Interview with Pharrell Williams at Art Basel 2009

[@datboycoot]

I like how it glorifies the items we take for granted and it makes you take a second look at the simple items in life and how a cluster of simplicity can create complexity.

[@raneanubis]

nah luv, he and takashi murakami did this, takashi is an actual sculptor and artist, he also designed the colourful monogram on the louis vuitton bags. hes amazing.

[@dkong28]

this is currently on show at the tate modern.... seriously, its awesome seeing it in person.

[@anbernika]

yeaa, I really love katchup

[@Jebediah13]

i love her voice for some reason

[@zakUSDedelman]

I am forever thankful to be able to witness feral originality. Pharrell Williams defies description.

[@LeahTVdotcom]

aloha Pharrell Willians, love u, 4 keeping it real and forward. I knew there was something deep about you. now its coming ,,,,, Leah from Maui

[@jazmyndeshea]

I was looking at Pharrell the whole time

[@PierreOutThere1]

We've moved beyond Warhol, who believed that the these products are actually worth "nothing". Due to the consumerist nature of the world at large, these items are a very important part of us.

[@Lincitasss]

♥.♥ in love!

[@kschoeck]

Ok you bejewled some pepsi. I dont get why this inspired u so much Pharrell but I still love u.

[@spunkyspam]

The aesthestic and functional values of an object that appears to provoke his taste and sensations are far more important than the quantitative value of it. don't forget the expensive additional dob of bloody diamonds as ornaments. That's the same with everyday objects? A familiar modern twist, it'd be interesting if it was addressing to the spirit of time.

[@TheStfu1000]

@MultiRipper88 no he just seems thoughtful talking about his art.

[@makkein]

I think the nature of precious stones coming into play was due to the current time and space we're in, because the means within our time today to put a higher stamp on value is to suffuse precious stones on items (i.e. "bling"). That conduct of doing by facade is superficial thus can be interpreted as such, but the interaction with the particular art isn't. I think the intention was kept simple and you viewed it a little further than it should.

[@lxuaes6915]

Lol pharrell is a legend in the flesh.

[@Lanadya]

both artist's are great!!pharrell is too hot

[@vonkidong]

I've taken the time to listen to a lot of posts on youtube of interviews with Pharell Williams. Other than the fact that he is a music genius, the other thing that is made starkly clear is that he doisn't want his ego to get in the way of his creativity.

[@sashwabaam]

Pharrell. With all do respect. DO NOT ever try to explain your art.

[@sfaabz]

"are you wearing bling right now?" what a dumb question

[@EvanWells1]

But the simple things in life are hard to enjoy when you're a slave mining for the diamonds that ended up in this piece. Furthermore, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Andy Warhol within top 2 pages of comments here. Pharrell should have had this conversation with the artist, and they both should have realized: "yes, this, indeed, has already been done/ is covered ground in the modern art realm." The "irony" and "twist" was already there when the manufactured was incorporated into art.

[@newerawearer]

I agree, poor Pharrel is out of his depth here. The work is impressive but only due to the entertainment value, which is afforded by a large celebrity budget. Conceptually It's poor, If he had of put it in the framework as a kind of appropriation to warhol ( seeing as Murukami is the 21st centuries most prolific warhol style pop artist) It could have worked, but really the concept seems about as deep as Pharrels admiration of cupcakes.

[@membergeorge]

someone make this man president

[@oshivy]

Pharrell really loves cupcakes.

[@GurlCaa]

PHARELL LOOKS LIKE 17!!!!!!!!!!!! Hes PETER FUCKIN PAN!! Love U Pharell...dont age ever!!!

[@tommylam3318]

5:25 WHEN SHE SAID BLING SHE TROLLIN

[@dosemi1999]

I guess my view is: apart from the art, is that these are huge names in the mouth of the alien. This is a great form of advertising and being that those name brand companies own mosy of the money in the world this project must have been very profitable indeed.

[@kathyluvsvy]

@bpophantom if im not mistaken the shoe is a baby's shoe. pharrelly alledgely has a child by some model that he dated a couple of years ago. if these are the items that are most precious to him and its a child shoe then that would make sense because a child would naturally be precious to him. a condom could stand for him having a child with some chick accidentaly and how that could haven been prevented with the condom. these are just speculations.

[@kiloisalb]

@Coxor629 This here is an example of quoting out of context. Much like how most of the media you read is printed. He said those products were essential to him, "the glue to his personality". He's not saying they're essential in general.

[@thatwunguy05]

@shecanfeel then you didn't learn the meaning behind this whole video. the fact that he used the diamonds for something "dumb" clearly shows that material wealth means nothing to him. this should make you like him even more because non-materialistic people like him keep the world at peace. he's one of the few people that are constantly reminding us "hustle-and-bustlers" about the little things in life and to stop worrying so much.

