+ Smoking & Drinking Blog

Kindness, live at Le Poisson Rouge

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:45:00 -0400

Kindness, live at Le Poisson Rouge

The summer of 2007 was very formative for me in terms of falling...

Sun, 13 May 2012 17:34:00 -0400

The summer of 2007 was very formative for me in terms of falling in love with a type of music I had long tried to disassociate myself with– disco !

My dear friend Mo had been well into the genre for years, and was already finding doubles of her supply of coveted vinyls (think “This Man” by The Phill & Friends Band), but her game was pretty ‘out there,’ and I still mostly just into party rocking. Thus, what really bridged the gap for me were the Tuesday night parties at 205 Club (RIP) with residents Justin Miller & Jacques Renault. It was ALWAYS a good time, and even though it wasn’t my first choice in music at the time, it was definitely my favorite ‘weekly’ party in the city (perhaps will continue to be my favorite in memory, overall). Funny enough, I was speaking with Justin the other day– and he said he had recorded one of the nights.. I told him that we had to put it up on GrandLife, so here you go: http://www.grandlifehotels.com/culture/weekly-playlist-justin-miller

I like the way he described it to me in his email also–

Hey Ariel - Here’s the live at 205 mix. Just a couple crazy kids learning how to dj with a UREI rotary mixer and a sweaty basement. ;-)

Ps. The ridiculous photo on top is the ONLY one I could find of myself from those nights.. I’ve got black jeans on, and white leather converse with no socks (it was my first time wearing them and they were too tight on my feet, so I had to go sockless).

thisisnotnew: the man, the myth, the legend

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:44:13 -0400

thisisnotnew:

the man, the myth, the legend

Vladimir Karaleev

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:51:00 -0400

Vladimir Karaleev

One Ugly Jacket

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:46:30 -0400

One Ugly Jacket

Nick at Night

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:44:49 -0400

Nick at Night

Roach Cock

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:30:00 -0400

Roach Cock by Hanni El Hkatib (filmed at Casba in Tokyo, I didn’t make it when I was there– so it has become something of a promised land to me)

GrandLife Hotel Weekly Playlist: Ariel Stark-Benz

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:41:35 -0400

GrandLife Hotel Weekly Playlist: Ariel Stark-Benz

Photo

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 17:57:01 -0400

Made it over to the opening of the Kitsune Noir at the...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 10:07:00 -0400

Made it over to the opening of the Kitsune Noir at the impressive Nomad Hotel, just in time to sip some champagne, and shoot the shit with a few of the good people behind it.

Prince Language towering above the crowd, as usual.

Aesop wall.

Wall of WANT

Exterior (with ‘candid’ model Rune)

Trading places with Youngjun Koo, part 2

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:54:31 -0400

Trading places with Youngjun Koo, part 2

Trading places with Youngjun Koo

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:51:44 -0400

Trading places with Youngjun Koo

Allow me to play ‘dress-up’ for just a moment…...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:43:00 -0400

Allow me to play ‘dress-up’ for just a moment… though this was just before going to work. Fortunately my job has both given a necessity to suit wearing and the ability to buy one. What we’re working with:

Linen 2 piece suit by N. Hoolywood, Scarf by Junya Watanabe, Shirt by Thom Browne, Hat by Stetson (vintage)

Check out this super presidential photo of one of my best...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:22:00 -0400

Check out this super presidential photo of one of my best friends, BJ, taken at Jean Georges. We took lunch there (a modest 2 course lunch starts at $38, but you can quadruple that a little too easily), and was unquestionably one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had– the food and service almost purely a learning experience.. less so in innovation (though JG is certainly known as an innovator in the kitchen), rather in the art of perfection– to put it simply, it was nice to see where the bar is set.

Also, DO Jean Georges if you want the full experience– Nougatine is half stepping.

On a side note, I’ve been trying to avoid taking a million food photos instead of eating.. here are a couple of links to see what I’m talking about: One & Two

Better Know a Blogger: Ariel Collin Stark-Benz

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:05:07 -0400

Better Know a Blogger: Ariel Collin Stark-Benz

Photo

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:17:30 -0400

Chile Part II: BBQ, Friends, Hipodromo

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:57:00 -0400

Another rather delayed post about Chile– I’ve got one more to go after this (grin).

As you can tell, I was definitely trying to take it easy on this trip.. thus, we devoted almost an entire day at the horserace track (hipodromo) where you can relax, BBQ, and bet on the races

My losing ticket

Whoa…

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 10:54:30 -0400

Whoa…

Sickest video ever ! I immediately thought “this HAS...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:28:00 -0400

Sickest video ever ! I immediately thought “this HAS to be Playa Avellanas”– and sure enough, the wood planked walking bridge confirmed it (as seen in this previous posting) !

I miss it so much !

Lee Fields & The Expressions at The Williamsburg Music Hall

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:11:29 -0400

Lee Fields & The Expressions at The Williamsburg Music Hall