Keith Haring & I met officially one night outside a nightclub called Nell’s on 14th Street & 8th Avenue. I used to work the door there back in 86-87. I had been seeing him at The Paradise Garage (another legendary NY Nightclub) and ofcourse I knew who he was. Lots of famous & not so famous people hung out at both of these spots back then.

One night Keith came to a party at Nell’s for art dealer Tony Shafrazi. As he was leaving he turned back to me and offered me a button to put on my Levi’s Trucker’s Jacket. I asked him if he could tag my jacket, since I saw his tag all over the Village I figured I might as well ask. So he obliged. He always carried sharpies in his bag, so he drew a little man on the back with a black sharpie. I saw him not long after at the Garage again and he brought me into his group. I started hanging out at his studio at 676 Broadway in Greenwich Village. Lots of cool people used to come through that studio. And it put me in the loop in the Downtown 80’s art scene.

So in the Winter of 1988 while I was living in London doing music and modeling, a model friend of mine from Paris asked to wear my Levis jacket Keith tagged out to the club one night. He borrowed it that night and never returned. Once I got back to New York, Keith asked me to come help with what would turn out to be his last show before he died at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery. I watched as he painted huge pieces like “A Pile Of Crowns for Jean Michel Basquait.”

I helped move it with the rest of the giant pieces from the studio to Shafrazi’s gallery. I was also the doorman at the gallery that night and we all went to Mr. Chow’s on 59th street for the after party. During that time Keith took a liking to an old vintage motorcycle jacket that I wore everyday. Old beat up brown leather. Knowing my jacket got stolen, he said to leave the jacket in his studio so he could do a special piece for me. I thought woah! A few months before he died he called me to come and pick it up. I cried because it was so amazing, and so was he. A great person. A real friend. I get sad thinking about that moment. I have a few more small pieces he did for me as well, but nothing comes close to this.

Be sure to check out the Freshjive blog for more great stuff.

The first is a look at Dennis Hopper’s 6.245 million dollar compound in Venice that is on the market. The complex features two Frank Gerry designed condos, a main house designed by Brian Murphy, and an “art barn” with an 8 million dollar collection featuring work from Ruscha, Julian Schnabel, Kenny Scharf, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Serra, George Herms and Andy Warhol.

Kanye recently put his house in the Hollywood Hills, shown here, up for sale for around 4 million.

Yeezy shares an appreciation for the arts – KAWS pieces shown here – but at this point it lacks the depth of Hopper’s collection.

These are two completely different examples of LA homes, Kanye’s minimalist modern home, and Hopper’s insane Venice Compound. I think Dennis Hopper’s Venice compound comes out on top because of the Gerry architecture, the extensive art collection and complete California vibe.

but it feels like flying in an airplane using a reciprocating engine

I can’t tell you how peaceful it is.”
Shinya Kimura

EPIC video via one of my favorite site TSY

“The Merlin didn’t just power Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Lancaster bombers, it saw service in MTBs (motor torpedo boats) and tanks. So successful was the Merlin that 149,659 units were built, some 37,000 under license by Packard in the U.S. Lord Tedder, Marshal of the RAF and the man charged with development of aircraft during the Battle of Britain, attributed victory to “three predominant factors: the skill and bravery of the pilots, 100-octane fuel and the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.””

The 7 year process was done to Rolls Royce spec levels. These are all functioning dials needed to properly operate the engine. Note the amazing detailing in the door panel.

“The catalog credits veteran English dealer Nick Harley—the man who bid $10 million for the Bugatti Royale at auction in 1987 and now enjoys life in his fortress-like retreat on the Côte d’Azur—with the creation of this “special-to-trump-all-specials.” However, a quick call to Harley reveals there’s more to the story.

“Chassis 64GX left Crewe as a standard Phantom II saloon, but in the late 1970s, Rolls-Royce collector Nicholas Harley of London decided to create a showcase of British engineering might. The restoration that ensued spanned approximately seven years, during which time the Phantom II frame was lengthened, reinforced and fitted with this lovely Gurney Nutting-inspired body constructed by Wilkinson’s of Derby, and a 27-liter Mk I Merlin V12 engine was fitted, fed by two fuel pumps delivering 100 gallons per hour.”

via SportsCarMarket.com