DC's

Chris Dankland presents ... A HOUSTON ART CAR PARADE

2012-02-02T00:59:00.000-08:00

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(NOTE: besides being watched in the regular way, the video below can also provide a nice background soundtrack to listen to, while looking at art car pictures)

Brief history of the Houston Art Car Parade
excerpted from www.orangeshow.org/art-car-history/

In 1984, Kit and Carl Detering donated a 1967 Ford station wagon to The Orange Show Foundation to be auctioned at our annual Gala benefit. Houston artist Jackie Harris transformed the car into a mobile work of art with a budget of $800 for paint and plastic fruit. The "Fruitmobile" was donated back to the foundation by the group of six who purchased it.

A few months later, Susanne Demchak organized a "Road Show" at The Orange Show on June 29, 1986, 11 art cars were exhibited alongside the Fruitmobile at The Orange Show, with Lowrider demonstrations, and children's art bike workshops. 1,400 Houstonians came, along with WFAA-TV and National Public Radio.

In 1987, the Houston International Festival, the City's official celebration of the arts, asked the Orange Show to organize a parade to build on the success of the New Music Parade. The Orange Show agreed to produce an event dedicated to art cars. Roadside Attractions: The Art Car Parade was born in April, 1988 with a 40 car parade seen by an estimated 2,000. By the following year, the parade size doubled and the crowd swelled to tens of thousands.

Today, the Art Car Parade is the highlight of a three-day celebration of the drive to create, Art Car Weekend. The parade attracts 250+ vehicles and other entries from 23 states along with Canada and Mexico. Entries are as likely to be made by members of the general public as by recognized artists Community groups, public and private schools, and professional organizations have become regular participants. Inspired by what they see, spectators create art cars of their own and often become future participants. And as the parade grows, attracting more and more participants, the complexity and quality of the entries increases.

SARAH OVENALL AND HER UNDERSEA MAH JONGG CAR
http://ovenall.com/artcar/umj.php

How long did it take you to do that?
I started working on the car in August of 2001. An art car is never truly finished, but I'm finally getting to the point where I don't feel like it's "unfinished."

How do you get those things to stay on there?
Through trial and error, I've learned that each type of object has a glue that works best for it. I use silicon for the carpet, because it's inexpensive and thick enough to cover large pieces. Liquid nails dries too quickly for the carpet, but it's perfect for the smooth mah jongg tiles. And E6000 is more expensive, but holds plastic toys like nothing else I've tried.

Do you ever lose anything?
Toys do fall off from time to time. Winter seems to be especially hard on the glue. I will be doing the "wiggle test" and regluing anything that seems unstable before we leave for Houston. And I'll take a box full of replacement toys in my trunk for last-minute repairs.

Where did you get the idea for an underwater mah jongg car?
I was planning to do my car like a park with a duck pond in the middle, covered with green astroturf and using the sunroof as the duck pond. Then I went to the hardware store and discovered that astroturf comes in blue. That's where the underwater theme came from. There's still a remnant of the duck pond in the strip of green turf and the preponderance of ducks on the roof. The car can't seem to make up its mind whether it's a freshwater pond, or an ocean.

At the same time as I was planning the "duck pond" car, I happened to buy a mah jongg set from Ebay. The set was in bad condition and unplayable, but there was nothing I could do about it because the seller had technically told the truth, while carefully avoiding an honest assessment of the set's condition. I was really upset about the waste of money until I realized that I could put the mah jongg set on the car. That set is now on the hood, being played by a goldfish, a lobster, and two koi. (The goldfish has Little Four Winds and is about to win the hand.)

You must really want attention.
Not really. I decorate my car because it makes me happy. I'm glad if other people enjoy it as well, but I'm honestly not that concerned about what other people think. A lot of people seem to assume that the only reason to do interesting things is to get attention. I find that rather sad.

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p.s. Hey. When I woke up this morning, I was going to shut the blog down today in memory of Mike Kelley. But after first going through a bunch of shit with Blogger, who had temporarily blocked viewing of and access to the blog because of complaints about its content, resulting in a compromise, for now at least, whereby, I think, this place now has one of those 'objectionable content' front doors, and then looking again at Chris Dankland's scheduled post, which is so kooky and optimistic and kind of joyful, and which displays the kind of Americana meets art thing that Mike loved, I decided to let this be the way forward. Thank you kindly, Chris. As for Mike, it's really hard to find words right now. I've been friends and comrades with Mike since the late 70s. The LA art scene in the late 70s and early-to-mid 80s was this kind of unformed mess, allowing for a total openness that encouraged young local artists, writers, musicians, performers, and filmmakers to band together both socially and in collaborations. It was a great time and scene, and a bunch of now famous, revered artists of different stripes arose from that scene, but Mike, in addition to already being a genius artist back then, was the central figure and driving force and inspiration for all of us, I think it's very safe to say. His work and his thinking about art were the benchmark, the ideal, the role model. I think it would be accurate to say that we were all very in awe of Mike and his work. No surprise whatsoever that he gradually became such a recognized and significant artist, or that he stayed the same dazzlingly brilliant, crotchety, hilarious, generous guy and friend he had always been. I still really can't believe what has happened. I don't think that anyone who knew Mike personally can. Everyone who follows contemporary art knows what a huge hole his death has created, but if you were lucky enough to be a friend or colleague of Mike's, the hole is not only vast but indescribable, unfathomable, incalculable, a true horror. Mike was a completely singular person and artist, and definitely one of the most genius-fueled people I have ever known. It's very painful not to be in LA right now, but here I am, and here we are, and let's keep looking for greatness out there and in ourselves and try to get there together, okay? I apologize if I'm a little out of it today. ** Misanthrope, Hey. Biebz, Biebz, the musical fruit, ... 'Be happy, noble heart, be blessed for all the good thou hast done and wilt do hereafter, and let my gratitude remain in obscurity like your good deeds.' -- Alexander Dumas ** Allesfliesst, I'm glad the post seemed okay, and thanks a lot for thinking of linking your students up to it. Very good luck with the paper/conference and with the southward traveling. ** Oscar B., Hey! Yeah, cool, right? I saw your email. I'll write you shortly, and I'll see you and our respective plates full of Hard Rocks a little later on. ** Wolf, Howdy. Oh, you want an official thanks, okay, no problem, let me find you a good one, if I can. Hold on. 'You don’t care if it ends / or if it goes on / And as for the women / and the music / there will be plenty of that / in Paradise” / Then I went to the Mosque / of Memory / to express my gratitude.' -- Leonard Cohen ** Tonyoneill, Tony, my friend! It really is sheer loveliness to see you! Man, I'm so sorry to hear about the void, but I'm so glad you're feeling brighter. Finished your novel: fantastic news! New one started, whoa! Of course it was totally cool to give the guy my address. In fact, thanks for doing that. Man, you're a sight for sore eyes, my buddy. I've missed you. ** David Ehrenstein, Thanks a lot, David! ** Brooks, Wow, that's an interesting coincidence: the Morrisette thing. Never judge a man by his first concert. Mine was The Monkees. Mm, I think I've heard of your band Total Abuse. I'll go listen and find out for sure, and of course I'll happily hit up the unmastered Breathing Problem LP too. Thanks a lot for that. Thanks for the kind words about my stuff. Oh, we just got friended together on Facebook, didn't we? That's cool. Everyone, new d.l. Brooks generously shared a way for us to listen to his work, specifically to two bands, Total Abuse and Breathing Problem. I'll let him do the intros: 'Total Abuse is a bit more known (whatever that means)...we tried to mix traditional 80s hardcore with our love of new york no wave, sonic youth and whitehouse. here's a link to the last lp if you are interested. Here is a link to the unmastered Breathing Problem full length..which is cold dark ambient kind of power electronics (?)...dealing with my obsessions concerning pre internet goth girls with serious mental issues.' Please go have a listen, both for your own benefit and to give him a warm DC's welcome, yes? Thanks, Rusty. Really looking forward to it! ** Kiddiepunk, 'Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.' -- Doris Day. See you in person later! ** Davidpeak, Hi, David! How cool to have you here, man. Thanks much about the post. Fascinating stuff, right? Blacklight Theater ... no, I don't think I am. Familiar with them, I mean. Thanks a lot for the link to the clip. I'll have to check it out later due to the demanding p.s. pace, and I will. Yeah, a pleasure to see you, sir. I'm basically well, and I hope you're that well at least. ** Daveyhoule, 'Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.' -- Marcel Proust ** Chris Goode, Really fascinating to hear your thoughts on the post/object theater. I was hoping that would happen, I will admit. I'm totally brand new to the ... genre or whatever you would call it. Gisele knows of it, of course, both from just knowing generally and from critics querying her about her work's relationship to it, and she has mixed thoughts not to mention feelings about it, from what I can tell. Oh, I was putting together a blog post on Christopher Knowles the other day, and, in the course of searching and gathering, I found evidence of and then remembered that piece you made about him and his work. Do ever still perform that piece? I'm glad to hear the Marcus has staked a claim. With that tentative go ahead, and 'bleakly enchanted' sounds awfully good, I might go look for it today. As for your game play, let's see ... 'Gratitude is one of the least articulate of the emotions, especially when it is deep.' -- Felix Frankfurter ** Brendan, Hey. Yeah, I'm 9 hours ahead. If you're a morning guy, then early-mid morning your time, early evening my time is probably best for me. If so, when are you free? I'm usually free in the early evenings. If not, let's sort something else out. Yeah, I know, about Mike, I know. Hugs. ** Ian Tuttle, Hey! Oh, it's genuinely great to have you here. A total boon, I reckon. Ha ha, yeah, I've got LA in my voice down to the marrow of my syllables. It's probably hiding somewhere in the 'TMS' frills too, but I don't know. If you want to share the stuff and work you do with us here, that would be great, if it's possible. Weaklings banquets have occurred on occasion. Where do you live? One could be in the offing. ** Casey McKinney, Hi, Casey. Yeah, losing Mike is pretty intense, obviously. I mean, you know what a fucking wonder he was and will always be. I had thought you knew him at least a little, didn't you? Anyway, thank you, my friend, and long distance hugs to you. Oh, Greer's piece on the Kilpatrick novel in Fanzine is great, btw, kudos! ** Chris Dankland, Hey! Thank you so much for today. I'm sorry to have saddled it with some loss and gloom, but, like I said, Mike Kelley would have eaten it up, which is something. Yeah, I too forget what a challenging guy and writer Ibsen was. He's so in the canon now. But reading those quotes by him yesterday, it's obvious. That's very interesting about your background in religion and its tentacles. As I may have said, I grew with no religion other than a few cursory, meaningless trips to church, so religious belief of an organized, canonized kind has always been very strange and exotic to me. I've never been able to get inside it. I wish you could see 'TH' too, or that we could take it on the road or something. I'll document it here as best I can. Thanks again super much, man. ** _Black_Acrylic, Yeah, Ben, I know Mike was important to you too, and I send you major hugs and love. ** Steevee, Of course very, very interested to see your horror film list. ** Sypha, Hey. ** Alan, From the few productions of Ibsen's plays that I've seen, the tendency has been to concentrate on the more conventional or traditional aspects of the work's structure and content, but reading his plays on the page is quite a remarkable experience. Holiday Cocktail Lounge too? There's just going to be nothing at all of St. Marks Place's fraught days left. Thanks for the alert about the late breaking game play and comments yesterday. ** Chris Cochrane, 'Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.' -- Satchell Paige ** Paradigm, Hi, Scott. Oh, do you mean does the work or kind of work covered in the post influence the work with Gisele? Not that I know of, no. I would have to ask her directly, and I will, but I think the dolls/ mannequins aspect is longstanding and deep seeded and personal, and I think her bigger influences are much further afield. Re: your game play ... 'The poor man shuddered, overflowed with an angelic joy; he declared in his transport that this would last through life; he said to himself that he really had not suffered enough to deserve such radiant happiness, and he thanked God, in the depths of his soul, for having permitted that he, a miserable man, should be so loved by this innocent being.' -- Victor Hugo ** Bernard Welt, Yeah, fucking unbelievable, B. I'm okay, I'm just kind of overpowered by it, not unlike a whole lot of us, you included, I know. ** Thomas Moronic, Thank you, dear Thomas. ** Postitbreakup, Hi. I don't know how you turn off the self-criticism when you're writing, but you kind of have to. You need to find some kind of logic and objectivity. I said this to someone here recently, maybe even to you, but you need to be alone with yourself and as far away from everyone else when you're writing as you are when you masturbate. You need to free yourself up to roam yourself in a state where fantasy is all and the world it creates is only yours. ** Bill, Hey. Yeah, I love the demo, and I'm very glad to hear that the problems are basically technical things that can be worked out. So, so well worth the trouble, man. ** All right. Please do throw yourselves at Chris Dankland's wonderful parade today with all your blog-accorded might. Thanks a lot. And thank you again for playing the blog's new game. The judges will get on the judging part now, and you will see the results here in just under a month from now. And I will see you tomorrow.

Object Theatre --> Vegard Vinge and Ida Müller --> The Wild Duck --> Ibsen

2012-02-01T00:59:00.000-08:00

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'The term “object theatre” was first used in 1980. However, today there are still several different and somewhat controversial ideas of what object theatre is.

'Much of the confusion surrounding object theatre comes from its relationship to puppet theatre. Some theatre scholars (such as Henryk Jurkowski and Jette Lund) believe that object theatre is a part of the world of puppetry, and is merely a more modern expression of this genre, whilst others (including Anne Helgesen and Ida Hamre) utilize the term “object theatre” (or synonyms such as “figurteater” or “animationsteater”) in a broader way to classify all types of puppet theatre. Meanwhile, there are also those that that see object theatre as an independent art form (such as Christian Carrignon, Peter Weitzner).

'Direct translation of certain synonyms of object theatre, such as the aforementioned Norwegian “figurteater” and the Danish “animationsteater”, into English often adds to the confusion, as part of the original meaning of these terms is lost in the translation, and even worse some unintentional secondary meanings are inherited.

'Some of the confusion over the recognition of object theatre as an art form is related to the fact that some object theatre performances are more closely related to certain theater genres than others. On the other hand, others are less related to traditional forms and have more in common with performance art or other modern art forms such as cyborg theatre and image oriented theatre.

'For this reason, I have identified three new subgroups within the object theatre genre. By more clearly defining these individual groups it actually becomes easier to understand the broader concept of object theatre and how it relates to other theatre genres. It is also necessary to do this before attempting to define the boundaries between object theatre and puppetry and performance art, because each of the three subgroups is related to them in a different way.

'1) Animation theatre

'In spite of its name, this form of object theatre is not related to cartoons or animated films, but instead refers to the alternative meaning of the word “animate”, that is to “bring to life” or “to give a soul to”. In this form of object theatre the manipulator seeks to make the objects they work appear to be alive. It is common to use mundane, everyday objects such as chairs, flowers or glasses, although the objects can also be more abstract things such as sculptures or art objects. The manipulators themselves are, however, hidden from the audience by using a screen or black clothes. The attention of the audience is therefore focussed on the object, rather than the on the manipulator. This form of object theatre is more closely related to puppet theatre than the other two. Examples of this type of object theatre include works by Puppet Beings Theatre Company and TamTam Objectentheater.

'2) Theatre of things

'In the theatre of things, it is again common to use everyday, ready made objects. However, the manipulator does not seek to make them appear to be alive as they do in Animation Theatre. Instead the objects often have some symbolic or metaphorical meaning, and the illusion of them being real is more in the mind of the audience than in the way that they appear on the stage. This can be illustrated by an example where there is a small toy car on the stage and the actor acts as though he would be driving this car. The toy car does not look like a real car, but the audience imagines that the car is real and that the actor is actually sitting inside it.

'The other key difference between the Theatre of Things and Animation Theatre is that the actor is the centre of attention and not the object. The actor makes no attempt to hide himself or his emotions, and may even deliberately exaggerate them as part of the performance. There is also a more direct communication between the actor and the audience than in Animation Theatre. Due to the importance of the role of the actor and his acting in this type of performance, it is easy to see how this type of object theatre is more closely related to dramatic acting than the other two. Examples of this type of object theatre include performances by Christian Carrignon, Lasse Åkerlund and the performance Storre Stemme directed by Geirdis Bjørlo and Preben Faye-Scjhøll.

'3) Figure Theatre

'The final subgroup of object theatre is the most contemporary of the three subgroups of object theatre. It can be characterised by the human actors being disguised using masks or costumes in a conceptual way makes them to no longer appear to be a human being, but instead a lifeless object. In some cases, the actor inside the costume “animates” the object which they are performing, for example by playing a life size marionette. In other Figure Theatre performances, however, the object created by the actor may be a part of the scenography, such as a door or a piece of furniture, or they may form a part or the whole of a visual image. The actor in figure theatre balances between acting and non-acting as it is hard to say that someone is acting when they perform the part of a “door” or a part ofthe scenography. The visual image or visual impact is also a very important aspect in Figure Theatre, as it is in performance art, which is closely related to specifically this type of object theatre.

'It is more difficult to find concrete examples of this subgroup of object theatre, however, one recent performance that could be classified as “Figure Theatre” is Vildanden by Vegard Vinge and Ida Müller.' -- Svein Gundersen, ÅRGANG 28

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(Little pieces of) Vegard Vinge & Ida Müller's Vildanden

'Through a genre-crossing berserk race Osvald Alving stages his ongoing dissolution as a Syphilitic Gesamtkunstwerk. With Nietzschean megalomania the artist untangles the bandage of the canonised work he is personally chained to, revealing the open wounds in a search of the stinking sewage underneath the stage floor. Illness and avoidance as salvation in the intersection between child-like genius and forcible inheritance. The ragnarok of Ibsen. A ritual and Odyssean journey towards the sun and the final liberation.' -- Vegard Vinge/Ida Müller

'Vegard Vinge and Ida Müller’s Vildanden, part of a cycle of Ibsen plays, presents a radical view of the Norwegian psyche through their vibrant and highly subjective productions of their national poet. Here in a hand-painted universe where everything – landscapes, buildings, people – is freshly-decorated in bright colours, deeper and darker forces lurk which will soon undermine this happy, shiny surface. Vildanden is presented from the perspective of the Helmer family children – human dolls or puppets - who find themselves imprisoned in a world of money and disease. Vinge and Müller’s uncompromising and unique theatrical vocabulary mixes opera, splatterfilm, puppet-theatre, cartoon and performance. It is theatre as ritual and exorcism.' -- DOPPELGÄNGER

'Ibsen probably enjoys himself, but do we? No, this can't be called enjoyment. It is perversely fun, it is interesting, it is sickening, it is annoying, it is fun, it is embarrassing, it is genius, it is long, it is much - but it is far from nice. Possibly this is such a complete overload of a production it has people turn around and leave in the door. Let us hope not, for either you like this work or not, it reeks of manifestos, will and distinct character. The references to avant garde traditions are strong, and it almost strangles itself in a scream after a theatre revolution.' -- Elisabeth Leinslie, Scenekunst

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Henrik Ibsen's Vildanden

'Ibsen's Vildanden (The Wild Duck) enacts the story of Gregers Werle's descent from Høydal and his intrusive mission into this environment of the insulted and injured. Long suspecting his father responsible for the fall that reduced Lieutenant Ekdal and his family to social disgrace and dependence, he decides to right the injustice. The family, however, is reconciled to its fallen condition, retreating from reality to live on Haakon Werle's largesse. The merchant controls this world, supplying even the wild duck, - the central feature of the Ekdals' imaginative world. Believing truth will set the Ekdals free, Gregers unwittingly destroys Hjalmar's belief in his own identity as husband, father and family breadwinner.

'To overcome the crisis that results, Gregers suggests Hedvig sacrifice her most precious possession, the wild duck, to demonstrate her love for her father. When they believe this is what she has done, Gina and Hjalmar are reconciled and the marriage is saved. But out of view in the attic, Hedvig arrived at her own mysterious decision. We know the moment of her action: Hjalmar's rhetorical question whether Hedvig would be willing to sacrifice a prospective new life for his sake: but this does not explain why her response was to kill herself. Was it a defiant suicide like that of her namesake, Hedda? Or an act of despair? Or of love? Her death is the element of the unpredictable in human affairs – an ‘uncertainty principle' that bedevils attempts at the reformation of the human spirit.

'The realist art of The Wild Duck dictates its scale and type of action; the characters' social class; the furniture and costumes; the stage directions for the actors' gestures and even the pitch of their voices. The demand for meticulous plausibility realism is expected to meet greatly increases the difficulty of the artistic act when the dramatic intention is as ambitious as Ibsen's. He needed to devise a dramatic method to circumvent the restrictions he imposed on his art, to make it do more things than its text seems to allow. The play's expanding circumferences of action encompass individual and family histories, social divisions, the surrounding natural world of retreating forests, lakes and marshes inhabited by the wild duck and its fellow creatures and, beyond these, perspectives of human history and culture stretching back centuries.

'By the multi-perspectival or contrapuntal aspect of his dramas, Ibsen's realism still performs the function of his poetic dramas: of embedding universal perspectives within the particular details of his art. This, of course, is true of most major literature and especially of dramatic art. To create his poetic realism, Ibsen devised a bi-focal strategy that requires the reader or viewer to see and hear beyond the immediate events presented to an order of archetypal implications they have been devised to evoke.

'In an effect reminiscent of Gestalt images or the pictures of M.C. Escher, what you look at gradually becomes a different image. Something like a Gestalt effect, I believe, is in the very title of the play, Vildanden, which to Norwegians, suggest Vildånden (wild/free spirit). Optical references are sounded throughout the text of The Wild Duck; of failing eyesight; seeing and failing to see; of eyes “not always clear-sighted”; of opening someone's eyes to the truth; of perhaps seeing too much like Gregers, who converts reality into parables and symbols, and who asks Hedvig if she is sure the attic is an attic. And there is the presence of the camera, a neutral, inadequate recorder of reality.

'Each character in the play sees reality from a unique point of view; voiced in old Ekdal's superstitions, Hjalmar's sentimentalism, Gina's literalism, Relling's cynicism, and Gregers' mystical idealism. These competing voices surround Hedvig, whose tragedy might be as much provoked by this Babel of voices and views as by any other cause. The play's closing lines, after the senseless suicide, are a bitter disagreement between Gregers and Relling as to the import of what we have witnessed.' -- Brian Johnston

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'The state must be abolished! In that revolution I will take part. Undermine the idea of the state; make willingness and spiritual kinship the only essentials in the case of a union -- and you have the beginning of a liberty that is of some value. The changing forms of government is mere toying with degrees -- a little more or a little less -- folly, the whole of it.' -- Henrik Ibsen

'To live is to war with trolls.' -- HI

'Do not use that foreign word "ideals." We have that excellent native word "lies."' -- HI

'Money may be the husk of many things, but not the kernel. It brings you food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; acquaintances, but not friends; servants, but not faithfulness; days of joy, but not peace and happiness.' -- HI

'One of the qualities of liberty is that, as long as it is being striven after, it goes on expanding. Therefore, the man who stands in the midst of the struggle and says, "I have it," merely shows by doing so that he has just lost it.' -- HI

'Some day, youth will come here and thunder on my door, and force its way in to me.' -- HI
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p.s. Hey. Today's post was inspired by a tip from d.l. Allesfliesst, so big thanks from me to him. Speaking of thanks, you who have played our game so far rule, rock, etc., and thanks a ton. I'll just remind those of you who haven't played yet that you've got until posting time tomorrow to do so. So, I'm going to try to behave like I imagine a proper co-judge would behave and, uh, be all po-faced and 'cards close to the chest'-like, i.e. not interact directly with your game moves of yesterday, which means this p.s. will mostly be packed with me trying to figure out a way to say thank you repeatedly with the sincerity I feel. On Thursday, Joakim, 'Fred', and I will put our heads together and determine the winner, although, heck, everybody's a winner at DC's, ha ha. Okay, ... ** David Ehrenstein, Thank you, David. Since you were first, you get that good old fashioned, tried and true expression of appreciation. Ah, so 'Margaret' is a divisive thing, I see. I'm surprised I haven't seen 'Explorers' too, unless I'm blanking out on some long lost viewing. I will get it under my belt. Hm, that sounded a bit ... ** JOHN'S IN BRAZIL, Thank for entering my humble abode and for playing the game, sir. Everyone, game entrant and new guy JOHN'S IN BRAZIL has what looks like a very interesting blog, which I will study, but, in the meantime, I recommend that you have a visit. ** Alan, 'I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.' -- G.K. Chesterton ** Gary gray, Welcome to here, and please accept my heartfelt appreciation for your game play. Also for your kind words about 'TMS'. Actually, in real life, it sounds like you and I are similarly constructed, which I guess, on my side, is why I tried to fancy up my dilemma in that novel. Goes without saying, I hope, that if you want hang out here and tete-a-tete with me and whoever else, that would be cool. ** WRINKLES, And to you, kind sir or madam or other, I think someone named George Colman said it best when he said, 'Praise the bridge that carried you over.' ** Ian Tuttle, Hello, Ian, I am bowing in your direction, which is neither easy to do nor attractive on the eye when you're sitting in a chair like I am, so thank goodness you merely catch my drift, assuming you have, of course. ** Kyler, 'We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.' -- Thornton Wilder ** Bill, 'Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.' -- William Faulkner. I have three days off from the Pompidou now, or rather three days of working on the Pompidou from home, and the hectic thing has currently eased up a bit. That demo is a beauty! What are the problems it's causing, if you can say? Everyone, a total treat aka a new work-in-progress/demo in video form by the artist and d.l. Bill Hsu. Here's a brief description: 'Fluid system simulation reacts to audio input, morphs to objects. Based on Alexander McKenzie's implementation of Jos Stam's Stable Fluids algorithm. Music: John Butcher (Track 4 A Leap in the Light from Thirteen Friendly Numbers), Bill Hsu (ARHS automatic improvisation system)', and here it is. Do check it out. Lots of pleasure for just a little click and a mere minute and a half of your time. Thank you a lot, Bill! ** SwAmPeX, 'Gratitude is the music of the heart, when its chords are swept by the breeze of kindness.' -- Author Unknown ** Sypha, 'Thank you India / Thank you terror / Thank you disillusionment / Thank you frailty / Thank you consequence / Thank you thank you silence.' -- Alanis Morrissette ** Brooks, I bet that's the first time you've seen your name 'in print' within an inch of Morrisette's. Thank you muchly for entering here and for playing the game. I don't know your music yet, and I totally want to. Where should I start? The new Breathing Problem album? Everyone, Brooks here makes music and maybe other things too, but music for sure, and it sure looks interesting from what I've managed to glean so far, and you want to glean like I did and possibly pursue the interest further, you can go here and here. ** Dungan, Hi, Sean! I'll be here, awesome. No problem on the recommendations. Let me know your price range and whether you have some area where you particularly want to stay or anything. Coolness! ** Killer Luka, Yeah, if the eyes are glass, then the photo starts to look real. Jesus, what a weird move on his parents' or somebody's part, but it sure makes for a visual impression. Antanas Sutkus: I've got a google search in his name set up and ready to launch later on. Thanks! ** Statictick, 'There is no greater difference between men than between grateful and ungrateful people.' -- R.H. Blyth. You're right, that film sounds kind of most lovely. I'll check for a download first. DB as in ... Dodie, I'm guessing? Wunderbar! ** Rabbit, Hey! Cool that you came back! What do you write? I mean fiction or, I don't know, poetry, or, gosh, scripts, or ... ? Oh, off Colorado Blvd. What's the cross-street? Hm, I can try to think of interesting Pasadenan eateries and things to recommend. I mostly just dip in there nowadays, but I'll have a think. And, as for your kind participation in the game, let me see what I can find for you. Hold on. Uh, okay, ... 'The grateful person, being still the most severe exacter of himself, not only confesses, but proclaims, his debts.' -- Robert South ** Thomas Moronic, 'When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.' -- Chinese Proverb ** Dom Lyne, Dom! Hey, man! That is just awfully cool of you to play our game. Awesome. Let me try to find you a good quote. Hm ... 'A person however learned and qualified in his life's work in whom gratitude is absent, is devoid of that beauty of character which makes personality fragrant.' -- Hazrat Inayat Khan ** Nipper Dog, 'At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.' -- Albert Schweitzer ** Brendan, Proud of you, man. Day by day, and all that. I've got the real world version of your back. Sure, we can talk about LSD, no problem. How? Skype/phone call? I'm around and unusually kind of semi-free at the moment. Would love to. ** Fittle loal, 'I feel a very unusual sensation - if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude.' -- Benjamin Disraeli ** Little foal, Your reversed alter-ego is kind of creepy, man, ha ha. I did get the packages, yes, thank you, thank you! I'm really looking forward to reading your friend's book. I just kind off flipped through it so far, and it looks really good, of course. Awesome that he's okay with my stuff. Of course I'm thrilled to hear about the fraught and beautiful reconnection with your friend. That's wonderful news, and I'm curious to hear how it sorts out for you. I feel bad for Courtney. Back when she had an understood artistic cred, her combination of manipulative and out of control dealings with the press worked for her, but now that she's considered kind of a burnt out, celeb-oriented person, that same behavior isn't helping her cause at all. That new Leonard Cohen album is out already? Cool, I'll snag it, duh. Much love and serene vibes to you, my friend. ** Paul Curran, 'Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.' -- John Milton ** Un Cœur Blanc, Greetings, my friend. A package? Oh, thank you so very much! That's extremely kind of you! I'm excited! As someone who loves being absorbed by work that is going well and is inspired, I both understand and even kind of envy your activated brain and concentration in the best possible way. The very best to you! ** Chris Dankland, Wowzer, cool. Let's see ... 'Gratitude is one of the least articulate of the emotions, especially when it is deep.' -- Felix Frankfurter ** Chris Cochrane, Hm, let's see ... oh, in relationship to some discussion we were having about the androgyny of the boy dolls/mannequins in the 'Teenage Hallucination' installation work, but I don't remember what triggered my bringing up of that aphorism precisely. ** Ken Baumann, Ken! 'Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.' -- Lionel Hampton ** Postitbreakup, Smiles are good. Yeah, man, shit, finding the right voice for a fiction work, wow, that's the hardest part for me by far. I'm in the middle of that struggle myself at the moment. You have to try different ways, different experiments, and I say even start writing it in what feels like the wrong voice and with the wrong approach, because I not infrequently find the right voice by just getting it out of my head and on the page whereupon, just by virtue of the act of writing, the voice starts to coalesce. The worst thing is to spend too much time trying to be a perfectionist about the voice before you start writing. I find that to be the least effective way to about it by far. ** Steevee, Good, or good start, and I'll hope it works come Tuesday. I just read on FB this morning that Gem Spa is closing, which is such sad, terrible news. ** 5strings, No, you didn't tell me about your friend's dad and the Zappas. Trippy. The stories he tells must be at least fairly hot. Was Frank alive then? I pretty much like all New Wave films to one degree or another, but I would say Truffaut is one my lesser favorites for sure. I like, hm, ... 'Jules and Jim' and, of course, the Antoine Doinel films because I love Jean-Pierre Léaud. I think I might like what Truffaut did as a critic and mover and shaker more than I do most of his films. As for your contest entry, ... 'There are slavish souls who carry their appreciation for favors done them so far that they strangle themselves with the rope of gratitude. -- Friedrich Nietzsche ** Matthew, 'Silent gratitude isn't very much to anyone.' -- Gertrude Stein ** Okay. I'll hope for more game players today, and I'll also hope that you find interest in the post I made with my sweat and blood. Not really, but kind of. See you tomorrow.

