back now! yeah america and me. not been before, was never interested. it was a good trip, but i was not moved by the place. but then i was staying in a weird zone, west 77th and broadway…hmmm…if i was lower it woudda been better for sure. i got this after i came back, but weirdly i was thinking a lot about fashion there. but in a strange way. principally everyone wore nike luna glide sneakers! i nearly bought some as a souvenir, they were so prevalent. i was interested, in relation to this, in a kind of uptight non-fashion thing that everyone has. there are glimmers of other stuff, but the guts of new york was this unbelievably mainstream sports wear vibe. it is a re-connection to america’s pragmatist heritage that i found super suffocating, like no dreamers allowed…it is so deadening and monolithic and oddly destructive and threatening…but then i’m a day dreamer and can-do attitudes and action always scares me!

yet on that i also saw bill cunningham new york. maybe you’ve seen it. he’s very very intense in a kooky way. very admirable. i wonder what you think.

on the inspiration stakes i was much more excited culturally in hong kong airport by the japanese mags. the culture in them really connects with this thing that nick lowe was talking about on the radio a while back. that he’s interested in american music from an english perspective, as it is interpreted. and the japanese sneaker mag and outdoor mag i bought were so cool in terms of reinterpreting. that is where the dreaming happens. in those spaces. kook town all over again!

ok!