the nogoodforme interview: nogoodforme.com!

It might be kind of silly to do our own interview as part of our fifth birthday celebrations, but I take full responsibility -- 'twas my suggestion as editorial director, and you can blame all pretentiousness charges on me. I really want this to be less about me, however, than about paying tribute to my super-foxy comrades in awesome: Liz and Laura, two of the coolest girls I know in the whole wide universe -- and three parallel universes over. Well before I started nogoodforme.com in 2003, I actually had known Liz and Laura through zines; I can say with great honesty that they've been some of my favorite writers since forever. So it was such a huge, happy deal for me to get them to come on board this little cruise ship. They've both brought their own idiosyncratic, brilliantly unique takes on life, culture and all things fabulous to nogoodforme, and I can truly say that this blog would not exist without them. Yet it struck me that I had no idea what Liz's favorite beauty secret was, or what album from childhood Laura still rocks to this day. That seemed totes wrong, you know? It needed to be rectified before we embarked on any more birthdays, and this was my solution.

A lot has changed in the blogosphere since I started this baby, but one thing that doesn't change is the passion and inspiration you need to keep a blog going. The best thing about having Liz and Laura as my compatriots is that they constantly inspire me with their collective wit, talent and hotness. They're probably super-embarrassed at how I'm going on about them, but you know what? They're rock stars in my eyes, I believe in gratitude and I wanted to use our five-year birthday to give them some public love. So my champagne glass is raised to Liz and Laura, to the last five years, and to the many moons of the beautiful and true we hope to document here in the future. And we raise a glass to you, dear readers! Thank you so much for reading! Gold rings to you all from nogoodforme.com, where our game is tight, our aim is true and our hearts are full of how perfectly awesome life can be. We share it with each other, and we enjoy sharing with you. (Kat)

Tell us all about how you started nogoodforme.com.
Kat: I pretty much started nogoodforme.com on a whim in 2003; I didn't really put a whole lot of thought into it. Fashion blogging was not really a thing at that time; I think I had only really read lookonline.com at that point, which I totally loved. But it was more industry-centric, and I kind of wanted to put a personal slant on things.

What was your original vision for the blog?
Kat: With something as changeable as fashion, I pretty much knew that the "vision" for the blog would change as my relationship to fashion changes. But I always wanted to keep things fun, and to make it entertaining to read and write. And definitely be as non-bitchy and positive as possible. I hope that sense of good spirits has remained throughout all of the site's incarnations and makeovers. I want to be as starry-eyed as long as I can about life in general, much less about fashion.

What's the most rewarding aspect of doing nogoodforme.com?
Kat: The groupies, of course. I also like it when people email or MySpace or Facebook-message me and are like, "Dude, Ronnie Dio totally kicks Ozzy's Sabbath-y ass!" when I put Black Sabbath on Heavy Rotation. It's always so nice to hear from people. And when you get turned onto something so amazing and you share it with others and everyone's all amazed together. That's really the best.
Liz: When people write us nice emails, like when we did our epic Neil Young entry and Thrasher's Wheat linked to us and all these Neiler fans wrote us really sweet and awesome messages and I was just the happiest girl.
Laura: I was celeb-spotted on the street the other day! That kind of thing makes it all worthwhile.

What are your biggest inspirations for the blog?
Kat: Liz and Laura!
Liz: Kat and Laura!
Laura: Totally not Liz and Kat. Just kidding! Liz and Kat!

Who are some of your favorite designers?
Kat: Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Linda Loudermilk, Vanessa Bruno, Maje, Geren Ford, Balenciaga, Vena Cava, Elise Overland, Sunshine & Shadow, Martin Margiela, Edun, Vera Wang, Lyell, Daryl K, Isabel Marant, United Bamboo, Sophia Kokosalaki, Staerk, Filippa K, Nicole Farhi...too many to name! I like fashion! I like everybody!
Liz: I'm crazy for Linda Loudermilk as well. My favorite jewelry designer's Erica Weiner. This question's making me nervous so I'm moving to the next one.
Laura: Rodarte, Christopher Kane, Stella McCartney, Veronique Branquinho, Matthew Williamson, Frida Giannini, that dude who got fired from Chloe

Who are your style idols?
Kat: Emmanuelle Alt, who is herself a style descendent of Patti Smith. But I'm also awfully fond of Monica Vitti, Anna Karina, and all those old-school European film goddesses. If I could marry Patti's scruff with their grace and refinement, I'd be so happy.
Liz: Jennifer Herrema!
Laura: Oliver Twist, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby, Justine Frischmann circa 1995, Geri Halliwell circa 1997, the Beatles

