I was searching the internet for some paintings of the crucifixion and this amazingly odd, funny, wierd picture came up, which led me to the website of Brendan Powell Smith.
Brendan had an endless collection of Legos, and has whiled away the hours re-creating scenes from the Old and New Testament using nothing but Legos and some added-in comic balloon style text.
As he says: A splendid time is guaranteed for all. Except sinners. They will be cast down into a lake of fire to burn for all eternity.
But sinning enquiring minds need to know: At what temperature do Legos burn?
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Friday, March 03, 2006
Seen The Movie, Read The Book
Well, I've finally gotten around to reading Capote's In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences.
And it does deserve its reputation. It was a wonderfully written book, and seeing the film Capote certainly added some layers to my reading of the text.
The devotion that Capote felt for this tale is tangible. And the sympathy in which he treats Perry Smith is both touching and appalling. Capote seems to understand and in some ways admire Smith, yet he must have a resolution for his story, and that resolution is Perry's death.
In the five years that Capote lived this story, he has examined every possible angle, and every person, it seems, in the town of Holcomb...
Until one morning in mid-November of 1959, few Americans--in fact, few Kansans--had ever heard of Holcomb. Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow trains streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama, in the shape of exceptional happenings, had never stopped there.
It is a deeply rich story, horrifying and sad, and at the same time a brilliantly literary piece of writing.
Next stop - the film version with Robert Blake, before Baretta, before Lost Highway, and before the murdered wife.
And it does deserve its reputation. It was a wonderfully written book, and seeing the film Capote certainly added some layers to my reading of the text.
The devotion that Capote felt for this tale is tangible. And the sympathy in which he treats Perry Smith is both touching and appalling. Capote seems to understand and in some ways admire Smith, yet he must have a resolution for his story, and that resolution is Perry's death.
In the five years that Capote lived this story, he has examined every possible angle, and every person, it seems, in the town of Holcomb...
Until one morning in mid-November of 1959, few Americans--in fact, few Kansans--had ever heard of Holcomb. Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow trains streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama, in the shape of exceptional happenings, had never stopped there.
It is a deeply rich story, horrifying and sad, and at the same time a brilliantly literary piece of writing.
Next stop - the film version with Robert Blake, before Baretta, before Lost Highway, and before the murdered wife.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Movie Night - Dark Days
British model Marc Singer had heard all of the New York City urban legends about alligators in the sewers and gangs of people living in tunnels.
I was fascinated by what it must be like to be homeless, so I just started hanging out with some people in my neighborhood in New York who were living on the street, helping them out however I could. One of them would tell me about the tunnels. When you're on the street, you hear different stories about different things. I kept hearing all this crazy stuff, so I decided to go exploring to see if the tunnel rumors really matched what everyone was talking about.
So he did what anyone would do...he joined them, living in a dark, Amtrak train tunnel in New York City. It was a project that consumed six years of Singer's life, culminating in the documentary Dark Days.
It was nice as far as tunnels go, if that makes any sense. It just had the best variety of people in it. There was a really big mix, and the people had really done well for themselves for being homeless, more than in the other tunnels. They had built themselves these houses and all these different things. I was in awe of everybody, really. I had so much respect for them because I used to think, 'If I was homeless, would I be able to do the same thing?'
As he got to know these homeless individuals, his preconceived ideas of them and their lives changed dramatically. And then one fateful night, Ralph, one of his new friends joked that their lives should be a movie.
Even if all it did was make people not look with so much hate toward people on the street, it would be a good, worthwhile thing to do, Singer says.
And so the idea began. The fact that Singer knew nothing about movie making - he had never even seen a movie camera - did not stop him. He walked into a camera store, and absorbed all he could. He enlisted the tunnel residents as his film crew - each contributing their own unique skills. One talented resident, Henry, built a dolly and track system, as well as tapping into a city power box 30 blocks away and running cords all the way back to the tunnel where a single bulb could act as rudimentary lighting for the camera.
There's a lot of reasons that I wanted them to be the crew. Being on the street, you lose a lot of your self-esteem and your self-respect. Considering all of the other things that internally happen to you, you're really quite shattered. Being the crew on the film gave people a lot of that confidence back. It's a difficult thing to make a film, and yet they were doing this thing that you're supposed to be really educated in. That really brought people to life again. Also, I wanted to help them get themselves out of the tunnel. If the film was going to do that, they had to be a part of it. It would also teach people to work in a group again, work as a team, because they're gonna be back in the work force and they've got to be able to work with people. In the beginning, it was a little difficult because none of us had a clue, but after three or four weeks, they would say to me, 'Where are you going to film tonight?' and I'd get there and the cameras would be loaded, sound ready, lights ready, everyone's like a full working group. It was amazing.
