zone of alienation

Prypiat, Ukraine

latest news (from hell)

This is why I hate the fucking news...

Copter crash kills Guatemala cabinet ministers
Are tomatoes behind the salmonella outbreak?
Opposition backers claim torture in Zimbabwe
Amanpour: Loud silence after nuke plant blows
Pentagon report: Taliban regrouped, 'resilient'
Feds settle anthrax lawsuit with scientist
Warrants: Student leader kidnapped, shot
Crowley: Picture-perfect day for Clinton, Obama
360 blog: End of Clinton empire? Don't bet on it
Ticker: McCain calls former prez 'lousy'
iReport.com: Who's your VP dream team?
Distribution of 'Mini Me' sex tape barred
I'll 'rip apart' raped kids, lawmaker vows
Homeowner offers house and her 'love' for sale
SI: Athletes using Viagra for competitive edge?
NBA star talks trash on soccer pitch
Face first into a foot of water from 35 ft.
9.5-foot snake swallows family's kitty
Scientists bet North Pole will melt away this year
CNN Wire: 2 Guatemala ministers die in crash

This is what I was faced with when I decided to hop onto CNN.com to see what was going on in the world. Well...aparently, nothing but depressing, horrible, negative, scary shit is going down right now...even a charity soccer game in the streets of New York they managed to turn into something negative by saying 'NBA star talks trash on soccer pitch'...I mean, come on...is there some sort of twisted editorial process where a reporter submits his story, and then some fucking maniac in a suit and tie decides what sort of fucked up title it gets in order to get people to click on the link? Like I want to read about snakes swallowing kitty's and lawmakers talking about 'ripping rape victims apart'...

"Fear Fear Fear Fear...Fear Fear Fear Fear..."

Seriously, its actually kind of sick...even the 'not-so-depressing' stories were kind of fucked up. I hope CNN rethinks what its doing to its online news service...cause right now, it reads like a marathon of Jerry Springer episodeds...not a reputable news source.

"Trash Trash Trash Trash...Trash Trash Trash Trash..."



Hey...those kind of look like horns...red horns......hmmmmmmm

NBA Draft

As a recovering sports nut, I'm all too aware that entry drafts are often the peak time for rumour, gossip and anticipation as teams (and their fans) look at selecting players from college and junior programs…hoping that the next star player will be wearing their jersey next season. Its a great time to be a sports fan is what I'm saying.



Of all the players in tonight's NBA draft, the one who I think has the best chance to be a real star is O.J. Mayo. The guy just looks like a can’t miss prospect. I remember hearing about him 2-3 years ago when he was still in high school...and it looks like he's lived up to the hype. I know everyone is raving about Derrick Rose, and he will most certainly be the #1 pick tonight…and a should be a pretty good player too...but I think Miami would be making a mistake if they pass on Mayo. A team with D. Wade, Marion and Mayo would be pretty sweet if you ask me…could be the Suns of the East.



Anyway, I’m off to grab some take-out and get ready for 3 hours of sitting by my computer watching the draft ticker.

{O.J. ended up going #3 to Minnesota. You heard it here first...he'll be next years Rookie of the Year.}

all aboard

Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway by J.M.W. Turner (1844)

{I was lucky enough to visit the National Gallery in London, England a number of times in 2004...and I remember seeing this painting upon my first visit and having it slowly reveal itself to me...and being totally captivated. It became an instant all-time favourite and still gives me goosebumps when I look at it. I ended up buying a print copy, and have had it, in its 'plastic bag' ever since, waiting to be framed...I wonder why I never got around to it?}

I'm Not There

"God, I'm glad I'm not me."


****

I really don’t know what to say about this film. By the end, I wanted to go back and watch it again…partially to see why I didn’t really enjoy the first half of the film (save a few sections)…and partially because it kind of blew my mind…just a little.

