Holidaze

So, it's been awhile. What have I been up to? My brain, I feel, is still functioning at about 35% speed. Something about the holidays just slows everything down. And I have a cold and was hit in the head pretty hard by a laser gun yesterday (by my own teammate and sister too, she's too hardcore for me and apparently I wasn't playing up to her expected level). There's a bump and discoloration. And I've been staying up late and sleeping in. These all may be partly to blame for my lack of mental motivation.

The main addition to my life has been the one and only Rock Band. All I can say is that it is so awesome and so addictive. My sisters, brother and I are on a world tour with our band the Snuggle Bees. We went a little crazy the first night, staying up until our eyes burned and our limbs fell out of sync. I woke up and had to wear a wrist brace for the day. I was back on the drum throne today, but I am weary of overdoing it again. I am trying not to hit so hard, but it's a hard habit to break, especially when Blitzkrieg Bop comes on.

Speaking of The Ramones, I am currently reading Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain. It is SO good and has lots of juicy and disgusting dirt on the bands and the whole scene. The book itself is mesmerizing, filthy and flies by, pretty much like punk itself. I really can't recommend the book enough, especially if you're into music, culture, punk or just reading about depraved youth. The combination of the book and rock band takes me back to younger days when I was really pretty into punk music and playing the drums. Ah, nostalgia. That nostalgia, the fear of getting old, the punk book, and Rock Band have all coalesced into a deep desire to start a band. For now, however, I will settle, knowing that I am a vital member of the jetsetting, rocking Snuggle Bees where we don't have to deal with long drives in a cramped van with fast food meals and dirty clothes. Where I can rock out in the comfort of my pajamas and take snack breaks in between songs.

Well, I'm itching to either get back to Rock Band, watch 24 or play this card game called Nertz, so I'm going to cut this short. To give a quick rundown on other updates, I have gotten a haircut, gone to the paper store Pulp, had Christmas, gone shopping, saw Juno, Atonement, 27 Dresses, The Kingdom, and The Namesake, edited, shot (video, not a weapon), been in the snow, watched up to the second disc of 24 Season 6, played racquetball, bowled, went go-karting and played laser tag (for the first time), and sat by the fire and hung out with family a lot.

Happy Holidays to all (slightly belated, but New Year is a holiday too, right?)!

why not?

What may or may not amount to my favorite 20 songs of 2007. The only ones that will likely not change under any circumstances are #1 and #2.

I really love/hate year-end lists. Here they are, anyway, in descending order:

20. Grand Ole Party - Look Out Young Son
19. Ryan Adams - Two
18. Marnie Stern - Every Single Line Means Something
17. The White Stripes - Rag and Bone
16. Thunder Power!!! - Sleep, Not Violence
15. Caribou - Melody Day
14. Architecture in Helsinki - Heart it Races
13. Baby Walrus - Red Horses
12. Kanye West - Can't Tell Me Nothin'
11. Rilo Kiley - Smoke Detector and Fifteen (tied)
10. Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
9. The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour and Go Places (tied)
8. Grizzly Bear - Knife
7. The Gossip - Your Mangled Heart
6. St. Vincent - Jesus Saves, I Spend
5. Feist - 1234
4. Arcade Fire - Antichrist Television Blues
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Down Boy
2. Beyoncé - Irreplaceable
1. M.I.A. - Paper Planes

my third pillow

P.S.

M.I.A. had this to say about Beyoncé:

"She’s like super. She’s like harder, faster, stronger. In our lifetime, Beyoncé will be a classic, like how people talk about Aretha Franklin."

I agree wholeheartedly, M.I.A.

Why don't you marry it then?

My obsession with M.I.A.'s song Paper Planes has not waned. I crave it every day (usually multiple times) and it never ceases to put a smile on my face and get my head moving. As I assume most people do, I go through intense song obsessions (as well as whole albums). Usually, however, I continue to play them and they wear themselves out and move to the back shelf, making way for a new one. Well, this song is stubborn and refuses to get out of the limelight. It's bound to happen at some point, but until then I'll be singing, "I'll fly like a paper get high like planes, catch me at the border I got visas in my name, if you come around here I'll make em all day, I'll get one done in a second if you wait."

Pulp

A new store is opening here in Omaha, called Pulp. I am very enthused as it sells something I get very excited about: paper. It specializes in letterpress stationary (love it!) and also sells "unique tote bags and wallets, journals, prints, art and design books and other paper/wood-based accessories."

In addition, Pulp is also "home to an art space dedicated to showing contemporary works on paper, including (but definitely not limited to) printmaking, photography, painting, sculpture and book arts."

Exciting!

The grand opening of the gallery at Pulp is Saturday night, and it features the artwork of Omahan Joey Lynch (see photo of artwork above). You can see more of his stuff here.

the bandwagon can be fun

I love lists, so I couldn't resist. However, there are too many movies and albums to think about and this list is much more fun to make, so here it is

My top ten favorite shows of 2007*:

1) Marianne Faithfull at the House of Blues, Anaheim, California
2) St. Vincent, Scout Niblett at The Waiting Room, Omaha, Nebraska
3) Bright Eyes, Simon Joyner at The Waiting Room, Omaha, Nebraska
4) The Gossip at The Knitting Factory, New York, New York
5) Girl Talk, Dan Deacon at The Echo, Los Angeles, California
6) Tilly & the Wall, Baby Walrus, Bear Country at Slowdown, Omaha, Nebraska
7) Rilo Kiley at First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota
8) The Gossip at the Troubadour, Los Angeles, California
9) M. Ward, Yo La Tengo, and Bright Eyes at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California
10) Wilco, Andrew Bird at the Orpheum, Omaha, Nebraska

Runners up (in order):

Neko Case, Porter Wagoner/Billy Bob Thornton at Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, California
The Faint at Sokol, Omaha, Nebraska
St. Vincent, The National at Slowdown, Omaha, Nebraska

Please remind me of any shows I have attended that you think could make the list that I may have forgotten. My memory doesn't seem to stretch back to the beginning of the year...

*note: amended 12/11/07 10:25 pm

dig a pony

weekend update

I am back from Detroit where I was attending my cousin's wedding. It was a really fun weekend -- lots of family bonding, story telling, dancing, eating (Buddy's pizza!), and hanging out.

My plane fishtailed and slid on the runway yesterday when we hit a patch of ice. That was pretty exciting. It's weird to feel the total loss of control in a vehicle that large.

I finished Atonement. It was good. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. I started In Persuasion Nation by George Saunders after that and I am almost finished with that. It's a nice change of pace from Atonement.

I got my copy of In Persuasion Nation for like $5 or less from this warehouse/consignment style book store in Wisconsin - a totally random place as part of an outlet mall. I was deliberating even buying it because I was looking for stuff for my sisters at the time and felt guilty for getting something for myself, but I had wanted the book for awhile and I figured it was roughly the price of a mocha at Starbucks, so I bought it.

I was looking for a book to bring with me on the trip as I was almost finished with Atonement, so I picked up the Saunders book and starting flipping through the pages when I saw some scrawled writing on the cover page. I stopped and navigated back to the page. It pretty clearly read George Saunders in cursive. I looked closer and, sure enough, it was an autograph from the author himself. So the $5 wasn't bad for a hardcover, signed edition. That was a pretty thrilling discovery.

nouvelle musique

I have been very busy as of lately, so I haven't had a lot of time to post. I did go to a great show this past Saturday night though and I feel the need to promote some music that you may not have heard. The show was held at the Bemis Underground, the basement of the contemporary arts museum the Bemis Center. The Bemis also has a great artist in residency program here in Omaha. You live and work there and they provide one of their brick lofts, large gallery workspace and some materials. They support artists from all different mediums including music. Some of the past residents include Tilly & the Wall, Orenda Fink, and Gillian Welch. David Matysiak from Coyote Bones is currently there.

Anyway, the show included music from Alessi, Thunder Power!!! and Baby Walrus -- all really great musical acts. If you haven't heard any of these musicians/bands, you should check them out when you get a chance. Alessi is from England, but was here in Omaha for a spell recording, and Thunder Power!!! and Baby Walrus are Omaha-based.

And here is a link to CoCo Art, where you can download some songs from some other Omaha bands that are making some interesting music.

There is a lot of great music coming out of Omaha right now.

Other than listening to music, I have been busy with teaching, writing and shooting. More details to come in the near future.

And, in other news, it is winter here.

Not good.

I have a layer of Liquid Nails on a piece of my finger. I like how hardcore and mystifying that sounds.

Control, in short.

I saw Control last night at Film Streams. I thought it was somewhere between okay and pretty good. I liked Sam Riley's onstage off-beat, strange dancing, his lankiness and his clothing and the way it fit or did not fit him. The cinematography was grainy, black and white, and beautiful.

The visuals were the best part of the film, in my opinion, although Sam Riley's performance was really good. One long shot, in particular, really sticks in my memory as being wonderfully visual, revealing of character, and just overall kind of mesmerizing. The shot takes place soon after Ian has seen the Sex Pistols and joined Joy Division. It is a simple shot, from behind, of Ian walking to his work in an employment office. The camera follows his long stride. A cigarette dangles from his mouth and he has a long black trench coat on, the word "hate" revealed in bold, white letters on his back. The shot stays with him longer than it needs to, as he walks through the streets of Manchester, brick buildings lining the street.

Margot at the Wedding

I saw Margot at the Wedding over Thanksgiving break. I could probably go on and on about this film, but I don't really feel like it at the moment and I don't want to go too much into detail for those of you who may be reading this who haven't seen it. In fact, you may want to stop right now if you haven't seen it. I will create a new paragraph just in case.

What I do want to say is that it was one of the most exciting films I've seen in a long time. I should clarify in saying that it was exciting to me, that it felt free and wonderful, but the exciting "action" in the film is primarily emotional abuse. I loved the performances (JJL is, as always, amazing), style (in both editing and cinematography), and its structure and the world the film created. You could see the influence of the French New Wave, and it was beautiful. The effect is that of taking the most exciting aspects of cinema and leaving out the boring parts (e.g. exposition, rigid structure, continuity, making characters likable).

I've made it a habit to not read reviews before I see a film (which often results in the hoarding of the entertainment sections of newspapers), as I do not want to influence or taint my initial viewing of the film. I have subsequently read some reviews and they are pretty tough on the film. I am sure that there are some that really enjoy it as well, so generally I would say that it is a polarizing film, not one for everyone. And yes, I noticed that the film creates an insular world of self-absorbed people who are well enough off to be so neurotic about such small things. And yes, if I met any of these people in the real world (with the exception of Claude, who plays Nicole Kidman's son, who I adored from the first moment I laid eyes on him in the trailer) I would probably not like them. However many faults I may extract after intellectualizing the film, I can simply recall how much I enjoyed watching the film, being surprised by the film, feeling like this was a real world I was watching onscreen, the small details that the film gets right, the colors, the camerawork, the final shot, Claude, Ingrid, the conversations, the humor, and the many layers of the film and the refusal to pull those layers off for the audience, who is forced to try to find ways to work through them. I want to see it again.

Proof that you can learn something from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Did you know that the name Led Zeppelin refers to the band's pessimistic view of how their music would go over with listeners/audiences?

It took a second for it to click, then I thought it was pretty clever.

I'm not like you, and I would like your job

The first line in the review of Control by Bob Fischbach in the Omaha World Herald:

"If you're like me, you've probably never heard of British actor Sam Riley, Dutch director Anton Corbijn or the late-1970s British band Joy Division."

Actually, I am aware of all three, and as a reviewer of film and a purveyor of culture, I would expect you to have at least a base or passing knowledge of acclaimed music video director Anton Corbijn and/or the influential band Joy Division. In fact, my main reasons for wanting see this film are 1) It was directed by Anton Corbijn and 2) It is about Ian Curtis and Joy Division and 3) I have heard and read great things about the performance by Sam Riley and I am a fan of Samantha Morton's work. Why else besides one of these reasons would one want to see this film, besides maybe a recommendation from a friend or by randomly seeing a trailer and thinking that it looked good?

Now to be clear, I realize that most people in Nebraska have not heard of any of these people (and most people in the country as well), and that is fine. I'm not expecting that they do. I understand that these are not household names, and that I am among a minority in the overall population. However, I am expecting that a film reviewer for a paper in what most (including those at this paper) consider a major metropolitan city does not claim total ignorance of these artists, and expect the same of his audience. Can we aim a bit higher?

