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Fashion United
a day ago
- Business
- Fashion United
Pitti Uomo: Homme Plissé Issey Miyake embraces Italian spirit
Homme Plissé Issey Miyake presented its collection at the Italian menswear trade show Pitti Uomo, drawing inspiration from the country and its people. The menswear line from the eponymous Japanese designer used the opportunity, following its time at Paris Fashion Week, to embark on a new path, a spokesperson explained at the press conference on Wednesday before the show. 'Open Studio' is the new chapter for the label known for its pleated pieces. It was presented for the first time in Florence with an exhibition and catwalk show. Country and people Homme Plissé Issey Miyake exhibition showcased various objects and inspirations for SS26 Credits: Ole Spötter for FashionUnited For this, the design team left its Tokyo studio and travelled to Italy to capture the Italian lifestyle. The team studied the colours of various objects and surfaces in Italian cities; from a glass of red wine to an anchor to the wall of a house. Based on this, the designers created an extensive colour palette for the SS26 collection. Homme Plissé Issey Miyake SS26 Credits: ©Launchmetrics/spotlight The local communities, as well as the journey itself, also became part of the inspiration. Homme Plissé Issey Miyake showcased an asymmetric 'painter's' waistcoat, which, with its many compartments and pockets, was perfect for the team's brushes and paints on the trip. In addition, various voluminous jackets were part of the collection, which could be transformed into the piece's transport bag with a few hand movements. Homme Plissé Issey Miyake SS26 Credits: ©Launchmetrics/spotlight 'Open Studio' will remain part of the Homme Plissé Issey Miyake concept in the coming seasons and will be an opportunity for the design team to explore new places and find inspiration. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How an ancient place of death made Josh Homme feel alive
Josh Homme sips a Modelo the other night as he sits amid the vibey greenery behind Brain Dead Studios on Fairfax Avenue. Inside the movie theater, a small crowd including several of Homme's friends and family members is watching 'Alive in the Catacombs,' a black-and-white short film that documents an acoustic gig Homme's rock band, Queens of the Stone Age, played last July in the Paris Catacombs, where the remains of an estimated 6 million people are stored beneath the streets of the French capital. Back here on the patio, the 52-year-old singer and guitarist is musing about how audiences are likely to react. 'I'm so proud of the film because it's either 'I hate it' or 'Holy s—, that was intense,'' he says. 'It's nothing in between.' Advertisement The inspiration for 'Alive in the Catacombs,' which comes accompanied by a behind-the-scenes documentary (and a five-song EP due Friday), stretches back two decades to a trip to Paris when a long line stymied Homme's attempt to visit the historical site. Yet he sees a certain poetry in the fact that the show — with radically stripped-down renditions of tunes like 'Villains of Circumstance' and 'Suture Up Your Future' — came together only as he found himself in a health crisis that forced Queens to postpone the remaining dates of its 2024 tour. With Homme having recovered from cancer, the band will return to the road this week for its first shows in nearly a year. How arduous was it to convince the Parisian officials to let you shoot in the catacombs? It was a f— nightmare. There's a national attitude that's pervasive in France where you ask a question and the first reaction is, 'Ask him over there.' The runaround, as we would call it. We received the runaround for many years. Are you attracted to spooky spots in general? I love when music is scary. I recall hearing the Doors as a young boy and being like, 'Whoa.' And they're so consistently terrifying — I've always been obsessed with that. My vision of Queens, when it's perfect, is: There's a hill with the sun behind it, and this crippled army of minstrels comes over the horizon. The townspeople go, 'S—, grab the kids.' When we sound like that, we're at our best. What's a place in L.A. that might be comparable to the catacombs? There are some Steinbeck-y hobo hotels. And in the right light the Hollywood Forever cemetery has a certain ominous beauty. But that feels too simple. I grew up working on a tree farm, and there's something about the uniformity of a tree farm that I find terrifying. Further out, the oil fields of Kern County are like dinosaur relics — scabs on the surface of the earth. Advertisement Seems reasonable to ask why someone in such perilous physical shape would want to spend time in a place defined by death. Having worked on this for the better part of 20 years, the chances that when it finally occurs, I would be dealing with the very issue that is why it exists — I mean, the chances are almost