Lyonshare

HOW DOES IT FEEL?

kobiwu — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:23:55 +0000

Once upon a time, music videos could blow your mind with a suggestion of a thought. Nothing overt. Just leading you to the water so to speak. Case in point, D’Angelo, “How Does it Feel.” No need for explosives, pyro, effects or fancy houses….Guys, don’t hate. Ladies, keep it together. For those of you who have never seen this video, understand this is representation of some of one of the most powerful music movements of our time.

As D’Angelo is currently doing a few dates in Europe this month, I thought it fitting to recall one of my favorites…

Get More: D’Angelo, Untitled (How Does It Feel), Untitled (How Does It Feel), Free Music Videos

FUN.

kobiwu — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:45:15 +0000

In honor of Madge’s impressive performance at the superbowl- I submit this mantra of effervescence and spirit of all of us over (ahem) 27. And I do love me some FUN. and JANELLE MONAE.

“We Are Young”

BEING ELMO

kobiwu — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:58:19 +0000

Kevin Clash.
ex·traor·di·nar·y (k-strôrdn-r, kstr-ôr-)
adj.
1. Beyond what is ordinary or usual: extraordinary authority.
2. Highly exceptional; remarkable: an extraordinary achievement.
3. Employed or used for a special service, function, or occasion: a minister extraordinary; an extraordinary professor.

“Being Elmo” is the story of the man who is Elmo, Kevin Clash- an iconoclast if there ever was one. His story is inspiring to me almost as much as Elmo tickled my son’s heart before he could even talk.

Rocawear

kobiwu — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:31:23 +0000

That\'s Rocawear: 99\'-11\'

Successful cultural brands often reflect “a people.” Sometimes the culture is defined by feeling or a belief. These feelings or beliefs are represented by tribal behaviors. And when a brand effectively captures the essence of that behavior- they will win. It’s that simple.

It’s an interesting study and the subject of my class that I will teach next spring. Check out this video about Rocawear- a brand that absolutely represents and speaks to “urban culture.”

GO THE F*CK TO SLEEP

kobiwu — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:38:08 +0000

I’ve heard about this story for months now and only just now listened to it, but it really doesn’t matter because it’s just a perfect find no matter when you read/ hear it. It’s a massively inappropriate, but intensely accurate depiction of a parent’s journey in trying to get their child to go to sleep when they would rather create diversions. I’m not sure if the physical copy is as impactful as this audio- Sam Jackson’s narration is a great marketing ploy, timeless and f*ckin’ genius!

Go the F*ck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach

There are no words that I can use to fully express the accuracy of this snippet as it relates to my own behavior when my son has tried/tries to create diversions at bedtime, BUT considering how loud I laughed throughout it’s play, I just had to share this audio story with all of you. Happy 4th of July.

BRIAN PARKER’S “BETA” RELEASE

kobiwu — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:30:15 +0000

People love to hear about the drive and motivation of a successful artist. We revel in the notion of angst, drama and emotional strife driving our musical super heroes to super stardom. And in shows like VH1′s Behind the Music we get to feel connected to the artist, because they and people close to them are telling their story up close.

In marketing a new artist (new= fresh out of college, not a hit to their name and basically nothing but raw talent, ambition and a fearless spirit) there is no Behind the Music vehicle to drive awareness and sales. There is no history of overcoming dreadful odds, or personal hurdles. There is no reference of success or failure to compare an upcoming release. There’s not even the buzz on the street that an artist is hot and we need to get that bootleg copy out of the studio.

….There is only hope and the eager anxiety of the artist himself.

Brian Parker is a former student of mine and an artist I truly believe in. He’s truly talented and I believe he will “go- BIG.” Those who know me, know it’s been literally years since I’ve stood behind an artist, so take that as you will, but definitely don’t misconstrue my full on support of this young new artist, his music and his journey.

PUNCHDRUNK IN CHELSEA

kobiwu — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 08:07:03 +0000

Hitchcock never really impressed me. I do NOT enjoy a taxidermist exhibition. I do not appreciate the art of suspenseful acting. All of which work my nerves unnecessarily, and all of which exist throughout PUNCHDRUNK, an experiential drama currently running in Chelsea. But surprisingly and pleasantly PUNCHDRUNK blew me away exceeding any sort of cheap hollywood-like trickery. Go see it. You will freak out like I did on what I thought was a voyeuristic experience suddenly turning into the scene could not exist without you. Huh? You ask? Well I can’t explain it, but if I had to give it a go, I would- to my own dis-satisfaction describe it as “Eyes Wide Shut” meets your favorite Hitchock flick meets Broadway- no, Alvin Ailey- no, a Rave- no, a journey….Well this is what I mean. Just go check it out.

I got a chance to meet the Executive Director, Colin Marsh and the Artistic Director, Felix Barrett
I can see many of my clients calling me about this one. Looking forward to chatting….

NYTimes

HONOR: FAB 5

kobiwu — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 04:25:29 +0000

There has been a lot of recent hype about the ESPN Documentary: Fab Five. Posts on Facebook and Twitter have continuously raved about the doc claiming how amazing and powerful it is. One would think that a documentary about basketball- team, or individual, or the sport itself- has certainly been done before so what is so amazing about this one? After watching it online, I have to say, this flick is worthy of the hype.
It’s powerful because while we knew bits of the story incrementally- the context of Fab Five was told by the players- Jalen Rose was executive producer and each of the other dudes- Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson were producers. They pulled Coach Fisher, and other players on the team to bring to light their perspective and simply put, they told the truth- and a lot of it, ugly. What’s great about it, was that while it wasn’t completely pretty, NO ONE was dissed- save some controversial comments about Grant Hill, but that I think was built up by media more than anything else. And everyone, except for Chris Webber told their side. I won’t blow the story for you, but in case you want to watch it, check out the link below. But I will say,
I can’t tell if I was drawn to it for because I was a fan of each of those players or if it was because they truly impacted my history- our history- our culture. Word.

UKULELE POWER: JAKE SHIMABUKURO

kobiwu — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:20:05 +0000

When one thinks of bad ass musician it’s typically for the skills on a guitar, bass, drums, piano, violin even, but rarely- VERY rarely is it because of skills on a ukulele. This version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” should definitely change that perspective a bit. Jake Shimabukuro plays the hell out of this ukulele and now I’m in love with it and the spirit it exudes. Check it out. No joke. If he was a rapper, you would be like, Damn- boy can spit!
Enjoy and Happy Sunday.

MALCOLM GLADWELL: CLUSTERS OF HAPPINESS

kobiwu — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:22:03 +0000

The content of this video not only demonstrates the power of a delicious recipe, it also identifies the power of understanding what makes people truly happy. I especially appreciate the sentiment that there isn’t one single quality that makes someone happy, rather people favor clusters of qualities. And those clusters inform decisions in design, food, art, and the like that truly make people deliriously happy.
Malcolm Gladwell. Author of The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers and What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures.