J.B. Taylor

Never can say goodbye.

Like everyone else on the planet with any funk in their hearts and boogie in their souls, I'm totally bummed about losing Michael. After all, he was my very first crush, and I now understand the way my grandmother must've felt the day she heard Sinatra died . . . like your youth just hitched a ride to the Netherlands.

I grew up with my dad spinning Off the Wall, so my sister and I could dance around in our jelly shoes, but it wasn't until I watched his legendary Billie Jean performance, during Motown's 25th Anniversary special in 1983, that I really fell in awe . . . he introduced the moonwalk to the world, and at that moment, along with every other 8 year old kid on Earth, I fell in love.

It was his shy smile, glitter glove, sparkle socks, liquid smooth dance moves, and debonair style, and the nicest of all voices that had me smitten, so I kissed a poster of him "goodnight", every night, which I hung above my bed on the top bunk (see exact poster below). As a little girl I truly believed until the age of 12, that I would grow up to marry him. And then he became friends with E.T., which was just too mind-blowing to handle (see photo above, of little me ecstatic over receiving this cassette box-set for Hanukkah).

Other treasured  M.J. items were; a VHS tape of The Making of Thriller (which I must've watched at least 100 times), Lazer Blazers (see below), M.J. puffy sticker collection, my bedazzled white glove, a Tiger Beat pin-up of M.J. wearing a striped mariniere (below), and a mini-poster of Thriller-era Michael  holding a baby tiger (below).

 

My sister and I were so spazzed out over Jackson. that my parents rented a limo and took us to Dodger Stadium for the Jackson's Victory Tour, which remains one of my favorite childhood memories,. . . dancing in the aisles to Can you feel it? alongside my parents. It was one of those rare life moments when you knew you were experiencing something special, the likes of which would never happen again. 

I'm heartbroken that his unique brand of musical magic had to end so soon, especially considering that he had just re-united with his original production team (Quincy, Steve Porcaro, etc.), and was gearing up to release tunes sure to burn all the discos out.

Heaven, no longer missing an angel.

Actress, and '70s icon, Farrah Fawcett has sadly feathered away to the clouds above, so we pay homage to Charlie's most vibrant angel with a gallery of her uniquely gleaming California beauty:

I feel sad for Ryan O'Neal today, as he had been her devoted partner since 1980, and I used to see them on sweet dates at Nobu sushi in Malibu, holding hands and staring into each others eyes quite lovingly. Poor guy.

Photos: Corbis, Ultimate Charlie's Angels, Douglas Kirkland

Rachel Roy Vs. The Neverending Story

Based on the model's mystical headpiece, I can only hope that the inspiration behind Rachel Roy's recent 2010 Resort collection, is the Childlike Empress from The Neverending Story. I'd also love to imagine that since being given the name of "Moon Child" by dreamy teen-warrior Atreyu, she's ditched her lonely Ivory Palace in Fantasia for the gritty hustle of Manhattan, to work as a spiritual guide . . .

 
Photos: Style.com, Rachel Roy, Warner Bros.

Calling all organic modernists!

The mister and I have been asked to host a very magical event THIS SATURDAY, June 6th, at Dragon Rock, the mid-century home of designer Russel Wright. It is in honor of Wright's annual laurel festival, celebrating the beautiful mountain blooms, and will take place on the grounds of his Garrison home, situated in a secret quarry, called Manitoga (meaning; "house of the great spirit").

Join us for this magical afternoon ice cream social and potluck lunch, set in a stunning landscape of waterfalls, and moss gardens, under the shade of Wright's legendary organic-modernist home. It'll be a truly unforgettable day for naturalists, designers, mods, hippies, and inspiration seekers alike.

See the invite below for more info, or go to our facebook page (and be sure to RSVP before Saturday) . . .

Here are some photos from a recent tour of magical, mystical, Manitoga . . .

 

By row (L to R): Dragon Rocking out, Russel's hide-a-way studio peeking out from the road, stepping stones cross the quarry, Wright's color palette, a whimsical doorknob (no two knobs are alike on the property), Russel's beloved "moss room", the living room as is stands today, city-lady Lizzie in a rare encounter with nature, Dragon Rock nestled into the mountainside.

And for those who will be attending, who have never been to Garrison, you're in for a treat! Not only is it so gorgeous that the first time I laid eyes on it, we gave notice on our apartment, but  it has also served as homebase for; Peter Frampton, Patty Hearst, Dan Flavin, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Cates, Diane Weist, Ivan Chermayeff, fashion journalist Cathy Horyn, and filmmaker Julie Taymor (to name just a few)!

Here are a some tips for making the most of your visit to gorgeous Garrison:

~ If taking the Metro North from Manhattan, when you arrive at the Garrison station, be sure to cross the platform and walk over to Garrison Landing, an historic little village on the Hudson that wouldn't look out of place if it popped up at Disneyland overnight. The Landing was much admired by Abraham Lincoln, and has a dreamy gazebo for watching the sunset, a playhouse (where they also host special screenings of films like Gimme Shelter, followed by a Q & A with filmmaker, Albert Maysles), a fun art center, and a wonderful bookshop, where I have found rare issues of the '60s magazine Eros, as well as an out of print book on optical artist, Vassarely. The Landing was also a main location in the filming of the 1969 Barbra Streisand film, Hello Dolly!, so fans of Babs should look around to see if you can figure out where Vandergelder's was located (Walter Matthau's shop in the film).

Here are some photos of Garrison Landing as it appeared in Hello Dolly! . . .

~ If in need of a nosh, be sure to stop by the Garrison Market on Route 9D, which is a cute coffee shop/ice cream joint, housed in a vintage gas station.

~ 10 minutes up Route 9D from Garrison, is the town of Cold Spring, which is truly adorbz, and dotted in antique shops and eclectic boutiques. On Saturdays, be sure to stop by their small but wonderful farmers market, and snack on apple cider donuts, artisanal cheeses, rare mushrooms, and amazing fresh baked breads (there's also sometimes a petting zoo)!

~ And if you're the hiking type, tackle the lush trails down to Constitution Marsh, where you' can do some major bird watching, whilst wading in a sparkly mountain stream. Then visit the Audubon Society's mini-museum, where they have live feeds of the marsh's baby birds in their nests. Here are some shots from a recent visit . . .



(1st row, L to R): Nic and our friend Joe found it comical that I wore a dress and knee-hi leather boots to go hiking (whatevs), psychedelic day-glo marsh moss, looking out onto Constitution Island in the middle of the Hudson River (2nd row): Items found by explorers around the marsh, a tiny chipmunk digging through leaves for a snack (I was begging him to jump inside my purse, but he was too busy), the biggest fu*k#!g spider i've ever seen, taxidermied birdies and a sweet collection of birds nests found around the trails.

~ Also, from Garrison, it's only a 15 min. drive up to Beacon, where you can visit the breathtaking Dia museum of contemporary art (which is located inside the old Nabisco cookie factory), or skip across the river to Storm King Art Center, where you can have your mind blown by gigantic environmental sculptures by Calder, Serra, Rauschenberg, and Nevelson, and Goldsworthy.

Photos: Corbis, Profiles in History, Manitoga, Lizzie Brandt