zero. That plays into my romantic side, and I don't see the value in running hypotheticals about why it's happening. I'd rather hold it close and say, 'I'm supposed to be here,' accept that and feel empowered by it. There were a lot of people who love me that were saying I shouldn't do this. And I respect that. But it does ignore the point — like, how many signs do you need? I saw the behind-the-scenes film — I watched it once, and I can never watch it again. I see how medicated I was. I know that vulnerable is the way to go, but I don't do a lot of sorting through things in hindsight — it makes me uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable with the documentary. Why put it out? Because that's what this is. I was uncomfortable in the catacombs too. Read more: A timeline of Sly Stone's career in 10 essential songs Advertisement You don't play guitar in the movie. Did it feel natural for you to sing without holding one? It didn't in earlier years, but now it's as natural as anything else. I'm sort of slowly falling out of love with the guitar. I'll just use any instrument. I don't play them all well, but it doesn't really matter — it's whatever will get the idea across. Who were some of your models for the kind of singing you're doing? I've always loved [Jim] Morrison and his poetry. Sometimes the music isn't great in the Doors, but it's all in support of someone that I do believe is a true poet. The words are the strongest part of that band. Your crooning made me want to hear you do an album of standards. I was talking about this with my old man today. He's like, 'You're not gonna retire,' and I was like, 'Oh, yes, I am — I'm going to Melvyn's in Palm Springs to be like [sings], 'Fly me to the moon…'' You grew up in Palm Desert. This might be an underappreciated aspect of your lineage. KDES 104.7, baby. The DJ would be like, 'Are you by the pool? Well, you should be.' Very Robert Evans. Advertisement Are there Queens songs you knew wouldn't work in the catacombs? We didn't think of it that way. The people in there, they didn't choose to be there, so what would they want to hear? I chose things about family, acceptance, the difficulties in life and the way you feel the moment they're revealed — and the way you feel the moment they're over. My first thought was: How do I emotionally get on my knees and do the very best I can to present something that these people have been longing for? It felt very religious. Do you believe in God? I believe in God, but God is everything I can't understand. Do you think there's an afterlife? I believe there's a return to something. Is it like, 'Oh my God, Rodney Dangerfield!'? That's not what I believe. But the energy that keeps you and I alive, it can't simply disappear. You must just go home to the big ball somewhere. Last time you and I spoke, you told me you you'd learned to pursue your art with less of the reckless abandon of your youth. I wondered how that figured into your decision to call off shows last year after Paris. By the time we walked down the steps into the catacombs, we all knew in the band that it was over. The morning we were supposed to play Venice [a few days before the Paris gig], I just couldn't take it anymore, so I was like, 'Take me to the hospital.' But I realized there was nothing that could happen for me there. I said, 'Bathroom?' and I had them pull the car up and we left. Advertisement Does that seem irresponsible in retrospect? No, because they didn't know what was going on and they didn't have the ability to know. I was like, 'I made a mistake — I should have just kept going.' We went to the next show in Milan because Paris was so close. You work on something for all these years, and now you can almost see it. You're gonna turn around because it's hard? You can't go two more hours? My old man says, 'Quitting on yourself is hardest the first time, and it's easy every time after that.' Whoa. Is that wrong? That's the guy that brought me up, and he's proud to be here tonight. So did I make a mistake or not? I'm not sure what I would have done if I'd walked away. You've been reluctant to get too specific about your illness. It doesn't matter. Who cares? It was hard and it was dangerous. Big f— deal. Queens is about to get back onstage. We're gonna finish what we started. I thought I was gonna be out of commission for 18 months or two years — that's what I was told. Advertisement How'd you take that? I wasn't looking for high-fives. But it ended up being seven months. I've changed so many things, and I feel so good. Are you writing songs? Lots. The great part about these physically or mentally dangerous situations is that now I feel super-alive and ready to go. I spent a lot of months bedridden, and now that I'm not, I'm very much like a rodeo bull. Not the rider — the bull. When you open that gate, I will destroy. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How an ancient place of death made Josh Homme feel alive
