Bunuel was everything

treasure

Rupaul's last mini challenge was a drag version of Samuel Beckett's seminal "Not I"

yes

Yves Saint Laurent by Jeanloup Sieff, 1971 (history of cool 3.5)

this is just gorgeous

History of cool #2: Catherine Deneuve

The woman owns the concept of "style"

Egyptism

Egypt was always at the center of attention and an object of fascination for cultural orientalists. I'm sure there are many historical, mythological and imaginary reasons for that special occidental love, and I would leave it to the theoreticians to explain. I'm as usual fascinated with the fascination and the way it evolved into pop culture. So here are two amusing/disturbing 20th century performative moments that materialize this perversion:

Wilson Keppel and Betty doing their popular Sand Dance routine (c. 1933): And the gorgeous Kate Bush making her properly insane and absolutely not PC contribution to the discourse (1979):

I will always love Dolly

and her insane collection of wigs The woman is a walking work of art

"You will see and agree everybody should be free 'cause if we ain't we're murderous"

Maybe it's the Palestinian drama starting today in the UN, or maybe just because every now and again I have to pay tribute to high priestess, who is still one of the most courageous, far-out, brilliant, provocative artists ever. This Montreux concert from 1976 is better than most "MA-in-performance" programs out there. Just watch and learn.
With only a drummer and a grand piano on stage, Nina's playing some of her classics ("little girl blue", "feelings", "Mr. Backlash"), showing off her new expensive necklace, looking for her dear friend David Bowie in the audience, exhibiting some dance moves she learned in Africa, screaming at some poor white person to sit down, and announcing she won't play any more jazz festivals, because after this gig she will ascend to a higher level. This is the shit. It is.







And while I'm at it I have to also put this one here. This is Maya beautifully homaging the queen in my last IntimaDance (2010):

I love Richard Serra

And here's another reason why: this beautiful piece with Nancy Holt from 1974

On Psychoanalysis and revolution

lesson in coolness by Miriam Makeba

Feelings, by Simone/Dunietz

Finally there's a video of a proper performance of Maya's beautiful cover/homage/quote of Nina Simone's version of "Feelings". It was taken during Renana Raz's "YouMake ReMake" evening at Varda studio, Suzanne Dellal center.