Since we’re fans of both denim and darkness death punk combo Turbonegro and people who seem to know their way around a clothes shop who better to get on board for a Favourite Five than Tony Sylvester, front man for aforementioned band and scribe for the glossy GQ STYLE. Tony did a Brian Johnson by easily taking the place of an iconic wreck in a fiercly loved rock band and was appointed the handle ‘The Duke Of Nothing’, luckily he took time out from being an all round good egg to tell us what he’s into at the moment.
Simon Harmer
Clothes:
Wardrobe wise, I’m having a pretty interesting time of it. I recently lost a heap of weight so I’ve been going through and getting rid and also taking the opportunity to change it up a bit. My current obsession is the Japanese label Haversack, whose knitwear and jackets I used to look at longingly like a puppy outside the butchers as the sizing wasn’t quite generous enough. I guess it slots pretty nicely next to Cabourn or RRL but has a little more of a whimsical almost Bertie Wooster edge to it – more foppish than military inspired. Also picked up a wonderful pair of high waisted WWI Royal Naval officer’s trousers in 32oz melton wool from Levison’s. These things are like armour. And finally, a visit to Drake’s always feels like a voyage to Mecca.
(photo by Lee Goldup)
Music:
Red Hare “Nites Of Midnite” LP on Dischord. I’ll confess that I slept on it for a few months, as I was a little daunted at the prospect that it might be less than stellar. My mistake. It’s effectively a reunion of one of my all time favourite bands SWIZ, in all but name. That act alone (starting a brand new band and not cashing in on old glories) feels pretty revolutionary in 2013. Shawn Brown still sounds clear, concise and economical in his anger, and Jason Farrell’s still got the meanest downstroke I’ve ever heard. It’s undoubtedly a DC album – echoes of Soulside, Dag Nasty (obviously), and even Happy Go Licky rear up on occasion, but it’s tough as nails.
Film:
Cliched as fuck, but on a total Akira Kurosawa / Toshiro Mifune jag at the moment. Uneven sleep patterns cause the boxsets to get busted out. I have this HUGE tome on the pair entitled “The Emperor & The Wolf” sitting on the bookshelf waiting to get ploughed though, so I suppose I’m preparing for that. *Cue Rocky-style training montage.*
Art:
Not much of a fan of contemporary art, I’m way more Tate Britain than Tate Modern. I was fortunate enough to buy some pieces recently by both Thom Devita and Daniel Higgs – two visionary outsiders who came from the world of tattooing but have different takes on what could be considered psychedelic folk art, I suppose. Higgs might be the sacred to Devita’s profane, or it could be the other way around. I’ll stare at them some more and get back to you.
Something Else:
Mosel Riesling. What else is there?
