SUNDAY MATINEE ♥ BRIAN ERMANSKI .......THE PRINCE OF ELIZABETH STREET

DropCulture.com presents "The Prince of Elizabeth Street" from Paul Stone on Vimeo.

I remember meeting Brian Ermanski pretty clearly. It was probably 2003 or 2004 or somewhere in there. A friend was visiting New York, and I took her to lunch in Nolita (North of Little Italy). Across the street from the joint, on the corner of Prince and Elizabeth (get it?) were a dozen or more paintings, bright, vicious, raw, crude, but crude in a way that grabs you...not in a way that makes you want to turn away. I had already been a huge art collector and writer (for a lot of good magazines), and before I knew it, I was lost in the mess of things lining the brick building. I wanted all of them. Then I heard a really sweet voice from a kid who looked a little like a ring master and a little like a gutter punk and a lot like someone who'd be famous one day. To this day, I remember the kindness and grace in his voice and the charming, demure vibe he gave off...and his boom box (which is always at his side along with his top hat). I took Pretty in Pink (you'll see it below) home with me that day. And then I kept in touch with Brian...following his career. Trying to hook him up with gigs when I could. Making sure he wasn't starving. I love art. I love creators. And anyone who has spent some time with me knows what a cheerleader I am when I know someone is a star. (And I'm never wrong.) And slowly his star did start to rise. And now I'd say, he's arrived with a short documentary that will debut on Monday (tomorrow) at the LA Film Fest. "BE", as he's also known, is still the same sweet kid (even though he's famous now) that I met on the corner of Prince and Elizabeth almost a decade ago. Even as he's in the middle of his first explosive visit to LA, he managed to answer some questions whilst unpacking and getting ready for his party at The Mondrian in Hollywood. 

HOW ARE YOU FEELING!? I MET YOU SOOOO LONG AGO. I HAD BEEN WRITING ABOUT ART FOR A LONG TIME, I KNEW A LOT OF FAMOUS STREET ARTISTS, AND I AM KNOWN FOR SEEING IT.A ND I WAS TOTALLY TAKEN BY YOUR ART. IF I HADN'T BEEN BROKE, I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT A DOZEN PIECES. AT LEAST MY FRIEND GOT THAT FIRST PIECE FOR ME...SO I WANT TO KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO SEE THE RESPONSE AND THE ARRIVAL...LIKE, HAVE YOU "ARRIVED"?

I am feeling very happy Today! Everything I have worked for over the years is happening! I have a couple more months to make it as I have been making deadlines for myself and if everything works out I will have a beautiful studio in Manhattan very soon. The responses have been good and quite a joy to hear when each new project comes my way! Clients are very satisfied and that makes excited to keep on going with my paintings. As far as the arrival: Not yet, years ago when I first started sitting on the bench outside Balthazar staring at the MoMA design store wishing I had paintings in the museum I imagined crossing the street and to one day have the door opened wide for me with a red welcome carpet. For years it FELT LIKE all I was doing was throwing rocks at the window... now I believe I am balancing on the edge of the sidewalk outside the museum with plans to broad jump to the door to ring the bell!  

TELL ME ABOUT THE FILM, THE PRINCE OF ELIZABETH STREET.

The film "The Prince of Elizabeth Street" started by coincidence one day. I was painting on the corner a 6 foot by 5 foot canvas of two girls dancing on a pole that read LIVE NUDE GIRLS XXX with film sprockets down each side titled "Girls on Film". Paul Stone (the director of our film) who lived by the corner saw this... He had just won 5 awards at different festivals for his film "Tales of Times Square" and on his business card was a picture of him in front of a neon sign that read "LIVE NUDE GIRLS XXX". He told me that in a few years he wanted to do a film about me. I imagined it happening and remembered that day. He approached me again last year and we filmed last summer and fall using a Canon HD camera and a lot of voice-overs. The visuals are stunning. I went back to dressing in rags, not shaving, not using an ipod on my radio for three weeks and smoking TOP tobacco, putting on a wig like my old hair used to look like and my first top hat. i also painted my face again like i used to with three black lines under each eye because i wanted to be the chief of my own tribe and was invisible when i wore it! haha Paul submitted it to many film festivals and the 14th annual Los Angeles International Short Film Festival was the first one we got in to. The world premier is Monday, July 26th at 10pm The film also has an east coast premier in NYC at Tribeca Cinemas on August 27th at 6pm for ACEFEST. 

