miami @ nite

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written. I can’t believe this year is over already! It’s now the holidays, and even though it’s warm and beautiful in Miami, I still feel a little lonely. All my friends have flown back to their homes. I was sad on Christmas, because I wasn’t with my family. But my parents are coming to visit the first week in January so we’ll celebrate Christmas then. Meanwhile, I have my two kitties, Timo and Milan, to keep me company.

I have just finished my next to last semester in school. I’m so eager to finish–I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I have one last semester and in April, I will be all grown up–out of school, out into the real world, out into the workforce…one of those zombies you see mindlessly traveling to and from work, sitting in traffic for hours on end, a blank stare on my face, too tired by the end of the day to do anything but sit on my ass and watch back-to-back episodes TRL. All for the sake of paying my electric bill on time. C’est la vie.

To go back over the last few months, since I’m a lazy bum and haven’t been writing:

HALLOWEEN was pure debauchery and insanity in Miami. Getting anywhere by cab in South Beach was impossible. It didn’t seem that anyone had anywhere to go, really. Everyone was standing on the street, falling all over each other and still downing more drinks. Some were in costume and some just decided to go au naturel. Yes, really. As I was sitting in my car, waiting for the stumbling partiers to get the hell out of the way so I could drive, some of them nonchalantly walked by completely naked. Very nice. And it also makes for a very inexpensive costume.

NOVEMBER was chock full of fun-filled activities. On November 7^th, we celebrated my friend Nick’s birthday at one of my favorite clubs in Miami, Opium Garden. Opium is absolutely gorgeous. You really have to see it and if you ever come to Miami, head on over there. When you walk in, the club is bathed in red light. There are massive, towering Buddhist statues in every corner. The DJ stand is a straw hut, situated only a few feet above the dance floor. There are long, translucent pieces of white fabric streaming to the ground. It’s also an outside club…i.e., there is no roof. So at any moment in the night, as the beats of the music pound through your body, you can have an impromptu stargazing session. This is especially useful if you are unable to escape a particularly boring and talkative person. In this case, all you have to do is lift your eyes and take in the infinite beauty of the stars and other celestial bodies. It is at this point that I usually remember the movie "Contact," and how cool the movie is to watch whilst you’re stoned. Not that I get stoned anymore, but I remember my friends and I gasping in awe as Jodi Foster zipped through time and space while sitting in that little orb-shaped spaceship. Those were the good ol’ days…

Above Opium Garden is a second, more "exclusive" club (fabulous, dahling…pass me another overpriced martini) called Prive. Even the name sounds pretentious. This is the place where all the cool (*gag*) celebrities go. Paris Hilton is there every time she jets into Miami to make another porn video and to buy a couple of Yves Saint Laurent dog carrier bags. It’s also J. Lo, Ben, and Lenny Kravitz’s favorite hangout. Tonight, however, we were blessed with Tara Reid’s birthday party and more importantly, P. Diddy’s attendance.

Curious, my friend Sarah and I wandered up to Prive. It was packed and I wondered if all these people were actually friends of Tara’s. The music was great, I have to admit, and I’m sure Tara and Puffy only hire the best DJs money can buy. We sat down for a while and behind us, there was a tall, blonde girl dancing on a tabletop. She was obviously a celebrity because there were two, massive bodyguards surrounding the table. They kept putting their hands on her legs as she danced (in a non-sexual way), I’m guessing to make sure she didn’t fall. She didn’t look familiar and Sarah and I kept trying to figure out who she was. We never did.

Eventually, we kept walking, trying to flow with the current of the crowd. All of a sudden, while we were walking, we were pushed out of the way by these enormous black men. Actually, everyone around us was being pushed away. I looked, and they had their big, bulging arms around Puffy himself. You know, I always think I’m going to get star struck when I see a celebrity but I never do. Instead, I got irritated and felt like pushing them back. Being a "celebrity" is a ridiculous notion. They get paid obscene amounts of money, and thanks to the media, it appears that they are superior to all

us common folk. Complete bullshit, if you ask me. I’m sure all my friends, all the grrrls on here and all you readers are much more interesting to hang out with than any celebrity selected at random.

