Clipse x Kanye x KAWS

If you don’t know the work of Malice and Pusha T, you don’t know hip hop. Together the Virgina based duo call themselves Clipse and since 2002 have been one of the smartest hip hop groups in existence. The duo’s second record, 2006′s “Hell Hath No Fury,” was widely heralded by critics and displays their gift for witty lyrics depicting themselves as paranoid and sometimes vulnerable participants of a society that is out of control.

On Monday, April 20th Clipse returned with their latest single “Kinda Like A Big Deal,” the first off their forthcoming “‘Til The Casket Drops” LP. And it was a big deal to some of us at The Rathaus. Because even though the single features Kanye West and the production of DJ Khalil, we were sold by the fact that the cover artwork is done by KAWS.

Listen to “Kinda Like A Big Deal” below.

posted by: Harold Johns III

Style Interview: Malina Heinemann

The facts: Thursday, April 23rd 8:30pm. Abe & Jakes (8 E 6th Street). The Kansas Naval Academy presents Drunken Sailors Tailor, a fashion show and benefit for World Wide Impact Now and the Americana Music Academy. 15 local artists, designers, and clothing stores.

A fashion show is art, an exhibition that shows only the final product. When you watch the models come down the runway it’s easy to forget that what you see is the culmination of work done by many. What about the people who take the show from conception to reality? Who are they and why do they keep coming back for more? In the small fashion community of Lawrence passion reigns over price. The creators and participants of Drunken Sailors Tailor, who all work on a volunteer basis, are not simply interested in fashion but live and breathe style. I sat down with Malina Heinemann, who along with Phil Chiles, owner of Wild Man Vintage, is the heart and soul behind Drunken Sailors Tailor. We talked about theater and fashion, artistic inspiration, and her realization at age six that styling wasn’t just a hobby but an intrinsic calling.

Is this the first fashion show you and Phil have worked on together?
Phil really was the one who wanted to do this. He also had the idea for the Son of Fashion Monsters benefit show (held in October of 2008). Doing shows for Phil has been a really good experience because he trusts my inspiration. I can just kind of go with it. I can be there any time of the day and he’s really patient with the creative process.

What’s going to be different about this fashion show?
I am not doing any styling for Wild Man. I’m kind of helping Phil along with his process, trying to get things together and coordinating. I wanted to give someone else the opportunity to style. There’s just so much going on (in Wild Man). It’s great, it’s like you’re a painter and there’s tons of paint, every kind of paint, every color of paint, and you can just use whatever colors you want.

How did your involvement in fashion shows begin?
Starting out at Johnson County in their fashion program, taking classes and I did my own line. After that I was really inspired. I went to London for a costume design degree, majoring in millenary. Here in Lawrence I did a run for Arizona Trading Company then Phil asked me to style a show. It was a really good way for me to mix theater and fashion. I kind of have a producers mind – having the whole creative idea, the entire full visual idea. But that’s also my biggest battle, not having anybody to give those things to and run with it. I think a lot of people struggle with that as an artist.

So what drives you to keep participating in shows?
For me it’s about being around people, connecting with people. Just kind of about the character and turning them into a character. It’s a fun way to get a point across too. Having a story to tell rather than just to be about clothing. I think initially you get people’s attention because they’re there to see fashion and then you can really express something. You can show people what’s inside of your brain or your heart, or somebody else’s heart.

Do you feel like your interest in fashion is something you were born with? Is there a moment you remember as your first fashion moment?
When I was a kid I was really persistent that every Sunday was like, that was the day. The day to dress to the nines. And as a little, little kid I was all about being dressed up. There was this secret little stash of costumes at a relative’s, it was under the stairs and I’d go over there and play dress up. I found this dress that looked like a wedding dress and I wore it to church. I was dressed like a bride and made a veil to go with it. I had hot pink tights on, hot pink accents and black patent leather shoes. I just remember I was like, this is it man. This is like bride fashion. This is what I’m going to be doing. This is my love. And look how good I look. Ridiculous. My parents were just like, what can we do? She’s wearing a veil, she’s only six. That’s kind of where it started for me and I don’t think I’ve really grown out of that. I try to go out and get all dressed up and I’m like, I need a veil…or something. It’s never enough.

What are your plans for the future?
I’m hoping to really narrow my path. You look at theater and fashion and as far as costumes go it’s head to toe, it’s way too much. I never am able to actually realize my design. With millinery it’s a concentrated area on your head, it’s one focused area. That’s what I really want to get back into.