A narrative game for you to play with Joakim Almroth, 'Fred', and DC, part 1 (of 12)

2012-01-31T00:59:00.000-08:00

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This is Fred.

Joakim Almroth says ...

Try to see Fred as canvas, or a doll that you can shape with your words. There's only vague information collected about him, his rare blood type for instance. He starts here and now, like a reincarnation of what's to come. With no identity, from now on lacking sequels, you must type him into being.

We have tracked Fred's whereabouts, and he's currently residing in a hotel. That's all we know, and we're asking you to please, quench our thirst and enlighten us, what does the future hold for him?

Height: 5'9 ft
Weight: 123 lbs
Eye color: Green
Hair color: Brown
Blood type: O -

DC says ...

Please decide what should happen to Fred next. Please post your choices in the comments arena. Both regular commenters and normally silent readers of the blog are welcome to participate. The photograph of Fred and the information revealed by Joakim just above are all you have to go on when making your choice. The rest is entirely up to you. Anything goes. The deadline for your choices is blog posting time on Thursday, so you have today and tomorrow to decide. Joakim and I will select one fate from among your proposals. On the last day of February, a photograph by Joakim depicting Fred's chosen fate will appear here whereupon you will be asked to choose the next step in Fred's year-long life. The name of the winner of each month's game will not be announced. The photograph will illustrate the winning fate. The game and Fred's story will end on December 31st of this year. At that time, the twelve winners of the game will be revealed. The photographs and Fred's monthly fates and perhaps the fates that were not chosen as well will be made into a 2013 calendar. We haven't quite figured this last part out yet, but ideally everyone who participated in the game throughout the year will either get a copy of the calendar in return for their participation, or they will be able to purchase one at some very low, bare minimum cost-covering price. The twelve winners will be rewarded with a very special, unique, limited edition copy of the calendar.
----

*

p.s. Hey. So, we begin. I think it's probably straightforward, but if you have any questions re: what is being asked of you or about anything else, of course feel free to ask. Again, you have today and tomorrow to post your proposals in the comments area. Obviously, I hope you guys will want to play, and thanks a lot in advance from Joakim, 'Fred', and from me too! ** 5strings, Good middle of the night (your time)! I think if they just cut that verse about Frank Zappa, I could deal with the rest. Thanks for the great slave ripostes. You're master of the form. ** Allesfliesst, Oh, right, I do know what kimchi is, now that you describe it. Can't remember if I've ever actually imbibed it, which probably means I haven't since your rhapsody doesn't sound as though it would be exclusive. Plus, that pic of yours is crazily wantable. Man. There are, I understand, quite decent Korean restaurants in Paris. I think there's even one a hop away from me. Cuffs, hm, I'll give them a listen later as usual. Nice cover design. ** Postitbreakup, Thank you kindly. It went than I had anticipated, I'm happy to report. Have a bootilicious day. ** David Ehrenstein, Thanks a lot again for yesterday, big D. My schedule allowed me only a chunk of 'Hercules', but at least I know and love the others. I'll read that New Yorker piece later, thank you! ** Pisycaca, Hi, Montse! It would be so much easier if puppies were into reading books or even video games. ** Marcus Whale, Hey. Yeah, concentrating intensely on one difficult thing, a novel in this case, and for years in my case 'cos my stuff is so laborious, is a very particular kind of drug. Oh, that's very cool if my RP obit had that kind of effect. Thanks for telling me that. You know, hm, I don't think I've ever seen 'Explorers'. Weird, right? Just lack of luck of the draw. I'll check it, though. Sounds nice. I'll check on the July/Paris stuff. Stephen gave me the Sunn0)))/Nurse album, but I haven't listened to it. What do you think? ** Kyler, Pizza and red wine sounds yum. Well, for me, no red wine 'cos it always gives me a headache for some reason. I am already most curious to see you next in part to see if you can explain the secret, mystical day, which, hm, I think is today, right? Dude. Oh, I was just kind riffing when I said 8 is my magic number, but maybe riffing allows the truth to come out. I always think 5 must be my magic number, although it might just be my old fashioned favorite number with no extras attached. And it's true that the infinity sign is really big for me -- my George Miles Cycle's structure is based on the infinity sign -- so, hm, interesting. ** Killer Luka, If I find him again, I'll try to get the 'eye' pictures. I didn't swipe them. Yeah, that Russian photo really doesn't look real. But it is? Intense, yeah. ** ASH, Hey. Yes, I did read about that! Man oh man oh man, if I wasn't locked into doing an event in Amsterdam on that very day, I would swim over. Awesome for everybody else who has any brains. Thanks, man, and I hope you're good. ** Jeff, Hi, Jeff. ** Steevee, I hope she gets back to you or has already. I've never heard of 'White Star'. Strange, as it sounds most odd and curious, failings and all. Hm. Roland Klick, okay, I'm off on a hunt for him and his. Thanks for the report and share, Steve! ** _Black_Acrylic, Awesome about the building buzz, Ben. 'THE SHAPE' actually, yeah, does totally rule as title, if you ask me. Keep me up on the latest. ** Ken Baumann, Ken! Does LA as a whole count as an aspect of America? I guess it could. 'Cos that's what I miss. Okay, 'Margaret' sounds quite interesting. I wonder if it will get over here. Seems like it would. The French love difficulty-inflected, ambitious, legend-surrounded films. Eye peeled. As death makes me nauseous, that means nausea has me coming and going. And has me in between too, if one believes Sartre, which I ... don't. ** Syreearmwellion, Lips sealed about the APtBS gig, no worries. Is that Bolano New Yorker article online. It sounds interesting, and maybe it could be my way into his stuff. It's funny how people in the States and maybe outside of France in general think of Gauloises as the ultra-French cigarettes, but I have never met anyone here who smokes them. You have a good one too. ** Chris Dankland, Hi, Chris. The curating took an uptick yesterday, or at least my mood re: the curating lifted an inch or two, and I'll take that. Bon day. Hope the game lures you in. ** Brendan, Wow, you're a brave guy cutting out of FB. I'm still cool with it and with my level of interest in it, but all I ever do is post blog links and 'like' stuff and wish people happy birthday basically. Good luck on keeping your vow. The only person I know who had successfully x'ed out FB for more than a week or two just rejoined 'cos he decided that FB constitutes the ultimate post-whatever word from the top. ** Chris Cochrane, Uh, Monday was ... I guess the highlight was introducing Gisele to the old American saying that boys are full of snakes and snails and puppy dog tails, as opposed to girls being full of sugar and spice and everything nice. They don't have that saying in France, and it lead to a most interesting discussion. Pomp stuff proceeds relatively apace, I think, I hope. ** Rewritedept, Hey. Uh, being smitten with a band partly 'cos their bass player is cute is a syndrome I know quite well -- see: 'Guide' -- so, yeah. I'm gonna have a listen. Today, I hope. I'll give Deftones another chance. I remember thinking they were a band like Queens of the Stone Age, for instance, where I thought, yeah, okay, kind of interesting for a big act. But I'll see if I can update my reckoning. What did you decide to read? How was dinner? ** Misanthrope, I'll go bowling with you, no sweat and rather the opposite of sweat, whatever that would be. Hm, 99, yeah, not so hot, but, dude, I've done worse and better. You've got every chance in the world of cleaning my clock. Oh, well, a little extra work, some little extra bucks, right? When you work at the Pompidou, you can't even enter the galleries until they've given you a pompadour. And, no, I'm not going to share a photo. Get thee behind me, buttcheek! ** Sypha, Yeah, I saw that about the Creation Books fraud stuff. Man, that's ugly and depressing. It used to be such a great press, but, other than publishing Sotos, it's been a relative shadow for years now, and they always let their books go out of print, and the whole operation has had something stinky and mysterious going on for a while, and now I guess we know the deal. It's sad and disgusting, assuming the claimants are right, and it certainly seems like they are. ** Armando, Hi, man! Good to see you! I saw those two movies too. I thought 'Drive' was just terrific. I thought 'Hugo' was okay, but its spell didn't really work on me all that much. The 3D at the beginning is pretty interesting and busy, deliberately complicated in a way I hadn't seen 3D be before, which was quite impressive, but, overall, I've seen more interesting or risk taking use of 3D. You might consider giving 3D another chance in certain cases now that the ice is broken. You have a good and even much, much better good day too, my friend. ** Right. So, I hope you guys near and far will play the game with Joakim, 'Fred', and me today and, well, monthly for the rest of this year, ideally. Please go at it, or commencer, as we say over here. Thank you! See you tomorrow.

David Ehrenstein presents ... Le Petit MacMahon de David Ehrenstein

2012-01-30T00:59:00.000-08:00

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Le Petit MacMahon de David Ehrenstein

Open All Night

Hercules Conquers Atlantis

India Song

Amore e Rabbia: The Paper Flower Sequence

----

*

p.s. Hey. Today we're going to the movies, or rather they're coming to us, and the special guest programmer du jour is none other than d.l./Mr. David Ehrenstein, who has a heck of a double bill (plus tasty coda) picked out for you, so please turn the lights down in your .... well, wherever you are until you're in a movie theater-like, distraction-free dark, and stay a spell then pass on your regards to D.E. on your way out. Thanks. I have to be at the Pompdou earlyish today, and I see there are a bunch of you, so I'm going to have to move along way too quickly in the p.s., apologies. ** CycyLolo, Hey, hey! Thank you, my pal(s). I'm looking forward to seeing you guys before too long! ** Todd (once IF), I know, right? I'm a blogger who counts his lucky stars. ** Allesfliesst, None of them. The most I do is slightly edit them sometimes. Kimchi, I forget what that is, but I'm starting this before I'm coffeed up. The Muppets, ha ha. That's one of those references that make me realize the outcome that comes with age difference. ** Marcus Whale, Hey! I sort of think the way doing the blog influenced 'TMS' is that it made me want to go in the completely opposite direction towards heavily worked prose as opposed to the loose talk I do here. It's more possible, I think, that the voice I developed/used for 'TMS' had an influence on the way I write here. There's a bunch of random clips on youtube of Gisele's work. I think that's pretty much it other than straight recordings of the pieces that we use to solicit gigs, and they're not great and not really public things. July? I'll find out. Awesome if you could come! ** Kyler, Your birthday! How do you mark that occasion exactly or even inexactly? I wish I had any space in my life available to have my head turned around right now, trust me. ** David Ehrenstein, Ha ha, of course to me his poetic away with English goes to the very core of his meaning. Thank you tremendously for today, sir! If I get done with my duties early enough today, I'm going to settle back in my desk chair with some sort of equivalent of popcorn and fall under your curatorial spell. Yeah, that Tillman piece is terrific. Everyone, recommended by D.E. and equally so by me, here's the great Lynne Tillman on the great Gertrude Stein from this past weekend's NYTBR for you. ** Esther Planas, If you can, that would obviously be a joy to yours truly! ** Manuel, Hi, Manuel! I'm so glad that Esther talked you into entering this place. Well, I have done drugs but I've never been raped and I do sheepishly admit I'm into Xmas and there was an early live performance by Alanis Morrisette on the MTV Music Awards that I thought was killer, so we're really not so very different. Certainly there's everything in place that we would need to be big blog buddies, so, yeah, please hang out and even settle in if it would please you as it would please me. ** Wolf, They were an especially avant-garde and, hence, awesome group, weren't they? Knuckle tattoo ideas ... I'm too rushy and distracted this morning to advise you safely on such a momentous leap. Will think. ** Changeling, Hey, bud. ** Rewritedept, We all are. Usually, 8 is my magic number. Don't think of it as badly written English, think of it as visionary, experimental missives. That's what I do. You would make a harsh master. I think they might like you. I'm proof positive that revealing the weirdest, worst things in your head can work if you're a nice guy. It's cool that this place drags honesty out of you. Thank you. I know True Widow, of them, but whether I've heard them or not is a good question. Well, I like Codeine and Low and all the references you made except for maybe Deftones, who I'm on the fence about. Anyway, I'll hear them. Will do. I've got to keep zooming along today. More tomorrow. ** Sypha, Back to work, ugh, sorry, pal. That's awesome that all the copies of 'TMS' sold. Yeah, that's very cool to hear. Thanks, man! ** Paradigm, My pleasure, my honor. That makes sense about letting the research live in your mind. I think that's really sensible, and it rings true to my experience, troubles, getting past them. ** E., Hey! Glad you liked the B/H collab thing. Patchen! I haven't read him in so long. I need to revisit him. That sounds really good. That creative writing/critical theory combo could really work. I guess just don't let the theory's input make you unlearn your inner poet. That can be a danger. That Divine cathedral has something really special about it, I think. Unlike, say, Notre Dame here, which doesn't seem like it works anymore, as though the zillions of gawking tourists have sucked its magic out or something. Have a great Monday! ** Un Cœur Blanc, Hi! Nice to see you! I guess in some way I find them all pretty, but I'm more interested in how they express or can't or won't express themselves and in the juxtaposition of surface attractiveness and inner messiness. I don't write them. Your trip sounds really swell. It's nice to imagine you creasing my beloved home neighborhood. Okay, I apologize for having to speed along today. My life is swamping me at the moment. Take care! ** Ian Tuttle, Yes, precisely. Hey, welcome, thanks, please hang out and be here. Wait, are you the same Ian Tuttle who wrote 'Stretchyhead'? I've heard really good things about it, and I've been meaning to get it, and I'm going take your appearance here as a sign that fate is doing a finger point at an 'Buy' button and finally do just that. But if you're not that Ian Tuttle, excuse me for rambling. Anyway, hello! ** Brendan, Hey! Aw, that's a sad thing for you to say, my buddy. I like your new hair. ** Killer Luka, Hi! Mm, actually, I decided to go with Renaissance's pretty pictures, but there was one, maybe two, where you could see that he has either a glass eye or a 'something not good' eye. ** L@rstonovich, Hey, L. That is a really good piece in the Paris Review. I read that. Everyone, courtesy of L@stonovich, if you're interested at all in Pynchon or Gaddis and/or their mystique, you ought to read this engrossing piece about them/that in The Paris Review. ** Pisycaca, Hey! No, I don't know the translator or really anything. I've never been consulted by the Spanish translators of my books. And after the complete botch job done on 'Closer', which the publisher/ translator reformatted without my knowledge or permission, thus destroying the novel to the point where I disown the Spanish edition, I've been a little wary. Hope your weekend was a blast. ** Steevee, Well, that is beyond superb news, Steve! Incredible! Yeah, New Yorker Films hoarding the rights without doing shit for so long was pretty infuriating. This is great! ** _Black_Acrylic, Oh, well, hopefully when you guys Skype-meet, they'll come around. I hope so 'cos, yeah, it's an excellent idea. ** Chris Goode, Hi, C. No, I've never heard Spanbauer speak. Well, one of the reasons I felt bad about that review I wrote was because people said, he's really sick, how could you do that? And I had no idea he was sick. Anyway, happy ending for him and for his readers, he got better, and last I heard, he's doing fine. See, your initial concern about the Marcus has been exactly my slight worry about that book, due pretty much entirely to things I've read where pundits are saying this novel puts him in the 'big league', by which they seem to mean in the company of guys like Franzen and Eugenides, et. al., and, well, yeah. Let me know if it wins you over. Wow, ha ha, that 'Tales of the City' series. Yeah, I liked it back then, very charmed and all that, but, yeah, I can see how that rot could have happened to it. Now you've made me curious. I might load up a clip of it or something. Or maybe I should let it glow? Hm, I'll debate with myself. Yeah, I was quite pleased by the allotment of slaves last month too. It was one of those months where I had to get quite choosy, which don't come along all that often. That new double-sided Jonny piece you guys are thinking/working on sounds most intriguing, of course. Wow. Did the big auditions in Leeds get you what you wanted? ** Chris Dankland, No, I don't write the slave posts. People don't believe me, but I don't. I edit them occasionally and as respectfully as I can only. Thanks about the Vollman interview. I have to keep moving, or I'll be a bad curator, but I'll see you tomorrow. ** Alan, Hey. Yes, I saw that scanned old Select Magazine thing I did about/with Bob Mould back before he started rewriting history and trying to use a 'me' that he made up out of thin air as a tool to make himself sound great in his autobiography, yes, ha ha. ** Syreearmwellion, Hey. That symmetry sounds most interesting. If the prose in your comment is any indicator of your other prose, that's very exciting to think about. I wish I had never seen A Place to Bury Strangers live. That soured the whole thing for me. I'm okay, I guess, well, not all that okay, and just, as I keep saying, way too busy and dealing with a bunch of shit. But it'll all come out in the wash. ** Chris Cochrane, Hey, C. I love late first-phase Buzzcocks. If someone other than you had gotten back to me about the translation and goat, I think you would know it. Have a great week too, piece by piece. ** Frank Jaffe, Hey Frank! Here? Busy, stressful, more dark than light as of this moment. I can pretty much watch Malcom McDowell do anything, even when he's being slightly embarrassing, as I recall he is at moments in 'Caligula'. Maybe there's some overriding reason why directors (and authors, artists, bands, etc. often lose it in their later years), although I always think all reasons are individual. But maybe they reach a point of 'success' where they think or realize that what they're getting is the most they're going to get and they lose their ambition to be better and try harder? Whoo, yeah, there was way too much animal in that food list thing for me, but it's cool. Hope you slept dreamily. ** Misanthrope, Yeah, I can see you being someone who would get Dennito stuck in your head. Bowling! I love bowling. I miss bowling. Joel and me both used to always go bowling with bunches of our pals on our respective birthdays, and now he's the only one doing that. I love bowling. I'm not great at it all. Sometimes I'm amazing, and sometimes I suck. Bowling is weird that way. Tell your buttcheek that Dennis Cooper, king of the buttcheeks, says, Chill. ** Ken Baumann, Ken! So much fun of such variety going on with you! It's positively lovely to hear! Go-karting! That's like bowling! I miss aspects of America! Meetings, plans, motion ... yes! I'll check that article you linked to later. You saw 'Margaret'? The legendary 'Margaret'? And ... how ... was ... it? ** Charlie m, Hi, Charlie. That EP sounds tasty, natch. I will tell you if I find any awesome Sagawa stuff. You can't wipe the music off that Vice sample somehow? I don't know how those things work. Cool about your capital W weekend, man. ** Bill, Hey, B. You good? What's up? Glad you liked the submissive ones. I saw mention of the Sendak interview and its delights, but I've been too nuts to sit down for it yet. Thanks! ** Jeff, Hi, J. Great to hear that. I don't think that revealing will hurt. I'm like the walls. ** Okay, I have to dash. If you have the time today, check out DE's double bill or as much of it as you can spare time for, thank you! See you with the game tomorrow.

Meet IsisKitty, sureYnot, thatkidzach, crawling2infinity and DC's other highlighted international male slaves for the month of January 2012

2012-01-28T00:59:00.000-08:00

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reneissance, 90
hi im reneissance! I'm vivacious 19 years old boy. i never allow myself to ejaculate or orgasm. i have Sever Mental problems, but i don't let it get me down. I'm also blind in one eye. At your disposal.

______________

ILikeItBig, 24
hi to all..... destroy me. u can fuck me different angels. you can do it in my confortable and luxurius house. my lips are very sexy with streamberry colour and taste. i am a God-fearing person into all kinds of mess. i am young and not certain about what the later parts of my soul ... listen to this ... simple, decent, educated, stupid guy. ask and it shall be given unto you.

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Tyranorexia, 21
i am looking to lose 15 lbs. in next three months and i need a Dominant man to help provide incentive. i am currently trim, but want to become skinny.

We can discuss incentives, and what benefits You may come to enjoy if i am not able to lose the weight.

i am willing to invest in this weight-loss effort, and if it turns out that i don´t have the discipline needed to stick to my strict regimen, my investment could be Your gain.

______________

youarethe, 24
The object:

Age: 24 Height: medium Weight: slim
Marital status: unbound
Occupation: good craftsman
Location: Switzerland

Experience:
6 years slave by Master teacher (70+y) beginning at 13 yrs old
4 years house-, dog-slave at dom/sad couple beginning at 19 yrs old
1 year slavebitch by dom. Master beginning at 22 yrs old

Now I try to find a life entirely from the society in the ground in hard torture.
I do not care are the main thing.
At the end of my slave life possible slaughter.
If I was dead or still alive I don't care.
Just go ahead and leave this all behind I don't care At all.

Who can keep on this way slaves in the underground?
In other countries too!

______________

crawling2infinity, 19
Always ready to be terrorized by you pig bitches.

I usually cum multiple times and sometimes so far that I hit my mouth.

Serious pig for extreme shits.

If you are one or more of the following, then god, do I want to hear from you!:

Self important
Sadistic
Possessive

A guy could fuck me, come in me, put his cigar out on the back of my neck then pull his gun out and tell me he wants a drink made in 30 seconds or he'll shoot me in the head and I would be in heaven.

Buzz me on nine eight three three three five six nine five three.

______________

Str8fuq, 20
I'm straight, but I wanna try anything this is me so deal with it!

______________

IfYouSeeAmy, 22
Hi,

I like praying, going to church, and reading the bible. Kidding!

I'm a grad student, rugby player. I normally am only attracted to girls. I met up with a dominate girl on cl, but that was just weird.

I've been jerking off to the idea of submitting to a Man maybe even pimping me out to his friends and even a large group of Men.

I pimped out my ex-gf to some guys I knew at UTD. She swallowed 8 loads. I really got off on whoring her out.

It's weird, but I had a great run in my teens and now I just want to cry.

______________

thatkidzach, 18
ZACH FOR AUCTION SALE AT A CHEAP RATE.
noQuestions, noReturn, noLimit.

______________

horny-freak, 24
You like the mind to be a neat machine, equipped to work efficiently, if narrowly, and with no extra bits or useless parts. I like the mind to be a dustbin of scraps of brilliant fabric, odd gems, worthless but fascinating curiosities, tinsel, quaint bits of carving, and a reasonable amount of healthy dirt. Shake the machine and it goes out of order; shake the dustbin and it adjusts itself to its new position.

______________

ImaSlave, 22
SIR hello SIR.

My SIR would like me to meet men online to use me.
He makes the rules 'round here.

My likes:
Bare (NO DISCUSSION)
...
...
who cares? I'm a slave.

SIR thank you SIR.

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sureYnot, 18
I'm into being choked unconscious while being raped then punched in the face until I come back.
I had a Master who did that to me but he moved away.
I've tried to kill myself three times so it doesn't matter.
WARNING: I'm 18 but my face looks like an old boxer's

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IsisKitty, 23
I am proudly owned by MadridMaster2. I'm his pet cat and he named me Isis.

My Family:

Master (MadridMaster2) - Master is like a OWNER to me.
Sir (Phallus) - Sir is Master's Alpha Slave. He owns me after Master. If thought as a "vanilla family," Sir would be my favorite uncle.
Bolto (BoltoZ) - Bolto is my Master's new puppy.
Lilith - Lilith is owned by Sir (Phallus) and is like a cousin to me.

This is my family. It's the most purrfect family I could ever hope to be a pert of.

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YourDreamOnly, 19
I want to take care of yourself you want to take care of me. I want to take care of you as no one took care of you. I am very open to expect challenges. I was part of new experiences. I do become extremely submissive when I am spanked authentically. I can play for you some Chopin Nocturnes, if you like. Only thing is I am 5'1".

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Dungeons&DragonsFan, 18
Want to see older man n see if my fantasies r real. only 4 straights who wanne fuck with a fotball player with the best body. gay dont allow pls i m not gay. if u r real, tell me.

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2sacrowd, 21
Contact them and let every cell of your body to be satisfied by the * 2 * sexiest Albanian slaves ever!

"because i'm all about him and he's all about me and we don't give a dang about nobody...........!"

"A blowjob is better than no job.....!!!!"

Theyre avaliabe in out dungeon and hotel room!!!!

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EatMySoul, 19
Hmm. So, let me guess. Your on my profile because you want to "own" me. C: You find that I'm pretty attractive in your eyes and maybe give me a friendly little "Hello, boy" Or, idk, give my face a little "slap" and try to be my God. ^^ Yay! -jumps- Alright!! Then next you'll ask what kind of shit I get into, and ask me "How passive am I?" Then you judge me based on that. Whatever, give it a shot... Though, you're going to have to stop your suck up bullshit. Don't fucking cruise me. I hate your fucking cheesy ass cruises. And lead me to your boring ass one-sided conversations and your stupid drama. Skip the KISS ASS bullshit, and just start talking. No, don't give me a goddamn welcome and kiss my ass. So do you really want to know what I'll do for a Master? Well, I'm Clay. I was born on Halloween. I'm old enough to get Fucked, and Sick enough to fuck a clown's face until it bleeds through it's eyes! Nicer than the bullets you want put through my face. :P I fucking hate stereotypes. Yeah, I mean ALL OF YOU. The scenes, the leather daddies, the Satanists, the tough-love bears, the Hitler-wannabees, the butched up fem bitches, your cock. All of you grunting post stereotype whores who show off yourself like you're a human impression market. I'm an asshole, and a jackass, a dick, jerk, bully, queer, whatever you want to call me. I can care less what you think of me. I won't waste time being nice to you if you're not WORTH SHIT to me! Like be a fucking boring ass. Be REAL with me. If you want to rape and hurt me fucking SAY it. Cause I can tell if you're bullshiting. If I don't like you, or you don't impress me, I will FUCK YOU UP.

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hitmehard, 21
am crazy hot stuff ans very lovely for a good person to be rid. i loves peopel who understand me very much. the persons i pref..in the age of 16-30. am staying at Excalibur ebfore friday. ps: and i mean HIT ME HARD.