November 21^st brought the cooljunkie.com 3^rd Anniversary party, with British DJ duo Layo & Bushwacka! So many people showed up and I felt so proud to be a part of cooljunkie and I was also proud of Nick and Sarah. They certainly deserve all the success they get from this web site.

My birthday was on December 6^th and my friends and I went out for a night on the town! It was Rob’s birthday a few days before but he was out of town (actually, he was out of town proposing to one of my closest friends…but more on that later!), so we decided to celebrate both our ‘days’ on the 6^th.The plan was to go to Privilege to see German DJ/producer Oliver Klein, then off to Space 34 in downtown to see one of my favorite DJs, Steve Lawler.

We arrived a Privilege and the club was very small and didn’t have a very energetic atmosphere. Everyone was just standing around looking dumbstruck–not very exciting. To rev things up, we all took tequila shots. Why is it that no matter how many times you convince yourself not to do tequila shots, you always end up doing them anyway? They taste god-awful and they’re too much effort–you have to do the salt thing, the lime thing and the shot thing…all in a specific order. It’s too much effort and too much to remember when all you’re trying to do is get drunk.

Soon, the club began filling up and finally, Oliver Klein went on. He played techno mixed with trance and the energy gradually built up. After a few more drinks, and with the music building up, we were all laughing, stumbling and acting like complete idiots. Finally, it was time to go to Space 34 to see Mr. Lawler spin one of his famous, flawless sets. I wanted to go, I really did. But every time I looked at someone, I saw three of him or her and I knew I was in trouble. I could barely stand! See? Doesn’t this always happen on your birthday? A couple of our friends headed into downtown to go to the club but the rest of us were hungry; at least, I thought I was hungry--what I think I was really feeling was nausea…don’t ask me how I confused the two. We walked four blocks in the FREEZING cold. Yes, I said freezing. In Miami. Freezing. I’m talking 30 degrees with a howling wind ripping our skin off with its icy fingers. We finally arrived at Big Pink, my favorite restaurant in Miami. I know it sounds like a porn-themed restaurant, but it’s not. It’s fabulous. It has the best food and I have the best memories at that place. If you ever come to Miami, stuff your face at this place: www.bigpinkrestaurant.com

After we sat down, I felt so nauseous and woozy. Everyone ordered, including me. In fact, I ordered my favorite dish there–the Flaked Salmon Salad. I can’t remember anything anyone said at the restaurant. I know my friends were talking to me, but I can’t remember anything. Sucks when that happens, doesn’t it? My salad arrived and when the server put it in front of me, this disgusting, putrid fish smell wafted to my nose. I could feel myself wanted to throw up so I ran to the bathroom. Just for the record, the salmon wasn’t disgusting or putrid…but fish and drunkenness don’t mix. After that, I don’t remember much. I do, however, remember waking up the next morning with a wicked headache.

On to more romantic sappy things…I’m so happy! My dear, beautiful friend, Fredda, and my other dear, beautiful (and crazy) friend, Rob, are getting married!!! I just want to formally congratulate them because they’re amazing people and I feel lucky to have them in my life. Congratulations Rob and Fredda!!

Miami is the place to be on New Year’s, and if you’re coming down to visit, here’s a quick run-down of things to do on New Year’s Eve:

Club Deep: featuring a buffet, $3 drinks until 11p.m., plus each person gets a bottle of champagne, party favors and a shirt. 621 Washington Ave.

Club Envy: The only club with big DJs on New Year’s–Saeed & Palash spinning. $30. 90 NE 11^th St.

I/O: Spam Allstars and Poplife performing. $30 with midnight champagne toast. 30 NE 14^th St.

