No. 55: Chris Black

Corinne Day’s “Diary”, juice from Madhufalla, Beth Orton’s “Concrete Sky” Live 2002, Paul Jasmin, and being in transit.

Sep 19, 2024

Chris Black is a consultant for fashion brands like J.Crew and Thom Browne and the co-host of How Long Gone with Jason Stewart. He also writes Pulling Weeds, a weekly column for GQ, and shares his recommendations with The Strategist on everything menswear (though after we had coffee earlier this week in Los Angeles, I was naturally most curious about the facial he was headed to… he also swears by Raquel’s in New York). From Chris –

I. a book

After years of lusting, I finally bought a copy of Corinne Day’s “Diary” on eBay a few months back. She was first known for her images of her friend Kate Moss, which were published by The Face in 1990. This book gets branded as “dirty realism,” which I agree with on some level. They are simply pictures of her friends, but they radiate a particular brand of undone glamour that I have been drawn to since I first saw her work in my early 20s. It’s unflinching and raw voyeurism that is a testament to the trust between photographer and subject. She doesn’t get the shine that Nan Goldin, Ryan McGinley, and Larry Clark receive, but she should.

II. a juice from Madhufalla

This place is on Mulberry Street across from Noah and the good magazine store, which is on my way home from the gym. Every morning in NYC, I stop here for a spinach, swiss chard, apple, and lemon juice. The owner is always on his laptop watching something religious and barely acknowledges me. He burns incense and communicates in short grunts but knows my order, so no words need to be exchanged. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

III. a song

I have listened to Beth Orton’s “Concrete Sky” Live 2002, especially in the winter, for over 20 years. I remember buying the CD at Criminal Records in Atlanta when it came out. I played it in every car I owned before the iPod came out. It is from her third album, “Daybreaker,” an underrated classic featuring writing and instrumentation contributions from The Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr and Ryan Adams. She has a distinctive sinewy and plaintive voice that pairs perfectly with these spacey, ethereal grooves, the combination that made her the face of an unfortunately named genre, “folktronica.” This live version shows her looking like an early-aughts star, with red oversized oval sunglasses resting on her head while she plays the acoustic guitar. It’s a tender, beautiful take of a great song.

IV. a photographer

Paul Jasmin is a photographer and teacher originally from Helena, Montana. Jasmin had been an illustrator, a painter, and an actor before picking up a camera at the urging of his friend Bruce Weber. All three of his books, Hollywood Cowboy (2002), Lost Angeles (2004), and California Dreaming (2010), belong in your library. Los Angeles feels like his muse, and he romanticizes it in a dreamy but realistic way. His subjects are vulnerable and feel on the precipice of something, all while looking sensual and glamorous.

*Rodney, Edie, and Bosco, Hollywood*, Paul Jasmin (1990)

V. a way of life

I love being in transit; the airport doesn’t bother me, and I would happily live in a hotel. I don’t need to see the sites or kick the tires on any old buildings. I just want to be somewhere new as often as possible, looking for a good coffee, a real gym, and a buzzing restaurant. The airport, a liminal space, is the best people-watching in the world, and being on the plane is when you can get work done, read, or sleep. Jet lag can be beat. If I get off the hamster wheel, I fear what will happen.

BULLETIN

Los Angeles

On view: Jane Dickson’s Are We There Yet? at Karma. Nicholas Bierk’s The Beauty and the Horror opens Saturday at Overduin & Co. Duncan Hannah’s Flesh and Fantasy at The Journal Gallery. Jenna Gribbon’s Like Looking in a Mirror and Fred Eversley’s Cylindrical Lenses at David Kordanky. Caitlin MacQueen’s Fascination at Hannah Hoffman. Aria Dean’s Facts Worth Knowing at Château Shatto. Group show L.A. Story at Hauser & Wirth featuring Ed Ruscha, Florian-Maier-Aichen, David Hockney, and more (curated by Steve Martin). Tahnee Lonsdale’s A Billion Tiny Moons Night. At Home: Alice Neel in Queer World and Nate Lowman’s Parking at David Zwirner. Willa Nasatir’s solo exhibition at Sea View. Eddie Martinez’s Homework at Blum. Objects for a Heavenly Cave at Marta featuring Lily Clark, Valentina Cameranesi Sgroi, Mr. Liz Hopkins and many more. Eric Dwight Hancock’s By and By and By at M+B. Molly Rose Lieberman’s My Paradise and Brett Ginsburg’s Cadence at Matthew Brown. Ed Ruscha’s Now Then at LACMA.

New York

On view: Vince Skelly’s Play Sculptures at TIWA. Dike Blair and Manoucher Yektai’s Landscapes at Karma. Nan Goldin: You Never Did Anything Wrong at Gagosian. Mitch Epstein’s Old Growth at Yancey Richardson. Group show The Superfluity of Things at James Cohan Gallery. CERÁMICA ‘64 opens Saturday at Gallery CVH. Blair Whiteford’s Garden of Infinite Foundation at Matthew Brown. Sophia Heymans’ Everything Dancing and Vincent Pocsik’s Paradise Never Bends at Shrine. Miranda Fengyuan Zhang’s You Can Always Tell When a Lake is Coming Up, Because the Mountain Would Start Looking Blue and Eli Ping’s Stamina at Clearing. Judith Eisler’s Dreams, Jokes, Mistakes at Casey Kaplan. Soumya Netrabile’s Holding Current at Rachel Uffner. Hilary Pecis’ Warm Rhythm at David Kordansky. Group show Across the Pond: Contemporary Painting in London featuring Max Wade, Emma Fineman, and more at Eric Firestone Gallery. July Guzman’s Along the Line and Catherine Repko’s Hark at 1969 Gallery. Maris Van Vlack’s Time Warp at Superhouse. Group show Works on Paper featuring Joan Snyder, Mimi Lauter, Lily Ludlow, and Xylor Jane at Canada. Shara Mays’ Where We Walked, Who We Remembered at Hunter Dunbar. Mercedes Llanos’ Te Soñe Primero at Amanita.

Affection Archives is a weekly look into the archives of yours truly (Arielle Eshel) and people I admire. Follow on Instagram @AffectionArchives.