LifeMinute.tv interviews Keanan Duffty on music and fashion.
LifeMinute.tv, the American portal to premium lifestile content, interviews Keanan Duffty on his latest album recorded this year that features many influential names in music, and on his work with David Bowie, Sex Pistols, Clem Burke, Patti Smith, Scissor Sisters , Earl Slick and Moby.
"Award-winning British fashion designer and musician Keanan Duffty has made mixing music and fashion his forte, working closely with artists David Bowie and the Sex Pistols, and playing alongside Clem Burke, Patti Smith, Scissor Sisters, Earl Slick, and Moby. The London Central Saint Martins first-class honors graduate dressed the Sex Pistols for their 2003 American tour, and in 2006 he collaborated with David Bowie to create a fashion collection for Target. As a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and CFDA Education Committee, Duffty served as stylist for the 2016 CFDA Awards tribute to Bowie, featuring Tilda Swinton and Michael C. Hall, and with costumes by Kansai Yamamoto and Donatella Versace. He's even written a book called Rebel Rebel Anti-Style, which explores fashion, music, and "anti-fashion" icons. Duffty has had his own success as a singer with his music project Slinky Vagabond. In 2007 he formed the first incarnation of the musical group, which consisted of Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), Clem Burke (Blondie), and Earl Slick (David Bowie/John Lennon). Slinky Vagabond made their debut in May of that year as part of Joey Ramone's annual Birthday Bash at Irving Plaza NYC. Duffty performed at the Marc Bolan 30th Anniversary show at the Delacorte Theater, Central Park, New York City, in September of the same year alongside Patti Smith, Scissor Sisters, Moby, Lloyd Cole, and the New York Dolls. On April 18, 2008, Duffty performed with Clem Burke at the opening of the John Varvatos boutique in the former CBGB's at 315 Bowery. The lineup featured performances by Slash, Tom Morrello, Joan Jett, Alan Vega, Ronnie Spector, Ian Hunter, and Cheetah Chrome. The members of Slinky Vagabond have since parted ways, but the band still lives on with Italian guitarist/producer/songwriter Fabio Fabbri joining Duffty. They recently released a new album, King Boy Vandals, which features influential musicians Midge Ure (Ultravox, Live Aid), Dave Formula (Magazine, Visage), David Torn (Bowie, Sylvian), Tony Bowers (The Durutti Column), Richard Fortus (Psychedelic Furs) and Andy Hilfiger (Tommy's brother) playing bass in one song. The all-around artist and creative came to visit us at the LifeMinute Studios to talk about the 10-track record, working with Bowie, and the evolution of punk fashion."
The edge of the nineteen sixties was the threshold to a significant era leading to cultural, political and underground movements. Punk, Bronx born Hip Hip, Glam-rock, trickle down economics, AIDS, Thatcher government, New Wave, post Cold War identity crisis with succeeding periods of creative expressions leading to informing following generations the names may have changed but a true rock and roll dream can never die.
Slinky Vagabond originated with British fashion designer Keanan Duffty during the 1990's.
The name is firmly situated at the intersection of music and fashion. The early years of the band included Duffty, earl Slick (guitarist of David Bowie), Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols, Clem Burke of Blondie and the Ramones along with Pete Shelly of Buzzcocks. The current version of Slinky Vagabond is a collaboration between Duffty ,the Director of Fashion Programs at Parsons School of Design, guitarist /song writer Fabrio Fabbri of Palimoda International Fashion School, Tony Bowers founder of Simply Red, David Maher and noted keyboard player and film soundtrack composer Dave Formula. The sound of the group mixes a familiar glam era Bowie style with a unique melodic rock inflections.
Duffty describes the body of work as 'A full-blooded rock and punk record that shifts and slinks alongside searing guitars and muscular drums...'
King Boy Vandals explores 'the deeper reaches of dark rock clubs, gritty and dirty and very much alive. While many of the songs on King Boy Vandals had their genesis in the last two years (recording sessions took place in 2018 and 2019 with many of the guest performances happening digitally during the 2020 lock-down, some songs like “Primadonna” and “Fear No Evil” have beginnings further band in the past.' According to Duffty, “Those two songs are totally rewritten versions of demos I did for Velvet Revolver,” The sessions were produced by Earl Slick (David Bowie). Beefing up the song from its skeletal beginnings, he and Fabio collaborated to finish the song. “For this new Slinky Vagabond record, I kept the old lyrics and Fabio wrote new music, which is what you hear on our record." Scottish musician Midge Ure OBE recorded guitar parts on ‘Primadonna’ and we think it has a vibe of The Rich Kids," a band formed by Sex Pistols' founder Glen Matlock.
