veniceglitch

The video looks like a christian themed porn teaser , really.

Was I the only one who laughed when she was eating that orange and tryin to look seductive but looked kinda awkward & tragic instead?
Please don't tell me I was.

i'm not talking about the grain or the imagery really; the color just seems too 'sunny' and light. it worked perfectly for summer wine, but this song (and every other song on the album) is darker? she always talks about being inspired by a single color, etc. i don't get how ultraviolence matches with this tone? with this time of day? should be kind of burgundy, amethyst, or black and white, even -- something other than yellow
 


 
eh i guess its relatively close to the second image, although it isn't quite as brown or ~bloody. the filter she's using reminds me of pus

Now This Is What I Call A Think Piece Vol. 3000
http://www.popmatters.com/feature/183202-a-tragedy-wanting-to-happen-death-and-lana-del-rey/

I'm an Introvert, too, and I empathize with others, especially those in music/media, as it must be a constant challenge when so much visibility and access, especially now, is demanded of them. Perhaps for that reason, I'm vested in seeing them thrive on their own terms. I do know that introverts are easily misunderstood, and I've no doubt Lana is an introvert (INFP, if we're going to use MBTI). I'm not even saying Lana should or has to change; I personally enjoy that she's created and defends her own little world. 
I'm saying I can identify what the general 'rift' is between her and media, or even her vs. other modern artists. It's less about 'authenticity' and more about why she refuses to play ball like everyone else.
 
Take Grimes, for instance. She's also a pretty eccentric, introverted dreamer type. She too creates her own little worlds. She too seems highly sensitive and highly intuitive. The difference is she's open. She may be naturally shy and self-contained, but she's able to discuss her weaknesses, strengths, and concerns in interviews, she constantly interacts with fans on Tumblr/Twitter, she promotes other people's work, she's very open about her current obsessions and influences, and she takes an active interest in the world around her. That last part is crucial in how people perceive her. In many ways, she's become the poster child for what an alternative pop star should be: innovative, excited about progress and people, eager to share, quirky but relatable. Basically, Grimes isn't afraid to let people see behind the scenes; she's cards face up. She's okay with being a work in progress as an artist and a human being. This is what people empathize with/appreciate nowadays in musicians — someone who seems like a slightly cooler version of themselves; someone who they could possibly be if they worked hard at it. (Gaga preaches this sort of thing, too.) The media likes people like this too because they seem 'normal' and 'unpretentious.' And let's face it: less of a threat.
 
And this is the sort of thing that terrifies and turns off Lana. She idolizes untouchables and wishes to be that way herself. She shows no real curiosity in the world around her, or in other people beyond the few she's put on a pedestal. In a way, she couldn't have come at a worse time — in an age where idols have been discarded and deconstructed, she longs to remystify them, and be one herself. (No wonder she says she feels detached from culture). As Brett Easton Ellis might put it, she's very Empire in a post-Empire age (and by the way, I hate BEE's worldview). At the same time, she's the perfect glamorous and dramatic antithesis to everyone else's boring transparency and normcore attitudes.
 
So, it makes sense that today's journalists, who have gotten used to media-trained pop stars and eagerly clumsy DIY kids, are alarmed by Lana and her layers and veils. No wonder they try to decode her, and no wonder she resents them.
 
I personally enjoy LDR's attempt to restore a defiantly detached individualism at a time when that sort of thing is being vilified as outmoded and dangerous; it's almost punk rock. At the same time, I wonder if there's any way for that to be seen as a positive thing by most people.

Funny. The Fiona lyric, "You fondle my trigger, then you blame my gun," feels relevant here. But it's a two-way street, for sure: Lana provokes the media by saying strange/unsettling things in interviews and in music then refuses to account for them; the media provokes Lana by asking her difficult and triggering questions, and then sensationalizes her dramatic and/or uncooperative response. Neither side is innocent at all.
 
I've said before that Lana's willful solipsism is what really rubs people (in the media and in general) wrong. In an age of interconnectivity and transparency, with an emphasis on social cooperation, Lana basically says 'fuck that.' In this interview she admits she's very selfish, says no therapist could possibly know her better than herself, says she doesn't need money, is glib about smoking, etc. Basically, she comes off like an obstinate 17-year-old. Some part of her refuses to grow up. I love this about her in many ways, but it will continue to work against her as she ages and people expect more candor and less defensive posturing from her. I hate to say it, but her extreme 'selfishness as a virtue' stance reminds me a bit of Ayn Rand at times (who is adored by angsty teenagers who cannot see a world beyond their own.) There's an interesting thing here about Mammalian vs Reptilian thinkers/creators. It's about the workplace, but it's applicable to anything. I think Lana, right now, is Reptilian.
 