What also annoys me is that there is no shame, no apology to his admittance. It's not as if he should know any of these, but doesn't. It's just simply that he is unaware, and we are assumed to be in the same equally unaware boat. Well, what if we are not? He should be knowledgable about these things, it's his job. I want a film reviewer to be (and sound) knowledgable, insightful, intelligent and aware, even more so than me. It reminds me of Bush and some of his supporters (especially around here): "Well, he sounds like me. He mispronounces words. He isn't so smart." I don't want the President to sound like me, mispronounce words, or be on equal footing and intelligence as myself. I want them to be more intelligent, more aware, more well studied and well spoken than myself and same for my film reviewers and other writers I read.

I'm coming to the end of my rant, don't worry. Okay, my last point: if you didn't know anything about these people or this movie to be begin with, you could've done a little research or at least not claimed ignorance. I mean, it's really not that hard to do a little cursory research these days. A 10 minute Google search could have helped. In fact, you could have even watched some of Corbijn's videos online...get a sense of his work, style and sensibility. And if you had a few more minutes, you could've listened to some Joy Division songs online. Perhaps both could have provided some context, insight, knowledge and/or familiarity. Just a suggestion.

Hail to the Victors

In honor of tomorrow's game:





Update: I may have been cursed by the Buckeyes. As this video was uploading I took a shower and in the shower I cut the back of my knee while shaving, which has not happened in about 4 years or so. The placement is horrible. It is near a vein, seems to be U-shaped, both of which have added to the blood loss. It really burns. We will get revenge...

Also, if you have HBO, you might want to check The Rivalry out, HBO's first college football documentary about the rivalry between (I think you can guess it) Michigan and Ohio State. I watched it last night. It's an hour long and it's pretty interesting, entertaining and definitely gets you pumped for the game. The schedule for the rest of its showings is here.

Go Blue!

Second Update: I was cursed again! I uploaded the wrong video. I guess I will keep that one there and add the one I intended (the second one). More maize and blue!

p.s. The video is from last year's Rose Bowl game.

You don't need a car to drive.

On music and thumbprints

Let me start with the thumbprint. So I had to get get a thumbprint...and no, I was not arrested. It was for the much less glamorous task of getting a form notarized. Anyway, I was super excited when she told me, because I love giving thumbprints. She opened the pad of black ink and my thumb dove right in. Before I was able to flip my thumb over and see its ink-black skin, the notary informed me, "It wipes right off." I flipped my thumb over and it was already gone. My thumb looked exactly as it did pre-dip. I looked back down at my print, the swirling lines in black ink. It was amazing. It doesn't even just wipe off, it just disappears. I have never seen this before, and I am stunned and wondering about who developed this technology and how it works. It's like an advanced form of disappearing ink, I guess (which, I also love and can be sometimes found writing in -- courtesy of my pen from the D.C. International Spy Museum).

Now the music: I've been listening to the new The New Pornographers album, Challengers, lately (yes, I am aware of the word repetition). I felt like writing about it for some reason, I guess because I like it a lot. I don't really want to write about the music itself or what's great about it, but I must say that it seems to fit perfectly with the season and place that I am at right now, both physically and figuratively. It's nothing groundbreaking or electrifying, but I find myself playing it over and over again and loving the melodies, lyrics and the feeling of it all. It's one of those albums that is a great listen all the way through.

Here is a sample of some of the lyrics that have been playing in my head as of late:

From "Go Places":

Yes a heart will always go one step too far
Come the morning and the four corners I see
What the moral of the back story could be
Come with me, go places

And a heart will always stay one day too long
Always hoping for the hot flashes to come
For the glue to dry on our new creation
Come with me, go places

Come head on, full circle
Our arms fill with miracles
Play hearts, kid, they work well
Like classics play aces
Stay with me, go places
Once more for the ages

... (this verse comes later)

Come one now, come all ye
This story breaks free here
Tales from the back pages
From somewhere, Encida
Deus ex machina
Good morning, Christina

It's much better to actually hear it and the way these words come out, the cadence of the lyrics and music...but I love the "Come with me, go places" line.

"Adventures in Solitude" is a beautiful, sad song with simple lyrics full of meaning, and the contrast of the sweet harmonies with the lyrics is wonderful:

More than begin
But less than forget
But spirits born
From the not happened yet
Gathering there
To pay off a debt brought back from the wars

We thought we lost you
We thought we lost you
We thought we lost you
Welcome back

Sleeping for years
Pick through what is left
Through the pieces that fell and rose from the depth
From the rainwater well
Deep as a secret nobody knows

I know you want to
Run far away from one more
And that it’s comin’ at a bad time
Some cold place
Heartless ways
For all we know

I know you need to
Breathe through
Come back
Come too
But it’s comin’ at a bad time
Tangled day
For all we know

I know you want to
Run far away from one more
And that’s comin’ at a bad time
Some cold race
Heartless ways
For all we know

I know you want to
Breathe through
Come back
Come too
But it’s comin’ at a bad time
Old scarred face
Survivor’s guilt
For all we know

The switch from "We thought we lost you, welcome back" to "We thought we lost you, it will all come back" is heartbreaking and gets me every time.

Killer of Sheep

I saw Killer of Sheep tonight at Film Streams. It was a very interesting and also very inspiring film, a film that makes me want to go out and make a movie (which I have already been SERIOUSLY itching to do...it's time, I just got to get it together). The film was completed by Charles Burnett in 1977, and shot mostly in Watts, the South Central L.A. neighborhood he grew up in, during the 1970s. It was his M.F.A. thesis project for UCLA, shot on grainy, beautiful black and white 16 mm and operated, edited, produced, written and directed by himself. He made it for a reported budget of $10,000 and without the intention of having a commercial release, and thus had a ton of music in the film but not the rights. I'm just glad that it's out for people to see it, finally.

