Presenting: Your Weekend’s BBQ Party Playlist

“Music”

05/24/13

Presenting: Your Weekend’s BBQ Party Playlist

Playlist

Memorial Day weekend is finally here—and with it: the unofficial start to summer.

In preparation for the big festivities, this week we’ve helped you choose the right grilling apron, pick up a nifty bottle opener and learn the ins and outs of spending an entire three-day weekend pleasantly sloshed. And now, there’s only one thing left: the music.

There are a million ways you could go with this sort of thing—but there’s one theme that every barbecue party in America is going to have this weekend: summer. And that’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive, multi-genre-and-era-spanning playlist that either has the word “summer” in its title or the season plays a major part in its lyrics. And we conveniently turned it into a Spotify playlist, embedded after the jump.

Now all you’ve got to do is fire up the grill and press play.»

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05/14/13

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Warm-Weather Footwear, Watching Earth Age and Streaming Daft Punk’s New Album

Daft Punk

Tone Daft: Stream Daft Punk’s new album a week before it hits record stores.

Hot Stepper: Valet has your 30-second primer on your warm-weather footwear options—which basically seem to be something suede or cotton.

Time Flies: Time has worked with NASA to compile satellite images of the drastic geographical changes just about anywhere on earth in the past 30 years.

Star Power: If you’ve ever wondered why every single barn you’ve ever seen is painted red (FE203, to be exact), Smithsonian has the answer: dying stars.

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05/08/13

Sound & Vision

Style Notes on Duran Duran’s “Rio”

Duran Duran

Last fall, when the music video for Psy’s “Gangnam Style” was still
conquering the charts, we felt compelled to scrutinize a few of its most daring style moments to better understand the cultural phenomenon.

And we learned some things in the process (namely: the mystifying powers of a triple-breasted dress shirt).

But we’ve come to realize that while there might be style lessons to be learned from modern-day music videos, the past is really where it’s at. So today we’re going back to the ’80s to have a look at Duran Duran’s video for “Rio.” It might not have had the same fanfare as their raunchy “Girls on Film,” but this is the video where they let their sartorial greatness shine, as they sailed the open sea, flitted around the beach with their bikini-clad nymphs and played the sax on cliffs… and rafts.

Now join us once again, as we give you a look-by-look breakdown of this gem of a music video.»

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04/12/13

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Gentlemanly Gardening, Surviving Coachella and Fleetwood Chat

Coachella

Green Thumb: Everything you need to know about tending your garden—or planting your first—according to Men’s Journal.

Flying Coach: If our guide to staying cool at Coachella wasn’t enough, Four Pins has some advice on not being a “dickbag” at the show.

Return of the Mac: Details chats up Mick Fleetwood on their latest tour and what the sexiest Fleetwood Mac song might be.

Hug It Out: A robotics school has developed a toggle coat that can mimic the sensation of being hugged by a significant other. That’s totally why menswear was created.

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04/11/13

What's What

Staying Cool at Coachella

Coachella

Nothing brings out a gentleman’s most pragmatic sense of personal style more than facing the hot, hot heat.

And with Coachella kicking off its two-weekend run of concerts in the sweltering California desert tomorrow, there’s no better place to witness this firsthand—especially onstage, where true wills of sartorial resolve are tested.

Which is why there are some valuable lessons to be learned from those who manage to maintain a rakish poise even when performing high-kicks in the unforgiving desert sun. (Hint: sometimes you’ve got to embrace the sweatiness.) So we present to you…

The rock star’s guide to stylishly dealing with extreme heat.»

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04/10/13

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Cinematic Architecture, Mastering Spotify and the World’s Best Men’s Shops

Architecture

Quite a Pad: Mr Porter explores the avant-garde connection between film and architecture in 20th-century Los Angeles, with a Lautner-heavy roundup of iconic movie residences.

River Life: Filson wades in knee-deep with legendary fly-fisherman Frank Moore.

Sounds Even Better: Gizmodo has 10 handy tricks that will help you master Spotify.

Sartorial Tourism: GQ maps out the 25 best men’s shops worth a transatlantic voyage.

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04/05/13

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Icon: The Strokes

Once upon a time, someone could say the word “rock star,” and you would immediately get a mental picture of what that looked like. Dark shades. A leather jacket. Impossibly tight pants. All hung on a skinny, heroin-addict-y, borderline-malnourished frame.

