We Will Die, Hurrah

Random Album Project #1 - Einstein on the Beach, bright round sounds bounce / no absolute rest

2010-07-07T22:12:00.000-06:00

With a somewhat long commute, it’s a wandering mind
that gets me to work and back. The mind is splitting topics
so rapidly, like a dream, that I have conscious recall of
very little. Large and small combine and clash with fast/
slow, past/present/future, space/time whatever x/y may
exist.
Einstein on the Beach is a great complement to the
bouncing mind of an early morning commute. To any
bouncing mind, actually. The first time i put this on, I
attempted what I usually do on a first listen: pay attention
to the notes played, instrumentation used, themes/ideas
explored. This approach became frustrating quickly.
A 5-hour “opera”, though the recording I’ve got is quite a
bit shorter (still real long), with no characters, really, and
no plot, definitely, Einstein must have seemed like a pretty
ridiculous production when it was first performed in 1975.
Still does, you’re probably thinking. Youtube shows some
pretty cool sections from a performance/performances(?)
(doubt there’s been many) with very V... E... R... Y... slow
moving actors and set pieces. Apparently, extremely slow
movement is often found in the work of Robert Wilson,
the theater director responsible for the visual side of
Einstein. Once you’ve heard the music, the idea of micromotion
on-stage is pretty intriguing. Cuz the music is not
slow. “Going nowhere fast” is how one guy described the
music of Glass.

NOTE

Sorry... that’s Philip Glass, composer of
the topic at hand. Usually considered a
minimalist composer, he’s been active
since the early 60’s.

The sounds at the openings of these long sections are a lot
like those at the endings; and a lot like the middles; and
really each piece is a lot like each other piece. At least on
first listen.

NOTE
• Einstein at first called his theory
“Invariance Theory”. This puts the
focus on a very different aspect of
what came to be called “Relativity
Theory”.

• The few facts scattered here about
Einstein I learned from a good book
called Einstein by Isaacson.

The instrumentation, taken from wiki:
The opera requires a cast of 2 female, 1 male, and 1 male
child in speaking roles (for the Wilson production); a 16
person SATB chamber chorus with an outstanding
soprano soloist and a smaller tenor solo part; 3 reed
players: flute (doubling piccolo and bass clarinet),
soprano saxophone (doubling flute), tenor saxophone
(doubling alto saxophone); solo violin, and 2 synthesizers/
electronic organs.

This group creates a dense and rapid series of bright,
round note-patterns, very tightly played, and changing
very subtly as the piece progresses. It sounds really
difficult to perform, requiring intense mental and physical
focus. The vocal parts, especially, sound damned hard to
pull off. I always wonder what a rehearsal for professional
classical music performances is like, and this one I’m even
more curious about. Seriously, I don’t care how skilled
you are, this stuff must require tons of hours of practice as
an ensemble. How much time can a group of people spend
working on a single performance? Probably, they’re better
at this than I understand.
But, as I mentioned, a very bright, round sound is
produced, and these bright, round sounds bounce around
like... atoms? And these atoms bounce around in
apparently random, but actually not random at all,
patterns. As soon as I made that connection, I began to
hear the music much differently, and I think this idea
becomes bigger and more powerful as the piece moves,
and doesn’t move, forward. Taken as a musical expression
of the ideas of relativity and/or the thoughts of Albert
Einstein, this music makes sense - as much sense as can be
made of an infinite, ever-expanding universe, I guess. That
may appear to give the music a whole shitload of credit,
but it’s all relative.

There’s a lot to discuss in this. It’s probably meaningful
that the opera is separated into acts, some taking titles
from forms of transportation - “Train” and “Spaceship”
highlight the time/space visuals Einstein used to illustrate
the theory of relativity. Other acts use less obviously
biographical-referential titles like “Trial” (in reference to
scientific experimentation(?)) and “Dance” (in reference
to Einstein’s famous two-step(?)).

CONSIDER
The earth’s average speed in orbit is
65,000 mph! It moves millions of miles
each year; while you’re standing still.

I’m sure the theatre aspect adds a lot too, since the work
was created as a collaboration. The solo violin part
mentioned earlier is played on-stage by the Einstein
character - a neat element. It would be an experience to see
a full scale performance of this - again, it’s about 5 hours
long, but the audience is permitted to exit and re-enter as
they wish, an allowance that also plays into the
beginningless- and endless-ness theme. It’s a pretty
druggy sounding and looking work, but I'm not sure what
type(s) of drug(s) would complement it. Gas? Anyway, it’s
not likely we’ll get a chance to experience it here in salt
lake. I’d love to see the utah opera try, but I have a pretty
good idea of what attendance would be like - vast
emptiness.
For the most part, human emotion is intentionally not
included (it’s not a biography), but there does seem to be an
anxiety running through the music. I’ve read some people
positing that this is in reference to Einstein’s role in the
atom bomb. Could be; could be more directly implied in
the set direction.

NOTE
Einstein’s involvement in the Bomb
(both indirect and direct) is a very
interesting story - he wrote several
letters to Roosevelt urging the president
to begin serious research into the
creation of nuclear weaponry {http://
hypertextbook.com/eworld/
einstein.shtml#first}. One of these
letters was especially instrumental in the
creation of the Manhattan Project.

The music on its own is really a strange experience. The
more I listen to it, the more impressive the whole concept
becomes. It swirls and moves in a way that gives the
appearance of chaos but I don’t think there is any
improvisation in this.
The influence of “minimalism” on popular music is pretty
clear and pretty well validated, but I can think of three
recent examples that I like a lot and in which i hear
similarities with this work:
James Blackshaw - Glass Bead Game
Nico Muhly - Mothertongue
The Field - Yesterday and Today
All are good. Mothertongue bears more than an incidental
relationship - vocalists sing #’s and lists, just as in Glass’s
work.
Music in 12 Parts is another Glass work (i think it shortly
precedes Einstein) that has a lot in common with this one.
I may like it more, but it is also a huge work, spanning
several hours, and I have not taken in the whole thing yet.

This is the list.

2010-02-25T18:42:00.002-07:00

Whoa. Sorry so late (you can breathe now).
I had some catching up to do, but it’s better this
way.I think I’ve given a lot of chances to a lot of
music. So, here it is, the list '09:

#1 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
AC made their greatest album and MPP became
the soundtrack to approaching fatherhood.

#2 Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
SR swordfought its way to #2 after about 50
listens, through which this story of lost youth
gained meaning and momentum. What a
songwriter.

#3 Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
DP made a big impression early and only got better.
I hate the boring Nico copy (right in the
middle of the album), but the rest is funny and
quirky and unique. Some of my friends were
unimpressed, but I don’t think they really
listened. That was smug.

#4 Jim O'Rourke - The Visitor
The Visitor - I really like the Jim O’Rourke sound
and Visitor might be his best yet. It’s damn
strange, but stick with it. He has named his
albums after nicolas roeg films but this reminds
me more of Godard.

#5 Burial/Four Tet
Burial/ Four Tet - Moth is my favorite track of the
year.

#6 The Field
The Field - I can listen to the Field in almost any
situation -- it s great company.

os mix is on the way.

We're Petrified! July 31st

2009-07-22T18:48:00.003-06:00

Funny Performance

2009-07-21T12:04:00.001-06:00

This is John Cale. Wait for the 3:20 point for best part.

2009-05-07T10:43:00.002-06:00

TONIGHT

Bored Art

2009-03-02T21:51:00.005-07:00

Just realized that this series of recordings has some really great art on the outside.

We're Petrified!

2009-02-22T15:34:00.005-07:00

Ancient Scenes from Dark Depths

2009-01-22T09:06:00.004-07:00

Movie night has been going strong for a long, long time. I'm not sure how long, but some of my earliest posts are about movies watched. Last nights was my favorite in a long time and among my favorites for the duration of movie night. So, I thought it might be time to list some of my favorite movie nights. It's hard to remember, and I know i'm missing a bunch. I'll revise the list as they come to me.
In no order:

3 Penny Opera
Neat old musical. The Rest is Noise had a whole chapter on Kurt Weill with a lot of info on this work. I think that added a lot to it for me. Strange politics.

Kiss Me, Stupid
I think Billy Wilder made better movies, but none funnier.

Scarlet Street
True German expressionism translated into American noir, I guess. Beautiful and spooky, it blew me away.

The Killing
The only Kubrick we've watched for this run of movie night. Clever and dark. As good as Kubrick's other greats.

The Lady Vanishes
Way funnier than you'd expect. Lots of bumbling Brits.