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*

p.s. RIP: Eiko Ishioka. Hey. So, a heads up that next week is going to be a cool one around here, I hope. On Tuesday, we start the new monthly game, and next weekend is d.l. Sypha's monumental two-part post on Throbbing Gristle, and hopefully the rest of the week won't be too shabby either. For now, happy weekend. ** Misanthrope, The D-man, ha ha, is ... well, if you mean the writing, I'm working in a voice/content experiment that is extremely unlikely to be the start of a novel, but it might end up being something I make public separately, if I'm lucky. I hope Friday was boring aka writing friendly for you as you'd hoped. I hear you on the editing thing, obviously, and, yeah, hopefully the hopefully temporary job break will be an instance of fortuitous timing. ** David Ehrenstein, That Haring documentary is sweet, yeah. Thanks for the link to new Rappaport. I'll very interested to look into that later. I saw that latest cannibal news yesterday. Germans can be so kerr-azy, God love them. Sometimes. ** Todd (once IF), Hey, Todd! Sorry to be slow on the emailing front. I think I have tomorrow off and can actually be home for a spell and finally write you back. Yeah, totally agree on how inspiring it is to think of Burroughs making his great work sans any external opportunities or support beyond his comrades. Good to hear that 'Submarino' is good. I've been wanting to see that, and the trailer really drew me in, but I've heard/read such mixed things, and I'm reminded by your words how little mixed reports actually tell you. ** Kyler, Very interesting article. I really like getting my head around the way you see and understand things. ** Posing at the Louvre, Your eye being out will help me keep my eye on the ball, thank you. ** Pisycaca, Hi, Montse! Wunderbar about the purchased tickets! Thanks a lot about 'TMS', about rereading it and all that. Gosh, thank you! Of course, that would be awesome if you wanted to translate/post anything from it. 'TMS' is being published in Spain, but the translator hasn't been in touch with me at all, and I'm fearing what he or she is going to do with it. Much love, superb weekend, hugs to Xet. ** Bollo, Sure, man, I would love to do a zine post. Anytime, any way. Thanks about the Bookworm thing, and it's cool that what I said about your work resonated. That's very cool. Scribble on, master. ** NipperDog, Hi. Am mostly good. Oh, sucks that your ex's presence in Paris put the voodoo curse on here. I say give it another chance, which, of course, I would say. Hm, I've never encountered those scruffy annoying guys you described, no. Sometimes at the very biggest tourist spots, you used to get these scam artists trying to work the tourists. For a while, the scam always started with the question, 'Do you speak English?' to which you quickly learned to say 'nein' or 'niet' or anything but 'yes' or even 'no', but the cops here cracked down on that, oh, a year ago, and even the big tourist spots are apparently much more peaceful now. Cool that my Burroughs report timed well with your Burroughs reading marathon. I really should read old Bill's books again. It's been years. I'll do my best to have a weekend so riotous that it causes cops to show with barricades and tear gas, and you do the same. ** Charlie m., Hey! Big up and howdy-do, Charlie! Thanks! I want to hear your Florian remix. I'll see if I can find it. His new album is fantastic, yeah? Thanks about 'Try'. Yeah, Issei Sagawa is quite the guy, a prince among meat eaters. I'm thinking there must be a documentary about him. Do you know? I'm going to find out. Nice to see you, Charlie, and have a diggable weekend. ** Esther Planas, Hey! Oh, you sound like you're doing a lot of awesome stuff! Lucky world! Or lucky world within your reach! Come to Paris! You probably are too busy to come over for my/Gisele's Pompidou festival with Marc and Emma, but if not then, please pencil Paris in. Beaucoup love! ** Killer Luka, Yeah, cool, right? We're doing it at the Walker, yes. Well, I think that's set, but it might not be totally confirmed yet. At the moment, the dates I would be in Minneapolis are July 8 - 15. That dinner sounds top notch and unmissable, pal. ** _Black_Acrylic, Yeah, the deWitt novel is great, right? How did the sounds and ideas pitching battle turn out? ** Chris Goode, Hi, C. I've always found Doubletrees cozy. And shiny. That project sounds great and really exhausting to get in place, yeah. The auditioning that I've been a part of totally ate me out. Kind of the opposite of what I'm used to. Did I just say that? Funny and nice how Haring grows on one. I was like, yeah, nice enough, for a long time, but that beauty he does is so increasingly welcome and potent in this god damned world. I liked 'The Man Who Fell In Love With The Moon' a lot. Maybe I feel like that after that novel, the famous editing skills that come from studying with Gordon Lish, as Spanbauer did, wore off to increasingly ill effect or something. I don't know. I got and really like that Youngs album you recommended. It's been a boon, and thank you a lot for thinking of me in its regard. It's kind of lonely, but so it goes, that even the smartest, savviest critic can never get deep enough inside an artist's head to have a 360 degree view. Very best with the auditions today, and remember that mini-bars are a double edged sword. ** Chilly Jay Chill, Hy, Jeff! Thanks a lot for being here in the midst of all your work. Post, awesome, good news, fantastic! I'll await them. My head is currently above the Pompidou work. We started moving in yesterday, and we'll be moving in and setting up for the next few weeks. Apart from something that I'm absolutely livid about and can't discuss here, it's all so far so good. So nice that you saw the Bressons. That scene in 'FNoaD' on the bridge with the tourist boat passing under/by is one of the greatest Bresson moments ever, I think. I don't know about a DVD. Undoubtedly there will be, but I haven't read a word about that. Hope your weekend is full of either happy work or happy downtime or both. ** Chris Cochrane, Hi, C. Well, it sounds good so far on the 'Them' thing. I do wish I could be a fly on the email negotiating he's doing, but life lacks that form of magic, so, yeah, fingers crossed. I hope there's something surprising and interesting to your weekend class. One thinks there would have to be something. ** Steevee, I don't blame you for feeling anxious. Seems like a good chance that your current psych knows you well enough and cares enough to find the right person. Let me know how it goes come Monday. ** Statictick, We bad back guys need to stick together. Hopefully yours was a fluke, but I'm ready to teach you the bad back society's secret handshake if it doesn't. Unless I'm misremembering, Khrzhanovsky counts the Kaufman film as an influence on the inception of the 'Pau' project. I know about the city Kiefer is building. I know someone who worked as his assistant on that project for a while. I didn't know there was a film about it. If it's a straight, non-puff piece type of documentary, I would be interested to see it. ** 5strings, Led Castle. Do you think it could fly? I wish I could go back in time and get Deep Purple to change the lyrics of 'Smoke on the Water; 'cos its riff is insane. Wait, the lead singer of The Used who was going out with Kelly Osbourne on 'The Osbournes' is banging'? I don't know, man. Different strokes, and more power to them, I might add. Haring tattoo, cool. I know ... two people with Haring tattoos. They're cool too. One of the puppets in 'Jerk' has a new little bitty Michael Myers mask. It's scary cute. Nice about the island. It was always a matter of time. ** Alan, Hi. No, I don't know about that mention in the Houellebcq review. That's ... intriguing. I only ever read what's free online in/from The New Yorker. I still have this weird hangover kind of prejudice about TNY from when I was young that it 'for adults' in the bad way. I'll see if I can find out how I was referenced. Thanks! ** STOVALLSTOVALL, Hey. Great, I look forward to seeing those projects you're talking about. So, you'll have busy for the best reasons weekend. Cool about the rain jacket. I need to get one. I've always liked them. I've always found them strangely fetching. Even the yellow ones. Maybe especially the yellow ones. I wonder what that's about? My end? In the midst, basically, and it's sailing, but I can't say smoothly. But it only has to sail, I guess. I'm excited about 'TE', yeah, very. I'm taking photos. I wish you could see it. I wish Paris was a katamari. ** Thomas Moronic, Hi, T! Ooh, that possible new novel you might be into is major news! Say more about that if it won't mess up your process. I reckon Wild Flag should be great live. That album has 'great live' stamped deep into its grooves or the mp3 equivalent. Enjoy! ** Rewritedept, Hi, Chris. Thanks for battling off tiredness long enough to be here. I'm kind of tired myself today. How about a yawn for a yawn? But at least you get sleep, like, right now, and I have to wait all day and evening to get mine. But you won't get to drink as much coffee as I will, nyah-nyah. Man, I am tired. Okay, great weekend to you, and see you pronto. ** Finis. By the luck of the draw, my slaves get a whole weekend to themselves and, of course, to you this month. Weed through them as you like. See you on Monday.

Back from the dead: Writer vs. artist #3: William Burroughs & Keith Haring (orig. 09/02/06)

2012-01-27T00:59:00.000-08:00

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'The Valley is a group of etchings by Keith Haring with text by William S. Burroughs. The portfolio consists of sixteen etchings drawn by the artist in April of 1989, in his New York studio. The images were proofed by Maurice Payne from 10" x 9" copper plates and printed in black ink.

'The author copied the text by hand on sixteen sheets of tracing paper, which were photo-etched onto 10" x 9" copper plates and printed in red ink. The last page of the portfolio contains both text and image. There is a total of thirty-one sheets. Each of the intaglio images has been signed by the artist. The last page of text has been signed by the author. The edition of eighty is numbered 1/80 to 80/80, with thirteen Artist's Proofs numbered A.P. 1/13 to A. P. 13/13, four Hors Commerce numbered H.C. 1/4 to 4/4 and one Bon a Tirer.' -- haring.com

'There can be no doubt that Keith Haring's battle with AIDS had a profound effect on his artistic vision. "To live with a fatal disease," he confided to his biographer John Gruen shortly before his death, "gives you a whole new perspective on life." The resulting pain and anguish are eloquently expressed in Haring's collaboration with William Burroughs: The Valley (1989). Haring's use of traditional Christian imagery is explicit in The Valley. Here the imagery includes the torso of a male figure inserting a knife beneath his ribs to duplicate one of Christ's stigmata. This belated "embrace" of Catholic symbology aligns Haring even more closely with other prominent creative rebels: with Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol and Haring's street-wise friend and sometime-collaborator Madonna. For those three taboo-breaking artists the Catholic religion offered an especially fertile field for rebellion.

'There is a kind of poetic logic in the fact that Haring's collaborations with Burroughs mark the end of his career, since it began with the mock New York Post headlines inspired by the cut-up technique Burroughs employed in Naked Lunch. The artist, furthermore, seems to have felt an intuitive sympathy for a surrealistic juxtaposition of images - partly inspired by his own use of hallucinogenic drugs, but also by his acquaintance with the works of Burroughs and the Beat-generation poets.

'Haring had known Burroughs' work long before the two first met in 1983. In 1986, the artist told an interviewer that the author was "very into a lot of the world I've depicted, especially in the recent things - sex, mutations, weird science fiction situations." Erotic grotesquerie mixed with Christian symbolism characterized the works of both men. Timothy Leary, self-proclaimed guru of the acid age, remarked of the Haring-Burroughs collaboration that it was "like Dante and Titian getting together." Dante and Hieronymous Bosch, whom Haring greatly admired, might seem the more appropriate parallel for works redolent with a sense of doom.' -- David Galloway

'This is late work. The graffiti was only an episode. In the '80s (Keith Haring) was doing murals, oils and licensing. The very late work represents a real breakthrough. In The Valley, Keith already had symptoms of AIDS. He was very brave.' -- James Grauerholz

Keith Haring

William Burroughs

Apologies for the diffculty required to read the Burroughs text. Those with copies of Burroughs's The Western Lands can follow along as the text of the collaboration was later incorporated into his novel.

Two transcribed pages

(Page 1)
There is no way in or out of the Valley, which is ringed by sheer cliffs with an overhanging ledge. How did the people of the Valley get in there in the first place? No one remembers. They have been there for many years. Children have been born, grown up and died in the valley, but not many children. Food is scarce. A stream runs through the Valley, and they have dammed up a large pond to raise fish. There is an area along the stream where they raise corn. Sometimes they will kill birds, a few lizards and snakes. So most children must be killed at birth. Just an allotted number to continue the line.

(Page 15)
was not directly contagious, but resulted from some substance in the corn or in the soil upon which it was grown. But the substances defied isolation.

Finally the Valley people were released, and a press conference was held. The Soarers took over the conference, recounting the legend of the Dragonfly Esperanza. The question as to how they got into the Valley was a subject for endless conjecture and speculation: the Valley had been sealed off by an earthquake and a landslide - the Valley people were survivors of a wrecked spacecraft - they or their ancestors had entered the Valley by rope ladders, which pulled loose from their moorings.

The Corners formed a rock group called "Glowing Corn" and became fabulously wealthy. When they stopped eating the contaminated corn the disease was arrested. They resorted to plastic surgery. The

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*

p.s. Hey. ** Michael, Hi, Michael. Crazy week here, how's yours? ** Bollo, If you edit them into a zine, I'd be totally down with doing a spotlight post like I did with Frank's zine. Chimney sweeps, how novel, or novel to me. I think of them as being a UK phenom, I guess because of movies, so maybe for you they're just de rigeur like bug exterminators? I don't know what SOMA uses, but I'll ask him, sure. If there isn't a team of experts trying to massage some signs of age and slack back into Bruni's face, there certainly should be. ** Posing at the Louvre, Um, no, frankly, I'm not. How about finding me some cold sesame noodles. I'm utterly helpless around them. ** David Ehrenstein, Oh, gosh, wouldn't that be something? ** Marcus Whale, Mr. Whale! Warmest greetings and highest salutations! Yeah, everybody keeps saying how 'TMS' is so different. To me it seems more like the usual me taken to the max or something. And Iceage is kind of like Horror Hospital taken to the max in a way too. Love them, duh. Awesome about the you and Michael co-working. Excited for the album, and that title doesn't hurt one teeny little bit. I like K-Pop, sure. In limited doses, I must admit. Or rather limited doses with the volume unmuted, ha ha. I take it you're fond of the genre? Super nice to see you, man. Do hang out here when the time is available and feels right. ** Alan, Fascinating about the Gorin/Sontag event. Thanks! The Padgett Powell interview intrigued me enough to want to try him. He's always just been kind of one of those name writers floating around sans gravity for me. ** Steevee, Thanks, man. I'll go read it a bit later. Everyone, as you might recall, the great filmmaker and Godard collaborator Jean-Pierre Gorin was spotlit here the other day amidst my Varioso. Well, the most honorable film critic and d.l. Steevee reviewed the new DVD box set of Gorin's documentary films not long ago, and here's how you can read, and I don't need to tell you that said reading would be of great benefit to you. I fear even that teddy bear picture warms not a single one of my heart's cockles. ** Kiddiepunk, Big M! I miss you! Let's do the hanging out thing, like, asap, like, tomorrow at the very latest? ** SwAmPeX, I'm sure you can get Frank's zine where you are, but the postage might be cost prohibitive. I'm glad my advice was okay. Anytime, man. No, I haven't had the chance to pursue my new mission to get into graphic novels beginning with your suggestions 'cos my free time has been in lockdown for weeks, but it's one of the very first things I'm going to do the minute I get time to myself back, meaning soon. ** Kyler, Hey. Oh, cool, I'll go read your article when I'm free of p.s.ville. Everyone, here's an article by writer, d.l., and otherworldly gifted Kyler about, in his words, 'the subject of psychic vibes traveling overseas'. Do not resist. ** Killer Luka, Your friend's mom is a pint-size-minded fool, needless to say. Hey, guess what? It looks like 'Them' is coming to Minneapolis at the beginning of July, which means I'll get to hang with the famous you if you're there and willing. ** Chris Goode, Maestro. No, I have no B. Marcus skepticism that I'm aware of. I'm definitely very interested to see what this new one does, and I'm not going to let a few mainstreamy attached blurbs stop me. You'll get there first, so give me a hint, if you don't mind. I wrote one of my most negative reviews ever about one of Tom Spanbauer's novels, and people got mad at me for doing that, and I quickly felt bad about it and still do, although the novel did suck a lot for me. It was about 'In The City Of Shy Hunters', which I'm guessing you loved, sorry. I've been really wrong before. I'm of the reasonably strong belief that if you fear something you're working on will be something you know would be a huge mistake, you won't make the mistake. It's like when young writers say, I want to write this novel, but I'm afraid it's going to be too imitative of so-and-so, and it's inevitably true that afraid is only problem in that sentence. Anyway, dude, there is not a molecule of doubt that you're going to ace this piece and beyond. I can tell that just from thinking about it much less reading you talk about it. And I think you know that already. What a strange, small-minded, knee-jerk, unthought-out criticism from that literary manager. I can't even think of any examples that would give him the benefit of the doubt. Certainly, yeah, in my situation wherein the team of Gisele, Jonathan, Stephen, and Peter is ongoing, the work has gotten steadily better and more successful with every work we've made. And as a fiction writer, you know I've faced ongoing criticism for being too samey, but the critical perspective from which that advice/accusation comes is very easy to dismiss as a compromised and preemptive one. If that position is held and common in the world of performative arts, and I guess it is, I can only imagine it's the same sort of conservatism masked as self-styled open mindedness that leads literary arbiters to anticipate that every novelist is naturally building up his or her big book or masterpiece, and that causes them not to fully engage seriously with the author's intentions in each work but rather to look for signs of the so-called minor and the so-called major, and, well, I don't need to tell you what a load of bullshit and wrongheadedness that kind of prescribed anticipation occasions. No, I've never felt that any ongoing collaboration that I've been involved in was limiting or had reached its limits. But with the collabs I do in the theater realm, I suppose I entrust that kind of foresight to the director because, as involved as I've been with, say, Gisele and Ishmael, it's somehow their work into which I've been invited and employed, and I guess I have faith that if they want to draw more out of my talent, there must be something fresh remaining in me. But, no, I've never felt, Okay, this is unquestionably the peak. I miss Kier too, yeah, and live in hope that he'll see this place as a place to feed again. Lovely day, C. ** Wolf, Yes, you are. Use your opportunity wisely, my friend. ** NipperDog, Hey! How's it? Yeah, the Sokolsky photos were beautiful, right? I love things that make Paris look even more like Paris than it already does. That Dr. Who clip is dreamy. Everyone, here , courtesy of d.l. NipperDog and Dr. Who, is an evil bubble. Thanks! ** Jeff, Thanks, Jeff. I don't know that publisher, or I've never isolated their books and thought about them as deriving from a single creative force before. I'll investigate. Oh, Hakim Bey/Peter Lamborn Wilson is such a Pollyanna, albeit a curious variation. ** Esther Planas, Esther! How sad to see you and not be able to hug you! Oh, that's cool and really nice to hear about your guest and his teacher and all that. Yeah, encourage your pal to touch down here if he feels like it. How are you? What's going on, my dear pal? ** Thomas Moronic, Ditto. How's it, T? ** Syreearmwellion, Hey! Really nice to see you, man! Wow, that review of 'TMS' is awesome, and, you know, thank you a lot! That's really sweet of you, and I'm honored. Smack: ouch! Keep your head down or swiveled in the opposite direction please. How are you? What's going on? ** _Black_Acrylic, Yeah, if anyone managed to score one of those shirts, it's going to be serious money in the bank. I pictured what you proposed, and I like it a bunch, of course. What did your collaborators think? ** Statictick, Ugh, man, sorry about your week. I'm so in sympathy about the back thing, being a guy for whom my back is occasionally a sneaky, evil enemy. Feeling any better, I hope? ** Sypha, That Warhol note transcribing is, of course, very exciting to hear about. ** Chris Cochrane, Yeah, it's a 'Them'-aimed avalanche all of a sudden. I just hope you-know-who doesn't screw up the Berlin thing like he did last time. Sorry to be cynical there. Just protecting my excitement level, you know. ** 5strings, Castles can be almost all that you hope. The French ones in the Loire Valley are medieval LSD. Shall I give you Tokio Hotel appreciation lessons? I, well, honestly appreciate them if not entirely for the reasons they ask. There's a Hotel California in Paris. I think there's probably one in every European city. The one here is half-way between cheap/skanky and riskable. I'm pretty sure my day wasn't as fun as yours. I did get some decent amount of writing in, which was fun, it's true. Okay, let's call it a tie. ** Rewritedept, They're starting to have burritos here, or more burritos, or rather more edible burritos. But not fat ones, at least not yet. They're more like dry enchiladas. I don't see the point of a burrito if it isn't fat. Really good luck with the evaluation today. Give me the good word. ** E., Sorry to capitalize your 'e'. It's just kind of the thing I do, to show I guess respect and probably just as much to make it easy for people to find themselves. In your case, capitalizing seems like a crime against poetry or something. I apologize. So, we're simpatico on the excitement re: you hanging out here, excellent. That makes it much easier. It rained here yesterday too. I don't have a puppy dog. They don't let you have dogs where I live, and I'm kind of into being single vis-à-vis the animal kingdom. I don't know why. I guess to protect my heart? So, what's school like? What are you studying especially or most happily? Paris is ... I have to check, one sec ... sunny, a bit chilly, clear skies, kids frolicking noisily in the playground below my window, looking good. I haven't been outside yet, but if I see something shiny on the ground, you'll hear about it. I have a macaroon in my kitchen that I should have eaten a week ago when it was still capable of turning into god in my mouth. Have a happy day! ** Frank Jaffe, Frank! I so think that yesterday so clearly and utterly rocked and ruled that we scarcely even need to acknowledge your success for fear of gilding the lily. Thank you, man, and thank Luke for me. Sex stuff with cute boys is still fun, yes. I want to hear how that shooting goes. Ooh, you're getting so tough. And why the hell not? You the man! People's fear of male nudity and sex is what makes it twice the fun. Enjoy it while it lasts, ha ha. Okay, my heroic buddy, I hope you woke up bouncing today. ** Misanthrope, Oh, I do, George. I position my hand between my face and the screen so I can block the bodies out. That's the only way I can get off. I thought every did that. I could tell that scene was intense. The white space after that exchange was fraught, man. ** Joakim Almroth, Hi, J. Oh, Amsterdam, email, okay. I'll get myself over here. I'll be entering the future set of our 'Teenage Hallucination' for the first time at 2 pm this afternoon. I'm excited, and I'm taking my camera, you betcha. Love, me. ** Okay. I thought this quite old, basically dead post from my former hacked blog deserved another chance. I hope I was right. See you tomorrow.

Frank Jaffe presents ... "Please, You Will Sodomize Me?!? Issue 2," featuring CL Martin, Thomas Moore, Matt Steele and a cavalcade of other stars!

2012-01-26T00:59:00.000-08:00

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There were so many new ideas that me and Luke had for our second foray into the world that we created, the world of sodomization! After the first issue came out we had a great reaction from friends and family that weren't too scared to pick it up and actually read a page or two after encountering the dripping anus!!

(it's actually Misanthrope's Niece)

For our second issue we decided to increase the amount of pages (48 up from 32) and increased the amount of 'zines to 125 (up from 66). Also we developed a Limited Edition because if there's one thing I'm obsessed with it's goodies that can come with 'zines! So for our Limited Edition we decided to have some of the artists that participated in the 'zine contribute one item to it. So Guillermo Riveros contributed a ltd. edition 5x7 print, CL Martin (Killer Luka) contributed a poster print of one of her drawings, and Matt Steele (who has posted on here a couple times) contributed 25 unique individual drawings! We also decided that this Limited Edition had to serve a purpose, so we came up with the idea of contributing all the profits from the Limited Edition directly back to the artists who contributed to it!!

But back to the actual 'zine itself!

Inside this issue you'll find the usual stuff you'd normally find in "Please, You Will Sodomize Me?!?" like art/porn (Including another image from d.l. Koes Staassen), poetry (One by d.l. Thomas Moore), short stories, and in-depth interviews with crazy cool artists, (d.l. CL Martin and an awesome Brooklyn photographer, Guillermo Riveros) but now you'll find a few surprises like a feature on "Queer Fear" and a "Cool Stuff" section which lists the stuff (music/movies/books) that me and Luke are in love with at the current moment....

So yeah, we totally think you should grab one! We tried to make them as cheap as possible and as always we're looking forward to the next issue already, so if you're got any ideas or contributions you should totally get in contact with us!!!

To grab it: pleasesodomize.bigcartel.com
Contact us through our tumblr: pleasesodomize.tumblr.com
or email us at: pleasesodomize@gmail.com

Standard Edition of 100
48 Pages Saddle-Stitched Color and B&W
Price:
$6 in the U.S.A.
$6.50 in Canada or Mexico
$8 Outside the U.S.A.

Limited Edition of 25
48 Pages Saddle-Stitched Color and B&W
Guillermo Riveros 5x7" Lustre Print with a Lustre Spray Coating
CL Martin 11.5x18" Poster Print on Silk Coated Paper
A Unique 1/1 Matt Steele Drawing
Signed and Numbered Card
All Housed in a Gorgeous Black Envelope Stamped in Silver Ink!
Price:
$17 in the U.S.A.
$19 Outside the U.S.A.

(and yes this photo was taken on the bed where all of the magic happens!)

