Handsome Modeling School (file)
Photo: Terry Richardson

So, you're a decent looking guy or gal, but you're having a little trouble luring members of the opposite sex? You say the closest you can get to accessing your inner Casanova is scented incense and frozen dinners? Well, fear not because, to paraphrase John Kerry, help is on the way for those who strive to be more handsome.

Those urgently in need of assistance can send a check to the Handsonian Institute, and receive a five-DVD series on achieving optimal handsomeness. But if you're slightly less desperate, you can just pick up the second Handsome Boy Modeling School album, White People (out November 9). In addition to sporting some booty-shaking hip-hop, soul and electronic grooves, the disc can help give listeners the pizzazz they need.

"If you put the record on and it makes you want to strut, then that strutting may attract that lady down the block," explained ultra-suave Modeling School co-founder Nathaniel Merriweather, better known as hotshot producer and former Gorillaz member Dan Nakamura. "And then that lady down the block may bring something else on, and before you know it, you're back at the house, you pop on the Oates joint, and the clothes just fly off."

The "Oates joint" Merriweather referred to isn't some newfangled, ginseng-enriched health snack, it's the Handsome Boy Modeling School track "Greatest Mistake," a light-dimming ballad featuring John Oates (of '70s/'80s chart-toppers Hall & Oates), ex-Tarnation frontwoman Paula Frazer and Jaime Cullen. So what's Oates doing in a modern music primer for handsomifacation?

"Oh, come on!" said Modeling School co-founder Chest Rockwell (a.k.a. veteran hip-hop producer Prince Paul). "Oates is one handsome man."

"He was one of the original proponents of the moustache," added Merriweather. "His look far predated the Selleck."

Oates is only one of the celebrity guests on White People. "Saturday Night Live" alums Father Guido Sarducci and Tim Meadows both make spoken-word testimonials to the school, and a host of musicians lend their voices, including the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams, RZA, Linkin Park vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, Jack Johnson and De La Soul.

Though not all of the guests were graduates of the Handsonian Institute, they were eager to work with Merriweather and Rockwell, and eagerly participated in the album's unconventional duets (Deftones' singer Chino Moreno doubled up with underground hip-hoppers EL-P and Cage on "The Hours," Bennington and Shinoda joined forces with hip-hop veterans Jazzy Jay and Grand Wizard Theodore on "Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Part 2"). "We just tossed up the Handsome sign, which is kind of like throwing up the [Batman] signal," Merriweather explained. "The Handsome people are the ones who can see it, and they respond."

The duo's first album, So ... How's Your Girl? was released in 1999 and featured several of the guests that appear on the new LP, along with Beastie Boy Mike D., Sean Lennon, DJ Shadow and legendary MC Biz Markie.

The first single from White People, "The World's Gone Mad" melds electronic beats and playful rapping with sedated rock vocals and a lazy reggae rhythm, and features reggae legend Barrington Levy, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos. "We approached Alex, and it turned out his band was influenced by Dr. Octagon, which I was involved in," Merriweather said, "so he was way into it. And Barrington Levy, he's just the man. So we called him up and of course he was interested, too. People who are handsome just fit in."

"The hard part is choosing who to use for which song," Rockwell said. "But making that choice is kind of like, 'Well, do we take the Rolls Royce or the Bentley today.' "

When Handsome Boy Modeling School enter the studio, the only thing sharper than the Boys' suits is their uncanny ability to manipulate genres to suit their needs. Throughout White People, Merriweather and Rockwell toy with dusky trip-hop ("I've Been Thinking"), blend eerie screamotronica and rap ("The Hours") and fuse classical, hip-hop and rock ("Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip-Hop Like This)").

"The only question we asked ourselves in the studio was, 'Would I want to get dressed to this song?' " Rockwell said. " 'Would I want to make love to this song?' And if it's good, it's like making love with mirrors on the ceiling. You can't beat it."

Having completed an album that's quirky, creative and clever, the only real danger for Handsome Boy Modeling School lies in their presentation. The shtick about the Handsonian Institute is such a major part of their image that their stellar beats and rhythmic hybrids might not be taken as seriously as they deserve to be.

"Plugging the Institute is always a risk," Merriweather agreed. "It's the same problem we have sometimes when we show up at a runway show. The models sometimes get mad because less attention is paid to them because of us. But we can't help it. It's what we're all about."

• Handsome Boy Modeling School
• Pharrell Williams
• Linkin Park
• De La Soul
• Hall & Oates

Beck has been working with producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura on material for his next LP, according to Beck's label, Interscope Records. Nakamura's résumé includes Gorillaz, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Deltron 3030, Lovage and Dr. Octagon. ... On February 2, the day before the Super Bowl, P. Diddy will host the United We Stand Jam at Zephyr Field in New Orleans, Louisiana, to raise funds for children and families of African-American firefighters and a pilot who lost their lives in the events of September 11. Performers include Fabolous, Bubba Sparxxx, Jermaine Dupri, Jadakiss and Black Rob, with guest DJ Biz Markie on the ones and twos. ... Former Helmet and Orange 9mm guitarist Chris Traynor gave it a shot at Monday's tryouts for a new Limp Bizkit axeman at a Guitar Center in Queens, New York. ...

Ever wanted to see a Backstreet Boy covered in rats? You just might get your chance when Kevin Richardson guests on an upcoming celebrity edition of the NBC series "Fear Factor," according to TVGuide.com. ... Drowning Pool, Coal Chamber and Ill Niño will be drinking in the atmosphere during the Jägermeister Music Tour, which kicks off March 8 in Orlando, Florida, and wraps April 23 in a venue to be announced. The outing is scheduled to hit over 30 cities in the U.S. ... Linkin Park signed a sponsorship deal with Microsoft's Xbox gaming system, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The first fruits of the marriage will be giveaways of band-autographed Xbox systems during their Projekt: Revolution Tour. ... In her contract-termination lawsuit against the Universal Music Group, Courtney Love can legally challenge a California labor code amendment that exempts recording artists from labor laws that pertain to other entertainers, the California Court of Appeal ruled on Monday. According to the Los Angeles Times, the court denied a petition by Universal to remove that challenge from Love's suit, which was filed in response to Universal's breach-of-contract suit against her. ...

Will Smith is the actor most likely to get your tail in a movie-house seat in 2002, as he'll be named Male Star of the Year in March at the ShoWest convention, an annual gathering of motion picture industry bigwigs. The "Ali" and "Men in Black 2" star will be feted at a banquet in Las Vegas in recognition of his positive affects on both critics and the box office. ... On March 19 — eight months after its U.K. release — Super Furry Animals' fifth album, Rings Around the World, will hit Stateside stores via XL Recordings. The band will tour the U.S. in April to support the record, which was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Music Prize. ... Theatrical metal outfit Mushroomhead have firmed the first month of dates for their spring tour to promote last year's major-label debut, Xx. The outing, with openers 18 Visions, Lamb of God and Five Point 0, begins February 20 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and ends at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on March 15. ...

Thin-skinned troubadour Dashboard Confessional, a.k.a. Chris Carrabba, begins his second headlining tour March 1 in Fort Worth, Texas. The six-week jaunt supports his second album, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most (Vagrant Records); released in May, the LP will yield a single, "Screaming Infidelities," on modern rock radio next week with a video to follow. ... Mike Doughty launches a solo outing on February 13 in Northampton, Massachusetts, with 12 dates confirmed thus far. He'll perform new material as well as acoustic versions of favorites by his former band, Soul Coughing. ... Playful punk-turned-pop trio Bananarama ("Cruel Summer," "Venus") will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their top 10 debut in the U.K. with a reunion concert and TV special, according to Britain's The Sunday Times. Joining original members Sarah Dallin, Keren Woodward and Siobhan Fahey will be Jacquie O'Sullivan, who replaced Fahey after she left for Shakespear's Sister. ...

01.28.02

Lil' Bow Wow is doing double duty behind the camera this week. Currently filming the movie "Like Mike" in Los Angeles, the rap pup will shoot the video for his next single, "Take Ya Home," out there on Tuesday. ... Dru Hill are at the halfway point in recording their third album. Woody, who left the group after its last LP to pursue gospel music, has returned to the fold. ... Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield and his wife, Francesca, welcomed their third child, daughter Marcella Francesca, into their family earlier this month. ... Kelly Price has been working with producers Warryn Campbell and Stevie J. on her next LP, Priceless, which is expected in June, with a first single due this spring. Among Price's guests in the studio are Faith Evans, Yolanda Adams and Raphael Saadiq. ...

Justin Timberlake, Brian McKnight and Jamie Foxx will join hoops stars and legends (including Earvin "Magic" Johnson) in the inaugural 989 Sports' All-Star Hoop-It-Up tournament. The games, which will put a celebrity, an NBA star, a WNBA star and an NBA legend on each team, will be held at the First Union Center in Philadelphia on February 9 during the NBA's All-Star Weekend. ... Björk is the first artist confirmed to play the third incarnation of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which will take place April 27 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California, according to a spokesperson for the singer. Last year's festival featured Jane's Addiction, Weezer and the Roots. ... Jessica Simpson will speak to young women about inner strength as one of the "Cheerleaders of Life" at the sixth annual NFL Super Bowl Cheerleading Spirit Clinic Saturday afternoon at the Louisiana Superdome. Lesslee Fitzmorris, choreographer of the Super Bowl Pregame Show, will teach more than 1,000 attendees football fundamentals and cheering skills. ...

Macy Gray is the latest artist tapped to perform at next month's Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, joining previously announced artists Dave Matthews Band, Foo Fighters and Creed as part of the Hallmark Olympic Celebration Concert Series, which runs from February 8-24. The raspy-voiced singer's set is slated for February 12, and more artists are expected to be announced in the days leading up to the event. ... Lo-Fidelity Allstars will release Don't Be Afraid of Love on March 5. The LP, which features a guest appearance by former Afghan Whig Greg Dulli, is their studio follow-up to 1999's How to Operate With a Blown Mind, which spawned the dance hit "Battle Flag." ... Ministry of Sound, one the UK's premier electronic music brands, is latest to join the chillout fray with the release of the double-disc The Chillout Session on February 5. Soothing tunes from Radiohead (a rare Zero 7 remix of "Climbing Up the Walls"), Massive Attack, Air, Badly Drawn Boy, Sigur Rós and Underworld are included on the 29-track compilation.

• Beck
• Diddy
• Bubba Sparxxx
• Jermaine Dupri
• Jadakiss

Badly Drawn Boy
Photo: Beggars Banquet

The original idea was for companies like Mitsubishi and the Gap to use artists like Groove Armada and Badly Drawn Boy to sell cars and clothes. But in the end, it may be that Groove Armada and Badly Drawn Boy were simply using cars and clothes to sell their music.

Exhibit A: As Seen on TV: Songs From Commercials, due June 5 from the people behind the chart-topping Now That's I What Call Music compilations. As Seen on TV includes some of the more memorable TV ad songs of recent months, from late singer/songwriter Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" — featured in a much-remarked-upon Volkswagen ad — to Badly Drawn Boy's equally delicate "The Shining," which the Gap used in a winter-themed ad.

The 20-song album also includes Trio's new-wave nugget "Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha," used in a Volkswagen ad, the Propellerheads and Shirley Bassey's "History Repeating," used in a Jaguar ad, and Groove Armada's "I See You Baby," used in a Mitsubishi commercial.

Fittingly, As Seen on TV's makers plan to promote the TV-commercial comp with TV spots of its own.

Adam Starr, the UTV Records product manager who dreamed up As Seen on TV, said he hopes the compilation will give more exposure to acts like Drake and Badly Drawn Boy, whose sales hardly match their critical acclaim.

"When the Nick Drake commercial first happened, people were half disgusted by it and half, like, 'Great, he's getting attention.' And that's kind of the gist of what this is about," Starr said Tuesday (May 22).