Unfaithfully Yours
My favorite of the Sturges I've seen. Ironic slapstick with a purpose.

Vampyr
This weeks selection didn't seem to work as well for the others as it did for me. Not sure why I liked it so much. Every time I see a Dreyer movie for the first time, I remember that he might be the best ever.

The Holy Mountain
If you're about to see Holy Mountain for the first time, you're in for a crazy ass experience. People worship this movie.

The Conformist
This one really opened my eyes to some of the depth of individual politics. One of my favorite scenes is the dance in the cafe. Freedom trumping fascism, if just for an evening.

Open City
Simple and powerful, Open City is folk art at its best. One of the reasons I love movie night is a group of people reacting at the same time to a film that they may never watch alone. It's an experience not usually afforded by other media. This one is perfect for that.

Pandora's Box
The second by Pabst on this list. Lesbianism, prostitution, and one of the best lead female performances I've seen.

Honorable Mansion: Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Nosferatu, Chameleon Street, ... (I'll add more as they come to me.)

Any I'm missing, guys?

Grrr

2009-01-21T15:24:00.003-07:00

Porter took me to a dinosaur show. It was scary enough to wipe away bits of our identities.

WeWillDie 2008 Mix

2008-12-15T20:35:00.005-07:00

Mostly I stocked up on classical music from the library this year (i'm up to "V"). Still listened to a lot of new stuff, just wasn't as impressed as last year. One good thing, though, various killerbuds made like 8 albums in 2008. Here's the WeWillDie 2008 Mix. I liked these songs.

1. Parisian Goldfish - More cracked out than other techno/hip/hop.
2. Hercules' Theme - Cool disco song with a great trumpet bit toward the end.
3. House Jam - One of my favorite albums. None of the other songs sound like this one.
4. These Few Presidents - Thought about skipping this one, but K likes it. I do too. First song with real verses. Too early?
5. Water Curses - An extra from last year's album? One of my favorites.
6. Ole Rinka - A good song for kids. I like the drums.
7. Steely - Might be annoying. I can't decide. I listened to the album a lot and then forgot to go to the show.
8. California Dreamer - Love the transition to the first chorus. Cool keyboards like all of this guys stuff.
9. Blood Bank - Maybe my favorite album of the year. This song isn't on it. And it really came out last year.
10. Creeper - ?
11. Brain Song - Fight makes anxious love with Korg.
12. The Butcher - One of my favorites. Funny band name.
13. The State - The only song i really liked from the album.
14. White Winter Hymnal - Has everyone heard this too much already? I love that line about Michael.
15. Floating Seemed Appropriate (remix?) - Killerbuds collaborating. And calling each other names. I wanted to put the "Cyclops Came!!!" song by Alligators on here too, but I can't find it.
16. badonka donkey - It repeats itself. I think it's funny and it reminds me a little of Mother's Coconut.
17. Parachute - pahr shoot

Download it: 2008 Mix

Thanks

2008-12-03T10:31:00.001-07:00

The spaceman

2008-10-15T17:02:00.003-06:00

2008-08-17T12:24:00.000-06:00

2008-08-06T09:15:00.004-06:00

Demon Attack free at killerbuds.net. my favorite song is called 'my summer vacation'.

Killerbuds

2008-08-05T12:27:00.002-06:00

1101010000101001000101010101010001011100101010101
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KLLRBDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M.F. Holland

2008-08-01T10:01:00.002-06:00

Favorite Chapter Titles in The Maltese Falcon
1. G in the Air
2. The Russian's Hand
3. Spade & Archer
4. The Undersized Shadow
5. If They Hang You

Life is so short. What can we really hope to accomplish?

2008-01-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

This thing, the Internet, has become a pretty interesting... place in the last couple of weeks. First K starts up with this neat idea for a site called FolkCargo. I think that might be real cool if she keeps it up. Who knows? Perhaps it's her thing.
Killer Buds have started a new site that is still sort of in a beta stage, but looks promising. Eventually you'll be able to download ALL of their attempts to stain the cosmos. See, they believe the first take is the best take and everything's worth recording. You can see for yourself. Downloads are free and quick. And will be updated frequently, we hope. Tell any of us what you like and what you hate. Somebody's gotta edit this shit.

NOTE: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is a great title for a pretty good short story by Harlan Ellison.

Faves

2008-01-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be a good time to tell you all (y'all) about my favorite albums of last year.

Artwork/Album - my fave album also features my fave artwork:

Panda Bear blew me away early last year and it still does. I think you may hear lots of albums that sound like this one very soon. The style sounds weirdly appropriate for things right now, and I guess that's what the really good stuff does. The collage work in the sleeve suits the material just fine. The artist's name and website -- Agnes Montgomery.

#2 - Battles
This is strange stuff, but I like it. My coworkers make fun of me when i play it.

#3 - Animal Collective
I thought about placing this at #2, because its probably the album I've listened to most. BUT, it has some really boring parts in the second half. Admit it.

#4 - James Blackshaw
I know it sounds kind of slow and repetitive at first, but that's just your vanity. There's beautiful guitar work on The Cloud of Unknowing, and it always ends up having a big effect on me.

Those are the big ones for me. All in all a really good year for music.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Mirror by Tarkovsky is not a good movie. No matter what anyone tells you!

New Mix

2008-01-01T19:28:00.001-07:00

This is a mix made up of songs either newly released or rereleased in '07. In either case, I heard them all for the first time in 2007. Click on the title of this post to d.l.

Lives of Old Men

2007-11-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Three months I've been gone. I guess i'm crawling back to you, bloody and pathetic. Need someone to talk about my stupid life with. Please.

Two movies this week!
No Country for Old Men was freaking ruthless. Nothing about this movie bugged me, which is rare. So good looking, such interesting characters, srsly great acting. It felt much shorter than it was. I skipped the book when it was released because the plot synopsis sounded so boring. I guess I forgot it was Cormac McCarthy. I wouldn't be surprised if the Sheriff's monologues are straight McCarthy. Beats out... um..., this is the only good movie I've seen from this year.

I watched The Lives of Others last night while K was sewing Roman drapes, or something. Entertaining and interesting, but I have one big complaint. It's sentimentality almost destroys its authenticity. the depiction of the Stasi very nearly made me sick, until I realized that the film depicts its characters very two dimensionally, good or bad. This takes away the heft of realism and leaves you wondering what you believe. Like propaganda. I was curious about it, so I watched some of the special features. The director is like thirty, max. He was not among the persecuted artists. Not surprising. I don't think that you have to live through something to depict it successfully, but it may take a little more skill than was displayed in this one.

Man, that sounds really negative. I didn't dislike the movie. It actually ties in well with this crazy awesome book I've been reading, The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross. A history of the 20th century through the biographies and works of its greatest composers, Noise has long sections devoted to real artists that faced the sort of oppression that Lives of Others tries to be about. Shostakovich was semi-forced into the role of composer laureate for the Soviet Union and spent most of his life in fear. Aaron Copland was blacklisted here in the states for appearing to have communist friends (and for being gay). I'm only to about 1955, so I've still got a ways to go. I'll write it up good when I'm finished.

Back. Sad.

2007-08-21T15:25:00.000-06:00

Made it back from a week in Tahoe. Man, that is a nice place. Wish I lived there, really. Maybe the Tahoe slums.
Some favorite memories:
1. Daily baptism in some of the holiest water Jesus never walked on. You've got to jump into this cold, cold lake at some point in your life.
2. Kayak Kapsizing!!! Near death experience brings renewal when Dexter the dog comes to the rescue. (Dramatization.)
3. Bluejay visits. Friendly and pretty.
4. Celebration song: Myriad Harbor, New Pornographers. Played frequently by me to celebrate (usually) stupid things.
5. Comfy sleeping every single night. Nights were chilly and the bed was soft. I slept late a few mornings.

I'll post tonight with some pics.

Tired

2007-08-09T13:33:00.000-06:00

This guy needs a vacation.

Kanab Floats

2007-08-07T12:37:00.000-06:00

We rented a stupid little p.t. cruiser on friday and puttered out to Kanab, Utah. The Glover Family Reunion. Ten hours driving in two days, man. For a bunch of old people. But these old people are me. They're cowboys. They love guns. But, they look at me and they see themselves. They see their late sister and their father and their own youth. It doesn't matter that I'm wearing my "stop bombing poor countries" shirt. They recognize the anger. Seems like the whole bunch sing songs to tell stories, mostly set in this weird, red ghost town. "He ain't no Coca Cola cowboy. He's the real thing." My mom's uncles were real cowboys.
Kanab is pretty. The wind sounds like thunder. My nephew bobs his head to cowboy poetry.
The night before we went looking for a bar. "There are no bars in Utah," say the locals.
My grandparents are buried here. My family tree is made of red rock.

