Polite in Public Meet the Two Irregular Joes Behind the Cameras
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Polite in Public Meet the two irregular Joes behind the cameras Cosima New War: von Bonin End of democracy, An artist whose start of a monarchy creations are “Roger and Out” Melrose Avenue Where to shop and what to eat 2 BUZZ 10.04.07 daily.titan daily.titan BUZZ 10.04.07 3 URBAN OUT-LOOKERS POLITE IN Two guys, some cameras PUBLIC and a badass photobooth ROGER & OUT “CHUCK’S” ZACHARY LEVI The Buzz Editor: The Daily Titan 714.278.3373 Jennifer Caddick The Buzz Editorial 714.278.5426 [email protected] LOCKED & LOADED Executive Editor: Editorial Fax 714.278.4473 Ian Hamilton The Buzz Advertising FOR MISFIRE 714.278.3373 [email protected] Director of Advertising Fax 714.278.2702 Advertising: The Buzz , a student publication, is a supplemental Stephanie Birditt insert for the Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan. It is printed every Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently Assistant Director of of Associated Students, College of Communications, Advertising: CSUF administration and the CSU system. The Daily Titan Sarah Oak has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial Production: activities or ventures identified in the advertisements Jennifer Caddick themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, Account Executives: endorsement or investigation of such commercial Nancy Sanchez enterprises. Juliet Roberts Copyright ©2006 Daily Titan /FX4VNNFS%SJOL1SJDFTr̾BOEPWFS 2 BUZZ 10.04.07 daily.titan daily.titan BUZZ 10.04.07 3 Melrose, you should keep in mind MELROSE that most store managers allow you to bargain. AVENUE Because these shops are located in celebrity central, their attire closely resembles the clothing worn by stars. Chaque Jour, an accessory shop, sells purses that look exactly like Fendi bags. Orange County thrift shoppers tired of Goodwill would appreciate the variety of Melrose vintage stores. Wasteland, a huge designer vintage shop is paradise to many Hollywood indie fashionistas. It is easy to find one-of-a-kind pieces here. Anabell Castillo, 23, has been shopping on Melrose for years. “Melrose fashion has personality,” she said. “Most stores are locally owned. There aren’t a lot of big chains. The styles they offer are unique and can’t be found in other stores.” Shopping and eating aren’t the only Melrose attractions. The street also boasts Hookah lounges, tattoo parlors and beauty shops. Floyd’s Barbershop is an eye- catcher. The stylists each sport a distinctive style with their loud PHOTOS BY ELISABETH DONOVAN clothing and colored hair. The BY ELISABETH DONOVAN kids and Hasidic Jewish Rabbis on of all, I love eating here.” pork sausage. The entrée consists of salon’s interior is completely Daily Titan Staff Writer the same block. The number of Melrose restaurant spicy sausage, onions and mashed covered with music posters. The The urban environment choices seems endless. potatoes. walls display pictures of rock artists A $100 bill is all you need to encompasses many trendy aspects Some unique restaurants include If you aren’t hungry, you can hang such as AC/DC and the Ramones. purchase an awesome outfit and eat of L.A. Lala’s Argentine Grill, Blu Jam Cafe out and observe the flashy, unique If you want proof, just check out a great meal at Los Angeles’ greatest Barry Smith, 34, a tourist from and Melrose Wok. signs that seem to entice a variety their MySpace page at myspace. daytime hotspot - Melrose Avenue. Miami, said he often visits Southern The Village Idiot is an English- of people into the shops scattered com/floydsbarbershops. Stretching through Hollywood, California. Melrose remains one of themed restaurant where the menu across the busy boulevard. Michelle Riera, 28, a hair stylist, one of America’s cultural melting his favorite attractions. has a small variety of dishes that are Graffiti is etched into nearly said she loves working at Floyd’s pots, Melrose Avenue is home to “I love visiting this place,” he vastly unique, including jalapeno every store window. Although some Barbershop. many breeds of people. said. “I always meet people from all creamed corn, brussels sprouts and may consider it trashy, it gives the “There’s never a dull moment It’s the one place where you can over the world. I love watching the bacon and shrimp and scallion businesses an artsy appeal. working on Melrose,” she said. find polished businessmen, punk beautiful ladies pass by [me]. Most fritters. I recommend the oak-grilled The clothing stores offer a wide “There’s a lot of positive energy variety of styles from chic fashion to here. Our salon attracts all types punk rock. of people. Everyone fits in at our The Blue Stone, a shop specializing shop. We all share a love for art and in trendy apparel will draw you in music.” with its simple décor. Although a You can chill on Melrose until price-tag might read “$55,” don’t the sun sets on Los Angeles and you let that hinder you. When visiting will never get bored. 