I don’t know where I would want to wake up, and that brings me to tears…

Fifty People, One Question is a simple project with surprising results. The masterminds behind the Crush & Lovely and Deltree studios go to a place, ask fifty people the same question and film their responses.

The project started in New Orleans, LA and received such a warm response that they decided to do it again in New York City. They then started traveling to more cities and asking new questions, always just trying to capture a little slice of humanity. Whatever happens … happens. The first video I saw in this series was the “If you could wake up anywhere, at anytime, where would it be?” question in London. I was floored when I realized that many of the people did not have a clue as to where they would like to wake up. One simple question, and it seemed like everyone had trouble with it when they were put on the spot. It got me to thinking, what about me? I was even more puzzled when I realized I was one of those people who didn’t know the answer to the question. I realized that most people have a hard time with a question like this because they get so caught up in the daily grind, dreaming of something better becomes something you no longer do. Check out this video and think to yourself, “Where do YOU want to wake up?”

Everyone loves a good photobomb. If you say you don’t, you’re lying, or you’re a complete loser with no sense of humor. There is nothing better then getting a drink at the bar, with your eyes half closed from the half bottle of Jack that your working on polishing off when you see a group of girls gear up with “kissy” face. You know they are perking up their boobs and popping out their hips for that perfect bar shot when it dawns on you that to ruin this photo would be pretty funny later on when they are going through their pictures. Well it just so happens that us normal everyday people are not alone. Celebrities also love to drop in uninvited on the photos of randoms. It looks like Michael Cera is the leader and pro celebrity photo bomber of this pack, which is kind of funny because in everything else he does he is just the shy awkward guy.

I love this last one with Cera. Seriously, where is he hanging out where there is some kid in an American Eagle polo playing with exotic parrots?

Ever since the graffiti art movement began there were meeting places for writers known as writer’s corners or writer’s benches, and the majority of these meeting places were in the subway system in New York City. The last active location was the 149th Street Grand Concourse subway station in The Bronx, on the 2 and 5 IRT lines. It was active from the 1970s until the decline of subway painting in the late 1980s.

Writers from all over the city congregated at a bench located at the back of the uptown platform and they came to meet, make plans, sign black books and settle disputes over whos art was the most prominent at the time. The main activity was watching art on the passing trains (known as benching) and the writers would admire and criticize the latest paintings that would roll by on the subway cars.

The 149th Street Grand Concourse subway station was an ideal location for a writer’s bench for several reasons. It was a station where the 2 and 5 lines converged. The 2 and 5 lines featured some of the most artistic works in the city because of the fact that many lay-ups and train yards for the 2s and 5s were located in both the Bronx and Brooklyn made creativity on these lines extremely competitive. This was prime real estate and artist made sure that they only bombed their best and latest works on these cars. Also an overpass connecting the uptown and downtown platforms was an ideal vantage point from which to view the passing trains. There is nothing like a front row seat to some of the best art in the city.

Since paintings rarely if ever run on trains today, this bench is no longer frequented by writers but old school New York writers occasionally visit the site for the sake of nostalgia. If you would like to read the full memorial plaque that was installed on the bench, check it out here.

Writers Bench from Miss Tint on Vimeo.

The RZA, the leader and undisputed master mind  of the Wu-Tang Clan and hip-hop culture’s most dynamic genius,  embarks on a mission to show the lessons he’s learned on the journey that’s taken him from the Staten Island projects to international superstar, in his new book, The Tao of Wu. Along the way, RZA has been a dedicated student to the knowledge that he has encountered on the streets, in religion, in martial arts, in chess, and in popular culture. Part chronicle of an extraordinary life and part spiritual and philosophical discourse, The Tao of Wu is a nonfiction spiritual journey for the hip-hop generation that is sure to enlighten, entertain, and inspire.

 The sea of Wu-Tang fans are fully aware to the way of life and their obsession with the groups puzzlelike lyrics and elaborate mythology has propelled the group through fifteen years of dazzling, multiplatform success. In his 2005 bestseller The Wu-Tang Manual, the RZA provided the barest glimpse of how that mythology worked. In The Tao of Wu, he takes us deep inside the complex sense of wisdom and spirituality that has been at the core of his commercial and creative success.

The book is built around major moments in the RZA’s life when he was faced with a dramatic turning point, either bad (when he was facing murder charges) or good (a record deal that could pull his family out of poverty), and the lessons he took from each experience. His points of view are always enlightening and you cant help but to listen and pay attention when the RZA is spitting some wisdom. This book is a spiritual memoir as the world has never seen before, and will never see again.

The book has an official release scheduled for October 15th, 2009.

