ODDA 9 Legends
- 1. LEGENDS In an utter manipulation of the senses, celebrating high profile. Larger-than-life perso- nae and a fascination with the surreal, we hark back to a generation of iconic history- makers and influencers known as celebrities. They coloured popular culture with their myriad scandals and epic narratives which subliminally have remained in our collective conscience, incessantly influencing our own values and personal styles along the way. Whether it is the inimical Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols and his anarchic angst; the alluring Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor draped in extravagant diamonds, a witty and cheeky Jack Nicholson as the Joker or the enigmatic Alfred Hitchcock toying with our emotions and senses, they are each in their own right revolutionary game-changers and perennial icons of industry. by Kyle Johnson Illustrations by Natalia Jhete An iconic actor, screenwriter and producer, Jack Nicholson got his first break in the 1969 American cult classic Easy Rider and later dazzled us in the Oscar award-winning One Flew Over A Cuckoos Nest 1975); scared the daylights out of us in The Shining (1980) and kept us riveted in Batman (1989) as the infamously cryptic Joker, encapsulating a kaleidoscopic range of neurotic yet alluring characters. Having worked with Stanley Kubrick, Roman Polanski and a plethora of Hollywoods most respected directors and actors, Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award every decade and accomplished in his career what only a few could aspire to. Ergo, by playing introverted, manipulative and twisted characters often engaged in cryptic plot lines, he leaves for us a mark in cinematic history that extols rebelliousness and the importance of personal freedom. CELEBRITY ICONS In this industry, there are only two ways up the ladder. Rung by rung or claw your way to the top. Its sure been tough on my nails JACK NICHOLSON April 22, 1937 - Present
- 2. An archetypal figure seeped in rebellion, self-destruction and antithe- tical ideologies, Sid Vicious was the seditious bassist in the Sex Pis- tols, one of the most notorious Punk rock bands created by Malcom McLaren. With his cantankerous personality, violent outbursts and unkempt appearance styled like something out Vivienne Westwoods 1970s boutique SEX, he perfectly fit into the edgy and anarchic role of an idolized Punk rock cult figure. Indisputably a revolutionary in his music, style and bad attitude, his life read much like a Shakespearian tragedy, when after the murder of his then girlfriend Nancy Spungen, Sid died of an intentional heroin overdose while awaiting a trial for her murder. Already notorious for their bad behavior, they became a myth of a couple, a Punk rock Romeo and Juliet. 105 Undermine their pompous authority, reject their moral standards, make anarchy and disorder your trademarks. Cause as much chaos and disrup- tion as possible but dont let them take you ALIVE SID VICIOUS May 10, 1957 - February 2, 1979 A larger-than-life yet mysterious figure inspired by the art of mani- pulation and suspense, cinematic createur Alfred Hitchcock, who spawned more than 50 years worth of psychological thrillers like Dial M for Murder (1954), Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963) was an iconic driving force in Cinema history. With his sexually-charged plots (famously spearheaded by high-strung blondes) mired in secrecy and hidden agendas, he pioneered a genre of cinematic thrillers that have become synonymous with him, Hitchcockian. Consequently, although he started out as an advertising and title card designer, as a film director and producer, he delivered to us daunting brainteasers of gut-wrenching intrigue, violence and murder. Indubitably a master of emotional drama, Hitchcock inevitably left his audiences bewildered, yet always wanting more. If I wont be myself, who will? ALFRED HITCHCOCK August 13, 1899 - April 29, 1980 From her early years as a child star with MGM, American-British screen actress Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywoods Golden Age, renowned for her alluring timeless beauty, especially her atypical violet eyes. A survivor of scandal, myriad health issues and multiple marriages, Taylor remained a enduring force in Hollywood, later spending much of her energy as a pioneering AIDS activist. As a child star she dallied with animals (Courage of Lassie. 1946) and as a stunning starlet, she often portrayed women with unbridled animalistic sexual energy, mastering the roles of femme fatale, helpless victim and aging harridan in films like Theres One Born Every Minute (1942), Giant (1956), Butterfield 8 (1960), Father of the Bride (1950) and Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966). In 1963s Cleopatra she became the first actress to earn $1,000,000 for a movie role for her portrayal of the Egyptian queen. Provocative, outspoken, eccentric and larger-than-life, Taylor and her life manifested a thirst in the publics psyche and was epitomized by her beauty, serial marriages, love of diamond jewelry, charity work and even her chummy friendship with Michael Jackson. You find out who your real friends are when youre involved in a scandal ELIZABETH TAYLOR February 27, 1932 - March 23, 2011