The Marlin: throwing a New York-style block party. Free party favors and champagne toast at midnight. 1200 Collins Ave.

Nerve: "Carnivale," brought to you by Gerry Kelley, Maxwell Blandford and Rudolf Piper. Music by Jon Cowan and Pierre Zon Zon. Plus, lots of shows, costumes and party favors. $30. 247 23^rd St.

Nikki Beach Club: Amazing club on the beach–all outdoors on the sand. $75. Music by a special guest DJ, plus free champagne and party favors. 1 Ocean Drive.

Opium Garden: $100 (for the worst treatment by staff) to $1500 (for them to treat you like celeb…well, almost…Puffy will probably still push you out of the way). 136 Collins Ave.

Privilege: The best techno beats on South Beach for the New Year. 637 Washington Ave.

Tantra: Food and a DJ spinning. What else could you want? 1445 Pennsylvania Ave.

What are the coolgrrrls readers doing on New Year’s? Something fun and exhilarating, I hope!

As for me, I will be hanging out with friends, going to Nerve then who knows? Every New Year’s Eve in Miami leads to unknown things and events.

As a final note, many people become sentimental with the end of a year. Why? I say good ridden. 2003 SUCKED! Was 2003 a good year for anyone? Everyone I know had a bad 2003. Bring on 2004, baby!

What a wonderful summer it has been—full of sun-drenched days and sultry, steamy nights. Miami is a bit deserted during the summer, as no tourist wants to endure the 100- degree heat. Everyone jets off to Europe or the northeastern states, abandoning their summer homes in Florida. But the nightlife is still full-throttle here—no foreigners or tourists—just the good ol’ locals!

Bear with me. I’m going to get a little political for second. The "war" in Iraq is over, for all intents and purposes, but the fact that our soldiers are still being shot is really disturbing me. Am I the only one that gets irritated over the fact that our President is continuing to send our troops into a deathtrap in the Middle East while he lounges comfortably, at his Texas estate? To be honest, I’m tired of the United States rushing to other countries’ rescue when they have a problem and I’m tired of the U.S. taking on the role of "official world peace keeper."

We have enough internal problems as it is—the deficit, homelessness, Social Security, corruption in big business, the economy, Paris Hilton--why don’t we concentrate on our own dilemmas before we bother with anyone else’s?

Speaking of Paris Hilton—what the hell? Anyone who knows what she actually does, please e-mail me (and don’t tell me she’s a "socialite"—that’s not a valid career).

The other web site I write for, cooljunkie (www.cooljunkie.com), threw the best party I’ve been to in Miami a couple of months ago, bringing the renowned British DJ duo, Layo & Bushwacka! Yes, that’s their names and yes, Bushwacka! has an exclamation mark at the end of his name. I personally think his publicist did it to generate more excitement over them. Think about it: which is more exciting to say—"Hey, I’m going to see Layo & Bushwacka." or "Hey, I’m going to see Layo & Bushwacka!" Woooohoooo! It was an exciting night and everyone seemed to have a great time. The music was exceptional and the place was absolutely packed…an incredible success, which made me very happy since it was cooljunkie’s first official party.

Another great event was Infusion live. Infusion is an electronic band, much like Underworld. Underworld is the band that had the hit song on the "Trainspotting" soundtrack-"Born Slippy." You remember that song, right? Such a great tune—

"Drive boy dog boy
Dirty numb angel boy
In the doorway boy
She was a-lipstick boy
She was a-beautiful boy
And tears boy
And all in your inner space boy
You had hands girls boy
And steel boy
You had chemicals boy
I've grown so close to you boy
And you just groan boy
She said come over come over
She smiled at you boy…"

Seeing Infusion perform live was incomparable to watching the usual DJs we see every weekend. Seeing a LIVE electronic act is so much better! You actually see the emotion in the band’s faces—there’s nothing like watching an artist delve deep into his or her mind to express their creativity.