Link - All My Friends

2007-08-01T09:44:00.000-06:00

Just found this article about one of my favorite songs from this year. It's the centerpiece of an otherwise only ok album. The author of the article says it's a hit. Does that mean they play it in New York City clubs? If it is a hit, it kind of surprises me. It's slow and repetitive and actually very melancholy. It deserves to be a hit, though, so I hope he/she is right. Also noted, the singles b-side includes a cover of the song by John Cale. I'm definitely gonna have to check it out.

Ahhhh, Dark Spots

2007-07-26T08:34:00.000-06:00

Movie Night 7-25-07
If you're a semi-intelligent adult, you know how retarded Harry Potter is. This movie IF... is a pretty cool, confrontational, anti-harry potter. 1968. Set in an oppressive English boarding school, malcolm mcdowell has no respect for his pedophilic superiors. Slow moving, but with enough stylistic twists and antisocial behavior to keep your interest. Unless you've been ruined by flying football games and booger flavored candy. Dementors. So stupid, man.

Ears
First and foremost, Killer Buds is gonna be back in kick butt form after my mis-hit. Symphony No. 3 may actually be my favorite of the albums chosen so far (up there with Black Saint,) but few shared my interest. Clif has jumped in to fill a void, and chosen an album that sounds really interesting. Check it out. Seriously, if you want to take part in that, let me know. I can put you in the picks schedule, or if that's too much pressure, I can mail you a copy of the album of the week. That is so nice of me.

James Blackshaw is a British guitarist whose album The Cloud of Unknowing has been growing on me like crazy. Somewhat similar to some other guitarists I like, Fahey and Kottke, but a little more full sounding, with a definite bent toward the minimalists, like Steve Reich and Terry Riley. Even K liked this one. Try to find it. It's like a rainstorm in july. Oh, according to his myspace page he likes herzog and jodorowsky.

Movie Night - 7-12-07 - Open City

2007-07-15T09:28:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I find myself wondering if I truly believe that Art is important. If I believe that it can change people or be valuable or whatever people seek in it. Open City felt, even Wednesday night at Brian and Gavin's house in Salt Lake in 2007, like a manifesto. I guess it's often seen that way now since it's considered one of the definitive neorealist films. But it's bigger than that. I know that it challenged other filmmakers to take the craft more seriously, but it's also a challenge, even still, to take other people more seriously. I love this movie. It's like it was created not by an individual, but by a community, a nation. This is important. And it deserves a much better DVD presentation.

WeWillDie's not dead. Hurrah!

2007-07-02T12:49:00.000-06:00

Killerbuds is up and running, and if you're not taking part in that, you're a jerk. Fight has promised a movie list. Lots of people looking forward to it, so he won't let us down. Also, speaking of movies, you should be my friend on Netflix.

There is no God and we are his prophets.

2007-05-30T09:48:00.000-06:00

I knew it would be dark and bloody. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is one sad beast. I was crying last night when I finished it, I admit, just like oprah. Mainly because the father is so good and so ashamed of the world he's left his son. I don't have children yet and I can still feel the weight of that grief. The man wants the boy to feel hopeful and meaningful; but the man is no longer certain that he, himself, feels those things. McCarthy is brave to blaze the road through such bleak terrain, and it is a punishing book, but it's the way he makes you believe in the father's love that makes it so good. The man's mission (he does become sort of a self-styled messiah, as Michael Chabon says in this good essay)may be insane but it's also inspiring. I'm sure oprah will say the same thing when she speaks to McCarthy on her show on June 5th. Ha. I'm gonna watch. How embarrassing.

New News

2007-05-29T15:59:00.000-06:00

New group blog up. killerbuds.wordpress.com. check it out. knock you out. you're invited too.
Also, this is a very cool blog by a designer for the Criterion Collection. I know I kinda go on about criterion, but oh well: ericskillman.blogspot.com/

2007-05-24T12:02:00.000-06:00

When I was younger, I'd focus most of my attention on lyrics and singers. If I responded to music, it was mainly to the voice fronting the music. The instrumentation was important, sure, but boring instrumentation could often be saved by interesting lyrics or an unusual vocal performance. Then I wrote songs and played in a band, and somehow that experience changed how I listen to music. So, the last few years my attention has shifted strongly to the musical side. I don't pay much attention to the words anymore, instead preferring rhythmic complexity and atmosphere. Basically, I've been listening to more Can than Leonard Cohen. I still love L. Cohen. Seeing Animal Collective Tuesday night got me thinking about this stuff.
Anyway, I'm interested in hearing how others listen to music. How important are lyrics? What do you first listen for? How have the ways you listen to music changed?

Movie Night 5-16-07 - The Holy Mountain

2007-05-17T08:37:00.000-06:00

Body functions and body fluids get the lead role in The Holy Mountain and their performance is beautiful.
One of the strange movies you're gonna see, it's got a visual style that makes beauty of disgusting things. We (fight, brian, clif, ty, and myself) all thought it had similarities to both kubrick and bunuel. Actually, pretty obvious similarities, but it didn't feel derivative. Biblical imagery in high-B-movie mode with the body and blood of christ in vivid technicolor.
Man, I really liked this movie. Funny, sincere, entertaining. The Holy Mountain is among the great movie nights so far. Read about Alejandro Jodorowsky, he's an interesting guy. Still alive and working, it appears.

When I Found Myself Afraid, I Fell Upon A Book

2007-05-16T12:24:00.000-06:00

river, stream, pretty out
not afraid in present sense but eternal
book is open, on a rock
trap, not tricked, mormons in the bushes
mormons like pyramid schemes, ha
i like em though. my mom's one.

2007-05-15T08:46:00.000-06:00

Dark Spots

2007-05-09T09:38:00.000-06:00

I just haven't had much to say lately. The last few movie nights have been good but not real exciting to write about. Umm... La Haine was a pretty good French movie; The Great Dictator was a pretty good American one.

Playoffs have been fun so far. Utah Jazz are doing way better than I'd have guessed. I think they're gonna be playing the Suns in the Western finals. There's some great basketball talk over at FESPN. Be sure to read the comments. They're getting really funny.

Music has been great this year. Three artists in particular have caught my attention: Panda Bear, The Field, and Nico Muhly (actually Muhly's I believe was released last year, but I just heard it this week). Muhly I recommend to anyone with a taste for avant free classical. A very popular genre.

space-age Turkish protest songs

2007-04-24T13:58:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to bring your attention to this funny awesome record label, Finder's Keepers. Their website says they specialize in "Japanese choreography records, space-age Turkish protest songs, Czechoslovakian vampire soundtracks, Welsh rare-beats, bubblegum folk, drugsploitation operatics, banned British crime thrillers and celebrity Gallic Martini adverts". I'm in. They re-released the Jean-Claude Vannier album that i've been loving the last couple weeks. Looks like some good funny stuff there.

Avant Rock Dog Walk

2007-04-20T08:57:00.000-06:00

smashed a pabst and leashed up the beast. B was sick of dark-sounding music and I liked the cover of this one, so we loaded up this dude Jean-Claude Vannier, friend of gainsbourg. Happy stuff? We were hoping. Naked man on the beach. Looks like a happy situation. 'cept actually looks maybe a little frightening and lonely. Here we go.

Still light out, but cold... goddamn cold for April. We're gonna stick to the neighborhood tonight, baby. Hmm..., church bells, a match being lit, automobiles? I check the volume on my music transporter. Sure, that must be jean-claude, taking a walk of his own. Ah, here's some horns. Some xylophone. B is really shaking her butt now. It's really good and I'm smiling, but there is something a little strange, a little off. What's it called? "L'ENFANT ASSASSIN DES MOUCHES." Child killer, maybe? I don't speak French. Damn. 1972 says the small computer in my pocket.

We pass a really old church, which evokes roughly the same mixture of emotions as this french freak. We walk up the steps to the front door. I think it's abandoned. I hope so.

