Anyone who puts this film down has forgotten the feelings and emotions they had as a kid and doesn’t have kids of their own or do but have never paid attention to their feelings and emotions. Ah, it’s a sweeping statement, but why anyone wouldn’t be taken by this film is otherwise beyond me: at 101 minutes, it’s a startlingly faithful adaptation of a book that, adapted literally, would likely run shorter than the ad breaks during an episode of The Simpsons.
People who say it’s boring have probably watched too much Jackass for their own good, as the film is
—Chris Noble, 07 November 2009
I’m wary of buying stuff online. I like to feel the object, flip through the book, try on the shoes before I lay out my hard-earned. The lure of a book of Evan Hecox’s art was too much, though, and despite my fears of it being a half-arsed print job, I clicked “Buy”.
I needn’t have worried. This 160-page book is well built with a thick hardcover, great binding, quality printing and clean design, has an educational intro with shots of Evan’s studio, and depicts a large proportion of the man’s fine art work, sectioned out into his various methods and media—plates, linocuts, skateboard decks and whatnot.
If you like Hecox’s art, you’d do well to take the plunge and click this onto your coffee table. I’m glad I did.
—Chris Noble, 22 October 2009
When Don Pendleton offered Level an interview with (SLAP magazine editor and photographer) Mark Whiteley, it was immediately snapped up and slated to be an article. But it was related to Mark’s new book of his photos, so wouldn’t that be a goodstuff? A simple solution came to mind: make it both.
—Chris Noble, 06 October 2009
As software is continually being overhauled and upgraded, the stuff created on the old stuff looks less like itself when opened on the new stuff. With that in mind, I ported the old Level covers from the original QuarkXpress 4 files to future-proofed Adobe Illustrator CS3 EPSs before it was too late. Like someone recording their vinyl onto MP3, only without the disdain from stylus-fondlers. While I was at it, I made a slideshow of the covers for anyone who’s interested.
Also, for added functionality, this website now has a contents page, available via the link at bottom left.
—Chris Noble, 16 September 2009
The New York Times has just published a great piece about Level favourites Spike Jonze and, of course, his Where the Wild Things Are movie. The article benefits from writer Saki Knafo’s in-depth research and his shadowing of Jonze for a fair few months. Along the way, Knafo seems to have talked to most of the big players in Spike’s life and that of the film and the result is a compelling and telling read.
—Chris Noble, 04 September 2009
Recent Nike SB art department quitter Michael Leon has set up his own studio. The artist, renowned for his repeated recycling of his skull-in-shades icon, has left a trail of excellent work in his wake, including that for the Girl Skateboards group, Rasa Libre and his own Commonwealth Stacks project.
He managed to give Nike SB some good looks in spite of the notorious bureaucracy at 1 Bowerman Drive, so we can only expect this uncaged bird to sing very sweetly.
—Chris Noble, 04 September 2009
Update: The Subliminal Projects Gallery in LA is the venue for the month-long Weekend Pacifists exhibit. The very fine art of Russ Pope, Michael Sieben, Chris Pastras, Mike Mills and Level logger Andy Jenkins—including some results of the latter “trying new things”—is now on show for your delectation, until September 19th.
The gallery has posted images of the art on show on their website and their YouTube page features video from from the opening night and interviews with the artists.
—Chris Noble, 01 September 2009
When drunk drivers inadvertently collaborated with the current American health “system”, two by-standing Portlanders each lost a leg and gained an armful of steep medical bills.
If the system is proving reluctant to help, Austin and Lauren’s friends have jumped to it, holding various fundraisers such as garage sales (flogging overstock Commonwealth Stacks clothing for a buck a pop, et cetera) and now an email-bid art auction, flogging works by various artists including Andrew Pommier, Geoff McFetridge, Michael Leon and Mike Perry.
It’s decent art with extra good karma.
—Chris Noble, 25 August 2009
This is not a website that blows its own trumpet, but if you need another reason to add it to your iPhone’s home screen, now you will get this cute little icon featuring Tom Oldham’s 1999 photo of Nina Persson from the cover of Level issue 01.
The site works perfectly on the iPhone (apart from the ‘latest entry’ hovering-trick on the section links above) so, if you haven’t already, that makes two more reasons to invest in one.
—Chris Noble, 13 August 2009
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LOVE CHILDREN
In 2001, Campbell Milligan emailed me asking what had happened to Level and for advice about starting a magazine of his own. Foolishly, he ignored my warnings, quit his job at Australia’s Waves magazine and, along with Chris Searl, planned to publish his dream magazine at the end of 2002. “She’s pretty much going to be along the same lines Level was with more of a surf skate snow kick”, he wrote in his next email. So if you’re looking at this site with a tear in your eye, mourning the death of print, heartbroken that Level’s only recourse for a return was electronic, you might find solace in the arms of Monster Children.
MC was openly inspired by Level but
—Chris Noble, 10 August 2009
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