Speaking of music, there is a web site that serves as a great resource for female electronic music artists: www.pinknoises.com It has profiles of musicians, a ‘gear’ page (listing the studio set-ups of various artists), reviews and charts. Plus, it won the award for best music web site at the 2003 Webby Awards. Check it out because whether we play electronic, rock, punk, pop or even the banjo, we’re still female musicians and we’re in this together!

In my real-life world (as opposed to the nightlife world), everything is going great! I’ve almost finished my internship for school. I’ve been working at Thorp & Company (www.thorpco.com), a corporate public relations and marketing firm. And guess what? A woman runs it! How cool is that? In fact, with the exception of the Senior V.P. and the office manager, all of the employees are women! Working under such a successful woman really makes me feel empowered and motivated. It’s not really what I want to get into (I want to go into music p.r.) but it has given me an invaluable experience.

I have also been interning, once a week, at the best dance music label in Florida (well, I think so!)-Inversus Records: www.inversusrecords.com They release the best music ever and I’m so lucky to have this opportunity!

I’m so happy that I only have three more classes before I graduate. The only problem is, the stupid classes are spread out over two semesters. I have to take two classes this semester and only one my last semester!

I’m feeling very down because one of my closest girlfriends, Fredda, is not here. If you read my last update, she moved to Barcelona, Spain in March. I miss her terribly and I desperately want to visit her! Alas, I am a poor student and can’t afford to jet off to Europe on a whim. Hmmmm…maybe I should set up a "Shannon-is-a-poor-student-and-wants-to-visit-her-friend-in-Barcelona fund." It would be similar to a web site this woman set up a while ago to accept donations because she had too much credit card debt (true story). People actually sent money and she paid off most of her debt! This is so ridiculous—does anyone accept responsibility for their actions anymore? Any donations can be sent to me via Pay Pal. Er…this is a joke—please don’t send money—I would feel very guilty.

More news—my other close girlfriend, Sarah (who, by the way, is one of the owners of cooljunkie) is filming her first screenplay! Can you believe it? It’s a riveting murder-mystery called "The Perfect Man." We spent all day last Sunday filming it. My official title is "Associate Producer" but I’m also the make-up girl (ok, so we don’t have a huge budget). This is so exciting because Sarah will send it off to film festivals and film execs. once it is done. We still have a few more days of filming but make sure to remember the name as Sarah is going to be a big star someday!

Speaking of future big stars, I just want to congratulate a former coolgrrrl on her success. Sarahbeth, the former Nashville @ Nite grrrl, has just published her first novel, Love Is The Drug, and it is set to come out in January 2004. Congratulations, Sarah, and it just goes to show you how talented former and current coolgrrrls are! It’s like this site is the Mickey Mouse Club—members are destined for superstardom!

Fiend Fest 2003: a punk show on August 13^th at the Miami Arena. The Misfits are headlining so how could you miss out? Also playing is The Damned.

Baka Beyond: Hip African rhythms on August 14^th at Manuel Artime Theater (www.globaltribes.com) Baka Beyond is an infusion of Celtic and African beats.

Timo Maas (September 26) and Seb Fontaine (September 19) at Crobar www.crobarmiami.com

Cool DJs every Friday including an upcoming set by HYBRID!! (August 29^th) At Nerve

I can’t wait for the new movie based on the life of my favorite poet, Sylvia Plath, to come out. I’m so excited! Sylvia Plath was one of the most gifted female writers of all time. She had such an interesting life and mind. That’s why it’s sad that the thing she is most remembered for is her suicide—sticking her head in an oven and turning the gas on, leaving two of her children behind. Hey, she was depressed and that’s the way life goes sometimes. It’s either called "Ted and Sylvia" (Ted was Sylvia’s husband for a time) or "Sylvia" and the release date is October. I’m a little perturbed, however, because Gwyneth Paltrow is playing Sylvia. She’s a great actress but I’m not too sure about her taking on that role. I really cherish Sylvia, her works and her extraordinary mind so I guess for me, no one is good enough to play her. We’ll have to wait and see! In the meantime, check out her poetry and other works (including her best creation—her diaries, The Journals of Sylvia Plath): amazon.com

All photos were taken by the talented Dan Vidal. To see Dan’s work, visit: www.cooljunkie.com and click on "photo galleries." Paris Hilton's photo by the Hilton Lounge.