It's a striking film. It doesn't have much of a narrative plot, but rather captures a specific neighborhood during a specific time so well. The mood and tone is what drives the piece, and some of the images are stunning. The film has this great scene of the daughter, who is about five years old, singing the words to a soul song that she doesn't quite know to her doll. She tries to keep up with the song and emphasizes the words she does know, and seems totally unaware of the camera. It was SO good. I loved all the scenes with neighborhood kids just doing what they would do on a normal day in the neighborhood, whether it was playing by train tracks or in abandoned lots, having standing on their head contests, or leaping across roofs. Burnett captured that world so well...I'm sure just by going out and shooting was what actually going on.

Burnett had this to say about his experience in film school: "At UCLA in the Sixties, you thought about World Cinema - whether it was films from Poland, or Czechoslovakia, or Japan. It was like your backyard; you were as aware of Kurosawa, Truffaut making films as you were of some local person. You were waiting for the next film by these people. That doesn't exist any more, for a whole bunch of reasons. At that time at UCLA you looked at film as an art form, as a means of expression. Not so much for entertainment, it was to do and say something. Now, when you go back there, it's "How can I get into Hollywood? How do you get an agent? How do you sell your first script?" The whole culture has changed. It's a business now, and I think people are more aware of it as a business. I wasn't aware of it as a business."

Space Shuttle Re-entry

I just watched the space shuttle streak across the sky, on its re-entry path to the Kennedy Space Center. It looks like a faraway streak of white smoke, but it's still really cool to think that you're watching the space shuttle fly back into Earth. And it's pretty crazy how fast it's going.

This from the news: Discovery will make a one-hour descent across the heartland of America in broad daylight for a 1:01 p.m. EST (1801 GMT) touch down.

So if you read this soon, go outside and see if you can catch it, it's awesome.

The talented Ms. Brownstein

Carrie Brownstein, guitar virtuoso from my favorite band, Sleater-Kinney, appears to be pretty busy these days.

She is writing a blog for NPR, titled Monitor Mix (thanks for the tip, Laura). I can now count on 15 minutes of my day devoted to checking and reading her blog. She also has a sketch comedy web show titled ThunderAnt with Fred Armisen. Such exciting developments!

The joys of XM radio

4 consecutive songs (not on the same station, I must admit, but lucky surfing): Avril's "Happy Ending", The Cranberries "Dreams", Rob Base's "It Takes Two" and finished off with Sunset Rubdown's "The Taming of the Hands That Came Back to Life." It doesn't get much better than that.

Also heard: Paul Weller, Van Morrison, Georgie James, Richard Marx, Outkast, The ShopBoyz and Michael Bolton.

Let me tell you, it feels pretty good to be rolling in a huge Suburban listening to rap. Especially when you're 5 foot 3 and a half inches, white and living in Nebraska.

What we do in Nebraska

This was taken at Vala's Pumpkin Patch, a delightful place.

Nostalgic flashbacks

These were two of my favorite shows as a young child. Did anyone else watch these? I was having major flashbacks as I watched these intros. Both theme songs are amazing. Some of the instruments sound like they are dying in the Today's Special theme song. And check out the forward thinking graphic effects! A mannequin outlined and filled in with a galaxy then turns into a real man?! Thrilling! However, I was disappointed that the puppet parrot that eats crackers in the mall storage closet wasn't featured in the opening. Or did I just imagine that character?

Also, I came across a surprising and somewhat frightening discovery. Remember the show David the Gnome? I will post the opening below. I was always a bit freaked out by it. I never really trusted David or the fox, and I hated (and still do) that opening embrace between David and his gnome companion. Anyway, I was just re-watching the opening and guess what the last credit was (for executive producers in charge of the show)? None other than Harvey and Bob Weinstein. I feel tricked in some way. And more weirded out now.

More Bright Eyes photos

I meant to post this earlier, but here is a link to Pitchfork's write-up on the Bright Eyes show and photos by Omaha-based Paparazzi by Appointment (including the one featured above).

Presenting...the Wallabees

I first fell in love with the Wallabees about 8 years ago. I have prolonged my longing for the shoes for 8 years. I wait no longer. How beautiful are they?

To give you a bit of history, Clarks originated back in 1825 when Cyrus and James Clark set up a small sheepskin slipper business in the tiny English village of Street, Somerset. In 1883, William Clark creates shoes that follow the natural shape of the foot, a revolutionary concept. Fast forward to 1950 when Nathan Clark, inspired by the crepe-soled boots worn by British officers in World War II, introduces the Desert Boot, the first of Clarks Originals. 2007, Lindsay receives her first pair of Clarks. History is made.

I must also mention that I placed my order for the Clarks with the store Straitlaced in L.A. and I have to commend the store and their customer service. That place is awesome. It's on Melrose (7553) and it's fairly small but has some great shoes and Walter, who I assume is the owner, is super nice and laid back and seems to hand pick the choice selection, which is why I chose to order from them in L.A. from Omaha, where they then ordered from England. Like Michael Scott and his customers, I appreciate that personal touch.

The finale

Trumpet, etc.

Near the end of True Blue:

Guitars, etc.

Bright Eyes

I saw Bright Eyes tonight at the intimate bar/venue The Waiting Room - thanks to Cynthia who skillfully procured the hard-to-get tickets. The show was pretty amazing. It's too late (or too early) to write about it in any articulate or even cohesive way. Simon Joyner and Flowers Forever opened -- sadly, I missed most of Flowers' set, but enjoyed what I did see and Simon Joyner sounded good tonight too. Bright Eyes set list photo below.

My new TV fixation

Friday Night Lights. The show is well written, well acted, and has an interesting and effective style. I have only one disc left of Season 5 for 24 and only the premiere for Season 6 is out on DVD. That means about a month of waiting for Jack and company. Luckily, I have found this show to fill that void. For those of you who have yet to watch Season 5 of 24, I will hold my commentary except to say prepare for heartbreak. 24 teaches the painful lesson of not getting too emotionally involved, especially with characters on television. It's tough love and loss on 24.