Primadonna' is second single release and the second song on the ten track album. The stylish video was produced by Fausto Fabbri who added playful animation as gestural fashion commentary. The dreamy progression from street to shopping and nightclub- music venue are supported by drawings which act as idiomatic expressions of time travel supported by documentary footage of 'Youth-Quake' shopping districts in London. It's stroll through fashions associated with an era known as 'Swinging London' from 1962-1969. Specifically 'the in crowd' haunts, on Carnaby Street and Kings Road where youth could find optimistic, glamorous, re-worked vintage styles skirting innocence. Slinky Vagabond's use of vintage news reel is a clever play in the age of instant media.
The video's charismatic concept is an imaginary stroll down the Kings Road with German -Italian Anita Pallenberg one of the model/muse of the Rolling Stones and band member Brian Jones' girlfriend. The base reel is a marvelous primary source document, capturing the shifts in fashion generations. It was the rise of boutique culture, fashion collections created right out of art schools such as Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins found a chic clientele in London's youth driven fashion clusters .
The video provides a glimpses of destinations such as; the intimidating entrance of Nigel Waymouth' s Granny Takes a Trip, a boutique looking to the rise of psychedelic counter culture, melding art, music and the growing taste for vintage fashion to Barbara Hulanicki's globally known, carefully curated and cleverly decorated BIBA, whose 'Art Deco style' interiors by Tony Little were the ideal setting for a wide range of brightly colored feather boas.
A intrinsic highlight in the video is the facade of former Vogue fashion editors Christopher Gibbs and Michael Rainey's boutique Hung on You. The men's boutique was a noteworthy facilitator in the 'Peacock Revolution' challenging the notions of quiet behavior vs flamboyance pushing the boundaries of gender. Hung on You is also an often repeated lyric in 'Primadonna'. The Hung on You boutique was also the later 1971 location of Let it Rock the earliest music, Zoot suit and brothel creeper venues under the entrepreneurship of Malcolm McLaren . It was the first venue where another generation of rock and roll devotees could buy Vivienne Westwood's distressed t-shirts a first client was Alice Cooper.
Too Fast to Live and much Too Young to Die” is also a repeated lyric in 'Primadonna'. It's iteration is a play on McLaren's second boutique name where a fashion and lifestyle vision come closer to Punk Rock, S&M and the growing Trans sensibility in fashion. The preamble to the fabled SEX boutique. The phrase is also a battle cry for the true rebel at heart. The Slinky Vagabondvideo also gives a nod to the the documentary work of British film-maker Julian Temple who began his career making short films about the Sex Pistols, later the Kinks, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones.
Slinky Vagabound's release happened on the same day as the British Fashion Council's announcement of the September line up of yet another hybrid fashion week and a social media press junket of Danny Boyle's anticipated series 'Pistol'.
The new live acoustic version of “The Beauty in You” was recorded during the pandemic.
Fabio Fabbri, guitarist, composer and producer of Slinky Vagabond recorded at his Wolfmount Home Studio. Keanan Duffty, singer and songwriter of the band, recorded in New York City.
This new live acoustic version of the "The Beauty in You", is different from the track that is included in the album "King Boy Vandals" (click here to listen to), that is the new Slinky Vagabond album released May 6th 2021.
While the origional version of the acoustic version of "The Beauty in You" features Dave Formula and Tony Bowers, "This live acoustic version is stripped down to its rawest elements – a simple acoustic guitar played by Fabbri and the gentle, almost angelic vocals of Duffty. Because the two band members are on other sides of the globe under lockdown – Duffty in New York and Fabbri in Italy – the video was recorded via Zoom." (Matt Matasci, Mxdwn Premiere, May, 11th 2021).
“The live acoustic recording of our single “The Beauty in You” was conceived and edited by Fausto Fabbri. We wanted to capture a live, intimate stripped-down performance and since Fabio is in lockdown in Italy and I am in New York, we recorded it using Zoom,” said Duffty. “Fabio recorded his part in his Wolf Mountain Studio and I recorded mine in my apartment. Fausto spent about a week editing the performances and the song really lends itself to this spacious, simple ‘less is more’ approach. This modality, using Zoom is truly the result of the circumstances we all find ourselves in.”
The music of "The Beauty in You" is written by Fabio Fabbri, the lyrics by Keanan Duffty.
About the song, Keanan Duffty said that he was inspired by "Finding beauty in decay. All those living ghost towns and abandoned zombie malls that litter the urban landscape. Derelict places like The Salton Sea in Southern California’s Coachella Valley. "
From the chap who brought us the Gentleman's Code on SiriusXM, famed fashion photographer Nigel Barker teams up with his Boarding school pal and renaissance man Tom Astor AKA The Snapper, to bring you a podcast that promises to leave you both shaken and stirred. The show is a culmination of 100s of dinner parties, boozy lunch and drawn out breakfasts where no subject was taboo and even the obvious can be surprising! So pull up a seat and join the conversation.
This week Nugel Barker and Tom Astor invited Keanan Duffty onto their brillant podcast "Shaken & Stirred" for a bit of a chin wag and a bevvy...in case of Keanan a berry mocktail!