Basically, this movie is about Bob Dylan…but its not about Bob Dylan…its about 6 Bob Dylan’s…and none of them are called Bob Dylan. It’s the man and the myth…rolled up into one crazy trip. And it is a trip. Its 6 stories…but its also one story. Very interesting stuff really. Not all of it works in my opinion…I think the ‘haze’ like quality of the film is both a blessing and a curse, and caused me to get antsy when I was just getting into one ‘face’ of Dylan, to have the mirror shift and see another version in front of me…and probably requires a couple of viewings to really understand (and that’s a tough thing to ask a non-fan of Dylan or these kinds of films).

Both Cate Blanchet and Heath Ledger were awesome in their roles. Hats off. I really don’t think I gave the film a fair chance at the start…partially from my own indifference to his music…and also because of the confusing progression of the film. In fact, I don’t really like Bob Dylan…and I still don’t…but I think I have a bit more respect for him as an artist and a writer (and to a lesser degree how he handled his celebrity) after having seen ‘I’m Not There’…

…but then again, was that really Bob Dylan?

full moon

photo by: some guy in B.C.

Be Kind Rewind

"No, no! That's not in the movie!"


***
About 20 minutes into ‘Be Kind Rewind’ I got the feeling that I wasn’t going to enjoy the film nearly as much as I thought I was going to. By the time I was finished, I think I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I was going to at the 20 minute mark…but still not as much as I thought I was going to going in.

A cool little film about the ‘do it yourself’ ethos found in everything from indi filmmakers and musicians, to street vendors, mom and pop stores and lemonade stands. When Jack Black’s character accidentally erases all the VHS tapes in an old school video store where his buddy Mos Def works, the pair decide the only way to save the store is to ‘re-make’ the movies the few customers they do still have want to see. The first movie they have to make, Ghostbusters, had me grinning like a Cheshire cat. Just too funny. And the gags related to Black’s magnetization sickness are subtle and very well done. Its about the power of the imagination to not only take one person somewhere…but how infectious it can be and how it can bring all sorts of people, who otherwise might not have much in common, together.

I thought Jack Black was funny…I liked how the whole movie had this sort of ‘homemade’ quality about it…it was almost as if all the actors were instructed to ‘underplay’ their roles…as if to ‘act’ like non-actors…which may make it ‘seem’ as if the film is poorly acted…but in fact, it’s charming and adds to the ‘cuteness’ of the film.

In an age where money is everything…not just in the movie business…I love that there are extremely creative people out there like Michel Gondry who enjoy playing and experimenting. It may not always work...but the results are usually entertaining and 100% unique.

Not a great film…but a good one.

five things I love

The ‘still’ feeling in the air at 3 in the morning.
Barqs Root Beer.
Watching a good movie.
When there’s no traffic at all.

The dog.

thanks Renee...pass it on...

Control

"When you look at your life, in a strange new room, maybe drowning soon, is this the start of it all?"

****

‘Control’ is the story of Ian Curtis, lead singer of the 80’s new wave/post punk band Joy Division, who committed suicide at the age of 23 after a difficult battle with depression and epilepsy. As much as this is the story of a brilliant poet dying young…and it is just that…very intimate and very engaging…it is also just a very cool, hip film about rock and roll in the vein of ‘The Doors’ or ’24 Hour Party People’ with a little ‘Last Days’ thrown in for good measure. It doesn't force you to feel sorry for Curtis...it just shows you the history (and some of the myth) and lets you watch.

In directing his first feature film, world famous photographer and music video director Anton Corbijn (who actually met and worked with Joy Division back in the day) clearly uses his photographer’s eye to fantastic effect when it comes the look and ‘mood’ of the film. There were actually a number of things that really impressed me about ‘Control’. The black and white cinematography was just brilliant. Having been to England a number of times (I lived there for a year back in '04), the b&w really captures what it must have been like during the late 70’s early 80’s in the UK…with tenement buildings and dirty working class towns littering the landscape…with the promise of bigger and better things nothing more than a pipe dream for many. Also, the actors in the film actually learned to play their specific instruments, therefore all the music and live performances in the film are just that…actual live performances…and the similarity to the real band is just uncanny. I also thought Sam Riley, the actor playing Ian Curtis, did a fantastic job. He really WAS Ian Curtis...without it feeling like he was trying too hard to BE Curtis. Riley, a singer in real life, never seemed to ‘milk’ any moment more than he needed to, and like Michael Pitt in ‘Last Days’, you could tell there was a very deep connection between the actor and the real life artist he was playing. There were a few moments where, if I had not known any better, I would have sworn they had inserted real footage of Curtis and the band on stage…he even nailed Curtis’ wild, flailing dancing style…without it looking forced at all. Just amazing.

If there was a bone to pick with the film, I really didn’t think it dug deep enough in the psyche of Curtis. But that is understandable given that not much is really known about the singer…he was extremely shy and hesitant to speak his mind to the press…and the band was only really popular for about a year or two before he killed himself, most of their material having been released posthumously…so there’s limited source material. Then again...I kind of liked how it didn't force too much on you...it didn't paint Curtis as this saint-like tortured artist...he was very human, and I guess this was a human story more than it was a rock and roll story. I just thought his relationships with his wife, mistress and the band could have maybe been explored a little further…but nevertheless, the movie never really felt like it was dragging…and was felt so intimate and was so eye catching that its only a mild complaint…if that.

Anyway, this film is probably only for fans of the band, fans of rock and roll bio films, and/or ‘high brow’ films. You’ll like it a lot more if you’re a fan of the band, or are at least somewhat familiar with their work…and if you’re a big fan (I’m sort of in between casual fan and ‘big’ fan) then you’ll love it.

Great flick!

Jim O'Rourke

About 5-6 years ago, I was introduced to a musician by the name of Jim O’Rourke by the band Sonic Youth. Not literally introduced…but introduced musically when O’Rourke ‘joined’ Sonic Youth as an official/unofficial 5th member for their (at the time) latest studio effort ‘Murray Street.’


The band...Jim is the little guy in the back...

So lets back up a bit and explain why that’s significant. First of all…Sonic Youth are probably considered the godfathers of grunge, and a bunch of other experimental musical sub genres dating back to the late 70’s early 80’s New York Punk/New Wave scene. When it comes to making beautiful ‘noise’…there aren’t many better. Now, I’m a big fan…but I can’t say that I’ve been a big fan for most of their career. Like many, I was introduced to Sonic Youth only after Nirvana told me about them. I liked their stuff…loud, chaotic noise rock, with odd sounding his and hers vocals to boot…and they saw what they were doing as ‘art’…something I did, and still do ‘understand’. But I didn’t own any of their albums…and was only really a fan of 2-3 of their more ‘radio friendly’ songs off the albums put out by DGC after punk and grunge really ‘broke’ in ‘92…but my roommate J at school was huge fan, and through him, and my maturing musical pallet, I became a bigger fan.

The bands previous effort to ‘Murray Street’ was the critical and commercial disaster NYC Ghosts & Flowers, so there was certainly a good chance that ‘Murray Street’ was going to suck…but I think I may have heard a song on the radio and thought ‘hey, that sounds pretty alright’ and went out and bought the CD that day or something like that…and the album ended up being the soundtrack to that summer. The band had seemingly ‘matured’ overnight…and become a legitimate rock and roll band, while still maintaining many of the characteristics that made them so identifiable throughout the 80’s and 90’s. But it was if they had cleaned up their act, and decided that they were indeed talented musicians, and were going to crank out good ‘tunes’ instead of just beautiful ‘noise’ for sake of making art. The next 2 albums that followed, ‘Sonic Nurse’ and ‘Rather Ripped’ were equally as impressive for their ‘reigned in’ feeling. Don’t get me wrong, they still rock out and get loud…and apparently they haven’t lost their edge live…but these 3 albums for me are examples of Sonic Youth at their best yet…they were writing songs.



