Linda McCartney>Life in Photographs

A retrospective of Linda McCartney's life and photography

In 1966, during a brief stint as a receptionist for Town and Country magazine, Linda Eastman snagged a press pass to a very exclusive promotional event for the Rolling Stones aboard a yacht on the Hudson River; her fresh, candid photographs of the band were far superior to the formal shots made by the band’s official photographer, and she was instantly on the way to making a name for herself as a top rock ’n’ roll photographer. In May 1968, with her portrait of Eric Clapton, she entered the record books as the first female photographer to have her work featured on the cover of Rolling Stone. During her tenure as the leading photographer of the late 1960s’ musical scene, she captured many of rock’s most important musicians on film, including Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Simon & Garfunkel, The Who, The Doors, and the Grateful Dead. In 1967, Linda went to London to document the "Swinging Sixties," where she met Paul McCartney at the Bag ’O Nails club and subsequently photographed The Beatles during a launch event for the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Paul and Linda fell in love, and were married on March 12, 1969. For the next three decades, until her untimely death, she devoted herself to her family, vegetarianism, animal rights, and photography.

From her early rock ’n’ roll portraits, through the final years of The Beatles, via touring with Wings to raising four children with Paul, Linda captured her whole world on film. Her shots range from spontaneous family pictures to studio sessions with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, as well as artists Willem de Kooning and Gilbert and George. Always unassuming and fresh, her work displays a warmth and feeling for the precise moment that captures the essence of any subject. Whether photographing her children, celebrities, animals, or a fleeting moment of everyday life, she did so without pretension or artifice.

This retrospective volume—selected from her archive of over 200,000 images—is produced in close collaboration with Paul McCartney and their children. Included are forewords by Paul, Stella, and Mary McCartney. As such, it is a moving personal journal and a lasting testament to Linda’s talent.

The photographer:

Linda McCartney (née Eastman) was born in New York in 1941. She took a photo course with Hazel Archer and studied art history at the University of Arizona before settling in New York City, where she began her photo career shooting rock portraits. Outside of her photography, which has been exhibited in over 50 galleries worldwide including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the National Portrait Gallery, London, the Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, and the International Center of Photography, New York, Linda McCartney is known for her passionate animal rights activism and her staunch vegetarianism. She wrote cookbooks and founded her own brand of frozen vegetarian meals, all the while raising a family, continuing to take photographs, and participating as a Wings band member alongside Paul McCartney. She died in 1998 at the age of 56.

Beauty Duty>Gaultier, Kokorico and the French Male Psyche

by Stéphane Gaboué

If the new men's cologne Kokorico didn't bear the imprint of Jean Paul Gaultier, we might have taken its name the way a French ear would, as the humorous onomatopoeia of a cockcrow. The rooster is, after all, a symbol of Gallic pride. But the word's alliteration suggests the feisty designer had something more, well, cocky in mind. Or maybe we're too naughty. Never mind.

In customary Gaultier fashion, the fragrance examines the complex, conflicting forces that make up masculinity. The juice is a spicy, unequivocally virile explosion of fig leaf, cocoa bean, patchouli, cedar and vetiver. But Gaultier can't withhold campiness for long, unleashing here it in the black, lacquered bottle sculpted in the shape of a male profile, with Kokorico printed in Moulin Rouge style. The TV spot, directed by Jean Baptiste Mondino, stars Spanish model Jon Kortajarena in a feathered tuxedo dancing the flamenco and ends with a voiceover by Victoria Abril, a Pedro Almodovar favorite.

The launch party, held during Paris couture week, was attended by a bevy of male models, including Andrej Pejic in a sequined dress and feather fan, and brawny Rob Evans. It's been a while since we've seen so much oh la la in the staid world of men's fragrance—and it feels good. Unfortunately, while Kokorico hits French stores this fall, it won't reach American shores before 2013. But hey, why wait so long ? Just make a trip to Paris. Maybe you'll get to know why French men identify with flamboyant roosters.

"Poke the Box"-Seth Godin

3 Marketing Lessons from Seth Godin’s New Book "Poke the Box"

You might be a fan of the good ol’ Facebook “Poke,” but you probably never thought much of the act of poking. Well, that is going to change when you get your hands on Seth Godin’s new book, “Poke the Box.”

The fundamental message of "Poke the Box" is to start new things and dare to take initiative. David Meerman Scott, HubSpot's Marketer in Residence, was able to catch up with Seth about his new book and you can watch their interview below:

We put our marketing hat on and found 3 key lessons businesses can learn from "Poke the Box:"
1. Take Initiative

It is difficult for people to take initiative, but that is where a lot of value lies. The people who make an impact, Seth notes, are those who don’t take “no” for an answer. There is plenty of risk along the way but if you do the work you are capable of, you will achieve innovation. As an example, Seth points out Apple and the way the company now dominates the tablet computer market.
2. Embrace Failure

Failure should be cherished. Embracing failure helps companies learn fast and adapt to rapidly changing business environments. "The cycles of success for companies are dropping from 80 years to 40 years to 20 years," says Seth. "You cannot sit on a success for longer than five years now." But if you fail enough times and build a culture of failure, it is likely that your winning initiative is going to be brilliant.
3. Create Experiences

Seth offered two versions of his physical book—the standard edition and a custom, premium edition. The reason we buy stuff is not because we need the information anymore, he explains. It is because of the experiences they offer. Books are special, they are magical—we share them, we collect them. This type of experience is why people ultimately purchase your product. As a marketer, think about ways in which you can create similar experiences.

Did you read Seth's book? What marketing lessons did you identify?

Seth Godin on his new book Poke the Box from David Meerman Scott on Vimeo.

Paging Loewe

by Jenny Studenroth

Although its Italian counterparts hog a good portion of the luxury limelight, high-end Spanish leather brand Loewe has been turning out stylishness since the mid-1800s, and continues to do so today with Stuart Vevers as its creative director. To celebrate its illustrious history, the house is putting out an unusual art book by artist Robert Clarke.

Echoing Loewe's bold sense of color and whimsy, the entirety of Masters of Leather, as it's called, was written and illustrated completely by hand. Submerging himself in Madrid and Barcelona, visiting Loewe's ateliers and meeting its artisans, Clarke left no bag unturned. The result is a clever, unconventional look into the world of fine Spanish craftsmanship one and a half centuries in the making.

Available mid-September in all Loewe stores.