Josh Homme sips a Modelo the other night as he sits amid the vibey greenery behind Brain Dead Studios on Fairfax Avenue. Inside the movie theater, a small crowd including several of Homme's friends and family members is watching 'Alive in the Catacombs,' a black-and-white short film that documents an acoustic gig Homme's rock band, Queens of the Stone Age, played last July in the Paris Catacombs, where the remains of an estimated 6 million people are stored beneath the streets of the French capital. Back here on the patio, the 52-year-old singer and guitarist is musing about how audiences are likely to react. 'I'm so proud of the film because it's either 'I hate it' or 'Holy s—, that was intense,'' he says. 'It's nothing in between.' The inspiration for 'Alive in the Catacombs,' which comes accompanied by a behind-the-scenes documentary (and a five-song EP due Friday), stretches back two decades to a trip to Paris when a long line stymied Homme's attempt to visit the historical site. Yet he sees a certain poetry in the fact that the show — with radically stripped-down renditions of tunes like 'Villains of Circumstance' and 'Suture Up Your Future' — came together only as he found himself in a health crisis that forced Queens to postpone the remaining dates of its 2024 tour. With Homme having recovered from cancer, the band will return to the road this week for its first shows in nearly a year. How arduous was it to convince the Parisian officials to let you shoot in the catacombs?It was a f— nightmare. There's a national attitude that's pervasive in France where you ask a question and the first reaction is, 'Ask him over there.' The runaround, as we would call it. We received the runaround for many years. Are you attracted to spooky spots in general?I love when music is scary. I recall hearing the Doors as a young boy and being like, 'Whoa.' And they're so consistently terrifying — I've always been obsessed with that. My vision of Queens, when it's perfect, is: There's a hill with the sun behind it, and this crippled army of minstrels comes over the horizon. The townspeople go, 'S—, grab the kids.' When we sound like that, we're at our best. What's a place in L.A. that might be comparable to the catacombs?There are some Steinbeck-y hobo hotels. And in the right light the Hollywood Forever cemetery has a certain ominous beauty. But that feels too simple. I grew up working on a tree farm, and there's something about the uniformity of a tree farm that I find terrifying. Further out, the oil fields of Kern County are like dinosaur relics — scabs on the surface of the earth. Seems reasonable to ask why someone in such perilous physical shape would want to spend time in a place defined by worked on this for the better part of 20 years, the chances that when it finally occurs, I would be dealing with the very issue that is why it exists — I mean, the chances are almost zero. That plays into my romantic side, and I don't see the value in running hypotheticals about why it's happening. I'd rather hold it close and say, 'I'm supposed to be here,' accept that and feel empowered by it. There were a lot of people who love me that were saying I shouldn't do this. And I respect that. But it does ignore the point — like, how many signs do you need? I saw the behind-the-scenes film —I watched it once, and I can never watch it again. I see how medicated I was. I know that vulnerable is the way to go, but I don't do a lot of sorting through things in hindsight — it makes me uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable with the documentary. Why put it out?Because that's what this is. I was uncomfortable in the catacombs too. You don't play guitar in the movie. Did it feel natural for you to sing without holding one?It didn't in earlier years, but now it's as natural as anything else. I'm sort of slowly falling out of love with the guitar. I'll just use any instrument. I don't play them all well, but it doesn't really matter — it's whatever will get the idea across. Who were some of your models for the kind of singing you're doing?I've always loved [Jim] Morrison and his poetry. Sometimes the music isn't great in the Doors, but it's all in support of someone that I do believe is a true poet. The words are the strongest part of that band. Your crooning made me want to hear you do an album of standards.I was talking about this with my old man today. He's like, 'You're not gonna retire,' and I was like, 'Oh, yes, I am — I'm going to Melvyn's in Palm Springs to be like [sings], 'Fly me to the moon…'' You grew up in Palm Desert. This might be an underappreciated aspect of your 104.7, baby. The DJ would be like, 'Are you by the pool? Well, you should be.' Very Robert Evans. Are there Queens songs you knew wouldn't work in the catacombs?We didn't think of it that way. The people in there, they didn't choose to be there, so what would they want to hear? I chose things about family, acceptance, the difficulties in life and the way you feel the moment they're revealed — and the way you feel the moment they're over. My first thought was: How do I emotionally get on my knees and do the very best I can to present something that these people have been longing for? It felt very religious. Do you believe in God?I believe in God, but God is everything I can't understand. Do you think there's an afterlife?I believe there's a return to something. Is it like, 'Oh my God, Rodney Dangerfield!'