So I bet you can guess why I suddenly became a ‘fan’ of one Jim O’Rourke. As the ‘do-everything-else’ 5th member of the band, O’Rourke had opened Sonic Youth to new ideas, while also bringing his ‘composer’ background as well as his own strong reputation within the world music community.

Here’s a sample from his last.fm bio.

“American indie rock and avant-garde musician, composer and producer Jim O’Rourke has been a key component in the increasing overlap of the American and European experimental music avant-garde, working in everything from jazz and rock to ambient and electro-acoustic and building many a bridge in between. A Chicago native, his work has found equal luck with experimental jazz and noise fanatics, chill room denizens, and bedroom experimentalists, and has had the resultant effect of cross-pollinating many otherwise isolated compositional communities.”

Dude is just a talented guy. And for whatever reason, I just really dig his style and the way he presents himself. He’s not a huge rock star…he’s just some unassuming guy in the back, twisting a few knobs and playing backing-backing guitar…fucking around on the drum kit…and all the while, he's single handedly saving one of rock and roll’s most important groups. If not for Jim O’Rourke…I’d wager that Sonic Youth’s career, at least critically, and outside of the cult hardcore fans, commercially, would probably be over right now. But the 2 + albums (and subsequent tours…and he still tours occasionally with the band still) he was around for sort of brought Sonic Youth back down to Earth a bit…just as it looked as if they’d gone over the edge.

That’s fucking impressive.

But what about this ‘composer’ background of his? Well…after not really paying him much mind since he and Sonic Youth amicably parted ways before the band got to work on ‘Rather Ripped’…I was re-introduced to him recently via his solo stuff thanks to the site last.fm (great site for music lovers and people who want to broaden the musical horizons…and its free I tells ya!).

And then it all totally made sense.

Dude is really, really talented.

So if you ever get a chance, and are so inclined, here are a couple of tunes to seek out…


‘Something Big’ from the album ‘Eureka’ (I may be wrong about this, but apparently this is a Burt Bacharach cover…with awesome backup singers included)

’94 the Long Way’ from the album “Bad Timing’ (14 minute epic that puts a smile on my face every time I hear it…so far…)

‘Halfway to a Threeway’ from the album “Halfway to a Threeway” (just listen to the lyrics…)


But for the sheer fact that he's given us an extra 5-10 years of enjoyment out of a rejuvinated and recovered Sonic Youth...I'll always be a fan!

this is hardcore

photo by: someone in Australia

fuck

I just felt like saying it.

rabbit season

photo courtesy squareamerica.com

I don't know about the rest of you...but nearly half way into 2008 and I'm really not feeling the good vibes of change and all that other bullshit I figured I had coming my way after last year (and the year before that...and the year before that...).

Its getting to the point where I can't sleep...my mind is just drowning in doubts as I lay awake at night...thinking about everything and nothing all at once. Nothing seems to stick. One moment, I feel like I can do anything...the next...I feel numb.

So...think of little buddy here as my offering to the Gods of mercy...or whoever's in charge of doling out the good karma...not only on my behalf...but on behalf of the tiny kabal of friends of mine out there I know probably need a little good luck just as much as I do. The past couple of months has been rough for a few of the people I run around with online...some who's blogs I link to...and one in particular who has been very quiet of late, which isn't exactly a rare thing for her...but still...sometimes you just get stuck thinking about a person, wondering how they're doing...so this one is for her in particular.

