#37 Flower Men, Putin’s Man in DC, Hugh Ferriss, Zizian Rising, and Space Follies.
Throw these into the conversation.
SHOWS! SHOWS! SHOWS!
My quest for global (or at least national) stand-up dominance continues! Catch me on March 14 at New York City’s downtown, bohemian hotspot, Pangea, on April 3rd at the Revolution Stage Co. in sizzling Palm Springs, on April 5 & 6 at San Francisco nightlife stalwart, Martuni’s and finally on April 26th appearing alongside art-star, performance icon Penny Arcade in NYC at Red Eye. All ticket details here. (Please forward the link and help me spread the words!) Finally, I’ll be back at Crazy Coqs in London in Sept. Details to come, watch this space.
Also catch me in witty podcast conversation with the hilarious Ms Holly Burn where we discuss my ideal fantasy home. (Think ‘brutalist desert lair’.) That’s right, I’m the latest guest on Holly Burn’s Dream House. Reader… it’s a blast!
1. Men in Bloom
As a part of his international series, photographer Omar Reda travelled to Asīr Province in South Western Saudi Arabia, to capture the distinctive Flower Men, members of the Qahtan tribe who claim to be descendants of Ishmael, son of Abraham. They’re easy to find thanks to their signature ‘flower crowns’ intricately constructed using local flowers and greenery and worn for both beauty and health.
As described via the BBC: ‘According to the late researcher Thierry Mauger, the construction of these flower crowns is approached by the tribe’s younger men as a friendly beauty competition: they incorporate as many colourful additions, like marigold and jasmine, as possible. Men of middle age and above, conversely, take a more sombre approach, constructing their wreaths with greenery like wild basil. Some wear them daily for aesthetic purposes, while others adorn themselves on special occasions like major Muslim holidays. Others still wear them when sick, choosing herbs and greenery specifically for their medicinal properties.’
As the weather in New York slowly turns from Winter to Spring, I for one, would be thrilled to see men sporting flower crowns on the mean streets of Gotham. Here’s hoping some fashion-forward dandies will be inspired by the men of remote Asīr.
2. Russian Agent Man
It really would be hilarious if it weren’t so depressing and downright terrifying.
Somehow President Trump sees being Russia’s lapdog as a shortcut to power. From undermining NATO to gutting US intelligence and security services, everything Trump does advantages Putin. Some suggest these actions - and others - prove Trump is a Russian agent. I’m suspicious. Clearly Trump admires Putin, but he’s too much of a narcissist to work on anyone else’s behalf. For Trump, making America Great Again means enhancing his own power. If it also benefits Russia, then so be it.
Forget about delivering jobs, services or a better economic future for regular Americans. From what I can tell, Trump’s ‘vision’ consists of splitting the world into crude spheres of influence. The US gets Canada, Greenland, Panama and the Gaza Strip. Putin gets Ukraine and probably the old East bloc. China gets Taiwan at a minimum. Then Trump and the other strongmen wheel and deal over what’s left - that’s the Middle East, Africa, South America, India, Central and South East Asia and Western Europe, btw.
In this context it’s obvious what Trump wants from his rash imposition of on-again, off-again tariffs on America’s biggest trading partners, Canada and Mexico. Ignore his stated objectives. They’re complete fantasies. How do you ‘reduce the flow of fentanyl’ from Canada when almost no fentanyl flows over the Canadian border to begin with? How do you reduce illegal immigration from Mexico when it was mostly stopped in the final months of the Biden administration? No, he wants Canada and Mexico to bend a knee. It’s that basic. He has no specific goals, no grand strategy. When they reasonably respond with reciprocal tariffs, expect Trump to double down. He’s betting Americans can withstand financial pain longer than our neighbours from the North and South - and for what? Just so proper deference is shown to the self-appointed Emperor.
It also shows the futility of any Ukraine deal brokered by the US. Trump obviously doesn’t care about an independent Ukraine. His primary complaints against Zelensky is that the wartime leader hasn’t shown enough ‘respect’ to Trump by wearing a suit and tie and grovelling sufficiently. Trump’s mineral deal is a sham. Developing Ukraine’s rare earth stocks will take decades and Trump has promised nothing in return. Does anyone believe such a deal will inspire Trump to stand-up to Putin’s murderous rampage? I don’t. Again, it’s just about Trump squeezing every relationship to get as much advantage as possible, so that he’s always in the dominant position and usually giving nothing in return. Trump isn’t offering Ukraine a ‘deal’ he’s facilitating a ‘surrender.’
It’s sobering but here’s the truth: The US under Donald Trump is the enemy of democracy both at home and around the world. He’s in league with Putin (and other tyrants like MBS in Saudi Arabia) to undermine national / global institutions and norms and to re-shape the world in favour of autocratic regimes that allow him and his cronies to acquire massive wealth. He’s been nothing but open about this from the start so it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone. Of course he sold his followers on empty culture war posturing. Was reducing the use of ‘they / them’ pronouns really worth gutting US security services, undermining NATO, selling out Ukraine and becoming Putin’s lapdog? I’m not convinced.