'While mammals need others from the day they’re born, reptiles are adapted to living on their own. So, as they grow--whether we’re talking about the culture of crocodiles or a corporation--they have lives that are "individually oriented and socially isolated," they live in a world, Porges says, "defined by risk and not sharing or benevolence or creativity," and so the defining features of a reptilian workplace are embedded in defense and fear.'

I really like the interview. She's refreshingly open, admits her weaknesses, is able to put actions into context, and overall, just seemed more confident and open than in the RS interview (which I also liked overall, despite it's ending). The fact that she basically took full accountability for the dissolution of she & Barrie's relationship seemed uncharacteristically mature and realistic for her. In this piece, she comes off as someone who understands their own quirks, and is aware of their power — as both creative assets and destructive pitfalls. You get the sense she's trying to find a balance that works.
 
I relate to her sense of never being totally content where she is. She pined for California, and now she's there and misses Brooklyn. Oh Lana. 
 
Also intrigued by the way she describes Dan. Makes you wonder... 

'What’s something you’ve destroyed that’s actually valuable to you? Probably the relationship I’ve been in for the last three years. Definitely demolished that through tons of depression and insecurity. Now it’s just an untenable relationship, impossible because of my emotional instability.'
 
 
http://www.complex.com/covers/lana-del-rey-interview-against-the-grain-2014-cover-story/?utm_campaign=complexmag+socialflow+07+2014&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

I think this is her very essence: equal parts art and science. I think LDR as a persona/identity is meant to be someone who lives poetically, driven only by emotion and whims, makes her 'life an art', etc.
 
But the reality is she would not be where she is if she were just a wide-eyed innocent, dreaming about life from her window sill all day, or being led around by boys. Lizzy Grant is the shadow master and commander of the LDR concept; she dreams big but she is also a doer, the ruler of her own destiny. (Her critics who think she has no agency need to wake up —  who in pop music right now has more control of their own vision than her ?)   She is very calculating, knowing, and aware of how to give form to her dreams. It surely all starts with intuition and artistic intention and emotion, but then Science Lizzy kicks in — the one who researches, studies, analyzes, experiments w/ a hypothesis, puts in art in action. A good creative director is always equally artistic and scientific, and Lizzy herself has hinted at this in interviews. 
 
I also think someone like this is naturally driven to explore esoteric and marginalized philosophy/psychology/cultural topics; I'm sure she's even aware of Crowley, Theosophy, and the like. Not sure if I buy she was in 'a cult', but the chronology specifics don't matter so much, the essence of how it shaped her does. What's exciting is that she can bring these super niche topics into the warmth of the spotlight, even if she has to paint broad strokes to do so. I honestly can't think of someone else so widely known and loved that is able to pull this off in the 21st century. Maybe Grimes, but with her, it's literally the Wiki-meets-Tumblr remix version of everything. Young artists everywhere should be inspired that women like Lizzy are finding ways to make the outre and strange palatable.

I really like the interview. She's refreshingly open, admits her weaknesses, is able to put actions into context, and overall, just seemed more confident and open than in the RS interview (which I also liked overall, despite it's ending). The fact that she basically took full accountability for the dissolution of she & Barrie's relationship seemed uncharacteristically mature and realistic for her. In this piece, she comes off as someone who understands their own quirks, and is aware of their power — as both creative assets and destructive pitfalls. You get the sense she's trying to find a balance that works.
 
I relate to her sense of never being totally content where she is. She pined for California, and now she's there and misses Brooklyn. Oh Lana. 
 
Also intrigued by the way she describes Dan. Makes you wonder... 

I really like the interview. She's refreshingly open, admits her weaknesses, is able to put actions into context, and overall, just seemed more confident and open than in the RS interview (which I also liked overall, despite it's ending). The fact that she basically took full accountability for the dissolution of she & Barrie's relationship seemed uncharacteristically mature and realistic for her. In this piece, she comes off as someone who understands their own quirks, and is aware of their power — as both creative assets and destructive pitfalls. You get the sense she's trying to find a balance that works.
 
I relate to her sense of never being totally content where she is. She pined for California, and now she's there and misses Brooklyn. Oh Lana. 
 
Also intrigued by the way she describes Dan. Makes you wonder... 