There is something above the door. Just a word, artfully carved, "DARLOM". Eh. I want to buy this church, for K and B. Vannier's got some danger chimes going now and some spy guitar. He wants me to go in. It's locked, man, and the sun's up for another 3 hours. Church choir now. I try the door. It is locked, but I feel compromised, and walk away. Theres now an orchestra of alarms, the old kind with the hammer. Now crickets. This album is an f-ing riot. '72? Sounds right, I guess. A little like a psycho Burt Bacharach. No vocals yet. Well, actually lots of voices, but they're chanting and gasping, part of the orchestration. No words, but i still feel like there is some narrative here.

Clock is ticking. Another church. This one's active. I could go in, so I don't want to. B sees the park. Tail is thumping. She takes off and I'm left alone on the steps of yet another church. Gunshot. Little girl's voice, spooky french. And a man gasping. He's afraid and why not? This girl seems to be narrating his murder. Loud shot turns into a waltz and all is well again, I guess. B is beat and ready for home. Me too. I will have to learn about this crazy Vannier shit.

Movie Night 4-18-07; Spots

2007-04-19T08:50:00.000-06:00

Thats Baby Doll in her crib, sucking her thumb, staring at you. Elia Kazan was greek not italian, thats why his name doesn't end in a vowel. Baby Doll is just a little perverse. When she invites the man she's not married to into her crib, you cringe a little and smile big. Lots of great shots like the one above. They really need to learn how to shoot in b&w again. Hard luck Archie really just gets what he deserves. Close to a great movie, I'd say, but a little slow and loose in a few places. Tennessee seems to've had a lot to say about male insecurity, and this one hits its mark. I'm guessing there were some good old boys that got pretty shook up in 1956, what with I-talians sleeping in the crib.

I Know You've Missed Me
I've been good lately. How bout you? I'm not hating my job right now. Wish I were writing and/or playing guitar more (at all). I saw the wet dress perform last week. He's getting good, man. Next time he's playing, if I know in time, I'll post here.
I saw a movie called Spider Baby. Pretty good. I'm not obsessed with it, like Fight, but it was totally entertaining.
I'm planning on doing an avant-rock dog walk tonight. I've got about four albums I want to do. French showtunes or German minimal techno? Check back tomorrow, nappy headed hoes.

The next year she bought a new stomach...

2007-04-03T08:24:00.000-06:00

From liverpool made in detroit. 
John Cale made at least a couple of really great albums in the 70's.
Paris 1919 is one of my favorite albums, but this earlier one,
"Vintage Violence", boy, it has really been growing on me.
It seems like he's still just a bit unsure how he wants to sound
post-Velvets.  Sometimes he tries too hard to be a pop star,
and these are the weakest moments.  He was probably friends
with the rolling stones, and sometimes he sounds like jagger.
I swear its jagger singing backup on charlemagne.  One of the
best songs is ghost story but the decision to cut it off suddenly
almost ruins it.  I don't get that. I'm going to put Amsterdam on a
mix for my friend whos going to cook school.  I have a few other
John Cale albums to listen to.  Hope they are nearly as good as this.

Movie Night 3-21-07

2007-03-26T15:46:00.000-06:00

I've been a bit busy. Last week we finally watched Pandora's Box, a German silent from 1929. You would like it. A lot. You won't watch it, cuz you think it sounds boring and foreign and silent. It's not. It's way better than whatever else you've got at the top of your queue. Sorry I don't have a lot of wisdom. If you want wisdom, go here. Destroyer. That's Louise Brooks. She knows you. It's creepy, but she does.

Cool, Man

2007-03-21T15:34:00.000-06:00

I just found a pretty cool website. The Criterion Contraption is a fella who has set out to watch each and every film released by Criterion, and to write about them. The posts about each film are long and detailed, not short and shallow like wewilldie's blurbs. They're actually interesting and well-researched. His take on The Third Man is pretty neat. I'll be spending some hours reading through that site this weekend.

No Man Should Be Stricken With Fear

2007-03-20T11:14:00.000-06:00

Not a new discovery, by any means, but this is a strange pairing.

Anatomy Lesson, Rembrandt

I couldn't find a better copy online, but this is a famous picture of the murdered Che Guevara.

Silence Dark Spots

2007-03-15T15:10:00.000-06:00

I apologize for silence.

Movie Night 3-14-07
Little movie called Silent Movie. Little and dumb, but pretty fun. One pretty smart series of scenes about alcoholism that was both funny and sad. Next week, if i can force my will, we're watching a true silent called Pandora's Box.

Boxes
In connection with the pretty picture over there, this is a pretty neat little article about the evolution of two designs for criterion releases. I've been a big fan of the packaging these guys do for a long time now, so it's kind of neat to see and read how they work.

Baskets
The tournament started today and i'm excited to get home and watch Weber St. and BYU play. I picked Weber State to go final four, so cross your fingers.

Lynch

2007-03-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

I don't want to overstate this. David Lynch's late career work, so far, presents what may be the most complete, unique, and powerful individual artistic vision in film history. I'm not a scholar, so correct me if you can. He's had an amazing career, of course, but it seems like he's finally truly following up on Eraserhead. I don't know where this guy comes from. Inland Empire is absolutely the darkest, scariest, most unpleasant movie I've ever seen. Lynch takes a cue from Von Trier and shoots with a cheap digital cam. It's the perfect medium for Inland Empire, the most solipsistic and personal of Lynch's films. He says he's never going to use film again. Fine. He's got the largest filmic vocabulary of any director out there, and his new tools give him the freedom to use it all. His choice to use perhaps less sophisticated equipment doesn't limit him, it frees him. Try to see it in a theater. Bring a security blanket and something to puke into. David Lynch is moviemaking's Shakespeare. That may be an overstatement.

AVANT ROCK DOG WALK #2

2007-03-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

I got new phones. Sound is great. B was hyper-excito, so I leashed her up, wrapped a scarf, and plunged into the purple dusk. It was purple, see below. I chose a brand new one this time: "Grindstone" by the Norwegian band Shining.
Things were good at first -- prog-jazz versions of Bach in my head, young couple sharing a cigarette on the street, B marching right on beat. Came across a sketchy looking alley that we certainly would have skipped were it not for the newly Sabbath-y sounding demons in my phones. B dodged a gasoline puddle, ate some chinese, and barked mean at a caged pit bull. We made it. Changed directions. Shining got a bit boring. They think the moody blues are cool in Norway?
We ended up near Trolley Square. Another black metal alley. There is actually an old Trolley car in someone's yard over there. I took a pic with my cell phone but it's too dark to see. So, did they ship trolley's here from San Francisco or something? To make this weird theme mall? People got shot here not long ago. Came to have dinner and didn't think for a moment that they weren't perfectly safe.
Music sounds like Miles Davis's "On the Corner", but much less violent, less everything.

STATS
Time Elapsed: 45 min.
Songs Heard: 12
Favorite Track (tonight): Asa Nisi Masa
Pieces of Garbage Eaten by B: some chinese; something else
Landmarks: weird little alley; someone apparently bought a lot that included a real trolley car
Notes: new Shining is not very good

The World, From My Front Porch Last Night -- Shortly Prior to Dog Walk

2007-02-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

I'm Sorry, Don't Snow

2007-02-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Don't know who drew this picture. I found it on the internet by typing "snow". I think it's beautiful. Click on it, make it bigger. It's a bit disturbing how the internet gives everyone access to everything. It's snowing hard here, and i'm feeling kinda like that girl. I feel needy and hopeless. Like I need something, besides friends, family, and dog (I'm whiny, cuz I'm completely blessed in those files), to care about. Something I want to work hard on. I want to do it for real, not on a computer. I know I'll probably end up on one at some point, but fuck computers. You're reading this on a computer, and you're probably responding to it as if it were written by a computer. Close. I close em and think about spring and not being at work
and feeling perfectly happy sitting alone with nothing to do.

Movie Night 2-21-07

2007-02-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

Big night, last. Ladies and Gentlemen were lucky enough to see the satanic Performance from 1970. Long time, folks, this little evil drop has been unavailable. Not many have seen it, but now you can, cuz it's on DVD. I would say yes, but be careful, little ones. It's a dark spot, no doubt.
It's a pretty good movie. Not great at all, but definitely interesting, and psycho. Actual hippie sex. So they say. It wasn't that awesome. I mean it would be awesome in the real, but in the movie it wasn't. I think Jagger was pretty cool in this. I didn't think he would be. He played Come On In My Kitchen very nicely.

Cargo

2007-02-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

A few Criterion dvd's that i may have to go deeper in debt for:

This is a rerelease, but doesn't it look nice?

That one is pretty neat too.