? That's not what I believe. But the energy that keeps you and I alive, it can't simply disappear. You must just go home to the big ball somewhere. Last time you and I spoke, you told me you you'd learned to pursue your art with less of the reckless abandon of your youth. I wondered how that figured into your decision to call off shows last year after the time we walked down the steps into the catacombs, we all knew in the band that it was over. The morning we were supposed to play Venice [a few days before the Paris gig], I just couldn't take it anymore, so I was like, 'Take me to the hospital.' But I realized there was nothing that could happen for me there. I said, 'Bathroom?' and I had them pull the car up and we left. Does that seem irresponsible in retrospect?No, because they didn't know what was going on and they didn't have the ability to know. I was like, 'I made a mistake — I should have just kept going.' We went to the next show in Milan because Paris was so close. You work on something for all these years, and now you can almost see it. You're gonna turn around because it's hard? You can't go two more hours? My old man says, 'Quitting on yourself is hardest the first time, and it's easy every time after that.' that wrong? That's the guy that brought me up, and he's proud to be here tonight. So did I make a mistake or not? I'm not sure what I would have done if I'd walked away. You've been reluctant to get too specific about your doesn't matter. Who cares? It was hard and it was dangerous. Big f— deal. Queens is about to get back gonna finish what we started. I thought I was gonna be out of commission for 18 months or two years — that's what I was told. How'd you take that?I wasn't looking for high-fives. But it ended up being seven months. I've changed so many things, and I feel so good. Are you writing songs?Lots. The great part about these physically or mentally dangerous situations is that now I feel super-alive and ready to go. I spent a lot of months bedridden, and now that I'm not, I'm very much like a rodeo bull. Not the rider — the bull. When you open that gate, I will destroy.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Queens of the Stone Age Couldn't ‘Over-Rehearse' for Paris Catacombs Concert Film: ‘You Go Down There & All the Plans Are Off'
Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has some sage advice for anyone who finds themselves in a difficult situation. 'If you're going through hell,' Homme says, 'keep going.' More from Billboard Queens of the Stone Age Announce 'Alive in the Catacombs' Concert Film, Album Billboard & Global Venture Partners Launch Billboard Africa Here's What Fans Think of SiR Claiming Drake Had His 2024 Toronto Show Canceled Easy for him to say: He's one of the few lucky souls who has left the Paris Catacombs, the subject of his band's new film and the final home to more than 6 million deceased Parisians following an 18th-century effort to fix Paris' overcrowded, dilapidated cemetery system. Homme has long been fascinated by the underground burial site, visited by more than a half-million people each year, and chose the dark and foreboding underground capsule as the central motif for Queens of the Stone Age's new project Alive in the Catacombs, a concert and concept film directed by Thomas Rames and produced by La Blogothèque. 'This place is like trying to run on a sheet of ice,' Hommes explains in the accompanying documentary Alive in Paris and Before, shot by the band's longtime visual collaborator Andreas Neumann. 'You have no idea how much time has passed up there, up above, and no time has passed below. It's the same time, all the time, every time.' It's easy to get lost in the maze-like film as it wanders through the subterranean tunnels and ossuaries buried deep beneath the City of Light. The film captures Homme at a low point in 2024, having to cancel a major European leg of the band's tour due to a cancer diagnosis from which he has since recovered. Performing in the Catacombs had been a lifelong dream of Homme's, and he pushes though the pain to delivery a carefully arranged performance of music from the band's back catalog, 'stripped down bare, without taking away what made each one wonderful,' band member Dean Fertita explains in the documentary. The band recruited violinist Christelle Lassort and viola player Arabella Bozig to repurpose tracks like 'Paper Machete,' 'Kalopsia' and 'Villains of Circumstance'; while each song was performed acoustically, Homme was adamant the project not simply feel like 'Queens of the Stone Age Unplugged.' 