I really like the interview. She's refreshingly open, admits her weaknesses, is able to put actions into context, and overall, just seemed more confident and open than in the RS interview (which I also liked overall, despite it's ending). The fact that she basically took full accountability for the dissolution of she & Barrie's relationship seemed uncharacteristically mature and realistic for her. In this piece, she comes off as someone who understands their own quirks, and is aware of their power — as both creative assets and destructive pitfalls. You get the sense she's trying to find a balance that works.
 
I relate to her sense of never being totally content where she is. She pined for California, and now she's there and misses Brooklyn. Oh Lana. 
 
Also intrigued by the way she describes Dan. Makes you wonder... 

I really like the interview. She's refreshingly open, admits her weaknesses, is able to put actions into context, and overall, just seemed more confident and open than in the RS interview (which I also liked overall, despite it's ending). The fact that she basically took full accountability for the dissolution of she & Barrie's relationship seemed uncharacteristically mature and realistic for her. In this piece, she comes off as someone who understands their own quirks, and is aware of their power — as both creative assets and destructive pitfalls. You get the sense she's trying to find a balance that works.
 
I relate to her sense of never being totally content where she is. She pined for California, and now she's there and misses Brooklyn. Oh Lana. 
 
Also intrigued by the way she describes Dan. Makes you wonder... 

I really like the interview. She's refreshingly open, admits her weaknesses, is able to put actions into context, and overall, just seemed more confident and open than in the RS interview (which I also liked overall, despite it's ending). The fact that she basically took full accountability for the dissolution of she & Barrie's relationship seemed uncharacteristically mature and realistic for her. In this piece, she comes off as someone who understands their own quirks, and is aware of their power — as both creative assets and destructive pitfalls. You get the sense she's trying to find a balance that works.
 
I relate to her sense of never being totally content where she is. She pined for California, and now she's there and misses Brooklyn. Oh Lana. 
 
Also intrigued by the way she describes Dan. Makes you wonder... 

I really like the interview. She's refreshingly open, admits her weaknesses, is able to put actions into context, and overall, just seemed more confident and open than in the RS interview (which I also liked overall, despite it's ending). The fact that she basically took full accountability for the dissolution of she & Barrie's relationship seemed uncharacteristically mature and realistic for her. In this piece, she comes off as someone who understands their own quirks, and is aware of their power — as both creative assets and destructive pitfalls. You get the sense she's trying to find a balance that works.
 
I relate to her sense of never being totally content where she is. She pined for California, and now she's there and misses Brooklyn. Oh Lana. 
 
Also intrigued by the way she describes Dan. Makes you wonder... 

http://www.complex.com/style/2014/07/neil-krug-interview
 
How did you and Lana get in touch to do the artwork for Ultraviolence?
It's something that has been in the air for the long time. Since 2012, Lana's fans have sent messages to me asking the two of us to collaborate.  (this literally being a shoutout to me)
I generally don't get mail from other musicians' fans, but her audience is dedicated and had me on blast even before we met. Strangely, Lana had picked up a copy of Pulp Art Book years ago but was told that I was dead from a friend of hers, so it came as a surprise when someone at her label suggested that we work together on Ultraviolence. This was the right one for us to do together, as well. It has all of the right elements, and I'm in a good phase to jump on her moving train.
The album cover is a striking, almost haunting image. How did you decide on this shot in the end? 
The cover photograph of her getting out of the car was always one of our top selects. The image was taken in her driveway on our first day of shooting and stood out from the beginning. When we met, we discussed the idea of the cover being the reverse of what you would expect from such a bold album name. When you hear the title Ultraviolence, you almost expect some sort of explosion happening or her shirt covered in blood.
We both agreed that the artwork should have all the undertones present without having to blast it in your face. Stylistically, I was going for something that felt like a lobby card from a bygone midnight movie. In my mind, the cover needed to feel like the last frame of a '60s Polanski film, where the audience has been properly traumatized, and this is the last thing they see before the credits roll.

How does the cover represent the album concept or the title, Ultraviolence?
For me, it says it all without saying anything. It's an easy read when you look at it from a marketing perspective, because it perfectly communicates Lana's vision and is a clear image of her to absorb. For the fans who sit and listen, I think the image will reveal itself like a magic eye pattern. The image is like a window into the narrative.
What do the other photos in the box set represent? The ripped jeans, Lana in the car, the flowers, the city, etc. Where did you shoot them?
All the images she chose are pieces of a bigger picture that work as devices to put you in the right mood or frame of mind—the same way an author can lead you down the rabbit hole with the situation in which he or she places you. We called the selections "in-between moments" when we did the edits in my studio. Everything you see is the moment or action before and after, but not "the moment," if that makes sense. The ripped jeans Polaroid was taken in my living room, and the car shots were taken in her driveway. The allegorical smoking in the hydrangea image is a favorite of mine and was taken at Frank Sinatra's house outside of Los Angeles.

