The Truth Is Very Important: Life According To Quincy Jones

A number of thoughts on a variety of topics from the man who made "Thriller" with Michael Jackson. From Manzine Issue IV: Quart Edizione

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 On Long-haired dictionaries & advice for young men

"The best advice I had when I was young was from Vin Webster. He said, 'youngblood, step into my office, I gotta pull your coat,' which means I wanna tell you something important. 'Everywhere you go, eat the food the people eat, listen to the music they listen to, and learn 30-40 words in every language'. I speak Greek, Farsi Turkish, French, Swedish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian - I'm not talking fluently, but I like to get around. They say a long-haired dictionary is the best way to learn an language. I got two girls in China teaching me in Mandarin, writing and speaking. You learn fast, man, because you paying attention" [Quincy Jones then writes his name out in Chinese, Arabic and Japanese].

On being referred to as The First Superproducer

"I don't think about that stuff. Somebody else makes that decision. I do the best I can, okay? Do you rank yourself? No. Neither do I. It's silly. It's a waste of time."

On Joe Pesci

"Joe Pesci can sing his ass off." 

On Cockney Rhyming Slang & Michael Caine

"Michael Caine and I did 'The Italian Job' in '68. We were recording at the Olympic [studios] - the Stones were in doing 'Sympathy for the Devil' at night and we were in during the day doing the movie score. He was teaching me Cockney rhyming slang, and said. 'Quincy, you don't speak the fucking rhyme, the Gregory Peck bit. You say the first word, just the one word, so nobody knows what the fuck you're talking about.'

He saw a beautiful cellist in the front row and said, 'Quincy, take a pipe between the Scotch and check out the grumble... watch the boat on the ice cream when it checks out the Bristol's on that Richard.' Its like bebop talk, which is where hip hop talk came from."

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#ManFriday: Things & Thoughts, March 2011

Parzlez vous/Sprechen Sie/Se Parla Campag?

According to Tony Pringle of Cicli Berlinetta (pictured), staff at the wonderful bicycle shop in Berlin speak “fluent Campagnolo”, not that you really need another reason to go there. Check out the colours!

Cicli Berlinetta:
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Notes On The Advantages & Disadvantages of Knitted Bicycles 

Pros

• Prevents scratches

• Keeps your frame warm

• Is cute and cuddly

• Something do make during the winter months

A knitted bicycle: did you ever see etc etc

Cons

• Gets wet easily

• Stitches can be dropped easily when knitting

• Won’t get respect from fixed-gear riders (possible Pro?)

• Requires matching skirt/trousers

Even the lock is knitted
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TenForMen: Some modern lifestyle conundra that may or may not be worth pondering on while ironing your turn-ups.

1. What atmospheric, seasonal and social conditions must be met before it is acceptable to start wearing shorts?

2. Why are Clarks desert boots so squidgy?

3. What is the appropriate response when, on being asked by a (possibly attractive) woman for a light, another man steals the show by getting in there first with a flame?

4. Is it acceptable to dress like your dad if you’re dad was in, say, The Clash, The Specials, or The Jam.

5. What is the best kind of music to drown out public service announcements on Virgin Rail, TFL etc?

6. How old are the band Oasis in geological terms?

7. Are Blackberrys fundamentally more masculine than iPhones?

8. Rather than just dressing like a mountaineer, why not simply be a mountaineer?

9. What intriguing hand signals will Mark Cavendish make when winning Tour De France stages this year?

10. What is the point, generally?

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Hand-drying Is An Important pleasure

It comes to Manzine’s attention that the World Dryer Co. has recently markered a new hand dryer to rival the awesome, vandal-proof Model A, the “SMARTDri”. This one was spotted in an airport convenience and was enjoyable to use, along with being effective in drying. Apparently it is an “intelligent” device; Manzine tried to strike up a conversation with it about the limitations of laissez-faire capitalism, but all we got was hot was hot air which in itself is perhaps the perfect response.

Dryer: SMART

The black model looks really good too. More here on this exciting development

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Manzine Mutt of the Month, March

Name: Sydney •  Type: black Labrador • Location: outside Jet-Foto Memhardstrasse, Berlin • Anarchic-ness: 9/10. 

Christian Jungeblodt took the picture
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Things That Are What They Appear To Be No.5: "Bier" & "Mann"

This Berlin brewery take an approach to naming that draws as much from Marcus Aurelius ("Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself?) as from Ronseal ("it does exactly what it says on the tin".) Their beer is called "bier", while they also market these gender-specific, what-it-is-in-itself T-shirts. 

Manzine has not sampled the bier so cannot pronounce on its tastes. 

It looks good though, doesn't it?

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders, March 2011

Yeah

• Coffee in Italy

• Hanging around backstage with bands while not knowing how they are or what they sound like

• The paintings of John Singer Sergeant

• Nike over-the-knee lycra running shorts

• Candied ginger bonbons

• Alpine mountaineering in tweed

• Prestat choc and their boxes

Nah

• The speed with which parmesan dries out

• Gigs with so much dry ice they obscure the lead singer (if the gig in question is the Sisters Of Mercy, that may be no bad thing…)

• People who go on about Apps the whole time

• The point where self-deprecation bleeds into self-loathing

• The extreme distress caused by a visit to Ikea’s curtain department

• iPad gestures transposed onto newspaper/magazine reading

NOTE
Manzine issue No.5 is in the works. Watch this space.

Cheers,

THE MANZINE

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Man Things No.1: Spartacus's saddle

The Leopard-trek TT fleet in repose.

Manzine's favourite cyclist, the world time-trial champ Fabian Cancellara, won the chrono at the Tirreno-Adriatico today (Tuesday March 15th). Of course, a rider of his capability and status deserves a very special saddle and embossed signature (in an attractive Gothic face) on the crossbar of his Trek TT machine. Here are a couple of close-ups Manzine was privileged to get a a while ago Italy:

Saddle: check out the Olympic rings

Crossbar: that's a serious signature, isn't it?

Manzine wonders, what is the Italian for "bling-bling"? 

FORZA CANCELLARA LOCOMOTIVA

A Ballardian Scene

Hotel: being and nothingness

From Manzine's recent trip to Lido Di Camaiore in Tuscany. This picture is intended to convey the sense of waiting, by which we mean waiting for Manzine Issue V. WATCH THIS SPACE.