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*

p.s. Hey. I haven't gotten d.l. Frank Jaffe and honorary d.l. Luke Munson's new zine in my actual hands yet, but I can already tell it's even more incredible than issue #1. Me, I seriously think you should buy a copy for all kinds of reasons including those made perfectly evident in the post up there. Whatever the case, it's a most enjoyable announcement, as you have seen or will. It would be cool if you talked back to Frank about it today, but that obviously goes without saying. ** Kyler, I'm from LA, so I think my vibes are more the mellow, soothing type so perhaps they got lost mid-flight yesterday, ha ha. I slept very well, so perhaps your vibes flew business class. ** Mw, Hey, buddy! You might enter the fray of Paris? My weekend? Uh, Friday is crazy and sucks. Saturday should be okayish at least in part, and Sunday is scot free as of now. Hence, and unsurprisingly, I vote that you come. Will you? You'll let me know, yes. If you come, write me -- dcooperweb@gmail.com -- and I'll give you my cell number, etc. This is potentially exciting! ** Joakim Almroth, Hi, Joakim! Cool, I'm super glad you liked those recent posts. And I think that Paris possibility is obviously a big up. I will finally today write to you about you-know-what 'cos I seem to have a very rare day to myself, knock on wood. ** David Ehrenstein, Thanks. That's very good news about the Gorin/Criterion thing. Very good news! This is trippy: guess who friended me on Facebook the other day when my friend-count did one of its occasional dips under 5000? Chantal Akerman! How about dem apples, eh? I read this article over here just yesterday that tried to explain why French children don't have food fights. Of course, I had no idea that they didn't, but apparently food fights have never caught on with French kids. Unfortunately, his explanation wasn't very interesting. ** Posing at the Louvre, Well, you probably know that poor, venerable Hostess is filing for bankruptcy, so a Twinkie might be a collectible/money in the bank kind of possession any minute, so, if you think you can afford one, the deal would sweeten, yes. ** Steevee, I ... don't think you posted a link to the Gorin review. I think I would remember that, but, whether nor not, you reposting the link would be a very welcome move. Very best of luck getting that change in psychiatrists worked out. ** Wolf, Yeah, I guess it says something about the Sarkozy/Bruni marriage that either he wouldn't say to her, Don't do that, you'll look like a freak, or he wanted her to look like a freak because of his evil, or she wanted to look like a freak or wanted to embarrass him by looking like a freak, or ... it's inexplicable, I mean. I know, I saw those Obarzanek photos and had the same wtf and why reaction. Hence, the grab. Yeah, those Paris bubble pix, so cool. You can find the pix somewhere online pre-airbrushed out cables, but I don't recommend it. Need vegan jerky! Oh, shit, yes, thank you! What do you need? What shall I have waiting for you in my frozen or be-gloved hands? ** Bernard Welt, Ooh, first, hi, B, and second, cool, thank you for the school list and class plans/news stuff. What's the reason for the big '62 to '81 jump, and for making that jump for 'Pennies from Heaven' in particular? I like that film, of course, mind you. Of course the second semester class is the real drool merchant for me. Now that's a viewing list/selection I would be very curious to see. I only know the bare minimum of Dovzhenko's work, but you can bet that you've contextualized him in such a way that I will hunt immediately. Thanks, pal. ** SwAmPeX, Hey. Getting a sitting/writing a routine is pretty important. You have to find a way to really enjoy doing that, just being alone and totally one-on-one with your imagination. That's basically why I compared it to masturbation, ha ha. More than one wise person has said that all real artists are narcissists, so I wouldn't worry that that's a problem. I found writing to be a fantastic way to release or forgive -- I think it's more release -- the shit and shit-causers in my past, but my writing is fully connected to my demons and exploring them, so I don't know if that's why writing really helped on the front for me. ** Sypha, I want a face bank too. I even tracked down a store here that sells them so I can check them out in 3D. Sorry about your vacation's slippage away, and if I had Skyrim, I would have done the same thing, but, in my case, I would have been fucked because I'm on the opposite of a vacation. ** L@rstonovich, Hi. Yeah, Mad River did 'Amphetamine Gazelle'. That first Mad River album is pretty crazy great through and through, if you ever get an easy chance at scoring it. Sad about the wife's temp sojourn to AZ, but, hey, on the plus side, there's the fewer writing distractions and inspiring heartache. Blog day? Thank you! I'll go find it! You rule! ** Ratty St. John, Hi! I've never had fiction published in one of the 'established, prestigious' journals if that's comforting or telling or something. Most of the cool, exciting fiction journals are online these days. Publishing in them won't get writers university tenure and all that shit, but they're where the coolest fan bases erupt. Awesome that your writing is going juicily right now. That's very cool that you interviewed S4lem and that they weren't highfalutin dicks or anything. I would have been surprised if they were, but people in bands can surprise you, that's for sure. I think Heavy Metal bands probably still dig being offered asses as coke plates, but maybe not the really cool Metal bands. Or maybe they do too. Hm. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. Yeah, and Disney has already pulled the Mickey Division shirts off the market. I think maybe one of their divisions pranked them. ** Chris Goode, Thanks, Chris, I'm so pleased you liked it/them. Yeah, that Russian boy band ... there's some super rich mogul Russian guy who fancies himself a great songwriter and producer, and he runs the show for, oh, maybe 18 different Russian boy bands, indistinguishable apart from the verities of their facial features, and it all sounds and looks very, very perverse. I'm immune to 'ToL' hatred and unswayable in my love, so, yeah, you'd just be throwing stones at a hologram, man. Oh, I like Ben Marcus. You didn't think I would? I'm not, like, 'oh, my god, Ben, oh, my god' or anything, but I'm very interested to read his new thing. Sounds like it's going to be his big, anointed 'breakthrough' book and all that. That dangerous breakthrough moment with a new piece, oh yeah, scary, but, whoo, there it is, awesome, and oh fuck! How did the showing people thing go today? Who are these people? Fellow artists, bosses, make-or-breakers, ... ? Before I started smoking, I chewed my nails instead, and now I do both. Fumer tue! ** Postitbreakup, Hi, Josh! ** Chris Dankland, Hey. It sure does sound like the twins' father was a small-minded idiot who fucked things up big time. Anyway, thank you for the Varioso attentiveness and good words. My Wednesday? You really want to know? Uh, let's see ... Blog, then writing something that I'm experimenting with for a short while, then answering, I think, 13 emails re: either the Pompidou or the Whitney Biennial, then finding out that something I had carefully arranged vis-à-vis the Pompidou festival has gotten fucked up behind my back, causing a big mess and dealing with/venting about that, then going to the studio where Gisele is prepping the dolls for the Pompidou installation and working with her to figure out a final tableau arrangement before the dolls get moved over to the Pompidou proper today, then eating and more emails, then hanging out with Yury post-work, then working on the blog, then sleeping. Oh, that pothead novel list is very cool, and I'm very happy that my 'God Jr.' is there, thank you! Nice list, and you put 'Bongwater' in there! Michael Hornburg works at Grove Press, and he's a pal. Everyone, d.l. and writer Chris Dankland has put together an awesome post on his blog called 'A List of Pothead Novels' and that's what it is, and you should check it out, you really should. Cool, man! I hope your Thursday treats you well. ** Alan, Hey, Cool beans that you got to see the Gorin film with a Sontag intro. I don't think I've ever read Padgett Powell, unless I'm blanking out, I'm assuming you think I really should? I'll go read the interview, thanks, man. Everyone, courtesy of and recommended by Alan, here's an interview with Padgett Powell @ The Guardian. ** Chris Cochrane, Indeed! However, I'm keeping those dates a strictly fingers-crossed situation until they're firmed up, but, hell yeah! ** Bill, Isn't it? 'Dau' isn't finished yet, I'm pretty sure. There's a rumor that it might premiere at Cannes this year. His film '4' is well worth tracking down. A smokey demo would be heavenly, Bill. Good luck with instituting a chaos remission. I hadn't seen that blog, and, yeah, it's a find. I bookmarked it, and I'll pore over it later. Thanks, man! ** Polter, Hi, Polter! Your writing made me want snowfall so bad, and we aren't going to get a single flake here this winter, they say. Oh, it's weird to think that you're so north that you never go north or at least never want to go north in your dreams. I never thought about that before. I guess people in Australia have the same ... well, I going to say problem, but it's not really a problem, just a weirdness, about going south. I guess it's weird being here in the middle too. It's definitely weird to think how people in north and in the south never think or say, I want to go to the middle. We in the middle just get lumped in with north and south. That's kind of sad, really. I'm okay, busy, okay. I'm glad you liked the yo-yo thing. I did too, and I was starting to think it would get no more love than mine. Oh, you should show me some stuff. Really, you should. Oh, I hate the word should, though. I hate when I just accidentally use it out of laziness. I would really like to see what you would show me. That's better. Norwegians: I know you, and there used to be this Norwegian writer/filmmaker who commented on the blog a lot but he stopped and I don't know what happened to him, but I guess I still know him. I know Kier, dear and great artist Kier, who doesn't comment here hardly at all anymore, but I know and love him. I think that's all apart from Norwegian acquaintances I know through the theater pieces. Very, very best to you! ** Misanthrope, Hi, G. Yeah, the BaM that I went to was just kind of a more blah, small B&N. I like me some full on sexuality 'cos I quite obviously like me some porn, but maybe I like my full on sexuality compartmentalized or something, and I don't lust for Jedward, which is maybe strange. I just think they're cute and wack. I like that dialogue. It's all tense and hiding things and other cool shit. ** Dungan, Sean! Hey, man, hey, buddy! Yes, I will be here in Paris during that time! I leave on the 21st, but I'll be here 24/7 while you're here until then. You really going to come? That would be so awesome! Give me the good word when it's time. Is that Mad River track not just so awesome? The whole album is an exciting trip. ** Frank Jaffe, Hey, Frank, man of the 24 hours! I'm so honored and humbled to have 'P,YWSM' on my little stage here. The ltd. ed's are already gone?! That's cool for you and sad for most of us, but such is the faraway, misty beauty of that which is limited in its edition. I hope you guys rip Rick Santorum's head off while you have the chance. Enjoy today both here and everywhere, sir. ** David kelso-housman, Hey there. I should read some more Ellroy sometime. He's been off my radar for ages. ** Rewritedept, Hi. Oh, yeah, a med card. I guess they're as easy to get there as they are in LA? I think in LA you basically just need to say, I want one, and then wink. Unexpected money too. Some real good news there, seriously. Your stars are aligned. Oh, Maker's Mark is whisky? Yeah, even when I was into alcohol, I never liked nor drank dark liquors. Instant headache then hangover. The Radiohead 01 and 10 playlist? No, don't know it. I'm not, like, the hugest Radiohead fan if that makes a difference. Carla Bruni used to be a somewhat successful model and groupie and now she's a singer/songwriter and is married to the President of France. Bukowski, that takes me back. I'm so burrito deprived over here that I would eat one stuffed with mushed up Rice Krispie Treats maybe. Hope you day rocks or even rules. ** Jeff, Hey, man. That is awesome news, thanks, man, and a big hey to you! ** 5strings, The Rhine castles are kind of overrated, but they aren't horrible. I want to check out Ludwig's ones someday. I don't remember where they are. I don't think Berlin has castles, but I figure that it doesn't need them. Your day was more fun than mine. That probably happens a lot. Glad to hear it, man! ** E., Wait, E.? I mean, e.? Holy crap, man, how seriously awesome is it to see you! Of course it's cool to jump in. This place hasn't changed at all in that respect and in maybe all respects, actually. No prob on the Connie Converse. Little Foal, a newer than you d.l. but already pretty legend, gets the credit. Joe Meek is cool. Nice. I haven't seen 'Windy Day'. I just watched the first few seconds, and it looks cool, so I'll watch the whole thing when I finish this. Man, how are you doing? I would so sincerely love to know, if you're into either catching me up or just hanging around here again at whatever pace suits you. Man, this is great! E.! Holy shit! It's so nice to see you, my friend! Lots of love to you! ** Right. With that, I'll hope to send your eyes hurling back up to Frank Jaffe's wonders. See you tomorrow, people.

Varioso #27: Askevold, Obarzanek, Gorin, Bruni, MM, СТЕКЛОVАТА, Binder, Eiffelturm, Sokolsky, banks, Armstrong, Boyd, Henson, Michaux, Mad River

2012-01-25T00:59:00.000-08:00

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David Askevold

'Holding a rubber band between my thumbs and forefingers, I strum it as fast as I can close to the microphone. The camera is static and runs until the S8 cartridge runs out. The sound is recorded on tape separate from the film, so the audio which sounds like a drum, slowly moves out of synch with the image.' -- David Askevold

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Simon Obarzanek

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Jean-Pierre Gorin

'Poto and Cabengo are identical twins (real names Grace and Virginia Kennedy, respectively), who used a language unknown to other people until the age of about eight. They were apparently of normal intelligence. They developed their own communication because they had little exposure to spoken language in their early years. Poto and Cabengo were the names they called each other.

'Their father later stated in interviews that he realized the girls had invented a language of their own, but since their use of English remained extremely rudimentary, he had decided that they were in fact mentally retarded and that it would do no good to send them to school. When he lost his job, he told a caseworker at the unemployment office about his family, and the caseworker advised him to put the girls in speech therapy. At the Children's Hospital of San Diego, speech therapists Ann Koeneke and Alexa Kratze quickly discovered that Virginia and Grace, far from being retarded, had at least normal intelligence, and had invented a complex idioglossia.

'The language of the twins was spoken extremely quickly and had a staccato rhythm. These characteristics transferred themselves to the girls' English, which they began to speak following speech therapy. Linguistic analysis of their language revealed that it was a mixture of English and German (their mother and grandmother were German-born), with some neologisms and several idiosyncratic grammatical features.

'Once it was established that the girls could be educated, their father apparently forbade them to speak their personal language. Asked if they remembered their language, the girls confirmed that they did, but their father quickly stepped in to chide them for "lying". They were mainstreamed and placed in separate classes in elementary school. However, they were still affected by their family's emotional neglect. A follow-up in 2007 revealed that Virginia works on an assembly line in a supervised job training center, while Grace mops floors at a fast-food restaurant.' -- Time Magazine

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Carla Bruni

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Modern Mechanix

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СТЕКЛОVАТА

'There are two main soloists -Denis Belikin and Arthur Yeremeyev. The lyrics of the group are written by the composer of the music who is also a producer of Steklovata -- Sergey Kuznechov. Thanks to his studio we all have the chance to experience the truly touching and moving Russian music. You may think – sounds nice – but what did you say – a Russian band – and I do not know Russian. Well I am not very well at it either (which is shame since I have studied it for 3 years) – and still enjoy the music of Steklovata.' -- The Sky Kid

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Alexander Binder

'I have very strong memories from my childhood. As a kid I have spent a lot of time in the dark hill moors of the Black Forest and many of my photos reflect the eerie and diffuse atmosphere of these enchanted places. But imagination plays also a big role: I am completely obsessed with any kind of fairy-tales, spiritual and occult stuff. And my photos bring these ideas and imaginations to life.

'Since I can remember, I have been obsessed with occult theories and all sorts of paganism. So I guess it's only a logical consequence that the symbols of these religious traditions got part of my 'visual vocabulary'. The symbols help me to convey my perception of reality and they also help me to enhance the atmosphere of a photo. I love the idea of combining universal and secret symbols. It’s like talking two different languages at the same time.

'My whole process is very amateurish and it has absolutely nothing to do with a professionally planned photo shooting. Most of the time I take some of my friends or even my 66-year-old dad (he is one of my best models!) with me on a spontaneous photo trip and we carry only those things with us, which are absolutely necessary. For example: my camera, a collection of self-made lenses, a few masks or costumes. These trips normally last from a few hours to a few days and I have only a very vague concept for the whole process at the beginning – so I never know how things end.' -- Alexander Binder

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Tutorial Eiffelturm

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Melvin Sokolsky

'This iconic “Bubble” series was created by fashion photographer Melvin Sokolsky for the Harper’s Bazaar 1963 Spring Collection. The series, inspired by The Garden of Earthly Delights and Surrealism, depicts model Simone D’Aillencourt in large bubbles floating through the Paris cityscape. These innovative images were created before Photoshop! The plexiglass bubbles were hung from a crane in various locations throughout Paris. Sokolsky's Bubble photographs were the sensation of the Paris spring haute couture collections in 1963.' -- The Aubergine Notebook

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Japanese toy banks

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David Armstrong

Boyd Holbrook

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Bill Henson

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Miserable Miracle

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Mad River

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p.s. Hey. ** Empty Frame, Heaven on screen, I do concur. Okay, wow, that story does sounds really fascinating. And the Dutch version too. I'll be all be all over that later, thanks, man! Cool, hope you like the Millhauser. Here's to clear skies over you today. ** SwAmPeX, Hey. That story sounds really good in your telling, man, for sure. What's the problem for you as far getting stories down the page? Is it the sitting still and concentration? Is it a confidence issue? I always try to think of writing as having the same kind of total privacy and lack of actual risk as masturbating does, but without the flashy, immediate reward unfortunately, ha ha. Write it down, man, seriously. It sounds really good. ** David Ehrenstein, I am indeed very happy that 'ToL' and Malick got nominations, yes. The general list isn't very interesting or surprising, though, with some good exceptions and some obvious wtfs: 'The Help'? 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close'? It's interesting/weird how 'The Artist' has wound up being the film to beat. I wonder what that's about? I can't believe that I wish I had the Oprah Channel over here, but I do! ** Pisycaca, Hey, Montse! Cool beans, right? Love, me. ** Bollo, Hi, J. Yeah, I'm still and even increasingly up to my wispy gray hair tips in way too much. C'est la. Drawings and stuff, very cool. You gonna share them on your blog or anything? ** L@rstonovich, I popped in here yesterday, and, thanks to you, got that link righted before too much damage occurred, I hope. Thanks for the eagle eyes. ** Rewritedept, Hey. It went good, right? Oh, okay, December, I get it. Gonna google 'Maker's Mark'. I have no clue. Well, the self-styled Right is doing everything in its power to make being horrible exciting. My day was kind of boring too, I think. Wait, was it? Yeah, it kind of was. High five. ** Marc Vallée, As I said to you on the sidelines yesterday, your collab with Dom Lyne is fantastic, beautiful, and quite moving. Everyone, d.l./photographer Marc Vallée and the writer Dom Lyne, one of whose books was featured in one of my 'books recently read and loved' posts a while back, have collaborated on a short video/slideshow that is both beautiful and very touching, and it is very highly recommended to you. I urge you to click this and see what I'm talking about. ** 5strings, YEP! I found Koln kind of boring, I must say. Never been to Vienna, but the word on it is good. Never been to Berlin, but we know the story on that place. Jeremy Jordan is to you like Romanian George is to me. Jazz band, ha ha, that's rich, as my grandma used to say. But kinda in a way they kind of are, I guess. Big bunch to you, man. ** Posing at the Louvre:, I need a virtual assistant and a real world scout/handler type of assistant too. However, while your offer is very kind and generous, my hell will presumably end, to some degree at least, in, uh, about six weeks, and, well, I hope you understand, as much as I love notes, outlines, and their needs. ** Thomas Moronic, Well, that's a good thing certainly. ** Steevee, Ha ha, that's crazy! What a great story. Awesome. ** Allesfliesst, Steve is actually quite a handsome fella in 3D. Not my type, but ... Snowing in Tokyo, what next?! Is there no respite from its gravity upon the mind? We're all rain, rain here too. The bleah, drizzly kind. Ooh, last revision, last stretch, excellent. Win that shit, bro. ** _Black_Acrylic, Oh, good. Re: the Generator. I have to say that that three artist strangers with two big rooms to fill sounds heavenly. As does the whole weekend of shebangs. I heard enough bleah about 'Shame' that I'm saving it for at minimum a very, very rainy day. ** Chris Goode, Sir. Your Youngs recommendation arrives at the perfect time since my downloading itch has reached the unbearable stage just this morning. Weirdly, I read a review of a brand new album by him just yesterday. Anyway, I'm going for 'Autumn Response'. You did indeed have a mouse when I was in London under your good auspices and graces. I had forgotten all about that. I recommend you don't name him. I made the mistake of nicknaming mine, and I paid. Yeah, I loved 'Tree of Life' profoundly. It wrenched and shook me up like nothing has for quite a while, and it's the most influencing thing vis-à-vis the thinking I'm doing re: my next writing project. So, yeah. It is very interesting how divisive the film has proven to be. Don't hemorrhage, man. That would suck. ** Kyler, Hey. Well, yes, re: 'ToL'. I recommend Disneyland on Ecstacy if you can actually score some actual, old school Ecstasy. It wasn't quite as orgiastic as was portrayed in that lovely image you linked me to though, or not for me. I was getting the whole blissed out thing more like. ** Schlix, Hey. Well, it would almost certainly be considered and treated as art movie that happens to employ 'horror', I guess. But then again, a film like 'The Shining' takes its time in its own way, and it seems to rock horror buffs' boats. ** Misanthrope, Oh, the dye is cast, is it? Oh, well. But, reading your words and maybe in-between them, it does sound like you could easily get the full-time hire. So don't break anything on your way out. Did Books a Million buy Borders? I was only in one BaM in the South once, and, boy, did it not live up to its name. Not that its name actually makes any sense at all, now that I think about it. Main thing is, yeah, keep that writing routine front and center. Mow the lawn and trim the trees in your yard if you have to. Oh, I like me some Jedward, as you know, but, you know me, that vid is too gay for me. I like them more when they're trying a little too hard to be manic, synchronized living toys. Now that's hot. ** Chris Cochrane, Aw, 5th Street. Them was some good times. ** Frank Jaffe, Hey Frank! I'm excited for tomorrow too! If Printed Matter don't take it, I'll ...I'll organize a boycott, slap some sanctions on that joint. Well, tell me all your stuff tomorrow or whenever your fingers make you. ** Postitbreakup, Oh, gosh, you're being so kind. I would be happy to be like Heather Locklear was to 'Melrose Place'. I'm happy to see that your novel was among the prominent words in your sentences today, my friend. ** Okay. I've got a whole bunch of stuff for you up there today, and surely something will find a place in your hearts. Hope so. I've gotta go do my thing now, but I'll see you tomorrow.

rewritedept presents ... no one will dance with us: a brief history of pavement

2012-01-24T00:59:00.000-08:00

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Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg first meet playing soccer together in Stockton, CA. They begin recording songs and noise in or around 1987 and perform together in Bag o'Bones. Their bass player doesn't like Malkmus' lead vocals, and so the band are an instrumental trio. As a student at UVA, Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich and David Berman, soon of the Silver Jews, play together in 'percussive noise experiment' Ectoslavia. Around the same time, at Northern Arizona University, Scott Kannberg performs in a band called Pavement.

Over Christmas break 1989, Malkmus and Kannberg (now rechristened, respectively, SM Jenkins and Spiral Stairs) decide to record some songs together to release as an EP. They enlist Gary Young's recording studio, as well as having Young play drums on some tracks. Following the self-release of Slay Tracks (1933-1969), the 'band' are apporached by Rian Koretzky and Dan Murphy of Drag City, a Chicago label with one previous release, a single by Royal Trux. Drag City release the Demolition Plot J-7 single as well as the Perfect Sound Forever 10" EP. Both releases are again undertaken with Young behind the desk and on drums.

During this time, Pavement are approached to perform some live dates. They quickly enlist Young on drums, Rob Chamberlain on bass and additional guitar and Bob Nastanovich on percussion to back up the notoroiously erratic, and often drunk, Young. Following the first tour, Pavement return home (Young and Kannberg to Stockton, CA, Malkmus, Nastanovich and Ibold to New York City), though Malkmus does return to Stockton for Christmas break again in 1991 to record the tracks for Slanted and Enchanted. Malkmus again returns to New York, while Kannberg begin dubbing copies of the tape and sending them to labels, friends and anyone else, seemingly, who wants a copy (S+E may well be the only album to be reviewed by Spin magazine without a label's backing). More touring, this time including mainland Europe and the United Kingdom. The Watery, Domestic EP is released in November.

In 1993, following extended overseas touring, Gary Young quits Pavement, or is asked to leave. Bob Nastanovich's old friend from highschool, Steve West is brought in to drum. Though Pavement had started work on a follow up to S+E with Young, they decide to relocate to Random Falls, a recording studio in New York City which ends up being little more than an apartment upstairs from a vintage guitar store well stocked with amps and guitars that play no small role in the capture of the tracks that will become 1994's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.

Crooked Rain sees the band skirt mainstream success with the single 'Cut Yr Hair,' as well as some notoriety with the lyrics to the song 'Range Life,' which poke fun at Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots. Reportedly, Pavement are almost offered a slot on the Lollapalooza festival that year, but Billy Corgan threatens to pull Smashing Pumpkins from their headlining slot if Pavement are asked to play.

In 1995, the band decamp to Easley studios in Memphis, TN, to record Wowee Zowee. In the time since the mild success of 'Cut Yr Hair,' Matador Records has signed a distribution deal with Warner Bros Records, who have expectations for a marketable single to play Pavement as the 'new Nirvana.' Pavement deliver the midtempo rocker 'Rattled by la Rush' and the country-fied 'Father to a Sister of Thought.' Neither single charts. 1995 also sees the band being asked to play Lollapalooza again, this time on a bill with Sonic Youth, the Jesus Lizard, Hole and Beck, among others (Bob Nastanovich is proud to tell stories of how Pavement was the 'band that ruined Lollapalooza,' if that's any indication of how the tour went).

Brighten the Corners, recorded with Mitch Easter, known best for his work with R.E.M., follows in 1997. For the final Pavement record, they enlist Nigel Godrich, known for his work with Radiohead and, most recently, on Beck's Mutations to produce. The resulting album, Terror Twilight, is a mostly understated, midtempo affair. Pavement play their last show 20 Novemeber, 1999, at the Brixton Academy in London, though they do reform for a series of shows in 2010.

box elder.

father to a sister of thought.

so stark (you're a skyscraper).

trigger cut.

nothing ever happens.

major leagues.

stereo.

gold soundz.

date w/ ikea.

two states/gold soundz (i was at this show).

conduit for sale/starlings in the slipstream.

Pavement - America's Most Interesting Band
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*

p.s. Hey. Today d.l. Rewritedept proposes a day-long immersion in the glories that constitute the rock saviors Pavement, and I heartily concur. Please share your findings and thoughts with your guest-host and with each other in the usual compartment, and thank you, and thank you above all, R. ** ASH, Hi, ASH! Manic is the word for my life of late too, so no prob, and thanks much for the late, welcome b'day wishes and for the blog props. If you're coming over in June, I'll definitely do whatever's in my power to be here 'cos it would be awesome to see you. ** Misanthrope, Really, your prescribed time at this job is running out? Shit. Is it entirely possible that they'll just keep you? I sure hope so, since you seem to be flourishing in your special way there. I mean flourishing relative to job attack. How did they treat you at the new entrance? Did you go all Rand Paul on them? ** Empty Frame, Hey. Yeah, that 'Pau' thing is crazy, right? I wish it had 24/7 streaming webcams. I'm good, busy almost out of my mind but not so frantically that I've forgotten that busyness of the type that I've been assigned is a gift. Millhauser's 'Edwin Mullhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer 1943-1954, by Jeffrey Cartwright' is one of my all-time favorite novels, so I'll recommend that one if you want to go long plus Millhauser. Love back. ** Paradigm, I did? I'm sorry. It's Kiddiepunk and Oscar B's fault. They shoved that 'Pau' project under my nose, and I was helpless to resist. I would love any guest-posts you feel like doing, man, whenever you want, and I'll try not to inadvertently steal anything else from your brain between now and then. Yes, of course, if and when you feel like putting work in the workshop, that would be fantastic. So, if you reach a point where it's ready enough but you'd like some extra eyes and thoughts, say the word. If it's only been a couple of weeks, I wouldn't stress re: finessing the 19th century section. That sounds like a tough cookie whose crackage is very well worth pursuing. If it ends up being too ambitious, you'll scale it down later. Don't worry about that for now, I say, unless the scale threatens to make you bail entirely. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi, David. Have you seen his first film '4'? It's very worth seeing. Ha ha, wow, that JG-L clip is crazy. Everyone, courtesy of David E. here's a clip seemingly made by and featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and others that is ... well, pretty much indescribable, so just hit this link and watch it and you'll be glad. I didn't get any fashion week goodies apart from getting to see some very pretty, skinny people who were hanging around Paris. I think Yury might have gone to an after-party or two. ** Posing at the Louvre, I figured that you had to be ensconced back in the UK by now. Sleep's cool, but it's probably not a good idea to let it best you. But it is winter, I guess, although you can hardly tell over here. I'm good, but, as I keep saying, just in a way too busy phase mostly caused by the Pompidou thing plus some Whitney Biennial things plus stuff I need to do for that George Miles Cycle exhibition/conference in Amsterdam, and I will pretty much be stuck inside that phase for the next couple of months. I wish us both survival plus pennies from heaven. ** SwAmPeX, You can get '4' on DVD, and, hm, it might be watchable on mubi, but I don't know. Very well worth seeing, obviously. I'm good, busy, good, busy. What about you? Tell me how you're doing. ** Alter Clef Records, Hey, Nick! I thought you might find the 'Pau' project interesting. It seems at least somewhat 'you' in some way. Lucky you re: getting to see 'Einstein'. Curious to hear how it seems at this point in time. It changed my life when I saw it in the, mm, early 80s. My universe is enclosed by the Centre Pompidou and its constantly outreaching duties. New record sounds like it's going to be amazing. I mean your new record, obviously. Very cool. And uni sounds, of course, most promising. Oh, I was probably asleep when you called on NYE. I bailed on celebrating and crashed at my usual hour which was a fair bit before 2012. Huge love in return, man. ** Steevee, I don't know that Verow film. I can't say that I seek his titles out, ha ha. I know the name Atomic Forest, and I've read about them and have a bead on what they do, but I don't think I've ever actually creased their work first hand. I most certainly will. You've made a strong initial sale, thank you! ** Sypha, Yeah, sure, I've seen 'The Exorcist'. I saw it in the theater on release, and I think I've watched it a few times since. I'm in the camp that thinks it's very good, one of the most elegant and measured, moody of horror films. I can't remember if it scared me the first time out. Surely there were some jolts. Well, I don't need to tell you that I love 'In Youth in Pleasure'. Exquisite novel. ** Chris Goode, Hello there, Chris. Very glad to hear that you also find the 'Pau' project interesting. Isn't it? And, yes, I at least have a most interesting brain scramble when I try to process what he is making now while only knowing him from '4', which I was pretty knocked out by too. I.e., '4' and this project crash together with quite an exciting rupture or something for me. Thank you a lot for for the Younges report. It does sound remarkable. I'm guessing you might have seen Cat Power back when her performances used to bear a strong resemblance to nervous breakdowns. I'm happy that she's happier, but they were quite something. Anyway, I'll hope Younges brings himself to Paris, and, in the meantime, I can tell you've just set me off on a recorded Younges kick. Mouse! I'm thinking I told you that when I lived in Amsterdam there was a point where there was a family of five mice living with me, and I slept on a futon on the floor, mind you. I devised a plan to safely relocate them to a nearby park, which, I guess, wasn't the happy and best for all plan that I believed at the time, but my thinking was a bit too wrapped up in the whispers of certain illicit substances back then, and, anyway, I accidentally killed them, and Hell's bellhop did in fact become my companion for a while thereafter, and, long story short, good luck with that, man. And with the totality of your ... what is it ... oh, Tuesday. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. '4' is worth the watch, I'm pretty sure. Hm, strange about the Generator. Could there be some behind the scenes problems going on? Funding cut confusion or something? I love that zine fest thing that you guys have cooked up. That's great. Zine fairs are great no matter what. Paris has a couple of excellent annual ones that are always a year's highlight. Mm, I don't think Schneider's work was an influence, but it is possible that it was working on me in the background 'cos I do really like some of his work, no surprise. We looked into getting him to do something for 'Teenage Hallucination', but that proved financially and logistically impossible from almost the get-go. ** Alan, No, no. Well, maybe very, very vaguely. The other day I came across this comment that someone left on one of the posts after I had launched the new one, and it was just spam, I'm pretty sure, but it used part of one of Ken Baumann's comments of the day before as its text component, and that was weird, and I'll admit it threw me for a little bit of a loop. And you? What do you think? ** Schlix, Hi, Uli! The gradual pacing of 'The Exorcist' is one of things I love about it because it's so not the pacing you ever see in big horror movies anymore, but a bunch of people I know have had the same reaction as your girlfriend, so I think the pleasure of watching gradual horror films has been somewhat unlearned or something? ** Chris Cochrane, Hey. Will do. Bunch of things going on that are in the process of getting answered/solved re: 'Them' and re: the Paris sojourn, and news when I get it. I will watch your James Brown post. Thank you the alerting, bud. ** Seth Tissue, Hey, welcome, thank you for entering. And thanks a lot for passing on that very thoughtful act by Steve Prina. That's very kind of you. I love Steve. Hey, if you feel like hanging out here and letting us get to know each other, etc., please do. ** Rewritedept, Hi, guest-host. Thank you, man, for the day's treasure trove and for your inimitable touch. Uh, Mexican food and I are *like this*. It is my cuisine of choice in nearly every imaginable circumstance. I know that stuff of which you speak, and I can't remember what's called either but, yeah, I dig it. No supermercados over here as far as I know, no. Most markets have a little bitty Mexican section or rather shelf, and that's it. Oh, in a couple of days, thank you. What was that December thing? Did my eyes play tricks? Probably. I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I go vegan once in a while when I feel like unclogging myself. The only substances I still engage in are nicotine and caffeine. Once in a rare while I'll have a beer or some wine. That's all, for now at least. I would probably do coke if someone offered it, but I'm into the clear-headed thing. I'm still far more into its buzz than I am into the other kinds of buzzes. ** 5strings, Hey. 3rd to 13th, gotcha. That's a pretty quick trip if you're gonna go all over like you're saying. I think there's one of those super fast trains between Paris and Koln. No, wait, I think it's between Paris and Strasbourg, but Koln isn't so far from Strasbourg. I met Jeremy Jordan once. Nice, hyper. I thought it was interesting that he was always playing teen-like twinks when he was actually in his very late 20s when he started and in his mid-30s when his news finally got old. How's writing going? Later gator. ** Chris Dankland, Hey. Pangur Ban Party is a total treasure trove, a kind of standard setter. I'll have more ebook links soon. Yeah, you don't have to convince me about the keyness of a brilliant book, for sure. And, seriously, right now, in the last couple of years and ongoing, it's crazy how much really exciting work and how many exciting new and newish writers are showing up in the States and adding wow after wow to the revolution. I could easily do nothing but read new fiction and poetry all day every day, and if I wasn't so busy and didn't have my own stuff to write, I would. Yeah, it's a great time for the weird kids reading and writing in the corner. Thanks a lot to the internet, the world has grown us an Oz. Curious if you'll like 'Dog Days'. I haven't seen 'I/E' yet, but your characterization of it follows through to 'DD', I think. Von Trier: I think you know or gather that I think he's a half-baked, tantrum throwing nihilist for whom suffering characters are above all his weapons of choice, but arguing about him is no win deal that's better to avoid, for me at least, so scratch that, ha ha. Hope your day today rules. ** Mark Doten, No, I can't see that kind of project happening in the States. Politicians would coopt it in a heartbeat. Thanks for being so nice and patient. I'll hope to make it worth the while. Yeah, it's super scary and weird and supercharged exciting, etc. when your thing is first going public, absolutely, When 'TMS' was getting its first exposure, I was a complete wreck. I hope Rafael and you will indeed set your sights on Paris. I think it would be a great experience for you guys, and I would do everything in my power to help make it so. ** Okey-doke. Pavement plus Rewritedept plus you is the plan, optional, of course, but one can always hope. Take care 'til tomorrow rolls around.