They discuss his fashion & music career, working with David Bowie and his latest album with his band, Slinky Vagabond.
In this video Keanan explains what "King Boy Vandals " means!
Rock Nation, Italian online Magazine interviews Fabio Fabbri/ Slinky Vagabond guitarist, composer and producer, at Polimoida International Fashion Scool of Florence.
The interview was made June 2021.
" FabioFabbri is a rocker. There are few artists like him in Italy.
For him Music is everything.It’s attitude, it’s feeling, it’s a way for him to express himself much better thanwords.
Both as session man and solo artist,and 4 albumsas memberof the rock band General Stratocuster and the Marshals,Fabio has gone ahead withhis idea of Rock’n Roll where past and present blend together with the aim of reaching anequilibrium which will always be different.
The encounter with Keanan Duffty, musician and fashion designer, at Polimoda Fashion School of Florence, has been one of the manysurprises that has characterised Fabio’s career.
Their debut together as Slinky Vagabond and the debut album “ King Boy Vandals” , that was born during the pandemic, is a little miracle in whichillustrious collaborations such as Midge Ure ( Ultravox, Visage, Thin Lizzy ), Dave Formula ( Visage, Magazine), Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash) David Torn ( David Bowie), Richard Fortus ( Guns N’Roses) e Tony Bowers (Simply Red), have taken place.
Destiny is the keyword around whichFabio’ s history develops, and this is the story that today he is ready to tell us. "
Fabio thanks NS, Sara e Massimiliano at Polimoda for having hosted this interview in their wonderful school.
Stitched Sound interviews Slinky Vagabond. about their new album "King Boy Vandals ".
Stitched Sound, the online music website and magazine, interviews the two members of Slinky Vagabond : Fabio Fabbri , guitarist, composer and producer and Keanan Duffty, singer and songwriter. They discuss making music together, their love for fashion and music, their new album "King Boy Vandals" and what's next.
"Growing up in England, Keanan Duffty developed a love for fashion and music from a young age, inspired by artists such as David Bowie, Mark Bolan and Roxy Music. He graduated from Central St Martins in London with a Bachelors of Arts degree in fashion and textiles and in 1993, he moved to New York to his base for a career in fashion design. In 2007, along with Clem Burke (Blondie/The Ramones), Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols/Rich Kids), Earl Slick (David Bowie/John Lennon) and a collaboration with the late Pete Shelley, Keanan formed the band Slinky Vagabond, with their first show being played at Irving Plaza as part of Joey Ramones annual birthday bash. They also performed at Fashion Week’s Gen Art and Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp (2008) and Marc Bolan’s 30th Anniversary Show (2007) alongside Patti Smith, Tom Morello, Joan Jett, Ronnie Spector, and more. After playing many shows together, other engagements led the band members to part ways. In 2018, while lecturing at the Polimoda International Fashion Institute, Keanan met Italian guitarist/musician Fabio Fabbri, who teaches at the institute and heard Keanan speak. An instant chemistry led them to play music together and Slinky Vagabond 2.0 was born. “At the beginning, we didn’t have plans or projects,” adds Fabio. “I felt a great energy playing with Keanan: no limits, no barriers. Our different musical backgrounds created an exciting mix and we felt it was time to build a more structured project. I think the true essence of Rock’n’Roll comes out when you can work free from plans or deadlines.” May 6th will see the release of their album King Boy Vandals, the title being an anagram of Slinky Vagabond. Featuring guest appearances by Midge Ure (Ultravox/Visage/Live Aid co-founder), Dave Formula (Magazine/Visage), Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses/Psychedelic Furs), David Torn (David Bowie/David Sylvian), Tony Bowers (Durutti Column/Simply Red) and Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash), King Boy Vandals is an album born of musical alchemy, forged in fire and cooled in sweat. The album was recorded in Fabio’s recording studio outside of Florence, Italy. Adds Fabio, “Having a personal recording studio gave me the opportunity to work during the pandemic and also to get through that very bad period. I think that the pause of live concerts in 2020 made musicians more available to work on new songs and I think that is one of the reasons we had so many great musicians as guests.” Comprised of some songs that they each brought to studio, and some they wrote together from scratch, they recently released the first single “The Beauty In You”, featuring Dave Formula and Tony Bowers. Says Keanan, “It’s about the beauty in decay,” he explains. “Although it masquerades as a love song, it’s actually about abandoned ghost towns like Pripyat in northern Ukraine, which was evacuated after the explosion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Also, The Salton Sea in California where the town of Bombay Beach was once a popular destination for Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, and Bing Crosby and it now is a derelict ‘living ghost town.’ I love that place. It’s like being in a deserted town on Mars.” With plans to promote the album and do a later release of the album on vinyl, this is definitely an album you will have in heavy rotation! You can connect with Slinky Vagabond via the following links. Photo credit: Ruggero Lupo Mengoni"