April 26, 2003

Wow, girls what a time I’ve had down here! Through the good and bad, I’m still standing and that’s what matter most, right?

First, let’s get the bad events out of the way. The week preceding the Winter Music Conference (late March) was hell. In one week, three bad things happened. Do you ever have a time in your life when you think, why me? Did I rack up some bad karma or something??

First, my boyfriend and I split up for a while. He moved out and I miss him but I think everything’s going to be ok with us. Two days later, one of my best girlfriends, Fredda, moved permanently to Barcelona. Good for her but bad for me and my other friend, Sarah! We cried and made an emotional scene at the airport. Not a good thing! But she loves it over there and we both miss each other so hopefully, there will be a reunion very soon. Third, my public relations professor/mentor/friend died suddenly of a heart attack (two days after Fredda left). Have you ever had a mentor in your life…someone that inspired you to do amazing things and pursue your dreams? That was Professor Adams. He was so unique and interesting and funny…there will never be another person like him. Ah, but life goes on…that was a difficult week for me but I’m getting on with my life.

The Winter Music Conference helped. I had to forget about my troubles and get into business mode for that week. This is the event in the dance music world—people fly from all over the world just to gather in Miami and listen to the music. Of course, it’s a time of partying but it’s also at time to meet all the record producers, label people, etc…
Here’s a breakdown of the events we attended:

MONDAY: Opium Garden. Hooj Presents "One Nation" with Tom Middleton, Red Jerry, Clive Henry, Sander Kleinenberg, James Zabelia, Adam Freeland 16B

What a way to kick off the conference! The conference didn’t actually begin on Monday, so this was a pre-party. It was humorous because all the big DJs had nothing to do yet (since the week hadn’t officially started) so they were all hanging at this club—entourage and all. MTV was there, filming its Spring Break show. I met so many nice people, including Will from Rescue Recordings in London.

TUESDAY: My friends Chris and Brett flew in from Atlanta…according to them, that’s when the week officially started! After their plane came in, we trotted on over to club NERVE for the Bedrock party, featuring John Digweed, Jimmy Van M., Chris Fortier and Luke Fair. Pretty mundane night, except when Chris Fortier came on and the crowd mistook him for John Digweed by shouting "Digweed! Digweed!" Hmmm…a bit embarrassing.

WEDNESDAY: I met with a guy from Holland concerning Dutch DJs. He wanted free press on the cooljunkie and lunarmagazine sites I write for. We spent the rest of the day eating and enjoying ourselves on South Beach.

We went to the Shore Club for the Global Underground party. The Shore Club is one of the best venues on the beach…it’s outside, has a pool and is very relaxed and charming. It’s wonderful thing…you sit on oversized pillows, listen to great music, sip cocktails and gaze at the stars in the sky above. Magical. After spending time there, I headed off to the Dancestar Awards to meet the Cooljunkie crew. The Dancestar Awards were interesting, to say the least. It’s basically the Grammys for dance music. DJs and producers win awards and there are various performances. Juliette Lewis (yes, the actress) and Roger Sanchez hosted the event. Dirty Vegas won several awards (the guys that made the "Days Gone By" song on the Mitsubishi commercial). Bootsy Collins was there and unfortunately, P.Diddy did a dance music performance. I really think he should stick to hip-hop--seeing him dance around to electronic music was painful. To view the highlights of the awards show, go to: www.dancestar.com

