A year or so back, FoF Ocean wrote a piece about a little Spy Conference in Raleigh, NC.  Well, it just went on again.  Next year, I want to go.  Now, what’s so interesting about this is - well, it’s a Spy Conference - what’s not interesting about that?  But what’s interesting to us FoFs is the brilliance of a simple little Ad for the conference by an agency named The Republik.  I mean, this commercial ranks up there with my favorites.  It’s not on YouTube, so if you want to check it out, follow these instructions.  Go to http://therepublik.net - click on ‘work’ in the menu on the upper left - click on the floaty icon in the middle of the site that says “INTL SPY CONFERENCE” - click “View all work by tactic” - click “Broadcast” and enjoy.  Is that not hilarious?  Who wants to go next year?  Note: The link to the conference itself is http://www.raleighspyconference.com/ - Is there any way this isn’t actually real?  FoF Marcus

Fred was asked to cold chill in the center of the action at Whole Foods on Lamar and 5th St. in downtown Austin. And cold chill he did. Artists seen included Funeral Party and Voxtrot at Emo’s Jr., Shwayze rocked out, Joseph Israel the kickass reggae singer, Melissa Rapp who is now a special FoF. Fred also shared a ride with a writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - that was a trip. Ben Harper was amazing. And bumping into FoFs from Brooklyn was a nice surprise. Any of you FoFs make it down to SXSW? Do tell. Who did you see? Good shows?  

Michael Anthony, acclaimed chef of Gramercy Tavern, came to Queens to grill a feast with ingredients culled from the Public Farm 1 installation in MoMA’s PS1 courtyard. The architectural invention is itself a wonder: a self-irrigating agricultural system that launches majestically beyond the towering walls of the courtyard and into the Queens skyline. But the real star of the evening was the cavernous charcoal grill, fired up for a fitting send-off to outdoor cooking season.

Fred and friends recently checked out New York’s best Muay Thai and amateur boxing at the cavernous Lexington Avenue Armory. One dude got straight-up knocked out with a ferocious jab-kick to the Kenny Noggins. The fighters in the crowd cheered. The lovers looked on with concern, questioning the brutality of the sport. But then the dude got up and everyone partied.

Albert Maysles is about as humble and earnest a man you will find anywhere in the world, which makes the fact that he’s a filmmaking legend all the more amazing. He and his brother David pioneered “direct cinema” in the 1960’s, revolutionizing documentary filmmaking, and are responsible for the great films Salesman, Grey Gardens and Gimme Shelter. On 8.26 Albert regaled a rapt crowd at the Rogan store on the Bowery in NYC with stories from his improbable and fascinating career, interspersing never-before-seen clips from his extensive film catalog. Criterion will soon be releasing extended versions of these gems on DVD, including a buzzed and slaphappy Marlon Brando trying to get through a press junket, The Rolling Stones listening to the mixdowns of Wild Horses for the first time, a wigged Salvador Dali speaking jibberish to a bikini-clad Raquel Welch and Muhammad Ali shadow boxing the camera on a deserted road in Africa.

Above, that’s Al and Fred [gripped tight in his right] giving an interview to Vanity Fair after the show. For a little guy, Fred is a huge fan.

Michael Stipe and designer Rogan Gregory [checkout http://rogannyc.com] launched their collaborative art exhibit at Rogan’s studio on Bowery in NYC on June 26, 08 for a month. Bronzed cassette tapes above, by Michael, represent the power of media as a blank canvas for art, retro-style. Fred was cold chillin’ at the studio in about the most humid environment of his career [a sweaty night it was]. Other interesting folk at the event included ColdPlay’s Chris Martin, brother-in-law Jake Paltrow [ NYPD Blue, Director and brother of Gwyneth ], Mike D of Beastie Boys and artists Jeff Koons, Michael Halsband and Terrence Koh. As the consummate blackbelt in hanging out, take Fred’s word for it when he says: “Checkout Rogan Jeans.” They must be Fred-friendly…

Don’t miss your chance to stand up and ask one of those crazy modern artists, “Hey do you know Matthew Barney? Can you ask him to tell Bjork that I think she’s the bomb?” On Tuesday, video artist Mika Rottenberg will be at the MoMA taking questions about her art (see above image) and possibly about Matthew Barney’s wife as well. Check out event details here.

If you don’t know about Wakozi.com, go there right now and order some booze from your local booze shop. Or some pilsner and pork rinds from your local bodega. Or Fred from either place. Then sit back and relax as your favorite items are delivered right to your door. Simply amazing. You know what else is amazing? The sweet peeps at Wakozi are treating us New Yorkers to free beer on Thursday night, June 5th at Fontana’s on the Lower East Side. The beer lasts all night, but the freeness is only from 7-9pm. Fred will, as always, be there to keep things cool.

LVHRD’s second live photography competition is happeneing next Tuesday, March 25th in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Three artists will be creating pieces of mosaic art using Polaroid pictures in a celebration of the art of storytelling. Attendees are asked to dress like grandmas. Weird? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. Will Fred be there? He wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Check out LVHRD.org for more strange details.

Check out the Providence-based, all-female art collective Dirt Palace as they chronicle their own fantasy, fake, true, science-fiction, candy-coated, stripped-bare, all-lies history. Song, dance, costumes, projections and puppets all come together in this deceptively sweet yet completely unruly evening celebrating the WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution show at the MoMA’s P.S.1 in Queens.

Check PopRally more more details.