[@PierreOutThere1]

I'm afraid that you're missing the point. It's not that the manufactured is incorporated into the art. These inexpensive, common, everyday items are revealed to be something worth much more. The precious stones reveal their true value. So it's not "just Johnson's" lotion, or "Pepsi", etc. The point is, If all of the sudden, we weren't able to have these seven items, our whole worlds would change.

[@freshramses]

Pharrell is the modern John Lennon (For me)

[@bdwatson814]

Shud up pharrell...cute when he tries. Lol

[@MamaHarperr]

Yea. strange

[@ucfpureego]

$2,000,000 WOW

[@EvanWells1]

I can agree with a bit of that and your point is understood in the way Pharrells approach is different. But using something that is of value in retail or trade terms (diamonds and precious metals) in order to gloss a more mundane object or merchandise to forge the metaphor of qualitative value I believe is implicitly shallow in and of itself. It has been done for centuries poetically and otherwise without the need for juxtaposition. This "currency" for expressing value I do not respect.

[@eLkO187]

Why you say that?

[@musicmaj18]

I don't get why this is so confusing to people. This man is a muli-millionaire and is saying that these items that ANYONE can afford are precious to him. It's clear that the guy loves life - HE'S TALKING ABOUT CUPCAKES. You can't see the beauty in that? The items in the sculpture are things that we take for granted & the jewels help to illustrate this point by giving us a different perspective. Stop looking at what you see and think about what it means.

[@Kkindabrown]

kinda pointless arguing art, it is what it is... too broad to put your finger on what art really is! Keep doing what you're doing Skateboard!

[@EvanWells1]

(Refer below),.I do not respect it especially coming from someone who is utterly bound up in the commercial industry/ advertizes for outfits like Nike that run sweatshops, and sings along with Jay the motto that one should not "waste your time fighting the lie," in the song Blue Magick, which essentially espouses the philosophy of riding the train of industry no matter how disingenuous it is because you can. Pharrell is expressing a worth in no less shallowly symbolic terms, as I see it and him

[@angela1894]

Really ? How so ?

[@vampiroatomico]

I really don't like the concept of Pharell's and Murakami's piece. While trying to elevate normal everyday items to the realm of art sounds like a decent idea, I hate the fact that there is a multimillion dollar product (pepsi) being glorified in diamonds. It really kills the concept for me.

[@myeahok]

He a fool here. But hes skill.

[@Spiceman333]

FUCK! So many diamonds and shit!

[@CeonBroughton]

pharrell hates interviews..and i can see why

[@layryan]

its easy tosay that when you are so rich.

[@bpophantom]

I understand the meaning behind everything he mentioned but the things he chose to put in their the tennis shoes is already seen as materialistic, doritos, pepsi, cupcakes, johnson & johnson and a CONDOM. Maybe he should've chose something else but the condom and sneakers really got me that's very odd I know he's very fun and expressive with fashion and art and I know he lives that life but it's kind of borderline being materialistic.

[@godswiph]

... but he sounds somewhat confused and contradictory. i gotta point that out.

[@pistachecreative]

wtf is he talking about

[@DolceGiirl]

Oh, Pharrell Y se gene pas hein ;) Y Look bien les eins de la fille a la fin :P

[@casket8530]

She made this interview really awkward and made pharrell act weird

[@ThePoison9]

i think thats clevor as hell

[@SirDoogie1]

I love P. Willie and Takashi but really? there's no way you can explain putting gold and diamonds on everyday objects is cool or artistic, they really went out on a limb here and just tarnished there reputations.. . . really disappointing to watch

[@DonEdHardyDesign]

is it me or does she say ummm too much... Say the damn sentence ladie!

[@cazaleah2]

wtf -- if ya dint hav all the diamonds ya do maybe ya'd feel a wee bit different about the cup cakes - fair enough if ya talkin to all the rich people in thr world but its a teeny bit different 4 those of us who struggle every week to feed us kids n pay the bills!!

[@SirDoogie1]

@Nomez77 tell me how a bedazzled pepsi can and bottle of lotion is "true wisdom", and sure hes living his dream but its a little lame and definitely poorly executed

[@angela1894]

You're right, ponchoso, pharrell is not the most articulate guy out there. Not many blacks are articulate, I guess it's genetic.

[@LambentOrt]

Cute... but no...

[@omd0]

interviewer is painfully bad .....

[@dlacc187]

wierdo

[@WestHamChiseller]

She looks like she can barely keep her eyes open listening to his drivel....