THURSDAY: This was a day of rest. We relaxed all day on the beach and went to eat at my favorite restaurant in South Beach, Big Pink. If you ever visit SoBe, go to that restaurant. It’s delicious and the staff is great. It’s really a landmark here. In the evening, we walked 15 blocks (it’s hard to catch a cab during the conference) to Sabor club, which hosted "Shameless On the Beach," featuring Scumfrog Live, Weekend Players Live, James Zabelia, and Steve Porter. I was so tired at this point that I was complaining about everything. I knew I was being a pain to my two friends so I decided to go back to our hotel to sleep for a while. Unfortunately, when I got there, my hotel was hosting a club night and the bass was shaking the entire building. Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep! I tell you, everything in Miami is transformed into some sort of club during the conference! Even the local Denny’s sets up turntables to DJs can spin while you’re enjoying your greasy plate of under-cooked eggs and fatty bacon.

FRIDAY: In the evening, we went to the BBC Radio 1 (from England) and Cooljunkie (the other site I went to) night at Opium Garden. What an incredible event! I’m so happy for my friends at Cooljunkie—they’ve really made a mark on the club scene. I mean, partnering with the BBC in England? What could be better than that?! This event happened during the day and at night we went to Maze to see John Creamer and Stephan K. live, Scumfrog, James Zabelia, James Holden, Luke Fair…the list goes on and on! Even though the music was fabulous, the inside of the club was so cold, we had to leave after a few hours! I was incensed. It’s hard to enjoy good music when you feel like you’re sitting in a freezer.

SATURDAY: This was the final day of the conference. To close out the conference, they held Ultra, the biggest outdoor dance music event in America. Before I went to Ultra, I interviewed Steve Lawler (for cooljunkie) during the day. This is the second time I’ve interviewed him and he’s the most interesting and magnanimous DJ I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing. You have to visit his website…. it is probably the best DJ website on the web (i.e., lots of flashy cool stuff going on!): www.djstevelawler.com

Unfortunately, because I interviewed him, I missed my favorite all-time music group (Hybrid) play live at Ultra. Hybrid DJs and plays live (with a full symphony and everything!). I’ve seen them DJ but I’ve never seen them play live. In fact, one of my life’s goals is to see them play live. I was heartbroken. It ruined the rest of the day and even seeing some of the other top acts play didn’t cheer me up. I came so close to scratching that goal off my life’s "to-do list before I die!"

That was it…that was the end of that week. It took everyone about a week to recover. You really don’t sleep during that week because of all the commotion and events going on. It was the next Friday before I actually recovered!

Lucky for me that I did recover on Friday—on Saturday and Sunday I attended Calliope Fest (March 29-30). I’ve been doing the publicity for this festival for several months and it was finally time to see if all my hard work paid off (i.e., lots of people attending!) I had such a good time there and attendance was definitely up from last year, thanks to all the work from Jeff and the marketing and publicity team. I mentioned this festival on my last update. It was so amazing…I finally got to see Ani DiFranco play! She was the headliner but there were so many great acts—Melissa Ferrick (a "coolgrrrl du jour" on this site), Lydia Lunch and many more. Lydia Lunch’s performance was spoken word and I have to say that she frightened me and probably everyone else that was there. I remember hearing her spout her anti-man rhetoric…something about, "You’re scared of my womb…they tear you from my womb…." Help her please!

Inside information: Ani is not who you think she is. She comes across as this proletariat songwriter who sings about "being real" and "being in touch with yourself." Not so, Ms. DiFranco! The entire day, she was demanding this and that. She made Jeff put up a gate around her trailer so her fans wouldn’t mob her. We gave her water and she insisted on "sparkling water." We gave her cups for her wine but she insisted on "real" wine glasses (which entailed someone going to Target to buy the correct wine glasses). I listened to Ani in high school and have always admired her poetic songwriting abilities and her grassroots image. But now my view of her is skewed. She wasn’t the Ani I knew…she was acting like a diva. I think she thought she was Christina Aguilera or something!