Yeah, it was pretty great.

But at some point in the ’90s, rock stars… well, stopped being rock stars. They either looked like off-duty grad students (Radiohead, Weezer) or guys who spent too much time in the weight room (Limp Bizkit and so on). Bono cut his hair, the Rolling Stones became an oldies show, and grunge passed its expiration date.

But somewhere, in a dark NYC basement, the Strokes got together and changed everything…»

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03/13/13

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J.Crew Goes to Italy, GQ Dives into Spring and Predicting the Papal Conclave

Barberis

Crew Love: J.Crew visits the legendary family-run Vitale Barberis wool mill—suppliers of their finest Ludlow suit fabrics—and rounds up 10 more historic mills.

Slideshow and Tell: And now, for the 211 spring trends that matter, according to GQ’s Jim Moore.

Insta-phonogram: Gizmodo contemplates the staying power of the vinyl LP and how their unique sound is derived by how they’re made.

Dark Horse: In case our papal conclave predictions weren’t as rooted in history as you’d like, here’s a rundown of which past scenarios could predict this one.

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03/05/13

About

The Spring Must-Haves

Must Haves

If you’re wondering why it’s feeling a bit more spring-like on Kempt today, we’d like to direct your attention to the column on the left—where we’ve refreshed our seasonal crop of must-haves.

We’ve conjured a spring fever dream of baseball, gardening and corduroys that don’t have a hint of fall in them. Allow us to show you the way.»

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02/13/13

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Brazilian Merrymaking, Fashion’s Astrologer and Waka Flocka Flame’s Valentine’s Playlist

Rio

Rio’s Grand: The Atlantic shares some spectacular photos from the Carnival festivities in Rio de Janeiro.

Haute Svengali: The Cut tries to figure out how Susan Miller became the de facto astrologer to the fashion elite.

The Flame Rekindles: The best part of GQ’s Valentine’s Day guide has to be the romantic playlist from Waka Flocka Flame.

Denim Jumpsuits: Put This On embarks on a photo safari through the Americana jungle/annual vintage menswear show, Inspiration LA.

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02/11/13

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A Little Thing Called the Grammys Happened Last Night

Fun.

Handsome Harmony: The gents from across the pond at British GQ ranked the most stylish men at the Grammys.

Can’t Stop the Sideboob: Meanwhile, the folks at HuffPost Style identify the lady lawbreakers of the Grammys’ dress code (and discuss things like “bare fleshy undercurves”).

Candid Camera: People snapped a dozen or so photos of off-camera celebrity mingling—and speculated whether play dates were discussed.

Mumford’s the Word: And just in case you missed last night’s festivities entirely, Rolling Stone recaps it all.

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01/29/13

Sound & Vision

Justin Timberlake and Tom Ford Are Collaborating

News of Justin Timberlake’s return to music took the Internet by storm—but we were more interested in the actual suit and tie he repeatedly mentions in the intro (of his appropriately named single, “Suit & Tie”).

Turns out it’s a Tom Ford number—not surprising, since JT chose to wear a Ford tuxedo during his secret wedding in Italy last year—but it doesn’t stop there. Timberlake and Ford have collaborated on a collection of suits (and ties, presumably) that will be “feature[d] heavily” in the album, The 20/20 Experience (presumably in the videos, but perhaps also the lyrics?). Mr. Ford styled the music video for the single. More than anything, we’re happy to see that JT is really taking the whole suit-and-tie thing seriously.

Naturally, we’ve got the video after the jump.»

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01/04/13

What's What

A Gentleman’s Guide to Karaoke

Last week, we were slightly embarrassed by our performance at Kempt’s annual karaoke gala. So we asked our resident scissor-kick champion, Alex Heigl, for advice.

There are two ways to navigate karaoke: the way of the lurker, and the way of the champion. The lurker attends karaoke only in body, not in spirit; he makes snide comments and half-heartedly mumbles his way through an ironically selected song because he can’t drop his aura of detached coolness. The champion commits, and wins over the entire bar/company/city with his heroic singing.

You are not a lurker.»

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12/26/12

About

Your Victorious Holiday Season: A Look Back

You did it. You won the holidays.