4 BUZZ 10.04.07 daily.titan Polite in Public bring style and originality back to photography BY NIKKI DONAHUE Daily Titan Staff Writer Usually interviews don’t include wielding a pair of barbering shears and a fine-toothed comb, but this is no ordinary interview. The boys of Polite in Public are anything but conventional. And their business of interactive photobooth mayhem is synonymous with antonyms of commonplace terms. So with PHOTOS BY POLITE IN PUBLIC a fistful of spine-length hair and scissors poised for incision, the meeting was conducted. After convincingly posing an argument about why it would be a good idea to cut his mane while he straddled an armchair in a Texas hotel room, Joe Rubinstein, one half of the two Joes who run Polite in Public, sat like a patient patron of beauty school 101 and told the legend behind the Los Angeles- based project. Rubinstein, charming and slightly effeminate in speech, and Joe Miller, small boned and devastatingly quiet at first, share a large house along with a community of other artists in a dicey neighborhood off the 101 freeway. Although unimpressive from the outside, and honestly a little foreboding as far as the safety of vehicles and personal belongings goes, a field of beaux art wet dreams sits nestled in the hills behind. From the ground up, they’ve built an arsenal of stunning sets for the utmost creative in photography. One stage, entwined with large frosted branches and littered with makeshift snow, made up the environment they used for a press shoot of an up-and- coming musician. It came complete with a huge white stuffed toy bear they directed to “attack” the artist. Another set with singed, distressed wallpaper and a red, velvet Victorian couch in the center stands a few weed-mangled staircases away. They flood it with hoses and incorporate smoke machines in order to recreate a scene of natural disaster. This is their playground. “We give people a forum to not be so polite in public. We give them daily.titan BUZZ 10.04.07 5 something unusual to work with,” the fake astronaut suits. Maybe By the end of the interview, Miller said in regards to how they to fully embrace the feel of cheap Rubinstein’s Pocahontas ponytail is come up with their set themes. Halloween costume against their neatly saved in a Ziploc bag for his In February 2007 they decided bare skin? And why do the burliest friend who uses it to make hair for to scale down that jungle gym of of men always want to put on the her handmade dolls. His journalist- frame work and furniture and bring shiniest of spandex leggings if gone-stylist amateur haircut is a it indoors. With a little engineering provided? Seriously. little feminine but flattering. When and much ingenuity they erected Whatever the reason, it’s amazing. he dons it at the venue, Miller smaller elaborate versions. If Photoshop wasn’t invented for cracks a huge smile, shakes his One of their first visual enhancing the glare off Hank head and the two go back to being experiments took place in an What’s-His-Face’s silver lycra fitted entrepreneurs in the field of visual event that required scaling a secret groin, then it might as well not arts and, maybe even more suiting, passageway in order to attend. exist. wonderful obscurity. In the depths of what once was, PHOTO BY EMILY CALDWELL in fact, home to some notorious mob, Rubinstein and Miller shot the debonair, wasted and utterly intrigued. The hypothesis proved true. Their photobooth test tube baby was a hit. If Hollywood didn’t already love taking pictures of itself, it especially did now. Within a matter of months, Polite in Public mushroomed and their presence was cordially invited to clubs and concerts alike. Special Event: Sept. 20 & 27, “A lot of people don’t get to see themselves in professional lighting. Myron Barnett Blues Band, It’s good for people to get the $5 cover, 8:30PM chance to do so,” Miller said over the phone. “Now that technology is more affordable we can do this kind of thing. It would have been impossible five years ago.” Now they’re touring nationwide with The Flaming Lips, equipped with an art bus and roadies. They’ve turned their love for detail and color and eccentricity into a career. A demanding career. The leg of the Monday Night Football, tour kicked off in San Antonio, FREE hot dog with beer purchase TX, where Rubinstein and Miller’s $5,000 miniature interstellar space stage was an instant crowd magnet.