Back to Friday Night Lights though. There are some great people behind the show, notably Creator Peter Berg (Writer/Actor/Director, he directed the film) and Head Writer/Executive Producer Jason Katims (former Producer/Writer on My So-Called Life), who made some bold choices, especially in the way that they choose to shoot the show. They shoot in Austin in real locations rather than on a stage in L.A. They shoot at least three cameras simultaneously at all times, documentary style. Little to no blocking or rehearsal is involved and actors are encouraged to improvise in both lines and performance. According to actor Kyle Chandler, Berg said, "The few rules to the game that we play are, you come to the set, you know your character 110 percent, you know the lines that are on the page 110 percent, and then be prepared to get rid of everything and start all over." The lighting setups are minimal, which allow the actors more freedom to move where they want, there are no marks that they have to hit. The cinematographers looked to Direct Cinema pioneers like D.A. Pennebaker and the Maysles for inspiration. The result is a very realistic looking and seeming show. The performances are more natural, and the cameras (because of the multiple camera setup) are free to capture subtle things like a hand fidgeting or a bored look. They can wander and capture these small nuanced moments that add depth and realism to the show and its characters. Apparently, they often shoot on long lenses to stay out of the actors' way and to go more easily undetected.

The characters feel like real people, and for a cast of mostly unknowns, they've kept overacting and melodrama at bay. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, as the coach and his wife, are really talented and pull off one of the few believable representations of a husband and wife on television. You can tell that the producers and directors pay close attention to performance and are attuned to when a performance feels real or when it feels like acting. Also, I love Matt Saracen on the show, and the actor Zach Gilford is from Evanston.

Season 1 is out on DVD and you can also watch episodes on nbc.com.

Does Your Soul Have a Cold?

Mike Mills' new documentary, Does Your Soul Have a Cold? premieres TONIGHT on the IFC channel at 9 PM Eastern time. Some online sources have stated that it premieres Oct. 29th, but IFC states that it's on tonight. So tune in or set your DVRs for tonight, just in case.

Here's a quick rundown on the film:

"Does Your Soul Have a Cold?" is an intimate and compassionate journey into the lives of five depressed Japanese individuals who decide to take antidepressants. Their personal histories are examined, together with their hopes and fears, ultimately offering an intriguing perspective on the broad socio-cultural issues that are only now being uncovered in Japan.

Gatsby is jealous

Ann Arbor Film Festival Endangered!

The Ann Arbor Film Festival is being threatened with extinction due to losing state funding due to attack on public funds being used towards "objectional" content. This is a cause very close to my heart, as I love Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF), and have many great memories of it. It is an all 16 mm festival and it shows such a variety of films, some very experimental and challenging. Festivals like this are so important, and this film festival is one of the purest in its love of the art form and its integrity. This cause is also an important one due to obvious reasons of freedom of expression, censorship, and First Amendment rights.

Here's a quick blurb on the Festival:

The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the oldest festival in North America showcasing independent and experimental film. As a non-partisan festival created to celebrate film as an art form, we exhibit work that challenges ideals, pushes techniques and styles in artistic expression, and celebrates cultures and countercultures from around the world. Since our founding in 1963, we have screened works by filmmakers like Kenneth Anger, Brian DePalma, Barbara Hammer, George Lucas, Yoko Ono, Gus Van Sant, Will Vinton and Andy Warhol.

Here's a quick summary of the censorship controversy: In early 2006 a group of legislators politically attacked the Ann Arbor Film Festival and cut its state funding to set an example for art they deemed "objectionable". The AAFF is fighting back (with the help of the ACLU) with a federal lawsuit to challenge ambiguous state funding guidelines, protect artists' freedom of speech, and to set an example of how an arts organization can respond creatively and successfully to defend its mission. The AAFF believes that public support of diverse artistic voices is critical to a healthy culture and democracy.

The full story can be found here.

So, if you can, please support this cause -- whether by spreading the word or donating yourself, or both. Here's a link to their creative fundraising campaign "Endangered."

Two interesting recent editorials

The Green-Collar Solution: Thomas L. Friedman's editorial about Van Jones, a black social/environmental activist from Oakland, CA, and the importance of bringing the young black underclass into the environmental movement and the opportunity to expand the green movement into an economic opportunity for the jobless and underprivileged.

Friedman makes a great point. Van Jones' work is really inspiring and promising, and I just hope this idea can gain momentum and start to work in practice and not just theory.

The environment as an issue is one that seems very segregated by socioeconomic factors. If you're struggling just to get by, you've got more things to worry about than what could happen to the Earth decades down the road. On the other hand, how hard is it to place an empty pop in recycling rather than the trash? Education is a big part of it. When we can't even get kids to read in failing public schools, how can we push for them to recycle and absorb and retain that information? And if parents aren't doing it, kids are likely to follow in their footsteps. How do we make this a relevant issue to low income families? The environment and the Earth's sustainability is an issue that affects us all and if our children are going to have a place to live at all, it's an issue that everyone is going to have to be united on and work towards...and soon. It's great to read about a viable idea being championed by a smart, energetic man.

Check out Green For All, the organization/campaign that Van Jones and others are lobbying for in Congress. You can click on "Get Involved" and sign up for their mailing list and see how you can help and you can give donations on their site as well. I'm signing up as we speak.

And another one, from today's NY Times: Abstinence 1, S-Chip 0.

Second pillow

It's the pink one in front with the cupcake.

Chekhov and the Mall of America

I am back from Minneapolis. The weekend was really fun. My sisters celebrated their entrance into the last year of their teens. We went shopping. A lot of shopping. Like a shopping spree. In the Mall of America. I almost fainted, but miraculously, I made it through. We attended a wonderful play, The Seagull, performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Afterwards, we went to Fridays. We didn't want to overdose on high culture, after all. There is nothing like a plate of potato skins from Fridays at midnight to bring down those levels of pretension.

Seriously, though the play was one of the best I've seen. I was lucky enough to see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform in Ann Arbor, but it was great to see them perform Chekhov. Those of you in L.A., I believe there are still available for The Seagull and I highly recommend it. L.A. is the only other U.S. city where it will be performed, at Royce Hall. The Guthrie Theater is a sight in itself. It is a really cool theater, as you can sort of tell from the photos above. I took quite a few photos in Minneapolis. I may have to make an album.

In other news, I finished my second pillow (part of my present to my sisters) and I finally received my pair of Clarks Wallabees that I've been pining for for years. They are beautiful (photo to come).