It wasn’t easy—it was a long and arduous journey filled with upgrading your kitsch and making a tough decision about wearing a Santa hat. It was all part of our inaugural Kempt Guide to Winning the Holidays (trademark still pending).

But before you begin resting on your noble fir laurels until next year, we’d like to revel in the jubliant memories of how it all went down.»

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12/19/12

Good Idea

The Kempt Holiday Party Playlist

Music can make or break any party. But the stakes are even higher at a holiday party.

Now, conventional wisdom suggests that a purely holiday-song-filled playlist is doomed from the start—that there’s some unspoken need for generic party jams to keep things moving.

We’re here to disagree. That’s not how you win the holidays.

You win the holidays by playing a wintry mix of soul, rock, synthesized ballads and rap. At some point, just about every musician worth their salt has done a holiday song—if not an entire album. Pick any artist you might regularly throw into a party mix and there’s a good chance they’ve sung about their winter escapades. James Brown, for instance, has an entire double album—albeit, it sounds like he ad-libbed and good-God!-ed through the whole thing at 4am on Christmas Eve (rest assured: James Brown loves you), but there are definitely a few gems in there.

In that vein, we picked the brains of our most festive and music-savvy editors to make the ultimate holiday party playlist—all holiday-themed, all merriment-inducing. (Naturally, we held on to a few of the old standbys.) And we’ve put all 25 songs together on Spotify.

In no particular order and for your holiday party consumption: Kempt’s Holiday Party Playlist. Enjoy.»

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12/07/12

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Julia Nobis Has Been Tilting at Windmills

via Fashion Faves

Get Your Fil: Mr. Lean heads to Seattle to check out the factory of the venerable outdoorsy outfitters, Filson. [A Continuous Lean]

Xmas Marks the Spot: Hitting the right note of festiveness on the holiday party circuit will require a bit of soul (and suit) searching. [NY Times]

The Dudek: Long lost in the back issues of Sports Illustrated is the story of how Bo Jackson changed the life of a kid named Dudek. [Grantland]

Nouuurishing: Vice manages to catch up with the most enigmatic Grammy nominee of all time, virtual unknown Al Walser. [Vice]

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12/05/12

Blithe Spirits

In Defense of Drunken Caroling

Canada: great at exporting comedians, pancake accoutrements and, apparently, fun. Last week, we stumbled across these photos of a 1930s songbook put together by the owners of the venerable Labatt Brewing Company. The book, filled with traditional drinking songs, was given to all employees—as a too-seldom-invoked method of ensuring company bonding.

It’s not that people don’t get drunk and sing anymore (that is the distilled essence of karaoke, after all), but it is rare that grown gentlemen sing together in spirited voice without accompaniment.

Sure, there are exceptions. There’s the occasional shouting of “Hey” during Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part II” at sporting events, fratty sing-alongs of “Sweet Caroline” when it’s closing time at a bar or, most dreadfully, the awkward, all-office version of “Happy Birthday” for that girl who may or may not work in Accounts Receivable.

But for the most part, that’s it. Which is why we’d like to defend drunken caroling…»

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12/03/12

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Chanel Iman Is Waiting for You to Build a Fire

via Fashion Faves

In the Balance: Some learned menswear wisdom from a filmmaker who’s making a documentary on Italian tailors. [Valet]

If You Like Piña Coladas: A primer on how to treat your fineries after getting caught in the rain. (Don’t just throw them in the closet to get musty.) [Put This On]

It’s Fiddy: A handsome compendium of 50 consciously made gifts under $50. [Well Spent]

Sleigh Ryder’s Anthem: And now, some yuletide caroling from rapper DMX—who has a surprisingly strong grasp of the lyrics to “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” [The Strut]

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11/21/12

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Andreea Diaconu Is Thankful for Tropical Weather

via World’s Best Ever

Brewsgiving: For the vino-averse, GQ has put together some great beer pairings for your turkey consumption. [GQ]

Badsgiving: Spike Lee has put together an epic documentary on the making of Michael Jackson’s Bad album. It’ll be on ABC tomorrow night, about when you’re ready to settle in. [USA Today]

Songsgiving: A definitive guide to the greatest Thanksgiving songs of all time… that misses the latest gem from Nicole Westbrook, but hey. [Bullett]

Healthsgiving: To make up for any food-related transgressions tomorrow, here’s how to turn those turkey leftovers into a healthy California club, courtesy of chef Charlie Palmer. [Valet]

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11/20/12

Good Idea

This Year, Bring Something Better Than a Bottle of Wine

It’s one of the most important rules of party etiquette: don’t arrive empty-handed. (Good to note, since between now and 2013, you’ve got a lot of parties.)