Before I Die, I Want To… is a polaroid project by artist Nicole Kenney and KS Rives. They realized that there are literally millions of different answers to one simple question, what do you want to do before you die? Why is it that some people are more aware than others? Why are some people driven to take action in their lives, while others chose to sit idly by and wait for the end to near. What values do we as a nation hold near, and how do other countries and cultures respond to the same question? One part cultural study, another part an encouragement to reflect on priorities and take action on desires, the Before I Die I Want To… project will create a new dialogue in the realm of sociological art. The project aims to urge people towards thinking about and fulfilling their life goals by asking them to make a promise to themselves and to the photographer. 

Creators, Nicole Kenney (Brooklyn, NY) and ks rives (Chicago, IL) keep their Polaroid cameras close at hand, taking portraits wherever they go to add to the collection. They snap the photo while the subject is saying what they want to do before they die, getting them in the act of stating their desire. Nicole and ks then request that the subject writes his or her statement on the Polaroid starting with the words “Before I die I want to….” As the subjects are signing the release form, the artists ask them to include their email.

In a number of years (five, ten, twenty, etc.), Nicole and ks will contact the participants via email to see if they have accomplished their goal, if they are on their way, or why they haven’t made steps in that direction. At this future time, Nicole and ks will ask them to write a short story next to their photo on the website about fulfilling their expressed want. Seeing online that other people are fulfilling their desires will motivate participants to complete their task and write a story of their own. This is a great project and I truly applaud these 2 great artists and caring people for their efforts. To take such a huge chunk of your life, and dedicate it to the cause of making sure others fulfill their goals is something that is inspiring as well as interesting. It would be interesting to see the site in 20 years, and learn what some of these people have done after being challenged with such an important question. 

Remember how your mother always told you to not play with your food? Well I guess some people never really listened, and luckily for us they dreamt up some amazing sandwich art for our viewing pleasure. These sandwiches are so great because they cover a lot of different topics, from games, to our favorite cartoon characters, to some every day items that we might never look at the same again. The thing I like the most about these designs is that the artists took something so common and everyday, and turned it into amazing art. To have the vision to turn something so simple into something so interesting is what really makes specific artists stand out , and these guys are leading the way with fresh new ideas.  I’ve never been so hungry that I would want to eat a shoe, but after checking out one of these sandwiches, I might consider it the next time I’m on a long camping trip with limited food. Check out the sandwich art!

If you are a loyal reader of Zootpatrol then you know we are big fans of style, design, and products that push the limits. Just because these are toilets, it doesn’t mean that I’m not going to applaud the efforts of these designers. True, some of these are just silly and none of them really serve any marketing or advertising purpose, but why do toilets all have to be the same? The way I see it, people spend a lot of time in “meetings” so they might as well get a little laugh out of it. These designs hit on every type of emotion from hilarious, to creepy. The Japanese are known for being a little out there when it comes to their sexual appetites and their bathroom humor is no exception. Below are some of my favorites, and you can see the rest of them here. Enjoy!

To celebrate the 20 year anniversary of The Simpsons, Marge will be appearing on the cover of Playboy, and it is also being reported that she will have a nude spread, flashing her yellow nipples inside the pages of the popular mens magazine. There will be no Heidi Montag’ing going on here by covering up the goods. This raises the question, is this an exciting and cool way to usher in the 20 year milestone for the popular cartoon, or is this just down right creepy? When you think of sexy cartoon characters (not that I do) you think Jessica Rabbit, Betty Boop, Lara Croft, and Bugs Bunny when he dresses up like a girl. Marge has always been the tall blue haired mom of Bart the bad ass, and the wife of Homer, the beer guzzling coolest father of all time. She never really goes out of her way to sex it up, so hopefully she is ready for the challenge. I just hope that Marge has been hitting the gym. If the lighting is off and a bad picture of her hits the net, her reign as Springfields supermom could come to an end. Let us know what you think!

Longboards have long been thought of as too big, bulky, heavy or long to perform the standard skate tricks that are so smooth and easy on the standard boards. I came across this video while day dreaming at my grey and  gloomy 9-5, and it served as the perfect medicine to get me through the day, knowing that shred season was another day closer. The best thing about longboards is that they are the perfect substitute for snowboarding or surfing.  Although nothing can replicate the feeling of shredding through some waste high pow pow, or back slashing that perfect head high barrel, longboarding lets you keep your skills in check, and also lets you push the limits of what everyone thinks boards are capable of.  This video has some really cool parts in which the riders really take things to the limit.

So if you are a skateboarder, surfer or snowboarder, check out the progression going on in longboarding. You don’t need water to practice surfing and you don’t need snow to practice snowboarding, grab a longboard, get out there and skate.