3. The Art of Hugh Ferriss
Recent travels online have introduced me to the stupefying diesel punk world of Hugh Ferriss and the Metropolis of the Tomorrow. Ferriss was a highly-regarded architectural renderer in the Twenties and Thirties, chiefly employed to create large-scale drawings to show the clients of architects how their buildings would look when completed. He was also an architectural theorist and his influential1929 book, The Metropolis of Tomorrow, lays out his ideas for an Art Deco futurist approach to urban design that ultimately influenced generations of architects and artists alike.
Ferriss was known for a unique and foreboding style, using dramatic chiaroscuro to depict brooding, monumental structures that gave his cityscapes an alien feel. His signature style frequently presented buildings at night, lit up by spotlights, or in a soft focus fog. The shadows cast by and on the buildings became almost as important as the revealed surfaces. The resulting images elicited emotional responses from the viewer ranging from hope and excitement to dread and fear.
In particular, Ferriss’ dark urban vision can be seen both in print and film versions of comic book cities such as Gotham of Batman fame and the sinister New York of Frank Miller-era Daredevil.
While I can’t deny the thrill of viewing Ferriss’ epic renderings, there’s definitely a hint of brutal triumphalism that keeps me from fully embracing his vision. The Metropolis of the Tomorrow looks pretty unforgiving and scarily not entirely unlike the world of today.
4. Calling Ryan Murphy
If successful TV show runner Ryan Murphy is reading this, may I suggest a subject for your next multi-part streaming series inspired by contemporary pop culture drama? Let me introduce you to Ziz, the super-intelligent, itinerant, techno-theorist, AI Cassandra cult leader and possible killer.
Here’s a fascinating long read all about Ziz, her goofy band of crackpot followers (the Zizians) and their murderous rampage through California, Pennsylvania and Vermont. If I have it correct, Ziz and her followers believe that AI is a lethal danger to humanity and that we’re already likely beyond saving. In such desperate times, the Zizians are willing to resort to ‘evil’ in order to protect themselves and stop those who aren’t vocal enough about this dangerous moment. They live in a world inspired by nerdy techno-babble, pulp sci-fi, fantasy literature, and Gen Z’s ubiquitous self-absorption, trauma fixation and personal persecution paranoia.
The story of the Zizians has a ‘Gen Z Manson’ feel and all the potential to ignite a range of contemporary culture debates including gender fluidity, transhumanism, generational alienation, economic precarity and the dangers of AI. Best of all, it offers a goldmine of meaty character parts for pretty young actors. It has Ryan Murphy written all over it and while his work creating pure fiction typically leaves me cold, when he ‘interprets’ real events he’s much more successful. I loved his take’s on Versace / Cunanan, Lewinsky / Clinton and OJ Simpson. And if he can find a part for a comedian / writer / cabaret hack like me… even better!
5. This is where we are.
If anyone needed concrete evidence that we’ve entered a ridiculous, performative, dystopia reducing everything to basic TikTok cartoons, I submit to you this fact: Jeff Bezos is sending Katy Perry into space. And Gayle King. (That’s the CBS television news personality who’s basically built a career out of being Oprah’s bestie.)
“If you had told me that I would be part of the first ever all-female crew in space,” Katy Perry posted on Facebook, “I would have believed you.” That’s some serious delusional, Millennial entitlement.
When Bezos sent 90-year old William Shatner, into space in 2021 it already felt like a low point. What once took years of rigorous training for astronauts was now little more than a tacky, celebrity marketing ploy. And for what, exactly? Is space travel just the next frontier for wealthy seniors who’ve grown bored of seeing the world from the Lido deck of massive luxury cruise ships?
Somehow Shatner’s signature dignity survived the cheap stunt. He later wrote in his 2022 memoir: “Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of the further destruction of Earth at our hands. My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral.”
What gems of wisdom will Katy Perry return with, I wonder? This is the woman who asked the world ‘Do you ever feel, like a plastic bag?’ Uggh.
For something with a bit more substance, subtlety and sophistication, why not spend some time with Hallelujah on Desolation Row, the latest album of Cohen and Dylan covers by celebrated UK cabaret chanteuse, Barb Jungr? She’s in top form, suffusing these modern classics with her signature intelligence, wit and a hard-won resilience. Jungr, doesn’t need to go to space to see all the terror and beauty coursing through our world. She’s been drawing from the deep well of inspiration and human contradiction for decades now and her work only gets richer and more assured with each release. I doubt she’s ever felt like a plastic bag.
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Final word from Snow tha Product
parting shot