In the past, that’s meant showing up with a bottle of wine, purchased last-minute, or an ill-begotten dessert item. But not this year. Because this year, you’re winning the holidays.

As you might recall, we kicked off Kempt’s Guide to Winning the Holidays last week with a little refresher course on your holiday kitsch. Now we’re upgrading your host gift. The real nugget of wisdom here is that you should be bringing something that enhances the evening—which is why a bottle of wine usually works in a pinch, but we’re thinking: more personal, more fun, more ambiance. (Since really, the best gift you can give any host is to help make the party more fun.) So, we bring to you:

The five host/hostess gifts guaranteed to make any holiday party better.»

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10/12/12

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Icon: Tom Waits

It has the smoothness of Barry White, but the raspiness of a mountain lion.

Why yes, that is RZA describing Tom Waits’s voice—perhaps better than anyone else ever has.

And it’s that voice—that raspy, gnarly, gutter-dog howl of a voice—that has fueled the myth of Tom Waits for 40-some years now, up through today’s release of Seven Psychopaths, starring Waits (curiously petting a curiouser bunny) as one of the psychopaths.

It’s a myth that’s as iconic as any, and well worth a little thought and consideration…

After the jump: that thought and consideration, plus the most stylish pictures of Waits ever taken…»

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10/05/12

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Belen Bergagna Doesn’t Care for Yo’ Couch

via Trend Hunter

Jump Around: Get caught up on GQ’s “Fall Style Playbook” with the most recent addition: sneakers. [GQ]

Drunk-0-Lantern: In case your fall festivities haven’t felt autumnal enough, here’s an idea: make a pumpkin keg. [Lifehacker]

Picasstco: Costco is getting back into high-end art sales—that’s right, now you can buy an original Matisse with that two-gallon jug of dish soap. [NY Times]

Hits for Hits: An analysis on the importance of the MLB allowing players to choose their at-bat songs (including R.A. Dickey’s Game of Thrones ode). [Wall Street Journal]

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09/14/12

Art Threat

The Reverse La-Z-Boy

The ominous-looking creature you’re staring at in mild disbelief is the “Love Me Tender” chair by French-Portuguese artist and architect Didier Faustino, and yes, it really is a chair.

Don’t be fooled by the dagger-sharp points on the legs or those steel bars that seem poised to split you open in very uncomfortable ways should you decide to sit on it. Design collective Superette, which will be selling Faustino’s creation, explains it thusly: “In one go Faustino summarizes his putting of bodies under tension with architecture and design through this chair that is so dangerous that it requires tenderness and gentleness to be handled.”

And how.»

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09/05/12

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Jake Davis Is At It Again

via Jake Davis

Blessed Union: This time Mr. Davis and Adrianne Ho have reconnected (and brought in some backup) for the lookbook of the LA shop, Union. [Jake Davis]

Zen and the Art of Menswear Maintenance: A handy guide on the easy fixes you can give your occasional ripped seam, pulled hem or loose button. [Valet]

Lock Stock: Put This On vets an attractively priced pair of bench-made shoes by having a local cobbler put them through the paces. The results are encouraging. [PTO]

Beats by Omar: Michael K. Williams reveals the playlist he made for his legendary (and presidential favorite) character from The Wire. [Vulture]

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08/21/12

Sound & Vision

London Calling

A bona fide pioneer doesn’t come around very often.

And Joe Strummer (who was born 60 years ago today) was that and more—the former Clash frontman was already a living legend by the time of his passing 10 years ago, thanks to his unprecedented brand of politically charged howling and genre-bending punk rock. He also lived the prototypical rock star life: trashing hotels, disappearing to France only to reappear at the Paris Marathon (and run it), littering the world with local lore of his exploits in sleepy towns like Columbia, Missouri (legend has it, he finished a solo show then hopped behind the bar to make everyone in the house drinks). In honor, we’d recommend you put some Strummer on your playlist today.

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