Aside from that, t-shirts from the festival will soon be on sale on the Calliope Fest website. If weren’t able to attend, order a t-shirt so you can be the envy of all your friends: www.calliopefest.com

Since then, things have been a little quiet. Friends and I have been going to clubs during the weekend. Last weekend was Argentinean DJ Hernan Catteano and my friend DJ Ariel Baund at Opium Garden. We had a fabulous time there! In fact, Matt Damon was supposedly there (sans Ben Affleck and J.Lo!) This explained why all the girls in tight dresses were hovering around the V.I.P. room.

Also, I have a job at a great club during the summer—Club Space 34. It’s actually an internship for my school so I’ll be helping the Space crew with publicity and other media relations. Should be fun—I’ll report all the juicy details in future updates! To find out about upcoming events at Space (including the Matrix Reloaded party), visit: www.space34.com I’m so excited about this internship…I can’t wait to begin!

Other upcoming events in Miami:

--The Gay and Lesbian Film Festival begins today. It’s a 10-day festival showcasing gay and lesbian films (of course!). For more information, go to the website: www.mglff.com
--Arturo Sandoval is playing tonight (I told you I pay attention to other types of music besides dance!). He’s a Grammy award-winning trumpeter. Amazing! Playing at the Kravis Center for Performing Arts in West Palm Beach.
--Other interesting performances coming up: Fleetwood Mac at the Office Depot Center, Norah Jones at the Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera (er…think I’ll skip that one) at the Office Depot Center.

Dance-related:

--Friday May 9th: Anthony Pappa @ Nerve.
--Saturday May 10th: Steve Lawler (Matrix Reloaded) @ Space 34
--Friday May 16: Layo & Bushwacka! @ Nerve
--Friday May 31: Deep Dish @ Space 34
--Friday June 13: Dave Seaman and Infusion Live @ Nerve
--Friday July 3: Danny Howells @ Space 34

Also, the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale has ceramics by my all-time favorite artist, Pablo Picasso, on display until June! I am so excited about this, you don’t understand. I’m such a nerd about Picasso…I’ve read several books about him. I used to be voracious for knowledge about Picasso. His passion is so inspiring to me—that’s why I have a big, framed poster of him above my desk at home. Ok, so he was a womanizer and a pain-in-the-ass to most of his friends but have you ever seen his painting Guernica?? SO AMAZING. Most people know of his Saltimbanque period, his Cubist period and his blue period (which he went into after a dear friend of his died) but has anyone seen pictures from his "monster" period? It is so incredible—he painted people as monsters! In this period, he painted anti-beauties—man and woman as destructive creatures, with jaws that look like they could crush your bones. There is one painting that sticks out in my mind from this period—"Seated Bather," painted around 1930. He began his monster period around 1929, when the world was in chaos: The Spanish Civil War was in the works, the Germans had just elected the Nazis as an official party and the Great Depression was about to begin. I think this is why he painted humans as destructive, aggressive monsters. This is the way he viewed him in this dark period of human history.
I think, when you study painters, you not only gain an appreciation for their art form, but you also learn very important lessons in history. Anyway, see? I go on and on about Picasso just because I was trying to tell you about a simple ceramics display! For more information, go to the museum’s website: www.museumofart.org

One more thing: my interview with DJ/producer Luke Fair is up on cooljunkie—please enjoy! www.cooljunkie.com

Well, girls and boys, I hope you have a fabulous summer! Get some rays, go to the beach and party safe!

Ciao!!

xshannon in miami

For your information: club photos on this update taken by Dan Vidal. To see more of his photography, go to: www.cooljunkie.com

February 20, 2003

I've been a bad, bad coolgrrrl. I haven't written in a while but I'm back.

Hello dahlings!