And after a long, long road waiting for funds to appear that would enable the film to be edited and shown, Singer made good on his promise to get his friends out of their situation. He felt that people - even those in the harshest circumstances - could improve their lives when given a second chance.
In one of their darkest days, Amtrak officials decide to forcibly remove the homeless people from the tunnel, and the Coalition for the Homeless comes to their defense, ultimately finding housing vouchers for the 75 people living in the tunnel. The film concludes with vignettes of them thriving in their new apartments, living life out in the light of day. The DVD also adds more timely information on the life paths of the subjects. Sadly, not all have made it.
Quite an extraordinary project, and one worthy of respect.
I was fascinated by what it must be like to be homeless, so I just started hanging out with some people in my neighborhood in New York who were living on the street, helping them out however I could. One of them would tell me about the tunnels. When you're on the street, you hear different stories about different things. I kept hearing all this crazy stuff, so I decided to go exploring to see if the tunnel rumors really matched what everyone was talking about.
So he did what anyone would do...he joined them, living in a dark, Amtrak train tunnel in New York City. It was a project that consumed six years of Singer's life, culminating in the documentary Dark Days.
It was nice as far as tunnels go, if that makes any sense. It just had the best variety of people in it. There was a really big mix, and the people had really done well for themselves for being homeless, more than in the other tunnels. They had built themselves these houses and all these different things. I was in awe of everybody, really. I had so much respect for them because I used to think, 'If I was homeless, would I be able to do the same thing?'
As he got to know these homeless individuals, his preconceived ideas of them and their lives changed dramatically. And then one fateful night, Ralph, one of his new friends joked that their lives should be a movie.
Even if all it did was make people not look with so much hate toward people on the street, it would be a good, worthwhile thing to do, Singer says.
And so the idea began. The fact that Singer knew nothing about movie making - he had never even seen a movie camera - did not stop him. He walked into a camera store, and absorbed all he could. He enlisted the tunnel residents as his film crew - each contributing their own unique skills. One talented resident, Henry, built a dolly and track system, as well as tapping into a city power box 30 blocks away and running cords all the way back to the tunnel where a single bulb could act as rudimentary lighting for the camera.
There's a lot of reasons that I wanted them to be the crew. Being on the street, you lose a lot of your self-esteem and your self-respect. Considering all of the other things that internally happen to you, you're really quite shattered. Being the crew on the film gave people a lot of that confidence back. It's a difficult thing to make a film, and yet they were doing this thing that you're supposed to be really educated in. That really brought people to life again. Also, I wanted to help them get themselves out of the tunnel. If the film was going to do that, they had to be a part of it. It would also teach people to work in a group again, work as a team, because they're gonna be back in the work force and they've got to be able to work with people. In the beginning, it was a little difficult because none of us had a clue, but after three or four weeks, they would say to me, 'Where are you going to film tonight?' and I'd get there and the cameras would be loaded, sound ready, lights ready, everyone's like a full working group. It was amazing.
And after a long, long road waiting for funds to appear that would enable the film to be edited and shown, Singer made good on his promise to get his friends out of their situation. He felt that people - even those in the harshest circumstances - could improve their lives when given a second chance.
In one of their darkest days, Amtrak officials decide to forcibly remove the homeless people from the tunnel, and the Coalition for the Homeless comes to their defense, ultimately finding housing vouchers for the 75 people living in the tunnel. The film concludes with vignettes of them thriving in their new apartments, living life out in the light of day. The DVD also adds more timely information on the life paths of the subjects. Sadly, not all have made it.
Quite an extraordinary project, and one worthy of respect.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
New Orleans Update : No Crawfish But London Has A Giant Squid
More hardship for New Orleans. Due to drought and hurricanes, the annual run of crawfish (or as they say, mudbugs) is practically nonexistent. It is especially difficult now with Mardi Gras and Lent being two of the largest crawfish-eating events of the year.
In the past a typical sack, which holds about 35 pounds or so of live crawfish could be purchased for $25. This year, that same sack cost $100. (but you can still get Crawfish PIES here, for only $60...)
"Crawfish and Lent go together like, well, you just name anything that goes together," the metaphorically challenged Ms. Marti Harrell, executive director of the Louisiana Crawfish Farmers Association said.
But across the pond in London town, the Brits have got themselves one heck of a calamari dish.
The 28 foot Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux), Archie, was put on display today in a 30 foot tank at the Natural History Museum. The tank was constructed in California by Casco Ltd., the same folks who made the tank for Damien Hirsts' 1991 piece The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living - one of my favorite modern art works, featuring a full grown tiger shark.
Now, most squid specimens are either found washed up on shores or in the bellies of sperm whales. Archie, though, was caught live, which means it (they believe it is a SHE) is in very good condition. The process of the preservation is detailed on the museum site pretty well - including some video footage - but some information is dropped between the "caught alive" part and the "Archie arrived at the Museum as a huge pink, folded blob. After DNA samples had been taken it was put into a freezer " part. Last time I checked, you rarely put live things into a freezer.
How did Archie die? The world may never know.
In the past a typical sack, which holds about 35 pounds or so of live crawfish could be purchased for $25. This year, that same sack cost $100. (but you can still get Crawfish PIES here, for only $60...)
"Crawfish and Lent go together like, well, you just name anything that goes together," the metaphorically challenged Ms. Marti Harrell, executive director of the Louisiana Crawfish Farmers Association said.
But across the pond in London town, the Brits have got themselves one heck of a calamari dish.
The 28 foot Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux), Archie, was put on display today in a 30 foot tank at the Natural History Museum. The tank was constructed in California by Casco Ltd., the same folks who made the tank for Damien Hirsts' 1991 piece The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living - one of my favorite modern art works, featuring a full grown tiger shark.
Now, most squid specimens are either found washed up on shores or in the bellies of sperm whales. Archie, though, was caught live, which means it (they believe it is a SHE) is in very good condition. The process of the preservation is detailed on the museum site pretty well - including some video footage - but some information is dropped between the "caught alive" part and the "Archie arrived at the Museum as a huge pink, folded blob. After DNA samples had been taken it was put into a freezer " part. Last time I checked, you rarely put live things into a freezer.
How did Archie die? The world may never know.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
What To Do When Your Chewing Gum Has Lost Its Flavor
Faithful Readers may recall the post about children's manners, or lack thereof.
Well, it seems good ol' Chicago has nothing on the children of Detriot. A boy visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts was chewing gum ( Wrigley's Extra Polar Ice, to be precise), and apparently it lost its flavor. What's a kid to do?
Stick it on to the $1.5 million Helen Frankenthaler 1963 painting, The Bay.
The director of the school said "Even though we give very strict guidelines on proper behaviour and we hold students to high standards, he is only 12."
Oh, please.
Well, it seems good ol' Chicago has nothing on the children of Detriot. A boy visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts was chewing gum ( Wrigley's Extra Polar Ice, to be precise), and apparently it lost its flavor. What's a kid to do?
Stick it on to the $1.5 million Helen Frankenthaler 1963 painting, The Bay.
The director of the school said "Even though we give very strict guidelines on proper behaviour and we hold students to high standards, he is only 12."
Oh, please.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Two Spoonfuls Of Whiskey...
In his 1695 travel book, The Western Islands of Scotland, the redundantly named Mr. Martin Martin refers to a quadruple-distilled whisky known as usquebaugh-baul . Usual whiskeys are distilled only twice. Quad distilling yields a drink that is 92% alcohol, while a typical whisky would be about 40% alcohol.
Martin wrote: The first taste affects all the members of the body: two spoonfuls of this last liquor is a sufficient dose; and if any man should exceed this, it would presently stop his breath and endanger his life.
Now it seems that the fine folks at the Bruichladdich distillery are attempting to recreate the recipe on the Isle of Islay, ultimately producing 5,000 bottles of the potentially hazardous libation which they are calling Perilous Whisky.
You can see some images from the distillation here, if, as a Bruichladdich spokesman says, the distillery doesn't explode during the process.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Animal Death Match - Championship Round
Still no news this year about pythons. Jeesh.
If you are keeping score at home, here is a re-cap:
Burmese Python vs. Siamese Cat - winner : Python
Burmese Python vs. Alligator - winner: Python
The newest round of Animal Death Match was recently held in Australia.
Grandma vs. 14 foot long Salt Water Crocodile - winner: GRANDMA!
I am hoping to get together some funds to send Grandma to the Everglades for a relaxing holiday, and if she HAPPENS to come across a python, well, that's good blogging, friends!
If you are keeping score at home, here is a re-cap:
Burmese Python vs. Siamese Cat - winner : Python
Burmese Python vs. Alligator - winner: Python
The newest round of Animal Death Match was recently held in Australia.
Grandma vs. 14 foot long Salt Water Crocodile - winner: GRANDMA!
I am hoping to get together some funds to send Grandma to the Everglades for a relaxing holiday, and if she HAPPENS to come across a python, well, that's good blogging, friends!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
To The Moon, Alice!
The average distance of the moon from the Earth is about 239,000 miles.
That means that my Toyota was officially made it to the moon, and travelled an additional 50,000 miles past it!
