This iconic chair was created by renowned Finnish designer Yrjö Kukkapuro after a vodka-fuelled night out ended with his sleeping in a surprisingly comfortable mound of snow. Following extensive research, the chair was launched in 1963 and has remained in constant production. The white fibreglass shell can both rock and pivot on its brushed metal support.
One of the most popular tattoos of the criminal world during the 1950s and 1960s. Dozens of variants of the cat, the symbol of thieves, existed. Copied from the stomach of an ‘authoritative’ thief nicknamed ‘Sasha Studeny’.
Freddie Roach knows his boxing, when the universally recognised best trainer in the world says “Toney is the most natural fighter I’ve ever seen, when Toney says, ‘All you mother F*****s have to train but I was born to fight,’ he means it. The way he moved, the vision he had, to see everything coming at him, he was just so gifted. He’s getting older now and getting hit more than ever. At his peak, though, he’d sit on the ropes and make you miss a hundred punches and come back with counter shots. It was something to watch”.
James Toney is something of an enigma in boxing – he’s had the mega fights from middleweight through to heavyweight (he is the current holder of the lightly regarded IBA heavyweight belt), his skills are universally accepted as something quite special indeed and he has the trash talking smarts to make him a treat to listen to. He has it all in spades, but there is also the frustrating side of Toney – the steroid abuse (he was stripped of his win over John Ruiz for testing positive for anabolic steroids), the total lack of dedication to training, and many a mixed performance along the way. You only need to look at the below photo to see quite how dramatic his weight has fluctuated over his career.
The journey from middleweight to heavyweight
Freddie Roach has also commented on Toney’s notorious recalcitrance for training. “He had no discipline,” Roach said. “If he had discipline he could’ve been heavyweight champion of the world and dominated the division. It just didn’t turn out that way. I’m not sure why he didn’t get in shape and stay healthy. I guess some guys with that kind of talent just take it for granted.”
Despite racking up an impressive career record of 83 fights, 72 wins (44 by KO) James Toney is taking a highly publicized change of direction. On the 28th August Toney is moving to the UFC mixed martial arts cage fighting world, taking on the former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight champion Randy Couture. Most fans and journalists alike do not buy Toney line of wanting to redeem boxing by knocking out Couture, many feel he has little other options left in boxing and frankly that he will have no chance in the octagon ring against a career mixed martial artist. Toney believes he can walk in and knock Couture out, he certainly does have a punchers change and appears in the footage below to be training to some degree.
It is hard to say whether it will be another dark night for boxing when Toney meets Couture later this month or whether Toney will deliver on his promise and simply walk in and punch his way back into the headlines and major boxing heavyweight title contention. One thing is certain though - while James Toney is still fighting there will be many a salacious quote to be found. As Toney said of himself recently ”I’m about trouble. That’s why they call me JT. ‘Just trouble’. Don’t get mad because God gave me the gift to be a great fighter, period”.
It’s not often I get excited, but today when news landed in my inbox of the art collective Faile’s latest project – the Faile Temple, my pulse quickened and I was frankly very, very excited!
Faile Temple, Lisbon, Interior View
The full-scale church in ruins in Praça dos Restauradores Square in Lisbon was in their own words ”created in conjunction with Portugal Arte 10 in Lisbon. We’ve been working on this for some time as many of you know. After almost two years of concepts, sketches, grueling math, heavy lifting and three bouts of food poisoning (not in the Temple) it is finally here”.
On my way to buy a G Plan oval coffee table from the 1950′s I came across this charming specimen. It took some self control not to part with the £200 required to secure it, it is truly the one that got away..
Hot in the City, White Wedding, Money Money and of course Rebel Yell all are cornerstones to my weekly music selection. Ladies and gentlemen I give you the one and only Billy Idol, shot by Terry Richardson:
