Atari changed the game (no pun intended) when it launched Pong in the ’70s, kickstarting the video game industry as we know it. (Last year, video game profits were estimated to hit a record worth of $152 billion.) Now Atari is continuing its expansion in the gaming universe by launching its own chain of hotels.
Over the next few years, the American gaming company will construct a series of themed hotels in cities including Phoenix, Denver, San Francisco, Austin, and Las Vegas. While the concept is still in fairly early stages, the hotels are poised to be the ultimate gaming experience. CNN reports that some rooms may be equipped with as many as 10 (!) gaming consoles and a press release states that they’ll also include “the latest in VR and AR (Virtual and Augmented Reality).” Woah.
Construction on the first hotel is expected to start later this fall in Phoenix with plans to open by 2022. While the whole idea of staying in an AI-resort where you don’t know what’s even real, like you’re trapped in some Black Mirror episode based on The Shining frankly sounds terrifying, only one question remains: Are you game?
Have you already checked out the Camp exhibition at the Met? Were you able to hop on over to Montreal to gag at all the spectacular Thierry Mugler pieces on display at the first exhibition dedicated to his prolific career? If not, then no worries — no matter where you are in the US, we’ve got you covered with 5 museum exhibitions worth a visit this summer. Read on.
If you’re looking for a more traditional museum exhibition, check out The Allure of Matter: Material Art from China at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This show within the museum features works contemporary Chinese artists who have fostered an intimate relationship with their materials. The exhibit is not your typical paintings, but instead much bigger demonstrations of materiality with immersive installations. This exhibit will end January 5th so make sure to get in there before its too late.
This next museum is not for the faint of heart — if you’re looking for something a bit creepier this summer, check out the Vent Haven Ventriloquist Museum. This world’s only museum dedicated to ventriloquism is located in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, and is pretty much exactly as it sounds — a bunch of ventriloquist dummies staring at you as you roam around. Fun, right?
The Museum of Sex in New York remains one of the city’s best modern museums. It’s the perfect place to learn about and embrace the human form and check out some funny but interesting pieces — their photography exhibitions are not to be missed. However, you can also just pop in to bounce on inflated breasts and get an Instagram photo.
Next up is the country queen herself, Dolly Parton. Within Dollywood, there is The Chasing Rainbows Museum located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Featuring numerous stage costumes from concerts and special appearances as well as all sorts of other memorabilia, this museum is sure to astound you with color and take you on a trip through the lavish life of Dolly.
Finally, The Neon Museum in Las Vegas is a hidden gem. While the city is known for its more high-profile attractions (HAVE YOU SEEN ENIGMA YET), this one is somewhat overlooked. The Neon Museum, or more specifically the Neon Boneyard is filled with old Neon signs from local stores and other establishments throughout the ages. Seeing them all illuminated at night is a must, and pure Instagram bait.
With an increasing number of pop legends opting for residencies in lieu of touring (like Gaga, Xtina, and Cardi B, oh my!), Las Vegas remains an unparalleled entertainment destination. But after the show comes the after party, which is where Alex Cordova comes in. Since joining Wynn Las Vegas as its executive vice president and managing partner in 2016, Cordova has set a new standard nightlife on the Strip with the massive success of XS Nightclub at Encore.
“Over the last 10 years, XS Nightclub has continually provided our clientele with the most unique nightlife experiences housed inside the Las Vegas epicenter of excellence, Wynn Las Vegas,” Cordova shares over email. “We have always delivered a diverse music lineup featuring international superstars in conjunction with immersive experiences driven by our uncompromising customer service.”
A born-and-bred New Yorker, Cordova has garnished over 20 years in the industry, with a previous stint at Hakkasan Group, which manages a roster of venues including 1 OAK at the Mirage and Omnia at Caesars Palace. XS Nightclub remains a fixture that continues to intrigue patrons due to its commitment to introducing unique talent to the area — Cordova spearheaded last year’s Art of the Wild festival, which he marks as a crowning achievement. “It’s not often that a sole idea of mine gets fully realized on that scale and in such a short amount of time,” he remarks. “This was the first time in Las Vegas that an entire property showcased techno and house music for an entire weekend. It was amazing to see my vision come to life, and I feel humbled by how much joy it brought our customers and staff.”
“It’s the perfect blend of music, experience, and audience. It’s important to stay in tune with emerging trends and seek out up-and-coming brands in order to maintain our position as innovators in the nightlife space,” he says, on how he maintains such a vibrant club atmosphere. “Our job is to continually diversify and provide our clientele with what is new in nightlife experiences.”
Over a decade later, Cordova remains focused on amplifying nightlife in the city. “Our focus is in Las Vegas,” he proclaims. “Even with all of the accolades we’ve earned to this point, we are still working to realize the full potential of XS and are looking ahead to grow it further at home here at Wynn Las Vegas. This is our 10 year anniversary, and we are excited to be unveiling some big surprises to honor it. So, please stay tuned.”
To celebrate the end of summer, this week we’re publishing full cover stories from past issues of ESSENTIAL HOMME. Today, Brandon Flowers discusses ‘Wonderful Wonderful,’ the Killers’ legacy, and the yet-to-come.