Whose closet would you most like to raid?
Kat: My mother in the early 70s had some pretty killer threads. It's a shame she had to move to America and get rid of it all, no? And honestly, I steal from my beau's closet all the time -- much to his consternation, because he owns, like, twenty things. But they're all perfect in that indie rock dude way, and I admire his discipline.
Liz: Jennifer Herrema's!
Laura: Jeff Spicoli's

What's your favorite clothing item (or outfit) lately?
Kat: Believe it or not, the Kate Moss for Topshop leather jacket I got on sale has been pretty incredible for awhile now. And always my black riding boots, because they're practical and they speak to the other great passion of my life, horses. Jesus, what am I going to do for summer?
Liz: My beautiful new/old Bones Brigade shirt.
Laura: Beatle Boots and these fish-print underwear from the coolest store in the Universe.

Who are your favorite bands/musicians?
Kat: Dude, are you kidding me? I can't believe we ask this question, this is hard! Okay: PJ Harvey, Lync, lots of thing on mid-90s Gravity Records, insane amounts of dub (that reminds me, I need to go to Jammyland soon), Will Oldham/Bonnie Prince Billy/Palace whatever, Nina Nastasia, Blonde Redhead, Jay-Z, NEIL YOUNG, Rites of Spring, Huggy Bear, Psychic Ills, Patti Smith, Wyeth, Suicide, the Dirty Three, Heroin, Madonna, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Mary Timony, New Order, Unwound, Scientist, Steven R. Smith/Thuja/Hala Strana, Depeche Mode, Calla, Joy Division, Can, Joanna Newsom, Cat Power, the Stones, Neneh Cherry, anything I've ever mentioned in Snapshot or We're Obsessed or Heavy Rotation. The list can go on and on and on...it will never end.
Liz: All-time top 25, in oh-so-democratic alphabetical order: Devendra Banhart, The Beastie Boys, The Beatles, Belly, David Bowie, De La Soul, The Doors, John Frusciante, The Geraldine Fibbers, Helium/Mary Timony, Hole/Courtney Love, Jane's Addiction, Jay-Z, Madonna, Nirvana, PJ Harvey, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rilo Kiley/Jenny Lewis, Rolling Stones, Patti Smith, Sonic Youth, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Neil Young
Laura: The Beatles, the Idle Race, Ver Sacrum (Honestly! I genuinely love Ver Sacrum. I write myself my own favorite songs), the Kinks, Curt Boettcher, Count Five, the Hollies, the Fiery Furnaces, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Van Dyke Parks, Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, the Monkees, the Great Society, Television, the Bee Gees, Dukes of Stratosphear, Gal Costa, the Beach Boys, Neil Young

What music do you like to listen to when primping?
Kat: The songs I put in this week's Heavy Rotation, plus early Madonna and the first Black Rebel Motorcycle Club record. And sometimes Def Leppard's Hysteria is really fun to put eyeliner on to.
Liz: It changes all the time. But a few years back I discovered that "Girls, Girls, Girls" by Jay-Z is really ideal when you're getting ready for a hot date, so that's my one consistent go-to track.
Laura: The songs I put in this week's Heavy Rotation, plus "Cinnamon Girl" by Neil Young, "Here Comes the Summer" by the Fiery Furnaces, Reparata & the Delrons, the Kinks, Sonny & Cher, and Betty Davis

Name one record you loved when you were a little kid that you still listen to today.
Kat: Prince, Purple Rain. Every time I hear the intro to "Let's Go Crazy," I get this insane urge to strap on roller skates and glide into the blinking lights. I can't believe, though, that I was listening to "Darling Nikki" at such a young age!
Liz: Close to the Bone by the Tom Tom Club. I still have the tape my dad's then-girlfriend gave me when I was six. And I heard one of the songs at a party a few months back and practically threw myself into the DJ's arms in all my insane excitement. It's so great.
Laura: I've been loving the Beatles since the day I was born. I remember the first day I ever heard "Michelle"- I was about five years old, in the car with my Mom, had just been picked up from swimming lessons. It came on 1050 CHUM and it was the prettiest thing I'd ever heard. I thought to myself, "I really hope this is a Beatles song," because I had a vague understanding of how that band existed, and that they were important and cool to me. My mother confirmed that it was, but when we pulled into the Hopedale Mall parking lot, she turned the car off halfway through the song. I was heartbroken that I didn't get to hear the end of it. Now, everytime I play "Michelle," I think about how lucky I am to be in charge of my own Beatles-centric activities, and that a life wherein I can listen to "Michelle" anytime I please is pretty damn fab.