Next stop, Mars!
Go, car, go!
That means that my Toyota was officially made it to the moon, and travelled an additional 50,000 miles past it!
Next stop, Mars!
Go, car, go!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
How Much Is That Doggie In The Airport?
Street value: $25 million.
That is the amount of drugs (liquid heroin and cocaine) that were seized in a great big drug bust, in which the drug smugglers were using retriever puppies as their mules. After placing the bags of drugs into the puppies bellies, they waited patiently for the shaved fur to grow back, covering up the surgery scar.
When you have to resort to surgically implanting bags of drugs into the bellies puppies, you have reached the end of civilization.
There is truly only one word for it: despicable. Preferably said like Daffy Duck.
That is the amount of drugs (liquid heroin and cocaine) that were seized in a great big drug bust, in which the drug smugglers were using retriever puppies as their mules. After placing the bags of drugs into the puppies bellies, they waited patiently for the shaved fur to grow back, covering up the surgery scar.
When you have to resort to surgically implanting bags of drugs into the bellies puppies, you have reached the end of civilization.
There is truly only one word for it: despicable. Preferably said like Daffy Duck.
I Get It Already! I’m Becoming A Dinosaur!
First, there was the death knell of the film camera market. Estimates say that 92 percent of all cameras sold are now digital.
Then came the announcements that Nikon and Kodak are exiting the film camera business and that Konica Minolta is exiting the camera business altogether.
Sooner rather than later, film will be as difficult to procure as flashcubes.
Today, they have announced the end of the megapixel race.
"In compact cameras, I think that the megapixel race is pretty much over," says Chuck Westfall, director of media for Canon's camera marketing group. "Seven- and eight-megapixel cameras seem to be more than adequate. We can easily go up to a 13-by-19 print and see very, very clear detail."
And with that, the manufacturers of digital cameras have given up the useless pose of pretending that their product is an old-school camera, and are letting their design sensibilities run wild, allowing form to follow function and no longer mimicking the size, shape and features of film cameras.
But I happen to really like the size, shape, feel and look of film cameras.
And will photographers opf the future wear those safari jackets overloaded with lenses, film canisters and filters? I think not. A blow to sterotyping and fashion, to boot.
Then came the announcements that Nikon and Kodak are exiting the film camera business and that Konica Minolta is exiting the camera business altogether.
Sooner rather than later, film will be as difficult to procure as flashcubes.
Today, they have announced the end of the megapixel race.
"In compact cameras, I think that the megapixel race is pretty much over," says Chuck Westfall, director of media for Canon's camera marketing group. "Seven- and eight-megapixel cameras seem to be more than adequate. We can easily go up to a 13-by-19 print and see very, very clear detail."
And with that, the manufacturers of digital cameras have given up the useless pose of pretending that their product is an old-school camera, and are letting their design sensibilities run wild, allowing form to follow function and no longer mimicking the size, shape and features of film cameras.
But I happen to really like the size, shape, feel and look of film cameras.
And will photographers opf the future wear those safari jackets overloaded with lenses, film canisters and filters? I think not. A blow to sterotyping and fashion, to boot.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
My Birthday Is Just Around The Corner
If any Faithful Readers are pressed for ideas for a birthday present for the CaptainStL, the nice folks at Christie’s are holding on auction the day prior, enabling last minute gift purchases.
I wouldn’t mind waiting an extra day or so if overnight shipping is too expensive.
But I have just the right spot in mind for the portrait of café proprietress Madame Ginoux by a relatively unknown artist named Vincent Van Gogh. It was finished in February of 1890, so it is rather dated, but you know, I am fond of it because she has books on the table (Charles Dickens' Christmas Stories and Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin).
Early bidders should be able to snatch it up for somewhere between 40 and 60 million, although the last Van Gogh portrait up for acution, Portrait of Dr. Gachet, sold for $82.5 million in 1990.
I love you guys. I hope ScubaSteve is free to help me hang it up when it arrives...
I wouldn’t mind waiting an extra day or so if overnight shipping is too expensive.
But I have just the right spot in mind for the portrait of café proprietress Madame Ginoux by a relatively unknown artist named Vincent Van Gogh. It was finished in February of 1890, so it is rather dated, but you know, I am fond of it because she has books on the table (Charles Dickens' Christmas Stories and Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin).
Early bidders should be able to snatch it up for somewhere between 40 and 60 million, although the last Van Gogh portrait up for acution, Portrait of Dr. Gachet, sold for $82.5 million in 1990.
I love you guys. I hope ScubaSteve is free to help me hang it up when it arrives...
