NYLON - September 2008 - (Page 56) contributors russ tam b lyn For many, Russ Tamblyn will always be Riff, the knife-wielding leader of the Jets in the 1961 musical West Side Story. But for this month’s TV Issue, the actor (and, yes, Amber’s dad) wrote about another role (“Fire Walk With Me,” page 166): “Recalling playing Dr. Jacoby on Twin Peaks brought back many fond memories,” he says. “He was certainly one of the most interesting characters an actor could wish to play.” Since being discovered by Lloyd Bridges at the age of 10, highlights of Tamblyn’s impressive résumé read: The Ed Sullivan Show, an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1957’s Peyton Place, and, more recently, starring opposite his daughter on Joan of Arcadia. “I asked her, ‘Now that I’m playing God maybe you’ll listen to me?’ She replied ‘I doubt it!’” he says. Tamblyn in fact manages Amber’s career, exhibits his abstract artwork in Los Angeles museums, and is working on his autobiography, Dancing on the Edge. shaw n m or te n se n “I became a photographer by accident,” says Shawn Mortensen. “In art school in the mid-’80s, I traded my skateboard for a camera, transferring the same risky, willing-to-fall-on-your-ass-attitude to provocative portraits.” Mortensen’s oeuvre includes images of Tupac Shakur in a straitjacket, the Sex Pistols in bed, and Courtney Love playing with neon toy guns. His work has been exhibited in the Guggenheim in New York and the Getty in Los Angeles; he was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for directing Bush’s “Machinehead” video in 1996, and has shot for NYLON since the magazine’s inception. This month, Mortensen’s subjects were the stars of TV’s Mad Men, Swingtown, Heroes, True Blood, and Knight Rider (“Television Rules The Nation,” page 180). “It’s fun shooting actors ’cause they play for the camera,” he says. cari ne bran c o w itz “Music, lyrics, poetry, books, old music videos from YouTube, paparazzi photos, memories…” rattles off illustrator Carine Brancowitz when asked for her inspirations. Born in France, Brancowitz began “copying the great masters of still life” when she was 13 and honed her skills at the prestigious L’École Estienne; her whimsical, fine-lined paintings and drawings have since been featured in Dazed & Confused and Vogue Pelle. This month marks Brancowitz’s first gig for NYLON: She collaged images of Beverly Hills, 90210 starlets amongst fall beauty products for a nostalgic Counter Culture (“Teen Spirit,” page 148). “I tried to find a good balance between mathematical composition and the exaltation of adolescence,” she says. Brancowitz’s favorite things are punk records and her BIC 4-Color ballpoint pen: “I was looking for a medium with strong limitations—it’s a magical pen.” But she has recently turned her attention towards designing a record sleeve for French crooner Sébastien Tellier. “When I have free time,” she says, “I work!” kathari ne e r w in Katharine Erwin’s career choice was easy: “My friend Annie said, ‘I like your scarf, you should be a stylist,’ and I said, ‘What’s a stylist?’” Erwin figured it out fast, and has since worked with the likes of French artist Fafi, New York streetwear queen Claw Money, and Virginia Beach hip-hop duo Clipse for Swindle, Vibe, and The Village Voice. Her task for NYLON’s TV Issue was to recreate the looks of iconic on-screen characters Denise Huxtable from The Cosby Show, Samantha Stephens from Bewitched, Mrs. Helen Roper from Three’s Company, and Clarissa of Clarissa Explains It All (“Tube Tops,” page 126). “Dior for Samantha: spot on! Chloé for Clarissa: so perfect! Missoni for Roper…” Erwin explains. “The thing about Denise is that Lisa Bonet can make a paper bag look amazing, so when you want to say, ‘I’m a badass,’ you go with Gaultier.” MORE THAN WORDS THEY MAY HAVE PAGES AND PAGES OF SCRIPT, BUT FOR MANY CHARACTERS IT IS ALL ABOUT ONE SIMPLE CATCH PHRASE. JOEY RUSSO (JOSEPH LAWRENCE) ON BLOSSOM: “Whoa!” STEVE URKEL (JALEEL WHITE) ON FAMILY MATTERS: BART SIMPSON: “Eat my shorts.” “Did I do that?” PEE-WEE HERMAN ON PEE-WEE’S PLAYHOUSE: “Connect the dots! La la la!” MICHELLE TANNER (MARY KATE AND ASHLEY OLSEN) ON FULL HOUSE: JOEY TRIBBIANI (MATT LEBLANC) ON FRIENDS: SAM BECKETT (SCOTT BAKULA) ON QUANTUM LEAP: STAN, KYLE, AND ERIC ON SOUTH PARK: “Oh boy.” “Oh my God, they killed Kenny!” TATTOO (HERVE VILLECHAIZE) ON FANTASY ISLAND: “How you doin’?” ARNOLD JACKSON (GARY COLEMAN) ON DIFF’RENT STROKES: “You’re in big trouble mister!” “Whatcha talkin’ about Willis?” “De plane! De plane!” FV 56 full house courtesy of everett collection.
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