J.B. Taylor

Dimming all the Lights.

"One day in Berlin, Eno came running in and said, 'I have heard the sound of the future!' . . . he puts on I Feel Love, by Donna Summer. He said, 'This is it . . . look no further. This single is going to change the sound of club music for the next fifteen years.' Which was more or less, right."

                                                                     —David Bowie

Still trying to process the passing of Donna Summer, who provided the soundtrack to endless  childhood lip-synching routines, awkward Bar Mitzvah slow-dances, and teenage pre-rave warm-up parties (we always listened to Sunset People on the way to map points). It was to Last Dance that I got drunk for the first time at age 10, hiding under a table drinking champagne at my aunt's wedding (marking the end of my career as flower girl). In jazz class at age 13, we passionately rehearsed a Bad Girls routine, pretending we were hookers (Appropriate? No . . . Educational? Of course).

I first discovered the magical princess of the night when my dad brought home the die-cut gatefold of 1978's Live and More, resulting in hours of staring at Donna's rainbow sparkle gown on the back cover. She became an obsession, and for many years the poster from On the Radio, was pinned to my Marimekko castle wallpaper (see the shot below, and take note of the cartoon heels!)

Her Moroder collabs are some of the sexiest and most influential moments to ever occur in modern music. I'm regretting never having made an effort to hear her otherworldly voice live. Here's hoping she'll have a gig when we arrive at the never-ending disco in the sky.

Recommended viewings in honor of Donna . . . Thank God it's Friday (1978) and Foxes (1980). Recommended Summer reading  . . . writer Jon Savage and DJ Ewan Pearson on the catalytic power of I Feel Love.

And in other sad disco news . . . adieu to Robin Gibb. Looks like God really loves to Hustle.

Sassooning, with tears in my eyes.

Devastated to hear about the passing of hairdressing legend, Vidal Sassoon. My husband & I have actually been trying to emulate his positive lifestyle after viewing the wonderful 2010 documentary, How One Man Changed the World With a Pair of Scissors. It took my breath away to watch footage of him doing yoga beautifully at age 81 . . . still full of creativity, ambition, and humour. He seemed to be nothing less than radiant, and his self-made success story should be an inspiration to any creative or inventive soul.

Above: Sassoon (middle) with his debonair London salon team, c.late-1960s. Below: Model Suzy Parker in Chanel, getting tousled gorgeously by Vidal, c.early-1960s.

After years of experimenting with old fashioned '50s bouffants in London, Sassoon took a trip to New York city, and after falling in awe with the varied architectural landscape, he had a revelation that hair needed to be modernized for the fast-paced lifestyles of stylish metropolitan young babes.

Above: Vidal's first salon in London, all chrome, smoky mirrors and velvety browns, c.late 1960s. Below, L: Vidal's UK staff on their first visit to NY, where they were received like rock stars. Below, R: Vidal and his Beverly Hills salon staff, c.early-1980s.

His first famous experiment was in 1965, when he snipped model Grace Coddington's crimson locks into the sculptural "Five Point" cut for a story in Vogue. After seeing the photo, all the long-locked dollybirds came running into his futuristic-Deco London salon for cropped new 'dos. Designer Many Quant took notice of Vidal's magic talents, and inspired by each other, they revolutionized the modern look in unison . . . Quant giving girls monochromatic mini skirts and pop art accessories, and Sassoon giving them the look of cool, plus freedom from hairspray and weekly salon visits.

Above: Many Quant in her Sassoon bob, c.mid-1960s. Below: Vidal and Grace Coddington in her "Five Point" cut, as shot by David Bailey (?)

Now because we all look good, you'll always look good, Vidal Sassoon.

Faithfully.

I remember once hearing a record shop owner being asked by a customer who Marianne Faithfull was. His reply was "just some Rolling Stones groupie", and I immediately wanted to punch him in the face. Never just Mick's muse (he chased her, btw), or a stunning '60s dollybird . . . she was, for a long time, the spirit of The Stones. If it weren't for her, they would never have worn brocade, bought castles to fill with Persian rugs, taken LSD, tried to emulate the god Pan, or read Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita . . . which inspired nearly all of Beggars Banquet. She was rock 'n roll's first decadent, bohemian royal queen. Not only that, but she continues to contribute her own wonderful art to the universe . . . wildly entertaining memoirs, acting roles, and deliciously relevant music (collaborating with the likes of Nick Cave, Damon Albarn and Jarvis Cocker, to name only a few).

During a shamanistic convergence in my early-20s (aka; a really crappy time), I spotted a copy of Faithfull's autobiography at a used bookstore in Hollywood, and once I began reading about her glamourous, tripped-out and troubled journey, my soul applauded. I'd encountered a kindred vagabond spirit, and she's been a major source of inspiration ever since. It's also my belief that you haven't truly lived until you've seen her preform The Ballad of Lucy Jordan live. Next time she's in town, make it a life priority.

In a lovely tribute to her highness of cool, the Tate Liverpool has given Faithfull access to their collection, and she, along with gallerist John Dunbar (her first husband, also known as the man who introduced John to Yoko), have curated an autobiographical show featuring pieces she feels represent seminal periods in her colorful life thus far. The show, entitled Innocence and Experience, includes pieces by: Richard Hamilton, Nan Goldin, Man Ray, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon (a close friend of Faithfull's), Robert Mapplethorpe, Pauline Boty, Rene Magritte and Sir Peter Blake, among others. I'm hoping to catch the show before it closes on September 2nd.

More about Marianne:

– She has the distinction of being the first person to say the word Fu*k in a motion picture (1967's I'll Never Forget What's'isname)

– Jimi Hendrix's The Wind Cries Mary is about her.

– She divides her time between an apartment in Paris, and an Irish castle with a ballroom made entirely of seashells.

– She co-penned the lyrics to Sister Morphine, and Jagger wrote Wild Horses about her . . . probably his most beautiful love song, ever.

– She recorded reggae with Sly & Robbie and Serge Gainsbourg.

– Marianne's great-great uncle was Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, author of the fetishtic book, Venus in Furs (1869). The concept of "Masochism" was later named after him.

– Her best friend is Anita Pallenberg.

– She basically invented hardcore gangster rap.

– She turned down Bob Dylan.

*Faithfull collage by me, J.B.T. Please do not reproduce without permission. Merci.