You also shot Lana for our Complex cover. What was that experience like, and what were you going for having done her album photography?
For me, the magazine shoot and the album packaging are two completely separate ideas, so the creative shift is how she is styled and the location choice.  The overall vibe is similar, probably because it's the same guy behind the camera. All of my shoots with her were done so quickly that's it difficult for me to be objective right now, simply because there are so many photographs over such a short period of time.
How did your style as a photographer develop? Have you always been into colorful images, warm hues, Americana, psychedelia, and graininess?
Since the early days I've always tried to keep the work in this space between illustration and photography. Whether the unnatural vividness of the colors is the narrative device or whatever else might be going on, the style is a hodgepodge of many ingredients.
"Window Water Baby Moving" versus "Gantz Graf" if you like. I love making images but never thought I would make photography a career in any capacity. In fact, photography is the only class I ever completely failed in high school. I remember my teacher passing along advice in the vein of "find another outlet for creative ideas." 

Do you have any plans to make a third Pulp Art Book? Why or why not?
Right now I don't have any plans to make another Pulp Book. It's a slightly complicated story, but Joni and I parted ways in 2013, so I don't see any new work from that project happening anytime soon. That being said, we have a giant archive of unreleased work that may come out in some form, but it's hard to say. I could see us releasing a collection of unseen prints, but sitting down to make a new book together again would be difficult. I will forever be proud of that imagery, but it does feel like the old me in a lot of ways. I want the next monograph I do to be completely different.
Is the present ever as intriguing as the past?
The present is far more intriguing and unknown.
If you had unlimited money or resources, what types of projects would you do?
I don't think I would change much to be honest. I love what I do and feel blessed to be in a position to shoot the type of projects that interest me. With unlimited resources I would probably spend a little more time getting the look and narrative just right, or going to more exotic locations, but at the end of the day, you can make magic anywhere. For me, limiting yourself forces the creative side to find a solution which keeps the work more focused.

'What’s something you’ve destroyed that’s actually valuable to you? Probably the relationship I’ve been in for the last three years. Definitely demolished that through tons of depression and insecurity. Now it’s just an untenable relationship, impossible because of my emotional instability.'
 
 
http://www.complex.com/covers/lana-del-rey-interview-against-the-grain-2014-cover-story/?utm_campaign=complexmag+socialflow+07+2014&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

So is this confirmation for her and Dan having rough sex?

'What’s something you’ve destroyed that’s actually valuable to you? Probably the relationship I’ve been in for the last three years. Definitely demolished that through tons of depression and insecurity. Now it’s just an untenable relationship, impossible because of my emotional instability.'
 
 
http://www.complex.com/covers/lana-del-rey-interview-against-the-grain-2014-cover-story/?utm_campaign=complexmag+socialflow+07+2014&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

I’ve read the Rolling Stone article several times.  I think it was an awesome interview,  well written,  and very illuminating.  More of the puzzle of who Lana Del Rey is gets filled in.  I also think that the article was respectful of Lana.  Brian Hiatt did not cast her in a poor light unlike the Guardian article that sensationalized her “death wish”.   I seriously don’t think there was anything wrong with the behavior of either Lana or the reporter Brian Hiatt.  They were both doing their jobs.  Hers for Interscope doing promotions (which she hates) and his as a reporter trying to sell magazines.

A couple of thoughts come to mind.

First:   Lana is an artist.  She owes us nothing.   Artists make art for themselves.  We get to listen to her music, or not.  She owes us no explanations of song meanings or anything else we wish we knew.  As the listening public, we get to interpret her music as seen through our own internal filters and life experiences.  This has always been the relationship between artist and public.

Second:   it was an incredibly long interview.  A day and a half?  10 hours?  Can we safely assume this was her longest interview to date?  As an introvert, she must have been feeling drained of energy, vulnerable and exposed by the time the interview started to end.   Clearly Hiatt knew he was pushing the envelope with the questions he started asking (he as much says so), and as soon as he went too far, he tried to recover.  But, it was too late.  She’s an introvert.  She is sensitive.  Her feelings get hurt easily.  That’s who she is.
 I don’t see that as a fault of Lana, or Hiatt.  She was done.  Simple.  I don’t see the histrionics, or bad behavior or unprofessionalism.   She politely got up and escorted him out.
And really, think about it.  Would you have wanted to hear another 3 hours of her being in a hurt and defensive mood?