In case you haven't heard about this: Ilya Khrzhanovsky's Dau

2012-01-23T00:59:00.000-08:00

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'Five years ago, a relatively unknown (and unhinged) director began one of the wildest experiments in film history. Armed with total creative control, he invaded a Ukrainian city, marshaled a cast of thousands and thousands, and constructed a totalitarian society in which the cameras are always rolling and the actors never go home.

'The rumors started seeping out of Ukraine about three years ago: A young Russian film director has holed up on the outskirts of Kharkov, a town of 1.4 million in the country's east, making...something. A movie, sure, but not just that. If the gossip was to be believed, this was the most expansive, complicated, all-consuming film project ever attempted.

'A steady stream of former extras and fired PAs talked of the shoot in terms usually reserved for survivalist camps. The director, Ilya Khrzhanovsky, was a madman who forced the crew to dress in Stalin-era clothes, fed them Soviet food out of cans and tins, and paid them in Soviet money. Others said the project was a cult and everyone involved worked for free. Khrzhanovsky had taken over all of Kharkov, they said, shutting down the airport. No, no, others insisted, the entire thing was a prison experiment, perhaps filmed surreptitiously by hidden cameras. ...

'As preproduction on Dau began in 2005, it was clear that Khrzhanovsky wasn’t interested in conventional approach to any aspect of the film, not just the script. His second feature would be shot using some of the strangest techniques ever devised. Apart from the veteran German DP Jürgen Jürges, most of the crew would consist of people from art and theater worlds who had the right “energy.” The only acting professional in the cast was Radmila Schogoleva, who would play Dau’s wife Nora; before the shooting began, she spent a full year working at a chocolate factory and a hospital, a regimen devised by Khrzhanovsky to beat the actress out of her. ...

'Khrzhanovsky greets me in wardrobe dressed in a black vest over a dark gray shirt, tousled 1950s hair, and decadeless Ray-Bans with a strong prescription. He leads me down one of the endless hallways of the Dau compound to the Institute. ... A few moments later we reach a passageway between worlds: the door connecting the film's modern production offices, where people are free to eat junk food and peck at laptops, with the time warp of the Institute. A silent guard observes my typewritten pass bearing the Soviet hammer and sickle and date-stamped April 28, 1952. Another frisks Khrzhanovsky, without betraying any deference or even recognition. After a security wand roughly passes over my back—a cell phone; sorry, can't have that inside—I finally step through the door and onto the set. I've heard the tales and seen some pictures. I still gasp.

'Before me is an entire city, built to scale, open to the elements, and—at 1 a.m. and with no camera in sight—fully populated. Two guards walk the perimeter, gravel crunching under their boots. Down the fake street, a female janitor in a vintage head scarf sweeps a porch.

'The set is roughly the size of two football fields, surrounded by a five-story fantasia of oppressive architecture. One edifice, a woozy take on Lenin's tomb, has an irregular ziggurat leading up to it. A coliseum-like stadium looms over two drab residential buildings. Atonal cello music squalls across the city, issuing from pole-mounted loudspeakers. The sole purpose of it seems to be to make one tense, uncomfortable, on edge.

'"Are you going to augment the city with CGI later?" I ask, just to ask something.

'Khrzhanovsky jumps in place and winces. "See, if one of the guards heard you, he would fine me a thousand hryvnias [about $125]," he says. "Because you're my guest. It doesn't matter that I am the boss. I get frisked like everyone else. You can't use words that have no meaning in this world."

'"Like CGI?"

'"Now he would fine me twice."

'The fine system is the Institute's latest innovation. Khrzhanovsky decreed it a few months ago, fed up with staffers smuggling cell phones and talking about Facebook. Other finable offenses include tardiness, which costs a whole day's pay, and failure to renew the fake Institute pass. The program has been a hit. Not only has morale improved, a whole new euphemistic vocabulary has sprouted up. ("Google" is now "Pravda," as in "Pravda it.") The fine system has also fostered a robust culture of snitching. "In a totalitarian regime, mechanisms of suppression trigger mechanisms of betrayal," the director explains. "I am very interested in that."

'Khrzhanovsky throws open the front door of one of the residential buildings, and here I gasp again. The guts of the set are as elaborate as the set itself. There are hallways that lead to apartments, and in the apartments there are kitchens, and in the iceboxes food, fresh and perfectly edible but with 1952 expiration dates. Again and again, Khrzhanovsky opens cupboards, drawers, closets, showing me matchboxes, candles, loofahs, books, salami, handkerchiefs, soap bars, cotton balls, condensed milk, pâté. He proudly flushes at least three toilets. "The toilet pipe is custom width," he says, "because it makes a difference in the volume and the tenor of the flushing sound." He looks completely, utterly delighted.

'Khrzhanovsky came up with the idea of the Institute not long after preproduction on Dau began in 2006. He wanted a space where he could elicit the needed emotions from his cast in controlled conditions, twenty-four hours a day. The set would be a panopticon. Microphones would hide in lighting fixtures (as they would in many a lamp in Stalin's USSR), allowing Khrzhanovsky to shoot with multiple film cameras from practically anywhere—through windows, skylights, and two-way mirrors.' -- Michael Idov, GQ Magazine

(read the entirety)
(read outtakes from the article)

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'Ilya Khrzhanovsky (Russian: Илья Хржановский; born 1975 in Moscow, Soviet Union; now Russia) is a Russian film director. He is best known for his first and thus far only film 4 (2005), which earned him several awards including a Golden Orange for Best Director at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in Turkey and a Golden Cactus and Tiger Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in the Netherlands. 4 has still not been released in Russia because of objections from the Ministry of Culture (reportedly for its abundance of "non-normative language and disgusting scenes") and the government's demand that 40 minutes be cut from the film.' -- thisislike

Ilya Khrzhanovsky @ IMDb

Ilya Khrzhanovsky's '4': press kit

Ilya Khrzhanovsky's '4' @ waggish

'Khrzhanovsky Is Not a Dirty Word'

'Connect the Dots: 4 on Ilya Khrzhanovsky's 4

'Film Chetyre' @ waytorussia.net

'Pragmatic Identities and Irrationalist Modernism in Ilya Khrzhanovsky's '4

'Voyage au cœur d'un film qui recrée le Moscou totalitaire'

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'You think you’ve seen it all, you’re confident you’ve encountered every stripe of the art cinema rainbow, and then something like 4 comes along and announces an entirely singular, indescribable spectrum of filmmaking. Filmmaking as anarchy, perhaps? A definite feeling of chaos and liberty accompanies the act of following and attempting to tie together the strands from which Ilya Khrzhanovsky composes this celluloid nightmare: dramatic emphasis is accorded to one storyline over the others, particular scenes plunge into unpredictable bacchanals, and the black shucks that ubiquitously haunt throughout (and which are often followed by ominous snow plows) portend bursts of random destruction and carnage. If films are built on moments, there’s not a single instance of 4 where you know where you’re headed or why.

'But it’s all part of a grand, if not entirely explicable, design. In 4’s eschatology, “the power of hell,” the anarchy of existence, lies behind absurd daily fictions, as much a part of visible city life as it is in hidden, industry-scarred Russian countryside. Nothing new—that’s the modus operandi of horror and film noir, after all, but Khrzhanovsky is working in quasi-surrealist mode, condensing and displacing motifs (the uncanny nature of doubling being the film’s guiding principle) as in a claustrophobic fever dream. The unmoored sense of journey and environment extends to the film’s kinetic close-up shots of grotesque and pained human countenances and freakish Sabbath of the musique concrete soundtrack, both thrillingly employed during Marina’s journey to her village of bread-chewing, doll-producing crones.

'What’s it all mean? 4 obviously intends to be watched repeatedly in order to extricate its secrets. On a purely visceral level, though, its anarchic adventurousness and oneiric inner workings realize one character’s existentialist supposition that everything is already what it is except for humans, who can become whatever, whenever. That’s also the grandeur of a film as audaciously feral as 4.' -- Michael Joshua Rowin, Reverse Shot

'4': the beginning

'4': excerpt

'4': excerpts

'4': excerpt
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p.s. Hey. First, a very big general thank you to everyone who participated in the writers workshop. The 'd' in d.l. has never been more deserved. Thank you! ** Posing at the Louvre, Hey, cool to see you! You did the pole position proud, man, and thanks much. How are you, what's up? ** Michael, Thanks a lot, Michael. ** David Ehrenstein, Hey. I didn't say or think that Bieber is a 'phobe. I have no idea. I just said he's against gay marriage. Sad about Robert Nelson. His films are pretty sweet. Maybe I can do a post about him if there are enough clips and things out there to find. ** Kyler, Hi, the pleasure was all mine, and thanks for the good weighing on Davey's stories. ** Cap'm, Hi, sir. Beautiful input, beautifully put. Gracias. ** Alan, Hi, A. Thanks a lot! ** David kelso-housman, Byrne and Seymour Stein? That's seems like a whopper to me. I think there are some great tracks here and there post-'Fear of Music', but, yeah, I agree that after that album is where the wandering off started. I don't know 'Games'. I'll check for it. Well, my unknowledgeable guess is that the forum's pay thing is protection in some way, and that if the undercover law guys have to pay to join, they won't be so free legally to go after the site's users? ** Pilgarlic, Morning. Yeah, from what I've seen, that's my thinking too. On the Dahmer g.n., I mean. But I guess that yuck-yuck take is what's supposed to be funny/offbeat about it? It doesn't interest me. ** 5strings, Hey. Rundgren twiddled a bunch of 70s acts into betterdom, yeah. Well, whenever your Paris dates are figured out, just give me a heads up. I don't need any more advance warning than you've got to give, and I'll be here keeping 'TH' in one piece. 'Anonymous' is good? I like the idea. I think I must have seen every Brent Corrigan spotlight turn there is since, if you look at porn at all, and I'm saying that I do, ha ha, you can't get away from him. I'm not so into him, but I can certainly appreciate how agreeable he and his attributes are to the interests of whoever's cast alongside him. Peace out. ** Rabbit, Well, hello and a warmest welcome from me to you, Rabbit. I really appreciate your concentrated and detailed thoughts and suggestions for Davey. I learned things. You live in LA, to believe your profile page info, true? Do you actually live in Pasadena? I grew up there and next door in Arcadia. People fairly frequently come up to me at readings and ask me to sign the books of mine that they've stolen from libraries thinking that those steals will give them cred in my eyes, and, I'm always, like, no, man, I'll sign it, but please put it back. Best intentions. So, I'm thinking you must be a writer? Am I wrong? Say more. It's great to have you here. ** Rewritedept, Hi. Sorry about the chicken, but, as a veg, I also celebrate the one that got away, ha ha. I don't think your wanting your socks to match perfectly is weird. I guess if that makes you become hours late, that could be a problem. It depends, I guess. I only could read through the story you wrote very quickly for now 'cos I have to be judicious with my brain cells while I'm doing the p.s., but it's full of fireworks, and I'll get to watch them full-on a little later. I want to and will get back to Vegas, and I would love it if you showed it to me. I only know what every tom, dick, and harry knows. I think what with Ecstacy barely even being Ecstacy anymore it's so cut, it and MDMA have become at least somewhat different beasts. That girl or boy you saw sounds very nice, obviously. Me, I like androgyny big time. Well, yeah, the essay on Strummer would be something I would love to have on the blog, of course. It's going to take you until December to make it? You're good at thinking ahead. Whenever is good, man, thank you! ** No more teenage kicks/Mark Doten, Hey! Great words and thoughts for Davey, man. Thank you a lot! Oh, and I'm sorry to be taking so long with you-know-what. I'm almost there. This Pompidou festival has put my attention span inside a headless chicken, but it's starting to ease up. Bon Monday, big M. ** Paradigm, Thank you very much, Scott. ** Paul Curran, Thanks for pulling through for Davey, Paul. May that motherfucking cold stop seeing the motherfucking light. Awesome about the novel! ** Thomas Moronic, Hey, T. Nice about the M83 gig. I missed my chance here, but I'm hoping that since he lives supposedly 15 minutes from me, I'll get plenty more chances. You have a cold too? Colds are rampaging through Paris as well, but I've been spared to date. Feel better, much better. Obviously, if it's easy for you to get over here for 'TH', I would so love to see you, pal. ** Wolf, Great stuff to Davey, thank you from the caring sidelines. Oh, so that's why I go gaga for the burrito temptation. Except, hm, that would mean there's some kind of scat thing going on too, and ... I'm gonna stop thinking about this. No, even to an Americano like me, Napoleonland sounds like a fucked up idea, but if the rides are good, I'll cut it some slack 'cos I'm like that. As for where it'll be, here's a quote from one of the articles I found about it: 'The plan is to build the unlikely amusement park on the site of the brilliant but doomed French leader’s final victory against the Austrians in the Battle of Montereau in 1814 just south of Paris.' Uh, both of my parents were Republicans when they conceived me, so, uh, ... Ha ha. ** Joakim Almroth, Hi, Joakim! Still mega-busy, yeah, but things will either get easier or worse when we start moving into the Pompidou on Friday, and I'm counting on it being the former. Awesome: I'll go get your email! Tick, tick ... Exciting, gulp. Whoa, about that forced sterilization thing. That's a shock. Sure, I'll do an alert. Everyone, this comes courtesy of Joakim Almroth, and this is very important. He and I both ask you to sign a letter to the Swedish prime minister. Here's a brief explanation: 'If you are a transgender person in Sweden today looking to legally change your gender, in the 21st century you are still forced to undergo surgery that will render you permanently infertile and forever unable to have children. This barbaric practice of forced sterilizations has to stop! We ask you to defend the fundamental human rights of ALL Swedish citizens, and do everything in your power to eliminate Sweden's outdated "forced sterilization" law.' All you need to do is use this link and then sign the letter, and please do. Thank you. ** Pisycaca, Thanks, Montse! Much love. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben, thank you a lot! ** Allesfliesst, If there'd been more wiggling at my university, I probably wouldn't have dropped out, and I would have learned how to write novels properly, and I would have been a famous bore writer, and none of you would have given me the time of day, and vice versa maybe, and so it's good that universities are temperamentally static, I suppose. Never have seen coffee jello here or anywhere, you're right. Another feather in Japan's total peacock of a hat. ** NipperDog, Hi. Thanks for talking wise to Davey. Cuckoo clock phobia, that's interesting. I can see how that could happen. I hope power of suggestion doesn't kick in now. I think my thinking leotards are sexy has only to do with the fact that I dated a ballet dancer for a short time a long time ago and, well, yeah, I think that's my sole justification, ha ha. ** Dennis Cooper, Blowhard. ** Daveyhoule, Hey, man! I'm so very glad that the workshop pleased you and paid off for you. That's great! People here rule, point blank. Yeah, '10 Dead Friends' is one, and there are a couple of others, one called 'The Worst'. I like them, but I think you did so much more than I was able to, and don't think that I won't be studying the 'Uncles' piece and trying to learn something 'cos I've already started. Yeah, thank you again, Davey. It was an honor, a great pleasure, my friend. ** Steevee, Seriously? A landmark? That is literally insane. That does not bode well for Sundance's programming, at least when it comes to the queer. After the 'Frisk' movie, Verow basically has just made soft core erotica soaps. The weird thing is that his very, very early shorts were very experimental and actually weren't too bad. Anyway, well, that's just ludicrous. I don't even know what to say to that. ** Misanthrope, Hey, G. Obviously, thank you a lot for your serious and good attention to Davey's stories. Yeah, right, about the bias problem. Like I said, you really notice it especially over here because that built in and nefarious slanting of news is just not done and not okay, at least in France. I guess the only thing to do is to respect and protect and encourage our own individual intelligence and that of the people around us or something. ** MANCY, Thanks! Yeah, I'm totally into doing a post about the zine. Whenever you're ready, hit me up here or by email, and we'll get that happening. Great! ** L@rstonovich, Thanks a bunch, man. ** Frank Jaffe, Hey Frank! Got the email, made the corrections, Oh, Tuesday, wow, um, let me look at the schedule and see if I can juggle some stuff around so I can get the post up asap, and I'll give you the news. I just wouldn't overdo it on the MDMA. I guess it's hard to judge what's overdoing it, though, given the wildly varying strengths and the individuality of people's biologies. Intriguing art project there, yes. Will the gallery let you show that? Are you sure you want to tell them exactly what's going on in it? ** Ratty St. John, Vobobation: that's a new term to me. Hunh. Yeah, fiction is harder to publish than poetry, I think for everyone maybe. I sure found that to be the case. I don't know why exactly? Self-appointed editors/power mongers of fiction tend to be more conservative? I think that's really true, actually. Are there links to where I or we can read your published stories? I mean, are they online? I like S4lem, yeah, I do. Do you? ** Chris Dankland, Hi, Chris. Thanks a whole lot for the attention and great thoughts that you spared for Davey. Oh, I think the ebook recommendations are going to trickle in as I remember/find them. You probably know it already, but one of my favorite ebook sites is Pangur Ban Party. There's a lot of really good stuff there. Another site I like that's newer but is growing fast is the writer Paul Cunningham's site/press radioactive moat. There are lots of others, though, and I'll pass along links as time goes on. Really glad you liked 'Tamala'. Cats, outer space, cannibalism ... what more could one need? No, I wouldn't take a one-way or even two-way trip to Mars no matter what bribe was in the offing. I have this weird, extreme fear of of extreme heights, and the whole idea of being out there in space whether on Mars or anywhere else freaks me the fuck out. But I get the appeal and all that. Mm, I think I read a story or two of Ray Bradbury's when I was young, but I really have read almost no science fiction novels and stories in my life at all. That genre has just never appealed to me, even though I love sci-fi films, bad, good, and even dumb-ass ugly. ** Chris Cochrane, Hey. Glad you're home, glad it was mostly awesome, I guess. I'm trying to get all the Pompidou stuff sorted out over here, and you'll hear from me about that privately, here, and god knows where else. ** Casey McKinney, Hey. Yeah, that kind of 'Mousetrap' is what I'm seriously sold on. Cool, links, thank you! You must know that great Fischli/Weiss video, right? It's kind of the ultimate mousetrap-like thing. Yeah, I'm gonna make a 'mousetrap and friends' post. You betcha. I'm all horny-ass in my head for that shizzle. Love, me. ** Todd (once IF), Thanks, Todd. Sorry to be a bit late on the email. It'll be on its way pronto. ** Kevin Killian , Hi, Kevin! Thank you so much for giving some of your greatness to Mr. H. I'm pretty good. Are you good? Wish I could be there in Chicago. And/or wish you could be doing that in Paris. ** Postitbreakup, Sure, no problem, but for what? Thank you sincerely and mysteriously as well. Oh, wait, when I just refreshed the page you had another comment, so ... About me? That's kind of you, man. You not only always try to do better, you always do better, you just don't necessary see the signs sometimes, I guess. Thank you, Josh. Love to you. ** Okay. Uh, let's see ... oh, do you know about 'Pau'? I wasn't sure if you would or not, so I took a chance. I think it's super interesting, but see what you think. See you tomorrow.

DC's Writers Workshop #13: daveyhoule 'five stories'

2012-01-21T00:59:00.000-08:00

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Welcome back to DC's Writers Workshop. This is the thirteenth in a series of days on the blog where writers who are part of the blog's community present work-in-progress in search of the opinions, responses, advice, and critiques of both readers who don't normally post comments here and local inhabitants of this place. I ask everyone to please read these works with the same attention you give the normal brand of posts here and respond in some way in the comments section below. Obviously, the closer your attention and the more you're able and willing to say to the writer the better. But any kind of related comment is welcome, even a simple sentence or two indicating you read the piece of writing and felt something or other about it would be helpful. The only guideline I'm going to give out regarding comments is that any response, whether lengthy or brief, praise filled or critical or anywhere inbetween, should be presented in a spirit of helping the writer in question. I'll be responding to the work too in the Comments section towards the end of the weekend. So, I guess all of that is probably clear. Giving support to the artists of different kinds who read and post on the blog has always been a very important aspect of this project, and this workshop series represents an opportunity to make that aspect more formal and explicit. This weekend's workshop features five very short stories by the writer and d.l. dayeyhoule. He asks for any thoughts, support, or criticism you can give him. I thank him greatly for entrusting his work to us, and I thank you all in advance for your kind participation. -- D.C.

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Serrano

----In a forgotten stone cathedral off Michigan Avenue, Felicia attended a photography lecture sponsored by the Museum of Contemporary Art. She was looking for some insight into “art” or “life” – something to take her outside herself for the evening. What she got instead were beautiful, oversized color pictures of bodily fluids, corpses, and old, naked Hungarian women smoking crooked cigarettes. That the lecture was staged in a house of worship was supposed to lend a modicum of “gravity” or “reverence” to the sensational subject matter. Instead, the setting merely added insult to everything the usual Sunday morning faithful accepted as sacred and holy. But, Felicia figured, that was the point all along.

______________________________

Crybaby

----On the verge of his twelfth birthday, puberty was already turning Billy into something he wasn’t, but as his eyes bulged all heavy and clear in the bathroom mirror, Billy was turning into something he vowed he’d never be again: a crybaby.

______________________________

The Dappled Oaks Assisted Living Retirement Community

----Rose Dennison was a crow. And like a crow her eyes could bully. A small, severe woman – stooped over, rail thin, all hard angles – it was Rose who’d spread the rumor that Earl Kramer poisoned his late wife, Bethany, then blew the insurance money on the slots before he fell down the basement stairs and his children brought him here: The Dappled Oaks Assisted Living Retirement Community. But what Rose and her tar pit eyes were now proposing even her henpecked septuagenarian boyfriend Walter Kern could not abide. She wanted Earl dead.
----When Walter refused to go along with her plan, she cawed. Rose thrust her head up and cawed.

______________________________

The Dead Uncles

They were arranged, the kid’s dead uncles were, from left to right by order of death rather than birth order.
----The first, a medium shot of a ten-year old George straddling a brown- and white-spotted horse, was the only color print. Squinting under a wide-brimmed hat, George leaned forward, bracing himself with his hands on either side of the horse’s thickly muscled neck. His eyes focused on something off the left side of the frame. A slight curl in one corner of his mouth could have been a smile, though it easily could have been a wince from the bright afternoon sunshine. George lay down on some railroad tracks when he was thirteen.
----Next to him was a standard holiday portrait of Earl posed in front of a Christmas tree. He stared straight at the lens, his unlined child’s face unmoved by the camera’s attention. A striped turtleneck crept up his neck and seemed to push out his ears, both of which poked through the sides of an awful bowl haircut. At fourteen Earl hanged himself from the rafters of the rickety barn Grandma Clara soon thereafter burned to the ground.
----Uncle Billy was the kid’s favorite photo of the four, not least because the then-twelve-year-old most resembled the kid at that age. Billy’s was a headshot, tight, lots of negative space, with only half his face crowding the grainy right side of the frame. His one visible eye was partially closed, caught in quarter-blink. The slur of freckles across his nose would disappear by the time Billy was sixteen and he threw himself off the Portage Dam two towns over.
----Jack, though first-born, was the last uncle to die. In the only wide shot of the four, Jack sat hugging his knees to his chest on the front stoop of the uncles’ tiny boyhood home. It was late autumn judging by the skeletal maple tree dominating the foreground. The kid always felt a chill standing before these family ghosts, and Jack’s figure, a seeming afterthought in his photograph, made it worse. Jack put a gun in his mouth a week before his eighteenth birthday.
----The four-by-six-inch dead uncles lined a darkened, seldom-used hallway leading from the laundry room to the kid’s father’s locked den. Each print was mounted between two thin rectangles of glass then hung from thin-gauged wire on its own clear thumbtack. This precarious presentation always struck the kid as angry, as if his father – who created the tableau – was just waiting for these memories to shatter, was asking for an excuse to duct tape the garage shut and then start the car.

***

----Why the father never followed in the footsteps of his dead brothers the kid didn’t know; the father was tight-lipped about so many things. If once it was to spare Grandma Clara from yet another loss, she was long gone now and wouldn’t know the difference. Maybe growing up with all that death made the father appreciate life that much more. Maybe he lacked the internal resolve needed to overwhelm one’s will to live – that primordial battle’s a real struggle. Or maybe the father simply loved the kid too much to do that to him.

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The Eighteenth Arrondissement
Or
The Novel I Would Write If I Were a More Talented and Serious Writer

----The novel I would write if I were a more talented and serious writer would be 325 or 340 or 415 pages long, i.e., substantial but still tight, long enough to be considered seriously yet not so long to be considered “bloated” or “in need of an editor.” It would make a beefy, but not unwieldy, slab of a trade paperback (no hardcover edition; trade paperback only – like American Psycho). The spare, elegant cover design would feature a photograph with lots of negative space or a “naïve” line drawing with lots of negative space, both tastefully paired with either a sans serif typeface or some “naïve” hand-drawn lettering:

THE EIGHTEENTH ARRONDISSEMENT

a novel

DAVID RICHARD HOULE

 The cover stock would have that matte, vaguely rough finish like Random House’s Vintage International editions of Girl, Interrupted or Pnin.

Down the road, instead of a movie tie-in redesign featuring stills from the film or the official movie poster, we’d keep the original, iconic cover but add a “Now a Major Motion Picture” sticker that essentially markets the novel’s silver screen incarnation while still allowing the serious reader to peel off any reminder that she’s being marketed to. Incidentally, the film adaptation – both a domestic and international sleeper hit – will perfectly compliment the book; that is, it’ll stand on its own as a work of cinematic art, à la The Silence of the Lambs (also, like Lambs, nabbing the big four Academy Awards, plus Best Adapted Screenplay), but not detract from the detail and nuance and beauty inherent in reading a fully-imagined 325- or 340- or 415-page novel.
----After several million copies sold, the novel I would write if I were a more talented and serious writer would receive the mass-market paperback makeover. It would be sold in drugstores and airports. That, after all, proves your book has really made it.

