Lewis. I am just going to assume you guys know who those people are, but if you don’t you need to get to googling. Nick’s dad once saw a few of my titty photos and determined that they were some how important works of art. He does not have such praise for the horror convention and lambasts it with vengeance. Also Gwar and Toxie show up which is always fucking awesome.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iP6BMmJttI[/youtube]

Next up we have a new Onion News Network episode which I was going to post anyway, but I found out that it was the last ONN episode my brother turned in before he started his new job. I was going to post the episode because it is hilarious and speaks to a number of issues of the day. I just like the idea of protesting PETA really. When I lived in VA I knew several people who worked at their headquarters and quit because of some of the horrible shit they were doing. This girl told me she used to go to old folks homes and convince the old people that PETA could take better care of the pets than the seniors could. Then as soon as they got to their van they would suffocate the animal because they believed that the animals were better dead than as pets. The video below is all about a women’s rights group protesting the harmful treatment of models. It is pretty great.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2z2lTUR5Ao[/youtube]

Lastly we have this Wale video I ran into on Lylas that featured Lady Gaga. Now while I am not as into the song as I am really excited about the video. Half the video is shot at Ben’s Chili Bowl which is pretty much my favorite place to eat on Earth (sorry Popeyes…). I feel like I have blogged about Ben’s before but here is a refresher. Ben’s is a chili spot in DC that is straight up legendary. It survived the MLK riots, Crack Cocaine and a Metro stop being built on their street which killed off all traffic and pretty much every business on the block. The only reason they stayed open was because the construction workers building the subway ate their lunch at Ben’s every day. In 1995 I started going to a Reggae club across the streets from Ben’s every week because they would rent out their bar to punk kids for $150. That neighborhood was horrible then and we would pretty much have to run to catch the train at night, but the bar let 14 year old kids drink, the Jamaican dudes who hung out there would sell us weed and Ben’s Chili Bowl was across the street. On a Saturday night the place would be packed with all the locals and then a bunch of white kids from the suburbs with mohawks. On the street the locals would threaten us and tell us to get out of their neighborhood, but we never got any of that at Ben’s. Just amazing Chili Fries and the best damn milkshakes I have ever tasted. Today, nearly 15 years after I saw a kid get beaten to death in the middle of 12th St, that neighborhood is thriving. It is a totally different place with a Starbucks and a 7-11 on each corner. Ben’s is now a hot spot for DC politicians looking for some street cred for having photos of them with Ben on the wall. The walls are filled with photos of African American civil rights leaders, football players, actors, musicians, comedians and several US Presidents. Last time I was in there they had a sign up that said “The only people who eat for free are the Obama’s” or something to that extent. So getting back to the video, presumably Wale is from DC and it has plenty of shots from places where I spent a lot of time growing up. Also if you look carefully you can see a shot of Anwan Glover from the Wire & the Backyard Band. I am a big Wire fan and as a DC native I have to like GoGo plus I met him at Le Royale so that gives this video extra points. Plus I slept in Lady GaGa’s hotel room in Miami once so I can’t hate on her, no matter how much I want to…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbNyqtl99R0[/youtube]