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
All The King’s Horses and All The Museum’s Conservators…
The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge displays a group of Qing dynasty Chinese vases on a window sill. Lord knows that is where I display all of my fragile porcelain. My windowsill.
The priceless vases from the reign of Kangxi (1662-1722) were (and were is the correct term, keep reading) painted in enamels in the famille verte palette with traces of gilding. They were donated to the museum in 1948 and had become one of its most recognizable exhibits.
A visitor to the museum tripped on his shoelace, tumbled down a flight of stairs and crashed into the vases, smashing them into smithereens.
They is no report that Peter Bogdanovich was in town filming a sequel to What’s Up, Doc.
Whilst the method of displaying objects is always under review, it is important not to over-react and make the Museum's collections less accessible to the visiting public, museum director Duncan Robinson said on Monday.
Whilst?
The priceless vases from the reign of Kangxi (1662-1722) were (and were is the correct term, keep reading) painted in enamels in the famille verte palette with traces of gilding. They were donated to the museum in 1948 and had become one of its most recognizable exhibits.
A visitor to the museum tripped on his shoelace, tumbled down a flight of stairs and crashed into the vases, smashing them into smithereens.
They is no report that Peter Bogdanovich was in town filming a sequel to What’s Up, Doc.
Whilst the method of displaying objects is always under review, it is important not to over-react and make the Museum's collections less accessible to the visiting public, museum director Duncan Robinson said on Monday.
Whilst?
Monday, January 30, 2006
What Gets A Woman Riled Up - Part Two
Don’t touch my brand.
It’s time to visit the Million Little opinions scandal, which the NYT’s entitled: How Oprahness Trumped Truthiness.
James Frey reported to the set of Oprah on Thursday to complete his public abasement. Ms. Winfrey turned on him with calculated efficiency, using him to mop up the floor and clean up her reputation at the same time.
What started as a mea culpa soon turned into j'accuse. Both Mr. Frey and Ms. Talese were snapped in two like dry winter twigs. A Greek chorus of media types fell into step as well.
…But she won't repair the book business by a wag of the finger. The most important thing that Ms. Winfrey can do for publishing is pick better books.
It’s time to visit the Million Little opinions scandal, which the NYT’s entitled: How Oprahness Trumped Truthiness.
James Frey reported to the set of Oprah on Thursday to complete his public abasement. Ms. Winfrey turned on him with calculated efficiency, using him to mop up the floor and clean up her reputation at the same time.
What started as a mea culpa soon turned into j'accuse. Both Mr. Frey and Ms. Talese were snapped in two like dry winter twigs. A Greek chorus of media types fell into step as well.
…But she won't repair the book business by a wag of the finger. The most important thing that Ms. Winfrey can do for publishing is pick better books.
What Gets A Woman Riled Up - Part One
I saw some photos of a group of women exercising their rights to assemble and their rights to free speech. However, it was not readily apparent to me what had caused the women to make signs and come out together en masse.
What strong force had so passionately moved these women?
Iraq? Health care? Lying politicians?
Nope. The Dish Network took Lifetime off of their lineup, and the women were protesting to have their Golden Girls returned.
What strong force had so passionately moved these women?
Iraq? Health care? Lying politicians?
Nope. The Dish Network took Lifetime off of their lineup, and the women were protesting to have their Golden Girls returned.
Casting Call
With a new biography coming out, it is certainly the year for the reclusive Harper Lee.
She was recently portrayed (wonderfully) by Catherine Keener in Capote, and now I discover there is yet another Capote film on its way. And Lee will be played by…Sandra Bullock. (Not to mention Gwyneth Paltrow as Peggy Lee!)
Really. I’m not kidding. All I am saying is...Keener, Bullock...has no one seen a picture of Lee?
She was recently portrayed (wonderfully) by Catherine Keener in Capote, and now I discover there is yet another Capote film on its way. And Lee will be played by…Sandra Bullock. (Not to mention Gwyneth Paltrow as Peggy Lee!)
Really. I’m not kidding. All I am saying is...Keener, Bullock...has no one seen a picture of Lee?
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Those French
I love reading tales of travel, especially when you get to meet characters and get taken to off-the-beaten path kind of places. (Blue Highways )
So I was very interested in the review of American Vertigo: Traveling America in the Footsteps of Tocqueville,' by Bernard-Henri Lévy in the NYT this morning.
Bernard-Henri Lévy is a French writer with a spatter-paint prose style and the grandiosity of a college sophomore; he rambled around this country at the behest of The Atlantic Monthly and now has worked up his notes into a sort of book. It is the classic Freaks, Fatties, Fanatics & Faux Culture Excursion beloved of European journalists for the past 50 years.