______________________________

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*

p.s. Hey. So, I've pretty much laid out how I hope the workshop will work up above. I'll just add that while the closer your attention is and the more detailed your responses are to daveyhoule's stories, the better, of course, even a simple acknowledgment that you read the work and/or any thoughts you can share at all, however brief, would obviously be great and would mean a lot to the author. Thanks a lot for your attentiveness and participation. Like I said above, I'll add my thoughts in the comments arena towards the end of the weekend. ** Misanthrope, Well, at least with news on the internet, you make choices, and you have be active and do things, and it's a lot harder to sequester yourself with a single slant 'cos the internet encourages you to move from place to place, keep moving, and you can check different perspectives so easily, even at the same time, unlike with cable TV news where you're encouraged to be almost totally passive, pick one of the few channels, and let it flow into you. On American TV news, there's barely any distinction between serious and celebrity news anymore. Gingrich loses his shit in a debate, and almost all you hear about the debate is how he lost his shit filtered through infinite spin about whether that's good or bad, and the only real difference between Gingrich losing his shit and a Kardashian losing her shit is that you're told that the former was a more substantive wack attack because he's running for President, but it's not more substantive, it's just a guy in politics losing his shit. I don't know. If you're not in America all the time right now, America seems insane, almost lock, stock, and barrel. ** Kyler, Hey. I enjoyed the story a lot. It's very sharp, and that sharpness has a lot going on in it, and yet it's all very clear, and yet the poetry inside isn't weeded out by the sharpness. Kudos, man. ** Ratty St. John, Hey! Ooh, nice sentence. That first one, or, wait, second one, i.e. ' ... subjecting the norm to flakes of my freak'. That's super good. So, you do mostly write fiction or you think of it that way. It's especially hard to make the distinction when you've only heard someone's work read aloud like I have with yours. Have you published your writing anywhere? I don't need to tell you, I'm sure, to be wary of people who have issues with poetic passages in others' work. They should be so gifted. There are people who are scared of the poetic or think that it surely must be some kind of mistake by the writer because, well, their imaginations are either losers or fascists, ha ha. If they only knew. ** Empty Frame, Hey. I'm cool, just *cue broken record* too busy. That's going to be my lot for the next month at least. Michael S. does start crying in interviews sometimes. He's very into it. He really cares about literature. I have a cuckoo clock in my LA pad. Well, it's my pal/roommate Joel's. From his grandma, and it doesn't work, but I'm hoping some of those links on the post might help him figure out how to begin to fix it, which is easy for me to say since I wouldn't have to hear it go off hourly. Cool that you scored that very well placed hotel. The ticketed events ... You can buy tickets now. I'm going to add the 'buy' links when I post the final schedule. I don't think you need to worry about tickets yet, at least for 'Them'. Let me find out the score on that stuff once I start working full-time at the Pompidou late next week. I love Steven Millhauser. He's definitely one of my favorite American writers. His recent short story book was on my 2011 'best of' list. I think he's wonderful. A great, unique writer. Porn film, interesting. You don't know what genre? Hm, very intriguing. Sneak more info to me as you learn it if you can. ** David Ehrenstein, 'Celine and Julie' are on youtube! That is a new development, right? Happy Birthday to Federico! ** Casey McKinney, Hey, Casey, old buddy! You awesome? Thanks about the cuckoo clock post. It had some of my sweat and blood in it. Mousetrap Day: You mean, like, the game 'Mousetrap'? The one where you build that kind of Rube Goldberg-esque plastic toy labyrinth with the rolling ball and all that? I love that game. Is that what you mean? I will totally try to do a Day on that. Or do you mean on mousetraps that, like, trap mice? That could be edgy. Man, it's awfully nice to see you! ** Kiddiepunk, M-ster! Those new animal spirit things of yours fucking rock, man! Ooh, pre-production! So, having Bene out of the house slaving over dolls has had a good side, it seems? Want to see you. I'll call you today. Also, nachos must be eaten by me soon while in the company of illustrious guests like you, don't you think? ** Sypha, Hi, James. Oh, right, Bieber's a serious Christian, right? And a Republican, anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, the whole right wing shebang but without the insane lunatic fringe part, right? I think I read that. ** Alan, Hey. Yeah, I do know about that book, but I didn't know it was out until you presented that link. Bill Mohr, the author, was in the LA poetry scene, and he was one of the few older, old school poets who liked and hung out with us young rebel types. He's been working on that book for at least a decade. I think he interviewed me for it ages ago. I'm actually quite excited to read that book. A lot of us have been hoping for a serious book about the history of LA poetry for forever, and I'm pretty sure Bill has done a great job at realizing that kind of book. Thank you a lot! ** A.r., Hi, A. The AV Festival, cool. I'll look that up. It sounds really fantastic, actually! March 17th. I'll probably be preoccupied dismantling the 'Teenage Hallucination' festival then, but I'm going to see if there's any way I can go to that. Cool thanks, my man. Great weekend of heavily gilded etc. to you. ** Todd (once IF), Hey, Todd! Wow, really great to see you! Awesome news there on your end all the way around! That's really, really happy making. Yeah, I saw an email from you in my box this morning before I was caffeined enough to see straight much less read, and I'll get to it and write to you about all that this weekend for sure. Cool sounding agent there. Man, yeah, lovely to see you, my friend, and more soon from me, and, yeah, just great all around, Todd! ** MANCY, Oh, man, thank you for the links and info 'cos I did decide that, yeah, I want to do a French BM post of some sort, and that'll be a super huge help. I'll try to do it justice. I'll hope that my semi-virginal approach will lead to something interesting. Yeah, I really, really appreciate that! Awesome news about the zine and the other RA-destined thing. Yes, please, alert me when it's up, and if by any chance you want to use the blog to help let people know about the zine, I would be very happy to have a post here doing just that. Just say the word and we can sort it out, if that's of any interest. ** Allesfliesst, I'm going to try with the Pompidou. I'm not sure if I'll lay out the craziness that could result from such a booking first thing, though. I can tell just from the big hassle surrounding the dead animal component in 'Them' going on right now that it's probably best to get the Pompidou excited without introducing the possibility of reservations first. Well, please do participate in the writers workshop, obviously. If you want more pressure, give me a hint about how to apply it respectfully. I love the jellos. I 'liked' them, and I like them, and I want to eat them, even that murky one. Murk is good when it wiggles. ** Wolf, You did, you did! I can't wait to hang out too. And the falafel thing is already RSVPed. Or it is now. Gosh, okay, I'll see what I can coax out of Stephen in terms of a musical portrayal of his brain in your private regard. He's in a good mood right now, so heads up. Skiing! You skiing! You know, why the hell not? I am impressed. That's the God's truth. I was just reading yesterday that there's going to be this new amusement park built here in France near Paris called Napoleonland. Yes, it's true. And I mention this because the ride they're hyping the most is some thing where you'll fake ski down some mountain through piles of bodies of dead soldiers representing the soldiers killed by Napoleon and his military dudes at some battle that I think took place on the land where the amusement park is going to be built. Can you believe that shit? I am, duh, excited. ** Pisycaca, Hi, Montse! Oh, I see, that makes sense. It's lame of me, but I always forget about the War and the unbelievable toll that took on Spanish culture. Anyway, Val del Omar is obviously really special, so I imagine he'll be a lot better known within a few years. Thank you so much again for yesterday and for all it wrought. Great weekend to you with much love attached. ** Statictick, Okay, cool, about the questions, no problem. I'm just blanking on what Minus is, but I guess I'll find out. Cool that you Matthew are going to meet, and, yes, Jack is a pip among pips, that Jack. And cool about your approach to the workshop, of course. ** Rewritedept, Oh, shit, that's the name of a strip club there? Busted? No, I don't know what the zipline is. The name suggests certain properties, but I'll google it. I haven't been to Vegas in, god, 7 years maybe? Whoa. I think Siegfried & Roy were still in one piece. I think Cirque de Soleil was still a cool, underground thing to go see. That long ago. I think your clothes thing sounds totally legit and non-rank. Nice busy day you had there, or, is it today? It's hard to tell with the time difference sometimes. Enjoy or enjoyed as the case may be. Excellent weekend to you as well. ** Frank Jaffe, Hey Frank! 400 is a real crowd crowd, and, yeah, I still get stage fright, or at least whenever I can see the audience from the podium or whatever. When they're blacked out, I'm usually okay. Yeah, I got the email and awesome! #2 looks possibly even greater than #1, to judge by the samples. One thing: When is the zine coming out? In other words, for when should I schedule the post? Tell me, and it will be yours. Thank you! I did Ecstacy a fair bit, but not since the mid-90s, I don't think. If I've done MDMA, I didn't know it. For me, Ecstacy was great for being in stimulating environments and having fun more than, say, for hanging out and watch TV or something. Actually, I had an amazing time being on Ecstacy at Disneyland, but a friend of mine who was also with me and was on Ecstacy had a bad time and got paranoid and stuff. Dancing is a good way to spend it, obviously. Just be sure to stay hydrated. Yury has done MDMA a bunch of times, and I think he would caution you not to take too much of it. He overdid it a couple of times and had really bad experiences. Anyway, that's the extent of my knowledge/advice for now, I guess. Very cool weekend, F-ster! ** STOVALLSTOVALL, Hey. You're back where you came from, safe and sound. Well, I guess it's not where you came from, it's where you ... usually don't leave? I'm pushing it with the thinking things out angle here. Sorry. Cool about the classes except for that gsi. It has been raining here too. I know there must be some way to walk around holding an umbrella over your head that doesn't feel like you're just missing out on seeing stuff. You probably don't use umbrellas, right? I don't know why I think that. I see you taking the hood approach or just letting the sky happen to you unabated. Maybe I have this weird idea in my head that people in the Bay Area don't use umbrellas, I have no idea why. Or why I'm even talking about that, ha ha. Fine weekend on your end, I sincerely hope. ** Right. Please let your kind attention, concentration, and thoughts/ comments of all sorts rain down on our pal daveyhoule this weekend, okay? Thank you very much. And I'll see you in the comments area once Sunday is on its last legs, at least here in Paris.

Pisycaca presents ... Val del Omar: an Unknown Film Director, Inventor and Poet

2012-01-20T00:59:00.000-08:00

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'José Val del Omar was born in Granada, Spain, on October 27th, 1904. From early childhood he amused himself by projecting images magic-lantern fashion, and after a stay in Paris in 1921 he discovered his vocation in the cinema. In 1925 he made a full-length film, En un rincón de Andalucía [In a Corner of Andalusia], which he subsequently destroyed, considering it an artistic failure.

In 1928 he used the specialized press to publicise his astonishingly precocious ideas for a variable-angle lens, for concave screens and for achieving relief effects by means of lighting, effectively prefiguring some of the most significant lines of his later researches and discoveries.' -- Val del Omar official website

After moving to Madrid he became involved in the film scene and in progressive educational circles there, and from 1932 to 1936 he was active in various branches of the Spanish Republic’s Pedagogic Missions. During those years he made a large number of documentaries – more than forty, according to some sources – of which, unfortunately, only a few have survived.

He went on to make Fuego en Castilla [Fire in Castile], whose lengthy gestation extended from 1956 to 1959, in which he introduced the fundamentals of his TactileVision or pulsatory tactile lighting. The power of his images and his electro-acoustic soundtrack earned him a number of awards at film festivals: Cannes 1961 (the year that Buñuel received the Palme d’Or for Viridiana), Bilbao 1961 and Melbourne 1962.' -- Val del Omar official website

Fuego en Castilla (Fire in Castile)

Acariño galaico (Galician Caress)

Aguaespejo granadino (Water-mirror of Granada)

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'José Val del Omar (Granada, 1904-Madrid, 1982) cannot be pigeonholed, despite the fact that his deepest roots are in film. He belonged to a generation that believed in film as a full-fledged art, rather than as the new opiate of the people. Moreover, his ties to film are those of an outsider artist with very few works—at least, very few surviving works. A rarity in the context of Spanish filmmaking, which is hardly given to experimentation, he has gradually become a cult figure whose reputation and stature continue to expand.

Val del Omar spent much of his time exploring technology related to the innovations in film in his time (sound film, color, wide screen and so on), as well as other fields including electro-acoustics, radio, television and the educational applications of audiovisual media. Some of his inventions sought to offer practical solutions, especially in the threadbare economy of Franco’s Spain, which depended largely on imported technology, film stock and other resources. Others explored the idea of the comprehensive artwork with a rare and visionary instinct—all the more so when we consider that he made many of these ideas public between 1928 and 1944. They include Screen Overflow and the quest for acoustic and visual cubism using enveloping diaphonic sound and tactile vision, with its blinking, pulsating light. Moreover, Val del Omar stayed up to date on the latest media and technology and even glimpsed the possibilities offered by cybernetics, laser, digital video and mixed media.' -- Museo Reina Sofía

Collage

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Further

Val del Omar Official Website

Video: Val del Omar's PLAT technique

Documentary teaser on Val del Omar (with English subtitles)

Val del Omar exhibition @ La Virreina, Barcelona

Val del Omar exhibition @ Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid
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*

p.s. Hey. D.l. Pisycaca has a real find for us today in the form of the unreasonably under-known filmmaker and artist Val del Omar. As designated your post constructor, I've had time to investigate him and his work already, and thus I can assure you as best I can that you're up for a total reward today. Seek it out, please, and thank you, and thanks upon thanks to our generous and cogent guest-host. Also, don't forget that beginning tomorrow and carrying through the weekend will be the next installment of the DC's writers workshop, and I hope you'll participate. ** Bollo, There are not a lot of Leve's photos online, it's true. I think there is a catalog or two out there, and surely there's either a comprehensive of some sort book or one due soon. Thanks about the cuckoos, man. The text writing for the festival continues to go this morning, and let's just say it won't be in any collected texts of DC anytime soon. ** Kyler, Hi. I got totally waylaid yesterday by more to do than the day could allow, so I'm set to read your story this evening finally. You okay post-tooth thing? ** Wolf, Yay! Thank you for your attentiveness and wit. I feel much better now. What up? Oh, you're coming over for a few days of festival goodness? Really? Fantastic! I think Gisele might even be back from NYC by then. I am happy! Your gift to me is a big success! ** David Ehrenstein, I did not know about that new Cocteau Museum. Wow, I need to get within its vicinity somehow. I wonder why they built it so far the fuck away from Paris? Maybe he was born there? Anyway, gracias for the news! That Berge guy is doing a bunch of pretty cool stuff with his/YSL's fortune over here. I wouldn't have guessed he would for some reason. ** Stephen Tully Dierks, Hi! Thank you kindly about the Bookworm thing. One of these days you'll be on his show, and you'll see what an intense experience it is. It's kind of like sitting in a cave high up on Mount Whatever with Guru Whoever but stuffier and wearing huge earmuff headphones and having all your 'wow's and 'oh, really's micced up to 'the world'. ** Ken Baumann, Ken! Yeah, the Totem Animals pieces are great, right? That Michael. What next?! Oh, wait, your book is next, I think. I'm jonesing for an early peek. I read about those body parts around the Hollywood sign. The 1940s are back or something. ** MANCY, Hey, man! Thanks a lot! Les Legions Noires is one of the few French Black Metal bands I do know. I like what I've heard a lot, and I only know a little of that mythology you laid out, and I only know about them at all because I was spending so much time in Brest for a while doing the theater work, which occasioned Stephen telling me their story and playing me stuff and starting me on the road. I'm going to investigate that group of associated teenage 'bands'. That sounds super interesting. Thanks a lot! That's a big help. How are you doing? How's your work and everything else going? ** Bernard Welt, Yeah, while building that cuckoo clock post I could not get away from that 'Third Man' quote. It dominates every search using that term, which is why I ended up leaving it out. From what I saw, there are a number of theories or guesses at where Welles got the quote, Greene being one of them, Duras being another, and I forget who the others were. Also, some versions of the quote have him saying Italy and in other versions he says Switzerland. I'm assuming it's Italy since you know your stuff. You're right that Pinocchio is pretty big for me. The Disney film is my favorite Disney, and the boy-into-donkey thing surely influenced my young imagination like the plague. There's a Pinocchio reference in 'The Marbled Swarm', actually, and I think I've probably used it in my fiction before, I just don't remember. Oh, sure, that Billy Mumy 'TZ' episode was probably sneaking around deep in my head. I don't know the Roddy McDowell film, but I love the sound of that ghost disguising him thing a lot. I'll track it down. Thanks, B. ** Paradigm, Promo text is a weird form. The heavy consolidation involved is interesting, as is trying to suss out the 'selling points', but I can't say it's much fun to write. Well, they will run out of extant Bolano novels to translate and publish eventually, and that should help. I'm definitely curious about him, but there's so much great stuff coming out now that I can't even keep up, and I'm just as happy to find a reason to sideline him. People always say that Michael is 'the best reader in America', and I have to agree. Yeah, luckily I was able to find enough cuckoo stuff that I didn't have to use ' ... Nest' to flesh it out. Fine day to you, man. ** Postitbreakup, Hi, J. No, I'm actually very shy. Being in large, partying, unfocused groups is always hard for me. At my readings and things, it's all organized, and I know my place, and I know I have to play the 'center of attention' thing, and I've learned how to do it, but the lack of structure in party situations just makes me want to find a friend and go somewhere quiet then talk one on one until it's over. That does sound like you had a long day. Brain death sounds entirely natural. Uh, I've fooled around with ouija boards now and then. They never worked. Unlike in the movies, when someone was cheating, it was completely obvious. My wishing abilities are gunning for joy in your day ahead as well. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben! ** Chris Goode, Thank you kindly, Chris. The way you felt about making that fucked up cuckoo clock noise is how I felt while making that post, actually. I think I put way too much into it given that it was in reality just another blog post flying by. The interview I did was interesting. It's for a documentary about the history of Queercore/ Homopunk. It's so nice when something like that Time Out interview happens, right? And probably the irksome previous ones actually worked as a kind of aperitif that made the fresh air even more breathable or something? Wow, that sentence made sense in my head, ha ha. Thai food, that sounds so good. I got a complete, full color, surround-sound mental image of you doing the Snoopy airborne dance, and it looked very good. Always happy to make Jonny wig out. Cool. Well, I'm totally into being at his place if my old haircut liking thing doesn't clunk him down to earth. I like hair. On the head. The more the better, on the head only, although I must say that you work the shorty-short hair thing pretty damned well, sir. Love, me. ** Misanthrope, Not to say that European TV is some kind of be all and end all, and I only really know the French version. I'm mostly just always relentlessly relieved that there are no 24-hour news channels here, or none that people watch very much other than CNN International and BBC World, which are taken with a grain of salt due to their American and British origins. Yeah, you know that I think Bieber looks like his head and soul are as hollow as a vase, and that's a total crush killer for me. I still love that term Belieber. It's kind of genius. ** Steevee, Hi. I still haven't had a chance to read your Wiseman interview yet due to yesterday-related non-stop shit, but I will get a chance finally later. I so envy you getting to see that sharp new print of 'Four Nights ...'. I don't believe I've ever seen it when the print wasn't at least a semi-mess. And I don't think they've yet screened that new print in Paris yet, which is so bewildering. Yeah, I think you know it's one of my very, very favorite Bresson films. In my top 3. I think 'Man Escaped' might be my favorite of his b&w films. What an astounding thing it is. ** Rigby, Hey, Rigster! Thank you a lot, man! How are you, how are you, how are you, my pal? ** 5strings, A Steve Miller quote?! He has a song called 'The Beauty Of Time Is That It's Snowing'. You probably know that. I can't believe that I know that. My mom was a Republican. My dad was a Republican until the late '60s he smoked a lot of pot and ended up in some kind of orgy in Big Sur, I think. Very, very nice Godardian riffing there, my friend. Oh, 1st and 2nd weeks of March ... I think the only 'Teenage Hallucination' event during that period that requires buying tickets is the Stephen O'Malley/Attila Csihar concert on March 14th. Berlin ... Alleslfliesst is in Berlin. I've never been to Berlin. ** Alan, Hey. Uh, redrum? ** Sypha, Well, I don't call people pervs every day, that's true. Of course the fact like you like some of his music only makes you even more of a perv, not to mention Paris Hilton! You are a libertine of the most outrageous sort, sir! ** Chris Dankland, Hi. Oh, I don't remember if I told you but your fine guest-post will be appearing here on this very blog on Monday, January 30th. Thank you again and again. That Postman/Mumford quote was very nice indeed, thank you once more. The 'Cat Soup' backstory is very dark. Now I really want to see it. The clip that you generously provided was forced onto my agenda for today due to too much stuff going on yesterday. Let me know what you think of 'Tamala'. I hope you dig it. Wow, that site/post thing about the cats looks completely amazing. I'll read it before I do anything else, and I'll try very hard not to swipe it for my blog. I promise I'll gather some ebook suggestions today and present them to you tomorrow. Yesterday ate me. ** Rewritedept, Thanks about the clocks, man. Oh, see, adding some ramen to the salad dinner makes all the difference in my imagination's ability to enjoy your dinner. Just those tiny extra ounces change everything. I want to go to Vegas. I've been wanting to go to Vegas for ages. I miss Vegas. Well, I miss the Strip and its crazy hotels because that's the only Vegas I know. Oh, I guess I know 'downtown' too, or the part that has that computer animation screen/roof over the street, which is probably not even downtown. Oh wait, I think it's called Gulch or something? Glitter Gulch? Awesome about the sterling band practice. Those are some real states of the unions. Everyone, courtesy of and even, I think, by Rewritedept: state of the union pt. 1: i don't need to hear or talk anyway and state of the union pt 2: my apartment needs furnishing. ** Pisycaca, There you are, bud. Thank you for today. His work is quite interesting. I still don't totally understand why he is so forgotten and overlooked. Do you have a theory? The very final 'Teenage Hallucination' schedule is, of course, what with the Pompidou being the Pompidou, taking a little longer than they had promised. The things that I remember you being interested in: 'Winchester Mystery House' talk, 'Them', and, mm, was there something else, are set and firm. The dates currently on the schedule page are the correct ones. They won't change. The only things that are still in flux are the Robbe-Grillet/Michel Fano event, the 'Tableau Vivant' talk, and the Catherine Robbe-Grillet event. The Stephen/Atilla concert is on March 14th. So, you can go ahead and get your tickets anytime without worries. Just so long as you make sure Mick will be okay. That's important. Thank you again, my pal, and love to you. ** That's that. Give as much of your all as you can to Pisycaca's post today, guys, thank you. I'll see you with the workshop in tow tomorrow.

The Hourly Gift

2012-01-19T00:59:00.000-08:00

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Topic

''It's too early yet,' thought he, glancing at the hairdresser's cuckoo-clock, and seeing it was only nine.' -- Gustave Flaubert

'God does not play dice with the world. Yet there is now abundant laboratory evidence that unpredictability reigns supreme at the atomic realm. Newton’s majestic clockwork has been replaced with a cuckoo clock cosmos, hooked up to a random number generator.' -- Albert Einstein

'I wind my way across a black donut hole / and space that clunks. / Once I saw on a stage, / as if at the bottom of a mineshaft, / the precise footwork / of some mechanical ballet. / It was like looking into the brain / of a cuckoo clock and it carried / some part of me away forever.' -- Elaine Equi

'Switzerland is a small, steep country, much more up and down than sideways, and is all stuck over with large brown hotels built on the cuckoo clock style of architecture.' -- Ernest Hemingway

'Wouldst thou be taught, when sleep has taken flight, / By a sure voice that can most sweetly tell, / How far off yet a glimpse of morning light, / And if to lure the truant back be well, / Forbear to covet a Repeater's stroke, / That, answering to thy touch, will sound the hour; / Better provide thee with a Cuckoo-clock / For service hung behind thy chamber-door; / And in due time the soft spontaneous shock, / The double note, as if with living power, / Will to composure lead, or make thee blithe as bird in bower.' -- William Wordsworth

'Somewhere a cuckoo-clock, having struck between twenty and thirty, became the echo of a street city, which now entering the mew gave Quid pro quo! Quid pro quo! Directly.' -- Samuel Beckett

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Further

Cuckooland Museum
Black Forest Clocks .org
The World's Largest Cuckoo Clocks
Cuckoo Clock World
Cuckoo Clock Nest
Edible Gingerbread Cuckoo Clock with Internal gears
Cuckoo Clock Hospital
Cuckoo Clock @ Facebook
Cuckoo Bird Sounds

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Newbies

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'Do you want to make those fairy tales come to life, which you might have heard in your childhood days? Well, not all stories can come to life, but the Wildermann cuckoo clock for sure gives the feel of a fairy tale. This wall mountable cuckoo clock is a bizarre mix of modern tech, with it's red LED display, and old world materials and craftsmanship with the cut wood in the shape of wood forest creatures.' -- this next

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'This interesting project by French artist Stephane Vigny, is a combination of a cuckoo clock and a giant loud speaker. When the bass is loud, the largest speaker on the bottom is released on a hinge-mechanism and catapulted into the room, retreating back to the cabinet when the sound softens.' -- Make:

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'The Long Now Foundation are taking a much longer view than next year, or even the next hundred years. They're building a clock into the side of a mountain in Texas which will run for 10,000 years. The 200-foot tall clock is being built on a piece of land in the Sierra Diablo Mountains, in West Texas. It will tick once a year, with a century hand that advances once every hundred years and a cuckoo that comes out once each millennium. Carved into the mountain are five room-sized anniversary chambers; the one year anniversary chamber contains an orrery showing our solar system's planets and the Earth's moon, in addition to all of the interplanetary probes that we've launched during our first century in space. The orrery will run an automatic animation sequence once each year.' -- Gizmodo

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'Struggling actors in Hollywood have a new way to lose their dignity. As part of a new cereal promotion, a 66-foot cuckoo clock has been unveiled in Los Angeles featuring actors in costume as the cuckoo bird, or, in this case, shark.' -- CNN

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'Designer Chris Dimino created a cuckoo clock themed after Stanley Kubrick‘s classic The Shining. Dimino was challenged to create a cuckoo clock in which the clock itself, the cuckoo motion, sound, and the pendulum capture a moment in time fitting these elements to a concept. The solution was the classic moment from The Shining in which Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance comes crashing through the door wielding an ax. The clock mimics the moment from the film, and every hour Jack breaks through the door and the famous line “Here’s Johnny” plays followed by a scream by Shining co-star Shelly Duvall.' -- Slash Film

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'Dubbed the Nooka Cuckoo by designer Hannes Grebin, this concept cuckoo watch features a digital, Tamagotchi-esque bird that appears on screen to delineate the time. And indeed, its mixture of an angled roof and rounded bottom seems to merge modern design trends with the iconic bird house clock of yore.' -- Yanko Design

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'With themes ranging from violence, to death and even sex, these extreme cuckoo clocks by German artist Stefan Strumbel exaggerate the traditional cuckoo clock with elements of urban art and pop art. Five years ago he decided to stop painting graffiti and concentrated on his art. Strumbel’s clocks, which are based on traditional models but are adorned with grenades and handguns instead of rabbits and antlers, now sell through Galerie Springmann in Freiburg for $1,200 to $35,000 each.' -- Trendland

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'Wind these guns like watches with a key that’s stored underneath the barrels, and when they're “fully loaded” use your thumb to pull back the safety levers. Then squeeze the triggers. What emerges is not a bullet but the tiny bird, no larger than a cherry pit. It rotates around its own axis, flaps its wings, shakes its tail and moves its two-millimeter beak. It even sings. (Unlike the cuckoo in a clock, it doesn’t tell time.) On May 20, not one but a pair of identical singing-bird pistols, estimated to sell for 20 million Hong Kong dollars to 40 million Hong Kong dollars for the pair (US$2.5 million to US$5.1 million), will go on sale at Christie’s auction of watches. These pistols, which date back to roughly 1820, are attributed to the Rochat brothers, Swiss artisans who pioneered the art of mechanical singing birds.' -- Coocooclocks.org

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Oldie

'The very first cuckoo clock is attributed to Anton Ketterer of the village of Schönwald who added the famous cuckoo to his clocks in 1738. It is possible that the rooster clocks were Ketterer’s inspiration. It was certainly easier to make a clock go “coo-coo” than making it crow, but it still must have been difficult to develop the mechanism to do this. Ketterer’s answer was the same gadget that is used today; twin bellows that send air through small pipes like a pipe organ. By this time, clockmaking had become widespread in the Black Forest, and folks began to specialize. Some cut gears, others carved the decorations or made the cases, and still others did the painting. Many cuckoo clocks in the 18th and 19th centuries were painted with elaborate scenes on the front of the case. According to one source, in 1808 in the town of Triberg, 790 of the towns 9,013 residents were involved in clockmaking.' -- Salem Clock Shop

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Prop

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'This screenshot shows a cuckoo clock located in Jacques Renault's (character) cabin in David Lynch's TV series Twin Peaks. When the clock strikes the cuckoo's call is heard but the bird does not emerge and the doors remain closed, awakening Sheriff Truman's (Michael Ontkean) curiosity. After he opens its little doors several chips fall down, one of them is a notched chip from One-Eyed Jacks casino/brothel, providing another clue to Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan).' -- Cuckoo clock in culture

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'Dave Fleisher's 1937 "Pudgy picks a Fight", an episode of the Betty Boop cartoon series, undoubtly is the most inspired of the Pudgy cartoons, the nightmare sequence centered on a cuckoo clock being particularly imaginative. Its theme of guilt and imagination running away with it would be revisited by Disney in Donald’s Crime (1945) with equally impressive results.' -- animationreview.com

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'In Roman Polanski's first short film The Lamp (1959), a doll maker works in his shop in waning winter light, a kerosene lamp beside him, a jumble of dolls and doll parts, whole and broken, surrounding him. There are noises, too: a cuckoo clock chirps the workday's end. The artisan completes a repair and leaves, shuttering the shop from outside. Back inside, whispering begins. What else is in store for the shop's seemingly lifeless denizens?' -- IMDb