Thirdly

2007-02-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

I finally finished The Third Man. I was really impressed with The Fallen Idol last year, so I decided I'd better see Carol Reed and Graham Greene's follow-up The Third Man. It also has a very famous star part for Orson Welles who spends all of ten minutes on screen. Like Fallen Idol, it's got some interesting themes, mostly about the uncertain state of individual morality. Greene seems to have been a bit preoccupied with themes of loyalty and betrayal in this period. Perhaps these are motifs running through much of Greene's work, I've not read it. These preoccupations run pretty deep in The Third Man and I've found myself discovering new meaning in my memory of the details, days after viewing it. Another thing: I can't help but think my ignorance of WWII contributes to my sense of missing something here. The screenwriter and director are both british; the leading man and the guiding plot force are American; the setting is Vienna, in a strange period of divided occupation, and chaotic law enforcement. It's a pretty loaded setup, ripe for allegory, and while I think I get the gist of the thing, audiences a generation ago probably understood its intricacies a bit better. There is a great awareness in the film of the devastated state of post-war Vienna, and this Vienna is certainly a symbol of something.
Welles is pretty cool, especially delivering this line:

``You know what the fellow said: In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love--they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.''

I've read that this dialogue was written by Welles and not Greene. Interesting, as it's probably the film's most famous line. The music is also very famous, and it's awesome. Just a man playing an instrument called a zither. You'll recognize it when you hear it.
I don't know if it's better than The Fallen Idol, but they go together very well. Watch them both and you'll have some things to keep you thinking for a while. I don't think many of Reed's films are available on DVD yet, but I'd like to see a few of them, so please release them.

2007-02-15T19:51:00.001-07:00

Against my better judgement, we had snow this smorning (in 2nd grade I won my first literary award for a christmas story called The Lost Reindeer. I can't remember anything about it, except my embarrassment at having to be told "smorning" is not a real word). I did not ask for this fucking underline, btw. This evening however was pretty warm, so B and I took a long Avant Rock Dog Walk. We chose Tago Mago by Can. Walked some new streets. Found a park: pretty nice, not far from my house. There was a really nice monument out front that I thought at first was a tombstone. It was dedicated to "the first black college graduate in Utah." I can't remember his name, which means I will not forget a notebook next time. I love taking long walks at night with crazy music. It helps make my city seem interesting and weird again. I didn't talk to anyone this walk, but I heard a woman calling her husband many bad things, didn't look at her cuz she seemed pretty angry. B was pretty good, but too hungry, which is weird, cuz I fed her dinner just before we left. Hmm? I'm gonna try to do an Avant Rock Dog Walk post every once in a while. Just wander and then ramble. Don't I have anything better to do? No. I'll choose some strange album I've been reading about or whatever, from whenever, hopefully usually something new. Something I might not listen to normally. The kind of music that requires more attention than I usually am willing to give. I'm going to have to get some new headphones. I want good ones. Anyone know good headphones? I will also take suggestions for listening material. Lets see the comments page explode! Damn. Sorry I know this hyperlink shit is annoying. Wordpress? Typepad?

STATS
Time Elapsed: 40 min.
Songs Heard: 5
Favorite Track (tonight): Halleluhwah
Pieces of Garbage Eaten by B: 2 for sure
Landmarks: Park on 600 S.; Monument to first black college grad
Notes: Must obtain -- Notepad; Headphones

Communism, Anarchism, Nihilism

2007-02-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about the band CAN a lot lately. I've noticed lots of bands are releasing albums that sound like them, and I think thats pretty cool. In fact, if I were talented enough and had weird enough talented buddies, I'd start a band that sounded a little bit like CAN. I've heard most of their albums, first four at least, and I love them. My favorites are Ege Bamyasi and Tago Mago. These seem to be the consensus faves. If you've not heard these two albums, I promise, after a few listens, you will love them.
The first album, Monster Movie, is pretty great too. It has an American singer (Damo Suzuki is the vocalist on the later albums) who apparently had to quit the band because they were bad for his mental health. Yoo Doo Right is the most famous song on Monster Movie, and it's neat. Reminds me of Velvet Underground.
I'm not sure that there is any truth to the name being an acronym. Wiki says it's a backronym. Probably.

Harry

2007-02-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here's something that looks pretty cool. Can't vouch for it, cuz I haven't seen it yet, but it's a docu about Harry Nilsson during the making of Son of Schmilsson. This links to the first part in the 5 or 6 part film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cefnRiGfSZ0

Cool Free Listening... Maybe

2007-02-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

I just found a link on digg.com to this site:
http://www.oculture.com/weblog/2007/02/the_major_works.html
It has a bunch of mp3's of H.G. Wells books, but the one that caught my interest is a free download of the original Orson Welles, Mercury theatre radio production of War of the Worlds. Took about three minutes to download. I've never heard this, so I'm pretty excited to put this on the sansa sandisk mp3 player (it's a little clunky). Check it out, if you're interested.

Dark Spots

2007-02-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Movie Night 2/7/07
Dollar movie. The Fountain. This crazy freak of a movie really surprised me. It was pretty darn cool. Happy/Sad love story with a Buddhist conquistador. About dealing with grief. I think. And somehow living forever. This Aronofsky seems like a really interesting fella. I hear Brad Pitt begged Aronofsky to put him in his next movie. Here's hoping it doesn't happen. The Fountain joins the list of good movies from last year. Short list. It's a pretentious movie, no doubt. Rachel Weisz is pretty, but I don't think she can really act, just smile.

Co-op
I've been wanting to post about the food co-op for a while. K and I have now been a part of this community food buying project for two months, and we think it's pretty awesome. Actually, I don't know why you're not doing it (if you live in SLC). The co-op website has all the info you need. You get lots of good food for about half the price of the grocery store. This month we got tilapia fish, pork chops, chicken, potatoes, grapefruit, pears, a loaf of good bread, bean soup, lots of stuff. If you're a solo, you can order just a half share. Part of the deal is that you commit to two hours community service per month. If you're interested you can volunteer with J and I to help with the food deliveries. It's not bad at all. Makes you feel like a good commie.

Rock and Roll. We are from Japan!

2007-02-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Frantic days. Dentist. (I fucking hate dentists. Crooks, man.) I thought I'd write about some of the new music I've had piling up on my computer. Lots of good stuff lately, actually.

My very favorite thing of the moment is this new album by the Japanese band Boris. It's called Rainbow and it's co-credited to the Ghost guitarist Michio Kurihara. His guitar playing is really the element that keeps knocking me out. He plays with several styles throughout, sometimes layered atmospherics, sometimes barely appropriate freak-outs, but it's always interesting. Boris mostly play it straight, sort of timidly waiting Kurihara's screech, but the music isn't filler.

Kurihara's real job, Ghost, released some product recently too. In Stormy Nights sounds pretty good so far, but hasn't had the immediate effect of Rainbow or the previous Ghost album. The album is built around a half hour long noise piece that just doesn't work that well. The song songs are pretty solid, though.

Dog

2007-01-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

I missed movie night because I'm sick.

Dark Spots

2007-01-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Movie Night 1-24-04
Sullivan's Travels. If you've never seen Sturges' movies, you need to. There is a nice new set with about six of his movies, and so far so good. Queue em up. I probably liked this a little less than Unfaithfully Yours, but it might be the better movie. Let My People Go. Powerful stuff. And funny, too. We may change movie night to Sturges night for a month or so.

Sports
Lots of people are looking forward to next weekend, but this one has the better shiz. Australian Open finals: This guy Gonzalez has been stomping great players. I think he might take a set from Federer. I'll root for Williams over the babe.
My tennis elbow returns. I hit backhands like Gumby.

Tonight, the Jazz play the Nuggets. I think that would be a good one to go see, but I doubt there's a ticket left. I hope the Jazz win, but I won't be surprised if those two Nugget guys get 50 apiece. I know a fella that loves A.I. and has prophetic dreams concerning him.

Bowie
I'm gonna listen to a lot of Bowie over the next few months and maybe Fridays I'll write about it, album by album or something. I started with the very early recordings compiled on a disc called The Deram Anthology 66-68. This is weird stuff for him. He sounds like he's trying to fit in with the sixties pop crowd but feels very insecure about it. Some are still really good, others are really, really bad. I guess it's pre-satan worship, so no one was telling him not to put fart noises at the ends of songs, or chipmunk choruses and laughing gnomes. The music for the most part is well produced and interesting, using lots of different styles. I think Dukes of Stratosphear must have loved this stuff.