'When you go into the Catacombs, there are 6 million people in there, and I think about, 'What would you want to hear if you were one of those people?'' Homme said Wednesday night (June 4) during a Q&A in Los Angeles following a screening of the film. 'I'd want to hear about family and acceptance and things I care about. A lot of the songs we picked are about the moment you realize there's difficulty and the moment you realize you're past it, so a lot of the songs we picked were about letting the people down there know it's all right and that we care about them.' Homme said the challenges of the performance was that unlike a traditional concert where the band plays to the audience, 'We're in the belly of this thing. The ceiling is dripping and it's an organic thing that's really dominating.' The Paris Catacombs were built during a time of great upheaval in French society, as revolution completely reshaped civic life and laid siege to the political fabric of the French monarchy. There are no coffins or headstones in the Catacombs, with the bones of the princes and kings mixed with peasants and non-nobility. The band shot the entire film in one day, Homme said, securing permission from the historical group that oversees the Paris Catacombs to shoot on a day the space was closed to the public. 'We didn't over-rehearse; we just rehearsed twice,' Homme said. 'It's not supposed to be perfect. You try to make a plan, but you go down there and all the plans are off.' Fans can preorder the film in advance on Queens of the Stone Age's website; fans who order the video before Saturday will also receive the mini-documentary film. Watch the trailer below: Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Queens of the Stone Age Announce ‘Alive in the Catacombs' Concert Film, Album
Queens of the Stone Age have announced the release of their unique live performance in the Catacombs of Paris as a concert film and album. Recorded in July 2024 and set to be released on June 6 via Matador Records/Remote Control Records, the unique performance saw the rock outfit head beneath the surface of Paris to perform within the sprawling 200-mile ossuary. According to a description of the location, its foundation is built out of 'several million bodies buried in the 1700s,' with many of the walls composed of skulls and bones. More from Billboard Adam David Delivers Teddy Swims' 'Lose Control' on 'The Voice' as Finalists Are Set Blake Shelton Drops 'Texas' on 'Fallon,' Says Post Malone Fueled His Return Amyl and the Sniffers, Royel Otis Lead Finalists for 2025 AIR Awards Frontman Josh Homme had dreamed of organizing such a performance since visiting almost two decades earlier, though was denied permission by the city of Paris, who had never previously allowed a band to play within. However, the respect the band held for the location ultimately resulted in their performance officially being sanctioned. 'The Catacombs of Paris are a fertile ground for the imagination,' said Hélène Furminieux of Les Catacombes de Paris. 'It is important to us that artists take hold of this universe and offer a sensitive interpretation of it. Going underground and confronting reflections on death can be a deeply intense experience. 'Josh seems to have felt in his body and soul the full potential of this place. The recordings resonate perfectly with the mystery, history, and a certain introspection, notably perceptible in the subtle use of the silence within the Catacombs.' The unique nature of the location results in Homme and his bandmates – Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore – being backed by three-piece string section as they perform a stripped-back set planned and played with deference to the Catacombs. Recorded live with no overdubs or edits, the performance is paired with the acoustic ambience of dripping water, echoes and natural resonance as atmospheric lighting spotlights the band. 'We're so stripped down because that place is so stripped down, which makes the music so stripped down, which makes the words so stripped down,' Homme explains. 'It would be ridiculous to try to rock there. All those decisions were made by that space. That space dictates everything, it's in charge. You do what you're told when you're in there.' Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs will be available to rent or purchase via the band's website, with an audio-only release to be announced in the coming weeks. Notably, this isn't Queens of the Stone Age's first subterranean gig, with the group previously performing 2,300 feet underground at German salt mine, Erlebnisbergwerk Sondershausen, in November 2007. Originally planned for wider release, the semi-acoustic performance is yet to see the light of day, with the band's split with Interscope Records assumed by fans to be the reason for its indefinite delay. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