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'Certainly what is most interesting in this Tex Avery's short cartoon The Cuckoo Clock is its rare immersion in a dark and Gothic universe more associated with the psychological dramas of the previous decade (a mansion, a tortured main character) as with Poe's short story in which is informally based. Avery's tone of course is more subordinate to the generic conventions of the cartoon universe of its time, as shown by the fast reorganization from its uncommon prologue to more usual clichés of the cat-search-a bird in a Sylvester-Tweety style.' -- nickmovie

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Zack Lerner 'Cuckoo Clock' (2006)

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'The Raven (voiced by Mel Blanc): A raven who lives in The Munsters' cuckoo clock and repeats the word "Nevermore." When the raven occasionally makes smart alecky remarks, Herman throws objects at him. Sometimes, the raven will come out of his clock, but often only for short breaks, or to flee when frightened.' -- retroland

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'Bananas in Pajamas is an Australian children's television show that premiered on 20 July 1992 on ABC. It has since become syndicated in many different countries, and dubbed into other languages. The main characters are two humanoid bananas named B1 and B2. Other characters include three teddy bears named Amy, Lulu and Morgan, and Rat in a Hat. The bananas, the teddies and Rat in a Hat all live in the same neighbourhood, a cul-de-sac called "Cuddles Avenue". The show was performed using human actors in elaborate costumes, in the style of the British Teletubbies or Tweenies. In the show's early days, the voices of the bananas were provided by the same actors as were inside the costume, but the original actors eventually gave up that aspect of the show and substitutes manned the hot, stuffy costumes.' -- AnimationXpress

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'In Rupert of Hee Haw (1924), Stan Laurel as the king has been helped to his feet by the smallest guard you can imagine (Sammy Brooks, a real-life midget actor) in an act of duty. The sound of a cuckoo clock triggers a rather unnecessary reaction from him and he forcibly shoves the tiny guard to the ground by pushing the palm of his hand into his face. It's both cruel and funny at the same time!' -- Another Nice Mess

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Bird

'This is truly the mother of all cheaters — the female cuckoo bird will not only raid the nest of her warbler neighbor to steal eggs, she then leaves her own eggs behind to replace what she just ransacked. In a true testament of nature vs. nurture, despite being abandoned, the baby cuckoo bird is just as much of a con artist as its birth mother. Thanks to incubating an egg similar in appearance to the other warbler eggs, the baby cuckoo bird blends among the other chicks and is therefore treated and fed like one of the family. You'd think with the baby cuckoo bird's rapid growth (we're talking 10 times the size of its foster mother!) the warbler would finally take notice that something is amiss.' -- Animal Planet

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Muse

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'"The Cuckoo Clock" (1932) is a song for piano and vocal by Thomas Griselle and Victor Young. It was recorded in 1934, performed by the soprano Rosa Ponselle and conducted by Andre Kostelanetz.' -- allmusic

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Dr Acula 'The Cuckoo Clock': 'I'll shank you real ol' fashion style for the win / that shit is vintage / like us now? / i'm sick of your status quo / your so god damn literal / your kind is a dying breed / like us now?' -- lyricsmode

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'One song that totally stands up for me is "Cuckoo Clock" by Rachel Sweet, one of the Stiff Records mafia in the late 70s and a total Midwestern American girl. Yes, despite the fake British accent on this one. I think it rules. I wish someone besides The Mr. T Experience would cover it.' -- Detailed Twang

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'no description available' -- youtube

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'Video Game Music is Pretty Neat (HQ) #23: Lumines, the excellent and addictive puzzler for PSP and PS2 has had some excellent music as a core part of its game play. Series sound leader Takayumi Nakamura has released a few albums of the music. Opening with the serene “Cuckoo Clock”, telephone dials, electric piano and clock chimes are integrated into break beats that roll off your tongue. It’s a very well choreographed piece and one that sets you nicely into the world of Lumines.' -- Higher Plain Music

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The Beach Boys 'Cuckoo Clock': 'We knew it must have been late/ (Tick-tock, tick-tock) / We had no time to wait / (Tick-tock, tick-tock) / I went to light the fireplace / (Tick-tock, tick-tock) / I planned it all this way, and / (Tick-tock, tick-tock) ... ' -- songcoleta

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'American composer Morton Feldman intended Madame Press Died Last Week at Ninety as an elegy for his piano teacher, Maurina Press. I must say that the charm of Feldman's music usually escapes me, but this is a highly poetic four minutes. A cuckoo clock continually strikes over a slowly shifting texture of block chords, to evoke an innocent, almost Mahlerian vision of eternity.' -- Classical Net Review

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'The Monks' rhythmic attack is intact on "Cuckoo." It's the lyrics and vocals that strike one as eccentric. Burger's vocal opens the tune, swiping a page out of some outlandish Beach Boys' songbook. He nails high notes that no male, unless he's a castrato, should be able to hit. Johnston's monotonal singing voice tells an odd story about somebody stealing his pet cuckoo. During the bridge, fuzzed-out guitars and booming drums remind the listener that, yes, this is the Monks. Then, Burger reprises the chorus, jarring the listener back to unreality.' -- Liberal England

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Outro

'What is the horror film about an evil cuckoo clock growing insde the walls of a house that takes over the minds of the family living there, all but the son?' -- Anonymous

'A few months ago I was watching a 50's black and white movie where a possessed demonic clock is trying to kill a housewife and/or ruin her marriage. The clock is a wall style cuckoo clock with a feminine voice that makes the dog lay in the doorway so the wife will trip over it and break her neck. Anyone know the title?' -- Katie

'Does anybody know the title of the movie that has the evil cuckoo clock that attaches itself to the fireplace and starts to cause glitches in time, as well as turning the father and daughter of the new family into evil versions of themselves? I think the clock turns the entire house into a cuckoo clock?' -- Ry

'I'm looking for the title of a film that is famous (infamous) for a scene where a young girl is raped by a demonic cuckoo clock? Can anybody clue me in?' -- George

'Can anyone tell me the name of this movie a friend of mine told me about where an evil witch claws out of the vagina of some chick and there's a cuckoo clock where the bird is replaced by a tiny human head that belches blood when it strikes the hour? I think maybe it was Italian?' -- Avra
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*

p.s. Hey. ** David kelso-housman, I'm a number one son too, or the oldest sibling at least, although I'm pretty sure that I didn't do the duties which that position assigned very well. I'm sorry to hear that about your mom, D. I hope the x-ray and new pain meds helped do the trick. ** Allesfliesst, Well, Yury is kind of a little guy, but he does swim regularly, and he is, yes, Russian, ha ha. I'll go find your jello experiments on FB as pronto as possible. Exciting, seriously. I asked Gisele about Vinge/Muller. She said she hasn't seen the work, but she knows of it and has seen documentation, and that it's probably the work going on right now that she most wants to see. She says their work hasn't been seen in France, as far as she knows, but she and I are going to lobby the theater/ performance curator at the Pompidou to try to bring them over. He probably knows the work or of it, and it would seem to be very up his alley. ** Ratty St. John, Hi. Yeah, totally, about how the internet has helped make hopefully glorious fetishists and 'freaks' out of people who might have remained timid and roiling inside in the non-good old days. Well, I guess we're still roiling inside, but at least we have fuel, and those of us who are lucky enough to be artists get to exfoliate our roils in public in good company, if we like. I wonder if that sentence sets some kind of record for most usage of the word 'roil'. I've read the Saunders and the Denis Johnson book, both excellent, but I haven't read the Bolano. I haven't read any Bolano, isn't that weird? The hype is kind of putting me off trying him for some reason. I keep waiting for the Bolano mania to die down, but it isn't, so I think I should just go ahead and stop being such a wuss. Do you write fiction? Well, the line between poetry and fiction is a thin and often useless one, but I guess I mean, do you write things that you consider to be fiction? ** David Ehrenstein, Nice Scott Walker FaBlog. He should be impeached just for having the same name as the great Scott Walker. ** Tosh, Hey, Tosh! Oh, man, it's cool, don't worry, I understand. It was really nice just knowing you were here in the place we both love. Another vote against 'Melancholia' by another great man! I'm feeling less and less alone. Awesome that the LA Cinematheque is moving into such high gear. I think ours is about to do the whole Tim Burton show/retrospective that was at LACMA recently, so yours definitely wins for the upcoming moment. ** Stephen Tully Dierks, Hi, Stephen. Great, I'll keep my eyes very peeled for the piece of yours on HOUSEFIRE. That roundtable discussion thing sounds really interesting too. HOUSEFIRE has turned out to be a really great, increasingly crucial place, no? Anyway, yeah, thank you, man. It's always really a pleasure and honor to see you here. ** Pisycaca. Montse! I'm so happy to see you. Oh, your wonderful post is launching this Friday, tomorrow. Sorry for the late notice. I was going to write and tell you, but I've been in crazedville lately. I'm good just, well, crazed. Oh, the final, firm line-up for 'Teenage Hallucination' should be posted later today or tomorrow finally. I updated it a week or so ago with many but not all of the dates and times, if you didn't see it. Give your little dog a head rub for me, if he or she is into the head rubbing thing. Love from me! ** Hyrule Dungeon, Hi, J! Thank you for thinking of me at such a highly appropriate moment. I did read ATTA. I thought it was very, very interesting. I'm going to do a 'loved' thing about it in the next recently read books roundup post. I definitely recommend it. You good? What's going on? ** Kyler, Hooray! I, of course, will have to wait until later on to get to read it, but ... Everyone, the fine writer, d.l., and human-shaped connective tissue between us and the realms beyond/ around/ etc. us aka Kyler has a short fiction piece called 'The Loneliest Man On Earth' newly published and readable online at ASHE JOURNAL, and I think this is the first chance that folks around here have had to read Kyler's writing, so it's a momentous and warm occasion, and please do yourselves big favor by taking advantage of it by going here. Very cool, pal. ** Rewritedept, Oh, you sent me the question, no wonder. My email box is often a sad mess of languishing mails. Was it a big salad? I can only kind of eat huge salads for dinner. I like my dinners to weigh a lot. Actually, the 'French cheese is bourgeois' idea is an American slant. Cheese is really cheap here, so everybody can eat great cheese if they want. There's probably a cheese here that tastes like tillamook, but they don't call it tillamook. A cooking show post would be awesome. I wonder how many people here would be willing to go to the trouble of filming themselves cooking and then uploading the videos to youtube. It seems like a lot to ask maybe. But it's a genius idea. Maybe even two or three people would do it. That would be enough. Or even one person. You're not giving me too much to read at all. Don't give that a second thought. It's cool for me/us, and if it helps you too, that's very cool. Yeah, I guess I would go ahead and sing all of those lyric possibilities and just spread 'em out. All right, the care, and later, man. ** 5strings, Hey. Godard's good. Well, he's a lot more than just good. Big oeuvre there. Where to start? Hard to say. 'Pierrot le Fou'? I never could stand Sammy Hagar. He's like a cross between Ted Nugent and Jimmy Buffett or something. I think when I was a kid I was totally apolitical. I remember getting to come home early from school on the day JFK was killed and being all very cool with that and my mom stopping me in my tracks and yelling, 'What are you so happy about!' *slap* I hope your day is happening big time. ** Alan, Yeah, it does feel like that at HTMLG this week. Very nice way to put it. I kind of wonder whether the Megan Boyle thing isn't what inspired Blake or Gene or whoever to lock the doors. I think you're right that there's one guy out there somewhere who does nothing all day every day of his life but post comments there under various screen names. Thanks again so much for yesterday! ** Postitbreakup, Hey. Oh, that side effect sounds kind of, yeah. Like writing a novel. Like writing a great novel that gets bad reviews. Or something. Your link didn't work, but I think I got the idea of what to expect, ha ha. I can't even remember the last time I threw a party. I don't like parties very much at all, much less throwing and being responsible for them. Uh, the last party I can remembering throwing was for Kathy Acker when she came to LA one time, which tells you how long ago it was and how infrequently I do that. It was nice, not too wild, not too boring. Lots of people. Kathy was happy. ** Matty B., Hey. Yeah, that comments disappearing thing is a weird phenomenon. Sometimes I'll check in on the comments randomly and see a comment, read it, etc., and then when I check again later, it has completely disappeared. Oh, you've met Richard Cheim? I'll bet he's cool. He seems so, and his writing is awesome, obviously. ** Steevee, Yikes, Sorry to heart about the freakout but happy to hear that it flew right by. Link, great, that was fast! Everyone, the masterful thinker/scribe Steevee has just interviewed the great documentary filmmaker Frederick Weissman about his new film 'Crazy Horse' over at Studio Daily, and you can and really oughta read it, and here's how you can. Greatly looking forward to it, Steve. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. Oh, so it sounds you did hear from Generator, albeit maybe vaguely? PIPA and SOPA are a complete and total nightmare, obviously, but, from what I'm seeing, I think the outcry and protests have pretty much killed them dead. Still, yeah, it's important to be vigilant until they're not only dead but burning in hell. I'll pass on your thing and check it out myself later. Everyone, please read this important open letter from the great Yuck n Yum zine to the world about the PIPA/SOPA debacle. Thanks. ** Ken Baumann, Ken! Mm, okay, good, then wherever my curiosity leads me, whether further inwards or in a reaching-out direction, I'm very glad to know that your happiness will prevail. Very cool about the book cover, and for such a cool thing on top of that. Obviously, I'm mucho excited for the Higgs/Butler/Place thing. I assume you've already got your hands on the Sean Kilpatrick. I just ordered it. Way excited. Lots of excitement over here. ** NipperDog, Hey. Photoshopped escorts are maybe sort of like escorts wearing leotards, and leotards are sexy, or I think so. Yeah, 'The Wild Boys' is kind of a head scratcher, and, yeah, that's part of its excitement factor, or it was for me. See what you think. ** Paradigm, Hi. Yeah, same here about Amazon making foreign books more affordable than the beloved local bookstores. Interesting about the b&w and color thing in your novel. Yeah, yeah, that rings a total bell with me. Very interesting. I'm very curious to see if when HTMLG's doors reopen, there'll be some kind of group hug initially, or whether the usuals will rush back to, say, the currently locked post asking whether Blake Butler or Tao Lin is the better writer and immediately fill it with pent up snark. Good writing to you, man. ** Chris Goode, Hi, Chris. Ha ha, yes, simultaneous blemishes. We'll make them play three card jimmy with only two cards. I certainly relate to the having to talk about something that is supposed to do all the talking or none if it so chooses. Ugh, that must be really weird and hard to negotiate, especially in this situation. You know what I try to do if journalists allow, which they usually don't because they eat and expel meat: extenuate and/or illustrate the thing's charisma. Anyway, ugh again, and good luck fending off and with Time Out today. Well, Jonny's already done that bucket of water trick with you so surely using me to do it again would serve no one's better interest, yes? I still want to read there, long story short, although perhaps I'll bring along my umbrella microphone. Jonny has grown his hair out, or did. It looks good. I'm being interviewed on film today for a documentary about queer zines by the guy who made that recent Burroughs documentary, and I really needed to get a haircut, and my room is a psychotic looking mess, and he's insisting that he needs to film me in my room, and oh no. ** Misanthrope, UK TV is different than European TV. For one thing, they have a lot more comedies. The French famously suck at comedy barring Tati and a few other rare actually funny people, and yet they're proud like French people are, so they don't like other countries' comedies that much either, except for, you know, Woody Allen and a few others, so French TV is kind of serious, although the French are pretty good at being light-hearted, so that's something. The worst are those pop up ads that slip and slide across webpages evading your arrow for as long as they can. Those are evil. Bieber isn't even 18 yet? See, I didn't know that. Wow, you and Sypha are such total pervs! ** Chilly Jay Chill, Safe trip, Jeff. Man, concentrate on the work you need to do. The post will be awesome, but don't stress it if it's a thing too many. Kate Valk = god. Inspired listening? Mm, no, I've been way too busy and needing to avoid distraction. Because I'm The Writer, I have to write all the press/promo texts for all the Teenage Hallucination events and shows, and it's harder than it sounds, and the deadline is today, and, yeah, I'm having to stick to concentration-friendly silence at the moment. What about you, though? Any particularly good sounds? ** Statictick, Man, Jimmy's tough. You guys are certainly an interesting tough guy couple. It's very romantic, although that's easy for me to say since I don't have the physical fallout part. Questions about Minus? Mm, I don't know what you mean or I am spacing out, but, of course, feel free. ** Chris Cochrane, Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! ** Frank Jaffe, Hey Frank! Dude, a post is yours. In fact, I insist. It'll be a boon for here, and, if it's a boon for you, awesomeness! Send me stuff whenever you're ready. I was the same way about 'The Skin I Live In'. I mean Almodovar is great, and there was a lot of cool stuff in it, but I didn't think it was one of his best, and usually he wins me over re: the implausibilities and huge plot holes in his films with his style, but this time I noticed them and they bugged me. I mean, it was nice, but I didn't love it. Veggie tempura, huge fave of mine. I haven't had it in ages. I'm gonna find some. Yum. I did ask Yury about Oribe. He knew of it, and he said he has never tried it himself, but he said that it's very well regarded by people in the field, and that it's one of the favorite products among top professionals. So, he was impressed. Hope you got good sleep. French air very moist today but a little less chilly. ** Bill, Ha ha, that's true, isn't it? How are you today? ** Chris Dankland, That's the spirit and thinking about any rejections. It's true. Oh, mm, let me think on that ebook recommendation request for a day. I'm getting a bit fried, and I have so much work to do today, and I have to preserve my brain's cells, but I do know some ebooks I like a lot, and I'll make a list. No, I don't know 'Cat Soup'. Hm, interesting. I'll check that clip/link when I get done with my appointed shit later today. Thanks! Do you know the anime 'Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space'? It might be my all-time favorite anime. Totally weird and great. Emil Cioran: hm, yeah, that is even better. Ellen Degeneres? Whoa, I have to think about that one, ha ha. ** Bollo, Hey. Most of his photographs were porn/erotic ones. I think I said this already but, before he died, he was mostly known for his photographs, which is pretty weird considering how amazing his writing is, and now everybody's coming around on his novels, which is, you know, great, but, you know, bad on the timing front. ** Jeff, Hey! Thanks a lot for the French Black Metal tips. See, I don't know those bands at all. I'm so behind. I'm okay, just kind of very fried and overworked at the moment. I've heard really interesting things about that Tito Purdue. Let me know what you think. Reggie Oliver is new to me. I'll follow that link, and thank you even more. Excellent books are on the way to you, top to bottom, I say, That Teratologen is really something. Okay, man, gotta zoom out of here but it's great to see you. ** GAYUMBOS E-ZINE, Hey! How nice to see you! Your blog is looking super sharp, I must say. Everyone, for your delectation, GAYUMBOS E-ZINE. Take care! ** Okay, I'm done. I hope you like the post today. I kind of especially like it. I shouldn't have said that, though. Never mind. Just be yourselves with it, and all will be well. See you tomorrow.

Alan presents ... Pussy, pussy, pussy, marijuana: Brazilian Girls

2012-01-18T00:59:00.000-08:00

First, they are masters of misdirection, because although their name is “Brazilian Girls,” not one member is Brazilian and only one is female (lead singer Sabina Sciubba grew up in Italy and Germany, keyboardist Didi Gutman is from Argentina and drummer Aaron Johnston is American). Second, they are multilingual, because in addition to English, they have German, Spanish, French, and Italian lyrics sprinkled throughout their three albums. Finally, it would be hard to find a femme fatale more enticing than Sciubba, who is known for her dramatic stage presence and avant-garde fashion sense.

LAist Interview: Sabina Sciubba of the Brazilian Girls

Sabina Sciubba Discusses Her Music [video interview from the New York Times]

*

p.s. Hey. The inimitable writer, blog artist, d.l. and much more Alan floods his special light on the tunes and characteristics of the exotic, sadly defunct band Brazilian Girls today, and you know what to do, and please do. Thank you so very kindly, A. Oh, I wanted to mention that, purely by coincidence, as I was spotlighting Frank Hinton's wonderful 'I Don't Respect Female Expression' yesterday, its publisher Safety Third Enterprises made both it and another temporarily o.o.p. chapbook by the equally spotlit and wonderful author xTx called 'He Is Talking To The Fat Lady' available for preordering. There'll only be 75 copies of each available, and I highly recommend you score both before their time is up. Here. ** Misanthrope, Well, yeah, that pecker viewing thing is a, uh, interesting way to illustrate what I was saying, big man. Kudos. The ads on the blog thing just doesn't feel right to me. Or not right for this blog, at least. At the same time, I don't mind at all when others support their blogs that way. Oh, I don't know if I would say American TV is better than our TV over here at all, there's just a shitload more on TV in America. I think if quantity is the qualifier, it wins, but quality-wise, uh-uh. ** Bollo, You are the total king of applications, man. Smart move. That Bee Mask album is fantastic, right? He's killer. I'm so disappointed that the Pompidou took away the SS gig as I was so looking forward to seeing him do his thing live and hopefully meeting him. 'Suicide' is so good too. I'm excitedly awaiting Leve's 'Autoportrait', which comes out fairly soon, and which I hear is his best. I so wish I had had the chance to read his work back when he and I were hanging out a bit. Now, while I certainly treasure those occasions, they feel like such wasted opportunities somehow. Oh, I'll pass along your alert. Everyone, pay attention to this alert from Bollo possibly for your own good, please: 'just incase anyone here is interested: Open Call for Proposals. Deadline: 31 January 2012. eva International and Annie Fletcher would like to invite artists from all over the world to propose new or existing works for eva International 2012. http://www.eva.ie/home. ** David Ehrenstein, Oh, those painted on posing straps, wow, right. I think I was too greedy to find them hot. My my, how things have changed. I still kind of think b&w porn is the hottest. I've always wanted to make a porn magazine in the style of those early b&w photo-novella-like ones from the 70s. That last interview with Paolini is fascinating. I'll pass along the word. Everyone, courtesy of David Ehrenstein, here is the last and long lost interview with Pasolini conducted mere days before his death, and it's super interesting, no surprise at all. Thanks a lot, D. ** Kyler, Very cool about the public thing. Definitely pass it along via one of those blue link things that you're now a master of. Thursday, okay. Don't smoke afterwards, man. You can take the patch or whatever for two days. It sucks, but, dude, think of your mouth! ** Stephen Tully Dierks, Hey, Stephen! Well, those books totally honored my blog, obviously. I'm loving your new tumblr. Do you have anything new book-wise or ebook-wise coming out? Hungry. Take care. ** Richard chiem, Oh, gosh, thank you, man. Nothing but so happy to be able to turn my blog into an official member of your work's chorus. ** Alan, Hey. Thanks in cyber-person for the awesome Day today. I'd only heard little squibs of them before. I especially like that first song/video with the scrunchy techno-y hook. You were confused? Why? ** xTx, Hey! You made me a niceface. You and your work get all the credit, maestro. I'm glad you thought my love thing was okay. Stay great, be well. ** 5strings, Hey. Pasolini talks a bit about 'Arabian Nights' in that interview I linked to up above if you're interested. Always happy to find out that I'm less alone in my 'Melancholia' dislike. I thought they were fitting with you. Sammy Hagar so sucks. Let me the count the ways. No, too many ways. How about that he's a Republican. That's an okay place to start. ** Steevee, I'm super interested to see the Wiseman interview. Man, you are a speedball on the transcription front. God, I hate that part. And very cool about the Atlantic coming around. Things are looking up for your writing and for our reading. It's awesome. ** Ken Baumann, Ken! Well, life is always new, right, so if you don't stay new, you end up sitting on your ass in the past, right? That's what I think. Ooh, I'll see if I can control my curiosity. I do like drawn out surprises and yet, on the other hand, there's definitely something to be said about tightly possessing relatively secret knowledge. Let me think, let me think. ** Frank Hinton, Oh, hey! Mutual love is awesome, so thank you. Such a fantastic book. Blew me away. I can't wait for whatever is next. What's next? Tons of respect to you. ** NipperDog, Hey. The only thing about Ygor Rogy is that his photos are photoshopped. To what degree, don't know. A lot of escorts do that, and it's cool when you're not actually in the market for them, but it must be kind of disconcerting when he shows up sporting actual pores and follicles and other human stuff. I was thinking Ygor was probably his real name since it sounds more normal, but maybe his name is Rogy. I just googled 'Rogy' and found this: 'Rogy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.' The mystery thickens. Oh, totally, about the purely visual being as profound as anything else. I think that goes for sound too. I don't know about when it's writing or text. I think I draw the line there maybe. ** Mel Bosworth, Hey, welcome to here, and thank you for the eye compliment, sir. Your 'Freight', which I've heard so much great stuff about, has been on my to-read list for a while now, and it seems like you being here is some kind of sign from somewhere that I should get on that, and I will order it pronto, so, cool. Take care. ** Schlix, Hi, Uli. Thanks. Well, if getting to Paris is trouble, don't sweat it, but it would be great to see you if you can and want to manage it. Another Bee Mask fan, awesome! Yeah, he was one of my total favorite discoveries of last year. Take care, man. ** Chris Goode, Howdy, Chris. Man, I'm sorry to hear about that about which we will not talk. Oh, damn, could there even be less fortunate timing for yours truly re: GOD/HEAD? Answer: Fuck! Nice pic of you on the OVALHOUSE website, btw. Hold on. Everyone, Chris Goode, master of just about everything but best known as a god of the medium of live experience, will be performing his newest theater-based work GOD/HEAD in London at this place called Ovalhouse in late Feb. to mid-March, and you really, really, really want to see that if you are anywhere near London, have eyes to see, legs to walk or arms to wheel your wheelchair to the venue's entrance whereupon hopefully someone, maybe even Chris himself, might carry you up the stairs, and train or tube or taxi fare, okay? Seriously. Here's the scoop. Oh, I would absolutely love to read in Jonny's studio! Seriously, again. Let me get Teenage Hallucination out of France's hair, and then let's talk. Very cool. Board games: I like 'em. I don't think I've played one in years. I like the ones that have, like, relief map surfaces especially. Candyland had that, I think, and others I forget. I hate the war ones where you have those armies and you're supposed to take over the world or whatever though. My friends used to always want to play those, and I would watch TV in the background. Do you know this German theater artist that Allesfliesst brought up the other day: Vegard Vinge? I didn't until he bought him up, and it looks pretty interesting. I'm gonna do some kind of post on his stuff if I can, so, if you don't know his stuff, I'll try to do some kind of intro. Happy Wednesday, buddy boy. ** Katalyze, Hi, Kat. That Frank Hinton book is awesome, so, yeah, I hope you can find it. The no dairy buzz kinds of sneaks up on you after a bit, and it's kind of more like a feeling of hyperactivity but in a pleasant way. Watch for it. I don't think it was just me, or I hope not. ** Polter, Hey! I wish I had been at your party so I could tell you, pal, that you were awesome and that the love you spread felt good and was real enough. I can and did say that to you anyway, but there's no reason to believe me since I'm way over here. You're like the human snow globe! I have a snow globe fetish so that makes total sense. I would only shake you on special occasions. Yeah, I flew on my birthday, just one hour though, and in one of those little planes that look like fountain pens and wobble in the air every time there's even a slight breeze. It was okay, though, and we were not very high in the sky due, I guess, to the plane's smallness and lack of authority, and the clouds were thick so I couldn't see right from wrong outside, but that's okay too. Wish you'd been there. Love to you too, my friend. Come to Paris! ** Chris Cochrane, My eyes did some weird mixed-up trick 'cos I though you typed that Pink's Boris was making you happy, and I briefly tried to imagine that Pink could possibly record a happy-making song and then title it Boris. Anyway, Boris, sure, cool. You go Thursday? That's tomorrow! Someone or some series of someones at the New Yorker has been rejecting writers' attempts to write about my work for years and years because it's supposedly too nasty for their fine, high-brow magazine. The little review was a breakthrough at least. When you're nasty, you have to take what you can get, ha ha. Very safe trip if I don't get to interact with you before you take off. ** Sarah san, Hi! Thanks for popping in here. I want to read your work. I will. Are you really in South Korea? Take care. ** Chris Dankland, Thanks about the post. They're terrific books to a one. Well, of course you should submit your work. That's a no brainer, man. Just know that it can be hard at first when you're a new name to the publications and that any initial stand-offishness doesn't mean squat about your work. The writers that seem like supergeniuses tend to be the ones that are all deliberately mysterious about themselves because they just do the same shit we do. I think Lil Wayne is the angel of that whispering duo and that Flaubert is the devil. 'Witold Gombrowicz is the Lil B of literature': Hunh. I only know this and that by Lil B, but, yeah, sure, that makes intuitive sense to me. Hunh. ** Postitbreakup, Hi, J. My week is crazed busy but it's good so far. Any guest post of any kind that would interest you to make would be ace and hugely welcome, so, if you want, let your interests fall where they may and have your imagination be your guide. Thanks! What you are apologizing for? I can't think of a thing. ** Rewritedept, Did I miss your question? Sorry. My eyes get tired when I do the p.s., and I'm sure I accidentally slight people all the time, sorry. I like the French Black Metal that I know, which isn't a lot. I thought maybe when Stephen O'Malley moved over here, he might squire me along to shows so I could learn the French BM ropes, but he's more into experimental/noise stuff these days, and so am I, I guess, but I should investigate the local Black Metal scene more. Thank you for the reminder. Maybe I can do a post on French Black Metal. Doing posts is always a good way to learn about things. Of course they have avocados in France. I think they come from a different place than where American avocados come from, but, sure they're just as here as they are there. If you're asking me whether it's bad if masturbation gives you better orgasms and, hence, possibly, better sex than sex with someone else does, then my answer is no. Why do you think God made porn? The 25th. Chris Dankland, Pavement post by Rewritedept on the 25th. ** Paradigm, Hi, Scott. Yeah, you even have to pay for all that shipping of cool US books to Australia. That sucks. It's bad enough here in France. Or I have to to ask Shakespeare & Co. to order books, and that's worse except that there's always the chance that they'll realize they should start stocking all the many cool new books by young American writers, but that hasn't happened so far. It's totally weird: that HTMLGIANT sans comments thing. I thought, like probably a lot of people did, that my browser was fucked up. Anyway, it's certainly a tweaky, interesting thing for them to do. As I understand it, it's their 'no comments week', so I suppose the comments will be back this weekend? As ugly as it can get in their comments arenas, I do miss having the option to enter them. Hope your day of writing went really well! ** Frank Jaffe, Hey Frank! My eyes are really playing tricks on me today, weird. I saw urethra instead of Eleuthera for a second. Sounds fun even in its family friendly named form. The zine is nearly real! Yay! I'll do a post about it like last time if you want. Just say the word. Good morning. ** Jebus, Hey, Jebus! It's really good to see you! Guest post? Awesome, you're too kind, you really are. Here's my address: dcooperweb @gmail.com. Thanks! How are you? What's going on? ** Sypha, I think using celebrity voices goes way back. I remember CD-Rom computer games in the early 90s that had the voices of, uh, Malcom McDowell and Devo and maybe even Sean Connery? ** End. Let your eyes and ears and etc. be flooded with Brazilian Girls, talk to Alan, if you like, and etc., and I will see you tomorrow.

