1 Vincent Gallo 1962-1999 (Petit Grand Publishing.

1 Vincent Gallo 1962-1999 (Petit Grand Publishing, Tokyo) Last June in Paris, I picked up Vincent Gallo 1962-1999 which place me hooting for hours in the beautiful city where nobody continually hoots (a shame, since the French are as it was a hoot). The photo album is devot to Vincent Gallo's favorite subject: Vincent Gallo. I must say, Vincent is undivided of my few living heroes, because he is no pussyfooter. He speaks his mind and reminds you that me is what keeps you breathing. This work is full of great photos, like the Gallo Penis Across America Tour, and unruffled better captions, like "Self-portrait with stammering nose, 1996. That's what happens when you do movies with crack addicts like Abel Ferrara." There is also a luminously crotchety essay filled with insights ("Everyone should have an ed McMahon"; "I put all my garbage in alphabetical order"). Vincent Gallo is as fucking great as he thinks he is.

2 David Johansen and the Harry Smiths (Chesky Records) It's been a big year for Johansen: a one-man display of his wry little paintings at Fletcher Gallery, a visitor shot on the HBO series Oz a nomination to the stone and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the just discovered York Dolls. And he set out one of the finest records of the year. The band is named for Harry Smith, the legendary filmmaker, painter, magician, and folklorist who assembled the lately rereleased six-album Anthology of American Folk Music in 1952 The combo includes near of the finest musicians around: bassist Kermit Driscoll and drummer Joey Baron; Larry Saltzman upon guitar and banjo; and Brian Koonin, the versatile musical director of Johansen's pop-art showbiz band Buster Poindexter. Johansen sings in undivided of the great blues voices and plays guitar and a mean harmonica. This combo asylums out across America and its last century--exquisite lays performed with impeccable chops and genuine soulfulness.

3 Julian Schnabel T-shirt from Jean Michel Basquiat Way back when, Jean-Michel did a series of portraits onward plates. One of them showed Julian Schnabel as a pig wearing a garland When Schnabel made his preemptive strike in succession art history, Basquiat (1996), a sort of Amos 'n' Andy Lust for Life, or Stepin Fetchit's The Agony and the Ecstasy, Gerard Basquiat, Jean-Michel's suddenly had the plate made into a dispassionate T-shirt. I am wearing it right now. No, you can't pervert with money [i]or[/i] gain one.

4 The Legendary Marvin Pontiac (Strange and Beautiful Music) According to fable Marvin Pontiac (1932-77) was the son of an African man (from Mali) and a Jewish woman (from novel Rochelle). Details of his life are scant, on the other hand in 1952 he had a minor hit with the then controversial ceruleans song "I'm a Doggy," and he is said to have reached the charts in Nigeria the same year with "Pancakes." (Both are included in this collection.) After Pontiac malign out with his label, he refused to sign with another record company unles its president would visit his house in Slidell, Louisiana, and mow his lawn. completion of recording career. According to Pontiac's biographer, his was the sole music Jackson Pollock listened to while painting. It's easy to understand why: This beautiful, eccentric music is an exotic and original hybrid of down in the mouths R&B, and African traditions. David Bowie has said, "Pontiac was in such a manner uncontainably prescient that one might think that these tracks had been assembled today." The Legendary Marvin Pontiac was rele ased forward a label owned by musician John Lurie, who possesse a physical stature and profile remarkably similar to Pontiac as the fable is seen in the solitary existing photographs of him.

5 whole track of The Million Dollar house of entertainment (Interscope) I've heard mixed reports about Wim Wenders's yet-to-open film, yet the sound track is fantastic. frequently of the music here is hauntingly beautiful, as you might count upon given the musicians involved (Bono, who also cowrote the screenplay, in succession vocals, guitar, and piano; Daniel Lanois, guitars, vocals, pedal steel; Jon Hassell, trumpet; Brian Eno, synthesizers; Greg Cohen, bass; Adam Dorn, synthesizer; Bill Frisell, guitar; Hal Willner, producer) There are eccentricities, like the delightful Milla Jovovich doing a primal Yoko imitation, and a kick-arse Spanish version of "Anarchy in the UK" featuring Chris Spedding forward guitar. But in general it's just a jewel of gorgeous music proving that beauty, sensitivity, and ardor can still coexist with intelligence and sophistication.

6 Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Deja vu (te Neue Publishing, of the present day York) Three hundred sixty-eight pages of color photographs demonstrating what terrific work you can make while denying that you are an artist.

7 Jeff Mermelstein, Sidewalk (Dewi Lewis Publishing, Stockport, UK) undivided of

the great snapshot artists of all time, right up there with Garry Winogrand, Elliott Erwitt, Burk Uzzle and lee-side Friedlander. This is saying something, since greatest in number of the great snapshot artists came up when Life was alive. The market for reportage photography isn't what it used to be. Now it's all about celebrities in borrowed clothes sitting for the computer Mermelstein also works in color and is thus in a category all according to himself. Sidewalk is hilarious, disturbing, mystical, intriguing and astounding.