First, let me congratulate our coolgrrrls that were featured on E! How exciting is that? Plus, we’ve got a CD now! We’re going to take over the world!

I’ve been swamped with school. I’m taking so many classes it’s unbelievable. I’ve been in school for SIX years...I should have my master’s degree by now! Now before you laugh and dismiss me as a stoner or loser because I’ve been in school so long, hold your tongue! I started school when I was living in Atlanta and during my junior year, I moved to Miami. They didn’t have my degree here so I had to start all over again. Now, I’m settled into my degree (public relations) and I’ll be done soon. It’s really great because my school has one of the most respected public relations colleges in the country. Think that will help me when I enter the job market? Hmmmm...doubt it.

The reason I haven’t written is because even though there’s so much going on in my life right now, there’s nothing our readers would want to hear. I mean, who wants to hear me go on and on about things I’m learning in my classes. My life consists of classes right now—that’s it. I

can’t even go out on the weekend and enjoy life with my friends. **sob** It’s a sad, sad, pathetic existence.

I did, however, have a fabulous time on New Year’s Eve. My boyfriend and I rang in the New Year with our cooljunkie crew and then went to club Spin in South Beach and hung out with our friends Andrea and Ariel (side note—Ariel is a DJ and his interview can be seen currently on www.cooljunkie.com)
Then we went to John’s house. John owns a independent label called Bliss. We partied until the sun came up! Everyone wanted to party some for hours more but I couldn’t swing it. Girls, I really believe I’m becoming OLD. For the first time in my life, I feel ancient. Ok, maybe not ancient (I’m only 25) but I still feel like I’m wearing down. Am I supposed to feel like this at this age?

After the heavy partying on New Year’s, life settled down a bit. School began in early January and I’ve had my head in a book for the past month and a half.

I have to tell you guys about something exciting. It’s something that embraces everything coolgrrrls is about—feminism** and music!

**by feminism, I don’t mean the "I-hate-men-I-don’t-wear-makeup-and-I-drive-a-Fiesta-with-a-7-Year-Bitch-sticker-on-back-feminist. I mean the pro-women, equal rights feminist**

Its called Calliope Fest and it’s a two- day festival. The line-up is amazing: ANI DIFRANCO, LYDIA LUNCH, MELISSA FERRICK, Betty, Diane Ward Band, Halycon, bellylove, CommonBond, Magda Hiller and many more. It will take place in Hollywood (just above Miami) on March 29 and 30, 2003. I’m doing the publicity for this event so if you know anyone that loves any of these artists, please let them know. Spread the word! The sweet guy (Jeff) who is throwing this event is doing it for the best reasons—he’s sick of the cookie-cutter female pop stars who have know talent whatsoever. He wants to showcase REAL women with REAL talents. So c’mon, support this cause...and it really is a cause, isn’t it? The advancement of genuine female artists with the almost extinct ability to sing words with meaning and substance is most definitely a worthy cause. So, support the cause—tell people about this incredible event.
If you’re interested in tickets, please visit the website: http://www.calliopefest.com
or email me: sayuri06@earthlink.net

Speaking of Calliope Fest, please look out for my interview with folk/rock singer Melissa Ferrick on this site soon!

For all you dance music fans out there, the WINTER MUSIC CONFERENCE is coming up at the end of March. It’s the most exciting time of the year in Miami because DJs, producers, record label people all flock to Miami for a week of debauchery (oh, and to do music business stuff too). I’ll give you up-to-date information on my next update but in the meantime, visit: http://www.cooljunkie.com to find out more!

Well, grrrls, I’ll sign off now but I’ll update sooner rather than later. Have a MAGICAL, SENSUOUS, ROMANTIC Valentine’s Day!

P.S. Be on the look-out for the extremely talented music of Clark Lyndon and Ariel Baund (a.k.a. Dyad) They’ll be releasing tracks soon!

Ciao!
xoxoshannon