2007-01-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

I got a letter from my future self today. It said, "Tough luck, amigo." Made me kinda nervous. That's not me. That's Fight.

Hehheh. Look at the big picture. Fight has a reminder to "HOOP" on his hand.

HAHAHA

2007-01-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

No way? You don't have to do any better than Little Miss Sunshine to get an Oscar nomination!? Hell, Crash won last year. Drop what you're doing and throw together an insincere, sentimental screenplay and see what happens. If you make sure you know exactly which previous successful screenplay you're gonna use for your format, it won't cost more than a few days off work. I'm rooting for Mexicans only. BTW, no real nominations for Children of Men? Stupid. Don't know why I care.

Pointlessness

2007-01-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

If you were shot into space and you were allowed to bring along the entire output of five musicians and thats it, who would you choose?

I read something like that on another blog recently and I'm a dork so I've been thinking about it. This is a pretty good idea of who I would want at this moment:

Eno - Man, I'm telling you, Eno is a great choice for anyone. You get all the great Eno albums (even the ambient stuff probably sounds great in space), plus three of Bowie's best, three great Talking Heads, Devo, Roxy Music, U2, the Microsoft Windows theme, Dune theme...
Bob Dylan - I had Brian Wilson all typed up here, but then I got a little worried. Maybe I'd get sick of it too quick. Dylan has much more variety. Album for album, I want Pet Sounds though.
Miles Davis - I was thinking of that band Can, but they're kind of a new love of mine and I'm not ready give myself to them completely yet. Plus, they sound a ton like late Miles Davis. Davis has like 300 albums, so he can occupy some time.
Lou Reed - I choose Lou over John Lennon, just barely, because I really think the Velvet Underground stuff would hold more interest to me if I were alone in outer space. Transformer? Sweet. Lou has a lot of stuff you could live without though.
Bach - I'm not that familiar with him, but he must be a good choice, right? Smart people would probably choose all classical composers, anyway.

You?

Dark Spots

2007-01-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

First, I stole the title for my bundle articles from Fight.

Movie Night 1-17-07
We got free tickets to the movie that won best foreign language film from the wrinkly golden globes (I was going to link to Borat's acceptance speech, but Dick Clark Productions apparently shut it down on youtube. Dick.) Letters from Iwo Jima is not a foreign film. It tells the story of this battle with a focus on the Japanese, but it is still very clearly from the perspective of an American. That's the most disappointing thing about the movie: it purports to show the other side, but it just doesn't work in that way. I still really liked it, though. It uses the other side thing to bring up issues of how we value life, both our own and those of Others. It's long and kind of slow; it's a lot like every other war movie; its winning best foreign film is bullshit; but I still recommend it, if you're ever in the mood.

FESPN Podcast
I think it would be cool to do a podcast version of FESPN. The Wood's are way funnier than real sports talk personalities, and some of the posts on that site are totally good. Does anyone have any advice on good ways to record and post podcasts? I don't know if it will really happen, but it would be fun.

Boots
K ordered us some boots this week. I'm pretty excited about it. I haven't had boots since grade school. Those look pretty heavy duty, eh? Then we're going to go on wussy little hikes that we pretend are big and difficult and require heavy duty boots. B will love it.

Harry Potter and the Immigrant Wars

2007-01-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

Children of Men is the second really good 2006 movie I've seen. It really affected me and it's hard to tell if it's a great movie or if its themes just resonate so perfectly. Big, culturally relevant themes don't necessarily make something a work of art. Like the other movie I watched this week, Idiocracy. Funny, relevant, but not great. Children of Men has some flaws too I think, but I found myself not really caring. I believe the director, Cuaron, has made a sincere and compassionate movie that everyone really should see, about what could happen to our society if we forget to be respectful of all life. The future in Children of Men is horrible, but Cuaron adds such genuine hopefulness to it that in the end I felt inspired by it and not depressed. It says a lot that he was able to do that so convincingly.
I liked Y tu mama tambien, and now I may actually check out that Harry Potter movie he made. I think this dude will probably make some great movies, and Children of Men might be the first.

K Phones In On Os Mix 06

2007-01-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

K-Wad posted some snarky comments about my mixtape, and about me in general, on her site. Funny stuff over there at MacNDos.

Movie Night 1-10-07

2007-01-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

We took a chance for movie night last night and chose a very recent movie. Before 2046 the youngest movie we'd watched was released in 1970.
I've heard lots of good things about Wong Kar Wai and there are definitely things in 2046 that impress me: Every scene is really pretty, almost always very tight on the characters, usually just one man and one woman, suggesting both the intimacy and claustrophobia of the relationships; the acting is subtle and interesting; and it's clear that Wong Kar Wai is an artist with something to say, and a vision of how to say it.
But, overall 2046 is a vivid mess. Kar Wai apparently wants cultural events to serve as a backdrop to the stories, but their meaning and impact upon the characters is never really examined. The "2046" gimmick is another empty layer that basically only adds confusion to what is really a very simple story. By the end even the beautiful visuals become monotonous.
That's all pretty harsh I guess, because the movie did have some interesting aspects and I wouldn't write even this much about a film that didn't affect me in some way. I guess I need to look forward to the directors next work. And to next movie nights selection being an old one.

2007-01-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

Thats Gavin drawing his entry for charades. He had a hard time doing Indian Chief, so all's fair.

Os Tracklist

2007-01-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

1. Beirut – Elephant Gun

Dosh – O Mexico

Peter, Bjorn, and John – Objects of My Affection

Six Organs of Admittance – The Desert Is A Circle

Johann Johannsson – Sun’s Gone Dim and the Sky’s Turned Black

Herbert – Down

Califone – The Orchids

Spank Rock – Sweet Talk

Fujiya & Miyagi –

The White Birch – We Are Not the Ones

Belle and Sebastien – Act of the Apostle II

Fiery Furnaces – Nevers!

Yo La Tengo – Sometimes I Don’t Get You

Band of Horses – The Funeral

15. Swan Lake – The Freedom

Dark Spots

2007-01-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Os Mix 06
I made a little music mix thing to give to people that want it. It's a set of about 16 songs, i think, all released in 2006, and all songs that I really like. I tried to dig a little deeper, so it's not my favorite songs. I left off Bob Dylan and Joanna Newsom and Destroyer (its got one Swan Lake, though), just cuz most of my migos know that stuff too well. I'll put up the track list when I can find it.
Email me if you want it. Or come see me.

Prairie Home
K and I watched Altman's final movie last night. I really did not like it. I know Altman's improv style meant that his movies flopped sometimes, but Companion is a drag all the way. Doesn't matter. I love Altman. He must have made more really excellent movies than any other single director. Is that true? I count 10 that I consider very good at the least, and thats not including Popeye. Can you think of anyone else? There must be. Hitchcock? Kurosawa? Bergman? Spielberg? (sorta J/K about Spielberg)

Something for Nerds to Look Forward To

2007-01-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

I just read this on the Criterion website. Seems pretty neat. I'm definitely excited to see what they release:

We are launching a new line. The news will be official on Friday when we ship out PDFs of the first sell sheets for Series 1: Early Bergman. For the past couple of days, we’ve been ironing out the last details of the packaging and finalizing the twenty-six words that will appear on the back of every cover: “Eclipse presents a selection of lost, forgotten, or overshadowed films in simple, affordable editions. Each series is a brief cinematheque retrospective for the adventurous home viewer.”

... We want those films to be more readily available, and that’s why we’re creating Eclipse. Each month we’ll present a short series, usually three to five films, focusing on a particular director or theme. There will be no supplements and the master materials will be the best we can find, but they won’t be full Criterion restorations. Retail pricing for each set will average under $15 per disc, and we are examining the logistics of making the sets available at an even more favorable rate on a subscriber or club basis. The goal here is to make these films available, to make sure that Criterion’s own work style doesn’t contribute to the continuing unavailability of these films.

The New Year

2007-01-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have to go back to work tomorrow. That's sad, because I've been off for 10 days now. Getting pretty used to waking up at 11 and not showering til 6. New year. I woke up really depressed, you know? I don't know why, I guess it's just the world not quite living up to what I'd like it to. I usually go through a pretty heavy depression at the beginning of a new year. Is that normal? Anyway, I'm kinda shaking it off already, and trying to feel good about 2007. I had fun on New Year's Eve, hanging out with friends, like Adam ^. Looks like fun, eh?