What are you looking forward to with Drunken Sailors Tailor?
It’ll be a good experience to kind of back away from having my stuff on stage. I never get to see the shows. It’s nice to just give people the opportunity, support, and venue to show their stuff. There are a couple of people that I really know what they’re bringing to this and then there are others that I have no clue. That’s a little bit scary but it’s also exciting.

photos by: Sara Rock
interview by: Tricia Rock

(Nearly) Free Stickers

Sticker Robot is running a great promotion. All you have to do is send them a self-addressed stamped envelope and they will mail you back your envelope full of stickers. There’s just one stipulation. You also have to show off your creativity by decorating the outside of the envelope you send to Sticker Robot. Check out their Flickr page to see some examples of what has been sent so far. Ok, we know the stickers are not completely free but it’s as close as you can come to free in this world.

posted by: Harold Johns III

Let Me Tell You How It Will Be…Taxman

It is tax day here in America. The day the IRS quotes Ray Liotta’s character from “GoodFellas” and says “Fuck you. Pay me.” And we do, big time. Over 2 trillion dollars was collected by the federal government in 2007 alone. Meanwhile, the individual income tax has been the largest single source of federal revenue since 1950, averaging just over 8 percent of our GDP. Which as a numeric value seems small but is not when compared to the measly revenue collected from corporate income tax, which fell from between 5 and 6 percent of GDP in the early 1950s to 2.7 percent of GDP in 2007. And according to The Tax Policy Center, four out of every five federal dollars spent are supplied by the individual income tax and payroll tax.

But does it have to be like this? Better yet, were we meant to be taxed on our individual incomes at all? A rising voice of ex-IRS employees in conjunction with other online media sources are protesting the individual income tax and some go as far as calling the tax a scam. The mainstream media is in the process of demonizing these protesters participating in “Tax Day Tea Parties” by calling them them “extremists,” and even worse Rush Limbaugh supporters. Regardless of your political orientation, having a better understanding of our tax system does not hurt. To learn you must think critically, which means hearing every side of an argument. We all know the reasons to pay taxes (staying out of jail, property seizures, general fear of the IRS, to fund our “national security”) but how are these tax protesters justifying their stance? We have compiled some of the most vocal and popular opponents of the Individual Income Tax so you can judge their arguments for yourself.

Joseph Banister is an ex-IRS agent and current CPA who contends income tax is both fraudulent and unconstitutional. In this video Banister is joined on CNBC with Congressman Ron Paul of Texas who has publicly stated he would abolish the IRS if ever elected president. They argue that the 16th Amendment (giving Congress the power to tax) was never properly ratified, thereby making it null and void.

Since 1999, GiveMeLiberty.org has conducted “a multi-year research effort to investigate well documented claims that the income tax system is a legal fraud upon the people and enforced without any constitutional authority.” They have included this clip of New York Times reporter David Cay Johnston asking IRS Commissioner Mark Everson about taxes on their website.

“Theft By Deception, Deciphering The Federal Income Tax” by Larken Rose claims, “hidden in a previously nearly universally misunderstood (therefore misapplied) section of the law known as Subchapter N, Section 861 was the truth that the income tax is NOT a direct tax on incomes but is an indirect tax imposed only on those individuals engaged in certain types of international and possessions commerce.”

Dave Champion is an independent businessman, paralegal and a non-taxpayer. Champion is a former US Army Airborne Ranger with a law enforcement background who says he has spent 14,000 hours researching federal tax code. His website OriginalIntent.org reveals all his research and tips on becoming a non taxpayer yourself, which Champion claims you can become legally.

Aaron Russo was a Hollywood producer for films like Eddie Murphy’s “Trading Places” and later ran for Governor of Nevada. His 2006 film “America: From Freedom to Fascism” has garnered a cult following on the net. A review by the New York Times stated that “examination of the assertions in Mr. Russo’s documentary, which purports to expose ‘two frauds’ perpetrated by the federal government, taxing wages and creating the Federal Reserve to coin money, shows that they too collapse under the weight of fact.” Watch it and decide for yourself.

posted by: Harold Johns III

Travis Millard Sightings in Lawrence, KS

The Rathaus is not alone in our admiration of Travis Millard‘s art work, but we definitely feel more of a connection. You see Millard, like many of The Rathaus members, graduated from the University of Kansas which is nestled atop Mt. Oread in Lawrence, KS (it does not take much to be considered a mountain). After graduation Millard stayed in Lawrence for a bit before eventually moving to New York City in 2001. Eight years later Millard’s work can still be found on the bathroom walls of The Eight Street Taproom, on the streets of Lawrence, and in KU’s Art and Design Building. And although Millard has gone on to greater national acclaim in other cities we still show him love like he lives down the block.

This week the prodigal son is returning to Lawrence in order to participate in two awesome events. First, on Monday, April 13th from 6-9pm Millard will speak at KU’s Hallmark Design Symposium Series, where he will discuss the commercial aspects of his illustration work. The lectures are held in Wescoe Hall Room 3139 (on KU’s campus) and admission is free.

Second, on Thursday, April 16th from 6-9pm our friends over at Wonder Fair (803 Massachusetts in Lawrence, KS) are holding another Pizza Party to celebrate the release of a new “Tear Jerker” zine and exclusive screen print created by Travis Millard. For $5 you can have any t-shirt you supply screen printed by the team at Wonder Fair with art work from one of the many participating artists.

posted by: Harold Johns III