In pop cultural news, I finally saw After the Wedding (on dvd) and loved it. It's such a great movie. The performances were really amazing and the writing and directing is phenomenal. It is a fairly dramatic story, and even though emotions are strong and tempers flare, the film always feels honest and real. I wanted to see Brothers, and never did, so I'm making that a priority now. I now plan to see Things We Lost in the Fire, which actually looked quite good from the trailer...now it makes sense why. Major drama and feelings are in this realm that often goes untouched in most contemporary films - it reminds me of an interesing David Foster Wallace essay about how modern novels rarely try to tackle the large moral and psychological issues in a grand sense. He mourns the absence of a writer like Dostoevsky, who could write about human psychology and emotional experience in a way that was meaningful and felt real. So much contemporary art is about the intimately personal, the small moments in life, irony, distance, wit and cleverness. It's hard to really try, be sincere, be emotional, and try for something grand and deep -- the consequences of failing or not getting it just right or just so huge. If you fail but you're just trying to be ironic, it's not as bad as something that seems melodramatic or cheesy -- which is often the result of failing when trying to be sincere in an emotional way.

My point is that Bier is obviously not afraid of drama or emotion. She doesn't flinch from situations that are inherently very dramatic with a capital D and from eliciting emotional and dramatic performances. To me that shows courage, and best of all, it works. Or at least I thought it did in After the Wedding. We'll see about Things We Lost in the Fire.

In a tangential note, Things We Lost in the Fire is a pretty good album by Low.

art:21

I just found out that PBS has this great series called art:21 about art in the twenty-first century. Season Four premieres October 28 on PBS at 10 pm (ET). If you have a DVR you can set it now (I think).

Past artists featured on the series include Tim Hawkinson, Margaret Kilgallen, Mike Kelley, Maya Lin, Barbara Kruger, Laurie Anderson, Matthew Barney, Barry McGee, Sally Mann, Kara Walker, Richard Serra, and Andrea Zittel.

Here's some info on the series from their site:

Art21 travels across the country and abroad to film 17 contemporary artists, from painters and sculptors to photographers and filmmakers, in their own spaces and in their own words. The result is a rare opportunity for television viewers to experience first-hand the complex artistic process – from inception to finished product – behind some of today’s most thought-provoking art.

The artists profiled in the series speak directly to the audience, describing their passions, impulses and methods. Viewers are invited behind-the-scenes to see artists at work in their studios, homes, communities, and in sites as diverse as an old-growth forest near Seattle, a military base in California, a theater academy in Warsaw, and a film set, in addition to galleries and museums.

“This series not only showcases the contributions of these artists, but also transcends the everyday art experience of a museum or gallery visit,” says Susan Sollins, Executive Producer of the series. “Viewers can discover what goes on inside the minds of these dynamic and thoughtful people, and what they have to say can significantly expand our knowledge and understanding of the world.”

Sounds cool, right? I'm sad I missed Seasons 1 and 2. PBS has some really great programming that unfortunately just doesn't reach enough people. I hope that with the increasing number of DVR systems in homes, people might have more of an opportunity to look for these types of programs, click a button, and then watch them at their leisure.

You can buy the DVDs and watch clips of them on YouTube. I watched a clip of Margaret Kilgallen, and it was interesting and made me really want to see the entire series. You can also watch the trailer for Season 4 on YouTube and subscribe to their videos.

So, if this sounds interesting, tune in for the upcoming installment.

Wilco

Sorry, no photos, I forgot my camera. The show was really good though. Nels Cline is an amazing guitarist and really fun to watch live, and I really like Jeff Tweedy too -- and the other band members. The highlights for me were Handshake Drugs, Jesus, etc., I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, A Shot in the Arm and Via Chicago. Those last two were amazing. Via Chicago had these crazy outbursts of noise and drum freakouts and then it would quickly die down or stop completely, leaving just Jeff Tweedy's voice and acoustic strumming. The contrast was pretty powerful.

P.S.

Three things I forgot to mention about the Tilly concert:

1) They started the show with Jamie, the tap dancer, tapping a beat and then their drummer drumming the same beat. This beat matching/mimicking went on for about 5 minutes, without anyone else on stage or any other instruments. It was really cool.

2) Conor was there.

3) Numerous young girl fans were there, which was really cool to see. There was a large group of I would say 14-17 year olds in front of Kianna singing every song and dancing. At one point, she had to rely on them for the words of "Lost Girls" and they totally came through for her. They looked like they were having the time of their life, hanging on to every word. It was really pretty touching to watch.

Tonight I'm going to Wilco at the Orpheum, with Andrew Bird opening. Should be a good show. I've never seen either live, so I'm looking forward to it. I'll take some photos from my spot in the balcony and post them tonight or tomorrow.

Then this weekend is Minnesota! Tomorrow my sisters will be turning 19! Crazy! My mom and I leave tomorrow to visit and celebrate. Can't wait.

I did do it

Here's a link to an editorial by Maureen Dowd that I thought was really interesting and quite provocative.

Did anyone else who watched the USC vs. Nebraska football game get as annoyed as I did with ABC's coverage of Clarence Thomas watching the game in his skybox?

An inordinate amount of time (while the game was being played) was devoted to an interview with Justice Thomas and his interest in the Cornhuskers. It was bizarre and made me really angry. I really can't stand the fact that he is treated with such honor and grace, two qualities that he has shown to be lacking.

Views from today

...the world.

Daytrotter Sessions

Free songs can be found here from Whispertown 2000's Daytrotter session. A few of them are new and unreleased.

Daytrotter is a cool site that offers music from their live, in-studio sessions with bands. The studio is located in Rock Island, Illinois. Go Illinois! They have 3 bands in per week and each record 4 songs that they offer up to the cyberworld. They've had a lot of great musicians stop through, and they keep them archived. They seem to have a lot of cool, down to earth people on staff and feature the work of different artists too. Check it out when you can if you haven't already.

Tilly and the Wall stopped by for an encore performance in September. Their songs (including two unreleased ones and one off their old Woo EP) can be found here. Too Excited is awesome, they played it the other night (Pictures of Houses too) and it was really great and energetic live. Kianna sounds a little like two of my all-time favorite singers in the song - in the opening she sounds kind of like Corin Tucker and then in the chorus ("Boo hoo") she channels Bikini Kill-era Kathleen Hanna. I'm not one for comparisons, and to even mention either one of those names in conjunction with a different band or singer is near sacrilegious because of my reverance for both of those singers, but that's what really struck me when I heard this. So that's a big compliment from me to Tilly. I'm super excited for them to start working on their next album.