Here's some resolutions:

1. Try not to buy so much crap. I hate how much money is wasted on cheap shit. I want to be more aware of what I'm buying, and to whom the money is going. K. had some statistics about the distribution of capital in this country that just made me sick. I can't really summarize it here, but maybe I'll try to post it soon. I can't believe people are okay with the huge and growing gap between rich and poor. All this ties in with...

2. Somehow get more involved in community issues and activities. Seems to me, the best way to make an impact would be for communities to learn to be less dependant upon corrupt, intrusive corporations. This may be an unrealistic goal, but it's important to me personally to combat what feels like an epidemic of consumerist greed and corporate manipulation.

3. Become less ignorant about politics and history. That means read a lot of books on the topics. Trouble is, I don't know what to read. Please make suggestions.

4. Eat better; get in shape. Every year my appetite and love of food seems to grow, so every year I get a little chubbier. I don't want to stop eating the food I love, just to be aware and work out regularly. This is the perennial resolution. The one I always blow. Lifto, are you going to work out with me, or what?

5. Help K. with home improvements. This one i'm not excited for, cuz it means lots of work and lots of money, but it's important, and the results will be worth it.

There are lots more, but I guess they're more personal, ordinary things.

I am going to finish up an Os Mix '06 with some of my favorite songs from last year that I'll send to whoever wants it. I'll post here when I finish it. Let me know.

Dosh

2006-12-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

This guy, Dosh, has an album out that I've been listening to quite a bit. It's called The Lost Take, and it's a pretty cool basement electronic set. Laid back stuff, with horns and pianos and occasional very low-mixed vocals. He's playing in Salt Lake in February at Kilby.

Movie Night - 12/28/06

2006-12-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

Last night a very few of us watched Fellini's La Strada. I think everyone enjoyed it. I did, but I don't really have much to say about it. I know it's a classic and all humans are supposed to love it. I just liked it. I love some Fellini movies. La Strada is very sad. Hmm..., you'll just have to watch it yourself. Shame for missing movie night.

That is a pretty cute little old lady Fellini likes to put in his movies.

Nilsson Sings Newman

2006-12-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm a pretty big fan of both Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson, so I expected to like this album. I didn't expect it to be as good as any of their solo albums. It is. I read that this album pretty much made Newman's name, and Nilsson had really struggled to this point (1970). I don't think it was a hit, but something of a step forward for both men. It's a really pretty album, with ten songs chosen by Nilsson. Newman is the pianist, and for the most part, it's just piano and layers of voice. The whole thing is very subdued, very minimal, and, even for these two, pretty strange. For such a well produced album, it's especially weird how much studio chatter was allowed to remain on the tracks. You can hear Newman complaining about his ending on one. It's not annoying though; it actually adds to the live, in your living room, sound of the album. I like this album a lot. I think it is just as good as anything else the two were involved in, and that's saying a lot. It might take a few listens to get into, though, especially if you're not familiar with Nilsson or Newman.

New Mac N Dos

2006-12-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention K.'s made the inevitable move to wordpress. Mac N Dos looks pretty neat now, and she promises to post more frequently.

Well Wishes

2006-12-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a good day. I got some good stuff. K. got me a subscription to the McSweeney's book club. Her dad gave me a bottle of tequila. My folks, camping gear. My dog ate lots of things, got tired and passed out. Umm..., that's all guys, except to remind you to check out the new digs on FESPN, by clicking the link------------------------------->
No new posts, but soon.

K's Stuffed Nativity

Beu Drank My Tequila

Movie Night - 12/20/06

2006-12-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Not the biggest movie night group, but a good one. Everyone quietly watched The Conformist, a movie that I'm pretty sure ranks among the best I've seen. It's about politics, a topic thats beginning to fascinate and depress me (I know I'm a little late coming to this discovery). The director, Bertolucci, obviously feels a little bitter about politics too. But it's not all bitter, you see; if it were, I'm not sure it would mean as much to me. There is a spirit in the people surrounding the conformist, the character, that seems capable of rising above the oppressive political atmosphere. Sometimes I feel hopeless and powerless. The Conformist has a weird way of confirming that I'm not alone in that feeling. I can't think of any other movie I've seen that better shows the potential danger, and potential joy, of devoting yourself to a community, or movement, or whatever. Everyone should see The Conformist. It's on dvd for the first time. Queue it up, or borrow it from Gavin. Warning: Your girlfriend may not like it. Unless she's bisexual. (That's an inappropriate joke that's really a jab at my girlfriend, who thought the movie was boring. Your girlfriends sexuality has nothing to do with it.)

KSL.com - Haven For Racists

2006-12-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

I realize that title is a bit sensational, but seriously, that site will make you feel sick about being a mormon, or white, or from utah. Read the comments section to any article. Who are they? I don't know them. My parents are as middle class and mormon as it gets, and they aren't like that. Ugh. Makes me want to learn about politics and history and people and become a good anarchist or communist. Fucking ignorant, hateful, ordinary people.

2006-12-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

It's time to make lists. To most people my age, my friends at least, this is a hateful time of year. For sure, it is, but I always look forward to everyone's stupid lists. So WeWillDie's got some lists too. Why? It's fun. That's all. Even this year.
Albums today.

1. Joanna Newsom - Ys
She's cute.
2. Destroyer - Rubies
He's smart.
3. Bob Dylan - Modern Times
Not as good as the previous two (Love and Theft is one of my favorites). Still damn good.
4. Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea
I like 'em, but they need to work on their live show.
5. TV on the Radio - Cookie Mountain
I get the feeling this will be near the top on lots of lists. It's pretty good.
6. Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid
First half is great.
7. Belle and Sebastien - Life Pursuit
One friend told me he liked "the old, gayer stuff". What? It just doesn't get much gayer than this, buddy.
8. Danielson - Ships
This was a good show. Way better than his previous albums.
9. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
These guys have grown on me. I'm pretty excited to see 'em in a couple months.
10. Sufjan Stevens - Avalanche
More cargo.
Also: Keith Fullerton Whitman - Lisbon, Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet
I like fuzzy ambient when I'm reading or studying. These are the best of that kind I heard this year.

I'm probably missing something great.
Nah, that's it.

25 BOOKS

2006-12-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

25 was my goal this year. I finished about half that. Failure.

I was on pace until I started my new job. Since then I've really not finished a single book. This is sad and something I will have to figure out.
Here is a list of some of my favorites among the books I read this year:

James Joyce - Richard Ellmann
Big bio of Joyce made me want to visit all of Europe. But not Dublin.

Consider the Lobster - David Foster Wallace
Funny essays about all kinds of stuff. Serious Lit, mainly about tennis.

Candide - Voltaire
Funniest book I've ever read. Human misery is a riot in "Candide". I think there is an opera based on this, and that cracks me up. The cover art on the one I bought is awesome.

Europe Central - William Vollmann
You should try something by Vollmann. Maybe not this one, but something. They're all kinda huge.

Orson Welles - Simon Callow
Orson is my new hero. I'm about half way through Vol. 1 of this big bio and Orson is only 20! I'm really loving this one and will probably be reading it deep into next year. (By the way, I watched his 1963 movie "The Trial" last night. Holy Shit. More on that later.)

I may post another Books article tomorrow about all of the books published this year that I'd like to read. There are lots.

Youth to Youth

2006-12-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

---Movie Night 12-6-06---
Last night a pretty good crew met for movie night. Watched one called "Unfaithfully Yours" by Preston Sturges. Funny, orchestrated slapstick. Easily one of the best movie night's yet. Everyone that actually sat and watched was cracking up. Everyone that didn't was on laughing gas. HAHAHA. Looking forward to watching more by Sturges, for sure.

---Liquor---
I want to gift myself a good bottle of liquor this holiday season, but I don't know what to get. I want to get something fairly high end, something tasty, with a name to impress my borderline alcoholic amigos. If you have some suggestions, please make them.

---Lists---
People are starting to put out their "LISTS" already. I've been disappointed with pretty much everything this year. My albums list might number 5; my movies, 3; seems like a pretty kick ass year for books (Roth, Pynchon, Powers, Eggers, McCarthy, etc.), but I read too slow and haven't gotten to any of them. Luckily, there's so much good stuff available, it doesn't really matter that all the new stuff stinks. I saw so many good movies this year. I got Remain in Light this year! Anyway, I know it's nerdy, but I like making lists, so I probably will be posting them pretty soon. Sorry. Oh, if anyone else feels like making a list, it'd be cool if you posted it here.