Other tracks on the album, which UTV A&R Vice President Jeff Moskow described as "either cool or kitschy," include Handsome Boy Modeling School's "Rock n' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)," the Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds," the Buzzcocks' "What Do I Get?" and, of course, Styx's "Mr. Roboto." UTV isn't the first company to see potential profit in the boom of hip commercial soundtracks — Volkswagen itself recently released the collection Street Mix — Music From VW Commercials Volume 1, which includes the same Trio, Drake and Styx tracks (see "Volkswagen Rolls Out Mix CD With Styx, Trio, Other Commercial Hits").

• Badly Drawn Boy
• Nick Drake
• Groove Armada
• Fatboy Slim
• Propellerheads

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura
Photo: Seventy-Five Ark

Lately, Dan Nakamura has been truly living up to his hip-hop alias as "The Automator," with a deluge of endeavors on the way or in the works. In addition to the Gorillaz project he created with Blur frontman Damon Albarn, Nakamura has been working on music with the Prodigy, collaborating further with Albarn, making a record with former Company Flow frontman El-P, planning the follow-up to 1999's Handsome Boy Modeling School LP with Prince Paul, prepping an instrumental companion to last year's Deltron 3030 project with el tha Funkee Homosapien, and preparing a new solo album for release later this year. Despite all the activity, Nakamura was characteristically mellow when speaking from the San Francisco office of his record label, 75 Ark.

"I'm just getting ready to go into the studio," he said calmly. "I just did some stuff for the Prodigy. I was helping work out a mix for their record. Maybe it's the single, I don't know." (According to Nakamura, the British techno troupe's new album isn't quite ready to see the light of day. "I think they're only like a little bit, or maybe halfway, done.") Meanwhile, the instrumental version of Deltron is currently scheduled for a March release on 75 Ark, with the Gorillaz album likely due around the same time on Virgin Records.

Soon after, Nakamura's personal labor of love will hit the shelves: Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By is the title of the debut solo album from Nathaniel Merriweather, Nakamura's Handsome Boy Modeling School alias.

"It's kind of loungey, kind of like an American Serge Gainsbourg," Nakamura said of the album. "It's not like the Modeling School thing, it's kind of like the record you put on when you want to get busy." Nakamura has been working on Old Lady for close to a year, and has finished 20 tracks, which he said will eventually be narrowed down to 12. He also explained that unlike many of his other projects, this record will "not be a hip-hop record at all." Nakamura's most recent solo release was the 1997 EP "A Better Tomorrow," which included several tracks with Kool Keith, his partner in Dr. Octagon, and was reissued last year by 75 Ark with added songs. Also in the works is Sammy's Romanians, the Automator's collaboration with El-P, the lead rapper and producer of Company Flow, which disbanded last year. "It's more of a beat record," said Nakamura, adding that the use of vocals will be light. "It's not a rhyming record. It's like 'Bomb Squad 2001'" — referring to the legendary Public Enemy production crew. "It's really heavy stuff." Fans will have to wait a bit for that album, however, as Nakamura said it probably wouldn’t be ready until 2002; it will also be released on 75 Ark.

Nakamura has also recorded yet another track with U.K. pop star Albarn, who is a member of both Deltron 3030 and Gorillaz, for inclusion in a release for the Sony PlayStation 2, although he wasn't clear on the exact nature of its usage.

"It's a track that I think is going to be for some game that they're going to have where you can [do an] interactive remix," he said.

Finally, there's the matter of the highly anticipated follow-up to Handsome Boy Modeling School's So...How's Your Girl?, which will reunite Nakamura with fellow top-rung producer Prince Paul. "We should be back in the studio in February or March," said Nakamura. "We're doing a couple of DJ shows together, in February, and we're going to work on our schedules, but we're definitely doing the second one in the spring. It probably won't come out until the early part of next year." Regarding recent speculation that both Albarn and Radiohead singer Thom Yorke were scheduled to appear on the project, Nakamura would only comment cagily: "Oh, that would be nice. You know, who knows? They could use the Handsome Boy training, but we'll see." So … How's Your Girl? featured contributions from Beastie Boy Mike D., Moloko's Roisin Murphy, DJ Shadow, Sean Lennon, Alec Empire and others.