Six seconds.

I think the camera is having seizure-like tendencies in its reaction to the bass. Or maybe that's part of my dance move.

Talk 'n Deacon

That would be a good name for a band. Unfortunately it is only short for Girl Talk and Dan Deacon, two turntablist performers who master of ceremony'd a crowded, sweaty dance party at the Echoplex last weekend. Fun times. Dancing is awesome. Dancing with hundreds of sweaty Los Angelenos is also awesome.





Laura and Dennis dancin' and sweatin' it up.



I'm droppin' 'bows. (Dance lingo decoder not included in this post.)

P.S. If you ever read this -- Thanks Dennis!

Tilly & the Wall photos

Tilly returns! Oh My God!

Here's Tilly & the Wall's entrance to the Slowdown stage tonight in Omaha. They were awesome. They looked like they were having a lot of fun. It's so great when bands actually smile. Members of Tilly smile a lot. That is one of the great things about them. They played a bunch of great songs, the tap dancing was amazing (the number of tappers is growing...), the crowd was really into it -- and the show was free! Can't get much better than that.

blogotheque

Vincent Moon and his site has already gotten a lot of press and online buzz, but I felt the need to post this here too. Like many other things, I've been meaning to check out his site, and just finally got around to it. I'm glad that I did. It's pretty exciting stuff.

The video below is part of his Take-away shows series, filming bands in long takes in natural settings playing their music. Au naturale, all live. Below is Grizzly Bear singing The Knife accapella in the streets. The Arcade Fire playing Neon Bible in an elevator is pretty awesome too. Other ones include Jens Lekman, Architecture in Helsinki, Tapes n Tapes, Beirut...a lot of great musicians. It's a great idea and they're fun to watch. It's liberating to see these verite videos without the lighting and the effects and all that. These videos are better than like 97% of music videos.

#10.4 - Grizzly bear - The Knife
Uploaded by lablogotheque

Pillows!

Here is the first pillow that I made. Well, to be honest, I designed the pillow and chose the fabrics, pieced and glued them, and my mom did the sewing. So, she gets major props for that. I wish I knew how to sew. I once made a gym bag and a pillow in the shape of a large baseball bat, but that is pretty much the extent of it. So, I'm going to observe my mom and hopefully pick up some skills of my own.

This one went to Laura, as a very belated apartment-warming gift. This was just the start. I'm planning to make more. I already have the materials for one more, and the ideas for about four more. I just have to get my work ethic/discipline up to the speed of my mind; an ongoing task for me.

So, please let me know if any of you, dear readers, are interested in obtaining one of my unique, one-of-a-kind creations. Contact me and we'll work out the details.

the most exciting Thing.

So I was wanting to subscribe to this thing called The Thing. It's an awesome, creative idea. If you're too lazy to have clicked on the link, basically you subscribe to getting 4 "everyday objects that incorporate text" by four different artists, sent to you over the course of a year in brown paper packaging. These things could be anything really, but most of all, they are a mystery. How fun!

So, back to the story. After months of deliberating (due to the costs and the fact that I had little to no money), I had finally decided to subscribe. I decided that it meant a lot to me and I could use part of my graduation money for something that, while frivolous in a way, would make me happier than anything I could possibly need (and most things that I want). Thus is the allure of art. No sooner than the day after I had decided to subscribe did I get an e-mail from the ever generous LHH with the subject of "i'm about to make your day." I open it to read this (hope you don't mind I'm posting this):

"I broke down and subscribed to something very exciting. you may be able to guess. It is for us to share, but your half of it (which you may choose) is a gift from me to you. The subscription will be delivered to you in Omaha, NE. I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I just wanted to do it. hopefully you will receive installment #1 within the next few weeks. Hopefully it will inspire you."

Well, I received it, I love it and I am inspired. Thank you, Laura! It is awesome. It felt like Christmas day to me, but without the annoyance of having to get up at 7 am. In addition to being overjoyed at finding such a large piece of mail for me on my front step (one of the most exciting things to have happen), I feel extremely lucky to have such thoughtful and generous friends like you. I'm feeling so fortunate and warm hearted that I have actually deliberated for the past 2 minutes about writing, "That is the true gift" after that last sentence. I'm serious. But I could only hear Sharon Stone saying it. So, I will keep it there as long as you all imagine her saying it (with a slight Southern twang).

Now, since I have created such a mystery over what is exactly in the tube, and I am failing to deliver the photographic goods due to my impatience with the computer taking forever to load one specific photo (really, the money shot) for some reason, you'll have to go here to see The Thing. It's like an online scavenger hunt. Enter the secret password and then scroll down to see something beautiful and vinyl.

Weekend Update

A lot of exciting things have happened since I last posted. I went to L.A. I returned to Omaha. I made a pillow. I watched 24. I took photos. I finished watching Season 1 of 30 Rock. I watched the premiere of The Office. I laughed. I saw Clark Duke from Clark and Michael. I almost finished Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. I read interesting articles on Leica cameras, a man with a rare and debilitating form of amnesia, and the woman who started Paper magazine. I tried on Clarks shoes and broke my other new shoes in.

I saw a lot of friends. I/we hung out. I/we danced. I/we listened to music. I/we ate a lot of good food. I/we had Pinkberry. I/we took walks with Rufus and went to the dog park. I hung out with Sylvia and Zelda. I could tell they missed me.

I am too exhausted, I think, to post many photos. However, I will leave you with a photo that gives off a feeling of L.A. as I feel it. You feel me?

It's official.

No longer the idiot box

Two interesting articles on television in the Sunday New York Times.

You Are What You Watch, about how audiences are more segregated now and also how television is as much as a reflection of your taste and personality as music is/was.

Another on my current obsessions, 30 Rock and Tina Fey.

In related news, the NY Times has done away with TimesSelect, giving everyone online access to its current and archived articles for free. Funny how that happened right after I signed up for TimesSelect. I didn't want to be a part of any club who would have me as a member, anyway.