3 books I read recently and loved: Frank Hinton I Don't Respect ..., Richard Chiem What if, Wendy, xTx Normally Special

2012-01-17T00:59:00.000-08:00

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'I live in Halifax. Halifax is on the southern shore of an eastern peninsular province in Canada. This city exploded once, almost twice. I am kind of mysterious. Frank is partially real and partially fictitious. He (Frank) appears in a lot of Frank Hinton fiction on the web and she (Frank) appears on facebook and other places. Mystery for me is important. I think the internet offers different possibilities with regards to personal expression/interaction. The online Frank Hinton to me (Frank) is the most authentic version of myself that exists. If that makes any sense?

'I think that authenticity involves a person acting and responding to things and others in accordance with a kind of personal harmony. I feel like the community I have entered online has given me an opportunity to express myself and interact with a kind of people I never thought possible. I have always felt like I was a writer but my location prevented me from interacting with the kind of writers I admire. Because a part of myself is being nourished by the community I feel it provides me with a kind of nutrition that makes the other parts of my life work better. I think an inauthentic person is one who does not take opportunities to nourish themselves in experiences of passion. I think I can be trusted as a writer and an editor and as someone that wants the best for those within the online writing and publishing community. Part of the fun of a mystery is that it is only fun if you trust it. Wrestling isn’t real but it works. Magic isn’t real but it works and I think Frank isn’t real but it works, most of all for me and hopefully for others.' -- Frank Hinton

Frank Hinton Site

Action, Figure: Frank Hinton's blog

Frank Hinton's great online zine Metazan

Frank Hinton interviewed by Mike Young

'IDRFE' @ Safety Third Enterprises

Frank Hinton I Don't Respect Female Expression
Safety Third Enterprises

'Who is Frank Hinton? The author of the newest chapbook from Safety Third Enterprises? Why yes, but more so Frank, a manifested male character, is the voice of a woman searching out for masculinity while on an island of femininity.

'“He is made. In the chapbook he is made when a father dies. He is a kind of child idea, a child born into fiction,” Hinton says of her own creation within the narrative walls of I Don’t Respect Female Expression.

'Can men and women ever truly understand each other? At our best social moments we come to claim victory by only grasping at the patterns of our sexual opposites. In the grand scheme we stumble clueless. Hinton seeks to get past that, all the while enjoying the juxtaposition of female power and female powerlessness as they stand as a cage and weapon mixed together, a modern cocktail.' -- Safety Third Enterprises

Excerpt

(from 'All of the people in these pictures are dead now')

Here’s a picture of my dad.

Here’s a picture of Herbert Tevins my Linguistics professor at university. Tevins wore the same gray tweed suit to every lecture. He wore the same black t-shirt underneath. He stank and you could smell him no matter where you sat. He drank from the same little tin cup every class. He had a bald head and a beard of mixed whites and blacks. He spoke with authenticity on Wittgenstein, Carnap and Chomsky but he was at heart a true believer in most Chunking theories of acquisition. His pedagogy was often abstract. He would say things like “If Jesus was an extra-terrestrial we would have developed interstellar travel by now,” or, “An annoying noise annoys most oysters.” These things would come seemingly out of context. I had him late into his career. One day Tevins walked in wearing a shirt the exact icterine color of the paint on the walls of the lecture hall. He said nothing of it. Another time he rolled in the portable television-VCR and played a video he recorded of his wife leaving him. Here he was walking around with a home video camera shooting her as she screamed. She was throwing things and pulling things out of closets. He followed her as she dragged a suitcase down the stairs and outside. She kept shoving him and trying to pry away camera but he fought her off and said nothing the whole time. He pressed stop when she drove off in their minivan. Tevins turned to the class. “Authenticity is everything, children.” He had bypass surgery after retiring and tried to walk home five days post-surgery. His heart exploded while turning the key to his front door.

Here’s a picture (in sepia) of Ronnie, my Jack Russell terrier. He could catch a ball the day he was born. I left the door open on the way to the bus one day. He chased me outside and tried to catch me at the bus stop across the street.

Here’s a picture of you. I think you were in my dad’s old paddle boat on the Mahone Bay. I was standing on the dock. Let’s divide the photo into four sections. The upper left section is just water. You can see it was a bright day right off the top of the ocean. The water seems to shimmer even in the photo. In the bottom left section I can see the tip of your leg hanging over the side of the boat. Your big toe is drifting in the water. You painted it green. I can remember you sitting on the dock giving yourself a pedicure and then coating each toenail in that green. You said something about fish being attracted to that particular shade. You said you wanted a fish to kiss your toes. I told you I would kiss your toes. I think I kissed them that night. I think I kissed a lot of things on that trip to the shore. The bottom left of the photo is gone, cut away in one ornery scoop by the fire. The lower half of your body is gone, turned to a near weightless ash. The top left of the photo holds your face. It is the only reason I keep this scorched picture around. It brings you alive in a way no other photo does. Look at your eyes. You were looking right at me as I snapped the photo. You are perfect and clean and floating. Everything was clean about us. Everything was perfect until you burned away. Look at your perfect eyes.

Here’s a picture of me. I’m lying on my back in a field, the same field I’m lying in right now. In the picture there’s grass with little yellow spearworts here and there. It’s a sunny day. I’m smiling in the picture. I look younger and thinner. I’m all alone, just like I am today. Today it’s wintery. Today there’s snow on the ground and the sun is dipping and I don’t have a camera. It doesn’t matter. This moment need not be captured. All the really important stuff happens in absence of cameras. All the little real moments. Let’s see how long I can stay here in the cold. Let’s see what animals come to pick me apart and carry me away.

'Maggots' by Frank Hinton

Crisp frank tat 666

Stephen Tully Dierks reads Frank Hinton's 'The First Time'

______________

'Richard Chiem’s What If, Wendy is a haunting exploration of isolation in the midst of love—rather, the attempt to fill love's absence. The two characters, Jesse and an unnamed woman he’s met and brought to a motel, drink whiskey and discuss Jesse’s past (which hints at the unnamed woman's past, as well).

'Most of the story's narrative takes place in that past, as Jesse remembers his first love. This remembrance reflects the idea that we never live in the present, that we are always obsessively removing ourselves from where we are and placing ourselves in empty nostalgias by which we define our lives. ...

'Jesse argues with himself about the reason identity is necessary to tolerate existence. His own identity becomes a labyrinth while pouring whiskey into the glasses, consciously choosing to forget who he is, who the unnamed woman is, and to experience something new, something he wants so much to regret but can’t bring himself to. ...

'Chiem leaves the ending vague, hints at but never says whether or not this unnamed woman is in fact the Wendy Jesse knew long ago—an idea often implied. This almost doesn’t seem to matter to Jesse, as he is reluctant (despite his soliloquy detailing his past with her) to remember Wendy on purpose—he's just as reluctant to ask the unnamed woman who she is. Jesse’s only concerns seem to lie within the quiet epiphanies he has while trying to forget: I don’t know how to be good anymore.

'This line alone signifies the subjectivity of morality, and how morality is something not so much innate as it is a learned method of preserving hopeful interaction with others. Here, Chiem abandons not only identity but the social structure in which it is utilized.' -- Dead End on Progressive Ave.

Richard Chiem's blog

Richard Chiem's tumblr

Richard Chiem's 'Savannah'

Richard Chiem's 'How to Survive a Car Accident'

R.C. and Ana C's 'OH NO EVERYTHING IS WET NOW'

Richard Chiem What if, Wendy
Pangur Ban Party

'What if, Wendy is a short novel by Richard Chiem. It was published by the minimal/html site Pangur Ban Party in late 2010. Maybe early 2011. The story takes place in a hotel room with the song Lover's Spit by Broken Social Scene continually playing around two characters: an unknown female and Jesse. The female is a prostitute and Jesse is the buyer. ... Like most of Richard's writing, images are stretched, poured like liquid, heated to a vapor all at once. His imagery is like a perfume. You feel the notes between the gestures, though sometimes the sentiments are hard to interpret, like most good feelings.' -- Frank Hinton

Excerpt

The thing is.

I don’t know how to be good anymore, he says.

The thing is.

I can’t find anyone, he says.

She doesn't know why while listening, she wants her hair pulled by him.

When I was younger you know, he says, there was this girl on my street. A blonde girl. The middle school was only few blocks away from our neighborhood and we always walked to school together, or I kind of, I was really too scared to really approach her at first but we started to walk to class together because coincidently, because it makes sense, we leave our houses at the same time and eventually she was too tired or fed up of walking ahead of me or for waiting for me to pass her, so one day. She stops. She stops in my favorite spot along the fence with some cool vines and thorns and roses growing from within the ribbons of the twisted steel and she turns around you know? and waits there for me.

She fucking waits there for me and I am thirteen.

Do you want to walk with me? She says to me. We're both laughing while she is asking me this, like we were older then we were, we felt enlightened or like as if we were adults because I think, we realized we were finally going to accept something. Something already there, existing between us like human need for human need. That there was no avoiding one another. We were neighbors. We go to the same school. Walk the same scenic route through the park and baseball field with the holy glowing lights during the nighttime and evergreens. I told her I wished I asked her first. She said to me, fuck, really? You can have credit if you want when we talk about it to other people, she said and we were fucking thirteen. Who the fuck was this girl? Where did she come from? She was so intimate to me and so quickly, she felt like a time traveler or something or like my protector. My secret, beautiful protector and sometimes we ditched class together you know? and find a place.

Read What if, Wendy in its entirety here.

Trailer: OH NO EVERYTHING IS WET NOW by Richard Chiem and Ana C.

Richard Chiem drinks a Tully Bomb

richard chiem, frank hinton and the apparatus of independent online publishing

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'“It is difficult to masturbate about your father, but not impossible, as it turns out,” begins one story in xTx's Normally Special, voiced by a woman who feels certain that the workable image she finally manages to manufacture is “made up. It’s not any kind of fucked up memories dredged up from some forgotten, deeply buried incidents.” “I am pretty positive,” she adds. “I mean, there were other things, but never with my dad. I am pretty positive about that.” Incest is presented, on the one hand, as an extreme of masturbatory fantasy—a challenge of the onanistic imagination—and, on the other, as a formative trauma, standing as seeming pretext for the voraciousness of sexual desires or, at least, the calloused competitiveness of setting out to jill oneself off to “difficult” material. Violence and lust, violation and physical need, the vague warren of childhood memories and the hot rabbit hole of the adult moment—all these are churned together in one afternoon’s solitary act. ...

'The success of xTx’s narrators, her voices, is how surprised they are, despite everything. These are innocent voices, contemplating their scars. Yes, innocent voices narrating their masturbatory experiments, their rapes. And what they speak here is both the initial experience of bafflement at how fucked up the world is, how the world fucks people up, and, as they age, mature, raise children, their continuing bafflement, with, as one character says how “very, very useless” all defenses are, how terribly and terrifyingly unsafe the world is. Even masturbation—the private indulgence of fantasy—is not safe. ...

'The subjects at the heart of Normally Special are ugly, horrifying. The author’s gift is to portray this horror slant-wise. Moreover, the women who have endured and are enduring this horror, the women who speak here, are also remembering—re-feeling, viscerally, as in the haunting story about insects and Ohio—what it was like to not yet know, to be “pretty positive” about the world, seeing magic in fireflies and simple pleasure in ice cream. They are, also, still seeking pleasure, and—as in the story of the girl masturbating to what she’s pretty sure are manufactured memories of her father masturbating to her—experiencing such pleasure as a complicated amalgam of their pasts. Sexual pleasures prove treacherous navigation; these are intimate stories charting examples of such steering—stories of hard-learned lessons and stories of enduring practice.' -- Spencer Dew, decomP

Nothing to Say, xTx's blog

xTx's 'The Butterfly Lounge'

xTx interviewed by Noah Cicero

xTx's 'We Have to Go Back'

'Normally Special' @ Tiny Hardcore Press

xTx Normally Special
Tiny Hardcore Press

'The stories in Normally Special are artfully connected, linked by thin chains like those we hang around our necks with wrecked-love at their center. The book moves fluidly, shapes as it goes, & doesn’t ever leave us feeling severed.' -- JA Tyler

'Know that to open xTx’s Normally Special is to cut through caution tape, and what you witness there will at turns startle, shock, reverberate, and stay. Though sometimes brutal, sometimes devastating, I couldn’t look away. Especially not from the skill. Not from the beauty. Not from the truth. xTx is a voice unlike any other I know.' -- Ethel Rohan

'xTx’s stories embody the terrors, wounds and deep emotions that tremor through our bodies as we walk around in our daily lives, pretending everything is alright. Nothing is alright of course, but xTx turning our hidden selves into meaningful stories helps a whole hell of a lot.' -- Paula Bomer

Excerpt
(from 'She Who Subjected the Sun')

The hum of the bar has shifted now as the Keepers finalize their Coveted classifications. Dispatchers leave the walls and walk, waiting to be called. The tension is palpable but I keep my focus. It is important.
…..When the first scream breaks the drone I flinch involuntarily; my head begins to turn toward the noise, but I remember myself and freeze. The terror inside the pitch of the girl’s screams dwarfs any of the screams made by the animals used during the Trials. To compare them would be laughable. I could never be prepared for this sound or for what I know is coming. I want her to stop. I want to plug my ears. I do not. I can’t.
…..My Keeper raises his free hand and now I know it is my turn and I brace myself as calmly as I can. A Dispatcher drags the screaming girl next to our stools. My Keeper tells the Dispatcher to begin and he does. I hold my eyes to my Keeper’s and he raises an eyebrow, tilts his head, waiting for me to fail, but I don’t, even when he tells me to watch. I continue taking his thumb like a lover while the Dispatcher breaks the girl. A few minutes pass before my Keeper nods his head and dismisses the Dispatcher, who lets the girl’s body fall to the floor, useless.
…..When the gun goes off there are reflexive screams from many of the Coveted, but not me. I am still busy with my mouth and tongue. “Good girl,” he says, praising my focus. I want to smile, but cannot. I know my Trial Master would be proud. More Dispatchers begin making some of the failed Coveted succumb and I don’t react. Their Buyers will be upset. I am again thankful I didn’t scream.
…..“You are doing well.” He pulls his thumb out of my mouth and rubs its slick wetness all over my lips, pushing them like clay, smearing them slippery. I close my eyes and make no attempt to stifle a moan.
…..He sees this. He knows. He laughs. “I have made a good investment.” And then, “Your testing is over.”
…..He tells me to stay and I do. When he comes back he takes my hand and brings me to my feet. I am careful to bypass the girl, but I cannot avoid what has come out of her. I do not look behind me, but imagine the tracks my shoes must be making in my wake.
…..We stop at the Processor before exiting.
…..“Papers, please.”
…..My Keeper hands him a thick folder and the Processor scans the pages within, shooting glances at me as he reads.
…..“Looks good,” he says, closing the folder. He eyes me again. “Okay, let’s code her. She one for the cages? We offer transport help if you need it.”
…..“No. She’s gonna be a Subjected. My cages are full enough already.”
…..My heart leaps and untwines at the sound of the word, “Subjected.” My future has been classified. I can walk this path, I think. I hope he is not too cruel in his needs. Even if he is, I must endure. I am a Subjected now.
…..The Processor lifts the hair over my left ear and snaps open the disc that lies flat against my skin. He punches the scanner’s keyboard and aims the scanner at the exposed disc. There is a high-pitched tone and then a hot flash of pain in my skull like a scab has been ripped off of my brain. Before I can muster a scream, it is gone.
…..The Processor looks at my Keeper, now officially, “She’s all yours.”
…..I trail him through hallways connected with heavy doors until we arrive in the transport hub. He puts me in the back of his vehicle and begins to secure me. I slip my legs into the slots and when he smooths my skirt against the curve of my thighs, I tremble. As he pulls and tightens the straps I can smell his strength; the musky stench of it lies thick against my skin. I put my hands into fists and hold them together above my head before he even has to tell me. He clips the metal around my wrists stopping just short of pinching my skin, but then, as if suddenly discovering his reign, pushes the cuffs once more, causing the metal to bite into my flesh. I use my jaw to tame my mouth. I breathe.
…..He releases the cuffs and studies my face and then asks how I am feeling. When I tell him it does not matter (Canon 7) he nods, grins and shuts the door.
…..My Keeper drives the transport into the out of doors where the world is blazing with daylight. I surrender my eyes to the sun; holding my breath as the burning blindness reaches its peak then retreats. I am proud. I have beaten the sun.

'Normally Special' reviewed by Michael Filippone

Mel Bosworth reads xTx's 'Standoff'

Mel Bosworth reads xTx's 'The Boy Who Could Go Home'
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*

p.s. Hey. ** David Ehrenstein, I remember when I was really young and gay magazines were mostly the size of largish paperback books, and, when you could find a place that sold them, you could easily slip one of two of them inside a Playboy and buy the Playboy, and I used to do that. ** Chris Goode, Hey. Thanks much for the link to Lin's and Mathew's new project! Man, I hope they bring work to Paris. If I can get in touch with them, I'll see if they're into that and see what I can do. Oh, so you're performing 'GOD/HEAD', or I mean you're the main performer plus guests. Man, I so want to see that somehow. Do you have any dates and places locked down yet? Are you doing it in London? My new agent, who's based in London, wants to get over there to do a reading or something, and I would love to try to time it so that I could see your piece if possible. Ha ha, Michael also said the words Throbbing Gristle in the pre-edited version of the show. That was pretty momentous. I think my immediately having burst into laughter at hearing those words in his voice is what got the segment cut. Bad Dennis. Yeah, I agree with you about the legitimation thing, of course, but, yeah, I guess my attitude is that when something I wrote is already a bunch of books that belong to the people who read them, the work has to wander where they take it, and there's not much I can do except object when I have the chance to and feel like it. If I had been paying closer attention to the porn/poetry thing, I would have said they weren't dichotomous for me, and that certainly might have launched an interesting discussion. Damn my nervousness. It's beautiful here too, but really cold all of a sudden, which is also beautiful. Well, so far. Love, me. ** Alan, Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. That's interesting. It's strange that I've known Michael for so long, from back way, way before he was Bookworm, but he still cows me when uses his mind about what I do. I hadn't seen that Times mention. Cool, funny. I love that guy who wrote that piece, Guy Trebay, a really charming guy who used to write for the Voice back when the Voice was crucial. Thanks for the alert. And for the link to the great NYTimes review of the 'Knife/Tape/Rope' excerpt/performance. Yeah, it apparently went so well that Ishmael just emailed me this morning to say he wants us to revive/restage it, which is something I would really love to do. I hope we can. Thanks again! ** Alesfliesst, Well, yeah, ribs are fragile things, as I've learned the hard way a couple of times. I don't know if you were around back when Yury hugged me, and not even that violently, and the hug broke one of my ribs. Obviously, I'm all antsy/giddy about your girlfriend's jello experiments. Pix, please? Pretty please? Oh, I just saw that you'll post said pix on FB. That's plenty. I'm pretty sure I am going to try to do some kind of post on Vinge & Müller. Uh, yeah, I think trying to lay out my thoughts on the Occupy is way too much for the p.s. How about short and sweet and unsurprising: I'm totally behind what I understand to be the movement's basic goals. Well, if next month there are more interesting emo and weird escorts out there than there were this month, you can bet I'll grab them. ** Creative Massacre, To become a cop? Bleah. I thought they might at least train those who wanted to be the hosts of crime-based Discovery Channel, etc. shows. No, I didn't even know about that Sonic Youth book. Cool. I'll look for it. Good day, bud. ** Pilgarlic, Hi, man! How are you doing? Oh, I actually don't like the way any of my novels sound in my voice at all. Plus, I hate reading excerpts. Sometimes I kind of like the way my poems and certain short stories sound in my voice. Curious about that Derf g.n. about Dahmer. From the samples I've seen, it looks very frat humor-oriented or something. ** A.r., Hey, A! Where in the UK? The UK is big, or kind of big at least. You should meet Attila if you haven't. He's so not the guy or thing or whatever that he is onstage. You should come over and see him and Stephen play at our festival. You should live like a king. Signed, the man with the suggestions. ** Ken Baumann, Ken! Okay, that's good enough for me. I'll see if I can see 'Red State'. No reason why I shouldn't treat Smith like I'm treating Franco. I'm going to be a new me. Excellent about the new Sator title! And, if I read your FB comment correctly this morning, you've scored said title now? Dude! ** Killer Luka, I always imagine you wearing really heavy, serious looking, sharp heeled shoes for some reason, and so news of your trampling experiences give me phantom broken ribs, which is interesting, thank you. ** NipperDog, Hey, man! Welcome back! Ygor Rogy seems to have been the hit escort yesterday. Interesting. I would never have predicted that. I wonder why a Spanish guy calls himself Ygor Rogy. That was a head scratcher for me. Ygor Rogy sounds Eastern European to me. Maybe it isn't, though. Anyway, excellent book scores there. I like the look of those new Penguin editions too. Are we shallow to like escorts and Penguin edition designs? No, we're not! We just delegate some of our depths to a discernment when it comes to the surfaces of deep things. I feel better now, don't you? I'm busy and sort of happy, yeah. Are you? ** Steevee, Interesting about the Cahiers ranking. Maybe it was a defensive pick? I like Frederick Weissman's films, yes, but I can't think of anything to ask him. Have you seen the new one, 'Crazy Horse'? Or that's what it was called over here. Because it was about Crazy Horse, which is, of course, legendary in France, the film got a very wide release here with giant posters in the metro and everything, and it was amazing to see that kind of promo for a Weissman film. ** _Black_Acrylic, Thanks, Ben! For the fine words and for putting that passage on your blog. 'Playland': I knew that book under its original US title 'For Money or Love'. I don't think I ever read it, though. 'Playland' is a much better title. Playland itself was quite a trip. It was a big game parlor in Times Square famously frequented by kid prostitutes, if you don't know. It was still there and still semi-packed at times with very young male prostitutes when I first moved to NYC in the early '80s. Spooky, fascinating, depressing, electric place. I hope you hear from Generator, of course, and immediately, of course. ** Chris Cochrane, I heard from Ben and Ish, etc, yeah, and everything sounds like it's back on course and will be fine, and thank you for nudging them. The only music I listened to yesterday was some Om. I'm deadlining on something or rather many things, and they seemed to help. Sorry about work restarting today. But it's only, like, what, four days until New Orleans, right? ** Sypha, Really? About Plummer doing a Skyrim voice. I didn't realize there were famous voices in that game. Wow. I guess that's becoming usual-ish practice with big title games. Congrats on completing stage 1 of the 'Finnegan's Wake' marathon. Fuck Elton John. Not literally, yuck! ** Ratty St. John, That's what I'm thinking. Underdog victory, I mean. Maybe the next time I'm in LA, I should see if I have any of her high school poems and start the Rimbaud thing going for her, though. I don't know. Maybe she was like those high school guys who seem really amazing at sports but then it turns out that every school wants to have its own sports god or gods and it turns out later that the guys that get anointed as gods are just good but not great, and so they end up creating those great false memories for a smallish group of people, and everything after that great triumph is like just them running out the clock of their disappointing lives or something. I'm totally down with your missteps theory. I don't where I would be without mine. Well, when prostitution advertising moved full-time onto the internet, the hardcore and illegal ones got screwed. Actually, there are a lot of hardcore ones still around, but I think that when they have to type out their hardcore-ness rather than just strike nasty poses in low lit bars, language cleans them up or something. Russia has tons of underage prostitutes. It's like an XXX Oliver Twist kind of deal over there. ** Misanthrope, I don't believe in that better thing. I think every writer who's worth his or her salt is unique, but sometimes the writer has the hardest time realizing that 'cos intuition is both the biggest part of writing and the hardest part for writers to keep an eye on. Well, I know you know that they don't do that 'commercials every 12 minutes' thing over here. It's interesting to watch American TV shows here 'cos you can see all their seams. Yeah, I could make pretty good bucks with this blog if I added even unobtrusive ads, but, like Rick Santorum said about gay rights, that's a slippery slope, ha ha. ** Kyler, Damn, well, let me know when the issue goes up. Those RS guys are legendary for their slowness, their slllooowwwness. Very best of luck and everything else re: your root canal today, and enjoy the drugs, I hope. ** Bill, I think you could be right. About the Sunn0))) fan/escort. And he should just say so. It could only be good for his business. Those guys need guidance counselors. Sometimes I think of my blog as their guidance counselor. Ugh, allergies, to what? Feel a mega-ton better this morning, Bill, orders from 'the top'. ** Rewritedept, Thanks. About the escorts and all that. What is a climbing gym? Like those fake rock cliff things? Mm, yes, I think I know what you mean about the disastrous mutual attraction thing. Mainly from the past, I guess. Now that I'm sort of like 80% the guy who wrote those books and 20% the real me, the signals get more complicated and confusing and hard to read. Thanks for the link to the mix, awesome. Everyone, if you feel like downloading an awesome music mix by noted d.l. and musician and etc. Rerwritedept, you can do that at no cost and with much reward right here. That's a recommendation that you do so if it isn't obvious. Good day to 'ya, mate. ** 5strings, Parasuit says, 'Thank you, and who the hell is Mary Lou Retton, you old fart?!' Kisslow says, 'Because I come from a broken family, obviously!' istrip says, 'I've heard of that song. I don't listen to techno crap.' 3surfboys say, 'Cut the cryptic bullshit and pay up.' thefreedom say, 'No.' swaety says, 'I like you.' myassislikewhoa says, 'My ass is like whoa'. ygor rogy says, 'Only when I'm in a good mood, which I am not'. tramplingclass says, 'Is that a yes?' Attentioncraving says, 'My girlfriend is like whoa'. diplomatson says, 'Says you.' godoftop says, 'It's only 6, don't shoot it.' Drink_Sex_Laptop says, 'I think so.' thexplosionofthesenses says, 'You talk like a cross dresser'. imaboy says, 'Digestif if you must know.' ** Jax, Hey. Oh, okay, no, that helps a lot. I get it, I think. Guys in dresses: hm, yeah, there's this long, storied history in British comedy of inappropriate seeming guys doing comedy in women's clothes, right? Like, look, I'm obviously a straight man who's wearing women's clothes, ha ha, right? It seems like there's something like that. I'm not sure if I get the humor in that approach in the way that I'm supposed to, I don't know why. Something interesting to think about. Thank you, pal. ** Cap'm, Wow, that was cool. 'Or just giving up their sweat to the thirsty, heroes all': that's beautiful. How are you? ** End. Post: You know the drill. I loved those three books. I hereby share the love. Maybe you would love them too. See you tomorrow, in any case.