William J Simmons Malibu Magazine
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Ten People. Ten Questions. Landis Smithers Jennifer Holland Eric Timothy Carlson William Simmons Alan Tudyk Chas Smith Foster Huntington Jesca Hoop Nathan Schields William Nericcio Landis Smithers is the creative director at Grindr. Shortly after graduating from Cornell University with a degree in English and social anthropology, Smithers started his career at global advertising agency Leo Burnett, spearheading national campaigns for clients such as Clarion and Special 01 K. Smithers joined Grindr in September 2015 and has hit the ground LANDIS SMITHERS running, overseeing marketing for some of Grindr’s largest activations to date. From J.W. Anderson’s live-stream on the app to the Varsity clothing creative director collaboration with online platform Print All Over Me to partnering with art collective VisionaireWorld to curate an interactive art exhibition SLUMBR, which celebrated Gay Pride at The Standard Hotel in New York City. Smithers’ creative mindset is catapulting Grindr outside its traditional role as a networking app to a full fledged LGBT hub. What keeps you up at night? Grr. What is your position on monogamy? Top if tequila, bottom if whiskey. To what extent does money influence your career choices? I don’t work for free. Neither should you. Describe the last dream you remember. A third Obama term. When was the last time you lied? Why? I told Grr that I didn’t mind getting up to let her out at 3 a.m. I lied because she is a 15-year-old pit bull and needs to feel love at 3 a.m. How do you define love? You think you can “define” love? That’s cute. How will you spend this evening? Answering these questions and trying not to sound too pretentious. Probably failing. Tell us about someone you envy, and why? My mother always said envy was a wasted emotion, but she is highly enviable. What are you currently… Reading: Pablo Neruda. Watching: The Fall. Listening to: Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas” from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. An under-appreciated holiday gem. Avoiding: packing for Berlin. Trying to do more of: being kind. Trying to do less of: being impatient. What’s your favorite… Time of day: dusk. Restaurant: Lucques. Curse word: unfollow. Smell: Linden trees. Flower: peonies. Era: now. Drink: a French 75, which I am going to have, now. Jennifer Holland is an actress residing in Malibu. She has appeared in American Horror Story and will feature prominently in CMT’s upcoming TV show Million Dollar Quartet. 02 What keeps you up at night? A better question would be “What doesn’t keep you up at night?” I’m terrible at sleeping. I’m pretty functional on JENNIFER HOLLAND very little sleep though. What is your position on monogamy? If you can’t be monogamous, then don’t agree to be. No one is forcing you. It’s not for actress everyone. Be honest with yourself and your partner. To what extent does money influence your career choices? At this point, very little. Right now I just want to stay creative and feel fulfilled. I’m sure if you ask me the same question next year, I’d have a different answer for you. Describe the last dream you remember. Oh, geez! It was a sex dream. I shouldn’t describe it. When was the last time you lied? Why? I lied to my boyfriend because I didn’t want to hurt him. But I came clean, and he forgave me because he’s, like, amazing. How do you define love? Forgiveness, support and trust. All or nothing. How will you spend this evening? Cooking Blue Apron and watching Survivor with two crazy dogs and a cat that eats my hair. Tell us about someone you envy, and why? My best friend, Adri. She’s so driven and motivated but still kind. She’s creating a career for herself with almost no one’s help, all while managing her boyfriend’s busy life and emulating Martha Stewart (before the jail thing.). She’s a goddess. I could learn a few things from her. What are you currently... Reading: The Girl on The Train (tried to finish before the movie release and I failed) Watching: Survivor (amazing season), The Voice (Miley Cyrus is hilarious) Westworld (the magic bullets don’t make sense, but I don’t care), can’t wait for The Bachelor to start (only the most classy reality TV for me), and Last Week Tonight. Listening to: Daughter, Jack Garratt, RY X. Avoiding: dessert—like an addict in recovery. Trying to do more of: meditation, writing, and you can always have more sex. Trying to do less of: worrying about things I can’t control. What’s your favorite... Time of day: sunset out my new backyard in Malibu. I