Photographed by Nik Hartley. Styled by Christopher Preston. Words by Joshua Glass.
Not too long ago, Brandon Flowers found himself in a Manhattan clothing store shopping for a new shirt. As he made way to checkout, a familiar sound played overhead, but he couldn’t quite place it against the noise around him. Handing his credit card to the cashier seconds later, suddenly it struck him: “Low-Life” by New Order. “I started to tear up. I was pricked by nostalgia,” the musician remembers. “I wasn’t expecting it or looking for it, but it was nice. Music can really leave a mark on you like that.”
At 36, Flowers is timelessly handsome. His hair, slicked back and shorter than normal. Like the rest of him in full, it’s more polished. He’s found a new sense of maturity and, with that, a consent for introspection.
Growing up between towns in rural Utah, that particular 1985 album was a favorite of Flowers, who says that he never felt depressed or like an outsider in his youth, just that he didn’t belong. New Order and groups like The Cars gave him the sense of escape he needed without the realization of it. “Music that makes me feel like an individual has always resonated with me,” he explains. “Music that takes you out of somewhere and gives you a part of something that is your very own.” As a teenager, he’d spend his days fanatically obsessing over tapes and analyzing their lyrics with his older filmmaker friend, Trevor. “He had the audacity to want to make short films and music videos,” says Flowers. “That kind of thinking had literally never crossed my mind at the time—it had profound impact.” The evolution from musical interest to involve- ment thereafter came as a surprise to everyone else, too, Flowers recalls. His great grandmother—a country music songwriter eight decades his senior—was his only other family member with musical talent.
In late 2001, Flowers, then living in Las Vegas, responded to a newspaper classified from guitarist Dave Keuning seeking like-minded artists to start an original band. The year following, bassist Mark Stoermer and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. joined the duo to form The Killers—with Flowers as the lead singer and keyboardist—and by August 2003 “Mr. Brightside” (still the most popular track of the band’s catalogue to date) premiered on BBC Radio 1. It was named “Song of the Decade” by multiple stations and, seven years later, the music streaming website Last.fm announced it to be the most listened-to song since its launch. The Killers’ debut album itself, Hot Fuss, released after “Mr. Brightside,” earning five Grammy Award nominations and selling over seven million copies (and counting), which garnered multi-platinum status across the globe. Soon, the foursome—whose first few songs were sung onto Keuning’s answering machine by Flowers through pay phone calls—were thrusted from the local Vegas strip to the world stage.
Over the next decade The Killers put out three more studio albums, Sam’s Town (2006), Day & Age (2008), and Battle Born (2012) as well as a live DVD, a greatest hits record, and a Christmas compilation. They have performed in over 50 countries and on six continents, for former U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House, and alongside the likes of U2, Elton John, and even New Order, for which The Killers homage more than in simply respect. “We took our name from ‘Crystal,’ so performing that song with them was indescribable,” says Flowers. “Going from having these people’s posters on your walls and T-shirts to actually sharing the stage with them—I can’t put that into words.” Through it all, the group—with its rumble of British pop with lo-fi indie progressions—has largely defined American alt-rock. “We’re really kind of the last band of our time,” the musician says, who remembers listen- ing to early demos in his 1992 Geo Metro. “Now everything has changed.”
Their newest album, Wonderful Wonderful, out this September, is perhaps Flowers’ most honest to date with the band. Reflecting on the candor of his two solo albums (released between The Killers’ discography), the musician allowed his bandmates to see a new side of himself. “I felt a freedom when I was making Flamingo (2010) and The Desired Effect (2015) that I hadn’t had before,” he recalls. “I could be more open about myself because I didn’t have to represent the others. For this record I realized it was okay to not be so protective about what was going on in my personal life. It wasn’t easy, but it worked out.” The third song on “Wonderful Wonderful,” for instance, “Rut,” is a battle cry of an anthem delivered from the perspective of Flowers’ wife, Tana Mundkowsky, who suffers post traumatic stress from childhood abuse. Meanwhile, the dreamy “Some Kind of Love” recalls the peaceful ease of love over time through tender lyrics. Even “Run For Cover,” which the band has been writing and rewriting for the last nine years, harkens to The Killers of the early aughts with the urgent anxiety of today. “It’s tough to have those moments of vulnerability with four guys in a band,” he says. “You have to explain to them what you’re singing about and what’s going on at home. That’s a new experience for me, and a very uncomfortable one at that. I’m still getting used to it now—how to explain it—but it ended up being a very powerful one. It helped me understand myself more as well as the rest of the band.”
Recorded between Las Vegas—where, in the historic part of the city, Flowers lives on a 1960s former horse property—and Topanga Canyon in California, the fifth studio album is a milestone not without its questions of legacy. “I think about what my contributions to society are going to be; what kind of dent I’m going to make,” he admits. “It’s not my state of mind when I write a song necessarily, or when I wake up every morning, but it’s definitely there.” Perhaps the sentiment is best reflected in“The Man,” the lead single for “Wonderful Wonderful,” whose funky, disco-rock melody is accompanied by lyrics that question confidence, accomplishments, and perspective in youth. “I can’t help but think of all the great singers and songwriters that left a mark on me and wonder how I compare,” says Flowers. “There is still so much to be done.”