Foreigners

2006-12-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

Gregary wrote me an IM yesterday that LOL'd me completely. Andrei Kirilenko has recently come to like dill, he wrote. And then the hotlink, http://www.kirilenko.ru/?lang=eng.
The best Siberian basketball player on the Utah Jazz has his own blog!!! It's pretty good too. Check out the section "Masha". Funny.

So I searched for the best Turkish Jazzman Mehmet Okur. He has a blog also!!! http://www.memo13.com/index.asp His wife is a babe as well. They all have pretty hot wives, actually, as you can see if you click on the "birthday party for Jarron" link.

Blogs are so funny.

Meet Upsetter's

2006-12-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

So this dude Adam really likes Reggae music. He knows lots bout it, and he told me about a guy named Lee "Scratch" Perry and loaned me this period retrospective set called "Arkology".
I'm pretty familiar with a lot of different styles of music, but somehow reggae never really interested me. I have one Bob Marley album "Catch A Fire". I like, but thats the limit of my knowledge of real reggae. As a style it seems like it has co-opted into something really lame. Lee Perry is freaking not lame.
He's famous for eating money, worshiping bananas, and referring to himself as "The King of Mess". Much of his most well known work was done with a group called The Upsetters. Also, especially, he was an important figure in the creation of "dub" music. I'd heard of dub, but didn't really know what it was. It's basically what we've come to know as remixing. Making small changes to the basic tracks of a recording and doing different things over these tracks. Perry was pretty successful with this style, and had lots of dub hits, not just in Jamaica but in the UK as well. "Arkology" seems to be set up as a sort of introduction to dub, which is an annoying framework for a "Lee Perry anthology". I.E., one of the most famous tracks here, Police & Thieves, is presented first in its original form and then followed by four (!) dub versions, all using the same backing track, barely, if at all, modified. One has some dude soloing on sax over it. This is a good way to illustrate what dub is, but it's not Lee Perry at his best. As far as I can tell, this is the format for the entire collection: one track in the form of its popular release followed by a dub version. This dude is the inspiration for rap singles where Side B contains two remixes of Side A. That's not a dismissal of Arkology though, cuz it has lots of really cool stuff on it; even the haters could admit that the best tracks on these discs are well produced and original sounding lofi recordings. All of them were recorded in his 4-Track backyard studio called Black Ark, which he claimed to've burnt to the ground. If you're interested in hearing Lee Perry, and you know me, drop a comment. I'm gonna try to acquire a few of his albums, because, as is usually the case, I'm betting you can learn more from the originals than from compilation.

Sad Day - Pornstache Plummer Riding Pine

2006-11-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

My favorite football player, Jake Plummer, got benched this week. I'd put this on the sports blog, but I don't have much to say. I didn't create the picture above, I google image'd it, but i agree. I'll cheer for whatever team hires you.

Coolest football player ever. Jake the Snake is way cooler than Cutler the... , or Tony Homo.

Click here and vote for Jake.

Good Album Art - 06

2006-11-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

(Please excuse the crappiness of the layout. It looks just perfect in the preview, and so crappy in real life. If you have some tips about this Blogger crap, help me out.)
I've been sort of trying to keep track of some of the more impressive album covers this year. I'm a sucker for packaging.
Here's a very few of my favorites:
Keith Fullerton Whitman - Lisbon
I love this one. Some pretty building in Lisbon, shot very nicely. Green and mossy. The album too is quite beautiful, live ambient. But, you'll probably never give it a chance.

Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
Also among my favorite albums of the year musically, Rubies reminds me of the picture on the back side of Leonard Cohen's Songs From A Room. I kinda wish the photo had been used alone, without the ruby header. It just fits, right? That dude in a room with one pretty woman and lots of books. He's a cool dude.

Thom Yorke - The Eraser
A bit disappointed by The Eraser? Me too. Especially after seeing the artwork months earlier. I don't know if this artist has worked on any of the Radiohead stuff, but I really like their artwork usually also. There are 3 or 4 songs that are kick assers on here.

Benoit Pioulard - Precis
I haven't heard this album, but I want to own it on LP. It just looks so neat.

Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis
This guy is awesome. I haven't heard this yet either, but I'm working on it. He made one great album with Pulp, Different Class, and one album with a great cover:

Actually, Hardcore is pretty interesting too.
<----------But that's funny.

Right on. There are lots more cool ones, so please feel free to drop a comment with links to some that you like!

Ten Things To Accomplish On My Vacation (Boring Post)

2006-11-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

1. Take many naps. One per day, at least.

2. Read much, if not all, of the book I've been reading for the past month.

3. Sleep in every morning, but workout (not very hard) when I get up.

4. Stay coherent; make a good impression. Last year I may have overimbibed and made a fool of myself. Clif doesn't remember that. I don't remember much, sober or drunk, but I think Gav called me a "mean drunk." This year I will be a gentleman.

5. Watch some good movies. At the top of my list: Dead Alive and The Stranger.

6. Make a good effort at using the hot tub at least once daily.

7. Write a little bit. Post some updates here.

8. Check in with Kelsey. Make sure she is well and is taking good care of Beu.

9. Listen to some good music. I want to take stock of this years albums. See if I can come up with a top 4 or 5. Also, listen to some good old ones.

10. Be Owen's favorite uncle. Spoil him and make his parent's look bad when they tell him "no".

Welles, pt. 2

2006-11-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

I ordered two Orson Welles movies this weekend: The Stranger, 1946 and The Trial, 1963. I've never seen either one and I'm looking forward to it. I hope they get here before Friday so Gav, Clif, and I can watch them on our annual trip to AZ.--------------------------------------------------------------------->
These movies are really pretty obscure, I think, and that fact got me thinking: Isn't it strange that a character as big and iconic as Orson Welles has only two works, Citizen Kane and War of the Worlds, that are well known "Orson Welle's Features"? Both were created by the time he was 25, and I doubt many of you have actually heard his production of War of the Worlds. But Orson Welles is the "movie director" to most, right? Only Hitchcock is more famous as a "Filmmaker." So what happened to him as an artist? I'm only to age 15 in the bio (which is great), so I can't go deeper right now than the obvious and trite "He got screwed by Hollywood." He did, for sure.
Hollywood didn't know how to handle him. Like the French New Wavers, who worshipped Welles, said, he was an auteur before people thought of directors in that way. Some studio in Hollywood gave him a contract promising "complete artistic control" over two films. They didn't realize that he was a weirdo who was concerned with more than just making them money. It may seem hard to believe now, but I think a director who asked for control, and then took liberties with that control, was something the studios hadn't dealt with before Welles. He was a powerful figure who made a lot of demands. He delivered, artistically, with Citizen Kane, but financially it was a big time flop. Hearst, a man whose influence must have surprised even Welles, blocked the film from theaters and from the press, in effect destroying whatever faith the studios had in him.
FACT (unless Welles was lying, which apparently he often was): He lost his virginity at 9.

Ping Pong

2006-11-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight is Ping Pong night. I am playing in my first table tennis tournament. I'm nervous. I just know I'm gonna blow it. Wish I had a nice paddle. Just wanna win one or two. Wanna play ping pong with celebrities.
I'm kinda hoping Gav and I meet somewhere near the finals. He's been whompin' my butt lately though. Lots of old men play ping pong. Hope i can beat them. Tonight is actually sort of a qualifying round; real tournament is tomorrow. Utah Table Tennis Open. Big time. Come watch and heckle our opponents. Ping Pong night.
That's Rita Hayworth playing. She was married to Orson Welles in the fifties or something. She was in Lady From Shanghai, a weird noir movie Welles made.
Ping Pong Night.

2006-11-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

Easily Google'd Facts About Orson Welles

You're reading this, so I'll assume you're either a good friend, or my girlfriend. If I'm right, then you have seen Citizen Kane, probably several times. (Kels, I know you've seen it once, but we will be watching it very soon.) Wouldn't you agree, listeners, that to've seen Citizen Kane must lead to some intrigue with its creator. Like Godard's films, Kane shows its seams and reveals its artifice, ultimately being more about its creation as a work of art, than its subjects. Kane, though, was released in 1941, almost 20 years before Godard's first, Breathless, and Kane's self-referencing is unironic; it is uninformed by postmodernism and deconstruction. I think this is one of the qualities that makes Citizen Kane so interesting: its form and style seem eternally modern. Godard's movies, and I love some of them, bear the baggage of their period. (This wasn't supposed to be a comparison piece, I promise, I just wanted to create an opening that would remind you how interested you are in Orson Welles. You are. However, you will have to wait for the next installment of... "... Facts About Orson Welles." Wherein, I promise to include some Facts.)