There's nobody here whom you recognize. In more than 300 pages, nobody tells a joke. Nobody does much work. Nobody sits and eats and enjoys their food.
It dawns on you that this is a book about the French. There's no reason for it to exist in English, except as evidence that travel need not be broadening and one should be wary of books with Tocqueville in the title.
I did buy an issue or two of the Atlantic when it was running this serial, and I gave up, finding it tedious. This review amused me to death, and then, the big surprise.
The reviewer? Garrison Keillor.
This is without doubt the first thing he has done that I’ve appreciated.
So I was very interested in the review of American Vertigo: Traveling America in the Footsteps of Tocqueville,' by Bernard-Henri Lévy in the NYT this morning.
Bernard-Henri Lévy is a French writer with a spatter-paint prose style and the grandiosity of a college sophomore; he rambled around this country at the behest of The Atlantic Monthly and now has worked up his notes into a sort of book. It is the classic Freaks, Fatties, Fanatics & Faux Culture Excursion beloved of European journalists for the past 50 years.
There's nobody here whom you recognize. In more than 300 pages, nobody tells a joke. Nobody does much work. Nobody sits and eats and enjoys their food.
It dawns on you that this is a book about the French. There's no reason for it to exist in English, except as evidence that travel need not be broadening and one should be wary of books with Tocqueville in the title.
I did buy an issue or two of the Atlantic when it was running this serial, and I gave up, finding it tedious. This review amused me to death, and then, the big surprise.
The reviewer? Garrison Keillor.
This is without doubt the first thing he has done that I’ve appreciated.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Pretty As A Picture
“People do different things. This is some of the different things I do” – David Lynch
Finally got around to watching my latest NetFlix arrival – Pretty As A Picture : The Art of David Lynch.
I thought it was going to be simply an overview of David’s paintings, drawings and cartoons, when in fact it was an exhaustive artistic biography, covering everything from his early films, painting, furniture making, music collaborations with longtime associate, Angelo Badalamenti, photography, writing and his more popular films.
The film includes interviews with friends, family members and coworkers, each giving insight into David’s artistic process and telling some great tales. One of the most poignant parts is when David, Jack Nance, Catherine Coulson and Charlotte Stewart, the cast of Eraserhead, revisits the stables of the American Film Institute, where David was living illegally for the five years it took to complete the film. The easy camaraderie between the old friends is heartwarming. Not long after this visit, Jack Nance died, and the documentary is dedicated to his memory.
It was really nice to see David, relaxing with a old friend, and telling the story of the real life origins of Jack Nance’s classic line in Twin Peaks, “Fellows, don’t drink that coffee! There was a fish, IN the percolator!”
And near the end, David and his producer, Deepak Nayar, give two conflicting tales about the origin of Twin Peak’s Bob, (“About matters of money Deepak is never wrong, but he has this story very wrong.”) and Lynch goes on to acknowledging the beautiful synchronicity of “accidents”.
Ideas are the best things going. Somewhere is all the ideas. They are sitting there. And like a spark, it is seen, known, felt all at once. You get a burst of enthusiasm – you fall in love with it. An excitement. But fate plays the biggest part.
From an appearance on Jay Leno, David talks about his cheese head sculpture (which is featured on Julee Cruise’s CD The Voice Of Love), about how he took a ball of cheese and turkey and encased it in clay, and then exposed the cheese and meat by making holes for the mouth, eyes and ears. He then “mounted it on a small wire hanger” and it was his complete Gordon Cole / Dale Cooper tone of voice that sent me over the edge. It was great. He left this sculpture in his kitchen, where he was being invaded by ants (sugar ants, he says, that were looking for water), and watched and photographed the ants over a period of the four days it took for them to empty the head. In talking about the ants, a group he has great respect for, David says, “Ants are tireless workers. If you give them a project they can do, they’ll do it. No questions asked, no unions.” He still refers to himself as an “ant wrangler”, and his son, Austin, chimes in saying that to this day, any ant discovered in the Lynch household is escorted outside to safety.
Jack Fisk, Lynch’s old friend tells a wonderful story, one that gave me shivers, because I immediately agreed with Lynch…
One day he was showing me a painting he made of a dock or a wharf in greens and blacks. It was thick with oil, and right as he showed it to me a moth flew into the painting and got stuck - it flew around and its wings created a little circle in his painting, spiral patterns - sort of like the death of a moth ... I thought David would pull the moth out and repaint it, but he fell in love with it the way it was.
So would I.
This revelation leads to a discussion about how Lynch uses bugs and dead animals and meat and maggots as texture in his works. He is fascinated by organic textures and claims that it needs to be looked at just as much as anything else.