• Dan The Automator
• Handsome Boy Modeling School

Damon Albarn
Photo: MTV News

Just months after releasing the futuristic Deltron 3030 project with rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Dan "The Automator" Nakamura has already completed yet another concept album, this time with Blur frontman Damon Albarn, as the creative force behind Gorillaz. A truly unique band — its members are officially cartoon characters — Gorillaz incorporates the talents of a number of modern-music luminaries, as well as the visual skills of Jamie Hewlett, creator of the animated character Tank Girl.

"I brought in different people to be on the record," said Nakamura, who produced Gorillaz' upcoming debut as well as the abstract hip-hop classic Dr. Octagonecologyst (with Kool Keith) and Handsome Boy Modeling School's So...How's Your Girl? (with Prince Paul). "Del rhymes on it, Kid Koala scratches on it — the 3030 people — and Miho [Hatori] from Cibo Matto sings on it a little bit. Tina [Weymouth] and Chris [Frantz] from the Tom Tom Club do some stuff on it and Ibrahim Ferrer from Buena Vista [Social Club] did some stuff." Albarn also plays a major role in Gorillaz. In fact, with all of the collaborating he and Nakamura were doing, an Albarn solo album has been rumored to be in the works for months now. Those rumors, Nakamura said, are untrue.

"Well, the reason they say that is because he appears on most of the cuts," he clarified. "Basically, this is what they would consider to be his solo record." However you look at it, Gorillaz is an appealing concept. A visit to the band's Web site (www.gorillaz.com) reveals how much time and energy went into the creation of this truly 21st century group and its surrounding world. The site provides full-length audio tracks, the video for the album's first single, "Tomorrow Comes Today", a tour through Gorillaz headquarters, and other interactive treats.

The only question is whether Gorillaz — whose members go by the aliases Murdoc, 2D, Russell and Noodle — actually exist outside of the cartoon realm. Although he admitted to "trying to make the new Josie and the Pussycats," Nakamura insisted that Gorillaz are real — "in the hip-hop sense." While the animated members of Gorillaz don't have clear-cut counterparts in the three-dimensional world, some easy comparisons can be made. 2-D, the lanky, wild-haired British frontman is an obvious version of Albarn, while American beat-master Russel is part Automator, part Del. Satan-obsessed bassist Murdoc, meanwhile, seems to be a completely original creation, and Noodle, the 10-year-old Japanese guitarist, was most likely influenced in part by Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori.

Nakamura approached the nature of the band slyly, while elaborating elusively on the myth. "Me and Damon found these kids called the Gorillaz," he said. "They're kind of like Deee-Lite, [who] had a DJ from France, a beat guy from Japan and [a] singer from New York ... Well, it's kind of like this little collective that had some ideas ... so they were like, 'Could you help us?' ... So I ended up taking some of their little snippets and producing an album out of it." "Tomorrow Comes Today," the first Gorillaz release, came out in the U.K. in November, with the second single currently scheduled to be "Clint Eastwood," a track that reunites the Deltron crew: Nakamura, Del, Albarn and Kid Koala.

While no official release date has been set for the Gorillaz debut, the album is slated to come out in the U.S. on Virgin Records in the next few months, according to a spokesperson for the label, with live dates in the works. Exactly how the live shows will be presented remains a mystery, however, even to the Automator himself. "We haven't gone into the rehearsal mode, or anything like that," he said. "I don't really know what my role would be, to tell you the truth." As for who exactly will be involved, Nakamura could only speculate, once again insisting that the Gorillaz themselves would somehow make a real-world appearance. He did confirm that Albarn would appear on the tour. With so much unknown about this musical entity, one sentiment he expressed about the impending experience is certain: "It should be interesting."

• Gorillaz
• Dan The Automator
• Blur
• Handsome Boy Modeling School