Lets get this year turned the fuck around already!

gooooaaaaaaaaal

You either get soccer or you don’t. Some look at the sport as a bunch a guys chasing a ball and passing it around for 90 minutes, with games routinely ending in 1-0 scores. A bunch of slim, pretty boy dudes in shorts and high socks diving at the first hint of contact and acting as if they’ve been shot. They see soccer and they see boring. However, for some, it is strategy, precision, athleticism, competition and grace all rolled into one…a sport that runs with a continuous clock for its entire length (save a 15 min break after 45 min) and requires an immense amount of running and cardio vascular fitness to go along with the prerequisite foot/eye co-ordination. Every chance is a slow build to a potential climax…a string of passes and maneuvers as 10 players attempt to breach the other teams defense and shoot the ball past a 'keeper' into a large, but considering the size of the playing field, reasonably sized net.

Of course, I’m biased as I played the sport competitively from the time I was 6 until I was in my early 20’s in a country where hockey is king, and soccer was, when I was a kid, barley a blip on the sports radar. It wasn’t cool to be into soccer…or play it. But where my parents are from originally, soccer is THE sport…and it isn’t even called soccer, its called by its proper name…football (which makes a whole lot more sense than the North American definition)
Growing up, I was thrust into the sport pretty young…my parents were big proponents of children being active all the time, be it soccer and baseball in the summer and indoor soccer and swimming in the winter, to go along with numerous summer camps. And that was outside of school…extra curricular if you will. In school, it was indoor hockey during recess, track and field after school. For a brief shining moment, I was a true 5 tool athlete…I could play pretty much any sport and automatically be pretty good at it…and usually, I would be one of the best of my peers. Soccer was no different.

I was pretty good…could play any position…was even a goalkeeper for my first year…and stepped into net during the championship game another year and saved and then kicked the game winning penalty kick (with a picture of me, being chased by my teammates making the front page of the local sports page…) I played at a fairly high level from about year 4 on…mostly as a midfielder...and at an especially high level during my mid teen years (when every boy wants to play professional {enter sport of choice here}). So…to say I have a deep respect and love for the sport is an understatement.

I’ve also followed the sport pretty closely most of my life as well…not as close as the 4 major North American sports…but I’ve been an Everton supporter almost as long as I’ve been a Toronto Maple Leafs supporter (and I have no clue as to why I like either to tell you the truth…)…and come World Cup time, our house became England (and to a lesser degree Scotland) soccer central. All the games got Olympic type treatment…I mean, I was allowed to ‘skip’ class a couple of times to stay home and watch the games, that’s how much my parents were into it.

Now, the global scope of the sport and our country’s (and Toronto in particular) growing multiculturalism…to go along with the 500 channel/24 hour global media age we find ourselves in…has resulted in events such as the World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and the current global obsession, the European Championships grabbing the same type of attention in a lot more homes it seems…with front page headlines and coverage and immense fan interest. They have become truly global events.

Which is why it kind of sucks that I’m totally not into this time around.

Don’t get me wrong…I’ll probably watch a handful of games over at my parents place or at my buddies place (I still refuse to get cable)…but with England watching at home, and me a good 6 years removed from the last time I even played in a pick-up game, I just don’t have the same passion. Now, I could easily say that about any number of things, which is a whole other post in itself, but this one is about soccer, and the European Championships, so I’ll let that beast rest for another day.

As for my mighty prediction…I’m rooting for the Czech Republic, but I think that Germany and Spain are probably the two best teams, and usually the two best teams end up meeting up in the finals…with Italy the sleeping giant who could take the whole thing.

Final: Italy 2 – Spain 1


either way...lots of 'soft core 'man love' for your viewing pleasure.
nobody celebrates a goal quite like Italy and Spain.

canned laughter

Maybe its all just a matter of realizing where you are?
On the floor or in the air
With the video screen almost all the way off
Flashing green
Spilt milk
Water actually
Bamboo’s doing well
But I’m still sinking like a stone
Empty wrappers and endless repeats
Dirty plates and well made beds
Flagging down respectability
On my knees scrubbing toilets
Cleaner image
Sucking exhaustion
This is the better way?
But I still feel so empty

nightlight

photo by: me

new old view

photo by: not me