One of the best summations of Lynch’s work comes from Mel Brooks. He explains that Lynch is like Braque, Picasso or Seurat, painting and filmmaking in strange globs and dots. If you stay in the middle of it, it all looks like unconnected globs of paint, but if you get a way back, get an overview, you can then see “the brilliant patterns in his soul.”
Absolutely lovely.
Finally got around to watching my latest NetFlix arrival – Pretty As A Picture : The Art of David Lynch.
I thought it was going to be simply an overview of David’s paintings, drawings and cartoons, when in fact it was an exhaustive artistic biography, covering everything from his early films, painting, furniture making, music collaborations with longtime associate, Angelo Badalamenti, photography, writing and his more popular films.
The film includes interviews with friends, family members and coworkers, each giving insight into David’s artistic process and telling some great tales. One of the most poignant parts is when David, Jack Nance, Catherine Coulson and Charlotte Stewart, the cast of Eraserhead, revisits the stables of the American Film Institute, where David was living illegally for the five years it took to complete the film. The easy camaraderie between the old friends is heartwarming. Not long after this visit, Jack Nance died, and the documentary is dedicated to his memory.
It was really nice to see David, relaxing with a old friend, and telling the story of the real life origins of Jack Nance’s classic line in Twin Peaks, “Fellows, don’t drink that coffee! There was a fish, IN the percolator!”
And near the end, David and his producer, Deepak Nayar, give two conflicting tales about the origin of Twin Peak’s Bob, (“About matters of money Deepak is never wrong, but he has this story very wrong.”) and Lynch goes on to acknowledging the beautiful synchronicity of “accidents”.
Ideas are the best things going. Somewhere is all the ideas. They are sitting there. And like a spark, it is seen, known, felt all at once. You get a burst of enthusiasm – you fall in love with it. An excitement. But fate plays the biggest part.
From an appearance on Jay Leno, David talks about his cheese head sculpture (which is featured on Julee Cruise’s CD The Voice Of Love), about how he took a ball of cheese and turkey and encased it in clay, and then exposed the cheese and meat by making holes for the mouth, eyes and ears. He then “mounted it on a small wire hanger” and it was his complete Gordon Cole / Dale Cooper tone of voice that sent me over the edge. It was great. He left this sculpture in his kitchen, where he was being invaded by ants (sugar ants, he says, that were looking for water), and watched and photographed the ants over a period of the four days it took for them to empty the head. In talking about the ants, a group he has great respect for, David says, “Ants are tireless workers. If you give them a project they can do, they’ll do it. No questions asked, no unions.” He still refers to himself as an “ant wrangler”, and his son, Austin, chimes in saying that to this day, any ant discovered in the Lynch household is escorted outside to safety.
Jack Fisk, Lynch’s old friend tells a wonderful story, one that gave me shivers, because I immediately agreed with Lynch…
One day he was showing me a painting he made of a dock or a wharf in greens and blacks. It was thick with oil, and right as he showed it to me a moth flew into the painting and got stuck - it flew around and its wings created a little circle in his painting, spiral patterns - sort of like the death of a moth ... I thought David would pull the moth out and repaint it, but he fell in love with it the way it was.
So would I.
This revelation leads to a discussion about how Lynch uses bugs and dead animals and meat and maggots as texture in his works. He is fascinated by organic textures and claims that it needs to be looked at just as much as anything else.
One of the best summations of Lynch’s work comes from Mel Brooks. He explains that Lynch is like Braque, Picasso or Seurat, painting and filmmaking in strange globs and dots. If you stay in the middle of it, it all looks like unconnected globs of paint, but if you get a way back, get an overview, you can then see “the brilliant patterns in his soul.”
Absolutely lovely.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Meet The Bloggers
Hollywood Stafford invited me to a gathering of local bloggers this evening. It was held at Pearl of the Orient in Rocky River.
First, a minute to talk about that. I've never been to Rocky River, and I am really looking forward to spending some time there. It has a great feel to it, and it is a charming and lovely place. What a cool discovery.
So, Hollywood and I had a glass of wine, served by celebrity blogger bartenders - one looking dashing in his kilt - and some nice appetizers and hobnobbed with the locals. A politician even dropped by the meet us, and I was sent off with the CD Unilluminated by the band Word Of Mouth. More detail about that will be showing up here on a future Tuesday...
It was a very nice night, and very nice to meet the folks behind the blogs. And contrary to the pre-conceived notions of some, this was not a room filled with geeks and nerds like a Star Trek convention. For the most part, bloggers seem to be a group of well-educated, well-dressed types who, by the nature of the endeavor, have a command over the language and can type, spell and read. This makes them a unique group, and I was pleased to be made to feel so welcome.