Favorite makeout music?
Kat: Unwound, Lee Scratch Perry, Dead Meadow. In high school I once made out to Nirvana's Bleach -- that was interesting.
Liz: One time I accidentally made out to "Names" by Cat Power; it was so weird. But yeah: Funhouse by The Stooges is probably number-one. Oh, and I'm wacky, but "Song for the Dead" by Queens of the Stone Age is actually totally hot to make out to, in that scary kind of way.
Laura: I generally don't like to make out to music; I get distracted and don't perform to the best of my abilities in either arena (making dudes fall in love with me/appreciating killer tunage). However, I think it would be really cool to make out really grandly and theatrically to "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin. What an emotional adventure that would be! Plus, any dude willing to get it on to Gershwin is clearly a keeper.

Who's your number-one all-time music crush?
Kat: Don't make me answer this again. It was embarrassing enough the first time.
Liz: What I already told you, and the runners-up would be Bowie and Lenny Kaye. I was also seriously in love with Bono when I was 12 and Julian Casablancas when I was 23.
Laura: George Harrison and the dude from the Nice who isn't Keith Emerson (he's the second one from the right)

What are your favorite books?
Kat: Francesca Lia Block, much of Jeannette Winterson's oeuvre, especially The Passion, Marguerite Duras; Jean Rhys appeals to my inner existential European decadent. Virginia Woolf, especially The Waves. And I love Edith Wharton with a passion: The Age of Innocence is one of my favorite books ever. I'm generally a classics kind of girl; honestly there aren't a lot of contemporary authors that linger for me, and I've read tons of them. Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom blew my mind when I read it. I also really love Henry James, particularly The Portrait of a Lady. I also really like very dark, very imaginative novels with supernatural/fantasy/fairy tale elements, like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, anything by Neil Gaiman and even Angela Carter, The Mists of Avalon, lots of William Gibson, all the Lord of the Rings novels, Harry Potter, The Hero and the Crown. I have this real geeky fan-boy side to me that loves shit like World of Warcraft and Dungeons and Dragons and stories about dragons and hobbits and alternate universes; it's taken me surprisingly far in life. Sarah Manguso's The Captain Lands in Paradise is one of my favorite poetry books ever. And of course Little Women, and The Little Prince. Those and D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths are my favorite books from childhood, and I still love to read them. I think I checked out the D'Aulaire's book about a million times from the library as a child; I used to love to pore over the wonderful drawings and read all about the crazy affairs that all the gods and goddesses had with one another. Talk about a soap opera.
Liz: The Hanged Man and all the Dangerous Angels books by Francesca Lia Block, anything I've ever read by Angela Carter (especially Fireworks), The Passion by Jeanette Winterson, The Vagabond by Colette, Cavedweller by Dorothy Allison, Girl by Blake Nelson, Early Work by Patti Smith, Life After God by Douglas Coupland, Illumination Night and Property Of by Alice Hoffman, The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein
Laura: John Updike's Rabbit novels; The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers, The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov, From the Mixed-up FIles of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and My Father's Arcane Daughter by EL Konigsburg, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters by JD Salinger, The Group by Mary McCarthy

Favorite movies?
Kat: This kills me; I'll be here forever listing all of my favorites. I go to film school, for pity's sake! Anyway, I should just make a long, long list: most things by Wong Kar-Wai; his films are so beautiful and lush, with killer soundtracks. I love Claire Denis' films: Beau Travail is like cinematic poetry, it's truly a film like few others. Lynne Ramsay's Ratcatcher and the underrated Morvern Callar. The Dreamlife of Angels is sad and beautiful; Irreversible; lots of Catherine Breillat. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore; a Cuban film called Memories of Underdevelopment. L'Eclisse by Antonioni. When the Cat's Away, directed by Cedric Klapisch, which is charming, melancholy and is SO HARD to find on DVD. It's my idea of a "single girl in the city" type of film. Un Coeur En Hiver; Farewell My Concubine; Amores Perros and pretty much anything Gael Garcia Bernal shows up in -- he's the actor I most like to spend time in the dark with; Midnight Cowboy; tons of David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch; Paris, Texas; Smithereens; lots from the Brothers Quay; Can Dialectics Break Bricks?; tons of Robert Bresson; Breathless and really tons of Godard and Truffaut and all those cats. There's just too much, really. Anyone who is a film geek should just email me; I can talk and talk and talk movies all day long, anything from Short Circuit to Ousmane Sembene!
Liz: The Sound of Music is my favorite! And: River's Edge, L.A. Story, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Desperately Seeking Susan, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Lords of Dogtown, Point Break, Buffalo 66, High Fidelity, Marie Antoinette, Dazed and Confused, Singles, Kicking and Screaming (Noah Baumbach not Will Ferrell, not that I don't love Will Ferrell).
Laura: Dog Day Afternoon, The Rutles, A Little Princess, The Beatles Anthology, 101 Dalmations, and all the ones that Hugh Grant is in, especially Love Actually