could cry it’s so beautiful. Restaurant: Mantee Café, a Mediterranean restaurant in Studio City. Great service and everything on their menu is delicious. Curse word: Fuck! All of them? I have the mouth of a sailor. I got it from my mom. Smell: Oribe Hair Sculpting Cream. It like ... activates my pheromones or something. And fresh baked cinnamon rolls. Flower: Wheat flour. Almond flour. Rice flour. Oh, did you mean flower? Orchid, I guess. Era: anytime before the 2016 election, when the world became a Twilight Zone episode. Drink: Coffee with cream, no sugar. Eric Timothy Carlson is an American artist based in Brooklyn, N.Y. Most recently, he was nominated for a Grammy for best recording package for his design of Bon Iver’s album 22, A Million. 03 What keeps you up at night? Drawing and television. What is your position on monogamy? ERIC TIMOTHY CARLSON To each their own, but be good to people. My record seems to indicate a serial monogamist. To what extent does money influence artist your career choices? I’d be happy if it didn’t at all. Pursuing projects that I align with conceptually, ethically and politically is important to me. I’ve had little patience taking on side jobs to support myself, so in turn I have been obliged to make my practice sustainable. Describe the last dream you remember. In an arctic seascape, standing on the bow of an icebreaker ship with a young woman representing an international fossil- fuel conglomerate, I witnessed in the distance a devil with a manacled hoof diving into an isolated pool of black oil amid the glaciers. When was the last time you lied? Why? The devil dream was from 2011. It was a perfectly surreal and vivid narrative, and one I’ve shared often in the past. It goes on to include a knife fight, a demented patriarch, a greyhound and a massive white marble relief of the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil. The most recent dream I remember—vaguely—is rather awkward to say the least. How do you define love? Organic, freedom, respect, perspective, ideal, utopian, psychosis; I question how it’s marketed to us as a culture, but it is powerful to bond tightly with another, with family and with community. How will you spend this evening? I’m going to see Marijuana Deathsquads and Bon Iver play at Pioneer Works. Tell us about someone you envy, and why? Bilbo or Gandalf ? Jean-Paul Sartre is quoted saying Che Guevara “…was not only an intellectual but also the most complete human being of our age…”—though I believe a young death comes as part of that deal. Skate like Rodney Mullen? I’ve heard John Baldessari carries nothing in his pockets. Conflicted. What are you currently… Reading: The Incal and comments sections. Watching: Adam Curtis. Listening to: Beat Detectives, Syko Friend, The Savage Young Taterbug, Sleep. Avoiding: deli sandwiches. Trying to do more of: cooking. Trying to do less of: social media. What’s your favorite… Time of day: 1:11. Restaurant: Sunset Diner on Meeker in Brooklyn. Curse word: fucker. Smell: rain. Flower: rose. Era: now. Drink: pilsner. William J. Simmons is an art historian, critic and curator. He grew up on a small farm outside of Sacramento, where he raised sheep, dairy goats and poultry. After graduating from Harvard University with a degree in art history and queer theory, he went on to the Ph.D. program at The 04 Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His writing on art and culture has appeared in numerous books and magazines, and WILLIAM SIMMONS he has lectured widely. In 2015, he curated the exhibition Queer Fantasy at OHWOW Gallery (now Moran Bondaroff) in West Hollywood. He art historian teaches art history at the City College of New York, and he is also the art editor-at-large of CRUSHfanzine and the art editor of MUSE Magazine. What keeps you up at night? Loneliness and thinking about whether a quick fuck will make it better or worse. What is your position on monogamy? I’m very jealous, and I feel things very, very deeply, so monogamy is the only thing that makes sense to me. And my position on everything is “bottom.” To what extent does money influence your career choices? Monetizing art and relationships is soul crushing. As long as I have a steady job, I’m fine with being paid in experience in all other areas. Describe the last dream you remember. The great photographer Sally Mann was speaking to me from the sky using a drone. I’ve only met her twice, so I expect this is my subconscious telling me it’s time to swallow my fears and do a real interview with her! When was the last time you lied? Why? I told a boy that I was fine just being friends.