And by the way, Hollywood is a snappy dresser in real life, folks.
To close, a shameless steal from Scott:
First, a minute to talk about that. I've never been to Rocky River, and I am really looking forward to spending some time there. It has a great feel to it, and it is a charming and lovely place. What a cool discovery.
So, Hollywood and I had a glass of wine, served by celebrity blogger bartenders - one looking dashing in his kilt - and some nice appetizers and hobnobbed with the locals. A politician even dropped by the meet us, and I was sent off with the CD Unilluminated by the band Word Of Mouth. More detail about that will be showing up here on a future Tuesday...
It was a very nice night, and very nice to meet the folks behind the blogs. And contrary to the pre-conceived notions of some, this was not a room filled with geeks and nerds like a Star Trek convention. For the most part, bloggers seem to be a group of well-educated, well-dressed types who, by the nature of the endeavor, have a command over the language and can type, spell and read. This makes them a unique group, and I was pleased to be made to feel so welcome.
And by the way, Hollywood is a snappy dresser in real life, folks.
To close, a shameless steal from Scott:
And then in the End all the Sushi'd been eated
The drinks had been drink-ed
The Bloggers was Meeted.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
A Steaming Plate Of Haggis
It's Burns' Night -excellent! No, not that Burn's, I mean Bobby Burns, as my grandma referred to him (apparently she was close to him).
The traditional Scottish celebration of the life and work of poet Robert Burns (who gave us Auld Lang Syne for one - and, as a cool coincidence, my grandma lived on LANG DRIVE) involves the drinking of whiskey and the eating of haggis:
According to health officials in Scotland, the delicacy -- a sheep's stomach lining stuffed with offal, oatmeal, onions and seasoning -- contains too much fat and salt and should only be given to youngsters once a week.
Haggis was placed on a "restricted" list of foods issued to nurseries, playgroups and childminders as part of a drive by the Scottish Executive in Edinburgh to improve the health of pre-school children under five.
Once a week still sounds like child abuse to me.
And a final note, my favorite pet was a Border Terrier I named Duncan, after the Scottish king Duncan the Gracious as seen in Macbeth. (Border Terriers originated on the Scottish / English border, although Duncan came from Alaska...) He was the cutest, smartest fellow. When Scout met him, she immediately took to calling him Haggis, which really was the perfect name for him...
The traditional Scottish celebration of the life and work of poet Robert Burns (who gave us Auld Lang Syne for one - and, as a cool coincidence, my grandma lived on LANG DRIVE) involves the drinking of whiskey and the eating of haggis:
According to health officials in Scotland, the delicacy -- a sheep's stomach lining stuffed with offal, oatmeal, onions and seasoning -- contains too much fat and salt and should only be given to youngsters once a week.
Haggis was placed on a "restricted" list of foods issued to nurseries, playgroups and childminders as part of a drive by the Scottish Executive in Edinburgh to improve the health of pre-school children under five.
Once a week still sounds like child abuse to me.
And a final note, my favorite pet was a Border Terrier I named Duncan, after the Scottish king Duncan the Gracious as seen in Macbeth. (Border Terriers originated on the Scottish / English border, although Duncan came from Alaska...) He was the cutest, smartest fellow. When Scout met him, she immediately took to calling him Haggis, which really was the perfect name for him...
How To Be A More Successful Public Speaker
It gives one pause to think of the how and why of some research projects.
Nonetheless, Scottish scientists have done their part to ease the stress of one of mankind's most frightening events - speechmaking.
Researchers from the University of Paisley in Scotland (an unlikely name, unless it was sponsered by Prince, which I have not ruled out), released this little bit of helpful information, which deserves to read in its entirety.
And what is the connection between that, and this, from the front page of their website:
University of Paisley Initiative Enhancing Women’s Careers The University of Paisley’s innovative Winning Women initiative, which aims to help women enter the workplace or add to their existing skills to aid career progression, has places available this February.
New opportunities for pick up lines: "No really, I have to give a speech tomorrow, and I have high blood pressure..."
Nonetheless, Scottish scientists have done their part to ease the stress of one of mankind's most frightening events - speechmaking.
Researchers from the University of Paisley in Scotland (an unlikely name, unless it was sponsered by Prince, which I have not ruled out), released this little bit of helpful information, which deserves to read in its entirety.
And what is the connection between that, and this, from the front page of their website:
University of Paisley Initiative Enhancing Women’s Careers The University of Paisley’s innovative Winning Women initiative, which aims to help women enter the workplace or add to their existing skills to aid career progression, has places available this February.
New opportunities for pick up lines: "No really, I have to give a speech tomorrow, and I have high blood pressure..."
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