What are some of your favorite shops (around your town or in the whole wide world)?
Kat: In God We Trust, Sodafine, Ekovaruhuset, Castor & Pollux, Hejfina (in Chicago, yo), Kaight, Sugar Sweet Sunshine (okay, not clothes but cupcakes, which is even better), Odin (for dudes), Book Culture, Balenciaga, Anna Sui, Bird, Other Music, Beacon's Closet, Cafe Orlin, Deluxe near Columbia University is my local diner-type place, Economy Candy, Cafe Blossom for vegan food, Souen for macrobiotic, Next Door Nobu and Hasaki for sushi, the Bowery Ballroom for music, Cry Wolf, Kate's Paperie, MoMA, Takashimaya. Wow, making this list makes me realize how much I love NYC! It also makes me feel poor, though :-(
Liz: I get lots of my clothes secondhand at Crossroads, Buffalo Exchange, and Gotta Have It in Venice Beach, but I've also got big love for Show Pony, The Kids Are Alright, Pull My Daisy and Matrushka. My favorite place in the world to buy music is the Newbury Comics near the Alewife T stop in Cambridge, Mass. Beauty stuff: Le Pink. Books: Book Soup or Skylight Books. Candy: mostly Boule, but Le Pink's good for that too. Oh, and online: Bona Drag and Cut + Paste and Greenloop.
Laura: I like dollar stores, junk shops, yard sales, Sally Anns, Lifethyme, Eden Thai, Topshop, J.Crew on J.Crack, Nota Bene, Pranga, Flying Squirrel, C.O. Bigelow, Marquise Dance Hall in Williamsburg for books & records before it tragically closed down, the gift shop at the Museum of Natural History, pet stores that aren't cruel, and the Balenciaga store in Chelsea.

What's one beauty secret you'd like to share?
Kat: American Beauty Beauty Boost Overnight Radiance cream has actually been pretty incredible for my skin. And it's a cliche, but water and sleep are kind of awesome. And the best lipstick in the world is Chanel Aqualumiere Sheer Colour Lip Shine in Catalina.
Liz: Lavender and rose make your skin real pretty. I use Lush's Angels on Bare Skin for the former and Jurlique's Rosewater Freshener for the latter.
Laura: Pure pink lipstick looks cool on everybody, and NARS Roman Holiday is the best of the best. Wash your hair with L'Oreal Kids Strawberry Smoothie shampoo. Murray's Superior Hair Dressing Pomade does everything you could possibly need a styling product to do. And if you are trying to quit biting your nails, paint them with this Diamond Strength crap, and they will be too diamond strong for you to bite off, even if you wanted to, which you probably would.

If they made a movie of your life story, who would you want to play you?
Kat: I have no idea. Asia Argento? She seems like an interesting person.
Liz: One time my friends and I were talking about this very question, and I was all, "Madonna, of course!!" And then this dude was like, "No...what's the name of the actress who played Punky Brewster?" AS IF! It's the pigtails, I guess.
Laura: Knowing boring old Hollywood film execs, I'm sure they'd end up casting either Zooey Deschanel or Rachel Bilson as whimsical young conceptual artist Laura Jane Faulds. But if I called the shots, it would come down to either Jeremy Piven or the kid who played Edmund in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

What's your spirit animal?
Kat: A wolf. We are nocturnal, solitary and mate for life.
Liz: David Lee Roth. (And my patronus, in case you were wondering, is Logan Echolls.)
Laura: A runty black kitten named Knickerbocker.

Posted by Kat, Liz and Laura in Interviews
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