Brian's post on the corner of Prince and Elizabeth streets in Nolita, NYC,
where I first met him

WHAT'S YOUR OPINION OF FASHION? THERE ARE A LOT OF FASHION PIECES IN YOUR WORK, AND YOU'VE BEEN IN NEW YORK FOR A LONG LONG TIME. 

I like good fashion for the affect it can have on your eyes! I can point out a girl two blocks away who i think has great style and when i can't blink or turn away i know that I have been inspired. The colors, shapes, designs and details that go into an outfit may one day be on a canvas of mine. I enjoy painting girls mainly in lingerie, with tights and garters and high heels always!!! Friends of mine whose clothing lines look very sexy, and having a feeling of freedom are Sinclair Tucker, Lis.B by Betina and "With Love" by Emilie Ghilaga. I used to make clothes 10 years ago and always wanted to have a clothing line but never had the money or the resources. I introduced myself to Karl Lagerfeld one day on Prince Street outside the Mercer Hotel and asked him if he ever wanted to design a menswear line for Chanel and if he did I wanted to help him. I said it would be for all of the rocker kids and the guys who had older women buying clothes for them. He replied, "that is a great idea Brian, but Chanel makes so much money on perfumes and cosmetics that it would be a drop in the bucket." His photographer took loads of photos of us and then I thanked him for his time and for sharing his thoughts with me. 

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE IN LA FOR THE FIRST TIME? SEEMS APPROPRIATE FOR YOU. SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD INSPIRE A WHOLE LOTTA NEWNESS IN BE WORK.

I have been in Los Angeles for less than a day yet I feel like i am in a dream in which i am flying. I went to the Mondrian last night and saw a lot of friends I know from NYC. I am staying in Laurel Canyon at a friends place and can walk down to a country store. The air is fresh up here and the weather is perfect! The girls last night were all dressed to the 9's at SKY BAR! I was in Heaven! Not one girl was wearing jeans! I love a girl in a perfect pair of Levi's once in a while but when every girl dresses the same...

Brian in front of his Warhol painting for Interview magazine's 40th anniversary party.

Bowie.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEXT? 

When I get back to New York August 2nd I am making a series of POP Lipstick paintings 2' x 4' of which I already sold one. I am finishing up the ICE POP series and making different color ice like black on black on black is, yes black ice and so on for every color of diamond there is. I have another commission for a friend and maybe some more screen prints... The greatest thing is that I never know what call I am going to get next. I got a call from Morgans Hotel Group last month to design a t shirt for the SHORE CLUB SOUTH BEACH and I was so elated that people were going to be able to buy them in the hotel!

A painting of the invite for the Interview magazine anniversary and (below) NYC's Hudson Hotel, where the party was held with wall-to-wall BE.

 WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO ANYONE STRIVING TO GET THERE?

Advice? believe in yourself and everything you are doing. Go after whatever you want with a vengeance and stay focused on your goals!

Living it up for the first time in the LA LA

WILL YOU PAINT MY PORTRAIT ONE DAY WHEN I'M A FAMOUS NOVELIST?
I will paint your portrait when you are a famous novelist! That day is fast approaching! The painting may look super POP though... I hope you will like it...

AWESOME! I WILL LOVE IT! ♡

 "Pretty in Pink" was the first painting I bought from Brian way back circa 2004. The electric guitars was the second one I bought a couple of years ago. But I actually wanted it a long time before that. Brian kept it for me until I could claim it, which I thought was pretty amazing.

We ♥ The Prince of Elizabeth Street.

more sunday matinee ♥ my geisha

http://theprinceofelizabethstreet.com/
images courtesy of Brian Ermanski