Third:  Where were the questions about the music?  I mean, this is Rolling Stone magazine, and he is interviewing a singer-songwriter.  While I enjoy the deeply personal questions as illuminating knowledge for this intriguing woman, where are the questions about the actual music?   Ok, he asked her about the meaning of  FMWTTT and Ultraviolence, but that were more personal questions than musical questions.

Finally:  I don’t want her to change.  Like it or not, this is who she is.  She is eccentric.  She is sensitive.  She is probably prone to existential depressions, that go as quickly as they come.  She has a deep inner world.   She is clearly intelligent.  And at the end of it all, she makes fucking brilliant music.  That’s all that matters.

I'm a dragon, you're a whore

I think mortality is actually the absolute driving force behind her art. 
And she definitely is all about 'le petite mort' — the orgasm as 'little death.'
 
Fear, threats, fetishism, denial — all attempts to control Death, by either running from it, aestheticizing it, or by gaining the illusion of power by agreeing to surrender to the ultimate unknown. 

 

I think Lizzy Grant is probably a good citizen and even humanitarian (who obviously has done charity work and various forms of outreach). I'm saying LDR the artist/project/concept is all about individualistic pleasures and tortures and personal experience above universality, and it's an all encompassing thing that even permeates interviews, stage presence, etc.  So based on what she does as LDR (which is how we experience her), it would be easy to perceive her as totally detached and self-involved.

I'm an Introvert, too, and I empathize with others, especially those in music/media, as it must be a constant challenge when so much visibility and access, especially now, is demanded of them. Perhaps for that reason, I'm vested in seeing them thrive on their own terms. I do know that introverts are easily misunderstood, and I've no doubt Lana is an introvert (INFP, if we're going to use MBTI). I'm not even saying Lana should or has to change; I personally enjoy that she's created and defends her own little world. 
I'm saying I can identify what the general 'rift' is between her and media, or even her vs. other modern artists. It's less about 'authenticity' and more about why she refuses to play ball like everyone else.
 
Take Grimes, for instance. She's also a pretty eccentric, introverted dreamer type. She too creates her own little worlds. She too seems highly sensitive and highly intuitive. The difference is she's open. She may be naturally shy and self-contained, but she's able to discuss her weaknesses, strengths, and concerns in interviews, she constantly interacts with fans on Tumblr/Twitter, she promotes other people's work, she's very open about her current obsessions and influences, and she takes an active interest in the world around her. That last part is crucial in how people perceive her. In many ways, she's become the poster child for what an alternative pop star should be: innovative, excited about progress and people, eager to share, quirky but relatable. Basically, Grimes isn't afraid to let people see behind the scenes; she's cards face up. She's okay with being a work in progress as an artist and a human being. This is what people empathize with/appreciate nowadays in musicians — someone who seems like a slightly cooler version of themselves; someone who they could possibly be if they worked hard at it. (Gaga preaches this sort of thing, too.) The media likes people like this too because they seem 'normal' and 'unpretentious.' And let's face it: less of a threat.
 
And this is the sort of thing that terrifies and turns off Lana. She idolizes untouchables and wishes to be that way herself. She shows no real curiosity in the world around her, or in other people beyond the few she's put on a pedestal. In a way, she couldn't have come at a worse time — in an age where idols have been discarded and deconstructed, she longs to remystify them, and be one herself. (No wonder she says she feels detached from culture). As Brett Easton Ellis might put it, she's very Empire in a post-Empire age (and by the way, I hate BEE's worldview). At the same time, she's the perfect glamorous and dramatic antithesis to everyone else's boring transparency and normcore attitudes.
 
So, it makes sense that today's journalists, who have gotten used to media-trained pop stars and eagerly clumsy DIY kids, are alarmed by Lana and her layers and veils. No wonder they try to decode her, and no wonder she resents them.
 
I personally enjoy LDR's attempt to restore a defiantly detached individualism at a time when that sort of thing is being vilified as outmoded and dangerous; it's almost punk rock. At the same time, I wonder if there's any way for that to be seen as a positive thing by most people.

And that cycle will continue as long as she chooses to deny reality and create conflict for herself. She's a smart girl, she understands the nature of cause-and-effect and the natural order of media. She could choose to be a brilliant media strategist if she wanted; she could have them eating out of her hand. Instead, she chooses to 'fuck (up) her way' thru the process and deflect blame. It's fine for now, and I do think a lot of it is the media's fault for regurgitating the same questions instead of showing a deeper interest in her work. I think she's offended by that. But I wonder at what point she'll choose to take control and force the dialogue to change.