The electronic hearth

The title of this post is a term I learned back in my undergraduate days at Michigan, taking television classes and watching a lot of The Cosby Show. It conjures up a pretty depressing image of a family huddling around the television like they would a fire in the olden days. All I have to say is the electronic hearth in my home is glowing bright.

I'm on a VERY brief hiatus from 24 (read: one day). Season 5 will be in the dvd player in mere hours, I have no doubt.

I also rented 30 Rock and am just about through with Disc 1. This show is hilarious! I love it and can't say enough good things about it. I saw a few of the episodes during the season, but mostly out of context. Watching it straight through has given me a much better appreciation for the show and how funny it is. I love Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan. That combination couldn't get much funnier. I know people love Alec Baldwin, but I have never been such a big fan. I know he's a good actor and can be funny and all that, but I felt like I've never really gotten what all the fuss is about. I think this show has opened my eyes a bit. Not that I'm going to go back through his repertoire of films, but this role is perfect for him and he plays it so well. I watched the episode last night where he's supposed to be in one of the sketches as a GE executive and his assistant plays back the tape of him trying to film the GE in company ad. So funny. I love how the tape of his bloopers just goes on and on. Normally on a show it would play for like 10-15 seconds, and I swear this goes on for about 2 minutes or so. Please re-watch this if you have the DVDs, also re-watch in the second episode when they have to re-shoot the promos for the newly re-titled TGS with Tracy Jordan. The show has such a great cast and the writing is so sharp and witty. I love how it doesn't underestimate the intelligence of its audience. I also loved how when it won the Emmy for Best Comedy Series Tina Fey thanked the, "dozens and dozens of viewers."

I also re-watched last 6 episodes of last season's Grey's Anatomy. I kind of lost touch and missed a few episodes last season, so when I did actually watch the season finale it didn't make much sense. Now I sort of get it. It will be interesting to see where that show goes this next season. I'm kind of off and on with it, but I'm always interested and a supporter of Shonda Rhimes, T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl.

In all of this television madness, I have neglected Weeds - funny how the title kind of alludes to neglect as weeds sprout up in places that are neglected - that's a stretch and off-topic. Anyway, I am too embarrassed to admit after all my excitement of the new season starting that I have only watched the series premiere! I know, I know. I will catch up. I have to, especially since Mary-Kate Olsen is on this season! I have watched the promo with her and she looks amazing. This is one of the best cast additions since Janeane Garofalo joined 24. Head to head, it would be hard to choose which takes the cake for best addition.

I have yet to check out Extras and The Wire, two television series that I have been meaning to rent but haven't gotten around to yet. I've heard really good things about both of them. I watched some of Friday Night Lights during the season and it seemed pretty good. I'll put that in my queue too.

And I haven't even mentioned that new season premieres are just around the corner! The Office, Grey's Anatomy, 30 Rock all start next Thursday night - and one hour episodes for the first four episodes of The Office (I think...I know the premiere is one hour). Plus, Amy Sherman-Palladino's new series and Private Practice, the Grey's offshoot...might be good, might be bad. I also want to check out Gossip Girl, Josh Schwartz's new series on the CW, just to see what it's all about. And this is just all I can think of off the top of my head...I'm sure there's more out there.

It's a small screen revolution!

Cinema 16

This looks like a great DVD compilation of short films by various European directors that will be released September 25. Gasman is a great film. Laura, you saw Wasp right? I remember you saying it was really great. Six Shooter won the short Oscar last year. It's directed by the Tony-award winning playwright Martin McDonagh, who wrote The Beauty Queen of Lenane and The Pillowman, among others (there was also an interesting New Yorker profile on him awhile back...like a year ago). There are a lot of other exciting filmmakers on here, and a few I haven't heard of that I'm sure are doing interesting work.

I believe that it the entries for Lars Von Trier, Ridley Scott, and Christopher Nolan are their first films, so I'd be interested in seeing those.

Here's the actual description:

Cinema 16 is pleased to announce the US release of Cinema 16: European Short Films. This two-disc edition features previously unseen short films and early works by some of today's most notable filmmakers, as well as award-winning films from its rising stars. In addition to the films, the set contains over three hours of commentaries and a 16-page color booklet.

Film Listing:

1. The Man Without a Head- Juan Solanas (France)
2. Wasp- Andrea Arnold (United Kingdom)
3. Doodlebug- Christopher Nolan (United Kingdom)
4. World of Glory- Roy Andersson (Sweden)
5. Je T'aime John Wayne- Toby MacDonald (United Kingdom)
6. Gasman- Lynne Ramsay (Scotland)
7. Jabberwocky- Jan Svankmajer (Czech Republic)
8. Fierrot Le Pou- Matthieu Kassovitz (France)
9. Rabbit- Run Wrake (United Kingdom)
10. Copy Shop- Virgil Widrich (Austria)
11. Boy and Bicycle- Ridley Scott (United Kingdom)
12. Nocturne- Lars Von Trier (Denmark)
13. Before Dawn- Balint Kenyers (Hungary)
14. Election Night- Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark)
15. Six Shooter- Martin McDonagh (Ireland)
16. The Opening Day of Close-Up- Nanni Moretti (Italy)

I know you can buy it at Amazon. Not sure where else. Hopefully it'll be available on Blockbuster Online and Netflix soon.

St. Vincent live

I rotated this before I posted it, but for some reason it ended up sideways. I would try and fix it but I don't have the time or patience right now. The video takes a little while to load, and it was already my second try. You're just going to have to tilt your head sideways. I apologize in advance for the neck ache. But this song is awesome and not on the album, so I think it's worth it.

St. Vincent/The National show

Just got back from the St. Vincent/The National show at Slowdown. St. Vincent played solo, no band. It was more electronic based than when she played at The Waiting Room. She opened with a new song I haven't heard and she played what I will refer to as "Bang Bang" which is a really great song that she played at her other show. I don't know why it's not on the album. Hopefully it's on the next one.

The National sounded great on the Slowdown sound system, but I'm just not that into them. I was really there for St. Vincent and got really tired and didn't stay for the whole National set. The crowd seemed really into them though and, like I said, they did sound crisp and full. I do like the drumming in a lot of the songs.

I am pretty much brain dead, so I will offer photos rather than my words...and a video or two if you're lucky.